Parshas Vayishlach 5786 - What is a Rebbe

00:00 Reb Yoel Kahn, a"h, once told a story: When the Frierdiker Rebbe came to Eretz Yisroel in 5689, there was a great chossid there, one of the deeply devoted chassidim. His name was Reb Alter Simchovitch, a well-known mashpia. He was among the first students of Tomchei Temimim. He was also among the first shluchim the Rebbe Rashab sent when he founded the Toras Emes yeshiva in Chevron in 5672. He sent a group, and Reb Alter Simchovitch was among them. He was one of the outstanding Temimim, [unclear] of Tomchei Temimim in Lubavitch. Later, years afterward, he was also [unclear] under the great and well-known chossid Reb Zalman Havlin, who was the director and rosh yeshiva of Toras Emes. That year, when the Frierdiker Rebbe came to Eretz Yisroel in 5689, Reb Alter was a mashpia at the yeshiva. He related that when Reb Alter learned that the Frierdiker Rebbe was coming, there was tremendous excitement. The very fact that the Rebbe was coming to Eretz Yisroel stirred tremendous excitement and awe. They prepared and prepared, and made a great occasion of it. In the weeks after he learned that the Rebbe was coming, Reb Alter, who was a mashpia at the yeshiva, was in a state of

01:36 utter disorientation. I mean, he was completely beside himself. He found it hard to give classes because he was [unclear] with excitement; he was completely beside himself. This went on for some time. When the Frierdiker Rebbe arrived in Eretz Yisroel, in Menachem Av of that year, 5689, Reb Alter accompanied the Rebbe throughout the trip, [unclear], and stayed with him the whole time. Afterward, when the Frierdiker Rebbe left—this was in the middle of Av, after 15 Av, around 20 Av—Reb Alter returned as well, and went back to the regular schedule, to the yeshiva and to his work. It took another few days before he could regain his composure and think clearly. The students related that when he returned to learning and giving classes, he began studying the maamar of Chassidus that he regularly learned with them. He learned a few lines, and suddenly, in the middle of the lesson, said to the bochurim: “Children, you saw a face, you saw eyes, you saw a nose, you saw a mouth, you saw hands. No, children, you saw G-dliness, a man of G-d. Everything—every movement you saw—was G-dliness. It was all G-dliness,

03:20 it was G-dliness.” He was so moved that you could actually see [unclear] in him. In this week’s parsha we find the verse about Yaakov Avinu’s arrival in Eretz Yisroel: “He erected an altar there and called it El, G-d of Israel.” At first glance this seems straightforward, but Rashi brings two interpretations. What happened here? Yaakov Avinu came to Eretz Yisroel and erected the altar, “and called it El, G-d of Israel.” Who called whom? Did Yaakov Avinu call the altar that—who called whom? There are different interpretations of this. Rashi brings the words of Rabbi Acha from the Gemara in Megillah: What does “and called it El, G-d of Israel” mean? That Hakadosh Boruch Hu called Yaakov “El.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu gave Yaakov Avinu the name “El.” And what does “El, G-d of Israel” mean? Who called Yaakov “El”? The G-d of Israel. The G-d of Israel, Hakadosh Boruch Hu, was the one who also called Yaakov Avinu “El.” This is an explicit Gemara in Megillah. What does it mean? How do we understand it? What is meant by the statement “and called it El, G-d of Israel”? What does it mean that Yaakov Avinu was called “El”? This is one of the subjects discussed in Chassidus, in maamarim. There are maamarim in Chassidus that address it. And it helps us understand the depth of what a tzaddik is, what

04:58 the Rebbe is, as it emerges from this Midrash, from several teachings of our Sages, and from Kabbalah and Chassidus. First, I want to preface this with something the holy Rebbe of Berditchev says about the verse. The holy Rebbe of Berditchev asks: What does “and called it El, G-d of Israel” mean? Hakadosh Boruch Hu called Yaakov “El.” Then the Midrash explains: “Who called him El? The G-d of Israel.” What does the Midrash mean? What is it trying to explain? Why does it ask, “Who called him El?” and answer, “The G-d of Israel”? The holy Rebbe of Berditchev offers a wonderful explanation. As is well known—and this is something he brings many times in Kedushas Levi as well, [unclear]—this is a teaching he quotes in the name of the Maggid of Mezritch, [unclear] from the teachings of the Maggid, and also [unclear] the Baal Shem Tov. It concerns the verse [unclear], where it says, the verse says, [unclear] King David. He quotes the verse: “A tzaddik rules in the fear of G-d.” The power of a tzaddik. “A tzaddik rules in the fear of G-d.” The simple meaning is that a tzaddik conducts all his affairs with fear of G-d. Because he fears Heaven, fears G-d, the tzaddik exercises his authority, leadership and rule with fear of G-d. That is one interpretation. But there is another.

06:29 He brings the Maggid of Mezritch’s interpretation of the verse “A tzaddik rules in the fear of G-d” together with what our Sages say about the verse: as the Gemara says, Hakadosh Boruch Hu decrees and a tzaddik nullifies the decree. Hakadosh Boruch Hu decrees things, and a tzaddik has the power to nullify His decrees. “A tzaddik decrees and Hakadosh Boruch Hu fulfills”—all these statements of our Sages express the tzaddik’s power to change the decrees of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. This is the power of tzaddikim: sometimes, G-d forbid, [unclear]. Can a tzaddik, through his decree, through his command, change the will of Hakadosh Boruch Hu? The question arises: This is the Divine will—how can a tzaddik change it? About this, the verse says, “A tzaddik rules in the fear of G-d.” A tzaddik has authority, has control, even over matters of the fear of G-d—things that Hakadosh Boruch Hu has decreed. A tzaddik has the power, so to speak, to change the will of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Where does this power come from? He explains: This itself is what Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants. He gives a parable, which he also brings from [unclear] the Baal Shem Tov. A father presents a complex argument, an intellectual idea, a deep idea, to his child, his own child. And the child he is speaking to—

07:46 [unclear]—the child challenges his father’s reasoning. He refutes it and disproves the argument. Not only is the father not angry that his child has refuted what he said; on the contrary, the father is delighted, and it gives him pleasure and satisfaction that the child was able to challenge him. That is precisely what the father wants. The father wants the child to challenge his reasoning, offer a deeper explanation and shed light on the matter. That is precisely what the father wants. In the same way, Hakadosh Boruch Hu establishes a decree in a certain way; He issues a decree here. When the tzaddik nullifies the decree, he arouses a deeper, inner will. He reveals the innermost will, which is itself what Hakadosh Boruch Hu wants. This is “A tzaddik rules in the fear of G-d”: Hakadosh Boruch Hu decrees and a tzaddik nullifies the decree—he has that power. And this itself is the will, pleasure and satisfaction of Hakadosh Boruch Hu: that the tzaddik, through his power, his prayers, his requests and all that he does, should nullify the decree. But the point is this: It does not mean, G-d forbid, that the tzaddik is stronger than Hakadosh Boruch Hu, so to speak. Rather, this itself is what He wants. The very fact that a tzaddik has power even in matters of the fear of G-d, to—

09:03 to change the decrees of Hakadosh Boruch Hu—that itself is the inner will of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. It is not, G-d forbid, a power the tzaddik possesses on his own. And this is what the Gemara says here: “Hakadosh Boruch Hu called Yaakov El.” As is known, El is one of the holy Names, but the word El also conveys strength and power, as in “the mighty ones of the land.” Yes, it denotes might and power. This, then, is the meaning of “Hakadosh Boruch Hu called Yaakov El.” Hakadosh Boruch Hu gave Yaakov the power of El: he is El, possessing the might and strength to change and nullify the decrees of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. But who called him El? Hakadosh Boruch Hu. This power the tzaddik has is not his own power, G-d forbid. It is a Divine power that the tzaddik receives. Even this power itself comes from Hakadosh Boruch Hu. And the holy Rebbe of Berditchev offers a wonderful, beautiful explanation of the name “King of the kings of kings.” What does “King of the kings of kings” mean? We refer to Hakadosh Boruch Hu with these three terms: King, kings of, the kings. The Rebbe of Berditchev says: “Kings” refers to the matters, the decrees that Hakadosh Boruch Hu decrees for the world. “Kings” are all matters of Divine influence and nature, and—

10:19 And the blessings, the decrees, and the things that happen in the world come from the “kings.” That is, the “kings” here are the Divine forces present in the world; from them come all influences, for good or, G-d forbid, otherwise. The “kings of kings” are the tzaddikim, who have the power to change all these things. “A tzaddik rules over the fear of G-d.” A tzaddik can nullify what Hakadosh Boruch Hu has decreed. So the tzaddik is a “king of kings”: he rules over the “kings” and can change and nullify their decrees. But Hakadosh Boruch Hu Himself is the “King of kings of kings.” He rules over the “kings of kings”; He is the One who gives the tzaddik this power. This is the meaning of what the holy Rebbe of Berditchev says in one of the parshiyos. Chassidus explains the matter at greater length. In a maamar from 5633, the Rebbe Maharash discusses it and explains it at length, but in any case, that is the point here. It is also based on something similar that we find in the Zohar. Regarding the mitzvah of going up to the Beis Hamikdash for the festivals, the Torah says, “All your males shall appear before the face of the Master, Hashem.” The Zohar asks: Now that there is no Beis Hamikdash, how do we fulfill the mitzvah of going up for the festivals, as a remembrance of the Beis Hamikdash? The Zohar says that this

11:34 relates to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. “Who is ‘the face of the Master, Hashem’? That is Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.” Is that what it means here too? A person wants to encounter and see “the face of the Master, Hashem,” as one could in the Beis Hamikdash. There is another way to do that, through the tzaddik, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. And the whole idea raises a question: What does it mean to say, “Who is ‘the face of the Master, Hashem’? That is Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai”? The Rebbe spoke about this once and pointed out that the idea actually appears in the Yerushalmi as well. The Rebbe once said, jokingly, that some people specifically need a source in nigleh. He said it is written in the Gemara, in the Yerushalmi. The Yerushalmi also cites the verse “in His holy sanctuary” and says, “That is Rabbi Eliezer of Caesarea.” It names one of the Amoraim. Who was Rabbi Eliezer? He was one of the Amoraim there, who lived in Caesarea. And it says that this is “Hashem is in His holy sanctuary”—the tzaddik, the Tanna or Amora, in his beis midrash. So we see something here that explains the matter. Chassidus explains, based on what we find, that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai speaks about himself and his greatness a number of times. We find this in the Gemara too. There is a passage in the Gemara where Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says:

12:53 “I can exempt the entire world from judgment.” And we likewise find Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai saying of himself, “I am a sign in the world,” as though everything is connected to Rabbi Shimon. How can that be? We find great tzaddikim speaking about themselves in terms of greatness. G-d forbid to say that this came from pride or a sense of self. If we go back to the Torah, Moshe Rabbeinu said, “And what are we?” and all those expressions he uses, [unclear]. He speaks about his qualities; Moshe wrote the Torah, and all these matters. Chassidus explains that, on the contrary, these are genuine tzaddikim. Rebbeim are lofty souls, souls of Atzilus, utterly nullified and attached to the Master of the Universe. Their nullification and attachment are so complete that their entire being and existence are one with G-dliness. There is no trace in them of selfhood, of “I,” of ego, of independent existence or personal desires. They are completely attached to and united with G-dliness, like fish in the sea. A fish in the sea has no independent existence; its entire existence comes from the sea. As brought in halachah, one can even immerse in—in—a fish’s eye. There is a dispute about this in halachah, in the Mishnah. But one opinion holds that immersion in fish is possible because their very existence is water.

14:16 For that is their entire existence: it is where they come from and what they are; water is their whole being. So too, the great tzaddikim, those lofty souls known as “fish of the sea,” who are constantly attached, constantly nullified, and constantly devoted—they are therefore completely united with G-dliness. So when they speak, they are not speaking of their own greatness; it is the greatness of the Master of the Universe that is drawn down through them. Because of their profound nullification, it is not their own existence, but the G-dliness that passes through them. The tzaddik is so devoted, so nullified, and so united with G-dliness that everything about him is the supernal will passing through him. He is truly attached through his conduct and his mitzvos, and in his entire being—that is all he is about: the ultimate in self-nullification. G-d forbid, this is not about his own stature or importance; his greatness, brilliance, wealth, nobility, exaltedness, or personal qualities, G-d forbid. It is exactly the opposite: he is so devoted and given over, so devoid of an independent existence, so utterly nullified, that matters of greatness can be reflected through him, without being about him at all. And this was the quality of Yaakov Avinu. This is what is meant by “And He called him El, the G-d of Yisroel”: the Master of the Universe called Yaakov Avinu “El,” because he became that through—

15:37 his avodah. Through everything Yaakov Avinu did and everything he went through in Lavan’s house and with Esav, through all the challenges and trials he endured, he refined his body and his very being until he became entirely a man of G-d, a G-dly person. When you look at Yaakov, you see the G-d of Yaakov. He is called “the G-d of Yaakov.” That became his entire existence, his entire essence, everything he embodied. This is the power of the great tzaddikim: through their avodah, they bring G-dliness, the very greatness of Hashem, down into this world. The Rebbe Maharash goes on to say something remarkable. He speaks about the stature of a tzaddik. The Rebbe says, [unclear]. The Rebbe Maharash says that, in truth, every Jew has something of this as well. After all, the Gemara in Bava Basra says, “Length of days and years,” [unclear]. The Gemara says there that “in the future, tzaddikim will be called by the name of Hakadosh Boruch Hu.” In other words, this is not something said only of Yaakov Avinu and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai; it applies to the entire Jewish people. For “tzaddikim” means “And your people are all tzaddikim.” It refers to the entire Jewish people. And as is further explained

17:08 with the verse “Everyone who is called by My name and for My glory,” and so on—the verses the Gemara cites: In the future, all Jews will be called by the Name, by the name Havayah, by the name of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. What does that mean? That a Jew will be called by the name of Hakadosh Boruch Hu? The Rebbe Maharash says: The Alter Rebbe says in Tanya that we find angels called by the name of Hakadosh Boruch Hu several times in the Torah. Yes? Several times we find the name Havayah used—the angel of Havayah appeared, and so on, with various names—and it refers to angels. The Alter Rebbe explains in Tanya that when an angel is carrying out his mission, he is called by the name Havayah. “And she called the name of Hashem who spoke to her.” There are several verses in which the angel himself is called by the name Havayah. How can an angel, who is a created being, be called by the name Havayah? That is the Alter Rebbe’s question at the end of Tanya, in Kuntres Acharon. But the Alter Rebbe explains that this follows the principle of shlichus. Since we say of shlichus that “a person’s agent is like the person himself,” when the agent carries out his mission, he is called by the name of the one who sent him, because he carries out the sender’s [unclear]. That is why angels, while carrying out their missions, are called by the name of the One who sent them. When an angel is not carrying out his mission, he is a created being, and a created being cannot, G-d forbid, be called by the name of Hakadosh Boruch Hu.

18:44 But while he is carrying out his mission, he is nullified to that mission—“a person’s agent is like the person himself”—and the angel is called by the name of the One who sent him, by the name Havayah. The Rebbe Maharash says: From this we can draw an a fortiori conclusion. If an angel, who is a created being, can be called by the name of Hakadosh Boruch Hu while carrying out his mission, how much more so a Jew who performs a mitzvah. After all, the mitzvos are the supernal will, and as our Sages said, “Honor the mitzvos, for they are My agents.” Every mitzvah is, as it were, an agent of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. And for a mitzvah to be a mitzvah, there must be a Jew. If a non-Jew puts on tefillin, it does not have that effect, because he has no connection to that mitzvah. It is specifically when a Jew performs the mitzvah that he brings the mitzvah into being, and then it is a mitzvah. “Honor the mitzvos, for they are My agents.” It follows that when a Jew performs a mitzvah, his entire being is called by the name of the One who sent him. In other words, he is called by the name Havayah. That is why we say that all Jews will be called by that name. And this seems to raise a question: If all Jews are called by the name Havayah, why do we say this will happen only in the future? “And your people are all tzaddikim”—is that said about the future? Even now, during exile, when a Jew performs a mitzvah, he is called by the name Havayah. The answer is that one of the points he makes is [unclear]. But in practice, all of this is still concealed.

20:13 In this time. The revelation of all the [unclear] will be in the time to come. And in particular, as it is also written, when a Jew performs a mitzvah now, it takes place in exile, in darkness. The full revelation, [unclear]. In the time to come it will be revealed, and then all these things will be openly visible. It will be clear that the Jew bears the name of Hakadosh Boruch Hu, because he is His shliach, and through his mission he brings Hakadosh Boruch Hu down into the world. This answers the question: How could the Gemara say that Hakadosh Boruch Hu calls our forefather Yaakov “El”? We say that in the time to come, Jews will be called by the name of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. But Yaakov—that is, the forefathers—the Gemara explicitly says that the forefathers merited “a taste of the World to Come” already in this world: “with everything, from everything, everything.” The forefathers already experienced the World to Come then. That is why Yaakov could already be called “El.” This was unique to the forefathers and the great tzaddikim, who merited a taste of the World to Come in this world. That is the point. From here we also learn wonderful things that concern every Jew, and the verse is full of this. This is the role of the tzaddik, of the Rebbe, who is a “man of G-d,” connecting Jews with G-dliness: “I stand between Hashem and you.” So the tzaddik—“Hakadosh Boruch Hu calls Yaakov ‘El’”—is himself connected with G-dliness, and he brings

21:54 Hakadosh Boruch Hu to us. Thus, “He calls Yaakov ‘El’” already now. But in truth, every Jew, through his work in Torah and mitzvos, has this within him, at least in a concealed way, and it will be revealed in the time to come. And we are living in such a great period, when all the [unclear] are coming out into the open—the time of Shabbos Parshas Vayishlach and the days close to 19 Kislev, the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus. One of the things the Alter Rebbe revealed is the role of the tzaddik, of the Rebbe: that in order to receive, to have a connection, and to be able to express one’s devotion, his bond and his connection, this is accomplished through shlichus, [unclear], through the mission here below—“a person’s shliach is like himself.” And by connecting and binding ourselves to the tzaddik, to the leader of the generation, to the Yaakov of our generation and the Moshe of our generation, we attain a bond and attachment to G-dliness, until the time comes when “they will all know Me,” and we will merit, [unclear], the open revelation of the third Beis Hamikdash and the complete Geulah through Moshiach Tzidkeinu.