LET’S LEARN CHASSIDUS With Rabbi Shais Taub

But a short saying that is a “seed of light” is different. A seed of light USE YOUR takes an idea and transmits it in a tiny package, just as the complete DNA of an entire tree is transmitted OWN TEARS in a small seed. But the point is not the seed. You don’t actually benefit THE PARTNERSHIP directly from the seed. You plant the seed. And then, in that spot, grows PARADOX a whole tree with more fruits, with more seeds that grow more trees with more fruits. So you spend 30 seconds in the morning with Hayom Yom—okay, on A SMALL BOOK certain days, 60 seconds—but when you finish reading the day’s entry, the Hayom Yom is still not done It is said that when Reb Levi Yitzchak Barditchever first saw the printedTanya with you. A seed has been planted. he exclaimed, “How did he fit such a great and awesome G-d inside of such It grows, quietly at first, hidden a small book?!” Exactly what the Barditchever meant by this is something beneath the soil of your conscious chassidim have discussed for generations. mind. But if you water it and take Our also wrote a “small book.” care of it, each day’s “small” thought Indeed, at the of 5749, the Rebbe referred to it grows into a massive tree. And then diminutively as a mere “sefer’l” (Hisva’aduyos 5749, Vol. 2, p. 4). Of course, each time you revisit the tree, that we are speaking of none other than the first published book authored by is, each time you think more deeply the Rebbe, Sefer Hayom Yom (Kehos/Merkos, 1943). But why is Hayom Yom about what you read in Hayom Yom, a “small book”? you harvest another one of its fruits. The Frierdiker Rebbe was the one who assigned the Rebbe the task of writing Hayom Yom and was also the one who gave it its title and subtitle. Wait, Hayom Yom has a subtitle? That’s right. Luach Ohr Zarua l’Chassidei WHOSE JOB IS IT? , a “calendar of implanted light” for Chabad chassidim. I think this is related to another But how exactly does one plant seeds of light? Yes, it’s a phrase borrowed aspect of what makes Chassidus from Tehillim 97 (ohr zarua latzadik, light is planted for the righteous), but Chabad unique. Vertlach, as what are seeds of light and how does one plant them? discussed, don’t make you do work. People tend to enjoy short teachings or vertlach because they are quickly On the contrary, we enjoy them and easily understood. All you have to do is invest 30 seconds and you get a precisely because someone else has nice idea neatly summed up with a setup and a punchline. Geshmak. And done the work for us. Somebody else then you’re done. has condensed the wisdom into a

SHVAT 2020 | N’SHEI CHABAD NEWSLETTER 47 pleasant and palatable format. for 5 Sivan, Erev Shavuos, gives us What strikes me about this In contrast, when you hear a a teaching of the Alter Rebbe that Hayom Yom is the paradox. On the teaching that is a seed of light, your he taught on Erev Shavuos 5557 one hand, you don’t sanctify today work is only beginning. The more (1797). When the Torah describes the and tomorrow. Only Moshe can do you work, meaning the more you preparations for receiving the Torah that. Moshe brings you to Sinai and revisit the thought, the more fruit the first time at Har Sinai, Hashem makes the whole Sinai experience it produces. tells Moshe: “Go to the people and possible. On the other hand, in order Chabad requires its chassidim sanctify them today and tomorrow for you to be part of it, you need to work—in learning, in character and they should wash their clothes” to wash your own clothes. Moshe refinement, in good deeds, in (Shemos 19:10). doesn’t do that. davening, in everything. The Alter Rebbe gave a short Conclusion: The Chabad idea Two Poilisher bachurim saw that a teaching on this: “‘Sanctify them that chassidim have to do their plate of food that the Rebbe Rashab today and tomorrow,’ is done from own work does not obviate the had eaten from was placed on the Above, but ‘they shall cleanse their need for the Rebbe to do his unique window sill for the attendant to garments’ —one must do oneself.” work. Not at all. Indeed, as much retrieve it. Coming from their That was the entire teaching of as Chabad fosters the ideal of the background, they saw this as the Alter Rebbe. It says so in the independent, hardworking chossid, the perfect opportunity to “khap Hayom Yom. But the Hayom Yom it equally emphasizes and venerates shirayim,” to partake of the leftovers continues that the Tzemach Tzedek the unique and vital role of Moshe. of a tzaddik (not a Chabad custom). elaborated upon his grandfather’s The two ideas are no contradiction, As they took the food, the Rebbe teaching and explained that what they live side by side, in peace, each Rashab called out to them, “By it’s talking about is the relationship needing the other. others, their shirayim are mezakeh between Jewish spiritual leaders and In a small way, I think this is the [bring merit]. By me, my shirayim their flocks. same idea as learning Hayom Yom are mechayev [confer obligation].” Said the Tzemach Tzedek: properly. On the one hand, we can’t One of the Maggid’s disciples, “‘Sanctify them’ was said by Hashem just speed-read Hayom Yom; we have Reb Shlomo Karliner, used to make to Moshe. The extension of Moshe to learn Hayom Yom! We have to put a play on words from the phrase is in every generation and they in the time to think about what it (Chavakuk 2:4) tzadik b’emunaso (our leaders) are able to sanctify says so we can harvest its fruits. On yichyeh, meaning the tzadik lives by the ‘today’ and the ‘tomorrow’; the other hand, we would never have his faith, by reading the vowels of but for this to be effective, we still reached such understanding on our need ‘…and they shall cleanse their the word “yichyeh, lives” as “yechayeh, own. It is only because the Rebbe garments’— the garments of thought, enlivens,” the tzadik with his own provided the seed in the first place speech and deed. This must be done faith enlivens others. Reb Shlomo that we can do our part. by each person on their own.” believed in and prescribed this type In other words, Moshe can bring of Rebbe-chossid relationship. WHOSE TEARS? the Jews to the day before Mattan This, however, was a point of Torah (today). He can even bring I believe this partnership is also major contention between him them to the day of Mattan Torah summed up rather well in a story I and the Alter Rebbe when it came (tomorrow). But in order for us to once heard from Harav Hachossid to disseminating the teachings of be ready to experience that, we have Reb Yisroel Gordon, zol gezunt zein. the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid. to do our part. We have to critically It was Rosh Hashanah 5701 (1940), The Alter Rebbe insisted that examine—with an eye to changing— the first Rosh Hashanah after the chassidim must do their own work. our behaviors (in , behaviors Frierdiker Rebbe moved to America. WASH YOUR OWN CLOTHES are called “clothes” because we can Looking back we all know now what switch them at will). And that work terrible things were lying in wait for Speaking of Hayom Yom, the entry cannot be done for us. the Jewish people that year. That was

48 NSHEICHABADNEWSLETTER.COM | SHVAT 5780 the year that Hitler yemach shemo covered in tears as he said, “Gut yom Ever since I heard this story launched his “Final Solution” to wipe tov, gut yor.” He then turned and left many years ago, I have thought out the Jews. the shul. about it often. On the one hand, Reb On the first night of Rosh Everyone was stunned. After Yochanan was obviously right. You Hashanah, the small group that a moment, someone got up and can’t use the Rebbe’s tears. You have made up pretty much the entire walked over to the place where the to use your own tears. On the other Lubavitcher community in America Frierdiker Rebbe had prayed. This hand, the Frierdiker Rebbe as the at the time gathered in 770 to pray individual then picked up the cloth nosi and neshamah klalis did daven with the Previous Rebbe. As the that had covered the Frierdiker differently than a layman. chazzan concluded maariv, they Rebbe’s shtender. The cloth was Like the kohen gadol on Yom heard the Rebbe, in a voice choked sopping wet with the Frierdiker Kippur acts as a representative for with tears, only finishing the first Rebbe’s holy tears. This person took all of Klal Yisroel to earn atonement, blessing before Shema: “…hamaariv the cloth and started wiping it all similarly the head of the Jewish … aravim…” over his own face. people (rosh bnei Yisroel, acronym Who can fathom what a for Rebbe) on the head of the Rebbe’s prayers are like and year (Rosh Hashanah) has especially a Rebbe’s prayers a job that is different than on the holy day of Rosh Two Poilisher bachurim everyone else’s. This was Hashanah, and especially evident in the Frierdiker a Rebbe’s prayers on Rosh saw that a plate of food Rebbe’s davening which was Hashanah the year when an entirely different sort of such violence and tragedy that the Rebbe Rashab had davening than that of any were to befall the Jewish other Jew in shul. people? What the Frierdiker Rebbe thought, we cannot eaten from was placed INAUGURAL ADDRESS know. What we do know, This year, 10 Shvat, marks however, is that his prayers on the window sill for the the 70th hilulah of the took exceptionally long that Frierdiker Rebbe and the night and he was weeping attendant to retrieve it. beginning of the seventieth the entire time. year of the Rebbe’s formal When those in attendance leadership. realized that the Frierdiker Rebbe The gabbai, Reb Yochanan The kabalas hanesius took place was still praying, and would be Gordon, little Yisroel’s father, called in 1951 at the farbrengen in honor of praying for a while, they silently out immediately, “What do you the Frierdiker Rebbe’s firstyahrzeit . handed out books of Tehillim and think you’re doing?!” Not to use too mundane a term, but everyone started saying Tehillim. “Dema’os mechabsos,” said the it was something of an “inaugural Yisroel Gordon was a boy of ten man. In Hebrew, those two words address.” At that gathering, the at the time. He says the room was mean that “tears cleanse.” These Rebbe even delivered what he silent as the men read Tehillim. words make up a well-known referred to (in English, no less) as his The only sound to be heard was phrase referring to the power of mission statement. There the Rebbe the sobbing of the Frierdiker Rebbe. tears, especially tears of sorrow or made clear what kind of leader he The young Yisroel got to chapter 80 contrition, to purify the soul. was willing to be and what kind of while many of the adults finished Reb Yochanan had no patience commitment he expected of his the entire Tehillim once and even for this reply. “That’s with your own chassidim in return. twice. Finally, the Frierdiker Rebbe tears! Use your own tears!” shouted On the one hand, the Rebbe finishedmaariv, turned around, and Reb Yochanon. “You don’t wipe away expressed a vision that only he faced the people. His holy face was your sins with the Rebbe’s tears!”

SHVAT 2020 | N’SHEI CHABAD NEWSLETTER 49 saw—that the goal of our generation us, the Rebbe is everything. It’s his Just as we look to him, he looks to was to finish the work of all previous plan, his inspiration, his guidance. us. And he asks us, I think it’s even generations. The Jewish world We wouldn’t even know where to fair to say he implores us, to do our had just been decimated by the start on our own. And we can’t even work because no one else, not even Holocaust yet the Rebbe was he, can do it for us. speaking about nothing less And when we both do our than perfecting the entire work, the Rebbe and us, then world. Who other than the To us, the Rebbe is we will have the fulfillment of Rebbe could have dreamed of what the Rebbe described at such a thing let alone sought everything. It’s his plan, his that inaugural farbrengen, the practical means to make it a return of the Shechinah in its reality? inspiration, his guidance. full glory, here on earth. Vehu On the other hand, the yigaleinu. b Rebbe makes it clear that the work of each and every We wouldn’t even know This article is the fifth individual is needed in order installment in a series to bring about this goal. where to start on our own. of articles for the N’shei Chabad Newsletter entitled KINUS HASHLUCHOS And we can’t even imagine “Let’s Learn Chassidus With Rabbi Shais Taub. Visit The results of this approach nsheichabadnewsletter.com/ are particularly evident at who or what we would be, archives to read the first the upcoming International four. Rabbi Shais Taub has Kinus Hashluchos. Thousands G-d forbid, on our own. delivered Torah classes and of women who are leaders lectures on six continents and in their communities come is one of the most sought-after together to draw inspiration speakers in the Jewish world today. so that they may have the strength imagine who or what we would be, He currently serves as scholar- to inspire others to become leaders G-d forbid, on our own. And yet, the in-residence at Chabad of Five in their own right who inspire still reverse seems to be true as well. I Towns. For more teachings from others to become leaders, and so on say “seems” because who can really Rabbi Taub, visit SoulWords.org. and so forth. understand the perspective of a For speaking engagements contact This is the paradox of the Rebbe- Rebbe? The Rebbe looks to us. Can [email protected]. chossid relationship in Chabad. To you even fathom that?

Sichos in English is partnering with the N’shei Chabad Newsletter to make sure that Hayom Yom: Tackling Life’s Tasks, which includes the full Hayom Yom as the Rebbe wrote it plus additional stories and explanations, is used daily in every Lubavitcher home. Hayom Yom: Tackling Life’s Tasks is now available at a ten percent discount for readers of Rabbi Taub’s column! To receive the discount, go to sie.org and type in the discount code: Taub.

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