BH
I'd like to share with you part of a fascinating correspondence of Rabbi Chaim Gutnik AH and the Rebbe shortly after the 6 day War.
*This correspondence he related publicly in 770 soon after his Yechidus, and that was recorded and transcribed.
Rabbi Gutnik told the Rebbe that he wished to respond to a question that was put to him by the Rebbe three years prior in Yechidus and at which time, he said nothing.
The context was that Rabbi Gutnik was asked to ask the Rebbe if he felt that the establishment of the state of Israel was the אתחלתא דגאולא. The Rebbe responded that the Rambam is the authority who tells us how the גאולה will take place and in what order. First, says the Rambam, a king from the house of David will come… and compel all Jews to follow Torah and Mitzvos. Then the Rebbe asked pointedly to Rabbi Gutnik, “do you know of such a man?” To which Rabbi Gutnik remained silent.
So at this Yechidus Rabbi Gutnik told the Rebbe that it bothered him afterwards that he remained silent and he therefore wants to answer the question now. So Rabbi Gutnik tells the Rebbe “I do know of such a man, it is the Lubavitcher Rebbe!”
The Rebbe responded [paraphrasing] “I know that there are people who has such טענות against me [that I should reveal myself as Moshiach] and I see that you also do. But guess what, I also have טענות towards the world and to you.
You need to tell your community that the Jewish people need to return to Torah and Mitzvos.
When you return to Australia, give a sermon about tefillin, kashrut, and Shabbat.
The Rambam's statement that there will be one who will go and compel the Jewish people to observe Torah doesn't mean that he alone will go to each and every Jew because that is impossible, rather the intention is - through Shluchim and Shluchim of Shluchim even up to a hundred!
It would be enough for me if you would go and say that they need to return to the Torah. This will help the requirement of me to compel the Jewish people to follow Torah, and then we can talk about אתחלתא דגאולה - the beginning of redemption.
Rabbi Gutnik countered “I don't see how it would be possible to compel every single Jew, even with the shluchim, perhaps the Rambam's intention is that there will be an individual who is busy with getting Jews involved with Torah observance.”
The Rebbe responded “I am taking the Rambam [a book of Halacha] in the literal sense, and you are interpreting it in the non literal sense. As for the halacha, none of the poskim disagree with the Rambam, and the halacha is - as it says in the Rambam - ‘there will be one who will compel all of Israel’ maybe not all of them, but at least the vast majority of them.
Rabbi Gutnik: how will they do this?
Rebbe: Don't be ashamed and repeat the sermon you gave last year that Jews should keep tefillin, kashrut, and Shabbat.
Rabbi Gutnik: Even If I return to my community and tell them, “Jews! All the miracles we saw in Israel are being performed to send a message to the Jews that they need to return to the Torah”, but that's not all of the Jews?
Rebbe: First, if you do it, another will do it, and another, and who knows how far it will go. Second, there is a ruling from Maimonides that one should think that in his own action he can tip the scale. What exactly is necessary to fulfill the qualification of compelling all Jews to follow torah, I cannot know, and I do not know, but when you go back and influence a Jew to keep the Torah, perhaps this Jew, in keeping his Torah, will tip the scale!
Rebbe: I am not afraid if they say I am a Zionist. Three times in the past 20 years, God has given us the opportunity to merit the beginning of redemption and we missed the opportunity.
The first opportunity was (as if he said that the leaders were to blame for this) in 1948.
.- You know I am very involved in learning and explaining Rashis. Rashi states regarding the flood that when it began, it was initially a shower of blessings and God waited to see how they would behave, whether the rain would continue to be a shower of blessings or vice versa. -
In 1948, God sent a shower of blessings and the leaders began to argue about whether to mention the name of God or not.
It was the time of opportunity and they lost it.
In the Sinai operation it was the second time that we were given a test, if Jews had believed that it was not the French MiGs or the English planes that brought salvation to Israel, it would have been different.
And now again, never before has there been such an opportunity and such an awakening as there was in these four days before the Giving of the Torah [Shavuos], when the entire Jewish people stood in a state Naaseh Venishma, and if the leaders of Israel had taken advantage of the Jews who were inspired and ready to change, the situation would have been completely different today.
Rabbi Gutnik: Have we completely missed the opportunity, is it too late?
Rebbe: No. Now it is August if they do what is necessary and the Shluchim carry out their mission and tell the world the truth, the Yakuf kol yisroel can take place.
Powerful words! I'll let the words speak for themselves! Its up to us to implement it!