Translated by Boruch Merkur
From the time of the Arizal until today, 400 years have passed. All the various decrees, etc., that have befallen the Jewish people throughout this lengthy period were, therefore, a result of a lack of hiskashrus to the Rebbe. Had the hiskashrus been as it should have been, the Jewish people would have been redeemed long ago. * Part 2 of 2
The emissary is not actually the one going on the mission, but the Rebbe himself, the one who sends him! It resembles what is said regarding Pharaoh’s daughter, Basya, “nisraveva amasa – her reach extended,” and in so doing the shluchim bring the redeemer of the Jewish people.THE REBBE STAYED WITH HIS DISCIPLES
[…] Notwithstanding the lack of hiskashrus of the Arizal’s disciples – the ones who did not readily follow his suggestion to travel to Yerushalayim for Shabbos but instead hesitated, saying that first they wanted to go and consult with their wives – the Arizal remained with them in Tzfas that Shabbos. Indeed, he continued to teach them thereafter and they remained his disciples.
Although they did not possess the capacity to bring Moshiach, on account of their lack of hiskashrus, nevertheless the Arizal taught them at a level appropriate to them, enabling them to gradually attain greater spiritual heights. In fact, the shortcomings of his disciples brought the Arizal to have great pity upon them, for which reason he was compelled to continue to teach them and guide them.
The importance of hiskashrus applies equally to a soldier. As discussed above, “all those who go out to wage war for the House of Dovid” must write a “bill of divorce” to all worldly matters. Should he fail to do so – meaning that the material world still has even the slightest grip upon him – he is considered as one of the “frightened and softhearted,” regarding whom it is said, “he should leave and return home” [and not engage in battle on the frontlines]. Nevertheless, the intent here of “he should leave and return home” is not that he should go home to sleep [or to simply pursue his own affairs], but that he should follow the orders of the commander, there.
Of course, [there is room for this soldier to still progress and improve himself, insofar as] “a Mitzva leads to another Mitzva.” That is, following the commanders orders, even when one is removed from the frontlines, brings the person to eventually ascend and transform himself to become truly connected to the commander, the Rebbe, to the extent that he merits to be among those how go out to wage war for the House of Dovid and to bring the redemption.
IT IS THE REBBE HIMSELF ON SHLICHUS!
With the advent of Moshiach, all the Jewish people will come to the Holy Land, including “those lost in the land of Assyria and those exiled in the land of Egypt” (Yeshayahu 27:13). Since the coming of Moshiach hinges upon spreading the wellsprings of Chassidus outward, therefore, shluchim, emissaries, are sent out everywhere, reaching as far as “Assyria” and “Egypt,” so that the wellsprings should reach even these places, in order to prepare the Jews there for the redemption.
When is it possible to send emissaries? When the shliach is truly mekushar, fully connected to the Rebbe. But regarding one who begins to consider alternate plans of action, then, even if he agrees to travel out there as an emissary of the Rebbe, his being open to deviating from the Rebbe’s path – this alone indicates that he is lacking in hiskashrus, and of consequence, he cannot possibly be sent on the mission.
When one is lacking hiskashrus to “Moshe, His servant,” and thus, in turn, to G-d Himself, it is not certain whether he will have an influence on the environment he is sent to, or whether, G-d forbid, the opposite, in which case he would have failed to serve as a source of influence but become one who has been influenced by his environment, etc.
This is not so, however, when the shliach is properly connected to the Rebbe. Then he is “connected above,” and there is no concern of his being negatively impacted by his surroundings, as in the well-known saying: “When one is connected above, he does not fall below.” That is, even though he must serve G-d by going “below,” [making a dwelling place for G-d in the physical world] nevertheless there is no concern at all that he will fall or slip, for he is “connected above.” [He is connected to the Rebbe, and thus, by extension, to G-d Himself, Who protects him from harmful influence.]
In our case, the emissary is not actually the one going on the mission, but the Rebbe himself, the one who sends him! It resembles [what is said regarding Pharaoh’s daughter, Basya] “nisraveva amasa – her reach extended” (Sota 12b, sited in Rashi’s commentary on the Torah Shmos 2:5), and in so doing the shluchim bring the redeemer of the Jewish people. But when hiskashrus is lacking, there is then the concern of slipping and falling, becoming ensnared in the hazards of the environment.
WHY DIDN’T THE ARIZAL JUST TAKE THEM?
With this we will also understand why the Arizal remained in Tzfas to receive Shabbos. For at first glance, since by going to Yerushalayim the redemption would have come, why did he remain in Tzfas? He could have brought the disciples to Yerushalayim when their eyes were closed [thereby compelling them to accompany him at once to Yerushalayim]!
The answer is that when the Arizal saw the disciples beginning to weigh their options, indicating that they were lacking hiskashrus, he understood that going to Yerushalayim would not have accomplished what it needed to accomplish [i.e., it would not have brought Moshiach as originally intended].
Now, from the time of the Arizal until today, 400 years have passed. All the various decrees, etc., that have befallen the Jewish people throughout this lengthy period were, therefore, a result of a lack of hiskashrus to the Rebbe, the Arizal. Had the hiskashrus been as it should have been, the Jewish people would have been redeemed long ago.
HISKASHRUS AND ITS IMPACT ON KLAL YISROEL
The lesson from this story is as follows. In order to be among “the soldiers of the House of Dovid,” one must have perfect hiskashrus, and not just pay lip service to the idea, as it says in T’hillim (78:36-7), “They beguiled Him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied to Him. Their heart was not sincere with Him; they were not faithful b’vriso, in His covenant” (i.e., “bris” is a term that connotes hiskashrus, connection). What is required is actual hiskashrus. First and foremost there must be action, and only then is it meaningful to speak about it. Speech alone does not fulfill the obligation of having hiskashrus.
Indeed, if hiskashrus is lacking, aside from the fact that one loses out on the true good that was coming to him, it has an impact on the entire Jewish people, as in the case of the disciples of the Arizal.
(From the address of Shabbos Parshas Shmini 5718, bilti muga)