TO REVEAL THE KING
For Elul, when the king goes out to the field and graciously receives the populace, we farbrenged with R’ Elozor Kenig, mashpia in the Chabad community in Natzrat Ilit and a popular speaker, about recent events and the message we Lubavitchers are mandated to publicize. * About the war, about people being inspired, about anticipating the Geula.
The war, in which we all saw daily miracles, has ended. What message should we learn from these events?
In this war, everyone saw the hand of G-d. The great thing which occurred in this war is that everyone opened their eyes and began openly mentioning the name of G-d. We heard soldiers, officers and senior commanders, speak less about “kochi v’otzem yadi” (my power and the strength of my arm) and more about the shield that protected them in the form of tzitzis, t’fillin, or a T’hillim that they received before they went to the front lines.
We heard this talk about miracles more and more from people on the Left and in the media. Furthermore, this time, the government did not broadcast its might even once. They did not say things like, “The terrorists will see what the Israeli government will do to them.” What stood out was confusion and a constant search for how to get out of this mess and finish the job as quickly as possible. They looked for mediators or voices from the US or the UN to announce a ceasefire. They waited for a miracle.
But there is a negative aspect in that they capitulated to what the nations would say.
True, but if we look at it positively, in this war, for the first time, the “kochi v’otzem yadi” was broken. In the famous conversation that the Rebbe had with Moshe Katzav, the Rebbe told him that it was preferable for gentiles to rule over Eretz Yisroel than for Jews to create a chilul Hashem. We see that the Rebbe was not frightened by gentiles, such as the Americans, for example, ruling over Eretz Yisroel, because that would not entail the element of chilul Hashem.
We saw how the president of Egypt stood up to Hamas and spoke in a demeaning tone to them, something that the Israeli government would never dare to do. The Rebbe was unfazed by goyim. What constantly pained the Rebbe is that Jews who believe in G-d and His Torah desecrate G-d’s name by capitulating to the goyim and being ready to give up land and make concessions.
In one of the sichos, the Rebbe explains that one of the things that the Rebbe Rayatz greatly feared during his incarceration, as opposed to the Alter Rebbe who was not fearful, was being in the hands of Jews. A Jew has free choice to do things that go counter to G-d’s will. In contrast, the Alter Rebbe was in the hands of non-Jews and a goy does not have free choice.
That a Jew has free choice and can go against G-d’s will is something that was subdued to some extent in this war, in that they did not boast about their power. Rather, they waited for things to work themselves out from Above. This was the talk during the war, about the miracles and wonders all around us.
We Lubavitchers can “relax,” apparently, for everything is happening as the Rebbe wants it to be. The Rebbe said to talk about miracles and that is happening. The Rebbe wants t’fillin to be put on with soldiers, and today, not only Chabad, but other groups are doing it too. Everyone gives out T’hillims. That is the big miracle that occurred. The Rebbe wants everyone to know that these miracles are from Hashem and to introduce the aspect of G-dliness into all these things.
FOCUSING ON THE GOEL
Now that we’ve reached this point, what’s next?
We see that everything the Rebbe said to do is being done today. But now we come to an entirely new dimension.
Today, everyone, everywhere, talks about miracles. Now we need to move on to the stage where we announce that everything that is going on in the world is thanks to the Moshe Rabbeinu of our generation; to remember and remind others that the going out of Egypt was not just an ordinary redemption. It was Moshe who took us out of Egypt, split the sea and gave us the Torah. These are not heavenly events but events that are being done by Moshe Rabbeinu. Hashem could have taken us out of Egypt, split the sea for us, and given us the Torah without Moshe, but Hashem wanted everything to go through Moshe so that Jews would connect more to these miracles that came about through a human agent. Hashem wants there to be a memutza ha’mechaber (connecting intermediary) who will announce, “The time for your redemption has arrived.” When it comes from the Moshe of the generation, it’s different.
Where do you see a source for this in the sichos?
In the last sicha that the Rebbe said to the shluchim, the Rebbe said there is one avoda that remains, to be mekabel p’nei Moshiach. Not just to teach Jews that there is a G-d in the world, for that was done throughout the years and the avodas ha’birurim was finished. The Rebbe asked that this be brought down to the personal level – that there is a Navi and there is already a Goel in the world, and he is the one who says, “Everything I did, I did for your sake.” This is the sole remaining avoda.
Today, we Lubavitchers have one avoda that the Rebbe asked us to do, not so much to publicize that there are miracles, for that is something everyone is doing, so too with putting on t’fillin, even in Mea Sh’arim there are people who invite Jews for Shabbos meals in order to be mekarev them. All the other groups made fun of us throughout the years, and now they are doing wonderful kiruv work. That is the Rebbe’s big victory.
What remains for us to do now, to complete the final stage of Geula? “He points with his finger and says, ‘behold, this, Melech HaMoshiach comes,’” i.e. that they transform all aspects of Geula to something tangible and this is done when we know that Moshiach is already in our midst and we know who he is.”
PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF THE GEULA BECAUSE THEY DON’T KNOW WHO MOSHIACH IS
What’s wrong if, for the meantime, people don’t know who Moshiach is? The main thing is to believe that the Geula is coming, no?
One of the things that scares people is not knowing, and in this case, who Moshiach is. There are people, observant Jews, who learned the subject and live in fear of the Day of Judgment when Moshiach will come. They don’t want him coming so fast. They are afraid that he will expose them. Others learned that Moshiach will wage the wars of Gog and Magog, will avenge here and avenge there, and so on. This scares them.
However, when they know who Moshiach is, it immediately reassures them, for one of the marvelous things about the Goel is the love that he showers upon the Jewish people, as we saw with Moshe Rabbeinu his great love for every Jew. In fact, he was specifically chosen for this role because he was a compassionate shepherd of his flock.
So too in our generation, when they know – as the Rebbe requested – that it will be in a manner of “pointing with his finger and saying,” and they understand that Moshiach is the Rebbe, they will relax. There are so many Jews, not Lubavitchers, who passed by the Rebbe for dollars and saw his great love for every Jew, how he looked upon every person as a diamond. The Rebbe never “revealed the sins” of anyone; on the contrary, he only uplifted, supported and encouraged.
The people we still haven’t reached are those who are afraid of the Geula. This fear will disappear when they realize that the Rebbe is Moshiach.
This idea can be better appreciated when we look back to when we left Egypt, for “as in the days of your going out of Egypt I will show you wonders,” in the future.
Let’s go back for a moment to the days when there was the Plague of Blood. A Jew could have been happy that the Egyptians were being punished, but he could still feel bad for remaining in servitude. But the minute we look at this differently and know that this isn’t just a Plague of Blood, but that Moshe Rabbeinu the Redeemer is the one who brought about the plague as part of the Geula process, and he is the one who will be taking us completely out of a life of slavery, then the Plague of Blood is far more significant.
Those who realized that this is part of the Geula process, then, even before the Plague of Blood, when they were given the Besuras Ha’Geula, danced and rejoiced. But those who did not get it constantly lived in fear. They were in opposition to Moshe and remained so even after the Geula because they remained slaves in their souls. Why? Because they did not attribute the process to Moshe.
This is the biggest problem for a Jew who wants to connect to Hashem but without Moshe as the intermediary. We need to work on the only avoda that remains, to publicize that we are not merely in the Geula but the Goel himself stands on the roof of the Beis HaMikdash and says, “humble ones, the time of your redemption has arrived.” This is the Geula that Chazal and the prophets and the sages throughout the generations looked forward to; the time has come. It’s already happening.
When we speak about an existing Goel, it makes it more tangible than the generic prayer “and a Goel will come to Tziyon speedily in our days, amen.”
GRATITUDE TO THE REBBE
How vital is it to proclaim about the Moshiach in our generation?
There is a reason why the Rebbe called it the final avoda, because it’s the purpose of it all.
I’ll go back again to the period of the first Geula from Egypt. Certain segments of the Jewish people did not feel the impending Geula because they did not have the sense that it was Moshe who was redeeming them. Even the 250 heads of the Sanhedrin in the desert scoffed at the idea of priestly gifts for Aharon, for they challenged the very notion of Moshe’s leadership. But when we know that Moshe is everything, things look different.
In our generation too, there are many people today who talk about Geula and they end every talk with wishes for the Geula, but by us, the idea is more tangible and real. When we hear the Rebbe saying “humble ones, the time for your redemption has arrived,” “and why are you afraid? why are you scared? Everything I, Melech HaMoshiach, have done, I did only for your sakes,” it takes on a real world tangibility.
So yes, of course we can speak directly to Hashem, but when there is Moshe Rabbeinu whom we can talk to, experience his presence, go visit, that allows us to experience the reality of Hashem through the “man of G-d.” This is the gift that Hashem gave us in every generation; he provided tzaddikim whom we can approach and from whom we can get answers, encouragement, etc. To know that there is a human being, a Goel that Hashem already chose.
Another point that should be stressed is, one of the worse things is ingratitude. Over the years, there were Chassidim who wrote to the Rebbe about their problems, but when things worked out they forgot to tell him. The Rebbe called them “tzaros Chassidim.” They contacted him when they needed him, but not when things went well.
Someone wrote to the Rebbe suggesting that perhaps the Rebbe was annoyed with him. The Rebbe responded in a letter, “if only they attributed all the good things to me.” People don’t know that all the good things are from him and he, Moshe of our generation, who stands between Hashem and the people, provides the entire world with goodness and blessing, materially and spiritually.
Let’s look at the positive terminology that the Rebbe always used. While others speak about how low this generation is, the Rebbe says that this generation deserves all the material plenty. The Rebbe asks in that letter that people know where the plenty comes from, through him.
Hashem also wants the bond with Him to be a bond of thanks, and it’s not just happenstance that Chazal obligated us to recite one hundred blessings a day. If we really used this positive connection to Hashem through the thanks of one hundred blessings, we would not have to turn to Him with undesirable matters.
THE MONTH OF ELUL – TO KNOW THE KING
How does Chassidus look at the month of Elul?
In connection to what we were talking about, this idea is a central theme in Elul too. It is not a scary month. Chassidus took the fear out of Elul, for the king smiles at us throughout the month. Although we are about to face a judgment of who will live etc. we have a whole month to prepare in which we meet the king every day and he shows a smiling countenance to all. It puts a chayus into Elul; it’s a different Elul.
How was Elul viewed before Chassidus and what was the Alter Rebbe’s chiddush?
Elul had no chayus. We know that Chai Elul, the birthday of the two great luminaries, put chayus into the month of Elul. Before the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe, there was no chayus in Elul; they looked at Elul in the most simplistic terms, that there is a king who will make an accounting of every action and they trembled like fish in the sea. Before the Alter Rebbe, the emphasis was on fear (distance), not closeness and connection. In avodas Hashem too, there was trembling and awe, the opposite of a smiling countenance. The service of Hashem was with awe and not with ratzon.
Chassidus innovated that the month of Elul is the pinnacle of closeness of Hashem and the Jewish people, and the Jewish people can impact Hashem as it were, to accomplish the loftiest matters which are unattainable the rest of the year.
THE REBBE BROUGHT DOWN TO THE WORLD HIGH LEVELS OF EMUNA
How important is it to go to the Rebbe for Tishrei?
As we said, the basic idea is to remember and live with the Moshe Rabbeinu of the generation and to know that everything comes through him. The Rebbe is not just a meilitz yosher (advocate) who stands between us and Hashem, but through him come all the divine hashpaos.
Therefore, in this month when decisions are being handed down regarding so many hashpaos in the areas of children, health and parnasa, and spiritual matters too, of course, this is the best time to go to the Rebbe and to ask him for all these important things. Although the Rebbe is everywhere etc., it is important to know and remember that the Rebbe said 770 is the mikdash me’at of our generation and it is Beis Rabbeinu Sh’B’Bavel from where everything begins.
It is amazing to see that the bachurim, who never saw the Rebbe, have such a desire to go to the Rebbe with the understanding and deep faith that a Chassid needs to be in 770 for Tishrei because the Rebbe is there. That is where the encounter takes place of “I am to my beloved” and “my beloved is to me.”
Moshe was delayed by only six hours and they made the golden calf, while we in our generation have a Moshe who has tarried for years and not only haven’t we given up hope and looked for a golden replacement, we have children who are investing mighty efforts into connecting to Moshe Rabbeinu and specifically in his place, 770. Throughout the year they increase their learning, they learn things by heart and work in camps, in order to earn more, so they can go to the Rebbe, because that is where the Rebbe is!
The Rebbe says in his sichos that the highest level in the connection between “I am to my beloved” and “my beloved is to me” is the level which transcends both of them. This is the level of the yechida and this is the level that is revealed today. You see it today by Jews who are not confused, despite the concealments.
Let us look at them, at the children and bachurim and girls who come to the Rebbe, an army of faith, what joy in life, what learning by heart! You want to see the revelation of the yechida? Thousands of children in our day know twelve chapters of Tanya by heart. It’s amazing! The mashpia, R’ Shlomo Chaim Kesselman asked this only of special bachurim while my wife, a preschool teacher, has little kids who know four chapters of Tanya by heart.
The Rebbe drew down this ko’ach into the world, such emuna, such t’mimus, this is the level that the Rebbe says is above “I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me.” It is the level of the essence of the soul that is shining forth. Only Moshiach can provide such treasures. He is making it all happen. So when you know that this is the case and it is tangible and real to you, then you live the Geula.
Our generation is not just a generation that sees miracles, like during the war, for the entire history of the Jewish people is replete with miracles. What then, is the chiddush of our times? That Moshe Rabbeinu in our generation is the one who is making it all happen.
Will this idea find expression in the Geula itself?
Certainly. The main thing that will be seen in the Geula is how a Jew prepared a home for Hashem. All the revelations of the future will be thanks to our actions now.
This is the idea which the Rebbe asks of us, “do all that you can,” because this is what we will see in the Geula – what you did in order to bring the Geula.
In one of the sichos, the Rebbe Rayatz explains the words, “for we hope for your salvation all day,” that “we hope” is from the root meaning lines, our actions are sort of lines that draw down illumination and life from above. In the future, everyone will see the house for G-dliness that he created through the lines that he drew from above to below. Who taught us this? Who gave us the strength to bring down the Sh’china? Moshiach himself, the Moshe Rabbeinu of our generation.
There can be a situation, like Moshe says, “and Hashem did not give you a heart to know and eyes to see, etc.” But the Rebbe makes all this possible for us and says, open your eyes and point with your finger, “hinei zeh Melech HaMoshiach,” what can be greater than that? This is so fundamental to the whole idea of emuna. When you look at it this way, it’s altogether different.
THE GUESTS LIVE AND GIVE LIFE!
Can you tell us the central idea which should be with us as we approach Rosh HaShana?
We mentioned the connection with Hashem, “I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me,” and this is a bond of thanks and gratitude. We can say that Hashem also expects us to repay Him in kind. Hashem can grant us everything except, as it were, crowning Himself on Rosh HaShana. He wants us to coronate Him.
The blowing of the shofar is not just “shana tova” but a coronation; we coronate Him anew. That is the essence of the bond that is so wondrous between us and Hashem and with Moshiach. All the material and spiritual things pass through Moshiach of the generation who also asks for your participation and needs the lines that you draw, so that you bring him down into this world.
That is our Tishrei, when we see the bachurim by the Rebbe, those who welcome him, those who give life to the king, Moshiach.
It used to be that people went to 770 in order to receive chayus. Today, they also go in order to bring life to 770. Dovid HaMelech needs to receive his life from the people. The residents of Crown Heights say to us guests, “You give life to 770, you give life to the community.” This is the life that we give back to the king and like the Rebbe says in the sicha of Beis Nissan 5748, the proclamation of Yechi adds life to Moshiach.
This idea also appears in the Rambam where he says that the Jewish king is the heart of the nation, the heart and not the mind, because unlike the mind which constantly affects all the limbs and does not need to receive anything in return, the heart also needs to receive so it can continue to give life to the body.
This is our expression of gratitude to the Rebbe, adding chayus to him and crowning him again with the acceptance of his malchus and by listening to his instructions.