Bonding with the Rebbe through Audio

Bonding with the Rebbe through Audio

Rabbi Y. Oliver

Earlier we discussed the tremendous potential for Kedusha that lies in modern audio technology.

This technology is particularly beneficial for chassidim, who should make a point of regularly learning our Rebbe’s teachings. It enables those who understand Yiddish (see here) to listen to the Rebbe speak directly, without the intermediate stage of a transcript, which although faithful to the original, invariably loses much in translation.

Moreover, audio of the Rebbe’s holy sichos can inspire the person emotionally in a way that would not be possible through studying the transcripts (edited or unedited) of his sichos.

As the Rebbe said many times, “Words that emanate from the heart will penetrate the heart” (Sefer HaYashar of Rabeinu Tam #313) and have their desired impact. The Rebbe Rashab explains (Sefer HaMa’amarim 5671, p. 44) that this is referring specifically to spoken words, for since they are uttered with passion and enthusiasm, they have a special power to penetrate the heart.

Moreover, Chassidus explains (see ibid.; Sefer HaMa’amarim 5666, p. 493; Toras Menachem 5713, Vol. 1, p. 254) that speech stems from the essence of the soul, as it is written, “his soul went forth in his speech” (“נפשי יצאה בדברו”—Shir HaShirim 5:6). (Unfortunately this also holds true in the negative sense, for the deepest evil traits in a person are revealed specifically through vile speech—see Sefer HaMa’amarim 5670 p. 21).

So to “translate” this to listening to the Rebbe: Since emotions are expressed in speech, the Rebbe’s holy emotions—faith in Hashem, love and fear of Hashem, love of Torah, love of his fellow Jew, and so on—are surely expressed in his speech. And since all the Rebbe’s words surely “emanate from the heart,” listening to his words surely has a special power to “penetrate the heart” of the listener. Moreover, since spoken words stem from the essence of the soul, it follows that listening to the Rebbe speaking has the power to connect the listener to the essence of the Rebbe’s soul.

Using audio technology was always a very important way to bond with the Rebbe, even before Gimmel Tammuz, back in the day of cassette tapes. However, it is obviously vital after Gimmel Tammuz, when, due to our many sins, we are no longer able to hear the Rebbe speak physically.

Although hearing the Rebbe’s holy words directly and physically is surely likely to have the greatest impact on one’s feelings, in the meantime it surely behoves us to take advantage of the technology available (such as iPods, mp3 players, etc.) to maintain our bond with the Rebbe as much as possible despite his (temporary) concealment from us.

And this will prepare us to see and hear him address us again, and reveal to once and for all the most sublime and sweet secrets of Torah, may it happen now!

The power of audio for kedusha

Although the following appears self-evident, I believe that it deserves to be emphasized.

The potential for using audio technology nowadays is simply amazing. For a relatively small price one can purchase an audio recorder and record audio files at no cost other than the price of the batteries (and with some devices not even that is needed). These recordings can then be distributed with relative ease.

I believe that sadly, in the realm of kedusha (holiness), and of spreading Yiddishkeit and the wellsprings of Chassidus, this potential is vastly underused.

If Torah is truly precious to us, we will want and yearn to share it and disseminate it, to make every moment of it count as much as possible and have the greatest possible impact.

Many of those who deliver shiurim, perhaps out of some (sorry to say, misplaced) sense of humility, neglect to record them. The class is then heard only by those attending, while if it were recorded it could have been heard by hundreds, if not thousands of people.

The same goes for listening to shiurim, especially with light and easy-to-carry devices such as an iPod, which can be purchased at a relatively cheap price and can store increasingly more mind-boggling amounts of audio.

Boruch Hashem, there is no shortage of audio to put on one’s iPod. There is a vast array of Torah audio available for download online and elsewhere, most of it very cheaply if not altogether gratis. This awesome treasure exists for a purpose—so that we make full use of it.

In fact, an audio recording has a certain advantage over a face-to-face shiur. Often some of the ideas heard in a shiur will not register after being heard once; however, after being heard a second and third time, one comes to fully grasp the teachings.

Moreover, even if one has heard the shiur several times and fully understands and remembers it, he may attain further insight into the topic discussed, or draw needed inspiration from reviewing it again.

And even if the person attends shiurim, audio technology enables one to “seize the commute” and learn in situations in which learning would be otherwise impossible, or at least very difficult—such as while walking, waiting at a bus stop, or the like. This enables one to use those few minutes here and there, which add up to many hours over the course of time, to the utmost.

This is especially necessary for those who for whatever reason may not be able to attend a shiur in person that day, or live in a place where such shiurim are not available.

Even if one is not mentally in the mood to listen to a shiur, he can still make good use of his time by listening to music that inspires one to love and fear Hashem.

Another important role that audio of shiurim or of proper Jewish music can play (no pun intended) is to replace any excuse of a need to listen to the radio, which, like everything secular, almost always contains some objectionable content.