019 - יט אלול

This entry in Hayom Yom is for the nineteenth of Elul.

The Alter Rebbe, when he was still living in Vitebsk, once delivered a teaching on the verse אתם נצבים—"You are standing." This was something he said during his time in that city, and it was remembered as a significant Torah insight.

He focused on the phrase מחוטב עציך. The Alter Rebbe explained that this can be understood as referring to the idea of 'advice'—that a person must "hew away" or remove the multitude of thoughts that fill the heart. In other words, just as a woodcutter chops away at the trees, so too must a person cut away the many distracting or misleading thoughts that clutter his heart and mind.

He then turned to the phrase שואב מימיך. The Alter Rebbe interpreted this as drawing forth the "waters"—meaning the spiritual waters that cause all kinds of pleasure to grow. In this context, water represents the source of delight and growth, and the act of drawing water is symbolic of accessing those inner wellsprings that nurture and bring forth spiritual pleasure and vitality.

So, the Alter Rebbe is teaching that a person must both remove the negative, unnecessary thoughts and also actively draw from the positive, life-giving sources within himself. This dual process is essential for spiritual growth and for experiencing true pleasure in one's service of G‑d.