Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
Sholom U’Brocho!
With immense gratitude, חבשידוהו 'to Hashem Yisborach, I want to extend a hearty welcome to haTomim Sholom Dov Ber ben Miriam for the Shaabos Breishis he is spending by the Rebbe. May this be a first step to a complete and immediate refuah shleima, and from Shabbos Bereishis – for him and each of you and all of us - to go to a year of good health and happiness and brochos ad bli dai!
Mazeltov to Rabbi and Mrs. Eli Raskin on the birth of their son. Mazeltov to Rabbi and Mrs. Menachem Yiftach on the birth of their son. Mazeltov to Rabbi and Mrs. Bentche Butman on the birth of their daughter. May they bring them up lTOveCHuMAA”T mitoch harchovo, and to be true chayolim/os! (If anyone is aware of any mazeltov’s that I omitted please let me know).
Thank you as always for the feedback, it is much appreciated.
It is now the time of ויעקב הלך לדרכו, - the time when we depart from the month of Tishrei, with all of its giluyim and inspiration, the month called חודש השביעי המשובע בכל, the month that is satiated with all good things, and return to our day-to-day life. We are specifically moving on from the culmination and the climax of Tishrei, from the joyous days of Shmini Atzeres and Simchas Torah, as we try to hold onto as much of the uplifting experience as we can, and carry it forward with us to enhance the new year.
So, let’s talk a bit about Simchas Torah: I’m sure most of us, if not all of us, were involved this Yomtov with trying to relive the Rebbe’s hakofos, which was what really defined Simchas Torah for a chosid. For some of us, we were digging into the recesses of our memory, recalling and reminding, remembering and reliving those Simchas Torah’s that we were zocheh to experience in past years, with the certainty that this is continuing to take place now, too, as well as with the hope and bitachon that we will very speedily witness it again with our physical eyes. Still others were using their imaginations to conjure an image of hakofos by the Rebbe, based on what was described and depicted to them by others.
I would say that – as much as they can’t really be explained – the uniqueness of the Rebbe’s hakofos can be defined, primarily, by two aspects: One is the personal connection. During hakofos, despite the thousands who were present, we saw (I think more than any other public time) the way the Rebbe turned to every single individual and looked at every single individual. It’s hard to understand how that was possible, but that was what one saw; - the Rebbe turned around to all directions, and above and below, giving every single person their own personal moment.
But, probably most significant, there were the giluyim themselves. On Simchas Torah, the Rebbe – one can say – was in a state of giluy. He was sharing himself with us. He was sharing his world with us, during the general hakofos, and, most emphatically, during any individual’s personal moment. No one thought that the hakofos were – ch”v – a show. Everyone understood that we are watching the Rebbe draw down Elokus into our world, and lift us up into the realm of Elokus. We treasured it and appreciated it, and the experience of hakofos enlivened us and inspired us for days and weeks to come.
Of course, there was also a tremendous feeling of thankfulness to the Rebbe for sharing with us this priceless experience. The niggun הרבי" שליטא אין כמוך, בעולם הרבי" שליטא אוהבים אותך כולם that burst forth after hakofos (while the sifrei Torah were being returned) was the most spontaneous reaction. (And when the Rebbe suddenly encouraged the niggun, during the historical Simchas Torah of 5748, it was the most indescribable feeling). With all of our hearts we anticipate and yearn for when we will experience this once again!
Now imagine, you’re by hakofos with the Rebbe, in a revealed way, and you’re able to once again see with your naked eye the unequalled giluyim that the Rebbe is sharing with you and with us. But, imagine that, instead of watching the hakofos and taking full advantage of every precious moment, you’re otherwise preoccupied. You’re catching up on the news, or sharing stories with your friend. Or, you’re checking your messages on your phone (undoubtedly, by the time Moshiach comes, there will be available glatt kosher smartphones that get around the problems of Shabbos and Yomtov and even Yom Kippur and Simchas Torah). Or, you’re just dreaming, catching up on your own machshavos zoros and being disconnected from what is going on around you.
Impossible!! Right? Unimaginable! Unfathomable! Nobody could be that idiotic, right? Not you, for sure! And nor could any friend of yours behave in such a manner. This is just an unrealistic scenario that I invented, that could never actually take place (at least not with any of the people who we are acquainted with). Right?
Wrong (I think).
Let’s all take a moment to remind ourselves of what the Alter Rebbe taught us in Tanya, in what the Rebbeim designated as the Chitas for Isru chag, the first day after Simchas Torah. The Alter Rebbe writes:
“Let no one make himself wicked before G-d during that one hour (i.e., the hour of prayer) that He has chosen of all day... this is an auspicious time for Him to be revealed... and at the auspicious hour of prayer the Almighty Himself comes, as it were...(and) to be accessible to those who seek Him and entreat Him and yearn for Him. At this auspicious time of prayer, he who speaks of his needs, demonstrates that he has no desire to contemplate and to behold the manifestation of [G-d’s] majestic glory... he has no desire to contemplate and to behold the glorious splendor of the greatness of the King of kings—the Holy One, blessed be He—which becomes revealed at this hour above, for the hour of prayer is a propitious time above. It is also [revealed] below, to those who earnestly desire to gaze upon His glory and greatness, which garbs and vests itself in the words of the liturgy which is known to all, and which becomes revealed to every individual, according to his intellect and according to the root of his soul...”
Basically, we do have hakofos. We have hakofos every single day! We have hakofos of the Eibishter Himself, of Atzmus Ein Sof BH. Remember, the essence of hakofos was not the dancing or the specific images; it was, rather the giluy Elokus, and the way it was shared with each and every one of us in a personal manner. And that happens, by the Eibishter Himself, every single day during davening. It is the time when the Eibishter reveals Himself to us, He is in a state of giluy, and He gives each of us the opportunity to have a personal interaction with Him (as the Alter Rebbe described in the above excerpt from Tanya in detail).
There was a chosid, a descendant of the Alter Rebbe, who used to daven very long every day. There were two chassidim of the Mitteler Rebbe, acquaintances of his, who felt that according to his level (of learning and understanding of chassidus etc.) he shouldn’t be davening so long, and they would often harass him about it. However, this chosid paid no attention to them, and carried on with his practice. One night, those two chassidim both had a dream, in which the Alter Rebbe came to them and told them off about their behavior. When they met, and realized that they both shared the same dream, they understood that this was real, and they became very frightened. They immediately went together to the first chosid, to ask for his forgiveness. At first he pretended not to know what they’re talking about, but when they persisted, he revealed that the Alter Rebbe came to him in a dream as well, and instructed that when the two chassidim approach him he should be friendly and forgiving. Needless to say, he forgave them. However, he still felt the need to defend himself. Why, indeed, does he daven for so long. So he said to them: “What can I do, I myself personally heard from my grandfather, the Alter Rebbe (regarding davening), “Ven, den, iz doh a gelegeneheit tzu zenzich mit Atzmus” [What other opportunity is there to meet with Atzmus (and, if so, how could he not spend time on it)].
And what are we doing during these hakofos? Let’s not discuss the extreme example – that the Alter Rebbe discusses – of speaking about mundane matters at that time. But, even if we aren’t that bad, are we taking advantage? Are we valuing the opportunity as we should?
This is the Eibishter’s hakofos, it is a giluy Elokus being provided by the Eibishter Himself. But, in order to take advantage of it, we need to be involved in the davening, - to think about the words, and to think (at least in a most basic way) about the greatness of the Eibishter. We’re not discussing avodas haTefillah here, that is something else. We’re discussing the most basic davening, - thinking about what the words mean, and about the greatness of the Eibishter, at least in the most elementary level.
But if we’re just rattling off the words, if the whole davening is just a mad dash, a race to the finish line, then, there is no way that we’re incorporating even the most basic concentration. And that, I’m sorry to say, is unforgiveable. That is coming to hakofos and being too tired or lazy or preoccupied to appreciate them. It is unfathomable, it is illogical. I think it is idiotic.
The whole world, or at least the whole America, is abuzz now about Kavanaugh; do we need Kavanaugh or we don’t need Kavanaugh, is Kavanaugh good or not good. Regardless of which side they’re on, everyone seems to have very strong feelings about this. Everyone seems to agree that this is no small matter, on the contrary, there is so much that is at stake.
And I say, we need Kavanaugh. Mitzvos need Kavanaugh. And davening most definitely needs Kavanaugh. It is no small matter either; rather, everything is at stake. If we leave out the Kavanaugh from our davening, then – not only can it disqualify the davening, but – it puts our whole being in question. Don’t we care about the Eibishter?! Don’t we care about giluy Elokus?! Isn’t that what we’re all about?!
This is the time of ויעקב הלך לדרכו, - the time when we all want to ensure the continuity of the month of Tishrei that we just experienced. It is the time when we all are looking for ways to bring the special moments of Tishrei into the weeks and months that follow them. We want to know what is the best way to achieve this?
Well, we all know that Tishrei is about one thing, - it’s about giluy Elokus. It’s about the קירוב המאור אל הניצוץ, about the מלוך על העולם כולו בכבודיך. It’s about the achas sho’alti, the achas bashonoh. It’s about the יחידה ליחדך, and about the אתה הראת לדעת כי 'הוא האלקים אין עוד מלבדו, and about the מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים וממשלתך בכל דור ודור.
Carrying the Tishrei forward, therefore, begins with caring about giluy Elokus. And, that begins with caring about, and paying more attention to, davening.
It is noteworthy, therefore, that the Chitas (in Tanya) of Isru chag, which is the bridge between Tishrei and the rest of the year, is about the importance we need to attach to davening!
I know, focusing on davening can be challenging, to the point that Chazal tell us that iyun tefilah, (not) concentrating properly on davening, is one of the three aveiros that we are guilty of on a daily basis. But there is a culture out there of not davening. I hear chazonim who seem to be under the misconception that the Alter Rebbe made a nusach that was not only about which words to say but about how fast to say them. As if the faster he can end his minyan, the more of a chosid he is.
But, unless you are a modern day Rogotchover, at such speeds, it is impossible to contemplate – even in the most basic manner – about the meaning of the words and about the general idea of davening. Which means, we’re getting hakofos, and we’re, r”l, ignoring them!
We need to start a revolution! Davening will continue to be a challenge, but we need to start working on it more. Whether you can pick one day, or one part of the davening, we need to put in effort into understanding and appreciating what is happening by davening, and making sure our davening is... davening.
And that has to, first and foremost, take time. Again, we’re not discussing here the lengthy time involved in arichus hatefilah. We’re talking about basics; - time to say each word (to enunciate it properly, and not swallow half the words), time to think about what each word means, and time to contemplate – at least in a basic way – the general idea of davening, that it’s getting excited about the greatness of the Eibishter, it’s gazing at giluy Elokus. It’s being there by hakofos and taking advantage of it and appreciating it!
Start with one part of davening, or particular brochos, if you need to. And you can start with the one or two days when your time is the most flexible, if necessary (the days when you don’t have an important meeting in the senate or with a gvir, competing for your time and your attention).
But we need to restore our awareness – and that of our children and mushpo’im and acquaintances etc. – of the importance of davening. We need to remember and focus on the fact that this is, after all, what we’re all about; - the reason we’re chassidim and we learn chassidus is because giluy Elokus is important to us, and, in that case, we can’t be apathetic towards, or indifferent about davening.
מכם ובכם הדברת לוי, it’s up to each of us. When we put a little effort, step by step, into our davening, we will gradually improve our davening, and – through it – our entire lives.
And, when the Eibishter sees, through our efforts in davening, that giluy Elokus is important to us, that will surely hasten His bringing about a complete giluy Elokus in the entire world, with the coming of Moshiach NOW!
L’chaim! May we all do our part to enhance and improve our davening, at whatever level it’s at we can work on bringing it to the next level, and especially davening as interpreted by chassidus, - תפלה מלשון הטופל כליחרס, - our connection with the Eibishter, and may the Eibishter connect all of us and the entire world fully with Him with the immediate revelation of Moshiach Tzidkeinu TUMYM!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
לזכות 'ר ברוך מרדכי בן 'חיה אסתר ש"ל רפוק"ו רפוט"ו ואויוש מתוך בריאות הנכונה ס"וכט
לזכות ב"ש ד בן מרים, 'שיק" ל רפושוי" תומ, ממש ט" ואויוש בטוב! ג" הנר והנ
לזכות ת" הר אהרן בן, חנה ק" ל רפושו. ט" ואויוש
