Dear Fellow Chassidim sh’yichyu,
This Shabbos is Shabbos HaGadol, the Shabbos before 11 Nissan and Chag Ha’Pesach. These two Yomim Tovim complement each other. Chazal tell us that Pesach not only marks the liberation from Mitzrayim but also marks the beginning of the process of the final Geula. The process of geula will ultimately culminate through the avoda of Melech HaMoshiach, whose birthday is 11 Nissan.
B’hashgacha Pratis, the new Kapitel of the Rebbe (114) speaks about the miracles of Yetzias Mitzrayim. Furthermore, this chapter is a part of the Hallel—which this year is “Hallel” (numerical value 65) years of the Rebbe’s leadership—which we say by the seder and on Pesach.
Kapitel 114 is short and sweet. It goes as follows: “When Israel left Egypt, the house of Jacob [left] a people of a strange tongue, Yehudah became His holy nation, Israel His dominion. The sea saw and fled; the Jordan turned backward. The mountains danced like rams, hills like young sheep. What frightens you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn backward? You mountains, that you dance like rams; you hills, like young sheep? From before the Master, Who created the earth, from before the God of Jacob, Who transforms the rock into a pond of water, the flint into a fountain of water.”
At first glance, this chapter is a chapter of continuous thanks for the miracles of leaving Mitzrayim and the word “Yehuda” in the second verse is a reference to the entire Jewish nation, not just the tribe of Yehuda. Yet, in the heading of this Kapitel (there is a whole discussion about the origins of these headings, which are universally accepted and printed in many T’hillims) it says cryptically that this Kapitel is teaching us “why the tribe of Yehuda merited that kings should come out of them.”
This is quite difficult to understand as seemingly the kapitel is not even talking about the tribe of Yehuda, but is rather talking about the Jewish people as a whole? Furthermore, where in this Kapital is there any indication of the merits of the tribe of Yehuda? This enigma can be answered by looking to the commentaries who explain why specifically in the kapitel which speaks about the miracles at the splitting of the sea the Jewish people are called Yehuda. This is because the entire splitting of the sea came about through Nachshon Ben Aminadav from the tribe of Yehuda.
Nachshon was a fifth-generation descendant of Yehudah, son of Yaacov. It is written that as the Jewish people fled Egypt they faced before them the impassable Sea and behind them was the pursuing Egyptian army. Terrified, they turned on Moshe and cried, “Why did you bring us here to perish?”
“Rabbi Yehuda says: When the Israelites stood at the sea one said: I don’t want to go down to the sea first.’ Another said: ‘I don’t want to go down first either.’ While they were standing there, and while Moshe was praying to God to save them, Nachshon the son of Aminadav jumped up, went down and fell into the waves.’” Talmud Bavli, Sota 36a), Mechilta (Parshas B’Shalach). In that merit, the tribe of Yehuda merited to kingship.
Put simply, the reason why the entire Jewish nation is called by the nomenclature “Yehuda” in the Rebbe’s new kapitel is the same reason why the tribe of Yehuda merited the Jewish monarchy, namely, because it was the tribe of Yehuda who was instrumental in actualizing the geula.
Dear Chassidim!
This is a tremendous lesson for us. We are all looking to merit “kingship” – the revelation of Melech HaMoshiach. Yet we ask ourselves, in what merit will this happen?
This kapitel teaches us that we must be like Nachshon, we must have complete faith in the promise and prophecy of our Rebbe about the imminent arrival of Moshiach and be ready to “jump into the sea” to make it happen.
Our Rebbe has given us clear guidelines and instructions. The Rebbe has told us (Kinus HaShluchim 5752) that the singular Shlichus of our time is to get the world ready to greet Moshiach.
The Rebbe told us that the “direct path” to bringing Moshiach is through learning ourselves and teaching others about Moshiach. The job, privilege, and obligation to bring Moshiach is in our hands! Let us follow the example and direction set by Nachshon ben Aminadav, and show our commitment in tangible actions and we will thereby merit to spend this Pesach in the third Beis HaMikdash, with the revelation of the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach now!
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.