THE HISKASHRUS BAROMETER

Dear Reader sh’yichyeh,

The Rebbe writes (HaYom yom 1 Cheshvan): The Rebbe my father told someone at yechidus: Ever since G‑d told our father Avraham, “Go from your land etc.” and it is then written “Avram kept travelling southward,” we have the beginning of the mystery of birurim. By decree of Divine Providence, man goes about his travels to the place where the “sparks” that he must purify await their redemption.

Tzaddikim, who have vision, see where their birurim await them and go there deliberately. As for ordinary folk, the Cause of all causes and the Prime Mover brings about various reasons and circumstances that bring these people to that place where their obligation to perform the avoda of birurim lies.

It is a special z’chus that we have, that in many circumstances, the Rebbe shares his “vision” with us. Whether it is when he lets us know what our shlichus is, as a generation or individually, or how to view events that happen around us. It is up to us to internalize what the Rebbe graciously shares with us and elevate ourselves to the higher vision. We have the abilities—“When the soul descends into the body, it is administered an oath to be a tzaddik. This oath, sh’vua, implies sova, “satiety”; the person is generously endowed with eminent powers to be able to fulfill G‑d’s intention in having the soul descend (into the material world). And just as it is with the soul’s descent, so is it also with every person, in whatever place he may be” (HaYom Yom 5 Nissan)—we just have to decide to immerse ourselves in the Torah of the Rebbe and to begin to connect with the elevated Hashkafa of the Rebbe.

In Chassidus (see Hemshech Samech Vav pg. 248) the following example is often cited: There was once a father who wanted to test the depth of his sons’ love to him, so he goes into hiding. If the son is foolish, he will not understand that the concealment isn’t real. He feels that he will be forever separated from his father. He will begin crying profusely for his father but he will not search for his father. Eventually, after enough time lapses, he will stop crying as well.

If the son is smart however, he will realize that the concealment is not real and it is only a test. He realizes that if he works hard enough, he will find his father. The smart son doesn’t cry. And even if initially the son does not find the father, he will continue his search.

When the father sees the great effort his son is putting in to find him, which stems from a strong hiskashrus to the father, to search for him even though it is dark and at most he can only see the back of the father, the father’s heart will swell with love for the son and he will then turn his face towards the son. The father will reveal to the son the great love that he has developed and will kiss the son with this new and deep love which was developed during the time of concealment.

Every Chassid, who by definition wants to be connected to the Rebbe, needs to be striving to be a “smart son,” i.e., a chassid with elevated vision. If not, even though he may have a refined and Torah outlook, he is missing the deeper and elevated vision. As the Rebbe writes in the HaYom Yom of 25 Nissan (it bears noting that all three quoted “HaYom Yoms” are quotes from the same letter (Igros 4, pg. 341) of the Frierdike Rebbe): “The individual’s avoda must be commensurate with his character and innate qualities. There may be one who can drill pearls or polish gems but works at baking bread (the analogy in the realm of avoda may be easily understood). Though baking bread is a most necessary craft and occupation, this person is considered to have committed a ‘sin.’”

Between the Yom Tov of Shavuos and Gimmel Tammuz, we commemorate 15 Sivan, the day that the arrest of the Frierdike Rebbe (in the year 1927) began. Seemingly it is not a day to celebrate, as it is a day that began a tremendously painful and concealing experience for the Frierdike Rebbe and the Chassidim. Yet, we find something fascinating: The Rebbe agreed to give out Maamarim, something that is only done of Yomim Tovim or Chassidish Yomim Tovim, on 15 Sivan!

The Rebbe explained this behavior (Seifer Maamarim Meluket Vol. 3 pg. 188) by noting that after the release of the Frierdike Rebbe from prison on 12 Tammuz, and then eventually coming to America which brought a whole new level of spreading Chassidus, it was revealed to all that the imprisonment of the Frierdike Rebbe was really the planting process—in which the seed is buried in a dark place and rots—for the tremendous growth that came after. Once the growth was revealed, we do not look at the day of 15 Sivan as a day of imprisonment, rather as a day of liberation and growth.

This is a tremendous lesson on what our perspectives and vision should be about Gimmel Tammuz. While it is clear that it is a day that brings out an initial sigh and pain from the difficult concealment—see the HaYom Yom of Gimmel Tammuz, “My revered grandfather, the Rebbe [Maharash], once said: Even when the sigh of a Jew is occasioned by an unfavorable material circumstance (Heaven forbid), this too is a significant act of t’shuva. All the more so, a sigh due to an unfavorable spiritual situation is most certainly a lofty level of t’shuva. It drags one out of the depths of evil, and sets him up in a good place,” –we must not lose focus and cry like “the foolish son.”

We must all be like “the smart son.” We must realize that we were not forsaken; we are merely being tested in our Hiskashrus. We must continue to search for the Rebbe, our dear father, in all his paths and places that he has travelled, i.e., continue to do all his directives, as there is where he will be found. This is especially true of the “Derech Yeshara - Direct Path” of the Rebbe, which is learning about Moshiach, as the Rebbe instructed, “This increase in learning the Torah concerned with Moshiach and Redemption (“Malchus Sh’b’Tiferes”) is the ‘straightforward path’ to actually cause the revelation and coming of Moshiach and Redemption.” (Tazria-Metzora 5751).

When the Mitteler Rebbe brings down the example of the concealment of the father and the subsequent search of the son, he adds that if the son searches on the main roads and doesn’t see his father, he will search on the roads and in places that the father travelled less-often. This is a tremendous lesson for our times: There are some directives that the Rebbe “travelled very often,” i.e., learning the daily Rambam, etc. Then there are directives that the Rebbe spoke of less often. In our times, while many mistakenly say that we should only focus on the main directives and not search and burden the young generation with the “extra” directives, we need to be looking for and carefully following all the directives of the Rebbe, as it may be that that is where “we will find him.”

We all know for certain, and the Rebbe told us, “Not just as a Sage and Judge, but as a Prophet, for this is certain” (Shoftim 5751), that the time for the full revelation of Moshiach is near. At that time it will be revealed that Gimmel Tammuz, and this entire era of concealment, is part of the process of Geula. We must use out these final moments, as soon “When Moshiach arrives (may that be speedily in our days!), people will start hankering after the bygone era of exile. It is then that they will start feeling regret for not having devoted themselves to Divine service; it is then that people will feel anguish over their lack of avoda. As for now, during the era of exile, these are the days of avoda — to prepare oneself for the imminent coming of Moshiach.” (HaYom Yom 3 Av).

We will finish with the words of the Rebbe (Likkutei Sichos Vol. 4 pg. 1315) “However, the hiskashrus of Chassidim to a Rebbe in all aspects… And therefore Chassidim should celebrate the day of Gimmel Tammuz!”

Rabbi Avtzon is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati and a well sought after speaker and lecturer. Recordings of his in-depth shiurim on Inyanei Geula u’Moshiach can be accessed at http://www.ylcrecording.com