Weekly Story: Yud Tes Kislev – A Farbrengen
by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon
Posted In the merit of Cheyena bas Mushka, Shmuel ben Shulamis and Shlomo ben Sonya, may they and all Cholei Yisroel have a swift and complete recovery.
While I normally relate stories, there are weeks that I post a story or thought that I mentioned at a recent farbrengen. I generally farbreng in Brooklyn, but I am open to travel and farbreng elsewhere.
This week I am posting the answer I gave to a grandparent, who asked me how to answer his 8-year-old granddaughter’s question on the story of Yud-Tes Kislev. I thought that just as it assisted him, so too it may help additional members of Anash when they discuss the story of Yud-Tes Kislev with their family. As always, your feedback and comments are greatly appreciated and most welcomed.
A Gut Yom Tov. L’Shanah Tova B’Limud HaChassidus, ViDarkei HaChassidus TiKuseivoo viSeichuseimoo – May you be inscribedand sealed for a good year in the study of Chassidus and the ways of Chassidus.
Why was it wrong to teach Chassidus?
The Rebbe mentions in many sichos, that the reason why Alter Rebbe and the Mitteler Rebbe were arrested, was because they taught Chassidus, a special part of the Torah to the average Jew.
Her question was, isn’t it a mitzvah to teach Torah to others. So, why should Hashem decide that they be punished, especially with the possibility of a horrific and tragic ending, because they were doing this tremendous mitzvah?
I replied as follows, let’s say your family has a secret that is supposed to remain in the family. When the child becomes 8-9 years old, they are called into the study or whatever room it is, and the parents tell the child we are now going to share with you a family tradition that is supposed to remain strictly in the family. We trust you that you are mature enough to understand that this is not to be shared even with your closest friends. It was shared with me when I was eight or nine, and following that tradition, I am sharing it with you at this age.
The only condition is that you promise us that you are not going to share it with anybody else, not even with your best friend. Just like the secrets that your friends tell you and they ask you not to tell anybody and you don’t even tell it to us, we are telling you this secret.
Just think if you shared your secret with one friend and the next day you hear four other friends looking at you and being upset at you because, why did you share it with that friend and not us. Would you be very upset at the friend for telling them that you shared with me a secret and not with them. The same thing is here.
So while you are correct, that they were doing a tremendous mitzvah of teaching Torah to other Jews. However, there are certain parts of the Torah, that Hashem does not want us to share with others, and if you do share it, that causes Hashem to become upset.
For example, there are three types of mitzvos: Mishpatim, are mitzvos that have a simple reasoning for them, and everyone should know the reason. Eidus are mitzvos that we do to remind us of something special that Hashem did for us. For example, we celebrate Pesach, because Hashem took us out of the terrible slavery of Mitzrayim. Sukkos is celebrated because Hashem protected us with His clouds of glory, when we traveled in the wilderness.
And then there are the Mitzvos that have no apparent reason. Such as Shatnez and Purah Adumah (the Red heifer). Yet, for some reason Hashem decided to teach Moshe Rabeinu the reason of the Purah Adumah, and explained as to why it makes the impure purr, but at the same time, it makes the one that is pure who holds it impure.
So while Moshe Rabeinu was taught its reason, nevertheless, he knew Hashem wanted it to remain a secret and he didn’t teach it to anyone, not even to his successor Yehoshua!
The same thing is with Chassidus.
While Hashem never said that it’s not allowed to be taught to the general public. For over one thousand years that was the understanding, it should be taught to a very select group of exceptional righteous people, tzaddikim, and not to the general populace. So when the Alter Rebbe began teaching it to everyone, the Heavenly Court was surprised at his decision and said who gave you permission to do so? Being that he continued to do so, even after he was asked and warned to stop, he was arrested.
Later on, when he was freed, that was a sign that whoever’s decision it was that now it is proper to publicize it to all was right, and the Heavenly Court agreed that he should continue doing so.
To express this from personal experience, my parents left Russia using a Polish passport. When I was around nine years old, my parents were applying for American citizenship, and they were also going to change their passport family name of Gasthalter to their real name of Avtzon. The day before it became official, I only informed my closest friend with the condition that he does not say anything about it to any other of my classmates. So although I was going to inform the entire class about it the next day, I would have been very upset at my best friend had he revealed it before I was ready to do so myself.
And this is why when the Alter Rebbe and the Mitteler Rebbe taught Chassidus to everyone, something that wasn’t done for hundreds of years before that, the Heavenly Court initially was taken by surprise and upset as to who gave you permission to do so and decided that they deserve to be arrested for it!
How much time must a person learn Chassidus on a daily basis?
Chassidim relate, that once when the Alter Rebbe met with Reb Chaim of Volozhin, the outstanding disciple of the Vilna Gaon, Reb Chaim asked, “Why is there such an emphasis on learning Chassidus a few hours a day?” He felt that a much shorter time is sufficient.
The Alter Rebbe replied, there is an explicit saying of our sages.[1] The Talmud notes that in order to preserve the wheat, one should mix in a small amount of kumtin.
Reb Chaim countered, Yes, I also agree that one should learn the inner dimension of the Torah, but as the Talmud that you just quoted notes, that a very small amount of Kumtin is needed to successfully preserve it, in fact the Talmud notes one Kav can preserve and protect an entire Koor, which equals to the ratio of 1 of 100, so too a small period of studying the secrets of the Torah will preserve the Nigla aspects of the Torah.
The Alter Rebbe clarified to him, “You are correct, all that is needed is a small amount of study of Chassidus, however the Talmud notes that the kumtin must be mixed in thoroughly throughout all the wheat, and the mixing takes a lot of time.
With this answer the Alter Rebbe is informing us, that while it would be wonderful if one is knowledgeable in all aspects of Chassidus, that is not the ultimate objective.
One has to permeate whatever knowledge of Chassidus they have into every aspect of their conduct and that will protect them from the foreign elements that seek to cause them to slowly lose their vibrancy in their connection to Hashem. Just as the sages there use it as a metaphor that Torah learning needs Yiras shomayim to be proper and protective.
I will now add a point that I mentioned last week at a few farbrengens in connection to Tes Kislev.
The Birth and Bris of a Chossid
The Frierdiker Rebbe said in a sicha, that Tes Kislev is the birth of a chossid, while Yud-Tes Kislev is the bris of a Chossid. In a different Sicha he noted that his melamed, the Rashbatz would commemorate the day of his first yechidus (with the Tzemach Tzedek) with lengthy farbrengens, as he considered it, as his birthday.
From this we see that a birthday doesn’t only mean the date of their actual birth, but rather a momentous occasion in their life that from that moment onwards defines them (him or her) in a new way, by the Rashbatz that now he is a chossid. Therefore, the Rashbatz considered that Yechidus with the Rebbe as his birthday.[2]
To bring this concept out in a clearer way, I would like to mention a story of the Mitteler Rebbe himself whose birthday and hilula is on tes kislev.
A year or two after his marriage the Mitteler Rebbe went to visit his in-laws in Yanovich. By that time his father had already appointed him to guide the newlyweds and was granted permission to add his own explanations to explain his father’s teachings (maamorim). So although at that moment he was not in Liozna, nevertheless, he felt it was his obligation to guide them wherever he was.
He saw a young man whom he knew from Liozna and he noticed that he was not davening with the same concentration that he used daven. Going over to him, he mentioned that I believe you are capable of davening a little bit better, as I remember how you used to daven when you were learning in Liozna.
The young man replied, you are definitely correct, I should be davening better and I will make an attempt to improve my davening. However, I would like to explain to you my situation.
My parents are simple but G-d fearing individuals. When it was time for them to be blessed with a child, the heavenly court gave an instruction to the angel who is in charge of the Chamber of Neshomos (Souls), to get one ready. Seeing who the parents were, the angel was not exactly particular about which sort of a neshoma they would receive. The angel reasoned, to them a neshoma is a neshoma, and a simple neshoma would be sufficient. So he saw a discarded neshoma, or perhaps one that was on the bottom of the barrel, and gave it to my parents.
Then when I was born my parents raised me to the best of their ability and I grew up among boys that also came from similar backgrounds. But, as mentioned, my parents are extremely G-d fearing, so when they heard that your father, the Maggid of Lozano has a Yeshiva they made sure that I could go there, with the prayer and Hope that I learn how to serve Hashem properly.
I learned under your father’s excellent guidance for a few years and to mine and my parent’s satisfaction I learned the importance of davening and how to daven to connect to Hashem, as well as how to serve Hashem.
But then I got married and I have to support my wife and family. So I began selling seed to the local farmers.
The way this business works is, that after the farmer gets the seeds he plants and takes care of them as they grow and develop, and only after he harvests and sells the crop does he pay me, and then we will redo the transaction for the coming year.
But as you know the farmers begin their workday at sunrise. So in order to be able to collect the money that they owe me I have to come to the before Sunrise. Subsequently, my day begins at around 3:00 as I have to travel to the farm to collect the payment. However, the farmer doesn’t want to give me any money without some talk. So we sit down at the kitchen table, and he pours two cups of whiskey and sometimes another cup for his wife. After toasting each other, he starts haggling about the price, complaining that I overcharged him because of whatever reason he can think of.
Only after this conversation and a second toast of whiskey is he ready to pay me, and then he stipulates that the payment will be broken up into a few payments over the next month or so, since it takes time to sell all the produce and then he needs some additional time for the buyers to pay him.
I then go to a second farmer to collect my money and sometimes to a third one, where the same procedure occurs. By then it is sunrise, and I return home.
At that point I begin my preparations to Daven, so while it may be only seven in the morning, and many people are just getting up, my day is already four hours old, and I had two or three cups of whiskey. But I am determined to daven to the best of my ability and I study your father’s teachings and go to the mikva, and only then I begin to Daven. However, as you noticed, as much as I try to daven properly my davening needs to improve, and as I told you before I will put an extra effort to do so.
But now let us look at you. When it came time for your neshoma to come down to the Earth, your Holy Father will not accept a regular soul, and therefore the guard of the Soul chamber picked out one that he felt was suitable. But your Holy Father would not accept just any good soul, he wanted to personally choose the perfect one for you. And the angel in charge of the souls let him in, and your father searched and searched until he was finally satisfied with the special soul that he obtained for you.[3]
Then you were raised by your holy parents and the exceptional elder chasidim that were always around you. Your friends were the children of these exceptional chassidim and yes you absorbed and live by the exceptional guidance you received.
Without question, your davening is way better than mine, as well as your learning, conduct, and so many other aspects.
But my question is how much of it is because of your own effort and how much of it is because of you being fortunate to be raised and guided by such holy people?! These words found their mark, and without any hesitation, HaRav DovBer swiftly went to his in laws house and told his wife we must return immediately to Liozna.
But this time, instead of immediately entering his father’s room as he usually did when he returned from a trip, he began preparing himself for a yechidus. This time, he was not going to enter the room as a son speaking to his father, but rather, as a chossid seeking guidance from his Rebbe.
When he finally entered his father’s room he broke out in a cry and bemoaned the fact that all of his accomplishments were gifted to him, but what has he personally accomplished! At best I accomplished barely anything!
The Alter Rebbe then gave him additional guidance.
Some months later, when that chossid of Yanovich came to visit the Rebbe in Liozna, twhen he entered the Rebbe’s room for his yechidus, he Alter Rebbe said to him, thank you for making my [son] Berel a chossid.
So you see this yechidus was a turning point in the middle of the Mitteler Rebbe’s life. It was the birth of him becoming a chossid!
So the Frierdiker Rebbe is telling us that Yud Kislev is an appropriate time for each one of us, let us learn from the Mitteler Rebbe and understand how fortunate we are to be granted the opportunity to be connected to the Rebbeim and their teachings. So while we may have learned Chassidus for many years, and conducted ourselves in the manner of Chassidim, nevertheless, it is a moment to resolve that I have to strengthen my connection to the Rebbe by learning and understanding his teachings, as well as to put in my own effort to conduct myself in the way a chossid should conduct themselves, on an even higher level! It should come through toiling and then you will reach a level that you didn’t imagine.[4]
This absolute resolve enables each one of us to be resolute and even our closest friends will notice the new you, you are first and foremost a chossid.
Then comes Yud-Tes Kislev, where we make a covenant (a bris), that nothing will deter or sway us from our bond to the Rebbe, his teachings and the ways of chassidim.
A PROOF FROM NIGLEH TO LEARN CHASSIDUS!
When the Alter Rebbe was released from his second imprisonment, he paid a visit to three great misnagdishe talmidei chachomim, namely, Reb Moshe Chefetz of Tzavas, Reb Yehoshua Tzeitlin of Shklov, and Reb Yoel of Amtzislav.
When the Alter Rebbe was in Shklov, Reb Yehoshua asked him: “How can you write that if one learns Torah without love and fear of Hashem, his learning is not accepted? I don’t want an answer based only on Zohar. It must be sourced in Gemara or Midrash, in nigleh itself!”
“In Maseches Pesachim (50B),” the Alter Rebbe replied, “Rava says that there is a difference between one who learns Torah for its own sake and one who learns it for ulterior motives.”
Hearing this, Reb Yehoshua was astounded, and he then honored the Alter Rebbe.
Similarly, one may ask, “Where does it say in nigleh that one must learn Chassidus?”
The Ramban wrote a lengthy commentary on the Torah which includes pshat, the simple explanation, as well as the other three ways of learning Torah: remez (hint), derush (allusion), and sod (the mystical aspect). When referring to the latter, he doesn’t merely call it the derech hasod, rather he gives it the name derech ha’emes, the true path. This terminology repeats itself in his commentary close to a hundred times (the first time being at the end of his commentary on the first possuk of Bereishis).
So if the Ramban calls this part of Torah its true (and truest) path, wouldn’t you want to learn it?!
I am far from perfect
When the dreadful news came to each town that the [Alter] Rebbe was arrested, the chassidim who were healthy fasted Mondays and Thursdays. However, there was one chossid who began fasting every day, praying that the Rebbe be spared and if necessary, he should pass away in his stead.
Some time passed and he felt that his time in this world was coming to an end, and he requested that the chassidim come to him.
When they gathered around, he said, I was informed that the Rebbe will shortly be released from his imprisonment. When you hear this wonderful news, I request of all of you, to please come to my gravesite and drink a L’chaim and inform me that Boruch Hashem, the Rebbe was released and is free.
He then asked the chassidim to give him a L’chaim, even though it was in middle of the day and he was supposed to be fasting.
Seeing the quizzical expression on their faces, he explained in typical Chassidic humility: “When I come to the heavenly court, I don’t want to appear as if I am a בצדקתך – completely pure and righteous. Look at the person who fasted before he passed away [with the hope that this will help save the Rebbe].
Participating in Chalukas Hashas
In Detroit, Michigan, my father HaRav Meir a”h every year would encourage members of the community to participate in the Chalukas Hashas. During the first years we lived there, there weren’t so many Lubavitcher, so he approached the Litvishe Rabbonim and Baalei Batim asking them to take a mesechta.
His custom was to take a mesechta after everyone else, and would learn whatever mesechta was left.
One year, the mesechta that wasn’t taken, was mesechta Sota. So my father wrote his name down by it and sent to the Rebbe the names of all the participants, for hatzlacha in their learning as well as for all their needs.
The Rebbe’s reply was a brocha for all the participants, with a question to my father, But why didn’t you take a mesechta?
My father answered, “I took mesechta Sota.”
You learn Sota every year, as that is a minhag of Chassidim, the Rebbe explained. My question is, what are you learning as a participation in the Takanah of the Alter Rebbe of participating in the Chalukas Hashas?!
My take-away from this is, the Rebbe us informing us that in addition of learning Chitas and Rambam as chassidim, we should learn additional things, just for the sake of Limud HaTorah.
A Taste of Chassidus Vayeh’uvek Ish Emo ויאבק איש עמוTorah Ohr 26A
Author’s Note: I chose וo bring out a point of this maamar (and not from the other five maamorim on this Parsha), for the following reason. While the Alter Rebbe was freed from his first imprisonment in the year 5559 (1798), he did not personally participate in the festivities until three years later in 5562 (1801). This maamar was said on the Shabbos after that Yud-Tes Kislev. So we can assume it was said in honor of his Chag Hageulah (celebrating his redemption).
One of the aspects that is discussed in this maamar (and the aspect that I am going to focus on is on the difference between Chabad and Chagas.
As is well known the Alter Rebbe articulated the Chabad aspect of Chassidus, while the other talmidim (disciples) of the Maggid (and the Baal Shem Tov focused on the Chagas dimension of Chassidus.
The Alter Rebbe explains that the story that the Angel of Esau wrestled with Yaakov, is not a one-time occurrence, but rather it is the story of the Jewish people until the coming of Moshiach. Hashem gave us a mission to accomplish, to overcome and eradicate the evil (impure) spirit from this world, and then Hashem’s essence can and will dwell in this physical world.
However, the Satan fights back and this battle that we are having with the Yetzer Hora (evil inclination) is being described in our Parsha as a wrestling match. Just as in a wrestle, both wrestlers grab the other and attempt to overthrow their opponent, so too the Nefesh Elokis (G-dly soul) and Nefesh Habehamis (animalistic soul} desire to conquer the other.
The Alter Rebbe begins with a question. Being that nothing can exist without its G-dly source of life, how can it be that the Nefesh Habehamis battles against holiness, which is its source of life and existence?
At the end of this week’s parsha, the possuk states, “And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before a king reigned over the children of Yisroel.” This is informing us that the source of Edom (who is Esau) is higher (came before) the source of Yisroel.
Chassidus often brings the passage of the Zohar, “If you are righteous, what have you given Hashem… This is telling us, being that Hashem is essentially exalted above and beyond the world, so at that essential level, darkness and light are the same.
[This concept is often likened to the rays of the sun. Their purpose is only to reveal the sun’s power, and therefore they shine everywhere and anywhere with the same intensity. While it is shining through a window into a room, and brings comfort and warmth to those who are in the room, at the same time it is shining brightly on the garbage dump that is outside that room, which sometimes causes the garbage to have a horrible stench that makes those in the room uncomfortable.
In other words, it is above that level of being connected to the recipient, and subsequently whatever the consequence or outcome is, it is no concern of it.]
So at that level, evil can survive just as the good does, as at that level nothing is good or evil, everything is equal. [This is often compared to a (wealthy) person who throws a wedding for their child. They invited the town to join them in this wonderful and joyous moment. So if a stranger or even one with whom there was friction with sits down at the table, they are happy, since at this momentous occasion, the parents are on cloud nine, and nothing is going to distract them from relishing this blissful moment.]
But once the Jewish people established a monarchy, the reign of the Edomite kingdom ended. That symbolizes that once that exalted of G-dliness was limited and came down into the limitations of the world, then evil has no place.
So initially the evil tries to connect themselves at this exalted level and there they can receive sustenance from Hashem.[5]
However, once Hashem’s radiance comes down into seder hishtalshilus, there the Evil is Evil and it can’t receive life directly from Hashem.[6]
Chassidus explains the possuk calls Idols אחרים אלהים, and the word אחרים is similar to the word אחוריים which means from the back. In other words, Hashem’s primary objective is to give life sustenance to the Nefesh Eloikis. However, since the Nefesh Eloikis has a mission, and that is to transform evil into good, the Evil also has a purpose, but their purpose is only temporary, as it is to be eradicated.[7]
But since it is not the primary purpose, they don’t feel this connection and therefore they can and do oppose G-dliness.
However, Intellect, which begins from Chochmah but also includes Binah and Daas, is completely nullified by Hashem’s greatness. The reason for this is, when one pursues knowledge, they are ready to accept whatever their research leads and leaves their own feelings aside. They are not looking for a result that will conform to their desire.
So from someone (or a level) who completely nullifies their own interest, the Evil cannot draw any life sustenance.
The next level is how this wisdom that I understood affects and influences me. That is my feelings, which include the first three characteristic traits of Chessed (kindness), Gevurah (strictness) and Tiferes (beauty). Over there, there is already the concept of an “I” I feel whatever. Once there is an I, the Evil feels that there is a possibility for it to draw down some nourishment from it. As the person’s “I” is stating that there is something besides Hashem. So that is the source from which Evil can draw from.
[We say in Pusach Eliyahu, that the first three attributes are represented by the hands and body, while Netzach and Hod are represented by the two feet (which take the person to the place they desire).]
Therefore, Esau’s angel grabbed Yaakov’s body, symbolizing, his desire to topple Yaakov and take his sustenance from the first three attributes. However, the Evil was mistaken. Being that those attributes are a direct result of the persons meditation on whatever they thought about, so they are strongly connected to the three aspects of intellect. So just as intellect prevents any place for external interests, so too do thes three attributes of Chessed, Gevurah and Tiferes.[8]
However, Esau’s angel was determined to get something from Yaakov, for otherwise it wouldn’t be able to exist. Therefore, it attacked Yaakov on his thigh. As noted, the feet represent the sefiros (attributes) of Netzach (and Hod), the attributes which enable a person to express and carry out their feelings to others. At that point there must be an other or better said a separate entity. So being that at that level, there is another entity, this gives place for the existence of other entities, that ultimately gives place for the existence of Evil itself.
However, not only did Esau’s angel grab Yaakov’s body, but when two wrestle each one grabs the other. So here too, Yaakov also grabbed the angel, with the intent to topple it.
As noted, Esau’s source is higher than Yaakov’s. Chassidus explains, that Esau’s source is from the supernal world of Tohu, where the radiance of Hashem is so powerful that the vessels of Tohu are inadequate to contain them and the vessels broke open.[9] And the objective of Yaakov who is from the lower supernal world of Tikkun, is too gather those sparks of G-dliness and elevate them,[10]
Yaakov’s intent was to take/wrest away those sparks of holiness, which will result in the demise of Evil,[11] as the possuk says “The spirit of impurity will be removed from the earth,” which will herald the coming of Moshiach.
One Avodah application or takeaway from this maamar is, that while the Satan desires to control our mode of thinking or emotional response, even when he sees that is not going to be successful, that doesn’t deter it. The Satan then goes to prevent the fulfillment of the mitzvah, and by constantly reminding ourselves and remaining connected to the source, Hashem and His Torah and especially as it is illuminated by the light of Chassidus, we will not only stop the Satan, but we will vanquish him.
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.
[1] In Mesechta Shabbos on the final few lines 31A.
[2] The reason for this is, as it is accepted amongst chassidim that in a person’s first Yechidus, the Rebbe gives each person guidance for their entire life.
[3] It is noted that the Alter Rebbe said that HaRav DovBer’s neshoma is a gilgul (reincarnation of the Neshoma of Rav Hamnunuh Sabah.
[4] As the Rebbe often explains the concept of the saying of our sages (that the Rebbe chose to be one of the twelve pesukim), If you toil, you will find. Finding means obtaining something that you didn’t expect. A person recieves their paycheck, a person finds something that he didn’t anticipate.
[5] As we see that Haman, who was a descendant of Amalek, who was a grandson of Esau, made a tree of fifty cubits for this same reason. The actions of a Jew can only reach and influence the forty-nine lower levels of holiness. However, the fiftieth gate/level they cannot reach. So Haman figured that at that level we are equals, and I just may prevail over the Jews.
[6] As the possuk says, If you [the Evil] raise yourself like an eagle [meaning that the Evil tries to obtain their sustenance from this exalted level,] from there I will pull you down, so says Havayu. Havayu, as we know is seder hishtalshilus.
[7] One of the examples that Chassidus uses to explain this concept is when a person is building a new house, or making a special feast for honored guests. The intention by a feast is that the guests receive a special cut of fresh meat etc., but there is going to be many leftovers. And they will be given to the workers and the bones will be given to the animals.
Is anyone going to say or think that the chef and all the effort that was put into making this feast was to feed the animals? Obviously not. It is a secondary outcome. The same thing is here.
[8] The Alter Trebbe notes this is the reason why the Torah writes or better said adds, when we are commanded to remember what Amalek (a grandson of Esau) did to us, DO NOT FORGET. It is instructing us to retain that aspect of nullification/bittul that comes from our intellect pursue, even when it trickled down to the emotional aspects.
[9] This is often explained with the parable of overfilling a plastic ballon with too much water, that it explodes.
[10] This is accomplished by expanding and strengthening the vessels to the point that they are able to contain those powerful radiances. The example given to this is a child’s brains. Initially, it can’t understand even basic points, but as the child grows, it is able to expand its mental capacities and understand more and more complex issues.
[11] This is the meaning of the possuk חיים בלע ויקיאנו – the evil swallowed a source of life (G-dliness) and it was expunged from him, [and he died, (source of life, so it no longer could exist).
