What Should We Learn?

Besuras Hageulah with a new side-by-side translation and commentary

כב. קטעים משיחות ש”פ תזריע-מצורע, ו’ אייר תנש”א (4)

6 Iyar 5751 − April 20 1991 (4)

Increase in Torah study is the most effective way to bring about the revelation of Moshiach. Learning about Moshiach in Torah is especially conducive to hastening the coming of Moshiach. The Rebbe went on to provide detailed instructions on how this should be done:

…Simply put: “Tiferes” refers to learning Torah, and “Malchus sheb’Tiferes” means learning Torah ideas on the subjects of the King Moshiach and the Redemption that are explained in many places within the Torah:	… וּבְפַשְׁטוּת: “תִּפְאֶרֶת” – הוּא עִנְיָן לִמּוּד הַתּוֹרָה, וּ”מַלְכוּת שֶׁבְּתִפְאֶרֶת” – הוּא לִמּוּד הַתּוֹרָה בְּעִנְיְנֵי מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ וּבְעִנְיְנֵי הַגְאוּלָה שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֲרוּ בְּרִבּוּי מְקוֹמוֹת,
These places are:
1. In the Written Torah — particularly in “the words of the prophets” of which the Rambam writes that “all their books are filled with this matter”;	– בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב (וּבִפְרָט “בְּדִבְרֵי הַנְּבִיאִים . . שֶׁכָּל הַסְּפָרִים מְלֵאִים בְּדָבָר זֶה”)
2. In the Oral Torah — namely the Gemara, particularly tractate Sanhedrin and at the end of tractate Sotah, and Midrashim;	וּבַתּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה, בַּגְּמָרָא (וּבִפְרָט בְּמַסֶּכֶת סַנְהֶדְרִין וּבְסוֹף מַסֶּכֶת סוֹטָה) וּבְמִדְרָשִׁים,
3. Also, we should study about Moshiach especially in the inner realm of the Torah, beginning with the book of the Zohar (of which Eliyahu Hanavi said “with this work of yours, the book of the Zohar, they will leave their exile in mercy”);	וְגַם – וּבִמְיֻחָד – בִּפְנִימִיּוּת הַתּוֹרָה, הֵחֵל מִסֵּפֶר הַזֹּהַר (שֶׁ”בְּהַאי חִיבּוּרָא דִילָךְ דְּאִיהוּ סֵפֶר הַזֹּהַר כוּ’ יִפְקוּן בֵּיה מִן גָּלוּתָא בְּרַחֲמִים”)
4. Within the inner realm of Torah, we should study about Moshiach particularly in the teachings of Chassidus (as Moshiach told the Baal Shem Tov, that through the spreading of the wellsprings of Chassidus outward, the master, King Moshiach, will come);	וּבִפְרָט בְּתוֹרַת הַחֲסִידוּת (שֶׁעַל-יְדֵי הֲפָצַת הַמַּעְיָנוֹת חוּצָה אָתֵי מַר דָא מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא)
5. Within Chassidus, we should study the teachings of our Rebbeim and Leaders;	בְּתוֹרַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ נְשִׂיאֵינוּ,
6. Principally, the teachings — Chasidic discourses and Likkutei Sichos — of the Leader of our generation	וּבִפְרָט בְּתוֹרָתוֹ (מַאֲמָרִים וְלִקּוּטֵי שִׂיחוֹת) שֶׁל נְשִׂיא דוֹרֵנוּ
— This is as a sampler and preparation for studying the Torah of Moshiach, which is alluded to in the verse “For a new Torah shall go forth from Me.”	– מֵעֵין וְדֻגְמָא וַהֲכָנָה לְלִמּוּד תּוֹרָתוֹ שֶׁל מָשִׁיחַ, “תּוֹרָה חֲדָשָׁה מֵאִתִּי תֵּצֵא”,
What Moshiach will teach to all people is the inner realm of the Torah, considered “new,” as it was never previously exposed, which contains the reasons behind the mitzvos of the Torah) and the knowledge of G-dliness (“know the G-d of your fathers”).	שֶׁיְּלַמֵּד לְכָל הָעָם פְּנִימִיּוּת הַתּוֹרָה (טַעֲמֵי תּוֹרָה), יְדִיעַת אֱלֹקוּת (“דַּע אֶת אֱלֹקֵי אָבִיךָ”)
This accords with the halachic ruling of the Rambam that “at that time … the Jews will be great sages and will know hidden matters, attaining the knowledge of their Creator…” A “taste” of these teachings is available in Chassidus. —	כִּפְסַק-דִּין הָרַמְבַּ”ם שֶׁ”בְּאוֹתוֹ הַזְּמַן . . יִהְיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲכָמִים גְּדוֹלִים וְיוֹדְעִים דְּבָרִים הַסְּתוּמִים וְיַשִּׂיגוּ דַּעַת בּוֹרְאָם כו’” –
This increase in Torah study on the topics of Moshiach and the Redemption (“Malchus Sheb’Tiferes”) is the “straightforward path” to bring about the revelation and coming of Moshiach and the Redemption in actuality.	וְהַהוֹסָפָה בְּלִמּוּד הַתּוֹרָה בְּעִנְיְנֵי מָשִׁיחַ וְהַגְאוּלָה (“מַלְכוּת שֶׁבְּתִפְאֶרֶת”) הִיא הַ”דֶּרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה” לִפְעֹל הִתְגַּלּוּת וּבִיאַת הַמָּשִׁיחַ וְהַגְאוּלָה בְּפֹעַל מַמָּשׁ.

Who is the author of the Likkutei Sichos?

Numerous times in the Rebbe’s sichos, he mentions and quotes “My father-in-law, the Rebbe Nasi Doreinu – the leader of our generation.”

Chassidim always understood these — when in the appropriate context — as references of the Rebbe to himself, based on (1) the idea the Rebbe mentioned several times that all the Rebbeim are one entity; (2) the principle that the Nasi Hador is a person who can be seen and heard (See Likkutei Sichos vol. 24 on Parshas Vaeschanan); and, (3) the fact that the Rebbe clearly defined our generation as the seventh generation since the Alter Rebbe, while the Frierdiker Rebbe was the sixth generation.

In addition, there are several places where this was hinted quite clearly, one of them being this sicha.

The Rebbe mentioned that we should learn matters of Moshiach in “the teachings of our Rebbeim … Chasidic discourses and Likkutei Sichos — of the Leader of our generation.”

Likkutei Sichos, as famously known, is the title under which the Rebbe’s talks were officially published after they underwent the Rebbe’s extensive editing.