Category — Gimmel Tammuz

Leadership is the ability to get men to do what they don’t want to do and like it.

– Harry S. Truman

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Life is comprised of many moments. There was the moment life began and the moment we took our first step; the moment we stepped on the school bus for the first time and the moment we graduated from kindergarten.

We finish elementary and move on to high school, get married and have children. These are all moments of which we take note. We herald them as milestones. Yet how many moments that we live through have no significance? How many are just lame, empty or even destructive? For many of us, unfortunately, the majority of moments in our lifetimes would probably fall into the latter category.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, for whom this Tuesday will mark thirteen years since that unforgettable 3rd of Tammuz 1994, teaches the world the power of a moment.

He asked and demanded small seconds and little acts: Teffilin, Shabbat candles, Mezuzah and Matza on Passover. He taught that there is no better time than the present to add light and goodness into this universe; no more auspicious occasion than now to make a 180-degree turn on the course of life. Change your destiny NOW, the Rebbe demanded.

He appreciated the awesomeness of a single second because he appreciated life itself. Life is growth; dead objects don’t grow. Each second is an opportunity to reach for the stars. What was here a mere second ago is now nonrefundable, a loss for all eternity.

The Rebbe never took a vacation – there was simply no time. The Rebbe barely slept – there was just too much to accomplish. Decades after he paid a visit to the first Chabad overnight camp, the Rebbe told one of his students that he was still making up for the lost hours.

One split second was all it took to kill hundreds of thousands with an atom bomb. One instant took down the twin towers. In one minute, a new baby joins the living, and all we have is one fleeting second to say goodbye. With mere choices of words or expressions, relationships are born or terminated - in seconds.

The world began in a moment. Everything begins in a moment. Every moment is a lifetime.

The Rebbe cried: Each moment that we stay in exile is an eternity!

The Rebbe envisioned: Each moment during which Israel talks about concessions for peace will weaken its security.

The Rebbe promised: The moment we will resolve to bring Moshiach, he will come.

And now, the Rebbe pleads with each and every one of us: Use this moment to change the world!

Perhaps this worldview is best expressed by the slogan-turned-song that the Rebbe adopted and encouraged often, with amazing vitality: We Want Moshiach Now!

NOW!

Do something about it:

Catch the moment it will never return!

They say when money talks, nobody is hard of hearing. Some voices, though, are infinitely more powerful.

Look, we’ve reached a milestone – our Bar Mitzvah email! And, Boruch Hashem, the feedback reflects the interest we all have in discussing Torah’s view and Jewish interests in a simple, short and humorous manner.
But I have a confession to make. The concepts we have discussed until now, and whatever we will discuss in future emails, all revolve around one central point. It is time we discussed it fully.
As you all know, I am a Chassid of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Even though, for the most part, I have grown up during these years of concealment, and I don’t remember much, the Rebbe’s influence continues to be a dominant factor in my life.
Every day, tens of thousands of people make decisions based on “What would the Rebbe say?” and “What can I do to fulfill the Rebbe call to bring Moshiach?”
That the Rebbe is a prophet has been proven over and over again; from warning of the frightening outcome of peace talks, to issuing singular assurances of Israel’s victory during threats such as the Persian Gulf War, his is a voice that has always carried G-d’s message. There are countless life and death situations where the Rebbe took responsibility to call the shots, instructing us what needed to be done. Because when the Rebbe talks, nobody is hard of hearing.
On this Shabbos, fifteen years ago, the Rebbe spoke about the name of our Torah portion, “Shoftim” – Judges. G-d commands the Jewish nation to appoint judges who will make sure that normal civilized – and, most importantly, Torah laws should be the law of the land.
To identify the difference between the ways judges rule and the way a adviser gives advice is simple. A judge doesn’t explain; he doesn’t care if you like it or not.
The adviser, however, tries to convince you and help you see the logic behind his advice; he cares about you and wants to help you. But at the same time, the adviser has a limitation – he cannot enforce his idea, for you are not bound by his word, whereas the judge has government backing for his decisions.
To put it in short: with the judge, it’s all about him and the law; with the adviser it’s all about you.
To compare this to the world of Torah, this would be the difference between a Torah teacher and a prophet. The Torah is spiritual and, as much as we understand and comprehend, the greater part of it remains beyond our comprehension. A prophet gets all nitty-gritty, if you will, discussing the simple mundane world and what will be. Torah study is about spirituality and lofty discussions; prophecy is about you, about improving YOUR life.
We, in our generation, are very fortunate to have a prophet, judge, Torah teacher and adviser who has helped so many and including some of the readers as well. The Rebbe imparts the timeless wisdom of Torah in a way that it relates to each and every individual, applying to his or her life.
Today, although we don’t see him, many still turn to the Rebbe for blessings in their times of need, with requests, and for direction. By writing to his grave site or writing and inserting a letter into his books of correspondence called “Igrot Kodesh,” tens of thousands have been blessed to learn that there is someone to turn to. There is a judge and a prophet in Israel.
He is your Rebbe as he is mine; I am sorry for having kept this a secret for so long.
With G-d’s help we will continue our email next week from our new location: Cincinnati, Ohio!