תשרי כ"ב - אגרת הקודש פרק כג

The Alter Rebbe begins by expressing strong disapproval of a certain behavior. He says, "It is bad in my eyes, the act that is done תחת השמש—under the sun," which is a phrase from Koheles, meaning in this world. But he emphasizes that this is especially true "among my brothers and friends who come close to Hashem." Who are these people? They are the ones who approach Hashem, specifically through davening.

He explains that this closeness refers to coming to shul to daven. But what happens? Either after davening or before davening, the shul turns into a מושב לצים—a gathering of scorners, meaning people just sitting around and not using the time productively. Instead of learning Torah, people are just talking, wasting time, or even joking around. The Alter Rebbe is pained by this, especially when it happens among those who are supposed to be close to Hashem.

To support this, the Alter Rebbe brings a teaching from our sages: "שנים שיושבין ואין ביניהם דברי תורה—if two people sit together and there are no words of Torah between them…" The implication is that even just sitting together without Torah is already a problem. You don't have to be actively making fun or being a scoffer; simply not learning Torah together is enough to be considered a מושב לצים.

This highlights how serious it is when people gather and don't use the opportunity to learn Torah. The absence of Torah turns a gathering into something negative, even if no one is doing anything overtly wrong.

The Alter Rebbe then intensifies the point: If this is true for two people, how much more so when it comes to a group of ten. He says, "If a מושב לצים—a gathering of scorners—happens among ten, where the שכינתא—the Divine Presence—rests upon them, there is no greater embarrassment and shame for the Shekhinah than this. May G‑d protect us."

In other words, when ten Jews are together, the Shekhinah is present. If instead of learning Torah, they turn the place into a מושב לצים, it is a tremendous disgrace to the Shekhinah. The Alter Rebbe is warning that this is not just a missed opportunity, but an actual affront to the Divine Presence itself.

He continues by referencing another teaching of Chazal: "If our sages say about someone who sins in private that he pushes away the feet of the Shekhinah, G‑d forbid, then someone who sins in public pushes away the entire stature of the Creator, so to speak."

So even a private sin is described as pushing away the Shekhinah, but a public sin—like turning a minyan into a מושב לצים—is much worse. Here, it is not just the 'feet' of the Shekhinah that are pushed away, but the entire presence, the full 'height' of the One who created the world. The Alter Rebbe is emphasizing how severe it is to disrespect the Shekhinah in public, especially in a place where it is supposed to rest.

The Alter Rebbe brings another saying of our sages: "אין אני והוא וכו'—I and he cannot dwell together." This means that when there is a מושב לצים, the Shekhinah cannot remain present. However, he adds, "the king is tied in ropes." In other words, even though the Shekhinah wants to leave because of the disrespect, it is forced to remain, since wherever there are ten Jews, the Shekhinah must be present.

But this is a tragic situation: the Shekhinah is present, but it is as if it is being held captive, unable to depart. The Alter Rebbe says, "Woe to those who push the Shekhinah away when Hashem will raise it up," referencing the verse "התנערי מעפר קומי—Shake yourself from the dust, arise." This is a warning that there will come a time when Hashem will redeem the Shekhinah from this state, and those who caused its shame will be held accountable.

The Alter Rebbe concludes this section by explaining that there are three reasons why the Jewish people are delayed in exile. He says, "For three things the Jewish people are held back in exile: because they push away the Shekhinah, and because they cause shame to the Shekhinah," as explained in the Zohar.

In other words, our actions—when we disrespect the Shekhinah, especially in public gatherings where the Divine Presence is manifest—are a cause for the continued exile. This is a powerful call to use every opportunity, especially when gathered with others, to honor the Shekhinah by learning Torah together, rather than wasting time or turning the gathering into a מושב לצים.