07/10/2024
Who was the Rebbe? What’s his connection to me?
Didn’t the Rebbe pass away- why do we talk about him as if he’s alive?
Today marked his 30th Yartziet (anniversary of passing)
And I’d like to try and explain by way of a modern-day parable.
There’s an app that’s popular with teenagers these days.
It’s called BeReal and, in its own words,
Its purpose is to “share your real life photo with your friends.”
I know what you must be thinking. It’s what I thought, too.
You’re wondering- Why do we need an app for that?!
How many of those can there be? Why do we need another one?!
You’ve heard of the big ones;
Facebook, SnapChat, Instagram…
Millions of people use them to (over-)share all aspects of their daily life.
In truth, though, most people aren’t sharing their real lives.
Filters, props and staging make people look better than life;
They’re actually showing fake versions of themselves.
And the followers looking at the photos and
Watching the videos think that these friends and
Influencers are living the dream.
They then become uncomfortable and sad;
A picture of how life is meant to be is painted
And people starting wishing theirs was like that, too.
But it’s not real life. It’s a distortion of reality.
If you’d peel off the added layers of added light and if you’d
Be able to see all the added effects you’d see the real person behind the lens
And you’d be surprised to see how different they really looked.
This isn’t only true with how we share ourselves with others.
Often, it’s how we view ourselves, too.
Our true self is the Soul- a holy and perfect G-dly being.
Each one special in its own way with distinct, unique abilities.
And the soul wants to express itself; it truly wants to shine.
But when the soul comes down to this world
It gets put into an “app” – the Body-
And the two of them, together, have to navigate the challenges of life.
Real life can be similar to how it is on Instagram-
The Body acts as a filter and
The Soul can’t be itself.
But sometimes we’re lucky; we remember that we’re G-d’s child.
We believe in our potential- the difference we can make.
We can bring meaning and holiness to ourselves and to those around us.
While it’s not always easy to remove the filter of life we have help.
There’s a person who made it his mission to help us uninstall the “old app” …
and switch to living life through “BeReal” instead!
That person was the Rebbe-
Who saw each of us on the Soul-level.
He wasn’t intimidated by the body or by the challenges we face in life.
He recognized the greatness of each and every soul,
Saw the unique abilities each of us has
And believed that each could be successful in our mission in life.
And every interaction of his was focused on this idea-
He gave constant encouragement, and to some he even demanded:
You are great. You have it in you… You can do it!
He helped those in his camp, those with different worldly views and
Even those who didn’t want his help. Gender, race, religion or religious observance-
He saw the G-dliness in each of us and inspired us to see it, too.
And he continues to do so to this day.
There are many times more who are connected to him after his passing and it keeps growing by leaps and bounds.
Through his followers and emissaries (the Shluchim, Chabad Rabbis) around the world
His teachings and inspiration connect millions to him and he continues to enrich and inspire all our lives.
So, if you’re not satisfied sharing a “real life photo with a friend”
But also want more moments of “real life” yourself-
Connect with him by studying his teachings and allow him to get you in touch with your soul.
You can do so online, join a local class
Or purchase books with his teaching-
There’s a wealth of resources available.
But I’ll throw one more at you-
Each week I try to study at least one teaching of the Rebbe,
Which I then record and share with my friends.
I’d be more than happy to share it with you, too.
Just reply in the comments or message me-
Let me know that you want to be inspired!
