Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
Sholom U’Brocho!
Mazel tov to Chida Levitansky on the occasion of his engagement. Mazel tov to Levi Lavner on the occasion of his engagement. Mazel tov to Mendel Lavner on the occasion of his engagement. Mazel tov to Asher Simpson on the occasion of his engagement. Mazel tov to Eli Steinhauser 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. Pinny Adler on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Yossi Grossbaum on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Eli Chitrik on the birth of their twin sons. May they bring them up lTOveCHuMAA”T mitoch harchovo, and to be true chayolim! (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.
R’ Elye Chaim Roitblatt was one of the individuals who gave our generation a live portrait of a chosid of yesteryear. A man of legendary yiras shomayim, limitless sacrifice for Yiddishkeit and a boundless dedication to chinuch, R’ Elye Chaim was the living embodiment of a Jew fully permeated with chassidishkeit.
Already in Russia, under the oppressive communist regime, R’ Elye Chaim was engaged selflessly in teaching children Torah. [R’ Mendel Futerfass, who had hired him, once told him: ‘R’ Elye Chaim, our financial situation is very difficult, and I don’t know whether I will be able to continue paying you. If you decide because of this to stop teaching I will understand, because, even when you get paid, the pittance is barely enough to put food on your table, but how can you be expected to work with no pay?
R’ Elye Chaim was incredulous. “R’ Mendel”, he exclaimed, “do you suspect me of stopping to teach just because of a lack of money”?!]
Once, R’ Elye Chaim was giving a lesson to a group of children. The class was taking place in the home of one of the students, and this particular student belonged to a “wealthy” family, according to the standards of those impoverished times. When R’ Elye Chaim came to the house, he noticed a pail with some cucumbers that were pickling (they were making pickles). He turned to the boy who lived there, and asked if he could have permission to eat some of them. The boy readily acquiesced.
[The students were well aware of R’ Elye Chaim’s refined and dignified nature, and how out of character it was for him to “beg”, as it were, from anyone (especially from a child, and a student). They recognized from this – despite their youth – how – having done so - he must have been experiencing near-starvation (with the unsteady “salary” on which he needed to live and provide for his family)].
Now, however, R’ Elye Chaim needed water. After all, the pickling cucumbers were a דבר שטיבולו במשקה, - a wet food, about which the halacha is that it requires netilas yodayim. Together they searched for some source of water with which to wash, but none could be found.
Finally, after a few moments of fruitless searching, R’ Elye Chaim went back to the teaching and did without the badly needed nourishment (this, despite the fact that there are opinions that permit eating these foods (in our days) without washing, and he was clearly experiencing extreme hunger which would justify – under the circumstances – following a more lenient view).
R’ Sholom Ber Vichedsky a”h was one of the students at that class. He once farbrenged with the yeshiva bochurim in Toronto and shared the above story. He told us that he didn’t remember much of what R’ Elye Chaim taught him in those years. But the lesson from the uneaten cucumbers had a profound impact on him, and remained with him to this very day!
We’re now on the last stretch before Rosh Hashono; this Shabbos the Eibishter Himself is poised to bless the new month and the new year. Each of us is on high alert, scrambling to decide on our final and last minute preparations that will – hopefully – catapult us into the yomim nora’im mindset.
Undoubtedly, there are many aspects to Rosh Hashono, and many different facets to this important Yom Tov. Each of us surely learned numerous ideas, whether in nigleh or in chassidus or in halocho or all of the above, that together help form our understanding of the day and of what it means to us.
But we can’t lose sight of the main point: On Rosh Hashono we crown Hashem as King, or – in the terminology of chassidus – we are involved in ”binyan hamalchus”, - in reawakening Hashem’s desire to be our King. We do this by reaffirming our subservience to Him. We reaccept the Yoke of His commandments, and we express, through the sound of the shofar, our unconditional dedication to serving Him.
It is this commitment that is what Hashem desires, it is His “taavo”, and it is therefore what bring to the fore His willingness to be our King for another year. It is that willingness to serve as our King that is the source of the existence of the entire world and all that is in it, and – for that matter – all of the worlds.
And while this is unquestionably what Rosh Hashono is all about, we have to bring it down to ourselves. We can’t get lost in lofty words or ideas; the above-mentioned commitment must be tangible, real, practical and concrete.
This is the idea behind the emphasis by our Rebbeim that everyone accept upon his or her self every Rosh Hashono a new hiddur. Our commitment to Hashem and accepting Him as our King needs to be expressed in a very practical way in our daily behavior. And that expression can be in very mundane simple acts.
Such as refraining from eating the cucumbers because of our concern with the directives of the shulchan Aruch.
Our aim is to live our lives in a way in which everything that we do is merely a further expression of our servitude to our King. Therefore, the only criteria for every act or non-act is: What does the Eibishter want from me right now.
In the years when the Alter Rebbe used to say short maamorim, he once said a maamar on the Possuk אשרי העם שככה לו אשרי העם 'שה אלקיו. The Alter Rebbe explained that the translation of "ככה" is “azoi” or “just so”. The translation of the posuk is: “fortunate is the nation who’s avoda is in a way of “kocho”, their only consideration is ‘what does Hashem want of me’, and that is the only goal; - “azoi un nisht andersh”, it is just so and can’t be any other way. Such a nation, and such an avoda, results in “Hashem” being “Elokov”.
Our focus on Rosh Hashonoh is that every detail of our life should be in accordance to what the Eibishter wants. Just so. And – as lofty and important this concept is as an ideal - this has to come out in the little things.
Because the proof is in the pudding, and the Kabolas ol is in the Cucumbers.
On the day on which he was created, on Rosh hashonoh, Odom horishon called out to all of the creations in the world, saying בואו נשתחוה ונכרעה נברכה לפני 'ה עושינו. He was calling on the entire world and all who inhabit it to join him in expressing their total servitude to Hashem. This was what took place on the first Rosh Hashono, and it is this that is the central theme, the very essence, of every Rosh Hashonoh.
R’ Michel of Apotzk was one of the foremost chassidim of the Alter Rebbe, the Mitteler Rebbe and the Tzemach Tzedek. He was an exalted individual, who lived a spiritual life, completely detached from worldly concerns.
It is told of him that he spent forty years sleeping on a bench, to deprive himself of any trace of earthly pleasure. Needless to say, this helped him to attain even loftier heights in his spiritual ascent.
Before his passing, however, he remarked that he is now wiser, and he regrets this practice. ‘It is conceivable’, he observed, ‘that the lifestyle that I adapted may have affected my health adversely, and may have, thus, ultimately shortened my life. I now recognize’, he concluded, ‘that if this practice shortened my life even by one day, then it was not worthwhile. Because one day of putting on teffilin is more important and precious than 40 years of depriving myself the pleasure of sleeping in a bed’.
It is said that the Tzemach Tzedek remarked, when this was repeated to him: ‘He is correct, but to arrive at such a realization one may need to (achieve the refinement that can only be attained by) sleep(ing) on a bench for 40 years’!
[This story, or very similar versions of it with the same point, is told about a number of chassidim. I don’t know if it occurred more than once, or there are differing versions about who it took place with].
On Rosh Hashono we all are sure to attain great spiritual heights. This is the time when the King is in “heichal malchuso”, - in His palace, when we all have a greater sense of His greatness and aloofness. It is the time of “kiruv hama’or el hanitzutz”, - when every single one of us is closer to our source, and more in tune with our yechida shebenefesh.
But none of that is as important as the practical application, the way we channel the experience into one more day of carrying out Hashem’s directives, one more instance of doing exactly what He asked and expects of us, exactly the way He told us to (azoi un nisht andersh) “just so”, and one more instance of abstaining from an action (or thought or speech) that is contrary to Torah or Mitzvos or halocho, not for any other reason except that this is what Hashem told me not to do.
Let us use out these precious final moments of Ellul to greet the King in the field, and let us take advantage of Rosh Hashono to truly accept Him as a King over us fully and unconditionally. And this acceptance should be manifested in every detail of our behaviour; - everything we do should be an expression of our heartfelt desire of "תמליכוני עליכם".
And this should be the last step for the Eibishter’s Kingship being revealed throughout the world "'והי 'ה להלך על כל הארץ . . 'ה אחד ושמו אחד" NOW!
L’chaim! May we each do our part to fulfill the mitzvah of the day of anointing Hashem as our King, and may He bring our work to its’ ultimate goal and success, with the complete manifestation of His Kingship, through the final revelation of Moshiach Tzidkeinu TUMYM!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
ט"מי ולמטה ובגשמיות בפשטות וגאולה לישועה ,רבקה בן הלוי מרדכי שלום 'ר לזכות ממש י"תומ
