“When I was privileged as a bachur to be chosen for shlichus, I thought there was a mistake. At that time less than twenty boys would be chosen out of the whole yeshiva for a two year shlichus. I had previously written to the Rebbe about my failings, so I was shocked that I was among those chosen.”
The message should have been unmistakably clear. The way to generate brotherly love and respect for our parents is by going out of our way to help bring purity to our brothers and sisters, even if it means that we sacrifice some of our own purity. Only the sacrifices that we will make for one another are the key to reconnecting to our Heavenly Father.
The very thought that Ahmadinejad (may his name be erased) will come to his senses at the last minute and turn the reactor into a research center for peaceful purposes brings to mind the suggestion that the arch-murderer Abu Mazen will forego the use of terror and embrace the Jewish People.
It was only with the final Kaddish Yasom that I stopped; I absolutely could not continue. When they had all finished the Kaddish and I tried again and again to continue, the man suddenly turned to me. He raised his tallis and fixed his clear gaze upon me; his eyes were a bit red. He stood for a moment and then came over to me, slowly, up close, until I noticed his rapid breathing. He took my hand and whispered, “Be strong, my child.”
Nadav Becher traveled to the Far East, visited ashrams, and studied just about every form of mysticism. He studied Indian music and listened to the utter silence on the Thai islands. None of these experiences truly touched him until he learned a maamer of the Alter Rebbe. For the first time in his life, he felt that someone truly understood him, that someone was speaking directly to him. * He abandoned a musical career and a spot in a top Israeli band and today he is a Chassidishe “baal menagen” who presents niggunim of the Alter Rebbe to the public.
Rabbi Yossel Tewel (Tevel) a”h of Crown Heights was taken from us two years ago. Beis Moshiach presents a few stories that illustrate his tremendous devotion to his fellow Jews that was infused with his signature zest for life.
L’chaim! May we all join forces to combat Amalek, beginning with the one contained within each of us, and through that, obliterate the evil in the world, and may this Purim be overshadowed by the greater Geula with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu Teikef U’miyad Mamash!
“The Rebbe read the note, looked up, and began discussing a topic that I hadn’t written about. At first, I thought the Rebbe was continuing to talk about the topic he had discussed with the person who had yechidus before me. Then I suddenly remembered that I had wanted to discuss this topic with the Rebbe but had left it out.”
The Sages say that when you find yourself in an era where everything seems absurd, you should anticipate the arrival of Moshiach. Because that’s what Moshiach is all about – lifting the veils and revealing the true intent behind the facade.
How does one summon such arrogance and self-indulgence to say that when the Jewish people need to be saved from exile, all the Jewish people remain as they are for a moment while the redemption begins to unfold for this individual?! * The entire world was indeed created for the individual Jew, to the extent that “G-d stands with him.” Thus, the redemption first unfolds for him.
In the world of Chassidus, it has been said about a certain tzaddik that he managed to conceal his tzidkus (righteousness) by being famous as a baal Nigleh; whereas another tzaddik managed to conceal his scholarship with his great tzidkus. It can be said about Rabbi Yaakov Friedman a”h, who passed away eleven years ago, that with his modesty he concealed his entire personality. Rabbi Yaakov, one of the outstanding individuals of our time, was multifaceted, but he hid it all with his anava (humility) and bittul (self-abnegation) that were part and parcel of who he was. Anyone who knew him would say, “Er iz geven a gehoibener Yid” (he was a spiritually elevated Jew). Although quite true, such a general statement could only be made by one who did not have the privilege of knowing him up close. With that phrase, they express the enormous distance they felt when they came in contact with him for even a few minutes. However, those who spent time with him got a glimpse of his true greatness. “V’ha’chaI yiten el libo” – may the living take it to heart and may this article be a z’chus L’ilui Nishmaso.
February 29, 2012