(Second edition, including supplements and explanations by the author.)
36. What characterizes Mashiach?
There are verses that identify for us the essence (mahus) of Mashiach, and that describe his conduct and activities. Mashiach, as has been explained above, is light. Accordingly,1 once we understand the essence of light, and the manner in which it functions, we will also understand the essence of its vessel — Chassidus, for this is the vessel or medium by which the light of Mashiach is revealed.
We do know that Chassidus is G‑dly intellect; we know too that the defining characteristics of G‑dly intellect2 distinguish it from the defining characteristics of mortal intellect;3 we do not know what is the actual essence, the mahus, of G‑dly intellect. However, if we understand the essence of the light, then as a matter of course we will understand the essence of the vessel, and the manner in which it functions.
Concerning Mashiach it is written: “And the spirit of G‑d shall rest upon him — the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of G‑d. And his delight shall be in the fear of G‑d: not according to the sight of his eyes shall he judge, nor shall he rebuke according to the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and with equity shall he rebuke the meek of the earth…. Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith the girdle of his reins.”4
In these four verses the Almighty tells us what is the essence of Mashiach, and the manner in which he finds active expression.
What is the essence, the mahus, of Mashiach? — “And the spirit of G‑d shall rest upon him — the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of G‑d.” Our mind is capable of grasping what is meant by the statement that “The spirit of G‑d shall rest upon him,” for the Four-Letter Name of G‑d (Havayah) signifies Him Who “simultaneously is, was, and will be.”5 It signifies Him Who transcends nature, which distinguishes between past, present, and future. Mashiach, then, transcends nature.
The verse, however, proceeds to enumerate his characteristics in detail — wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and the fear of G‑d. Each of these qualities has its own individual, definable essence. Though in certain respects there are characteristics in common [within each of these pairs] and they even exert an influence on each other, they are also opposites to each other.
37. Chochmah and Binah
To begin with, though the mental faculties of Chochmah and Binah incorporate and influence each other to a certain degree, at the same time they are opposites.
Chochmah is a point, a flash of intellectual lightning; Binah is the extensive and deliberate consideration [of an idea]. Chochmah is thus a wellspring; Binah is a river. The waters of a river flow abundantly; a wellspring yields drop after drop. [Yet] no river can exist without its wellspring: it is the wellspring that produces the river.
In the world of ideas likewise, no understanding is possible without the point of Chochmah which is to be understood, and every point of Chochmah develops into a river of understanding.
Being a “point” and being “extensive” are essentially opposing states. Beyond the fact that each of them has its own distinctive definition, there is something contrary about them.
Chochmah and Binah are both [components of] intellect. Intellect itself is not strictly spiritual, but when considered in the context of the physical and the material, it is the spiritual aspect of the material world. So though we find it difficult to point out the antithesis between Chochmah and Binah themselves, we can perceive it clearly and explicitly in their vessels, i.e., their respective brains, for the brain which houses the faculty of Chochmah is cold and moist, while the brain that houses the faculty of Binah is hot and dry.
“Brain” signifies the entire marrow,6 fat and sap of a creature — its innermost essence, the very mahus of its mahus.
The brain is a physical entity, but of a kind that serves as the vessel for something spiritual. Inasmuch as the brain is a vessel for the spiritual aspect of intellect, one cannot declare definitively what is the mahus of its mahus. While it is at work one can contemplate it and examine it, and when the soul departs the body the mahus of its mahus is lacking, leaving only [the most external dimension of its existence,] the metzius of its metzius.
Through what can we know the mahus of the metzius of the brain? — By knowing the metzius of the metzius of the intellect. Knowing this means knowing the “letters of the intellect,”7 which tell us two things: the metzius of the metzius of the intellect, and the mahus of the metzius of the brain.
The “letters” of Chochmah8 are brief and they coalesce.9 This gives us a general notion of that component of intellect which is called Chochmah — that it is a point, a flash — and it indicates too that the brain that houses the faculty of Chochmah is cold and moist.
The “letters” of Binah explain an idea so that it will be understood. This shows us that the component of intellect called Binah amplifies an idea extensively, and indicates that the brain that houses the faculty of Binah is hot and dry.
It is apparent from the above that there is a certain antithesis between Chochmah and Binah. Why, then, does the verse join them in the same phrase (“the spirit of wisdom and understanding”), instead of at least separating them in two phrases (“the spirit of wisdom and the spirit of understanding”)?
38. Characteristics of Mashiach
The above verse proceeds, “The spirit of counsel and might.”
The word eitzah means considered counsel. This includes all three components of the intellect — wisdom, understanding, and profound involvement — and thus implies bringing an idea which has been cultivated in all three intellectual sources to its conclusion.
Though differing in its application to spiritual or corporeal matters, counsel always stems from deep thinking, as in the case of one person asking another for a well-thought-out piece of advice.
The word gevurah means strength, or might, and this too has very different bases. On the one hand there is the strength that the Gemara speaks of when it defines a strong man as “he who knows how to answer [halachic queries].”10 On the other hand, there is the strength of the arm. At any rate, gevurah means strength.
Counsel and might, then, are very different by definition. Counsel belongs to the world of wisdom and intellect, while might is characterized by determined confidence.
Mashiach is next described as possessing “the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of G‑d.”
The term deiah implies the profound and comprehensive thinking that precedes one’s actions. The term yir’as HaShem, by contrast, implies the simple fear of Heaven, by virtue of which a person does only what G‑d commands him to do. He neither seeks to become involved in compromises, nor in speculative explanations. Fearing G‑d, he will hear nothing of artfully lenient rulings.11 In a word, he is prepared to sacrifice himself for the observance of that which is written in the Shulchan Aruch. The faculty of Daas, however, is clever. People often say that “clever” means “not pious,”12 and what we see around us unfortunately confirms that being too artful usually adds up to seeking ways of circumventing the fear of Heaven.
Despite all the above [contrasts within each of the pairs of epithets], the above-quoted verse that speaks of Mashiach tells us that “the spirit of G‑d shall rest upon him — the spirit of wisdom and understanding,” and so on. This means that the mahus, the very essence, of Mashiach also comprises “wisdom and understanding..., counsel and might..., knowledge and the fear of G‑d” — except that in his case these qualities appear in a different manner to the way they exist within ourselves.
With us, Chochmah and Binah are two separate entities, and so too are counsel and might, and knowledge and the fear of G‑d. In Mashiach, however, Chochmah and Binah coexist as one,13 counsel and might coexist as one, and knowledge and the fear of G‑d coexist as one. For this is the very meaning of transcending nature — the ability to contain two opposites, for both of them derive from the same source, and are [here] manifest in the same [undivided] state in which they exist within their source.
39. Judging merely by what is seen and heard
The conduct of Mashiach is described as follows: “And his delight shall be in the fear of G‑d: not according to the sight of his eyes shall he judge, nor shall he rebuke according to the hearing of his ears.” Now if he is to be guided not by his eyes and ears alone, how is he to judge and rebuke? On this the passage proceeds: “But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and with equity shall he rebuke the meek of the earth.”
This is remarkable indeed. Mashiach will not judge after having seen things with his eyes, nor will he rebuke after having heard things with his ears, but “With righteousness shall he judge the poor, and with equity shall he rebuke the meek of the earth.” His is a course of conduct that transcends nature.
Mortal law and justice are restricted to that which one “sees with his eyes and hears with his ears.”14 When one man judges another, whether in a public trial or in the privacy of his heart, his judgment or rebuke are based only on what his eyes see and his ears hear. He does not enter the very life of the man over whom he stands in judgment. He does not take into account the situation and circumstances, penetrating his innermost life with a view to fathoming what factors brought him to live the life that he does. He judges him only according to what he sees and hears, not according to what the other party is actually living through.
Such a judgment is no true judgment. It is dry, and built on flimsy foundations. True judgment can take place only when the one who is judging places himself in the situation of the one being judged. He should — No, he must — know all the factors that brought that other man to his present situation.
Hillel uttered a great warning: “Do not condemn your fellowman until you have stood in his place.”15 If you see that someone has faltered, and was unable to withstand a temptation, do not condemn him until you have experienced his situation yourself. This solemn warning is an utterance of G‑d.
One may judge only when one places oneself in the other’s predicament, and actually experiences it.
40. The Evil Inclination is crafty
People commonly regard a verdict as a punishment. In fact, a trial is also a kind of lesson in how one should live his life so that he should not have to be put on trial. However, this benefit can be felt only when the one judging knows the factors that brought about the sorry life with its misguided conduct.
A major query now presents itself. How is it at all possible that a Jew should ever come to transgress the ways of the Torah and the mitzvos? For the Torah is such a clear and beautiful lesson in how a person should conduct himself well in all the areas of his life — in his spiritual life, in his family life and in his social life. From what source, then, springs the reason that enables a Jew to transgress against it?
The reason that explains this is - the Evil Inclination. It persuades a man and leads him away from the right and goodly path. As the Gemara expresses it: “Such is the craft of the Evil Inclination. Today he tells a man ‘Do this,’ and tomorrow he tells him ‘Do that,’ until he tells him ‘Worship idols!’ — and he goes and worships.”16
The Evil Inclination is a craftsman who is expert in his field. At his first approach he does not suggest to a person that he should not put on tefillin or not observe the laws of family purity17 or eat food which is treifah or desecrate the Shabbos. Not at all! That would be too unsubtle an approach. He knows full well that if he were to propose to a Jew that he should not put on tefillin or that he should desecrate the Shabbos and so on, he would certainly not be obeyed.
Rather, he is an expert craftsman who knows how to approach every individual according to his essential nature and his current situation. And his first task is to take hold of a man securely in his own hand, in his domain, so that he will obey him in all matters.
41. Sliding downstairs
The skill of the Yetzer Hara lies in the fact that he finds the right words with which to approach each kind of person, and finds the means by which to subject him to his dominance.
How does this happen? How does the Yetzer Hara come to be the ruler with the last word? — Herein lies his clever ability to influence each individual.
His opening gambit is in the field of things that are permissible. He persuades a man to pamper himself in whatever the Torah permits, such as in eating and drinking and other pleasurable activities, until he makes him ungoverned. He introduces him to worlds of pleasure and sensuous desires, unbridling his heart so that it hankers after self-indulgence. He thereby opens the door for him to the world of transgressions and misdemeanors, until the victim begins to slide down the stairs, right into his dominion. There the Yetzer Hara is already spinning such a web of wrongdoing around the intemperate captive that he loses his foundation of mortal sense; his life is so transformed into a life of animal physicality that “he utterly resembles the beasts.”18
By such stages, the abyss of purgatory opens up before him. Beastlike, his character degenerates. [He can become] a thief, a robber, a murderer — all for the sake of being able to live a life of sensual corporeality.
Thousands of self-indulgent pursuers of pleasure know that their own pernicious desires drew dire consequences upon themselves — yet they are unable to help themselves, for the Yetzer Hara holds them under his rule.
42. Seeking pleasure only in material things
What are the first steps that lead to this diabolic palace? What is the prime cause of the bitter end of the sensualist? Who is the Angel of Death of that most beautiful of creatures, man?
The first step in this ominous descent is self-indulgence in that which is permitted. Seeking pleasure only in material things coarsens a person. It leads him to a state in which his physical, fleshly life becomes important to him beyond all measured proportion. It leads him even to wrongdoing.
The Mishnah teaches19 that the “wayward and rebellious son20 is put to death in anticipation of his end.” (This follows due investigation to determine whether he indeed falls into this category. He is punished lightly at first, then more severely. He is first tried before a bench of three judges, and later before twenty-three.) Though at the moment he is not so evil, yet because he has set out on an evil path, he will ultimately degenerate completely, and he is now judged in the light of the future.
What is the sin of the “wayward and rebellious son?” — He rebels against the instruction and positive upbringing of his parents, and he is a glutton and a drunkard. The word zolel signifies an intemperate person; soveh means a drunkard. This individual gorges and drinks intemperately.
Ibn Ezra says that this phrase refers to all those who devote themselves to bodily pleasures, seeking sensual delight in all things.
Whoever is an intemperate eater and drinker is a “wayward and rebellious son.” The word sorer (“wayward”) means deviating from the path;21 moreh means rebellious. That is to say, he who eats and drinks intemperately is straying from the path.
The sin of the “wayward and rebellious son” is that he eats a certain quantity of meat and drinks a certain quantity of wine. But can it possibly be that a person is punished so severely for eating an extra bit of meat and drinking a little more wine?
Whoever studies the primary sources of this subject in the Gemara and in the Poskim will see that in fact this is not the reason for his punishment. Rather, he is punished for having allowed himself to become involved in these things, for having sought pleasure only in these things, for having opened a door to the abysmal depths of gloom, for having desecrated the beauty of his humanity, for the fact that he will ultimately become a thief, a robber or a murderer, and even mislead others in his wake.
43. Entangled in the web
These, then, are the tactics of the Evil Inclination. He gains mastery over a man by persuading him to seek pleasure in permitted things, thereby making him unbridled. He thus makes him lose the strength that is dictated by mortal sense. Finally, when confronted by something forbidden, the individual concerned can no longer restrain himself.
The Evil Inclination thus makes the strong and serious-minded individual lightminded. Step by step he leads such a person lower, to the point that he loses his human feelings towards his fellowman. He becomes utterly devoted to his pleasures, and can become more depraved than a wild beast.
Among those who have fallen prey to the wiles of the Evil Inclination are people who have studied [Torah], and who know that what they want to do (or do) is forbidden. Moreover, doing such things causes them heartache and anguish. Nevertheless, so sorely has their determination weakened, so low have they fallen in the unclean worlds, so entangled have they become in the web of fleshly delights, that they cannot muster within themselves the due human strength needed to extract themselves from the torrents of the river of this-worldly pleasure. The tumult of the world and the hullabaloo of fake wealth dazzles and confuses them completely. Whether they like it or not, they are swept away in the mighty current of the sea of life — without drawing up their accounts, and without any foundation of truth and equity.
44. Fake wealth
My phrase “fake wealth” springs from an incident involving my grandfather, the Rebbe Maharash.
Among the many prominent merchants who used to come to Lubavitch for the fairs, there were some who came from families of misnagdim in Shklov and Minsk. A number of the important ones used to consult with my grandfather, either on learned topics, or on their business interests.
One of these, who was both a magnate and a scholar, once spent quite a long time in my grandfather’s study discussing his business.
Before he took his leave he asked my grandfather: “Why is it that when a poor man comes in here he receives his answer immediately, and it takes only a couple of minutes, yet when a wealthy man comes in it takes a long time until you answer him?”
Replied my grandfather: “When a poor man comes in here, he tells me of his situation and I answer him at once. But when a rich man comes in and starts telling me what’s doing in his world, a long time passes until he gets around to disclosing the truth — that he, to all appearances a rich man, is in fact a poor man.”
Here too in America there are people who are to all appearances magnates. Their minds are preoccupied, and they are always in a rush, just like big-time magnates…. May G‑d grant that their inner selves should match their exterior appearance, and that they should be truthfully rich.
45. An inextinguishable spark
In spite of all, the elemental little spark within a Jew22 is never drowned nor extinguished.
This point lies deep within every Jewish heart. This is the shame that a Jew feels within himself — and this is what underlies the efforts of some people to soothe their consciences with unfounded arguments of permissibility and with foolish explanations.
These things do have their positive side: they indicate that such people are disturbed and distressed by their own unsatisfactory conduct, except that they are lacking in the mental strength needed to tear loose from their habits. Their core, however, is still whole, and in a favorable environment it could still make its presence strongly felt.
What a pity on such folk! They are embattled against themselves. They themselves are aware of their pitiful situation, and they well know what can come of their negative side — but they cannot resist the Evil Inclination, and are conquered by him.
This should be the task of the Association of Chabad Chassidim23 in the United States and Canada — to organize talks and explanations of Chassidus at times suited to their members, when one could expressly discuss subjects related to fortifying the observance of mitzvos and the love of the Torah. This will provide spiritual nourishment for many of those who stem from chassidic stock.24
46. The solution is – appropriate schooling
Though it is true that a verdict involves the punishment of wrongdoers, its main aim is that people “Should hear, and fear, and not act wickedly again.”25 The punishment is intended to have the effect that there should be no wrongdoers. The trial is more than a punishment: it contains a directive as to how people ought to live their lives.
The Mishnah says that a Sanhedrin that executed a death sentence once in seven years — or, according to the opinion of R. Elazar ben Azaryah, once in seventy years — was considered a murderous court.26 Now this is surprising indeed. The Jewish People were very numerous at the time, and in the Holy City of Jerusalem (May it be rebuilt and reestablished!) there were 394 courts,27 each of 23 judges. If [with such a large population] the Sanhedrin executed the death penalty once in seventy years, why should it be called murderous?
The point is that the function of the Sanhedrin was to educate and guide the people, both by entrusting the schooling of boys and girls to suitable teachers, and by overseeing their conduct so that they would not go astray. For this reason, a Sanhedrin that carried out a death sentence even once in seventy years was called murderous. The very fact that there was an individual who was thus punishable indicated that they had not fully discharged their obligation — to explain to people how they should live their lives, restraining themselves from indulging their heart’s desires even in those pleasures that are permitted.
Pleasure-seeking self-indulgence leads a man to the most undesirable consequences; it ruins his life.
When Mashiach stands in judgment, “Not according to the sight of his eyes shall he judge, nor shall he rebuke according to the hearing of his ears.” His will be no mortal judgment, relying only on what he sees and hears. When Mashiach judges, he will look with an eye to also see and feel the factors that caused the sinner to transgress. He will also sense that the sinner did not want to transgress, but that he was unable to overrule his desires.
47. Mashiach will see everyone’s better side
When Mashiach comes there will be a trial to determine who is to arise at the Resurrection of the Dead. Those who will be privileged to witness his arrival will also be judged.
Presiding over the trial will be Mashiach himself, and concerning this the verse assures us that “not according to the sight of his eyes shall he judge, nor shall he rebuke according to the hearing of his ears.” Rather, he will weigh and consider the bleak life that Jews have lived in exile. He will intercede on their behalf and seek out their merits, pointing out that they did not want to sin: they were unable to overmaster their Evil Inclination.
Mashiach will see everyone’s better side. Therefore repent, brother Jews, and regret any wrongdoing. The very teshuvah and regret will themselves help us to be privileged to witness the revelation of Mashiach.
Concerning Mashiach it is further written: “With righteousness shall he judge the poor, and with equity shall he rebuke the meek of the earth.” A person described as dal (“poor”) is not an absolute pauper. In fact, he is not far removed from one who is rich in understanding28 — but he is poor in the sense that he does not manage to carry out what he understands he ought to do.
A person rich in understanding is one who understands what good is. Thus he is neighborly toward his fellowman, and when it comes to negative things, such as sensual desires or slanderous and false talk, he refrains. A poor man is he who does not manage: he too knows what is good and what is evil — but he understands it only in his head. He does not quite make it: he lacks the determination to translate his understanding into his daily life, so as to actually do what is good, and refrain from what is not.
This poor man who does not quite manage to take himself in hand, him will Mashiach judge — but he will judge him with righteousness, pointing out his extenuating circumstances.
48. “Who am I to arouse others?”
Our verse said, “With equity shall he rebuke the meek of the earth.”
The meek of the earth deserve to be rebuked, for every individual ought to make a point of arousing his neighbor to the practice of good deeds. When instead a person adopts an attitude of humility and argues, “Who am I to arouse my fellow? What kind of a spokesman am I?” — this is a most destructive humility. It is on account of this that the meek are worthy of being sternly rebuked.
Daily experience teaches us that when someone seeks to arouse his fellow in a positive direction — to set aside fixed times for the study of Torah, to do a mitzvah, to give charity, to support scholars, and so on — such conversations have an effect.
A personal obligation rests upon every individual Jew to arouse his fellow, and to meet often and to talk about the need for Torah study, the support of scholars, and so on. If instead a person says, “Who am I to arouse others? Who am I to be a spokesman?” — through such talk he reduces (among other things) Torah study and the support of Torah scholars. Him too will Mashiach judge — though here too he will find extenuating circumstances.
The verse continues: “Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith the girdle of his reins.” These terms refer to the bones that hold the human frame erect. The former term refers to the back, and the latter term refers to the base of the spine. “The girdle of his loins” thus speaks of the strength that holds up a person’s own body; “the girdle of his reins” speaks of the strength that people transmit to their children — which is why a person’s offspring are referred to as “those who come forth from your reins.”29
The above all refers to the level of Mashiach, who is called the level of light. All the above characteristics are [also] to be found in the vessel that contains that light, namely, Chassidus, for Chassidus is G‑dly intellect and the service of G‑d.
49. One’s daily worldly conduct cleans the very air
The intellect of Chassidus is a G‑dly intellect. At this level there is a mutual incorporation30 [of the Sefiros], for Chochmah is a “point” and Binah is a “palace,”31 and both need to coexist, so that the understanding achieved by Binah should be affected by the self-effacement32 of Chochmah. The juxtaposition of “counsel” and “might” may be understood likewise: the counsel that proceeds from Chochmah and Binah ought to find expression in one’s actual avodah in the resolute determination of the middos of the heart. As a result, a person will be able to contain simultaneously “knowledge” and “the fear of G‑d.” This is an expression of the teaching that one should be “cunning in the fear of G‑d,”33 seeking out means of refining all the things of this world, through one’s avodah.
Most people mistakenly think that avodah consists only of immersing in a mikveh before one’s morning prayers, davenen with vitality for five or six hours, fasting, and studying Torah at length. Not at all. The meaning of avodah is that when a Jew walks down the street, the cobblestone should sense that it was a Jew who stepped on it. The very air ought to become cleaner, the world ought to be lit up.
In order for this to happen, in order for the world to be better illumined, one has to take the very steps that were mentioned above — to study Chassidus, to daven at length and with vitality, to uproot every undesirable attribute and to cultivate positive attributes. And then the world is lit up.
In this sense we can understand the verse, “Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith the girdle of his reins.” Faith is the girdle that parents bequeath to their children. Everyone knows full well that there is nothing [else] in the world that parents can pass on to their children. No material inheritance is certain. As we read in a certain chapter of Tehillim,34 no man takes any of his material possessions with him to the grave.35 (May G‑d “destroy death forever,”36 and may He grant long life to all our brother Jews!) Material possessions are no assured inheritance for children.
The truly certain inheritance that parents pass on to their children is spiritual strength and faith. This is the message of the verse, “and faith [shall be] the girdle of his reins,” for faith is the main thing that a man passes on to those who issue forth from his reins.
Throughout the world, a man’s entire hope is — a child. Be he rich or poor, this is what matters most to him. The root reason for this is the fact that having children is the power of infinity vested in creatures;37 this is the “everlasting edifice.”38 It is precisely because a human being is essentially a limited creature, that having a child is so crucial to him — for this is the aspect of infinity that is to be found in creatures.
This is the inheritance that parents pass on to their children — faith, for this is something eternal.
50. “Please, G‑d, make this burglary worth the effort!”
Our verse does not say ve’emunah (“and faith”), but veha’emunah (lit., “and the faith”). Being thus specific would be understandable if we were speaking of something that comprised a number of varieties. Faith, however, is one: all Jews are “believers, the sons of believers.”39 Why, then, “the faith”?
No doubt, all Jews are “believers, the sons of believers,” and the Name of Heaven is to be heard in the mouth of all. The first phrase uttered by every man, woman and child is, “May G‑d be praised.” When one person asks another, “How are you?” the answer is “May G‑d be praised,” or “Thank G‑d.”
Jews believe in G‑d inasmuch as He transcends nature. This we see in everyday situations. If someone has no business nor any other vessel for making a livelihood, someone else will tell him, “Don’t worry; G‑d helps.” If someone is (G‑d forbid) so desperately ill that his doctors have despaired of his life, someone will comfort him: “G‑d will have mercy”; or “May G‑d have mercy”; or “He is the healer of the sick” — and G‑d after all is compassionate.
The daily life of Jews, and the hundreds of thousands of instances of self-sacrifice,40 and of the Sanctification of the Divine Name,41 that men, women and children have undergone (and undergo) in many lands and in many ways, — these prove that the pure faith of our brethren is rooted in the deepest recesses of their lives.
Faith, however, is by nature [not internalized but] encompassing.42 This explains why it is possible for a person’s conduct to embrace two contradictory elements. For example, a prospective thief asks G‑d to prosper his endeavors,43 and prays too that he not be caught. He believes in G‑d, yet he defies His command, “Thou shalt not steal.”44 Now surely anyone who believes in G‑d and asks for His help ought to believe too that He will provide his livelihood through legitimate means. Why, then, does this individual do something that opposes His command?
The answer lies in the fact that faith is by nature makkif, something whose influence is externally pervasive, and general. Hence, even though it is true that faith is rooted deeply in every Jewish heart, two contradictory stances can appear side by side: a person believes that it is G‑d Who “provides nourishment and sustenance,”45 yet he sins by stealing, for example.
Every Jew ought to internalize his great and holy faith, enabling it to influence all the areas of his conduct. When our verse speaks of “the faith,” it refers specifically to that faith which is introduced into one’s daily life, so that its light should show the way for all the aspects of his conduct.
The unqualified term “faith” refers to the faith that is inborn in every Jew — except that it can allow the paradoxical situation whereby an individual can believe in G‑d, yet sin against Him. “The faith,” by contrast, refers to this selfsame innate faith once it has been introduced into one’s daily life. Once the inner dimension of a man’s everyday life is illuminated by his faith, there is no room for any paradox such as the above.
This is the lesson of our verse, “The faith shall be the girdle of his reins.” That faith which plots the course for one’s daily life is the pure and true inheritance, the source of Jewish strength, that parents pass on to their children and to their descendants through all the coming generations.
51. For your children – a home with solid foundations
The fate of this momentous transmission, whose goal is that faith should light up one’s daily life, is in the hands of parents, in the hands of their own personal conduct. The education of their children depends on their own lifestyle and on their own patterns of behavior.
Moreover, parents who want their children to grow up to be pious and observant Jews,46 should teach them according to the old style: kometz alef— oh, ignoring other methodology.47 The other methods strip the letters of the Torah of all their sanctity. There is no need to be unduly impressed by the widespread use of the other methods. Devout Jews will eventually realize what a great mistake they have made. Children should be educated only in the traditional style — and this includes the study of Gemara.
For the sake of the children’s upbringing, the lifestyle at home needs to be distinctively Jewish. If the father joins a minyan for communal prayer and attends the study sessions that are available, and if the mother carefully observes the requirements of Yiddishkeit, and if the Shabbos is as it ought to be,48 then the atmosphere at home is favorable, so that Yiddishkeit takes root in the children. This is “the faith [that shall be] the girdle of his reins.” What parents can (and do) give their children is such a faith.
Brother Jews! Follow this advice regarding the education of your children and regarding your own lifestyle — and you will be blessed by seeing children and grandchildren who engage in the study of the Torah and in the observance of the mitzvos.
In order for this to happen — that is, in order for your children to grow up properly as Jews — I would like to say a few words on this subject. It is very difficult for me to speak at length, so I will say a few brief words. Let everyone listen well and absorb them sensitively. Let these words penetrate everyone’s heart. I shall say “a little that contains much.”49
In order to build the upcoming generation and the House of Israel according to the Torah, father and mother must work together — with one view, one voice, one goal. One of them alone cannot do their work. It must be done together, with one view, and with one pattern of behavior.
The mother is called “the mainstay of the home,”50 the one who “builds her home.”51 It is she whose exemplary Jewish lifestyle lays the foundations of her house. When this is the case, she is indeed “the mainstay of the home.” If, however, she does not observe the laws of Judaism, she is the uprooter of the home:52 she brings ruin upon it by uprooting it from the Torah and from the Jewish People.
That is as much as I can say on this subject. I appeal in all earnestness to all those who heard these few words here, to remember them well. Upon each of them lies a sacred obligation to fulfill my heartfelt request — to pass on these words to his acquaintances, and to explain their meaning properly, for on this depends the entire edifice of the House of Israel. And may G‑d prosper everyone who fulfills my request, with blessings both spiritual and material.
52. The quality of life that an oldtime chassid yearned for
When the Baal Shem Tov asked Mashiach when he was coming, Mashiach replied, “When your wellsprings will be disseminated wide and far.”53 We will now be able to understand this answer.
Our fathers and grandfathers of the chassidic community, all the Chabad chassidim around the world, are like one family, for the foundations of Chassidus and of chassidim are unity, love and brotherliness. The fathers and grandfathers of the worldwide chassidic family toiled hard for the sake of Chassidus and for the sake of behavior patterns that reflect the attributes of Chassidus.
Chassidus is vitality, truth and light — luminous and truthful living. Everything one does should be infused with life, and should be done truthfully, sincerely — davenen with vitality, studying Torah with vitality, performing a mitzvah with vitality, giving one’s fellow a loan with vitality, davenen and shedding a tear on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur with vitality. Everything one does should be infused with life.
It was for this that the fathers and grandfathers of the chassidic family labored and gave away their lives to the extent of self-sacrifice — for the sake of “the faith,” the faith that is to be implanted in one’s life; more explicitly, for the sake of leading their daily lives according to the light of faith.
This was the way they conducted their own lives, and this was the way they brought up their children. Each one of those chassidim took care of himself and of his child. He would make every effort imaginable to take along his child to a gathering of chassidim.54 He devoted a certain amount of time to be spent with his child in a chassidic atmosphere and in the spirit of Chassidus, explaining things according to the little one’s capacity.
He saw to it that his house should be a meeting place for chassidim. When they met for a farbrengen they talked about Torah; about “the service of the heart,” that is, how one should pray; about refining one’s character; about how one could become a chassid worthy of the name; about what it means to love G‑d; about what it means to fear Him; about what it means to love one’s fellow Jew.
There were times when chassidim used to meet in order to discuss certain matters in Chassidus. Young chassidim were not admitted to such farbrengens. For them the doors were locked. Not everyone who so desired could gain admittance; one had to be worthy of participating in such a gathering, for which one had to undergo some degree of self-preparation.
Within the chassidic community there were always individuals who devoted their attention to these younger chassidim, guiding them in their efforts at self-improvement. Sometimes they taught them, sometimes they rebuked them. If some undesirable character trait became visible — something smacking of falsehood, or slander, or conceit, for example — it would be torn out from the roots. This was a nullification of the ego:55 not only on paper,56 but in real life.
When a closed farbrengen was in progress, young men of the chassidic community would press around the doors and windows in the hope of hearing some choice teaching,57 some insightful anecdote. Every one of them was eager to hear and watch elder chassidim at a farbrengen. Every one of them knew that this was the wellspring from which one could draw all manner of good things — the awe of Heaven and the refinement of one’s character.
This is “the faith” — living one’s life day by day with the vitality and exuberance that stem from Chassidus. It is this faith that the grandfathers and fathers of the family of the chassidic community bequeathed as an inheritance to their children and grandchildren.
53. Reviving the dormant twigs of the Tree of Life
And this is the meaning of the answer of Mashiach, “When your wellsprings will be disseminated abroad.” This faith, which our grandfathers and fathers bequeathed as an inheritance to their children and grandchildren, has been spread and strewn throughout the lands of the world by the torrents of exile. It has also reached those who for various reasons have been cast far abroad (chutzah), and who have been torn away from Jewish observance. Their problem is not the absence of Chassidus or of chassidic practice, but the absence of family purity, tefillin, Shabbos observance and a kosher diet.
As one of the descendants of our forefathers, the Rebbeim, and as their representative, I do not despair of the offspring of chassidim who have wandered far afield — for I know that in their veins flows the blood of their parents and grandparents.
In distant places too, Mashiach assures us, “your wellsprings” are to be found. Within those who have strayed afar, the great inheritance from their grandfathers and fathers is also to be found. The innermost spark of that faith, for which their parents sacrificed themselves, can yet awaken within them too.
The reply of Mashiach is, “When your wellsprings will be disseminated abroad.” The teachings of the Baal Shem Tov and the pure labor of character refinement will ultimately become widespread, so that everyone will recognize the truth. As to those who are cast outside, the self-sacrifice of their parents and grandparents will arouse even them, so that they too, enjoying a life well lived, will make use of the crystal-pure inheritance that their forebears have bequeathed them.
May the Almighty bless us, together with the whole House of Israel, with a year that is prosperous in all ways. May it be granted us to see how chassidim at large will fulfill their obligations in Torah and avodah, and how the twigs of the Tree of Life, the offshoots of the family of chassidim, will revive. And may we all be privileged, together with our brethren of the entire House of Israel, to see children and grandchildren occupied in the study of the Torah and in the observance of the mitzvos.
