The sixteenth "cheder" in the Hayom Yom hall.
Sunday, 10 Tevet 5703.
Shiurim: Chumash, on this day we begin parshas Vayigash, the first parsha with Rashi's commentary.
Tehillim, the 10th of the month, we say from chapter 29 through chapter 34 inclusive.
Tanya, we begin chapter 6, from the beginning of the chapter, "V'hinei", until the words "d'ruach etc.", on page 20.
The source of the saying, as the Rebbe notes, is in a maamar of the Rebbe Rayatz - "dibur hamas'chil V'avdi David" - which the Rebbe Rayatz said in the year 5699. Before we read the saying itself, an introduction: in the Gemara in Maseches Kiddushin (40b) there is a discussion among the Tanna'im as to which is greater - is talmud (study) greater or is maaseh (action) greater. The Gemara says there that they "counted and concluded" that talmud is greater, since it brings to action.
In that maamar, "dibur hamas'chil V'avdi David" - which is printed in the sefer in Yiddish as well, and not only was said in Yiddish - the Rebbe Rayatz brings both sides, both views, whether talmud is greater or maaseh is greater, and he elaborates at great length on the inner meaning of the matter, and sets forth the advantages that exist in talmud and in understanding as compared with action. He says that action is connected to temimus (wholehearted simplicity), and it is explained there at length that in the days of Moshiach people will recognize and see the tremendous advantage of temimus, the great advantage of action.
The Rebbe Rayatz also connects this to Yehudah and Yosef. It says "Vayigash eilav Yehudah" - Yehudah approached Yosef. Yehudah symbolizes the movement of hoda'ah (acknowledgment), Yehudah from the word hoda'ah, and hoda'ah is temimus, it is action; whereas Yosef symbolizes the other side, talmud. And here we see in practice from where Moshiach will come: there is a discussion here as to who is greater, Yehudah or Yosef, and in practice Moshiach will be from Yehudah - from the house of David, and therefore it says "V'avdi David melech aleihem". That is, in the time of Moshiach people will see the tremendous advantage of Yehudah, who symbolizes the matter of temimus.
The saying is strikingly connected to this day, 10 Tevet, on which we begin to learn parshas Vayigash, which opens with the words "Vayigash eilav Yehudah" - Yehudah approached Yosef - the advantage of Yehudah.
Now we will read the saying as it is written, in Yiddish as in the original, as a maamar. And in translation: "With the coming of Moshiach people will see the greatness of hoda'ah and temimus, that everyone believes with pure faith in the Holy One blessed be He, in His Torah and His mitzvos".
And what is the difference between talmud and maaseh? "Talmud - understanding; even the loftiest understanding is limited; but hoda'ah - faith - is an unlimited feeling. Melech HaMoshiach will prove and explain the "maaseh gadol" of temimus". That is, action symbolizes temimus, and in the time of Moshiach people will see and feel the power of temimus and faith, "heartfelt, earnest avodah" - and this will be in the days of Moshiach.
It is interesting that this date, 5 Tevet, was revealed years later, in 5747, as the day of "Didan Notzach", the day of the victory of the seforim. The seforim are in the category of talmud - "talmud gadol". But when the Rebbe spoke about this day in particular, in the sicha of 5 Tevet 5748, he mentioned this very point - there is in that sicha, in note 48, a linking of the matter of talmud versus maaseh - and he said that even though there was the victory of the seforim, one must see that it comes about through action. The Rebbe translated this into practical matters, that there must be a practical expression of it - and that is exactly the point written here.
Another interesting point: one of the chassidim came up with an idea, which he even received the Rebbe's approval for years ago, that the sayings in the sefer are arranged in a way that alludes to the order of the Rambam, and this begins from here, from 10 Tevet. We will now see, over the course of dozens of days, how the sayings express ideas that correspond to the order of the Rambam.
This first saying corresponds to the beginning of the first sefer of the Rambam. The Rambam opens, as is known, with Sefer HaMada, and at its head - as in each of the seforim - he opens with a verse and afterwards begins the sefer. The verse is "Meshoch chasdecha l'yod'echa v'tzidkascha l'yishrei lev", and it includes exactly the two things discussed in the saying: "Meshoch chasdecha l'yod'echa" - knowing is understanding; "v'tzidkascha l'yishrei lev" - these are those of earnest avodah of the heart. This is exactly the point spoken of in the saying, the difference between the avodah of knowledge and the avodah of faith and temimus.
And when one looks at Sefer HaMada, at the first halachos - Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah - it is interesting that the first halachah opens with the fact that there is a first positive commandment "to know", while the final halachah in Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah (which contain ten chapters) speaks about the matter of the prophet, about the matter of believing and knowing. It emerges that the first halachos deal with knowledge and with faith - exactly the content of the first saying, which gives us these two directions, knowledge versus faith, and shows that when Moshiach comes he will give us the understanding that the true greatness is temimus - avodas Hashem, earnest avodah of the heart - this is the tremendous quality that will be revealed in the days of Moshiach. Amen.