I have a secret

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!