Achieving a better and finer Future
through our utmost Loyalty and Devotion
to our Torah and commandments
By Rabbi Shimon Raichik
Last week we printed excerpts from the Rebbe’s letter about Tzivos Hashem. When reading excerpts from this letter we see the Rebbe’s deep concern for the attitudes of the young men and women of the generation. We see that Tzivos Hashem was not founded to create competition in learning; the main purpose was to attend to the most burning issue of our time, personal responsibility. We also see his great care and concern to instill in them this kabolas ol, the sense of respect for authority.
After reading this letter we have an essential challenge to face. How do we, in our current circumstances, extend the Rebbe’s guidance detailed in this letter to every man woman and child throughout our lifetime in a meaningful way?
The Alter Rebbe says that serving Hashem with love is the core motivator behind all positive mitzvos and the fear of Hashem is the influence to not transgress the negative mitzvos. The works of mussar focus primarily on fear, the fear of what is wrong with doing a transgression. Although Chassidus focuses on the positive that does not mean that it avoids the reality that committing transgressions is something very severe. All transgressions can be traced back to a lack of kabolas ol, feeling a sense of obligation to Hashem. In the letter and in many places the Rebbe speaks about the fundamental nature of kabolas ol and it’s central role in the service of Hashem. What Chassidus offers helps prepare us to have a more positive perspective about life in general. With Chassidus we internalize the fact that we have a G-dly soul and that goodness outweighs it's opposite. It explains how a mitzvah is everlasting and that our bond with Hashem is eternal and unchanging. Chassidus educates us in the ways of teshuva. Through teshuva we can right all that needs correction; and that through our service of Hashem we will merit the coming of Moshiach.
This gives us the strength to stare the negative directly in the face and be victorious in overcoming our weaknesses. In Hayom Yom we are taught that we need to know what is missing as well as the positive in our service of Hashem. We internalize and live this message as well as provide this message to our children and students.
In a 1943 publication to the youth the Rebbe’s entry for Rosh Chodesh Tammuz (which is applicable to every Rosh Chodesh) is the following. “Review your conduct and action during the month of Tammuz. Resolve firmly that the next month shall be a better and finer one spiritually through the utmost loyalty and devotion to our Torah and commandments.”
Rabbi Simcha Zirkind had his first Yartzeit this last week. In an article he wrote the following story of his youth. “During the summer months we did not go to camp. Every day we had to go from the Yeshiva to the dormitory to eat. However, do to the lack of modesty on the streets, I did not feel comfortable walking outside during the summer months. In 1957, I went into a private audience with the Rebbe. I asked the Rebbe for advice what to do about me seeing immodest scenes.
The Rebbe told me, that I should keep a photo of my father-in-law, the Rebbe Rayatz, in my pocket. “Before you go out onto the street,” the Rebbe said, “you should take a look at the photo.”
I put in my pocket a picture of the Rebbe and the Rebbe Rayatz and I would look at it before I left the buildings. It was good advice; it averted my attention. I would thus concentrate on their holy faces and not at what I saw in the streets.
In the winter of 1956 I wrote to the Rebbe several of my issues. One was having foreign thoughts that I felt was inappropriate for me to have. The Rebbe responded: “It is known the advice to this is, ‘that a little bit of light, pushes away a lot of darkness. Therefore you need to be immersed into thoughts of Torah and prayer. You should be fluent by heart, several chapters of Mishnah, Tanya and at least several lighter, easier to understand, chassidic discourses. This all helps liberate one from not good thoughts.””
May we merit that these days be transformed into Yomim Tovim and may we merit the full and complete redemption now, during these nine days.
A Good Shabbos, A Good Chodesh