Whereas it has been agreed by us to give authorization and prerogative to bring to the printing press, for a remembrance unto the children of Israel, the written words of uprightness and truth, the words of the Living G–d, authored by our lord father, teacher, and master, of blessed memory, recorded personally in his saintly expression, whose words are all burning coals to set the hearts aflame to bring them closer to their Father in heaven; they are entitled Iggeret Hakodesh (“Holy Epistle”), being mostly epistles sent by his holy eminence, to teach the people of G–d the way by which to walk and the deed which they should do;
And inasmuch as he has made references, in many places, to the Sefer Likkutei Amarim, since the words of the Torah are scanty in one place and ample in another,2Jerusalem Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 3:5. especially also as he introduced new material in the Kuntres Acharon on certain chapters which he wrote when he composed the Sefer Likkutei Amarim, profound discussions on passages in the Zohar, Etz Chaim, and Pri Etz Chaim, which [passages] appear contradictory to one another, but he, with his inspired perception, has reconciled them, each statement in its own manner, as he has written in the Likkutei Amarim, we have seen fit and proper to join them with the Sefer Likkutei Amarim and Iggeret Hateshuvah3Note that Shaar Hayichud VehaEmunah (part II of the Tanya) is not mentioned here; neither is it mentioned in the title cover. of his saintly eminence, our lord father, teacher, and master, of blessed memory;
[Therefore], we come to place a great fence and the rabbinic injunction of נח"ש4נדוי, חרם, שמתא—three forms of excommunication. (excommunication), for which there is no remedy, that no man lift his hand to reprint them in their present form, or in part, for a period of five years from the date below.
However, this should be made known: To our misfortune the manuscripts written by his personal saintly hand, which were composed with great punctiliousness, without a superfluous or deficient letter, have become extinct; only this little has remained from the abundance, and it has been carefully collected one by one from the copies spread among the disciples. Should, therefore, an error be discovered (“who can understand [and prevent] errors?”)5Psalms 19:13., the evident error will be identified as a scribe’s error, but the meaning will be clear.
Declared by DOV BER, the son of my lord father, teacher and master, gaon and chasid, saint of Israel, our teacher and master SCHNEUR ZALMAN of blessed memory, his soul rests in the hidden treasures of heaven.
Also declared by CHAYIM ABRAHAM, the son of my lord father, teacher and master, gaon and chasid, our teacher and master SCHNEUR ZALMAN, the memory of the tzaddik be blessed, his soul rests in the hidden treasures of heaven.
Also declared by MOSHE, the son of my lord father, teacher and master, gaon and chasid, SCHNEUR ZALMAN, of blessed memory, his soul rests in the hidden treasures of heaven.
הַסְכָּמַת
APPROBATION1First published in the Shklov, 5574 (1814) edition. See above, p. xxi, note 1.
הָרַבָּנִים שֶׁיִּחְיוּ בְּנֵי הַגָּאוֹן הַמְחַבֵּר זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה נִשְׁמָתוֹ עֵדֶן.
by the rabbis (long may they live), the sons of the gaon the author (of blessed memory, whose soul is in Eden).
הֱיוֹת שֶׁהוּסְכַּם אֶצְלֵינוּ לִיתֵּן רְשׁוּת וְהַרְמָנָא לְהַעֲלוֹת עַל מַכְבֵּשׁ הַדְּפוּס, לְזִכָּרוֹן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, כָּתוּב דִּבְרֵי יוֹשֶׁר וֶאֱמֶת, דִּבְרֵי אֱלֹקִים חַיִּים שֶׁל אֲדוֹנֵנוּ אָבִינוּ מוֹרֵנוּ וְרַבֵּנוּ זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה, כְּתוּבִים בִּכְתַב יָדוֹ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה בְּעַצְמוֹ וּלְשׁוֹנוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ, שֶׁכָּל דְּבָרָיו כְּגַחֲלֵי אֵשׁ בּוֹעֲרוֹת, יַלְהִיבוּ הַלְּבָבוֹת לְקָרְבָן לַאֲבִיהֶן שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, וּבְשֵׁם אִגֶּרֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ נִקְרְאוּ, שֶׁרוּבָּם הָיוּ אִגֶּרֶת שָׁלוּחַ מֵאֵת כְּבוֹד קְדוּשָּׁתוֹ לְהוֹרוֹת לְעַם ה׳ הַדֶּרֶךְ יֵלְכוּ בָהּ וְהַמַּעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשׂוּן.
Whereas it has been agreed by us to give authorization and prerogative to bring to the printing press, for a remembrance unto the children of Israel, the written words of uprightness and truth, the words of the Living G–d, authored by our lord father, teacher, and master, of blessed memory, recorded personally in his saintly expression, whose words are all burning coals to set the hearts aflame to bring them closer to their Father in heaven; they are entitled Iggeret Hakodesh (“Holy Epistle”), being mostly epistles sent by his holy eminence, to teach the people of G–d the way by which to walk and the deed which they should do;
וּמֵחֲמַת שֶׁבְּכַמָּה מְקוֹמוֹת הִצִּיב לוֹ צִיּוּנִים בְּסֵפֶר ״לִקּוּטֵי אֲמָרִים״ שֶׁלּוֹ, וְדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה עֲנִיִּים בְּמָקוֹם אֶחָד וַעֲשִׁירִים בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר, וּמַה גַּם בִּשְׁבִיל דָּבָר שֶׁנִּתְחַדֵּשׁ בּוֹ – ״קוּנְטְרֵס אַחֲרוֹן״ עַל אֵיזֶה פְּרָקִים, אֲשֶׁר כָּתַב בְּעֵת חִיבְּרוֹ הַסֵּפֶר ״לִקּוּטֵי אֲמָרִים״ – פִּלְפּוּל וְעִיּוּן עָמוֹק עַל מַאַמְרֵי זֹהַר וְעֵץ חַיִּים וּפְרִי עֵץ חַיִּים שֶׁנִּרְאִים כְּסוֹתְרִים זֶה אֶת זֶה, וּבְרוּחַ מִבִּינָתוֹ מְיַשְּׁבָם כָּל דִּיבּוּר עַל אוֹפְנָיו שֶׁכָּתַב בְּ״לִקּוּטֵי אֲמָרִים״, רָאוֹ רָאִינוּ, שֶׁרָאוּי וְנָכוֹן לְחַבְּרָם עִם סֵפֶר ״לִקּוּטֵי אֲמָרִים״ וְ״אִגֶּרֶת הַתְּשׁוּבָה״ שֶׁל כְּבוֹד קְדוּשַּׁת אֲדוֹנֵנוּ אָבִינוּ מוֹרֵנוּ וְרַבֵּנוּ זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה.
And inasmuch as he has made references, in many places, to the Sefer Likkutei Amarim, since the words of the Torah are scanty in one place and ample in another,2Jerusalem Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 3:5. especially also as he introduced new material in the Kuntres Acharon on certain chapters which he wrote when he composed the Sefer Likkutei Amarim, profound discussions on passages in the Zohar, Etz Chaim, and Pri Etz Chaim, which [passages] appear contradictory to one another, but he, with his inspired perception, has reconciled them, each statement in its own manner, as he has written in the Likkutei Amarim, we have seen fit and proper to join them with the Sefer Likkutei Amarim and Iggeret Hateshuvah3Note that Shaar Hayichud VehaEmunah (part II of the Tanya) is not mentioned here; neither is it mentioned in the title cover. of his saintly eminence, our lord father, teacher, and master, of blessed memory;
אֵי לָזֹאת, בָּאנוּ לְהָטִיל גּוּדָא רַבָּה וּגְזֵרַת נִדּוּי־חֵרֶם־שַׁמְתָּא דְּרַבָּנָן דְּלֵית לָהּ אַסְוָותָא, שֶׁלֹּא יָרִים אִישׁ אֶת יָדוֹ לְהַדְפִּיס כְּתַבְנִיתָם אוֹ זֶה בְּלֹא זֶה מֶשֶׁךְ חֲמִשָּׁה שָׁנִים מִיּוֹם דִּלְמַטָּה.
[Therefore], we come to place a great fence and the rabbinic injunction of נח"ש4נדוי, חרם, שמתא—three forms of excommunication. (excommunication), for which there is no remedy, that no man lift his hand to reprint them in their present form, or in part, for a period of five years from the date below.
בְּרַם, כְּגוֹן דָּא צָרִיךְ לְאוֹדוֹעֵי, שֶׁבַּעֲוֹנוֹתֵינוּ הָרַבִּים, סָפוּ תַמּוּ כִּתְבֵי יָדוֹ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה בְּעַצְמוֹ אֲשֶׁר הָיוּ בְּדִקְדּוּק גָּדוֹל לֹא חָסֵר וְלֹא יָתֵר אוֹת אַחַת, וְלֹא נִשְׁאַר, כִּי אִם זֶה הַמְעַט מֵהַרְבֵּה אֲשֶׁר נִלְקְטוּ אֶחָד לְאֶחָד מֵהַעְתָּקוֹת הַמְפוּזָּרִים אֵצֶל הַתַּלְמִידִים, וְאִם הִמָּצֵא תִמָּצֵא אֵיזֶה טָעוּת, ״שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי יָבִין?״, יִמָּצֵא הַטָּעוּת דְּמוּכָח מִטָּעוּת סוֹפֵר, וְהַכַּוָּונָה תִּהְיֶה בְּרוּרָה:
However, this should be made known: To our misfortune the manuscripts written by his personal saintly hand, which were composed with great punctiliousness, without a superfluous or deficient letter, have become extinct; only this little has remained from the abundance, and it has been carefully collected one by one from the copies spread among the disciples. Should, therefore, an error be discovered (“who can understand [and prevent] errors?”)5Psalms 19:13., the evident error will be identified as a scribe’s error, but the meaning will be clear.
הַיוֹם, יוֹם ה׳ כ״ב אִיָּיר תקע״ד לִפְרָט קָטָן.
Today is the 5th day [Thursday], 22 Iyar, [5]574
נְאוּם דּוֹב בֶּער בֶּן אֲדוֹנִי אָבִי מוֹרִי וְרַבִּי הַגָּאוֹן הֶחָסִיד קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל מָרָנָא וְרַבָּנָא שְׁנֵיאוֹר זַלְמָן זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה, נִשְׁמָתוֹ בְּגִנְזֵי מְרוֹמִים.
Declared by DOV BER, the son of my lord father, teacher and master, gaon and chasid, saint of Israel, our teacher and master SCHNEUR ZALMAN of blessed memory, his soul rests in the hidden treasures of heaven.
וּנְאוּם חַיִּים אַבְרָהָם בֶּן אֲדוֹנִי אָבִי מוֹרִי וְרַבִּי הַגָּאוֹן הֶחָסִיד מָרָנָא וְרַבָּנָא שְׁנֵיאוֹר זַלְמָן זֵכֶר צַדִּיק לִבְרָכָה, נִשְׁמָתוֹ בְּגִנְזֵי מְרוֹמִים.
Also declared by CHAYIM ABRAHAM, the son of my lord father, teacher and master, gaon and chasid, our teacher and master SCHNEUR ZALMAN, the memory of the tzaddik be blessed, his soul rests in the hidden treasures of heaven.
וּנְאוּם מֹשֶׁה בֶּן אֲדוֹנִי אָבִי מוֹרִי וְרַבִּי הַגָּאוֹן הֶחָסִיד שְׁנֵיאוֹר זַלְמָן זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה, נִשְׁמָתוֹ בְּגִנְזֵי מְרוֹמִים.
Also declared by MOSHE, the son of my lord father, teacher and master, gaon and chasid, SCHNEUR ZALMAN, of blessed memory, his soul rests in the hidden treasures of heaven.