The fifty-eighth "cheder" in the heichal of Hayom Yom.
Sunday, 18 Shevat 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, parshas Yisro, first parsha with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, the 18th of the month, we say two chapters - chapter 88 and chapter 89.
Tanya: on this day we begin a new chapter, chapter 23, from the beginning of the chapter with the word "V'im", and we conclude on page 28 with the word "b'olamos".
The daily teaching refers to one of the maamarim in the sefer Torah Or on parshas Yisro. Since we are beginning parshas Yisro here, there is a reference to one of the maamarim of the parsha, and this is woven together with an interesting story connected to the day the Rav HaMaggid of Mezritch accepted the nesius, after the Baal Shem Tov.
Let us give a bit of background, and then we will begin reading the teaching. As is known, the Baal Shem Tov passed away on Shavuos in the year 5520. The one who filled his place immediately after the histalkus was his son, the Rav HaTzaddik Rabbi Tzvi, who was chosen to be the nasi and leader of the community of chassidim.
A year later, when they reached the year 5521, the chassidim - the "chevraya kadisha", the talmidim of the Baal Shem Tov - saw that the nasi Rabbi Tzvi was weak in his strength, whereas at that time the leadership of the teachings of chassidus required someone with great strength and fortitude of soul; and they did not know what to do. He had indeed filled his father's place, but on the other hand they felt that things were not proceeding as they had expected. This is not spelled out at length, but that is what emerges between the lines.
And here is an interesting story. On the second day of Shavuos, when the year of mourning for the Baal Shem Tov had concluded, a farbrengen was held. At the head of the table sat Rabbi Tzvi, the nasi of the chassidim, and all the "chevraya kadisha", the talmidim of the Baal Shem Tov, sat around him. Rabbi Tzvi said a maamar of chassidus, and when he finished he said to everyone: "Today my father [the Baal Shem Tov] came to me and informed me that the entire pamalya shel maalah has passed over to the talmid" - and he mentioned the name of the Rav HaMaggid - "and he commanded me to transfer the leadership to him."
He then removed the special garment he was wearing - the garment of the Baal Shem Tov - rose from his place, called the Maggid of Mezritch, gave him the Baal Shem Tov's garment, and the Maggid sat down at the head of the table. And so he received the crown directly at that very gathering. He then said a maamar of chassidus - which, as chassidim know, is the expression indicating the acceptance of the nesius when a Rebbe accepts it - and this was the first maamar of chassidus that he said.
The maamar, which as mentioned was said on Shavuos, was on words that appear in the haftorah of Shavuos, which describe the supernal merkavah that the navi Yechezkel described. This maamar entered the sefer Torah Or on parshas Yisro - which is the parsha of mattan Torah, and therefore some of the Shavuos maamarim were included in it in Torah Or, among them this maamar.
And it is about this maamar that we will now read the daily teaching. And so it says: "The Tzemach Tzedek related to his son, Adoni Avi Zkeini Mori V'Rabi" - the son of the Tzemach Tzedek is the Rebbe Maharash, the grandfather of the Rebbe Rayatz, and therefore he calls him "Adoni Avi Zkeini" (my master, my grandfather). And what did he relate to him? "That the drush "U'mareihem u'maaseihem"" - "drush" is a term for a maamar of chassidus, and "u'maaseihem" is the opening of the drush. These words are from the sefer Yechezkel, from the haftorah of Shavuos as mentioned, and the maamar is included in Torah Or, parshas Yisro.
"It is the first drush that the Rav HaMaggid of Mezritch said at the time he accepted the nesius" - the first maamar that the Maggid said at the time of accepting the nesius, on "Shavuos 5521". The Alter Rebbe was not present at the gathering when the Maggid accepted the nesius, since he came to him later; but the one who was present and transmitted the maamar to the Alter Rebbe, as is stated immediately - "as our Rebbe, the Alter Rebbe, heard it". And from whom did the Alter Rebbe hear it? "From the mouth of Rav Menachem Mendel of Horodok, author of [the sefer] Pri HaAretz", who is also called Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk, whose resting place is in Teveria. "Who was present at that gathering" - he was there at the time, heard the maamar directly from the Maggid, and transmitted it to the Alter Rebbe.
The Alter Rebbe's maamar in Torah Or is a short maamar - a little more than one column (on every page in Torah Or there are four columns). But at the conclusion it says: "Only that our Rebbe explained the drush according to his own style". The Alter Rebbe, who repeated the maamar "U'maaseihem", explained it according to his style - in the style and manner of Chabad; whereas the Maggid said it in a more abbreviated and somewhat different fashion.
And to complete the picture, it is interesting to add another heavenly story [yesterday too, on 17 Shevat, we had a heavenly story] - one that is not related here but in other places. As is known, when the Alter Rebbe was in the well known imprisonment, the Maggid and the Baal Shem Tov came to visit him - after their histalkus - inside the prison. Among the things that took place, there is a certain famous exchange, and there is an additional, less famous point, which is also related.
It is told that the Baal Shem Tov asked the Maggid to ask the Alter Rebbe to say a drush; they wanted to hear a maamar from him while he was in prison. And what was the maamar that he said? That same maamar "U'maaseihem" that the Maggid had repeated on the day he accepted the nesius. And when the Alter Rebbe finished, the Baal Shem Tov said to the Maggid: "He is saying it letter for letter, just as you received it from me" - meaning, the Alter Rebbe did not repeat it according to his own style, as it appears in Torah Or, but rather in their presence he said it word for word as the Maggid had said it, as he had received it from the Baal Shem Tov. In any case, this is the maamar that is being spoken about, and the daily teaching tells the history of the Maggid of Mezritch's acceptance of the nesius.