Open and closed
By zevi770 · September 3, 2012
There are generally two states, the open and closed state.
When are we open? When are we closed?
Simply speaking, I heard an amazing teaching of the Rebbe that the open state is when we are the giver, on the other hand, the closed state is when we are the receiver.
The open giver state, is the ideal state; though a person must also be the receiver.
In other words, towards others – certainly dependents, we must God-forbid never be in a closed state (think how much pain and suffering it was when you were a dependent – child perhaps – and didn’t receive the open love of a beloved parent or even teacher etc.) on the other hand, a person who is just open is rife for all kinds of negative behavior (the manic state) hence a Jew must equally be completely closed i.e. understand that his every gift is completely dependent on the constant grace of God.
No one better exemplified this dichotomy as perfectly as the Rebbe who unconditional love for all was evident, yet equally his unconditional humility / reverence for God perhaps matched his unconditional openness towards people.