Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
Sholom U’Brocho!
Mazel tov to Mendy Chesney on the occasion of his engagement. Mazel tov to Aryeh Laufer on the occasion of his engagement. May they use out the period of yokor mikol yokor to its’ utmost! Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Eli Block on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Shmully Bendett on the birth of their daughter. 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 please let me know).
Thank you as always for the feedback, it is much appreciated.
The difference between a chidush Torah and a story is – I can’t get away with the same chidush Torah that I shared before (because it is no longer a chidush). However, stories don’t necessarily need to be new; - we can retell the same stories over and over, and continue to enjoy and analyze them and learn from them. So, despite the fact that I’m sure most or all of you already heard the following story, and probably more than once, I think it is timely to share it again:
Once upon a time, long ago and far away, there was a king. Once the king went on a journey. Now this king was a very great and powerful king, and therefore, naturally, he didn’t travel alone. Wherever he went, there was a very impressive entourage accompanying him.
On this journey, as well, the king was not alone, but was in very awesome company. On one side, was brand new shiny Bentley, with all the bells and whistles, complete with a chauffeur. Next to the Bentley was a beautiful vacation home in Aruba, right on the beach, with an in ground swimming pool, an outdoor deck and a bar. On the other side of the king was a two story penthouse condo in the Trump Towers in the heart of Manhattan with surround sound speakers and an unhindered view of the Twin Towers. And trailing at the back was a high-powered position as a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, with all the who’s who of the world at your beck and call (and, of course, HRC attending all your simchos with the entire mishpocho).
The king with his entire retinue entered the country of their destination, with trumpets blowing and much fanfare. All of the citizens of the country were there en masse to greet the honored guests. The excitement in the air was palpable.
As soon as the country folk caught sight of the exalted group, animated cries were heard from all sides: “I get the Bentley” came a lusty shout from one side. “I get first grabs on the vacation home” another called out eagerly. “We’re going for the Penthouse” a few voices declared. “What are you all thinking?” came a challenge from the back, “with the high power position we’ll have it all!!”
At the back was a young bochur, beginnings of a beard on his face, black hat lopsided on his head, his blazer buttoned wrong (with the right button folded back to the left buttonhole) so that the right side should be over the left. “I want the king” he declared.
“What?” “Did you say something?” “Did the little Rabbi in the back make a choice?” “What did he want?” were the incredulous exclamations from all sides.
“I want the king” the bochur repeated to the now attentive crowd. “What?!!!” came the shocked reaction. “Is he mad??!!” “What do you think you’re going to do with the king??!!” “A Bentley you can drive (and all your friends will look at you and say “WOW”), in Aruba you can tan, in Manhattan you can entertain and if you get that high power position you can get onto the front page of mishpacha magazine or onto collive. What on earth can you do with the king?!”
“I want the king” the bochur repeated his refrain, “they’re all temporary, only the king is forever”.
“He must have gone mad” everyone remarked, “all those hours of sitting hunched over a book must have pushed him over the edge. He turned into an irrational religious fanatic, an extremist. What is he saying? How can he give up on everything valuable and meaningful in the world for a whim and a fantasy?!”
And they all lived happily ever after. The car enthusiasts with their brand new Bentley, the vacationers on the beach in Aruba, the businessmen were in Manhattan and the CEO had his company. And the bochur had the king.
It would seem that the argument of the bochur is very convincing. What’s the point of cars and houses if they won’t last? It’s common sense to sacrifice short term desires for the sake of long term goals. Everyone does it. Many kids in college spend their time partying and with frivolous pursuits, but the wise students are prepared to forego the pleasures of the moment for the sake of their ultimate objectives (to be a lawyer, a doctor or the president of the US of A).
Does not common sense demand that we be prepared to experience want and deprivation temporarily if they will brings us plenty down the line? Are not, then, the rest of the country folk the foolish ones, for by choosing their cars and wealth they are losing out on the better, longer-lasting cars and much greater wealth? A wise man, as Chazal teach us, is one who can stay focused on the more distant future.
In that case, why does the maamar (Beyom Ashtei Osor, that all of us are delving into these days) make the case that choosing the King can only be the result of the neshomo which is one with Hashem? Why can’t the Jew’s choosing Hashem (and choosing full-fledged service of Hashem, without cutting any corners, and hard core Lubavitch, without any “lite”) be the outcome of a rational decision and evaluation? What, in fact, is wrong with the argument "דכלהו מתחלפין ומלכא לא מתחלף"?
[The maamar proves that the choice in the midrash is not based on this argument, by the fact that the midrash brings the Possuk "חלקי 'ה אמרה נפשי", but it does not seem to explain any actual fault in the argument].
I think we may be able to shed some light on this with the help of a story:
Chaim Gravitzer was . . well, he was Chaim Gravitzer (not the place to introduce him here in detail, but he was basically the fictitious hero of a Chassidic novel by Fischel Schneerson). Originally a great chosid of the Tzemach Tzedek, a personal tragedy that he experienced caused him to run away in search of himself.
In the course of his travels, he came to a community of maskilim, of freethinkers. During his conversation with them, they began deriding the Chassidic Rebbes, saying: “You think we don’t understand the Rebbes? We understand their scheme very well. They found a convenient way to earn a quick buck while getting endless public adoration.
Chaim Gravitzer replied: ‘Let me tell you a story. You know that every housewife owns an animal or two. During the week, the animal gets fed every day hay or oats. But on Friday, the baleboste is making Shabbos, and she amasses a big pile of potato peels, onion peels, carrot peels and other waste. Rather than dispose of it (and have to pay a fee for garbage collection), she gives it to the animal in the backyard. So the animal is accustomed to the fact that on Friday he receives a sumptuous meal that greatly surpasses the fare he receives every other day.
On one a Friday, a particular baleboste was especially frazzled (who isn’t?), and she forgot to bring the delicacies to the animal, throwing everything into the garbage instead. In the meantime, the poor animal is standing and waiting for his טועמיה (as we learn in bava kama – the animals are capable of keeping track of the days of the week), and it didn’t arrive. Hour after hour went by, and all he had were his regular oats.
Finally the animal cried out in resignation: ‘Woe is me, that I was cursed with a baleboste who is such a glutton (gluttoness?) Apparently today she could not contain herself, and she devoured my entire meal on her own instead of bringing it to me!’
“You”, Chaim Gravitzer concluded to the maskil, “are viewing the Rebbes no differently than the way this cow viewed his master, attributing to her the same desires as he has, when in fact they are worlds apart!”
This may help us understand the maamar: When the maamar tells us that when Moshiach comes then there will more abundance to kedusha than there is today to the forces of impurity, we have to understand the context. This does not mean to say that in the future (at the culmination of the birurim) we (those of us who are subscribing to kedusha, who are serving Hashem today and choosing the King) will have even bigger Bentleys than the biggest Bentleys today, and will enjoy even fancier vacation homes on even more pristine beaches etc.
No! We will be learning and davening (and farbrenging). But that will be – in a visible and revealed sense – the greatest enjoyment and pleasure in the world.
The Alter Rebbe once came out to the chassidim and remarked: “What will be, the Moshiach who you are waiting for will never come, and the Moshiach who is coming, is one for whom you aren’t waiting.
When Rabi Akiva said to his colleagues "אם לעוברי רצונו, כך לעושי רצונו על אחת כמה וכמה", this did not mean to say that the “oisei retzoinoi” - the faithful – will eventually have an even greater party, with even louder music and tastier food and flashier lights and more
