"Cheder" two hundred forty-five in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Friday, 27 Tammuz 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Mattos-Massei, Shishi, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, as it is recited according to the monthly cycle, is said from chapter 120 through chapter 134 inclusive.
Tanya, on this day we conclude chapter 7 of Iggeret HaTeshuvah. The lesson begins on page 194 with the words "V'af mi," until the conclusion of the chapter with the words "k'neged kulam."
The source of the daily saying is a lengthy note written by the Rebbe Rayatz in the winter of 5698. The content of the note deals with the teachings of Chassidus and the difference between it and the teachings of mussar and the teachings of philosophical inquiry, as well as the subject of prayer — its content and its essence. This is a lengthy note comprising thirty chapters, which was also printed separately as a kuntres titled "Kuntres Toras HaChassidus," and also appears in the Igros-Kodesh series of the previous Rebbe, in volume 4. From chapter 26, nearly toward the conclusion of the kuntres, appears the story quoted in the daily saying.
In order to understand the story, I will preface by reading a passage from a halachah written in the laws of Pesach, in the laws of kashering vessels — which incidentally is also connected to Parashas Matos, in which there is a discussion of the subject of kashering vessels. The Alter Rebbe wrote in the laws of Pesach (siman 451, se'if 13): "All vessels in which chametz was used and absorbed by fire alone" — a vessel into which the chametz was absorbed by fire alone, and not by way of liquid; there was no cooking or moisture there, but rather the chametz was absorbed through heat. And he brings an example: "such as spits" — a spit that one presses into the meat, whereby it absorbs the meaty taste not by way of liquid, but from the heat itself, from the fire.
And in his words: "that the substance of the chametz touches them at the time of its roasting, and there is no liquid between them to carry the flavor of the chametz" within the spit; there is no sufficient amount of water here, and even though there is a drop — that is not enough, and this is not called "tofe'ach [moist]," "but rather it is only through the heat of the fire that the flavor of the chametz is absorbed into them." If so, how is it possible to kasher such a vessel?
The Alter Rebbe states: "Therefore, it is not expelled from them through hag'alah in boiling water" — one cannot extract through hag'alah in boiling water the taste of the chametz that was absorbed into the spit. Why? Because the rule is "just as it was absorbed, so is it expelled" — the manner in which the prohibited substance was absorbed is also the manner of its expulsion. Consequently, a vessel into which chametz was absorbed by means of a liquid — is expelled from it through hag'alah in boiling water; but a spit, into which the chametz was absorbed through the heat of the fire alone and not by means of a liquid, is not expelled except through the heat of the fire alone — only fire brought it in, only fire will draw it out. And he concludes: "that it should be thoroughly heated by fire" — one must heat the spit well in fire.
And when is the sign that it has been made kosher? The Alter Rebbe notes two ways: "until sparks fly off from it" — that sparks come off it from being in the fire so intensely, "or until its outer layer peels off" — that the outer layer of the spit comes off from the abundance of fire and heat, at which point certainly all the forbidden substance has been burned away. This is the halachah in the Shulchan Aruch.
In the daily saying there is brought a passage that the Alter Rebbe told to one of the chassidim, and that chassid, upon leaving the yechidus, said that the Rebbe had taught him this halachah as it is studied in Gan Eden. Now we shall examine the story and understand the inner meaning of the halachah, as it appears in the saying.
And this is what is related: "One of the famous prodigies, possessed of great talent and wondrous depth, came to Liozna and applied himself diligently to the study of Chassidus." That is, already before coming to Liozna he was a gaon, and now he added knowledge upon his prior knowledge in Chassidus. "And by virtue of his great talents he acquired for himself, within a short time, a great and broad knowledge in the teachings of Chassidus" — because of his abundant talent, in a short time he knew a great deal.
"During the first private audience that he had with the Alter Rebbe, he asked: Rebbe, what am I lacking?" Behold, I already have everything; I know nigleh, Chassidus, Kabbalah — what am I lacking? "And the Alter Rebbe answered him: You are lacking nothing" — the Alter Rebbe himself testifies about him that he truly lacks nothing, "for you are a God-fearing man and a scholar". And nevertheless — "you only need to remove the 'chametz'".
What is "the chametz"? — "it is the sense of self-existence and coarseness of spirit." The sense of self-existence and coarseness of spirit within a person are considered chametz, for chametz rises and is something possessing self-existence. This must be removed, "and in its place one must bring in 'matzah,' which is bittul." The matzah is bittul, for matzah is not allowed to rise. And how does one remove the chametz and bring in matzah, while the chametz is absorbed within him?
On this he brings the very same halacha that we cited: "And a vessel that was used with yeshus" — "vessel" here means the soul of a person, which made use of yeshus and coarseness of spirit, "which appeared to him to be light" — that it appeared to him that he was engaged in a positive matter; "light" is fire, and fire is something positive by nature, and therefore it appeared to him that this was a positive yeshus. However, this resemblance to "light" and to fire is "like skewers."
And how is this comparable to skewers? Just as the physical skewer enters the meat with force and thereby absorbs the heat, so too here, it says, "that they push away the feet of the Shechinah" — its dominion over the soul, through coarseness of spirit, is like a skewer that pushes away the Divine, the feet of the Shechinah, so that it cannot illuminate his soul, "for 'I and he cannot dwell together'" — for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not dwell in a soul that contains coarseness of spirit.
And how does one remove from there the coarseness, the chametz? Just as such a vessel like a spit, which was used over fire and it appears to him that it is fire, "requires libbun" [heating until glowing] in fire, and when do we know that the libbun was effective? — as we brought in the halachah: "and the libbun is until the sparks of the birurim are cast off and become included in the true light." That is, that it reaches a state where everything that comes into contact with it — the sparks that emerge from it, the refinement of the sparks — will be included in G-dliness, without any independent existence, without any self-awareness, and without any self-interest; all of it, the sparks of the birurim, is included in the true light.
And thus, whereas until now it seemed to him that his own selfhood was "light" and something positive — in truth this was chametz. And when he reaches the state where everything is subsumed within the true light, by that means the chametz is removed from him and bittul, the matzah, is brought into him. This is, in essence, the halachah that we cited earlier, and as that chassid testified — this is how this halachah is learned in Gan Eden.
It is worth adding that on Shabbat Parashat Noach 5721 the Rebbe related this story at a farbrengen, and explained it as an elucidation of the great novel teaching of the Baal Shem Tov — that the avodah of teshuvah is not for sinners alone, but also for one who considers himself perfect. The Alter Rebbe himself testifies about him: you lack nothing — for he is truly a great gaon, complete, and nothing is missing for him; and even so he must return in teshuvah, and he has a path in teshuvah — to take matters in the proper way. This is the novelty of Chassidut.
And there is a story brought there about the Baal Shem Tov, how he drew the Maggid close. The Maggid was a great gaon before he came to the Baal Shem Tov, and when they heard the Baal Shem Tov say a matter of Torah, he said to him: "No, that is not the correct way." And then the Baal Shem Tov repeated that very same thing, but said it with tremendous chayus. The very same words. And he said to him: "Do you know what the difference is? You say everything, but the chayus is missing here — the Elokus is missing in it, the power." This chayus — which is not a deficiency in substance or in knowledge — is the answer, and this is the novelty of the teaching of Chassidus.