Weekly Dvar Torah: The 12 Pesukim – A Prescription for Happy and Healthy Living – Part Three

The Bombshell

By now, after journeying through Parts One and Two, we already sense that the 12 Pesukim are not just verses for children. They are the Rebbe’s blueprint for a luminous, joyful Jewish life — a roadmap that empowers even the youngest child to walk through a dark and confusing world with confidence, clarity, and a sense of mission.

And now, we reach the turning point — the bombshell — the moment where everything we thought we understood about the 12 Pesukim suddenly expands into a whole new dimension.

It all began on Rosh Chodesh Iyar 5736. The Rebbe announced a new global campaign — Shnas HaChinuch, the Year of Education — calling upon every man, woman, and child to throw themselves into strengthening Jewish education. The atmosphere crackled with electricity. This wasn’t a project for teachers or schools alone; it was a mission for everyone.

In that spirit, Chassidim organized a Lag BaOmer Parade unlike any before. It wasn’t on a Sunday, as was customary, but on a weekday — a Tuesday. Yet the parade was alive with children, floats, music, and banners, all celebrating the soul of Judaism: Chinuch.

To the indescribable joy of the community, the Rebbe agreed to attend, to watch the parade, and to Farbreng with the children.

What the Rebbe said that day would forever change the landscape of Jewish education.

The Rebbe began with the story of Rabi Akiva. After the terrible plague that took the lives of his 24,000 students, the world of Torah lay in ruins — “chaotic, desolate, and dark.” Yet a handful of surviving students, including Rabi Shimon bar Yochai, rebuilt everything from scratch. From the ashes of destruction rose a new world of Torah.

And then the Rebbe turned to the children and said:

You can do the same. You have the power to illuminate the world. You can turn chaos into order, emptiness into meaning, darkness into light.

And the path to doing that — is education.

Just as Rabi Akiva’s students rebuilt the Jewish world through Torah, so too every Jewish child today carries the power to elevate their surroundings, to bring blessing and life to eternity. Everything a child needs to know — how to live, how to grow, how to influence the world — is already in the Torah, the Written Law and the Oral Law.

At that parade, the Rebbe made a startling declaration.

Until then, six Pesukim had been chosen for every child to memorize and carry in their heart — the foundational truths of Judaism.

But now the Rebbe said: We must always grow. We must always add. We must always illuminate more of the world.

And therefore, he introduced six additional verses — not just teachings, but a step-by-step psychological guide to help a child navigate the challenges of daily life.

The Rebbe was giving children emotional tools, spiritual resilience, and inner strength — a kind of Torah-based cognitive therapy decades ahead of its time.

Let’s walk through the journey the Rebbe mapped out.

The Rebbe begins with a deeply psychological approach:

A child — and just as often, an adult — may look at the world and feel overwhelmed or frightened. The world can seem so big, so confusing, “Olam Shamem” a world full of emptiness, chaos, and things that simply don’t make sense.

This very first Pasuk speaks directly to that fear:

בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹקִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ

“In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth.”

G-d created the entire universe — the heavens and everything within them, and the earth with everything upon it. This verse directly affects daily life. Because if and when one feels frightened because the world appears so big, chaotic, and intimidating. A frightening mix of emptiness, confusion, darkness, and things that make no sense.

This Pasuk of Bereishis reminds us: Don’t be afraid. The world was created by G-d, the Master of the universe. He gave us the Torah so that we can elevate the world and make it a good place. And when we do our part down here on earth, G-d blesses us with success from heaven above. It begins with us: first, we do our mission on earth, then we get the blessings from heaven.

Once we learn this powerful reassurance, what happens next?

The children must run to their parents and tell them what they’ve just learned — that through Torah and Mitzvos we make the world better. And so we immediately learn the next verse:

וְשִׁנַנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶרֶךְ וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ

“And you shall teach them to your children, and speak of them when you sit at home and when you travel, when you lie down and when you rise.”

Children come running to their parents with a heartfelt plea: “Daddy, Mommy — please give me the greatest treasure! Teach me Torah!” And this includes students, who are considered like children as well.

“Teach me in a way that the words enter my heart and mind. Teach me so I can know them by heart — at home, on the road, when I go to sleep with Torah on my mind, and when I wake up with Torah guiding my day.”

And when children ask from the heart — the way children know how to ask when they truly want something — their parents surely listen. They will send them to a Torah summer camp, and then to a school where they can learn Torah, Mitzvos, and Yiddishkeit.

But after all is said and done, and we are moving in the right direction, the Rebbe addresses the next psychological stage:

A child (and many adults) may grow confused. How can you tell me everything will be good? I know my past. It’s not so clean. I’ve tried so many times to be good — and I failed. I’m weak. I’m scared. I don’t believe I can keep the Torah properly. I won’t make it.

To this the Sages give their answer:

יָגַעְתִּי וְלֹא מָצָאתִי אַל תַּאַמִין לֹא יָגַעְתִּי וּמָצָאתִי אַל תַּאַמִין יָגַעְתִּי וּמָצָאתִי תַּאַמִין

If one says, “I worked very hard and was not successful,” do not believe him.
If one says, “I did not work hard but was successful,” do not believe him.
If one says, “I worked hard and I was successful,” believe him!

This teaching must be contemplated deeply. It’s all about effort. If you haven’t succeeded, it is simply because you haven’t invested enough effort. But if you will work harder, sincerely and steadily, you will certainly succeed — because the Torah promises: “I worked hard, and I succeeded — believe him!” And the success will feel like a miraculous discovery, far beyond what you imagined.

Now that we understand we must constantly grow and add light to the world, we cannot be satisfied with improving only ourselves. We must dedicate ourselves to sharing these tools and strengths with others — energetically, enthusiastically, and with real work — to help every Jew find the correct path.

And for this we learn the next verse:

וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעַךָ כָּמוֹךָ – רַבִּי עַקִיבָא אוֹמֵר זֶה כְּלָל גָדוֹל בַּתּוֹרָה

Rabi Akiva teaches that the Torah instruction: “You shall love your fellow as yourself” is a great fundamental principle of the Torah.

Meaning: Just as you love yourself and you care for yourself and will do anything to help yourself, so too must you love and care for another Jew. Share with them whatever you can to help them in their lives. Since you now know how to uplift yourself and behave properly, you must work hard to uplift others out of genuine love.

Now that we understand what is expected of us, the next step is to study the teaching from Tanya, which reveals how essential each Jew is to the entire purpose of creation:

וְזֶה כָּל הָאָדָם וְתַכְלִית בְּרִיאָתוֹ וּבְרִיאַת כָּל הָעוֹלָמוֹת עֶלְיוֹנִים וְתַּחְתּוֹנִים לִהְיוֹת לוֹ דִירָה זוֹ בְּתַּחְתּוֹנִים

“The purpose of the creation of every Jew and of all the worlds, higher and lower, is to make a dwelling place for G-d in this world.”

One may think: Who am I? I’m small, insignificant.

But the Alter Rebbe answers: You are the center of creation. The entire purpose of your existence — and the purpose of all existence — is that you make a home for G-d in this physical world. G-d is waiting for you to build Him this home through Torah and Mitzvos.

Once you realize how important you are — and what a monumental mission Hashem entrusted you with — you become filled with joy. And so the Alter Rebbe teaches the next verse from Tanya:

יִשְׂמַח יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעוֹשָׂיו פֵּירוּש שֶׁכָּל מִי שֶׁהוּא מִזֶרַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יֵשׁ לוֹ לִשְׂמוֹחַ בְּשִׂמְחַת ה’ אַשֶׁר שָׂשׂ וְשָׂמֵחַ בְּדִירָתוֹ בְּתַּחְתּוֹנִים

“Israel shall rejoice in their Maker — meaning that every Jew must rejoice in G-d’s joy, the joy and happiness He has in His dwelling place in the physical world.”

Do your mission with joy and excitement. Do not see it as a burden. Remember: Your Creator gave you this mission, and He rejoices when you fulfill His desire.

Since this mission cannot be accomplished without you — because you are at the center of it all, and G-d, so to speak, relies on you — realize how much joy you bring to G-d when He sees His desire being fulfilled.

And G-d’s joy in you should energize you. Fill you with life. Fill you with happiness. You are doing exactly what you were created to do.

Hashem created you.
G-d chose you.
G-d gave you a mission.
G-d gave you the ability to fulfill it.
And when you perform it with excitement and joy, you will live a life overflowing with happiness.

What an extraordinary prescription for a happy and healthy life!

When you put it all together, you realize what the Rebbe has given us:

A child who knows the world has a Creator, who has parents who teach them Torah, who believes in the power of effort, who loves others, who understands their cosmic purpose, and who knows G-d rejoices in them — such a child will grow into a happy, confident, spiritually healthy adult.

This is not just education. This is a prescription for life.

The Bombshell!

When I studied these 12 Pesukim — and realized that the Rebbe introduced them in two separate moments, with two entirely different purposes — the enormity of the message hit me.

The first six: fundamental truths. Basic principles of Yiddishkeit. A toolbox of identity.

The second six: a carefully structured emotional guide. A psychological curriculum. A step-by-step process leading a child from fear… to confidence… to mission… to joy.

This is something extraordinary in the Rebbe’s campaigns. The two halves are entirely different — yet together, they form a single masterpiece.

And then comes the most astonishing part:

Thirty-eight years later, in the freezing winter of 5774, these never-published words of the Rebbe about the six Pesukim — edited by the Rebbe’s hand — were rediscovered at the last possible moment.

That miracle — and what it means — to be continued…

Have an Invigorating, Energizing Shabbos,
Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Yosef Katzman