"Cheder" number three hundred seventy-three in the palace of the everyday.
Sunday, 8th of Kislev, 5704 (1943).
Lessons: Chumash, Vayishlach, first portion with Rashi's commentary.
Psalms, on the 8th of the month, one recites from chapter 44 until chapter 48 inclusive.
Tanya, we continue in Kuntres Acharon. We are still in the fourth section of Kuntres Acharon, and today in the eighth part, which begins on page 314 with the words "achlah v'yam," and ends on page 158 with the words "v'k'hai gavna."
The daily saying is from a letter that the Rebbe Rayatz wrote on the 18th of Tevet 5701. The content of the letter is addressed to a chassid who reported to the Rebbe that he had helped another chassid be accepted into the shochtim organization, and the Rebbe Rayatz tells him that he is very glad to hear this. The Rebbe Rayatz adds and requests of him, with many expressions of affection, regarding another particular chassid: that he do a favor and bring him too into the shochtim organization.
And in the midst of his words about the great virtue of assisting one's fellow, the Rebbe Rayatz tells him that the Holy One, blessed be He, sends a soul into this world in order to do a good deed for another Jew — whether materially, spiritually, or a good deed that combines both together — and one cannot estimate the magnitude of the joy of the One who sends, the Holy One, blessed be He, when the Jew fulfills his mission.
Later on appears the passage that the Rebbe quotes in the daily saying. The source is in Yiddish, and it was translated: "When a person contemplates the greatness of the kindnesses of the Creator, blessed be He" — when a Jew contemplates how great are the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He.
He continues: "In that the smallest of the small, as man is" — for this is in fact the definition of man here in this world — "can bring great satisfaction" — this small one can cause great satisfaction — "to the greatest of the great".
But who is the greatest of the great? The Holy One, blessed be He. And where do we see that the Holy One, blessed be He, is called "the greatest of the great"? "As it is written, 'And His greatness is unfathomable'" — it is utterly impossible to conceive or estimate His greatness, and He is the greatest of the great.
A person must contemplate this fact—that it is within his power to give pleasure (nachas ruach) to the Holy One, blessed be He—and here we are speaking of giving pleasure by assisting one's fellow in elevating his virtues. This pleasure, which a person contemplates that it is within his power to accomplish, means "he must always be in an elevated mood"—that he should always be in a state of excitement and enthusiasm.
"and to serve His service with a willing heart and soul" — that you should always perform the service required of you with heart, with feeling, with will, and with a positive attitude, for it is an immense privilege that you have the ability to bring about tremendous satisfaction to the Holy One, blessed be He.