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Devar Torah - Beshalach

Thursday, 9 February, 2017 - 5:00 pm

We Transform the World into Hashem’s Home
when we are Together as One
By Rabbi Shimon Raichik

This last Monday was Yud Shevat, the hilula of the Previous Rebbe and the day the Rebbe formally accepted the leadership, the Nesius of Chabad-Lubavitch. The Maamar for Yud Shevat, Basi Legani 5710 quotes the Medresh about how Moshe Rabbenu in the seventh generation brought the Shechina back down to this world and thereby completed the rectification of the original sin of Adam HaRishon. The Maamar explains our avodah, our service of Hashem through hiskafia and hishapcha, subduing and transforming our animal souls. Though this service we participate in completing the work of Moshe Rabbenu and the Moshe Rabbenu of this generation of bringing the Shechina down into this world in and everlasting fashion culminating with the revelation of Moshiach. Just as the Maamar discusses Hashem’s army fulfilling this task, so too we are all the Rebbe’s Shluchim in fulfilling this task. We are all leaders and teachers in some way. 

The Maamar also discusses the letters kuf reish and shin, the letters that make up both the words sheker falseness and keresh board in detail.  Kerashim boards were used to build the Mishkon. The maamar discusses their meaning in the service of Hashem. Though our service of Hashem we take the falseness of the world and we transform it into a dwelling place, a Mishkon for Hashem.

In the Rebbe’s Maamarim for Yud Shevat 5717 and 5737, corresponding to the 7th chapter of the original Basi Legani of 5710, (and all 7’s are beloved) the letters of daled and reish are discussed and compared. Both letters mean the same thing, poverty. The name of the letter daled means dales, poor.  The name of the letter reish means rash, which also means poor.  The only difference in the form the two letters is in their top corner. The top corner of the reish is round while the top corner of the daled has something sticking out which we call a yud. The yud is the smallest of the letters of the aleph-beis. Being the smallest it represents the characteristic of self-nullification and humility. The reish represents the sitra achra, the side of un-holiness, because it is devoid of self-nullification or humility. The daled which has the yud, represents holiness, meaning that which has self-nullification and humility.

In the relationship of a teacher to student or a parent to a child where there is both a giver and a receiver, there is a yud in both sides of a relationship filled with holiness, kedusha. The yud represents the ability of the student or the child to set-aside their preoccupations and prepare to receive teacher’s or the parent’s message. The yud of the teacher represents the need to minimize his or her knowledge. If they would like to be effective they need to look at the unique circumstances and needs of the student or child to determine what is most appropriate from their knowledge to share for their distinct situation. The yud represents the understanding and caring that comes from listening.  It takes time to fully integrate the student or the child’s background and most important needs into what we give them. When we do this we are effective. This is the yud of the teacher and parent.

HaRav Yitzchok Groner once told the following story.   Growing up in Crown Heights, during recess time in yeshiva, the students would play ball in the empty lot next to 770 (an area which would later become the downstairs Beis Medrash). The students would play while their teachers with stand on the sidelines supervising. One day the previous Rebbe was noticed watching from the balcony of his home on the second floor. He motioned to one of the teachers to get involved and to play ball with the boys.

Teachers and parents need to avoid the urge to lecture instead of doing a real job. When we get caught up in giving lectures it’s more about ourselves than those that we are trying to reach.

When we fulfill our mission as both teachers and students, parents and children then we can go forward complete and together as one. When we come together and make things whole through our relations the student and the child eventually become an effective teacher and parent for their students and children.  Together as one we go into the world transforming it into a dwelling place for Hashem and we bring Moshiach.

A Good Shabbos

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