Room three hundred sixty-six in the Hayom Yom sanctuary. Sunday, the 1st of Kislev, Rosh Chodesh 5704. Studies: Chumash, Vayeitzei, first portion with Rashi's commentary. Tehillim: on the 1st of the month one recites from chapter 1 through and including chapter 9. Tanya: we continue in Kuntres Acharon, and on this day we begin the fourth section in Kuntres Acharon, teaching its first part. We begin on page 151 with the words "To understand what is written in chapter 8." The daily lesson concludes on page three hundred ten with the words.
The daily aphorism is a short saying, its source being from a letter that Rabbi Aryeh Art wrote on the 18th of Tammuz, 5699 (1939). It is a very long letter, and we have already had several aphorisms from this letter in "Hayom Yom," on the 20th of Sivan and on the 18th of Tammuz.
The content of the letter there: Rabbi Aryeh Art explains about two types of chassidim that exist. There is a chassid who is called a makif (an "encompassing" chassid), and a chassid who is called a penimi (an "internalized" chassid). He brought examples from two chassidim of the Alter Rebbe: one, Reb Moshe Vilenker, whom he calls a penimi, and he brings several examples of where this expressed itself. And the chassid who was called a makif, Reb Yekusiel Epler, who was more of a makif chassid.
And about this chassid, he brings that he had an expression in Russian, which he would say about himself on a day when he had a feeling and elevation of the soul, and he sensed his soul in a revealed way — then he would say, "Oh, the chassid has arrived." And on a day when he felt a descent, and things were not quite right, he would say, "Today the chassid ran away."
It is told there that on the day the chassid fled, he would pray quickly. What does "quickly" mean? He would point in the siddur with his finger at each and every word, and his prayer was much faster, and he was even in a state of sadness on that day. But on the day the chassid came, it is written, his face was radiant, and he would dance, and he would pray with a flaming fire. And then, the conclusion of the saying: what was the manner of prayer? He would pray at great length on such a day.
He tells and says: By Reb Yekusiel Epler, "the old Rebbe's chassid," who was a chassid of the Alter Rebbe, "there were times," meaning during those times when the chassid arrived, there were times "when he would daven" — that he would pray — "Shacharis, Mincha, and Maariv one after the other," he would pray Shacharis, Mincha, and Maariv one after the next. What does this mean? "There was no time to interrupt in between." The Shacharis was of great length, then he would immediately grab hold of Mincha, and Mincha was of great length, and immediately he would grab hold of Maariv, so that the day would not slip away.
So essentially he did not eat all the time. Not only all day — for this entire twenty-four-hour period he did not eat, because he prayed all day. So he would say about himself, that I received a blessing from the Alter Rebbe for length of days, so I am able to live and be healthy even without food, because he gave me a great blessing.