The twenty-sixth "cheder" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Wednesday, 15 Teves, 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Vayechi, revi'i, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, the 15th of the month, two chapters - chapter 77 and chapter 78.
Tanya, on this day we begin from chapter 10, from the word "V'hinei" until the words "kemo hasinah".
The daily saying is divided into two parts. In the first part the Rebbe brings a correction from one of the hagahos that the Rebbe Rashab wrote on the sefer Torah Or, in a hagahah on one of the maamarim of parshas Vayechi; and by this the Rebbe also arouses us, of course, to learn the chassidishe parshah - the weekly Torah Or. Therefore the Rebbe inserts a correction into one of the passages, so that the words should flow properly for the person learning.
The subject, as it is stated in "Torah Or", is the "dibur hamaschil Osri" - the maamar that begins with the words "Osri lagefen". This verse, "Osri lagefen", appears in parshas Vayechi on Wednesday, which is the day about which this saying speaks. "The passage beginning V'hinei zehu". We have already spoken in the past about the fact that in Torah Or the division of the passages is not marked with the letters alef, beis, gimmel, but there is only a division into passages, and therefore no section number is cited. "The passage beginning V'hinei zehu" - so that we should know what is being referred to - and then comes the correction of what it should be.
So that we should understand the correction, let us give a little background on the content of the maamar. In that maamar in Torah Or, the Alter Rebbe explains the difference between a Jew's avodah of the mitzvos today in this world - where through fulfilling his mitzvos he refines the matters of the world - and the greater quality that will be added in this area in the days of Moshiach.
Let us read one passage that precedes the correction: "V'hinei zehu kol avodaseinu in fulfilling the mitzvos in this time" - what is a Jew's avodah in this time? "To draw down to the soul that it should be elevated with ascent after ascent, to shine in the light of Yisrael Saba, blessed be He, and the soul should be bound up". That is, the main avodah in this time is that a person's soul should be elevated and raised up.
But what will the ultimate perfection of the days of Moshiach be, in the fulfillment of the mitzvos and in the offering of the korbanos? When Moshiach comes there will of course be the fulfillment of the mitzvos, and there will be added the offering of the korbanos, which we do not have today since we have no Beis Hamikdash. What will be added in the offering of the korbanos? The wording of the maamar: "That the korbanos, sheep and bulls etc., will also be included and elevated with ascent after ascent in the Or Ein Sof". That is, the quality will be such that even all the animals will be elevated and raised up.
But why is this impossible today? Why is there no way nowadays to elevate these things? "In the time of the exile it is impossible for a person's soul to elevate them and bind them in their place" - in the time of the exile the soul cannot elevate the animals and the sheep and so on, because it itself is bound below; the soul itself is down below, and it can barely elevate itself, and it cannot elevate these things.
But in the days of Moshiach, "when there will be fulfilled 'and the glory of Hashem will be revealed and all flesh will see'", and "the souls of Israel will be on a high level" - what will be then? "Then will be the time of the fulfillment of the deed and the elevation of the sparks that fell". From here begins the quotation that we see in Hayom Yom. What is "the fulfillment of the deed and the elevation of the sparks that fell"? "Even the animals will be elevated" - here the word "yisalu" ("will be elevated") is added, which apparently does not appear in the printing before us, and therefore the Rebbe added it - "even the animals will be elevated as it was at the beginning of the creation of the world". In the maamar in the original it is written "and as it was", and the Rebbe removes the vav and says only "as". This is the specific correction that the Rebbe brings in the saying.
Now let us look at the second half of the daily saying, which comes after the correction. This part is a passage from a letter that the Rebbe Rayatz wrote to a number of Jews in the month of Iyar 5702. He wrote a number of letters on the subject, and he asked that this specific passage be quoted almost word for word, and that it be publicized in every possible way. Let us read a sentence or two from one of the letters from which the Rebbe quoted the passage.
As an introduction he writes: "It is exceedingly necessary that the rabbanim shlita publicize in public, in the shuls and in every place and in many places and in the newspapers, a proclamation such as the following" - I will bring a passage, and I want it to be publicized everywhere, "in lashon hakodesh, and to translate it also into the spoken language", that it should be translated into every possible language, "so that all should understand and know what the meaning of the troubles is" - this is in 5702, during the time of the Holocaust - "and what Hashem demands of us".
From here comes the quotation that the Rebbe brings in Hayom Yom: "Listen and hear, Israel" - he turns to a Jew: listen and hear what I want to tell you. "This time is the appointed time of the redemption through Moshiach Tzidkeinu, and the sufferings that are coming upon us" - all the great troubles of those days - "are the birthpangs of Moshiach". And how will the redemption come about? "And Israel will be redeemed only through teshuvah" - the only way that will bring the redemption is the avodah of teshuvah.
And then he says a sharp sentence: "Do not believe the false prophets, who promise you salvations and consolations after the end of the war". By "the false prophets" the Rebbe Rayatz means, as he writes sharply in another letter, certain leaders - whom he even writes in initials - and he means the heads of Zionism and the like. He says that in their speeches it is as if there is no longer any need to be redeemed through Moshiach Tzidkeinu; they do not believe at all in the coming of Moshiach, and they speak against Hashem and against His Torah. There are additional very sharp expressions there that he writes against them, and here he hints at this.
"Remember the word of Hashem", and then he quotes the verse from "Yirmiyahu (17, 5): Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength" - a person who places his strength in flesh and blood, in human beings - "and turns his heart away from Hashem". The only way that will bring salvation is teshuvah: "Return, Israel, to Hashem your G-d, and prepare yourself and the members of your household to receive the countenance of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, who is coming very soon".
Afterwards, in that same letter, there is a whole lengthy passage in which the Rebbe Rayatz writes that if the rabbanim will publicize such a text to all the Jews in all the languages, this will arouse the Jewish people and encourage them to keep Torah and mitzvos, and whoever takes part in the campaign to publicize this - fortunate is his portion. In truth, it makes no difference in which party and in which places the people find themselves; a person must know that everything is the birthpangs of Moshiach, and Israel will be redeemed only through teshuvah - this is the absolute truth.
And again he writes in the original letter: "Do everything in your power to publicize the above paragraph in every manner of publicity, so that it should reach all the Children of Israel and the House of Yaakov, and you must be among the first to take part in this campaign, to bring merit to the many so that they should publicize the above paragraph in every single place, and make it a topic of conversation among people" - that people should speak about the coming of Moshiach "and about teshuvah", so that we should merit to be among those who receive the countenance of Moshiach Tzidkeinu very soon, with kindness and mercy.
And here there is an interesting point: that specific passage which the Rebbe cites is taken from a letter of 25 Iyar 5702, and the Rebbe notes that this is the source from which he took the passage. However, if one looks in the Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rayatz, three days earlier there is a letter that he wrote to another chassid, in which the very same wording appears exactly, word for word; and nevertheless the Rebbe notes that the source is specifically this letter, and he does not cite the earlier letter.
And seemingly, what is the difference, and what is there in this letter that is not in the earlier one? All the strong expressions about the need to publicize this everywhere and to make a campaign of it - in this letter they appear, whereas in the earlier one, although it too says that it must be publicized, it is not in such strong expressions. Therefore it appears that the Rebbe took the quotation and brought it into Hayom Yom from the letter in which it is emphasized how great the matter of publicizing is.
This passage too has a special connection to this day, Wednesday of parshas Vayechi. For on Wednesday in parshas Vayechi we find the well known verse that Yaakov Avinu says to his sons: "Gather together and I will tell you what will befall you at the end of days". This is exactly the subject about which the saying speaks - to arouse the Jews to speak about Moshiach, and to know that this is the only thing that awaits us, and there is nothing else: the avodah of teshuvah for Moshiach. And as is known, that was when the Rebbe Rayatz had to come out with his famous call, "Immediate teshuvah, immediate redemption" - which is essentially the message that appears here.