A Hazy Picture?

The Piacetzner Rebbe, in his Hachsharas Avreichim, quotes Rav Avraham Azulai (grandfather of the Chida) as saying:

When one is learning the Torah of his Rebbe, he should picture, in his mind, the face of his Rebbe, and in that way attach himself to his Rebbe's soul. This is what Rabbi Abba would do when trying to decipher the teachings of his master, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai; envisioning his Rebbe's face enabled him to better understand his Rebbe's teachings.

We of the RRRR, scattered as we are over the 4 corners of the world, can go weeks and months without seeing Rebbe face to face. Rebbe has given us some eitzah on this matter, but the long separations can nevertheless be disheartening. And not only disheartening - time away from Rebbe always seems to lead to some level of unclarity, be it in learning or otherwise.

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So how about this: when times get tough, when Rebbe's life teachings all of a sudden no longer seem to make sense, don't just stare at a picture of Rebbe for inspiration (though this is certainly a level). Because in the end, that picture is simply one Jew's portrayal of Rebbe at one particular moment in time, from his perspective. Instead, recreate a vivid mental image of Rebbe in your own mind. You can picture Rebbe saying over a shem mishmuel while peeling a banana, or you can imagine once again that you are on the beaches of Nahariya with Rebbe, battling the waves of fury. And through this holy exercise, you can reconnect to Rebbe's soul, and to the clarity that comes with such connection.

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The hazy pictures of the mind may not be so hazy after all.