The Previous Rebbe writes:
When my grandfather [the Rebbe Maharash] was eight or nine
years old, he was already buying books with his allowance money and with the
money he was awarded for learning Torah by heart - specifically, portions of the
Tanach, Mishna, and Tanya.
One time, he wanted to buy a couple of books, but since he
did not have any money, he went to his father, the Tzemach Tzedek, to request a
loan.
His father asked him for what purpose he needed the money. He
answered that he wanted to buy some new books from the selection he had seen in
the care of Reb Noach Boruch the Bundle-Carrier.
His father told him: "First become well versed with the books
you already have, and when you have become thoroughly familiar with these, then
you can go ahead and buy new books and become well versed in them, too."
Just then, the Rebbe’s aide, Reb Chaim Dov, came by to
announce that the bound volumes that Reb Noach Boruch had brought had been
placed in the new bookcase, which Yosef Dovid the Carpenter had delivered, and
the unbound volumes had been put aside.
My grandfather [the Rebbe Maharash] described the ensuing
scene as follows:
In the room where my father was, there were several bookcases
- five open bookcases and two cabinets, all of which were filled with books. And
in the adjacent room, whose door was left ajar, were six more open bookcases
filled with books.
The bookseller, Reb Noach Boruch, would typically make two
trips a year to Lubavitch, on Shavuos and on Chanuka. Each time he would bring
my father a list of new titles. This time he also brought a number of books.
When I entered with my father into the adjacent room, and I
saw the new open bookcase - the one which Yosef Dovid the Carpenter had just
delivered yesterday, the twelfth one - and I saw that it was already full with
the books Reb Noach Boruch had delivered, and that besides these, there lay
another four bundles of unbound volumes which Father had to give to Avrohom Abba
the Bookbinder - seeing all this, I was stricken with heartache...
"Tatte," I said, "you told me that first we must
become well versed with the books we already have, and only thereafter may we
buy more. Are you well versed in all your books?!"
"Generally speaking," my father answered, "I am well versed
in them. Take out a volume and we’ll see."
Without stopping to think, I ran over to one of the bookcases
and took the first book that came to hand, and as I removed the volume from the
shelf, my father said to me: "That’s Seifer Maslul [a book on
Hebrew grammar]. Open it up and tell me the page number, and I will tell you
what is written there."
And so he did. [Likkutei Dibburim, pp. 456-8]
* * *
The 5th of Teives is the anniversary of the redeeming of the
books and manuscripts of the previous Rebbeim, the day that is celebrated by
Lubavitchers with the joyous singing of "Didan Natzach" (Victory is
Ours), for it was revealed to the whole world on this day in 5747 (1987), by way
of a US Federal Court ruling, that the disputed collection must be returned to
its true owner, the Rebbe himself.
In the following segments, the Rebbe shares with us the joy
of this occasion and encourages us to cultivate our love for holy books:
The 5th of Teives is connected with the freeing and the
redeeming of the captive books and manuscripts of the Rebbeim, our leaders...
There are still, however, books and manuscripts of the Rebbe,
my father-in-law, and of his father, the Rebbe Rashab, whose soul rests in
Heaven, which still remain in captivity in [Russia] and have still not been
returned to their [rightful] place, despite the fact that the government has
already ordered...that they should be freed...
What can anyone do to hasten the redemption and the return of
these books and manuscripts? The answer is simple: [This can be accomplished]
through each and every person, men, women, and children, doing something that
resembles [redeeming captive books], through bringing into their homes, into
their libraries and the like, new Torah books (and manuscripts), in addition to
those books which they already have in their "house full of books."
And now this is an easy task to accomplish. Since every week
new Torah books are being published, both those that are reprinted, and
especially, brand new ones, of consequence, it is an easy task to acquire new
books. We should, therefore, increase more and more in buying books. [Seifer
HaSichos 5752, p. 26]
And according to the principle that "doing one mitzva
leads to another mitzva," the mitzva of "redeeming the captives"
[by bringing new books into the home and, of course, through studying them] also
brings about the true and full-fledged "redeeming of the captives" through the
Alm-ghty, the redemption of all Jews (and all aspects of Torah and of all things
inclusively), from a state of Exile to the true and complete Redemption.
[Seifer HaSichos 5752, pp. 210]