Use Your Own Tears

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 Rebbe also wrote a “small book.” care of it, each day’s “small” thought Indeed, at the 19 Kislev farbrengen 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? Chabad, 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 Tanya, 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.

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