Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
Sholom U’Brocho! Mazel Tov to Levi Chesney on the occasion of his engagement. May he use out the special period of Yokor Mikol yokor to its’ utmost! Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Mendy Ginsberg on the birth of their daughter. May they bring her up lTOveCHuMAA”T mitoch harchovo, and to be a true chayolo! (If anyone is aware of any mazeltov’s that I omitted – I know that there are still many, there is still a lot of catching up to do - please let me know).
Thank you very much, as always, for the feedback – and the very many of you (and we still have spaces for (quite) a few more...) who joined into various hachlotos - it is much appreciated!
The following thought was shared and publicized by Rabbi Mendel Gluckowski, shliach of the Rebbe and Rov of Rechovos, Eretz Yisroel:
Reb Zushe Wilimovski (a.k.a. Reb Zushe the Partisan) was a chassidishe yid who was connected and dedicated to the Rebbe with his entire heart and soul. His sole preoccupation was the work and the campaigns of the Rebbe in the world, and, especially, throughout Eretz Yisroel.
Once, Reb Zushe was describing to Rabbi Gluckowsky (tzulangeyohren) the farbrengens of the famous mashpia Reb Shlomo Chaim Kesselman: “Many yeshiva bochurim, from numerous non-Lubavitcher yeshivos, would come to join his farbrengens. He would explain concepts in chassidus with great clarity, and all those in attendance were completely in the grip of the farbrengen”.
“I myself would sit there and not leave until their conclusion, although it was often after 5:00 a.m.” Reb Zushe explained. “Reb Shlomo Chaim spoke all night, passionately, about ahava and yirah, and I sat there throughout and contemplated how to go about expanding and broadening the Rebbe’s melucha (kingdom).”
Rabbi Gluckowsky asked him: “If, in any case, you weren’t paying attention to what he was saying, you were busy with your strategies and schemes, what was the point of you sitting there? Why couldn’t you do what you were doing while sitting at home?”
“Ai, Mendel”, was Reb Zushe’s response, “why don’t you understand? In an atmosphere of ahava and yirah, an atmosphere of preoccupation with Elokus, it is much more conducive to plan on how to expand the melucha of the Rebbe!”
When I was a bochur, in shiur daled (the year we were being sent on bochur-shlichus), we once had a farbrengen (well, more than once, but I want to tell you about this one...). During that farbrengen there was a discussion about when the status of shlichus takes effect. Is it from the time that you are appointed (from when you were called into Rabbi Benyomin Klein and informed that you’re being sent...). Or, perhaps from when you leave to the airport. Or, maybe only from when you arrive at your place of shlichus and get to work (two of the possibilities are addressed by a sicha of the Rebbe in chelek 33).
In the historical sicha of Chayei Sarah 5752, the Rebbe offers a new option: In the Parsha of this week, we learn about how Avrohom avinu sent Eliezer to find a wife for Yitzchok. The story is retold in great detail, and then is even repeated a second time when Eliezer retold the story to Rivka’s family. Chazal learn from this that יפה שיחתן של עבדי אבות מתורתן של בנים.
The Alter Rebbe explains that the reason for this is because the shiduch between Yitzchok and Rivka represents the union between מ"ה and ב"ן, between ruchnyus and gashmyus, between spiritual and physical, guf and neshomo, which is the ultimate goal in the creation of the world.
Which raises a question: The important part of the story is the shiduch itself, - the union itself. If so, then, seemingly, the Torah should have described in length the details of the chasunah itself (how many photographers, what colour were the flowers, how many parts to the band, what was the main course etc.). But the story of Eliezer, seemingly, is just the preparations for the shiduch, a sort of a hechsher mitzva. Why does that warrant so much disproportionate attention?
In the above mentioned sicha, the Rebbe addresses this question, and offers an entirely new perspective into how shlichus works, and what it’s really all about: The goal of the Eibishter, in creating the world, was (as Chazal teach) to set the stage for a dira batachtonim. In essence, what the Eibishter is seeking is the bringing together of 2 opposites. The world needs to be defined as tachtonim. Its’ nature and characteristics define it as an independent entity, self-centered, and oblivious to G-dliness. And, to become a dira to Hashem it needs to disregard this nature, these instincts, and become totally bottul to Him.
This union of two opposites is what was represented, especially, by the shiduch of Yitzchok and Rivka. And, it started with the very appointment of Eliezer as a shliach of Avrohom. So, the story of Eliezer is not merely the preface to the shiduch, the hechsher, but it is the beginning of the story itself.
Because, to identify as a shliach means to bring together these two opposites: The shliach is (and must be) an independent person, with a mind of his own and his own personal cares and concerns and agendas. And yet – in the course of carrying out his shlichus – he totally disregards his personal concerns, and commits to faithfully and precisely carry out the mission of the meshaleach, precisely according to his directives. It is the fact that the shliach, in his own life, brings together these opposites, that makes him fitting to carry out the shlichus in the world. So, the story of Eliezer embarking on his shlichus is the beginning of this important and central story, and, thus, warrants so much attention.
So, shlichus starts not when you land in your new place, not when you leave to the airport and not even when you are called into the office of the mazkirus and informed that you’re being appointed as a shliach. Shlichus starts when you’re sitting in Yeshiva, and struggling to create harmony between the urges of your nefesh Elokis and the desires of your nefesh habehamis. It starts when you try to reconcile between your body’s desire to sleep another half hour (or hour, or two hours...) and your soul’s yearning to learn a maamar chassidus.
Shlichus starts when you start working on making peace between your natural instinct to be completely self-serving and live like a beheimah, and your G-dly responsibility to worship Hashem and live like a mentsch!
This week is the kinus hasheluchim, when thousands of shluchim will join together in tremendous achdus, in a כינוסן של צדיקים, which is נאה להם ונאה לעולם, to draw inspiration and encouragement to continue the holy work of expanding the Rebbe’s melucha. So, it’s a fitting time to ask and to consider; - how, in fact, are we meant to be going about expanding the Rebbe’s melucha?
The world has started to take notice. The write about the shluchim. They preach about the shluchim. They – begrudgingly – admire and respect the amazing work of the shluchim and shlichus. But, they aren’t really understanding what’s happening!
What does it take to go to a city (or state, or country etc.), a place that is devoid of any Yiddishkeit, and – in a very short time – to establish a presence that is crucial to the local Jewish populace? People think we’re surely being provided with huge funding, with training in organization skills, public speaking, PR. We must be taught how to fundraise, make budgets, deal with banks and accountants and balebatim. They wouldn’t dream that many shluchim, when they set out, are penniless and inarticulate and – well – clueless!
But, they are armed with one priceless weapon; - their bittul and hiskashrus to the Rebbe!
The source and root of the success of the shliach is the time he spent while in Yeshiva, delving into understanding why carrying is a melocho geru’oh, or how many different positions one can be holding his outstretched hand in while transporting an object from one domain to another. For that matter, the shlichus in accomplished (not just while he is meeting with the senator or the gvir in his hometown, but) over this Shabbos, davening in 770, farbrenging with fellow chassidim, and trying – while in this physical world – to be focussed on ein oid milvado!
[One of our alumni got married and was zocheh to be sent on shlichus to a far-flung country. In the beginning of his shlichus, he visited Toronto, to generate some start-up funds. While here, he took the opportunity to visit Reb Mendel Aronow (a”h). When the yungerman told Reb Mendel where he was being sent, he reacted with surprise. “Are there Yidden in....?!” he asked. But, immediately, he answered himself forcefully, saying “What difference does it make if there are Yidden there or not, the Rebbe needs to have an address in....!”].
The key to being a successful shliach, is being a genuine chassidishe yid, who – despite being a physical human being in a mundane world who is well aware of the many directions he’s being drawn to by his guf and nefesh habehamis, nonetheless – is sincerely and wholeheartedly devoted to serving the Eibishter! Living in and being immersed in an atmosphere of ahava and yirah, being permeated by it, is what qualifies us to transform the world into a dira lo yisborach.
Let us, then, take advantage of the hisorerus of this special Shabbos, and of the kinus hashluchim, to put more effort into our unique zechus and responsibility, - to being shluchim of the nosi hador, and to bring to a swift conclusion the ultimate and historical shlichus of bringing Moshiach now, and finalizing the union of מ"ה and ב"ן!
L’chaim! May we all put more effort into being proper shluchim of the nosi hador, through making sure that our own lives – our davening and learning and ahavas Yisroel – reflect the ideals of shlichus, and that should help us complete the ultimate shlichus with the immediate hisgalus of Melech haMoshiach TUMYM!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
