Weekly Dvar Torah: Did the Rebbe Really Say That All His Efforts to Bring Moshiach Were in Vain?

Conventional wisdom prevalent in conversations of Chassidim, and Jews in general, is that on the 28th of Nissan 5751, when the Rebbe cried his heart out about the fact that Moshiach has not yet come, that the Rebbe G-d forbid threw in the towel. And he is to have said that “I did all that I can do to bring Moshiach, but I failed. The solution is, that I give over this mission to you, do all that you can, to bring Moshiach.”

This has created a lot of confusion, with many wondering, if the Rebbe couldn’t do it, how can we?

Perhaps a sober review of the Rebbe’s words will ease the agony, and clear the confusion.

The Rebbe says; “It’s perplexing to have a gathering of Jews, and they are not clamoring to do everything in their power to help bring Moshiach.

“Even when demanding Ad Mosai (till when do we wait for Moshiach), it is not done with truth. If they would intend to demand Ad Mosai with truth, surely Moshiach would have come already!

“What more can I do to motivate the entire Jewish people to clamor and cry out with truth, and bring about the coming of Moshiach? All that has been done until now has been to no avail. For we are still in exile, and most importantly, in a deep internal Golus in matters of the service of Hashem. All that I can possibly do is to give the matter over to you. Now, do everything you can to bring Moshiach, here and now, immediately…. I have done whatever I can: from now on, you must do whatever you can….”

There are two points in the Rebbe’s words that are overlooked, and perhaps this is why many are confused. 1) The Rebbe complains that we don’t demand Moshiach with our truth. 2) The Rebbe highlights the fact that we are still in a deep internal Golus in matters of the service of Hashem.

Why are these points relevant? Do we need any proof that we are still in Golus? Do we really not mean it when we cry out Ad Mosai? And how is the solution to give it over to us?

What the Rebbe is saying is, that the failure of not bringing Moshiach, is because we are not ready to welcome him, why? 1) Moshiach is about truth. 2) Moshiach is about serving Hashem.

The Rebbe is saying, Moshiach will come to help us fulfil our desire to serve Hashem with our whole being. But if we are not up to the task, he can’t be there to make us do it.

In 1951, when the Rebbe became Rebbe, he made a statement to the Chassidim; “don’t think that you have a new Rebbe and now you can go to relax, because he will do the work for you. This is not what Chabad is about. In Chabad the Chossid has to do the work on his own to refine the world and ready it Moshiach, and the Rebbe will always be there to assist him in his Avoda.

Here the Rebbe is saying, I tried for 40 years to get you to do the work, but you all relied on me. And in spite of all my encouragement you still didn’t do it, i.e. to serve hashem with your own truth and sincerity. Everything is done with the Rebbe’s Brochos and Kochos. You have been relying on the Rebbe entirely. The exact opposite of what Chabad is.

That’s what the Rebbe is saying, I hoped that I could help lead you to the truth. My efforts in this direction failed. As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to the water, but you can’t make it drink.

Therefore, the solution is; “I give it over to you,” this way you will no longer rely on me, now you realize that the work must be done by yourself only. Now you can become the perfect candidate to welcome Moshiach in reality.

But how can we change? For this the Rebbe gave simple instructions. Study all about Moshiach.

How will this change anything?

Moshiach will serve as a king and as a teacher. With a king we have a distant relationship, one of fear and awe, we can’t get too close. But a teacher imbues us with knowledge that will shape and form our lives forever.

When we learn about Moshiach, we familiarize ourselves with Moshiach and his teachings. We develop a close relationship with him. And when we contemplate what we studied, the scope of our mind broadens and becomes liberated. And like the Alter Rebbe says in Tanya, מוח שליט על הלב = the mind takes charge of the heart, that with a clearer broadened mind, our emotions broaden and we feel liberated in our heart. And this changes our entire behavior and our being.

Once we do the work by ourselves, and we change our thinking from being oppressed to being liberated, we already did ninety percent of the work. All Moshiach needs to do, is to show up in a welcoming world that is missing the final ten percent.

When we study about Moshiach, we familiarize ourselves with Moshiach and we know what we are yearning for with our truth. Because we internalized what Moshiach is all about. We also become fluent in the language of Moshiach, so we will be able to understand him when he will teach us the secrets of Torah, which has been partially revealed to us in the teachings of Chassidus.

This the Rebbe said, that he can’t do it for us, we must do it for ourselves. And the solution is that we realize the implementation is up to us, and us only.

We don’t have to climb mountains, all we need to do is to open the books, and study. We can do it by listening to podcasts, going to Shiurim and millions of other ways short of climbing the mountains.

Make a last-ditch effort, and watch Moshiach appear in a jiffy.

Have Moshiachdike Shabbos,
Gut Shabbos, Gut Chodesh

Rabbi Yosef Katzman