Reb Zusha's Mishnah

I’ll tell you a maaseh. The Rebbe Reb Zusha and Reb Shmelke of Nickulsburg were two of the greatest Chassidim of the Mezeritcha Magid. Although they were both great Tzadikim, they were very different in what they were known for. Reb Shmelke, who was a Rav and Rosh Yeshiva, was known to be a huge talmud chochom. Reb Zusha, on the other hand, was not known for being a Rosh Yeshiva or the biggest talmud chochom (even though the Baal Hatanya used to refer to Reb Zusha as the “Sar Hatorah,” the master of Torah. But on the outside he did not present that way.) Reb Zusha was known for his avodah, his davening and humility. 

Once, Reb Zusha and Reb Shmelke decided to make a partnership with each other. The deal was that Reb Shmelke would teach Reb Zusha nigleh – Mishnayos, Gemarah, etc, and Reb Zusha would teach Reb Shmelke nistar, the secrets of Kabbalah. 

So the chavrusa begins, and Reb Shmelke asks Reb Zusha where he would like to start in learning nigleh. Reb Zusha, who was known to refer to himself in the third person out of humility, responded “Zusha is a total am ha’aretz (ignoramus),  does not know anything, so start from the very beginning and teach Zusha Mishnayos Brochos.”  

So Reb Shmelke opens up the Mishnah, and reads the very first mishnah, translating each word “Me’eimasai, from when, koiren es shema, do we read Krias Shema, b’arvis, in the evening.” Meaning, from what point in the evening can one fulfil his mitzvah to say Shema. 

Reb Zusha hears this, and responds, “Reb Shmelke, how do you know that this is how you read and understand these words, maybe it means something else? Maybe the way to read it is as follows: ‘Me’eimasai, this word comes from the word “Eima” which means fear. Me’eimasai, from fear (-of Hashem’s presence-) koiren es Shema b’arvis, you should read Krias Shema in the evening’.“ 

Reb Zusha kept repeating this idea, again and again, “One must say Krias Shema at night with eimah and yirah, fear and awe, to truly experience Hashem’s presence!” We say Shema with eimah, with an overwhelming sense of Hashem’s presence! After repeating this idea again and again, Reb Zusha entered into a state of dveikus, which was not uncommon for him…

And that was the end of Reb Shmelke and Reb Zusha’s chavrusa.

Take It To Go: Besides being a great story, we can learn a great lesson from the way Reb Zusha understood the mishnah! We usually associate nighttime as a time of concealment, the darkness being a metaphor for when Hashem’s light is covered up. Reb Zusha is teaching us that even at night, we must say Shema with eimah! Even when it seems like Hashem is not here, because his presence seems to be concealed, we declare His oneness through Shema. When we do that, we are recognizing and declaring that even Hashem’s concealment is another way that He reveals Himself. Sometimes Hashem communicates through concealment, but that is not Him hiding, but rather the form through which he reveals Himself.