Who Comes to Whom?
Citizenship
By Divine providence, the sixteenth of Adar, the first day after Shushan Purim, introduced a revolutionary phenomenon. That is when in 5709, (the last Purim of the Previous Rebbe in this physical world), the Previous Rebbe became a citizen of the United States.
What was unique about the Previous Rebbe’s citizenship was that in order to accommodate the Rebbe’s needs, the congress legislated a law that permitted the government to come to the Rebbe, rather than the existing norm of the applicant going to the government.
The Rebbe at the time commented that when a Nasi Hador, the leader of a generation, needs to become a citizen, the government will legislate a law to accommodate him.
If we reflect, just briefly, on what had transpired the day after Shushan Purim of that year, it is clear that it related to the process of Redemption.
Even when the Chabad Rebbes had influence over government legislation, they were in the Galus tradition of shtadlanim who “lobbied” the governments to help the plight of the Jewish people. The Rebbes had to employ their power of mesiras nefesh-self-sacrifice to approach, engage and even confront the government. True, they never lost the Gaon Ya’akov (Jewish pride and dignity) even when their lives were in jeopardy. Nevertheless, the fact that they went to the government was an indication that the state of exile was still strong. In Talmudic parlance: We were still subjects of Achashveirosh.”
When the government legislated and especially when they carried out for the first time in history the conferring of citizenship on the Previous Rebbe by coming to him, this was a reversal (perhaps the first such reversal in a revealed sense) of the pre-eminence of the rule of Achashveirosh.
Of course, we know that the Rebbes were always the ones who “called the shots.” The Rebbe spoke many times of how the Tzemach Tzedek (the third Lubavitcher Rebbe), by way of his avodah, spiritual service, on Rosh Hashanah, would determine the outcome of major affairs in Petersburg as they pertained to Jews. But, nevertheless, it was not revealed to all. Certainly the Tsarist regime did not publicly express the notion that the Rebbe was in charge.
Three Weeks before “Anointing” of Rebbe
It should be noted that the sixteenth of Adar, of the year 5709 was just three weeks before the Previous Rebbe delivered an historic talk to the Rebbe on the Rebbe’s birthday, Yudaleph – the 11th of – Nissan. That talk was about the giving over of the cruse of oil, from one Rebbe to the next, for anointing purposes! In that enigmatic talk, many Chassidim saw a clear indication that the Previous Rebbe was giving over the “cruse of oil of leadership” that he received from his predecessors going back to the Ba’al Shem Tov, to the Rebbe.
That the event of the Previous Rebbe’s citizenship and the giving over of the pach hashemen-cruse of oil occurred during the same period – between Purim and Pesach of that year – was perhaps an indication of the new tone that was set for the leadership of the Rebbe.
From now on the notion of Nesi Doreinu- Leader of our generation was being promulgated. By contrast to earlier generations where the title Nesi Doreinu was rarely used, the Rebbe employed it almost always when he spoke of the Previous Rebbe. This is the generation when the whole world is allowed to and required to know who its true leader is, albeit a leader without an army and weapons. A leader who leads by virtue, piety, unconditional love and devotion to all.
The historic events that followed in subsequent years where the president and the congress would honor the Rebbe, was a further step in the process of the Rebbe dismantling the acati avdi d’aAchashveirosh anan state of affairs and introducing the notion that Moshiach is the one who is really in control..
The World Goes to Lubavitch It is well known that when president Shazar of Israel came to see the Rebbe there was an uproar in higher Israeli circles. Shazar asked the Rebbe whether he would consent to visit him in his hotel room. The Rebbe’s response after consulting with the Previous Rebbe at the Ohel [the resting place of the Previous Rebbe] was, “One travels to Lubavitch, not from Lubavitch.” The Rebbe’s statement was made despite of the fact that in the past, the Rebbe’s predecessors did in fact travel from Lubavitch to visit dignitaries.
Perhaps what the Rebbe was saying is that in truth, the Rebbes never left Lubavitch, for wherever they went they took Lubavitch along with them. When the Rebbe would visit someone, the truth was that his or her soul was traveling to the Rebbe. The world around, however, was not yet ready to see that. Now, the Rebbe revealed to Shazar and the entire world that it would be clear for all to behold that the president of Israel would travel to the Rebbe. Now, the time has come, that the world will see that one goes to Lubavitch; that the Rebbe is the one in charge.
We are in an Historical Bridge Period
As we stand in a time that bridges the two periods of Purim and Pesach, we cannot help but to reflect on the fact that we are standing on the bridge between the Purim and Pesach of world history. We are now situated between the world in which Achashveirosh was recognized as the supreme leader and the world of Pesach, the geulah sheleimah, the complete Redemption, where Moses dictates the terms to Pharaoh. (Since it was before Mattan Torah-the Giving of the Torah and the thousands of years of efforts, Moses had to physically go to Pharaoh to deliver G- d’s ultimatum.
Only the last plague did Pharaoh run to see Mses. That was a preview of what happens in the end of days.
The Rebbe told us to “open our eyes” to see the Geulah around us. The Rebbe told us to view the events that are occurring in their proper context. In light of this, it would serve us well to see how from the demise of the Soviet Union, the evil empire, we have been exposed to a follow up event. While it may not be as startling and earth shattering, it is no less of a major shift in the way the world views its secular leaders. The president of the only remaining superpower has been subjected to a barrage of unprecedented criticism for his lack of morality.
(While it would have been preferable for us to learn of the president’s commitment to the seven Mitzvos of Bnei Noach under the overt influence of Moshiach, nevertheless, the events of the past few months have clearly demonstrated the bankruptcy of the secular realm.)
Even the highest official of the sole superpower has lost credibility. If anyone had a question as to whether one can be content with a Purim existence, where we are still subjects of the modern day Achashveirosh, this event would dispel any doubt.
In the days of Purim, there were but a minority of detractors, who could not accept the status quo, but the majority did, that was because they were living before the two thousand year period of golus. They were living before the Nasi Hador-the leader of our generation and the Navi Hador-the prophet of our generation declared “Higia Zman Geulaschem-the Time of your Redemption has arrived.” Now it behooves every Jew to say that they are fed up with the status quo, no matter how much power we might wield in exile. We must emphatically and sincerely cry out: We want Moshiach now!
From the book Light from the Future: Purim by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
