Room three hundred and nine in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Shabbos 3 Tishrei, Shabbos Teshuvah, 5704. At the outset the Rebbe notes the order and customs of the tefillah and the haftorah preceding the lessons.
First the Rebbe writes: "We begin with Mizmor LeDavid and not with Lechu Neranena, and likewise on every Shabbat that follows a Yom Tov." That is, when Yom Tov falls on Shabbat, the Alter Rebbe wrote explicitly in his siddur that we then begin with "Mizmor LeDavid" and not with "Lechu Neranena." And here is the addition: the custom is that even when Yom Tov falls on Friday, on erev Shabbat, we skip all five of the first psalms and begin with "Mizmor LeDavid."
What is the reason that we recite these six psalms altogether? The source of the matter is in the name of the Ramak, and it is stated that they correspond to the days of the week — the first five psalms correspond to the five days of the week, and the sixth psalm, "Mizmor LeDavid," corresponds to Friday. It emerges that the theme of these psalms is connected to the weekdays; therefore, when Erev Shabbat itself is a festival, there is no reason to mention matters of the mundane on a day that is itself a festival. This is the reason why these psalms are not recited in such an arrangement, when Rosh Hashanah falls on Friday.
The Rebbe continues, writing: "The haftarah is Shuvah — [beginning "Shuvah Yisrael" and concluding with] "yiksh'lu vam," [and adding] "Mi E-l kamocha" through "mimei kedem."" On this day the haftarah is from the book of Hoshea, beginning with the words "Shuvah Yisrael" and concluding with the words "yiksh'lu vam." Afterward there is an addition, in which the various customs differ: we follow the Sefardic custom, which adds three more verses from the book of Michah, "Mi E-l kamocha" until "mimei kedem." Other communities, by contrast, add verses from the book of Yoel, or in various other ways. This is our custom.
Lessons: Chumash, Haazinu, Sheini, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim: because it is the 3rd of the month, one recites from chapter 18 through chapter 22 inclusive, along with the three additional chapters — chapters 94, 95, and 96.
Tanya: On this day we continue with Epistle 20 in Iggeret HaKodesh. The daily portion begins on page 130 with the words "Ach nishmat," and concludes on page 260 with the words "b'Bri'ah Yetzirah Asiyah."
The source of today's teaching is a very lengthy record written by the Rebbe Rayatz in the winter of 5698. This record was later published as a booklet in its own right, called "Kuntres Limud HaChassidus," and there, toward its end, the Rebbe Rayatz relates that the Rebbe Rashab once heard a maamar from his father, the Rebbe Maharash, about the difference between teshuvah and the avodah of teshuvah. The Rebbe Rashab says that even though he himself understood the difference and contemplated it, he nevertheless decided to go in to his father for yechidus and ask what the difference is between teshuvah and the avodah of teshuvah. When he entered yechidus with his father, the Rebbe Maharash, the Rebbe Maharash explained to him the difference, and even shared with him a story he had heard from his father, the Tzemach Tzedek — and this is today's saying.
And so said the Rebbe Maharash to the Rebbe Rashab: "At the yechidus of the Tzemach Tzedek with the Alter Rebbe on Monday, parshas Teitzei, the sixth of Elul 5564, the Rebbe recounted to him: On Shabbos parshas Tavo 5528, my teacher and master [the Maggid of Mezritch] said a Torah teaching that began: 'And you shall return to Hashem your G-d'."
And what did the Maggid explain? He addressed the words "until Havayah your God," "and he explained that the avodah of teshuvah must be until Havayah, who is above the worlds, becomes "your God."" And what is "your God"? It is known that ""Elokim" has the same numerical value as "hateva" (nature)," as it is stated, "In the beginning God created." If so, "Havayah shall be your God" means that the revelation of the name Havayah will penetrate into your strength and vitality.
This concept, that "Havayah will be your G-d," appears in many maamarim of Chassidus, but generally not on the verse here, "and you shall return to Havayah your G-d," but rather on the verse "Return, Israel, to Havayah your G-d." I will note just one of them: the kuntres maamar published for Shabbos Teshuvah 5750, and one may also note 5737, in which the matter is explained, and many other places as well.
In any case, here appears the essential point of what the Maggid said on that Shabbos. The Alter Rebbe recounts to the Tzemach Tzedek: "The entire chevraya kaddisha were in a state of great arousal from this teaching" — all the disciples of the Maggid who heard this Torah teaching of "ad Hashem Elokecha" were in a state of great arousal. "The righteous Rav, R' Meshulam Zusia of Anipoli, said that he cannot attain such a level of teshuvah."
There are many stories in which Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli always spoke of himself as being too small and incapable. And so he said here too: the Maggid speaks of such a lofty level, and I cannot leap to it all at once, "and therefore he will divide teshuvah into parts" — so I will divide teshuvah into parts and into several stages. "For teshuvah is an acronym" — the five letters tav, shin, vav, beit, hei are the initial letters of various verses: "Tav — "Tamim tihyeh im Hashem Elokecha" (Be wholehearted with Hashem your God); Shin — "Shivisi Hashem lenegdi tamid" (I have set Hashem before me always); Vav — "Ve'ahavta lere'acha kamocha" (Love your fellow as yourself); Beit — "Bechol derachecha da'ehu" (In all your ways know Him); and Hei — "Hatzne'a leches im Hashem Elokecha" (Walk humbly with Hashem your God)".
It is interesting that in the original source, in the book of Michah, it does not say "with Hashem your G-d." The origin of the verse "walk humbly" is in the book of Michah, and there the original text reads "walk humbly with your G-d." Even the Rebbe Rayatz, who brings the story in the kuntres we mentioned, uses there the wording as the Alter Rebbe explained it in the name of the Rebbe Maharash — "walk humbly with your G-d." But the Rebbe in Hayom Yom added "with Hashem your G-d." Whatever the reason may be — there are cases in the maamarim where they even change the wording of a verse — here too the Rebbe added the word "Hashem," even though it was not so in the explanation; this is the reality. And the Rebbe Rayatz concludes that this fits with "with Hashem your G-d" that was mentioned earlier.
The Rebbe Rayatz concludes by relating how his father recounted to him what he had heard from his father, the Rebbe Maharash, who heard it from his father, the Tzemach Tzedek, in the name of the Alter Rebbe, in the name of Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli, who was present at that gathering. And so the Rebbe Rashab concluded: "When my revered father, teacher, and master [the Rebbe Rashab] related this to me, he concluded: The word teshuvah is composed of five letters, each letter representing a path and a manner in the avodah of teshuvah" — as the Maggid and Rabbi Zusha of Anipoli said, that each letter is a mode of teshuvah.
The Rebbe Rashab "explained" to his son "at length the five approaches," and told him: "and all of them are brought from potential into actuality" — for all the approaches to be brought from potential into actuality in a person's life comes about "through the avodah of tefillah." From here onward, the teachings of all the coming days are intended to explain each and every one of these five paths and what its matter is.