"He (The Rebbe) showed the Jewish community that it was possible to revive and rebuild - after assimilation, persecution or both - and that this could be done on a tremendous scale,"
-Professor Lawrence Schiffman
The following is a Yechidus of the Rebbe that took place During the mid-1970s, when the Rebbe was establishing the "Ten Mivtzoyim" campaign, there was a certain Chassidic sect in New was fighting the Rebbe’s outreach work and openly opposing it, also included is an interesting picture of the Rebbe (part 30 in the series) Rabbi Chaim Gutnick o.b.m was Bothered by these events and of all the opposition the Rebbe was receiving, so he asked the Rebbe in yechidus:
“How is it possible that G-d-fearing Jews who are observant of the Torah would try to disturb the unbelievable work that Lubavitch is doing?”
The Rebbe explained, “In the book Torah Or, the Alter Rebbe notes that in the times of the First Temple, the Jews committed the worst sins, transgressing the laws against adultery, murder, and idol worship.
“Paradoxically, at that time, one of the greatest in Jewish history, the Jews were on a spiritual high. The Temple was complete with all its vessels and utensils, and there were prophets who could communicate with G-d in a revealed manner. Yet, the Jews did the worst things, against the very fundamentals of the Torah.
“In the times of the Second Temple, on the other hand, which lacked many of the items the First Temple had and thus revealed a spiritual dearth, the Jews didn’t commit such transgressions. Rather, the only problem with their conduct which eventually led to the Temple’s destruction was the lack of love for a fellow Jew, ahavas Yisroel.
“These observations beg for explanation. Why is it that during the time of the First Temple, when there was such a great spiritual light shining in the world, they committed the worst sins? On the other, during the period of the Second Temple, when the revelation of G-dliness was not so apparent, they did not commit such sins?
“The answer is that when the Satan sees that the highest light of G-dliness shines in the world, he looks for all ways possible to make a Jew transgress the most fundament principles of Judaism. However, when the revelation of G-dly light is not so apparent and not so revealed, the Satan doesn’t feel such an urge. He then attempts to make Jews transgress only easier prohibitions.
“The mivtzoyim outreach draws down into the world such a powerful light that the Satan is shocked and overwhelmed into putting up an exceptional fight. Now, instead of using conventional means, he is using specifically religious Jews, who fulfill Torah and mitzvahs and are G-d-fearing.”
Good Shabbos.
Menachem.
Copyright © Menachem Kirschenbaum 2007
