We All Had Hakafos with the Rebbe

By a bochur 

“Hakafos by the Rebbe.” There is something magical just about the words, thousands of people crammed into 770, it is Yom Tov so there is no TV broadcasting or anything, just the Rebbe and Chassidim, on the one hand, it is a large, pompous, overwhelmingly ecstatic setting, while just as well it is an extremely intimate moment between the Rebbe and Chassidim.

This description is not first hand, it is based on all what we have heard from our parents and teachers, that kind of Hakafos in 770 we have not merited to experience, but nevertheless simchas torah with the Rebbe undeniably still goes on.

…

This past Shmini Atzers by night, a few Chassidim were Farbrenging, some were old enough to have witnessed Simchas Torah with the Rebbe, but most of us were not Zoche to have experienced it.

One of the Chassidim was recounting his experiences of being Hakafos by the Rebbe, the feelings he had, the energy and the atmosphere that was felt in the air, and the message the Rebbe was driving home to each and every one of the Chassidim.

“Hakafos, carried a message” he explained, “the Rebbe was more energized and more vibrant then any of the Chassidim, we had to work hard just to keep up to the Rebbe’s lively encouragement and movements, but the Rebbe did not let up, and continued firing up the room as only the Rebbe could.”

He went on to describe the feeling that he felt at that point “the Rebbe was shaking us up out of our sleep, our complacency, our laziness, and our small-mindedness, and tried infusing us with a little bit of his urgency, his drive, and his chayus”.

He finished off, “the Rebbe, in essence, was raising us up from our world, our struggles, our perceptions, our mundane day to day regularities, and lifting us up to the Rebbe’s world, to see things as the Rebbe does, to approach the world and whatever it throws at us with the Rebbe’s approach, and to get us to give ourselves over, to work hard, and to involve ourselves in our mission, on the Rebbe’s scope”

…

Following this farbrengen it became clear to us that were sitting there, that whether we are conscious of this element or not, simchas torah happened this year just as every year, and we all experienced Hakafos with the Rebbe to a certain extent, whether at 770, the Ohel, on Shlichus somewhere, or your local Shul, some more, some less, some more clearly, while others might have entirely not realized, the Rebbe took part in our Hakafos.

“Ki Lo Yaazov Es Tzoin Mar’eiso” [“For he will not leave his grazing flock”], while this feeling might just be driven by wishful thinking, Torah backs up this point, “Ma Lehalan Oimed U’meshamesh Af Kan Oimed U’meshamesh” [“Just as there he was standing and serving, so to here and now he is standing and serving”]. We have all just experienced a Tishrei with the Rebbe, and for our own good, we must begin to acknowledge this, appreciate it, and for the Rebbe’s sake begin behaving as such.

…

There is a mission, there always has been, the mission the Rebbe explained to us is the mission placed upon us by Hashem himself – the Mission of Dirah b’tachtonim, bringing G-dliness into this world, i.e. bringing Moshiach.
All throughout history we have been working on this, since the Arizal, Baal Shem Tov, and the Alter Rebbe, the urgency has only picked up its pace, up through all the Rebbes till the Frierdiker Rebbe, and the Rebbe.

All throughout the Rebbe’s Nesius, Mivtza by Mivtza, place by place, the Rebbe lead us to follow his directives and take over the world, making it a Dirah B’tachtonim, Bringing Moshiach.

. . .

After Gimmel Tammuz, on the one hand, we have learned not to give up hope, we have learned to continue and grow, shlichus has grown to even greater proportions, yeshivos and educational centers are still active and growing, and ka”h the Lubavitcher communities around the world are increasing and full of life.

But on the other hand, things are far from perfect, there are many issues facing the Lubavitcher community, many grave issues and threats to Yiddishkeit and the Jewish world, many things that we all understand should either be erased, done differently, or can be done better, and practically are just stalling, and worsening, and there is no immediate plan in sight.

Many different people will tell you what they believe the issue is and how it should be corrected, they can explain you who’s fault it is, and who they feel can fix it, but in truth, after all said and done, the issue that has always been here, and that remains as the core issue today is Golus, we can’t see the Rebbe, and ultimately this issue will not go away until we do what we are supposed to do about it.
…
We need to appreciate the Urgency and the Responsibility, unfortunately, many of us have become complacent, we have resigned to our situation and instead of trying to change it, we try to learn to cope with it.

If we had to honestly ask ourselves who the Rebbe has in mind to bring Moshiach?, who the Rebbe has as his soldiers?, who the Rebbe is trusting to fulfil his dream?, we all know what the answer would be, it would be us, every single one of us, each in our own way, each one with their specific skills, gifts, and abilities.

The Rebbe stressed over and over again, at every opportunity, about the unique mission of our generation, of every person in this generation, we are the last generation of Galus and the first of the Geulah, we are the ones that are supposed to push it over the top and make Geulah a reality.

Now, especially in our current situation, the responsibility and urgency is tenfold, “U’dvorov Lo Yoshiv Reikom” (“his words will not be in vain”), the Rebbe’s Koch in Moshiach, the feeling for Moshiach that the Rebbe worked on imbuing in us back then, the promise that Moshiach is coming right away, it is as realistic and factual as it was then, if not even more, all we have to do is pay attention and to realize that we, the Rebbe’s Chassidim are the key.

When we will think for a minute, we will understand that fact that we are still here, this that we are still Chassidim carrying the name of Lubavitch with pride, this that we view ourselves as passionate Talmidim and Chassidim of the Rebbe, is because the mission is still on, we are still in middle of the struggle, and the Rebbe is actively making sure that his soldiers are still around ready to defend our port, conquer the world, and defeat Golus.
…
Simchas torah this year, just a few nights ago, Hakafos in 770, I closed my eyes and for thirty seconds I imagined seeing the Rebbe up on the Rebbe’s Bimah encouraging the Chassidim, us Chassidim, encouraging us to get up, to move faster, to feel the importance of the goal, the urgency of the mission, and not to stop moving, not to stop working until the goal is accomplished and we will see the Rebbe L’mata again, with the coming of Moshiach.

When we will realize, that “Bonu Hadavar Taluy” (“it depends on us”), and we decide to begin doing something about it, then we will certainly succeed in ending this Golus, and next year we will merit to experience Hakafos with the Rebbe without any Pshetelach.