The thirty-first "cheder" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Monday, 29 Tevet 5703.
Lessons: Chumash, Shemot, second day, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, on the 20th of the month, from chapter 97 through chapter 103.
Tanya — we are at the beginning of chapter 12. In yesterday's lesson we began chapter 12, from the word "acher" until page 32, the word "vetaanugav".
The daily saying is brief, containing a teaching spoken by the Mitteler Rebbe — the Rebbe refers to this as "the Torah saying of the Mitteler Rebbe." Let us read the first sentence in the heading: "The Mitteler Rebbe answered someone during yechidus." The Mitteler Rebbe replied to a chassid who came in to him for yechidus regarding his question.
When reading this statement, it appears to be a one-time remark, something he once replied to someone who came to him for yechidus. But when one looks into the matter, into the accounts and talks of the Rebbe Rayatz, and also with the Rebbe, one understands that this was not a one-time statement to a particular chassid, but rather the manner in which the Mitteler Rebbe used to guide the chassidim long before he was appointed Rebbe. Thirteen years before he was appointed Rebbe, when he was a young man of about sixteen, his father the Alter Rebbe appointed him to be the guide of the younger chassidim, and he would guide the young men already during the lifetime of the Alter Rebbe.
He guided them in this direction: that every chassid needs to have a good friend. What is a "good friend"? Someone with whom a person can speak about matters of refining his character traits — how he can improve, what he can better, and so on. The Rebbe once explained this in a sichah, saying that when one has a good friend, on one hand he is not you. For regarding oneself, "love covers all transgressions" — a person does not see his own faults, and in his own eyes he is perfect; but the friend, though he loves him very much, is able to notice and discern the cracks in you, and because he is a good friend, he will know — with wisdom and gentleness — how to point it out to you and tell you how to correct the matter.
The Rebbe concluded by saying that if in the time of the Mitteler Rebbe it was necessary for each person to have a friend who could assist him in his spiritual matters, then as the generations have passed and the darkness in the world has intensified, it is most certainly all the more necessary in our times for a person to have a good friend who can give him good advice and the like.
It is well known that the Rebbe spoke about this matter over the years and stirred people about it in very strong terms — regarding the concept expressed by the Mishnah, "make for yourself a rav," that each person should have a rav who will give him guidance and direction. The Rebbe said that this aligns with the very guidance given by the Mitteler Rebbe, but with an addition: that this refers to someone who is not merely a friend but who also possesses the advantage of "make for yourself a rav." The Rebbe said that a rav has an advantage — he knows the wisdom of the Torah more than you do, and he has much more life experience than you, and therefore he can give you good advice and encourage you in avodas Hashem — something that a friend perhaps cannot give you. It emerges that "make for yourself a rav" is an upgrade of the matter, of just how necessary it is for a person to have, in addition, a friend.
The Rebbe spoke about this even at gatherings with young children, telling the children that each of them should speak with another Jew — with a friend, with their counselor, with the rabbi who teaches them: Look for someone with whom you can talk about your personal matters, and it will help you.
Why is it so important to speak with someone else — a friend, and all the more so a mentor and the like? To this comes the statement here, what the Mitteler Rebbe replied to that young man who came to him for yechidus — and this too is a statement he would say even beforehand, except that the Rebbe cites specifically the saying he told to a particular person during yechidus. The Mitteler Rebbe said to him thus: "When one person speaks with another about matters of avodah and they study together" — they study the matter together, seek the solution together, and arrive at counsel.
What is the advantage? Why can you not do this alone, and why do you need the help of another? The Rebbe made an interesting statement: "These are two divine souls against one natural soul." When two people speak together, it turns out that there are two divine souls coming together to overcome one natural soul, one animal soul. The explanation: every person has an animal soul and a divine soul, and there is a struggle. But in a one-on-one battle — sometimes this one wins and sometimes that one wins, as it is written "ul'om mil'om ye'ematz," sometimes this one prevails and sometimes that one prevails. But when it comes to two against one — as the Rebbe said in a talk to children, that even children know that when there is a quarrel of two against one, it is obvious that the two will defeat the one — so too here it is two against one.
Why is this "two against one"? There are two explanations for this. One explanation was given once by the Rebbe Rayatz, and the Rebbe gives the same explanation but in halachic formulation. The Rebbe Rayatz said that with each person the animal soul comes with his own personal nuances — the type of desire you have, exactly what you are seeking — and this is not exactly what the other person is seeking. Therefore, when you stand before your problem, before your desire, and speak with your friend, your friend's animal soul is not on the side of your animal soul, because on this point it has no interest; perhaps it has interests of its own, but with regard to the specific problem you are speaking about, your friend's animal soul is not on its side. So who then comes to help you? Your G-dly soul, which wants to overcome the animal soul, and in this matter your friend's G-dly soul also wants to help you. It turns out that here there are two against one.
The Rebbe added to this and expressed it in a halachic style, for this concept appears in halacha as well, in many matters and situations. The wording of the halacha, whose source is in the Gemara: "A person does not sin for someone other than himself" — meaning, a person does not commit a sin unless he has some interest and gain in the matter; a person does not sin on behalf of someone else. The nefesh habahamis does not need another and does not come to make another nefesh habahamis sin; it will do so only when it derives some benefit from it, but for the sake of the other it will not do so. The nefesh haElokis, by contrast, its whole essence is to help another without any self-interest.
Consequently, when two people speak together, the animal soul of the other will not come to the aid of your animal soul, for it has no interest in doing so — each animal soul is only for itself; but the divine soul of the other does have an interest in helping you. It turns out once again that here there are two against one — and by each of them it is two against one. Therefore it is always good to speak with another person, and then one always arrives at the good result, at the great and good victory. And this is the great benefit — both in a friend, and, as the Rebbe said and as we mentioned earlier, in "aseh lecha rav" (make for yourself a teacher), for there is no doubt that this brings very great success.