The Rebbe's Mivtzoim: Part 4

00:00 The in continuation to the earlier installments regarding the mivtzoim and the mitzvah tanks, we continue now with installment number four, discussing additional aspects where the Rebbe spoke about the mivtzoim and the thankists. The Rebbe was once asked, "Why does the, the Rebbe give dollars through the thankists and not through the ones learning a lot of Gemara?" The Rebbe responded, "I don't understand. A student in yeshiva learning a lot of Gemara, this is not outstanding. Without that, he is not a student of yeshiva. But when I requested that in the spare time, a for this, I need to give chizuk and encouragement." And the Rebbe concluded, "I would feel embarrassed if I would need to speak and demonstrate in public that one who fulfills the yeshiva schedule requested from him should receive a reward." On one occasion, the Rebbe spoke about the mivtzoim and urged accelerated activities. After Shabbos, the mobilized themselves and went out with the mitzvah tanks for consecutive three days. The Rebbe observing this commented to one of his secretaries, "Relay to them that if they want to make bitul torah on my account, they are making a mistake. My intention was that in the recess hours or after lunch, there should be enough time to go out for mivtzoim." And this later became a permanent day, the Friday afternoon after yeshiva that travel mivtzoim. The mivtzoim was also considered by the Rebbe as the channel for many broches in a Hasid's life. A Hasid once wrote a pidyon to the Rebbe for

02:07 requests. The Rebbe responded, "Does he participate in the mivtzoim and also in neshek, ner Shabbos-- kedushah Shabbos candle lighting with appropriate energy?" The Rebbe pointed out a fact that a person assisting someone else physically or spiritually, his mind and heart are then blessed thousandfold. This means, for example, that a subject that a person toils to attain, to learn a thousand hours is attained in one hour. This is based on a word from the Alter Rebbe in Torah Air and the comment of the on this minor. Someone once briefed the Rebbe about the latest mivtzoim activities. The Rebbe responded, "It is possible for the people participating in the mivtzoim to conquer New York City and her surroundings in a pleasant way." In one of the sichas, the Rebbe mentioned that if the would have utilized the time of reading newspapers, et cetera, for mivtzoim, Mashiach would have already arrived. We mentioned at the beginning of the article that although the purpose of the mivtzoim is to activate the light of emunah, belief in Hashem in every yid in a practical sense, the ultimate goal of the mivtzoim is the redemption. The following sicha demonstrates this point in a very spectacular way. In one of the fabrengens, the Rebbe spoke an unusual emotional sicha in which he gave us an insight into the ultimate goal of the mivtzoim. It was in a Rashi sicha when the Rebbe was explaining a Rashi on the Parsha, Parsha Bo, speaking about the Korban Pesach. Rashi explains why Hashem instructed the

04:14 Yidden to fulfill two mitzvahs prior to leaving Mitzrayim. Rashi quotes Rabbi Mashiah Ben Chorash who says that prior to redeeming the Yidden from Mitzrayim, from Egypt, Hashem saw that they were bare of mitzvahs and were not ready to leave Egypt. Hashem therefore gave them the mitzvahs of milah, circumcision, and Pesach. The Rebbe asks the question, why must Rashi cite who was the one who said this comment, Rabbi Mashiah Ben Chorash? What would be lacking if Rashi would only mention the above-mentioned thought and omit the source who said it? The Rebbe explains that when a Yid asks a question about the unusual long galus, Rashi teaches a child the answer. The answer for that, that is relayed to us by the sage, Rabbi Mashiah, the son of Chorash. Who was Rabbi Mashiah Ben Chorash? Rabbi Mashiah Ben Chorash lived in the galus of Rome in a very oppressed time period. When his students approached and asked him, "It is already stated in the Talmud that all the deadlines for the galus are over, so why are we still in such a bitter galus?" Rabbi Mashiah Ben Chorash responds to his students, "Look at the first exile, Mitzrayim. The deadline for redemption has arrived to leave Egypt, but they were bare of mitzvahs. Hashem therefore gave to the Yidden two mitzvahs. The same is valid in all exiles. The mitzvahs are the vessels for the geulah." And the Rebbe continued, "When a fire is burning, a person will escape from the blaze with grabbing anything that he

06:02 could to spare from the fire. He might not be able to spare the clothing he needs, but at the same time, he will grab even a tie and put it on him in order to spare it from the fire." Why is it so? Because when a person finds himself in emergency moments, he does not make any calculations and logical abstractions. He will grab a tie and wear it, even though he doesn't have a shirt on him, because when fire is roaring, , there is no time and patience for calculations. Once he has this one garment on him, this will eventually guide him to don all his garments. The same is with mivtzoim. We meet a person on a train or a bus. Although we know that in a short time the person will be getting off, don't leave him bare from mitzvahs, which are compared to garments for the soul. Throw something on him. If it is a tie or any other garment, grab the occasion and talk with him about a specific mitzvah. Eventually, this one mitzvah will bring another mitzvah, and this will prepare Klal Yisrael for the geulah. And we should all merit that the Rebbe should lead us very speedily, Eretz HaKodesh, our holy land, together with the mivtzoim and neshek in our hands bekorav mamash. With this, we, Be'ezrat Hashem, conclude the series on the mivtzoim and mitzvah tanks.