from the teachings of the Rebbe
This week’s Torah portion, Metzora, details the special laws governing the plague of leprosy, an affliction whose root cause was spiritual and bears no resemblance to the modern disease of the same name. This leprosy altered the skin of the suffering individual, causing a radical change in the appearance of the affected area.
It is therefore surprising that the Talmud refers to Moshiach as suffering from this affliction. “What is Moshiach’s name?” the Talmud asks. “Chivra (Aramaic for ‘Leper’) is his name,” the Talmud concludes.
How can Moshiach, a person of flesh and blood, who stands head and shoulders above all other Jews by virtue of his spiritual perfection, be referred to as a leper?
Moshiach will be distinguished not only by his vast wisdom, but also by his prophetic powers. We must therefore conclude that the term “leper” contains a deeper significance, one which will shed light on its inner meaning.
Leprosy is an external disease, one which affects only the outer skin of the sufferer. The internal organs of the leper remain healthy and unaffected, as does the flesh itself. Only the outermost part of the individual is afflicted, causing the color of the skin to undergo transformation.
Throughout the thousands of years of exile, the Jewish people have been involved in learning Torah and performing mitzvot, in an effort to illuminate the darkness of the exile by strengthening the forces of good over evil.
Exile is characterized by G-d’s seeming withdrawal from the affairs of man; the coming of Moshiach and the Final Redemption will usher in an era in which G-dliness is open and apparent.
By their consistent and ongoing service of G-d throughout the centuries, imbuing the four corners of the earth with G-dliness and holiness, the Jewish people has succeeded in healing the world of its internal sickness, the seeming absence of G-d from the physical world.
We stand now at the very end of the exile, on the threshold of the Messianic Era. All that prevents Moshiach’s imminent arrival is a tiny and external blemish, an affliction of “leprosy on the skin of the flesh.”
The final touches on the world’s preparation for Moshiach have been entrusted to our generation, the generation which will be worthy of witnessing Moshiach’s revelation.
Up until that time, however, Moshiach is said to be “leprous.” For Moshiach himself suffers the pain of the end of exile - “the affliction of leprosy” - as he waits with longing and impatience for the moment the world will be fully prepared for his coming, at which time he will reveal himself and redeem the Jewish people and the entire world.
From a talk of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Parshat Tazria-5751
On Friday, April 19, the 11th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan - ‘Yud Alef Nissan’, we will celebrate 122 years since the birth of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
The Rebbe’s teachings fill over 250 books, illuminating every area of the Torah - Talmud, Jewish law, Chassidus, kabbala, philosophy, history and more.
Among these books are the 33 volumes of Igros Kodesh, a treasury of more than 9,000 letters where the Rebbe’s scholarship, wisdom, and understanding is found within his responses to people from all walks of life.
While the letters were often sent to individuals, the profound advice contained within serves as a unique guide and source of inspiration for everyone, in all areas of life. While the wealth of the teachings and writings contained within these volumes is unprecedented, this doesn’t constitute the full greatness of the Rebbe’s leadership.
One of the powerful hallmarks of The Rebbe’s leadership is his care for everybody, regardless of upbringing or affiliation. There simply are no labels; to the Rebbe, a Jew is a Jew.
When Rebbe’s leadership started out in 1951, only six years after the Holocaust, the Jewish world was focused on survival. While most looked inward to see how they could strengthen their own communities, the Rebbe, however, looked beyond his own community and sought to change the world.
The Rebbe began with sending out representatives or “Shluchim,” starting with the places where they were needed most, including Morocco and far-off Australia.
Today, Chabad is all over the world, and there’s hardly a city that doesn’t have a shliach serving in some capacity, united in their selfless dedication to reach every Jew.
While his reach can be felt globally, he encouraged us to care about the individual. Ask your friend if he put on tefillin! Offer your neighbor Shabbos candles to light! Build bridges, one person at a time, each at their own level.
When in 1991, a correspondent asked the Rebbe what message he had for the world, the Rebbe responded that Moshiach is on his way, and we could hasten his arrival by adding in acts “of goodness and kindness.” The Rebbe’s universal message transcends race or religion and is something everyone can do.
Maimonides writes that a Jew’s obligation is to “l’chol bo’ei olam,” to all of humanity. The Rebbe, in celebrating our freedom, which was unfortunately denied to earlier generations, campaigned to spread awareness of Sheva Mitzvos Bnei Noach – the Seven Noahide Laws – and to institute a moment of silence in public schools, among similar initiatives.
Let’s celebrate the Rebbe’s birthday with growth in Torah and Mitzvot, and by increasing acts of goodness and kindness to all, so that we may accelerate the coming of Moshiach, may he come speedily in our days.
