Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
Sholom U’Brocho!
Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Zalman Schneerson on the birth and bris of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Yossi Bendett on the birth and bris of their son. May they bring him up lTOveCHuMAA”T mitoch harchovo, and to be true chayolim! (If anyone is aware of any mazel tov’s that I omitted please let me know).
Thank you as always for the feedback, it is much appreciated.
I addressed in the last email a question: How is it conceivable that R’ Nissan Nemenov should have lost his “taste” for worldly matters, while R’ Shlomo Karliner, a tzadik and talmid of the magid, seemingly didn’t. As mentioned, there can be various possible explanations (in addition to what was proposed last week), so, once we’re on the subject, here’s another possible resolution. But first, a story:
The Alter Rebbe was once travelling, and came to the city of R’ Boruch Mezhibuzh. R’ Boruch came out to greet and welcome the illustrious guest. When they met, R’ Boruch challenged him: “What are you doing coming into my territory?” [For all those who assumed that shluchim politics only started in the later years..]
The Alter Rebbe replied: "'הלץ ראה האולמו", - “As far as I know, the entire world belongs to the Eibishter, and it’s all His territory” [Not sure if that argument was ever attempted in a din Torah between 2 shluchim..]
R’ Boruch questioned further: “Still, what is the purpose of your trip?”
The Alter Rebbe explained: “The Polish government issued new decrees limiting the rights of Jews to live in the cities. This could adversely affect the livelihood of many Jews. I am travelling to raise funds, to try to use bribery etc. to annul this evil decree”.
R’ Boruch wondered: “For this you have to trouble yourself and travel from place to place, and use all that time and effort? Why, you need only to reveal to them the “Echod” [understanding of the Unity of Hashem] of my grandfather [the holy Baal Shem Tov], and the whole evil government will cease to exist along with all of their evil decrees!”
The Alter Rebbe countered: “You are mistaken. Rather, it was the “Echod” of your grandfather that was the cause of the problem”! And he explained: “Many centuries ago, country after country was expelling their Jews. There was a reason for this: Every king or ruler is governed by his celestial counterpart, the sar or malach who controls him. These celestial rulers derive their sustenance from the forces of impurity. They feared a Jewish presence in their land, because they feared that the Torah and mitzvos of the Jews would weaken the forces of kelipah, of impurity, and – by extension – reduce their own life-force. The result was that the human rulers down below all banished the Jews from their lands.
The exception was the sar of Poland. He was wiser, and said: ‘Even if the Jews learn and daven, they won’t be doing it solely for the sake of heaven, but with ulterior motives. In that case, their Torah and mitzvos will increase the sustenance of the forces of impurity rather than decrease it, which will be to our benefit. This resulted in the human king of Poland being agreeable to host Jews in his land. He proclaimed that a Cossack (who were very tall) should sit on a horse and hold his sword upward. The Jews should then bring a pile of gold that reaches to the top of the sword to give to the royal coffers. If they comply, they will be allowed to inhabit his country (maybe Trump should try that).
The Jews complied, and for a thousand years they were able to live (relatively comfortably) in Poland (the Rebbe once related during a sicha that it says in seforim that the name Poland in Hebrew is made up of the two words "הפן יל", or “here you (the Jews) will settle”).
“But then along came your grandfather the Baal Shem Tov, and taught Jews his “Echod”;- his teachings about the Oneness of Hashem. This led to the Jews serving Hashem with sincerity and truth. Suddenly the celestial senator of Poland started screaming: ‘It’s a fraud! I was cheated! The Jews came under false pretenses, they aren’t keeping the deal’! Which resulted in the decrees of expulsion and banishment down here, which I am travelling around to attempt to undo”!
The story, and the exchange seem a bit puzzling. מה שטענו לא הודהל ו ומה שהודהל לא טענו. It may be correct, on the one hand, that the “Echod” of the holy Baal Shem Tov, representing an intense revelation of G-dliness, would completely obliterate the adversaries of the Jews (as Chazal say הושיט אצבעו הקטנה ביניהם ושרפן). At the same time it is surely also true that the holy teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, the teachings of Chassidus, brought countless Yidden to a state of genuine avodas Hashem.
What, then, can be the meaning of the response of the Alter Rebbe? R’ Boruch Mezhibuzher wondered why he couldn’t save much time and effort by substituting his fundraising campaign with a ‘destruction of enemies via giluy Elokus’ campaign. The Alter Rebbe seem to respond that he’s mistaken since it was the teachings of Chassidus that were the source of the problem. Was this meant to be a play on words (about the Echod)? What does the answer have to do with the question?
Most importantly, since it is a story that was shared with us, it must contain a message to all of us. What, then, is the lesson to everyone from this conversation/debate between the Alter Rebbe and R’ Boruch?
Perhaps the explanation is actually quite simple: There was indeed a very pointed debate taking place, and the debate was about nothing less than the true meaning of the Echod of the Baal Shem Tov (as the conversation seems to indicate). For we know, after all, that this was a point of contention between the Alter Rebbe and other talmidei hamagid.
What was their difference? The other talmidim of the Magid focussed on the G-dly revelation in Chassidus. They wanted their chassidim to be inspired and uplifted by the holiness of their relationship with their Rebbe and his impact on them. The Alter Rebbe, in contrast, demanded pnimiyus, Chabad. He called on everyone to personally understand Chassidus in an individual, internalized manner.
Perhaps we can define it as follows: The word Echod – according to Chazal – is made up of the Aleph, for “Alufoi shel oilom” – the Eibishter, the ches, for the 7 heavens and the earth, and the daled, for the 4 directions. The word Echod, therefore, according to shulchan aruch, represents the way the entire creation is botul to the One Hashem.
However, this in itself can be viewed in 2 ways: One way is that all of matter, the heavens and the earth and the 4 directions cease to exist because they are overpowered by the intense revelation of the Aleph. Alternatively, it can express how the Alufoi shel oilom, G-dliness, permeates every facet of the creation, up and down and all around, to the point that none are apart from Elokus, but instead in and within every part of creation is recognizable the “ein od milvado”.
And this was the difference between the Alter Rebbe and R’ Boruch: R’ Boruch, like the majority of the talmidei hamagid, interpreted the Echod of the Baal Shem Tov in the first manner, whereas the innovation of the Alter Rebbe and Chassidus Chabad was the 2nd interpretation of Echod.
And this can explain their exchange. R’ Boruch suggested to the Alter Rebbe that there is a very effective shortcut to achieve the very results he’s seeking. When the world challenges Yiddishkeit, he needs only to burn away the world through the intense revelation of G-dliness (an approach that worked very effectively at other points in history, such as with the armies of Sancheirev).
However this approach is valid only according to his interpretation of Echod. According the chassidus Chabad, the goal is not to break and destroy the world, but to elevate and transform it through revelation of Chassidus in a manner of Chabad (as is known what the Rebbe Rashab said, that the Chassidus of the Alter Rebbe before “Peterburg”, i.e., before the full innovation of chassidus Chabad, would burn the world).
This, then, is what the Alter Rebbe replied to R’ Boruch. ‘You are mistaken’, he told him. ‘I have a different interpretation of the Echod of the Baal Shem Tov. And according to my interpretation, it was the Echod of the Baal Shem Tov that was the cause of the problem’. Because, it is the Alter Rebbe’s interpretation of Echod, the study of Chassidus Chabad in a personal and internalized manner, that changed the whole mode of avodas Hashem of so many people. It was that innovation that enabled so many Yidden to experience heartfelt sincerity and genuineness in their davening and learning; - it was that Echod, therefore, that led to the claim of “mekach to’us”, - of the sar of Poland suddenly feeling that they got a raw deal.
And it is this same interpretation of Echod, as well, that was the root of the problem and of the complaints of the impure angels, that also served as the rebuttal to the suggestion of R’ Boruch as to the approach of the Alter Rebbe to the annulment of the evil decree. Because it is the same approach to the Echod, the one that enabled it to have such positive results amongst Yidden, that was also what necessitated rejecting the suggestion to burn the world in order to get free of its challenges.
This can also answer our original question: R’ Shlomo Karliner undoubtedly subscribed to the Echod of the Baal Shem Tov of the other talmidei hamagid (as is known the explanation of chassidim about why the Alter Rebbe sent to him a Jew with sfeikos..). With that approach, the nature of the world itself is not changed; - it is merely overpowered and pushed aside before the intense revelation of G-dliness. Therefore the physical body itself still retains its natural taste for physical matters (similar to the famous explanation in chassidus about the difference between Moshe Rabeinu and Eliyahu, see Umikneh Ravin 5666, VAKM).
R’ Nissan, in contrast, was – after all – a Chabad chosid. His avoda was according the interpretation of the Alter Rebbe of the Echod of the Baal Shem Tov. And with the Echod of Chassidus Chabad, the nature of the world itself can be changed and elevated, to the point of losing the physical taste that the body has in worldly matters!
The point being – we have to remember that ours is the Echod of the Alter Rebbe. Surely we all farbrenged on Purim for many hours, and perhaps we experienced intense inspiration and upliftingness. However the purpose of it all is to bring it down into our personal ches and daled. Each one of us has to increase our learning of chassidus “adaato denafshei”, - in a personalized and individualized manner. After each maamar we have to be able to ask ourselves, what exactly did this maamar say to me? How exactly does it relate to my ches – my heaven (the spiritual aspects of my life) as well as my earth (my physical and material pursuits).
While this approach is more painstaking, and doesn’t produce the instant effect of burning up our adversaries on the spot, it is the only way to transform the world itself (including the olam katan zeh ho’odom) and to bring about the ultimate goal of dira batachtonim!
[More on the original question IYH at the next opportunity].
L’chaim! May we all internalize the Echod of the Alter Rebbe, through learning chassidus with a pnimiyus and avodas hatefila with a pnimiyus, and may the Eibishter spread te Echod throughout the world, ביום ההוא 'יהי' האחד ושמו אחד with the immediate revelation of Moshiach Tzidkeinu TUMYM!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
לזכות 'ר שלום מרדכי הלוי בן, רבקה לישועה וגאולה בפשטות, ובגשמיות ובפרט בחודש אדר דבריא, 'מזלי ולמטה ט"מיי" תומממש ולזכות 'רב ברוך מרדכי בן 'חיה אסתר ש"ל רפוק" ורפוט" ואויוש מתוך בריאות הנכונה ס"וכט
