The sixty-fourth "cheder" in the heichal of Hayom Yom.
Shabbos, 24 Shevat 5703.
Today's lesson has quite a few parts: it opens with several customs, then the daily shiurim, and it concludes with two sayings.
The first custom is that "during the reading of the Ten Commandments one stands facing the Sefer Torah". This Shabbos is Parshas Yisro, and in the Torah reading in shul the entire parsha is read, including the Ten Commandments; and our custom is that while the baal korei reads the Ten Commandments, the congregation stands facing the Sefer Torah.
What is novel about this line, and what is its source? Its source is a journal that the Rebbe recorded from the Rebbe Rayatz, who told him how the Rebbe Rashab conducted himself. In the original source several special Torah readings are discussed - what he would do at the reading of Shiras Hayam (which we already learned in Hayom Yom on 17 Shevat), and what at the reading of the Ten Commandments. And here it is brought that the Rebbe Rashab's practice, which became the accepted custom among chassidim, was to stand during the reading of the Ten Commandments facing the Sefer Torah.
What is novel about this custom? When one examines the Rishonim, one finds a major dispute on the subject. In the Rambam, in his responsa, it is brought that a Jew asked him a lengthy question: in his shul they were accustomed to stand during the reading of the Ten Commandments, and a certain rav came and told them that they must sit; and the questioner turned to the Rambam to clarify what is correct. The Rambam answers him very forcefully and supports the change, saying that one must sit. Why? Because if one stands, it plants in the minds of the masses that this is the important part of the Torah, as if only these matters are essential and everything else is secondary; and in order not to make distinctions between one portion and another - for there is no difference between all 613 mitzvos and any other verse - everything must be equal. Therefore the Rambam holds firmly that one must sit and not stand. In contrast, other Rishonim were not concerned with the Rambam's concern, and in their view one may stand. And the novelty here is that our custom is to stand. That is the novelty in the first line.
The next line relates to the haftorah. What is the haftorah said on Shabbos Parshas Yisro? According to all opinions - both Sephardim and Ashkenazim - the haftorah is from the book of Yeshayahu, chapter 6, which opens with the words "Bishnas mos hamelech Uziyahu". The difference between the Sephardim and the Ashkenazim is where the haftorah ends: according to the Sephardim it ends at verse 13 with the words "zera kodesh matzavtah", and according to the Ashkenazim it continues further. And here the Rebbe notes that our custom for the haftorah of Shabbos Parshas Yisro follows the custom of the Sephardim, "Haftorah: Bishnas - matzavtah" - concluding at verse 13 with the words "zera kodesh matzavtah". That is the novelty in the second custom.
In the next line something is brought that recurs in the Hayom Yom calendar every Shabbos Mevorchim. Here, on 24 Shevat, the Rebbe notes: "We bless Rosh Chodesh Adar Rishon" - on this Shabbos we bless Rosh Chodesh Adar Rishon. And what is the practice on Shabbos Mevorchim? "Reciting the entire Tehillim early in the morning", as per the takanah of the Rebbe Rayatz; and furthermore, that it is a "day of farbrengen".
Shiurim: Chumash, Yisro, shevii with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, the 24th of the month, from chapter 113 through chapter 118 inclusive.
Tanya, on this day we begin chapter 24, from the beginning of the chapter with the word "vezeh", and we conclude the daily shiur with the words "ken noda".
Now come the two short sayings of the day. The first saying relates to a verse read in the seventh section of Parshas Yisro, a verse connected precisely to this day, describing the response of the Jewish people after Mattan Torah: "'And the people saw and they trembled' - when they saw Elokus, then 'they trembled', a movement of life was aroused". When the Jewish people saw - not merely saw, but saw and felt and sensed Elokus - it immediately caused them movement, a movement of life was aroused in them. They saw Elokus - a movement of life was aroused in them.
The source of the saying is a letter written by the Rebbe Rayatz in the month of Nissan 5695. In the letter itself a point opposite to the saying is presented: the whole letter deals with the virtue of the mind ruling over the heart, and it brings the well known story of the chassid Reb Moshe Meisels, a chassid of the Alter Rebbe, who was seized and suspected of being a spy, and how his mind ruled over his heart and over his emotions. The letter speaks of how at times the virtue of the mind is great in that it rules over the heart - the mind is coolness and the heart is warmth. But in the opening he says that generally a chassid's way must be with heart and with warmth, and only at times must one make use of the virtue of the mind ruling over the heart; and as an introduction to this, that in principle there must be warmth, he brings this saying of "And the people saw and they trembled".
And now to the final part - the second saying. Let us preface it with an introduction. This passage is printed in the collection of letters on Tehillim at the end of the Tehillim "Tehillas Hashem", and it appears at the end of the collection. There is a story there, and we will not begin from its start but from the point that concerns us.
It is related there that in the year 5608 the Tzemach Tzedek was in a very serious state, and afterwards he related that on Rosh Hashanah he saw that there was going to be, G-d forbid, a very great accusation against the Jewish people. An extremely severe accusation, and he did not even know how to bring about a change in it. He exerted himself greatly to meet the Alter Rebbe in a vision in order to receive from him the way and the counsel as to how to act in the matter, and he did not merit to see him, and he was in great confusion. Afterwards he saw in a vision the Mitteler Rebbe, his father-in-law, and he saw from him that this was a very severe matter. This was at the beginning of Tishrei, on Rosh Hashanah.
On Simchas Torah the Alter Rebbe revealed himself to the Tzemach Tzedek, and revealed to him the verse "Kos yeshuos esa" - the cup of David Hamelech is the cup of Tehillim, and through saying Tehillim one can bring about a change. And he gave him a sequence: that after Simchas Torah, for fifty eight days, a minyan of Jews should gather and say the entire book of Tehillim every day - without knowing the reason for it - and this would annul the decree. And so indeed it was. Immediately after Simchas Torah the Tzemach Tzedek issued this call - without their knowing that it came from him - that chassidim should gather and say the entire Tehillim every day, and then the decree was annulled.
At the conclusion of the letter appears the passage that is read in today's saying: "If only you knew - said the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek - the power of the verses of Tehillim and their effect in the loftiest heights" - if only we knew how powerful saying Tehillim is and how much it accomplishes - "you would recite them at every moment. Know that the chapters of Tehillim shatter all barriers" - all the accusations and barriers - "and ascend higher and higher without any interference" - there is no accusation that can stop their power - "and they prostrate themselves before the Master of all worlds, and effect their accomplishment with kindness and with mercy". That is the conclusion with which the Tzemach Tzedek ended, after conveying the message that the annulment of the decree would come about through saying Tehillim.
And it is interesting: why does this saying appear specifically here today? There is no explanation for this, but one can offer a conjecture. In that same place it is written that they still did not know the reason, and the sons of the Tzemach Tzedek wondered: what happened in the year 5608 that caused the accusation, what is the difficulty of that year? And they raised two ideas. The first idea: it is known that 5608 was a year of keitz, a year of redemption; and every year of keitz, in which redemption is supposed to come, is a year in which special mercies must be aroused, since there are, as it were, accusations, and one must see how to get through them.
The second conjecture: 5608 was a leap year, and there is a saying received from the Maggid of Mezritch in the name of the Baal Shem Tov, that a leap year requires special mercies, so that everything should pass properly. And the matter of the leap year begins to stand out on this Shabbos, since on 24 Shevat we bless Rosh Chodesh Adar Rishon - it is evident here that this is a leap year. Therefore the saying comes here, about how much one must know what brings about salvations: saying Tehillim brings about salvations and effects very great changes.