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By Yitzchok Gross, Beis Moshiach

My article “Red Handed, Pure Hearted” (originally posted in Beis Moshiach issue 1452), based on the story of Reb Abba, the Chassid from the town of Lubavitch who was caught stealing wood and his interesting response, brought out a lot of interesting comments from all types. Some really liked the article, felt it to be bringing out a true point, but still had questions about guilt. Yet some, to say the least, very much disagreed and felt the article to be very non-educational and voiced their concern that this story is being used to legitimize wrongdoings. “We must educate our children that if you steal, you will be a ganev” they say. “Only a feeling of guilt can prevent such behavior.”

I would like to address both responses in this article. But first, I would like to emphasize that these were not my own ideas.

We mentioned how in the most recent Sicha that we have heard from the Rebbe, Parshas Vayakhel 5752, the last farbrengen we heard before 33 plus years of silence (Ad Mosai???), the Rebbe said that the first step in a person’s service of Hashem, especially if he is “sleeping” in the nonsense of the world, is to realize that he is ONE with Hashem. These are the Rebbe’s words, and this is the final boost that the Rebbe gave us for this last leg of galus.

In my previous article we spoke of the negative effects of the other approach, i.e., when one defines himself chas v’shalom with one’s weaker moments and thereby connects to them instead of to his G-dly side.

But it’s not just that. Studying the Rebbe’s message from this most recent farbrengen more deeply, we realize that it goes a step further. It’s not just practical advice to keep us jolly and stay religious; Recognizing our oneness with Hashem is not just a smart way to distance ourselves from our misdeeds and to continue thriving. It is the very beginning of our service to Hashem. We must think about this seriously. I believe there is a lot to delve into and “take” from these words. ותן לחכם ויחכם עוד.

A Goyishe “Ganev” or a Lubavitcher “Ganev”?

And now, to those that disagreed:

Let me make myself clear: we all know that none of us are perfect. The first perek in Tanya already puts us in our place, “Halevei beinoni”… We may not be thieves chas v’shalom. We may, like some of my friends, be horrified when you read the story of Abba. But befor jumping to conclusions haven’t we all “stolen” in one way or another? We can steal time, energy and life from important things and use it for nonsense. We have taken the life and chayus that Hashem has given us and misused it, directing it to places it shouldn’t go. In this sense, we are all “ganovim” and maybe worse.

— This, by the way, is a crucial point for educators to keep in mind when putting a student in their place for unacceptable behavior. Or for anyone else before helping others with their struggles. Not to preach from feeling ‘above’ looking down. But beforehand, you must find it in yourself, and demand correction from yourself and from him at the same time. (This too is not my own idea; See at length in the maamar ואם רוח המושל from the Rebbe Rayatz’s kuntresim. In HaYom Yom (24 Tishrei), the Rebbe writes that is befitting for every member of Anash to know this maamar well, אליבא דנפשי, before engaging in the mitzva of tochacha… —

So, chances are, dear reader, that being real with yourself, you may also be a “shtikele ganev”, But the real question is: What kind of “ganev” do you want to be? And what kind of “ganev” do you want your child to be? Do you want to be a goyishe “ganev” or do you want to be a Yiddishe ganev? Or to be even more specific, a Lubavitcher “ganev”?

A Lubavitcher “ganev” is one who, like Abba, recognizes that their essential self – their true “I” – is not defined by their misdeeds. A Lubavitcher “ganev” knows that their neshama remains pure and connected to Hashem, even when their actions fall short momentarily. They don’t deny their mistakes, but they also don’t let those mistakes define them or drag them into despair.

There are those that claim that we are fooling ourselves and living in la-la-land. It’s just the opposite! When disconnecting oneself from the sin, that helps one to be honest with themselves and not find all sorts of excuses and heterim that are naturally expected when someone is trying to cleanse themselves from guilty feelings!

An extreme example being reform and conservative “Judaism” which are movements that are primarily “taava” based, not ideology based. Instead of being honest and accepting that they have weaknesses that disturb them from full commitment to Torah-true Yiddishkeit, their leaders opted to make the shortcomings into an un-cohesive ideology that chose to change the Torah to be able to explain their going after their yetzer hara and taavos.

What About Teshuva?

But to the other questions on this approach: “If this is the correct way, then what about teshuva?”

The Answer: On the contrary! This is teshuva!

What is teshuva? Teshuva isn’t “repentance” (See Likutei Sichos II p. 409), and teshuva isn’t to try and play a certain tziyur – a certain ‘image’ that we have in our head from when we were little children of how teshuva “looks like” in Zalman Kleiman’s paintings.

Teshuva means (1) To stop sinning, and (2) to return to Hashem.

In previous generations, teshuva definitely did have a bitter path and a bitter image to reach these goals.

As the generations change, and we become weaker/stronger, the true leaders of the generation tell us to how to achieve the same age-old goals in a way that will work for us. It’s not about preserving the path or the culture. It’s about preserving the goal and the essence.

True teshuva was never just about feeling bad for our misdeeds chas v’shalom; it was a journey to bring us to eventually to return to our essential self, reconnecting with our neshama, and strengthening our bond with Hashem with joy and happiness (See Tanya Chapter 26).

Today, we have no choice but to start off with jumping straight to the end goal, or else we might get tangled-up on the way.

Perhaps this is what we call “l’chatchila ariber”…

“Tracht gut Vet Zayn Gut” As a Path to Teshuvah

I hate to say that in our generation, and I talk for myself, when we’re consumed by guilty feelings, many of us, more often then not, are not even thinking about Hashem at all. Instead, we’re fixated on our own imperfections, on the fact that we are not where we think we should be. But as the Rebbe teaches, the key is to focus on where we truly are – one with Hashem.

Learn about His greatness, learn lots of Torah with joy and with vigor, and that is and can be the greatest teshuva.

The Rebbe teaches that the Tzemach Tzedek’s statement “Think good and it will be good” isn’t just positive thinking to help one on the physical realm. It’s for the spiritual realm as well (and even more so – see maamar ד”ה מרגלא בפומא תשמ”ו- [a few sections of which appear in this week’s “The Rebbe’s Opinion” section -Ed.]).

Try This At Home

I would like to dare to offer a practical experiment to our readers to try: For one week, choose one struggle with your yetzer that you are dealing with currently, but make a decision that for the next week, whenever a negative “teshuva” thought about this appears, ignore it, make yourself happy, and remind and tell yourself about how good you are and your oneness and unification with Hashem.

After the week is over, reflect on how you managed with this particular struggle compared to a regular week filled with those supposedly ‘helpful’ mara shechora (melancholy) thoughts. I believe the results will be enlightening. I would love to hear the results. And we can even make a follow-up article on the results!

To conclude, I heard from Rabbi Asaf Frumer, a renowned Mashpia in Haifa, that the Rebbe said once by a farbrengen, “Who needs your fasts? Ess gezunterheit and go on mivtzaim!”

In short: Enough with the bitterness! Instead of drowning in guilt and self-criticism, let’s focus on revealing our true, G-dly essence that is us and all that’s around us. Let’s remember that we are, in essence, one with Hashem, and start living Geula lives.

As we eagerly await the immediate revelation of the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach shlita, let us prepare in a way of light. By recognizing our true selves and our unbreakable connection to Hashem, we can elevate our service, bringing more light into the world and hastening the final Geula. May we merit to see the fulfillment of the Rebbe’s prophecy about Moshiach’s imminent arrival, with the true and complete redemption, immediately, mamash!

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