Do you ever dream? We all do. We embrace life's hard and cold reality, but we never stop dreaming.
The Torah recognizes a world fraught with difficulties and pain. The Torah also depicts an eventual perfected existence, the world of Moshiach. That world of peace, harmony and goodness is our vision, our goal, our dream.
But it hasn't been easy to maintain this dream.
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Poor Yankel was the village failure. He couldn't earn a living and his family suffered.
Finally, some friends chipped in to create a job for him: He would be paid two rubles a week to sit in a hut at the edge of town and await the Moshiach. He'd be the one to let everyone in the village know that the Redemption has arrived.
"The pay is lousy," complained Yankel, "Yes," they agreed, "but the job security is excellent!"
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Judaism maintains a belief in the advent of Moshiach. We'll even pay someone to do the waiting! But our long and painful road has sometimes sucked that dream of its substance and vitality.
Belief in Moshiach's coming is one of Judaism's Thirteen Principles of Faith. But is the dream really alive?
The Rebbe taught that we need to keep dreaming.
The Rebbe faced the world's painful existence, and cried with humanity's suffering.
But the Rebbe so obviously believed in the dream of Moshiach.
Moshiach, a perfected world, was more than a dream; it was a vision that animated the Rebbe's life.
Because the Rebbe knew that G‑d can deliver. The world can and will change. And if it takes a while, we need to keep dreaming; because the dream breathes soul into our lives, keeping it fresh and hopeful.
Face and deal with reality's harshness. But never stop dreaming.
