We Will Never Back Down from the Mission the Rebbe Believes We Can Accomplish!
By Rabbi Shimon Raichik
In the beginning of this week’s parsha Hashem instructucted Moshe Rabbenu to tell the Jewish people in His name (Shemos 6:6*):
“I am Hashem, who can be relied upon to reward those faithful to Him. I will therefore free you from the burdens of Mitzrayim, as I promised, save you from their servitude, and redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great chastisements.” This description continues and culminates in Hashem’s guarantee that we will be a Nation of Hashem and inherit Eretz Yisroel.
Nevertheless we see that the Jewish people did not respond well (Shemos 6:9):
“When things got worse after Moshe announced the redemption, the scoffers and skeptics again succeeded in demoralizing the people and making them despair of being redeemed. So Moshe related Hashem's message to the Jewish people, but they did not listen to Moshe, because of their anguish of spirit evinced by their shortness of breath, which had made them despair of being redeemed, and because of the harsh labor, which had made them skeptical of Moshe’s promises.”
The Rebbe explains that the Torah is everlasting and guidance to all generations and every one of us both collectively and individually. Although historically the Torah here is referring to the redemption of the Jewish people from Mitzrayim thousands of years ago there is a lesson for us here today in 2021. This is even more relevant than at any other time in history because as the Rebbe explained in the Basi l’Gani mamar, we are the 7th generation and our job is to complete the task of making this world a dwelling place for Hashem and to bring Moshiach.
Why would the Jewish people not listen to Hashem’s message of geula related by Moshe Rabbenu? They were preoccupied with their survival and traumatized by the treatment they endured under the oppression of Mitzrayim. They were so beaten down they fell prey to the scoffers and skeptics of their time. It obscured their inherent belief in the geula and their despair blocked their optimism and hope that they could shed the shackles of their galus and their suffering.
The word Mitzrayim is from the root metzar, which means a narrow place or a constriction. It can also mean distress or anguish. Some people live within the difficulties of physical hardships while others suffer from spiritual anguish or distress. Some may be constrained in that they may not even know what it means to be a Jew or the purpose of the Torah and mitzvos. There is also a Mitzrayim for those of us who keep the Torah but are just going through the motions without motivation and without any life. If our mood is up then we do everything, if not we miss a mincha here and a shiur there etc. So, how do we break out of our personal Mitzrayim? How do we break through the vicious cycle of following our moods?
The Rebbe explains that the cause for our constraints comes from being cold. This is the message of the first plague in this week’s parsha, the turning of water into blood. Water is a cold liquid. There may be a hot spring here or there but in general, water is cold. Blood is warm. A person who has a heart that pumps blood through his body is alive and warm. This is analogous to a difference in the way we live. Are we keeping the Torah and mitzvos but coldly cutting corners? Are we officially frum in what we are doing but not really living what we do? We need a transfusion. We need to get out of Mitzrayim by injecting blood, life into everything and transform this coldness. Where does this life come from? We get life from the Torah that we learn, especially Chassidus, the neshama of the Torah. The inspiration of a Chassidishe vort, a Sicha or a Mamar gives us the strength and the desire to do a mitzvah with vitality. Whether it’s the next Shabbos or Tefillin we are always looking forward toward the next opportunity to do a Mitzvah.
In the Ba’si l’Gani mamar of 5720-1960 the Rebbe quotes a Torah of the Baal Shem Tov about misplaced humility. The Baal Shem Tov says that one’s misdeeds cause distance in avodas Hashem. Because of the low self esteem caused by misdeeds one’s inherent belief that all of us can, through our Torah and tefillah bring a great influx of kedusha into all of the worlds is obstructed. Even the malachim are nourished. If we would only reveal our emunah, we would serve Hashem with simcha and awe. Hashem watches and pays close attention to our every word of the Torah and tefillah and kisses each one as it is said. Who would not be moved? Therefore how important it is to take to heart how great an effect our activities have on high and down here below. When a person chas v’Shalom feels devalued, unimportant and incapable of great effect and the heart becomes stubborn we fall prey to the scoffers and the skeptics. The Rebbe explained that this false humility causes the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash. When however we follow the message of geula related by Moshe Rabbenu we cause the opposite, the building of the Beis HaMikdash, a dwelling place for Hashem.
The second plague mentioned in this week’s parsha was frogs. The frogs came out of the cold wet water and jumped to the hot dry ovens of Mitzrayim and cooled them down. The Rebbe says that this is a lesson for us; at times we also need to be cool. We need to be cool in order to cool off our desires for worldly pleasures. We need to be cold toward the attractions and the flash of the physical world, the cars, the restaurants and all the electronic gadgets. Instead we focus our warmth in kedusha.
Thinking positively and being filled with warmth about who we are as Chassidim of the Rebbe and Chayolei Beis David we merit to help build the Beis HaMikdash in our times. If we allow ourselves to fall into skepticism or worse we become cold and miss a great opportunity chas’ v’Shalom. Today is our golden opportunity to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. We get there by learning Chassidus, especially the Sichos of the Rebbe about geula and Moshiach. Even fifteen minutes a day will illuminate our surroundings and fill our lives with warmth and change life for the good.
Each one of us has been given a neshama which has the power to bring the geula. The Rebbe believes in us (perhaps even more than we believe in ourselves). We need to remember that “Toras Menachem Emes” (see Previous Rebbe’s Sicha 5697-1937 page 229) the Rebbe is emes and what the Rebbe said is emes. The Rebbe entrusted us and we can, as the Rebbe’s Chassidim and Chayolei Beis David persevere with warmth and enthusiasm for our mission while being cold to pandemics, political and economic upheaval, to the very end, the coming of Moshiach today!
A Good Shabbos
*Interpolated Translation from Kehot Chumash