In exemplary order, thousands marched as they accompanied the late Rabbi Shmuel Mordechai Ashkenazi on his final journey. The notice boards still hung with announcements announcing the rabbi's participation in a special shiur on the occasion of the passing of the elderly Rebbe, author of the Tanya and the Rabbi Shulchan Arva, which occurred today.
Thousands of women and girls from Kfar Chabad stood alongside the funeral procession, as the rabbi's coffin passed between the various points, and for a moment I was reminded of the million-strong rally held in Jerusalem about a year ago.
There was no advance planning here, it rained heavily, but despite everything, the funeral went off in perfect order.
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All the businesses in the village closed their gates, and the convoy of cars that clogged the entrance to the village failed to disrupt the honorable funeral procession that ended (as far as I'm concerned) when the son of Rabbi Lamra Datra was crowned, in place of his great father.
The day before, as rumors about the passing of the Rabbi (that's what they called him here) spread in the media, I couldn't help but notice the striking difference between the Haredi media and the general media.
As if it were two countries for two peoples.
While the ultra-Orthodox one deals with the passing of one of the great Lubavitcher rabbis, the other deals with the vanity of this world and celebrates the victory of women in the Labor Party and their impending victory in the Jewish Home Party.
Rare unity
On the day of the funeral itself, the day of the commemoration of our teacher and rabbi, the old Rebbe, who passed away 202 years ago, I thought about the fact that even though two centuries have passed, his teachings are more relevant than ever. His method, the method of Chabad, has become the property of many circles, who reflect on his books with greater intensity and strength.
In Chabad Hasidism, it is not customary to eulogize the deceased. The sudden passing of Rabbi Ashkenazi did not change the custom. However, the respect he received from all circles of the Haredi and religious public testified to his greatness in Torah and leadership.
The fact that the Lithuanian daily Yated Ne'eman dedicated an article to commemorate his passing is worthy of special mention, because it once again demonstrates that we are all one and united people, even though we differ in our views.
The ability to transcend differences of opinion and respect others indicates our ability to unite into one large technical bloc that will unite all of Haredi Judaism and constitute a clear and unequivocal declaration – we all accept upon ourselves the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven – our Father, we all bless you as one in the light of your face.
For sixty years, the old Rebbe built and perfected the communal activity that he based on four pillars: love of Israel, the study of Torah, the service of God with devotion, acts of kindness and charity. This path was passed on by our teacher, the old Rebbe, to his followers for generations to come. To this day, two hundred and two years after his passing.
The 24th of Tevet, the day of the hilula of the old Rebbe, the author of the Tanya, was defined by the Rebbe as a happy day. The Rebbe already expressed in the Tashtuv that it is "a phililka hilula," similar to the day of the passing of the divine Tanya, Rabbi Shimon bar-Yochai, who influences all those associated with him and those who follow in his path with great spiritual abundance.
The common denominator
It is not for nothing that our teacher, the founder of Chabad Hasidism, passed away in the month of Tevet, which is said to be the month "in which the body enjoys the body." In the true and complete redemption that will come soon and immediately, our physical body will enjoy the spiritual body - the power and essence of God. We will all be able to actually feel the divine light that animates us every second.
It is not for nothing that the date of the passing of the author of the Tanya occurred four days after the date of the passing of the great eagle, our teacher Maimonides. Both were engaged in collecting for the benefit of the public.
Maimonides compiled all the laws, and the old Rebbe called his monumental book "Likkuti Amerim." Like Maimonides, the old Rebbe also compiled the laws for the Shulchan Aruch of the Rabbis.
And in the moments when I stood on the sidelines of the funeral procession of our rabbi, the rabbi of Kfar Chabad, I could not ignore the fact that he, like his great father, passed away in the month of Tevet, in the days between the hilulat of the Rambam and the hilulat of the old Rebbe, in whose Torah he had meditated his entire life.
In this week's Torah, God says to Moses, "For I am the Lord in the midst of the earth." Sometimes we encounter Jews who are in the "earth" level, who have descended to the lowest layman. But, we need to remember and remind ourselves that even in the "earth" - in the lowest level - God, blessed be He, is found. Even in the hiddenness within the hiddenness.
Every Jew, even those who outwardly seem to be the most unconcerned with the Torah and its commandments, can be brought closer to the Holy Torah and its commandments to the level of "Vara," where he will literally see all the matters of the Torah with his own eyes.
This is the legacy left behind by Maimonides and the Elder Rebbe, and this was also the path of Rabbi Ashkenazi, who was buried on the 24th of Tevet - to bring the light of the Elder Rebbe to everyone.
Perhaps this explains the presence of Jews from all circles of ultra-Orthodox and religious Judaism at his funeral.
And may it be that death will be swallowed up forever, and the destiny will be fulfilled in us immediately and immediately, "And those who are appointed on Mount Zion will come to judge the Mount of Esau, and the kingdom will be the Lord's." Amen, so be it.
• Part of the column is based on the talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe | The writer is the owner of "My Choice", an event host, lecturer, and radio broadcaster. | For comments: [email protected]
