Weekly Story: A Chai Elul Farbrengen

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

As we are towards the end of Chodesh Elul, the month when we try to clarify what our goals should be in our service of Hashem, I contemplate how to use this forum to its fullest. Lately, I have been approached with the request to reprint A Day To Recall, A Day To Remember, which has been out of print for some years.

My reply has been, I want to focus on the biographies of the Rebbeim.  But, quietly I was thinking that to reprint it as it is, is not necessary, as the story of each of those auspicious days can be found in their respective biographies. However, perhaps it would be something to consider if I add to each date some of the farbrengens I gave or wrote during the last eleven years in this column.

When more than a few people told me this week they enjoyed the thoughts I shared in 770 on Chai Elul, I decided to write them up and share it with you, my readers. This way I can gauge if there is an interest and need to do so, on the other special days in the Lubavitcher calendar.

As always, your thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated and most welcomed.

Gut Yom Tov

Being that Chai Elul is the birthday of the two luminaries, the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe, there is always the question, on whom we should focus on? Since there are various opinions/ ways to decide, we will begin this farbrengen with discussing the commonality that exists by both of them; namely what is the greatness of Chassidus. 

Chassidus is called אור (Ohr – light), as it is well known that today is called יום הולדת של שני מאורות הגדולים – the birthday of the two great luminaries. The purpose of a light and especially a great light is that it illuminates and brings out aspects and meaning of the artifact it is shining upon. Chassidus brings light to the inner dimension of the Torah,  that otherwise would have not been seen and recognized.  

Essentially, this is the meaning of the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov that the numerical equivalent of the word אור is 207, which is also the numerical equivalent of the word רז (secret). He continues that one who knows the secret of an entity can bring light [and illuminate it]. 

To bring this concept out in more clarity, we will illustrate it with the following story. 

A king instructed his workers to find an architect to design a museum that is worthy of displaying some of the priceless artifacts that belong to him. Some of them are portraits of his illustrious ancestors of the last few hundred years, as well as the crowns and jewelry they wore. Additionally, there are numerous unique and exquisite gifts that other monarchs had given his ancestors as a gesture of friendship etc. 

After a lengthy search, they informed the king that they narrowed it down to three people, and each one is going to present their thoughts and vision to the king in a few days. Each one brought along the impressive designs of their previous buildings. The king immediately recognized that by two of them, even though the numerous buildings that they designed were different, however he could see in each one, a pattern. These architects had their unique style. But by the third one, each of his famous buildings were unlike the other. 

Turning to that architect the king asked, why isn’t your signature written someplace in the design?

Your majesty, the buildings are not a testament of me, it is a testament for the one who commissions it and for the purpose they want it. Being that different people commissioned these buildings, I try to portray their signature on the building. The king was impressed and hired him, offering the others to work together with him.

After carefully cataloguing all the artifacts that the king plans on showcasing, and surveying the place where the museum was going to be built, the architect began working on his design. 

When the building was finally completed, the architect remained on site and made sure that each item was placed exactly in the spot he has designated and it be accompanied by the accessories he had noted.

Opening day came and the king invited five hundred individuals to have a guided tour, with each invitation given a specific time frame when to be there. The people waiting on line for their time slot, saw the expressions and exclamations of admiration and awe from those who exited the museum, knew that this wasn’t just another museum, it was in a class of its own.

However, when one of the final groups entered one of the main exhibits, their faces were crestfallen. There was nothing extraordinary or even outstanding here. In fact, they have seen better paintings in the local museum! 

The guide noticed their disappointment and said, the paintings and artifacts here are one of a kind, nothing you have seen can be compared to them. However, that is when the sun shines on them. But now that it is late in the afternoon, and the rays of the sunshine doesn’t pass through the windows, I will turn on the artificial light.

Saying that he turned them on and after a moment of silence there was gasps of astonishment and awe, as people grasped their breath in disbelief. Now they understood why they heard people marveling about these portraits and artifacts. 

The same thing is about the light of Chassidus. When a Jew grows up in a religious community and learns Torah, they are familiar with it. But when they later on become exposed to the light of Chassidus, their mouths open up in amazement. Then they say this is truly incredible!

This explains why the Baal Shem Tov was extremely fond of light and always wanted that his Beis Hamidrash should be brightly lit.

While many bring out this concept with the story that once the  Baal Shem Tov entered his Beis Hamidrash and asked in bewilderment why isn’t it brightly lit? When he heard the reply that they couldn’t obtain additional candles, he said take the icicles (which in yiddish is called אייז ליכטילאך – ice lights) and light them and they will burn. 

The students obediently acted upon his instructions and those icicles gave off a tremendous light.

But being that we are dealing with a day that is connected with both of them, the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe, we will relate the following story of icicles that began to burn and spread warmth. 

One wintery night shortly before midnight, the Baal Shem Tov told his attendant that he wants to go to the mikva. 

When the attendant replied that the mikvas are closed, he said so take your ax/pick and break the ice on the river, and I will toivel (immerse myself) there.

Being that it was a freezing night, the attendant filled the lamp with kerosene, and they put on their heavy fur coats and warm boots and set out. When they arrived there, he too the ice pick and made a large opening  in the frozen ice over the river and the Baal Shem Tov immersed himself there.

The attendant thought that they would be there for a short time, especially since it was a freezing wintery night with a strong wind blowing, however, the Baal Shem Tov remained there for an extensive period of time.

The attendant noticed that the kerosene was almost completely depleted and the fire in the lantern would be extinguished in a few moments. That would  leave them without any light to see where they were going on their way back as well as losing their little source of warmth heat.

He said Rebbe, the fire is about to burn out, implying that the Baal Shem Tov should exit the water of the river.  The Baal Shem Tov replied by saying,  take an icicle and it would burn.

When he came out of the water (mikva), he said, tonight a neshoma chadasha came down, and it will illuminate the world.

Chassidim say that the reason the Baal Shem Tov waited until he told  his attendant to light an icicle is, that this Neshoma Chadash would accomplish, that even those who are frozen will begin to shine, and spread the light and fervor of Chassidus and warm up other Jews. In other words, the Chutzah itself will be spreading the maayonos to the chutza.

This is just like the icicles began to not only shine but they also brought warmth to others.

Take a look at our surroundings, see how many wonderful chassdishe families are there who are shluchim all over the world inspiring entire communities of thousands and thousands of Jews, who they themselves or their parents were drawn to Judaism/ Yiddishkeit through the light, beauty and warmth of Chassidus, and they in turning are passing it forward to inspire and warm up another Jew.

While to many a story of any tzaddik and especially of the Baal Shem Tov is the strongest proof and leaves a powerful impression, nevertheless, there are those who desire to also see it in Halachah. 

One of the reasons why we light Shabbos candles is that this way one can see the food that they are about to eat, as otherwise it diminishes the enjoyment of the food.

Until now we spoke about Chassidus in general, but as Chassidei Chabad, we must understand what new dimension did the Alter Rebbe add with Chassidus Chabad. The Rebbe addressed this question in a farbrengen on Chai Elel 5722 (1962). He said it is explained in the well-known parable of the flax and linen.

The Frierdiker Rebbe related, In the year of 5627 (1867) my melamed (mentor), Reb Shmuel Betzalel visited (in his capacity as a personal emissary (Shadar) of my grandfather, the Rebbe Maharsh), the city of Kremenchug. Some of the Polish chassidim who lived there at the time had sharp tongues and would chide him because he was a litvak. 

One of them Reb Pinchas, was highly regarded, although he was known to be tough and tongue-biking.  In fact, as soon as the Rashbatz arrived in town, his fellow Chabad chassidim warned him to be careful from this individual.

Now it was the custom of Reb Pinchas who happened to be quite wealthy, that whenever a tzedakah-emissary came to town, even if he was dispatched by a Rebbe other than his own, he would [invite the townspeople and] serve a lavish meal in  honor of the emissary. However, when the Rashbatz arrived, Reb Pinchas first wanted to know what manner of man he was, so he attended a farbrengen presided over by Rashbatz. 

The Rashbatz was elucidating aspects of Chassidus Chabad, so Reb Pincos challenged him by saying: “In our region, in Poland and Volhynia, we had the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid of Mezritch – but what did you people have over there in Lithuania?”

The Rashbatz immediately answered: “It’s obvious that you’re a city dweller. If you were a villager, you would know that flax is grown by peasants in the villages, but if it is to be turned into fine linen, it has to be sent off to Leipzig, where they have the fine machinery that can do that.

“True,” he continued, “the Baal Shem Tov was in your region, but after his message was entrusted to the Rebbeim in Lubavitch, it became a perfected product.”

In simple terminology, flax is coarse, and can be used to make sacks or rough clothing. But to turn it into linen and especially fine linen you have to send it to those who have the ability to spin it etc.

Once it is turned into fine linen, it can be used to make and create luxurious clothing befit of the nobility. 

In essence the Rashbatz was saying, Yes, you are correct, you have the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid, but you retained their teachings in their original form. That can be compared to a diamond or some other precious stone that was found. It is definitely valuable, but does its value compare to the preciousness of a polished and finished diamond or Gem.

Chassidus Chabad brings out the beauty of the Chassidus of the Baal Shem Tov and Maggid, (similar to the way that Chassidus in general brings out the beauty of the Torah).

We opened this farbrengen with wishing each other a Guht Yom Tov. It is interesting to note that for many years chassidim had no idea what Chai Elul was. It was only on Chai Elul of  5653 (1893) shortly after the Frierdiker Rebbe’s Bar Mitzvah that his father, the Rebbe Rashab greeted him with a Guht Yom Tov, revealing to him that it was the birthday of both the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe, and therefore he should not say Tachanun on that day.

Fifty years later in 5703 (1943) the Frierdiker Rebbe publicized this information  to the Chabad Community at large. 

A Taste of Chassidus אתם נצבים היום

 Likkutei Torah Devorim 44

We lein the Parsha of Nitzovim every year on the Shabbos before Rosh Hashanah, so obviously there is a connection between them.  So it is not surprising that the Alter Rebbe explains the first few pesukim of this parsha, to bring out a central theme of Rosh Hashanah. 

The midrash states that Hashem says to the Jewish people, recite in front Me [ten] passages from the TaNaCh which state that I am your King as well as the King of the entire world, in order that you should coronate Me as your king. 

The question is, one can be a king over his contemporaries, but not over his own family, advisors or animals. So we, who are His creations, and are so detached from His essence (even more than animals are detached from humans), how can we coronate Hashem as our King? Who are we to accomplish this?

The possuk itself answers this with the words לעברך בברית, that Hashem makes a bris (treaty/covenant) with us. The reason why two best friends would make a bris between themselves, that their friendship will endure all challenges is, that if ever something would occur in the future that has the ability to break their friendship, this treaty would dismiss that offense and reason to do so, and we will remain friends. In other words, while logic would have dictated that our friendship should be severed, we will conduct ourselves above logic and remain friends, as if you are one unit.

This explains why we can be Hashem’s subjects and coronation Him as our King on Rosh Hashanah. Although we are His creations and truly insignificant, through this covenant we are elevated to be considered Hashem’s contemporaries.

The question is how does this work?

As noted the possuk says לעברך בברית, which is translated to mean, For you to enter the covenant. However, לעברך also has the meaning of to transport you from one place to another. [As we are called עברי, because Avrohom crossed over one from side of the river to the other.]

At the beginning of the parsha, the possuk enumerates ten levels or status of the Jewish people, from the leaders of the tribes all the way to the water carriers. But the possuk says that even though there are these distinctions, nevertheless, the word כולכם stresses that now we are all one solid unit. 

How did this transformation from being ten separate entities to being one entity occur?

The explanation is, when Hashem actually created the world, He did so through the power of speech. When one speaks each letter and vowel is distinct from the other. Therefore there are trillions of separate and diverse creations. However, the source of all of our Neshomos is one, as that was created by Hashem’s thought.

Chassidus explains another difference between speech and thought is that speech once spoken is separated from the one who spoke them. Thought, on the other hand, is always connected to the one who is thinking.

So when Hashem placed our Neshomos in this physical world, which is the world of speech, there are ten distinct levels amongst us. However, when we are transformed by this covenant to Hashem’s thought, there we are not only one unit, but we are one with Hashem. 

Subsequently, as creations, your question is correct, we don’t have the ability and power to coronate Hashem as the King, as we are in a different league from Him. However, when Hashem transports us back to our essence, there we are One with Hashem, since the concept of having a nation entered His thought before the actual process of Creation began, and subsequently we were given the ability to coronate Him as the King.

This explains why after Hashem instructed us to say those passages of His sovereignty, remembrance, and Shofar, He commanded us to blow a Shofar.

Prayer is connected to words, and as noted words are not the essence of a person, as they can become detached from him. However, the sound of a shofar comes from blowing the air that is part of his essence, as Hashem wanted to inform us that our connection is not based just on our learning and good deeds, but it is an existential one. And that bond can never be broken. 

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.