כְּשֶׁהָיָה הַצֶּמַח צֶדֶק בֶּן תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים אָמַר לוֹ רַבֵּנוּ הַזָּקֵן: קִבַּלְתִּי מִמּוֹרִי (הָרַב הַמַּגִּיד) שֶׁקִּבֵּל מִמּוֹרוֹ (הַבַּעַל שֵׁם טוֹב) בְּשֵׁם מוֹרוֹ הַיָּדוּעַ, אֲשֶׁר מִיּוֹם שֵׁנִי דְרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ אֱלוּל עַד יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, יֹאמְרוּ בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם בְּמֶשֶׁךְ הַיּוֹם שְׁלֹשָׁה קאַפּיטְלאַך תְּהִלִּים, וּבְיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים שְׁלֹשִׁים וְשִׁשָּׁה קאַפִּיטְלאַך: ט' קוֹדֶם כָּל נִדְרֵי, ט' קוֹדֶם הַשֵּׁנָה, ט' אַחַר מוּסָף, ט' אַחַר נְעִילָה. וּמִי שֶׁלֹּא הִתְחִיל בְּיוֹם בּ דְרֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ יַתְחִיל בְּאוֹתוֹ יוֹם שֶׁהוּא עוֹמֵד בּוֹ, וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱסִיר יַשְׁלִים.

When the Tzemach Tzedek was nine years old, the Alter Rebbe told him: “I received a directive from my mentor (the Maggid of Mezritch) who received it from his mentor (the Baal Shem Tov) who received it from [Achiyah HaShiloni], who is known to have been his mentor,1 that in the course of each day from the second day of Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur, one should recite three chapters of Tehillim.2 On Yom Kippur, one should recite 36 chapters: nine before Kol Nidrei, nine before going to sleep, nine after the Mussaf service, and nine after the Neilah service.

If one did not begin [this program] on the second day of Rosh Chodesh [Elul], he should begin on the day [he remembered, according to the schedule for that day, and later] should make good the readings that he missed.3

A Faithful Shepherd

This teaching is of particular interest in that it communicates what was originally a private directive, handed down discreetly from Rebbe to Rebbe since the Baal Shem Tov. The Tzemach Tzedek had passed it on to his youngest son and future successor, the Rebbe Maharash, when the latter was nine years old; the Rebbe Maharash had passed it on to his second son and future successor, the Rebbe Rashab, when the latter was nine years old; and the Rebbe Rashab had passed it on to his only son and future successor, the Rebbe Rayatz, when the latter was nine years old. At this point the Rebbe Rayatz saw fit to make this directive — like many other similar directives — the heritage of the entire Jewish people.