Editing Galus (Exile) (section)

==== Standing Firm During Exile ====

In the sicha of 3 Tammuz 5687 (1927), before his departure to exile in Kostroma under Communist captivity, the Frierdiker Rebbe delivered forceful words to the large crowd of escorts, repeating the words of his father, the Rebbe Rashab (when the government demanded changes in education and rabbinical matters at a rabbinical assembly):<blockquote>"Not by our will were we exiled from Eretz Yisroel, and not by our power will we return to Eretz Yisroel. Our Father, our King, blessed be He, exiled us from our land and sent us into exile, and He, blessed be He, will redeem us and gather our dispersed ones. But let all the nations on the face of the earth know: only our bodies were given into exile and the subjugation of kingdoms, but our souls were not given into exile and were not delivered to the subjugation of kingdoms. We must declare openly for all to see, that regarding everything connected to our religion, the Torah of Israel, its mitzvos and customs, no one can force their opinion upon us and no coercive power is permitted to subjugate us." — Likkutei Dibburim  Vol. 4, p. 933, and elsewhere</blockquote>The Rebbe repeated these words many times. The Rebbe explains that in truth, the soul is always above the limitations of exile.

And even though exile does affect the soul as well, as explained above (in the section on Divine service in exile) - when a Jew contemplates that this exile is according to Hashem's will, and certainly His intention in this descent is for good and for the purpose of ascent, it is understood then that even the service during exile has eternal strength, even more than in the time of the Beis HaMikdash. This contemplation will bring the Jew strength to overcome the concealment of exile. Moreover, even when the Jew does not '''truly''' feel the strength and elevation achieved through exile, '''the very thought''' about it causes him to transcend the limitations of exile (because "wherever a person's thought is, that is where he is").

In many sichos, the Rebbe emphasizes the need to stand firm and not be affected by exile, and thus fulfill one's mission proudly and succeed in flourishing both materially and spiritually even during the time of exile.