The one hundred and sixty-seventh "room" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Thursday, 8 Iyar, 23rd of the Omer, 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Emor, Chamishi, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, 8th day of the month, from chapter 44 to chapter 48 inclusive.
Tanya, we are in chapter 46. The daily shiur is on page 66, beginning with the words "Ulachen himshil" and ending with the word "bechayeihem".
The source of the daily teaching is a sicha delivered by the Rebbe Rayatz on Pesach of the year 5698. There he said that he wanted to share a statement of his father, the Rebbe Rashab, who said in the name of the Alter Rebbe: The Alter Rebbe drew down the light of Chabad, the light of the intellect (mochin), not only into melody but also into dance. Meaning, even when a person dances with his feet and makes all sorts of movements, the light of the intellect, the light of Chabad, must be invested and shine within it.
When did the Rebbe Rashab say this? It was after the rejoicing of Shemini Atzeres, when the crowd was in great joy and there was great dancing, except that three of them danced with very strange movements. Following this, the Rebbe Rashab addressed the matter and said that although the dancing was with heartfelt enthusiasm, it was not orderly and did not follow a structure. For the Alter Rebbe wanted to draw down Chabad, the light of the intellect, into dancing as well - so that the dancing too would be orderly and not with unbridled wildness. The Alter Rebbe sacrificed himself for chassidus and for chassidim, and wanted to permeate every detail of their lives with the inner dimension of the matter. And how does one merit to receive this light for which the Alter Rebbe sacrificed himself? By doing what the Rebbe wants.
After this introduction comes the teaching, which addresses this point: A chossid who does what the Rebbe wants of him unites with the Rebbe and becomes his shliach (emissary), and consequently he expresses the Rebbe and all his matters; therefore every detail of his life expresses this point, since he is a shliach.
And so the teaching states (originally in Yiddish, and in translation): "A shliach is as one with the meshaleach (sender)" - a shliach is one entity with the meshaleach, united with him. And this is "along the lines explained" in several places, one of the familiar ones being in Tanya, in Igeres Hakodesh, Epistle 25. There, at the end of the epistle, the Alter Rebbe discusses this point - "regarding the fact that an angel, when it is an emissary from above, is called literally by the name of Hashem". There are situations where an angel speaks, and the verse says "And Hashem spoke", but the actual intention is the angel; because the angel is so united with the mission it carries out that it is literally called by the name of Hashem - and this is when it is an emissary from above, an angel.
"And how much more so with souls", which are far more powerful than an angel. As explained there, souls express and actualize the ultimate intent of the Essence in the lower realms, which an angel cannot do. Therefore the soul, in doing what is assigned to it, expresses the meshaleach with far greater power than an angel, "and it is explained that with souls it is on an even higher level".
From here the Rebbe applies the same idea to the connection between a chossid and the Rebbe - the exact same concept: "And behold, chassidim are the shluchim of the Rebbe, of the Alter Rebbe". The chossid is a shliach of the Alter Rebbe, the author of the Tanya; meaning, every chossid who acts according to what the Alter Rebbe wanted expresses him, for he is his shliach. And how does he express him? "And when they act, they are connected" - if you do as he wants of you, you are his shliach and connected to him.
And how is the connection expressed? In everything. If the chossid is connected to the Rebbe and fulfills his will, the connection is expressed in every detail of his life, and not just in the central things he does - just as the sicha refers to those who danced with their feet: Even in dancing, it must be evident that you are a shliach and express the meshaleach.
The Rebbe details here three things, which are seemingly natural activities a person does day-to-day, yet he does them out of being connected to the Rebbe, and it is seen even in these things: "And then they are connected in everything: A chossid walks, a chossid eats, a chossid sleeps". Meaning, even when he walks, even when he eats, and even when he sleeps - it is evident in him that he is a chossid, and it is evident in every detail of his life. And this is the mesiras nefesh: The Alter Rebbe sacrificed himself to enable the chossid to be connected in every detail, down to the very last detail.
Later in the sicha, the Rebbe adds: In order for the chossid to indeed fulfill the intent, he needs guidance - to have a mashpia and guide. And he says that unlike those who educate themselves, who say [in the expression used there] "I know on my own, I do not need" - they miss the point. Rather, if you attach yourself to a guide and a mashpia, you can aim for things to be the way they should be.