When Pledging, One Should Always Give a Bit More

Welcome to our weekly program, The Inside Story of Chabad in America through the Mindel Archives.

We mentioned a few weeks ago that I want to share with you the *MiYom LeYom* that came out in Tav Shin Gimmel and Tav Shin Dalet, two years, 1943 and 1944. The first one, that [unclear] called it "the calendar," and the second one was called "encyclopedia." So a few years later, what we did, I printed, we printed this book, *From Day to Day*. I put the two years and made this as a book. We took this, and instead of two separate ones, I made it a book. We printed this, the English, and I also translated this into Hebrew. But the ikar is the English, because that's what the Rebbe had to do. So the Rebbe dictated to Rabbi Mindel that he should make it just like the *Hayom Yom*, but this is really before. And this is for children, made for children; I think adults can also use it. And they never put a saying [unclear] to every day, just the same thing Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, the same thing, and the Rebbe chose what to put in.

The difference between this and the regular *Hayom Yom* that we all know: the regular *Hayom Yom*, the Rebbe did not write. This was sayings of the previous Rebbe, and the Rebbe was the melaket. He gathered, and he put it into the date. In this one, the Rebbe himself chose what to say. So the regular *Hayom Yom* is mostly [unclear] things. This is a lot of other things: Yiddishkeit and other Torah questions, other things for children.

Also, Rabbi Gringas [?], all of a sudden, this is written in the Igros, that in those days he used to write to the Rebbe, to our Rebbe, before there were letters, and the Rebbe didn't answer him. So he was wondering, so he asked, "Why didn't you answer me?" So the Rebbe said, "I am busy with this." The Rebbe was more concerned about this one. This is a very important book. We can all learn out why the Rebbe put certain things at certain dates. So I'm going to share with you why the Rebbe chose certain things.

Okay, so let's take one. Now we're starting to read again Pirkei Avos. So let's say here, this was Shabbos [unclear] of Nissan, and Perek... no, this is the beginning, Perek Alef. So I'm going to try to see now, when the Rebbe asked Rabbi Mindel to do this, Rabbi Mindel has notes on the side, some things that he made. I see that it was handwriting; some things come from Rabbi Mindel. I can see which one comes from his explanation. But here only the Rebbe says. The Rebbe says, "Shammai..." And this one, let me see, yeah, says: "Make your study of the Torah a regular habit; promise little and do much; receive all people cordially [?]." And the Rebbe brings down from Avos all of this [unclear]. And then he says today, whatever. This is from Tav Shin Gimmel, 1943.

Why the Rebbe chose this and not anything else, probably there is a reason, which I don't know the reason. So on the side over here, I have notations from Rabbi Mindel. So I'm going to tell you what it says here.

It says here: Make your Torah study... What are the priorities in life? The main priority of a Yid, of a Jew: study Torah. And Torah will make the values and the lifestyle at home and in the outside world, and raise children in the proper way. When you make your Torah, make your Torah permanent. This is what's on the side, and certain things that he's been putting with his own handwriting. That means that the shalom bayis will be good, when the wife will see that the husband goes to a shiur.

Then it says over here, this was on the side: Breathing. Study regular. Torah is life, just like breathing. A person breathes 24 hours a day. A person doesn't stop breathing. A person is not going to say, "I am going to work now, I'm going to stop breathing, and after work I'm going to start breathing again," or "Now I'm going for a walk, so I'm busy with walking, and then I'm going to breathe." It doesn't work that way. A person breathes all the time. The same thing also, excuse me, when a person learns, he works everything for Torah. What a person eats, for Torah; at home, whatever a person does, is [unclear]. That's what it seems here. And after 120 years, the Heavenly Court, one of the things that they ask a person is, "Did you set times for learning Torah?" This is more or less what is in this.

But this, it says only Pirkei Avos, that's all. But then there is an explanation on the side, which the Rebbe didn't put in: "Promise little and do much." What I say, me'at, yeah: promise little and do much. The Rebbe writes... that means, he writes over here: Speak soft, do great things. Speaking much brings... what does it bring? To falseness. This is what Rabbi Mindel writes here: lies, violence, frustration, disappointment, and loss. A person speaks a lot, it brings loss [unclear], and lashon hara. Lashon hara harms three people: the one who speaks lashon hara, the one who listens to him, and the one that they speak about. So speak little and do a lot. This is for children: action speaks louder than words.

Then he says: When someone makes a pledge, or somebody promises somebody money or something, they should always give a little more than they promised. If you promised to give him 18, for example, or anything, you should give him 18 and 20 cents. Learn from Avraham Avinu. When the angels came to Avraham, he said, "Give them bread." At the end, he gave them bread, he gave them cream and milk, and also prepared a calf. He only told them that, but you also have to give more. Reshaim, or people that [unclear], do the opposite, like Efron. At first Efron told him, "I'll give you a present," and at the end you see in the Torah that he charged him a lot, a lot of money.

Then it says: "Vehevei mekabel es kol ha'adam b'sever panim yafos," receive everybody... "mekabel es kol ha'adam b'sever panim yafos." I don't know what he said here, but "sever panim yafos." I mean, you can learn from the Rebbe and from the Rebbetzin how they were always, in a friendly fashion, to Jews and even non-Jews, always [unclear], always nice, you know, the way they greeted the people. Even though, who said that? Shammai said that. We know the difference between Shammai and Hillel. He mentions here: Shammai was strict and Hillel was soft. Who says "mekabel es kol ha'adam"? And who says it, for the good, that he said it, even you could see how great Shammai was. When you look at "strict," it doesn't mean strict; it means it's a different [unclear].

It says here, "b'sever." So he writes over here, this is from my father-in-law, next to the Rebbe's writing, he writes about [unclear]: "sever" comes from the word "thought," that even though a person, a child, has negative thoughts towards his friend, he should always behave in a friendly fashion. That's why he says "b'sever panim yafos." This is in the year 1943, that I chose one day, Pirkei Avos.

Now let's look in the other year, in 1944, Pirkei Avos. He says, Shimon HaTzaddik. The Rebbe chose this. So he says like this: "Hu haya omer, al shlosha devarim ha'olam omed," says that the world stands on three pillars: on Torah and avodah. Avodah means davening, or korbanos. And gemilus chassadim. That means like this, that corresponds... He mentions here a very interesting thing. In a person's body there are three very important organs: the mind, the heart, and the bottom, the klayos and the kaved, the kidneys, the liver. The world stands on three things: Torah, that's the mind; avodah, davening, feeling, that's the heart; and good deeds, then it comes down to the bottom, how you should use your mind and heart, kindness. And that's lev and kaved.

A person should be a king over his heart: moach shalit al halev, the mind rules over the heart. That's why Hashem made, by a human being, the mind on top, the heart in the middle, and the kaved, the liver, and the kidneys at the bottom. [The mind] rules over the heart; [unclear] comes first, that rules over the heart. An animal is not... by an animal, the moach and the heart and the kidneys and the liver are on the same level. That's how an animal walks; an animal doesn't stand. That's the difference between a human being and an animal. So since Torah comes first, means [unclear], when a person is occupied in learning Torah.

And he says that the entire world was created only [for this]: if Jews would not accept the Torah, G-d wouldn't create the world. And if Jews wouldn't accept korbanos, which is avodah, G-d wouldn't create... there wouldn't be a world. And also the world is built on kindness, and he thought that the world wouldn't be able to [exist without it].

Then he mentions over here that Shimon says... mentions, what does it mean, "Shimon HaTzaddik"? That means that Shimon HaTzaddik was from the last of the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah. He embodied the lesson that he taught. Means whatever he taught, he would [live]. We learn out that whenever a person teaches, he always has to be a dugma [?], he has to live this thing also. That's the first thing, Torah, that's called [unclear] first, and [unclear], that's called [unclear], and avodah means [unclear]... and all these things. And that comes down after: when you are learning Torah and you do avodah, then you come to the gemilus chassadim.

And one more last thing he mentioned over here: gemilus chassadim is higher than tzedakah. Why? When somebody's hungry and you give him a fish, he's not hungry anymore. So that's tzedakah. But if you teach him how to fish, then you put him on his feet. That's called gemilus chassadim; it is even higher than tzedakah.

Then one more thing he mentions here, and he remains by a question. He says, so we say Avos [?]. According to this, it should have been, over here, it should have been first Yaakov. First comes [unclear], then comes avodah, then comes [unclear]. So he remains here by a question. I don't know the answer.

So this is one of the things that I wanted to mention to you. I mean, we can learn this a whole year and spend time with every little thing that the Rebbe put in. This is the *From Day to Day*, and this is sold now in the stores; you can buy it. And [unclear]. Next week we'll continue our weekly program. Thank you.