Although bittul is something that is required of every Chassid, it is more so for those shluchim who are accomplishing great things, who were entrusted with the tremendous powers of “The emissary of a man is like himself.” * They (actually, us) need to be exceedingly careful to remember that it is all exclusively with the power of the “sender,” and this power is only accessed through the absolute bittul of the shliach to the meshaleiach, and complete obedience to his directives in every detail. * A posthumous article by the venerated shliach, in honor of Yud Shvat.
Editorial introduction: This article was written by R’ Yaakov Shmuelevitz, who published many articles over the years in this publication, about the lives and work of the shluchim. This piece was sent by him in the past, but did not end up appearing in print. In commemoration of his fourth yahrtzait on 8 Shvat, we are publishing this article for the first time in English. May his words serve as a memorial to his devoted service.
One of the values spoken of most frequently regarding the conduct of Chassidim is that of “bittul” (self-nullification). Mashpiim throughout the generations repeatedly emphasized the absolute necessity for a Chassid to be in a constant state of bittul.
The Rebbe MH”M cites in one of his talks the story of a Chassid in Russia on his way home after a lengthy farbrengen. Suddenly, a Russian policeman appeared and called out to him, “Kto idyot” (who goes?), and the Chassid immediately answered, “bittul idyot” (bittul goes).
The verse attributed to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, “My Nile is mine, and I have made me,” represents the antithesis to the concept of bittul. In the Midrash, our Sages interpret this to mean that Pharaoh argued that he made himself, he is divine and the master of the world.
Although bittul is something that is required of every Chassid, it is more so for those shluchim who are accomplishing great things, who were entrusted with the tremendous powers of “The emissary of a man is like himself.” They (actually, we the shluchim) need to be exceedingly careful to remember that it is all exclusively with the power of the “sender,” and this power is only accessed through the absolute bittul of the shliach to the meshaleiach, and complete obedience to his directives in every detail.
In order to illustrate the level of inner bittul that is required of the shluchim, I will quote briefly from a story told at one of the shluchim conferences by R’ Shlomo Cunin, shliach of the Rebbe in California.
Once a Chassidic handyman from Williamsburg was called to the home of the Rebbe on President Street, to do some work. The handyman asked the Rebbe to share with him eppes ah vort (some words of Torah), and the Rebbe obliged by sharing an explanation in the prayer of Nishmas Kol Chai. On the one hand, it says there that “even if our mouths were filled with song like the sea… we would still be unable to thank You…” On the other hand, it says there, “Therefore… and the tongue that You placed in our mouths, they all shall thank, and bless, and praise…” What is not understood from the above is, are we able to properly thank or not?
The Rebbe explained (with a lengthy analogy not presented here) that it depends on the inner sense of the person. If a person thinks that he can succeed with his own powers, “our mouths, our tongues, our lips,” then in fact “we are unable.” However, when he realizes that he is dealing with “the tongue that You placed in our mouths,” “the limbs which You have planted within us,” that everything comes from Hashem’s power, only then can “they all” give thanks and bless Hashem.
R’ Cunin went on to derive the lesson from the story as it applies to the shluchim: Hundreds and even thousands of shluchim have gathered together at the International Shluchim Conference, with each one carrying in his attaché case many success stories from the past year. Before all the stories however, it is necessary to make absolutely clear that anyone who thinks that he is the great success, with his vast wisdom and talents, and he is the one who has wrought all the successes, it is better if he did not share any of his stories. Only someone who understands that all of the successes are solely with the power of the Rebbe (the limbs that You planted within us, the spirit and breath You have breathed into our nostrils…), then that is the real story, the amazing wonder that the Rebbe accomplishes through and by way of the shluchim.
PERSUASIVE HUMILITY
Amram and Yocheved (not their real names), a kibbutznik couple from the north of the country, left kibbutz life behind and lived for a number of years in Hertzliya. Through a sequence of divine providence, they came a number of times to the local Chabad House, where they talked with the shliach and rav of the city, R’ Yisroel Halperin. The conversations were deep and lengthy, but in the end the couple informed the fine rabbi that they were not convinced, and they had decided to continue living their lives as before. The shliach said the following with great sincerity, “If you were not convinced, the fault is mine. Apparently, I did not speak enough from the heart, because the chachomim guarantee that ‘words that go out from the heart, enter the heart.’”
It was specifically that concluding statement which entered their hearts. They were very affected by the modest and sweet response, and it was this statement that ended up influencing the entire course of their lives.
The next stop for this young couple was Rosh Pina. Here again, the humility and bittul of the Rebbe’s shluchim played a decisive role. The local shliach, R’ Shlomo Berkowitz, received a call from a mutual friend, who requested that he deliver a set of matzos to the couple for the Seder night. The friend informed him that he had already offered to bring it to them, but they did not want to take it from him. “Maybe you will succeed,” said the friend, wishing him success.
R’ Berkowitz had to employ no small amount of self-abnegation to go; it is not very pleasant to bring something to people who say that they don’t want it. But a shliach is a shliach, and R’ Berkowitz made his way to their home. When he arrived, the couple was busy outside tending to their garden, and they told him apathetically, “You can leave the box on the window sill.”
In retrospect, it turns out that this brief encounter was the impetus to begin forging a connection between the couple and the Chabad House of Rosh Pina, a connection which continued to grow stronger and deeper. They got to know the Rebbe’s shluchim to the city, R’ Shlomo and Mrs. Berkowits, and slowly but surely they continued to learn and grow closer to Judaism, the community, and Chassidus. Today, they are considered the mainstays of the Chabad community in Rosh Pina.
The couple once told R’ Berkowitz that the thing that influenced them the most to search for their path to Judaism was the statement that R’ Halperin had told them at the conclusion of their last encounter, “If you were not convinced, I am at fault.” At some point, they actually called R’ Halperin to remind him of the forgotten conversation of a decade earlier, and told him, “Thank you, as it was thanks to you that we did teshuva.”