Toldot: The Rebbe Knows your address. Rabbi Tuvia Bolton, Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim, Kfar Chabad, Israel
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Parshat Toldot
This week's Torah reading tells us about the three wells that Isaac dug. The first two, because his enemies contested them, he called Aisek (strife) and Sitna (opposition). But the third, unchallenged, he called Rechovot (wideness). (26:19-22)
And if you ask, what possible significance can this 4,000-year-old story have to us today, the great Torah commentator Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (RaMba'N) has the answer.
He explains that the first two wells hint at the first two Holy Temples which were to be destroyed due to strife and opposition. But the third well corresponds to the Third Temple which G-d will build through Moshiach and which will stand, unopposed, for all eternity.
But at first glance all this seems to make no sense.
First of all, it's not so clear how these wells hint at the Temples.
And even more; what exactly were the Temples? Isn't G-d infinite? How can He 'fit' in a 'Temple'?! Why not in boundless celestial fire or something impressive? Why a building?
Finally, who exactly was Isaac? It seems that these wells were his main accomplishment. Is this the best he could do?
To understand this here is a story. (HaGeula #105)
G-d made many types of Jews. An example was Rabbi Brenenbard. He was born and bred into a family of 'rigid' religious Jews called "Li'ta'eem" (Jews from Lithuania, esp. Vilna) who treasure serious Judaism and reject 'frivolities' like joy, singing and dancing as practiced by the Chassidim.
(Chassidim are Jews that serve G-d according to the 300-year-old teachings of the 'Baal Shem Tov')
Rabbi Brenenbard was an excellent speaker so it was no surprise that he was invited to speak for the opening of a new Talmudic center in the Israeli town of Efrat. And it was a pleasant surprise that he accepted. The center was donated by the famous philanthropist and Chabad Chassid Rabbi Yosef Gutnick who is a Chabad Chassid.
But it was a bigger surprise when he announced in his speech that he wanted to relate a personal encounter and miracle that he had with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Shneerson.
The story was as follows.
When he was just a young man, before he married, he was told by his teachers and advisors that because he was talented, G-d fearing and intelligent he should devote his life totally to learning Torah. So when it came time for him to get married he found a bride who agreed to support his holy goal and they set up a home in Israel, in Jerusalem.
For the first few years everything was fine. He sat and learned the Holy Torah virtually non-stop and his wife and in-laws were overjoyed with him. But as time passed an ominous cloud began to slowly settle over their happy home.
They had no children.
At first, they thought that prayer and charity would help, but it didn't. Then they tried getting blessings and advice from elder Torah scholars. But that also didn't produce any results. So they began taking the natural route.
They first visited doctors, experts, professors who tried various treatments and medicines with no results. So they tried natural and alternative specialists … but nothing changed, the prognosis was black and the years were passing.
But they refused to give up. They knew there must be a way. And sure enough, a breakthrough came from a totally unexpected place.
One of his wife’s close friends told her about a holy Rabbi in Brooklyn; the Lubavitcher Rebbe! "Why, the Rebbe is famous for miracles! If anyone could help it's him. Everyone goes. No obligations etc. ect.
But when she told her husband … he was not excited.
"Chassidic Rebbis!? The Lubavitcher!?" he said in disbelief and vetoed the idea.
Two more years passed and he began accept his lot. But his wife didn't let up. Every week or so she reminded him and begged, "Why not try? What have we got to lose? Maybe it will work? Please, just this one time."
His conscience began nagging him. He was causing his wife anguish. He couldn't bear to see her suffering this way…. finally he broke down and announced.
"All right, we'll go to Brooklyn".
They bought tickets, called the Rebbe’s office made an appointment, and a week later they were entering the Lubavitcher Rebbe's room.
As soon as the door closed behind them, she burst out in uncontrollable tears. But the Rebbe looked at her with kind and wise eyes and, as she was calming down, before she said a word, comforted her saying "You needn't worry, you will certainly be blessed with a child."
Then he turned to her husband and asked "And what do you do?" To which he answered "I learn Torah all day".
"But what do you DO?" The Rebbe asked again, emphasizing the last word.
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Rabbi Brenenbard didn’t really understand. He told the Rebbe what he did, he learned Torah. He had decided years ago that the ideal way to spend his life was to be immersed in learning and avoid the world as much as possible.
But the Rebbe seemed to be saying that this wasn't good enough. He wanted him to DO something in the world around him. Could it be that the Rebbe was suggesting that he should subtract time from learning the precious Torah? No way! Who was he, a total stranger, to give him totally unsolicited advice. Why should he be taken seriously? After all, he only came to accompany his wife not for himself.
The Rebbe looked at him in a way that it seemed he was reading his thoughts, smiled and asked pleasantly.
"Tell me, where do you live? On what street?"
Rabbi Brenenbard shrugged his shoulders, gave his address and the name of the tiny and obscure street in Jerusalem where he lived, and wondered what the Rebbe was getting at
"On that street," said the Rebbe, "there are two apartment houses. One has a grocery store for the first floor and the other doesn't. Which building do you live in?"
Rabbi Brenenbard was amazed! How could the Rebbe possibly know of the buildings on a miniscule street that most people in Jerusalem never heard of! As far as he knew the Rebbe had never even been in Israel how could he know these things.
He answered the Rebbe with wide eyes of disbelief, 'In the building without the market'. The Rebbe blessed them both and the meeting ended.
As Rabbi Brenenbard told the story it was obvious that he was still impressed with what the Rebbe said about his building. He concluded by saying that he then and there decided to take the Rebbe's advice.
When he returned to Israel he opened a "Kollel', an institution for advanced Torah scholars and instead of just learning for himself began teaching Torah to others.
And shortly thereafter his wife gave birth to their first of their children!
This answers our questions about the wells and Yitzchak.
Miracles don't do much to change the world. Miracles are easily forgotten (as with the Jews after leaving Egypt). And religions are no different. They usually are concerned much more with heaven and the afterlife than with improving this life on earth.
That isn't what Isaac wanted. He didn't want to found another religion that stresses heaven and negates the earth. Because that is not what G-d wants.
That is why he dug wells.
He dug into the barren desert until he revealed water in order to transform it into a fertile, inhabitable land. To teach us that it is up to us to transform and 'elevate' the physical world to reveal the truth, earth is higher than heaven.
This is also the point of the Holy Temples.
G-d is above nature. For G-d to do reveal Himself in miracles and wonders is not so unusual; (like the miracle of Rabbi Brenenbard's wife giving birth),
But for G-d to be revealed in a physical house… (like the Rebbe knowing about his building) that is really impressive!
The Holy Temples, just like the wells he dug, are to transform this physical world; to reveal the Creator in His creation.
This is the job that Isaac began. And it will be completed by Moshiach who, according to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, is already here and any moment will bring the Holy Temple from heaven, gather all the Jews to the Holy Land and teach all mankind to serve the Creator.
But it all depends on US to open our eyes and do all we can to bring him.
We just have to dig a bit deeper, ignore the 'strife' and 'opposition' and reveal a new ‘wide’ world as Rabbi Brenenbard did.
And not much is lacking.
We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish hopes, prayers and suffering. It could be that just one more good deed, word or even thought will bring …… Moshiach NOW!!
Rabbi Tuvia Bolton Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim Kfar Chabad, Israel
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