Weekly Story: The Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

This Shabbos is Shabbos mevorchim Tishrei, as well as the Shabbos before the Chof-Tes Elul, which is both the birthday of the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek as well as being Erev Rosh Hashanah. 

Being that this year is the Tzemach Tzedek’s 236 birthday, his kapital Tehillim for the upcoming year is chapter 87. 

I therefore chose to post a few stories about the Tzemach Tzedek which have a connection to the importance of participating in a farbrengen in general and especially on Shabbos Mevorchim, as the Rebbe notes twice in Hayom Yom that we should farbreng on Shabbos Mevorchim. 

Then I will note a long story in which the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek relates two stories about Rosh Hashanah. It is also the time to once again bless each and every one of you, your family and the entire Jewish nation, with all the brochos from Aleph to Tuf (Shnas Oirah, shnas brocha, shnas geulah, shnas ditzag, shnas hod….shnas toilicheinu koimimiyous liartzeinu) with a kesiva vchasima tova, lshana tova umesukah, bakol mikol kol.

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

Being that it is in the shloshim since the passing of my father-in-law, Harav Moshe Pesach ben Reb Shaul Goldman, this weeks column is dedicated in his memory.

We will begin with two stories that the Tzemach Tzedek said about the importance of participating in a farbrengen. 

One day the Maharash entered his father’s room and was startled when he saw that his father the Rebbe was quite sad. So he asked him what caused this sadness. His father the Rebbe replied, “It is 50 years since I was allowed to participate to be at a farbrengen as a participant not as the one that is leading it.” 

A second story. There was a chossid who felt that he is not learning enough Chassidus for a and after carefully reviewing his daily and weekly schedule he came to the conclusion that the only time that he could utilize for more learning was the hours that he spends on Shabbos and sometimes during the week is the hours he participates in the Farbrengen. However, he knew the benefits that many of the participants gain from being at the farbrengen, so he continued to generously cover the expenses of the farbrengens, although he no longer participated in them. But a few months later he noticed that not only wasn’t his business and personal affairs improving, but to the contrary they were deteriorating. 

As a chossid he traveled to Lubavitch to request a brocha from the Rebbe that his situation should improve. 

The Tzemach Tzedek asked him to give him his daily and weekly schedule. He began describing his schedule and noted that a few months ago he began devoting more time to learning Chassidus,  as he no longer sat and participated in the farbrengens. Hearing this the Rebbe said, that explains everything. When a Jew says lto another Jew at the farbrengen L’chaim and the others respond with the words L’chaim u’livricha, the last two letters of those words are a Mem and a Hei. Mem Hei spell out the word Ma; which Chassidus explains means both humility as well as kindness. So they were blessing you that Hashem should shower kindness upon you, and therefore things were going very good for you. 

But now that you stopped participating in the farbrengens, so those brochos stopped coming your way and therefore things are obviously not as good as you had when you were receiving the brochos.

Now we will relate a story which I heard from Rabbi Nissim Mangel sheyichye, which includes two stories that the Tzemach Tzedek related about the Maggid’s conduct on Rosh Hashanah. 

During the lifetime of the Rebbe the Tzemach, lived Pesach the Shochet in Petersburg. In addition to his responsibility as a shochet, he befriended two cantonist soldiers, who were stationed in an army base on the outskirts of Petersburg. They would eat by him as often as possible on Shabbos and Yom Tov. 

One Simchas Torah, Pesach waited and waited for them, but they did not show up. When it was almost sunset he decided to begin his meal without them, hoping that they would show up in the middle of it. Finally he saw one of them coming but when he entered the house he saw that he was pale and his face was crestfallen, evidently he had been crying. 

Pesach concerningly asked him where is your friend, and he burst out into a bit of cry. Some time passed until he was able to control himself somewhat and between his cries he informed Pesach the following; today as we were walking over the Senna River my friend stopped and said to me, “The captain has been beating me ferociously for the past month, trying to force me to convert. I have stubbornly resisted, however, the beatings intensified, and they became unbearable. Before Sukkos I told him I submit to his demand, however, a Jewish holiday is coming up this  week and I want to enjoy one more Jewish holiday as a Jew, before I convert. He agreed to this arrangement and stopped beating me. 

Being that today is the last day of Yom Tov, tomorrow they are going to force me to fulfill my promise and convert, but I do not want to. Therefore I have decided to jump over the bridge and die as a Jew. 

I argued with him that the halacha is that someone who commits suicide does not have a portion in the world to come. His response was what do I care about if I will have a share in the world to come or not, I was born as a Jew, and I want to leave this world as a Jew. If I don’t have a share in the world to come so be it, as long as I am still a Jew.

He jumped over the railing and although I shouted to the soldiers who were on the banks of the river to save him, by the time they heard my cries and rushed to the river, it was too late. We continued searching until we found his body, but at that time there was nothing more we could do.

Reb Pesach tried to comfort the soldier explaining that his friends’ act of mesiras nefesh was lofty and especially as today is Simchas Torah, one is not supposed to mourn.

Two months later, Reb Pesach was in Lubavitch for Yud Tes Kislev and perhaps Chanukah, and he had a yechidus with the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek.

After the Rebbe answered all of his questions and gave him a brocha for all of his needs, the Rebbe said to him, “Do you have anything more to say?”

Reb Pesach thought for a moment, thinking of what he might have omitted and replied, I don’t think so. But the Rebbe repeated his question a second time. This time Pesach realized that the Rebbe was not asking him if he had any additional questions or requests to ask, but rather the Rebbe was interested to hear something that he is aware of that may be of interest to the Rebbe.

Yes indeed, Pesach replied and he proceeded relating the above story in all of its details.

The Rebbe heard him and then responded, Hehchiyusoinee – You have revived me, and given me an abundance of vitality. How can I repay you?

Pesach was quiet, and the Rebbe continued, I will repay you by relating two stories which occurred with the Maggid [of Mezeritch].

One Rosh Hashanah, as the Maggid was davening he saw a severe accusation against a Jewish community. He intensified his tefillos trying to annul or at least mitigate the decree to a great extent, however, his efforts were not succeeding. 

That did not deter him, rather it propelled him to intensify his efforts even more. 

Suddenly, he straightened up and it was evident that  the decree was completely annulled. At the conclusion of davening his students came over to him and asked, Rebbe is it possible for you to tell us what happened today in middle of davening?

The Magid related, when I was davening I saw a severe accusation against a certain community, and I did my best to intercede on their behalf. However, all of my supplications did not succeed, but I knew that I cannot continue the tefilla and ignore it, as that would be a sign that I allow and agree that this tremendous tragedy shall befall a Jewish community. 

Suddenly I remembered an incident that happened with me when I was a young child. Once when I was accompanying my mother on one of her shopping trips, on the way home I became very hungry. I looked into her large bag and saw some of the apples which she had purchased were on the top. 

I politely asked my mother if I can have an apple, explaining that I am very hungry. My mother replied not now, as the apple must first be washed, so my dear son, you will have to wait until we arrive at our home. 

But I was a young child and felt very hungry and did not have the patience to wait until we would arrive at home. After a moments thought I began saying the brocha for an apple out loud, knowing that my mother would not want me to have said a brocha in vain. Hearing my brocha, she took out the apple and quickly wiped it clean and gave it to me. 

I realized that I recalled this incident for a reason. And  decided to do the same thing right now. One of the blessings that we say is Melech moichel v’soileach…- The king who forgives the sins of his Nation. So I said that brocha, knowing that Hashem answers Amen and being that Hashem doesn’t want it to be a blessing in vain He too will forgive that community. 

Thus the Maggid was able to annul the decree and prevent the catastrophe.

On a different Rosh Hashanah the Maggid again saw a decree, but he saw that his tefillos were being blocked and he wasn’t able to intercede. No matter what he did, the gates of heaven were closed. 

But this time, he suddenly noticed the gates were flung open as the salvation came from the pure and innocent statement of a Jewish mother.

After Yom Tov he related to his students, here in Mezereitch lives a lady  who is in her fifties. Over a year ago, she came to me pleading that she and her husband should finally be blessed with a child. I saw it was an opportune time even for such an extraordinary blessing and I blessed her. This year they were blessed with a child.

Their sheer happiness was tremendous. While the husband still had to work to earn a livelihood, the mother entire day was devoted to their child. While she was home, when ever the baby was sleeping and she had a free moment, she would take out her siddur or Tehillim to thank Hashem for His unbelievable kindness.

But as Rosh Hashana was approaching, she felt that for the Yomim Noraim (the high holidays) she should daven in the shul. So she hired a babysitter to be with the child.

After nursing the child in the morning, she came to shul and davened with everyone else. While I was praying to annul that decree, she went home to nurse her baby.

Coming home she noticed the baby was awake. She picked him/her up to her face level and exclaimed, “Eibishter, You should have as much happiness from Your children [the Jewish people] as I have from my precious child.”

That simple but sincere statement broke all the locks and the gates to heaven were flung open, and the decree was immediately ripped up, replaced by bountiful brochos.

A Taste of Chassidus  Ateim Nitzovim Hayom

This maamar (which is in the dvar malchus) is 16 sides. Obviously, I am not paraphrasing even half of the maamar. But as the title is  “A Taste of Chassidus”, my intent is only to give a taste of the beauty and depth of Chassidus, so the reader should desire to continue learning more on their own.

We say on Rosh Hashanah, “This day is the beginning of Your creation, a remembrance of the first day.”

The question is obvious, if it is the beginning of creation, how can it only be a remembrance of the first day? A remembrance of the first day means that it is not the beginning. 

The commentaries note that Rosh Hashanah is the day Hashem created Adam and Chava (mankind), which was on the sixth day of creation, while the creation actually began five days earlier, on the twenty-fifth of Elul. Therefore, for mankind Rosh Hashanah is indeed the day of our creation, while at the same time it is only a remembrance to the actual first day of creation.

So we have to understand what are the unique qualities of both of these two days, and therefore we are to commemorate both days.

The first day of Creation is very significant, as creation not only reveals the greatness of the ability of the Creator, but of His essence. 

One of the terms we use to describe creation is Yesh Mei’Ayin – Hashem made something out of nothing. 

Chassidus explains that in reality it is the opposite, being that the world is completely dependent upon Hashem’s constant source of life, therefore, the truth is that the thing that is called the new entity (or simply said, the thing that was created) is and remains a nothing that comes from the only true essence. In truth it is Ayin mei’yesh – nothing from something!

Chassidus explains that we nevertheless use this terminology, since we  creations feel and believe that we are indeed something and we have no concept of understanding the essence of the Creator who chose to create us.

This brings us to understanding the difference between an item man creates and the creation created by Hashem. Whatever is created by man, is not a true creation. Rather, the person took elements that were already created by Hashem and reshapes or reforms them into a new appearance. 

For example, a skyscraper or a rocket ship, demonstrates the great ability of a man, however, everything they used was already created, just the craftsmen reformatted it. However, Hashem created us that we should think that we are an entity from nothing. This ability to create something out of nothing is uniquely Hashem’s. The reason He alone has this ability is because He is the only essence that is from nothing itself meaning there was nothing that created Him. 

Being that the first day of creation brings out such a pivotal and powerful message, we have to understand why is the day that Hashem created mankind considered Rosh Hashanah and not the day He actual began creation, and revealed His essence for the very first time?

Whenever someone does something there is a reason or purpose for that action. So while there is great significance in the first day of creation, yet, when Adam was created he revealed the purpose and reason why Hashem decided to create the world. The world was created so that man brings it to its ultimate completion. 

Yes ,the world was created complete, but when Adam was created, on that same day he brought it to perfection when he said to all creations, “let us bow and prostate ourselves to Hashem who created us.”

That is the message of Rosh Hashanah, we were given a mission to elevate, refine and prepare the world that it actually becomes a dwelling place for Hashem. Being that Adam began working on fulfilling this mission on the day of his creation, therefore that is the day that was chosen to be the day of Rosh Hashanah. 

To clarify this better, our sages teach us that all prophets revealed their prophecies by using the word Koi – So said Hashem, while Moshe used the word Zeh -This is what Hashem said. Zeh expresses the concept that this is exactly the words or concept, as we see that by the splitting if the Red Sea, the Jews said, “This is my G-d,” as they were able to point out where Hashem is. However, the word Koi, symbolizes that it is similar but not exact, (The prophets had a vision, and they expressed it in their own words etc.).

The Hebrew word for the world is העולם Hu’Olam, which is comprised of the same letters as the word העלם Heileim, which means a concealment. So, while the world was created complete, the G-dliness in it was concealed. Man’s mission is to reveal that light, and that brings it to perfection.

For a person to accomplish this in the world and be able to successfully bring out the worlds hidden essence, they should first accomplish this in themselves, and that gives them additional strength to implement it into the world.

The question then becomes where do we see these two aspects of concealment and revelation in every person?

The Rebbe explains this is the reason why the possuk notes that Hashem said, Let us create man, in our form in our image.

Tzelem, refers to the exact ….., while dimoos refers to something similar, but not exactly the same. In Chassidic terminology this is the difference between etzem haneshoma, which in general is beyond our compression and the lower levels of the neshoma which are enclothed in the body. 

A person’s mission is to reveal their etzem – essence into the lower levels of the neshoma, that the neshoma which is enclothed in the human body should desire and strive to be connected to Hashem just as the etzem of the neshoma does.

So the 25th of Elul is similar to the lower levels of the neshoma, or as the possuk says bidoomooseinu, however, Rosh Hashanah is similar to the Etzem. The Rebbe notes that this explains how the possuk can state that You all [on Rosh Hashanah] are standing equally [which means that there is no difference between one Jew and the other] and immediately afterwards it states that the Jewish people are divided into ten general and different levels [meaning that they are not equal.  

But as noted, it is the mission of each one of us to reveal our essence and bring it into our everyday conduct. So here we have both aspects; the essence of every Jew is equal [we are all standing equally] and then each one of us brings,it into the lower level of the neshoma, where there are differences between one Jew and the other [thus the ten levels mentioned in the possuk]. 

While this may be a daunting task, being that we are towards the end of the month of Elul, where the King is in the field, which means that Hashem grants us the ability to connect and draw down the thirteen attributes of compassion, which are higher than nature into nature, that gives us the ability to succeed in this mission. 

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.