Weekly Story: Sometimes the further you are, the closer you really are
by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon
In this week’s post, I am going to try through two stories to answer a question that I was asked about a concept that I recently mentioned a couple of times during the last few weeks in A Taste of Chassidus.
As always, your feedback and comments are most appreciated.
I was asked to explain the concept why the bittul (self-nullification) of Shemonei Esreh is much higher than the level of Bittul that is accomplished when we say Shema.
I noted that Chassidus points out that in Shema the person indeed accomplished something that is a tremendous feat; their Nefesh Elokis was successful in persuading the Nefesh HaBehames to desire to serve Hashem. Furthermore, the Nefesh HaBehames is not being forced to serve Hashem, rather, it is doing so on its own decision.
This is a great accomplishment, after all isn’t this the purpose Hashem sent our Neshoma down into this world, to refine and elevate the world, until the world itself recognizes G-dliness and willingly serves Hashem.
So the question is how is this not the highest level possible?
I heard last weekend during a farbrengen Rabbi Yisroel Brod mentioning a story that occurred around 50 years ago, He heard it from his friend Chaim Tzvi Groner, who related the following personal story.
Growing up in Australia, my father asked me to remain a few Tishrei in Australia to help bring the spirit of Tishrei to the shul, and Community Etc. I did as he requested for a few years, and then one year I mentioned to my father that it’s already a few Tishrei’s that I was not by the Rebbe, and I would truly appreciate it if I could go to the Rebbe for this upcoming Tishrei.
To my tremendous relief and delight, my father replied, You are correct, you should go this Tishrei. Arriving in 770 I was full of happiness and anticipation and each day, being in the presence of the Rebbe, and having the zechus of participating in the minyan the Rebbe davened, being able to hear the Rebbe speak by farbrengen, witnessing Tekias Shofar and the Rebbe dancing at the end of Niela while everyone was singing Napoleon’s march were highlights that gave me t true happiness.
During chol-Hamoed I went to a Shliach’s community and farbrenged in the Sukka about the concepts of Succos and Simchas Beis Hasho’eiva.
After the farbrengen, the shliach told me, I have not seen my community so captivated by a chossid. It is evident that you speak their language and that is why, it touched them if to their core. He concluded by emphatically stating, you must be here for Simchas Torah! Looking straight at him I replied, it’s been a few years since I participated in the Rebbe’s Hakofos. I flew all the way from Down Under, from Australia, just to participate and be by the Rebbe’s hakofos and you’re expecting me now to give that up! That is not why I flew for 20 some hours!
That shliach however, did not give up and he called me the following morning and evening and the next day again in the morning and evening explaining and demanding that this is what is demanded of a chossid to do.
I told him not quite, I am not going to go away from the Rebbe’s Hakkofos. I came here to be close to the Rebbe, not to go away from the Rebbe. However, he planted a doubt in my mind, maybe that is really what I should truly do. So I decided to write to the Rebbe, explaining the situation and asking the Rebbe for his guidance.
The following is the gist of his reply, not his exact words: by being there you will be much closer to me than if you are here. Chassidim explained that the reply of the Rebbe is, if you remain here with me in 770, yes, you are participating, celebrating and rejoicing in the Yom Tov, however, it is on your terms. You are making sure that you are enjoying it. But, when you go and rejoice in another community, and give up your own personal interest; so then you are rejoicing in the Yom Tov itself, not in your own pleasures and happiness.In essence you are only interested that the Yom be rejoiced and celebrated.
In other words the Rebbe’s reply was, by going there you are doing what I want and are putting yourself aside completely. When one puts their self-interest and self-desires aside, at that point I am completely with you. You are then closer to me then you could be when your own pesona is involved.
The same thing is, when we compare Shema to Shemoneh Esreh.
When the person says Shema and he inspires his Nefesh HaBahamas to serve Hashem, that is fulfilling the mission the Neshoma was sent down to accomplish. However, the only shortcoming that sometimes could be from this is, that the person himself feels pride, he has accomplished, he has succeeded, Similarly when one learns Torah, there is a possibility that the person feels a sense of self-worth and pats himself on the shoulder and exclaims, I accomplished a tremendous feat, I have concluding the entire Shas and teach it to others. In other words, the person is mixing in their own sense of worth, and gratification.
On the other hand, the bittul of Shemonei Esreh is that the person exclaims, look how wonderful the Jewish people are, that they thirst to know Hashem’s Torah, and come every day to learn His Torah.
While I was writing this, I reminded myself of an insight I heard from my father HaRav Meir A”h about Reb Itche Hamasmid (Rabbi Yitzchok Gurevitch), that brings out this concept from a different angle.
[I don’t recall if my father observed this personally, during the months he travelled with him, or he heard it from others.]
He said, Chassidus demands iskafya, that a Jew should control their impulses that come from the Nefesh Habehamis. However, if someone is a true Beinoini, as Itche der Masmid, that the Nefesh Habehamis doesn’t ever have a say, how can he conduct himself with Iskafya, if he has no thought to do something wromg?
He said, Reb Itche would learn both Nigleh and Chassidus equally. After a while, he began spending more and more time on [let us say] Chassidus. As the days and weeks progressed, it was coming to a point that he was learning Chassidus almost exclusively, with tremendous enjoyment.
At that moment he stopped himself and said, but nigla is also Toras Hashem, and he began learning Nigla with such enthusiasm that the tide swith and now he began spending more and more time learning Nigla. But then when it came to the point that he was learning Nigla almost exclusively, he made the switch again.
So yes, whatever he learned, he learned with enthusiasm, enjoyment and he made sure that he understood it to his best ability. But his only focus was to understand Toras Hashem, not for him to accomplish something. It was never about himself.
This is what the Alter Rebbe pointed out in the maamar. Yes, Hashem promised that we will be rewarded for all the mitzvos we fulfill and Torah we learn. But a Jew should learn and fulfill the mitzvos, because that way they are fulfilling Hashem’s will, and subsequently becoming connected to Him; and not because Hashem is going to reward me in Gan Eden.
A Taste of Chassidus
Ki Suvoi’oo…. Likkutei Torah (VaYikra) p. 39C
In order to explain why the possuk first mentions that the land would rest (about the Shemita year) before it mentions the six years of working the field and Vineyard, the Alter Rebbe focuses on the possuk of רעיתי אחותי לי פתחי – Open to me my sister, my bride.
In this maamar the Alter Rebbe explains why the Jewish people are referred to as אחותי (my sister). The first three letters of אחותי are Aleph, Cheis and a Vov, which in the Talmud means to connect two pieces of material together as one through sewing. So in the possuk Hashem is calling the Jewish people His sister. For just as there is a natural love between siblings, so too there is this natural love and connection between the Jewish people and Hashem.
While רעיתי is referring to the love between a groom and his bride, which was created on their own, which in certain aspects is referring to a much deeper connection.
Although there is as noted a natural love between the Jewish people and Hashem, we see an interesting point; by tzaddikim this love is constantly seen in every act they do. However, by most Jews, that love can be noticeable when they daven, but after davening, once they immerse themselves in wordly affairs and their livelihood, the love may not be so visible.
The question becomes, being that you stated that it is natural love, what can cause that that love becomes concealed? And being that it is only concealed by some, but not by all, that means it doesn’t necessarily have to happen.
When one truly loves Hashem, there is no room to love something else, meaning to love material things. A tzaddik’s love for Hashem is exclusive. The reason being, since the tzaddik understands that when we say there is nothing besides Hashem, that doesn’t only mean that there is no other power (god), but it means exactly what the words say; there is no entity besides Hashem. So if there is no entity besides Him, how is it possible that you have a love or desire for something wlse?
Having such a desire demonstrates that in your eyes there are other entities besides Hashem. Subsequently by that person their love to Hashem can be covered and concealed.
So Hashem is telling us, לי פתחי – make [bore] a small opening for me [through the wall of concealment] or in other words show an initiative to show that you want this connection and once you make that initiative I will shine through that little open that you made, and the love that is between us will shine through, and you will be able to utilize it the entire day as the concealment will be removed.
But one may ask, how is it possible for a person, who is a creation to become truly connected to Hashem, who is the Creator?
On this the possuk states, When you will come to the land, the first thing noted is that the land will rest. Resting is a way of expressing your humility, and that is followed by the commandment of Six years you shall plant your fields.
Chassidus explains that the way a seed causes something to grow is that the seed first decays and only then can it arouse the power of growth which is deeply rooted in the earth. So the growth is not coming from the seed itself, it is coming from the power of growth that Hashem placed in the Earth.
The same thing is in our spiritual growth, in order to actually (grow and) develop our love to Hashem, we have to completely humble ourselves (like the seed that first disintegrates) and then we can grow and develop our bond to Hashem.
This teaches us that the proper way to learn Torah is to put aside your own thoughts, as human intellect cannot truly fathom Gidness. But when the person, puts themselves to the side, the light of the Torah can shine in him, and the person is truly united and became one with Hashem
Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeiim and their chassidim. He is available to farbreng in your community and can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com.
