Weekly Story: When Incomplete Is Better than Complete

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

In honor of the upsherinish of my grandson Schneur Zalman Raskin, this upcoming Sunday Chof Daled Teves.

The Torah states “A man is the tree of the field.” Many concepts are learned from this, and one of them is; just as the fruits of a tree during its first three years of growth are “Orlah (or Areilim in the plural tense)” – forbidden to be eaten, so too the first three years of a man is considered “Orlah”. This concept is the source for our custom of not cutting the hair of our sons until their third birthday.

With this introduction and understanding of alternative meaning to the word “Areilim” which commonly is translated to mean one who is uncircumcised, we can appreciate the following story, which was related by the chossid Reb Isaac Halevi of Homil.

In the city of Shklov, lived a chossid, Reb Elizer Moshe, who was a melamed of young children. He was not known for his great Torah knowledge, but rather recognized for being a truly G-d fearing individual, who had tremendous success with his young charges.

In the same shul that Reb Eliezer davened was another individual, Reb Saadia. Although Reb Saadia was not a chossid he refused to became involved in the machlokes and often discussed various Torah thoughts with the chassidishe melamed. In one of their conversations he mentioned to the chassidishe melamed, the greatness of a certain leader in the misnagdim community. He spoke in awe of this Godol (great individual), and enumerated his tremendous qualities.

Seeing that the chassidishe melamed wasn’t amazed by what he said, he continued heaping on that person additional praise. The melamed Reb Eliezer Moshe, wasn’t impressed and quietly said, “Our Areilim are greater than your Gedolim.” Translating this statement literally would mean that our uncircumcised (i.e, non-Jewish help), are greater than your great scholars.

Understandably, this statement was not well accepted and although it did not create a new round of quarrel between the chassidim and misnagdim of the city, it became the talk of the town. Many of the non-chassidim were simply aghast at this statement and it strengthened others in their conviction not to become chassidim. Some individuals even mentioned it to the Rov Rev Chanoch Henoch Schik, hoping that he would at least issue a strong condemnation; however, he also refused to allow the comment of one, to embroil the entire community. All he said was, I don’t understand what Reb Eliezer Moshe meant.

But it did not sit well with the people; so not only did the parents who were misnagdim pull their children from his class, but even the chassidishe parents were uncomfortable with this statement and found other melamdim to teach and tutor their children.  How can he say such outlandish and provocative statement? Is he trying to create bad feelings or something? So while a melamed barely eked out a livelihood, even when he had a few students, now Reb Eliezer Moshe was truly impoverished. But he didn’t complain or apologize.

Whenever members of the two camps would meet, the chossid felt he had to apologize for this statement, saying, this is not Chassidus and this is not what the Rebbe teaches us. It is wrong and that is it.

The noted chossid Reb Binyomin Kletzker was approached and asked about it, and he understood that the intent of this question is to demand that he too distance himself from this statement (and the chossid who said it).

Reb Binyomin responded by going to the large beis hamidrash in Shklov, where many of the extremely learned misnagdim studied the entire day. He walked to the Bimah and banged on it to gain everyone’s attention. As expected everyone became quiet waiting to hear what Reb Binyomin has to say that is so important that he is interrupting everyone’s learning.

Reb Binyomin then declared, I did not speak with the melamed Reb Eliezer Moshe, however, I confidently say that he didn’t mean his statement in that literal sense, [which caused the uproar]. Rather, I believe he said it metaphorically, and I happen to agree with him whole heartedly. He was correct in his statement.

Hearing these shocking words, everyone was eager to hear Reb Binyomin’s explanation.

He said; We are not allowed to eat the fruit of the tree for the first three years. Those fruit are Areilim. Only on the fourth year, are they praised and we may eat them in Yerushalayim, and after that they can be eaten wherever you wish.

And that is what he meant, based on the law that one may not eat the initial fruit of a tree “our Areilim are the chassidim who are extremely knowledgeable in Torah, [some of them your friends], but came to the Rebbe for guidance and became his chassidim. Yet, even after growing under the Rebbe’s guidance for two years and making tremendous progress, they feel that after all their toil on self-improvement and advancement in learning, it is not enough. They are not boastful; they feel they are still incomplete, there is so much more room for improvement and advancement.

These are the “Areilim” he was referring to; they are much better than one who feels he is a Gadol, one who feels he has reached the highest level possible and there is no way to attain higher plateaus.

Hearing this explanation and clarification,everyone realized that the simple chassidishe melamed, was not as simple as they thought; he was completely humble and reacted in such a manner because boastfulness and haughtiness were completely foreign and taboo to him.

The parents that pulled their children as well as others that desired such a noble spirit, immediately returned their children to him in order that he teach and guide them in the way a Jew should serve his Creator.

Sefer Hasichos 5704 p. 96-97.

Repeating this by a farbrengen one of the participants said; “So while we, the chassidim of the Rebbe, individually and definitely collectively, have accomplished tremendous objectives, we have to realize, there is nothing to boast about until we fulfill the mission the Rebbe has entrusted us to accomplish; That this physical world becomes a dwelling place for Hashem’s ultimate glory. May it be speedily n our days.”

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech in the United Lubavitch Yeshiva Ocean Parkway and the author of many books and articles, including the acclaimed Rebbeim biography Series as well as the Early Chassidic Personalities series. He is available to farbreng in your community and can be reached at avtzonbook@gmail.com.