Transcription
When the when the sicha of chof res Nissan was first heard and then repeated it sounded terrible. Terrible. The Rebbe said, "Everything I did wasn't was for naught and in vain. I accomplished nothing. We're still in golus." And then the Rebbe said, "I'm giving it over to you and see what you can do." Which sounded even worse.
But if you listen carefully Rebbe the Rebbe was saying, "I did everything I could think of for me to do. And I don't know what else I can do. But what I can do is give it over to you." They skipped those words. Makes all the difference in the world. The Rebbe said, "Vos ich ken noch tun, the one thing I can still do is to give it over to you." So it's not like I'm going to give it over to you and that's the end of that project. No, chas v'shalom. I can give it over to you, which is a huge compliment. Mostly to the Rebbe. He educated a generation of chassidim that you can rely on to get the job done. Not like "Well, if I couldn't do it, you certainly can't." The Rebbe said, "No. I can I have who to give it over to. What do you think I've been doing for the last 40 years? Getting you ready that you should be able to get the job done." So it was not a negative sicha at all. It was a transition. A painful one. I don't want to hear that I can do it. But it's an amazing sicha. And it's an amazing statement.
You know that famous quote from Dr. Sacks, "A great leader doesn't produce followers. A great leader produces leaders." That's what the Rebbe was saying. "I have who to give it over to. I produced leaders, not followers." So of course uh the Rebbe everything the Rebbe did was was in vain if it didn't bring Mashiach. Now, if you don't if you don't win, you don't win. That's called And the Rebbe was that way all through the years. That uh I haven't even begun to achieve what I need to achieve. Which is which is a baal teshuvah characteristic. A baal teshuvah always feels, "I'm going to start now. I have nothing in the past to look back on. I'm going to start now." Whereas a tzaddik looks back at the past and it's pretty good. And therefore it's worth trying to make it even better. A baal teshuvah it's always zero to 60. Every day is zero to 60. So that's what the Rebbe was saying about himself. What he was saying about us, "We're going to find ways of bringing Mashiach that were invented." Correct.
So the point of it is the Rebbe was saying, "We already deserve Mashiach." So the problem of Mashiach coming is not that we don't deserve. Of course we deserve. But there's a method for everything. There's a way of getting something done. You deserve it. So it's like you deserve a drink, but you don't have a cup. So how you going to drink? So when the Rebbe didn't say we don't deserve it. The Rebbe said, "We don't we don't have a cup. Mashiach is going to come and we don't have any way to hold on to it. So we're not ready, which is very different from not deserving. A teacher says to a student, "When you'll get older, you'll understand." Well, I don't deserve to understand? You deserve, but you don't have the maturity to handle it. So people looking for what else can we do to deserve Mashiach? Or what are we doing wrong that we don't deserve Mashiach? Who says you don't deserve? Well, if we deserved, he'd be here. No. In addition to deserving, you got to be able to handle the change. It's going to be a great change. So it was really it turns out to be a very very positive sicha. And then the Rebbe said at the end, "And another thing I can still do is give you a dollar to tzedakah so that you can give tzedakah and we can bring Mashiach."
So practically, what does one do to ready themselves? Actually, it's not enough to ready yourself. Got to ready the world. Mashiach is universal. He's not coming to the religious Jews in their state in their stibels. He's coming to the world. Now, is the world ready? If the world is not ready, what are you what are you waiting for? Waiting for people in New Guinea to learn Hebrew and start learning Chumash and then learn the Gemara and then learn a little Zohar. Come on, what are you what are you waiting for? Get the world ready. For most people to that sounds really daunting. Like like what's their step one? There's a famous quote about behave the way you would have others behave. Behave the way you wish others would behave, right? You want to get the whole world to be ready. Act like you're ready. It's it's not two separate projects. You're ready, the world is ready. The world is ready, you're ready. So start behaving the way you tell others that they should behave. Do both at the same time. I mean, whichever comes first. You know, whichever opportunity.
So when you say when when someone says, you know, to transform the world, it's it's your world. Like any opportunities that you have, all people that are surrounding you. Right? It's it's a it's a mystery that what do you do to get ready for Mashiach? Well, you keep mitzvahs. You keep mitzvahs before Mashiach, without Mashiach. Mitzvahs are mitzvahs. I don't do with Mashiach. In fact, if you do mitzvahs for Mashiach, it's no good. You do the mitzvah because it's a mitzvah. So what do you do to get ready for Mashiach, which is not keeping kosher and keeping Shabbos? So again, if if you're worried about deserving Mashiach, they say, "Okay, do more mitzvahs." We deserve Mashiach, but we're not ready. So so getting ready must mean doing something more than mitzvahs. Something 100 years ago the Rebbe never heard of and never did. Well, what is that? The one thing that comes to mind immediately is influence the non-Jewish world. Not not so that you get more credit than more deserving, but that you got the world ready.
Does this mean that we're like really behind? Because so much of the world I'm saying with everything going on has really negative opinions about us. About what we believe. Yeah, but at the same time the attention is all on us. So they're waiting to hear hear our reaction. Which is a perfect opportunity to say what you need to say. And don't say, "No, we're not crooks." That's not what they want to hear. So, what do we need to tell the world that they don't know? Don't kill, don't steal, don't commit adultery? I think they've heard that before. Get them to keep it? It's our job to go and check up. You kill anybody lately? No. You commit adultery? Don't kill. No, don't commit adultery. Come on. We really come moral police? It means inspire. No, what can we tell them that will inspire? You know, if you commit adultery, you're going to go to hell. I think they heard that before. Are there needed in this world? Stop serving yourself. There's a creator. The creator has a plan. Are you helping that plan? You're doing good things? Helps the plan. Do it for him. Don't do it for yourself. It is so revolutionary and inspiring. There isn't a single human being who would who would refuse. No, no, no, I got to take care of myself. You give charity? Give it for him. You're honoring your parents? Do it for him. You're not cruel to animals? Do it for him. So, I don't need to tell you what to do. I'm going to come come into your house to check to see if you're behaving properly. But, what I can tell you is that whatever it is you do is infinitely meaningful to him. So, even if you're convinced that you're never going to go to heaven. Well, that's probably true. That's not a reason not to do something for him. So, you may not ever become a a saint or a tzaddik. Means you shouldn't honor your parents? Means you shouldn't give charity? Means you shouldn't educate your children? Do it for him.