We are in the second lesson of the chain of lineage, which appears in the illustration for the "day-by-day." Today we will study the first two lines. In the first line it is written that the entire chain of lineage includes the leaders (nesi'im) of Chabad and the princes of the House of the Rebbe. When we say the leaders of Chabad, the title "nasi" is an appellation for each one of our Rebbes, our leaders. Why? Because of the expression, as Rashi says in Parashat Shoftim: "The nasi is everything." The leaders of Chabad refers to the plural. When it is written "the princes of the House of the Rebbe," to whom does "the princes of the House of the Rebbe" refer? There is a place where the Rebbe writes about this, that the brothers of the Rebbe, or the sons, the sons of the Rebbe, the leaders of Chabad—in the notes of the Rebbe Rayatz they are referred to by the appellation "the princes of the House of the Rebbe"; that is their title.
We begin with the Alter Rebbe. We will look only at the beginning, at the first line, which describes the name of the Alter Rebbe. He says "Hod Kevod Kedushas Admur." The word "Hod" carries the meaning of splendor and glory, as we say "hod v'hadar" (splendor and majesty). For each of our Rebbeim, the leaders of our generations, the initial title is "Hod." Hod Kevod Kedushas Admur Morenu v'Rabbenu Schneur Zalman. This is the name of the Alter Rebbe.
What is the meaning of the name Schneur Zalman? There are several interesting points written about the name of the Alter Rebbe. First of all, after whom was he named? As we have already seen in a previous lesson, his grandfather—one of the generations, one of the great-grandchildren, the great-great-grandchildren of the Maharal of Prague—was called Schneur Zalman, and the Alter Rebbe was named after his grandfather.
Now, what is the meaning of the name Shneur? The first name—what is its origin? There is a passage in the Yam Shel Shlomo on Tractate Gittin, where the Maharshal writes about this, and he relates there that this name was given by a man who was among the early sages, who was called Rabbi Menachem Tzion. He had a son who was born auspiciously. There were two grandfathers who had already passed away, and he was uncertain after whom to name his newborn son. On one side there was a grandfather named Meir, and on the other side there was a grandfather named Uri. The compromise was to name him Shneur. Shneur means "two lights" (shnei or), that is, that it would include both the grandfather Meir and the grandfather Uri. It is written in the Sefer "Shem HaGedolim" of the Chida that the name Shneur appears even earlier, appearing among one of the Baalei HaTosafot.
Another thing is told: When the Alter Rebbe was a child, at the age of three, it is known that he was brought to the Baal Shem Tov. His father, Rabbi Baruch, brought him to the Baal Shem Tov to perform the matter of the upsherenish (the cutting of the hair), and afterward the Baal Shem Tov said to the disciples who sat together, he said to them: "A great soul has descended into our world. His name is Shneur." Shneur—two lights (shnei or). And then he elaborated and said: he will illuminate in the revealed Torah, and he will illuminate in the hidden Torah.
Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl also related to this name of the Alter Rebbe. Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl said that the name Shneur, that same idea that it alludes to two aspects of light—only he specified what the two aspects of light are. He said: "Direct light and reflected light, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah, the revealed and the hidden." Therefore the common epithet of the Alter Rebbe is "the author of the Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch." The Tanya and the Shulchan Aruch essentially encompass the revealed dimension and the inner dimension of the Torah.
In the notes of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek, he writes about the Alter Rebbe the following expression, and he said thus: "Shneur, two lights [shnei or], this is like the gematria of 'v'ahavta.'" "V'ahavta" is the gematria of "or" (light) twice. And there, when one sees the note, it is understood that his intent is to Torah and prayer—these are the two lights. That is to say, there are many meanings as to what the two types of lights are that are included in the name Shneur.
Very interesting—there are those who claim that the name Shneur is actually a title of honor, that it derives from the concept "senior." "Senior" is like a title of honor. "Senior" essentially became Shneur.
In connection with this, it is interesting whether we link it to the second name. The second name of the Alter Rebbe, Zalman. There is—the Rebbe writes that Zalman is the allusion of the word Zalman. Zalman is the letters of "lizman" (to time), for one of the components of the world is time. Schneur Zalman—the meaning, the allusion, is that one must draw down all the very highest lights into the world. "Two lights" (Schneur) must descend into time (Zalman). This is the allusion in the word Schneur that connects to Zalman.
But in continuation of what we said, that some say that "Shneur" derives from the word "senior," from the language of honor. It is very interesting that the same thing hints at the name Zalman. Some say that the name Zalman is like in Greek, that "Shlomo" is "Salman." Salman, Zalman. In other words, this is King Shlomo. King Shlomo is "senior Salman," King Shlomo. This is a hint, this combination, it is like an appellation of King Shlomo, which is the hint in the name of the Alter Rebbe, Shneur Zalman.
This is just about the name of the Alter Rebbe. And afterwards, God willing, we will see each and every detail of the order of the days of his life, as the Rebbe elaborates on this further on, God willing.