Weekly Story: Discover The Treasures
by Rabbi Sholom Avtzon
In the first part of tomorrow’s (the 2nd day of Elul’s) Hayom Yom, the Rebbe writes: The Jewish people are called: “a cherished land” for they possess many precious qualities, [including] their love of Hashem, and their fear of Him, as well as their outstanding character traits. [But like treasures that are buried in the earth,] the revelation of these positive qualities depend solely upon the person who evokes them. It is obvious that springs of fresh water exist in all parts of the earth. The difference lies only in how close or far they are from the surface. If so, everything depends on the digger and his patience and deliberations.
Studying this Hayom Yom, which is based on a teaching of the Baal Shem Tov where he expressed his philosophy of loving every single Jew, as each Jew contains unlimited potent greatness, which just has to be brought out in the open.
This reminded me of something I heard in a clip of what Reb Zalman Shechter said (which a friend of mine sent me almost two months ago).
He noted that on Yud Tes Kislev 5709, the Frierdiker Rebbe instructed him and Shlomo Carlebach to visit a college campus that Chanukah. To his recollection that was the first time that bochurim were instructed to visit college campuses.
A few years later, he became a Hillel Rabbi, and would bring groups of college students to the Rebbe.
The Rebbe would open the floor and encourage the students to ask him any question they wanted. Once, one of the students asked, what is a Rebbe?
I cannot respond about myself, the Rebbe replied, however, I can speak about my saintly father-in-law.
As you all are aware, in the earth there are a vast array of valuable and vital deposits of precious earth minerals, oil, gas, precious stones and so on. We rely on these vast deposits, but the problem is twofold. We are not aware of where exactly they may be, and even when we may know where a deposit of one of these minerals is, we are fearful that the amount that can be extracted can justify the cost of extracting them.
So we obtain the services of a geologist, and rely on their expert opinion.
The Rebbe is a Jewish geologist. He knows how to find in every Jew, their love and fear of Hashem. Just as by water and the other earthly buried treasures, some may be very close to the surface and are revealed with ease, while others are deeply buried [not only by sand but by hard rock] and it may be difficult to extract. But with patience, perseverance and determination the Rebbe would help guide each Jew in revealing and bring out their hidden treasures.
As we are approaching a new school year, I turn to every Mechanech and Mechaneches with the thought of this Hayom Yom. The Rebbe is reminding us that each child in our classroom, even the one that may be disruptive etc., has hidden treasures. It is in your ability to help the child gain their self confidence and belief in their own worth and begin to shine.
Don’t trust me, just think about your own former classmates, or if you are in this most noble profession for twenty-five years or more and think about some of your former students, individuals who were not the stars and most popular in the class, rather the students that Chas V’sholom were written off as potential failures, and see how successful they have become.
Someone showed them that they believe in them, gave them a chance and see how they blossomed.
A kesiva v’chasima tova lshana tova Umesukah.
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.
