The two-hundred-fifty-sixth "room" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Tuesday, 9 Menachem Av, 5703.
The teaching has several parts. In the first part, even before the daily lessons, the Rebbe notes the order for making up the Minchah prayer. For it is known that on Tishah B'Av, at Shacharis, immediately after the reading of the Torah one recites Kinos, and afterward "Ashrei" and "Uva LeTziyon"; consequently, all that was not said at Shacharis is made up at Minchah.
And what is the order at Minchah? At the beginning of the teaching it states: "At Minchah: Kri'as Shema" — one should don tefillin at the time of Minchah and recite Kri'as Shema while wearing the tefillin; "Shir shel Yom" which was not said at Shacharis — one should complete it; "Ein K'Elokeinu" — this too should be completed; "and all the shiurim pertaining to Shacharis" — meaning the shiur of Chumash, the shiur of Tehillim, and the shiur of Tanya; whatever is recited every day should be completed. As for the shiur of Rambam, it is known that on the day of Tisha B'Av it is learned only at the conclusion of the day, when the day has fully ended, and not at Minchah. And the teaching continues: "and afterward the order of the Minchah prayer" — after completing the Shacharis shiurim, the order of the Minchah prayer. This is the first section.
The next custom that he cites: "The blessing of she'asah li kol tzorki is not recited until the following day." It is well known that this blessing among the morning blessings, "she'asah li kol tzorki" ("Who has provided me with all my needs"), is connected to the putting on of shoes; and since on Tishah B'Av there is a prohibition against wearing leather shoes and it is impossible to put on shoes, therefore on the morning of Tishah B'Av the blessing "she'asah li kol tzorki" is not recited. So it is written in the Siddur of the Alter Rebbe, and so too it appears in the writings of the Arizal, that on Tishah B'Av this blessing is not recited. And there is a great deal of elaboration on this in the Sefer Sdei Chemed.
Regarding the conclusion of Tishah B'Av, some have the custom to recite the blessing "she'asah li kol tzorki" ("who has provided me with all my needs") when they put on their shoes at the end of the day. Here, however, the Rebbe cites — based on the ruling of the "Tzemach Tzedek" in the name of the Alter Rebbe — that even though one puts on shoes at the conclusion of Tishah B'Av, one does not recite the blessing "she'asah li kol tzorki" until the next day, the following morning. That is to say, on this day of Tishah B'Av this blessing is not said in the order of the blessings.
The following in the saying are the daily study portions.
Shiurim: Chumash — Va'etchanan, third portion, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, 9th of the month, from chapter 49 through chapter 54 inclusive.
Tanya: On this day one concludes in Iggeret HaKodesh the first letter. Begin on page 204 with the words "ve'ata hapaam," until the conclusion of the letter with the word "Torah," etc.
In the final part of the teaching, the Rebbe brings the practice of the Rebbe Rashab on the day of Tishah B'Av. He says as follows: "My revered father, my teacher and master [Aaomur — adoni avi mori verabi]" — referring to the father of the Rebbe Rayatz, namely the Rebbe Rashab — "would study every single year, on Tishah B'Av, 'Eichah Rabbah' and, in the Gemara, the sugya of Rabbi Yochanan in the chapter 'HaNizakin'". Every year he would study the entire midrash "Eichah Rabbah", as well as the sugya in Tractate Gittin, chapter "HaNizakin", which begins on folio 55b and onward — a complete sugya that recounts the stories of the churban.
He continues describing the conduct of the Rebbe Rashab on Tisha B'Av. Elsewhere the order is brought that they would daven the Shacharis prayer of Tisha B'Av at the Rebbe Rashab's around eight o'clock in the morning, and he would recite the kinos afterward, as he mentions here: "In the morning, after reciting the kinos — which he would say all of them." What is the emphasis of "which he would say all of them"? Because in the sefer "Moreh B'Etzba" by the Chida it is brought that there are certain kinos which it is preferable not to recite, and apparently there are differing opinions on this; and here he emphasizes that the Rebbe Rashab would recite all of the kinos.
As mentioned, the order was that Shacharis began at eight, and the Rebbe Rashab would recite all the kinnos and finish around half past twelve. The saying continues: "He would recite Eichah" — after concluding the kinnos, the Rebbe Rashab would recite Megillas Eichah during the day. Although it is a short megillah, according to what is related it took him an hour and a half.
And at the conclusion of the words: "He would be called up to the Torah for maftir." On the day of Tishah B'Av, maftir is read both in the morning and at Minchah, and here it is brought that the Rebbe Rashab would be called up to the Torah for maftir "and sometimes both at Shacharis and at Minchah." There are discussions on this matter as to whether a person may be called up to the Torah twice on the same day or not. In the notes of the words spoken with the Rebbe at the meals on the evening following Yom Kippur 5729, there is a discussion of this; some of the Rebbeim would be called up twice on the same day, and the Rebbe brings a proof from the fact that the Kohen, when there is no Levi, is called up in the same reading even twice, and he brings in the name of one of the great sages of Israel who was a Kohen and was called up both as Kohen and for maftir. And there are various customs in this regard. Here we see that the Rebbe Rashab was accustomed to be called up to the Torah for maftir sometimes twice on Tishah B'Av — both the maftir of the morning and the maftir of the Minchah prayer.