Weekly Dvar Torah: Living With The Times; A Happy Week
While many of us are familiar with the saying of the Alter Rebbe that we must live with the times, it will be very enriching to read how the previous Rebbe describes how he learned about this statement and its proper meaning.
What follows is a free translation from a Sicha of the Frierdiker Rebbe recounting the following episode:
When the Frierdiker Rebbe was 10 years old, on Shabbos morning Parshas Lech Lecha, he entered his father, the Rebbe Rashab’s study, while the Rebbe Rashab was reviewing the Parsha.
The Rebbe describes what transpired:
On the one hand I found him to be in very high spirits, while he was being Maavir the Sidra, and at the same time I noticed a stream of tears flowing down his face.
I was astounded, I couldn’t wrap my mind around these two conflicting emotions happening at once, he seems to be in a very happy mood, but at the same time he’s crying; I was mystified to say the least.
I couldn’t understand what was going on, but I wouldn’t dare ask.
After Shabbos my father tested me on what I had learned that week, and being satisfied with my performance he rewarded me by gifting me a new Maamar.
Still having on my mind what I had witnessed that morning, I stood there bashfully, not sure whether I should ask about it.
My father noticed my dilemma, and he said; if you have anything to ask please do.
I decided to ask.
In response to my question my father explained that his tears were tears of joy.
And he continued.
It happened once during the early years of the Alter Rebbe’s leadership, the Rebbe stated publicly;
“We must live with the times!”
The young Chassidim asked the elder Chassidim what this meant, and a discussion ensued trying to explain this statement, even the great Chassidim struggled to figure out the true meaning of his intention.
Eventually, the elder Chassidim found out via the Alter Rebbe’s brother, the Mahari”l, what the Rebbe
had had in mind with this statement.
Living with the times means, that we must live with the Parsha of the week, and particularly the daily portion of that day.
My father elucidated; every week and every day we must live with portion of the Torah that belongs to the week, and particularly to that day.
Breishis is a happy Parsha; G-d created the world of which He said, it was good, He was happy. Even though the end of the Parsha is not so pleasant (because the people rebelled against G-d), overall it is a happy week for the Jews because we start a new cycle of the reading of the Torah, it is Shabbos Breishis.
The week of Noach is a sad week, it is the week of the flood, but it has a happy ending with the birth of Avraham Avinu.
The full happy week is the week of Lech Lecha, because every day of the week we live with Avraham Avinu, the first Jew to dedicate his entire being to publicize G-dliness in this world, and this self-sacrifice of his for Torah and Mitzvos he bequeathed to us, the Jewish people.
Every day of the week we must not only study the Parsha, but we must live the Parsha.
When we think about this message, it should give us all the reasons to really be happy.
Think about being a Jew, a descendant of Avraham Avinu: he gave G-d to the world; he gave birth to a nation; he introduced morality to this world; he stood up one person against an entire world; he was not intimidated by anyone or anything, he just went with Hashem because he knew that this was the truth.
Monotheism became the law of all humanity, and he bequeathed to us, his children, the energy to be the chosen people who were gifted the Torah from Hashem, to be a light onto the nations.
The list goes on, we have so much to be joyful about.
Thank G-d and be happy, we have every reason to do so.
Live with the times.
Have a truly happy Shabbos,
Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Yosef Katzman
