Category — Yud tes Kislev

Q: How many Jews does it take to change a light bulb?

A: 50. One to change the bulb, 13 to discuss it and give contradictory advice to the person changing the bulb, and 36 to live elsewhere, start their own community, act mentshlich and not mention the previous bulb.

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Hey, have you heard? It’s Rosh Hashanah tonight!

One second, I know that at my old age, memory is the second thing to go (I forgot the first), but if I remember correctly, just over two months ago we already went through the motions? Have we sinned so much that the Rabbis instituted quarterly High Holy Days?

One second, just hear me out…

Oh, no, don’t tell me that ten days later is a mid-winter Yom Kippur…

Relax, it’s not another 500-dollar-seat-eight-sermons-hundred-horn-blows kind of New Year; this time we are celebrating a different type. And it even has a unique name: Rosh Hashanah for Chassidus.

Hold on, I never heard of Rosh Hashanah for the Talmud, and I don’t recall a New Years for philosophy? Are we making new years for every new movement in Judaism? If that’s the case, based on the ‘two Jews three opinions’ principle, we’ll need a mathematician to figure out how many Rosh Hashanahs can be squeezed into a split second…

No, this is not just another movement; this is the energy of Judaism! I guess you can call it the Red-Bull of Jewish practice.

Huh?

Let me bring you an example. Imagine you live in beautiful house, a mansion, with all the delights you can imagine… but there is no light in the house. How much of the experience would it ruin?

All of it! It’s almost worthless if I cannot see it. True, everything is in place, and light doesn’t change anything, yet….

Ah! That is Chassidus; the light and energy of the Jewish way of life. You can live as a practitioner of Judaism by following the laws, however it is done robot-like, with no passion, and no happiness. The Chassidic revolution helps light up the already perfect, albeit dark and depressing home, so that it can truly shine.

Gotcha! Talking about Chassidic revolution, if I recall correctly, one of the good stuff it incorporated into our way of life, is the custom of raising a cup and saying L’chaim?

Correct!

Nu! It’s Yud Tes Kislev! Pass over the Schnapps! What are we waiting for?

L’chaim! Let us bless each other the traditional blessing which Chassidim bless each other on this day:

MAY YOU BE INSCRIBED AND SEALED FOR A GOOD YEAR IN THE STUDY OF CHASSIDUS AND IN THE WAYS OF CHASSIDUS!

This Sunday evening, Yud-Tes Kislev on the Jewish calendar, Jews the world over will gather and celebrate a special holiday which, in the words of the fifth leader of the Chabad movement, Rabbi Shalom Ber of Lubavitch, is the “Rosh Hashanah” of Chassidism.
The Rebbe requested that every Jew participate in a Yud-Tes Kislev “Farbrengen,” as these gatherings are referred in Chassidic terminology.
Around tables laden with food and L’chaim, thousands of people who have been inspired and touched by Chassidic philosophy and practice will come together in song and rejoicing to celebrate this momentous occasion.
At the banquet, they will retell the story of this day, explain the deeper meaning of the tale, and encourage each other to bring the message of the holiday into their daily lives.
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As for those that, for some reason/excuse, will not participate in one of these Chassidic round-the-table parties, Farbrengens on paper will have to suffice… And so, dear friend, please fill a shot-glass with some vodka, put out some kosher cake as a chaser, print out this paper, and shut your cellphone/laptop/treo/iPod or any other communication device you were convinced to buy for some huge rebate offer… and Farbreng.
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First things first – here is the story:
It was in the year 1798 that the founder of Chabad Chassidism, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812) was freed from his imprisonment in Czarist Russia. More than a personal liberation, this was a watershed event in the history of Chassidism, heralding a new era in the revelation of the “inner soul” of Torah.
In the fall of 1798, Rabbi Schneur Zalman was arrested on charges that his teachings and activities threatened the imperial authority of the Czar, and was imprisoned in an island fortress on the Neva River in Petersburg. During his interrogations, he was compelled to present to the Czar’s ministers the basic tenets of Judaism and explain various points of Chassidic philosophy and practice. After 52 days, he was exonerated of all charges and released.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman saw these events as a reflection of what was transpiring Above. He regarded his arrest as but the earthly echo of a Heavenly indictment against his revelation of the most intimate secrets of the Torah. And he saw his release as signifying his vindication in the Heavenly court. Following his liberation on Kislev 19, he redoubled his efforts, disseminating his teachings on a far broader scale, and with more detailed and “down to earth” explanations, than before.
That’s the story in short.
There are a many profound details in the story. A dominant one is the message that pain and discomfort are only stepstools to growth. Thrown in jail? Down in the dumps? Life has been goin’ down? Use it to be a better, more passionate and more humble person from now on. L’chaim!
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One of the stories told about his days in prison is the “Where are you?” story. It’s a short anecdote with a huge lesson:
Among the Rebbe’s interrogators was a government minister who possessed broad knowledge of the Bible and Jewish studies. On one occasion, he asked the Rebbe to explain the verse (Genesis 3:9 “And G-d called out to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” Did G-d not know where Adam was?
Rabbi Schneur Zalman presented the explanation offered by several of the commentaries, that the question “Where are you?” was merely a “conversation opener” on the part of G-d, who did not wish to unnerve Adam by immediately confronting him with his wrongdoing.
“What Rashi says, I know,” said the minister. “I wish to hear how the Rebbe understands the verse.”
“Do you believe that the Torah is eternal?” asked the Rebbe. “Do you believe that its every word applies to every individual, under all conditions, at all times?”
“Yes,” replied the minister.
Rabbi Schneur Zalman was extremely gratified to hear this. The Czar’s minister had affirmed a principle which serves as a basis for the teachings of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, the very teachings and ideology for which he was standing trial!
“The question ‘Where are you?’” explained the Rebbe, “is G-d’s perpetual call to every man. Where are you in the world? What have you accomplished? You have been allotted a certain number of days, hours, and minutes in which to fulfill your mission in life. You have lived so many years and so many days (Rabbi Schneur Zalman spelled out the exact age of the minister.) Where are you? What have you achieved?”
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L’chaim! Has it been so long since the last time we asked ourselves “Where are we?” Was it when the credit card bill arrived, or when we were relieved of our job post? Perhaps it was when our navigator died?
Dear friend, G-d is calling to us daily. In the happiness we are blessed with, and sometimes in the pain, G-d sends His message, His eternal question: “Where are you?”
Let us say one final L’chaim, praying that we finally “find ourselves” in the city of Jerusalem, with the coming of the righteous Moshiach, now, now, NOW!