The three hundred and second "cheder" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Shabbos, 25 Elul 5703.
On this day we have the customs, the daily study portions, and the teaching. Let us begin first with the customs.
We already see a striking difference, whose explanation will follow: on every Shabbos Mevorchim, the saying begins by stating that it is Shabbos Mevorchim of the coming month — yet here this does not appear at the start of the saying. And this is precisely the subject that we will see later in the saying: why Shabbos Mevorchim of the month of Tishrei is unlike the other Shabbos Mevorchim of the year — because we do not bless this month; rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, blesses it. That is why indeed the words "Shabbos Mevorchim" do not appear here in the first line.
Nevertheless, the customs practiced on a Shabbat Mevarchim are observed on this Shabbat as well, as he specifies: "reciting the entire Tehillim early in the morning," as on every Shabbat Mevarchim; and an additional matter — "a day of farbrengen," as on every Shabbat Mevarchim. These are the customs observed on this Shabbat too.
The following relates to the recitation of Selichot. As is known, according to our custom we begin saying Selichot from the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, provided there are at least four days before Rosh Hashanah; in such a case we begin saying Selichot on Motzaei Shabbat. Here the Rebbe notes the time for reciting Selichot: in principle it is known that Selichot are said during the ashmoret haboker (the early morning watch), but the exception is the first Selichot recited on Motzaei Shabbat. In his words: "Selichot [are said] after midnight and close to it, but on the other days — during the ashmoret haboker." That is, on this Motzaei Shabbat of 25 Elul the Selichot are said after midnight, but at the first opportunity possible — immediately close to midnight; and on the remaining days the Selichot are said during the ashmoret haboker.
What is the reason that the first Selichot are recited on Motzaei Shabbat? Simply put, because the piyut recited in the first Selichot opens with the passage "Bemotzaei menucha," which denotes the departure of Shabbat; and since the piyut speaks of Motzaei Shabbat, it must be recited on Motzaei Shabbat and not at the morning watch. On the other hand, until midnight of Motzaei Shabbat one does not recite the attributes of mercy and the Selichot, and therefore one waits until after midnight — but close to midnight, so that it should still be close to the departure of Shabbat at the time of reciting the piyut "Bemotzaei menucha."
An additional point regarding the practice: "When Nitzavim and Vayelech are read separately, one begins the maftir, as well as the seventh aliyah — on Shabbat Parshat Nitzavim — from 'Re'eh natati lefanecha etc.'" That is, on this Shabbat, 25 Elul 5703, Nitzavim and Vayelech are read together; but in a year in which Nitzavim and Vayelech are read separately, one begins the maftir from the seventh aliyah. The aliyah of the haftarah is identical to the seventh aliyah of the seven aliyot of Parshat Nitzavim. Ordinarily, as is known, the seventh aliyah begins in its own place, and the maftir is not in the same place as the seventh but rather toward the end, in the last three verses and sometimes more. But regarding Shabbat Nitzavim the Rebbe Rayatz said that both the seventh and the maftir are at the same place in the aliyah — at the verse "Re'eh natati lefanecha," verse 15 of chapter 30, which begins "Re'eh natati lefanecha hayom et hachaim"; there both the seventh aliyah and the maftir aliyah begin.
Shiurim: Chumash — on this day, which is Shabbos when Nitzavim-Vayeilech are joined, the daily portion is the seventh aliyah with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim: On the 25th of the month one recites the first half of chapter 119 — from the beginning of the chapter with the word "Ashrei" until the end of the letter Lamed with the words "rechavah mitzvat'cha me'od." And in addition to the psalms for the 25th of the month, there are the three chapters added during the month of Elul — chapters 73, 74, and 75.
Tanya: On this day one begins Iggeret 19 in Iggeret HaKodesh, from the start of the letter with the word "oteh," and the portion concludes on page 254 with the word "d'Atzilut."
The source of this teaching is a letter written by the Rebbe Rayatz in the month of Menachem Av 5695. The saying is also printed in the collection of letters at the end of the Tehillim "Ohel Yosef Yitzchak." There, the Rebbe Rayatz relates something he heard from his father in the summer of 5678, and it is remarkable that in this account there is a chain of transmission through all the Rebbeim, each Rebbe quoting the one before him.
The Rebbe Rashab related to the Rebbe Rayatz that when he was a child, he asked his father why we do not bless the month during the last week of Elul, which is the Shabbos when Tishrei is blessed. The Rebbe Maharash answered his son, the Rebbe Rashab, that he too had asked this same question of his father, the Tzemach Tzedek; and the Tzemach Tzedek answered that he too had asked this same question of the Alter Rebbe, and the Alter Rebbe answered him — and here comes the answer. The Alter Rebbe told this to the Tzemach Tzedek, the Tzemach Tzedek related it to the Maharash, the Maharash to the Rashab, the Rashab to the Rebbe Rayatz, and the Rebbe relates it here in the saying to all of us.
Here is the wording: "The Alter Rebbe related: When I was in Mezritch, I heard from my teacher and master, the Rav, the Maggid, in the name of his teacher and master, the Baal Shem Tov, of blessed memory." Here again we see how the teaching is transmitted literally: the Alter Rebbe emphasizes that he heard it from the Maggid, and the Maggid heard it from the Baal Shem Tov — a chain of transmission through all our Rebbeim, our leaders, of this saying.
Many explanations of this saying have been offered over the years; the Rebbe addressed it in several places in Likkutei Sichot and elucidated a number of expressions and points within the teaching. We will not go through all of them — it is worthwhile to study each one in its own place — but we will touch upon some of the more prominent ones. For example, the Rebbe asked: what relevance is there to the place where the Alter Rebbe was when he heard this saying? The Rebbe notes precisely that he said "when I was in Mezritch I heard," when he could simply have said "I heard in the name of my teacher and master and from the Baal Shem Tov." If so, what relevance is there to "when I was in Mezritch"? We will receive the answer from the content of the saying itself, from which we will understand why it is important to emphasize where he was.
And what did he say? He said as follows: "the seventh month," which is the month of Tishrei, for it is seventh when counting the months according to the order given in the Torah, in which Nissan is the first — "which is the first of the months of the year." The Alter Rebbe here uses the same expression that is stated in the Torah regarding Nissan, that it is the first month; but here, according to the flow of the year, it is known that Tishrei is considered first: it is seventh in the counting of the months, yet first in the order of the year.
"The Holy One, blessed be He, Himself blesses [the month] on the Shabbat Mevarchim which is the final Shabbat of the month of Elul" — the Shabbat Mevarchim of Tishrei is a blessing that we receive directly from the Holy One, blessed be He, alone; we, the Jewish people, do not bless the month on the final Shabbat of Elul, but rather the Holy One, blessed be He, blesses it. "And by virtue of this power, Israel blesses the months eleven times a year" — that is, all the Shabbatot Mevarchim on which we bless throughout the year derive from the blessing that the Holy One, blessed be He, bestows on the Shabbat Mevarchim of Tishrei. The blessing of the Holy One, blessed be He, encompasses within it the entire year, like the head that encompasses within it all the limbs together; and all the blessings that we bless throughout the year are included within the head.
This is also the allusion to the reason that the Alter Rebbe emphasized "when I was in Mezritch" — when he was still included within the "head," as a disciple of the Maggid, and the Maggid a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. The emphasis of this point is that we are speaking here of something that is still at the level of being included within the "head," for the entire content of the teaching tells us how our blessing for the whole year is contained in its beginning, included within the "head," included within the first blessing.
This also answers an additional precision here: that with this power Israel blesses the months eleven times a year. Generally it is eleven times a year, but sometimes it is twelve times, as in this year — 5703 — which is a leap year. Seemingly it should have been written that with this power we bless all the months of the year, without specifying eleven or twelve. But even in a leap year, the intercalated month is still included within Adar, as though Adar contains two within itself, which descend and separate into two. Since here they come to emphasize how things are included in the head, they speak of the months as they are in their root, in the head, as they are included in the first month — and there they are included as eleven months. In practice, in particularity, the matter descends, and sometimes descends into twelve; but when things are in the head, this is the blessing with which the Holy One, blessed be He, blesses us.
Now we shall see what the blessing is that the Holy One, blessed be He, bestows on this Shabbat Mevarchim. The blessing lies in the weekly portion read on this Shabbat: "It is written, 'Atem nitzavim hayom'" — the portion opens with the words "Atem nitzavim hayom" ("You are standing this day"). To which day does it refer? According to the hint, "'hayom' refers to Rosh Hashanah, which is the day of judgment" — "hayom" ("the day"), that special and well-known day, alludes to Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah, which is called the day of judgment, is referred to in Tanach as "hayom," and the proof is from the verse at the beginning of Iyov, "as it is written, 'Vayehi hayom' etc." ("And it came to pass on the day"), which "Onkelos renders" as "vehavah yom dina rabba" — "and it was the day of the great judgment," which refers to Rosh Hashanah. Thus, when the verse wishes to speak of Rosh Hashanah it calls it "hayom"; so too here, "Atem nitzavim hayom" alludes to Rosh Hashanah.
And what is meant by "nitzavim"? This itself is the blessing. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to the Jewish people, "'and you are standing' (nitzavim), enduring and firm" — you are strong; on this day of Rosh Hashanah you, the Jewish people, possess a special strength, "meaning that you prevail in judgment." Even though it is a Day of Judgment, you stand firm and prevail in judgment, and you have nothing to fear. This is the blessing with which the Holy One, blessed be He, blesses us. "And on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah, which is the last Shabbat of the month of Elul, we then read the portion of Atem Nitzavim, which is the blessing of the Holy One, blessed be He" — this is the blessing with which He blesses us, "atem nitzavim hayom (you are standing today)." And when does He bless us? "On the Shabbat when we bless the seventh month."
The precise meaning of why it is called "the seventh" (hashevi'i): this is not merely an expression of ordinal number, that it is seventh to the first, but rather the word "shevi'i" itself alludes that it is "the one that is sated and that satiates" — also from the expression of sova (satiety). This month is full of powers and satiety, and possesses the power to satiate and bestow influence upon the entire year and all its months "with abundant good for all Israel throughout the whole year." This is the distinction of the seventh month.
Now, why is it that Beis Yisrael in fact do not bless the month of Tishrei? This concept already appears in halachah, and there is a general explanation for it — in order to confuse the Satan, so that he will not know when Rosh Chodesh is. The idea of "confusing the Satan," and what "confusing the Satan" even means, along with other customs relating to this matter, can be seen explained in Likkutei Sichos volume 24, in the Rebbe's sichah on Rosh Hashanah, where he explains at length this entire concept of confounding the Satan, one of whose causes is the fact that the month of Tishrei is not blessed.