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This meeting is intended to strengthen the bonds of unity we share and thus to encourage each individual to carry out his mission in the place which Divine Providence has chosen for him to live. This mission, the establishment of a dwelling for G-d in this world, encompasses both the material and the spiritual aspects of a person's existence, fusing the two together.

The aspect of unity is further emphasized by the period which we have spent together, the days of redemption, Yud-Beis-Yud-Gimmel Tammuz, which the Previous Rebbe described as relevant to the Jewish people as a community, as he wrote in the letter sent to commemorate the first celebration of the holiday: "The Holy One, Blessed be He, did not redeem me alone... but rather,... all those who bear the name 'Jew.' " This includes also those individuals born after the redemption. Since each Jew's soul is "actually a part of G-d from above," every Jewish soul is interrelated to all the souls which existed in all previous generations.

The redemption of Yud-Beis Tammuz gives each individual the potential to be redeemed from the boundaries and limitations which hold him back. Among those limitations is the fact that a person lives in a specific place. Though he may live there in affluence, he is still limited by the nature of that place. Thus, the meeting of many Jews from different places represents a redemption from this "exile."

The potential for redemption exists by nature within the Jewish soul as emphasized by the Baal Shem Tov's statement, "When one grasps one portion of the essence, one grasps the essence in its entirety." Since each Jew is "actually a part of G-d from above," each individual "grasps" the essence of the people as a whole.

The addition of the word mamash, rendered as "actually," implies that this Divine essence has an actual influence on a Jew's daily life in this world and thus on the lives of others in the place where G-d has sent them. The mission with which G-d has charged every single Jew, man, woman, and child, is felt[132] by that person's G-dly soul and effects their thought, speech, and action.

The concept of the Divine essence which is the root of every Jewish soul is also related to this week's Torah portion, Parshas Pinchas, which describes the census of the Jewish people. One of the fundamental lessons we can learn from a census is that each individual, whether great or small, is counted the same.

May the influence of Yud-Beis Tammuz -- the Previous Rebbe's birthday, the day when "the spiritual source of his soul shines powerfully" -- and the "meritorious days" which follow hasten the coming of the Messianic redemption even before the fastday, the 17th of Tammuz begins.[133] This will be hastened by each person increasing their performance of Torah and mitzvos, for, as the Rambam declares: A person should always see himself and the entire world as equally balanced and with one deed, he can bring deliverance and salvation to himself and to the entire world.

This will also be hastened by Torah study, including study of the Rambam's teachings, study which is connected with tzedakah and prayer, and also communal study.

We will conclude this gathering by distributing money to be given to tzedakah which "brings near the redemption," and thus, hastens the fulfillment of the prophecy, "And the census of the children of Israel will be like the sands of the sea which cannot be counted or measured." May it be in the immediate future.

Yechidus to Bar and Bas Mitzvah Youth

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The blessings mentioned previously apply also to yourselves and to the entire Jewish people. They are enhanced by the influence of this week's Torah portion, Parshas Pinchas, which mentions the census of the Jewish people. This will lead to the ultimate census which will be taken in the Messianic age by Pinchas who is identified with Eliyahu, the prophet, who will bring us tidings of the coming of the Moshiach.

In the Messianic age, the Jews will fulfill the mitzvos "as commandments of Your will," i.e., the ultimate and complete performance of the mitzvos, including the performance of all the mitzvos dependent on Eretz Yisrael.

This is reflected in your preparations for your Bar or Bas Mitzvos when you accept resolutions to increase your study of Torah and the fulfillment of its mitzvos, including also the mitzvos of the sacrifices which we will soon fulfill in the Messianic age. Until then, our Sages have taught, "our prayers were instituted in place of sacrifices." Your fulfillment of all these services will be enhanced on your Bar or Bas Mitzvah when you receive the dimension of being obligated to perform the mitzvos.

Additional Divine blessings in all the above will come from increasing your gifts to tzedakah in connection with your Bar or Bas Mitzvah. In this manner, you begin your lives as "obligated to perform mitzvos" with an increase in the mitzvah of tzedakah.

This increase in tzedakah should also be accompanied by an increase in all aspects of Torah and mitzvos, including the study of Chitas as instituted by the Previous Rebbe. Chitas (Chumash, Tehillim, and Tanya) is connected with the Messianic redemption: Tehillim was composed by David, the progenitor of Moshiach. Tanya represents the spreading of teachings of the Baal Shem Tov outward which will bring Moshiach's coming. Similarly, the Chumash contains many allusions to Moshiach's coming including the name of this week's portion Pinchas who is identified with Eliyahu, the prophet. Similarly, the past week's portion, Parshas Balak, contains several allusions to Moshiach as the Rambam relates.

May all this lead to the time when all of us, together with the entire Jewish people, and in particular, together with your parents and teachers, proceed to Eretz Yisrael, to Jerusalem, and to the Beis HaMikdash.

Yechidus to Grooms and Brides

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The blessings mentioned above apply to you as well. Indeed, you are given special blessings for you, as brides and grooms, are preparing to raise a generation of children[134] engaged in Torah and mitzvos.

These blessings will be enhanced by the good resolutions which you accept, particularly those resolutions accepted here, together with many other people, in the synagogue, house of study, and house of good deeds of the Previous Rebbe. They will enhance the nature of the preparations for the wedding, the seven days of celebration which follow, and the entire lifetime of Torah and mitzvos which comes afterwards. In particular, this will lead to the ultimate blessing, the redemption of our people as mentioned in the seven wedding blessings: "May it soon be heard in the cities of Judah and the outskirts of Jerusalem, the voice of happiness and rejoicing, the voice of a groom and the voice of a bride."

Each wedding is a reflection of the ultimate wedding relationship between G-d and the Jewish people. That relationship exists, not only with the people as a whole, but also with each individual Jew.

May your weddings be celebrated with great happiness and may this happiness transform the nature of the 17th of Tammuz into a day of celebration. Thus, today is an appropriate time -- indeed, the most appropriate time -- to celebrate a wedding for Moshiach will come immediately thereafter. With his coming, the ultimate marriage relationship between G-d and the Jews will be realized.

   

Notes:

132. (Back to text) The expression used by our Sages is "the spiritual source of the soul sees." In particular, this influences the deeds of a child. When a child sees something, it has a powerful effect on him, far more than his powers of understanding, exceeding the influence it has on adults.

133. (Back to text) The fast does not begin until the morning. Thus, at present, it is still possible to eat and recite the blessings before eating, including the blessing shehakol which proclaims that "all existence came into being through His speech."

134. (Back to text) "Children" in an extended sense can also refer to the good deeds which will be performed in these homes which are established on a foundation of Torah and mitzvos.