Hiskashrus: Preparing For Yud Shvat

THERE IS NOTHING HIGHER THAN HISKASHRUS TO THE REBBE

A few days ago, a young man came to me and said in amazement that the Rebbe Rayatz once told him that by being connected to him he would be connected (through him) to the one that he (the Rebbe himself) was connected to.

Since he was very excited I did not want to cool him off, but the truth of the matter is, it makes no difference to us (whom the Rebbe is connected to ). We are connected to him, and for us there is nothing higher.

What does this resemble? You can say that a certain limb of the body derives its life-force from the liver, the heart (which is above the liver), or the brain (which is higher than the heart). But you cannot say or think that it derives life from someone else’s brain. A living limb wants to remain alive and does not want to weaken, ch’v. It must, therefore, receive life from its own body’s brain. So too regarding hiskashrus to the Rebbe, the head (the brain) and crown of our generation. (Sicha eve of 2 Iyar 5710)

TO PICTURE THE REBBE EVERY MORNING!

Every morning — it makes no difference whether before or after Birchos HaShachar (another version: before Modeh Ani or after Modeh Ani) — everyone who saw the Rebbe must go off to a corner and picture the Rebbe. This will give him the chayus to do what needs to be done. (Yechidus 5712 with Rabbi Leibel Groner,

MEDITATING ON THE REBBE’S TORAH BY PICTURING HIM

Based on what we said earlier, that a Jew has the ability to rise above and beyond the limitations of the circumstances of time and place, it is understood that this is emphasized even more by connecting to the Torah of the baal ha’Geula [the Mitteler Rebbe] ...

And in this itself there is a unique advantage when the study is in a way that he pictures to himself how the author is standing before him...

Being that there is such a command, “he should see him as though he was standing before him,” you cannot say that since we do not have a picture of the Mitteler Rebbe, we cannot, ch’v, fulfill this order!

The explanation is: The Sages say that by learning Torah one accomplishes the idea of “it is Me you are taking.” Since “I Myself have written and given,” i.e., Hashem invested His Essence [as He has “written” Himself] into the Torah and, therefore, by learning Torah one takes His Essence [as He has “given” Himself].

Since “tzaddikim resemble their Creator,” one can say that the idea of picturing the “author standing before him” is accomplished (also) by meditating upon the Torah of the tzaddik, since the tzaddik invested his essence in his Torah, “I Myself have written and given.” And this is without a picture — similar to the concept of “you are taking Me” even though Hashem has no physical body ...

Furthermore, one should not remain satisfied with learning in a manner of “as though the author were standing before him.” One should reach a higher level in which the author is literally standing before him, without the simile “as though.” (Sicha ohr l’Yud Kislev 5740)

TO HASTEN THE COMING OF MOSHIACH THROUGH HISKASHRUS WITH THE MOSHIACH HA’KLALI, THE NASI HA’DOR!

The avoda (mission) of every Jew is to reveal the spark of Moshiach within him, and by doing so to hasten and draw closer and bring about the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu.

Indeed, in order for this avoda to be even easier, there must be a connection with the nasi ha’dor, the general Moshiach [i.e., not just a spark of Moshiach] of the generation.

“He revealed His secret to His servants the prophets.” As the Alter Rebbe said, “the revelation of G-dliness through the tzaddikim, and signs and wonders, etc., and in our case ... nasi doreinu (the leader of our generation), by whom open miracles were seen (and to add, that among the people here at the farbrengen there are those to whom these “wonders” actually occurred! ... and even if these were forgotten over time, it does not change the reality, and not only that, but it is even engraved in their memory). [It is necessary to strive] until [attaining] the hiskashrus of becoming a shaliach of the nasi ha’dor — “a person’s emissary is like himself” — for then it is easier to reveal the spark of Moshiach within him, for this is the essence of the one who sent him, the general Moshiach of the generation. [This avoda will, in turn, bring us] to the point of the ultimate completion of the general mission, to bring about the coming of Moshiach with the complete and true Redemption. (Sicha night of Simchas Torah 5746)

MENTIONING THE REBBE’S NAME IN “SHMA KOLEINU”

Once when I went to the Rebbe, after we spoke, I asked: It’s a number of years now that the Chassidim mention the name and mother’s name of the Rebbe Rayatz in “shma koleinu” (of the Shmoneh Esrei), and now, of course, they mention the Rebbe’s name, as well. Is this proper?

The Rebbe raised himself up and said, “Certainly after the words “reikam al t’shiveinu”?

And I answered, “Yes.” And he said, a groisen yashar koach! And he added: “Mistama az Chassidim tu’en azoi iz faran a makor” (no doubt if Chassidim do so there is a source for it). (From a letter of R’ Y. Goldin; Shevat 5712; Kfar Chabad #510)