Matos: 5786 - "How do we get out of here?" - The story of the thief who fell into the Rebbe's house, and the question every Jew asks during the month of Elul. And what does the verse "Because you did not serve Hashem…" teach us

00:00 Speaker 1 Please.

00:05 Speaker 2 There was a Jew who was very close to the Rebbe.

00:10 Speaker 1 …

00:15 Speaker 2 This Jew lived in Chicago, and when the Frierdiker Rebbe arrived in the United States, he helped him a great deal materially—that is, financially. He helped him tremendously, and the Rebbe held him in great esteem. He was a businessman. Once, someone offered him a business opportunity. It required a large investment, and since he was very close to the Rebbe, he naturally asked whether he should invest. The Rebbe told him that he didn’t think it was a good idea. But apparently they talked him into it, and he invested a large sum of money. He lost everything he had invested. It was all gone. He felt very uncomfortable and came to the Rebbe for yechidus. Now he had nothing to say: the Rebbe had told him not to invest, and he hadn’t listened. So he went in and remained silent. The Rebbe didn’t say anything either. There was an awkward moment of silence. The Rebbe was silent, he was silent—it was awkward. So he asked the Rebbe if he could tell him a story. The Rebbe said, “Please.” And he began: In the old Jewish towns, every town had its familiar characters. There was the water carrier, the shoemaker, the tailor—and every town had its thief. There was one fellow whose title was “the town thief.” One day, that thief decided to break into none other than the rabbi’s house. Surely the rabbi had valuables there; he could make a tidy sum. In the middle of the night, he climbed onto the roof and lowered himself down the chimney into the house. It never occurred to him that the rabbi would be sitting and learning at that hour. He was sure everyone was asleep. He dropped into the house through the chimney. The rabbi was sitting at the table

02:45 Speaker 2 when suddenly he saw Yossele, that good-for-nothing, inside his house. The rabbi was a very innocent man, so he thought to himself: If Yossele has come at this hour, he must have a very urgent question. He asked him, “What happened, Yossele? What’s the problem?” Yossele said, “I have a question.” “What’s your question?” the rabbi asked. “How do I get out of here?”

03:09 Speaker 3 How did you get in?

03:11 Speaker 2 He had gotten himself into that situation. So he asked the rabbi, “How do I get out of here?” That is a question each of us really needs to ask. We’re in the middle of Elul, the month of mercy and forgiveness, a month for taking stock of ourselves. When a person takes stock, he begins to ask: How do I get out of here with all the baggage I’m carrying? What do I do? How do I get out of here? The answer is in the weekly parsha. It says, “Because you did not serve Hashem your G-d with joy and gladness of heart.” There are two interpretations. The plain meaning, which Rashi brings, is that he did not serve Hashem: he did not keep the mitzvos or do what he should have done, even though Hakadosh Boruch Hu had given him every good thing, with joy and gladness of heart. Yet he did not serve Hashem. But the Arizal and Chassidus explain it differently. It isn’t that he didn’t serve Hashem. We’re talking about a Jew who does serve Hashem, keeps mitzvos, does everything. What was missing? He didn’t do it with joy and gladness of heart. It’s not that he didn’t serve Hashem—he did, but the joy and gladness of heart were missing. So how can we put that right? When a Jew reflects on the fact that in Elul the King is in the field, and that everyone, no matter their situation—every man and woman, adult and child—can approach the King, and the King receives each person graciously, with a smiling face, and grants each person’s requests, that reflection can bring him to joy and gladness of heart. May Hakadosh Boruch Hu grant each and every one of us a good and blessed year, materially and spiritually. Good Shabbos and a good year.

05:10 Speaker 4 Amen, indeed.