The two hundred and eighty-seventh "cheder" in the Hayom Yom hall.
Friday, 10 Elul 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Teitzei, Shishi, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, for the 10th of the month, from chapter 55 through chapter 59 inclusive. And on account of the three chapters that are added during the month of Elul, on this day one recites chapters 28, 29, and 30.
Tanya: On this day one concludes Iggeret 12. The lesson begins on page 236 with the words "Vezehu shekatuv vehaya," until the conclusion of the letter with the words "kol chatotam."
The source of the daily teaching is a letter written by the Rebbe Rayatz on 24 Sivan 5697, addressed to the mashpia of the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Otwock, Rabbi Baruch Friedman. What was the matter about? The mashpia had written to the Rebbe Rayatz that there were temimim in the yeshiva who very much wished to enter to him for yechidus, and the Rebbe was not receiving them, and therefore their spirits had fallen.
Why did the Rebbe Rayatz not receive them? The Rebbe explains to him that yechidus is not merely the simple, plain matter of entering the Rebbe's room for two minutes — that is only the technical side; yechidus has, above all, an inner content, and among these temimim the inner content was lacking. The Rebbe Rayatz says that this was lacking either because their mentors did not guide them sufficiently, or because on their own part they were not so interested in it, or that both reasons were true; but in practice they lacked the proper approach, and therefore it was impossible to receive them for yechidus.
Then he explains to him what yechidus is and what its inner content is. And this is the daily teaching: "The great elder chassidim of the Alter Rebbe" — the great chassidim of the Alter Rebbe — would say that yechidus means, in terms of the literal meaning of the word, three things: "clarification, establishing, and unification." Three meanings to the word "yechidus."
What is the "source of these three interpretations" of the word "yechidut"? "It is in the words of Chazal" — we find examples of all three interpretations. The first example is in "Shekalim, chapter 6, mishnah 2." What is written there? The mishnah relates: There was an incident with a certain kohen who was occupied in the Beit Hamikdash and saw that one section of the floor was different from the others — suddenly he noticed one paving stone that appeared different, that was not on the same level as the rest. He came and said to his fellow, to another kohen, "Come and see, here something looks uneven"; and he did not manage to finish the matter, says the mishnah — he did not manage to get the word out of his mouth — before his soul departed, and he died.
The Mishnah states that from this they understood and knew — and in the language of the Mishnah: "they knew beyichud that the Aron was hidden there." They knew that the reason the flooring was uneven was because the Aron HaKodesh had been hidden in that spot, and they did not want this to be revealed — and therefore the Kohen died immediately. And what is the meaning of "they knew beyichud"? The word "yichud" reminds us of "yechidus." And the Bartenura explains "beyichud" — clearly; they knew in a clear manner. This, then, is a source for the first interpretation, that yechidus means "clear."
What is the second explanation? In "Yevamot 62a". The Gemara states that Moshe Rabbeinu did three things on his own initiative, and the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed to do — meaning, he intended to do what the Holy One, blessed be He, desired. And what are the three things? That he separated from his wife, that he broke the Luchot, and that he added one day to the preparations for the giving of the Torah.
The Gemara explains how Moshe Rabbeinu knew to determine that he must separate entirely from his wife. The Gemara says that Moshe Rabbeinu reasoned by way of a kal vachomer: If the Jewish people, who received a divine revelation only at a one-time occasion at Matan Torah — and for which the Holy One, blessed be He, set them a time in advance to be prepared for that day, and they knew ahead of time to prepare, and among the preparations He told them "do not approach a woman" — if the Jews had to separate only in anticipation of a one-time event, then, says Moshe Rabbeinu: "I, who am designated for speech at every single hour and for whom no set time was fixed" — meaning that I have no time fixed in advance, since the speech may come by surprise — all the more so must I be separated from my wife. And what do we see here from the word "designated"? "Constant" — that Moshe Rabbeinu is always constantly engaged in the divine speech. This is the second interpretation of the word "yechidut."
The third explanation is in "Bereishit Rabbah, chapter 20". There the Jewish people say to the Holy One, blessed be He, that even when we are weary and weak, we hope for the salvation of the Holy One, blessed be He, "and we unify His name each day" — meaning the unification of Hashem, the oneness of Hashem. The term "meyachadim" is like "yechidut". Here we see that "yechidut" means "unified". These are the three explanations of the word "yechidut": clear, fixed, and unified.
And what is the plain meaning intended by this? When one comes to the Rebbe for a yechidus, the yechidus must pass through all three interpretations, as he details: "That is to say, the matter of yechidus is to clarify one's situation" — first of all, to clarify what your situation is; this is the first interpretation, that yechidus is a clarification. The second interpretation: "and to establish the manner of one's avodah in turning away from evil and in drawing close the good middos" — to establish for you an order of life and an order of avodah, that a person should turn away from the things that are not good and draw close to the good middos.
And this is the third interpretation: "and to bind oneself in complete unity and to give oneself over, to devote oneself with all one's desires" — for a person must unite and bind himself to the Rebbe, to want to carry out all the directives that the Rebbe tells him, to nullify himself entirely to his guidance and to devote himself to him; that is, to set aside all his own personal desires. If so, yechidus must bring you to clarification, to establishment, and to unity — the three interpretations. And therefore the Rebbe Rayatz said that as long as the temimim do not have this preparation — that they should know what yechidus is and what its meaning is — he does not wish to receive them for yechidus.