Alef Beis Gimmel: Emunah Bitachon Geula
By Rabbi Shimon Raichik
Forty years ago on Zos Chanukah 5738 the Rebbe made a surprise seudah and farbrengen. The Rebbe spoke about how the eight days of Chanukah are compared to the eight days of Sukkos. Since that year was the year of the Rebbe’s heart attack the Rebbe did not make a farbrengen on Simchas Torah nor did he give out kos shel bracha.
The Rambam’s opinion is that not only do we light candles say Al Hanissim and Hallel but we also have a mitzvah to make a seudah. Although we haven’t seen this to be custom of the Rebbeim, nevertheless there is a mitzvah to make a seudah on Chanukah according to the Rambam.
As the Rebbe explained the connection between Chanukah and Sukkos the Rebbe mentioned that he was now completing Simchas Torah with this seudah and farbrengen.
This year Shabbos falls out on Hei Teves, a day of rejoicing after the US Federal Court ruled that the sefarim and manuscripts stolen from the Previous Rebbe’s Library be returned to the Chassidim. This year is the 31’st Anniversary of the original event. Thirty years ago, one year after the original celebration, Hei Teves fell on a Shabbos and the Rebbe spoke for the first time about Hei Teves being a Yom Tov. The Rebbe compared it to Chanukah, in that it was only established as a holiday a year later, so too with regard to Hei Teves.
This week we merited to finally see Shalom Mordecai Rubashkin come out of an unfair and biased eight and a half year imprisonment. The story and treatment of Sholom Mordecai Rubashkin remind us of the notorious Bailis trial of 1913. The bias and anti-Semitism was blatantly evident for all to see. He had bipartisan support in Congress for his release, even former attorney generals spoke out in his behalf.
In the sicha from Zos Chanukah in 5738 the Rebbe spoke about extending the joy of Chanukah into the following day similar to the second day of Yom Tov added to Sukkos, Simchas Torah . The victory of Chanukah was because of the emunah and bitachon in Hashem of the Maccabees. Their strong emunah and bitachon brought about the milacle of the many falling into into the hands of the few and the mighty into the hands of the weak. During Chanukah we bring light and thereby dispel the darkness of galus. When a Jew is not afraid of the darkness he is able to dispel it with the light of Torah and mitzvos (represented in the Chanuka candles) with his or her emunah and bitachon.
We see this so clearly in the story of Shalom Mordecai Rubashkin and the way he lived during his years of imprisonment. He remained committed to a good outcome with strong emunah and bitachon throughout.
The first time he spoke in public after his release was the night following Zos Chanukah. He said; “Alef Beis Gimmel stands for Emunah Bitachon Geula. With emunah and bitachon the geula follows.”
From the achdus and simcha that we have witnessed throughout the entire world with singing and dancing throughout the night for one individual Jew that many never have met, we should merit to immediately see the darkness of galus transformed, and go together dancing in the streets with the geula ha’emitis v’hashleima together with Moshiach now!
A Good Shabbos