This coming Sunday, masses of the House of Israel around the world will mark the 3rd of Tammuz, the yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. This is a day of spiritual elevation, when we can all rise and strengthen ourselves. We can deepen our connection to the Rebbe by following his ways, studying his teachings, and fulfilling his instructions, and thereby also receive the abundance of his blessings.
As the years pass, recognition grows that the Rebbe is a wondrous, rare, and unique phenomenon—not only in our generation, but among many generations. In many ways, he shaped the face of Judaism in our time. His path, which was initially the domain of a few, has over the years become the heritage of all of Israel. His teachings now quench the spiritual thirst of the Jewish people, from all circles and communities.
For decades, the Rebbe devoted himself completely to the Jewish people. He did not allow himself rest. He never took even a single day of vacation. Even when he suffered a heart attack and the doctors ordered him to rest, he demanded that the letters from the masses of Israel be brought to him, saying he could not refrain from responding to Jews in their distress.
Now the 3rd of Tammuz arrives, and we must ask ourselves: What does the Rebbe ask of us? We will find the answer when we reflect on what the Rebbe lived for and what was at the center of his attention.
Two main things quickly stand out—love of Israel and the aspiration to hasten the redemption.
Love of Israel is the central axis of all his work. Because of his love for every Jew, the Rebbe could not sleep as long as any Jew lacked something, materially or spiritually.
Therefore, he educated his students and followers to devote themselves and move with their families to the ends of the earth, so that Jews living there would not, Heaven forbid, be abandoned. Countless times, the Rebbe stated that anyone who wants to bring him joy should increase their love of Israel and distance themselves from strife.
The anticipation of redemption is the essence of the Rebbe’s being. He determined that this is the mission of our generation—the last generation of exile and the first that will soon merit the redemption. In recent years, he spoke in wondrous terms that the redemption is already here, and that only a moment is lacking for it to be fully realized.
The Rebbe called upon the Jewish people to awaken the anticipation of redemption, to ask for it, to study about it, and to increase Torah and mitzvot in preparation for it.
These are the areas in which we must make good resolutions, and we will merit to receive the abundant blessings granted on this holy day, up to the greatest and most essential blessing—the true and complete redemption through our righteous Moshiach.
Adapted from the teachings of Rabbi Menachem Brod, Sichat HaShevua
Revelation in Both Body and Soul
In the days of Moshiach the Divine light will be utterly revealed in the heart of every individual, and in every heart there will be a constant and visible fear of G‑d; as it is written, “They shall go into the caves of the rocks and into the tunnels of the earth, for fear of G‑d....” (Yeshayahu 2:19)
The body too will change. It will be like the body of Adam before the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, clean of any evil. As the Midrash states, “His heel threw a shadow on the orb of the sun.” (Vayikra Rabbah 20:2) That is to say, his body was nullified to the Divine Will even more than was the inanimate sun.
The Mittler Rebbe, reprinted from To Live and Live Again, with perm. from Sichos in English
