The three hundred and thirty-ninth "cheder" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Monday, 3 Cheshvan 5704.
Shiurim: Chumash, Lech Lecha, Sheni, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, on the 3rd of the month, one recites from chapter 18 through chapter 22 inclusive.
Tanya: on this day we conclude Iggeret 25. The lesson begins on page 141 with the word "u'chmedumeh," and ends at the conclusion of the letter, on page 142, with the words "imrei fi."
The daily saying is a continuation of the previous day's teaching, in which a quote was cited from the talk of the Rebbe Rayatz on Shabbos Parshas Shemos 5702, regarding the statement of the Alter Rebbe that one must live with the times. Therefore it is written here in the heading "Continuation of the above talk". The present passage is a continuation of the words that the Rebbe Rashab said to his son.
After first noting that a chassid must live with the times — to live with the weekly parsha — the Rebbe Rashab tells him: Let us reflect on which parshiyos we are currently in, and with what we must live. And all this comes to explain why he was so joyful, to the point that he was in an emotional state with tears of joy — because he was living with the times.
And this is how he explains it: "Bereishit," the first parsha of the Torah, "is a joyous parsha" — the world was created, the Holy One, blessed be He, brought a creation into being, a joyous thing. "Even though the ending is not so "pleasant"" — although the conclusion of parshat Bereishit is not so pleasant, for at its end it is told that the Holy One, blessed be He, sees that the world is corrupt and needs to be transformed, nevertheless the parsha is called a joyous parsha.
"Noach", the second parsha, "the Flood" — and this is a parsha that is not joyful, for it speaks of the destruction of the world. "But the end of the parsha is joyful" — how does one live at the end of parshas Noach? With very great joy. And what is the joy? "The birth of Avraham Avinu", and there is great joy. This is parshas Noach.
He then turns to Parashat Lech Lecha, and explains why he was so moved by it: "Parashat Lech is the truly joyous week" — the genuinely joyous parashah begins for the first time with Lech Lecha. For, as mentioned, Bereishit is joyous but its ending is not so joyous, while Noach is the opposite — it is not joyous, yet its ending is somewhat joyous. When does the first fully joyous parashah arrive? Lech Lecha. Why? Because "on each day of the week one 'lives' with Avraham Avinu" — throughout every day of the week of Parashat Lech Lecha one lives together with Avraham Avinu, and there is no parashah more joyous than this.
And what is unique about Avraham Avinu? "The first to give up his life for the sake of spreading awareness of G-dliness in the world." This is Avraham Avinu, and this is Parshas Lech Lecha. And this power extends eternally, until today: "And his self-sacrifice, Avraham Avinu bequeathed as an inheritance to the entire Jewish people" — his self-sacrifice he bequeathed to all of Israel, for they all descend from Avraham Avinu and received from him the power of self-sacrifice.
From this saying the Rebbe derives a precise point: we always know that Avraham Avinu is the one who opened the channel of mesirus nefesh; and when we consider where the act of Avraham Avinu's mesirus nefesh took place, the Rebbe attributes it to parshas Lech Lecha.