Weekly Story: Mozhesh Danye Chotshesh — You Can, But You Don’t Want To

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

In honor of Hei Teves, I am honored to inform you that bezras Hashem my newest publication, The Shpoler Zeide, will be available in the stores in a week and a half.

In commemoration of that, I am posting a story from the book, that story was related by the Frierdiker Rebbe.

As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated and welcomed.

I am also honored to give an update on the Frierdiker Rebbe’s Biography. This is in response to the numerous individuals who reached out me around Hei Teves, asking when is the Frierdiker Rebbe’s biography going to be ready?

While I cannot give a definitive answer, I can say Boruch Hashem I got back to working on it and bezras Hashem I hope to begin the editing process after Shavuos. At that time the drafts of both volumes should be basically completed.

Becoming Rebbe in Shpoleh

There are various versions as to how the Zeide finally became publicly known as a tzaddik and miracle worker.

HaRav Yosef Yitzchok of Lubavitch, known as the Frierdiker Rebbe, related the following incident:
Once, on his way to visit the Maggid of Mezritch,[1] Reb Yehudah Leib noticed a Jew struggling to pull his wagon out of some deep mud. When the Jew noticed him coming down the road, he called out to him and requested that he help him.

“I am unable to pull out the wagon,” he replied, “especially as it is carrying such a heavy load.”
Replying in Ukrainian, the Jew said, “Mozhesh danye chotshesh — you can, but you don’t want to.”[2]
Hearing these words, he felt that perhaps the individual was correct and he should at least attempt to help him. To his shock, as soon as he gave one pull, the wagon came right out onto the road.

Reb Yehudah Leib realized that it wasn’t his strength that had pulled it out but the hand of Hashem.

As he continued on his way to the Maggid, [he remembered the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov that a Jew should realize that everything he hears or sees, and surely an event he participated in, is b’hashgochah protis (Divine Providence) and contains a message for him]. So, he began contemplating as to what was the message that Hashem was surely sending him. He came to the conclusion that he was being informed that he was now being granted the special ability to help others, and it was time for him to finally accept the responsibility of leading a community and no longer remain a hidden tzaddik.

When he arrived in Mezritch, he didn’t tell anyone about what had happened. However, as soon as the Maggid noticed him, he said, “The Baal Shem Tov told me that just as you were able to pull out a wagon with its heavy load, you are also able to uplift a community.” He then bestowed upon him the necessary talents and blessed him with success, and the Zeide then settled in Shpoleh[3] (which is close to the town of Zlatopola).

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[1] As noted previously, the Baal Shem Tov was nistalek in 5520 (1760). A year after his histalkus, the Maggid assumed the leadership position of the Chassidic movement. This story occurred five or six years later.
[2]. The Rebbe repeated this saying in numerous sichos. The Rebbe would continue that we can learn from this that although a positive undertaking may appear difficult and therefore one might not even attempt to do it, in truth we are very capable of doing it successfully. However, it should be noted that in those sichos, the Rebbe states that it was originally said by a non-Jew to the Baal Shem Tov (see, for example, Toras Menachem, vol. 28, pp. 239–240).
[3]. Author’s note: This is how the Frierdiker Rebbe relates this story in a letter (Igros Kodesh, vol. 9, p. pp. 98–99). However, in Sefer HaSichos 5696-5700 (p. 413), the story is related somewhat differently.
There it is noted that the wagon driver was a non-Jew, but that
didn’t stop the Zeide from willingly helping a fellow human being. After helping pull the wagon out of the mud, the driver asked him for assistance in another matter, and it was regarding that matter that the Zeide responded that he couldn’t do it. To this the driver replied, “You can but you don’t want to.” It also states there that the Zeideh immediately acted on that resolution, stopping in Shpoleh (as that was the first town he came to) and becoming Rebbe there.
In the text, I followed the version given in the letter, as it was written by the Frierdiker Rebbe himself, while the sichah is based on a transcript made by Rabbi Yisroel Jacobson of a yechidus he had with the Frierdiker Rebbe.

A Taste of Chassidus

Yehudah coming close to Yosef (which is mentioned in the first possuk of this weeks’ parsha), symbolizes that while they are different or perhaps opposites, the ultimate purpose is the unity that will exist between (the aspects of both of) them. This thought is brought out vividly in the haftara where it states that Hashem instructed the Navi to take two staffs; the staff of Yehudah as well as the staff of Yosef, and they will become one, true unity.

Being that the Torah is giving us guidance on how we should conduct our day-to-day life and fulfill our objective, “That I was created to serve my Master”, so this guidance applies, not only to those aspects which the Torah notes that they had already happened, but also to the points which the Torah states that they will happen in the future (i.e. the unity of the two staffs).

It is often explained that the tribe of Yehudah represents action, and we see this especially by Dovid Hamelech and the kings after him. The primary purpose of a King is to direct the people on how they should conduct themselves and to fear Hashem. Furthermore, Hashem calls Dovid Hamelech, Dovid My servant; and the primary function of a servant is serving his master, and the way a servant serves his master is through action.

Yosef on the other hand, which literally means addition or growth, represents learning Torah, which is unlimited and a person can constantly grow and add in his understanding of the Torah. This is also seen in his son Ephraim’s name which means grow and multiply.

Our sages question and disagree as to what is greater, learning (the aspect of Yosef) of action (the aspect of Yehudah).

By describing how Yehudah came close to Yosef, the possuk is telling us that one should not only have both of these qualities, but each one should complement the other.

Learning is not only important, but it is vital. However, it can happen that even after toiling on it for a while, the person doesn’t grasp it clearly, and he goes on to learn something else. However, if he is studying in order to know how a person or even how he himself is supposed to fulfill this mitzvah then he will study it with much more fervor and concentration, until he understands it clearly. So, we see that doing a mitzvah can and does enhance one’s learning.

At the same time, one cannot fulfill a mitzvah properly if he doesn’t learn and know exactly what he is to do. [For example, he knows that he is supposed to put on Tefillin, but what makes the Tefillin kosher, as well as how and when he is to do those aspects, that has to be learned]. So we see that each one of these two aspects is done properly only with the assistance of the other and they are united as one.

However, there is a basic difference between them. Torah is learning with himself [or even if he is learning with others, the concepts are being absorbed in his mind], while a mitzvah is interacting with an object that is separated from him, so how can we say they are united as one?

This brings us to another aspect of Yehudah and Yosef.

When Yehudah was born his mother gave this name because she said, “Now I will give thanks to Hashem” and the possuk then notes, “She stopped giving birth.”

When a person admits to another, in essence, he is nullifying himself, and that is the reason why we bow down in Shemone Esreh and say it quietly, as at that moment we recognize that we are standing in front of Hashem] and are nullified. [Therefore, since she nullified herself and a nullified person doesn’t do an action on their own, that caused that she stopped giving birth.]

While Yosef represents the aspect of redemption as he enabled us to fulfill the purpose of our descent into Mitzrayim (as explained last week). That concept is also alluded to in his name which means addition, since the era of redemption is something more than the present world situation.

So, while Yehuda and Yosef are two separate and in fact opposite aspects, we see that they became united [in our parsha and in the haftara]. Furthermore, the halacha is that there should be no interpretation between the words of Guh’al Yisroel [Hashem redeems the Jews] and the beginning of Shemone Esreh [in the morning prayers]. Once again there is no separation between Yosef (redemption) and Yehuda (nullification).

This concept helps clarify another point in this week’s parsha. After Yehudah spoke to Yosef, the possuk says that Yosef was not able to contain himself. The question is what happened now more than previously?

The majority of what Yehudah said in this parsha, was said to Yosef in the previous one, and then he was able to contain his emotions (at least in their presence). So why couldn’t he do it this time as well?

But since Yehudah is the aspect of self-nullification, and as noted he merged and became one with Yosef. Therefore, he transmitted into Yosef this aspect of self-nullification as well.

Before this encounter the Possuk states that Yosef remembered what his brothers had done to him, and he acted as if he was out to get them [in order that they should repent]. But now that he was gifted with the aspect of self-nullification, he realized that he should no longer look at it from his personal perspective and experience. Taking himself out of the equation, he was able to view it objectively. He then came to the realization and stated to his brothers that it wasn’t them who sold him to become a slave. To the contrary, he now was on a higher level and realized that it was the work of Hashem in order that he be in a position to help save the entire family.

Once he saw it from this perspective, he was no longer able to maintain his facade and broke out in a cry.

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