Reflections on the Daily "Hayom Yom"
Sep 4, 2026 · 2 min · 1 segments
Study the daily entries of "Hayom Yom," a book of short daily insights which was compiled by the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, in 1942.
So what is the most difficult mitzvah to perform? I suppose everybody's got their own answer to that question, but I'd like to suggest the mitzvah to rebuke your fellow.
That's right.
In the Torah, there is a commandment that when you notice a fellow Jew, any fellow Jew, doing something out of line, you are obligated to call that person out and correct them.
Now, I suppose it can be a really easy mitzvah if you're prepared to not have any friends because people are constantly doing things out of line, but they don't like to constantly be corrected.
Now, of course, if you're just always telling people off in a way that insults them, you're not really doing this mitzvah at all because the objective here is that the person listens to you and improves.
So how do you properly fulfill this mitzvah? Says today's Hayoi Myoi.
Before you rebuke your fellow, you have to do this exercise.
Remove, cut your nails.
Cut your nails.
So that when you reach out to your fellow to rebuke them, your fellow doesn't get scratched or hurt with your nails in the process.
Now, of course, this is all figurative, but what we're talking about over here is the fine balance.
It's an art to figure out how to Bring the problem to the person's attention in a way that doesn't compromise their dignity, doesn't make them feel uncomfortable, but in a way that makes them feel good, that makes them want to accept what's being told.
Of course, that's much easier said than done.
But then that's perhaps what I suggested, not that you know me, that this is a pretty difficult mitzvah.
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So what is the most difficult mitzvah to perform? I suppose everybody's got their own answer to that question, but I'd like to suggest the mitzvah to rebuke your fellow.
That's right.
In the Torah, there is a commandment that when you notice a fellow Jew, any fellow Jew, doing something out of line, you are obligated to call that person out and correct them.
Now, I suppose it can be a really easy mitzvah if you're prepared to not have any friends because people are constantly doing things out of line, but they don't like to constantly be corrected.
Now, of course, if you're just always telling people off in a way that insults them, you're not really doing this mitzvah at all because the objective here is that the person listens to you and improves.
So how do you properly fulfill this mitzvah? Says today's Hayoi Myoi.
Before you rebuke your fellow, you have to do this exercise.
Remove, cut your nails.
Cut your nails.
So that when you reach out to your fellow to rebuke them, your fellow doesn't get scratched or hurt with your nails in the process.
Now, of course, this is all figurative, but what we're talking about over here is the fine balance.
It's an art to figure out how to Bring the problem to the person's attention in a way that doesn't compromise their dignity, doesn't make them feel uncomfortable, but in a way that makes them feel good, that makes them want to accept what's being told.
Of course, that's much easier said than done.
But then that's perhaps what I suggested, not that you know me, that this is a pretty difficult mitzvah.
