They grew up in old-time Lubavitcher families and were raised on Geula and Moshiach from childhood. The ability to explain things, along with their fascinating lectures, were known already in their youth, and at a relatively young age they displayed superlative talent in their life’s work – raising the next generation of Chabad. * In this joint interview, R’ Gershon Avtzon of Cincinnati and R’ Sender Wilschansky of Milan, discuss the integration of the pleasantness and appeal that is characteristic of Chabad along with unyielding firmness, the inner source for a lack of involvement in publicizing the Besuras HaGeula, and their common chinuch approach: no to compromise and yes to principles.
R’ Gershon Avtzon: Principal of the Lubavitch yeshiva in Cincinnati. At 18 he ran a summer camp in a number of European countries. He authored a book of essays on inyanei Moshiach and Geula. A well-known educator and lecturer.
R’ Sender Wilschansky: Principal of Yeshivas Heichal Menachem in Milan. In his younger years he wrote Melech HaMoshiach based on sources in Chazal. He was one of the editors of HaTamim. A well-known lecturer and member of the hanhala of the international AtaH organization.
THE DOR HA’SHVII WITHOUT MIVTZAIM?
“The Rebbe is the one who establishes what shlichus is and what our role as the seventh generation is.” R’ Avtzon states from the outset that “being involved in publicizing about Moshiach is not another Chabad minhag but is the way we express our hiskashrus to the Rebbe.
“The shlichus which the Rebbe Rayatz demanded of his Chassidim in Russia was mesirus nefesh to found chadarim and in giving a pure chinuch to Jewish children. They say about the Chassid, R’ Itche der Masmid, that he was a true oved Hashem and a tremendous gaon in Nigleh and Nistar, but it was very hard for him to be involved in chinuch. At that time, during a farbrengen, the Rebbe Rayatz said to R’ Itche, ‘Listen Itche, if you are involved in tashbar (chinuch) then you are mine, otherwise, you may well be Itche but you are not mine.’
“In the sicha at the Kinus HaShluchim 5752, the Rebbe instructed us Chassidim that the gateway to all aspects of shlichus is preparing the world to welcome Moshiach. This means that this is the avoda today, expected of all those who call themselves Chassidim. Those who are involved in it ‘are the Rebbe’s,’ and those who aren’t …”
As to my question about those who are involved in other horaos of the Rebbe and not the Besuras Ha’Geula, R’ Avtzon reacted strongly. “Nobody has the privilege of avoiding it or of saying that he is occupied doing other horaos of the Rebbe aside from publicizing the Besuras Ha’Geula. As the Rebbe says unequivocally, Moshiach is the gateway. So anyone who thinks that this is not for him, aside from this being absurd since kabbalas p’nei Moshiach is the purpose of all the mivtzaim, would anyone think someone could get up in the Dor HaShvii and announce: I am a Lubavitcher Chassid but without mivtzaim and shlichus?”
FIRMNESS AND PLEASANTNESS – NOT A CONTRADICTION
R’ Avtzon: “I heard this story from R’ Yitzchok Meir Lipszyc, shliach in Simferopol in Crimea, Ukraine, who has been a shliach of the Rebbe in many places. While he was on shlichus in Detroit, the mashpia, R’ Mendel Futerfas came to him and said: How about moving to do shlichus in Alabama where there is no Chabad house yet?
“R’ Lipszyc rejected the idea saying: I am on shlichus here! After a four hour conversation, R’ Mendel said to him: I see that I cannot convince you, so I will tell you the truth. This is coming straight from the Rebbe!
“Upon hearing that, R’ Lipszyc left Detroit that very week and moved to Alabama. Upon arriving there, he had to fight with many people and until he made any headway he had to go through many hardships. When he finally settled in peacefully, a new horaa came from the Rebbe for him to move on.
“As a loyal Chassid, he did what the Rebbe told him to do, but when he went to New York he asked the secretary why, after he finally settled into his place of shlichus, was he being moved elsewhere? The answer he got from R’ Chadakov was: A person who breaks things can’t be successful. You prepared the groundwork and now, someone else needs to come to grow the wheat. It’s like an army that conquers a city and wreaks destruction and afterward, their architects and contractors come and build the city.
“This story is definitely unusual, but the Rebbe certainly demands of a shliach to work on both fronts simultaneously – to be both firm and pleasant.”
At first glance it seems as though these two approaches are mutually exclusive. R’ Wilschansky addresses this:
“The thought that these two things are contradictory is mistaken, since there are two things here that are essentially different. Darkei noam, ways that are pleasant, is the way to convey the message, while the tokef – firmness relates to the level of the person’s resolve.
“To explain, let us use an example. A Chabad askan meets with the Education Minister in order to be able to start a Chabad school somewhere. On the one hand, in speaking to the minister he needs to be respectful and present things well and in the most convincing manner possible. On the other hand, he has to be sure to convey that this isn’t just any proposal but something that must be done, since the need for Jewish education demands it.
“That means that the message that will be conveyed to the minister will be that this is something he has the privilege of carrying out, and it’s definitely not optional.”
You don’t need to go as far as meetings with government officials. According to R’ Wilschansky, “Any bachur who goes on mivtza t’fillin needs to use both darkei noam as well as the requisite firmness. The suggestion that the person put on t’fillin needs to be done pleasantly, of course. But what needs to get across is that this is a must, not just a nice idea.
“This is explained in the sicha of VaYigash 5752 about the behavior we learn from Yehuda in his addressing Yosef. On the one hand, Yehuda gives him all the respect due a king in his manner of speech. On the other hand, he makes it clear that granting his request is not optional; it must be done. From this, the Rebbe learns how a Jew needs to behave in galus in general, and especially at the end. It’s a combination of respect for royalty with the uncompromising firmness of a Jew.”
CHABAD IS A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE
There is an expression, “We may not agree but we can be tolerant.” R’ Avtzon says, “Many of my classmates and those my age work in shlichus positions. We often discuss it. In general, the conversations can be divided into two ways of thinking and outlooks which illustrate the differences in approach.
“There are those who think that the Chabad movement is about accepting everyone as he is. Even if he says something against Halacha or our approach, we accept everyone. The problem is that if that is how it remains, there is no reason to be mekarev anyone and to make any changes. If there is a Jew who comes to the Chabad house every Shabbos for three years and throughout all this time makes no progress in his Jewish practice, that shliach is not working with the Rebbe’s approach, period.
“The following story illustrates what the Rebbe expects of shluchim. One of the shluchim once went to the Rebbe with a mekurav who was about to get married, so he could get the siddur, as is customary. The shliach and the mekurav walked into Gan Eden HaTachton and the Rebbe gave the groom the siddur. Then the Rebbe said to the shliach: With how many Jews do you work in a p’nimius’dike way?
“The shliach, who had not expected a conversation with the Rebbe, suddenly found himself in a yechidus and was overcome by emotion. He could barely utter a word. The Rebbe said to him: You must work in a p’nimius’dike way! Then the Rebbe took out a handful of coins from his pocket and gave them to the shliach while giving him a bracha for success in his shlichus.
“To put it another way, the real Chabad approach that the Rebbe taught us is not that we accept and make peace with the Jew’s present state. With a sober understanding of reality, that a person does not change in a day and it’s a process that takes time, we have to be patient. This is how the Rebbe taught us to operate. Never to slacken or to make do, but to always look to progress and augment.
“In every encounter with the Rebbe, especially in yechidus with wealthy donors, we see from the Rebbe how to act. Nicely and firmly. One of the most famous of these encounters is the one with David Chase, one of the g’virim of Machne Israel. You might think that the Rebbe would not want to offend a person like this who is such a big supporter and one who brings many other g’virim to Chabad, but at the cornerstone laying ceremony to expand 770, Chase said to the Rebbe that he knows that every time he comes, the Rebbe demands more and more of him. Not only is he not offended by this, but he stands there and says emotionally, ‘Rebbe, I love you very very much.’ At this, the Rebbe smiled that famous smile.
“The responsibility placed on Chabad, especially in the seventh generation, is to change the world. If our approach is only to be nice fellows and to accept everyone pleasantly, this won’t bring about any changes. Only firmness breaks the world and moves us toward the goal. And that is why we need both.
“We need to take the model of businessmen. In order to succeed and not lose, it is necessary to take a firm, uncompromising line on matters of principle while always improving customer service, so that the business continues to flourish.”
WANTED: RESOLVE IN CONVEYING THE MESSAGE
“The truth is what makes speaking firmly a must,” says R’ Wilschansky. “Something that is true, which does not tolerate compromise, has to be said firmly. Why? First, when the firmness isn’t there, there is a high likelihood that it won’t happen the way it should. After all, a suggestion is not binding and is much more likely to be negated.
“But here we are talking about something far deeper. When things aren’t said firmly, the entire message, even if it’s accepted, is not received accurately since it was accepted as an idea or a suggestion and not as the absolute truth. If we suggested that someone put on t’fillin and he politely accedes to our request, as wonderful as this is considering that he did a mitzva, something fundamental is missing. T’fillin stands are not advertising booths for credit card or cell phone companies that are offering you the opportunity to join them. This is a mitzva which we are all obligated in.”
R’ Avtzon: “We need to know that often our exaggerated pleasantness can hurt us ten times more in the end. In the US there is a program in which shluchim lead a learning program of basic concepts in Judaism for an hour, three times a week, which is attended by Jewish kids studying in public school.
“In a certain community, there was a family in which the father was Jewish and, sadly, the mother was not. The shliach was asked by the father to allow his non-Jewish children into the program to learn about Judaism. The shliach felt uncomfortable telling him that his children are not Jewish and so he decided to accept them at this stage, but when they’d reach bar mitzva, he would tell the father that they are not Jewish. Seven years later, the older boy was turning 13 and the father wanted to make a bar mitzva celebration in shul.
“At this point, the shliach decided to tell the father that he could not make his son a bar mitzva since he was not Jewish. Hearing this, the father began screaming and he made an uproar in the community. ‘All these years you lied to me. You just wanted to take my money. Why didn’t you tell me the truth until now?’
“This incident had a strong negative impact on the tremendous work the shliach had invested in over the years. Where the shliach only wanted to push off the inevitable and be the nice guy, not only didn’t ‘pleasantness’ help him, it caused him immeasurable damage. From here you learn that sometimes our desire to be the nice guy can end up hurting us.
“Everyone, especially a shliach of the Rebbe, must be strong. We need to explain simply and clearly that we are Orthodox Jews and the Orthodox have rules. People will accept it and respect those who stand on their principles.”
PUTTING THEORY INTO PRACTICE
When all is said and done, there is quite a gap between the theory of standing strong and uncompromisingly and how it plays out in real life. R’ Wilschansky agrees and says, “This is mainly about avoda p’nimis. You must be resolute with yourself that the job needs to get done and that the person you want to influence understands this.
“For example, publicizing the Besuras Ha’Geula and the Goel. It’s a topic about which much has been said regarding the ability to convey these messages and how it should be done. It is safe to say that most of the problems in conveying the message come from this point: the lack of resolve. There is the uncertainty that the other person will be receptive and whether he needs to hear it altogether and based on what am I talking about this anyway?
“In order to be able to convey the message that we already have the revelation of the metzius of Moshiach in the world, it first has to be crystal clear to me, and this isn’t always the case. Often, the whole inyan is like some dry, technical fact, something everyone believes, without much understanding of why. A Chassid can feel that we are not justified in demanding that everyone believe this. If a person like this has to deal with the topic, he won’t have that strength and firmness and certainly not to the degree necessary, but rather he will develop many strategies to sidestep the tough questions.
“On the other hand, if someone learns the sichos thoroughly and knows we are in a historic period, Moshiach already began the hisgalus process and announced the Besuras Ha’Geula: ‘humble ones, the time for your redemption has arrived.’ Moshiach is already accomplishing things in the world and preparing it for Geula – obviously, he will say things with the requisite resoluteness. He feels that he has a real message to convey which is really encouraging and he looks forward to sharing it.
“Moshe Rabbeinu told the Jewish people that they would be redeemed. Although the Geula did not yet happen and the tzaros of galus became even greater, ‘since I went to speak in Your name, it has become worse for this nation!’ – every Jew of that generation who internalized the message told it to whomever he came in contact, and he did so excitedly. He did not think for a moment of keeping it to himself because the other person wasn’t ready to hear it.
“Unfortunately, many of us don’t pay enough attention to the whole subject and this engenders many strange arguments, sometimes ludicrous ones, such as the recent argument about whether the Rebbe said a specific ‘keitz’ or not. Without getting into the details of the argument, why are we even talking about the ‘keitz’ issue which is simply defined as (just) a time that is uniquely auspicious for Geula when the Rebbe made it clear that the actual time for your redemption has already arrived?! Just try to imagine someone trying to check whether Moshe Rabbeinu’s announcement of Geula included a ‘keitz’ or not.
“Some time ago, I spoke with the menahel of a big mosad who was in financial difficulties. As we spoke the question arose, sort of as a challenge, as it were: where are all the wonders of the era of Geula which the Rebbe spoke so much about when this shliach was in such straits?
“It was clear to us that something was missing here. It was also clear that the situation the Rebbe spoke about definitely exists; the question is whether I am living it. The Rebbe says that b’p’nimius, the spiritual eyes of the Jewish people already see the Geula. It turns out then, that your situation depends on where you’re holding.
“The decision we both made was to strengthen our learning of the weekly D’var Malchus and to live with it. Within a short time, he got a huge donation, monumental in relation to the previous donations.
“The point in all this is that in order for things to be in ways of pleasantness, it is very important that the person speaking really ‘live’ with it. This way, it will be words that come from the heart and they will enter the heart.
“The idea of learning inyanei Geula is, as is explained in the sichos, to ‘live’ with Moshiach, to live with the feeling of awareness that we are on the threshold of Geula. To live this way it’s not enough to just learn it; there must be contemplation and avodas ha’t’filla. We need to daven with the sichos, and this is the only way to live with the promises of the Geula. It’s not enough to know that every Jew is wealthy; we need to live it.
“I can tell you from personal experience. Dozens of friends began ‘davening’ with these sichos and saw miracles in their personal lives. Obviously, a person who ‘davens’ and meditates upon the Besuras Ha’Geula and lives with it, will deal with others with darkei noam.”
R’ Avtzon adds:
“The shluchim who asked the Rebbe whether to publicize that the Rebbe is Moshiach were told it depends on Chabad in every location. What does that mean? Sometimes you walk into Chabad houses and see interesting sights. Over here, irreligious balabatim wear gartels; over there, they go to the mikva. There are Chabad houses where they farbreng and ‘live’ with certain things. Where does it come from? From the shliach. One shliach can say that to discuss a gartel with someone who is not religious is crazy. But to another shliach, for whom a gartel adds a chayus to davening, he can approach a mekurav and tell him in all sincerity that if he wants a special chayus in davening he should also wear a gartel. If it’s alive for you, it is very easy to convey and influence others. ‘It works for me. I’m telling you, as a friend, that it will work for you too.’
“Along the same lines, there is the famous letter of the Rebbe to the mashpia, R’ Shlomo Chaim Kesselman, in which the Rebbe writes to him about going places and talking to people about the Rebbe. And it’s very easy to talk about the Rebbe. The point in that letter is that if it’s obvious to you that when you have a problem you write to the Rebbe, it is very easy for you to tell someone else to do the same thing, because you genuinely feel that it’s a good thing.”
MESIRUS NEFESH IN OUR DAYS: MOSHIACH
When the Rebbe gave us the job of bringing Moshiach, he defined it as “lights of Tohu in vessels of Tikkun.” What connection is there between that and the Rebbe’s modus operandi throughout the years, and do “vessels of Tikkun” limit how one carries out this horaa?
R’ Avtzon: “Mivtzaim are all about lights of Tohu. The concept of mivtzaim, that you go to a city and stand in the middle of the street and suggest that people put on t’fillin, shake the lulav, take Shabbos candles, etc. was considered lunacy forty years ago. The Rebbe’s entire approach is one of lights of Tohu, which is the inyan of dira ba’tachtonim, as Chassidus explains.
“The meaning of dira ba’tachtonim is not that G-d limits Himself within the world. The idea of a dira ba’tachtonim is that G-dliness is revealed within this physical world as it is. Along with lights of Tohu, there needs to be vessels of Tikkun. There are rules, ways of behaving, etc. We saw this, the lights of Tohu within vessels of Tikkun, with the Rebbe’s approach in general and it did not start with mivtza Moshiach. Rather, it gains emphasis and relevance especially in the publicizing of the Besuras Ha’Geula.”
“Limitation?! There is no limitation!” exclaimed R’ Wilschansky. “There is a horaa to convey the lights of Tohu; it’s just that this needs to be within vessels of Tikkun. Lights of Tohu and vessels of Tikkun are not mutually exclusive so that we need to navigate between them. They are two different things. Lights of Tohu is the content, the message you are conveying. Vessels of Tikkun is the manner in which you convey it. This applies to everyone and we must make sure it can be accepted or received by every person, with his understanding, and not left up in the air without any meaning.
“In that fundamental sicha (Kinus HaShluchim 5752), the Rebbe explains at length the new avoda of today, which is the main and only shlichus, that it is about Moshiach starting to redeem the Jewish people. The Rebbe makes it clear that this applies to every single Jew! He says to explain it to everyone and this is the shlichus. Furthermore, if you learn the sicha from beginning to end and don’t rely merely on sound bites, you see that this is not about limits but the exact opposite, it is meant to define our obligations.
“Essentially this is the same idea as ‘ways of pleasantness along with the appropriate firmness.’ There must be vessels of Tikkun, ways of pleasantness. But this vessel must be full of real content, lights of Tohu, appropriate firmness. As we mentioned earlier, the fact that it does not seem so simple in real life is because it’s a challenging demand. Whether because this is something that relates to a person’s inner world, intellect, consciousness, or because it’s the call of the hour and comes along with big tests and challenges.
“I’ll tell you a nice vort which I heard at a farbrengen. In that sicha, the Rebbe makes it clear that the avoda of shlichus ended and what remains now is only kabbalas p’nei Moshiach Tzidkeinu. Much has been written and said to explain what is meant by the avoda of shlichus having ended and what the avoda of kabbalas p’nei Moshiach is. There doesn’t seem to be anything specific, other than an emphasis on learning inyanei Moshiach and Geula, so what is meant by this?
“The explanation that I heard, which is probably not the literal explanation, but has a big lesson to teach, is as follows. In the Igeres Ha’kodesh of Tanya it explains the difference between the maaseh/action of tz’daka and the avoda/labor of tz’daka. The point which applies to the matter at hand is that maaseh is something that has become routine. It doesn’t have much in the way of iskafia and hardships. Avoda is the part that requires working on oneself, breaking habits, mesirus nefesh.
“When the Rebbe Rayatz was in Soviet Russia, the avoda was the very struggle for the observance of Torah and mitzvos and this required real mesirus nefesh. Came the seventh generation and this mesirus nefesh for Torah and mitzvos ended and the avoda of shlichus began. This entails leaving a Chassidishe environment, going to foreign places and this is a type of mesirus nefesh.
“Many years passed and shlichus became routine. All the difficulties and even the mesirus nefesh became the norm. The avoda aspect of shlichus ended (in a good way, of course). Now the avoda is kabbalas p’nei Moshiach Tzidkeinu!
“Like the mesiras nefesh that was the ‘avoda’ of the Chassidim in Russia, today too, the main challenges and difficulties are in the ‘avoda’ of publicizing the Besuras Ha’Geula and the Goel. Only a resolute commitment can be a true vessel to the appropriate firmness, and from there the road is paved to convey the message in ways of pleasantness.”
FOOL! THERE MUST BE A HEART!
On the subject of getting the message out, there are apparently interesting and endearing ways of getting conversations on to the topic of the belief of the Rebbe as Moshiach, and R’ Wilschansky seems to have the knack:
“During a long flight, I asked my seat neighbor a halachic question. If a person was mekadesh a woman on the condition that the Rebbe is Moshiach, would she be considered permitted to marry anyone else.
“‘What?!’ asked my companion. ‘Was someone that crazy?’
“‘What difference does it make whether he was or wasn’t,’ I said. Is the woman permitted to the rest of the world or not?
“‘She requires a divorce out of doubt,’ he said.
“‘Aha … so you think there is a doubt. Nu, so you are already modeh b’miktzas (partially conceding) …’
“Or, a famous speaker encountered at a lecture of his someone who asked him derisively, ‘Are you also one of those who believes that the Rebbe is Moshiach?’ The speaker immediately said, ‘no.’ Then he winked and added, ‘I don’t just believe; I know!’”
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Action is the main thing. Seemingly, we must respond in the proper manner in every instance. If and when is it ever the right thing to downplay the issue and cover up, and in a situation where pleasantness is not effective, can we forgo the message or should we just plow ahead with firmness?
“This question reminds me of a story about the Tzemach Tzedek who tried to get someone to do something, without success. The person was either not too bright or had a large measure of chutzpa for he said to the Rebbe that apparently the Rebbe’s words had not come from his heart. The proof being that they had not entered his heart!
“The Rebbe smiled and said: Fool! In order for it to enter the heart, there must be a heart!
“As to your question,” said R’ Wilschansky, “it all depends. Obviously, to put forth a position when it will have no significance other than unburdening of the mashpia who yearns to shout the truth at any price, is meaningless. On the other hand, to not put forth a position when it might have the opposite effect, that people might mistake silence for admission, is also forbidden. One cannot state anything definitively; each case has to be handled differently.”
R’ Avtzon agrees with R’ Wilschansky that it depends on the situation.
“Let’s talk about chinuch and we can use that to shed light on many other subjects. Even bachurim who learn diligently and work on themselves to keep the s’darim, trip up. Often, the hanhala knows about this but opts not to tell the bachur about the information they have so that the bachur won’t think they no longer view him as a Chassidishe bachur which can have negative ramifications.
“But sometimes, in a case where the bachur is having a negative influence or his slide is serious, something must be done since we cannot know how things will end up. As I said, sometimes it pays to look away so as not to interfere with the bachur’s progress and sometimes you need to take a strong stand.”
UNSUCCESSFUL CHINUCH? NOT CHABAD
Time is short and we want to hear about the thing which is closest to your hearts, chinuch. How do you see the integration of the pleasantness and appeal that is the public face of Chabad with the tendency towards uncompromising chinuch?
R’ Wilschansky: “I understand what it means to be both pleasant and firm because of my involvement in chinuch. In many instances it is necessary to insist on proper standards of conduct on the one hand, and on the other hand there is the need to find the right way get that across. The seeming conflict of how to convey the message properly without conceding the point leads to the understanding that there really is no contradiction. These are two separate things that complement one another.”
“As someone who works primarily in chinuch, I see the difficulty in integrating firmness and pleasantness nearly every day,” says R’ Avtzon. “Many lectures at chinuch symposiums claim that today we must use only pleasantness and love and make life easy for the bachurim. Just love. Others say we must insist on the firmness like there was in Russia; we are building an army and there is no place for games.
“As a young person I look at them and think: what a pity that this is the state of affairs. We were given a treasure called Klalei Chinuch V’Hadracha in which the Rebbe Rayatz writes how to properly educate T’mimim. If those in Chabad chinuch would only use it, they would prevent a lot of aggravation on the part of the kids, the parents, and above all else, the Rebbe. Chabad chinuch is successful. If it is not successful, it is not Chabad!”
I asked R’ Avtzon to point out what needs strengthening in chinuch to hiskashrus to the Rebbe. He said:
“I would divide it into two points that are connected and need strengthening. Firmness and Moshiach. As we said before, we see both extremes by the Rebbe. From the Chassidim he was very firm in his demands, as in his famous answer to the bachurim-shluchim in Miami who committed to learning a chapter of Tanya by heart. The Rebbe wrote to them, ‘this is the case of a rich man bringing the sacrifice of a poor man.’ The bachurim today are completely unaware of the Rebbe’s demanding approach. A bachur who would hear an answer like that today would say, how could the Rebbe write something like that? They don’t know that the Rebbe is endlessly demanding of mekusharim and that the bachurim back then accepted this happily, because the Rebbe viewed them as ‘rich.’
“And with Moshiach, there is tremendous ignorance when it comes to the sichos of 5751-5752. When learning these sichos with the bachurim, it’s all news to them. I see it every time. They say, the Rebbe really said this?
“I was a guest of a shliach and there was someone there who is known as not being a Meshichist, as someone who likes making fun of Chassidim who are loyal and believe. I asked him, which is worse, a person who has a Yechi yarmulke or a person who doesn’t believe the Rebbe is Moshiach. Without hesitating he said, of course the Chassid who doesn’t believe the Rebbe is Moshiach because that shows a fundamental lack in hiskashrus. I called over his grandson and asked him: Is the Rebbe Moshiach? The child declared, of course not. So I said to that ‘anti’ – you make fun because you think that we are crazy but look at your grandson and see with what pride and confidence he says the Rebbe is not Moshiach.”
MOSHIACH ELECTRIFIES THE KIDS
R’ Avtzon:
“In the maamer Basi L’Gani, the Rebbe demands that we bring Moshiach. Already in the first maamer, the Rebbe begins by cultivating the sense of how we as Chassidim are outstanding in relation to the rest of the world, something lacking in today’s chinuch. Generally speaking, there are progressively higher levels in Jewish character: not religious, religious, Chassidic, Chabad. These levels are progressively more demanding.
“A person might ask, why should I be at the most demanding level? Why live such a hard life? It is only if he understands that this is the most important of all, and that this level contains amazing things, that he will be happy and proud to be chosen by the Rebbe.
“Moshiach is not about politics; it’s the most important thing! It is the most elemental and the most educational! If a boy knows that his Rebbe is Moshiach, this strengthens him in all of the other demands aimed at Chassidim. There are people who say we need to give honor to the Rebbe and write terms of histalkus for him. Without getting into a debate about whether we need to or not, I’m telling you that when your son sees this, it disconnects him from the Rebbe. You think you’re giving honor to the Rebbe? You are distancing another child from the Rebbe.
“It’s the topic of Moshiach which electrifies kids these days since this is what sets us apart. We tell a child there is a tough galus. Why should we be and conduct ourselves as Chassidim? Because any minute now, the Rebbe will appear as Moshiach. As the Rebbe says in VaEira 5752, ‘Knowing that the Rebbe my father-in-law will enter immediately and look at each one of his Chassidim …’ A Chassid who lives with the idea that the Rebbe will walk in any moment has a different chayus in all his avoda.”