The sixty-first "cheder" in the palace of Hayom Yom.
Wednesday, 21 Shevat 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, Yisro, fourth aliyah, with the commentary of Rashi.
Tehillim, 21st of the month, from chapter 104 through chapter 108.
Tanya, in chapter 23, from the words "v'achar kach machashavah" until page 29 at the word "k'pikudin".
Today's saying is short, and its source is a letter that the Rebbe Rayatz wrote on 27 Cheshvan 5697 to a Jew by the name of Rav Yehuda Shmotkin. Rav Yehuda Shmotkin, a Jew who was born in Warsaw and came to Eretz Yisrael and lived in Petach Tikvah (he passed away around 5692), was a Jew whose main occupation and assistance in the affairs of the Rebbe Rayatz was in matters of seforim; he supplied rare seforim and manuscripts and the like, and this was one of his serious occupations.
In this particular letter the Rebbe Rayatz opens first of all with the subject of the seforim - what he received from him and what he is asking to receive further. Afterwards the letter also contains general guidance in a number of matters relating to chassidim, to him personally and to the chassidim in Eretz Yisrael in general: on the importance of a connection with simple Jews, on his being a member of the chevra kadisha, and on language - on the importance of language and of speaking properly.
The next passage in the letter is the one from which today's saying is taken, and its subject is the great importance of the work of the women - the wives and daughters of chassidim - with what they should occupy themselves and what their primary mission is in this period. Let us look at the wording of the saying. In the original, in the letter, the two passages do not appear consecutively, and the Rebbe joined two passages here into a single passage.
And this is what is written: "It is the duty of the wives and daughters of chassidim, may they live" - what is the duty of the wives and daughters of chassidim in this period? "to stand in the first row of every enterprise of strengthening religion and Yiddishkeit in general, and in particular in the matter of taharas hamishpachah". The Rebbe Rayatz gives the women and the girls here a very important task - that they themselves be active in matters connected with strengthening Yiddishkeit, and especially in the mitzvos that are particular to women, which is taharas hamishpachah; and they must stand literally in the first row in this matter.
And not only in this matter - the Rebbe Rayatz adds a further passage: "and they must organize an association of the daughters of chassidim", meaning to open an internal organization within the group of chassidim. For the first passage speaks about strengthening religion and Yiddishkeit in general among Jews who are lacking or weak in basic matters of Yiddishkeit, such as taharas hamishpachah and the like; whereas the second passage speaks about an inner-chassidic matter - that they must organize an association of the daughters of chassidim, to form a group out of the girls who are being educated in chassidic homes and to organize them into an internal organization, "to strengthen all the ways of chassidim", to strengthen greatly everything that they hear at home and learn and know in the ways of the conduct of chassidim.
"In matters of guidance and education" - that they should have a chassidic feeling and a chassidic outlook in everything and in every matter. It is very important to strengthen this and not to rely on the fact that since they live in chassidic homes and are educated among chassidim, the things will therefore come by themselves; one must give this strengthening and organize it, "as it was in the homes of chassidim from of old", as chassidim always conducted themselves.
In the letter the Rebbe Rayatz further assesses that parents must be given some material to tell their children - to give them subjects to speak about and which chassidic stories to tell. Sometimes a Jew is part of the chassidim but does not even know what to do and how to raise his children in the right direction; and once there is an organization, there will be materials and subjects, and it will be possible to strengthen this with very great benefit. This is the general message of the Rebbe Rayatz to the wives and daughters of chassidim.
And as for the connection of this saying specifically here: first, we are in parshas Yisro, and in the fourth aliyah of parshas Yisro is found the verse that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe Rabbeinu before the giving of the Torah: "So shall you say to the house of Yaakov and tell to the children of Yisrael". And it is known that our Sages say that they were sent first to the "house of Yaakov" - these are the women, and afterwards to the "children of Yisrael" - these are the men. So the saying is connected to that day, in the special strengthening that must be given to women.
And a further point: as you recall, on the previous days we spoke about the connection between the sayings and the course of the structure of the Rambam's sefer Yad HaChazakah, and we concluded on 10 Shevat. We saw over the course of the days how the sayings went through the first three books in the Rambam - we spoke about Sefer HaMada, about Sefer Ahavah, and we concluded Sefer Zemanim.
Now we are beginning here a preparation for Sefer Nashim, and today's saying is in effect an introduction to Sefer Nashim. This will begin from tomorrow onward, but as an introduction to Sefer Nashim today's saying already begins to give special strengthening and to arouse regarding the special duty of women in the matter of taharas hamishpachah etc. - matters that are discussed, as is known, in the Rambam's Sefer Nashim in greater detail. If so, this is already the introduction to the subject, appearing already in the daily saying of 21 Shevat.