Love of Torah

The Previous Rebbe writes:

There were many good qualities and upright character traits in the love of Torah, in the dearness for holiness, in the fear of Heaven and enthusiasm for observance of Mitzvos that the Yeshivah students of the two past generations brought into the homes of our Jewish brothers.

Di teg [Yiddish for “the days”]—the meals in which the Yeshivah students would eat in the homes of the wealthy, the middle-class, and even the poor, which the Yeshivah students would call di teg, were the bridge that bound and connected Jewish homes with the house of Torah study.

The days known as di teg acted as beacons of the light of Torah and Mitzvos, shining a clear, luminous light of aspiration for wisdom and knowledge, inspiring the hearts of the young to bring the spiritual to dominate over the physical, and to exile themselves to a place of Torah. ...

I still remember the way the Yeshivah students inspired me to devote myself to my studies, to pray slowly, to recite the grace after meals and the other blessings carefully, to be particular to recite the morning blessings and the bedtime recital of the Shema.

The students’ visits in Jewish homes left impressions of a pleasant light, of fiery, inextinguishable flames of the love for Torah and the dearness of the holy, to be attained through caution to perform the Mitzvos. They sowed in the hearts of the boys and girls seeds of yearning to toil in the Torah and to build Jewish homes on the foundations of Torah.

In this good quality the country of Lithuania excelled. Thank G–d, one can still recognize the good impressions that were engraved in the hearts of our brothers in Lithuania in terms of the love of Torah and the important position that Torah scholars hold, thank G–d.

When I visited one of the villages in Lithuania last year, in a place where people gathered from the outlying areas, how great was my pleasure to see the yearning for Torah scholars and to build Jewish homes of Torah scholars.

Of the hundreds of people who visited me and of the hundreds of letters from parents, most of them asked for advice in how to set up their lifestyle and how to arrange, with G-d's help, appropriate matches for their offspring. There was thank G–d a large percentage—may they increase further—who desired and blessed themselves that their children should be Yeshivah students and that their daughters should may Torah scholars. However, what astounded me, and brought me a spiritual pleasure and ecstasy of heart, were the letters of the youth related to arranging matches, for they recognized the greatness of Yeshivah students.

Kuntres Etz Chayim pp. 7-8.

Lessons:

“ Yeshivah bochrim” (unmarried students at a Rabbinical academy) are sometimes looked down upon by “baalei batim” (older, married people). “What do they have to teach me?” they ask. “What do they know already? A few comments of Tosfos? How much life experience have they had? And what have they accomplished? In contrast, I have a family, a house, an income. Instead of learning from them, since I’m older, I will teach them from my experience.”

However, the truth is the exact opposite.

The Hebrew word for world, olam, is etymologically related to the word he’elem, concealment of G–dliness (Likkutei Torah, Shelach, 37d). The more a person is involved in the world, the more difficult it is for him to sense holiness, to relate to Hashem. Like it or not, he has unwittingly absorbed a certain amount of hanachos ha’olam, secular attitudes that are foreign to Torah. A Yeshivah bochur, however, who is totally focused on Torah study and prayer, is not tainted by the world and can thus be truly receptive to holiness.

Thus, instead of the community regarding the Yeshivah bochur as second-class to them, they should regard themselves as second-class to him. Only then will they be fit vessels to learn from the shining example that the Yeshivah bochur sets, and instead of dismissing him as simple and naïve, revering him as pure and sincere.

When the parents show the greatest honor and adoration for Yeshivah bochrim (and by the same token, for members of Kollel and Rabbonim) the sons and daughters in the home will become sensitive to holiness, and thus come to hold Torah scholars in the highest regard, sensing the pricelessness of Torah. The yearning for Torah will be the deepest yearning of their hearts, one that will determine whom they choose to marry and how they choose to live their lives and invest their money and efforts. The boys will aspire to devote themselves to be talmidei chachomim, Torah scholars, or at least to learn regularly and support full-time talmidei chachomim, and the girls will aspire to the privilege of marrying a Torah scholar and building homes permeated with the love of Torah, in which those who devote their lives to Torah study with fear of G–d are accorded the greatest honor. Their children will then pass on this pure and holy passion for Torah faithfully to their own children, creating a very happy cycle that will act as a beacon of inspiration for the entire community.

However, if the community looks down on the Torah scholars and treats them as second-class, G–d forbid, not only will they not learn from the Torah scholars, but they will exert a bad influence on them. The Torah scholars will be less supported by the members of the community, making it more difficult for them to study Torah, thus creating a very vicious cycle that will degrade the community.

Let us promote the former attitude, and we will be blessed.

Newspapers: A ploy of the evil inclination

It was pointed out to me that the Chofetz Chaim, obm, in his sefer “Zachor LeMiriam,” expresses similar sentiments concerning newspapers to those quoted from the Rebbe in an earlier post. Below is a translation.

... It would have been fitting for us to intensify our Torah study in order to be saved from the “birth-pangs of Moshiach.” Yet due to our numerous sins, the opposite is the case, and the evil inclination has overcome us greatly. It seeks devices and schemes to trap us in the sin of neglecting Torah study. The schemes that it used against us throughout our exile in the past are not adequate for it, and it brings new ones that did not occur to us until recent times.


For example, reading the newspapers, which has become widely prevalent nowadays. How can the reader not spend at least an hour reading them? Sometimes, since he is known to all as a reader who knows the current events, several people will ask him what he has heard, and he will relate everything to them in great detail, and in the meantime he idles away even more time on this. There are many other people who do not suffice with reading one newspaper; instead, they read three or four newspapers of every kind, and spend several hours each day on this. In the course of a full year, all these hours accumulate into many hundreds of hours that passed in vain, bringing no benefit to the body, never mind to the Neshamah.


This is all insofar as the neglect of Torah study that results from reading the newspapers is concerned. However, they often contain words of mockery, gossip, talebearing, and strife [that are forbidden to read]. Were there no people who would read it, then it wouldn’t be printed. No one notices this, and yet they will all share the blame for it when they are summoned to give a reckoning before the Throne of Glory.

Zachor LeMiriam p. 50.

FAQs about Zionism II

(Continued from here.)

Question: Aren’t the wars to defend the Land of Israel that we have won so miraculously proof that the messianic redemption has begun?


Answer: It is true that over recent decades the Jews living in Eretz Yisroel have, with the help of Hashem, won many wars against tremendous odds, but that does not constitute a sign of redemption. Consider the case of Purim, when the Jewish people took arms against our goyisheh enemies and won, but remained in exile afterward nonetheless, as the Talmud states, “We are still [even after the miracle of Purim] slaves of Achashverosh” (Megillah 14a).


Thus, refusing to associate these miracles with the messianic redemption does not mean “turning one’s back” on them. Indeed, we should give great thanks to Hashem for the miracles by which so many Jews were saved and so much of our sacred Land was protected, and vast segments of it liberated.

However, there is no inherent connection between these salvations and the future redemption other than the fact that all salvations are spiritually interrelated. Note also that in the Amidah prayer, we praise Hashem Who “redeems [the people of] Israel,” and the commentaries state that this is not a prayer for the future redemption, but for salvation “from the troubles that befall us” in exile. The Jewish people have experienced divine salvation despite fighting against great odds many times during their protracted exile, and this was yet another such occasion. Thus, the indisputable miraculousness of these events does not detract from the fact that we are still in exile.


Question: Shouldn’t we take action in order to hasten the redemption?


Answer: It is not our role to try to hasten the redemption through force. Hashem has promised us that when the time comes, Moshiach will usher in the age of redemption. For the true cause of the exile was not the Babylonians, the Romans, or any other empire, but our sins, and thus the only way to hasten and ultimately bring the redemption is by increasing in our own Torah observance and encouraging our fellow Jews to do likewise. This rectifies our sin, the cause of the exile, and therefore removes its outcome, the exile, automatically.


Question: Won’t leaving the exile and moving to Eretz Yisroel ...


Answer: Whoa, hold it right there. Until Moshiach comes, the Land of Israel is a part of exile and the Jews in it are in a state of exile just as are those living in the Diaspora. The confusion of the two meanings of the word golus—diaspora and exile—is unfortunate and highly misleading, although I imagine it is unintentional. This identification implies that living in the Land means living in a world of redemption, or at least partial redemption, while living in the diaspora means choosing to remain in exile.

With all due respect, this is incorrect. Even a Jew who lives in Eretz Yisroel declares during his prayers: “On account of our sins, we were exiled from our Land.” And he does so even when praying in the holiest city, Yerushalayim, and at the Kosel, the holiest place in the world that we can go. So even a Jew living in the Holy Land, in the holiest city, and standing at the Kosel, is in exile just the same. For exile is not about being banished from the Land, but about being in a state of exile in which we cannot serve Hashem properly, which is only possible when we have the Beis HaMikdash, a Jewish king (in the case of the upcoming redemption, the king Moshiach), and so on. There were Jews living in the Land throughout our long exile, albeit in smaller numbers, and yet no one ever saw anything redemptive in that.


Question: How do you respond when you see Jews displaying the Israeli flag?


Answer: I am unhappy. However, I find it doubly sad when I witness someone who identifies with the cause of strengthening the Jews of Yehuda and Shomron displaying the Israeli flag so proudly. It was only yesterday, in the suicidal idiocy and treason so euphemistically but callously termed “disengagement,” that we all saw the true colours of the Israeli government and its flag.

We saw how the government sent young men and women (who should have been elsewhere defending us from our true enemies) to systematically and efficiently expel our brethren from their homes and villages in the Gaza strip and Northern Shomron—all with that very flag emblazoned on their blackshirted vests. To add insult to injury, when their dirty deed was done, they raised that flag over the Jew-free territory to declare “victory” (may Hashem have mercy) in their mission. And then we saw how the same government that had promised so publicly, using costly advertising campaigns, that there would be a “solution for every settler” did nothing of the sort, instead leaving these expellees in the lurch. The “dawn of the redemption,” indeed.

The goal of the Mitzvah campaigns

A newspaper report on the Lubavitch movement (see here—emphases added) states:

Emissaries ... credit Schneerson as the architect of the Lubavitch outreach approach, which asks Jews to fulfill specific commandments without demanding higher levels of general observance. Schmidt says that the rationale for this approach resides in the realm of Hasidic philosophy. “Every mitzvah that a person does makes a tremendous spiritual revolution in the world,” he said. “It’s not about becoming observant.”

This statement demands a response. I think it’s quite possible that what Rabbi Schmidt said was misunderstood, or taken out of context, but regardless, the way this idea is presented in this article is totally incorrect.


It is indeed true that every Mitzvah performed has immense inherent value, as it is written in Tanya chapter 25: “In the supernal realms, this Mitzvah is eternal and forever, for He and His will transcend time.” However, disseminating Judaism involves teaching all aspects of Jewish observance, not asking a Jew to perform one Mitzvah and suffice with that, G–d forbid. The goal is definitely to bring every Jew to follow the entire Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law, for every Jew is equally obligated to fulfill these laws, regardless of whether he has observed them his entire life or he has never heard of them.


Perhaps what the spokesman meant to say is that the approach of the Chabad Mitzvah Campaigns (known as mivtzo’im) that the Rebbe initiated is to encourage Jews to grow one step at a time. The Rebbe explains (Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 33, p. 146-147) that this does not mean that one tells the beginner that he should compromise and decide to perform this Mitzvah to the exclusion of others. Rather, the beginner recognizes, or should be brought to recognize, that in his current state it is not feasible for him to suddenly start observing all the Mitzvos at once. Such a drastic change in lifestyle would be overwhelming and psychologically damaging for him, and he would be highly prone to abandon observance as quickly as he took it on. So in the meantime he must suffice with adopting several Mitzvos, or perhaps even one solitary Mitzvah, for that is all that he can handle in his current state of mind. And yet since “One Mitzvah brings another in its wake” (Avos 4:2), he will eventually come to keep all the Mitzvos. (See also here.)

The Rebbe compares this to teaching a child the alef beis. One can only teach one letter at a time, but even while the child learns the very first letter, the alef, he knows that there are many more letters that he does not yet know and that he will not be learning about just yet, but that with time and perseverance he will master.

This attitude should reflect itself in the approach of the one encouraging his fellow Jew to undertake this new Mitzvah. He should find the right words to make it clear that the only reason that a beginner can’t keep all the Mitzvos at once is due to his adverse circumstances, but that gradually, slowly but surely, his goal should be to grow in performance of Mitzvos until, with the help of Hashem and appropriate mentors, he will be fully Torah-observant.

Consult with a Guide, not a Crutch

Consult with a Guide, not a Crutch

Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver

The Frierdiker Rebbe once responded:

In answer to your question: The Rogatchover Gaon would have said [in response to such a query] “You are an idler. You idled away the time and didn’t learn, and therefore you don’t know, and so you ask what you were able to know [through your own study]. If you wouldn’t have idled away your time and you would have studied, you would know yourself, and you wouldn’t need to ask.” The same applies to your question: It’s easier for you to write a letter and ask than to bother yourself to find the Halacha in Shulchan Aruch, never mind to seek it in the works of the later halachic authorities.

Igros Kodesh Admur HaRayatz, Vol. 6, pp. 70-71.

Perhaps this principle can also be applied to consulting with others who ought to provide spiritual guidance of some sort—one’s mashpia, Rav, or asei lecho Rav (see here for further explanation). Some people, perhaps subconsciously, view their mashpia as the one responsible for their spiritual growth, which they neglect because, they think, why bother? They can visit the mashpia for inspiration from time to time. They neglect to study Halacha because, they tell themselves, they can simply ask their Rav when a question arises. They also neglect introspection and making a personal reckoning, because why bother? They can simply ask their asei lecho Rav to do it for them. And even when they do learn Torah, they learn it in a detached, theoretical way, because they do not foresee any of it having practical relevance, as it has not been uttered by their mashpia, Rav, or asei lecho Rav. And so on. 

Nothing could be further from the truth.

These roles exist to provide not crutches, but guidance. There is a balance required here. You do need these supports and you can’t go it alone, but you still have to do the work yourself. Think of them like a swimming instructor. He doesn’t swim for you. He shows you how to swim, and then he gives you helpful pointers to improve your swimming further, but then you splash and flail around in the water on your own, and eventually you learn to float and dive and swim, and then swim better and faster. Likewise, the mashpia, Rav, and asei lecho Rav are here to guide you in your service of Hashem—they direct and inspire you to learn, fulfill, grow, change, and lead. But once the meeting with the guide is done, you are left to do the learning, fulfilling, growing, changing, and leading yourself.

Thus, the very act of consultation presupposes that the seeker of the advice is a mentch—a Jew striving to improve, who recognizes that the ball is in his court. And even if he lacks sufficient motivation, he recognizes that the fault is in him, and that he alone is to blame for his low performance. The guide then has material with which to work. 

In contrast, one who uses these spiritual guides to excuse himself from exerting effort thwarts them from fulfilling their task, and what is worse, this makes them complicit in his misconduct. For then instead of the mashpia, Rav, or asei lecho Rav guiding the person to true self-motivated inner growth in his divine service, they facilitate laziness, mediocrity, and failure.

Receiving guidance brings wisdom, clarity, and purpose. But the hard work you have to do yourself—before, during, and after your consultation.

The agenda of Zionism: Redefining Jewishness

The Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish law that defines Jewish observance.

The philosophy of Zionism as originally conceived by Hertzl and his colleagues sought to redefine Jewishness as secular nationalism—identifying with the nation of the Jewish people as a secular entity deliberately divorced from our age-old religious identity.

This led to the identification with and support of the Zionist cause to be regarded as the true expression of Jewishness. Thus, once the State of Israel became a reality, Zionist nationalism evolved into identifying passport-carrying citizens of the State as the “real” Jews, and true Jewish “observance” as defined by loyalty to the state and its laws, and not by loyalty to Hashem and observance of his Mitzvos.

This is antithetical to the way that the Jew had always been defined—as a person born from a Jewish mother obligated by Hashem to observe the Torah and Mitzvos regardless of his location, language, or country of citizenship.

Put differently, if being Jewish is about being an ardent Zionist, then as long as I support the State (or the Zionist cause, before the State existed), I am a good Jew. There is no need for me to adhere to Shabbos, the laws of kosher, or anything else, because now that we have the State, we don’t need any of that old-fashioned superstition anymore. We only ever needed religion to maintain national cohesiveness, but now religion has been rendered obsolete by secular nationalism, which holds us together far more effectively; thus, religion can now be discarded.

In this respect, the philosophy of Zionism is not only a corrupting force, but is even more disastrous in its spiritual impact than non-Zionistic secularism or even than defecting to another religion. One who does not observe Torah and Mitzvos full well that there is a certain religious lifestyle known as Judaism that he is choosing for whatever reason not to follow. He does not imagine that he is in any way adhering to that lifestyle; on the contrary, he is consciously, willfully rejecting it. The upshot of this is that once he reaches a point at which he sees the foolishness of his errant ways, whether through pleasant or painful experiences (may we only know the former, but the reality is that sometimes we end up learning our lessons through the latter, may G-d save us), he typically returns to true Judaism and adheres to it uncompromisingly.

In contrast, a Zionist, who has redefined Jewish identity, will never infer from his experiences that he should renounce his current way of life and adopt Jewish observance, because in his mind he is already a very proud, “observant” Jew—a proud citizen of the state. He served in the army, he serves in the reserves, he pays his taxes, he votes, he obeys every law, he sends his children to public schools, to the army, national service, and the reserves, and he passionately marks “Independence Day.” Or, if he is a proud supporter from afar, which is the next best thing to being a citizen, he gives regular handsome donations to the JNF, proudly displays the Israeli flag, has enrolled his children in schools that inculcate Zionist beliefs, and, of course, he too passionately marks “Independence Day.” What more could one ask of him (other than aliyah, of course, his neglect of which evokes in him immeasurable guilt and shame)? His ideology has overtaken him to the point that no amount of personal suffering (G–d forbid) will move him to re-embrace the Judaism of his ancestors.

So in order to reconnect with his true Jewish identity, at some point the Zionist must come to realize the fallacy of Zionist philosophy. This would appear to be at least one of the deeper reasons behind the consistent groveling, lack of leadership, and even corruption evinced by so many of the most powerful Israeli politicians over the years, and their betrayal of the Jewish people through the insane adherence to accursed “peace plans” that involve surrendering Jewish land, money, and guns to the serial murderers of our brothers and sisters and to terrorist collaborators and ideological supporters—as is all documented daily in the popular news outlets.

It would appear that with this Hashem is sending the Jewish people the message that the religion of Zionism is bankrupt and phoney, and in order to be ready to greet the true redemption through our righteous Moshiach, we must return to our true Jewish roots—the laws of the Torah, as codified in the Shulchan Aruch. These laws are divine and therefore timeless, immutable, and the only way for us to be truly fulfilled as Jews.

Based on the Rebbe Rashab’s Kuntres Uma’ayan pp. 46-48.

Living Up to Our Human Potential

Living Up to Our Human Potential

Rabbi Y. Oliver

Every person should strive his utmost to live up to his personal potential. However, before we can discuss living up to one’s potential as an individual with special abilities and talents, we need to discuss living up to one’s potential as a person. This can only be understood in the context of man’s place in the universe vis-à-vis the other levels of creation.


The hierarchy of creation consists of four levels. Working our way up:

• domem—“inanimate” objects, which contain a nefesh (“animating spirit”) of the lowest level; this is known as the nefesh hadomem;


• tzome’iach—plant life, which, in addition to a nefesh hadomem, also possesses a nefesh hatzomachas, a “vegetative soul”;

• chai—the animal kingdom, which, in addition to a nefesh hadomem and a nefesh hatzomachas, also possesses a nefesh habehamis, an “animalistic soul”;

• medaber—mankind, which, in addition to a nefesh hadomem, a nefesh hatzomachas, and a nefesh habehamis, also possesses a nefesh hasichlis, an “intellectual soul.”

Each level achieves perfection in two ways:

• by living up to its unique ability, and using the levels of creation lower than its own as a means to that end;

• by making itself available to becoming subsumed within a higher level, and eventually realizing this goal.

The lower levels of creation—domem, tzome’iach, and chai—all perform these roles instinctively and never deviate from them, for they have been programmed to act as they do.



For instance, plants grow, thus fulfilling their unique role of vegetative growth, and they are available for animals and humans to consume, at which point they become subsumed within the level above them. However, none of this involves an act of volition on their part, but the fulfillment of the role that they are hard-wired to play.


However, the highest level of creation, mankind, is granted the power to choose whether to fulfill its purpose, and thereby bring the inferior levels of creation to realize their ultimate designated purpose as well, or to sink into temptation and fail to fulfill its purpose, and in the process drag down the rest of the world into its degenerate state.

In order to fulfill its role, mankind must center all its efforts and aspirations on developing its intellect, the special quality with which Hashem endowed it. Mankind’s lower drives and animalistic energy ought to be harnessed and channeled toward this goal. The development of the intellect, in turn, should be a means to a further end—submission to Hashem. In this way man brings his entire being to become subsumed to Hashem, Who stands completely above him and his defining quality, his intellect.



However, if he neglects to use his lower drives as a tool toward fulfilling the promise of his intellect, and instead becomes preoccupied with sensual indulgence in one or more of the lower levels of creation, he has in a sense degenerated below the rest of creation on two counts.

First, in that the perfection of every being depends upon actualizing its unique potential, and he is neglecting to do so. Thus, he is worse than an animal, because an animal is not to blame for behaving as an animal does, for it cannot do otherwise. However, a human being, who is able to follow the higher calling assigned him and instead sinks to animal-like behavior, has in that sense degenerated to a lower level than the animal.

Second, in that when we bind our souls to an object of our desire, we come to spiritually resemble the thing that we pursue. So one who pursues knowledge of Torah acquires a certain G–dly quality, while one whose life revolves around materialistic possessions degrades himself to the level of domeim. Moreover, since the recipient (“mekabeil”) is necessarily lower than the giver (“mashpia”), it follows that the one who chooses to indulge his animalistic lusts becomes inferior to the level of creation from which he draws this self-gratification. 

For instance, consider one whose mouth waters while gazing at an ice cream sundae covered with fluffy whipped cream, sweet chocolate syrup, and a cherry on the top, and then eagerly grabs the ice cream and sinks his lips and tongue into the layers of cold, sugary, chocolatey cream, savoring every nuance of its succulent taste. He becomes in a sense not only equal to the ice cream sundae, but subordinate to it.

When we grasp our role and mission, with the help of Hashem we are able to rise above the weakness and sin of our past, return to Hashem, and discipline ourselves into a purposeful, productive lifestyle of spiritual growth and fulfillment, instead of a meaningless, hedonistic lifestyle of moral corruption and spiritual suicide.

Based on Kuntres Uma’ayan, pp. 63-65.

FAQs about Zionism I

Question: Is the State of Israel good or bad?

Answer: In a nutshell, as I understand it, the Chabad position on the State of Israel is as follows. The State was the embodiment of all the aspirations of nationalist Zionism, which was a secular and even antireligious philosophy designed to replace true Torah-based Judaism with a secular nationalist ideal, G–d forbid. This agenda is false and evil, and delays the true redemption. Chabad thus opposes any identification with the government of the sort that would give the impression that one accepts the evil philosophy behind it.

However, the idea of saving and protecting Jews from danger is legitimate and worthy, and in fact a Torah imperative (" pikuach nefesh"). The Zionists who set up the State performed a worthy deed in setting up an army to protect the Jews from the hostile Arabs, and in organizing a place for Jews to live to escape persecution. 


Yet this does not mitigate the fact that they simultaneously committed an evil deed by associating this endeavor with promoting their anti-religious, anti-Torah philosophy. Their intentions in setting up the State were therefore a mixture of good and evil.

Practically speaking, the Jews who live there are Jews like any other, and so they need military protection; thus, those who serve in the army do a tremendous Mitzvah in defending Jewish life, regardless of the fact that the government that dispatches them represents the philosophy of Zionism.

Likewise, the Land is holy, and those who settle in it in a holy way perform a Mitzvah regardless of the fact that the government that technically controls the Land embodies the philosophy of Zionism. For in reality the government does not own the Land; rather, it is Hashem’s eternal gift to every single Jew.

Question: Why don’t you celebrate Israeli Independence Day?



Answer: Among other reasons, because it is simply untrue—the Jews living in Eretz Yisroel today (may they increase manyfold) are not independent from the non-Jews. This reality is so blatant that all one need do is select any random news report concerning Israeli foreign relations, and one will see how the Israeli government grovels in front of the goyim. Moreover, this has been going on in one form or another all along, only in an ever-increasing measure, and especially over the past decade. It has reached such depraved, outrageous proportions that it boggles my mind every time I attempt to get my head around it.

In particular, I am referring to the vile atrocities of surrendering Jewish land, guns, and money to our sworn terrorist enemies, expelling Jews en masse from their homes, and criminalizing the building or renovation of Jewish homes—all out of the craven fear of “what will the goyim say.” This shows plainly and irrefutably just how much "independence" Zionism has brought us.

Our control over the Land is significant and must be maintained because the Land is holy and G-d-given, and because to relinquish any part of it would severely endanger those who remain. However, the truth must be recognized that this control is only partial, that we are in reality vassals to the United States of America, and thus our titular control does not constitute true independence. (One recent reminder of this was the pathetic way that the IDF scrambled to complete its military operation in Gaza, which was codenamed Cast Lead, before President Obama came into office—lest their actions displease the president and he wield his influence to obstruct their efforts, through withdrawal of aid or the like.) 

Question: Doesn’t the very existence of the State of Israel constitute the fulfillment of biblical prophecies foretelling the return of the Jewish people to Eretz Yisroel?

Answer: No, we're still in exile. The secular Zionist state is not the fulfillment of any biblical redemptive prophecies, which will only be fulfilled through Moshiach. Moreover, calling the exile redemption delays the coming of the true redemption! Conversely, the first step towards true redemption is recognizing that we are indeed in exile, for only then can we truly pray for the redemption.

In fact, not only are we not in a state of redemption, but in a way the exile is even worse in the Holy Land, for in many places there, may G-d save us, the atmosphere is lacking in fear of G-d (although the numbers of those returning to Jewish observance have been steadily increasing, thank G-d). To sin in the Holy Land is considered more severe than to sin in the diaspora, for a sin committed in the King’s palace is worse than a sin committed outside it (Tashbetz, sec. 559).

Chof-ches Nissan

Today is Chof-ches Nissan, the day that the Rebbe delivered the famous sicha in which he charged us with our core mission after Gimmel Tammuz. See my previous posts concerning this day here. Lechaim!

Torah-true inspiration

Although a Jew should obey the commands of the Torah even when feeling low, true performance of Torah stems from a profound inner feeling of inspiration. This involves using all his internal faculties (kochos) in serving Hashem. This principle holds true concerning all of Torah and Mitzvos, but in this article I will illustrate it using the example of Torah study, which should permeate one’s emotions, intellect, willpower, and pleasure:


Emotions (middos): Arouse an intense love for Torah that drives you to study and teach Torah as much as possible, whenever possible. You will then also love those who devote themselves to studying and teaching Torah, and support them financially or otherwise as much as possible. You will also love holy seforim and feel a close, personal attachment with holy seforim in general, and with your personal Torah library in particular. Likewise, you will feel afraid to become separated from Torah by neglecting its study, chas vesholom (“bittul Torah”).


Intellect (sechel): Saturate your mind with Torah to the extent that it permeates your mental space completely. Even when it is necessary to discuss mundane things, as soon as some relevance can be drawn between what your are discussing and a Torah teaching, immediately notice and comment on that relevance. In almost every thought process, strive to draw connections with pesukim (verses) of Tanach, with maamarei Chazal, stories, and sayings of chassidim, and so on. Ultimately, you will reach the point where your mind is trained to think according to the daas of Torah, such that your every decision and opinion correctly conforms with what the Torah truly wants of you.


Willpower (ratzon): Cultivate an intense urge to study and disseminate Torah, to the point that you overcome all obstacles lying in your way.


Pleasure (taanug): Regard Torah study as a delight, and not just because of its intellectual profundity, but also because you appreciate its purity and holiness. Approaching a bookshelf of seforim will then evoke the feeling of gazing upon a smorgasbord of spiritual delicacies, an enticing array of mouth-watering sublime treats. Likewise, any opportunity to support Torah study and disseminate it will bring you profound personal pleasure and satisfaction.

Once all these deeper faculties are directed towards the sacred, this naturally leads to thought, speech, and action of Torah and Mitzvos that flow from genuine passion and inspiration. 

Moshiach: A Cheshbon Nefesh

A Jew is supposed to regularly make a cheshbon nefesh, a personal reckoning of whether he is living up to the standard of behavior expected of him (albeit only at specifically designated times—see here). Since many of the Rebbe’s most recent and frequently repeated directives to us were related to the belief in the coming of Moshiach, the effort to hasten and prepare for his arrival, and so on, I have compiled below a list of questions to ask oneself in the process of such a cheshbon nefesh.


One who is constantly, fully aware and infused with the passionate conviction that these are indeed literally our last moments in exile will be sure that today is the day, the long-awaited blessed day in which Moshiach will finally come, in which the entire world will reach the purpose for which it was created.

Do I constantly feel that today is the day?

In order to be truly ready for Moshiach, I must bring my thought, speech, and action to conform totally with Torah (Sefer HaSichos 5751, Pinchas).

Am I careful with my every thought, speech, and action?

Right before the holy day of Shabbos, activity intensifies to prepare the home for Shabbos, often at a frantic pace. We are conscious that soon no more preparation will be possible. Likewise, the age of Moshiach is compared to Shabbos, and our current age was granted in order to enable us to prepare for the age of Moshiach, an opportunity that we will no longer have after Moshiach arrives (see HaYom Yom, 3 Av).

Is the pace of my preparation intensifying? Do I sense the value of the time allocated to me in order to prepare?

Only Hashem can decide to send Moshiach. Moshiach is waiting for Hashem to give him the go-ahead. Hashem, the King of all kings, blessed be He, grants me a private audience with Him every day—in fact, thrice daily—during which I am granted the opportunity to plead for my every wish.

Is the coming of Moshiach today on my wish list?

The Rebbe has taught us that in order to prepare for Moshiach, we must bring Jews who are not-yet-observant to undertake the performance of Mitzvos, study topics in Torah related to Moshiach and the Redemption, and teach non-Jews to follow the Noahide laws. The Rebbe has instructed us to increase in Tzedakah and good deeds, in study and dissemination of Chassidus, in acts of love toward our fellow Jew, and issued many more directives, all with the goal of preparing us for the coming of Moshiach.

Am I careful to do the things that are auspicious in bringing Moshiach?

Nowadays we live in a state of spiritual darkness and thick concealment of the absolute Truth that “there is nothing besides Him” (Devarim 4:35). However, when Moshiach comes we will perceive the absolute truth of Hashem’s reality in a tangible manner. One of the main purposes of Tefillah is to foster a desire to behold Hashem’s glory and in order to create a framework in which to express that desire toward Hashem.

Do I davven slowly, carefully, savoring every word, pouring out my heart to Hashem, crying out for the exile to end, with intense yearning to see His revelation when Moshiach comes?

Don't forget the Nasi!

During the beginning of the month of Nissan, you will observe signs hanging in Lubavitcher Shuls that read: “Don’t forget the Nasi!”



The obvious meaning of this is the reminder to fulfill the custom that on each of the first twelve days of the month one reads certain verses related to one of the twelve Nesi’im, the leaders of the tribes (for the precise text for each day, see here).



However, perhaps this exhortation also holds a deeper meaning: “Don’t forget the Nasi!”—the Rebbe, our Nasi and leader.

Following the "chassidishe Shulchan Aruch"

Someone once wrote to the Rebbe (Igros Kodesh, Vol. 10, p. 396) and complained that although he prays with enthusiasm, in the middle of his Tefillah he suddenly feels overcome by heaviness. The Rebbe responded that at such times he should take a break and relax, but that this relaxation should obviously conform both with the Shulchan Aruch and the “chassidishe Shulchan Aruch.”

A chossid’s identity as a chossid should permeate every aspect of his life. One might think that if I am already very inspired, why does it matter so much if I relax by, let’s say, reading a newspaper (obviously, we are only talking about perusing articles that contain completely permitted content)? If I am doing the main thing—learning Torah, praying enthusiastically, and engaging in good deeds—is that not sufficient?

No, the way one relaxes does matter, for even if a given practice is not technically forbidden by the Shulchan Aruch, a chossid is not satisfied. He is constantly asking himself what is expected of him according to the chassidishe Shulchan Aruch, the higher standard of living and observance expected of a chossid.

In the case of relaxing, although a chossid needs relaxation and recreation from time to time like anyone else, especially when he feels very weak (see the above letter), he will seek outlets for this need that, though perhaps light, still inspire him and draw him closer to Hashem. An example of a method for such relaxation would be reading inspiring stories from Jewish history, stories of Tzaddikim, and of chassidim. Another might be listening to niggunim (Chassidic melodies).

And just as one cannot fulfill the regular Shulchan Aruch without studying it, so does one need to study the chassidishe Shulchan Aruch—which, for a Chabad chossid, can be found in the teachings of the Rebbeim of Chabad—in order to adhere to it properly.