Remember Amaleik!- an email Farbrangen with Rabbi Wagner! R Itchele Masmid related the following story; Shlomo Feigin was one of the Berlintzikes; a group of brilliant students chosen by the leaders of Vilna to study in the Berlin universities with the objective of bringing the beauty of Yafes into the halls of Shem. In other words the hope was through having these scholars educated in secular knowledge it would strengthen the camp of Torah. The experiment was - rl - a glaring failure. Most of these scholars left the path of Torah for foreign pastures, rl. From the only survivors was R Moshe Meizlish, who became a chassid of the Alter Rebbe, and R Pinchad the author of Sefer Habris. Shlomo Feigin, in his own wanderings, passed through many places including a period he spent by the Alter Rebbe. During that time he was a business man who made frequent trips to Liepzig and the great fair which took place there. One day the Alter Rebbe called him in and instructed him; Since you are traveling to Liepzig you should stop by on the way by the holy R Shlomo of Karlin. And so he found himself in the hallway of Horav Hakadosh R Shlomo of Karlin awaiting a yechidus. While sitting there he hears how R Shlomo is energetically pacing back and forth in his office. Suddenly the door opens and R Shlomo stands there and calls out yungerman, yungerman! Efsher fort iz do a G-t oif der velt! (Young man! Maybe there is indeed a G-d in the world!) R Shlomo then returned to his room and his pacing. Shlomo Feigin in the meantime continued his waiting though bewildered. Several moments passed and again the holy R Shlomo threw open the door with the same declaration; Yungerman, yungerman! Efsher fort iz do a G-t oif der velt! When this repeated itself a third time Shlomo Feigin understood that he got what he had come for and continued his trip to Liepzig, returning afterwards to Liozna and to the Alter Rebbe. One time the Alter Rebbe was saying Torah about the difference between mayim achronim and mayim emtzoiyim and Shlomo Feigin scoffed at what was being said. The Alter Rebbe commented then that a worm is eating away at him. Indeed within a short time Shlomo completely abandoned Judasim and rl converted. With his intelligence, education, and extra attractiveness as a Jewish meshumad (rl) to boot, he went very far in the Czars administration, ultimately being appointed as the minister of transportation. Years passed. the Alter Rebbe was nistalek as he was on the road fleeing from Napoleon and was buried in Haditch. This was right around the time the Russian government was building a railroad to unite all the far-flung corners of their vast empire. According to the plans the railroad was going to pass right through the cemetery in Haditch, necessitating -chv - moving the Alter Rebbe. The Chassidim where very upset, trying any way at their disposal to try to alter the situation. Upon discovering that the minister of transportation was none other than that meshumad, they sent R Moshe Vilenker - who knew him from his days in Liozna - to solicit from him to change this gezeira so that those resting in the earth should not have to be disturbed. The minister received R Moshe with warmth and friendship. When he heard the request he immediate said immediately that when the plans come to him for review he will change them slightly so that the railroad will be twenty kilometers or so outside of Haditch. One request I have from you, the minister said to R Moshe. I would like to farbreng with you a little, just like in the old days, by our Rebbe. One of the secretaries was sent off to the store, and he returned with a bottle of mashke and some herring. R Moshe took out from his travel bag two cups and a knife, and the farbrengen in this most unusual setting began. The meshumad whispered to R Moshe, choked with emotion and longing; You see all the wealth and honor that I have attained. I am living a glorified life. Yet despite all this the declaration I heard from the Holy Karliner reverberates constantly in my head. I hear it echoed every day and it gives me no rest, plaguing me with constant doubts. Yungermam, yungerman! Efsher fort iz do a G-t oif der velt!... *** When R Mendel Futerfas would relate this story he would conclude; Chassidim wondered, why did the Alter Rebbe have to send him to R Shlomo Karliner? Could he have not said the same words to him himself to ensure that he will always doubt his actions and behavior? And Chassidim responded: the Alter Rebbe did not involve himself with sfeikos (doubts)! In Chabad Lubavitch there is complete certainty. For doubts and incertitude, even when necessary for a holy purpose, it is necessary to search elsewhere. *** This Shabbos is parshas zachor, a time when we remember to eradicate Amalek. Amalek has the same gimatriya (numerical value) as safeik (doubt). The kelipah of Amalek affects a person with coldness that he should not be affected by anything.” Even when a person sees a wondrous thing Amalek comes along and cools him off convincing him that it did not occur. And when he cannot deny it he says that it is not wondrous, because since Hashem is omnipotent He can do anything so there is nothing wondrous about it. “And if the wonder is so tangible that he cannot reject it he cools a person off so that it should not cause him excitement. “And if the wonder is so great that a person cannot help but be excited, then he attempts to affect the person that he should not allow the excitement to change his behavior, and certainly not to transform himself. “This is what Amalek is all about – that even though he knows his Creator he exerts himself to deliberately cast doubt and rebel against Him.” (Mamar Zachor 5718) But the Jews during the miracle of Purim (– despite the fact that there was no overt G-dly revelation at all – to the contrary, being a Jew was a death sentence,) declared their connection to G-d with such certainty and commitment that a contrary thought did not even enter their minds for the entire year! This is what thwarted Haman and eradicated Amalek in those times. And this is our objective now as well. To reach a level of ‘ad dlo yoda’ – that our commitment to Hashem and Torah is supra-logical and pervading into our very being. We see G-dliness in our lives even when it is entirely unapparent, and we are affected by this G-dliness with excitement and practical action even when it seems entirely unfeasible. And this is the way of Chabad. Through learning chassidus we attain “rei’yoh” (sight) in Elokus (G-dliness), so that G-d’s reality is not an overwhelming odd (“efsher fort…”) but an absolute reality that cannot be shaken. So what better way to prepare for attaining ‘ad dlo yoda’ than to pick up a maamar chassidus and see G-d! L’chayim!
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 17:22:45 +0000
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