The two hundred thirty-seventh "room" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Thursday, 19 Tammuz 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Pinchas, fifth aliyah, with the commentary of Rashi.
Tehillim, from chapter 94 through chapter 96 inclusive.
Tanya, on this day we study chapter 4 of Iggeret HaTeshuvah. The lesson begins on page 186 with the words "Ach ha'inyan," and concludes on folio 94 with the words "echyeh, etc."
The daily saying deals with the conduct of the Rebbe Rashab regarding the recitation of Tefillat HaDerech. The source of these words is in the diary notes that the Rebbe recorded from what he heard from his father-in-law, the Rebbe Rayatz.
Let us preface: In halachah, in the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe (Siman 110), the Alter Rebbe deals with Tefillat HaDerech. In se'if 7 he explains that, as is known, Tefillat HaDerech concludes with "baruch" but does not open with "baruch." Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to attach it to some berachah, and then it is considered "a berachah adjacent to its fellow," and there is no need to open with "baruch" — for example, after Birchot HaShachar, after a concluding berachah in the middle of the day, or after Birkat Asher Yatzar, and the like. This concerns the opening that precedes it.
In the Shulchan Aruch, the recitation of Tefillas HaDerech is discussed regarding a person who sets out on a journey and travels from his home. In contrast, in the Siddur of the Alter Rebbe, in the Piskei HaSiddur, the Alter Rebbe adds that not only on the day that a person sets out on the road does he recite Tefillas HaDerech, but also on the remaining days that he is delayed on the road until his return home — even when he is delayed at a hotel, since he is still outside his home and on the road. And the Alter Rebbe writes in the Siddur that he should recite it each morning and conclude with the ending of the blessing, "Baruch Atah Shomea Tefillah," without mention of the Name at the conclusion of Tefillas HaDerech. In this manner it also appears in the Sefer HaMinhagim of Chabad, as a directive for the public.
Now let us examine the daily saying. The Rebbe writes: "From the practices of my lord, father, teacher and Rebbe" — the Rebbe Rayatz relates the practices of his father, the Rebbe Rashab — "when he traveled from his home, even though he remained in one place for several months," meaning the Rebbe Rashab traveled from his home, and even though he stayed and lingered in a certain place for several months, he was not in his home, "he would say every day after prayer, Tefillat HaDerech without shem u'malchut."
What, seemingly, is the emphasis in this custom? The very recitation of it every day already appears, as mentioned, in the Siddur of the Alter Rebbe. The emphasis here is that he would recite it "after the prayer," adjacent to the prayer. What is the emphasis in reciting it after the prayer?
The Rebbe explained at the farbrengen of 12 Tammuz 5721 that there are certain berachos concerning which there is doubt whether they should be recited, and as an example he cites the matter of tefillas haderech: a person who already recited it on the first day when he set out on his journey does not necessarily need to say tefillas haderech on the following days. Nevertheless, the Rebbe Rashab was accustomed to adjoin it to davening; for in davening there is a berachah with Shem u'Malchus, and by adjoining tefillas haderech to davening — the conclusion of tefillas haderech, even though it is said without Shem u'Malchus, is considered a continuation of the davening, and the berachos of the davening are considered [to apply] also to the conclusion of tefillas haderech. And even though from the time of reciting the berachos of the davening until the tefillas haderech that follows there is seemingly an interruption of several passages in between — as is known, this is not considered an interruption.
[Along these lines, the Rebbe says elsewhere regarding tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam, over which one does not recite a blessing, and yet the Rebbe writes that it is very worthwhile to put them on immediately after the Shacharis prayer, and then the blessing recited over the tefillin of Rashi extends also to the tefillin of Rabbeinu Tam. There is a discussion there that, although there is a long interruption from the time of the blessing over the tefillin of Rashi until the donning of Rabbeinu Tam, this is not an interruption with mundane matters but an interruption with matters of prayer, and since this is so, it is not considered an interruption in this regard, and the blessing recited over Rashi can connect also to Rabbeinu Tam, which one dons after the prayer.]
This point — that it is worthwhile to recite the blessing each day even at an inn — was indeed written by the Alter Rebbe in the Siddur, as we mentioned. But the point that it should be said after the prayer was not written by the Alter Rebbe in the Siddur; nevertheless, this was the practice of the Rebbe Rashab, and this is what is written in the daily saying.
It should be noted regarding a matter that requires examination in the wording of the saying, that when he would recite Tefillat HaDerech each day, he would say it "without shem u'malchut." Reciting it "without shem," without mentioning Hashem's name, is as is actually written in the siddur. But the word "malchut" here requires examination, for "malchut" ("Melech HaOlam") is never mentioned in Tefillat HaDerech, even on the first day; and if so, what is the novelty here in "without malchut"? The essential point is the "without shem." There are several approaches to relating to the matter, and we have only come to note the addition of the word "malchut."
Regarding the connection between the daily saying and the continuation of the Rambam's cycle that we mentioned: we are currently in Sefer Mishpatim, in Hilchos Toen v'Nitan. One can find an allusion to the daily saying at the conclusion of Hilchos Toen v'Nitan, in chapter 15, in the final halachos. There is a discussion there about a person who traveled from his home to a country overseas, and he had a field, and he always had a path by way of which he would reach his field; and when he returned, he lost the way and does not know — since around his field there are other fields — from which side he had a chazakah to pass through and reach his field. There is a whole discussion there about whether he must purchase a new path with full payment from one of the field owners, and in which situation he acquired a renewed chazakah on a particular path. In any event, there is here a discussion about a traveler who lost his way — and in this there is an allusion to our matter, that a person traveling from his home recites Tefillas HaDerech so that the journey should pass for him in peace and success.