The seventy-ninth "cheder" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Sunday, 9 Adar I, 5703.
Shiurim: On Sunday we begin a new parshah in Chumash - parshas Tetzaveh, the first parshah with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, the 9th of the month, from chapter 49 through chapter 54 inclusive.
Tanya: on this day we begin a new chapter - chapter 29, from the word "ach", until page 36, which ends with the word "v'gasusan".
The daily saying is taken from a sichah that the Rebbe Rayatz said on Acharon shel Pesach 5695. In the original sichah the Rebbe Rayatz opens by saying that he had already spoken at length about the fact that there is an opinion - which he calls a false opinion - that is widespread among people, that nowadays the times and the eras have changed; that is, what one had to do in earlier times, perhaps today one does not need to do so much. The Rebbe Rayatz speaks about this being a false opinion, and it is clear that today one must do everything that was done in earlier times.
But on the other hand, he says, today there is a concept called "the measure of good is greater" - the good that one does today is of far greater value than the good that was done in earlier times. After this introduction comes the first part of the saying, which in the original is written in Yiddish, and in translation: "When one walks in the street and contemplates Mishnayos, Tanya, when one sits in the store with a Chumash, Tehillim, this is more precious now than it was at a time when the street was illuminated with the light of Torah", meaning that even at the time when the street was illuminated with the light of Torah it was precious, and today it is even more precious; that is, only the value has changed.
There is something interesting here. The Rebbe Rayatz speaks here about thinking and learning Mishnayos, Tanya and Chumash, and the change within the sichah is interesting: when he speaks of Mishnayos and Tanya, he mentions this in connection with the street - "when one walks in the street and thinks Mishnayos and Tanya"; but when he speaks of Chumash, he says "when one sits in the store with a Chumash". What is the reason for the difference? What difference does it make where you are, since it is the same idea?
One of the chassidim made a fine observation that perhaps has truth to it: there is a halachah that words of Torah she'bichsav are not said by heart. Mishnayos one can say by heart, and Tanya too is learned by heart, but Chumash is not learned by heart; rather it must be learned from the text. Therefore it is more fitting to think Mishnayos and Tanya while walking in the street - since you cannot walk with a sefer in the street, and so you think it in your head; whereas when you sit in the store, you can hold a sefer, and therefore that is where the Chumash is placed. This is the reason for the change.
Let us continue with the sichah of the Rebbe Rayatz. Between this passage and the next passage of the saying there is a whole lengthy discussion in the sichah. The point of it: the Rebbe Rayatz speaks with pain about how the avreichim, and even the bochurim, have been overtaken very strongly by an attraction and attachment to the materiality and physicality of the world. True, one must be involved with the world, because one must work and so on, but he brings there the expression in Megillas Eichah: "Those who were raised on scarlet embrace refuse heaps." What is "embrace refuse heaps"? He says that today there is a situation in which people embrace the garbage. Involvement with the world is in the category of garbage, and there is no choice, one must do it; but "embrace refuse heaps" - to embrace it? To love it? To be in love with it and fond of it? That truly has no place.
He says with pain that it would be one thing with avreichim who work for their livelihood, but even the bochurim have become preoccupied with this every day. Afterwards he concludes the passage and says that with businessmen the pain is that they have no set commitment to Torah - not only a set time, but they have no set commitment in the soul. A person needs to have a set commitment in the soul to Torah; but davening is done as if in passing, one davens and says the tefillah offhandedly, chapters of Tehillim are said just so, and then, when one walks in the street, one becomes completely dried out, because there is nothing there.
At the conclusion, the Rebbe joined two passages of the sichah into one saying, and concludes: "One must not walk in the street aliba reikanya (on an empty stomach); one must equip oneself with Torah with which to walk in the street" . With emptiness, with nothing, because one does not learn and is not filled; then one walks in the street and the thoughts run off to all sorts of things, because you are empty. We need to have Torah - to have something with which to walk in the street; when you walk in the street you need to be protected and charged, and not that the walking should be in an empty manner. This is the content of the daily saying.