We have the tools to pierce the darkness
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We have the tools to pierce the darkness
By Harav Y. R. Rubin Shlita
Sometimes it feels as if the walls are closing in. Regularly we hear of ruthless stabbings of our holy brethren in Eretz Yisroel, then, out of nowhere a new disaster relegates everything else from the front pages. A bus tragedy, pictures of sweet holy neshomas, levayas, weeping; all becomes blurred into a vortex of sheer pain. Gevalt, how long will this golus drag on? How much more can Hashem’s chosen nation carry this growing anguish?
The Chozeh of Lublin once said, “Before Moshiach arrives, it will be difficult for a Yid to hold on to his emunah. He will have to struggle to remain an upstanding Yid. It will be like climbing up a straight wall, grasping it with no more than pliers.”
Well, here we are, holding on by the tips of our fingers, seeking chizuk and hope. In truth, it is miraculous that so many are so strong; surely a testament to the Torah giants of our own and past generations that have infused our souls with true Torah hope. But we have to look beyond the great numbers in our thriving mosdos; we have to offer our young and ourselves real, meaningful emunah, the stuff of which will enable us to weather these dark times.
The current Biala Rebbe in his sefer Mevaser Tov writes: “Just as we are obligated to believe in Hashem, in the holy Torah, and in the tzaddikim of each generation, we are also obligated to believe in ourselves. We must recognize the gifts we are granted and the great powers we have to influence the world, as part of our special segulah, as Am Yisroel. We are called a ‘Kingdom of noblemen and a holy nation. As Hashem’s holy nation, we have great power and great responsibility to influence and improve the world.”
Further to this, the Rebbe quotes a Tikkunei Zohar that explains how after Moshe Rabbenu passed away, his radiance shone throughout the generations to each of the six hundred thousand souls of Israel.
If every Yid has an element of Moshe’s soul, then we are obligated to believe in his store of holiness within us, just as we must believe in Moshe himself. The Rebbe, Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin, thus tells us: “Just as a person must believe in Hashem, he must then proceed to believe in himself. He must believe that Hashem has dealings with him, that his work does not go to waste and that his soul was not created overnight and overnight it is lost. Our neshomas are created from Hashem, and Hashem rejoices over us, takes pleasure when we perform His will.”
Realizing all this is a way forward towards creating illumination in times of gloom. Kids deserve to know who they are, what they are made of. In such trying times this glimpse of light can make all the difference.
One tool we have used from our very origin is stories. The Torah is clothed with them, and so is our mesorah. Let me share one with you:
Once, to save the life of a sick boy, the Baal Shem Tov went into the forest, attached a candle to a tree and performed kabbalistic actions and kavannas. With this, he saved the boy, with the help of Hashem.
After the Baal Shem Tov’s passing, there was a similar matter with his talmid and successor, the Maggid of Mezritch. He said, “I don’t know the kabbalistic kavannas the Baal Shem Tov used, but I’ll simply act, and Hashem will help.” So he lit the candle in the forest and performed the other mystical actions, and his deeds were acceptable in Shomayim and had the desired effect.
In the next generation, there was a similar matter with Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov, a talmid of the Maggid of Mezritch. He said, ‘I don’t even know how to do what is necessary, but I’ll just tell the story of what the Baal Shem Tov did, and Hashem will help.’ And so it was, with Hashem’s help.
Dear Yidden, relatively little remains of the world of the Baal Shem Tov, yet we have his stories, tales that give us the ability to negotiate these darkest of times. Rav Meilech Biederman tells of how Rebbe Mordechai of Bilgoray ztl (father of the current Belzer Rebbe) once saw a group of Gerrer Chassidim dancing during a particular difficult moment during the Churban. One of the group tapped him on his shoulder and said, “Hashem wants something from us. Let’s give it to Him with joy.”
לעילוי נשמת
האבני נזר זצולה”ה
נפטר י”א אדר תר”ע
