There was a yid who lived in Vilna in the times of the Alter Rebbe and his name was Mendel. He was a learned man but he was a big opponent of those who followed in the path of the Baal Shem Tov and his followers. So what he would do was make fun of every single minhag (custom) that the Chassidim would employ. The way that the Chassidim dressed being careful to button their coats right over left, the gartels, the way the Chassidim behaved and so on and so forth.
They say of course that all jokes get old and so Mendel set out to devise a plan to come up with new material of how he may make fun of the Chassidim and their ways. As most of his material was already outdated he decided that he will go to Leozna himself and see the Rebbe, and this way he will have the best possible way to make more jokes and fun. He set out to Leozna, arrived there and was greeted by the Chassidim. He informed them of his desire to see the Rebbe. "See the Rebbe?" they said, "you cannot just go in to see the Rebbe so easily". First you have to prepare. They told him that you have to learn these certain books, Musar seforim and so on for examle Chovos Halevavot (Duties of the Heart) and Reishis Chochma. Then you have to go to the mikva. You have to farbreng with the chassidim. you have to write out your request to the Rebbe on paper, you don't speak to the Rebbe. You have to make an oppointment and wait to be let in to be seen. So he agreed to do all these things. He went back to Vilna and learned all the books that he was insturced to learn and came back to Leozna. He fargbred with the Chassidim, immersed in a mikva, wrote out a request on paper and made an appointment to be go into the Rebbe's room.
The day came for him to be seen. He went into the Rebbe sat down and handed his paper over to the Rebbe. The Rebbe took it and read the letter to himself. Then he picked up his head sat back and answered Mendel in a musical voice.
Mendel's reqest was that the Rebbe should give him a tikkun (corrective measure) to dirtying his tziza (fringe of his garment). This too was all made in a manner to make fun of the whole idea of Rebbe and Chosid and so on and so forth. then instead of signing his name Mendel he signed his name Chaim ben Sarah.
So the Rebbe looked up and answered, there are more things that you require a tikkun for besides getting your tziza dirty, isn't there Mendel? the Rebbe said using Mendel's real name. This had such a great effect on Mendel that he immediately fell into a faint. He eventually woke up exited the room, stayed in Leozna for a few months, realized his great error and become a very big and devout Chosid of the Alter Rebbe.
So they said about him, I cannot remember who says the Rebbe or the Chassidim that this was a case that his yetzer ha Tov was able to outsmart his yetzer ha Ra. How is this? His yetzer Ha Tov wanted that he should come to the Rebbe realize what truth is realize what the Rebbe is and so on and so forth. But unfortunately his yetzer ha Ra would not let him go so easily. So his yetzer Tov decided to trick it. His yetzer Tov told his yetzer Ra, come to Leozna, there you will see all the Chassidim and their silly and foolish ways and activities, you will see the Rebbe himself, you will have what to talk about and laugh at your whole life! And this way he was able to drag his yetzer Ra also to the Rebbe and all this was to realize truth, chassidus and the Rebbe.
We are faced with a similar situation this year. For what ever reason many people are afraid and do not wish that Moshiach will come in the year 5770. So can trick our yetzers to do a lot more in order bring Moahiach a year earlier, this year, in 5769.
This story was heard from Rav Shalom Jacobson shlita.
Moshiach Now. 5769 (2009).
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Great Link to Noahide Book
I found this link recently the book The Path of the Righteous Gentile is available as a free e-book from Moshiach.com
http://www.moshiach.com/action/morality/
Enjoy.
http://www.moshiach.com/action/morality/
Enjoy.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
A Letter From the Rebbe to a Tomim Who Started Cutting his Beard
Igros Kodesh VI pg. 285)
29 Av, 5712, Brooklyn.
Greetings and blessings,
For a person like yourself, it is surely unnecessary to elaborate on the concept explained in many places in Chassidus, and also in works of Mussar: that a divine blessing [:arousal from above”] requires a fit vessel, appropriate effort on man's part [ an arousal from below']. It is absolutely obvious that one should not initiate something that runs directly contrary to the “arousal from above: for which one is [requesting and] praying.
[In light of the above,] How shocked was I to see you[r appearance] in the office of the Merkos Le'Inyonei Chinuch, that you labored and compelled your divine soul to remove, Heaven forfend, the “Image of G-d” from your face, by cutting and removing the thirteen fixtures of the beard, which correspond to the thirteen pathways of divine mercy! They are the channels for one's livelihood, as is explained in the Zohar and in Chassidus in several places. Elaboration upon this is unnecessary, especially for tone who hails from the Sephardic community who have held fast to the study of the Zohar for all time. There, no opposition ever existed to it, as did exist in several places in earlier days among the Ashkenazim.
It is difficult and burdensome for me to elaborate upon this. Surely these lines will suffice. I give you the benefit of the doubt that perhaps your intention [in cutting your beard] was as follows: You have seen and contemplated the statement of our Sages that earning one's livelihood is as difficult as splitting the Red Sea.1 It, therefore occurred to you that perhaps it worthwhile to assist the A-lmighty (Who sustains [all creatures] from the eggs of lice until the horns of the wild ox2) in His task by causing your outward appearance to resemble the gentiles. This would then make it easier for you to be given a rabbinical position, or the like.
However, even one who is not intelligent will easily understand that this is contrary to simple faith; to suggest that laxity in observance of the mitzvos of the Torah-i.e., distancing oneself from the Source [of life]-will bring the person to be granted a large flow of blessing. You should study in-depth that which is explained concerning [the verse], “[He will bless himself in his heart, saying , “Peace will be with me, though I follow the caprices of my heart] adding the watered to the thirsty.”3
It is my firm hope that the efforts that my father-in-law, the Rebbe, of blessed memory invested in you as his student and his Chossid will assist you to leave behind the aforementioned mistaken thinking. If the hand of someone else is enticing you [to cut your beard], then explain to him as well that such conduct is contrary not only to divine intellect, but also to human intellect. For every Jew believes that G-d is the Master, even of this physical and coarse world. He and only He is the one to allocate sustenance to a person and his family. Thus, the human effort [“arousal from below”] should also be consistent with this.
From on who awaits good news and blesses you with spiritual and material success, which, for a Jewish man and woman, go hand in hand,
PS: Our Nesi'im have elaborated upon [the prohibition of] cutting one's beard: Tzemach Tzedek, Shu”t Yoreh Dei'ah, 93. Tzemach Tzedek, Chiddushim leMakkos, ch. 3. Piskei Dinim on Yoreh Dei'ah, 181, sec.2. Derech Mitvosecha, 2:221b. In the book known as Amudei Arazim of Rabbi Margolis of Yerushalayim, toward the end the compiled the opinions of the later rabbinical authorities, etc., concerning all the above.
[1] Pesachim, 118a.
[2] Shabbos, 107b.
[3] Devorim, 29:18. This is explained in Kuntres U'Ma'aon, ma'mar 5.
29 Av, 5712, Brooklyn.
Greetings and blessings,
For a person like yourself, it is surely unnecessary to elaborate on the concept explained in many places in Chassidus, and also in works of Mussar: that a divine blessing [:arousal from above”] requires a fit vessel, appropriate effort on man's part [ an arousal from below']. It is absolutely obvious that one should not initiate something that runs directly contrary to the “arousal from above: for which one is [requesting and] praying.
[In light of the above,] How shocked was I to see you[r appearance] in the office of the Merkos Le'Inyonei Chinuch, that you labored and compelled your divine soul to remove, Heaven forfend, the “Image of G-d” from your face, by cutting and removing the thirteen fixtures of the beard, which correspond to the thirteen pathways of divine mercy! They are the channels for one's livelihood, as is explained in the Zohar and in Chassidus in several places. Elaboration upon this is unnecessary, especially for tone who hails from the Sephardic community who have held fast to the study of the Zohar for all time. There, no opposition ever existed to it, as did exist in several places in earlier days among the Ashkenazim.
It is difficult and burdensome for me to elaborate upon this. Surely these lines will suffice. I give you the benefit of the doubt that perhaps your intention [in cutting your beard] was as follows: You have seen and contemplated the statement of our Sages that earning one's livelihood is as difficult as splitting the Red Sea.1 It, therefore occurred to you that perhaps it worthwhile to assist the A-lmighty (Who sustains [all creatures] from the eggs of lice until the horns of the wild ox2) in His task by causing your outward appearance to resemble the gentiles. This would then make it easier for you to be given a rabbinical position, or the like.
However, even one who is not intelligent will easily understand that this is contrary to simple faith; to suggest that laxity in observance of the mitzvos of the Torah-i.e., distancing oneself from the Source [of life]-will bring the person to be granted a large flow of blessing. You should study in-depth that which is explained concerning [the verse], “[He will bless himself in his heart, saying , “Peace will be with me, though I follow the caprices of my heart] adding the watered to the thirsty.”3
It is my firm hope that the efforts that my father-in-law, the Rebbe, of blessed memory invested in you as his student and his Chossid will assist you to leave behind the aforementioned mistaken thinking. If the hand of someone else is enticing you [to cut your beard], then explain to him as well that such conduct is contrary not only to divine intellect, but also to human intellect. For every Jew believes that G-d is the Master, even of this physical and coarse world. He and only He is the one to allocate sustenance to a person and his family. Thus, the human effort [“arousal from below”] should also be consistent with this.
From on who awaits good news and blesses you with spiritual and material success, which, for a Jewish man and woman, go hand in hand,
PS: Our Nesi'im have elaborated upon [the prohibition of] cutting one's beard: Tzemach Tzedek, Shu”t Yoreh Dei'ah, 93. Tzemach Tzedek, Chiddushim leMakkos, ch. 3. Piskei Dinim on Yoreh Dei'ah, 181, sec.2. Derech Mitvosecha, 2:221b. In the book known as Amudei Arazim of Rabbi Margolis of Yerushalayim, toward the end the compiled the opinions of the later rabbinical authorities, etc., concerning all the above.
[1] Pesachim, 118a.
[2] Shabbos, 107b.
[3] Devorim, 29:18. This is explained in Kuntres U'Ma'aon, ma'mar 5.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
The Rebbe as the Moshiach
There is no debate within the Lubavitch community: Only one individual, the Rebbe, crafts the opinion of Chabad. There may be divergent opinions as to what the Rebbe's opinion is on a specific subject, but the resolution can only be found within the fullness of the Rebbe's works.
In their recent Post op-eds on Lubavitch, neither Rabbi Shmuley Boteach ("Chabad messianists: Wrong, but still Jews," January 21), nor Rabbi David Berger ("Rabbi Boteach, you're wrong about Chabad," January 24), actually reference the Rebbe's own writings or statements on the subject of the messiah.
A fundamental principle of Chabad throughout its 200-year-plus history is that its primary mission is to bring the messiah and the revelations of redemption to all of mankind.
In 1951, during the Rebbe's first discourse, he said that our present generation was the seventh from the Alter Rebbe - the first Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe explained that Moses, the leader of the seventh generation after Abraham, was the catalyst in bringing the divine presence into the world. In a similar way, the Rebbe outlined, our generation - the seventh, is tasked with, and will succeed in bringing the divine presence into the world permanently, with the full redemption.
The rest of the article is found here at JPost.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1201523794958
In their recent Post op-eds on Lubavitch, neither Rabbi Shmuley Boteach ("Chabad messianists: Wrong, but still Jews," January 21), nor Rabbi David Berger ("Rabbi Boteach, you're wrong about Chabad," January 24), actually reference the Rebbe's own writings or statements on the subject of the messiah.
A fundamental principle of Chabad throughout its 200-year-plus history is that its primary mission is to bring the messiah and the revelations of redemption to all of mankind.
In 1951, during the Rebbe's first discourse, he said that our present generation was the seventh from the Alter Rebbe - the first Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe explained that Moses, the leader of the seventh generation after Abraham, was the catalyst in bringing the divine presence into the world. In a similar way, the Rebbe outlined, our generation - the seventh, is tasked with, and will succeed in bringing the divine presence into the world permanently, with the full redemption.
The rest of the article is found here at JPost.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1201523794958
Thursday, July 2, 2009
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