Weekly Story: You Are That Child

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

Last week on Chof-Aleph Av was the yahrzeit of the Tzaddik HaRav Aharon of Belz. In this week’s post I am relating a story that I recently heard about him.

As always your feedback and comments are greatly appreciated and welcomed. 

One summer a chassidishe Yid from Eretz Yisroel came to America and was hosted by a family in Seagate. The following day after Shacharis he noticed one person was still in the shul. [I was told that it was the composer Reb Yossi Green.]

He went over to him and said, I am here for a few months in order to visit some doctors and then I am to have a procedure. I would greatly appreciate if you would be willing to be my chavrusa every day during these few months, for whatever amount of time that you can.

Reb Yossi himself was thinking about learning extra in the summer as his family was upstate, so he replied yes. The guest wasn’t particular on what to learn, and whatever Reb Yossi wanted to learn was good for him and it went smoothly. 

On the afternoon of chof Av or perhaps later on in the evening, his chavrusa said, tomorrow is the yahrzeit of my Rebbe the heilike tzaddik, Reb Aharon of Belz, and I had the tremendous zechus (merit) to be one of his attendants for a period of time.  My custom is that I prepare a small seudah on the day of his yahrzeit and learn some mishnayous in the Rebbe’s memory, but I need a minyan.

Yossi, I don’t know the people here, can you please arrange that a minyan remains after shacharis. I see that almost everyone leaves immediately after davenning. Of course, I will pay for the seudah and he gave him money to purchase the necessary items.

Reb Yossi had to call much more than ten people, until he received assurances from another eight that they will attend.

However, after davening only seven of them were present, whilke Yossi and the guest made it nine, and they were missing one for the minyan.

The man pleaded. can one more Yid be found that we would have a minyan, and while they called many numbers, no one was locally around to attend. 

Suddenly, Yossi said I will call my father, maybe he can come. His father heard the situation and said although I am almost an hour away from Seagate, if the people would remain, I will drive over.

When he arrived, they began the seuda and then the Yid said, I will relate a story that I personally witnessed in the period of time that I was zoche (merited) to be an attendant by the Rebbe.

He then related; there was a man who was married for many years and was not blessed with a child. Each year when he had come to the Rebbe, [author’s note: I believe the person speaking noted that it was motzei Yom Kippur] the Rebbe blessed him that Hashem will definitely help, however,  the brocha had not yet come to fruition.

One  year he decided that he would not move from the Rebbe’s presence until the Rebbe guarantees him that he will be blessed with a child. When he came to the Rebbe and the Rebbe said, Hashem will help, he poured out his heart and then said, Rebbe, I am remaining here until the Rebbe guarantees that we will be blessed with a child.

The Rebbe heard his pain and anguish and concentrated deeply for a few moments. He then said You will merit to have a son this year.

Hearing these words from the Rebbe, the Yid answered Amen and began walking joyfully home. But before he was able to take a few steps, a chashuvah Yid said to him, I want to be the sandek at the bris.

The Yid was in seventh heaven and he happily replied, Yes.

As the Rebbe promised that Yid had a son and the Yid also kept his word.

Throughout the story everyone present  was enraptured by the way this Yid became so alive when he was saying the story, they felt  they were witnessing the person reliving it, that they weren’t paying attention to anything else. When the story ended, Yossi looked at his father and became startled.

His father was no longer wearing his hat, his face was pale and he was sweating profusely, while he was dabbing it with napkins to remove the sweat.

Tatte, are you OK. Should we call the Hatzalah, he cried out nevously?

Yossi, Boruch Hashem I am OK. Please give me some water, everything is good.

After drinking more than one cup water and wiping the sweat of his brow, Mr. Green began speaking in a choked voice. And what he said shocked everyone. 

Yossi, my son, the story this man said is true in every detail. The man in the story was me and you my dear son is the son that the Heilike Rebbe, Reb Aharon may his merit protect us, blessed us with.

A Taste of Chassidus

Melech Basadeh

While I wrote throughout the year the maamar that was printed in the dvar malchus, I chose to erite a synopsis of the sicha printed there from Shabbod 4^th Elul 5750, as it discusses the moshol (parable) of Melech Basedeh (A King in the Field), a topic that I wrote a compilation of numerous sichos and maamorim, many years ago.

The concept of Ani L’dodi v’dodi li, is that it is the avodah of the person, that the person is initiating the connection to coming closer to Hashem, and then Hashem reciprocates and comes closer to the Jewish people. But the parable that the Alter Rebbe gives, says that the King is making himself available to the people, (by going out of his palace, and changing out of his royal garments, to go the field without his entourage, so that the people will be comfortable when they go to greet him) which is the concept of Vdodi li [that my beloved is the one who takes the first step to build this wonderful relationship]. 

Additionally, it isn’t even v’dodi li, which means my beloved uncle, which expresses a close relationship between the two entities, while in the parable it is speaking about a king, who is exalted above the people. So not only are the people not taking the first step, but it isn’t even coming from a dear and beloved uncle/friend, but it is the initiative of the king, who lowers himself to our level. And as is known, being in the presence of the king evokes a feeling of fear into us, not love.

The explanation given to clarify this is that Hashem is merely making Himself available,  but it is the people who are seizing the moment and greeting the king, (while the king did not go directly to them). So therefore it is their initiative, and not the king’s. Furthermore, coming without his entourage and royal garments, demonstrates his openness to talk with them, which comes from a loving person, not one who wishes to instill in you awe. 

But we have to understand why did the king not make himself available someplace in an open space in his capital city, instead of going out to the field?

From this it is clear that the king desired that he be greeted specifically in the field and not in the city, not only because some people are in the field, but more importantly, he is pointing out the importance of those who are working in the field. Therefore, the only way the people who are living in the city can greet him is if they too go out to the field. In other words the king is stressing that his desire is that we work and succeed in the field (and sometimes that is more precious and important to him than our work in the city).

The Difference Between the City and Field

A field is the place where physical work is done and accomplished, while the city dwellers represent people who are not working, but rather they are learning. So we have to understand why does the King desire our work more than our learning of His Torah? 

The Torah considers only the 39 activities that were necessary for the building and maintenance of the mishkan as work. Any other activity is not deemed as real work. As we know these are the 39 works (activities) that are forbidden for us to do on Shabbos. But yet the Mishna doesn’t describe them as 39, rather as 40 actions minus one.

The question becomes what is the 40th action that is not considered a forbidden work?

The answer given is that Heavenly work is not forbidden. Simply put, one is encouraged to not only learn Torah on Shabbos, but to toil in it.

The purpose of all these 39 acts of work is to transform something into something else which is better than it was originally. A person plows, plants, etc in order to make bread, sews or weaves in order to create a garment. Similarly, the actions that the Torah forbade us to do, are the actions that were necessary to build or be done in the mishkan. As Chassidus explains, the entire purpose of the Mishkan was to transform earthly items into holiness, to the extent that Hashem’s shechina is revealed in the Mishkan. That can only be accomplished with or from material items taken from the field, and therefore the king specifically makes himself  available in the field. He is pointing out that the purpose of creation is to elevate even the materialistic aspects of the world which are found in the field to G-dliness. 

Another important aspect which is seen from the king being in the field and not in his royal throne room is, the level of the people’s nullification.

When a person enters the throne room, the aura of the throne room is what throws out a fear upon the person. Whereas, in the field the king is without all of the royal trappings. So what causes the people to nullify themselves to the king and accept his kingdom and rulership in the field, that is his essence.

In other words in the field we sense his essence, while in the palace we initially don’t, as we are overwhelmed by the revelation of His greatness. 

Only then, after we demonstrate the even the field, – the mundane items of the world are there only to serve the king, does the King proceed to enter his palace, and put on all his royal garments. 

This points out that through our actions of transforming the field into holiness, the king is elevated to a higher level, His essence is now able to dwell in this physical world..

While this is true the entire year, it is brought out in a revealed way in Elul.

Elul is the culmination of this past year’s work as well as a preparation for the upcoming year. One has to have the clarity of what is the objective of all our toil. It is to reveal the spark of G-dliness in every aspect of the world.

But one may ask, if that is so, why is Elul associated with the thirteen attributes of compassion (Prayer),  as well as the 13 pedals of a rose, which represent the 13 paths to learn the Torah, as well as repentance, charity and redemption? These are spiritual items in their own right, not that we elevated them. Furthermore the forty days that begin from the beginning of Elul through Yom Kippur, are the days Moshe went up on the mountain of Sinai to receive the second tablets, so they are clearly connected to Torah study.

When a person nullifies themself, they are elevating themself to Hashem, but the purpose of that is to reveal Hashem’s essence in this world, and that is accomplished through Torah study. Simply put, when one whose life is dealing with physical items, and nevertheless they set aside time to learn on a daily basis, that demonstrates that the entire world is only in order that we can serve Hashem properly. 

Therefore, at the culmination of our toil during the year, Hashem shows us that we are succeeding in bringing and revealing His glory and indeed His essence into the field – the physical world.

This week’s post is dedicated to Yosef Shlomo ben Risha and all cholei Yisroel, with a brocha and tefilla that Hashem grant them a complete and speedily recovery, that no trace of the prior illness remains.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous seforim on the Rebbeiim and their chassidim. He is available to farbreng in your community and can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com.