The Practical Tanya - Part One - The Book for Inbetweeners

The Practical Tanya - Part One - The Book for Inbetweeners, by Chaim Miller, took me over three years to read. Granted, I took breaks. But this work certainly deserves a slow go and I probably should have taken six years. That said, you should either hire a teacher to teach you the Tanya, or read this book. Miller is an excellent guide through this complex text.In a wider sense, it is hard to believe that the Alter Rebbe wrote this work so he could teach more people his Torah, and not be interrupted by so many visitors. This is the Alter Rebbe's introductory text!! Our knowledge of Chassidus has certainly really atrophied.

The Kindle version works perfectly. For whatever reason, the translator, Chaim Miller, decided to publish his English translation as though the text was still Hebrew. That means to go forward a page you must tap the left side of the screen, and to go back a page tap on the right side of the screen. That may seem eccentric, but it works well if remembered.

If you want to study this text I strongly urge you to purchase the physical text and not the Kindle version. I am learning THIAM with another lady who has the physical book and my version is missing sections and complete chapters. Tonight we discovered a very important chapter (Chapter 11) is completely missing.

After years of reading Sfat Emet on the parsha - I started learning Tanya. It is both very different and with commonality of concepts. Neither can be learned casually and both need to be learned daily and or with a hevruta in order to master the language and concepts.I love the English commentary. Took off a star for the difficult to read layout of interlaced Hebrew and English. Using the Kindle edition on my phone it as a supplement to Steinsaltz commentary on the Tanya in hard cover.Be prepared to work hard.

The book, such as it is, is a beneficial way to study Tanya. I'm in a class that uses it to learn Tanya. Two of us have the Kindle version, and we've found that this edition omits essential paragraphs. I can't understand this and find my faith in Kindle editions challenged. Shouldn't the description of the Kindle edition mention that it is an abridged edition? I'm going to try to "return" the Kindle edition and exchange it for the paper edition.

I have always wanted to have a detailed study book on the Tanya! I love the Practical Lessons appearing along the side of the pages in bolder type. There is the mixture of Hebrew along with English for translation purposes throughout the chapters, and excellent references placed within each paragraph or section of study. Unfortunately, I was not raised in a Jewish home, so I have had to seek out Jewish Spirituality on my own time and did not learn Hebrew. But maybe if it had been so, I might not have had the longing that I so desired. Through the years, I came to discover that I do have Jewish ancestors buried in a much older part of a cemetery outside of the town that I grew up in. It became part of the land that a Catholic Church bought up in the beginnings of their establishment in that town. The Star of David still appears on their old gravestones. So I'm definitely an Inbetweener in more ways than one and was so delighted when I discovered my Jewish heritage.

Greatly appreciate the translation, commentary and added appropriate/ illuminating/relevant texts

This book elucidates the Tanya in ways that other translations and aids in the study of Tanya, the building block of Chassidic knowledge, simply don’t have. The English translation is fresh and modern but most importantly it accurately brings down the message that the author intended.

Great Edition. The book itself has a really nice soft feel. Unfortunately mine did come with some old glue marks on the back on on the inside of the back cover (can see some on photos), which meant it doesn't feel soft in those places and has little bumps.The layout is good and easy to read, and the commentary is clear and concise.

Beautiful edition, lovely to handle and use, very clear print.

Arrivé en très bon état. Livre de base que ma prof m’a conseillé. Parfait.