Weekly Story: Gimmel Tammuz, An Open Letter 

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

When one farbrengs they try to first get a sense of who the audience is, so that they can address them appropriately. However, in this weekly column I do not know who the wide audience is, and therefore I try to post stories and thoughts that are not geared to anyone in particular, hoping that they have a wide appeal.

The Shabbos before Gimmel Tammuz, we all speak about our connection to the Rebbe and the importance of strengthening it. Therefore, I decided to post two responses that I have recently given to two very different groups. Hopefully you will enjoy the contrast.

As always, your comments and feedback is greatly appreciated.

Dear Mendy, sheyichye,

Reb Elchonon Dov Marozov commonly referred to as Reb Chonya, was a mazkir (secretary) of both the Rebbe Rashab and then of his son the Frierdiker Rebbe.³ 

During a farbrengen on Yud-Beis and Yud Gimmel Tammuz 5693 (1933), Reb Chonye said the following: Our Rebbe [he was then referring to the Frierdiker Rebbe] is greater than his father and all of the other Rebbei’im. This startled the other attendees, as they all had chided Reb Chonye, because they erroneously thought that he was more connected to the Rebbe Rashab than to his son, who had become the new Rebbe. Reb Chonye explained that by the Rebbe Rashab and the previous Rebbei’im, their chassidim became connected to them either because they heard them saying a ma’amar Chassidus, or received guidance or a brochah from them in a Yechidus, or because of some other interaction. But now the young chassidim among us (referring to the teenage bochurim who were present), many of them have never seen the Rebbe in their entire life, and now it is already six years that the Rebbe left this country, and yet these young chassidim are connected and devoted to the Rebbe with their entire heart and soul. 

The other Rebbeim did not have such devoted chassidim who had never seen, heard or had some type of correspondence with them. 

Looking at those with whom I was farbrenging I continued, the same thing can be said today about our Rebbe. All of the bochurim whom I see, and a sizeable number of the yungerleit who have been married the last for the last 15 to 20 years, are similar to those bochurim whom Reb Chonya was talking to.

It is now 31 years since Gimmel Tammuz, and it is 33 years since we heard the Rebbe speaking at a farbrengen, so even those who are in the early 40’s, what interaction did they have with the Rebbe? They weren’t even bar- or bas-mitzvah. At most, they received a brochah if their parents took them to the Rebbe when he would give brochos together with the dollars, and perhaps they also merited to a booklet or Lekach from the Rebbe. While those who grew up outside of Crown Heights didn’t even have that opportunity, unless their parents brought them to the Rebbe sometimes as well. 

But as noted above the vast majority of this age group did not have any interaction with the Rebbe. Yet, look at their unabashed devotion and dedication to everything that the Rebbe says and asks for. 

While this expresses and demonstrates the greatness of the Rebbe, at the same time it demonstrates the amazing beauty and quality of the bochurim and yungerleit. 

They are connected to the Rebbe’s essence and do not have to rely on a personal interaction with the Rebbe.

It can be akin to what the Rebbe writes as the final entry in Hayom Yom: There were times that the Alter Rebbe was in such d’veikus, that he fell to the floor and exclaimed, I don’t want Your Olam Haba or Your Gan Eden, I only want You Yourself. So too, those of you that are in this category (who never met the Rebbe), or don’t recall it, your connection is to the Rebbe’s essence, and Ashrecha – how fortunate are you to have such a deep and true bond with the Rebbe. 

Now I will relate what I responded to the other group. 

Their question was very direct, and one that perhaps others think about, but for various reasons don’t ask. In my opinion, not asking a question that is on your mind, and just harboring it inside of you, is much more dangerous than being honest and asking, thereby trying to understand it and receiving an answer.

They asked, why were we (meaning Lubavitchers in general) unprepared for the aftermath of  Chof-Zayin Adar and then of Gimmel Tammuz? 

Probing a little bit into their question, some of them admitted that the question really is, why did the Rebbe not prepare us for such an eventuality? My response to them was that while you may be correct that many of Anash (Lubavitchers) were caught off of guard and did not believe that Gimmel Tammuz would or could ever happen, nevertheless, the Rebbe did know it was going to happen. Therefore, it is obvious, that just as he faithfully guided each Jew individually and the Jewish people collectively, so too he guided us for this situation as well.

But before l share with you some of his guidance, I feel it is important for one to see that the Rebbe was preparing us for this time, and was acutely aware of the actual time frame when it would occur.

After the Rebbetzin’s petira on Chof Beis Shevat 5748, in a public sichah, the Rebbe related the following saying of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek, which is connected to this subject. 

After the petira of his [the Tzemach Tzedek’s] Rebbetzin, he addressed the question that was on the mind of his chassidim, as to what is going to be the future of the Chassidim. 

There are two versions of what he said, or there is reason to believe that he said both of them. They [the chassidim] have my sons, and when chassidim are united they will overcome all challenges and thrive. This is one of the messages that the Rebbe was telling each and every one of us; that we have to stay together as a community and try to be there for each other, for that is how we can and will thrive even if the time comes when we do not physically see the Rebbe’s presence.

But let us focus on a few aspects, some that everyone knew about and others that barely anyone was aware of.

After the Rebbe said his famous or epic sichah after ma’ariv of the 27th of Nissan, the eve of the 28th of Nissan, the Rebbe began emptying out the drawers of his desk, where he had kept numerous letters over the years and took them to the Ohel, and after reading them again and ripping them at the Ohel, they were burned (while others he had them placed in the incinerator in 770).

Why suddenly did he want his drawers empty?

Then we all saw how on the first day of Sukkos, shortly after giving his Lulav and esrog to Reb Meir Harlig, the Rebbe came out of his Sukkah and walked over to where Reb Meir was and watched intently as each chossid picked up the Lulav and esrog, recited the brochah and gave a small shake.

Everyone was positive that Rebbe would be standing there for only a short time, as he would join the minyan at 10:00 AM. However, to everyone’s bewilderment the Rebbe remained there until around two in the afternoon. Was that not in hindsight an acknowledgement and his foresight of what is going to happen.

There was also the sichah on the third of Shevat 5752 (six weeks before the stroke), that the Rebbe noted that when the Rebbe’s ability of speech becomes limited, the chassidim will have to speak and publicize his words. We see this from what Hashem told Moshe, who said I am not able to speak, that “Aharon will speak on your behalf”.

Just to mention one more occurrence; I recently heard from Rabbi Yitzchok Raitport, that normally when he would bring the Rebbe a new sefer of his, the Rebbe would give him an extra dollar specifying that it is for the seforim which he will write, publish and give him. 

However, on erev Yom Kippur 5752, when he came to receive a brochah and lekach, the Rebbe went to his desk, took some lekach and a dollar bill. When he gave him the dollar bill, the Rebbe said this is for what you will be writing in the future, omitting the words and presenting to me the printed sefer.

Rabbi Raitport said he froze as he realized that the Rebbe was alluding to the fact that he would not be presenting the next sefer to the Rebbe. In other words, the Rebbe was saying that we won’t meet again, and that Rabbi Raitport would continue to write. However, the line kept on moving and he was pushed forward.

So we see clearly that the Rebbe was very aware of what was happening and what our situation was going to be, so just as he said numerous times about his father-in-law, the Frierdiker Rebbe, that a faithful Shepherd does not forsake his flock, the Rebbe did not and will never forsake us.

So now let us look to some of the guidance he gave to us.

We will begin with the famous sichah of Chof-Zayin/Chof -Ches Nissan. And that is where the Rebbe addressed both issues: he said clearly: “I have done whatever is possible for me to do”, alluding to Gimmel Tammuz (that he won’t be here physically to conclude the mission of preparing this world for the Shechinah to rest and dwell in it), as well as telling us that I am giving the mission over to you that we should do whatever is in our ability to bring Moshiach. Which also means that he was informing us that we have that ability to succeed in this tremendous, or better said, ultimate mission.

 [My personal thoughts about that sichah is, that being that the dwelling place in this world has to be accomplished by those who are not only in this world, but those that are the tachtonim of the world. So the Rebbe was saying that the final touches have to be done by regular people and not by tzaddikim, who in a certain sense are above worldly concerns.]

However, most of us, if not all of us, feel that we cannot make such a decision, as to exactly what is necessary for us to do in order to succeed in this mission and how we are to proceed on our own. So the question then becomes; who is going to guide us and clarify our questions? For this we go back to the sichah which the Rebbe said shortly after the Rebbetzin’s petira. 

The Rebbe then instructed that each person should choose a Rav or Mashpia to whom they could turn to, to get clarity. In other words, just like when the Torah says a doctor has the ability to heal and that is what gives the doctor that ability, so too the Rebbe was empowering the person that you choose to be your Rav or your mashpia, to get that extra sense of clarity to help properly guide those who are  asking them for advice, because the Rebbe instructed them to do so.

Then there is the above-mentioned sichah of Chof-Zayin/Chof-Ches Nissan, when the Rebbe pleaded with us to pick up the mantra and do whatever we can do to bring Moshiach.

Obviously, the Rebbe was telling us that it is extremely important to bring the concept, as well as the knowledge, of what Moshiach and the era of Moshiach means and will be. But in my humble opinion, it means much more than that.

In his first ma’amar (Basi L’Gani 5711 (1951)), the Rebbe spelled out that our mission is to make, or better said, to transform this physical world, into the place that Hashem will dwell in permanently.  He then explained that just as the mishkan became Hashem’s dwelling place, so too by conducting ourselves in accordance to the guidelines of the Mishkan, we will succeed in replicating that same accomplishment. As the possuk states: And you shall build for Me [Hashem] a Tabernacle and I [Hashem] will dwell in them.

Being that the Jewish people only built one Mishkan, seemingly  the wording of the possuk should have been, And I will dwell in it. But the Torah is informing us, that if we follow the mishkan, Hashem desires to dwell in each one of us.

The Rebbe then explains that the walls (boards) of the Mishkan were made from wood of Shitim, whose root word is related to the word Shtus (craziness). And the purpose is to transform our actions that sometimes aren’t aligned with the understanding of our G-dly soul, as we think that we remain wonderful Jews, even if we don’t act exactly in accordance with the guidelines of the Torah. 

So just as those actions aren’t exactly as our intellect would guide us, so too there are times that this concept can and should be utilized to serve Hashem. Meaning that when it comes to fulfilling a mitzvah, we should not think how others will perceive it, and would my friends think I am taking it too seriously, but act this time higher than intellect, (in contrast to below intellect). 

There the Rebbe spells out other aspects as well, but here is not the place for it.

So too the Rebbe’s mandate is that all of our actions should be permeated with the knowledge that each positive deed, even one that we might consider a minor deed, such as holding the door open for someone else, or saying good morning to someone with a smile, these and each and every deed can bring Moshiach.

As the Rebbe quotes the Rambam in numerous sichos, A person should consider/think the world is on a scale which is completely balanced, and one positive deed will tilt it  and then the entire universe would be meritorious, and we will merit the coming of Moshiach, may it be speedily in our days.

A Taste of Chassidus – V’Hinei Purach Mahtei Aharon 5735

In this week’s Parsha, we learn about Korach’s fight against Aharon, the high priest. Hashem instructs Moshe to command each tribe to give him a staff and Aharon should give his own staff on behalf of the tribe of Levi. 

The next day, when the Jews noticed that Aharon’s staff sprouted almonds, all them understood that Aharon is supposed to be the high priest and Korach was wrong. To understand this in a clearer way, as to what Korach’s argument was based on, and why he was mistaken the Rebbe explains as follows. 

In the Mishkan as well as in the Beis Hamikdash, the main responsibility of the Kohanim was to bring the sacrifices, while the Levites played the musical instruments. Chassidus explains that these two activities in the Mishkan, represent the two modes of service that every person may have or in fact does express in their service to Hashem.

These two different approaches are referred to as Rutzu and shov. 

Rutzu is the expression and desire of the person to leave their confinement of the body and worldly constraints and become closer and indeed cleave to Hashem. This is how Chassidus explain in last week’s parsha the sin of the spies, that they argued, If we enter the land and have to do manual labor of plowing etc, we would no longer be able spend our entire day to study Hashem’s Torah and we will no longer be cleaving to Hashem for the rest of our lives. Similarly, the older two sons of Ahoron also made this mistake, as the Torah expresses it, they wanted to come closer to Hashem.

Shov, on the other hand is the understanding of the person, that Hashem wants us to settle this Earth and beautify it until it becomes His holy abode. 

In the laws of Shabbos we learn, that a domesticated animal is allowed to wear their bells and walk from one domain to another domain on Shabbos. Chassidus explains this on a spiritual level that through a song one can elevate themselves to a much higher level enter a new domain. 

This was Korach’s argument: being that the Levites play the musical instruments in the Mishkan that shows we have the ability to elevate ourselves to a much higher spiritual level and therefore our mode of saving Hashem is greater than the kahanim’s mode. 

The way Hashem demonstrated that this is erroneous, is by making a miracle that Aharon’s staff sprouted almonds. Rashi explains that almonds are the fastest fruit to become ripened and therefore when the prophet told Hashem I see an almond tree, Hashem explained that is because this prophecy that I just told you, is going to happen in the very near future very swiftly. 

Additionally, the four Hebrew letters that spell out Aharon’s name, are also the four letters that spell out the Hebrew word Nir’uh, which means it is seen. 

The meaning and significance of this is as follows. Sometimes, while Hashem blesses a person to receive a certain reward, being that this reward has to come into the physical world it follows the normal order of this world. In Chassidic terminology, this normal order is called Mimaleh Kol Almin – which means that every level of the world leads and causes a lower level to go in motion. Just as one who wishes to impart and intellectual thought, has to first consider how much is the receiver able to comprehend and then limit the amount of knowledge that they are transmitting, so it should be on that person’s level of understanding, the same thing is when a G-dly revelation comes down into this world, as it goes to the lower world it diminishes in its intensity. Therefore, the blessing may be delayed, as it adapts to the level of each world.

 However, when the priests give a blessing, just as Aaron’s name means it is revealed and visible for all to see and similarly Hashem show the Jewish people the almonds budded from his staff and that represents the concept that when a priest gives a blessing it is from higher than the normal order of the world and it could come down immediately in its complete power, so the priests are on the higher level than the Levites and Korach was mistaken.

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