אַאַמוּ"ר כּוֹתֵב בְּאֶחָד מִמִּכְתָּבָיו: טוֹבָה פְּעוּלָּה אַחַת מֵאֶלֶף אֲנָחוֹת. אֱלֹקֵינוּ חַי וְתוֹרָה וּמִצְוֹת נִצְחִיִּים הֵמָּה, עֲזוֹב אֶת הָאֲנָחָה וּשְׁקוֹד בַּעֲבוֹדָה בְּפוֹעַל וִיחָנְךָ הָאֱלֹקִים.
My revered father, the Rebbe [Rashab], writes in one of his letters: “One action is better than a thousand sighs. Our G‑d is alive and the Torah and its mitzvos are eternal. Abandon sighing, apply yourself diligently to actual avodah, and G‑d will be gracious to you.”1
A Story with an Echo
Once R. Yechezkel Feigin, affectionately known among his fellow chassidim as Chatshe, was holding a farbrengen with yeshivah students in a cellar in Communist Russia. Needless to say, such a gathering was illegal, and two of the students were charged with the task of waiting upstairs to be on the lookout for anything suspicious.
Without any thought of the danger involved, R. Chatshe farbrenged from the heart. He made demands of himself, and of the young menwith whom he was speaking.He demanded more sincerity, more commitment. The bachurim understood and took his words to heart. Some were moved to tears.
Suddenly, one of the young watchmen upstairs rushed into the cellar. A suspicious-looking group of men had entered the neighborhood. It was possible that they were KGB agents.
Immediately the atmosphere changed. The bachurim quickly suggested various plans. Some thought that they should all flee. Others argued that this would arouse suspicion and it was likely that several would be caught. It would be better, they continued, to take out magazines and political science books and pretend they were discussing current events. A third group maintained that the ruse would not help. Instead, they suggested hiding within the building. There was a sub-basement and several closets where they might not be found.
The discussion soon became heated, each one defending his suggestions. Then the other young watchmancame down to tell them that the suspicious-looking group had left: the farbrengen could continue.
R. Chatshe told his students: “Your conduct raises a question.”
They listened as he continued. “Which is more important to you — material things or spiritual things?”
They were honest, and answered immediately: “Material things.”
“Why, then,” R. Chatshe asked, “when I spoke to you about spiritual things, you begin to cry, but when a problem arose about our safety, no one cried?”
“What would crying have helped?” one of them asked. “Something had to be done.”
“Oh, I see,” R. Chatshe responded, “crying is for when you know that you’re not going to do anything about a problem….”
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