The fifth "room" in the palace of daily life, Wednesday, the 23rd of Kislev, 5703.
As usual, the Rebbe opens with the Chitas lessons that are studied each day — Chumash, Tehillim, and Tanya.
Chumash, Parashat Vayeshev, the fourth aliyah, with Rashi's commentary, since it is the fourth day of the week.
Psalms, from chapter 108 through chapter 112.
Tanya, the final section of the introduction, from the words "And behold, after" until the conclusion of the introduction, with the words "the aforementioned discourses."
The saying we are studying today appears only in its first half, with its continuation appearing the following day — a lengthy saying that the Rebbe divided across two days. The source of the saying, as the Rebbe notes, is a talk delivered by the Rebbe Rayatz on the 23rd of Kislev 5693, while he was in Riga. Let us read the saying as it appears at its beginning.
The heading states that the source of the saying is "from the talks of the Rebbe, my grandfather" — an abbreviation for: my master, my grandfather, my teacher and Rebbe — and the reference is to the Rebbe Maharash, grandfather of the Rebbe Rayatz. The Rebbe Rayatz says that these are the talks of his grandfather, the fourth Rebbe, the Rebbe Maharash. It is further noted on which occasion the Maharash said these words — in "Elul 5635".
What was special about that Elul of 5635? During that month, on the 11th of Elul, fell the wedding day of the Rebbe Rashab, son of the Rebbe Maharash. Because of the state of his health, the father, the Rebbe Maharash, did not participate in his son's wedding, but only traveled to accompany him from Lubavitch; further along the way the Rebbetzin, the mother, traveled with the groom, the Rebbe Rashab, whereas the Rebbe Maharash, who was unable to travel because of the state of his health, remained in Lubavitch.
However, throughout all those days, even though he was not at the wedding, the Rebbe Maharash marked the wedding and held farbrengens in its honor, with very great joy. He said dozens of chassidic discourses during that week, and there were very great revelations and influences; it was only that he was not physically with the groom, but rather he marked the occasion. One of the farbrengens took place on one of the days he marked in honor of the sheva brachos of the Rebbe Rashab.
There is also a description by the chassid Rabbi Dov Zev Kozevnikov, the rabbi of Yekaterinoslav, who described the setting and the face of the Rebbe Maharash at the time he said these words. The Rebbe Rayatz brings this description in a sicha: "The Rebbe was greatly elevated. The meal was held in a garden, there was a large crowd, and the Rebbe was in a state of great joy." And he adds an interesting remark: that although the Rebbe Maharash's facial beauty was always very special, on that occasion it simply shone, and it was evident that the Shechina rested upon his holy face. It was a very special occasion, and it was then that he said the words we shall now read.
The saying opens: "The three days before Shabbat are a preparation for Shabbat." The three days that precede Shabbat — Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, which are the end of the week — are considered a preparation for the Shabbat day. One can note that the day on which this saying was said is Wednesday 5703, which is precisely the first of the three days of preparation for Shabbat.
The idea that the three days preceding Shabbat are considered preparation for Shabbat, and that the first three days of the week — Sunday, Monday, Tuesday — are considered the conclusion of the previous Shabbat, deserves elaboration. There are three modes regarding the relationship between Shabbat and the weekdays. In one place — as the Rebbe will bring shortly — "concerning Shabbat it is stated in the Zohar that from it all the days are blessed," that from it all the days that follow it are blessed; that is, all the days of the week are a continuation of the previous Shabbat.
Another saying of our Sages states, "Whoever toils on the eve of Shabbat will eat on Shabbat," and the intent there is not only to Friday, but the entire week is considered "the eve of Shabbat" — as is told of Shammai, who from Sunday would take items and prepare them for Shabbat. The meaning of this saying is that the entire week is connected to the coming Shabbat.
There is a third approach — and this is the main subject we will discuss in this saying and the next — that the week is divided into two: the first three days are a continuation of the previous Shabbat, and the last three days are a preparation for the coming Shabbat. This also has a bearing on halacha, as stated in the Gemara regarding Havdala: one who did not recite Havdala on Motzaei Shabbat — it is stated in Tractate Pesachim that he may recite Havdala until the end of the third day — meaning that until the end of the first three days of the coming week, one can still perform the Havdala of the previous Shabbat.
The source of this matter, says the Gemara, is derived from a halacha stated in the laws of gittin (divorce documents). In gittin there are various laws by which a man giving a get to his wife can stipulate conditions as to when the get takes effect. Says the Gemara: if a man makes a condition with his wife that the get shall take effect if she gives him two hundred zuz "after Shabbat," or "before Shabbat" — the Gemara discusses what constitutes "after Shabbat" and what constitutes "before Shabbat," and states that Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday are called "after Shabbat," while Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are called "before Shabbat." This is the source. And this matter appears also in Kabbalah — that the three final days of the week, as he says here: "the three days preceding Shabbat are a preparation for Shabbat."
Let us continue reading. The source is in Yiddish, and in translation: "Concerning Shabbos it is stated in the Zohar "that from it [=from it] all the days are blessed"". What is meant by "all the days"? ""All the days" — these are all six days of the week". As we said, there is a reference in the Zohar that the entire coming week is influenced by Shabbos. "These the Holy One, blessed be He, blessed with a general blessing" — Shabbos gives a general blessing to the whole week, as it is stated: "and the L-rd your G-d will bless you in all that you do". Essentially, Shabbos blesses all the days of the week.
However, in this saying the Rebbe Maharash states that the relationship of Shabbos to the days of the week divides into two parts: three days are connected to the preceding Shabbos, and three days are connected to the Shabbos that follows. As he immediately says: "Behold, the blessing of Shabbos is from before it and from after it" — Shabbos has a connection to the three days before it, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, which are "from before it," and to the three days after it, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, which are "from after it."
This concept of "before it" and "after it" has a halachic ramification as well, in the concept called "tosefet Shabbat" — that one must accept Shabbat before its time and extend it a bit after its departure. The source for this is in the Mechilta, that Shabbat resembles a wolf, as it is written: "the wolf that tears its prey — tears it from before and from behind." What is the meaning? As the commentators explain, the wolf is unlike other animals that seize their prey in the middle of the body or from the side; rather, the wolf seizes its prey either from before, at the head, or from behind, at the tail, and thereby kills it entirely. The Midrash says that so it is with Shabbat — it seizes "from before it and from after it": one must grasp Shabbat before it, with the tosefet Shabbat that precedes it, and grasp it also after it, and thereby Shabbat attains its excellence.
And then he concludes and says: "The preparation for Shabbat begins from Wednesday" — the preparation for the coming Shabbat begins from Wednesday, which is already three days before Shabbat. Where do we see this connection in the Torah more clearly — that already from Wednesday we are told about Shabbat? We see this in the "Song of the Day" that the Levites recited in the Holy Temple, and which we recite every day. At the conclusion of the Song of the Day for Wednesday, we recite the first three verses of the psalm "Lechu Neranena," which we recite in its entirety during Kabbalat Shabbat on Friday night.
This is called "Lechu Neranena" the small one. In the language of the Rebbe: "when the guiding principle and the intention is the 'small Lechu Neranena,' which consists of three verses," the Rebbe notes that it is similar to the concept of "small education" — for in Tanya as well, the introduction to "Shaar HaYichud VeHaEmuna" is called "small education," which is an introduction to the great education. So too the "small Lechu Neranena": here begins the small preparation toward Shabbat, which is to be the great matter. The three verses of "Lechu Neranena" said on Wednesday constitute a preparation for the great "Lechu Neranena" of Shabbat. This is the beginning of the saying and the conclusion of its first part; we will see its continuation, God willing, in the next lesson.