A Bochur Writes: Don’t Be Afraid

By A Bochur

Chov Av. The Yahrtzeit of Harav Levi Yitzchok Schneerson, the father of the Rebbe. As known, Reb Levik was deeply engrossed in the writing of the Kabbalistic and mystical secrets of the Torah. Along with that, Reb Levik fought for the continuation of Jewry; spreading the teachings of Torah and ChaBaD Chassidus among the Ukraine-Russia area.

Among the countless pieces of deep concepts in Kabbalah, and extraordinary teachings of Chassidus, there stands out a principal the Rebbe learned from his father, “Never Be Afraid”.

Though compared to the mystical and infinite teachings of Chassidus ChaBaD, the teaching sounds simple, the truth of the matter is, that in this, lay the essence of our mission and our purpose.

We all know what it meant to ‘not be afraid’ in torturous Ukraine. It meant that there were certain persons, who had a ruthless, aggressive, violent, mission; to wipe out Judisaim in the Ukraine-Area. They were the enemy. It was clear. The Chassidim reacted with a ruthless attitude, their mission was: Do anything that will disrupt or corrupt anything to do with the Russian government. And as seen, they took that raw energy, and they channeled it into practically fulfilling the Will of the Rebbe. Whether it was a new Mikvah, a Yeshivah, or a pair of Tefillin for a Bar Mitzvah, it was done, and with an unstoppable aggressiveness, passion, and drive. Hence, DON’T BE AFRAID- Know that as a Yid, and how much more so, as a Chosid of the Rebbe, that you are above the opposition. Whether a group of soldiers, or a spy, he has nothing compared to the essence of what a Chosid is. It was the Essence of who they were that was, due to the opposition, reacting in an uncompromising, infinite way.

So though they had opposition, soldiers lurking back and forth, police beating a random Yid, it was only with this that they saw and felt the opposition in every step they took, and it was then with this, that, they were given this boost of energy to react in this unlimited, ‘above time and place way.’

Now, we’re here. No spies, no soldiers, and no underground Yeshivahs. Now we are free. Now a Chosid can walk about in his Hat and Jacket, or a mother with her Tichel, with no resistance or opposition whatsoever. Now we start to lose the feeling and appreciation onto what it means ‘to not be afraid.’ Then it was so clear, the enemy was staring us in the eyes and as said it was this that drove them, it was this that kept them fighting. The job now is to be able to see our soldiers, and our spies, that are really there in our lives, lurking and scouting to see; where are the deepest and more over-taking weaknesses in our lives. Then, as the real-life soldiers, to eventually attack.

The question is where are they, as mentioned, the opposition is definitely not in the world, the world lost its pull on us. It is self-understood, now, the opposition is within. Now we can’t see the ‘soldiers’, we even identify with our enemy soldiers. Because since they are within us, since are battle and opposition is within, we completely feel connected with them. All while not realizing that they are placed within us, ultimately to wipe us out, and to beat us from within.

Practically, their Russian government and their role as the opposition was steady, armed, and strong with their intention- wipe out all Jewish life. We can and must use this as our ‘detection’ system, the detection to us shares the same essence as it was then, our opposition; anything within us, any thought, feeling, or action that opposes Yiddishkeit, or will result in any way, to the straying off from the Torah and Mitzvos is practically, these soldiers and spies, and they must be fought and destroyed the same way they fought the Soviets. With an aggressiveness and with the confidence that this is the enemy. Though they are within, we must be stilt in our fight in being able to accept and then disembark from the soldiers and enemies that battle us from within.

With this in mind, we can now understand Reb Levik’s teaching – “Don’t be afraid”: when we identify the soldiers and spies within us, we then fight, we battle we don’t let them take over in any way, all while knowing and keeping in mind that in truth, in essence, we are Chassidim of the Rebbe. And anything in this ‘world of struggles’ is way under and cannot challenge what we are and what we do. It is with vigor and steadiness that we need to battle within ourselves, within our spies, within our personal enemy soldiers, and within our resistance. All to finally not have to struggle anymore with the coming of the Geulah and Moshiach.