Tuesday, October 31, 2006

The Ropshitzer Rov on The Chassidic body



A story is told about a non-Chossid who once met Reb Naftoli of Ropshitz in an roadside inn. "I'm glad I found you here", says the Jew. Reb Naftoli recognized this Jew as an "anti", and engaged him in conversation. "Why are you so happy to have met me?" he asked. The Jew answered that he had just seen one of the Ropshitzers Chassidim transgress a Torah commandment. "I believe that all your followers are like him, sinners", said the Misnaged. The Ropshitzer Rov answered him so:

A Rebbe and Chassidim are a קומה שלימה, a complete body. The Rebbe being the head, the מוח, the שכל, and the Chassidim being the limbs that receive their sustenance, their very life, from the Head, each one according to his ability and his level. Just like the body has an assortment of limbs, some clean, some uncovered, like the face, hands, and eyes, and some unclean, vile, and concealed, so too is it regarding Chassidim, there are all types, including vile ones. "We Chassidim look at the good ones, but you Misnagdim always manage to see the vile ones."

(Translated From "דער סאנזער צדיק")

I quote this story not to tell you that there are bad apples in every Chassidic group, but rather to stress the former, that the Rebbe is the Rosh who gives sustenance to those who are connected to him. We do not have the choice to disconnect from our Mekor Chayim. For some reason this concept is taboo in most Chassidic circles, mostly because they simply don't believe, (and heretical in Lithuanian circles), and Chabad seems to be from the few that teach it.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who's in the Bekeshe in the picture?

Anonymous said...

amazing stuff! & silly me thought that hashem gives sustenance!

Anonymous said...

confused

If it were up to Hashem you'd be a goner long ago. It's only through Hiskashrus to the Tzaddik that a Yid is allowed to get his חיות at least בדרך אחוריים. Stop being an ignoramus.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

The one in the Bekishe is the Skulener Rebbe zt"l. Imagine that.

Anonymous said...

anon, do you know the story of dor enosh?

Anonymous said...

not so confused:

Keep spouting Am Horatzus, you're on a roll now.

I suggest you brush upon the subject before commenting.

Anonymous said...

Even when the "Mekor Chayim" is dead?

Sholom said...

The king s dead! Long live the revolution!

Anonymous said...

You need to quit this. Now you have "anarchists" commenting on your blog. oooooooooh. These losers are all the same, except that now they think that retarded is hip.

Anonymous said...

"rebbe gives you your sustenance" anon,
go listen to radio moshiach!

Anonymous said...

And people still wonder how Korach could could raise a following to oppose Moshe Rabbeinu... They were the origional Litvaks, but they'll never learn.

As to the story - R' Mendel Futerfas used a similar moshul (using a bldg instead of a body, but thats not important) to describe a shlich vos hut nit geteigt.

Anonymous said...

Hashem's Hashpo'os are passed on to this world through Tzaddikim. This is mentioned from Avrohom Avinu on. Get your facts straight before you comment here on Sipurei Tzadikim.

Anonymous said...

Hirshel, you can't handle the heat?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Heat of what? an angry old MO guy who would like the frum world to be like it was in the '40's?

Anonymous said...

Harry writes well and is honest, to a fault, something I wish I could say about you,but you can not farkook your negios.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

I see, Harry is as pure as the windblown snow. I'm the dirty, crooked one. I get it now.

They're all the same.

Anonymous said...

I would ask those shocked by HT's words to sit back a minute and actually research the subject.

Anonymous said...

I did not say Harry was pure as 'the windblown snow', I said he is honest to a fault.He has strong opinions, but will retract if shown to be wrong.You are not honest, not because you do so willingly, just because you are a case of someone who can only judges based on biases.Everyone is a victim of 'shoichad' so says the torah, some are at least aware and can be quite objective, you lack the awareness of your bias.

Anonymous said...

A different twist to what the Heilikeh Ropshitzer Rov said,

The Rebbe once said that a person knows he is a Tzadik when devorov nishmoin. If devorov ainon mishmoin, Hob Rachmonus oifen Rebbe.

Another thing. When Zaroy Bechaim af hu Bachaim. Michlal hen atoh shomaya lav.

To see the way corporate Lubavitch operates today is a sad reflection of many things.

That's it for now.

Anonymous said...

Ca. rabbi we cry for you, we really do, but come off it, please. Stop feeling sorry for yourself.

If your writings are any indication of who you are I wouldn't hold it against anybody if they pushed you out.

Anonymous said...

to Hershel

it is a shame that in Chagas chasidus the Tzadik was the center of the belief system, as you can see in the kalisker letters against the sefer hatanya, the tzadik is brushed aside and instead we are talking about learning "rotzof" as if the hisgalus habesht was for "rotzof" as vilna and valoshin wasn't enough enamored with torah. the symptom has a reason but not for now.

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

anonymous

I lost you there. Try using punctuation, grammar, periods and commas. You know what I mean?

Anonymous said...

"Hashem's Hashpo'os are passed on to this world through Tzaddikim."

"through Tzaddikim" is the correct term.
but that's diifferent than "the rebbe gives you your sustenance"