Sicha, 1 & 2 Teves 5746
A. The Founding of the Chassidic Movement
After terrible pogroms and the destruction of hundreds of Jewish communities, the Jews of Eastern Europe were downtrodden and depressed. Alongside that, a societal rupture has developed between the scholarly class and the simple Jews. Amongst the scholars themselves, Judaism felt spiritually lacking.
It was into this era that the Baal Shem Tov was born. He taught that the relationship between G-d and man is founded on love, and emphasised that the simple Jews who observe the Torah and mitzvot are higher than the scholars, thus arousing love for the simple Jews (Sources 1-2).
Another novel teaching of his was that everything that happens is by Divine providence, including every last detail of creation (Source 3).
When a debate arose among the students of the Magid over how widely to spread the Chassidic teachings, the Alter Rebbe responded with a parable of a gemstone and the king’s son, teaching that Chassidut must be spread to the broadest extent possible to revitalize Jewish souls (Source 4).
B. Founding of the Chabad Movement
The Alter Rebbe continued to expand the dissemination of Chassidut, and in time, he was taken into prison. While he was in jail, the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid were revealed to him. The Rebbe sought to understand the reason for his imprisonment, and his teachers answered him that a prosecution had arisen against him because of the spreading of Chassidut. When he asked whether he should stop, they encouraged him to continue even more strongly.
The Rebbe asks: if the Alter Rebbe had explained that the dissemination of Chassidut is a matter of saving lives, and thereby nullified the prosecution against his teacher, why was he in doubt about whether to continue spreading it? Furthermore, if the prosecution against Chassidut had already been nullified in the days of the Maggid, how did it arise again in the days of the Alter Rebbe?
C. A Drop vs a River
The explanation: the Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid revealed Chassidut in the form of a “point,” a brief and concentrated spiritual concept. The Alter Rebbe, by contrast, expanded and clarified Chassidut through intellect and understanding, making it far more accessible and widespread. Therefore, in his time, a new prosecution arose that had not existed in earlier generations.
In addition, Chabad teachings explain that it is possible to explain the most exalted matters of the Torah even to people who are “spiritually distant,” and this will awaken them. This, too, gave rise to a new prosecution (Source 5).
From this, we can understand the Alter Rebbe’s doubt: the new prosecution caused his path to be interpreted as rebellion against the government and placed his followers in real danger. Therefore, a halachic question arose as to whether this required self-sacrifice or whether he should instead cease spreading Chassidut.
