The Rebbe used to engage in all sorts of simple devotions. When it came to serving God, he was utterly without sophistication.
All the Rebbe’s devotions were also completely hidden. As soon as he found himself in public, he would make a special effort to do all sorts of childish things. He would jump and play so much that no one could tell he really wanted to devote himself to God.19This was true even after he was married, when he would ice-skate with other youths his age. See Avenehah Barzel, p. 23, #9.
The following childhood custom illustrates both these points. As a young child, the Rebbe would often exchange several silver coins for coppers.20In Hebrew, tefalim, meaning secondary coins. Then he would secretly enter the synagogue through the window, taking along his copy of Sha'arey Tzion.
He would then joyfully recite the prayer, LeShem Yichud,21"For the Sake of the Unification," a prayer of Kabbalistic origin which asks that the letters of God's Name, representing the stages of His emanation, be reunified through the world's ultimate perfection. asking that the elements of God’s Name be unified through the good deed he was about to do. As soon as he finished the prayer, he would take one copper and place it in the charity box for anonymous donors. He would then distract himself, as if he had completed the deed and was ready to leave. Then suddenly, he would begin again. He would say the LeShem Yichud a second time and deposit another copper in the charity box. He would distract himself again, and repeat the process.
The Rebbe would do this again and again until he had placed every single copper in the charity box, each time repeating the LeShem Yichud. In this very simple and unsophisticated manner, he would perform not one, but many mitzvot with a single silver coin.
This was the Rebbe’s way. He would serve God with many such simple-minded devotions, divorcing himself from all sophistication. It was not that he was incapable of sophistication. Nothing could be further from the truth. He was an outstanding genius, capable of great depth even as a child, as all who knew him could attest. Yet he made absolutely no use of his brilliance when it came to serving God. His devotion would be as simple as possible. He would study Torah, do good deeds, and pray and plead in seclusion, expressing his thoughts before God. He required nothing more complicated than this.
This was the Rebbe’s true genius. He immediately grasped this most basic principle, that sophistication is totally unnecessary when one is serving God. This is truly the greatest wisdom (see Likutey Moharan II, 5:15; note 134, p. XX).
The Rebbe spoke of this many times. One does not have to be a genius to serve God. Just be simple and sincere, without any cleverness.
וְהָיָה עוֹשֶׂה כָּל מִינֵי עֲבוֹדוֹת פְּשׁוּטוֹת שֶׁל עֲבוֹדַת הַשֵּׁם, בְּלִי שׁוּם חָכְמוֹת וְהַכֹּל בְּהֶצְנֵעַ גָּדוֹל. וְתֵכֶף כְּשֶׁיָּצָא לַחוּץ הָיָה עוֹשֶׂה בְּכַוָּנָה כָּל מִינֵי מַעֲשֵׂה נַעֲרוּת כָּל מִינֵי שְׂחוֹק וּקְפִיצוֹת וּשְׁאָר עִנְיָנִים כָּאֵלּוּ (שֶׁקּוֹרִין פַאר שֵׁייטְקַייט) עַד שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה יָכוֹל לָבוֹא עַל דַּעַת שׁוּם אָדָם שֶׁהוּא רוֹצֶה בַּעֲבוֹדַת ה'.
The Rebbe used to engage in all sorts of simple devotions. When it came to serving God, he was utterly without sophistication.
All the Rebbe’s devotions were also completely hidden. As soon as he found himself in public, he would make a special effort to do all sorts of childish things. He would jump and play so much that no one could tell he really wanted to devote himself to God.19This was true even after he was married, when he would ice-skate with other youths his age. See Avenehah Barzel, p. 23, #9.
וּבִתְחִלָּה, בִּימֵי יַלְדוּתוֹ, הָיָה נוֹהֵג שֶׁהָיָה לוֹקֵחַ אֵיזֶה גְּדוֹלִים [מטבעות גדולים] וְהֶחֱלִיפָם עַל טְפָלִים [מטבעות קטנים] וְנִכְנַס לְבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת בְּהֶצְנֵעַ דֶּרֶךְ חַלּוֹן וְכַיּוֹצֵא, וְלָקַח עִמּוֹ הַסֵּפֶר "שַׁעֲרֵי צִיּוֹן" וְאָמַר הַ"לְּשֵׁם יִחוּד" שֶׁל עֲשִׂיַּת מִצְוָה. וְלָקַח טָפֵל אֶחָד וְהִשְׁלִיכָהּ לְתוֹךְ הַמַּתָּן בַּסֵּתֶר. וְאַחַר־כָּךְ חָזַר וְעָשָׂה עַצְמוֹ כְּאִלּוּ הוּא מַסִּיחַ דַּעְתּוֹ מִזֶּה, וְאַחַר כָּךְ חָזַר וְאָמַר "לְשֵׁם־יִחוּד" הַנַּ"ל וְחָזַר וְהִשְׁלִיךְ פְּרוּטָה אַחַת לְתוֹךְ הַ"מַּתָּן־בַּסֵּתֶר", וְחָזַר וְהִסִּיחַ דַּעְתּוֹ וְחָזַר וְאָמַר הַלְּשֵׁם־יִחוּד הַנַּ"ל וְהִשְׁלִיךְ עוֹד פְּרוּטָה אַחַת.
The following childhood custom illustrates both these points. As a young child, the Rebbe would often exchange several silver coins for coppers.20In Hebrew, tefalim, meaning secondary coins. Then he would secretly enter the synagogue through the window, taking along his copy of Sha'arey Tzion.
He would then joyfully recite the prayer, LeShem Yichud,21"For the Sake of the Unification," a prayer of Kabbalistic origin which asks that the letters of God's Name, representing the stages of His emanation, be reunified through the world's ultimate perfection. asking that the elements of God’s Name be unified through the good deed he was about to do. As soon as he finished the prayer, he would take one copper and place it in the charity box for anonymous donors. He would then distract himself, as if he had completed the deed and was ready to leave. Then suddenly, he would begin again. He would say the LeShem Yichud a second time and deposit another copper in the charity box. He would distract himself again, and repeat the process.
וְכֵן חָזַר וְעָשָׂה כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים עַד שֶׁהִשְׁלִיךְ כָּל הַפְּרוּטוֹת לְתוֹךְ הַמַּתָּן־בַּסֵּתֶר, וְעַל כָּל פְּרוּטָה וּפְרוּטָה אָמַר הַלְּשֵׁם־יִחוּד הַנַּ"ל. וְכַוָּנָתוֹ הָיָה כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה מִצְווֹת רַבּוֹת, כִּי עֲבוֹדָתוֹ הָיָה בִּפְשִׁיטוּת גָּמוּר בְּלִי שׁוּם חָכְמוֹת כְּלָל.
The Rebbe would do this again and again until he had placed every single copper in the charity box, each time repeating the LeShem Yichud. In this very simple and unsophisticated manner, he would perform not one, but many mitzvot with a single silver coin.
וְכֵן הָיָה עוֹשֶׂה, וְעוֹבֵד אֶת ה' יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּכָל מִינֵי עֲבוֹדוֹת פְּשׁוּטוֹת לְגַמְרֵי בְּלִי שׁוּם חָכְמוֹת כְּלָל, אַף־עַל־פִּי שֶׁבֶּאֱמֶת הָיָה חָכָם גָּדוֹל וּמֻפְלָג בְּחָכְמָה מְאֹד מְאֹד גַּם בִּימֵי קַטְנוּתוֹ וּבִימֵי נְעוּרָיו (כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיָה מְפֻרְסָם לְכָל מַכִּירָיו), אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן לֹא הִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּשׁוּם חָכְמָה כְּלָל בַּעֲבוֹדַת ה', רַק הָיָה נוֹהֵג לַעֲשׂוֹת כָּל הָעֲבוֹדוֹת הַפְּשׁוּטוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם. דְּהַיְנוּ לִמּוּד הַתּוֹרָה הַרְבֵּה, מִצְווֹת מַעֲשִׂיּוֹת, וְרִבּוּי תְּפִלּוֹת וּבַקָּשׁוֹת וְרִבּוּי הִתְבּוֹדְדוּת מְאֹד לְדַבֵּר וּלְפָרֵשׁ שִׂיחָתוֹ לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ כַּנַּ"ל וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה.
This was the Rebbe’s way. He would serve God with many such simple-minded devotions, divorcing himself from all sophistication. It was not that he was incapable of sophistication. Nothing could be further from the truth. He was an outstanding genius, capable of great depth even as a child, as all who knew him could attest. Yet he made absolutely no use of his brilliance when it came to serving God. His devotion would be as simple as possible. He would study Torah, do good deeds, and pray and plead in seclusion, expressing his thoughts before God. He required nothing more complicated than this.
וְזֶה הָיָה עִקַּר חָכְמָתוֹ הַגְּדוֹלָה מְאֹד, כִּי מֵעֹצֶם הַפְלָגַת חָכְמָתוֹ זָכָה תֵּכֶף לְחָכְמָה זוֹ שֶׁאֵין צְרִיכִים שׁוּם חָכְמָה כְּלָל בַּעֲבוֹדַת ה'. כִּי זֶה עִקַּר הַחָכְמָה הַגְּדוֹלָה מִן הַכֹּל (כַּמְבֹאָר בִּדְבָרֵינוּ כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים) שֶׁלֹּא לִהְיוֹת שׁוּם חָכָם בַּעֲבוֹדַת ה' רַק בִּתְמִימוּת וּבִפְשִׁיטוּת בְּלִי שׁוּם חָכְמוֹת כְּלָל.
This was the Rebbe’s true genius. He immediately grasped this most basic principle, that sophistication is totally unnecessary when one is serving God. This is truly the greatest wisdom (see Likutey Moharan II, 5:15; note 134, p. XX).
The Rebbe spoke of this many times. One does not have to be a genius to serve God. Just be simple and sincere, without any cleverness.