CONTENTS

16
FEATURED ARTICLES

WEEKLY COLUMNS

3 Dvar Malchus
23 Parsha Thought
34 Tzivos Hashem

THE REBBES PUPIL

Shneur Zalman Berger

IN THE
10 SHLICHUS
WILDS OF KENYA
Rocheli Dickstein

CHASSID IN
16 ATHE
LIONS DEN
Avrohom Rainitz

THE FRONT INES OF

26 ON
SHMITA OBSERVANCE
Zalman Tzorfati

AND EVEALING
30 SEEING
THE PRECIOUS SOULS
OF OUR CHILDREN
R Nachman Twersky

Beis Moshiach is not responsible for the content

and Kashruth of the advertisements.

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2015-06-09 9:36:10 AM

DVAR MALCHUS

THE PEOPLE ON
FOOT BRING
OUR HEAD, OUR
LEADER
Thus, it is written, Six hundred thousand people on foot are the people in whose
midst I am, for by means of the people on foot the Divine revelation of Anochi
is drawn within the midst of Moshe. * From Chapter 8 of Rabbi Shloma Majeskis
Likkutei Mekoros (Underlined text is the compilers emphasis.)
Translated by Boruch Merkur

With
the
help
Parshas
Tetzaveh,

of
10

Heaven.
Shabbos
Adar
I,
5741.

verse says, from evening to morning, whereas

here it says, to go up as a lamp constantly.

1. Vata tetzaveh es bnei Yisroel you [Moshe]

command the Jewish people to take to you pure,
olive oil, crushed to be a source of light, to light the
lamp so that it burns continually. The inferences
drawn from this verse are well known. For one,
regarding all the other commandments in the
Torah it says, command the Jewish people, and
the like, but here it says, you command the Jewish
people. Moreover, drawing an inference from the
word Vata you is not only a textual nuance
but significant to the meaning. That is, you
command signifies that Moshe is the one who
gives the order. But the fact is that Moshe is the
emissary to communicate to the Jewish people the
commandments of the Alm-ghty. Why then does it
say you command [attributing the commandment
to Moshe himself, suggesting he is not just an
agent but the one who issues the command]?
We must also understand what is written, they
should take to you, that they should bring the oil
to Moshe (to you). For at first glance, since the
kindling of the lamps was done by Aharon, why
was it necessary to bring the oil to Moshe? Also,
why it is written oil...crushed to be a source of
light. For a first glance it should have said oil
for light. We must also understand why the next

2. My revered father in-law, the Rebbe, explains

(in the well-known maamer VKibel HaYehudim,
said on Purim Katan 5687) that tzivui
command (tetzaveh) means tzavsa vchibbur
connect or join. The meaning of Vata tetzaveh
es bnei Yisroel you [Moshe] command the
Jewish people is that Moshe connects and joins
the Jewish people with the Ohr Ein Sof, G-ds
Infinite Light. Moshe conveys his influence upon
the Jewish people (connecting them with the Ohr
Ein Sof), and in so doing there is an increase
and benefit imparted to Moshe. (Indeed, Moshe
and the Jewish people are analogous to a head
and the feet respectively, as it is written, Six
hundred thousand people on foot are the people in
whose midst I am. The Jewish people as a group
comprise the feet of Moshe, and Moshe is their
head. Just as with regard to a person, his legs take
the head to a place where the head is not able to
reach on its own, so too with regard to Moshe and
the Jewish people. For on account of the Jewish
people (the legs of Moshe) Moshe benefits. Thus,
it is written, Six hundred thousand people on
foot are the people in whose midst I am, for by
means of the people on foot the Divine revelation
of Anochi is drawn within the midst of Moshe.)

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FEATURE

THE
REBBES
PUPIL
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R Alexander
Klonimus Steiner
the Rebbe taught
his daughters

The Rebbe taught us alef-beis. * The Rebbe would

visit the Steiner home in Nice and teach the children. *
Exclusive to Beis Moshiach.
By Shneur Zalman Berger

he Rebbe, at that
time the son-in-law
of the Lubavitcher
Rebbe, came to the
house where we lived and taught
me and my sister. He wore a beret
and his beard was short. He would
sometimes eat with us.
That is what eighty year old
Mrs. Ruth Bezek, who lives in the
center of Eretz Yisroel, had to say.
During the Holocaust, her family
fled to Nice in France where she
learned alef-beis with the Rebbe.
Ruth does not like to talk
about that period, when her family
escaped from Austria to France and
lived as refugees under complicated

circumstances and under constant

suspicion. But her testimony
provides another element to the
Rebbes secret work during the war.
Mrs. Bezeks story is not known
to researchers of that period and
is being told for the first time. It is
only natural that we were unable
to verify it since the people who
would have been able to do so are
no longer living. However, despite
the decades that have passed since
then, her memory is clear. She
remembers small details, names and
dates from events in the years that
followed that I was able to verify.
Here is the story as she related it.

ESCAPING TO VICHY AND

FROM VICHY TO NICE
First some historical background
for the period in which the Rebbe
lived in Nice, so we can understand
how the Rebbe came to teach little
girls in their home.
On the eve of World War II,
the Rebbe and Rebbetzin lived in
Paris. When the Nazis approached
Paris, many Jews escaped to Vichy,
including the Rebbe and Rebbetzin.
At the end of the summer of 1940,
they were able to leave Vichy which
was under Nazi occupation for Nice
in southern France which was safer.
The area was under Italian rule and

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Feature
many Jews found a safe haven
there in the hopes that the Italians
would save them from the Nazis.
The Fascist Italian government,
despite its collaboration with
the Nazis and being actively
against the Jews, was unwilling
to send Jews in its territory to the
concentration camps.
The Rebbe and Rebbetzin
lived in Nice (which was called
Nizza at the time) for eightnine months until the beginning
of the summer of 1941. For
part of this time, the Rebbe
and Rebbetzin lived in a rented
apartment in a small hotel which
was near the train station. It was
very dangerous here too and
they did not go out to the street
much. There were days that the
government announced a curfew
and the Rebbe hardly went out
except on Shabbos when he went
to daven in the beis midrash in a
big hotel that was full of Jewish
refugees.
Notwithstanding
all
the
danger, the Rebbe and Rebbetzin
made efforts to help many Jews,
materially and spiritually. Despite
the Italians attitude, there were
limitations to religious activity in
Nice.

HELPING THE REFUGEES

R Yaakov Moshe Rothschild,
who lived in Nice at the time, was
in touch with the Rebbe and even
obtained pas Yisroel for him.
There was one bakery in the city
which was run by a Jew but he
was not Shabbos observant. The
Rebbe asked R Yaakov Moshe
to light the oven and to buy for
him that which would be baked
immediately
thereafter.
The
Rebbe used this bread for lechem
mishna on Shabbos and Yom
Tov.
The Rebbe engaged in acts
of chesed for the many refugees
in Nice. Over the years, some

examples came to light. Here are

a few:
A Jewish woman wanted to
escape from Nice and the Rebbe
helped her obtain forged papers
to enable her to safely make her
way through Nazi checkpoints.
The woman eventually made
aliya.
R Mendel Notik, who served
as an assistant in the Rebbes
household, told several stories
that the Rebbetzin related that
demonstrate the Rebbes great
acts of chesed at that time. In
order to be able to rent a room in
a hotel, the person had to show
that he had at least $100 (a large
sum for that time). The Rebbe
would look for Jews who were
walking around the city without a
roof over their heads and would
give them a $100 bill so they
could find shelter.
The problem was that the
Rebbe did not have much more
than the $100 bill. So what

happened was, the person given

the bill would go to a hotel and
when he had secured a room, he
would return the bill to the Rebbe
who would then look for another
Jew to help in the same way. The
Rebbetzin said this developed
into a major project. Over time,
other Jews helped the Rebbe in
this rescue work.
Another story from R
Mendel: The Nazi government
confiscated all the gold in the
country and whoever still had
gold was required to turn it in.
Anyone caught with gold was
executed. A Jew who possessed
numerous gold ingots figured the
Rebbe would not be suspected
and no search would be
conducted of his home. He asked
the Rebbe to hide the gold in his
house and the Rebbe agreed.
There was so much gold that
it filled an entire closet. When
the situation worsened and they
began conducting searches even
in the area where the Rebbe
lived, the Rebbetzin was afraid
and suggested that the gold be
transferred to a safer place. The
Rebbes response was, Its a
Jews money and we wont touch
it.

PRIVATE LESSONS
Now we come to new
testimony that is being publicized
here for the first time, about the
Rebbe teaching young girls in
their home.
At the time that the Italians
controlled Nice, there were
strict religious restrictions which
included
studying
religion.
Therefore, some Jews organized
small learning groups so they
would not be discovered by
the
authorities.
Professor
Rina Posnansky, director of
the department for Holocaust
Studies at the University of Beer
Sheva (who published dozens

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The Rebbe in France

of books and articles about the

history of Jews in France during
the war) wrote:
It was illegal to have
religion classes in Nice. In
order to circumvent this, we
arranged small groups of two
or three children and we gave
them private lessons on Jewish
subjects.
Ruth Bezek was born in 1935
and during the time that the
Rebbe taught her, she said she
was only about five and therefore
her memories of that time arent
extensive. But the fact that the
Rebbe taught her is something
she heard from her father many
years later.
I was born in 1935 in Vienna.
My parents were Alexander
Klonimus and Stella Steiner.
They were part of the religious
community whose center was
the Schiff Shul. My father ran
a metal factory and my mother
took care of the house. My
grandfather, R Morris Leitner,
was the head of the community.

When the situation worsened and they

began conducting searches even in the area
where the Rebbe lived, the Rebbetzin was afraid and
suggested that the gold be transferred to a safer
place. The Rebbes response was, Its a Jews money
and we wont touch it.
In 1938, after the Anschluss, the
Nazis took over Austria and my
grandfather, who was rich, was
arrested. Adolf Eichmann, who
led the terror campaign against
the Jews of Austria, demanded
that he turn over all his wealth to
them, but my grandfather refused
and after a week of hell, he was
released. He told his family to
leave the country immediately
for he realized that a tragedy
was imminent. He warned us,
Wherever you go, dont register
as members of a community so
they wont catch you.
My parents, along with
me and my older sister, fled

to Czechoslovakia and from

there we went to Italy until we
arrived in Nice in France. We
listened to my grandfather and
did not register as members of
a community. We lived in the
Cimiez neighborhood in a large
apartment building; I think we
lived on the second floor. Life
was terrifying and this was so
even though we had money;
the danger was existential, not
financial.
Where did we have money
from? Having run a metal
factory, there were large sums
of money deposited in various
banks. Before we left Vienna, my

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Feature
father withdrew all the money
and bought diamonds which we
hid in a big doll that we emptied
of its contents. I kept the doll,
and at the various checkpoints
nobody considered that a
treasure lay within my toy. Now
and then, my parents would sell
one of the diamonds and that is
how we managed during that
difficult time.
It was 1940 when the Rebbe
came to teach us and he taught
us for three months. People were
afraid to have Jewish children out
on the street and so he taught us
at home. I was a little girl and I
did not ask many questions and I
did not know who this man was,
but over the years, my father told
us that he was the Lubavitcher
Rebbe who was the previous
Rebbes son-in-law at the time
and was staying in Nice.
The Rebbe taught us the
alef-beis out of a book, I think
a siddur, and he also drew the

letters. He came on his own

and asked my father if he could
teach us. All the years, my father
highly esteemed him even though
I dont know whether, after he
became Rebbe, my father kept in
touch.
I remember that he wore
a beret and had a short beard
and sometimes he ate with us,
because apparently the kashrus
was satisfactory to him.

MY TEACHER
WAS MISS KARASIK
My family then escaped
from Nice to Bordeaux where we
spent time in a detainment camp.
We somehow got to Spain and
from Spain to Portugal and then
to North Africa. After endless
travels and travails, we arrived
in Cairo and went from there to
Haifa. That was at the end of
1941.
When we arrived in Eretz

Yisroel, we settled in Tel Aviv.

With the diamonds he hid, my
father bought a juice factory
and a house at 48 Rothschild
Boulevard. He was in touch with
the Sadigora Rebbe and davened
in the Chug Chasam Sofer shul of
R Mordechai Yaffe Schlesinger.
I went to Beis Yaakov in
Tel Aviv where my teachers
name was Karasik [Rebbetzin
Devorah Ashkenazi, the mother
of R Mordechai Ashkenazi, who
taught in Beis Yaakov before she
married and was called Mora
Devorah Karasik].
Sources: Interview with Mrs.
Ruth Bezek, the series on the
rescue of the Rebbe from the
Holocaust Chabad BShoah,
LHiyot Yehudi BTzorfat.
Photo of Mr. Steiner from his
daughters pictures
I heard the story through
R Binyanim Braun, a Chabad
Chassid in Munich.

ADD IN ACTS OF GOODNESS & KINDNESS

TO BRING MOSHIACH NOW!

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Kupas Rabbeinu
Lubavitch

ubhcr ,pue
jhanv lkn r"unst e"f ,uthab ,j,

(718) 467-2500

P. O . B . 2 8 8 , B r o o k l y n , N e w Yo r k 11 2 2 5

(718) 756-3337

Sivan 28 - Gimmel Tammuz Magbis

B.H. Sivan 15, 5775

To all Anash, Men and Women, G-d bless you.

We are soon approaching the very auspicious day, Gimmel Tammuz. This day comes in close
proximity with Sivan 28, the auspicious day that the Rebbe MH"M and the Rebbetzin arrived in the
United States.
Obviously, these are very opportune days, when one should again evaluate his or her
"Hiskashrus" (connection) with the Rebbe, and more important, to utilize these special days to
'strengthen' the Hiskashrus to the Rebbe.

"KUPAS RABBEINU," was established with the full consent and blessing
of the Rebbe, with its purpose and goal to make every effort that all of the
Rebbe`s activities, institutions etc. continue unchanged. By supporting
Kupas Rabbeinu, one is actually participating in many of the Rebbe's activities, and thus strengthening their Hiskashrus to the Rebbe.
With this in mind, we therefore urge each and everyone of anash, men and
women to support Kupas Rabbeinu in every possible way.
In this merit may we be "zoiche" that much before Gimmel Tammuz, the Rebbe will be revealed
as Melech Hamoshiach and redeem us from this deep and bitter Golus and lead us all to the true
and final Geulo, NOW MAMAOSH.

VAAD KUPAS RABBEINU

Rabbi S.M. Simpson
Rabbi Y.L. Groner
P.S. Please send all correspondence only to the above address.
You may also send Maimad, Keren-Hashono, Magbis etc. to Kupas Rabbeinu.
Eretz Yisroel address: KEREN KUPAS ADMU"R / P.O.B. 1247 / KIRYAT MALACHI / ISRAEL

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SHLICHUS

SHLICHUS IN THE
WILDS OF KENYA
They grew up in warm Chabad communities and
chose to leave the capitol of Chabad in Eretz
Yisroel for the jungle and dangerous wilds of
Kenya, and no, they did not go there to convert
the lions or to shecht giraffes * The story of an
African shlichus in which every Jewish neshama
is more precious than pearls. * If I can do it, then
anyone can. This is our derech, to prepare the
world for Geula, says Chaya. She tells us of her
doubts, disappointments and even an ultimatum
she presented to the Rebbe on her birthday.
By Rocheli Dickstein

afari
najama!
(have a good trip).
You are invited to
get aboard the jeep
together with us and pay a visit to
the land of safaris Krivu Kenya
(Welcome to Kenya).
Although in Nairobi, the
capitol, you dont see giraffes
among the cars, just five minutes
away you can see zebras, giraffes,
antelopes and other animals on
the sides of the roads.
Its a country that is
fascinating,
infuriating,
and
completely
different
than
anything you know.
The locals are not particular
about the commandment keep
a distance from lies and are not

even ashamed by this. Promises

are not worth a shilling (the local
coin), and tomorrow means
some time in the future between
tomorrow and two weeks from
now.
Nairobi
is
constructed
as a teeming riot of streets,
roads, residential areas, slums
(tin shacks or mud huts),
neighborhoods of poverty and
street crime and all this with
numerous traffic jams lacking
beginning and end.
Being white means you
are rich, very rich. Therefore,
everything is very expensive,
rentals,
shopping
at
the
supermarket and anything big or
small that you need to buy here.

Just six months ago, R

Shmuel and Chaya Notik landed
in this colorful country. Half a
year, about 180 days. How much
can be accomplished in that
period of time? It depends on
who you ask and when, but if you
ask Mrs. Notik, she will tell you
that in half a year you can start a
huge revolution.

SHLICHUS
The desire to go on shlichus
is the result of the chinuch we
absorbed at home, at school,
and in programs such as Achos
HaTmimim,
says
Chaya.
Shlichus seeped into our
bones. It was a given its what
the Rebbe says, so its what we

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do. The thing is, as a girl its

very easy to talk and to make
pronouncements on dates. The
world seems rosy and sparkling,
and so, with the utmost fervor
and seriousness, we decided
on our dates that after a certain
amount of time after our
wedding, we would be going on
shlichus.
The truth is, many couples
talk about it. I didnt check it out
but I think that at least 70% of
girls talk about it and maybe 30%
actually do it. Because talking is
easy. I hoped I would be one of
those who actually did it.
Why Kenya?
At first, it wasnt so clear
that we were going to Kenya. On

the contrary, it was clear to me

that we were going on shlichus
but not abroad. I have uncles on
shlichus in Ukraine. As kids, we
heard about their experiences and
saw how hard shlichus is abroad.
Later on, as a girl in seminary, I
went to them on shlichus. I saw
for myself what being far away
is like. Its not just that youre
physically far; its that you are
cut off from your family and you
miss them so much.
Aside from that, I saw how
outreach is done with Russians
and I knew it wasnt for me. I
have no patience for this culture.
I want to work with Israelis,
people whose background and
mentality I know, so shlichus in

Eretz Yisroel was preferred.

We started looking for a
shlichus position in Eretz Yisroel
but quickly saw its not for us.
We decided to look further afield,
abroad. After checking out a
number of options, we heard
about Kenya. R Eliyahu Chaviv,
shliach in Ethiopia and a good
friend of my husband, told us
about it. Since our wedding he
began speaking about it, but as
I said, there was nothing to talk
about then. Now the time had
come. We decided to finish the
school year in Eretz Yisroel for
my teaching work and to start
the next school year on shlichus.
We debated about whether to
first go to the Rebbe and then to

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Shlichus

Right: Purim Seuda with the community

Middle: Kosher chicken
Left: Shechting chickens

It is hard to describe how you feel when you

go to 770 after a two year break and after going
on shlichus. Its like going home and it feels like youre
giving nachas to Abba.
Kenya, or the other way round.
We decided the other way round,
Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur
in Kenya, Sukkos with the Rebbe,
and then back to Eretz Yisroel.
This would be to see whether a
shlichus like this is for us.
The day of our flight was
also the day we cleared out our
rented apartment. It was hard to
both clear out the house and pack
our suitcases; not everything you
clear out are you taking with you
on the plane. Many things had
to go into storage, and so we
worked and packed until the last
minute. I arrived at the airport
exhausted. It was a night flight
and I longed to sleep, but an
unpleasant and nerve-wracking
surprise awaited us at the airport.
The ticket for Mendy, our baby,
was not issued. Paid for, yes,
bought, yes, but not issued in
ticket form.
What does that mean?
A significant delay and tense

conversations
with
anyone
possible. It turned out that the
delay had us boarding the flight
after the gates had been closed
and for this reason, we did not
pay anything for our overweight
luggage, a practical outcome of
every delay is for the good.
We
traveled
into
the
unknown. When I say the
unknown I mean it! We had no
idea where we would sleep the
next night, how the new country
would look or how the people
would look. We had no idea
how many Jews were there and
whether they existed at all. On
the Internet there is plenty of
information but you cant really
know anything by reading it. It
was only when we arrived that
we understood what it was all
about.

NICE TO MEET YOU!

We landed. With our million
suitcases. Oops. A million minus

one. One suitcase was lost.

The one that contained my and
Mendys clothes. Lovely. My
husband ran around the airport to
try and find the suitcase because
without it we werent going
anywhere. It was twelve noon
and since I hadnt said brachos
yet, I hadnt eaten anything. I
was tired, Mendy was crying, and
I only wanted to drop everything
and go to sleep. I looked at the
Rebbes picture which is always
on my cell phone screen and said,
Rebbe, I am here because of
you. I am here for you. Help me
start out on the right foot with
joy. I hadnt finished making my
request when my suitcase was
found!
Great. We departed. To
where? In Eretz Yisroel, we had
contacted someone who lives in
Kenya. It was a little complicated
telling him how we got to him
(R Chaviv heard from someone
about a friend who had a friend in
Kenya. Go and explain that to the
friend of the friend of someone
who knows R Chaviv). But
he was not willing to talk on the
phone. He said, Come and well
talk.
So there we were. We
called him and he was nice and

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Right: Chanuka with the head of the community, the ambassador and his deputy
Middle: Challos that are given out for Shabbos
Left: Mivtza Tfillin

he invited us to his office. My

husband told him that we had a
suitcase with frozen things in it
and did he have a freezer?
He said, In that case, go
to my home. The maid is there.
Shell open up for you and youll
set yourself up.
That is how in the most
matter of fact way in the world
we were granted the softest
landing possible, a big, beautiful
house, empty all day because
the man worked from eight in
the morning until six at night. A
huge and kosher kitchen that I
could use. And comfortable beds
to lay down my weary bones.
The Rebbe made sure I could be
bsimcha.

TISHREI
We spent an entire week
with our gracious host. During
this week, we began getting
acquainted with the area and
looked for an apartment. We also
got acquainted with people in the
community (yes, although at first
they laughed about our going to
convert lions and shecht giraffes
there is a community of about
eighty families plus fifty to
sixty businessmen who are here

without their families).

Rosh HaShana arrived and
boruch Hashem, we were able to
put together a three day Yom Tov
including koshering a kitchen
and utensils, cooking, giving out
apple and honey kits (which, by
the way, were the main reason for
our excess baggage) and hosting.
Yom Kippur also went by quickly
and then we were on our way to
the Rebbe.
While we were there,
bachurim who had come to us in
Kenya as reinforcements a few
hours before Rosh HaShana,
stayed on. We did not know
whether we would be going back
after Sukkos, but if we had made
a start there in Tishrei we wanted
the work to continue.
Sukkos at the Rebbe is
always special. But this year it
was extraordinary. The year
before, we were unable to fly for
happy reasons. All year though I
felt I had missed out. I yearned
to go to the Rebbe. We finally
arrived after a very long flight.
I landed in 770 in the middle
of the Shir shel Yom and with a
song in my heart I ran straight
into the front row together with
Mendy. It is hard to describe how

you feel when you go to 770 after

a two year break, and after going
on shlichus. Its like going home
and it feels like youre giving
nachas to Abba.

A DECISION
Sukkos passed quickly and
we returned to Eretz Yisroel.
We sat together for an open
discussion. We had seen that
Kenya is full of opportunities for
outreach work and there would
never be a dull moment. The
question was whether we were
made for it. Were we willing to
handle it? In the end, we decided
that with Hashems help, yes, we
were willing.
From when we made the
decision we had two weeks to
organize ourselves and go back.
We ran from store to store to
buy necessities and then, there
we were, back on the plane to
Kenya. The bachurim who had
stayed there did great work while
we were away. They met many
Jews and arranged successful
activities.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY?
After

the

excitement

of

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Shlichus
Tishrei, we landed in Cheshvan,
a quiet month with nothing
happening. I felt we had come for
nothing. My friends were active
in Eretz Yisroel and I was bored
here. I tried to arrange evenings
for women that are successful
elsewhere, but nobody came.
Time and time again.
Women told me, You do it at
night and that timing is not good
for us. Do it in the morning and
well come. I arranged it for the
morning and still nobody came.
It was a stinging failure. For three
weeks I went around with the

listened, without playing with

their phones. I was smiling from
ear to ear. I had gotten a special,
personal, and serious injection of
encouragement from the Rebbe.

OUTREACH
A busy season began with
a Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen
followed by preparations for
Chanuka. Chanuka falls out at a
time when the entire community
goes to Eretz Yisroel. There
is vacation from school and
businesses give off to their
employees for the secular New

Stories like these are empowering. And when

the stories are coming from young women who
until yesterday were like me and you, and who are now
such heroines, then it clicks; shluchos are you and me
and all of us. Because we have the ability to do it. If I can
do it, then everyone can.

face and feelings of Tisha BAv.

Then it was my birthday. I
wrote to the Rebbe that if at least
three women did not show up for
my birthday, we were going back
to Eretz Yisroel, because there
was nothing to do here. I felt
that the Rebbe was with me. It is
impossible to describe the feeling
in words. I invited everyone I
knew for seven oclock, figuring
that if anyone came it would be
at eight oclock. Just one person
told me she might come. I
prepared the house in her honor.
At 7:20 I heard a knock
at the door that caught me in a
kerchief, tying balloons to the
ceiling. I opened the door and
found five women, five! Then
more came. In the end there
were eight women at my birthday
farbrengen. It was uplifting; eight
women sat with me and really

Year, so they take the opportunity

to go. This is why, despite our
telling people and advertising the
Chanuka party, we prepared for
very few people. We had seven
children including our Mendy,
who was the star of the event.
My mother, who came to visit us,
worked with the children and the
parents were thrilled.
At the end of the party I
announced a Torah Kids program
for Sundays. Unfortunately,
it still hasnt gotten really
established. Sometimes more
kids show up, sometimes less,
and sometimes nobody comes.
I learned not to prepare for it a
week in advance, but to start
on Thursday when I try to feel
out the parents about who plans
on coming. On Purim, though,
we had a nice seuda which was
attended by twenty people and

we had minyanim. That was the

biggest event we arranged thus
far and was very successful.

HOSTING MADE NOT SO

SIMPLE
Sometimes, the difficulties
turn out as sweets in the end.
For example, one Thursday
we had a serious blackout. My
husband went to the mikva and
on the way he called to tell me
that he met Israelis from Nigeria,
a couple with three children,
who came to Kenya on vacation.
It was the woman who urged
her husband to approach my
husband, in shock at meeting a
religious Jew in a place like this.
My husband invited them to visit
us and they happily accepted.
A few hours went by and
we both continued our usual
Thursday routine: my husband
gives out challos and I make
Shabbos. Then, around four, the
phone rang. It was the Israeli
from Nigeria. They were on their
way to us for a meal and wanted
to know our exact address.
I swallowed hard and tried
to understand what meal he
was talking about; there was no
electricity, no bread in the house,
nothing at all really, and they
were on their way?
I explained how to get to our
house and then thought hard. I
decided to make pasta, the only
thing I could make that sort of
makes itself. Then I took out of
the fridge and freezer everything
I had made for Shabbos. My
husband called and said, Hes on
the way. I asked, The guests or
the electrician?
They both came, my husband
and the electricity (the electrician
did not come; my husband took
matters into his own hands). Ten
minutes later, the guests arrived.
I put challos into the oven and

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they had warm, fresh challa.

Although this sounds like
an unpleasant experience, it was
actually very pleasant. They were
pleasant to talk to and during the
meal I thought, hosting Jews for
a kosher meal is both Mivtza
Ahavas Yisroel and Mivtza
Kashrus.

The table is
set for Pesach

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

We are just at the beginning,
said Chaya. We are getting to
know the Israelis here. There are
lots of people that we dont even
know exist and who dont know
that we exist. Just a few minutes
ago, an Israeli from a coastal city
called me and asked for a supply
of kosher food for an organized
trip of religious Israelis. Every
day we discover more and more
Jews who are scattered around
the country. We now sell kosher
meat and we also do catering
which is still in its infancy, but is
successful, boruch Hashem. Its
the kind of thing which works by
word of mouth. Soon a store that
sells kosher food, imported from
Israel, will open, with soup nuts,
snack food, Bamba People are
looking forward to that!
We have a mikva that we
want to upgrade both halachically
as well as aesthetically. We know
that the cleaner and nicer it is,

the more it is used. I also have a

dream of opening a preschool. It
will probably be called something
innocuous so it wont sound
so official, but we will be able
to instill Judaism. This might
happen at the start of the next
school year or the year after
that, if G-d forbid Moshiach
has not come yet. Our Mendy
needs friends and there is a large
population of kids here.

A MESSAGE FOR READERS

Id like to say something
to the shluchos, says Chaya.
Every shlucha out there reading
this article should find a way to
talk about her shlichus. I dont
think I would have been able to
do what I do if I hadnt heard

about a classmate, who was in

school with me from day one.
Today she is in India. Stories
like these are empowering. And
when the stories are coming
from young women who until
yesterday were like me and you,
and who are now such heroines,
then it clicks; shluchos are you
and me and all of us. Because
we have the ability to do it. If I
can do it, then everyone can. This
is our way to prepare the world
for the Geula, may it happen
immediately.
Donations:
Discount Bank (11)
Assaf HaRofeh Branch (396)
Account Number 93386054
Shmuel and Chaya Notik

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

In Crown Heights area: 1640/1700AM

worldwide, online: www.RadioMoshiach.org

USA NEW phone: 347 990 1136

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OBITUARY

A CHASSID
IN THE LIONS DEN
Along with his work helping his father in the founding of
Chabad mosdos in Australia, R Chaim used his business trips
to carry out various missions for the Rebbe. * This is how
he became the Rebbes first shliach to Athens and how he
conducted himself when he had a meeting in the Kremlin. *
He then moved to Crown Heights where he became one of
the most active mashpiim in the neighborhood. * Part 2 of 2.
By Avrohom Rainitz

Chaim
was
a
young bachur in
the 1950s, and
although he had
not seen the Rebbe, he was
mekushar to him, heart and soul.
He even worked to get others
to connect to the Rebbe. When
his father started the network of
institutions in Melbourne, as the
Rebbe instructed him, R Chaim
was enlisted to raise funds. The
refined bachur, who had been
completely immersed in learning
while in yeshiva, was suddenly
discovered to be a talented
communal worker who was able
to successfully raise large sums.
Every Sunday, R Chaim
would circulate in the section
where most of Melbournes
businessmen lived, and enlist

the aid of Jewish wealthy men

for the yeshiva. Within a short
time, the donations he raised
covered all of the yeshivas
expenses.
At the same time, R Chaim
worked to register students for
the Chabad school. He worked
hard to convince parents that
for their childrens welfare they
should be taken out of public
school and put into the Chabad
school. When poor parents said
they preferred public school
so they wouldnt have to pay
tuition, R Chaim told them
they did not have to pay for the
Chabad school. He resolved to
put more time into fund-raising
so another Jewish child would
attend the Chabad school.
When he wrote to the Rebbe

about his work, the Rebbe

responded in a letter dated 3
Adar 5715, acknowledging his
efforts.

FIRST TRIP TO THE

REBBE AND THE
DATELINE PROBLEM
As mentioned in the previous
article, R Chaim yearned to go
to the Rebbe for years but was
told no. It was Erev Pesach
5718 when he finally got a yes.
He immediately ordered a ticket
for Chol HaMoed, not thinking
that by doing so he would
be crossing the International
Dateline.
It was only after he arrived
in New York that he realized
that since he had crossed the

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Obituary

Dateline from east to west, he

had gained a day so that when
people were counting the third
day of the omer, he was already
up to day four. After asking the
Rebbe what he should do, the
Rebbe told him that he should
hear the blessing from someone
else but follow his own count,
and then with a break in between
to count according to the local
count. The Rebbe also instructed
him to consult rabbanim about
when to keep Shavuos.
The Rebbe, who ten years
earlier had written on this
subject at length to R Betzalel
Wilschansky,
addressed
the
topic again at length and even
mentioned R Chaims case in a
letter to R Zevin.

NO WORRIES
After Pesach, before his
birthday on 6 Iyar, R Chaim
had yechidus for the first time.
Before the yechidus, he wrote
to the Rebbe that he planned on
traveling to Eretz Yisroel to look
for a shidduch, but the Rebbe

told him to remain in the US

and to learn in yeshiva in the
meantime.
R Chaim, who had shown
aptitude for raising money for
the yeshiva, did not take any
salary for doing so, and upon
arriving in the US, he hardly had
any money with him. However,
the Rebbe reassured him saying,
Since from Above they brought
you into inyanim pnimiyim
[lit. internal matters] you have
nothing to worry about.
R Chaim, who always
conducted himself modestly,
did not tell anyone about this
amazing line from the Rebbe
which showed the special regard
the Rebbe had for him. It was
only last Yud Shvat that he told
his son Menachem Mendel,
and he concluded by saying
that since then he saw how his
parnasa was always assured
from Above, and all the years he
had abundant parnasa and did
not lack for anything. When his
family members wanted to ask
him about this again, wanting to
know exactly what the Rebbe said

to him, he refused to repeat it.

In that same yechidus, he
asked how to be connected to
the Rebbe and the Rebbe said,
Watch what I do and do as I
do.
Last Sukkos, when he
farbrenged with bachurim from
Australia, he told them this and
said that to him this meant to act
with Ahavas Yisroel and to help
others as we see by the Rebbe.
Indeed, those who knew R
Serebryanski say that his life
was devoted to others welfare.
He was so permeated by Ahavas
Yisroel that even on his last day,
when he lay weakly in the hospital
so that he was unable to daven
the entire tfilla, when a friend
came to visit him, he opened his
eyes and said with the last of
his strength: Last year, you gave
me money for maos chittim for
a family in Eretz Yisroel. Please
give again.
The friend was so moved that
he quickly gave a nice amount
and R Chaims son sent the
money to Eretz Yisroel before
Pesach.

THE REBBES
INVOLVEMENT IN HIS
SHIDDUCH
Shortly after arriving in
New York, someone suggested
Esther, the daughter of R
Moshe Mordechai Magnes, as
a shidduch for him. When he
inquired into the shidduch, he
heard wonderful things about her
and that both her parents were
considered expert educators. The
Rebbe had once suggested that
her father run Beis Rivka and her
mother was one of the founders
of the Williamsburg Beis Yaakov
in the 1930s.
However, along with all the
good qualities, he heard that
as a typical American she had

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gone to college and this made

him hesitate. He wrote to the
Rebbe and after not receiving a
response, he concluded he should
continue.
At this time, one of her friends
had yechidus, during which she
mentioned Esther Magnes who
needed a shidduch. The Rebbe
said: She has a shidduch Chaim
Serebryanski!
This was repeated to R Chaim
and he submitted a question to
the Rebbe asking what he should
do next. The Rebbes answer was,
if she agrees to two conditions,
to live in Australia and to wear
a wig, marry her. They met
and after she agreed to the two
conditions, they were engaged.
When they had yechidus
before the wedding, the Rebbe
spoke to them about the wedding
meal and said it was not necessary
to waste money on a hall. They
had the wedding meal in the
home of R Mendel Shemtov, R
Chaims uncle. The wedding was
on a Friday and it was a low key
affair with no wasting of money.
The Rebbe was very pleased to
hear this and said if only others
did as they did.

A HARD BUT
PLEASANT SHLICHUS
After they married, the Rebbe
told the young couple to go to
Australia so R Chaim could
continue helping his father
establish the mosdos. During the
yechidus, the Rebbe said to him:
Im sending you on a difficult
shlichus but a pleasant one.
Toward the end of the
yechidus, the Rebbe gave his
wife a siddur and gave him a
Tanya, telling him to give it to
someone. R Chaim thought
he would give the Tanya to his
brother, R Aharon, who was in
Australia. But as he thought this,

the money for the expenses of the

trip, apparently upon the Rebbes
instructions.

LIVING WITH THE

REBBE IN AUSTRALIA

the Rebbe said: Give the Tanya to

someone on the boat, on the way
to Australia.
On the ship, R Chaim met
a Jewish musician, a member of
the renowned Menuhin clan, who
was related to the Rebbes family
and was a descendant of the Alter
Rebbe. After explaining to him
the importance of the Tanya,
which had been written by his
ancestor, and telling him that this
particular Tanya came from the
Rebbe himself, he gave it to him.
The man was very moved and
thanked him warmly.
R Chadakov gave him half

Years passed and every time

R Chaim wrote to the Rebbe
about wanting to see him, he was
told no since his job on shlichus
did not allow him to leave for an
extended period of time. After
five or six years, R Chaim wrote
to the Rebbe that he had the
opportunity of borrowing money
for the trip and he asked for the
Rebbes blessing. The Rebbe
said he should give the money
he wanted to spend on the trip to
tzdaka and that would be the trip
to the Rebbe.
R Chaim did as the Rebbe
told him and much later he told
his son that during that period
of time he felt as though he was
actually by the Rebbe. R Chaim
was not known to exaggerate and
if he said this, that is truly how
he felt.
Over the years, he continued
to help his father in running
the Chabad mosdos, starting
summer camps, and in 5726
he was involved in starting the
yeshiva gdola as was related in
the series about his father, R
Shneur Zalman. He also founded
the organization FREE which
was the first Chabad house in
Australia and focused on working
with Russian Jews.
R Chaim was there for eleven
years and it was only for Yud
Shvat 5730 that the Rebbe finally
allowed him to visit. He was
present at the conclusion of the
Torah for Moshiach. During this
visit, he had yechidus and in his
great humility he told the Rebbe
that he felt he wasnt doing
enough for the Rebbe and said he
wanted to do something special.

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Obituary

SHLICHUS TO ATHENS
For twenty years, from 5729-5749, R Chaim spent the Australian
summer months, around Chanuka time, on business trips to Eretz Yisroel.
His route was Melbourne-Athens-Tel Aviv. In 5742, as a result of turbulent
weather, the plane arrived late in Athens and R Chaim missed his connecting
flight to Tel Aviv. He had to spend Shabbos in Athens.
It was two in the afternoon and Shabbos was at four. He rushed out to
get a taxi to go and find a shul. When they arrived at the shul, the place was
locked but there was a sign directing people to the community offices across
the street. R Chaim asked them where he could buy kosher food and was
told there was no kosher store in Athens. But they looked in the rabbis room
and found packages of matza from the previous Pesach. He took a room in a
nearby hotel and bought some vegetables.
When he arrived at shul, the rabbi of the community, R Yaakov Arar,
welcomed him. R Chaim inquired about the state of Jewry and was sorry
to hear that there were only three families that kept kosher, the rabbis, the
shochets, and a woman convert.
At Mincha and kabbalas Shabbos there were only twenty people, but the
next day for Shacharis many people showed up since there was a bar mitzva
boy who was given an aliya. When they noticed the guest, they invited him to
come on Motzaei Shabbos to the club for the bar mitzva celebration.
R Chaim went to the club and when he asked the rabbi whether
he could eat anything, the rabbi said it was all treif and you couldnt
even drink the water there. R Chaim looked sadly at the tables full of
non-kosher food and wondered why he was there.
He then recalled a saying of the Baal Shem Tov about how
Hashem sends us where He wants us to go and he decided he had
to accomplish something there. He began talking with the youth and
saw that they knew English. The young people were fascinated by the
bearded man from Australia and he spoke to them at length about the
importance of observing mitzvos. Then he continued talking to them
and found out that the kids attended a Jewish school until the age of
thirteen. The principal of the school wasnt Jewish but it was she who
saw to it that the students prayed and said blessings.
Since a few months earlier, on 11 Nissan 5741, the Rebbe had
announced the writing of a Torah scroll for Jewish children, R Chaim
decided to spend more time in Athens and get all the children to buy
a letter in it.
On Sunday morning, he was able to find an open bank where he
exchanged 120 Australian dollars into the local currency. Then he went to
the school and gave each child a drachma note so they could buy letters in
the Torah with their own money. Each child wrote his name, his mothers
name and his address and they all received certificates acknowledging their
purchase.
From 5742 and on, for more than ten years, R Chaim was in constant
touch with the community and he provided them with various Jewish items.
He also translated the 12 Psukim for them into Greek. Without an official
appointment, he became the Rebbes shliach to Athens. The members of the
community began writing to the Rebbe and some responses from the Rebbe
went through him.

The Rebbe told him: When

you see that something is lacking
and other people arent doing
anything, then you do it.
Over the years, R Chaim
carried this out and when he saw
something that needed correcting
and that nobody was doing so,
he did it. He did this in Australia
and also when he immigrated to
the United States.
During the 1960s, R
Avraham Aharon Rubashkin
visited Australia and R Chaim
helped him a lot. When he
returned to the US and had
yechidus, he told the Rebbe
about the help he received from
R Chaim. The Rebbe responded:
There arent many like R Chaim.

THE SAME AS IN
SAMARKAND
Since R Chaim did not
want to benefit from holy work,
he went into business with the
Rebbes blessings. He started
with chocolate candies and
then expanded to selling fish
and wine and other alcoholic
beverages. He started a number
of businesses and was one of the
biggest importers in Australia. He
was also a member of the USSRAustralia Business Council.

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R Chaim with his father and uncle, R Mendel Futerfas

The business world did not

blind him and he continued
to maintain his Chassidishe
character. I heard from a
Lubavitcher in Australia that
he once passed by R Chaims
office and R Chaim came out
and chased after him and asked
him whether he could review a
maamer Chassidus on Shabbos.
He was sitting in his office in
the middle of a business day,
but what was on his mind was
reviewing a maamer.
R Mordechai Kozliner said
about him that although he had
big businesses, he remained
the same as he was as a Tamim
in yeshiva in Samarkand and
material things did not mean
much to him.
As part of his avoda in
breaking gashmius (materiality),
R Chaim would often fast. He
did this secretly and nobody
knew. But the Rebbe knew and in
one of their meetings the Rebbe
told him to stop fasting. The
Rebbe said that since he had to
speak to other businessmen, if he
ate, he would speak better.

A VISIT TO THE LIONS DEN

In 5742, the Russians wanted
to develop trade with Australia
and they invited the members
of the USSR-Australia Business
Council for an official visit to
Moscow. R Chaim was afraid to
go to Russia since he had left the
country on false papers and had
taken part in the counterfeiting
documents industry. He was sure
that the KGB knew about him
and so his going to Moscow was
entering the lions den.
But as a Chassid who does not
make a significant move without
asking the Rebbe, he asked the
Rebbe who told him to go. After
receiving this response, he went
with full confidence that nothing
bad would happen during the
trip.
Upon arriving in Moscow, he
was welcomed by a representative
of the Russian Ministry of
Finance who stuck to him
throughout the trip and was his
personal driver. He was obviously
from the KGB but R Chaim was
confident in the Rebbes bracha.
He asked to be driven to the

R Chaim on his wedding day

main shul where he davened.

During the davening, the driver
had a private talk with the gabbai
of the shul who was known to
collaborate with the government.
After they left the shul, the driver
casually mentioned that the
gabbai told him that his Yiddish
wasnt a Polish Yiddish but a
Ukrainian Yiddish. R Chaim was
sure this was being told to him
in order to hint that although
his official papers said he was a
Polish citizen, the KGB knew
who he was and where he came
from.
R Chaim went to the Kremlin
where he met with the leaders of
the Russian Commerce Ministry.
Since he traveled with the
Rebbes bracha, he felt he was
on the Rebbes shlichus and he
used every free moment to review
Thillim and Tanya by heart.
That is how he walked about
the corridors of the Kremlin,
reviewing one chapter after
another.
In a meeting with senior
Russians, the members of the
Australian delegation asked their

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Obituary

He was sitting in his office in the middle of a

business day, but what was on his mind was
reviewing a maamer.
colleagues to sell more minerals
to Australia of a certain type
which was lacking in Australia.
When the Russians said they did
not have large quantities of those
minerals, R Chaim stood up,
looking obviously like a Chassid,
and berated them: You know, if
you had faith in G-d, you would
have much more minerals and
you would be able to sell them to
us!
The Russians were taken
aback and just sat there quietly.

WRITING TO THE REBBE IS

LIKE HAVING YECHIDUS
Most of R Chaims business
was with factories in South
Africa. During 5746-7, Australia
joined most countries in the
Western world who imposed
an embargo and economic
sanctions against South Africa
because of their apartheid state.
That instantly cut off most of
his business. He lost most of his
money and moved to New York.
Although
he
was
a
businessman, his friends knew
that R Chaim was immersed in
Torah study, both Nigleh and
Chassidus. Once he moved to
New York, several mosdos asked
him to be a mashpia in their
yeshiva.
R Chaim, who always wanted

to return to yeshiva, thought the

Rebbe would finally allow him
to throw himself into learning
but in response to his question,
the Rebbe told him: Continue in
business, think good and it will
be good etc. I will mention it at
the tziyun.
He first dealt in marketing
fish but after a short while he
got a job at the Kedem winery
and that was how he made a
living until his last day. In recent
years, he could only go to work
twice a week, but the owners who
recognized his special character
continued to pay him a full salary.
As in Australia, in Crown
Heights too, R Chaim used every
free moment to arrange or give a
shiur in Gemara and Chassidus.
Within a short time, he became
one of the active mashpiim in
the neighborhood and many
people consulted with him about
spiritual matters.
R Chaim emphasized horaos
from the Rebbe to consult with
rabbanim and mashpiim. In
a letter that he wrote on the
subject, he said that today too,
when many write to the Rebbe
using the Igros Kodesh and see
miracles, they need to remember
that first one must carry out
the Rebbes instructions to
consult with a mashpia, rav,
knowledgeable friends, or a



doctor-friend (depending on the

problem) with faith that since
one is asking because the Rebbe
said to do so that the Rebbe
is conveying the right answer
through them. Only if one
remains in doubt after talking
to a mashpia can one, with the
mashpias approval, write to the
Rebbe about the problem and
open the Igros Kodesh for an
answer.
At the same time, R Chaim
spoke about writing a detailed
report to the Rebbe from time to
time, as the Rebbe wants. When
R Chaim spoke with people
about writing to the Rebbe he
emphasized that before putting
the letter into a volume of Igros
Kodesh, the proper preparations
need to be made, as though
preparing for yechidus.
***
At the end of Adar he became
sick and he passed away on 6
Nissan. R Chaim is survived
by his wife Esther and their
children: Yossi (Brooklyn, NY),
Mendel (Melbourne, Australia),
Binyomin
(Melbourne,
Australia),
Eli
(Toronto,
Canada),
Moishe
(Surfers
Paradise, Australia), Bashi Dalfin
(Brooklyn, NY) Chana Raichik
(Gaithersburg, MD), Nechama
Dina (Doonie) Mishulovin (Los
Angeles, CA) and Miriam Simon
(Crown Heights).
He is also survived by his
brother R Aaron Serebryanski
(Melbourne, Australia) and Mrs.
Nechama Werdiger (Melbourne,
Australia).

Express service
Fully Computerized
331 Kingston Ave.
(2nd Flr) Brooklyn NY 11213
Get your tickets within minutes!

(718) 493-1111
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22 25 Sivan 5775

"The quickest way to reveal Moshiach is by learning the Torah

sources about Moshiach & redemption" t"ab,wv grumnu ghrz, p"a

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1620-1640 AM around Crown Heights & Boro Park

& 1710 AM in parts of Brooklyn 24/6
worldwide live broadcast: www.RadioMoshiach.org

976_bm_eng.indd 22

Rabbi Jacob Schwei

Member of the Rabbinical

2015-06-09 9:36:32 AM

PARSHA THOUGHT

HOW TO DEVELOP
UNSHAKABLE
SELF-CONFIDENCE
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

SPIRITUAL REBELLION
One of the most difficult
stories
in
the
Torah
to
comprehend concerns the spies
handpicked by Moshe to scout
the land of Canaan. Ten of the 12
spies gave a horribly slanderous
report upon their return. Their
negative depiction of the land
caused nearly the entire male
population of Jews to cry and
spurn the gift of the Land of
Desire that G-d had promised
them. As a consequence of their
rebellion, the spies died in a
plague and the rest of the Jewish
community, aged 20 and older,
were destined to die in the desert
while the conquest of the land
was delayed for almost 40 years.
Commentators have grappled
with this enigmatic episode. How
could such righteous people have
turned so dramatically against
Moshe and G-d?

YEHOSHUAS HUMILITY:
A STUMBLING BLOCK
Another enigmatic detail
according to Rashi is that
Moshe
changed
Yehoshuas
name specifically to fortify him
with the strength not to be
swayed by the conspiracy of the
spies. Why would Moshe single

out Yehoshua for this prayer?

Targum Yonasan ben Uziel
explains that when Moshe saw
Yehoshuas humility he prayed
for him. Why would humility be
an obstacle for Yehoshua?
The simple explanation is that
humble people are more likely
to be followers and not leaders.
Accordingly, Yehoshuas humility
might cause him to suppress his
own opinion and be receptive to
what the other spies will say.
However, that is not an
adequate answer. While a humble
person does not promote himself,
he does promote G-ds ideas.
Certainly, Yehoshua, the most
devoted disciple of Moshe, would
not deviate one iota from the
mission to prepare the Jewish
people for the conquest of the
land. How could his humility get
in the way?

TOO SPIRITUAL AND TOO

HUMBLE FOR THE LAND
To answer this question
it is necessary to explore the
Chassidic approach to this entire
episode first. The spies rebellion
was not motivated by their
lowliness. On the contrary, it was
a product of their extremely high
spiritual state. They could not
countenance living a primarily

physical existence, which living

in and inhabiting the land would
entail. They preferred the purified
spiritual environment of the
desert, surrounded by clouds of
glory and subsisting on heavenly
Manna.
But, as Chassidus explains,
the rationale went even deeper
than that. The rebellious spies
knew that the ultimate goal was
for the Jewish people to exercise
mastery over their physical and
material existence. They were
convinced that it would not be
possible for them to achieve
that objective. If their existence
continued to be miraculous, as
it was in the desert, there would
be no problem in conquering
the land in both the physical
and spiritual senses of the word.
However, the premise of the
Jews entry into the land of
Canaan was that they would do
so following the natural order.
How then, the spies reasoned,
could we expect to transform
the land into something spiritual
and G-dly if we were to be
constrained by, and subject to,
the natural order of things?
The
spies
obviously
underestimated the Divine spark
that exists within every Jew
and which enables him or her
to gain mastery over nature. It
was their misplaced humility
that was the root cause of the
rebellion. Moshe was therefore

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Parsha Thought
understandably most concerned
for Yehoshua, since he was by
nature the most humble of the
12 spies. In his case, the danger
was most acute that he would
think it impossible to uncover the
Divine energy that would lead to
a successful conquest of the land.
However, this answer does
not adequately address why
Yehoshua would think the
Jewish people would be unable
to conquer the land. After all,
humble people always think
that everyone else is superior to
themselves. If Yehoshua couldnt
do it himself, why couldnt the
collective efforts of the entire
Jewish people be able to do it?

LOCATION, LOCATION,
LOCATION
There is another approach
to answering the question of
why Moshe was concerned
for Yehoshuas humility. This
approach is based on the 20th
century work, Knesses Yechezkel.
The Talmud (Brachos 6a)
discusses the importance of
having a fixed place for ones
prayers. The 18th century
commentator
R.
Yechezkel
Landau explains that when a
person prays in a certain location
it acquires a lingering spirituality
that will provide additional
support the next time he prays in
that same spot.
Based on this premise it
follows logically that when one
commits a sin in a given location
it becomes endowed with a
trace of impurity, especially if
that place is used repeatedly for
the commission of a sin. This
lingering impurity can cause
other unsuspecting people to be
more vulnerable if they should
chance upon the place.
This explains the statement
in Ethics of the Fathers: If two

people are sitting together and

do not discuss words of Torah,
it is a place of scorners. Some
commentators interpret this
statement in a novel way: The
fact that two Jews, who were
otherwise steeped in Torah
study, failed to do so in that
location is a sign that a group
of scorners previously sat in that
place. They defiled and degraded
that location, thereby having a
deleterious effect on these two
individuals by making them less
likely to say words of Torah.
This concept can serve as
another way of understanding
the role of the spies. The Land
of Canaan was known for the
depravity of its inhabitants prior
to the conquest. Such extensive
impurity
so
pervaded
the
landscape that it would be most
difficult, if not impossible, for
the Jewish nation to conquer the
land and transform it into a Holy
Land. The odds were stacked
against their succeeding in this
endeavor.
To soften the turf and
remove the effects of the moral
depravity of the Canaanites,
Moshe sent the spies, who were
righteous, moral and spiritually
sophisticated
scouts.
Their
task was to purify the air in
preparation for the conquest
by the remainder of the Jewish
people.
The spies, however, were
led astray by their lack of selfconfidence.
Although
they
were generally aware of the
depraved nature of the land,
which they obviously had to
have heard about from Moshe,
one cannot compare the power
of seeing something to the more
attenuated impact of just hearing
about it. After being confronted
with the ugly reality of the lands
degeneracy and decadence they
were convinced that they could

not change it for the better. They

feared it would prove morally
fatal to the Jewish people.
Moshes great concern was
for his trusted disciple Yehoshua,
precisely because of the latters
deep humility. Moshe recognized
that there is a fine line between
the humility that makes a person
receptive to all that is positive and
the unwarranted underestimation
of ones own spiritual powers.
Moshe prayed specifically for
Yehoshua because none of the
other spies were as distinguished
by their humility as Yehoshua.

WHOSE POWER IS IT?

At this point another question
can be raised: if the other spies
did not suffer from an excess of
humility, why did they think they
could not execute their mission
of preparing the land for the
conquest? Why couldnt they
endow the land with purity and
holiness, which they obviously
possessed in abundant measure?
The answer is that the
mindset of believing that ones
own credentials and prowess
qualify one for a mission can
be a most destructive force and
can lead to the very undoing of
the mission. To be sure, people
sent on a mission by Moshe
then, or by the Moshe of our
own generation now, are chosen
because they have the G-d given
talents to carry out that particular
mission. However, success is
only guaranteed when they
realize that the power they bring
to their task is derived from the
power of Moshe, the leader of
their generation.
The spies, tragically, began
to believe in themselves. They
forgot that their power and
spirituality alone would not
pave the way for the conquest.
It was Moshes inspiration and
G-dly energy that empowered

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2015-06-09 9:36:33 AM

them in their mission. When

they saw the formidable and
daunting challenge of the lands
degradation with their own eyes,
it hit them hard and they began
to doubt their ability to succeed.
Had they remained connected to
Moshe and his spiritual power,
they would not have lost their
self-respect and determination to
triumph in their task.

WHOSE ESTEEM?
We are living in an age
obsessively preoccupied with
self-esteem. And yet we see
so many people who fall apart
when confronted by a challenge.
The problems will overwhelm

us when we fail to grasp that

self-esteem must be replaced
with G-d esteem. We are the
last generation of exile and the
first generation of Redemption,
chosen by G-d to lead the way
into this miraculous Age. We
must not lose our confidence in
victory over the forces of exile.
How do we develop this
confidence when we look around
the world and see so much strife
and negativity?
The answer, again, is that we
have been chosen by G-d to be
the emissaries of the Moshiach of
our generation, just as the spies
were chosen by their Moshe. He
is with us in our exile, but will

Continued from page 29

kindness. So yes, taking off a year
as a planned vacation is a test. But if
you believe in the Creator, then you
know its the only way to parnasa.
Lets leave the financial end for
a moment. Someone who is used
to working hard from early in the
morning is suddenly not laboring
for an entire year. What does this
do to him? How does it affect him
emotionally?
Its like Shabbos. It changes
your life. A person who keeps
Shabbos his entire life is changed.
It doesnt appear suddenly, by
surprise, boom heres Shabbos.
He prepares for it all week. On
Sunday already he sets up his week
knowing that on Shabbos he wont
be working. The same is true for
Shmita. For someone who observes
Shmita, the six years are different; he
lives a different life. The six years are
a preparation for the Shmita year.
These days, Yaron uses most of
his time for his second role, that of
disseminator of the wellsprings at

imminently take us out of it.

Now when we confront all the
obstacles we can be confident
that we will surmount them
because we go with the power of
Moshiach.
Lest we use misplaced
humility to say that we are not
worthy or that we are incapable
of transforming the world into a
Messianic utopia, the response
must be that we are simply
agents of Moshiach. Even one
additional positive act, word or
even thought, on our part, when
suffused with our awareness of
the identity of the one who sent
us, can tip the supernal scales for
the good and bring salvation to
the entire world.

the yishuv and among farmers in the

area.
Our main role lies in their
seeing a religious person working in
the fields and orchards. Often, when
people see me, they stop me and ask
what holiday it is. Some of them
ask in all innocence, thinking they
overlooked something, while others
ask in a snarky way. Those who live
in this area are kibbutznikim who are
very far from a religious way of life.
Many of them dont personally know
a religious person; their information
is solely from television and other
media.
We make house calls and talk to
people. We talk a lot about Judaism,
about Moshiach, about Torah and
mitzvos. I am on excellent terms with
the members of all the kibbutzim in
the area. These are guys whose every
other word is anti-religious.
I was once in touch with a
colleague who came to take tomatoes
to distribute to needy families. They
sent a truck with a religious driver.
When the guys here saw him, they
were in shock.
The district rav, R Souissa,

is a Lubavitcher and he is also in

touch with farmers in the area, both
in his role as the person in charge
of kashrus and as a Lubavitcher
Chassid. A farmer recently said to
me, I see Rav Souissa and I see you
and I see the religious people on TV.
You are not like those people at all.
Yaron markets his merchandise
through local representatives in
various communities.
People who recognize quality
become our loyal customers. It
begins with the olive harvest, then
the grinding and the packing. The
Arabs, for example, harvest the
olives when they are still green and
therefore their oil is greener and
sharper. It has the taste of underripeness.
Today, Yaron doesnt advertise
at all. His customer base expands
by word of mouth. For Pesach,
he gets the hechsher of Rabbi Y.
Y. Yaroslavsky that the oil was
manufactured with all the chumros
and hiddurim observed by Anash.
We have reps in communities
who handle the orders and we
market our products through them.
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2015-06-09 9:36:33 AM

FEATURE

ON THE FRONT
LINES OF SHMITA
OBSERVANCE
In this Shmita year, we looked for a Lubavitcher farmer to interview and
found him on a small yishuv with thirty families on the Egyptian border. *
Meet Yaron Medalia, a shliach of the Rebbe on Moshav Kmehin who grows
olives, and between putting tfillin on with people and making house calls,
he raises broccoli, kohlrabi and tomatoes, produces olive oil, grows wheat
and produces whole wheat flour. * Beis Moshiach went down south to hear
about Lubavitcher farming, Shmita, emuna, miracles, and shlichus on the
moshav with the nearest religious community seventy kilometers away.
By Zalman Tzorfati Photos by Yaakov Savdid

mehin is a secular
moshav in the western
Negev
desert.
The
road to get to it is still
unfinished. When you get to the
end of the road you make a right
turn, coming from Beer Sheva, and
a left turn if coming from Eilat.
We moved to the moshav
when we married and were
among the founders. In recent
years, the moshav has grown
with young families so that now
we are about thirty families, says
Yaron.
Thats fewer families than in
an average apartment building in
Tel Aviv, I comment.
The closest city is Beer Sheva

which is seventy kilometers away,

to the north-east. The Medalia
family is the only religious family
in the area, and to them the entire
story of Kmehin is foremost one
of shlichus.
You see how I look? Thats
how I work, wearing black
pants and a white shirt, and a
hat. When people see me here,
working like this, it changes their
perspective on religious people.

DRAWN TO THE DESERT

Yaron Medalia looks like a
Chassidic farmer and has been
farming for over twenty years.
He grew up in Ramat HaSharon
but was always drawn to nature.

I moved around a lot in the

Sinai, when it was still ours. I
was always attracted to expanses
and to the desert.
He was drawn to the desert
and the desert woke up a
dormant spark in him.
Its a long story. I searched
without knowing what I was
searching for and in the end, I
arrived, he sums it up.
Yaron and his wife lived in
Kmehin since they married and
as the family began to grow,
they moved to Netivot. Today,
they live on the Netivot-Kmehin
border. Most of the week, Yaron
is in Kmehin and they spend
Shabbos together on the moshav.

26 25 Sivan 5775
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2015-06-09 9:36:33 AM

of sea water. Salinated water is

present as groundwater in the
Negev region to the tune of tens
of millions of cubic meters, and
we use it to water our plants. Its
not good for everything but for
certain things, like tomatoes, it
makes them sweeter.

HIS THIRD SHMITA

In recent years, Yaron

founded Meshek Medalia and
he focuses primarily on growing,
manufacturing and marketing
olive oil and whole wheat flour
directly to customers around the
country.
Weve recently changed our
approach. Instead of growing
large quantities for wholesalers
and corporations, we produce
less and invest in quality. We
manufacture products ourselves
and sell to groups of customers
who are interested in high quality
products. Thanks to the direct
selling to customers, we cut out
the wholesalers and retailers and
are able to cut costs.
On the map, Kmehin looks

like a green dot on a gray-brown

expanse. A primordial, dry, desert
landscape extends the length of
Highway 211. The nearest yishuv
is Kadesh Barnea. There too, as
in Kmehin, the main occupation
is farming, growing all kinds of
vegetables.
Yaron grows olives out of
which he makes oil, and he grows
wheat and makes whole wheat
flour. In the summer he also
grows kohlrabi, broccoli, and
tomatoes.
There are problems with
water here, he explains. So
we irrigate with salinated water.
Salinated water is water whose
salt content is higher than that
of sweet water, but less than that

The rains that fell in the area

in the last storm contributed to
the proliferation of all sorts of
bushes and wild growth.
This is the hardest part
about Shmita, says Yaron.
Think of a painter who works
on a masterpiece for seven years
and then he sees someone come
and scribble on it and he can do
nothing about it but plan on how
he will later work to erase the
scribbles. Its a test of emuna.
This year is the third Shmita
that Yaron has kept. The first was
fourteen years ago.
Shmita is a hard test for
farmers but Hashem is merciful.
He shows us that one who
observes Shmita does not lose
out; its incredible. This year,
for example, everything looked
fantastic. The rain fell and
someone even said to me in
shul, look at what blessing those
who are working the land now
are getting.... Then suddenly,
the ruble dropped in value. 40%
of the produce of the Negev is
exported to Russia and whoever
worked the land this year,
sustained a serious blow. It was a
catastrophe for exporters.
When Yaron speaks about
miracles in Shmita he is
specifically referring to the
pampered welcome he got the
first time he observed it. He
worked in exporting flowers at
that time.
I had a friend who kept
Shmita by mistake. He had set

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Feature

Yaron Medalia with a mekurav

and all the leaves were found to

be broken and crumbling. Some
sort of defect caused all the
gypsophila that had been planted
in Eretz Yisroel during Shmita to
have broken leaves. They simply
crumbled when touched and
turned to dust. Consequently,
there was a big shortage and the
price went up accordingly.
Our flowers were the only
ones that did not suffer from
this bizarre problem. The profit
we made that year was greater
than all the profit we made on
everything else combined.
The losses we sustained due
to not working during Shmita
were covered by that little
hothouse. We saw the fulfillment
of the verse, and I will command
My blessing to you.
However, despite the miracle
of the first Shmita, Yaron says
you dont always see the miracles
immediately. Shmita for the
Jewish farmer in Eretz Yisroel
is still a major test of faith, as
opposed to a miracle-telling fest.

HEROES

Some of Meshek Medalias products

up a hothouse in the year prior to

Shmita in order to use it during
the Shmita year, but for various
reasons he was unable to make
use of the hothouse. At the end
of the year he said to me, I have
no mazal with this hothouse. Do
you want it? I jumped at the
opportunity, because setting up
a hothouse is a time-consuming
process and this hothouse had
already been made ready before
Shmita.
Right after Rosh HaShana,
Yaron, together with his workers,

threw themselves into working

the hothouse. He decided to plant
gypsophila, a type of small flower
that is used for decoration. The
hothouse was not large, less than
five dunam, and by Yom Kippur
they were able to finish all the
planting.
When the market season
began, we discovered something
astonishing. Most of the flowers
were intended for export. When
the flowers of other growers
arrived at their destinations
abroad, the boxes were opened

Its really not simple, says

Yaron. The Midrash calls those
who observe Shmita, giborei
koach powerful men, heroes,
those who do His will. If the
verse, and I will command my
blessing to you was that obvious,
it wouldnt be a big deal. If
every farmer earned double in
the sixth year, it would be like
a paid vacation and not an act
of strength or heroism. The
heroism consists in believing in
this blessing even when you dont
see it immediately. Hashem may
leave the double payment for the
end of the year, or the following
year.
How
do
you
manage
financially in a year without
work?

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The verse says, and if you

will say, what will we eat in the
seventh year, we will not sow
and we will not gather in our
produce! There are those who
question what will they eat in the
seventh year and they continue
planting as usual with the heter
mechira. Then there are those
who observe Shmita, and when
the money is used up they come
to Hashem and ask, What do
we eat? Then Hashem finds
solutions. He is very creative in
this regard.
In the last Shmita, for
example, we shifted our business
to marketing whole wheat flour
that does not need sifting. In
recent years weve been growing
wheat and grinding it. This
aspect of our business developed
only because of the Shmita year.
Aside from that, you need to
know how to prepare for Shmita.
Someone who grows vegetables
and does not prepare properly,
can lose two seasons. Generally,
the planning begins a few years
earlier and even from the end
of the previous Shmita. I plan
out the planting and picking a
few years in advance. When you
come prepared, you limit the
damages.
Kmehin is a yishuv located in
an active farming region. During
Shmita, Yarons workers go to
friends around the country and
Yaron works alone, or more
accurately put, he checks alone.
Every morning he goes out to the
fields to check them.
I am constantly checking
to see that the trees are alive
and that the irrigation system
is working. As he checks, he
usually hears the hum of work
being done in neighboring fields
while his fields remain quiet.
It once bothered me to see
everyone working. I would hear
the tractors and see the laden

wagons passing by and it would

hurt. Now I am used to it and I
am happy to have the privilege of
observing the mitzva of Shmita.

JUST LIKE SHABBOS

Im sure you get into
conversations with your farmer
neighbors. What do you say to
them?
Its just like Shabbos. Go
and explain to someone who has
a store open on Shabbos that
if he closes it he wont lose any
money. In that sense, farming
is even more of a challenge
than running a store since it is
constant, and not working on
Shabbos can cause damage to
growing things. But we believe
that one who keeps it, wont lose
out by doing so.
There are those who dont
personally work on Shabbos
but their workers continue
working as usual. You try
explaining to the farmers that
Shabbos is like Shmita. I explain
to them that its like a large barrel
with six faucets. If you add a
seventh faucet, you wont get
any more than what the barrel
contains.
I once had roses which are
delicate flowers whose harvesting
takes place twice each day so the
blooms wont be too closed or too
open. Came Rosh HaShana and I
informed the Thai workers that
they have a two-day vacation.
They wanted to take a vacation
on the day after Rosh HaShana
so, on their own, they decided
to pick the flowers on Yom Tov
so they wouldnt have to work
the following day. In addition,
the worker in charge did some
work on the fertilizer bins and
left a pipe open. When I showed
up the day after Rosh HaShana,
I realized they had harvested the
flowers on Yom Tov. Then I saw
the damage that occurred in the

bins; I made a calculation and

saw it matched shekel for shekel,
i.e. whatever I had earned by
harvesting on Yom Tov was offset
by the fertilizer that had gone to
waste.
This is what we constantly
tell the farmers around us. If you
observe Shmita, you dont lose
out.
Is observing Shmita today
for an Israeli farmer in the
modern era an easy or difficult
test?
Its a nisayon but not a
nisayon of what will we eat. Every
branch of agriculture is based on
ups and downs. There could be a
cold spell, a war, or collapse of a
currency and a year of labor can
go down the drain. It can also
be the opposite and with
one blessed harvest you
can cover years of
labor.

GAMBLING OR
BELIEF IN
HASHEM?
So then farming
is a sort of like
playing the financial
markets?
More than that;
I would say its like
gambling or horse racing.
There are no guarantees.
Its an area more than any
other where you sense that
it all depends on Hashems
Continued on page 25
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CHINUCH

SEEING AND
REVEALING
THE PRECIOUS
SOULS OF OUR
CHILDREN
Another lecture about chinuch from R Nachman Twersky

n my teaching career, I got

to know an outstanding
student who was from an
impoverished home. The
hanhala raised the tuition and after
the father was unable to pay the
asked for sum, the hanhala gashmis
decided not to let the student back.
I heard about this and
approached one of the members
of the hanhala and said: You
should know that this bachur
is unusual. You should really
pay him so that he stays and
learns here. He is a super
diligent bachur who learned
the entire masechta on his own.
He is a bachur who helps and
encourages his friends who have
a hard time with their learning. A
bachur like this is an asset to the
yeshiva. You should not be asking

for money from him but should

be paying him.
Boruch Hashem, the hanhala
accepted my recommendation
and the bachur continued
learning in the yeshiva and did
very well, giving nachas to his
parents and teachers.
A year later, during a
weekly shiur in Ohr HaChayim
HaKadosh, with bachurim who
learned with me in the past,
this bachur asked to speak to
me privately after the shiur.
Confused and distraught he
said: I dont know what has
come over me lately. Ive lost all
pleasure in Judaism. I learn but
its not the same. I daven but I
dont feel that I am connecting
to Hashem. I feel disconnected
from everything holy to the point

that I am ready to do the worst

and I have no idea where this is
all coming from.
This bachur had a specific
concern. He knew what the
Alter Rebbe says in the laws
of the morning brachos why
does a convert say the blessing
thanking G-d for not making him
a gentile, when he was, in fact,
born a gentile? The Alter Rebbe
explains that according to the
kabbalists the reason we need to
thank Hashem every single day
is because the thanking includes
not having been transplanted
with the soul of a gentile while
sleeping. This is why a convert
also says this bracha. And here
he felt he had lost all pleasure in
keeping Torah and mitzvos and
maybe?

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CHINUCH POWERED
BY HASHEM
I said to him: My dear Tamim,
you are going through what many
go through, what we call a crisis.
It is a natural process and dont
worry too much about it.
We sat down to learn a
piece from the Ohr HaChayim
HaKadosh together. In his
explanation, he extols the power
of chinuch for the long term, as
the verse says, educate a lad
according to his way
This is what the Ohr
HaChayim says on the verse in
Parshas Acharei, Hashem said
to Moshe, saying, speak to the
Jewish people and tell them, I am
Hashem your G-d, you must not
do as they do in Egypt, where you
used to live, and you must not do
as they do in the land of Canaan,
where I am bringing you. Do
not follow their practices, I am
Hashem your G-d.
The Ohr HaChayim asks: 1)
What is the significance of the
first time it says I am Hashem
your G-d in the verse? 2) What
is meant by in Egypt, where you
used to live are there several
lands of Egypt that the pasuk
needs to specify the one where
you used to live? 3) The land
of Canaan, where I am bringing
you is there more than one
land of Canaan that the verse
needs to specify which one? 4)
Why does the verse repeat, I am
Hashem your G-d?
The Ohr HaChayim explains:
A person might say to Hashem,
if You want me to be careful in
matters of holiness and avoiding
immorality, you should bring me
to a place that is sheltered, where
I wont see the impurities of the
world. If You are going to bring
me into all the filth of the world,
to the land of Egypt and then to
the land of Canaan, where all the

filth of the world flows, how can

I behave as I should?
The answer is: Under natural
circumstances, its true, you
cannot withstand the forces
of impurity. The only thing
that gives man the strength to
handle these tests is the strength
Hashem gives him. Since this is
not within mans ability, Chazal
say, If Hashem did not help him,
he would not be able to withstand
it [the evil inclination].
So the first I am Hashem
your G-d is meant to convey, I
am your strength. Your power to
overcome the inclination comes
from Me. The verse then goes
on to say not to do as they do in
Egypt, where you lived I know
you were in Egypt because I
put you there, and I am the one
who is bringing you to the land
of Canaan, and still, do not do
as they do in Canaan you will
be able to stand strong there
too. But these are not your own
powers, for I am Hashem your
G-d. It will work out for you
thanks to the special power I
bestow upon you.
After learning this together,
I said to the bachur: You are
experiencing nefilas hamochin

[lit. a falling of the intellect] and

you are not the only bachur to
experience this.
As soon as he heard that,
he was reassured that he was
normal. What strength did he
have to make it through this
crisis? I am Hashem your G-d!
As we continued talking,
we discussed how a Jew, with a
neshama which is a part of G-d
above, has the ability to connect
with the essence of G-d. The
bachur listened and by the next
day, the crisis was over. I was
able to see, once again, the power
of a deep rooted chinuch, even
when he grows old, he will not
veer from it.

SAY SOMETHING NICE

I dont want to pat ourselves
on the back, but our chinuch, the
Chassidishe chinuch which the
Rebbe implanted in us, is a power
that nobody else has. The positive
roots are implanted within each
person and only needs to be
revealed. As the Rebbe writes
many times: the job of parents
is to reveal the Jew within their
children, the preciousness of the
Jew, and you will be for Me a
kingdom of priests and a holy
nation. Its not enough for it to
reside in the heart; it needs to be
brought out into the open.
I was once sitting at a Tanya
shiur with some Litvishe men
and in the open atmosphere I
said: I have pity on you You
work hard all your lives for the
Gan Eden you will have in the
next world, while now you are
constantly in the corridor that
leads there. You will get there
and be disappointed, for all the
pleasure is here, in this world.
Hashem did not create the world
for Gan Eden, but so that a Jew
will fulfill Torah and mitzvos as
a soul in a body and that is the
most important thing; that is the
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Chinuch
point, that a Jew fulfill Torah and
mitzvos and be one with Hashem,
who sanctified us with His
mitzvos and commanded us.
The true nature of a Jew
is such that he takes pleasure
in doing mitzvos in this world
and that is more precious than
all of Gan Eden. When we
instill Jewish-Chassidic pride
in our children, they will never
experience a true crisis. Even if
the revealed powers trip up, the
essence does not.
How do we reveal this within
our children? By doing simple
things. When we walk down the
street and see bachurim, we need
to know that they are treasures.
Consequently, we should try
to say a good word to each of
them; it makes no difference
who they are. Say a hearty good
morning. You can never know
what you accomplished with that
fellow on the street when you
said good morning to him.
I once went to a simcha in
California and met a former
talmid. We kissed and hugged as
Chassidim do and spoke as close
friends. Some time later, I met
his father who said to me: You
dont know what you did for my
son. After you finished talking to
him, he immediately called me
and excitedly reported, Rabbi
Twersky was so happy to meet
me!

THE DROPOUTS WANT TO

COME BACK
We dont always appreciate
the preciousness of our children.
Some did not withstand the test,
but even they want to return. And
here is the most fundamental
thing, even those children who
stumbled love the Rebbe and love
Chassidus, which is why it is so
easy to be mekarev them. True
they have tripped up and its hard

for them, but they want to come

back. We dont realize how easy
it is to be mekarev them.
I once met a bachur from
Crown Heights, not someone
I taught, who dropped out
of yeshiva at age 16-17. He
was hardly to be seen in the
neighborhood. One time, I met
him in his car and I asked him
whether he could give me a ride
to Boro Park. He said yes, and
this was an opportunity to talk
to him. As we drove I asked him:
Are you still angry at anyone?
He said no. I asked: What do
you think about a shidduch? I
said it made no difference who
he married, but any girl, even
someone irreligious, admires
a bachur who goes to shul on
Shabbos.
I asked him: What about
tfillin in the morning?
He said: Ill tell you the truth.
I tried a few times to start putting
them on again but I couldnt
stick it out.
I said: When the Rebbe
announced the learning Rambam
program, he said there were three
tracks: three chapters a day, one
chapter, and Seifer HaMitzvos.
In Shulchan Aruch, in the laws
of prayer, there are three tracks:
the usual way that goes from
the beginning to the end of the
davening, an expedited version
for someone very rushed in
which he says Boruch ShOmar,
Ashrei, Yishtabach, Shma and
Shmoneh Esrei, and then there is
just saying Shma.
If you have the time, daven
the
entire
davening
from
beginning to end. If you dont
have the time, daven the second
option which is fine according to
Shulchan Aruch and you will still
be considered a fine Jew.
A few days later, I saw him
in 770 and he said to me: I have
time today and I will daven the

whole thing.
This was after several years
in which he hardly davened at
all. Slowly he came back. He
married and comes nearly every
day to daven. Now, every once
in a while, both he and she move
forward. They decided to keep
the laws of family purity and then
to cover her hair; it was all in
self-motivated stages. They saw
that its something precious, and
it provides health, good children,
and that is what influenced their
choices.

TO IDENTIFY WITH
CHALLENGES
I once walked into a Crown
Heights restaurant and met a
bachur who works there. We got
into a conversation in the course
of which he told me: I became
interested in Judaism without
anybody being mekarev me. I got
up every morning feeling blah
and didnt feel good about myself
and the entire day followed the
same pattern. I thought about
how religious people get up in the
morning and put on tfillin and I
decided to do the same, thinking
this might put me in a better
mood. I did it and really started
feeling better. I bought a pair of
tfillin and started putting them
on every day. I pray as much
as I can. I learned that just as I
nourish my body, I also have to
feed my soul.
***
Sometimes I meet people
who are feeling down and the
first thing I say to them is good
morning and talk to them about
their gashmius: I hope you are
successful in everything and
make money. Do you know what
will help you succeed in life, in
gashmius? Put on tfillin and say
Shma! You provide nourishment
for your soul and that will enable

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you to enjoy the gashmius.

There was someone to whom
I said this and he did it. He met
me two months later and said:
After two months of putting on
tfillin, I thought, maybe its not
necessary and the week that I did
not put them on, I lost my job!
You are right. You have to feed
the soul; otherwise it doesnt
work. I started putting on tfillin
again and found a better job.
Today, boruch Hashem, he puts
on tfillin and wears tzitzis.
You have to address the
neshama and the pocket and
identify with a persons challenges
and create a connection of love
and affection.
A rich man once went to
Berditchev to spend Shabbos
with R Levi Yitzchok. That
Shabbos, the tzaddik changed
his usual way of eating, and with
every bite he ate he said lichvod
Shabbos kodesh with great
enjoyment. The rich man noticed
this and thought: I have three
kinds of fish every day and he
eats one small piece of fish with
such relish that I wish I had such
pleasure from material things as
he does. I have houses and ships
and dont have the pleasure the
tzaddik has.
After Shabbos, the rich man
decided he had to know how to
achieve this kind of pleasure in
material things, which is precisely
what the tzaddik wanted to
convey to him. On Motzaei
Shabbos, the man said to the
tzaddik: Rebbe, I have a problem.
I have all the good things of this
world and yet I dont have the
pleasure that you have when you
eat the Shabbos foods.
The tzaddik said: A Jew has a
problem. He has a G-dly soul and
an animal soul, an evil inclination
and a good inclination. When you
sit and learn, the evil inclination
tries to get you not to learn

Rebbe, I have a problem. I have all the good

things of this world and yet I dont have the
pleasure that you have when you eat the Shabbos
foods.
with all kinds of thoughts that
appear in your mind. When you
go to eat, the good inclination
comes and says: Did you come
into the world for this? And so
too, with everything you want to
do, in gashmius and ruchnius,
either the evil inclination or the
good inclination comes along to
disturb you.
What is the solution? You
need to get them to work
in tandem! This means that
throughout the week I do not
eat with pleasure, since the job
is avodas habirurim, but on
Shabbos its a mitzva to eat and
then the neshama and body work
together. This is a joint pleasure
for both the neshama and the
body.
But you are rich, so how can
you have pleasure? By taking
the poor into your home and
giving tzdaka; this will give you
pleasure. A Jew cannot have
pleasure if he does not nourish
his soul.
Everyone knows, especially
those who learned in Chabad
schools, that if he does not give
his neshama what it needs, he
will not be able to enjoy this
world. The Alter Rebbe took
Olam HaZeh from us. Those
who touched and tasted from
the Tree of Life that is Chassidus
will be able to enjoy this world
only through doing Torah and
mitzvos.

BEING HOPEFUL
R Pinchas Koretz, one of the
disciples of the Baal Shem Tov,
was named for his grandfather.

In the grandfather R Pinchas

town there was a group of
meshumadim (apostates). R
Pinchas would go to them every
day and say Shma with them and
he would promise them that they
would merit the World to Come.
One of the problems of a
meshumad is that he is convinced
he is a lost cause and is no longer
a Jew. That is the worst feeling,
that he feels disconnected. When
R Pinchas promised them that
they are bnei Olam Haba,
unconditionally, and just had to
say Shma, they were happy to
say the verse. They all ended up
doing tshuva and became good
Jews.
The worst thing is to give up
hope and say, Im a lost cause.
When you tell someone like that
how he is a precious Jew, a ben
Olam Haba, it reassures him
and shows him that he is not
hopeless.
So when you meet any Jew,
no matter who, you need to be
warm and give him the feeling
that he matters, for every Jew
is precious, whether he sinned
or even if he did not go off the
derech...
The Rebbe teaches us to act
with love, brotherly love and
friendship. Love between parents
and children, love between
friends
and
acquaintances.
Love between every single Jew.
Then we actualize the Rebbes
approach to chinuch and see the
results in the fullest sense, and
we merit all the blessings from
Hashem in material plenty and in
nachas from our dear children.

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TZIVOS HASHEM

SHLICHUS

NEAR HOME
By Nechama Bar

Tzippora began to lovingly

gather the group of tiny tots
who were playing on the floor.
Lunch would soon be served at
the daycare center and she had
to get them seated. The older
ones would sit at the table while
the babies would sit in highchairs.
Heeellooo, could be heard
with a Russian accent. Then the
door swung open and a wagon
full of food was pushed inside.
Thank you Sveta, said
Tzippora to the devoted cook,
and some children joined her
and sweetly chorused, Thank
you!
Tzippora fed the children
chicken soup and rice and as
they ate she sang Jewish songs.
again
Sveta
was
There
and
milk
of
er
carrying a contain
plastic cups.
Hey Sveta, Im sorry but we
just ate chicken and we cant
serve milk now. You can bring
water please. We will leave the
milk for tomorrows breakfast,
said Tzippora gently but firmly.
Sveta made a face as though
to say, There she goes again,
mixing into kitchen matters
Lately, she has been on top of
me and telling me where to put
things, meat utensils here and
milk utensils there, saying they
cant be mixed.

Although Sveta was not

pleased by the new rules, she
obeyed Tzippora. She slowly
learned the laws of basic kashrus
and observed them, to Tzipporas
great delight.
teacher
preschool
The
Tzippora Herzog had become
religious recently. When she
at
kosher
keeping
began
home, she decided that at the
irreligious daycare center where
she worked, kashrus should also
be observed.
The cook, as we mentioned,
was annoyed at first, but slowly
got used to it. But there was
someone who did not like the
idea at all. That was the director
of the center. She looked angrily
at Tzippora every time she heard
another one of her comments,
but did not say anything.
Tzippora was sure that the
director wanted to fire her, but
wasnt doing so because she had
not found someone to replace
her yet.
Some time went by and
Tzippora decided that since she
had successfully brought kashrus
into the center, she would try
something else. A Chassid of the
Rebbe always looks for ways to
do more. Most of the children
have started talking and its time
to teach them the 12 Psukim,
she daringly decided.

Torah! Tzippora called out,

and the children enthusiastically
repeated the words after her, in
their own way.
Tzippora did this every
day. Within a short time, the
children had begun to absorb
and remember the psukim and
some of them recited them as
they played.
director
the
this,
With
could not take it anymore.
She rebuked Tzippora saying,
Have you forgotten where
you are? This is not a religious
daycare center! The parents are
complaining about what you are
doing. Either you stop or you are
fired as of the beginning of next
month.
Tzippora felt she could not
stop for when it comes to holy
things we do more, not less.
Okay, so next month I wont
be coming. I am not upset and
we can part as friends, Tzippora
said calmly and warmly shook
the directors hand.
month,
following
The
up to
show
Tzippora did not
she
how
idea
work. She had no
relied
but
would make a living
on the Rebbe to arrange things
for her. She advertised that
she was looking for work and
many
received
immediately
as a
known
job offers. She was

34 25 Sivan 5775
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2015-06-09 9:36:39 AM

Rebbe from religious families, said

responsible woman so this was believed that what the
the summer,
director. In
the
said would be fulfilled. .
..."
we
ation,
ing.
registr
not surpris
we
when

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had
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to
,
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year,
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6/7/2010 3:11:45 PM
guide us.
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243.indd 3
n
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how

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She did not

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