OK, so everybody wants to know what Breslov has to say about Y2K. The answer is, no one really knows. I certainly won't make any predictions, but I will offer a few observations.
When the first Year 2000 came (that was 3760 years ago) it was the end of the Dark Ages, the era mankind lived without Torah. Avraham Avinu, aged 52, was already preaching and practicing humanitarianism, radiating the first light of the Torah (Sanhedrin 97a, Avodah Zarah 9a). Let's hope"and more (see below)"that the advent of Y2K will be the end of the 2000 years of darkness and confusion that have reigned since the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) in Jerusalem.
If you look at a calender you will notice that the new millennium begins on Shabbat! That's certainly good news. Some people may be hiding in bunkers and others may be celebrating in Times Square, but we will be keeping Shabbat. Shabbat is the greatest celebration"a foretaste of the World to Come!"and the best protection. As the old saying goes, 'More than the Jews have kept the Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews.Ó
So, are you, well, not cynical (see the dvar Torah for Parshat Toldot), but unconcerned about the Y2K bug, for whatever reason (like you were smart enough to buy an Apple computer)? Or are you nervous? Afraid that you and yours will be without water, food and electricity when the clock strikes 12:00? Are you worried about bands of marauders and other assorted disasters? If so, read on.
Rebbe Nachman writes:
'Human beings have tremendous capabilities. They can cause something to happen by thinking about it...When thought is totally concentrated on something, that it should be, it will come about.
'For that to happen, both the conscious and unconscious mind, down to the innermost point, have to be totally focused without distraction. The mind must also focus on the desired result in great detail and not just in a general way.Ó
(Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom #62)
The moral is pretty clear. Quit running the Doomsday scenario through your mind. Write a better, cheerier script, complete with a happy ending. Think about it in general terms at first, and then fill in the details. If you can't do such thinking on a global scale, then think nationally or locally. I bet you could, though, if you really tried because in Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom #46 Rebbe Nachman writes that thought is so powerful that it reaches 'way, way aboveÓ the heavens.
In Likutey MoHaran I, Lesson #193 Rebbe Nachman also writes that focused thinking can lead to a desired outcome. However, I decided to base this dvar Torah on the selection in Rabbi Nachman's Wisdom because it is speaking about a group of people thinking about something, whereas the lesson in Likutey MoHaran speaks about an individual doing so.
Perhaps you can get together with some friends and discuss what to focus on for the first of January and beyond. You could meditate on those points, collectively or individually. (Just don't wait till the last minute!) When Jews set their mind on something it's bound to have an impact.
Copyright © 1999 Breslov Research Institute