Rebbe Rashab’s Ma’amorim from 1899 Published

In time for Chof Marcheshvan, birthday of the Rebbe Rashab, Sefer HaMaamarim “Ranat,” published by the Kehot Publication Society, recently arrived from the printer.

It was often times customary for the Rebbe to hold a newly printed Kehot sefer as he went to daven, to a farbrengen or the the Ohel. In fact, say the editors at Kehot, the day a new sefer arrived was like a Yom Tov for the Rebbe.

The maamarim in this volume are part of a hemshech—a sequential string of discourses—written by the Rebbe beginning with the Roshs Hashana maamar entitled “Yom Tov Shel Rosh Hashana.” Originally written and delivered in 1898, this hemshech has become a fundamental text and is part of the curriculum in every Chabad yeshiva around the world. The semester for Ranat usually last an entire year.

The maamarim of Ranat were first transcribed by professional Chasidic scribes from the original handwriting of the Rebbe Rashab. These were widely disseminated. At a later date they were typed and mimeographed. The Hemshech was first typeset and released in the form of a Kehot book in 1977. This new edition underwent a complete overhaul under the capable hands of the Chabad Research Center/Otzar HaChasidim editors. For this edition, the editors reviewed all the maaamrim, carefully comparing them to original handwritten manuscript of the Rebbe Rashab, corrected many mistakes of the previous editions and added copious notes and annotations. The text was then completely reset in a new, crisp easy-to-read font.

Some of the fundamental Chasidic doctrines discussed in Ranat include:

1) The soul power of “speech,” and and its connection with the sefira of Malchus. This is a recurring topic in the Torah of the Rebbe Rashab and is also elaborated on in the Torah of the Rebbe.

2) The qualitative differences between the service of Torah study and the service oftefilla. This topic is often encountered by the student of chasidus in the maaamarim of the Rebbe and the Frierdiker Rebbe.

3) The concept of “Kesser,” the connector between the Creator and the created,which is discussed at great length in the maamarim of Shavuos.

A unique and famous maamar of this is year was delivered by the Rebbe Rashab on Simcha Torah and is entitled “Heichaltzu.” The Rebbe repeated this maamar again on Parshas Noach.

In 1949, the Rebbe published this maamar in honor of Simchas Torah, and repeatedly reprinted it for various occasions. The Rebbe spoke about the virtue of this discourse and called for it be studied in public study groups. The editors of the present volume gave special attention to this discourse, treating it with a special introduction which explores the history and importance of the maamar, and the vision the Rebbe had for Chasidim to study and live by its timeless message.

‘Hemshech Ranat’ in the original handwriting of the Rebbe Rashab.