And if you actually consult them, you will never be fully sure about the answer. Did I choose the right yedidim mevinim? Does he know what he’s talking about? How can I entrust such a person with such a weighty problem?!
Of course, you understand that there is a rationale behind consulting yedidim mevinim. They know you, and care about you, and – as mevinim – they are able to analyze the issue well. But, still, they’re only human. What if they get it wrong, aren’t they capable of erring?
But, in this story there is something that is made very clear (that we may sometimes hear, but is rarely so evident). The Rebbe did not send Rabbi Sufrin to yedidim mevinim in lieu of answering himself, because the Rebbe chose not to answer. On the contrary, the Rebbe had a very specific answer that he wanted Rabbi Sufrin to receive, an answer that the Rebbe subsequently spent over a half hour of Rabbi Her’s yechidus, explaining to him how to convince Rabbi Sufrin of the merits of that answer.
But – for whatever reason – the Rebbe wanted that answer to come not from him directly, but from the yedidim mevinim. The Rebbe himself was answering, but via the yedidim mevinim!
And, thus, when the yedid gave an answer that seemed scandalous to Rabbi Sufrin (and seemed to be a reflection of the differences of outlook between him and Rabbi Vogel, and an indication that, perhaps, he made a bad choice of yedidim mevinim), it turned out that – amazingly – the answer given was exactly the answer that the Rebbe wanted given, and that the Rebbe subsequently spent so much time explaining.
[There were answers from the Rebbe that were signed by the Rebbe, and other letters that were signed בשם ק"כ ר"אדמו"ש שליט by the mazkir. It’s known that there were times that the Rebbe would sign the signature of the mazkir. The answer “from the mazkir” was actually from the Rebbe himself, signed by the Rebbe with his holy hand. But, for his own reasons, he signed the name of the mazkir. Here, too, the answer was the answer of the Rebbe himself, as we see very clearly. But, for reasons known to him, the Rebbe chose for it to be “signed” by the yedidim mevinim.]
When the Rebbe sends us to yedidim mevinim (or a rofeh yedid, or a rov etc. etc.), he is not abstaining from answer us, but rather designating them to be the conduit for his answer to us.
This is, perhaps, also the idea contained in the beginning of this week’s Parsha: When Yisro saw that Moshe Rabenu was teaching all of the Yidden himself, he objected. נבולת בול, לא תוכל עשוהו לבדיך. He suggested delegating the job of teaching Yidden to שרי אלפים etc., with only the most difficult questions being presented to Moshe Rabenu himself.
The suggestion was backed by the Eibishter Himself, and the new system was implemented. Which raises the question – where does that leave the Yidden? Were they supposed to be satisfied with learning from some sorei alofim or meios, some local orthodox Rabbi, the yedidim mevinim or Rav, as a substitute for learning from Moshe himself? Could they be expected to have the same confidence in the ruling of some newly-appointed mashpia or communal leader as they would have in the word of G-d being conveyed directly by His servant Moshe?! And this new arrangement was meant to be for the benefit of the Yidden?!
The question is stronger based on what the Rebbe explains in a sicha, that when learning directly from Moshe the Yidden were indeed elevated to a higher level. But, the fact that they would, years later, enter Eretz Yisroel without Moshe Rabenu, necessitated their being taught at their own level, and not at the level to which Moshe Rabenu would elevate them.
Which seems even more puzzling. Is it fair that for the benefit of other Yidden, decades later, this generation would have to lose out on the tremendous benefits and privileges of learning directly from Moshe Rabenu the dvar Hashem?!
It must be that – like we see in the story – the chidush of Yisro, the יתר פרשה אחת בתורה, was that Moshe Rabenu would imbue all the rabbis and teachers under him with that koach that when they teach Yidden it has all of the advantages of learning directly from Moshe Rabenu himself. It is the same לדרוש את אלקים. But it also has the added advantage of this teaching being grasped by them at their own level.
This is, perhaps, also the repeated emphasis by Yisro on המלך בגבורה, on consulting with the Eibishter (because, is it not obvious that Moshe Rabenu, the eved ne’eman of Hashem, would not do anything without being told by the Eibishter?). It is because this required a special empowerment from the Eibishter, a special נתינת כח from Above. This is the יתר פרשה אחת בתורה, this is a completely new inyan in Torah; - that they are learning through their own teachers, and they are simultaneously being taught by Moshe Rabbenu himself!
This lesson is very relevant to us in many areas, and one very important one is regarding aseh lecha rav. One mivtzah of the Rebbe that many people have a very difficult time with is aseh lecha rav. It is uncomfortable, it is awkward and can seem unpleasant. And, some of us, at best, go through the motions of speaking with a rav, with kabolas ol, so that we can mark it off on our checklist.
It’s not that we don’t have questions or issues. On the contrary, we have numerous dilemmas, countless thorny problems and quandaries for which we are desperately in need of advice and guidance. We would do anything to get some direction from the Rebbe in these issues, and we would follow it unquestionably.
But a rav? Can we possibly find a rav that we can have enough confidence in? The rav is after all a mere human being, how can I know that he is not erring? What does he really understand about me? (And, if we’re going to really be honest, the truth is that I’m probably much smarter than my rav (and everybody else’s rav), so what’s the point of asking him).
But the real truth is – in addition to all the rational explanations that the Rebbe gave us for this mivtzah – when we follow the Rebbe’s directives, whether it is in turning to a rav or a rofeh yedid or yedidim mevinim or a chassidishe rov etc., then it is not their intellect that I am depending on, but, rather, it is the Rebbe himself who is answering me through them.
[Another glaring example of this – at the risk of being accused of being self-serving – is hanholos of yeshivos. For a bochur, the Rebbe expected him to refer all of his questions to the hanholoh and follow their decisions. The bochur will think, how can I be confident in my hanholo’s decision (especially being that I know them, and I know how little they understand about me or about the situation....). If I had the hanholoh of a hundred years ago, that I read about, that would be something else, but my hanholoh, of today?!
Most notably, this is when a bochur wants to leave yeshiva and change yeshivos. Usually part of the reason is because he in some way didn’t “click” with his current hanholoh, and probably feels that they don’t really understand him or relate with him. Moreover, it is almost inconceivable that his current hanholoh should be impartial to such a question. Either they have reasons to want him to stay, that cloud their judgement about what is best for him, or the opposite... How can they possibly be the ones to make such a decision?! And yet, the Rebbe would be unequivocal that the move to a new yeshiva would need to approved by that current hanholoh! The only explanation is that the bochur needs to know that if he follows the hanholoh, according to the directives of the Rebbe, regardless of what they do or don’t understand, it is the Rebbe himself who is guiding him through them!]
If we knew that we were getting guidance directly from the Rebbe about any issue, then we would disregard any discomfort or inconvenience, and no advice would be too difficult to follow. We need to know that that is indeed to the case. Whether it’s via a rofeh yedid, yedidim mevinim, our aseh lecha rav or a chassidishe Rov, we have the greatest zechus and achrayus to receive and follow the guidance we are getting directly from the Rebbe.
Let us follow the guidance of our Rebbe, and he will surely guide us swiftly and confidently on the path to the complete and ultimate geulah now! L’chaim! May we all follow the directives of the Rebbe, and may the Eibishter, as well, follow the directive of the Rebbe and the plea and demand and cry of every single Yid to bring us the hisgalus of Moshiach Tzidkeinu NOW!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
לזכות ב"ש ד בן מרים, 'שיט" ל אויוש מתוך בריאות הנכונה ס"וכ ט בטוב! ג"ה נרו ה נ לזכות 'רמ" מה כהן בן חוה, 'שיש" ל רפוט" ואויוש מתוך בריאות הנכונה ס"וכ ט בטוב! ג"ה נרו ה נ בתוך כלל שאר חולי ישראל וכל הזקוקים, לרפואה ש" לרפוק" ורפוי" תומ ממש! ממש נ" לע יח" הגה' הת' ר ישראל יצחק בן ר" הר יעקב ה" ע פרידמאן נ" לע יה שלוח המרים בת' ריהושע ה" ע נ" ול עיכ לאלוש הל כול עולמם, לאחרונה שישתדלו שמה להחיש י" תומ ממש את הגאולה האמיתית. והשלימה
