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Why
a Birthday Is Worth Celebrating
By
Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Ginsberg
The
reason we celebrate birthdays is connected to the fact that in
Chabad Chassidus, there is no such thing as a “free ride.”
“Chabad mont pnimiyus” – the individual has to work on
himself, and not rely on “gifts from Above.”
The
mashpia Reb Mendel once related:
The
Alter Rebbe was once out walking with the Chevraya Kaddisha
(the disciples of the Mezeritcher Maggid) when they came upon a
Chassid of the famous Reb Chaim Chaikel of Amdura in the middle of
Sh’moneh Esrei. It was obvious that the Chassid was davening
“with an emes,” that his G-dly soul completely
illuminated his being and was directly communing with its Creator.
“Nu,
what do you say to that?” the members of the Chevraya
Kaddisha asked the Alter Rebbe. “Just look at how he’s davening!”
“Yes,”
the Alter Rebbe replied, “he davens very well. But it’s
not he who is doing the davening, it’s Reb Chaikel of
Amdura.”
As
is known, the Polish “brand” of Chassidus is very different
from Chassidus Chabad. As Reb Shlomo of Karlin commented on the
words “tzaddik b’emunaso yichyeh” (“the tzaddik
lives by his faith”), among Polish Chassidim, the words should
be read “tzaddik b’emunaso yechayeh,” (“the tzaddik
enlivens [others] with his faith”). A Polish Chassid need only
be mekushar to his Rebbe, and the Rebbe supplies him with
all his spiritual needs.
The
Alter Rebbe concluded: “I will never do that with my Chassidim.
They will never be able to rely on ‘free gifts.’ My Chassidim
will have to work hard on themselves and perform their avoda
through their own effort. They may only attain a little, but
whatever they get will really belong to them.”
*
* *
Chaf-Hei
Adar was the 99th birthday of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, of blessed
memory, signifying the entry into her hundredth year. As our Sages
said in Pirkei Avos, “At one hundred, it is as if a
person were dead, passed away and ceased from the world.” As
explained in many places, this means that a person reaches a level
of avoda that surpasses all boundaries and limitations.
This
has special significance in light of the fact that after the
Rebbetzin’s passing on Chaf-Beis Sh’vat 5748, a “new
period” began in the nesius of the Rebbe Melech
HaMoshiach shlita. As the Rebbe explained (see Kuntreis
“Becha Yevareich Yisroel”), at that point “the buttons
had already been polished,” and the only thing left to do was
“to greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu in actuality.”
That
Chaf-Hei Adar, 12 years ago, was the “birthday” of Mivtza Yom
Huledes, which the Rebbe dedicated to the Rebbetzin’s memory and
merit.
Additionally,
because Yud-Alef
Nissan is fast approaching, the birthday of Melech
HaMoshiach, it is especially timely that we consider the Chassidic
concept of birthdays and its special importance for us, the
members of the “seventh generation.”
As
the Rebbe explained, a person celebrating his birthday should
recite the “Sh’hecheyanu” blessing on a new fruit at
his birthday farbrengen. This expresses his thanks to G-d
for his very existence, for his having been born in the first
place. A logical question arises: What’s so wonderful about
being born? From the baby’s perspective, wasn’t he a lot
better off before he took his first breath, both physically and
spiritually?
In
the mother’s womb, he didn’t have to worry about what he would
eat; the fetus “eats what the mother eats.” The fetus is also
better protected from harm than a vulnerable newborn. Spiritually,
the unborn baby is also on a higher level, as “a candle is lit
by his head, and he is taught the entire Torah.” As soon as he
is born, “an angel comes and slaps him on the mouth, causing him
to forget everything he has learned.” In truth, how many people
ever attain the same level of knowledge, even after a lifetime of
Torah study?
(This
is related to the custom of eating arbis (chickpeas) at a shalom
zachor as a symbol of mourning for the Torah the newborn has
just forgotten, in the same way a mourner eats “round foods”
that have no mouth, as the mourner “cannot open his mouth”
against Divine judgment.)
When
you really think about it, why do we celebrate when a
person is born?
The
opening story about the Alter Rebbe sheds some light on this.
True, a fetus receives a lot more than a newborn infant, but it is
not yet an independent being. As Rashi comments, “It is not yet
a person.” The fetus is given an abundance of spiritual and
material blessings, but they don’t really “belong” to him.
Its very existence isn’t self-sufficient but depends entirely on
the mother. The fetus must rely on what it is given, which are
essentially “free gifts.” This explains why halachically,
an unborn baby isn’t even considered a “metziyus,”
and a person who causes death to a fetus, G-d forbid, isn’t
deserving of capital punishment.
In
truth, this expresses one of the main innovations of Chabad
Chassidus: the need for independent avoda. When it comes to
our Divine service, there’s no such thing as a free ride. A Jew
must never rely on “free gifts” – not from G-d, not from the
Rebbe, not from his rav, and not from his mashpia.
Until a person expends his own effort, he hasn’t attained
anything he can rightfully call “his.” And even if it
outwardly appears that he has a lot, they are only external
trappings, and “he is not yet a person.”
The
yom huledes, the day a person is born, marks the beginning
of the process of becoming an independent being. No longer can he
live because of what others give him; now he is on his own. He may
not accomplish a lot, but whatever his achievements, they will
truly be “his.” When “independent service” is the
foundation and underlying principle of one’s life, one can then
successfully integrate the “gifts” one receives from Above.
Superficially,
this concept may seem to contradict the main innovation of
Chassidus. Chassidus demands complete and total bittul
(self-negation), that the individual put aside the ego and
“forget” his own existence. According to Chassidus, a person
is supposed to de-emphasize his own feelings and concentrate on
the foundation of “pure faith.”
So
how do birthdays fit in? How do we reconcile the need for
independent avoda with a sense of bittul?
The
two approaches are reflected in the revelation of Chassidus
itself. Chronologically, “general” Chassidus, as propounded by
the Baal Shem Tov, came first, followed by Chabad Chassidus, as
developed by the Alter Rebbe. This is because in avoda, the
first step must be bittul and pure faith, without the
interference of the intellect. Only afterward do we go on to
refine our other midos. (The Rebbe Rashab likened this to
the chronology of the Patriarchs having preceded Mattan Torah
historically.)
Yet
it would be wrong to characterize Chabad Chassidus as emphasizing
the “I.” On the contrary, there is no system of thought
demanding a higher level of bittul, insisting that nothing
can be built on either logic or personal feeling.
However,
Chabad Chassidus warns that even bittul can be makif,
existing outside the individual without being fully internalized.
If bittul comes from without (as a “gift” from G-d,
from the Rebbe, etc.) and is not fully internalized, the person
remains the same “metziyus” as before, and nothing has
been accomplished. In effect, whatever spiritual achievements a
Jew attains are not really his.
For
this reason, one of the basic principles of Chabad Chassidus is
that a person must never content himself with “spiritual
gifts” from others, no matter how lofty or superior to what he
would be able to attain by his own effort. A person must work very
hard on himself – independently – to ensure that his bittul
is internalized with a p’nimiyus.
The
Gemara cites the famous case of “the robber who stands before
the entrance and prays to G-d” as an example of what happens
when faith isn’t internalized. The robber, about to commit an
act of theft or even murder, G-d forbid, sees no contradiction in
asking G-d for help! This is because although the criminal truly
believes in G-d, his belief is only makif and has not
penetrated his very essence. His emuna remains “above,”
encompassing rather than internalized. This creates an absurd
situation in which he behaves in a manner contradictory to what he
believes, and even asks G-d for success in his mission!
To
prevent such situations from occurring (on a finer scale, of
course), “Chabad mont p’nimiyus” – “Chabad
requires self-internalization.” Through his own efforts the
individual must take everything he has ever learned and believes
in, and make sure that it trickles down to his inner being. The
results might not be as glorious as what he could achieve with
outside help, but they will truly belong to him.
Accordingly,
a yom huledes signifies the need to stand on one’s own
two feet. Without independent effort, there is no “free gift”
in the world that will have the desired effect.
The
Alter Rebbe initiated the idea of a Chassid being “born.” (In
fact, it was in the Alter Rebbe’s times that the concept of
birthdays first started to gain in significance, i.e., Chai Elul,
his own birthday and that of the Baal Shem Tov.) Nonetheless, the
practice of celebrating birthdays was not widespread, and only
pertained to certain individuals (perhaps because only a select
few were truly “born”).
The
momentum increased with the Rebbe Rayatz, who revealed many
customs to be observed on the day of one’s birth. This was
expanded upon by the Rebbe shlita, the “seventh
generation,” but wasn’t given the form of an official “mivtza”
until the “new period” in the Rebbe’s nesius, which
commenced after the Rebbetzin’s passing in 5748.
In
other words, although the Alter Rebbe initiated the idea of
independent effort to ensure that one’s avoda permeates
his inner being, it still required the individual to “step out
of himself” to a certain degree in order to receive the
revelation from Above. The very lowest levels of existence were
still untouched. In the times of the Alter Rebbe, a Chassid had to
spend years studying Torah, davening with the utmost
concentration and correcting his midos in order to be on a
level where he could internalize all he had learned.
The
ultimate objective of creation, making G-d a “dwelling place in
the lower worlds,” was starting to materialize. G-dliness was
pervading the “lower worlds,” but only the topmost layers. The
Sh’china had begun its initial descent from the
“seventh firmament,” but had not yet reached its final
destination on earth. An individual wishing to take part in the
process had to expend great effort over many years to elevate
himself sufficiently.
With
every subsequent generation the Sh’china descended
further, as G-dliness penetrated increasingly lower levels of
existence. The Rebbe Rayatz, the s’fira of yesod
(the “gateway” to the very lowest levels of earth), continued
the process by extending it to people and places that previously
couldn’t even relate to the process. (This is one of the reasons
the Rebbe Rayatz always lived in urban centers, and dealt with all
kinds of people throughout his life.)
As
is known, the final step, that of bringing the Sh’china
completely down to earth so that the “lower world” itself
becomes a source of illumination, belongs to the Rebbe Melech
HaMoshiach, the “seventh generation,” the s’fira of malchus.
As the Rebbe stated upon accepting the nesius, in the maamar
Basi L’Gani on Yud Sh’vat 5711: “This is what is
required of each of us, the members of the seventh generation,
about which it states ‘all sevenths are beloved’: The fact
that we are of the seventh generation is not by our choice or in
the merit of our avoda; in many respects it may even be
against our will. Nonetheless, ‘all sevenths are beloved,’ and
we are now in the period known as ikvisa d’Meshicha [the
heels of Moshiach], and are in fact at the very end of the heel.
Our avoda consists of completing the process of drawing
down the Sh’china [to earth], and not just the Sh’china,
but the ‘main part’ of the Sh’china, and precisely to
the lowest levels.”
With
the advent of the Rebbe shlita we reached the stage at
which G-dliness has not only reached the very lowest levels of
existence, but “bursts” out of them. The Rebbe has touched
every geographical location on earth, even the most far-off and
remote. These places, in turn, have turned into “independent”
centers of Yiddishkeit and Chassidus, translating the
highest concepts of Torah into every spoken language in the world.
All methods of hafatza are being utilized, bringing Torah
to every man, woman and child alive today.
The
Rebbe works through his army of shluchim, Rabbanim, mashpiim,
community activists, etc., regardless of their own spiritual
standing. The Rebbe works through us, even if we are unworthy of
the honor. For the Rebbe is the very epitome of getting the world
to serve G-d “independently.”
If
previously the “buttons still had to be polished” to be ready
for the Final Redemption, after the Rebbetzin’s passing on Chaf-Beis
Sh’vat 5748 we reached a new era in which polishing them further
“could only cause damage.” This is because we’re already at
the point at which G-dliness has completely permeated creation,
and even the lowest among us can relate to it.
The
concept of “independent service” is even more pertinent today,
after Zach Adar and Gimmel Tammuz, when it appears to the physical
eye that we are working “alone,” G-d forbid. This is why it is
even more important to adhere to the Rebbe’s hora’os
“like a hairsbreadth” and continue all the Rebbe’s inyanim,
spreading the Rebbe’s prophecy of imminent Redemption. For in
fact, the greatest expression of the concept of yom huledes
is when even the lowest levels of creation will know that the
Rebbe shlita is “chai v’kayam” in the literal
sense. To that end we will continue to proclaim “Yechi
Adoneinu” at every opportunity, until the Rebbe is
completely revealed before the eyes of the world. May it happen
immediately.
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