Of the pilpul for many bar mitzva bochurim. There, he addresses the question of whether the tefillin shel yad and shel rosh are two mitzvos or one mitzva, with the difference being whether someone who (ch”v) is lacking an arm must still don tefillin on his head or not.
A number of bar mitzva bochurim when repeating their pilpul to the Rebbe, were asked: “And what happens if someone doesn’t have a head?” Many of them became flustered or confused, and didn’t know what to answer. However, I was told (years ago, during a farbrengen) by Rabbi Gershon Shusterman that on the occasion of his bar mitzva he was asked this question by the Rebbe, and – confidently and assertively – he clarified: “Why, a person can’t live without a head!”
But, rather than accept his response, the Rebbe seemed to still be unsatisfied, asking: “Ober vos tut er fort oib er hot nit kein kop?!”. When the young bochur repeated his answer, the Rebbe repeated the question a third time (!). With less confidence, the bochur again repeated his reply, not sure what answer the Rebbe was actually seeking.
I don’t either know what answer the Rebbe was actually seeking then. However, perhaps we can understand the question in a way that is actually very timely and relevant. In fact, I think that, perhaps, this is a question that the Rebbe is asking all of us now:
At this time, chassidim are passionately and enthusiastically engaged in preparing for the auspicious and special day of yud aleph Nissan, when we will commemorate the Rebbe’s 120th birthday, and the 120th anniversary of the day the special neshomo of the Rebbe descended into this physical realm, to guide and inspire us and all of klal Yisroel and to illuminate the world.
The hachonos we hear about are many and diverse, and the closer we get to yud aleph Nissan, the greater the sense of urgency. There were divisions of the Rebbe’s Torah. Mitzva tank parades have taken place and more are planned. Many new institutions have been announced and are still being announced. And, of course, there is no self-respecting yeshiva that didn’t boast its own “count down clock” displayed prominently and counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the highly anticipated day.
But, it is here, perhaps that the Rebbe asks us, and wants us to consider – “Ober vos tut er fort oib er hot nisht kein kop?!” Perhaps we should consider that, in some instances, our hachonos reflect a person with a healthy hand and arm, but lacking a head! All of the above preparations are in the realm of the “hand”; of our preparations for yud aleph in a practical, down-to-earth way. The impressive clocks, the parades and mosdos that bring mitzvos and Yiddishkeit to tens of thousands of Yidden (ken yirbu), and even the projects to implement the division of one sefer, or set of seforim or another.
And, it is all extremely important and vital, because, after all, המעשה הוא העיקר, and the goal of the Eibishter in creating the world was His desire for a dira batachtonim, in tachton she’ein tachton lematoh heimenu.
Still, a healthy person needs to have both a hand and a head, and they complement each other. Just as the person with a functional head, who is lacking his arm, creates halachik dilemas that need resolving, so, too, if one is lacking his head his mitzvos are not complete (and they may be an even bigger problem, since that jeopardizes his entire existence).
What, then, is the head, when it comes to getting ready for yud aleph Nissan?
I think it would mean – in addition to all of the good and beautiful things that we do (whether in the realm of maaseh, dibur or machshovo), we need to acquire a head, - to change our mindset and our way of thinking, to one that is in sync with and reflects yud aleph Nissan.
What is the mindset of yud aleph Nissan?
This is something that the Rebbe makes very clear to us in the maamar ביום עשתי עשר יום, - the maamar on yud aleph Nissan. In the maamar the Rebbe brings that yud aleph Nissan was the day the nosi of Asher brought his korbon. The Rebbe quotes the midrash, that teaches that Asher is connected with the possuk אשרי העם שככה לו אשרי העם 'שה אלקיו. What is praiseworthy about Yidden, what do Yidden deserve credit for? אשרי העם 'שה אלקיו, the fact that they choose the Eibishter, that they choose Elokus over all else.
There are choices in the world. There are (as the midrash says) duchsin, ifrichin and istartilutin. There are choices that are against Torah, ch”v. And there are choices that seem defensible by Torah, that seem justifiable. You can choose to be a chassidishe bochur or yungerman, with all of the stars and stripes, but you are looking for how to enjoy life, to enjoy olam hazeh, as a chassidishe bochur. You want to enjoy the fanciest restaurants (as the gemoro says about R’ Elozor ben durdaya...), to vacation in all the exotic spots in the world, to be up to date with the latest gadgets (and, of course, the latest news). But still maintain your identity as a good Jew, a good chosid and a proper Tomim.
But, the maamar says (based on the midrash) that being a proper Yid means saying (and feeling) that אנא נסיב מלכא, - that all that you truly care about, that truly matters to you is Elokus, is being connected and feeling a connection with Elokus, and with the highest level of Elokus, with Atzmus! It means that as long as you don’t reach that, nothing else is important and nothing else matters.
It may seem like a lofty level to reach, but (as the maamar teaches us) it comes naturally to our neshomo. It is merely a matter of us revealing it, cultivating it developing it, and bringing it more into our consciousness.
And, until we do that, we can be doing the most beautiful and important projects, and the Rebbe may be asking us, pointedly, “Ober vos tut men fort az men hot nisht kein kop??!!”
How do we cultivate this mindset, how do we develop a healthy “head”?
[In Likutei Torah (Parshas bamidbar) the Alter Rebbe explains the idea of שאו את ראש בני ישראל, and he explains that it is like if someone’s head was severed from his body ch”v (he was decapitated), if there was a medical way with which to re-attach his head to his body – that is what the avoda ruchnis of שאו את ראש בני ישראל entails].
Simply, it is through developing and cultivating our neshomo and its experience. Through internalizing what we learn in chassidus, by contemplating it, thinking deeply about it and applying it to our lives. And by davening with a vort of chassidus, by ensuring that what we learn and understand in chassidus affects and enhances our davening.
Think about it: In the maamar veatoh tetzaveh, the Rebbe explains that a Yid is so preoccupied and obsessed with giluy Elokus, that when that is lacking, even when he experiences the greatest harchovo in gashmiyus (he owns a car that lets him fall asleep at the wheel, and it drives completely on its own!) and the greatest harchovo in ruchnyus (he owns a phone that lets him fall asleep at the screen and learns chitas and rambam completely on its own), still he is dissatisfied and כתית, completely broken and tzutreiselt as long as he doesn’t reach the ultimate giluy Elokus and giluy of Atzmus.
Where does a Yid express this overwhelming longing? The Rebbe tells us that in the maamar as well, - in saying 3 times a day (or more) ותחזינה עינינו בשובך לציון ברחמים! How many times, then, did you actually focus on the meaning of what you were saying when you said this brocho? How often did any of us feel this extraordinary longing while reciting the brocho ותחזינה עינינו בשובך לציון ברחמים?
This is not something that the Rebbe is suggesting to us that we should be doing. Rather, this is something that the Rebbe informs us is already taking place, while davening shmoneh esreh, three times every day (or more). Our neshomos are already experiencing this longing and this yearning, and expressing it verbally during davening, so it’s just a matter of us taking an extra few moments to work on being in tune with our neshomos. And that, after all, is the “head” of yud aleph Nissan, - being aware of the calling of חלקי 'ה אמרה נפשי!
In fact, the Alter Rebbe teaches us (in Tanya) that the entire davening – and especially every time we say Boruch atoh Hashem in second person and imagine ourselves standing directly in front of, and conversing directly with, the Melech malchei hamelochim HKBH – is an experience of mesirus nefesh, because we disregard all of our physical needs and desires and focus exclusively on the Eibishter. Once again, the Alter Rebbe is not telling what we should be doing and what would be nice to do, but what our davening already does entail. It is up to us to spend a bit more time and effort to ensure that that is what it actually is.
For that matter, how many times do we say the possuk אשרי העם שככה לו אשרי העם 'שה אלקיו? At least 4 times every day. And, that is the possuk that, according to the maamar, encapsulates yud aleph Nissan, the אנא נסיב מלכא, the realization that since Elokus is the only true existence that is חי וקיים בקיום נצחי, we choose to disregard all else and choose Elokus! So, we need to spend a bit more time, at least by these pesukim, to make sure that we know what we’re saying!
Once, when the Rebbe Rashab was travelling together with the Frierdige Rebbe, they spent time every day in a local shtibel (I think of Premishlane chassidim). The Rebbe Rashab would always travel incognito (and in general appeared even younger than he was), and he enjoyed listening in to the farbrengens and discussions of the local chassidim, often praising them. After davening every day (at that time), he had a kevius to learn with the Frierdige Rebbe tur choshen mishpat with the nosei keilim.
There was one local chosid, unaware of the identity of the Rebbe Rashab, who would approach them every morning, to mooch some tobacco for a cigarette, saying “Yungerman, gib tabac”. While he was rolling his cigarette, he would share chassidishe stories (which the Rebbe Rashab appreciated).
One day, the Rebbe Rashab informed him that their time there had come to an end, and they would be leaving. The chosid had some parting wisdom for the Rebbe Rashab, saying: “Yungerman, yungerman, vifil a shiur altz kop, kop, kop (because choshen mishpat caters very much to the intellect), men darf zich farnemen a bissel mit di hartz oich”. So, the Rebbe Rashab asked him what he could recommend, to cater to the heart. The chosid told him that they had a sefer that was very good for matters of the heart, and the Rebbe Rashab expressed interest in it.
The chosid brought the Rebbe Rashab a sefer, and it was a Likutei Torah! The Rebbe Rashab looked through for a few moments, and acknowledged: “yeh, ess iz takeh zeier a gutteh sefer!”
To us, I think the question would be “Vifil a shiur altz hartz un hent un fiss, men darf hoben a bissel kop oich!”
Or, in the words of the Rebbe - “Ober vos tut men fort az men hot nisht kein kop??!!”
Let us get ready for yud aleph Nissan with healthy hands and a healthy head, and, as healthy chassidim נשמות בריאות בגופות בריאות, may we speedily dance into the geulah ho’amitis vehashleima immediately now!
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