Interesting. I don’t find Tanya repetitive at all. There’s definitely a central theme, but each perek adds another layer to the overall thesis, addressing different aspects of avodah, emunah, Torah, mitzvos, life, and struggle, It feels less repetitive and more cumulative.

Learning Likkutei Sichos these days with a solid chavrusa has me wondering what exactly we thought we understood as bochurim when we ripped through them. Now, I can barely finish a sicha in under an hour. And if you start with the ha’oros… forget about it.

There’s a great story Reb Berel Weiss used to tell. In the early ’60s, he came to the Rebbe for Shemini Atzeres. Rabbi Raichik told him, “It’s an eis ratzon. Go over to the Rebbe” Reb Berel went over to the Rebbe and pledged $100,000 to the mosdos, an extraordinary amount of money at the time. The Rebbe said, “Bracha v’hatzlacha.” He thought The Rebbe didn’t hear so he repeated himself. Again just Bracha v’hatzlacha. Reb Berel recalled, “The hair on my arms stood up. I couldn’t believe it. I thought the Rebbe would pull out a chair for me and give me kovod melachim like other krizen”. But no special treatment. “Bracha v’hatzlacha.” He said I felt that emes is here. For the record there is a follow up to the this when he went into yechidus motzei Yom tov.

I think the biggest issue with this debate is the ambiguity. I haven’t seen a clear, definitive psak either way. Those who permit it seem to rely on there being no clear issur, while those who oppose it seem to rely more on the spirit of Shabbos than a specific halachic prohibition. I may be wrong, but I just haven’t heard or seen anything definitive.