The two hundred ninety-first "cheder" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Tuesday, 14 Elul 5703.
Chumash: Tavo, Shlishi, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, on the 14th of the month, from chapter 72 through chapter 76 inclusive. And on account of the three additional chapters during the month of Elul — chapters 40, 41, and 42.
Tanya: On this day one begins Epistle 15 in Iggeret HaKodesh, starting the epistle with the word "Lehavin." The lesson concludes on page 181, with the words "hakelulah mehen."
The daily letter is one that the Rebbe Rayatz wrote on 24 Adar 5701 — an interesting and sharp letter. Let us read its contents. It is addressed to the man who was then the Chief Rabbi in the Land, Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Herzog. The Rebbe Rayatz writes him a letter, and he does not want others to read it, but that it should remain with him alone; he tells him that no one knows its contents — even the one delivering the letter does not know what is written in it — and he requests of him, after he finishes reading it, to place it into an envelope and return it to him, so that the letter should not circulate. Nevertheless, the letter is in our hands, and it is printed today in the Igrot Kodesh.
First of all, the Rebbe Rayatz tells him: I wish to relate to you something that I heard from my father regarding you, and later in the letter he refers to this as a kind of prophecy of his father about him. And what does he relate? During one of the journeys of the Rebbe Rashab outside of Russia, when he traveled to Menton, he stopped over in Paris. The Rebbe Rayatz says: I do not remember to tell you now in which year this took place, since my journal and all my notes have not yet arrived in the United States and are still en route, and therefore I cannot now verify the precise date.
In any event, when my father returned home, he told me about your father — Rabbi Herzog's father — how much he had drawn close to the Rebbe Rashab in Paris at that time, and how your mother, the rabbi's wife, took care to bake challah especially for him, and so on. My father then told me how greatly he had delighted in coming to know the young rabbinic gaon Herzog — that is, you yourself. And the Rebbe Rashab said of him that he was a pure Torah scholar, and testified concerning him that he saw that, in addition to his greatness in Torah, he was also well-versed in the sciences and in languages.
The Rebbe Rashab says that it is written that words of Torah do not become susceptible to impurity. There are those whom the study of secular wisdoms defiles and brings down, but one who possesses fear of Heaven, and whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom — the Torah repels the impurity from him; that is, he studies Torah, and the additional things he studies do not disturb him. And he brings an example from the Rasag, the Rambam, and the Ramban, as it appears in Tanya. And then the Rebbe Rayatz says: Every word my father told me is very precious in my eyes; this statement that my father told me has very great significance.
Then he turned to him: You, Rabbi Herzog, when you visited me while I was in Paris, to my regret, due to my great weakness I was unable to return your visit. But when I saw you, I recalled what I had heard from my father about you when you were young, and I was amazed to see that even though decades had passed, it was evident on your face that you were still in that same state of purity.
All of this is a preface. And now — what does he want from him? He says to him: Last week I saw in the newspaper that they describe you as someone considered a "Zionist," and this thing truly shook me. And the Rebbe Rayatz says to him: I do not know if you are aware that I myself am a zealot and very extreme; for me, Judaism is only the old and original Judaism, and I am not among those who, heaven forbid, tear down the structures of others — I do not wage war with anyone. And why? Here comes the daily teaching.
He tells him: This is what I heard from my father. "The directive of my esteemed father, my teacher and Rebbe" — what is the directive that the Rebbe Rayatz heard from his father? "To refrain from a war of aggression to the very last extreme" — meaning not to initiate wars and not to fight with all sorts of circles or things that are unsuitable. And why? "Not because we have nothing with which to prevail" — not because we cannot overcome incorrect approaches — "or because of faintheartedness," that we are apprehensive or afraid — "but because we must dedicate all our strength solely to fortifying our edifice," that all our energies must be invested in strengthening the foundations of authentic Judaism, without warring against other views. And what is "our edifice"? "The edifice of Torah and mitzvot in holiness and purity, and for this we must give over our very souls" — that for the strengthening of the edifice of Judaism one must give over one's soul "with actual self-sacrifice, and not merely potentially."
This is what the Rebbe Rayatz says to Rabbi Herzog. Later in the letter he concludes and tells him: I am speaking about myself — it may be that I have something to correct in myself; regarding "sur mera" (turning away from evil) perhaps I have something to correct, but regarding "aseh tov" (doing good) I am certain that I did what needed to be done. Yet I see that they are trying to conquer you: you are a Jew, a pure Torah scholar, as my father said — and I hold that my father spoke words of truth — and from the descriptions given about you I see that they want to draw you in to be part of a party, a party that has nothing to do with matters of Torah and mitzvos. Know this within your own soul — you must be above the parties, to be aware that you are a man of Torah, and to demand the Torah and the sanctity of the Torah in every place.
And not only in the Land, but also outside the Land — to use your strength and your standing to speak also with Jews in the United States, for you have the power to do so; and do not get swept along after those who wish to turn you into part of the partisanship, which is not correct. And he praises him with many expressions. And as we said, at the conclusion he tells him: Return this letter to me, for I have done my task and fulfilled my duty, and I pray that the matter will have an effect and accomplish its purpose. And with this he concludes the letter.
It is interesting that over the years the concept of "milchemet tenufah" (a war of momentum) took on a slightly different meaning for the Rebbe. Here "milchemet tenufah" means to fight against other opinions, whereas the Rebbe over the years pointed out that "milchemet tenufah" is actually a good thing. What, then, is "milchemet tenufah" according to this? Not merely to guard what is yours, but to strive to influence Yiddishkeit upon the youth and upon the places that do not know — not in the manner of waging war with them, but in the sense of initiating activities in order to influence others.
It is interesting that one of the chassidim, Rabbi Yalles, once related that the Rebbe told him, in the name of the Rebbe Rayatz, that a "defensive war" — this is how the Rebbe Rayatz described his own approach — was his particular avodah, whereas an "offensive war" he left to the Rebbe. That is to say, the avodah of influencing other places is the Rebbe's avodah; and then "offensive war" takes on its positive meaning, and not as it appeared here in the daily teaching with the Rebbe Rashab, in a negative sense.