BAYIS MALEH SEFORIM
Even as an eight-year-old child, the Rebbe Maharash would buy seforim with the coins he received as prizes for his tests and as a weekly allowance. In the month of Elul תר"ה (1845), Reb Noach Baruch Moicher Seforim visited the village of Lubavitch. He generally came for Shavuos and Chanuka, and this time, too, as always, he brought a list of the new seforim for the Tzemach Tzedek to choose from. Eager to buy some himself, the Rebbe Maharash asked his father for thirty rubles from the money that was being held for him.
"First become familiar with the seforim you already have," his father said, "then you can buy more."
At that point, Reb Chaim Dov the meshares joined them and notified the Tzemach Tzedek that they had set up the new seforim in the new bookcase that had just been brought by Yosef Dovid the carpenter. The Tzemach Tzedek already had five bookcases of seforim, two locked bookcases of kisvei yad (manuscripts) in his room, and another six bookcases in the entrance room.
Accompanying his father to see the new seforim in the newly-built bookcase and the additional seforim on the side, waiting to be bound, the Rebbe Maharash was bothered. He turned to his father and asked: "You just told me that one should first know the seforim that one has before buying more. Are you knowledgeable in all the seforim you have?"
The Tzemach Tzedek responded, "I am generally fluent in the seforim that I have. Here, take out a sefer and we'll see."
Without much thought, the Rebbe Maharash ran towards one of the bookshelves and took out the first sefer that he chanced upon. It was a sefer on dikduk, and the Tzemach Tzedek freely quoted passages from the introduction and then from the body of the sefer, word for word. The Rebbe Maharash chose another sefer, also on dikduk, then a sefer of Kabbala, and finally some scholar's account of his travels. The Tzemach Tzedek was able to cite them all verbatim. The Rebbe Maharash was truly amazed by his father's knowledge, especially in the area of dikduk.
Seeing this, the Tzemach Tzedek explained that although generally chassidim are not particular about following the exact rules of dikduk while davening, the words of Shema and Kerias HaTorah must be pronounced precisely. He then gave his son the amount he had requested and added another ten rubles as a gift, enabling him to satisfy his thirst for even more seforim.
(ס' התולדות מוהר"ש ע' 14 בשילוב סה"ש תרצ"ו ע' 52)
At the beginning of תשל"ג (1972) the Rebbe urged his listeners to make seforim more available, and encouraged them to open new libraries wherever possible, thus enabling Yidden to study Torah there and also to take seforim home. Two months later, on Yud-Tes Kislev, the Rebbe further encouraged everyone to have numerous seforim in their own home, to make the learning of Torah even more accessible. The Rebbe added that this would not replace the need for libraries, as not everyone would own every single sefer.
In particular, the Rebbe entrusted this mission to the womenfolk, who oversee the furnishings of the home, to make sure there are seforim on hand that direct the life of the home.
"Just as a pleasantly furnished home 'broadens the mind,' " the Rebbe advised, "so too mitzvos should be tastefully decorated. The seforim should be given a central location, so that whoever enters can immediately sense the pleasant tone of a home that houses holy seforim. This planning should be thought out carefully, and not merely to fulfill an obligation. However, unlike the care commonly devoted to keeping furniture in its best condition, the family's seforim should be used so much until they are worn out, faded, and torn, to the point that they have to be replaced!"
(שיחו"ק תשל"ג ח"א ע' 26, 119, 200)
Two years later, on Simchas Torah תשל"ה (1974), the Rebbe connected this mivtza to the concept of Yavneh veChachomeha, a central gathering of tannaim that had existed in Yavneh, and encouraged people to establish yeshivos wherever Yidden live. From then on, the mivtza was known as Bayis Maleh Seforim – Yavneh veChachomeha.
The Rebbe explained that both of these aspects were an extension of mivtza Torah, the earlier campaign to utilize every means possible to increase the study of Torah.
(מענה באגרות מלך ע' 90)
LEARNING FROM THE SEFORIM
In connection with the victory of the seforim on Hei Teves, תשמ"ז (1987), the Rebbe said that we must ask the seforim themselves how to celebrate their victory – and the seforim declare that we should use them until they wear out... This is contrary to the worldly perception according to which precious items should be put away in a safe place and left untouched.
On another occasion the Rebbe emphasized: The victory of the seforim has a purpose – that it should prompt people to increase their study of Torah. Even a child understands that his parents buy him a sefer in order that he should learn from it, not only to show it respect. Those who would like to celebrate in other ways should do so not during study time, but during the times of eating and sleeping.
(תו"מ תשמ"ח ח"ב ע' 172, ח"א ע' 558)
The Rebbe also said that the way to expedite the return of the other seforim of the Rebbeim still held in captivity is to buy additional seforim, something which is very easy in our times.
(סה"ש תשנ"ב ח"א ע' 226)
CONSIDER
Should one purchase seforim if he hasn’t yet mastered the ones that he already owns?
What is the benefit of having a 'home full of seforim'?
