Thirty Years - Gimel Tamuz 5784

 Thirty years is a long time.  Good people leave a good impression on those around them, and great people leave a great impression.   With time though, the memories become more distant.  We think of our loved ones or heroes with admiration, and think back to our relationship with them and their contributions with nostalgia.

It is 30 years since our revered rebbe passed away, and the last word I would use to describe how we think of him is nostalgia. Nostalgia is a memory of the past.  (As Rabbi YY Jacobson says, nostalgia is not what it used to be.)  The Rebbe is very much with us, and his impact, far from waning, has grown exponentially.

I remember a few years after the Rebbe passed away, a good friend of  mine was bothered about people saying that the Rebbe lives on.  Then he traveled with me to the annual Shluchim convention in Brooklyn, NY.  At the famous banquet,, the “Roll Call” of all the Shluchim was announced by the late Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky.   He first announced the Shluchim serving Jews in each country around the world and in each state.  Then he asked the Shluchim who went to their positions in each decade to stand up, beginning in the ‘40s.  When he announced the decade of the ‘90s, the number of Shluchim who stood up was astounding, since the Rebbe had had a stroke at the beginning of that decade.

Then the band struck up a joyous Chassidic tune and everyone in the hall started dancing.  It felt as if the floor and the walls themselves were dancing.  The electric atmosphere is impossible to describe.  Suddenly this man who had complained about this strange thing that Chassidim say that the Rebbe lives, grabbed me by the lapels and yelled at me “the Rebbe  is alive, the Rebbe is alive!”

Our Sages taught that a Tzadik never dies.  An ordinary person is primarily a body, animated by a soul.  A true Tzaddik’s life and essence is his or her soul.  His whole life on this earth is a manifestation  of his spirit, and the body is merely a receptacle for the soul.  When a person dies, the soul leaves the body, so the person, the body, has died.  When a Tzaddik dies, his soul has separated from his body, but since his essence is his eternal soul, the only thing that has changed is that his soul is now not limited by his body.

Take this a step further.  The leader of the generation, the one the Zohar refers to as the extension of Moshe in the generation, whose entire essence is his leadership, continues in that role.  This is admittedly something that is difficult to wrap our heads around, but the classical teaching of our Sages talks about the concept that a Tzaddik who leads his “flock” during his lifetime does not leave his flock when his soul moves into the next world.

I can say personally that I see and feel the Rebbe’s influence in my life and that of the entire world.  The Rebbe’s teachings have permeated every Jewish community, and his initiatives are flourishing and growing from day to day.  Besides the fact that his followers continue to be energized and bring his message to the world, which is itself remarkable, there is a mystical energy that is palpable to those who connect to the Rebbe and his teachings.  

The Zohar says that after a Tzaddik passes away, his soul is present throughout the spiritual and physical worlds more than during his lifetime.  We see this with the Rebbe, 30 years later.  At the previous Rebbe’s 30th Yahrzeit the Rebbe explained that 30 years is a major milestone.  The prophet Ezekiel describes a great vision that he had in the 30th year of his prophecy, when all the heavens opened up to him.  The 30th Yartzeit  of a Tzaddik, a great Jewish leader, similarly opens up great spiritual opportunities for the Jewish people.

The Yahrzeit is on the third of (Gimmel)Tammuz, this Monday night and Tuesday.  It is an auspicious day to contemplate what the Rebbe accomplished and continues to accomplish through those who follow his path and to learn more about his teachings, guidance, and incredible Torah insights.  You can find a wealth of information about Gimmel Tammuz, and the customs we practice on that day, here.  

It is customary to attend a gathering and meal on this day, and we will be having one on Tuesday evening. https://www.chabadpaloalto.com/lchaim.  We can use the holiness and spiritual energy of this day to boost our connection to Hashem and Judaism in an impactful way.

One of the great things that the Rebbe changed is the attitude we have toward Moshiach.  It is safe to say that at the beginning of his tenure, Moshiach was, for most people, a distant concept that will happen sometime in the future.  The Rebbe taught us that we are the generation of redemption, and the imminent coming of Moshiach has become a defining pillar of Jewish life across the spectrum of Jewish observance.

May we merit the actual redemption, when, as the verse says (Isaiah 26:19), those who dwell in the dust will awaken and sing, in the resurrection, a fundamental principle of Jewish belief.  We will then be reunited with the Rebbe and all the Tzadikim of all the generations, may it be a reality this Gimmel Tamuz.