Sholom U’Brocho! Mazel Tov to R’ Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin on the occasion of his Yom Holedes. May the strengthening of his mazel be in a visible and tangible way, and may he experience a shnas hatzlocho rabo umuflogo b’Tov hanireh vahanigleh l’matoh mei’asoro htfochim! Mazel Tov to R’ Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin and to the entire Rubashkin family on the occasion of the Bar Mitzva of Mendel. May he be brought up to be a true CHaYoL, and may this simcha be the harbinger of other simchos, true simchos, complete simchos, and only simchos! Mazel Tov to Tzvi Elimelech (a.k.a. Shmeilach) Rosenfeld on the occasion of his engagement. Mazel Tov to Schneur Zalman Marshal 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. Yehoshua Brook on the birth of their daughter. Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Shmary Gurary on the birth of their daughter. May they bring them up lTOve CHuMAA”T mitoch harchovo, and to be a true chayol! (If anyone is aware of any mazel tov’s that I omitted please let me know). Thank you as always for the feedback, it is much appreciated.
It was Shabbos Breishis, the culmination of another inspiring and uplifting Tishrei with the Rebbe, and Chassidim were anticipating the Shabbos mevorchim farbrengen that afternoon. This was in the earlier years of 770, and the larger farbrengens would generally take place ‘downstairs’ where there was more room (which was still a far cry from the ‘downstairs’ of today). However, on this particular year, 770 was undergoing construction, and the downstairs was not at all fit to hold the farbrengen there.
One of the elder Chassidim approached the Rebbe, and suggested that perhaps the farbrengen should be held upstairs, because “unten iz kalt un shmutzig” [downstairs is cold and dirty (as a result of the work being done there)]. The Rebbe came to the farbrengen, and spoke very intensely and in a very pained voice about this suggestion. He said: “Es iz a durch chodesh Ellul, un Rosh Hashonoh, un Aseres yemei Teshuva, un Yom Kippur, un zman Simchoseinu un Simchas Torah, un ess ken zich avek shtellen a Yid un zoggen kalt bluttig az in beis medrash fun dem Rebbe in dishver iz kalt un shmutzig?!!” [How can it be that after we’ve experienced all of the lofty days of Tishrei, that one can still remain so unaffected as to remark that the bais medrash of the Rebbe is cold and dirty!].
A few years later there was a sequel to this story (that I heard from R’ Yisroel Labkowski): It was the Shabbos before Yud Tes Kislev, and the generator in 770 broke, resulting in there being no source of heat or light. This was in Kislev, and a cold New York winter, and everyone was forced to remain well bundled up in 770 that week. Because it was the Shabbos before Yud Tes Kislev, there was a farbrengen scheduled for that week (although in that time farbrengens were held mainly on Shabbos mevorchim), and a few elder Chassidim approached the Rebbe and suggested that, under the circumstances, perhaps the farbrengen should be held upstairs, since “unten iz kalt un fintzter” [downstairs is cold and dark].
The Rebbe came into the farbrengen (downstairs – in the freezing cold room) with his coat over his shoulder, and that he flung off as soon as he arrived at his place. The Rebbe then made kiddush (which was uncharacteristic for Shabbos farbrengens in those days). Then the Rebbe began the farbrengen with a story: ‘There was once an old Jewish woman, who used to religiously read the parshas hashovua every week in her tze’enoh u’re’enoh. Being emotional by nature (as older people sometimes are..) she would cry bitter tears every year when reading the story of mechiras yosef, feeling such pity for poor Yosef’s troubles. One year, however, she remained dry-eyed. When her acquaintances questioned her about this, she replied: ‘He saw what happened last year, what his brothers did to him, so he should know already by now not to go to them. If he didn’t learn his lesson, then I’m not going to feel sorry for him!’
One would think, the Rebbe concluded, that after they received a chelek [reprimand] for doing something once, they would – at the very least – learn their lesson not to do the same thing a second time!
If we consider the Rebbe’s reprimand of the Chassidim, in the above 2 instances, we may be quite perplexed. What, in fact, did they do wrong? The beis hamedrash in it’s physical form, in olam hazeh hagashmi vechachumri, was cold and dirty. Physically cold, and physically dirty. That was all that they were saying. And, regardless of how inspired and enthusiastic the Chassidim may have felt following all of the special yomim tovim of Tishrei, that did not reduce the physical mess or chilliness. This was not ch”v in any way intended as an insult or lack of reverence towards the Frierdige Rebbe’s shul; it was merely an attempt to be practical. Why, then, should the fact that they had just experienced Tishrei, have negated them being able to refer to 770 as cold and dirty/dark b’gashmiyus?
[One of the Tzaddikim was once sitting and speaking to his Chassidim, during the time of Seudah shlishis one Shabbos. He was discussing the lofty secrets of the Torah, and was becoming more and more inspired. However, feeling the effects of a cold, he was also coughing a lot. His son went and made a tea, and brought it to his father. The Tzaddik pushed away the tea, saying “in Atzilus tea is not drunk”. The son gently returned the tea, saying “in Atzilus one does not cough”. The Rebbe accepted his argument, and drank the tea].
Seemingly, the message is as follows: When one undergoes the experience of Rosh Hashonoh, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, etc., it is meant to raise him up to a higher plane, causing him to view the world from a new vantage point. His new position will (should) greatly affect and redefine his perception of everything around him. He no longer views the world from the narrow physical outlook that he had earlier. He, rather, sees it in the context of it’s position in the G-dly plan of dirah batachtonim.
In gemoro Shabbos (118B) R’ Yosi says: I have never referred to my ox as an ox or to my wife as a wife; rather, I referred to my ox as ‘my field’, and to my wife as ‘my household’. The Rebbe explains the virtue of this practice: R’ Yosi did not see objects in his possession for what they appeared to be; rather, he saw them in the context of their ultimate purpose, in the context of what they were meant to achieve. An ox, to him, was not an ox, but rather, it was the vehicle by means of which his field would be ploughed. His wife was not just a woman, but rather, she was the medium through whom he would create his own Jewish home.
A chossid who views the beis medrash in the context of it’s spiritual purpose, does not view it by it’s physical dimensions, and therefore should not take note of any physical impediments. This is also what Chazal tell us about Noach: when he left the Teivah, we are told, “olam chodosh ro’oh”, - he perceived a new world. This was a result–not only of the refinement of the world itself, through the mabul, but also–of Noach himself fulfilling the instruction of “Bo el hateivah”, of immersing himself entirely into a different existence (as chassidus explains that in the teiva he was living a lifestyle of Moshiach). Something that we are all able to experience through carrying out the baal Shem Tov’s interpretation of “Bo el hateivah”, - of totally immersing ourselves into words of Torah and words of davening, - of really living with and in them.
Not only is that the right thing to do, but that is also guaranteed to enhance our vision of everything around us. When we immerse ourselves into the G-dly words of learning and davening, then we protect ourselves from the negative influences of the world around us, because we no longer view the world in a coarse way, but rather in the context of how it fits into the G-dly plan. We experience, as did Noach, “olam chodosh ro’oh”, we don’t see ourselves surrounded by a world of golus, but by a reality of Moshiach, of geulah ho’amitis vehashleimah!
This, then, is what is expected of us–what we should expect of ourselves–as we leave behind the month of Tishrei and enter into the month of Cheshvon. We must now ensure that the experiences of Tishrei are internalized by us, so that they are not merely pleasant memories, but they accompany us every day of our lives, altering our mindset and changing our vision. Then we can be sure that our experiences-chodesh Ellul, Rosh Hashonoh, Aseres yemei Teshuva, Yom Kippur, zman Simchoseinu Simchas Torah etc.–will ensure that we don’t see ‘kaltkeit’, we don’t see dirt ch”v, and we don’t see darkness, but we see only a world of light and warmth, that is completely ready to greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu!
[It would be fitting for me to attach to this the letter of the Rebbe to Zalman Jafee (about catching a cold after being by the Rebbe..) hashayach ke kol hanal, - if any of you can send it to me, I’ll send it out as a belated attachment].
L’chaim! May we all utilize the varemkeit and lichtigkeit that we derived from Tishrei to enable us to see an olam chodosh, and may the Eibishter in turn actually make an olam chodosh–shomayim chadoshim v’oretz chadosho, together with Torah chadosho, through the geulah of Moshiach Tzidkeinu TUMYM!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
