The forty-eighth "room" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Thursday, 8 Shevat 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Bo, chamishi, with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, 8th of the month, from chapter 44 through chapter 48 inclusive.
Tanya, we are in the middle of chapter 18. On this day we learn from the word "vehainyan" until page 24, concluding with the word "gilgulim".
The source of this passage is a letter written by the Rebbe Rayatz in the year 5702, and the letter relates to the horrors of the Holocaust, may it not befall us. It is interesting that although it is noted that this is a letter from 5702, and although we have all of the Rebbe Rayatz's letters in "Igros Kodesh" - this particular letter does not actually exist in our possession, and we do not know where it is; yet here a quotation from it is brought, and the Rebbe noted that it is from a letter of the year 5702.
Let us look at what the Rebbe Rayatz writes regarding that period in which the Jewish people found themselves during the Holocaust: "Particularly at this time, when by the kindness of Hashem, blessed be He, we stand at the threshold of the Geulah, we must exert ourselves with every kind of exertion" - a person must exert himself in every possible way - "to strengthen all matters of the faith with hiddur mitzvah", that is, to strengthen not only the fulfillment of the obligation itself, but also to add in the beautifications of the mitzvah, to do things in an even more complete manner, "and to observe all the customs without relinquishing even the slightest thing" - even things that are not among the 613 mitzvos, but rather customs that were instituted over the course of the generations; at times we may relate to customs as something less important, since it is not really halachah but only a custom - and regarding this it is said: to observe all the customs.
It is interesting that in one of his maamarim the Alter Rebbe explains that all the hiddurim, customs and stringencies that were added among the Jewish people specifically during the time of galus - things that did not exist in earlier generations, in which there were only the 613 mitzvos, and over the course of the generations another custom, another hiddur and another stringency are added - express the great love of the Holy One, blessed be He, for the Jewish people, specifically through these additions. He brings an example: a father who loves his son very much is very exacting with him - "do not go here, do not do this, behave in this way"; whereas with someone who is a stranger to him he has only general rules, and he does not enter into fine details with him. But with his son, every single detail matters to him. Like this analogy, the Holy One, blessed be He, reveals His love for us as a father to a son, and adds for us more fine details and more hiddurim specifically during the time of galus; for during the time of the Beis Hamikdash it was easier to arouse a revealed love of Hashem, and there was less darkness in the world, whereas specifically during the time of galus, when the darkness in the world has increased, the Holy One, blessed be He, reveals His love for the Jewish people - and one of the expressions of this is the hiddurim, the stringencies and the safeguards that were added specifically during the time of galus.
And here, in this letter, the Rebbe Rayatz says that specifically when one stands at the threshold of the Geulah, one must strengthen all matters of the faith with hiddur mitzvah and observe all the customs, without relinquishing even the lightest of the light, without giving up on anything. And he concludes with a very interesting expression: "And it is a mitzvah and an obligation upon every rav in Israel to inform the congregation of his community that the troubles and the sufferings are the birth pangs of Mashiach". He is speaking in the letter about the Holocaust specifically, as I mentioned; the troubles and sufferings occurring in the world are all birth pangs of Mashiach, like the pangs of childbirth, a sign that the great revelation is very near. "And Hashem our G-d demands of us a return to Torah and mitzvos" - everything that is happening is meant to arouse us - "so that we should not delay the coming of Mashiach Tzidkeinu, truly speedily"; that in this period, in which we wish to merit the Geulah, one must strengthen the hiddurim of the mitzvos and the customs, and return in teshuvah to Torah and mitzvos.
The connection to the sequence of the Rambam's books: we are now in Sefer Zmanim, and yesterday's shiur was in Hilchos Kiddush HaChodesh. The next halachos in Sefer Zmanim are Hilchos Taaniyos, and there this very subject is discussed - that everything that occurs is meant to arouse the people to teshuvah. This is the subject that the Rambam deals with in Hilchos Taaniyos, and it is also the subject of this teaching: that one must know that everything that occurs is meant to arouse the people to teshuvah, in order to merit, with Hashem's help, the coming of Mashiach Tzidkeinu, truly speedily.