The Rarely Discussed Reason Why We’re Still in Exile

The Inside Story of Chabad in America — Episode 138 (Mindel Archives)

Welcome to our weekly program, The Inside Story of Chabad in America, through the Mindel Archives. This week's program is a continuation of last week. As I told you last week, this is the second part of something someone asked the Rebbe: why are we in galus so long? I would suggest listening to the previous program first.

Now, this is not the usual way of Chabad — the Rebbe always speaks positively. This program is from a letter, also from sichos, from the early years of the Rebbe. The Rebbe says that usually the Frierdiker Rebbe always looked at the positive when he spoke, so he also wants to do that, but the Rebbe says, "I feel that I have to say this, so I'm telling you this ahead of time." This is based — he wrote this to someone — based on the Igeres HaTeshuva, perek Aleph and also perek Zayin. That's what is written there.

The Rebbe says that there is sinas chinam [baseless hatred], and there is [a second cause]. What is the cause of galus? Our galus is jealousy and kavod [honor-seeking] — this is the sinas chinam — this is why we are in galus today. But the Rebbe asks: don't we see that we do care about each other? We see people who do give a lot, they do help one another — so why are we in galus until now?

So the Rebbe says there is a reason why the galus is so long. The Rebbe says, I'm just repeating, and this is not spoken about too often: because of shmiras habris, not being cautious with sexual desires. He writes how much impurity is involved in this sin, and the Rebbe calls it "the sin of the youth." People should be cautious — we should be cautious with our eyes, not to look — because "ha'ayin ro'eh v'halev chomed," the eye sees and the heart desires.

The Rebbe brings down from Rav Yosef [?] — he was Sagi Nahor, he was blind — and, as a matter of fact, he probably made himself blind, even though you're not allowed to harm your body, which is another discussion that we're not going to talk about today; there are different opinions about it. But this was so as not to see things that you're not allowed to see, because that will bring aveiros [sins].

They also say — the Rebbe doesn't say this here — that the Chozeh of Lublin, he was called "Chozeh" [Seer], became blind, and he sat in the dark so that he shouldn't come to machshavos [improper thoughts]. So when we know the cause of why we are in galus, why the galus is so long, it's easier to fix it.

Now, before I continue with what the Rebbe says further, I want to say something, and this is only my opinion, and I might be a hundred percent wrong, but I think — I remember this year, on Yud Aleph Nissan, there was an online twenty-four-hour [event]. People spoke about hiskashrus, and people were wondering why isn't Moshiach here already — we put in so much hishtadlus [?] [effort]. This one says it's because of this; this one says it's because we have to learn more Rambam — which they're all right; this one says you have to learn more Torah; this one says you have to not speak loshon hora — everybody's right. But I think one thing was not mentioned: be careful with your eyes.

And when the Rebbe says — the Rebbe didn't leave one thing, [he did] everything to bring Moshiach, but now he relies on us — the one thing that even the Rebbe cannot do is to fix the aveira of pegam habris [?]. That, everyone has to do for themselves. Everything else the Rebbe did, but this certain thing we have to do ourselves.

I'm just thinking to myself now — let's go back to what the Alter Rebbe wrote. When people claim that they have no hatzlacha [success] in limud [Torah study], or they have problems from children — you have to be clean, I mean from the opposite of that: the sin of wasteful seed, hotza'as zera l'vatala. And Jews have to know that this is what the Torah — what Jews are busy with — and the going out of exile totally depends on the tikkun [rectification] that everyone has it within their power to rectify this sin.

And even though we need teshuva gedolah — the Alter Rebbe writes — some people might think that it's not easy to rectify such a terrible sin. True, teshuva gedolah means great repentance, but we can do it in an instant, and through rectifying this sin it becomes — the light comes from darkness, and they appreciate the light. And people should not worry that it's hard. This isn't usually a thing that you speak about, but I'm saying it, basically, underneath it.

Now, the order to rectify this sin is: number one, tevilah — you should go to the mikveh. Also watch yourself with bris halashon — guard your tongue. And that will bring light. But — as the Alter Rebbe says — not with worry and sadness, but with simcha. And after you rectify that, from then on you should be careful all the time with your machshava [thought], your dibbur [speech], and your maaseh [deed]. And this is what the Rebbe says.

Now, I never heard these words — by a farbrengen, or from a lecturer, or in my own speaking — I never heard these kinds of words from my teachers. I don't know why, but this is something that should be spoken about, especially if this is "the heel of" the galus — this should be spoken, everyone in their own way. I would never otherwise think about speaking about this, but in order for people to go out into the world [properly], they have to be careful not to look at billboards and not to look at things that you're not allowed to look at. It has to be spoken about — you can do all the good things, but the eyes have to be protected.

And the Rebbe mentions this, based on the fact that there are two people who were called "Tzadik" and "Mordechai," because by them it says the word nisayon [test] — their test was daily. And that is why it brings down that Chananya, Mishael [and Azarya] — they were tested [once], but if it happened to them every day, we don't know whether they would be able to overcome it.

The story with Potiphar — the wife of Potiphar — as everybody learned, they know the whole story: how did he overcome his test? Because he saw the image of Yaakov Avinu, his father. Yaakov Avinu — it says that his first child was born when he was eighty-four years old, when Reuven was born. So when he saw the image of Yaakov — that until eighty-four years old this was his first child — this is what prevented him from committing the aveira.

And by the way, Pidyon HaBen — why Pidyon HaBen is connected [in this teaching] to eighty-four [unclear]. And it says, when a person [commits certain sins, relating to] ben sorer u'moreh, that takes away eighty-four fast days that one would have to fast. That's it — eighty-four fast days.

So when we do teshuva on that sin, when we are cautious with our eyes, that will for sure bring [the geulah]. And since we are getting closer to Moshiach, now — as the Rebbe says — this is the "eikev" [heel] of [the galus], and everyone will see Elokus [Godliness] openly. So now we should get a taste of Moshiach, since we are so close to Moshiach.

So this is what it says: that bris milah takes away the tumah [impurity] of everything, and that's why it says — it's to cure a baby, through bris milah, through [unclear: "the waste of a donkey"]. So, since we are getting closer to Moshiach now, we should realize — the Rebbe says — "open up your eyes," meaning that when Moshiach comes, we will have open eyes. So we should be brought very soon to the coming of Moshiach, and we should do teshuva on this, miyad mamash [immediately], right away.

Thank you.