Lubavitcher
Children Belong In Lubavitcher Schools!
A
letter written by R’ Avrohom Pariz describing the uniqueness of Kfar
Chabad and asking its residents to behave accordingly
Boruch
Hashem, Tammuz 5721 (1961)
To
my brothers Anash,
First
of all, I want to briefly tell you what a Rebbe is:
The
Rebbe writes in a letter: “He who sanctifies the name of Chabad,
sanctifies the name of the nasi; and when one sanctifies the name
of the nasi, one sanctifies the name of Atzmus Ohr Ein Sof
baruch Hu.
Whoever
has a brain in his head, can understand from these few brief words, what
a Rebbe is all about. Within the holy body of the Rebbe, Atzmus Ein
Sof baruch Hu resides, similar to “the Shechina’s constricting
itself between the two poles of the aron.” This tells us that
whatever the Rebbe says or writes, Atzmus Ein Sof baruch Hu is
saying and writing, so to speak.
When
I was in Otvotsk, in Poland, R’ Yechezkel Feigin told me that the
Rebbe Rayatz had once told him that a Jew once came and asked him for
business advice. “That Jew,” said the Rebbe, “was in business for
25 years. Doesn’t he know his business better than I do? However, I
do not answer based on intellect.”
The
Rebbe Rashab once said, “My first thought — whether regarding a
personal matter or a general matter — cannot be ignored.”
From
these holy words you understand that the “Shechina speaks within
their throats.” A healthy intellect derives thereby that when
someone does not obey the Rebbe in a personal matter, he does a
tremendously foolish thing.
But
when we speak about a matter that affects the general public,
particularly a matter that affects Klal Yisroel, and certainly a
matter which affects the preparations for the revelation of light of
Moshiach mamash — then, not listening delays the revelation
of light for the time being! This sin is too great to bear.
In
truth, this is universally relevant, but now I will speak about matters
pertaining to Kfar Chabad since this is the “ikar ha’ikrim”
(of greatest importance).
The
Rebbe wrote a number of times that Kfar Chabad is not a private matter,
and it is not a place where people gathered to form a town for their
personal reasons. Kfar Chabad is not like this at all. Kfar Chabad is a
universal matter, relevant to Anash all around the world.
The
idea is that the residents of the Kfar must raise themselves up
— not to think about their personal matters — and place themselves
into the klal (aggregate); to think only about the betterment of
the klal, and by improving the lot of the klal it will
benefit them in their personal matters, in a lofty manner and with great
success in actual gashmiyus, in parnasa, and the health of
the family, in an incomparably greater manner than if they had only
thought of themselves.
You
can find a similar idea in regard to prayer. If the prayer of an
individual is not the way it should be, it is not accepted. But when the
same person davens with a congregation — even if his prayer is
full of foreign thoughts — it rises up and is accepted favorably
because of the merit of the many. So too, and even more so, in this
matter.
When
a person thinks only of himself, then he needs a great z’chus
and great success to find a business from which he can derive parnasa
and wellbeing according to his ability. But when he puts himself and his
personal matters aside for the betterment of the Klal — especially in
order for the Rebbe to be able to carry out his holy plans, and his holy
desires, of course, are for our benefit — then he will have ample parnasa
in any business at all, as well as physical health for him and his
family. This is because of the z’chus ha’rabbim, and
especially because of the z’chus of the Rebbe.
Based
on the above, Kfar Chabad is something general, especially since Kfar
Chabad is the channel through which all hashpaos come, in ruchniyus
and gashmiyus, for all Anash and all Jews, and as it is written
in the holy letters that through the Kfar, light spreads forth
(referring to Toras HaChassidus and its ways) to the entire world. And
the intention in this is that all will acknowledge and see proven that
“Moshe — the Rebbe — and his Torah are true,” and this is what
the Baal Shem Tov meant when he said “when your wellsprings go
forth,” and this is the vessel for the revelation of light of
Moshiach.
Therefore,
it is understood that all of us together must unite and try to help make
it happen in the quickest way possible, and this is dependent on us:
First
of all, there is the issue of the education of our boys and
girls. We must invest our strength in order that our children learn only
in Chabad schools, and not in other schools. Whoever learns Chassidus b’tuv
taam v’daas v’aliba d’nafshei (with a proper
understanding and applies what he learns) understands that all the other
institutions, even though they may look good on the outside, are not in
line with the ultimate purpose of “your wellsprings.” Only Chabad
institutions, wherever they are — if they have the seal, the name of
the Rebbe — are entirely in accord with the ultimate purpose, which is
the vessel for the revelation of the light of Moshiach. Whether we
understand it or not, this is the reality.
The
Slonimer Rebbe, z’l, said that even if Torah would be taught in
Russian in the Lubavitcher yeshivos, he would tell his Chassidim
to send their children there.
How
pleasant it is to hear such a deep and refined thought. They knew the
greatness of the holy abilities of the Rebbe, that he has the ability to
transform everything into Torah [even a foreign tongue].
All
this is by way of introduction to the point I wanted to write about.
Since the Kfar will be a city, and it is possible that someone —
called a Chassid, but who isn’t a Chassid, and the Clever One (the
Yetzer Hara) will convince him — will send his child to a school that
is not Chabad, which is a “ graven image in the palace of the king.”
The
residents of the Kfar must ensure that such a situation does not arise,
by making clear rules and regulations stating that a resident of the
Kfar must send his child to mosdos Chabad only. And if not, to
ask him to leave the Kfar. And it is for his good, because outside the
Kfar his crime won’t be so great. But when he lives in Kfar Chabad and
does not value a Chabad education, this is a pirtza in the Chabad
community and a desecration of the Rebbe’s name. It’s just like
tearing up the king’s picture, etc. The gabbaim of the shul do
not have to give him aliya seven if he is a Kohein or Levy,
because “eis la’asos l’Hashem heifeiru Torasecha” (the
Torah is abolished in an emergency). This is not in the way of
punishment, but in order that he repent. But if it does not help, he
must be thrown out of the Kfar, for his own good, because if there is a din
down below, then there is no din up Above. And if the Beis
Din Shel Maala were to get involved in this, his situation will be
very grave.
My
brothers and friends, unite and make sure that undesirable things like
these should not happen in Kfar Chabad. Don’t be impressed by the “eirev
rav” [who do not obey the Rebbe]. They belong to two categories:
the first category consists of those who say “Who asked you to get
involved?” This group is not even in the category of man at all! They
are the brokers of the Satan who wraps himself in a Rabbinical mantle,
against Hashem and His anointed one.
The
second category consists of those who claim “based on the way you
write, you are answered.” They themselves do not even think about what
they are saying! According to them, when someone writes something that
is not true at all, and he [the Rebbe] answers based on what they wrote,
it turns out that according to them he is supporting lies, r’l.
Not
only does Toras ha’Nigla negate this opinion, but even human intellect
rejects this! I ask you, is this opinion not false? It is nothing but
the chutzpa of the eirev rav.
Jews
are called “believers, children of believers.” Why is
“believers” said twice? This teaches us what a Jew is — “And
they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant.” This is emuna
in the Creator and emuna in tzaddikim. This is a Jew!
But
the eirev rav can’t stand this. They can digest belief in the
Creator, but emunas tzaddikim they just can’t stand. Instead of
Moshe Rabbeinu they choose a golden calf. They prefer silver and gold to
the Rebbe. This is what they are about.
Kinder,
we are G-d’s children. Our Father in Heaven, we are Your children and
we want You and Your servant, the Rebbe. We don’t need others and we
don’t want others. Be revealed to all, so that all acknowledge that he
— the Rebbe — is Moshiach whose arrival we and all Jews are waiting
for with chesed and rachamim, speedily mamash.
b’chol
ha’kavod
Avrohom
Pariz