Satmar Chossid’s Question to the Rebbe About Shluchim

Episode 238: "Satmar Chossid's Question to the Rebbe About Shluchim"

Welcome to our weekly Motzaei Shabbos program. To continue from last week's program, where I spoke about [unclear organization] and what the Rov said — he was the head of them — so today I want to share with you what he mentioned to Rabbi Mindel. They discussed the beginning years of [unclear organization], what he mentioned to him, and this is what everyone should know. This is from the Rov, and I think it's important to know it from the Rov, because some people — you know, some speakers — they say everything is important, but the real thing comes from people who were involved. We started — we started this — he was the head. So let's hear what the Rov said. This is on paper, written down. He says like this:

Every morning, every person gets up and says Modeh Ani. He says [Yaakov] is temporary, [Yisrael] is permanent. By "temporary" he means that the word Yaakov means "the heel" — it's a lower level. He says every person has to know what is the ikar (the essential, primary point) and what is the tofel (the secondary point) — very important. He says a person has to know — not only that everyone should know what is the ikar and what is the tofel. He says a house is important — that's Yaakov, that's the heel — a business is important, a [unclear] is important, but one has to know what the ikar is. The ikar is what's inside the house.

He said over here that a person should know and think always: how many mivtzoim did I do this week, or this year, or today? How many people did I put tefillin on today? How many people did I help make Shabbos [light candles] this year? That is the ikar. It's not that [the house, the business] is not important — it is important — but when is the house important? When the ikar is what's inside the house. This is what he was saying. But that [the house, the business] is temporary, that's not the ikar. And if a person doesn't have [means], that doesn't mean he cannot do all the mivtzoim, help people put on tefillin, help people make Shabbos — of course it's easier with having [means] — but this is the ikar. Because some people, he said, put their whole mind into how beautiful the house has to be, and into the fundraising, he mentions here, but when it comes to the ikar, it's not the same [priority] for them.

This is what he mentioned. Then he said that when it comes to being a shliach, the Rebbe sends [unclear] — it's not only for everybody. The Rebbe himself carries three crowns: the crown of [unclear], the crown of [unclear], and even the crown of [unclear]. That's what he spoke about.

And this reminds me of somebody who asked the Rebbe: why isn't Chabad into kashrus? Not that Chabad isn't [involved in kashrus], but their focus — the main focus — is not kashrus. They do kashrus, it's important, but why aren't they [more] into kashrus? So the Rebbe answered him: every person is created for a purpose in this world, and this person happens to be [a Satmar Chossid] — he's the one asking the Rebbe why isn't [Chabad more involved], because I guess Satmar are into it — they have kashrus, I mean they're involved in kosher [supervision]. So the Rebbe says: every person is created for a purpose. You are created for giving even kosher — and that's — he didn't say it, but you know they say, "you are what you eat": if you eat kosher you become kosher, if you eat [non-kosher like] pig you become a pig. Kosher is important. So your inyan (mission) is to give Yidden kosher [food]. [Satmar] are created to make sure the kashrus [is done]. And if they wouldn't be involved in kosher, then [Chabad] would have to be involved, because it has to be done — to make sure that everything that has to be done, gets done. If they do it, maybe that's their [role], because we have to make sure the kashrus [is taken care of]. If they wouldn't, as he said here, if they wouldn't, then we would have to do it.

He says the same person — speaking about his mother, who is in a nursing home and is like a vegetable. The doctor says she is brain-dead. He tells the Rebbe, "She's like a vegetable, and her children and grandchildren don't take their eyes off of her. They sit there twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for months and months." He tells the Rebbe, "You always say that everything in the world is for a purpose, G-d doesn't just make things for nothing, for a purpose. What is the purpose of her living? She's a vegetable, what's the purpose?"

So the Rebbe answers: people go to the nursing homes, to the hospitals, and they visit other people. When they see that your children and your grandchildren don't take their eyes off your mother, this is her purpose in life — that people should learn the importance of kibud av v'em (honoring one's parents). We say every morning [in the list of mitzvos whose reward is eaten in this world] that this is one of the biggest mitzvos whose reward is given in this world, while the principal reward is kept for the World to Come — honoring one's parents.

You know, when a person is hungry, you give him a piece of fish, but when you teach him how to fish, then he won't be hungry tomorrow either. So [this teaching] is very important: getting up in the morning, hachnosas orchim (having guests) and everything that he mentions there, and shalom bayis (peace between husband and wife). Then it says that Torah learning is the highest.

So a person asked — apparently he was a Rav — why do you speak, why don't you speak about Torah learning more than anything? You speak about putting on tefillin, which is important, you speak about [other things], but you should focus more on Torah learning than on other mivtzoim.

So the Rebbe answered him — this is interesting — he says, "You're right, when all the other things are done properly before this." When you fulfill the mitzvah of honoring your parents the way you're supposed to honor your parents — it's not easy — you get up in the morning, every day you go to shul, and when you daven, you daven every single word the way it's supposed to be said, and you bring shalom bayis, and you properly prepare for Shabbos — then, the Torah learning that you do reaches the highest level. In other words, Torah learning is important, but it's important when a person does everything else properly. We know that some people can learn, they're capable of learning, but when it comes to mivtzoim, it's not that important to them. So this is the answer that the Rebbe gave him.

Another person asked the Rebbe — I don't know if we have time for this — a very short letter. He says, "I love [Torah] and I learn," he says, "but I need..." for [unclear] — "I need..." So the Rebbe goes into [how] he loves [Hashem]. He says that all the mitzvos, from the beginning, we have to love [Hashem]. And then it says there is bein adam laMakom (between a person and G-d) and bein adam lechaveiro (between a person and his fellow) — and this [latter] is the last thing [mentioned, yet essential]. So, [the Rebbe tells him,] you say that you love — you love Torah, you love everything — but the "bein" [the interpersonal part] is not there so much. He says if you don't have that, then there is a deficiency in your whole [avodah] — what he mentioned before — because that comes last [in order]. So he tells him, "What do you have, if you have [learning] anyway [without this]?"

Anyways, this is something that I thought I would mention to you. So next week we're going to continue our weekly program. Thank you.