Thank you as always for the feedback, it is much appreciated.
A few of you questioned the story in the last email, about how the Rebbe Rashab praised the virtuous lifestyle of the porush. The question was raised, were not Chassidim opposed to the way of life of the prushim? Did not the Baal Shem Tov teach a completely different approach in avodas Hashem? What, then, did the Rebbe Rashab find so praiseworthy about the ascetic (that’s right, and not aesthetic as I wrote last week, and thanks to those who pointed it out to me!) lifestyle of the porush? The question surely begs some explanation, but first, a story:
Moshe arrived in Toronto, and quickly applied for a job, so that he could support his family. He was lucky, and before long he was offered a position with the TTC, driving a bus. He was given his route, on Glencairn Ave from Avenue Rd. until Dufferin Rd. and back, and happily picked up and discharged passengers along his route from 8 every morning until 5 in the afternoon.
This went on for some years, and Moshe met with much success. He was friendly to his passengers and solicitous of their needs, and everyone liked him. His superiors were also aware of his fine performance, and from time to time he received a raise.
One day, as Moshe approached Bathurst St, he encountered an obstacle. There was major construction on that corner, and there was no way that he could continue straight on Glencairn. He had no choice but to turn onto Bathurst St., in order to circumvent the obstruction.
Moshe duly swung his bus onto Bathurst St. and began to drive for a block, when he encountered a big surprise: He was accustomed to picking up a few people, between 1 and 5, at each stop along Glencairn. But, at the first stop on Bathurst, he picked up 17 people! Amazed, he continued further along Bathurst, and the pattern continued. At every stop he picked many times the number of passengers that he would on his regular route. Needless to say, the profits in his fare-box multiplied.
The next day, Moshe, on his own initiative, turned onto Bathurst, and continued along his newfound more prosperous route. Sure enough the fares were greatly increased.
At the end of the week, he was called into a meeting with his superiors, and asked for an explanation about the drastic increase in his fares. With great excitement Moshe told them about his “discovery”, and waited in anticipation to hear about his promotion. He was not kept waiting, but he was sorely disappointed: It took them only a few moments of discussion and they informed him of their conclusion. He’s fired!
Moshe was shocked! “How could that be?” he asked them, I’ve been doing so well lately, why, I brought in more money this week than in an average month?!”
“True”, they responded, “you may have brought in a lot of money, but you were on the wrong track!”
Indeed, the consideration always needs to be not just which approach would be most “profitable”, but, instead, what is the track that was designated for me, that I was assigned to. Because, we are not here merely to have rich lives, whether a material or even a spiritual richness, but to fulfill the purpose for which Hashem created us.
I don’t think the Baal Shem Tov found fault with the lifestyle of the perushim per se (although there were individual cases, some that the Baal Shem Tov himself revealed in which the person was not living up to what he was perceived as). It is undoubtedly a way of life immersed in holiness and spirituality, a way of living a lofty life, in which the person can be much closer to G-dliness.
The Baal Shem Tov, rather, taught that for us it’s the wrong track. We were placed in the world for a very specific purpose: to refine, elevate and transform this physical world, and make it into a dira batachtonim. In order to achieve this, we cannot renounce our involvement with the world.
To be sure, if the Eibishter wanted loftiness and spirituality, why, he had an endless supply of malochim (and sefiros and everything else up there) that are infinitely more spiritual than we’ll ever be (even were we all to choose to become perushim of the highest level, they live a celestial existence with no eating or drinking etc. at all, and according to some opinions they don’t even have internet up there). The Eibishter, however, wanted – desired – an avoda that deals with the physical world, struggles with it and changes it. It (probably) wouldn’t be our choice, and is definitely a much less inspiring and uplifting way of living. But that’s the only way we can do our job.
Reb Avrohom Drizin: A Lesson in Kavono
Reb Avrohom Drizin, better known from the name of his Russian hometown as Reb Avrohom Mayorer, was a fearless general in the silent army of self-sacrificing chassidim who defied communism by operating a vast network of underground chadorim and yeshivos throughout Communist Russia.
Already at the age of 29, he would elude the dreaded NKVD, the anti-religious Secret Service, and sometimes spend a bitter winter night trying to get a wink of sleep among the gravestones.
Yet even the constant threat of interrogation and firing squads never clouded his sunny attitude to life, nor deterred him from sheltering colleagues hounded by the authorities.
Since he was a man of many qualities, he is also widely remembered for seemingly unrelated characteristics - for his strong mind, his compassionate heart, his meditative davening, and his energetic learning and teaching of nigleh and Chassidus.
Above all, his memory is lovingly revered by the earnest listeners who attended his candid and informal farbrengens: they were magnetized and inspired to action by his softly-spoken charisma. In short, he was a genuine chassidisher Yid!
He used to say (אוה' יהרמוא): “Elokus iz reich” [G-dliness is “rich”, beautiful, lofty etc. (the proper translation for “reich” in this context, if there is one, is right now eluding me)] “Chassidus iz reich, Rebbe iz reich. Un mein Sholom Ber iz reich” [He has a son, Sholom Ber (tzulangeyorren) who once made a few groshen somehow or other].
Another version I heard (and perhaps both were said at different occasions) is that he concluded “Un mein Sholom Ber meint az er iz reich”
At any rate, this Ellul I heard of a new conclusion to the saying (according to either of the above versions). He would conclude: “Ober Chaim Itche iz di kavono” [But Chaim Itche (another son – tzulangeyorren – who was on shlichus at that time in northern California),- he’s fulfilling the “kavono” ]!
There can be a way of life that is, agreeably, more “rich” and more profitable (regardless of how we measure that richness). But the only criteria for us need be what is our way of fulfilling our purpose; - the purpose of our creation and our existence. And the 2 paths may be very different.
R’ Avrohom himself, being the genuine chosid that he was, when he was sent by the Rebbe to Eretz Yisroel, wanted to stay in Crown Heights. It goes without saying that a chosid of his stature wasn’t seeking the comforts of New York. He wasn’t afraid of parting from Kingston Pizza (especially since everyone knows that the pizza in Israel is better...) or even from “The Sushi Spot” (the new Crown Heights sushi restaurant).
He wanted the richness of Elokus, the way it can be experiences in the daled amos of the Rebbe. He wanted that in the way that only a chosid of his caliber was able to truly appreciate it. After his years of mesirus nefesh (and spiritual deprivation) in Russia, he wanted to spend some time spoiling his soul.
But the Rebbe negated that unequivocally, and indicated that – despite the spiritual loftiness he would in fact be able to reach in close proximity to the Rebbe – his “kavono” was elsewhere.
Indeed, he was the fitting teacher of this lesson: regardless of where you may discover “reichkeit”, you have to focus only on what your purpose (and Divine assignment) is.
The life of the porush, then, was lofty and spiritual in the most beautiful way imaginable. He was, in fact, living like a mentch. The Rebbe Rashab admired it for what there was to admire about. But he didn’t instruct any of us to emulate him (although we can all afford to take another step in that direction, to weaken somewhat our ties to this world. If we stop being enslaved to our i-phones and similar indulgences, if we back off just a bit from our pursuit of every newest physical pleasure, we won’t yet be guilty of the “sin” of being perushim).
For our sole criteria is what our purpose and kavono is.
Parshas Noach: The Flood and Our Mission
This answers a basic question in Parshas Noach. Chassidus teaches us that the mabul, despite the devastation and destruction that it left in its’ wake, was in fact a high spiritual revelation. The 40 days of the mabul are likened by the Alter Rebbe to the 40 so’oh that cause the ultimate state of purity of a mikveh. The status of the world during the flood is likened by the midrash to the sublime and lofty state that the world was in immediately upon its creation, when everything was proclaiming in unison the praise of Hashem.
Which raises the question: Why, then, did Hashem swear never to bring another one? If the mabul was indeed so great, so holy, then why the seeming aversion to it?
Similarly, Chazal tell us that the situation within the teiva during the flood was one that is comparable to the state in which the world will be in when Moshiach comes, when all creatures will coexist peacefully. This is the reason why Noach would have been reluctant to leave the teiva without an explicit directive from Hashem to do so. Why then, in fact, did he receive such emphatic orders to “Leave the teiva”?
The answer to both questions is that we’re not looking for loftiness or even G-dliness, not even at the highest level. We’re here only to carry out the mission with which the Eibishter entrusted us. And that mission necessitates an existing world, it requires us to be in and within that world, and thus to bring about a dira betachtonim.
To be sure, during the Yomim Tovim of Tishrei, during those wonderful days of awe and days of joy, we were able to experience much more spirituality than in the drab month of marcheshvon.
But the ultimate goal – the ultimate purpose of those Yomim Tovim themselves – is to bring our commitment and devotion to serving Hashem, and imbue it into the plain and dreary days of the rest of the year. And while it undoubtedly won’t be as “reich” and as profitable, it is the only thing that is – and should be – important to us, the way for us to keep on track. It is how we fulfill the kavono of the Eibishter to make a dira loyisborach batachtonim!
L’chaim! May we all ensure that we stay on track with our mission, to elevate the physical world in which we reside, and may Hashem in turn (with all due respect) get back on track to His mission, which is His ultimate goal, His desire and His taavoh, to complete this project and bring the immediate grand finale through the hisgalus of Melech haMoshiach TUMYM!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
