Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
Sholom U’Brocho!
Mazel tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Yossi Nigri on the birth of their son. Mazel tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Avi Ifergan on the birth of their daughter. May they bring him up lTOveCHuMAA”T mitoch harchovo, and to be true chayolim/os! (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.
The Mitteler Rebbe was once travelling, and stayed in an inn, not far from the village Smargon. It was during the summer months, the weather was very pleasant, and the Mitteler Rebbe decided to remain there for a week.
The news quickly spread, and many Jews from the region gathered there, to have the zechus to greet the Mitteler Rebbe and to be received by him for yechidus. As was customary, the Mitteler Rebbe was being accompanied in his travels by a number of the respected chassidim of the time.
One of the days that they were there, in the middle of the day and in the midst of yechidus, the Rebbe suddenly closed the door and discontinued the yechidus!
In the courtyard of the house, there were hundreds of people squeezed in. In addition to the chassidim awaiting their turn for yechidus, there were the appointed chozrim, in charge of repeating the maamorim (because the rule was that every chosid, without exception, before entering for yechidus, must first listen to a maamar of the Rebbe at least two or three times). They all assumed that the Mitteler Rebbe was exhausted from his travelling and from the many people he had already received, and needed to rest a bit. They all waited eagerly for the yechidus to resume – as they were sure would happen shortly.
After a half hour, the gabay R’ Zalman came out. Everyone could see that he was very distressed, and his eyes were reddened. He said something quietly to the important chassidim who were present, and they reacted with great emotion. Their faces colored and they were visibly shaken. The room was filled with great tension, without anyone knowing exactly what was taking place.
After some hours passed, some chassidim entered the house, and they heard, from behind the door of the room of the Rebbe, the way the Rebbe was reciting Tehillim with great intensity, with outpouring of his heart and much sobbing. The chassidim were overwhelmed by what they heard, and some fainted. All were in shock, and couldn’t understand what brought about this very serious and somber avoda of the Mitteler Rebbe in the midst of yechidus.
The crowd outside, upon learning of what was happening, broke into groups, and began, themselves, saying Tehillim with great hisorerus. In the meantime, the Rebbe completed his recital of Tehillim, and began to prepare for mincha. Being exhausted, he had to rest first, and then he began davening mincha in the manner of aseres yemei teshuva! When the chassidim learned of this, they immediately organized themselves to daven the micha of a fast day (because both those chassidim who had already had yechidus, as well as those still waiting for their yechidus, were fasting).
After mincha, the Rebbe went out to the courtyard, went up to the platform that was there, and began saying a maamar on the Possuk תמוח תב ןויצ ידיורה לחנכ העמד , and spoke about how tears have the power to wash the letters of negative speech and negative thoughts. The maamar had a great effect on the chassidim who were present, and was remembered for many years thereafter.
The following day, the Mitteler Rebbe was greatly weakened, and needed to rest, and the chassidim felt great concern. However, the day after that, the regular yechidus resumed.
R’ Pinchas Reices, of Shklov, was one of the respected chassidim who was accompanying the Mitteler Rebbe on that journey. At the first opportunity, he asked the Mitteler Rebbe for an explanation of the unusual events. Upon hearing his question, the Rebbe, at first, became very solemn. Then, he explained the following:
“When a chosid comes in to a Rebbe for yechidus, and asks for a tikkun for whatever blemishes he revealed in his own soul, it is necessary for the Rebbe to – first - find that same blemish, in a much more subtle form, in himself, and only then can it be possible for him to advise the chosid.
“On that day, a Jew came to me and confessed to committing a most terrible and lowly act. I was shaken to my core, and could not find anything even remotely similar in myself, be it as subtle as can be (bedakus dedakus). It occurred to me that it must be that this blemish is present within me with such depth that it is not visible to me. This realization shook me up completely, and led me to such intense teshuva.
[In other versions of the story, it is specified that the Jew confessed to committing a sin with a dead body. The Mitteler Rebbe (according to that version) ultimately found a subtle form of this blemish within himself, in the fact that he occasionally would say maamorei chassidus while the recipients would not properly react].
This story was once used by the Rebbe (during the farbrengen of Parshas poroh 5746) to clarify a very puzzling midrash connected with Parshas Poroh: The midrash relates that Hashem was teaching Moshe Rabenu the halochos of tumah and taharoh (which we are also studying in Rambam these days). With each type of tumah that the Eibishter taught him, he taught him the means of becoming purified from it.
When Hashem taught Moshe the laws of tumas mes, of tumah that comes from a dead body, Moshe asked ‘How can one become cleansed from this tumah?’ When he didn’t receive a response, he was shaken.
As the midrash relates – נתכרכמו פניו של משה , Moshe Rabenu’s face turned colors, it was reddened from shame and emotion. “How will such a person, a tomei meis, become purified?!” he cried out.
Eventually Hashem taught him (what we will read in the Torah this Shabbos) the Parsha of Zos chukas haTorah, and clarified ‘this is the answer to the question that you asked me, then’.
The midrash seems very puzzling: 1) There are many types of tumah that are much more severe than tumas meis, both in the restrictions which they put on the person afflicted with them, and with regards to the conditions need to become purified. Why, then, was it specifically tumas meis that brought about the reaction of נתכרכמו פניו של ?משה 2) For that matter, why, in fact, did Hashem not immediately teach Moshe about the means of becoming cleansed from tumas meis, as seemingly, he did with the halochos of other tumos? And numerous other difficulties.
The explanation can be understood in light of the above story: Torah is מלשון הוראה , - it is our guide and the cure to all of our ills. Moshe Rabenu, in teaching the Torah to the Yidden, was also providing them with the ultimate guide, the solution to all of their problems, and the cure for all of their ills (as Chazal say בראתי יצר הרע בראתי לו תורה תבלין ).
But, as we see in the story, there is an important prerequisite: In order for Moshe to teach us the Torah, and teach us how to use it to solve our problems, to get rid of our issues, he has to be able, at least in a subtle way, to relate with us and our issues. Only when
