מֵהוֹרָאוֹת אַאַמוּ"ר: לְהִנָּזֵר מִמִּלְחֶמֶת תְּנוּפָה עַד קְצֵה הָאַחֲרוֹן, לֹא מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֵין לָנוּ בַּמֶּה לְנַצֵּחַ אוֹ מִפְּנֵי מוֹרֶךְ לֵב, אֶלָּא מִפְּנֵי שֶׁאֶת כָּל כּוֹחוֹתֵינוּ עָלֵינוּ לְהַקְדִּישׁ אַךְ וְרַק לְחִזּוּק בִּנְיָנֵינוּ, בִּנְיַן הַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוֹת בִּקְדוּשָּׁה וּבְטָהֳרָה. וְעַל זֶה עָלֵינוּ לִמְסוֹר אֶת נַפְשׁוֹתֵינוּ בִּמְסִירַת נֶפֶשׁ בְּפוֹעַל וְלֹא רַק בְּכֹחַ.

A directive of my revered father, [the Rebbe Rashab]: “To take the offensive in battle should be shunned to the utmost1 — not because we lack the wherewithal to be victorious, nor because we are faint of heart, but because all our energy should be dedicated solely to fortifying our edifice, the edifice of the Torah and its mitzvos, with holiness and purity. We should dedicate our souls to this goal with actual — not merely theoretical — self-sacrifice.”2

Living in This World

There are those who devote their energy to fighting darkness. Chassidim prefer to strike a light.

A certain group of zealots in Jerusalem customarily vent their indignation at the desecration of Shabbos by blasting transgressors vociferously. The founder of that group once received a letter from the Rebbe which focused on one brief teaching from the Talmud:3 “The world cannot manage without a perfume-maker, nor can the world manage without a tanner — but happy is he whose profession is making perfume, and unfortunate is he whose profession is tanning hides.”

Not only the perfume-maker wants his work to make the world to smell better. The tanner does, too — except that his work, while making useful objects, produces the opposite result, because in Talmudic times, hides were processed by means of malodorous organic materials.

Considering this risk, and considering as well the relative chances for success, one has to make a choice: Do I want to improve the world by beating and battering hides — by tackling evil (within myself or in others) head-on? Or would I prefer to spray perfume all around and thereby help people (including myself) inhale a fresh lungful of spiritual fragrance?4