Weekly Story: The Virtue of Kabbolas Ol
by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon
In response to the inquires of many, I am pleased to inform you that Boruch Hashem the biography of the Rebbe Rashab is proceeding as planned. So far close to 550 pages have been written and bezras Hashem the writing of the few remaining chapters will be concluded by Beis Nissan, a hundred years since his histalkus. The editing also has progressed and should be completed shortly afterwards.
If anyone wishes to contribute to its publication, it would greatly appreciated, and will help bringing this volume to fruition. Being that I was preoccupied with it, I didn’t have time to write a regular story, so I excerpted a chapter, thirty days before Beis Nissan. Also it is serving as a reply to an individual who asked me a question.
In the winter of 5647 (1886–1887), the Rebbe Rashab was accepted as a gabbai of the Chevra Kadisha.[1] The custom was that on the Simchas Torah following the acceptance of a new gabbai, the new gabbai would host a kiddush in his home for the other members of the Chevra Kadisha. After the kiddush, the other members would escort him under a chupah to the shul, as the entire community danced along. This procedure was followed with the Rebbe Rashab as well, on Simchas Torah, 5648 (1887).
After the procession entered the beis hamidrash, the Rebbe Rashab said a maamar beginning with the words “Ein Hakodosh Boruch Hu ba bitrunia im briyosov, Hashem does not demand from His creations more than they are capable of doing.”[2] In simple words, Hashem does not confront his creations with unfair demands.[3]
In that maamar the Rebbe explained what this means. As difficult as it may seem to follow the path of Torah and mitzvos, every individual has the ability to overcome any challenge that comes their way.
What gives us this ability? Quoting a possuk in Sefer Devorim, the Rebbe explained that it is not our greatness, such as our intellectual capabilities, that gives us this strength, rather it is our humility and kabbolas ol.[4]
The Rebbe extolled the virtue of the “simple” folk, who have more kabbolas ol than individuals with advanced intellect. He explained this idea with an analogy of a person who wants to enter a tub of scalding water. The person cannot get himself to put his head into the water first. Instead, he first puts his feet inside, as the feet obey the command given to them without question. Only afterwards can the head do the same. In the same way, the simple Jew is superior to the learned Jew, as the simple Jew obeys Hashem’s commands without question.
A simple Jew, Motty Yossy son of Dovid Shlomo, was present in the beis hamidrash at the time. He was involved in all the organizations that dealt with the community’s needs; for example, he was a member of the local volunteer fire brigade. Hearing the Rebbe’s words in the maamar, he stated, “Rebbe, we are ready to go into fire!”
“Yes,” replied the Rebbe Rashab. “We must go into fire — we must say Tehillim with ‘fire’ and brenn (fervor).”
Motty Yossy gave a hearty thump on his chest and declared, “Rebbe, I will establish a brotherhood called Poalei Tzedek to heed the Rebbe’s call!”[5]
True to his word, he established a group and encouraged other laborers and storekeepers to join. They would rise at three o’clock in the morning to say Tehillim in the beis hamidrash known as Binyomin’s Shtiebel. Additionally, he hired someone to teach them some basic laws from the Shulchan Aruch. When the participants would leave after the class to go home or to the marketplace, they would go in pairs, and it was noticeable that they were reviewing and discussing the halachah or Torah thought their teacher had taught them.
Over the years the impact of this group was discernible, as these “simple” laborers became proficient in numerous halachos.
One of the maskilim in Lubavitch decided to use the establishment of this organization against the Rebbe. He informed the authorities that the Rebbe had established an unauthorized workers’ guild. In Czarist Russia this was considered an act of rebellion, and it carried a severe punishment.
On Chol Hamoed Sukkos the Rebbe was ordered to report to the police station for interrogation. The Rebbe informed the police that the goal of this organization was not at all to unite workers into a guild; it was merely to encourage them to pray and study. The Rebbe was sent home until the matter would be investigated further.
The authorities then went to the informer to question him about his accusation. While they were in his house, they discovered that he had maintained correspondence with illegal societies. He was immediately arrested and sent to exile, and the accusation against the Rebbe was dismissed.
Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebeim and their chassidim. He is available to farbreng in your community and can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com
[1] The local society responsible for taking care of and burying those who had passed away.
[2] Avodah Zorah 3a. This is similar to the saying, “Lefum gamla shichana, a master doesn’t load his camel with more than it can carry” (Kesubos 67a).
Author’s note: I was told that in communist Russia, this was the maamar that chassidim would teach their sons before their bar mitzvah. With this, they wanted to impress upon them that if Hashem had given them the difficult test of remaining religious, He certainly had also given them the strength to withstand the tremendous pressure being placed upon them by the authorities.
(They did not know that the custom had become to review the maamar of Isa b’midrash tehillim.)
[3] Chanoch Lenaar.
[4] The possuk states: “Lo meirubchem mikol ho’amim…ki atem hame’at mikol ho’amim” (Devorim 7:7). The literal translation is, “You are not more numerous (or greater) than the nations; rather, you are smaller (or weaker) than them.” However, Rashi (based on the Midrash) explains these words to mean, “Your success is not due to your greatness, but rather because you make yourself small, i.e., due to your humility.”
[5] Lit., “righteous laborers.”
