9288 —שלוש הערות על תהלים, המשכן, ומטרת התורה שלום

Shalom u'Vrachah! For the sake of the matter's dearness, and although this is not the appropriate time, I will nevertheless write three brief notes:

In the introduction (by you): The uniqueness of Sefer Tehillim—see Bava Basra (14b) where only Tehillim is called by the title 'Sefer.' Also note from Sifrei (Tetzaveh 24:1): 'Sefer'—unique in that it endures. See Zohar II 56a and Or HaChamah there. Torah Or (by our Rebbe, the Alter Rebbe) in supplements (118d, 124a). This is explained in many places; also see letters from my father-in-law, the Rebbe Rayatz, regarding reciting Tehillim.

At its beginning on the verse I:1 (see there): Why was the commandment to build the Mishkan not given by Moshe Rabbeinu to Israel while standing? In Megillah (21a), it is learned from a verse that Torah was taught standing; thus, also the section about building the Mishkan should be included. The novelty in Yalkut Shimoni (Divrei HaYamim I, 28) is that even giving over the scroll of Beis HaMikdash was done standing. But for the Mishkan there was no need for such a scroll since it was built immediately after being commanded and Moshe was with them. This is implied in Yalkut Shimoni's teaching that Megillas Beis HaMikdash was passed from recipient to recipient and not spoken to all Israel. This also appears from further teachings in Midrash Shmuel chapter 15 at its end.

And related to this: Torah and peace: Note from Sifrei where Rambam concludes Hilchos Chanukah and Sefer Zmanim: that all Torah was given to make peace in the world etc. Part of this is printed in Likkutei Sichos vol. 33 p. 236, part in vol. 11 p. 357, and completed according to a copy from the secretariat.

Summary

This letter highlights Tehillim's unique status as an enduring Sefer, discusses nuances about how commandments were transmitted regarding standing or sitting, and emphasizes that Torah's ultimate purpose is to bring peace into the world.