כְּשֶׁמַּעֲמִידִים פַּנָס — מִתְקַבְּצִים הַחֲפֵצִים בָּאוֹר, כִּי אוֹר מַמְשִׁיךְ — לִיכטִיגקַייט צִיהט צוּ.

When a street lamp is erected, all those seeking light gather around, for light attracts.1

A Pearl to Cherish

The Rebbe Rashab was once asked: “What is a chassid?”

He replied: “A chassid is a lamplighter.”

Years ago, there were kerosene lanterns on every street corner. The local lamplighter would trudge through the night with a torch, going from lamp to lamp. Even in the cold and the dark, that lone figure would make his way through the night, leaving a path of light behind him.

The Rebbe Rashab continued: “A chassid goes forth with a long torch. He knows the fire isn’t his, but that his mission is to kindle all the lanterns.”

The questioner persisted: “And what if the lantern is found in a desert?”

“One must go there too and kindle the lantern.”

“And if the lantern is far out in the sea?”

“One has to plunge into the water and kindle the lantern.”2

*

The above exchange points to a fundamental difference between Chassidus and other Torah approaches to character development. Some other approaches may warn against the undesirable repercussions of a non-Torah lifestyle. Chassidus chooses instead to focus on the inalienable Divine spark within every Jew. The study of Chassidus reveals the brilliant light within the Torah and diffuses it, flooding the mind and soul with beautiful and luminous thoughts. A person is spontaneously drawn toward this light — “for light attracts” — and then he naturally rises above his unsavory habits and his unwanted mental encumbrances.