At times, the religious experience can be one of extremes—ranging from the peaks of inspiration and faith to the valleys of despair and disillusion. But what about the rest of the time, when a person is far from the heights of spiritual bliss and does not want to fall into the pit of apathy?

Such a person is termed as a beinoni—the typical human being who is neither a saint (tzaddik) nor sinner (rasha). The task of the beinoni is to be spiritually aligned even in moments when inspiration is elusive and temptation lurks.

The Alter Rebbe, the first Rebbe of Chabad, wrote a manual for the beinoni called Tanya, in which he outlines techniques for remaining righteous in all situations.

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In “The Average Jew,” a groundbreaking new course from Chabad.org/Courses, Rabbi Ruvi New presents the wisdom of Tanya in a relatable and empowering manner.

The director of Chabad of East Boca Raton, Fla., the rabbi serves on the editorial board of the Jewish Learning Institute. Australian-born, he is a much sought-after lecturer on Kabbalah and is also a professional recording artist, whose recent album “Storm the World” reached No. 8 on the iTunes World Music Charts.

In the first installment, the rabbi unpacks the Tanya’s notion of the human soul and basic premise defining the beinoni vis à vis the tzaddik and rasha. In the following class, he explores the concept of struggle and its place in the Jew’s service of G‑d. The following presentation zooms out for a discussion of purpose and whether a person can be expected to ever be victorious in the battle of life. The final class applies the lessons learned to the 21st century, applying them to the contemporary experience.

“Planning and filming this class was rewarding and enlightening,” says course producer Yaakov Kaplan. “Just interacting so closely with this subject was deeply inspiring, and I trust that viewers will be as touched as I was.”

The course begins on Aug. 14 and runs for four consecutive Tuesdays. The course is free (a donation is suggested, but not required) to those who register online. As all Chabad.org courses, handouts, quizzes and other study materials will be provided.

To sign up for the course, visit the registration page for “The Average Jew.”