It once happened that Reb Nissan Nemanov, the renowned mashpia from the Lubavitcher yeshivah in France, emerged from yechidus in tears. Rabbi Leibl Groner, the Rebbe’s secretary, was puzzled. Reb Nissan was known for his self-control. What had happened to provoke such an outburst?

After ushering the next person into yechidus, Rabbi Groner took Reb Nissan into the office of the secretariat, gave him a chair, and asked him the reason for his tears.

“I came to the Rebbe with a problem,” explained Reb Nissan. “The bachurim studying at the yeshivah today cannot be compared to the bachurim of previous years. In previous years, when I would tell bachurim to spend hours davening, to practice iskafia (control of one’s natural desires), and to carry out all the other dimensions of avodah (the Divine service of mastering oneself), they would listen; they would try. Today, even the terminology is foreign to them.

“On the other hand, I don’t know what other message to give. Chassidus is avodah; there is no alternative. I asked the Rebbe what to do.

“The Rebbe answered: ‘Learn from my example. When I think of a new directive, I consider who my followers are. If half of them are capable of putting the directive into practice, I speak of it.’

“I’m crying,” Reb Nissan continued, “because of those directives the Rebbe withheld because he thought that less than half of his chassidim could follow them. Who knows what they could have been?”