Weekly Story: This Gives Me Happiness

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon 

I was thinking of writing for this week a Purim story, however, on Tuesday when learning the daily lesson of Tanya, where the Alter Rebbe discusses the ultimate purpose and reason why Hashem created a person and the entire universe, is in order that each one of us, create for Hashem a place where Hashem will enjoy dwelling in, (the 11th possuk of the twelve pesukim). The following story and thought came to mind, which perhaps could illuminate to some the meaning of these words, so I decided to write that instead. 

As always, your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated and most welcome. 

The Frierdiker Rebbe writes, once when he was on a train, he entered the cafeteria to get some hot water. As he was sitting at the table a Jew who was sitting at a nearby table saw him and for a moment he was in a state of shock. He then came over to him and asked, “Are you by any chance the son or grandson of the Rebbe Maharash of  Lubavitch?”  

“I am his grandson,” was the reply. 

The person went back to his table sat in deep thought for a few moments and then called over the waiter. He paid the bill without touching anymore of his meal, and walked out the car. Early the following morning, the conductor knocked on my door and told me that a person is asking if he could come in as he would like to speak to me. I replied, presently I am occupied, however, in two hours I will be available, if that works out for him. 

The person came back at the designated time, and on his face, it was noticeable that he was extremely agitated and didn’t have a restful night. Through his sobs he related to me his story. 

His father was a close chossid of my grandfather, the Rebbe Maharash, and when I was fifteen, he took me to Lubavitch. In the Yechidus the Rebbe told me some points and it left an impact on me that caused me to stop hanging around my non-religious and non-Jewish friends. However, at the end of the school year, while the family was in our vacation house I rejoined them and slowly began forsaking my heritage and the ways of my chassidic upbringing. 

A few years later, when I entered university, I had a major argument with my father and moved out to prove that I am no longer under their control or supervision, and broke all connections with my past. I began living a completely nonobservant lifestyle. This pained my parents greatly, but I was determined to demonstrate that I am on my own, even if they would withhold all financial support. 

I then joined the young progressives of the Zionist movement, and we tried to help the Jews of Russia, by speaking to certain noblemen in stopping or at least alleviating the governments harsh decrees on the Jews of Russia. 

In my mid-twenties we found out certain information that we knew would be important for your holy grandfather to know about, as it would help him in his communal work on behalf of all Jews. I with another individual were given the responsibility to inform him of this development. 

From that meeting onwards I developed a relationship with him, as he trusted me to carry out on his behalf highly important and confidential matters regarding these issues of helping our brethren.

In one of our meetings, he suddenly switched topics and asked me when was the last time I put on Tefillin? To demonstrate that I can’t hide anything from him, he then related to me in precise detail what I have done noting the time and place I continued spiraling down in my observance, since our first meeting when I was fifteen years old. 

He then looked at me and stated, there is a limit for how long a neshoma could wander aimlessly. Perhaps you do so for thirty or perhaps forty years, but it’s going to have to find its place. His words found their mark, and although when I married, I was no longer observant in anything, I resolved to return to my roots. I secretly put on Tefillin and told my wife that I wasn’t hungry when she served a meal. But after a week, I had to tell her the truth and we kashered the kitchen.

One afternoon I was shocked when I saw my father coming to my house, which was in a different city from where he lived, which means he came by train. We have not spoken to each other in many years and I could not figure out why he is coming to speak to me. I realized that it must be something of extreme importance, and I was slightly nervous as to what that could be.

 I rushed to greet him, and he told me that he had received a letter from the Rebbe, in which the Rebbe noted that regards should be given over to me. He added. I asked him couldn’t you have sent that message with someone else, such as with one of your workers. 

My father replied, when the Rebber gives us a mission we are honored to do it ourselves. While we were talking a chossid came over and recited the brocha of She’hechiyunu. My father asked him what is the meaning of this brocha? 

He replied it’s expression of my sheer happiness of finally, after so many years, seeing you two together. He then informed my father that the butcher had recently told him that it’s over a half year since I – your son buys all his meat from him. He then also implored my father to participate in the meal that was prepared. At that point my father agreed to accept my invitation and sat down for the meal.

But after your holy grandfather passed on, my observance once again began slipping until it ceased to exist. Last week I went with a group of friends and indulged ourselves in the pleasures of the world, and now I am returning to my house. This week is forty years since I heard those words from your grandfather, and seeing you reminded me of what your holy grandfather told me then and after seeing you [who looks identical to your holy grandfather] I decided I must return to my roots. He then borrowed my tefillin and davened.

 Indeed, this time his repentance was completely sincere and he remained very observant for the remainder of his life.

Thinking over the story I asked myself, where was the father happier? Was it  when his son was eating in his house or when he felt comfortable to eat in his son’s house? 

My conclusion was that after feeling for so many years that he cannot eat in his son’s house and now seeing that the Rebbe has a special relationship with his son, one that he who is very close to the Rebbe doesn’t have, must have given the father the  thrill of his life! 

Similarly, when Hashem created the world, the shechina was present in this world. However, when His creations -mankind – made him uncomfortable in this world by their actions, that demonstrated that they are no longer listening to Him, which caused him to distant Himself from them.

But then he sees that they changed completely, and they are now doing everything He wants, He returns the Shechina back, but now His pleasure is much greater.

 I explained this to a few people with the following scenario. We all know that many families have you unique hiddurim and chumros (stringencies) when it comes to Pesach. We will mention just a few of them:  Some families do not eat any vegetable that has a seed in it, other families do not even use cooked sugar ( sugar water) on Pesach. Then if a utensil fell on the floor during pesach they will no longer use that that year, and the knife that is used to cut the peel of an orange etc., is not used to cut the fruit itself. 

Now the parents have these customs however, not always do the children retain these additional guidelines he doing. Especially nowadays that numerous people go to hotel for Pesach, and you basically have no idea of what happens in the kitchen.

 But then your child who lives in a different state, had a baby boy and the Bris is on the first day of pesach and you know that the boy is going to be named after your father was someone else very close to you. So, this year you have no choice but to accept their invitation to be with them for Pesach.

In your house you always felt like a King, but in your child’s house, you know that you should nit mix in in how they run their house; so you are not feeling like a King. You may feel somewhat apprehensive as to what am I supposed to do if my child is not following my stringencies to the tee? 

But then you are amazed at how every single aspect of your hiddurim and chumros  are being replicated by your child. Not only are you happy but you are overjoyed. In other words, at that point, you feel like a King even in your child’s house! 

This is why Hashem wants us to make the world a dwelling place here in this world for Him. Not only does he feel like a king in his own Palace, but even in our residence it is noticeable that Hashem is the King and everything we do is a thousand percent as He desires.

A Taste of Chassidus                           Ki Sisa Es Rosh 5734 

The meaning of this possuk is, when you will count the Jewish people. The obvious question is, why does the Torah choose to use the word Sisa  which normally means uplift and  we explain that in this possuk it means count, instead of using  a word that is always translated to mean count? 

Furthermore, why is it necessary for the possuk to state, when you will uplift [count] the head of the Jewish people, it should have just said when you uplift [count] the Jewish people. A person uplifts something that is for example on a lower step or shelf to highest step or shelf, in essence from a lower level to a higher level, however, being that the head the brain is the highest aspect of a person to what level are we supposed to uplift it to? T

These questions will be answered, after we explain a possuk in the megillah. The possuk says there was a Jew in Shushan, whose name was Mordechai, the son of Yu’ear, the son of Shimmy, the son of Kish. Our Sages explain the reason he is called the son of Yu’ear, is because he enlightened the eyes of the Jewish people in his prayers. Similarly, he is the grandson of Shimmy because Hashem listened to his prayers. He is the great-grandson of Kish because he pounded on the gates of compassion, and they were opened to him. 

So here too we have to understand why does do our Sages explain that this posuk is stressing that the greatness of Mordechai is the power of his prayers, when we know that Mordechai was one of the leading members of the Sanhedrin, which shows that his greatness was in his tremendous knowledge of the Torah? 

This question becomes stronger, because when we look at the names of his ancestors which as mentioned means light, we know that light is connected to the Torah which is the source of light, [and it refers to the sefira of Chochma]. The word Shimmy it’s from the word Shema which means listen and understand meaning understand the Torah which you are being taught (learning) [which represents the sefira of Bina].  While Kish is the third attribute of Daas, a level of  understanding that connects you with that concept. 

We also have to understand why is Mordechai referred to as a Yehudi which seemingly means that he is connected to the tribe of Yehudah, when he is really part of The Tribe of Binyamin? There too we see that the possuk is stressing the aspect of Mordechai’s prayers, and not his Torah learning.

When our matriarch Leah gave the name Yehudah, she explained, “Now I will admit [give thanks] to Hashem. When a person admits to another individual that is an expression which is demonstrating that the person is acknowledging that their thought, opinion, is not as solid as the one who they are admitting to and it is a sign of humility. 

Similarly, the way one is supposed to daven (pray) is with humility. 

 While one whose level of learning is so great, although they are humble, however, when they teach others or as a member of the Sanhedrin has to render a halachic decision, then they have to do it with authority and strength. As our sages state, Who is a king? The Rabbis.  

These two aspects of Torah and tefillah, are similar to the two aspects of Beracha and Hoduah. The word Beracha is normally translated to mean a blessing, however, it also has the meaning of bringing down something (as the one who gives a blessing has the ability to bring that blessing to fruition, by bringing it down from the Heavens to fulfill that person’s needs). 

So Brocha has a similarity to Torah, as the Torah came down from heaven to us and it is taught to us by individuals who have a higher understanding than we do. 

Hoduah on the other hand means admitting, and that shows the aspect that I am lower than you and therefore I admit that you are correct. 

From this it would seem to mean that Torah is higher than tefilah. However, there is an aspect where we see that tefilah is greater than Torah. When a person requests something from  Hashem, they are expressing the fact that we are lacking something and subsequently we are not complete. However, the ultimate purpose of a prayer is that Hashem should fulfill our requests, and we should no longer lack anything. At that point we will be complete and we will have the ability to draw down from a level that is higher than us. 

However, concerning the person who gives a Beracha, that person could only bring down aspects that are in their reach, not something higher than them [for example a tall person can reach and bring down something that is on a shelf that someone shorter than him can not reach. However, if it is a very high shelf, it may be out of his reach also]. Therefore, while Mordechai’s greatness was in his Torah knowledge, our sages point out that in addition to Mordechai having this great quality, he also had the quality of Tefilah. And as a result of that quality of tefila – of humility, the level of that person’s Torah also becomes elevated to a higher level. 

Simply being that only when one learns the Torah with humility, realizing that it is not just wisdom, but Hashem’s wisdom, then he puts aside any of his personal thoughts of what the meaning or Halachah should be, and his only focus is, I need to know what Hashem’s thoughts and desire are. 

Because Mordechai had this quality as well, therefore, he had the authority and ability to instruct the Jewish people to fast on the first night of Pesach and not to eat Matzah or drink the four cups of wine of the Pesach seder that year.

This concept is clearly visible with the names of “Hashem” [Yud, Hei,vov, and Hei] and Elokim. Hashem represents the power of creation, while Elokim represents the way humans visualize the world as nature. The possuk compares these two names to the sun and its shield. The world would not be able to benefit from the sun, if its shield did not diminish its strength and power. But only through that concealment can the world endure, (otherwise it would be too hot for anything to grow or survive.

In simple words, through the lower level we can benefit from the higher level.

In essence this means that Torah and Tefila complements and uplifts each other. 

Subsequently, the possuk in our parsha noted when you will uplift the head: meaning that even the highest of you, your head, that level itself could be elevated to an even higher level.

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.