Merkos Shlichus - Part 6

00:01 Behemesech, in continuation to the earlier installments regarding Mercas Shlichas, we now continue with installment number six, where we will cite the Rebbe's responses to individuals on this matter, translated here into English. In the year Tafshin-Yutes, 1959, a bocher who went on Mercas Shlichas wrote to the Rebbe some doubts he had about this project, regarding the aspect of the ultimate impact on individuals who they meet, in respect to the small amount of people involved in this mission, and therefore a very small marginal amount of people being touched by this project. The Rebbe responded with a few points. Firstly, a brief introduction. There are many possibilities. All are authentic and are existing in the above Mercas Shlichas. A few of them, and the Rebbe lists them. Number one, at times the success in this mission is to the extent that the recipient becomes a giver. T'feach ha'manas l'hatfiach, which is an expression in Gemara, when one item becomes moist enough to transfer some of this moistness to another, or the expression, a sense of continuity. Likewise, the recipient gives to another, and the Rebbe uses the expression, the concept, a chain reaction process. Number two, there is more success when meeting a person who has qualitative character traits, and when this impresses him, it makes an impact on him, he is then so activated on his own with his own character traits. It is as a small spark which can ignite a big fire if it is applied to fire powder. As the Talmud recounts in the

02:17 tractate of Yevames, that after the 24,000 talmidim of Rabba Akiva passed away, and this is what we mourn in the Svirah days, and the world remained empty till eventually only five students who survived the plague revived the world, and that's when Teydah was re-established. Number three, a third point, in addition to the above, the Rambam states that when one does one mitzvah, it tilts the entire world to the positive. Now, we'll cite from a second response, and this was to the Anhola, the faculty of Yeshivas Temchit Mimim, when they wrote to the Rebbe that the bocherim need to prepare for the Mercas Lichos by studying 100 pages of Gemara and 10 Maymurim, 10 discourses. This was the quota, the requirement in order to be eligible to travel for Mercas Lichos. The Rebbe responded regarding the 100 pages of Gemara, and the Rebbe added, and one additional page, as explained in Lukut Teydah, which are Hasidic discourses on Parshas Re'ei, page 22c, that also nowadays there is a qualitative significance in the number 101. As a side note, the Rebbe is referring to the numbers 100 and 101. During the Talmudic era, they had no tractates published, and therefore everyone needed to study every topic for 100 times orally to remember it. Therefore, when one reached beyond 100, which is 101, it was beyond required. So the Rebbe says also nowadays there is a significance in the 101. What does it mean? So the Alter Rebbe in a discourse, as mentioned earlier in Lukut Teydah, explains

04:41 that the number 101 reflects the highest level in every aspect. In the level of the neshamah, it's from the highest character traits, deepest character traits in the soul. And likewise, in regard to the godly revelation, it is beyond the ordinary level and standard. And the Rebbe underlined about their materials needed to be studied and concluded, umuchrechu, this is necessary. And the Rebbe then concluded with a bracha that veyehi ratzon sheyovi kol ha'nal be'pe'el mamish askir al hatzin. That it should be the will of Hashem that all this should come down in a practical sense, and I will mention it at the resting place of my father-in-law. We will, im yirtze Hashem, continue in the next installment.