Stories, Tales, and Remembrances
More Love
When Rabbi and his disciples discussed wicked or hostile persons, they recalled the advice the Baal Shem Tov once gave to the father of a renegade son: that he should love him more. "When you see," they said, "that someone hates you and does you harm, rally your spirit and love him more than before. That is the only way you can make him turn. For the whole of Israel is a vehicle for holiness. If love and unity prevail among them, then the Divine Presence and all holiness is about them. But if - God forbid! - there should be a schism, a rift appears, and through the opening holiness falls down into the 'shells.' And so, if your neighbor grows remote from you in spirit, you must approach him more closely than before - to fill out the rift."
Concerning the words of the prayer: "He who maketh peace in his high places, may he make peace for us . . ." Rabbi said: "We all know that Heaven (shamayim) came into being when God made peace between fire (esh) and water (mayim). And he who could make peace between the utmost extremes, will surely be able to make peace between us."
Friends, I would like to share with you an inspirational
experience, which I came across. At a Special Olympics, nine
contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the
starting line for the 100 meter race. At the starting signal, they all
started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race
to the finish and win. All, others except one little boy who stumbled
on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The
other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then
they all turned around and went back ...... every one of them.
One girl
with Down's syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This will
make it better". Then all nine linked their arms together and walked
together and finally reached the destination. Everyone in the stadium
stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were
there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know
this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for
ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if
it means slowing down and changing our course. I would say that, you
do not have to slow down. Rather by helping difficult areas, the feed
back will make you go faster. If you pass this on, we may be able to
change our hearts as well as someone else's. "A candle loses nothing
by lighting another candle".
Rabbi was very eager to make peace. He often went into the homes of the hasidim and addressed their wives, so that the readiness to keep peace with their husbands might grow in their hearts.
Once, on the ninth day of Av, the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple, he happened to be in a community whose members had for a long time been nursing a quarrel which grew more and more involved and difficult to end. One of the factions approached him with the request to arbitrate. "But the rabbi," so they said, "will probably not want to bother with our affairs in this period of mourning."
"No day is better than this," he replied. "For it was because of an idle quarrel that the city of God was destroyed."
On the sabbath, when the first chapter in the Scriptures, the story of creation, is read, the hasidim in Bershad sit in a circle all day, and sing over and over: "Sabbath of creation, all in one! sabbath of creation, all in one!"
The Most Important Quality
"I am always afraid to be more clever than devout". And then he added: "I should rather be devout than clever, but rather than both devout and clever, I should like to be good."
Keeping The Law
Disciples asked: "In the Talmud we read that our Father Abraham kept all the laws. How could this be, since they had not yet been given to him?"
"All that is needful," he said, "is to love God. When you are about to do something and you think it might lessen your love, then you will know it is sin. If you are about to do something and think it will increase your love, you will know that your will is in keeping with the will of God. That is what Abraham did."
The Suns and the Earth
"In every generation there are great zaddikim who shirk the work of salvation by devoting themselves to the Torah. As they fulfil the commandments, each of them ponders on what holy place his soul came from, and is intent on having it go home to that place after its earthly journey is accomplished, to rejoice in the light of heavenly wisdom. That is why to such a man the things of this earth are as nothing. And though he is saddened by the misery among men and the bitter exile of Israel, this is not enough to move his heart to dare in prayer what must be dared. All his great longing is directed solely to his own homecoming, as it is written: 'One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; and the earth abideth forever. The sun also riseth and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he ariseth.' Suns rise and go down and let the misery on earth endure."
Love for Enemies
Rabbi gave this command to his sons: "Pray for your enemies that all may be well with them. And should you think this is not serving God, rest assured that more than all prayers, this is, indeed, the service of God."