Chabad Rebbes
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Tanya
Tanya
/Iggeres Ha’Teshuvah - The Epistle on Repentance,Chapter 3, Class 5

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..for this kind of giving cannot be termed “extravagant distribution” since he does it to redeem himself from fasting and affliction.

דְּלָא מִקְרֵי בִּזְבּוּז בִּכְהַאי גַּוְנָא, מֵאַחַר שֶׁעוֹשֶׂה לִפְדּוֹת נַפְשׁוֹ מִתַּעֲנִיּוֹת וְסִיגּוּפִים.

This is no less necessary than healing his body or his other needs, in which one does not restrict one’s spending to a fifth of his means.

וְלָא גָרְעָא מֵרְפוּאַת הַגּוּף וּשְׁאָר צְרָכָיו.

Since the number of fasts enumerated in the abovementioned penances of the Arizal is exceedingly great,

וּלְפִי שֶׁמִּסְפַּר הַצּוֹמוֹת הַמּוּזְכָּרִים בְּתִקּוּנֵי תְּשׁוּבָה הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל רַבּוּ בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד,

all who revere the word of G‑d are now accustomed to being unstintingly generous with charity, which is given in place of fasting,

לָכֵן נָהֲגוּ עַכְשָׁיו כָּל הַחֲרֵדִים לִדְבַר ה', לְהַרְבּוֹת מְאֹד מְאֹד בִּצְדָקָה,

for the prevalent lack of stamina prevents them from mortifying themselves to this extent.

מֵחֲמַת חֲלִישׁוּת הַדּוֹר, דְּלָא מָצוּ לְצַעוּרֵי נַפְשָׁם כּוּלֵּי הַאי

(15A comment is made elsewhere on this subject on the words, “The kindnesses of G‑d, for they are not concluded.”16)

(וּכְמוֹ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר עַל פָּסוּק: "חַסְדֵי ה' כִּי לֹא תָמְנוּ"):

The last three Hebrew words, here translated “for they are not concluded,” may also be interpreted to mean “for we are not perfect.” Accordingly, in Epistle 10 of Iggeret Hakodesh, the Alter Rebbe explains the verse thus: Since “we are not perfect,” burdened as we are by sins that plead for rectification, we are in need of G‑d’s infinite kindness and charity. And in order to elicit kindness and pardon of an infinite order, man, for his part, must exceed the conventional, finite bounds of charity.

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FOOTNOTES

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15. Parentheses are in the original text.

16.Lamentations 3:22.