On Motzaei Pesach 5751, I was sitting with some fellow shluchim and farbrenging about the special giluyim we had just merited. We spoke mainly about the Rebbe’s letter of 25 Adar which the Rebbe dedicated, in unique fashion, to the wonders that occurred during the Gulf War. The Rebbe wrote that these miracles were more apparent than those of Purim, and added that those who know what is going on behind the scenes comprehend more and more the wonders and miracles.
We thought it was necessary to make a commotion in the world about the miracles that the Rebbe had promised and which had come true in the most astonishing manner. This was the first time that the Rebbe had taken full responsibility and had promised the residents of Eretz Yisroel that they would not be harmed by missiles. After everything he said came to pass, we had to stir up the world about this and about the miracles associated with the Geula and “the year in which Melech HaMoshiach is revealed.”
The idea was proposed that Anash should set up stands in central places where residents of Eretz Yisroel could sign their names to a thank you letter to the Rebbe for his encouragement and for the miracles he predicted. I don’t remember exactly how the discussion developed but I remember that at a certain point one of the Israeli askanim said that a similar idea had been proposed to the Rebbe on Erev Pesach and the Rebbe had said no. So we dropped the idea too.
Less than a week later the Rebbe said the sicha of Chaf-Ches Nissan. After the initial shock, there were discussions among the Chassidim as to what the Rebbe meant by “do all that you can,” and if the Rebbe said that everything he had done until now was in vain, how could we, the Chassidim, succeed?
In the weeks that followed, the Rebbe said that the direct path toward bringing the Geula is by learning inyanei Moshiach and Geula and this is the main thing upon which everything else depends. But in addition to this, based on what I had been discussing in that earlier conversation, I had a “hergesh” that since the Rebbe was about to be revealed as Moshiach, we had to make sure that the Jewish people would accept his malchus in a way of “malchuso b’ratzon kiblu aleihem.” We, the Chassidim, had a job to do, to make the Rebbe beloved to world Jewry.
It was 5751, forty years since the Rebbe accepted the nesius. During this time, the Rebbe acted on behalf of world Jewry on all fronts and in all areas of life, both on a general and an individual level. Entire communities were saved from spiritual and physical extinction thanks to the Rebbe and tens of thousands of Jews around the world benefited from his counsel, blessings and miracles in all areas of life.
The Rebbe gave himself to us from the deepest matters to the simplest, from wondrous sichos and maamarim to responses to letters of preschool children.
The Rebbe gave us the tools to make him beloved to the entire world so that even the simplest Jew who can’t relate to spiritual love could also love the Rebbe.
When he would love the Rebbe and be connected to the Rebbe’s holiness, he would consequently draw closer to all the matters of the Rebbe and keep away from all bad, repugnant things. Someone who loves the Rebbe is drawn to matters of holiness and will be more careful about doing mitzvos, thus hastening the Geula. A person like this will willingly accept the Rebbe’s malchus.
How do you make the Rebbe beloved to world Jewry? First of all, by being a role model, each in his way. Bachurim need to be an example in their davening and learning. And Anash, aside from being an example in davening and learning, can be an example in ordinary daily life. When people see that the Rebbe’s Chassidim behave as the Rebbe wants them to behave, it makes them want to be connected to the Rebbe too.
In addition, we need to talk to people we meet and know and tell them about the Rebbe so that they know who is the leader of the generation and love him. When we feel that this is our role, the Rebbe will help us and put the right words in our mouths for the person we are talking to, to inspire him to love the Rebbe and connect to him.
Perhaps we can say that our love for the Rebbe is in the realm of “Tohu,” but the Rebbe gave us the “keilim of tikkun” so we can pass it forward to every Jew in the world.
When we have the inner certitude that we need to make the Rebbe beloved to all, it will bring about a spiritual change in us as well as in those around us, and when we merit the hisgalus of the Rebbe, everyone will willingly accept his malchus.