Weekly Story: What is Rebbe
by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon
In continuation of our posts concerning preparing for the auspicious day of Yud-Aleph Nissan, 120 since Hashem sent the Rebbe’s neshoma to illuminate the world, I decided to post this thought from my book Farbreng With Reb Shmuel Munkis.
At the same time, if someone knows of a story that I don’t have in that book, please inform me of it, as I am preparing it for a reprint, this time hard cover.
Your feedback is always appreciated, and thank you for answering last weeks’ question that it was the Minchas Elozer and not his father.
Once when Reb Shmuel Munkis entered the Alter Rebbe’s room he said, “Rebbe what is the difference between the Rebbe and me? What I know the Rebbe also knows. What the Rebbe doesn’t know, I also don’t know. The only thing is that the Rebbe knows things that I don’t. So what is the Rebbe’s greatness that he knows something that a simpleton like me doesn’t know?
Fn. Some say this occurred during his badchonos at the Zhlobiner Chassunah.
So Tell Me, What Is Rebbe?
A thought on “What does Rebbe mean?”
Everyone has experienced it at one time or another. Perhaps it happened at a farbrengen, after a few chassidishe niggunim had been sung and the mashpia had already spoken for a while. He stroked his beard, looked at the participants, and decided it was the appropriate time to ask the timeless question: “So tell me, what is a Rebbe?” Or this question might have come up when you were sitting with your friends and someone asked, “What is the difference between the great Chassidic masters? Why in Lubavitch are they called ‘Rebbe’, and by all others, ‘Rov?’”
Throughout history, the relationship between teacher and student was called exactly that, rav v’talmid. The Baal Shem Tov called his students chaverim (friends). In the time of the Alter Rebbe the phrase “Rebbe-chossid” was coined.
Reb Shmuel realized that this is more than just a phrase. It contains deep meaning. Yes, the topic had been discussed by elder chassidim on various occasions, and he had heard their thoughts on it. But he felt the phrase entailed much more than even they realized.
He would have asked the Alter Rebbe directly; however, he figured the Rebbe wouldn’t answer such a question because any answer he might give would sound as if he were boasting. Reb Shmuel would have to try a different tactic.
He said to the Rebbe, “The Rebbe is not Rebbe just because he is smarter than the chassidim and ‘ignorant’ me. For if that were the case, there is no reason why we don’t use the universal term, rav v’talmid.
“He is also not Rebbe just because he wrote the Shulchan Aruch. A great feat indeed, but the appropriate term for that would be Rav, a Rabbi who answers the halachic (and other) questions presented to him.”
Reb Shmuel was hoping that, just as the Rebbe had shown him tremendous love in the past and revealed to him insights that he had not conveyed to others, he would enlighten him on the meaning of Rebbe. That way, the Rebbe would inadvertently reveal his own true essence: he would show who he was.
We don’t know if the Alter Rebbe answered and, if yes, what he said. But takeh, what is a Rebbe?
The word (Rebbe) רבי is an acronym[1] for the words ראש בני ישראל — Rosh Bnei Yisroel (the head of the Jewish nation). Just as the entire human body receives its life from the head, so too does the entire Jewish nation receives its sustenance, from Hashem, through its head[2] — the REBBE, the tzaddik of the generation.
Furthermore, just as the head feels the pain of every limb and organ of the body, so too, the pain, suffering and ailment of every Jew is felt by the Rebbe. It’s no wonder that we know of so many incidents where the Rebbe heard the cry of an individual Jew who was living in some remote place. It is because he actually felt their pain, as they are part of him. The physical space barrier isn’t a barrier to a neshomah.
So the Alter Rebbe, just like all the Rebbeim after him, was not Rebbe due to his being a wise leader, a Rov, or even because he had a neshomah chadasha (a new soul). A Rebbe is a Rebbe due to his having a neshomah klalis (a soul which encompasses all the souls of his generation).
He is not the leader of just a particular group of Jews — he is the leader of the entire Jewish people.
Once a person has an understanding of what “Rebbe” means, he will gain an appreciation into the emphasis chassidim place on hiskashrus — connecting and binding themselves with their Rebbe.
Hiskashrus does not merely mean emulating the conduct and actions of a great person. While such behavior is noteworthy, it is not unique to the chossid — Rebbe relationship. Students of all great Rabbonim learned from their teachers conduct.
However, based on the above-mentioned metaphor, of the connection between the brain to the limbs, organs and nerves of a human body, it is obvious that emulating or even obeying the brains [i.e. your teacher’s] command is not sufficient. A healthy limb does not merely obey the instructions that emanate from the brain; it is connected and ‘fused’ with the brain. Only when they are completely in sync does everything function properly.
If chas v’sholom there is a weak link between them, parts of the person’s body will not function properly. They would be weak or even slightly ill and possibly worse. The healing process must and will focus on one thing — strengthening the connection once again. Only then would the person become healthy.
This holds true with every Jew. Each and every one of us knows and recognizes our weaknesses and shortcomings. So how can we get our neshomah to illuminate within us? What is the ‘holistic medicine’ that will help strengthen our connection to Hashem?
It is only through hiskashrus to the Rebbe. Hiskashrus is the resolute decision of a chossid that before he does anything in thought, speech or action, he first thinks to himself, “Is this something the Rebbe approve of? Being that the Chossid realizes that the Rebbe is truly connected to Hashem and whatever the Rebbe does is the will of Hashem, so if the Rebbe approves of what I do that means I am fulfilling Hashem’s will.
Let us all strengthen our hiskashrus and fulfill the mission the Rebbe has entrusted to us; “Do everything in your ability to prepare the world for the coming of Moshiach,”[3] may it be speedily in our days.
[1]. Similarly the word נשיא is an acronym for the words ניצוצי של יעקב אבינו.
[2]. As the Alter Rebbe explains this in chapter II of Likkutei Amarim-Tanya.
[3]. Sicha on the eve of 28th of Nissan 5551 – 1991. An overview of this sicha is printed in A Day To Recall, A Day To Remember Nisan–Elul pp. 29-36.
