In a Sicha for Yud Shvat in 5741, the Rebbe discussed the same story mentioned in last week’s article. The story was about how the Previous Rebbe was sent by his father on a shlichus in Petersburg during the winter. Later, when the Previous Rebbe spoke to the minister, who didn’t love Jews, he set up a time to visit on a Friday night. After concluding the meeting even though the Rebbe had a warm coat, the cold was so fierce that he needed to take shelter in a bar etc.
Many times lessons were given by the Rebbeim in a style of story-telling. This is similar to how it is in the Torah. Many times in the Torah mitzvos are said in an outright fashion, as in; “Tzav es Bnai Yisroel-Command Bnei Yisroel”. Often however, many essential lessons are learnt from the stories of the Torah. As it says, “maase avos siman labanim – the stories of our forefathers are a sign for the children to learn and live by.”
The aforementioned story, which was told in great detail, has a central lesson in our entire approach to the service of Torah and Mitzvos and to being successful in communal affairs and in the world in general.
In general, a community activist (so too someone that goes to do business) needs to get out of his Torah environment. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to learn G-d forbid, only that he needs to take a break and take with him his Torah in memory and go do a task that is needed for his community in the world. He needs to be aware that when he goes out into the world he has to wear a warm coat for extra warmth to protect us in thought speech and action. He needs these “special garments.” This is because he is going out of the warmth of learning Torah, doing mitzvos and davening, where he has a heightened awareness of “knowing in front of whom he stands.” When he goes out into the world, he has to meet up with things and people that are outside of that nature. Therefore, before he does this, while he is still in the house inside the warmth of Yiddishkeit, there he has to put on special garments.
A person might be convinced that he has no need for special garments because he has been fine so far without them. Special coats are an expense, and they are burdensome to carry around. A person would rather feel the freedom of not being wrapped up in a thick heavy coat.
The need for special garments can be best understood with the example of a doctor. What is the role of a good doctor? A physical doctor works with self-sacrifice to come up with the best possible diagnosis and to give the correct prescription. So too it is with a spiritual doctor. He seeks with self sacrifice to find the best possible advice to give a confused person. Most importantly doctors need to know how to keep a person in the best possible and most optimal health. This means to say that the true spiritual and physical remedies are not in knowing how far the sickness goes and then to how heal it, rather how never to become sick in the first place. As the posuk says, “all the sicknesses which I placed in Mitzrayim I will not place upon you, I am Hashem your healer.” Hashem in advance does not allow for any other possibility than health. He knows in advance, and gives advice about how we should act in the ‘cold outside’, with the people and things that are there and not suffer any damage.
A person cannot know this remedy themselves because they are not a doctor and they have had no experience with the outside environment. An expert, the Rebbe Rashab, told the Previous Rebbe that he was sent to the capital city where he would meet with ministers. The highest priority is that a good thing should occur for other Yidden. At the same time one needs to carry out his mission and prepare in a way that it shouldn’t cause any damage to oneself. That is why he needs to prepare the special garments in advance and not wait until he gets there when it is already cold to find protection. He needs to prepare himself with extra care to deal with the people and things on his mission. He needs to wear clothing that protects him and enables him to keep the warmth of his Torah and his Tefillah intact while enabling him to deal with the coldness on the outside. In order for him to project a true Yiddishe lively body he needs to be warmed from within with Torah, mitzvos and Yiddishkeit.
Through this we will be successful that the coldness of the outside becomes less and less to such a point that eventually we will warm up the entire world with the warmth of Torah and mitzvos.
Then we are able to transform the cold of the street and have hatzlocha in all our endeavors. This is our purpose in the world. It says by the yom tov of Chanukah that the light of the candles burn until the “Kalya Ragla d’tarmadai- the marketplace is empty of those from Tarmud”. So too by bringing the warmth and the light of G-dliness, we affect that all of those that rebel (don’t read tarmudai, read mored, rebel) against Hashem’s oneness are completely vanquished. We do this by adding in garments.
This will be completely accomplished through the coming of Moshiach when the world will come to serve Hashem as one. The main accomplishment is that even a non-Jew will take on their lessons because they will see the Yid is healthy in his body and in his soul. The health of the body is dependent on the spiritual health, and the health of the neshama which is an actual part of Hashem is dependant on a world that is complete in Torah and mitzvos. Through this will be “v’nigle kvod hashem v’rau kol basar yachdov – Hashem’s presence will be revealed and all flesh will see together.” “Avdo kulam shechem echod – we will serve Hashem as one community.” May we see this immediately mamosh!