The Blogs: ‘Come as you are’

He was an orphan, from Russia. He came with his mother to the U.S. to Brooklyn.

He would come often to see the Lubavitcher Rebbe, receive a dollar from the Rebbe for charity, a piece of honey cake for a sweet year, a booklet in Chassidus that the Rebbe handed out.

He didn’t understand so well, when the Rebbe expounded on deep teachings of Chassidus and other teachings of the Torah. But he came often, just to see the Rebbe, just to be near him.

But then he started working at construction jobs, and his clothes became dirty with putty and other construction materials. So he stopped coming to the Rebbe. Because how could he come in dirty clothes?

One day, he dressed up nicely to attend a friend’s wedding, and he decided, that since he was anyway dressed up, he may as well go to the Rebbe to receive a dollar for charity. So he went, and the Rebbe handed him a dollar, but then something unusual happened. The Rebbe didn’t let go of the dollar.

“Vu bist du?” (Where are you) asked the Rebbe.

He was stunned, he didn’t know what to answer.

“The Rebbe is asking where you are,” said the Rebbe’s assistant.

“Ich bin do,” — (I am here) he said.

“Far vos kumts du nisht?” (Why don’t you come?) asked the Rebbe.

“Ich bin alemol shmutzik.” (I’m always dirty)

“Kum vi du bist, ober kum.” (Come as you are, but come)

The Rebbe noticed, among thousands who came to him, that he hadn’t been there in a while.

Come as you are, but come.

I read this story, and I thought to myself about the Rebbe’s tremendous love for each person.

And his caring, and encouragement. We may sometimes be ‘dirty,’ we may be lacking this or that, but to the Rebbe that was beside the the point.

The point, the main thing, the overriding goal, is to come.