I Discovered a Treasure Hiding in the Rebbe’s Sichos

By a Shliach

Different strokes for different folks. But I’m sure that for some people, the treasure I found will be a treasure for you as well.

What a great, awesome project Project Likkutei Sichos is!

But I must confess that I did not jump in for a long time. And then I found a treasure hiding on their website. And it changed a lot for me.

Each sicha that I learn is so incredibly rewarding and rich. And for the first time in my shlichus, I’m comfortable taking a sicha, sitting down with people, and teaching it to them with all its wealth.

What is this treasure?

Imagine having all those sources that the Rebbe refers to in the footnotes right in front of you, ready to learn! No searching through seforim. They’re all there, printed out for you.

For some of the sichos, they have an attachment with all the sources printed out, so you can actually learn the sources that the Rebbe refers to in the footnotes.

I once saw an answer from the Rebbe lamenting that he writes, “ראה — look!” and then he says something to the effect of: Why won’t you give me the zechus that because of me, you will learn so much more Torah through all these sources?

Sadly, when I learned a sicha, not only couldn’t I teach it, I often didn’t feel I fully understood it myself.

And now, with these attachments, I learn the sources where the Rebbe writes ראה or להעיר. And it’s so rewarding! Suddenly I understand so much more of what the Rebbe wants to say.

And now, for the first time, I actually sit down with people and learn a sicha inside with them. I print out all the sources for each person. Some of the sources we just paraphrase, but many of them we learn inside together. And they’re just blown away!

And then there’s something else. The Rebbe also references other sichos where he talks about the same idea.

So many times, when you learn a radically new idea, you start thinking: Do I run with this? Am I really understanding what the Rebbe is saying?

And then, when you’re able to see five other places where the Rebbe talks about it, sometimes explaining a different perspective and sometimes reinforcing it, you suddenly get a whole picture.

And the treasure I found this week!

The Rebbe talks about inviting guests and escorting guests to the door.

My dear friends, you see the Rebbe’s life in the pages of the sicha!

אנא נפשי כתבית יהבית — I wrote my very soul into what I have given you.

You see how the Rebbe wrote himself into the sicha. He’s sharing with us something that is so dear to him, and he wants us to make it part of ours.

The Rebbe is inspiring us not just to give, but to really think about the emotional needs of our guest, of the person we’re talking to. How does that person feel? What does he need emotionally?

And then you look at the other sichos that the Rebbe points to, and in each one you see the Rebbe again, and the Rebbe’s plea to us to make that sensitivity part of our own lives.

I’m attaching here one of these source collections. There are certain volumes where they have this offering. It’s not every sicha, but now I try as often as I can to take one of those sichos with such an attachment.

All it takes is a couple of hours, but wow, it’s really special.

I know this isn’t for everyone. I’m sure the sichos are for everyone, but I know not everyone needs this to get really excited about a sicha.

But there must be some people out there like me, and it’s especially for them that I’m writing this.