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START WITH A STORY

Since we’re at the end of the month of Adar, the month of “v’nahafoch hu,” we decided to do a bit of “turning upside down” for our column, starting with a story and ending with a joke.

At a farbrengen on erev Rosh Chodesh Nissan, Shabbos Parshas Pekudei 5734, the Rebbe told the following story:

With the Tzemach Tzedek, it was customary that visiting Chassidim who came for Pesach would receive their holiday necessities, including Seder night requirements – matza, maror, and so forth, through a special messenger from the Tzemach Tzedek. In the Tzemach Tzedek’s home, they didn’t wait until the last minute, erev Yom Tov, but would arrange delivery of the necessities to guests several days before Yom Tov so that everyone would be calm and approach the Seder night with peace of mind.

Once it happened that on erev Pesach, the Chassid R’ Yechezkel Droyer came to the Tzemach Tzedek’s house complaining that he lacked basic necessities for the Seder night – matza and maror. Immediately there was an uproar – how could this be? What happened, and who was responsible?!

When they asked the Tzemach Tzedek, he replied that they certainly sent him the holiday necessities through the messenger, just like all the other guests. Then it became clear that indeed the messenger had delivered the package from the Tzemach Tzedek to R’ Yechezkel, but R’ Yechezkel, who was completely immersed in his avoda, heard that the Tzemach Tzedek had sent something for him, didn’t think much about it, and without waiting a moment, immediately ate it all… He later remarked that, in fact. what he ate from the Tzemach Tzedek had greatly helped and benefited him in his avoda – studying Chassidus and avodas ha’tefilla – which he was engaged in at the time. The story concluded with that Chassid being invited by the Tzemach Tzedek to conduct the Seder together with him at his table, an honor that no other Chassid had received!

SERVE WITHOUT QUESTION

This story requires explanation. How could one think to behave in such a way? Is it conceivable that a Chassid who receives something from the Rebbe for Yom Tov would devour everything in a second without thinking about what would happen in the future? Moreover, it’s obvious that R’ Yechezkel washed his hands and made a bracha before eating, so wasn’t he aware of what he was eating?! Didn’t he see that these were matza and maror, which he would need for the Seder night? What’s going on here?

From this story, the Rebbe derives an important moral lesson relevant to every Jew and especially to a Chassid of the Rebbe. One cannot raise questions and objections about R’ Yechezkel because he was completely self-nullified (“ois metzius”) to the Tzemach Tzedek in a way that his entire existence was solely being a Chassid of the Tzemach Tzedek! Therefore, the moment he received something from his Rebbe, it was clear to him that this thing related to his immediate avoda here and now, so he didn’t wait a moment and ate the matza and maror right away. This behavior might seem wild (“ah vilde zach”) to many of us, but the truth is that R’ Yechezkel not only didn’t lose out from his conduct, but this “wild conduct” assisted him in his avoda, and moreover, he even merited that the Tzemach Tzedek invited him to conduct the Seder together with him!

The instruction learned from this in avodas Hashem is important and very much connected to the Shabbos we are in, the Shabbos of erev Rosh Chodesh Nissan.

We should use everything for avodas Hashem immediately. When we see or hear something that can benefit our avodas Hashem, we shouldn’t wait, but rather “strike while the iron is hot,” and translate spiritual inspiration into practical action right away.

This is always true, but it takes on added importance when Shabbos leads directly into the new month, especially the new month of Nissan, a month of Geula.

Every Jew knows (or at least should) that erev Rosh Chodesh is called “Yom Kippur Kattan.” On this day, everyone is supposed to make an accounting of their avoda during the previous month, which aids and prepares for the coming month. This relates to the state of the moon on that day; on erev Rosh Chodesh, the moon diminishes to a tiny point and then disappears completely until the new moon, symbolizing the onset of the next month. This means that a Jew’s avoda on the eve of the new month is the work of self-nullification, complete nullification of one’s existence and previous state.

At first glance, it would seem that this type of avoda – soul-searching, internal contemplation, bittul – belongs more to weekdays, to regular weekdays when the Jew is engaged, in any case, in mundane matters, “weekday activities,” which require soul-searching. In contrast, on Shabbos, a day when a Jew should engage in purely divine matters, a day of pleasure, a day of rest and tranquility, it seems a bit strange to speak about the special service of “Yom Kippur Kattan.” After all, erev Rosh Chodesh symbolizes the work of bittul, while Shabbos symbolizes the work of taanug (pleasure), and to all appearances, taanug and bittul are complete opposites!

But in practice, we see that precisely when erev Rosh Chodesh falls on Shabbos, erev Rosh Chodesh receives special attention. It is then that there is a special Haftora (“Machar Chodesh”) and we make “a whole commotion” (“ah gantze tumult”) about this Haftora, discussing it in maamarei Chassidus and farbrenging to talk about it throughout Shabbos. So, how can we connect these two opposites?

SERVE WITH PLEASURE

The answer lies in the story we started with! Bittul and taanug are opposites only if a person is an independent existence. But when a person is completely nullified (like R’ Yechezkel Droyer), bittul and taanug are not contradictions. We find an example of this in the maamarim of the Rebbe Rashab whose yahrtzeit is on Beis Nissan, where he explains a level in divine service called “faithful servant” (“Eved Neeman”). Although the servant’s service comes from bittul and kabbolas ol, nevertheless, since the faithful servant is completely nullified to the master, he has wonderful pleasure in his work. The infinite pleasure he feels in his work stems from the fact that the servant’s existence has become totally identified with the master’s existence, and therefore the master’s pleasure becomes the servant’s pleasure, exactly as was the case with R’ Yechezkel.

When erev Rosh Chodesh falls on Shabbos, there is a special connection between these two opposites, bittul and taanug. And through complete self-nullification, every Jew receives the ability to feel the supreme divine pleasure, exactly as it’s experienced by the Ultimate Master, the Master of the World and King of Kings.

The Rebbe even emphasizes this with the definitive statement that “we see in a tangible way, tens of generations of Jews who behaved in a manner of kabbolas ol, and thereby achieved true expansiveness, including true expansiveness in material life.”

This is true for every erev Rosh Chodesh that falls on Shabbos, and it is seven times truer when it comes to Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Rosh Chodesh Nissan is called in the Medrash: “Rosh Chodesh of Geula, in which our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt.” Egypt/Mitzrayim symbolizes the limitations of nature, Mitzrayim from the word “meitzarim” meaning constraints and limitations, and the exodus from Egypt symbolizes the going out and Geula from all types of existing limitations, including the limitations that are part and parcel of the nature of the world.

On erev Rosh Chodesh Nissan, a Jew receives the ability to completely nullify the limitations of the world (“ois velt”) and rise above his limited existence. Some might think that such bittul would lead to negative results, lack of joy, depression, and the like, but the truth is that when a Jew truly accepts the yoke of the Creator, he is opening himself to experiencing the taanug/delight of the Creator, the satisfaction that Hashem has from our avodas Hashem. And then from erev Rosh Chodesh, he enters directly into the “Rosh Chodesh of Geula,” because the purpose of Geula is to leave all limitations of nature and the world and arrive at complete unity with the blessed Creator, may it be so for us immediately!

TO CONCLUDE WITH A CHUCKLE

And now for the joke, on the topic we started with, what to eat and when…

A heavyset man enters a restaurant and sits down.

The waiter approaches him and says: “We have hummus, salads, sushi, chicken, beef, rice, pasta… what would you like to order?”

The diner: “Actually, I really don’t care about the order…”

Good Shabbos!

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