The ninety-fourth "cheder" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Monday, 24 Adar I, 5703.
Lessons: Chumash, Vayakhel, sheni, with the commentary of Rashi.
Tehillim, the 24th of the month, we say from chapter 113 through chapter 118 inclusive.
Tanya, we are in the middle of chapter 32. Today's lesson begins with the words "ki me'achar" and concludes with the word "levadah" on page 41.
The teaching we learn today has its source, like all the teachings in Hayom Yom, in the talks and letters of the Rebbe Rayatz. This passage is taken from a letter that the Rebbe Rayatz wrote in the month of Iyar 5696. The letter is addressed to one of the rabbanim who was living at the time in Eretz Yisrael, who had written to the Rebbe Rayatz complaining that when he repeats chassidus and says maamarim in the shul at the time of seudah shlishis, he feels that he is speaking and no one understands his words, and he is torn as to whether there is any benefit in continuing to repeat chassidus when in any case no one understands the chassidus he is saying.
The Rebbe Rayatz answers him in the letter, and at the beginning of his words he writes to him that he heard a story from the chassid Reb Zev Dov of Yekaterinoslav, which was said in the name of Reb Hillel of Paritch. He tells the entire well known story - and we will understand it in brief - that Reb Hillel of Paritch wanted to meet the Alter Rebbe and did not manage to meet him; he only heard his voice but did not see him, and he fainted under the bed. In the end, he did not see the Alter Rebbe.
Years later, when the Mitteler Rebbe came to settle in Lubavitch, Reb Hillel of Paritch was among the first to come to him in Lubavitch. Even though in the meantime he had become connected to another tzaddik, when the Mitteler Rebbe arrived in Lubavitch he traveled to him. In that period the Mitteler Rebbe instructed all the yungeleit who came to visit Lubavitch that on their way back home they should stop in every town and every settlement along the way to their homes, and in every place they passed through they should stop and repeat chassidus to the people, and in this way the teaching of chassidus would spread everywhere.
Before Reb Hillel traveled home, he entered into yechidus with the Mitteler Rebbe and asked exactly this question: the settlements near his place of residence, the villages in his area, these are people who on the one hand are all upright and G-d fearing, but they have no concept at all of knowledge of Torah; and on the other hand the Mitteler Rebbe instructs him to repeat deep chassidus before them, and they understand nothing. The Mitteler Rebbe answered him in yechidus with the daily teaching.
I will read the wording: "The Mitteler Rebbe answered Reb Hillel of Paritch regarding his question, whether he should repeat chassidus even in towns whose people have no concept of chassidus: The neshamah listens to words of chassidus".
It is known that within the neshamah there is an upper part, an elevated level that is not vested in the body - the body is too small to contain it, and it remains attached Above; and there is a glimmer of the neshamah that is vested in the body and enlivens the physical body here below. The Mitteler Rebbe brings to Reb Hillel the verse "venozlim min Levanon", and explains to him that the verse hints at exactly what happens to a Jew who hears deep matters and understands nothing: who does not understand? The part of the neshamah that is vested in the body, it is possible that it understands nothing, that this is not within its vessels. But one must look at a Jew and know that first of all the one who hears these words is the part of the neshamah that is not vested in the body, and this part does not have the limitations of understanding and comprehension of the body. This is what he said to him, that "the neshamah hears words of chassidus" - the intention is to the upper part of the neshamah.
"And it is written, venozlim min Levanon". There is here a flowing - meaning a drawing down - from the upper part of the neshamah, which hears, to the part that is below. And why is the upper part of the neshamah hinted at in the word "Levanon"? He says: "Levanon" divides into two - "lamed beis" and "nun". And what do "lamed beis" and "nun" hint at? The Gemara brings that they hint at "chochmah and binah of the neshamah": as is known, it is written in Sefer Yetzirah that in chochmah there are "32 pathways", and regarding binah Chazal say that "fifty gates of binah were created in the world". It emerges that "lamed beis" and "nun" hint at chochmah and binah - meaning the highest parts of the neshamah as it is Above, hinted at in the word "Levanon", and they are the ones who hear all the words that are said.
"And when the neshamah listens" - when the upper part of the neshamah, "Levanon" ("lamed beis nun"), hears the words of chassidus, "it flows and drips into the lights of the neshamah that enlivens the body"; from there it flows and drips to the part of the neshamah vested in the body, the part that enlivens the body. This is a glimmer, and through this glimmer the upper source flows and influences the part that is below.
There is here an added word that seemingly is not written in the verse, for in the verse it says only "venozlim min Levanon". Seemingly, in order to explain the word "Levanon" - as he explained "lamed beis nun" - and the word "nozlim" (meaning that it influences), he adds "flows and drips". What is the addition of the word "drips", which seemingly is not in the verse? Here there is a hint that the words of chassidus are like a spring, and as is known chassidus is called a "spring", as in the expression "yafutzu maayanosecha chutzah". Regarding a spring it is written that it purifies with any amount - even a drop purifies; and the word "drips" comes to hint that the influence, even if it only drips, even if it is but a drop, it too purifies and it too has an effect. Everything has an effect.
And in which areas does this have an effect? Apparently in many areas. He concludes and says: "And from this there is created a strengthening in the "do good" of the 248 positive mitzvos and in the "turn away from evil" of the 365 prohibitions". That is, as a result of the neshamah Above influencing the part that shines within the body, the Jew certainly becomes strengthened in the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos - both in keeping the "do good", a strengthening in the positive mitzvos, and in keeping the "turn away from evil", the prohibitive mitzvos.
And it is known that the series of seforim we have, Likkutei Sichos, which the Rebbe edited from his sichos and published in so many volumes, boruch Hashem - at first the Rebbe did not agree at all to publish his sichos and to edit them, and this was not something understood and simple. One of the things that brought about that the Rebbe agreed to edit and to disseminate his sichos was so that the bochurim and the yungeleit would have material to repeat in the shuls and before Jews who do not understand so much.
And at first it was not even called by the name Likkutei Sichos, but rather in the first publication it was called "Content to Repeat in Shuls". That was its purpose. Of course, afterwards it developed, but one sees this point - to bring down even the deepest matters to every Jew; and certainly and most certainly this has an effect on each and every one.