Weekly Dvar Torah: Revelation and Essence

On the Sunday of the 26th of Adar 1, 5752 (March 1, 1992), I was in line to receive a dollar from the Rebbe. Like every Sunday, the Rebbe would stand all afternoon and distribute dollars to give to charity, along with blessings to all who asked. The line snaked through benches and tables in 770, and after a wait of 2-3 hours you reached the stairs to go up to the foyer where the Rebbe was standing and giving dollars and blessings.

At approximately 6 pm, we heard that the Rebbe asked how long the line is? He instructed that all those who are already in line should be allowed to pass, but he asked to close the line for newcomers who may want to come at this late hour.

I did not like the sound of it. True, the Rebbe has been standing already for over 4 hours from about 1:30, but the Rebbe never stopped for any reason other than the fact that there were no more people in the line. Even when there were attempts made by others to limit the line, the Rebbe protested and said that everyone should be allowed to go. And here something changed. I decided that I’m getting out of the line, and I did not get a dollar on that Sunday.

This was the last time the Rebbe handed out dollars on a Sunday. The next day, on Monday, the Rebbe suffered a stroke while visiting the Ohel to pray for us all.

For a Crown Heights born boy, this was the ultimate shock. After growing up my whole life with the Rebbe, to suddenly have him taken from us, was something I couldn’t handle.

To put things in perspective: The Shabbos before, just a day earlier, I remember clearly how the Rebbe’s face was beaming and shining throughout the Farbrengen. During the singing the Rebbe was encouraging in the most powerful way, it felt like Simchas Torah. The Rebbe was swinging his arms in all directions, especially to a group of guests from Canada, to whom he just kept swinging and saying L’Chaim, while encouraging the singing for a long time. It was a very elated atmosphere.

When the Rebbe exited the Farbrengen, he again walked out with such life, and with such vigor, he kept encouraging the singing as he walked out the whole way. Even paying special attention to a father whose son got engaged just the previous Friday.

For the last two months, the Rebbe spoke almost every day. He handed out dollars almost every weekday. The flow of blessings and joy was so powerful, and perhaps even overwhelming. Life and joy were palpable.

And suddenly it all stopped. It became dark.

Thirty-two years later I dare feel a little smarter, and I say, no, it did not become dark, it’s just that we entered a period of concealment. But it is a Good concealment.

How can you say good concealment? Concealment is darkness and darkness is not good!

Let me try to explain.

Darkness says there is nothing, it is just dark. Concealment says, it is there but it’s concealed.

What’s the difference?

We are the generation of revelations, we saw it all. Farbrengens, dollars, Yechidus, Davening, written answers. We had everything revealed. But when Moshiach comes we will see the essence beyond revelation. But what is essence? We don’t understand essence. How will we relate to essence?

A Chossid is meant to have a relationship with a living breathing Rebbe. He sees him, hears him, follows his directives and reports back to him. One cannot be a Chossid if he does not see and meet the Rebbe. Period. This is one of prerequisites of the life of a Chossid as established by the Baal Shem Tov.

So how could it be that 30 years after not being able to experience the above-mentioned realities, you see almost 2 generations of youngsters who never saw the Rebbe, who are totally committed to follow the Rebbe, and their whole life is all about the Rebbe?

The answer is that they are Chassidim of the essence of the Rebbe, they are not limited to or influenced by the revelations or non-revelations of the Rebbe. They are Chassidim of essence.

This gives us a foretaste of experiencing essence. This will be our experience when Moshiach comes to live the essence, and not to be affected by revelations or concealments. The Rebbe gave us an opportunity to get a taste of the revelation of Atzmus, the essence of G-d, by connecting without revelations.

The concealment is just covering up the revelations, but it contains the inner essential connection. A connection of our essence as it becomes connected to the essence of G-d.

When Moshiach comes, we will rise above the constraints of revelations or concealment. Neither will play a role, because we will have advanced to fully enjoy true essence, which combines the revelation and concealment of the essence of G-d, all in one.

Have an inner essence of a Shabbos,
Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Yosef Katzman