Three sayings of the Rebbe Maharash, repeated by the Rebbe Rashab:[1]

1. [The Rebbe Maharash] ... said to the chassid Reb Leib Posen of Vitebsk,[2] "Just because you are a businessman who owns much property in the city (may the evil eye not affect it), don't think that you are exempt from avodah. It was my great-grandfather's (the Alter Rebbe) wish that even ordinary businessmen should feel that 'There is none besides Him'; this should be accomplished by rational understanding."

2. [The Rebbe Maharash] once said, "A refined thought reaches even to the world [that is the source] of thought. If one thinks in his mind about a tzaddik who is now in the World of Truth, this thought becomes refined in the world of thought. It attaches itself to the innermost aspects of the heavenly abode of that tzaddik. Then, some of the light of that tzaddik's soul becomes assimilated into the person thinking the refined thought. This aids him both in spiritual matters and in material matters."

3. [The Rebbe Maharash] once said, "My great-grandfather (the Alter Rebbe) says in Chapter [3] (of Shaar HaYichud VehaEmunah), 'But if the eye were permitted to see and to comprehend the life-force and the spirit within each created thing, which flows into it from the source of the mouth of G-d and the breath of His mouth, the physical, material, and substantial aspects would not be at all visible to our eyes, for it would be in actual fact rendered null and void by the life-force and spirit within it.' The phrase 'if the eye were permitted to see' refers to the eye seeing without any avodah, the same way that the eye sees all other things. But by means of avodah, every person can see actual G-dliness through the physical sense of sight."

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About the Rebbe Rashab's birth:3

At seven o'clock I arrived at my grandmother's[4] home. Our conversation turned to the topic of my father's birth. This is what she told me:

On 10 Kislev 5620, I saw my mother (Rebbetzin Sarah, daughter of the Mitteler Rebbe), and my grandfather the Mitteler Rebbe, with glowing expressions on their faces. Mother said to me, "Rivkah, you and your husband should write a Torah scroll."

Grandfather then added, "In return, you will have a good son. [When that happens,] do not forget about my name."

Mother then said, "Rivkah, listen to what my father is telling you."

At this point, I awoke. The dream occupied my thoughts all day, but I said nothing about it to your grandfather [the Rebbe Maharash], nor did I tell him the dream. Two or three days later, my mother-in-law[5] fell ill with a fever, and I had to attend to her. During the night the fever subsided, and by morning she felt better.

After the davening, my father-in-law entered the Rebbetzin's room to visit her, and she reported to him a dream that she had during the night. Father-in-law replied that the Gemara says that dreaming is beneficial for the sick. There are two opinions concerning the contents of dreams: one opinion believes that there is some meaning to them, and the other does not believe in such things. He then turned to me and said, "But a good dream must certainly be obeyed."

After my father-in-law departed, I contemplated what he had said about dreams, and especially his last remark, "But a good dream must certainly be obeyed." I replayed in my mind the scene of the dream I had seen on 10 Kislev, and decided to tell your grandfather about it.

Alas, when I returned home I discovered that our daughter Devorah Leah was sick. She had tonsillitis, accompanied by a high fever. For the next few days, this kept me very busy, and so I forgot about everything else. After three days the fever subsided, and her health was restored.

On the night of 19 Kislev, I had another dream. I dreamed that my mother the Rebbetzin came to me, along with the Mitteler Rebbe and another elderly man. Mother said to me, "Rivkah, you and your husband should write a Torah scroll."

Grandfather added, "In return, you will have a good son."

The Elderly man then said, "Amein, may G-d say so too!"

Mother said, "Zayde,[6] bless her."

Mother and Grandfather answered Amein! I too answered Amein, whereupon I awoke.

Your grandfather had already risen from his sleep, but was still in the room. "What was that you just said? Did I hear you say Amein?" he inquired.

I washed my hands and said to him, "Yes, that's what it was. I had a dream, and in an hour I will come to your room and tell you about it."

I told your grandfather about the dream of 10 Kislev, word for word, and also the dream of the previous night. Your grandfather replied, "It was a good dream. Why didn't you tell me about it right away, when you dreamed it on 10 Kislev? Dreams such as this deal with things that are most important in the world."

He added that he wanted the Torah scroll to be written on parchment made from skins of animals that had been slaughtered in the kosher manner. Such parchment is not easy to find. About five weeks passed before we managed to obtain a few lengths of such parchment.

My father-in-law instructed your grandfather that the writing of this Torah scroll should be begun in secret: Only his brothers should be present, and it should be begun in his own private room. They began writing the scroll on 15 Shvat in secret, in my father-in-law's private chamber.

Your grandfather urged the scribe to write the scroll quickly, and so by the month of Elul it was almost finished. Your grandfather planned to have it completed on the day after Yom Kippur, which was to fall on a Thursday. My father-in-law agreed to this schedule.

Your grandfather desired to make a great feast in honor of the mitzvah of the scroll's completion, and my father-in-law agreed to this. Being pregnant, I was unable to help in preparing the feast. Therefore, they hired a person specifically to take care of all the preparations. During the days of Rosh HaShanah and the Ten Days of Penitence, it became public knowledge that on the day after Yom Kippur there would be a feast for the completion of the Torah scroll. Therefore, several guests who had come for Yom Kippur remained, to await the feast.

Early in the morning of the day following Yom Kippur, my father-in-law sent for your grandfather and said to him: "Today, you should make a great feast; I myself will also attend this feast and I will recite Chassidus. But do not complete [the Torah scroll] today." He gave no reason for this.

On Monday, 13 MarCheshvan, my father-in-law sent for your grandfather and said to him: "This evening, summon the scribe to my chamber. Send for your mother too, and we will complete the scroll in private."

I myself sewed the covering for the Torah scroll. When I brought the covering into my father-in-law's chamber he said to me: "Mazel Tov to you; may G-d fulfill the blessing that my father-in-law[7] and my grandfather[8] bestowed upon you.

The following week, on Monday, 20 MarCheshvan 5621, at nine o'clock in the morning, I gave birth to your father with Mazel Tov, may he live a long life. When your father was born, many guests from several nearby towns arrived to attend the bris milah, which was to be held on Monday, 27 MarCheshvan. A great feast was prepared.

On Shabbos of Parshas Chaye Sarah the feasts celebrating the birth of a male child were held. During that Shabbos my father-in-law recited Chassidus twice; he himself came during the evening to attend the farbrengen in honor of the male child and also the feast in honor of the male child. He remained for about an hour each time, and was very joyful.

On Sunday evening many dozens of guests were present. My brothers-in-law - my father-in-law's sons - and your grandfather's brothers remained awake all night reciting the Psalms and studying the Zohar as is customary during the night before a bris, called Wach Nacht.

At that time, my mother-in-law the Rebbetzin was in poor health, and so her daughter - my sister-in-law Devorah Leah - would spend the night together with her in her chamber. My mother-in-law the Rebbetzin's chamber was next to my father-in-law's chamber.

During the night, at about three o'clock, my mother-in-law the Rebbetzin and my sister-in-law heard my father-in-law speaking with his attendant Reb Chayim Dov. My mother-in-law requested that her daughter - my sister-in-law - go to see what was happening in my father-in-law's chamber, and why he had sent for his attendant[9] at such a late hour.

My sister-in-law heard her father instructing Reb Chayim Dov to tell your grandfather that the bris would not take place the following day. She returned, and reported to her mother (my mother-in-law) the Rebbetzin what she had heard. My mother-in-law was greatly distressed by this news, and she sent her daughter to request that my father-in-law [the Tzemach Tzedek] rescind his message to your grandfather that the bris would be postponed. She was to offer the excuse that I was then still weak; thus, when I learned that the bris was being postponed, the resulting anguish would be harmful to my health.

My father-in-law, however, refused to listen, and he ordered the attendant Reb Chayim Dov to carry out his mission. The Rebbetzin then sent her daughter to him a second time, requesting that the bris not be delayed. This time, her excuse was that many guests had come, and a large feast had been prepared. Postponing the bris would thus entail a substantial monetary loss, and would be disrespectful to the guests, causing them anguish.

Father-in-law replied that he was quite well versed in the law, and he had good reasons for delaying the bris. Therefore, he would send his attendant to inform your grandfather that the bris would not take place on time.

My mother-in-law sent her daughter to my father-in-law yet a third time. Again, she requested that he refrain from sending his attendant with the message that the bris would not be on time. This time, she stood on her rights as the daughter of a Torah scholar.[10] Because of this, she now had the right to make this demand.

Father-in-law replied to his daughter, "What can I do with your mother the Rebbetzin? Since this is her desire, and she demands it as her right, being the daughter of a Torah scholar, I am compelled to yield to her wishes. But [it will make no difference, because] the situation is this: the Torah scroll was dedicated at the time when it was ordained to happen. [This was because] everything, in fact, happens by hashgachah pratis, according to the will of the Supernal One (blessed be He). Therefore, the entry of the child into the covenant of our forefather Avraham must also take place at the time when it is ordained to happen."

The following day (Monday), everything proceeded according to the regular schedule when a bris is to take place. Candles were lit in the shul, and all the congregants omitted the Tachanun[11] prayer. After the davening, my father-in-law entered the shul, the chair of Eliyahu HaNavi was prepared, and my father-in-law was given the honor of holding the child, who was now brought in. Your grandfather was an expert at milah, but when they were about to perform the milah, they discovered that it could not be done. Your grandfather and several other experts at milah - with my father-in-law concurring - ruled that it was necessary to postpone the bris.

Father-in-law remained seated in the shul and ordered that the customary cake and liquor be served. He drank LeChayim! and recited a chassidic discourse. A short while later, Father-in-law sent for your grandfather and said to him:

Tomorrow, you will perform your son's bris. It should be done in my prayer room.[12] It should also be done very discreetly; only your brothers and your closest associates should be present, no more than twenty people in total. The Second Tablets were given discretely, and about them is said, "They shall not depart from your mouth, nor the mouths of your descendants, nor the mouths of your descendants' descendants, says G-d, from now and forever."

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The Rebbe Maharash and Reb "Y.M.":[13]

Excerpts from the Rebbe Rayatz's diary: "A fascinating narrative about a descendant of a great and famous line of chassidim. For various reasons, he strayed from the path of observant Judaism for several years (may we be spared such a fate), having been swept along with the tide of secular life."[14]

The narrative deals with the Rebbe Maharash's public affairs activities, and the role of this Reb Y.M. Many years later, as a result of a chance meeting with the Rebbe Rayatz on a train (the Rebbe Rayatz's appearance was strikingly similar to that of the Rebbe Maharash), Reb Y.M. eventually returned to his religious roots.

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Letter by the Rebbe Maharash (with bibliographic notes):[15]

A letter to the congregation of the town of Borisov, regarding the necessity to appoint a specific person as mashpia to teach Chassidus, the obligation (and capability) of business people to engage in avodah, and authorization of Reb Shmuel Dov of Borisov to serve as mashpia and to receive a salary.

BH Wednesday, 3 Menachem Av 5628, Marienbad

As you yourselves desire, so do I, your intimate comrade who seeks your welfare as the desire of my soul. I beg you [to obey my instructions] for the benefit of our aforementioned comrade and also for your own spiritual and material benefit, forever each day.

[signed]: Shmuel.

The Power of Tehillim:[16]

In the month of Nissan 5640 (March 1880 in the non-Jewish calendar) my saintly grandfather the Rebbe Maharash returned from Petersburg. He was in great anguish because one of the chief ministers had recommended that a new decree be issued against the Jews regarding their commercial affairs, including further restrictions against Jews residing outside the Pale of Settlement.

The Rebbe Maharash had remained in Petersburg for some time and had almost achieved certain concessions - chiefly, that the time for placing the recommended decrees before the Senate would be postponed until the following year. But then, one of the senators - a friend of the anti-Semitic minister who had recommended the decrees - became adamant about it, and persuaded several of his colleagues that they too should demand that all the recommendations of the anti-Semitic minister be debated, approved, and carried out right away.

When the Rebbe Maharash returned home, he was in great anguish over this. Even while at home he continued attending to this matter through emissaries and correspondence. The main people involved were the wealthy chassid Reb Nachum Hermont, the chassidic shochet Reb Yisrael Chaikin, and the wealthy chassid Reb Leib Monnenssohn.

On Tuesday, 2 Iyar,[17] Grandfather sent for my saintly father the Rebbe Rashab, and said:

Since the time that I was in Petersburg attending to the matter of the decrees, I began to recite Tehillim plentifully.[18] Today, just as I was reciting the verse,[19] "For He has rescued me from every crisis, and my eye has witnessed [the downfall of] my enemies," Ben Tziyon[20] came in and handed me a telegram that had just been brought from Rudnia.[21] It was from Reb Yisrael Chaikin the shochet, informing me that the anti-Semitic senator had suffered a stroke and died suddenly. "So may all Your enemies perish, O G-d."[22]

My grandfather the Rebbe Maharash concluded: "In spite of this[23] I finished the entire portion [of Tehillim].[24]

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The Rebbe Maharash and the chassidic businessmen:[25]

Story about various types of chassidic businessmen, describing how the Rebbe Maharash affected the ups and downs of their fortunes.

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Teshuvah and cheshbon hanefesh:[26]

The Rebbe Rashab related (to the Rebbe Rayatz):

Many guests arrived [in Lubavitch] for Shabbos Selichos 5637. As was customary, your uncle Raza,[27] your uncle Ramal,[28] and I, repeated the recent maamarim. Each of us did so at the time designated for him - more correctly, in his proper turn. With your saintly grandfather [the Rebbe Maharash], the schedule for saying Chassidus varied.

During the months of Tishrei through Iyar, he would usually recite Chassidus before Kabbalas Shabbos. During the months of Sivan through Elul, [he would do so] on Shabbos morning before davening, at seven or eight in the morning; sometimes, it would be after the davening, at about one in the afternoon. On Yom Tov, there were different times, as I have told you.

Depending on the varying hours that the discourses were delivered, the times for reviewing the discourses would also change, but the order remained fixed. Your uncle, my brother-in-law Reb Moshe Leib went first; your uncle, my brother Reb Zalman Aharon went second; I was the third.

Among the guests who had come for that Shabbos, was the chassid Reb Abba Zelig, a storekeeper from Beshenkovitch. I had known him since the time I first began reviewing the discourses in public. But I had never paid any special attention to him, nor did I regard him as distinguished in any way from the other guests.

On that Shabbos, Father recited the discourse before Kabbalas Shabbos; it was the discourse beginning with the passage, "Rav Shmuel bar Nachmani said...." We paid close attention to this discourse and absorbed it thoroughly.

A discourse dealing with teshuvah in general, and especially one said on Shabbos Selichos, penetrated our minds and our hearts. It allowed us no rest. This discourse refined our thoughts and our speech (so to speak) the way salt refines meat and draws the blood out of it. That Kabbalas Shabbos and Maariv prayer had a great effect on me and it summoned forth very worthy teshuvah resolutions.

At that Shabbos evening meal, Father related that there had been times when our ancestors the Rebbeim would recite zemiros during the Shabbos meals. These were his exact words:

My great-grandfather's [the Alter Rebbe] opinion was that the Shabbos Zemiros should recite themselves.[29] Regarding something that is supposed to recite itself - if it does indeed recite itself, then it is a genuine recitation; but if it has merely been recited,[30] then it is no recitation.[31]

When he finished these remarks, he began to sing the zemiros, and the assembly sang along with him.

I was already broken and dejected from the effects of the discourse. I was also exhausted from my avodah during the hours that had elapsed between the time I had heard the discourse and the mealtime. Now, the zemiros evoked a very deep flood of emotion within me; it required my utmost strength to control myself from bursting out in profuse weeping.

I was still deeply engrossed in the words my father had quoted in the name of the Alter Rebbe, and the sweet sound of the zemiros still rang in my ear when Father began to speak on the subject of cheshbon hanefesh, saying:

There is a specific occasion fixed for cheshbon hanefesh. The occasion for this varies according to the different time frames. In the time frame of a day, the proper occasion is at the time of Kerias Shema upon retiring. In the time frame of a week, the proper occasion is on Thursday night at Kerias Shema upon retiring. In the time frame of a month, the proper occasion is on Erev Rosh Chodesh. And in the time frame of a year, the proper occasion is the month of Elul. Those who have missed the opportunity for cheshbon hanefesh on all these occasions, still have their last chance for this during the days of Selichos.

When he finished saying these words, he began to sing one of the old niggunim in great deveikus. When he finished singing, he continued as follows:

In truth, the days of Selichos are not the proper time for cheshbon hanefesh, but rather a time for avodah and teshuvah. It is only that those who have missed the [proper times for] cheshbon hanefesh can still make it up. But the main purpose of the days of Selichos is the avodah of teshuvah.

There are different times and different methods for teshuvah. This means that in addition to the ordinary weekday teshuvah there are also special times and special methods for teshuvah. The special times and methods for teshuvah are: the month of Elul, Selichos, Rosh HaShanah, the Ten Days of Teshuvah, Yom Kippur, and the four days between Yom Kippur and Sukkos.

Father remained silent for some time, and then he continued, saying:

Each of the proper times set for teshuvah is a favorable occasion for a different kind of teshuvah: the teshuvah for the month of Elul is not the same as the teshuvah for the days of Selichos; the teshuvah for the days of Selichos is not the same as the teshuvah for Rosh HaShanah; the teshuvah for Rosh HaShanah is not the same as the teshuvah for the seven days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur; and the teshuvah for these seven days is not the same as the teshuvah for Yom Kippur.

These five different occasions for teshuvah all apply to man himself. They represent different planes - very different planes - but they all apply to man. By contrast, the teshuvah of the four days between Yom Kippur and Sukkos corresponds to the four letters of the Name Havayah that exist within man.[32]

Before reciting the Grace After Meals he instructed us to sing one of the old niggunim. He himself sang it three times in succession.

---

The Rebbe Rashab's wedding:[33]

[The Rebbe Rashab] began speaking about his wedding and related the following:

When it was time for him to return [to Lubavitch] from the wedding [in Avrutch], his departure was delayed by several hours from the time that had been agreed upon. This was because the mechutan attempted to arrange that they would not return home at least until after Shabbos, for he desired that they remain with him for Shabbos. Nevertheless, since the Rebbe Maharash had instructed them to return home for Shabbos, he [the Rebbe Rashab] did his best to accomplish at least that much.

When he arrived, the Rebbe Maharash was exceedingly joyful. A very large number of Anash were present, and on Motzoei Shabbos they all danced without their frock coats,[34] for they had all removed their frock coats and danced in only their four-cornered garments.[35] The Rebbe Shlita remarked that when he arrived he found that even the chassid Reb Zalman Neimark of Staredov was wearing only his four-cornered garment.

The Rebbe [Rashab] Shlita then related that when they left to travel to the wedding, the Rebbe Maharash accompanied them as far as Achremiva.[36] There was only a short bench available, sufficient for only one person, and he sat upon it. Since it was also necessary for the chassan to sit, one of the young men bent over with his arms upon the ground, and the chassan sat down on him.

The Rebbe Maharash recited a maamar for the occasion,[37] and then he said: "Now[38] is the time when the concept of mochin de'Ima[39] is revealed, and so your mother is traveling with you. But at a future time[40] the concept of mochin deAbba[41] will be revealed, and so I myself will also be there."

As they were leaving they brought a gift for the kallah in a small box, and it was placed in the carriage. The Rebbe Maharash inquired what was inside, and they replied that it was a hat for the kallah. He requested that they show it to him, and when they gave it to him he cut the decoration off from it (I believe it was the feathers).

---

The Rebbe Maharash was an atzmi:[42]

[The Rebbe Rashab] then began speaking about the Rebbe Maharash:

I have seen an atzmi.[43] Whenever he was broken in spirit, he was totally broken. And whenever he was joyful, he was totally joyful.[44] That's how it is with an atzmi: when he is here he is completely here, and when he is there he is completely there. And none of this needs any preamble - one thing need not serve as a preamble to another.

The Rebbe [Rashab] Shlita asked Reb S.G,[45] "Did you see an atzmi? Were you present every Rosh HaShanah?"

He replied in the affirmative. He then asked whether his place had been near the Rebbe Maharash or whether he had been off somewhere by himself. He replied that his place had been nearby, and he had never moved away from him for a moment.

The Rebbe said: "In that case, you must have seen an atzmi."

Reb S.G. replied, "One has to know how to see it."

The Rebbe Shlita said to him: "Well, you ought to have seen it."

Someone remarked [that he could discern the Rebbe Maharash to be an atzmi] from the way [the Maharash] recited the verses.[46] To this [the Rebbe Rashab] replied:

I do not get excited by his verses or his shofar blowing. Obviously, this too affected him to the inner depths of his soul. But it is part of the order of his avodah. His davening and his verses are part of the order of avodah, his internal avodah.[47] I do, however, become excited by the way he recited Maftir.[48] During Maftir, streams ran from his eyes, from his nose, and from all channels. And this was strictly without any preambles. It is not that the present subject demanded it; it is rather that, here one should weep, and so he wept.[49]

This was in accord with what is written in the Prague editions of the Machzor: "Here, one should weep."[50] And so, he wept. For if it is written in the Prague editions that here one should weep, it is because it is so ordained on High. Therefore, he wept with no preambles required at all.[51]

---

Business advice: [52]

On 5 Elul during our stroll, [my father] spoke at length about the magnificence of my grandfather the Rebbe Maharash, adding that occasionally he would reveal lofty matters even in regard to worldly subjects, not only Chassidus (in which subject he was exceedingly outstanding).

It once happened that Reb Pesach Kuper[53] went in for yechidus to ask advice about his material concerns. At the time, he wanted very much to enter a business partnership with the famous magnates Pozrin, Morsha, and the like, to build paved roads. But Grandfather would not agree to this plan. [Kuper] persisted in asking two or three times, offering evidence to show that a partnership with these people was a good and essential thing. The Rebbe Maharash replied to him: "I want your success to be for you alone."[54] After this, [Kuper] ceased speaking about the matter. From that time on he began to have success in his business affairs, beyond anything he could have hoped for. As for the companies of the aforementioned magnates with whom he had wished to associate himself, they were bankrupt (may G-d preserve us) not long afterwards.

   

Notes:

1. (Back to text) [An entry in the Rebbe Rayatz's diary, Motzoei Shabbos Parshas Va'eira, 18 (eve of 19) MarCheshvan 5654, in Lubavitch, describing the Kiddush of Shabbos afternoon; printed in HaTamim, Vol. 3, p. 26, 27.]

2. (Back to text) [A brief biography appears in Links in the Chassidic Legacy, in the chapter "Typical Chassidic Businessmen."]

3. (Back to text) [An entry in the Rebbe Rayatz's diary, Wednesday 24 Kislev 5657, Lubavitch; printed in HaTamim, Vol. 3, p. 28ff.]

4. (Back to text) [Rebbetzin Rivkah, wife of the Rebbe Maharash.]

5. (Back to text) [Rebbetzin Chayah Mushka, wife of the Tzemach Tzedek.]

6. (Back to text) I.e., the Alter Rebbe.

7. (Back to text) The Mitteler Rebbe.

8. (Back to text) [The Alter Rebbe.]

9. (Back to text) He was usually in a room adjacent to my father-in-law's chamber.

10. (Back to text) [The Mitteler Rebbe.]

11. (Back to text) [Lit., "supplications" (Aramaic). A prayer recited on weekdays at the Shacharis and Minchah services (Siddur, pp. 61-68, 103-105). It is omitted even on minor festivals and when a bris is to take place in the shul.]

12. (Back to text) This was a large room where they used to daven; it was called "the Rebbe's little minyan room."

13. (Back to text) [Printed in HaTamim, Vol. 3, pp 88-93 and Vol. 4, pp. 80-85. English translation appeared in Links in the Chassidic Legacy, pp. 65-112.]

14. (Back to text) [From a comment by the editors of HaTamim.]

15. (Back to text) [Printed in HaTamim, Vol. 5, pp. 8-10. English translation appeared in Links in the Chassidic Legacy, pp. 175-180.]

16. (Back to text) Printed in HaTamim, Vol. 5, p. 55; in the collection of letters Kovetz Michtavim appended to Sefer Tehillim Ohel Yosef Yitzchak; and in Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rayatz, Vol. 3, pp. 474-475 (Letter No. 823).

17. (Back to text) The Rebbe Maharash's birthday.

18. (Back to text) That was the term my grandfather the Rebbe Maharash used. Father explained what he meant by that: [he recited] Tehillim as it is divided for the days of the week; this was in addition to the regular order of reciting Tehillim according to the days of the month.

19. (Back to text) [Tehillim 54:9; this verse is in the middle of the portion of Tehillim for Tuesday.]

20. (Back to text) One of the attendants.

21. (Back to text) In those days the telegraph office was in Rudnia (about 15 kilometers from Lubavitch).

22. (Back to text) [Shoftim 5:31.]

23. (Back to text) [I.e., in spite of the fact that the senator was dead, and the troubles over which he was saying the Tehillim had ended.]

24. (Back to text) Cf. Shulchan Aruch Orach Chayim Ch. 569.

25. (Back to text) Printed in HaTamim, Vol. 7, pp. 102-108. English translation appeared in Links in the Chassidic Legacy, pp. 137-153.

26. (Back to text) From the Rebbe Rayatz's diary, Friday 24 Sivan 5656, Balivka summer estate. Printed in Igros Kodesh of the Rebbe Rayatz, Vol. 3, pp. 481-483 (Letter No. 825) and also as part of the Introduction to the Mitteler Rebbe's maamar Pokeiach Ivrim.

27. (Back to text) [Reb Zalman Aharon, second son of the Rebbe Maharash.]

28. (Back to text) [Reb Moshe Leib Ginsburg,] son-in-law of the Rebbe Maharash.

29. (Back to text) [I.e., the recitation should come fluently, without conscious effort.]

30. (Back to text) [I.e., the person goes through the motions of reciting the zemiros, but it does not come naturally to him, and so the zemiros do not "recite themselves."]

31. (Back to text) Obviously, this approach is only for tzaddikim who are on a high plateau. As for us, we must do everything at its scheduled time, simply taking upon ourselves the yoke of Heaven.

32. (Back to text) The four letters of the Name Havayah exist within the soul: yud corresponds to Chochmah of the soul, and it is the faculty of self-sacrifice possessed by every Jew; hei corresponds to Binah of the soul, and it is the understanding of the nature of the Divine; vav corresponds to the middos of the soul; the final hei corresponds to thought, speech, and action of the soul. These concepts are elucidated at length in chassidic discourses printed in several different places. [See Likkutei Torah, Devarim 18a ff.; Sefer HaMaamarim 5679, p. 611ff.]

33. (Back to text) Remarks by the Rebbe Rashab to a select group in his home prior to Hakkafos on Simchas Torah 5674 (notes written by one of those who had attended). Printed in Toras Shalom - Sefer HaSichos, pp. 187-188.

34. (Back to text) [The dancing was exceedingly wild because of the great joy.]

35. (Back to text) [The fringed four-cornered garment is usually concealed under the frock. Apparently they wore it over their shirts, and so when they removed their frocks the fringes were exposed.]

36. (Back to text) [For certain reasons (chiefly on account of his health) he did not attend the wedding itself.]

37. (Back to text) [Sefer HaMaamarim 5635, Vol. 2, p. 553.]

38. (Back to text) [During the time of exile.]

39. (Back to text) [Lit., "Intellect of Mother," i.e., Binah].

40. (Back to text) [In the Messianic era (which he expected would arrive before their return from the wedding).]

41. (Back to text) [Lit, "Intellect of Father," i.e., Chochmah.]

42. (Back to text) A continuation of the above remarks, Toras Shalom - Sefer HaSichos, p. 188.

43. (Back to text) [This concept is difficult to translate into an equivalent English term. The meaning is that - unlike ordinary mortals - the Rebbe Maharash's intellect, middos, thought, speech, actions, etc., did not change in accordance with - nor were they influenced by - outside influences, but were derived from his essential being.]

44. (Back to text) [His joy was not inspired by some joyful happenings he saw, or news he heard, or joyful thoughts he contemplated, but was rather part of his essential being at times when joy was appropriate. And the same was true for sadness at times when sadness was appropriate. Thus, when joy was appropriate he was totally joyful, and when sadness was appropriate he was completely broken (unlike ordinary folk whose joy on Simchas Torah may be marred by hearing bad news, and whose sadness on Tishah BeAv may be diminished by hearing good news).]

45. (Back to text) [Reb Shmuel Groinem Esterman, a mashpia at the original Yeshivah Tomchei Temimim in Lubavitch.]

46. (Back to text) [Before and after blowing the shofar; Siddur, pp. 280-281; Machzor for Rosh Hashanah, pp. 127-128.]

47. (Back to text) [What one could discern externally during the Rebbe Maharash's recitation of the verses and shofar blowing was no more than what one would expect as a result of the preamble of his avodah; though one could discern that the avodah had been very lofty, one could not conclude that he was an atzmi.]

48. (Back to text) [Portion from the Prophets, read by the last person called up for the Torah reading on Shabbos or Yom Tov. The Maftir passage for Rosh HaShanah is often read with special emotion. See Machzor for Rosh HaShanah, pp. 122-124.]

49. (Back to text) [I.e., his weeping was not in response to his being affected by the solemnity of the occasion, or by the sadness of the subject related in the Maftir, for the Maftir is not actually that sad; rather, since the occasion demanded weeping, he automatically wept.]

50. (Back to text) [We were unable to find the actual Prague edition where this instruction is written.]

51. (Back to text) [Cf. Sefer HaSichos 5690, Simchas Torah, par. 4.]

52. (Back to text) From the Rebbe Rayatz's diary, 5 Elul 5674. Printed in Toras Shalom - Sefer HaSichos, p. 207.

53. (Back to text) He first began traveling to Lubavitch to visit the Tzemach Tzedek in the year 5605.

54. (Back to text) [Whereas, if he went into partnership with the magnates, he would have to share the profits with them.]