Daily Study: Hayom Yom

Before pronouncing the b'racha hamotzi, a scratch is made on the bread with the knife, but we are careful not to cut into it.

Even when saying kiddush over bread, we still say savri maranan (p. 141).

It is said of the Time To Come:1 "A stone in the wall will cry out and a beam from the tree will respond." At present, inert creations are mute; though trodden upon, they remain silent. But there will come a time when the revelation of the Future becomes a reality, that the inert will begin to speak, relate and demand: "If a man was walking along without thinking or speaking words of Torah, why did he trample upon me?"

The earth trodden upon has been waiting for millenia, ever since the Six Days of Creation. All kinds of living creatures have been treading upon it all this time, but it is waiting for a Jew (or two Jews) to walk on it while discussing Torah. But if they do not say words of Torah, the earth will protest: "You too are just like an animal!"

My grandfather said that the Mitteler Rebbe wrote specific maamarim and a special book for every different kind of maskil and oveid1 in the Chassidic community. Shaar Hayichud and Shaarei Ora, however, are general, written for all chassidim. Shaar Hayichud is the key to the teachings of Chassidus; Shaarei Ora is the alef-beit of Chassidus.