כְּשֶׁסִּיֵּים אַאַמוּ"ר הַשַּׁ"ס בַּפַּעַם הַשְּׁלִישִׁית אָמַר מַאֲמַר דִּבְרֵי אֱלוֹקִים חַיִים, וְתוֹכְנוֹ מַהוּ הַדְרָן.

בִּשְׁנַת הָאֲבֵלוּת אַחֲרֵי אִמּוֹ סִיֵּים אַאַמוּ"ר ש"ס מִשְׁנָה לְסוֹף י"א חֹדֶשׁ, וּלְיוֹם הַיאָהרצַייט — כָּל הש"ס.

When my revered father, the Rebbe [Rashab], completed [the study of] the Talmud for the third time, he delivered a maamar of Chassidus. Its theme was: What is a hadran?1

During the year of mourning for his mother, my revered father, the Rebbe [Rashab], completed [the study of] the entire Mishnah by the end of the eleventh month,2 and [the study of] the entire Talmud by the day of her yahrzeit.

Delving Deeply

As is often quoted, משנה אותיות נשמה — “The word Mishnah has the same letters as the word neshamah (‘soul’).”3 This implies that the study of Mishnayos illuminates our own neshamos, and also elevates the souls of those who have departed this world. For this reason, during the first year of mourning and on every subsequent yahrzeit, it is customary to study mishnayos on behalf of the souls of departed parents and of other relatives and friends.4