Once upon a time, when I was still a bochur in Yeshiva, I had a very close friend who went through an identity crisis. Now, you may say that everyone may go through some kind of identity crisis at some point in their life, whether a bochur or a yungerman or a balebus. But this situation was unique; - this bochur questioned his identity, - he couldn’t decide whether or not he was kohein.
How can that be, you wonder, isn’t that a אתלימא דיבעד ייולגיאל, isn’t it easily verifiable whether or not one is a Kohen? But, in fact in this case, there were two incidents that made it unique, and created the grounds for his doubt.
The first incident was, that the father of this bochur once received a letter from the Rebbe, in which the Rebbe addressed him as "ןהכה". As far as he had ever known, he had no priestly status, and yet the Rebbe had clearly bestowed that title upon him.
If that weren’t enough, it was followed by a second incident: We know that every chosson had the great zechus to go into gan eden hatachton – outside of the Rebbe’s room – prior to his chasuna, and the Rebbe would give him his holy siddur, to use to daven from as a preparation for the special day.
What if there were more than one chosson who came at the same time? The Rebbe would then ask if any of them is a kohen, in which case the siddur would be given to him first, after which he would share with the others. If (they would respond that) none were a Kohen, the Rebbe would ask which chasuna would be taking place first, and that chosson would have priority with receiving the siddur.
Now, when the older brother of this bochur was a chosson, and went into the Rebbe with another (or other) chosson/chassanim, the same procedure took place. The Rebbe first asked if there was a Kohen, which there wasn’t. The Rebbe then asked if any chasuna would be earlier, but none were (they were taking place at the same time). Then – in a departure from what was the standard practice - the Rebbe went back and asked again, in a tone expressing surprise, “Ess iz nisht do kein Kohen?!” [Is there, indeed no Kohen amongst you]. לעיפם ינשם ידעם וקירבד. For my friend, the combination of both incidents served as incontrovertible proof that they are – although hitherto unbeknownst to them – actually kohanim and that he is in fact a Kohen!
From that point on, he wouldn’t take any Aliyah by the Torah other than Kohen. However, there were many who questioned his reasoning, and disputed his conclusions. His Rosh Yeshiva, for one, did not give much credibility to his assertion, and would refer to him as “di falshe Kohen” [the phony Kohen]. Thus, in Yeshiva he was also not given the Aliyah of Kohen, and he ended up a חרקןאכמןאכמו being unable to be called up to the Torah at all.
This stalemate continued for a while, begging for some resolution. Finally, he came up with a plan: On Yom Tov, the kohanim would get up onto the Rebbe’s platform for birkas kohanim. When they were done, as they passed by the Rebbe on their way down, the Rebbe would thank them all with the words “Shkoiach Kohen”.
The plan of this bochur, then, was simple: During the upcoming Yom Tov he would make sure to get a place on the bima of the Rebbe for duchaning. Then, when he left, would be the test. If the Rebbe would say to him “Shkoiach Kohen”, then that would establish him irrefutably as a Kohen. On the other hand, if the Rebbe wouldn’t say anything to him, then he would wholeheartedly accept this status as a Yisroel.
The end of the story, I’m afraid, is rather anti-climactic. In the end, he just lost his nerve, he didn’t have the guts to actually go through with his plan. Thus he went back to being a “plain” Yisroel, which he has considered himself thereafter, and which he has lived as (to the best of my knowledge), since then, happily ever after!
What Makes a Kohen?
Which leaves us with a question: If in fact he was a Yisroel, and he accepted that fact, then how do we explain the two incidents; - the title that the Rebbe gave his father, and the (extra) question to his brother?
Perhaps to understand this, we need to first better understand the definition of a Kohen: Regarding the tribe of Levi, the kohanim and the Leviim, the Rambam writes (in the end of hilchos shmita veyovel)
ולמה לא זכה לוי בנחלת ארץ ישראל ובביזתה עם אחיו מפני שהוא בדל לעבוד את י"י לשרתו ולהורות דרכיו הישרים ומשפטיו הצדיקים לרבים שנאמר יורו משפטיך ליעקב ותורתך. לישראל לפיכך הוא בדל ומדרכי העולם לא עורכין מלחמה כשאר ישראל ולא נוחלין ולא זוכין לעצמן בכח. גופן אלא הם חיל השם שנאמר ברך י"י. חילו והוא ברוך הוא זוכה להם שנאמר אני חלקך ונחלתך
Every person has a נחלה. He has his portion in the world, his possessions, his acquisitions, his achievements. There is something in the world, in his world, that is his, for him. There is an aspect of his work in the world that serves him and helps him. Even a great tzaddik, who toils tirelessly in the service of Hashem, also has his own personal possessions and gains, his personal wealth, his personal acquired spiritual levels (not to mention the earned vacation in Palm Springs or Miami Beach).
Not so the Kohen and the Levi. The don’t merely have different responsibilities. They are in an entirely different position. They must have the clear sense that they are not in it for themselves at all, not for spiritual benefits or for material ones. Of course, the Eibishter will fully take care of them, but, for their part, they are wholly and wholeheartedly dedicated only to carrying out Hashem’s mission. That’s it! There is no consideration at all of what they will benefit from it.
[A meshulach was just in my house this week (he presented himself as some “Rebbe” or other...). Before leaving, he told me that his stepfather (someone by the name of Rabbi Lissel?) was by the Rebbe, and he said to the Rebbe that he does for Yiddishkeit, and he would like to carry out shlichus for the Rebbe, but he is not a Lubavitcher chosid. The Rebbe said to him: “Ich meinnisht Lubavitch, ich meinoiftohn” [- My point is not the name Lubavitch, my point is to accomplish (for Yiddishkeit)]. The Rebbe was not seeking enhancing Lubavitch, as spiritual of a goal as that may be, he was seeking the Will of the Eibishter].
In fact, this was the ultimate goal of yetzias mitzrayim; - the first step towards kabolas haTorah, towards the time of תעבדון את האלקים על ההר הזה, when we all became a ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש. The true definition of geulah, the true meaning of yetzias mitzrayim, is going beyond any type of meitzarim, - of boundaries. Even being concerned with the loftiest spiritual levels, to attain them for ourselves, is a part of meitzarim of kedusha, of spiritual boundaries. Being truly liberated means to be freed from any sense of self, from any personal goals and aims, as lofty as they may be, and being concerned and conscious only of the Rotzon ho’Elyon.
This is what the Eibishter said to Moshe וארא אל אברהם אל יצחק ואל יעקב ושמי ה' לא נודעתי להם, - it is possible to be an Avrohom or a Yitzchok or a Yaakov, to be a Merkava to Elokus which implies the greatest level of bitul, and yet one is still imprisoned in the meitzarim of kedusha, because to be a Merkava is also a spiritual goal, albeit a lofty one. Yetzias Mitzrayim connected us with Shem Havaya, it enabled us to be liberated from any trace of self, and to care only about what Hashem wants from us.
Practically speaking, geula is the ability to adopt the lifestyle of a Kohen in our personal lives. It means to not care about material gains or spiritual progress, to be free from the agendas that people are constantly caught up with, so that we can be focused exclusively on G-dliness.
כלאיש ואיש מכל באי העולם אשר נדבה רוחו אותו והבינו מדעו להבדל לעמוד לפני י"י לשרתו ולעבדו ולדעה את י"י והלך ישר כמו שעשהו האלהים ופרק מעל צווארו עול החשבונות הרבים אשר בקשו בני האדם הר"י זה נתקדש קדש קדשים ויהיה י"י חלקו ונחלתו לעולם ולעולמי עולמים ויזכה לו בז"ה דבר המספיק לו כמו שזכה לכהנים. ללוים הרידו ד"ע אומר י"י מנת חלקי וכוסי אתה תומיך גורלי
More specifically, this is what defines our generation, the dor hashvi’i, beginning with Yud Shvat 5710. Ours is the generation of shlichus. Our distinction is not having additional chidushim in Torah to learn, whether in nigleh or in chassidus (although we have that as well), nor is it having additional good deeds to do, greater, more far reaching and more ambitious projects (although we are undoubtedly involved with those as well).
Most importantly and most significantly, our distinction is that we are expected – thus certainly empowered – to have no cares or wants, and to think only of what we can do to further Hashem’s plans. Like sefirah shamalchus, the 7th sefirah, which has no self (לית לה מגרמה כלום), and has only the preoccupation with being a vehicle to its purpose, so too our generation is the generation of shluchim, who can put everything aside and be concerned only with the shlichus. From the start, the Rebbe has been working to change our entire mindset, - training us to put aside our personal goals and plans and to care and think solely about how we can further the goal of the Eibishter of dirah batachtonim. The Rebbe guides us and leads us to our personal geulah, our personal yetzias mitzrayim, to realize our connection with shem Havaya.
The Rebbe says to us – to all of us collectively and to each of us individually – “Is there no Kohen amongst you?! Aren’t you a Kohein?!!” Don’t you realize that you’re not meant to be “just” a Yisroel, you’re meant to be a Kohein?!!
You were not intended to be a Yisroel, with your bank accounts and your stocks and bonds and your many virtues and spiritual achievements who also does many good things for Yiddishkeit and puts on tefillin and builds mosdos etc. etc. You were intended (and enabled and empowered) to be a kohein, who sees himself as being here merely for the Eibishter. Of course, you still have bank accounts and much wealth and עושר וכבוד. But that is because the Eibishter takes care of His Kohanim and Levi’im, because He is חלקם ונחלתם. Not because you have any personal interests.
This may sound like a very lofty ideal, and indeed it is. The mere fact that the holy Avos themselves, with all of their greatness, did not reach this level, is the biggest indication of how hard it is to reach. How, then, can we aspire to achieve this? Yet, with the geula of yetzias mitzrayim we were all and each given the ability to live this way.
And as chassidim, as we all prepare ourselves for the upcoming day of Yud Shvat, I think we have to consider that this is much of what Yud Shvat is all about. On Yud Shvat we were designated as the generation that lives with geulah and brings the geulah, that gets free of any and every aspect of meitzarim.
The Rebbe demands this from us and empowers us, and in readying ourselves for Yud Shvat we need to better demand this of ourselves. We have to consider that the Rebbe is challenging us: ‘Why are you satisfied as a Yisroel? Don’t you know that you’re a Kohein, that you were given the ability to rise above the trivialities of the world and worldliness at any level and know only Hashem Echod? Aren’t you a Kohein?!’
And indeed, come to think about, the bochur in the story in the beginning of this email is a Kohein after all. For he is a shliach of the Rebbe who dedicated his life to shlichus, to the ideal of פרק מעל צווארו עול החשבונות הרבים שבקשו בני אדם 'ויהי י"י חלקו ונחלתו'. So, we can say, perhaps, that the title bestowed by the Rebbe is, in fact, literal.
There is much to be said about all of this, but for now, I want to conclude by saying one thing: Yidden, gei tarois fun golus! We need to get out, once and for all, from this long and bitter golus, and we need to each get out, once and for all, from our personal golus. We need to stop being satisfied with the status of Yisroel, and recognize that we are Kohanim!
We were given the kochos, we were given the direction, we were given the guidance and we were given the motivation. All we need to do is to get off of our bechinas achorayim and get to work, to actually apply ourselves.
When each of us work on this we will all experience a personal geula, going out of our individual meitzarim, and we will together bring about the collective and ultimate geulah TUMYM NOW!
L’chaim! May we all use out this Shabbos, mevorchim chodesh Shvat, to increase our hachonos to the upcoming Yom hagodol vehakodosh of Yud Shvat by rededicating ourselves to shlichus and to the special shlichus of our generation of bringing about the geula, and may the Eibishter complete this shlichus and bring about the שלח נא ביד תשלח with the immediate revelation of Moshiach Tzidkeinu NOW!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
