The 24th of Teves: The Hilulo of the Baal HaTanya and Shulchan Aruch

00:00 As we find ourselves in the Yom HaHilula of the Alter Rebbe, we'll discuss from various Sichas, the directives that the Rebbe gave us for this day. In Tafshin Lamed Ches, early 1978, the Rebbe then mentioned He'ros L'maisa in a practical sense that should be done on the day of Chavdalah Teves. It was later edited by the Rebbe, and it is in Likutei Sichos Heichal Chaf Alef. And they are namely to study at least one perek, a chapter of Mishnayis that starts with a letter of the Alter Rebbe's name, minimum a perek. To study a sif in the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, to learn a perek Tanya, chapter of Tanya, and also to learn from the Mayim Arim of the Alter Rebbe in Parashat Vaera, which is usually the Kriyas of Chavdalah Teves in the week of Parashat Vaera. And they are included in Teyreih, in Parashat Vaera, and also to give Tzedakah in relationship to Chavdalah Teves. The Rebbe urged in general, HaMeisa VaIker, what we derive from this day is Limud HaTeireh BePei'o, to learn the Alter Rebbe's Teyreih, and especially when there is a participation of ten people or more, then it is BeRev Am Hadras Melech. That it's in a very special splendor when there are ten or more people learning Teyreih together, as the Mishnah speaks about the uniqueness of ten people learning Teyreih. Asarah SheYeshvim Be'eskem BeTeyreih. On another occasion, Chavdalah Teves Tafshin Mem Tes, early 1989, the Rebbe said, since Chavdalah Teves is the Yomi S'tal Kusi of the

02:25 Alter Rebbe, and as the Alter Rebbe writes that on the day of the S'tal Kos of a Tzadik, all his accomplishments and all his Teirah and Mitzvahs elevates, and then it is revealed back down here, it accomplishes Yeshuas BeKet Avodit, it accomplishes salvation in this physical world. So therefore, the Rebbe says this should inspire all who are following his ways and his teachings, that the Meshech of this day, there should be an increase in all in Yanim of Kedusha, and especially in Yanim that are connected with his Maisav and his Teirah and his Aveda. And to continue also in the following days, that it should later continue BePu'ul and ImShechas for the whole year, beginning from an increase in studying his Teirah, Sefer Tanya Kadisha and Teirah Eid and Likutei Teirah, which are the discourses on the Parsheis, and also the Drushim that our generation merited that they were published more recently. The Rebbe is referring to the Mayim Arim of the Alter Rebbe, 27 volumes that were published in the Tafshin Mems in 1980s, and also in his Sifrei Nigla, Shulchan Aruch V'chulo. And BeChlal, to increase in the Limud HaTeirah with the two lights signifying the Alter Rebbe's name, Shnei Eid, the light of Nigla de Teirah and the light of Nimis HaTeirah. And from the name Shnei Eid, which are the two lights, as mentioned earlier, it comes down also in a practical sense that from the study, it is Talmud Godol SheMevili DeMeisa. It comes down into the framework of time

04:18 and space, which this is also symbolized in the second name of the Alter Rebbe, Zalmen, which has the Eiseus Lizman. It has the letters Lizman, which means it comes down within the framework of time and space till we merit to see it in a physically, the Gili Alikus, VeNigla Kvei Hashem VeRoach Basar Yachdav, as we will see it in the upcoming redemption. And that is when we're also gonna be seeing our masters, Keilah, the Alter Rebbe, and all the Rabbeim till the previous Rebbe, VaKitzu VeRanenu Sheichni Yafar, and all of them BeSeicham. B'keshet HaChavdalah Teives, there's a Sicha from the Rebbe explaining the Shir Teilim of Chavdalah Teives, which is the Hallel. The chapters in Teilim from Kuf Yud Gimel through Kuf Yud Ches comprise the whole Hallel. So the Rebbe explains that Hallel is associated with Parashat Vaera. The Sefer of Teilim and Hallel Befrat is the idea of songs and praises to Hashem, authored by Dovid HaMelech, Ne'im Zmiros Yisrael, the sweet singer of Am Yisrael. Dovid HaMelech is referred to as Dovid Malko Meshiach, for through him the future redemption will come. In the Parashat Vaera, we find the four terms of redemption, VeHitzeyi Hashem, VeHitzalti Hashem, VeGa'alti Hashem, VeLokachti Hashem. And :"Vehaveisi Eschem", which is the fifth term that refers to the future redemption. The Talmud states that it is not good to recite Hallel every day, for since Hallel is associated with the idea of a miracle, the recital of it every day would mean that one does, uh, not

06:24 recognize the special nature of a miracle. Since Hallel is set on the twenty-fourth of Teves as the daily portion of Tehillim, it follows that the idea of a miracle is present. Although it is not said with a blessing, the saying of Yiratzen after reciting Tehillim is similar to a blessing. Moreover, the non-recital of the blessing indicates that it comes from a source so lofty that it cannot be drawn down through a blessing. This teaches that every Yid can reach a level such that even on a weekday he possesses the concept of a miracle. In greater clarification, the Midrash Tehillim states that Dovid HaMelech requested from Hashem: "Yihiyu lerotzen imrei fi", may the words of my mouth be acceptable, may Yidden read them and receive reward for them as if they engaged in the study of Negayim and Ohalos. Negayim are plagues and leprous diseases, and Ohalos are basically Hilchos Tumah, impurity resulting from proximity with the dead. The obvious reason for mentioning Negayim and Ohalos specifically is because they are profound areas in Torah. But if only because of this, Dovid HaMelech could have mentioned monetary laws, Dinim Mamonis, about which our Chachamim say one who wishes to become wise, rotzeh lehakim, yasag bedinim mamonis, should engage in the study of monetary laws. We can therefore derive from this that Negayim and Ohalos emphasize another matter, that the Torah affects worldly matters, even the very lowest Negayim which came into being after the sin of the Eitz Hadaas, and Ohalos, the most severe form of

08:36 impurity. Through studying these concepts in Torah, a Jew elevates the lowest matters in the world. And this is what Dovid HaMelech meant when he said, "Yihiyu lerotzen imrei fi", that when a person is reciting chapters of Tehillim, he receives a reward for them as if he would have studied Negayim and Ohalos. Because through reciting Tehillim, the world is refined and elevated, similar to the elevation achieved by the study of Negayim and Ohalos. As we see in the case in the recital of Hallel that it affects the world, for Hallel is recited over a miracle, a change in world. And this is something that relates to all. The recital of Tehillim is relevant to all Jews, even the simplest. Indeed, the reciting of Tehillim by simple Jews has a certain advantage over Torah study. As the story of the Baal Shem Tov that he once showed his disciples the greatness of the recital of Tehillim by such Jews to the extent that the disciples envied them and wished that Hashem would help them, the disciples, to serve Hashem in such a manner. This is a sicha from the day after Chavdalat Teves. It was Shabbos, Shabbos Mevorchim Chet Shvat. And now we go on to a sicha, Chavdalat Teves Taf Shin Mem Beis, nineteen eighty-two. The Rebbe speaks about the Kviyus, the calendar setting of Chavdalat Teves that it is on a Tuesday, as this year, and the lessons that we derive in Avodas Hashem. And since everything is Hashgacha Protis, divine providence, and especially based

10:30 on the tale of the Baal Shem Tov that every Inyan has a lesson, a ro'eh in Avodas Hashem, but mainly it's understood also b'negia to the Kviyus, the calendar setting of Chavdalat Teves on a Tuesday. And the Rebbe connects it with the Shir Chumash with, of Parshas Va'era. In Parshat Va'era, chapter vav, pasuk ches, it says, "Vehaveisi eschem el ha'aretz asher nasosi es yodi." That David will bring Yidden to the land which, as Rashi explains, he swore with an oath that he's gonna give it to Avraham, Yitzchak, v'Yaakov, and that shall be a heritage, inheritance for the Jewish nation. Which means the Rebbe says that Eretz Yisrael was given with a shevua to every individual Yid, wherever they are and at all times. And the status is Yerusha. Yerusha is something that has no interruption. It's eternal. And no one could object to it because it just passes on from one to another. :"Matzad Ha'aloch" of Torah of Yerusha. In addition to the above, the Rebbe focuses also on the third day in the week, which is Yom Shlishi, :"Shehuch ba'al beh kitav." It's a double goodness. Goodness for Heaven's sake and goodness for creation's sake. And the Rebbe explains it does not mean that part of the day is tevah shamayim and part of the day is tevah bri. It's not every regah, every moment, every- Unit of time of this specific day is a minute that is, or a unit of time that is consisting of two ingyonim, teiv hashamayim and teiv labriyis,

12:36 which this connects the ave for another yid with Aves HaKadosh Baruch Hu. As we find ourselves after Chavdalo Teives and approaching Yud Shvat, the Rebbe spoke in a sicha the connection between these two yemei hilulah. The sicha was on Chavdalo Teives, Tovshin Lametes, early nineteen seventy-nine. The Rebbe said as follows, "Fifteen days from today, the yortsite of the Alter Rebbe comes Yud Shvat, which is the yortsite of the previous Rebbe. The connection between the two days is emphasized by the fact that every year Yud Shvat falls on the day of the week directly following that of the twenty-fourth of Teives. For example, this year Chavdalo Teives occurs on a Tuesday and Yud Shvat on a Wednesday. Whenever two days of the week follow one another, a relationship exists between them. The conclusion of one day leads into the next, and the beginning of the following day starts at the end of the first. Thus we see that the Friedrich Rebbe's yortsite is connected to the Alter Rebbe's. Although a gap of two weeks separates the two, Kabbalah explains that all Tuesdays and, and also all Wednesdays are related to each other." The example the Rebbe refers to is as we find by Aseres Yemei Teshuva between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur that there is a set of seven days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. These seven days consist of all the seven days of the weeks of the entire year. Therefore, although there is a gap of two weeks between Chavdalo Teives and Yud

14:45 Shvat, still because all the weeks are connected together, it is as one follows the other as two days follow each other. Therefore, the Rebbe continues, we must find a lesson which connects the two dates. The Friedrich Rebbe was the successor of the Alter Rebbe. The Hebrew word for succeed, memalamochim, literally means fills the space. The use of that term indicates that the Friedrich Rebbe completely fulfilled the services initiated by the Alter Rebbe. Furthermore, since he belonged to a later generation than according to the principle of milim b'kedosh, ever higher in holy matters, it follows that he made a unique contribution over and above the legacy he received from the Rabbeim that preceded him. That contribution centered around the extension of Chassidus to the point that it reached even those outside the normal sphere of Jewish activity. The previous Rebbe initiated the translation of not only elementary, but also profound texts of both the legal and mystical aspects of Torah into languages other than Hebrew. He oversaw the translation of a number of different texts into Russian, German, French, English, etc. The translation of Torah brought about by the previous Rebbe centered not only on texts, but also on Torah lifestyle and behavior. In the times of the previous Rabbeim, the Jews were spread out among the nation physically. However, they had a strong conscientiousness of their Jewish entity and identity of their Jewish, of their Jewish identity, and their lives revolved around the Torah. However, in the times of the Friedrich Rebbe, the Galus had

16:57 become internalized. By then, Jews had adopted aspects of the lifestyle and character of the nations in which they lived. Not only did the Jewish people need translations of Torah texts, but they also had to be taught how to live as Jews. The Friedrich Rebbe worked to establish a connection between these Jews and a genuine Torah lifestyle. In bringing them into contact with Torah, he never compromised. He brought them close to Torah without lowering Torah to their level. Simultaneously, he saw to it that they can approach Torah in a pleasant and inviting manner. The previous Rebbe was able to take the two lights, the legacy of the Alter Rebbe, whose first name is Schneer, two lights, and give them over to every Jew in such a manner that they were Lizman. Second name of the Alter Rebbe is Zalman. When we turn the se- the sequence of the letters, we also have this, the word Lizman. Timely, they related well to practical deed and action in a timely manner within the framework of space and time in this physical world. The concept above clarifies the lesson of the connection between Chavdalo Teives and Yud Shvat. Stated succinctly, it is that we must try to bring Torah out in seventy languages and communicate its lifestyle to every Jew no matter what his background. This obligation particularly applies to our generation. Much less self-sacrifice and strength of character is necessary to spread Torah now than in previous generations. Fewer obstacles stand in the way of Torah and mitzvahs.

19:05 On the contrary, the non-Jews generally respect those who observe their religion. This situation should encourage and bring about an increase in the spreading of Torah. We can clearly see that Hashem has given us the potential to overcome the challenges of Galus. The existence of the opportunity must be a sign for us to broaden our scope of action. If Hashem has provided us with the potential to do more, that potential must be used.