אַאַזְמוּ"ר אָמַר, אֲשֶׁר אַדְמוּ"ר הָאֶמְצָעִי כָּתַב בִּשְׁבִיל כָּל סוּג וְסוּג מֵהַמַּשְׂכִּילִים וְהָעוֹבְדִים אֲשֶׁר בַּעֲדַת הַחֲסִידִים מַאֲמָרִים וְסֵפֶר מְיוּחָד, לְבַד שַׁעַר הַיִּחוּד וְשַׁעֲרֵי אוֹרָה שֶׁהֵם כְּלָלִיִּים, וְנִכְתְּבוּ עֲבוּר כָּל הַחֲסִידִים: שַׁעַר הַיִּחוּד הוּא הַמַּפְתֵּחַ דְּתוֹרַת הַחֲסִידוּת, וְשַׁעֲרֵי אוֹרָה — אָלֶף-בֵּית דְּתוֹרַת הַחֲסִידוּת.

My revered grandfather, the Rebbe [Maharash], once related that the Mitteler Rebbe wrote maamarim and a particular book for every kind of oved and maskil within the chassidic community.1 By contrast, [his] Shaar HaYichud2 and Shaarei Orah3 are of general relevance, and were written for all chassidim. [His] Shaar HaYichud is the key to the teachings of Chassidus, and Shaarei Orah is the alef-beis4 of the teachings of Chassidus.5

To Fill In the Background

The Mitteler Rebbe combined two seemingly opposite thrusts. On the one hand, he utterly transcended this world. He would deliver a discourse on the teachings of Chassidus for hours on end, to the point that most of the chassidim were incapable of grasping the entire maamar, and had to take turns listening. On the other hand, as indicated by the above passage, he was closely connected with his chassidim and gave them personal guidance, each according to his specific approach to Divine service. Chassidus seesthese two extremes as interrelated. For only spirituality at the most transcendent levels can descend and relate to the lowest levels of material existence.