Today we have another beautiful message from the great Rebbe of Tosh. A visitor, the son of another respected Rebbi, once asked the Tasha Rebbi to share his central Avodah. What was the main thing that he worked on, that encompassed everything? The Rebbi did not want to answer. It’s rare for somebody to want to divulge his inner work, but out of respect for this son of a great man, he said, “Only through the love for one’s fellow Jew. The whole point of existence is to help another Jew.“ That was what he shared, which is fundamental to serving Hashem.
One year, on the night of the Seder, the Rebbi was about to make kiddish. It was quite late, after intense prayers, and an exuberant Hallel, and finally, when the Rebbe was ready to start kiddush, a certain emotionally disturbed individual, who often came by to eat, knocked on the door. The Rebbe greeted him like a visiting dignitary and hurried to find him a seat. The Gabbaim were getting frustrated from the interruption, but they added a chair to the table. However, Rebbe was still not content. What about matzot for the man?
They told him that there was no matzot. (These were special matzot prepared for the Seder, and each person had three matzot placed in front of them. There were no others. They had emptied out the boxes and there was nothing left). The Rebbe instructed them to go to a neighbor to ask for months out. The Gabbaim were getting frustrated, so the Rebbe took his three matzot, put them in front of his guest, and started kiddush.
The Rebbe had prepared these Matzot from months earlier, cutting the wheat, guarding the flour, keeping it dry, and so on. These were the three matzot that he had chosen for himself, and yet he was ready, in an instant, to give them away to another Jew; a simple Jew who would not even appreciate them. He had taken what was most precious to him and given it away to another Jew, and that, as we said, was the foundation of his entire Avodah. His entire Avodah was, “Only through Ahavat Yisrael, Only through love for a fellow Jew. That is the foundation for all of my Avodah.”
He would give up his matzot rather than have another Jew be uncomfortable. These are really very powerful lessons, and they offer a glimpse into the secret approach of a great man.