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As
Of Yet, The Rebbe’s Life Work Remains Unfinished
By
Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Ginsberg
The
mashpia Reb Mendel Futerfas related the following:
Rebbetzin
Rivka, the wife of the Rebbe Maharash and the mother of the Rebbe
Rashab, was an exceptional woman even among the other Chabad
Rebbetzins. (In fact, Rebbetzin Rivka is the namesake of all the
Bais Rivka girls’ schools around the world.) With her
outstanding midos she personified mesiras nefesh,
and was a living example of what it means to truly care about
one’s fellow Jew.
Throughout
her life, Rebbetzin Rivka was always helping the needy in one way
or another. Whenever her husband, the Rebbe Maharash, returned
from abroad, he always knew that he would have to redeem the
jewelry she had pawned for some special cause. She was especially
devoted to helping poor families celebrate their simchos.
When
Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim was founded, Rebbetzin Rivka took upon
herself the welfare of its students. She personally oversaw the
preparation of meals, and made sure that every bachur had a
place to sleep. She would also frequently inquire how each student
was progressing in his studies.
From
the time he was a young boy, the Rebbe Rayatz, in accordance with
his father’s instructions, would visit his grandmother every day
and ask her to tell him a story. Many of these stories are
revealed in the Rebbe Rayatz’s sichos kodesh and in his Memoirs.
When
Rebbetzin Rivka learned that one of her sons had gone into
business, contradicting her husband’s stated desire that all his
children remain in the four cubits of Torah, she was heartbroken.
For several days and nights she wept and could not be consoled.
As
time passed and she was still grief-stricken, someone asked her
why she was so distressed. “Where’s your head?” he wanted to
know. “Even when your husband passed away and orphaned all of us
Chassidim you didn’t cry as much! Why is it taking you so long
to recover?”
Answered
the Rebbetzin, “How can you compare the two? When my husband
passed away, it was the will of G-d; G-d determined that his histalkus
must occur at such and such a time, even if he was still
relatively young. I, therefore, cried only as much as the Torah
prescribes for mourners. Now, however, my son is doing something
that is against G-d’s will and against his father’s wishes, so
I cannot be consoled…”
*
* *
The
concept of histalkus, the passing away of tzaddikim,
is expounded upon extensively in the Torah and in the works of our
Sages. The pain and grief upon a tzaddik’s departure is
described as being more difficult than the destruction of the Beis
HaMikdash. Nonetheless, when a tzaddik passes away, it
is clearly in accordance with Divine will.
A
verse in Shir HaShirim is used as an analogy: “My beloved
has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to pasture his
flock in the gardens, and to gather roses.” The tzaddikim
are the roses whose time has come to be gathered. By Divine
decree, the tzaddik’s soul departs from his physical
body, although it retains a certain degree of connection to it
(which is why it is customary to daven at a tzaddik’s
grave). From that point on, the tzaddik begins a new stage
in his avoda, as his neshama ascends from one
spiritual level to the next.
This
phenomenon, although painful for those who are still alive, is
nevertheless a necessary step in the historical progression toward
the final Redemption. It signifies that the time has come for a
new tzaddik to arise and illuminate the world with his own
particular revelations.
The
tzaddik who passed away, of course, is not gone, G-d
forbid, but continues to exert his influence on the world. In
fact, the tzaddik’s effect on the world after his p’tira
is “stronger than during his lifetime,” as explained by
Chassidus in various places.
It
is for this reason that those who study the esoteric dimension of
Torah do not excessively mourn the passing of a tzaddik.
They recognize that, rather than being a negative phenomenon, the
passing signifies the culmination and perfection of the tzaddik’s
life on earth. Our Sages declared, “The day of death is better
than the day of birth.” The sum total of the tzaddik’s
actions and teachings coalesce and illuminate upon his histalkus,
and “effect salvation in the midst of the earth.”
*
* *
Everyone
understands that something unusual occurred on Gimmel Tammuz. No
one accepts that a natural event transpired. Even those who refer
to Gimmel Tammuz as a hilula do not believe that the
Rebbe’s function as nasi ha’dor ended on that date, G-d
forbid, and that another tzaddik must now arise to take his
place.
In
other words, no one seriously considers that the Rebbe’s avoda
was completed on Gimmel Tammuz. The Rebbe’s avoda will
only be finished when the one objective he set for himself – the
full and complete Redemption in the literal sense – has been
attained. All Chassidim eagerly anticipate the day when the Rebbe
will again be visible to our physical eyes.
Whatever
disagreement there is centers on exactly what happened on Gimmel
Tammuz: Was the event that occurred meant to be taken in the
literal sense, or are we supposed to continue referring to the
Rebbe as shlita? Do we perform all the minhagim
customary on a hilula or dispense with them? Yet everyone
is in agreement that there is only one nasi ha’dor.
Everyone knows that our current situation is only temporary and
short-lived, and that at any moment the Rebbe will rise up like a
lion to usher in the Geula.
Anyone
with a modicum of intelligence can understand that the usual
explanations of histalkus and hilula simply don’t
apply. It is obvious that the Rebbe’s life work remains
unfinished; the only completion of his service is the actual final
Redemption before the eyes of the world.
*
* *
In
the last few weeks I’ve written about the question of
whether of not it is advisable to write shlita after the
Rebbe’s name. I’ve also pointed out that the question is only
technical, as it actually revolves around our understanding of
what a Rebbe is in general, and the Rebbe shlita in
particular.
First
of all, however, we must consider the message we are trying to
convey to the world.
In
the usual order of the world, when a person gets sick, we accept
it as a natural phenomenon. We go to a doctor, we investigate the
cause of the illness, and we follow the doctor’s instructions.
At the same time, as believing Jews, we know that “a person
doesn’t move his finger below unless it is announced up
Above.” Everything that happens in the world is according to
Divine providence, down to the smallest detail. Whatever occurs in
the physical world is only a reflection of the spiritual reality
in the higher spheres. That is why we derive a lesson in Divine
service from physical phenomena, and seek to fix their underlying
spiritual causes by checking our tefillin and mezuzos,
etc. Nonetheless, the Torah requires us to work within the natural
order, as well. In effect, we attack the problem on two levels
simultaneously.
But
this is only in usual cases. The Midrash says that Moshe
Rabbeinu’s speech was impaired as a child when he burned his
mouth with hot coals, and we understand that this is only how it
appeared externally. For Moshe Rabbeinu is essentially above
nature, and the rules that apply to the average Jew do not apply
to him.
As
the Rebbe MH”M explained in the famous sicha of Shabbos
Parshas Bo 5752, based on the Alter Rebbe’s explanation in Torah
Ohr, the fact that Moshe Rabbeinu was “heavy of speech and
tongue” was not due to a simple speech impediment. Rather, the
G-dly light of Moshe Rabbeinu was too intense to be clothed in the
physical world, as the process of separating the sparks was not
yet complete; his speech was, therefore, in “exile.” However,
G-d assured Moshe that “I (Anochi) will be with your
mouth,” as he needed the power of G-d’s essence to be able to
convey His message to the world at large.
[In
Likkutei Torah, the Alter Rebbe explains Moshe Rabbeinu’s
being “heavy of speech and tongue” as an advantage (!),
comparing it to the revelation of the Messianic era. See chapter
on BaMidbar 7:2]
The
Rebbe explains that G-d’s special assistance to Moshe Rabbeinu
was temporary and incomplete, as the world was not yet ready to
absorb such an intense revelation of G-dliness. (According to
Divine plan, the lower spheres would first have to be purified in
order to fully permeate creation and have a lasting effect.) At
the giving of the Torah, Moshe Rabbeinu was momentarily cured, as
the revelation of “Anochi,” G-d’s essence, at Sinai
rendered the world sufficiently refined to be able to accept it.
However,
since the revelation at Sinai came from above rather than below,
it did not endure or permeate the very lowest levels of creation.
(For example, Mount Sinai did not retain its holiness after the
Torah was given.) The world would have to wait several thousand
years for the Jewish people to complete their avoda.
Therefore, the Moshe Rabbeinu in every generation would continue
to appear to be ill or imprisoned, up until the last generation,
the eighth generation from the Baal Shem Tov, when the Rebbe
Rayatz was also “heavy of speech and tongue.” The simple
reason was that the process of separating the sparks had not yet
been finished.
This,
however, is not the case, the Rebbe continues, in our generation,
the ninth generation from the Baal Shem Tov. We are the last
generation of the exile and the first generation of the
Redemption. The avoda of the Jewish people has come to an
end, and “even the buttons have been polished.” We are
completely ready to greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu; the concept of
“heavy of speech and tongue” no longer applies; and the
transition to the eternal life of the Geula will occur
without interruption.
[Author’s
note: Why will we experience eternal life in the Messianic era?
Because the phenomenon of death, and indeed all limitations on
life, are the result of the sin of the eating of the Tree of
Knowledge. In the Messianic era all sins will have been corrected,
and the world will return to its former status and even higher. As
the process of separating the sparks has already been completed in
our generation, the transition to the eternal life of the
Redemption is imminent and will be unimpeded.]
What
does all this mean? When we perceive the Rebbe as ill or limited
in any way, despite the fact that we are required to work within
the natural order and consult physicians, etc., we know that the
phenomenon is spiritual rather than physical. For his own reasons,
the Rebbe has taken upon himself a certain tikkun, but the
use of the terms “illness” or “confinement,” in the usual
sense, do not apply.
As
related in Basi L’Gani 5711, the Mitteler Rebbe once
showed a Chassid his arm and said, “‘My skin is shriveled upon
my bones,’ and all because of the sins of your youth! My
suffering is because of your transgressions.”
The
words in Chapter 53 of Yeshayahu, “He shall see his seed, he
shall prolong his days,” referring to Moshiach, come right after
the prophet’s description of Moshiach: “Surely he has borne
our sicknesses, and carried our sorrows; yet we deemed him
stricken, struck by G-d and afflicted.” As the prophet
continues, when it will appear as if Moshiach is “cut off from
the land of the living,” we must remember that he is “stricken
for the transgression of my people.” Yet Moshiach himself is
essentially “elevated, lofty and exceedingly exalted” and
beyond all imperfection.
Even
after Moshiach has willingly placed himself within the confines of
the natural order, in accordance with G-d’s desire for a
“dwelling place in the lower spheres,” he completely
transcends all limitations. His essence and strength remain the
same, and, as the prophet concludes, “He shall see his seed”
(which is numerically equivalent to “zaro ba’chayim –
his seed is alive”), and “he shall prolong his days”
(numerically equivalent to “shlita”).
This
is the literal explanation of the sicha of Shabbos Parshas
Shoftim 5751, where it is explained that the Rebbe exists in
every generation without alteration or change, or even in a state
of g’niza (latency or concealment). The Rebbe is never
hidden or concealed. He is always where he wants to be and does
exactly what he wishes to do, even when it appears as though he
has subjected himself to certain limitations.
*
* *
In
all of these sichos the Rebbe was not expressing a wish or
a desire, but telling us the way things truly stand at present.
The Rebbe’s every word is true, his promise is a promise, and
his prophecies are true prophecies to be understood in the literal
sense. Every utterance of the Rebbe has been and will be
fulfilled, for “By Your holy Name, You have sworn to him that
his light will never be extinguished forever and ever.”
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