“I Gave You the Match”
By Rabbi Shimon Raichik
In the upcoming articles I would like to discuss the connection between a Rebbe and a chosid. First, based on the Rebbe’s sichos we will explain what a Rebbe is and how he differs from a teacher. On the 25th of Elul 5711-1951 the Rebbe held a private audience with university students where he answered their questions on these fundamentals among other topics. The following are adapted excerpts from their discussion.
But first there is a story I heard about Reb Yossie Biston, a shliach in Florida who I later called and verified the story. This story reminds us how the Rebbe is connected with us after Gimmel Tammuz. The Biston’s were not zoche to children for a while after their chassuna. They had a friend not from a Chabad family, who went to 770 and asked the Rebbe for a bracha for them to have children. He approached the Rebbe and said he is asking for a bracha and said Yossie’s name and the name of his wife; “Feiga bas Devorah”. The Rebbe corrected him; “Feiga bas Devorah Leah”. The Rebbe asked what he wanted the bracha for. He answered, for children. The Rebbe said; “I already gave them a bracha for children”. Yes he said, but I would like a havtacha, a gurantee that it will really happen. The Rebbe said I don’t give promises I give a brachos. The conversation went back and forth and finally the Rebbe said; both you and I will dance by their child’s chassuna. They were blessed with many children.
Once, when Yossie was on a visit New York his father took him to a chassuna of one of that friends children. Yossie himself had never heard the story of the bracha he received from the Rebbe in 770 but his father had. He thought it was strange when his father said to the friend that he would dance with him at his granddaughter’s wedding (his own daughter who too young to get married at the time) but he didn’t comment.
Approximately 10 years after Gimmel Tammuz Yossie had a chassuna for his daughter. On the way to the chuppah he noticed his friend. He was surprised to see him because he hadn’t responded to the invitation and he wasn’t the type to just show up. After the chuppah he approached the friend and told him he was happy to see him, and that it was an unexpected surprise. He told him that when he has a chance he wants to tell him a story. Later on they sat down and the friend recounted the entire story from the beginning and ended it with the words of the Rebbe; “Both you and I will dance by their child’s chassuna”. The friend then told him how in the days leading up to the chassuna the Rebbe came to him in a dream along with Yossie’s father. The Rebbe told him that they had made up to be together at the wedding; why was he not going? The next night the Rebbe returned, this time alone, and asked again; “Why are you not going?” On the third night the Rebbe came again and repeated the question. The friend answered that he was having difficulties in business and he didn’t have the money. The Rebbe answered; “A chosid always finds money”. The day before the chassuna he bumped into a friend who told him that he can see that he looks really down. He gave him 400 dollars saying; “You need a change of scenery. Use this money to take a vacation in Florida, it will make you feel better”. He went home and told his wife the whole story and they went ahead and booked a ticket to Florida for 300 dollars. He called back his friend and told him the story about the chassuna and that the ticket only costed 300 dollars. His friend agreed and said to use the extra 100 dollars as a chassuna present, to bring simcha to the chosson and kalla. Later on when Yossie danced with his friend he knew that he was also dancing with the Rebbe.
The Rebbe gave the following answer when asked by one of the students in 1951 about the difference between a Rav and a Rebbe. A Rav is someone who teaches students that come to him and provides answers to their questions. A Rebbe doesn’t wait for his students to come to him; he goes out and finds them. He endeavors to wake them up and to arouse them; he finds different ways and approaches to strengthen their faith.
When asked by one of the students if anyone can become a Rebbe, the Rebbe clarified the fundamentals of what a Rebbe is, and in most particular in the life of a chosid. The Rebbe explained that a Rebbe does not see himself as higher than his chassidim, rather that there is found within his neshama a part of the neshama of the chassidim that are connected with him. When a chosid approaches his Rebbe for help for whatever problem he may have, he is seeking the part of his neshama that is included within the neshama of the Rebbe and to connect it with his neshama. Through this he becomes connected with the soul of the Rebbe and through that connection the chosid receives his life and his needs, both physically and spiritually.
The example of this the Rebbe gave was of a lamp that effuses light. The lamp itself has no ability to produce light. It draws its energy from a power station, which produces the electricity necessary to produce light. The station is located at a distant end of the town. In order get the electricity to the lamp there needs to be power lines that channel the electricity correctly that allow it to reach the town. The lamp also needs to have correct fittings to adapt to the electricity current. Once everything is connected from the power station, through the line, through the adapted fixture into the light bulb, all which is left is to flip the switch, and then it works and the lamp shines. This is similar to the connection between a Rebbe and chassidim. The Rebbe is the power station which produces the necessary energy and power to fulfill all mitzvos and spiritual obligations. He also provides physical support. The power line that channels all of these needs is the neshama of the chosid which is connected to the neshama of the Rebbe. The greater the Rebbe is, the greater the light that is provided. This is the sole purpose of the Rebbe, to provide these needs to his chassidim.
There is a related story. Someone once asked the Rebbe; what is a Rebbe? The Rebbe answered; if you open a cabinet and see a lump of wax and a string lying there, you have something that doesn’t do anything. If you take it out, place it on a table and light a match, then it’s a candle (and then the room is illuminated). Otherwise it is nothing more than a lump of wax and a string. So too, every Jew is a candle, it has a body (which is like the wax) and a wick (which is like the neshama). It just needs to be set up and lit, which is the job of a Rebbe. The person then asked the Rebbe if he lit his neshama. The Rebbe replied; “I gave you the match…”