ב"ה

Chasidic Coal Miners

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Chasidic Coal Miners

My father-in-law, the Rebbe, gives a parable for what it means to be a Chabad Chasid: A miner digs deep into the ground for coal, which provides warmth and light.
Rebbe, Role of; Rebbe-Chassid Relationship, Chassidism, Chassid, Lubavitcher Rebbe
Chasidic Coal Miners
Disc 105, Program 417

Event Date: 18 Tishrei 5721 - October 09, 1960

My father-in-law, the Rebbe, gives a parable for what it means to be a Chabad Chasid:

A miner digs deep into the ground for coal, which provides warmth and light. How to dig and procure it, however, must be devised by an expert manager, who has not only the success of the endeavor in mind, but also the welfare of the miner. But even the most expert manager cannot breathe for the miner; the miner himself must always be connected to an air supply.

The Baal Shem Tov explains the verse, “You will be a land of delight” to mean that every Jew is “a land of delight” with vast treasures hidden within. It is the chasid’s job to dig and reveal those treasures – both within himself and others. But it is not sufficient to proceed in this task merely relying on the tzaddik’s own inspiration... Every individual chasid must be personally connected to the “oxygen source,” always working to refine himself, and keeping regular Torah study sessions which inspire every area of his daily life, in thought, speech and action.

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