At first glance, the minute difference between the two possible wordings would appear to be insignificant. In fact, however, the above ruling is only one example of many that illustrate the detailed attention that the Talmud devotes to the precise wording of the blessings and of the prayers in general. Why?
The answer may be found in the very metaphor that the Talmud chooses when teaching that one should be particular in this regard: it teaches that one should use “the coin minted by the Sages” (as in the English idiom, “to coin a phrase”). This metaphor conveys the message that Above, the wording of the blessings and prayers, as instituted by the Sages, enjoys the ready acceptability of hard currency.
Adar 2:
My grandfather wrote in one of his maamarim: It is necessary to study some of the Written Torah daily with Rashi, for his commentaries are the t'rumot - the select - of the interpretations of our Sages.
...and at the very least everyone must study a tractate of Talmud each year.
The ability to follow this charge depends largely on one’s sense of identity. A person who considers himself a chassid of the Rebbe realizes that he must use his free time to study Torah. In other words, if he picks up a newspaper because he has nothing to do at a particular moment, he is indicating that he considers himself a free man, without a yoke of service. When instead he picks up a Chumash or a Gemara, he is saying: “I am G‑d’s servant; my time is not my own.”
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