Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
Sholom U’Brocho!
With endless gratitude to Hashem yisborach for His infinite kindness and brochos, I am humbled to wish Mazeltov to our son Menachem, on the occasion of his engagement to Miri Schanowitz! Mazel Tov to Shmully Laufer on the occasion of his engagement. Mazel Tov to Mendel Lebovics on the occasion of his engagement. May they use out the special period of Yokor Mikol yokor to its’ utmost! Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Itzik Wolf on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Dovid Markel on the birth and bris of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Aizik Turkon the birth of their son. May they bring them up lTOveCHuMAA”T mitoch harchovo, and to be true chayolim/os! (If anyone is aware of any mazeltov’s that I omitted–I know that there are still many, there is still a lot of catching up to do-please let me know). (If anyone is aware of any mazeltov’s that I am missing please let me know).
Thank you very much, as always, for the feedback, it is much appreciated!
The following story was shared with me over yom tov by Rabbi Shlomo Sternberg, zechus horabim toluy bo:
Around 5740, Rabbi Zalman Gurary had a check-up by the doctor, and they discovered – ע"ל ע"לו - a tumor in his stomach. The growth was at an advanced stage, and the doctor recommended urgent surgery. Being a chosid, Reb Zalman immediately wrote to the Rebbe for a brocho, explaining the diagnosis, and that the doctor considered the situation to be very serious.
Very swiftly, he received a very puzzling reply from the Rebbe! Rather than commiserate with him, or offer him a brocho, the Rebbe seemed to disregard what he wrote: “Since you wrote that your doctor says you are well”, the Rebbe wrote to him, “you should be experiencing peace of mind. But since you are still worried, you should consult with a second doctor, and hear the same reassurance from him”!
Reb Zalman went to a second physician, certain – based on the answer that he had received from the Rebbe – that the second physician would tell him that there is not a trace of the disease, and that he is perfectly healthy (and that would be an open miracle from the Rebbe). But, after examining him, the second doctor reached the same conclusion as the first; - ‘you are very ill’, he told him, ‘and you are in need of an urgent operation’!
Very concerned, by this point, Reb Zalman wrote to the Rebbe about the report of the second doctor. “Now that 2 doctors have confirmed that you are fine”, the Rebbe replied, “you should surely be calm. But since you are still worried, you should visit a third doctor. When you will get the reassurance a 3rd time, that will surely suffice”!
He visited another doctor, and heard once again how desperate his situation was, and how important it was for him to schedule surgery right away! Devastated, he reported to the Rebbe again. “Now that 3 doctors have confirmed your well-being, that should surely suffice for your own peace of mind as well!”. And that – was that! He couldn’t write in anymore that he had a problem, because the Rebbe was unequivocal that he was perfectly fine, and that that had been confirmed by 3 doctors, no less! Whenever he wrote to the Rebbe about other matters, he would try to include a hint and hidden reminder about his situation between the lines (more than a hint he wouldn’t dare). But, the Rebbe disregarded them, - the matter was closed, his illness was absolutely over. And he lived happily ever after. Until – almost a decade later.
When Reb Zalman was arrested and was facing a very long prison term ch”v, and his situation looked very bleak. And then, out of the blue, during a checkup, the doctors “rediscovered” an advanced tumor in his stomach. It was clear that he didn’t have much time left, and, on that basis, he was released. Needless to say – not a trace was ever found of it since! [Another sequel: not long after, Reb Zalman was involved in something that the Rebbe was not satisfied with (maybe he said kriasshma without enough kavono, or he skipped tikkun chatzos...). The Rebbe promptly wrote to him: “Was it for that sake that you were the recipient of such tremendous miracles?!”].
Which seems extremely puzzling. If the Rebbe said he’s fine, why did the doctor not see that? And, on the other hand, if the doctor found him to be gravely ill, why would the Rebbe say that the doctors found him OK?!
In chassidus we find a question: In one possuk it says כלאשר צפה ח'ה עשה, - that the world was created by חפץ ורצון, by the “desire” of Hashem. But in another possuk it says רבד ב'ה שמים נעשו, - that the world was created by the “words”, the utterances, of Hashem. The resolution given is that Hashem’s purpose in creating the world was in order to achieve the goal of dira lo yisborach batachtonim. This goal requires that the world be one that instinctively views itself as a יש ודבר נפרד, as an independent entity from G-dliness. Were the world to sense its bitul to Elokus, it could not be considered authentic “tachtonim” (and surely not תחתון שאין תחתון למטה הימנו). And (the goal of Hashem is that) this world should be rendered – through Torah and mitzvos and the avodas Hashem of Yidden – to be botul to the Eibishter (to the point of being a dwelling place to Him).
If the world was created only by חפץ, by “desire”, it would be a world of pure G-dliness, and not “tachtonim” in any sense. But, if there were no element of desire, if it were created only by the “speech” of Hashem, then it would lack the capacity for bitul. To realize the goal of dira batachtonim, the world had to have the components both of yeshus and of bitul.
To say this in other words: The world itself has to present itself as an independent body, that is detached from Elokus. The doctors who “examine” the world must find it to be immensely unhealthy, a grobbe velt, that is devoid of G-dliness, and operates under the illusion of אני ואפסי עוד. And, despite that diagnosis, through our avodas Hashem, through calling out to the world and all of its inhabitants to be בואו נשתחווה ונכרעה נברכה לפני 'ה עושינו, we reveal that the world, in fact, is not what the professionals and the experts proclaimed it to be, but, rather, a vehicle and tool for giluy Elokus!
So, we observe a world that appears to be at odds with everything that we learned, with all that we were taught, with what we believe and know to be the truth. A world that screams out its yeshus, that emphasizes nature and metzius, when we know with certainty that ein od milvado, that אמת 'ה הוא ילעולם! And we’re not nispoel at all from what we see superficially, because what we know and recognize is immensely more powerful.
In fact, this is the idea of ויעקב הלך לדרכו, of the avodas Hashem in the month of cheshvon: During Tishrei we are above the world, and we are not dealing with a world that appears to be yesh and dovor nifrad. From rosh hashonoh, when we acknowledge that the existence of the world is only to provide a means for Hashem to reign, to Yom kippur, when we are likened to angels and lose interest in mundane activities, to Sukkos, when even while engaging with worldly pursuits we reach the level of experiencing לא טעמנו טעם שינה, until the climax on simchas torah when our immense joy is about אתה הראת לדעת כי 'ה הוא האלקים אין עוד מלבדו.
While that’s all very lofty, it does not fulfill the objective of דירה לו 'יתבם ינותחת, since the world – for us – is then not in a state of tachtonim. It is a world that is fully cooperative with our nefesh hoElokis.
In order to realize the goal of dira batachtonim, we need to live like yidden, like chassiddim, like temimim, even during the month of cheshvon (and the rest of the year). Even while we’re interacting with the world – a world which the “medical experts” concluded is unquestionably ailing and in a serious crisis – still, we don’t see or experience a world that is a helem ve hester, but, rather, that this world itself is a world of והיתה 'לה המלוכה.
As the Rebbe tells us unequivocally: Don’t pay attention to what you think you’re seeing and hearing. The real truth is that the world itself knows and proclaims אכן אתה ל-אם סתר - that the hiddenness and concealment is, after all, all You.
As the Rebbe proclaimed passionately during the farbrengen of Shabbos Noach 5752 (7 times) 'ה ויהוא האלקים; - even Elokim, the nature and characteristics of olam hazeh, is in truth a manifestation of “Havaya”– 'ה יהוה 'ו יהי כאחד – which transcends all the limitations of time and space.
How do we, in fact, bridge the gap between Tishrei and the remainder of the year, and ensure that the lofty experiences of Tishrei continue to influence and inspire the rest of the months?
This is directly dependent on the hachlotos we make. So, now is the time to make sure that we carry forward the aura of Tishrei, by making hachlotos, inspired by Tishrei, that we will be carrying out in the weeks and months ahead.
Hachlotos need to be significant, not minor things that we – ultimately – won’t attach any importance to. But, at the same time, they need to be realistic and practical; - something that we can reasonably expect that we’ll be realistically able to keep up with.
And, they should at least include, increased shiurim in chassidus, which is our most effective tool to be able to engage successfully with the world.
I want to share a few suggestions for hachlotos, to get started, and– to begin with, I will share the following: During aseres yemei teshuva, when I arrived in NY, a yungerman came over to me. He is someone that I am acquainted with for quite some years. He is not someone that I know well, he is quite a few years older than me, but we have been casually acquainted for a few decades. He approached and shared: He had been very sick, and was going through a hard time. He was at the stage that (he felt) his friends were avoiding him. They viewed him as no longer amongst the living. He felt he desperately needed to find a way to get above it all. He therefore decided – are you paying attention – to learn the maamar “posach eliyahu” 10,000 times! That’s ten thousand times! At the time that he spoke to me, he told me that he had already completed over 3,600 times! (Subsequently, on simchas torah, he told me that had already done over 3,900 times, and was eagerly anticipating crossing the 4,000 line). He explained the tremendous effect it has on him, how he sees the entire world differently now.
[The Rebbe Maharash once instructed a chosid to learn a maamar 400 (or 600) times consecutively. The chosid knew it would take him days (or weeks), and he didn’t want to be distracted, so he rented a room in a hotel, and moved in there until he was done (stopping only to daven, eat and sleep). When he completed it, and left the hotel, he said that he didn’t see the world. There were no houses or trees or animals. Wherever he looked, all that he saw were the words of the maamar!]
