Room 177 in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Sunday, 18 Iyar, Lag BaOmer, 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash: We start a new parshah here, Bechukosai, first section with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim: On the 18th of the month, we say chapter 88 and chapter 89.
Tanya: We continue chapter 49. The daily shiur begins on page 138 with the words "v'eich yavo", and ends on the same page with the word "vkadosh".
The source of the daily teaching is the Rebbe's diary from the winter of 5695, words he heard from the Rebbe Rayatz. In the opening of the written passage, it relates that for the Alter Rebbe, the Yom Tov noted as particularly unique and exceptional was the festival of Shavuos, since it is the day of the Baal Shem Tov's hilula. Then comes the continuation - which festival was the special Yom Tov for the Mitteler Rebbe. And this is the teaching before us.
The Rebbe says: "For the Mitteler Rebbe, Lag BaOmer was one of the outstanding Yamim Tovim." For the Mitteler Rebbe, the day that was noted as a special day was Lag BaOmer.
Before we continue, let us note that we call this day "Lag BaOmer", whereas above in the heading it says "Lag LaOmer". It is known that in the Alter Rebbe's nusach in the siddur, when counting Sefiras HaOmer, we say each day "Today is so-and-so LaOmer" (and there are other versions that say "BaOmer"). So why on this day - "Lag BaOmer" - when on all other days we are precise to say it with a lamed? One of the explanations the Rebbe brings in one of his letters is that the words "Lag BaOmer" have the gematria of "Moshe", and it is known that the Rashbi was a spark of Moshe Rabbeinu; therefore, on the day of the Rashbi's hilula, we allude to his name by calling the day not "Lag LaOmer" but "Lag BaOmer".
In any case, for the Mitteler Rebbe, Lag BaOmer was one of the outstanding Yamim Tovim. And how was this expressed? "They would go out to the field, although he would not wash his hands". That is, they would go out to the field for a farbrengen, and he would not wash his hands for a meal on that occasion, "but he would sip 'mashkeh'" - he would drink mashkeh, even though "it was forbidden to him for health reasons". But on this day of Lag BaOmer he did something that was even forbidden to him for health reasons, and drank mashkeh at this farbrengen.
There is an explanation from the Rebbe on Lag BaOmer 5711, in which he addresses at length the question of why this whole incident took place specifically in the field, and not in the beis midrash - what is special specifically about the field. In any case, it was a special farbrengen. And what was special about it? The Rebbe Rayatz says that the chassidim who participated in that farbrengen "would then see many mofsim" following the blessings and words spoken there, "and most of the mofsim were regarding children" - meaning in connection with the birth of children, women who had not given birth, barren women, and the like. This Lag BaOmer farbrengen had a special segulah for this matter, "and throughout the entire year they hoped and longed for Lag BaOmer" - they waited for this day when the special mofsim would take place.
In his sichos on Lag BaOmer, the Rebbe elaborates and speaks about the special connection of Lag BaOmer specifically to children. The grand parades that the Rebbe initiated to be held on Lag BaOmer in connection with children are well known. In one of the sichos, the Rebbe directs us to look in two places - in the Midrash on Shir HaShirim, and in a certain place in the Zohar - where stories of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai are brought; for Lag BaOmer is the day of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and he had this uniqueness, that he would pray and succeed in bringing salvation to barren women even after years of not having children.
There is a famous story in the Midrash on Shir HaShirim about a couple who, after ten years without children, wanted to divorce, and they came to the Rashbi to get divorced, according to the halachah that after ten years without children one must divorce. The Rashbi told them that just as they celebrated their wedding with joy, eating, drinking, and a farbrengen, so too they must carry out their separation in the same manner. Before the divorce, the husband drank more than usual until he became completely drunk. And it is told that beforehand, the husband told his wife that now, upon their separation, she could take with her from the house the thing most precious to her; and when he was completely drunk, she took him with her to her house. Later in the story, the Rashbi blessed them, and subsequently they had children. This is the story told by the Midrash in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, and also in the Zohar.
This uniqueness of Lag BaOmer was also evident with the Rebbe, for whom Lag BaOmer was a special day for this subject. Every year on Lag BaOmer, when the Rebbe would leave his home in the morning heading towards 770 - although the Rebbe would always go straight from the house to the car, and no one stood there - on the day of Lag BaOmer, all those who needed a salvation for children would stand, trying to receive a blessing and a promise in this way; and there were many salvations and many mofsim on this day of Lag BaOmer.
We will conclude with the connection to the seforim of the Rambam. In recent days we have been in Sefer Korbanos, and we have seen the connection to the first halachos: Hilchos Korban Pesach, Chagigah, Bechoros, and Shegagos. And today, 18 Iyar, we are up to the teaching corresponding to Hilchos Mechusrei Kaparah. What are Hilchos Mechusrei Kaparah? The Rambam says that there are those who, even though they immersed to be purified from their impurity, are still not completely pure, but rather they are "mechusrei kaparah" (lacking atonement) - because they must offer a korban, and only after offering it will their atonement and purity be completed. One of those listed in the category of mechusrei kaparah that the Rambam brings initially is a woman who gave birth (yoledes). And this is the subject written in Hilchos Mechusrei Kaparah, which is essentially the content of the daily teaching - the mofsim that occurred regarding births, connected to this day.