With the help of God, we will begin a series of lessons on the book HaYom Yom, the book that one could say was the first that the Rebbe published. First we will do a lesson or two of introduction, a bit of background on the beginning of the idea to write this book, and what the structure of the book is. Afterward, little by little, we will begin from the introduction to the book, from the first saying, and with the help of God we will study the entire book in its entirety.
The whole idea of writing this book began in the year 5700, the year in which the Rebbe Rayatz arrived in the United States. The Rebbe Rayatz, the previous Rebbe, arrived in the United States in the month of Adar 5700, and immediately in the following month, in the month of Nissan, at a farbrengen he held with chassidim on the last day of Pesach. I will try to quote a small excerpt from the words he spoke publicly on the last day of Pesach. In the original this is written in Yiddish, and I will translate it directly into lashon hakodesh.
He writes as follows: "In truth, one should have gathered all the customs of the holy honor of our forefathers, our holy Rebbes, may their merit protect us, and established a book of customs that would be relevant and suited to everyday life," that would be a kind of code for Chabad chassidim with Chabad customs, and that would include also certain sayings as well as very short stories.
And then he says in the following passage: "Such an organized compilation can only be made by a deep, inner person, a person who is thoroughly organized, a person who has broad and deep understanding. And I attest to this, that thank God, in a good hour, I know that I have, thank God, divine success, which the Holy One blessed be He has granted me, that whatever I consider to be good for the benefit of the many, for Torah, for the fear of Heaven, for the livelihood of Jews, of chassidim, the Holy One blessed be He helps that sooner or later, through several different causes, the thing which I thought to be an important matter comes to fruition. And so too is my hope that this organized compilation will certainly, with God's help, eventually come from potential into actuality, to the joy of my heart and to the benefit of anshei shlomeinu, may they live upon whom is the Name." This is a sicha that the previous Rebbe delivered on the last day of Pesach in the year 5700.
Nearly three years later, the Rebbe Rayatz wrote a letter to the Rebbe, on the 20th of Kislev 5703. Let us read the letter. He writes to him thus: "My dear son-in-law, of noble lineage, the rabbi, the gaon, veteran and chassid, a G-d-fearing man, our teacher the rabbi," and then he mentions the name of the Rebbe shlita, "peace and blessing. On the basis of the holy letter of His Honor, the holiness of my master, my father, my teacher and Rebbe," meaning on the basis of a letter from his father, a letter of the Rebbe Rashab, and then he brings the appropriate titles for his father, who had already passed away.
The letter speaks about the festival of festivals, Yud-Tes Kislev. What does the Rebbe Rashab write? That this day, Yud-Tes Kislev, is the Rosh Hashanah for the teachings of Chabad Chassidus. One should note that the letter is written by the Previous Rebbe on the twentieth of Kislev, and he says that the previous day, which was yesterday, Yud-Tes Kislev, is the Rosh Hashanah for the teachings of Chabad Chassidus. And from here he requests in this letter of his son-in-law, of the Rebbe: "I hereby request of him that he be so good as to arrange a calendar of the year, beginning from this Yud-Tes Kislev until the coming Yud-Tes Kislev." He requests that there be a calendar from Yud-Tes Kislev to Yud-Tes Kislev.
The thing we learn here, in a letter written the following day, on the 20th of Kislev: the book was actually published several months later, toward the end of Adar or in Nissan, but it was published with the date of the 19th of Kislev. This teaches us that although the book is arranged according to dates, it is nevertheless a foundational book that is studied at all times and on every date.
He requests of him how the book should be structured. What are the objectives of this book? He says thus: "and they shall be included in it in particular," in a focused manner. What will be there? He divides this into three. First, study lessons as a daily fixed obligation, which will appear in this book each day—what the fixed study lessons are for every chasid, "equal for every soul, apart from that which for each and every one according to his own measure." That is to say, in addition to the personal lessons that each and every one has, there shall be in the book general fixed study lessons as a daily obligation that are equal for every soul.
And what are the study portions that are equal for every soul? Three things: alef — Chumash with the commentary of Rashi, namely to learn each day the daily portion in Chumash. bet — Tehillim after the morning prayer, as it is divided among the days of the month. And gimel — study portions of learning Tanya, "as I have divided it for the days of this year." The Rebbe Rayatz divided the Tanya for [the year] 5703 according to daily study, and this is what he wants to include in this calendar. This is what is called Chitat: Chumash, Tehillim, Tanya. This is one area.
In a second area, what he wants to be there in the book: the customs of Chabad chassidim, that the Rav should include in this book the customs of Chabad chassidim. There had not yet been a book of chassidic customs in a concentrated form, so here in this book the Rebbe wants the customs of Chabad chassidim to be included.
Gimmel: what is the third point in the book? A collection of aphorisms from the teachings of Chassidut and the ways of the Chassidim, brief matters for each day of the days of the year. That is to say, he wants aphorisms from Chassidut, from the ways of the Chassidim, brief things for each day, to be included there. "And may Hashem Yitbarach help him and grant him success in both material and spiritual matters."
Even the one who determined how the book would be called—that was the Rebbe. He concludes the letter by saying: "The calendar that he will arrange he shall name by the title HaYom Yom: Luach Or Zarua LaChassidei Chabad." This is also what is written on the first page of the book. The title of the book is exactly as the Rebbe Rayatz called it, "Luach Or Zarua LaChassidei Chabad"—this appears at the beginning. "May Hashem grant them life." He concluded the letter as the Rebbe Rayatz in those years would constantly conclude: "L'altar liteshuvah, l'altar lige'ulah" (immediately to repentance, immediately to redemption). "His father-in-law inquires after his welfare, esteems and honors and blesses him materially and spiritually." This is the letter that he wrote to the Rebbe.
Let us bring another interesting passage, from a letter he wrote after the book had already been published. We said that the book was published toward the month of Nissan. In the month of Nissan we find in the Igrot Kodesh of the previous Rebbe a letter that he wrote to a Jew by the name of Rabbi Alexander Cohen. Let us read one passage from the letter, this too in Yiddish, and we will translate it directly into Lashon HaKodesh. This is a letter from the 28th of Nissan, 5703.
He writes to him as follows: "Surely you have received the book 'HaYom Yom'," and then he describes the book: "It is a book in a small format, a little booklet in a small format, just as a chassid ought to be small in his own eyes. But the book is packed with pearls, with precious gems from the greatest and finest wellspring. This, thank God, is really something, the light of life in a chassidic direction with a real, powerful influence. Hashem yisborach, without an evil eye, has graced my son-in-law, the great gaon Rabbi," and he mentions the name of the Rebbe shlita, "that he was able to establish such a fundamental chassidic edifice with three hundred and eighty-three chambers, that day by day it expresses speech, each day saying something. This is the true HaYom Yom, every day is a day."
And then he refers in that same letter to the saying that appears there. The letter was written on the 28th of Nissan, so the Rebbe Rayatz writes to him: "Today is the 28th of Nissan. What is written in the saying for the Hayom Yom?" He quotes to him what is written there, and relates to the content of what appears on that day.
Let us see an example: the Rebbe himself, in that same year, 5703, several months after the letter came out, writes a letter to a certain person—this was of course during the lifetime of the previous Rebbe—and in the middle of the letter he writes to him: "It is a wonder to me that you have not yet ordered the "Hayom Yom" booklets." And he mentions another particular booklet that had recently come out, which aroused in the chassidic world great joy and much happiness. So the Rebbe says: "Apparently you did not order this, because you have not yet grasped the great light that is here, so I am sending you five copies, and you will surely take note of this matter." And also at the conclusion, the Rebbe concludes with a matter of ahavas Yisrael, and immediately says: "See the Hayom Yom of the 15th of Kislev, what the Alter Rebbe said about this." One sees that the Rebbe truly lived this.
There is an expression that appears in a sichah of the Rebbe from 5729, where the Rebbe notes and says that each and every saying in the sefer "HaYom Yom" was before the eyes of the previous Rebbe—which saying would fit which day. That is to say, this is a sefer that contains within it something infinite. We shall see, with Hashem's help, in the lessons—as another introductory lesson will also be given, with Hashem's help—just how much this sefer truly contains, in addition to its plain meaning, which one must study and understand, also further dimensions of hints and secrets, most wondrous matters that are in this sefer.
We will conclude with just one interesting point. There are things that the Rebbe did not say himself, but that chassidim thought about, and indirectly this also received the Rebbe's approval — there are many hints that the Rebbe approved them. One of the interesting hints, as we have seen, is that the one who determined the name of the book was the Rebbe Rayatz. The book is called "HaYom Yom." If one looks at the words "HaYom Yom," one sees that it hints at and includes both the initials of the name of the Rebbe Rayatz and the initials of the name of the Rebbe. For the "yud" that is in "HaYom Yom" is the initials of the Rebbe Rayatz, and what ends with "mem mem" is the name of the Rebbe. One sees that in the name of the book too, both the Rebbe Rayatz and the Rebbe are hinted at. There are additional hints in this as well.
With God's help, tomorrow we will continue with another introduction, and then we will begin, little by little, to stroll through this wondrous palace with the three hundred and eighty-three chambers that the Rebbe has placed before us. With God's help.