CHIZUK-----for lack of yichus

nacorom1 Posted - 18 February 2007 8:13

---

Dearest Rabbi,

I have a question that's been plaguing me for some time now.

I was adopted by Jewish parents from goyishe parents (I know for sure they are goyish) I was born to a 16 yr old girl who was just having some "fun"

Here's my question. What are the chances for me when it comes to my neshama? I know that one has to work on himself and do his own hishtadlut. But I have to come from so far. I don't even have a headstart. I have nothing to go on.

My neshama was brought down in such an ugly way. trust me my mother was no Ruth so there is no comparison to the attaining of greatness of David Hamelech. I just don't see myself ever attuning any spirituality when my neshama is so dirty

MODERATOR Posted - 18 February 2007 10:23

---

Let me tell you a secret about your Neshama.

Yes, it's true; your mother was not rus. But Rus was not the one who first brought Moshiach's Neshama into this world.

That was Lot's daughter. Remember? Talk about "ugly."

And that’s the Neshama of Moshiach Tzidkeinu.

The seforim tell us that the reason for this is, that when Hashem has to bring a very special Neshama into this world, a Neshama who will do great things for Him, the Satan tries to make sure that Neshama never reaches this world. SO Hashem has to bring that Neshama down "incognito." He has to bring it down in such a way that the Satan would never suspect.

It's like when the President goes to Iraq to visit the troops. They don’t tell anyone he’s arriving, so his enemies don’t have an opportunity to take a shot at him.

So too when a great, great Neshama comes into this world, Hashem "hides" it from the Neshama's enemies - i.e. the Satan and his minions, who do into want holy Neshamas in this world.

So when Moshiach came into this world, Hashem brought him down "in disguise". the result of the most ugly reunion possible.

But after the Neshama reaches this world, it can throw off the outer "clothing" of its birth, and serve Hashem on its own. It's like when the secret agent disguises and reaches his destination; he can shed his disguise and then focus on his job. The disguise was needed to get him into wherever he needed to be, and then he simply throws off his "fake" clothes.

But by then its too late.. for the enemy. Because he's arrived.

You know how the paratroopers, when they reach the ground, just let their parachutes drop and then they continue without them?

We don’t know why Hashem, the Great General, sends some of his troops into this world undercover and some in uniform; some by ground and some dropped in by parachute. But we do know this:

Hashem sends every one of us to this world - in various different ways, because that is the way that will best serve our special mission in this world.

Yiftach was the Godol HaDor. His mother was a Zona. That’s how he came into this world.

Unkelos' mother was a Goy. That’s how he came into this world.

How your Neshama came into this world doesn’t matter much - either in uniform, undercover, snuck in during the dead of night or marched in during the day. Hashem brings his troops into this world in so many different ways.

So you were brought in to the War of Olam Hazeh at night, undercover, below the radar of the Satan. The same was that Moshiach was. You’re in good company.

You have shed your disguise, left your parachute on the ground, because your disguise has served its purpose. You got into this world, healthy and in one piece. You made it to Yiddishkeit, and now you've taken up the war together with the rest of us who have been here all along.

Welcome.

How you fit into this world doesn’t matter. That’s all up to Hashem. What we do once were here - that’s what counts.

Where you "came from" is just your outer garments, your disguise. You have a great Neshama and it had to come in under the radar. But you’re in. You joined our ranks, and you are now a loyal fighter in Hashem's army.

And whatever the reason is that the Satan was watching out for you and didn’t want you to come into this world, it doesn’t matter anymore. You’re here.

I don’t know whether the Satan reads frumteens. But if he is reading this, and sees your story, he’s kicking himself now because another great soul slipped in behind his back.

And Hashem and all the Malachim are laughing, because the Satan, however clever he is, still doesn’t realize, even after all these centuries, that holy Neshamas are made, not born.

And its good he doesn’t know that - Hashem hides this form him. Because if he would know that. Moshiach would into be able to get into this world.

And neither would you.

When you were born, the whole Pamalya shel Maalah laughed at the Satan.

"Ha!," they said. "He missed another one!"

********

The father of a certain FFB BY girl once went to the Satmar Rebbe ZTL and asked him about a shiduch that someone mentioned for his daughter.

The girls was a yachsanis - and the boy was a Baal Teshuva. His parents, not frum. Mother, never kept Taharas Hamishpacha. Grandfather was a goy.

Should he consider the shiduch, he asked, considering the fact that the mother never went to the Mikveh and the kid was born "in sin." so to speak.

The Satmar Rebbe asked if the boy is a ben Torah. The father said he is.

"In that case," said the Satmar Rebbe, "it doesn’t matter if the mother went to the Mikvah. Chazal say: Mikvah Yisroel Hashem! Just as the Mikvah purifies the impure, so too Hashem purifies Klall Yisroel.

"If the boy learns Torah," he said, "That is better than any Mikvah of water."

Holy souls are made - not born.

And by the way - the author of that statement - Mikvah Yisroel Hashem - was none other than Rabi Akiva, whose yichus, if you follow it up the chain, led not to Avraham Avinu, but to Goyim.

When he said that - Mikvah Yisroel Hashem - he was talking about himself.

And you.

Hatzlachah.

Tortured_Soul Posted - 18 February 2007 19:04

---

I really appreciate that story about the VaYoel Moshe (1st Satmarar Rebbe, ZY"A)and I recall a moderator citing it (or similar) a long time ago. Would you happen to have a source?

Thanks.

yideleh Posted - 18 February 2007 19:04

---

Mod, thanks for posting that satmar rebbe story. I have issues trying to convince ppl of this very point, but they're very into "rebbes". Maybe this will help.

Thanks!

MODERATOR Posted - 18 February 2007 19:08

---

I heard the story from a friend of the boy in Lakewood.

On this topic there is also a Kuntres written by Rabbi Menashe Klein called Kehilas Yisroel. He and the Steipler had a major back-and-forth disagreement about this. The Steipler held the position of the Satmar rebbe above, and Rabbi Klein disagreed. The correspondence between them is printed in the Kuntres.

I remember seeing the Steipler write on this in Kehilas Yaakov - likutim (I don’t remember which volume of Likutim, but I saw it about 30 years ago, and if I remember right, it was pretty recent then, so that should narrow it down).