Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
Sholom U’Brocho!
Mazel Tov to Levi Abramson on the occasion of his engagement. Mazel Tov to Yitzchok Lew on the occasion of his engagement. May they use out the special period of Yokor Mikol yokor to its’ utmost! Mazeltov to Rabbi and Mrs. Zalman Ceitlin on the birth of their son. May they bring him up lTOveCHuMAA”T mitoch harchovo, and to be a true chayol! (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.
In keeping with the directive והחייתן אל לבו, I am using this opportunity to share the following recollection about the late chosid and mashpia Rabbi Zalman Baras a”h, that was shared with me on the day of his passing:
A group of bochurim were in the airport. They were waiting for the announcement to board their flight to Brazil, to where they were being sent as talmidim-shluchim of the Rebbe. Together with the usual nervousness that is associated with travelling – especially a (relatively) long trip by young bochurim, and to a new and unfamiliar country – they were filled with excitement and eagerness about the mission on which they were embarking.
The minutes ticked by, while each bochur tried to use the time in an appropriate manner. Finally, the awaited announcement was heard; - it was time for them to board the airplane. They hurriedly assembled their various carry-on items and joined the line. In short order, the waiting area emptied, as the plane filled up.
Suddenly, the bochurim realized that one of their group was missing. A quick check showed that Zalman Baras was not with them. He had realized that it was time for maariv, and was standing at a side davening, and nothing and no one could disturb or distract him.
The bochurim were nervous, the passengers were getting impatient, but for this bochur there was no plane and no world and no concern in the world, until he finished talking to the Eibishter. [My shvigger, Rebbetzin Sara Labkowski, who was there as a parent to see off her son, remembers being so impressed by the single-mindedness of this bochur’s davening, to the point of being completely detached from all the hustle and bustle taking place around him].
Korbonos and Hashem’s Pleasure
In this week’s Parsha we learn about korbonos. Regarding korbonos, the Torah repeatedly using the description ריח ניחוח לה', which means (as Rashi quotes from Chazal) נחת רוח לפני שאמרתי ונעשה רצוני, - the Eibishter derives pleasure from the fact that His Will is carried out.
Which seems puzzling. It would seem that that description would be fitting for any and every mitzvah. Yet, in the Torah we find this particular expression specifically regarding korbonos. What is unique about korbonos that causes them to be such a source of pleasure to Hashem, more than other mitzvos?
The answer, the Rebbe explains, can be found in the words themselves; - שאמרתי ונעשה רצוני. With other mitzvos, there some definable objective, something achieved through this particular mitzvah. There is more to the mitzvah than the mere fact of it being the carrying out of the Will of Hashem. With korbonos, however, there is no goal, no objective or achievement in sacrificing an animal on the mizbeach, other than the sole fact that this is carrying out the Will of Hashem. This is the special source of pleasure to Hashem, that a Jew has no other agenda except to carry out His command.
But the question still remains: Isn’t that true, as well, with all chukim, which we know are the mitzvos that have no rationale or reason, and are performed only with kabolas ol, as an expression of our subservience to Hashem. What, then, is the advantage of korbonos over chukim?
The answer is – chukim have an objective. Although chukim have no rhyme or reason, and are merely an expression of our kabolas ol, still, that, itself, is an objective. With the performance of chukim there is a goal and an achievement, - the Jew is striving to acquire the status of bittul and kabolas ol. Only with korbonos, there is not even that objective. With korbonos the sole focus is ונעשה רצונו, - that Hashem’s Will has been done. The person carrying out doesn’t see any personal accomplishment in it. This, then, is the ultimate dedication, and the source of the ultimate nachas ruach to the Eibishter.
Bittul in Action
In the context of the above story – the boarding of the plane was also an expression of bittul. The young bochurim who were boarding the plane were, after all, going on shlichus, going to dedicate two years of their life to the work of the Rebbe. They were ready to put their understanding and feelings aside, to achieve the status of שלוחו של אדם כמותו.
But it is similar, perhaps, to the avoda of chukim. The status of shlichus is a virtue, an achievement that the shliach reaches. This bittul, this wholehearted dedication, is a praiseworthy status that the shliach can take pride in. It does not bring to completely forgetting about his self.
Thus, even while departing to his shlichus, while acting as a shliach, he did not necessarily forget entirely about his own self. He may still be confined to the limitations of olam hazeh, of planes and schedules and timetables and takeoffs.
The maariv, on the other hand, is like the avoda of korbonos. It is not about becoming someone special, about some outstanding achievement. Rather, it is an expression of the conviction that nothing is important, nothing matters, except that the Eibishter’s will should be carried out. There are no planes or tickets or announcements, the sole preoccupation is what will make the Eibishter happy now, - נחת רוח לפני שאמרתי ונעשה רצוני!
The Essence of Purim
In fact, this is also what Purim is all about. Between the costumes and the parties and the revelry – and even the unadulterated simcha – we sometimes lose sight of what it’s really all about. What is the point of it all? What impact or influence is the Yomtov supposed to have on our avodas Hashem?
Presumably, we should be looking in Torah, specifically in the maamorei chassidus on Purim, to find the answer. In one of the extraordinary Purim maamorim, from 5720, the Rebbe speaks at length on the Possuk קול דודי דופק פתחי לי אחותי רעיתי יונתי תמתי. The Possuk is describing דודי דופק, - my Beloved, the Eibishter, is knocking at my door. The Eibishter is turning to us with intense and overpowering love.
But he wants a reaction, a response, from us. דופק he’s knocking. He’s waiting and begging and beseeching us, פתחי לי, - that we should turn to Him and open up our hearts to Him. The maamar explains at length each of the terms אחותי, רעיתי, יונתי, תמתי, and how each of them represents another level in our avodas Hashem.
But the first step, the first thing the Eibishter is demanding of us and begging of us is פתחי לי, to open up our hearts to Him. What is the idea of פתחי לי? This can be understood from another maamar Chazal, in which Hashem tells us פתחו לי פתח כחודו של מחט ואני אפתח לכם כפתחו של אולם. The opening that the Eibishter is asking of us, is begging us to open for Him, is an opening like “the point of a needle”.
In fact, there are two versions in this maamar Chazal. According to one, the Eibishter asks to open an opening that is כחררה של מחט, - like the hole of the needle, the eye of a needle. Which seems to make more sense, because that is an opening, albeit a tiny one. But Chassidus chooses the girsa כחודו של מחט, - like the point of a needle, the tip of the point, which doesn’t take up any space at all.
The Rebbe explains the difference between the two, in the above-mentioned beautiful maamar, with a similar idea to what was discussed earlier: A person can open an opening, can dedicate himself to Hashem, and can even reach mesirus nefesh, but it can be like the eye of a needle. The eye of a needle has some space, some area (to the point that, under certain circumstances, it can be possible to dream about squeezing an elephant through it). This reflects the fact that the mesirus nefesh, in this case, leaves room for the person, it doesn’t entirely negate his metzius.
As mentioned above, he may be having mesirus nefesh, but the mesirus nefesh is part of his achievements, it is something about him, a level that he attained. There is still room for the person’s sense of accomplishment.
But the Eibishter – according to the girsa chosen by the maamorei Chassidus – is asking for much more. He is asking for חודו של מחט, He is asking for a level of ibergegebenkeit, of dedication that is not about us at all, in which our sole concern and consideration is that the Eibishter’s Will be carried out, - שאמרתי ונעשה רצוני.
This, then, is the essence of what Purim is about. Beyond the celebrating and the merry-making, we need to hear the Eibishter’s knock and cry of פתחי לי. We need to take advantage of the special aura of the day to respond to this request, by reaching עד דלא ידע, forgetting about our agendas and our plans, our reason and our rationale, our plane tickets and our schedules, and focusing instead on how to open the חודו של מחט, on how to be solely concerned with what the Eibishter wants in the world, and how to bring about the nachas ruach that the Eibishter derives from our being preoccupied, exclusively, with bringing about אמרתי ונעשה רצוני.
We all have our flights to make and our planes to catch. We have our detailed agendas and plans – in kedusha – of how we will be the ones to save the world and bring about the final dira batachtonim.
But sometimes we need to forget for the moment about ourselves, even our holy agendas, even our shlichus, and take a step back and see if maybe the Eibishter is waiting for our maariv, waiting for us to stop thinking about what great things we can do, and focus, instead, on how He can get what He wants.
And the nachas ruach that the Eibishter derives will surely increase in His brochos to all of us and to each of us for אורה ושמחה וששון ויקר in gashmyus and in ruchnyus, and to celebrate Purim in a complete way, not as אכתיעבד ידא חשוורוש אנן, but with true and complete cheirus with Moshiach Now!
L’chaim! May we all endeavor to open our hearts to the Eibishter, and may He turn these openings into the פתחו של אולם, - the opening through which will come in the complete and final geulah, with the immediate revelation of Moshiach Tzidkeinu NOW!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
