The one hundred and seventy-sixth "room" in the hall of Hayom Yom.
Shabbat, 17 Iyar, 32nd of the Omer, 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Parshat Behar, Shevi'i with Rashi's commentary for Shabbat.
Tehillim, 17th of the month, we say Chapter 83 through Chapter 87.
Tanya, on this day we begin Chapter 49, from the beginning of the chapter with the word "Vehineh", until page 138 at the words "Ahavat Hashem".
At the beginning of the teaching, a custom related to this day is brought first, a general custom, and then the teaching. The first thing related to that day - "We do not say Tzidkatcha". What is the meaning? Since we are on 17 Iyar, the 32nd of the Omer, which is the eve of Lag BaOmer, and as is known - as the Alter Rebbe writes in the Siddur - on the eve of Lag BaOmer we do not say Tachanun. Therefore, on this Shabbat, 17 Iyar, which is the eve of Lag BaOmer, we do not say "Tzidkatcha" during Mincha, which is the passage said only on a day when Tachanun is said. Thus, on the eve of Lag BaOmer we do not say "Tzidkatcha".
Following this, there is an interesting reference to the topic of reciting Kriat Shema. As is known, it is written in the Shulchan Aruch that in Kriat Shema the chazzan says out loud, at the conclusion of Kriat Shema, the last three words: "Hashem Elokeichem emet". However, a person praying individually, without a minyan, says to himself the last three words "Ani Hashem Elokeichem" twice: "Ani Hashem Elokeichem", and then again "Ani Hashem Elokeichem emet".
What is the reason for this? It is written in the Shulchan Aruch that one needs to complete 248 words in Kriat Shema, and in practice there are three words missing in Kriat Shema; and we must complete it to have 248 words, corresponding to the 248 limbs. To complete the 248, one must add these three words. Therefore, when the chazzan says out loud "Hashem Elokeichem emet", he fulfills the obligation for the entire congregation and completes the three words for them; whereas the individual praying repeats to himself the last three words "Ani Hashem Elokeichem", and thereby completes the 248 words for himself.
In this passage the Rebbe relates, in his words, "In the Kriat Shema that some say in the morning before prayer to fulfill the obligation of Kriat Shema in its proper time". That is, there are cases - and as is known there is a deadline for the time of Kriat Shema - where the prayer begins at a later time, and when reaching Kriat Shema its time has already passed. What do we do in such a case? We say the three paragraphs of Kriat Shema before the morning prayer.
And when saying the three paragraphs of Kriat Shema in the morning before prayer, the Rebbe writes, "we also repeat the three words and conclude with the word emet". Meaning, since this Kriat Shema is said to fulfill the mitzvah of Kriat Shema, the same concept of completing the 248 words applies to it; and therefore here too we repeat the three words, and also say the word "emet" when saying Kriat Shema before prayer.
What is the novelty in this? In principle, the word "emet" is an opening to the continuation of the prayer: "Emet veyatziv venachon", etc. But when saying Kriat Shema before prayer, without any connection to the blessings of Kriat Shema, we would ostensibly think that we should conclude as it concludes in the Torah - since in the Torah the verse ends with "Ani Hashem Elokeichem", and the word "emet" is not written in the Torah. The novelty is that nevertheless we conclude with the word "emet", even though the word "emet" is actually the opening of the prayer.
And there is also a continuation here: "In the Kriat Shema for Rabbeinu Tam and Shimusha Rabba tefillin, we do not repeat". As is known, there are those who have the custom to put on four pairs of tefillin, and there is a whole order of what is said with each of them: when putting on Rabbeinu Tam tefillin one also says Kriat Shema, and likewise when putting on Shimusha Rabba tefillin. However, in the Kriat Shema of putting on Rabbeinu Tam and Shimusha Rabba tefillin we do not repeat, since this is not the recitation of Kriat Shema for the sake of fulfilling the mitzvah of Kriat Shema; and therefore there is no need to repeat the three words there, "but we do say "emet"" yet the word "emet" is said there too.
There is an interesting point here that requires examination: why does the Rebbe not also mention the Kriat Shema of the fourth pair of tefillin, of the Raavad, with which one also says Kriat Shema? One needs to look into why the Rebbe did not mention it. In any case, these are the practices.
Now for the daily teaching. Let us preface: the source of the daily teaching is in a letter written by the Rebbe Rayatz in the month of Adar Rishon of the year 5695. In the letter, the Rebbe Rayatz addresses a chassid who complained to him that he is in a place where he has no one to learn with - a "dry" place, where he has no one to associate with. The Rebbe Rayatz replies to him that in truth this is incorrect.
And he gives him an example: if a person were to come and complain "I don't have a water well in my yard", yet if he begins to dig - he might not find anything in the first meter, but the deeper he digs he will find much water, and sometimes even a spring of water. The analogy: there is no such thing as "I have no one to learn with"; one simply needs to dig, and when you dig - you will find.
Further in the letter the Rebbe Rayatz tells him, that once the students of the Baal Shem Tov sat in the beit midrash after the Baal Shem Tov had finished delivering a very deep Maamar to them. Out of their great amazement at the depth of the Maamar, they discussed among themselves - one of the students - that the path of the Baal Shem Tov is intended for people of high spiritual levels. While they were still speaking, the Baal Shem Tov arrived, sat among them and said to them: "I love the simple Jew; the simple Jew is the greatest treasure".
And then continues the teaching brought here before us, and we will read the text inside. The Rebbe quotes the teaching in the name of the Tzemach Tzedek: "On Lag BaOmer, around the year 5604, the Tzemach Tzedek related a teaching of the Baal Shem Tov" - the Tzemach Tzedek, the third Rebbe, related the saying that the Baal Shem Tov had said on that occasion we noted.
What did the Baal Shem Tov say? The words are written in Yiddish, and in translation: on the verse "It is written: For you shall be a land of desire, says Hashem of Hosts" - that the Holy One, blessed be He, says about the Jewish people that they are a "land of desire" to Him, and simply put: "I desire you, love you, and you are precious to Me", and "land" is as a metaphor and analogy.
The Baal Shem Tov says: "Just as the greatest sages will never fathom the great natural treasures that Hashem implanted in the earth" - tremendous treasures that the greatest sages will never fully investigate to their end, "for 'all came from the dust'" since everything was created from the dust, meaning the dust contains everything -
"so too can no one fathom the great treasures hidden in Jews. For they are the 'land of desire' of the Holy One, blessed be He." Thus, says the Baal Shem Tov, this is what the verse comes to tell us: just as the greatest sages cannot exhaust the great treasures that are in the dust, so too no man can touch and investigate the tremendous treasures hidden in the soul of a Jew. And this is the concept of a "land of desire": Jews are the "land of desire" of the Holy One, blessed be He, and tremendous treasures are hidden in every Jew.
"And the Baal Shem Tov concluded: I desire to bring about that Jews should produce a yield just as the 'land of desire' of the Holy One, blessed be He, can produce", to bring about among Jews that they yield their produce, for they are a "land of desire". My desire is to bring about among Jews that they give the yield that the "land of desire" of the Holy One, blessed be He, can yield; everyone has the ability to give, and I want to bring about that they indeed give.
It is interesting to conclude with one point: the Rebbe once spoke in a sicha, in the month of Sivan 5746, that in educating children one must convey messages to them through games. The Rebbe gave an example, that one can play a treasure hunt game with children, and thereby guide them: you are now searching for a treasure - and in fact, every Jew has a treasure; search and you will find the treasure hidden in the heart of everyone. Through the game, the message is conveyed to the children that there is a treasure hidden within each and every one.
And in connection to our attempt to see the connection of the teaching according to the cycle of the Rambam: in recent days we began the Book of Korbanot in the Rambam, and we saw the connection to the Laws of the Pesach Sacrifice, the Laws of Chagigah and the Laws of Firstborns. Today we will see the connection to the Laws of Unintentional Sins.
The Laws of Unintentional Sins deal with the verse at the beginning of the Book of Vayikra, where the Torah speaks about a person who sins unintentionally: "If a soul sins unintentionally". And it is known what the Zohar says about this, which is brought in many Maamarim of chassidus, that the Zohar adds one word: "If a soul sins unintentionally - tivha", and "tivha" means a wonder: how is it possible that a Jewish soul could sin even unintentionally? A Jewish soul is such a good treasure of the Holy One, blessed be He, and how is it possible that he would fall into sin, that he would need to bring a sacrifice for its rectification?
And this is essentially the content of the teaching - that every Jew is a great treasure. Even a simple Jew who is susceptible to sins is in essence a great treasure, and the Holy One, blessed be He, cherishes each and every one. And this is the point: the "land of desire" of the Holy One, blessed be He.