Does Mesirus Nefesh mean to take a Slow Boat to China?
By Rabbi Shimon Raichik
At this week’s Yud Bais Tammuz fabrengen we heard stories about the mesirus nefesh of the Previous Rebbe and his struggle for Yiddishkeit in the year 5687-1927. If we contrast that challenge to our present day circumstances, we cannot even consider what we are challenged by as a struggle in comparison. This begs the question: What therefore do these stories that occurred then have to do with us today in the year 5772-2012?
The Rebbe explains that mesirus nefesh doesn’t only mean to give up one’s life; it means to give up your will. Just as yidden had a personal will that they sacrificed for the sake of Yiddishkeit, so too today, we have a will that we too can give up in order to serve Hashem.
The Previous Rebbe did not share his personal experience in prison for any other reason than to teach us and provide us with the opportunity to the same in our lives.
The problem we have today is that we have too grandiose of an imagination of what mesirus nefesh means to us today. We assume that the only thing that will qualify as mesirus nefesh is to turn over the entire world in a way similar to previous generation. Otherwise we feel that it isn’t considered to be anything of worth. Because of this unreasonable and unattainable assessment that is beyond our grasp, we fall short and go numb when it comes to following through and all too often not very much gets accomplished. We feel as if the Rebbe has told us to take a trip on a slow boat to China or to take a ride on a rocket to the moon, and we are not up to the challenge.
Once in Stalinist Russia a Russian official wanted to know how committed the populous was to the mother land. He went and asked the following questions one of the Russian citizens. If you have two cars; are you willing to give them to the country? He answered yes. If you have two homes; are you willing you give it to the country? He answered yes. If you have two chickens, are you willing to give them to this great country of ours? He answered, absolutely not! The questioner was astonished. He exclaimed; you mean to tell me that you are willing to give two cars, and two homes but not two measly chickens?? The citizen replied; I don’t have two cars nor do I have two homes, but two chickens I have, and I am going to keep them. Today we cannot even tap into the level of that generation, but it’s about our two chickens and doing with them the best that we can.
In the previous generations G-dliness was revealed and worldly matters faded into the background. Today it’s the opposite. So what is it that makes us into chassidim of the Rebbe today? Everyone has their personal challenges. For some it’s to wear clothes that are tznius. For another it’s keeping a beard, while for another it’s in keeping kashrus correctly. For others it’s the internet. Some need to add in learning and others need to go on mivtzoyim. We need to pay attention to the question being asked. What is it that the Rebbe wants? He isn’t interested in any slow boats to China. He wants our chickens, the small things. To take with seriously the way we act when we are alone and no one is looking, to be aware that Hashem is always with us. For these things nowadays, we need to have mesirus nefesh.