The three-hundred-and-twentieth "cheder" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Wednesday, 14 Tishrei, the eve of the festival of Sukkot, 5704.
Chumash lessons: Berachah, fourth aliyah, with the commentary of Rashi.
Tehillim, on the 14th of the month, one recites from Psalm 72 through and including Psalm 76.
Tanya: On this day we study Iggeret 22. The daily portion begins on page 134 with the words "Ach ha'emet," and concludes on page 262 with the words "ye'ehav Hashem etc."
The daily teaching includes several practices to observe on this day, the eve of the festival of Sukkot. The first thing the Rebbe notes is "eiruv tavshilin": since outside the Land of Israel two days of the festival are observed — Thursday and Friday being the days of the festival of Sukkot — and they lead directly into Shabbat, one must therefore make the eiruv tavshilin on Wednesday, the eve of the festival of Sukkot, so that one may continue the preparations and the cooking of the foods on the second day of the festival in readiness for Shabbat. This is the first point — eiruv tavshilin.
All the following customs relate to the handling and preparations of the Four Kinds, so that they will be ready for the next day, Thursday, the 15th of Tishrei, for the mitzvah of the Four Kinds. The first thing the Rebbe writes: "One does not add to the two aravot, unlike with the hadassim." In the Rambam it is stated explicitly that if a person wishes to add hadas so that the bundle will be large — he may, and on the contrary, this is the beauty of the mitzvah. In the Shulchan Aruch the author writes that one may add to the aravah as well: "To the aravah and the hadas one may add as much as one wishes."
Regarding the hadas — this is written by both the Rambam and the Mechaber. Regarding the aravah there are differing views as to whether there is room to add or not: the Maggid Mishneh writes that one may add only with the hadassim and not with the aravah, since we do not find in the Gemara any permission to add aravot but only with the hadas alone; whereas the Kesef Mishneh writes that one may add even with the aravah. But in practice, as the Rebbe notes, our custom is that we add hadassim, but with the aravot we do not add beyond two. "We do not add to the two aravot."
Regarding the number of hadassim one should add — this too appears in "Sefer HaMinhagim," which lists various numbers for one who wishes to add hadassim. But it is worth noting what the Rebbe said on Shabbos Haazinu 5752: the Rebbe requested of everyone, in a general way, that they add hadassim, and specified that they add at least double the required number — since three are needed, one should add more, until there are six hadassim.
The following item noted here relates to the bindings that one makes on the lulav and on the three species together: "The meticulous ones bind the lulav in the sukkah and on the eve of the festival." First of all, even before we consider how many knots are required — the very matter of where to perform the binding: the meticulous ones do it in the sukkah. Although a person does this before the festival, and seemingly could do it at home, in comfort — the meticulous ones make sure to do it specifically in the sukkah. Why?
In one of the Rebbe's maamarim — the discourse beginning "Naso" from the year 5741 — the Rebbe explained why there is significance specifically to binding together in the sukkah. The Rebbe cited what is written in the Yerushalmi about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who, although he was among those about whom it is said "their Torah is their occupation" and would not interrupt for anything — for the sukkah and the lulav he would interrupt. And not only would he interrupt in order to fulfill the mitzvah, but he would even interrupt for the making of the lulav and the making of the sukkah — to build them and prepare them.
The Rebbe says that if Rashbi interrupted even for the preparations for the sukkah and the lulav before the festival, therefore the Rebbeim of Chabad were accustomed to bind the lulav themselves, and moreover before the onset of the festival — and this is the intent [regarding Rashbi] of "to make a lulav" — and to do it in the sukkah; for the very act of going to the sukkah to do something in it before the festival falls under the category of "making a sukkah," of preparing the sukkah. Therefore we are meticulous to bind it ourselves and in the sukkah. And here the Rebbe adds "and on the eve of the festival" — to emphasize this, for there are those who are accustomed to bind it on the festival itself, and one must know from the halachic standpoint how it is permitted to bind it then; but our custom is to bind it specifically on the eve of the festival and in the sukkah.
The following concerns the number of bindings one should make. The Rebbe states: "On the lulav — two windings" — on the lulav itself, apart from the hadassim and aravot, one makes two windings, "and one endeavors that both should be covered by the hadassim and aravot." That is, that the two windings should not be on the upper part of the lulav, but rather on the portion that the hadassim and aravot cover; "the upper winding too — at least slightly" — meaning, that even if one winding is somewhat higher, at least part of it should be covered by the hadassim and aravot.
"In addition to this" are the two windings on the lulav: "three windings — with which one binds the hadassim and aravot together with the lulav" — three more windings on the lower portion, which hold the hadassim and aravot attached to the lulav. And at what height does one make these three windings? "These three within the span of one tefach" — that all three windings should be contained within that single tefach.
What is the underlying idea of the bindings? Let us first note the words of the Alter Rebbe in the Shulchan Aruch: "It is customary to make three bindings on the lulav" — three knots, corresponding to the three Avot. And where does one make them? The Alter Rebbe begins specifically from the opposite side: first one makes a single knot binding the hadas, the aravah, and the lulav together, and then two additional knots on the lulav itself. Thus, the making of two knots on the lulav itself, unrelated to the holding of the two other species, is already written this way in the Shulchan Aruch.
What is the reason for this? Its source is in the Taz, who cites it in the name of the Mordechai with an interesting allusion: The Torah says regarding the lulav "kapot temarim" (branches of palm trees), and the word "kapot" is written in the deficient spelling, without a vav — to hint that it must be "kafut," bound. During the seven days of Sukkot in which one performs the na'anuim, already in the first six days it must be "kafut" — bound in such a way that all the leaves are joined together without moving.
Therefore, as we learn later regarding Hoshana Rabbah, the two wrappings are removed. But during the first six days it must be entirely closed, while on the other hand it should not impede the naanuim (shaking). This is why it is stated here that one should not place the two wrappings at a high point — for then one would be shaking something closed — but rather to make them low, in such a way that even during the naanuim there will be leaves that move above and do not impede the shaking of the lulav; yet on account of the allusion in the verse, one binds the lulav on its own with two wrappings.
And what about the lower bindings, which join the lulav together with the hadassim and the aravot? This too is written in the Shulchan Aruch, that one must bind it. How many bindings should one make? In the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe the wording is "one binding," and so it is written in many places; but here it is brought that our custom is to make three wraps. And I saw a reasoning in one of the places, that perhaps the emphasis here is that these three wraps should be within the same tefach and be considered as joined — since in the source it is written "one," whereas here we make three, but in practice the three are bound in a way that they be within one tefach.
There is an allusion in this matter as to why here there are three and here two; but we will reach this, with God's help, on Hoshana Rabba, where additional details are discussed regarding the conduct in relation to these bonds. Then we will also mention the further allusion that the Rebbe notes — specifically here three and here two — and with God's help we will arrive at it and speak about it.