Be balanced; importance of emunas tzaddikim

(Frierdiker Rebbe)

I am reminded this morning of the following statement by the Kotzker Rebbe:

“A gutter iz a nar. A klugger iz an appikores. Un a frummer iz a rasha. Alle drei tsuzammen — a shtikel mentch.” — “A good person is a fool. A smart person is a heretic. And a religious person is cruel. All three together — you got yourself a mentch.”

Meaning, if you’re a kind person without intelligence or piety, you’ll be taken advantage of. If you’re a smart person without piety or kindness, you’ll analyze everything to the point of every idea crumbling into ashes and become a heretic, and if you’re pious, but not kind or intelligent, you’ll judge everyone and everything too severely. Combine them — and you have a chance to pass as a functional Jew.

* * *

 Another story which I am reminded of this morning is about talmidim of Baal Shem Tov, sitting around the table, listening to him giving kavanos for tkias ha’shoifer (blowing of the shofar) and mikveh. Then the students realized that what Baal Shem Tov was teaching contradicted the teachings of Arizal. None of them said anything, of course, and Baal Shem Tov himself didn’t say anything. One of Baal Shem Tov students, Reb Nochum (incidentally, a grandfather of Rav Nachman Breslover), who was a tzaddik gomur, found himself falling asleep. (The reason it’s mentioned that he was a tzaddik gommur, is that if normally he wanted to stay awake, his body could not tell him otherwise. So, this was not a normal occasion.)

As he fell asleep, he saw a dream. He was in Gan Eiden, and all the souls were running. He stopped one and asked: “Where is everyone running?”, and the soul answered: “What do you mean? Reb Yisroel Baal Shem Tov is going to give a chiddush in Torah.” So, Reb Nochum followed the souls and arrived at the place, where his teacher was standing and giving a lesson identical to the one Reb Nochum saw in the physical world.

Then, a young man with a black beard stood up and started arguing with Baal Shem Tov. And Baal Shem Tov argued back. After a while, the young man said: “You are right” and sat down.

At that moment, Reb Nochum woke up. Baal Shem Tov looked at him, smiled, and asked: “Nu? Ver iz gerekht?” (“Nu? Who is right?”)

Kuzari

Sources explaining Kuzari Principle and the rational basis for faith in G-d:

1. Gutnick Rambam, chapter 1. I think this is a superb book, by far not only as the Rebbe’s commentary on the 8th and 9th Principles of Rambam, but mainly as the exposition of how Chassidus Chabad views nigleh: its origins (spiritual and physical), its process, its evolution, etc. Another three chapters from the book: “Co-Existence of Contradictory Truths in Judaism”.

Interesting quote pertaining to the current events:

On the night of the Fifteenth of Nissan (Pesach) it is a mitzvah to recount the story of the Exodus from Egypt in response to a question from one’s son: “When your son will ask you... ‘What is this?’ you should say to him, ‘With a mighty hand G–d took us out of Egypt’ (Shemos 15:14)”. But even after the son’s question is fully answered on the first night of Pesach, he nevertheless is required to ask it again on the second night! So we see that questions and initial presumptions are as much a part of the Torah as the answers themselves, such that they must be repeatedly studied and emphasized.

2. Having said that, I think the first chapter of the above book is not the best source on Kuzari in existence. To date, I believe the clearest explanation of Kuzari Principle and rational basis for belief in G-d is one by Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb in Chapter 6 of his book (I would also read chapters 2 and 3 for general discussion of how one should approach the reasons to be religious).

(I am well aware there are many books explaining the book of Kuzari in detail. First, I am only referring here to online sources. Second, I am talking about specific explanation of Kuzari Principle and clear elucidation of its logic and application.)

On tzaddikim and bagels

Continuing the last post’s theme of octuplets, a very nice story about emunas tzaddikim on The Tzaddik and the Rebbe blog.