Taking Out the Garbage

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It was now his fifth year on Shlichus. When he first arrived in the country, imbued with his youthful idealism, he was quite eager to set up a Tefilin stand at the annual Israel Day Parade. As time went on, and he brought in Bochurim to run his summer camp, it was they who ran the booth. This year, he found himself without any bochurim in town. He would have to man the stand himself.

By this time, he was an established Rav in the city. That particular day was a scorcher and with the booth directly under the sun, the Shliach felt that this was no longer his shlichus. Was he, a respected Rabbi supposed to sweat away the entire day in the hopes of possibly getting a few Israeli backpackers to put on Tefilin? Besides, he told himself, he was in the midst of fundraising for a new building, and he could use the Sunday afternoon to try to raise some needed funds. His day should be spent talking to his supporters, not asking some random off the street to put on Tefilin.

But his thoughts were interrupted by a powerful inner voice. "Who do you think you are? Are you a Shliach or self-made Rav? Do you consider yourself too good to still be out there doing regular Mivtzoim? What would the Rebbe want from you?"

Reluctantly, he took his post by the stand. The temperature was nearing triple digits, and by noontime he was still without a single Tefilin. Finally, he was approached by your ragged-looking Israeli. After putting on Tefilin, the young Israeli asked him about the work he did in this remote country. Before long, the Shliach excitedly told him about his plans for a new building, adding that he was still in dire need of funds. The young Israeli thought for a minute, took down his address, and said he would be in touch.

The Shliach left the parade exhausted, but happy that he had been faithful to his shlichus. A few weeks later, a letter came in the mail from the Israeli. It began with a "thank-you letter." Attached was a check for several thousand dollars.
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Getting announced during role call at the Kinnus HaShluchim. Reciting the invocation at a session of Congress. Cutting the Ribbon at a new Chabad House. Delivering an inspiring Drasha in front of a packed Shul. Lighting a twelve foot Menorah in front of city hall.

All of these activities may be exciting. But they don't yet define the true Shliach.
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A new day begins. The Avoda is getting underway. But, first the ashes from the Mizbeach have to be removed and taken outside the Mishkan.

"Upashat Es B'gdav V'lavash Begadim Acherim, V'hozei Es Hadechen El l'chutz L'machane."

Why change his clothes before doing this task? Rashi tells us two reason: 1) In order not to soil his garments 2) It is not respectful to "pour a goblet for his master in the same clothes in which you cooked his pot."

So the ashes got the Kohen filthy. And it wasn't even considered "in front of his master." It sounds more like janitorial duties than Avoda. Why must a Kohen do the dirty work? Why change his clothes if someone else can do the entire job?
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"Shivisi Hashem L'negdi Tamid"

Simple Translation: Hashem is always standing in front of me
Chassidshe Translation: "All Avoda of Hashem is equal in front of me"

The two translations are one in the same.

A Yid must be willing to do every Mitzva. Even those that he finds difficult. Then he is truly serving Hashem.

A Shliach must willing to do all aspects of his shlichus. Even those that are not grand - even those not done seen by others. Then he is truly a Shliach.

A Kohen must be willing to do every part of the Korban Olah. Even the cleanup afterwards. Then he is truly a Kohen.

This is the litmus test that determines whether we are serving Hashem - or ourselves.

Continuation to follow I'YH
(See Likutei Sichos Vol 37. Story heard directly from Shliach)

The Bendy Reed

"Aidel...but not a pushover. Strong values...but still flexible."

Sound like a description from a shidduch call? Actually, it's from a Maamer.

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It’s a pretty well-known Gemara.

"Leolam Yehei Adam Rach Ke’kaneh Veal Yehei Kashe Ke’erez."
"A Person should always soft like a reed and not hard like a cedar."
Simply put, a person should be easy-going and flexible.

But there are many things that can be used to describe a soft and bendy substance. Why a reed?
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I just looked up "aidel" on an online dictionary. It began by saying
"The word is used as an adjective in describing females." It's meaning? "Naive, sweet, etc."

I got a good laugh at this attempt of Goyim to define a Yiddish word. Only females can be aidel? Aidel is naive? But at the very least, this faulty definition made me realize that the meaning of aidel is somewhat vague.
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Aidel, says the Maamer, describes the "Hisgalus of person's Midos."

Can you control your feelings from being powerfully displayed?
Is it possible for you to keep your cool when things aren't going your way?
Are you able to restrain yourself from verbally expressing your thoughts?
Do your opinions get in the way of others?

Simply put, the world of "Aidel" only begins above the surface.

Beneath the ground, you can still be deeply opinionated with firm beliefs and values. Under your "Levushim", you can be a highly emotional and passionate person.
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"Be soft like a reed."

A reed can be deeply rooted. Its pnimious can be incredibly strong. It doesn't get blown away. It is not a pushover.

Yet, above the surface, the reed blows with the wind. Its bendy material tolerates all types of adversaries. Unlike its counterpart, the powerful cedar, it survives the hurricane.

The secret to its survival? It is firmly rooted below but flexible above.
(Veyadaata 5692)

Changing the Channel

A Chandelier broke.

It seemed like a simple accident that caused the mishap. Yet, its owner decided to report the incident to the Rebbe in a letter. The reply? You should increase your learning of the luminary of Torah, Toras HaChassidus..

Let's be honest. At first glance, it's hard to believe. Does learning Chassidus really affect the longevity of the light fixture in my living room?

The city needed a Mikvah desperately. The long construction work was almost done, and all that was now needed was water for the Bor. But the country was experiencing its worst drought in years and no rain was expected for months. Yet the Rav still announced the grand opening of the Mikvah for later that week. The Gabbai was shocked .

"But you know that there is no rain in the forecast for several weeks? "
"That's what the meteorologist say. But I'm not worrying."
"You're not worrying? And why is that?"
"The Torah tells us we need a Mikvah. So we're gonna get that water."

Sure enough, by the end of the week the Mikvah was full of rain water.

Had you offered someone on the street the chance to bet you that it wouldn't rain that week, you'd have a lot of customers. After all, weather.com has a pretty good track record...
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Of course, these stories don't have every day. Sadly, we know of many times that people did the right thing and had the wrong results. But whether we always see it or not, the facts still remain:

Torah is the blueprint for the World. By extension, it is Torah that dictates reality.

This message comes out very strongly in the Maamarim of Nissan.
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Hachodesh Hazeh Lachem Rosh Chodoshim

What do we need another head of the year? Doesn't Tishrei do the job?

The world operates on two different channels. And we can choose to watch and experience life on either channel.

The Nature Channel: There are set rules in life. Things make sense. Parnasa comes from business. Balls break chandeliers. Weather.com knows the forecast.

This is the world rotating on the Tishrei axis.
This is the world that was actually created in the six days of creation.
This is the channel that was seen since the beginning of time.
This is the channel that the average person watches.

The Super-Natural Channel: There are no set rules in life. Torah dictates reality. The Pure Emunah of a Jew changes the facts.

This is the world rotating on the Nissan axis.
This is the world that was envisioned before the six days of creation.
This is the channel seen by the Yiddin during Nissan (1o plagues, splitting of sea, etc)
This is the channel that a Yid can watch.
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The first Rashi in the entire Torah asks a pretty simple question. Why start the Torah with stories about creation? The Torah should begin with HaChodesh HaZeh, the first Mitzva commanded to the Jewish Nation? Rashi answers that the we must learn the story of creation in order to know the power of Hashem. For when the Goyim will ask us what gives us the right to Eretz Yisroel, we can respond that the whole world belongs to Hashem. He might have first gave it to you but then gave it to us...

Rashi sound simple enough? Try reading Rashi this way:

We already know there is a created, limited world. Everyone has watched the nature channel. Tishrei is obvious! We don't need Torah for this!

Torah should immediately begin with the super-natural channel. Mitzvos...Miracles...Yiddin. Let Torah begin with Nissan! Let Torah Begin with "Hachodesh Hazeh Lachem!"

Rashi answers something profound: Hashem didn't just want a world with only the super-natural channel. For that, he has higher, spiritual worlds. Rather, Hashem wanted a world that looks like it operates in a limited way. A world that often has obstacles getting in our way. A world that can be watched on the nature channel. A World that was created in Tishrei.

And yet, the job of the Yid is to look past all of that and realize that this is only a veneer. In truth it is Nissan, miracles, and Torah that run the world.

Eretz Knaan was first given to Goyim. Why? In order for us to take it back and transform it into a holy Eretz Yisroel.
A finite world was created. Why? In order for us to infuse it with the infinite energy of Torah and Mitzvos.
Life can be viewed from the Nature Channel. Why? In order for us to transcend this view and notice the miriacles within the mundane.
(HaChodesh HaZeh 5733)

On Lights and Lasers

It was his first trip to 770. He had come for a Yechidus with the Rebbe. While waiting in line, he noticed the bochurim passionately learning and fabrenging. Although he couldn't help but be impressed by their energy and dedication, he commented to the Rebbe that they seemed somewhat naive and close-minded. The Rebbe responded that their behavior was not due to their being naive and close-minded but rather being focused and directed...

A few years ago, I was interviewed by magazine doing an article featuring "Religious Yeshiva Students." Amongst the questions they asked me was “What advantage does your lifestyle have over that of the average teenager your age?"

It sort of put me on the spot. What was I supposed to say? I needed to answer something simple and logical enough for their readers to understand.

Well, there are probably a lot of things I could have said, but for some reason this is what left my mouth:

"Your average teenager is faced with so many decisions. What should I do with my life? Who should I hang out with? What should be my priorities be? What kind of relationship am I looking for? What should I wear to school in the morning?

And these decisions throw them around in all directions. Life's goals are constantly changing. Dressing in the morning is an entire operation. Relationships are complex and very confusing.

Now, in our circles we also have decision to make. But, these very same decisions don’t throw us anywhere. As a Chasidic Jew, I am grounded. All the choices I make center around a focal point. I have a mission statement that stays the same throughout my life. When I wake up in the morning, I have a clear agenda of what I need to that day.

We have direction. We have clarity. And therefore, we can get so much further..."

A laser can achieve so much more than a regular light for the simple reason that all of its light is focused on one place...

What would you have answered to this question?

Are you a Microwave or Crockpot?

We all had such classmates.

The ones who got a 100% with just looking over the material once. The guys who understood a Tosfos or Maamer on their first attempt. The people that never had to deal with the frustration of having no idea of what's going . The students that never had to work hard.

How did these guys end up? Well, it probably depends on whether or not they learned the art of digging.
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Are you a lake or deep spring? Coal or a flinstone? Microwave or crockpot?

Getting water from a lake is a piece of cake. The area is easily accesible, and the water comes out instantly with little effort. When water is available at the surface, why bother digging?

And yet, when you don't dig, you lose out on a lot. There is the danger of the lake's drying up, or perhaps using all of its water. Not to mention that the water may be dirty or even unhealthy as is it exposed to all the elements. In short, what is on the surface and revealed is quite limited. Both in quanitity and quality.

Tap into an underground spring and enter a whole new world. The water flows powerfully and endlessly. It is crystal clear. In short, when you reach the source, everything exists in an infinite way.

Chassidus explans that toiling in Torah is the ultimate recipe for success. A great mind is a great gift from above, but it comes with a liablility. When Torah is only learned in a quick and painless manner, it will not achieve the necessary goals.

Without further digging the water can
1) dry up - Without toiling, there is little stimulation. Interest can quickly be lost and boredom will soon set in.
2) become depleted - Chassidus explains that our Sechel is quite limited. Each person thinks has their way - and their way only - of thinking. Our memory, ideas, and creativity are also finite in nature. But when we dig past our "surface level" Sechel into the deeper roots of our Sechel (refered to as Mochin Stimah,) we tap into our infinite reservoir of ideas.
3) be dirty - No matter how sharp the mind, the first time one learns an Inyan it can never be as pure or clear as something thought over and over.
4) be unhealthy - Torah without effort will not give the same nourishment and spiritual healing as Torah that comes with labor.

(Of course, when the sharp mind realizes that he too needs to dig, the result will be a powerful shovel capable of reaching even greater depths.)
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Hit an obstacle in the road. Have a bad day. Make a mistake. That's when you can really tell the difference between the learner that toils and the learner on cruise-control.

Coals burn quickly and efficiently. With little effort, fire is produced. A Flinstone hardly looks differant than any other rock. It takes quite a bit of beating to even produce a little flame.
But try leaving each of them out for 24 hours. Better yet, drop them into water. The coal is now useless. The flinstone is as powerful as ever.
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We live in a world where we like things instant and we like them hot.

This mindset has been applied to learning. Why bother learning an entire Sicho when you can pick up a Mayan Chai and Shulchan Shabbos? Why waste time learning in a foreign language when there is chabad.org? Why struggle through a Maamer in Samech Vov when you get an overview of the main ideas by listening to a shiur?

But does a microwave TV Dinner really taste the same as a baked supper?
Does an instant soup do the same job as Bubby's Chicken Soup?
Does email really replace the communication of yesteryear?

We should all be blessed with great minds. We should all take advantage of chabad.org. But we should never allow this to get in the way of Yegiah in Torah. It is the toiling that will keep us inspired, and achieve the desired result that the Torah we learn will actually affect us

A Microwave may be quite useful. But nothing beats a cholent that has been sitting in the crockpot all night...

(Based on Hemshechim in 5666 and 5706 )

On kings, sleep, and dreams...

A little disclaimer for this post: It was written on Purim...and...well...it is not the usual easy-to-read style. (It may be better appreciated after learning some Chassidus on this subject)

• That night the King's Sleep was disturbed.
• That night, the Yiddin's sleep was disturbed.
• That night Hashem's 'sleep' was disturbed.

• Since it was nighttime, the king was supposed to be asleep.
• Since the Jews weakened their obervance of Torah and Mitzvos, they were supposed to be asleep.
• Since it was Golus, Hashem was supposed to be 'asleep."

Not all is lost while sleeping...

• When a person sleeps all his organs still work. He breathes, hears, and even speaks.
• When a Jew is in Golus, he still functions. He can still daven, learn, and do Mitzvos.
• When Hashem is "asleep" all his "organs still work. He creates, controls, and directs.

And yet, not all is the same.

• A sleeping person can not see.
• A Jew in Golus can not see Elokus.
• A "sleeping" Hashem doesn't protect his people in a open, visual way.

• A Sleeping person loses the higharchy in his Kochos. Actions are done without prior thought.
• A Jew asleep in Golus confuses his priorities. Gashmiyus takes precedence over Ruchniyos.
• A "Sleeping" Hashem hides his order of rank amongst his people. Goyim overpower the Chosen Nation.

• A Sleeping person dreams.
• A Jew in Golus lives in a dream.
• A "Sleeping" Hashem seems distant and vague...like a fantasy...like a dream...

And yet, beneath the surface, a sleeping person is that much higher...

• While sleeping, a person's body is in confusion, but his soul rises up rejoins its source and creator.
• While in Golus, our bodies are afflicted and our souls troubled, but our Pintele Yid is very much alive.
• While Hashem is "sleeping," he may be seem hidden and removed, but his essence is present more than ever.

• While a person sleeps. his many distant Kochos rise and become one within the Etzem HaNefesh.
• While in Golus, despite there not being levels of higharchy, Hashem still chooses his nation using his Bechira Atzmis.
• While Hashem is "sleeping", all levels of G-dliness are elevated to their source within Hashem's essence.

• Below is confusion. Above is clarity.
• Below is darkness. Above is light.
• Below is concealment. Above is revelation.

Despite the darkness, the Yiddin prevailed. In a display of Mesiras Nefesh they used their only functioning Koach - their Pintele Yid.

• The Sleeping man awoke.
• The comatose Kochos were awaken.
• The Sleeping "Hashem" was no longer...

B'laila H'hu Nadida Shnas Hamelech..

(B'laila Hahu 5744 and other Maamrim with same Divrei Hamaschil)

Ad Deloh Yada...

It's bound to happen. You're going to be at a Chabad House this Purim and one of the shluchim (or probably bochurim) is going to...well...say too much l'chaim. You're going to look around at the non-frum crowd and wonder "What are they thinking?" How can I justify this sort of behavior? Are these people ever going to come back here?

Without getting into any mystical explanations of Ad Delo Yada, I just want to share a simple story that I witnessed. (And no, with this story I don't mean to say that drinking in an uncontrolable fashion is correct...)

It was at a Chabad House. One of the shluchim said a little too much L'chaim. The head shliach was getting a little uncomfortable at the situation. The, to his horror he noticed "Michael' starring at the drunk shliach. "Michael" had been a new addition to the Chabad House. He seemed like a real Keli, and yes, B'H, looked like someone who could potentially be a big contributor.

The Head shliach went into a "defensive" mode. He began stuttering and began the typical apologetic speech. All the typical lines like "This only happens twice a year... This is not the kind of person he really is...Don't take this the wrong way..."

Michael smiled and then said the following profound words. "Rabbi, do you think this is the first time I've seen someone who is drunk? I've been around for a while. I've frequented bars and attended many parties. The contrast is truly remarkable. Everywhere else when this happens, drunkards become disgusting. Their speech is vulgar; their actions violent. It's quite scary to think that this might be the real person coming out with his usual behavior just a masquerade...

Just now, I saw something totally different. The more he drank, the holier he became. "Rebbe, Ahavas Yisroel, Torah, and Moshiach" were the words being spoken.

Tonight, I saw just how real you guys really are.

Rabbi, there is no need to apologize.