English translation — משיחת אור ליום ג׳ פ׳ ויחי, י״ב טבח• ה׳תשמ״ז - בביהכנ״ס, לאתרי תפלת ערבית -

Continuing the above-mentioned discussion* regarding the preparations for the day of the hillula of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, on the tenth day

("The tenth shall be holy"²)

of the month of Shevat,

starting from "thirty days before the festival"³ of the hillula,

the tenth of Teves,

"a day of goodwill to G‑d"⁴ — we must add and hasten

("One only encourages those who are already motivated"⁵)

And particularly regarding matters of actual deed,

"Deed is the main thing"⁶.

As an introduction:

Well-known is the declaration of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, to every single one of the children of Israel,

starting from those who walk in the straight path which He has taught us from His ways.

Orchos Yisrael — "Stand ready, all of you,"

meaning that they have already finished all the matters⁷,

except for "polishing the buttons"

("polish the buttons")

in order to be prepared to the utmost perfection,

to the point of beautification,

to receive our righteous Moshiach, speedily.

And therefore,

As we stand close to the day of his yahrtzeit (hillula),

an auspicious day,

which,

"all his deeds, his Torah, and his service which he served all the days of his life.

are revealed and shine in a manner of revelation from above to below.

And works salvations in the midst of the earth""

One should add with greater strength and with greater vigor in fulfilling his instruction "Stand ready all of you",

By this, they conclude "to polish the buttons".

And it is understood,

that due to the great importance of the matter, there must be "preparation",

to the extent of great preparation¹² as mentioned,

thirty days before the holiday.

And behold,

The instruction of the Rebbe, my father-in-law, regarding polishing the buttons — was interpreted by him in his many articles, talks, and letters,

And a great many of them were also published¹³,

[And accordingly,

each one can look inside — the language of the Rav¹⁴,

and in the manner of 'letters

Sefer HaSichos - 5747

of wisdom'¹⁵]

And the general point among them — to increase and multiply in Torah study,

in fulfilling the commandments with splendor,

starting with the commandment of charity,

and to engage

(each one according to his measure)

in the service of prayer,

as explained at length and in detail in many places;

But nevertheless,

It is good and proper to specify and explain a particular matter in which there will be

(the essence)

the preparation for the Tenth of Shevat,

that then,

it will be easier to make a good decision about this,

and to implement it immediately and at once¹⁶.

And therefore,

My proposal and request,

that,

during each and every day of the thirty days of preparation for the Tenth of Shevat — each one, male and female, will add,

including also small children,

in Torah study,

and in giving charity¹⁷

(in addition to the study of Torah and the giving of charity prior to this)

And more specifically:

All of Israel — are divided into two types,

Issachar and Zevulun*¹: Issachar,

dwellers of the tent,

whose main work is in Torah study,

and in a manner

(for example)

"their Torah is their craft"¹⁹,

since they do not need to worry about livelihood etc.

and Zebulun,

businesspeople,

whose main service is in fulfilling the commandments and good deeds,

starting with the mitzvah of charity and gemach,

The totality of all the commandments².

But, as is well known,

each and every Jew,

whether those belonging to Yissachar or those belonging to Zevulun,

must engage in Torah and acts of kindness,

that is,

even those who sit in the tent [of Torah], "whose Torah is their primary occupation and most of their days are in it,"

are obligated to engage in charity and acts of kindness,

As our Sages said²¹, "Whoever says, 'I have only Torah,' even Torah he does not have,"

And also those who are businessmen, "who occupy most of their days with charity and acts of lovingkindness,"

are obligated to set fixed times for Torah study each and every day²²,

And not only that,

but rather the fixed times must be also in [one's] soul²³

(in addition to the fixed times in time, simply understood)

to such an extent,

that during the time dedicated to Torah study, it is in the manner of "his Torah is his craft",

that is,

that then there is nothing in his world besides Torah study.

And in terms of practice:

In these days, each individual should increase in Torah study — including businessmen

(the majority of Israel²⁴)

that they should add even more in setting fixed times for Torah [study],

both in quantity of time and in quality of study,

and also

(all the more so)

dwellers of the tent,

whose entire essence is the study of Torah,

then certainly they must increase with greater vigor and greater strength

(both in quantity and in quality)

in the study of Torah.

Eve of Tuesday, Parshat Vayechi,

12 Tevet

And in the Torah itself — both the revealed aspect of Torah,

and the inner dimension of Torah as revealed in Chassidus,

the study of Chassidic writings, etc.,

includes also the matter of spreading the wellsprings outward²⁵,

starting from the "outward" within it²⁶,

through which one succeeds also in spreading outward literally,

And in the language of our Sages, of blessed memory²⁷ "Adorn yourself first and then adorn others."

And likewise, each and every one should increase in giving charity — whether businessmen whose primary work is in charity and acts of kindness,

then certainly they need to increase in charity and acts of kindness,

and those who dwell in the tent [of Torah],

that they too need to increase in charity and acts of kindness,

whether material charity in its simple sense,

including spiritual charity,

doing good for a Jew materially,

And particularly in spirituality,

through the dissemination of Torah, Judaism, and the wellsprings outward.

And as mentioned,

that this matter applies to every man and woman,

also to women,

both regarding the study of Torah — and particularly the 'halachos that they need to know' (as per the acronym 'כר״“'

(including the study of Chassidus,

the study of matters of faith in G‑d and His Oneness,

His love and awe, etc.,

commandments whose obligation is constant and never ceases from a person

(both men and women)

even for a moment all the days of his life"²⁸)

and [likewise] regarding giving charity"²,

And all this — also regarding boys and girls before Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah,

both regarding Torah study,

And they are regarding

(Education b)

the mitzvah of charity.

And in order to make it even easier to fulfill all of the above,

including by nullifying the prevention, delay, and confusions from the yetzer of the opposite of good” — one should add and connect this also with what was discussed at length many times³² according to the teaching of the Mishnah³³ "Make for yourself a rav":

Certainly every person

(men and women,

and also minors)

the teaching of the Mishnah³⁴ "Make for yourself a mentor,"

and appointed for himself a mentor

[his mentor who teaches him Torah,

and the one who accepted upon himself to guide him in matters of ethics, etc.]

in order to converse with him, etc.,

and to be examined by him from time to time,

regarding everything related to his status and condition in the service of G‑d.

Therefore,

it is fitting that also the details of the preparations for the Tenth of Shevat should be in the manner of "Make for yourself a Rav" — for he cannot rely on himself to determine whether his preparation is "as he ought to do"³⁵ or whether he can still add more,

and therefore,

he must ask and consult about all this with the "Rav."

And it is worthwhile and proper

that during these thirty days of preparation,

each one should undergo "examinations" by his Rav,

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Students of the yeshivas

(and dwellers of the tent in general)

— by the rosh yeshiva and the like,

businessmen — by the rav appointed over them,

the women — by their mashpiot,

and similarly regarding boys and girls — by the parents,

or the teachers (male and female),

counselors (male and female)]

And in this itself — three aspects,

First aspect: after every ten days³⁶,

in order to see to what extent he prepared himself in the first ten days,

from the Tenth of Teves until the twentieth³⁷

(And in these very [days] — additional [effort] from day to day)

so that through this he will add even more in all matters of preparation during the [next] ten days, from the twentieth of Teves until Rosh Chodesh Shevat³⁸,

until the completion of the preparation in the Ten Days of Repentance,

from Rosh Chodesh Shevat until the tenth of it,

"The tenth shall be holy."

And another request in this matter — to add urgency to the matter:

Each and every one of those who are to take the aforementioned tests,

should grant permission to the examiner/"rav",

to inform me regarding the results of the tests.

And each one of the examining rabbis,

will submit the report of all those who were examined by him — for,

this knowledge from the announcement to another who is likewise will cause to add even more in all matters of preparation,

so that

he will not be ashamed,

G-d forbid,

in the results of the exams,

but on the contrary,

In the manner of "it is a mitzvah to publicize those who perform a mitzvah."

And this is my notification:

All those whose names will not arrive toward the conclusion of ten days,

and likewise toward the conclusion of twenty days,

and for the conclusion of all thirty days,

on the tenth of Shevat — behold,

the explanation of this matter is,

that they did not fulfill the aforementioned,

that were not examined by the "Rebbe" three times during the thirty days of preparation.

And one should add to this:

The above-mentioned suggestion is — for every man and woman,

the adults together with the children,

from Anshei Shlomeinu,

that our Nesi'im, the successors of the Alter Rebbe,

including — those who will join tomorrow to become Anash,

And similarly, those who will ultimately influence them to become Anash,

That is,

A matter that pertains to every Jew — as is known from the saying of the Alter Rebbe that the teachings of Chassidut are not a matter that pertains to a particular circle or faction,

but rather,

the inheritance of all of Israel,

and my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, proclaimed and publicized that now the time has come for this,

meaning,

that the teachings of Chassidut are the inheritance of all Israel, in actuality and openly,

And consequently,

each one of Israel is an "Anshei Shlomeinu"*.

And may it be His will that all the above regarding the preparations for the Tenth of Shevat will be with great and abundant success,

including — that they do all this from within

Oud for Tuesday of Parshas Vayizi,

♦"2 Teves

joy and a good heart,

"A good heart [makes] a constant feast" —⁴,

which,

the joy adds even more to the success of the matter

(as is evident tangibly)

And all this — according to the instruction

(and empowerment)

in the Shiurei Chumash of these days:

The lesson of Monday

(In sacred matters, the night follows the day⁴⁴)

whose conclusion and seal is 'and they will teem abundantly in the midst of the land'⁴⁵ — that also 'in the midst of the land'

(the lowest, below which there is none)

becomes the subject of 'and they will teem,'

that is,

that engagement in Torah study is like the parable of fish, whose entire vitality is only in the sea⁴⁴,

And in addition to this,

"like these fish that multiply and increase and no evil eye has power over them"⁴⁷,

"From the seed of

of Yosef

(the holy Rebbe, my father-in-law, the Admor,

whose first name was Yosef)

I come that the evil eye does not rule over me"⁴ evil eye⁴.

And the measure of the third day

(which begins on this night,

the day follows the night⁴⁴)

whose end and seal is 'which I took from the hand of the Emorite with my sword and my bow'⁵⁰ — 'my wisdom

(Torah)

and my prayer'⁵¹,

'my prayer and my supplication'⁵²,

including and especially — the internal and primary prayer — 'Until when is the end of wonders?'⁵⁵,

Until when.

will the enemy taunt⁵⁴

(after they have "taunted the footsteps of Your anointed one"⁵⁵,

Heaven forbid,

enough and more)

and certainly the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills this prayer and request — in the true and complete redemption through our righteous Mashiach⁵⁴.

And 'Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust'⁵⁷,

and the master of the hillula of the Tenth of Shevat is with them,

that is,

that besides the concept of 'And Jacob lived'⁵⁸ through 'his seed is alive'⁵⁹,

'And he lived' is fulfilled literally,

a soul in a physical body literally,

and immediately, at once,

'immediately they are redeemed'⁴⁰,

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At the beginning of the thirty days,

and incidentally we will celebrate the tenth of Shevat together with the Baal HaHillula,

and Moshiach Tzidkeinu at our head,

in our holy land,

in Jerusalem, the holy city,

and in the Holy Temple

(the Third)

that stands built and ready

and perfected above,

and it will be built and immediately descends and is revealed below⁶²,

speedily in our days, literally.

Sefer HaSichos - 5747