Anshei Ha'ir

00:00 That’s what he’s talking about. You can see it’s clear. And the Alter Rebbe says: [unclear]. Still, this has practical relevance. [unclear]. The Alter Rebbe says: the king is in the field, the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, and he receives everyone with a pleasant countenance. That’s how he tells the parable, and that’s how the Alter Rebbe presents it in actual practice. The Alter Rebbe asks: [unclear]. That’s a precise point. “Turn away from evil and do good.” No, this is a real point of precision. First you have to study the first chapter of [unclear], and you have to [unclear]. The first chapter of [unclear]—the point of the chapter is that the king is in the field and receives everyone with a pleasant countenance. And every Jew has [unclear]. That’s the parable about a Jew. [unclear]. That’s the parable about a Jew. The Rebbe says—

01:34 A Jew is [unclear]. And we continue studying the chapter. The Alter Rebbe [unclear]. But that isn’t the point. We need to look for guidance: How should one do teshuvah? What should one do teshuvah for? [unclear] the soul. A Jew, the soul, and the point is [unclear]. This isn’t simply teshuvah for transgressions and sins; [unclear]. His innovation is that through this, we grasp what a Jew is. And that’s the parable about a Jew, and it applies to every Jew. And there is [unclear]. We have to search. And that is the [unclear]. So the Alter Rebbe says: Who are the people in the parable? The townspeople, the townspeople. Not long ago there was a farbrengen here. A student said, “Fine, what was said there is true. And the soul needs to [unclear]. The bochurim in Tomchei Temimim—there was a period when ninety percent of the bochurim in Tomchei Temimim—the way they remain [unclear], they don’t become mashpi’im or roshei yeshivah; instead, they become shluchim. So the question is: Why do they need to study Chassidus, to study Nigleh?” He’s asking a question. That’s learning. [unclear]. They become shluchim; there they need to know [unclear]. They need other Jews [unclear]. Not—

03:09 Teachers, roshei yeshivah, mashpi’im, avodah. He said, “So what is right? This is what the Torah wants of Jews, [unclear] to bring Moshiach closer, and [unclear]. And the soul needs to [unclear]. Who can accomplish something in the field?” The Rebbe says: Who can accomplish something in the field? The townspeople. The townspeople go out into the field. Someone who isn’t one of the townspeople can’t accomplish anything in the field. When you come on the Rebbe’s shlichus to a town, bring Jews closer and establish a mikveh there, and the Jews come to the Rebbe, [unclear]—those are the townspeople. “The city of our G-d.” “The city of our G-d,” Tehillim 48, that is [unclear] soul. [unclear]. When you’re in Tomchei Temimim, you become one of the townspeople; afterward you can go out into the field. After all, the king is in the field. [unclear]. Certainly, certainly, the goal for the bochurim is either to become leading mashpi’im or to go out on shlichus and accomplish something, to build an entire town, to bring [unclear] closer. But who can do that if we have no connection to the townspeople? Being one of the townspeople means delving into study with passion, not [unclear]. Delving into study with passion and deep understanding. And “townspeople”—it doesn’t mean studying [unclear]. What’s connected with the townspeople is [unclear].

04:33 [unclear]. If we can’t [unclear]. We need to do teshuvah over the fact that we’re now in Tomchei Temimim. What do we need to do teshuvah for? [unclear]. The townspeople—that’s our goal, that’s our life, that’s our vitality, that’s our parable. Nu, l’chaim, guys. L’chaim. L’chaim. L’chaim.