CONTENTS

30
FEATURED ARTICLES

WEEKLY COLUMNS

05 Tzivos Hashem
3 Dvar Malchus
13 MOSHIACH Q&As
26 MOSHIACH & GEULAH

KOSHER FOOD FOR

BODY & SOUL

14 MOSHIACH:
THE CHERRY ON TOP IN
SHLICHUS

Nosson Avraham

LEVEL
30 MESIVTA
GEMARA LEARNING

14

Yisroel Lapidot

ARE OLD GOOD

36 WE
FRIENDS
Avrohom Rainitz

42

REJOICE, YOU, YOUR

SON, AND YOUR
DAUGHTER...
Nosson Avrohom

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2016-10-09 12:33:09 AM

DVAR MALCHUS

LIVE WITH THE

REBBE AND
LIVE WITH
MIRACLES
Theres no need to be confined to walled
cities if you live with the Rebbe. * Source
materials compiled by Rabbi Majeski. (Bold
text indicates translation; underlining is the
compilers emphasis.)
Translated and presented by Boruch Merkur

lthough, at the moment,

we may not see the Rebbe
below ten handbreadths,
the Rebbe MHM explains
in the following sicha how living with
the Rebbe as before grants us special
protection, like being surrounded by
the wall of Torah. This mindset
even bestows upon us the miraculous
existence associated with the mahn,
Miriams well, and the Clouds of
Glory.
***
On Simchas Beis HaShoeiva of
5711, the Rebbe elaborated on the
opening words of the Hoshaanas
said on the 3rd day of Sukkos:
etc. The Rebbe
focuses on how this phrase relates to
Torah study, as our Sages say, Ani
choma zu Torah I am a wall
this refers to Torah (Psachim 87a).
Thus, we are taught in the Midrash
that talmidei chachomim are
called neturei karta guardians

of the city, inasmuch as a wall

(including the guards who stand at
the gates of the wall) protects the
city.
The function of an actual
(physical) wall that surrounds a
city, the Rebbe continues, is twofold: 1) to protect the city from
enemies, barring their entrance; 2)
to contain the people of the city so
that they should not [hazardously]
leave it. Similarly, the wall of Torah
has the effect of guarding the person
in two ways: 1) protecting the
person from the Evil Inclination
and the Animal Soul, and 2)
containing or confining the body
(which is likened to a city), so that
even of its own accord it should
not be desirous of worldly things.
[] One who is surrounded with
Torah, however, does not need to
be enclosed and entrenched in the
inner chambers. Rather, he may
open up the gates of the city in

order to have an affect upon and

influence those who are found in
the field, outside the city.
But there is something that Torah
scholars still must fend off. Those
who are aware of how precious
the Torah is are liable to let their
accomplishments in learning Torah
go to their heads and become
haughty, recognizing that Torah
makes them the choice of G-ds
creations. In order for Torah to
properly serve as a protective wall,
one who studies it must, therefore,
be bara kachama clear, like
the sun, clear of arrogance and
narcissism: Our Sages teach in the
Midrash that the reason for the
redness of the sun at sunrise is
because it is beaten and forced to
shine upon the earth. It laments
having to illuminate the world, for
it does not want to be worshipped
by the pagans. Thus, it does
not seek self-aggrandizement; it
expresses, rather, the opposite of
egoism and haughtiness. [ In
this vein] the study of Torah must
be strictly for the sake of the glory
of the Torah, which is the wisdom
and will of the Alm-ghty. This
manner of study is with bittul, selfnullification, which is the concept
of bara kachama.
***

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Dvar Malchus
To further develop the
concept of a wall in terms of
the service of G-d, a lesson and
directive can also be derived
from the laws connected with
walled cities in the time of
Yehoshua bin Nun (such as
selling a house, reading the
Megilla, and others).
These
laws
pertain
specifically to cities that were
surrounded by a wall in the time
of Yehoshua bin Nun (Erchin
32a ff.; Meseches Megilla beg.
(and see Yerushalmi there)). At
first glance, however, this rule
seems to be counterintuitive;
either of two other approaches
appears to be more logical:
Either 1) it should be
established in accordance with
the present condition, whether
a city is surrounded or not by
a wall today; or 2) it should be
established by the way it was in
the time of Moshe Rabbeinu, at
the time of Mattan Torah.
The simple reason why
the legal status of a city is
established by the way it was
in the time of Yehoshua bin
Nun is because the main factor
pertaining to walled cities is
their state during the time of
entering Eretz Yisroel, which
was achieved by Yehoshua bin
Nun, not Moshe.
To explain this concept in
terms of avodas Hashem, the

service of G-d: In the time of

Moshe, there was no need for
the concept of a wall. Only
after the histalkus of Moshe, in
the time of Yehoshua bin Nun,
there arose the need for a wall
[to protect the city], as follows.
But first to preface with the
well-known saying of HaRav
HaTzaddik Reb Levi Yitzchok
of Berditchev: Master of the
Universe, had You placed
before man the World to Come
and Gan Eden (and lhavdil,
Gehinom, Hell), and the desires
of the physical world You had
merely written in Reishis
Chochma, certainly not a single
Jew would sin. But since You
have placed before man the
desires of the world and You
have merely written about
Gehinom in Reishis Chochma,
then...
Similarly in our case: In the
time of Moshe, who personally
gave the Jewish people the
tablets of stone and the Torah
and the Commandments, they
clearly discerned that the way of
Torah and the Commandments
is the only way by which one
merits spiritual and material
wellbeing, in all areas of need
bread from Heaven [i.e.,
mahn], water from Miriams
well, and the Clouds of Glory,
which would wash and iron
their clothing (in addition to

causing their clothes to expand

as they grew). Conversely, they
plainly saw the punishment
meted out upon one who does
not go in the path of Torah.
Thus, for the sake of walking
on the path of Torah, there was
no need to add the protection
and extra caution granted by
a wall. Whereas, following
the histalkus of Moshe, when
the mahn ceased, along with
the well, the Clouds of Glory,
etc. this gave rise to the need
for extra protection, especial
caution in going along the
path of Torah, provided by a
wall. This constitutes the entire
concept of a wall in the times of
Yehoshua bin Nun.
The truth is, though, that
Moshe did not die (Sota 13b,
end; Zohar I 37b, end); it is
just that his presence is missing
below ten handbreadths,
for he stands and serves On
High. As a result, the mahn,
the well, the Clouds of Glory,
etc., are also missing, and
therefore, there is a need for a
wall.
However, those to whom
Moshe still lives below ten
handbreadths still have the
effect of the mahn, the well, and
the Clouds of Glory today. They,
therefore, have no need for a
wall even now.
(Toras Menachem 5711, pg. 16-20)

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SUKKOS THOUGHT

WHY A
FOURTH WALL?
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

THREE MODELS
OF THE SUKKA
The Festival of Sukkos is
so called because of its central
Mitzvah: to dwell in a Sukka for
seven days.
The proper construction
of a Sukka requires that it be
covered with branches and
have, by Biblical standards,
minimally two complete walls
and a third partial wall (even
one only a handbreadth wide will
do). Rabbinical law, however,
required three complete walls,
and recent Jewish custom has
many adding on a totally optional
fourth wall.
Moreover, one of the hymns
that some congregations recite on
the Holiday of Sukkos mentions
a four walled Sukka.
The question has been asked,
if Biblical and rabbinic law
require only three walls, why has
the custom changed to seek the
addition of a fourth wall, and
why does the hymn talk about the
fourth optional wall as if it were
common practice?

PUZZLING MIDRASH
LINKING JOB WITH A
SUKKA!
A related question concerning
the walls of the Sukka involves
a puzzling Midrash taken from
the genre of Midrashic literature

known as Midrash Peliah,

material that was deliberately
written in the most cryptic style.
Presumably it was written this
way to stimulate the minds of
students to search for hidden
messages.
When Job was afflicted with
suffering and he said, Oh that
I knew where I might find Him,
that I might come even to His
seat! I would order my cause
before Him.
Said G-d to him, Why
did you sit in a Sukka of three
walls?
How was the fact of Job
building a Sukka with three walls
an explanation for his suffering?

THE NORTH SIDE:

COLD AND HOSTILE
The following explanation
of this anomaly is based partly
on the Talmudic commentary
Ein Eliyahu, which refers us to
a passage in the Talmud (Bava
Basra) and related Midrash that
describes the world, allegorically,
as consisting of four sides with
walls erected on only three sides.
The north side was left open so
that G-d could challenge us to
block it off as well.
We are taught that the fourth
wall was left open to the negative
forces in our world. This is
consistent with the Biblical
prophecy that evil will come

forth from the north. One of the

names for a serpent, the symbol
of evil, is tzifoni-the north one.
The North is dark, frigid and
foreboding. It symbolizes the
icy indifference some may have
towards anything G-dly and holy.
The word tzafon can also
be translated as concealed.
It refers to the insidious and
deceptive forms that evil may
take to seduce its unsuspecting
victims.
It is through the unprotected
north side that evil has entered
into the world and spread its
undesirable influence to all four
corners of the earth.
So, why did G-d leave this
direction unprotected?
The answer is that this was
to give us a challenge; we should
be the ones to close off the north
side, to shut out evil, revealed
or hidden. This would make the
world a four-walled existence;
the elusive utopia that we have
been praying for from the
beginning of time.

TORAH BEGINS
WITH THE LETTER BEIS
This idea is also seen in
the Midrash as the reason the
Torah begins with the letter beis.
The Midrash asks: shouldnt
the Torah have begun with the
letter, alef, the first letter of the
alphabet?
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SUKKOS THOUGHT
The Midrash answers that the
shape of the letter beis conveys
the message that the creation of
the world is similar to the beis:
it is contained on three sides,
leaving the fourth side open.
Knowing from the very outset
that the world is incomplete
because of the open side helps
us understand the existence of
evil. G-d allowed it to exist to
challenge us, as G-ds partners in
creation, to complete the fourth
wall and eliminate evil.
This fourth wall is being
constructed by all those who
struggle with evil and overcome
it. Every Mitzvah we do adds
another brick to this wall and
whenever we avoid transgression
it fortifies the wall, bringing us
one step closer to the ultimate
Redemption; to the four-walled
world.

THE SUKKA:
A MICRO WORLD
This then is the rationale for
the four walls of the Sukka.
The Sukka is a model for the
entire world.
Like the world we inhabit,
the Sukka is G-ds model for the
world; a world surrounded by
walls that protect it and provide it
with a spiritual cover.
At Sinai, when G-d gave us
the Torah and commanded us to
dwell in the Sukka, the Divine
influence had just begun to
envelop the world.
It could be said that at that
time the world was shaped like
the letter hei, which is open
on two sides. It is open on the
bottom, which the Talmud states
is indicative of the pitfalls one can
sink into because of the existence
of so many negative influences in
the world. In addition, another
one of its walls was incomplete.
G-d was waiting for our input to

complete the construction of that

wall.
With the passage of time
and generations of holiness
which grows by every Mitzvah
performed, the third wall was
also made whole. The rabbis,
who were attuned to the changed
spiritual atmosphere, reflected
that sensitivity by requiring us to
construct our Sukkos with three
walls to reflect the new spiritual
reality.
The fourth wall has been
the most difficult one to build.
We have had to go through a
2,000-year odyssey of exile and
suffering to accumulate the
Mitzvos-bricks
necessary
to
produce a formidable stockpile
of construction material. Adding
to the sheer quantity of Mitzvos
that weve collected is the pain
and suffering we have endured
and the Mesiras Nefesh, the
unparalleled and unprecedented
self-sacrifice, we exhibited. All
this had the effect of making the
fourth wall longer, stronger and
higher.

THREE LETTERS:
HEI, BEIS AND MEM
Upon reflection, these three
models of the Sukka and the three
stages of history they represent
are summed up by three letters of
the Hebrew alphabet.
First is the letter hei, which
our Sages tell us G-d used to
create this physical world. As
explained, this reflects the worlds
genesis when humans had yet to
contribute to a third wall.
With the introduction of the
Torah, the potential for the third
complete wall emerged.
The
Torahs description of creation
begins with the letter beis, which,
as we have noted above, is closed
on three sides.
The Talmud, which is the

embodiment of the Oral Torah,

concludes with the word Shalom,
the last letter of which is a final
mem, closed on all four sides and
the ultimate expression of the
future four-walled world.

G-DS RESPONSE TO JOB

With the association between
a four-walled Sukka and a
four-walled world we can now
understand why G-d, as recorded
in Midrash, responded to Jobs
suffering by saying, Why did
you build a Sukka of three
walls?
G-d was saying, dont you
realize that this world is not a
finished piece of work? I have
deliberately left one direction
open to allow evil to enter and
cause pain and suffering. In
Jobs case it was the Satan, G-ds
angel, who turned G-d against
Job. The Satan is just one name
for the forces of evil that are
both internal and external to us.
G-d allowed this angel to enter
through the north side, which
He deliberately left open.

THE FUTURE OF THE

FOUR WALLS IS NOW!
However, in the Messianic
Age, that will change. The
fourth wall, which we have been
building for the last 2,000 years,
will finally be complete and as the
prophet predicts, the spirit of
impurity I will remove from the
earth.
This explains why the recent
custom has been to construct
four-walled Sukkos. Since we are
so close to the Messianic Age we
build the Sukka the way it will be
in the near future.
Moreover, as the Rebbe told
us repeatedly, the Redemption is
actually right in front of us and is
ours for the taking; we can now
begin to enjoy a taste and sample

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of, and, indeed, the beginning of

that glorious four-walled Sukka
experience of the future.

CONCLUSION OF
MAIMONIDES
MISHNEH TORAH
By
Divine
providence,
during this Festival of Sukkos,
Jews the world over will be
completing
another
annual
study cycle of Maimonides
magnum opus, the Mishneh
Torah. It is no coincidence that
the very last letter of this work
is also the Mem. Maimonides
ends the Mishneh Torah with
his description of the Messianic
age as the time when we will
be deluged in the sea of G-ds
knowledge. It is therefore so
appropriate that the last letter,
which sums up all that was said
earlier, is the final letter mem
symbolizing a perfect world,
Continued from page 12
it with him, word by word, from
the siddur. To some newcomers
for whom reciting the bracha was
a great effort, the Rebbe smiled
when they finished and blessed
them with gut yom tov.
As the line grew, the people
heard that the Rebbe was in the
sukka and watching everyone so
they tried to prepare themselves
for this. They had all been to
the mikva and said the morning
brachos and they tried to get in

By Divine providence, during this Festival of

Sukkos, Jews the world over will be completing
another annual study cycle of Maimonides magnum
opus, the Mishneh Torah. It is no coincidence that the
very last letter of this work is the Mem. It is appropriate
that the last letter is the final letter mem, symbolizing a
perfect world, surrounded by four walls.
surrounded by four walls.
It is also interesting that the
Kabbalists teach us that the shape
of a Mikveh, the pool of water
used for spiritual purification,
should be rectangular like the
final letter mem. The Mikveh,
like the four walled Sukka, is
suggestive of the future world of
purity and holiness, when, as the
prophet Isaiah states (quoted by
Maimonides in his concluding
words): The entire world will be
filled with the knowledge of G-d

as the water covers the seabed.

Nothing
happens
by
coincidence, certainly not when
it involves Torah knowledge. The
Hebrew words for conclusionsiyum, and seal-chosem both end
with a final mem. This indicates
that the four-walled state will be
the end and the seal of the world.
The four-walled state will make
the world permanently the way
G-d envisioned it at the outset
and it will exhibit G-ds sealimprimatur for all to see.

some chapters of Thillim, look

into a maamer Chassidus, etc.
The line moved and time
passed quickly. When it was time
for Shacharis, R Groner asked
the Rebbe when Shacharis would
take place. The Rebbe merely
said, we will daven, from which
they understood that it would not
be on time. The hours went by.
When the last one said the
brachos, it was 2:30 in the
afternoon. The Rebbe had stood
there for nearly six and a half

hours and gazed upon each of

the Chassidim and only then, did
he take the lulav and esrog and
leave the small sukka and walk
the length of the large sukka back
to his room.
Throughout all those hours
that the Rebbe stood there, some
Chassidim dared to ask whether
the Rebbe would sit but the
Rebbe declined.
At 3:00 was Shacharis,
Musaf, and Mincha, one after the
other.




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CHABAD HISTORY

KOSHER FOOD

FOR BODY & SOUL

The Frierdiker Rebbes request: Please send truly religious rabbis of first
class personality to assist the Jewish refugees in Europe * The basic
requirements of Jewish educational institutions: to have Kosher kitchens
and to provide the children with religious teachers and instructors * I
find it hard to believe that the AJDC would be guilty, either knowingly or
inadvertently, of supplying Terefah foods to the Jewish DPs * The Jewish
Refugee Crisis Second Installment

n the first installment of

the Refugee Crisis we
presented the Rebbes efforts
in 1945, at the conclusion of
World War II to provide spiritual
material for the Jewish refugees.
During the following year this
work took on a new urgency, as the
refugees scattered in Displaced
Persons (DP) Camps were not
moving out, and their needs were
not fully met.
This second installment will
focus on the Frierdiker Rebbes
work with the American Joint
Distribution Committee (JDC)
to ensure that the refugees
have access to Kosher food and
Orthodox Rabbinical guidance.
These fascinating documents
are part of the JDC Archives
(which were digitized and
uploaded online, thanks to
a grant from Dr. Georgette
Bennett and Dr. Leonard
Polonsky CBE).

PLEASE SEND
FIRST CLASS RABBIS
Before Pesach 1946, the
Frierdiker Rebbe received urgent
requests for help from Jews
stranded in DP camps in Italy.
The Frierdiker Rebbe was in
contact with the JDC to try and
secure Kosher food for Pesach
for them, and the JDC provided
partial help. After Pesach, the
Frierdiker Rebbe worked hard to
ensure that these refugees have
continued access to Kosher food,
and petitioned the heads of the
JDC to do all they can to provide
these religious needs.
On May 1, 1946 [1st day of
Rosh Chodesh Iyar 5706], the
Frierdiker Rebbe sent a telegram
to Dr. Joseph Schwartz, the
chairman of the JDC:
I am informed [that the]
Joint New York referred my
recent telegrams to you.
While gratified [to receive

the] report from Italy [that]

Joints prompt cooperation
provided kosher feeding [to]
almost all displaced Jews, I
am further informed [that
the]
problem
continues,
[and] kosher feeding [is] still
unsolved, largely because
Joint
Director
[Jacob]
Trobe makes subsidy for
kosher feeding dependent
on presenting a formal
application by Sochnuth
representatives,
so-called
Merkas
LaGola
which
changes [the] procedure,
making settlement impossible
because Merkas gentlemen
[are] irreligious.
I am greatly surprised
[that] such conditions could
be made, which on any case
dont absolve [the] Joints
responsibility.
I hope you will instruct
said Joint Director on [the]
Joints real attitude toward

8 14 Tishrei 5777
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[the] question [of] kosher

feeding and request his
utmost cooperation in solving
this problem.
I am informed [that the]
problem [of] kosher meat [is]
especially acute.
Having
been
assured
by UNRRA headquarters
and
office
requirements
allocations department [of]
agriculture [and] also by
[the] State Department of
their sympathetic cooperative
understanding of this problem
I believe Joints determined
efforts to solve [the] problem
[of] kosher meat would be
fully successful.
I also understand [that
the]
Joint
contemplates
sending Rabbis in connection
with religious necessities of
surviving Jews, and I sincerely
trust [that] truly religious
rabbis of first class personality

will be selected for this

responsible task.
Please inform [me] of
[the] action taken and oblige.
Blessing,
Rabbi Joseph Schneersohn
On the same day the Frierdiker
Rebbe sent letters to various
leaders of the JDC in America
urging them to ensure that the
Rabbis who are sent to Europe are
religious Rabbis. The following is
a translation of the letter to Dr.
Joseph Hyman (JDC New York):
Dear Mr. Hyman:
I have learned that the
J.D.C. is about to send
several rabbis to Europe in
connection with the spiritual
and temporal work of relief it
is conducting there.
It is needless to stress
the importance of having
orthodox rabbis represent the
J.D.C., so that they should
not belittle the importance

of the spiritual work to be

done in behalf of our rescued
brethren; so that they should
not be too lenient, where it is
necessary to be strict, with the
conduct of kosher kitchens,
educational
institutions,
mikvoth and other religious
and community institutions.
I hope and I am sure that
you will give this matter your
special attention, and that
the J.D.C. will choose as its
representatives in Europe
rabbis who are absolutely
kosher and acceptable to
orthodox Jewry.
Thank you in advance.
Respectfully yours,
Ten days later, on May
10 1946 [9 Iyar 5706] Mrs.
Henrietta Buchman responded
to the Frierdiker Rebbe, detailing
the way the JDC operates in this
arena:
The Joint Distribution

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CHABAD history
Committee is very mindful of
the spiritual values in Jewish
life. Of course you appreciate
that the responsibility with
respect to the conduct of the
work in any specific locality
rests with the local committee,
who naturally feel that they
have a right to determine for
themselves the standards of
Kashruth, which should be
observed in their area.

ALL ORPHANAGES MUST

HAVE KOSHER KITCHENS
While the issue of Kosher
food for the general refugee
population was being discussed,
a new issue cropped up. The
Frierdiker Rebbe received news
that some of the orphanages and
homes for refugee children did
not have kosher kitchens and
the children were not receiving a
Jewish Education.
On July 24 2946 [25 Tamuz
5706] the Frierdiker Rebbe sent
a heartfelt plea to Dr. Joseph
Schwartz (the Chairman of the
JDC), pleading with him to rectify
the situation:
Dear Mr. Schwartz:
My attention has just
been drawn to conditions
prevailing in the childrens
camps, homes and Kibutzim
in the Italian area. I was
gratified to hear that the
Joint representatives in Italy
have recently shown a better
understanding of the problem
concerning
the
religious
Jewish children, especially
with regard to Kosher feeding
and education. However,
unfortunately, as I am
informed, the problem in
some camps and Kibutsim
is very acute, there being
no adequate facilities for
Kosher feeding and religious
education.

I therefore address this

heartfelt plea to you to do
all you can to solve the
problem of Kosher feeding
and religious education in
the Jewish childrens homes,
camps and Kibutsim in the
Italian zone. It is the basic
requirement of our religion
that all Jewish orphanages
and childrens homes without
exception,
have
Kosher
kitchens. It is similarly one
of the basic requirements
of our religion that care be
taken to provide the children
with religious teachers and
instructors to bring them
up in the tradition of their
parents, in loyalty to our
sacred spiritual heritage.
I do not underestimate
the difficulties that may
be
involved
in
solving
these problems, but with
the goodwill of the Joint
leadership and representatives
and with firm determination,
these problems can and must
be solved.
I shall appreciate receiving
word from you as to what
steps have been taken in this
matter.
With all good wishes,
Sincerely yours,
Rabbi Joseph I. Schneersohn
A week later, on August 1
1946 [4 Av 5706], the Frierdiker
Rebbe received a lengthy and
detailed response from Mr.
Edward Phillips, from the JDC
Child Care committee, explaining
the work of the JDC with children
in the Italian Zone:
The JDCs activities in
Italy for displaced Jews are
extensive. Although military
authorities
and
UNRRA
were responsible for basic
assistance to non-Italian Jews,
the JDC was called upon to
provide supplementary aid

for large numbers in UNRRA

assembly centers, or in transit.
Thousands of infiltrees in
their trek southward have
presented a difficult problem.
During the first six months of
1946 the JDC appropriations
for its Italian program
amounted to $615,000, the
bulk of the expenditures being
for Jewish displaced persons.
As of June 1946 there
were 8,500 Jewish displaced
persons in 6 regular and 3
transient camps and 7,000
refugees in sixty Hachsharoth
installations. Less than 5%
of the population in the
camps and Hachsharoth were
children under the age of 14
years.
Educational and cultural
activities
in
the
four
southern camps, through
arrangements with UNRRA,
are the responsibility solely
of the JDC and are fairly well
developed. According to one
of our representatives who
just returned from Italy in
June, after a stay of over one
year there, every camp has a
school for children. Provisions
exist for religious education
in these schools with their
use depending on the desires
of the parents or guardianrelatives of the children. In
one childrens camp in Italy at
S. Ceseria, under the auspices
of UNRRA, the 150-200
children in the camp benefit
from the JDC subsidized
religious-educational program
carried on by a Rabbi who
is a volunteer worker with
UNRRA. In the refugee
childrens home at Selvino, the
250 occupants have complete
educational facilities, with
religious training available
for those children who desire
it. Consideration is presently
being given to the opening

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of a home for Orthodox

children.
The UNRRA has also
established
a
teachers
seminar in S. Mariada Lenoa.
It is hoped that those trained
in the school will return to
the camps to lead the various
programs there, including
religious education.

We
have
also
endeavored to meet the
problem of Kosher food
for the refugees who desire
Kashruth. You recognize,
of course, that there are
many difficulties in the way
of providing Kosher food.
As of June 1st, the JDC
has attempted to overcome
this problem by subsidizing
Kosher kitchens to the extent
of 1000 lira per person for the
3,300 persons in the camps
who wish to eat Kosher. This
enables the Kosher kitchens
to serve Kosher meat at
least four times a week. A
number of the Hachsharoth
whose
population
desire
Kashruth also participate in
this program. Recently we
shipped 10,800 lbs. of Kosher
meat to Italy to augment local
supplies.
An
analysis
of
our
expenditures in Italy during
1946 reveals that a large part
was devoted to education
of refugee children, kosher
kitchens and Passover relief.
We shall continue in our
effort to further the relief and
rehabilitation of displaced
Jewry in Italy, giving full
consideration to the spiritual
and religious needs of our
children.

INVESTIGATE IT
IMMEDIATELY
About

year

later

the

Frierdiker Rebbe again received

disturbing news that there is a
problem with the Kosher food in
the DP camps, this time in Austria
and Germany, and on June 23
1947 [5 Tamuz 5707], he sent
the following letter to the JDC:
I have been informed that
in the camps of the Jewish
DPs in Austria and Germany
canned
meat
products
distributed to the Jewish DPs
by A. J. D. C. institutions
included Terefah foods.
I have been further
informed that many Jewish
DPs, not being fully satisfied
as to the Kashruth of such
foodstuffs,
abstain
from
eating them, although the
proteins contained therein,
if Kosher, are necessary
for their undermined and
undernourished health.
I find it hard to believe
that the AJDC would be
guilty, either knowingly or
inadvertently, of supplying
Terefah foods to the Jewish
DPs, and I rather hope that
the information I received was

based on a misapprehension.
However, because of the
seriousness of the matter,
I ask you to investigate it
immediately. Should there be
some truth in the matter, I
sincerely trust you will correct
it without delay, and see to
it that there should be no
recurrence of such disregard
for the religious feelings of
our sorely tried brethren.
I am anxiously awaiting a
detailed report on the matter,
and I trust the AJDC will give
it its immediate attention,
for which I thank you in
anticipation.
Very truly yours,
Rabbi
Joseph
I.
Schneerson
A week later, on June 30 1947
[12 Tamuz 5707], Mr. Jacob
Joslaw responded on behalf of
the JDC, that they do all they
can to supply the Kosher needs
of the refugees, and they will ask
the Paris office to look into the
information the Frierdiker Rebbe
received.

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SUKKOS
TIME OF OUR
REJOICING IN
LUBAVITCH

15 TISHREI
AS A SHEPHERD SUPERVISES
HIS FLOCK ON CHAG HASUKKOS

hroughout the nesius,

the Chassidim had the
privilege of saying a
bracha over the Rebbes
own dalet minim. In the early
years of the nesius, the Rebbe
himself was in the sukka and the
Chassidim, who were a relatively
small crowd, passed by him one
by one, like sheep, and each one
recited the bracha. The Rebbe
answered amen to each ones
bracha.
Starting in 5720, on the
second day of Sukkos, the Rebbe
appointed R Meir Harlig to take
the Rebbes dalet minim after he
finished saying the bracha, and
bring it out to the guests sukka.
The Chassidim would use the
dalet minim until it was time for
Hallel and then R Harlig would
bring them into the big beis
midrash to the Rebbe. Those who
were late could say the bracha
over the minim after the Rebbe
finished Musaf.

On the first day of Sukkos

5752, at first light of day, a long
line of Chassidim waited to use
the Rebbes minim. Numbers
were given out when you arrived
and there were those who went
directly from the Simchas Beis
HaShoeiva to get a number.
They waited expectantly for 8:00,
when the Rebbe himself would
say the bracha on his minim
and then give the minim for the
public to use. Some were able to
get a short nap until Shacharis at
10:00.
8:00. The Rebbe would leave
his sukka. In the doorway was
R Harlig, waiting to receive the
minim, but this time, the Rebbe
left the sukka holding the minim.
Where are the people waiting?
asked the Rebbe.
All immediately felt that
something was about to happen.
The Rebbe asked his secretary, R
Groner, Where are the people
waiting? I want to see them recite

SPECIAL MOMENTS

the bracha on the first day. R

Groner turned to show where
people were waiting and the
Rebbe walked over there while
holding the lulav and esrog. The
Rebbe entered the small sukka
which was next to the large sukka
for guests. He looked at the table
and asked whether they said the
bracha next to it. When told yes,
he stood in a corner of the sukka
while facing the library building
so that the person entering the
sukka and taking the lulav was
facing the Rebbe!
And so, like sheep, each
person stood alone under the
Rebbes watchful gaze and
recited the brachos. The Rebbe
answered amen. The sukka, it
should be noted, was small, and
entering it was like having a
private audience with the Rebbe.
The first people on the line
found it hard to believe. Some
of them said afterward that they
were so overwrought that they
werent able to say the brachos
properly. Someone even forgot
to say the SheHechiyanu bracha
and the Rebbe reminded him.
Someone took the esrog reversed
and the Rebbe pointed this out.
One of the guests, someone
new to Judaism who still did not
read well, said the brachos slowly
and the Rebbe helped him, saying
Continued on page 7

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MOSHIACH Q&AS

THE GEULA BANQUET

By Rabbi Menachem Harpaz

Q. The Talmud (Bava Basra 75a) states

that Hashem will make a sukka for the
righteous from the skin of the Leviasan
and a banquet from its flesh. Elsewhere,
(see Brachos 34b) the Talmud talks about
a superior wine that will be served at this
feast. Is this banquet a poetic metaphor?
Is it wholly symbolic of something
esoteric? Will it really happen?
Short answer:
The banquet will indeed
happen, just not in the way you
imagine.
Comprehensive Answer:
To begin, lets quote the
sources you mentioned in your
question, with a few additional
sources which provide further
details on how this incredible
meal with unfold.
The Gemara in Bava Basra
states, The Holy One, Blessed
Be He, will in time to come make
a banquet for the righteous from
the flesh of the Leviasan. . . and
a sukka for the righteous from
its skin. The Midrash (VaYikra
Rabba 13:3) describes a battle
that will take place between the
Leviasan and the Shor HaBor
(wild ox), with the Shor HaBor
battering the Leviasan with its
horns and the Leviasan piercing
the Shor HaBor with its fins.
Another Gemara (Psachim
119b) describes further what will
happen at the end of that meal:

At the end of the banquet, when

the tzaddikim will want to say
the Birkas HaMazon (grace after
meals), each tzaddik will declare
himself unworthy of leading the
Birkas HaMazon and holding
the cup of wine customarily held
at that time. At the end, David
HaMelech will do the honors.
The Alter Rebbe, in Siddur im
Dach (Drush Birkas HaZimun)
explains why all the tzaddikim
will declare themselves unworthy.
The wine in the cup for Birkas
HaZimun is singular, as it is
wine that has been preserved
in its grapes since the six days of
Creation (Brachos 34b). Each
tzaddik will find in himself a flaw
that he will feel disqualifies him

from reciting the bentching over

such exalted wine.
To your question, will this all
really happen? The Maharsha
writes that yes, it will indeed
happen. Know that we must
believe all these things in their
most literal sense. Although the
commentaries extrapolate the
explanation according to their
understanding . . ., one cannot
remove the content from its
simple meaning. Similarly, the
Rebbe (Seifer HaSichos 5751,
vol. 2, pg. 685) writes that the
banquet that Hashem will make
in the Future for the righteous,
in which they will eat from the
Leviasan, the Shor HaBor and the
preserved wine . . ., in addition to
the spiritual ideas alluded thereto
which are explained in Chassidic
discourses, there will also be an
actual feast.
Although the banquet will
surely happen, it is not a scene
which we could accurately
imagine. As the Gemara (Brachos
34b) says in regard to the
preserved wine, that no eye
has seen it. Nor have we ever
encountered the Leviasan, as the
Midrash (BReishis Rabba 7:4)
tells us that Hashem created one
male and one female Leviasan,
which never reproduced, because
He castrated the male and killed
the female and preserved it for
the righteous in the future.
Thus, precisely what the
preserved wine, Leviasan,
and Shor HaBor are, and how
this meal will unfold, will be
revealed to us only when it
actually happens. But we can be
certain that there will be an actual
splendid feast at which we will all
certainly soon partake.
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SHLICHUS PROFILE

MOSHIACH:
THE CHERRY ON
TOP IN SHLICHUS
Rabbi Dovid Chaviv came to Sarcelles, France six
years ago, and today with songs of joy, he is
reaping the many successes of his activities with
the citys Jewish community. Working with great
dedication, he has reached countless Jewish
souls, touching them, and leading them to the
path of Torah, mitzvos, and Chassidus. This is
the story of a young avreich and the spiritual
revolution taking place near the City of Lights.
By Nosson Avraham
Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

es Flanades is one of the

main business districts
in the city of Sarcelles,
France, located about
fifteen kilometers from Paris. The
city has a sizable Jewish population,
and
numerous
stores
and
businesses in this large commercial
center are under Jewish ownership.
When the citys first shliach, Rabbi
Yaakov Bitton, searched for a
shliach to run a Chabad House
in the business district, he found
Rabbi Dovid Chaviv to fill this
role.
R Dovid didnt have to start
from scratch. The intensive

groundwork made by the veteran

shluchim in Sarcelles is already
felt in every corner of the city.
In his words, he reaps the fruit
with joy. Today, after six years
of shlichus, he operates a vibrant
Chabad center a Chabad House
together with a synagogue, Torah
classes, and a wide range of
activities for children. While R
Dovid speaks modestly about
his shlichus, his friends and
acquaintances can speak about
his activities stretching far
beyond the shopping center that
serves as his base.
When we asked him about

this, he explained quite simply

that this was the Rebbes answer
to him before he went out on
shlichus near Paris. R Dovid is
the type of shliach whose shlichus
keeps him busy every moment of
every day. His identifying mark
is the pair of tfillin he takes with
him wherever he goes. During
my second year on shlichus, I
counted the number of people
we put tfillin on that year, and it
reached 1,500. With only a few
exceptions, no one refused to roll
up his sleeves.
While R Dovid was born
and raised in France, he never

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dreamed of going out on shlichus

in his native country. Yet, it
was the Rebbes bracha that
brought him to his designated
place of shlichus. At every stop
Ive had in my life, I wrote to
the Rebbe and acted according
to his advice. After a period
working for Chabad yeshivos
in Yerushalayim and Canada,
I received the Rebbes bracha
to come to France, and I began
work even before my wedding.
After an initial period of outreach
internship, I eventually made my
way to Sarcelles, where I joined

my brother who worked for

Camp Gan Yisroel.
After his wedding, he received
two shlichus offers one in
Sarcelles and one in Paris. As
always, he wrote to the Rebbe
and asked for direction. The
Rebbes answer dealt with going
out on shlichus near Paris, and in
fact, Sarcelles is a suburb located
near Paris. Today, after six years
of shlichus, I understand how
precise the Rebbes answer was.
While our center is located in
Les Flanades, we also frequently
operate around Paris.

SARCELLES
CALLING CARD
Sarcelles is one of the largest
cities in France, home to a large
Jewish population. The local
Jewish neighborhood alone has
thirty-three synagogues, but
there are several thousands of
Jews who dont attend services.
The city has room for a wide
range of activities in spreading
the wellsprings of Chassidus.
Alongside Rabbi Yaakov Bitton,
the first shliach to make great
strides here, other shluchim have

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SHLICHUS PROFILE

Here is a Jew in a state of great spiritual decay,

yet he is bothered by the fact that he didnt
bentch on the Dalet Minim. Without uttering a word, I
took him by the hands and we broke out into an emotional
dance while the non-Jewish woman stood and watched
in complete surprise.
come in recent years and have
even founded a yeshiva. We were
chosen to serve as shluchim in the
citys large commercial center.
Activities start in the morning
hours and intensify toward the
afternoon.
During the morning hours,
numerous
one-on-one
discussions take place for
providing help, encouragement,
and strengthening Jewish identity.
Similarly, Tfillin Campaign
activities and a Torah class for
women are held on the premises.
In the afternoon, numerous
merchants come to the Chabad
House for a Torah class or to
daven Mincha. On Sundays, R
Dovid operates a Talmud Torah
program for children. In the
interim, you can see him moving
along the storefronts, where he
sets up a mobile tfillin stand and
speaks with local merchants to
strengthen their observance of
Torah and mitzvos.
R Dovid speaks about the
intensive activities that have
begun to bear fruit. Many
businesses
under
Jewish
ownership that had been open on
Shabbos in the past have closed
since the Chabad House opened
its doors in the commercial
center.
During the early days,
activities were administered from
a room in an office run by a
Chabad Chassid. Today, with the
growth and development of these
activities, the shluchim rented a
larger and more spacious office.

A SURPRISING DONATION
FOR THE SHMURA MATZA
CAMPAIGN
When I asked him where the
funding for his activities comes
from, he told us a story which is
illustrative of the many cases of
Divine Providence he encounters
on a daily basis.
Each year, prior to the
Pesach holiday, we distribute
about four hundred sets of
shmura matza to our supporters.
The campaign costs us two
thousand Euros a sizable
amount. One year, over a period
of two weeks, I unsuccessfully
tried to raise this sum for the
Pesach campaign. There were
moments when I considered
giving up, but the salvation finally
came in the most moving fashion.
I remember myself a week
before Pesach standing in the
Chabad House and davening to
G-d that He should help me in a
manner beyond nature. On YudAlef Nissan, I participated in a
Chassidic farbrengen held at the
Sinai Institutions in Paris. At the
end of the official program, the
Chassidim sat and farbrenged
well into the night. Leading the
farbrengen were Rabbi Yosef
Yitzchak Pewzner and his brother
Rabbi Avraham Baruch. The
atmosphere was particularly
warm. Everyone there spoke
openly, and I turned to one of the
Chassidim sitting near me and
asked if he was planning to give
out shmura matza that year. He

said that he wasnt.

I told him that I had a list
of four hundred Jewish families
who I knew that if I didnt bring
them matzos, they probably
wouldnt eat shmura matza. The
problem was that I didnt have
the necessary funds. How much
are you missing? he asked. One
thousand six hundred Euros, I
replied. He thought for a minute
and then said, Ill give you the
full amount. By this time, he
had consumed a fair amount of
mashke, so I wasnt certain if he
was serious about what he was
saying. However, the very next
day he gave me the money and
the Shmura Matza Campaign
was on its way.

THE SECRET BEHIND

EVERY JEWISH SOUL
R Dovid Chaviv speaks to
people as equals, simply and
directly. This is one of the
secrets to his success. When I
arrived on shlichus, I was certain
that I would receive a list of
Jews located in the city with a
connection to Chabad with whom
I could work. However, I quickly
realized that wasnt the way
things work. Working on shlichus
is not an office job; it requires a
fair amount of physical exertion
and you shall be gathered one
by one. You have to pound the
pavement, go out and meet with
Jews, and build a circle of friends
and supporters. This is what I did
and what I continue to do until
every day. While we have plenty
of work on our hands, I go out
into the citys streets every day in
search of my fellow Jews.
Whenever R Dovid meets
someone new, he takes down
his address and mobile phone
number, sends him a weekly
dvar Torah, and adds him to
the growing list of permanent
Chabad House activities.

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In France, there are Jews of

all types some are very warm to
Yiddishkait, while others are cold,
and there are even many who are
totally assimilated. Theres a Jew
whom I met during my first year
of shlichus: He put on tfillin
with me and then said that he
was planning to marry his nonJewish girlfriend that evening.
I was stunned, and the feeling
intensified when he said that they
had been living together for nine
years. I tried to convince him out
of taking such a calamitous step,
but to no avail. We eventually
parted from one another, as I
anguished over the fateful step he
was about to take. How thrilled I
was to hear the next day that as
a result of our conversation, the
man gave up the idea of marrying
this woman. However, he had
no intention of leaving her. A
few days later, I flew to 770, and
among other things, I asked the
Rebbe for a bracha that this Jew
should end his relationship with
his Gentile companion.
That night, I participated in
a farbrengen with Rabbi Eliyahu
Dovid HaKohen Borenstein, the
Rebbes shliach in Bologna, Italy,
and I sought his advice. He said
that a little light dispels much
darkness, and every mitzvah
that the man accepts upon
himself will help him to break
the relationship. Thus, each day,
I would visit his store, put on
tfillin with him, and speak with
him about matters of Torah and
mitzvos. One day, as I came to
his store, I was surprised when
he told me that I dont have to go
out of my way to bring him tfillin
anymore since he puts them on
himself now, having even bought
his own pair. A few weeks later,
he told me that he had left his
non-Jewish girlfriend. He had
become acquainted with a young
Jewish woman and they planned
to get married.

A Torah class in the Chabad House

Guests at the Chabad House

However, they still had

some difficulties ahead. At first,
the girls parents refused to give
their consent to the marriage.
So I decided to get involved. In
the presence of all the parties
concerned, we wrote to the
Rebbe via Igros Kodesh and
received a clear bracha for the
establishment of a Jewish home.
As a result, the parents removed
all objections and the couple
married according to the law of
Moshe and Yisroel.
Now, he had to move to
the next stage: He managed a
childrens toy store which was
open on Shabbos. I decided that
I wouldnt speak to him about

this matter directly, choosing

instead to act according to
Rabbi Borensteins advice and
invite him and his new wife to
our home for Shabbos. After a
few weeks of spending Shabbos
with us, they were so enraptured
by the warm family atmosphere
that the man decided to close the
store.
According to R Dovid, this
Jew today wears a kippa on
his head, observes Shabbos,
puts on tfillin each weekday
morning, and maintains a strictly
Jewish lifestyle. Who would
have believed that just a few
years earlier he had considered
marrying a non-Jewish woman?

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SHLICHUS PROFILE
What is your secret? How do
you succeed to create such farreaching changes among your
friends and supporters?
Every Jew is a literal part of
G-d Above, and when we believe
this, not just in theory but in
practical terms as well, we then
speak with every Jew about his
Judaism and his soul.
Ill tell you about an incident
that demonstrates a Jews strong
connection with G-d. This past
Sukkos, I spent the holiday
at the home of my father-inlaw, the veteran shliach from
Paris, Rabbi Assaraf. Not every
Jewish family in France can
build a sukka in their home, and
therefore, the entire community
participates in the holiday
meals at a sukka located in the
synagogue courtyard. As each
of the community members left
the sukka on Shmini Atzeres to
return to their respective homes,
I saw an Israeli-looking young
man walking nearby with a young
non-Jewish woman.
Suddenly, he left his nonJewish companion and came over
to us. Im missing a feeling of
holiday joy, he said surprisingly.
He then added: I didnt make
a bracha this year on the lulav
and esrog. I stood there very
impressed. Here is a Jew in a
state of great spiritual decay, yet
he is bothered by the fact that
he didnt bentch on the Dalet
Minim. Without uttering a word,
I took him by the hands and we
broke out into an emotional
dance while the non-Jewish
woman stood and watched in
complete surprise.
At the end of the dance,
he shared with me the fact that
he had previously learned in a
yeshiva high school, although he
had since left the path of Torah.
Nevertheless, he said that there
was one niggun that had never

left him, and he then began to

sing Tzama Lecha Nafshi with
great passion. His eyes and
mine filled with tears. Clearly,
a Jew neither wants nor is able to
detach himself from G-dliness.
He is thirsting for G-dliness,
and the interference of the sitra
achra for the meantime is merely
in external matters.
As to your question, this is
the secret to our success not
to give up on a single Jew and to
work with all of them showing a
cheerful smile while not cutting
any corners.

TRANSFORMING THE BODY

AND REPAIRING THE SOUL
R Dovid dedicates all his
time and energy to shlichus, not
limiting himself to a specific area
or a set time. Let me tell you
a special story: Not long ago,
I woke up from a very strange
dream. In my dream, I saw
myself walking with my tfillin
in a seaside city, two hours away
from Sarcelles. Since I didnt say
anything about it to my wife the
next morning, you can imagine
how incredible it was when she
told me about the dream she
had. In her dream, she had seen
the two of us going to the same
seaside city, walking along one
of its shores. I realized that if we
both had the same dream, it was
clearly no coincidence.
We packed our suitcases and
boarded a train for a two-hour
journey to the vacation city of
Deauville. Its interesting to note
that several years earlier I had
taken a vacation there. During
my stay in one of the hotels, I
put on tfillin and davened in
the courtyard. A man passing by
inquired about the boxes on my
head, and I asked him if he was
Jewish. He said that he wasnt,
noting that he did have a certain
connection to Judaism since his

mother was Jewish... Naturally,

I wouldnt leave him until he put
on tfillin. Now, as we entered the
city, I remembered him.
When
we
arrived
in
Deauville, we rented a room in
a local hotel and went out for a
walk along the seashore with our
young son. Suddenly, I heard
a man greeting me in Hebrew:
Shalom. I responded to his
greeting and we started talking.
It turned out that this young
man had come from Belgium
and was on his way to Eretz
Yisroel. Naturally, I asked him
about putting on tfillin, and
he revealed that he had never
put on tfillin before. While his
mother was Jewish, he was raised
in a Christian environment and
claimed that he rl felt a sense of
gratitude towards them. All my
efforts to convince him to put
on tfillin were unsuccessful. At
a certain point, the young man
offered to take us in his car for a
tour of the city.
To this day, my wife and I
ask each other how we could have
possibly agreed to get into the car
of someone we had never met
before. Yet, we arranged for him
to come and pick us up the next
morning at our hotel for a tour
of the local nature sights. The
young man arrived just as he had
promised and we spent the entire
day taking in the regions natural
beauty. However, every time
I raised the issue of tfillin, he
rejected the idea out of hand. At
one point, I started speaking with
him about Yiddishkait in general
and concepts in Chassidus, in
the hope that the light of Torah
would illuminate his soul.
After a day of intensive
touring, I noticed that the sun
was setting and I found a spot to
daven Mincha. A Jew from Eretz
Yisroel standing in a boat along
the pier was very happy to see

18 14 Tishrei 5777
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Chanukah activities. A public menorah in the shopping center and a farbrengen with Rabbi Bitton.

Activities with children in the Chabad House

me, and he asked if there was a

store nearby where he could buy
kosher food. I directed him to
the neighboring town where I
knew there was a kosher grocery.
While I was davening, the Israeli
and the European Jew struck up
a conversation near his beautiful
vessel. It turned out that the two
were both boat lovers. The Israeli
eventually invited us to come
aboard his boat and get an upclose look.
I thought to myself that if
I dont get this Jew now, who
knows if hell ever have another
chance to put on tfillin? I turned
to the Israeli, and he gladly put
on tfillin. As he was removing
them, I remembered a letter
that the Rebbe once wrote to
a shliach. He said that if a Jew
stubbornly doesnt want to fulfill
an important mitzvah, youre
allowed to tell him to do it for
you. Thus, as he initially does

the mitzvah not for its own

sake, hell eventually do it for
its own sake. I asked the young
European Jew if he would do
me a personal favor and roll up
his sleeve. Incredibly, he agreed
immediately. Apparently, when
the Israeli put on tfillin, and
he saw that it wasnt so bad, it
softened something up inside
him.
When we traveled back to
Sarcelles the next day, my wife
and I wondered whether the
whole reason why we had come
to Deauville had just been to
remove the mark of karkafta
from the head of this young
Jew...
R Dovid has many stories
of Jews returning to their roots
subsequent to their coming
in contact with his activities.
There was a retail store near
the Chabad House that hosted
card games. I would come in

each day and put on tfillin with

the Jewish customers. There was
one regular patron, a Jew who
had formerly learned in yeshivos.
He had since abandoned an
observant lifestyle, now scoffing
at mitzvos in general and tfillin
in particular.
When the month of Elul
came, I decided to blow the
shofar for him, praying in my
heart it would awaken his pintele
yid. The sound of the shofar
apparently did arouse certain
fond memories, and a few days
later, he came up to me on his
own and asked if he could put on
tfillin. His friends were stunned
and they took out their cameras
to record the event. Of all people,
the one everyone there called the
heretic was putting on tfillin...
When he removed the tfillin,
everyone jubilantly broke out in
song.
Another interesting note,
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SHLICHUS PROFILE

THE MEETING, THE SEGULA, AND THE CHANGE IN DIRECTION

While the base for R Dovid Chavivs activities is in Sarcelles, he is not
one of those who limits his work to a single location. Wherever there are
Jews requesting Yiddishkait, hell be there in the frontline, ready to help.
He often goes to neighborhoods and suburbs, far from the central location
of his shlichus. Once, just before Rosh Hashanah, we purchased large
quantities of jars of honey and went out to distribute them in the nearby
town of Arnouville. We considered starting activities there for community
children, utilizing our pre-Rosh Hashanah visits to become acquainted with
the local Jewish population.
At one point, we entered a real estate office owned by a member of the
Jewish community. She was very happy that we came, and she asked if wed
like to meet her son, who also worked in real estate. His name is Moshe
Cohen, and he was very far from the path of Torah. We were in touch with
one another for a while, but at a certain point, all contact ceased.
Let me pause for a moment in this story to note that during our first
years after getting married, my wife and I had still not been blessed with
children. By Divine Providence, I met R Daniel Winderboim, the Rebbes
shliach in Kasol, India, and he told me that he too had gone without
children for some time. The blessing came after he was a sandek at a bris
mila known as a segula in such matters.
When I wrote to the Rebbe about this and requested a bracha for
children, he stated in his reply that through You shall teach them to your
children, you will merit your children in its simplest sense. My wife and I
were very moved, and whenever we heard about the birth of a baby boy, we
explored the possibility of being sandek. Unfortunately, we discovered every
time that the parents had already chosen someone else for the honor. After
we had nearly given up hope, I suddenly got a phone call from that Moshe
Cohen, with whom we had no contact for several years, and he asked me
if I remembered him. He said that the meeting with me had pushed him to
make an essential change in his life. He became a full-fledged baal tshuva
and had married a young Jewish woman. They had just been blessed with a
birth of a son, and he wanted to give me the honor of being the sandek.
I was in total shock both due to the surprising change he had made in
his life and the honor I had long been searching for. I saw this as a case of
tremendous Divine Providence.
Anyone who meets this Moshe Cohen today cant believe that he was
raised by a non-Jewish father and how he made a complete one hundred
and eighty degree change, becoming a Lubavitcher Chassid in every respect.
Today, he is an avreich connected to the Rebbe, devoting much of his time
to mivtzaim.
It turns out that being a sandek is a very effective segula, as a little less
than a year after the bris, we were blessed with the birth of our own son...
the spiritual light of the tfillin
apparently had its effect upon
the place. Some time afterwards,
this business closed and a pizza
parlor with Chabad kashrus
supervision opened in its place.

IN SARCELLES, AS AT THE
DAMASCUS GATE
One of your most important
activities is the daily schedule
of numerous Torah classes.
How do you make a class that

will also be interesting to a nonTorah observant Jew that he

will enjoy taking part?
You have to direct the class
properly toward the target
audience. During the last year, we
have given over Hakhel classes in
synagogues for the more Torah
observant communities, and we
must come adequately prepared
when speaking to such listeners.
They appreciate a class more
when it contains quotes from
Torah sources and gets down
to the heart of the matter. In
contrast, the classes I deliver
at the Chabad House to a less
traditional audience contains
learning material suited to the
level of their Torah knowledge.
I look for subject matter that
will touch their souls and they
can identify with more readily,
even encouraging them to act
accordingly. I frequently use the
Rebbes discourses from the early
volumes of Likkutei Sichos, and
I also often lecture on subjects
from the Tanya such as sadness,
anger, joy, faith, etc.
I also dont begin to read
from the Tanya, rather I only
quote those passages that I
want to explain, and I find
well-seasoned and provocative
sections that people could easily
understand and identify with.
Just the other day, we learned
Chapter 26 of Tanya, where
it brings a metaphor of two
individuals wrestling with each
other. We had previously learned
about the need to bless the evil,
just as we bless the good. I speak
in great detail on such subjects,
looking for examples, parables,
and stories from our Rebbeim
and life in general. The main
thing is to speak to them simply
and directly.
The
media
periodically
reports
on
anti-Semitic
incidents in France. How do

20 14 Tishrei 5777
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you live in the shadow of these

occurrences?
These incidents are mainly
caused by Moslem immigrants,
and we conduct ourselves with
extreme caution. There are
places more prone to attacks,
e.g., train stations, and we have
to be extra careful there, just as
a Jew would be walking near the
Damascus Gate in Yerushalayim.
I personally once experienced
such an incident, when an Arablooking individual cursed me
in the street and even threw
something at me. It is important
to note that while we act with
caution, we walk upright publicly
with a kippa on our heads, not
a cap, and on Rosh Hashanah,
we blow the shofar in the citys
streets.
Theres one Jew in the
commercial center who has
stopped putting on tfillin,
because of his concern over a
local Moslem who had threatened
to stab him. However, this is an
exception, not the rule, and most
Jews in Sarcelles feel safe.
What kind of Moshiach
campaign activities do you do in
Sarcelles?
In Sarcelles, we speak about
Moshiach and his being chai
vkayam without any problem

and people accept this quite

simply. Many people, young
and old, not just Lubavitchers,
declare the holy proclamation
of Yechi Adoneinu. The citys
founding shluchim had already
laid some very deep and thorough
groundwork, and all we had to do
was reap the harvest. Moshiach is
the central theme of our shlichus
in Sarcelles. The Rebbe, Melech
HaMoshiach, has given us the
ten mitzvah campaigns and he
added the Moshiach Campaign,
asking that everything should
be instilled with this main point.
This is exactly what we do.
Involvement in the ten
mitzvah
campaigns
without
talking about Moshiach is like
someone eating a whole cake
while ignoring the cherry on
top.
In conclusion, what are your
plans for the future?
The city of Sarcelles is
located near Frances main
airport. There are many Jews
from all over the world, primarily
from Eretz Yisroel, who come
to France to raise funds for
charitable purposes. Their first
stop is Sarcelles. Many people
dont know that Sarcelles has
families in very dire economic
straits, and I even encountered

cases of local residents seriously

lacking nutrition. My dream is
to build a large and spacious
facility for charitable programs,
including a kitchen for preparing
kosher meals, a dining hall to
host needy people and tourists
for Shabbos and Yom tov, and
activities for senior citizens.
***
R Dovid Chaviv concludes
with great emotion about the
tremendous privilege he has
to serve as part of the Rebbe
MHMs legion in preparing the
world to greet Moshiach.
In one letter that I received
from the Rebbe before setting
out on my shlichus, the Rebbe
quoted the pasuk, And your
beginning shall be small, but your
end shall increase exceedingly. I
recently took part in a farbrengen
with Rabbi Yaakov Bitton.
Among other things, he told
about a letter he had received
from the Rebbe at the start of his
shlichus, mentioning the same
pasuk. When I heard this, I felt
deeply moved that the Rebbe
had used the same language in
a correspondence to him and to
me the shliach working under
him in the same city. In truth, we
have both seen the realization of
the Rebbes bracha.

Continued from page 45

pouring (giving) away the entire

Gan Eden. The Rebbe waved
his hand with every one of the
niggunim they sang during the
farbrengen, and sometimes he
waved both hands and when
that happened they sang louder.
It also happened that when they
had to go up for a high part of
a niggun that the Rebbe moved
his hands even more forcefully.
As he did so, his face was on fire.
Naturally, the volume went up far
beyond the level of the octaves of

the niggun, as though it wasnt

humans standing there but
angels. The Rebbes appearance
at this part of the farbrengen was
so different and unusual that it is
indescribable.
Before the farbrengen ended,
the Rebbe said to sing, Ani
Maamin. Then he said the
bracha of al hamichya and left
the sukka. When he rose to leave,
he began singing, Ki Bsimcha
Seitzeiu and then he walked
out.

should say lchaim. Then the

Rebbe asked, Is that all? Then
the Rebbe asked that they sing a
niggun and they sang, Ki Anu
Amecha.
Throughout the rest of this
farbrengen, the Rebbe was very
upbeat and he smiled nearly the
entire time. He motioned with
his hands that certain people
say lchaim over a full cup. To
one of them he said, You are

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SUKKOS
TIME OF OUR
REJOICING IN
LUBAVITCH

14 TISHREI
GIVING OUT THE
FOUR MINIM

very
year,
a
few
Chassidim
had
the
privilege of receiving the
dalet minim (or some
of them) from the Rebbe. They
were askanei tzibbur (communal
activists), shluchim who were
called in, those who won raffles
and served as the emissaries of
thousands of Chassidim who
participated in raffles, and the
Rebbes secretaries.
This always took place Erev
Sukkos in Gan Eden HaTachton.
The Rebbe himself would stand
over the recipients and make
sure that each one got what was
coming to him. In certain years,
the Rebbe even had a list of those
who would be given minim.
In 5741, it was apparent to
what extent the Rebbe oversaw
that everyone would get what

they should, and he blessed each

one with a bracha specific to
this event, to draw down all the
hamshachos.
First, Rabbi Altein went
in to give the lulavim and the
Rebbe blessed him with, Ir zolt
derleben iber a yahr (Yiddish
expression in connection with an
annual mitzva that one should
live to do this again next year).
Before he left the room, the Rebbe
asked him: Do you remember if I
paid you last year for the lulav?
R Altein said yes, and the Rebbe
asked: Are you sure? When he
said yes, the Rebbe said, You
left it owing me a dollar, may you
have a happy Yom Tov, and may
there be happy news.
Then the Rebbe told the
secretary, R Groner, Announce
who should come in to take. R

SPECIAL MOMENTS

Chadakov entered and the Rebbe

gave him the list of people who
were supposed to come in and
be given dalet minim. The Rebbe
suggested taking out all the
esrogim from the boxes so they
could take them immediately and
not have to search.
After R Chadakov announced
the list of people who were
invited to enter and take dalet
minim, one of the Chassidim
from Paris went in. He took two
sets of dalet minim and the Rebbe
told him, Didnt they tell you to
take one set for everyone? May
it be with drawing hearts close.
[The Rebbe continued]: For the
mosdos there, Tomchei Tmimim
or Beis Rivka, R [Hillel] Pevsner
takes, you take for the groups
(referring to the French outreach
program), and then gather all the
group leaders together and give
them the set or they should make
a raffle perhaps, since there are
two days; they should draw down
all the hamshachos.
The Rebbe oversaw the entire
event and concerned himself
with the smallest details. He
looked towards the bundles
of lulavim and told R Chaim
Sholom Segal of Yerushalayim,
There are more lulavim so you
can take more. You can take an
additional lulav and additional
hadasim and aravos too, but
there is only one esrog for all

22 14 Tishrei 5777
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those from Yerushalayim, a city

that was joined together, that
they should not make divisions in
Yerushalayim. Draw down all the
hamshachos!
For one of the people there
was no esrog and he had only
three minim. The Rebbe, noticing
this, asked, Whats this?
Presumably everyone only took
one esrog! There are no more
esrogim?! R Groner brought
another esrog.
The Rebbe blessed some of
them with, That they should
draw down all the hamshachos
and may it be a happy year, and
to others he said, A successful
year.
Again, esrogim were missing
as well as other minim. One of
the secretaries told the Rebbe
that Kfar Chabad took two
esrogim and therefore, they were
returning one, but the Rebbe did
not agree and said, I gave to
two vaadim, one esrog for the
vaad ruchni and one for the vaad
gashmi. They get two esrogim.
The Rebbe went to the door
of Gan Eden HaTachton and
announced, For Kfar Chabad,
the vaad ruchni needs to take
separately and the regular vaad
separately and the rest of the
people in Kfar Chabad will fulfill
their obligation with them and
they should return esrogim if
they took any.
Then he asked, How many
esrogim are missing here? R

Binyamin Gorodetzky answered,

One esrog. Hearing this, the
Rebbe went to his room and
came back with an esrog for
R Gorodetzky and said, That
you should draw down all the
hamshachos!
The Rebbe asked again,
in a fatherly tone, Are aravos
missing? I brought another
two aravos. But he answered,
Aravos are not lacking.
The Rebbe: And the rest?
R Gorodetzky said he
was taking for some towns in
Morocco but the Rebbe corrected
him, For all of Casablanca and
for another ninety people from
Paris.
R Gorodetzky: I will give to
Azimov.
The Rebbe: You should
arrange that and try to see to
it that nobody loses out and
surely you took more than three
hadasim [that you can give out].
The Rebbe spoke with one
of the people in French and
to someone else in English,
You can take a hadas for each
one because there are many
hadasim.
He said to R Zalman Jaffe,
This is for all of Manchester;
these are for those who are here
and if there are additional
people from Manchester, let
them say the bracha on the dalet
minim too.
To the photographer Levi
Yitzchok Frieden who was

standing there and taking

pictures, he said, A successful
year and may you take pictures of
Jews with a good eye.
R Zalman Schmerling of Tel
Aviv was also there, who came in
with his daughter. I brought the
Rebbe hadasim from Tzfas, he
said.
Rebbe: A big yashar koach
ZS: I want a lulav this year
too.
Rebbe: You always ask for
hadasim.
ZS: This time I also want a
lulav.
Rebbe: I will give you a lulav
too.
ZS: I heard that the Rebbe
is coming to Eretz Yisroel for
Pesach.
Rebbe: I hope to perhaps
come earlier with Moshiach.
There is no need to wait until
Pesach.
ZS: I heard that the Rebbe is
preparing to come for Pesach.
Rebbe:
Probably,
surely,
Moshiach will come before
Chanuka!
ZS: S told me that he heard
from a reliable source that the
Rebbe is coming for Pesach.
Rebbe: Yes, it can be for 19
Kislev!
Then the Rebbe gave his
daughter a hadas and told her to
use it for Havdala.
He concluded: Chag sameiach
vshana tova umesuka.

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Issue 1041

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SUKKOS
TIME OF OUR
REJOICING IN
LUBAVITCH

16 TISHREI

THE WONDROUS PASSING

OF THE CHASSID IN 770S SUKKA

rev
Sukkos
5747.
The elder Chassidim,
rabbanim, askanim, and
those who won raffles,
all crowded near the Rebbes
room in order to receive the dalet
minim. The distribution was
done according to a list that the
secretaries had and which was
written by the Rebbe himself.
After each one chose a lulav
or hadasim and other minim,
the door to Gan Eden HaElyon
(the Rebbes office) opened and
the Rebbe went to Gan Eden
HaTachton (the hallway outside
the Rebbes room). One by one,
they passed by the Rebbe who
said to each of them, May the

hamshachos for the entire year

be drawn down.
R Mendel Futerfas hobbled
his way from Gan Eden
HaTachton to the outside and
was followed by R Zushe
Wilyamovsky (known as the
Partisan) who held only a lulav.
Unlike other years, this time he
did not receive hadasim. Nobody
knew why this year was different,
for what each of the Chassidim
received was decided directly by
the Rebbe. Furthermore, when
R Zushe passed by the Rebbe
and anticipated his hearty annual
blessing, the Rebbe did not say it.
The Rebbes gaze was fixed on
some unknown spot as though

SPECIAL MOMENTS

he did not see him. R Zushe

continued
walking
forward
without receiving a bracha. The
rest of the recipients followed
him and the Rebbe blessed each
of them.
That night, the first night of
Sukkos, one of the Chassidim
met Mrs. Yaroslavsky, the wife
of R Moshe ah, and saw that
she looked worried. She said,
R Zushe does not feel at all
well, referring to R Zushe
Wilyamovsky. She was not
referring to his physical health.
The Rebbe did not give him
hadasim today and he is very
concerned about this, she
explained.
R Zushe, a loyal Chassid,
knew and felt that something was
gravely amiss.
The following night, the
second night of yom tov, many
Chassidim danced and rejoiced at
the Simchas Beis HaShoeiva on
Kingston Ave and Montgomery.
R Zushe was late, which was
unusual for him. His shining
image was an inseparable part
of the Simchas Beis HaShoeiva
scene. Everybody knew his usual
spot as he stood on a barrel or
on the stage and encouraged
the singing as he played the
recorder. On Chol HaMoed it
was an actual recorder, but on
Yom Tov it would be a mock one.

24 14 Tishrei 5777
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He only put in an appearance

late that night, and as per his
custom encouraged the singing,
but that night, for some reason,
he finished earlier than usual.
He headed toward 770 where he
entered the big guest sukka.
He did not feel well and some
Chassidim who were there tried
to help him and took off his
sirtuk and hat and helped him lie
on a bench. But he got up right
away and without saying a word
he put his sirtuk back on, put on
his hat and lay down again as
though to regain his strength. A
few minutes later he passed away.
Thats when they connected it

to what happened the day before,

when the dalet minim were
distributed, and the Rebbe did
not bless him with, May all the
hamshachos for the entire year be
drawn down.
Some Chassidim remembered
that a few days earlier, on
Motzaei Yom Kippur, R Zushe
farbrenged and he mentioned the
sudden passing of the Chassid, R
Shmaryahu Gurary, the night of
Kol Nidrei, near the Aron Kodesh
and in front of the Rebbe, two
years earlier. R Zushe said with
his
characteristic
Chassidic
exuberance, I am not spoiled
like him; I would be satisfied with

the royal courtyard.

His funeral took place on the
first day of Chol HaMoed 17
Tishrei. Chassidim and guests
accompanied him in shock over
the sudden passing of a Chassid
who they had just seen the
night before bringing joy to the
thousands of Chassidim.
Some Chassidim said that
in the first days following his
passing, at the end of every
tfilla, the Rebbe would turn to
where R Zushe would stand
and encourage the singing with
a wave of his hand, as though R
Zushe was standing there.

Continued from page 50

on the first day of Sukkos. After

the davening on the first night,
the Rebbe would go up to his
room and a few minutes later
he would go out to the hallway
where R Moshe was waiting. The
Rebbe would ask him to show
him the way to the guests sukka
and R Moshe walked in front
of the Rebbe. How magnificent
was this sight, the honor that
the Rebbe showered on the
person who worked so hard and
graciously welcomed thousands
of guests when he himself was a
guest who schlepped from Eretz
Yisroel.
When the Rebbe arrived at the
sukka he would walk to the far
wall from the street, stand on a
crate or bench that was there and
deliver a short sicha to the guests.
Over the years, there was a small
platform with steps which was
set up in a corner of the sukka.
There was also a shtender on this
platform.
In 5745, the Rebbe went
up on the platform and nearly
started the sicha when he realized
that the shtender was set up so he
was facing the men with his back

to the women. The Rebbe moved

the shtender so that both the men
and the women could see him.
Starting in 5750, the Rebbe
delivered his sicha to the guests
from the entrance to the sukka.
An
interesting
episode
occurred in 5748, a Hakhel year,
when many more guests than
usual visited 770. Naturally,
there was a lot of crowding and
pushing in the sukka. When the
Rebbe arrived at the sukka, they
did not manage to clear a path
for him to the platform. Minutes
passed as the Rebbe waited. If
that wasnt enough, the steps
that the Rebbe was supposed
to use to get up on the platform
broke. When the Rebbe finally
reached the platform, he placed
his knee against the platform
and climbed up without steps.
At the beginning of the sicha he
said that due to the crowding he
would only say a brief sicha.
And thus, every year, the
Rebbe treated the guests with
fatherly warmth and he made a
special visit to them and blessed
them.

When he heard the singing rising

up through the windows, he
slowed down and listened. One
could see a look of satisfaction
on his face.
***
This special regard, both for
the guests and for the one who
took care of them, R Moshe, was
expressed over the years.
Starting in 5738, the Rebbe
visited the guests in their big
sukka. That year, the Rebbe
visited the guests on Shabbos
Chol HaMoed Sukkos. Seeing
R Moshe, the Rebbe wished him
a good Shabbos and then asked
him whether there was food on
the tables and whether there were
enough benches. The guests, who
heard the questions, moved so
the Rebbe could see the benches
and tables. The Rebbe did not
merely stand in the entrance to
the sukka, but walked all the way
through to the other end of the
sukka and looked lovingly at the
many guests.
Starting in 5742, the Rebbe
began going to the guests sukka

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MOSHIACH & GEULA

OUR
MANDATE
DEFINES US
By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon

Dear Reader shyichyeh,

As we finished the year of
Hakhel 5776 and entered 5777,
I would like to share some
thoughts on the new year.
This year has a very special
significance. It is exactly 270
years since the famous meeting
between the Baal Shem tov
and Moshiach that took place
on Rosh HaShana 5507. We
all know the letter (printed in
Kesser Shem Tov) in which the
Baal Shem tov describes to his
brother-in-law Rabbi Gershon
Kitover
his
unique
Aliyas
HaNeshama that took place on
that Rosh HaShana.
The things he saw there were
so incredible that they are simply
impossible to explain.
On his way back to Earth,
the Baal Shem Tov stopped off
in Gan-Eden-HaTachton, the
lowest of the seven levels of
Gan-Eden, where he met many
different types of souls. The souls
immediately recognized the great
tzaddik, and together as one they
begged him to please help them
reach higher places in Heaven.
Reb Yisroel saw how happy they
were that he had come and how
certain they were that he would
help them and go up with them
to higher places, and therefore he
agreed to do it.

However, since Reb Yisroel

had never gone so high before,
he was afraid that he might
be unable to come all the way
down again. Therefore, asked
his Rebbe, Achiya HaShiloni, to
come with him, for Reb Yisroel
felt safer with his teacher at his
side. (Achiya HaShiloni was a
prophet who had lived from the
times of ancient Egypt all the
way to the times of King Shlomo;
although he had already passed
away, he would come to the Baal
Shem Tov to teach him Torah.)
The Baal Shem Tov, Achiya
HaShiloni, and the souls then
began to soar up high into
Heaven.
They came to an
incredibly high place, and there,
before their eyes, stood the
heavenly palace of Moshiach,
which is where Moshiach learns
Torah with all the Tanaim and
Tzaddikim who have already
passed away.
Reb Yisroel entered the palace
and saw that everyone there was
very happy about something. He
wasnt sure about what, but was
afraid that maybe it was because
he had died, and thats why
the Tzaddikim were so happy,
because he had come to join
them. However, they reassured
him that his time to leave the
world had not yet come. Reb

Yisroel then asked Moshiach,

When are you coming, Master?
I will come when your
teachings will spread to the
rest of the world! Moshiach
answered.
There is a famous farbrengen
of the Frierdike Rebbe that took
place on Simchas Torah 5690 in
which he discussed this unique
dialogue in depth. He asks a
very simple question: Why did
the Baal Shem Tov ask Moshiach
when he was going to come if
the question and an answer were
already asked and answered years
before?
The Gemara (Sanhedrin
98a) tells the following story. R.
Yehoshua ben Levi met Eliyahu
HaNavi standing by the entrance
of R. Shimon bar Yochais tomb.
He asked him: Have I a portion
in the world to come?
He replied, If this Master
desires it.
R. Yehoshua ben Levi said, I
saw two, but heard the voice of a
third.
He then asked him, When
will the Moshiach come?
Go and ask him himself,
was his reply.
Where is he sitting?
At the entrance.

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And by what sign may I

recognize him?
He is sitting among the poor
lepers: all of them untie [them]
all at once, and re-bandage them
together,whereas he unties and
bandages each separately, [before
treating the next], thinking,
should I be wanted, [it being
time for my appearance as the
Messiah] I must not be delayed
[through having to bandage a
number of sores].
So he went to him and
greeted him, saying, Peace upon
you, Master and Teacher.
Peace upon you, O son of
Levi, he replied.
When will you come,
Master? he asked.
Today, was his answer.
On his returning to Eliyahu,
the latter enquired, What did he
say to you?
Peace upon you, O son of
Levi, he answered.
Thereupon
he
[Eliyahu]
observed, He thereby assured
you and your father of [a portion
in] the World to Come.
He spoke falsely to me,
he responded, stating that he
would come today, but has not.
He [Eliyahu] answered him,
This is what he said to you:
Today, if you will hear His voice.
Since
this
conversation
already took place between
Reb Yehoshua Ben Levi and
Moshiach, what was the Baal
Shem Tov adding with his
discussion with Moshiach?
The
Frierdike
Rebbe
explains: The Baal Shem Tov
obviously knew of the Gemara in
Sanhedrin and was aware that a
conversation with Moshiach had
already taken place with Rabbi
Yehoshua Ben Levi, and precisely
because of that he confronted
Moshiach with his own seemingly
similar question.

The Baal Shem tov lived

many years after Rabbi Yehoshua
Ben Levi. Throughout those
long centuries, the Jewish
people suffered the travails of
exile. There had been terrible
decrees, pogroms, expulsions
and massacres. Yet, despite all
of the above, the Jewish people
had remained steadfast in their
commitment to Hashem. The
Baal Shem Tov felt that the
precondition of Today, if you
will hear his voice had already
been fulfilled and therefore he
demanded from Moshiach that
he should keep his part of the
deal and reveal himself in the
world.
To this new request and
demand, Moshiach answered:

people who have not yet been

exposed to Chassidus, but the
loftier ideas can only remain
with those who are educated in
these concepts, those who are on
the inside. This is the lesson
of the word Yafutzu: it must all
be spread to everyone, even the
most hidden secrets of the Torah!
This is like the famous
analogy brought down in the
Maamer Basi LGani (Chapter
11) of the Frierdike Rebbe: A
king is chosen from his entire
nation on account of his superior
stature. Thus we read regarding
Shaul HaMelech: There was
no better man than he among
the Children of Israel; from his
shoulders and upwards he was
taller than any of the people

A person must realize that it is not merely his

obligation to spread the wellsprings of Chassidus;
this mission must permeate his entire being. It is who he
is, not just what he does.

Yafutzu maayanosecha chutza

when the wellsprings of the Baal
Shem Tov (which include the
ways and customs of chassidus)
will be spread forth.
In two different Sichos (28
Sivan 5746, and Korach 5751)
the Rebbe explains the lessons
that can be learned from each
of these three words Yafutzu
maayanosecha chutza.
Yafutzu: Firstly, a person
must realize that it is not merely
his obligation to spread the
wellsprings of Chassidus; this
mission must permeate his
entire being. It is who he is, not
just what he does. Secondly,
there should be no limits as to
what parts of Chassidus are
spread. There may be those that
feel that only the simpler parts
of Chassidus can be taught to

(Shmuel I 9:2). Such a king has

a greater tendency to express
his desire for victory, even to go
to war, and to triumph. A war
may be motivated by the desire
for spoil, or simply by the desire
to win in a battle of conflicting
wills. In the former case, a war
is merely a test of strength and
courage. A war of the latter kind
will be a battle of wits, if the king
is to achieve the kind of victory
that will satisfy his will. The
desire for victory will be aroused
only when the king is opposed by
a formidable obstacle; without it,
he rules his domain as he pleases.
Once
his
wishes
are
challenged, however, then in
order to secure victory he will
squander all the rare treasures
that have been collected year
after year, generation after
generation, precious resources
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Sukkos
that have never been used for
any other purpose, and that have
been hidden and sealed from all
eyes.
The reason for this is as
follows.
A mans desire for
victory is rooted higher in the
soul than his will or his desire
for pleasure. Hence the most
intense delight that he could ever
have from his rarest treasures
is meaningless when weighed
against his desire for victory. In
fact, he will even risk his very
life and take up his position in
the thick of battle, because his
drive to win is rooted in the very
essence of his soul, higher than
the souls consciously revealed
faculties, its spiritual light and
life-force. When war breaks
out the royal treasure vaults are
thrown open. Their resources
are entrusted to the commanding

officers in order that they should

reach the rank and file soldiers,
for it is they who will secure
victory.
So too these deepest secrets
of Chassidus must be brought to
every Jew, no matter his stature,
so that we may achieve the
victory of bringing Moshiach.
Maayanosecha:
Halacha
states that wellspring water
can purify even if technically
a person can immerse in one
drop. This shows us the power
of Chassidus, that it is connected
to the essence, and therefore has
the ability to purify even in the
smallest amount. Additionally,
inside every person is his own
wellspring, his own essence.
When
spreading
Chassidus,
it must come from ones own
essence. Lastly, the chassidus
that he spreads must remain

Continued from page 29

and at a certain point a window opened in the
schach and a heavy stream of water began pouring
down on my head. I was drenched from head to
toe.
There was some confusion and concern among
the crowd. Would the farbrengen continue like
this? If yes, for how long?
As I wondered about this, the Rebbe said,
Nu, maybe if we take off our coats, the rain
will stop. The Rebbe then got up, took off his
raincoat and put it on the table.
Of course, everyone followed suit. The
first to do so was R Moshe Slonim and then
R Yisroel Leibov. I could not take off my coat
because of the impossible crowding, although
the coat was no help.
At that moment, and I emphasize that it
was at that exact moment, a ray of sunshine
came forth from the black clouds and came
through the window in the schach. It was
extraordinary, as up till that point thick black
clouds covered the sky.
The Rebbe continued to farbreng with great
joy. They sang niggunim and said lchaim. I was

connected to its own source,

our Rebbeim (See Likkutei
Sichos Vol. 4 page 1119 in the
footnotes).
Chutza: We must continue
spreading Chassidus outwards.
Whatever level one may be on,
there is always a level that is
outside of his level. Every level
must be achieved, and every part
of the world must be reached
in such a way thatit is revealed
there that the essence of its
existence is Hashem.
Through the spreading of
Chassidus, may we merit the
complete revelation of Moshiach
Tzidkeinu, Amen!
Rabbi Avtzon is the Rosh Yeshiva
of Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati and a
well sought after speaker and lecturer.
Recordings of his in-depth shiurim on
Inyanei Geula uMoshiach can be accessed
at http://www.ylcrecording.com.

finally able to concentrate a bit on what was being

said, no longer having water pouring over me.
At the end of the farbrengen, after the bracha
acharona, the Rebbe got up, put on his coat again,
and turned to leave the sukka. A minute after he
put on his coat, the skies opened up again and it
continued pouring.

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SUKKOS
TIME OF OUR
REJOICING IN
LUBAVITCH

17 TISHREI
RAIN AND SUNSHINE IN
THE REBBES SUKKA

SPECIAL MOMENTS

Zushe Pruss related:

In 5727, I traveled to
be with the Rebbe for
the month of Tishrei.
This visit occurred a few years
after my father, my older brother
Berel, and I left Russia. We made
aliya and lived in Kfar Chabad.
In those days, when there
were few Jews who had left
Russia, we merited great signs of
closeness from the Rebbe. Before
Tishrei, we were told that the
Rebbe wants us to come and be
with him for Yom Tov and that he
would pay for the tickets.
I have many lovely stories
and memories of that Tishrei,
but I will tell you one thing that
happened on Sukkos which was
simply amazing.
***
It was the middle of Sukkos
and at that time, the Rebbe still
held farbrengens in the big sukka,
which was located where the
guest sukka is today. Although
it was a large sukka that could
contain many Chassidim, it was
still extremely crowded. You
could barely move.
Long before the farbrengen
began, the balabatim and
bachurim found places from
where they could see and hear.
Since I came from Russia, I stood
with a group of pedigreed
guests from Russia, near the
Rebbe. In the group were also the

distinguished R Asher Sasonkin,

R Mendel Futerfas, R Lazer
Nannes, the brothers R Michel
and R Bentzion Vishedsky, R
Yisroel Brod, R Berel Gurevitz,
R Elimelech Lebenharz, my
father R Shmuel Pruss, my
brother Berel, and me.
As we stood and waited
for the Rebbe to come in, the
heavens opened suddenly and
it poured. Within minutes, the
rain was penetrating the sukka
and falling on the heads of the

hundreds of Chassidim who were

waiting for the Rebbe.
The Rebbe came in and I
remember that his face shone in
an extraordinary way. You could
see the joy of the holiday on his
face. I saw that the Rebbe was
wearing a coat.
He sat down and immediately
began the farbrengen while the
rain continued to come down.
There was lightning and thunder
Continued on page 28
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CHINUCH

MESIVTA LEVEL
GEMARA LEARNING
About the gap between the level of learning in elementary school and mesivta,
about where the Schottenstein Artscroll and Steinsaltz commentaries fit into
the yeshiva world, about instilling love for learning in talmidim and about
the Chassidic outlook on learning a sugya in Gemara. * As the new school
year begins, Beis Moshiach spoke with Rabbi Aryeh Leib Cohen, a teacher in
Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in Netanya and his brother-in-law, Rabbi Aryeh
Kedem, a teacher in Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in Lud, who speak about
teaching in an era when concentrating for long periods of time and delving
into a daf Gemara is a real challenge. They also respond to the question: what
role do parents have in preparing their children for yeshiva.
By Yisroel Lapidot
Photos by Daniel Robinson

he spotlights never focus

on them and most likely,
many readers are not
aware of their vital job.
This is an elite group of talented
and learned young men who have
an enormous influence on the
talmidim in the world of Chabad
yeshivos at a formative time in their
lives.
The two veteran teachers, R
Aryeh Leib Cohen and R Aryeh
Kedem are both sons-in-law of R
Chaim Ashkenazi ah. They are
excellent maggidei shiur who can
explain a complicated piece of
Gemara in the clearest way.
They are also gifted with
a sense of humor, which they
use, as per the practice of the
Sage Rava cited in Gemara.

They create a relaxed, convivial

atmosphere, which we also
experienced during the interview.

TO GENERATE
INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY
You both teach in mesivta
(called yeshiva ktana in Eretz
Yisroel) and welcome bachurim
entering yeshiva. What level are
they on and how do you deal
with the big gap between the
level of learning in elementary
school and mesivta?
R Kedem: The talmidim who
are more advanced can read the
Gemara and Rashi properly and
have a command of Aramaic.
They are used to not skipping a
single Tosafos (aside from some

rare exceptions) and are familiar

with the general structural style
of Tosafos. There are other
talmidim who are not yet on that
level. It depends on which school
they are coming from and also
their individual abilities.
R Cohen: In teaching
shiur beis, I dont see as many
differences in the level between
elementary school and mesivta,
but there is a major difference in
the style of learning in elementary
school and that of mesivta.
The difference is in the ability
to learn independently, which is
what the bachur needs to develop
in yeshiva. Until now, he was
accustomed to listening to his
teacher teach, and now he has
to take responsibility for his own

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learning. This can take a month

for one bachur, two months for
someone else, and a year for
another. I think that emphasizing
the responsibility for learning to
a bachur can help him focus on
this and make progress.

PROPER AWE FOR THE

WORDS OF THE SAGES
What is it like to be a teacher
of Nigleh at a time when
prolonged concentration on
the daf Gemara can be a major
challenge?
R Kedem: The exposure of
this generation to the enticements
of instant information has,
unfortunately,
produced
a
situation wherein shallowness
and
superficiality
abound.

Beyond the hard battle between

holiness and the opposite, there
is a pull toward obtaining the
maximum amount of information
with zero effort. For this reason,
learning
Gemara,
especially
in-depth study which requires
thinking and concentration, is
hard. The job of the teacher is
to assign the study of Gemara its
proper place of honor, to get the
talmidim to love learning Gemara
so that you can see them light up
with enjoyment.
Beyond the need to be clear,
which is a quality every teacher
must have, and beyond the
holiness of the study of Gemara
as the teaching of Hashem, the
teacher needs to be especially
interesting through the variety
of illustrations and activities he

employs during the course of the

shiur. That is how he will create
the intellectual curiosity which
will enable the students to relate
to the fascinating logic of the
Gemara.
Since the Gemara deals
primarily with scenarios that
were prevalent at the time it was
written, the teacher needs to find
parallels to things we are familiar
with, as close as possible to the
world of the students, so that
they can relate and will want to
study it. At the same time, he
should not always explain and
chew up for them the Talmudic
processes and their implications.
He needs to allow them to read
for themselves and get them to
find the questions that arise and
ask them their opinion, thus

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Chinuch

Getting the talmidim to love the Gemara is as

important as explaining it to them properly. Just
as the teacher feels that he failed when he didnt find
the right words to explain an idea, so too (and perhaps
even more so) he needs to feel he failed when he doesnt
succeed in getting them to love what they learn.
turning the talmidim from passive
learners into active learners.
It is very important to
emphasize that throughout the
teaching process, everything the
teacher utters must express awe
toward every word said by the
Tanaim, Amoraim, Rishonim
and Acharonim, so that the shiur
does not become university style
Talmudic research. The teachers
face has to light up with delight
from the kdusha throughout,
because that comes across in
a very powerful way to the
talmidim.
After all that, the power
of negative enticements is
still plentiful and powerful.
The talmidims exposure to
those enticements needs to be
minimized as much as possible to
allow their souls to better relate
to positive enticements. But this
part pertains more to the parents
than to the teachers.
R Cohen: As R Kedem
mentioned,
the
educational
challenge is bigger today. Life
today is such that everyone
seeks immediate responses and
wants to have instant success.
As a result, the danger of falling
into despair is also greater.
Feeling unsuccessful can lead
to frustration and can result in
a spiritual fall. So we teachers
need to praise a good question or
correct answer or even showing
up on time, and cushion any
lack of success. We need to
strengthen their feeling that as
the students continue they will be

more successful.

TEACHER AND EDUCATOR

Tell us about the personal
relationship between teacher
and student.
R Cohen: I think that the
relationship serves as a key to
the heart of a student. In order
to create a situation in which a
talmid is receptive, you need to
create a situation in which his
feelings toward the teacher wont
be like the person facing him, on
the other side of the barricade,
but that we are in this together
and we have common goals.
When the teacher shows interest
in a talmid, not necessarily in
the subject matter being learned
but even simply inquiring how
are you doing today, what did
you eat for lunch, etc., this
often breaks the ice. I have
had many instances in which a
casual remark or question in the
hall, like youre doing great
with your attendance, led to a
connection and relationship that
sometimes lasted for years.
R Kedem: I think that the
answer to your question needs to
address both the role of teacher
and educator. The rebbi in front
of the class is usually seen more
as a teacher than as a source
of guidance. In our yeshiva
structure, the role of educator
in terms of personal guidance is
ceded more to the mashpia, but a
good teacher must also be a good
mechanech-educator.

A teacher needs to identify

the students strong and weak
points when it comes to learning:
knowledge,
interpretation,
understanding, memory, abstract
abilities,
weaving
together
data, etc. Through a personal
connection he can strengthen the
strong points as well as provide
the means to bolster performance
in the weak areas.
Its
important
for
a
mechanech to ask how the talmid
is doing, how he is adjusting
socially and to dormitory life.
These are facts that have an
influence on the ability to learn.
A teacher needs to make his
students feel comfortable, asking
him about anything that comes
up and showing genuine interest
in helping them. Even when its
a problem that the mechanech
cannot rectify, just being an
empathetic listener can lessen
(and at times even eliminate!)
the hurdles that arise through the
course of the year.
This is aside from the fact
that when he endears himself to
his students, he greatly increases
their desire to learn Torah from
him.

PARENTS NEED TO BE
AWARE
As parents to talmidim in
yeshivos, do you think that the
parents connection should be
primarily with the rosh yeshiva,
the mashgiach, or with the
teacher?
R Cohen: The reality is
that the greater the interest the
parents take, the more the staff
will be inclined to be involved
with the student.
R Kedem: As R Cohen
mentioned, every connection
with each member of the staff is
desirable. As for the teacher, its
important for the parent to hear

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from him how their son is doing.

First, since the teacher is not an
angel and cannot always manage
to focus on all the talmidim
equally, every phone call from
parents puts their child in the
forefront of his mind.
In addition, when their son
deserves a compliment, the
parents should know about it
so they can complement him.
Compliments are not only for test
results. Compliments are also for
effort in learning and willingness
to help others in learning. These
are things that parents may not
hear about without a phone call.
Of course, if the boy is having a
hard time, parents need to hear
how they can help and encourage
him.

LEARNING NIGLEH AS
CHASSIDIM SHOULD
What is the Chassidic
perspective on tackling a
Talmudic sugya?
R Cohen: I once heard from
R Mordechai Shmuel Ashkenazi
ah that after World War II there
was a dearth of basic Jewish
books and someone named R
Avrohom Trager printed the
Rambam. But because it was
feared that someone else would
print it and he would lose his
investment, he went to rabbanim
and asked them to issue a
prohibition to print the Rambam
for a few years until he covered
his costs. They directed him to
one of the distinguished rabbis
who lived abroad.
When he went to him, that
rav said: How many people in
our generation understand the
Rambam properly? Another two
gdolim and me. And if we look
closely we will see that one of
them doesnt really understand
the Rambam himself, but he
repeats his fathers teachings,

and the other one doesnt give

the Rambam his due honor
because to him, the Rambam and
the Mishna Brura are the same
thing. Who does that leave us
with? Me, and I already have a
Rambam.
The Chassidic approach is
completely different because the
learning is not used to promote
oneself. Rather, as the Rebbe
Rashab said, the goal in founding
Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim was
that the talmidim should become
such that when learning Nigleh,
it would be obvious that it was
being learned by someone who
learned Chassidus. In other
words, we should be looking at
the Torah as the Torah of Hashem
and not as an intellectual pursuit.
R Kedem: A line that I
regularly use in my shiurim
is: Believe in Rashi and in
Tosafos but dont believe them.
Treat every word written by
gdolei
Yisroel
throughout
the generations with awe, but
dont accept it as some mystical
kabbalistic incantation. Work to

understand it properly.
True, even if you dont
understand it, it remains holy,
because we are the ones who
dont understand it and its
not that the material is not
understandable. The deficiency is
in us. But we need to make every
effort to understand it. This is
what Hashem demands of us in
our role of preparing ourselves to
understand the new Torah that
Moshiach will teach.

GEULA AND MOSHIACH IN

A GEMARA SHIUR
The Rebbe says that all
aspects of shlichus should
be permeated with inyanei
Moshiach and Geula. How
do you accomplish this in a
Gemara shiur?
R
Kedem:
With
the
illustrations
that
I
spoke
of earlier. The illustrations
can be issues that have clear
ramifications
pertaining
to
inyanei Moshiach and Geula.
Especially when we get to a sugya

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Chinuch
that has some connection or
actually deals with Geula, when
we make a big deal of it and
find a way to get the students
even more involved than usual.
R Cohen: At the beginning
or end of the shiur, a point from
Dvar Malchus can be mentioned,
or a point from a maamer or
a sicha on the topic. It can be
done by having a different bachur
saying something on Moshiach
and Geula every day.
In the last yechidus with
the Tmimim, the Rebbe spoke
about such an intensity of
learning to the point that they
dream about it at night. Are
there bachurim like that today?
How does one achieve that?
R
Kedem:
There
are
bachurim like that, but obviously,
they are not a dime a dozen.
Dreams are mostly affected by
the attention you give during the
day to various events and ideas.
The more space it takes up in our
awareness, the more space they
will occupy in our dreams too.
R
Cohen:
In
general,
the Rebbe demands that the
Tmimim be totally invested in
Torah study. In connection with
this, there is another horaa from
the Rebbe to write and publish
chiddushei Torah. When a bachur
is involved in a topic in order to
write about it, you can see how
he is fully immersed in it.

DEPTH GENERATES LOVE

How do you instill the love,
desire and enthusiasm for
Gemara nowadays among the
many talmidim who dont find
themselves enamored of it?
R Cohen: In the past, not
everyone was necessarily drawn
to learn Gemara either, but
that is a separate discussion.
The more involvement in any
given topic, the more one feels

a connection to it. If we can get

a bachur to learn a sugya one
day, two days, and three days, he
will start getting more and more
involved. When you delve into it,
it creates the connection to what
youre learning. But if you remain
on the outside, and just glance
at it now and then, its no wonder
that you dont feel a connection.
R Kedem: Getting the
talmidim to love the Gemara is
as important as explaining it to
them properly. Just as the teacher
feels that he failed when he didnt
find the right words to explain an
idea, so too (and perhaps even
more so) he needs to feel he
failed when he doesnt succeed
in getting them to love what they
learn.
The tools for this are a
combination
of:
first
and
foremost, the personal example
he provides for love of learning.
Second, from how interesting
he is as a teacher, and third, the
empathy that he displays towards
his students (as I mentioned in
detail about each of these things
earlier).

LIKE A NAVIGATION
DEVICE
No doubt, you want to
provide your students with the
tools so that they wont need
the aid of the Schottenstein
(Artscroll)
and
Steinsaltz
Gemaras. What place do those
Gemaras have in the world of
the Chabad yeshiva?
R Cohen: I dont think there
is one right answer for everyone.
There are those who need to
acquire the ability to learn the
Gemara on their own. This will
allow them to learn any masechta
independently. When a talmid
attains this ability of independent
learning, he doesnt need these
aids. But there are talmidim who,

due to various limitations, will

find these learning aids a terrific
tool.
R Kedem: I guide my
talmidim to avoid using these
sfarim. Someone once described
them as navigating tools that
bring you exactly where you want
to go but you have no idea how
you got there.
As for the sdarim in which the
bachurim prepare the Gemara on
their own, I emphasize to them
that whoever uses these sfarim
are doing themselves a disservice
because they are deliberately
atrophying their ability to learn
the Gemara on their own.
This is also an obstacle
when the teacher is leading the
talmidim toward thinking the
Gemara through for themselves.
A talmid who has one of these
Gemara aids will be tempted to
take a peek rather than think, and
he ends up the loser.
During
chazara,
when
they review the shiurim, these
Gemaras are less harmful but are
still not good, because instead
of using their memories and
reviewing the conclusions they
arrived at through understanding,
they look inside, remember it
momentarily, and soon forget it.
Obviously, there are those
talmidim who are exceptions
to the rule who, without these
Gemaras, would really not
succeed. I dont prevent them
from using them, but they are the
exceptions.
Do you think that using
these Gemara aids is something
talmidim should hide and be
ashamed of?
R Cohen: If its because of
laziness, the answer is yes. If its
a real need, there is nothing to
be ashamed of, just like there is
no need to be ashamed to wear
glasses so that one can see better.

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R Kedem: Should someone

who rides a bike with training
wheels be ashamed? An aid
should be a shameful thing for
someone who uses it without
justification. If someone really
needs it, there is no reason to be
ashamed.

THE TALMIDIM HAVE ALL

THE TOOLS FOR SUCCESS
IN LEARNING
How do you see the level
of Gemara learning today
in Chabad yeshivos both in
quantity and in quality?
R Kedem: Boruch Hashem,
our yeshivos provide excellent
tools for learning both in quantity
and in quality, both in what they
have to learn and beyond what
they have to learn. The level of
learning is high and so are the
accomplishments.
Enthusiasm
is something individual and that
depends on the teacher igniting
the hearts of his students.
R Cohen: Without a doubt
there are very many bachurim
who learn diligently and who see
results. But the direction always
needs to be in doing more. In
ruchnius, being satisfied with
your lot is a very big deficiency.

THE PARENTS ROLE

For parents who are reading
this article, what is their role?
What can they do to instill a
desire to learn in their children?
How can they prepare their
child for successful learning in
yeshiva?
R Cohen: There is no
question that a positive role
model seeing their father
learning, is the most important
thing. Likewise, taking an interest
in what their child is learning will
motivate him to treat his learning
more seriously.

I would also add a point that

isnt spoken about enough, which
is an awareness of the Torah
literature that has developed
through the generations. Ive
come across those from good
homes who dont know the
difference between the Tur, the
Shulchan Aruch, etc.
If this is spoken about at
home, and famous gdolim are
mentioned, that can greatly
enrich the talmids knowledge
of the Torah world and entice
him to open the sfarim he hears
about.
R Kedem: I will answer with
a story. Years ago there was an
outstanding talmid in Crown
Heights whose father was not at
all outstanding in learning; on
the contrary, the father was a big
sports enthusiast and aficionado.

At some point, the father was

asked how he managed to
produce such a son.
He said, Whenever my son
needed help in his learning,
when he needed me to explain
something or test him on his
learning, I would drop the sports
I was addicted to and give him
my full attention. He understood
what my real priorities are in life,
even though I have a big yetzer
hara. You see the results.
Parents need to convey to
their children that the most
important thing to them in
life is their childrens devotion
to learning. Devotion is not
necessarily success. Or put it
this way, their children should
be convinced that devotion to
learning is genuine success.

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OBITUARY

WE ARE OLD
GOOD FRIENDS
Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Haifa, who recently passed
away, merited special signs of closeness from the Rebbe thanks to his
grandfather, who hid the Rebbe in his home in the period following the
arrest of the Rebbe Rayatz. * R Cohen had many private meetings with
the Rebbe and corresponded with him, and whenever he went to the
United States he tried to go to 770, have yechidus, or attend the Rebbes
farbrengen. * Also what made him switch from the world of askanus to
the world of rabbanus? And why did he continue in his rabbinic position
without pay?
By Avrohom Rainitz

abbi Eliyahu Yosef Shear

Yashuv Cohen, Chief
Rabbi of Haifa, recently
passed away at the age of
88. He was born in Yerushalayim
on 9 Cheshvan 5688/1927. His
parents were Rabbi Dovid Cohen
who was known as the Nazir of
Yerushalayim, and his mother,
Sarah, daughter of Rabbi Chanoch
Etkin.
He
learned
in
Toras
Yerushalayim, Merkaz HaRav,
and Eitz Chaim.
He fought with the Irgun in
the War of Independence. He
escorted convoys to Yerushalayim
and Gush Etziyon and fought
to defend the Gush. While
defending the Old City, he was
severely wounded in battle. With
the fall of the Jewish quarter,

he was taken captive by the

Jordanian Legion. Along with the
others who defended the Jewish
Quarter, he was taken to Amman
and then to a POW camp. After
his release from captivity, he
served in the IDF for seven
years. He was involved in the
negotiations with the Jordanians
for the return of the bodies of
those who died in the Gush
Etziyon massacre and he was
part of an IDF delegation to the
United States. He then served
as a command level military
chaplain and chief rabbi of the air
force.
Until 5735, he served as
deputy mayor of Yerushalayim
representing the Mafdal party. In
private meetings with the Rebbe,
the Rebbe urged him to immerse
himself in the world of Torah and

to consider the rabbinate. Indeed,

during the elections held in 5735,
he did not submit his candidacy
to continue in political office but
used all his time to learn Torah
and write Torah works. A short
while later he was appointed
Ashkenazi rav of Haifa and also
served as head of the battei din of
the city, a position he held until
his final years.
Even when he turned seventyfive, when by law he had to retire
as rav of the city, he decided to
stay on voluntarily for another five
years, without remuneration and
he was given full authority like a
salaried rav. He explained that he
did this because of what the Rebbe
told him in yechidus, that a rav
needs to continue in his position as
long as he can, and only Hashem
decides when the job ends.

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THE REBBE HID WITH HIS

GRANDFATHER
R
Cohens
paternal
grandfather, R Yosef Cohen, was
a Lubavitcher Chassid. But his
special connection with the Rebbe
was because of his maternal
grandfather, R Chanoch Henoch
Etkin, the rav of Luga which is
near Leningrad. In an interview
that R Shear Yashuv Cohen gave
Beis Moshiach twenty years ago,
he told about his grandfathers
connection with the Rebbe:
The special relationship that
I had with the Rebbe was not
to my credit and not because of
my father ztl, but because of
my grandfather, the rav of Luga.
When the Rebbe Rayatz was
arrested, the Bolsheviks wanted
to arrest his son-in-law, the

Rebbe, too. The Rebbe had to

hide. He hid with my grandfather
who was a very poor rav. He
bound books for a living and a
cow in the yard provided him
with daily milk.
In light of his poor
circumstances, the Bolsheviks
never suspected him, and he was
thus able to hide Jews who were
on the run from the Bolsheviks
until things calmed down. The
Rebbe hid in my grandfathers
house for over half a year. Since
the Rebbe was very particular
about showing gratitude, he was
greatly mekarev me.
The Rebbe once spoke in
praise of my grandfather and
said, He had a great advantage.
I waited to hear about his genius
or piety but the Rebbe smiled and

said, He was very poor, and

because of this, the Bolsheviks
did not keep him under
surveillance and the Rebbe was
able to hide with him.

THE SHIUR
WITH RAV ZEVIN
R Cohen began to get
close with the Rebbe and
Chabad Chassidus at the end
of the 1950s. This was after he
attended a daily Gemara shiur
in the home of the gaon, Rabbi
Shlomo Yosef Zevin. He was
influenced by the Lubavitcher
ideas he heard from R Zevin and
when he traveled to the United
States, he had yechidus with the
Rebbe.
In his first yechidus, the
Rebbe treated him warmly and
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Obituary

The Rebbe was silent and suddenly his

eyes filled with tears. I felt a sense of dread. I
immediately apologized if I caused him pain and said
that I only intended for the sake of heaven. Who was I
to tell the Rebbe what to do? The Rebbe smiled and we
immediately turned to another subject.

with great love and told him about

when he hid with his grandfather.
After that, R Cohen decided that
every time he went to the US he
would visit the Rebbe.
Following that yechidus, R
Cohen began corresponding
with the Rebbe and some of the
Rebbes letters to him are printed
in the Igros Kodesh.
In the first letter, from 17
Teves 5721, the Rebbe refers
to a letter from R Cohen about
the chief rabbinate. At the time,
there was a national uproar
about it because the elections
were postponed time and again
(after the passing of the chief
Ashkenazi rabbi, R Herzog). He
also mentioned R Cohens visit
to him.

MAKE AN INDEX
About a month later, on 20
Shvat, the Rebbe sent R Cohen
another letter in which he thanks
him for his sfarim and points
out the need for including an
index. The Rebbe says that this
generation is used to having
everything handed to them
without effort, certainly not extra
effort, and yet, the book, with
nearly 500 pages, has no index at
all, not even a table of contents.
The Rebbe says that although we
dont cry over the past, he writes
this so that R Cohen can make
up for it by printing these aids
in booklet form and including it
with every book.

Rebbe asked him to be involved

in this.
In the 60s, R Cohen was
deputy mayor of Yerushalayim.
When he visited the Rebbe after
the Six Day War, the Rebbe told
him his position about settling
the Old City with Jewish families.
The Rebbe also asked him to
find out what the view of certain
political groups was regarding
the conquering of the Old City.
R Cohen sent the Rebbe a letter
on Rosh Chodesh Teves 5728
with a detailed response.

SPECIAL SIGNS OF
CLOSENESS

The first letter that the

Rebbe sent R Cohen

WORKING TO MAKE
TORAH LAW THE
LAW OF THE LAND
At that time, R Cohen
was president of the Harry
Fischel Institute for Talmudic
Research and Torah Law. In this
position, he advanced the Torah
legislation department, in which
Torah scholars worked on setting
down the Torahs legal code in a
style that would be understood
by current day legal minds.
This was greatly encouraged
by the Rebbe as we see in a letter
that the Rebbe wrote him on 25
Sivan 1962. The Rebbe writes
that he found out about the
setting up of a legal committee to
codify anew Israeli contract laws,
and if that committee were to
receive the Torah laws couched in
legal language there was a good
chance they would align the laws
of the land with Torah law, at
least in this area. Therefore, the

When
President
Shazar
visited the Rebbe on Purim
1971, R Shear Yashuv Cohen
accompanied him. Upon arriving
at 770, Shazar asked the Rebbe,
Do you know this young man?
as he pointed at R Cohen. The
Rebbe looked at him and said,
What do you mean? We are
old, good friends! R Cohen
interpreted this to refer to the old
friendship with his grandfather.
R Cohen commented in
amazement about the Rebbes
incredible memory and said that
on a number of occasions, when
he had yechidus, the Rebbe
began talking about the very
point they had stopped at during
the previous yechidus.
For example, during the
years that R Cohen was deputy
mayor, the Rebbe spoke to him
a lot about running the city
of Yerushalayim and practical
questions that arose at the
time, like relations between
the religious and not religious
sectors, and about unity among
the chareidim. Each time he
met the Rebbe, the Rebbe began
to speak about the very topic
they left off in their previous
encounter.

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Shazar meeting with the Rebbe. Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen on the right

The Rebbe often asked

how R Zevin was, the one who
opened the door to Chassidus
for R Cohen, or he asked how R
Cohens father was.

VEGETARIANISM FOR
SINGULAR INDIVIDUALS
At a yechidus during Kislev
5723, the Rebbe spoke to him
about his fathers vegetarianism
stance, which R Shear Yashuv
followed. The Rebbe said, You
are following your father, but
your father, a great kabbalist
how does he permit himself to
refrain from the work of refining
sparks which is accomplished
when eating meat?
R Cohen did not know how to
respond. Then he asked whether
the Rebbe had the Sdei Chemed.
The Rebbe said, Of course, we
published it, and went over to

the bookcase and took out one

of the volumes. Amazingly, it
opened immediately to the place
where the author discusses the
topic of refraining from eating
meat. The Sdei Chemed tells
there about one of the students of
the Arizal, who, for a number of
years abstained from eating meat
altogether, and G-d forbid to
mock him, fortunate is his lot.
The Rebbe said, That is only for
singular individuals.

EVERY JEWISH CHILD

SHOULD KNOW TORAH
TZIVA AND SHMA
YISROEL
When he first became
acquainted with the Rebbe,
R Cohen was a member of
the council and deputy mayor
in Yerushalayim. The Rebbe
expressed a great deal of

interest in how he combined

his involvement in the needs
of the public with Torah study
and running the Harry Fischel
Institute. At a certain point, the
Rebbe urged him to immerse
himself in the world of Torah and
to think about the rabbinate and
public leadership.
When he was in charge of
education at the municipality,
the Rebbe spoke to him at length
about the need for every Jewish
child to have a basic Jewish
education. We cannot despair
of any Jewish child, said the
Rebbe, and he emphasized that
they could not make peace
with the fact that a child might
go to school and graduate
without knowing the concept
of Shma Yisroel, regardless of
the religiosity of the school. The
Mishna in Sukka says that a
father must teach his son Torah

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Obituary

RABBI COHEN AND BIRKAS KOHANIM EVERY DAY

When R Shear Yashuv Cohen began serving as Chief Rabbi of Haifa, he
found that the custom in most Ashkenazi shuls there was to perform Birkas
Kohanim (the priestly blessing) only during Musaf on Shabbos and Yom
Tov, like outside Eretz Yisroel, a situation that pained him greatly. He began
studying the subject in depth and tried locating the source of the practice.
After examining the halachic sources he was surprised to discover that there
is no established source.
Consequently, he wrote letters to the great rabbis of Eretz Yisroel and
the world over to consult with them, whether to encourage this practice
throughout Haifa. Of course, he asked the Rebbe too but months went by
and he did not receive a response.
In the meantime, in 5739, he sent a letter calling upon all rabbis in the
Haifa area and the north to a meeting to discuss the question whether to
do in Haifa what was done in the rest of Eretz Yisroel, to do the priestly
blessing daily. On 15 Shvat, those gathered, led by the leading rabbis of
the city, R Shear Yashuv Cohen and R Eliyahu Bakshi Doron, issued an
announcement that since there was no set custom in Haifa, from then on,
all the shuls would have the priestly blessing daily.
Just half a year later, in a letter that the Rebbe sent him during Slichos
with blessings for the new year, the Rebbe referred to the question and in the
margin explained that he had not responded because he was wavering over
what should be done in actual practice. The Rebbe explains that although
in our dark times the need for added blessing is very great, especially the
priestly blessings which come down quickly and without heavenly judgment,
however since we know that the Alter Rebbe, who fearlessly established his
own Nusach, had expressed his desire to institute this daily and yet decided
not to do so, and we dont know his reason for refraining, it makes it
difficult to enter into a give and take on the subject or issue any definitive
ruling on the matter. The Rebbe concludes, Therefore, I conducted myself
in this matter as per the instruction of Chazal, Leave it up to the Jewish
people etc., (for if they are not prophets they are the sons of prophets).
tziva ... and Shma Yisroel. The
Rebbe maintained that we must
make sure every Jewish child
knows at least these two verses
by heart.
In another yechidus, the
Rebbe addressed the question
of how to educate children and
youth nowadays. The Rebbe
drew a parallel between the
concept of chinuch and Chanuka
and said that just as it was the
Kohens job to prepare the wicks
of the menorah in such a manner
that the flame went up of its
own accord, so too, the teacher
needs to ensure that the values
he teaches are internalized by the
students so that they maintain

them on their own.

R Cohen was particularly
impressed by things the Rebbe
told him when he asked about
the purpose of the mitzva
tanks. After begging the Rebbes
pardon, he asked, What benefit
did we earn by enabling them
to do a mitzva when they will
go back to doing what they did
before? He suggested that
perhaps Chabad should seek out
those Jews who at least attend
shul on Shabbos and Yom Tov
and the Yomim Noraim.
The Rebbes answer was:
This was the Baal Shem Tovs
innovation. In our generation,
the order that Dovid HaMelech

taught us changed. Dovid

HaMelech said, Who is the man
who wants life, who loves days
to see goodness? Guard your
tongue from evil and your lips
from speaking deceitfully. Shun
evil and do good, seek peace
and pursue it. The previous
order was indeed, shun evil
and then do good. In our
generation however, the order is
reversed. We need to concentrate
our efforts in the direction of
good, and then the evil will
automatically go away. First do
good and then shun evil.

AMENDING MIHU YEHUDI

IS DORAISA!
During the battle to amend
the law of Mihu Yehudi, R
Cohen had yechidus and told
the Rebbe that he thought the
Israeli government was afraid
to go against the Conservative
and Reform communities for
economic and political reasons.
Perhaps it was worth refraining
from talking about the subject
because better they should
be inadvertent sinners than
deliberate sinners, and instead
wait for the right opportunity to
protest.
The
Rebbe
responded
sharply: When it concerns
rabbinic matters, one could
sometimes remain silent, but the
topic of halachic conversions is
a dOraisa (a biblical and more
stringent) matter and when it
comes to dOraisa matters, there
is no considering whether things
will be accepted or not, the
Halacha requires us to react!

HIS EYES FILLED

WITH TEARS
At one yechidus, he asked
why the Rebbe did not move to
Eretz Yisroel. This is what R
Cohen said about that meeting:

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I said that I asked his

pardon but I was asking in
the name of all Jews. I had
not the shadow of a doubt
what an enormous spiritual
arousal would take place
in the entire world if the
Rebbe would be in Eretz
Yisroel and it would make
the Geula happen sooner.
The Rebbe responded:
There are two reasons: 1)
We know the way there
but there is no way back.
Apparently he was referring
to the prohibition of leaving
Eretz Yisroel, and we still
did not finish our work
here as he put it. 2) I
committed not to leave this
place and travel to a place
where I cannot reach the
ohel the same day, referring to
the grave of his father-in-law,
whom he calls Nasi Doreinu.
By way of response, I dared to
say: There is a suggestion! It says
in the Torah, And Moshe took
the bones of Yosef with him, and
I meant his father-in-law, whose
first name was like that of Yosef
HaTzaddik, whose bones could
be brought to Eretz Yisroel. The
Rebbe was silent and suddenly
his eyes filled with tears and I felt
a sense of dread. I immediately
apologized if I caused him pain
and said that I only intended for
the sake of heaven. Who was I to
tell the Rebbe what to do? The
Rebbe smiled and we immediately
turned to another subject.
R
Cohen
was
greatly
impressed by the Rebbes utter
bittul to the Rebbe Rayatz. The
Rebbe told him a few times, I
hold that my father-in-law is the
leader of our generation. When
he told the Rebbe that everyone
considered the Rebbe as the Nasi
Hador, the Rebbe smiled and
did not respond.
At one yechidus, when the

him, You are blessed by

HaKadosh Boruch Hu, as it
says [regarding the priests],
And I will bless them.
Another time, the Rebbe
explained to him why he
blessed Jews while giving
them a dollar to give to
tzdaka. It was because
on the dollar it says, In
G-d We Trust, and this
is the vessel to contain all
blessings.

WE WILL MEET
AT DAWN IN
YERUSHALAYIM

Rebbetzins name came up, the

Rebbe referred to her as the
Rebbes daughter.

OUTSIDE THE BOUNDS OF

NATURE
The many times R Cohen
attended the Rebbes farbrengens
left a deep impression on him.
He said:
I remember that I sat at the
Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen by
the Rebbe and heard him make
a siyum on the tractate Shabbos.
He spoke about the arguments
between Beis Shammai and Beis
Hillel whose view we follow
throughout Shas. The Rebbe
referred to all their disputes,
encompassing all of Talmud Bavli
and Yerushalmi, Rishonim and
Acharonim, and Kabbala too, and
this went on for hours, without a
book, without notes, all orally. It
is something I never saw before.
One could say it is something
outside the bounds of nature.
At
the
Yud-Tes
Kislev
farbrengen of 5748, when
he approached the Rebbe for
a bracha, the Rebbe said to

We will end with what

R Cohen said about the
imminent Geula:
As we stand on the
threshold of Geula, we need
to adopt the call of the Rebbe
Rayatz, LAlter lTshuva
LAlter lGeula. When we go in
this way and draw more and more
Jews close to Torah and mitzvos,
this will hasten the Geula,
as it says, Ben Dovid wont
come except in a generation
that is completely unworthy or
completely meritorious. We
need to try to be a generation that
is completely meritorious. This is
the great zchus of Chabad which
draws people close and at the
same time does not neglect those
who are close, and this is how
Chabad hastens the Geula.
The situation today appears
to have deteriorated, with dark
clouds covering the world. The
truth is that this darkness is the
darkness before the dawn (by
the way, the Rebbe once told
me that we will meet at dawn in
Yerushalayim) and it is known
that it is darkest right before
dawn. May the present darkness
be the final point of exile and
may we immediately go forth to
the complete Geula.

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CHINUCH

REJOICE, YOU,
YOUR SON,
AND YOUR
DAUGHTER...
Sukkos is a time for rejoicing, and as such presents
an opportunity to appreciate just how important
a role happiness plays in the proper education of
our children. How do we raise happy children?
By Nosson Avrohom

few years ago, there was

a Lubavitcher family
living in the Chabad
community in Buenos
Aires. The father had been born
and raised in a Chassidishe home
and his home was conducted in the
same way. However, his oldest son
dropped religious observance and
left home.
This shook up the family.
When his parents realized he
was sticking to his decision,
they decided to move on and
prayed that none of his siblings
would follow him. Sad to say,
their second son also went off
the derech, as did several of his
brothers. The parents were in

despair.
After about half the family
had abandoned their parents
way of life, the father asked the
rav of the community, Rabbi Y.
Y. Feigelstock, Where did I go
wrong? I am a role model of a
Chassid ...
The rabbi, who knew the
father well, had the answer. The
man was particular about mitzva
observance, but he did things in
a bitter and sad way. He kept
Shabbos and kept Chassidishe
customs, but it was all done in a
tense atmosphere. His children,
who saw how their father suffered
by being observant, sought a
different path in life, a path that

would make them happy.

My advice to you, said R
Feigelstock, is to start doing
mitzvos joyously.
The Chassid took this to
heart and slowly began a major
transformation in his life.
Within a few months you could
already see the change. The
house became a happy house
and mitzvos were done not only
because we are obligated to,
but in a pleasant atmosphere.
Like many stories, this one has
a happy ending. Those children
who went off the derech began
returning when they sensed the
change, each at his own pace.

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STORING UP SIMCHA FOR

THE ENTIRE YEAR
The verse says about Sukkos,
And you shall rejoice on your
holiday, you and your son and
your daughter and servant and
maid, and the Levi and convert
and orphan and widow who
are within your gates and be
exceedingly joyous.
Simcha is emphasized on
Sukkos more than any holiday
of the year. It starts as soon as
Sukkos begins, the time of our
rejoicing, and continues with
the Simchas Beis HaShoeiva until
the conclusion of the holiday, on
Simchas Torah. As Chassidim, we
know that the simcha we generate
on this holiday accompanies us
the entire year.
As parents, we have the
halachic obligation to make sure
not only that we are happy, but
also that our families are happy.
At such a time it behooves us to
probe more deeply into how vital
simcha is to the chinuch of our
children in the ways of Torah and
mitzvos. How do we determine
what true joy is and how do we
acquire such simcha?
It turns out that simcha,
more than any other factor,
is a guarantee that we will be
successful in raising an upright,
blessed generation. As with
other components of chinuch, it
depends on us parents. We can
do mitzvos and be particular
about every hiddur, but if the
simcha is missing, why should
our children want to adopt this
way of life?
There is a Chassidic saying
that when the evil inclination
succeeds in getting a person to
sin, its main goal is not the sin
itself, but the sadness which
follows in its wake. For when a
person is sad, his defenses are
weak and he is easy prey for the

TEN PRACTICAL IDEAS

FOR RAISING HAPPY CHILDREN
1-In most instances, when we see a sad child, the reason is the parents
or the home situation. To tell a child, be happy, or put on a smile, is not
what will make him truly happy. Before educating our children, we need to
educate ourselves.
2-Simcha is not frivolity or going with the flow. As parents, we need
to explain to our children what real simcha is and where it comes from.
Simcha is not ignoring lifes challenges.
3-A person is born happy. In Koheles it says, And G-d made man
straight and they sought many calculations. The ones who ruin simcha are
ourselves, with the thoughts that we think. We need to instill large doses of
emuna in our children that everything is in the hands of Hashem. A child
who grows up in a home where they dont only say they believe but act that
way in every detail of life, even when life is not so rosy, is a child who will be
happy and content.
4-The real source of simcha is the meditation on the meaning of our lives
in this world. When we think that through doing mitzvos we are connecting
with the One who commanded the mitzva, this gives us great joy and
satisfaction.
5-Another component is kabbalas ol. Kabbalas ol is when a person does
not do mitzvos based on his personal understanding and pleasure but only
because Hashem said so. Real simcha is possible when a Jew serves Hashem
with kabbalas ol. It is through this that he feels the infinite bond with G-d
which makes his joy infinite too.
6-Sometimes, meditation alone does not help. In Sichos and Igros
Kodesh, the Rebbe speaks about the need for a person to throw himself
into a joyous state and in the end, he will be happy. In a letter, the Tzemach
Tzedek writes to a Chassid who complained that it is hard for him to be
happy, that he should think-speak-act happily, even if he doesnt feel it, and
ultimately he will be happy.
7-Let us teach a child to recognize his strengths, talents, and abilities.
Dont exaggerate about non-existent talents. Focus on the strengths and
have the child express himself through them. Broaden his horizons in those
areas where he is successful. True success leads to simcha.
8-Teach children to forgive and model that teaching yourself. Teach a
child to rise above his ego. When a child is in touch with himself in a healthy
way he will forgive, but if a child grows up spoiled and self-centered, this
leads to anger and sadness.
9-Teach your child to give, to care about others. This leads to simcha.
When a child brings joy to another person, he himself becomes happier.
In general, it is worthwhile to teach a child to look at the good that lies
hidden in other people and situations. This will help him successfully handle
difficulties.
10-A child is born seeing the world in a positive light. When do the
problems begin? When he has to deal with situations that are not handled
well by us. If he feels that we dont understand him, that we dont listen to
him, and that we dont help him with his problems, he will become frustrated
and sad. It is important to be alert and identify difficulties and not be afraid
to deal with them and fix them.

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Chinuch

It turns out that simcha, more than any other

factor, is a guarantee that we will be successful
in raising an upright, blessed generation. As with other
components of chinuch, it depends on us parents. We
can do mitzvos and be particular about every hiddur, but
if the simcha is missing, why should our children want to
adopt this way of life?

evil inclination.
Simcha is energizing. Simcha
gives a person the motivation
to deal with lifes challenges,
including chinuch challenges. If
we want to raise good children
who have the resilience to ward
off the enticements of life, we
need to instill them with the
attribute of true joy.

ACHIEVING SIMCHA
The big question is, how do
we do it? The best way is not
through talking and stories, but
through being a role model. When
parents are happy, their children
absorb that trait from them. When
a teacher enters the classroom
with a smile and he is happy, he
is much more successful coping
with the classroom.
Chassidus has an abundance
of practical ideas on how to
achieve simcha, but a role model
is the first and most important
stage. So how can parents achieve
happiness?
The answer is through
hisbonenus
(meditation,
contemplation)! One of the
principles of Chabad Chassidus
is that emotional stability is
developed
through
internal
thoughtfulness and mindfulness.
We need to think about
Hashem standing and looking
after us with hashgacha pratis at
every moment and teach children
that whatever happens, good and

bad, is in Hashems hands. The

world is constantly brought into
being by Hashem. When a person
internalizes this, he becomes
happy.
Another way to achieve
simcha is to teach ourselves
and our children that through
fulfilling mitzvos we become close
to Hashem. The word mitzva
is from the root that means
connection. When a child knows
that with every mitzva he becomes
connected to the King Himself,
he becomes happier. We dont
do mitzvos simply as a mindless
response to the fact that we were
commanded or because we will be
rewarded, but because right now,
we are connecting to Hashem.

THE FOUR MINIM AMONG

OUR CHILDREN
One of the main mitzvos of
Sukkos is taking the four species.
The Midrash explains that these
minim teach us about four
categories of Jews. What unites
them? The simcha of the holiday.
Perhaps we can extrapolate from
the Midrash a lesson about four
kinds of children who can move
forward on the right path through
simcha.
A persons shlichus in life
is comprised of two basic
challenges: learning and doing,
Torah and mitzvos. The Torah
is the means through which we
acquire knowledge about what life

is about. Mitzvos are the means

given to us by which we construct
a better, more holy world. This is
represented by the four minim:
Esrog It has a taste and a
fragrance. It represents the allaround child who learns and does
mitzvos. A parent barely has to do
anything with a child like this. He
does what he is told, gets good
marks, is complimented wherever
he goes, and behaves properly.
Lulav It has a taste and no
fragrance. This is the child who
gets good marks and learns well
and acquires knowledge but is
secluded; he doesnt take part
in the world of action and is not
sociable. He has a friend or two
and prefers being on his own.
Hadas It has a fragrance but
no taste. This is the active child
whose good deeds take up all his
time and energy. He does not
shine in learning, but he excels
in helping at home and in the
classroom, he takes the initiative,
and you cannot help but notice his
presence.
Arava Unlike the previous
three, it is hard to find any good
qualities. There is neither taste
nor fragrance. It represents the
frustrated child who neither learns
nor does anything. He may have
potential but he doesnt use it.
On Sukkos, concludes the
Midrash, we bind the four
species together, each of which
is part of G-ds community.
These four kinds of children
are in our classrooms and even
within our families, immediate
or extended. We learn about the
four kinds on this holiday whose
motto is simcha for it is only
with simcha that we can unite
them all. Simcha, by its nature,
breaks through boundaries, skips
over differences, and creates
connections even in places
where it seems hard to make
connections.

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SUKKOS

CHOL HAMOED SUKKOS

HIS FACE WAS ON FIRE

Efraim
Yechiel
Halperin wrote in
his diary of Tishrei
5762/1961:
On Wednesday, the first day
of Chol HaMoed Sukkos (the
second day of Chol HaMoed
in Eretz Yisroel), the sixth
annual gathering of Tzeirei
Agudas Chabad in the United
States took place in Brooklyn
(in a large hall not far from 770
Eastern Parkway). The Rebbe
said about this gathering that the
beginning took place already at
the farbrengen on Motzaei Yom
Tov, and that the kinus was in the
middle of the farbrengen. So, if
it started at the beginning of the
Motzaei Yom Tov farbrengen,
obviously, our leader, the Rebbe

himself, participated in it.

At this gathering they spoke
about the activities of ufaratzta
around the world and divided it
into two parts; the first part had
to do with activities of recent
years and the second part was
devoted to welcoming the guests
who came from all over the world
to bask in the Rebbes presence.
At this gathering, they spoke
about the outreach being done
in Morocco among the Jewish
youth there, by founding schools
and yeshivos, and the religious
revolution taking place there.
At the end of the kinus there
was a big farbrengen in the
sukka, of course, which was
attended by the Rebbe, and

TIME OF OUR
REJOICING IN
LUBAVITCH
SPECIAL MOMENTS

which lasted until late at night.

The Rebbe said a number of
sichos and in between the sichos
the Rebbe explained a maamer of
the Alter Rebbe in the style of a
sicha. The Rebbe then referred
to the kinus that just took place,
and on the spot those who
chaired the gathering submitted
reports of the two parts of the
kinus. The chairman of the first
part of the kinus was R Sholom
Dovber Gordon, and he gave a
report. Then the chairman of the
second part of the kinus, R Yosef
Wineberg, gave a report about
the part that he emceed, which,
as mentioned, was a welcome to
the guests who came to spend
time with the Rebbe.
Between the first and second
reports, R Yisroel Leibov, the
chairman of Tzeirei Agudas
Chabad in Eretz Yisroel, briefly
repeated what he said at the
kinus about activities being done
in Eretz Yisroel, both ufaratzta
and spreading the wellsprings.
It should be mentioned that
the Rebbe asked each of the three
who gave reports to say lchaim
before they began giving their
report, and if one began before
saying lchaim, the Rebbe smiled
and motioned to him, as though
asking and requesting, that he
say lchaim.
After they finished giving the
reports the Rebbe said, And all
those who spoke at the kinus
Continued on page 21
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SIMCHAS TORAH

SIMCHAS TORAH NIGHT

IT WAS A HISTORIC NIGHT
IN LUBAVITCH

he song of faith, Yechi

Adoneinu
Moreinu
VRabbeinu,
Melech
HaMoshiach
Lolam
Vaed, has long since become
the song that expresses the
anticipation of the hisgalus of the
Rebbe as Moshiach. However,
many do not know that this song
took off during hakafos, the night
of Simchas Torah 5753.
Since 27 Adar 5752, the
Chassidim had not seen the
Rebbe (except for one time
on Shavuos). A balcony was
constructed for Rosh HaShana
on the far side of the big zal
and the congregation was able
to daven with the Rebbe for the
first time since the stroke. After
that, the Rebbe began coming out
more and more to the public and
the excitement and anticipation
grew commensurately.
A crescendo was reached the
night of Simchas Torah. Word
got out: the Rebbe is coming
out for hakafos! At the time, 770
was mostly empty and it was
possible to get a spot wherever
you wished. At 7:35, the Rebbe
came out to the special room.
The chazan, R Leibel Zajac,
went over to the amud and
davened quickly and with the
special Simchas Torah tune. At
7:45, the Rebbe came out to the
balcony that was built especially

for Simchas Torah. The crowd

sang the Simchas Torah niggun.
Two minutes later, they began the
hakafos. The Rebbe was honored
with all the psukim of the first
Ata Horeisa and after each verse
that he said, he looked at the
crowd for them to repeat it. He
said the first verse louder and the
secretaries were able to hear it.
After the first Ata Horeisa,
they began singing a Niggun
Simcha for hakafos and the
Rebbe
immediately
began
nodding
encouragingly.
All
that time he scanned the crowd
and encouraged them with his
nodding for ten minutes. After
the second Ata Horeisa, they
began singing Al HaSela. At
this point, the Rebbe surprised
the crowd as he moved his entire
body in all directions with all
his might. The crowd, even with
speeding up the singing, could
not keep pace and the Rebbe
continued with these powerful
movements for about four
minutes. If you hadnt seen it for
yourself, you wouldnt believe it.
For the first hakafa, R YY
Gutnick gave the Rebbe the small
Torah scroll and the Rebbe took
it in his arm and transferred it
to his right hand. Then he began
encouraging the singing.
The
Rebbe
was
given
the honor, once again, for

TIME OF OUR
REJOICING IN
LUBAVITCH
SPECIAL MOMENTS

the seventh hakafa. As the

Rebbe read the psukim of the
hakafa, the children, with the
crowd following them, began
proclaiming Yechi. After they
did this three times, the Rebbe
suddenly began encouraging
them with movements of his
head, right and left, forward
and back, in an unequivocal
manner. There were some who
still hesitated about singing this
in front of the Rebbe but their
hesitation was momentary. The
singing rose up and the entire
770 was swept up in the fire of
emuna.
The
Rebbe
continued
encouraging the singing by
nodding and moving his head
quickly from side to side. Nobody
could keep up. It was like adding
fuel to the fire in any case, and
the crowd continued singing
Yechi as the Rebbe strongly
encouraged it with his body. The
Chassidim, who could not believe
their eyes, continued singing, and
the Rebbe continued encouraging
the singing. The song was sung
for three to four minutes.
One of the Chassidim who
recorded a diary that year wrote,
I looked around and saw them;
those many individuals who
sobbed. Eyes filled with tears.
Bitter tears. Tears of joy. Cries
that shook ones body. The

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excitement reached the heavens.

It was the first time seeing the
Rebbe after such a long time since
that bitter day. And above all else,
such open joy. Then, in the midst
of the great excitement, someone
began loudly singing Yechi. There
was no agenda. It welled up from
the core of the soul, which was
at peak revelation. Hundreds
joined in the singing with ecstasy.
Hundreds more waited to see
what would happen. In that brief
moment in time, a great thing
came to pass in the world...

Later that night, I saw those

thousands of Chassidim who
gathered for Tishrei dancing
excitedly in place. Mashke poured
like water and the joy rose up and
spilled outside the doors of the
shul. The mighty singing made
hearts tremble. Now everyone
knew a new era had begun!
It was a historic night in
Lubavitch. It was reminiscent of
the description of when the Rebbe
said the first maamer and the
Chassidim jumped in excitement
and said lchaim. History was

repeating itself in my day! All

that night the singing continued
with tremendous enthusiasm.
Chassidim danced until dawn
with indescribable joy and put the
words Yechi Adoneinu to every
niggun.
The song hasnt stopped
till this day. It has become a
set thing that every time the
Rebbe comes out to the public,
Yechi is sung. Also, since then,
they began writing The Rebbe
shlita Moshiach Tzidkeinu in
advertisements.

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STORY

DECIDING VOICE IN
THE HEAVENLY COURT
By Menachem Ziegelboim

PART I
The two bachurim knocked at
the heavy wooden door. They had
been told that a Jew lived here,
which is why they were going to
try and offer their wares a
bracha on the dalet minim.
They could hear footsteps
inside and a moment later the
door was opened. Facing them
was a young hippie, tall, with
hair down his back, and a body
full of tattoos. He gave them a
questioning look.
Are you Jewish? they asked.
Something in the mans eyes
softened and he nodded.
Would you like to do the
mitzva of lulav? they asked,
nodding in the direction of the
four minim they held.
To their great surprise, he said
he had already done the mitzva
that day and he even showed
them how he did it.
When he saw how they were
shocked into silence he chuckled
and said, Do you know the
Lubavitcher Rebbe? When they
said they had come on his behalf,
he opened the door widely and
invited them in.

Come in and I will tell you

something interesting about
the Rebbe, he said. They were
curious to hear and eagerly sat
down.

PART II
Ive been living the hippie
life for many years, with no
responsibilities and no structure.
I do whatever I feel like doing.
Being Jewish was not significant
to me. That is, not until
everything suddenly changed.
Not long ago, I became
very sick. The doctor ordered
me immediately hospitalized.
My condition deteriorated and I
was unconscious for weeks. The
doctors despaired.
One day, I opened my
eyes and to the surprise of
my family and the doctors I
regained
consciousness
and
slowly began to recover. The
doctors considered this a medical
miracle but they were unaware
of something that nobody knew
about but me.
It was on one of the days when
I was still unconscious, but
although I wasnt conscious,

some of my senses worked.

Subconsciously I felt that I was
getting worse and my body was
no longer able to overcome the
medical problems.
Then, at a critical point,
I felt myself being held and
taken, against my will, to some
unknown place. They put me
down and I found myself facing a
row of rabbis. Behind them sat a
large crowd and looking around I
saw I was on trial. I did not know
before whom I was standing nor
why.
I heard the judges discussing
my case and whether to restore
me to the living or to take me
from this world. After a while
they decided to take my soul.
One of them declared that I had
lost my chance.
Before I could digest this or
react, someone in the crowd got
up. He looked noble and had a
white beard on his glowing face.
He addressed the judges and
said, If he is restored to life, I
will take responsibility for his
soul.
The judges looked at the
prosecutor and defense attorney
and after some time they agreed:

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If the Lubavitcher Rebbe takes

this soul under his charge, he
could be relied upon.
Thats when I opened my
eyes and began my recovery. I
eventually recovered completely,
but due to all kinds of things
going on, I forgot about what I
saw in the dream. Now and then
the images came to mind but I
regarded them as hallucinations
that I had because of my illness.
Some months went by and
one day I bought a newspaper. As
I looked through it, I noticed an
ad with a message about doing
mitzvos. There was a picture of
an Orthodox rabbi on top.
I looked at it and nearly
moved on but he looked familiar
to me. I couldnt figure out from
where I knew that face. I had a
strong feeling that I knew him
personally but I knew that I
had never met a rabbi, certainly
not someone who looked ultraOrthodox. I wracked my brain
and then I remembered.
It was that rabbi, the one who
sat in the crowd of distinguished
people, who told the judges that
he took responsibility for my
soul! The dream came back to
me and the more I thought about

it, the more obvious it was to me

that he was the man in the ad.
On the side of the page was
an address and a phone number.
I called the number and told
my story briefly to the person
who answered. He asked me for
my phone number and said he
would get back to me soon with
a response.
An hour or so later, he called
me back and said he was the
secretary of that rabbi and he told
me that the rabbi wanted to see
me right away.
I set off immediately for the
rabbis office. When I entered
his room, I recoiled. I could
clearly see that he was the man.
It was no hallucination; it had
really happened. But I still did
not know how to relate what
I had seen to the real world.
Before I could introduce myself,
I heard the Rebbes soft voice
in heavily accented English say,
Indeed, I took responsibility
for your soul, but you need to
cooperate. Are you ready?
I couldnt say a word. I
swallowed my saliva in fear and
nodded my agreement.

I had no further illusions.

I knew I was living through
something real over which I had
no say or control.
I looked at his face again
and I could see that my response
pleased him. The rabbi continued
talking and invited me to come
every week. Every week he would
give me a certain mitzva to do
that week. Since then, I go once
a week to 770 and get another
mitzva to do.
When I went last week, the
rabbi told me that during the
week of Sukkos I should do the
mitzva of netilas lulav every day.
The secretary told me where to
buy it and how to do the mitzva.

PART III
The bachurim sat with him
for quite some time, astounded
by the mans story. Their
curiosity turned to amazement
and joy over being Chassidim of
the Rebbe.
When Chassidim rejoice,
especially
during
Zman
Simchaseinu, they break into
spirited dance. The bachurim got
up and together with the hippie
they danced in jubilation.

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49

2016-10-09 12:33:31 AM

SUKKOS

THE KING AND HIS GUESTS:

SPECIAL MOMENTS

very Tishrei, thousands

of guests come from
around the world to
spend the holidays with
the Rebbe. For years, the Rebbe
gave the guests special attention
and considered them his personal
guests.
R Moshe Yaroslavsky ah,
who served as the extended
arm of the Rebbe, was greatly
encouraged by the Rebbe. He
arranged room and board for the
guests. The Rebbe, on his part,
treated his guests with warmth
and special personal treatment.
For example, the night of

Shabbos, Parshas Haazinu 5733,

the Rebbe personally visited the
guests in their dining room. The
Rebbe, in his refined manner,
did not go alone but accorded
the honor to the on-the-scene
host, R Yaroslavsky, and had him
lead the Rebbe to the guests.
When the Rebbe arrived at
the dining room, he stood near
the doorway and asked, Where
is R Moshe?
R Moshe had a hard time
making his way through because
of the crowds. The Rebbe
responded, If he cant come
here, I will go to him. In the

TIME OF OUR
REJOICING IN
LUBAVITCH
SPECIAL MOMENTS

end, when R Moshe finally

made it through the throngs,
the Rebbe said to him, A happy
year of taanug and oneg. A big
yashar koach and next year in
Yerushalayim.
Only then did the Rebbe bless
the guests who stood around him
in awe: May it be a happy year
and the entire year be in Shabbos
mode. Gmar chasima tova and a
year of serenity, joy, and delight.
Then, when the Rebbe went
to his home, he veered off to
walk past the guest dining room.
Continued on page 25

50 14 Tishrei 5777
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2016-10-09 12:33:32 AM

TZIVOS HASHEM

WHEN THE REBBE ASKS

YOU CAN D O IT
By Nechama Bar

Rabbi Vogel of London relates:

I wasnt a
It was 5720.
Lubavitcher Chassid yet, but
was very close to Chabad. I
really wanted to go to the Rebbe
for Tishrei. A few days before
Sukkos, I packed my bags and
went.
Upon arriving, I found out
that you could buy a hakafa for
the Rebbe on Simchas Torah. I
liked the idea and planned on
doing that. I asked the gabbaim
how much it would cost and
they said that the Rebbe sets the
price. The Rebbe set a different
amount for each person, each
in accordance with his ability. I
decided to go ahead with it, even
though I did not know ahead of
time how much I would be asked
to pay.
The days passed and the
atmosphere was special. The
farbrengens and davening took
me into a different world, a world
of holy pleasure. At the end of
the month, a few days before my
return home, I had yechidus to

part and receive a bracha from the

Rebbe. Throughout the yechidus
I could not utter a word, but
before leaving the Rebbes room, I
mustered my courage and asked,
Rebbe, how much do I need to
pay for the hakafa?
When I heard the Rebbes
answer, I couldnt believe it. It
was a huge sum, much more

than I expected. I am a wealthy

man and own a jewelry store, but
even for me the amount was too
much. I left the yechidus feeling
confused and frustrated.
I approached one of the
secretaries in the hope that I
would get some kind of reduction.
I said, I just had yechidus with
the Rebbe and the Rebbe is

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51

2016-10-09 12:33:11 AM

to
talking. We came here in order collection. Ive been trying
time.
long
a
for
them
of
rid
get
need.
to buy all the jewelry we
The most important thing of all is
Would you show them to me
to prepare an exclusive gold watch
anyway? I asked. He opened the
The secretary sympathized but for the groom. On each of the
small bag without any expectations
could not help me. You need to twelve links there should be twelve
from me.
do what the Rebbe said and pay diamonds. We are willing to pay
it
the full amount, but you dont any amount, though of course,
When I saw what it contained,
have to pay right now. You can needs to be ready in another five I was thrilled. They were the
spread out the payments over the days. If it wont be ready in time, diamonds I had been looking for!
you will need to pay the family I restrained myself, with difficulty,
year.
reparations for the shame caused and coolly said, Although this is
All the way home I was busy to it.
old, I am willing to buy it. The
thinking about how to get the
man was very happy and stated a
The deal appealed to me. I
money but I came up with no
relatively low price.
solution. According to my usual knew this meant a lot of money.
earnings, even over an entire On the other hand, I wasnt sure
At this point, I hired many
year, I would not be able to whether Id be able to make it workers who worked day and
raise that sum. I returned home in time. In the end, my big debt night to prepare the jewelry, and
heavyhearted, concerned about helped me decide.
a professional craftsman who
this enormous debt.
worked on the watch.
We have a deal, I said calmly,
If I had more trust in the not disclosing what I was thinking.
On Thursday, the rich man
Rebbe, I would have been spared Let us meet again in five days.
came to my shop. I knew that a
this difficult stage. Would the
little more time was needed to
As soon as the Indian family left
Rebbe ask me to do something
chatted
As complete the work. I
that I couldnt do?! I did not think my store, the marathon began.
the
and
family
the
about
this with him
of that then, but I got the answer the hours passed, I saw how
until
g
weddin
the
for
preparations
assignment was no simple matter.
sooner than I expected.
the sparkling jewels were ready.
For an entire day I ran around
***
London, going from merchant
The man was very impressed
to merchant and store to store in and said, Exactly what I wanted!
A week passed since my return order to get special diamonds for
He took out his checkbook and
home. It was an ordinary week. the gold watch, but in vain. They
wrote out the large amount. We
Every day I walked to the jewelry did not exist. I began to despair.
parted on friendly terms with
store that I owned and business I was very afraid I would come
hopes that we would remain in
went as usual.
out the loser from this deal. But touch.
Hashem saw my distress and help
One day, an Indian family
was on the way.
As soon as I was paid I
walked into the store. I could see
ted my costs, the taxes
calcula
they were rich. The father said,
The next morning, an Italian and the salaries. When I saw
Our oldest son is getting married businessman came into my store
the amount that remained for
in a week. Among Indians, the with his attach case. He had
me, I couldnt get over it. It was
custom is for a wealthy family come offering jewelry for sale. I
exactly the amount the Rebbe had
to wear expensive jewels at a looked through his merchandise
said I should pay. That is when
wedding in order to display their but none of it met my needs. Then
it got through to me, that when
wealth. The next day, the family I noticed a small package in his
the Rebbe makes demands, he
appears in jewelry that is different bag. For some reason my curiosity
also makes sure there is a way to
than the day before.
was aroused and I asked him what accomplish it.
it contained. He casually said, I
I was in shock. The man
dont think youll be interested.
did not notice and he continued
They are diamonds from an old

asking me to pay a fortune for

the hakafa. I cannot pay that
amount. What can I do?

B"H. 27 Elul 5776 Hakhel

30 September 2016 Number 1040
Price: $6.00 Part 2 of 3
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2016-10-09 12:33:06 AM