The two hundred and forty-eighth "cheder" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Monday, 1 Menachem Av, Rosh Chodesh, 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Devarim, Sheni, with the commentary of Rashi.
Tehillim, first day of the month, the first day — from the beginning of Tehillim, chapter 1 through the end of chapter 9.
Tanya, on this day we begin chapter 10 in Iggeret HaTeshuvah, from the start of the chapter with the word "V'hinei," and the lesson concludes on page 198 with the words "d'zimrah kanoda."
The source of the daily saying is in the conclusion of a chassidic maamar delivered by the Rebbe Rayatz on the second day of the festival of Shavuos, 5699, whose dibbur hamaschil is "VeAvdi Dovid Melech Aleihem" ("And My servant David shall be king over them").
At the conclusion of the maamar, the Rebbe Rayatz speaks of the difference between Torah study and deed. The Gemara discusses whether study is greater or deed is greater, and the Rebbe Rayatz writes that although study is indeed greater, nevertheless it is specifically deed that is the essential thing — as is known from the expression "the final deed arises first in thought." Therefore he brings there that at the coming of Mashiach the practical performance of the mitzvos will have a greater elevation than the Torah, and he connects this to Yehudah and Yosef:
On one hand, Yosef was greater than all the tribes, greater even than Yehudah — and this is why the Torah says "Vayigash eilav Yehudah" ("And Yehudah approached him"), that Yehudah had to approach Yosef, since Yosef was the king. Nevertheless, with the coming of Mashiach, the superiority of Yehudah will be revealed, for his name is derived from an expression of acknowledgment (hoda'ah) and self-nullification. This is the reason that Mashiach will come specifically from the tribe of Yehudah — for then the superiority of Yehudah will be revealed, as it is written in the verse "Ve'avdi David melech aleihem" ("And My servant David shall be king over them"), which is the dibbur hamaschil of the maamar, and with which it concludes.
Why is Mashiach associated specifically with David? Because the essential quality of David is humility and self-nullification; King David called himself "poor and destitute." Following all of this comes the passage from which the Rebbe took the daily teaching.
And so it is written: "the virtue of Mashiach that he will be humble, for although he will be at the ultimate level of greatness". In what is his greatness expressed? "and he will teach Torah with the Avot and Moshe Rabbeinu, may peace be upon him" — he will teach with the Avot and with Moshe Rabbeinu; that is, he will be so great. And despite all this, "with all this he will be at the ultimate level of humility and self-nullification".
And in what do his humility and self-nullification express themselves, despite his greatness? In the fact that Mashiach "will study even with simple people." For, quite plainly, such a great man, who teaches Avraham Avinu, yet on the other hand sits and studies with the most simple Jews — this is his greatness.
In the closing lines of the maamar, the Rebbe Rayatz concludes that with the coming of Mashiach, it is specifically the quality of simplicity and wholehearted sincerity of the simple folk — those who recite Tehillim with earnestness and simplicity — that will be revealed; specifically their virtue will come to expression more than the virtue of the great ones and the wise.