Outside the door of the study of Tzemach Tzedek (the third Lubavitcher Rebbe) stood his young grandson, a little boy of four or five, who would grow up to be the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Rashab Rebbe. He was waiting to join his grandfather to receive a blessing in honor of his birthday (the twentieth of Cheshvan).
When the door opened, the little boy entered and burst into tears. The Tzemaj Tzedek lovingly comforted his grandson and asked, "Why are you crying, my grandson?".
Trying to calm down, the boy said to the Rebbe.
""Zeide," he said, "I just learned at school that God appeared to Avraham Avinu (our father). Why doesn't He appear to us too?".
Gently, the Rebbe's wise eyes peered deep into the child's eyes and comforted his heart.
""My dear grandson," explained the Tzemach Tzedek, "When a ninety-nine-year-old Jew, a Tzadik (saint), decides to circumcise himself, he deserves to have HaShem reveal Himself to him.".
Children usually cry when they don't get what they want. But are these things really important enough to cry about?
From this story, we see what a Jewish child should desire, to the point of bringing them to tears. Every Jew has a neshamah (soul) that is a part of God. Because of this neshamah, a Jew, and especially a Jewish child, wants to see holiness, not just hear about it.
The example of Rebbe Rashab teaches every child to desire and ask for this.
This is especially true today, when there are so many signs that Messiah is coming soon. When the Redemption (Geulah) arrives, we will be able to see the holiness of God all around us. Just as the Rebbe Rashab wept for something he truly desired, we should weep to God and plead with Him to bring the Redemption.
When we weep and demand redemption, we may have tears in our eyes, but they are not tears of pain or sadness. We weep with determination, because we desire redemption with all our hearts. Yet, we also have a feeling of joy in our hearts, because we know it is coming soon.
Extracted from Please tell me what the Rebbe says.