The solution, it seems, is in the third Parsha, the Parsha of this week, Parsha Terumah. Here the Torah gives us perspective, defining the objective of our (renewed) association with the physical and material world. Our need for gold, silver and all of the (13) 15 materials listed is not a reflection of our renewed dependency in them, but it is for the sole purpose of "ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם". It is not a regression ch”v. On the contrary, we ascended even higher, acquiring the ability to impact and elevate the world around us along with us.
“My grandfather (the Rebbe related on more than one occasion) was a “zitzer” – a “sitter” – by the Rebbe Maharash”
[The Rebbe, parenthetically, explained the term “zitzer”: a yungerman, immediately following his chasunah, would bade his family farewell, and travel to the Rebbe, where he would proceed to spend an extended period of time devoted exclusively to sitting and learning].
When the time came for him to return home, the local people gathered around him to welcome him, and to take advantage of the opportunity to hear first-hand about the practices he witnessed by the Rebbe. He described in length the conduct of the Rebbe Maharash, including his displays of wealth. The Rebbe Maharash displayed great wealth, travelling in a carriage drawn by four white horses (the equivalent of a Bentley!), and wearing two gold watches on golden chains, hanging on his waist etc.
One of the listener (apparently not blessed with excessive wisdom) questioned these displays, saying ‘Why does he have to spend money on such things, wouldn’t it be better off to give the money to tzedaka?’ My grandfather answered him sharply (the Rebbe related): ‘Petach petach [fool fool], for whom do you think that the money was created, for me, or perhaps for you, it was for tzaddikim like the Rebbe that the money was created!”
The Rebbe concluded that, in fact, this concept is the content of a maamar Chazal, that states that gold was only created for the sake of building the bais hamikdash!
Just as it was clear that R’ Geffel didn’t visit Dr. Zelikson out of a renewed dependency on doctors (since there were no discussions of health issues, although he was permitted to take vitamins from him), but to share Torah words with him, so too, our return to this world after maatan Torah is with the sole purpose of permeating the world with the ideas of Torah, and with the realization that the physical contents of the world exist merely in order to be made into a mishkan and dira to the Eibishter.
This is not merely theoretical. When we recognize and acknowledge that our association with the world is not a dependency on it but in order to elevate it, then that association will never be allowed to distract us or confuse us from our path. We are in business in order that nature (our doctor or our business partner or our secretary etc.) should hear our divrei Torah, should share our mindset that “ein od milvado”. It is therefore obvious that this involvement in business can never stand in the way of our experiencing maatan Torah; - it can never be the cause of skipping a minyan, missing a shiur in learning or being less focused on our studying.
When we understand that our cellphones (be they smart or dumb) are merely in our possession (not because we have any type of dependency on them, perish the thought, but) because they were created in order that they should also play some part in the construction of the mishkan, then we will only “talk words of Torah with them” (as Geffel did with his doctor), i.e., we will only use them in such a manner that clearly leads towards that goal. And of course, needless to say, once we are already davening or learning, there is no chance in the world at that point for our phones or any other gadgets to take us away from that mindset for even a moment.
We need to recognize that the Torah lifted us way above the limitations of nature. We are at the state when we can declare “Daloy Teva”! Any association with nature (each of us in the way we deal with it, including our involvement with our own “nature”) is merely to impact it, elevate it and utilize it to construct a mishkan and a dira lo yisborach batachtonim!
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In the meantime, the grandson of R’ Geffel, R’ Sholom Mordechai Halevi ben Rivka, is physically constrained by the barriers of “a place called prison”. However, we know that a child – and especially a son – inherits the possessions of his father. Therefore it is without a doubt that the tremendous power that the Rebbe gave to Geffel Rubashkin, with which he elevated him above the limitations of nature, has passed over to his son and grandson.
Let us, therefore, beg and implore the Eibishter that this should immediately be in an open and revealed way, that “DALOY PRISONS” and “DALOY NATURE” and “DALOY TZAROS” and most importantly “DALOY GALUS”!
L’chaim! May we all do our part to use all of the materials that we deal with as tools to complete the construction of the mishkan, and may the Eibishter do His part to reveal in the entire world that “ein od milvado” with the immediate revelation of Moshiach Tzidkeinu TUMYM!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
לזכות 'ר שלום מרדכי הלוי בן, רבקה לגאולה וישועה קרובה ושלימה' ויהי חודש "אשר נהפך וחודש הגאולה, בפשטות י"תומממש ג"בטו הנוהנ לילק" ועש' פרויקחו" לי," תרומה' גאדרה חודש "אשר," נהפך שנת בטחו"' בה דיעד כיה-בי'ה צור" עולמים, ק"לפשנת הקהל
