Chapter Eleven: The Wicked Person

Defining the Wicked Person in Tanya Chapter 11

This chapter of Tanya defines the wicked person, presenting them as the opposite of the righteous person. The fundamental characteristic is that the animal soul overpowers the divine soul. The discussion distinguishes between two main categories: the wicked person who possesses some good, and the wicked person who possesses only evil. In the former, the good within the divine soul is overwhelmed and nullified by the evil from the animal soul. This category encompasses a wide spectrum of levels. At one end are those who sin rarely and in minor ways, such as through certain thoughts, speech, or actions, often experiencing remorse and seeking forgiveness afterward. Even post-repentance, their classification as wicked in a true sense remains due to the underlying tendency for the animal soul to dominate. Higher levels in this category sin more frequently and severely, involving all aspects of negative expression, yet they still retain lingering good that prompts feelings of vexation and remorse between transgressions. These individuals represent the majority of those classified as wicked. In contrast, the wicked person who possesses only evil is characterized by a complete lack of contrition or thoughts of repentance. In such a person, the evil has so prevailed that the good has departed from within and exists only as an external influence. Nevertheless, this external good persists because they still possess a divine soul, which explains why the Divine Presence rests over any gathering of ten Jews. The text also includes an illustration demonstrating that even those whose lives are primarily dictated by negative forces can, through repentance following hardship, attain a level of equality with those guided by the divine soul.