Weekly Story: Rashi Sichos Erev Shabbos Parshas Noach 5785

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

As I am about to give to my editor the two-volume biography of the Frierdiker Rebbe, I have begun formalizing my thoughts concerning a biography on the Rebbe. In truth, I originally did not want to even entertain that thought, as the Rebbe must remain fresh in our heart and thought, and for other reasons as well.

However, as the years passed and many younger people have entreated me to write one, and while farbrengening with students of various yeshivos and others, I realized that while it may not be a necessity for my generation, it probably is a necessity for the next generation, especially for those who are now going through our educational systems. They are passionate in their desire to know about the Rebbe. 

So then comes the harder question and decision, on what aspects of the Rebbe’s life should I write about. Additionally, the question becomes how detailed should it be?

Concerning the latter question, it will follow the path I chose in The Rebbeim Series, of highlighting the major points, but not going into every detail. Although some or many would enjoy it, to others it may be too cumbersome. Additionally, I personally don’t know many details of numerous aspects of the Rebbe’s life and activities.

Being that his Shabbos, Parshas Noach, is 60 years since the Rebbe began explaining a Rashi on a possuk of the weekly parsha, I decided that in this week’s post I will attempt to present some aspects of how it began and evolved.  

As always, your feedback and comments are greatly appreciated and welcomed, especially as it can also help me clarify what the scope of the Rebbe’s biography should encompass.

As is known the Rebbe’s mother, Rebbetzin Chana’s petira was on Shabbos parshas Vayeilach, Vov Tishrei 5725 (1964). Rabbi Yosef Weinberg, who began his radio Tanya class on motzei Shabbos parshas mishpatim, four and a half years earlier, wrote to the Rebbe, that he is thinking of splitting the half hour program into two parts. The first part would remain as before, to explain word by word what the Alter Rebbe wrote in the Tanya, while the second part, would be spent on giving over a thought that the Rebbe discussed during the farbrengen that Shabbos. On a Shabbos that the Rebbe would not farbreng, he would review a thought that the Rebbe mentioned in previous farbrengens.

The Rebbe replied, this strengthens my thought of farbrengening every Shabbos this year.

So, from that reply everyone knew that this year would be different. As until that year, the Rebbe would farbreng only on Shabbos Mevorchim and special occasions. For example, in the previous year of 5724 (1964), the Rebbe farbrenged only on — shabbosim.

However, while some may have thought that perhaps the Rebbe would also change or add to the format of the farbrengen, no one knew exactly what the change would be.

The format of a typical farbrengen was as follows. The Rebbe would say two sichos, a maamar or a maamar in the way of a Sicha, and then explain other points in the next two sichos. 

But on Shabbos parshas Noach, the Rebbe added to the format. After the maamar, the Rebbe began explaining the first and last Rashi of that parsha. In the first sicha, the Rebbe asked numerous questions and in the next sicha, the Rebbe answered those questions and gave an original explanation of that Rashi.

This continued throughout that year. Somehow, at the end of the year, people understood that the Rebbe was planning on discontinuing to explain a Rashi. From that people believe that the Rebbe explanations on Rashi was his way of giving a tribute to his mother.

Reb Yosef Waldman, who was a resident of Crown Heights, pleaded with the Rebbe not to stop. He wrote in his letter that he has tremendous enjoyment in the Rebbe’s approach to learning Rashi and the tremendous clarity he receives from each Rashi explanation. The Rebbe replied that he too has enjoyment from learning the Rashi and he continued explaining a Rashi in every Shabbos farbrengen. 

From then on, on every Shabbos mevorchim and other shabbosim that he knew for sure that the Rebbe would be farbrengening, before davening Reb Yosef would stand outside the Rebbe’s room/in the hallway and the Rebbe would tell him on which possuk he would explain the Rashi. 

It was believed that the Rebbe did this in order that people should review and study that Rashi, and this way they would know how other commentaries explain the Rashi and they would understand and appreciate the Rebbe’s thoughts better. Therefore, after davening the gabbai in 770 would announce on what Rashi the Rebbe would expound on.

This system worked excellent for three and a half years. However, on the Shabbos of Parshas VaYikra, 5729 (1969) for some unknown reason a person mentioned to his friend that the Rebbe would be explaining the Rashi on chapter 2, possuk 5.

The problem was that the Rebbe never said that and in fact he wasn’t going to farbreng at all that Shabbos.

The Rebbe demanded an explanation and the gabbai said, he heard a bochur say it, so he thought that it came from the Rebbe. The student also went over to the Rebbe and said he also heard from someone and wanted the gabbai to inform everyone to look over and study that Rashi.

The Rebbe told him that he knows he is not the one that made it up and is not upset at him at all.

However. The Rebbe was not happy about this situation and decided that he would no longer explain a Rashi. Once again it was Reb Yosef Waldman who entreated the Rebbe not to stop, noting how many people are beginning to understand a whole new dimension in learning a Rashi and klal Yisroel is benefitting from it. The Rebbe accepted this argument and continued explaining a Rashi every Shabbos farbrengen.

Over the years the Rebbe encouraged that people participate in the Rashi Sichos, asking why no one tried to answer in the Hu’oros HaTimimim the Rashi that he left unanswered in the previous week, and on another occasion lamented why no one asked a question on something he mentioned that was obviously not completely correct.

At that point many more people began writing their thoughts in these booklets and very often in the farbrengen the Rebbe would respond to one of them. It developed that people wrote their questions and thoughts on a Rashi of the upcoming week and the Rebbe chose one of them to elaborate on.

This continued until chof beis shevat 5748 (1988), when the Rebbetzin was niftara. At that time the Rebbe changed many things in his schedule and over the course of a few months he completely stopped discussing and explaining a Rashi in the farbrengen.

Over the years the Rebbe pointed out numerous rules and guidelines to understand a Rashi on Chumash properly. Here is not the place to discuss all of them, as there is a sefer Kilulei Rashi by Rabbi Tuvia Blau, who points out hundreds of them. However, I would be amiss if I don’t point out the main rule: Rashi states that his intent and goal is to explain the simple meaning of the possuk.

But at the same time, the Rebbe explains that in the simple meaning there are also various levels. So while the explanations on the first seven weeks from Parshas Noach through Parshas Vayishlach were according to this guideline, nevertheless, they were explained on a higher level than the way the Rebbe began to explain all other Rashi’s.

Additionally, the Rebbe noted, that while Rashi explains the simple meaning, nevertheless the secrets of the Torah are included in that explanation. Just one has to know how to extract it. [For example, it is comparable to minerals in the earth. While one. just sees the earth, when you explore it you will find tremendous treasures. So, they were there the entire time, just they had to be uncovered and revealed.]

Over the years many of these explanations were reviewed and edited by the Rebbe and are published in the forty volues of Likkutei Sichos, but that is a story in itself.  

A Taste of Chassidus Hashamayim Kisi 5734

This Shabbos [being that it is also Rosh Chodesh] we say the Haftara of Hashamayim Kisi, which means that the heaven is my seat, and the earth is my stool. Then toward the end of the haftara, the possuk states that just as there will be a new heaven and earth when Moshiach comes, so too will the children of Israel last forever. 

Since the possuk has to inform us of that fact, that demonstrates that there is a reason to think that they would not be eternal. We have to understand why is there a reason to think so, and then why is that thought not correct and we will be eternal.

To explain this, we first have to understand why the possuk refers the heaven as Hashem’s seat and the earth as His stool. What is the deeper meaning of these metaphors?

When a person is standing their height is …, however, when the person sits down, their height is much smaller (meaning their head is at least a foot closer to the earth). Similarly, when a person is standing or sitting their feet are on the ground and that demonstrates a closeness to it, but when the feet are placed on a stool, that shows that the person uplifted and elevated them intentionally above the ground (and earthly desires).

In other words, sitting is a metaphor for lowering yourself or simply said, humbling yourself and placing your feet on a stool is elevating or separating yourself from earthly pursuits. 

In essence the possuk is stating that the creation of the universe, i.e. heaven and earth and everything that is contained in them is not an expression of Hashem’s essence but of His humility. Only by lowering Himself [by sitting on His chair], did He create the world. As we say in the third Hallelukah, [only] His glory is on the heaven and earth [however, He Himself i.e. His essence is exalted and above it.]

The possible drawback of this is that since Hashem Himself is so exalted from earthly concerns, and at that level there is no difference between light and darkness, so it is possible for evil (darkness) to draw strength from this  level of G-dly revelation/G-dliness. 

In order to limit that potential, Hashem made the earth His stool, meaning He elevated Himself from the lowest elements in the world so that evil cannot siphon off more G-dly energy and have power to harm His people.

This is what Rashi brings down from our sages, that Hashem created the world for two reasons, because of Bnei Yisroel and became of the Torah. Meaning that Hashem envisioned the happiness and enjoyment He would receive from us learning His Torah and observing His mitzvos and therefore He chose to create the entire universe. 

This also explains and answers the question that is in the end of the first possuk of the haftarah. 

Being that the entire heaven serves as My seat and the earth serves as My stool, how can one build a house that can contain Me in My entirety?

But just as Hashem lowered Himself to create the world, so too when a Jew puts aside their own personal desires in order to fulfill Hashems will, that fulfills the reason He created the world and that is the catalyst for Hashem to decide to reveal Himself in this lowly world, in the Beis hamikdash, as small as it May be.

Now we can also understand and answer the question we presented earlier. The present heaven and earth were created so that our sacrifice and self-nullification causes Hashem to reciprocate. In Chassidic terminology that is called Isarusu d’litatu Isarusa D’lieilah. 

However, when Moshiach comes, may it be speedily in our days, then the evil spirit would no longer exist. Subsequently we will no longer be facing any challenges to serve Him. At that point the heaven and earth will not be in existence because of our service, but they will be independent of us.

That is the reason why one might say there is no correlation between them and us. However, the possuk informs us at the end of the haftarah that it will remain.

The reason it is so is, the reward we receive because we did a mitzvah, is a combination of two factors; the fulfillment of the mitzvah as well as overcoming the obstacles that tried to prevent us from actually fulfilling the mitzvah. So whatever G-dly revelation will be in the days of Moshiach is dependent on what we accomplished nowadays. 

This is emphasized by the saying of our sages that although Moshiach will be teaching the secrets of the world, a second giving of the Torah won’t happen.

In other words, even the new heaven and earth are dependant upon what we accomplished before they were created.

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

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[1] In another chapter we will discuss bezras hashem the format of farbrengens and how things evolved.

[2] The difference between them is before a maamar a niggun is sung, (theRebbe requested that the Rostover niggun be sung), additionally, everyone stood up when the Rebbe said a maamar. While before a maamar in the way of a sicha, the niggun was not sung, nor did those who were sitting stand.

I cannot give a definite reason why the Rebbe chose to say one or the other on any given Shabbos..

[3] For example, the explanations on Pirkei Avos on the Shabbosim after Pesach until Rosh Hashanah were in those two sichos.

[4] As a student he studied in 770.

[5] He davened in a different shul and after the farbrengen would go to that shul and after repeating the Rebbe’s questions on the Rashi, would ask the learned individuals there, if they can clarify the Rashi.

[6] The following Shabbos the Rebbe did farbreng and explained a Rashi in Parshas Tzav, and then also explained the Rashi that was mistakenly announced the previous Shabbos.

[7] However in a private letter to Reb Yosef, the Rebbe expressed his unhappiness as to how such an episode had occurred.

[8] Booklets of questions and thoughts that a few yeshivos give out on a weekly or periodically schedule, containing questions and thoughts of the students, staff and members of the community on the Rebbe’s or the previous Rebbeim’s teachings.

[9] The Alter Rebbe explains this in Tanya as follows, everyone realizes that a person sitting in a room by themselves, doesn’t need to speak, they can think and contemplate on something. In other words words are detached from the person, it is only needed when there is a need to communicate to someone else. (there he also explains the distance of thought from the essence of the person).
The Torah describes creation with the words And Hashem said, “Let there be….” So the creation was accomplished through speech, an external aspect of Hashem. The reason it was done like this is because Hashem is so much greater than any aspect of the world. Just that He decided that He wants to enjoy when each person overcomes their challenges and then serve Him properly.

[10] Chassidus explains this is why Haman built a gallows 50 cubits high. The Jews were able to attain on their own only the first 49 levels of holiness, but the 50th was above their own capability. (The Rebbe explains elsewhere this is why on the 50th night, the night before Hashem gave us His Torah, the Jewish people went to sleep. They figured we can’t attain this level through our own toil, perhaps Hashem would grant it to us in our nocturnal sleep.)

[11] While learning this point in the maamar, the saying of Reb Levi Yitzchok of Berditchov about the Alter Rebbe and his sefer the Tanya came to mind; “How was he able to put such a great G-d in such a small sefer?”