Class One. The Questions, including the unwritten one. In this case it is not about the message that Moshe gives us, but about the messenger (Moshe) himself.
Class One.
Class Two. 1) Viata Titzaveh (in this case) means to connect Yidden to the Ein Sof, 2) Moshe’s reward: Viyikchu ailecha, he rises to the level of ‘Anochi’ because of the 600,000 feet he is involved with.
Class Two.
Class Three. Two meanings of Roeh Ne’eman: 1) trusted (with complete disregard for self) Shepherd. 2) A Shepherd of faith. Faith from Avraham Avinu, but its’ internalization is through Moshe Rabbeinu. Moshe in each generation, example: Mordechai, through Mesiras Nefesh.
Class Three.
Class Four. Chapter 4. The difference between the generation that received the Torah at Sinai with great fanfare and the generation that recommitted itself to keep under the threat to their lives during the Purim story is Mesiras Nefesh and the access to the Yechida (MaOr) of the Neshama.
Class Four.
Class Five. Chapter 5. Proof that every Rebbe (Moshe Rabbeinu) must reach Yechida is from the fact, that if he doesn’t reach the Yechida, he’s not doing his job to strengthen (internalize) Jewish faith. In times of Kasis there is ‘Ikar Giluy Yechida’ but always there is something touching and manipulating of the Yechida.
Class Five.
Class Six. Chapter 6. The conflict between 1) Ma’or applying to every Rebbe and 2) Kasis LaMaor being exclusive to severe times, leads the Rebbe to the first big idea of this Ma’amar: each Rebbe has two tasks. 1) Ikar (primary) role is to feed the Yechida (Etzem) to the faith (Chaya) and as far as this is concerned all Rebbes are the same and equal. 2) Totza’as (secondary) role of the Rebbe is his actual leadership and here there are differences. The actual revealing of the Etzem (Yechida) is only when Kasis LaMaor.
Class Six.
Class Seven. Chapter 7. Among the Rebbe, some are the actual leaders of the entire Klal Yisroel, including: Moshe Rabbeinu, Mordechai, and the Previous Rebbe.
Class Seven.
Class Eight. Chapter 8. This Perek acts as a conclusion of the initial ideas of this Ma’amar. It ends the discussion of the transition from understanding the Rebbe’s role as being one thing (to strengthen faith) and redefined it as two (One. to feed the Soul, Two. He leads people) and explains how all Rebbes are the same and yet they are different. They all reach Yechida but they don’t all reveal Yechida. Now, we start all over again with new question(s) that set up the real revolution of the Rebbe in understanding Viatta Titzaveh. Question one: why are the words ‘Viyikchu Ailecha…’ in between the idea of Viatta Titzave.. and ‘Kasis LaMaor’? [Question Two: we still have no idea why the last three words of this Possuk ‘Lihaalos Ner tamid’ exist altogether, if in fact this Possuk is about Moshe Rabbeinu (and not about oil).]
Class Eight.
Class Nine. Chapter 9 (1). The Second ‘Big Idea’. Introducing the third ‘Moshe Rabbeinu’, how Mordechai rallied the people a second time, after the miracle had occurred, and he rallies them to look inwards and remain as attached as they were under stress, this time to leave Golus. The Rebbe qualifies this idea by the fact that the Possuk Vikibel HeYehudim appears in Perek 9.
Class Nine.
Class Ten. Chapter 9 (2). Half this class is about 17 Tamuz. If you wish to learn the Ma’amar (only) skip the first twenty minutes or so. Introduction to the idea of the ‘Higher Kasis LaMaor’. The idea that a Yid needs Godliness (the truth) to be so revealed that if it is not it upsets him to the point of Kasis. The strength for this comes from the Alter Rebbe’s ‘ViImcha Lo Chafatzti’, that (since it reached us) applies to all of us!
Class Ten.
Class Eleven. Chapter 9 (3). If the Beis HaMikdash isn’t built we destroyed it! Inside, being sick from having only 49 gates and not 50 gates.
Class Eleven.
Class Twelve. Chapter 10. The Third ‘Big Idea’. To explain the two ideas of Kasis the Rebbe speaks of two ideas of Etzem (Yechida) one that supersedes the personality (‘tziyur’) of the person and another that transforms the personality (‘tziyur’) of the person. Example what happened to the Yidden from Russia once they came to the west? The Rebbe explains that this has to do with two levels in Etzem (Yechida) itself: 1) The essence which is limited by its ‘Pshitus’ (infinity), 2) The essence as it is one with God, that has no limits, not even the limit of no limit!. The first idea of Kasis (Mesiras Nefesh) is connected to the first level and the second idea of Kasis is connected top the higher level of Yechida.
Class Twelve.
Class Thirteen. Chapter Eleven (1). The Fourth ‘Big Idea’. ‘ViYikchu Ailecha’, a Rebbe can only connect us (under times of crises) to the lower level of ‘Etzem’, the higher level he cannot give us, unless… We partner with him, ‘ViYikchu Ailecha’, which allows him to connect us to the higher level of Yechida, that becomes one with, rather than negate, one’s personality. This also explains the ‘Tamid’ vs. from night until morning.
Class Thirteen.
Class Fourteen. Chapter Eleven (2). The Fifth ‘Big Idea’. The literal translation of Viatta Titzave is to connect Yidden (with one another, there is no overt mention of God in this Possuk at all! Ahavas Yisroel also has two levels based on the two aforementioned levels of Yechida, 1) I love the Jew from my Etzem, to his Etzem only. 2) Even my body can love his body, as I am connected to the higher level of Yehida that becomes one with the person.
Class Fourteen
Class Fifteen. Chapter 11 (3)- 12. Conclusion. The order of the Possuk is perfect: 1) Viatta Titzaveh… Moshe connects us with Hashem, 2) ViYikchu Ailecha… when Yidden partner with Hashem (and this is Moshe’s reward), 3) Kasis LaMaor, only then can Moshe give us from the higher level of the Yechida which is transformative, 4) Lihaalos Ner tamid, there is no difference between ‘day’ and ‘night’ to this light. The power for ViYikchu Ailecha, we also get from Moshe Rabbeinu.
