Yud Shevat, the tenth day of Shevat, marked the yahrzeit of the previous Rebbe and the beginning of the nesius, leadership, of the Rebbe.
I heard from a dear friend, Reb Nochum Avrohom Yakubovitch, z”l, from Antwerp, Belgium, that in non-Lubavitch circles, the Rebbe was referred to as “Peleh Hadorot – “The Wonder of the Generations.”
In every field that Jewish leaders excel in, the Rebbe stood on a plateau of his own. If we talk about the Rebbe’s genius and scholarship, it is chronicled in 250 volumes – an enormous scholarly output that is absolutely unprecedented. The Rebbe’s teachings cover every facet and subject matter in Torah: Tanach, Talmud, Halacha, Jewish law and custom, chassidus, Kabbalah, chakirah (Jewish philosophy), dikduk (Hebrew grammar), and more.
People sought the Rebbe’s advice on every conceivable question and the Rebbe’s responses are printed in his numerous volumes of letters, entitled Igros Kodesh. Any topic that one can imagine is covered there.
This prolific scholarship is in itself worthy of the title Peleh Hadorot. But in reality, it’s much more than that.
What is the greatest quality of the Rebbe, or better yet, what is a Rebbe? The definition of a Rebbe is one who cares for each and every single Jew. He may be referred to as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, but he cared for all Jews. This is evident from the countless people who came to see him, and all the people he corresponded with. You see it now more than ever – people from all walks of life come to the Rebbe’s Ohel [resting place] because the Rebbe was always there for them and continues to be there for them and help them in everything they need.
The Rebbe took the Chabad movement, which was small in numbers after World War II, and transformed it into a worldwide movement. After the Holocaust, the Jewish community was left broken, licking their wounds, mourning their dead. The Rebbe set out to strengthen and rebuild the Jewish world.
He sent shluchim [emissaries] all over the world to encourage the international Jewish community and to build bridges for all segments of the Jewish community.
The Jewish community by and large, in 1950, was divided into two parts: the Jew who was observant and the Jew who was not observant. Lubavitcher chassidim always like to add one word to that statement: “The Jew who is not yet observant.” The Rebbe, seeking to remedy that situation and change the way the world looked, sent shluchim all over. Thus, the Rebbe and his network of shluchim began drawing in and inviting all Jews in what’s now known as “kiruv.” It’s important to note that the Rebbe never liked the term kiruv rechokim, which means “bringing close those who are far.” A Jew is never far, the Rebbe always said. Every Jew has a Jewish soul and he’s part of us. We are only talking about bringing Jews even closer than they are already.
When the Rebbe set forth his campaign of bringing Jews closer, there were the critics who said, “What are you doing? You’re bringing them to our table – with their Nehru jackets and ponytails? They are going to ruin our children! How can you do that?
But, Baruch Hashem, they did not ruin our children. Moreover, it did not take long, and those who criticized began imitating this kiruv. They realized that this is something the Jewish community needs. The Rebbe was happy with this, as long as the work was getting done.
The Rebbe took the Chabad-Lubavitch movement from its small beginnings in America and brought it to become a formidable power of whose like is not seen in the international Jewish community. The Rebbe’s emissaries all over the world – in every country, city, town and hamlet – are doing the holy work of bringing Jews closer to Torah and mitzvos.
Today, Chabad houses account for more than 35 percent of all shuls in the United States. It’s more than a movement that feels that you can’t judge a Jew by the size of his tefillin or by the size of the candles she lights on Friday evening; a Jew is a Jew no matter what. Today we see, Baruch Hashem, the scope of the Rebbe’s vision and leadership.
