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Sunday, June 10, 2012
Is There Reason Today for a Jewish Diaspora?
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Is There Reason Today for a Jewish Diaspora?
By Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe
By the Grace of G‑d
17 Menachem Av, 5737 [August 1, 1977]
Brooklyn N.Y.
Greeting and Blessing:
Thank you for your letter of July 23. I am pleased to note that you recall our discussion...
I will also make reference to a recent event in support of my position. I have in mind the visit of Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and no doubt you also had an opportunity of meeting him and have evaluated the results of his visit to the USA.
One of the obvious elements of the Prime Minister's visit is that it has demonstrated once again how vitally important it is for our people in the Holy Land to have strong and viable Jewish communities in the outside world. For, however important Aliyah is, it would be a mixed blessing if it were to erode the Jewish voice and influence in such strategically important countries as the USA and others.
And, speaking of the importance of Jewish communities in the Diaspora, the emphasis is not merely on numbers as they appear in a national census, but also and primarily on the quality of the Jewish population and leadership, namely, the extent to which Jews identify themselves with Jewishness and Jewish causes.
Here again, as I pointed out in our discussion, it is not enough just to write a check – however indispensable financial assistance is, but it must be an even more meaningful identification and personal commitment, touching deeply every Jew and reflecting in his daily life as a Jew. Such identification is not limited to the home and synagogue or when one is in the society of fellow Jews, but it must be evident everywhere, even among non-Jews, and even in the White House, with truly Jewish self-respect and avowed trust in G‑d, the Guardian of Israel, and with pride in our Jewish heritage and traditions – as was so eminently expressed in word and deed by Prime Minister Begin. It is the general consensus that this worthy deportment of the Jewish representative during his first encounter with the President of the USA had an immensely favorable impact and has established a personal rapport between the two leaders which will hopefully have far-reaching beneficial results also in terms of American support.
I trust you have followed closely the highlights and details of this visit and compared it with those of his predecessors. Here, for the first time, came a Jewish Prime Minister who declared in a loud and clear voice that he comes strengthened by the prayers of his fellow Jews at home and abroad and trusts in G‑d and the eternity of his people that his mission will be successful. And, as you surely know, when he sat down to break bread with the President Carter, he made sure that it would be a Kosher meal, and he put on a Yarmulka [skullcap] and made a Berocho [blessing] and explained to the President the meaning of it. All of which has earned him the respect and admiration of the President and of all others who came in contact with him. Even from a pragmatic statesmanlike viewpoint this approach is bound to be a sure winner, though, regretfully, it had not been recognized by his predecessors.
To conclude on the concluding note of your letter, may G‑d bless you with strength and wisdom to use your good offices and influence in the said direction, especially in view of your prominent position in the Jewish community.
With kind regards and with esteem and blessing,
M. Schneerson
Does Chasidism Shun the World?
Does Chasidism Shun the World?
By Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe
5724
Mr.
Toronto 19, Ont., Canada
Greeting and Blessing:
This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter.
It is surprising to me to note in your letter that it is your impression as though Chassidim do not participate in the outside world, etc. As a matter of fact, the reverse is true, for there is hardly any sphere or area in the world at large which Chassidim exclude from their interest. This attitude is the direct result of the emphasis in Chassidut on the true concept of Monotheism. The Chassidic concept of the Oneness of G-d goes much further than the generally accepted view that there is only One Deity and no more, but that there is only One G-d and nothing else1 . For, inasmuch as G-ds word (whereby he brought the world into existence) constantly and without interruption creates and vitalizes the whole Universe and every particular of it, and without this creative force, which is the true essence of every existing thing, nothing could exist, it follows that there is no true reality other than G-d, and there is actually nothing but G-dliness. Chassidus emphasizes that it is one of the central aspects of mans purpose in life to establish this truth and to spread it to the utmost extent of his influence. This is not merely an idea, but a way of life which is expressed in the daily life, and which permeates the whole inner being of the Chossid.
A corollary of this viewpoint is another fundamental principle in the teachings of Chassidut, namely that Divine Providence extends to each and every particular in the Creation, not only to each individual of the human race, but each particular in the realm of the animal world, the vegetable and even the mineral, as is well known to everyone who studies Chasidut2 .
Thus it is fundamental for the Chassidic philosophy and way of life not to exclude any part of the world from its sphere of interest.
As for your writing that you have not come across any names of Chassidim who participate in certain movements, such as civil rights, etc., this is also surprising, inasmuch as many have taken an active part in this and other constructive movements. Many more, however, among those who participate in such constructive movements do so while avoiding publicity and headlines in the press.
With blessing,
By Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe
5724
Mr.
Toronto 19, Ont., Canada
Greeting and Blessing:
This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter.
It is surprising to me to note in your letter that it is your impression as though Chassidim do not participate in the outside world, etc. As a matter of fact, the reverse is true, for there is hardly any sphere or area in the world at large which Chassidim exclude from their interest. This attitude is the direct result of the emphasis in Chassidut on the true concept of Monotheism. The Chassidic concept of the Oneness of G-d goes much further than the generally accepted view that there is only One Deity and no more, but that there is only One G-d and nothing else1 . For, inasmuch as G-ds word (whereby he brought the world into existence) constantly and without interruption creates and vitalizes the whole Universe and every particular of it, and without this creative force, which is the true essence of every existing thing, nothing could exist, it follows that there is no true reality other than G-d, and there is actually nothing but G-dliness. Chassidus emphasizes that it is one of the central aspects of mans purpose in life to establish this truth and to spread it to the utmost extent of his influence. This is not merely an idea, but a way of life which is expressed in the daily life, and which permeates the whole inner being of the Chossid.
A corollary of this viewpoint is another fundamental principle in the teachings of Chassidut, namely that Divine Providence extends to each and every particular in the Creation, not only to each individual of the human race, but each particular in the realm of the animal world, the vegetable and even the mineral, as is well known to everyone who studies Chasidut2 .
Thus it is fundamental for the Chassidic philosophy and way of life not to exclude any part of the world from its sphere of interest.
As for your writing that you have not come across any names of Chassidim who participate in certain movements, such as civil rights, etc., this is also surprising, inasmuch as many have taken an active part in this and other constructive movements. Many more, however, among those who participate in such constructive movements do so while avoiding publicity and headlines in the press.
With blessing,
On Jewish Mysticism
On Jewish Mysticism
By Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe
By the Grace of G-d
10th of Nissan 5741
To all Participants in the
International Symposium on
Jewish Mysticism
Greeting and Blessing:
I was pleased to be informed of the forthcoming Symposium on Jewish Mysticism, and extend prayerful wishes for its success. And success, or rather hatzlachah in its true Jewish concept, is rooted in the Torah, which insists on the primacy of action—“the essential thing is the deed.”
Mysticism, in general, has a variety of connotations, but Jewish mysticism must necessarily be defined in terms of specific topics that have to do with the Nistar of Torah—one of the two primary facets of the Torah: Nigleh and Nistar, the revealed and the hidden. Needless to say, there can be no dichotomy between the two, because it is One Torah, given by One G-d, to the “one people on earth.” According to the Baal Shem Tov’s interpretation, the words “one people on earth” allude to the mystical nature of the Jewish soul that is endowed with the capacity to reveal the oneness in the multiplicity of earthly things.
Jewish mysticism teaches that the purpose of the soul’s descent to earth is to reveal the harmony that is inherent in the created world, beginning with the “small world,” namely, man—a creature of Nigleh and Nistar, of a body and a soul.
Inner personal peace and harmony can be achieved only through the supremacy of the soul over the body, since in the nature and scheme of things, the body can be made to submit to the soul—willingly, and in the case of the true mystic even eagerly; but not vice versa.
Jewish mysticism helps to realize the said purpose of the soul by teaching it how to recognize the spirituality of matter, and that in every physical thing, even in the inanimate, there is a “soul,” which is the creative force that has created it—a being out of non-being—and continuously keeps [it] from reverting back to its former state of non-existence. It is this “spark” of G-dliness that is the true essence and reality of all things, and this spark is released and revealed when physical matter is used for a sublime purpose or deed in accordance with the will of the Creator, as, for example, in the performance of a Mitzvah (tefillin made of leather, etc.).
One of the aspects of ChaBaD is to reveal and expound the esoteric aspects of the Torah and Mitzvot so that they can be comprehended by the three intellectual faculties— Chochmah, Binah, Daat, and reduced to rational categories, down to the actual performance of the Mitzvot. The final analysis shows how G-d can be “comprehended” better by action (the performance of Mitzvot) than by meditation, which is one of the cardinal differences between Jewish and non-Jewish mysticism.
As we are about to celebrate Pesach, the Festival of our Freedom, we are reminded that yetziat mitzrayim (in the sense of metzarim—“constraints”) is a continuous process of Jewish living, gaining an ever-growing measure of true freedom through the everyday experience of Torah and Mitzvot with emphasis on actual deed.
With esteem and blessing for a Kosher and inspiring Pesach,
Menachem Schneerson
Divine Providence
Divine Providence
Translation of a letter from the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson
The following is a free translation of a letter by the Rebbe to someone who wrote him regarding a tragic event which occurred in his, the correspondent’s, home. This person had invited members of his community to a festive meal in his home on Shavuot, to celebrate the completion of a Torah scroll which was scheduled to be presented to the synagogue in the days following the festival. In the course of the celebration, a young woman suddenly fell ill and died. The distraught host wrote the Rebbe, posing the following three questions:
A) How can it be that a mitzvah such as the writing of a Torah scroll should be the cause of such a tragedy?
B) What should be done with the Torah scroll?
C) What lesson must he, the host, derive from the fact that something like this occurred in his home?
The Rebbe’s response (the stresses are the Rebbe’s):
... Regarding A):
(1) It is impossible for man, a finite creature, to comprehend all the reasons of the infinite Creator. Indeed, we’d have no way of knowing even some of G-d’s reasons, were it not for the fact that G-d Himself told us to seek them out in His holy Torah (Torah meaning "instruction").
(2) According to the Torah, it cannot be that anything negative should result from any of G-d’s mitzvot (including your Torah scroll); on the contrary, these protect against evil and prevent it.
(3) Each and every individual has been granted a set amount of years of life on earth. (It is only in extreme cases that one’s deeds can lengthen it or shorten it (with some terrible sin, etc., G-d forbid.))
(4) Based on (1), (2) and (3) above, one can perhaps venture to say that had the departed one (peace be to her) not been invited to the Sefer Torah celebration, she would have found herself, at the onset of her attack, in completely different surroundings: on the street, in the company of non-Jews or, in any case, of strangers; without the presence of a doctor who is both a friend and a religious Jew; without hearing, in her final moments, words of encouragement and seeing the faces of friends and fellow Jews. Can one imagine: a. the difference between the two possibilities?; b. what a person experiences in each second of her final moments, especially a young, religious woman on the festival in which we celebrate and re-experience our receiving the Torah from the Almighty?!
(5) According to the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov--that every event, and its every detail, is by divine providence--it is possible that one of the true reasons that Mr. Z. was inspired from Above to donate the Torah scroll, etc., was in order that, ultimately, the ascent of the young woman’s soul should be accompanied with an inner tranquility, occurring in a Jewish home---a home whose symbol and protection is the mezuzah, which opens with the words, "Hear O Israel, G-d is our G-d, G-d is one."1
Regarding B):
The Torah scroll should be brought into the synagogue in conjunction with the shlosim2 from the young woman’s funeral (even if the official presentation will be held on a later date).
Regarding C):
(1) Obviously, you and your wife, may you live, have many merits. Without having sought it, you had been granted the opportunity from Above for a mitzvah of the highest order: a. to ease the final moments of a fellow human being; b. to take care of a met mitzvah (a dead body with no one to care for it) until the ambulance arrived. The extreme merit of the latter can be derived from the fact that Torah law obligates a Kohen Gadol, on Yom Kippur, to leave the "holy of holies"3 to take care of a met mitzvah(!)
(2) Such special merits come with special obligations. In your case, these would include explaining the above to those who might have questions identical or similar to those posed in your letter, until they see the event in its true light: a tremendous instance of divine providence.4
FOOTNOTES
1. Deuteronomy 6:4. These words embody the heart of the Jew’s faith, and are the words he endeavors to recite in his final moment of physical life. Perhaps the Rebbe’s intention here is that if the stricken young woman was not in a state which allowed her to do so, the fact that she was in a home with a mezuzah on its door compensated for this
2. Thirty-day period of mourning
3. The "holy of holies" (kodesh hakadashim) was the innermost chamber of the Holy Temple and the most sacred place on earth. Only the Kohen Gadol (“high priest”) entered there, and only for a few minutes on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year (the only such confluence of the most sacred points of the three dimensions to existence: time, space, and man). Nevertheless, the law is that is that the Kohen Gadol is obligated to leave the "holy of holies" to attend to a body that has no one to take care of it
4. Printed in Heichal Menachem, vol. II pp. 70-72
Translation of a letter from the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson
The following is a free translation of a letter by the Rebbe to someone who wrote him regarding a tragic event which occurred in his, the correspondent’s, home. This person had invited members of his community to a festive meal in his home on Shavuot, to celebrate the completion of a Torah scroll which was scheduled to be presented to the synagogue in the days following the festival. In the course of the celebration, a young woman suddenly fell ill and died. The distraught host wrote the Rebbe, posing the following three questions:
A) How can it be that a mitzvah such as the writing of a Torah scroll should be the cause of such a tragedy?
B) What should be done with the Torah scroll?
C) What lesson must he, the host, derive from the fact that something like this occurred in his home?
The Rebbe’s response (the stresses are the Rebbe’s):
... Regarding A):
(1) It is impossible for man, a finite creature, to comprehend all the reasons of the infinite Creator. Indeed, we’d have no way of knowing even some of G-d’s reasons, were it not for the fact that G-d Himself told us to seek them out in His holy Torah (Torah meaning "instruction").
(2) According to the Torah, it cannot be that anything negative should result from any of G-d’s mitzvot (including your Torah scroll); on the contrary, these protect against evil and prevent it.
(3) Each and every individual has been granted a set amount of years of life on earth. (It is only in extreme cases that one’s deeds can lengthen it or shorten it (with some terrible sin, etc., G-d forbid.))
(4) Based on (1), (2) and (3) above, one can perhaps venture to say that had the departed one (peace be to her) not been invited to the Sefer Torah celebration, she would have found herself, at the onset of her attack, in completely different surroundings: on the street, in the company of non-Jews or, in any case, of strangers; without the presence of a doctor who is both a friend and a religious Jew; without hearing, in her final moments, words of encouragement and seeing the faces of friends and fellow Jews. Can one imagine: a. the difference between the two possibilities?; b. what a person experiences in each second of her final moments, especially a young, religious woman on the festival in which we celebrate and re-experience our receiving the Torah from the Almighty?!
(5) According to the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov--that every event, and its every detail, is by divine providence--it is possible that one of the true reasons that Mr. Z. was inspired from Above to donate the Torah scroll, etc., was in order that, ultimately, the ascent of the young woman’s soul should be accompanied with an inner tranquility, occurring in a Jewish home---a home whose symbol and protection is the mezuzah, which opens with the words, "Hear O Israel, G-d is our G-d, G-d is one."1
Regarding B):
The Torah scroll should be brought into the synagogue in conjunction with the shlosim2 from the young woman’s funeral (even if the official presentation will be held on a later date).
Regarding C):
(1) Obviously, you and your wife, may you live, have many merits. Without having sought it, you had been granted the opportunity from Above for a mitzvah of the highest order: a. to ease the final moments of a fellow human being; b. to take care of a met mitzvah (a dead body with no one to care for it) until the ambulance arrived. The extreme merit of the latter can be derived from the fact that Torah law obligates a Kohen Gadol, on Yom Kippur, to leave the "holy of holies"3 to take care of a met mitzvah(!)
(2) Such special merits come with special obligations. In your case, these would include explaining the above to those who might have questions identical or similar to those posed in your letter, until they see the event in its true light: a tremendous instance of divine providence.4
FOOTNOTES
1. Deuteronomy 6:4. These words embody the heart of the Jew’s faith, and are the words he endeavors to recite in his final moment of physical life. Perhaps the Rebbe’s intention here is that if the stricken young woman was not in a state which allowed her to do so, the fact that she was in a home with a mezuzah on its door compensated for this
2. Thirty-day period of mourning
3. The "holy of holies" (kodesh hakadashim) was the innermost chamber of the Holy Temple and the most sacred place on earth. Only the Kohen Gadol (“high priest”) entered there, and only for a few minutes on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year (the only such confluence of the most sacred points of the three dimensions to existence: time, space, and man). Nevertheless, the law is that is that the Kohen Gadol is obligated to leave the "holy of holies" to attend to a body that has no one to take care of it
4. Printed in Heichal Menachem, vol. II pp. 70-72
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