Future Focused

As explained previously,57 the reason Heavenly permission was granted to disseminate the mystical dimension of Torah, even though it was restricted in bygone generations, is twofold:

1) The darkness of the Exile increased, requiring greater resources to counteract the heightened concealment.

2) It is to serve as a prelude and preparation to usher in the revelation of G‑dliness in the days of Mashiach.

These two reasons also shed light on the difference between general Chassidus and Chassidus Chabad. With respect to the first reason, a revelation of Chassidus in aphoristic form was sufficient; the short and fiery teachings of the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid were powerful enough to arouse the soul and awaken the Jew from a state of spiritual faint.58

However, as a prelude to Mashiach, when the entire world will be engaged in the knowledge of G‑d, it is necessary for there to be a revelation of teachings that could be totally grasped by the mind, in order for mankind to “know” G‑d to the best of its ability.59 This was achieved through the revelation of Chassidus Chabad.60

The Visit from On High

The now-expanded role of Chassidus as a preparation for Mashiach can explain the following fascinating episode:

During the imprisonment of the Alter Rebbe in 5559/1798,61 he was visited by his Rebbeim, the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid of Mezritch.62 The Alter Rebbe asked them why he deserved to sit in jail and what was required of him. They explained that there was a heavenly accusation against him because he was expounding too much Chassidus in such a revealed manner. The Alter Rebbe asked them if he should stop teaching Chassidus when he would be released from jail. They replied that he should not stop and, on the contrary, he should teach even more.63

When analyzed, this story is somewhat puzzling. Decades prior, when the Alter Rebbe was studying under the tutelage of the Maggid, a similar heavenly accusation was made and was ­already nullified. This happened when a manuscript of the holy teachings of Chassidus was found dirtied in the gutter. This accidental incident aroused a heavenly claim against the Maggid that Chassidus was being spread excessively, which was considered to be unbecoming of these holy secrets of Torah. The Alter Rebbe, then a young man, averted this accusation by arguing the vital necessity of Chassidus.

Portraying Chassidus as a life-saving cure, he presented the since-famous parable of the prince who fell ill and the only cure was to be derived from the most precious jewel of the king’s crown. As detailed in the previous chapter, the parable describes how the king rushed to squander the jewel to cure his son. He ordered that the precious gem be crushed and mixed into a potion in the hope that a single drop would enter the unconscious prince’s mouth and restore him to health. Defending the broad revelation of Chassidus, the Alter Rebbe explained that as lofty as it may be, it is fitting that it be squandered in the effort to resuscitate the Jewish soul from faint.64

If that was the case, why was this heavenly accusation leveled in the days of the Alter Rebbe once again? Furthermore, why didn’t the Alter Rebbe employ the very same parable for himself, that the revelation of Chassidus was necessary for his generation as well?

The answer is that the Alter Rebbe’s parable justifies the method employed by the Baal Shem Tov and Maggid to teach Chassidus: in brief, condensed form with this being enough to arouse the faint soul. The Alter Rebbe, however, had begun disseminating Chassidus in a broad manner, and this sparked a new heavenly accusation arguing that it was more than enough. Therefore, the Alter Rebbe was unsure whether to continue his new, broad path of Chabad. The reply of his holy teachers was that because he had begun this path he should continue, and in an increasing ­manner, inasmuch as he was thereby paving the way for the coming of Mashiach.65