Weekly Story: A New Light

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

Last week I noted that I would post a thought that I said at a Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen. Since it is connected to one of the paramount messages the Rebbe mentions in his sichos on Chanukah, I decided to post it this week.

As always, your comments and feedback are really appreciated and welcomed.

In the 60’s a prominent writer in Eretz Yisroel, Mr. Eliezer Shteiman, who was known for his numerous articles that attacked and ridiculed religious Jews, approached Reb Chanoch Glitenstein and requested that he provide him the seforim of Chassidus Chabad. He noted that he is planning to write about the philosophy and approach of Chassidus Chabad, just as he wrote about other religious groups.

Rabbi Glitenstein gladly gave him books that he had readily available, saying that Bezras Hashem he will give him additional books a little later. Somehow other Chassidim heard about this agreement, and they were aghast.

They confronted Reb Chanoch and rebuked him for agreeing to provide that writer with the materials he requested. “Perhaps you aren’t aware, but in his articles and books about religious Jews, he mocks them. He will twist and pervert the teachings of the Rebbeim, especially as he is studying them on his own, and he won’t be able to comprehend the maamorim in the seforim correctly. Furthermore, his writings are written with a flair and are very convincing. Therefore, many of the Jews that we are learning with and bringing closer to Yiddishkeit, might be impressed by his presentation against Chabad Lubavitch and reconsider their relationship with us.”

Hearing these words, Reb Chanoch was no longer positive that his decision was the correct one. If all these elder chassidim were against it and not one supported his decision, perhaps or in all probability, they were correct. But on the other hand, if he succeeds in changing the writer’s opinion even to a small degree, the benefit would be tremendous.

Unable to make the final decision by himself, he wrote to the Rebbe about this situation and asked the Rebbe for his guidance. 

The reply was given swiftly. The Rebbe replied, “Give him whatever sefer he requests.” Not only did Reb Chanoch feel a sense of relief, but when the chassidim read the Rebbe’s reply, they apologized to him for speaking harshly to him.

Almost two years later he published a book about Chassidus Chabad called Mishnas Chabad, which was reprinted under the title of Oitzrois, and he wrote about it admiringly, saying that he was truly impressed by its philosophy. 

Since he was known to be anti-religious and he wrote about the positiveness of Chassidus Chabad so passionately, that created a domino effect, that other non-religious Jews who until then refused to have a discussion with a Lubavitcher, were willing to do so.

However, Reb Chanoch did not know if it caused him to change his conduct in any manner, until one day the author said to him, “I lost or misplaced the small Tehilas Hashem that you gave me. Can you please replace it?”

Then he knew that not only did he intellectually agree with Chassidus Chabad, but that it also caused a change in his conduct. 

This is just one of the tens of thousands of individuals who after getting a taste of Chassidus were affected to the extent that they made life altering decisions in their conduct. Just ask your family member or friend that is on Shlichus, how a single saying of Chassidus inspired members of their community.

So the question becomes, why isn’t this also by us, those that grew up with Chassidus?

I gave the following parable.

You are going to visit your young son or daughter, who is experiencing his first experience of being a camper in an overnight camp. The only problem is that it is a ten-hour drive.

So after a few hours of sleep, you get in the car at three A.M. After driving for four hours and enjoying the sun stretched over the horizon, it begins to pour. The rain is so strong that you can  only see fifteen feet in front of you and even that is not very clear.

On the one hand, you know that the proper thing is to pull over and wait out the downpour, but on the other hand, your child will be distraught if you are not there when their friends’ parents arrive. So you decide to proceed very slowly with caution.

After driving like this for forty-five minutes the rain stops, and the sunlight bursts through the clouds. At that point you give a sigh of relief and say, “It is a beautiful day.”

One may ask, why didn’t you express that sentiment when you first saw the sunlight at sunrise?

But then it was normal and natural, so you did not truly appreciate it. A person truly appreciates something when he didn’t have it before or even if it was withheld for a while.

The same thing is with us. We who grew up with Chassidus Chabad, don’t always recognize its greatness and brilliance, as to us that is the normal. So the question then becomes, how can we also see and sense its beauty, just like the outsider does?

The answer is, by experiencing it at a new level, that new level is a novelty to us, and we too will be inspired. This can be accomplished in various ways. One of the simplest ways is to verbalize the sicha or maamar that you learned and that might (or probably will) show you that there are a few points that you aren’t so clear in, and you have to review it another time.  Then when it becomes clear, you will experience a deeper appreciation for its clarity.

This is what the Rebbe explains about the candles of Chanukah. Each day of Chanukah, we all light the maximum amount of candles that are permissible to light. In other words, we are illuminating the world in the best way possible. Yet the following night we add another candle, and it is an entirely new experience. This happens each and every night.

So yes, when you began learning Chassidus on a simple level, that was the best way for you to appreciate it. But you should realize that it is not the ultimate experience and appreciation of Chassidus. Perhaps that is the reason that level doesn’t motivate you any longer. But if you delve into it and begin comprehending it on a higher plateau, then you will definitely gain an appreciation that will motivate you as well. 

A Taste of Chassidus 

Vayehi Mikeitz Shinasayim Yomin 5733

This week’s parsha begins with the verse stating, “That it was after two years, and Pharoh had a dream which ultimately brought about Yosef being released from prison and becoming the viceroy of Mitzrayim (Egypt).”

Some of the points that have to be explained are:

1. Why was Yosef’s freedom dependent upon Pharoh having a dream?

2. Furthermore, why does the possuk state that this dream took place two years after Yosef interpreted the butler’s and baker’s dream, instead of after he was in prison for twelve years? This implies that the dream is solely connected to these two years.

3. Additionally why does the possuk use the compound of Shinasayim instead of the more common usage of Shitei Shanim (two years).

4. Finally, we have to understand why Pharoh standing on top/above the Nile River in the dream? While Pharoh claimed that he created the river, that was a false statement. So why does the possuk give it some credence?!

In order to explain this, we have to clarify why it was specifically Yosef who came to Mitzrayim before the rest of the family. The common explanation is that this caused that the remainder of the family would come, as Yosef invited them to do so. But the real reason was that the family would have come there even if Yosef wasn’t there. However, he came to make it easier for the Jews to elevate the sparks of holiness that were there, as this was something that only Yosef could accomplish. 

Our forefathers and the tribes were shepherds. The reason they chose this occupation was that they knew that if they had to become involved in day-to-day transactions, that preoccupation would prevent them from being constantly connected with Hashem. 

However, Yosef was on a higher level. Since he was so connected to Hashem, the entire world meant nothing to him. So if it is truly nothing, obviously this nothing cannot interfere with his connection to Hashem.

This explains what our sages teach us that during the many years the Jews were in Mitzrayim, beginning from Yosef’s coming, they elevated 202 of the 288 sparks of Holiness, and there were only another 86 sparks to elevate. This is alluded to in the words, “Yosef gathered all the silver that was in Mitzrayim and the land of Canaan.” Meaning that he elevated them (and therefore took them out of Mitzrayim).

 Yosef’s accomplishment gave the entire Jewish nation the ability to also elevate the sparks.

This also demonstrates how two seemingly opposite interpretations on the same word of the Torah are really complementing each other.

On the word mikeitz…yomim, the Zohar notes (and it is explained in Torah Ohr) that this is a reference to the Torah on which the possuk says, “It will be my pleasure from day to day,” (and yomim is two days (or more)). At the end of these two days, it is saying that there is a possibility that the negative powers will attempt to take away our pleasure from the Torah. While the Midrash Rabba explains that it is a reference to the time when all darkness will end and that will usher in the Era of Moshiach, the midrash continues that it referring to the end of Yosef’s darkness (tribulations).

The connection between all these three explanations is, through Yosef leaving his imprisonment, he and subsequently all Jews are able to begin elevating and refining the world. When they completely succeed, it will bring an end to the darkness and usher in the Era of light with the coming of Moshiach.

We now can understand why the possuk states Shinasayim and not shinei shonim. The possuk is alluding that when we combine the different levels, we will be redeemed from our imprisonment (exile).

At that point we will reveal the source of Pharoh, which is holy.

The zohar states that Pharoh refers to the level where all lights are shining through. That level of Pharoh is indeed above the river, which corresponds to the spiritual sphere of Malchus (the lowest of all spheres) but through “Pharoh” combining malchus with the six spheres that are above it, it is now higher than the river on itself.

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