During Stalin’s brutal rule, he targeted many enemies. Religion was one of them. Practicing Judaism was not officially outlawed. Instead, it was relentlessly crushed through state-sponsored suppression. Synagogues were confiscated and repurposed, religious education was banned, and mikvahs were filled with cement.
Supreme amongst the methods was going after the Jewish religious leaders. If they were persecuted and ceased to exist, the entire edifice of Jewish life would crumble.
To a large degree, Stalin and the Communists were successful.
But, there was one man who stood in his way. His name was Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the Previous (sixth) Lubavitcher Rebbe. He was defiant in his battle to preserve Judaism, no matter the cost.
And, cost him it did. He built underground Jewish schools, synagogues, and mikvahs. He raised funds and sent Rabbis (a forbidden profession) and Shochtim all over the Soviet Union. His underground network was flourishing. And, it did not escape the watchful eye of the OGPU, the security and intelligence apparatus of the Stalinist regime.
The Previous Rebbe knew they were trailing him. Some of his followers were arrested. But, he soldiered on. In fact, there were agents at his gatherings. Defiantly, he addressed them directly and told them that he has no fear. No one would take away our G-dly right – and responsibility – to live as proud and observant Jews.
Sure enough, he was arrested in 1927.
There was no trial. He was sentenced to death by firing squad.
Miraculously, his sentence was commuted to 10 years of hard labor in the Siberian gulag.
Miraculously, his sentence was further reduced to 3 years of exile in the remote town of Kostroma.
Miraculously, he was released after serving 9 days in exile.
On his way to exile, a huge crowd gathered at the Leningrad train station to see him off into exile. The Previous Rebbe addressed the crowd with these words:
We did not depart from the Land of Israel of our own free will, nor shall we return to the Land of Israel by virtue of our own capabilities. G‑d, our Father and King, has sent us into exile. He, may He be blessed, shall redeem us and gather in the dispersed from the four corners of the earth, and cause us to be led back firmly and proudly by Mashiach, our righteous Redeemer — may this occur speedily, in our times. This, however, all the nations of the world must know: Only our bodies were sent into exile and subjugated to alien rule; our souls were not given over into captivity and foreign rule.
We must proclaim openly and before all that any matter affecting the Jewish religion, Torah, and its mitzvot and customs is not subject to the coercion of others. No one can impose his belief upon us, nor coerce us to conduct ourselves contrary to our beliefs.
It is our solemn and sacred task to cry out and state with the ancient steadfastness of the Jewish people, with courage derived from thousands of years of self-sacrifice: "Touch not My anointed nor attempt to do evil to My prophets."
Despite the fact that he had already suffered immense pain and torture – and was now being sent into exile – he spoke fearlessly and boldly. Where did he get this from? And, how was he convinced that this was the Jewish way?
A key, pertinent verse from this week’s double-Parsha Chukat-Balak can shed some light. One major theme of the parsha is the attempted curse of Bilaam. He was a non-Jewish prophet hired to curse the Jews. Ultimately, G-d planted words of praise in his mouth. Instead of cursing the Jews, he blessed them.
He declared, “How can I curse whom G-d has not cursed? How can I invoke G-d’s wrath? G-d has not been angered! For from their beginning, I see them as mountain peaks, and I behold them as hills. See a nation that will dwell alone. It will not be reckoned among the nations.”
He goes on to deliver some of the most beautiful poetic blessings, such as the famous words in our daily prayers, “How good are your tents, Jacob, your encampments, Israel!”
But, let’s rewind to the first words out of his mouth once he realizes that G-d won’t allow him to curse the Jews. How is “a nation that dwells alone” and that “will not be reckoned among the nations” a positive blessing?
The Chassidic Rebbes teach that this verse is not only a prophecy, but marching orders. It is instructing and guiding us to achieve true success. The success of the Jewish people does not lie in diplomacy and might. Though at times necessary, they do not represent the core, immutable, and eternal values of who we are. Our preservation lies in the fact that we live our lives according to our nation’s spiritual calling. We do not reckon or worry about what the nations of the world think or say about us. Despite the naysayers, we remain steadfastly committed to Torah and Judaism.
Indeed, our devotion to our faith has been tested by oppression, assimilation, and ridicule. And, it has withstood them all because of leaders like the Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Tonight and tomorrow mark the Rebbe’s miraculous liberation from exile on 12 Tammuz 5687 (July 12, 1927). Eventually, he brought the Chabad-Lubavitch movement to the shores of the United States, planting the seeds for the exponential growth that his successor, the Seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, would create.
This Shabbat, let us recommit to reckon not with what other say. Let us reckon with our faith, reckon with our souls, and reckon with our holy Torah. In this merit, the millennia of self-sacrifice of countless Jews will reach their ultimate fruition with eth coming of Moshiach immediately.