The WRITTEN TORAH

RITTEN TO the W RAH לקוטי שיחות PART 2 X ELUL 5777 14 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER לזכות החייל בצבאות ה׳ זלמן יודא שיחי׳ שכטר לרגל יום הולדתו, ה׳ אלול נדפס ע״י משפחתו שיחיו IN THE PREVIOUS ARTICLE OF THIS COVERIN TWO-PART SERIES, WE FOCUSED ON DIS G RITTEN TOR THE HISTORICAL SIDE OF LIKKUTEI e W AH SICHOS: WHEN IT BEGAN, HOW IT th WAS PUBLISHED, AND THE REBBE’S INTIMATE INVOLVEMENT. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE ATTEMPT TO TOUCH ON THE CONTENT OF LIKKUTEI SICHOS. There are many sefarim of the Rebbe’s Torah itself—Likkutei Sichos, non-edited sichos, maamarim, igros, reshimos, and so on—and they all share the most critical common denominator: through learning his Torah, we become mekushar with the Rebbe himself in the closest way possible, for the essence of our mind becomes one with him. In this series, we have trained our focus on Likkutei Sichos. JEM 193603 via ELUL 5739, LEVI FREIDIN 5739, ELUL ELUL 5777 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 15 OUR CAPACITY Likkutei Sichos is an inherently because every sicha includes Reb Shmuel Ber Borisover impossible endeavor. themes in Chassidus; the Rebbe’s (otherwise known as Rashda”m) Furthermore, Likkutei Sichos hashkafa is expressed throughout was one of the most famous is not a single sefer on a single the entire Likkutei Sichos, in all Chassidim of the Tzemach subject; there are so many the different subjects.” Tzedek and Rebbe Maharash. different types of sichos: Rashi “The Alter Rebbe’s sefer is Counted among the greatest sichos, Rambam sichos, Chassidus Tanya,” Rabbi Yosef Gurary maskilim (thinkers in Chassidus) sichos, sichos on the parsha, sichos says. “The Alter Rebbe had a of his time, he was also known on Midrash, and on and on. It shita, an approach, and where as an exceptionally clever and encompasses and incorporates did he record it? In the Tanya. wise Chossid. all layers and approaches of To put it in other words: the He once said: “In comparison Torah. sefer of the Alter Rebbe is to Reb Hillel Paritcher’s depth of However, in the spirit of Tanya. So although he said intellect, the cat and I are equal.” inspiring and reinvigorating maamarim, where one can find Then he explained: “One might our readership in the study of major foundational concepts in think that I mean to say that Likkutei Sichos, we have asked Chassidus, if you would have to just as the cat understands me, I several Chassidim to provide pick one sefer where the Alter understand Reb Hillel. No! The us with their thoughts, insights, Rebbe recorded his shita, that cat and I are exactly the same!” and reflections on the subject. would be the Tanya. In other words, one might think The following conversations Similarly, Likkutei Sichos that he intended to explain how touch on the many disparate is the Rebbe’s Tanya, at least distant he was from Reb Hillel’s aspects of Likkutei Sichos, from in my opinion. The Rebbe said level, but not that he and the cat which, we hope, the reader maamarim and delivered Torah were literally equal. So he added will come away with a deeper in many ways. But where did that he and the cat were literally appreciation and understanding the Rebbe record his shita in the same; equally distant from of this infinite treasure the everything? That would be Reb Hillel’s level. Rebbe gave us. Likkutei Sichos.” Rabbi Alperowitz says, Then Reb Shmuel Ber THE REBBE’S concluded. “And to compare the “When you learn a maamar after depth of Reb Hillel’s intellect to TANYA you learn the sichos—then you that of the Rebbe [the Tzemach Rabbi Zushe Alperowitz says, can understand the maamar Tzedek], this, no words can “In order for a person to truly better, you understand what the maamar really describe….”1 understand the Rebbe’s hashkafa is saying. And the The Rebbe’s Torah is and outlook, the Rebbe’s same is true with Igros, where hashkafa Elokus, fundamentally kuk—whether it’s on Torah, the Rebbe expresses his beyond the reaches of human mitzvos, the greatness of a Yid, in a more practical way: when understanding; we were gifted the purpose of the world, and you learn Igros after you learn sichos entry into the chambers of the so on—he must learn Likkutei the , you understand why king, but we dare not presume Sichos. The Rebbe’s outlook is what’s behind it, the Rebbe mastery or even true familiarity. something you internalize from approaches things in certain Attempting to write any all the different types of sichos in ways.” type of meaningful review of Likkutei Sichos: the Rashi sichos, “One example is the concept Chassidus sichos, the nigleh that a tzadik cannot do an sichos and so on—and not only aveira,” Rabbi Leibel Shapiro “Likkutei Sichos is the Rebbe’s Tanya, at least in my opinion. The Rebbe said maamarim and delivered Torah in many ways. But where did the Rebbe record his shita in everything? That would be Likkutei Sichos.” ELUL 5777 16 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER says. “In the velt this is not so clear. Avrohom can do an aveira sometimes ch”v...Moshe Rabbeinu can make a mistake... The Rebbe taught us true emunas tzadikim, something that you do not find much elaboration on anywhere else.” IMMERSING IN THE REBBE’S OUTLOOK “One also begins to comprehend the idea of true ahavas Yisroel, as was expressed in the Rebbe’s constant limmud zchus on Yidden,” Rabbi Shapiro adds. “As much as we know that Reb Levi Yitzchok Berdichever was the defender of the Yidden, one might say that the Rebbe was even more so. The Berdichever would do it on a simpler level—when he saw a poshuter Yid, he would explain how everything he did was good, showing the Aibershter how good the Yidden are and that they deserve all the brachos. But the Rebbe did this based on the words of the Torah itself: Hashem must give parnassa to Yidden based on the words of Torah; every Yid must have only good based on the words of Torah. “I’ll tell you a story. This happened in 5734, after I had already moved to Miami, and I was still working on Likkutei Sichos. The way it used to work was like this: I would prepare the sicha from Miami, send it to New York, and the members JEM 108668 of Vaad Lehofatzas Sichos had via someone type it up. Then they gave it to the Rebbe for the first round of hagaha, and then later for the second hagaha. I would not see the likkut again until it CHOF AV 5734, V SCHILDKRAUT V SCHILDKRAUT 5734, CHOF AV ELUL 5777 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 17 Moshe Rabbeinu’s tefillasaved Marei Mekomos: The Rebbe had a special passion for marei mekomos. the rest of the Yidden from When he took the helm of Kehos in the early 5700s, maamarim began immediate death, why didn’t coming out with marei mekomos for the first time in history, written mostly it save the meraglim from by the Rebbe himself. During the process of working on the likkutim, the immediate death, as well? Rebbe was particular that every single item, even the most self-understood “The Rebbe explained that, concepts and known pesukim, should have a source—and with tremendous according to Rashi, this is what precision. So singular was the Rebbe’s exhaustive sourcing that the Rebbe the possuk is emphasizing with that ,ַוָּיׁ ֻש ּבו ַוַּי ִּלינו ָע ָליוeven addressed the fact that the possuk “Bereishis bara” needed a marei the words 2 makom to 10 the meraglim’s agenda was Rabbi Leibel Altein relates: “In one sicha, it was brought down that the against him—Moshe Rabbeinu; title K’naani can mean a socher, a merchant (in addition to referring to the meaning that the meraglim K’naani nation). We wrote the source that is often quoted in Chassidus, were fighting against Moshe from the possuk in Hoshea: ‘K’naan biyado moznei mirma.’11 The Rebbe personally. Being that they were battling Moshe himself, his וכי אף אחד מכם אינו‘ ,added: ‘Pirush Rashi parshas Vayeshev’ [38:2], and wrote Does not one of you learn Chitas?!’...” [It should be noted that tefillacould not help them—ein‘ ’!?לומד חת"ת the Rebbe often emphasized using Rashi as a source since he is p’shuto shel kateigor naase saneigor [lit.: a mikra.] prosecutor cannot serve as a “The Rebbe also taught us not to quote anything unless it was defender]. confirmed,” Rabbi Leibel Shapiro relates. “When the Rebbe himself “In the yeina shel Torah—the added ha’aros, he would either check it up himself or instruct us to do so. Chassidus section of the Rashi— I remember one occasion, when the Rebbe quoted from the Radvaz (on the Rebbe explained that just as Rambam), and added that we should check the source (for accuracy). It Moshe Rabbeinu davened for turned out to be word for word from the Radvaz…” the Yidden, there is a Moshe One often finds the most exotic, unknown sefarim quoted in the ha’aros. Rabbeinu in every generation “One time,” Reb Yoel Kahan relates, “the Rebbe quoted several lines from who davens for every Yid—the the sefer Ressisei Laila by Reb Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin. But he requested nossi hador—and he went on that since he didn’t have the sefer nearby, we should double-check the to elaborate on why every Yid lashon. When we went to the library to look it up, we discovered that the needs the tefillaof the nossi quote matched up almost perfectly! This is a sefer from previous generations, hador.

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