"Room" one hundred and seventeen in the hall of Hayom Yom.
Wednesday, 17 Adar II 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Tzav, Revii, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, 17th of the month, from chapter 83 to chapter 87 inclusive.
Tanya, middle of chapter 37. The daily shiur begins with the words "venimtza ki", and concludes on page 48 with the word "gideha".
The daily teaching is very short - a line and a half. In the daily Tehillim shiur, on the 17th of the month, we say from chapter 83 and conclude with chapter 87, and the teaching refers to the final verse in the shiur, which concludes chapter 87 (which has only seven verses). In the final verse it is said: "Vesharim kecholelim kol mayanai bach". This verse speaks about the era of the Geulah. "Sharim" - these are the singers with the mouth; "cholelim" - these are those who play musical instruments. There will be a situation of "sharim kecholelim", where the amount of singers will equal the amount of instrumentalists; even though usually, in an orchestra, the number of instrumentalists playing instruments is greater than the solo singer alone - here it will be "sharim kecholelim".
The reference is to the conclusion of the verse: "kol mayanai bach" - how should this be read? Grammatically, it is known that there is a concept of a "long vowel" and a "short vowel". A cholam vowel is always a long vowel, and its meaning is that the letter on which the long vowel stands is independent - it is not adjoined, connected, or attached to the next letter or word. It is like a grown child standing on his own feet. In contrast, a kamatz katan vowel is a short vowel, which means that the word is adjoined and leans on the following word - there is a hyphen and connection, like a small child who needs to be attached to his mother all the time.
Therefore, when saying "zeh hakol" (that is all) - we are finished with the word; but when saying "kol echad ve'echad" (each and every one) - the word "kol" is an opening. If so, the word "kol" can sometimes be used with a long vowel, which is an ending and a pause, and sometimes with a short vowel, which is a continuation to the next word.
Here, in the verse "kol mayanai bach", the question is how to vocalize the chaf of the word "kol": is it with a cholam, which is a long vowel, or with a kamatz, which is a short vowel? There are siddurim where the word is vocalized with a cholam, and there are those where it is vocalized with a kamatz. What is the correct way? In very precise sefarim we see on this word, in certain places, a cholam vowel and along with it a meteg - meaning, it hints that the word stands on its own ("kol" with a cholam), and it also has a meteg indicating its continuation. Thus, this word "kol" has both meanings.
And therefore the daily teaching differentiates - it depends where the verse is said: whether during the recitation of Tehillim, like in the daily shiur on the 17th of the month, where this chapter is said as part of the order of reciting Tehillim; or when preparing to recite Birkat Hamazon at the end of eating, as one of the psalms said before Birkat Hamazon is psalm 87.
And this is the text of the teaching: "When reciting Tehillim - 87:7 - we say 'kol mayanai', the chaf with a kamatz" - in Tehillim we vocalize it with a short vowel. "In the order of Birkat Hamazon the chaf is with a cholam" - in the order of Birkat Hamazon it is with a long vowel. This is the content of the teaching.
According to what is heard - "shmuah" is also from the root of hearing, as can be heard in recordings - when the Rebbe would say this psalm in public, on the 17th of the month, he is heard saying the word twice: both with the long vowel and with the short vowel, both ways, one more quietly and one more loudly. In any case, here in the teaching the division is whether it is during the recitation of Tehillim or during the order of Birkat Hamazon.