"That
They May All Call Upon the Name of the L-rd"
By Rabbi Levi
Yitzchok Ginsberg
An
amazing new project is now in the works – a Sheva Mitzvos kit
for non-Jews, designed to implement the Rebbe MH"M’s
directive to spread awareness of the Noachide Laws and help bring
about the true and complete Redemption.
As
the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach explained on Shabbos Parshas VaYeishev
5752, publicizing present-day miracles has a direct effect on
hastening the Redemption.
Moreover,
"It is precisely the service of the exile that brings about
the Geula…with the affairs of the world itself and the
gentile nations assisting" (Shabbos Acharei-Kedoshim
5751). Noting that it is commonplace nowadays to see non-Jews
involved in charity and humanitarian projects, the Rebbe also
stated, "This should reveal to an even greater extent how the
[entire] world can help establish a dwelling place for G-d in the
lower realms and bring about the Redemption."
With
this in mind I begin my story, one that illustrates how Divine
providence is virtually "taking us by the hand" and
leading us towards Moshiach Tzidkeinu…
It
all started a few years ago in the winter of 5755, when I was
asked to give a shiur on the weekly Dvar Malchus in
a very unusual place: at a lunch stand in the middle of a bustling
shopping strip in central Eretz Yisroel. According to the bachur
who approached me, the organizer of the shiur was a
successful Israeli businessman with a nearby office. A sincere and
warmhearted Jew, he had recently become devoted to the Rebbe
MH"M, and chose this unconventional location to attract
people who would not otherwise attend a shiur in Chassidus.
This was my first contact with the person this story is about.
The
shiur was held every Friday for several years, up until the
kiosk was sold and came under new management. The crowd it
attracted was eclectic, with Jews from all walks of life studying
the Dvar Malchus.
The
businessman’s return to Yiddishkeit had actually begun in
Sydney, Australia, after a Shabbos spent with the Rebbe’s shliach,
Rabbi Feldman. Later, back in Eretz Yisroel, his local shliach
had guided him even closer to the Rebbe. In time, he became one of
the most enthusiastic supporters of his Chabad House, and brought
many people back to Yiddishkeit and to the Rebbe MH"M.
At
that time, I was involved in printing and distributing the weekly Dvar
Malchus. No matter when I called him – morning, noon, or
night – he was always ready and willing to help with the heavy
boxes and drive around in his car.
Two
years before, in 5753, the shliach in his city had
suggested that he attend the g’virim’s yechidus, which
would require him to commit himself to making a large donation to
Machne Yisroel. He was hesitant to do so, as his business was then
in state of flux. He decided to ask the Rebbe and follow his
advice.
Back
in 5753, the Rebbe was answering questions by nodding his holy
head. When Rabbi Groner asked him if he should participate in the yechidus,
the Rebbe nodded his head yes very vigorously. Nonetheless, my
acquaintance insisted that Rabbi Groner pose the question again,
and explain that he was reluctant to commit himself at a time when
he was suffering financially. He also asked for a bracha
that he become a g’vir in the physical sense. Again the
Rebbe nodded his head in the affirmative.
My
acquaintance signed the contract promising to make the donation,
traveled to New York with his local shliach, and attended
the yechidus.
Unfortunately,
when he returned to Eretz Yisroel his business began to nosedive
in earnest. One loan followed another, until the banks refused to
extend any more credit. His once thriving business collapsed, and
he was left with a huge amount of outstanding debt. For several
years he was in and out of court, and liens were placed against
everything he owned. Eventually he found himself not only
penniless but unemployed.
It
was during this period that he and I became very close. With a lot
of free time on his hands, he devoted himself to Mivtza T’fillin
and brought many Jews closer to the Rebbe. I made many efforts to
help him find a job, but nothing every came of it.
One
day the man’s wife came up with an idea: As his name was already
tarnished in Eretz Yisroel and potential partners were afraid to
do business with him, he should go to America. The rest of the
family would follow once he had established himself there. A
distant relative in New York was contacted, who promised to help
him find a job.
Rabbi
Chanzin, with whom my acquaintance had meantime grown very close,
was adamantly opposed to the idea. Hashem can provide a person
with parnasa anywhere in the world, he told him; why did he
think it would be any easier in New York? But the man’s wife was
insistent that he give it a try.
When
I was asked for my opinion, I told him that I was unqualified to
even have one and suggested that he write to the Rebbe. Although
he usually wrote to the Rebbe himself, on this occasion he
insisted that I compose the letter.
The
Rebbe’s answer through the Igros Kodesh astounded us. The
letter was addressed to a Jew who had wanted to go to New York to
look for employment. The Rebbe pointed out that even in New York
there are more applicants for jobs than positions, and asked him
what he would accomplish by encountering the same problem there as
he had in Eretz Yisroel!
As
far as I was concerned, the Rebbe’s advice was cut and dried,
but my friend’s wife insisted that she "didn’t hold from
the Igros Kodesh." What she wanted was money on the
table, and she strongly urged her husband to make the trip.
At
that point, the two of them came to me to help them borrow money
for the ticket. I explained that given the Rebbe’s clear and
unambiguous answer to their question, I didn’t think the trip
would be beneficial. They decided to write to the Rebbe a second
time, despite my protestations that it wasn’t necessary.
In
the letter they opened, the Rebbe wrote that he didn’t
understand why they were being so stubborn by insisting on leaving
Eretz Yisroel! How many others had already taken the same path and
failed?
Well,
that was the end of that plan, which was quickly scrapped. But
they still faced the pressing problem of parnasa…
Then
my friend came up with an idea of his own: He would buy a car and
start working as a taxi driver. After overcoming many obstacles,
he obtained a loan and purchased a small van. Thus began his new
career, at which he worked from early morning until late at night.
My
friend wasn’t content to leave well enough alone. The
"millennium" was fast approaching, and Eretz Yisroel
would soon be filled with foreign tourists eager for an authentic
Jewish souvenir. Why not use it as an opportunity to spread
awareness of the Seven Noachide Laws, given by G-d in our holy
Torah through Moshe Rabbeinu?
Indeed,
this is one of the main functions of Moshiach, who, as the Rambam
writes, "…will correct the entire world and bring it to
serve G-d, as it states, ‘For then I will convert the peoples to
a clear language, that they may all call upon the name of the
L-rd, to serve Him with one accord.’"
As
Chassidim, we know that there cannot be belief in G-d without
belief in "Moshe, His servant," the Nasi of our
generation, the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach. The Rebbe spoke on
countless occasions about the merit and responsibility each of us
has to prepare mankind for Moshiach’s arrival.
It
was then that my friend came up with a practical and unique way to
do this: Why not put together a special souvenir "kit"
explaining the significance of the Sheva Mitzvos along with
a small bottle of the Rebbe’s mikva water? The
accompanying explanatory material would explain how the Noachide
Laws are the vessel for receiving the Rebbe’s blessing. (The
Rebbe’s water was chosen to avoid potential problems with yayin
nesech if wine were used, or any problems involving chametz
with lekach or mashke.)
The
kit would be sold for a small fee rather than given out for free,
to increase its value in the eyes of those who purchased it. When
a person buys something with his own money, the feeling he gets is
different than if he receives it as a present. The result would be
that his desire to fulfill the Noachide Laws would stem from his
own free will, rather than as a favor to anyone…
The
project was enthusiastically endorsed by many rabbanim and mashpiim,
among them Rabbis Chanzin, Gluckowsky, Ashkenazi, Wechter, and
Wilshansky, and many blessings were obtained from the Rebbe
MH"M through the Igros Kodesh and farbrengen
videos.
The
plan took several months to implement as consultations commenced
with manufacturers, graphic artists, and other professionals. Much
of the material for the brochure was chosen from the writings of
Rabbi Avi Taub, which were produced under the close scrutiny of
Rabbi Marlow, o.b.m., and edited by the Rebbe shlita
himself.
The
brochure was printed in eight languages: English, French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, German, and Italian. (Translations
into eight more languages have been completed, but more funding is
needed to publish them.) The next step involved marketing and
distribution.
To
make a long story short, the Rebbe’s miracles have accompanied
this undertaking every step of the way. Every time the project
threatened to run out of money, funding would suddenly appear from
an unexpected source. Countless technical problems have been
miraculously overcome. At one point, when the only financial
solution seemed to be eliminating one of the workers’ jobs, an
answer was received from the Rebbe about how much the Torah urges
us to avoid causing pain to a fellow Jew! Throughout it all, the
Rebbe has found his own ways to give us answers and guidance. The
open hashgacha pratis has been unbelievable.
One
answer, on pages 271-272 of Volume 10 of the Rebbe’s Igros
Kodesh, reads as follows:
…I
was very distressed to read that your financial problems are
causing you to experience spiritual difficulties. It is very
surprising to me that a ben Torah and a woman from a
Chassidic home would be thus affected by a monetary problem. For
not only is the magnitude of the problem doubtful, but the entire
difficulty is itself transient in nature. Our Sages gave the
analogy of a wheel, and as my father-in-law, the Rebbe, explained,
when a person finds himself at the very lowest point, G-d forbid,
it is a sure sign that the wheel is about to turn upward…G-d
forbid that you should become depressed over this matter, for it
would surely have an adverse effect on your service of the
Creator.
In
another answer, the Rebbe wrote (Volume 18, page 135):
…May
G-d grant blessing and success to everyone who participates [in
the above] in all his individual needs, enabling all to work with menuchas
ha’nefesh, gladness of heart and tranquility of mind, in a
manner of "ascending in matters of holiness"…leading
to the fulfillment of G-d’s promise, "And you shall spread
out to the west and to the east, and to the north and to the
south."
Following
an answer of the Rebbe to consult with friends, a meeting was held
with Chassidim who are also savvy businessmen. As a result of the
meeting, it was resolved to continue working on the project with
renewed efforts, and to start contacting shluchim around
the world.
Every
shliach in Eretz Yisroel and elsewhere has non-Jewish
acquaintances who must sometimes be presented with tokens of hakaras
ha’tov. The Sheva Mitzvos kit does not fall into the
category of bestowing presents on gentiles, as it enables the
nations to fulfill their purpose in the world, strengthening their
faith in the Creator and in Moshe, His servant.
In
truth, every member of our generation has been appointed a shliach
to spread the wellsprings outward, disseminate awareness of the
Noachide Laws, and prepare the world "to greet Moshiach
Tzidkeinu in actuality" – "the only service that
remains."
This
will lead to the immediate revelation of the Rebbe shlita
as Melech HaMoshiach, and the time when all voices will cry
out as one, from all corners of the world – in Italian, German,
French, and Japanese:
"Yechi
Adoneinu Moreinu V’Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach L’olam Va’ed!"
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