We are at the thirtieth lesson in the Shalsheles HaYachas, in the fourth part, in the account of the life of the Rebbe Rashab.
The detail before us is the "son" of the Rebbe Rashab - "kevod kedushas Admur HaRav Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak", who is the Rebbe Rayatz, about whom we will speak, with Hashem's help, at great length after we conclude the account of the life of the Rebbe Rashab.
The final section - "his seforim"
The seforim of the Rebbe Rashab, virtually all of them, are listed here: the seforim of the maamarim that he said and wrote throughout all the years of his nesius. The passing of his father, the Rebbe Maharash, was in the year 5643, and from then the Rebbe Rashab began to write maamarim of chassidus. And here the seforim appear in their order:
"1) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5643-5644.
2) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5646-5650.
3) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5651.
4) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5652-5653.
5) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5654.
6) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5655-5656.
7) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5657.
8) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5658.
9) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5659.
10) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5660-5662.
11) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5663.
12) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5664.
13) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5665.
14) Hemshech: Yom Tov shel Rosh Hashanah - 5666".
When we reach the year 5666, a new term appears: "Hemshech" - "Yom Tov shel Rosh Hashanah 5666". What is the concept of a "hemshech"? A group of maamarim of chassidus that were said or written over a period of time, one after another, and they are built as a continuous sequence, in which the subject of each maamar is connected to the maamar that preceded it. This is the first famous hemshech - even though earlier as well there were small groups of maamarim that were hemshechim - and it is called "Hemshech 5666". It began to be said on Rosh Hashanah 5666, and it opens with the dibur hamaschil "Yom Tov shel Rosh Hashanah". It contains more than sixty maamarim, and in it the most fundamental subjects in chassidus are explained in a way of intellectual understanding and comprehension. It is known that the Rebbe Rashab is called "the Rambam of toras hachassidus", for with him the matters were written and explained in the broadest and most detailed manner.
It is related in the memoirs of the previous Rebbe that when his father completed this entire hemshech - and the hemshech concluded at the beginning of 5668, meaning that it was said throughout 5666, throughout 5667 and at the beginning of 5668, a hemshech that continued for more than two years - the Rebbe Rashab called his son, the Rebbe Rayatz, and said to him: "Bring a bottle of mashke". And he told him that when his own father, the Rebbe Maharash, completed a hemshech, he called him, the Rebbe Rashab, and he brought the bottle of mashke, and he said: "Let us speak in matters of chassidus together, and celebrate together, between ourselves". And so too here, the Rebbe Rashab called the Rebbe Rayatz and celebrated together with him the conclusion of the well known hemshech of 5666.
"15) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5668.
16) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5669
17) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5670.
18) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5671.
19) Hemshech: B'shaah Shehikdimu - 5672, three volumes".
Hemshech 5672:
This hemshech is much longer than the previous hemshech of 5666, and it is famous and well known among the chassidim. It contains one hundred twenty four maamarim; the Rebbe Rashab began saying it on Chag HaShavuos 5672, when he was still in Lubavitch, and he concluded it in 5676, when he was already in Rostov.
It is known that for many years this entire hemshech existed in manuscripts or in typewritten copies, but the Rebbe did not agree to its printing for many years, because this hemshech contains the deepest and most fundamental matters. The first time the Rebbe agreed to print it was at the farbrengen in honor of 19 Kislev in the year 5737. The Rebbe related there that when the Rebbe Rayatz traveled to the Holy Land and afterwards to America, he entrusted into the Rebbe's hands all the manuscripts of his father's maamarim; and the Rebbe spoke at length that when one entrusts a sefer into the hands of a talmid chacham, the one who entrusts it takes into account from the outset that he is giving him permission to study it, and the Rebbe Rayatz certainly knew that he would study from these seforim. The Rebbe made copies of all the seforim during the years that he was in Russia - not like in our times, easily with a photocopier - and he copied all the maamarim in 5689.
The Rebbe said that the Rebbe Rayatz knew that a day would come when he would not be able to hold himself back, etc., and therefore it was his will that this hemshech be printed. However, since this is a very great responsibility, for these are fundamental and deep matters, the Rebbe said that he wanted the hemshech to be printed by all the chassidim, and not that one person take this upon himself: that every chassid participate with one dollar in the sefer, and also that no name of a printer be printed in the sefer. And it is interesting that in all the seforim of maamarim of chassidus the opening always states that the hemshech is being printed according to the directive of the Rebbe, whereas in this sefer alone it has not been written until today that it was printed according to the request and directive of the Rebbe; it was printed without a signature, and all the chassidim are responsible for the matter. This is the famous hemshech of 5672.
"20) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5672-5676" - supplements of additional maamarim that are not connected to the well known hemshech, but were said in those years and were printed on their own
"21) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5677.
22) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5678.
23) Sefer HaMaamarim - Ayin Tar'as". 5679 - so called after the letters of the year "Tar'at", in those same letters.
"24) Sefer HaMaamarim - 5680". - the last year, the year of the passing of the Rebbe Rashab.
Likkutim:
Afterwards there appear here additional works that the Rebbe Rashab wrote. "25) Sefer HaMaamarim - Likkut (from the years 5644-5680)" There is a sefer of maamarim that is a likkut from all the years, from 5644 until 5681 - a likkut of additional maamarim that for some reason were not included in the years in their place, and therefore they were gathered as a likkut on its own, and this is part one. And after it "26) Sefer HaMaamarim - Likkut, part two (5645-5678)", another group of maamarim.
"27) Sefer HaSichos "Toras Shalom"" The Rebbe Rashab did not farbreng an enormous number of times, as was afterwards the case with the Rebbe. He had only three fixed dates on which he would farbreng, and occasionally additional exceptional days. The fixed dates were 19 Kislev, Purim and Simchas Torah. And all the farbrengens of the Rebbe Rashab from these dates, and a few other dates that occurred in the summer, once in Iyar or in Sivan, are gathered in a sefer called "Sefer HaSichos Toras Shalom".
The kuntreisim:
"28) Kuntres HaTefillah" After the Rebbe Rashab founded the yeshiva "Tomchei Temimim", in the year 5665 he wrote, and he also spoke on Simchas Torah 5665, that the temimim must occupy themselves with the avodah of tefillah, etc. He wrote an entire kuntres, "Kuntres HaTefillah", which arouses the chassidim and the temimim to daven - what to think about and how to daven. In a number of personal letters that the Rebbe wrote to people, and in sichos that he spoke to the public, he greatly aroused and encouraged the study of this kuntres.
"29) Kuntres UMaayan" - a series of maamarim on the verse "u'maayan mibeis Hashem", and in it is the order and the way in which one studies Gemara, how to study it in the proper manner. There is also there very detailed guidance in several areas connected to the temimim.
"30) Kuntres Etz HaChaim" - which was mentioned earlier. This kuntres the Rebbe distributed to all the chassidim on 28 Shevat 5751.
"31) Kuntres b'inyanei Kollel Chabad" - in which the Rebbe wrote several matters on this subject.
"32) Kuntres HaAvodah" Which is the avodah of the heart? This is tefillah. Another work of the Rebbe Rashab, which likewise deals with matters of avodas Hashem.
"33) Chanoch LaNaar" - the first tzavaah that the Rebbe Rashab wrote in the year 5648; and likewise various hagahos that the Rebbe Rashab wrote on all sorts of seforim.
"34) Hagahos on Tanya.
35) Hagahos on Torah Or. 36) Hagahos on Likkutei Torah" some of which are found in Hayom Yom itself.
"37) Hagahos on the Siddur.
38) Hagahos to the dibur hamaschil "Pasach Eliyahu" - 5658.
39) Igros Kodesh, five volumes".