Act First, Talk Later
By Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Ginsberg

In connection with Lag B’Omer, and the pressing issue of how shluchim all over the world are incorporating Moshiach and Geula into their Lag B’Omer parades and celebrations, I’d like to share a story that was told by Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner at a farbrengen:

"There are times when the Rebbe shlita says something openly and publicly and other times when he doesn’t. One Sunday, the day after a farbrengen at which the Rebbe had spoken about a certain matter he wanted accomplished, the Rebbe asked me what had been done. I answered that the people who were in charge had certain questions and did not know how to proceed.

"The Rebbe responded, ‘Ach! Why do they have to ask questions? Why can’t they just do what I said? If they just did, they would succeed. What do you think happened when the Children of Israel reached the Yam Suf? Moshe Rabbeinu could have just led them over to the other side; they didn’t need anything else. They didn’t need Moshe to ‘stretch forth his hand,’ they didnneed his staff, they didn’t need the ‘strong east wind that blew a whole night,’ and they didn’t need to split the Sea. None of it would have been necessary if they had just had faith in Moshe Rabbeinu.

"‘They didn’t even need to resort to a "Nachshon ben Aminadav." They could have all just marched over the water as if it were dry land. Why do they have to ask questions? When they were with Moshe Rabbeinu the questions began: ‘And the Jewish people cried out.’ But why do they have to cry out? When they start crying out, that’s when they have to start looking for other advice…’"

* * *

On Shabbos Parshas Shmini 5718 the Rebbe told the famous story of the Arizal and his disciples, brought down in Shivchei HaArizal:

"One time late in the afternoon on Erev Shabbos, the Arizal and his disciples went to the outskirts of Tzfas to greet the Shabbos Queen. In the midst of their singing, the rav [the Arizal] turned to them and said, ‘My friends, would you like to go to Yerushalayim before Shabbos so we can spend Shabbos there?’ (The distance between Yerushalayim and Tzfas is 25 parasangs.) Some of the students said yes, while others wanted to first go home and inform their wives… When the Arizal heard this he trembled greatly and struck his hands together [in anguish] and said, ‘Woe is us, that we did not have the merit to be redeemed. Had you all replied that you wanted to go, unanimously and joyfully, the entire Jewish people would have been redeemed, as it is now an auspicious time for the Redemption. Since you refused, the exile has been re-imposed because of our many sins.’"

The Rebbe derived the following lesson: "Hiskashrus and kabalos ol are the required components. Our Sages must be obeyed unconditionally, in the same way a soldier in the army obeys his commander. A soldier does not have any personal considerations. The only reality to him is his commander and his orders. If a Jew has doubts about his rav, G-d forbid, it is a sign that his hiskashrus is defective, which means that the basic unity (‘all of us as one’) is also defective. And, of course, in such a case, the ‘bless us, our Father’ will also be lacking.

"On a deeper level: Calculations certainly have their place, but are inappropriate in a war. It is impossible to bring Moshiach in this manner, that as soon as a person hears something, he takes out the Shulchan Aruch and runs to a moreh horaa to make sure it doesn’t contradict something else he has heard…It is simply impossible to bring Moshiach that way!

"This also helps explain why the Arizal stayed in Tzfas for that Shabbos… When he saw his students hesitate, he understood that their hiskashrus was defective, and that going to Yerushalayim wouldn’t have accomplished what it was supposed to.

"A Jew’s hiskashrus must be perfect in order to be a soldier in the House of David. It cannot be a mere verbal declaration – ‘Nevertheless they flattered him with their mouth, and they lied to him with their tongues. For their heart was not constant with him, nor were they faithful in his covenant’ – but must be brought down into the realm of practical deed. Action comes first, after which there is plenty of time to talk. But talking alone will not fulfill one’s obligation. If a Jew’s hiskashrus is defective, not only does he forfeit the true good he could have otherwise obtained, but it also affects the Jewish people as a whole…

"Nonetheless, we see that the Arizal stayed in Tzfas with the students who had wanted to consult their wives, and even learned with them afterwards, and they continued to be his disciples. This is because despite the flaw in their hiskashrus that prevented them from bringing Moshiach, the Arizal still taught them things for which they were appropriate vessels, in the hope that he could elevate them slowly to a higher level.

"The same principle applies to soldiers in an army. As is written, ‘All who go out to war for the House of David’ must write a ‘geht of divorce,’ separating himself from worldly affairs. If he does not, and any other reality still exists for him, he is considered to be in the category of ‘fearful and soft of heart,’ whom the Torah advises to ‘go home to his house.’ But even in this case it doesn’t mean that he just should go home and go to sleep. Rather, it means that he should return home and fulfill the commander’s directives in his limited surroundings (at the very least): disseminating Torah and spreading the wellsprings outward. One mitzva brings another in its wake, and over the course of time he will become more elevated and truly mekushar, until he finally merits to be among those who ‘go out to war for the House of David’ and bring the Final Redemption."

In the first few weeks after the famous sicha of Chaf-Ches Nissan 5751 ("Do all in your power") the Rebbe’s sichos were filled with Moshiach and Geula. The excitement among Anash was at a fever pitch, especially when it came to publicly identifying the Rebbe as Moshiach.

On the second of Iyar of that year, the psak din of the rabbanim (Rabbis Ashkenazi, Bistritzky, and Axelrod of Eretz Yisroel, and all three members of the Beis Din of Crown Heights) that the Rebbe is Melech HaMoshiach was submitted to the Rebbe together with a page of signatures (at first ten, later 250) formally accepting the Rebbe’s sovereignty. The Rebbe replied, "Yasher ko’ach, yasher ko’ach," and many more encouraging answers followed. Before Shabbos Parshas Tazria-Metzora, these answers were posted on the walls of 770.

The high point came towards the end of the farbrengen that Shabbos, when it was time for making announcements. The Rebbe indicated that everyone who had prepared a bottle of mashke should go up to the bima and make his announcements publicly. "This publicity will reverberate throughout the world, and throughout the whole seider ha’hishtalshelus, leading to the recognition of G-d’s unity in the true and complete Redemption, immediately and at once."

At that moment R’ David Nachshon stood up and declared that since the rabbanim had already paskened that "the time for the Redemption has arrived," and more recently that the Rebbe is Melech HaMoshiach, everyone present in shul hereby accepts upon himself the Rebbe’s malchus and declares "Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu v’Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach l’olam va’ed!" The olam repeated this three times, each repetition growing louder and louder while the Rebbe listened intently. The Rebbe then turned to R’ David and said with a smile, "L’chaim v’livracha." The joy and enthusiasm in 770 that day cannot be described. Thousands of voices burst into "Chayalei Adoneinu," and many people even made a SheHecheyanu b’sheim u’malchus (i.e., pronouncing Hashem’s Name)!

Later, when the Rebbe went to daven Maariv in the small zal upstairs, everyone started singing "Yechi Adoneinu." The Rebbe stood by his shtender for a long time encouraging the singing.

And then the next day the concealments began. The Rebbe came down late for Shacharis, and a rumor started (which was later refuted by the Rebbe’s mazkirus, but the damage had already been done) that the Rebbe was very angry about the singing of "Yechi," and had refused to come down until it was stopped. It was also rumored that the Rebbe had said that everyone should shun R’ David Nachshon and his crowd.

The rumor was so upsetting to R’ David Nachshon that he almost went back to Eretz Yisroel. That same day he and R’ Avi Taub told the Rebbe by "dollars" that they were thinking of returning home. But instead of the usual bracha for a good trip or to give tzedaka in the Holy Land, the Rebbe gave each of them an additional dollar and said, "Kiflayim l’toshiya" (i.e., indicating a double measure). In fact, the Rebbe repeated his words a second time.

A while later, Shmuel Shmueli, the editor of Yisroel Shelanu (a Hebrew newspaper published in New York) also passed by the Rebbe and told him there was a rumor circulating that the Rebbe wanted people to avoid R’ Dovid Nachshon. The Rebbe became very serious and said emphatically, "I am not responsible for rumors. If I had to respond to every rumor that existed I would never be able to daven or learn. You mustn’t pay attention to rumors, and you absolutely cannot derive any directives from them!"

During the same time period that the Rebbe continued to encourage the singing of "Yechi," and more and more rabbanim were signing the psak din that the Rebbe is Melech HaMoshiach, and signatures for kabbalas ha’malchus continued to stream into 770, an article was printed somewhere alleging that it had been explained to the Rebbe that these activities were pushing Jews away and interfering with the spreading of the wellsprings outward.

In other words, to continue the above analogy, some of the Rebbe’s soldiers were staging an insurrection, and informing their commander that they could not carry out his orders. Why? Because they had questions about how to proceed, precisely because they were such great Chassidim and mekusharim.

To the physical eye, it was then that we began to perceive a certain concealment on the Rebbe’s part as well. Or, in terms of the above sicha, "When he saw his students hesitate, he understood that their hiskashrus was defective, and that going to Yerushalayim wouldn’t have accomplished what it was supposed to..."

It was also around this time that the Rebbe wrote to Shmuel Shmueli as follows: "According to reports I have received, the publication of these matters has resulted in new opponents to learning Chassidus, etc. As with any argument, especially one that appears in print, the questions are always readily accepted, whereas the same cannot be said for the answers. It appears that, given the present climate, it would be better to cease [writing about these matters] for a period of time."

Over the next few weeks the Rebbe seemed to put Moshiach and Geula on the back burner in his sichos kodesh. (Of course, Moshiach and Geula were always there, but only in the form of hints and allusions.) After a short hiatus, however, the fire was turned up again.

What was going on? Perhaps, to paraphrase the Rebbe’s words: He remained with the students who had wanted to consult their wives, and even learned with them afterwards, and they continued to be his disciples. For despite the flaw in their hiskashrus that prevented them from bringing Moshiach, he still taught them things for which they were appropriate vessels, in the hope that he could elevate them slowly to a higher level.

One of the directives issued around this time was in connection with Lag B’Omer. The Rebbe had advised the Lubavitch Youth Organization in Eretz Yisroel not to use certain signs (such as "We Want Moshiach Now") in their parades, so as "not to push Jews away." A brouhaha immediately erupted among the Chassidim, who wondered if the Rebbe really meant it. That is, some Chassidim claimed that the Rebbe wanted us to have mesiras nefesh and not fulfill his horaa, which had only been issued in response to people’s questions. Others likened it to the Rebbe’s explanation (on Shabbos Parshas Chayei Sara 5752) of the saying of our Sages, "One must do everything the baal ha’bayis tells him to, except leave." In other words, even if the true Baal HaBayis of the world, Hashem, were to tell us to stop (praying for Moshiach), He does not really want us to, as His true desire is that we continue to implore him for the Geula.

(The Rebbe gave another example on Shabbos Parshas D’varim 5751, when he explained that the despite G-d’s explicit command to Moshe, "Do not speak to Me any more about this matter," we see that in actuality, Moshe Rabbeinu had mesiras nefesh and continued davening. Why? Because "One must do everything the baal ha’bayis tells him to, except leave.")

At the time, I, like many others, felt that if the Rebbe gave us an explicit directive, it didn’t matter what the reasons behind it were. If the Rebbe tells us to do something, we’re supposed to do it. When Moshe Rabbeinu told the Jews "not to go up and not to fight" after the sin of the spies, he meant that they shouldn’t go up. Those who did so were wrong when they didn’t obey Moshe.

But let’s just imagine what it would have been like if the Jews in the desert had decided that Moshe Rabbeinu meant they should never do anything that would lead them towards the Land of Israel! The whole Divine intention would have been misunderstood and perverted. The command "not to go up and not to fight" only applied at a certain point in history, in response to specific circumstances of time and place. Assuming anything else is patently ridiculous. This is especially true when we consider the many directives Moshe Rabbeinu issued later, urging the Jews to continue onward toward Eretz Yisroel and to conquer the land.

What does this mean for us? The Rebbe shlita’s general horaa (issued to the entire world on Shabbos Parshas Chayei Sara 5752 – after the specific directive pertaining to Lag B’Omer 5751) was that everything (yes, everything!) we do must be fully permeated and saturated with Moshiach and Geula. Every other aspect of the service of shlichus has been completed, and "the only service that remains is to actually greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu."

It is, therefore, obvious that all our Lag B’Omer parades and celebrations, like every other Chabad peula, must reflect this central message, as conveyed through signs, banners, hats, T-shirts, etc.

May our very resolution to implement the Rebbe’s wishes bring about the ultimate objective of the Final Redemption, and may the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach stand at the head of our Lag B’Omer parade this year in Yerushalayim.

Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu V’Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach L’olam Va’ed!