Haven't Prepared the Leeches...

When the Mitteler Rebbe (the second Chabad Rebbe) was five years old, he studied under Reb Ber the melamed (teacher), in the home of Reb Avraham the doctor. Once he overheard Reb Avraham bemoaning, "We are already far into Elul, but I haven't yet prepared the leeches!" Leeches were used for healing and were only out in the warm summer months.

When the Mitteler Rebbe came home after school, he used to spend time in the company of the chassidim who were in the room next to the Alter Reb-be's room.

One day he saw them sitting around and talking, when they suddenly began to laugh. Hearing them, the young boy reprimanded them, "we are deep into Elul, you haven't yet prepared the leeches, yet you sit here laughing?!" And he left the room.

Crying and Dancing

They immediately assumed that this was a teaching he had heard from his father, the Alter Rebbe, and began to think deeply into its meaning.

They concluded that just as leeches are used to draw out a patient's diseased or overheated blood, during the month of Elul one should do away with one's negative desires in preparation for Rosh HaShana.

When word of their discussion reached the Alter Rebbe, he said, "such is the way of the Baal Shem Tov - to learn a lesson in G-dly service from every physical thing that one sees or hears. Whoever follows this path and uses all physical things for G-dly service, will instill in himself and in his descendants a spark of inspiration in their service of Hashem."

Chassidim recall: That Rosh HaShana, the floor was wet with tears from the impact of the Mitteler Rebbe's words, and on Simchat Torah, the shoes of the chassidim were worn out and torn by the exuberant dancing inspired by the Alter Rebbe's promise.

reprinted from The Weekly Farbrengen by Merkaz Anash, on-line at The Weekly Farbrengen.com