Episode 527 - 12 Iyar (Regular Year) - I Don't Feel Anything

In this episode of the It Is Taught Tanya Podcast, host Sarit Switzer explores a profound and relatable challenge in spiritual life: the experience of not feeling God's presence despite knowing intellectually that God is intimately connected to us through Torah and mitzvahs. Drawing from Chapter 46 of The Tanya, she reflects on the tension between divine love and human emotional distance, using the biblical figure Asaf’s declaration in Psalm 73—'I am a fool and I know it not, like an animal before You'—to illustrate that spiritual awareness isn't dependent on feeling. Even when we feel spiritually numb or coarse, the unity between the soul and God remains real and active. The episode deepens with a mystical insight: that even the highest spiritual realms, including supernal knowledge (Da'at Elyon) and understanding (Bina), are likened to 'beasts' (Behemot) because they remain unaware of what lies beyond them. This reframes spiritual inadequacy not as failure, but as a sign of transcendence—acknowledging that true connection exists beyond comprehension. The message is one of hope: not feeling God doesn’t mean He isn’t there. In fact, the very lack of feeling may be part of the divine design, preserving the integrity of the soul’s relationship with the infinite. Key takeaways include: 1) Emotional absence doesn’t negate spiritual reality—unity with God persists even when unfelt; 2) The feeling of being 'like an animal' spiritually is not a flaw but a sign of humility and transcendence; 3) All Jews, regardless of level of observance or knowledge, are equally affected by mitzvahs and transgressions because the Torah is one for all; 4) The highest spiritual realms still contain unknowing, which is not weakness but a form of divine humility; 5) Not feeling God is not a reason to despair—it’s an invitation to trust in the unseen. The episode concludes with a call to continue studying with faith, even in the absence of sensation.