MOSHE DOES NOT SAY ANYTHING OF HIS OWN

Before Gimmel Tammuz our connection to the Rebbe was through visible and tangible “wires,” through dollars, t’fillos, farbrengens, Lekach and more. Today the connection is not visible. Our children wonder if there is still a way to connect to the Rebbe. 

It is our job to tell our children that we live in a wireless era.

Dear Reader sh’yichyeh,

This Shabbos, Parshas Korach, is the Shabbos prior to the holy day of Gimmel Tammuz. We all know that the Alter Rebbe taught that “We have to live with the times,” which was explained to mean the weekly Torah portion. I therefore would like to share a thought we can take from Parshas Korach in connection to Gimmel Tammuz.

Parshas Korach is a parsha full of drama. There is the family feud of Moshe and Korach, the rebellion and ultimate death of 250 descendants of Shevet Reuven, and the earth swallowing of Korach, his family and cronies. Yet, there is another melodramatic and otherworldly scene that is recorded by Rashi but one that is often overlooked.

The Parsha (17:9-15) tells us the following story: The Lord spoke to Moses saying: “Stand aside from this congregation, and I shall consume them in an instant.” They fell on their faces. Moses said to Aaron, “Take the censer and put fire from the altar top into it. Then take it quickly to the congregation and atone for them, for wrath has gone forth from the Lord, and the plague has begun.” Aaron took [it], just as Moses had said, and he ran into the midst of the assembly, and behold, the plague had begun among the people. He placed the incense on it and atoned for the people. He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague ceased. The number of dead in the plague was fourteen thousand, seven hundred, besides those who died because of the matter of Korach. Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and the plague was checked.

Rashi, commenting on the above verses states (17:13), He stood between the dead…: He took hold of the angel and held him against his will. The angel said to him, “Allow me to accomplish my mission.” He [Aaron] said to him, “Moshe commanded me to stop you.” He said to him, “I am the messenger of the Omnipresent, and you are the messenger of Moshe.” He said to him, “Moshe does not say anything on his own volition, but only at the bidding of the Almighty. If you do not believe [me], the Holy One blessed is He and Moses are at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting; come with me and ask.” This is the meaning of the statement, “Aaron returned to Moses.”

If we stop and think about the above-mentioned encounter of Aharon and the angel of death, we can take a very powerful lesson for Gimmel Tammuz. On Gimmel Tammuz 5754, it appeared that the “Angel of Death” was sent on a mission of death. There are many people that believe that he succeeded. Yet it is our job to quote “the words of Moshe” – the sichos of the Rebbe – which teach us about the objectives of the seventh generation and the “eternal-life” of the Nasi. We have to proudly tell the world “Moshe – our Rebbe – does not say anything on his own volition, but only at the bidding of the Almighty”!

We must teach our children that they can connect with the Rebbe, even today in 5773. One of the best ways to do that is by showing our children that we can still communicate and receive answers from the Rebbe through the Igros Kodesh. This makes them realize that we still have a Rebbe and it is worth sacrificing our physical pleasures and desires for the Rebbe’s cause and call!

 Before Gimmel Tammuz our connection to the Rebbe was through visible and tangible “wires,” through dollars, t’fillos, farbrengens, Lekach and more. Today the connection is not visible. Our children wonder if there is still a way to connect to the Rebbe. 

It is our job to tell our children that we live in a wireless era. The cellphone is the biggest proof. All we need to do is “dial the Rebbe’s number” – encourage them to write to the Rebbe through the Igros Kodesh etc. – and you will hear them exclaim “ I don’t know exactly how it works, but I know that the Rebbe Lives!”