Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Got Mashpia?

My brother called his brother and asked: It's Yud Beis Tammuz. What's the current topic for a farbrengen. So his brother told him: The topic is: Last week we farbrenged about Gimmel Tammuz. Do you remember it? Did it accomplish anything?

Brilliant. We're a week or two or a month removed from a farbrengen. What has it done for us? The Rebbeim instituted farbrengens as an integral part of being a chossid and growing in chassidishkeit. They need to be used, and used properly. We need to make sure that the farbrengen isn't simply munching on food with background talk. There's got to be toichen, the toichen needs to be ingested aliba denafshei - hey buddy! we're talkin' to you! - and then you need to live with it.

I was talking to a fellow the other day (other than what? maybe another time) and asked him how his gimmel tammuz hachlotoh to --insert hachlatah-- is coming along. "I made that hachlotoh? I don't even remember." ! The farb. and the hachloto were so ritual, he simply made it and got on with life.

We didn't think of farbrengens on our own. They were prescribed for us by the Rebbe. There's no need to look for a second opinion.

8 comments:

Just like a guy said...

Nu? What practical steps can a person take to internalize this post's message?

e said...

TRS, believe me, been there; done that. There ain't nothing to do.

Mottel said...

e, don't say that. don't ever stop working until you figure out what to do.

e said...

Mottel, you're right.To paraphrase our glorious national anthem, as long as the Jewish soul stirs deep within the heart, our hope is not yet lost.

Yehoishophot Oliver said...

perhaps make sure to make more realistic hachlotos at the farbrengen?

chanie said...

Rabbi Yehoshophot- lav davka.
e- no, the anthem is not glorious, nor does it mention G-d.
TRS- to each his own.

e said...

It does not mention god, but it mentions the Jewish soul. And it is totally glorious. You could sit on your rear for the next 2,000 years waiting for the messiah, or you actually do something to "be the change you are waiting for"--as did the authors of our glorious national anthem.

Yehoishophot Oliver said...

The twisted theme of the secular zionist anthem, turning waiting for Moshiach into waiting for a secular state, is a disgraceful and false distortion, the exact opposite of glorious.