Archive for the ‘chassidus Page’ Category

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SIMPLY LOVING THE TORAH

Saturday, February 4th, 2012

A chassid of Reb Yankele Ishbitzer, one who suffered terribly under the Communist regime in Siberia, once stated that the sole inspiration he had during those dreadful years was the kiss of Reb Yenkele Ishbitzer. He explained that every night, the Ishbitzer Rebbe would teach a deep shiur in Gemara from midnight to four in the morning. And in spite of this chassid’s religious attendance, he recalled virtually nil of the concepts mentioned. Of all those shiurim, there was only one recollection: At the conclusion of every class, his Rebbe would close the Gemara and give it a gentle kiss. Those scenes, claimed the chassid, remained embedded in his memory, and more than anything else, those gentle kisses of the Ishbetzer enabled him to persevere through all the trials of Siberia and kept him a proper Jew.

Apparent in the simple kiss of Reb Yankele Ishbitzer was a genuine, deep love of Torah.  The Gemara (Sotah 22B) brings a parable to depict the dangers of exile on a Jewish soul. It speaks of a traveler walking in unsafe areas at night, threatened with all sorts of perils.  A mitzvah, explains the Gemara, protects such a traveler like a candle- only a percentage of the possible dangers melt away. Torah, however, protects the traveler like the light of the sun.  With the rising of the sun, all the possibilities for harm on a dangerous road disappear, because the road becomes entirely illuminated. Torah, like the sun, warms, protects, and enlightens the whole of a Jew.

However, many Jews today experience difficulties in learning – whether because of time constraints or mental limitations. It seems unfair, therefore, that a Jew’s basic survival hinges on whether they’ll appreciate the beauty of learning. And especially suffering from such issues are the youth. Back in the day, only the cream of the crop would continue learning full-time past their teenage years and become Torah scholars.  Everyone else would be wedded by the ripe age of 16 and work for a living. Nowadays, the general Jewish public doesn’t get married until their early twenties, and many are sitting in the yeshiva classrooms feeling as though they’re serving a prison sentence. What will be with their light and protection? How can we expect such students to become true Lovers of Torah?

The holy Tanya addresses this issue.  In Ch. 36, the Alter Rebbe explains that the whole purpose of creation is to create a dwelling place for G-d– to unite God’s Infinite Light with the physical world. If so, questions the Alter Rebbe in Ch. 37, why is the study of Torah paramount to all other commandments? If the ability to create a dwelling for G-d lies in elevating the physicality of the world, why does learning the Torah reign supreme?

To clarify, the Alter Rebbe explains the following:  a ‘dwelling place’ is the concept of a home. The walls and bricks of a home are crucial for a proper dwelling, but above all else, the decisive aspect of a home for a man is his wife. The Jews, as a nation, are G-d’s wife.  So while the Mitzvot draw G-d’s infinite light into the world’s physical shell and thereby transform it into G-d’s actual dwelling, the Jews become G-d’s wife through the study of His Torah. It is then that we infuse His infinite light, his supernal wisdom, and His very essence into ourselves. For this reason, King David says in Psalms, “Your Torah is in my intestines.”  When one learns Torah, one ingests it. It becomes part and parcel of one’s flesh and blood, and nothing and no one can ever take it away.  

That is what the kiss of the holy Ishbitzer represented.

The supremacy of Torah does not lie in the enjoyment of its mental gymnastics. The supremacy of Torah learning lies in its ability for Jews to establish our relationship with our husband. It is about us loving our union with G-d.

The Gemara in Berachos states that a Torah Scholar of faulty lineage is awarded higher acknowledgement than an unlearned High Priest.  The Rebbe elaborates upon this ruling. When one enters into the Holy of Holies, explains the Rebbe, one is walking into the infinite light of G-d. When one studies Torah, however, one draws G-d’s infinite light into one’s very own self.

With G-d’s help, we will take advantage of the Chassidic approach to Torah learning and make ourselves and our surroundings proper dwellings for Hashem. And with that accomplished, we will merit to witness the revelation of Moshiach, when the brilliance of the sun will shine for us and transform the night of this exile into the ultimate daylight of redemption. Rabbi Braun is a mashpia in Jerusalem with extensive experience in teaching chassidus to both men and women.  His weekly shiur on Tuesday nights at 8:30 at the Mayanot Synagogue draws from stories and teachings of a variety of Chassidic movements as illuminated by the Torah of Chabad.


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MAN AS A TREE OF THE FIELD

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

Even though Tu b’Shevat is the New Year for trees, we nevertheless mark this day as a festive occasion for ourselves as well.  We refrain from reciting Tachanun, and partake of a traditional meal which includes the fruits of the tree.  This custom is based on the verse: “For a man is a tree of the field” (Deut. 20:19). The festival of the trees is therefore very much connected with us as well.

The Gemara asks: “How is it that man is a tree of the field!?”  (Ta’anit 7:1).  It then proceeds to answer its own question by citing two apparently contradictory verses which both precede and follow the original verse respectively. One reads: “For from it you shall eat, and you shall not cut it down.”  Whereas the other reads:  “It you may destroy and cut down.”  Interprets the Gemara:  “Relative to a Torah scholar who is considerate – from him you shall eat (learn Torah).  If (he is) not, that one you are to destroy (flee from).”

From a simple perspective then, the verse (“for a man is a tree of the field”) is seemingly nothing more than a parable.  Yet the fact that the Gemara has concerned itself with its question reflects how the tree somehow inherently embodies the very essence of man.  Ironically therefore it is the tree (deriving as it does from a vegetative source) which symbolizes man (the ‘speaker’).

 

CONNECTION TO THE SOURCE

The distinct advantage of the tree over man (as well as over

the animal) is that the source of its life force is not hidden.  All of

creation derives from the ground as stated in Ecclesiastes 3:20: “All are from the dust.”  Yet only vegetation openly reveals this state fully for  all to see.  It is constantly connected to the ground and derives its sustenance from it.  If we were to detach its roots from the earth, it would soon die and decay.

In this way, we come to recognize how vegetation epitomizes the idea of a continual connection between life and the source of its life force.  This applies all the more so to trees in that they continue to bear fruit year after year while enduring the changing temperature (unlike the various types of vegetation which wither and die at the conclusion of their particular season).

 

MAN’S TEST

Chassidic teachings explain that man’s soul consists of the ‘speaking,’ ‘animal,’ ‘vegetative,’ and ‘inanimate’ elements of creation.  The inanimate elements in the soul are represented by letters; the vegetative elements are the character traits (or feelings); the animal elements are the intellect; and the speaking elements are the essence of the soul itself – the very source of speech.

Yet interestingly enough, the primary advantage of man lies in his connection to the vegetative elements in his soul –his feelings.  Our feelings and personal attributes convey more than anything else the essence of what makes us human.  The primary emphasis of our personal interactions with others is based on the feelings generated by the relationship – with a lesser focus on the interplay of intellect and speech.  We can’t help but feel affection for a good-hearted, warm, honest, and decent individual.  So we find that our feelings are always united with our soul in the same way that the vegetation is always united with its life force in the ground.

Our primary task in the world is not so much to develop the mind as it is to refine our character traits.  When we do so, we succeed in additionally repairing our soul in that our personal traits are intimately connected with the soul.   The advantage of the intellect lies solely in its ability to influence the heart.

Now we can better understand the verse describing man as a “tree of the field.”  In the same way that a tree’s essence is symbolized by its connection to the ground, so too man’s essence is symbolized by its connection with his character traits.  A Torah scholar is not measured by his knowledge, but rather by his decency as a human  being.  Only once his character has been properly refined does the Torah scholar become a receptive vehicle for “from him you shall eat” – from him shall you learn.  (translated & adapted from Sichat HaShevuah, Darchei HaChassidut)


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TOWARDS A NEW DAWN

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

In one of his public talks regarding Beis Nissan, the yahrzeit of the Rebbe Rashab (the fifth Rebbe of Chabad), the Rebbe pointed out that there are two aspects to the passing of the Rebbe Rashab. The first is that “all his effort… for which he toiled throughout his life… becomes revealed and radiates downward… at the time of his passing.” The second is that this date marks the beginning of the nesius of the Rebbe Rayatz (the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe), the date on which he assumed the responsibilities of leadership as Rebbe.

The Rebbe has explained that while both aspects of Beis Nissan are significant, it is the assumption of the nesius by the Rebbe Rayatz that is of paramount relevance to us. The same surely applies to Yud Shvat, the date which marks both the yahrzeit of the Rebbe Rayatz, and the ascent of the Rebbe to the nesius. Without minimizing the weight of the former aspect of Yud Shvat, for many chassidim today the assumption of the nesius by the Rebbe is the primary focus of the day.

In the first maamar the Rebbe delivered, he outlined his goals for our generation: We are in the midst of the period called ikvesa diMeshicha (i.e., the time when the approaching footsteps of Mashiach can be heard). Indeed, we are at the conclusion of this period. Our task is to complete the process of drawing down the Divine Presence… so that it should rest within our lowly world.

In the talks he delivered on the same occasion, the Rebbe explained that though Moshe could have constructed the entire Sanctuary himself, he refrained from doing so, in order to enable the entire Jewish people to participate in this endeavor. Similarly, the Rebbe continued, the Rebbeim of past generations did not want the campaign to bring

Mashiach to be their private undertaking, but rather an effort shared by the Jewish people as a whole, and by each individual Jew. This goal has been at the heart of the efforts of the Rebbe throughout his leadership of the Chabad chassidic movement. During this period, he has transformed Chabad-Lubavitch into a vast international movement with far-flung influence and a veritable kaleidoscope of activities – all of which, directly or indirectly, share a single purpose, to hasten the coming of the Era of the Redemption.

A person who has always conceived of the coming of Mashiach as an abstract idea may not appreciate what this means in actual fact. The focus of the Rebbe has constantly been on the concrete reality – that Mashiach actually come and inaugurate a new era for the world. This has been the center of Lubavitch attention, especially since the eve of the 28th of Nissan, 5751. On that evening, in the midst of what had begun as a scholarly discussion of the distinct spiritual potentials of the current year, month, and date, the Rebbe turned to his followers with a cry from the heart:  What more can I do to motivate the entire Jewish people to clamor and cry out, and thus actually bring about the coming of Mashiach?… All that I can possibly do is give the matter over to you. Now, do everything you can do to bring Mashiach, here and now, immediately…. I have done whatever I can; from now on you must do whatever you can.

As the Rebbe pointed out in the following months, these efforts reflected the unique spiritual climate of our times:  We are standing on the threshold of the future Redemption. Mashiach’s coming is no longer a dream of the distant future, but an imminent reality which will very shortly become fully manifest.

With increasing energy, the Rebbe Shlita continued to develop this theme in the months that followed:  Our Sages have described the Redemption as a feast. To speak in terms of this analogy, the table has already been set, everything has been served, we are sitting at the table together with Mashiach. All we need to do is open our eyes…. Our Sages describe Mashiach as waiting anxiously to come. In previous generations, however, his coming was delayed by the fact that the Jewish people had not completed the tasks expected of them. Now, however, those tasks have been accomplished; there is nothing lacking. All we have to do is accept Mashiach.

On Yud Shvat, when a chassid contemplates his relationship with the Rebbe, and the course of action this relationship should inspire, it is clear that his energies should be directed to one goal – making the world conscious of Mashiach and creating an environment in which his mission can be fulfilled. May this take place in the immediate future.  (Adapted from Timeless Patterns in Time; reprinted with permission from Sichos in English)

 

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