The thirty-seventh "cheder" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Sunday, 26 Tevet 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash — we begin a new parashah in the book of Shemot, Parashat Va'era. Sunday, the first section, with the commentary of Rashi.
Tehillim, on the 26th of the month, one recites in chapter 119 from the letter mem, which begins with the word "mah," until the conclusion of the chapter at the end of the letter tav, "lo shachachti."
Tanya: On this day we begin chapter 14, from the word "vehineh" until page 38, at the words "lichpor ha'emes".
Before us today is a very short teaching, which comes to explain a particular passage in one of the blessings of the Shemoneh Esreh prayer — the blessing referred to in brief as "Birkat HaMinim," which is familiar to us by its opening words "Velamalshinim." Here there is an interesting reference to the wording within this blessing.
The source of this teaching is a letter sent by the Rebbe Rayatz to a Jew named Ulman, who had asked the Rebbe various questions concerning matters of prayer. The reply is divided into sections — section 1 addressing question 1, and so on — and when he reaches the second question, this Jew asks what the Arizal's version is in the blessing of the minim.
What is the question? It is known that there were certain periods during which, because of the censorship — that is, on account of the government — various changes were made to this blessing, so that a situation would not arise in which it would be said that "the Jews are praying against them," etc., and in order to lessen the fear of the gentile authorities. But that particular Jew is asking the Rebbe Rayatz what the correct wording is according to the version of the Arizal — and not the version that at times had to be altered.
The Rebbe Rayatz replies to him, quoting in the letter itself: "The version I was accustomed to from my childhood, and which I likewise heard from" his father — for when his father served as the chazzan and prayed the Shemoneh Esrei aloud, he was able to hear the wording. He cites in the letter the exact text of the version one is to say, without any doubt: "velamalshinim," "vechol oivei amecha meheirah yikareisu," "umalchus harishah meheirah" — the wording without change.
Further on, there is a discussion of the four expressions in this blessing, which seemingly all refer to the same wicked kingdom, etc.: "may You uproot" (te'aker), "may You break" (uteshaber), "may You cast down" (utemager), and "may You subdue" (utachnia). The Rebbe refers us to the sefer "Shaar HaKollel," where these four terms are addressed. First, the "Shaar HaKollel" is precise in noting that one should say "utachnia" in the singular, and not "utachni'em" in the plural as it is written in certain siddurim — as though referring to those who do wickedness and to the wicked kingdom in the plural; rather, the wording should be "utachnia" in the singular, and he also brings a reason for this.
Let us now read the teaching, in which the Rebbe brings the reason briefly, and elaborates a little on what is written in "Shaar HaKollel." Thus says the saying: "In the blessing of 'Velamalshinim' one pauses slightly between 'utemager' and the word 'utechania'." This is what the Rebbe Rayatz would hear from his father — that one says "te'aker uteshaber utemager," pauses for a moment, and then says "utechania," and not in one continuous flow. Why? This corresponds to the kavanah, as explained in "Shaar HaKollel," and here the Rebbe brings in summary what the kavanah is.
"'Te'aker vetishaver utemagar' — the first three expressions, which are said in succession — correspond to the three completely impure kelipot that must be removed entirely," as is explained in Tanya, that there are three kelipot which are wholly impure and cannot be rectified, and which must be nullified; and with the coming of Mashiach their nullification will be absolute. Concerning them we say "te'aker vetishaver utemagar."
And why in three expressions rather than in a single expression? "Shaar HaKolel" explains that the three impure kelipot are not equal — the first is the worst, the second slightly less so, and the third slightly less than that — even though all three are kelipot that must be removed; and therefore the wording of the request to the Holy One, blessed be He, as to how to nullify them, changes. Regarding the first, the worst, we say "te'aker" — that it be uprooted entirely without a trace. Regarding the second, which is slightly weaker than the first, we say "teshaber" — not a term of complete uprooting but of breaking. And regarding the third, which is weaker still, we say "temager" — that it be toppled from here and be no more.
But when speaking of the fourth kelipah, what is the wording? "'And subdue' corresponds to kelipas nogah, which requires subjugation". Kelipas nogah does not merely stand in the fourth place in the order of the kelipos; rather, it is entirely different: a Jew can, through proper use, refine it and transform it into holiness, since it contains a mixture of good and evil. Therefore the request is "and subdue" — that one must subjugate the evil part to the good part; there is a birur within it, and it is possible to refine it and transform it into good. And that is why the wording changes.
It thus emerges that we have explained not only why the wording changes, but also why one must make a certain pause — for we are in fact dealing with two types of kelipot: the three completely impure kelipot are one type, and kelipat nogah is another type, and therefore one pauses between them.
We also find here an allusion to the sequence of halachot in the Rambam. As we have discussed, the Rebbe alludes in the sayings to the books of the Rambam, and we are now in the second book — Sefer Ahavah. We spoke earlier about the allusion to the laws of Kri'at Shema, and the laws that follow are the laws of prayer; and here one sees tangibly the connection to the laws of prayer, since the entire teaching speaks about a certain explanation regarding prayer. Thus it is clear that this alludes to the laws of prayer found in the second book of the Rambam.