Parshas Chukas - The Correct Way to Rebuke Jews

00:01 This is well known, but the Rebbe also cites in his sichos the saying, “What do you remember?” There was a practice among our Rebbeim, passed down from Rebbe to Rebbe: from time to time, a father would ask his son, or a grandfather his grandson, “What do you remember?” It is said that this was handed down as a tradition from Rebbe to Rebbe, among all our Rebbeim. What is the purpose of reliving an experience? “What do you remember?” was not just about telling stories. Through it, they returned to those moments and experienced them again and again, until they became something living, something enduring. This was part of chassidic education: “What do you remember?” The Rebbe writes in many letters and sichos that a chossid should [unclear] this practice of reliving in his mind things he saw in the presence of his Rebbe, things he heard from his Rebbe, things that happened there in the house of Moshiach, even gestures—to experience them again, think about them, and live with them. “What do you remember?” makes the teachings and ways of Chassidus living things. And so, at times like these, especially now, in these auspicious days around Gimmel Tammuz, all kinds of experiences and things we went through come to mind. I want to tell you about a farbrengen, about

01:25 something I had the privilege of witnessing as it happened. I want to tell it as I experienced it then, as it was, and connect it with Torah, so that we can draw from it a living example. Yes, that is the main point. When we reflect on and relive things we were privileged to see and hear firsthand, that renewed experience keeps their vitality alive within us, so that we can learn from them what to do in practice, in Chassidus and in the path he will show us, forever and ever. This was in Nissan 5750. I had the privilege of being with the Rebbe throughout that Nissan; from Rosh Chodesh Adar into Nissan, I was with the Rebbe for a time. That Nissan was a tumultuous month, with a number of developments. I should also say that this was 5750, the year in which the Rebbe emphasized passionately, throughout the year, that “5750—May it be a year of miracles.” It was a year of miracles, and miracles were plainly visible that year in many matters. It was Shabbos Parshas Vayikra, 5 Nissan. There was a farbrengen, as usual: year after year, the Rebbe would farbreng every Shabbos after davening. After one-thirty, the Rebbe would come down to farbreng with the crowd—a large crowd—and the Rebbe farbrenged. I should also mention that by that time, it

03:00 was no longer so easy to hear the Rebbe’s voice, because he spoke a little more softly than in earlier years. In those later years, yes, it was harder to hear. You had to stand very close, right near him, to hear the Rebbe’s words clearly. Especially on Shabbos, when there was no loudspeaker or microphone, it was harder to hear. That Shabbos, the Rebbe came down to farbreng as usual, made Kiddush, and began the farbrengen with a niggun. Then he began to say a sicha. Right away, he began speaking somewhat differently than usual: in a louder voice, at a higher pitch, which was unusual in those days. The Rebbe immediately began speaking in a raised voice, and you could hear that this was not the usual manner. We understood that we were about to hear something, a sicha, out of the ordinary. And so it was: the Rebbe spoke with blazing fire, in a burning sicha. The Rebbe’s tone and words were filled with tremendous passion. Of course, the Rebbe always spoke with a special vitality. But that Shabbos, he delivered that sicha with tremendous intensity and in a very forceful tone. His words could be heard throughout the hall. The Rebbe immediately opened the sicha by saying that today—we were at Parshas Vayikra, 5 Nissan—and the Rebbe immediately

04:28 began with the fact that today, on Parshas Vayikra, we had read the haftarah. The haftarah of Parshas Vayikra opens with the words, “This people I formed for Myself; they will tell of My praise.” That is the first verse of the haftarah of Parshas Vayikra. It means that Hakadosh Boruch Hu says of the Jewish people, “This people I formed for Myself”—I created and formed this people for Myself; “This people I formed for Myself; they will tell of My praise”—the Jewish people will speak of My greatness and recount My praises. The Rebbe dwelled on the meaning and depth of this verse. What does the verse mean when it says that the Jewish people “will tell of My praise”? One might assume it means that a Jew studies Torah, fulfills mitzvos, spreads faith in Hashem, is [unclear] to the nations, and carries out his mission—and that this is “they will tell of My praise”: telling all peoples and the entire world that there is a G-d in the world. And that is indeed true. But here the Rebbe said: That is not what the verse says. This verse says something entirely different. It says, “This people I formed for Myself; they will tell of My praise”: Hakadosh Boruch Hu says that He created the Jewish people, and their very creation, their very essence, their very existence in the world, without any further deeds or

05:59 special actions—that in itself is the point of “This people I formed for Myself.” The mere fact that a Jew walks down the street is “they will tell of My praise.” A Jew’s very existence—the fact that a Jew is in the world, walking down the street with pride—is itself “My praise,” the greatest praise and glory to Hakadosh Boruch Hu: “They will tell of My praise.” The Rebbe explained that, beyond all this, the preciousness of a Jew and of a Jew’s very being is well known. As we always say in the familiar text of Maaneh Lashon when visiting the resting places of tzaddikim: the Zohar says of the bodies of tzaddikim, but the Rebbe was speaking about the body of every single Jew, that a Jew is “gufa dilhon kadisha”—their bodies are holy. A Jew has a holy body. Not only is his soul holy; his body is holy too, a holy body. And the Rebbe explained, as stated in Tanya, that “You have chosen us from all the nations” does not refer to a Jew’s soul, but specifically to a Jew’s body. The physical body, which in its material nature resembles the bodies of the nations of the world—the very existence of a Jew’s body is holy. It is pure, something Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself chose [unclear]; He chose a Jew’s body. And this remains true at all times and in every

07:18 circumstance. In our generation, there is something more: in our time, a Jew’s very existence tells of Hashem’s greatness and His extraordinary wonders, His miracles and marvels. For ours is a generation that rose from the destruction, from “affliction will not arise a second time,” from the war. It is a generation that came after the Second World War, when the Haman of our generation arose, as in other generations—Hitler, may his name be erased—who literally wanted “to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, children and women.” Children and women—everyone. That was his plan; that was his aim. And, may Hashem spare us, so very many were killed—thousands and millions of Jewish souls killed al kiddush Hashem. Every Jew who remains today—when, by an absolute miracle and through Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s great kindness, a surviving remnant remained, and the Jewish people stood up after the Holocaust, after the World War, established family after family, and rebuilt the Jewish people—is, whoever he may be, “a brand plucked from the fire.” Every Jew is “a brand plucked from the fire”; every Jew, simply by existing, is “they will tell of My praise.” This is in addition to his studying Torah and fulfilling mitzvos, conducting himself [unclear], and doing good deeds. All these are great, lofty, holy, and proper things, but

09:01 that is not where “My praise” lies. It lies in a Jew’s very creation, whatever his circumstances may be. Even, may Hashem spare us, a Jew who for the time being is distant from Judaism—he is like a child taken captive; he does not know about Torah and mitzvos, or was not raised with them, or whatever the reason may be. But this Jew was born to a Jewish mother. He has a Jewish body and a Jewish soul, and his very creation is “This people I formed for Myself; they will tell of My praise.” That was the point around which the Rebbe spoke then, and he said explicitly: This is how one must look at a Jew, how one must love a Jew, how one must cherish a Jew. Only in this way should one speak of the virtues of the Jewish people. And, may Hashem spare us, as the Rebbe spoke then, everyone listening could truly feel it... Although, physically, the strength was no longer there, the Rebbe’s holy strength [unclear]. But the words came from the very depths of his heart: May Hashem spare us from a Jew speaking harshly and bluntly, in inappropriate words, about another Jew, whoever he may be. This followed someone who had spoken in a way that was the opposite of praising the Jewish people, had sought to revive that matter and speak about it, and had used language in which, through statements that were the opposite of praising the Jewish people, undesirable things were also expressed about them. It touched the Rebbe to the depths of his soul and shook him.

10:32 The Rebbe spoke sharply then about the gravity of such a thing. He brought up what is told about Yeshayahu the prophet. The Tanach relates that when the time came for Yeshayahu to receive his mission, he saw a vision of the heavenly chariot. There, amid the revelation to Yeshayahu, Hakadosh Boruch Hu spoke to him and said that He wanted to send him on a mission, to prophesy. And Yeshayahu said, “For I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips.” In other words, he felt: Who am I, after all? As he was receiving this prophecy, he said, “I am a man of unclean lips,” and I dwell among “a people of unclean lips.” Standing before the heavenly chariot, with the seraphim there, as the chapter describes in detail, Yeshayahu felt: Who am I, and what am I? And he used that expression. The verse says, “And one of the seraphim flew to me.” The angels were standing there beside the heavenly chariot in Yeshayahu’s vision. One of the seraphim, one of the angels, approached, took a burning coal from the coals lying on the altar, placed it on his mouth and seared it. And he said to him: Why do you say such words? And as the Midrash...

11:55 ...So this was a charge against Yeshayahu the prophet: you spoke in a way that was the opposite of praise for the Jewish people. How can you say, G-d forbid, the words “I dwell among a people of unclean lips”? He received that terrible punishment—his mouth was seared so that he would not speak such things—because a Jew does not speak... G-d forbid to say anything that is the opposite of praise for the Jewish people. And this was Yeshayahu the prophet, the Rebbe said. How much more so in our times, in our generation: how can a Jew, G-d forbid, allow himself to say things that are the opposite of praise for the Jewish people? And the Rebbe went on speaking, again and again impressing upon us how precious Jews are: how precious a Jewish soul is, how precious a Jew’s body is, how precious a Jew’s very existence is. Especially in our generation, every Jew is a source of praise to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. So we must speak their praises. Of course, when we can help someone in matters of Torah and mitzvos, we must bring them closer to Torah and mitzvos; there are matters that need attention. But as the Rebbe says in Tanya, chapter 32: “And if not, he has not forfeited the reward of the mitzvah of loving his fellow.” The very essence of loving one’s fellow is to love the Jew as he is, his very being. There was such a powerful atmosphere at the farbrengen: after the Rebbe said that sicha, speaking with such fervor, the crowd began to sing a niggun. That was how it was at a farbrengen: after the Rebbe spoke, yes...

13:23 After a sicha, there would be a niggun. The crowd began singing a joyous niggun, and the Rebbe rose with tremendous, extraordinary joy—something unusual. The Rebbe was visibly enthusiastic. As soon as they began singing the joyous niggun, the Rebbe stood up and began to sing and dance with tremendous joy, with the greatest joy. Yes, a Simchas Torah niggun. And the crowd remained in a state of such excitement the whole time. It felt as though it was Simchas Torah. Yes, I remember how the crowd stood packed together, shoulder to shoulder, on the tables. There was such great joy among the Jewish people. And the “How fortunate we are, how good is our portion”—that feeling, yes, of being able to grasp the splendor and richness, the sense and appreciation of how precious Jews are, of how one must look at Jews—that “How fortunate we are, how good is our portion” was felt openly and tangibly at that moment, at the farbrengen. And following that, there was indeed a whole matter afterward [unclear]. This was in Nissan, three weeks later, toward the end of Nissan. And suddenly the Rebbe—I remember, it was that same incident—suddenly said after Minchah, 27 Nissan, 28 Nissan, 28 Nissan 5750, that he wanted to say a few words. There had been absolutely no preparation; no one was expecting it. It was a surprise, as they say. And the Rebbe spoke about the fact that there was, rachmana litzlan,

14:53 a situation, yes, in which they wanted to [unclear] the Jewish people, G-d forbid, [unclear], G-d forbid; may it not go too far. And the Rebbe said, “Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.” The way of Chassidus is the way the Tzemach Tzedek taught us: “Think good, and it will be good.” So our approach must be one of joy, trust in Hashem, Ahavas Yisroel and Jewish unity. In particular, the Rebbe asked that we increase in Torah and mitzvos: we must study Torah, yes, engage in the service of the heart, even say another three chapters of Tehillim. And here too he gave a sum toward a meal. And here [unclear] a meal—they spoke then, they spoke, they spoke [unclear] about the eve of Shavuos, which was the following day. And as everyone knows what followed, the entire process began to unfold immediately afterward; over the next few weeks and months came the whole situation that led to the war then called the Gulf War. Yes, the war in which we saw truly open miracles. The Rebbe spoke then about how this fell in a “Year of Miracles” and a “Year of ‘I Will Show You Wonders,’” 5750 and 5751. Then we saw with our own eyes: “All the inhabitants of the world will recognize and know”—truly open miracles. Yes, as the Rebbe said then, “Behold, He neither slumbers”; the Land of Israel is the safest place. That [unclear] then...

16:19 There, they know that Hakadosh Boruch Hu—“The eyes of Hashem your G-d are upon it from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.” Throughout that year, and afterward as well, there were many sichos in which the Rebbe truly “fought the wars of Hashem,” in the Rambam’s words, “He will fight the wars of Hashem and be victorious,” concerning the greatness of the Jewish people. There were those who thought the opposite, G-d forbid, and seized that moment to rebuke people in a negative way. But the Rebbe truly fought and stressed that people must no longer speak words of accusation against the Jewish people, and that we must remember what to bring about so that the miracles—which we did indeed see with our own eyes at that time—would be openly visible. And by hashgachah pratis, this whole subject appears in our weekly parsha, Parshas Chukas. There is a teaching of the Baal Shem Tov on the verse in today’s parsha, Parshas Chukas: the Jews spoke—“The people grew impatient on the way.” The Jews grew weary, and “the people spoke against G-d and against Moshe.” They began speaking lashon hara, speaking improperly. “And Hashem sent fiery serpents among the people.” The parsha tells how Hakadosh Boruch Hu sent fiery serpents. What was the issue? They had spoken lashon hara; they had spoken badly of Moshe Rabbeinu, and so on. Regarding this story, a teaching from the Baal Shem Tov explains that “Hashem sent fiery serpents among the people” refers to preachers and rebukers who speak in a way that is the opposite of praise for

17:53 the Jewish people. And the Baal Shem Tov says that there are two kinds of rebukers. There are two kinds of Jews who rebuke people, who speak with them to bring them closer and strengthen them in Torah and mitzvos. Some speak the language of love, and others speak the language of severity, of judgment. They speak harshly. The Baal Shem Tov gives a parable: There was a king who had an only son. He loved him and gave him everything [unclear]. Eventually the time came for the king to send his son, the prince, on a distant journey. He sent him far away—far away both physically and spiritually—to encounter all sorts of lowly people. He sent two of his servants and attendants with him, to accompany him, watch over him, guide him and remain at his side. They went with him, and they [unclear]. But the prince, rachmana litzlan, drew close to and associated with all sorts of lowly people, bad people who led him away from the straight path. The prince became sullied and trapped there.

19:20 He became trapped in [unclear]. One of the servants and attendants [unclear]. He left the place where he had been with the prince and returned to the king. When he returned, he told the king the whole truth. He told him what had happened there. The informer related everything to him. The king was deeply distressed. What had happened? He told him that the prince was going about with unsuitable people, associating with them, straying from the path, becoming sullied and [unclear], and falling away from the straight path. He told the whole truth; he wanted the father to know what his child was going through. The father became filled with judgment, severity and anger. Later, the second servant also set out to return to the king. When he reached the king, he told him what the child was going through. But instead of emphasizing the bad, instead of emphasizing how badly the child was behaving, he approached the father and said, “Look at your precious child. Why did you place him in such a situation?” And instead of recounting the child’s transgressions, he simply stirred the father’s feelings and said

20:47 to him: “Why did you put the child in such distress? Why did you bring him to such a state? How did you expect the child to behave any differently?” With his words, he aroused great compassion in the king, his father, and so turned anger into kindness and mercy. As a result, the father took the child back and brought him close again, and his whole manner of dealing with him changed. The Baal Shem Tov says that these are two ways of giving rebuke. Some rebuke people by speaking badly of them: they see the bad and look upon them with a negative eye. That focuses attention on the bad in Jews and, G-d forbid, arouses harsh judgments Above. And there are others who [unclear]. Instead of speaking badly of Jews, they arouse great compassion for them before Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Through that great compassion, it is possible to bring them out of that place, return them to the King, and bring about forgiveness, pardon, and atonement. As in the story told of the Baal Shem Tov, who once spoke to a preacher when the preacher was rebuking the congregation. And the Baal Shem Tov,

22:05 yes, making a commotion and putting the wicked person at the center of attention. The preacher became very angry. He approached the Baal Shem Tov and asked him, “Why didn’t you let me? I wanted to rebuke the wicked person so he would do teshuvah. My intention was for the sake of Heaven.” Perhaps your intention really was for the sake of Heaven, but the way you spoke emphasized the bad, emphasized the negative, rather than speaking in praise of the Jewish people. The Baal Shem Tov told him that there is a verse in Mishlei: “My son, do not despise Hashem’s rebuke.” Yes. The plain meaning is that one should be willing to learn from rebuke. “My son, do not despise Hashem’s rebuke.” Yes. A person should be willing to listen to rebuke and not despise words of rebuke. Seemingly, that supports the preacher: he was right, and he was permitted to give rebuke. The Baal Shem Tov said: “The verse in Mishlei says, ‘My son, do not despise Hashem’s rebuke.’ But its meaning is not, as you think, that one should be eager to give or hear rebuke. No. Its meaning is: ‘When giving Hashem’s rebuke—do not despise My son.’ When you give rebuke as an emissary of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, addressing one kind of conduct or another, then ‘do not despise My son.’ At that very moment, you must not despise My Jew, My child; you must not speak to him in a way that shows you despise him, shouting at him

23:36 and speaking harshly to him. Rather, you must speak specifically in praise of the Jewish people. That is how you rebuke him and guide him onto the right path. There is another point. In our parsha, we find a teaching on this from the tzaddik of Berditchev, who was the advocate of the Jewish people and always spoke only well of Jews. He has a teaching on our parsha in which he seeks to understand the story of Mei Merivah, the Waters of Strife. At Mei Merivah, we find that Moshe Rabbeinu committed a sin. Hakadosh Boruch Hu said, “Because you did not believe in Me, to sanctify Me.” What was the sin of Mei Merivah? All the commentators address this question. There are several views among the Rishonim on what the sin of Mei Merivah was. What did he do wrong? There are several views. One disagreement is between Rashi and the Ramban. Rashi says—and according to Rashi it is straightforward—that the sin of Mei Merivah was that he should have spoken to the rock, but instead of speaking to it, he struck it. Had he approached the rock and spoken to it, everything would have been fine. But because he did not speak to it and instead struck the rock, that was the sin. Hakadosh Boruch Hu said, “to sanctify Me”:

25:02 he should have sanctified Hashem’s name, so the Jews would see that if a rock obeys Him, surely they should obey Him too. That is Rashi’s explanation. Then there is the Ramban’s explanation. The Ramban says the sin was his saying, “Listen now, you rebels.” He spoke to the Jews somewhat harshly and forcefully. He said harsh things to them—“Listen now, you rebels”—and that was the sin. The holy Berditchever says that there is really no disagreement here; the two are connected. He makes a point here with great depth. What is it all about? There are two ways to rebuke Jews. In one approach, you confront them with harsh words, show them the affliction, the bad affliction, how bitter and severe it is, and all these things. You give them stern words of rebuke. And there is a second approach: to speak in praise of the Jewish people. The Berditchever discusses these two approaches in his book Kedushas Levi. In truth, the way to rebuke Jews is the opposite: to uplift them, raise them up, and speak about the praises, holiness, and virtues of the Jewish people. It is precisely this way that you reveal their virtues and the good within them, and change them so that they conduct themselves as they should. You shine a light on their virtues. What is the benefit...

26:29 What is the connection between these things? He says: We know that the entire world was created for the sake of the Jews. As Rashi says in Parshas Bereishis, the entire world was created for the sake of the Torah and for the sake of the Jewish people. That means the world, including its natural order, was created for this purpose. When you uplift Jews and reveal what is praiseworthy about them, bringing their virtues to light, you reveal within the world that all of creation and the world itself were created for the sake of the Jews. Then the world wants to act on their behalf. When the world sees the virtues and the praiseworthy qualities of the Jewish people, there is no need to struggle against it. The world itself sees the stature of a Jew and wants to act for the Jews, to serve them, and for nature to bend in their favor. But when, G-d forbid, you speak bitterly about a Jew, speak about undesirable things, put him down, and say harsh things about him, nature does not want to obey a Jew. Then you have to struggle against nature, to use force to make nature act on the Jew’s behalf, because in this situation nature does not want to act for the Jews. And that is what happened here with Moshe Rabbeinu. Hakadosh Boruch Hu told Moshe Rabbeinu to speak to the rock. In other words, if Moshe Rabbeinu had spoken in praise of the Jewish people, if

27:55 Moshe Rabbeinu had given the Jews new life here, speaking to them in a way that revealed what is praiseworthy about them, speaking of their virtues, lifting and uplifting them, and so on, and through that bringing them to teshuvah for what they had done—Moshe Rabbeinu would not have needed to strike the rock. He could have spoken to the rock and said to it: Look at the greatness here; understand who the Jews are. The Jews are the greatest thing of all. Then the rock itself would have wanted to bring forth water, and he would not have needed to strike it. But because Moshe Rabbeinu spoke in a manner of severity and harsh judgment, with harsh words—“Listen now, you rebels”—speaking in that way caused nature not to want to serve the Jews. So he had to struggle against nature and strike the rock, because the rock had become something that did not want to obey, did not want to act; he had to do it by force. In other words, these two matters depend on each other; these two sins are connected. When you speak in praise of the Jewish people, there is no need to strike the rock. The rock itself wants to do the will of Hakadosh Boruch Hu and bring about all the miracles and wonders. But when he speaks harshly, nature becomes resistant, and he has to struggle against it. And this is the lesson, the meaning of Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s words to Moshe Rabbeinu: “Because you did not believe in Me, to sanctify Me before the eyes of the children of Israel.” When one speaks

29:16 before the eyes of the children of Israel in a way that brings out the virtues and praises of the Jewish people, in a manner of “sanctifying Me before the eyes of the children of Israel,” that would elevate nature, and the entire world would act in accordance with the wishes of the Jewish people. This is the approach the Rebbe always taught us, in all his sichos and all his farbrengens: this path, the path of the Baal Shem Tov, the path of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, the path of Chassidus. And we saw it openly in the Rebbe’s own conduct, at all times and in every way, in how he looked at Jews. Even someone who, outwardly and from a distance, appeared utterly removed from all these matters—the approach was always to speak of the virtues and praises of the Jewish people, to bring their virtues to light, and thereby draw out the good within that person and change him. Then not only does the Jew change for the better, but so do the nature of the world and the way the world functions. As the Rebbe says, when we bring the virtues of the Jewish people to light, miracles and wonders take place. Then we see openly, in actual practice, that the entire world was created for the sake of the Torah and for the sake of the Jewish people. Nature then bends, and that will be [unclear]. This is the point we need to take from today’s parsha, a lesson and teaching in our service of Hashem: For Moshe Rabbeinu, acting this way was an act of mesirus nefesh, because he did not want an accusation to be brought against the Jews, and therefore he spoke,

30:38 He did not speak to the rock, but struck it instead. There are explanations in a number of works of Chassidus that show that Moshe Rabbeinu had a holy intention in doing this from the outset. After all, we are speaking about Moshe Rabbeinu, the shepherd of the Jewish people, and he certainly acted with a lofty intention. But what matters for us is to take the lesson that applies to each of us, especially in our time: we must always try to speak in praise of the Jewish people, see only good in Jews, and speak about the good in them. Through this, we transform things and reveal only good, bringing about a state in which even the nature of the world is such that the entire world serves the Jewish people. May we see openly how [unclear] bring G-dliness into the world, and may Jews have only good, materially and spiritually, in a way that is visible and revealed. And may we merit to see the revelations of Moshiach and the true and complete Geulah through Moshiach Tzidkeinu, speedily in our days, amen.