Weekly Story: “That Is My Shlichus”

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

This week a friend told me that he heard a beautiful story which he heard at a farbrengen from Rabbi Dovid Sholom Pape. So, I went over to him, and while the person related it to me properly, Rabbi Pape gave me some additional aspects of the story.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, and I once again request of you to forward me stories in order to benefit the thousands of readers of this column.

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

As an introduction, Reb Dovid Sholom informed me that he heard this from a member of the man’s family some years ago, and therefore, the quotes may not be the exact words. Additionally, while he told me the city and some other details, I chose not to publicize it, as to keep his identity anonymous, and really it is the message that is of utmost importance, and not the person.

There was a young married man, who was asked to become a teacher in the younger grades of a yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel. Since he wanted to do something that the Rebbe would definitely encourage, and a teacher of younger children in a Mossad of the Rebbe is a shlichus, he eagerly accepted the offer.

The first year, while it wasn’t perfect, the children were inspired by his enthusiasm and gentle demeanor to them. The principal said to him, “For a first year teacher, you did quite well. Every day your students come and leave with a smile on their face and that is fantastic. I am positive that in the coming years, as you get more experience, you will develop into an incredible melamed (teacher).”

The following couple years, while he did gain experience and had better class management and structure to his classroom, he himself was not satisfied. He didn’t feel that he was accomplishing something, and no longer was he happy about being a teacher. Subsequently, he lost his enthusiasm and no longer looked forward to going to teach.

So, at the end of one school year, he wrote to the Rebbe expressing his frustrations about teaching, and how he feels the desire to hear the dismissal bell, more than the children did, and therefore he is asking the Rebbe to allow him to leave the field of education.

The Rebbe’s reply was that he should remain in education, and that added to his distress. Out of obedience, he did as the Rebbe instructed. Although he tried to refresh his enthusiasm, by telling himself that evidently the Rebbe sees that I am succeeding in inspiring and educating the students, that lasted just for a few short months. By the end of the year, he informed the Rebbe that he tried to be positive, happy, and enthusiastic about teaching, but that feeling eventually evaporated and was replaced by doubt, unhappiness, and a sense of failure.

However, once again, the Rebbe encouraged him to continue and gave him brochos, as it is a tremendous zechus (merit) to teach children. Unfortunately, as before, the new perspective didn’t last long, and so began a yearly cycle. He requested permission to leave while the Rebbe’s answer was that he remains in that place.

Seeing that the Rebbe wasn’t giving him permission, he requested others (either family members or friends to ask the Rebbe on his behalf). To one of them the Rebbe replied, “Is he not aware of the numerous miracles that happened to him, because he is working in educating our children?!”

While this truly woke him up, and he really tried to throw himself into it, it didn’t work. He was not happy at being a teacher and desperately wanted out. At the end of that year or a year or a few later, the Rebbe allowed him to take a different job.  

This person was happy and began smiling. He was hired by a telecommunications company, and since he was talented, they promoted him a few times, giving him more and more responsibilities and income.

However, his happiness evaporated, and he began feeling empty. What is he accomplishing in his life? Yes, I am working and doing a very good job with a lot of responsibility, but do I want to do this for another twenty-five years?

At the beginning, his family and all of his friends thought that he was happy, and when they noticed that he didn’t join them in various functions or conversations, they attributed it to his heavy work schedule. But after a while they realized that he was becoming withdrawn. This became abundantly clear to everyone when even a few years later, after his second promotion, he still maintained that he didn’t have the time to travel to the Rebbe for Tishrei, something he had always done and enjoyed immensely. 

This made them concerned about his mental well-being, but they realized that he would say that everything is good. Therefore, they decided to convince him to join them in traveling to the Rebbe for Tishrei. 

Originally, he replied that he can’t take off so many days, but they told him, “We know that in the past few years, you hardly took a vacation, and anyways you would not be working on Yom Tov, so you are not going to miss that many additional days. We are positive the company will allow you yo be with the Rebbe for Tishrei!”

He couldn’t argue with this and with mixed feelings, he hesitantly agreed. While he had enjoyed being with the Rebbe for Tishrei, then he was doing a shlichus for the Rebbe. But now what was he doing?

His friends noticed that he wasn’t enthusiastic about going and thought that he may be having an internal debate and turmoil, so they said, “Many chassidim who have regular jobs, whether they are the owner of their store or are an employee, go to the Rebbe. This convinced him and he began looking forward to it.

Tishrei was exhilarating for him. He was in the Rebbe’s beis hamidrash, davened with the Rebbe’s minyan, and heard the Rebbe talk. After Tishrei (in those years) every guest was granted a private yechidus, and he wrote his letter/pa”n.

When the Rebbe received it from him (either before answering his questions or after), the Rebbe said, “Welcome, it has been a long time since I heard from you.”

He sheepishly replied, “I had nothing to inform the Rebbe about.”

“I didn’t give you anything to do?” inquired the Rebbe.

This caused him to become downcast, as he felt he had failed the Rebbe a second time.

Noticing or recognizing the inner turmoil, the Rebbe said to him, “When you meet someone with a warm smile, that is my shlichus. When you genuinely inquire of someone about the well-being of their family and their livelihood, that is my shlichus. If you inform someone about a Torah class for men or women or children, or about a chassidishe farbrengen, that is my shlichus.” Each time the Rebbe said that is my Shlichus, he emphasized it by lowering his hand to the table.

Hearing these words, he became uplifted, as he realized that even when he is working in a mundane job, he can fulfill the Rebbe’s shlichus. He is not disconnected from the Rebbe and he should stop thinking that his life is a failure! These words transformed him completely.

When he returned to Eretz Yisroel, everyone in his community and at work noticed the sudden and complete transformation he had gone through. No longer did he rush out of any gathering, but he was smiling and became talkative and friendly to all, expressing his interest in their family’s well-being. He joined them in their conversations and gatherings.

Therefore, when he mentioned to them, especially to his co-workers about classes and farbrengens, many of them began participating, some only occasionally and others on a regular basis.

A few years later, the community noticed how pleasant he talked with others, and how successful he had become in convincing many to improve their ways, of observance or of being more careful in mitzvos. They realized that he is the most qualified person to teach and talk to the older students, so they rehired him to be in a classroom with additional responsibilities.

May we all fulfill the Rebbe’s will and fulfill his Shlichus, no matter what our occupation is!

A Taste of Chassidus

Yehuda Atah 5730

When Yaakov Avinu blessed his sons, only by Yehudah did he begin immediately (after mentioning his name) speak to him in second person; Yehudah, Atah- [to] you your brothers will admit…. So we have to understand what is the significance of Atah –  you?

Furthermore, immediately after these words the Possuk states, “Your hands will be on the neck of your enemies. In essence it is stating that because your brothers will admit to you, therefore you will fight and vanquish your enemies. Why is the second statement dependent upon the first statement?

In order to understand this, we have to understand what the Alter Rebbe in Torah Ohr explains on this possuk. There he states that the brothers that Yaakov is referring to, are his older three brothers, Reuven, Shimon, and Levi. The younger brothers naturally understood to look up to their older brothers out of respect, but the older brothers intellectually didn’t have to look up to their younger brother, Yehuda, but they humbled themselves and admitted that Yehudah has a quality that is higher than them.

The Alter Rebbe explains that when Leah named him Reuven she stated, “Hashem saw…” and then when Shimon was named she stated, “Hashem heard…”. One can see from up close, but when one is distanced, they cannot see, but could still hear.

When one has a feeling of love to something, they come closer, however, when one fears, they move away and distance themselves from what they fear. Therefore, the second parsha of Shema that states in its beginning, “If you will listen…” later on speaks about Hashem’s retribution-fear. While the first parsha of Shema begins with the word V’uhavta – And you shall love. The Hebrew numerical value of V’eahavta is 414, which is two times the Hebrew numerical value of the word Ohr-Light. So when there is light, a person can see and therefore they come to love Hashem, as they see His tremendous kindness.

When Leah gave the name Levi, she said, “Now my husband will be united with me…”, which is higher than love or fear, as then the two are not yet truly united.

So all three of them exemplify exalted levels of a relationship with Hashem. Yet they realize that their relationship doesn’t come close to the level of Yehudah’s.

When Yehudah was named, Leah stated, “Now I will admit to Hashem.” When one admits, they are in essence nullifying themselves and their thoughts/perspectives, to the one they are admitting to. There is no longer an I. While previously it was, I love, I fear, I am connected.

With this introduction we can answer the two questions. When one uses the word you, that is inferring that the person they are talking to is revealed, but when one uses the words, he, she, they, it is implying that those people are not present at that discussion.

Yehudah was blessed that the kingship of the Jews would come from him, and the Zohar states that Atah is a reference to the sefirah of malchus – kingship.

On one hand Malchus is the lowest of all ten sefiros, yet at the same time malchus (unlike the sefiros above it) has the ability to take all the levels above it and reveal them in the lower worlds, until it is also revealed in this physical world, the lowest of all worlds. In essence, it is bringing down the revelation of G-dliness into this world.

Once he reveals G-dliness into this world, he and only he has the ability to vanquish his enemies, not merely causing them to flee, but essentially remaining an enemy.

The enemies we are referring to are the forces in this world that are denying that G-d is omnipresent in this world and is controlling it. However, when Yehudah reveals G-dliness in this world, that nullifies those enemies.

May we all merit to help reveal G-dliness in this world and usher in the era of Moshiach, may it be NOW!

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