Room two hundred eighty-nine in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Sunday, 12 Elul 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Tavo. We begin a new parashah, parashat Tavo, the first section with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, for the 12th of the month, from chapter 66 through chapter 68 inclusive. These are the three chapters of the month of Elul, and according to the division for the 12th of Elul one recites chapters 34, 35, and 36.
Tanya: On this day we begin Iggeret 14, from the beginning of the letter, from the word "le'orer." The lesson concludes on page 240 with the word "ma'aleh."
The daily teaching speaks about the collection known as "Hemshech 5672." I will preface a few words of background before we read what is written in the letter. First, there is a concept in Chassidic discourses called a "hemshech," and the meaning of the word is as it implies: a group of maamarim that were said or written over an extended period, structured in a certain sequence where each maamar is connected to the one before it, and the entire hemshech — the whole group together — expresses a particular content and idea.
The concept of hemshechim (series of discourses) began with the Rebbe Maharash, and afterwards came the famous hemshechim of the Rebbe Rashab. From the Rebbe Rashab, three very well-known hemshechim are familiar: the first is called "Hemshech 5659" — the maamarim of "Yom Tov shel Rosh Hashanah 5659" — maamarim that the Rebbe delivered throughout the entire year of 5659, beginning from Rosh Hashanah, on one subject. The second famous hemshech is called "Yom Tov shel Rosh Hashanah 5666" — maamarim that the Rebbe Rashab delivered over the course of the years 5666, 5667, and part of 5668, a hemshech comprising sixty-six maamarim.
Afterward comes the third, very famous Hemshech, which is discussed in the daily saying, called "Hemshech Beshaah Shehikdimu 5672" — maamarim that were said from Chag HaShavuos 5672 and throughout the years 5673, 5674, 5675, until the beginning of 5676. During those years other maamarim were also said or written that are not connected to the Hemshech, but there is the well-known Hemshech called "Hemshech 5672," and it is this one that is being discussed.
I will add a few more words about this wondrous continuation. The Rebbe once spoke about it before it was printed publicly, and said that this hemshech is, as is known, the longest continuation among the chassidic discourses of the Rebbe Rashab. As we will see further in the saying, it contains one hundred forty-four discourses in a sequence on a single subject, and the hemshech was very dear to the Rebbe Rashab.
The Rebbe Rayatz relates that in the same year in which the Rebbe Rashab delivered the Hemshech Tof-reish-ayin-beis — which began on the festival of Shavuos, in the summer — the Rebbe Rayatz had been together with his father during the preceding winter in a place called Menton, and there the Rebbe Rashab told him that he hoped to have the time to contemplate a deep and novel concept in Chassidus. And indeed, in this Hemshech there are elucidated matters that had never been stated or explained anywhere — the concept of ohros and keilim, kesser and the ohr of kesser and arichus, and the sefiros; the most profound matters of Chassidus were explained at length in this Hemshech.
There is a fascinating place where the Rebbe Rayatz relates that he once saw his father, the Rebbe Rashab, sitting on the sofa, immersed in thought for several hours with his eyes open, without paying any attention whatsoever to what was happening around him, like one who is in another world, literally in a state of self-transcendence (kelos hanefesh). He was so deeply immersed that after he roused himself he did not know what day it was or where he was — as though he had descended from another world. Some time later the Rebbe Rashab revealed to him that during those hours he had been contemplating the deepest matters in Chassidus, which were the foundation for the well-known series of discourses of 5672.
In this hemshech, the Rebbe says, there are matters that he calls "great and wondrous," even more so than in the hemshech of 5666 — which is itself renowned for its exceedingly profound concepts — whereas here there are matters far deeper still.
Another mysterious and wondrous matter surrounds the printing of this hemshech. For years the hemshech existed only in manuscript form — much of it in the handwriting of the Rebbe Rashab — or in copies, and it was not in orderly circulation. For years people asked the Rebbe to have it printed, and the Rebbe did not want to, until the year 5737 arrived: at the farbrengen of 19 Kislev 5737 the Rebbe spoke about this hemshech and related a story.
The Rebbe related that the Rebbe Rayatz once traveled from his home and was searching for someone he could rely upon to entrust with all of his father's writings — the manuscripts of the profound maamarim — in order to later receive them back intact. The Rebbe recounts that apparently the Rebbe Rayatz had no choice but to give them to him, and he received the maamarim as a shomer, as one entrusted to safeguard them. Among these things, the Rebbe says, he saw that included in the writings was also the entire Hemshech 5672, all the great light of the Rebbe Rashab, and therefore — in his words — "I grabbed it," and before there would be any questions and before anyone would say a word, he made a photograph and a copy of everything. In those years photography was not like it is nowadays — walking up to a copy machine and photocopying — but rather a very complex undertaking, and the Rebbe says that this photograph remained in his possession all the years.
The Rebbe then discussed whether, according to halachah, he had been permitted to make a copy, for seemingly there is a halachah in the Shulchan Aruch that a person who deposits a Torah scroll or another book with his fellow — the fellow is forbidden to read in it, and if he read in it, this is considered "shelichus yad be'pikadon" (misappropriation of a deposit), for one is forbidden to touch a deposit. But the Rebbe said that it is written in halachah that this applies when one deposited a book with an ignoramus; however, when one deposits a book with a talmid chacham, and he has no other book like it but this single book — he is permitted to read in it and to copy it, for the depositor certainly took this into account, and deposited it on that basis. The Rebbe expressed regarding himself that this does not depend so much on the greatness of the talmid chacham who received the deposit, but mainly depends on the fact that this was the intent of the depositor — that it be copied; and therefore, the Rebbe says, it was permitted to copy it, and he copied it.
The Rebbe says that for years he was troubled, unable to find rest — for this hemshech lay with him in photocopy form, unprinted, and no one had it — and the time had come to reveal it to the world. But the Rebbe expressed that he had a certain apprehension about revealing such a light in the world, an enormous responsibility; and therefore he said he had a proposal: he requested that the responsibility for printing such a hemshech should not fall upon him, but upon all the chassidim in the world, and even upon all Jews who are interested — in such a way that each one would give one dollar only, no less and no more, as participation in printing the hemshech; even a day-old infant can be included in the matter, a dollar from each one.
Another point: the Rebbe says that generally, at the end of seforim they print dedications — in whose merit the book was printed, and so on — but for this book he requested that there be no dedications to anyone, that no one take upon himself the responsibility, but rather that it be general, for the entire body of chassidim. It is interesting: if you look, you will see that in all the chassidus seforim there is a "petach davar" (preface), in which it is written that the book was printed by the directive of the Rebbe shlita, and it is signed "Merkos Otzar HaChassidim." The only book among all the Chabad seforim that does not have this is the sefer Hemshech 5672: in its preface it is written "we are hereby printing," without noting who requested it, and without a signature — as if it were printed anonymously, without a name.
The hemshech was printed in 5737, and chassidim connect the entire event that occurred in 5738 — with the Rebbe on Shemini Atzeret, with the attack — to the words the Rebbe said, that there are concerns and one must see how to do this without a certain expression; that is, the very great responsibility that the Rebbe brought down into the world with this lengthy hemshech of 5672.
After this introduction, let us read a few words of what the Rebbe says about this hemshech: "the great hemshech known by the name 'Beshaah Shehikdimu' 5672". The rearrangement of the letters — "5672" [תער"ב] — connotes areivut (sweetness), and it is called "Beshaah Shehikdimu" because this is the maamar based on the expression of Chazal "beshaah shehikdimu Yisrael naaseh lenishma" (when Israel placed "we will do" before "we will hear"), which is said on the festival of Shavuot. "My revered father and teacher [the Rashab] began to say it" — when did the Rebbe Rashab begin to say it? "on the first day of the festival of Shavuot 5672", in the year 5672 in Lubavitch. "And he concluded it on Shabbat parashat Vayeira 5676" — the hemshech began in 5672 and continued until the beginning of 5676 "in Rostov", and the conclusion is "in the maamar beginning 'Vehashem amar hamechaseh ani me'Avraham' (And the L-rd said: Shall I conceal from Abraham)".
"and it contains 144 maamarim" — one hundred forty-four maamarim — this is the longest hemshech of the Rebbe Rashab, "and there is in the writings a second part that was not delivered orally and was not divided into maamarim." That is, everything here is what was said orally; and there is a further part that was not delivered orally but was only written down. And the difference between the part that was delivered orally and the part that was not: the part that was delivered was divided into maamarim, since it was said on specific dates, advancing each Shabbos; but the part that was not delivered orally and was only written down — that is also not divided into maamarim. In practice everything is printed; there are three volumes to this hemshech, and the third volume is the part that was not delivered orally, but was only written down and was not divided into maamarim.
One note: it is written that the conclusion of the maamar took place on Shabbos Parshas Vayeira 5676 in Rostov, even though historically, on Shabbos Vayeira, the Rebbe Rashab was still in Lubavitch. Apparently the intent is that he continued in the days afterward, when he was already in Rostov, and there he concluded the writing or the recitation of the hemshech that he had begun in Lubavitch — its conclusion being in Rostov. This is presumably what is meant by noting the place where the hemshech was completed.