Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
Sholom U’Brocho!
Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Yaakov Shlomo Goldtein on the birth of their great granddaughter, born to Rabbi and Mrs. Yossi Blau. May they enjoy much Yiddishe Chassishe nachas mitoch harchovo from all of their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren in good health bGUR! Mazel Tov to Peretz Mockin on the occasion of his engagement. Mazel Tov to Levi Langsam on the occasion of his engagement. May they use out the special period of Yokor Mikol yokor to its’ utmost! Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Yochanan Gordon on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Yale Spalter on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Hershy Korik on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Avrumie Creimer on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Shaya Larkin on the birth of their daughter. Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Berel Grunblatt on the birth of their daughter. May they bring him up lTO veCHuMAA”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.
R’ Getzel Rubashkin was a chassidishe Yid, who displayed mesirus nefesh in Russia to uphold the torch of Yiddishkeit. When he came to America he continued to be a symbol of amazing bitul and hiskashrus. Over the years, the Rebbe expressed great kiruv towards him, and he also experienced a number of miraculous brochos from the Rebbe. Following are two of them:
When R’ Getzel came to America with his family, he was a very thin man. During a checkup, the doctor discovered a problem in his stomach, on which he wanted to operate. Before operating they wanted to ask the Rebbe for a Brocha. So Getzel went to Yechidus, along with his son R’ Avrohom Aharon (tzulange yohren). Getzel told the Rebbe the whole story and said that they “found” a problem in his stomach which they want to operate on.
The Rebbe had a big smile on his face and replied: "Azoi Vi Zei Hoben Dos Gefunen, Velen Zei Dos Farliren! - Just like they found it they will lose it!"
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On another occasion, before R’ Getzel was scheduled to have an operation, he went to ask for the Rebbe’s permission. The Rebbe, responded "Daloy doctors" (enough (of) doctors). For years afterwards R’ Getzel never went to a doctor! Once his wife Bubbe Roza nudged him to go see a doctor because he was ill. Getzel was at a loss, he didn't know what to do. The Rebbe had told him "enough doctors", but he was having a difficult time refusing his wife. Finally he decided to go to the Rebbe, and seek his advice. Getzel told the Rebbe his situation. The Rebbe told him to go to Doctor Zeligson, but that he should not talk with him about his health issues. Doctor Zeligson would give him vitamins that he can take, but he should only speak with him about Torah.
Being in need of an occasional check-up by a doctor is a basic requirement of human nature; moreover, - it is sanctioned by the Torah, as we learned in last week’s Parsha: "ורפא, ירפא-מכאן שניתנה רשות לרופא לרפאות". To be able to survive without ever needing these services is above the laws of nature:
The gemoro relates (at the siyum of Horiyus) that there was once a need to appoint a new Rosh Yeshiva, and there were two candidates, - Rabo and Rav Yosef. Each had his own unique quality; - Rav Yosef was a “Sinai”, he possessed encyclopedic knowledge of every area of Torah, while Rabo was “Oker Horim”, he possessed deeper analytical abilities. The community was unsure which quality took precedence in this case, so they sent off the question to Eretz Yisroel.
[Now, some of you may not be following the latest news from Ponevezh, so you may not be aware that these days there are much more effective means of choosing such a position. Basically, they hold a shtender-a-thon, in which everyone throws a shtender at everyone else, and the one who lands the most of his opponents in hospital, gets entered into the next round etc. However, in those days they were, apparently, not so advanced, and they had no choice but to send their query to Eretz Yisroel for guidance].
The response received was that “Sinai” is more important, and that Rav Yosef, therefore, should be appointed Rosh Yeshiva. Rav Yosef, however, on account of his extreme humility, deferred to Rabo, and for 22 years, until the demise of Rabo, he allowed Rabo to serve as Rosh Yeshiva in his stead.
The gemoro relates further that for the duration of those 22 years, as a result of Rav Yosef’s extraordinary humility, there was never a need to call a medical professional to his household!
Now, we know that the Amora’im were all capable of performing the greatest miracles (in the words of the gemoro (Avoda Zara 10B regarding Tano’im) "זוטר שבהו' מחימתים"), and yet when Rav Yosef was able to manage for years without any need of medical treatment, this is recorded in gemoro as something wondrous and miraculous (c.f. Likutei Sichos chelek 5 pg. 137).
And – in the above story - the Rebbe elevated this chassidishe Yid, R’ Getzel Rubashkin, to this same supernatural state. With a simple statement of “Daloy doctors” – with the combination, of course, of R’ Getzel’s pure faith and Emunas Tzaddikim – the Rebbe removed his dependency on medical treatment!
But it doesn’t end there. The Rebbe subsequently sent him back to the doctors. Obviously this individual, who has already been freed from this aspect of natural limitation, is not being told to regress ch”v. Rather, as the Rebbe told him clearly, his returning to a doctor was not out of a renewed dependency on this important profession, but – apparently – in order to share words of Torah with the doctor, or in order to elevate the doctor as well.
His resumed association with natural laws was not a return to their limitations, but, instead, reflected an even greater development of his own level, through which he could impact “nature” as well.
This story seems to be the story of the Parshyost that we’re learning these weeks as well.
In Parshas Yisro we received the Torah. About that experience the Torah later describes "אתה הראת לדעת כי 'ה הוא האלקים אין עוד מלבדו"! We were elevated to a state that transcended the limitations of nature, to the point that "על כל דבור פרחה נשמתן", - we reached a state in which our souls were literally above being contained by a physical body. We experienced the extraordinary miracle of רואים את הנשמע, which means that our reality and mindset became one in which "אלקות בפשיטות"! Of course, in such a state we could not be distracted or confused by human intellect or reasoning, because what made real “sense” to us at that state was exclusively G-dliness.
But then comes Parshas Mishpotim. It seems to be anti-climactic. Suddenly we seem to be regressing back to the reality of worldliness, we seem to have slipped back to a state in which we are governed by human intellect, where our own reason seems to reign supreme. We are back in the world where the Torah says ורפא ירפא and endorses – and sends us – to doctors for healing. We are back in a world that appears far removed from G-dliness, a world in which people steal from one another, they deny their debts, they lie and they damage each other. It is a world in which humans seem capable of the lowest sins, and even the oxen throw shtenders at each other, oops, I mean gore each other and their human counterparts.
What happened to the sublime and heavenly state we were in just one week earlier? What brought about this – seeming – crash-landing?!
