Weekly Story: This is How I Heard it in Gan Eden

by Rabbi Sholom Avtzon

Concerning last week’s story, a few people asked me what I meant when I wrote at the end of page 3, “A short while later… became engaged,” if the boy was under bar mitzvah when he lit the menorah. I apologize as that was my mistake, I should have been clearer, it was around 12 years later. Additionally, the story occurred in 5752 (1991) and it is printed in Sefer HaSichos 5792 p. 190.

The story that I am posting this week, I heard from my friend Reb Sholom Tenenbaum, who related it in conjunction to his father, HaRav Yosef M.M. a’h. whose yahrzeit is the third day of Teves, (this Friday).

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

In 1936 [Rabbi] Yosef Menachem Mendel Tenenbaum, was accepted as a student in Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim of Otwock.

The Frierdiker Rebbe would normally say the maamar Friday evening before Kabbalas Shabbas in his house in Warsaw and then in Otwock. While all the students desired to hear the maamar directly from the Rebbe, however, the Rebbe only allowed the students that were both capable of understanding it as it was said, and also had the talent of being able to mesmerize it and repeat it to others. Those individuals are called Chozrim (ones who repeat and give over the words of the Rebbe).

The administration recognized the tremendous talents of this new student, and he was included in the select few that would hear and then review for others the maamar.

In order to make sure that they understood it correctly, the chozrim together with the mashpia, Reb Chatsha Feigen hy”d, who was also the Rebbe’s secretary, would review it among themselves after kabbalas shabbos, and on shabbos morning before shacharis they would repeat it to the Rebbe, who would then clarify any questions they had, or perhaps correct a misunderstanding of theirs. After davening each one would repeat it in the yeshiva or a shul in Otwock or nearby Warsaw, for the students and chassidim to hear it. 

One time during the maamar the Rebbe quoted the final words of chapter 40 possuk 6 in Tehillim. However, instead of saying the word va’ahdahbeiru, he said the word Va’ahsahpeiru. 

When they were reviewing the maamar among themselves, the question arose how should they say it, the way the Rebbe said it, or as it is written in the possuk? 

Reb Chatcha instructed them to say it the way the way it is written in Tehillim. That Shabbos morning, Yosef Tenenbaum was the student who was to repeat it in front of the Rebbe[1], and as instructed he said the word but va’adahbeiru. Hearing that word, the Frierdike Rebbe picked up both of his holy hands and said, this is not what was said. 

Reb Chatcha replied, being that this is how it’s written in the possuk, I instructed them to repeat it as such. 

“How it is written in the possuk, I am aware of, replied the Rebbe, however, this is a Torah [teaching] that I heard in Gan Eden, and there the word that was said, is the word I repeated, and that is how it is to be repeated to others.” 

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Being that this coming Sunday is Hei Teves, I would like to note two thoughts that I will be saying that at a farbrengen on Hei Teves. 

We know that the Rebbe instructed the lawyers that the argument they present to the honorable judge should focus on the fact that the library and everything that the Rebbe owned, was not a personal acquisition, rather it was the property of the chassidim, under the umbrella organization of Agudas chasidei Chabad.

 This was an approach that the lawyers did not originally consider viable, however, the Rebbe framed his decision, that this is the only way to go forward successfully, and they followed his decision. As everyone knows in the deposition the Rebbetzin gave, she said this point, “My father and everything he owned, belonged to the chassidim!” 

While a person might think that this statement is spiritual words, especially since the Frierdiker Rebbe began buying seforim shortly after his bar mitzvah, using his personal money, which seemingly demonstrates that it was a personal acquisition and it belonged to him as his private library, nevertheless, the Rebbe is informing us that is not so,  and furthermore, everyone has  this ability of putting themselves completely aside and their entire focus be the communal good.

Perhaps a different incident of the Frierdiker Rebbe’s life could shed an insight on this aspect. In 5702 1942, the Rebbe went for a short visit to Chicago. The schedule was that he was to be there for around a week and depart Chicago on Sunday night. However, immediately after havdala, he was informed that his mother, Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah, passed away on Shabbos, the thirteenth of Shevat. He then announced to those that were with him, that his intention is to shorten his visit to Chicago and return to New York that night. 

When the Rabbonim of Chicago heard of this change of plans, they entreated him to please stay as many people were eagerly anticipating having a yechidus (a private audience) with the Rebbe that Motzei Shabbos. 

The Rebbe replied, ever since I entered communal work, I put aside myself and I did what was necessary for the community. So in this instance as well, I will put aside my own feeling and I will do as the Rabbonim of the community say. So we see that the Rebbe himself was saying his personal life is totally focused on the community and not on himself. Obviously, this is an exalted level, however, we can learn something from it, at least from time to time to put aside our personal interest, desire and ego aside and focus on how I can help the community at large.

The truth is that we already conduct ourselves in this manner on a daily basis, when it comes to our interactions with our spouse, children and even employment, as In many instances our focus is only on their needs and not on our own needs and desires, so the only thing Hei Yeves is teaching us, is implement this mind-set when it comes  to serving Hashem. 

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Another aspect that we can learn from Hei Teves is the following:  as is known that in 5786 (1986) the Rebbe instructed that during the 30 days between the 10th of Teves and the 10th of Shevat every person should write in a report every ten days, of what they have done and accomplished in those days to be read by the ohel of his father-in-law, the Rebbe. 

At that time, I was teaching the 7th grade, and I was thinking what could I do that all my students could participate in it in a way that none of them will feel uncomfortable that they are giving the Rebbe bad or disappointing news. Simply speaking, I did not want a boy to feel that he is writing to the Rebbe that he got a 60 or 70 on a test while most of the boys in the class did much better than him. I wanted each boy to feel that he is informing the Rebbe something that he could be proud of to present to the Rebbe. 

So I made a chart and each boy had to check off things that he did as a preparation for Yud Shevat.

The list went in order of the day. The first line was I said modeh ani when I woke up, followed by, I washed negel vasser at my bedside. I said birchas hashachar and Shema before eating something, davened Shacharis, mincha and maariv every day, if I davened with a minyan that was an extra point. Said a brocha before and after eating. On Shabbos I listen to Krias HaTorah and was maavir sidra.  I said Krias Shema al Hamita before going to sleep, and I placed negel vasser by my bed and slept with my tzitzis on. And some other points. There was roghly around thirty boxes that could be checked off.

Last year one of my students of that year came over to me, and in the course of our conversation he mentioned that paper. He stated the only chumash with a translation that his parents had was a Beis Yehudah Chumash, which has a Yiddish translation. However, he continued, I was not able to understand that Yiddish. So I waited until ten in the evening. when my father would come home from his own learning, and I asked him to learn with me.

Some days it was easy and we learned the Chumash and Rashi in around fifteen minutes, but the few evenings that we learned the blessings that Yaakov Avinu blessed his sons, that was difficult. You understand that it took us close to 45 minutes to learn it properly, that I could tell the Rebbe I learned, not just read the pesukim and Rashi’s explanation.

I was dumbfounded. My intention was to let them know there is a concept that chassidim learn Chitas, and they should explore the possibility that they should begin the process. As noted, I didn’t expect every box to have a check by it, just that the students should be proud that they are participating in the Rebbe’s request, and that should inspire them to accept upon themselves additional aspects of fulfilling customs and conduct of chassidim.

But what I took from that conversation is that this young boy and some of his classmates, understood the page differently; they saw it as an affirmation that I believe that they are capable of learning Chitas and fulfilling additional things that a chassidishe boy does, and that pushed them to begin. Once they felt that someone believed in their ability that was all they needed to believe in themselves, that they could succeed, and succeed they did! 

So as educators and parents let us let our students and children (son and daughter alike) know, that we believe in them, and they are much more capable than what we ask or demand of them in general terms.

A Taste of Chassidus

Vayigash Eiluv Yehudah 5734

At the beginning of this week’s parshah, the possuk says that Yehudah came to Yosef with a request. Being that Yehudah is asking Yosef to fulfill his request, that signals that Yosef is higher than Yehudah (and therefore he has the ability to fulfill that request). 

Our sages in the Zohar learn from this, Just as Yehudah came face to face with Yosef, that is proper to have no interruption between the saying of Guh’al Yisroel, the brocha that is said after we say Shema, and when we begin saying Shemone Esreh. 

However, we have to understand how the Zohar learns this from this interaction of Yehudah with Yosef, and furthermore, seemingly this law is just the opposite of Yehudah’s coming to Yosef. 

When Yehudah was born, his mother Leah said when giving him this name, now I will praise Hashem and subsequently she stopped giving birth, [for a period of time]. These aspects of praise and not giving birth are the same point of tefilla (davening). In Tefilla (prayer) we are giving praise to Hashem, and as we acknowledge His tremendous greatness, we become completely nullified in front of Him, that we cannot do anything else, which is similar to stopping to give birth. So. Yehudah is compared to prayer, while Yosef who had the ability to help Yehudah out of his difficulty, and additionally he was supplying everybody with their sustenance, is compared to the Redemption. 

So being that Yehudah went to Yosef, that means Yosef is on a higher level then Yehudah. In other words, based on our comparison redemption is higher than prayer. However the Zohar tells us that prayer should be said immediately after saying the blessing of Redemption, meaning that the blessing of Redemption is a stepping stone  towards and preparing us for prayer, signifying that prayer is higher than Redemption. 

The explanation will be understood by understanding the insight of what prayer and Redemption signify. Prayers expresses the concept of a person requesting something from a higher source. In Chassidic terminology that is called going from below to higher[2], which in general describes the service of a Jew. He is in this physical and material world and desires to elevate himself to a higher level. 

Redemption on the other hand represents that you granted the person’s request and took away from them their difficulty. In Chassidic terminology that is called providing from higher to lower. The neshoma and Torah (aspects of G-dliness) descending from the supernal levels of holiness into this physical world. 

These two concepts (from above to below and from below to above) is seen in many other aspects as well. 

For example, the talmud asks what is greater learning Torah or fulfilling mitzvos? [There too, Yosef which means adding [as Rochel prayed that Hashem bless her with one more son]. is compared to studying as the person is adding (gaining) additional knowledge, and Yehudah who exemplifies fulfilling Hashem’s will, symbolizes action.]

While there are opinions on both sides as to which one is more important, the conclusion is, that before Moshiach comes talmud (learning) is greater, but after Moshiach redeems us, then the fulfillment of the commandments is greater. In other words, there is a time and situation where one takes precedent and is more important than the other, while at other times the opposite is true[]3]. 

So here also we have this dual situation. Indeed, Yehudah went over and beseeched Yosef for mercy. That, as noted signifies that Yosef, Redemption is higher than Yehudah.  Yet the Zohar wanted us to understand that in certain aspects prayer is higher, and therefore the way our prayer is set up is, that after we say Shema we say the blessing of Hashem redeeming the Jewish people, and then we are able to proceed and begin the prayer of shemoneh esrei, signifying the importance of prayer above Redemption.

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

1. In general, HaRav Mordechai Mentlik, would review it to the Rebbe, as he was the main chozer.

2. As we see in the dream that Yaakov experienced immediately after he prayed. There was a ladder, with its feet on the earth and its head reaching the heavens.

3. The Alter Rebbe explains in Torah Ohr of this weeks parsha, that this is the reason why when Moshiach would come [may it be speedily in our days], then women will be above their husbands (and as we say in Sheva brochos, then we will hear the voice of a chosson and also the voice of the Kallah).