When Yaakov Hanoka, one of the first Lubavitch Balei Teshuva in the US, was going to spend a Shabbos with friends at Penn University, he told the Rebbe that he didn’t feel worthy to serve as an example. The Rebbe’s answer didn’t leave him with much choice.
Yaakov Hanoka, one of the first Lubavitch Balei Teshuva in the US, was invited by former contemporaries to come spend a Shabbos with them at Penn University. The hanhala gave him the green light to go together with his friend, Shmuel Lew.
A few days before he left, he wrote in a note to the Rebbe, but the Rebbe preferred to respond in person. The night before he left, 3 Adar 2 5722, he had a yechidus.
“You must feel like a pioneer,” the Rebbe said with a smile.
But Yaakov wasn’t happy. “I don’t like to be an example,” he said. “I don’t yet feel fit to represent what they expect of me.”
“Act yourself,” the Rebbe then guided him softly. “Don’t act on Shabbos like what is expected from you on Sunday. On the other hand, Monday should be better than Sunday.
“Convey to the students your true feelings, and don’t be afraid that it might be merachek them. Don’t lead them to believe that you are lacking anything as a result of coming to yeshiva.”
Then the rebbe addressed his apprehension directly. “As for being an example, it’s not your choice! Every Yid, by virtue of Mattan Torah, is automatically, whether frum or not, an example to the world. This is one of the reasons for Antisemitism. So don’t feel bad about being an example, because you are one, whether you like it or not.”
(Teshura Vigler Adar 5763)
From The Weekly Farbrengen by Merkaz Anash
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