The one hundred and thirty-sixth "room" in the hall of Hayom Yom.
Monday, 7 Nissan 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Metzora, Sheini, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, 7th of the month, we say chapter 39 up to and including chapter 43.
Tanya, we are still learning chapter 40. The daily shiur begins on page 55 with the words "Uvazeh yuvan", and concludes on page 110 at the end of the third hagahah, with the words "B'Raya Mehemna".
The daily teaching is divided into two. In the first part, there is a reference to one of the expressions said in the tefillah during the taking out of the Sefer Torah in Shacharis of Shabbos and Yom Tov; and afterwards, there is a reference to the family names of our Rabbeim, our Nesi'im.
As is known, when taking out the Sefer Torah in Shacharis of Shabbos and Yom Tov, there is a section that is said among other things. We will quote the part relevant to our topic: "Al hakol yisgadal veyiskadash veyishtabach... shmo shel Melech Malchei Hamelachim HaKadosh Baruch Hu, ba'olamos shebara ha'olam hazeh veha'olam haba kirtzono vechirtzon yere'av vechirtzon kol amcha Beis Yisrael". This is the nusach.
Regarding this section, Rabbi Chaim Naeh wrote in his work "Kuntres HaSiddur", and we will read his words: It is simple that a printing error occurred here, as the word "amcha" (Your people) does not fit. Why? According to him, the entire nusach is written in the third person - "shmo shel Melech Malchei Hamelachim... ba'olamos shebara... kirtzono... vechirtzon yere'av" - everything is in the third person; and how does "vechirtzon kol amcha" suddenly enter here, since "amcha" is in the second person? According to his words, an error occurred here, and seemingly instead of the final "chaf", there should be a "vav", meaning "vechirtzon kol amo Beis Yisrael" (His people), so that everything will continue in the third person. And he notes that there are siddurim where this word does not appear at all.
In any case, the Rebbe addresses this line and says: Despite the astonishment, "Nusach Vayehi binsoa: Vechirtzon kol amcha Beis Yisrael" - this is how it should be said, as written. And practically, if we examine the nusach, we will see that it has transitions from second to third person another time or two, and there are probably additional reasons for this; but in any case, this is the nusach that we say.
The next section appears from a letter written by the Rebbe Rayatz on 6 Iyar 5699. The Rebbe addresses there the royal decree, which he calls "gezeiras hakinuyim" (the decree of the surnames), where they established in Russia that every person must choose a family name for themselves. This royal decree began in 5564 - about ten years before the histalkus of the Alter Rebbe - but initially they did not enforce it so much, and it was an unenforced law. However, a few years later, after the French war ended in 5573, the year of the Alter Rebbe's histalkus, the decree was renewed with great force, and there were even severe punishments for those who did not fulfill the order. Then everyone was required to choose a family name for themselves, in a way that the family name would be permanent for him, his sons, and his grandsons for the whole family; and only if a daughter marries someone else, the family name obviously changes according to her husband, and so on.
In this context, the Rebbe addresses and says: "The family name of Rabbeinu HaZaken" - as mentioned, during the Alter Rebbe's time they were not yet so strict about the law, therefore they called him in documents and the like as they used to call a person by his father's name (and even today in Russia respected people are called by their father's name) - was "Boruchovitch", named after the Alter Rebbe's father who was named Baruch; meaning, the son of Baruch.
"The family name of his son", the Mitteler Rebbe - what was his family name? He called himself "Schneuri", which means belonging to Shneur, meaning belonging to his father, the Alter Rebbe.
The family name of the Tzemach Tzedek, the grandson of the Alter Rebbe, was "Schneersohn", which means the son of Shneur, meaning that he attributed himself to the Alter Rebbe. And since then, this has remained the permanent family name for everyone; even though the private names changed, everyone remained under this name, Schneerson, named after the first, the Alter Rebbe.
In that same letter, the Rebbe elaborates on the special connection between the Tzemach Tzedek and the Alter Rebbe, as he saw the connection between them so strongly, and therefore even called his family name as the son of the Alter Rebbe. There, the main point of the matter is brought down, that the Alter Rebbe once said to him regarding the language of Chazal that "If the man emits seed first, she gives birth to a female; if the woman emits seed first, she gives birth to a male". Since the Tzemach Tzedek was the grandson of the Alter Rebbe - the son of his daughter - he said to him: "If the man emits seed first, she gives birth to a female", this is your mother; "if the woman emits seed first, she gives birth to a male", and your mother gave birth to you. That is, his connection to the Alter Rebbe is a very deep and strong connection. There is a long story following this saying, and it is worthwhile to read it inside.
The allusion in Rambam is in Sefer Avodah, Hilchos Bias HaMikdash, where there is a halachah that every kohen who knows from which bais av he is - who knows what the root of his family is - there are halachos relevant to him, such as whether he is permitted to drink wine or not, since every week there was a different bais av in its turn for the avodah of the Mikdash. There is a discussion there about the halachic status of a kohen who knows what his bais av is, compared to a kohen who does not know. And this is the content of the teaching, which tells us who the bais av is and what the root of the family of our Rabbeim, our Nesi'im is - and this is the connection between the teaching and these halachos in Rambam.