Our best wishes to the new shluchim to Stoughton, MA, who have just experienced a devastating fire in their new home. May they speedily experience the fulfilment of the assurance that the Rebbe often quoted from “kdoshei elyon” that “no chasreifah vert men reich” with ashirus muflogoh b’gashmiyus uberuchniyus!
Mazel Tov to Ari Witkes on the occasion of his engagement. May he use out the special period of Yokor Mikol yokor to its’ utmost! (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.
One of the early activists on behalf of the Zionist movement was a Jew by the name of Yaakov Zerubavel (who was born Yaakov Vitkis in Poltava, Ukraine). He was very intelligent and educated, and a very charismatic speaker; - and fanatically anti-religious. He was extremely influential, and when he came to Eretz Yisroel he was very active in the political left, and caused much damage and sorrow to Yiddishkeit (amongst other things, he was involved in the devastating saga with the yaldei teiman). (See also the alumni email of Shabbos Parsha va’Eira last year for a story of his early recruitment efforts).
This Mr. Zerubavel had a relative in Kfar Chabad, a Lubavitcher chosid, by the name of R’ Dovid Avrohom Lisselbaum. Needless to say, these two relatives were as far from each other as can be ideologically, and there was no chance of them finding any common ground during any encounters. Although they would meet from time to time, on account of their family ties, the chosid would make every effort to stay in neutral territory, and steer the conversations far away from anything even remotely related to religion.
However, he (apparently) wrote to the Rebbe about their periodic meetings, and the Rebbe immediately called on him to... influence Zrubavel to start using his influence in a positive way! In a letter to this chosid, the Rebbe acknowledges the difficulties of trying to convince Zerubavel of such a move, and yet is very emphatic in his demand to R’ Dovid Lisselbaum to do so.
Following is a free translation of some of the main points of the letter (the letter, which is printed in Igros Kodesh chelek 16 page 130, is – interestingly – from 8 Kislev 5718 – the same date as this motzoei Shabbos):
“Since you write that you meet periodically with Mr. Zerubavel, - and you’re surely aware of the great measure of influence that he has amongst very broad circles, it would be fitting for you to utilize every meeting for words of his’orerus. And since his negative activities are just because they is what he has become accustomed to, and not a result of his having come just now to a conclusion that this is a correct position, therefore through constantly and persistently calling his attention to the great damage that he’s causing through his current practices, and how in place of that he could be using his abilities to increase goodness in the world in general and with Jews in particular, you are bound to ultimately have an effect on him, since the truth is bound to prevail (though it sometimes takes a long time).
“Understandably, his biggest challenge in taking such a step would be the reaction of his associates, because we can imagine what kind of an outcry would come out in his circles if he would change his views and publicize it. However, just as – reportedly – until now he did not allow himself to be swayed by public opinion, albeit for negative causes, surely he can now tap into the same courage for positivity, to be able to declare publicly “what I’ve been saying until now was erroneous”!
“I hope that you, too, will not allow yourself to be intimidated by the awkwardness that carrying out this mission will obviously entail. Through persistence and speaking from the heart you are assured success..
“You can add (in your conversation with him), if you feel that it will be beneficial, that you are speaking to him upon my suggestion. You can add, further, that surely Mr. Zerubavel himself entertained doubts, of late, regarding whether or not his path in life is correct, but he attempted to silence these doubts, because human nature is to fear reevaluating one’s path in life. But the fact that his conduct has impact on so many others, and he is currently causing them much damage, and his reevaluating his path would bring benefit to all of them, underscores the need for him to move forward with this reevaluation”.
The above is the gist of the Rebbe’s letter, which then goes on to discuss other matters. But what is most remarkable is the following line, with which the Rebbe concludes his discussion of this subject:
"ולאות ולמופת לקרובו הנ"ל אשר באה העת לבקורת עוד הפעם על שיטתו בעבר, יהי' לו החלום שבסמוך לדבורו עמו"; - “The sign and proof to your abovementioned relative (Mr. Zerubaavel) that the time has indeed come for him to reevaluate his past views is the dream that he had shortly before your conversation with him”!
Apparently the chosid who was the recipient of the above letter of the Rebbe did, in fact, have to struggle with himself to overcome the natural feeling of awkwardness that delivering such a message would entail. Because the next letter from the Rebbe to him on the subject (in the same volume of Igros page 317) is dated 4 Adar (i.e., practically 3 months later), and there the Rebbe begins by writing “I was very pleased to read that you finally managed to fulfill my request and convey my message to Mr. Zerubavel”.
While the above wondrous story is actually printed in Igros, as mentioned, the rest is a bit vague. But, apparently when Mr. Zerubavel received the message he became very pale and was visibly moved, clearly experiencing some inner turmoil. I don’t know what – if any – change in his lifestyle actually took place. If anything of that is known, you guys can fill me in, and that will be a story for itself. For tonight, let’s focus on the above.
Whenever any of us heard the above story, we were struck, perhaps, by the Rebbe’s open ruach hakodesh, and – more so – by the fact that the Rebbe (in this instance) so openly revealed it. What is, I think, especially incredible and unique about this story, is the fact that the Rebbe’s open display of his awareness of the content of another’s dreams was put in writing (a copy of the letter – reportedly – in fact ended up with Mr. Zerubavel at his request) to the point of being printed – in the Rebbe’s own words - in Igros.
But that is not, I think, the main idea of the story. The main idea of the story, rather, is the Rebbe’s exhortations to an individual to change his lifestyle; - to substitute his practices which were having a negative impact with practices which would have a positive impact. It is about the Rebbe’s call to this person to disregard the difficulty and discomfort that such a change would entail, and to move forward at bettering his ways regardless of the price that he would, admittedly, have to pay.
It is a story that illustrates how the Rebbe was so keen on this change taking place that he was prepared, in order to bring it about, to reveal his ruach hakodesh in such an open manner (something that – we all know – was the most foreign and distasteful to him than anything else).
And this aspect of the story, I would suggest, is what is the most relevant to each of us and all of us. Because this is not just a story about Zerubavel, but about each and every one of us.
The Rebbe is exhorting each of us to change. We may be chassidim, exemplary bochurim or yungerleit, but all the same there may be one or two areas in our life that are not being conducted the way they’re meant to be. And the Rebbe wants each of us to reevaluate our conduct, to confer with our Rav and mashpia, and to, perhaps, come to the realization that there is one or more area that call for a change. And if we perform an honest evaluation, we may conclude that what’s called for is a drastic change, one that involves difficulty and discomfort, one that may lead to our friends and acquaintances giving us strange looks and saying ‘Hey, what’s up with this guy?’
But we are expected to disregard the awkwardness and other challenges, and do what needs to be done (whether in the area of shiurim in Torah, in taking davening more seriously, in ahavas yisroel and interpersonal relationships or in being completely dedicated to doing more to bring Moshiach to the point of being “crazy about Moshiach”).
And this cause is so important to the Rebbe that he is prepared, for its sake, to reveal his ruach hakodesh. For, after all, ultimately the ruach hakodesh in the above story was revealed (not just to Mr. Zerubavel and his Lubavitcher relative, but) to each and every one of us (through the letter’s eventual publication in Igros). And there are countless other stories that we constantly hear, ruach hakodesh stories and miracle stories, whose purpose is also no more and no less than to encourage us to make any necessary changes.
One motzoei Shabbos, Rabbi Leibel Groner received a call from a Jew from overseas, saying the following (this story was shared by Rabbi Shmuel Butman, who heard it from Rabbi Groner): ‘On Friday, my wife suddenly fainted, and was taken to the hospital in very serious condition. I am requesting a brocho from the Rebbe’. Rabbi Groner went in to the Rebbe to convey the request, and the Rebbe replied the following: “Tell him that the crisis was early Shabbos morning, at 5:30. At that time it was touch and go for a while, and the doctors weren’t sure how things would end, but then she began to improve and the crisis ended. The doctors think that what brought about the improvement was a certain medication that they applied, but, in reality, what caused the change was the fact that at that time I was thinking about her.” “And why am I telling him this?” the Rebbe concluded, - “az er zol vissen az fun mir ken men nisht bahalten” (in order for him to realize that from me one can’t hide)!
It is now the joyous month of Kislev, the chodesh hageula, - the chassidisher month. Presumably – hopefully – we are all experiencing more chassidisher farbrengens during this month. Surely we are having more opportunities to hear stories about tsaddikim, about chassidim and about our Rebbeim.
We have to therefore remember that there is a general goal in all of these stories and in the fact that they were revealed, and that is for our benefit, - to make us realize that we can’t hide behind our mundanity (don’t look for that word with your spellcheck because I made it up) and our plainness, but we need, rather, to be prepared for change, and even drastic change, in whatever area or areas it is called for.
For that matter, we’re all experiencing a dream. Chassidus teaches that the reason that the golus is likened to a dream, היינו כחולמים, is on account of the bizarre occurrences that seem commonplace in it. Just as in a dream there is no rhyme or reason for what happens, the senseless becomes sane and the ridiculous becomes regular, so too in golus, the irrational becomes acceptable and the curious becomes commonplace.
For if we were not in the grip of this deep slumber, how would we be making sense of the fact that G-dliness, which is the true reality and the only true existence, is not a determining factor in what we do and how we live our lives. And, in contrast, worldliness, which is the ultimate falsehood and is nothing more that the concealment of the Truth (עולם מלשון העלם והסתר), is the focus and obsession in everything (okay okay, I speak only for myself, I don’t know about the rest of you).
But this situation is able to go on because of the fact that we’re asleep, our cognitive powers are not functioning properly, we’re in the midst of a dream (which is actually more like a nightmare).
And, thus, it can be said about all of us:
ולאות"ולמופת..אשר באה העת לבקורת עוד הפעם על שיטתו, בעבר יהי לו החלום שבסמוך לדבורו עמו."
If we take heed of the message of all of the stories and realize that we’re asleep, that the golus is no more than a dream which makes no sense and shouldn’t be happening, then we will be empowered to do what is necessary to wake up from our slumber, to arise from the dream, and to end the nightmare for the entire world, as we substitute it with the much anticipated change of the complete and ultimate geulah NOW!
L’chaim! May we all do the necessary steps to awaken from our dream of golus, and may the Eibishter, in turn, end this too-long nightmare once and forever, with the immediate revelation of Moshiach Tzidkeinu TUMYM!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
