Room one hundred and three in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Wednesday, 3 Adar II 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Pekudei, Revii, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, 3rd of the month, say from Chapter 18 up to and including Chapter 22.
Tanya: On this day we conclude Chapter 34. The daily shiur begins with the words "Vehinei bechol," until the end of the chapter on page 86, with the words "misitra da," concluding Chapter 34.
The daily teaching opens with a heading noting, "The Tzemach Tzedek's response to a chossid". The Tzemach Tzedek frequently gave responses to a chossid, and here the chossid's description is provided: He was "fluent in the entire Shas, etc.", possessing several virtues, "and a great maskil in chassidus". To understand who this chossid was and what his question was - and thereby the Tzemach Tzedek's response - a little background to the whole matter is necessary.
The matter appears at length in the letter from which the Rebbe drew the teaching - a letter of the Rebbe Rayatz, written on 2 Marcheshvan 5698. Within this lengthy letter, the Rebbe Rayatz relates a story he heard in 5695 from the elderly chossid Rabbi Yitzchak Rubashov of Petersburg, who was an eyewitness to it.
And so the story goes: It is known that in 5603 the Tzemach Tzedek was in Petersburg, as the government had summoned him to a conference where they sought to enact various decrees and measures, and the Tzemach Tzedek fought the matter. At that time, there was a notorious decree in Russia - the Cantonist decree - in which the monarchy conscripted many Jews (as well as many others) against their will for state service, and forced them through severe and bitter torment, may we be spared, to convert.
The Tzemach Tzedek was among the leading activists against the "chappers" (kidnappers), who would snatch young children from their homes. He strengthened the children immensely, invested much money in this, and sent people to encourage them, etc.
It is told that while the Tzemach Tzedek was in Petersburg, the government sought to influence him in every possible way, and one of the things they wanted was, so to speak, to "bribe" the Rebbe into doing their will. At that time, a group of Jewish soldiers approached their commanders with a request to grant permission for the "Rebbe of Lubavitch" to come and speak before them.
The soldiers applied to the commanders, the commanders passed the request to the Minister of War to obtain special permission allowing the Rebbe to visit the soldiers, and the Minister of War forwarded the matter to the Minister of the Interior - to clarify if they would approve the Rebbe of Lubavitch speaking before the soldiers. Ultimately, the Minister of the Interior approved it, and the explanation for why he approved it is provided: because they assumed that the honor they would accord the Rebbe would "bribe" him into subsequently doing their will.
But the Rebbe, of course, took advantage of the opportunity given to him to meet with the soldiers. A day was set, all the Jewish soldiers gathered, and the Rebbe delivered a maamar chassidus before them, encouraged them greatly, and strengthened them in the observance of Torah and mitzvos, and many of the soldiers literally wept during the gathering.
It is told, as the Rebbe Rayatz recounts in the letter, that out of the entire group - which numbered several hundred soldiers - about fifteen soldiers stepped forward as representatives of the whole group, and said to the Tzemach Tzedek in absolute tears: "Rebbe, we are spiritually crippled people. We do not know how to learn, we understand nothing, we barely have faith in us; we say the words of prayer without understanding the meaning of the words - and what will become of us?". This was their plea.
What did the Tzemach Tzedek answer them? That a Jew who believes in the Holy One, blessed be He, and believes that the Holy One, blessed be He, watches over everything with hashgachah pratis, and who says the words even though he does not understand them - he is a strong and healthy Jew, and the Holy One, blessed be He, is immensely delighted by this conduct. And he blessed them that they should succeed in returning to their homes in good health. This took place on that day.
That same Rabbi Yitzchak Rubashov, from whom the Rebbe Rayatz heard the story, was one of the attendants of the Tzemach Tzedek at that time. That night, chassidim came for yechidus to the Tzemach Tzedek, and Rabbi Yitzchak, who was walking about there, heard various things from inside the room. The Tzemach Tzedek spoke about the great virtue of the soldiers - that the effect of their Tehillim and prayers is immeasurable - and used an expression that when Moshiach comes, he will take pleasure in these simple Jews, these masters of mesiras nefesh, etc.
And here comes the story which is an introduction to the daily teaching. A chossid named Rabbi Chaim - the son of Rabbi Shlomo, the "lekach" baker (cake baker) from Vitebsk - came and turned to the Rebbe (and Rabbi Yitzchak heard all this from the room) and asked: "How is it possible to become an earnest, simple Jew possessing mesiras nefesh? The Rebbe spoke today about the virtue of these soldiers - is it possible to be like that?".
The Tzemach Tzedek answered him: What do you think? That is harder than learning the entire Shas. That Rabbi Chaim was "fluent in Shas", as the heading phrases it, as well as a great maskil in chassidus, and although he was a businessman, he spent most of his day occupied with Torah and avodas Hashem. The Rebbe said to him: Know that this is harder than being fluent in the entire Shas. But after a brief contemplation, the Tzemach Tzedek told him that there is a solution - and that is kabbalas ol.
And these are the actual words the Rebbe told him in yechidus: "Kabbalas ol changes one's essence". Know that kabbalas ol changes a person's essence. That is to say, you might fulfill all matters and know the entire Shas because you understand it, and it feels good to you, and you live it; but work on yourself to do so not because you live it, not because you understand it, and not because it is pleasant for you, but rather because the Holy One, blessed be He, said so - kabbalas ol. If you work on yourself to approach Him with kabbalas ol, it changes your essence.
"Through the kabbalas ol of a simple servant" - what is the kabbalas ol of a simple servant? Like a simple servant, "one upon whom his yoke is recognizable even in his sleep", that even in his sleep one can see that he is a servant - that even his sleep is with kabbalas ol. If one manages to reach such a level of kabbalas ol, "even a lamdan and a gaon can attain his level" - that even a lamdan and a gaon can attain the level of simple people.
"And to the stature of a simple and earnest Jew of mesiras nefesh" - in order to attain the stature of the earnest and simple mesiras nefesh of that simple Jew - one can reach this. It is extremely difficult, but the way is by restoring this approach of kabbalas ol within our souls.
The Rebbe also spoke often over the years about the virtue of our generation, which is called the generation of ikvesa d'Meshicha. And what is "ikvesa"? Doing things with kabbalas ol, without suppressing the intellect. Kabbalas ol is the greatest foundation for receiving the G-dly and spiritual virtue of which the Tzemach Tzedek speaks here.