We are at lesson fifty five in the Shalsheles HaYachas, in the history of the Rebbe's life, part 6. Today we will study the years 5713 and 5714.
The first line reads: "5713 - arouses regarding the great necessity of studying the halachos needed every day." This took place at a farbrengen on Chol HaMoed 5713, which was officially designated for yeshivah students. The Rebbe strongly aroused those present about the neglect of the study of Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim - the section of halachos that one needs to know on a day to day basis - and asked that it be instituted among the Jewish people in general, among yeshivah students in particular, and especially among the members of the "Union of Yeshivah Students" that was spoken about the previous year, to study ten minutes or a quarter of an hour every day of the halachos needed in practice. For example:
The laws of interrupting during prayer - where it is permitted to interrupt and where it is forbidden.
The berachos of Krias Shema.
The berachos over food and pleasures.
Birkas HaMazon.
These are halachos for which there is no time to look up the answer in a sefer, since they are matters one must know immediately; and the Rebbe strongly aroused about investing in them that year.
The second item that appears here: "Renews the custom of holding the "Chalukas HaShas" on 19 Kislev." It is known what the Alter Rebbe writes in Iggeres HaKodesh, printed in Tanya, that the entire Shas should be completed each and every year in every single minyan; and the custom was established that on 19 Kislev the division of the Shas is made among all the members of the minyan. From the year 5663, in the time of the Rebbe Rashab in Lubavitch, they moved the Chalukas HaShas from 19 Kislev to 24 Teves, the yom hilula of the Alter Rebbe, because on 19 Kislev there was a heavy load of farbrengens and shiurim. That year, at the 19 Kislev farbrengen, the Rebbe restored the matter to its original state and instituted that the Chalukas HaShas should once again be held on 19 Kislev. There is a lengthy treatment of the subject in a special kuntres called "Chalukas HaShas on 19 Kislev," which was published in 5752 and is printed in Sefer HaSichos 5752 - an entire kuntres on the matter.
The last item that appears in this year: "Founds the Agudas Neshei uBnos Chabad in the United States and in several countries." The Rebbe spoke about this at the Simchas Torah farbrengen. The Rebbe said that with the Rebbe Rayatz we see that he would publish maamarim and letters in Yiddish - whereas generally these maamarim and letters were written in Lashon HaKodesh, as was the way of our Rebbeim, the nesi'im. And why in Yiddish? Because the language spoken at home in those days was Yiddish, and he wanted women and girls also to be able to read the sichos and letters and understand them. From here we learn, said the Rebbe, that one must strengthen this matter and found an organization of Neshei uBnos Chabad, who would strengthen among themselves matters of education, study the sichos, stories of tzaddikim, and the halachos one needs to learn. The Rebbe mentioned then that in Eretz Yisrael this organization already exists - as we mentioned in the year 5712, that the Rebbe founded Agudas Neshei uBnos Chabad in the Land - and he asked that it be established in the United States as well. The farbrengen was on Simchas Torah, and the Rebbe asked that by Shabbos Bereishis, about a week later, they should already organize and establish Agudas Neshei uBnos Chabad in the United States.
"5714 - arouses regarding granting the sons and daughters of Israel the merit of the berachah over the Daled Minim on Sukkos." Today the "Daled Minim campaign" is well known, in which people go out on Sukkos to grant Jews everywhere this merit; and this practice - the Rebbe aroused about it in 5714.
Another item: "Prints an index of subjects, etc., for Sefer HaTanya, which he prepared." Sefer HaTanya was already printed in the time of the Alter Rebbe, but the Rebbe prepared and added what is printed at the end of every Tanya - the index of subjects, the index of people's names, the list of corrections, notes and corrections, etc. - and published it on 3 Kislev 5714. We have it to this very day. And the Rebbe's index of subjects is not merely a technical matter, not merely a topical index; rather, it itself requires study: when one examines it, one learns which matter the Rebbe connected to which matter and to which chapter he referred - it teaches us how to understand and properly study Sefer HaTanya.
The next item: "Founds an agricultural school in Kfar Chabad in the Holy Land, may it be built and established." Later this school was institutionalized in a different form and was called the "Trade School," and this appears in the following year; but in its original form it was called an "agricultural school." The Rebbe established it in Kfar Chabad, and he wanted that students who do not belong in full time yeshivah study all day should also learn a trade, yet remain within a Torah framework, grow, and establish chassidishe homes as befits them.
The next item: "Founds the "Keren HaShanah" fund." The Rebbe spoke about this at the second farbrengen of Shabbos Bereishis that year. What is "Keren HaShanah"? Every day there is a great matter in giving tzedakah, since all the Divine drawings down come about through tzedakah, and the Rebbe's desire is that everyone should have a giving of tzedakah every day. True, everyone gives from time to time, but in order that it be constant and that not a single day be missed, the Rebbe established "Keren HaShanah": in advance, at the beginning of the year, a person gives to this fund the number of days of the year - three hundred sixty five coins, in whatever denomination he wishes, pennies or shekels and the like - and the fund gives tzedakah every day on behalf of everyone who is a member in it. And thus a person has a giving of tzedakah every day that was given on his behalf; a great thing that the Rebbe aroused about in 5714.
The next item: "Arouses regarding granting many the merit of "matzah shemurah" for Pesach." This took place on Shabbos Mevarchim Chodesh Nissan. The Rebbe asked - and said that if he could, he would command - to institute that all rabbanim and all who have influence on others should distribute matzos: matzah shemurah, round matzah, handmade, to all those for whom there is good reason to assume that if they receive matzos from him they will eat them and use them at the Seder. Through this they will bring about that hundreds and thousands of Jews will fulfill the mitzvah of eating matzah on Pesach according to halachah. Over the years this became very institutionalized, and today hundreds of thousands of matzos are distributed; but the beginning of the arousal about this was in 5714.
The last item that appears here: "Taught the niggun "Tzomah Lecha Nafshi."" This took place on Shabbos Mevarchim Chodesh Iyar 5714. The Rebbe delivered an entire sichah on the subject of thirsting for G-dliness, and at its conclusion he said that there is a niggun of the Alter Rebbe on the verse "Tzomah Lecha Nafshi," and he asked that the crowd sing it. However, the crowd did not know the niggun, and no one was familiar with it; therefore the Rebbe himself began to sing it several times in order to teach the crowd. Later in the farbrengen, after several sichos, the Rebbe again sang the niggun many times, so that the crowd would absorb it. From then on the Rebbe would instruct that it be sung from time to time, and throughout all the years this niggun was unique: whereas with many niggunim the Rebbe would say which niggun to sing and the crowd would sing, here the Rebbe was literally a partner in the singing - the crowd sang a portion and the Rebbe sang a portion. This special niggun is in its origin the niggun of the Alter Rebbe on the verse "Tzomah Lecha Nafshi."