We are at the twentieth lesson in the Shalsheles HaYachas (the chain of lineage), in the sixth part of the life of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek. Today we will learn about his "seforim:
a) Derech Mitzvosecha (Sefer HaMitzvos)" - a sefer containing the reasons for the mitzvos according to the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid, and according to what the Alter Rebbe taught. Attached to the sefer is also a kuntres called "Shoresh Mitzvas HaTefillah", along with additional kuntreisim.
The Alter Rebbe once called for his granddaughter, the Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, wife of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek, and instructed her to bring him something from the kuntreisim that her husband had written for himself. She did not know what to bring, so she took one of the kuntreisim that contained several of her husband's writings - among them the Tzemach Tzedek's "Shoresh Mitzvas HaTefillah" - and brought it to her grandfather, the Alter Rebbe.
It is told that when the Alter Rebbe saw this, he called for his brother the Maharil and for the chassid Reb Pinchas Reizes and said to them: "I want to tell you that I have received here a very special droush from the grandson." He recited the blessing of "Shehecheyanu" with Hashem's Name and Kingship, and they answered amen, and he added that this would be a Torah that would continue to his descendants and to his descendants' descendants.
But the continuation of the story has a difficult side to it. Time passed, and the Tzemach Tzedek knew nothing of all this. On Simchas Torah, in the middle of the dancing, the chassidim - among whom the report of the "Shehecheyanu" blessing had already spread - told him that his grandfather had received his writings and had made a blessing over them. The Tzemach Tzedek was not at all pleased with what had been done, that his wife had brought his writings to the Alter Rebbe without his permission, and he was very upset, and told her that he intended to divorce her because of it.
The Rebbetzin argued back: "I heard that honoring a grandfather is greater than honoring a father, so what could I have done? And you too are obligated in his honor, for he raised you." But he answered her that since he had already spoken his words, the halachah would have to be examined as to whether it was possible to continue this way. For about two months and more, a sort of estrangement continued.
In the end - and in brief - the one who appeased the Tzemach Tzedek was the Alter Rebbe himself: he called him in and set up a regular study schedule with him, twice a week in nigleh and three times a week in chassidus, solely in order to restore shalom bayis. Then the Tzemach Tzedek was reconciled, and he himself began to bring all his writings to his grandfather. That is the story of "Shoresh Mitzvas HaTefillah", which is in the first sefer - "Derech Mitzvosecha".
" b) Derech Emunah (Sefer HaChakirah)" - in one of the sayings of Hayom Yom the Rebbe refers to this sefer, which the Tzemach Tzedek wrote in connection with his journeys to Petersburg, where he was required to answer various matters connected with faith. The sefer deals with fundamental questions in matters of faith, including proofs of the world's creation anew - that the Holy One, blessed be He, creates the world at every moment - to negate the other views. In the sefer the Tzemach Tzedek refers to the well-known masters of philosophical inquiry: the Kuzari, the Rambam and the Semag, and discusses their words.
When the sefer was first printed in Poltava, the publisher called it "Derech Emunah", but our Rebbeim, the leaders of Chabad, call it "Sefer HaChakirah"; and therefore both names are brought here together - "Derech Emunah", "Sefer HaChakirah" - which are two names for one sefer.
"c) Or HaTorah, 42 volumes.
(Bereishis - 7 volumes
Shemos - 8 volumes
Vayikra - 4 volumes
Bamidbar - 6 volumes
Devarim - 7 volumes
Nach - 3 volumes
Tehillim (Yahel Or), one volume.
Megillas Esther - one volume
Shir HaShirim - 3 volumes
Or HaTorah - Maamarei Razal V'Inyanim.
Or HaTorah Siddur (V'Tefillah))".
This is an immense collection, which the Rebbe spoke about on many occasions and made great efforts to have printed. The Rebbe said various things about this, that the maamarim of the Tzemach Tzedek include everything - the Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi, the seforim of Kabbalah and the Midrashim, Sifri and Sifra. The Rebbe once said that darshanim can find there, in the maamarim of "Or HaTorah", a great deal of material; they are waters without end. He also said that the Torah of the Tzemach Tzedek is something of the novelty of Moshiach - nigleh and chassidus, all blended together. The seforim "Or HaTorah" of the Tzemach Tzedek are an immense treasure.
Among the seforim appeared "Tehillim Yahel Or", which are the maamarim of the Tzemach Tzedek on Tehillim. At first it was printed as a sefer in its own right, in Poltava in the year 5678, and the publisher called it "Yahel Or"; but afterwards the material was included within the series of seforim "Or HaTorah".
"d) Tzemach Tzedek: She'eilos U'Teshuvos. Chiddushim on Mishnayos. Piskei Dinim, 8 volumes". This is the most famous of his seforim; when people say "the seforim of the Tzemach Tzedek", they mean primarily the seforim of She'eilos U'Teshuvos. The Tzemach Tzedek wrote hundreds, and more than a thousand, responses to various halachic questions, and a very large portion of them were burned in the great fires that took place in Lubavitch. What we have in the She'eilos U'Teshuvos deals mainly with the section of Even HaEzer, and it is known that the Tzemach Tzedek wrote many responses on subjects connected with agunos and permitting them to remarry.
The name of the sefer "Tzemach Tzedek" is based on the gematria of the name of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek: the word "Tzemach" equals one hundred thirty-eight in gematria, exactly the numerical value of the first name - "Menachem"; and the word "Tzedek" equals one hundred ninety-four, the numerical value of the second name - "Mendel". That is why the seforim are called by this name.
"e) Kitzurim V'Ha'aros L'Sefer Likkutei Amarim - Tanya". Writings that the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek wrote on the Tanya, which the Rebbe collected and edited. This is one of the seforim that the Rebbe distributed to each member of the crowd on the eve of Rosh Hashanah 5750, marking two hundred years since the birth of the Tzemach Tzedek, when the Rebbe handed to each person the sefer "Kitzurim V'Ha'aros L'Tanya".
"f) Biurei HaZohar - 2 volumes" - explanations that the Tzemach Tzedek wrote on the Zohar.
"g) Sefer HaLikkutim - DACh Tzemach Tzedek, 27 volumes" - in the winter of 5737 the Rebbe gave an instruction to print this series. In brief, one can say that this is an encyclopedia of topics drawn from the series "Or HaTorah" mentioned above. "Or HaTorah" is built out of maamarim, and one who is looking for a particular subject has great difficulty finding where it is located, for they are waters without end. Therefore the Rebbe asked that a sefer be arranged in the form of an encyclopedia, which would divide the maamarim of the Rebbe - not whole maamarim, but excerpts - according to subjects, so that one looking for a particular subject in alphabetical order would find all the excerpts on that subject from the Torah of the Tzemach Tzedek, in a very organized manner. This is "Sefer HaLikkutim", which comprises twenty-seven volumes drawn from "Or HaTorah".
"h) Kuntres Maamarim on the sayings of Chazal in Maseches Bava Metzia and Bava Basra" - today it is included within the seforim of the Tzemach Tzedek on the Shas.
"i) The maamar "U'She'avtem Mayim" - which came out at the time as a sefer and booklet in its own right.
"j) Igros Kodesh, two volumes" - the Igros Kodesh of the Tzemach Tzedek.
Before us is a sea of Torah - an immense treasury of seforim from the Torah of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek, containing literally without end.