English translation — בס"ד. שיחת יום ה' פ' פינחס, שבעה עשר בתמוז יהפך לשמחה, ה'תשמ"ב בבית הכנסת. אחרי תפלת מנחה

The Alter Rebbe writes in Tanya –

in Iggeret HaTeshuvah¹ –

that a fast is a time of favor,

and brings a proof from the verse² "Is this the fast I choose, a day of favor to Hashem?"

This is the concept regarding all fasts;

not only regarding fasts of repentance,

i.e., fasts that one takes upon oneself as a matter of "ways of repentance"³

(and this is the entire concept of the fast),

but even the fixed fasts according to the Shulchan Aruch

(like the fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz)

are also a time of favor.

And although the Gemara says in Taanit⁴,

that the days of the fixed fasts are not "propitious days" –

how then can one say that they are a time of favor;

From the fact that on these fasts we read the Haftarah of "Seek Hashem when He is to be found, call upon Him when He is near"⁵,

it is understood,

that these days are also a time of favor,

when the Most High is "to be found" and "near".

The explanation of this is:

It has been discussed many times⁶,

that since Jews are called Adam

(You are called Adam⁷)

on account of "Adamah l'Elyon"⁸,

it is therefore understood,

that when there is a time of favor above,

it automatically becomes a time of favor below⁹,

for a Jew even as he is in "below",

down to this lowest world, beneath which there is no lower.

This is also what we say on all fasts, the Haftarah of "Seek Hashem when He is to be found, call upon Him when He is near" –

which indicates the time of favor below for Adam,

that it is the appropriate time for "Seek" and "Call upon Him",

as Chazal¹⁰ say that during the Ten Days of Repentance, about which it is said "when He is to be found...

when He is near",

an individual Jew can accomplish what throughout the year requires a congregation specifically.

It is also understood regarding a fast,

for which it was established to say this Haftarah because it is a fast,

that then the "Seek...

call upon Him" of a Jew

(even an individual)

is with greater strength and vigor.

And therefore,

although initially these days are,

seemingly,

not "propitious days" –

nevertheless, through the very fact that Jews observe this fast for Hashem,

and especially when it is observed in public,

and in this very thing –

in the Minchah prayer in public,

And together with the matter of charity –

for the essence of the fast is a matter of charity with one's body,

giving an offering to Hashem:

the "diminution of my fat and blood"¹¹ of a fast is analogous to the offering of fat and blood for the sake of the Most High –

Through this, the days

(not only cease to be days that are not propitious,

but on the contrary, they become)

a time of favor for Hashem.

From this it is understood,

that although the time of favor of the fast is throughout the entire day –

nevertheless, the time of favor is with greater strength and vigor,

when it is the time of Minchah

(and after the Minchah prayer).

For in addition to the fact that the Minchah prayer in general has the advantage that "Eliyahu was not answered except during the Minchah prayer"¹²,

which refers to the Minchah prayer of the entire year,

even on weekdays;

it follows that the time of Minchah in general is a time of favor

(not only on Shabbat,

when the Minchah prayer on Shabbat is (in any case) a time of favor¹³),

Especially a Minchah prayer adjacent to the portion of Pinchas,

and even more –

in the portion of Pinchas itself,

for since "Pinchas is Eliyahu"¹⁴ it is understood,

that the drawing down and influence of the Minchah prayer is then with greater strength and vigor.

Therefore, since at the time of Minchah of the fast we say the Haftarah of "Seek Hashem when He is to be found, call upon Him when He is near",

It is understood,

that then it is brought about that there should be the "when He is to be found" and "when He is near".

And especially since we have gathered together in a manner of "ten who sit and engage"¹⁵ –

both in prayer connected to the fast day,

and "your sin shall be atoned with charity"¹⁶,

including also the matter of the fast,

as the Alter Rebbe emphasizes in Iggeret HaTeshuvah¹⁷ –

this certainly adds even more to this time of favor.

Every matter –

even a time of favor –

requires our actions and service. And as is also explained in the maamar "Ten who sit"¹⁸,

that even Torah, which "is in the aspect of a drawing down from above to below"¹⁷,

requires an arousal from below,

the action of man. That man studies,

and in a manner of "changing his habit"¹⁹ –

"Go²⁰ for yourself from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father's house"²¹ –

by adding in diligence and persistence,

"one who reviews his chapter one hundred times and one"²².

And this matter

(the addition in Torah study)

has a special connection to the fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz,

as discussed many times,

that in addition to the matter common to all fasts,

each fast has its own special concept:

The concept of the Seventeenth of Tammuz is

(as we say in Selichot²³,

and the Gemara²⁴ explains it at length,

based on what is stated in the Written Torah²⁵) –

that on this day "the city was breached". And the breaching of the city came through the breaching of the wall of the city,

for Jerusalem is a city surrounded by a wall.

The concept of "wall" in spirituality,

is Torah,

"I am a wall²⁶ – this is Torah"²⁷. For just as a wall surrounds the city,

so too Torah –

in addition to the fact that it acts upon a person in a manner of innermost inwardness,

"and Your Torah is within my innards"²⁸ in a "wondrous unity unlike any...

found at all"²⁹ –

Torah

surrounds a Jew on every side and corner,

so that a matter that is contrary to Judaism –

and consequently contrary to a Jew, even to the point that it affects his soul –

should not be able to attach itself to him,

or even have any influence upon him.

And this is the concept of "the city was breached":

Torah and mitzvot are the reality, life, and existence of a Jew –

for they are our life³⁰,

and I was created to serve my Creator³¹. A Jew must have around him a wall that strengthens him so that he stands whole.

And through the fact that "this one rises"³² –

one adds and strengthens

("to strengthen its breach"³³)

the wall of holiness in spirituality,

which also gives strength in its simple sense to every wall of holiness –

"this one falls"³²,

the fall of the wall of Jericho and the wall of all undesirable matters

(cities)

.

If, however, there occurs

(for whatever reason, different and strange)

a matter of "the city was breached" –

a breach and crack has been made in the wall of the city –

then there must be "to strengthen its breach" in a manner of double and redoubled.

Just as with a physical wall,

in order to strengthen a wall that has a breach,

one adds more stones than were there before,

so too in spiritual matters,

when there has been a breach in the wall of holiness,

one must strengthen the wall –

this is Torah –

in a manner of "double and redoubled",

as the Alter Rebbe brings in Iggeret HaTeshuvah³⁴

(from Tanna D'vei Eliyahu Rabbah³⁵)

that the concept of repentance is –

"One who was accustomed to read one page, should read two pages... one chapter, should study two chapters..."³⁶,

which is the concept of

("double and redoubled" –)

"double for wisdom"³⁷ which includes

(not only twice as much, but)

a matter without measure.

And this is also the special advantage of the Seventeenth of Tammuz over all fasts,

whose concept is

(as the Rambam says)

"it is among the ways of repentance",

by contemplating the events that brought about the fast –

for the repentance of the Seventeenth of Tammuz is connected with Torah study,

which is the concept of supernal repentance and repentance

complete –

Torah study in a manner of attachment of spirit to spirit,

"thought in His thought, may He be blessed, and speech in the word of Hashem, this is halachah"³⁸,

as explained in the holy Tanya³⁹.

And this is also the practical instruction of the Seventeenth of Tammuz,

for each and every one.

For since all are obligated in this fast,

it is simply understood,

that all have a connection also to the good aspect of it,

to the repentance of this fast,

through which one becomes even more "beloved" than before the sin,

to a level that even completely righteous individuals "cannot stand in it"⁴⁰:

not only that in practice they do not stand in it,

but they are entirely on a different level that the righteous do not even have the ability to stand in it –

That one must take upon oneself good resolutions in all matters connected with "I am a wall –

this is Torah".

First and foremost –

to add in Torah study and vitality,

both in quantity and in quality,

relative to how much there was until now;

And since we wish to bring about the matter of building the walls of Jerusalem

(instead of "the city was breached"),

the study should be –

in matters similar to this –

in the laws of the Chosen House⁴¹,

as mentioned many times that during the three weeks one should study each day a matter in the laws of the Chosen House;

for the choice of the Holy Temple is called "the Chosen House",

and this also includes the choice of Jerusalem.

And it is understood from this that the Mechilta

(at the beginning of the book "And these are the names of the children of Israel")

brings both matters together –

the choice of the Land of Israel from all lands and the choice of Jerusalem from all the Land of Israel.

And so too it is understood regarding the choice of Israel from all the nations of the lands.

And also in the matter that has been discussed recently –

that there should be the "written in the book"⁴²,

the effort that it should be completed,

that all the general Sifrei Torah should be completed,

until every Jew, from the smallest to the greatest, will be inscribed in one of the general Sifrei Torah, – which

they are all included in the book –

for the individual –

the Torah that Moshe Rabbeinu wrote and completed when the Most High told him "And now, write for yourselves this song"⁴³,

and this was thereafter an eternal commandment in the Torah, which is eternal in every time and place.

And by strengthening the "wall –

this is Torah",

this also brings about,

that instead of the situation of "the city was breached", G-d forbid,

the opposite occurs –

the eternal building of the eternal city;

Jerusalem will be a "holy mountain" as it is written⁴⁴ "on the holy mountain in Jerusalem",

and it will be seen openly that it is the "city of the great King"⁴⁵ –

the capital city of the Most High, who is eternal,

Which is the connection between the two interpretations of "the word of Hashem from Jerusalem"

(which are brought in the Gemara⁴⁶ one after the other) –

"the word of Hashem – this is halachah" and "the word of Hashem – this is the end" –

For when there is Torah study in a manner of halachah,

to clarify the tradition according to the halachah⁴⁷,

a Jew builds the inner "Jerusalem" that exists "within them"⁴⁸ of every Jew –

the concept of "complete awe"⁴⁸,

the perfection of awe

(as the Alter Rebbe translates in Likkutei Torah⁴⁹),

And through this one also becomes a master over the world,

so that one rules regarding the matters of the world,

which prepares the world to be worthy of the "to perfect the world under the kingdom of Shaddai"⁵⁰,

This automatically brings about "the word of Hashem –

this is the end",

that there will be the building of Jerusalem in its simple sense,

so that it is seen openly how Jerusalem is the "city of the great King",

until "Jerusalem will expand to encompass all the Land of Israel, and the Land of Israel will expand to encompass all the lands"⁵¹.

And as mentioned above,

all this depends on our actions and service –

for action is the main thing,

that through the arousal of the Seventeenth of Tammuz there should be an increase,

both in quantity and in quality,

in all these matters,

in a manner of "ascending in holiness"⁵², – and

When one will further act in all these matters with alacrity,

this will bring even closer the "I will hasten it"⁵³ –

that the redemption should come even more quickly and earlier,

until in a manner of "in the blink of an eye"⁵⁴ –

"immediately they are redeemed"⁵⁵.

And it can be said,

that this matter

(section 1) –

that although initially the day of the Seventeenth of Tammuz is a day that is not propitious due to the "five things" that "happened to our forefathers on the Seventeenth of Tammuz"⁵⁶,

Jews make it a time of favor –

is also found on the first Seventeenth of Tammuz,

when "the Tablets were broken"⁵⁷:

The cause of the breaking of the Tablets was –

the making of the calf. And immediately on the Seventeenth of Tammuz there was already the burning of the calf, and in a manner of "and he ground it until it was fine"⁵⁸ –

the complete and utterly perfect nullification of the entire matter of the calf;

And afterwards there was also the matter

(not only of the nullification of the calf,

but also)

of transformation –

"intentional sins become for him like merits"⁵⁹ literally,

that from the dust of the calf that remained after the burning,

they made a matter of merit,

through the fact that "he scattered it... and gave it to the children of Israel to drink"

(and this is not the place to elaborate on the explanation of the matter).

And although the burning of the calf was done by Moshe Rabbeinu –

nevertheless, since in every Jew there is the aspect of Moshe in his soul, from which perspective awe is "a small matter"⁶⁰

(for with Moshe it is "a small matter"⁶¹).

It is therefore understood,

that through the fact that Moshe burned the calf,

it is as if every individual participated in it.

And as it was also in the simple sense of matters,

that Moshe burned the calf before each and every one of Israel,

together with the makers of the calf,

and no one objected, and there was not even any concern about it –

because all Jews then stood with complete self-nullification to Moshe Rabbeinu. – Which

This is a simple narrative in the Torah –

is also an instruction,

that through repentance one can transform the lowest matter,

even intentional sins,

so that not only should it become nullified,

but even more –

it becomes transformed into merits.

And this is also what the Seventeenth of Tammuz reminds every Jew and all Jews,

that one has the power to transform the day so that it becomes a time of favor,

Just as Jews then transformed the day,

that despite the fact that earlier "the Tablets were broken" –

Jews then stood with the most complete and perfect self-nullification to Moshe Rabbeinu,

and participated in the burning of the calf to the utmost

(through the fact that they saw the burning),

until from this very thing they made a matter of repentance,

Until the perfection of repentance,

that this becomes a portion in the Torah,

with several halachot that are derived from the verses of this narrative,

into an eternal Torah and instruction.

The aforementioned matter –

that the fact that Moshe burned the calf has a connection to every Jew –

also has a special connection to our generation,

when the Seventeenth of Tammuz comes adjacent to the 12th-13th of Tammuz,

the festival of redemption of the Rebbe.

For as he writes in his famous letter regarding the festival of redemption⁶²:

"Not only me did the Holy One, blessed be He, redeem...

but also...

those who are called by the name Israel". That is,

the redemption of the Nasi of our generation takes out every Jew and all Jews from their situation and condition, so that they are redeemed together with him.

What is also understood from this is the connection of the discourse "Ten who sit and engage in Torah" which he sent together with the letter,

where it speaks of the superiority of studying Torah in public

(as one community) –

Because through connecting oneself with the Rebbe through studying his Torah,

which Torah effects a "wondrous unity, the likes of which no unity exists at all",

one becomes unified with the author of the discourse and as he stands in his redemption;

consequently, the same redemption and the same status and condition applies to everyone who studies the discourse.

And this then also affects the subsequent days,

and especially in this year when the 12th of Tammuz was on Shabbat, and

from it all the days are blessed ⁶³ –

including also the Seventeenth of Tammuz

(Thursday),

And especially when one connects this with an action of "ten who sit and engage" –

both in prayer with a minyan,

studying Torah with a minyan,

and giving charity with a minyan.

The aforementioned instruction of the Seventeenth of Tammuz –

that Jews transform the matter of the making of the calf until it becomes "intentional sins become for him like merits" –

has a connection to the 12th of Tammuz in this year,

when the year 103 of the master of the redemption begins:

It is stated in the writings of the AriZal ⁶⁴ that calf (עגל) has the numerical value of 103 (קג).

And as it says in the Midrash ⁶⁵ that the sin of the calf came about because the Jews had previously seen

(the Maaseh Merkavah,

including)

the face of the ox in the Chariot –

so too regarding the number 103,

as it states in the Gemara ⁶⁶,

that there are 103 faces in the study of Torah.

And this is the hint in calf (עגל) having the numerical value 103,

that not only does one nullify the 103 of the calf

(through "and Israel went –

and he ground etc."),

but rather one takes the lowest, below which there is no lower, and makes from it itself a matter of teshuvah –

103 for the positive.

Until with this very thing one praises the Most High,

as it says in Psalm 103 in Tehillim

[which one begins to recite –

together with the recitation of the Nasi of our generation, the master of the redemption –

on the 12th of Tammuz of this year,

according to the count of years of the master of the redemption] –

"By David: Bless the Lord, O my soul" ⁶⁷:

One recites a prayer, praise and thanksgiving to the Holy One, blessed be He, for that

(as he continues in the subsequent verses)

the Most High does not pay attention to undesirable deeds

(including also undesirable words and thoughts),

and on the contrary –

"He has distanced from us" ⁶⁸ all undesirable matters:

The Most High Himself casts them away so that they remain distant from Him, from every Jew and all Jews,

and in a manner of "as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him" ⁶⁹,

which applies to every Jew and all Jews.

And afterwards he continues in that psalm

(near the conclusion and seal of the psalm ⁷⁰) –

"Bless the Lord, His angels, mighty in strength, who do His word, to hearken to the voice of His word":

This verse is connected with the precedence of "we will do and we will hear" of the Jews as a preface to the Giving of the Torah –

as the Gemara ⁷¹ says:

"At the time when Israel preceded 'we will do' to 'we will hear,' a Heavenly Voice went out and said to them,

Who revealed to My children this secret that the ministering angels use, as it is written, 'Bless the Lord, His angels, mighty in strength, who do His word, to hearken to the voice of His word,'

first 'who do' and then 'to hearken'."

And the explanation of this

(in that the Jews are similar to the ministering angels and in them was revealed this secret that the ministering angels use –

the precedence of "we will do and we will hear"):

An angel means a messenger ⁷²,

he is an agent of the Most High,

i.e., he is nullified to the will of the One who sent him,

the will of Hashem. And therefore with him there is the precedence of "we will do and we will hear" –

"Bless the Lord, His angels, mighty in strength, who do His word, to hearken to the voice of His word,

first 'who do' and then 'to hearken'."

And so too, every Jew is an agent of the Most High ⁷³ to make for Him, may He be exalted, a dwelling place in the lower worlds through "they honor the mitzvos, which are My agents" ⁷⁴,

through the fulfillment of the mitzvos of Hashem.

Therefore, with Jews there is "we will do and we will hear"

(as with the ministering angels),

because they are agents of the Holy One, blessed be He,

they are nullified to His will,

and they fulfill all His commands – "we will do"

(and only afterwards is "and we will hear").

And as he explains in that discourse

(of "ten who sit and engage in Torah" mentioned above ⁷⁵),

that everything a Jew does –

whether it is the study of Torah or the fulfillment of mitzvos

(of whatever type it may be,

chukim, eidos, or mishpatim) –

he does it because "He sanctified us with His mitzvos and commanded us",

because it is a command of Hashem –

"who do His word".

From this it is understood that the verse

(near the conclusion of the psalm)

"Bless the Lord, His angels, mighty in strength, who do His word, to hearken to the voice of His word" speaks about the matter of Torah –

because through the precedence of "we will do and we will hear" the Jews received the Torah

(at the Giving of the Torah).

It turns out:

At the beginning of the psalm (103)

it speaks about prayer

("Bless the Lord, O my soul etc.",

that one gives praise and thanksgiving to Hashem.

As above),

and after the preface of prayer

(at the beginning of the psalm)

one concludes the psalm with

(receiving the)

Torah.

And afterwards, at the conclusion and seal of the psalm, one says again "Bless the Lord, O my soul"

(not regarding prayer, but rather)

regarding the matter of Torah –

"Bless" (ברכי) from the term blessing and drawing down,

that each one draws down into himself

("my soul")

the matter of Torah,

until in a manner that between him and the Torah there becomes a "wondrous unity etc.",

And through this

(that there is the precedence of "we will do and we will hear" regarding all of Torah and mitzvos,

as above)

he also draws down into himself

("my soul")

all the matters of Torah, service, and acts of kindness upon which the world stands ⁷⁷ and the world endures –

one has perfection of Torah and mitzvos,

and one has a perfect world

(which stands and endures on these three pillars),

And especially perfection in the main part of the world which the Most High chose from the entire world –

the perfection of the land,

the Land of Israel,

"a land which etc. the eyes of the Lord your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year" ⁷⁸,

Together with the perfection of the people –

because the perfection of the other matters

(Torah and mitzvos and the perfection of the land and the world)

is effected by every Jew,

that he acts thus upon all the Jews around him,

Because he has ahavas Yisrael,

which is "a great principle in the Torah" ⁷⁹,

and he draws this into his own education and the education of others,

and in the matter of Torah,

tefillin,

mezuzah,

charity,

a house full of books –

Yavneh and its sages,

the candles of the holy Shabbos and Yom Tov,

the kashrus of food and drink and family purity.

And he brings down,

together with the perfection of the land and the perfection of the people and the perfection of the Torah –

also the –

"the Lord your God will expand your border" ⁸⁰,

the land of the Kenite, Kenizzite, and Kadmonite ⁸¹,

And as a preface to this –

one now secures

(in the time of exile)

all the borders of the Land of Israel,

even when the security requires dominion and governance outside the borders of the Land of Israel,

one also has there full dominion and full governance,

until they willingly accepted upon themselves,

And one concludes the good matters,

which one began and is already at the conclusion,

which are connected with the security of the Land of Israel regarding its borders,

And one strengthens this through that if "one was accustomed to read" and review and do to a certain measure,

he adds further in this

(as above section 63) –

he adds further in fear of Hashem –

then is fulfilled "and all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the Lord is called upon you, and they shall be afraid of you" ⁸²,

until "seven ways shall they flee before you" ⁸³,

And then immediately comes the "end He sets for darkness" ⁸⁴,

because "take counsel and it will be foiled, speak a word and it will not stand, for God is with us" ⁸⁵,

And it becomes "but the righteous will give thanks to Your name, the upright will dwell in Your presence" ⁸⁶,

through that "immediately they are redeemed",

the true and complete redemption comes immediately through Mashiach Tzidkeinu,

in the land of the seven nations,

and then immediately "the Lord your God will expand your border".

And "those who taste life merit" ⁸⁷ –

one begins to taste from the "the Lord your God will expand etc." already in the last days of exile –

that there is service of Hashem out of expansiveness,

both physically and spiritually –

both in the study of Torah and in the fulfillment of mitzvos,

both in "all your deeds shall be for the sake of Heaven" and in "in all your ways know Him" ⁸⁸,

And one goes out of expansiveness and "with a high hand" ⁸⁹ and very soon –

to greet Mashiach Tzidkeinu,

And these days will be turned "to joy and gladness and to good festivals" ⁹¹,

amen, may it be His will, speedily in our very days.

Afterwards he said:

Presumably, now everyone will also add

(if he has already done so,

and if not –

let him now do)

in the third line,

charity.

May it be His will that this should further hasten the building of the third Beis HaMikdash ⁹²,

an eternal building,

"the Sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established" ⁹³.