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How
To Drink Like A Chassid Nowadays
By
Rabbi Noam Wagner, rosh yeshiva in Venice, Italy
Question:
Everyone knows the g’zera the Rebbe decreed about drinking mashke.
The Rebbe limited saying l’chaim to four small cups which together do
not even total up to a reviis. Nevertheless, sometimes we farbreng
in a sincere and pnimiyusdike way, full of simcha and life, and we
feel that we simply must take another small cup in order to be further
inspired. Being warmed up can bring someone to accept upon himself good
resolutions to increase his connection to the Rebbe and to dedicate himself more
to the inyanim of the Rebbe, etc.
Perhaps
we could be so bold as to suggest that the additional cups are in the category
of "pikuach nefesh." Do we have to be particular about the g’zera
in this instance? Can’t we apply the rule here that pikuach nefesh
pushes off the entire Torah?
The
Source
of the G’zera
In
the same way we approach every mivtza of the Torah and every Rabbinical
injunction, so must we approach every teaching and takana of the Rebbe
MH"M. Namely, we must fulfill them first with "naaseh,"
we will do, and only then with "nishma," we will
understand. Even if we will never understand why we were so commanded, we will
continue to fulfill these directives out of kabbalas ol and with simcha.
If
there is any confusion in the matter, the source of this confusion is
undoubtedly our limited intellect, which offers reasons to distinguish between
one situation and another, giving rise to misguided conceptions of the holy
teachings of the Rebbe.
The
limitation placed on drinking mashke has been characterized by the Rebbe
specifically as a g’zera (on Shabbos Parshas Chukas 5751): "Chuka
chakakti, g’zera gazarti." A decree is in essence beyond the realm of
reason. Who are we to interject our intellect in an area that is not within our
ability to fathom?
The
Rebbe also said that "this is the touchstone of hiskashrus,"
and, "Whoever thinks that we did not mean him, he should know that we
specifically mean him."
The
Reason
for the G’zera
Although
the Rebbe defined this issue as a g’zera, the Rebbe did not leave it
solely in these terms. Everyone who studies the words of the Rebbe detects a
detailed and deliberate teaching on this topic. The Rebbe does not cover up the
way the earlier generations drank mashke. Rather, the Rebbe speaks about
it and objects to this behavior in our generation. For example, there is the
famous letter on this topic from Igros Kodesh (Vol. 7, page 58 – free
translation):
"In
my opinion, the current situation differs from the situation of previous
generations, when it was a widespread custom to drink mashke in
abundance, in two ways:
a)
The ability is now given to Anash, through the availability of numerous
basic maamarim and sichos which the listeners can understand, for
their conduct to be inspired without the need for much mashke; just a
little will suffice.
b)
Since in most recent times we are all required to spread the wellsprings of
Chassidus outward, there is the possibility that an overabundance of mashke
could greatly interfere…
My
first statement is supported by something I once heard from the Rebbe, my
father-in-law, in Riga, who said, "Ich bin itzter (and the meaning
of ‘itzter’[now] was not for that time only, but for those years
since then, when they began to minimize the consumption of mashke) vi
noch a bisele mashke." (I am now as though after a little mashke.)
The Chassidim are drawn after the Rebbe, my father-in-law, and his intention in
saying that he is now as though after a little mashke is to instruct all
the Chassidim and give them the ability to be in that condition."
The
Solution for Best Adapting to the G’zera
The
best solution to coping with the feeling that one must have more mashke
at a farbrengen in order to be inspired is given by the Rebbe himself.
The Rebbe certainly knows that at times a Chassid feels he needs a little more mashke
to be further inspired (for certainly the g’zera is not only to prevent
indulgence and clowning around, r’l?), and in the above letter (and in
other places) the Rebbe makes it clear: Today we don’t need what the earlier
generations needed. We were given maamarim and sichos which
provide the strength to act, and through them one can attain sufficient
inspiration. In addition, in our time all Chassidim are in a state of being
"as though after a little mashke." In simple words: Review
another sicha, another thought from the Rebbe in the farbrengen,
and you will become more warmed up.
The
Rebbe once replied to one of the Tmimim in yechidus who asked for
special permission to drink more than the limit, as "it would help me in
the ruchniyusdike avoda": "Why do this in a gashmiyusdik
and crude way? You can do this by learning a lot of Chassidus!"
When
we are acquainted with the words of the Rebbe on this matter, it should not
occur to us to categorize drinking more than the permissible amount of mashke
as pikuach nefesh. If there are any circumstances here of pikuach
nefesh, it’s exactly the opposite – pikuach nefesh to
avoid drinking more than the limit. Drinking endangers one’s connection to the
Rebbe. How ludicrous is the thought that disobeying the teachings of the Rebbe
will connect a Chassid more to the Rebbe…
Out
of ahavas Yisroel it is fitting to put the transgressor of the takana,
r’l, in his place. We have to explain to him in words that come from
the heart that the way to be connected to the Rebbe is by observing the takanos
of the Rebbe. Certainly the words will enter his heart and do their job.
**
*
Rabbi
Aharon Eliezer Tzeitlin adds: The significance attributed by the Rebbe to the
observance of the takana of mashke is proven by the following
story – in which I was directly involved.
When
I was learning in yesihiva in Montreal, a few Tmimim, including myself,
made a farbrengen (in the winter of 5733 [1973]) and drank 4 big
cups of mashke – not within the Rebbe’s limit. When the mashpia,
R’ Yitzchak Meir Gurary, found out about it, he called me over and asked,
"How could it be that you transgressed the g’zera like that? Didn’t
the Rebbe say that whoever transgresses the g’zera cannot go on shlichus?"
The words entered my heart because our whole ambition was to merit to be a shliach
of the Rebbe, and here I was endangering my shlichus myself. Therefore,
immediately at the first opportunity I wrote to the Rebbe and requested a tikkun.
I went to 770 close to Yud Shvat, and when I came to the secretariat, Rabbi
Binyomin Klein gave me an answer from the Rebbe about the note I had written:
"He should learn 3-4 maamarim of my father-in-law by heart; at the
very least, the contents. Askir al ha’tzion."
I
immediately asked (through the secretary) if I am ready to go on the shlichus
of the Rebbe to Australia. [At that time, the Rebbe chose the ones who went and
asked them for their consent.] As you know, the answer was in the affirmative.
It
seems to me that perhaps all of this (asking for a tikkun, etc.) restored
my z’chus at the last minute to go on shlichus.
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