Weekly Story: Historic Visit To St. Louis Part II

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

Last week we posted about the tremendous reception the Frierdiker Rebbe received upon his arrival to St. Loius and what he said that evening by the kabbalas ponim (official welcoming ceremony). This week we will conclude what transpired during the following week while he was there.

As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated.

While St. Louis was previously visited by Rabbi Cook and Rabbi Herzog, they never experienced such a large and broad welcome from every segment of the community. The Rebbe notes that when he stood up to speak everyone in attendance stood up as well and they sat only when he motioned them to sit, and they remained quiet the entire time he spoke.

However, after the Rebbe was introduced, but before he was able to speak there was one interruption which gave the Rebbe tremendous pleasure. Mrs. Faye Zeffren who was a newlywed woman/lady and very religious, with the encouragement of other women, began banging the benches in the women’s section, creating a tremendous commotion.

The Rebbe turned to see where this commotion was coming from, and the entire shul remained silent. She then spoke loudly, Rebbe speeches are very important, but here in St. Louis the mikva is in dire straits. Many more families would observe Taharas Mishpacha, if it was a clean and brighten place. We need a new mikva.

This point of encouraging families to observe the laws of Taharas Hamishpacha was one of the Rebbe’s main focuses during this visit of his to America. Responding to her, the Rebbe said, a committee should be formed just for this vital purpose/endeavor, and he would love to meet with them and assist them in any way possible. He also turned to Mrs. Zeffren and requested that she also attend.

At the meeting the following day, the Rebbe gave Mrs. Zeffen two rolls of pennies. He also gave her a hundred small cards with a picture on him on it. Under the picture was written the following brocha to/for anyone that purchases the penny for an eighteen-dollar donation or higher, which will be used exclusively for the building of the mikva.

Beneath his pictures were the following words, translated from its original Yiddish:

These are the words that the holy Lubavitcher Rebbe said when he gave [us]this coin [to auction off].
“I am giving you this coin, and I hope that in the merit of my holy ancestors, that every person that will acquire this coin, would be protected [by the Almighty] from [all] pain, and will be blessed with children/offspring, health, longevity and become prosperous.

The pennies together with the cards were quickly sold out and with the proceeds the new mikva was indeed built.

On Thursday there was a special gathering in the Nusach Harizal shul, and the Rebbe said the maamar Si’oo Morom Einechem – Pick up your eyes heavenward.

On Sunday, the 13th of Iyar, a family had the honor that the Rebbe was the sandek by their sons’ bris. At six in the evening there was a meeting in the Shaarei Tzedek shul where he spoke, and at nine the Rebbe went to the Jewish old age home, where the official banquet took place and he spoke for twenty-five minutes.

Although the Rebbe’s schedule was that he will be in St. Louis for a week, and would be leaving that day, seeing the amount of people that were constantly/continuously coming to him for guidance and brocha’s as well as the necessity to accomplish more in the city, caused the Rebbe to remain there for an additional few days. During those additional days, for some reason the Rebbe made an exception and allowed a reporter of the weekly? Jewish newspaper, The Jewish Record, to interview him. They printed it up in their erev Shabbos / Friday edition.

The article begins with mentioning the points/highlights of what the Rebbe said on Sunday, at both locations. He began by demanding that the community obeys the bylaws that the Chief Rabbi of St. Louis instituted. He also explained the necessity for a Jew to observe Shabbos and the laws of Taharas Hamishpacha. The Rebbe then turned his attention to the Jewish youth, teenagers and those in their twenties and thirties; he passionately beseeched that they be mobilized under the organization of Young Israel and participate in their programs.

The first question I posed/asked was, Rebbe do you think that the harsh and cruel decrees of the Yevsektzia, [especially] in the last twelve years [since you left Russia], broke the Jews spirit there, to the extent that Judaism won’t be able to survive there anymore?

The Rebbe replied, G-d forbid, not even for a fleeting moment, can one can entertain the thought that the Jews of Russia will be vanquished and separated from the rest of our nation! This can be asked only by one who has no concept of the stubbornness and resolve of Russian Jewry.

It is not for naught that Moshe Rabbeinu gave us the title of being a stubborn nation. While one may see a Jew give in to outward influences, that is when it is connected to his own interests. However, when it comes to something that can affect his connection to our holy religion the deep stubbornness (or defiance) stands strong and is vigilant, not to allow it to happen.

This spirit of stubbornly remaining connected to our Torah and Mitzvos, is not only noticeable among the elders in Russia, who were religious their entire life, but it is seen even by younger men and the youth who were born in this anti-religious environment.

While presently it is not the amount of people we would desire it to be, but nevertheless, they give us the reason to believe that the situation is not as you may perceive it, and there is a future for Judaism to flourish there.

This spirit of perseverance will help the Jews in Russia to come out victorious. Just as in other / previous generations the Jewish nation was put to a test, and we ended up victorious, so too this test will strengthen our resoluteness in learning Torah and fulfilling mitzvos.

I then asked the Rebbe How does he view American Jewry?

This is harder to answer than your previous one. However, in general I am not as pessimist as other Rabbonim in Europe who visited America are. While the initial impression might be that things here are somewhat wild/ not proper/-, but the reality/fact is that the young Jews in America have a deep feeling for religion and they clamor /desire for authentic Judaism. Their establishment of new organizations is the best/ strongest proof for this.

What is needed is that the elders should stop thinking that Judaism in America is a lost cause. In addition, the Jewish newspapers can be a tremendous positive factor in this regard, by setting/presenting the proper perspective, in their articles.

The third question was are you satisfied with the response that American Jewry responded to your appeal for Russian Jewry?

Being that my main focus/purpose is to acquaint/familiarize myself with the situation here. And by working together with the local rabbonim to elevate it. When with Hashems help this will succeed/be achieved/accomplished in a certain degree, I will definitely be excited about the success of this visit.
The Rebbe concluded, I never gave such an interview, as I don’t want the focus to be on me. But since your editor said this might help another Jew or numerous Jews to accept upon themselves a mitzvah, I agreed to do so.

Tuesday evening the 15th of Iyar the Rebbe boarded an express train and arrived in New York the following evening.

A Taste of Chassidus

Zochor es asher usah…5733

The maamar this week is connected to the Torah portion that we read for Parshas Zochor (and not the weekly parsha). It is similar to what was written last week, just it focuses and delves deeper in two aspects.
The possuk instructs us to remember what Amalek did to us, when we left Mizrahim, however, it doesn’t note what exactly we should think about, or what we should do about it. Only two pesukim (passages) later, does the Torah instruct us that we are to destroy and eradicate Amalek.

However, here also there is a difference between these two pesukim, the commandment to remember what Amalek did to us, is applicable at all times, while the commandment of eradicating Amalek, applies only after we settled in Eretz Yisroel and appointed a king over Israel.

Furthermore, why does the Torah single out Amalek to be destroyed and not the other nations.

The Navi says Reishis Goyim Amalek; the word Reishis can be translated two different ways. Reishis can mean the first, and it would be similar to the word Rishon, which means the first of many. But at the same time, it is similar to the word Rosh which means head. The head is above everything else.

However, being that goyim means the nations, and there are seven other nations besides Amalek (and the seventy nations are extensions of those seven, as each one has ten components), the word Reishis in this possuk must be explained to mean the head.

Consequently, that explains why there can be different instruction on how to treat them, as they are not in the same category. But then the question becomes, what is the difference between them?

When the Jewish people came to Eretz Yisroel, Hashem instructed us to conquer those seven nations, as they represent the seven attributes or emotional traits a person has. However, when Moshiach comes, may it be speedily in our days, Eretz Yisroel would be expanded to another three kingdoms: Keini, Knizi and Kadmoni, (or in simpler terms the nations of Amon, Moav and Edom). These three nations represent the three aspects of intellect, Chochmah, Binah and Daas (wisdom. Knowledge and understanding).
Being that love and fear, plus the other five attributes, are borne out according to the persons understanding, our mission nowadays (until Moshiach comes), is to conquer those traits, so that our desires, longing and love should only be to fulfill what Hashem guides us to do. We should desire G-dliness and not the material aspects of this world. Similarly, we should only fear Hashem and nothing else.
Whereas, Amalek represents intellect, and that is a separate category.

Our sages inform us that that Amalek knows of Hashem’s greatness, however, he is nevertheless defiant and says I won’t respect Him. They explain it with the following parable. There was a public bath that the townspeople used. However, one time the attendant heated it up so much that steam was rising and hovering over it.

Whoever came to the bath house saw the steam and said it is too dangerous to bathe or even enter for a moment in this scalding water. But then a haughty person walked into the bathhouse and being a show off chastised everyone and said, what are you afraid off? To prove his point, he entered the boiling hot water for a moment. Even though the people had to pull him out as he almost lost consciousness and his body was red and he had burns on his skin, it didn’t matter to him, he had proven his point, he is fearless.
Yes, this defies logic, but as noted, he doesn’t allow logic to control his behavior and conduct.

The seven nations saw the heat/steam and wouldn’t enter the bath. They heard about the splitting of the sea and trembled in fear.so we see that their intellect did influence and affect their conduct. Subsequently, we understand that if we demonstrate in a way that they clearly see that Hashem is the true Creator and continuous controller of the world, they will submit themselves to Him.

However, Amalek is a different story, he stubbornly refuses to conduct himself according to even his own intellect. So how can he be subdued and forced into submission?

The only way to accomplish that is by fighting and attacking him with “a taste of his own medicine” something that is above logic also. Therefore, the Torah just tells us; Remember what Amalek did, without giving any details as to what I should think and what I should do. I am not acting according to logic; I am above logic.

Logic comes from the brain which is in the head. But when one enters the king’s throne room, they don’t merely bow down, but they prostrate themselves in front of the king. In simple terms this means their face touches the ground and is on the same level as the heel of their feet, they put their understanding and logic aside, as they nullify themselves completely.

Therefore, only after a person has a king, i.e. the ability to control themselves to the extent of nullifying themselves completely, and put their intellect aside only then can they eradicate Amalek.

One may then ask, if this is so, that the seven nations and Amalek are so different, why and how can we say that Amalek is their head (or source)?

But as our sages continue the example of the bath; yes, the first person got burned and suffered, but once he entered the boiling bath, that diminished the fear of others and some of them began following suit. [After Amalek attacked us, other nations no longer feared us, and also attacked us.]

Therefore, while by most people the intellect automatically and instantly affects the person’s conduct. Anyone seeing a danger coming from one direction will immediately begin fleeing away from it. So therefore, it should be relatively easy to influence the seven nations. However, being that Amalek is their head, they follow his example of having some defiance and stubbornness, and subsequently their refinement is not a given, it takes tremendous efforts.

But ultimately we will succeed. Not only to refine the seven nations, but also to completely eradicate the defiance of Amelek, with the coming of Moshiach Tzikeinu 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 avtzombooks@gmail.com