We are in the fortieth lesson of Shalsheles HaYachas, in the tenth part which deals with the life of the Rebbe Rayatz. In this lesson we will learn about the "seforim" of the Rebbe Rayatz.
The Sifrei HaMaamarim:
At the beginning of the list all of the sifrei maamarim of the Rebbe Rayatz are detailed - twenty one volumes altogether, arranged according to the years in which the maamarim were said. The Rebbe Rayatz accepted the nesius in 5680, after the histalkus of the Rebbe Rashab on 2 Nissan, and from 5680 the order of the maamarim begins: 5680, 5681, 5682, 5683 and so on.
Regarding these years, something is worth noting: when the volumes of 5680, 5681, 5682 and 5683 were published for the first time, in 5746, I had the privilege of taking part in the holy work of publishing them. On 24 Teves 5746 Rabbi Levin wrote to the Rebbe about his uncertainty whether to print the seforim, since it was known from the list that in these four years one hundred and twenty six maamarim had been said, while in the library there were, for all four years together, only thirty seven maamarim - close to ninety maamarim were missing. The question was whether to print a small group of thirty seven maamarim, or to wait until the rest would be found.
The Rebbe answered: "To wait a short time, in a way that it can be published for 10 Shevat" - meaning, it was his wish that it should be published within a short time. And he added: "And he should clarify (by telephone) in the places where it is possible, whether they exist." In practice, I had the privilege of being the one who ran to search, and in the home of one of the chassidim, Rabbi Shklar, I found maamarim that he had in copies. In the end, when the seforim were printed in 5746, forty six maamarim were printed - still not everything. In the years that followed, more maamarim were found, and each sefer was published on its own. After this, 5684-5709 came out.
In the final years the Rebbe Rayatz did not say new maamarim, but rather maamarim that had been said in earlier years, which were then published a second time. And there are also 5710 and 5711, which is already after the histalkus of the Rebbe Rayatz; the Rebbe continued to publish maamarim of the Rebbe Rayatz in 5711 as well, and there is still a Sefer HaMaamarim Meluket 5711 of the Rebbe Rayatz.
Sifrei Maamarim - Kuntreisim - three volumes, which were published after the Rebbe Rayatz left Russia, mainly from Poland, where maamarim were published from time to time, and they were gathered together into about three volumes.
Sefer HaMaamarim Yiddish - as was discussed earlier regarding the monthly journal "HaKriah VeHaKedushah" that the Rebbe Rayatz published, it had a section called "Yilamdeinu Rabbeinu", into which the Rebbe Rayatz entered maamarim of chassidus in Yiddish, in easy and understandable language, so that even the wider public, who have no grasp of the concepts, would be able to understand. In these maamarim many fundamental concepts in chassidus are explained in clear language, and they generally speak about the connection to the period in which they were published, during the time of the war, and also about the connection to the Geulah. In those monthly issues there were sixty maamarim in all - fifty three in Yiddish and the first seven in Lashon HaKodesh - and in this sefer all fifty three of the Yiddish maamarim are gathered.
Likkutei Dibburim - four volumes, containing sichos, chassidishe ideas, chassidishe stories and things that the Rebbe Rayatz heard. The first likkut was published in 5693. It is told that when the Rebbe arrived in the United States in 5701, he farbrenged with the students and said to them: "I heard that the American bochurim are fluent in Likkutei Dibburim", and he tested them in Likkutei Dibburim; the Rebbe liked this very much.
Sefer HaSichos - seven volumes of sichos that the previous Rebbe said: from 5680 until 5687 in one volume; 5688 until 5691; 5692 until 5695; 5696; and afterwards the years of his stay in the United States begin, from the summer of 5700, with a volume for each year: 5701, 5702, 5703, 5704, 5705, 5706 and up to 5710.
Kuntreisim on matters of chassidus and history:
Kuntres Toras HaChassidus - a reshimah that the Rebbe Rayatz wrote, containing thirty chapters, whose content is an explanation of the essence of the wisdom of Toras HaChassidus and the necessity of the avodah of tefillah - what its essence is and what it accomplishes.
Kuntres Limud HaChassidus - one could say that it is a completion of the previous kuntres. This is a letter that the previous Rebbe wrote in reply to someone who asked what the point is of studying publicly matters of chassidus that include very deep concepts, which perhaps the audience does not understand at all, and the Rebbe replied in a long letter.
Kuntres HaTzemach Tzedek VeTenuas HaHaskalah - a kuntres that contains more than ten chapters, in which the Rebbe Rayatz documents the struggles of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek with the maskilim, and what took place at the famous conference in 5603, and so on.
Reshimas HaMaasar - which is also included in "Likkutei Dibburim", and was also published on its own: a diary that the Rebbe Rayatz wrote about all that he went through in prison.
Kitzurim and additional seforim:
Kitzurim - various kitzurim that the Rebbe Rayatz published for various seforim: "Likkutei Torah", "Imrei Binah", "Biurei HaZohar", "Derech Chaim", "Shaarei Orah", "Toras Chaim", Sefer HaMaamarim 5626, "Kuntres HaTefillah" and "Kuntres UMaayan" - kitzurim on the seforim of Rabboseinu Nesieinu who preceded him: the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe and his father.
Sefer HaZichronos - two volumes. These are memories that the Rebbe Rayatz heard from his grandmother, Rebbetzin Rivkah, the wife of the Rebbe Maharash, and also from his uncle the Raza, the brother of the Rebbe Rashab - memories about the beginnings of chassidus and the beginning of how things unfolded, all of which he wrote in Sefer HaZichronos.
Moreh Shiur - the moreh shiur in Tanya, that is, the division of the Tanya for each and every day as we know it, which the Rebbe Rayatz published.
Seder HaSelichos - which the Rebbe Rayatz established in 5701. He put out a reshimah following the order of selichos that was customary in Russia, and established what would be said on each of the days of selichos before Rosh Hashanah. This reshimah is also brought in Sefer HaMinhagim.
Kovetz Michtavim - which is found at the end of the Tehillim, concerning the strengthening of the matter of saying Tehillim. And also three more booklets.
Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rayatz - seventeen volumes.
Kuntres Bar Mitzvah - 5653.
As was recounted, the booklets of "HaTomim" were published in Warsaw, nine booklets in all. The ninth booklet had already been prepared, and the Rebbe Rayatz prepared a letter containing thirty four chapters, in which the entire unfolding of the matter of the chozrim, who would repeat the maamarim by the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe and the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek, is told. Everything was ready, but the war broke out, and the whole matter fell apart and nothing was known of it. After many years it was found and was published on its own, and it is called "Kuntres Divrei Yemei HaChozrim", which the Rebbe Rayatz published.
And the last item on the list - reshimos. With this the survey of the seforim of the Rebbe Rayatz concludes.