Page 3 - The Jewish Voice - February '23

The Jewish Voice, Page 3

From the rabbi

How Our Greatest Leaders troubling situation, even after he emerges from it, he has to mission in a merciful manner, without suffering, one must
Responded to Crises clarify for himself and for others that this is not a coincidence come to the conclusion that the reason G-d sent him these
troubles is in order for him to be able to bring illumination
and not the fault of a specific person. The purpose is not
to leave pain and anxiety in its wake. When a person is to this challenge itself — to shine the light of G-d where it
Change the Way You See Things and the confronted with difficulty, he must perceive the challenge has never shone before!”
Things You See Will Change as a divine mission.” Applying this truth to the painful court case, the Rebbe
The Rebbe illustrated his unique perspective using my explained to the massive crowd assembled in Chabad World
By Rabbi Dovid Vigler favorite biblical character, Joseph. Though he was orphaned Headquarters that, despite the great achievements the Chabad
How do you react to your from his mother at the tender age of nine and despised movement has already achieved in bringing the teachings of
problems? Do you curse by his brothers, who actively tried to kill him, he always chassidus, Jewish mysticism, to every corner in the world,
your luck or seek someone remained positive. Even when they sold him as a slave and he the fact that the movement was accused of being “inactive”
to blame? When we Jews languished for 12 years in an Egyptian dungeon, he cheerfully in the Supreme Court was a sign that Heaven was demanding
are publicly maligned faced each day with gusto and zest. we teach ever more chassidus to the world.
we instantly identify the It’s not that Joseph was especially stoical or out of sync Far from shooting the messenger and blaming the
antisemite and seek to with his emotions; he is the most emotional figure in the Bible perpetrator, the Rebbe made it clear this trial was not the
publicly shame him. When — he cries on nine separate occasions. Joseph’s secret was fault of an individual who was stealing priceless books from
you miss your flight, heaven that he refused to see himself as a victim of circumstance, but the Central Chabad Library, but rather a Divine message to
help the one to whom you rather as a product of his own decisions. Filled with faith, he the movement. The Rebbe explained that the reason for this
direct your ire! knew unequivocally that wherever he was, that was precisely painful court case was a Heavenly challenge to the Chabad
But what if there’s another way to face your fears and where G-d needed him to be. Without resentment or rancor, movement. Despite all that Chabad had already achieved in
manage your mania? Joseph refused to adopt a victim mentality, choosing instead sharing the teachings of the Chabad chassidus with the world,
I was deeply moved to observe the majestic manner to be better instead of bitter. in Heaven it was felt they were not doing enough.
in which the Rebbe managed his own crisis in 1987. His Thus the Rebbe explained “on a practical level: Just like One of the most original and articulate Jewish thinkers of
weltanschauung was so sensational and inspirational that it Joseph who never blamed his brothers for selling him as a our time was Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi of the
inspired my worldview. slave to Egypt but faithfully declared ‘it wasn’t you who sold United Kingdom. In 1968, as a college student at Cambridge
In the summer of 1985, a rogue relative of the Rebbe me as a slave but rather G-d who sent me here to provide University, he decided to interview some of the great Jewish
began to steal precious manuscripts from the Central Chabad sustenance’ (Genesis 45:8), we have to see ourselves as leaders of the world. Thus, he found himself in a meeting
Library and sought to sell them for his own financial gain. G-d’s emissaries and use the struggle as an impetus towards with the Rebbe.
When confronted by the movement, he claimed there was no fulfilling our Divine purpose upon this Earth.” He arrived at headquarters and entered the Rebbe’s office
longer a Chabad “movement” and that the books were his to Companies, houses, clothes, and objects are sold because to ask the same philosophical questions he posed to many
inherit from his grandfather, the Previous Rebbe. The case they are passive and have no power of their own. Joseph rabbis. But the Rebbe suddenly began asking him questions:
went to the Supreme Court and, in 1987, Judge Charles Sifton refused to define himself as “sold” by his assailants but rather How many Jewish students are there at Cambridge? How
ultimately ruled that Chabad is a global movement and not as “sent” by G-d on a Divine mission to nurture mankind many of them are involved in Jewish life? What is Sacks
a private entity. All the stolen materials were ordered to be through the ensuing famine. Joseph inspires me every day doing to get other Jewish students to join in Jewish life?
returned to their rightful place in the Rebbe’s library. because he saw himself not as a victim but as a victor. Sacks tried to defend himself, saying, “In the situation in
In a spirited sermon delivered on December 14, 1985, Never helpless, he was always in control. Wherever which I currently find myself...”
the Rebbe quoted the talmudic dictum that “nothing that G-d he was, he knew he was on a Divine mission. While the The Rebbe cut him off mid-sentence with a statement
created is in vain” (Ethics of the Fathers 6:11) and applied it perpetrator does have free choice and will ultimately be held that changed his life: “No one finds himself in a specific
to the current troubles he and the Chabad movement faced. accountable for his actions, the circumstances inflicted upon situation. You got yourself into a certain situation and you
Through two painful years of anxiety and suspense, the the subject are by Divine design. can put yourself into another situation.”

Rebbe spoke passionately and emphatically: On January Elaborating on his personal pain, the Rebbe continued
6, 1987, he explained that “when a Jew finds himself in a to explain that “even though G-d could have sent us this From the Rabbi on page 4

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