Why Your Soul Needs a Daily “Fit Check” (Tanya Explained)

Description

In this video, Rabbi Shais Taub begins with a humorous *“rabbinic fit check,”* going through the clothing he wears every day — the black yarmulke, black tie, kapota, white shirt, and the simple wardrobe he keeps so he doesn’t have to think about what to wear. Like Einstein in Princeton who kept a closet full of the same suits, the idea is to remove distractions. But the conversation quickly shifts to something deeper. In Jewish mystical teachings there is a concept called *levushim*, which literally means *garments*. According to the teachings explained in the Tanya by the Alter Rebbe, every person has three spiritual garments: *Machshava (thought) Dibur (speech) Maaseh (action)* These are called garments because they are not who you are — they are *how your soul expresses itself.* A person’s soul has its own inner structure, made up of intellectual and emotional faculties — the ways we perceive reality and the way we feel about what we perceive. These inner capacities are difficult to change. They are part of the soul’s makeup. But *thought, speech, and action are different.* They are expressions of those inner capacities. They are the “clothing” the soul wears. And clothing can be changed. The Tanya explains that even if a person cannot completely change what they feel inside, everyone still has the ability to control how those feelings are expressed — in thought, in speech, and in action. That means a person may experience impulses, distractions, or desires that are not aligned with their values, but they still have the power not to give those impulses expression. Not in action. Not in speech. And even not in the thoughts we consciously choose to entertain. Because these expressions are garments, they are something we can choose. Which leads to the real point of the video: Just like people today talk about doing a *“fit check”* for their clothing, there is also something like a *spiritual fit check* — checking throughout the day that our *thoughts, speech, and actions* are aligned with what is right. Not changing who we are at our core, but choosing the garments through which the soul expresses itself. So the next time you pause to evaluate your behavior, you might say: *“Hold on a second — better do a spiritual fit check.”* --- *For more classes from Rabbi Shais Taub:* 🌐 *Website:* https://www.soulwords.org/ *Follow Rabbi Shais Taub:* 📸 *Instagram:* https://www.instagram.com/rabbi_shais_taub 🎥 *TikTok:* https://www.tiktok.com/@rabbi_shais_taub 🐦 *X (Twitter):* https://www.x.com/ShaisTaub 📘 *Facebook:* https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573478244968 💼 *LinkedIn:* https://www.linkedin.com/in/shais-taub-81a95466/ 🎧 *Listen to the SoulWords Podcast:* 🎵 *Spotify:* https://open.spotify.com/show/51E7XHWFDbZCGJQz7CoAZP 🍏 *Apple Podcasts:* https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soulwords-full-library/id1450892501 *Support Our Work:* 💳 *Donate:* https://www.soulwords.org/donate/ 💰 *PayPal:* https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/soulwordspayments 💵 *CashApp:* https://cash.app/$soulwords 🪙 *Venmo:* https://venmo.com/u/soulwords *About SoulWords:* SoulWords is a virtual community hosted by Rabbi Shais Taub, where people come together to explore the spiritual insights of Torah and discover their unique purpose. This platform is here to facilitate your spiritual growth by sharing the mystical teachings of Judaism in contemporary language—making deep wisdom accessible and relevant to your life.