534.pdf - Beis Moshiach

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4 | THEN YOU WILL DELIGHT IN G-D - IN THISWORLD (CONT.)D’var Malchus / Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 30, pg. 125-133

6 | NO OTHER WAY OF MEETING THE RIGHTPERSONThe Rebbe’s Letters

8 | SATISFIED WITH THE SHIDDUCHYud-Daled Kislev

12 | DEFINING SHLICHUS MORE CAREFULLY Insight

14 | THE REBBE’S ‘ANA AVDA’Memoirs / Rabbi Shneur Zalman Chanin

18 | TO LIVE TWICEStory / Yaale Ben Aruya

22 | SOULS I HAVE SEENFeature / Mordechai Ziegelboim

26 | BREAK THE SILENCEShleimus HaAretz / Shai Gefen

29 | ‘I WILL NOT VOTE IF THERE IS NO UNITEDRELIGIOUS FRONT’Shleimus HaAretz / Interview by Shai Gefen

34 | SUSTENANCE (CONT.)Feature / Rabbi Doctor Yosef Freedland

40 | A HOLY ALTERNATIVE TO THE VACUUM OFLEADERSHIP IN THE HOLY LANDShleimus HaAretz / C. Korn

43 | THE GOVERNMENT IS OUT TO MAKE LIVESMISERABLE; THE REBBE SENT YIGAL TO MAKETHEM B’SIMCHAPerspective / Chana Katz

CONTENTS

BEIS MOSHIACH - 15 Kislev 57664

[Continued from last week.]

5. In this manner we may also explain thedevelopment of the issues discussed in this law inRambam’s writing:

The law begins as follows: “Shabbos and [theprohibition of] idol worship – each of these is weightedagainst all the rest of the Mitzvos in the Torah. Indeed,Shabbos is the eternal sign between the Holy One BlessedBe He and us. Therefore, whoever transgresses the rest ofthe Mitzvos is [merely] considered among the wicked ofthe Jewish people, whereas one who desecrates theShabbos in public is considered as one who worshipsidolatry; both are considered as gentiles for all matterspertaining to them. Therefore, the Prophet recounts thefollowing praise [regarding one who observes theShabbos], ‘The man is praised who will do this, etc.’”And the Rambam concludes, “Whoever keeps theShabbos according to its law, etc., ‘for the mouth of G-dhas spoken.’”

In this law, Rambam relates a major principle indefining the Mitzvos of Shabbos. Namely, that Shabbos isnot like the rest of the Mitzvos of the Torah, whosefulfillment entails only an increase in holiness,supplementary to the sanctity inherent to being Jewish.Of consequence, in neglecting to fulfill them, one is stillincluded among the Jewish people (albeit “the wicked ofthe Jewish people”). This is not so, however [with regardto neglecting to observe the Shabbos], which istantamount to idol worship, affecting the very sanctity ofbeing Jewish. Thus, one who desecrates Shabbos is likeone who worships idolatry, and “both are considered asgentiles for all matters pertaining to them.”

On the latter point, the Rambam continues that justas this is so in the negative sense – that one who

desecrates the Shabbos is like a gentile – so it is in thepositive – that the observance of Shabbos is not likesomething that simply comes to add to one’s status ofbeing Jewish, but it pertains to the very essence of thesanctity of being Jewish. And thus Rambam writesconcerning the reward for keeping Shabbos: “traditionhas already been explicit in mentioning that his reward isin this world, in addition to the reward hidden away for[him in] the World to Come, as it is said, ‘Then you willdelight in G-d, etc.’” The intent here (as mentionedabove) is that one’s reward in this world [for keepingShabbos] resembles the reward of the World to Come,for the definition of the reward in the World to Come (asexplained by the Rambam in the Laws of Repentance) isthe completion and perfection of the connection andbond of the Jewish people to the Creator (for whichreason “Dovid pined and yearned for the life of theWorld to Come” [Rambam, Ibid 8:7] (likewise all theJewish people yearn for this, [including] their prophetsand their sages, etc. [Rambam, Ibid 9:2])). Indeed, byobserving the Shabbos one receives this reward: he addsstrength to the essential sanctity of his being Jewish(cleaving to the Creator in a way that resembles theperfection of this bond in the World to Come).

6. According to all the above, we may further explainwhy Rambam also quotes the end of the verse, “for themouth of G-d has spoken,” which is not brought in theGemara. Simply speaking, we may answer that thesewords (“for the mouth of G-d has spoken”) come to teachthat since this is an explicit, verbalized promise from G-d,certainly it will be fulfilled [Footnote 44: as the Radakand Metzudas Dovid comment in Yeshayahu on thisverse], as Rambam writes in the Laws of the Foundationsof the Torah [10:4] – that every positive matter that hasbeen decreed by the L-rd, even if it is conditional, cannot

THEN YOU WILLDELIGHT IN G-D- IN THIS WORLD

LIKKUTEI S ICHOS, VOL. 30, PG. 125-133TRANSLATED BY BORUCH MERKUR

D’VAR MALCHUS

be retracted. It remains to be explained, though, why this[certainty] is emphasized specifically with regard to thisreward, something that is not to be found regarding otherinstances of reward.

According to the above [however] it is understoodthat with regard to other instances of reward and withregard to promises of material compensation which theHoly One Blessed Be He imparts in this world, these arematters that fall within the context of the world andworldly experiences. Even concerning the ultimate[abundance] of good things and the advantages that willbe in this world with the advent of the Days of Moshiach,the Rambam writes that no aspect of nature will benullified [Footnote 46: end of Chapter 9 of Laws ofRepentance; beginning of Chapter 12 of Laws of Kings].

However, the reward for keeping Shabbos – to delightin G-d, which is the reward that is hidden away for theWorld to Come [which follows the Days of Moshiach] –is not something that can be classified within the contextof the world, as Rambam writes at length in the Laws ofRepentance [Chapter 8:6-7 and other places]. (“Thisbestowal of good is exceedingly great...to the extent thatit cannot be fathomed. Indeed, it hasno measure or semblance ... Manlacks the capacity to clearlycomprehend it, etc. All the goodthings which the Prophets haveprophesied to the Jewish people onlypertain to the body, things fromwhich Jews derive benefit, etc.However, the good of the life of theWorld to Come has no measure orsemblance. In fact, the Prophets didnot liken it, etc.”) For this reason, Rambam adds andemphasizes [this point] with the words, “for the mouth ofG-d has spoken.” That is, this matter, which was notcomprehended [by man] and “the Prophets did not likenit,” is granted to one who “keeps the Shabbos accordingto its law, and honors it and delights in it according tohis capacity.”

7. A lesson for every single Jew is derived from thisleading “To correct character traits and to straighten alldeeds,” as Rambam puts it [at the end of the Laws ofTruma]. Namely, by means of increasing andstrengthening the study of the inner dimension of theTorah, whose point is, “Know the L-rd of your father”[Divrei HaYamim I 28:9]. Specifically with this approach,one comes to cleave to the Creator and to delight in G-d,as Rambam writes at the end of the Laws of Repentance:“Therefore, one must dedicate himself to understand andto comprehend the works of wisdom and understandingwhich familiarize him with his Master, according to thecapacity man has to understand and to grasp.”

Especially with regard to serving G-d through prayer,

as it says in Shulchan Aruch [Laws of Torah Study of theAlter Rebbe 4:5] regarding the pious Jews of an earlyperiod – that [notwithstanding the Mitzva to learn Torah,which is incumbent upon a Jew at every moment] theywould take a full hour in each of the three daily prayers[as well as a full hour before and after each prayer,totaling nine full hours daily!]: “They did not worryabout neglecting Torah study, even though ‘the study ofTorah equals all of them’ [i.e., all the Mitzvos puttogether], because they would connect their minds to theMaster of All, blessed be He, in impassioned awe andlove and with a true bond, to the extent that they wouldreach the state of transcending physicality. Indeed, theMitzva of truly cleaving to G-d with awe and love is[even] greater than the Mitzva of Torah study, and takesprecedent over it.”

In fact, this [lesson] pertains to the topic of Shabbositself, as it is brought in the Maggid Mishna here [i.e., thecommentary at the end of Laws of Shabbos in Rambam’sMishneh Torah]: “The reason underlying Shabbos is that itsignifies Creation (ha’Chiddush), [a concept that is sofundamental that] one who denies Creation denies the

Torah in its entirety. Therefore, onemust believe and establish in his soulthe belief in Creation and observe theShabbos, which is its faithfulsymbol.”

The details and depth of havingfaith in Creation come throughlearning and contemplating the innerdimension of the Torah, whichelucidates the topic and all its detailswith comprehensive explanations.

Establishing it [i.e., this faith, in one’s soul] isaccomplished through serving G-d through prayer, as itis explained in the Rama: “Before prayer, one shouldthink about the loftiness of the L-rd, may He be exalted,and the lowliness of man, and one should remove all thepleasures of man from his heart.” Specifically with thisapproach to prayer may one come to cleave to theCreator.

And it is known that prayer is at the level (like that)of Shabbos.

In so doing – by Jews keeping the Shabbos accordingto its law, both at the inner dimension of Shabbos as wellas at its superficial level [Footnote 54: see conclusion ofTanya], “immediately they will be redeemed.” Then it willbe revealed to the eyes of everyone how “their rest isderived from You, and through their rest they shallsanctify Your name” [Mincha Prayer of Shabbos] –“literally ‘from You’” – with the true and completeRedemption through our righteous Moshiach.

(From the address of Shabbos Parshas VaYakhel-P’kudei 5747)

By observing Shabbos,one adds strength tothe essential sanctity

of being Jewish.

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HE DOESN’T KNOW THECHASSAN EITHER

The Rebbe Maharash’s weddingmeal was celebrated with great joy onFriday, Erev Shabbos Parshas Naso 8Sivan 5608 (1848), when he wasfourteen years old. During the meal, R’Hillel Paritcher turned to the kalla’sfather, Rabbi Chaim Shneur Zalman(son of the Tzemach Tzedek) and said,“You are doing a shidduch with amechutan you don’t know!” (Eventhough the father of the groom was hisown father, the Tzemach Tzedek, R’Hillel meant that R’ C.S.Z. did nottruly know his own father’s greatness.)

Even though the Tzemach Tzedekwas sitting some distance away, he

heard what R’ Hillel said to his son andsaid, “He doesn’t know the chassaneither.”

During the week of Sheva Brachos,the kalla fell sick and passed awaythree months later. In order to consolethe chassan, his father, the TzemachTzedek said a room should be given tothe chassan near his own room, so thatwhenever he (the chassan) wanted, hecould enter his father’s holy room.

That is what they did, and whenthe Rebbe Maharash went in to see hisfather, his father showed him holy andwondrous manuscripts, includingthose he did not show his other sons.

(Seifer HaToldos Admur Maharash)

SECOND MARRIAGEThe Rebbe Maharash’s second

shidduch was made a year later andthis is how it came about:

Once, Rebbetzin Shayna, wife ofthe Mitteler Rebbe, suggested to herson-in-law, the Tzemach Tzedek, thatthe Rebbe Maharash marry one of hertwo orphan granddaughters, Gittel andRivka, daughters of her daughter Sarahand son-in-law R’ Aharon of Shklov(both of whom did not live long).

The Tzemach Tzedek replied: Theyare suggesting a shidduch from thetown of Liepli with a dowry of 20,000rubles. What kind of dowry will thechassan receive with your suggestion?

Said the Rebbetzin: It says, “esheschaver k’chaver” (the wife of a Torahscholar is like him) – I give thechassan forty years of eshes chaver!

The Tzemach Tzedek agreed to hersuggestion and chose the youngersister, Rivka. The older sister Gittelforgave her younger sister and gave herconsent to her marrying first. TheTzemach Tzedek took care of her tooand later on chose a good chassan forher from Niezhen.

During the meal made at thetenaim, the sister, Gittel, asked leave tosay something. When the TzemachTzedek agreed, she said: The simplemeaning of the statement, “nashimdaatan kalla” (women’s intellect is kalla,light) is that a woman is alwaysthinking about when she will be akalla.

What was the dowry that the Rebbe Maharashreceived? Why wasn’t the Rebbe Maharashpresent at the wedding of his son, the RebbeRashab? How old was the Rebbe Rashab whenhis shidduch was made? Why did the RebbeRashab stop in the middle of the maamer at hisonly child’s wedding? What did Rabbi MeirShapiro say after he spoke with the RebbeMH”M at his wedding? * Wedding tidbits tomark Yud-Dalet Kislev, the anniversary of theRebbe and Rebbetzin.

SATISFIED WITHTHE SHIDDUCH

14 KISLEV

The Tzemach Tzedek smiled at thisexplanation. Then Gittel added: Ouryichus is Hashem, because He is thefather of orphans.

(Ateres Malchus)

THE KOCHOS I INHERITEDFROM MY HUSBAND

On the day of the RebbeMaharash’s wedding, his father, theTzemach Tzedek told him to go to thekitchen and ask his grandmother,Rebbetzin Shayna, for a bracha. Thechassan went to ask for the bracha butshe told him, crossly, that the day wasyet long and she would bless him atthe chuppa.

When the chassan repeated whatshe had said to his father, the TzemachTzedek told him to go back to theRebbetzin and to demand a brachathen and there.

The Rebbe Maharash returned tothe kitchen where the Rebbetzin wasextremely busy and many women wererushing about, following theRebbetzin’s instructions. The chassanstood in the midst of this commotionand insisted that he receive her brachanow!

When the Rebbetzin saw that thechassan would not give up, she askedfor some water to wash her hands andthen she placed her hands on his headand in the presence of two witnessesblessed him as follows:

“May it be G-d’s will that all theabilities I inherited from my husbandshould rest upon your head!”

When the Tzemach Tzedek heardwhat the Rebbetzin’s bracha was, hewas extremely pleased.

(Ateres Malchus)

THE BLESSING OF A KALLAOn that day, the kalla went to her

father-in-law, the Tzemach Tzedek, andreceived his bracha. The Rebbe askedthat she too, bless him. The kalla didso and then said:

“Let not the blessing of a kalla besimple in your eyes.” (a play on thewords of Chazal, “let not the blessingof a simple person be kalla” [i.e., light,spelled differently than the word forbride but pronounced the same way]in your eyes).

At the wedding, the TzemachTzedek was tremendously joyous andhe said much Chassidus. The greatChassidim – such as Rabbi YitzchokIsaac Epstein of Homil, RabbiNechemia of Dubrovna, RabbiYitzchok Isaac of Vitebsk, Rabbi Hillelof Paritch, Rabbi Peretz ofBeshenkowitz, Rabbi Pesach ofMalastovka, and others, whoparticipated in their Rebbe’s simcha –farbrenged together with great joy.

(Likkutei Sippurim – Perlov, p. 131)

IN THE FUTURE, I WILLBE THERE TOO

The Rebbe Maharash was notpresent at his son the Rebbe Rashab’swedding, because of his ill health.Only his wife, Rebbetzin Rivka, wentwith her son the chassan to thewedding.

A week before the wedding, theRebbe Maharash traveled toaccompany his son, the chassan, to thetown of Achrimeva, where he spokewords of Chassidus and said wondrousthings. When he finished sayingChassidus, he told his son the chassan:

Now is the revelation of the aspectof mochin d’ima, and therefore themother of the chassan is traveling, butin the future, when the mochin d’abbawill be revealed, I will be there too.

The Rebbe Maharash told his sonnot to wear a shtraimel at his wedding,and in general, not to wear one exceptin Lubavitch. This is what the Rebbe



Rashab did all his life, wearing ashtraimel only in Lubavitch.

On their trip to the wedding, thechassan and his mother brought a giftfor the kalla, a new hat. The gift was ina box in the wagon. The Rebbe askedwhat was in the box, and when he wastold that it was a hat for the kalla, heasked to see it. When they gave it tohim, he removed the feather.

(Seifer HaSichos Toras Sholom)

WHO IS GREATER?In 5625 (1865), when the Rebbe

Rashab was four years old, hisgrandfather the Tzemach Tzedek saidhe wanted to make a shidduch for himand suggested his granddaughter, theyoungest daughter of his son, R’ YosefYitzchok, Shterna Sarah.

Regarding this, it is told that whenhe was a little boy, the Rebbe Rashabspent nearly the entire day at the homeof the Tzemach Tzedek. One time,when Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah,daughter of his uncle, Rabbi YosefYitzchok of Avrutch, was there, theTzemach Tzedek said about them,“Chassan v’kalla.”

R’ Yosef Yitzchok asked his father,the Tzemach Tzedek: Perhaps, whenthey grow older they won’t be suitablefor one another?

Said his father: This young one willbe greater than you!

(Chanoch L’Naar)

DRAWING DOWNA NEW LIGHT

Regarding the wedding of theRebbe Rayatz, it is told that in themiddle of the maamer, as the RebbeRashab spoke about the inyan of“simcha bursting forth,” he suddenlystopped and said that he had forgottenwhat he wanted to say. He got up andwent over to where the manuscriptwas and looked at the maamer,returned to his place and continuedsaying the maamer.

On Shabbos Parshas Teitzeh 5714(1954) the Rebbe MH”M spoke about

the Rebbe Rashab stopping in themiddle of the maamer, and explained:

Generally, such things did nothappen. How could the Rebbe haveforgotten an inyan? Rather, what thismeans is that the inyan reverted backto its source for a while, in order to bedrawn back down again from thesource. For in order for the hamshachato be on a higher level than before, thehamshacha has to be from a higherplace, i.e., from its original source.This is like when a person rests, whenhis kochos rise up to their source andnew kochos are drawn down.

Therefore, things like this did nothappen except for the Rebbe’swedding, for that time was an “inyanklali” (a matter affecting the entireJewish people) and the drawing down

of a new light; there was the simchaand the saying of Chassidus withoutlimits.

WHAT IS THISCHASSAN LIKE?

Regarding the Rebbe MH”M’sshidduch it is said that before thechuppa, R’ Berel Moshe Shmotkinasked the Rebbe Rayatz what thechassan was like, and the Rebbeanswered:

“I gave my daughter to this man.He is expert in Bavli and Yerushalmiand knows the earlier and latercommentaries and more. At four in themorning he never sleeps for either hestill hasn’t gone to sleep or he hasalready gotten up.”

UNDER THE HEAVENSAt the reception before the

wedding of a Lubavitcher couple thattook place in the winter, they told theRebbe that because of the cold and icethey were going to hold the chuppaindoors.

The Rebbe replied: My weddingalso took place in the winter and thechuppa was held under the sky, i.e.,outdoors, and I am, baruch Hashem,satisfied with my shidduch.

MESADER KIDDUSHINThe mesader kiddushin at the

Rebbe’s wedding was the Rebbe Rayatz,and the Rebbe Rayatz also recited theSheva Brachos himself in a loud andpleasantly sweet voice, withtremendous d’veikus. The listenerswere all amazed by his intensity andthey all said they had never heardanything like that in their lives.

As the Rebbe said the brachos, oneof the Chassidim, who had merited tosee the Rebbe Rashab, called out ingreat wonder: Oy, the Rebbe [i.e., theRebbe Rashab] is mesader kiddushin!

Chassidim who attended thiswedding say that the Rebbe Rayatzwent from table to table with a towelon his shoulder like a waiter and hegave out mashke and blessed theguests. This is exactly what his father,the Rebbe Rashab, had done at thewedding of his only son, the RebbeRayatz, “he went around...among theguests...and drank l’chaim with eachone with beautiful brachos for eachone according to his needs.”

On Shabbos Parshas Naso 5747 theRebbe said:

At my wedding, the Rebbe myfather-in-law got up and went amongthe guests to give out mashke and sayl’chaim. Seeing this, I could not remainseated as my father-in-law stood andgave out mashke, so I got up in orderto try to assist, at least by holding themashke or holding the cup, etc. Butmy father-in-law motioned to me toremain seated.

“Generally, suchthings did not

happen. How couldthe Rebbe have

forgotten something?”


A Jew is stubborn...and seeing howmy father-in-law was circulating andgiving out mashke (or wine, I don’tremember exactly), and he probablyheld a cup in his hand, I began to getup again, in order to help him.

My father-in-law looked at me(with a sharp look) and I realized thatI had to remain seated. I remainedthere, on tenterhooks of course, butseated, until my father-in-law cameback and sat down in his place tocontinue the wedding feast.

YOU HAVE TAKEN AS A SON-IN-LAW A GAON OLAM

R’ Shmuel Zalmanov, who was thewaiter appointed to the head table atthe Rebbe’s wedding, related:

As a young bachur, it would nothave been polite for me to stand closeto the table. However, in my role as

waiter, I approached the table severaltimes, and merited to see how theRebbe Rayatz suggested to the famousgaon, Rabbi Meir Shapiro z”l, rav ofLublin, who sat near the chassan, thathe speak in learning with the chassan.So Rabbi Shapiro turned to the chassanand said, “Nu, say something.”

In the meantime, I had movedaway from the table, to be polite, but Icontinued to follow what washappening from a distance. I saw howthe Rebbe shlita spoke to RabbiShapiro for a long time. He spokequietly and moderately, andthroughout, Rabbi Shapiro listenedclosely and only made brief comments.

This went on for a long time, andat the end, Rabbi Shapiro turned to theRebbe Rayatz and said: LubavitcherRebbe, you have taken as a son-in-law,a gaon olam (tremendous genius).

Then Rabbi Shapiro asked theRebbe to continue and tell him morechiddushei Torah, but the Rebbepolitely refused, saying: Until now, Iwas commanded to do so, but if Icontinue, that would be my owndecision.

SON-IN-LAW AND FATHER-IN-LAW DANCING

After the meal, at about three-thirty,the guests and Admurim who hadcome to the simcha got up and dancedtogether in a circle (as PolishChassidim dance). When the Admurimsat down to rest, the Rebbe Rayatztook his son-in-law and danced withhim, with hands on each other’sshoulders, as Chabad Chassidimdance. The Admurim said theirgoodbyes and went home.

(Nisuei HaNesiim)

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The author of the article in theprevious issue made a number ofpoints that surprised me and gave mefood for thought. Maybe I didn’t quiteunderstand what the author meant. Ifso, I apologize.

The author tried to define what ashliach is, and this is certainly no easytask, since the Rebbe MH”M himselfdefines what a shliach is in a numberof different ways on variousoccasions.

I personally know of a Chassidwho was in chinuch, back in the daysof the Reshet, and at a certain pointhe felt that he had exhausted hiseducational abilities. He thought ofchanging professions but hisconscience bothered him, forwouldn’t that be betraying hisshlichus? Wouldn’t he no longer beconsidered a shliach? The Rebbe toldhim that when he works in his newjob and smiles at a colleague, “that isalso my shlichus.”

In other words, as LubavitcherChassidim we are ambassadors for theRebbe. When we smile at a Jew it’snot as Yankel Shmerl (or YenteShprintze) that we do so, but as aLubavitcher, the Rebbe’srepresentative.

So that would seem to mean thateach one of us, all of Anash, ought toattend the Kinus HaShluchim. But

that doesn’t happen. Those whoattend the Kinus HaShluchim arethose shluchim who are on the job 24hours a day and are responsible fortheir neighborhood, city, area,country, and even continent.

Obviously, there is no comparisonbetween a shliach who smiles at

someone and is mekadesh the nameof the Rebbe at his workplace and ashliach who doesn’t sleep comfortablyat night because all the Jews in hisarea are not completely ready to greetMoshiach.

Since the volumes of SeiferHaShluchim were published, thedefinition is clear. A shliach issomeone who is responsible, by beingappointed by the Rebbe, for theYiddishkait in his city or area, or

someone working in Chabad chinuch.We don’t see any Lubavitcher teachersworking in non-Chabad schools in theSeifer HaShluchim.

The author quotes a letter that theRebbe wrote to the shluchim whowent to Eretz Yisroel in which he listsan order of shlichus priorities. Fromthis list, the author derives thatanybody who works in chinuch, evenin a non-Chabad school, is a shliach. Ican see it now, the next edition of theSeifer HaShluchim will have listingslike: Alabama, Alaska, Talmud TorahAmshinov, Arizona, Argentina,Budapest, Birmingham, Belgium,Byelorussia, Yeshivas Belz, Brunoy, S.Diego, South Africa, YeshivasSlobodka, Vienna, Virginia, KollelVizhnitz, Volgorad ...

Sounds funny? Of course! Did theRebbe really intend for ourChassidishe yungelait to invest theirefforts in non-Chabad schools? Whatexactly would they accomplish there?Is the letter of instructions to theshluchim who went to Eretz Yisroel, ageneral list of priorities for all ofAnash?

One can similarly say that therewere instructions to individualChassidim to seek chassanim whowere not Lubavitchers. Perhaps youwould like to quote this answer fromthe Rebbe and we should all beencouraged to do shidduchim withour daughters to bachurim, b’neiTorah, in order to be mekarev them toChassidus? After all, it says right therein the Igros Kodesh that the Rebbe told

INSIGHT

DEFINING SHLICHUSMORE CAREFULLY

A response to the article about shlichus in theprevious issue by an anonymous shliach.

How shocked theywere when the

Rebbe’s responsearrived: why invest

energy and effort intoa kollel that is notrun by Chabad?


a Chassid to do so!

Indeed, in the past there wereroshei yeshivos, melamdim,menahalim of schools, and womenteachers who worked in non-Chabadschools, especially in the U.S. (beforeand after the founding of TomcheiT’mimim). I don’t have preciseinformation regarding this but I thinkthey all received personal instructionsto do so from the Rebbe Rayatz, andafterwards, from the Rebbe.

In my opinion, that letter to theshluchim in Eretz Yisroel is in thecategory of a private horaa and notsomething meant for everybody tofollow.

Decades ago, in one of the bordertowns of Eretz Yisroel, the residentscried out for the services of a shliach.Someone who was familiar with thetown from his work there began to gettogether a group of young men to gotogether, as a group, on shlichusthere. For the residents of that town,

this was a dream come true, sincemany of them knew Chabad fromtheir countries of origin.

The Lubavitchers were also happyto go as a group, but the questionarose about parnasa. No Chabadmosad was able to take on thefinancial burden of ten youngfamilies, many of them with youngchildren.

The organizer approached anorganization (not Lubavitch) whichhad opened many kollelim indevelopment towns at that time. Thehanhala of this organization agreed toaccept this Chabad group and toprovide the money for the project.The Lubavitchers were going to learnin a Chabad kollel, and in theafternoon and evening hours weresupposed to work with the residentsof the town. The main thing was thatthe money was going to come from anoutside source, namely, a non-Chabadorganization.

When all the details werearranged, the completed project waspresented to the Rebbe for hisapproval. It was 100% al taharasChabad except for the funding andthe “title,” a seeming formality. Howshocked they were when the Rebbe’sresponse arrived. (The following is asI heard it, though I cannot guaranteeits authenticity): why invest energyand effort into a kollel that is not runby Chabad?

Naturally, the idea was rejectedand this answer from the Rebbebecame a horaa for the future for eachmember of the group: Lubavitchersshould use their energy and efforts forspreading Yiddishkait, but with anemphasis on spreading thewellsprings, meaning Chabad, notonly in substance but also in “title.”

There was another point that theauthor made regarding children of ashliach who marry and continue tolive near their parents. He says thatthey are not shluchim because theyhave all the comforts of home.Although I have not been so lucky tohave my children live near me to helpme as they did when they were single,I will still disagree with his point.Why can’t they continue with thesame shlichus they were born into?Why aren’t they permitted to continueworking with the population whowere impacted by them and whoknows and respects them for years?

Till this day I hear, in my place ofshlichus, people saying they miss mychildren who left for shlichus ingreener and grander pastures. I amsure that if my children lived near meon shlichus, their presence wouldhelp me far more than ten others whoare not related to me!

Even those of my children who arenot on formal shlichus in their cities,but who work in chinuch and“u’faratzta” projects, are still shluchimbecause a shliach is what you are, notsomething temporary. Those born toshlichus will be shluchim forever.


SOURCE OF THE NIGGUN,“ANA AVDA”

I would like to devote onechapter to R’ Shneur Zalman Taibel,one of the Chassidim who was aben bayis at our home in NewYork. R’ Zalman was so close to usthat he considered himself a part ofthe family. Without thinking twice,he joined the family picture at mywedding. He had a pleasantpersonality, was refined, had goodmiddos, and was a devotedChassid. He had a special musicaltalent. He had a sweet voice andknew how to play the violin.

R’ Zalman was one of thefortunate few who for decadesmerited to eat at the Rebbe’s tableon Yomim Tovim. At everyfarbrengen, the Rebbe turnedaround to him in order to wish himl’chaim. On Pesach night, when theRebbe gave out small pieces of

matza, R’ Zalman got two wholematzos: the food of faith and thefood of healing.

R’ Zalman was part of theregular minyan that ate with theRebbe on Yom Tov (when the mealswere held at the home of the RebbeRayatz on the second floor of 770).One time, during a Shavuos meal,R’ Zalman began to sing the niggun“Ana Avda” (from the prayer BrichShmei, which is said when the aronis opened).

Later on, at the farbrengen, theRebbe asked him to teach theniggun to the crowd, and from thenon, the Chassidim sang this niggunoften, when the Rebbe indicatedthey should do so. It even oncehappened that the Rebbe, whilepassing before the aron onShabbos, began to sing “Ana Avda”himself!

Occasionally the Rebbe would

look for R’ Zalman in the crowdand ask, “Where is my Ana Avda?”The Rebbe gave him this name notonly because R’ Zalman brought theniggun from Russia but because hewas truly an eved.

THE MIKVA ATTENDANTWHO FOUND FAVOR

R’ Zalman was born on the ChagHaGeula of Yud-Tes Kislev aroundthe year 5649 (1888) and wasnamed for the Alter Rebbe. Hisfamily lived in the town ofDubrinka, which was one of thesettlements that the Mitteler Rebbefounded. The Rebbe’s father, RabbiLevi Yitzchok Schneersohn, oftenvisited this town.

On one of his visits, R’ LeviYitzchok noticed that Zalman, a 17-year-old bachur had still notfulfilled the statement of Chazal,“exile yourself to a place of Torah.”On his next trip to Lubavitch, hetook Zalman with him. R’ Zalmanwas accepted into Yeshivas TomcheiT’mimim and learned there for anumber of years.

After he married, he moved toLeningrad, where he took on thejob of running the mikva. The ravof Leningrad, R’ Dovid TevelKatznelbogen, respected R’ Zalmanfor his mesirus nefesh.

R’ Zalman related that the RebbeRayatz also greatly esteemed this

MEMOIRS

THE REBBE’S‘ANA AVDA’

BY RABBI SHNEUR ZALMAN CHANIN

The story of a Chassid who knew of no otherlife than one of literal mesirus nefesh, inRussia, France, Morocco, and the UnitedStates. * No wonder he ate at the Rebbe’s tableand the Rebbe lovingly called him, “My ‘anaavda.’” * Few know to whom he owes his richand amazing life.


mesirus nefesh. One time, whenthe Rebbe Rayatz came to immersein the mikva, he gave R’ Zalman acoin of a large denomination aspayment. R’ Zalman told the Rebbehe had paid far too much andasked why he should get such alarge sum.

The Rebbe smiled and said,“Since you are pleasing to me, youdeserve such a coin.”

R’ Zalman was not an activeperson but a quiet man who ranthe mikva. Because of hisinvolvement with the mikva, hehad connections with many of theChassidim and with the askanimthat the Rebbe Rayatz sent tostrengthen Anash in their religiousobservance in general, family purityin particular. Because of this, thecursed Yevsektzia decided R’Zalman would serve them well asan informer and since he was aweak man, he certainly wouldn’toppose them and nobody wouldsuspect him.

MESIRUS NEFESHNOT TO INFORM

R’ Zalman was called a numberof times to the N.K.V.D., secretly, inthe hopes that they would manageto enlist him in their ranks. At

first, they promised him a nicesalary and benefits and then theythreatened him with exile andsuffering. R’ Zalman was afraid to

tell anybody lest he cause problemsfor himself and others, but hefeared even more that he wouldn’twithstand the test and would bepersuaded to join them.

At a certain point R’ Zalmantried to harm himself in such a waythat the N.K.V.D. wouldn’t be ableto enlist him. When my fatherdiscovered this, and asked R’Zalman to explain himself, R’Zalman told him the whole storyand said: better he should hurthimself than to give even one nameof a Jew to the wicked authorities!

My father sent him immediatelyto another city for a few months,where R’ Zalman could wait untilthe N.K.V.D. got over theirdisappointment, and then hereturned to Leningrad.

R’ Shneur Zalman Teibel playing the violin

FROM SHLICHUS TOSHLICHUS

In 1507 (1947), R’ Zalman andmany other Lubavitchers leftgreater Russia. In the transit city ofPoking the Chassidim set up ayeshiva but for some reason, theyneglected the chinuch of the olderbachurim, who, for obviousreasons, knew hardly any limudeikodesh. Because of their age, theybelonged in yeshiva but because oftheir limited knowledge, theydidn’t even know what elementaryschool children know.

R’ Zalman, with great mesirusnefesh, taught them Alef-Beis,Chumash, Rashi, Mishnayos, andafter a while even managed, andwondrously so, to teach themGemara. Most of these bachurimeventually became talmideichachamim.

From Poking, R’ Zalman wentwith the rest of the Chassidim toParis. In 5710 (1950), R’ Zalmanwas told by the Rebbe to travel toCasablanca, Morocco to run theBais Rivka school for girls. A triplike that in those days entailed realmesirus nefesh. It meant being in adistant place, with limitedtransportation, and enduringdifficult travels. In addition, thelanguage was foreign as were thecustoms and culture, but none ofthis stopped R’ Zalman fromfollowing orders.

Before the trip, the Rebbe wroteR’ Zalman: “Fortunate is thegeneration in which the elders obeythe young ones” (referring to R’Zalman being older than the Rebbeyet he obeyed the Rebbe).

After some years R’ Zalmanbecame sick and had to leaveMorocco and return to France. In5721, he traveled to the Rebbe,where he lived till the end of hislife.

“REBBE” OF THE MEIDLACH

R’ Zalman remained loyal to thegirls he had educated at Beis Rivkain Morocco. Most of thememigrated to France and the UnitedStates while some went to EretzYisroel. He called them, “mydaughters” and took care of alltheir material and spiritual needs.Even after he married them off, hekept in touch, took an interest intheir lives and helped in thechinuch of their children.

While in the U.S. R’ Zalmanraised money for Bais Rivka inFrance, where most of his studentshad emigrated. Even when he was avery old man, he would still travelall over the U.S. and Canada, eachday going to another location, withtremendous mesirus nefesh. R’Zalman would visit variousAdmurim, who accorded him greatrespect because of the divrei Torahand Chassidus he would relate.

One of the great Admurim inNew York would give R’ Zalman afew thousand dollars every year forBeis Rivka in France. When R’Zalman went to see him, thisAdmur stood up for him and said,“For you I must act with derech

eretz for you are the Rebbe of themeidlach [teacher of the girls] andupon them rests the entire Jewishpeople.”

BETTER THE MAZALSHOULD SLEEP THAN TOSLEEP AT A FARBRENGEN

Despite R’ Zalman’s advancedage, he went to every one of theRebbe’s farbrengens and wouldn’tforego a single one.

There’s the custom of notsleeping on Rosh HaShana by dayand the reason given is so thatone’s mazal shouldn’t sleep. Butwhen R’ Zalman lay down to restafter the meal before the farbrengenon the second day of RoshHaShana, he would say, “Better themazal should sleep than to sleep atthe farbrengen.”

R’ Zalman was proficient indikduk (Hebrew grammar) and wasalso knowledgeable in the study ofChumash and the commentators onthe Torah. He had a koch for theRebbe’s sichos on Rashi’scommentary. Often, and especiallyduring the summer, he would stayto hear a review of the sichos and

16 BEIS MOSHIACH - 15 Kislev 5766

R’ Shneur Zalman Teibel standing behind the Rebbe at a farbrengen

he lived with them the rest of theweek.

He would write comments tothe Rebbe on the Rashi sichos andask questions on Rashi before thefarbrengen. Often, when he wouldcome back to the house after afarbrengen he would say, “I askedthe Rebbe a question and instead ofthe Rebbe taking his holy time toanswer me, he came up with anidea. He added more questions andthey were sharper questions thanmy foolishness, and he made anentire farbrengen in order to giveus chayus for the week...”

FOR R’ ZALMAN

When R’ Zalman was quite oldhe remained in my father’s houseuntil nearly his final day. My fatherfed him, washed, and dressed him,took him to shul and treated him

like a brother and a loyal friend.

One year, when my parentswent to Florida for the winter, they

took R’ Zalman to a senior citizenscenter. When my father returned,he went to visit R’ Zalman and herelated sadly that it seemed to himthat R’ Zalman had lost hishumanity at that home. He took R’Zalman out of there and hired anaide to care for R’ Zalman until herecuperated.

Thanks to my father’s caring forR’ Shneur Zalman Teibel, hereceived a whole matza from theRebbe every year on the first nightof Pesach and another one on thesecond night. One year my fatherdid not go to get matzos and theRebbe called him and asked him tocome every year.

Often, at dollars, the Rebbewould give my father an extradollar and say, “This is for R’Zalman.”


When R’ Zalman laydown to rest after the

meal before thefarbrengen on the

second day of RoshHaShana, he would

say, “Better themazal should sleepthan to sleep at the

farbrengen.”


TO LIVE TWICEBY YAALE BEN ARUYA

The story of Chaya P. is the storyof one neshama out of many thatbroke through the darkness of herpersonal galus and found its way tothe Nasi HaDor, the Rebbe MH”M.

“I was born in Bat Yam but I grewup on Kibbutz Gedot. My firstimpressions of Yiddishkait wereabsorbed from my grandmother a”h,who was traditional. She did not keepShabbos but she lit candles and hadKiddush.

When I was bas mitzva, thekibbutz gave us a mission. Each of uswas supposed to research our roots.My grandmother and I drew a familytree and then, for the first time, mygrandmother told me that she camefrom a religious home, a chareidi

family in Teveria. Her father, mygreat-grandfather, was the shadar forthe yeshiva Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes inTeveria. When he wasn’t awayfundraising he taught children inschool. She also told me that herfamily was descended from the gaonand mekubal Rabbi Chaim Abulafiaz”l.

The discoveries I made about myfamily thrilled me and inspired me todo more and more research. I wasalways attracted to religion and now Ihad found a way to access it.

I thought a lot and asked myselfquestions about life. I began towonder about why I was here in thisworld and about the belief in G-d. Ifthere is a Creator, I wondered, what

did He want of us? I thought aboutand asked these questions at the ageof fifteen, when I was on a kibbutzthat had not a shred of Torah andmitzvos.”

It was only many years later thatChaya got the answers to thesequestions, but it happened in atumultuous way.

* * *A group of Christian volunteers

visited the kibbutz. It turns out theywere actually missionaries. Theyspoke about Christianity and offeredtheir “wares,” their goal being tocapture souls.

“We didn’t know their purposeand were unaware of the danger.”

One day these Christiansvolunteers gave Chaya a book. There,they believed, she would find theanswers to her questions.

“The more I read the more Irealized it was utter lies. Their entireworldview was false and illogical. Itwas simply repulsive. It was clear asday to me that the truth was not to befound there.”

One day when Chaya’s mother sawher with the book, she was shaken tothe core.

“Why are you reading their book?Are you studying Christianity? Youwere born a Jew, go and studyJudaism!” exclaimed her mother.

Following this incident, Chayatransferred to a national-religiousschool in Givat Washington. She wasonly fifteen. Along with a spiritualcounselor who guided her in halachaand hashkafa, she began to undertake

Mrs. Chaya P. of Rechovot received her life asa gift. When she stood before the judges of theHeavenly Court, she remembered an excerptfrom a sicha of the Rebbe and she reviewed itfor the judges. This is what determined herfate, and in the blink of an eye she foundherself back in her bed in the hospitalsurrounded by despairing doctors. That iswhen she realized the significance of thebracha she had received from the Rebbe a fewyears earlier: “Double chayus, double chayus.”* A thrilling first person story.

STORY


a life of Torah and mitzvos. The moreshe learned, the more her interestgrew. Each detail she learned, sheimplemented immediately.

When she had vacation, she wentto her grandmother in Bat Yam. Shewas apprehensive because hergrandmother wasn’t religious. Shenearly went to B’nei Brak to findspiritual guidance, but by DivinePresence she found out about RabbiZimroni Tzik’s shiurim that took placedirectly opposite her grandmother’shome.

“They were shiurim in Tanya, andit entered my heart. For the first timeI felt I had come home to something Iwas always missing. I suddenly heardthere is a Rebbe that you have toconnect with and that the Rebbe isthe Moshe Rabbeinu of thegeneration.

“I thought of leaving the program Iwas in and switching to a Chabadschool, but the families thatsupported and guided me, the Tzikand Tavito families, advised me tofinish where I was. ‘You don’t leave inthe middle,’ they said.”

Chaya soon took on all of Torahand mitzvos, in her dress, behavior,and learning. One day, while touringin Europe, she read a book about theAlter Rebbe that she had taken alongwith her.

“For the first time, I encounteredthe name Shneur Zalman, whichmoved me. Shneur means two lights.I said to myself that if I had a son,this is what I’d name him. The AlterRebbe’s personality fascinated me. Iwas amazed by his life story and byhis having brought about a nachasruach Above and below.

“And when I got married and gavebirth to my oldest son, it was 12Kislev, and on 19 Kislev, the AlterRebbe’s Chag HaGeula, he had his brisand was named Shneur Zalman.”

Chaya went to Bais Rivkaseminary, where she absorbed a lot ofChassidus. She was only 19 years old

and was happy to be in a Chassidicschool.

In Elul, she went to CrownHeights with a Lubavitcher family thatshe traveled with. On Sunday, shewent for “dollars.”

“The line moved slowly, and whenit was my turn the Rebbe looked atme. His gaze shook me up. I felt thatthe Rebbe was seeing everything I didin the past. After a brief moment thatfelt like eternity, the Rebbe asked myname.

Chaya

Family name?

Chayut

Daughter of?

I told the Rebbe my father andmother’s names. The Rebbe looked atme again with a glowing gaze. From afar-off world I heard him say, ‘Doublechayus, double chayus. BrachaV’hatzlacha.’ I said to myself, theRebbe is probably referring to myname, which is Chaya Chayut and myfather’s name is Chaim. I didn’tfathom any further significance to thebracha. It was only years later that Iunderstood its true meaning.”

Chaya flew to Los Angeles to visit

her mother who lives there. Hermother suggested that Chaya live inLos Angeles, and she liked the idea.

“I could not spend Shabbos withmy mother since she wasn’t religiousand I went to the shliach, RabbiShlomo Cunin’s house. It was excitingto meet a shliach of the Rebbe MH”M!He didn’t know me yet he hadsuggestions for me. He changed mylife.

“‘Why are you thinking of livinghere? First of all, ask the Rebbewhether you should remain inAmerica or return to Eretz Yisroel.Ask the Rebbe.’

“That’s an idea...” I said.

“And he said, ‘I will send thequestion to the Rebbe and you willget an answer.’

“That Wednesday the answerarrived: ‘Return to Bais Rivka, returnto Eretz Yisroel.’ I had to choose and Ichose to do what the Rebbe advised.If the Rebbe said to return, then itwas certainly the best thing for me todo.

“I spent the month of Tishrei 5746with the Rebbe, on my way back toEretz Yisroel. It was thrilling. Ireceived a dollar from the Rebbe on afew occasions. Towards the end of themonth a number of single girls passedby the Rebbe in order to get a bracha.When my friends and I passed by, theRebbe blessed in Yiddish and gaveeach of us a dollar and a bracha.”

Upon Chaya’s return to EretzYisroel, someone suggested YosefNissim P. as a shidduch for her. Hetoo was a young baal t’shuva. Hisfather is one of the activists involvedwith Chabad of Bat Yam and one ofRabbi Zimroni Tzik’s first helpers. Hebecame a baal t’shuva with his familywhen he was 40. He noticed Chaya atone of the days of mivtzaim onChanuka and made the shidduch forhis son, not before receiving theRebbe’s haskama and bracha.

“It was a Chassidishe wedding thatgave me tremendous kochos to

The birth entailed nodifficulties and no

anesthetic but whileChaya was still in the

delivery room, shebegan to suddenlyexperience seriouscomplications. Shenoticed the midwife

turning pale in fright.


continue along the way of Chabadthat I had chosen.”

The young couple lived in BatYam. A year after her Shneur Zalmanwas born, Chaya gave birth to herdaughter Penina Hodia. The birthentailed no difficulties and noanesthetic but while Chaya was still inthe delivery room, she began tosuddenly experience seriouscomplications. She noticed themidwife turning pale in fright.

“I felt terrible pain and all the painI had felt before the birth started upagain, as though I was going to givebirth again. I asked the terrifiedmidwife, ‘What’s happening? What’shappening?’ She brusquely replied,‘It’s nothing, it’s nothing, don’t worry.’I was all of twenty years old, havingjust gone through an ordinary birthwith no epidural, and then suddenlythere were these pains. I didn’tunderstand what was going on. Themidwife told me not to worry butthen she dashed off for the doctors.

“In the meantime, I lostconsciousness. I felt my headspinning around and then suddenly, Ididn’t feel my body. I was free, goingup upwards in a dizzying spiral, goingup and up, liberated from my body.Suddenly, I was in another world, aspiritual world. I realized I was in theheavenly court. Opposite me was atable of judges and in the center wasthe chair of the chief justice. A pillarof fire hovered above. The judges saton either side, not visible except forshadowy images that seemed to besitting in the chairs. One side waschesed, the other side din. I knew allthis with an inner certainty. I wasriveted by the amazing and awe-inspiring scene.

“I began to think, ‘What’shappening to me? What am I doinghere?’

“Suddenly there was a voice fromwithin a curtain of light. It was sostrange because the light justilluminated itself but not the darkness

around it and the darkness did nottouch the light. From within thecurtain of light I heard, ‘What is thepurpose of this neshama in theworld?’

“I heard this and felt that if Ididn’t say something, it would be toolate. I would have finished my job. Igot up my courage and began to say, ‘Igave birth to a son and now to adaughter, and who will raise themand educate them to Torah andmitzvos? Who, if not their mother?

That is my purpose!’

“And I pleaded for my life so Icould return to the world to fill myrole as a mother. Suddenly I heardmyself adamantly saying, ‘I promise toraise them to Torah and mitzvos!’ Thejudges began to consult amongthemselves while I wondered wheremy speech had come from. How did Ithink to say what I said? And whilestill up in the heavenly court, Iremembered that this is what theRebbe had said! I felt that the Rebbe

was there with me and he put thesewords into my mouth.

“I remembered that shortly beforegiving birth I had read a sicha inwhich the Rebbe says that the role ofthe mother is to educate her childrento Torah and mitzvos. It seems thatDivine providence had prepared mefor this moment, so that I wouldknow the right thing to say.

“I felt the Rebbe standing behindme and directing me in what to sayand the judges continued to confer.Suddenly, I heard someone say,‘Return her.’ As this was being said, Iwoke up, regaining consciousness.

“I was in the same place and inthe same condition that I had beenbefore I left my body. They hadn’tdone anything with me. They had leftme like that. I saw the doctors inconsultation, looking somber andtense.

“Apparently some top doctors hadbeen called in but they didn’t knowwhat to do about the complicationsthat had arisen. A moment before Iregained consciousness, Dr. Lidordecided to try an experimentaltreatment. If it would have succeeded,it would have been an open miracle.Other than that, they didn’t knowwhat to do.

When the doctors saw that Chayahad regained consciousness theyrushed over with a respirator, oxygenmachine, and all their otherequipment. ‘She’s back! She’s back!’they exclaimed. Her heart startedbeating again. Slowly they all calmeddown and the color returned to theirfaces.

“They tried to calm me but I wasfeeling relaxed. I knew that if theyhad made a positive decree up above,I would be fine. One of the doctorssaid, ‘This particular complicationhappened twenty years ago and thatwoman died. You’re really lucky.You’re lucky you’re religious andHashem loves you.’ This is what anon-observant doctor said. ‘You

“In the meantime, Ilost consciousness. I

felt my head spinningaround and then

suddenly, I didn’t feelmy body. I was free,going up upwards in

a dizzying spiral,going up and up,liberated from my

body. Suddenly, I wasin another world, aspiritual world...”


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should know that we all witnessed amiracle here.’”

The amazing thing is that thedoctors had basically given up hope,and even the procedure they wereconsidering trying was only an act ofdesperation. The story ended on apositive note only because of amiracle. And the really amazing thingis that everything went back tonormal without any further medicalintervention and Chaya went on togive birth to more children, naturallyand in good health.

“So I was born twice. When theRebbe blessed me with ‘two timeschayus,’ I didn’t understand itproperly. It was only after the miraclethat I experienced that I understoodit. I realized I had been born anew.Now I see that many years ago theRebbe anticipated it all and he blessedme with additional life, new life.

“The Rebbe’s bracha is eternal. Isee many things that can beconnected to this bracha, ‘two timeschayus’ – the two lives I’ve merited tolive, and on that same date when I gotmy life back, two of my children wereborn. This bracha continues to affectme.”

The Rebbe is with you, in such anopen way. How do you maintain yourhiskashrus with the Rebbe?

“First of all, although the Rebbe’swords were few, they were entireworlds. That drop that the Rebbe gaveme, gives me strength for so much,for my whole life.

“I try to fulfill the Rebbe’s horaosand that is how I see my hiskashrusto the Rebbe, in the realm of action. Isend my children to Chabad schools.For three years, I’ve been runningmesibos Shabbos and I feel theincrease in strength and hiskashrus to

the Rebbe it provides for both me andthe children. With this chinuch, I amfulfilling the promise I made in theheavenly court.

“When I need things I daven forthem or ask for them verbally and Isee the results of the bracha. I feelthat the Rebbe is working for me andthat he is with me.”

Do you remember the promiseyou made up above on a daily basis?

“Absolutely. It’s my role. It’s ourtask as mothers. I know that I have tobe stubborn about this and notcompromise. Whenever I encounter aproblem or difficulty in the chinuchof my children and I make a positiveresolution, I immediately see a changefor the good. When I commit to somehachlata I need to do it and then I seeresults. I feel that the Rebbe is hereand that he continues to work on ourbehalf, as always.”


I spend a lot of time withshluchim throughout the US. I’malways amazed to see how they workwith such mesirus nefesh. The pricethey pay is very steep: the loneliness,the constant battle and the logisticaldifficulties in everything they do. If it’sa place that’s just beginning todevelop, then the most basic thingssuch as a kosher grocery store andmikva are lacking. Everything they dois a complicated operation.

Socially, it’s hard, very hard. Youdon’t have the friends you are used to,the members of your congregationregard you as a rabbi not as a friend,and you have to constantly serve as arole model.

In many places, the childrenattend the local Jewish schools, whichare not chareidi, and the rest of theirlearning has to take place at home.Not to mention social problems suchas birthday parties that take place at

school where you can’t eat anything,parties for both boys and girls whichyour nine- or ten-year-old daughtercannot attend. The price is high.

And then there are many shluchimwho must part from their childrenwhen their children are about tenyears old because they are sent tograndparents in Brooklyn so they canattend a Chassidic school and growup to be shluchim. It’s not easy forany parents to send a young childaway from home and I don’t know if Icould do it.

Each shliach is responsible forfundraising for his parnasa, tomaintain his mosdos, and for hismany projects. This is a constantpressure to find endless funding andit’s not easy! The work requires a flowof funds that you can only dreamabout and it’s work that takes up daysand nights and gives you plenty ofheadaches!

Every shliach is a superiorentrepreneur who in the free marketcould earn a fortune. These are peoplewho go anywhere and create a circleof friends and admirers and get themto see the importance of the workthey’re doing. Then they inspire themto join their work in some form oranother.

They also host an endless streamof guests, especially on Shabbos.Sometimes 45 people per meal. In twoplaces that I serve as chazan theshluchos are about to give birth inanother month and throughoutTishrei they hosted hundreds ofpeople!

How does a young person landwith his wife and children in a placethat has no spirituality and nothingmaterially either? It’s all with thekochos of the meshaleiach. There isno other explanation. They know whosent them there, on whose shlichusthey’re getting up every morning, andwho they have to give an accountingto.

As a chazan and singer, I spend alot of time with shluchim throughoutthe U.S. At the large shuls they’vebuilt, I pray for the Jews there. This isnot only on the Yomim Noraim, butalso on Jewish holidays and often atsimchas celebrated by the members ofthe community. They want me tograce the event with song andchazanus.

I am happy to do so not onlybecause of my parnasa or because ofthe opportunity to make Jews happy,but because my every visit to

FEATURE

In my profession as chazan and singer, I’vemet many shluchim around the U.S. I amhappy to accept an engagement not onlybecause of parnasa or the opportunity to makeJews happy, but because I find these visits toshluchim so exciting. I get to see up close,stories of neshamos that for the shluchim aredaily fare, but are so special for a guest likeme.

SOULS I HAVE SEENBY MORDECHAI Z IEGELBOIM


shluchim is an exciting experience. Iget to see, from up close, stories ofneshamos that for the shluchim aredaily fare but are so special for a guestlike me. I have already gotten used toseeing different and unusual thingswith the assortment of guests atChabad Houses. It’s a goldenopportunity to hear amazing storiesfrom shluchim about things that havehappened to them.

For example, at a Chabad Housein Long Island I met G., a Jew who isnot yet fully Shabbos observant, butwho wants to daven with a minyanevery morning. He knows that todaven with a minyan means to standand daven Shmoneh Esrei with thetzibbur when they daven ShmonehEsrei. The problem is that he wants todaven in Lashon HaKodesh and not inEnglish. Although he is allowed todaven in another language, he wantsto daven in Lashon HaKodesh. Inorder to do so, he arrives at theChabad House every morning at 4:15and begins to daven, slowly, so thatwhen the minyan begins at 6:45 hecan join them for Shmoneh Esrei.This is hard work for him but he’swilling to sacrifice a lot in order to doit. Each word takes great effort and hesweats over every verse. One chapterfollows another, and one page followsanother, and that’s how he slowly butsurely finishes the morning brachos,korbanos, the P’sukei D’Zimra, theblessings of the Shma, and reaches theShmoneh Esrei.

Each time he finishes ShmonehEsrei with the tzibbur, his eyes sparklewith joy as though to say, “I did itagain!”

On more than a couple ofoccasions I saw him Shabbos morningwhen the davening is longer and thewords are less familiar, standing bentover his lectern, wrapped in his tallis,every so often his body strains withthe effort it takes. You can see howhard it is for him. I think the word“oved” perfectly suits him.

I met Larry for the first time at the

Chabad House in Las Vegas. Larry is anice guy in his seventies who is thehonorary president of one of theChabad Houses there. He is a retiredfamily doctor and he spends his dayon various hobbies, one of which istraveling around the world. He lovesto see new places. After years of hardwork as a doctor, he decided to go outand conquer the world. This hobbyhas a wonderful side benefit, which isvisiting Chabad Houses around theworld. Last summer, Larry packed hisbags and went to discover Croatia.

Larry encountered Chabad in jail,as he enjoys recounting to hislisteners with a glint in his eye. His

audience will generally say, “How dida respected Jew and doctor likeyourself end up in jail?” and heexplains with a smile.

“When I retired I sat at home for awhile with nothing to do. I was boredout of my mind. One day followedanother and I couldn’t take itanymore. Each day I looked forsomething to do, and one day, I readin the paper that the prison services ofthe state of Nevada were looking for adoctor to treat the prisoners. I calledthem up and within a short timebegan bi-weekly visits to the jail inLas Vegas.

“One day, I met a young rabbithere. I was happy to see him and Iintroduced myself and asked himwhether he knew of a shul in the areawhere I could daven on Shabbos.‘Sure,’ said the rabbi, ‘I have a minyanevery Shabbos and we’d be happy tohost you for the Shabbos meals too.’ Iwent, saw, and remained.”

Larry moved closer to the ChabadHouse so he wouldn’t have to driveevery Shabbos in order to join theChabad House minyan. EveryShabbos, Larry goes to the ChabadHouse and sits in his spot near thebima for Krias HaTorah. Then he eatsthe Shabbos meal with the rabbi.

When Larry isn’t on one of histrips around the world in order todiscover another Chabad Housewhere the rabbi and his family livewith mesirus nefesh just in order tofind “another Larry,” he is busygetting friends to join him at theChabad House on a regular basis. Hewants them to begin to feel like theybelong too.

Three weeks ago, I was invited toa Shabbos bar mitzva that was madeby a member of a certain communitywhere I ended up witnessing afascinating human drama. It wasFriday night when the family came.They were a couple in their seventieswith three sons, their wives andchildren. One son, in his forties, was asuccessful businessman and he wasthe father of the bar mitzva boy. Thesecond son is a well-known talmidchacham, who doesn’t stop learning.The third son is Young Israel religious.

The grandson’s bar mitzva wassupposed to take place the next day atthe Reform temple on the other sideof the street. So why were they at theChabad House?

The answer is that the grandfathermade it clear that even though he hadcome to his grandson’s bar mitzva,there was no way he was going to eatat the temple, nor would he stay therea minute longer than necessary. They

were at the Chabad House becausethe Reform temple wasn’t open Fridaynight and also because thegrandparents and the rest of thefamily needed to stay there until thealiya l’Torah would take place. TheChabad House was the ideal locationfor them.

Friday night we learned that thiswas a very distinguished family, scionto g’dolim. One of this family’s sonsemigrated years ago to the UnitedStates, where he did very well in hisbusiness. Although he kept Shabbosand kashrus and always wore a kippa,the chinuch he provided for hischildren was so-so. The results werethat one son was married to a womanwho pulled him to join a Reformcongregation. Their son, the barmitzva boy, was fraught with angst.

Although the entire extendedfamily was sitting together andsinging z’miros with a Chassidicpronunciation, towards the end of themeal the oldest son, father of the barmitzva boy, said to his children,“Please get ready and wait outsidenext to the car because we’re leaving.”Their mother also hurried them along,“because we have a long trip ahead ofus.”

After they left I could see that thegrandfather looked ill.

The next morning, in middle ofShacharis, the grandfather sadlymotioned to me that he had to leavemy “Shochen Ad” because he had tocross the street to the temple in orderto be present at his grandson’s aliya. Itwas a rachmanus to see him walkinglike a mourner after the coffin, withbent shoulders. In the lobby, as he puton his coat, he quietly said to hiswife, “They’re stabbing me in theback.”

In the middle of the Shabboslunch meal at the Chabad House thedoor opened and another son, thebrother of the father of the bar mitzvaboy, came in unexpectedly. He hadarrived on a direct flight from

Anchorage, Alaska and had comestraight from the airport as a surprise.

He lives in Alaska and is a pilot ofcargo transport planes. He hadsuddenly decided to surprise thembut because his flight was delayed, hehad come late to temple and theguard there had told him they had allgone to the synagogue across thestreet.

I sat there and looked at thegrandfather who was happy to see hisyoungest son on the one hand, but onthe other hand, this son had traveledon Shabbos. I noticed how he keptsmiling and didn’t ruin the pleasantatmosphere.

In the middle of the meal, after thepilot had eaten to his heart’s delight,he wanted to sing z’miros. He beganwith “Menucha V’Simcha” with aChassidic pronunciation. He certainlyhadn’t forgotten the z’miros he hadheard while growing up.

After enjoying his audience’spositive response to his singing, hedecided to sing “Anim Z’miros” to theChabad tune. When I asked him howhe knew the niggun, he said that onthose Shabbasos that he doesn’t fly, hegoes to the Chabad House in Alaskaand the shliach there loves to sing it.That’s where he learned it.

I looked in amazement at thishuman drama and wondered whetherwhen he flew at ten in the morningfrom Alaska to Seattle he alsohummed Menucha V’Simcha...

These stories and others teach meabout hundreds of thousands ofneshamos that wander the world andcry out for their tikkun and theshluchim on the frontlines, whowelcome them heartily and aremekarev them with love andcompassion, with the ko’ach of themeshaleiach.


(For illustration purposes)

You are cordially invited to participatetogether with all Anash and the Shluchim

IN A CHABAD CHASSIDIC GATHERINGTHE 6TH EUROPEAN MOSHIACH CONGRESS

“To actually bring about the comingof Moshiach immediately”

Which IY”H will commence on Erev Shabbos,the 16th of December 2005

through the 20th of December

At Beis Menachem-Beis MoshiachChabad Community Centre

53-55 Oldhill StreetLondon N16 6LU

00-44-7860-770-770or 00-44-20-8802-0770

Fax: 00-44-20-8800-0770Email: [email protected] or

[email protected]

Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu V’Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach L’olam Va’ed!

B”H

THE MITTELER REBBEAND STANDING STRONG

The ostrich approach to theproblems in Eretz Yisroel is the sadreality for too many of us.Involvement in shleimus ha’Aretz isseen by many as just anotherheadache, and who needs that? Werecently marked the birthday andyahrtzait of the Mitteler Rebbe andthe following day, his YomHaGeula. What can we learn fromthe Mitteler Rebbe regarding whatwe need to do for shleimusha’Aretz?

The Rebbe tells us:

This is the horaa learned fromthe yom hilula of the one whosebirthday and yahrtzait it is, theMitteler Rebbe:

He was Rebbe while the Czarreigned, and when there wasreligious persecution in addition toparnasa problems. Poverty waswidespread, yet he raised moneyfrom poor Jews, and with thismoney he said land should bebought in the city of our fathers, inChevron, and said this would behis portion since it belonged tohim, with all the details thisentails, however, this is not theplace to recount them.

The lesson to learn from this isthat even when we are in situationthat is similar to the materialsituation in the time of the Czar inRussia, then even without lookingat his desires, his nature, hischinuch, and at those around himwho mock, a Jew must have thestrength to openly say that there is

nothing to debate about regardingChevron! Chevron belongs to EretzYisroel and its borders!

Chevron is within Eretz Yisroelwith all the details inherent in this.The goyim know this no less thanthe Jews. And as said previously, afew weeks ago they said to theIsraeli representative when he wasin Washington: You are givingmore than we expected of you!

We must stress what we seeactually happening: We still havethe Mitteler Rebbe’s deed to theland in Chevron. This is aside fromthe strongest and greatest “deed” ofall – what is written in the Torah.And this is so not only regardingChevron.

(Parshas VaYeitzei 5740)

The problem we have today isbeing ashamed to say the truth –that Eretz Yisroel belongs to theJews!

THE SILENCEIS DEAFENING

Since the churban of Gush Katifand northern Shomron, the entireland is open before our enemy. It’sjust a matter of time, Heavenforbid, until the missiles reachAshkelon and Netivot. Daily we seegreater and greater chutzpa on thepart of the terrorists. Thesettlements near Gaza are fallingapart and military figures aresaying that there has never beensuch danger as there is today. TheRafiach Pass is open and thousandsof weapons are being smuggled intothe Gaza Strip.

Remember how they promisedus that as soon as the Jews areexpelled from Gush Katif, if wewere attacked we would respondswiftly and strongly? Ha! Life goeson as usual. The Arabs arelaughing, seeing how the Jewishnation is willingly self-destructing.

So why are we quiet? What arewe waiting for? Why is it that whenJews gather nobody makes acommotion about the periloussituation?

LOOKINGTHE OTHER WAY

26 years ago, the Agudas Yisroelparty held its sixth convention inYerushalayim. It was an impressiveevent attended by Admurim andRabbanim. The Rebbe sent a letterto the convention in which hebrought up the issue of shleimusha’Aretz and quoted the p’sak inShulchan Aruch and the MoetzesG’dolei HaTorah against givingaway land.

The Rebbe’s letter was not readat the convention and the issue ofpikuach nefesh was not raised. TheRebbe referred to those who ignorethe most burning issue of all – thatof pikuach nefesh:

When many dozens of Jewsgather, all of whom are shomreiTorah and mitzvos, who review theparsha every Shabbos, includingthose Shabbasos when it talksabout the true borders of EretzYisroel. In addition, some of themread the newspapers and knowwhat is going on in the world. And


BREAK THE SILENCESHAI GEFEN

SHLEIMUS HA’ARETZ

being that this convention is for thepurpose of strengthening Torah andYiddishkait, how is it possible thatthey spent three days together andspoke about the most importantmatters, and made goodresolutions, but regarding actualpikuach nefesh of more than a fewdozen Jews, they didn’t say a word?And nobody protested either!

And then they printed up areport in which they enumeratedthe good resolutions, withoutmentioning even one word aboutthe danger the Jewish people arein! You don’t want to mention itopenly? What does it mean that itis not out in the open? It is publicknowledge throughout the worldand cannot be made secret!

The only excuse I was givenwas: since they are past their barmitzva (i.e., they are adults), goand ask them directly! I asked oneindividual and was told: he alreadydid his part... I asked: What wasdone about the situation of pikuachnefesh? He answered me: This isnot the place to get into that andon another occasion he wouldspeak with so-and-so aboutpikuach nefesh, but in themeantime there were many othergood resolutions made and thesewill be implemented.

I said to him – you can ask himabout it – there is a din in ShulchanAruch that one who is quiet or onewho waits until they come to himand ask him about pikuach nefesh,is called, “disgusting!” And heknows this din too!

Since he is a Jew who knowshow to learn, he answered me, itsays in the Gemara, “Just as it is amitzva to say that which will beheard, so too, it is a mitzva not tosay that which won’t be heard.”And since he knows that they willnot deal with this issue - it issomething that will not be heard –therefore, he doesn’t want to rule

on the matter.

So I asserted: That is notaccording to Shulchan Aruch! Themeaning of “do not stand by yourbrother’s blood” means, accordingto Shulchan Aruch, that even whenthere is a doubt, and a shadow of adoubt, and even the thousandth ofa doubt that perhaps the protestwill help, he must protest!

Therefore, there is no basis toclaim that the discussion is aboutthis piece of land or that piece, aconquered territory or a liberatedterritory. This is because the dinrefers to land even outside of EretzYisroel that is not “our land” and“our earth,” territory that did notoriginally belong to Jews. Yet it ispaskened there that since there aresuch and such a number of Jewsthere (and regarding pikuachnefesh, one Jew is enough) theneven when this land truly belongsto others, since it is outside EretzYisroel, still, since a Jew is thereand there exists the concern lest“the land be open,” this din appliesin full force.

This phenomenon has afflictedour camp too. With various excusesand the dominion of the left sideover the G-dly soul, the lookingaway and silence continues.

Whoever is mekushar to theRebbe needs to know that aninseparable part of our connectionto the Rebbe is to carry out his willand to quote him publicly,including a massive protest againstendangering Eretz Yisroel. Thecrying out is not sourced inideology or nationalism but fromthe danger to the welfare andexistence of the Jewish people!

Each of us must take part in thisprotest in whatever way he or shecan. Nowadays, when a gatheringor farbrengen takes place, the topicof Eretz Yisroel must come up!Whoever silences the protest with

various excuses, is a full partner tothe bloodshed taking place.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENTFor the nearly thirty years of its

reign, the Likud party has givenaway land time and again (Yamit,through the Madrid Conference,giving away Chevron, the WyeAgreement, the destruction of GushKatif and northern Shomron), eachtime with a different excuse. Thisparty used the votes of Jews whoobserve and love Torah who believein the holiness of the Torah and the

I asserted: That is notaccording to ShulchanAruch! The meaningof “do not stand byyour brother’s blood”means, according toShulchan Aruch, thateven when there is adoubt, and a shadowof a doubt, and eventhe thousandth of adoubt that perhaps theprotest will help, hemust protest!



land, in order to perpetrate themost serious crimes.

Now, this same party has fallenapart, an unheard of situation sincethe party was founded thirty yearsago. Some of its members arejoining the worst of the extremeLeft in order to continue destroyingour land and eradicating any traceof Yiddishkait.

Who remains in Likud? Fearfulcowards, who enabled the primeminister to implement one of thegreatest crimes, while ignoring thewishes of those who voted forthem. At this point though, theyroll their eyes heavenward in actsof piety.

“Crime and Punishment”perfectly describes what happenedto Likud. The lie has been exposed.The game in which there wassupposedly a Right and a Left, isover. We knew a long time ago thatthere is no longer a Right and Left.We’re with the Shulchan Aruch, andas the Rebbe said at dollars to R’

Yitzchok Nachshoni, “We are notwith any parties, but with the BeisYosef, who paskened against givingaway land. If a certain partyconducts itself according toShulchan Aruch, it should besupported.”

A RELIGIOUS FRONTNaturally, we anticipate the

imminent revelation of the RebbeMelech HaMoshiach and the finalGeula, yet in this still-Galus statewe must remember one of thethings the Rebbe cried about, whichwas prophetic in nature. The Rebbesaid that all those parties that riseup to destroy us (from both theRight and the Left) are opposed toHashem and His anointed one!

In recent years, we have seen thedamage they have caused toYiddishkait in Eretz Yisroel, whilethose who are supposedlyrepresenting those loyal to Torah andthe land, are not doing their work.

The Rebbe asked that all forcesunite in a religious front. Since1951, the Rebbe has pleaded for areligious front and yet, it still hasn’thappened. As the enemies ofHashem rise up like Lavan did, touproot us, the only way is to unite.Let’s do it!

We still have theMitteler Rebbe’s deed

to the land inChevron. This is aside

from the strongestand greatest “deed” ofall – what is written

in the Torah. Andthis is so not only

regarding Chevron.

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With the political machinery inEretz Yisroel currently involved intumultuous activities leading up to theapproaching general electioncampaign, efforts are being madeamong some of the religious andchareidi parties to unite amongthemselves. Politicians, businessmen,and lobbyists are working hard tocreate a joint religious front, or at thevery least, a technical bloc in order tocater the needs of the religious andchareidi communities in Eretz Yisroel.

The Rebbe MH”M’s position on thisissue is well known, as he worked andpushed very hard for a religious frontin the various election campaigns, evensending out numerous letters andshluchim for this purpose. We canlearn about his investment in thismatter from one of his letters, wherehe writes, “It was my great desire andaspiration to establish it, and it seemsthat I have done what I could do in theways of pleasantness.”

One of those who have spent muchtime working for a united religiousfront is Professor Hillel Weiss, who hasdevoted considerable effort to thiscause since the assassination of PrimeMinister Yitzchak Rabin. ProfessorWeiss understood then that without aunity of strength, the left-wing andanti-religious parties will obtain greaterpower, while the religious parties are

SHLEIMUS HA’ARETZ

‘I WILL NOT VOTE IFTHERE IS NO UNITEDRELIGIOUS FRONT’

INTERVIEWED BY SHAI GEFENTRANSLATED BY MICHOEL LEIB DOBRY

The Rebbe MH”M worked for many years forthe establishment of a united religious frontamong the religious and chareidi parties, withthe objective of attaining achievements in theform of preserving the Jewish nature of EretzYisroel, Torah institutions, and other variousinterests. Ten years ago, Professor Hillel Weissworked towards the establishment of a unitedreligious front, yet failed due to the narrowinterests of certain askanim. Even today,Professor Weiss continues to use his influencein this matter, warning that “the situation onreligion and Eretz Yisroel is deteriorating fromday to day, and the ruling parties are using thereligious parties for their own purposes.” Inthis exclusive interview with Beis Moshiach,Professor Weiss also discusses the Rebbe’sunique and holy campaign to establish a unitedreligious front.


“A RELIGIOUS FRONT SHOULDFINALLY BE ORGANIZED”

In a letter from Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5711,the Rebbe wrote to Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Levin,minister of welfare and head of Agudas Yisroel:

“I am most distressed about the prevailingsituation in Eretz HaKodesh, which brings thesaddest news every day. In addition, the crumblingrelationship among the chareidim themselves is avery painful shortcoming. In anyevent, it is my hope that a unitedreligious front will finally beorganized, particularly after mydiscussion on the matter with theminister of the interior, Mr. MosheShapira.”

“GREAT IS THE SORROWAND HUMILIATION”

“Great is the sorrow andhumiliation that the front does notexist at this hour of tremendousresponsibility. In any event, may itbe G-d’s will that the party leaderswill now find for themselves thestrength to give preference to thegeneral interests of chareidiYiddishkait over the perceivedpartisan benefits, and thus it willprove valuable to the party toestablish a front, at least after theelections.”

(22 Tammuz 5711)

“MY ASPIRATION IS TO ESTABLISH ARELIGIOUS FRONT”

“There is no need to elaborate on the great sorrowand damage that comes out of its dismantling, and hejustifiably writes of my great desire and aspiration forits establishment. It seems that I have done what Icould do in the ways of pleasantness, because forseveral reasons, I didn’t want to use other methods.”

(Igros Kodesh, Vol. 11, p. 289)

“PRESSURE FROM THE LEFTISTS”

In another interesting letter from this same timeperiod, the Rebbe writes that a chance has been created toform a religious front, now that “pressure and coercion hascome from the outside – i.e., the leftists – there is moreand more room to pass up the perceived benefits to oneparty leader or another in order not to cause damage tothe religious situation in Eretz HaKodesh.”


“EVEN FOR PARTISANCONCESSIONS”

In a letter to Dr. Yosef Burg fromthe 9th of Sivan 5711, the Rebbewrites further:

“I turn to him as a chareidi to trywith all his power and influence toform a united religious front, even ifit is connected to partisanconcessions.”

“THE GREATEST AND MOSTUNAMBIGUOUS PUBLIC

PRESSURE”

“According to recent reports thathave reached me, which have beenconfirmed for me via outside sources,the situation in Eretz HaKodesh is asit was prior to the elections there, ifonly the results would have been

different from what they were then, when there was nofront. The truth is that it is no wonder that the situationhas not changed, because the people who decided thenagainst the front are the same people in charge of suchmatters today, and the reasons that motivated them toprevent the front then exist today as well. It’s a terrible pitythat they don’t want to learn the lessons from the failure inthe last elections, and they don’t even want to learn fromthe changes that have occurred since then until now.

“As I wrote at the time of those elections, if there willnot be the greatest and most unambiguous public pressureto show that they are seriously preparing, to our greatestregret, the chances will be as they were before.”


THE REBBE MH”M’S POSITION ON THE ISSUEOF A UNITED RELIGIOUS FRONT

It’s a terrible pitythat they don’t wantto learn the lessonsfrom the failure in

the last elections, andthey don’t even want

to learn from thechanges that have

occurred since thenuntil now.

merely used as their tools, withoutbringing any useful purpose to thereligious community. Professor Weissestablished then a movement thatworked towards the establishment ofthis front, meeting with variousrabbinical leaders and askanim. To hisgreat regret, there were political forcesthat preferred the prevailing situationand torpedoed this initiative, whichwould have made substantialimprovements for the religious andchareidi communities.

Ten years later, in cooperation withother public figures, Professor Weisscontinues his efforts to establish aunited religious front. He sums upwhat has happened over the lastdecade, as everyone now sees howright the Rebbe was about the need toform a united religious front.

What led to your decision ten yearsago to work for a united religiousfront?

There were a number ofdevelopments at that time, and anyonewho reflects on them can clearly seethat we were heading towards anempty trough. As a result, we tookaction to establish a united religiousfront and a central religious council ofTorah authorities.

What is being done to establish thisreligious front?

This is possible only with theapproval of the Torah leaders. Fromthe very outset, we understood thesituation and worked in this direction.We opened an office for the religiousfront, where we managed to bringrepresentatives of all the parties andeven drafted an agreement. However,to our regret, this was to no avail andno concrete steps were taken.

Who was in favor of this front?

The individual most in favor of aunited religious front, understandingits implications and even pushingthings in this direction, was the GererRebbe, the P’nei Menachem, of blessedmemory. Regrettably, after his passingin Adar 5756, the entire issue was

buried. We met with him three times,and he encouraged us as he activelysought to advance the idea.

What was the reason that certainforces opposed this initiative?

The opposition stemmed primarilyfrom party workers who wereconcerned over their political positionand authority. In a situation with aunited front, the prevailing status ofcertain party officials would becomeless distinct. As a result, these peopleregrettably preferred sectoral politicalparties and sectoral Torah, and

therefore, that’s exactly how we appear.The rabbanim do not receive fullinformation from the various askanim.In my opinion, if they would knowclearly what the situation is, theywould order greater action in thisdirection, according to the needs of thehour.

Don’t these askanim understandthe obvious? We’re talking about astruggle over the most basic religiouslegislation, a Jewish state, and thepreservation of the world of Torah?

There is a fear of laying all the

cards on the table, when the objectivehas always been to keep the cardshidden. This situation didn’t just starttoday, and even in the worst possiblecircumstances, there have always beenpolitical divisions. In the WarsawGhetto, for example, there were asmany as twenty factions! It’s true thatthere were those who understood thegreat responsibility that prevailed onthe battlefront, but they representedthe minority view.

A very similar set of circumstancesexists in Eretz Yisroel today. TheSharon Government has uprootedmany religious characteristics from thenational landscape. It dismantled theMinistry for Religious Affairs andslashed budgetary allocations to Torahinstitutions and child allowances forlarge families. The public is crying outfor help! The situation today leaves uswith only two alternatives: either weunite as one people or r”l we dig ourgraves right here. I turn to our nation’scommunity leaders and I ask themwith much sorrow: Who will wedepend upon afterwards, when Sharonacquires even greater power and hisedicts become more severe?

What essentially has happened overthe past few years?

Sharon has broken the country’sentire political framework. He betrayedthe citizenry, taking millions of votescast for him to fulfill an entirelydifferent objective. Sharon ran amuckand destroyed everything good thathad been built in this country withgreat toil over the past half-century.The anti-religious way of thinking haspervaded today’s society in everydirection. Sharon and [Labor PartyChairman Amir] Peretz are riding awave that is extremely dangerous forthe future of the Land of Israel and theTorah of Israel. The agenda of theShinui Party from two years has todayturned into the agenda of all thecountry’s major political parties. Onlythe immediate formation of a unitedreligious front can possibly stop thiswave’s murky waters. The reality of


We are going in thedirection of retreatand decline in all

aspects of our lives,while the religious arerelegated to the status

of mere splinterparties without anymeaning. The only

possible advice is theestablishment of a

religious front!

today’s situation categorically demandsthe establishment of this united front.

As a result of the Galus’dikementality of capitulating to the paritzand the endless disputes within theTorah-observant community, itsmembers have become both despisedand degraded. All that has happenedover the past three years to all theprevious achievements in religiousmatters is merely a promo for whatwill happen in the future. Who wouldhave believed three years ago thatTommy Lapid would receive fifteenKnesset seats and his party’s platformwould turn into an inheritance for thewhole society? This is the verysituation that prevails today, when oneof the founders of the Shinui Partybecomes the candidate of Sharon’s newparty for the position of Minister ofEducation.

We are going in the direction ofretreat and decline in all aspects of ourlives, while the religious are relegatedto the status of mere splinter partieswithout any meaning. The onlypossible advice is the establishment ofa religious front!

Is the whole concept of a religiousfront meant only to solve problems onreligious matters?

Absolutely not. Everything that wehave experienced here in the pastseveral years – the deterioration in allaspects of our lives, especially since theexpulsion of Jews from Gush Katif andthe northern Shomron – everythingstems from the collapse of the powersof faith against the powers ofdemocracy. There is an uncontrollablepush to destroy everything of value,consuming all that is good.Abomination, emptiness, and crime fillthe public agenda. We find ourselvesconfronted today by the issues ofviolating the sanctity of marriage,Shabbos, conversion, and the ever-present judicial activism of the IsraeliSupreme Court. Yet, to our greatregret, the religious and chareidicommunities are not dealing with thereal problems threatening the very

existence of the Jewish People. What ishappening today is that Tommy Lapidhas expanded his anti-religiousstrength, and now there is no longer aneed for Shinui, as the moremainstream political parties in Israelhave adopted its positions, makingthem appear normative. The only thingthat can stop all this is a religiousfront.

How many of the religious partyrepresentatives are talking about unityafter the elections?

If there will not be a united list ofKnesset candidates among all thereligious parties – chareidim,Ashkenazim, Shas, the NationalReligious Party – which will serve as

the first tangible expression of unity,any such talk is simply devoid of anytrue meaning. All that has happenedover the past two years – the erosion inreligion, religious legislation, Torahinstitutions, and the horrificdisengagement – stems from Sharon’s“divide and conquer” approach. Thesepeople who are forcibly trying toprevent the formation of a unitedreligious front are criminals who areabandoning their flock and the JewishPeople as a whole.

I know of many people who haveconsiderable influence over the public,and they are on the verge of callingupon citizens to abstain from voting inthe upcoming elections unless there isunity.

What good will that do?

Anyone who thinks about what hasbeen happening over the past fewyears will reveal an amazing fact. Notonly are the religious parties notdealing with religious issues and thusnot carrying out their publicresponsibilities, they have turned intothe willing servants of the ruling partyin all its crimes. We can see this quiteclearly from the Sharon regime. Everypolitical party has assisted Sharon in itstime. The NRP and Ichud HaLeumi,together with Shinui, helped Sharon tobring destruction upon religion. Theyhelped him get approval for thedisengagement plan, causing severedamage to religious interests and childallowances for large families. Thiscontinued afterwards, when YahadutHaTorah joined the Sharon coalition,giving him its support in the expulsionof Jews from their homes and thedestruction of the religious councilsand other religious services in EretzYisroel. I ask a simple question: If thatis the case, then who needs them?

The Lubavitcher Rebbe saw all thisso clearly fifty years ago, and hewarned against the results that we areall feeling today. From my point ofview, if the religious and chareidileadership can’t understand that theyare sinking the whole ship, we should


Voting in elections isnot a Biblical

commandment. Wevote in order to wieldinfluence so that we

can change things forthe better and help

Judaism preventfurther regression. If

we see that thereligious parties are

not acting in thisspirit, turning instead

into the servants ofthe left-wing and

anti-religious agenda,then what’s the point

of voting?

not participate in this ugly game.

What will be achieved if we don’tvote?

I ask you the question in reverse:What will be achieved if we do vote?As a result of what has happened overthe past few years, we can see that ithas only caused damage to the JewishPeople. In recent years, the religiousparties have done nothing in the areaof religious legislation. The religiousstatus quo in Eretz Yisroel has beenutterly destroyed on every issue, andno one does a thing.

What will happen if ch”v the effortsto establish a united religious front failonce again?

I state here publicly that if there isno religious front, I personally will notvote in the elections and I will openlycall upon others not to vote as well.Voting in elections is not a Biblicalcommandment. We vote in order towield influence so that we can changethings for the better and help Judaism

prevent further regression. If we seethat the religious parties are not actingin this spirit, turning instead into theservants of the left-wing and anti-religious agenda, then what’s the pointof voting?

Anyone who learns about thissituation clearly and who is notinfected by some narrow politicalinterest can see how serious thingsreally are and how the penetratingwords of the Lubavitcher Rebbe applyspecifically to these times. The timehas come, once and for all, to put ahalt to this ugly game of the religiousand chareidi parties. What is needednow is a united religious front on everylevel – if we could just see the need.

What are you thinking about doingon a practical level?

I am planning to get tens ofthousands of people to sign a petitiondeclaring that they will not vote ifthere is no religious front. This isapparently the only way that we can

force the issue. We must work towardsthis goal. Now is the time to forgetabout all the disputes and personalinterests. It’s time to shut ourselves upin one room and not to leave untilthere is an accepted united list ofcandidates for the Knesset. We willmake it very clear that anyone whodoes not participate in this unitedreligious list will receive no legitimacyin the eyes of the voter. There is anoverwhelming majority in the religiousand chareidi community supportingthis proposal. Everyone understandsthat there is no alternative, and it’sonly the askanim who are standing inthe way.

I hope and pray that before theelections, we will already merit to seethe revelation of Melech HaMoshiach,Malchus Beis Dovid, with the buildingof the Beis HaMikdash and theingathering of the exiles of Israel.


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SUSTENANCEBY RABBI DOCTOR YOSEF FREEDLAND

SURGEON, PATENT ATTORNEY

FEATURE

Several weeks later, Yankel calledme in Montreal and related thatIrwin was waiting for my response tothe accusations against Lubavitch.Yankel recommended that I describemy Yeshiva goals in a positive lightand enlist Irwin as my advocate toconvince my parents to cease anddesist from their campaigns.

I conferred with my friends inthe Montreal Yeshiva and decided towrite a letter featuring a story inwhich a Chassidic merchant traveledwith his wife to sell goods at a fairin Eastern Europe. After selling mostof the goods, the merchant went to aChassidic synagogue to pray theafternoon prayers.

After prayers, the merchantjoined a Farbrengen populated withsome powerhouses of D’vekut,experts at cleaving to the Almighty.The time passed swiftly as themerchant heard stories andexplanations about increasing one’sattachment to the Almighty andpurifying the Neshama.

The Farbrengen was suddenlyinterrupted as the merchant’s wifeentered the synagogue, demandingher husband’s assistance in sellingthe last of their wares. The merchantasked his wife, “and what will bewhen we sell these final wares?”

“We will have extra money”, shereplied.

“And what will we do with theextra money?” he asked.

“We can buy nice items tobrighten our home.”

“And what will we have when webrighten our home?” he asked.

“Then we will be happy.” Shereplied.

The merchant smiled and asked,“Why should I leave this synagogueright now and go through all thattrouble, when I am already veryhappy?”

I concluded the letter, askingIrwin to convince my parents anduncles that no harm would comefrom staying in Yeshiva long enoughto build a Torah framework thatwould serve me throughout life.

Sometime thereafter, my parentsreported that Irwin not only calledto chastise them for theirinterference, but had reportedly readmy letter verbatim, to at least onegroup of country clubbers, includingan embarrassed uncle or two,assembled in the club sauna of allplaces. Irwin’s apparently aggressiveintervention effectively thwarted anyfurther plans to contact otherbenefactors of Lubavitch or, for thatmatter, begin a new campaign.

After my first year in Yeshiva, Iextended my studies a number ofyears, learning several years in K’farChabad, followed by 770 andeventually obtained an institutional“S’micha”, Rabbinical Ordination,from Tomchei Timimim, 770, and aprivate S’micha from RabbiHirschprung A.H., Chief Rabbi ofMontreal.

In 1975, prior to my wedding, Iwas fortunate to meet the RebbeShlita personally in Yechidut formarital blessings and directives on“parnaseh”, earning a livelihood; atremendously important Yechidutthat can cause the very Heavens toshine upon one’s soul, now and inthe future.

The soul, upon completing asojourn on this physical world, isasked several monumental questionsabout what transpired during thesojourn, including:

Did faith and ethics guide yourwork?”

Did you work to produce Yiddishechildren to carry on the legacy ofTorah?

Did you maintain “kevius itim”;set times for daily Torah study?

Posed before an infinite,boundless, all-encompassing andunfathomable Creator, thesequestions are multi-dimensional. Forexample, the very actions imbuedwith faith and ethics bring holinessinto the world, encourage peers todo the same, and leave a legacy forprogeny to follow.

The words, “ infinite, boundless,

A first-person account of Doctor YosefFreedland’s insightful experiences on his pathto t’shuva and with the Rebbe. * Part 2 of 2


all-encompassing andunfathomable”, should not be takenas redundant but emphasize themulti-dimensional nature of theAlmighty: not an infinite linerepresented by a geometric symbolcomprising a line with an arrowhead at each end; not a boundlessplane; not even an all-encompassingvolume existing forever in time; butunfathomably beyond the fourdimensions and our comprehension.

The Rebbe is the embodimentand our connection to our Creator.Carefully following the directivesfrom a marital Yechidut can unifyRuchniut and Gashmiut so that“tachlis”, parnaseh, functions like thephysical “techelis” on the talis; aphysical fringe that connects thephysical body with the highestrealms of spirituality.

I consulted with many friends,some who were Shluchim likeYankel Kranz, A”H whom Iaccompanied on his first trip toShlichut in Virginia, and offered mea Shlichut position. I buttonholedmany “mashpi’im”, guidancecounselors, particularly from theMontreal and New York Yeshivas,like Rabbi Schwei A”H whosuggested I ask about learning for aProfessional Career. I also spentconsiderable time with my personalmashpiah Rabbi Zalman DworkinA”H, the “Posek”, RabbinicalAuthority, of Lubavitch who advisedthat I include concrete examples ofboth options in my k’vital to theRebbe.

Yechidut occurred following agathering of Israeli soldiers who,Heaven preserve us, were crippledwhile defending the Holy Land. Thesoldiers, some in wheelchairs, otherswith white canes, and manydisfigured, gathered as the Rebbe,having a very serious demeanor,sometimes with tears flowing, spokewords of consolation that includedthe following, paraphrased,observations:

There are those Jews whose livescontain quantity, lived over a longperiod of time. There are those Jewswhose lives are filled with quality.You have dedicated yourselves todefend Jewish souls againstmurderers who wish to destroy theHoly Land and therefore, each onehas, in the least been granted thelatter; a life of quality, in holiness...

Following the address andmeeting with each soldier, the Rebbecame upstairs to receive thosewaiting for a private audience duringthe long night ahead. I entered theRebbe’s holy room and handed my

k’vitel to the Rebbe’s holy hand. TheRebbe read my k’vitel faster than inmy first Yechidut and withoutpausing to underline any words; asthough the Rebbe had been waitingto reveal guidance that had beenformulated long before; perhaps atmy first Yechidut. I felt as if I wasbeing read like an open book whenthe Rebbe gazed on me and said,“You may choose any parnaseh, butyou must be certain to maintain a“kevius itim”. The Rebbe concludedwith blessings for establishing aproper Yiddishe home and family, a

“Bayit Neeman B’Yisroel”.Coming out of Yechidut, I knew

that a profound event hadtranspired, and that in a fewsentences, the Rebbe had given mesustenance for a lifetime, but whatdid “any” parnaseh mean? Perhaps“any” includes Shlichut options thathad I not yet encountered.According to Rabbi Zalman DworkinI was right on one account, that Ishould consider options notspecifically presented in my k’vital,but wrong on another, because theRebbe’s answer was not aboutShlichut options.

In fact, Rabbi Dworkin stood up,shook my hand and said, “Mazel tov,you are headed for college.”

“How are you so sure? Maybe Ishould take a teaching position?”

“No,” the venerable Rabbireplied, “to become a teacher, theRebbe wouldn’t emphasizemaintaining a k’vias Itim because youwould be engaged in Torah as alivelihood and wouldn’t need such adirective. Now tell me,” hecontinued, “how do you want tomake a living?”

I told Rabbi Dworkin that myfather wanted me to follow in hisfootsteps and become a dentist,explaining the benefits of joining myfather’s large dental practice. RabbiDworkin interrupted with histrademark focus on tachlis. “No,” hesaid with a smile, “I didn’t ask youwhat you ‘could’ do or what others‘want’ you to do. I asked ‘you’ what‘you’ want to do.”

We discussed many options and,along with several weeks ofinvestigation into possible careers,agreed that I would attend college tobecome a foot surgeon, a Podiatrist.A letter to the Rebbe about mycareer choice (and with news that Ihad established a k’vias Itim alongwith my daily routine of typesettingEnglish “Tehilas Hashem” at EmpirePress), received a positive responseand blessings, confirming Rabbi


Dworkin’s interpretation of myYechidus.

From that moment on, theRebbe, whom I always consideredlike my father, became a father in-fact. After consulting with RabbiDworkin about a particular problemin medical College, I would handRabbi Binyamin Klein, the Rebbe’ssecretary, a letter briefly describingthe dilemma. Rabbi Klein would tellme how many days, or weeks,answers from the Rebbe Shlita werebacklogged. Yet, time after time,when the Rebbe was not at theTzion, not an hour or two passedand I received an answer.

One notable incident involvedmy first orthopedic invention of afastener for anchoring rippedligaments back in place; afastener that could reducesurgical time, install throughsmaller incisions, and promotefaster healing. The cost ofwriting a patent, about $3,000,was an astronomical sum,particularly while taking studentloans to pay for part of twoCollege tuitions at a time wheninterest rates were in the doubledigits. I entered the 770secretariat with a large notebookof perhaps 30 pages describingthe invention, its many applicationsthroughout the body and a briefletter about financial considerations,concluding with the simple question,“Should I patent the invention?”

I gave Binyamin a brief rundownon the invention, “it’s something likea wall anchor, but sterile and withstrings attached” and received arecommendation against submission:“There is a long wait for answersperiod, perhaps weeks, with theexception of answers relating tomarriage or health.” I told Binyaminto submit the material to the Rebbeanyway and “see what happens”. Notexpecting an answer any time soon,if at all, I filed the memory of theorthopedic anchor somewhere in a

“non-executable file” located in a“forget-about-it” corner of “Daath”,Intellectual Summation, somewherein my grey matter.

I walked down Kingston Ave.toward my home, picked up someclothes from the drycleaner, andwaited in line to buy some eggs andmilk at a small corner market. Idon’t remember all my stops or howmany other packages I was about todrop as I balanced them on my kneeand held the drycleaner hangersaloft. While turning the key with myone free hand, I could hear thefamiliar rings of the standard pre-deregulation phones connected to a“Ma Bell” junction box with beigecable stapled along substantiallengths of the wooden molding

around sagging floors and doorframes.

Something told me is wasimportant. The door, freed of itslock, burst open, the plastic bagsdropped, and I ran up the stairs, thecleaner bag fluttering above my headlike one of the angels described asaccompanying shul-goers home to aShabbos meal.

It was Binyamin: “You have andanswer.” I ran back to 770 to receivean affirmation that my inventionwasn’t just a sterile wall bolt. TheRebbe put a symbol inverting thereading of “Should I...” to “I Shouldapply for a patent.” and added “withagreement from an expertsurgeon...Blessings...”

BH, the chosen expert surgeonwas enthusiastic about the inventionand, with the Rebbe’sencouragement, became the first ofmany inventions and patentsthroughout the ensuing decades anda basis for switching careers tobecome an Israeli Patent Attorneyspecializing in medical patents.

Getting into Podiatric Collegewas only possible with the blessingsand at least one miracle wrought bythe Rebbe Shlita.

I carefully filled-in a blankundergraduate “770” transcript withfour years of Yeshiva coursesdisguised in secular clothing: Therewas “Talmud 101 through 472”,representing four years of YeshivaTractates Pesachim through Kedushin

that fulfilled my “Talmudic StudyMajor”; then there was Chassidut103 through 461” fulfilling thesocial study requirements; not toforget the “S’micha track”fulfilling my “Jewish Law Minor”.I made sure that my four-yeartranscript in United LubavitcherSeminary “College”, varied from“good-plus” to “excellent”, with afew “good-minus” ratings tomake it look kosher and had thetranscript embossed with the770 corporate seal by Rabbi

Mentlik, A”H, the warm-heartedHead of the 770 Yeshiva.

The Bachelor of Arts degree was agood start but couldn’t fulfill sciencerequirements including twosemesters of Organic Chemistry,Physics, and Biology; courses that Iwould only finish by June, a fewmonths before the beginning of allUS Podiatry Colleges. In spite of thewarning on the “UniversalApplication” to all Podiatry Collegesthat stated that all science coursesmust be completed by the Decemberbefore admission, I filed myapplication while pending manysubjects, and requested the Rebbe’sblessings for success.

At the beginning of the solemn


three weeks, culminating in a fastcommemorating 9th of Av tragedies,a letter came from NYCPM,informing us that the freshman classhad been filled for the upcomingCollege year and that we shouldapply the following year.

Prior to leaving the nextmorning, I submitted a letter to theRebbe Shlita that concluded: “Sincewe were denied admission in NewYork, I request blessings for ourmove to Philadelphia.”

The preparations during the fewweeks remaining before College wereformidable, including renting anapartment within walking distanceof the Chabad House, buying acar for the commute to thePodiatry College.

I took a whirlwind tour ofPhilly, confirmed my enrollmentat the Podiatry College, andlooked at affordable housing.Almost into the 25th “courtesy”hour, courtesy of Hertz GrandArmy Plaza, I parked the rentalcar on Eastern Parkway and wentto meet my shviger.

.... and bumped intoBinyamin Klein. “Where haveyou been all day?” He asked,“You have an answer”. Theanswer was: “wait until thebeginning of the month of Eluland then decide, it will beremembered at the ‘Tzion’” (thegrave of the Previous Rebbe).

The first day of the month ofElul fell on the second day of allPodiatric College sessions and wouldresult in a huge discombobulation ifwe had to relocate to Philly, but wewaited to decide anything aboutCollege attendance ... and waited.Finally “Rosh Chodesh Ellul” arrived,two days ringed with circles andarrows on a calendar boldlysponsored by “Your One Hour ServiceDry Cleaners of Crown Heights”.

By 8:10 am, on the first day ofRosh Chodesh Ellul, the last day of themonth of Av, I already had been

informed by the admissions officerthat there were no furtherdevelopments. Before the finalsalutation, though, there was a slightpause at the other end of the line,followed by “make sure to call backtomorrow”. “Of course I would calltomorrow”, I thought, “Tomorrow,not today, is first day of Elul,apparently the day scheduled by theRebbe for something to happen.”

The next day, the first day of themonth of Elul, I called several times,finally reaching the dean’s secretarywho informed me that two placeshad opened in the freshman class,“Dean Valdez wants to know if you

are still interested in attending?”Two days into the college

semester, the dean led us into a largelecture amphitheater with 120students sitting in semicircular tiersof lecture seats, one tier above theother. A smiling dean Valdezintroduced the class to “your newestcolleagues and our latest additionsto the College Alumni Association”;and proudly extended his arm andopen palm toward us; me, with mylarge fedora and black suit; and mythen wife, with a long “tichel” on herhead and a bulging midriff.

There was no applause, but

deafening silence, or shall I say a“pregnant” silence. 120 jawsdropped as if they had just gottenNovocain shots at the Dentist and120 pairs of eyes followed my thenwife’s “labored” progress, with me inthe lead, toward two empty seats onthe side of the upper tier.

Eventually the Novocain wore offand I became part of the studentbody and the unofficialrepresentative of the “frum”contingent, for example workingwith the faculty to ensure thatexaminations were not scheduled onJewish Holidays.

Living in Brooklyn andcommuting everyday to Collegeat 120th street in Harlem meantleaving the house when thewinter sky was still dark. Myfirst concern was how, or when,to pray each morning. Prayersshouldn’t begin until its lightenough to discern blue fromwhite. Considering the lengthypilgrimage up the FDR highwayto the College in Harlem, Icouldn’t discern myself prayingin the morning. Rabbi Dworkinpaskened that under thecircumstances I could rely oncertain Rabbinical opinions thatallowed prayer before sunup.

BH, Rabbi Dworkin could berelied on for any and everyquestion; like when the Gentile

Dean requested a “religious ethical”response as to what to do about anobservant Jewish student who hadmailed a threatening letter to aprofessor. Rabbi Dworkin looked atme and said “gornisht”, nothing. “Tellhim to do nothing”; an answer thedean appreciated immensely,apparently informing the Professorthat he had followed Jewish ethicsby exercising restraint.

With the onset of the holiday ofSuccot, the early prayer regimenposed its own bevy of “sheilot”,questions. Virtually every freshmanCollege day began with several hours

in dissection laboratory, bent overone of a cadre of cadavers reekingwith formalin, a chemical that couldevoke dry heaves from an emptystomach. A trot through the “Heartof Darkness”, home to the “HarlemGlobetrotters”, wouldn’t turn up asingle Succah, a Chabad requirementfor drinking even a glass of water.Further, the Lulav and Esrog requirea blessing in full daylight, making asnack in a cold, pre-dawn BrooklynSuccah out of the question – leavingsustenance in Ruchniut andGashmiut” to our return late in theafternoon.

My then wife and I stood at thedoor as Rabbi Dworkin was speakingin his study with a Chassid namedChaykel. Upon seeing us, RabbiDworkin interrupted theconversation and motioned us toenter. I presented the sheilot, andended by expressing a willingness todrop out of Podiatry College for thesake of maintaining the Succotmitzvoth.

“Not so fast” Rabbi Dworkinresponded holding up one hand,“You can pray in the morning asusual, eat and bless the Lulav andEsrog when it gets light, either inCollege or when you come homebefore evening.”

“During the day, you can eat foodoutside the Succah, like cheese andmeat.”

“I mean cheese or meat,” headded with a smile, “don’t eat themat the same meal”.

We discussed related issues likewhether I could eat “mezonot”, cake,outside the Succah and RabbiDworkin patiently answered eachquestion.

Chaykel, waiting for me to finishmy questions, suddenly exclaimed,“Ribbono shel Olam! You treat them asif they were your own children.”Rabbi Dworkin who had nochildren, apparently enjoyed therebuke and a low “heh, heh, heh”emitted from an ovate, smiling

mouth.“Un azoi darf es zein”, “That is

how it must be,” he responded.Some of the guidelines for my

studies came from Chassidim whohad attended college. Yosef Shurpin,for example, told me that prior toentering college he had vowed neverto study on the Sabbath; a ruleRabbi Dworkin strongly endorsed. Ikept the rule virtually throughoutthe many years of study and surgicaltraining. I say “virtually”, becausethere was one semester when the lastset of lectures was to be given on aFriday, followed by final exams thatwould begin on Sunday.

That was the year of the NewYork blackout, and the subsequentriots had kept NYCPM closed so thatupon resumption of classes, eachlecture was packed with importantinformation. I debated the dilemmawhile making my way from car toCollege, through the makeshiftsidewalk “shuk”, piled with boxes of“Macy’s-Class” merchandise“obtained” during the blackout.

Rabbi Dworkin paskened that Icould review previously studiedinformation during that oneShabbos, but any new material that Ihadn’t yet reviewed, could only bestudied on “Motzaei Shabbas”,following the conclusion of theShabbos.

I was still some two years awayfrom my purchase of a 22 pound,“luggable” Compac with a built-inseven-inch green display, protectedduring lugging by the snap-offkeyboard. I was still three yearsaway from buying my firstcomputer; $6,000 plus for a screen,keyboard, loud dot matrix printerand a malfunctioning 20 Megabytes(“Meg”, not Gig) CMI Hard Diskwhose replacement, including creditfrom IBM, came to $2,000).

As a result, in the weeks beforethe exams, I organized and handcopied my lecture notes on dozensof five inch by seven inch filing

cards to review on the pre-examShabbos. The Shabbos before examweek, after prayers and the Shabbosmeal, I began reviewing the cards,until realizing that by spending somuch time on their preparation, Ialready was in command of theinformation; a point in favor ofhand-written filing cards over theircomputer-printed equivalents,mutatis mutandi. So, with theexception of the time spent on thatsingle Shabbos, my four years ofCollege went by with my Shabbosintact.

Finding a residency program forlearning and perfecting surgicalskills was a big hurdle. ManyDoctors are what I call “anti-symmetric”. Jews removed from theirallegedly “shameful” ancestry by one,perhaps two, generations; Jews ladenwith guilty memories of “ancestral”customs; Jews who lavish greatrespect on turbined Moslems andbearded, round-brimed Mormons,yet reserve open disdain for thosewho appear “frum” and/or keepShabbos.

The Rebbe Shlita directed me toapply to hospitals in my hometownof Detroit, but in spite of excellentgrades and high scores on themedical boards, my beard, yarmulkeand Shabbos observance werepalpable stumbling blocks.

In one interview, at DetroitBeaumont Hospital, a Podiatrist bythe name of Dr. Stanley Marksbadgered me in front of the catholicadministrator, trying to prove thatmy religious observance wouldcreate undue problems. “You don’twork on Saturday,” he began, “thismeans you can’t perform electivesurgery on one of the busiest day ofthe week.”

“Correct”, I replied, “but I spokewith the second year resident whowould gladly trade making patientrounds on Sunday for a Saturdaypacked with surgery.”

The hospital administrator


nodded his head in agreement, butStanley wasn’t finished.

“You’re gonna wear that blackcap on your head, against hospitalprotocol.”

“I need a cap, but not necessarilyblack,” I replied, “In fact, I plan towear a green surgical cap.”

Again the administrator nodded,but Stanley was fuming.

“What about the Jewish holidayswhen you can’t tend to your duties?You’re going to forfeit importanttraining and loose certification bymissing too many days.”

I answered that many Jewishholidays fell on Sunday that year, “aday that has no bearing on surgicaltraining or certification because noelective surgeries are scheduled. Andthe remaining festival days addup to less than the maximum of10 sick days allowed for eachresident.”

A Podiatrist friend of mine atthe meeting, Dr. Burton Leib,told me that after I left themeeting, Stanley, totallyinfuriated, stood up andproclaimed, “Over my dead bodywill he be a resident in thishospital”, effectively terminatingmy chances at BeaumontHospital.

After finding that I was still inthe running for a position, I visitedDetroit Dearborn Hospital and spenta pleasant day with the Chief ofPodiatric Surgery. While inquiringwhy I was turned down for furtherconsideration, the Chief put me intouch with the Residency Supervisornamed Dr. Shlaff who quickly got tothe point, asking me, “You’rereligious, aren’t you?” I respondedaffirmatively and gave myexplanations why Shabbosobservance wouldn’t impact mytraining or the program. Beforehanging up, he concluded with thewords, “We don’t have any room forreligious Jews here”.

Hospital after hospital closed

their doors to me until there wasn’t asingle Detroit-based residencyprogram remaining. Whilediscrimination against medicalstudents who appeared “frum” wasuniversal, appearing as a “frum”student at residency interviews wasnot. One student, after shaving hisbeard, told me that he planned toattend interviews without ayarmulke and would, during hisresidency, perform surgery onShabbos and Festivals. His plan wasto wait outside the surgical suiteuntil the lead surgeon made the firstsurgical cut, enter the suite and,upon seeing the huge wound hewould exclaim “Pikuach Nefesh”.Supposedly the rubric that permittedsaving a life on Shabbos in an

emergency could be applied toelective surgery.

Shaving a beard, removing ayarmulke and claiming that electivesurgery may be performed onShabbos does not go unnoticed,particularly after the formerlyavowed observant Jew participatedin four years of rescheduling holidayexams. Possibly as a result, it seemedas if my Torah observance became acause celebre among the studentbody and I was honored withpresenting the final convocation atour graduation.

I recited a passage from PirkeiAvos, reading each section of theMishna “Rabbi Chanina S’ganHaCohen”, followed by its

translation. I told those assembledthe Lubavitcher Rebbe Shlita’sinterpretation and applied it to ourcareers as Foot Surgeons: “Eachgraduating doctor must adopt ‘fearof a physical King’, a representationof our spiritual and Almighty Ruler,as a prerequisite for maintaininghumility and compassion in treatingour patients.” After the ceremony,the shorn frum student congratulatedme on a great speech, the criterionfor “great” being “the smilingapproval of the gentile” student inthe next seat.

In my next “Duch”, update to theRebbe, I included the text of thespeech. The answer included “T’ach,T’ach”, an abbreviation that signifiesthe Rebbe’s approval and a blessing

for success in my residencyquest. The latter seemed tosuggest applicability of YogiBerra’s saying, “It ain’t over tillit’s over” — and that’s exactlywhat happened.

A month after graduation, atotally new program opened inNorth Detroit General, a verybusy hospital, and I was invitedto join. During training, Iperformed some 1,200 surgicalprocedures; far more than Icould have performed at most of

the other residency programs. “Boruch Hashem” (BH), thanks to

the Almighty, I maintained a dailyk’vias itim during College, residencyand beyond, IYH making qualitycount for quantity, as per the Rebbe’sinstructions to the soldiers. BH, theRebbe’s fatherly spiritual guidanceand blessings and Rabbi Dworkin’swarmth and sharp “Halachic”analysis, allowed me to imbibe thePitcher Plant nectar even though Icouldn’t leave behind a klepah ofsecular concepts. A concludingthanks: BH, throughout college andbeyond, my Neshama receivedproper sustenance; sustenance thattruly began with my first Yechidutwith the Rebbe MH”M.



SHLEIMUS HA’ARETZ

The Rebbe, MH”M, once explained:When you amputate someone’s limband replace it with another limb, theperson is still the same person, and soit is – even with a transplanted heart.Yet, when you change a person’s brainand spinal chord, the person is nolonger the same person.

* * *

Beis Moshiach: What is the currentstate of the “patient”?

MG: Today (Israel) exists on theconcept of statehood as developed inthe Western world in the last 150 yearsand is overbearingly anti-religious andspecifically anti-Jewish. The Zionist

spirit upon which the state of Israelwas founded still seeks to make theJewish people, a people like all others.

As Rabbi Ginsburgh notes in one ofhis books: “Every day the Zionistdream is shattering before our eyes.The State of Israel is in desperate needof a breath of new life...to rekindle thehearts and imaginations of Jews andnon-Jews all over the world!”

* * *

Beis Moshiach: The situation inEretz Yisroel indeed seems to requirenot elective surgery, but an immediateemergency operation, not of the heartor limbs, but of the brain itself... Whatwould be the equivalent of a braintransplant for the people living in EY?

MG: This (transplant) is therecognition of the true and soleauthority from which all the directivesof national rectification will issue: theTorah.

Beis Moshiach: You are saying thata radical change must occur – nothingshort of a revolution – even though thecall for such is couched in the leastoffensive ways possible.

MG: Each of us must explain toothers that the Torah is our onlylegitimate claim to the Holy Land.Many non-observant Jews, when theyare not feeling attacked or threatenedby reactionary ultra-orthodox Jews alsounderstand that our only true claim tolegitimacy in the Land of Israel comesfrom the Bible. Nonetheless, they are

Beis Moshiach recently discussed northernShomron shliach Uriel Gurfinkle’s view that aclear leadership must emerge, a leadershipthat is dependent only upon the Torah, thetrue teachings of the Rebbe MH”M, and AmYisroel. Gurfinkle further stated that thisleader must, therefore, be pure in hisdetachment from the state of Israel and offerleadership that will pose a clear and holyalternative to the corrupted mechanismcontrolling Eretz Yisroel today. Gurfinkleexplained why he feels this leader is RabbiYitzchak Ginsburgh. * This interview with RavMoshe Genuth, secretary to Rav Ginsburghand an editor of the Rav’s English-languagebooks, is a follow-up on that article.

A HOLY ALTERNATIVE TOTHE VACUUM OF LEADERSHIP

IN THE HOLY LANDBY C. KORN


still afraid of the implications of what afull-fledged embrace of the Bible mayentail.

Our heartfelt belief is that, thoughmany Jews fear to admit it, their innatesense of truth tells them that this isthe case: the Torah, and the Torahalone, is the ultimate source ofauthority in every step toward ournational rectification. Chassidutspecifically teaches us to believe thatevery Jew has a Divine soul and thateven if it has been tarnished and madeweak from years of misuse or abuse, itis still there, and with encouragement,love, and kindness, can be broughtout. This is true of all Jews.

Beis Moshiach: What is the specificmessage?

MG: The message must be spokenloudly and clearly, for all Jews to hear:The Torah alone is our authority. Ashuman beings we are required to studyit and interpret it, but it is the sourceto which we look in our thoughts andfor making our plans.

The government has no authorityto order any Jew to perform an aveira.If it does so, its orders are null andvoid. The Torah requires us to followthe “laws of the land” (dina d’malchuta)only where they do not contradict theTorah; when they do, they carry noweight for us.

Foreshadowing the sad day whenthe government ordered soldiers touproot Jews from the Land of Israel,Rabbi Ginsburgh wrote: “If soldiers inthe Israel Defense Forces arecommanded to uproot Jewishsettlements in the Land of Israel, theorder must be disobeyed.”

Thus, for months before thedisengagement, Rabbi Ginsburghspoke again and again about theimportance of educating the soldiers ofthe IDF on this point and explaining tothem how real Jewish unity and realsustainability of Jewish life in the HolyLand are dependent on performingtheir duties to defend the people, butjust as much on their refusal to obey

orders that would contradict the Torahand contradict their role as soldiersdefending Jews.

* * *

Beis Moshiach: Can you tell usmore about the considerations behindthe call to disobey the order to evictJews from Gush Katif?

MG: While many pondered theissue of calling upon soldiers todisobey their orders in the past year,

Rabbi Ginsburgh has been consideringits different aspects for many years.This is because in truth this is not thefirst time that the ruling elite in EY hasused the army to commit atrocities inthe name of democratic rule.

In the past he has written that, “Itis obvious that when Israeli law doesn’tclash with Torah law, the formershould be obeyed, for it is the law ofthe land, established for the well being

and protection of its citizens. But whenthey conflict, we must ask thequestion: ‘Who is to be obeyed? Whois the real father?’

“The answer to this question iscouched in a well-known saying of theSages that when a teacher’s wordsdiffer from a student’s, one must obeythe teacher. In this saying, the ‘teacher’refers to G-d while the ‘student’ refersto any created being.”

* * *

Beis Moshiach: Why did we aschassidim of the Rebbe fail to stop thedisengagement? Was there anythingmore that we could have done?

MG: ”The Rebbe always wantedus, as teachers and spokespersons forthe Torah, to remain independent, sothat we remain free to criticize andcorrect that which needs correction,whether it be at the communal or thenational level. When you owe so muchto the government and to the rulingestablishment in the Holy Land, you’renot going to be able to say the rightthing when the time comes. RabbiGinsburgh has always taken care notto lose his independence.Unfortunately, much of the Chabadestablishment has fallen into themoney/influence trap and no longerenjoys the same freedom.

Case in point: one prominent andwealthy Chabad Chassid said during aradio interview that the call to soldiersto refuse orders was even worse thanthe disengagement itself! This is aharsh example of what losing yourindependence to think and to criticizeleads to.

In its current state, the Chabadestablishment, like the ReligiousZionist and the Shas establishment, istoo tied into the infrastructure of thesecular state to provide a real counter-measure to the anti-religious and anti-Torah sentiment that are thefoundation of the ruling elite’s ideology.

As a result, before and during thedisengagement, the Chabadestablishment was giving a mixed


message at best, a resounding slap inthe face to the Rebbe’s fight forShleimut HaAretz, at worst. After thefact, things are even worse, because itseems that all has been forgiven andforgotten and things are back the waythey were. The need for a complete“brain transplant” in our communalthinking is not even discussed.

Beis Moshiach: So isn’t RabbiGinsburgh calling for us to adopt theattitude taken by groups like theSatmar Chassidim for all these years?

Absolutely not. Just as we do notwant to become dependents of theestablishment, it is easy to fall into thetrap of becoming an isolationist.

There is a fine line between stayingindependent and being isolationist.Independence is required when thereis a deep care and a sharing of destinywith people. To save a patient, a doctorhas to remain at some level objective(to paraphrase the metaphor offeredmany times by the Rebbe), but his

objectivity is a result of his care for thepatient. Isolationism is just anotherexample of caring about oneself. TheSages call the isolationist attitude the(at least) I-will-have-saved-my-own-soul syndrome. Everything about theRebbe and about Chabad says theopposite. But this is a clear case wherein order to help you have to remainindependent. When it comes to

dealing with our communal reality inthe Holy Land and the problems thatthe secular state presents in that reality,it is important that we not toss out theproverbial baby with the dirtybathwater. The baby here being theJews as individuals and the dirtybathwater the derelict views of thestate. There are many wonderful well-meaning rabbis and chassidim whoaim for independence but end upusing too much of a g’vuradikapproach.

Many of the people involved first-hand with the fight for ShleimutHaAretz view Rabbi Ginsburgh asrepresenting the Rebbe’s true voice inthese difficult times. He at once speaksfreely and sharply about our duty toHashem and to the Torah but at thesame time expresses the love andcaring for every Jew that gives peoplethe feeling that Hashem believes inthem, believes that they – all of us –are up to doing the right thing.

(To be continued.)

The Torah requiresus to follow the

“laws of the land”only where they donot contradict theTorah; when theydo, they carry no

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Last week Chabad shliach YigalKirshenzaft received an officialgovernment notice informing him thathe and his family were not entitled toreceive any compensation for theevacuation and demolition of theirGush Katif home.

It was just another shovelful ofmisery that the government has beenheaping into the small, cramped,Jerusalem hotel room where he, hiswife, and their 12 children have beensorting out daily life – and the lives ofmany others – in the wake of theexpulsion nightmare.

But in an interview with BeisMoshiach, Kirshenzaft asked from theoutset that the focus not be on him orhis family’s plight. Because what hisfamily is going through – and thosewho are not close to the family canonly imagine – so too are thousands ofother families. As far as he’s concerned,the notice was just one of many acts bythe government that boil down to onebasic reality: to make the lives ofthousands of Jews as miserable aspossible and still try to come outsmelling like a rose to the public.

* * *As a shliach of the Rebbe, MH”M,

Kirshenzaft received a special blessingthat only became apparent in recentmonths – that his mission was to beb’simcha and make others that wayalso. Thus, the blunt letter from theDisengagement (“Expulsion”)Authority, which stated that he was noteligible, and gave no furtherexplanation, was an irritant, but not byany means a priority for Kirshenzaft.

Yud-Tes Kislev is rapidlyapproaching and Kirshenzaft, alongwith a small but dedicated groupworking with him, was up late into the

night planning farbrengens as well asspecial Chanukah children’s programs– to bring the encouraging message ofMoshiach and Geula to some 30locations across Eretz Yisroel where theformer Gush Katif residents werescattered.

* * *Kirshenzaft did note the sad plight

of even those who receivedcompensation, for they are using thosemonies to live off of now in theirtemporary – and often inadequate –trailer homes, and many won’t have

the money to afford a new home.“The government has an interest in

tearing them apart,” said Kirshenzaft,who fought loudly and clearly againstthe expulsion plan, which randiabolically opposite to the Torah. “Theway the government is acting is verydisgusting.”

Many of the former Gush Katifresidents who had given their primeyears of life to toil and labor to turn abarren, sandy land into a thriving,productive community, still have notfound jobs and are using up what

precious little compensation they didreceive.

Before the disengagement, the veryidea of accepting government moneyas compensation was repulsive, andmany didn’t believe the evacuationwould ever happen. But now that theyare homeless, jobless, traumatized andstruggling, they believe that thegovernment must be forthcoming tothem with compensation for theproperty they confiscated andbulldozed into shards. Not the otherway around – that they should gobegging for what is rightfully theirs?

And there is no reason actually whycompensation should be denied. Whilethe government did send out lettersbefore the evacuation threatening thatanyone who didn’t leave their home bya certain date would not becompensated, the Knessetsubsequently voted that all formerresidents were entitled tocompensation, regardless of whether ornot they applied early or refrainedentirely.

“The money was set aside for thisand they better get it,” saidKirshenzaft. “The government is justlooking for ways to make peoplemiserable.”

As if their lives were not miserableenough... And yet, at the depths of thismisery, Kirshenzaft was specificallycharged by the Rebbe to spreadsimcha. It’s an awesome job, yet as oneperson who has been working veryclosely with Kirshenzaft to help theexpulsion victims with their physicaland spiritual needs, told Beis Moshiach:“He [Yigal] is always looking ahead towhat he can do to help people – andto make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

PERSPECTIVE

THE GOVERNMENT IS OUT TO MAKE LIVES MISERABLE;THE REBBE SENT YIGAL TO MAKE THEM B’SIMCHA

BY CHANA KATZ

“The money was setaside for this andthey better get it,”said Kirshenzaft.

“The government isjust looking for ways

to make peoplemiserable.”

534.pdf - Beis Moshiach

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