Hayom Yom for 22 Iyar

[poshut]

Several of the early chassidim had a farbrengen sometime between 5544-47 (1784-87) and the core of the discussion was this: The Rebbe (the Alter Rebbe) had accomplished something novel - that we are not alone. At one time, the Master - Rosh Yeshiva or Talmudic sage - was "alone" and his disciples were "alone." The chassidic way instituted by the Rebbe is a tremendous Divine achievement, that the Rebbe is not alone, nor are the chassidim alone.

What is meant by "a tremendous Divine achievement"? Why is not being elent "alone" a "tremendous G-dly achievement"?

[Jude]

Poshut- maybe things aren't as bad as I thought ... I have the Ha'Yom Yom next to me because I was going to start a thread on the very same Ha'Yom Yom, though I have different questions.

what exactly is this achievement, i.e. what's the difference before and after?
and how did he achieve it?

[poshut]

ditto

[chassidus]

I wondered about this too. I think that before the Alter Rebbe, the Rosh Yeshiva or Sage was on a level of understanding and Divine service completely beyond normal people. Thus, like a great genious amoung average people, he is alone -- there is no one to relate to on his level and share with in a give and take. Likewise, the students can only recieve a small nothing of their master's level, and don't really appreciate his level. They can't really relate to him, and he can't really relate to their problems.

However, the Alter Rebbe originated, through explaining Chassidus, that everyone can grasp Chassidus on their level. Small and great alike can share the same ideas and toil in them from their own efforts. Now, the path between Rebbe and Chassid is a ladder, not a quantum leap. I don't mean that the simple people become near the Rebbe's level, but rather, that Chassidus reveals how even a Rasha has the same Avoda as the Tzaddik (in a smaller way) and the Tzaddik has the same Avoda as the Rasha (in a smaller way).

Also, through this connection, they became a new Avoda for both -- the Tzaddik has to try to bring down his understanding and Avoda so that the simple personan understand and relate to it, and the simple person has to try to understand and relate to it as best as he can on his level. This makes the chassid into a mini Rebbe in stead of a doormat.

[chassidus]

I found a short explanation of this by the Rebbe in the sicha of Motzai Pesach Sheini 5710:

"The (previous) Rebbe said: Toras Chassidus accomplished that the Rebbe is not alone and that the Chassidim are not alone. That is, that the Rebbe oversees and is sensative to every detail of the life of the Chassidim. And even now, when he is found in a higher level, he oversees and is sensative to every detail of the life of the Chassidim (as discussed previously). And, automatically, there is the "nesinas koach" (giving of ability) to accomplish everything that the Rebbe demands from us.

"On the contrary: since the intention of the concealment is for the revelation , already now we need to impliment everything that the Rebbe demands from us with [i]greater strength"