A Rebbe’s Advice and Instruction
The previous chapter focused on the heightened spiritual perception of a tzaddik revealed to us through varying levels of prophecy or ruach hakodesh. As stated there, the main purpose of these G-dly revelations — as it relates to the Rebbe-chassid relationship — is to strengthen the chassid’s belief in and love for G-d and to enhance his performance of mitzvos and the service of prayer.
The chapter concluded with the statement that when a person receives the advice and spiritual insight of a tzaddik through his ruach hakodesh or prophecy, G-d is personally communicating His will and directives to him through the tzaddik. But what is the basis for G-d communicating to a person through the agency of someone or something other than Himself? And to what degree does a chassid need to follow the direction and guidance of his Rebbe? This chapter will attempt to answer those questions.
Overview
A significant aspect of a Rebbe’s role in the lives of his chassidim is the advice, guidance and instruction that he gives them. This can manifest in the Rebbe initiating requests of certain individuals or groups, or individuals or groups asking the Rebbe for his advice and guidance.
What would cause a loss of free will and feelings of resignation would be consulting with a Rebbe to find out one’s future. For the most part, a Rebbe who tells you which path to follow is not predicting the future but advising which direction would be the most productive for you to pursue.
So why were the advice and directives of the Rebbe received with such great joy? Because the true purpose of going to a tzaddik is to find out the will of G-d: what G-d wants a person to do and what direction G-d wants a person to take. In this way, the tzaddik conveys to a person his Divine purpose and direction.
Following a Rebbe’s Directives With Joy
What greater joy can there be than knowing what G-d wants from you and in which direction G-d wants you to go? A chassid feels fortunate and privileged to be told by G-d, through the tzaddik, what needs to be done and how to do it. And if one is worried about how things will turn out, he need only know the basic axiom of Jewish faith that by following G-d’s will, everything will naturally turn out for the best.
When a chassid realizes that G-d wants him to go someplace and do something for his or the world’s greater good, he is ready to do this with the greatest joy, regardless of the circumstances. How fortunate are we that through a tzaddik we can actually be privy to what G-d wants and expects from us!
As the verse in the Torah states (Deuteronomy 18:13): “You should be wholehearted with G-d...,” to which Rashi comments, “Walk with G-d wholeheartedly and depend on Him, and do not seek the future, but accept whatever befalls you with wholeheartedness....”
Fulfilling a Tzaddik’s Directives
Are there spiritual ramifications when a chassid doesn’t follow the advice and instructions of his Rebbe? Does it matter all that much if a chassid chooses not to act on the Rebbe’s guidance?
Since receiving and following the guidance of one’s Rebbe is one of the most serious components of the Rebbe-chassid relationship, ignoring the Rebbe’s directives or advice is considered a significant violation of that bond.
To preface, there is an explicit precedent in the Torah that helps us understand the above. One of the Torah’s 613 commandments is to follow the instructions of a prophet: in short, when a prophet gives specific instructions, his words must be followed.
So serious is this commandment, that in the era of prophecy, violating the instructions and wishes of a prophet was punishable by death. It made no difference how big or small the directive would be, the punishment would always be same if the prophet commanded the Jewish people or an individual to do something and that command was not followed.
It is shocking in a sense that when it came to violating or ignoring the things that are explicitly commanded in the Torah, the punishments ranged from the death penalty to no penalty at all, depending on the commandment. But when it came to violating the command of a prophet, the punishment was always death, regardless of whether the directive seemed serious or insignificant.
So fulfilling the commands and instructions of a prophet is an extremely serious affair, just as violating those instructions is an extremely serious offense. Why would a prophet’s directive to the people seem to hold more weight than a commandment explicitly written in the Torah? Because a prophet is a G-dly person, and through him G-dliness is expressed in a very revealed and exposed way. Since his wishes are G-d’s wishes, and his instructions are G-d’s instructions, a prophet cannot prophesize anything unless it has been told to him directly by G-d. Therefore, violating G-d’s wish when it has been presented in such an obviously revealed and exposed way is a much more serious infraction in our relationship to G-d.
Similarly, through his advice to a person, a tzaddik is also revealing G-d’s wishes for him in a more revealed way, and ignoring or dismissing those instructions is also a serious violation of G-d’s will. Even those tzaddikim who do not have the legal status of prophet can still reveal G-d’s wishes for people through their ruach hakodesh.
To give an analogy, we know that the soul is found in all the organs of the body but it is most revealed in the brain. If a person would take a needle and lightly scratch his finger, the mark on his finger would last a few seconds and then be gone. But if the same needle were to make the same movement on the brain, G-d forbid, it could be fatal. Therefore, because the soul is more revealed there, the brain is more sensitive than other organs where the soul is less revealed, and the effects of a seemingly minor action are more severe there than anywhere else in the body.
Similarly, the consequences of the identical transgression outside the Beis HaMikdash, inside the Beis HaMikdash, and inside the Holy of Holies would vary depending on the level of G-dly revelation in each of those places. Outside the Beis HaMikdash, where G-dliness was almost entirely hidden, the consequences of this particular act would be milder than inside the Beis HaMikdash where G-dliness was more revealed. And there, inside the Beis HaMikdash, this transgression could be punishable by death. But because the G-dliness in the Holy of Holies was more revealed than anywhere else on earth, even a person’s minor infraction there could cause him to die right on the spot.
This gives some insight into the importance of following the advice and instruction of a tzaddik. Since he is a G-dly person in whom G-d’s presence is revealed infinitely more than in any other person, a violation of G-d’s wishes conveyed through the tzaddik is a very serious violation against G-d.
So when a chassid was told by his Rebbe to do something, it was irrelevant how difficult it was or how much he would have to lose or give up to fulfill that directive. Since he was being conveyed G-d’s clear wish and instruction to him through his Rebbe, he would go to whatever lengths necessary to fulfill it.
With the imperative to fulfill the Rebbe’s instruction, one might imagine this aspect of the Rebbe-chassid relationship to be one of resigned servitude with a loss of free choice and self-expression. Actually, the opposite is true. Far from being a burden, the Rebbe’s guidance and directives were embraced with the greatest joy.
Communal and Individual Guidance
There are times when the Rebbe’s advice or guidance comes as a general instruction to a community as a whole, such as requesting that every member of a community perform a particular action in order to alter a Heavenly decree or world event. Or the Rebbe can single out an individual and charge him with a specific mission, as was the case with many underground operations carried out to keep Judaism alive in Communist Russia.
The interplay between a Rebbe and a community can occur when representatives of a community approach the Rebbe about some untoward situation in their community and the Rebbe recommends, for example, writing a Torah scroll or opening a Jewish school to counteract the negative forces affecting them. They can also ask for general spiritual guidance in order to elevate their level of Torah observance and community involvement.
Regarding communal instruction initiated by the Rebbe himself, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, instituted ten major global campaigns in the last few decades in order to effect a shift or elevation in the spiritual climate of the world. These included encouraging all Jewish women and girls above the age of three to light Shabbos candles, affixing mezuzahs on the doorposts of one’s home, keeping the Jewish dietary laws (kashrus), and increasing in charity and good deeds.
On an individual level, some of the venues in which a chassid requests advice and instruction of a Rebbe are a private, one-on-one meeting; a one-on-one encounter with a Rebbe in a more public setting; or by mail. Common requests can range anywhere from how a person can get closer to G-d or achieve his or her life’s purpose, to the more mundane concerns of human life such as where to live or whether or not to embark on a journey.
Regardless of whether the Rebbe initiates the bestowal of advice or whether it is initiated by the chassid, the chassid can be assured that the guidance and instruction he receives are personally tailored to him and his soul’s mission in life.
From Where Does a Rebbe Receive His Information?
Interestingly, a Rebbe’s guidance is not limited to the more spiritual areas of life such as which Torah topic to study, how to observe mitzvos, or how to overcome certain spiritual challenges. A Rebbe is frequently consulted for his advice and guidance in the more material areas of life, such as health, finances, and family.
What qualifies a Rebbe to give advice in mundane, material matters? Since a Rebbe is a wholly righteous person whose entire life revolves around the spiritual teachings and ethical conduct of the Torah, how does such a great tzaddik and Torah scholar come to be consulted for advice about which business to get involved in, whom to marry, and which house to buy? Is this a practice that began with the chassidic movement?
The answer can be summed up through a statement in the most well-known section of the Oral Torah known as Pirkei Avos (Ethics of Our Fathers). In reference to the qualities of a great Torah scholar, mishnah 1:6 reads: “People derive the benefit of his wise counsel and guidance... as it is said, ‘Counsel and guidance are mine.’”
In a commentary on this mishnah, a true Torah scholar is defined as someone who is not only capable of teaching people Torah but someone who can give advice in other areas of life as well.
But if a Torah scholar is neither doctor, financial expert nor psychologist, how can he give advice and instruction on matters in these areas? What gives him the confidence and knowledge to address areas to which he has no apparent connection?
To understand that requires an understanding of the external and internal dimensions of a tzaddik.
On an external level, a tzaddik is a person who lives a perfectly G-dly life. His thought, speech, and conduct are all exemplary, exhibiting perfection and refinement in his every character trait and behavior. He never violates the laws of Torah in any way, performing them with great ardor and focus. Indeed, every moment of his life is permeated with purpose and meaning.
A tzaddik can maintain this unwavering level of spirituality because everything he experiences is in accordance with G-d’s will. He has not even the slightest desire to act contrary to the ways of the Torah because his will and G-d’s will are truly one.
The inner, more spiritual, dimension of a tzaddik relates to the G-dly presence that dwells within him. Because G-d is unlimited, the G-dly presence that dwells within the tzaddik is also unlimited, allowing him to see and understand those areas that go beyond the limits of his own personal experience. This is precisely why we turn to a tzaddik for guidance even in matters that seem completely outside his sphere of understanding, because his realm of perception permeates all levels of human awareness and understanding.
It may be difficult for a human being of flesh and blood to accept the concept of a Rebbe’s unlimited range of knowledge, and even more difficult to summon up the faith to follow his advice. Although this advice comes from the G-dly source within the tzaddik, trusting its veracity can be a challenge for some, as illustrated in the following story:
A chassid of the Rebbe Maharash came to him for advice about investing in a particular business. Big investors had been showering him with “proofs” of the tremendous profits he would garner in such a business, but the Rebbe Maharash advised against it in a clear and unequivocal way.
Satisfied with that counsel, the chassid returned home; his response eagerly anticipated by his investors. When he related the Rebbe’s advice, the investors scoffed at the Rebbe’s judgment and hounded the chassid relentlessly, threatening a tremendous loss of income were he to follow the Rebbe’s advice.
The chassid returned to the Rebbe Maharash to get clarification on his answer. Maybe the Rebbe didn’t quite understand the nature of the investment? But the Rebbe remained firm: do not invest in this business.
Determined to hear a different response, he visited the Rebbe yet a third time, but the Rebbe’s answer did not change.
So harassed was he by his business associates, they eventually wore him down and he was unable to withstand the pressure. He invested in the business and a short while later lost all his money when the deal turned sour.
The chassid came running back to the Rebbe Maharash begging his forgiveness for not listening to his clear, prophetic words.
