Making Reality Real . . .
The illustrious Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev was a student of the Maggid of Mezritch - one of the founders of the Chassidic movement - while his family belonged to the “Mitnagid” faction – those who were opposed to the recently-created chassidic movement. When Rabbi Levi Yitzchak returned home after studying one day, his disapproving father-in-law asked him what knowledge he had gained from his new mentor. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak replied, “I now know that there is a G‑d!”
His father-in-law gleefully pounced on this bizarre response. “That’s what you studied?” he mocked. “Here, ask my maid whether there is a G‑d. She didn’t spend years studying with a “holy master,” yet she, too, will tell you there is a G‑d!” Rabbi Levi Yitzchak replied, “she says there is a G‑d; I know there is a G‑d…”
This Tuesday, the 19th of Kislev / December 20th, is the yahrtzeit of the great Maggid of Mezritch and the anniversary of the date when the Rabbi Schneur Zalman, the first Chabad Rebbe, was released from prison in 1798 (after being incarcerated due to libelous information supplied to the Czarist government by opponents of the fledgling chassidic movement). This day is festively celebrated, and is known as the “Rosh Hashanah of Chassidut.” According to chassidic tradition, his imprisonment was merely the physical reflection of a Heavenly accusation lodged against the Alter Rebbe and the chassidic cause he was promoting. His liberation therefore symbolized the Heavenly green-light for the continued promulgation of chassidut.
The abovementioned story about Rabbi Levi Yitzchak epitomizes the core of chassidut’s accomplishment. We all say – to others as well as to ourselves – that there is a G‑d and that Torah is His word—but how real is this belief?
An entity becomes real to a perceiver in one of two manners: a) through sensing it via one of the five senses. Or, b) when dealing with an abstract entity which cannot be detected through physical senses, it becomes real only when it is understood. The purpose of chassidut is to make G‑d a real part of the Jew’s life through understanding Him to the extent which it is possible for the finite mind to grasp the infinite nature of G‑d.
Hence the name, Chabad - an acronym for the three intellectual faculties of the human mind. Chachma – conception, Binah – comprehension, and Da’at – integration. Only through intellectual study can we really internalize the infinite.
Chassidut is not reserved for an elite or select group of intellectuals. Every man, woman, and even child, is entitled to enjoy a real relationship with G‑d. Join our class today!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick