Weekly Story: An Honest Discussion 

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon 

As this Shabbos is Shabbos Mevorchim chodesh Tammuz, and every farbrengen is going to be centered on the Rebbe and how to strengthen not merely our connection or hiskashrus to him, but our commitment to carry through on his ideals, and fulfill his requests, I decided to write the following article, before Gimmel Tammuz. 

My hope is that it will clarify a misconception that many of our youth (meaning those in their thirties and younger), and perhaps those who are older as well.

During numerous farbrengens and conversations with younger chassidim I am asked whether I say Yechi, and the discussion about the Rebbe being Moshiach.

After listening to numerous people, I came to the realization that to a large extent, this question is based on the following understanding or perhaps misunderstanding.

In the first thirty some years of the Rebbe’s nesius, while there was this talk, it was not in public. Meaning, we never said Melech Hamoshiach during one of the Rebbe’s farbrengens. Therefore, the logic continues that it was said and gained traction after the petira of the Rebbetzin and especially after the Rebbe suffered his first stroke four years later, in 5752.

So if it began during those difficult times, its purpose was to give us strength and hope during those difficult times. So although those difficulties have not subsided and the world situation has not improved since then, nevertheless, that doesn’t change the fact that it is more of a motivational saying than an actual factual saying.

When I rephrased their question as such, many of them nod in agreement saying that is basically it.

So I reply, that perhaps is how you were raised or perceive it, but that is not how I was raised, and it is definitely not the way to look at it.

Seeing their quizzical expression, as I’d say, how are are we supposed to look at it? I explain, my parents arrived in Detroit in 5714 (1954). On Shabbos afternoons my father would go to the numerous shuls, and review some Chassidus around Mincha time. He also said publicly that people should know that there is a Rebbe in the world, who is a Navi and is happy to help any and every Jew in their time of need.

Furthermore, my father would often repeat one of his favorite stories of why there were 3 generations of marriages between Beis HaRav and the descendants of the Tzaddik HaRav Menachem Nochum of Chernobyl, as the Maggid said I know that Moshiach will be a descendant of one of my talmidim, but I don’t know if it will be from my oldest talmid, HaRav Menachem Nochum, or my youngest talmid, HaRav Zalmanyu.

The Rebbetzin is a descendant of these three marriages and by extension that means that the Rebbe is Moshiach.

Yes, the truth be said, that this did not sit well with some misnagdim, nor did it sit well with a Lubavitcher who settled there a few years later.

The truth be said, it bothered him.so much, that when Reb Moshe Dubinsky came to Detroit to collect Maamid (money that is given as support for the Rebbe’s personal expenses), he said to Reb Moshe, you can collect maamid, but when you give the money and list of the donors to the Rebbe, please tell him that Meir Avtzon [Gasthalter] is saying in all the shuls that the Rebbe is Moshiach, and that comment interferes with the work of the representative of Mekos Linyonei chinuch. Therefore, I am requesting that the Rebbe instructs Meir Avtzon to stop saying this in all the shuls.

The Rebbe responded, what should I do, as he is saying it with an emes (and sincerity).

So you see that believing that the Rebbe is Moshiach is not a new phenomenon that began as some like to say out of desperation, but rather it is rooted in our culture for generations. 

There was this same conversation in the ten years that the Frierdiker Rebbe was in America, of whether he was Moshiach. And our Rebbe was very strong about it that it is a correct statement.

The question becomes, when, where and how should this be said in public, or to rephrase it what is the appropriate way to discuss this in public?

That I discuss in great length in my book A Day To Recall, A Day To Remember. 

A Taste of Chassidus 

שלח לך אנשים

Likkutei Torah Bamidbar p. 36C

We have to understand, the twelve spies were handpicked by Moshe, as they obviously were outstanding individuals who understood what their mission was, so why did they feel so strongly against entering Eretz Yisroel?

Their opposition did not begin after they saw the land in detail, but it began even before they went. So what was their reasoning or thought process to oppose entering Eretz Yisroel from the get-go?

In many maamorim it is explained that they as leaders of their Shevatim recognized the strong possibility, that once the Jews will enter Eretz Yisroel and have the responsibility of working their fields to grow crops, they won’t have the time to learn Torah and might also neglect fulfilling some mitzvos. So they had mesiras nefesh to prevent the Jews from going against Hashem.

But here in this maamar, the Alter Rebbe is explaining it in a different way, not that they may sin, but because they thought this is the proper way to serve Hashem.

In order to understand that, we have to understand the difference between the wilderness and Eretz Yisroel. 

The Torah was given to us in the wilderness, however,  the ability to fulfill mitzvos began mainly when the Jewish people entered Eretz Yisroel. 

So the focal point here is what is the significance of entering Eretz Yisroel,as only then we have the responsibility and that demonstrates that we were then given the ability to fulfill mitzvos.

The Alter Rebbe explains we first have to understand why or how a person receives their sustenance from food which are elements lower than the person. Normally the one who is higher is the one that nourishes the one that is lower than it, and here seemingly the lower level is nourishing what is higher than it.

But as the Arizal explains, the source in the food comes from the supernal world of Tohu, which is higher than the person who is in the supernal world of Tikun. So here too the person has to work with the earth to bring out its source which is higher than the person themself.

The way Hashem created the world is that He concealed His greatness, in order that we creations do not become overwhelmed and nullified from its enormity.  So yes, while our responsibility is to bring the shechina into this world, they felt that we should only reveal a higher amount of G-dliness that is concealed or limited.

However, the ten spies, being that they themselves were on an exalted level, and understood what tremendous revelation of G-dliness will occur through the fulfillment of mitzvos they felt that it will overwhelm everyone, to the extent that the world would become nullified. in other words this level of G-dliness that will become revealed is unlimited. Therefore, they argued that since Hashem wants us to exist, the only way we can continue to exist and serve Hashem at the same time is if we continue to focus on learning His Torah. 

[The Alter Rebbe explains that the Hebrew word for wilderness is  Midbar, which is very similar to the word Dibbur, which means speech. Therefore their argument was, let us remain connected and serve Hashem with Dibbur (speech), and not enter Eretz Yisroel where we will be obligated to serve Hashem through action, which would reveal a level of G-dliness that will nullify us.]

Their mistake was that they misunderstood how the process of a seed develops into a plant. Yes, it shrivels up and seemingly becomes nullified, but that arouses the power of growth that is in the earth and develops into the fruit or vegetation.

The same thing is concerning entering Eretz Yisroel, which the Torah refers to the land of milk and honey, which is a reference to nullifying your desire and refraining from acting against Hashem’s will, and then by doing His positive commandments, becoming receptacles to receive this higher level of G-dliness and not being overwhelmed and nullified.

Or in other words, they were on the level of Dibbur, (speech) and couldn’t lower themselves to the level of Maaseh (action), which would be  a necessity for those who entered Eretz Yisroel, and, therefore, they said we are unable to enter it.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and the author of numerous books on the Rebbeiim and their chassidim. He is available to farbreng in your community and can be contacted at [email protected].