contents

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featured articles WeeKlY cOluMNs

tHe letter tHat cHaNGed MY life

Sholom Ber Crombie

18 G-d Must Be a JeWs tOP PriOritY

Rabbi Yossi Paltiel

24 Shneur Zalman Berger

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Rabbi Shneur Chaviv

tHe reBBes sHOcHet

28 a cHassid WHO MaKes cHassidiM

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Dvar Malchus Viewpoint Miracle Story Parsha Thought Shleimus Haaretz Moshiach & Geula Memoirs Young Chassid

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DvAR MALcHus

ELIYAHU HANAVI IN BROOKLYN?!

A portion of the conversation of the Rebbe MHM with the former chief Rabbis in the Holy Land, Rabbi Avraham HaKohen shapira o.b.m. and Rabbi Mordechai eliyahu o.b.m., during their visit on tuesday of Parshas BHar, 11 Iyar 5749. * We will not protest if eliyahu Hanavi appears in the Diaspora, even in Brooklyn, and the following day Moshiach comes to teveria.
Translated by Boruch Merkur

Turn over rambams Laws of moshiach

The Rebbe MHM: It is said of the Torah, Turn it over, turn it over, for all is within it (Avos 5:21), meaning that every time the Torah is studied, further details of insight, further exegesis, etc., can be gleaned. This is especially applicable as we are now in Ikvisa DIkvisa DMeshicha [the final era, immediately preceding the redemption], And if not now, when? On this basis, added emphasis can be attributed to the words of Rambam [on the obligation to believe in the coming of Moshiach]: Anyone who does not believe in him or does not eagerly anticipate his arrival, etc. The obligation is not only to believe in the coming of Moshiach but to eagerly anticipate his arrival, as expressed in the Thirteen Principles, I believe in the coming of Moshiach every day I await his coming. Rabbi Shapira: Regarding

faith in the coming of Moshiach and the eager anticipation of his arrival each aspect depends on the other. That is, were one to not anticipate his arrival, that is an indication that he does not truly believe in him. Indeed, were his faith in the coming of Moshiach genuine, how is it possible that he would not eagerly await and anticipate his arrival?! If you [truly] believe that there is something so magnificent about to happen, how is possible that you do not yearn, await, and eagerly anticipate it?! And if one does not yearn and await the coming of Moshiach, his faith is surely lacking!

yearning ThaT moshiach shouLD come righT now!

Rabbi Eliyahu: Faith and yearning for the coming of Moshiach includes [the desire] that he should come speedily, immediately. The Rebbe MHM: The Rambam refers to this detail as well in Seifer HaYad [Mishneh

Torah]: The Torah promises that the Jewish people will eventually repent at the end of their exile and immediately they will be redeemed, specifying that this will take place immediately. Rabbi Eliyahu: Last time [we visited 27 Adar Sheini 5746], we spoke about Moshiach that there needs to be a resolution, a ruling that Moshiach must come immediately. The Rebbe MHM: My recollection is that also then we emphasized the need to render a ruling that Moshiach Tzidkeinu must come immediately, bearing in mind, of course, the special status of our gathering being more than three rabbis together. Indeed, among us are rabbis from Eretz Yisroel, regarding which it says, there is no Torah like the Torah of Eretz Yisroel (BReishis Rabba 16:4). All the more so, the Torah of a Kohen and the Torah of Rishon L Tziyon [the chief rabbi of the Sephardim] (and in Tziyon itself, Rishon the First of Tziyon). Rabbi Eliyahu: Uva lTziyon goel And a redeemer shall come to Tziyon (Yeshayahu 59:20). The Rebbe MHM (smiling): Uva lTziyon goel is said in the future tense, but it needs to be a

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description of something that has already taken place, or at least a moment after it has occurred! In the Midrashim of our Sages we find that Moshiach Tzidkeinu (Eliyahu HaNavi) will first be revealed in Galil (Zohar I 119a, etc.), and in Galil itself, in Teveria (Megilla 6a), which is goodly of appearance (to note that Moshiach is connected with vision, sight, as is known that the Torah study of Moshiach Tzidkeinu will be in a manner of seeing see Likkutei Torah Tzav 17a, where it is discussed). However, we will not protest if Eliyahu HaNavi appears in the Diaspora, even in Brooklyn, and the following day Moshiach comes to Teveria.
(From Seifer HaSichos 5749 vol. 2, pg. 750-1.)

If you truly believe that there is something so magnificent about to happen, how is possible that you do not yearn, await, and eagerly anticipate it?! And if one does not yearn and await the coming of Moshiach, his faith is surely lacking!

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THE LETTER THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

Michael Behagen used to be a well-known movie director in the Israeli entertainment industry. He made movies and documentaries and was immersed in the secular world, until the day that he received a letter from his son.
Prepared for publication by Sholom Ber Crombie

famiLy bacKgrounD
I was born in Tel Aviv. My parents, of blessed memory, did not live a Jewish observant lifestyle, but they did keep many of the mitzvos. Both came from families of rabbanim. My father survived the Holocaust, although he did not live through the concentration camps. He spent exactly two weeks under the Nazis and decided he had to escape. My fathers family is from the town of Katowitz, and the name Behagen is the Germanic form of Ben HaGaon. Katowitz is in Upper Silesia. There, the family dealt in textiles and was directly involved with the German market. Until today, I dont know just which gaon the name refers to, but my grandmother Miriam, of blessed memory, would say it was for the Gaon of Vilna. One Shabbos afternoon, my father unexpectedly sat down at

the kitchen table and, without preamble, he spent three hours telling me the story of his escape from Poland in 1939 when he was 16. He told me about his adventures in Lithuania, Russia and Palestine, and his enlisting in the British army so he could return to Europe and search for his family. That was the only time in his life that my father opened up to me in that way. He died a few months later from a heart attack at the age of 58, and I was left with all the questions I never asked and which will forever remain unanswered. Out of my fathers extended family, some moved to Canada, some to Eretz Yisroel, and the rest the family of my grandfather, Aharon Yosef Behagen remained in Europe, believing that the Nazi evil was a passing nightmare and things would return to normal. My father had four brothers

and sisters. All of them, including his father, perished. Some died of starvation, others were burned when the hospital in the Lodz ghetto was set on fire, and some were killed by gas in Chelmno. My grandmother survived Auschwitz. My father fled Lodz as soon as the Germans entered. He could not bear the thought of being under their control. He crossed the temporary border that was created when Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union, and went to Lithuania. There he worked as a chauffeur for a doctor. He was only 16, but he knew how to drive because the family in Katowitz had a car and their driver secretly taught him how to drive. This is what later enabled him to remain alive. In 5701/1941 he arrived in Palestine and a few months later enlisted in the Jewish brigade of the British army. He spent part of the war in Africa and then in Italy. At the end of the war

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he tried locating his family. He gradually learned that nobody survived. Then came the news from Eretz Yisroel that in the newspaper column in which people looked for relatives, a woman by the name of Miriam Behagen was looking for her family. He went to see her. She was living in a small room in Lodz after she tried returning to the huge family home that her father had owned. The Poles, who had taken it over when the Jews left, threw her out and threatened that if she returned they would finish off what Hitler had begun. He was accompanied by representatives of the Jewish committee and by dozens of other people who had heard about the upcoming reunion of mother and son. He entered the room. He was 22 and the last time she had seen him, he had been 16. She did not recognize him. In order not to shock her, he did not tell her who he was. He told her he

was a soldier from Palestine. I had a son, Shlomek. He escaped at the beginning of the war. I am afraid he did not survive. I dont know what happened to him. Maybe he reached Palestine. Its me! Im Shlomek! he said in a voice choked with emotion. She didnt believe him. Twelve years earlier, on a cold night in Katowitz, a pile of burning coals had fallen on him and had left a scar on his neck. It was only when he showed this scar to her that she realized that this was indeed her son; miraculously, one of her children had survived the war. She moved to Eretz Yisroel and joined her sisters family. He arrived a month later. I look at the picture of the young couple, my parents, in Eretz Yisroel at the end of the 40s. They look ready to conquer the world. Now, they are buried

side by side in the cemetery in Nachalas Yitzchok. My mother died when my daughter Mizmor was six months old. She has my father on one side of her and Saba Michael on her other side, my great-grandfather for whom I am named. Rabbi Michael Mizrachi was from Tbilisi. On his gravestone it says that he was a teacher and had hundreds of students.

The firsT shabbos

Although we did not keep all mitzvos, ours was a very traditional home. I was sometimes the butt of jokes by my friends in high school when we went out to eat, and they rebelliously ordered ham while I ordered beef. Now I know how absurd it is to sit in a treif restaurant and think that you are doing the right thing by ordering beef, but as a child it seemed different to me. I believed I was doing the right thing.

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had found it hard to notice them before; although I am convinced they were there all along. From then on, gradually, Shabbos turned into something we looked forward to. It was one example out of many of something the irreligious public misses out on in the hustle and bustle of shopping and entertainment.

The LeTTer ThaT changeD my Life

The story of how our family became religious begins with a letter that I got from my son Shachar Shmuel (my son with my first wife). Two years earlier, while he was in high school, he began becoming religious. In his letter, he presented me with an ultimatum: As long as you live with a gentile woman, I do not want to see you. The letter came as a shock to me. True, my wife hadnt completed a halachic conversion, but to me she was a kosher Jew. A proper conversion did not concern me at the time. Her tremendous interest in Judaism and Jewish practices, and her saying to me, Wherever you go, I go, (which led to her decision to leave France and live with me in Eretz Yisroel in the middle of a wave of terror attacks which had thousands of Jews running away) all satisfied me. I did not consider an official stamp of approval that important, although she herself was bothered by this fact. Upon receiving this letter, our household was thrown into turmoil. On the one hand, I wanted to toss out the brazen ultimatum. At the same time, my wife and I knew that a negative response meant estrangement from him. His demand that we have a Jewish home touched something deep in my neshama and wasnt far off from our

The building in Lodz that belongs to my grandmother and her sister, where my grandmother tried to return after the war.

That was the first time in years that I discovered, to my surprise, that I had a wife and two children living with me. I had found it hard to notice them before; although I am convinced they were there all along. From then on, gradually, Shabbos turned into something we looked forward to. It was one example out of many of something the irreligious public misses out on in the hustle and bustle of shopping and entertainment.
I also know that although there are those who try to paint a picture of a huge chasm between the secular and us, this does not express the feelings of the secular public. There are a handful of people, some of them with senior positions in the media, who control the public dialogue with the goal of exacerbating our differences. Yes, there is a lot of fear, since many of them have no idea what Judaism is about. I remember the first Shabbos that we kept. Excuse me for describing it this way, but if someone had been watching, he would have been convinced it was a mourners meal. Two hours earlier I had put the car keys in the drawer, I shut the phone, shut the computer, shut the television, and felt as though I was shutting my oxygen line. I was like a child whose favorite toy was stolen due to no fault of his own. That is what Friday night was like, and it was only the following day that I got it: You dont have all those gadgets, so start looking around. What do you see? That was the first time in years that I discovered, to my surprise, that I had a wife and two children living with me. I

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worldview at the time. My wife Ruth and I decided to agree to his demand. Then we met with Rabbi Karelitz of Bnei Brak, and I showed him the letter. Instead of consoling me, he advised me on how to console my son! Today, my wife addresses women, showing them a movie I made of her story and talks to them about a life of meaning. She has done this in Eretz Yisroel as well as at Chabad houses in France and has been very successful. Religious women get chizuk from her. For those who arent there yet, the encounter with her gets them thinking. The meeting with the Litvish rav, Rabbi Karelitz, made a strong impression on me. I expected a cold person to lecture me. Instead, I remember his warm demeanor. Instead of consoling me for my sons rebellious behavior, he asked: What can you do to stop aggravating him? I was confused at first. What about my rights as the father? Today I understand what I had a hard time understanding back then, which, as always, comes through the children. The intense upheaval led us to a proper, halachic conversion.

a chabaD schooL
It seemed to us at the time that we just happened to end up in Chabad, but I have since learned that nothing is by coincidence. We lived on a secular kibbutz and we knew we could no longer live there if we wanted to adopt a religious lifestyle. For example, on Rosh Hashanah we walked to Beer Yaakov with our two children in strollers. It took over an hour and we did this because there was no shul on the kibbutz. We did not yet know the Halacha

about tchum Shabbos. We moved to Rishon L Tziyon and rented a home in the center of the city. It was in the middle of the year and we began looking for a preschool. The schools we visited were cold, unfriendly places. They told us how problematic it was to switch children to a new school in the middle of the year. When we went to the Chabad school, the door opened wide. They were so warm. Instead of emphasizing the problems, they accentuated the positive and the wonderful opportunities they provided. The next day, our fiveyear-old Mizmor and four year old Nevo spent their first day in the Chabad school. Towards the end of the week, I suggested to my wife that instead of going to the religious shul we had gone to before, we should visit the Chabad shul, a ten-minute walk from our house. I did not know a soul there, but my wife recognized some of the mothers of the children from the preschool, as well as one of the teachers. The children played in the yard together with other children they knew from school. We enjoyed it, and it left us with a good feeling about Chabad. The transformation took place on Lag BOmer. We went to the parade where Rabbi Dubrawski, the rav of the Chabad community in Rishon L Tziyon, told me that he saw me in shul. He invited me for a Shabbos meal. I was happy to accept; ultimately, the invitation and the meal led to major changes. We were captivated by the warmth, the simcha, the wisdom and the depth. I remember consulting with a non-Chabad rabbi who had told me that we werent making the right choice. He made it sound like Chabad consists of

Michael Behagen in the role of a surgeon in one of the many movies he produced

Michael Behagen when he was first getting involved with Chabad

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include: Rabbis Yeshavam Segal, Yitzchok Ginsburgh, Moshe Gruzman, Shneur Zalman Ashkenazi, Motty Gal, Yair Calev, Mordechai Dubrawski, Yaakov Horowitz, and Yeshaya Goldberg. Some of the shiurim are on the Internet and have been viewed by thousands of people. They arent all Lubavitchers; after all, the Baal Shem Tovs mandate to spread the wellsprings doesnt only apply to Anash. There was another thing I discovered in Chabad that I love. As opposed to other groups, in Chabad I was never asked about my work in documentaries and film. I am sure there were times that the rabbi would have preferred that the shiur or farbrengen not be recorded so that it would be intimate, personal and direct, but the mandate to spread the wellsprings along with the Rebbes general instruction to use technology for this purpose, gives Chabad an openness that I did not see anywhere else. colored shirts. Before our first excursion, which would take us through an Arab neighborhood, I started dressing accordingly, but Nevo refused to part with his kippa and to put his tzitzis in. All my explanations were to no avail, even when I changed my tone to one that was more threatening. He did not give me religious reasons; he simply refused to part with his kippa and tzitzis or to hide them.

a prouD Jew Draws respecT

My wife and I decided to make a slight change in our plan. We would wear a kippa, tzitzis out, a white shirt, and a tallis when necessary (on Shabbos). It wouldnt make sense for a father wearing a colored shirt and a cap to walk with a child wearing a kippa and tzitzis. And that is how we dressed there for a month. We were a Jewish family in a city with half a million people, a city where it is hard to get a minyan even on Shabbos in any of the three shuls. Its not that we did not encounter hostile glares on streets populated by Arabs and even hateful looks that said, How dare you? but overall, the streets of Montpelier welcomed this Jewish family of four with a smile. Sometimes we noticed Jewish faces. Someone came over to us and exclaimed, Mazal tov! Apparently, those were the only words he knew in Hebrew. Someone else said, Shalom aleichem. There were waves and encouraging smiles too. One Motzaei Shabbos, a young couple stood in the entrance to one of the houses after we returned from shul late at night. The woman, who was dressed as a typical Frenchwoman, looked up, smiled at us, and said, Shabbat

dreamers who believe their Rebbe is Moshiach, but something told us that things went much deeper. In Chabad I became acquainted with a positive approach that I admire: learning with encouragement rather than with rebuke. During my davening in recent years at the shul, I have definitely made numerous mistakes, but nobody ever came over to me to correct me. The most daring thing a person did was to come over and adjust the tfillin on my head. The rabbi, who had to point out that we dont daven while wearing both a tallis and a hat, did so very gently. It is only when you get into things that you find out that Lubavitchers are very stringent in their mitzva observance. Out of the two possible ways of doing this, grimly or happily, they choose simcha. Shiurim in Chassidus opened a new world to me. As soon as I heard the first shiurim, I began to think about how to spread this further through video and the Internet. I started a live-feed website and broadcast dozens of live classes with an archive of hundreds of classes, farbrengens and gatherings. Lecturers

chinuch
One of our sources of great joy is the education of our children. Our daughter attends the Chabad school in Nes Tziyona, and our son is in the Chabad school in Or Malka in Shikun HaMizrach. Hearing them sing a new song that they learned, quoting Pirkei Avos, Thillim, and Tanya, telling a story from the parsha at the Shabbos table and knowing all the Chassidic holidays gives us tremendous nachas. An interesting thing happened when we traveled last summer to Montpelier in southern France. Since many Muslims live there and few Jews, we decided to dress differently so as not to stand out. We thought that my six year old and I would wear caps with our tzitzis tucked in and

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Shalom. We smiled back and returned the greeting even though Shabbos was over. I dont know whether she lit candles the following week, but I am convinced that I saw a look of longing in her eyes for something that was once close to her. Maybe she will return to it one day. What did we learn from all this? Two important things: the Rebbes words proved true once again. A Jew who yields invites outside attacks and pressure. A proud Jew draws respect. You could say that anti-Semitism is not a reaction to Jews who stand up for their Judaism, but to those who try with all their might to show that they are not different. Ill admit, I wanted to have that freedom of feeling like anyone else, but it looks as though that chapter of my life is over. We have a role, a mission, whether we want it or not. The second thing is the power of children and the power of chinuch. Once again, I was taught a lesson by my child. I try to cut corners and they get me back on track. I fall asleep on the job and they wake me up.

understanding of Chassidic music was rather superficial. I was thrust into a rich and wonderful world. Every niggun is a complete musical creation. A niggun can take you on a trip and you have no idea where it will end. After four years in the world of Lubavitch, every time I hear a niggun, I discover something new. With tremendous love for the subject, a relationship developed between Rabbi Lev Leibman and me. R Lev, in addition to being a researcher of niggunim who has published two

I was thrust into a rich and wonderful world. Every niggun is a complete musical creation. A niggun can take you on a trip and you have no idea where it will end.
trying to understand, to figure it out. For most of them, the society, education and values that their children are growing up with, are cause for worry. They are good people who want the best for their children and feel they have reached a dead end. And yet, they dont see Judaism as an attractive alternative. Some of them are influenced by the negativity in the media and some are very afraid to delve into what lies behind those people in black with beards and strings hanging out of their clothes. They know that living a life of Torah and mitzvos is not simple and requires dedication and sacrifice. They have no idea that you get something wonderful in exchange for your devotion. I also see the pain in the religious world. I experience the frustration. The Geula is still not here. We have marked over 20 years since Chaf-Ches Nissan and look at where we still are. I meet Lubavitchers who try to get

The big surprise: chabaD niggunim

As someone who grew up in Eretz Yisroel and was very involved in music, playing musical instruments and composition (most of the scores for my movies are my own), when they referred to Chassidic music I thought I knew what they were talking about. Am Yisroel Chai, Kol Sasson VKol Simcha, Adon Olam, UBau HaOvdim. I enjoyed Chassidic songs, and so when they referred to a Chassidic niggun that is what I assumed they were talking about. Then I got to hear Chabad niggunim and realized that my

books on the subject, is a talented flutist. We got together to play niggunim with him on his flute and me on the piano. Slowly, a musical program emerged. We called it Quill of the Heart. Today, we perform all over the country, especially on Chassidic holidays. Another angle that appealed to me is the clean language and lack of lashon hara (derogatory talk). In the culture that I come from, gossiping is commonplace. You meet with friends, someone utters a poisonous remark about someone else and everybody enjoys it. Needless to say, in the company I presently keep, there is no such thing. People sometimes ask me whether I miss my former life. The answer is that I havent cut my ties with it. I continue to meet with friends and sometimes, when they react with shock towards me, I feel that they are

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out of the box, to do something different, who try to figure out what the Rebbe wants. I sense that people are ready to hear the message of Geula and we just need to figure out how to make it easily accessible. and yet, he is among us, smiling and giving dollars for tzdaka. That is where the connection is made. As soon as you start to appreciate his role and commit yourself to him, you open the door for him to connect you with G-d. You see a person who, beyond his mastery of Torah and beyond the miracles he performs, is a man whose entire life is dedicated to Ahavas Yisroel. He cares not only about his Chassidim but about all the Jewish people and perhaps, all of humanity. When you learn to look at things this way, the connection to the Rebbe is easier and more conciliatory. We learned to love the Rebbe. The sound of the Rebbes voice singing niggunim is sweeter to us than anything. I deeply regret that I was in New York in 5751 and it did not occur to me to visit 770 and get a bracha from the Rebbe. Now I am nourished by pictures and videos, and I avidly listen to stories of those who had yechidus or who were present when the Rebbe shocked his Chassidim with his sicha on Chaf-Ches Nissan. A few years ago, I created a personal film documentary called The Letter, which is a sort of diary that tells the story of our family. I thought that the process we were going through has meaning beyond our personal story and I decided to share it with others. I felt that many people would relate to my story and the movie even helped the process I was going through. It doesnt just show a beautiful return to Judaism with fireworks. Questions are asked, some of which remain without answers. But the direction of the movie is like that of our new lives and the Jewish home we established clear and well defined.

parTing worDs
Every person needs to do his task based on his abilities, says the Rebbe. Until now, in my early years in Chabad, I carried out my task sort of as a pipeline, through directly transmitting the classes without any interference on my part. Transmitting Torah and Chassidus classes directly to the world, which have the power to transform the world; directing even one farbrengen, is absolutely priceless. There is no substitute for hearing directly from a teacher who teaches about Geula and Moshiach or a mashpia who farbrengs. Now, however, the time has come to go further with stories from Chumash, pnimius haTorah, stories of the Baal Shem Tov, stories of tzaddikim, Admorei Chabad, longing for Geula, stories of the Seventh Generation, and movies for the gentiles of the world to teach them the Seven Noachide Laws. All this can be conveyed through the medium of movies. What is good for Anash is not good enough for the outside world. For Anash it is enough to hear or to read about the story of the Alter Rebbes release from jail. The outsider needs to experience it live, to see it and hear it. We need to find creative solutions so that the language of movies will be fluent, relevant, competitive and of course, without negatively affecting our values. We plan on equipping ourselves with the best that technology has to offer, the best scenery, actors, studios and professionals, with one difference. We will be equipped with the one thing thats hard to beat: eternal truth.

The rebbe source of iT aLL

When I first started out in Chabad, we were confused. We did not understand why the image of the Rebbe was gazing down upon us from the wall of every living room, why every date in his life is a Chabad holiday, and why at every farbrengen or shiur his maamarim and sichos are discussed without any attempt to try something different. Our way of thinking was that a person needs to be able to face G-d without any intermediaries; that a middleman can ruin ones sincerity and purity. Then slowly, mainly through learning Chassidus, upon learning chapter two of Tanya, and after many hours of gazing at the Rebbes eyes as they appear in pictures, we finally decided to hang a picture of the Rebbe in our house too. We were starting to catch on. We began to understand the role of the Nasi Hador, why Hashem needed Moshe in order to take the Jewish people out of Egypt, why He invested so much effort in order to convince the man to accept the mission. Does the Creator of the entire world find it difficult to redeem the Jewish people without the help of a person? The connection between us limited human beings and the infinite Creator is complicated, difficult, and sometimes impossible. The tzaddik, the Nasi Hador, is the bridge, the ladder between us. There is his G-dly soul which is connected to the upper spheres

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KNOW THYSELF
By Rabbi Yisroel Harpaz

he soul descends from its pristine, spiritual abode into a dirty world of halftruths and outright lies, where sleight-of-hand magicians and con artists rule by virtue of their mastery of the art of illusion. Transcendental consciousness is replaced by confusion. Perfect unity is exchanged for a fragmented, chaotic existence. And throughout it all, the soul is forced to endure the most humiliating indignations imaginable, to eat and breathe and sleep like an animal, to be held prisoner by a physical body and an animal soul, trapped within our natural, earthly tendencies. In spite of all this, the soul wants to come here. Though this may be the world of lies, it is also the world of purpose. Though it may be a world of illusions, it is also the world of action. The souls purpose is to refine the pit into which it is thrown, and make a beautiful castle out of it. For the soul to remain spiritual is hardly a great feat. For the animalistic within us to be boorish is obviously pointless. In either case, we do not achieve anything worthy of the souls descent. Our job is to transcend both and live in a state in which they are one we are to become transmetaphysical. To live on a level in which the animal and the spiritual within us work together, like a horse and rider, to pursue the same agenda. The Israelites of ancient Egypt left the most powerful and advanced civilization of their time to faithfully follow

The soul descends from its pristine, spiritual abode into a dirty world of half-truths and outright lies, where sleight-of-hand magicians and con artists rule by virtue of their mastery of the art of illusion.
G-d and Moses into a desolate, blistering desert full of snakes and scorpions. Imagine a North American today choosing to give up the comfort and security we enjoy to go live in a war-ravaged, disease-infested nightmare of a country for the purpose of spiritual enlightenment. And this act is perceived as the defining moment that marks the foundation of the Jewish nation, emblematic of our capacity to overcome the trappings of materialism and connect to G-d even if it means you have to do something a little outrageous. This is our spiritual inheritance, our gift to humanity and our mission in life: To embody the loftiest of spiritual experiences within a material reality and to disregard the status quo or create a new one; not to divest from worldly realities or to fight against them, but to transform them, to rebel with them against the prevailing structure, and create a new world order. The counting of the Omer, marking the days between Passover and Shavuot, is a period of introspective stocktaking. Each day represents one of the souls unique faculties, making it an opportune time to get to know the soul, its powers and how to draw on them to fulfill our mission of making ourselves and this world into a spiritual abode. Perhaps all that it takes is for one person to become truly transmetaphysical, to grab the bull by the horns and actually live as if the material and spiritual are one, and teach the rest of us how. Maybe it could be you.
Reproduced with permission from Exodus Magazine

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MIRAcLe stoRY

THE LETTER REACHED ITS DESTINATION

I opened the letter and saw the words Danny Ben-Gavriel: Blessing and success for complete health. I will mention it at the tziyun. I was stunned. I was the one who had written to the Rebbe, not him, and I didnt even mention his name in the letter. Why did the Rebbe address the answer to him, and how did he know his name?
By Nosson Avraham Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

anny and Tova BenGavriel are well known in Eretz Yisroel for their therapeutic services. They give lectures and work in their chosen field, while choosing to live and raise their children on the peaceful settlement of Bat Ayin, located in the center of the Gush Etzion region. Tova is considered a strong adherent to the teachings of the Rebbe and Chabad chassidus. While her spiritual journey towards greater Torah observance had actually begun in the more Litvishe circles, the one who had exposed her to the great luminary of our generation was her cousin, Mrs. Nechama Chaya Navon, principal of the Ohr Menachem School for Girls, when their two families spent Tishrei 5745 together with the Rebbe in 770. When she saw the Rebbe for the first time, she decided to choose the path of Chabad. When people ask her what impressed

her so much, she replies that she really cant put it into words. It was a connection of the soul, she says. Even today, she doesnt take any serious steps without consulting the Rebbe through Igros Kodesh. She speaks about the wondrous miracles she has personally experienced and the clear answers she has been privileged to receive. We have chosen to focus on two very interesting stories that occurred with her family. The first took place during her visit to the Rebbe, and the second happened several years later, when her husband was on army reserve duty. What happened that day has not ceased to amaze me, she recalls.

a profession in The meriT of The rebbes bracha

During the Memim (eighties), we were a young

couple becoming more involved in mitzvah observance. We had both been raised in unaffiliated homes, and we were searching for greater depth and meaning in our lives. We had each found our roots through different sources. My husband, Danny, had first been exposed to observant Judaism through the Litvishe Ohr Sameiach organization, while I had come to a similar place geared specifically for women Neve Yerushalayim. Until then, our knowledge about Chabad and the Rebbe was very minimal. Similar to most Israelis, we had heard about the Rebbe and his activities, but little more than that. By Divine Providence, my cousin, Mrs. Nechama Chaya Navon, had become quite close to Chabad chassidus and recently had even married a Chabad Chassid. It was specifically from her that we heard about the Rebbes distinctive enthusiasm and his holy teachings. In 5745, we boarded a flight for a trip to the great city of New York. My husband had plans to take part in a series of mystical soul-searching workshops somewhere in the United States. My cousin informed me that she and her husband would also be traveling to New York. Their purpose was not a pleasure trip, but rather to visit 770 Eastern Parkway and spend the High Holiday season there with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. She invited us to join them, telling me

14 12 Iyar 5772

numerous accounts of the Rebbe, his activities, his wisdom, and his guidance. Since we were with another pair of friends, we decided to add 770 to our itinerary. We had many exciting moments during our time with the Rebbe. Ill never forget as we waited to receive dollars. There were Jews who came from all over the world, young and old, speaking in a variety of languages, a vast cross-section of Am Yisroel from all walks of life. They all stood in line and passed by the Rebbe, and he managed to touch the soul of each one of them with a few words and a shining countenance. At that moment, when I saw the Rebbes look and his piercing blue eyes, I knew that I had a connection with this tzaddik. I have great difficulty describing how I felt, because this was something very intense that touched the depths of my soul. Only someone who actually stood before the Rebbe can understand what I experienced. In addition, I was deeply awed by the tremendous hospitality I encountered in Crown Heights. For people such as us who came from a world of self-absorption, where each person was busy feathering his own nest, it was quite touching to see so many Jews devoting themselves to their fellow brethren. We were grateful to stay with a family that kept a vegetarian diet as we did. During that visit, something happened that has accompanied my husband and me to this very day. My husband, Danny, had wanted to travel to join a group participating in a workshop on mysticism. He had made some initial inquiries, and its theme of emotional service aroused his

curiosity. The only problem was that it had no foundation in Torah and mitzvos, and this bothered me very much. When we realized that the Rebbe had knowledge in matters beyond the world of Talmud, we quickly submitted a letter through his secretaries. Along with his desire to take part in this workshop, he also had plans to begin a course of study in occupational therapy at Hebrew University in Yerushalayim, but this too was a cause for concern. I had learned there myself, and I knew that there was no semblance of modesty there. Since we were a new baal tshuva couple, I didnt think that this would be appropriate, and I wrote to the Rebbe about this as well. The secretaries brought out the Rebbes answer, which was not long in coming. The Rebbe wrote that my husband should definitely learn a profession; he merely needs a rav and mashpia to give him guidance. The Rebbe referred us to one of the local rabbanim, Rabbi Nissan Mangel, to seek his advice. That same day, we were sitting in Rabbi Mangels home and explained the whole situation to him. Rabbi Mangel said that since my husband needs work, there is nothing that should keep him from going to Hebrew University upon his return to Eretz Yisroel and studying his chosen profession. However, he did reject the idea of his participation in the mysticism workshop, adding that my husband should find a mashpia who can advise him on any indecision or uncertainty regarding his future. Thats exactly what happened. My husband gave up his plans for that trip to the mystic festival, and immediately upon his return to Eretz Yisroel,

he began his studies at Hebrew University. To this day, I remind him that his profession is due to the Rebbes bracha.

The rebbes LeTTer anD The miracLe in The sTreeTs of gaZa

Several years later, at the start of the Nunim (nineties), when our second son was born, the doctors discovered that he had certain health problems. After some time had passed, the doctors concluded that he needed to undergo an operation. Since we were already quite familiar with the Rebbes greatness, we decided that we would not take such a major step without receiving the Rebbes bracha. In the fax that I sent to the Rebbe requesting his bracha, I included only my name and our sons name. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, yet there was no answer. At first, I kept waiting and hoping for an answer, but I eventually stopped waiting. They explained to me that the Rebbes bracha is there as soon as you write the letter. I came to believe that, and the operation was performed without a direct answer from the Rebbe. Then the amazing happened. After seven months, the Rebbes letter arrived while my husband was in the midst of some intensive reserve duty, serving with the Israel Defense Forces in the Gaza Strip. This was during the days of the first intifada, and IDF soldiers were pelted by stones, metal rods, and anything else the Arabs got their hands on. The entire army stood by helpless against the public uprising of an uncontrolled rabble. I remember to this day that it was on a Sunday. I opened the

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letter and saw the words Danny Ben-Gavriel: Blessing and success for complete health. I will mention it at the Tziyun. I was stunned. I was the one who had written to the Rebbe, not him, and I didnt even mention his name in the letter. Why did the Rebbe address the answer to him, and how did he know his name? I quickly called my Chabad cousin, and she explained that theres no such thing as a mistake when one is talking about the Rebbe. The Rebbe knows what hes saying; if its not clear now, we will understand the meaning behind this mistake in the near future. The next day, Monday morning, there was a knock at the door, and Danny suddenly came into the house unexpected. He had received leave from his reserve duty. I was planning to show him the letter, but before I could open my mouth, he began to tell his own story: You have no idea what I went through yesterday, he said. I have to say Birkas HaGomel! He told how he was driving in Gaza, when someone threw a huge cement block from a nearby balcony. It was a miracle that it didnt land on his head, missing it by a fraction of an inch. However, it did graze his back, which turned red from the force of the blow. As he was telling me all this, I immediately thought of the letter that had arrived the day before. The Rebbe apparently knew about this incident and sent him a bracha at exactly the moment when it occurred. Now I surprised him with news of the letter, and he too was stunned beyond belief. We had sent a letter to the Rebbe regarding the health of our son, yet the Rebbes response contained a bracha for my husbands health. The Rebbe apparently had true prophetic vision. We were deeply moved upon realizing the tremendous Divine Providence we had experienced. This wasnt some clerical error by one of his secretaries. My cousin was right: The Rebbe makes no mistakes. Naturally, my husband said Birkas HaGomel, and his faith in and hiskashrus with the Rebbe became stronger. As mentioned above, the BenGavriels live today on the Gush Etzion settlement of Bat Ayin, and they are an integral part of the local Chabad community. Tova takes no meaningful steps in life without requesting the advice of the Rebbe and receiving his bracha via Igros Kodesh. In recent years, she has personally experienced numerous stories of an obviously Divine nature after the Rebbe provided her with clear answers in Igros Kodesh regarding various personal and family matters. The Rebbe continues to respond, she declared without hesitation.

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16 12 Iyar 5772

E s t h e r s P a r t y G r i l l

and

SCIENCE
conference

feAtuRe

G-D MUST BE A JEWS TOP PRIORITY

Adapted from a class given by Rabbi Yossi Paltiel, elucidating the Rebbes kapitel for this year, Psalm 111.

consider this kapitel to be a very special chapter of Thillim. There are two Psalms that are virtual mirror images of one another: Chapters 111 and 112. They each have ten psukim, and they both have an interesting alphabetical sequence. Within each of the first eight psukim, there are two clauses, and the first letter of these clauses are in the order of the Alef-Beis (in the first verse, Alef-Beis; in the second, Gimmel-Dalet, etc.). Then, in each of the last two psukim, there are three clauses (beginning with the letters Pei-Tzaddik-Kuf, ReishShin-Tav), following the order of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The difference is that Chapter 111 talks about G-d, whereas Chapter 112 talks about the Jewish People. The commentaries tell us how this chapter relates the greatness of Hashem. The heading for this chapter in Thillim states as follows: This psalm is written

in alphabetical sequence, each verse containing two letters, save the last two verses which contain three letters each. The psalm is short yet prominent, speaking of the works of G-d and their greatness. One of the commentaries observes how Thillim is ruach hakodesh Divine Inspiration. This means that David HaMelech was actually writing the words of Hashem. Thus, when one writes the words of G-d and it comes out alphabetically, it may be inferred that his inspiration is so strong that it also comes out in a unique manner.

a Deeper QuesTion
Ive been sitting on this kapitel for a while, learning it with Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Radak, and Metzudos a whole collection of commentaries. There are also chassidic discourses from the Tzemach Tzedek on the fourth pasuk (Zeicher Asah LNifleosav)

and the eighth pasuk (Smuchim Laad). This chapter is about emuna. That means that this kapitel is challenging you. Theres a world, and theres G-d. If the world left G-d alone, or vice versa, there would be no problems. There would be no solutions either. When you juxtapose G-d and the world, it is apparent that the world has one reality, while Hashem has a different reality, and quite often theyre in severe conflict with one another. Im not only talking about the difficulty in being Torah observant, rather the fact that sometimes it doesnt seem like G-d is right. Theres an old joke about a guest at a Pesach Seder who was taken aback by the conduct of his hosts very sharp yet clever son. He turned to his host and said, You know that your son is chutzpadik. At the end of the recitation of the Hagada, the boys father,

18 12 Iyar 5772

determined to put this guest in his place, came to him with a question. The song of Chad Gadya talks about a little goat that never harmed anyone. The cat eats the goat, which means that the cat is bad. As a result, the dog is good for biting the cat, the stick is bad for hitting the dog, the fire is good for burning the stick, the water is bad for quenching the fire, the ox is good, the shochet is bad....and the Angel of Death? How about G-d? When the father asked for the simple interpretation of the Chad Gadya, the guest was stumped. Let me explain it to you, the host said. The cat ate the goat; therefore, this is a bad cat. He then points at the guest and says, But you, dog, who are you to get involved? Its none of your business! This psalm contains the verse, He has declared the power of His deeds to His people, to give

them the inheritance of nations. G-d gave Eretz Yisroel to the Jewish People, and the Gentiles say, Youre thieves! Whos right? How many people today, including Jews unfortunately, see things as the Gentiles do? If not for the Jews and Israel in the middle of all these Moslems, the world would be a much better place. They cause so much trouble. How much more expensive is a barrel of oil because of the State of Israel?

The answer To The enigma

The psalm concludes with the verse, The beginning of wisdom is fear of G-d; sound wisdom for all who practice it. His praise endures forever. In other words, understand that ultimately G-d is right and the Torah is right, and you need to develop a mindset of faith on two levels. On one level, much of what G-d does makes

sense. The Gentile claims: Why are you taking my land? Why have you been oppressing the Palestinians for forty years? The Torah says: No. The works of His hands are true and just. We, as human beings, face a conflict. How much do we believe in G-d? Its hard to believe in Him because of the yetzer hara and all the trials we face. But its especially hard when He does things that make the Gentile say that the Angel of Death is right, and G-d...is killing him. Its an extremely important lesson for us to learn that what the Torah says is absolutely true. It doesnt feel comfortable; its embarrassing. However, feeling uncomfortable and getting embarrassed are easy problems to overcome. It feels unjust; it seems as if G-d is mean; we look like thieves. Thus, you have to inspire yourself with such faith in G-d that even this is true and just.

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Yet, theres only one way for a person to develop such a belief in the truth of Torah when it conflicts with the worlds way of thinking: The beginning of wisdom. Number one is Yiddishkait. Furthermore, wisdom is not just the wisdom of Torah; it also refers to fear of G-d. A person who wants to learn other forms of wisdom read the newspapers, understand politics and social sciences can he then say, The works of His hands are true and just? For a Jew who wants to have a healthy belief in the Eibeshter, the beginning of wisdom [must be] fear of G-d. the highest level, there is a precondition. When one submits, it implies that he doesnt understand. When he praises, he does understand. When one thanks someone for a gift, he will only do so if he considers it to be a gift. Thus, the lower levels of connection are based on comprehension, whereas the highest level is based on submission: I dont understand, but I submit to the fact that G-d is the ultimate truth. Upright refers to tzaddikim, and congregation is a collection of Jews. There are Jews of great depth who are naturally few in number, and then there are ordinary Jews who are far more numerous. Each one of them has his/her own direction, a sense of what makes G-d true, just, fair, and kind, so Dovid HaMelech says here, I want to praise Hashem in the counsel of the upright. In other words, I want to tune in to the special and extraordinary people, those who have a much more G-dly concept of what is the greatness of Hashem, praising Him on their level. However, by the same token, I also want to praise G-d on the level of a congregation, common Jews. If someone is Jewish, that means that he can sense the Eibeshter, thereby enabling him to praise G-d also on the level of truth, justice, and faithfulness. Great are the works of G-d, [yet] available to all who desire them. We see here how Dovid HaMelech is writing according to a certain order. The first praise of Hashem is the chitzonius, the world (Great are the works of G-d). The various commentaries on Thillim translate this in different ways. The Gemara states (as the Alter Rebbe brings in Tanya, Chapter 4) that where you find the greatness of the Holy One, Blessed Be He, there you also find His humility. Ones understanding of G-ds greatness is merely a contraction of His true greatness, which makes it possible for him to comprehend it. Alternatively, there are commentaries that explain that the works of G-d are so great; no one can possibly understand them. The Alter Rebbe once said that we say in davening on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, You know the mysteries of the world. He then added: The mysteries of the Torah we too can know, but only He can know the mysteries of the world. Yet, here David HaMelech states that they are available to all who desire them. As great as G-d is and as small as we are, if someone has a desire to know Hashems greatness, it is available and he can grasp it. According to other commentaries, there are so many wonderful blessings and secrets in the world G-d created, yet He placed all of them in such a way that [they are] available to all who desire them. G-d created a world from which we can derive benefit and find all of its treasures. Majesty and splendor are His work, and His righteousness endures forever. In this pasuk, Dovid HaMelech is describing how G-d made His world beautiful, orderly and precise. In the heavens, we see majesty and splendor, G-ds beauty and wisdom, whereas in the earth, we witness the miracle of [it] endures forever. As the commentaries explain, nothing is supposed to last forever; everything has to die at some point. Yet, there is a concept of the procreation

The breaKDown
When interpreting a chapter of Thillim, it is divided into sections. A psalm usually has an introduction, a conclusion, and there are a variety of ideas contained within the body of the chapter. In our chapter, the first verse is the introduction, while the second and third verses represent Dovid HaMelechs description of the praise of G-d as it relates to the world at large, not necessarily to the Jewish People alone. The fourth, fifth, and sixth verses describe the special praise in the relationship between G-d and the Jewish People, the seventh and eighth verses continue to explain how everything that Hashem does for Am Yisroel is correct, the ninth verse is a summary, and the tenth and final verse is the lesson. Praise G-d! I will give thanks (Odeh) to G-d with all my heart, in the counsel of the upright and the congregation. Odeh can be translated three ways: I will thank, praise, or submit. These three interpretations represent three different levels in our connection to G-d. While submitting is

20 12 Iyar 5772

of the species, i.e., creation contains an infinite power to give birth to offspring, which is a miracle within nature. Thus, when we look at G-ds world, we can see how great are the works of G-d. Majesty and splendor are His work represents the magnificence and expansiveness of the heavens, the mysteries of space, while the physical world demonstrates the righteousness and fairness of the Eibeshter. However, there is also the unique relationship that exists between G-d and the Jewish People. This brings us to the next verse: He established a memorial for His wonders, for G-d is gracious and compassionate. G-d makes miracles at various times, but nevertheless, most miracles can be forgotten. Therefore, He established a memorial, i.e. these miracles reoccur in a small measure during each generation as a memorial to remind us constantly of the miracles He did in the past. In contrast, He established a memorial also means that He created Shabbos and Yom Tov, and He gave us a Torah to help us remember His wonders. In either case, this represents a higher idea. G-d doesnt just create the miracle of the world itself, but also the miracle of His visibility. We can see Him within His world. Why does G-d establish a memorial for His wonders? It is because He is gracious and compassionate. He is doing us a favor by reminding us of His miracles. Some commentaries say that He did us a favor by doing the miracles in the first place, but the pasuk refers specifically to the creation of the framework of an environment that enables us to remember

these things. Moreover: He gave food to those who fear Him; He remembers His covenant always. Some of the commentaries, such as Metzudos, state that food (teref) refers to the manna from Heaven. Chassidus teaches that teref (numerical value = 289, referring to the 288 sparks of holiness and one additional uniting G-dly force), as in she gives food to her household, refers to the avoda of spiritual elevation. In contrast, manna is a food that requires no elevation. Nevertheless, both interpretations can be correct: The first level of teref (food to those who fear Him) means dealing with the darkness in the world, and in the second level, G-ds reward for bringing food to her household is sustenance

chapter of Thillim is not G-d; rather its the concept of His closeness to the world. This refers to how we see Hashem in this world, or to be more specific, His relationship with the Jewish People. And where does He show this to us? He has declared the power of His deeds to His people, to give them the heritage of nations. G-d made two promises to Avraham Avinu. When he heard the first promise, Avraham Avinu said, I believe you. However, for the second promise, he replied, It cant be. I need proof. What were the two promises? The first promise was for children. G-d promised Avraham Avinu that his children would live forever and this has been quite true. Yet, when He told him

The Rebbe said that any person who is listed in the Whos Who for one year can still be a nobody even during that year...

that has no connection outside of the realm of holiness, like manna. The commentaries place the second half of the verse (He remembers His covenant always) at a higher level than He gave food to those who fear Him. The word always (LOlam) is literally translated as to the world. G-d causes his promise to Am Yisroel to be remembered in the world. Theres no trick to having G-d love us in Gan Eden; the whole idea is for this to take place here, in our corporeal existence. This refers to the Exodus from Egypt, which happened thousands of years ago, yet we relate to it as a current event. Thus, the drama in this

that Eretz Yisroel would be his childrens land for all eternity, the Divine promise was not enough. He needed evidence. The world makes a big deal over the idea that there is a piece of land on this earth, seemingly like any other, which is called the Holy Land and that its the everlasting inheritance of the People of Israel, regardless of whether Jews live there or whether Gentiles accept this notion. However, the problem is that this big deal is not just with us, because the Gentiles also know in their hearts that its really ours. If only they would take the Bible out of the equation, the United Nations would have no difficulty

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with it. Nevertheless, no matter how hard they try, this cant be done. Every Gentile has the Bible in his heart, and it all appears clearly in the Bible, even though it doesnt make any sense. Yet, while it isnt very economical or politically feasible, how much easier would Americas life be if it didnt have to defend Israel against the Arabs? It would cut the price of a gallon of gas in half! Therefore, the pasuk states: He has declared the power of His deeds to His people. How do we see that this world belongs to G-d? It is when He gives them the heritage of nations. Rashis famous commentary at the very beginning of Chumash contains this verse. Why do the Gentiles claim that the Jews are thieves? Everyone knows that if someone lives in a land that is his, and someone comes along and conquers him in a war, thereby driving him out of his land, then while this victor may not be a nice person, the land becomes his. Subsequently, if another nation comes along and drives out the first conqueror, ownership of the land passes to them. However, there is one exception: You can kick every last Jew out of Eretz Yisroel, but it remains the land of the Jews. But thats stealing, the nations demand. Why is this land different? Why is this people different? Jews hadnt been living in Eretz Yisroel for hundreds of years. What claim can they possibly make on it? The answer is clear: The whole earth belongs to G-d. The Eibeshter doesnt rule the heavens alone; He rules the earth as well. He created it and gave it to whomever He deemed proper. When He wished, He gave it to them, and when He wished, He took it away from them and gave it to us. Thus, G-d has the right to say that this is our land, and we have to really believe that. The works of His hands are true and fair; all His commands are faithful. G-d made a promise that He would give us the land, and He kept his promise. Therefore, not only are His works true, He also does what is fair to the Gentiles. How is this possible if the Gentiles say that they were living there first? The commentaries state that this is due to their transgressions, which caused them to forfeit their rights to Eretz Yisroel. Rashi mentions how the land cannot tolerate certain sins, particularly idol worship, and as a result, it vomited out its inhabitants. Thus, while G-ds account with the Jewish People regarding Eretz Yisroel is based on truth, His account with the Gentiles is one of justice and fairness. The Gentile charges that this is dishonesty, corruption, and favoritism, and G-d replies (in effect), That may be so, but you lost your claim on the land fair and square, due to your improper conduct. All His commands are faithful this refers to a heartfelt emuna. The nature of Eretz Yisroel and our relationship to that Land is something that no one can fully comprehend, and it requires a sense of true inner understanding. Jews and, lhavdil, Gentiles know this somewhere deep within their hearts. While the UN considers Israel to be a big thorn in the eye, nevertheless, in the heart of man and especially of Jews, they know this to be right. Its difficult to explain, its hard to prove or even to argue against it, but the faithfulness is there. They are steadfast in the world forever, for they are made with truth and fairness. Chassidus explains how things happen in parallel worlds. However, things dont happen as they should in the more heavenly realms until it first occurs in the physical world. The pasuk here re-emphasizes how Jews are judged according to truth, while the Gentiles benchmark is fairness. Thus, we have seen how this psalm touches upon the special relationship between Jews and G-d, as exemplified by the miracles at the Exodus from Egypt, the miracles that followed the Exodus, and the greatest miracle of all that of receiving Eretz Yisroel. This is then followed by an account of G-ds truth, fairness, and justice. This is the test that we have. We are so involved in the modern world with its non-Jewish ideas and values. However, we must remember the truth within the values of Torah. If there is even the slightest conflict between what is stated in Torah and in the Rebbes sichos on the one hand, and what the world thinks on the other, the pasuk says, The works of His hands are true and fair. This is what being a Jew is all about, and thats what this kapitel is teaching us. A person has questions; there are issues in the Torah that he doesnt understand. How can a man sell his daughter as a slave? Thats crazy! If a person commits such-and-such a sin, his head is cut off? In short, one must dig deep for the truth, and he must find it within himself. He sent redemption to His people, [by] commanding His covenant forever; holy and awesome is His Name. There are three parts in this

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verse, which hint to the three stages in the process of G-ds connection to the Jewish People: 1) When do Jews need redemption? When they are in exile or in some other difficult situation, He sends redemption to Jews from whatever hardship they are enduring. 2) Commanding (tziva) His covenant forever means that He connects (tzavsa) us to Him in this world through His covenant of Torah and mitzvos, even when they are not in a situation where they specifically need some personal salvation. 3) Holy and awesome is His Name represents the third dimension of the connection between G-d and the Jewish People that is completely beyond their comprehension. When a Jew is in exile and in need of redemption, its very obvious what G-d is doing for him. When a Jew is already in a state of redemption, and G-d brings him to a higher level of redemption through Torah and mitzvos, this relates to Holy and awesome is His Name, the study of the hidden teachings of the Torah. This reveals that when it comes to G-d, there are things that we try and understand, yet they are ultimately beyond our

comprehension. Therefore, since Yiddishkait exists at all three stages: The beginning of wisdom is fear of G-d; sound wisdom for all who practice it. His praise endures forever. Most of the commentaries explain that when it comes to G-d, one must approach matters with faith and have kabbalas ol that there is a proper order to everything He does. Yiras Hashem (fear of G-d) comes first. Even the Radak, who was a philosopher, says that in order for the philosophies not to affect a person adversely, he must first have a solid foundation in the reality of Torah and emuna. Its not so much the philosophy of yiras Hashem that is what is being addressed than the fact of yiras Hashem. Being a Jew begins with the concept of simple faith. It must be so sturdy and stable that it provides support against the worlds challenges to our emuna, claiming that (chv) G-d is the corrupt Master of a corrupt world. Sound wisdom for all who practice it the Gemara explains that instead it should seemingly say for all who learn it. Since when is Torah something that a person does? Torah must be

learned for its own sake and with faith in G-d but in such a way that will lead to action. When theres no separation between ideas and practical deed, when one knows that the Torah study is not just ideas, then its connected to emuna. Thus, chassidus explains, when a person approaches Yiddishkait with this value system, His (the Jews) praise (glow) endures forever. If someone invests in other interests, he may achieve ephemeral fame, but eventually people will say, He didnt have enough information, he was misled, his ideas were wrong, and his philosophies were incorrect. However, if a person says, My priority is the Eibeshter, then that Jews light and glow remains eternal. The Rebbe once spoke at a farbrengen, almost tongue in cheek, about Whos Who, the annual listing of Americas most important people. He said that any person who is listed in the Whos Who for one year can still be a nobody even during that year... For someone to be a real member of Whos Who, his praise must endure forever.

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oBItuARY

THE REBBES SHOCHET

Every Erev Yom Kippur he could be seen standing in the yard of 770, ready to receive the Rebbes Kaparos chicken for shechting. He also prepared the Rebbes Pesach wine. * Profile of the recently departed Rabbi Yisroel Shimon Kalmanson ah.
By Shneur Zalman Berger

he shochet Rabbi Yisroel Shimon Kalmanson ah was born in Vitebsk on 15 Shevat 5674/1914 to his parents, Rabbi Shneur Zalman and Menucha Kalmanson. When he was a child, the family moved to Pushkina, a suburb of Leningrad, where a Chabad khilla was beginning to develop. He was twelve years old when he started learning in underground Tomchei Tmimim yeshivos. Due to communist persecution, he had to wander from city to city with his friends. In each place they stopped, they opened new branches of the underground yeshiva. He spoke about this period of his life: I went to learn in Nevel in the winter of 5686/1926. I went home for Pesach. When I returned to yeshiva, we a class of six bachurim went with Rabbi Avrohom (Maiyor) Drizin to open a new branch in Polotsk, where we learned throughout the

Rabbi Yisroel Shimon Kalmanson

summer of 5686 and the winter of 5687. He celebrated his bar mitzva away from home, in yeshiva in Polotsk. Rabbi Drizin taught him the bar mitzva maamer. After Pesach 5687, Rabbi Drizin went with us to open a

new yeshiva in Vitebsk. At the end of the summer 5688, I returned to Polotsk. We learned there until the end of the winter 5689. That is when they arrested the mashpia Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Kesselman and expelled the students. Rabbi Shlomo Chaim was expelled to Poltava and was forbidden to return to Polotsk. (Toldos Chabad BRussia p. 274) When the yeshiva was closed in Polotsk, Rabbi Yisroel Shimon and his friends went to learn in Charson. From there they went to Odessa, where they learned throughout the year 5690. At the beginning of 5691 they returned to Vitebsk. From there he went to Leningrad at the end of the winter 5691 as he related: A small group of older bachurim went to Leningrad [from Vitebsk, at the end of winter 5691] where we learned during the summer 5691 and the winter 5692. Then the Rebbe Rayatz, who was in Riga, told us

24 12 Iyar 5772

Shechting the Rebbes Kaparos in the 70s

to find work and to try to leave Russia. (Ibid p. 282) That is what his youth consisted of: wandering from place to place with a lack of serenity, but Torah and Chassidus filled his days and life despite it all. His wanderings ended at this point. When he became of marriageable age, his shidduch came from distant parts as follows: The wedding of Rabbi Shmuel, the son of Rabbi Elchanan Morosov, the secretary of the Rebbe Rayatz, took place in Leningrad. The kalla, Sheindel, who was the daughter of Rabbi Moshe Geisinsky, shochet in Krivorog, came with her family to the wedding. The opportunity arose, and her sister Chaya Sarah was suggested as a shidduch for Rabbi Yisroel Shimon. In a letter from the Rebbe Rayatz, apparently addressed to

For more than twenty years he was the one who gave malkus to the Rebbe on Erev Yom Kippur. Naturally, he was reluctant to fill this role, but the Rebbe told him to do it since the shchita was dependent on the malkus; if he did not give malkus, he would not be allowed to shecht
Kalmanson fled the war zone together with his fathers family, his brother, his brother-in-law Rabbi Berke Chein, the family of Rabbi Avrohom Eliyahu Plotkin, the family of Rabbi Shmuel Menachem Klein, and others. Together, they were miraculously able to reach a distant place, a kolkhoz (farming collective) by the name of Bortyok, where they lived for two years without knowing how the war was progressing. Then one day, the Kalmansons received a letter from a relative describing the destruction in Leningrad, the city
Issue 832

R Yisroel Shimons father, the Rebbe writes his consent and blessings for the shidduch: The suggestion for your son Rabbi Yisroel Shimon is proper and may it be concluded in a good and auspicious time, materially and spiritually ... (Igros Kodesh vol. 11 letter #4103) The wedding took place on 10 Kislev 5696 at the Raskin home and the simcha went on all night. The young couple lived near his parents in Pushkina.

wanDering anD escape

During World War II, Rabbi

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Rebbe Rayatzs instruction to move to New York.

appoinTing The rebbe

He arrived in New York in Cheshvan 5709. He spoke to the Rebbes son-in-law, Ramash, who inquired about those still in the DP camps. Rabbi Yisroel Shimon told about the hardships experienced by those who had made aliya at that time, and Ramash told him to speak to the Rebbe Rayatz and ask him what the Chassidim should do, i.e. should they move to Eretz Yisroel or the United States. Rabbi Yisroel Shimon had yechidus with the Rebbe Rayatz who told him that although generally, it was not the practice to ask a second time (at that time, the general instruction was to make aliya), but since the situation had changed, each one should ask his own question and would receive a personal response about what to do. This answer was conveyed to the DP camps and many wrote to the Rebbe Rayatz, asking what they should do. Some were told to go to Eretz Yisroel and others were told to immigrate to the United States. After the passing of the Rebbe Rayatz, Rabbi Kalmanson was completely mekushar to the Rebbe and during the period of the Kabbalas HaNesius, he was one of the few Chassidim who accompanied Rabbi Yerachmiel Benjaminson, one of the elder Chassidim, who read a pidyon nefesh at the Rebbes gravesite that Ramash should be willing to accept the Chabad leadership.

Veteran shochtim sitting together. From left to right: Rabbi Yisroel Shimon, his brother Rabbi Sholom Mendel (who passed away a few months ago), Rabbi Uziel Chazanov.

from where they had escaped. It is all Sdom and Amora. There is no food and people are dropping in the street from starvation. The houses in the neighborhood you lived in are destroyed and many residents were killed by bombs. They had mixed feelings about the letter. On the one hand, they were grateful to have escaped the city at the last moment. On the other hand, they were distraught over the many that had died, including Lubavitcher Chassidim whom they knew. After two years in Bortyok, they heard that in Tashkent and Samarkand many Chassidim had gathered and had formed khillos. They traveled together to Uzbekistan with some of them settling in Tashkent, and Rabbi Yisroel Shimon and his family settling in Samarkand. After the war, Rabbi Yisroel Shimon and his friend Rabbi Mordechai Schusterman traveled to Lvov to smuggle across the border. Rabbi Yisroel Shimon had a Polish passport that he had bought for a steep price. He was supposed to attach his picture to the new passport, but this

would cost 500 rubles and he had no more money. He hoped he would be able to use this passport without his picture in it. He, Rabbi Mordechai and their families went to Moscow and from there to Lvov. There they learned that there must be a recent picture of the bearer of the passport. Rabbi Mordechai, using primitive tools, stuck in the picture and next to it used a counterfeit seal of the Samarkand police that supposedly approved the picture. On 15 Av 1946, the two families boarded the train and after several hours were in Poland, to their tremendous joy and relief. From Poland they went to Germany where they lived temporarily in the famous DP camp in Poking. That is where he studied shchita and received kabbala from Rabbi Avrohom Eliyahu Plotkin and Rabbi Mendel Dubroskin. The Chabad Chassidim wondered where to go from there, whether to Eretz Yisroel, to the United States, or other countries. Rabbi Yisroel Shimon was one of the first to receive the

erev yom Kippur TasKs

In 5714, Rabbi Kalmanson was appointed as the shochet who would shecht the Rebbes

26 12 Iyar 5772

Kaparos chicken. For the next forty years, every Erev Yom Kippur, the Rebbe gave him the chicken, which he proceeded to slaughter in the Rebbes presence. The Rebbe performed the mitzva of covering the blood. There were also things that Rabbi Kalmanson did far from the public eye. First of all, since he was the one who shechted the Kaparos, he always had yechidus afterward. In this yechidus, the Rebbe would speak to him about shchita in general as well as about Lubavitch shchita. In later years, the Rebbe tried to dissuade him from retiring from shchita. In these private audiences, he also received personal brachos for himself and his family. For more than twenty years, following the passing of Rabbi Yochanan Gordon, he was the one who gave malkus (symbolic lashes) to the Rebbe on Erev Yom Kippur. Naturally, he was reluctant to fill this role, but the Rebbe told him to do it since the shchita was dependent on the malkus; if he did not give malkus, he would not be allowed to shecht. Rabbi Kalmanson did not want to give up the privilege of shechting, so he took on the role of giving malkus to the Rebbe every Erev Yom Kippur. For many years, Rabbi Kalmanson made wine for the Rebbe for Pesach. The Rebbe paid him for this every year. In 5721, when his mother along with her daughter Feigel and her son-in-law Reb Berke left

The Kalmanson family in Samarkand during World War II. Seated in the center is the father, Rabbi Shneur Zalman Kalmanson with his son Rabbi Yisroel Shimon. Standing behind them from right to left are: his brother Rabbi Sholom Mendel Kalmanson and his friend Rabbi Heschel Tzeitlin, his brother-in-law Rabbi Berke Chein, his brother Rabbi Yekusiel Kalmanson. The children from right to left are: Rabbi Mordechai Chein, Rabbi Mordechai Kalmanson, Rabbi Meir Simcha Chein, Mrs. Miriam Blizinsky (daughter of Rabbi Yisroel Shimon).

Russia, he asked the Rebbe for permission to go to Eretz Yisroel to see them. The Rebbe asked him whether the wine for Pesach was already prepared and when he said it was, the Rebbe gave him a bracha for the trip.

smicha To hunDreDs
Over the years, he taught shchita in the Crown Heights kollel and in 770. He conveyed his knowledge and

professionalism, as well as the concept of Lubavitcher shchita, and gave smicha to hundreds of young men. In recent years he was in poor health. He passed away on 30 Shevat at the age of 98. He is survived by his son Rabbi Sholom Dovber, shliach in Cincinnati, Rabbi Mordechai of New York, Mrs. Rochel Heber of New York, and Mrs. Miriam Blizinsky of New York.

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A CHASSID WHO MAKES CHASSIDIM

How do you turn a mekurav into a Chassid? We asked Rabbi Pinchas Pachter, one of the founders of the spiritual revolution in Paris, who inspired hundreds of young people to become baalei tshuva, some of whom have become rabbanim and shluchim around the world. * In this interview with R Shneur Chaviv of Beis Moshiach, R Pachter shares kiruvim and answers he received from the Rebbe, speaks about competition between organizations, working within and outside the ranks of officialdom, and addresses whether a shliach needs to be a lamdan.
By Rabbi Shneur Chaviv Director of Beis Chabad Ramat Aviv Gimmel

28 12 Iyar 5772

t was the 12th of Sivan 5740 and 770 was packed. The Rebbe was farbrenging and there was a large contingent of Frenchies who were using earpieces to hear the simultaneous translation of the Rebbes words. In the building nearby, R Pinchas Pachter (ch pronounced sh) sat with some other men, all foreign language speakers, watching the farbrengen on a big screen and translating the sicha for hundreds of thousands of listeners around the world and in the beis midrash. The farbrengen ended and R Pachter, still wearing headphones, heard the Rebbe ask, Pachter, where is he? R Pachter rushed to remove his headphones so he could run in to the farbrengen, but in his haste the wires of the headphones got tangled in his beard. He tried to disengage them but only got

more entangled. R Pachter was stuck in his chair when he heard the Rebbe was looking for him again, Pachter, where is he? The Rebbe said to the Frenchies with a smile, Birkas Kohanim is not done at night. They tried to explain that he was translating the sichos, which is why their esteemed rabbi wasnt present at the farbrengen. Here or in France? asked the Rebbe in French. Moshiach is ready to come; there isnt time, he said with a big smile. In the meantime, R Pachter had managed to disengage himself from the wires and he raced to 770. The Rebbe was still waiting for him with a large cup of mashke. R Pachter said lchaim and the group from France burst into

a lively rendition of HaAderes VHaEmuna. The Rebbe encouraged the singing with both hands and clapped vigorously. The premise of this interview was to find out how to facilitate the transformation of someone who until recently was not religiously observant, so that he becomes a Chassid, mekushar heart and soul to the Rebbe. R

Rabbi Pinchas Pachter with a photo in the background of some mekuravim who serve as shluchim and rabbanim around the world

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Pachter, one of the veteran shluchim in France is a warm person with a big smile. He was one of the founders of the French spiritual revolution, who brought hundreds and even thousands of Chassidim to the Rebbe including rabbanim and shluchim. These were people he had been mekarev to Judaism and Chassidus and in whom he had implanted the fire, faith and uncompromising hiskashrus to the Rebbe. When it comes to being mekarev people, there is no secret to success, says R Pachter. Like anything else in life, yogaata umatzasa, taamin (If someone says, I have worked hard, and I have been successful, believe him). Secrets to success and shortcuts can work but they are the short-long way to achieving serious, long lasting results. There is no substitute for the long way. Shlichus that is based on personal charisma, a way with words and short vertlach, will be very successful at first, but if any actual mekuravim result from this kind of shlichus, they will soon look for something deeper. When a person decides to jump into the water and only sort of knows how to swim, the first thing hell look for is something strong to hold on to, to provide him with security. Only someone replete with Torah and Yiras Shamayim can provide that security. Does R Pachter think that being a lamdan is a prerequisite for going on shlichus? He says no, although part of the avoda of a shliach is definitely to head in that direction. Look, ultimately, its the Rebbe who does all the work. The question is: what vessel are you giving the Rebbe to work with? I started reaching out not long after I myself got involved with Chassidus. I also made mistakes at first. Everyone makes mistakes. But little by little, when I realized what I had done, I made sure to correct them. When you learn from your mistakes and fix them, you turn the error into an advantage. In shlichus, just as in avodas Hashem, you have to work hard. Nobody was born a beinoni. In order to be a beinoni, you need to work hard. If regarding ones personal avodas Hashem it says that a tzaddik falls seven times and rises, then the same is true for shlichus. You cant be frightened by the work or by mistakes. You have to be in a constant process of learning, of self-improvement, and filling yourself up with Nigleh and Chassidus. That is the only way to present ourselves to the Rebbe as a refined vessel so we can accomplish what the Rebbe needs to do through us.

Know how To responD

R Pachter was born in Paris a year before the outbreak of World War II. His parents were R Shimon ah, a G-d fearing Jew who belonged to the religious community, and Doba Bina ah who was the granddaughter of the Av Beis Din of Grodno and from a very illustrious family. When the war began, Parisian Jews fled southward and those who remained hid. R Pachters parents, whether in their navet or trust in Hashem, remained in their home in the heart of Paris and continued leading a religious life. After the war, R Pachter continued learning in yeshivas Yavneh of the gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu Munk (1900-1981) who translated and explained the Torah in French. He was given rabbinic ordination by the Beis Din HaGadol of Paris. He also studied and received degrees in philosophy, science and languages. He puts his knowledge to good use in his shiurim and books as well as in articles he writes for various publications, and most importantly, in lectures for students and academics. There are Chassidim of stature who went on shlichus with all the breitkait (expansiveness) in the world. Their Chassidic warmth, simplicity, and mainly their utter bittul to the Rebbe, radiated from them and often succeeded in impacting those around them. True, they did not always know how to respond to questions from people with complicated queries about science and philosophy. But they were on high levels of bittul to the Rebbe and the Rebbe simply answered through them.

verTLach wonT geT you far

There are two ways to go about kiruv and its just like in avodas Hashem. One way is the long-short way and the other way is the short-long way. The short way is based on the idea of teaching others based on what you know, if you know Alef, teach Alef, and if you know Alef and Beis, then teach Alef and Beis. Teach according to your abilities, teach what you know. The long way is to fill yourself up with knowledge and not to stop learning and teaching. To become full of Torah, Gemara, Chassidus, Halacha, with hiskashrus and doing mitzvos bhiddur. Because in the end, your mekurav wont get involved because of what you tell him or teach him, but because of whom you really are.

30 12 Iyar 5772

Someone not on that level of bittul and hiskashrus needs to know how to respond. It is worthwhile being knowledgeable in the Rebbes responses and letters on the topic of science such as Darwins theory of Evolution, so we can handle these questions about science and faith. It also gives the other person a good feeling that you are familiar with his world and can understand him and speak with him about concepts with which he is familiar. My son Berel is a mashpia who was raised in Chabad yeshivos all his life and did not learn secular studies, but he studied the Rebbes letters on the subject and constantly studies on his own. This is because when he comes into contact with an intellectual crowd, he has to be able to respond intelligently.

At Tzach in Paris at a Chassidishe farbrengen with members of the group. R Pachter is sitting in the center (to his left are: R Mulle Azimov, R Avrohom Chaviv, R Menachem Lubeki. To his right are: R Yeshaya Velika and R Binyamin Margi

Ten years in The presence of The ZiKnei hachassiDim

The change in R Pachters life began when a unique individual began to frequent the quiet neighborhood shul. The man served as the shliach tzibbur and as a sort of unofficial mashpia. It was R Tzvi Leib Levin ah who had been a shliach in Morocco and had been forced to leave under pressure from the government. He was the sort of person to whom you could not remain indifferent. He was a Chassid through and through and this was readily apparent. He soon became the dominant figure in the community he led, as he encouraged and supported all the Jews in the area. Young Pachter who, until he met with R Tzvi Leib, knew nothing about Chabad except that his mother would always say

that Chabad are fine people, suddenly discovered a new and fascinating world. R Tzvi Leib saw that the young man was drawn to the logic and depth of Chassidus and took him on a visit to Aubervilliers. In Aubervilliers, there were a few families of the elder Chassidim who had emigrated from Russia and led a small Chassidic enclave. R Pinchas became a regular guest at farbrengens and was welcomed by the Chassidim with warmth and love. He spent hours with the elder Chassidim who patiently listened to his questions and resolved them one by one. He was primarily influenced by R Aryeh Leib Eidelman ah. R Eidelman, who had been a talmid in Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in Lubavitch, was a role model for him. The way R Leib davened captured his heart and he considered him his spiritual teacher. R Pinchas spent close to ten years with these older Chassidim.

During summer vacations, he would rent an apartment near the yeshiva in Brunoy. This enabled him to take in the atmosphere of Lubavitch, and to partake of the shiurim of the mashpia, R Nissan Nemanov. During these years, R Pachter learned what a Chassidishe davening is about and he experienced genuine Ahavas Yisroel, farbrengens and Chassidic joy.

The rebbe ToLD me: remember The beshTs saying

The most important thing in shlichus is Ahavas Yisroel. A shliach needs to be a person who loves people in general and Jews in particular. In order to be mekarev a Jew, you have to live with chapter 32 of Tanya. At a yechidus, the Rebbe told me, You must always remember the famous saying of the Baal Shem Tov that Hashem loves every single Jew with an incomparably

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his classes. Many of them came to consider him their spiritual teacher. On his part, R Pachter looked out for them and guided them in their progress in Torah and mitzvos. He took them to the Rebbe on a regular basis and translated the farbrengens for them. That is how a community of young baalei tshuva who were mekusharim to the Rebbe formed.

officiaL buT separaTe

When I first started working in kiruv in Paris, I operated independently with no connection to any mosad. I did this because that is how I was taught by the elder Chassidim, who did this naturally as something self-understood. However, when the work began accelerating, there were certain people who made sure to tell me that I was stepping on their toes. I wrote to the Rebbe and in his response he wrote, With blessings for success in spreading Judaism and particularly the wellsprings (surely you will continue; your question is surprising) and especially the new shiurim that you mentioned. The answer was clear to me, but those who wanted to complain about my work remained dissatisfied. I finally decided to go to the Rebbe and hear it directly from him. Before I went, R Binyamin Eliyahu Gorodetzky, the Rebbes representative in France, updated me on what was happening. When I had yechidus, the Rebbe said, There are enough Jewish neshamos in Paris for you and for others. You need to open your own mosad and inform me of your work. If the shul is small, move to larger quarters. I was surprised by the Rebbes answer and told him that they wouldnt believe me in Paris. The Rebbe firmly said, You will get it in writing. Indeed, before I returned to Paris I received a long letter from the Rebbe in which he explained that my activities needed to be independent. I understood that the Rebbe wanted my activities to be done within an official framework, while still retaining autonomy and answerable only to the Rebbe. When I returned to Paris, I opened the mosad Hadar HaTorah, and wrote the Rebbe a detailed report about the students who registered and about their progress in Torah and mitzvos. A copy of this letter was sent to R Gorodetzky and from then on, I consulted with him every time the question was raised about my autonomy. greater love than that which elderly parents have for their only child born to them in their old age. When you face another Jew, you have to really love him; otherwise, it just doesnt work. Someone who cannot truly love another person and is constantly fixated on himself even if hes very wise and knowledgeable and a great speaker wont be capable of truly affecting him. One of the things engraved deeply in his soul from his sojourn with the elder Chassidim was their spiritual concern for others. That is how R Pachter found himself beginning to organize a Chassidus class in the shul where he, his father, grandfather and great-grandfather davened. A small nucleus of mekuravim formed around the shiurim in Chassidus. When he found out that a similar nucleus was forming in Paris around R Shmuel (Mulle) Azimov who was still a bachur, they immediately joined forces. That is how the first branch of Tzeirei Agudas Chabad in Paris was founded. R Pinchas moved to Orly and once again, a nucleus of mekuravim formed around him. He worked to establish Talmudei Torah, where Jewish public school children learned about Judaism twice a week. He also gave shiurim and lectures all over the city. He was an excellent speaker and young people flocked to hear

iTs a greaT pLeasure To be meKarev peopLe To The rebbe

When you go on shlichus you must love what youre doing. When you are mekarev someone, its the greatest pleasure. First, because there is nothing more pleasurable than the thought that the Rebbe decided to be mekarev a certain neshama and that you are the means through which he will accomplish this. Second, when you are mekarev someone to the Rebbe and to Hashem, you are building a world. You are rectifying the world and are a partner to the Rebbes work: whether in his avoda as bchezkas Moshiach of compelling all Israel to go in [the ways of Torah] and strengthening its breaches or whether in his avoda as Moshiach vadai, gathering all castaways of Israel. I asked R Pachter how one can change someone into a Chassid. Should he be pushed in that direction from the outset or is it better to show him Judaism in general and only then to start talking to him about the Rebbe and Lubavitch. He said: It all depends on who the mekurav is and who is being mekarev him. In 5735 the Rebbe wrote me: Obviously, the manner of agitating and work

32 12 Iyar 5772

in every country and place depends on the conditions of that location and people who are not identical. Generally speaking, today we are in the final moments of galus and as the Rebbe once said when he was looking for me to say lchaim, Moshiach is ready to come and there is no time. There is no time today for games and for going round and round for years until the person finally gets it. The faster the mekurav attains hiskashrus to the Rebbe, the better. The Rebbe once said in yechidus that if you are mekarev someone to Judaism but are not mekarev him to the Nasi Hador, you have not fulfilled the shlichus! However, as the Rebbe wrote me, it depends on the place. If you see that it is likely to cause more harm than good, then lay off. With the Rebbe we often saw that he did things behind the scenes, not in his name, because he was concerned that if his name was involved there could be opposition or even a weakening in someone.

we want to distinguish ourselves, we need to focus on providing what others cannot provide, namely Chassidus, Geula and the Rebbe. Everything else is the same, good lectures in Gemara and Jewish philosophy, even putting tfillin on with people I heard that in Eretz Yisroel there are tfillin stands set up by other groups. But the Moshe of the generation is something only we can provide and we need to do so in abundance.

fiX yourseLf
Here is the big but. When you are mekarev someone and see that he has a problem with things associated with the Rebbe, you have to make a significant personal reckoning. The Gemara says, A mans place is the man. In other words, a mans personality is branded by the place he is in. The same is true for mekuravim. Every Chassid and shliach needs to know that a mekurav is a reflection of him. If my mekurav has difficulties accepting matters of faith, especially matters of faith in what the Nasi Hador says, then I need to look into myself and see what I

need to fix. This is because when a person is truly mekushar to the Rebbe, then even if he does not speak openly about the obligation of hiskashrus to the Rebbe, he broadcasts this and is mashpia on his mekurav. Many years ago, I worked in a non-Lubavitch school. Since I didnt want to get into arguments, I made sure not to stand out as a Lubavitcher and not just in what I said. I even dressed differently and tried not to refer to Chabad, Lubavitch and the Rebbe. But in the end, everyone knew I was a Lubavitcher and whatever I said was immediately connected, by them, to Chabad and the Rebbe. It was just more pleasant for them to hear it without explicit references. Judging by the results, it works. Dozens of students from that school connected to the Rebbe at one stage or another. I asked R Pachter what he thinks of the competition today with other organizations doing kiruv. He said: Its definitely one of the signs of Yemos HaMoshiach. It also addresses your previous question. When everyone is into kiruv, if

The rebbe prophesieD: everyone wiLL Do mivTZaim LiKe us

I had a yechidus in 5736. It was the yechidus when the Rebbe kept me for 55 minutes. The secretary knocked on the door every few minutes, but the Rebbe spoke and spoke and did not let me leave. I was given many instructions and much advice regarding my personal life and regarding shlichus. The Rebbe told me some prophetic things. He said: You need to know that regarding competition, not only isnt Lubavitch afraid of competition, Lubavitch seeks out competition and Lubavitch creates competition. You will see that in Paris and France everyone will do mivtzaim like us. Then the Rebbe listed the names of the rabbis in France of those days and said: You will see that Guggenheim will do mivtzaim and Rottenberg will do mivtzaim and Shushnah will do mivtzaim and the Consistoire [a government agency comparable to the chief rabbinate, responsible for overseeing Jewish matters in France] will do mivtzaim. You will see all these rabbis do mivtzaim and not only wont we be jealous; we will seek it out.

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PARsHA tHouGHt

EXILE IS NOT A CURSE?!

By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

enigmaTic commanDmenTs
Two of the commandments in this weeks parsha are enigmatic because of their obviousness. Taken at face value, these admonitions are rather unusual because they are so obvious. Do not curse a deaf person; and do not put a stumbling block before the blind. Our Sages explain that, in truth, these commandments apply to everyone. We may not curse people who are not deaf and we may not place stumbling blocks before people who are not blind. Yet, the Torah sought to teach us these laws specifically by applying them first and foremost to the deaf and blind. If the Torah does not want us to curse anyone, it should have simply stated do not curse. Period! Is there anyone in his right mind that would think that it is acceptable to curse a deaf person simply because he or she cannot hear the curse? The same question can be posed with regard to placing a stumbling block before the blind. Couldnt the Torah which phrases laws so concisely, in the interest of not writing an unnecessary word or even letterhave stated: Do not

place stumbling blocks before others? And while Rashi, quoting the Talmud, explains that it refers to giving an unsuspecting person bad advice, it could have conveyed that idea even if it would have left out the word blind. In short, why highlight that the victims of ones curses and stumbling blocks are deaf and blind? And what relevance does it have to our own lives, as most of us would never even entertain committing such a heinous sin?

heighTeneD spiriTuaLiTy
It is well established that people who lack certain physical abilitiessuch as blindness compensate by having more of the other senses and faculties. A blind person will often have a more sensitive sense of hearing or of touch etc. In truth, this physical reality, where the challenged person compensates, is a reflection of a spiritual advantage that he or she possesses. The physically challenged person is actually in possession of more sensitive spiritual capabilities. This assertion is based on at least two factors and manifests itself in two ways: First, it is axiomatic in Judaism, that when a person is

given a challenge, he or she is also given the ability to meet that challenge. Thus, when a person suffers from a physical disability, it means that he or she has the potential to overcome it with enhanced spiritual powers. Second, a blind person in Talmudic jargon is called a sagi nahor, which literally means one who has an abundance of light. Chassidic sources explain that it is not just a euphemismindeed, the word for euphemism in modern Hebrew is sagi nahor it describes the reality that the blind person has an abundance of light. The blindness is not a consequence of too little light, but of the imbalance caused by light not being able to express itself in the limited physical organ; there is too much light of the soul for the limited physical capabilities of the eye. In other words, not only does G-d give the blindand all those with other forms of physical challengesgreater spiritual energy to compensate with their loss, it is G-ds gift of enhanced spiritual energy that is actually the cause of the disability in the first place.

eXiLe Deafness anD bLinDness: a chaLLenge

What is true of people with

34 12 Iyar 5772

physical challenges is also true for the Jews of exile. Physical disabilities and challenges are a metaphor for our spiritual challenges. Our status as exile Jews can be described in terms of both deafness and blindness. Every day there is a heavenly voice that emerges from Mount Sinai that beckons us to get closer to G-d and His Torah. Living in exile has prevented us from hearing this message. The sound of Sinai that reverberates through the cosmos to this day is ignored by most people as a result of our existence in galus/ exile. Every day there are miracles that surround us, demonstrating G-ds active involvement in our world. Many of the modern day miracles we have experienced even surpass the Biblical miracles. We just dont see them; we are blind. We are in exile. And lest one would think that being in exile and lacking the spiritual capacity to hear the cosmic Divine music and see the Divine in every aspect of life is a curse, the Torah tells us otherwise. By commanding us not to curse the deaf, the Torah is thereby declaring: Exile is not a curse! At face value, this assertion sounds preposterous! Why do we devote countless prayers to bringing an end to exile? How can we reconcile this claim with all that we know and have experienced about the calamity that is exile?

Do not tell the spiritually deaf who suffer from galus-itus that they are cursed. Instead, show them how they possess certain qualities and capabilities that were not even present in the days of the Beis HaMikdash.
The Rebbe explained (Seifer HaSichos 5752, Tazria-Metzora) that exile is a time that contains incredible spiritual energies so potent that we cannot contain them. And because we cannot contain, absorb and properly internalize this energy, it manifests itself in rather negative ways to the extent that it can pose serious challenges to us. It is like the excessive light of the blind person, which overwhelms his system and causes the disability. How do we meet the challenge? The Rebbe explains that we meet the challenge, not by negating exile, but by recognizing and discovering the enhanced spiritual energy it possesses. Our spiritual deafness and blindness that is a product of exile, in and of itself, is not a curse. The curse is when we view exile strictly as a curse and see only the negativity and not the hidden spirituality and opportunity. Moreover, the more we think we are deaf and blind to the G-dly reality of exile, the more it reinforces the notion that G-d would not give us a challenge that we are not capable of meeting. The lower it seems that we are falling and stumbling in exile, the greater the capacity we have to get back up and march confidently and uprightly towards the Redemption. So rather than curse the state of spiritual deafness and blindness that punctuates our existence in exile, recognize the true nature of the period in which we find ourselves. While on the surface it seems that this exile embracing approach contradicts the imperative that we clamor for getting out of this exile, nothing can be further from the truth! The Rebbe explained that getting out of exile is in actuality an exercise of revealing exiles inherent spiritual loftiness. The Rebbe has repeatedly stressed that the word for exile/gola needs only the insertion of the letter aleph to turn the word into Geula/Redemption. This implies that we need not negate gola; we simply need to expose its true nature.

reinTerpreTing The verse

In this light, let us now reinterpret the words of the Torah: Do not curse a deaf person: Do not tell the spiritually deaf who suffer from galus-itus that they are cursed. Instead, show them how they possess certain qualities and capabilities that were not even present in the days of the Beis HaMikdash. It is interesting to note, that the word in Hebrew for a deaf person is cheresh. This word has the same numerical value as the word Chukas, which refers to the most esoteric and spiritual commandments of the Torah, which we cannot fathom. This, perhaps, is a hint that the deaf

compLemenTary TruThs
In truth, our heartfelt pleas for the end of exile and the claim here that exile is not a curse are not contradictory; they are complementary.

Issue 832

35

PARsHA tHouGHt
person is connected to a higher consciousness; one that relates to the more spiritual and Divine aspects of Judaism. Do not place a stumbling block before the blind: Do not tell the spiritually blind, that they cannot grow in their spiritual lives. Do not give them the message: You are disabled by exile blindness and as a result, try as you may, you cannot help but continually stumble. Not only will you not grow, you will fall even lower. The Torah, in the above verse, wants us to repudiate this negative message. attendant deafness and blindness. We want the benefits of The above was true deafness and blindness even throughout the period of exile. as our ears and eyes are opened. However, as we stand now on Enough with the the very threshold of the final rationalizations for exile Redemption, the message has been updated. Whereas in the notwithstanding their inherent past we had to recognize that our truth and inspirational value. Express service Express service disabilities were challenges, today Now is the time for us to Fully Computerized have that does not suffice. Fully Computerized our proverbial cake and eat it too! Now is the time to Now we must go to the 331 Kingston transform 331 Kingston Ave.Ave. deafness into hearing next step. The emphasis has to nd (2nd(2into sight without Brooklyn NY 11213 and blindnessFlr)Flr) Brooklyn NY 11213 be that we want to experience losing any of their advantages. the heightened energies of Now is the time to place that Get your tickets within minutes! Get to the exilethat are analogousyour tickets within minutes! aleph into gola and enjoy the best heightened spirituality of the Fax: (718) 493-4444 Fax: (718) 493-4444 of both worlds. deaf and blindbut without the

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TO BRING MOSHIACH NOW!

36 12 Iyar 5772

ADD IN ACTS OF GOODNESS & KINDNESS

sHLeIMus HAARetz

THE REBBE ON PEACE NOW

Part 2
Translated by Rabbi Binyomin Schlanger

The wicked will have no peace, says G-d [Isaiah 49:17] they offer no [real] peace. The intentions of the Arabs terrorists are well known, as they clearly declared at their recent gathering, that all the Jewish people must leave the land of Israel. This is no secret; they have said this openly and it has been published everywhere, and this is known to all. This is nothing new; it is now 32 years that they have been announcing this! So it is self understood that any agreement with them will not lead to peace. Even should one agree to give in to their demands on condition that they sign a piece of paper, promising to keep the peace for a while, as is the wish of Peace Now, not only will this not help, but this will bring actual danger to the Jewish people. We saw this in actuality at the time of the Six Day War; there were Jews who said that they do not want to conquer the Old City of Jerusalem. Thereafter, when there was no choice but to conquer the Old City and the rest of the territories, the government of Israel immediately sent messengers to Washington to London and to Paris to make it known that their intention was to return everything. The only reason they did in fact not return these lands was because gentiles have no real freedom of choice The hearts of kings and princes are in the hands of G-d, and G-d did not permit them to

take them! But the Arabs knew that they had sent this delegation [to surrender more land] and this gave them the fortitude to continue their acts of terror until this very day, becoming progressively more aggressive, May G-d protect us! It is not as those who mistakenly believe that terror is only a recent phenomenon this is absolutely untrue. Terror continues month by month, since the time of the Six Day War. It was then that the Arabs were encouraged when they became aware that the Jews are afraid of them, and out of that fear they send emissaries to [encourage us to] capitulate! This is how it spins forward; whenever Jews conquered some land from the Arabs, they offer the gentiles to surrender that which was conquered, stating that they want peace, justice and integrity. Each of these occasions gives further fortitude and strength to the Arabs, to the point that they killed a Jew, a yeshiva boy, in the center of Hebron! Peace Now brings actual danger onto the Jewish people and onto the Land, and yet they continue demanding that lands be given to the Arabs in return for that piece of paper that states that we are making peace. It is not enough for them that lands containing oil wells were already surrendered, thereby weakening Israels security. They do all this arguing that in return we will

receive peace NOW. And since the Jews are a wise nation, they argue, they will certainly be able to sort things out without oil and without land security. This is the greatest delusion that in return for surrender we will get peace for we see openly what Arab intentions are! Even if we were to say [in reality this is not the situation] that in return we are in receipt of a temporary real peace, as Peace Now argues, it is well known that when discussing an ongoing matter, one does not focus on the present, but how it will fare in the future, in which direction it will move. If the present is not good but is moving to the good, one takes this into consideration. In the same way, if the present situation is good but deteriorating, one takes this into consideration [as well]. Our situation is the same: we see where the surrender to the Arabs is leading. Even if one were to delude ones self that at present there is peace now, this makes no difference, because we see that we are moving further into a negative situation, since their intention is not one of peace, but to eradicate the Jewish people from the land of Israel. From the farbrengen of Shabbos Parshas Shlach, 1980 Dear reader, Please take a few moments each week to copy, paste, and email this sicha to 10 friends, asking your friends in turn to email the same to 10 further friends, ad infinitum. Thereby you will be taking a strong and active part in the Rebbes battle to protect the lives of millions of Jewish people whose lives are so endangered. This is, as the Rambam writes, Milchemes Hashem, and we will see it through to the final Nitzachon! Please go to www. beismoshiachmagazine.org/truepeace where you will find the current sicha.
Issue 832

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MosHIAcH & GeuLA

MOSHIACHS PALACE
WHos WHo In tHe tIMes of MOSHIACHPARTIII
By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon

mashke. When they parted it was close to midnight. Early the next morning the architect phoned R Zushe. The plans are ready! announced the architect. How is that possible? Such blueprints require weeks of work! R Zushe replied in astonishment. Zev responded: Well, when I got home, I felt an urge to get started on the plans. I sat down and began drawing. Suddenly, I felt as if my hand had stopped obeying me and was running swiftly across the paper. In disbelief, a complete blueprint of a magnificent palace with all its most intricate details lay before my eyes... My hand did hold the pencil, but it certainly did not draw such perfect plans! All I can say is that the Rebbe himself drew the blueprints... R Zushe showed the plans to many architects, and they all came to the same conclusion: No human hand could have done such a superb job! The blueprints were sent to the Rebbe who answered, Received and thank you. For now, wait to build... The Rebbe included ten coins with his response: five lira coins and five half dollars. Nearly ten and a half years went by, in the course of which R Zushe did not stop asking for permission to build. However, the Rebbe did not give him permission to begin, and answered, It is not yet the time. At the end of Shvat 5752, a change occurred. Mrs. Naomi Rivkin passed by the Rebbe at a general yechidus, and she said that her husband asked if he could begin building the Palace for the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach.

Dear Reader Shyichyeh: In the last few articles, we discussed some of the personalities in the times of Moshiach. In this article we will be discussing a unique place that is connected with Moshiach: the personal residence of Melech HaMoshiach. To be candid, the first time I heard of this concept, I thought that it was connected to some right-winged fanaticism. I did not think that it had anything to do with reality. It was only after seeing the sources with my own eyes that I realized the importance of the issue. The main person connected to this issue was Rabbi Zushe Rivkin of Kfar Chabad. He recently passed away and may this article be in the merit of his memory.

The bacKgrounD
It was in 1978 that R Zushe

Rivkin, a Chassid from Kfar Chabad, came up with the idea. When his brother R Chaim went to New York, R Zushe asked him to present the Rebbe MHM with the offer to build the Rebbe a home in Kfar Chabad. During a private audience with the Rebbe, R Chaim did indeed mention that his brother wanted to build a house for the Rebbe in Kfar Chabad. The Rebbe gazed at him and replied, He wants to build a house for me? A palace! Then the Rebbe added, But not for now. Wait to build. R Zushe heard the Rebbes response in utter surprise. He had thought of building an ordinary home, yet this was the Rebbes incredible answer. R Zushe immediately met with architect Zev Marganit. At the end of their meeting, they said lchaim on the Rebbes

38 12 Iyar 5772

The Rebbe answered with a smile, Ask a Rav in Eretz Yisroel. Upon hearing the good news, R Zushe went immediately to the home of Rabbi Mordechai Ashkenazi, the Rav of Kfar Chabad. He told the Rav about the Rebbes instruction to build a Palace, and to ask a Rav in Eretz Yisroel. After hearing all the details, and understanding that this is what the Rebbe wants, Rabbi Ashkenazi said they should begin building with joy, and in a good and auspicious time. Armed with the Ravs blessings, Mrs. Rivkin passed by the Rebbe for Dollars and told the Rebbe that the Rav gave his approval. The Rebbe was happy and gave her an extra dollar. As the Rav instructed, so shall you do, and with great success. Blessing and success. Unfortunately, for technical and political reasons, the palace has not yet been built.

a personaL paLace: is iT necessary?

At first glance, it seems so strange. Does the Rebbe really need a personal palace for himself? The following are some of my own thoughts on the matter: Regarding the first commandment to build a dwelling place for Hashem, the Torah says (Shmos 25:8) And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst. There is an interesting anomaly in the above verse that is explained by the Shla HaKadosh (Shnei Luchos HaBris by Rav Yeshayahu Hurwitz Parshas Truma #326). The Torah says, Make for

Me a Mikdash and I will dwell among them. The Shla notes that it does not say, and I will dwell in it (in the Mikdash). Rather, it says, and I will dwell among them, meaning, that God will dwell within the builders of the Mishkan, for they each have an inner, hidden Mishkan. This means, that just as God certainly dwelled in the Mishkan and later in the Beis HaMikdash, He dwells within us as well. He is connected directly to our souls and dwells in our hearts. From the above it is clear that when the Rebbe asks and demands that a palace be built for him in Eretz Yisroel, it includes building the Rebbe a personal palace not just a simple home in our hearts. And this is accomplished through Avodas Hashem. The difference in the Avoda of building a home versus a palace for Hashem can be understood by the effect that a physical home or palace has on a person. A home is a place where a person dwells and can express himself freely. A palace, in contrast, is a place that liberates and expands the mind of a person, as Chazal say (Brachos 57b) Three things expand a persons mind: A beautiful dwelling, etc. It is the detail and splendor of the palace that opens the persons mind to new levels. What would cause someone to build something so magnificent and so detail-oriented? It is passion. Only someone who is passionate about a certain project will go out of his way to complete the project beyond the basic requirements of that project, paying extra attention to luxurious details and aesthetics. How do we know which people are passionate about

Hashem? It is not if they do Mitzvos, for everyone does Mitzvos. Rather, it is how they do Mitzvos. Does the person spend his extra money on nicer furniture or nicer Mezuzos? Building a palace for Moshiach implies passion about Torah and Mitzvos. We should not merely serve Hashem because we have to, but rather because we want to.

why is This neeDeD especiaLLy before moshiachs coming?

Regarding the times of Moshiach, the Rambam writes (Hilchos Melachim 12:4): The sages and prophets did not yearn for the Messianic Era in order that [the Jewish people] rule over the entire world, nor in order that they have dominion over the gentiles, nor that they be exalted by them, nor in order that they eat, drink and celebrate. Rather, their aspiration was that [the Jewish people] be free [to involve themselves] in the Torah and its wisdom, without anyone to oppress or disturb them, and thus be found worthy of life in the World to Come, as we explained in Hilchos Tshuva. Does this type of lifestyle excite you? It will do so only if you are passionate about Torah and Mitzvos. That is why we need to get into the building the palace mode right now! Rabbi Avtzon is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati and a well sought after speaker and lecturer. Recordings of his in-depth shiurim on Inyanei Geula uMoshiach can be accessed at http://www. ylcrecording.com. Weekly shiurim on Moshiach topics given by Rabbi Avtzon can be viewed at chabad.info.

Issue 832

39

MeMoIRs

R YESHAYA ZUCHAVITZER
the little I know about my great-grandfathers great-greatgrandfather.
By Rabbi Yehoshua Dubrawski ah

sTrong famiLy
My two grandmothers were the daughters of R Leib Shapiro. The Shapiro family was one of the few families that remained firm in their Judaism and was not swept away by the current of anything goes that began over a hundred years ago. I heard it said that the Rebbe Rashab expressed esteem for the family, whose ten children were frum, both the boys and the girls. I do not know my whole family tree, but I heard and read about R Leib Shapiros great-grandfather. His name was R Yeshaya Zuchavitzer. In the family, it was known that R Yeshaya was a tzaddik (in the book Shiurei R Yaakov Moshe Shurkin it says that the Gra allowed chillul Shabbos in order to receive a bracha (for a dangerously ill person) from the tzaddik R Yeshaya Zuchavitzer, as his prayers were guaranteed to help). I read in a book of stories of tzaddikim that he was known for his righteousness not only among Jews. The gentiles in the area treated him as a holy man to the point that they would hope that he would pass by their fields for this would cause a bountiful harvest.

In an ancient machzor, with numerous additions of translations, parables, musar, stories and more, I read an interesting story about R Yeshaya Zuchavitzer which demonstrates his unusual righteousness.

Torah was his occupaTion

R Yeshaya was extremely poor. He sat in shul and learned day and night. His family lived in tremendous deprivation and barely eked out its existence from a tiny store that his wife ran. She was prepared, even satisfied, to bear the burden of parnasa; the main thing being that her great husband, the outstanding talmid chochom and tzaddik, sit and learn. Yet, there were times that she had to ask her husband to do something for the family. That is, it was high time that their oldest daughter marry; their second daughter was also of age. It wasnt only that there wasnt a penny for a dowry; there wasnt even money with which to buy a dress and decent shoes for the girls. In situations like these, people who were destitute but were

elevated bnei Torah had to take up the wanderers staff and travel to the big city in order to find a way to earn some money. It was possible to earn a nice sum by teaching children of families of means. Sometimes, rabbanim and askanim would raise money for a distinguished Torah scholar. R Yeshayas wife poured out her heart to her husband and gave him more than a hint. He had to do as those other men did because it was a tremendous pity on the girls. R Yeshaya appeased her with warm words that came from his heart, saying that surely Hashem would send proper matches for their daughters as well as the money that was needed. He, the father, would surely do whatever he could do.

suDDen Journey
However, R Yeshaya could not tear himself away from his Torah study and avodas Hashem. Bittul Torah was no small thing! Apparently, he kept on postponing making the trip to the big city. But then one time, something happened which revived the hearts of R Yeshaya, his wife, and daughters. R Yeshaya asked his wife to prepare a bundle with some food for him (a few slices of bread with onion

40 12 Iyar 5772

and a change of underclothes), since he wanted to go away for some time. His wife happily prepared what he needed. He parted from his family and left the old tumbledown hut they lived in. He had no money with which to travel by horse and wagon. He walked and only occasionally did a passing wagon driver give him a lift. A few weeks passed and R Yeshaya appeared at the entrance to their hovel with shining countenance. The faces of his wife and daughters also lit up for they assumed he had been successful, thank G-d, and had not returned empty-handed. Their hearts trembled with joy when he told them that he had brought them a gift, which he would show them after they ate. What could the gift be if not money with which to marry off his daughter. The family did not urge him to show them the present and waited patiently until after Continued from page 42

the meager meal his wife had prepared. After eating and before bentching, R Yeshaya rose and joyously said that it was time to tell them about the big present he had brought.

The big presenT

For a long time I have wondered whether the words al yichasreinu in the bentching is the conclusion of the bracha, HaKeil Avinu, and needs to be responded to with amen, or whether the bracha continues further and you cannot answer amen. There are opinions that this is the end of the bracha and others say it isnt. It was very hard for me to decide the Halacha. It bothered me very much until I decided to speak to the gaon (the Vilna Gaon) of our times. I told him what I thought and wanted to hear his psak Halacha. I could not do this in writing and had to speak to him face to face. That is what I did. Boruch Hashem, I got a clear psak

Halacha that al yichasreinu is the conclusion of the bracha and amen needs to be said.1 Do you realize what a gift this is? From now on, we will be able to respond with another amen every time we bentch! We do not know the familys reaction to this surprise gift that he brought. We can only use our imagination, but can you picture someone like R Yeshaya nowadays? In the family they said that R Yeshaya blessed his children that Hashem would protect them for six generations from serving in the czars army (it seems that at the end of his life they began drafting Jews into the army) and so it was. Uncle Yaakov, my grandmothers brother, was from a later generation and was drafted in World War I. Sadly, he did not return.
1) It should be noted that this is not Chabad practice.

starting to panic. He would have to get everyone safely back to the shul without leaving anyone behind. Okay guys, I want everyone to hold hands. Im going first. Ill say my name, and give a little squeeze to the hand Im holding. Whoever that hand belongs to will call out his name, and give a light squeeze to the next persons hand. That person will call out his own name, and so on until we are sure that everyone is accounted for. Then we keep holding on as we move together towards the shul. We are in this together, and we will only get out of this together. The boys, relieved to have guidance, followed Srulis instructions without a murmur

of protest. They started walking, holding hands, in silence, until someone started a slow song. Other boys joined in, surprisingly singing together in harmony. They were halfway to the end of the park, when Sruli thought he heard a low moan. Stop, everyone! Everyone stood still and silent. Now everyone could hear a moan. Whos making that noise? Ooooh! Its me, Kalman! I tripped when the lights went out. Ooooh, my foot. I think I twisted my ankle! Sruli called out: Dont worry Kalman, together we will get you safely back to the shul. Boys, keep holding hands and spread out to the left. Well walk slowly until we find Kalman. Then whoever is nearest to

him will help him up, and support him until we get to the shul. All the boys managed to stay together as they made their way through the darkness, taking Kalman with them. As they neared the shul, Moshie, who was holding on to Sruli, commented: Your dream reminded me of what we learned in class, how all of the Jewish people are like one big body. If you reject another Jew, its like your right foot arguing with the left foot. When we are all in harmony with one another, we are complete. Then Hashem showers us with blessing. Sruli smiled. The weekend hadnt turned out so bad after all. The lesson is based on the Maamer Mitzvahs Ahavas Yisroel in Derech Mitzvosecha.

Issue 832

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YounG cHAssID

BATTLE OF THE FEET

By M.E. Gordon

he large van pulled into the shul driveway. Sruli was glad to see Kalman waiting in front, looking calm and organized. If Sruli would have realized how nerve-wracking it would be to tackle Friday afternoon traffic with a dozen kids bickering in the back, he would never have agreed to help Kalman with this Shabbaton. Oh well, thought Sruli. Im here and I might as well do the best I can. Maybe the kids will behave better once they are out of this crowded van. Kalman greeted the boys as they piled out of the car and said in a friendly but firm voice: Okay, everyone, glad you made it here. We have only one hour to candle lighting, so everybody should take their sleeping bags and overnight cases and bring them to the large empty classroom at the end of the hallway. Go through this door; the hallway is on the right. That set off a mad scramble for bags as each boy wanted to get to the classroom first, and choose the best spot to spread out his sleeping bag. Moshie tripped over a stray shoe and bumped into Chaim, who shoved him back. Moshie picked himself up with a roar, and was about to pay Chaim back with interest, when Shimmy jumped in front of him screaming Watch out! Thats my shoe thats getting kicked around! Kalman quickly intervened, separating the three, and somehow managed to negotiate a truce. Sruli wondered again what kind of weekend he had

gotten himself into. This group seemed to have no sense of unity, no feeling for one another. When Kalman had asked Sruli to come along, he had warned him about this; in fact this was the main reason why Kalman had organized this Shabbaton. He was determined to change the boys attitudes towards each other, and he had carefully prepared stories, songs, and activities based on the theme of You shall love your fellow as you love yourself. As the weekend progressed, Sruli did not see much change in the boys behavior. Kalman told story after story, but although the boys were eager to hear every word, they still argued over who would sit where. The songs were taught, but no one sang together each boy sang at his pace, at the key that he thought it should be sung in. The activities that were supposed to foster unity instead became sources of arguments. Okay guys, Kalman announced after Havdala, weve got a Melaveh Malka barbecue set up in the large park across the road. The path is well lit, but please stick together because it makes life much easier when we work together. Except for a few arguments about who sits next to whom, the boys settled down quite quickly. Kalman came over to Sruli, and whispered, I want to go back to the shul kitchen and get the popsicles from the freezer for dessert. Can you keep the boys occupied with a story or game meanwhile?

No problem, answered Sruli, sounding more confident than he felt. He stood up and called for attention, with a silent prayer that Hashem should guide his lips. I have a story that none of you have ever heard before. Bet you I did! interrupted Shimmy. I know every story! Well, you couldnt have heard this one! It actually was a dream I had, and you are the first people that I am telling it to! Why are you telling us about a dream? It says that dreams are like unopened letters there is a message to be found in each dream. Listen to my dream, and see if you can decipher the message. I dreamt that I was walking through a forest. Suddenly, I heard a little voice complaining, Why do I have to do all of the work? What are you complaining about? Im working just as hard, if not more! said another voice. I looked around to see who was talking, and it took a few minutes to realize that it was my feet talking. The left foot and the right foot were arguing! And what about me? I have to follow your lead and bend and straighten whenever you want to move! This was the right knee speaking. Well Ive had enough! Im not going with you anymore! said my left knee. With that, my legs gave way, and I found myself on the ground, unable to walk. Sruli would have continued, but all of a sudden the park lights went out. It was pitch black, except for a glimmer of light where the shul was situated. Sruli had to think fast, as the boys were Continued on page 41

42 12 Iyar 5772