Weekly Story: When Is a School Needed?

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

I heard the following story from Reb Binyomin Silberstrom of Yerushalayim, in the middle of the summer. However, I decided to wait and posted as the school year begins in earnest. As always your comments and feedback are appreciated.

Rabbi Silberstrom said he was attending a bar mitzva of a Lubavitch family and the Bar Mitzvah boy related the following story.

The Rebbe instructed Rabbi Chefer of Bais Rivkah in Kfar Chabad, to build another building to accommodate the growing student body, noting that the new building be built in Kfar Chabad Sheini. After obtaining a parcel of land, architects began drawing up the plans for the building. When the plans were finalized Rabbi Chefer decided that before he submits it to the authorities, he flew to New York in order to present it to the Rebbe. Only after the Rebbe approves or makes some suggestions and they will be incorporated, would he submit them to be approved.

When he entered the Rebbe’s room for the Yechidus, he handed the Rebbe the folder that had all the plans. To his shock, the Rebbe moved the folder to a side, as if to say,”This doesn’t interest me.”

Looking at Rabbi Chefer, the Rebbe asked, “Why is so and so no longer a student in Bais Rivkah?”

Rabbi Chefer replied, “She left on her own accord, [as if to say that the administration didn’t ask her to leave].”

“Do you know why she left,” the Rebbe inquired. The Rebbe then added, “What is the need of a building, if a student is unhappy and leaves?”

Realizing that the Rebbe was unhappy, Rabbi Chefer said, “As soon as I return to Eretz Yisroel, together with other members of the administration, I will go to her house and ask her to return to Beis Rivkah.”

Only then did the Rebbe retrieve the folder and examined it and then told Rabbi Chefer whatever he said.

The following day, Rabbi Chefer went to the airport and took a flight back to Eretz yisroel. When he landed,  he called the other members and they decided a time to meet and go to her house in Tel Aviv.

When they knocked on the door, it was opened by the girl who had left. She was startled to see them, but quickly composed herself and asked, Why are you here now?

I was by the Rebbe in New York, two days ago, and he asked me why you are no longer a student in Bais Rivkah, and I promised him that I and other members of the administration will visit you and see if we can resolve the problems or complaints that you have with the school.

The girl replied, since the Rebbe wants me to go back, I will give it a second try.  She then told them why she had left and they answered, we will make it a priority to take care of it.

The Bar Mitzvah boy concluded, how do I know this story? Because I am the youngest son of  the girl. Because of the Rebbe’s interest in one girl, all of her children are chassidim of the Rebbe!

Compiler’s note: From here we see that the Rebbe’s opinion is, that it is not enough that the teacher, principal and the administration do their job properly. But if at the end of the day a student is unhappy, those who assumed responsibility to be part of the yeshiva’s or schools faculty, it is their responsibility to see that each and every student feels comfortable and happy.    

A Taste of Chassidus 

Maamar Zos Ois HaBris 5743

A Maamar of the Alter Rebbe on these words was recently published at that time, and the Rebbe expounded on it.

The question is, how is a rainbow a special sign from Hashem that He won’t destroy the world again, when a rainbow is a natural occurrence? When the rays of the sun shine through a cloud that is saturated with water, it creates a rainbow. So if it is a natural occurrence, how is it a sign?

But the explanation is, the term cloud is used to express two phenomena. It is being used as a filter to enable us to receive the extremely high level of spirituality that is above it. This is similar to what Rashi states when the three angels came to visit our forefather, Avrohom. That day there were no regular travelers as Hashem took away the shield of the sun, and the intensity of the heat prevented anyone from traveling. So the shield of the sun serves as a filter to enable us to accept the rays of the sun.

Similarly, the cloud enables us to receive the powerful spiritual levels that are higher than the clouds.

Therefore, we find that when Moshe Rabeinu went up the mountain to receive and give us the Torah, the possuk states that he entered the cloud. He did so in order that we would be able to receive that tremendous level of revelation of Hashem’s greatness, which would have been overwhelming without the filter of the cloud. Similarly on Yom Kippur, the incense that the Kohen Gadol burned in the holy of holies turned into a cloud to show that Hashem has forgiven us for all of our sins and transgressions. As Chassidus explains, the ability to forgive comes from the exalted level of G-dliness that is higher than light (positive actions) and darkness (negative actions).

Then there is the opposite dimension of a cloud. It can be a barrier that doesn’t allow anything to pass through from one side to another, as the possuk states, “I have erased your intentional sins [which are] like a thick cloud and your unintentional sins, [which are] like a regular cloud.” So we see that a cloud serves as a blockade, as the possuk states, “Your sins are separating you from Hashem.”

Just as a cloud in the spiritual sense has two opposing dimensions, so too does a physical cloud have these two dimensions of concealment and revelation.

Before the flood, the world wasn’t refined, so therefore after a rain, the sun was not able to shine through the cloud, so there was no rainbow. However, one of the purposes of the flood was to purify the world. [This is the reason why the flood was for forty days, representing the forty  measures that a purifying mikva has to have.]  So once the world was purified, the clouds would allow sunlight to pass through and that is when the rainbow was first created. So yes, it is a powerful sign, demonstrating that there is something new happening.

The rationale behind this is as the possuk states that the moisture went up from the earth to the heaven, and then the rain came down from the cloud. This shows that a cloud represents and reflects an action from the earth. Therefore, the cloud that emanated from the burning incense on Yom Kippur, represents the teshuva (repentance) that mankind did. So it is this power of teshuva that caused Hashem to make this promise to never again destroy the entire world, represented in the cloud of the rainbow.

To take this one step further, this explains why the cloud became transparent and what a cloud now represents. Hashem stressed the treaty is not in the cloud itself but in the rainbow that comes through the cloud. It says in Midarash Rabba (Bereishis chap.35:3) that the Hebrew word for rainbow is kashti (קשתי) which is similar to the words mookish lee (מוקש לי), which means similar to Me, higher than the greatness of a cloud.

Therefore, this promise that Hashem gave is called a bris (covenant). By Bris Bein Habsarim, Hashem and Avraham walked between the two pieces of the animals. That demonstrates that the two parties are now equal through walking together, becoming unified and one – מוקש לי.

Perhaps this is the meaning of the statement of the Zohar, “You didn’t see the coming of Moshiach, until the colors of the rainbow shine brightly.” As noted, the rainbow shows that we did teshuva, and one of the aspects of Moshiach is that all mankind will repent and come closer to Hashem.

May it be speedily in our days.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their Chassidim. He can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com