It is clear from documents available to us that the Rebbe immersed himself in the intensive study of Rambam even as a bachur. His correspondence from that early time clearly demonstrates his expertise and enormous lamdanus (power of analytical study), over the entire breadth and depth of all of the Rambam’s seforim.
In chapter 3 of the Laws of Shechita, halacha 23, we have published a letter that the Rebbe wrote to the Rogatchover Gaon in the year 5685, in which he proves from the Rambam’s wording that in the major halachic dispute whether an animal that was rendered a tereifah can revert to its original status as kosher and can be recuperate from its wound to to the point that it is no longer tereifah – the Rambam’s opinion is that ‘a tereifah can revert to its original kosher status.’
In the same letter, which the Rebbe penned at the age of 23 (!), he proves his position with incredible breadth expertise and rare lamdanus from tens of sources in Shas – both Bavli and Yerushalmi – that ‘a tereifah can revert to its original kosher status.’
In the Laws of Circumcision, chapter 1 halacha 6, we bring a letter from the year 5699, written when the Rebbe was thirty seven years old. In it, he expresses his wonder at the halacha that the Rambam writes with regard to a ger toshav, a resident alien, that ‘If he does not accept the seven Noahide Laws upon himself, he is immediately put to death,’ writing that he is not familiar with the Rambam’s source for this halacha.
Eleven years prior to the takannah of daily Rambam study, in the month of Nissan 5733, the first Hadran [ma’amar of conclusion and summation] that the Rebbe delivered on the Rambam was published. It included a deep explanation of the Rambam’s statement that in the era of Moshiach, ‘the world will continue to conduct itself as usual.’ He answers the seeming contradictions and difficulties by means of his great, novel explanation regarding the two distinct periods of Moshiach’s era.
On Ya”t Kislev 5735, the Rebbe delivered an additional Hadran on the Rambam.
In the year 5784, the Rebbe publicized his sacred takkanah of daily Rambam study. From then on, he made a point of delivering at least one explanation on the Rambam at every farbrengen or sichah.
From the inception of his takkanah in 5784 until 5751, the Rebbe delivered a hadran every single year, in honor of the annual siyyum.
In 5751, the Rebbe granted special permission to set in writing the commentaries and explanations that he delivered since the takkanah, and to publish them under the title of ‘Yein Malchus,’ which was published in two volumes and included some two hundred and ten sichos on the Rambam.
In the year 5756, Yein Malchus was republished, this time comprising three volumes which included some four hundred and twenty sichos and explanations delivered by the Rebbe since the takkanah.
On Gimmel Tammuz 5781, the Hebrew edition of Pardes Hamelech was published. It includes the text of the Rambam itself, along with all of the standard accompanying commentaries, and on each page, alongside each halacha, all of the Rebbe’s explanations and novellae on the Rambam, both from before and after the takkanah, have been edited and rewritten – numbering some two thousand such explanations and commentary! In these explanations we include explanations that the Rebbe offered on Rashi-sichos and in other contexts, which the Rebbe mentioned during sichos in order to contrast it with the explanation being discussed. This commentary, mentioned by the Rebbe as an aside, were re-edited and independent items of commentary.
In honor of Gimmel Tammuz 5783, we have the honor of marking the publication of the English edition of Pardes Hamelech, including a new, beautiful, and faithful translation of the text of the Rambam in modern English, and printed on each page, alongside each and every halacha, are more than two thousand of the Rebbe’s sichos and commentaries on the Rambam.
