Follow ChabadInfo & Never Miss an Update!

Follow us on Instagram Subscribe to our WhatsApp status and broadcast Follow us on Tiktok Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on Google News Subscribe on YouTube

By Rabbi Geshon Avtzon

We are coming from Lab B’Omer, the Yahrzteit of the holy Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on whom it is said “Rabbi Shimon is great enough that one can rely on (the opinion of) Rabbi Shimon when in a difficult situation”. As Chassidim, it is self understood that this applies to our Rebbe in our generation. With this foundation, I would like to share with you the following, which I hope will give strength to those that read it:

People do not like to admit that they are struggling, as it breaks the image of self-reliance and strength that we like to portray. I will be open and honest to all: This past year has been a big struggle for me in my shlichus as the Rosh Yeshiva of our Yeshiva in Cincinnati. The struggles were not on the spiritual part of the institution, which B”H (thanks to our dedicated staff and Talmidei Hashluchim) has only gotten stronger, rather on the financial and structural part of the institution.

Two years ago, our Mossad was in a very stable place financially. I know it is hard to believe, but we were an institution without any debt! No mortgages on our properties and no money owed to teachers or vendors. We then received an answer from the Rebbe to expand and (in short, as it really demands a series of articles) we doubled the size of our Yeshiva Ketana and opened a Yeshiva Gedolah. We had to hire new staff and buy new properties and this caused a tremendous stress on our budget, as is self-understood. In addition, we had issues with our building permits, they closed down our newly renovated kitchen and dining room, and many surprise inspections from the local government agencies.

In short: For months, I would wake up with the pressure and feeling that the entire institution, which was built for 20 years with sweat and tears, might come falling down. The amount of letters to the Rebbe that were written, and direct answers received in the Igros Kodesh, could fill an entire book.

Throughout this entire process, which BH is now (basically) behind us, there was one story that I kept telling myself (and to anyone that would call me to see how I am doing with all these challenges) which I feel is important for all Chassidim to know and internalize:

There was once a king that wanted to create an elite unit for his army. He told his generals to recruit the best talent in the country to give them the best – and most rigorous – training. No expense should be held back from this very important project. Each general would recruit 1000 young men and only 1 person, from that 1000, would be admitted to the elite unit. Billions of dollars were invested in this project. At the end of the training, the king was presented with the top 10 recruits.

The king turned to these elite soldiers and told them that their first mission is to run through a special obstacle course that he prepared and after the course, he will choose one of the ten to be the team leader. The rule for running the course was to keep running from start to finish. It was a very difficult course that would take hours to finish and it was through very difficult land conditions. After hours of running, the path of the course led them to a cliff. Nine out of the ten stopped at the end of the cliff, as they did not want to die by falling off the cliff, and one kept running. As he was falling, a special net appeared (that had been prepared before) and saved the soldier. That soldier was obviously chosen to be the leader.

When they all regrouped, the other soldiers asked their friend how he knew that there would be a net to save him. The soldier replied: I did not know that there would be a net to save me. I did know, however, that the king invested billions of dollars into our training and this is his whole life mission. He would not invest so much and then prepare a course in which we kill ourselves by falling off a cliff!

I lived this story this entire year. I told myself that I know how much the Rebbe has invested in our Mossad and how much the Rebbe wants true and believing Chayolei Beis Dovid. There would be no way that the Rebbe would tell us to expand and the result would be the collapsing of the institution. Too much was invested and the mission is too important to the Rebbe. So I kept running and I kept on seeing miraculous safety-nets appearing from places that I did not think possible or imaginable. As of this writing, we have not been delayed in payroll (even for one day!) and the issues with the city and state have BH been resolved. It is truly miraculous.

This is something we all have to think about and internalize. The Rebbe invested his entire being in us and in the shlichus to bring Moshiach to the world. There is no way that he would just let us all fall off the cliff. We just need to keep running.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on the above with me by sending me a personal email: [email protected] 

95