Thoughts

Dvar Malchus Shoftim: A Closer Look
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Dvar Malchus Shoftim: A Closer Look

It is known that the Rebbe, in the early years of his leadership, spoke of the importance of learning the most recent sichos in a very exacting way  (“If only Anash, and particularly the Tmimim, would be exacting in my father-in-law the Rebbe’s words, especially his sichos of 5710 and the year before.”).  Let us do just that with two easily overlooked matters in the sicha of parshas Shoftim.

WHO IS THE NOVI?  WHO ARE THE STUDENTS?

In this sicha the Rebbe states clearly that the Rebbeim are the prophets (Novi) of our generation, including the Rebbe himself.  The phrasing, however, demands a closer look.  In section 11 the Rebbe states:

A Novi about whom another Novi testifies about him that he is a prophet — as this relates to the Leader of our generation, and which is continued in the generation after him via his students etc. — he is presumed to be a prophet and this second one does not require investigation [as to whether he really is a Novi or not]…

The Rebbe mentions here a Novi (who benefits from testimony about his prophetic abilities) and another Novi (an established Novi who provides the testimony).  This relates to “the Leader of our generation”, and continued in the generation after him via his students.  We could suggest the following interpretation: “a Novi (the Rebbe Rayatz) about whom another Novi (the Rebbe Rashab) testifies about him that he is a prophet…and is continued in the generation after him via his students (the Rebbe himself)….”  This seemingly fits with the Rebbe’s generally expressed view that the Rebbe Rayatz is the Leader of our generation, and the Rebbe is a continuation of the Rebbe Rayatz.

However, from our perspective the Rebbe Rayatz was the leader of the previous generation whereas the leader of our generation is the Rebbe himself.  According to this perspective, we could suggest an alternative interpretation: “a Novi (the Rebbe himself) about whom another Novi (the Rebbe Rayatz) testifies about him that he is a prophet…and is continued in the generation after him via his students (the Chassidim)….”  The first part fits well, as well as the plural “students” fitting “Chassidim” better than just the Rebbe alone.  But we can surely challenge as to how the Chassidim are to be considered continuing the prophecy — who among us Chassidim holds of himself that he is a prophet?!

To this we can answer that it is stated in Chassidus that in the ultimate future all of Israel will possess prophecy, and although it may presently be concealed from most (or all) of us, we are destined for it (as the first generation of Geuloh).  Furthermore, there might be a hint in section 12, where the Rebbe mentions the Geuloh and interjects the words “the end of the deed was first in thought” (סוף מעשה במחשבה תחילה).  These words might bring the diligent student to recall the Kuntres which the Rebbe distributed earlier this year, on Beis Nissan 5751.  In that Kuntres, the Rebbe brings a moshol of giving tzedoko to a poor man: “the end of the deed” which was “first in thought” is not the actual giving of the tzedoko, but rather that the poor man should accept the gift and use it beneficially and happily.  We might suggest that this supports our second interpretation, hinting that we have been giving tremendous spiritual gifts, including even prophecy!  But it is not enough that this is given to us — we must accept it.  And until we properly accept it, it remains concealed.

[As to the expression “the generation after him”, this is not problematic since more than once the Rebbe expressed himself that there is a 7th Nosi (counting from the Alter Rebbe, or, alternatively, the 9th Nosi counting from the Baal Shem Tov) and the 8th Nosi (or the 10th from the Baal Shem Tov) will be Moshiach.]

THE FOUNDATION STONE CANNOT BE HIDDEN AWAY

In section 12 the Rebbe addresses the eternity of prophets and the Leaders of the generation by likening them to the eternality of the “Foundation stone” (the “even ha’shesiya“) upon which the entire world stands and which is not subject to change:

“…I will provide for you a Novi, etc., like you”, the Leader of the Generation who “is everything” “Tzaddik, foundation of the world”, along the lines of the even hashesiya (Foundation Stone) — which is found in a specific place in this physical world, and exists eternally without change (not even the change of being hidden away (“geniza“), as occurred with the Aron which was hidden away, or anything similar to that), in the way that a judge and a Novi exists (eternally) in every generation….

There are those who like to see this passage as expressing the concept that the Rebbe remains alive (“chai v’kayam”) even after what appeared to happen on Gimmel Tammuz, 5754.   This would seemingly preclude being “hidden away” (even in a state of “chai v’kayam“) in a gravesite, or the like.  [There are other, even more clear, sources from the Rebbe which explain why it is necessary for the Nosi Hador to be physically alive, and the concept is not built from this passage in our sicha].

However, as we proceed to section 13, we find something that seems to challenge our initial understanding:

…the Beis Hamikdash itself (which is built and prepared Above) will descend from Above to below, together with the Kodesh Hakodashim and the Foundation Stone that is in it, from which the entire world is supported.

First the Rebbe tells us that the Foundation Stone is found in a specific place in this physical world, and is so eternal that it can’t even be hidden away.  Then the Rebbe presents us with a challenge: how would this not be a contradiction to the fact that this very Foundation Stone (which is in this physical world) is located in the Kodesh Hakodeshim Above and we need it to descend from Above to below?!  And all the more so we are challenged to understand this “contradiction” in light of the fact that this was given as an example of the eternality of the Novi, the Leader of the generation!

At this point we will not attempt to offer an explanation, only to render a conclusion that seems to be a necessary outcome of the Rebbe’s words.  The conclusion is that there is no contradiction to being “in this physical world” and being “Above”.  If the way we understand those concepts presents a contradiction, then apparently our understanding is flawed.  Because to the Rebbe there is no contradiction, and he can even express this in a single sicha!

For a possible way of “expanding our vessels” and redefining these terms to fit the Rebbe’s usage, we suggest a look at the booklet “Eternal Life of a Soul in a Body” at our sister site MoshiachInDepth.wordpress.com.  The idea is that “this physical world” has various levels, including a dimension which cannot (presently) be discerned.  When we will sufficiently refine our physical bodies and the body’s senses, we will be able to discern these higher and more refined levels of physicality — as we labor to draw down the lofty concepts of Pnimiyus Hatorah into our human intellect through diligent study, this brings about that these higher levels will “descend” into our awareness.  We will perceive that there are aspects of “this physical world” which are “Above” other aspects, which cannot presently be perceived even though nothing is concealing them.

VIDEO: The Poor Man Must Accept the Gift

Based on the Maamar in Kuntres Beis Nissan 5751: The Rebbe gives the moshol of giving to a poor man. The “initial thought” is not the giving of the tzedakah, but that the poor man should accept it and benefit from it, which is not in the power of the giver, only the recipient.

What does this mean for Dor Hashvii and the Rebbe’s assertion that “I’ve done all I can do, now I give it over to you…”

Hakhel Year – a Ketz?
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Hakhel Year – a Ketz?

It's still Hakhel!
The Rebbe says Hakhel continues into Sukkos of the following year!
We still have time to utilize the power of Hakhel...

In a Hakhel year the Rebbe demands from each one of us to be a “Hakhel Yid”: to utilize every opportunity to make Hakhel gatherings of Jews which strengthen Yiras Shomayim, encourage Mitzah observance, and increase Jewish unity.  The Rebbe’s shturem about these activities is known, but why such a shturem?  With a fuller understanding of the subject, we can, with Hashem’s help, give ourselves over to the Rebbe’s inyan of Hakhel with even greater inner chayus (in addition to loyal kabbolos ‘ol).

First, let us note that Hakhel is not a time period, it is an event.  An event which occurs once every seven years in the year after a Shmitta year, the year called Motzei Shvi’is.1  Hakhel is a mitzvah which is performed in the year of Motzei Shvi’is.  By understanding more about Motzei Shvi’is, we can understand better the role of mitzvas Hakhel.

At this point, let us note some of the dramatic events that occurred in Hakhel years:

  • 5713 — all of Russian Jewry was in danger from Stalin’s “Doctor’s Plot“, nd they were miraculously saved upon the sudden death of Stalin as a result of that year’s Purim farbrengen.
  • 5727 — the Jews of Eretz Yisroel were threatened by five Arab armies, and miraculously saw the great victory of Six Day War.
  • 5734 — the deadly surprise attack of the Yom Kippur war, which turned into a miraculous victory (“bigger than the Six Day War” said the Rebbe).
  • 5741 — Eretz Yisroel was facing the threat of a nuclear reactor in Iraq, until the successful bombing of that reactor by the Israeli Air Force.

Also interesting to note that the four times that 770 Eastern Parkway, the Rebbe’s shul, was expanded took place in Hakhel years: 5720, 5727, 5733 (finished by erev Rosh Hashanah 5734, the Hakhel year), and 5748 (the laying of the cornerstone (“even hapina”) for the most recent expansion).  But what’s the connection with Hakhel? Continue reading →

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Thoughts on the 22 Shevat Sicha

In the Sicha of 22 Shevat (which we summarize in the article 22 Shevat: The Ultimate Unification) the Rebbe explains the 3 stages that correspond to the dates 10, 11 and 22 Shevat.  Briefly, they are the stages of:

a) Preparing the recipient (“10”) to receive the great revelation;

b) The initial revelation of “11” itself.  It is in a way where the recipient is elevated up to the level of “11” (rather than integrating it into is own reality). It remains separate from the “11”, but also loses its importance as it is subsumed into the matters of the “11”; and,

c) The ultimate unity, when the “11” is fully revealed in the reality of and in the inyonim of the “10”; they become as one, yet the “10” is neither nullified out of existence nor does it lose its importance.

One can learn these deep concepts and be left wondering what they mean practically.  We will attempt to bring these ideas down, and illustrate what they mean (בדרך אפשר) in the relationship of Chassidim to the Rebbe.

3 Stages in the Avoidah of Chassidim

1)Until Yud Shevat the Chassidim had the avoidah to work on themselves, seichel and midos, to prepare themselves for the Geuloh (עמדו הכן כולכם).  This was the avoidah of the 6th generation, where the difference in the roles of the Chassidim and the Rebbe was emphasized. This avoidah, the preparation of the recipient (“10”),  was was completed upon the histalkus of the Previous Rebbe on Yud Shevat.

2) Beginning with 11 Shevat, the Nesius of the Rebbe מה”מ, the avoidah of the 7th generation begins: the emphasis is not on one’s avoidah with himself, but on one’s task to influence the world around.  This is most pronounced in the inyan of shlichus, where the shliach puts aside the shleimos of his personal avoidah in order to become an emissary and representative of the Rebbe מה”מ.  This matches what the Rebbe says about the “10” being subsumed into the “11”: the shliach’s personal life and interests are subsumed into the Rebbe’s concerns. The shliach and the one who sent him now share a common avoidah, more so than in the previous generation, but it is really the avoidah of the Rebbe into which the shliach is subsumed and thus they remain 2 separate entities;

3) After 22 Shevat the emphasis on Moshiach shifts into high gear, ascending from year to year, with an increasing emphasis on the avoidah being “from their own effort” (בכֹח עצמם), and amazing explanations of the revelation of Atzmus and the unification of the mashpia and the mekabel.  Of course, all this takes on a new dimension after Gimmel Tammuz, when Chassidim are “forced” to proceed without “giluyim” and the Rebbe’s inyonim are now their own inyonim.  The border between Rebbe and chosid becomes increasingly obscured as the Rebbe becomes more and more revealed in the actions of the chosid, yet the reality of the chosid is not nullified.

These thoughts are for your consideration, your own comments are welcome!

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Maamorim: The Big Picture

Interesting to note the sequence of the maamorim that were printed in 5751, the beginning of the year of Dvar Malchus:

Purim — The level of Purim: an awakening that leads to the downfall of the enemies of Israel (Haman, Stalin in 5713 after this maamor was said, Sadaam Hussein in 5751 when it was edited and printed), and ushers in the period of the ascendency of Mordechai, Esther, and the Jewish nation–while still in the place of exile.

25 Adar — The transmission of the essence from mashpia to mekabel, and it’s revelation, occurs specifically without garments (in a simple, Halachic sense, and also the revelations of thought, speech, and action).

Beis Nissan — The act of tzedoko is completed by actually giving money to the poor man; but the initial desire is only fulfilled when the recipient actually accepts the tzedoko and benefits from it.

11 Nissan — Tefilla leMoshe, the prayer of Moshe, is the prayer of a rich man who lacks nothing and possesses tremendous abundance.  If so, then what does he daven for? He davens that Yisroel (Malchus) should realize that they themselves are rich (spiritually, and from that is drawn down wealth into physicality as well).

18 Nissan — According to Halacha, birds require an additional degree of guarding than animals (not only walls, but also a roof) because they are able to “fly away”.  Similarly, the conceptions of the intellectual soul can also “fly away” to undesirable places, and therefore an additional level of caution is required (a degree that is unnecessary while guarding the animal soul).

 

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Some Thoughts on Gimmel Tammuz

Today, walking on Eastern Parkway near 770, I overheard a Yeshiva Bochur explaining to an older woman that the upcoming day of Gimmel Tammuz is “the day the Rebbe passed away in 1994; you see, he is the Moshiach…”

Moshiach is described as transcending paradox (“nosei hafochim“).  We have no greater paradox than Gimmel Tammuz.  On the one hand, it has all the hallmarks of a “histalkus“, which essentially means “disappearance” as in “passing away” (although Chassidus explains that it actually means greater revelation, one which transcends revelation).  A “histalkus” of a Rebbe is the culmination of his leadership, and even though he continues to live on (also in this physical world, and even in a body [as we know that the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid of Mezeritch were present in a bodily form in the Alter Rebbe’s prison cell])—nonetheless, there is an “end of an era”, and a new Rebbe emerges to carry on the mission.

Nothing of the sort happened on Gimmel Tammuz 5754.

The leadership of the Rebbe has not diminished by even the smallest measure, rather, to the contrary—the dedication of his Chassidim is stronger than ever and his leadership is more widely influential than ever.  There has not been a “break” but rather a “continuation” (see the sicha of 28 Sivan).

The Rebbe, in the sichos of Gimmel Tammuz, addresses the previous miraculous events of Gimmel Tammuz:

  1. Yehoshua bin Nun causes the sun to stand still (the sun is the tzaddik of whom it says “the sun sets and the sun rises”—on Gimmel Tammuz the sun did not set);
  2. The Previous Rebbe was redeemed from a death sentence under the Communists and sent to exile.  It was the “beginning of the redemption”, but it was not clear to the Chassidim at the time. [Read further]

The power of our generation, the generation of Moshiach, lies in our ability to “see through the darkness”, to know that even despite all appearances to the contrary the leader of the generation, the Moshiach of the generation “stands and serves” and his leadership is uncontested.  The terminology for this day, and what the Rebbe’s present address is, are not the decisive factors.  Rather, the incontestable focus of this day is the fact that the Rebbe continues to lead our generation, the 7th generation, to greet the true and complete Geulah!

Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu v’Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach l’Olam Vo’ed!

The Main Prophecy of “Immediately to Geuloh”
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The Main Prophecy of “Immediately to Geuloh”

You may have learned the sicha of Parshas Shoftim many times, but you probably never noticed the real meaning of what the Rebbe calls “the main prophecy” of this generation: “Immediately to Geuloh”. Let’s read the original:

There is an instruction to publicize to all the people of the generation that the Holy One, blessed be He, chose and appointed an individual with free choice, who in and of himself is immeasurably higher than all the people of his generation, who will be … the Novi of the generation … who will give advice regarding the Divine service of the entire Jewish people and all the people of this generation, in all matters of Torah and Mitzvos, and as regards the general conduct of daily life … up until — the main prophecy — the prophecy of “immediately to Geuloh” and immediately “behold this one (Moshiach) comes”.

(Dvar Malchus, parshas Shoftim, section 11)

There is much to understand in this short excerpt from the sicha, but we wish to examine one small (or maybe not so small) point. We will focus on the words “the main prophecy — the prophecy of “immediately to Geuloh…”

Continue reading →