Dear Reader sh’yichyeh,
This article is being written as we are finishing this special and successful year of 5776, the year of Hakhel. On 28 of Elul 5748, the end of a Hakhel year, the Rebbe asked that the Chassidim should still use out the last moments of that special year to do activities of Hakhel (Toras Menachem 5748 Vol. 4 page 380).
We ought to recall the story that the Rebbe told on Shabbos Noach of that year: There was once a young man who was inspired to give Tz’daka. He wrote to the Frierdike Rebbe that he accepted upon himself to give a certain amount of Tz’daka. That amount was well beyond the current means of that individual. However, over the course of time, new opportunities of livelihood arose and he was able to make good on his commitments. The Frierdike Rebbe said the following: It is not a coincidence that the opportunities came to him after his special resolution to give Tz’daka. Rather, because I saw the commitment of this individual, “we had to open new channels” of bracha for him.
In that Sicha, the Rebbe says that the same applies to the campaign of Hakhel, gathering and uniting Jewish people and inspiring them in their connection to Hashem. There are many of us that feel that we are limited in our ability to be involved in the campaign. The limits can be internal (e.g. we feel shy) or external (we are busy or have financial limitations). Yet the Rebbe assures us and all Jewish people that if we extend ourselves, the Rebbe will open new channels of brachos for us and our families!
Throughout the year, we have shared many lessons on this platform regarding this special and unique Mitzva. Most of those lessons were from the Sichos of the Rebbe of the year 5748, when the Rebbe spoke so strongly and so often about Hakhel.
We mentioned last week that the Mitzva of Hakhel was not supposed to remain a once-in-seven-years event; rather the Yiras Shamayim that the Yidden received by joining the entire Klal Yisroel in the Beis HaMikdash was supposed to permeate their being.
This is evident in the text of the Torah (D’varim, Parshas VaYeilech) that discusses the Mitzva of Hakhel: “Assemble the people: the men, the women, and the children, and your stranger in your cities, in order that they hear, and in order that they learn and fear the Lord, your God, and they will observe to do all the words of this Torah. And their children, who did not know, will hear and learn to fear the L-rd, your G-d, all the days that you live on the land, to which you are crossing the Jordan, to possess.”
Based on the above, it is clear that the lessons that we learned throughout the year should also continue to stay with us as we finish this very special year and prepare for the next. Therefore, I felt that it would be beneficial and appropriate to review and summarize some of the lessons that we learned.
1. Complete focus on serving Hashem: Every person has a unique personality and special qualities. Some are more outgoing and aggressive (“men”), others are more nurturing (“women”) and some are still developing and growing (“children). We must gather and focus all our varied energies to serve Hashem.
2. Having large families: The concept of having many children and investing in their education is truly connected to Hakhel. One of the unique things about Hakhel is the fact that even the children are included in the Biblical commandment. Everyone is obligated to go hear the Torah from the king in the Beis HaMikdash. Not only are they included, but they are a vital part of the Mitzva. Conventional logic dictates that if someone has a smaller family, he is able to invest more into each child and that would raise the chances of this child going in the ways of Hashem. Yet we find that from all of our Patriarchs, it was only regarding Yaakov that the Torah relates to us that all his children went in the ways of Hashem! (Sicha of the 6th night of Sukkos 5748)
3. Everyone getting a letter in a Seifer Torah, and also buying and learning from new s’farim: The idea that people join from around the world to unite through a Torah is very much connected to Hakhel. This is evident in the P’sukim of Hakhel (D’varim 31:10): “Then, Moshe commanded them, saying, “At the end of [every] seven years, at an appointed time… you shall read this Torah before all Israel, in their ears. Assemble the people: the men, the women, and the children, and your stranger in your cities, in order that they hear, and in order that they learn and fear the L-rd, your G-d, and they will observe to do all the words of this Torah” (Sicha 5 Teves and sicha in honor of Shloshim of Rebbetzin). In addition, we must learn from all different parts of Torah.
4. The bond between the king and the nation: We discussed at length the unique connection between the king and the people. While on one hand the king is “the heart of the nation” and brings the brachos of Hashem to the people, his chayus comes from the people.
The following interesting story was told over by the Frierdike Rebbe. The Tzemach Tzedek was deeply involved in learning the sugya (topic) of aguna (a woman who is “chained” to a husband who has abandoned her or who went missing). He was well known for his successful efforts to help many agunos out of this terrible predicament. Two of his sons and his son-in-law entered and they all began discussing this topic with the Rebbe in great depth and with great scholarship. After a while, one of them exclaimed (regarding the Rebbe’s incredible grasp of the halachos, etc.), “Look at the great power of the brachos of chassidim!”
“Indeed,” said the Rebbe, “when the simple chassid, Reb Elya, out of full and sincere love, blesses me in bentching (‘HaRachaman Hu yevareich es Adoneinu…’), it produces spiritual fruits in the heavens which are then drawn down and benefit me to an incredibly powerful extent.”
We must strengthen our Hiskashrus and acceptance of the kingship of our Rebbe. This will enable him to take us out of Galus. In the words of the Rebbe (Chaya Sara 5752): “It is known that ‘in every generation an individual descended from Yehuda is born who is qualified to be the Moshiach for Israel,’ and that ‘one who qualifies because of his righteousness to be the Redeemer and when the time arrives G-d will be revealed to him and send him, etc.’ And according to the announcement of my sainted father-in-law, the leader of our generation, the singular shliach of our generation, the singular Moshiach of our generation, everything has already concluded. It’s understood that there has begun to be fulfilled the ‘send now the one You will send,’ the shlichus of my sainted father-in-law. And therefore it’s obvious that the only thing that now remains in the work of shlichus is to greet our righteous Moshiach in actual reality, in order that he should be able to fulfill his shlichus in actuality and bring all the Jews out of exile.”
5. Unity: The most obvious and important impression is the feeling and spirit of unity that we developed this year. These relationships that were strengthened by our Hakhel gatherings and activities must continue to grow and be nurtured. Just as this year we all felt the need to go out of our comfort zone to find and unite with other Jews, regardless of background or other differences, we should continue to have that feeling always.
Dear Chassidim! This idea to keep strengthening unity is especially relevant and important for Adas Chassidim. It is the unity of Chassidim that will lead us out of Galus. In the words of the Rebbe at the Farbrengen of 13 Nissan 5726:
“The Tzemach Tzedek travelled to Petersburg to participate in the infamous rabbinic gathering convened by the Russian government. In the presence of all the assembled he forcefully opposed the representative of the Crown in a manner that constituted outright rebellion.
“Upon his return home he was asked by a certain prominent individual: How could he have placed himself in mortal danger? Even if the Rebbe did not think of his own welfare, he should have nonetheless been concerned with the welfare of Chassidim and Klal Yisroel!
“The Tzemach Tzedek responded with two answers: He has his sons. And secondly, the brotherly love of Chassidim will see them through till Moshiach.
“Now with respect to us, inasmuch as there are no children… the second option is left for us, and Chassidim therefore will unite and break through all the barriers of the doubled and redoubled darkness of galus.”
Another Sicha that speaks about the power of Ahavas Yisroel as a preparation for Moshiach (Matos Massei 5751) tells us this: “As mentioned, this directive of Ahavas Yisroel is particularly relevant at present, for we now need to accustom ourselves to the spirit of the Redemption. Previously it had been explained that an emphasis on Ahavas Yisroel was necessary as a preparation for the Era of Redemption. Since the exile came about because of unwarranted hatred, we would nullify the reason for the exile by spreading love among our people. This in turn would cause the exile itself to cease.
“Since, however, to borrow an expression used by the Previous Rebbe, we have already completed all the spiritual service necessary to bring Moshiach, to the point that ‘we have even polished the buttons,’ we can assume that the reason for the exile has also been eradicated already. At present, therefore, the emphasis on Ahavas Yisroel comes primarily as a foretaste of the Era of the Redemption.”
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.