Dialogue With Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz
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The Yahrzeit of Rabbi Meir HaLevi of Apta (1760-1831) is commemorated on the 25th of Tammuz. The following meise / hasidic tale appeared in Sefer HaHasidut, Meah Tzadikim, Raphael, Yitzchak, 1961, Tel Aviv. (Freely translated by Gabbai Seth Fishman.)
His Dialogue With Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz
When he had an encounter with the Rebbe, Rabbi Naftali of Ropshitz, the holy Rav Rabbi Naftali said:
“Let me bear witness, that amidst the Hasidim at the present a kind of chaos prevails, a sundering of hearts and a splitting into various divisions.
“Therefore in my opinion, it should be as it is written: ‘Every man to his own tent, O Israel‘, i.e., every person should stay home and study and serve HaShem as best he can but, they shouldn’t journey any more to the Rebbes of the generation [because they no longer follow the Rebbes like they once did].”
The holy Rav Rabbi Meir Halevi replied to him:
“Regarding this, I disagree. Instead, I would say, as it is written: ‘Speak to the children of Israel and they should travel!‘
“To stress over why Hashem Yitbarach has made the world as it is, is not giving Him the benefit of the doubt.
“If we Rebbes aren’t capable of leading the community, then others will come who are better than we, and they will be the leaders.”
(Generation of Wisdom).
July 20th, 2014 at 3:48 pm
The soul is equipped with great wandering lust, to insure its renewal, so why should not the Israelites follow the call to join and rejoin, and travel from
from tent to tent? is there a valid reason not to connect the dots, the blossoms opening on the theater of the soul and ingathering them to be of service in the living land of the soul? Is the dying land of Illusionary Separation preferable? I’d dare to say, no, it ain’t so.