היום יום

At first the Alter Rebbe would deliver extremely brief expositions that aroused a storm within the listener's heart, and greatly inflamed his emotions. These were called d'rachim, "pathways."

Later his talks were a little more extended, and these were called igrot, "missives."

In the next stage of development, his talks were termed torot, "teachings," and these formed the basis for the maamarim in Torah Or and Likutei Torah.

Later came somewhat longer teachings called k'tavim, "writings." These were expositions with comparatively broad intellectual elaboration.

Compiled and arranged by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, in 5703 (1943) from the talks and letters of the sixth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory.

בתחילה היה רבינו הגדול אומר דרושים קצרים במאד, מרעישי הלב ומלהיבים מאד, ונקראו בשם "דרכים", אח"כ [אחר כך] נקראו "אגרות" והם ארוכים יותר. אח"כ [אחר כך] השתלשל שנקראו "תורות" והם שרשי הדרושים שבתורה אור ולקו"ת [ולקוטי תורה], אח"כ [אחר כך] ארוכים מעט יותר ונקראו "כתבים", והם בביאור בהשגה רחבה לפי ערך.