“The Baal HaTanya said, ‘I can stand for the Amidah for 24 Hours!’”

THIS LAST FRIDAY, THE 24TH OF TEVET, WAS THE HILULAH DAY OF THE BAAL HATANYA, RABBI SHNEUR ZALMAN OF LIADI ZY”A, ABOUT WHOM RABBEINU SAID THAT HE WAS “SAR HAELEF – PRINCE OF A THOUSAND.”  THE “ADMOR HAZAKEN” WAS THE FOUNDER OF THE CHABAD-LUBAVITCH CHASIDIC DYNASTY.

IN HONOR OF THE HILULAH DAY, WE BRING HERE A COLLECTION OF CHIZZUK FROM THE SHIURIM OF MOREINU HARAV ELIEZER BERLAND SHLIT”A ABOUT THE EXALTEDNESS OF PRAYER, WHICH THE BAAL HATANYA ENCOURAGED SO MUCH:

For this, a person came into the world.  For this, one reached this world, in order to stand for the Amidah, to not miss a word in the Amidah, to not lose a single letter in the Amidah, to stand six hours for the Amidah.  The Baal HaTanya said, “I can stand for the Amidah for 24 hours.”  In a little while, it will be his yahrzeit on 24 Tevet, in Hadiach.  Everyone should travel to Hadiach, where the biggest yahrzeit of the Baal HaTanya will be.  A person comes to the world for the yahrzeit of the Baal HaTanya in Hadiach.  Then one will see wonders and will see miracles the likes of which have not been since the creation of the world.  Every day anew are new miracles.

The month of Tevet is the initial letters of “Tikadmenu Birchot Tov, Tasim L’Rosho Ateret Paz – You anticipate him with blessings of good; You place on his head a crown of pure gold.”  What is “a crown of pure cold”?  This is a crown (Keter), “He set a royal crown on her head, and made her queen in place of Vashti.”  She became queen of the world, over 127 provinces.  In the month of Tevet, everyone receives a crown on their heads.  Everyone receives a crown and merits to rule over the whole world.  Everyone receives a crown and is king over the entire world in the merit of the crown.  This is the month of Tevet, when Esther went in to see the king in the tenth month, which is the month of Tevet, and she received the crown.  Then all the Jewish people receive the crown.

A person needs to know that he comes into the world to learn Gemara, and the Baal HaTanya says – now is the yahrzeit of the Baal HaTanya, the 24th.  Sunday night is the birthday [the Rav’s birthday], and Monday night is the yahrzeit of the Baal HaTanya.  He said, “I can stand for the Amidah for eight hours.”  Now we stood for the Amidah for ten minutes so that we could manage to go to sleep, but really, one needs to stand for the Amidah for three hours, four hours, five hours.  By the first Hasidim [“devout ones”], [they would spend] an hour before prayer and an hour after prayer – this is three hours for the Amidah.  And another time, three hours – nine hours [for three prayers a day].  After this, there remains another fifteen hours to learn Gemara.  A person who can stand for the Amidah three hours, and another three, and another three, can learn after this fifteen hours Gemara without taking his head out of the books.