The two hundred and nineteenth "cheder" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Sunday, 1 Tammuz, the second day of Rosh Chodesh, 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Chukas, first parashah with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, first of the month, from chapter 1 through chapter 9 inclusive.
Tanya: On this day one begins to study chapter 9 in Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmunah. The lesson begins at the start of the chapter with the word "aval" ("but"), and concludes on page 86 with the words "ein keitz" ("there is no end").
The daily saying is short, and it is based on a verse from the daily Chumash portion, Parashas Chukas. The content is taken from a sharp letter that the Rebbe Rayatz wrote on 20 Iyar 5702. The letter is addressed to "the elder students of the Tmimim in the Yeshivah Tomchei Tmimim in Montreal," and the Rebbe Rayatz writes them several points.
In the first point, he writes to them that they are mistaken in thinking that Divine providence brought them to this country, to Canada, in order to rest — to eat of the goodness of the land, to be sated from its bounty, and to enjoy life. For in doing so, they neglect their duty and purpose in life. He clarifies to them that a "Tamim" must be immersed in his purpose in life, and not in the pleasures of the developed country in which he finds himself.
Continuing this theme, the Rebbe quotes the following statement, that a tamim must possess mesirus nefesh, and this is the beginning of the saying: "the mesirus nefesh befitting bnei Torah". What type of mesirus nefesh is required and befitting for bnei Torah — for the temimim? — "it is as our Sages of blessed memory expounded", as Chazal explain, this appears in the Gemara in Maseches Berachos, and also in Maseches Shabbos and in several places, on the pasuk "adam ki yamus be'ohel" (a man who dies in a tent).
The verse in its source is written in Parshas Chukas, in today's parsha, and it contains an instruction: "Zos haTorah adam ki yamus be'ohel" — if a person dies inside a tent, and there are other people together with him there, "kol haba el ha'ohel," everyone who is in the tent, "yitma shivas yamim," shall be impure for seven days.
However, in the interpretation of Chazal we learn the hint contained in the verse, beyond its plain meaning, and read it with a different pause: "A man?" — do you wish to be a man, worthy of your purpose as a man who studies Torah and fulfills the will of Hashem? "for he shall die in a tent!" — you must "put to death all the pleasures in worldly matters"; this is called "to die in the tent of Torah." And the intent of "to die" is not, Heaven forbid, in a physical sense, but rather that one must put to death all the pleasures in worldly matters, so that they will not interest him and he will not be immersed in them, and consequently he will be immersed in his purpose in life.
The Rebbe concludes and says: "for even matters of slight value among the pleasures of the world" — a person who is immersed in the pleasures of the world, even though we are not speaking of forbidden things or great things, but rather of matters of slight value, if these worldly pleasures occupy a place with him — "they prevent him from being devoted and given over to the tent of Torah." A person cannot be immersed and devoted in Torah if he cares about the pleasures of the world.
Here he demands of the temimim, as we opened, that they should not be immersed in the pleasures of the lands of prosperity to which they arrived from across the sea, but rather they should be immersed in their primary purpose in life.
And regarding the connection between the saying and the continuation of the Yad HaChazakah of the Rambam: in the previous saying we began and saw the introduction to Sefer Nezikin, the verse that was cited there. Today we will see the allusion to the first laws in Sefer Nezikin — the laws of damages caused by one's property. At the beginning of chapter 3, the Rambam brings a law concerning damages caused by animals;
An animal does certain things whose damage is considered unusual and not natural, and therefore the obligation to pay for them is lower, and this is called "chatzi nezek" (half damage). And there are damages that the animal does about which it is said that this is the way of an animal to behave, and therefore you, as its owner, should have anticipated that this is what it would do, and if you did not guard it — your obligation is one hundred percent of the damage, "nezek shalem" (full damage).
There the Rambam brings that an animal is "muedet" (has an established pattern) to eat fruits and vegetables — that is, if there are fruits and vegetables on display in the marketplace, the animal by its nature, which loves the pleasures of the world, eats them. Consequently, if you are the owner of the animal and are walking about with it, you must guard it and place a muzzle on its mouth, for if not, it will naturally eat — and then you must pay one hundred percent of the damage.
Here we see the concept that one who wanders about and enjoys everything he sees is defined as a "beast." This is in contrast to what is required here — to be an "adam" (a human being), for whom none of the matters of the world are of interest; rather, he is immersed in the tent of Torah. This is the opposite side, connected to these laws in the Rambam.