Room three hundred and seventy-five in the palace of daily life.
Tuesday, the 10th of Kislev, 5704 (1943).
Lessons: Chumash, Vayishlach, third reading, with Rashi's commentary.
Psalms, the 10th of the month, from chapter 55 through and including chapter 59.
Tanya: we continue on this day in Kuntres Acharon. We are still in the fourth section, and today is the tenth part. The daily lesson begins on page 158 with the words "mah she'ein kein halachos," and concludes on page 316 with the word "Elokus."
On the 11th of Kislev 5657, the Rebbe Rayatz wrote a note in which he describes and recounts the entire event surrounding the arrest of the Mitteler Rebbe. Here, in the daily saying, several points from that note appear briefly, summarizing the sequence of events from when the informing against the Mitteler Rebbe became known until the generation merited and his redemption came about.
Here he describes it, and to this I will add: even though when the informing occurred against the Mitteler Rebbe and the government wanted him to be brought to imprisonment in Vitebsk, the standing of the Mitteler Rebbe was so distinguished that they succeeded in arranging that he not be brought as a prisoner but rather in a dignified manner. Therefore his journey from his place in Lubavitch until the destination, Vitebsk, was not made all at once as a prisoner, but gradually from place to place; and at night he was even permitted to rest before advancing to the next place, and he was even able to deliver a chassidic discourse to the assembly of chassidim who gathered to accompany him. In the notes of the Rebbe Rayatz there is a lengthy description of the entire course of events surrounding this matter until he arrived at the destination, at the imprisonment.
Let us examine the wording. The Rebbe writes here: "the Mitteler Rebbe was liberated" — on this day, the tenth of Kislev — "in 5587 from his imprisonment in the city of Vitebsk." The Mitteler Rebbe sat in prison in Vitebsk, and on the tenth of Kislev he was liberated.
And how did the process unfold? How long was he there? He describes that during "Chol HaMoed Sukkos" of that year, 5587, "it became known that they had informed against the Mitteler Rebbe." The information reached the chassidim that there was a denunciation against the Rebbe, and they did not know exactly where the matter would develop and what its consequences would be; afterward it became known that they wished to arrest him.
The account continues that "on Sunday of parashat Noach, the 28th of Tishrei" — toward the end of the month of Tishrei, about two weeks (a little less) after the informing became known — "he departed accompanied by officials from Lubavitch," he set out on the journey to his destination, to imprisonment, accompanied by government officials, and as mentioned, many chassidim also joined during this journey.
"At noon he arrived at Dobromysl" — that Sunday at noon he reached the first station along the way, Dobromysl — still not the final destination. Upon arriving at Dobromysl he remained there for a day, and "there he spoke words of the living G-d," the maamar "'Mayim Rabbim' etc.," before those who had gathered. Even though he was on his way to prison, he was given the opportunity to farbreng with the chassidim.
The next day, "on Monday, he traveled from there to Liozna" — still not to the destination, not to Vitebsk — and made another stop there. In Liozna too, as in Dobromysl, "he delivered words of the living God," the discourse "'its coals are coals' etc.," before the chassidim, and remained there overnight.
And only the next day, "Tuesday, he traveled from there — from Liozna — to Vitebsk." He traveled to the destination, to the place where they wanted him to be held as a prisoner, "and he remained imprisoned there until Sunday of parashat Vayishlach, the 10th of Kislev." He sat in prison throughout the entire month of Cheshvan, some five to six weeks, and the 10th of Kislev was his redemption.
Regarding the celebration of the tenth of Kislev — the Rebbe notes why it was not established as a great celebration recognized by all, like the nineteenth of Kislev, which is the famous festival of redemption. It is written that in a certain sense it was even greater than the nineteenth of Kislev, and yet it did not attain its intensity. The Rebbe points out that the simple reason for this is: the Mitteler Rebbe was freed in the year 5587 on the tenth of Kislev, and the first time they were supposed to celebrate the redemption and make it into a significant matter was a year later, in 5588. But in 5588, on the ninth of Kislev, the passing of the Mitteler Rebbe occurred — one day before they were supposed to mark for the first time the festival of redemption, which thus fell already in the middle of the "shiva." And consequently, in the first year nothing was marked, and so it remained that it did not attain its significance.
On the other hand, the Rebbe brings in one of his discourses that it is known that the redemption of the Alter Rebbe is connected to the verse "He redeemed my soul in peace," as he describes that his redemption came about when he recited this verse. The Rebbe says that the redemption of the Mitteler Rebbe is surely likewise connected to the theme of "He redeemed my soul in peace," and by the Mitteler Rebbe this matter is even stronger than by the Alter Rebbe.
Why? The reason the Alter Rebbe recited "He redeemed my soul in peace" on the 19th of Kislev is that in that year the 19th of Kislev fell on the third day of the week, and he would recite the Psalms according to the days of the week; and this chapter, chapter 55, in which the verse "He redeemed my soul in peace" appears, is found in the portion of the third day of the week. But in other years, when the 19th of Kislev falls on a different day of the week, the connection to this psalm is not openly seen. In contrast, chapter 55 is always found in the division of the 10th of the month; that is, "He redeemed my soul in peace" is always recited on the 10th of the month. It emerges that the 10th of Kislev is connected to "He redeemed in peace" with a far stronger and more constant connection than the 19th of Kislev.
But in any case, as we said, this is not marked in a prominent way, and this is for the reason that was mentioned.