“I thought – this is what you have to eat in America? Why? Why does Rabbi Schneerson have his followers live this way?
“It was then that I confirmed my suspicion of many years. It was then that I realized that which I should have always known.”
He leaned back and grinned, full of enlightenment. “You people are not just another religious sect! You are revolutionaries. You are partisans. All revolutions begin in a basement!” (see also related story in the alumni email of 18 Ellul 5768)
Today, the 28th day of Sivan, is when the Rebbe brought the revolution to the shores of America. Most importantly, our duty and holy mission is to keep the revolution alive.
Of course, this means changing the world around us, and the people with whom we come in contact. It means transforming the darkness of olam hazeh to a dwelling place for Hashem, and filling every corner of the world with His Holy presence.
Undoubtedly, every Chabad House, every Lubavitch institution, every shliach and every event are a part of this active revolution. But a revolution begins in the basement.
This means (perhaps) that we have to start by revolutionizing ourselves, and our own chatzi kadur hatachton. Transform your own inner darkness to a G-dly light, by filling every corner of your own being with the illumination of Torah and mitzvos. We need to internalize – into ourselves – all the things that the Rebbe taught us, and especially those last conversations. And then our inner revolution will spill over into the world around us, the people around us and the entire universe.
And this will bring about the ultimate revolution, of 'והי 'ה למלך על כל הארץ . . 'ה אחד ושמו אחד !
L’chaim! May we all keep the conversations alive, and keep the revolution alive, and may the Rebbe very speedily carry on the conversation where he left it off, and finish off the revolution with the immediate hisgalus of Melech haMoshiach TUMYM!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
לזכות 'ר שלום מרדכי הלוי בן ,רבקה לגאולה וישועה קרובה ,ושלימה י"תומ ממש ג"בטוהנוהנ
