Sholom U’Brocho! Mazel Tov to Dovie Best on the occasion of his engagement. May he use out the special period of Yokor Mikol yokor to its’ utmost! Mazel Tov to Shmuel Dovid Wilhelm on the occasion of his chasuna. May the new home be set up in accordance with the Rebbe’s directives, and be keilim for all the brochos! Mazel Tov to Yonasson Gellman and his wife on the birth of their daughter. May they bring her up LTOvCHuMaaT mitoch harchovo, and to be a true chayol in TZH! (Anyone who is aware of mazeltov’s that I missed please update me. Thank you). It is with great sadness that I share with you the news of the untimely passing of Rabbi Chanan Feld a”h, father of Dovid Feld. Hashem should comfort the family besoch shaar aveilei tziyon veyerusholayim, vehokitzu veranenushochnei ofor. I think they’re sitting shiva in Israel, I will pass on any further information that I get, and may we be able to share only good news from now on!
The following story was recently made public, and was printed in various places with minor variations, but the point is the same:
Tishrei 5736 (1975) the orthodox world was shocked to hear that, at the second night of Hakofos by the Rebbe in 770, Chaim Cohen, the former judge of Israel's Supreme Court, received a "hakofo" at the Rebbe's minyan and was honored with reciting a verse of Ato Horaiso."
In fact, the decision to give him this honor was not reached easily. Chaim Cohen, in his younger years, was an orthodox Jew, and a member of Agudas Yisroel, but later broke away and left religious Judaism. He became a promoter of liberal ideas and even married a divorcee despite the fact that he was a “Cohen." He was also a main player in the "Who is a Jew" controversy and was one of the judges who signed the law that conversions do not have to be according to Halacha, an issue that r”l caused the Rebbe much pain.
Therefore, when Chaim Cohen arrived that Simchas Torah to the Rebbe's Hakofos the gaboim were hesitant in honoring such a man. They were also concerned that the larger orthodox community would have serious complaints against Lubavitch, for giving honor to someone who was known only for his opposition to anything precious to the Orthodox community. Their dilemma was so much greater because they realized that any opposition to a decision to honor him would focus on the fact that it was done in the presence of the Rebbe, and with his apparent consent.
No-one wanted to take responsibility for the decision and its’ ramifications, and the only recourse was to ask the Rebbe himself for direction. One of the secretaries approached the Rebbe with the question, to which the Rebbe immediately responded: "A Jew is here with a hisorerus teshuva, and you don't want to give him a Sefer Torah?!"
So they gave him a Sefer Torah, he even said a posuk of the Ato Horeisa and then went into the circle to dance with all those who received a Hakofo. The Rebbe then started the song "Utzu Eitza V'sufar" by himself and for 45 minutes nonstop without a letup waved and clapped with his hands to increase the singing. The people that were there including Chaim Cohen became very tired and wanted to stop to rest but did not do so while the Rebbe is increasing the singing. During the entire 45 minutes the Rebbe stood there looking at Judge Cohen while he was holding and dancing with the Torah.
As they had feared, there were those who expressed their reservation against this decision, accusing Lubavitch of supporting the enemies of the frum establishment. Many Lubavitcher Chassidim were themselves puzzled by the event.
Recently, 30 years later, new details have emerged concerning this event: Chaim Cohen had a very close friend who lived in Manhattan and whenever he (Chaim Cohen) would visit N.Y. he would stay by this friend. Some years after that Simchas Torah, one of the shluchim to Manhattan met this friend of Judge Cohen and invited him to come to the Rebbe. The friend adamantly rejected the offer saying: "Ever since Chaim Cohen attended that hakofos by the Rebbe he changed much of his views and opinions and I am not yet ready to change my opinions. I am the one who has to suffer as a result of Chaim Cohen’s Simchas Torah spent by the Rebbe!"
This story recently became grounds for a debate between two prominent Chassidim in a certain city. R’ Sholom Ber P was appointed a while ago as a shliach over a defined territory (that, while not an entire state, as nonetheless a noteworthy area). A few years after moving there, having seen much success, he brought down another yungerman, by the name of Chaim, to work under him as a shliach in a part of his neighborhood, with his own distinct duties.
Now, both Sholom Ber and Chaim are distinguished chassidishe yidden, who are deeply respected by all who know them, and who get along wonderfully with each other as well. Both of them are single-mindedly dedicated to their mission, in which they both achieve admirable results.
The problem that arose recently was when a certain new balebus moved into the neighborhood. This particular balebus, we’ll call him Mike, while extremely wealthy and influential, shares much in common with the Chaim Cohen of the above story. Outspokenly against the Rebbe, he deliberately adopted positions that were designed to be hurtful to the Rebbe’s mosdos. Needless to say, he evoked only feelings of repulsion in Lubavitcher Chassidim who were familiar with what he represented. It was no surprise, therefore, that since he had moved to town he had found numerous opportunities to be a thorn in the side of both Sholom Ber and Chaim.
Both Chaim and Sholom Ber took every effort to ignore Mike, although his considerable wealth and power made him a hard person not to reckon with. Yet, they tried to focus on their job, and davenned to Hashem to free them of all obstacles.
You can imagine Sholom Ber’s shock and outrage to discover, one day, that Chaim was holding an event in which he was honoring.. none other than.. Mike! Sholom Ber was, understandably, fuming. He saw this as the ultimate treason, and he felt that it was an affront to Lubavitch and to the Rebbe. Chaim, however, tried to reason with him. ‘Look’, he said, ‘the Rebbe was mekarev Chaim Cohen, why can’t we be mekarev Mike, you never know what kind of good can come out of it’.
But Sholom Ber was unforgiving: ‘What kind of a comparison are you making?’ he spluttered, ‘the Rebbe said to give Chaim Cohen a sefer Torah because the Rebbe recognized that he was in a state of hisorerus Teshuva, and he gave it to him to arouse his neshomo. But you’re trying to use this as justification to show support of someone who is not showing any indication of remorse. Chaim Cohen was ready to lower himself and carry the Torah, and the Rebbe allowed him to do so. But you’re lowering yourself to carry, to uplift Mike who’s continuing to parade as a self-satisfied opponent to all that we stand for. And to support him because you expect (understandably) to get a few dollars out of him is tantamount to selling your ideals, your Rebbe, for money r”l!’
The argument continued, with Chaim accusing Sholom Ber of extremism and lack of understanding and flexibility, and Sholom Ber feeling betrayed by what he views as Chaim’s compromise.
◆◆◆
The story (as you may have guessed) is actually fictitious, but the situation is very genuine. For we all know a ‘Mike’. In fact, he’s all around us. ‘Mike’ represents the big bad world that surrounds us. It’s full of material success, of monetary wealth, of apparent enjoyments and indulgences.
Yet, it represents the enemy. It is what goes against everything that we believe in and stand for. The whole existence of the world is (as it’s name denotes) helem vehester, one big concealment, an avowed enemy of G-dliness.
We know it, we state it, we farbreng about it. We complain bitterly about the ‘velt’.
But as soon as there’s a possibility of some–real or imagined–gain, suddenly we become best of friends. We honor it, we associate ourselves with it. We turn into loyal allies. We carried it proudly and triumphantly on our shoulders.
And our fellow shliach, our neshomo, screams: “Hey! What’s going on over here?! You’re fraternizing with the enemy! That’s no friend of ours! How can you sell your ideals, your principles, for some money or fun or imagined enjoyment?!”
Which brings to mind another simchas torah story:
During hakafos on the night of simchas torah one year, the Rebbe was speaking to one of the Chassidim present,-R’ Y.D. The Rebbe mentioned one of the local chassidishe doctors in Crown Heights. The chosid (who was under the influence of the “spirits” of simchas torah) remarked (referring to the doctor by name) “er iz a shoiteh” (he is a fool). The Rebbe asked him “How do you know?” So he said “Because I was seen by him”. So the Rebbe asked “And did you pay him the fee?” To which the chosid responded “Of course I did.” Concluded the Rebbe “Iz ver iz di shoiteh?!” (Then who is the fool).
We’re always quick to denounce olam hazeh in general, and golus in particular, as evil, and bad and intolerable. They distract us from our mission and turn us astray from Hashem. They represent evil. They are our nemesis, our eternal foe.
Yet we go and spend our time and money to indulge more in olam hazeh. To have more fun, more physical pleasures. We expend our effort to have a greater involvement in the golus experience, rather than running away from it.
Iz ver iz der shoiteh!
◆◆◆
This Shabbos, we read, once again, the timeless directive of Lech Lecho mei’arzecho u’mi’moladetecho u’mibeis ovicho. In order to successfully carry out our mission to be a light unto the nations, to continue carrying the torch that Avrohom Ovinu bequeathed us with, we have to put aside our personal cares and our materialistic pursuits.
Mei’arzecho. So you won’t be able to fulfill every last desire that you have. But is that what you’re in the world for? These worldly pleasures are our enemy, our destroyers. The prerequisite, the very first step towards being a Jew, is the readiness to denounce our dependence on material success.
I’m here to go on shlichus. So I won’t have a 2-car garage (let alone the 2 cars to go into the garage). I won’t have a penthouse on Miami beach, and a vacation home in Cancun. What are my priorities? Who am I here to carry on my shoulders?!
We learn and we philosophize and we accept and affirm that the whole world is meaningless, it is emptiness, and ein oid milvadoi. But as soon as we have to make an important decision, what to do for chanukah, what to do for the summer, whether or not (ch”v not) to go on shlichus, suddenly the worldly comforts become of great importance. We carry them aloft, and they become a major factor in our decisions.
How can we base our decisions on the olam hazeh, on the nefesh habehamis that is our arch enemy?!
[In 1995, the UN was marking its’ fiftieth anniversary with a series of events. One of them was a concert in the Lincoln Center in NY–by invitation only–on October 23d, for all of the who’s who of dignitaries and diplomats and world leaders. Arafat YMSHMVZ, who was in NY at the time, tried to crash the party with a group of his loyal followers, When Rudy Giuliani–then Mayor of NYC–spotted him, in an act of great courage that brought upon him the ire of world–and sadly also much of established Jewish–leadership, he ordered him to leave the premises. The prominent murderer Arafat and his entourage never lived down the resulting humiliation].
Fine, you say that you’re not on the level, yet, to reject outright the entire existence of olam hazeh. Okay, so we can understand that we did not yet reach the level of moi’es b’roh, to completely disregard worldly pleasures.
But to party with the murderer of our brethren?! Business is business, but whom you party with is inexcusable.
L’chaim! May we all get our priorities sorted out, and proudly carry the Torah on our shoulders, and leave rest of the garbage alone, and (if I may be so bold to say so) may the Almi-ghty get His priorities straight, and carry the Jewish people aloft as a sefer torah, and all the world will see the wonderful relationship He has with us, with the Geula HoAmitis veHashleima TUMYM!!!
Ha’locho Rabo!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
Below is a picture of the aforementioned Chaim Cohen (on the right)
