We are in the fiftieth lesson of the Shalsheles HaYachas, in the history of the Rebbe's life - part ten. We have reached the year 5702.
We already learned that in 5701 the Rebbe Rayatz founded an organization called "Machne Israel", and here it is related that in 5702 he appointed his son-in-law - the Rebbe - to head it. And this is the wording: "5702 - was appointed by his father-in-law, the Rebbe, as chairman of the executive committee of "Machne Israel", "Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch", and "Kehot Publication Society"".
That same year the Rebbe Rayatz founded two more organizations, which exist to this day: "Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch" and "Kehot Publication Society". Over these three organizations the Rebbe Rayatz appointed the Rebbe as chairman of the executive committee that runs it all, as was already discussed briefly in the history of the previous Rebbe. And what was the function of each one of them?
"Machne Israel":
This organization had various departments, whose heading was spreading Yiddishkeit among adults:
The society for learning Mishnayos - learning all six orders of Mishnah by heart, and reciting orders of Mishnah in the street.
The society for reciting Tehillim - groups for reciting Tehillim, as well as reciting Tehillim at the grave of Dovid HaMelech, an initiative founded by the Rebbe Rayatz.
Spreading the famous call of the Rebbe Rayatz - "Immediate teshuvah, immediate redemption".
The purpose of "Machne Israel" was to spread this in every form and in every way: to hold Shabbos gatherings, to encourage parents to send their children to kosher educational institutions, and many branches were even established in many places. That was, broadly speaking, the purpose of "Machne Israel".
At the beginning of the organization's establishment there was an interesting thing regarding its members: membership was secret, and even the members did not know about one another. One who was accepted as a member of "Machne Israel" received a confirmation, a special letter, and there was no need to pay committee dues or membership dues; the dues he had to pay were involvement in the spiritual work that "Machne Israel" demands.
"Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch": as its name, so it is. Its occupation was founding schools and organizing studies in the non-Jewish public elementary schools, in which many Jewish students studied - organizing religious instruction classes, later known by the famous acronym Shalah (Shiurei Limud HaDas), religious instruction classes in public elementary schools. That is, "Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch" dealt mainly with the youth. Another main part of its occupation was publishing a monthly for children, in English and in Yiddish, and afterward also in Lashon HaKodesh; talks for youth and textbooks for children, such as the series of books "Sifreinu", to teach children of all ages and give them tools for how to learn and read, how to learn the history of the Jewish people and the like, as well as spreading Jewish literature in schools in general. Many details accumulate around the heading "Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch".
"Kehot Publication Society": its purpose was publishing seforim of nigleh and seforim of chassidus, and the seforim composed by each one of our Rebbeim, the leaders of Chabad. Today there already exists a connection between the two organizations together, as we will see in the next passage, but at first "Kehot Publication Society" did not deal with editing matters of Chabad or nigleh and chassidus, but only with printing the seforim and publishing them - not an organization of editing seforim, but of printing and publishing. The name "Kehot" is an acronym of "Karnei Hod Torah", and it comes to hint at the year of the Alter Rebbe's birth, for he was born in the year 5505.
These are the three organizations over which the Rebbe Rayatz appointed the Rebbe to serve as chairman.
Let us also look at the following year, "5703 - was appointed as editor-in-chief of "Otzar HaChassidim - Lubavitch Library"" - and this is already an additional field. On almost every sefer one sees today written at the top "Otzar HaChassidim Lubavitch Library", and beside it the Kehot emblem.
And what is the "Otzar HaChassidim - Lubavitch" library? This is an organization that deals also with editing seforim and not only with printing them, and mainly with seforim composed by our Rebbeim and their students - seforim of chassidus or seforim of nigleh, such as the Tzemach Tzedek and the like, of our Rebbeim. In 5703 the Rebbe Rayatz appointed the Rebbe as its editor-in-chief.
"And from then on, publisher of seforim, kuntreisim and booklets with the addition of his corrections and notes, etc." - from the time of his appointment as editor-in-chief the Rebbe published many seforim: Shaalos U'Teshuvos of the Tzemach Tzedek, which he published and enhanced with an index and source references and the like; various kuntreisim, the works and maamarim of the previous Rebbe; the sefer of the history of the Rebbe Maharash; as well as various booklets, such as a pocket calendar that was published in 5703, and the "Yalkut Yomi" that came out in 5704. For, as mentioned, this is a library - an organization of editing. All of these he published with the addition of his corrections and notes: he proofread, commented and noted source references in the margins, and in those small words in the margins there is stored an enormous treasure of tremendous genius. That was the appointment he received.
The additional thing: "printer of the collection "Hayom Yom", which was arranged by him" - this is the collection "Hayom Yom" whose opening we are currently at. The Rebbe printed it in 5703 according to the instruction of the previous Rebbe. All the history surrounding the idea of publishing the sefer, and why the Rebbe needed this and what its uniqueness is - we will learn later, with G-d's help, in the introduction to "Hayom Yom", in which all the details appear.
5704 - "Kovetz Lubavitch":
The next thing, with which we will conclude today: "5704 - begins to publish in "Kovetz Lubavitch" his responsa and explanations, replying to those who asked him in matters of halachah and derush, Kabbalah and chassidus". And what is "Kovetz Lubavitch"? We learned in the history of the previous Rebbe that in Poland a journal called "HaTomim" was published, of which altogether, I believe, eight issues were published. Its aim was to create communication among all the chassidim, anash and the temimim, and it brought all sorts of things from history, from what was happening, news from the lives of the chassidim, interviews and talks of the Rebbe and the like. However, "HaTomim" was discontinued during the war.
Afterward a similar thing was established in the United States - "Kovetz Lubavitch" - whose aim, too, was to create a connection between anash and the temimim from all the yeshivos. Not many issues came out of it; altogether, over the years, fifteen such issues were published. They were published in two periods: at first in the years 5704-5705, and afterward there was a break, and it seems to me that in 5716 there was a further continuation of a few issues, and after that the matter ceased.
The Rebbe was responsible for "Kovetz Lubavitch", and it had various sections. For example, a section called "MiBeis Rabbeinu", to which one could send any question to the editorial board, and he would look into it and answer and explain. Most wondrous things accumulated there, and today it has all been printed both as a separate booklet, called "Teshuvos U'Biurim", and in Igros Kodesh, volumes 1 and 2, spread out according to the dates. There are truly astounding and wondrous things there, in which already then his greatness was somewhat merited to be seen and discerned through them - as is brought here briefly: to reply to questions in matters of halachah and pardes, Kabbalah and chassidus. Many astounding fields, all of which appeared in that "Kovetz Lubavitch".