"Cheder" number two hundred ninety-five in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Shabbos Chai Elul 5703.
First, there is here a directive concerning the baal korei on this Shabbos, Shabbos Parshas Tavo. It is known that Parshas Tavo contains words of rebuke, as does Parshas Bechukosai, and there are various customs regarding the aliyah during the verses of tochachah — both in Parshas Bechukosai and on Shabbos Tavo. For example, the Rema writes concerning the aliyah in which the rebuke appears, "let whoever wishes go up," and some explain that his intent is that the gabbai should announce "let whoever wishes go up," and if no one volunteers — the baal korei himself goes up. There are communities whose custom is that the shamash of the shul takes this aliyah of the tochachah. Regarding this the Rebbe notes in the daily teaching as the first point: "For shishi the baal korei goes up, and on his own." Our custom is that the one who reads from the Torah takes the aliyah for the tochachah, and he is not called up with his name announced, but rather he goes up on his own to this aliyah.
Shiurim: Chumash, Tavo, Shevi'i, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim: for the 18th of the month we have the two chapters 88 and 89, and the three chapters that are added during the month of Elul are chapters 52, 53, and 54.
Tanya: On this day one concludes Letter 15. The daily portion begins on page 120 with the words "Vehinei kol zeh," through the conclusion of the letter with the words "sheyisbaer bimkomo."
The daily teaching is divided into two parts. In the first section the Rebbe notes milestones — significant events in chassidic history that occurred on this day, 18 Elul; and afterward comes an interesting heavenly saying. Let us begin with the first milestones, which relate to the Baal Shem Tov. The Rebbe says: "The birthday of the Baal Shem Tov" — the Baal Shem Tov was born on this day, 18 Elul, "in the year 5458". "The day on which his holy teacher and master was revealed to him" — it is known that the prophet Achiyah HaShiloni was revealed to the Baal Shem Tov and was his teacher and master, and this took place in the year "5484". And "the day on which the Baal Shem Tov was revealed" — the day on which the Baal Shem Tov was revealed to the multitudes so that they would recognize him and he would work his influence, etc., and this was in the year "5494". All three events occurred on the same date, 18 Elul, in different years.
The source of these milestones is the farbrengen of the Rebbe Rayatz on 20 Marcheshvan 5693. There the Rebbe Rayatz says that the Baal Shem Tov was born on Chai Elul 5418, and he adds: "The sign is the year of nachat" — the letters of 5418 spell "nachat." He brings that there is a letter which the Baal Shem Tov wrote to the well-known tzaddik Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, author of the "Toldot," in which he wrote about himself — and from it we know the sequence. The Baal Shem Tov wrote about himself that when he turned exactly twenty-six years old, on Chai Elul 5484, in the city of Okup, at midnight, his teacher and master Achiyah HaShiloni revealed himself to him. He began to study Torah with him from Parashat Bereishit, and the study continued for ten years — until they completed all Five Books of the Torah. And when the Baal Shem Tov was thirty-six years old, on exactly the date of Chai Elul, the Baal Shem Tov was revealed.
Continuing, the Rebbe Rayatz cites that chassidim would relate, in the name of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, an additional allusion to the year 5458: the letters of תנ"ח [5458] form the words "nachat" (contentment) and "chatan" (groom) — when the Baal Shem Tov was born, such a great man was born, one who was in the aspect of "chatan" [in the sense of a descent, "chut dargo"], meaning he descended below into the world, and also "nachat," he brought great satisfaction below and above, for he began a new order of divine service in the world. He further cites in the name of Rabbi Mordechai of Chernobyl, that the Baal Shem Tov was born on this day in his body, in his soul, and in his spirit: "in his body" — that his soul descended into the world; "in his soul" — that on this day his master and teacher Achiya HaShiloni was revealed to him; "and in his spirit" — that on this day he was revealed to the world.
Let us look at the continuation. After noting the three things that happened to the Baal Shem Tov on this day, the Rebbe mentions an additional event that occurred on 18 Elul: "the birthday of our Rebbe, the Alter Rebbe" — the Alter Rebbe too was born on that same day, 18 Elul, in the year 5505. In this matter too it is interesting to note that for many years there was a different tradition, which held that the Alter Rebbe was born in 5507, and it was the Rebbe Rayatz who established that the correct date is that he was born in 5505 and not in 5507.
The Rebbe once wrote a letter in 5719 to a Jew who had asked how there could be such uncertainty regarding the year of birth of the Alter Rebbe. The Rebbe elaborates with him and explains that in the earliest period there were only a few researchers who examined the history of the days of Chassidus, and in those times even documents of birth years were not among the fixed and precise matters; at times they would even deliberately falsify the age of the child—whether a boy or a girl—who had been born, for various reasons, when they wished to gain something in government affairs. Therefore, the fact that one comes across a certain year and everyone copies it does not mean that this is the correct thing; and the strongest tradition is the one that is passed down within the family, among our Rebbeim, the Nesi'im—what the Rebbe Rayatz established, namely the day of Chai Elul in the year 5505.
And incidentally, the third matter: the publishing house for Chassidus, as is known, is called the Kehot Publication Society. "Kehot" alludes to the year of the Alter Rebbe's birth, 5505, and there is an additional allusion — that Kehat was from the tribe of Levi, the one who was appointed to carry the holy vessels. If so, the word "Kehot" is both the year of birth, 5505, and also the name for the publishing house of Chassidus.
Now for the main point, the length of this teaching, which is something very heavenly. Let us read the first line, and I will preface it with an introduction: "The content of the Baal Shem Tov's teaching" — here is presented the content of a Torah teaching that the Baal Shem Tov spoke. And when did he say it? "On Shabbos Parshas Tavo, Chai Elul 5652, after Kabbalas Shabbos". 5652 is a year during the lifetime of the Rebbe Rashab, and the Baal Shem Tov was no longer alive in this world at that time. How, then, can there be here the content of a teaching of the Baal Shem Tov that he spoke on Chai Elul 5652? There is here a very interesting story from the Rebbe Rashab, a heavenly and miraculous story, one that is entirely not in the natural order.
It is related there that in that year, 5652, the sister of the Rebbe Rashab married a few days before Chai Elul. The Rebbe was already a Rebbe and would deliver maamarim of Chassidus, and it is told that before he would say a maamar of Chassidus — a maamar of his father, the Rebbe Maharash — he first wanted the maamar to become entirely one with him, and as long as he did not feel that he had become united with the maamar, he would not say it. There was a certain maamar that he wished to say on Shabbos Parashas Tavo, and he felt that he had not yet become one with it, and therefore he went twice to the tziyun of his father, in Lubavitch, to the tziyun of the Rebbe Maharash, and toiled greatly until he became united with the maamar.
And then he relates a wondrous thing: his father, the Rebbe Maharash, revealed himself to him on that very Shabbos, Chai Elul 5652. The Rebbe says that the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not remain a debtor — since he had toiled so greatly over the maamar, his father revealed himself to him and said: "Come, I wish to give you [a gift] — come together with me to Gan Eden, and we will hear a teaching of the Baal Shem Tov." The Rebbe Maharash took the Rebbe Rashab, while he was a soul in a body here, on a stroll through Gan Eden, and on that Shabbos he heard seven teachings in Gan Eden over several stages: one he heard after Kabbalas Shabbos, one he heard later the following day, and afterward he related all the content he had heard in Gan Eden. Here appears the first teaching that the Baal Shem Tov said in Gan Eden — a teaching whose sole transmission is from the Rebbe Rashab, and which does not appear anywhere else in the name of the Baal Shem Tov; the Rebbe Rashab heard it from Gan Eden while he was here below.
What did the Baal Shem Tov say? Let us read the text: the Baal Shem Tov taught a Torah teaching on the verse at the beginning of the parsha, "Vehaya ki tavo el ha'aretz" (And it shall be when you come to the land), relating to the opening words of the verse and to the beginning of the following verse, and what their content is in avodas Hashem. The Baal Shem Tov says: "Eretz — an expression of running and an expression of will" — "eretz" from the root "to run" (larutz), and also from the root "will" (ratzon), "as it is found in the Midrash." The Midrash brings that "eretz" has two meanings; and why is it called "eretz"? Says the Midrash: "Because she desired (ratzta) to do the will of her Maker" — "ratzta" from the root "to run," and "ratzta" from the root "will."
And what is the allusion in the verse? "When you come to the land" — "when you attain the ratzon (will/desire)," meaning when a desire to serve Hashem is aroused within you, and in what manner? In the manner of "meirutzah (running)," that you have a powerful desire and you wish to do Hashem's will with eagerness, at a run. "Which is a gift from above and an inheritance to every Jew" — this desire is a gift given to every Jew; every Jew has, in the innermost part of his soul, a desire for Hashem, only that it is not always aroused. And when you reach a state in which it becomes aroused within you — what does the verse come and tell you? Generally, when the desire is aroused in the manner of running, a person wants to do things without order, in a mode of ratzo (running out) without settledness; "the avodah must be one of 'and you shall dwell' — 'to bring it down' with settledness." On this the verse comes and says: when you have a great arousal, the correct path in the service of Hashem is to do things in a very orderly fashion. Draw the running and the desire down in a settled manner.
"'Velakachta gomer vesamta batene' — to draw down lights into vessels" As the verse continues, "Velakachta... vesamta batene" ("And you shall take... and place it in a basket") — this speaks of the bikkurim, taking the fruits and placing them in a basket. A "tene" (basket) is a vessel, and this is the very same idea: to draw down the light into vessels; you take your enthusiasm and channel it into vessels, that is, into an orderly and very meticulous framework of avodah. And in what does a Jew's avodah find expression after he has attained such a fervor? The verse continues and says, "'And you shall go to the place that Hashem your G-d will choose'." The plain meaning of the verse speaks of the bikkurim — that one goes with them to the Beis Hamikdash, which is "the place that Hashem your G-d will choose." And the Baal Shem Tov explains: "A Jew must know that his going from place to place is not of his own initiative, but rather he is led from Above" A Jew must always know that when he travels from place to place — visiting, moving homes, going on a trip, whatever it may be — he does not go anywhere on his own; the Holy One, blessed be He, from Above leads him to where he should go. When you go to a particular place, it is because the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted you to be there now. And what is the purpose? "And the intention is 'to make His Name dwell there' — to publicize G-dliness in the place where one finds himself" That the Holy One, blessed be He, wants you to make His Name dwell there, to publicize G-dliness in the place where you are. You have arrived at a certain place — you have arrived at a certain mission. This is the content of the first Torah teaching that the Baal Shem Tov delivered in Gan Eden, after Kabbalas Shabbos.
The conclusion of the final lines. In Gan Eden there is also an order of the prayer of Kabbalat Shabbat and the prayer of Maariv, and "after the Maariv prayer he again repeated the previous Torah" — the Baal Shem Tov repeated the same Torah he had said after Kabbalat Shabbat, and added an emphasis to it. In the previous Torah we said: if the desire awakens within you, you must draw it down into vessels; and in the second Torah he added — what must you do so that this desire will indeed awaken within you? Sometimes a person says, "If only, and when will I have this desire?" The Baal Shem Tov says in the Torah following Maariv: you can cause it to awaken. "And he added: 'And it shall be when you come' — in order to arrive at the desire, etc." — in order that you indeed arrive at this desire, if you conduct yourself in this way, "this is by means of 'and you shall go to the place to cause His name to dwell there'": if you go to the place to cause His name to dwell there — this will bring about for you the revelation of the desire. This differs from the previous Torah: in the previous one we said that the desire awakens within you, and what you should do with it — go to the place and know and understand what your mission is; whereas according to the second Torah the matter begins in the reverse — you want the desire to awaken within you? "This is by means of 'and you shall go to the place to cause His name to dwell there'": you shall reveal Godliness in every place. And how does one do this? "To give over one's soul in order to publicize the name of Godliness" — you shall give over your soul in order to publicize Godliness in every place; and if you take care in such a manner to publicize Godliness in every place — what will this bring about for you? "And it shall be when you come to the land," you will have an inner desire for Godliness.
And then the Baal Shem Tov concluded: "How does one publicize Elokus?" and how exactly is this done? "Through a berachah and a verse of Tehillim" — when you recite a berachah in a place, when you say a verse of Tehillim in a place, you reveal Elokus in that place, and this awakens in you the desire, the "vehayah ki savo el ha'aretz" (and it shall be when you come into the land). This is truly a greeting from Gan Eden, which the Rebbe Rashab shared with us and revealed to us that which he heard from the Baal Shem Tov.
To conclude, on this special day, the festival of Chai Elul, it is worth noting: a chassidic Jew once wrote to the Rebbe that the verse in Tehillim, "Yodu laHashem chasdo venifle'osav livnei adam" ("Let them thank Hashem for His kindness and His wonders to the children of man"), alludes to Chai Elul in a fascinating way. The initial letters of the words "yodu laHashem chasdo venifle'osav livnei adam" (though not in order) are precisely "Chai Elul." And if we take the final letters: "yodu laHashem chasdo" — vav, hei, vav, which in gematria equal 17, the numerical value of "tov" ("good"); "venifle'osav livnei adam" — vav, yud, mem, spelling "yom" ("day"); together, "yom tov" ("festival"). That is, the initial letters spell "Chai Elul," and the final letters spell "yom tov." The Rebbe responded to that chassid, noting for him a source that explains the greatness of the Holy One, blessed be He's kindness, and added his thanks for the beautiful insight.