The three hundred and sixteenth "cheder" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Shabbos, 10 Tishrei, Yom Kippur, 5704.
Shiurim: Chumash, Berachah, sheviʹi, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, on the 10th of the month — from chapter 55 through chapter 59 inclusive. And in addition, following the practice cited in "Hayom Yom" of 1 Elul to recite Tehillim on behalf of the soldiers, on Yom Kippur one completes the final thirty-six chapters that remain. Here it is specified when they are said: before "Kol Nidrei" — from chapter 115 through chapter 123; before sleep — from chapter 124 through chapter 132; after Musaf — from chapter 133 through chapter 141; and after Ne'ilah — from chapter 142 through the conclusion of Tehillim, chapter 150.
Tanya: On this day one completes Iggeret 20 in Iggeret HaKodesh. The lesson begins on page 264 with the words "u'mizeh yuvan," and concludes at the end of the letter with the words "olam haba." Thus, in a leap year, Iggeret 20 of Iggeret HaKodesh is studied throughout all ten days of teshuvah, for it was begun on 1 Tishrei on Rosh Hashanah and is completed on Yom Kippur.
The daily teaching is a detailing of seventeen different customs practiced on Yom Kippur, differing from other traditions. The Rebbe lists them in order, one by one.
The first matter: "On the eve of Yom Kippur, one begins 'Hashem Malach Tageil' etc." What is the precise point? In the Siddur of the Alter Rebbe, after the Sifrei Torah are taken out of the Aron Kodesh on the eve of Yom Kippur, the wording is "and one says the verse Ohr Zarua," and the Alter Rebbe does not mention saying the mizmor. On this the Rebbe notes here that, according to our custom, one first says mizmor 97 in Tehillim — "Hashem Malach Tageil ha'aretz" — and only afterward the verse "Ohr Zarua."
The second point: "the verse 'Or Zarua' [is said] once and aloud." There are machzorim in which, according to various customs, the verse "Or Zarua" is said three times, and in other places seven times; regarding this the Rebbe notes that our custom is to say this verse only once.
The third matter: "al daas hakahal etc., three times and in a low voice." Here the reference is to what is said before "Kol Nidrei." In the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe the order in which it is recited when taking out the three Torah scrolls is written thus: "bishivah shel maalah u'vishivah shel matah, al daas haMakom v'al daas hakahal" — that is, first "bishivah shel maalah" and "bishivah shel matah," and afterward "al daas haMakom v'al daas hakahal." Regarding this the Rebbe notes that in practice, in our version the order is reversed: we begin with "al daas hakahal," and only afterward "bishivah shel maalah."
The fourth matter: "The verses are not repeated in Ki Hinei KaChomer." In the Siddur "Torah Or," published in 5701, it was written that the piyut "Ki Hinei KaChomer BeYad HaYotzer," recited after the Maariv prayer, is said by repeating each verse again and again. Regarding this, the Rebbe emphasizes in the Hayom Yom (published in 5703) that in practice the verses are not repeated, but rather each one is said only a single time.
The fifth matter: "The Shema recited at bedtime is like on Shabbos and Yom Tov." Even though in all the prayers of Yom Kippur we say Vidui, in the Shema recited at bedtime — even on the night of Yom Kippur — we do not say Vidui, even when it falls on a weekday. In one of his letters the Rebbe writes that he asked the Rebbe Rayatz about this: why do we not say Vidui also in the Shema recited at bedtime on the night of Yom Kippur; and the Rebbe Rayatz expressed himself and told him: "On Yom Kippur we say 'Al Cheit' only as many times as is required and no more" — that is, the ten times, and we do not add an additional time in the Shema recited at bedtime.
The sixth custom: "Avinu Malkeinu zechor rachamecha etc. — in all the tefillos of the day." During the chazzaras hashatz there is a short prayer that begins with the words "Avinu Malkeinu zechor rachamecha vechavosh ka'ascha" and concludes with the words "me'aleinu ume'al kol bnei berisecha." In the Siddur of the Alter Rebbe, in the Musaf tefillah of Rosh Hashanah, the Alter Rebbe writes that on Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur this passage is said before the shliach-tzibbur says "u'chesov lechaim tovim." Regarding this the Rebbe emphasizes that in practice this passage is said in all the tefillos of the day — not only in Musaf, but in every tefillah that includes chazzaras hashatz.
The seventh custom: "On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we recite the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy when the Torah scroll is taken out, even when it falls on Shabbat." Generally, on all festivals and the three pilgrimage festivals, we recite the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy when the Ark is opened to take out the Torah scroll, but when the festival falls on Shabbat we do not recite them. Regarding the Days of Awe, the Rebbe rules that our custom is to recite the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy on Yom Kippur when the Torah scroll is taken out even when it falls on Shabbat — for there are differences in custom on this matter, and there are communities that do not recite it, whereas we do recite it even on Shabbat.
The eighth matter: "the daily Tehillim portion after Musaf." There are certain passages that are generally always said after Musaf, such as "Kaveh" and "Aleinu," but on Yom Kippur they are said after Ne'ilah. One might have thought that the daily Tehillim portion, too, should be said after Ne'ilah, like all the passages said after Musaf; therefore the Rebbe emphasizes that the daily Tehillim portion is indeed said after Musaf.
The ninth point: "The haftarah of Minchah on Yom Kippur - Vayehi devar - u'veheimah rabbah mi kel kamocha etc.". The haftarah of Minchah on Yom Kippur is "Maftir Yonah," in which the entire book of Yonah is recited. At its conclusion several verses from another book are added — from the book of Michah, "Mi kel kamocha" etc. In Ashkenazic communities there is a custom not to add these verses after the Minchah haftarah, whereas the Rebbe specifies that our custom is indeed to add them at the conclusion of the haftarah of the book of Yonah.
The tenth point: "at Minchah too we recite LeDavid Hashem Ori." In various communities, from the time one begins reciting "LeDavid Hashem Ori" — from the month of Elul onward — there are places that recite it after Maariv and not after Minchah. There is a Midrash that connects this psalm to the Day of Judgment; therefore those who are accustomed to recite it at Minchah hold that it should be said either at the beginning of the judgment (at Shacharis) or at the conclusion of the judgment (at Minchah), since judgment takes place only by day and not at night. One might have thought that on Yom Kippur, when there is an additional prayer after Minchah before the day's end — the Neilah prayer — one should recite "LeDavid Hashem" at Neilah and not at Minchah; therefore the Rebbe emphasizes that on Yom Kippur too one recites "LeDavid Hashem" at Minchah and not at Neilah.
The eleventh point: "Opening the Aron at Ne'ilah for Ashrei, and it remains open until after the entire Ne'ilah prayer." There are various customs regarding the opening of the Aron at Ne'ilah: some open it after "Ashrei," before the Kaddish, while some communities open it after the silent Amidah, before the chazan's repetition. On this the Rebbe emphasizes that our custom is to open the Aron at Ne'ilah before "Ashrei," and to leave it open throughout the entire Ne'ilah prayer. Until when does it remain open? Until the completion of the shofar blowing. As is known, the shofar is sounded in the middle of the Kaddish that follows Ne'ilah, before "Tiskabel," and then the Aron is closed before reciting "Tiskabel" — thus the Ne'ilah prayer concludes while the Aron is open, and only then is it closed.
The twelfth custom: "In the Kaddish of Neilah — le'eila u'le'eila." Throughout the entire world it is customary to say "le'eila u'le'eila" during all ten days of teshuvah, whereas the Chabad custom is to say it in the Kaddish only during the Neilah prayer. There is an explanation of this in one of the maamarim of the Rebbe Maharash from the year 5634, where he explains, based on the words of the Zohar, that in exile the Holy One, blessed be He, "salik le'eila u'le'eila" — He ascends higher and higher, and then a disconnect is created from the sefirah of Malchut, which is Knesset Yisrael; but on Yom Kippur the sefirah of Malchut also rises "le'eila u'le'eila," and therefore in the Kaddish of the Neilah prayer of Yom Kippur we too say "le'eila u'le'eila," because it is a special time. [Just to add a note: the number of words in the Kaddish is very precise. Therefore, when one says only "le'eila" — throughout the whole year, including the ten days of teshuvah for us — the wording is "le'eila min kol birchata ve'shirata," in which "min kol" is two words; whereas when one says "le'eila u'le'eila," the "min kol" becomes a single word — "le'eila u'le'eila mikol birchata" — so that the number of words in the Kaddish remains the same.]
The thirteenth matter: "Ein Keloheinu, Aleinu". Many communities do not have the custom of reciting "Ein Keloheinu" and "Aleinu" after Neilah; and the Rebbe emphasizes that according to our custom, we do indeed say these at the conclusion of the Neilah prayer.
The fourteenth matter: "and the priestly blessing is not recited" — in the Neilah prayer, for the Kohanim do not raise their hands in it. In the Shulchan Aruch, the Alter Rebbe states that nesias kapayim, the ascent of the Kohanim to the duchan, resembles the service in the Beis Hamikdash, which was performed only by day and not at night. Since during Neilah one prolongs the selichos and the prayer and reaches into the night, when there is no nesias kapayim, therefore the priestly blessing is not recited at Neilah. Were this halachah understood in its plain sense, there would be room to say that if one reaches the conclusion of Neilah while it is still day, before the sun has set, then it would be possible to recite the priestly blessing. Therefore the ruling is given here that the priestly blessing is not recited at Neilah at all, without distinction as to whether it is before sunset or after it.
To complete the matter: the Rebbe Rayatz related to the Rebbe that in the year 5646 — when the Rebbe Rayatz was a child of about six — they davened early that year, and there was nesias kapayim at Neilah. Similarly, it is recounted that during the month of Tishrei 5700, at the time of the World War, when the Rebbe Rayatz was in Warsaw and heard the bombings right in the middle of the war, he instructed that they daven quickly so that people would not be delayed and could go to their homes and not be harmed along the way; and then he directed that there be nesias kapayim at Neilah — but this was an exception. In practice, as the Rebbe writes here — as the Rebbe Rayatz instructed him to publicize in the "Hayom Yom" — at Neilah one does not do nesias kapayim in any case, and it makes no difference at what hour we reached this stage.
The fifteenth matter: "We say 'the day will turn' even if the day has already grown dark." There is a verse recited after "Yaaleh v'yavo" in the chazzan's repetition of Neilah, containing the words "hayom yifneh" ("the day will turn"). In the Shulchan Aruch it is written that one should hasten to recite these words before sunset, for saying "hayom yifneh" after sunset is like uttering a falsehood, since the sun has already set. Regarding this, the Rebbe emphasizes in the saying that according to our custom we recite "hayom yifneh" even if the sun has already set, and it makes no difference what the state of the hour may be.
The sixteenth item: "One does not recite the blessing 'she'asah li kol tzorki' until the next morning". This blessing, "she'asah li kol tzorki" ("Who has provided me with all my needs"), is directed at thanking the Holy One, blessed be He, after putting on one's shoes; therefore it is not recited on Tishah B'Av and Yom Kippur, on which one is forbidden to wear leather shoes — and it is recited as part of Birchos HaShachar. There are customs to recite this blessing at the conclusion of Yom Kippur or at the conclusion of Tishah B'Av at the time of putting on one's shoes; however, there is a ruling of the Tzemach Tzedek, which he transmitted in the name of his grandfather — the Alter Rebbe — that in practice one does not say this blessing even upon putting on one's shoes at the conclusion of Yom Kippur, but only the next morning.
The final matter, the seventeenth point: "On Yom Kippur one has the opportunity to fast for twenty-six hours." Since there is a halachah to add from the mundane onto the holy, one should also add to the fast beyond twenty-four hours, so that the fast extends to twenty-six hours. The Rebbe writes in a letter that one need not be stringent in this and may be lenient: it suffices if one fasts twenty-five hours and a little, for the moment one enters the twenty-sixth hour it is already considered that the fast lasted twenty-six hours. And what is the significance of the twenty-six? For it is known that it corresponds to the Name of Hashem, which in gematria equals twenty-six.
It is told of the Rebbe Rashab that he calculated and added another thirteen hours of preparations for Yom Kippur — beginning with "kapparos" and the entire order of the day — so that the total would come to the gematria of 39. Regarding the allusion in the number 39 which the Rebbe Rashab added to the twenty-six hours, there is a sichah of the Rebbe from 13 Tishrei 5725, in which the Rebbe elaborates at length in explaining the allusion contained in this number.