by Rabbi E. Tauger
TAMMUZ : Dates To Remember
Gimmel Tammuz - The Rebbe
Chassidic thought teaches that the core of every person's soul is yechidah, a spiritual spark which is one with G-d. When the level of yechidah manifests itself, a person believes, not because he suddenly has a "reason" to believe, but because at that plane, G-dliness is the only reality; there is nothing else. This truth is so powerful that even as the person exists within our material frame of reference, he must acknowledge it.
Just as every individual soul possesses a yechidah, in every generation there is an individual who constitutes the yechidah of the Jewish nation as a whole. G-dliness is as real to this individual as ordinary material existence is to us.
When people come into contact with such an individual, they cannot remain unmoved. On the contrary, meeting a person whose yechidah is openly revealed stirs their own yechidah into expression. This explains why when people met the Rebbe, they began to believe. For a person who was not yet observant, meeting the Rebbe often prompted that vital first step toward Jewish awareness and practice. If a person was already observant, ideas which he knew and accepted would suddenly be felt as actual truth.
Mashiach is described as the yechidah of history itself. At the time of his coming, such innate awareness of G-d will spread throughout the world.
This helps explain why the Rebbe pressed so powerfully for the coming of the Redemption. It was not only that he was a visionary, able to appreciate that the spiritual climate of the times is changing, and that "the time for your Redemption has come."
There was something more fundamental involved. Since the Rebbe is identified with yechidah, Mashiach is his mission. Since his early childhood he was a harbinger of the future, already possessing the mindset that will characterize the era of Mashiach, and he shared that mindset with others.
This sharing was more than a contact between minds; it was a connection between souls. When you came face-to-face with the Rebbe, you believed, you felt, you lived Mashiach.
The Zohar teaches: "When a righteous man departs he is to be found in all the worlds more than during his lifetime." In Tanya, the Alter Rebbe explains that this does not refer only to the spiritual realms. That is obvious. The intent rather is that even in this material world, the righteous man's presence is more powerfully felt after his passing than during his lifetime. For during his lifetime, his physical body, however refined it might be, restricts the extent to which his disciples can be nourished by the contact of their souls with his. After his passing, those restrictions no longer exist.
After the passing of the Previous Rebbe, the Rebbe Rayatz, the Rebbe told the chassidim to continue directing their requests for blessings to the Previous Rebbe. "He will find a way," the Rebbe explained, "to communicate his response."
What the Rebbe told us about the Previous Rebbe certainly holds true with regard to himself. As so many real-life stories indicate, he finds a way to respond. Be it through dreams or visions of the Rebbe, prayers at his holy resting place (called by chassidim "the Ohel" or "the Tziyun"), or by placing written requests for guidance randomly in any one of the many published volumes of the Rebbe's thousands of letters (Igros), the chassidim and the Rebbe maintain their relationship.
Anyone who spoke to the Rebbe had the feeling that, at the time the Rebbe was speaking to him, the Rebbe's concentration was focused solely on him. No matter how petty that person's concerns were, the Rebbe invested himself in them, showing that person the utmost care and attention. Today that motif continues.
But that is only part of the story. Perhaps most significant is the fact that the Rebbe's work - Jewish outreach, and performing this in the most complete way, so that it will lead to the coming of Mashiach - is still going on, and indeed, has continued to grow. It is hard to believe, but the number of new shluchim, young couples going to outlying places to put the Rebbe's mission into practice, has grown year by year in greater numbers. New Lubavitch centers are continually springing up and the existing centers are widening their scope of activity. His influence is being felt even more than before.
The Rebbe - chassid relationship is not merely a memory. He is still a source of energy and vitality for all of us. And with that energy and vitality, we must do our share in furthering the mission with which he charged us: preparing ourselves and the entire world to welcome Mashiach, and creating an environment in which his purpose can be fulfilled.
Tammuz 12 and 13
The birthday of the Previous Rebbe, the Rebbe Rayatz, in 5640 (1880). In 5687 (1927), the Previous Rebbe was arrested for his tireless activity in spreading Yiddishkeit and Chassidus despite the persecution of the Communist authorities. He was sentenced to death for his efforts and it was only through an open miracle that his sentence was commuted to exile - on 3 Tammuz, and shortly afterwards, on 12 Tammuz, his birthday, was the day on which the Russian government decided to release him and 13 Tammuz, was the day of his actual release.
In subsequent years, Tammuz 12 and 13 have been commemorated as "festivals for the dissemination of the Torah," celebrating the fact that the cruel Soviet oppression could not quell the dispersion of Torah Judaism.
Tammuz 17
This date commemorates a public fast memorializing five tragic events within Jewish history:
a) The worship of the Golden Calf and the destruction of the tablets containing the Ten Commandments;
b) The breaching of the walls of Jerusalem during the siege of the city by the Romans;
c) The cessation of sacrificial worship in the Temple during the siege before the destruction of the First Temple;
d) The erection of a statue of a Greek god in the Temple;
e) The public burning of the Torah.
The fast begins at sunrise Tuesday, July 22, and ends at the appearance of three stars that evening.
The Three Weeks
There are three weeks between Tammuz 17 which marks the breach of Jerusalem's walls and Tishah BeAv which marks the destruction of the Temple. During these three weeks, several customs of communal mourning are observed. For example, marriages are not held, we do not shave or cut our hair, and we refrain from purchasing new clothes or other items that will generate happiness. It is explained that the Temple was destroyed because of unwarranted hatred. Thus this period is a time to increase our love and care for our fellow man.
Tammuz - A Month of Transition Tammuz is one of the few months whose name is specifically mentioned in the Bible. And yet, the mention of Tammuz is not favorable. On the contrary, the name is identified with the Jews' worship of a pagan deity. Similarly, we find that the latter half of the month is specifically associated with customs of mourning, commemorating the fall of Jerusalem and the days leading to the destruction of the Temple. Despite these negative connections, this month is also characterized by strong positive spiritual influences. This is reflected by the fact that this month falls in the summer when the sun's heat shines extremely powerfully. Everything that transpires in our material world is a reflection of corresponding forces in the spiritual plane. The sun is associated with G-d's four letter name, as it is written: "and are like the sun and its shield." The name expresses the Divine attributes of mercy and revelation. Thus the shining of the sun in Tammuz with its fierce power indicates that this period is associated with G-dly love and mercy.
Genuine Commitment There are "fair-weather friends" who show their affection only when times are good, but cannot be found when difficulties arise. And there are deeper and more lasting relationships which endure even in the most trying of circumstances. What is the difference between the two? "Fair-weather" friendship is basically a give and take relationship. People feel a commitment to each other because they assume that they will benefit from the relationship; the other person has something to offer them. Genuine love and commitment, by contrast, is not dependent on external factors. The relationship is a result of an inner bond, a soul connection that stems from the core of the person's being. For example, a father and a son feel a bond, not because of what one gives the other, but because they are essentially one entity. The relationship between the Jews and G-d stems from the fact that the essence of every Jew is the spark of G-d that lies at the core of his or her soul. Accordingly, whatever a Jew does, even if he descends to the level of worshiping pagan deities, G-d is with Him. And with fatherly love and affection, He will endeavor to spur the Jew to advance spiritually, even if doing so involves conduct which appears harsh. Cleaning a small child who has soiled himself is not always a pleasant process. Nevertheless, it is quite obvious why a father will do this despite his natural aversion to causing his son pain: he is concerned with his son's long term benefit and not his immediate comfort. Similarly, when a father chastises his son, it is unpleasant for both the son and the father, but the father is willing to endure this momentary unpleasantness, because of his long term commitment to his son's growth and development. This points to the spiritual message of the the month of Tammuz. The inner, motivating force is G-d's unbounded love. Because of this love, He remains connected to the Jews, even in the midst of their most severe descents. On the other hand, this very love is itself the source for the retribution suffered in this month.
Exile Is Not Forever Retribution should never be seen as an end in itself. The ultimate goal of a father's chastising his son is not only the son's growth, but the complete and more fulfilling relationship they will share once he experiences that growth. So too, exile is merely a temporary lesson, a tool to enable the Jews to perfect themselves and their surroundings, and make them fitting for the ultimate relationship of love and closeness which they will share with G-d in Era of the Redemption. This positive direction is also reflected in the events of the month of Tammuz. For in the last generations, the events of Yud-Beis Tammuz and Gimmel Tammuz have brought Mashiach's coming closer and pointed to the inner love which motivates the spiritual dynamic of this month. |
The Torah Portions of the Month
Parshas Chukas - This Torah reading describes the sacrifice of the Red Heifer which is necessary to purify the Jewish people from the impurity stemming from contact with a human corpse. According to Rabbinic tradition, there have been 9 red heifers offered throughout history. The tenth red heifer will be brought by Mashiach to enable the Jewish people to resume sacrificial worship after the rebuilding of the Temple.
Parshas Balak - This Torah reading contains the blessings recited by the prophet Bilaam. Among those prophecies is the verse: "A star shall shoot forth from Jacob, and a scepter shall arise in Israel" which refers to the coming of Mashiach. Significantly, the Jerusalem Talmud interprets that verse as referring to every Jew. And yet this does not represent contradiction to the accepted tradition that it refers to Mashiach, for every Jew, contains a spark of Mashiach within his soul.
Parshas Pinchas - This Torah reading begins with the blessings which G-d grants Pinchas for risking his life to perpetuate the Jews' moral standards. Our Sages identify Pinchas with Elijah the prophet who will serve as the harbinger of the Redemption.
Both Pinchas and Elijah are identified with the quality of zealousness, intense and unbounded commitment to G-d's service. Because of the intensity of their commitment, there were times when they lacked the sensitivity to appreciate the positive attributes which others possess. G-d deemed this undesirable. To teach him the opposite tendency, Elijah was designated as "the angel of the covenant" who would appear at the circumcisions of the Jewish people throughout history and attest to their faithfulness.
Parshas Mattos-Masei - These two Torah readings reflect a fusion of opposites. The word Mattos means "staffs," and refers to the power and firmness which designated the leaders of the tribes. Masei means "journeys," and refers to the journeys of the Jewish people through the desert. The combination of Mattos and Masei reflect how firmness must be tempered by flexibility, that a leader must not adhere stubbornly to a position, but have the inner suppleness to recognize the need for change.