WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE AGE TO START TEACHING ABOUT MOSHIACH?

Dear Reader sh’yichyeh,

We have discussed on many occasions the importance of learning the Sichos of the D’var Malchus (Nissan 5751 – Adar 5752), which are filled with the Rebbe’s instructions to us about living with Geula and Moshiach. There are two sichos (Acharei – K’doshim and Emor) that explain at length what Geula is really all about. Both those sichos are based on the premise that the only difference between the word גולה and גאולה is the letter “א”.

This teaches us that defining גולה as the opposite of גאולה is a superficial way of relating to it; rather with a deeper perspective it ought to be viewed as part of the process of גאולה. The way we reach Geula is through our Avoda in Galus, when we are building the dwelling place for Hashem in this world. The major change that will take place when the Galus is over is that the “א”, representing Hashem, will be revealed in the world. At that point, we will see the truth and purpose of creation. We will be freed from our exile mentality and everything will be in sync with its true purpose of serving Hashem.

In the Sicha of Acharei-K’doshim 5751, the Rebbe uses this understanding of Geula to teach us a few very important lessons:

We should not be afraid of Geula. There are many people that have a fear: What will be with all the accomplishments done during the time of Galus? There is nothing to worry about: All positive things will come with us from גולה to גאולה; they will just be elevated to a higher level in which the truth will be revealed.

We should not detach ourselves from the world, with the reasoning that we are now giving up on the world and focusing on bringing the Geula. The Geula will be in this world! We need to reveal the inner G-dliness that exists within the world and within each creation of Hashem. We need to work harder so that the Jewish people should do all the Mitzvos and learn Chassidus and the non-Jews should accept and fulfill the 7 Mitzvos that B’nei Noach are commanded.

In the Sicha of Emor (5751), the Rebbe explains three levels in the “א” that needs to be brought into the world:

1 – The level of אלופו של עולם: This refers to revealing in the world that Hashem is the true Master and Creator of everything. When Hashem created the world, He did so in a way that it conceals its creator. Our first job is to reveal that truth to the world. When that is accomplished and the world recognizes Hashem as its Creator and Director, then we have brought the גולה (world) to the first stage of גאולה.

2 – The level of אולפנא – אאלפך חכמה אאלפף בינה: This is a more transcendent level of G-dliness that will be revealed in the world. The first level mentioned above is to reveal the level of Hashem in which He lowered Himself to create of the world. The second level of Avoda is to reveal in the world a much higher and deeper level of G-dliness, a level in which Hashem transcends the world. How do we reveal this? Through the learning and spreading of Torah (which will be revealed after the first level of Geula), for Torah transcends creation.

3 – The level of אלף אותיות פלא: This refers to revealing the essence of Hashem. This level is the deepest and most wondrous level. This level is accessed through learning the secrets of the Torah that will be revealed in the times of Moshiach. Through learning and internalizing the secrets of the New Torah of Moshiach – “תורה חדשה מאיתי תצא”, we will merit the revelation of the ultimate “א” and thus merit the ultimate גאולה. To prepare for this level of revelation, we need to start learning and spreading the secrets of פנימיות התורה, especially the way it was explained starting from the Rashbi and in Chassidus Chabad.

Let us focus on a famous HaYom Yom (8 Adar 1) that describes a conversation that took place when the Alter Rebbe hired a Melamed for his son, the Mitteler Rebbe: “The Alter Rebbe once summoned a young disciple of the Maggid [of Mezritch]. Speaking in his customary singsong, he said: ‘I am charged with the commandment, ‘And you shall teach them to your children,’ and you are charged with the mitzvah of providing for your family. Let us exchange tasks. I will provide you with what you need to fulfill your mitzvah, and you will teach my son’ — who was the Mitteler Rebbe.

“The Alter Rebbe then gave him a study plan: ‘First, you should teach him the letters of the alef-beis. What is an alef? A point above, a point below, and a line in between. That makes an alef. A child must know that the first principle of the Torah is a yud above, a yid below, and a line of faith that connects them.’ Or, according to another version: ‘The yud above is the soul, the yud below is the body, and the line in the middle is the fear of Heaven.’”

There is obviously much to learn from this HaYom Yom. Firstly, we learn the about the personal responsibility that we have for the chinuch of our children: “I am charged with the commandment, ‘And you shall teach them to your children,’” and that one must be actively involved in their chinuch. As we learned in another HaYom Yom (22 Teves): “My father proclaimed at a farbrengen: Just as wearing t’fillin every day is a Mitzva commanded by the Torah to every individual regardless of his standing in Torah, whether deeply learned or simple, so too is it an absolute duty for every person to spend a half hour every day thinking about the Torah-education of children, and to do everything in his power – and beyond his power – to inspire children to follow the path along which they are being guided.”

We also see the importance of being in touch with the Melamdim of our children. It is not enough to make sure that our children have a chassidishe Melamed and chassidishe education, which is of course essential. We must also be aware and a part of what is being taught. Not just regarding the big things, even the small things, like teaching the letter “א” must be permeated with chassidishkait. We should be part of that chinuch.

But most importantly, what can we learn from this HaYom Yom, which goes through great detail in identifying and explaining what is an aleph, about our avoda of changing גולה to גאולה?

I would like to mention two things, although I am sure that there are many more:

1 – The importance of teaching children that they can change גולה לגאולה at a very young age cannot be emphasized enough! There are those who think that in the early years of education we should just focus on the basics of Judaism, while the purpose of creation – changing גולה לגאולה – does not have to be discussed with young children. We can see from this HaYom Yom that in addition to teaching “א” we teach “what is an א”! We teach the children that all it takes to change גולה לגאולה is to bring “א” into the world.

Children in our generation are very receptive to the message of Moshiach. We have the Ko’ach of the Rebbe, who said about himself that “since the days I went to cheider and even before I started thinking of the world and the way it will be in the times of Moshiach,” to instill an excitement about Moshiach in our children at a very young age.

As the Rebbe told us (Simchas Torah 5752), “According to our Sages, the verse ‘Do not touch My anointed ones (Meshichoi)’ refers to the children who study Torah.” One of the explanations of this statement (in addition to those provided by the commentators) is that the education of school children must be carried out in such a way that the children are completely permeated with the ideal of Moshiach. Just by looking at a Jewish child, what should one see? Moshiach! His entire being is “Moshiach,” the realization of “You have been shown… there is none beside Him.”

2 – Bringing the Geula, revealing the ‘א’ in the world, starts with revealing the ‘א’ inside of ourselves. We all have a “the yud above is the soul, the yud below is the body,” and we must connect them with “the line in the middle is the fear of Heaven.” When we bring Geula to ourselves, a גאולה פרטית, by having our Neshama permeate our physical body and existence, we connect with Hashem. “A child must know that the first principle of the Torah is a yud above, a yid below” and with that line of faith that connects us to Hashem we will bring the גאולה כללית, the time of ימות המשיח when the world will be והיתה ה’ המלוכה with the revelation of our Rebbe as Moshiach, right away!!

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