The "Tzoro" of Moshiach

A Rov was once travelling, and stayed overnight in an inn. The innkeeper was a simple fellow, but he recognized that his guest was a distinguished Rabbi, and tried to accord him every consideration.

In the middle of the night (as was the custom), the Rov awakened to recite Tikkun Chatzos. He sat on the floor, and read chapters from tehillim, expressing his mourning over the churban. In the next room, the innkeeper was somehow awakened, and was distressed to hear sounds of weeping from the room of his illustrious guest. Worriedly, the innkeeper hastened to the room of the Rov to ask about the cause of his sorrow.

“What is troubling you, Rabbi”, he asked, “is your bed not comfortable, is your room too hot or cold, did you perhaps find fault with the meals we served you?”

The Rov set his mind at ease that the service was, in fact, beyond reproach, and was not the cause of his crying. Rather, what the innkeeper overheard was his davening and beseeching Hashem to bring us Moshiach.

“Moshiach”, asked the simple innkeeper, “who is that?”

“Did you never hear about Moshiach?”, asked the Rov. He explained his simple host how all Yidden were eagerly awaiting the coming of Moshiach, who would take us all to Eretz Yisroel. The innkeeper digested this novel idea, and ran to share it with his wife. “What!” exclaimed the good woman, “to go to Eretz Yisroel? Please tell the Rabbi that this is impossible at this time. Why, we have our inn here, and our house and our barn with all of our animals, how can we just pick up and go to EY?!”

The innkeeper ran back to his guest and conveyed his wife’s reservations. The Rov tried to speak to the simpleton in his own language. “True”, he conceded to him, “you are settled here with all of your possessions. But you have no peace here. Every few years, the goyim make a pogrom, and steal and destroy everything, and you need to begin anew. Once we all go to Eretz Yisroel, we’ll be free of the goyim!”

The idea made sense to the innkeeper, but, not one to make decisions on his own, he asked leave of the Rov to consult with his wife. Moments later he returned. “Rebbe”, he asked humbly, “my wife asks to kindly make a request of Moshiach; - let us stay here where we’re settled, and let Moshiach take the goyim to Eretz Yisroel!”

Rebbe, Moshiach, es iz di zelbe zach!

R’ Avrohom Paris was a prominent chosid, who had learned in Lubavitch, and who was known for his extreme hiskashrus to the Frierdige Rebbe and – later – to the Rebbe. The very close relationship that R’ Avrohom enjoyed with the Rebbe began during the nesius of the Frierdige.

Once, after a Tishrei spent in NY at the Frierdige Rebbe, R’ Avrohom was preparing to return home to Eretz Yisroel. As was his custom, he also went to take his leave from the Rebbe (known then as “the Remash”). They said their ‘goodbyes’, and R’ Avrohom concluded with his heartfelt wish “az mir zollen zich zen noch amol mitten Rebben” [we should again see the Rebbe].

“R’ Avrohom”, the Rebbe said to him, “why don’t you say, better, “mir zollen zich zen mit Moshiah’n”?

But R’ Avrohom discounted the question, saying “Rebbe, Moshiach, es iz di zelbe zach!”

Bring Moshiach now!

A very prominent Rov and poseik was once by the Rebbe for dollars, and the Rebbe instructed him to pasken that Moshiach should come. The Rov gestured with his hands, and the Rebbe said to him (not the exact words): “Vos macht ir mit di hent, men meint bepoiel mamosh” ( - I am not telling you to get excited, to gesticulate with your hands, to go through any type of motions. I am instructing you in something practical and actual: Bring Moshiach now!

Crazy about Moshiach

In 5751, on 28 Nissan, the Rebbe spoke the landmark sicha, charging each of us to take the personal responsibility to do whatever we can to bring Moshiach. After the sicha (and those that followed it), much was done to shift the general focus to Moshiach. But – other than learning about Moshiach – we weren’t 100% clear about exactly what drastic steps we were supposed to take (I mean, the Rebbe doesn’t just want us to go crazy ch”v), and life slowly went – more or less – back to the way it was. With very few exceptions.

At that time, there was one child, who took the furor over Moshiach very much to heart; in fact he became obsessed with it. Now, we all know that nothing is good or healthy when taken to an extreme (and that, obviously, was not what the Rebbe was expecting of us), and this was the case with this boy as well. His extremism and obsession adversely affected his health, resulting in his having a breakdown r”l

The family and acquaintances were, understandably, very disturbed and they wrote to the Rebbe about the problem (apparently both about the cause and the outcome).

The Rebbe answered: “Haloy zeh hoyso kavonosi b’sicha hayodua” [“Indeed, this was my intention in the famous sicha (i.e., of 28 Nissan)]!!!