Ears to Hear 22 | I Shall Receive the King Moshiach

00:00 Speaker 1 And Hashem gave you a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear.

00:08 Speaker 2 Ears to Hear. Audio programs for the students of the Temimim from World Atah.

00:15 Speaker 3 “I believed, therefore I spoke”—about proclaiming “Long live the King.” Shalom aleichem, “Long live the King Moshiach,” to all the Temimim in the Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch yeshivos throughout the Holy Land and the entire world. We are now beginning a special program in the Ears to Hear audio series, a program permeated with a spirit of firm hiskashrus to the Rebbe, King Moshiach shlita, and with our main concern, Geulah and Moshiach, and the days of Moshiach in actual practice. On this program, we welcome Rabbi Weitzner [?] for a very special discussion of the maamar associated with 2 Nissan and its practical application. Shalom aleichem, Rabbi Weitzner [?].

01:03 Speaker 1 Shalom u’vrachah. On 2 Nissan, saying “Long live the King Moshiach”—

01:08 Speaker 4 It’s something altogether different.

01:10 Speaker 3 Well, baruch Hashem, it’s truly Divine Providence that we’re sitting here on this special day, 2 Nissan, and turning to the practical meaning of “Long live the King”—how to live it in the best possible way. And, of course, how to convey it as powerfully as possible in thought, speech, and action. So first, as background to this special program, perhaps we’d like to touch on the maamar of “Ana Nesiv Malka,” which has already acquired the title “Ana Nesiv Malka Moshicha.” We want to understand the deeper meaning of Rashbi’s statement, “Ana Nesiv Malka.” There are certainly extensive explanations throughout the maamar; sometimes a student sits and studies it and can’t make heads or tails of it. Perhaps, with your special talent, Rabbi, you can give us the essential idea behind Rashbi’s choice of “Ana Nesiv Malka,” and, of course, how it reaches us.

01:58 Speaker 1 Well, as people say about any maamar: if you understood it, that’s a sign you haven’t internalized it.

02:02 Speaker 3 Mm-hmm.

02:03 Speaker 1 This maamar is really about a person who—putting it in very un-Chassidic language—is going against the current. Because the current is to seek my own fulfillment. That’s how the entire seder hishtalshelus works. That’s how the world Hakadosh Boruch Hu made is built, and that’s also how a person’s everyday responsibilities work. Suddenly, someone comes along and says: the point isn’t me at all—not even spiritual levels that would improve me, advance me, and elevate me to the loftiest places. The point is the King. The point is the purpose, the destination, the intent. And for that, I’m willing to give things up, to devote myself, to lose out—to use the maamar’s expressions. I’m not merely giving something up; I’m actually losing out. Because I’m permeated with this, and there’s something distinctive about my soul. Perhaps these are chosen souls, people for whom “Hashem is the portion of my soul” is truly the simplest, most obvious thing: I have only one goal, and it isn’t me.

03:12 Speaker 3 So the maamar’s starting point is to understand that I’m not the story; the King is what matters.

03:16 Speaker 1 Right. And, in fact, this point is found abundantly in what the Rebbe, King Moshiach shlita, says. For anyone listening to the recording, baruch Hashem, they recently released a much clearer version of it. The version students had been hearing wasn’t entirely clear; baruch Hashem, they improved it, and now you can make it out. The Rebbe says it; the Rebbe Maharash and the Tzemach Tzedek say it. This point is there. It’s a foundation of serving Hashem. The Rebbe, King Moshiach shlita, took this basic Chassidic foundation and developed it greatly here: you’re not the point. The point is the intent, the destination, and the goal, even if you lose out because of it. Right? Questions about where to be during bein hazmanim and exactly what to do—whether to be at [unclear] on Shabbos or somewhere else, or to do things that will advance you later—these are considerations at the very heart of the maamar. There are four points the Rebbe, King Moshiach shlita, adds in this maamar to what all the previous Rebbeim said.

04:12 Speaker 3 In other words, this saying and this parable appear in many maamarim of our Rebbeim, but here there’s a particular innovation that isn’t found in them.

04:21 Speaker 1 Right. And let me add, as an aside, that when we say 2 Nissan, we’re also talking about 11 Nissan and the Rebbe [unclear] on Friday night, 11 Nissan 5675, the day of the Rebbe, King Moshiach shlita’s bar mitzvah. In the maamar beginning “Tzav Es Bnei Yisroel,” printed in the same series as the 2 Nissan maamar, on the night the Rebbe became bar mitzvah, [unclear] “Ana Nesiv Malka.”

04:46 Speaker 3 When—

04:47 Speaker 1 When the Rebbe shlita was in Yekaterinoslav, at the end—

04:49 Speaker 3 He instilled the Rebbe’s holy soul.

04:51 Speaker 1 Yes, he instilled that holy soul—the holy soul for which “I am not the point.” That’s the holy soul the Rebbe instills in us. So clearly this is a Rebbe with such power, and, of course, with an explanation on the Rebbe shlita’s own level [unclear]. But here our generation arrives with an expansion. There are four points to put on the table that give this its meaning. And with the Rebbe shlita himself, too, in 5752 and 5757, the theme of the King keeps coming up. In summaries of sichos, in the concluding wishes at the ends of sichos, it’s “Ana Nesiv Malka.” Throughout the years, this has been a Chassidic theme, part and parcel of the Baal Shem Tov’s Chassidus. But there are four things to put on the table today about what it means. First, I want to tell you something. L’chaim. L’chaim.

05:41 Speaker 3 To life and blessing.

05:42 Speaker 1 King Moshiach. We already said the blessing earlier.

05:45 Speaker 3 To life and blessing. L’chaim.

05:47 Speaker 1 Here’s the point—pay attention, because it’s a very powerful point, both for a farbrengen and for study. There isn’t a maamar—I don’t want to make such a sweeping statement, but broadly speaking—in which the Rebbe shlita doesn’t present both sides. I won’t say “every” maamar, of course; there are exceptions. When the Rebbe shlita speaks about the virtue of the month of Nissan, he’ll also say, “But Tishrei has a virtue too.” He’ll speak about service from above downward, and then about the other approach as well. He’ll speak in general terms about the virtue of a miracle—and I won’t say he’ll also speak about the virtue of nature. He’ll speak about the virtue of the World of Atzilus, and then say, “No, but specifically in the World of Asiyah.” Right? That’s always the case, because Chassidus is boundless.

06:25 Speaker 3 Both this and that.

06:25 Speaker 1 That’s what I’ve always said. That’s why you can’t decide a halachic ruling from Chassidus. Why? Because Chassidus will always tell you why it’s both this and that: because it’s boundless. What does boundless mean? You say, “For me, no”—but this too is Atzilus. You say, “For me, it’s also this way.” That’s the nature of boundlessness. An ordinary person can’t learn like that. An ordinary person likes the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch: this is forbidden, this is permitted, this is right, this is wrong. You made a mistake—go back and try again. No, there’s also this consideration. Halachah doesn’t work that way. But someone could take this maamar and say: here the Rebbe is going in one direction, and he leaves no room for another kind of chossid. There always has been room.

07:08 Speaker 3 There’s no option to look at things from another angle—

07:11 Speaker 1 None.

07:11 Speaker 3 Through different lenses and so on.

07:13 Speaker 1 [Unclear]. He writes explicitly and gives them their place; there’s also—

07:17 Speaker 3 The King’s table.

07:18 Speaker 1 Yes, he also says there are servants; there are [unclear] servants. Of course, each has its place. But from one section to the next, the maamar leaves no room for the other side. It’s astounding. It’s astounding. When a person studies it in depth—Rabbi Levi Yitzchok, the father of the Rebbe, King Moshiach, wrote to the Rebbe that on his wedding day he should study a chapter of Tanya with intention. He writes in parentheses, “Not in depth—with intention.” All grooms study that letter from Rabbi Levi Yitzchok. We need to study this maamar with intention. Alongside studying it in depth, we need to study it with the intention of seeing how it applies to me, how this maamar becomes part of my personality. And the Rebbe—

08:00 Speaker 3 So what’s one-directional here—

08:01 Speaker 1 What’s one-directional is this: any point, however slight, that’s self-serving, aimed at gaining something for myself, leads to the worship of stars and constellations. And notice, this isn’t about giving anything up or anything like that.

08:17 Speaker 3 All the way to worshipping stars and constellations?

08:18 Speaker 1 Well, more than that: that’s its root. He’s telling you it’s the same point. He sharpens it again and again and again, and leaves no room to say, “No, but there’s also this kind of chossid, and there’s that kind.” It’s not a passing fashion; it’s remarkable. It really is, because I always say the Rebbe is the leader of the generation. I’ve heard this: the Rebbe has Rabbi Zevin, and he also has Rabbi [unclear]. He had every kind of chossid, and the Rebbe encompasses all Jewish souls—and therefore all styles of serving Hashem: service through intellect, through character traits, through emotion, through suffering and hard labor. Then comes this maamar: “you yourself.” The maamar of 11 Nissan, our maamar of 2 Nissan. That’s why I say the Rebbe Rashab—why did I say “the Rebbe”?

08:59 Speaker 3 This is a kind of ultimate standard the Rebbe demands of us as chassidim—the level we have to stand at. Here there are no concessions and no looking to the side, so to speak.

09:08 Speaker 1 Right.

09:08 Speaker 3 …

09:09 Speaker 1 I’m saying, this is the beginning of the maamar[?]. It started on 11 Nissan 5775, with the Rebbe Rashab, and it ends with Moshiach Menachem. In other words, it started with [unclear] of Moshiach. So the first thing is that this isn’t in the Tzemach Tzedek’s Or HaTorah, and it isn’t there with the Rebbe Maharash. This point, this sharp insistence on going further and further and leaving no room for anything else. And, after all, he is one person on his own. Let’s think about it together for a moment. One wise man. There are all sorts of characters and all sorts of books in [unclear]. Can you picture it? Yes, get the feel of it, the chassidic picture. Reb Baruch from Sefer Hazichronos—a boy, a young man, on his own. He is searching for the truth. He has brothers-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Tzadok[?], he has brothers-in-law. That sets him apart. I always see it in Sefer Hazichronos: Reb Baruch is searching, and he gives himself no leeway whatsoever. I always tell the bochurim, “Guys, he is the model.” That is the Alter Rebbe’s father. People tell him, “Spend the Seder night with us; stay here.” No, no, no, no—“I won’t.” He doesn’t give in.

10:13 Speaker 3 In other words, there is another point here: besides his wisdom, there is a certain [unclear]. He is in a position where he is alone, like Avraham Avinu, with the whole world on one side and him on the other, and he stays with the truth to the very end. So that’s another point we’re bringing in here.

10:30 Speaker 1 One, one.

10:31 Speaker 3 …

10:31 Speaker 1 One wise man says. So you have this point here: it is unequivocal,

10:37 Speaker 3 One-directional.

10:38 Speaker 1 One-directional. And then there is the matter of bowing to the stars and constellations.

10:42 Speaker 3 Which can go as far as—

10:43 Speaker 1 And that—no, it isn’t just that it can go that far. It comes from the same place.

10:47 Speaker 3 That with a small act of bowing, you can ultimately reach idol worship.

10:51 Speaker 1 Not that you can reach it. It’s the same thing.

10:52 Speaker 3 You get there.

10:53 Speaker 1 It isn’t that you get there. It is that.

10:54 Speaker 3 It is that. It’s simply dressed in different kelipos and—

10:58 Speaker 1 Different colors.

10:58 Speaker 3 …

10:59 Speaker 1 And words.

11:00 Speaker 3 And the additional point the Rabbi just made is that he is in a position of being alone.

11:03 Speaker 1 Right. And there’s another thing: the precision about everything that changes and everything that does not change. The Rebbe shlita Melech HaMoshiach’s discussion of what does not change—we’ll use that later. I mean, where did the whole question at the beginning of the maamar come from? What? Why does the wise man say that? The Rebbe shlita shows that in what does not change, in that eternity, in that [unclear], it is measured from a perspective in which there is no change. Because the absence of change is the expression of its being true. That is the only expression of it, and that is all he said, all the wise man says. He says nothing else. And of course the fourth point, which appears only in the Rebbe shlita’s maamar: a wise man means intellect. And that raises a serious question in this maamar. We’re talking here about an inclination, about “Hashem is my portion, says my soul,” about choice. Yes, he chooses Him. I always say this about the Temimim: the Rebbe makes it a matter of choosing. People always ask, “Where’s the source?” You know, all those who write kovtzim: “Where’s the source for that?” You know—

12:10 Speaker 3 He chose and appointed.

12:11 Speaker 1 Yes. You know, I always say that the most popular things often have no source. You know how many times it’s written that the Rebbe actually said he is Moshiach? You know, all the scholars—yes, same thing. Where did the Rebbe write anything? He chose the essence. You know, go looking in a book, go looking in Lubavitch [unclear]. Look for it—where are you going to look, through all the memoirs? Zisling[?]. You know what you’re looking for? Among everything written by the people who wrote memoirs—where? Where is it written? It is written in section one, where it says that Hakadosh Boruch Hu chooses Him, in this “one wise man.”

12:50 Speaker 3 That’s where it’s written.

12:51 Speaker 1 There—that is the choice. And now this wise man is expressed through intellect. That is the Rebbe’s precise point.

13:01 Speaker 3 Even though it doesn’t quite fit with the beginning of the maamar. In other words, “Hashem is my portion, says my soul” is above the intellect[?]. Nevertheless, the Rebbe says that it penetrates all the way into the intellect—even into the intellect.

13:12 Speaker 1 It’s not just that it doesn’t fit; it contradicts it. You’ve brought intellect in here. A moment ago we were saying that the maamar is about going in one direction, all the way. Suddenly you bring in the intellect, and the intellect is a real know-it-all; it’s problematic. When it comes to the resurrection of the dead, nature, what your eyes see, tells you, “Don’t believe in the resurrection of the dead.” Chassidus detests cold intellect. Nothing is colder than intellect. It’s the most dangerous thing. Suddenly, I’m giving it a place of honor in the description of that lone man: “Hashem is my portion,” the wise man. It gets that place. Okay, so that’s the first thing. That’s the maamar, broadly speaking—in words, yes, inadequate words. You know, we’re always trying to sharpen it. The maamar doesn’t need you. It is already far too sharp. You couldn’t bring yourself to say aloud what is written in the maamar. It is written there far more sharply than anyone would ever have thought to put it, and the Rebbe says it in the bluntest possible way.

14:18 Speaker 3 Of all the points we’ve discussed, I want to dwell on this idea that it descends all the way into the intellect, into that place. Do we really have that distinction when it comes to choosing [unclear], choosing the king? Is it something we can understand intellectually, or is it a matter of the essence of the soul that remains there—and should remain there?

14:39 Speaker 1 There isn’t a single one of all the rabbonim and chassidim—not one—who speaks about [unclear]. So let’s take the Rebbe shlita Melech HaMoshiach as an example. This, this, this—you know, in 5710, I heard this from Even Shalom, from Shomrei Emunim. In 5710, wasn’t one of the things that shook all the elder chassidim, making them say, “This is Melech HaMoshiach,” his weeping? That’s what they said. They wrote about it in Yemei Bereishis. So what’s written there is somewhat polished; as we’ll see, the drama of the crisis is precisely our whole subject. Suddenly you see that it’s beyond comprehension. Here is a person who only has to mention the Frierdiker Rebbe, and that’s how he reacts. Shomrei Emunim writes it too: he only has to mention the Rebbe. It prompted all kinds of [unclear], questions—something was going on there. And that same Rebbe shlita Melech HaMoshiach took the concept of a “Rebbe” and made it into the most halachic, most scholarly subject. Entire Likkutei Sichos explaining the definition of a nasi, the definition of a king, what it means to be the only son of our nasi of the generation. What is the difference between a king and a Rebbe? Yes—entire Likkutei Sichos, with precise definitions.

15:58 Speaker 3 Of the vessel. All the…

15:59 Speaker 1 The author, and all those fine distinctions in the language of nigleh, down to that expression in 5710. The Chasam Sofer. There are chassidic ideas there, and he explains what a “Rebbe” is. I mean, I ask you: chassidim sitting there wouldn’t, by and large, have known what the Chasam Sofer said. And then—who, who cites the sources? Who brings sources from the Chasam Sofer about a Rebbe? The very Jew who, when he merely says the word “Rebbe,” is saying, “Hashem is my portion, says my soul.” He has no other proposition. He gives himself over to the king; he has nothing else. That is what “the wise man” means. “Hashem is my portion, says my soul” penetrates inward. That is the whole teaching of the Likkutei Sichos of our nasi of the generation, shlita. That is, in fact, one of its innovations. There is the famous letter in volume 11: someone writes to the Rebbe asking why the Rebbe brings sources from nigleh in Likkutei Sichos. So the Rebbe shlita Melech HaMoshiach says—and what, shouldn’t I learn more chassidishly? It’s a very unusual expression: it is more chassidish to bring a source.

17:00 Speaker 5 Mm, that itself becomes chassidish.

17:02 Speaker 1 Yes, today people call it chassidishkeit. Why? Our maamar explains exactly that in two sections.

17:08 Speaker 5 Mm-hmm.

17:08 Speaker 1 “That is your concern”—it becomes your concern. The choice that goes against nature, against intellect: you go against the current, you give things up, you take blows, you stand outside, you… That becomes part of your understanding. That too is a form of writing.

17:28 Speaker 5 There’s also the simple understanding that if it doesn’t penetrate my intellect, then I’m not really there, because my intellect is taking me somewhere else. So “Hashem is my portion, says my soul,” as mentioned in section seven, reaches the point of intellectual understanding. That is something that has to happen. And that, in fact, is the idea behind Likkutei Sichos, behind the Rebbe’s Torah, behind the Rebbe’s approach.

17:48 Speaker 1 You know, people often say that Reb Mendel, when he was under interrogation, said that in some interrogation records they wrote “Lubavitch” next to people, and in others they wrote “Schneersonite.” Reb Mendel said that, and what happened afterward is very interesting. Reb Mendel always said it. Later, when a substantial interrogation file actually came out, you could see it—you could really see it. And incidentally, in Reb Mendel’s case you can see that he was a Schneersonite, one of the Schneersonites.

18:13 Speaker 5 Yes.

18:13 Speaker 1 In other words, there were always two. There really were the Syrians and so on. People always said that a sane person [?]—that’s one of the powerful expressions—on the one hand, he recognizes it; on the other hand, he understands it intellectually. Someone who reads Chassidus is [unclear] and understands it intellectually, but he neither understands nor recognizes it. I’m talking about someone named Moshe. In his famous letters, he passed on to the generation all the basic foundations of the framework we have. That’s what it’s like with a sane person [?]. So again, there aren’t two things here. There is one thing and one thing alone. Okay, so...

18:51 Speaker 5 It reaches the point where “Hashem is my portion, says my soul” reaches and penetrates the intellect. It isn’t a kind of slumber at all; quite the opposite. It simply flows out of the soul and reaches all the way to the intellect.

19:02 Speaker 1 Mm-hmm.

19:03 Speaker 5 So, against the background of our special program, in which we’ve delved into and had some taste of our maamar, Ana Nesiv Malka, we understood that this is about a wise person. We understood that someone who chooses the King at that level can stand alone, but he chooses Him because he isn’t concerned about himself; he cares about the King. It reaches the point where it penetrates his intellect and takes hold of his entire being. We take this maamar and understand that the Rebbe gave it to us on 11 Nissan 5749, and that it is the daily bread of every chossid in the seventh generation. By now, it hardly needs explaining; it’s so clear. How, at this moment, when we are already on the threshold of the Geulah, in the days of Moshiach, and after all the Geulah excitement of 5751–52, do we interpret—or, more precisely, translate—Ana Nesiv Malka into our time, our present moment, our lives as...

19:54 Speaker 1 I’ll put it this way. I believe in Ana Nesiv Malka, so let’s talk about the proclamation “Yechi Hamelech.” Let’s talk about another revolutionary sicha. It was so revolutionary, so powerful, that people were afraid of it, and it was passed on only by word of mouth. There are stories about Shlomo Korni [?] wanting to arrange entire satellite broadcasts, and so on. The sicha of “Yechi Hamelech” from 2 Nissan. Now let’s look at the interesting point that always comes to mind.

20:26 Speaker 5 So Rabbi, you’re saying that the sicha of 2 Nissan is the translation of Ana Nesiv Malka.

20:30 Speaker 1 The translation—the Yiddish expression for it. You need the general letters for things like this. One of the lovely words the Rebbe likes to use in the general letters is “oysdruk”—you know, the Yiddish word for “expression.” The Yiddish of the general letters is such sweet, polished, brilliant Yiddish. That’s the Rebbe, you know, [unclear]. Even the writers, the people who... So the Yiddish there is precise. Translating it afterward—that’s a very powerful expression. Just as the Frierdiker Rebbe’s Yiddish has its own quality, so does the Yiddish in the general letters. “Oysdruk” has its place there. So what am I trying to say? “Oysdruk” is a word for such an exact translation. 2 Nissan 5752 is the fitting form, and almost the most precise way to express it, as we’ll see in a moment. Earlier, we brought up four points from Ana Nesiv Malka, where the Rebbe described what he introduced, and we’ll soon see them in the proclamation “Yechi Hamelech” on 2 Nissan. We’ll see them in that chossid who reflects the King’s essence, His defining uniqueness—in how that is expressed in the relationship between him and the King through the proclamation “Yechi Hamelech.” As we’ll soon see, the progression of the sicha of 2 Nissan 5752 is very precise and very characteristic. And as I said, “oysdruk”—it is the right reflection, the image, the most exact mirror of Ana Nesiv Malka.

22:06 Speaker 5 What is the fundamental point, then? What is the first correspondence we can draw between them?

22:12 Speaker 1 I’ll start specifically with “All others are replaced, but the King is not replaced.” The Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach shlita, will not falter. He will not falter.

22:22 Speaker 5 He is not replaced.

22:23 Speaker 1 That cry is an intellectual declaration: “All others are replaced.” I always ask: Why is it hard for a person to accept that the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach shlita, is alive and enduring? Why? Because all others are replaced. Nothing in nature lasts forever. The sun, the moon, the entire universe—they all change. A person has never seen anything like this. Every calendar is full of the yahrzeits of tzaddikim. He has never seen anything like this. All others are replaced. Do you know what “all” means? [unclear] And here is one person who says: But He is not replaced, and therefore He is the foundation of truth, the one for whom I am prepared to give everything. So I say, the proclamation “Yechi Hamelech”—yes, for His success. “May the King succeed.” What does “Yechi Hamelech” mean? The Rebbe speaks about the soul of life, right? After all, the Rebbe doesn’t say that this is the yahrzeit of the Rebbe Rashab. He says that the beginning of the nesius is already [unclear].

23:20 Speaker 5 The sun rises.

23:21 Speaker 1 Yes. In other words, the whole progression of the sicha is about life, about the heart, about giving life to the King. It is the eternity of “the King is not replaced.” So that is the first thing, that’s the—

23:32 Speaker 5 So the “He will not falter” in “Yechi” is the clearest expression of “the King is not replaced.” There is a King here who is eternal. The reason the wise person says he chooses the King is that He “is not replaced,” and that is expressed most clearly in “Yechi”: here is someone who will not falter.

23:43 Speaker 1 Absolutely. It cries out; the comparison cries out. And it needs to be said again about “Yechi Adoneinu”: My dear friends, “Yechi Adoneinu” truly is an intellectual declaration. That is the point of “Yechi.” Before anything else, its point is that this is not subject to change. That’s the point.

24:02 Speaker 5 You’re also saying that within “Yechi” there is an essential, emotional aspect. Even before we get into the details and understand what “Yechi” is, its essence, what each word in it means, there is the point that the wise person is trying to bring into the intellect. There is also the lived, inner aspect of “Yechi.” What does that express?

24:18 Speaker 1 I’ll tell you something a little personal. I remember the first time I heard the proclamation of “Yechi” on a grand scale and was part of it. It was on 2 Nissan 5752. For the first time, I was deeply shaken, because I hadn’t known. There had been rumors. People had always spoken about it discreetly, but it was still just among the fellows. It hadn’t been public. Even on 11 Nissan 5752 at Yad Eliyahu, there were little “Yechi Hamelech” flags. It wasn’t “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach le’olam va’ed.” It wasn’t. There were discreet additions and variations, but they were indirect. Then came 2 Nissan 5752. I don’t know why, but there was a broadcast, and they made a big deal of it. I don’t know why there was—

25:02 Speaker 5 There was a gathering at the Ohel.

25:03 Speaker 1 There was a gathering at the Ohel on 2 Nissan 5752. I don’t know why.

25:06 Speaker 5 2 Nissan.

25:06 Speaker 1 2 Nissan, 2 Nissan, 2 Nissan 5752. There was something—I don’t know why. I don’t...

25:10 Speaker 5 Mm-hmm.

25:10 Speaker 1 I was a bochur; I didn’t know why they were doing it. All the roshei yeshivah were there, Rabbi Zalman, and the elder chassidim—really, because Rabbi Hendel was there. They read the psak din aloud there.

25:21 Speaker 5 Mm-hmm.

25:22 Speaker 1 It was something quite... I don’t know why. I really don’t know; apparently something was going on. Then suddenly someone took the microphone, and I understood there had been some commotion over that microphone. “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu...” One of the elder chassidim—I don’t remember if it was Rabbi Hendel, I don’t remember—said, “Melech HaMoshiach le’olam va’ed,” and suddenly, over the microphone: “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu...”

25:43 Speaker 5 Mm-hmm.

25:45 Speaker 1 The emphasis there was on “le’olam va’ed”—“forever and ever.” And I remember, that was the first time it happened. Everyone was stunned. I remember it sparked arguments, because many people still didn’t know exactly what was going on.

25:56 Speaker 5 Mm.

25:56 Speaker 1 It was something that had been developing among the Temimim, you understand? It had been developing quietly among the Moshiach people, but suddenly it burst out into the open. Not into the press yet, but it happened, and it centered on “le’olam va’ed.”

26:09 Speaker 5 Yes.

26:09 Speaker 1 This idea that it is eternal, that—and it carried within it the idea—

26:12 Speaker 5 It also connects to what Rabbi Hendel himself did when he drafted the psak din a month before 11 Nissan 5752. In that wording, unlike the wording of 5751, he included the idea of living eternal life as a soul in a body. So it’s the same idea.

26:27 Speaker 1 Yes, yes. And I understood. I remember I carried it with me all night. The broadcast was in the afternoon, which was around midnight here, something like that, as I recall. But all night I was... It struck me as: this is living life; this is it. It does not pass away. It does not change.

26:43 Speaker 5 Melech HaMoshiach le’olam va’ed.

26:45 Speaker 1 Yes. That’s it. And that is a point, a foundation, because if it changes, it has no meaning at all.

26:50 Speaker 5 Yes.

26:50 Speaker 1 Otherwise, all others are replaced. Fine, it’s holy, it’s heilig, it’s beautiful, it’s fitting for Moshiach—but that isn’t it. That’s not why I... That’s not why. That’s not why I give up everything.

27:15 Speaker 5 So that is really the point of “forever and ever,” of the [unclear], of the “forever and ever” in “Yechi.” Now, from the perspective of the discerning person, from the perspective of a chossid, what is the connection between the discerning person coming and saying, “I choose the King Moshiach,” and a chossid coming and saying to the Rebbe, “Rebbe, long live the King Moshiach! Rebbe, long live the King!” What puts them on the same level?

27:40 Speaker 1 Yes. It’s simply as I said: “I believed, therefore I spoke.” He gives it expression and reveals it. It’s as though he takes—how can I put it? There are kuntreisim that the Rebbe would personally distribute. It’s as though he hands the Rebbe this kuntres. He says to the Rebbe, “This is me. I’m in, I’m in, I’m in—all the way.” That’s it: I’m in all the way. No compromises, no changes. And that’s the only way. That’s connected to this. Yes, I also—

28:10 Speaker 5 It’s a statement that expresses something going on behind the scenes, of course.

28:13 Speaker 1 Right. It expresses part of what was happening then. I tried to say that back in ’92, people were talking about ’92 [unclear]. I didn’t understand what “Yechi Adoneinu” meant; I didn’t understand it. I’m sure that for many people it wasn’t something they had worked through yet. You know, people didn’t even know all the sichos of 5752 [unclear]. It wasn’t like today, when every bochur knows how to write novel insights and fine distinctions about how it all fits together. Back then, we were living all the time with what was happening right then with the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach. So that “Yechi” was part of my love and faith, part of my very soul—the height of it. It was part of my love and faith, part of my very soul, even before any intellectual understanding. It was part of my love and faith, part of my very soul. That’s me. We were chosen to be among those people. What do I mean by that? You know, before Simchas Torah 5753, before it had the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach’s approval, it really came entirely from the people. It was a cry of love and faith from the depths of the soul. I don’t know whether the person who said it had actually studied it. That’s beside the point. It couldn’t be otherwise. I say that today, too. You know, you’re standing at a chuppah. “Yechi Adoneinu.” Did the groom sit down beforehand and study a kuntres on Yechi Adoneinu, to see whether the custom of reciting it is written there? No. What does it mean? At the most deeply personal moment of the revelation of an individual—

29:22 Speaker 5 All the Jewish people.

29:23 Speaker 1 “Yechi Adoneinu.” You see the grooms at the chuppah—the blessings there can’t be heard, but the “Yechi,” he—his whole home is built on it. Similarly, though it’s a different situation, I remember at Rabbi Natik’s [unclear] funeral there were so many Jerusalemites. There were so many people at that funeral because he was beloved, beloved—

29:40 Speaker 5 By the whole community.

29:41 Speaker 1 Beloved beyond belief.

29:43 Speaker 5 Mm-hmm.

29:44 Speaker 1 What a shame that’s been forgotten! No, everyone was there on the Mount of Olives, with that Jerusalem [unclear], like that—

29:50 Speaker 5 They came on foot.

29:51 Speaker 1 Yes. And I’m telling you, when “Yechi” was proclaimed, there was silence. People stood there. They didn’t know what “Yechi” was, but for them too it was part of the love and faith of the soul. They understood that this was a moment of supreme [unclear] for the children, for the family. The [unclear] was taking shape right there. So that’s one part. Yes, as you said.

30:11 Speaker 5 In other words, there is this expression of the love and faith of our souls when we say to the Rebbe, “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach,” and we are with Melech HaMoshiach all the way, with the very essence of who we are.

30:23 Speaker 1 Yes, and all of that flows from “forever and ever,” because Melech HaMoshiach is forever. Yes, “May my lord King David live forever.” That is central to the proclamation there. It’s the kingship of the House of David, [unclear], chapter 30, [unclear], “forever”—meaning eternal. All the sichos, [unclear] chapter 36, explain that eternity enters the reality of the physical, natural world specifically through the kingship of the House of David. It is the divine quality of eternity, and David expresses it by being willing to give up everything for it.

30:55 Speaker 5 Because the choice of Jerusalem is the choice of David.

30:57 Speaker 1 Yes, yes, chapter 36, the innovation in that [unclear]. Yes, yes.

31:01 Speaker 5 So if we’re talking about that, it’s the choice that comes from one’s very essence, and the declaration of “Yechi” that comes from one’s very essence. If, as in the maamar, we take that same point, that same foundation—that from the love and faith of his soul, the discerning person can also bring it into his understanding—then how do we interpret and translate that “Yechi” of the soul’s love and faith into ideas the mind can grasp? Can we try to unpack each word of “Yechi” and understand its meaning intellectually as well, so that, of course, our love and faith in saying “Yechi” will find even greater expression? Is there another way to unpack it, to [unclear] each and every word of “Yechi,” and understand what it means?

31:36 Speaker 1 Yes. First of all, I always say to myself, there’s this concept called understanding the meaning of the words. Guys, guys, guys—in Pesukei Dezimra you constantly need to understand the meaning of the words, you know.

31:47 Speaker 5 There’s no “Yechi” in a siddur with explanations of the words, so—

31:50 Speaker 1 So what does “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu Ve—” mean? Just kidding. There’s a lot to unpack here. But first I’ll say this: it has to be there, because you mustn’t be only someone whose soul’s love and faith lead him to call out, “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu le’olam va’ed.” You also have to be that discerning person who says, “I choose the King” [unclear]. And the discerning person cries out “forever and ever,” but he cries it out with understanding. Right? So that it permeates him, as in the sections of the maamar [unclear]. Anyway, I—so let’s start a little. Baruch Hashem, I have a lot to say.

32:17 Speaker 5 We can start with the word “Yechi” itself, or shall we start with “Adoneinu”?

32:21 Speaker 1 We can start in several places. There’s a book—I like looking through books like this. I don’t know whether any bochur has ever seen it in his life. It’s called The Encyclopedia of Honorific Titles in Israel. Four volumes. The whole book is about sacred titles. I went through all four volumes. No, I’d never seen it before. You can find it in libraries. The man—I don’t know who he is. Eisenstein. I don’t know what became of him.

32:46 Speaker 5 Is he a contemporary of ours?

32:47 Speaker 1 No, no, he was earlier—by how much? How did he get hold of all this? Anyway, I brought it up because it offers some explanation of “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu.” That’s probably where it comes from. So the man takes all sorts of honorific titles. But I’m telling you, only—again, this really is a book about sacred titles. I don’t know it thoroughly, but it draws only on baraisos, the Jerusalem Talmud, the Tosefta—only explicit Torah sources.

33:09 Speaker 5 Torah sources.

33:10 Speaker 1 Only Torah sources. Yes, yes, everything is from Torah sources. For each thing, he also explains how it developed afterward and where it originated. That’s the point. So he goes on at length, especially about “Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu.” And we’ll soon see that it really is a very old title. I found that expression, “Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu,” in the documents—let’s give the program a hook, yes?—used to appoint Rabbi Akiva Eiger. You know, let’s come up with a hook for the program: What’s the connection between Rabbi Akiva Eiger and “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu”? A good question, eh? So—

33:45 Speaker 5 There’s your promo.

33:46 Speaker 1 Yes, exactly. In the document appointing Rabbi Akiva Eiger, it says “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu.” You understand? That was for Posen. It was in the time of the Mitteler Rebbe. You can already see “Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu” used for Rabbi [unclear], along with all sorts of other rabbis [unclear]. There’s [unclear]. There’s a book called Zachor LeAvraham, and someone found manuscripts in various collections of rabbinic documents; people copy them and build on them. There’s the Berlin community register. Today all of it is available. You see there that this expression, “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu,” is something very Jewish.

34:19 Speaker 5 Meaning documents in which the community appoints the rabbi as its rabbi.

34:22 Speaker 1 Yes, when the community appoints the rabbi as its rabbi. They write “Yechi” to him. Even before Chassidus, they write to him, “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu.” I’m not talking about chassidim. I’m not talking about Reb Gershon Kitover writing to the Baal Shem Tov: “I came to Jerusalem, and everyone shouted, ‘Long live the king! Long live the king!’ They want me to be their rabbi.” So you can see that this was—

34:42 Speaker 5 A custom.

34:42 Speaker 1 It was a custom like that. It existed in Jewish communities. What’s interesting is that we don’t see it in Chabad. With the earlier generations, it isn’t documented.

34:51 Speaker 5 Yes.

34:51 Speaker 1 This “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu” isn’t documented there. But you can see that such a thing is documented elsewhere. The point is that “Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu” contains a precise, very clear definition of the relationship between a rabbi and his student, and of hiskashrus. It’s a moment of appointment.

35:08 Speaker 5 With the Rebbe, too, there was “Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu” and [unclear] Menachem Mendel [unclear]. That wasn’t what broke it down. So it seems to have become a custom in a different way.

35:17 Speaker 1 There’s that picture of the Rebbe coming to Gan Yisroel, where you see “Our Master, Our Teacher, and Our Rebbe.” Now “our master” is a title used in Tanach for only a few people. The children of Cheis said it to Avraham Avinu. In other words, he wants to show that “our master” is a very exalted title of respect. Yehudah says to Yosef, “Please, my master.” And after the incident with Miriam, Aharon HaKohen also says to Moshe Rabbeinu, “Please, my master.” It’s rare in Tanach. Very rare.

35:49 Speaker 5 Very specific figures in Tanach were addressed that way.

35:52 Speaker 1 Yes, that expression. Later it became diluted, as he writes there. It became commonplace: “Sir, sir, honored sir.” But in its original Torah usage, it was said only to people of great stature. So when students say “Yechi Adoneinu,” it isn’t just another phrase. It also expresses that bittul of servant to master, and so on. He also explains that it means more than just “master.” He goes into it there... “Our teacher” is—

36:19 Speaker 5 It’s actually the Rebbe’s chapter of Tehillim for this year: “Behold, as the eyes of servants are turned to the hand of their master.”

36:22 Speaker 1 Ah, beautiful.

36:23 Speaker 5 The master specifically. So that’s the first expression: that bittul, understanding that “our master” carries a profound sense of a servant’s bittul to his master. Even in its original use, it was addressed to very specific people. When we say it about the Rebbe as king, we need to understand how much meaning and depth it carries.

36:39 Speaker 1 Right, right, right. Yehudah said to him, “Please, my master”—it’s the high point.

36:43 Speaker 5 The very highest point.

36:43 Speaker 1 It’s the high point of that special moment in Vayigash. That’s “Yechi Adoneinu.” That’s it. You know, tekiah, teruah, tekiah. This year in particular—“Adoneinu,” “our master”—that’s the point.

37:08 Speaker 5 So from there we move on to “Moreinu,” “our teacher.”

37:10 Speaker 1 “Our teacher.” He says you can bring many sources for it. First of all, [unclear]. The teacher is Melech HaMoshiach—our teacher, the one who teaches us. But he makes a very interesting point: a moreh hora’ah, a teacher who gives halachic rulings, isn’t simply your friend, a rabbi who teaches you. He decides for you. “The teacher will be Melech HaMoshiach.” He decides for you; he guides the way. Yes, he points out the way. He says that “our teacher” is also part of bittul, but it has a note of understanding and learning too. I call it rabbi and king. “Our master, our teacher” is rabbi and king, king and rabbi.

37:53 Speaker 5 Like the Rambam’s Moreh Nevuchim.

37:55 Speaker 1 Yes.

37:55 Speaker 5 As though there’s an element of understanding here.

37:57 Speaker 1 He says there that “Maranan” refers to the Sanhedrin. The original source for “Moreinu” is “Maranan,” which refers to the Sanhedrin. In the Babylonian Talmud, “Maranan” means the Sanhedrin. And “Rabbeinu”—that word isn’t simple either. He goes into it at length in the Babylonian Talmud. When they said simply “Rabbeinu,” they meant Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi. Right? Calling Rav Ashi “Rabbeinu” was something new. “May our teacher instruct us” wasn’t just a casual expression. The Gemara doesn’t toss it out as a friendly pat on the back. “Rabbeinu” means “our Rebbe.” They understood that he was the successor. The unqualified term “Rabbeinu” refers to someone who carries on that role. It isn’t casual. And we know the kuntres Beis Rabbeinu Sheb’Bavel. Notice something sweet here: the Rebbe shlita, Melech HaMoshiach, says that “Rabbeinu” referred to Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi. If he carries on that role, if he rules that way about himself, you see that he too is called “Rabbeinu.” That’s a very powerful statement. It isn’t just that I call him “Rebbe,” so he’s Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi. It’s that he rules this way about himself, and the term takes on a profound meaning. Yes, that’s the Rebbe. If he’s called “Rabbeinu,” then he is Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi. So “Adoneinu Moreinu v’Rabbeinu,” as we’ve discussed, isn’t merely a set of titles in the proclamation. The words carry the deep meanings of all the different ways we relate to him. You could expand on this in terms of thought, speech, and action. But when you stand before the Rebbe shlita, Melech HaMoshiach, at the end of the singing of “Yechi Adoneinu” before davening—what are “Adoneinu, Moreinu, v’Rabbeinu”? It’s you; it’s him, our Nasi and our king. Even on an intellectual level, I mean, you could say “Yechi HaMelech, Yechi HaMelech, Yechi HaMelech” with joy. I didn’t like it, but there was someone who—

39:48 Speaker 1 Back in Eretz Yisroel, he would always say, “Say ‘Yechi HaMelech’ with joy. Stop being so tense. Say ‘Yechi HaMelech’ and enjoy it.” No, “Yechi Ado—” No, no, no. There’s “Adoneinu, Moreinu v’Rabbeinu.” Those are the parts of it. “Yechi HaMelech” is part of “the king lives.” “Yechi Adoneinu”—this king is our master, our teacher, and our Rebbe. That’s the introduction. And then: “Melech HaMoshiach.”

40:18 Speaker 5 What, then, is the distinctive point of “Melech HaMoshiach”? Not just as a title—that he isn’t only our master, teacher, and Rebbe, like other rabbis throughout history—but in our personal connection to him as Melech HaMoshiach, in saying, “Ana nesiv Malka Meshicha.”

40:32 Speaker 1 First of all, if what we’ve discussed is nefesh, ruach, and neshamah, what is this? “Melech HaMoshiach” adds yechidah. But you have the sicha—a series of foundational sichos in volume 8, section 6, through volume 4, section 6. Someone who disobeys the king’s word is liable to death, even more than someone who transgresses a Torah commandment, right? Because Torah commandments have different levels. Volume 4, volume 8, volume 6, page 52. Why? Because it’s an essential bond. Accepting his kingship expresses your bond with Hakadosh Boruch Hu. “You shall surely appoint a king over yourself”—[unclear].

41:07 Speaker 5 Mm-hmm.

41:07 Speaker 1 The Rebbe explains this in volume 4 as well, and elsewhere. The Rebbe explains it regarding Moshe and Dovid: what did Dovid add to Moshe? Dovid added kingship. Meaning that the bond with Hakadosh Boruch Hu is such that anyone who disturbs any part of the bond with the king is liable to death.

41:26 Speaker 5 Mm-hmm.

41:26 Speaker 1 There’s... this is connected to water as well. It’s a one-way commitment, all the way, because that’s it. That “Ana nesiv Malka Meshicha” goes all the way.

41:33 Speaker 5 So with Melech HaMoshiach, it’s an expression of...

41:36 Speaker 1 Of kingship itself. No, you have volume 8, section 6.

41:38 Speaker 5 Interesting.

41:38 Speaker 1 “Master,” “our teacher”—and here you have, in...

41:40 Speaker 5 Also, actually, on 2 Nissan 5748. In other words, the Rebbe presents “Yechi HaMelech” in general terms, while with regard to Melech HaMoshiach it is even more pronounced because of our bond with him.

41:50 Speaker 1 Now.

41:52 Speaker 5 And that is “forever and ever.”

41:53 Speaker 1 And “forever and ever,” my dear friends, is the foundation of everything. It’s what Batsheva says to Dovid HaMelech. The foundation of it all is “May my master King Dovid live forever.” What does Batsheva mean by saying that? She didn’t simply say, “Long live the king.” According to Chazal, “forever and ever” expresses eternity. There are three explanations of “forever and ever.” There is “Hashem and His kingship forever and ever.” Rashi says it means throughout the days of his reign. The Ramban says it means for all generations. And Chassidus explains that “forever and ever” means that it permeates the bounds of the world: it is eternal within the world. In other words, forever. That is the kingship of the House of Dovid. Now, I just want to say this: bochurim sometimes argue, you know, about the true and complete Geulah and eternity—after all, shlita means “may he live and be well.” Friends, this didn’t just begin in 5752, nor with Shoftim 5751, [unclear]. Friends, it’s a whole series of sichos. It’s a foundation of the Rebbe’s teachings: here below, in this physical world, there is a Jew for whom everything changes, yet he himself does not change. It comes from eternity; it comes from the power of the neshamah. It comes from [unclear]; it comes from the body. Wow, to grasp what such a body is!

43:05 Speaker 5 The kingship of the House of Dovid.

43:06 Speaker 1 Yes, the kingship of the House of Dovid. And that, in effect, explains how he says, “I am the kingship of the House of Dovid.” “Everything about me changes”—the kings of Israel come and go, and that is only [unclear]. Such a person is a king by virtue of his position, not a king in his very essence.

43:18 Speaker 5 In other words, Batsheva is telling Dovid HaMelech that the kingship of the House of Dovid must clearly be eternal, forever and ever. You can’t pass the kingship to someone outside the House of Dovid. It has to pass through Shlomo. So there is an element of eternity in each Rebbe, and with the Rebbe shlita, Melech HaMoshiach, of course, it is present in its fullest form. That is the true expression of “Ana nesiv Malka Meshicha”—of “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu v’Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach l’olam va’ed.”

43:49 Speaker 1 Now, here’s something interesting. I didn’t bring it here to show it myself. While I’m talking to you, I’m looking back, because someone sent me something—never mind, a very interesting Jew. He does all kinds of research. I correspond with him about the Rebbe shlita, Melech HaMoshiach. He put together a study—I don’t know how long he worked on it; it looks like about a hundred densely packed pages. He surveyed, from the destruction of the First Beis Hamikdash and the Second Beis Hamikdash, all the Reish Galusas, all the way up—listen to this—to Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid and even the Baalei HaTosafos, to whom people would say, “Long live the king.” He researched hundreds of people, with their names and locations. It’s an incredible piece of work. He showed this continuity; it’s unbelievable. And I immediately added that he needs to mention that there was suddenly a pause before Chassidus, a sudden loss of momentum: after the Baalei HaTosafos, it stopped. Chassidus revealed that continuity, renewed it, brought it back. [unclear] This applies to us. In other words, this continuity applies all the more to the eternal life of the Rebbe shlita, Melech HaMoshiach. This, too, has to be approached like the one discerning person. I see bochurim arguing without knowing what they’re talking about. So, yes, one day it stops, and this becomes part of the belief that the Rebbe is alive and with us, part of every Jew’s connection. Even on Gimmel Tammuz, people said on the radio, “Yes, the Rebbe is with us; the Rebbe continues.” No, no—that’s not what we’re talking about.

45:21 Speaker 6 That hasn’t come down into the intellect.

45:23 Speaker 1 What it means is that these are sichos, that he is literally alive and with us in every detail and every last detail. That’s the one discerning person; that’s what he engages with. I always say: studying the subjects of Geulah and Moshiach. That’s what occupies me. This is what occupies me.

45:40 Speaker 6 How does the Rabbi connect this to studying the subjects of Geulah and Moshiach?

45:41 Speaker 1 That’s what “the one discerning person” means. He takes the lived experience, the faith,

45:45 Speaker 6 and translates it into intellectual understanding.

45:46 Speaker 1 And that becomes something you study, you know, and it permeates everything. Right now we’re going through the concept of chazakah [unclear]. So I keep speaking in yeshivah about “presumed to be Moshiach,” and you see that—I say this with pain. I sit and search with the bochurim: how much has been written about “presumed to be Moshiach” in terms of the halachic definition of chazakah, of chazakah [unclear]? Here, there, a little elsewhere. And interestingly, I found something and showed it to the bochurim: opponents, when they believe in something, always take it all the way. Once they seize on an idea, they become extreme, super-extreme, and start explaining it. I showed them a sefer on chazakah—the particular sefer doesn’t matter. Its author starts writing things about “presumed to be Moshiach” that no Chabad chossid has ever written. He says there are three things here, and those three are the three signs. There’s “engages in Torah,” “compels all Israel,” and “fights the wars of Hashem”—and he establishes a king. So there are three, and that constitutes a chazakah.

46:29 Speaker 6 Rabbi Weitzenzeller picks up on this in the opening chapters of Yechi HaMelech.

46:32 Speaker 1 Right, right, but you see the point. The one discerning person engages with a whole tractate on this.

46:37 Speaker 6 Well, the Rabbi has added a very interesting point here. If we started with the maamar’s premise—that the soul’s primal dimension comes down into the intellect—and for us that primal dimension is expressed first and foremost in “Yechi HaMelech” and “Yechi Adoneinu,” then bringing it down into the intellect means understanding and grasping every word of “Yechi.” That leads to studying the subjects of Geulah and Moshiach, with the aim of taking that primal dimension of the soul and, so to speak, pouring it into the right place: a place with solid foundations, a place grounded in Torah, an anchor that can never shift.

47:07 Speaker 1 Right, right, right. I see it in practice; I see it in practice. That’s why the maamar calls him “the one discerning person.” Yes?

47:13 Speaker 6 And not “the one believer” [?].

47:14 Speaker 1 Yes.

47:15 Speaker 6 The one discerning person.

47:15 Speaker 1 No, and yet its source is the soul’s primal dimension. [unclear] After all, the maamar doesn’t say—what it says is “the soul’s primal dimension.” I always put it this way: because I came from Polish Chassidic circles, I strongly identify with this. If there hadn’t been the Alter Rebbe—no, not “if.” Before Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah, all of this about everything being G-dliness would have remained in the soul’s primal dimension. The Alter Rebbe says in Igeres Hakodesh, section [unclear], that it is the simple faith in the heart of the Jewish people that “the whole earth is full of His glory” literally. Fine, that’s simple faith; it says, “Yes, I know.” What would “there is nothing besides Him” have looked like without Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah? It simply would not have become part of how we understand the world. See in this the one discerning person who took the Baal Shem Tov’s world—the idea that everything is G-dliness, that the world has no independent existence and is truly nothing—and brought it down into understanding. That’s what “the Rebbe shlita, Melech HaMoshiach” means. That’s the translation. I always say that Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah and “the Rebbe shlita, Melech HaMoshiach” are the same kind of thing. They come from the same... You know, there are Litvish yeshivos today where bochurim go to explain “shlita” without Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah, and suddenly they meet bochurim who have exactly the same questions about Shaar Hayichud Vehaemunah as they do about “shlita, Melech HaMoshiach.” Yes, [unclear]. What’s the connection? But they all have exactly the same questions about Melech HaMoshiach, about his being [unclear]. Yes, that too. Right, right, right. So, as we sum up and approach the end of the program, we understand the deep meaning of the maamar of

48:44 Speaker 1 our master, our Nasi, our king, and how it is put into practice and expressed in “Yechi HaMelech,” in “Yechi Adoneinu.” So, Rabbi Weitzenzeller, what should we, as Temimim, take away from this? What should we live with, what should we focus on in this point of “our master, our Nasi, our king,” of “Yechi HaMelech HaMoshiach”? First of all, I want to say this very plainly: dear Temimim, yes, we have to give things up. That’s the painful pinch of the maamar. Yes, Temimim—what they call “painful concessions” today. We have to make painful concessions. Right, yes. You know, a bochur asks his mashpia: during bein hazmanim, should I help my mother or go publicize Moshiach? There’s the Moshiach outreach campaign, but I also want to do this; I want to study the Rebbe’s Haggadah properly for once, perhaps with the best explanations. You know, a person wants to do everything, right? A bochur comes home for bein hazmanim with good resolutions: “I’ll do the campaign the yeshivah assigned me, and I’ll study a chapter and lots of pesukim, and this and that and the other.” Then suddenly he’s told, “What about this? Here’s an opportunity for a mitzvah, [unclear] the Rebbe shlita, Melech HaMoshiach.” The bochur really asks his mashpia about it. Friends, that means giving something up. Right, yes. [unclear] It’s a sacrifice. The Rebbe says so. And making that sacrifice means you’re focused on the goal. Right, it’s a sacrifice. Yes, that’s the side of love of Hashem, love of Hashem. There’s a tremendous amount of love of Hashem here: thinking less about myself and more about—yes. That’s the first thing. And another sign of it: “Yechi Adoneinu”—stop doing it by rote, as “a commandment of men learned by habit.” I can’t... Dear Temimim, you’re now going into communities; you’re coming to Anash communities today. You’re returning

50:23 Speaker 1 to Anash communities. You are living examples for many people. Temimim, you are above nature. You are the one discerning person. In Anash communities, people watch everything you do. Through your “Yechi Adoneinu,” through your deep thought, seriousness, earnestness, and internalization of these ideas, the one discerning person inspires others—“a handbreadth that overflows to another”—and we become a people who know the words of the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach. So thank you very much, Rabbi Weitzenzeller. With Hashem’s help, may the Rebbe shlita, Melech HaMoshiach, be revealed immediately in the merit of this program, and may the Temimim grow stronger in “our master, our Nasi, our king,” in “Yechi HaMelech,” in “Yechi Adoneinu,” in the strongest possible way. May we immediately merit to see, “Behold, he is coming”—immediately. Yechi HaMelech HaMoshiach [unclear]. Say “Yechi” with renewed vitality, with renewed vitality. Mean every word: “Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach Leolam Vaed.” Yechi HaMelech HaMoshiach. Thank you very much, Rabbi Weitzenzeller, thank you. Ears to Hear. Audio programs for the Temimim from Atah Haolami. For more programs, dial star 6358. Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach Leolam Vaed.