CONTENTS

6
FEATURED ARTICLES

WEEKLY COLUMNS

3 Dvar Malchus
11 Shlichus
20 Farbrengen
25 Parsha Thought
34 Tzivos Hashem

TO BE RICH

Menachem Ziegelboim

JEWISH LIFE
12 REVIVING
IN ETHIOPIA
Nosson Avrohom

18

22 DIAMONDS
FOR DAILY LIFE
REBBES TRUTH IS
28 THE
ABSOLUTE
D. Chaim

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2015-02-17 7:14:26 AM

DVAR MALCHUS

TRANSFORMING
THE SERPENT
In the Egyptian exile there was no alternative other
than to nullify or crush the opposition, which was
accomplished by the Plagues against Egypt. In that
case there was no choice, as it were, but to use severe
force. But apart from that scenario, where possible,
we strive to confront opposition specifically with pleasant and peaceful
means. * From Chapter Seven of Rabbi Shloma Majeskis Likkutei Mekoros
(Underlined text is the compilers emphasis.)
Translated by Boruch Merkur

9. [] in fact, the opposition

itself (the Mitzriim, the
Egyptians) willingly consents
to assist in the redemption (to
whatever extent possible).
(True, in the Egyptian
exile there was no alternative
other than to nullify or crush
the opposition, which was
accomplished by the Plagues
against Egypt. In that case there
was no choice, as it were, but to
use severe force. But apart from
that scenario, where possible,
we strive to confront opposition
specifically with pleasant and
peaceful means.)
This approach of
transforming the opposition
prepares for the ultimate dwelling
place for G-d in the lower
realms, in the true and complete
redemption. In the Future Era
even the serpent tanin

hagadol (Pharaoh) will be a

great servant of holiness.
10. The exodus from Egypt
was not the ultimate refinement
of the lower world, the physical
dimension. This incompleteness
is evidenced by the fact that the
nation fled: in great haste you
left the Land of Egypt. Evil
was still at its strength (which
is understood from the fact it
was followed by: They (Egypt)
pursued the Jewish people.
The exodus from Egypt was
not complete until The Jewish
people saw Egypt die on the sea
shore.)
The ultimate refinement
of the world will take place
specifically at the end of this final
exile, with the true and complete
redemption As in the days of
your exodus from Egypt, I shall
show you wonders. Thus, the
exodus from the current exile,

with the [final] redemption,

is described as being, not in
haste will they depart; they will
not go at a hurried gait, for
I will eradicate the spirit of
impurity from the land [i.e.,
there will be no evil to run away
from during the exodus from
the final exile, because G-d will
have vanquished evil from the
world]. We shall leave exile (with
speed but at the same time) in
tranquility of body and spirit,
and with perfect health. We
shall go immediately (without
any interruption) to the eternal
life of souls in bodies in the
true and complete redemption
(the ultimate, perfect reward, as
above).
(Wednesday of Parshas Bo, 3
Shvat, and Shabbos Parshas Bo, 6
Shvat 5752; Seifer HaSichos 5752,
pg. 290)

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FEATURE

TO BE

RICH

Wealthy people and wealth were not highly

regarded in the world of Chassidus, even though
there were great Chassidim who were very
rich and gave much tzdaka. * What was the
difference of opinion between the Rebbe and the
Kapitchnitzer Rebbe about wealth? How did the
Rebbe explain the fact that Rebbi would honor
the rich, and why did scarcely any Chassidim
raise their hand when the Rebbe offered wealth to
whoever asked for it? * Insights about wealth and
wealthy people presented for Parshas Truma.
By Menachem Ziegelboim

WEALTH USEFUL,
PLEASANT BUT DANGEROUS
Wealth is it good or bad?
It depends on who you ask.
The world says its great because
you can do so many wonderful,
useful things with it. If you ask a
Chassid, hell say its not befitting
a Chassid.

Is that so?
Like anything in Chassidus,
there are varying angles from
which you can look at it. The
question really is how something
is used and what ones relationship
or attitude is toward it.
The Rebbe Rayatz summed
it up pithily when he said,
Ashirus (wealth) is useful and

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The Chamber of Wealth is situated between Gan

Eden and Gehinom. The Chamber of Wealth has
two doors, one facing the other. One door leads to Gan
Eden and the other to Gehinom.

pleasant, but it is also dangerous

merchandise.
During
many
periods
in history, wealth was not
synonymous with good character
or fear of heaven, to say the
least. Although many great Torah
scholars had ample livelihoods
and some of them were wealthy,
still and all, there was a certain
ambivalence
toward
them.
A wealthy person was seen
as someone whose head was
primarily in his business affairs
while he was somewhat cool to
matters of Judaism. There were
segments of the population,
Chassidic ones in particular,
who distanced themselves from
wealth and wealthy people. The
Rebbe Rashab once said to a
rich Chassid who had a galoshes
factory, Feet in galoshes Ive
seen, but a head in galoshes?!
The way of Chabad is to
approach every matter and
issue from the perspective of
avodas Hashem; to investigate,
search, and reach the truth of
the matter, and use it in the best
possible way. In this matter too,
the Rebbeim laid out a broad
perspective on the problems
inherent in wealth, not in order to
dismiss it, but to pave the way for
those who serve Hashem so they
can walk securely on this path,
even with wealth.
In an amazing sicha that the
Rebbe Rayatz gave in 1936, he
expounds on the ambivalence
toward wealth and the wealthy.
The Rebbe begins the discussion
with the verse in Koheles, There
is a grievous evil that Ive seen
under the sun, and quotes the

Midrash that enumerates various

rich people like Korach, Navos,
Haman, the bnei Gad, the bnei
Reuven, and Iyov. These five,
albeit very different from each
other, are archetypes of people
whose wealth caused them to
come to harm, some on the
physical plane and for some it
even led to their death. Of those
five rich men, Rashi picks the
extremely wealthy Korach as
a prototype for generations to
come when he cites the verse,
wealth preserved for its owner to
his detriment like the wealth
of Korach, for it caused him to be
arrogant and he descended into
the abyss.
The Rebbe Rayatz expands on
this, saying Wealth preserved for
its owner to his detriment comes
in different ways and the main
one is pride that comes from
wealth, arrogance with no limit.
When he becomes rich, he forgets
who he is and where he comes
from. He seems in his own eyes
to be wise, pedigreed, a knowit-all, and above all, the and the
rich respond impudently grows
in bizarre proportions.
The Rebbe goes on to tell
a story that happened in the
years 5639-5641 (1879-81)
when, among the government
figures in Petersburg, there was
much incitement for pogroms
and anti-Semitism. At those
times, there were frequent
meetings held by gdolei Yisroel
in Petersburg which were also
attended by the wealthy Jews
of Petersburg. At one of those
meetings, in which they discussed
a religious question, some of the
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Feature
rich men expressed themselves
disrespectfully regarding Torah
and mitzvos.
One of the gdolei Yisroel
who was very upset by this, said:
Although the rich people dont
concur with this view, we cannot
rely on their opinion since the
measuring scales of the wealth
are not correct.
This
shocked
everyone
present, especially the wealthy
men who were there. They were
shaken.
But this particular gadol
did not stop there. He went
on to lace into the wealthy and
said, Shlomo HaMelech knew
good and well what riches are
since, because of his wealth and
because of his nature, he was in

his son Ed]. The upheavals

that have occurred in our days
have shown us clearly what the
solidity of wealth is and what
value it has.
Everyone remembers in the
depths of his heart with what
dismissive impudence of the
wealthy he dismissed the one who
wasnt rich, with what casualness
he treated the needs of the poor.
May Hashem have mercy and
rehabilitate them and restore their
wealth and surely they will behave
differently. The Rebbe then told
a story from the year 5659 (see
sidebar).
The story was that the
Mitteler Rebbe asked his father
the Alter Rebbe why rich people
are arrogant by nature. Suddenly,

The chassidim present were stunned. None of

them expected such a heavenly revelation like
this. And anyway, when since Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
was such wealth offered to talmidim in such an easy
way? Whoever wanted to be rich merely had to raise his
hand. What an opportunity!
the category of and a rich person
responds impudently. But the
wealth and impudence need
to match. However, there are
some whose impudence is much
greater than their wealth.
The Rebbe Rayatz went on
to say, It is not necessary to
speak about wealth preserved for
its owner to his detriment, G-d
forbid. Everyone knows what is
written in the next verse, And
those riches are lost through an
evil design, and he will give birth
to a son who will have nothing in
his hand, and everyone knows
what the Midrash says on that,
[because he did not give to the
poor and even what he did give
he gave grudgingly, he will not
keep his wealth to pass along to

their middos change and they

become arrogant! The Alter
Rebbe replied:
Hashem established the
nature of pride within wealth.
The Chamber of Wealth is
situated between Gan Eden
and Gehinom. The Chamber
of Wealth has two doors, one
facing the other. One door leads
to Gan Eden and the other to
Gehinom.
The grandfather, the Baal
Shem Tov, said that wealth is
Gan Eden for one and Gehinom
for another. The Alter Rebbe
explained: One who uses wealth
for tzdaka and Torah and
mitzvos, the wealth itself is Gan
Eden. The one who uses wealth
for himself, for matters of this

world or he holds on to it like

a treasure, the wealth itself is
Gehinom.

DEBATE AMONG
THE ADMURIM
Our Rebbe said that every Jew
ought to be wealthy. It was this
week, twenty-three years ago,
Parshas Truma 5752, that the
Rebbe surprised the Chassidim in
the course of a farbrengen when
he said:
First of all, we learn from
this that Hashem declares in
His holy Torah, the Torah which
is eternal for all generations
and in all places, that every
single Jew is connected firstly
to gold. Simply put, every single
Jew needs to be wealthy, both
spiritually and materially, literal
wealth!
From this there is an
instruction, that a Jew needs to
try to become rich in all areas
starting with spiritual wealth
there is no ashir except in daas
to be wealthy in Torah and
mitzvos and also material
wealth so he can fulfill Torah
and mitzvos with peace of soul
and body.
The Rebbe also refers to
the nature of riches in Yemos
HaMoshiach. In the sicha of
Acharei-Kdoshim 5751, the
Rebbe reassures the wealthy
who are worried that their
wealth wont have any value in
Yemos HaMoshiach. The Rebbe
explains that Geula includes all
matters of galus in a way that
they are elevated to the status of
Geula. Therefore, the wealthy
have nothing to worry about the
Geula.
The Rebbe met with the
Kapitchnitzer
Rebbe,
R
Avrohom Yehoshua Heschel, in
Av 5718/1958. They discussed
expansive parnasa which the

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The Kapitchnitzer Rebbe

Jewish people ought to have, to

the extent of wealth. The Rebbe
even said, If only all Jews had
wealth, even less than the wealth
of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. The
Kapitchnitzer Rebbe maintained
that wealth is a spiritual test and
said, I am afraid of the nisayon
of wealth, but the Rebbe insisted
that the Admur agree to wealth.
The Rebbe said to him:
Poverty is a test, a worse
test, which causes a person to
traverse his knowledge and the
knowledge of his Maker, and
with this nisayon one toils and
suffers. The nisayon of wealth is
better!
The Rebbe proved from the
conduct of Moshe Rabbeinu
that Jews need wealth. The
Kapitchnitzer
Rebbe
tried
arguing that he was old and if he
was asking for something already,
he would ask for Moshiach.
The Rebbe said to him: What
contradiction is there between
the two things? Ask for both!
When the Admur spoke about
the Saraph [as the Kotzker Rebbe
was known] who did not have
wealth, the Rebbe responded:
That is the behavior of seraphim
but Jews who live in this
physical world need children,

life and ample parnasa, and

in fact all of them should be
ample.
One could see how the Rebbe
wanted the Admur to bless Jews
that they be wealthy. Chassidim
sensed that something lofty was
hidden within this debate and
perhaps it was an auspicious
time. The Rebbe continued to
press his guest. Toward the
end of the conversation, the
Rebbe asked the Admur: I want
you to agree that Jews need
wealth. The Admur realized it
wasnt a simple matter that the
Rebbe was insisting so strongly
and so he responded to the
Rebbes satisfaction: I agree
wholeheartedly.

CHABADSKE NONSENSE
Despite the nisayon of wealth,
our Rebbeim never eschewed
wealth, and whenever they spoke
about it they made a point of
citing its good points as well as
its negative aspects.
One day, the Tzemach
Tzedek left his room and asked
the Chassidim: Tell me, what
level of prosperity that a Jew
has would not be considered
extraneous luxury?

Apparently, the Rebbe saw

that a heavenly accusation was
being leveled at Jews who were
not satisfied with a one room
rickety hut on the edge of town
and were building themselves a
house.
Present was a clever Chassid
who quickly responded to the
Rebbe. Beis choma and 50,000
rubles in the bank (A beis
choma was something in those
days like a villa nowadays and
yet the Chassid did not consider
it in the category of luxury). The
Tzemach Tzedek smiled and
returned to his room.

PURIM 5715/1955
Hundreds
of
Chassidim
gathered
for
the
Purim
farbrengen with the Rebbe. The
area was small but everyone
crowded in joyously for it was
Purim!
None of them knew of the
extraordinary revelation awaiting
them. One sicha followed another
and in between, the Chassidim
sang niggunim. Suddenly, the
Rebbes face lit up and he said:
People complain, why is
avoda with mesirus nefesh
demanded and they say it would

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Feature
be far better if every person sat
under his vine and under his
fig tree with plenty of material
things and children, life and a
plentiful livelihood.
They dont speak about
wealth and not about luxuries
that interfere with spirituality
and even with materiality as
in the analogy of the Tzemach
Tzedek about clothing; just as
short clothing are not befitting,
so too, clothing that is too
long is not good because you
can trip on it. The same is
true for all material matters
which are external and are
called garments, You clothed
me in skin and flesh, as we
unfortunately see with some
wealthy people that the test
of wealth is a bigger test and
requires a lot of toil to withstand
and as it says in Tanya [when
describing a lot of toil] demands
several hours of meditation
At this point, the Rebbe
paused and then continued:
Nevertheless, may Hashem
give every Jew wealth and
may there be toil of the soul
and flesh and the need for
meditation for a number of
hours in order to do away with
the test. In America, everything
goes by a vote and so, whoever
is willing to have outstanding
wealth and doesnt care about
the toil, should raise their right
hand with a whole heart.
The people present were
stunned. None of them expected
such a heavenly revelation like
this. And anyway, when since
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was
such wealth offered to talmidim
in such an easy way? Whoever
wanted to be rich merely had
to raise his hand. What an
opportunity!
The Rebbe waited a few
moments and looked around.
Apparently, most of the people

who were under the influence

of the sicha which had just been
said about the difficulty of the
test of wealth, did not get up the
nerve to raise their hand. Only
three people raised their hand.
Then the Rebbe said:
Later they complain that this
is lacking and that is lacking but
when there was an auspicious
time they made Chabadske
shtusim What should I do
with them, in material matters
they pursue every doubt and a
shadow of a doubt on the off
chance that it might pay off. And
when there is a farbrengen with
more than a minyan of Jews and
there is an auspicious time to
grab something connected with
Hashem Himself, they lose the
opportunity just so they can
be called baalei mochin (men
of intellect). What should I
do? This wont interfere even
spiritually and there will be
more time and strength to do
things in this physical world
in strengthening Torah and
mitzvos
Chassidim say that those
few who raised their hands at
that special Purim farbrengen
became very wealthy. Those who
attended the farbrengen know
who they are.
One of the Chassidim who
was present later said that
many people who hear the story
wonder why Chassidim did not
take advantage of the offer, but
only those who were there could
understand the atmosphere, that
after the Rebbe had spoken at
length about the test of wealth
and had said it was harder than
the test of poverty and then he
offered, whoever wants wealth
should vote after such an
introduction, nearly everyone was
afraid to raise their hand.
The Rebbe spoke about this
in a letter to a woman who had

apparently been surprised that

the Rebbe wished Jews wealth.
He wrote in 5717:
It is obvious and well
known that I wish that every
Jew live a life of expansiveness
not just spiritual expansiveness
but material expansiveness too,
in the literal sense. And even
though the test of wealth is
greater than the opposite test, it
is a positive thing in the service
to his Maker of man who draws
life from the Source of all Life.

WHY DID REBBI GIVE

HONOR TO THE RICH?
In one of the sichos, the
Rebbe explains the statement in
the Gemara that Rebbi (Rabbi
Yehuda HaNasi) would give
honor to the rich. Was their
wealth so important that even
Rebbi honored them?
The Rebbe says that if
Divine Providence gave the
rich man the means to do great
things in Hashems world, then
obviously he also has the soul
powers necessary to fulfill this
special role. A person like this
deserves honor because heaven
has bestowed him with special
abilities.
In a letter that the Rebbe sent
to the second Israeli President,
Yitzchok Ben Tzvi, in 5716, he
brings up another point about the
idea of Rebbi giving honor to the
rich:
The rich, people whom divine
providence has given the means
to accomplish a lot of good things
in Hashems world, certainly
have the requisite soul powers to
fulfill this role, a role which goes
far beyond the role of an average
person and all the more so, a
poor person.
Rabbeinu HaKadosh (Rebbi),
who lived in a transition era in
Jewish history, from a tranquil

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life, relatively speaking, to a life of

evil decrees and persecution, and
who had to muster all his strength
in order to help the Jewish people
in this challenge and emerge
whole and safe, had the job of
examining each one and trying
to utilize all his capabilities. This
is why he expressed a feeling of
respect toward those who were
given greater possibilities from
above, which surely was also
utilized toward protecting all that
is sacred to the Jewish people, as
all of the activities of Rabbeinu
HaKadosh.
However, in accordance with
the general governance of the
world, every Jew has free choice
and Hashem tests him to see
whether he loves Hashem etc.
and observes His mitzvos and
listens to Him, etc. So too, free
choice is given to all the wealthy
and as it says, See I have given
before you today, life and good
etc. to fulfill through free choice,
as the verse ends, and choose
life, or G-d forbid, the opposite.
Obviously, if this is said about
those who are rich with gold and
silver, then all the more so those
who are rich in their power of
influence on their surroundings,
near and far. Also obvious,
since there is One in charge of
this world and nothing is for
naught, an active and positive
use of wealth is necessary and it
is not at all sufficient to just not
use wealth in undesirable ways.
(Igros Kodesh vol. 12, p. 413)
***
Well conclude with an idea
that the Rebbe said regarding the
wealthy and the fact that people
strive to imitate them:
The fact that he will be rich
and will be ranked among the
financial elites that appear on
the list of those in the 95% tax
bracket is not yet the purpose of
mans creation, but rather all his

The Rebbe Rayatz once expressed a wish that if he had a certain amount
of money and he said a large amount in the millions of dollars he could
bring Moshiach.
Ramash asked him why he didnt bless the Chassidim with wealth and
solve the problem. The Rebbe Rayatz looked at him but did not respond.
Ramash stood there submissively and did not ask again.
After the Rebbe accepted the nesius, one of the Chassidim had yechidus
and reminded the Rebbe about this incident. He said now the Rebbe himself
could bless Chassidim with wealth and hasten the Geula. The Rebbe said,
From here [from the perspective of Rebbe] you see things differently.
matters ought to be for the sake
of holiness so he can learn Torah
with peace of mind, to fulfill
mitzvos in an expansive way, and
give tzdaka generously.
And yet not to suffice with
that but to try and have a positive
influence on others, for if he is
rich he can more easily influence
others. We see that a poor person

is mocked and a rich person

is imitated even when he does
something foolish, and all the
more so when he does something
proper. Therefore, when he puts
on tfillin, everyone will put on
tfillin, when he keeps Shabbos,
everyone will keep Shabbos,
because they see that because he
kept Shabbos, he became rich.
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SHLICHUS

ANASH-SHLICHUS

very morning, Refael Becher

goes to his classroom in the
Chabad school in Ofakim.
He welcomes the children
with a big smile and says, Boker tov
yaldei Yisroel (good morning, Jewish
children).
They respond, Boker tov
hamelamed Refael (good morning,
Teacher Refael).
Ma
shlomchem
tzon
kedoshim? (How are you holy
sheep) he asks.
Boruch Hashem, et HaMoshiach
anu dorshim (thank G-d, we seek
Moshiach).
R Refael Becher or, as many of
us know him, hamelamed Refael,
is a teacher for over twenty-five
years. He teaches and spreads the
Besuras HaGeula in a variety of
creative ways.
R Becher became interested in
Chabad in his younger years and
then he became a teacher.
Year after year I taught
students and boruch Hashem, I was
successful. But I always looked for
ways to improve.
Refael has a talent for writing and
composing verse, but for a long time
he did not put this talent to use.
I started writing songs about
topics I taught in the classroom and
I put the words to familiar Chabad
tunes and it caught on. I saw that the
children liked it and they absorbed it
better and faster.
Since then, song has become an
integral part of the lessons that he
teaches. Experiential learning, its
called.
R Becher decided to take it a
step further. Faithful to the Chassidic
philosophy that we need to use the
talents we are gifted by Hashem in
order to sanctify the world and bring
the Geula, Refael began what he now

Name: Refael Becher

Age: 48
Children: 9
Occupation: 1st grade teacher
Location: Beer Sheva

By Zalman Tzorfati
calls the shlichus of his life creating
CDs and books for children on the
topic of Moshiach and Chassidus in
general.
I saw that my songs were
popular in the classroom and I
figured that if it is possible to instill
complex messages for children in
my class through song, there was no
reason why this wouldnt work for
other children.
The first project we did was
a CD on the Rebbeim. It became a
small series of CDs in which you
can hear a story and song about each
Rebbe. I wrote the words and put
them to familiar Chabad tunes. The
child then benefits double, both from
the story about the Rebbe and from
the Chabad niggun which he learns.
Then I produced a CD on Tanya
with the identical principal. The fifth
CD is called Rotzim LHigael and is
entirely dedicated to the Geula and
our longing for it, all in light of the
Rebbes sichos.
Refael did not stop there.
The positive feedback he has
received about the CDs and
the sense of mission, have
propelled
him
to
continue.
The market is flooded with books
for kids but I noted a dismaying

absence of childrens books that

convey messages about the Geula.
So he sat down to write and when
he does that, the results are usually
impressive. He wrote two books with
a third on the way.
The first book is called Wedding
in Pajamas which is the famous
parable of the man who refused to
attend his nephews wedding until he
was finally enticed to come while still
wearing pajamas. The point is clear,
conveying the idea that we need to
prepare for the Geula.
The second book is called A Gift
for Melech HaMoshiach and it is
also based on a famous story about a
simple man who wanted to give a gift
to Moshiach. The third book is called
The Geula Dance which is about
the importance of saying Thillim to
prepare for the Geula.
The feedback I get is great,
thank G-d, and encourages me to
continue. It is very important to
instill these concepts in the children,
and story and song are excellent
ways of doing so. My goal is that
the topic of Moshiach, Geula, and
mainly preparing for it should not
be an abstract idea for kids or just
a slogan. It should be relevant and
practical for them.

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SHLICHUS

REVIVING
JEWISH LIFE
IN ETHIOPIA
A young couple that never thought of going on
shlichus in Africa, found themselves running a
seder in Addis Ababa, the capitol of Ethiopia.
After Yom Tov, the couple returned to Eretz
Yisroel. Sometime later they ended up opening
a permanent Chabad house in Addis Ababa. *
Shlichus in a backward country where everything
becomes a major challenge.
By Nosson Avrohom

ddis Ababa is the capitol

of Ethiopia. The name
means the new flower.
Two years ago, a new
flower opened its petals in Ethiopia
in the form of a new Chabad
house. The lives of the shluchim,
particularly in the first year, were
not strewn with roses. The first
thing you notice when you arrive
in the city is the enormous number
of people sleeping in the street;
sick people, lepers, the poor, and
other down and outs. Most people
live in ancient tin huts. Theres filth

everywhere. Addis Ababa is also

rife with pickpockets. When you
go out on the street you must only
take the minimum and make sure
to leave important items at home,
well hidden.
Nearly every week we
hear stories of tourists whose
documents were stolen along with
their money, says the shliach,
R Eliyahu Chaviv. Everyday life
in Ethiopia isnt easy, especially
for someone who was born and
raised in Eretz Yisroel and got

used to its conveniences.

So how did R Eliyahu and
his wife Devorah Leah end up in
Ethiopia? By divine providence,
of course. If you were to ask
them, neither of them had plans
of serving as shluchim in an
African country. Today, they
work with dozens of Jews every
day, Jews of all kinds, along with
the local Jewish community, a
small community that has existed
in this city for over a hundred
years. They also work with
people at the embassy and with

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businessmen, with backpackers

and volunteers who come from
all over the world to Ethiopia.
The shluchims first project
was the Seder they organized
two years ago, when over
150 people showed up. Jews
came from all the neighboring
countries to Ethiopia in order to
properly celebrate Pesach. That
was the kickoff and since then,
the Chabad house has become
a magnet for all the Jews in the
country.
Included in their regular

activities are: checking mezuzos,

tfillin,
kashrus,
minyanim,
kosher shchita, a Sunday school,
shiurim, suppers, Shabbos meals
and other Jewish activities.

JUMPING INTO
THE DEEP WATER
After they married, the Chaviv
couple lived in Shikun Chabad
in Lud. R Eliyahu learned in
the local kollel and his wife
completed her studies in Beis
Rivka.

A few months before we

married, I was on shlichus in
Hampi, India. One day, we got
a phone call from an annoyed
Israeli who said he was in
Ethiopia for a few days with
a group of Israelis who were
touring the African continent
and they still hadnt located a
Chabad house! I repeated this to
my friends and after that the joke
was that I would open a Chabad
house in Ethiopia.
About two weeks before
Pesach of that year, the Chavivs

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Shlichus
were discussing where to be for
Pesach when he remembered that
phone conversation. He and his
wife made the daring decision to
arrange a seder in Addis Ababa.
After we received a positive
answer from the Rebbe, we began
fundraising and within a few days
we were on the flight to Addis
Ababa. The truth is that at that
time we knew next to nothing
about Ethiopia, except for the fact
that many people from Ethiopia
emigrated to Eretz Yisroel. We
were a young couple with a little
girl who had jumped on to the
shlichus wagon of lchatchilla
aribber.
Before we left, we got the
email address of an Israeli tour
guide who lives in Addis Ababa.

arrived in Addis Ababa. Nothing

had been prepared for Pesach
except for the fact that we had
informed every Israeli we met that
we were going to make a seder.
Where would it be? Who would
prepare the food? We didnt
know yet. When days passed and
the food that we brought was
fast dwindling, we panicked and
asked the Rebbe for a bracha. In
the answer we opened, the Rebbe
was responding about a shidduch
and said that searching for it had
to be done like looking for a lost
object. We understood from this
that the Rebbe wanted us to start
making physical vessels and the
spiritual blessings would come.
From that point on, we saw
divine providence in all our work.

The biggest hardship, according to the shliach,

is the very slow pace of life. A popular Ethiopian
aphorism is, What you need to do today, do tomorrow.
Thats the opposite of a Chabad chinuch in which what
needs to be done today, we did already yesterday.
We contacted him and he was
happy to help us. When we made
a list of what we needed to bring
from Eretz Yisroel and what we
could buy there, he was a big
help. He also helped us a lot once
we arrived. As soon as we came,
we rented a room in a motel close
to the area where the tourists are
and also close to the shul in the
small community. Its the only
shul in Ethiopia.
We were prepared with food
for a number of days and we
began to get our bearings.
In hindsight, R Chaviv
realizes how daring he and his
wife had to be. Armed with the
Rebbes bracha, they worked with
faith that all would go well.
The first days were really
hard. A week before Pesach we

The first thing we had to do

was find a kitchen that we could
use for Pesach and for our entire
stay in the city. We figured we
could use a part of a kitchen in
one of the hotels which we would
kasher and then make sure that
no hotel employees would be
allowed to enter. We did not
think a hotel would give us an
entire kitchen.
In
astonishing
divine
providence, when we sat down
with a manager of one of the
hotels and with hand motions we
tried to explain what we wanted,
a close friend of his came in, the
leader of the Aden community
by the name of Sholom. He lives
in England but comes to Addis
Ababa throughout the year on
business and he also looks out
for the remaining members of his

community.
Sholom turned out to be a
warmhearted Jew with a great
desire to help. He was excited
about the purpose of our being
there and presented our needs to
the hotel manager.
He amazed us when he said
he had managed to convince
the hotel manager to designate
an entire office for us which
would serve as a kitchen. He
also arranged that the lobby of
the hotel be given to us for free
and that we could use it for
the seder. Within a few days,
hotel employees had finished
renovating the office space and
turned it into a kitchen. We
bought pots, an oven, and lots of
utensils. We got a fridge from an
Israeli woman who lives here, and
we bought fruits and vegetables
and got down to work.
Two days before Yom Tov
the shluchim were busy getting
the word out. They estimated
that about fifty people would be
joining them, even though far
fewer registered.
Israelis are last minute kind
of people and Erev Pesach a few
more dozen registered. We ended
up having about 150 people, most
of them Jews who work at foreign
embassies. We got the entire staff
from the Israeli embassy. Aside
from them, many tourists came,
as well as some people from the
Aden community. We had people
wearing ties sitting alongside
backpackers wearing shmattes;
there was a lot of achdus that
Pesach night.

ADDIS ABABA FOREVER

When Pesach was over, the
Chavivs returned home and
thought that was the end of
their exotic shlichus and now
they would look for a posting
somewhere in Eretz Yisroel.

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Divine providence thought

otherwise. For a few months
following our Pesach expedition,
we received daily phone calls
saying, We heard you were
here for Pesach. Where can we
get kosher food? Where is the
Chabad house?
We saw that a Chabad
presence in Addis Ababa is
important. We wrote to the Rebbe
and after opening to a bracha,
we decided to go back. We spent
Tishrei in Addis Ababa, knowing
that this is our shlichus till the
moment of the Rebbes hisgalus.
The couple spent the initial
months in the hotel where they
had been for Pesach and in small
apartments.
It wasnt easy to find a
spacious, normal home. The
good houses are rented at very
high rental fees because they
are a rarity and are used by
embassy people. But finally,
after several months, we found
a nice, spacious apartment. The
first Shabbos we were nervous
about how people would find us
but our fears were allayed when
35 people showed up. Part of the
house is for our personal use and
part is the Chabad house where
we have the tfillos and other
activities.
The shluchim are quite
busy throughout the week. In a
country where they are the only
Orthodox couple, they are the
ones people turn to for anything
Jewish-related. In addition to the
routine activities, there are some
special ones as well.
They send a text every
Shabbos with a message from
the parsha and the times that
Shabbos begins and ends.
The texts are sent to
hundreds of people, mainly
Israelis in Ethiopia.
Our first year here, after Yom
Kippur, an Israeli tourist came in

A shiur in the Chabad house

Setting up a menorah in the center of the capitol

who had been touring in a distant

village. He said that for the first
time in his life he had desecrated
Yom Kippur. For some reason,
he had miscalculated and during
Yom Kippur he had visited a
museum full of statues and
idols. One of the pictures in
the museum depicted a Jewish
woman lighting Shabbos candles
and this picture reminded him of
home. He called to say hello but
nobody answered the phone. He

could not get through until the

next day and was nervous about
what was going on. The next day
he received an annoyed call from
his parents with them wanting to
know why he had been calling
on Yom Kippur. Thats when he
realized his mistake.
He wanted to know how to
make up for this terrible sin. R
Chaviv learned a lesson from
this. We are the shluchim in this
country. How is it possible that

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Shlichus

I picked up the phone and it was an Israeli

businessman who had attended the seder and
wanted to give me a donation before he left Ethiopia.
I waited for him in the lobby of the hotel and within
a few minutes he arrived with an envelope. When I
opened it and counted the money, I froze. It was
exactly 4000 birr.
there is a Jew in Ethiopia who
forgets about Yom Kippur?
Over several weeks we
compiled a list of phone numbers
of all the Israelis that we knew in
Ethiopia and every Erev Shabbos
and Erev Yom Tov we remind
them of when it begins and ends
along with a short dvar Torah.
We have amassed hundreds of
phone numbers. When the people
at the embassy wanted to send
out invitations for a Memorial
Day ceremony, they asked to use
our list.
The shluchim are in close
contact with the embassy staff.
On that Memorial Day, for
example, R Chaviv was invited to
speak.
The shluchim dont suffice
with reminders about Shabbos.
Thursday night, Mrs. Chaviv
makes about a hundred challos
which they give out to dozens of
families living in Addis Ababa.
We stop for a few minutes
at each house and talk. In some
places, we stay to put on tfillin
with someone and to repeat a
point from a sicha on the parsha.
Shabbos
is
completely
devoted to outreach. We have
each participant at the meals
speak up if they want to. We ask
each one to introduce himself
and to tell some hashgacha pratis
story or about his connection to
Judaism.
A tourist once got up and
introduced himself and then told

us something that happened to

him just hours earlier. He said he
had been sitting in a taxi when he
felt a slap in the face. When he
recovered, he discovered that the
cell phone he had been holding
had been snatched from him.
What was the hashgacha pratis
in that, people wanted to know.
Clearly exasperated, he said,
Dont you get it? If I still had
my phone, I would be busy with
it and wouldnt be here at the
Shabbos table!

THE MANAGER OF THE

TEMPO COMPANY LOOKING
FOR SOULS IN ETHIOPIA
The prophecy of the End
of Days, that no Jew will be
completely lost, is something
experienced
in
Ethiopia.
Sometimes, the feeling is that the
reason for going on shlichus is
only to discover more and more
lost Jewish souls.
The Ethiopian government
gives a three month tourist
visa, thats all. If you want an
extension, you need to go to the
immigration office and submit
a request for an extension for
another month, and you need to
do this every month.
On our first year on shlichus,
I would visit that office every
month. In a spacious area are
some counters with immigration
officials manning them and there
are three hundred seats. When

the first person on line is called

to the counter, a musical chairs
ensues, with everyone moving
one seat forward. This game can
take hours and it took up way too
much of our time, but we had no
choice.
By
divine
providence,
each time I would go to the
immigration office I would meet
an Israeli or a western tourist who
would help me fill out the forms
in English. One time when I got
there I found a westerner sitting
a few seats before the end of the
line so I wasnt sure whether he
would be willing to help me. I
had no choice and I went over to
him. He spoke French and so do
I, which made it easy to have a
conversation.
He went out of his way to
help me and even relinquished
his place in the line to help me.
When he finished filling out the
forms, I asked him whether he
was Jewish. To my surprise, he
smiled and said, half Jewish,
for his mother was Jewish. He
said Jews claim he is Jewish and
gentiles claim he is a gentile. He
said once a year, on Yom Kippur,
he goes to synagogue as his
mother wanted, but he does not
understand anything there. That
summed up his Judaism.
I was thrilled because that
day the manager of the Tempo
company in Eretz Yisroel had
come to Addis Ababa and he was
in the year of mourning for his
father. He had asked me to get a
minyan together for Mincha and
Maariv and I was having a very
hard time finding a tenth man. I
convinced this fellow to join us
at the Chabad house. He did not
readily agree and I had to explain
to him that a Chabad house is
not a synagogue but a Jewish
community center; only then did
he agree.
On the way to the Chabad

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house he told me his purpose in

coming to Ethiopia. He said he
was looking for quiet in an outof-way place after recently having
gone through challenging divorce
proceedings in which he had lost
custody of his children.
We became good friends and
he came for Mincha and Maariv
and even put on tfillin with tears
in his eyes. The next Shabbos he
was one of our guests and later
on he rented an apartment in a
building near the Chabad house.
He visited us every day and on
Shabbos he was our steady guest.
Before our eyes we saw how a lost
Jewish neshama was returning
to its source. He learned the
tfillos and at a certain point he
translated all the relevant tfillos
into French. He would come with
his papers to shul while everyone
else davened from a siddur. He
was a quick learner. He is now
planning a trip to Eretz Yisroel
where he plans on learning in
a kollel for French speakers in
Yerushalayim.
R Chaviv continued with
another fascinating story:
In our first month here, we
sat with the head of the Aden
community, Sholom, who told us
about the Jews in the city. He said
there was an Israeli, Yoram, but
it was impossible to reach him. I
asked him where Yoram was and
he told me that he was in jail on
trumped up charges. I was taught
not to give up on any Jew and we
decided to go see him in jail.
We set out with a supply
of kosher food and books. The
trip was particularly arduous
but despite the exhausting trip
we had taken they did not let us
in to see him. They said we did
not have the proper documents.
In our stead, we sent in the
local driver who brought in our
package and said it was from us.
When we returned to Addis

Mobile Sukka with a message of Geula

A tourist does the mitzva of the Dalet minim in the sukka

Ababa, we went directly to the

embassy in order to get the right
papers, and when we got them,
even though it was Chol HaMoed
Pesach, we set out to see him a
second time.
We met an elderly Jew who
was ecstatic to meet us. We
danced and sang Pesach songs.
We learned that he was in jail for
two years already. The jail was a
collection of tin huts, a kind of
large pen in which 200 inmates

The new mikva which is being built

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Shlichus

EVERY TASK IS A CHALLENGE

Ethiopia has become a popular tourist spot. There is a lot to see there
with its salt flat deserts, lakes, wild animals, tall mountains, and even
an active volcano. Aside from the scenery, there are local tribes that are
untouched by civilization.
For the shluchim, life in Ethiopia entails numerous challenges which
they experience nearly every day.
We are constantly looking for solutions. Things that are taken for
granted in Eretz Yisroel or the US dont exist here. For example, it is
very difficult to find disposable dishes, which makes our constant hosting
difficult. I do the shchita myself. Unlike in western countries, the chickens
in Ethiopia are not clean and plump. They are very scrawny and their meat
is not flavorsome.
The country is not sanitary so the feathers turn gray and the smell
is almost impossible to get rid of. For a long time we looked for better
chickens and finally found a distant village where they raise better chickens.
Over there they also supply us with an electric machine to defeather them.
Getting chalav Yisroel is a whole project. We have to get up at five in
the morning for the milking. The cows do not always have enough milk, so
each time we try to calculate how much milk will be enough.
The workers at the Chabad house are replaced at a dizzying pace
and this is because they do not speak English and dont understand what
we want them to do. We spent a lot of time recently learning words in
Ethiopian, mainly the names of fruits and vegetables, but there are still a lot
of communication problems.
A fruit or vegetable we have today is no guarantee we will have it
tomorrow. We only drink mineral water and there have been times we were
left with almost no water because the shipment had not come into the stores.
Another thing which is very difficult is that each product is sold
someplace else. There is a store for vegetables, a store for fruits, a store for
toiletries. At first we wasted a lot of time going from store to store. Today,
our workers do it for us but we have to make a list every week of what we
need.
The biggest hardship, according to the shliach, is the very slow pace
of life. A popular Ethiopian aphorism is, What you need to do today, do
tomorrow. Thats the opposite of a Chabad chinuch in which what needs
to be done today, we did already yesterday.

lived without being able to

contact the outside world. The
Rebbe saved me, he said, and
he told us that he always joined
Chabad activities.
We began agitating on his
behalf and in the end, he was
released early. On the Chag
HaGeula, 12 Tammuz, we got
the good news of his release. The
man then returned to his family
in Eretz Yisroel.

UNEXPECTED DONATION
One of the difficulties facing
every shliach, certainly in such
a primitive place, is fundraising.
We asked R Chaviv where he
gets his money from. He said:
We recently visited Eretz
Yisroel and during our stay I
raised money. Many people think
that the cost of living in Ethiopia
is low, but they dont understand

that it might be low for the locals

but not for someone who wants
to live a western life.
According to R Chaviv, what
keeps him going are the miracles
that he experiences with divine
providence apparent all around
him. Here is one of his stories:
When we finished our first
Pesach in Ethiopia, we were left
with a debt of 4000 birr (thats
the local currency, about $200)
which we had to pay the hotel.
We had no idea where we would
get the money. We wrote to the
Rebbe and asked for a bracha.
The answer we opened to was
that we need to fundraise in our
area.
Where could we raise money
in Ethiopia? I thought about it
and decided to go to the Aden
shul and ask for help. As soon as
I went downstairs, I was stopped
by the receptionist who told me
there was a phone call for me.
I picked up the phone and
it was an Israeli businessman
who had attended the seder and
wanted to give me an envelope
with a donation before he left
Ethiopia. I waited for him in the
lobby of the hotel and within a
few minutes he arrived with an
envelope and hurried off. When I
opened the envelope and counted
the money, I froze. It was exactly
4000 birr. How astonishing,
because I hadnt told anyone how
much we owed.
***
When you see the Chabad
houses photo album, there is
no need to ask about publicizing
about Moshiach because it shouts
from every corner. Still, I asked
him about it and R Chaviv told
us that they make a point to
connect people to the Rebbe
through writing to him, using the
Igros Kodesh.
On Pesach Sheini, someone
came to us who runs a big kiruv

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organization in Yerushalayim,
not a Lubavitcher. He was on
his way to South Africa. He has
a practice of stopping in every
country where there is a Jewish
community in order to strengthen
them in Torah and mitzvos.
I got together a group from
the community at the Chabad
house and he addressed them.
Afterward, I suggested that he
write to the Rebbe and he agreed.
The answer that he opened to
moved him to tears. The Rebbe
wrote to someone who wanted
to leave his shlichus in chinuch,
whose work saved lives. He said
he had a center for dropouts in a
central city in Eretz Yisroel and
he had lately planned on closing
it. The Rebbes answer changed
his plans and while he was still
in the Chabad house, he called

some of his friends to tell them

about the Rebbes answer and his
change in plans.
Another story:
One day, an Israeli tourist
came into the Chabad house.
When he saw that we have chalav
Yisroel he got very excited. He
said that he liked dairy products
but was particular to drink only
chalav Yisroel and so during his
trip he had not drunk any milk.
This guy did not look
religious so this was quite
surprising! He told us that some
time in the past he had written
to the Rebbe at an Igros Kodesh
stand and had opened to a letter
in which the Rebbe said to be
particular about chalav Yisroel.
This sounded bizarre to him
since he lived in Eretz Yisroel

where all the milk is kosher, but

when he went home he checked
his cabinets and found many
products that were not chalav
Yisroel. He was amazed by how
the Rebbe knew what he had in
his kitchen cabinets when he
himself did not know. Since then,
he was particular about chalav
Yisroel and was happy he could
drink milk with us.
As for plans for the future, R
Chaviv surprised me when he said
he was in the middle of building
the first mikva in Ethiopia which
is located in the basement of the
Chabad house. Until now, when
a mikva was needed, they had to
travel far away to warm springs,
ten hours away from Addis
Ababa, since one is prohibited
from entering the nearby lakes.

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Issue 962

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FARBRENGEN

HAVE WE
FORGOTTEN
THE MESSAGE?
By R Chaim Veknin
Shliach in Ramle

WITHOUT THE BEARD IVE

GOT A THOUSAND LIKE YOU
The story is told of someone
who wanted to make a movie
about
Moshe
Rabbeinu.
Everything was ready, the
scenery, the photographers, etc.
but the central figure with his
majestic appearance and a long
beard, was still lacking. The
producer went to Mea Sharim
and after looking around, found
an older person who met all his
requirements. He was tall, had
a striking demeanor, and most
importantly, he had a long, white
beard.
Hes the one! I found him!
the producer exclaimed, and they
immediately sat down to sign
a million dollar contract with
bonuses. They arranged to meet
in Hollywood a month later.
The mans family was excited.
A day before his flight, at the end
of a goodbye party they held, a
close friend of the designated
actor took him aside and said,
Listen Yankel, for sixty years
you grew a nice beard but now,
before you fly, and before you
take on this important role, its
time to take it off. You need to
adapt.

Yankel thought it over; he

wasnt sure but his friend was
adamant. He finally removed his
beard, donned a nice business
suit and flew to Los Angeles.
When he arrived at the studio,
the producer asked him, Who
are you?
He said, Its me! Moshe
Rabbeinu from Mea Sharim!
Yeah, but wheres your
beard?
I took if off ....
You fool! I chose you because
of the beard! Without the beard, I
have a thousand like you!

HAVE WE FORGOTTEN THE

MAIN THING?
I was reminded of this story
on Erev Lag BOmer 5772.
We had arranged an elaborate
parade in honor of R Shimon
bar Yochai. We had booked a
special performer, had arranged
prizes for a raffle, and a ride in a
limousine for the lucky winners.
This was all to attract as many
children as possible, of course.
The night before the parade
I went to the neighborhood shul
to announce the parade. I saw
that close to a hundred people
had gathered in honor of Rabbi

Shimon. The rav told stories

from the Gemara about Rabbi
Shimon and everyone listened
avidly. I looked at them and saw
they were simply smitten with
Rabbi Shimon.
Then I thought, we had
planned a nice parade but
maybe we had removed some
of the beard of Rabbi Shimon.
We had taken out some of
the excitement Maybe if we
emphasized more about Rabbi
Shimon, we would reach all these
people?
Maybe we should have done
without the expensive performer
or even left everything as it was
but wracked our brains with
the graphic artist so that the
flyer and the whole event would
scream out Rabbi Shimon, and
everybody in the neighborhood
would know that Rabbi Shimon
is important to him and he must
be there.
But when you invest more
in crisis management, then the
inyan of Rabbi Shimon

LETS NOT SHAVE THE

BEARD OFF OUR MESSAGE
We can apply the story of
Moshe Rabbeinu in many ways
but I would like to share a
personal lesson I derived from it.
I am writing this before the
Kinus HaShluchim, because we
will soon be sitting together at

20 1 Adar 5775
962_bm_eng.indd 20

2015-02-17 7:14:35 AM

workshops and farbrengens and

discussing how to improve our
work and reach as many people
as possible and convey our
message.
At this point in time, it is
important to take a lesson from
this story about the beard and
to realize that sometimes along
with all the new ideas, angles
and methodologies, and the
attempt to adjust ourselves to
every audience and to attract
more people, we are likely to
cut or trim the beard. When that
happens, not only have we gotten
further from the goal, we have
totally lost the beauty which is
what makes us unique.
The prophet says, Days are

coming, says Hashem, and I will thing is for each of us to farbreng

send a famine in the land, not a about this and apply it to himself
famine for bread and not a thirst to see whether in his shlichus,
for water, but to hear the word of in his outreach, he has given up
Hashem. You dont need to be the heart. And how, from now
a shliach; every Jew on the street on, to think about how to make
feels a thirst for holy matters.
sure that the message remains
But sometimes, in the midst authentic and true to its source.
of an exhausting marathon
Maybe when we ask ourselves
when people are running dozens why we havent succeeded,
of kilometers and the guys are perhaps we can add this too.
thirsty, instead of giving them
Maybe

service
 Express
Express
servicethe Rebbes message
water, we offer them cola with
was
fresh and alive and exciting
 Fully
FullyComputerized
Computerized
lemon. True, its appealing and and it was we who fixed it up
its a new drink that just hit the and consequently removed the
Kingston
Ave.Ave.
331
Kingston
shelves, but one minute the excitement and the331
beauty.
nd nd
(2
Flr)
Brooklyn
NY 11213
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guys are thirsty. Thirsty for
Lets farbreng about this
water!
without glossing over the issue.
You can apply this Get
in
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Issue 962

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21

2015-02-17 7:14:35 AM

INTERVIEW

DIAMONDS

FOR DAILY LIFE

Beis Moshiach interviews Mrs. Chaya Shuchat,

author of the newly released book, A Diamond
a Day, an adaptation of HaYom Yom for
children.

What was your goal in

publishing the book?
The Frierdike Rebbe writes
regarding HaYom Yom, This is
a book which is small in format
but packed with pearls and
diamonds of choicest quality.
My goal was to make these
diamonds clearly understood
and accessible for children. In
A Diamond a Day, the HaYom
Yoms are introduced with stories
or meshalim to help bring the
concepts down to the level of a
child, using simple words and
clear examples.
What
made
you
start
working on this project?
In the summer of 2001,
Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Kagan, the
translator of the original English
HaYom Yom and one of the head
Shluchim to Michigan, passed
away tragically in a car accident.
I grew up in Michigan and knew
Rabbi Kagan, and was inspired
to do something in his memory.
This was how the idea for this
project was born.
It was a project that took
many years to complete.
The bulk of the work was
completed more than ten years
ago, but it took a long time to
bring all the pieces together to
produce a finished product.
What was your first exposure
to learning HaYom Yom?

22 1 Adar 5775
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Order online:

2015-02-17 7:14:36 AM

When I was about nine years old, it was the Rebbes

80th birthday, and as a school project we each learned at
least 80 HaYom Yoms by heart as a birthday gift to the
Rebbe. We could choose any HaYom Yoms we wanted and
we did not have to know them word-for-word, we just
had to know the content. In this way I acquired a general
familiarity with the concepts of HaYom Yom.
What is your favorite HaYom Yom?
Each HaYom Yom contains a profound lesson for life
and brings strength and encouragement in a wide range of
life circumstances.
I remember as a child a favorite was the HaYom Yom
of the 29th of Tishrei. In the shul of the Baal Shem Tov
two villagers had an argument, and one yelled at the other,
I will tear you apart like a fish!
The Baal Shem Tov told his talmidim to hold hands
with each other and close their eyes. He put his hands
on the shoulders of the two students closest to him to
complete the circle. Suddenly they all started screaming
in fright, because they saw the villager actually tearing
apart the other person like a fish. The Baal Shem Tov then
taught his students that anything we do or say in this world
has an effect, whether in a physical or spiritual sense. As
children we were very impressed with that story, because
children are very likely to blurt out things thoughtlessly. It
is a real lesson in the power of speech.
As an adult, my favorite HaYom Yom is Tes Nissan:
Nit heizer un gelt zenen di eibike Yiddishe reichtum.
Jewish wealth is not houses and gold. The everlasting
Jewish wealth is: Being Jews who keep Torah andMitzvos,
and bringing into the world children and grandchildren
who keep Torah and Mitzvos.
This is a lesson I need to remind myself on a regular
basis.
Do you have experience in chinuch and/or writing?
Both. For ten years I taught in various Lubavitch
schools across the United States, including five years in

THE DOCTOR FROM INDIA WHO

SPONSORED THE HAYOM YOM
In addition to writing and editing
articles on Chassidus, I also work
during the day as a nurse practitioner.
When I first completed my nursing
degree, I was having difficulty finding
a job in New York. In general, being
shomer Shabbos makes it harder for
nurses to find a job, because you are
expected to cover shifts on Shabbos.
I started applying for jobs in cities all
around the United States. I was actually
interviewed for some of these positions,
but we werent sure if moving away
from Crown Heights was the right
decision for our family.
My husband and I discussed the
situation with our rav, who told us
unequivocally that we should not move
away from Crown Heights because the
chinuch of our children must be our
first priority.
The very next day after this
conversation, I received an email from
a doctor in New York, a specialist
in asthma and sleep medicine, Dr.
Mayank Shukla. He had found my
resume online and asked me to come in
for an interview. Boruch Hashem I got
the job.
Dr. Shukla is not Jewish, he is from
India, but he is respectful of everything
that has to do with Yiddishkait. He was
the first doctor I interviewed with who

Issue 962

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23

2015-02-17 7:14:38 AM

INTERVIEW

did not have a problem with me taking off

early on Erev Shabbos, or for Yomim tovim.
After about six months of working
for him, I was contacted by a recruiter
for a large textbook publisher. They were
looking for a nurse practitioner who had
both nursing and editing experience, and
my name had come up. It sounded like the
perfect match for my skills so I went to
interview for the job.
I spoke to Dr. Shukla about it and
explained that while I enjoyed working for
him, I have a passion for writing and this
would enable me to do both. I showed him
the HaYom Yom that I was working on.
He wanted me to continue working for
him and he told me that he would help me
with the project. Baruch Hashem he gave
me a nice grant that helped towards some
of the expenses of printing the book. There
was clear hashgacha pratis involved in my
finding this job, which led to finally printing
the HaYom Yom.
Dr. Shuklas approach to treating illness
is that we cannot just wait for patients
to come to us. If we want to address the
problem of asthma, we need to go to where
the patients are, explain to them the problem
and let them know that their condition is
treatable. When I first started working for
him, he told me that he aspires to be the
Lubavitcher Rebbe of asthma. He was
inspired by the concept of Shlichus, of
going out from your comfort zone to bring
Yiddishkait to people, and he applies that to
his medical practice.
Interestingly, asthma is a condition of
the lungs caused by exposure to a polluted
environment. There are several HaYom
Yoms that talk about the importance of
purifying the atmosphere through studying
Mishnayos. So I am working on taharas
haavir in both a physical and spiritual
sense. Studying HaYom Yom will lead to
the removal of the ruach hatuma from
this world, with the hisgalus of the Rebbe
MHM, when we will no longer suffer from
spiritual or physical problems caused by an
impure environment.
If you suffer from asthma, allergies or
sleep problems, you can contact Dr. Shukla
at 212-661-7077.

Beis Chaya Mushka in Crown Heights. I am also

involved in writing, editing and translating articles
on Chassidus. I work as the editor of the weekly
Geula publication in English as well as an editor of
the Nshei Chabad Newsletter.
How did you come up with ideas for meshalim?
First I try to think what the HaYom Yom means
for me. How do I apply it to my own life? Once I
have thought about its meaning for myself, I can
bring it down to the level of a child.
Does every HaYom Yom have a story?
While I tried to include as many stories as
possible, not every HaYom Yom lends itself well
to a story; for example, the HaYom Yom may be a
correction from the Siddur, or a Chassidic custom
for that day. In that case we just left the HaYom Yom
as is, with a simple explanation for children.
How can you be certain you are conveying the
true meaning of the HaYom Yom?
The book was edited by Rabbi Michoel Seligson,
author of the Annotated HaYom Yom and recognized
expert in HaYom Yom. The book is intended to be
an adaptation, not a translation, so you will not
necessarily find a word-for-word rendition of the
HaYom Yom. However, I wanted to make sure that
the explanations stayed true to the Rebbes intended
meaning. Rabbi Shloma Majeski, dean of Machon
Chana, and Rabbi Yosef Y. Simpson, principal of
United Lubavitch Yeshiva, also reviewed the book
prior to publication and strongly encouraged me to
bring this book to the public.
How has the book been received so far?
Boruch Hashem we have had a tremendously
positive response. Many parents have told me that
they read the HaYom Yom to their children every day
and the children are begging for more. Even adults
have told me that the book helps them understand
the HaYom Yom on a more personal level. I have also
heard from many teachers who use the book in their
classrooms.
What are your plans for the second volume?
We are working on volume 2, which will cover the
months of Sivan to 18 Kislev. Based on feedback we
have received, we will include even more pictures and
stories, since that is what excites the interest of the
children. We hope to have the second book out no
later than Yud Tes Kislev, 5776.
A Diamond a Day is available in Crown Heights
bookstores or online at www.diamondpublications.
org. For more information contact info@
diamondpublications.org.

24 1 Adar 5775
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PARSHA THOUGHT

THE TEMPLE
SUBSTITUTES
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

MAKE FOR ME
A SANCTUARY
The Torah is, first and
foremost, a Book that directs our
lives. The Torah contains a total
of 613 commandments. One of
the commands in this weeks
parsha is particularly relevant
as we approach the final days of
Galus: Make for Me a Sanctuary
and I will dwell in them.
These commandments are
Divine dictates. They tell us
how we should live our lives;
they are not just suggestions or
great ideas. Yet, when we explore
these 613 commandments, as
enumerated by Maimonides and
others, we discover that a few
hundred of them are impossible
to observe because we are
missing the Holy Temple in
Jerusalem. In these last days of
exile there remain impediments
for us to build the Temple.
The question thus becomes,
how could it be that G-d
would deny us the opportunity
to perform so many of His
commandments, particularly the
one to build the Sanctuary?

THE SYNAGOGUE
SUBSTITUTE
Our Sages anticipated this
question and answered that,
while we must pray for the
imminent coming of Moshiach

and the rebuilding of the Bais

HaMikdash, there are things
we can and must do today as
Divinely ordained substitutes for
the Temple.
Among those substitutes
are building and supporting
synagogues, which the prophet
Yechezkel (11:16) characterized
as miniature Sanctuaries where
G-ds presence dwells. Indeed,
the Talmud declares that when
the Temple was destroyed, the
Divine presence went with the
Jewish people and took up
residence in the synagogues of
the Diaspora, particularly the
main synagogue, headed by the
leading Sage of his generation.
Indeed, many of the laws that
govern the respect we must
accord the Bais HaMikdash
extend to synagogues too.
Moreover, according to the
Talmud, all the synagogues
we build in the Diaspora will
become attached to the future
Bais HaMikdash. They are
virtual extensions of the Bais
HaMikdash now and will become
actual extensions with the
imminent revelation of Moshiach.
The Rebbe extended this
mandate to build synagogues
as replacements for the Bais
HaMikdash to the next level,
to include our own homes.
Whenever we make our homes
places whose residents pray,
study Torah and engage in acts

of loving-kindness, each home

becomes a veritable miniature
Bais HaMikdash and will be
transported to Israel in the
Messianic Age.

STUDY THE LAWS

Another way we can replicate
the spiritual effects of the Bais
HaMikdash, even as we wait for
the literal return of that edifice, is
the study of the laws concerning
the Holy Temple.
The
Midrash
Tanchuma
recounts that G-d instructed the
prophet Yechezkel to study the
details of the construction of
the Bais HaMikdash. Yechezkel
protested,
We are now in exile, in the
land of our enemy, and You tell
me to notify the Jewish people
about the dimensions of the
Sanctuary do they have the
ability to do anything. Take
them out of exile and then I shall
inform them!
G-ds response to Yechezkel
was:
If My children are in exile
shall the construction of My
house cease? ... Reading about its
construction is as significant as
actually building it. Go tell them
to read the dimensions of the
Sanctuary, and as a reward for
reading about it I will consider it
as if they were actually engaged
in its construction.
Issue 962

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Parsha Thought
This Midrashic approach
is based on the premise that
Torah study transcends the
constraints of time and space.
The same spiritual energies that
we generate during Passover, for
example, can be elicited when
we study the laws of Passover.
Learning about a Mitzvah is the
equivalent of doing the Mitzvah.
Based on the above, the Rebbe
asserts that the way we fulfill
our obligation to build the Bais
HaMikdash now is by learning
about it.

teachings of Kabbala that he

received from the Arizal, writes
in his work Eitz HaDaas Tov that
the relationship between Tfillin
and the Sanctuary is hinted in the
very command G-d used for the
building of the Sanctuary:
Make
for
Me
a
Sanctuary and I will dwell in
them.
The word in Hebrew for in
them is bitocham. This word
is a composite of two words,
bitoch mem, and means: within
the [final] mem. In Hebrew, the
letter mem (the equivalent of the

The Zohar compares the two boxes (head and

arm) of Tfillin to the two cherubic figures on
the top of the Ark. The implication is that when we wear
both boxes, on the head and on the arm, we replicate the
power of the two Cherubim, which our Sages write were
male and female and served as metaphors for the love of
G-d for His people Israel.

TFILLIN: OUR PERSONAL

HOLY TEMPLE
There is yet another Mitzvah
which our Sages associate with
the Bais HaMikdash: the Mitzvah
of Tfillin.
The Zohar, the principle work
of Kabbala, states (1:129) that
when we wear Tfillin we recreate
the Sanctuary on our own bodies,
and the Tfillin are analogous
to the Ark, the holiest object in
the Sanctuary. When G-d spoke
to Moses the Torah states He
spoke from between the two
Cherubim situated on top of the
Ark. Similarly, the Zohar states,
the head and hand Tfillin are
analogous to the two Cherubim,
and become the vessel for G-ds
dwelling on us.
The great Rabbi Chaim Vital,
the principal expositor of the

English letter m) is shaped like

a square when placed at the end
of a word. This alludes to the
square boxes of the Tfillin. When
we don these square boxes we
draw down the Divine presence
to dwell upon us.
This, the Shla explains, is
why the Torah says: I will dwell
in them, using the plural form
although it begins the sentence
with the words Make for Me
a Sanctuary in the singular.
It should have ended with the
words, And I will dwell in it.
The answer is that the word
them refers to the Jewish
people. It is, the Shla states,
specifically through the Mitzvah
of Tfillin that we create a
Sanctuary within each and every
one of us.

MIND AND HEART

COORDINATION
To better appreciate the
connection of Tfillin to the
Sanctuary we ought to consider
the words of the Shulchan Aruch,
the principal work of Jewish law,
which explain the underlying idea
behind the head and arm Tfillin:
When a person puts on
Tfillin he should concentrate on
the idea that G-d commanded us
to wear these four sections of the
Torah [contained in the Tfillin]
that contain G-ds unity and the
Exodus from Egypt. We place
them on our arms near our hearts
and on our heads near our brains
so that we remember the miracles
and wonders He wrought for
us. These reflect His unity and
that He has the exclusive power
in the upper and lower realms
to do as He desires. One will
then surrender [to Him] the soul
which is seated in the brain and
also the heart, the primary seat
of desires and thoughts. This will
remind him of his Creator and
curb those [unbridled] desires.
The two controlling influences
in our lives are our minds and
hearts. The world either becomes
receptive to G-ds presence
or resists it, depending on the
degree to which both our minds
and hearts are in the right place.
When Tfillin are worn they
empower us to keep our mind
focused on G-ds unity. They
also enable us to control our
hearts desires. When our mind
and heart are coordinated and go
in the same direction, our bodies
become receptive to the Divine
presence.
As we alluded to earlier, the
Zohar compares the two boxes
(head and arm) of Tfillin to the
two cherubic figures on the top
of the Ark. The implication is
that when we wear both boxes,

26 1 Adar 5775
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2015-02-17 7:14:39 AM

on the head and on the arm, we

replicate the power of the two
Cherubim, which our Sages write
were male and female and served
as metaphors for the love of G-d
for His people Israel.
When we wear the Tfillin,
which coordinate our minds and
our hearts, we reinforce the love
affair between G-d and ourselves.
G-d does not have to hide His
countenance from us because
we have eliminated any and
all resistance to His presence.
We become Sanctuaries to His
presence.

WOMENS PARTICIPATION
One can raise a simple
question. If the Tfillin are a
substitute for the building of the
Bais HaMikdash, why are women
exempted from this Mitzvah? In
this weeks parsha we read about
the central role women played in
the construction of the portable
Temple, the Mishkan. Rambam
codifies the law that women
are obligated to participate in
the construction of the Bais
HaMikdash. Why then are they
exempted from the substitute
Mitzvah of Tfillin?
There are several answers to
this question. According to the
Arizal, women enjoy the spiritual
benefits of Tfillin vicariously
from the observance of the
Mitzvah by their husbands, their
other halves.
In addition, women are

naturally endowed with the

proper mind-heart coordination.
What men need in order to attain
that coordination, through the
wearing of Tfillin, women can
draw upon internally. Women
are naturally more in touch with
their inner faith and spiritual
attachment to G-d. Evidence
of this is the resistance of the
women to the construction of the
Golden Calf, the rebellion of the
Spies and other debacles in the
desert.
Prior to these events, when
the women were still slaves in
Egypt, they did not lose their faith
and trust that G-d would redeem
them. It was in the merit of their
faith that the Jews were liberated
from Egypt. When it came to the
contributions for construction of
the Mishkan,
the
women
were first to
donate, freely
giving up the
gold jewelry
they refused
to give to the
Golden Calf
effort.
W h e n
women focus
on their G-d
given spiritual
sensitivity,
inspire
the
men
with
faith in the
imminence of

the Final Redemption, perform

the Mitzvos most relevant to
women such as lighting Shabbos
candles, maintaining the highest
standards of Kashrus, following
the laws of Mikveh and modesty,
they
possess
the
inherent
power of Tfillin and become
Sanctuaries for G-d.
In conclusion, when we
achieve all the above and
construct
our
substitute
Sanctuaries by supporting our
synagogues, studying the laws of
the Bais HaMikdash and wearing
Tfillin, we materially hasten the
time when we will see the literal
fulfillment of our most fervent
wish: the building of the Third
and Final Bais HaMikdash!

www.MoshiachForKids.com
Check it out!! Educational and Fun!!
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FARBRENGEN

THE REBBES

TRUTH IS
ABSOLUTE
There is no such thing as a half-truth by the Rebbe. * The Rebbe seeks
one person in the world who really wants the Geula. This is what the
Rebbe demands of us and he gives us the kochos for it too. * An inspiring
speech given by R Zushe Silberstein, shliach in Montreal, at Heichal Beis
Menachem in Kfar Chabad.

hat stands out in

the victory of the
sfarim is the final
decision of the judge;
it was based on one letter of the
Rebbe Rayatz, just as the Rebbe
anticipated.
It is known that during the
trial regarding the sfarim, the
lawyers who fought a legal battle
to get the sfarim back thought
that they needed to take a
different tack than the Rebbe. But
in the end, it turned out that the
Rebbes approach is what led to
the final victory.
The Rebbe told the lawyers
to base the entire case on a letter

that the Rebbe Rayatz wrote to

Professor Alexander Marcus,
one of the great book curators in
New York, dated Adar I 1946, in
which he wrote these sfarim are
the property of Agudas Chassidei
Chabad
the
manuscripts
and sfarim are great spiritual
treasures, the property of the
nation.
The opposing side tried to
claim that this letter was written
under pressure. As a pretext, to
get the American government
to help save the sfarim, he
presented the sfarim as public
property, but he really maintained
that it was his personal property.

The judge declared that it was

out of the question to say that
the Rebbe Rayatz would write
something not true, even in order
to save the sfarim. He based his
decision on this reasoningthat
the Rebbe is absolute truth and
there is no such thing as halftruth.

THE GEULA CAN ONLY

COME THROUGH TRUTH
After the victory with the
sfarim in 5747, the Rebbe
announced: Now we are starting
a new era. What is meant by
a new era? What about all the
nice things that we did until

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Farbrengen
then? As the Rebbe said himself,
can it be said that Lubavitch is
not active?! That is completely
illogical. Still and all, the
Rebbe said, apparently there is
something that needs to be added
and innovated.
What is that something? It
is possible that what the Rebbe is
asking of us is: truth.
Geula, teaches the Rebbe, is
truth. As we saw with the judges
statement: we cannot approach
the Geula and real victory
through lies. Geula can only
come through truth. We need to
think about where we are holding
when it comes to truth.

Aharon Dovid, and when he

heard that it was me, after a
long time when we hadnt been
in touch, he immediately asked,
what do you need?
I said I was calling to wish him
a happy Chanuka and to ask how
he was. He insisted on knowing:
What do you really need? Once
again, I told him: Nothing.
If so, he said, I will give you
Chanuka gelt and he proceeded
to tell me fascinating stories. I
will tell you one of the stories.
My cousin is a Vizhnitzer
Chassid who knew the Rebbe
during the war, in France. He
became a successful businessman
and was a big help to the

At three in the morning, alone at home, he had

the sudden thought, I am a Chassid and I have a
Rebbe! He began to cry out: Rebbe, help me! Rebbe, help
me! Rebbe, help me!

I YELLED, REBBE HELP

ME, AND ON THE LINE
WAS THE REBBES
SECRETARY
A story has been publicized
recently about a man from France
during the Holocaust and how
the Rebbe would bring food for
children. I personally know this
man; he is my cousin.
A few years ago, on Chanuka,
as I sat alone with the menorah
(all my children had gone on
mivtzaim), I decided to call my
cousin who is older than me. I
hadnt spoken to him in a long
time and I just wanted to say
hello and see how he was, thats
all.
By the way, its a very
important thing to call someone
with whom you havent spoken in
a long time. Its Ahavas Yisroel
I called him, his name is

Vizhnitzer mosdos.
One time, he went to Los
Angeles to raise money. As
he walked down the street he
noticed a Lubavitcher Chassid
who looked familiar to him. He
suddenly remembered that he
was his chavrusa in the Vizhnitzer
yeshiva. So he asked him: Is it
you? What happened to you?
Wheres the Chassidishe levush?
He thought the man had
changed what he wore because
he was embarrassed to dress
as a Vizhnitzer Chassid in Los
Angeles.
It has nothing to do with
being ashamed of Chassidic
garb, his friend protested. I
changed my way of dress and
have become a Chassid of the
Rebbe!
How did that happen?!
Listen till I finish and Ill tell

you.
This is his story:
After he married, he lived
in Williamsburg. Half a year
later he had a job offer in Los
Angeles. Since he had no source
of livelihood in New York, he
decided to move to LA even
though he knew nobody there.
After a few months he slowly
became acquainted with people
in LA but he still did not know
anybody beyond those he worked
with.
One day, his wife wasnt
feeling well and it seemed serious
enough that they decided to go to
the emergency room.
After a few hours of waiting,
the grim-faced doctor came out
and said, From the tests that
we did, her condition seems
complicated and dangerous. Its
not certain, but according to
what we see, your wifes disease
is quite advanced. I recommend
that you go home and not tell her
anything; dont scare her.
He did not know what to do,
to whom to turn. He went home
sadly and in confusion. At a time
like this, a Jew takes a Thillim
and davens from the depths of his
heart that Hashem help him.
At three in the morning, alone
at home, he had the sudden
thought, I am a Chassid and I
have a Rebbe! He began to cry
out: Rebbe, help me! Rebbe, help
me! Rebbe, help me!
A few minutes passed and the
phone rang. He figured (before
Caller ID) that it was someone
calling from the hospital and
maybe there was good news;
otherwise, they would not call at
this hour. But when he answered,
he heard someone with a
Russian-Lithuanian accent who
was speaking Yiddish and said:
I am Chadakov. I am calling you
because the Rebbe told me to call

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you to say that in the morning

you should take your wife out of
the hospital and go to this doctor
and the Rebbe gave a bracha that
all would be fine.
At the end of the conversation
Chadakov asked him: Did you
hear what I said? He must have
said yes for the call ended.
While still in complete shock,
he sat there and wondered: Did I
really get that phone call? Where
do I know Chadakov from?
Maybe Im daydreaming and
hearing voices? Maybe it was a
fantasy. I know what I heard but
who is Chadakov?
He did not know who it was
but he had a strong feeling that he
was connected to the Lubavitcher
Rebbe. Then he remembered that
there was a Lubavitcher Chassid
in LA named R Shmuel Dovid
Raitchik. He had heard of him
but did not know him personally.
He knew he was a Chassid who
was a baal chesed and who was
reported to say the bedtime Shma
all night. He hoped R Raitchik
hadnt yet gone to sleep.
After looking up the number
in the phone book, he managed
to find it. It was 3:30 and R
Shmuel Dovid answered the
phone. He began to tell him what
had been going on. R Raitchik
said: Fine, so do as he said.
Since he wasnt sure exactly
what R Chadakov had told him,
he asked R Shmuel Dovid for
the phone number of the Rebbes
office. R Raitchik told him: It is
6:30 in NY now and if he called
you, it was probably a night of
yechidus. Its possible that the
Rebbe is still in 770 and if the
Rebbe is in 770, then Chadakov
is probably there too and will
answer you.
He immediately called and
the phone was answered by R
Chadakov. He asked him to
repeat what the Rebbe had said.

So Chadakov repeated it: The

Rebbe told me to call you and to
say that in the morning, take your
wife out of the hospital and go to
doctor X, and the Rebbe gave his
bracha that all would be well.
He asked R Chadakov, why
did you call me? R Chadakov
said, because the Rebbe asked me
to do so. Bewildered, he asked,
but I did not call the Rebbe so
why did the Rebbe say to call me?
R Chadakov said, I cant answer
that. Thats between you and the
Rebbe. I did what the Rebbe told
me to do.
What happened in the
end? The Vizhnitzer turned
Lubavitcher told him:
In the morning, I went to the
hospital and told the doctor I was
taking my wife out. I signed all
the documents that said I take
responsibility for her and I found
the address of the doctor the
Rebbe had referred me to.

I called the office and the

secretary, who checked the
appointment book, said the next
appointment would be in a year!
I tried explaining that the matter
was urgent but that did not help.
I decided to take my wife straight
to the doctor. We went to the
doctors office with no prior
appointment, and I told him,
You have to see my wife now.
The doctor was taken aback
by my nerve and said that was not
possible without an appointment
made with the secretary. I said
to him, but the secretary said the
next available appointment is in
a year. The doctor insisted that
he would not see us. I then said
to the doctor, The Lubavitcher
Rebbe referred me to you.
Upon hearing this, he said,
I dont know the Lubavitcher
Rebbe but your story interests
me. Come in, I want to hear
more details. It doesnt sound
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Farbrengen
like a typical story.
I walked in and the doctor
listened closely, treated my wife,
and that was the end of the story.
You are probably afraid to ask
what happened, he said to my
cousin, Aharon Dovid. Thank
G-d, my wife recovered and we
have five children and all is well!
But my cousin still did not
understand. But why did you
become a Lubavitcher?
His friend said, In the
middle of the night, when I cried
out, Oy Rebbe, who called me?
The Vizhnitzer Rebbe or the
Lubavitcher Rebbe? And youre
asking what happened to me? I
saw that there are many Admurim
but only one Rebbe, and since
then, I am mekushar to him!

WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND

THAT THERE IS A REBBE,
YOU NEED TO CHANGE
CLOTHES
What did that Vizhnitzer
Chassid do? After realizing that
there is one Rebbe, he decided to
change his mode of dress. What
does it mean to change your style
of dress? He understood that the
Rebbe is not makifim, a Rebbe is
not an outer garment. We need to

remove the externals and become

a pnimiusdike Chassid. He
could not remain on the sidelines.
That is what the Vizhnitzer
Chassid understood; if you
want to connect to the Rebbe,
you need to be a Chassid who
is connected in an internal way
so that it even expresses itself in
ones outer clothing.
The Rebbe is looking for one
Chassid, one Jew in the world,
who truly wants the Geula. This
is what the Rebbe expects and
demands of us and he gives us
the ability to attain it.
You cannot reach emes
through sheker. You must work
with emes, feel and learn with
emes.
The Rebbe wants us to get
out of our personal galus through
true hiskashrus to the Rebbe, as
the Rebbe wants it, not the way
we think the Rebbe wants it. And
we cannot explain it as though
the Rebbe meant such and such
The Rebbe once said, I say
what I mean.
At dollars before 27 Adar,
a woman and her little boy
went past and she said to the
Rebbe that her son would soon
be having his first haircut. The
Rebbe gave her a dollar and then
another dollar for the haircut and

then yet another dollar and he

said: give this at his bar mitzva.
She moved on but wondered
why the Rebbe was mentioning a
bar mitzva now. Her son wasnt
yet three! She asked one of the
people standing there what the
Rebbe meant and the person
said, surely the Rebbe meant the
haircut but said it was for the bar
mitzva.
The story repeated itself that
same day with another woman.
The Rebbe also told her to give
the dollar at the bar mitzva and
she also asked why the Rebbe
said that. She was given the same
explanation but did not agree
with it. She wrote to the Rebbe
that she had asked for a bracha
for her childs haircut and had
received a bracha for the bar
mitzva and she wanted to know
what the Rebbe meant by that.
The Rebbe responded: I
said what I meant and I mean
precisely what I say.
We need to know that
every word from the Rebbe is
utter truth. Dont think about
explaining it; just do as the Rebbe
said. If we do as the Rebbe said,
and with complete faith, in utter
truth, surely we will merit the
true and complete Geula through
the Rebbe MHM.

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TZIVOS HASHEM

RIDDLE IN
ENGLISH
By D. Chaim

Hello everyone. My name is

Levi and I live in Crown Heights.
My story begins with an English
lesson and it happened about
twenty years ago. Note, in
order to make the story more
readable, I wrote it as though
Im telling it as it happened:
In the school that I attend,
the spoken language is Yiddish.
My parents sent me to private
English lessons. Why? Because I
was not born in America but
in Eretz Yisroel. When I turned
five my parents moved to
Crown Heights. I picked up the
spoken language but in order to
know how to read and write I
needed lessons.
teacher
my
Excellent,
enthusiastically
say
would
when I showed him that I knew
the material, but I wasnt so
thrilled. I preferred spending
my time studying limudei
kodesh. Some time passed and
I found out that there was
some benefit in having learned
English.
It was Shabbos, Yud Shevat,
and as the Rebbe said to do
to farbreng in shuls about the
Rebbe Rayatz the boys in my
class went along with bachurim
learning in 770. My friend Yossi
and I went with a nice fellow
by the name of Berel.

It took a long time getting

shul but we tried not to
the
to
complain and acted as though
the walk was easy for us. The
truth is, I felt that when going
on the Rebbes mivtzaim we
get special kochos, including
strength for a two hour walk.
Along the way the scenery
changed. At first we walked
on a busy street with stores
and shopping centers. We tried
to keep ourselves occupied
with talking about the last
farbrengens with the Rebbe in
770.
Then the stores disappeared
and we reached an area that
was between cities and had
highways. We went up on the
bridge and enjoyed looking
at the ocean and the waves
beneath us. We did not spend
time just looking because we
hoped to reach the shul as fast
as we could.
After I got used to the
scenery, it no longer interested
me. But then suddenly, we
noticed a commotion in the
distance. There were voices of
journalists and many people
who looked important who
were speaking to people who
looked like them. We realized
something had happened.
My curiosity nearly made me

beg Berel to veer off our path

a bit and get closer to what
was going on, but at the last
moment I decided that we were
on the Rebbes shlichus and it
wasnt right to get involved
with other things, as interesting
as they might be.
Dont worry, Berel said,
as though reading my mind.
From the Rebbes shlichus we
dont lose out. We continued
walking and I suddenly noticed
that we were walking on
the same sidewalk where the
commotion was going on,
with the people who were
congregating already behind us.
I guess we made a little detour
and went around them without
my realizing it.
I looked at the large building
to our left and saw something
unusual. Wait a minute Berel
and Yossi, stop! I went over
to the building and saw letters
engraved on it. Berel, an Israeli
who did not know how to
read English, had not noticed
anything special, but he stopped
at my request.
I
as
English,
read
I
mentioned to you, and I saw
that on the wall of the building
there was a pasuk from Yeshaya
with one of the promises of the
Geula: And they will beat their

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weapons; this is the start of the

swords into plowshares and joy and the singing.
fulfillment of the prophecy.
After a few weeks, on
their spears into pruning hooks.
This is also the reason,
Nation shall not lift up sword Shabbos Parshas Mishpatim,
that
said
s
Rebbe
the
r shall

standin
the
against nation. Neithe

Rebbe,
." the
g at ed

- I was
.re.
war
anymo
learn

here in
,

place
taking
is
g
meetin
surpris
farbrengen and was
they
. , :

. -I heard.
What divine New York and not in the capitol
is at what
what
guess
wont
You
"
is
York
New
gton.
Washin
. I though
etched into the wall here, I providence,
,"city,
'
t. Berels
allusion
The
is.
ch
Moshia
where
ears,
my
words echoed in
said to Berel and Yossi.

the
on
for
"
.clear
is?"so
( hint)
"
.s you
"
Rebbes shlichu

?" the

"

asked From
they

?
What
in a
g,
." s "buildin
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lose out.
'
," "United
ly. " dont
curious
,
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every

where
place
Rebbe

"
.and
pasuk,
What happened? The
""? the
"
it,. is etched
,"see

pasuk from the navi

,A
about the wall
" .
began

to talk

'
swords
,' their
beat
Yeshaya!
shall
they
-on
pasuk
the
with
UN
the
of

is the
,this
So
UN building,


."ares
' plowsh

into
on
that
it! The Rebbe said

said Berel knowledgeably. ." sday,

excited
began
g
a meetin
Wedne
can

, :as you
so ,"
I ,was

"

said
Yossi.
Rebbe
The
asked
e.
Whats UN?
well imagin
the
by
ed
attend
was
which
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e way
t possibl
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the
cleares
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for
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stands
UN
: States
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chs

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the
an
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gh
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. The "s, meetin
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arters

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able

'

not

was

and
headqu
continued into Shabbo here in young boy
made
They
York.
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world
what
ly
eis ,
precise
. tand
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stated
unders
whose
" ns to
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it
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tood
unders
t of was said, I
peace.
about reducin
..." g theamoun

that
ething
best
, possibl
the
was
ed
for

answering nuclear weapons intend

finished
Berel

could happen..

war.
late
Its
.along.
and
us
hurried
e
hurry. Theyr
and we need to

said
made
Rebbe
thishappen
the
did
happy.
, What
?
we
shul.
. Why
at the
us
gfor
seen that
had
I
very
me
se
waitin
asked the Rebbe. Becau

by
believin
"
.out
lose
dont
g
,"you

y very
to the
alread
g as I, are
walkin
contin
ued
close
We

I .was
'
said.
in
Rebbe
: what
the
the
in
of
"

which
the
Geula
kept thinking about there being time .
very
that
nt
confide
ely
absolut
beat
."
a pasuk translated into English promise of and they shall
into plowshares soon, the Rebbes prophecy
swords
g. their
.buildin
UN
onthe

the
into
and
, ... be fulfilled
g would
, prunin

spears
their
and
a great
. was

ngen
farbre
The
and
es
miracl
the
all
with
Geula
ch
will happen. Moshia


, natura
occur
,"rs would
success. Berel told about the hooks
wonde
" plish
lly
y began
to accom

alread
the
about
Rebbe Rayatz and

." waited
world and as as though we hadnt
the
in
things
, joyous
sang
Rebbe
. We
MHM
time for it
leaders of the such a long
the

Chabad niggunim and I guess a result,

...
ced
were influen
also thanks to our young age, superpowers
n to reduce
decisio
a
make
to
the
in
d
we got everyone involve

75 ~

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