Comments on: The Courage to be a Chossid

By: another point

another point — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 03:23:39 +0000

In a Sicha Bamidbar 5742 the Rebbe explains that doing things of Reshus that brings Simcha is itself a positive thing since he is in a better frame of mind now (and especially since it also brings to Simcha of Mitzvah).

(On the flip side, if a person does depressing things like cheshbon hanefesh at the wrong time etc, it and the results aren’t good )

By: Worthless?!

Worthless?! — Thu, 29 May 2025 23:50:07 +0000

In reply to I wonder.... See Tanya Perek 27, where the Alter Rebbe speaks about how the Beinoni is sad because he never fully conquers his Nefesh Habehamis. The Alter Rebbe says that this is not a cause for sadness, because אולי לכך נברא. As Chassidim, we value service of Hashem, not accomplishments. If I am not mistaken, this is exactly the point of this article: "When someone chooses this constant state of never-arrived over the blissful, blitheful pronouncement of here-I-am, when he resolved that this gehennom is better than that Gan Eden, maybe he has earned a label an identity of a chosid."

By: I wonder...

I wonder... — Thu, 29 May 2025 03:20:49 +0000

The sentiment in this article is one I’ve heard by many farbrengens from many Mashpiim, but then I heard [in the name of Reb Mendel Futerfas] that there was an individual who after coming to Chabad said that originally when he was in one school of thought he acted as a frum yid, he was doing nothing wrong, so what is he saying ashamnu for? it’s for someone else, then he came to another school of thought and realized that whatever he does it’s not the way it should be, so when he said ashamnu he had in mind, “I have been sinning and i will continue to” and then when he came to Chabad, he understood how he could think “I have sinned and will no longer” [at least on a certain level], I wonder why this sentiment is not felt, expressed and taught.

Or even the fact that a chossid is one who is honest with himself, and has a connection to the Emes, to the Rebbe, this is something to be proud of. I believe the Rebbe feels that our generation needs encouragement and boost, not a feeling that whatever we do is worthless.