The Truth of Jacob

Following his release from imprisonment in Petersburg on Kislev 19, 5559 (1798), an event which marked the Chassidic movement's decisive victory over its opponents,1 Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi sent a letter2 to all his followers, warning them against any feelings of pride and superiority over their antagonists. The letter begins by quoting the verse (Genesis 32:11)3 in which Jacob says to G-d, "I am diminished (katonti) by all the kindnesses... You have shown Your servant." Rabbi Schneur Zalman explains:

"The meaning of this is that every kindness bestowed by G-d upon a person should cause him to be exceedingly humble. For a [divine] kindness is [an expression of]... 'His right hand does embrace me'4--G-d is literally bringing the person close to Himself, far more intensely than before. And the closer a person is to G-d ... the greater the humility this should evoke in him... This because 'all before Him is as naught'5; so the more 'before Him' a person is, the more 'as naught' [does he perceive himself to be].... This is the attribute of Jacob...

"The very opposite is the case in the contrasting realm of... kelipah (evil): the greater the kindness shown a person, the more he grows in arrogance and self-satisfaction.

"Therefore I come with a great call to all our community regarding the many kindnesses which G-d has exceedingly shown us: Assume the attribute of Jacob... Do not feel yourselves superior to your brethren (i.e., the opponents of Chassidism); do not give free rein to your mouths regarding them, or hiss at them, G-d forbid. [I] strictly warn: Make no mention [of our victory]. Only humble your spirits and hearts with the truth of Jacob..."

Rabbi Schneur Zalman's great-grandson, Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch, once remarked: "If the Rebbe would have omitted the words 'with the truth of Jacob' from his letter, he would have gained 50,000 additional followers. But the Rebbe demanded truth."

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FOOTNOTES
1.	See introductory note to previous article.
2.	The letter forms the second chapter of Igeret HaKodesh, part IV of Tanya.
3.	In the Torah-reading of Vayishlach, which was read on the Shabbat before Rabbi Schneur Zalman's release.
4.	Song of Songs 2:6.
5.	Zohar, part I, 11b.


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Posted: Nov 29, 2007

Truth

If these 50,000 people were really attracted to chassidut, why were they deterred by these words? If indeed they lacked the quality of truth, then why couldn't they have just faked it? Would have been compatible with their un-truthful nature, no?

I guess there are levels in truth and untruth... And they were truthful enough to know that they lacked real truth...

Posted By NES
via baischabad.com

Posted: Nov 29, 2007

Response

"Only humble your spirits and hearts with the truth of Jacob..."
This means to say that with real truth - ie. if he had skipped these words, more people would have been attracted to Chassidus - but since he demanded real truth, people werent readily running towards him.

Posted By Chanoch Sufrin, Brisbane, Australia
via chabadbrisbane.com

Posted: Nov 28, 2007

The demand for truth

By adding the above mentioned words, the Alter Rebbe was demanding that his chassidim be truthful in their service of G-d. The demand to be honest with oneself was something that many people where not willing to commit to.

Posted By ytk