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Seifer
HaSichos 5700
Translated
by Rabbi Shimon Neubort
15
Adar Sheini, Shushan Purim 5700
Today
marks seven days since I — guided by Divine Providence — set foot on
American soil. My purpose [in coming here] is to make America into a
place of Torah and fear of Heaven, in the spirit of Tomchei Tmimim
Lubavitch. Today is also the seventh day since the decision and the
establishment of Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch of America.
The
Sages said (Midrash Rabba, VaYikra 29:11), “All sevenths
are cherished.” Now, Shabbos is the seventh day, and the most
cherished of all days of the week. This is so on two levels: There is
Shabbos as it is already “Sanctified and set” (Beitza 17a),
and there is the Shabbos that results from “One counts six days, and
observes the seventh” (Shabbos 69b).
There
is a great difference between Shabbos as it is “sanctified and set,”
and Shabbos that results from “counting six and observing the
seventh.” Shabbos as it is “sanctified and set,” is G-d’s gift
to us Jews — “I have a precious gift hidden in my treasury, and
Shabbos is its name” (Shabbos 10a); Shabbos that results from
“counting and observing” is the human Shabbos. But the principle of
“all sevenths are cherished” applies to the “count and observe”
Shabbos equally as to the “sanctified and set” Shabbos.
Now,
following the six days of labor in the field of establishing Yeshiva
Tomchei Tmimim of America, I am able to feel the “all sevenths are
cherished.” Praised be G-d for what has been accomplished (bli ayin
hara) during the first six days. The cornerstone has been laid at a
favorable time for what we hope will be the great and prosperous
building to house the Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch.
I
am not merely satisfied, I consider myself fortunate with the number of
students who have entered the yeshiva. Quantity, whether large or
small, plays no role at all with regard to G-d’s Torah and the Jewish
religion. “Avraham was one” — our forefather Avraham, the first
Jew, was only one single person, but he was a “One” Jew. He
constantly bore in mind the “G-d is One,” and he constantly spoke
everywhere about G-d is One. This is what is meant by “Avraham was
one” — Avraham was a “One” person, through and through. And from
this single One person, there came to be very many (may their numbers
increase). And every single individual member of the Jewish nation
possesses part of the One treasury belonging to our forefather Avraham.
Our
master the Baal Shem Tov says that “Your beginning is limited” is,
in a certain respect, the foundation of “Your end will flourish
greatly.” The Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim of America opened its doors in
the spirit of “Your beginning is limited,” without fanfare, without
noise, in a very small shul, and with only a few students (may
they live and be well). But I am fully confidant that — in
consideration of the merits and blessing of my holy ancestors, and the
prayers of our holy Nasi, my saintly father, the Rebbe — in the
unexpectedly near future, the Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim of America will
fulfill the promise of “Your end will flourish greatly.”
Not
only will the students of Tomchei Tmimim (with G-d’s help) raise the
glory of Torah and Torah scholars in the United States and Canada, but
Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch will set the tone for all the previously
existing Orthodox yeshivos.
*
* *
Purpose
and accomplishment are two separate entities. This subject is thoroughly
explained in one of the maamarim I wrote during the eighty-one
painful days of the Gehinnom in Warsaw. The substance of this
topic is that a person’s avoda must be done with a certain
purpose. But what is accomplished thereby, depends on G-d’s help in
the person’s avoda, to accomplish the purpose.
In
Brachos (17a), Rava says, “The accomplishment of chachma
is teshuva and good deeds.” The purpose of a person’s avoda
in the area of chachma must be that the Torah’s wisdom should
have an effect on him. Then, Divine help intervenes in this matter, and
causes the accomplishment of teshuva and good deeds. Through
this, the person’s avoda allows him to reach the highest levels
in accomplishing his purpose.
“Purpose”
consists of two general levels: the general purpose, and the specific
purpose. The [Alter] Rebbe gives examples of purpose with regard to mitzvos.
The general purpose is that the desire and power of mitzvos are
the same for all commandments in general; the specific purpose is
different for each individual mitzva, depending on what that mitzva
entails.
There
is a G-dly purpose to the creation of man and the descent of the soul
into the body. This purpose also has two levels, the general purpose and
a specific purpose. The general purpose is that the soul should
illuminate the world with the light of Torah; the specific purpose is
different for each individual soul — it is the specific avoda
set out for that soul. Each individual soul has a specific mission in
this world, which that soul must accomplish. All matters of Torah and mitzvos
that the person does serve to illuminate for him the purpose for which
G-d sent his soul down to this world.
In
one of the holy maamarim that the [Alter] Rebbe recited for the
students of the First Cheider (note: when Chabad Chassidus was first
established, the Alter Rebbe organized the young scholars of outstanding
abilities into classes, and he taught them Torah HaChassidus.
Each of these classes was called a cheider. To be admitted into
the First Cheider, one had to be thoroughly versed in Talmud, Midrash,
Ikkarim, and Kuzari, and to be familiar with Zohar. See HaTamim,
Vol. 2, Avos HaChassidus, Ch. 12.), during the year 5536 [1776]
(in those days, the Rebbe recited short maamarim), he said:
Each
soul has some mission it must accomplish here in the Lower World. This
is the general purpose of the descent of the soul into the body. Each
soul also has a specific mitzva and a specific midda that
it must refine. This is the essence of what Rav Yosef asked Rav Yosef
berei de’Rabbah (Shabbos 118b): “In what [mitzva] was
your father most careful?” Now in truth, we must not sit and weigh the
mitzvos of the Torah [to determine which is most important; see
the sicha of Purim, Part 4, in Beis Moshiach, issue 214;
so why should Rabba have been more careful in one mitzva than in
another?]. What Rav Yosef was asking is, “which mitzva caused
him to shine [a play on words: the Hebrew and Aramaic word zahir
means both “careful” and “shining”]? That mitzva was
Rabba’s specific personal mitzva.
The
specific purpose of each individual person is his personal “Gate to
G-d” [as Tehillim puts it], or his “Gate to the Most High” (as the
Zohar puts it). The function of a gate is for entrance and exit. The
specific purpose of one’s gate is as the portal through which all the mitzvos
a person fulfills, all the Torah he studies, and all the good character
traits and ahavas Yisroel the person manifests, can ascend to
G-d. The gate of a person’s specific purpose is also the portal
through which the bounty of blessing is drawn down from Above, in both
spiritual and material matters.
* *
*
The
Chassid Reb Abba Persahn (see a brief biography in HaTamim, Vol.
6) related what he had heard from his father-in-law’s father-in-law,
the Chassid Reb Zev Volf Villenker, in the name of his brother, the
Chassid Reb Moshe Villenker. Towards the end of 5537 or the beginning of
5538 [1777], when the Alter Rebbe established the Second Cheider, the
Alter Rebbe himself would sometimes go into the beis ha’midrash
where the married scholars and the bachurim were studying. From
time to time, the Rebbe would deliver an arousing sermon to the
students. The Rebbe’s words of arousal created an opening for chaya
and yechida to [exert an influence upon] nefesh, ruach,
and neshama. This had an effect not only for that moment — it
became engraved forever.
Reb
Moshe related: “Once, the Alter Rebbe came to us in the beis
ha’midrash, took a seat on a bench at the northern wall, and fell
into a dveikus trance. A short while later, the Rebbe opened his
holy eyes, and declared:
“Shma
Yisroel — Hear this, Yidden; the word Bereishis is beis
reishis [i.e., the world was created for two purposes] for the
Torah, which is called reishis, and for the Jews, who are called reishis.
Bara Elokim — G-d created the world in order to repair the
original tzimtzum, and to reveal the purpose of the name Elokim.
Through avoda, the Light of Ein Sof that precedes tzimtzum
should be drawn downwards.
“This
short maamar lent the students an inner vitality in their
learning, and this is the general purpose of the descent of the soul. It
also applies to each student in his specific avoda.”
*
* *
I
am not at all naive about the difficulty of establishing a Yeshiva
Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch in America. In Poland, and even in Lita, a
Torah person and yeshiva student could be recognized even by his
outward appearance. He was not ashamed of his Jewish facial features
[i.e., his beard], and made no attempt to hide it. But in the United
States and Canada, the Torah person and yeshiva student tries to
do everything possible to appear outwardly the same as everyone else.
Certain of the rabbanim hide their Jewish face [i.e., they shave
their beards], and some of the yeshiva students are embarrassed
by their Jewish appearance. Thus, wearing tzitzis, peyos,
and beard is a trial to them. This situation makes it very difficult to
establish a Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch. Nevertheless, I am certain
that the truth will triumph.
My
holy ancestors — my father, grandfather, great-grandfather (Tzemach
Tzedek), the Mitteler Rebbe, the Alter Rebbe — did not come to
America. But since it was my fate that I should come to America to
establish the Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch in America, my holy
ancestors and our holy Nasi (my saintly father) came here with
me. They will continue their holy work, to the good fortune of the
students, the roshei yeshiva, the mashpiyim, and the
administration, so that it will be with extraordinary success in the
spiritual and material realms.
My
children! You are fortunate to have the great privilege of being
students of the holy Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitch. May G-d grant to
you and to your future classmates good fortune. May the wish of our holy
Nasi be fulfilled in each of you, that “All who see them shall
recognize that they are the seed that G-d has blessed.”
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