“ When the help from Heaven. Shabbos Parshas Tetzaveh, 10th of First Adar (see INTRODUCTION to this chapter) 5741*” Although not a requirement, there is indeed an old Jewish custom to write B”H or BS”D, or to be more accurate, their Hebrew equivalents ב״ה (Boruch Hashem - Blessed be The Name (of G-d)) or בס״ד (BiSeyata D’Shmaya - With the help of Heaven (referring to G-d in Heaven)) at the beginning of a letter, and thus, also at the start of anything we write, including Torah-teachings.
The reason for the latter version is because there are those who felt that being that HaSHem refers to Ineffable Tetragammaton, “The” name of G-d, and thus, it may not be discarded in a nonrespectful manner, thus, they turned to the Aramaic wording, and to the word Heaven to be referring to G-d. “(*) Published in ‘ Pamphlet Purim Kattan - 5752**, ‘For Tuesday ‘in which (G-d’s words) ‘it was good’ is doubled’, Purim Kattan… Sunday of Torah-portion Ki Sisa, 5752’.” There is an asterisk after the date being that the Rebbe orally delivered the mamor on that date.
However, the written edited version that we have here, with its footnotes, were edited by the Rebbe, and given out in this printed form for Purim Kattan 5752 (1992). When a mamor was edited by the Rebbe, the Rebbe himself would date it. For this Pamphlet the Rebbe dated it as, “For Purim Kattan (which was on) Tuesday” and the Rebbe went on to quote what our Sages say about Tuesday. At the end of each of the Six Days of Creation the verse states, “and G-d saw that it was good”.
Being that on Tuesday G-d (a) completed what He started on Monday, and (b) created what He created on Tuesday, thus on Tuesday there is twice the verse, “and G-d saw that it was good”. Therefore, in dating the pamphlet for Tuesday the Rebbe quotes our Sages that it is a day upon which G-d states twice “that it was good”. The Rebbe, while saying that this mamor is in honor of Purim Kattan that was that year on Tuesday, nevertheless, the Rebbe dated the pamphlet itself with, “Sunday of Torah-portion Ki Sisa (which is the Torah-portion after Tetzaveh)”.
“*) This pamphlet was distributed by the Rebbe, by his holy hand, to each and every man, woman, and child.” The Rebbe would often stand and distribute himself by his own holy hand to the people as they would walk by him, one-by-one. Must famously this was with the weekly “dollars” on Sundays. This was also with honey cake during the High-Holiday seasons. So too there was a time when it would be with Matzah before Passover, wine at the end of Holiday farbrengens. There was extraordinary times when the Rebbe would do so with a newly printed pamphlet. The Rebbe did this with this mamor, the “Pamphlet Purim Kattan 5752”.
“**) On the report (given to the Rebbe) concerning the printing and dissemination of the mamor, the Rebbe answered: ‘ And may it be the will (of G-d) that it should effect the desired effect, and the time is auspicious, and ‘Healthy is their Mazal, etc.’ I will mention it at the burial place (of my father-in-law, the (Previous) Rebbe)’.” The Rebbe would receive a written report from the organization that would print and distribute the mamor. Not always did the Rebbe answer, and often when the Rebbe did answer it would be, “I will mention it at the burial place (of my father-in-law, the (Previous) Rebbe)”.
This time the Rebbe elaborated his answer. Every teaching is focused on giving a practical guidance of action in our service to G-d. Yet, in this case the Rebbe is beseeching of G-d that the “desired effect” take place. Simply speaking, the Rebbe is focusing in the mamor that there be the ultimate revelation of the Essence of the Soul as it is sourced within the Essence of G-d, which the Rebbe clearly explains is when the Jew is crushed from the fact that he or she is in exile, regardless how good they have it, spiritually and physically in exile. The Rebbe has asked of us numerous time that we shout out to G-d, “Until When?!
” will we be in exile, and to do this with a true will, which comes from the highest place in the Essence of Our Soul. At the time when the Rebbe gave this answer, it was safe to assume that this is what the Rebbe meant with, “And may it be the will (of G-d) that it should effect the desired effect”.
However, now, after Gimmel Tammuz, the Yom Hilulah of the Rebbe, we can understand that the Rebbe, with his Hilulah Mamor, was praying and blessing that the mamor have its desired effect upon us during the darkest moments until the Rebbe is returned to us to be in a physical body, here, ’below ten handbreadths’, with the coming of Moshiach, and the resurrection of “those who are dwelling in the dust”. The Rebbe also speaks of the time that this pamphlet was printed and disseminated. It was the month of Adar, of which the Talmud rules that the “Mazal” of every Jew is healthy.
This is based on a verse by Queen Esther (-9:22), “and the month that was reversed for them from grief to joy and from mourning to a festive day”. Thus the Rebbe answered that it is an auspicious time and the ‘Mazal” is healthy. Lastly, the Rebbe responded that he will be taking this report to his Rebbe at the Tzion, the burial place of the Previous Rebbe. Note: The Rebbe once wrote of seeing the Tzion of the Previous Rebbe as “nothing more than that the Rebbe moved over his office a few blocks”.
“‘ And you shall command the Children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for luminary, to kindle a perpetual candle1, and it is known the emphases in this (verse)2 that with all the commandments of the Torah it (the verse) states, ‘Command the Children of Israel’, and the likes, and here it states, ‘and you shall command the Children of Israel’ And to add to this (question) that the emphasis in what it is stated ‘And you shall command’ is not just in the terminology, but also in its content, for the language ‘And you shall command’ means that Moses is the commander, and we need to understand, for Moses is but the emissary to give over to Israel the commandment of G-d, thus why does it state, ‘And you shall command’.
” The question begins with just one of wording. That is the way the Previous Rebbe asks it in his mamor. The Rebbe is adding on to the question that it is not just one of an unusual wording. Rather, it is a question of content. When the verse tells us that G-d spoke to Moses saying, command the Children of Israel, it is clear that G-d is the Commander, and that G-d is telling Moses to relate to the Children of Israel what G-d is commanding. However, when G-d states to Moses, “And you shall command the Children of Israel”, the content is now that Moses is to be the commander!?
“Also we need to understand that which it states ‘And they shall take to you’ that they should bring the oil to Moses3 (’to you’), for seemingly, being that the candles were kindled by Aharon, then why is it needed that the oil be brought to Moses?” The question is a practical one. Moses did not light the Menorah in the Tabernacle. This was done by Aharon, the High Priest. Thus, why is G-d commanding that the oil be brought to Moses? The oil should have been brought straight to Aharon? “Also we need to understand that which it states ‘oil… crushed for luminary’ for seemingly it should have said, ‘oil… for illumination?
” The Rebbe presents a third question, which is, why does the verse state that the oil is ‘for luminary’, which is the source of light, when seemingly it should have said, ‘for illumination’, which is what the oil is for doing? “Also we need to understand, for the verse following this (verse)4 states, ‘from evening to morning’ and here it states ‘to kindle a perpetual candle’?” The final question is a seeming contradiction between our verse and the verse following it. In the verse following our it states, “Aaron and his sons will set it up from afternoon until morning”. While in our verse it states “to kindle a perpetual candle”?
Note: The Previous Rebbe from this question actually states that the candle kindled by Moses is a “perpetual candle”, while the candle lit from Aharon is “from afternoon until morning”. However, this can only be in the spiritual dimension of the verses, in which the candles are speaking of the souls of the Children of Israel. Because Moses did not physically light the Menorah in the Tabernacle. Footnotes 1. Beginning of our Torah-portion (Tetzaveh). 2. Ohr HaTorah, our Torah-portion (Tetzaveh), page 1541. (mamor) Opening Words V’Kibel HaYehudim 5687, Chapter 3 (Sefer HaMamorim 5687, page 113. 5711, [age 182). 3. Nachmanides on the verse. 4. Our Torah-portion 27:21.