Rabbi Avrohom Lipszyc, Shliach of North Miami, Florida, writes a book on the maamor, ”Byoim Ashtei Osor –Part One.”
As an introduction, he shares some insight as to why this Yud-Aleph Maamor carries a special place in the heart of a chosid’s love and hiskashrus to the Rebbe.
It is said that of all the teachings, devotions, and guidance, that a Rebbe gives his generation, it is his maamorim that are, “The Crown of the King.” Rabbi Sholom DovBer of Lubavitch, the Rebbe RaSHaB, or as the Rebbe would refer to him, The Rebbe, Nishmosoi Eden, refused to sit in his father’s seat, nor accept the official title Rebbe, until 10 years after the passing of his father, Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch, the Rebbe MaHaRaSH. Chassidim referred to those ten years as their Orphaned Years. Nevertheless, the Rebbe explains, being that the Rebbe RaSHaB delivered his first public maamor within the week of his father’s passing (the Rebbe MaHaRaSH passed away on the 13th of Tishrei, and hence, two days later, the holiday of Sukkot broke the Shiva Period, and eight days later, Shemini Atzeret broke the Shloshim Period), this was the Rebbe RaSHaB’s accepting the position of Rebbe, and this was his coronation. Hence, of all that a Rebbe provides his generation, it is through his maamorim that he binds and gives his very essence.
There are many Talks in which the Rebbe gives very deep explanations and innovations of the deepest chassidic concepts, while on the other-hand, there are maamorim in which, seemingly, there is no deep innovations, and yet, a maamor is not a Talk, and a Talk is not a maamor. A maamor had a specific introductory melody, the Rebbe would secretly tie a handkerchief around his hand, towards the end of the melody all present would rise, the Rebbe would close his eyes, and a unique sing-song tune was used in the Rebbe’s delivery of a maamor.
Chassidim would refer to their hearing a maamor from the Rebbe as, “We saw the kettle whistling.” Meaning, that the waters inside reached a boiling point, in which the steam was now shooting out of the pouring hole, causing the whistle. In other words, the transmission of the intellectual message of a maamor was secondary to the ultimate Essence Transmission, in which the (-Ruth Rabba 4:3), “Righteous are similar to their Creator,” and preforms his (-Shabbat 105a), “Onochee – אנכי; I have given Myself within My writings* – יהבית כתבית נפשית אנא.” On this level of a maamor, one cannot differentiate between one maamor and another. Nevertheless, “Chassidim have a talent in smelling,” and from the moment the Rebbe delivered the maamor, “B’yoim Ashtei Esrei…,” chassidim smelled that in this maamor, the Essence Transmission was, “gohr epes anderesh – significantly of ‘something else’!”
As a young child, I was introduced to this maamor by Rabbi Shlomeh Zarchi, may he live and be well, a chassid known for his tangible love for the Rebbe. Reb Shlomeh was farbrengehn, and I was too young to fully grasp what he was saying, when suddenly his face literally glowed, as he looked directly at me, closed one eye, put his fingers into a snapping position, holding that position, snapping his fingers ever so slowly and emphatically only after he mesmerizingly sang to me in the Rebbe’s maamor sing-song tune, “There was one clever man, who said, ‘I will take the king.’” I was smitten. Even as I type these words, I am reliving that innocent child, unknowingly being the recipient of a chossid’s love to his Rebbe, manifested in the maamor of the Rebbe, in which the Rebbe cries out to G-d, “I don’t want Your Garden of Eden… I want but YOU alone!”
It was the Rebbe’s 70th birthday, and the Rebbe gave sudden notice that there would be a farbrengehn. Chassidim were unprepared, and didn’t have time to set up the regular microphone-recording system. By the grace of G-d alone, someone had recorded the maamor. The entire farbrengehn was, first the maamor, and then a talk about Pesach being intrinsically connected with Torah-study. And just like the Eternally Enduring Second Set of Tablets, that were given quietly, with no preparatory fanfare, the Rebbe gave us his, “gohr epes anderesh,” “Onoichee Essence Transmission,” of an Eternally Enduring Hiskashrus, empowering us to be the “clever one,” who chooses only, “I will take the king!” for, “I want but YOU alone!’
*The first word of the Ten Commandments, “Onoichee (‘I’)” is Egyptian for the Hebrew word Ani. The Talmud explores the hidden message within G-d using the word Onoichee, by explaining it to be an acronym. The simple meaning of the Talmud’s acronym is, “I Myself wrote (and) gave (the Torah).” Chassidus reveals its mystical meaning: “I gave Myself (Essence) in My writing.” Similar to the Midrashich teaching (-Vayikrat Rabba 30:13), “And you shall take for Me a Terumah -When you take the Torah M (Terumah (תרומה) being Torah M (מ תורה); numerical value of 40 – the Torah that was given in 40 days and nights to Moses upon Mt. Sinai), it is Me that you are taking!”
