Our Fight

The massive Horki Beis Medrash was full, as thousands of Horki Chassidim and other Yidden packed into the bleachers for the annual Horki Chanukah Tish. A massive gold Menorah burned brightly in the center of the room. There was an atmosphere of kedushah and taharah as everyone sang niggunim with the Rebbe.

Reb Dovi Frankl led the orchestra, which played along as the intensity of the singing grew stronger and stronger, while the Rebbe rose for the annual spinning of the dreidel.

Shimmy and Yitzy Greenbaum shivered with excitement as they watched the Rebbe approach the giant golden dreidel.

“Ari Holtzbacher said that when the Rebbe spins the dreidel, it always falls on gimmel!” Shimmy whispered to his brother.

The Rebbe raised his hands and placed them on top of the dreidel, as the chassidim sang louder and with more intensity. With a quick motion, he spun the dreidel and it began to whirl around on its point, without the slightest wobble.

“Ay yay yay yay!” everyone sang, as the dreidel spun on and on.

“I heard last year the dreidel spun for almost fifteen minutes!” Yitzy said excitedly as they watched with amazement.

“Wow,” breathed Shimmy. “Fifteen minutes? How is that even possible?”

“It’s the Horki Rebbe,” explained Yitzy. “Didn’t you know he’s a ba’al moifes? And besides, the dreidel probably has a very low and dense center of gravity – the law of conservation of momentum will therefore cause it to spin for a very long time.”

“Mamesh a neis!” Shimmy said in wonder.

“Well that’s science, not a neis,” said Yitzy.

“Even science is a neis! But either way, the Rebbe is still a massive tzaddik.”

“Yeah, we should try to get a brocha from him.”

“We can try, but the line will probably be miles long,” Shimmy said. “But even just getting the zechus to look at the face of such a tzaddik is also a great zechus.”

As the song finished, everyone grew quiet and Reb Dovi Frankl spoke into the microphone.

“Rabboisai,” he said. “This year, the Rebbe has awarded Reb Anshel Holtzbacher with the Oskim B’tzorchei Tzibur Award. On behalf of all of the chassidim and members of our kehillah hakedosha, I would like to thank Reb Anshel for giving his maaser money to Kehillas Horki. Of course everyone is mechuyav to give maaser, but we are ever grateful for his decision to fulfill this chiyuv by donating it to our kehillah.”

“Thank you, Reb Dovi,” said Anshel as he approached the microphone and received the plaque for his award. “But I would like to correct you. I don’t just donate my maaser money to the kehillah. In fact, I don’t even consider the money I donate to Horki to be part of my chiyuv of Tzedakah. I give this money because I want to – not because I have to!”

Just then the spinning dreidel began to wobble slightly as it started to slow down. Then, with one final massive wobble, it landed on gimmel with a thunderous crash.

“Tov Lehodos laHashem!” everyone sang, dancing joyously as the excitement and happiness reverberated around the room.

When the dancing came to an end, the Rebbe approached the microphone and spoke about the nissim of Chanukah and gave thanks to Hakadosh Boruch Hu for the continued nissim and yeshuos he has done for Klal Yisroel until this day.

“Before I finish,” the Rebbe said, “I would like to address something that Reb Anshel said earlier, about how the donations he gives to Horki are out of care and desire and not because he has to.

“In Al Hanisim we say ‘רַבְתָּ אֶת רִיבָם’ – ‘You fought their fight’. Now why was it ‘their fight’, the fight of Klal Yisroel? It was a fight for Hashem! We should say Hashem fought His fight. When the Yidden fought against the Yevanim, they were fighting for Hashem, not for themselves!

And the pshat is because the tzaddikim in the times of the neis Chanukah loved and cared about Hakadosh Boruch Hu so much that it became their fight – they didn’t fight the reshaim because they had to, they did it because they wanted to!

“And we can say the same about our good chaver Reb Anshel. Reb Anshel doesn’t just serve Hashem because he has to – he wants to, he does it out of true care and love for Hakadosh Boruch Hu, His Torah, and of course, Mosdos Horki.

“Reb Anshel, may Hakadosh Boruch Hu bentsch you with many years of hatzlocha, brocha, and kirvas Elokim.”

And with that, the Rebbe stepped down as everyone sang “Leshana haba’a biYerushalayim” and the Chanukah Tish came to an end.

Have A Wonderful Shabbos!

Takeaway: The Mishna says “Asei Retzono, retzonecha” we should want to do Hashem’s Will. The Torah and the Mitzvos should be something WE want!