The three hundred thirty-eighth "cheder" in the hall of Hayom Yom.
Sunday, 2 Marcheshvan 5704.
Lessons: Chumash, Lech Lecha, first parsha with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, on the 2nd of the month, one recites from chapter 10 through chapter 17 inclusive.
Tanya: On this day we are still in Iggeret 25. The daily portion begins on page 280 with the word "v'achar," and concludes on page 141 with the word "tovah."
Before us is a brief teaching, whose continuation appears on the following day, on 3 Marcheshvan — a further part of the same idea. Its source is a talk delivered by the Rebbe Rayatz on Shabbos Parshas Shemos 5702. Let us give a bit of the interesting background that the Rebbe Rayatz recounts there, and then read the content of the saying.
The Rebbe Rayatz relates there about himself, when he was an eight-year-old child, in the year 5648, when his father was not always at home — his father, the Rebbe Rashab, traveled many times for matters of health and to various places. But when the father was at home, he would draw him close with an inner closeness from the age of eight, and he details there several points.
Afterward he continues: three years later, in the year 5651, when the Rebbe Rayatz was a child of eleven. He relates that on Shabbos morning — Shabbos parshas Lech Lecha — he entered his father's room before davening, and saw his father reciting "shnayim mikra ve'echad targum" of parshas Lech Lecha. He then noticed in his father two opposite motions: on the one hand, he saw that he was in a very elevated mood, in truly great joy; and together with this he saw tears streaming from his eyes as in great weeping.
As a child, he did not understand how these two opposites — an elevated mood and tearful eyes — could go together. But he did not ask; he knew that his father saw him, and he did not intervene nor ask anything.
He relates that on Motzaei Shabbos, when his father was home, there was always a fixed practice that he would examine him on everything he had learned during the week. On that Motzaei Shabbos of parshas Lech Lecha 5651 as well, the Rebbe Rashab called him in and examined him on all his studies of the week. The continuation of the account the Rebbe divided into two parts: one part on 2 Marcheshvan, and the continuing part on 3 Marcheshvan.
The source appears in Yiddish, and it was translated: "From a talk of my revered father and teacher [the Rebbe Rashab], of blessed memory, the night after Shabbos Kodesh Lech Lecha 5651".
And what did the Rebbe Rashab say to him on that Motzaei Shabbos? This is what he told him: "In the early years of his leadership, the Alter Rebbe would say publicly that "one must live with the times.""
The chassidim did not understand the plain meaning of the words — what "to live with the times" means, and what its significance is. Today the expression is already familiar to us, but back then they did not understand it. "Through his brother, the Maharil [Yehuda Leib], the elder chassidim discovered that the Rebbe's intent was:" — by way of the Alter Rebbe's brother, Rabbi Yehuda Leib, known as the Maharil, the elder chassidim uncovered the understanding of the Alter Rebbe's words. What was his intent, and what did they understand?
Explanation of his intent: "that one must 'live' with the weekly parsha and the daily portion of the weekly sedra" — to live with the parsha as a whole, and in particular with the corresponding portion read on that day of the week: on Sunday — the first portion, on Monday — the second portion, and so on. "not merely to study the weekly parsha each day, but to live with it" — it is not enough to study the parsha each day; rather, one must simply live with it.
This is what the Rebbe Rayatz related — how the Maharil explained the intent of the Alter Rebbe. And the continuation appears in the next day's teaching.