רַבֵּנוּ הַזָּקֵן הָלַךְ לְמעֶזרִיטשׁ, בְּיַחַד עִם אָחִיו מַהֲרִי"ל, בִּשְׁנַת תקכ"ד. מַהֲרִי"ל הָלַךְ בְּלִי רְשׁוּת בֵּיתוֹ וְלָכֵן חָזַר מִדַּרְכּוֹ, וְרַבֵּנוּ בָּא לְמעֶזְרִיטשׁ — וְשָׁהָה שָׁם, בַּפַּעַם הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, עַד אַחֲרֵי חַג הַפֶּסַח תּקכ"ה. שְׁבוּעַיִם הָיָה מְסוּפָּק אִם לְהִשָּׁאֵר שָׁם, וְהַמַּאֲמָר הָרִאשׁוֹן שֶׁשָּׁמַע הָיָה נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ. וְיֵשׁ בָּזֶה סָפֵק אִם הוּא הַמַּאֲמָר הָרִאשׁוֹן לְבוֹאוֹ, אוֹ הָרִאשׁוֹן לְאַחַר הַשְּׁבוּעַיִּם שֶׁהֶחְלִיט לְהִשָׁאֵר וְנִתְקַשֵׁר.

The Alter Rebbe journeyed to Mezritch together with his brother Maharil,1 in 5524 (1764). Maharil had set out without permission from his wife, and therefore returned in the midst of the journey. The Alter Rebbe arrived in Mezritch and remained there — on this first occasion — until after Pesach in 5525 (1765). For [the first] two weeks he had been undecided as to whether to stay or not.

The first maamar he heard [from the Maggid] was entitled Nachamu Nachamu.2 It is not known whether this was the first maamar he heard after his arrival, or the first he heard after two weeks that convinced him to stay and establish a connection [to the Maggid].3

A Pearl to Cherish

At the end of this first visit to Mezritch, the Alter Rebbe had planned to return home on foot, but the Maggid saw to it that he should travel by wagon. As the Alter Rebbe was loading his belongings, the Maggid’s son, R. Avraham the Malach (“the Angel”), who was seeing him off, said to the wagon-driver: “Whip the horses until they stop being horses.” (Or, according to another version: “Whip the horses until they know that they are horses.”)

Hearing this, the Alter Rebbe responded by saying that he had now learned a new path in Divine service. He therefore deferred his departure and stayed on for some time in Mezritch.4

The “horse” refers to material tendencies. The Alter Rebbe realized that staying in Mezritch would teach him how to harness them for Divine service.