The one hundred and twenty-third "room" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Tuesday, 23 Adar II 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Shmini, Shlishi, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, 23rd of the month, from chapter 108 to chapter 112 inclusive.
Tanya, on this day we learn chapter 38, from the words "Ve'af shebishneihem", and the shiur concludes on page 100 with the word "vehispashtut".
The daily teaching is from a letter written by the Rebbe Rayatz on 7 Adar 5696 to the rav of the Chabad chassidus community in Riga. The letter opens with words of guidance on how to engage there with the young avreichim, encouraging him to gather them, etc. But afterwards there are somewhat harsh words, where the Rebbe Rayatz writes to him that he was distressed by the rumor that the affairs of the local mikveh are somewhat neglected - the heating does not work properly, and consequently the women immersing complain that the place is cold and they are liable to catch a chill. The Rebbe Rayatz writes to him that he was very surprised by this fact, and that it is forbidden to remain silent about such matters.
Then the Rebbe Rayatz adds and relates something his father, the Rebbe Rashab, once said on this exact same topic to a certain rav - who was also a rav possessing avodah and a masmid in his learning, etc. - that with him as well there was such an incident where the upkeep and cleanliness of the mikveh were somewhat neglected. The rav there excused himself by saying that the attendant responsible for it was one of the community leaders, a chossid and a God-fearing Jew, and therefore he took everything on good faith. To this, the Rebbe Rashab said lengthy and sharp words to him.
From this lengthiness, the Rebbe takes a pinch of a few lines and concentrates the essence of the matter. Let us read the words of the Rebbe Rashab, who said this in Yiddish, and we will translate: "The highest levels - whether in haskalah, in the haskalah of Torah, or in avodah - are considered as nothing at all, as absolute naught, in relation to a practical mitzvah." Every practical mitzvah is more important than anything, especially when it involves a mitzvah whose every detail is exceedingly stringent - and he is referring to this issue of the mikveh and of taharah.
And thus he said to him there: A rav must remember at all times and at every moment that he is always standing right on the threshold [there is a Yiddish word there that does not appear in the original Hayom Yom], that he has the power to move right and left - whether to be, on the one hand, one who brings merit to the public, or to be, on the other hand, Heaven forbid, one who causes the public to sin. And he says to him: It is written that "Tzedakah exalts a nation," that through tzedakah the mind and heart of the giver become refined a thousandfold. Why? Because tzedakah is a practical mitzvah. That is to say, a practical mitzvah has immense power.
And he returns to the matter he began with: When standing on the threshold, on the one hand you have the possibility of being of those who bring merit to the public, and on the other hand you can, in a single second, be of those who cause the public to sin, Heaven spare us. When standing in such a situation, which on the one hand is the depth of height and on the other hand the depth of below - the Holy One, blessed be He, rewards those who bring merit to the public in the depth of height, and rewards them abundantly; but Heaven forbid, in the opposite situation, one is repaid in the opposite way. And always, at every moment, the rav must remember the words of the Mitteler Rebbe, that spiritual death is harsher than physical death.
And he concludes sharply: What kind of excuse is this for a chassidic rav, a moreh hora'ah, that so-and-so is the one responsible, etc.; all these matters must touch the very innermost point of the soul, for his life depends on it. This is the complete wording that the Rebbe Rashab said to a certain rav, and the Rebbe Rayatz writes it here in the letter.
Now let us read the quote of the daily teaching, which is the essence of all the lengthiness we read: "My master, father, and teacher [the Rebbe Rashab] said to a certain rav possessing avodah and a masmid in his learning" - the rav who received this statement was a person of great stature, both in avodah and in Torah study. And so he said to him: "A rav must remember at all times and at every moment that he is always on the threshold between those who bring merit to the public and, Heaven forbid, those who cause the public to sin; on the threshold between the depth of height and the depth of below - and these matters must 'touch' the very innermost point of the soul, for his life depends on it," his very life depends on the matter. And therefore the responsibility of a person standing on this threshold is very high. This is the point of the daily teaching.
And regarding the schedule for learning the Rambam's Yad Hachazakah - we are currently in Sefer Zeraim, in Hilchos Maaserot. Previously we learned Hilchos Kilayim, Hilchos Matnos Aniyim, and Hilchos Trumos, and now we are in Hilchos Maaserot. In the ninth chapter of Hilchos Maaserot, the Rambam opens with the relevant topic and mentions the matter found here: that in the days of Yochanan the Kohen Gadol, the great Beis Din sent and investigated throughout the borders of Israel regarding trumos and maaserot, and they found that everyone is careful with the great trumah, but with maaserot not so much; and therefore they decreed that not everyone should be naturally trusted regarding maaserot, but rather trustworthy people are needed, etc., and they established an order for the responsibility of rabbonim. This is essentially the content of the daily teaching - the extent to which a rav must take responsibility in matters relating to practice, and ensure that everything will be in the best and most perfect manner.