CONTENTS

18
FEATURED ARTICLES

WEEKLY COLUMNS

3 Dvar Malchus
15 Parsha Thought
34 Tzivos Hashem

PARADES WITH
THE REBBE

LIFESAVING
12 ONE
DESERVES ANOTHER
Nosson Avraham

DOWN WITH
18 SITTING
THE FOUR WISE SONS
Nosson Avrohom

- HOW, WHAT,
28 A.D.H.D.
WHEN, AND HOW MUCH?
Nosson Avraham

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2015-05-05 7:21:27 AM

DVAR MALCHUS

TAKE HIM OUT OF THE

HEIGHTS OF HEAVEN
IF NECESSARY BUT
BRING THE REBBE
HERE!
Why are you casting away my father-in-law,
the Rebbe to Siberia, to Solovki to Gan
Eden?! We need him (and he may well need us)
here! * From Chapter Eight of Rabbi Shloma
Majeskis Likkutei Mekoros (Underlined text is
the compilers emphasis.)
Translated by Boruch Merkur

As the farbrengen of Shabbos

Parshas Shmini 5712 carried
on for a long time, one of
the elders of the Chassidim
asked that the farbrengen be
discontinued for the sake of the
Rebbe shlitas health. The Rebbe
shlita answered with a smile:
When the maamer was being
said, you stood in the corner, but
now you come forward to state
opinions?!...
The holy face of the Rebbe
then became serious and he
began speaking on the topic
of the nesius, the Rebbes
leadership, saying:
When you contemplate the
greatness of my revered fatherin-law, the Rebbe, and the fact
that he has left us
I dont know why G-d has

done this to us, but that is

the way it is. (See also Toras
Menachem, Hisvaaduyos Vol. 2,
pg. 22, among other places.) It
is clear, though, that this did not
take place against the Rebbes
will, for the whole concept of
acting under duress does not
apply to the Rebbe. When the
Rebbe acquiesces to something
particular, it is because that is his
will.
The fact is that neither you
nor I have any other option
Be that as it may, regarding
those matters that I have
accepted upon myself that this
is my shlichus, my mission in this
world may it be with kindness
and with mercy. (See also Yemei
BReishis, pg. 387.)
In the course of the talk,

when one of the Chassidim

mentioned the Rebbe Rayatz,
referring to him as der Rebbe,
nishmaso Eden the Rebbe,
whose soul resides in Heaven,
the Rebbe shlita protested (with
great emotion and tears):
Why are you casting away
my father-in-law, the Rebbe to
Siberia, to Solovki to Gan
Eden?! We need him (and he
may well need us) here!
Even if for this reason it is
necessary to extricate him from
Gan Eden the Lower Gan
Eden or even Supernal Gan
Eden it is worthwhile, for the
especial quality of Gan Eden
(even Supernal Gan Eden) only
pertains to G-dly emanations and
revelations, whereas when we
say lchaim on mashke in the
physical world, and we partake
of physical foods, there is a
manifestation of atzmus umehus
Ein Sof baruch Hu, the very
essence of G-ds Infinite Light.
(The Rebbe shlita concluded,
banging his fist on the table and
saying) We need the Rebbe
together with all the Rebbeim
here.
(Toras Menachem 5712, pg. 183)

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FEATURE
Even before the nesius, one
of the special events at Beis
Chayeinu was the parade
that took place when Lag
BOmer fell out on a Sunday.
Hundreds and thousands
of children from Mesibos
Shabbos and Shaloh would
come to an event that was
an unprecedented Jewish
experience for them. * Brief
recollections from some
parades, some of which are
less known, from years past.

PARADES
WITH THE REBBE
5713 THE FIRST PARADE
AFTER THE REBBE
ACCEPTED THE NESIUS
We have a short description
of the first parade after the Rebbe
accepted the nesius from a letter
written by R Yoel Kahn:
There was a short sicha today
and I will describe the events
surrounding the sicha. On Lag
BOmer, all the talmidim from
our yeshivos and Talmudei Torah

gathered, from New York and

nearby, in the yard of the Rebbes
beis medrash. They all stood very
nicely arranged.
The Rebbe came out on the
balcony (from the room to the
balcony you need to climb about
seven, eight steps) and next to
him were members of the hanhala
of the yeshiva.
The Rebbe instructed them to
sing and they sang Ani Maamin
(lately, he often says to sing this

tune and all the children know

it well). After the niggun, the
Rebbe said a sicha. After Mincha,
the Rebbe told the talmidim the
inner dimension of what he said
in the yard.

5717 A DEMONSTRATION
WHICH MADE A BIG
IMPRESSION
We have a colorful description
of a parade in 5717 from the

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5713

5717
Bitaon Chabad of that year:
On Lag BOmer 5717 there
was an especially beautiful
parade, attended by over 6000
youth, boys and girls, from all
sectors of Jewry in Brooklyn and
outlying cities like Philadelphia,
Boston, Pittsburgh, Montreal,
etc.
The parade was arranged by
the division of Mesibos Shabbos
which is part of Merkos LInyanei
Chinuch under the leadership of

the Rebbe shlita.

The job of the Mesibos
Shabbos division is to gather
Jewish
children
in
every
neighborhood in New York,
every Shabbos, and to talk to
them about the holiness of
Shabbos. Chabad emissaries
work energetically to boost
enrollment for these Mesibos
Shabbos, especially among those
children whose parents are not
yet Shabbos observant.

The beautiful parade this year

on Lag BOmer included the boys
and girls who participate in these
Shabbos gatherings. About 100
buses were sent throughout the
city and outside the city to bring
the children to the location of the
parade on Eastern Parkway. The
police, teachers and madrichim
(counselors), kept things in order
and this was accomplished in an
outstanding way.
Near the Rebbes beis

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Feature
medrash on that street, a large
platform was erected on which
the Rebbe greeted the parade
and delivered an address to the
participants.
The boys and girls passed
by the platform and blessed the
Rebbe. They held various signs
such as: Observe Shabbos,
Dont shop on Shabbos, Give
your children a complete Jewish
education, etc.
The Rebbe addressed the
participants at the parade and
spoke about the importance of a
Jewish education and the special
quality of Jewish children who are
our guarantors for our receiving
the Torah.
At the conclusion of the
Rebbes talk, the boys loudly sang
Ani Maamin accompanied by the
band and the girls clapped. The
children marched down the street
to MiMitzrayim Geialtanu
and Ki Bsimcha Seitzeiu as
they held aloft their signs about
Shabbos and chinuch. They
walked until where the vehicles
were parked that brought them to
Prospect Park.
The streets of Brooklyn were
full of men, women, and children.
Passersby stood in amazement at

5717

the unusual sight which refuted

the false prophets who claimed
there was no spiritual future
for Judaism in America. This
parade demonstrated the fact
that Boruch Hashem, Am Yisroel
Chai by being connected through
the Torah, the Toras Chayim, to
the Elokim Chaim.
There is no doubt that this
demonstration
of
ChabadLubavitch made a public Kiddush
Hashem and showed clearly that
there is much room to accomplish
a great deal, even in America, on
behalf of chinuch for the young
generation.
In Prospect Park there was a
Lag BOmer feast. The masses
of children washed their hands,
said Al Netilas Yadayim, HaMotzi
and Birkas HaMazon in an
orderly way. The thousands of
people who gathered to watch
this convocation of children,
many of whom it was the first
time they saw washing hands
for a meal, were very amazed
by the tremendous order during
the washing, which was done
with troops of madrichim and
madrichos who were in charge of
order and discipline.
After the meal, there were

games and contests for the

children.
Similar parades for children
took place at the Mesibos
Shabbos divisions in Worcester,
MA, Boston, Pittsburgh, and
Montreal.

5730 A SHARP AND

UNPRECEDENTED SICHA
They made a Lag BOmer
parade here for boys and girls. At
first, they all gathered on Eastern
Parkway and the police closed if
off to all traffic for four hours!
This is not the only time that the
police do this, as they do this
regularly for all Chabad matters.
Every holiday, for example, they
do a Tahalucha and the police not
only stop traffic but also escort
the procession to protect them,
mainly from blacks, so nothing
untoward happens.
At first, before the parade,
the Rebbe spoke to the children
about the Parsha, If you go in
My statutes and observe My
mitzvos, etc, then I will give
peace in the land and I will
break the rods of your yokes and
lead you upright.
Then the Rebbe spoke about
the terrible decree of Mihu
Yehudi. It appeared in all the
American papers. On television,
in the segment that is set aside
for the Yiddish language every
Sunday, they played the Rebbes
sicha. The sicha took 45 minutes!
Thats very rare. Usually, the
Rebbe speaks for fifteen minutes
at a parade, since after all they
are children.
After the sicha, the thousands
of children passed by the Rebbe.
Some waved and the Rebbe
waved back. It was a wondrous
sight to behold the Rebbe
wearing his gartel on the large,
high wooden platform set up over
the front yard of 770 waving at

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each child.
In the evening we were
surprised by an unexpected
farbrengen in which the Rebbe
spoke forcefully about the
enormous devastation of the
Mihu Yehudi law.

5730

5740 THE YEAR THAT

THE REBBE SAID THERE
SHOULD BE PARADES
EVERYWHERE
Shabbos, Parshas Emor, 17
Iyar. When the Rebbe arrived
from his home, he said there
would be a farbrengen that day.
At 1:30 the Rebbe came in
to the farbrengen and spoke
at length about Lag BOmer.
He indicated to sing and then
said a maamar, LHavin Inyan
Hilula DRashbi. Then he gave
instructions about the parade and
the follow-up with the children
throughout the year.
At the end of the farbrengen,
the Rebbe told R J. J. Hecht (the
one who organizes the parade) to
say lchaim and asked him where
his assistant is, and R Butman
said lchaim. Then the Rebbe
gave R Hecht from the mezonos
in front of him and began singing,
VHarikosi LaChem Bracha.
The farbrengen ended at
5:10.
Tonight, the Rebbe conveyed
a message to Eretz Yisroel that
the murderous attack in Chevron
(in which 6 were killed 1
died subsequently of injuries
and 16 injured in an attack on
worshipers leaving the Meoras
HaMachpella)
should
not
interfere with the Lag BOmer
parades (in Eretz Yisroel), for
one moves aside the deceased
before the kalla, and he sent 16
Tanyas and 3 dollars for the 16
injured people in Chevron.
All night, many of Anash

and the bachurim worked hard

to finish the final preparations
for the big parade that would be
taking place the next day with the
Rebbes participation.
On Sunday, 18 Iyar, Lag
BOmer, the Rebbe arrived from
his house at 9:30 and entered
his office via the yechidus door
(because of the platform erected
for the parade).
In the morning already,
Eastern Parkway was closed
off to traffic (as were Kingston
Avenue and Empire) by hundreds
of policemen who provided
security for the grand parade.
One after the other, buses
began to drive up from all parts
of the city, bringing thousands
of children and their parents
who came for the parade. They
estimate that close to 20,000
children and their parents stood
facing 770 and 788 which were
decorated with huge, colorful

signs in Hebrew and English

that said things like: VAnachnu
Amcha,
VHeishiv
Lev
Avos, Lag BOmer - Shnas
HaShloshim
LCK
Admur
shlita, all the 12 Psukim, etc.
On the pavement at the
entrance to 770 they built a
high platform for the Rebbe that
was decorated with a purple silk
covering and on it was hung
the crown of thirty years,
an emblem for the parade,
and an emblem of Tzach. The
Rebbes lectern was placed on
the platform and a red carpet
was spread from there until the
entrance to 770.
At 11:20, to the sounds of the
band playing Ani Maamin, the
Rebbe came out to the parade
(walking alongside the carpet
and not on it, and so too on his
way back).
The Rebbe said two sichos
which were translated into
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Feature
English by R J. J. Hecht and one
sicha in Russian. The following,
in very brief, are points that
were addressed: an emphasis on
achdus between the participants
and Am Yisroel; the idea of
returning the heart of the fathers
(through) the children, as in the
redemption from Egypt when
they [the children] recognized
Him first; the words of the Rashi
that wherever they were exiled,
the Shchina went with them;
and the lesson to fulfill Torah and
mitzvos even during exile and not
to be fazed by disturbances; and
an emphasis on the statement of
Chazal and I will dwell among
them within each one of them.

Then (at 12:50), the parade

began passing by the Rebbe as
he waved to the children and
clapped at the floats with their
displays.
Then 26 floats went by with
displays. Each one had days and
nights of work put into them.
On one float they (the Kvutza
from Eretz Yisroel) built a model
of the grave of R Shimon bar
Yochai in Miron with all the
details, and near the grave they
put people standing and saying
Thillim or learning Zohar, giving
haircuts to three year olds, and
more. Near the grave they put a
live goat (bought especially for
this) and a shochet with a knife

One of the floats had a big pushka and the Rebbe

motioned with his hand two times to put tzdaka
into it. When they gave him the pushka, he put in a coin.

Sfiras HaOmer teaches us about

the preciousness of time and the
need to fill every day with mitzvos
and alacrity.
In Russian, the Rebbe
explained that it should be openly
announced that even according
to the laws of that country it is
permissible to learn and do Torah
and mitzvos.
At the end of the sicha
in Russian, the Rebbe asked
whether there was anyone who
could translate and say a brief
synopsis of the sicha. When
they said no, the Rebbe made a
dismissive motion with his hand.
At the end of the sichos, the
Rebbe spoke about the events in
Chevron and said it was a result
of the governments policy of
concessions, and he expressed
his hope that the attack would
motivate those at the top to
change direction and stand
firmly, according to Torah.

that he was preparing for shchita

(as is the practice of Sephardim
in Miron). The Rebbe gazed at
the float with a serious, powerful
look and when he saw the
shochet sharpening his knife his
moved his head aside.
Another float represented
Jews leaving from behind the
Iron Curtain, on a plane, directly
for 770.
Another floats exhibit was of
Pesach with all the details of the
Seder; another float presented
Shleimus HaAm, the Torah, and
the Land, etc.
The Rebbe gazed at all
the floats, saluted, waved and
occasionally even clapped. One
of the floats had a big pushka
and the Rebbe motioned with his
hand two times to put tzdaka
into it. When they gave him the
pushka, he put in a coin.
Then the children marched
and the Rebbe waved his hand at
them and clapped.

When representatives from

the American army passed by,
including command officers who
stood on jeeps and saluted the
Rebbe, the Rebbe saluted back.
At the end, R J. J. Hecht
suggested to Anash and the
bachurim that they also march
and the Rebbe began clapping
forcefully to the singing of Al
HaSela Hach with everyone
dancing in place.
Then R J. J. Hecht asked the
Rebbe if they could announce a
farbrengen for that evening and
the Rebbe said he did not know
yet. Then he asked the Rebbe
whether he was satisfied and the
Rebbe said yes. R Hecht said a
lot of work was put into it, and
the Rebbe said, Hashem also
helped.
At about 5:00, the Rebbe
left to go to the Ohel and when
he met R Hecht he asked him
whether the event in the park
was over (where the children had
gone after the parade) and R
Hecht said it was over and it was
successful. The Rebbe said, the
success should continue all year.
At 8:45 the Rebbe returned
from the Ohel and went in for
Mincha and after davening
announced that there would be a
short farbrengen at 9:30.

5753 WE DID NOT MERIT

TO SEE THE REBBE
Shabbos, 17 Iyar. The Torah
reading of Shacharis took place
at about 11:00 in the zal upstairs
with all the doors open as usual.
At the end of the davening, most
people went home, feeling that
nothing would happen, which
was their recent experience.
This was following what had
happened on the previous
Wednesday, and that the Rebbe
had not come out for Mincha
for several weeks, and especially

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in the past two weeks when the

Rebbe had hardly come out even
on weekdays, and in addition,
the opinion of the secretaries was
that Mincha for sure not; maybe
tonight, at Maariv on Motzaei
Shabbos. But to the joy and
surprise of all, it turned out that
they were wrong.
It was 1:20 when people heard
about Mincha now and that
the Rebbe would be going out to
daven with the congregation. At
the end of the davening, after the
recital of Chapter 4 of Avos, the
Rebbe went out on the porch.
They sang with great vigor
and a cry from the depths of the
heart, Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu
VRabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach
Lolam Vaed. The Rebbe
scanned the crowd a bit and
lightly encouraged the singing
and after a minute he motioned
to close the curtain.
Although everyone felt the
Rebbe came out for me and the
joy found expression even after
the Rebbe returned to his room
as the crowd continued to dance
in place over the privilege of
seeing and being seen, it seems
that the Rebbes attendance at
this tfilla was because of just one
person.
Among those present at
Mincha was a well-known lawyer
from France, an irreligious Jew
who had heard about the Rebbe,
and after much importuning
on the part of friends and
acquaintances,
he
acceded
to their request, saying, If it
doesnt help, well it certainly
cant hurt.
The lawyer spent Shabbos in
Crown Heights and Mincha was
an opportunity for him to see
the Rebbe. It wasnt an ordinary
experience though. When the
Rebbe came out on the porch, his
eyes met the Rebbes and he was
stricken mute. What happened

5740

during those seconds was related

by the bystanders who saw him
burst into tears that lasted a long
time.
When he was asked by his
hosts what happened, he said
that when the Rebbes gaze met
his, he resolved to change his
life completely. I saw before me
a very young man, way above
the crowd, the embodiment of
Moshiach. I dont understand
how everyone remains quiet and
doesnt make a commotion. He
decided to make a commotion in
his own city. His Pintele Yid had
been aroused, and when Shabbos
was over he called home and
told his wife, Thats it, we are
changing our lives.
She hung up the phone, but
half an hour later he called again
and received her consent. She
said, I agree to wear a wig but
ask you to suffice with a kippa
without a beard. The man
agreed and decided that he had
to bring his wife and children to
the Rebbe.
Thats the miracle the Rebbe
performed at Mincha with a
glance of a few seconds.
Motzaei Shabbos the
Rebbe did not come out for

Maariv. When Shabbos was

over, preparations for the parade
the next day went into high
gear starting with preparing the
Rebbes special platform. That
year, they closed off the entire
length of the platform, from
where the Rebbe would come out
until the place where he would sit,
with a sleeve-like curtain. They
worked for hours upon hours to
arrange this in the best possible
way, in a dignified way, for this
would be the first time that the
Rebbe would watch from where
he was sitting, not standing.
Throughout
the
neighborhood, one could see
flatbed trucks with students
preparing their displays. In front
of 770, thousands of chairs were
unloaded; 12 large signs with the
12 psukim were hung on the
front of 770 and a Yechi sign
the length of the roof, fifteen
meters long. On another sign was
written, Tzaddik ktamar yifrach
and there were other colorful
signs that decorated the place in
preparation for the big parade.
Sunday, Lag BOmer 5753.
At about 10:00, Eastern Parkway
was closed to traffic for a number
of blocks. Kingston Avenue was

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Feature

Five planes wrote the words Salute to Moshiach

in the sky in Hebrew and English. During the
parade they did this four times. This was something that
could be seen by two million people.
also closed. The thousands of
chairs were arranged facing 770,
with Lag BOmer material on
them.
At about 10:30, R Yosef
Goldstein (Uncle Yossi) began
the program. He held the
children spellbound for about
half an hour. Then, at 11, the
time they estimated the Rebbe
would emerge, R Shimon Hecht
began to emcee the kinus and
parade until the end. R Hecht
got everyone excited about the
imminent participation of the
Rebbe.
In the meantime, R Y. Y.
Gutnick was asked to bless the
Rebbe with Birkas Kohanim.
A few minutes later, to the
disappointment of all, they were
told that the Rebbe would not be
coming out. Having no choice,
the parade went on, starting
about 11:20.
Leading the way were police
on horseback, representatives
of the NYPD, who marched
in honor of the Lubavitcher
Rebbe as in every parade. Then
representatives of the US army,
led by Chaplain Yaakov Goldstein,
followed in a military transport
vehicle. They were followed by
a double decker bus with a sign
that said, Upshernish, with
fathers and their three year old
sons who were getting a haircut
that day. They were followed by
hundreds of children from many
schools, most of them wearing
hats or crowns that bore the
words Yechi HaMelech and
holding signs that said Yechi
Adoneinu, Boruch Haba,
Yechi HaMelech.

Seven trucks went by with

fabulous,
creative
displays,
designed by the students of
Chovevei Torah, Oholei Torah,
Tomchei Tmimim Morristown,
Lubavitcher Yeshiva, FREE, Beis
Rivka, and Machon Chana.
Although
each
of
the
displays was different, there
was a common theme that
of the Geula and the third Beis
HaMikdash.
The creative work of the
bachurim on Kvutza in Chovevei
Torah stood out, for they had
made a large, beautiful crown
on which it said Yechi and
a globe under which were the
letters of Geula with a letter Alef
that went up and down. They
also showed the reality of Yemos
HaMoshiach when all delicacies
will be found like dust, showing
a field with trees on which hung
treats and money. This included
non-fruit bearing trees about
which it says in the future they
will bear fruit.

SPECIAL EDITION NEWS

FLASH
The students of Morristown
also
designed
something
wonderful. You saw Beis
Rabbeinu ShBBavel in its future
incarnation standing next to the
third Beis HaMikdash, having
arrived on clouds. On the side of
the truck it said, All go together
to the third Beis HaMikdash.
They had a wall with mockedup newspaper excerpts related
to Yemos HaMoshiach, with
headlines like Jews Can Leave
Russia, relating to major
events that happened in the year

5751. They also had a copy of

Time magazine with the main
headline Special Edition The
Unbelievable Has Occurred the
Messiah Has Arrived! People are
Flying on Clouds.
FREE
demonstrated
the
fantastic thing that the Shluchim
Office had done two months
earlier. They sent five mitzva
tanks to cover the US with the
Besuras HaGeula. On the float
the viewers saw familiar buildings
like the Twin Towers, the White
House, etc. and the sign said,
Yechi Lets Welcome
Moshiach.
Lubavitcher Yeshiva divided
their display into four sections
for four stages or eras. Stage 1
started from the sicha of ChafChes Nissan. Over it were the
words Do All That You Can.
They showed the first activities of
Matteh Moshiach vehicles on
busy inter-city and international
highways adorned with signs
which said Moshiach Is On His
Way.
Stage 2 described the learning
of Inyanei Moshiach and Geula,
which was represented by all the
books and booklets that were
published on the subject. Stage
3 was what the Rebbe said about
and they will grind their swords
into plowshares the era of
Moshiach, and they showed
swords that had been turned
into plowshares. We just need
to open our eyes Stage 4
depicted the true and complete
Geula! They showed the gateway
that leads to the third Beis
HaMikdash, going from Beis
Rabbeinu ShBBavel to the Beis
HaMikdash.
Oholei Torah did a portrayal
of the fulfillment of the prayer
Gather our dispersed and the
promise And come on clouds
of heaven, showing Chabad
Houses coming on clouds as well

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as famous buildings from around

the world like the Eiffel Tower,
the Tower of Pisa, and the Twin
Towers all going to Eretz Yisroel.
They also showed the idea of
Tchiyas HaMeisim.
Machon Chanas display had
to do with bringing bikkurim to
the Beis HaMikdash.

5753

SALUTE TO MOSHIACH
During the parade, some
bachurim had a surprise for the
crowd. Five planes wrote the
words Salute to Moshiach in
the sky in Hebrew and English.
During the parade they did this
four times. This is something
that could be seen by two million
people. In Manhattan, where a
Salute to Israel parade was taking
place at the same time, they also
saw it.
There was also a small
helicopter that flew over the
parade pulling a sign that said
Salute to the Rebbe King
Moshiach on it. It made a
number of flyovers and drew the
attention of all the participants
and then went to the parade in
Manhattan. The parade lasted
about an hour and a half at the
end of which people went to the
park.
Needless to say, people were
disappointed. It was such a

beautiful event in which so much

time and money and effort were
invested, but the Rebbe did not
make an appearance. Nor did he
come out for Mincha or Maariv.
Later on people heard that the
night before, the Rebbe had been
asked about the parade and did
not respond. During the parade,
they asked the Rebbe whether he
would go out to the children and
he said no several times.
It is difficult to write a suitable
ending for an article like this.
The only acceptable ending is
to march to the Geula with the
Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach at our
head.

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MIRACLE STORY

ONE LIFESAVING

DESERVES
ANOTHER
Shortly after Mrs. Chana Malka returned from the hospital where she had
taken a seriously ill student to the emergency room, she came home and
saw that her young daughter was also in dire need of G-ds Divine Mercy.
She called an ambulance for the second time that night. A few hours later
in New York, the Rebbe told Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman in a revealed
prophecy during yechidus: Her mother just saved a Jewish life. She has
nothing to worry about...
By Nosson Avraham
Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

he following story took

place thirty-six years ago
- in 5739. Yet, for Mrs.
Chana Malka of Migdal
HaEmek, this is an event that she
actually lives with as if it happened
only a few days ago. Whenever
the name of the Rebbe, Melech
HaMoshiach, comes up in any
conversation, she tells her amazing
story and leaves her listeners
speechless.
While we had been in
contact with many rabbanim and
kabbalists, this was the first time

that we had experienced such an

authentic miracle - something
beyond nature. Every time I
meet up with my daughter and
take a look at her, I know that
the Lubavitcher Rebbe saved her
life, she explained in a voice
filled with emotion.

In the early seventies, when

Rabbi Yitzchak Grossman arrived
in Migdal HaEmek and founded
the Migdal Ohr Institutions,
he called on me to serve as a
full-time
housemother.
The

children who came to learn there

were from homes throughout
northern Israel - many of whom
were new immigrants whose
Torah observance was somewhat
lacking, and some even came
from families enduring serious
socioeconomic difficulties. Rabbi
Grossman accepted the task
of helping to bring them along
the path of Torah. My job was
to tend to their material needs,
e.g., providing them with clean
clothes, making certain that their
living quarters were tidy and
hygienic, and putting them to bed

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and waking them up on time.

As part of my responsibilities,
I would go around the dormitory
rooms together with the rabbis
wife, Rebbetzin Ester Grossman,
checking that everyone was in
bed and saying Good night
to each of them. One night,
we noticed signs of vomit on
the floor at the entrance to the
building. We asked the students
we saw if they knew who had
thrown up. They said that it was
Ami Buzaglo, a student whose
parents lived in Migdal HaEmek,
not far from the dormitory. They
added that the boy had gone
home and was no longer in the
dormitory. Naturally, we cleaned
up the mess and continued our
routine inspection.
After a few minutes, we came
to the floor where Amis room
was located. As we entered the
room, we noticed Ami lying on
the floor unconscious. We tried
to communicate with him but
he didnt respond. We went into
a panic and quickly called the
paramedics to come immediately
to the dormitory. The boy was

The Rebbetzin eventually told me that her

husband, Rabbi Grossman, was presently in New
York and he was about to go in for a yechidus with the
Lubavitcher Rebbe. She promised that as soon as she got
off the phone with me, she would call her husband and
ask him to make this the first issue raised when he went
before the Rebbe.

transported by ambulance to
Afulas Emek Medical Center,
as we escorted him, deeply
concerned for his welfare. After a
series of comprehensive tests, the
doctors determined that he had
suffered a blow to the head, and
the fact that we had found him
and called the paramedics saved
his life.
We informed his parents
and they came straight to the
hospital. It was already five
oclock in the morning, and on
my way back to Migdal HaEmek,
I asked Rebbetzin Grossman
if she could find someone else
to wake up the students. I was
absolutely exhausted and I would

have a difficult time functioning

normally after only two hours
of sleep. She agreed, and the
cab driver dropped me off at my
house and then took her home.
As I was about to walk through
the door, I was surprised to see
all the lights on! This was not a
good sign, and my heart began
to beat wildly - everyone in the
house should have been asleep at
this hour.
I ran into the house and I
immediately noticed my eldest
daughter lying on her bed. My
husband stood nearby alongside
another man wearing a doctors
gown. He examined my daughter
and determined that she was

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MIRACLE STORY
suffering from meningitis. My
husband told me that her body
temperature had risen sharply,
and when she started speaking in
delirium, he called for the doctor.
Instead of going to bed, I called
an ambulance for a second time
that night and headed back to the
hospital with my daughter, whose
condition had been declared
very serious by the attending
physician.
At the emergency room,
the
initial
diagnosis
was
confirmed - meningitis. She was
immediately hospitalized as the
doctors saw that her life was in
serious danger. I quickly ran
to the telephone and called the
Grossmans to tell the Rebbetzin
that I was again at the hospital
- this time with my daughter in
a literal life and death struggle.
I was beside myself with fright
as I sobbed uncontrollably. The
Rebbetzin tried to calm me down,
instilling me with hope and faith
that everything would turn out all
right. I still felt like a boat adrift
at sea.
The Rebbetzin eventually
told me that her husband, Rabbi
Grossman, was presently in
New York and he was about
to go in for a yechidus with
the Lubavitcher Rebbe. She
promised that as soon as she got
off the phone with me, she would
call her husband and ask him to
make this the first issue raised
when he went before the Rebbe.
This calmed me down a bit.
However, the tremendous fear
over my daughters condition and
the long hours without sleep were
simply too much for me.
The following day, at three
oclock in the afternoon, my
daughters condition remained
unchanged and the Rebbetzin
still hadnt called me back.
During those hours, I
was sitting outside her room,

Rabbi Grossman

murmuring words of Thillim.

Suddenly, Rebbetzin Grossman
appeared with a huge smile on
her lips.
Why are you smiling? I
asked with great exhaustion.
My daughter is about to die
and youre smiling? I sobbed.
Unruffled, she told me that she
was smiling because of the clear
answer I had been privileged to
receive through her husband,
Rabbi Grossman. When the rav
went in and asked the Rebbe for
a bracha for my daughter, the
Rebbe stopped him and said,
Her mother saved a Jewish life.
She has nothing to worry about.
The Rebbe suggested that we
should do another series of blood
tests and blessed my daughter
with a complete recovery. If the
Rebbe gave such a clear blessing
and he knew that you had saved
a Jewish life a few hours earlier
even though my husband hadnt
said a word, you can remove all
worry from your heart - your
daughter will be completely
healthy.
I didnt waste any time. As
soon as I left her, I immediately

went to the doctors room and

asked them to conduct another
series of blood tests. At first, they
didnt understand what I wanted.
Yet, I was determined and they
agreed to my request. The doctor
escorted me to the examining
room.
When I went into my
daughters room, I was positively
stunned. The girl was awake,
sitting up in bed and looking
at me. She appeared totally
different than the way I saw her
just an hour earlier. She smiled
at me and spoke a few words. In
the meantime, the doctor took
the blood tests. My daughters
condition soon began to improve.
She started coming back to
herself, and that very same day,
she was already standing on her
feet. The doctors, shocked by
the sudden and extreme change
for the better, asked me what I
had done. Naturally, I told them
I hadnt done anything; the one
who had done something was the
Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I told them the whole
story and even the doctors,
who usually had a very cool
demeanor and didnt believe
in Divine Providence, were
deeply impressed and admitted
that a tremendous miracle had
happened. I vowed that day that
my daughter and I would both
travel to the Rebbe to thank him
for this great wonder.
When my daughter reached
school age, I registered her in the
Chabad educational institutions.
When she grew older, she even
learned at the Beit Rivka high
school in Kfar Chabad with
Rabbi Grossmans daughters.
Eventually, my daughter and I
were privileged to travel to 770
and pass by the Rebbe for dollars,
to thank him personally for the
great miracle he had done for us
and to receive his blessing.

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PARSHA THOUGHT

YOU CAN ONLY

KEEP WHAT YOU
GIVE AWAY!
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

WHOSE BARLEY IS IT?

This weeks parsha describes
a ritual performed in the Bais
HaMikdash in conjunction with
an agricultural event. The Omer,
named after a measure of barley
taken from the years first crop,
must be offered in the Temple on
the second day of Pesach. Only
after that ritual is performed may
everyone else partake of the new
crops.
The Torah introduces this
commandment with the following
words:
When you come to the Land
which I am giving you, and you
reap its harvest, you should bring
an Omer measure from the first
of your reaping to the priest.
The first part of the verse
refers to the harvest as the lands
harvest. It is not called yours.
Yet, the end of the verse states
that the harvest is from the
first of your reaping. Initially it
is the lands reaping and later it
becomes your reaping. Why the
change?
One answer (based on the
work Ateres Tzvi) is that until
one brings the Omer offering
it cannot be said that it is your
reaping; it is not really yours even
if it was grown on land you own.

Only after you offer an Omer

from the first crop of barley to
G-d can it be said that it is your
reaping and your barley.

GIVERS ARE KEEPERS

The paradoxical lesson here is
that you only own that which you
give away.
There is a well-known story
of a great sage who was a close
confidant of one of the sultans
in the Middle Ages. His enemies
plots against him always failed
because he enjoyed the sultans
trust and admiration. His
detractors would not give up,
though. Finally they approached
the sultan and told him that the
rabbi was hiding some of his
income to avoid taxes. When
the sultan approached the sage
and asked him the total value of
his fortune, the number he gave
was considerably less than what
the records showed he actually
possessed. The sultan, in anger,
had him thrown into prison for
misrepresenting his financial
information.
The
sultan
could
not
comprehend why the rabbi, a
man of great integrity, would
misrepresent his wealth. He
visited the rabbi in prison to
ask him about this. The rabbis

response was: I told you how

much I gave to charity because
that is the one thing that I truly
possess and no one could take it
away from me. As you may see,
the rest of my fortune has been
taken away from me and I no
longer possess it. But, the tzdaka
that I gave is mine forever!
The story echoes a statement
in the Talmud (Bava Basra 11a)
by the righteous King Munbaz
(at the end of the Second Temple
era). His critics accused him of
squandering his treasures and
those of his ancestors. One of his
retorts was:
My fathers hoarded for
others, but I have hoarded for
myself, as it is stated, and for
you it will be charity.
The simple understanding
of Munbaz words was that by
giving tzdaka he was generating
reward for himself in the next
world. However, that would have
been redundant because Munbaz
had already stated earlier that his
tzdaka was generating reward
for the next world. A deeper
understanding of his response
then is that tzdaka actually
renders that money your own
possession in the here and now.
These stories convey a
profound message: that which

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PARSHA THOUGHT

By virtue of our generosity in giving our share,

G-d promises us that we will receive the other
four parts too. Indeed, tzdaka is the one Mitzvah, the
Torah tells us, that we may perform for ulterior motives.
The more we give the more we get!
you give away is truly your
possession. Everything else is
ephemeral and can be here one
day and gone the next.
Moreover, according to the
teachings of Chassidus, when
we have a relationship with
something transient it is not
considered to be ours even when
we possess it. Nothing is real that
does not endure and therefore
our possessions are only ours
to the extent that we give them
away.

THE LIMITS
This does not mean to suggest
that we ought to give away all
or even most of our earnings to
tzdaka. According to Jewish law,
we are obligated to donate no
less than ten percent of our net
income to tzdaka. Preferably, the
Talmud rules, we ought to give 20
percent. Obviously, in emergency
situations it is important to be
flexiblee.g. when a starving
man asks for food but we have
already met our quota of 20
percent
In addition, the Alter Rebbe
in his classic work, the Tanya,
allows for giving more than 20
percent if it is for the sake of
cleansing our soul. The rationale
for this leniency is that it is no
different from spending more
than 20 percent on our medical
expenses if so needed. Spiritual
health, the Alter Rebbe argues, is
no less important than physical
health. We may therefore pay as
much as required for our own
spiritual rehabilitation. There is,

however, no instance in which we

are encouraged to give everything
away.

IT CAN BE ALL YOURS

Chassidic thought takes the
above principle one step further.
Thus far we have concluded that
our true possessions are only
the ones we used for the sake
of a Mitzvah, particularly, the
mitzvah of tzdaka. All our other
possessionsthe majorityare
not truly ours in the full sense
of the word. However, Chassidic
teaching adds a new dimension.
When we give away material
wealth for tzdaka, we truly
possess the 10 to 20 percent or
whatever amount we choose to
contribute. But the effect goes
well beyond that. The percentage
of our income that we donate
elevates the rest of our income so
all that we own is considered to
be on a higher spiritual plane. It
is as if we actually gave all of it
to tzdaka, and hence, it may be
said, all of our income is ours.
In the words of the Tanya
(Chapter 34):
And even though he
distributes no more than a fifth
part, this fifth carries the other
four parts with it up to G-d,
to provide a dwelling for Him,
blessed be He, as is known from
the rabbinic statement, that the
commandment of charity is equal
to all sacrifices. And through the
sacrifices all living creatures were
elevated unto G-d through the
offering of one animal, all plants
through that of one tenth of a

measure of fine flour mixed with

oil, and so on.

A FIFTH FOR PHARAOH

The above is alluded to in
the Biblical story of Joseph, the
viceroy of Egypt, who tells the
Egyptian people in the time of
famine:
When the harvest is gathered
you must give one fifth to
Pharaoh, and the remaining four
parts will be yours.
The
mystical
tradition
interprets
this
verse
metaphorically. The four parts
that are ours refers to the four
conventional realms of spiritual
existence, known as the Four
Worlds. Each world generates
a limited measure of G-dly
light, attenuated to allow us
to experience it. The fifth level
represents G-ds transcendent
being
and
is
represented,
ironically, by Pharaoh, a word
derived from a root meaning of
revealed or exposed. Whereas
each of the Four Worlds
experiences a concealed measure
of Divine light, on the fifth level
there is no filter to dilute G-ds
Essence.
Thus the foregoing verse
states: When you give a fifth to
G-d (Pharaoh) and thereby
transcend your own self-interest,
then all four other conventional
dimensions of life are yours. Each
of the conventional aspects of our
lives is affected and is given to
us.

THREE LESSONS
If we delve even more deeply
into the above, three messages
emerge:
First, by virtue of our
generosity in giving our share,
G-d promises us that we will
receive the other four parts
too. Indeed, tzdaka is the one

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Mitzvah, the Torah tells us, that

we may perform for ulterior
motives. The more we give the
more we get!
Second, when we give our
share, we elevate and endow the
rest of our possessions with a
G-dly transcendent character;
it is as if we gave all of our
possessions to Him. Our entire
lives are transformed.
Third, if the only true
possessions are those that we give
away to others, then it follows
that when we give our fair share
to tzdaka, we get to own all of
our possessions. Everything we
possess is endowed with true and
enduring status.

SOWING FOR THE FUTURE

The Alter Rebbe, in his classic
work, Torah Or, informs us that

in the present era of exile we can

only perform about one fifth of
the 248 positive commandments.
We will have to wait for the
Messianic Age and the rebuilding
of the Bais HaMikdash to be able
to fulfill the other four fifths.
If we may apply the foregoing
discussion of the effects of one
fifth on the other four fifths in
our possession we may draw an
interesting conclusion:
The Mitzvah of tzdaka is
referred to as sowing, as it is
stated (Hoshea 10:12) Sow
for yourselves for tzdaka, reap
according to the kindness. When
we perform the Mitzvos we can
do now, particularly, the Mitzvah
of tzdaka, we generate the other
four fifths of Mitzvos with all of
their attendant benefits in the
Messianic Age. The Mitzvah of
Tzdaka is the catalyst that will

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lead us to the time when we will

be able to do the other four fifths
of the commandments as well.
Everything
happens
by
Divine Providence. Recently,
it has become popular for
philanthropists to encourage
giving through matching grants.
For example, in one scenario
philanthropists will multiply by
four or five times the amount
each contributor gives. As a
result, each person feels that he
or she has given so much more
than they could ordinarily afford.
The same is true for every
Mitzvah we do in the last
remaining moments of exile.
Each Mitzvah brings us closer to
the coming of Moshiach and the
ultimate Redemption. As such,
each Mitzvah contains the effects
of five!

worldwide, online: www.RadioMoshiach.org

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PROFILE

SITTING DOWN
WITH THE FOUR
WISE SONS
Beis Moshiach spoke with four Israelis who lived
through exciting adventures and challenging
times, about their lives and how they became
Chassidim of the Rebbe.
By Nosson Avrohom
Photos by Moshe Meir Assouline

he Chabad community
in Tzfas is one of the
oldest and largest khillos
in Eretz Yisroel. It was
founded by R Aryeh Leib Kaplan
along with additional shluchim
who came to strengthen the
Chabad presence in the city and
to restore its glory. The shluchim
founded Kiryat Chabad along with
schools and organizations of Torah
and chessed for all ages. These
institutions have earned a sterling
reputation and many Lubavitchers
around the world were educated
there.
One of the outstanding
features of the khilla in Tzfas
is the high percentage of
baalei tshuva. We met with
four members of the khilla,
of different ages and different
professions, and asked about
their life stories, how they came
to Lubavitch and how the Rebbe
and Chassidus impacted them.
The first is Nissim Ben

Chaim, an artistic soul, a

musician and painter, who
previously performed in musical
groups in Eretz Yisroel and
abroad. Today he composes and
plays holy music. The second is
Shachar Shoshani, a veteran of
a crack combat engineering unit
whose life was saved a number
of times which led him to ponder
the meaning of life. He is today
the owner of the wine company
Yekev Shoshani. The third is
Yitzchok Kuby who spent years
in India with gurus until his soul
woke up. Today he is a lawyer in
Tzfas. The fourth is Mordechai
Abrahamov, a former member
of an elite naval unit who knew
nothing about Judaism, not even
about Yom Kippur. Today he is a
practitioner of Chinese medicine.

CHAIN OF MIRACLES
I first want to hear about
your
backgrounds
before

hearing how you came to

Lubavitch and what motivated
you to make this step.
Nissim Ben Chaim: I was born
and raised in Haifa by Moroccan
parents. We had a traditional
atmosphere at home and for a
short while I was even sent to
the vocational school in Kfar
Chabad. My father was one of
the highest ranked boxers in the
country, but from a young age I
was drawn to music. I was sent to
a dormitory at a very young age.
At first I was in the agricultural
school Kfar Galim. From there
I went to the technical school of
the air force and studied in the
track for aeronautic electronics.
When I became of draft age,
I was drafted into the armored
corps. Upon completing my army
service, my interest in music had
me playing my first instrument,
a mandolin. Later, I bought
an electric guitar and began
performing at clubs for young

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people. I specialized in jazz and

blues. At a certain point, we had
a band which appeared every
night at a blues club that opened
in Haifa. When I felt that the city
was too small for my ambitions
I decided to leave the country. I
went to Scotland where I studied
acting in a school for the arts.
During my stay in Britain,
my older brother, who lived in
Colombia, called me and invited
me to join him in a successful
textile venture that he started. I
went but quickly left the business
preferring to perform at clubs
in Bogota. We brought a new
style of music to the city and
many young people liked us.
The media also took an interest
in us. We performed and were
hosted at many events. One of
the attractions of our band was
singing while drawing.
I lived in Colombia for six
years. At a certain point, I
lived in a distant village where

I wanted peace and quiet and

where I opened a restaurant.
However, with the same speed
that I arrived in Colombia, I left
it, due to attacks by rebels who
were fighting the government.
They would sneak in from the
forests and attack. Their attacks
increased until it became scary,
especially for foreigners, to
remain in the country.
Upon my brothers advice,
and along with a friend from
Haifa, I flew to Philadelphia
where I was promised a job in
a moving company. In the end,
when I arrived, the friend who
promised to help me wasnt there.
I was beside myself. There
were no cell phones and Internet.
I went to the JCC where I met a
woman who went out of her way
to help me. She even paid for a
room for me at a local hotel for
a few days until I would decide
where to go. It took me just one
day to decide that I was leaving

Philadelphia for New York where

I would try to enter the moving
business.
When I told her I was leaving,
she asked me to call her from
New York to let her know that I
had settled in. I was very moved
by her caring for me, just because
we were Jews.
When I arrived in New York, I
remembered that my brother had
told me that Chabad can help me.
I immediately headed for Crown
Heights where I settled in a bit
and then called the woman in
Philadelphia to report that I was
okay. When she heard my voice
she screamed in excitement. It
turned out that a few hours after
I left the hotel, the hotel burned
down and many people died. My
life had been saved!
This
story
made
the
connection for me with other
instances of divine providence
that occurred when I was in

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Profile
Colombia. This, along with a
strong feeling of exhaustion
from my meaningless life, is
what led me to remain in Crown
Heights. I had arrived in 5750,
Shnas Nissim, and my name is
Nissim too. I met Chassidim
who had become baalei tshuva
before me like Amram Muell and
Nissim Solomon, both from the
community in Tzfas, who guided
me in my initial steps in Judaism
and Chassidus. That very first
Friday night, when I saw the
Rebbe, I knew that this is my
place and I quickly became part
of the local scene.

I SAW DEATH
SEVERAL TIMES
Shachar Shoshani: I was born
in Ramat HaSharon to traditional
parents. My father grew up in
Mea Sharim and my mother
was a new immigrant from Iran.
I have strong memories of my
father taking us to his parents
in Yerushalayim on Yom Kippur.
The atmosphere was uplifting
and every year we would walk to
the Kosel. But this did not inspire
me to strengthen my commitment
or to remain traditional, for
I considered that quaint and
nothing more.
In Ramat HaSharon we lived
near fields of berries and from a
very young age I loved nature.
Together with friends we hiked a
lot all over the country. When I
became of draft age, I aimed for
the top and was drafted into a
Special Forces unit the Sappers
of the Engineers Unit (Plugat
HaChabala vHaHandasa) Givati.
We began training with thirtyfive soldiers and ended with just
twelve. Our army service was
hard and challenging. Those
were the days of the first intifada
and we were placed on the front
lines of the conflict.
In Lebanon we were also

placed at the forward-most post

where I experienced the first
open miracle I saw in my life.
We received intelligence from
Shabak that terrorists from Syria
were about to attack our post. We
prepared ambushes for them in
the valley leading to our position
but they did not end up coming.
This happened a few times until
one day, intelligence got a solid
tip about a group of terrorists,
one of whom himself was a
Shabak informer. He marked
himself with a sign so we would
know not to harm him. The
commander decided not to take
me along for this ambush and
chose a young soldier in the unit
instead of me.
All my pleading did not help
and I was attached to another
team of the deputy commander
and we were placed elsewhere.
This time, the information was
accurate. The terrorists came and
the commander led the attack
but then his rifle jammed. The
terrorists saw this and quickly
hid and returned heavy fire. The
commander and four friends
were killed, including that young
guy who had replaced me in
the job of handling the grenade
launcher. All the soldiers in the
unit took this hard, and it affected
me even more, for I knew that if I
had not been replaced that would
have been my fate.
This incident and other
incidents, like the ambush we
made in Shchem where we were
hit from behind by a Molotov
cocktail which miraculously did
not harm us, or another instance
with a reserve soldier, Amnon
Pomerantz, who got stuck with
his car in a refugee camp and was
lynched before our eyes but we
could not help him, caused me
and the other soldiers to think
about the meaning of life.
A few months later I felt stifled

and left the country with a friend

for the Far East. When we arrived
in Nepal before Pesach 5752, we
met two young Lubavitchers who
were preparing for the seder and
we helped them.
The truth is they didnt know
what they were doing, and my
friend, who was a certified chef,
took over the cooking and I took
responsibility for the logistics.
About 1000 tourists showed up
and we took care of the gashmius
while the bachurim took care of
the ruchnius. This wasnt my first
encounter with Chabads work. I
had met Lubavitchers a number
of times while in the army.
From Nepal we continued
to Delhi in India and every
afternoon we would eat in a
restaurant that served Israeli
food. One day, I met an Arab
eating there and since I know
Arabic, we got into a friendly
discussion. How bizarre it was
when, before he left, he put his
hand on my shoulder and said:
If I could kill you, I would do so
now without hesitation.
The next day, we ate at the
restaurant again. It was a very
hot day and I begged my friends
to go up and eat on the roof with
me. Just a few minutes passed
and a strong blast shook the
restaurant and fatally injured
tourists from several countries
who were eating there. It turned
out that the Arab I had met
the day before had placed an
explosive under the table where
we usually sat. I shudder at the
thought of what would have
happened if we hadnt gone up
to eat on the roof. Miraculously,
no Jews or Israelis were hurt
in the attack, even though this
restaurant is usually full of Israeli
tourists and caters specifically to
this clientele.
My mother, who heard about
the attack, urged me to leave

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India, which I did, and I flew

to Australia. When I arrived
there, I knew I wanted to make
a significant change in my life.
I had seen enough miracles and
felt they were a clear sign that I
had to make a change.
In Sydney I met the Rebbes
shluchim and thanks to them,
I attended Shabbos meals and
began going to shul. My tshuva
process intensified after I became
friendly with two bachurim, Yosef
Ginsberg and Shlomo Raskin,
who did great work with Israelis.
I returned home when my father
asked me to and became partners
with him in a successful minimarket, but when I felt that
this was hindering my spiritual
growth I decided to leave. Upon
R Ginsbergs advice I went to
learn in the yeshiva in Tzfas.

THE LOST YEAR IN INDIA

Yitzchok Kuby: My parents
were both teachers and until
I was ten we lived in Kiryat
Shmoneh with an idealistic
sense of mission. Our home was
completely irreligious. Although
my father grew up in a traditional

home, the only religious precept

we adhered to was that we walked
to shul for Nila. I remember that
when I was a child my father
said to me, You should know
that the sages of the Torah were
the wisest of men. There was a
feeling of admiration for Judaism
but this wasnt expressed in any
way.
When I became of age, I was
drafted into the navy. In the
meantime, my parents moved to
Yerushalayim. After I completed
my army service, I studied law at
Hebrew University. I remember
that all my life I was searching.
These thoughts distracted me
and I tried pushing them away.
At university, I was known as
someone who partied. I would
go with friends and have a good
time, but when I returned home
in the early hours of the morning,
I would be hit by a strong sense
of emptiness, a lack of inner
satisfaction.
I had everything. I was
excelling at school, I would
grade the work of other students,
I wrote in the universitys
newspaper, but all that was
superficial. I knew that my life
was not heading in the right
direction.
When I graduated, I decided
to postpone my internship and
to travel. I wasnt thinking about

Judaism because back then

Judaism wasnt even on my radar.
It always seemed to me that if
there was spirituality in the world,
it wasnt to be found among the
religious Jews who seemed to
live according to irrational rules.
The chareidim appeared to be
the most delusional people on the
planet. So I went to India in the
hope of finding spirituality.
The first workshop I took was
a silence workshop, after which
I stopped smoking after eleven
years of smoking. This felt like a
step in the right direction and I
spent the next year travelling all
over India, visiting monasteries
and ashrams. I read a lot and
meditated. I met an Indian
guru, connected to him, and
was supposed to travel on foot
with him for three months from
north to south. At that point,
I was convinced that I had to
leave material life which I found
suffocating, for the purpose of
experiencing a life of simplicity
and poverty. In this way I hoped
to find happiness. When I told
my parents about the journey,
they were horrified.
Before I had gone to India
I had arranged for a delay of
the internship I had lined up
with a law firm in Tel Aviv. My
parents convinced me to stand
by my word and commitment.

Nissim Ben Chaim: My dream is for as many

people as possible to connect to this sweetness,
to the Rebbes endless love. This is how I personally
experience and relate to the Rebbe, and I think this is
something that should be taught. Even when the Rebbe
makes demands, they come from love.

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Profile
I remember standing at the
payphone waiting for a call from
my parents in which I would tell
them that I was staying in India
indefinitely. For some reason
their call was delayed and later on
they told me they had tried calling
but their call was answered by
a pizza store in India. This was
divine providence because while
waiting for their call, I thought
things over.
I thought, maybe I should
return home after all, for if Indian
teachings were correct, I ought
to integrate it into everyday life
and not run away from it. When
the phone connection was finally
made, I said okay. I arrived at the
law offices for my first day as an
intern looking like a backpacker
who spent the year in India, with
long hair, and shirts that bore
motifs and images of idols.
I rented an apartment and by
divine providence there was a shul
of the Vasloi Chassidim, from the
Ruzhiner line, on the first floor.
At first, when they invited me to
attend shiurim, I contemptuously
declined. It was obvious to me
that they were living according
to rules established millennia
ago without understanding what
they were doing. Later on, a
roommate brought me a book
called The Empty Chair from the
teachings of R Nachman.
For the first time I realized I
was mistaken and that Judaism
has plenty of spirituality. Some
weeks later, again by divine
providence, a young guy with a
guitar was standing in front of
the shul and he began playing
and telling stories about the Baal
Shem Tov. I heard him and loved
it and I became a regular visitor
there.
In India I came to realize
that there is a Creator. You
see wonders of nature there,
mountains and rivers, and realize

that there must be someone in

charge. It was only now that I
began to internalize that there is
great truth in Torah and mitzvos.
I decided to put on tfillin. At
the entrance to the office tower
where I worked, there was always
a Lubavitcher who put tfillin
on the people going in and out.
Whenever he asked me I would
refuse, but now, when I finally
decided to put on tfillin, he did
not show up for a few days. I was
looking forward to seeing him!
When he came back to his
post, I was thrilled and I put
on tfillin while trembling with
emotion. It was Elul and he
also blew the shofar, which only
intensified the flood of emotions
that I was feeling. When I went
up to work, it was hard for me
to go into my office, so I sat in
the cafeteria. My colleagues were
sure I didnt feel well.
At that time, a good friend
who had studied at Hebrew U
with me, had become interested
in Judaism in India and went to
Yeshivat Daat in Rechovot. When
we met he gave me a Chitas as a
gift.
A shidduch was suggested
to me but I had no idea how
shidduchim work in the religious
world. When I called that friend,
he said, You write to the Rebbe
through the Igros Kodesh. In
order to do so, I went to the
yeshiva where he learned. I
thought the books were only in
his yeshiva. I wrote and opened
to an answer and got married.
Before the wedding, I spent
a few months in yeshiva. The
moment I walked into the beis
medrash, I knew that this is the
place I was yearning for all my
life. The Ahavas Yisroel that I felt
in yeshiva I found nowhere else
and the bachurim walked around
with smiles on their faces.

WITH A CAMERA IN SHUL

ON YOM KIPPUR
Mordechai Abrahamov: I was
born to a Jewish family in the
northern Caucasus. The Jewish
community there was very small
and we constantly suffered from
anti-Semitism and bullying. I was
the only Jew in my grade at school
and I was marked. The incident
which was the final straw was
when during a carpentry class I
got into an argument with a kid
and he promised, Well meet
at recess. I knew I could beat
him but when I went outside, I
met the entire class. Even those
I thought were my friends had
turned on me and wanted to hit
me. I stayed home after that.
I knew nothing about Judaism
and there was no one to explain
it to me. The only thing I knew
was that I am Jewish and we
Jews are very smart, which is
why I excelled in class and they
all hated me. I remember that
my grandmother would bring me
matza once a year and I thought
it was some kind of cracker. The
incident in school as well as other
incidents prompted my parents to
make aliya.
Twenty-two years ago, when I
was twelve, we left and settled in
Netanya. We had a very hard time
acclimating but we overcame the
difficulties. When I became of
draft age, I was drafted into an
elite naval unit where I served
for six years. I cant say anything
about it since its classified. I can
only say that it was challenging
and that I lost some close friends.
When I was discharged from
the army, I felt that I had to find
myself. In the army I had been
through things that made me
think a lot about the meaning of
life.
I knew nothing about Jewish
tradition and in order to quiet

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Shachar Shoshani: I arrived at the law

offices for my first day as an intern
looking like a backpacker who spent the year
in India, with long hair, and shirts that bore
motifs and images of idols.

these thoughts, I registered for

a course in photography. Every
month, the students had to
present their work, with each
student focusing on subjects
close to his heart. Since I was
seeking answers to all those
questions that were on my
mind, I sought out the deepest
dimensions of life. I chose to
photograph groups of surfers as
well as groups of young punks
and freaks.
One month I decided that
my next subject would be
synagogues. I got up early in
the morning and went to a shul
that was near where I lived, but
when I started taking pictures,
they chased me out and said I
was disturbing them. The same
thing happened in other shuls but
I did not give up and continued
looking for a place that would
let me take photos. Then I went
to the Chabad shul - MaMoSh.
From
previous
experiences
I knew that someone led the
prayers and all followed him. I
decided to approach the chazan
and ask him permission to take
pictures.
I met R Eliyahu Turgeman
learning with children and waited
patiently until he finished. Then
I asked him permission. He was
friendly and offered me a drink
of coffee or tea. Considering how
I was treated in the other shuls I

had visited, I was taken aback by

this pleasant treatment. He was a
nice man and we sat down to talk.
I asked him what Judaism is and
what the difference is between
Ashkenazim and Sephardim.
He patiently answered all my
questions in detail.
Of course he let me take
pictures and he invited me to
come to the shul whenever I
wanted, and not just to take
pictures for a project.
The next time I went with
my camera to shul was on Yom
Kippur, minutes before Nila.
I was an ignoramus and did
not know anything about this
day. Instead of chasing me out,
people covered themselves with
their talleisim and R Turgeman,
who was the chazan, realized
that something was going on
behind him. He turned around,
came over to me, and asked me
to wait until he finished davening
and then he would let me take
pictures.
So I waited and the wait
brought me back to Judaism.
I looked around me and my
heart began to melt. I felt that
something was happening within
me and a change had to take
place. Indeed, within a short
time, I left my photographic
studies and began going to shul
regularly, attending shiurim and

tfillos. I acquired a kippa and

tzitzis and felt that I had found
what I was looking for. I had
finally found relief from that
sense of searching that had given
no rest to my soul.

WHY CHABAD?
Each of you went through
an incredible journey. The first
question I have is, why Chabad?
Nissim Ben Chaim: When
I was in New York, I visited
different communities, wanting
to know the difference between
them, but my neshama went with
Chabad. I was drawn to Chabad
niggunim and felt that Chabad
has everything. There were
khillos where I saw simcha, and
khillos which were serious, there
were khillos which emphasized
middos
and
those
which
emphasized learning, those that
touched the emotions and those
which appealed to the intellect; in
Chabad I saw everything.
The moment it became clear
to me that I would be a Chassid
was when I began learning Tanya.
Shachar Shoshani: I only
encountered Chabad and wasnt
exposed to other religious
groups. I never had thoughts
that perhaps I would like another
group. I remember that when I
would go to my grandfathers
house in Raanana as a bachur, he
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Profile
would ask me why I dont have
a tallis. The truth is, as Nissim
says, I never felt drawn in this
direction. Like him, Tanya is
what finally did it.
I remember that R Ginsberg
brought me from Tel Aviv, when I
was still running the mini-market,
to the 770 building in Kfar
Chabad where he was learning
in kollel after getting married.
Together we learned chapter 19
of Tanya where the Alter Rebbe
explains about the candle of G-d
and the soul of man, that the
flame wants to ascend. Every
soul seeks its source and wants to
cleave to G-d. This spoke to me;
I was excited by this mashal and
on the spot I made the decision
to make a real change in my life.
Yitzchok
Kuby:
What
attracted me to Chabad is the
Ahavas Yisroel I felt there.
They dont just talk about it,
they do it. The whole shlichus
enterprise, the bachurim who go
on mivtzaim, its incredible and it
spoke to me. You see Chassidim
who sacrifice themselves and
not just in theory. Those born
into Chabad dont realize how in
other groups, people are worried
about their own ruchnius before
anything else.
Another, deeper dimension is
the teachings of Chassidus. The
depth in Chassidus, the inner
explanation of everything, the
understanding that nothing is
happenstance, is what attracted
me. The final blow, as it
were, was when I heard Chabad
niggunim. I sat in yeshiva in
Ramat Aviv and the bachurim
sang a niggun neshama and I
said to myself that in Chabad
Chassidus there is perfection,
everything is here, inner and
outer depth and even great
emotion which is expressed in
song.
Chabad
encompasses
all

dimensions of Jewish life - Torah,

mitzvos, and niggunim, which
provide an emotional angle to
our lives.
Mordechai Abrahamov: I
knew early on intellectually
that Chabad is the Truth, but
something in me recoiled from
it and I looked elsewhere. I
remember that a friend took me
to a kabbala center and I got
some kabbala books there but I
soon felt it wasnt for me. I would
often visit the Chabad House
while simultaneously looking in
other places. I went to learn in a
number of yeshivos with varying
styles but didnt last there.
At the MaMoSh Chabad
House in Netanya there was
a guy named Nesanel. I asked
him to learn Kitzur Shulchan
Aruch with me and he agreed
on condition that we also learn
together the first volumes of
Likkutei Sichos.
Every time we finished
learning a sicha I felt uplifted
but the evil inclination worked
overtime with me until Chassidus
finally won. One of the Chassidim
who davens in the shul, Avi Taub,
would say every time he saw me,
Mordechai, you cant help it,
you were born in the Rebbes
hands.
To what extent was the
Rebbe a direct influence in your
journey?
Nissim Ben Chaim: During
the months that I was in 770 in
5750, I went for dollars a number
of times and received the Rebbes
blessings. The Rebbe made a
big impact on me. His eyes and
the feeling that the Rebbe sees
far beyond mere mortals is what
grabbed me. After a few months
when I went back to Eretz
Yisroel to see my family they
told me about R Reuven Dunin
the Chabadnik from Haifa, and
I began to visit his house and

became a regular guest.

Shachar Shoshani: When
I was in Australia, they didnt
speak about the Rebbe as is done
nowadays; they spoke more about
doing mitzvos. When I went to
the yeshiva in Tzfas, I understood
the concept of Rebbe - Rosh
Bnei Yisroel; I understood his
role and what he demands of us.
It was at that point that I recall
experiencing real headway in my
tshuva process. Hiskashrus to
the Rebbe gives one kochos while
also demanding a lot of avoda.
In my conversations at
work with colleagues who are
religious but not Chabad, I feel
that a Lubavitcher understands
things on a completely different,
deeper level. This is not meant in
an arrogant way, but this is the
reality. Those not connected to
the Rebbe think differently.
Yitzchok Kuby: I remember
that at first I had a lot of
questions about the whole
topic of Rebbe. They gave me
good answers but I got the best
answer one day while waiting for
a doctor. I wanted to make an
appointment but the secretary
was talking on the phone to her
friend about what they would
make for Shabbos and how the
children are. I motioned that I
was waiting but she continued
talking as though I was invisible.
When she finally finished her
conversation and tended to me I
began to think, from Hashems
perspective, what was the right
thing for her to do?
Maybe that conversation was
in the category of Ahavas Yisroel
and it was more important? One
thing I knew for sure, that if her
boss was present she wouldnt
have schmoozed. The same is
true about what we were talking
about earlier - someone who says
he only has Hashem, without
a connection to the Rebbe,

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sometimes finds himself with

lights without vessels, and he
does not necessarily do Hashems
will. The Rebbe, the Moshe
Rabbeinu of our generation,
is the boss who oversees the
process of putting those lights
into vessels. The Torah is given in
every generation (and every day)
anew. The Nasi is the one who
sets the right order of priorities
of how to act, to whom to turn
to and which mitzvos need
strengthening.
Mordechai Abrahamov: At
first, for me too, the subject of
Rebbe was hard for me to digest.
The one who sweetened the
pill for me was R Avrohom
Yagudaiev, a shliach in Netanya
and now of Moscow. He showed
me the warmth of Chabad
without being pushy; it was more
like try it, youll like it. Despite
that, for a number of years I
davened with a Siddur that was
Nusach Sefard and I kept Sefard
customs. I am from a Sephardic
background and this is the way I
was supposed to conduct myself.
However, I also felt a strong
pull toward Chabad, especially
to the Rebbe. It was a dilemma
and I remember davening at the
gravesite of Rashbi in Miron,
asking that my eyes be opened
and that I find my true path.
A few days later, I met a
Chabad Chassid from Tzfas, R

Kalman Levinzon, who was able

to reach my heart. He invited me
to join the Chassidus kollel for
Russian speakers. Through him, I
met the great Chassid, R Shimon
Diamant ah. He began teaching
me the maamarim of 5659 which
left me open-mouthed. Later on,
he also taught me sichos of the
Rebbe and then I understood that
Moshe is truth and his teachings
are true.
When I saw such a great
Chassid, someone so deep and
brilliant, with such simplicity and
bittul to the Rebbe, it changed
me. After the third shiur, I
decided that I wanted to be a fullfledged Chassid of the Rebbe.

ON THE TOPIC OF
MOSHIACH
The
Rebbe
repeatedly
said that our generation is
the last one of galus and the
first of Geula and that we
need to publicize the identity
of Moshiach. You surely
encountered this when you were
starting out in Lubavitch. How
did this affect you?
Nissim Ben Chaim: I actually
saw the Rebbe. Therefore, when
they began talking about the
Rebbe as Moshiach, I understood
what they were talking about. It
was obvious to me, even without
learning the sichos, that if

someone was fit to be Moshiach,

its the Rebbe.
Shachar
Shoshani:
Ill
never forget how in Australia
they would always sing zol
shoin zayn di Geula. I did not
understand what they were
saying; I just understood that
they were looking forward to the
Geula. I went to yeshiva right
after Gimmel Tammuz and it
was a hot topic. When you see
normal, nice people living with
something as their focus, its
contagious, and it got me too.
I have friends who became
frum years ago and joined other
groups, who are broken today.
They feel there is no inspiration
and theres nothing to progress
towards. By us, living Moshiach
and the constant anticipation is
our armor in the face of the
hardships that this world presents
us with.
Yitzchok Kuby: A baal
tshuva does not understand at
first. The talk about Moshiach
is like the talk about everything
else in Torah which was foreign
to us. But when you learn the
sichos, especially the Dvar

Mordechai Abrahamov To work with the

outside, with soldiers and people from
kibbutzim, is important, but we have work that is
no less important, and that is to spread the
wellsprings within the battei medrash
and kollelim too.

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Malchus, you see the subject of
Moshiach in a clear, deep way.
There is nowhere to run! The
Rebbe broadly hints that he is
Moshiach and says we should
publicize it and when you learn
and understand it, it brings you
even closer to the Rebbe.
Mordechai Abrahamov: I
agree with Yitzchok. When you
learn Chassidus, your eyes open
or rather your perspective shifts.
Questions you would have had
in your previous world, vanish.
Everything changes - the inner
chayus of Torah and mitzvos,
tfilla, the relationships between
people, and consequently, you
are more receptive to talking
about Moshiach and anticipating
his coming. In the end, our avoda
to hasten the Geula is through
influencing others and correcting
ourselves. When Moshiach is at
the top of our list of priorities,
our work becomes easier. How
do we do this? By learning
Chassidus.
The avoda that Chassidus
demands of us is to instill
G-dliness in the world and
you do that nicely in your
professions. Id like to hear
what each of you does.
Nissim Ben Chaim: I did not
abandon music and art. What
I do today is a sort of ishafcha,
instilling G-dliness in my work.
In the years following 3 Tammuz,
we produced some CDs with
songs of Moshiach and Geula.
I work at Ascent where I
perform for the soldiers and tell
my life story. I do similar lectures
with my wife at Chabad Houses
and at Evenings with Chabad in
which we play music interspersed
with telling our life story.
I also perform with my
children before audiences where
Chabad artists dont usually go,
like cultural centers and festivals.
Wherever I go, I publicize Elokus

and infuse Chassidic content into

my songs and music. In recent
years, I put a great emphasis on
painting and I have groups of
kids who are diagnosed as ADD
who study with me. I see how art
is therapeutic for them.
Shachar Shoshani: For many
years, I worked as a mashgiach
in vineyards. My job was to
certify vineyards for harvesting.
I discovered many problems that
someone without experience
would not notice. I learned the
subject well during the many
years I worked in vineyards. All
my life Ive felt connected to the
earth and nature and eight years
ago I decided to produce my own
wine.
The secret to wine is in the
grapes. We follow the grapes
from the moment they appear on
the vine. Good grapes equal good
wine. We supervise it all from
the moment the grape begins to
grow. We oversee the vineyards
from where we get the grapes
until they are actually in the vats.
We dont add any preservatives to
the wine and everything is sterile
and perfectly clean.
What happens in the big
vineyards is that the machine
harvests the grapes from the
vines and grinds it all. Ive seen
waste get ground up into the
mix. Although its nullified in the
larger amount, we are not willing
to have that happen with our
wine.
What
makes
the
taste
and color consistent are the
preservatives and flavors that the
big vineyards put in. With us, the
taste is different each year; it all
depends on the grapes and the
fermentation they undergo.
It is also a shlichus for me.
Meeting all the people in the
industry, the vintners and owners
of vineyards, and the owners
of factories, is an experience.

When they see a Chassid involved

with wine, who understands the
secrets of wine, conversations
develop which quickly move on
to questions of faith.
We also make wine with a
superior hechsher for Pesach,
with no additives. We donate
wine to certain Chabad Houses
and many of our workers are
bachurim who use the money
they earn to pay for their trips to
770.
Yitzchok Kuby: A few years
ago, we opened a law office with
another lawyer. We specialize
in real estate, estate law, etc.
Our shlichus in this work is the
protection we provide for piskei
din of battei din. It happens
sometimes that the losing side
in beis din appeals the judgment
in a court, which in recent years
has been given the authority
to annul decision of battei din
under certain circumstances.
We specialize in working to
prevent this. Our shlichus is,
first of all, in providing services
to Chabad Chassidim who
purchase property, good service,
trustworthy and professional with
no cutting corners. We are also
very particular about following
halacha, such as the laws that
pertain to the prohibition of
taking interest.
There is a lot of shlichus to
be done with colleagues. For
example, a lawyer from Tel Aviv
called me a few months ago
and mentioned that she had
been in New York. I asked her
whether she had visited 770. She
surprised me by saying that her
good friend who traveled with
her took her to 770 where she
asked the Rebbe for a bracha to
find a shidduch. As soon as she
returned home, she found her
match and married.
Mordechai
Abrahamov:
After I got married, I studied

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Chinese medicine for four years

at Michlelet Elima directed by
R Yuval Asherov. I wanted to
be involved in a field that goes
beyond the superficial reality
of life and thats how I got to
Chinese medicine. Unlike other
alternative approaches, it has
a logical, scientific basis which
has been researched and found
effective.
Chinese
medicine
reconnects a person with the true
reality of the world, and not the
illusions and false ideas created
by human beings, which is what
has caused many of the diseases
of the modern world.
I see people in my clinic and
help them reconnect to their
inner selves and thus return to
their natural healthy state. In
my experience, 90% of peoples
physical ailments are caused by
their mental states. A certain
emotion associated with a
particular limb is out of balance
and this is expressed in illness.
A sad person hurts his health,
simcha is sourced in the heart,
anger is the liver, worries in the
spleen. The muscles, for example,
are sourced in the spleen and if
a person worries too much, he
shouldnt be surprised if he pulls
a muscle.
My shlichus is to help people
achieve balance within themselves
so they can serve Hashem with
joy. A person dreams of getting
up at five in the morning to

learn Chassidus for two hours

and then daven and do mitzvos
joyously, but he doesnt have the
energy for it. What will happen
is that his desire will remain an
unrealized dream. If he gets the
right treatment and acts in a
balanced way, he will definitely
have the energy for it.
Do you have a concluding
message for our readers?
Nissim Ben Chaim: Every
year, I try to compose a song in
honor of the Rebbes birthday.
This year I was unable to do so
to my satisfaction and instead of
that, I drew the Rebbe in a way
that his sweetness and Ahavas
Yisroel shine through. My dream
is for as many people as possible
to connect to this sweetness, to
the Rebbes endless love. This is
how I personally experience and
relate to the Rebbe, and I think
this is something that should be
taught. Even when the Rebbe
makes demands, they come from
love.
Shachar Shoshani: My dream
and hope is to see the Rebbe
revealed immediately and giving
out kos shel bracha using our
wine. When I work every year
on making the wine, this is my
dream.
Yitzchok Kuby: I am a
member in the Derech Chaim
movement that R Yitzchok
Ginsberg of Kfar Chabad
founded. We are a number of

lawyers whose goal is to write

laws that are in the spirit of the
Torah, for example, laws that
allow one to give preference to
a Jewish employee over a nonJewish one, or to prohibit the
sale of land to gentiles because of
lo sichanem. Theres someone
who set up an internet site to
coordinate businesses that are
seeking to hire only Jews. The
Reform movement took him to
court for discrimination and we
are representing him against
them.
The fact that Jews are
reaching out to find out what
the laws are according to Torah,
shows that we are close to the
Geula, and we should only see
this become stronger.
Mordechai
Abrahamov:
My passion is to spread the
wellsprings. I meet religious
Jews who have not yet learned
Chassidus, but who are very
knowledgeable in Torah. I see
how they are lacking since they
dont learn Chassidus, and how
much Chassidus can change
them. To work with the outside,
with soldiers and people from
kibbutzim, is important, but
we have work that is no less
important, and that is to spread
the wellsprings within
the battei medrash and
kollelim too.

Shachar Shoshani: My dream and hope is

to see the Rebbe revealed immediately
and giving out kos shel bracha using our wine.
When I work every year on making the wine,
this is my dream.

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CHINUCH

A.D.H.D.
HOW, WHAT,
WHEN, AND
HOW MUCH?
Difficulty in maintaining proper attention and concentration is a common
development disorder among children. Virtually every classroom has
two or three students with this problem and it impacts the childs ability
to function in most areas of his daily life - learning, behavior, and social
conduct. How do we identify this within the child? In what form does it
take expression? What is sensory processing disorder? Ritalin - yes or no?
What is the Rebbes position on the matter? The first of three informative
articles on the subject.
By Nosson Avraham
Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

Regarding his son... that

its hard for him to be under
supervision and to be under
a constant schedule... What
he writes about medicinal
treatment - since this is
something new, I hope that they
will do this with the utmost
care, in other words, the tests
every few days should be

the minimum few, not the

maximum.
(5 Menachem Av 5718 - Igros
Kodesh, Vol. 17, pg. 267)

Shlomo
(not
his
real
name) came to us when he
was in the third grade. He
had been transferred this year

from a regular classroom to a

smaller class due to emotional
difficulties. Not a day passed
without him fighting with his
classmates. He had difficulties
sitting on his chair for more than
a few minutes without causing a
disturbance. As a result, he would
get reprimands and punishments
from the school staff. The only

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time he was calm was when the

teacher was telling an exciting
story or during drawing class.
However, his drawings appeared
to be crying out over what was
happening within him. The colors
he chose were dark and somber,
the drawings were militant swords, axes, etc., and the figures

were expressionless.
As the years passed, he
developed a serious learning
gap. His reading ability was
negligible and his self-confidence
was rock bottom. He didnt like
his teachers and he couldnt
deal with his classmates. It was
clear that his conduct required

the immediate involvement of

professionals, something that
had inexplicably been put off
for years. Signs of the current
situation had already been
in evidence since he was in
kindergarten, or even earlier - in
daycare. He was sent to do three
examinations by different experts

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CHINUCH
specializing in this field, and
they all came back with the same
diagnosis - ADHD (attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder).
The
three
doctors
all
recommended regular medicinal
treatment - Ritalin. At first, the
parents were hesitant, trying
various alternative methods.
However, it changed nothing.
Eventually, they realized that
there was no alternative and
the boy began taking a pill each
morning. The first few weeks
were a bit complex: In the
beginning there were side effects
- headaches, stomach pains,
loss of appetite. However, with
the passage of time, they slowly
dissipated. While the initial
recommendation was for a higher
dosage, as a result of the side
effects, the doctor reduced the
dosage to the minimum level.
In the first few months
after regular treatment began,
Shlomo was sitting in class,
paying attention, and causing
no disturbances. During this
time, his peers renewed their
friendships with him. Things
slowly began to improve: A
remedial teacher helped him
considerably with his reading,
and it turned out that he had
a high level of intelligence,
blessed with an amazing ability
of comprehension. He managed
to close a gap developed over a
period of years within a matter of
months.
The truth is that no one
thought this would happen so
quickly. However, the facts are
that just a year later Shlomo
was chosen as the outstanding
student in his class on all levels.
Even at home, after his parents
received professional advice and
gave their full cooperation, there
was a tremendous improvement,
and his mother confirmed the
dramatic change for the better.

THE DIFFICULTIES
FOR CHILDREN WITH
ATTENTION DEFICIENCY
DISORDERS
There are many students like
Shlomo. According to current
estimates, about one in ten Israeli
students have attention disorders,
thereby concealing their natural
abilities. While they do exist, the
difficulty in concentrating can
prevent these abilities from being
realized.
As
mentioned,
ADHD
is a developmental disorder
commonly found in children.
Virtually every classroom has
two or three students with this
problem. It prominently appears
in the childs ability to function
in most areas of his daily life learning, behavior, and social
conduct. Similarly, many of these
children also suffer from a variety
of deficiencies, e.g., learning
disabilities,
motor
deficits,
sensory dysfunction.
The main symptoms in ADHD
children are: talking unceasingly,
persistently moving and jumping
around, difficulty remaining in
one place for a lengthy period of
time. They move in their chairs
in a state of disquiet or they
occasionally stand up. When
they do sit, they shift their legs
nervously, and they constantly
say, Im bored. Its extremely
difficult for them to concentrate
on one thing for a long time,
interesting as it may be, and their
attention is easily distracted. The
distant sounds of an airplane, a
tractor, or classmates whispering
are enough to break their
concentration.
These children act carelessly
and with forgetfulness. They
appear
absentminded
and
detached, making numerous
mistakes
stemming
from
inattentiveness and negligence,

with a tendency toward losing

things. Similarly, they have
problems organizing basic tasks,
and they avoid activities requiring
prolonged cognitive effort, such
as homework and sitting for
long periods in class. Surveys
show that children with untreated
attention disorders are more
easily dragged into a life of crime
and addiction, and they are four
times more likely to be involved
in an automobile accident.
Anyone who has worked in
the field of education knows
that a sizable percentage of
school dropouts have attention
deficiency problems that were not
treated in time. People think that
attention deficiency is a passing
stage in the childs development
- but theyre mistaken. The life
of a child with ADHD who is
not diagnosed as such is paved
with failures, frustration, and
limited achievements. The child
carries these disappointments
throughout his entire life and his
family will eventually suffer as
well.
We are setting out on a
three-part journey dealing with
attention disorder in a variety
of forms. With the help of
professionals and experts in the
field, we will examine: What
is attention deficiency? Where
does it stem from and what are
its symptoms? We will determine
the best ways for diagnosis,
and most important - why is it
necessary to treat the condition
and not neglect it?
In this series of articles, we
will present a wide range of
views in the field - from both
the conventional and alternative
approaches.

For this first article, we
spoke with Dr. Guy Schusheim,
one of the leading experts in
Eretz Yisroel on diagnosing and

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treating attention disorders, a

child/youth psychiatrist and
the director of the youth mental
health clinic at the Emek Medical
Center in Afula. We asked him
to give us first-hand information
on attention deficiency disorders
and the importance of proper
treatment.
As parents or educators,
how do we identify attention
disorders within our children?
Can these symptoms stem
from various other reasons emotional, sensory imbalance,
nutritional, and even anxiety or
the lack of hormonal balance?
The first signs of attention
disorders usually appear at a
very early age. According to
the guidelines for making such
diagnoses, it occurs before the
child turns twelve, and in most
cases, it happens much earlier. It
takes expression in a combination
of symptoms: inattentiveness,
hyperactivity, and impulsiveness.
The diagnosis must be made by
a professional, e.g., an expert
pediatrician, child neurologist, or
youth psychiatrist.
In truth, these symptoms
are often the product of
other disorders, or from a
combination of attention and
other deficiencies, e.g., anxiety
or other emotional difficulties.
In more rare instances, attention
disorders
are
caused
by
nutritional deficiencies or other
medical problems.
What are the reasons for
attention deficiency disorder?
How many types of this disorder
exist?
We dont know the exact
reason for this condition, as
with most disorders of this type.
However, its quite clear to us that
there are numerous causes, and
the connection between them is
complex. Sometimes, it's possible
to identify a significant hereditary

component, which occasionally

establishes a connection between
the disorder and complications
before, during, and immediately
after birth.
Premature birth, for example,
has a strong connection to the
emergence of attention disorder.
However, external causes such
as a difficult environment for a
young child's development can
also bring about this condition.
In principle, there are three
subtypes of disorders - attention
deficiency, hyperactivity, and a
combination of the two.
How is this condition
diagnosed?
The diagnosis is made by a

The diagnosis is made by a professional and it

must include an examination of the child and
information from the parents, the school, and other
sources. Questionnaires can be used, and there eventually
will be a need to meet a minimum number of basic
definitive criteria to reach the necessary conclusion.
Another possible option is to use computer tests that can
better characterize the nature of the attention disorder.
However, even these tests can miss an existing disorder
or diagnose one that doesnt exist.

professional and it must include

an examination of the child and
information from the parents,
the school, and other sources.
Questionnaires can be used, and
there eventually will be a need
to meet a minimum number
of basic definitive criteria to
reach the necessary conclusion.
Another possible option is to use
computer tests that can better
characterize the nature of the
attention disorder. However,
even these tests can miss an
existing disorder or diagnose one

that doesnt exist.

There are benefits and
drawbacks to all kinds of drugs
in use for treating ADHD. How
do we come to the right dosage?
There are a relatively limited
number of medications for
treating the disorder subsidized
by the Israel Ministry of Health
and several more unsubsidized
medications that are regrettably
much
more
expensive.
Medications for this condition
are relatively more effective
than other drugs for treating

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CHINUCH

TEN TIPS ON HOW TO IDENTIFY AND TREAT

AN ADHD CHILD AT AN EARLY AGE

1. The child is already more than six months old.
Hes passed the colicky stage, yet he continues to cry
incessantly. Its possible that this stems from sensory
processing disorder. Parents should patiently try and
see if there are certain clothes without which the child
is calmer. An embrace or a loving touch will also help
to soothe him.
2. The child wakes up several times during the
night or his afternoon nap is unusually short. Every
little thing disturbs him. Try and put him to sleep in a
dark and totally quiet room.
3. Your child is now two years old. While hes
known how to walk for some time, he bumps into
things and is prone to falling. Remove all stumbling
blocks and make certain that potentially dangerous
items are nowhere in sight. When you go out with him
in public dont take your eyes off of him.
4. You had your childs hearing tested and he
hears fine. Nevertheless, when you call him, it takes
him a long time to react. It often appears as if he cant
hear you at all. Theres no reason to get angry at him.
Any time you want something from him, turn towards
him. Start speaking with him only when youre certain
that hes looking at you attentively.
5. Your child doesnt like to be in an unfamiliar
environment, always preferring what is known and
familiar. This derives from a high level of sensitivity
and proneness to distraction. Make certain that when
you come to a new place keep your child close by and
give him special treatment. Its always appropriate to
prepare the child before leaving. Dont talk to him in
riddles; speak clearly and in particulars.
6. Your child has a tendency for frequent angry
outbursts. His thoughts are a jumble and his reactions
are impulsive. It appears that even in seemingly
commonplace situations he becomes impatient and
reacts angrily. It would be appropriate to keep things
in proper balance when dealing with him; no need to
be stubborn about everything. Choose a few things that
are very principled for you, and remain as steady as a
rock on them - firm but considerate. In this manner,
the child will learn that he gains nothing by his angry
outbursts.
7. Children have many fears and anxieties
according to their age and development, while some

show a reckless disregard for danger, e.g., climbing tall

trees or poles. Listen to your child, show firmness in
potentially dangerous circumstances, and be alert. This
is a stage that usually passes with time.
8. There are children who need things to be
done in a certain way, and if not, they become uneasy.
Similarly, its hard for the child to get organized in the
morning, promptly or not, and when he tries to do so,
he cries and feels pressured. This comes from a high
propensity to distraction and organization difficulties.
Try and help him with a clear checklist of morning
tasks for getting organized. Similarly, make certain
that his room contains a minimum of items that can
possibly distract his attention. In addition, have his
clothes prepared beforehand, preferably before he goes
to sleep.
9. Your child sustains a serious fall and doesnt
cry, while on other occasions, he bursts into tears
and becomes hysterical at the slightest touch, as if
someone punched him. Sometimes, the child refuses
to touch sand, mud, clay, etc., or he feels a need to
touch such material to the point of even eating them.
Such children are suffering from sensory processing
disorder. Many of them put paint peelings in their
mouths. It would be appropriate to take such children
to see an occupational therapist as a means of exposing
them to things that can counterbalance this inclination.
10. Some children have difficulty tying their
shoelaces or with any other form of weaving. This
is another case for the occupational therapist. In the
meantime, the child should wear shoes with Velcro
strips. Before buying clothes for the child, its always a
good idea to find out whats most comfortable for him.
In conclusion, its important never to get angry
with your child because of these difficulties. Its hard
enough for him to handle such challenges. However,
you must always remember that G-d created him
and he cant change who he is, especially not at a
young age. Furthermore, hes not to blame for this.
All your stubbornness in this matter will merely
deepen his frustration and stress. Quite often, the
child himself doesnt understand whats bothering
him, and therefore, it would be appropriate to bring
him into the picture and let him talk about it.

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emotional disorders and they

can even improve the situation
far better than accompanying
methods, such as guidance for
parents and educators, or more
personalized treatment for the
child. Medications can have
many side effects, but they are
usually few in number and can be
overcome or pass quickly.
The most common side
effects are headaches and
stomach aches, which often
tend to dissipate. In contrast,
a loss of appetite usually poses
a serious challenge to the
treatment process. Other possible
phenomena include anxiety,
nervous ticks, and more. It isnt
easy to predict what the reaction
will be and the treatment is a
form of trial and error.
Is there any importance
attached to making an early
diagnosis?
We believe that there is great
importance to an early diagnosis
since
untreated
attention
disorders are liable to harm a
childs emotional and functional
development, influencing how
he relates to his environment, his
self-image, and increasing the
danger of additional disorders
appearing in the future.
How was this problem
dealt with in the past? Is there

historical testimony on this

disorder and the methods of
dealing with the condition?
The disorder in its present
form has been recognized for
decades. Yet, awareness of
possible treatment was very low
in the past. Our way of life was
different in those days, and there
were more possibilities available
for dealing with the problem. If
someone couldnt sit quietly for
a lengthy period of time, whether
in class or anywhere else, he
would be sent to learn in a trade
or art school. Todays society
is more achievement-oriented,
relying more upon a certain type
of learning ability.
Theres a feeling that the
number of children diagnosed
with having ADHD has been
increasing. Is this true?
Most definitely, and the
apparent reason for this comes
from a variety of sources:
Today, there is a greater sense of
awareness of this disorder - and
with greater awareness, there are
also more diagnoses. However,
we can also say that people have
sometimes been identified as
having ADHD when they really
dont have it, resulting in an
improper use of the diagnosis
and the subsequent medicinal
treatment. I believe that even

today, its much harder than in

the past to live with attention
deficiencies due to changes
in our lifestyle. Furthermore,
todays way of life is a much
greater cause of the attention
disorder phenomenon than in the
past, although this fact has yet to
be scientifically proven.

In any case, according to

the Rebbes answer brought at
the beginning of this article, it
would be appropriate to check if
a lesser dosage of Ritalin or other
medication helps, and if it does,
there is no need to take a larger
dosage.
Theres one thing all doctors
who treat this disorder agree
upon: it is absolutely forbidden
for us to delude ourselves and
neglect the condition. If the child
has difficulty concentrating, if
we receive numerous complaints
from the school - or even earlier
from the daycare attendants and
kindergarten teachers - go for a
diagnosis and an examination.
Every passing year without
treating the problem intensifies
the childs emotional distress.
In the next two articles,
we will deal with methods of
diagnosis and treatment.

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TZIVOS HASHEM

A MEANINGFUL

LAG BOMER
FARBRENGEN
By Yisroelik Fried

The small flame stubbornly

clung to the embers of wood
and illuminated our faces
with a weak light. The singed
remains were a faint reminder
of the huge bonfire that had
burned until moments ago. It
was a bonfire around which
the entire neighborhood stood
as it was lit and dozens of
children danced around it to
the tune of Bar Yochai.
Dozens of packages of sticky
marshmallows, salty chips,
and leftover meat, reminded
us that the night was already
behind us and very soon, the
sun would rise. At that time,
we would have to work hard
to ensure the success of the
grand Lag bOmer parade
which would begin at noon. In
the meantime, we had to use
the remaining time to listen to
every word Srulik uttered.
Preparations for the big
farbrengen had started two
weeks earlier, while we had
been busy dragging remnants
of wood together.
What are we going to do
on Lag bOmer this year?
asked Chaim, beginning the

discussion.
We cant just let it go by
like every other year. We have
to do something major, said
Avromi.
Right, exclaimed little Yoel.
We cant have it turn into
a meeting of friends around
a bonfire. Its not the annual
kumzitz. We have to do
something this year that is
much more meaningful.
We all agreed with him.
How about if we farbreng
on Lag bOmer with Srulik?
I proposed, making the first
We
suggestion.
practical
the
around
him
will sit with
to
explain
will
he
bonfire and

about.
is
r
BOme
us what Lag
You think hell agree?
asked Chaim hesitantly. Hell
be busy. He is responsible for
the parade and has so much
work to do. The idea was
nearly dismissed.
Of course hell agree, said
Yoel. We just have to talk to
him. He wants to farbreng
with us! he said confidently,
cheering us all up.

Youre probably wondering

who Srulik is, so Ill tell you.
Srulik is a newly married man
who lives in our community.
Up until a few years ago,
Srulik ran the successful Oro
shel Moshiach camp, so we all
knew him from there. After
he married, he moved to our
community and since then,
the Tzivos Hashem activities
changed completely. He took
charge of all the activities
with children on behalf of the
Chabad House. He announced
a
started
contests,
new
the
sed
increa
yeshivas erev,
number of people who go out
to Mesibos Shabbos, and has
become a good friend of all the
children. So if we were going
to get a mashpia to farbreng
on Lag BOmer, Srulik was our
first choice.
Srulik did not disappoint.
He happily agreed to farbreng.
After dozens of discussions
about a place and time for
the farbrengen, details that
included the menu, the time
we would begin, and numerous
other things, more and less
impor tant, we found ourselves

34 19 Iyar 5775
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2015-05-05 7:21:52 AM

Lag BOmer night, sitting in

a circle with Srulik.
Does anyone know why
we lit a big bonfire tonight?
began Srulik.
Im not sure, but I think it
is like a huge yahrtzait candle
which we are lighting in honor
of the passing of Rashbi, said
Avi hesitantly.
That is correct, said
Srulik with a smile, but there
are other reasons too.
One of them has to do
with a story that occurred on
Lag BOmer, on the day that
Rashbi passed away. Before he
died, all of his great students
gathered round him to take
leave of their beloved teacher.
Rabbi Shimon, who knew
these were his final hours,
began to lecture and reveal to
them pnimius haTorah, the
greatest Torah secrets.
Thats the teachings of
Kabbala, interjected Shneur.

Correct, confirmed Srulik.

While R Shimon revealed
pnimius haTorah, a great fire
surrounded him which grew
and grew. With every secret
that he revealed, the fire got
bigger, until he rose to heaven
surrounded by this great fire.

light
we
why
Thats
bonfires on Lag bOmer!
exclaimed Chaim.
smiled
exactly,
Yes,
Rashab
Rebbe
Srulik. The
said in one of his maamarei
Chassidus that the day of Lag
bOmer is actually the Mattan
Torah of pnimius haTorah.
Srulik then began a niggun
gaaguim that drew us all in. As
we sang, I thought about what
Srulik had said. I pictured
heaven
to
going
Rashbi
and how all his students
surrounded him as he told

them the secrets of Kabbala.

But I didnt understand
something.
said,
I
second,
One
the
after
silence
breaking the
We
.
niggun
the
conclusion of
once heard that it is forbidden
to learn Kabbala, so how
could Rashbi teach it to his
students?
Thats true, said Srulik
with a smile, and he began to
explain. In earlier generations,
learning Kabbala was forbidden
to simple people and was
allowed only to Torah scholars
who were fit to do so like R
Shimon and his students.

The meaning of the word

Kabbala comes from the root
that means to receive, because
the secrets of the Torah
were received only by a few
deserving people, by one from
the next, and only they were
allowed to learn it.
What do you mean? asked
Yoel, jumping up and knocking
over the soda bottle. Why can
everyone learn it today?
It was once forbidden and
now its a mitzva, said Srulik.

What? Its a mitzva to

learn Kabbala, we all burst
out saying.
Yes, said Srulik, unfazed
by the joint attack. In our
times it is a mitzva to reveal
this wisdom. One could say its
even a must, Srulik concluded
with a mysterious smile.
dont
I
minute,
One
learn
you
Do
understand.
Chaim
ah?
haTor
pnimius
asked.
Yes, and so do you!
Chassidus is pnimius haTorah.
Chassidus takes the secrets
of the Zohar and Kabbala
and makes them simpler to
understand, changing them

into concepts that even

simple people can relate to.
One second, I felt I had
to clarify a point. What
happened? What changed that
suddenly it is permissible to
learn it?
Ah, Ive been waiting
for that question! The Rebbe
explains that there are two
reasons why now, in our
times, it is permissible, and
even vital, for everyone to
learn pnimius haTorah.
The first reason is because
of the spiritual descent of
the generations. In earlier
generations, a very great
spiritual descent began and
therefore, pnimius haTorah
was revealed in order to rectify
the matter, like medication
that heals a sick person.
The second and more
impor tant reason is that it
gives us a taste of the Geula.
Just like on erev Shabbos, we
taste the Shabbos food, so too,
before the Geula, we taste the
Torah teachings we will have
in the Geula.
to
starting
am
I
Chaim,
said
understand,
who had been quiet for a
long time. Since we are the
last generation of galus and
the first generation of Geula,
Hashem is already giving us
the privilege of tasting and
learning from the pnimius
haTorah that will be revealed
in the future, in Chassidus.

Srulik,
said
Exactly,
se.
respon
happy with his
r
furthe
goes
And the Rebbe
g
learnin
and says that the
of pnimius haTorah now,
hastens the Geula.
So what do you all say
should we start a shiur in
Chassidus?

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