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4
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WEEKLY COLUMNS

3 Dvar Malchus
21 Parsha Thought
34 Tzivos Hashem

ONE IN A MILLION
Avrohom Rainitz

DELIVERANCE
14 DIVINE
Shneur Eliass
PROPER
24 ADIAGNOSIS
IS ONLY

24

HALF THE SOLUTION

Nosson Avraham

30 POWERFUL
ENCOUNTERS

WITH THE REBBE

R Elimelech Farkash

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2015-06-02 2:15:11 AM

DVAR MALCHUS

A CHASSIDS
RESPONSIBILITY
TO THE REBBE
From Chapter 8 of Rabbi Shloma Majeskis Likkutei Mekoros
(Underlined text is the compilers emphasis.)
Translated by Boruch Merkur

16. [] Our avoda (stemming from

the lower realm) is relevant to even the
Rebbe himself (the higher realm).
Consider the story about how the
Chassid Reb Yaakov Mordechai from
Poltava went into yechidus with the
Rebbe Maharash, and the Rebbe told
him, When there is a Rebbe, there are
Chassidim. That is, Chassidim that are
active in avoda. And he concluded,
And the Chassidim, by being Chassidim
and by being accomplished in the realm
of the service of the heart [prayer]
they gave strength to the Rebbe
[referring here to the Alter Rebbe].
From this account we understand
the great responsibility of a Chassid who
is connected to the Rebbe. A Chassids
conduct has an impact upon the Rebbe
himself. In fact, when a Chassid behaves
in an undesirable fashion, G-d forbid,
he not only harms himself in which
case he would be deemed unworthy, but
exempt from punishment he harms
others as well, in which case he is
liable. How much more so in our case,
when others refers to the general soul
[i.e., the Rebbe], etc., etc. for then the
liability is much greater.
17. On the verse at the beginning
of this weeks parsha, And the years of
Sara were a hundred years and twenty
years and seven years, our Sages teach:
Years is repeated here to describe each
phase of Saras life, telling us that each

is to be interpreted individually Sara at

100 was like a 20-year-oldand at 20
she was like a girl of 7.
The practical application of this
teaching:
100 years is the age associated
with the completion and perfection of
ones service of G-d. That is, when all
ten soul powers include and branch off
into ten, the aggregate of which is, of
course, 100.
20 years is the age when the
avoda as an adult begins. An adult, a
gadol, is one who possesses mochin
dgadlus, a mature and developed mind.
(Although Torah recognizes various
stages of a minor, true adulthood begins
at age 20.) It is for this reason that one
who has not reached the age of 20 may
not be involved in the sale of the estate
of his father. Also, the Alter Rebbe rules
in Laws of Torah Study that by the age
of twenty one has attained (not only
five years of Mikra, Scripture, and five
years of Mishna, but also) five years of
Talmud, and then it is time to pursue a
livelihood (at age twenty, one pursues
Avos Ch. 5, end).
The reason for this law that a
twenty-year-old must pursue a material
livelihood is because that is the case
with regard to a spiritual livelihood (as
stated several times that the laws in the
revealed, legalistic dimension of Torah

derive from the inner dimension of

Torah). Indeed, Chassidus explains that
since the soul yearns for the spark of
holiness found in food [for example],
the body also becomes desirous of food.
And 7 years is the beginning of
the age of education.
In light of the above we can explain
the teaching that Sara at 100 was like
a 20-year-oldand at 20 she was like a
girl of 7: In order to achieve the perfect
avoda of a hundred years in a manner
of Sara at 100 was like a 20-year-old
that even at the final stage of avoda
it should be without sin just as at the
beginning of the avoda there must be
at 20 she was like a girl of 7. That is,
even at the age of 20, when one attains
mochin dgadlus, one should not have
his own opinions. Rather, he should
behave like a seven-year-old, one who
has no opinions of his own; he merely
does as told.
Even a twenty-year-old, who has
(or at least ought to have, and therefore
thinks he has) mochin dgadlus, should
not make his own pathways. Each
person must accept upon himself
according to his own reckoning
something that the Rebbe used to
demand of him, and he must fulfill that
and complete that mission.
(From the address of Shabbos Parshas
Chayei Sara, Mevarchim HaChodesh Kislev
5711; Toras Menachem 5711, pg. 94-95)

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OBITUARY
The Rebbe once extolled R Zalman Serebryanski
who founded the Chabad mosdos in Melbourne
and added a rare line about his son, R Chaim,
He is one in a million! * With such an unusual
description from the Rebbe, even a million words
would not suffice to describe the multifaceted
character of a Chassid who engaged in global
business deals, but was not immersed in material
matters at all. He was a Chassid who, upon the
Rebbes instructions, was in business most of
the day, but his head was in the hundreds of
Maamarei Chassidus and tractates of Gemara
that he knew by heart. He was a Chassid whose
entire life was devoted to others welfare while
also knowing how to stand firmly when necessary
when it came to advancing the Rebbes agendas.
* Part 1 of the life of R Chaim Serebryanski ah.
By Avrohom Rainitz

ONE IN

A MILLION
R

Chaim Serebryanski
was the oldest son of
R Yehoshua Shneur
Zalman, one of the
distinguished Chabad Chassidim in

Charkov and director of the secret

yeshiva in that city. His mother,
Bracha, was the older sister of the
mashpia, R Mendel Futerfas.
R Chaim was born about a

year after their marriage, in the

summer of 1929. His father,
who wanted to instill in his son
a warm, Chassidishe spirit that
would immunize him against the

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communist heresy in the street,

took his son to shul when he
turned three. Every Shabbos,
the two of them would walk half
an hour from their home to the
shul, where Chaim absorbed the
special, Chassidishe atmosphere
at farbrengens with R Avrohom
Boruch Pevsner and R Itche der
Masmid.
When he reached of the age
of chinuch, his father hired a
Chassidic melamed who taught
him al taharas hakodesh.
When he turned eight and the
law was that he had to attend

public school where atheism

prevailed, R Zalman was afraid
the neighbors would notice that
his son wasnt going. He came
up with this idea: every morning,
when all the neighborhood
children would go to school,
little Chaim would also leave the
house with his briefcase in hand,
but instead of going to school,
he went to his Jewish teacher
whom his father had hired. The
neighborhood children noticed
that Chaim did not arrive at
school, but despite the rampant
tattling in Russia of that time

they did not report him.

This
arrangement
lasted
for three years until a fervent
communist moved into the
building. As soon as she heard
about the neighbors son who did
not go to school, she reported R
Zalman to the KGB.
Once the government knew,
R Zalman had no choice but to
send Chaim to public school.
If he had insisted on keeping
his son home, Chaim could
have been forcibly taken by the
authorities to a government-

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Obituary

R Yehoshua Shneur Zalman Serebryanski

with his sons, R Chaim (right) and R Aharon (left)

His father, who wanted to instill in him a warm,

Chassidishe spirit that would immunize him
against the communist heresy in the street, began taking
him to shul when he turned three. Every Shabbos, the
two of them would walk half an hour from their home to
the shul.
run orphanage where he would
have been indoctrinated in
communist ideology. To offset
the
communist
propaganda
in school, R Zalman instilled
in his son a strong spirit of
faith, Chassidus, and fear of
Heaven. With various excuses,
he managed not to send him to
school on Shabbos for a year.
After a year of missing school
on Shabbos, the administrators
realized it was for religious
reasons, which was unacceptable
by Soviet law. One Shabbos,
they went to R Zalmans house
and warned him that if Chaim
continued to miss school on
Saturdays because of religious
reasons, they would be forced to
report him to the government.
R Zalman somehow excused

himself and said he would take

care of things for the next school
year.
World War II, which swept
Russia up into a bloody whirlpool
at the beginning of the summer
of 1941, made it unnecessary to
deal with the school on Shabbos
problem. School did not begin,
and after a short while R Zalman
had to flee Charkov with his
family in fear of the approaching
front.

ESCAPE FROM THE

HOSPITAL
By Rosh HaShana 5702, news
came of the Germans advance on
Charkov. R Zalman could not
flee the city since he was drafted,
but because he was drafted his

family was able to board one of

the trains leaving the city for free.
The family traveled to the interior
of the country, far from the front
lines.
Their journey took weeks
until they finally arrived in
Samarkand. Shortly after the
holidays, Chaim became sick
with a severe case of pneumonia
that attacked both lungs and he
was taken to the hospital. Young
Chaim saw the people around
him dying like flies. So many
died that the hospital staff had
no time to bury them all and the
stench of the bodies wafted in the
air. He knew that if he wanted
to live, he had to get out of there
quickly, but due to his high
temperature the doctors refused
to release him.
So he came up with a plan.
When the nurses came to take
his temperature, he put the
thermometer under the blanket
and shook it until it went down.
Then he gave it back to the
nurse. After a few times when he
returned the thermometer with
an acceptable temperature, the
doctors agreed to release him.
He happily returned home where
his family devotedly cared for him
until he miraculously recovered.
After a few months, his father
arrived in Samarkand, but due to
a lung ailment, he was unable to
work. Having no other choice,
Chaim tried his hand at business.
Even during those difficult
times, Chaim was particular
about learning Torah. He would
get up at six in the morning and
learn Gemara with his neighbor,
R Eliyahu Chaim Roitblatt. At
this early time of morning it was
so cold that the water he had
prepared near his bed for negel
vasser was frozen, but nothing
stopped them from learning by
candlelight.
After his father recovered and

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began working, he sent Chaim to

learn in the Talmud Torah which
had been opened in Samarkand.
At first, Chaim learned
in the Talmud Torah with R
Roitblatt and R Moshe Robinson
(Krolevetser). Then he went to
yeshiva where he learned Nigleh
with R Zalman Shimon Dworkin
and R Avrohom Eliyahu Plotkin,
and Chassidus with the mashpia,
R Nissan Nemanov.
R Chaim was immersed in
Chassidus from his childhood.
With the encouragement of
his uncle, R Mendel Futerfas,
he learned the first thirty two
chapters of Tanya by heart by his
bar mitzva. After his bar mitzva,
he completed all 53 chapters of
Tanya. Later, he also learned
Shaar HaYichud VHaEmuna,
Igeres HaTshuva and much of
the Igeres HaKodesh.
Many
years later, on one of his visits to
Eretz Yisroel, R Mendel asked
him whether he still remembered
the chapters of Tanya. R Chaim
said, What do you think I do all
those hours on the plane?
While learning in yeshiva,
he began learning Maamarei
Chassidus by heart. His friend,
R Mendel Aronov, said that after
he learned the entire Thursday
night, as was customary among
the Chassidishe bachurim, he
would go and rest on Friday
afternoon but would not sleep;
he would just rest and review
Chassidus.
His grandmother
Mariasha would sometimes say
to him, Chaim, say Chassidus!
And R Chaim would repeat a
maamer by heart.

LEAVING
ON THE LAST TRAIN
At the end of the war, in
1945, an agreement was made
between the governments of
Poland and Russia whereby all

Young Chaim (left) with his brother and sister in a picture taken in Charkov

Polish citizens who fled to Russia

during the war could return to
their homeland. This agreement
enabled
Chabad
Chassidim
to leave Russia after forging
documents which testified to
their Polish citizenship.
His father, Zalman, joined
the special committee formed to
arrange the mass escape, which
was run by R Leibel Mochkin,
and was appointed the treasurer.
When
necessary,
young
Chaim volunteered to carry out
missions for the vaad. He was 17
and required an ID with a picture.
However, he only carried the ID
of someone else in his pocket, of
a 14 year old, and walking the
streets was dangerous for him.
Several times, policemen stopped
him and asked to see his papers
and he was saved from them only
by a miracle.
In the course of his missions,
he met with Polish citizens in
bars where he got their Polish
documents.
In exchange, he
gave them money he received
from the vaad.
He would often go to R
Mendel Garelik who was an

expert at forging documents,

and would give him the papers
to forge. Rabbanei Anash who
considered this work hatzolas
nefashos (saving lives) permitted
those involved to work on
Shabbos too, when necessary.
There were times that Chaim
carried documents on Shabbos.
According to the instructions of
the rabbanim, he would put the
papers under his cap so he would
be carrying them with a shinui
(not the usual way).
R Zalman and his family left
with the last organized group
that managed to leave Russia
for Poland, on 9 Teves 5707.
According to the original plan,
Chaim was not supposed to go
with his family then but only
on the next train. By Divine
Providence, he saw an old
Chassid who had a hard time
dragging his suitcases to the
train; he helped him and went
into the train with him. As he
helped the old man get settled
in the car, the whistle sounded
and the train began to move.
Chaim remained on the train,
not realizing that this is what

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Obituary

A letter from the Rebbe Rayatz

before they left for Australia

set him free, since the group of

Chassidim he was supposed to
go with on the next train were
caught while crossing the border
and were sent to prison for years.

YOU HAVE PULL IN

HEAVEN
After much wandering, Chaim
and his brother Aharon arrived at
the yeshiva in Brunoy. Chaim
was known as a big masmid and
was a close disciple of R Nissan
Nemanov. Back in Samarkand
he had learned dozens of
maamarim by heart and had
grown accustomed to davening at
length amid deep contemplation
on maamarei Chassidus.
He
also put his all into Nigleh and
learned with great diligence.
His love for learning made
him forget to take care of his
bodily needs, and he hardly ate

R Chaim Serebryanski (right) and his brother R Aharon in a

picture taken shortly after they left Russia

or slept. If that wasnt

enough, at farbrengens that took
place in the yeshiva he would
take a lot of mashke which did
not help his already compromised
health.
His thin body did not bear
the burden he put on it and one
day Chaim lost sensation in his
hands. A few hours later, he lost
sensation in his feet and could
not walk, and it was also hard for
him to speak. He felt paralyzed.
Of course, he was immediately
taken to the hospital. The doctors
were in agreement that his body
systems had broken down due to
his terrible eating and sleeping
habits, and they were unable
to improve his condition. The
heads of the Joint in Paris, who
felt responsible for the refugees,
brought him the best doctors, but
to no avail.
R Zalman sent a letter to the

Rebbe Rayatz and asked for his

bracha and within a short time
he received a letter in return with
blessings for a complete recovery.
Some months went by without
any improvement and R Zalman
sent the Rebbe another letter with
another request for a bracha.
This time, the Rebbe wrote they
should look for good doctors and
there would be a refua shleima.
All this time, Chaim was in
bed, almost completely paralyzed.
R Zalman wrote to the Rebbe
again and said the doctors were
unable to heal his son and he
asked the Rebbe to bless him with
a refua shleima without doctors.
The Rebbes answer was: It says
in the Torah vrapo yirapeh.
And since the Torah says to
consult with a doctor, when they
would go to doctors again, there
would be a refua shleima.
When R Nissan Nemanov

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R Chaim Serebryanski receiving kos shel bracha from the Rebbe

saw the Rebbes answer, he

said emotionally to R Zalman,
You have a clear promise from
the Rebbe that there will be a
complete recovery! You just need
to make a vessel for it by bringing
a top doctor. A top doctor was
brought and after visiting Chaim
over several days, and bringing
a number of medications, the
miracle happened and Chaims
body began to recover. The
doctor, who was very surprised
by the speed of the recovery, said
in amazement: You have great
pull in Heaven!
R Zalman quickly informed
the Rebbe that Chaim was out of
danger. In the following months
Chaims body recovered. For a
long time he still had to lie in bed
and regain his strength. He was
unable to concentrate on learning
as he had been used to doing
until then, and could not learn

Many years later, on one of his visits to Eretz

Yisroel, R Mendel asked him whether he still
remembered the chapters of Tanya. R Chaim said,
What do you think I do all those hours on the plane?

more than ten minutes in depth.

Most hours of the day he spent
in bed. Now and then he would
learn lgirsa (simple textual
study), Gemara or Maamarei
Chassidus.
It was only at the end of Sivan
5709 that Chaim was able to
write a letter himself to the Rebbe
about the improvement in his
health.

THE TRIP TO AUSTRALIA

In the summer of 1949, the
Serebryanski family immigrated

to Australia after receiving a letter

from the Rebbe Rayatz dated
7 Tammuz 5709. Chaim, who
was learning in Brunoy, at first
wanted to remain in yeshiva and
then go with his friends to learn
in 770, but since the Rebbes
letter referred to R Zalmans
traveling with his family, his sons
and daughter, Chaim understood
that the Rebbe wanted him to
join his family.
Upon arriving in Australia,
they received a letter from the
Rebbe with guidance for the
future. As for Chaim, who was

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Obituary
weak and could not concentrate
on his learning all day, the Rebbe
wrote: It is correct that your son
Chaim is involved in the farming
work, but every day he should
have set times for learning.

HIS BODY IN THE FIELD

AND HIS SOUL IN BEIS
CHAYEINU
Chaim, who worked in the
wheat fields, had set times to
learn in the morning and evening.
During those times he would go
to yeshiva and learn.
During working hours too,
he used every free minute for
learning. During the lunch break
which lasted an hour, he finished
his meal in twenty minutes and
the rest of the time he learned
Nach
with
the
Metzudas
commentary. After two years, he
finished all of Nach in depth.
From his friends in America
he heard about the Rebbes
instructions
about
hafatzas
hamaayanos,
including
arranging Mesibos Shabbos with
children.
Every Shabbos, he
would gather children together
and read to them from The
Lubavitcher Rebbes Memoirs,
which had just arrived in
Australia.
Since Yud Shevat, Chaim had
gotten frequent reports about
the goings-on at Beis Chayeinu.
His friends, R Yosef Reitzes,
R Dovid Raskin, and R Moshe
Levertov, wrote to him in detail
about what was happening in 770
and activities of the Chassidim to
crown the Rebbe MHM as the
seventh Admur of Lubavitch.
His frequent correspondence
with his friends in New York
aroused his longing to learn
in Tomchei Tmimim and a
tremendous desire to be with the
Rebbe MHM in Beis Chayeinu.
He asked his father to ask the

Rebbe in his letters whether his

son could travel to Beis Chayeinu.
R Zalman received a long
response dated 8 Elul 5710 in
which he referred to his fatherin-law agreeing that Chaim
spend part of his time in the
garden, because of his health.
As for Chaim and his father
feeling bad that he wasnt with
his friends and learning in
yeshiva, the Rebbe said that he
should continue doing what he
was doing until Yud Shevat. The
Rebbe said he should explain
to his son as well as to himself
that they were feeling aggravated
for nothing, since the Gemara
says (and its quoted in Igeres
HaKodesh Chapter 22), that a
person doesnt know how he
will earn his money etc. and
when the kingdom of Dovid will
be restored. The Alter Rebbe
says that this also refers to
earning a spiritual livelihood.
Consequently, if the Rebbe
Rayatz told him where his
spiritual parnasa lay, surely this
was the best place for the soul
and the health of the body.
When he first read the letter,
Chaims heart sank. He so badly
wanted to leave working the
earth and get back to learning
like bachurim his age who were
learning in 770.
He found
it hard to digest the idea that
he had to continue working.
However, after reading the
Rebbes letter again and again, he
realized that he was in an unusual
situation and it was specifically
by continuing his work that he
would be carrying out the Divine
Will. What made it easier for
him to reconcile himself to his
new situation was the fact that
the Rebbe limited his instruction
until Yud Shevat. He hoped that
after Yud Shevat he would finally
be able to go to the Rebbe.

SHLICHUS AS PER THE

REBBES WILL
On 11 Shevat 5711, the
Rebbe accepted the Chabad
leadership and the good news
spread to wherever Anash lived.
Chaims friends in 770 sent him
letters with excited descriptions
of the tremendous giluyim they
had merited to see at that time
and once again Chaim yearned to
leave farming for 770.
Chaim sent a letter, full of
emotion, in which he expressed
his powerful yearning to travel to
the Rebbe and return to learning
in Tomchei Tmimim. He did not
suffice with a letter, but also sent
letters to his friends and asked
them to present his case to the
Rebbe when they had yechidus.
The Rebbe heard their request
and responded neutrally, In a
gutten oifen (in a good manner),
but said nothing more. Chaim
also asked his uncle, R Bentzion
Shemtov, to mention him to the
Rebbe when he had yechidus.
On 22 Iyar 5711, Chaim
received a letter with the Rebbes
unequivocal answer, In my
opinion, it is not worthwhile to
rush this; rather, continue your
work in the garden or other
physical labor, and in your free
time have set times for Torah,
to learn on your own and to
also try to spread Torah in your
environment, for we dont know
which is greater, whether to be
in an environment of Chassidim
and absorb internally or to
fulfill the mission of spreading
the wellsprings outward, even
though it seems as though this
diminishes from your knowledge
of Torah or conduct in the ways
of Chassidus and Chassidim.
The Rebbe told him not to,
G-d forbid, despair of traveling
to New York, but for the time
being, to take part in developing

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the yeshiva in Australia.

The Rebbes letter, and the
sicha the Rebbe enclosed, served
to put me in the right place as far
as his holy will, recalls R Chaim.
The Rebbe was able to get me
to understand that fulfilling the
Rebbes will was greater than
what I wanted.
At the same time, the Rebbe
did not discourage him from
continuing to yearn to leave
his physical labor and return to
yeshiva. He just said it wasnt
the time for it yet. R Chaim
continued working, and although
his body was in the field, his heart
was far away in the yeshiva and
the corridors of Beis Chayeinu
(770). Through the detailed
letters that he received from
friends, he was able to experience
what was going on in 770.
During that time of longing,
he recalled something his
maternal grandmother Mariasha
(also the mother of Reb Mendel
Futerfas) said. When they were
in Paris after his illness, she told
Chaim, It is better that you
dont learn now and have a great
desire to go back to learn, then to
continue learning now for several
years and then lose your desire to
learn.
From time to time, R Chaim
wrote to the Rebbe about his
desire to travel to New York,
but he did not receive a positive
answer. It was only before Pesach
5718/1958 that the Rebbe finally
gave his consent.

For we dont know which is greater, whether

to be in an environment of Chassidim and
absorb internally or to fulfill the mission of spreading the
wellsprings outward, even though it seems as though this
diminishes from your knowledge of Torah or conduct in
the ways of Chassidus and Chassidim.

To be continued, G-d willing

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GEULA THOUGHT

KINDLING OF SOULS
A point from the weekly Dvar Malchus
for BHaaloscha with a relevant message.
* How to get our mekuravim to ignite the
spark in others.
By Aryeh Kirschnzaft

he
following
story
happened a number of
years ago at a Chabad
house a short drive away
from 770. The local shliach asked
one of the bachurim on Kvutza to
give a shiur at the Chabad house
on inyanei Moshiach and Geula.
The bachur, who was used to
giving shiurim, showed up at the
designated time and was happy to
see the place full of mekuravim.
His
shiur
would
certainly
contribute plenty to their kiruv, he
thought.
The shiur began with the
signs of Moshiach as the
Rambam
enumerates
them.
The mekuravim sat politely
and it looked as though they

were following everything he

said. Since no questions were
asked, the bachur went on to
the next stage and began being
mekarev them in earnest. He
even told his audience that there
is a later stage in the Geula in
which the redeemer is called a
Moshiach vadai (definitely
Moshiach). After explaining this,
he concluded that the Rebbe is
Moshiach in accordance with
all the halachic designations
that appear in the Rambam
about one who is bchezkas
Moshiach (legally assumed to
be Moshiach), and expressing his
anticipation for the Moshiach
vadai stage.
A hand was waved in the air

by one of the mekuravim to the

Chabad house. The hair down to
his shoulders, his rough hands,
his sturdy build and his overall
appearance made one think he
worked in unloading trucks or
some such work. The bachur
figured the question might be
something along the lines of
who was the Rambam, but he
responded politely, Yes, what is
your question?
Excuse me, for who am I to
disagree with you, but I dont see
it as you do. I understood from
Rabbi Yehuda that the Rebbe
already began the Moshiach
vadai stage! The emigration
from Russia was the start of the
ingathering of the exiles and in
Chayei Sarah the Rebbe said
Moshiach had already been
victorious in a number of areas
and there was even the building
of the Mikdash in its place in
the place of Moshiach in exile ...
***
The flame going up of its
own accord means that the
mekurav rises to the level of the
mashpia and reaches a point
where he no longer needs the
mashpia. True, as these lines
are written, Moshiach vadai is
still not complete as it will be in
the true and complete Geula, but
this incident expresses the idea
of rising up of its own accord.
Fortunate is the shliach who has
such mekuravim and fortunate is
the king who has such shluchim!
***
The secret of successful
ignition begins by looking at the
one being lit in the right way.
Our natural tendency is to relate
to the body, to externals, and to

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all of reality around us as lowly

things that we need to bend
down to and pick up. The Rebbe
objected to the term kiruv
rechokim. In the Rebbes Geula
perspective, everyone is close and
no one is distant; we just need to
reveal this.
The
one
lighting
the
lights has the privilege and
responsibility of lighting properly.
When the approach to igniting is
to go to the one who is in a low
place and pick him up, he will
never succeed in truly raising him
up so that he is like the one who
is elevated.
When the approach is
he is the mekurav and I
am the mekarev, that he
is the mushpa and I am
the mashpia, that he is the
student and I am the teacher,
i.e. that he is low and I am
elevated, he will never manage
to stand on his own feet. He will

always need the strength of the

higher one to pull him up.
In the Dvar Malchus for
BHaaloscha,
the
greatest
teacher of all guides us to look
at the world as he does, and to
discover the secret of ignition.
Everyone is elevated! The child,
the student, the mekurav are not
in a low place, G-d forbid. Each
one of them contains everything;
it just needs to be revealed.
***
A successful shliach is one
who looks at his mekuravim as
close from the outset (this also
explains why the shliach reveals
all the inside secrets.
Its
because he has no reason to keep
anything to himself in order to
remain above). Good parents
also do not consider themselves
above and better than their
children.
Only a shliach who views
every Jew as someone who can

receive all the lights and treats

him as an equal, only a parent
who believes that his child can
rise above all hardships because
he has what it takes, only a
teacher who is confident that
every child is really good only
they can successfully raise up
their mushpaim, setting them on
their feet in a way of rising up of
their own accord, and enabling
them to become (at least) like
them.
Our generation, which is
lower than all the previous
generations, has the ability
to bring the Geula for all
generations. May we view every
Jew as the Aharon HaKohen of
our generation looks at every
Jew and may we succeed in
illuminating ourselves and the
world so that the entire world will
be lit up with the light of the true
and complete Geula in a way of
rising up of its own accord!

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STORY

DIVINE
DELIVERANCE
By Shneur Eliass

PART I
Wherever we go, when people
hear our name, they immediately
ask, Are you the one with the
accident? And then they ask us
to tell the story.
For a long time Ive wanted
to write out the story with all the
details so everyone would know
the great power of the Rebbe
MHM.
As the Rebbe said,
publicizing miracles is something
that pertains to bringing the
Geula. But each time I wanted to
do it, it got postponed for various
reasons.
Finally, eight years after
the accident [at the time of this
writing], I feel there is no better
time to publicize the miracles we
experienced, considering that
eight represents the supernatural
which so characterizes what
happened to us.
When I
researched some of the details, I
discovered important points that
were not known to me previously.

PART II
Tuesday, 8 Nissan 5757

There was a Kinus for

Kabbalas
Pnei
Moshiach
Tzidkeinu at the Binyanei
HaUmah, in honor of the
Rebbes birthday. In our family,
when it comes to gatherings like
this, we all go, even though we
live in Tzfas.
The time was 12:00 midnight.
The Kinus had been a success
and everyone left encouraged
and confident that the Rebbes
hisgalus is imminent. My father,
mother, and four children, as
well as someone who asked for a
ride, drove in the family car. The
rest of the children and I (I was
11 at the time) went on the bus
of Anash.
2:30
Darkness
shrouded
the
winding roads that lead up to the
holy city of Tzfas. Utter silence.
On the side of the road is a deep
abyss. Every so often the shadow
of a side of a mountain is seen
from the highway which passes
through it. It seemed as though
only our swiftly driving family car
was on the road. Occasionally,
the car would accelerate and

surge forward, only to quickly

be swallowed up in the darkness.
All the passengers dozed off and
unfortunately, in the calm and
quiet, the driver began to join
them.
The vehicle continued to plow
forward with only the headlights
shining any light. Boom!
The car veered from the road
and crashed into a huge boulder.
It turned over twice and banged
up against the electric pole and
finally turned back onto the
wheels. Under the backseat a
huge boulder poked through the
floor of the vehicle.
Shock. Nobody made a peep.
A long silence.
Then suddenly, screaming
from all sides. Nobody had any
idea what happened. The doors
of the car popped open and the
children were thrown out. Some
of them had their feet caught in
the front seat.
The first to extricate himself
was Daniel Cohen, the guest
passenger. He shouted, We
were
miraculously
saved.

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Hashem saved us! Boruch

Hashem, we are alive!
The children, some of them
with their upper bodies sprawled
on the ground while their feet
were caught in the vehicle, began
to shout, Ima, Ima! My foot! My
hand! My shoulder!
Ima (my mother), whom we
later found out had injured her
left hand, could not move her
arm. Her head was bleeding.
She had sustained a strong blow
from the force of the vehicle
against the rock and she was
having difficulty breathing and
saying anything.
Ima, who just a few minutes
before was resting peacefully
with the eight month old baby on
her lap, Malki-Tzedek Yizrach,
suddenly screamed, Wheres
the baby? Daniel, what are you
shouting about what miracle
happened?
The baby had disappeared.
Ima tried to locate him under
the seats but was unsuccessful.
The blanket under which the
baby had been napping was on

the side, but the baby was gone!

Menachem Mendel, who had
a head injury and had broken his
shoulder, emotionally recounted
what happened:
I was in the middle of a
dream and I woke in a fright and
did not know where we were. All
around me were blood and glass.
We had all flown out of the car
and I think only Ima remained
inside. The rear of the car was
raised up high and the front
twisted downward. So the car
was on a slant. My head was on
the ground and my feet were in
the car, caught in the door. I was
full of blood.
Noam, the oldest, whose foot
was also caught in the door, kept
screaming and pleading to be
freed.
Ima somehow managed to
get out of the left side while
unceasingly
screaming
for
the baby. While trying to get
the children out, she noticed
something on the road in the
dark about five meters away.
I dont even know why I was
looking there, she recalls. She

went over to look and her heart

skipped a beat. Here he is!
Ima found the baby sprawled
on the road with blood dripping
from his head. Apparently, he
had flown out of the window as
the car turned over. She was
afraid to pick him up. He was
like a rag doll with his head
leaning back.
He looked
G-d forbid The baby wasnt
breathing!
By divine providence, a few
months before, in her work as a
preschool teacher, she had taken
a first aid course. She explained
with tears in her eyes, My arm
was injured and I couldnt move
it. My palm was broken and I
was having difficulty breathing.
A lot of blood was coming from
my forehead and I could barely
pick up the baby with one hand.
I felt as though I was in the
middle of a war zone.
Ima did mouth-to-mouth
resuscitation on him with
difficulty and the baby began to
cry. Then she realized hed be
okay, as far as she knew.
Daniel Cohen got the kids
out and kept on saying, Boruch
Hashem, we were miraculously
saved, we are fine.
In the meantime, the family
(those who were able) went to see
how the driver, my father, was
doing. The roof of the car had
split into two on his head. Ima
screamed, Yaakov! Yaakov! but
he did not respond, only snoring
sounds could be heard which we
later found out was due to lack of
oxygen.
Let him sleep, hes tired,
said Daniel in his confusion.
Two minutes later a semitrailer came flying down the
road and rode over the very spot
where the eight month old baby
had been lying.
At that time, I did not make

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Story
the connection and did not
realize the miracle. I only saw
puddles of blood everywhere,
Ima recalls.
A few cars went by and Ima
held out her hand and motioned
for help. Nobody stopped; they
all drove by.
Ima relates:
I called Leah Tzik, the wife
of R Zimroni Tzik of Bat Yam
and told her that everyone is
alive. I didnt know how my
husband was since he did not
respond.
After only a few minutes
which seemed like forever, two
cars stopped and they began
helping out. Ima, despite her
serious injury and one shattered

the front of the car, covered with

blood.
Then he realized that the car
belonged to the Eliass family
and its condition did not bode
well. Its Yaakov! he said in a
fright. I cant believe it he
couldnt possibly have gotten out
alive. Meir got out of his car
and rushed to lend a hand. He
went over to where Abba was
sitting and with great effort tried
to lift the roof a little, which was
pressing down on my fathers
head. He was not successful.
It took a long time until an
ambulance finally arrived. Just
then, Ima collapsed. I fainted,
she recalled. I felt that now
someone had come who would

I had no idea what this meant until a friend said

it referred to childrens rallies. We made some
rallies until we had given out the first 1000 wafers. After
that, my husband was released from Rambam Hospital
and was sent for rehab to Beit Levinstein. We continued
with the rallies and gave out another 1000 wafers and he
was then released from Levinstein.

hand, was also involved in

treating the wounded with
superhuman strength.
A quarter of an hour later
Meirs car passed by. He is a
resident of Kiryat Chabad in
Tzfas and he had my brother
Levi Yitzchok with him. They
were both coming back from
the same Kinus in Yerushalayim.
When they drove by and saw
the accident, they had a strange
feeling. It seemed to Meir that
he recognized the car. He took a
better look, trying to remember,
and then, to his consternation,
he saw a picture of the Rebbe on

take over.
They took them all in the
ambulance to the hospital in
Teveria with Meir driving behind
them. After removing shards
of glass, putting in stitches
and setting the many fractures,
they were sent to different
departments.
Levi Yitzchok relates:
In the middle of a good
sleep, Meir suddenly screamed,
Get up, get up, your father did
a somersault! I woke up and
thought he was kidding. It took
a minute until I was fully awake

and could see where the accident

took place and whose car it was.
Meir and I went to the hospital.
When we got there, the doctors
asked me, Are you the son of the
critically wounded man? When I
said I was, they shook their heads
pityingly.
That same night, they
transferred Abba to Rambam
Hospital in Haifa. Meir took me
there. When we arrived at the
emergency room, Meir asked one
of the doctors how my father was
doing. He still has a chance,
said the doctor frankly. I cant
begin to describe how I felt.

PART III
We, the children and I who
went by bus, arrived in Tzfas
toward morning. On the way
home I had a premonition;
something was bothering me and
I did not know what. I thought
about the family members who
had gone by car and hoped that
all was well. I reassured myself
with the thought that emissaries
to do a mitzva are not harmed,
not when they go and not when
they return, so there was nothing
to fear. I arrived home feeling
confident.
We got ready to go to sleep
and only a few minutes later
the phone rang. It was Noam,
my brother. Abba was in an
accident; say Thillim, he said
tearfully.
My older sister, Bat-Or
Chana got us all to sit down
and we began saying Thillim. I
was a young boy and I thought,
accident? Probably a scratch on
the car. It cant be serious. I
joined them for some chapters of
Thillim and then went to sleep. I
would probably see them the next
day.
A
bitter
disappointment
awaited me the next day. The

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house was silent. They had not

come. Everyone was asleep, i.e.
half the family. The other beds
were empty. I felt that something
terrible had happened.
The ringing of the phone
broke the frightening silence and
gave me no time to think.
Hello, this is Mendel Komer.
Id like to know the names of the
passengers.
I told him the names and he
said, Your father and the baby
are in Rambam, right?
I dont know, I said.
Okay, thanks, besuros tovos
and refua shleima.
When I heard Rambam I
realized something was amiss.
Why wasnt Abba with the
others? And where were the
others anyway? What happened?
Subconsciously I remembered
that Rambam Hospital meant
this was no simple matter.
The phone kept ringing.
Everyone was calling and offering
their help.
I went to the hospital with the
worker who worked in Abbas
store. A bachur came toward
us and led us to the ICU. The
room was closed.
I visited
my eight month old brother,
Malki-Tzedek. He had gotten a
concussion from the force of his
head hitting the cement. There
was nothing I could do there. I
went back to Abba.
Abba had a seven hour
operation to straighten out his
jaw, my uncle told me.
When nobody was paying
attention, I opened the door and
walked in. I saw him his face
was swollen, his eyes closed,
his body connected to many
machines. He looked awful. I
hadnt dreamed of his being in
such a terrible state.
I went outside and burst into
tears. I cried loudly, crying out

to Hashem, Why? You must

save him! My whole body shook.
It took a long time for me to
calm down, though I felt that my
tears had not been in vain. You
cannot always cry in sincerity,
from the depths of your heart.
But when it happens, it rents the
heavens. As I know now.

PART IV
News about the accident
shook up everyone in Kiryat
Chabad in Tzfas.
Although
Pesach was approaching, with all
that entails, many people offered
help and were there at our sides.
Many people visited the
hospital in Teveria and brought
treats, food, whatever was
needed.
This was a demonstration
of true Ahavas Yisroel. A level of
unity among Chassidim in a way
we hadnt seen before. So much
help, the main thing being to
keep up our spirits in this difficult
time, says Ima.
Wherever
people
heard
about the accident, they said
Thillim. Many of Anash made
good hachlatos and many added
in Torah and mitzvos. In Kiryat
Chabad in Tzfas all the children
of Anash gathered to say Thillim,
and also at the gravesite of Rabbi
Shimon in Miron Thillim was
recited.
One day, remembered Ima,
one of Abbas good friends, a
shliach, said, I give all my merits
to him, he should just get better.
Another Chassid came to
our house and said to me, Over
time, due to my being so busy,
I stopped learning the daily
Rambam. I now commit myself
to learning it every day as a
zchus for Yaakovs recovery.
On Thursday, although the
injured still needed medical
treatment, they sent everyone

(but Abba and the baby) home.

Ima could only move her hands
and feet with difficulty.
On Sunday, my mother and
I and Levi Yitzchok went to visit
Abba in Rambam Hospital. We
heard they had removed him
from the ICU and his condition
had stabilized. When we arrived
at his room he was no longer
connected to machines, he
looked at us, but could not speak.
After what I had initially seen, I
felt greatly relieved, as opposed
to Ima and my brother who were
horrified to see him looking so
battered up.
Ima said, Before we went
into the room, they prepared
me. They said he did not look
that wonderful. We walked in
and I looked at him and didnt
recognize him. I was shocked.
R Moshe Bognim was standing
there. I had brought water from
the Rebbe with me and I asked
him to put some drops in Abbas
mouth and to smear it on his
body.
We went home and there was
nothing to do but say Thillim.
We hoped his condition would
improve and there would be good
news soon.
One day, it was decided
that a farbrengen would be held
for a refua shleima. The idea
was proposed to call it a seudas
hodaa, a thanksgiving meal,
which is usually made after a
full recovery. (R Elimelech of
Lizhensk is quoted as saying that
by making the seuda before the
salvation you cause the miracle to
occur as the verse says, sadeini
veevasheia.)
It was decided that we would
spend Pesach with relatives in Bat
Yam. Boruch Hashem, my baby
brothers condition miraculously
improved and by Erev Pesach
(just six days later) he was
released from the hospital.

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Story
Then we heard that Abbas
condition had worsened. It was
only then that we learned the
true extent of his injuries. Three
fractures in the skull and another
fracture in the base of the skull.
A severe case of pneumonia had
developed and they discovered
that the infection involved two

doctor-friend, I told her I had no

one.
Rebbetzin Ashkenazi spoke
to the famous Elimelech Firer
who is an expert on medicine
and doctors and upon consulting
with him it was decided to speak
to Dr. Teitelman, director of
the respiratory ICU at Rambam

When Abba went there after his accident, one of

the people, who was so moved to see him, said
that now he believes in Tchiyas HaMeisim (resurrection
of the dead)

dangerous strains. He had a

temperature of 105. The doctors
tried to stabilize him but were
unsuccessful.
R
Yaakov
Naki,
a
neighborhood rav in Hertzliya,
told me, When I went to visit
your father, I asked the doctor
for his prognosis. He said, I
dont think he will leave here
alive, but if he does, he will be a
vegetable. I said to him, Well
see ...
R Boruch Zotovski also
asked the doctor about Abbas
condition and was told, Theres
no chance hell get out of here
alive.
He will leave! he said firmly
to the doctor. Youll stay here.

PART V
Ima related, I spoke to
Rebbetzin Sima Ashkenazi, who
helped us a lot, and said, These
children need their father. Write
to the Rebbe and ask for a bracha
for us.
In the answer she opened to,
the Rebbe wrote, Ask the advice
of a doctor-friend and maven.
When she asked me for our

Hospital. The next day a meeting

was held between three directors
of departments to discuss
Abbas condition. Dr. Teitelman
examined the medical file and
said to his colleagues that he was
prepared to take the case.
He took Abba to his
department and said that the
treatment he had undergone until
now was extremely flawed. He
started a different treatment until
he managed to identify the type
of infection that was attacking
Abbas lungs.
That day, I told Rebbetzin
Ashkenazi about Dr. Teitelmans
decision to move Abba to his
department. The Rebbetzin was
taken aback. In the answer, the
Rebbe wrote, changing location,
changing mazal for good and
blessing. I did not understand it,
but now I do. They also added
the name Chaim to his name.
It was Motzaei Shvii shel
Pesach at two in the morning. I
was sleeping at home in Tzfas,
when I suddenly felt a powerful
sense of unease. I called Ima
and she was crying. I wanted
to ask her what happened but
she preempted me with, Pray

Shneur, say Thillim, I dont

know what to tell you. And she
hung up without another word.
I shuddered. I realized that
the situation was critical and
I burst into bitter sobs. I said
Thillim with tears and demanded
that Hashem heal my father. I
wrote to the Rebbe and opened
the Igros Kodesh where it said,
It should be a mofeis choteich
(a clear-cut demonstrative proof,
but can also be translated as a
clear-cut miracle) according
to all opinions so that even the
nations of the world concede.
Mrs. Tzik from Bat Yam also
asked the Rebbe for a bracha. In
the answer that she opened to,
the Rebbe wrote, A kosher and
happy Pesach in good health a
time of distress for Yaakov from
which he will be saved may the
tzara be transformed to tzohar.
She encouraged my mother,
With Hashems help, you will
see miracles and wonders.
Ima told about that horrible
night from her perspective:
On Motzaei Shvii shel
Pesach one of the doctors called
me and said in a quiet tone that
really cut deep, I am sorry to
tell you this but you and your
children should come and see
him; his hours are numbered.
It was horrific.
We all
sobbed and said Thillim. We
kept writing to the Rebbe and
opening to answers which said all
would be well, there was nothing
to worry about.
After such amazing answers
from the Rebbe, we tried to be
calm.

PART VI
From that difficult point on,
everything changed from one
extreme to another.
Abbas
health had reached a nadir and
then things began to turn.

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Abba with Malki-Tzedek

It all happened quickly,

said Ima. After a few days at
his bedside, he opened his eyes.
He said, What am I doing here?
Where is Abba? (referring to his
father who had died twelve years
before). Those were his first
words. After a pause he said,
We were in the middle of taking
a trip. Where did everybody
disappear to? Where are Dovid,
Meir and Savta?
Due to his head injury, and
his being unconscious, Abba
had no recollection of what had
happened. But one thing he
didnt forget: We were in the
middle of a trip. We stopped
for a short rest and then Abba
zl and all the uncles who are no
longer alive said to me, Come,
lets go on. When I woke up, I
had no idea where they had all
gone. It seems I made a detour
up above, he concluded in jolly
spirits.
When I heard the positive

developments,
every
prayer
became
that
much
more
meaningful and real.
Every
Modim was full of tremendous
thanks. I had gotten my father
back.
Ima adds this amazing story:
Erev Shvii shel Pesach, the
night before the crisis, my fatherin-law came to me in a dream and
said, 1000 wafers and another
1000 wafers and everything
will be fine! I had no idea what
this meant until a friend said it
referred to childrens rallies. We
made some childrens rallies until
we had given out the first 1000
wafers. After that, my husband
was released from Rambam
Hospital and was sent for rehab
to Beit Levinstein. We continued
with the rallies and gave out
another 1000 wafers and he was
then released from Levinstein.
And although when he left the
hospital we were told he would
need at least one full year of

rehab at Levinstein, he came

home in the middle of Sfiras
HaOmer!

PART VII
At Poriya Hospital I had
plenty of time to think, said
Ima. I began to discern all the
miracles Hashem had showered
us with.
I remembered that
before we left Yerushalayim,
someone asked me for the Chitas
which was always in our car, but
since we did not have another
Chitas, we denied his request. I
had no idea that our car did not
have a Chitas at all, since one of
the children who went on the bus
had taken it from our car.
It was only later that we
had the time to think through all
the many miracles that we had
experienced: A big truck passed
by where the baby had been
sprawled two minutes earlier,
and how was it that I had seen

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Story
the baby? Noam yelled that his
foot was stuck which seemed bad
at first, but its what got me to try
and go to him and thats when
I noticed the baby. Till today, I
dont understand how I saw the
baby when he was at a distance
and it was pitch black!
The miracles began from
the first moment, when the car
turned over twice and ended up
back on its wheels. What would
have happened if it had remained
upside-down? Everyone would
have been stuck and unable to get
out, not to mention the possibility
of a fire in the gas tank which
happens often.
Abba also pointed out that it
was divine providence that he
drove while wearing a hat. The
doctor said the hat is what saved
him when the roof of the car
pressed on his head.
Abba said that at the time,
for some reason, we had no
medical insurance. Two days
before the accident he arranged
for insurance, so that the medical
expenses which amounted to
hundreds of thousands of dollars
were covered.

Previously, we lived in Kiryat

Bobov in Bat Yam where they
also said Thillim. When Abba
went there after his accident, one
of the people there, who was so
moved to see him, said that now
he believes in Tchiyas HaMeisim
(resurrection of the dead).
On Shabbos, 12 Tammuz,
a huge seudas hodaa took place
in Tzfas which was attended by
everybody in Kiryat Chabad.
With hearts full of joy and thanks
to Hashem, the story with all
the miracles and chassadim was
recounted.
In conclusion, Ima says,
Everything in the world teaches
us a lesson in avodas Hashem.
This story illustrates how the
supernatural prevails over nature.
Emuna, as it is in its source, is
implanted in a persons heart and
must remain above the limits of
intellect and govern the feelings
of the heart. The superficiality
which is always present does
not express the truth as it is; it
conceals the dimension of truth
from us.
We do not always understand
G-ds actions. They often arouse

complaints from us humans.

The situation sometimes looks
hopeless, but Chazal say, Even if
a sharp sword lies on a persons
neck, he should not give up hope
of mercy. Only after a crisis
has passed do you understand
or at least try to understand the
magnitude of the miracle.
Those hours, days and weeks
that we went through, have not
left us.
They are embedded
deeply in our souls. The past is
an inseparable part of the present
and the future. Wherever I turn,
without my digging into the past,
it will be with me and provide me
with a nonstop reminder of the
power of the omnipotent G-d,
which is not conditional and
before which all limitations are
as nothing. And its revelation in
this world is through true faith
which comes from deep in the
heart, even if sometimes it calls
forth from us tears and suffering.
However, in the end, it is worth
it.
Nevertheless, may we never
experience such things again!

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20 18 Sivan 5775

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PARSHA THOUGHT

THE
UNCOMPROMISED
LEADER
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

TURMOIL FOR YEHUDAH

In our Parsha this week,
the Torah describes the orderly
journeying of the Jewish people
in the desert organized by
tribe and regiment. When the
Torah describes the movement
of the tribe of Yehudah it uses
the Hebrew word vayisa. With
respect to all the other tribes,
the Torah uses the word vnasa.
While both words have the
same translation, they represent
different grammatical forms of
the Hebrew word for journey.
The question has been raised why
is the term vayisa used exclusively
for the camp of Yehudah?
Some
of
the
early
commentators
answer
this
question by observing that these
two words have significantly
different numerical values.
Baal HaTurim makes the
following
comment:
The
numerical difference between
the values of the words vnasa
and vayisa is 40. The numerical
value of the word vayisa, used
for the camp of Yehudah, was
40 less than that of vnasa. This
is to intimate that Yehudah, the
progenitor of the tribe bearing
his name, was lacking in his
journey. Yehudah had long
since passed away by the time
of the Exodus but his remains

were carried out of Egypt and

through the desert years. The
Talmud (Sota 7b) relates that
Yehudahs bones rattled around
in his coffin for 40 years because
of the promise Yehudah made to
his father Jacob: if Yehudah did
not bring Benjamin back to Jacob
from the brothers trip to Egypt
he would be excommunicated
forever. The mere fact that
he invoked the stigma of
excommunication on himself,
even though it was conditioned
on not returning Benjamin to
his father, meant that it could
not be revoked except by a duly
authorized tribunal of Sages.
As
a
result
of
his
excommunication,
Yehudahs
remains were constantly in a state
of turmoil until, as the Talmud
relates, at the end of 40 years,
Moses found justification for the
ban to be removed.
Why didnt Moses find
a
way
to
commute
the
excommunication
ban
on
Yehudah at an earlier point in the
40 years? Why did his body have
to go through the ignominy of
excommunication, even after his
passing, for an entire generation?

TRUE LEADERSHIP
The answer to this question
can perhaps be found in a simpler

explanation for the different

words chosen to describe their
journeying.
The term vnasa, used for
all the other camps, carries the
connotation that their traveling
was more passive. Whereas the
term vayisa used for the Camp
of Yehudah implies a more active
mode of travel.
Indeed, Yehudah was the first
camp to travel and to lead the
way. Even before the MishkanPortable Sanctuary made its first
move, the Camp of Yehudah
blazed the way. The Torah thus
uses the more active form vayisa,
whereas the other tribes/camps
followed, hence the passive form
of vnasa.
The Chassidic work Igra
dkalah cites the Zohar as a
source for the difference between
the yud in the word vayisa and
the nun of the word vnasa. The
yud is the letter of bestowing and
generating, hence leadership,
while the letter nun represents the
power of receiving and following.
By its choice of words, the Torah
indicates that Yehudah was the
ultimate leader.
There is a clear message in
this.
Yehudah was the tribe chosen
to lead all the others. Yehudah
was the progenitor of Kings
David and Solomon and the

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Story
source of the Davidic dynasty
of leaders, including Moshiach,
who, the Torah tells us, will be a
descendant of David. From the
very outset, it was Yehudah who
took responsibility for his brother
Benjamin, which corrected his
failure to save his brother Joseph.
Instead, Yehudah advised his

only was his body affected by his

self-excommunication; his soul
too was denied entry into the
Heavenly Academy. It was only
with Moses importuning that
Yehudahs soul was able to reach
its zenith and lead the way in the
Heavenly spheres.
For
Yehudah
to
be

Compromising our values is the root cause of

an exile existence. Compromise, complacency
and comfort are signs of immobility and stagnation.
They derive from a distorted picture of ones purpose
and capabilities, as well as a jaundiced and jaded image
of the worlds potential To reverse that situation,
ones eyes must be opened to see the unblemished
truth of existence that lies below surface appearances.
When we see the road ahead of us and the boundless
opportunities that are available to us, it will shake us out
of our state of complacency and ignite the spark in us to
seek unadulterated goodness and G-dliness.

brothers against killing Joseph

and urged that they sell him into
slavery. That act was unbecoming
of a true leader and was the key
transgression for which he had to
atone.

YEHUDAHS ATONEMENT
Yehudahs atonement was
partially achieved when he
undertook to bring Benjamin
home to his father. The
atonement was completed during
the 40 years that his body could
not achieve a state of rest and
peace. Only when his bodys
compromised
state
endured
for 40 years did the stain of his
misguided compromise leave
him.
The Talmud relates that not

rehabilitated
he
had
to
experience the devastating effects
that an ill-advised compromise
can have on both body and soul.

UNCOMPROMISED
LEADERSHIP
The above is particularly
relevant to our own day and age.
We Jews believe that Moshiach
is a human being of flesh and
blood, body and soul; he is a
scion of David and Yehudah.
Moshiachs uniqueness is that
he leads and cares for his people
unequivocally. Moreover, his
concern for the welfare of the
Jewish people extends both
to their bodies and souls. For
Moshiach, as for any true leader,
the other persons material needs

are his own spiritual needs.

Indeed, the Baal Shem Tovs
leadership was distinguished by
his devotion to the material needs
of the broken-spirited generation
in the aftermath of the horrible
pogroms of the 17th century
and the false Messiah, Shabbatai
Tzvi. The Jewish people were left
demoralized and devastated in
body and spirit by both of those
terrible events.
A true Jewish leader concerns
himself with the spiritual needs of
his flock as well as their material
needs. And in both areas he sees
no room for compromise, i.e., a
half-baked, temporary or BandAid solution. He seeks a total and
all-encompassing remedy for the
problems of the world.
Moshiach, the ultimate model
of leadership, cannot rest until
every Jew has all that he or she
needs materially and spiritually.
For Moshiach, batting .999 is not
enough. He wants everything for
his people and he wants it now!
Moshiachs
focus
goes
beyond his efforts for the Jewish
people. Moshiach sees the entire
world as his area of concern. The
Jewish belief in the Moshiach and
the Messianic Age he ushers in is
that it will bring universal peace.
Moreover, the entire worlds
population will be uplifted and
enjoy an unprecedented spiritual
epiphany that will last forever!
Even before the final Redemption
unfolds, Moshiach will reach
out to all of the nations of the
world and encourage them to
abide by the Seven Noachide
Commandments, which form the
bedrock of all civilized society.
However,
Moshiach
is
not just an individual leader.
According to the teachings of the
Baal Shem Tov, every one of us
possesses a spark of Moshiach.
When we ignite this spark it
awakens in us the realization that

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our mission is to bring perfection

to our lives and to the lives of
every person with whom we have
contact. There is no room for
compromise.
Yehudahs compromise, the
one by which Joseph was sold
into slavery, lead us to disaster.
This, our Sages tell us, was
the very cause of our Egyptian
bondage, which foreshadowed
all subsequent periods of exile
including our own. Compromise
thus is synonymous with exile.

THE THREE CS
The underlying message is
that compromising our values
and commitments is the root
cause of an exile existence.
Compromise, complacency and
comfort are signs of immobility
and stagnation. They derive
from a distorted picture of ones
purpose and capabilities, as well
as a jaundiced and jaded image
of the worlds potential.
To reverse that situation,
ones eyes must be opened to
see the unblemished truth of
existence that lies below surface
appearances.
When we see
the road ahead of us and the
boundless opportunities that are
available to us, it will shake us
out of our state of complacency
and ignite the spark in us to seek

unadulterated
G-dliness.

goodness

and

NO TIME FOR DELAY

There is another explanation
for the variance in the expression
used for the travelling of the
camps. The reason Yehudahs
journeying is described with the
word vayisa is that the Camp of
Yehudah had to start its travel
without any delay. As soon as
they saw the lifting of the cloud
from above the Mishkan they
knew it was time to start moving
with dispatch. That is what is
indicated by the term vayisa. By
contrast, the other camps had to
wait for the dismantling of the
Mishkan and, of necessity, they
tarried, which is best described
by the word vnasa.
This explanation also signals
the uniqueness of Yehudah as a
leader. The leader has no time
to wait before the Sanctuary is
dismantled; he moves in the right
direction without hesitation.
This pattern was the hallmark
of the tribe of Yehudah. Right
before the splitting of the Sea, it
was Nachshon from the tribe of
Yehudah who made the plunge,
whereas all the other tribes
waited first for the miracle.
The
Rebbe
cited
the
Talmudic expression for the

Messianic Age, miyad,

which
means immediately. The Rebbe
explained that it is an acronym
for Moses, Israel (Baal Shem
Tov) and David. (These three
leaders are intimately connected
to the recently observed Festival
of Shavuos: the Torah was given
through Moses on Shavuos,
while King David and the Baal
Shem Tov both passed away on
this Holiday.)
The message here is that
through the study of Torah
(Moses), true leadership (David)
and spiritual inspiration (Baal
Shem Tov) we unleash the
energy, alacrity and enthusiasm
that is associated with Moshiach.
The lesson for our time is
clear. Just like the Camp of
Yehudah, we cannot wait until
the entire Messianic drama
unfolds before we jump on the
bandwagon. We have to initiate
the Messianic dynamic before the
actual Redemption commences.
This we do by anticipating the
changes that will occur in the
Messianic Age and bring that
unbounded energy, joy, alacrity
and completeness into our own
lives today, despite our exile
conditions. This will certainly
change our entire outlook on
life and serve as the catalyst to
remove the final obstacles to the
ultimate Redemption.

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CHINUCH

A PROPER DIAGNOSIS IS ONLY

HALF THE
SOLUTION
Children with attention and concentration disorders need a diagnosis to
define properly what exactly is troubling them. What are the parameters
in identifying attention and concentration disorders? When will we know
that a childs conduct is symptomatic of a much deeper problem, not just
simple misbehavior? Why is it so important to make a diagnosis and how
did people manage in the past without treatment? The second of three
informative articles on the subject.
By Nosson Avraham
Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

With regard to conduct

called mischievous this is
quite common, particularly with
the first child. Thus, theres no
need to be impressed by this at
all. And how to improve those
in need of improvement? With
skilled educators according to
their experience.
(Igros Kodesh, Vol. 20, pg.
296)
The way to educate children
born
with
an
emotional
tendency for fighting and
scuffles is to direct this tendency
toward the proper path.

(26 Teves 5742)

Several years ago, Menachem
(not his real name) came to the
educational institution where
I work. Every educator who
encountered the boy gave him
the classification of a child with
an extreme attention disorder,
incapable of sitting in his chair
for more than a few minutes at
a time. He disturbed his friends
during class and spent most of his
time in the corridor. Everyones
first impression, including ours,
was that this was a child who
is easily distracted and needs

immediate
treatment
before
he reaches the higher grades
and, G-d forbid, drops out of
educational programs altogether.
Our analysis was sent to a
reputable professional in this
field, and we were quite surprised
to receive a totally different and
unexpected diagnosis. It turns
out that the test reports showed
that the child had no attention
disorder whatsoever. His problem
was completely emotional due to
past childhood experiences, and
the professional expert promised
that if the child receives proper

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emotional treatment, we will

see a complete transformation.
The diagnosis was definitely a
surprise, especially since the
boys family has a history of
attention
and
concentration
difficulties. Nonetheless, we
followed the advice of the
professional and the boy began
to receive treatment for his
emotional issues. He had weekly
meetings with a psychotherapist
and his condition progressively
began to improve.
We see from this anecdote
that there are various disorders
with external symptoms that

mimic ADHD. Yet, its actually

something else and Ritalin
wont do the job. In this article,
the second in this series, we
will examine the complexities
in diagnosing such conditions.
Weighty questions can be
expected when we discuss this
issue. Examples: How can
someone meeting with a child for
just one hour give a diagnosis of
such a significant disorder? Are
there various levels of attention
disorders? Does the doctor
recommend the use of Ritalin
in all situations? We posed
these and other questions to

Dr. Jay Zuckerman, an expert

pediatrician
specializing
in
neurology and child development.
Dr. Zuckerman is one of the
most renown experts in the field.
He had previously run an institute
on child development as part of a
network of clinics with Maccabi
Health Services, and was head of
neurology and child development
at the Schneider Childrens
Medical Center in Petach Tikva.
These prominent roles gave
him considerable experience in
treating people of various ages
in all population sectors with
attention
and
concentration
disorders. Today, he is a highly
reputable doctor, working for
the Clalit and Maccabi Health
Services at Yoseftal Hospital
in Eilat and as the director of a
successful clinic on the settlement
of Oranit, where he resides.
As we begin this interview,
we would like to hear briefly:
What are the parameters
in identifying attention and
concentration disorders? When
will we know that a childs
conduct is symptomatic of a
much deeper problem, not just
simple misbehavior?
Its exactly on this point
where the problem is hidden: It
isnt always easy to know whether
there really is a disorder. I divide
the children into three groups: In
the first group, the disorder is so
obvious, theres no need for an
expert to know that the child has
a problem. As soon as he enters
the examining room, the child
starts taking the clinic apart or
the doctors see the exhaustion of
the parents chasing after him.
The second group has
children in whom the criteria
for the disorder appear, yet they
arent that prominent. In this
case, the testing process needs
more time to get an accurate
impression of the child, review

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CHINUCH
the questionnaires, and make a
thorough examination that can
rule out any other problems. The
third group consists of children
who clearly dont suffer from this
disorder, yet they have certain
external symptoms that might
tend to confuse us.
What do we need in order

and being easily distracted by

noise or external stimuli.
As with attention deficiency,
there are nine different symptoms
for hyperactivity. Here too, when
six of the symptoms appear,
we diagnose the child as being
hyperactive. In this case, the
classic characteristics include

Surveys show that children with attention

deficiencies have been blessed with a heightened
sense of justice, possessing greater concern for the weak
than among their peers. In general, everything they see
is either black or white, without any weak pastel colors.
Therefore, they sometimes respond in a way that appears
as extreme or insolent, and we are quick to judge them
for their chutzpah. It would be appropriate not to be
too hasty about punishing the child, trying instead to
understand why he reacts as strongly as he does.
to know whether the child is
suffering from an attention
disorder?
There are three categories
in the diagnosis: attention
deficiency,
hyperactivity,
or
a combination of the two.
In principle, there are nine
criteria for attention deficiency.
According to the American
Psychiatric
Associations
Diagnostic
and
Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders,
Fifth Edition, when six of the
criteria apply, we diagnose the
child as suffering from attention
and concentration disorder.
The
possible
symptoms
characterizing
attention
deficiency are failure to notice
detail, making careless mistakes
in homework, not paying
attention when someone speaks
to him directly, difficulties in
organizing tasks or activities,

restlessness during sitting, a

tendency towards shifting arms
or legs, getting up from his
place when hes expected to sit,
interrupting with answers before
the end of the questions, and
more.
When at least six criteria
symptomatic of both attention
deficiency
and
hyperactivity
are in evidence, this leads
to a diagnosis of combined
type ADHD. Its important
to know that there are a few
more conditions for a correct
diagnosis: It can only be done if
the symptoms exist for at least
six consecutive months, ruling
out a case of simple misbehavior.
The symptoms began to appear
at a relatively early age around
twelve, although in most cases,
the symptoms are already in
evidence before the child turns
seven.

The symptoms must exist in

at least two out of three or more
places where the child is during
the day, e.g., home, school,
with friends, or at play. They
interfere with the childs ability to
function socially, in his studies,
etc. Naturally, we must reject
other disorders that might cause
identical symptoms, particularly
psychiatric conditions such as
fear and depression, and learning
disabilities that appear similar to
ADHD.
As someone who has
specialized in this field for
many years, do you believe
that science has made it more
possible to identify the source
of the disorder and the most
effective treatment? In other
words, do we know more about
the problem now than we did in
the past?
There is no question that
science has progressed, especially
in the field of understanding
the location of certain areas of
the brain that have difficulty
functioning by ADHD children.
Similarly, we now know that
there is a dominant genetichereditary component that causes
a high percentage of such cases
within families. Today, we realize
that in many instances, we are
dealing with a combination of
genetics and environment.
What is the three-level
diagnostic
approach
you
employ and what makes it
unique in comparison to other
approaches?
In the threefold model I
have publicized, I describe the
interaction between the three
functions and their influence
upon the childs ability to
function, concentrate, and focus
his attention:
1) The essence of the
attentional
function,
the
personality, including most

26 18 Sivan 5775
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of the brains administrative

functions,
is
primarily
established by genetics and
heredity. In most children for
whom the attentive disorder
is quite prominent, there is
usually a clear family story:
one of his parents or siblings
had ADHD. 2) The learning
function, which includes all
of the brains tasks. There are
at least one hundred and fifty
known functions, required for
success in scholastic studies, e.g.,
reading, writing, mathematics,
reading comprehension, visual
and hearing recall. Among small
children, this also includes the
motor
and
lingual-cognitive
function. 3) The emotional and
behavioral function influencing
the environment primarily within
the family.
In this model, particularly
for young children, we try to
understand where the focus must
be on solving their problem.
For example, when a child
with a cognitive/developmental
deficiency sits in a regular
classroom and fails to understand
the material being discussed in
class, this has a direct influence
upon his ability to pay attention
and concentrate. He loses
interest more quickly than his
fellow classmates, leading to the
conclusion that he has ADHD
and needs to take medication. I
claim that first we should check
to see if we have done everything
possible to help the child fit into
his current learning program.
In younger children, this
includes treatments such as
occupational or speech and
language therapy, and if the
child requires special education,
placing him in a smaller
classroom might solve or at least
reduce the attention disorder. If
these measures are not applied,
the influence upon the brain
cells becomes more permanent

and the attention disorder even

becomes the main problem. As a
result, there is no alternative left
except to provide treatment with
medication.
Another example: A child
from a broken family via divorce
or the premature death of a
parent, or a child who grew up in
a family with a very rigid parental
style and developed a somewhat
hyperactive mode of conduct.
According to the model, without
the necessary involvement, this
interaction creates the difficulties
whether emotional, behavioral,
or those related to attention
and concentration deficiencies
and they merely intensify.
In such a case, considerable
importance should be attached
to improving the environment,
including
parental
training,
emotional treatment or therapy.
In more extreme situations,
there will also be a need for
medicinal treatment. According
to the model, if we begin proper
treatment early enough, it will
be possible to prevent or least
lessen the outbreak of attention
difficulties at a later age.
Can there be something such
as a mild attention disorder?
Can there be a situation
whereby we decide that there is a
problem, yet it is unnecessary to
take any medicinal treatment?
Absolutely. As with any
disorder affecting a persons
ability to function, there are
different levels of severity.
Children with milder difficulties
are usually able to manage
with
preventive
treatments
assistance in their studies,
parental guidance, and outlining
a good pattern of behavior. This
is even more true among young
people when the requirements
within their educational system
are low, while those with a high
level of intelligence succeed

in bypassing the problem

altogether. This is also true in the
event that parents and educators
are extremely attentive to the
childs needs and they know how
to work with and strengthen him.
Many parents come to a
diagnosis through a neurologist
or psychiatrist, or even a series
of computer tests, and they
receive a Yes or No answer.
Since we know that this is often
a most complex analysis, do
you address this matter in your
approach?
In my approach, I attach great
importance to a comprehensive
examination
in
order
to
distinguish the childs attention
deficiency in terms of all other
difficulties he encounters, not
just one aspect. At the end
of the procedure, I provide
a list of recommendations
wherein medicinal treatment
(if recommended) is only one
among many, and this must be
the approach of all professionals
dealing with the problem.

ACCENTUATING
THE POSITIVE AND
ELIMINATING THE
NEGATIVE
Why is it important to have
a diagnosis and how did people
manage in the past without
treatment?
Children who dont receive
a proper diagnosis, especially
in those instances where there
isnt an adequate supportive
environment, eventually fail in
their studies and their absorption
into todays society. They are
allowed to slip through their
educational program and even
reach the outer fringes of society,
including crime. The difficulty
with functioning in their daily
lives, even as adults, can have a
most negative influence upon

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CHINUCH

TEN TIPS FOR TEACHERS DEALING

WITH CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH ADHD
1. At the start of each class, give specific
details, both verbally and with written instructions
on the board, of the learning material to be covered.
The child must know what is expected of him. This
is important for maintaining his peace of mind.
2. Check that the students table is in proper
order, and limit the number of items hes allowed to
keep on the table, according to the need. Too many
textbooks and workbooks can easily distract him.
If the child also suffers from sensory processing
disorder, you should allow him to place a few
items on his table. However, make certain that they
actually help him.
3. Go over to the student personally and ask
him to repeat the instructions given during the
class. Make every effort to do this privately and not
embarrass him in front of his classmates. When you
prepare to ask him a question, repeat it again slowly
and stand near him. This way, hell understand that
hes about to be asked something.
4. Come to an agreement with the child
on fewer class restrictions. Half an hour into the
class, he can go outside to get some fresh air for
five minutes by raising his hand at a set time. Allow
the student to do some physical activities during a
respite in classwork, e.g., running errands for the
teacher. In addition, make certain that hes not
taking advantage of the situation and remaining
outside for longer than agreed upon.
5. Place a student tutor with positive influence
at the side of a student having difficulty behaving
in class. This provides support for a child with
ADHD, serving as a personal example of diligence
and a reminder for him to finish his classwork. The
student tutor can participate in a reinforcement
program with prizes in accordance with the childs
successes in class. You should choose a calm and
relaxed student who doesnt give up quickly.
6. Use a variety of sensory communication
tools to strengthen the level of concentration and
effort invested in class. Examples: touching the
students shoulder to remind him to continue his
assignment, giving simultaneous verbal and written
instructions, using non-verbal reminders such
as pointing to the board or giving a smile. Most
importantly, maintain proper eye contact as a
means of impressing upon the student that you are

watching him.
7. Its important to use positive reinforcement,
preferable to getting into a cycle of endless
punishments. Give out tangible prizes from the
natural environment, e.g., a positive note for his
parents, placing a star next to his name on the
class achievement board. In addition, the prizes
will encourage him to show greater responsibility
within his surroundings and strengthen his selfconfidence. Give clear and specific assignments, not
general tasks or those that require lengthy periods
of concentration.
8. Be creative. This will help all students in
connecting to their studies, not just those with
attention disorders. Place greater emphasis upon
creating an enjoyable learning experience through
games, stories, parables, and opportunities for
children to express themselves during class. While
the amount of learning material covered might be
less than usual, the level of comprehension will grow.
9. Learn the subject of attention and
concentration in depth, understand what the
child is dealing with and the degree of investment
required for him to fulfill tasks that other children
handle with greater ease. This will make you more
empathetic towards the child, and in turn, he will
feel that the teacher understands him. Im in favor
of speaking openly with the child about various
aspects of his learning that are difficult for him.
This strengthens the connection between you and
your student, and makes your job much easier.
10. Dont compromise on a diagnosis and
basic treatment. Todays parents, and even the
schools senior staff members deeply entrenched
in their work, will do nothing if you dont put on
the pressure. Even if your student is surviving,
that doesnt necessarily mean that things will get
any easier with his teacher next year. The learning
disorder and its symptoms will only get worse, and
his social and scholastic condition will deteriorate.
Even if your firm position causes several staff
members to become angry with you, dont give in.
The childs best interests are the only thing that
should concern you. As more time passes without
a proper diagnosis and treatment, his frustration
will intensify, as will the difficulty in improving his
overall state. Have pity on him.

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their marriages, their relationship

with their children and other
people.
In the past, such children were
often just removed from their
standard learning programs and
sent to vocational or art schools.
There are numerous artists and
other people of culture who have
suffered or suffer from attention
disorders.
In conclusion, we would
like to hear a few practical tips
for parents with an attention
disorder: How can we make
it easier to deal with this
problem?
Among all the important
tips, we must provide more love
and positive feedback. As we
always say, for every negative
comment, give seven positive
comments. The purpose is to
break the cycle of anger and low
self-image. However, it is also
important to place clear limits,
activating parental authority in
a positive manner. Of course, it
would be preferable to give prizes
for good behavior as opposed to
punishments, unless there is no
alternative.
If an argument ensues,
sometimes there is a need for
a five to ten minute break no

physical contact and no anger

to let things cool off. Afterward,
give him a hug, but without
making any compromises. Its
important to establish some
quality time with the child; play
a game with him. Dont limit the
time together to when he does
his homework, something he
hates, and try to understand his
frustration and his problems.

AN IMPORTANT TIP FOR

PARENTS
In conclusion, heres another
important tip: Surveys show
that children with attention
deficiencies have been
blessed with a heightened
sense of justice, possessing
greater concern for the
weak than among other
children their age. In
general, everything they
see is either black or
white, without any weak
pastel colors. Therefore,
they sometimes respond
in a way that appears as
extreme or insolent, and
we are quick to judge
them for their chutzpah.
It would be appropriate
not to be too hasty about
punishing the child, trying

instead to understand why he

reacts as strongly as he does.
Similarly, it would be a very
good idea to speak gently with
these children, even in situations
when theyre angry (and that
happens often enough). In any
case, the child suffers from a level
of low esteem, feelings of blame
and frustration, and there surely
is no need to make matters worse.
We must work consistently with
them and help them to see more
aspects of life, particularly the
positive ones. If we think about
it carefully, we can easily find
positive aspects within these
children and plenty of them.

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CHINUCH

POWERFUL
ENCOUNTERS
WITH THE REBBE
A compilation of stories about the Rebbe and
Chassidim that were told by R Yekusiel Farkash
of Yerushalayim.
Prepared for publication by his son, R Elimelech Farkash,
Nosei VNosein in Yeshiva Gdola Toras Emes Yerushalayim

12
A year later, 5740, I took
my wife for the first time to the
Rebbe and we also brought my
son Mordechai [today, a shliach
in Bellevue, Washington] and
my daughter Sheindel, who was
a baby [today, the wife of the
shliach in Cyprus, Zev Raskin].
My son, knowing what happened
to his brother in yechidus,
prepared the Gemara he had
been learning well so he wouldnt
be caught unprepared.
This time, the Rebbe hardly
addressed me, and he also did
not address the children. He gave
all his attention to my wife and
said to her, Since they told me
that you are the granddaughter
of R Amram Blau and he would
write to me, and he learned
Chassidus,
Tanya,
Likkutei
Torah etc. and he conducted

himself with forcefulness and

was successfulin his home it
goes without saying since we
see that, but even with people on
the outside he was successful
therefore, since you are his
granddaughter, you need to
go with his forcefulness and
publicize all over that since love
and fear of Hashem are mitzvos
that women are obligated in,
being constant mitzvos as it
says in the introduction to the
Chinuch, and since in the Laws of
Talmud Torah it says that women
are obligated to learn those parts
of Torah that pertain to the
mitzvos they are obligated in,
and since the Rambam says that
in order to attain fear and love of
G-d it is through meditating on
those things which lead to that,
women are obligated to learn
maamarei Chassidus which deal
with love and fear of G-d and by

doing so, it will bring an increase

in all the blessings etc.
At this point, the Rebbe
blessed us with an unusual
bracha; now is not the place to go
into detail.

13
One of the years that I spent
Tishrei with the Rebbe, on the
night of Shmini Atzeres we
pushed to get a place for hakafos
opposite the Rebbes platform.
Behind me stood a thin young
man who looked like a typical
Chabad Chassid with a black hat,
sirtuk and gartel. I overheard
an
embittered
conversation
between him and a distinguished
Lubavitcher from Yerushalayim.
He poured out his heart and
said, I am here for over a month
already. I came for 18 Elul, and
I dont know whether I exist

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Rami Antian with the Rebbe

for that man [referring to the

Rebbe].
This was because in Chabad
one does not give shalom to
the Rebbe and you only see the
Rebbe when he comes in for
davening and farbrengens. There
is hardly any personal attention
for anyone. So it works out that
the entire time you only see the
Rebbe from a distance and you
get no personal recognition,
which is very hard for someone
who is not used to this. This is
what that man was complaining
about.
The
Chassid
from
Yerushalayim tried to reassure
him, saying the Rebbe knows
what is going on with everyone;
its just that due to technical
reasons, it does not work out to
get personal attention. But this
did not sit well with the man and
he was not at all reassured.

That year, the Rebbe led all

the hakafos and before each one
there was a sicha, at the end of
which he announced who would
join this hakafa [rabbanim, those
who taught Torah, and the like].
It should be pointed out that
in actuality, usually, aside from
those who were standing near
the platform around which they
danced with sifrei Torah, very
few people joined the hakafa they
belonged to. This was because
it was a one way ticket in that
they would be unable to return to
the spot they had worked so hard
to get.
At the fourth hakafa which
corresponds to the sfira of
netzach, the Rebbe announced
that whoever served in the Israeli
army whether on a regular basis
or in the reserves, was honored
with this hakafa. Suddenly, the
Rebbe pointed from the platform

on which he stood, toward

that unfortunate man who had
thought the Rebbe did not know
he was there, and then toward the
platform as though to say: Why
are you standing in your place
when you belong to this hakafa?
It turned out that this man
was a driver for Egged and
served in the reserves.

14
That night, after the hakafos,
some of us went to eat the holiday
meal with R Moshe Klein, the
scribe and mohel. We sat there
and farbrenged and the topic of
conversation was the number of
open miracles we saw that year.
That the Rebbe had identified
people that he apparently had
never met before. I told of the
open miracle that I was witness
to a few hours earlier.

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CHINUCH

In time with the niggun, the Rebbe bent his body

and encouraged the singing in an unusual way
and suddenly, we were inspired with a storm of emotion
of thoughts of repentance. We felt how the Rebbe was
lifting us up from the pit of materialism to a world of pure
spirituality.

Rami Antian ah was at that

gathering. At that time, he was a
new baal tshuva who had been
in 770 for a few months. His
story in brief was that that year
was Americas bicentennial. In
connection with that, countries
had sent ships to the flotilla in
honor of the occasion. He was
the journalist sent with one of the
ships from Israel to document the
event and tell the readers of the
newspaper about the festivities.
Lubavitchers
went
every
day to the ship and brought the
sailors, journalists and others to
the Rebbe for tfillos, etc. Rami
was blown away and decided to
stay in 770.
The next night, Motzaei the
holiday, when the Rebbe gave
out kos shel bracha, I stood on
line like everyone else in the beis
midrash and watched the Rebbe.
I noticed Rami passing by and the
Rebbe switching the cup from his
right hand to his left and waving
his right hand upward and saying
something and smiling broadly.
I could not hear what was
said but when he came down
from the platform, Rami noticed
me and ran over and said, In
continuation of the wonders we
were talking about yesterday, I
just passed by the Rebbe and the
Rebbe raised his hand and said,
How are you Rami?
How incredible! I never told
the Rebbe that I am called Rami.
In my pidyon nefesh I wrote my

full name, Rachamim, but the

Rebbe even knows my name of
endearment!

15
Around the year 5746, my
financial situation wasnt good.
Our house was full of little
children and parnasa was needed
and it reached a point where
obtaining basic staples was an
issue. In those days, I was by the
Rebbe for Shavuos in the course
of which one of the heads of a
beautiful Chabad community
abroad, where they have schools
for boys and for girls, came
over to me. He offered me a job
serving as rav of the community
and also as rosh yeshiva of the
local Tomchei Tmimim after the
passing of the previous rav and
rosh yeshiva.
The conditions were superb,
especially my being in such a
precarious financial situation
in which I was borrowing to
buy basic food supplies without
having a reasonable way to
repay the loans. I was thrilled
by the offer. But I had to ask the
Rebbe first. I should mention
that it seemed obvious to me
and whoever heard the offer
that this was something which
would definitely get the Rebbes
approval, both because the
Rebbe was well aware of my
circumstances which I constantly
reported about and because
there was no possibility at that

time for me to send the children

to Chabad schools because of
family reasons. This could be
the opportunity which would
enable me to carry out that
important step. The leaders of
the community also thought it
was a foregone conclusion, to
the point that they said they were
buying me a ticket so as to be
able to introduce me to the other
rabbanim of the city, etc.
I wrote the details of the offer
to the Rebbe and waited for his
blessings for success. But the
answer was most surprising. It
said: Why move from the Holy
Land? Especially when you are
successful there! The Rebbe
put three lines under the words
successful there. What did
the Rebbe mean by why move
when I had prefaced my letter
with the words the Rebbe knows
my financial state etc. and the
problem with chinuch in Chabad
mosdos? I certainly could not
understand how I was successful
there when I was for all intents
and purposes unemployed and
borrowing to eat.
But needless to say, my
financial situation began to
improve in a wondrous way and I
took a job whose salary was three
times that of the previous one
and everything worked out.

16
One of the most moving
events that I experienced by the
Rebbe was on Simchas Torah
5743, which was one hundred
years since the passing of the
Rebbe Maharash.
In order to get a place from
where to observe the Rebbes
hakafos, we pushed back and
forth as described before. There
was no possibility for lofty
meditations and the like, since
the entire crowd was focused
fully on hearing the verses of Ata

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Horeisa from the Rebbe and to

see the Rebbe during the hakafos.
The Rebbe came in and went
up on the high platform, which
in those years they had begun
to raise higher and higher so
people could see and hear. The
Rebbe placed his siddur on the
lectern, turned to the crowd, and
began singing the niggun of the
Rebbe Maharash, Lchatchilla
Aribber.
In time with the niggun,
the Rebbe bent his body and
encouraged the singing in an
unusual way and suddenly,
we were inspired with a storm
of emotion of thoughts of
repentance. Tears began to pour.
As I said, this was without any
preparation or intention; rather,
we felt how the Rebbe was lifting
us up from the pit of materialism
to a world of pure spirituality.
For a moment I wondered
whether this was happening only
to me or whether everyone was
experiencing it. I was amazed
to see that even bachurim and
men who were hanging by their
gartels from the ceiling, and even
those who seemed to be tough
and coarse were all crying with
an otherworldly inspiration. After
the hakafos, this was the talk of
the day and it was regarded as a
wonder.

17
In the 1970s I was walking
up to Yeshivas Toras Emes which
was located on the edge of Mea
Sharim. I met a bachur who had
just come back from the Rebbe.
He joined me as I walked and
told me about the Rebbe and
Chassidus [this was when I was
getting involved with Chabad
and was still within another
framework and only occasionally
did I go visit the yeshiva]. He told
me the following:
When people had yechidus

R Yekusiel Farkash

with the Rebbe, they would write

their questions and requests on
a paper. The Rebbe would look
at the paper and make various
marks of which we have no idea
their significance, and then he
would speak to the person and
refer to things he had written
[and to some of the things he
would not respond].
This bachur had something
he was embarrassed to tell the
Rebbe, but knowing that this
was the time and place, he very
much wanted the Rebbes advice
and did not know what to do.
He finally decided not to write
about the problem on the note
but he made this sign for himself;
knowing the enormity of the
awe and self-negation [which is
no exaggeration] that a person
felt upon entering for yechidus,
to the point that a person could
not speak, he decided that if,

when the yechidus ended, he

still remembered his problem, he
would discuss it with the Rebbe.
The yechidus came to an
end and the bachur remembered
his decision. Having no choice
he discussed the issue with the
Rebbe. The Rebbe listened and
then said: Learn chapter 41 of
Tanya by heart until the words,
vhinei Hashem nitzav alav etc.
and when the evil inclination
comes to you, remember and
here the Rebbe gradually raised
his voice until it was so loud it
could be heard outside the room
that vhinei Hashem nitzav
alav ubochein klayos vlev im
ovdo kraui (behold, Hashem
stands above him and examines
kidneys and heart [to see]
whether he serves Him properly)
and it will run away from you.
Published as a tshura
for R Elimelech Farkash wedding

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TZIVOS HASHEM

THE

BIG TRIP
By D. Chaim

morning,
good
Shimi,
its time to get up, said my
mother as she woke me from a
sweet dream.
Ima, Im tired. Ill get up
soon, I whispered with my
eyes closed.
My
Shimi, its late.
mother sounded worried. If
you dont get up now, youll be
late for school.
I unenthusiastically washed
my hands and began to slowly
get myself ready. I arrived late
at school, of course. I walked
into class right after davening
and the teacher still hadnt
come. I davened during recess
and avoided being punished for
being late. Thats the way it
went nearly every day.
Hey, Shimi, wake up,
whispered Yisroel in my ear.
He sits near me.
Let me
Oy, Im tired.
d.
sleep, I retorte
Yisroel tried to wake me
a few more times and finally
left me alone. He seemed to
have made peace with the fact
that he would have to help
me complete the material for
who-knows-how-many
the
It was afternoon and
time.
The lesson
I was so tired.
did not interest me and the
opportunity to nap a little

near the air conditioner was

appealing.
My eyes had nearly closed a
second time when I heard the
math teachers voice saying,
Now I will choose one of you to
solve the exercise on the board.
Lets see ...
I thought, oh please, I hope
he does not call on me. For most
of the class I was in dreamland
and for some reason, math
examples refuse to appear in
my dreams.
Okay, Shimi, come up,
said the teacher. I got up on
tottering legs, having no idea
what I would do with the math
problem on the board. Then I
felt a note being quickly shoved
into my hand. Yes, it was from
Yisroel who sat next to me. He
would never allow someone
to manage on his own. He is
always ready to help out. He
knows me, and he knows that
my failure in front of the entire
class would not contribute
anything to my diligence in my
studies.
On my way to the board
I peeked at the note and
immediately knew what the
solution to the math problem
I crumpled the paper
was.
behind my back and after
stuffing it into my pants
pocket I stood calmly next to

the teacher. Apparently, my

calm was premature for the
teacher asked, What do you
have in your pocket? I felt my
face turn red.
I
nothing,
uh,
Um,
stammered, in the hope that
he would leave me alone. Just
But he
a piece of paper.
had seen that I hadnt paid
attention during the lesson and
he did not want to give me a

break.
Take it out, he ordered.
The eyes of the entire class were
upon me and I dearly wished
the ground would swallow me.
I felt for the note and began
taking it out of my pocket
and then, at the last minute, I
heard Yisroel say, I gave him
the note. Its not his fault.
I stood for a long time
outside the principals office
until he called me to come in.
Although Yisroel had taken the
blame for the note, the teacher
had sent me to the principal,
saying he wanted to speak to
me.
When I heard the buzz I
pushed open the door and
walked in apprehensively.
Whats going on with you
Shimi? Why are you late so
often? the principal asked me
after I had sat down. Seeing

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winked.
principal
The
him from up close, he looked
changed
less scary, and his white beard My state of mind
appearance completely when I left his office
the
him
gave
Is without a penalty, and I began
ather.
grandf
of a dear
he to look forward to the big trip.
you?
ing
something bother
The week following my
went on to ask.
al
I decided to cooperate and conversation with the princip
since
had
I
week
best
the
to tell the principal what was was
At
on my mind. I dont want to the beginning of the year.
ed
surpris
was
r
mothe
my
be late but I dont feel like going home,
in
up
getting
started
had
I
to school. The daily routine of that
In
own.
my
on
g
mornin
classes does not interest me and the
pleased
Im always waiting for recess. class, the teachers were
who
Shimi
t
diligen
a
r
In the morning too, Id rather to discove
in
d
excelle
who
and
alert
continue sleeping than get up was
noticed
also
friends
My
class.
and hurry off to class.
the change in me and some
al
princip
the
Aha, said
of them even came over and
understandingly, but what
complimented me. I did not
happens on a day when you
tell them about my talk with
know your class is going on a
the principal and I continued to
trip. Is it also hard for you to
look forward to the trip as my
get up then?
enjoyment of routine continued
I smiled and said, When
to improve drastically.
I know that were going on
When two and a half weeks
a trip, I come on time, even
passed and there were still
had
for the week before the trip
announcements about a
no
because the fun begins when we
trip, I became suspicious. Then,
start looking forward to it, so I
after Shacharis on Shabbos, I
feel altogether different.
came across a booklet in shul
If so, I want to tell you
with an excerpt from a sicha
something, said the principal,
as though imparting a secret.
The truth is, there is always
an enjoyable trip awaiting us.
I thought he
I sat up.
was going to give me details
about the upcoming annual
trip. Its a trip that nobody
Its
ever experienced before.
scale.
something on a global
The principal paused and then
went on, The final timing of
the trip is still unknown but it
will definitely take place soon.
Dont worry, when it happens,
youll know about it.
You can leave, and I
hope that from now on, your
academic standing will improve
because of the trip we are
looking forward to.

of the Rebbe. I read it and

The Rebbe
was surprised.
says that the anticipation for
the imminent Geula makes
us constantly happy because
human nature is such that
when you look forward to
something good and joyous, like
a trip, the enjoyment begins
from the anticipation!
I instantly understood what
trip the principal was referring
to the Geula trip, including
flying on clouds, delicacies as
plentiful as dust, a zoo where
a wolf and lamb are together,
and most importantly, a huge
farbrengen with the Rebbe and
all the Jewish people.
I wasnt at all disappointed.
I began looking forward to the
Geula even more, and began
enjoying the classroom routine.
Its not that I, G-d forbid,
want to continue for one more
moment in the galus routine,
but I did become a diligent
student because at any moment
I expect the galus routine to
change to the Geula shleima.

Issue 975

975_bm_eng.indd 5

05

2015-06-02 2:15:12 AM