Weekly Story: Yud Tes Kislev Part #3 – The Birth and Bris of a Chossid

by Rabbi Sholom Ber Avtzon

As this Shabbos is Chof Kislev, the culmination of the Alter Rebbe’s exoneration and freedom, I am posting the third and final segment about Yud-Tes Kislev. I heard this at a farbrengen on Tes Kislev.

As I mentioned numerous times, I appreciate when others share with me stories or thoughts expressed at various farbrengens, as that makes this column even richer in content. As always, your comments and feedback are most welcomed.

P.S. I put together a 28 pamphlet on Yud Tes Kislev and Chanukah. For those who request it, I will email it to you.

It is noted by chassidim that Tes Kislev is the birth of a chossid, while Yud Tes Kislev is the bris of a chossid. The question is what does this mean in practical terms? 

There is a story about the Mitteler Rebbe that sheds light on this topic. 

After his marriage, his father the Alter Rebbe, appointed him to guide the younger chassidim who were newly married. HaRav DovBer took this responsibility very seriously and was concerned about the conduct of newly married men even when he was not in the city of Liozna. One time, perhaps for a yom tov, he traveled to Yanovich where his in-laws lived. 

There he noticed a young man whom he felt should be davening a little bit better. Going over to him he gently advised him that the way a  chossid should daven should be XYZ. 

This young man turned to HaRav DovBer and replied, you are completely correct, I should and I will try to improve my davening, as well as my general conduct. However, let me tell you a little bit about myself. When Hashem decided to bless my parents who are regular Jews, with a child the Heavenly Court randomly chose a neshoma and said this neshoma will go to that couple’s child. So I got an average or perhaps a below average neshamah. My simple parents were content, Boruch Hashem they were blessed with a healthy baby boy. My father was not so learned, and he was busy earning a livelihood, so how much could he and my pious mother teach me? But, they did to the best of their ability, and hired a tutor to teach me even more than they knew. I grew up amongst regular people, who also weren’t able to teach me that much. 

But they taught me well, they showed me the way a Jew is supposed to live, to love Hashem with every fiber of your neshoma, and I strived to live up to those expectations. I was fortunate to be informed about your holy father, the Rebbe and his teachings of Chassidus, and I try to the best of my ability to implement those teachings into my life. 

But as you say I have to do even better and I believe you are correct I will try to improve. 

But now look at yourself. When the time came for your holy parents to be blessed with a son, your father was not going to accept a regular average neshoma. He demanded that he be allowed to enter the chamber of the neshomos, and choose the one that he feels is befitting for a son of his. His request was granted and he searched and searched until he was satisfied. So just think of the exalted neshoma that you were blessed with.

So your holy parents received an exceptional and outstanding neshoma. Then they are the ones that raised you, and additionally, your parents were able to choose the best tutors to teach you. Then consider what you were taught, by growing up in that environment, you were surrounded by your father’s outstanding chassidim and they taught you so much more. 

Once I married, I had an obligation to support my family. My Livelihood is from supplying farmers with the seeds they need to plant their crops. Boruch Hashem, I am able to provide for my family. But the one drawback is that I only receive payment some months later, after the farmers harvest and then sell their produce.

But that is a process in itself. I have to go to their farm before they begin working in the fields. So the first meeting takes place at around three-thirty in the morning. To arrive there on time, I woke up before three. But the farmer is not eager to pay me immediately, it becomes an entire process of its own.

First, I have to sit down with him and drink some vodka with him, and sometimes he is joined by his wife for a discussion. Then I show him the bill and he tries to haggle over it. Finally, he agrees that he has to pay me, but he claims that he hasn’t been paid by all the buyers, so he can only give a partial payment. He hopes to pay that the remaining balance in three weeks or so.

Then I proceed to visit another farmer and the entire ordeal repeats itself again and again. At six in the morning they begin to work, so I return home and prepare for davening. First I go to the mikva, and then I learn some Chassidus, and at eight or eight-thirty, I am ready to begin davening Shacharis.

You realize that is almost six hours after I woke up and had a few drinks etc., but all in all I think I am not doing too bad under the circumstances.

So may I ask you one question, how much did I accomplish and how much did you accomplish on your own? 

HaRav DovBer took these words to heart, and he realized that there is much truth in them. Indeed, how much of his accomplishments were gifted to him and how much does he personally deserve credit for? This thought gnawed and perturbed him to know, and he went to his in-laws house and informed his wife that he must urgently return to the Liozna as he has to discuss something of extreme importance with his father, the Rebbe. Arriving in Liozna, after preparing himself for a yechidus, he went to his father’s room, but this time he did not enter it as a son going to his father, but rather as a chossid going to ask guidance from his Rebbe. 

Sometime later, perhaps some weeks or months, that young man from Yanovich arrived in Liozna to ask the Rebbe to guide him in furthering his service to Hashem. 

When he entered the Alter Rebbe’s room, the Rebbe told him, thank you for making my son Berel a Chossid! 

So over here in this story, we have the birth of a chossid, as well as the making (or bris) of a chossid. For 16 or 17 years HaRav DovBer looked at his father the Rebbe, as a father who was very learned and knowledgeable who guides thousands upon thousands of Jews. But then after hearing the words of the chossid of Yanovich, he went to his father as a chossid. 

What is the difference between asking his father as a son asks a father, or as a chossid asks a Rebbe? The story itself answers this question. The other young man asked him what did you accomplish on your own? In other words, a chossid is one who is willing to go out of their nature and do something beyond their natural ability. 

This is similar to what the Alter Rebbe writes in Tanya, chapter 15, about the difference between one who serves Hashem and the one that does not serve Hashem. 

He explains, the one that does not serve Hashem, is one who reviewed his learning 100 times. While that is a tremendous feat, but the shortcoming of that is, that was the natural course that everyone did in those days. In other words he did not go out of his routine. However, one who goes out of his natural routine and learns the subject a hundred and one times, that person is serving Hashem. Because he did not do just what came to him by Nature but he pushed himself to go beyond his natural instinct. 

So now we can understand why Tes Kislev is considered the day a chossid is born. We were born with some Chasidic traits that Hashem granted and blessed us with. But on Yud Tes Kislev, is the day we circumcise ourselves. 

Circumcision is an act of connection that is beyond intellect, beyond natural instincts, and that is the definition of a chossid. 

A chossid does not only do what comes to them naturally, but rather they give up on themselves to help someone else, even if it is extremely difficult. They go out of their box and they think of what else could be done to help this person. 

Therefore, every single one of us can truly be a real bonafide chossid. Yes, it is true that a chossid should daven with kavana, and before davening he should learn some Chassidus, and an individual might be lacking in those aspects. 

But nevertheless, if a person changes his nature in order to fulfill the will of Hashem and do something that the Rebbe requested of all chassidim, that is a chossid and with that trait of overcoming his nature, in this aspect, he will overcome his nature in other aspects as well, such as learning and davening properly, the way a chossid should. 

For example, there is an elder chossid, who davens in a shul that the members of the shul make a chalukas Hashas for many years. Every year when the mesechtas’ for the Chalukas hashas is placed on the wall for the members to write which mesechta he is undertaking to learn from this Yud Tes Kislev and to be completed by Yud Tes Kislev of the following year, just as the Alter Rebbe requested in Tanya, that each minyan divides the learning of the shas among themselves. There was not a year that he did not take a Mesechta. However, one of the organizers who was involved in this project, noticed that the elderly chossid switched off between a few very small ones.

So one year he went over to him and said, Reb —-, could I ask you to please go out of your box, out of your comfort zone? The elder chossid looked at the person in bewilderment not understanding what he was saying. He explained, I have noticed over the past years that you repeatedly take one of two or three mesectos, all of them are quite short. Could you please push yourself to take a different mesechta? He looked at the organizer thoughtfully and said let me think it over. The following day he came over to him and said thank you for pushing me, I am taking a much larger mesechta [one that has more than five times more pages!]. And that is the day when a chossid circumcises himself, he acts beyond what he thought was his ability for the mere purpose of doing and fulfilling the Rebbe’s desire that each Jew fulfills Hashem’s wish of serving Him with a complete and full heart, without any personally made up limitations.

May we all merit to live up to that level of circumcising ourselves, by giving up our comfort zone and accomplish more. 

Gut Yom Tov L’Shana Tova bilimud Hachassus U’ B’darkei HaChassidus Tikuseivu V’seichuseimu

A Taste of Chassidus

Pudah B’sholom Shabbos Chof Kislev parshas Vayeishev 5734

This week’s maamar is a continuation of the maamar we posted last week, as the Rebbe said that Yud Tes kislev two maamorim. As noted Dovid Hamelech said Pudah B’sholom, that I was redeemed in peace. 

The question is how can you say the Dovid Hamelech was redeemed in peace and not through being victorious in war, when Hashem told him that the reason he cannot build the beis hamikdash because Dovid was a man of war and he  killed many people? However, your son, who will have peace in his lifetime, he will be able and will actually build it. So we see that most of his life was not in peace, so what does the possuk mean that Dovid himself was redeemed in peace?”

The Rebbe explains that there are different levels of peace, just as there are various levels of many other things. 

Dovid was not only a king in his lifetime, but he is also called Dovid Malka Meahicha, which means he will be Melech HaMoshiach. And as is known, the Navi (prophet) states that at that time all the nations will recognize the greatness of Hashem and then there will be true peace. 

So while on a certain level this possuk of Pudah B’sholoM is speaking about Dovid in his lifetime, but the highest level of peace will be in the days of Moshiach. 

As then all the nations of the Earth will recognize that Hashem is the only true existence and their entire existence is dependent upon Him and without Him they are nothing 

Another point that the Rebbe elaborates on in this maamar is how davening  is truly similar to a sword of peace, that shouldn’t pass through your land.

In simple words those words mean, that the army who is carrying the swords and other arms, are not intending to fight this nation that they are traveling through their land, but to fight  the nation that is on the opposite border.

The same thing is with davening. As noted last week, battle is necessary in order to refine and elevate the physical world around us. That occurs when one is working in the materialistic world. 

The same thing is by davening. Yes, we aim to convince the animalistic soul to desire G-dliness, but the true battle of refining and elevating the physical world around us, is when we begin working in whatever our livelihood is. That begins after we daven, and our davening gives us the ability to succeed in this mission.

Subsequently, when one davens, they carry the sword, i.e. the mission of refining the world, but that only begins after one davens.

One more point that the Rebbe clarifies is the possuk we say in Shema; serve Hashem with your entire heart, soul and might.

Your entire heart is not only serving Hashem with your nefesh Elokis, but also by transforming your animalistic soul to begin serving Hashem. But Seemingly the next two point of [serving Hashem] with your complete soul and might, both are a reference to mesiras nefesh, so what exactly is the difference between them?

But there are two separate and distinct translations of mesiras nefesh. Nefesh, normally means your life. However, it also has the meaning of your desire.

So with all your soul is referring to conquering your desire.  If one has to conquer it, that shows that the desire has and wants other things besides G-dliness, and your vanquish that desire. However, the words “with all your might” refers to being willing to actually give away your life for Hashem’s sake. In that scenario you nullify your entire being, and at that level there is no opposition whatsoever, as everything is nullified.

So these three phrases in Shema also refer to the three ways of redemption: a battle (arguing and convincing your animalistic soul), a sword of peace (there is a negative desire, but it is held in check and doesn’t express itself) and complete peace (where there is no longer any negative desire).

May we merit to have complete peace with the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days. 

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.