Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
Sholom U’Brocho!
Mazel tov to Eli Steinhauser on the occasion of his engagement. Mazel tov to Shimon Sabol on the occasion of his engagement. May they use out the period of yokor mikol yokor to its’ utmost! Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Yechiel Schmerling on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Mordechai Nemni on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Shimon Daschefsky on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Tzvi Tauby on the birth of their daughter. Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Eliezer Posner 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.
The famous chosid R’ Hillel Paritcher once came out of a yechidus with the Tzemach Tzedek, and R’ Hillel was in a very joyous frame of mind. [This was in the later years of the Tzemach Tzedek, when the Tzemach Tzedek was suffering from ill health and was bedridden].
R Hillel explained: “There were 2 facts that caused my great joy. One was that the Rebbe promised me that I would see the moon this month”.
[R’ Hillel, who was renowned for how meticulous he was in performing mitzvos, was very concerned about being able to fulfill the mitzvah of Kidush Levana each month. In those regions, especially in the winter, this could frequently be a challenge, since the moon could often be obscured by clouds for months on end.
On one occasion (or perhaps it was the same occasion) when R’ Hillel was able to recite the Kidush Levana due to the brocho of the Rebbe, he remarked: “Once, in my younger years, I was unable to fulfill the mitzvah, because the moon was not visible during the entire period when the the mitzvah could be done. However, then I was in my younger years, when I had the strength to withstand it. These days, when I have aged, I would not survive (the anguish caused by losing the mitzvah)]
“The second (cause of my joy)” R’ Hillel continued, “is that I realized that the Rebbe is healthy. Der Rebbe iz gezunt! Dos vos er ken nit gein iz veil er ligt in ahava betaanugim. Zol er nit ligen in ahava betaanugim, vet er kenen gein!” [The Rebbe is healthy. The fact that he is unable to walk is because he is immersed in ahava betaanugim (a rapturous ecstatic love of Hashem (I know – that’s a very poor translation)). Let him not be immersed in ahava betaanugim and he will be able to walk].
[A related story: During his later years, even when he was bedridden, the Tzemach would still spend most of his time learning. When he needed a sefer, he would summon the gabay to bring it to him. This would happen frequently, throughout the day and night. Once the gabay was tired and lazy, and decided that he’ll pretend he’s asleep and see what happens (it was always said that a gabay was one of the three who cannot be real chassidim . . .)
The Tzemach Tzedek called to the gabay, but the gabay just pretended to be asleep. The Rebbe called him a second and third time, but with no response. So the Rebbe began singing the nigun of the Alter Rebbe, and, while singing, got up and went over to the bookshelf and took down the desired sefer (an action that was considered physically impossible for him at the time)!]
The Importance of Spiritual Growth
Chassidus discusses often the differences between malochim and neshomos above, and people down here: It says in the Possuk ונתתי לך מהלכים בין העומדים האלה . A person is called a mehalech – a “goer” – because he is meant to always advance and develop. One may never remain stationary. What was good enough for yesterday is no longer good enough for today, because we have the oft repeated adage “maalin bakodesh”.
It is not enough that you are learning and davening. You have to assess whether you are growing, is today better than yesterday? Are we living up to the central declaration of the chassidisher krias shma she’al hamitah that “morgen vet zein gor andersh” [tomorrow will surely be different (improved) than today]?
But sometimes we feel that we just can’t. We don’t have the strength or stamina to push forward. We are barely able to tread water, we can’t see ourselves swimming against the current.
When we make an honest evaluation, a proper cheshbon hanefesh, we see a lot of ‘same old same old’, but it’s hard to identify any significant accomplishments. In what way am I different after this year/month/week day in my learning or davening or general avodas Hashem? Why can’t I get a grip on things, see myself turning into the chosid, yerei shomayim and lamdan that I aspire to? Why can’t I see myself involved in avoda and haskola like I used to envision?
So you go to doctors, to psychiatrists and psychologists, to educators and experts. Each one comes with their diagnosis and determination. One tells you that you have mono and need to sleep 30 hours out of every 24. One tells you that you have ADHD and can’t be expected to keep focus more than 45 seconds at a time. The third tells you you’re just a chilled out personality and not cut out for such intense experiences.
But why don’t you listen to what Dr. Hillel has to say? He takes one look at you, and his diagnosis is doubtless: “Du bizt gezunt”! You’re healthy. You’re fine. There’s nothing ailing you! Boruch Hashem!
But I’m not “going”? I’m not growing? Why do I feel like I just can’t do more?
“Dos vos du kenst nit gein iz veil du ligst in ahavas hatanugim. Lig nit in ahavas hataanugim, vest du kennen gein!”
Overcoming Indulgence
It’s summer time, it’s a time when people think it’s a mitzva to vacation, to have fun, and to experience all of the pleasures that olam hazeh has to offer. But there’s no need to be totally immersed in these taanugim. Don’t be drawn after the pursuit of worldly pleasures because, inevitably, that will interfere with your spiritual growth. It will hinder your walking ability.
As the Rebbe once cried out (during a farbrengen with the Yeshiva bochurim, during Chanuka): “You pour salt onto your food (so that it should taste better) and then you wonder farvos ess davent zich nisht” [why the davening isn’t going as it should]! Or as the known explanation goes (about the nigun essen esst zich) that the song contains a question and an answer; - the reason why ess davent zich nisht is because ess esst zich un ess shloft zich!
And while adding a bit of salt to the food may not be our idea of taavos olam hazeh, we can all find areas where we can back off a bit, in which we can minimize the extent of our immersion and indulgence in the taavas hataanugim cesspool. You need to make a barbeque? Fine, it’s unavoidable, but it can be with a little less koch; - you can leave the last hot dog on the grill (the raccoons will thank you). You need to take a road trip from Miami to California (how else will you get there, what, with no horse and buggies around today)? By all means, but you don’t need to stop off at every single attraction on the way. Exchange one day of having fun with a day of learning and davening and mivtzoim.
R' Mendel Futerfas and the "Dovor Acher", Finding Strength for Teshuva
During the years he spent imprisoned in the Siberian wastelands, R’ Mendel Futerfas was forced to spend much time in hard labour, much of it which was chopping wood. After the trees were felled, two partners would grasp two opposite ends of a long saw, and saw it into lumber.
At one point the partner, the chavrusa, of R’ Mendel was a fellow Jew. Obviously R’ Mendel rejoiced at the companionship of a fellow Jew, and the many hours were now spent by R’ Mendel sharing thoughts of Torah and chassidishe stories, teaching him about Judaism, and – in general – farbrenging together.
Before they were separated, the fellow said to R’ Mendel: “I enjoyed the time we spent together, I was impressed by you, and inspired by all that I heard from you. Now we are parting ways, and I know that I won’t be able to keep much of what you taught me, especially facing the difficulties of the Russian prison system. I am asking you therefore to give me one mitzvah that you suggest that I continue to work on”.
R’ Mendel replied: “To expect you to keep Kosher, I know would be unrealistic. Even to say that you should refrain from eating a dovor acher (* a dovor acher, as you all know, is the creature that embodies and typifies the pursuit of – and indulgence in – the worldly pleasures to an excess. He wallows in the mud of the taavos olam hazeh cesspool up to his snout crying out in pleasure) would be expecting too much.
But, this is my suggestion: When you are enjoying a meal, and the meal includes a dovor acher course, which you are enjoying as well, at least don’t suck the marrow out of the bone of the d”a”.
At a chof Av farbrengen (in 5713) the Rebbe shared the story with the Beis Yosef, of how he was punished with losing the merit to die al Kiddush Hashem. Despite the fact that the Beis Yosef went on to author the shulchan aruch, which was a guiding light to the entire Jewish nation thereafter, it was still considered a punishment that he lost the opportunity of mesirus nefesh al kidush Hashem. This teaches us the greatness of mesirus nefesh [The Rebbe was, apparently, addressing the subject in connection with the passing of R’ Levik on this day, as a direct result of his mesirus nefesh].
The Rebbe went on to explain what this means in every person’s personal avodas Hashem. The parallel of mesirus nefesh, he said, is the avoda of iskafya. The effort we put into abstaining from, and refusing some of worldly pleasures is of paramount importance.
