Where’s the Fire?

Overheard at the kinnus:

When the Rebbe wanted that Tanya should be broadcasted over the Israeli radio, they sent three Chassidim to speak to the radio station producer. The three Chssidim were: R’ Chafer, R’ Vilmovsky (AKA Zushe Partisan) and R’ Aidelkop. R’ Chafer was a very eloquent speaker of the Hebrew language, R’ Vilmovsky was not as eloquent to say the least, and R’ Aidelkop knew none at all.

So they meet the woman who they have to convince to let the Tanya on the air, and R’ Chafer goes first. He tries to explain to her the great importance of the Tanya and why it should be taught on the radio. On and on he went in his articulate Hebrew, no doubt inserting here and there fancy ‘Tanachian’ terms. But alas, he is getting nowhere. Finally R’ Aidelkop -who didn’t understand a word of what he was going on- lost his patience. He turned to R’ Zushe and(thinking that the lady did not understand Yiddish) said “Vos ploidert er?!?! Der Rebbe vill as m’zol zogin tanye affin radye!!!!” (Loose translation: What is this guy going on about?! The Rebbe wants Tanya on the radio and that’s that!”

The woman (who did understand Yiddish) exclaimed, “Oh!! So that’s why you want it!! No problem! Why didn’t you tell me to begin with?!”

***

There is a very special character who lives in the old city of Jerusalem (where else?) His name is Gil Locks. He is a baal tshuvah with a very unique life story.
I happened to eat by him one Friday night a few years back, That was one Friday night I shan’t forget, especially since the guy is a vegetarian… Imagine! Lasagna on Friday night! (Steve would get a roar outa that one!)

thereisone.com

Ever since meeting this extraordinary individual, I’ve always wanted to read his book. I just never got around to it until now. I must say it is as they say- a ‘must read’; the guy isn’t just off the wall, he’s hilarious as well!!

Anyway
The “way the story goes”… After absorbing mystical meditating powers from the east he returned to the states and started trekking across the country in which ever way the spirit would direct him –literally spin him. Eventually he spun his way into New York and finally parked himself on a park bench in Central Park and just sat there not talking for months while dozens of people passing by would be drawn by his energy and they would sit at his feet while he communicated in sign language. (remember this was 1972!)

In fact he didn’t utter a word for three years!

When the media would come to interview him, he would respond with his hands and one of his “family” members would translate.

So they asked him; “What is this special energy we feel radiating from you?”

He ‘replied’
“If you take a stone and put it into fire it gets very hot. Then you can put the stone on the street corner and people who are cold can come and warm their hands.” (He was referring to the powers he received by being a ‘mekabel’ by his guru in the east)

He writes that thirty years later he met someone who told him that this made-up-on-the-spot parable was an inspiration to him by which he lived for many years!

Well Gil I’d like to tell you two things,
first of all, YOURE THE MAN! –but that was besides the point.

Secondly (and more importantly), it is now thirty four years later and that is the best moshel I have ever heard!
Granted there are many mesholim explaining this concept. But this one is unique. Not only does it perfectly describe what a Shliach is, it can also help us understand why today so many of them are just going through the motions.

‘Back then’ shlichus was quite different from what it is today:

Shluchim didn’t have professional-sounding programs like JLI or Jnet or Jthis or that, all they had to advertise was simply “Torah”. Ok maybe they even used a Coca Cola poster sans the words “Coca Cola”……
Neither did they try to promote Chassidus with a sexier name like “Kabala” or offer classes on how to save your marriage….
They didn’t have a Hollywood-style media company to expose people to the Rebbe and to promote their mission statement with all the side affects you need to hold people’s attention longer then eight seconds in this entertainment age life that they live in…

On personal level they faced many more difficulties. Kosher food, Yeshiva for their kids, and other religious families in their immediacy weren’t nearly as common as today. There’s was no Shluchim exchange or online school for kids, so being out there all alone meant being out there all alone… The Levayovs and Rohrs of the worlds were yet to be found (at least not at a global level) so a grant never came along with the position, and if you wanted to build a building you had to start with the first penny.

There was no Chabad.org, HarassMosses, or even Shmais. So –as unbelievable as it may sound- you actually had to go and speak to the person in order for him to possibly get involved.

Imagine… they didn’t even have Itche Kaduzy……

You didn’t know about the kinus from the newspaper, unless you read the Algameiner. Chabad just wasn't as 'in or 'hip'... Lubavitcher performers weren’t on MTV (nothing againt Avreml, but..) So Chassiduss was only publicized by the way of the book or cassette, not itunes or nightclubs.

So compared to today, there wasn’t much.

Ahh.. but there was something else..

There was a fire…….

And that’s all what you needed back then. Take any yold who can’t speak one language properly, let alone English or whatever language he needs to know, and dump him in the middle of assimilated America. Add to this (already interesting) picture an assimilated Jew who never had any nor has any interest in Jewish observance. Out of the blue he’s facing a face which in his opinion should have already been extinct long ago, and now this face is telling him that you know what he should doing mitzvahs! And o by the way that sandwich on your desk you really shouldn’t eat it, and by the way again, the same applies to about half the things you do every day it would be better if you didn’t do them. And while we're at it it would be a great idea for you to take your kids outa school and send them to my basement where my wife will be starting a school once we have enough kids (litaraly), unless of course if your wife isn’t Jewish ‘cause then your kids don’t really count for much ‘cause theyre not Jewish and he's thinking hmmmm this guy has very interesting ideas…. (ok I am exaggerating here, but yaknowhatimean)

So what exactly does the Jew see in the Shliach that prevents him from throwing him out faster then you can say Lubavitch?

Simple,

the guy’s got the fire.

In fact he's straight out of the furnace of 770. so much fire he got you could place him on a cold sidewalk in the middle of America and people will come… because the people are cold.

That’s all you needed to go on Shlichus back then - just to go. Even without any education or training in social skills or fundraising. Even without the workshops on how to convice someone that your not intimidating or how to get included in a will.

No matter if the guy knew hemsheichim by heart or just the brand name of the Rebbe’s shoelaces. No matter if he was a good speaker or had a nice beard or as charismatic as ‘today’s' Shluchim tend to be. As a matter a fact his wife didn’t even have to be good looking in a sheitle (oy Baruch, now you’re going too far!)

All you needed was the fire. And yaknowhat? You didn’t even have to know that you had this special key to everyone’s heart (and maybe even bank account eventually) Why because coming out of the heat and sweat of the Rebbe’s daled amos you’re ready to take on anything. Coming out of the Rebbe’s world into the world, you didn’t see a world.
When you saw big powerful law firms, you didn’t see impressive money people who made something of themselves and therefore should be respected, all you saw was an office that probably had in it a lot of Jews which means a lot of prospective Chassidim. When you saw an outstanding debt, you didn’t see misery or headaches, all you saw an opportunity for a miracle. Big deal! Who the hell does the bank think ‘he’ is anyway?!

You didn’t see any intimidation, because what was there to be intimidated about? Whatever metziyes anything in this world could convince itself to be, there’s no way it could even come close to one atom of the Rebbe’s shoe!

Now take a 'modern day' Shliach, and put him in the same office. Now this Shliach might have more stylish eyeglasses or a better matching tie then his father did, or maybe he even tied it himself (!), but he’s cold. As cold as……. Well… lets say as cold as an unsmiling face on the front row of the kinus group photo…. Anyway back to our Shliach, I don’t really envy him ‘cause he’s probably thinking to himself -in his best Chabad.org English even- “it’s only a matter of seconds before this guy throws me out before you can say “joining my kabala class for a mere $65 might help you to reach the ecstasy of all ecstasies and help you find true love"- so I better get the heck outa here before I make an even bigger fool of myself then I already have”.

Oy, just the thought of it makes me want to see a guru or make a taanis dibur for a year or so!

Yet the shliach still sits there… why? Whatiyamean?! Shlichus! (AKA the new Rebbe?)

Also you never know… he might even make it onto COL….

Happy kinnusing……