Weekly Story: One Hundred Years of Daily Tehillim

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

This weeks’ post is L’zechus our newly born granddaughter Cheyena Baila bas Chana shetichye, L’arichis Yomim V’shonim tovim. May our children raise her, together with their other children, L’Torah, Chuppa U’maasim tovim, in good health, tranquility, and may we all merit to inform each other with good tidings and the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu.

Towards the end of every Simchas Torah farbrengen, the Rebbe reminds us about the importance and necessity of saying and learning CHiTaS. Being that this year is one hundred years since the Frierdiker requested, not only from Anash, but that all Jews should say the daily portion of Tehillim as it is divided according to the days of the month, I decided to focus this week’s post on the aspect of Tehillim, and bezras Hashem in upcoming articles I will focus on the aspects of the daily learning of Chumash and Tanya.

In the beginning and back of the Tehillim Ohel Yosef Yitzchok that is published by Kehos, there are numerous letters that discuss numerous aspects about this Takannah, and most of this article is based on some of those letters.

As always, your feedback and comments are greatly appreciated and most welcome.

In a footnote there on page 210 , the Rebbe writes, that in order for one to clearly understand the background to what caused the Frierdiker Rebbe to make this Takkanah and request all Jews to say the daily portion of Tehillim, as it is divided by the thirty days of the month, he is quoting from a letter that HaRav Eliyahu Chaim ben Reb Pinchos Tudrus Althaus wrote, about the Frierdiker Rebbe’s arrest and ultimate redemption on Yud Beis-Yud Gimmel Tammuz. Here is part of that letter:

From the beginning of that known year 5687, a tremendous panic fell upon all those who were close to the Rebbe’s household. Even the Rebbe was gripped by fear, as he explicitly related to me and Reb Michoel Dworkin [towards the end of the year] when we were with him in [his place of exile, in] Kostroma.

These are the Rebbe’s words:

Before the onset of the year 5687, I was extremely fearful.  I wasn’t concerned or thinking about myself, as my thoughts centered upon the Chassidim. 

Before I publicized the guidance / instruction that all Jews should say the daily schedule of Tehillim, by me it was becoming extremely difficult.

I asked the Rebbe,” When did the Rebbe give this instruction/guidance?”

“On Simchas Torah was his reply. And then I remembered that on Simchas Torah day, during the kiddush that took place in his mother, Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah’s apartment, he continuously requested from Anash that they should accept upon themselves to recite the daily schedule of Tehillim.” 

It is interesting to note, that originally the Frierdiker Rebbe said that the Chazzan should move away from the Amud (the place he stands when davening) and recite it in a different place. But after some time (possibly years) he gave the directive that the Chazzan says it in his regular place.

Then seventeen and a half years later, on  Beis Nissan 5704 (the yahrzeit of his father the Rebbe Rashab), there was another change. After davening before the chazzan began saying the daily Tehillim the Frierdiker Rebbe said, I received a directive from Heaven, that on days that we don’t say למנצח because we don’t say tachanun, we should say it as part of the daily Tehillim. 

Our custom on those days that we do not say Tachanun, is to begin the Tehillim with saying למנצח, followed by the shiur Tehillim for that day.

The Rebbe also noted, that on every Rosh Chodesh one should learn their personal Kapital of Tehillim, (depending how long it is a single possuk or some pesukim, so that throughout the year, one clearly understands the meaning of their Kapital.

So when a child is six years old (or whenever they learn how to read properly on their own), they should say Chapter seven, as they are now entering their seventh year.

Shortly after the Frierdiker Rebbe initiated this Takkanah, the chossid Reb Chaim Dovid Laine, wrote to the Frierdiker Rebbe that perhaps he should also give the guidance of saying the entire Tehillim every Shabbos, as is done in some communities.

The Rebbe’s response was, that it is worthy to introduce this only on Shabbos Mevorchims, but not every Shabbos. And that the entire Tehillim should be said before davening.

Some common questions that are asked about when to say the daily portion of Tehillim:

1. If I come to shul early, could I say the Tehillim before davening?

Rabbi Althaus notes in the above-mentioned letter, that he asked this exact question to the Frierdiker Rebbe and the Rebbe’s reply was that the Tehillim one says before davening is connected to Tikkun Chatzos. It has nothing to do with this Takannah.

Author’s note: I understand that to mean that even if one said the daily chapters of Tehillim before davening, they should repeat it after davening.

2. When should one say their and their family members kapital (chapter).

The Rebbe writes in a letter that they should be said after the daily segment is said. See clarification in fn

However, it should be noted that the custom for many is that we say the Rebbe’s kapital before the daily segment.

3. Can one say it after Shemone Esreh, while waiting for the Chazzan to begin saing it outloud?

I was told years ago by elder chassidim and mashpiim, that is not proper. The explanation given was that davening has a specific order. It begins with Birchas Hashachar (the morning blessings), followed by Pesukei D’zimara (from Hodu through Yishtabach, then Birchas Krias Shema and we then stand when we say Shemoneh Esreh.

These four stages represent the ladder of davenning, in which a person who is on the lowest rung, immersed in the physical world, elevates themselves until they are able to stand in front of Hashem – the King of all kings. In Chassidic terminology, the person goes up from Asiuh to Atzilus.

Then after davening, we bring down the blessings we received, again from one world to the lower world.

So by interjecting Tehllim in middle it is confusing or twisting the order.  

4. Concerning Shabbos Mevorchim, what if it takes me five hours to read it properly and I can’t say the entire Tehillim that Shabbos.

I heard by farbrengens of Mashpiim that the Rebbe answered some individuals that they should continue saying it the following Shabbos.

A Taste of Chassidus 

ויאמר ה’ הן עם אחד Torah Ohr (Bereishis) p. 10B

The Alter Rebbe focuses on a basic question on this weeks’ parsha.

The people decided to build a very tall tower, and as the possuk states, they say this is in order to prevent Hashem from scattering us, whenever He so decides.

 Hashem says, they are one, and this is what they are planning to build, and now nothing would be beyond them, and they will be able to do whatever they plan to do. Therefore, I will mix up their language, taking away their ability to communicate with each other [in order to prevent them from accomplishing their goal].

So the obvious question is, how are they, mere creations going to be able to do whatever they want, even if it is against Hashem’s will? As they stated their plan was to prevent Hashem from scattering or destroying man again! 

And the only way for Hashem to stop them is by mixing them up by creating different languages, so that one doesn’t understand the other.

In order to explain this, one has to understand three of the general stages in creation.

1. Before creation            2.    The world of Tohu                 3.   The world of Tikkun

As well as an understanding of one aspect that differentiates between Hashem’s holy name שם העצם and all other names of Hashem.

The name Keil (as in Aleph and a lamed) is in Chesed, the name Elokim is in gevurah, because those names are descriptive. Therefore, they can be used for other meanings, such as the possuk states Elokim lo sikalell – Do not curse a Judge and v’ess eileeh ha’aretz Lukach – and the princes of the earth He took.

And then there is the name of Adni, which when Avrohom used it when he greeted the three angels, our sages are not sure if he was addressing Hashem or the angels.

So if they have different meanings, we understand that they can be closely related to Chesed-Kindnes or Gevurah-strictness. But that does not explain how Shem Hu’etzem of Yud, Hei, Vov and a Hei [which is not associated to other meanings] is connected to Tiferes!

But the answer is, one of Yaakov Avinu’s conditions with his father-in-law, Lavan, was that if the sheep give birth to babies that are עקודים נקודים וברודים – animals with stripes or ring streaked around their ankles [or as we will refer to it as bound (as that is the word describing Yitzchok being bound on the Alter, (Akeidas Yitzchok)].

Then there were the animals that were נקודים born dotted (speckled) or pointed, as the word נקודה which means a point.

And finally the sheep that were born with large blotches or spotted [as the root word is ברד – which means hail, (which is larger than a small dot)].

Chassidus and Kabbalah explain it as follows from bottom up. 

In the world of Atzilus, the ten Sefiros are individualized (as they are in the world of Tohu which is above it). However, in Atzilus they harmoniously utilize the aspects of the other sefiros. [As we say in sefiras Ha’Omer, Chesed she’b’chesed. Gevurah she’b’chessed Tiferes she’b;chesed and so on.] 

This is the world of Tikkun – where things are the way they should be.

And that is what Yaakov wanted sheep that represented the concept of  (unity) ברודים.

But in the world of Tohu, which is defined by the concept of נקודים, each Sefira stood alone, as its own entity and didn’t accept anything from the other sefiros and therefore it broke, as this is the kabbalistic concept of Shiviras Hakeilim – the broken utensils.

But then there is the level above it, an initial stage of Creation. So being that there is a concept of creation, there has to be the ten Sefiros. However, all ten of them are bound up as one, they do not have separate utensils, they are all in one Utensil.

In this scenario, while there is Chesed – Kindness, gevurah – severity, Tiferes – beauty and so on, it is impossible to point them out individually, as they all are as one.

This level of the ten concealed sefiros (Hagenuzos) is connected to Shem Ha’etzem. Hashem is the Creator, yet we have yet to see the aspects of creation. Therefore, as noted above, there is no connection or other utilization of this name with any other entity, unlike the other names.

So now arises the question, how can we say in Pusach Eliyahu (the prayer we say before Mincha on Erev Shabbos), that Hashem’s name is associated with Tiferes.

But as we know, the ten Sefiros are divided in three lines, Chesed on the right, gevurah on the left, and tiferes in the middle. The difference though is that Tiferes goes up and is connected to Kesser which is above all ten Sefiros, and kesser which is not a defined attribute is associated to Hashem’s name.

The reason why Tiferes can be associated with Kesser and that level is because although all the sefiros in Atzilus utilize the other sefiros, nevertheless, Tiferes is unique that it is not an attribute of its own, but rather a combination of Chessed and Gevurah together.

In other words, it has the aspect of togetherness and unity in its best form, and therefore it is associated with Hashem’s name.

Now we can explain why the builders of the tower were going to be able to succeed.

While togetherness is normally associated with humbleness, although they refused to humble themselves before Hashem, their whole intention was to be and remain together as one.

The way Hashem created the world is that when one puts their own ego aside, and strives to get along with others in harmony, they receive Hashem’s blessings to succeed. And being that their intention was to remain as one unit, they had the power of Hashem in their hands. This is the inner meaning of ונעשה לנו שם  – we will utilize His Name!

Therefore, Hashem saw the necessity of preventing them to utilize this power of unity to battle Him, and He confused them by creating seventy languages and they could no longer communicate with each other.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran educator and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He is available to farbreng in your community, and can be contacted at [email protected].