DVAR MALCHUS

THIS IS IT!
Each person points with his finger and says this:
This is Moshiach Tzidkeinu. This is the Rebbe! * From
Chapter Five of Rabbi Shloma Majeskis Likkutei
Mekoros Vol. 2. (Underlined text is the compilers
emphasis.)
Translated by Boruch Merkur

The impact of every single activity

the Rebbe accomplished, what he
planted throughout the years of
his life in this world, is eternal.
Indeed, his ongoing influence is
reminiscent of the process by which
plants reproduce, forming seedlings
which mature into plants, which in
turn produce a third generation of
seedlings, ad infinitum this process
of continually affecting the world
reflects the full sense of the Rebbes
eternal life, hu bachayim.
The Rebbe MHM goes on to
explain how this eternal influence
is realized by bringing forth
the essence of the soul, which is
a veritable part of G-d above,
revealing the essence of the soul
to the point that it permeates
the persons entire being. In this
manner, the eternality of the soul
is implanted within each and
every deed, giving rise to goodness
flourishing in infinite measure, as
described above. The Rebbe goes
on to describe how these efforts
result in precipitating the process of
redemption.
***
11. [...] The vital thing is that
the effect of planting even a single
deed results in the sprouting forth of
the redemption, as Rambam rules:
through a single Mitzva one
action, one utterance, one thought
he inclines himself and the entire
world to the side of favor, bringing

to himself and to the others salvation

and deliverance. Then, every single
Jew will experience eternal life in the
literal sense. In fact, the introduction
of eternal life to the world will
begin with the Jewish people of this
generation, living forevermore as
souls within bodies. Jews will then
experience eternal longevity and well
being not just 147 years, which
was the lifespan of Yaakov, nor just
180 years, the lifespan of Yitzchok,
but never-ending life! So too with
respect to the Jewish people of
previous generations, as well as all
the future generations of the Jewish
people, until the end of time they
too will experience, awaken and
sing, you who dwell in the dust.
12. May it be G-ds will that the
very resolution to add a single
Mitzva in a manner of planting
(i.e., even prior to actually fulfilling
it) shall be the planting that
brings about the sprouting forth of
the redemption in actual fact. And
this should take place literally at
once, on this very Shabbos Kodesh,
Shabbos Chazak of the first seifer
of the Torah, which includes the
chizuk, the strengthening, of all the
five Chumashim and the twentyfour Sifrei HaKodesh, until the
final word of Divrei HaYamim [the
last book in the Tanach], VaYaal,
which alludes to rising up from
exile to redemption. In fact, even
prior to reading at Mincha time,

These are the names of the

Children of Yisroel who came to
Egypt, may it already be, Reuven
and Shimon leave [Egypt], all
Twelve Shvatim, the Avos and the
Imahos, and Moshe and Aharon
among them, as well as the leader
of our generation the Yosef of
our generation [the Rebbe Rayatzs
name being Yosef Yitzchok]
who did not die, like Yaakov
Avinu (these are the generations
of Yaakov: Yosef). Indeed, it
is known, nasi leader is an
acronym for Nitzutzo Shel Yaakov
Avinu the spark or incarnation
of Yaakov Avinu. And by means of
hiskashrus and bittul, connecting to
and nullifying oneself to the leader
of the generation, this departure
from exile is drawn to each and
every person of the generation.
Simply speaking, immediately
it shall come to pass that on that
day, yosif Ad-noi (the L-rd shall
continue to apply) His hand a
second time vasaf (to acquire,
gather) the rest of His people who
will remainand He shall gather the
lost of Israel, and He shall gather the
scattered ones of Yehuda from the
four corners of the earth, along
with our youth and our elderswith
our sons and our daughters. He
(the Alm-ghty) Himselfliterally
holds the hand of each individual
[and takes him] from his place, as
expressed in the verse, and you

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Dvar Malchus
shall be gathered one by one,
O children of Israel. G-d will
bring all Jews back [to the Holy
Land] and He will return
with them (G-d your L-rd
will return [with] your exiles,
He inscribed redemption for
Himself, for He shall return
with them) together with the
shuls, yeshivos, and charitable
institutions (also with all the
holy writings and manuscripts)
in the Diaspora (beginning with
the shul and beis midrash of my
revered father in-law, the Rebbe,
leader of the our generation,
where we are right now, Beis
Rabbeinu ShBBavel). G-d will
also bring the private homes of
every single Jew that were made
into places of Torah, prayer, and
acts of kindness, and Their
silver and gold [will go] with
them, to our holy land, to

Yerushalayim the holy city, and

the Third Beis HaMikdash.
Each person points with his
finger and says this: This is
Moshiach Tzidkeinu. This is my
revered father in-law, the Rebbe,
leader of our generation, [similar
to what is written in the verse]
Behold, this is our L-rdthis is
G-d. Here is the set table, ready
for the feast of the Leviason,
Shor HaBar, and the Yayin
HaMeshumar. At the completion
of this banquet, Dovid Malka
Meshicha will announce, I shall
say the blessing; it is fitting for
me to say the blessing.
And this grand feast,
the feast of Dovid Malka
Meshicha, begins from the
meal of Motzaei Shabbos
Kodesh (the continuation of
the meal (wine and mezonos)
at the farbrengen of the day of
Shabbos, which resembles and

reflects [the Final Era] A day

that is entirely Shabbos and
tranquility for eternal life). The
special quality of this time is
further underscored by the fact
that this Sunday is the fifteenth
of the month (of Teives), when
there is a full moon. It is,
therefore, certainly a time that
is adorned with beauty and
glory. But the main thing is that
this feast should be set out and
prepared, along with Dovid
Malka Meshicha at the head,
since even beforehand (on the
Shabbos day), we shall go with
the clouds of the heavens to our
holy land, to Yerushalayim the
holy city, to the Temple Mount,
to the Holy Temple, and to the
Holy of Holies.

Continued from page 5

learning
the
subject
of
Moshiach and Redemption,
and specifically in a manner of
Wisdom, Understanding and
Knowledge. And since this is the
Divine service of the time, its
understood that this applies to
every Jew without any exception
whatsoever. (Chaya Sara 5752)

Rabbi Avtzon is the Rosh

Yeshiva of Yeshivas Lubavitch
Cincinnati and a well sought after
speaker and lecturer. Recordings
of his in-depth shiurim on
Inyanei Geula uMoshiach can
be accessed at http://www.
ylcrecording.com.

be done through his explanation

of the concept of Moshiach, as
explained in the Written Torah
and the Oral Torah, in a way that
it will be received by everyone
according to his intellect and
understanding.
This includes in particular

(From the address of 10 Teives

and Shabbos Parshas VaYechi 14
Teives 5752; Seifer HaSichos 5752,
pg. 242-243)

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MOSHIACH & HAKHEL

THE FUTURE OF
DIVERSITY AND
DEMOGRAPHIC
INCLUSION
By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon

Dear Reader shyichyeh,

In this weeks Torah portion we
learn about the commandments
of building the Mishkan and its
vessels as well as the garments of
the Kohanim and the Kohen Gadol.
The commandment to build the
Mishkan is an eternal one, as the
main commandment is to build a
home for Hashem inside each and
every Jew. As our sages say on the
Pasuk (Truma 25:8) And they shall
make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell
in their midst, The verse does not
say, and I will dwell within it, but
and I will dwell within them, within
each and every one of them.
The mitzvah of building the
Mishkan is very connected to the
Mitzva of Hakhel and to preparing
the world for Moshiach.
In addition to the fact that the
Mitzva of Hakhel took place in the
Beis HaMikdash, these two Mitzvos
(Hakhel and building the Mishkan/
Mikdash) have something very
special in common: They are both
performed by all demographics of
the population, men, women and
children. Regarding Hakhel, the
Torah tells us (Dvarim Parshas
VaYeilech): Assemble the people:

the men, the women, and the

children, and your stranger in your
cities, in order that they hear, and
in order that they learn and fear
the Lord, your God, and they will
observe to do all the words of this
Torah.
We find the same thing with
regard to the building of the
Mishkan. In Parshas Truma (25:2)
the Torah writes about the men:
Speak to the children of Israel, and
have them take for Me an offering;
from every man whose heart inspires
him to generosity, you shall take
My offering. In Parshas VaYakhel
(35:22) the Torah tells us about
the donations of the women to
the building of the Mishkan: The
men came with the women; every
generous hearted person brought
bracelets and earrings and rings
and buckles, all kinds of golden
objects... And finally, the children
were also involved in the building
of the Mishkan, as our sages (Avos
DRabbi Nassan 11:1) tell us that
even children participated in the
donations to the Mishkan.
The complete fulfillment of the
commandment of making a home
for Hashem will take place in the
times of Moshiach. In addition to the

fact that in Yemos HaMoshiach we

will merit to have the eternal third
Beis HaMikdash, the entire world
will recognize Hashem and the world
will finally be a dwelling place for
Hashem. This will fulfill the purpose
of creation that Hashem desired a
dwelling place in this physical and
lowly world.
Being that this is the purpose of
all of mankind, the responsibility
of bringing Moshiach and learning
about Inyanei Moshiach is also
shared by every single person of the
Jewish people, men, women and
children. In the words of the Rebbe:
In order to realize the immediate
revelation and coming of Moshiach
each and every Jew (the men,
whether they are dwellers in the
tent (Yisachar) or men of business
(Zvulun), and the women and
children, each one according to his
ability) should increase their learning
of Torah, particularly the subjects
of Moshiach and Redemption.
(Tazria-Mtzora 5751)
From
the
international
convention must come and be
brought good resolutions such
that every shliach must prepare
himself and prepare all Jews in his
place and city, etc. to greet our
righteous Moshiach. This should
Continued on page 4
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SHLICHUS

SHLICHUS
AT THIRTY
BELOW ZERO
The East Coast of the US has just pulled out
of a major blizzard and Eretz Yisroel and
Europe have been grappling with cold and
nasty weather. Beis Moshiach went to see how
shluchim deal with ongoing freezing weather.
R Zalman Zaklos, shliach and rav of the city
Novosibirsk, told us of Chassidic life in the
Siberian cold. How do they get used to extreme
cold? How do they draw people out of their
homes when it is minus forty outside? And how
do the locals prevent their car engines from
freezing? * If you thought it was cold where
you live, make yourself a cup of tea and warm
up with this article about shlichus in freezing
climates.
By Zalman Tzorfati

SHLICHUS IN THE
COLDEST POPULATED
REGION IN THE WORLD
Some
people
see
the
pavement only a few months a
year because most of the time
it is covered in a thick layer of
snow and ice. One shliach who

lives like this is R Zalman Zaklos

who lives in Novosibirsk, the
capital of Siberia. Siberia is the
coldest inhabited region in the
world. The average temperature
in the winter is around 35 Celsius
below zero.
Now, as I am talking to you,
the temperature outside is minus

25, but a few days ago it was

minus 41. That was really cold.
How do you deal with such
cold?
The way people in any
country deal with that countrys
characteristics. The perpetual
cold and snow are an inseparable
part of life here and you live to

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learn with it. In those locations

not used to it, a little snow puts
a halt to everything. Here the
snow is part of us and people live
with it just fine. The houses are
well heated; heating in homes is a
basic municipal service.
The houses are warm and
the roads are constantly cleared
of snow as are the pavements

and crosswalks. In places where

people dont walk you can see
two meters of snow accumulated
there over the winter. There is
even a solution for cars so the
engines dont freeze.
Which is?
When the engine is very cold,
all the fluids inside freeze and
then the engine itself freezes. So

all cars here have a special sensor

installed; the minute it senses that
the engine is starting to freeze, it
starts up the engine and warms it
so it doesnt freeze. You can walk
around in the middle of the night
and hear the engines of parked
cars turning on and off one by
one.
There is also a gadget that

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Shlichus

Publicizing the miracles of Chanuka on television

remotely starts the car and turns

on the heating in the passenger
section, so the car is warm when
the driver enters.
The main thing is that people
dress warmly with many layers.
There is a local saying which
says that a good Siberian is not
someone who isnt cold but
someone who knows how to
dress properly.

NO FREEZING
OF ACTIVITIES
How do you get people out
of the house for programs in
such cold?
Again, as I said, people are
used to the cold, its part of life.
Most of the monthly programs
in the winter take place in
closed, well-heated locations.
Whether its a program for
children, women or men, we
do it in a closed, warm place.
The only exception is Chanuka
programming.
Chanuka always falls out in
the dead of winter. Do you have
a public menorah lighting?
Of course. Weve been doing
it for many years now. Its a huge

menorah, nearly ten meters high,

and every year we have a big
impressive ceremony with a light
show and fireworks and various
performances which bring out a
lot of Jews.

CHASSIDIC WARMTH
Novosibirsk is one of the
major cities in Russia and the
third largest after Moscow and
S Petersburg. It serves as district
capital and is in southwestern
Siberia. Siberia is home to some
of the greatest natural resources
in Russia. Deep in the frozen
earth are gold mines, oil and coal
and the financial center of the
area is in Novosibirsk.
The city has developed to
an international standard and
a completely modern western
way of life prevails. Its central
geographical location, at the
junction where the Ob River
meets the trans-Siberian railway,
has turned the city into a bustling
center of commerce.
The
population
of
Novosibirsk is over a million
and a half people and is built
primarily
on
the
political
prisoners, enemies of the state,

who were exiled there in years

past. We all grew up on stories
of Chassidim who were exiled to
the forced labor camps in Siberia
by the communists for the crime
of spreading Judaism. Today,
there is a flourishing Chabad
community led by R Zaklos. In
a place where Chassidim were
led as prisoners, Judaism is now
melting the walls of spiritual ice
that the Soviets built.
R Zaklos and his family
arrived in the city sixteen years
ago. As Israelis, they would
describe their reception as not
exactly cool, but rather freezing.
There was no Jewish activity
when they arrived. According
to calculations, over 20,000
Jews live in the city. However,
they were not organized as a
community and there was no
connection among them, not to
mention a shul or other religious
services that simply did not exist.

MELTING THE
SPIRITUAL ICE
How do you handle the
physical and spiritual cold?
At first it was very hard
dealing with the extreme cold.
We had never experienced such
cold, but slowly, we got used to
it. There is nothing in life you
cannot get used to, including
Siberian cold. Today weve
become like the locals. The cold
no longer bothers us. We have
learned to prepare for it and to
live with it.
The spiritual cold, on the
other hand, is a big challenge for
us. The very challenge warmed
us up and gave us the strength
not to slack off. The first thing
we did when we arrived was to
try to get to know as many Jews
as possible. We tried to locate
lists, but we mainly did it by word
of mouth and according to names

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in the phone book.

The next thing we did was
open a school. We started getting
the word out, among the people
we were getting to know, and
many were interested. We rented
a place and began with a small
number of students. We grew
slowly, people heard about it and
about how good it is, and Jewish
families came to register their
children.

CLOSURE IN SIBERIA
Today, after sixteen years
of hard work, Rabbi and Mrs.
Zaklos programs include over
7000 Jews who are registered in
the Jewish community, a huge
building of over 3500 square
meters. The building contains a
preschool, a Beit Chabad, a shul,
mikvaos, a restaurant, a store that
sells kosher food, a library, and
lecture rooms and classrooms.
When I tried to arrange a
time to interview R Zalman, he
asked me to call in the evening
because he was in the hospital.
Is everything all right? I wrote
him. He wrote back, Yes, there
was a small problem with a
baby who had a bris and boruch
Hashem, hes okay. Ill tell you
later.
When I got him on the
phone that evening, he told me
what happened. We had a bris
today. The parents of the baby
have recently gotten close to us.
Boruch Hashem, they decided
to have a bris on the eighth day,
which is not a given here. The
grandfather is a well-known
public figure and he was initially
opposed to it. However, the
parents insisted and in the end he
gave in and even agreed to be the
sandak.
At the bris, the grandfather
asked to speak. He was very
emotional and he said that his

grandfather was a religious Jew

whose name was Meir, the name
given to this baby. The parents
of the baby had decided on this
name without knowing that this
was the name of their greatgrandfather. The grandfather
said he never dreamed that his
grandson would have a bris
on the eighth day in Siberia.
Now, not only was his grandson
properly circumcised, but he was
named for his great-grandfather
who was strong in his faith.
***
We wanted to end with
another story and R Zaklos told
us the following:
Five years ago I gave a
lecture to young Jews. At its
conclusion, a seventeen year
old girl came over and said she
was very interested in Judaism.
She asked where she could get
information. I invited her to our
house and she has since become
a member of our household and
has become quite observant.
One Shabbos, she told
us what led to her interest in
Judaism. Ten years earlier, when
she was seven years old, she lived
opposite the apartment we rented
in our first years on shlichus.
Every Shabbos I would leave the
house wearing my sirtuk and
tallis and walk to shul.
The first time she saw me,
she was frightened and she asked
her mother what that big penguin
was. Her mother calmed her
down and said that although they
lived in Siberia, the black and
white creature was not a penguin
but a Jewish rabbi.
After that, she would stand
near the window every Shabbos
and wait to see me leave the
house. When she got older, her
curiosity about Judaism grew and
she came to that lecture and met
me.
Sometime later she went to

The bride and grooms overturned car

Eretz Yisroel and met a Jewish

boy and they decided to marry.
They asked me to come and be
their officiating rabbi. I went
to Eretz Yisroel and after the
chuppa I met a young man, a
cousin of the girl. It turns out
that he lives opposite the shul
and never thought of coming in.
Of course, I invited him and he
began regularly attending the
programs for young people that
we have on Friday nights.
Little by little, he too began
to keep more and more and he
recently met a Jewish girl who
also comes Friday night and
they decided to marry. Since
they were both mekuravim to the
Chabad House, they asked me
to officiate. But they wanted a
modest religious ceremony at the
shul and a big event at the civil
wedding.
About a week ago, they were
outside the city and were in a
terrible car accident. Their car
turned over and was crushed but
they came out without a scratch.
After they recovered somewhat
from the incredible miracle, they
called me to say that they had
decided to switch around their
plan and make the chuppa the
big event.
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FEATURE

HISKASHRUS AS AN
EDUCATIONAL TOOL
One of the special things about the Ohr Menachem school for girls in Tzfas
is how they are taught to connect to the Rebbe through writing to him
via the Igros Kodesh. This starts with the principal, Mrs. Nechama Navon,
continues with the staff of supervisors and teachers, and on to the parents
and students themselves. * How is this done? What positive influence does
this have? How do the professionals from the Education Ministry react? *
An interview with Mrs. Navon.
By Nosson Avrohom

n argument broke out

between two girls in
the Ohr Menachem
girls school in Tzfas.
Situations like this have happened,

happen, and will happen between

two girls who are trying to
establish their social position in
the classroom. A few days went by
and to the surprise of all around

them these two girls stopped their

fight and became good friends. In
a letter that the two of them sent
to the principal, Mrs. Nechama
Navon, they explained the reason

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for their renewed friendship.

They said that after a week of
not talking to one another, one
of the girls wrote to the Rebbe
and opened to a letter which
dealt entirely with the need to
increase in Ahavas Yisroel. With
that clear answer, she realized
that the Rebbe was conveying to
her a message about her fight.
The next day she told the other
girl about this. The other girl
appreciated hearing about this
letter from the Rebbe. The two
forgave one another and became
good friends.
This story is typical of what
happens nearly every day in
Ohr Menachem. We held this
interview because of a recently
published book called Ohr
Menachem,
which
contains
dozens of special stories that
happened because of the Rebbes
brachos. There are stories that
happened to the girls themselves
or with family members along
with stories that the teachers and
staff experienced. There are even
amazing stories that happened
to the supervisors, principals,
administrative staff and suppliers
who come in daily contact with
the school. They have all come to
realize that there is someone to
turn to with a problem, request,
or for advice.
Ohr Menachem is one of the
biggest schools in Tzfas and has
over 500 students. It has earned
a number of national prizes.
In 5768 it won the coveted
educational prize of the northern
district. The school was chosen
out of hundreds of schools. The
judging committee chose the staff
of teachers and awarded it the
title of outstanding educational
staff.
In a letter sent to the principal
of the school with the reasons
cited by the committee that
awarded the prize, it said, In

the school the students attain

educational achievements and
values thanks to the unlimited
devotion on the part of the
administration and staff. The
teachers work with complete
cooperation
and
display
tremendous dedication and teach
with a sense of mission. The
educational approach is based
on trust, a personal relationship,
and
strong
communication
between the members of the staff,
the students and teachers. The
teachers focus on teaching Torah
knowledge, good character, and
fear of heaven.
The students are happy
and the teachers have a sense

writing to the Rebbe through

the Igros Kodesh. Our school
has opened to countless answers
from the Rebbe which serve as
our guide. We see how brachos
from the Rebbe accomplish
wonders.
I should emphasize that of
course the school is run by the
hanhala ruchnis and gashmis,
and a lot of professional
educational work is done, but the
Rebbes brachos and instructions
often clarify our message and our
approach, especially when we are
unsure about something.
In recent years we have
noticed that nearly every person

The Druze principal heard this line and was on the

verge of tears, as he had asked the Rebbe about
his daughter. He and his wife were wondering whether it
paid for her to go and learn outside of the village where
they lived. From the Rebbes answer he understood what
they needed to do and the Rebbes blessing was greatly
encouraging to him.

of satisfaction in their work.

More than half of the students
come from families that are not
Lubavitch. This is why we wanted
to hear from Mrs. Navon about
the extent to which the emphasis
on hiskashrus and writing to the
Rebbe guides their educational
approach, and how the girls who
are not from Lubavitch homes,
and the supervisors and staff
from the Education Ministry,
many of whom are not yet
religious, react to this.
How did you come up with
the idea of publishing a book?
We at the school are very
much in favor of writing to the
Rebbe. There is nobody who has
come in contact with the school
who hasnt heard from us about

of authority who visits the school,

even those who are not Chabad
and who sometimes are on the
opposite end of the spectrum,
will tell of an experience or story
that he or a family member had
with the Rebbe. The stories we
hear from them are stories that
happened long ago and even
recent ones.
So when we thought of what
gift we want to give the Rebbe,
we came up with the idea of a
book. In order to maximize the
impact of the book, we included
the girls and asked them to
collect stories that happened to
them or their families.
Tell us about how writing to
the Rebbe affects the running of
a school.

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Feature

PROJECTS WITH THE REBBES BRACHA

Many projects at the school took off with the Rebbes brachos.
We have something we call Rosh Chodesh BTaam Shoneh, in which
mothers of students are invited to the school and take part in an educational
activity. This takes place every Rosh Chodesh and it is a fascinating, special
program. This project got underway following a letter from the Rebbe about
the need to work with the parents of the students.
The same is true for the extra month of learning we have during
summer vacation. In recent years, even the Education Ministry has come
to realize how educationally destructive it is to have two months of summer
vacation, but we have been running this program for about twenty years
now, since we received the Rebbes bracha. Whenever I tried asking the
Rebbe to take this load off of me, he responded about the need to work with
students in the summer too. We see that everyone ends up benefiting from
this program.
Writing to the Rebbe occurs
on two planes; asking for a bracha
before undertaking something,
and when we face a dilemma
and need to make a decision. Ill
give you an example of this that
we had at the beginning of this
school year.
We usually do not accept new
students in higher grades. In the
past we saw that if a student did
not attend our school from the
first grade, it was hard for her to
adjust to the grade she entered
and sometimes this adversely
affected our students.
At the beginning of the year,
some mothers wanted to take
their daughters out of a different
school and put them in our
school. We struggled with this
decision. Some of the girls were
daughters of women who are in
chinuch and whom we know
well. It was hard to turn them
away, but we remained consistent
in our policy and said no. On
the first day of the schoolyear,
one of the mothers met me and
said, Nechama, before you turn
us down, write to the Rebbe. You
are always preaching about it
and we will do whatever the
Rebbe says. What could I say?
Obviously, I agreed.

That night I sat down to write

and from the Rebbes answer it
was clear that we should accept
the girls. The Rebbe mentioned
in the letter that the fruits of
educational endeavors are not
always seen in the short term.
I called a meeting of the
hanhala and we decided to be
flexible and accept the group of
girls. What can I tell you Our
fears were proven false. The girls
adjusted beautifully, the teachers
are satisfied, and so are the
mothers and myself.

THE DRUZE PRINCIPAL

WHO WANTED TO WRITE
TO THE REBBE
I can guess how the
Lubavitcher teachers and staff
react, but how do the rest of the
schools professionals who are
not Lubavitch react?
I do not hide how important
writing to the Rebbe is to us from
anyone. In every encounter with
any group of staff, they already
know that I will tell them about
an answer I opened to from the
Rebbe as a preparation for the
meeting. I speak openly and
without a shred of defensiveness.
And people accept it, especially

after being exposed to the

impressive educational successes
of the school.
A few years ago I was part of
an exclusive committee formed
by the Education Ministry that
dealt with some important
educational issues. Outstanding
educators were invited to this
forum from all sectors in the
north of the country, including
principals of schools from the
kibbutzim and even non-Jewish
principals. When it was my
turn to speak, I told them about
writing to the Rebbe and read to
them an answer I had opened to
before the meeting.
During
the
break,
the
principal of a big Druze school
came over to me, wanting to hear
whether he could write too, even
though he is not Jewish. I told
him he could and he asked me to
bring one of the volumes of Igros
Kodesh with me the next time.
I brought a volume with me
to the next meeting and during
the break I directed him how to
write. He wrote a letter, and the
answer he opened to had to do
with a question about whether to
go abroad. At the end of the letter
the Rebbe writes that he will
mention the person, his wife and
daughter at the gravesite.
The Druze principal heard
this line and was on the verge of
tears, as he had asked the Rebbe
about his daughter. He and his
wife were wondering whether
it paid for her to go and learn
outside of the village where they
lived. From the Rebbes answer
he understood what they needed
to do and the Rebbes blessing
was greatly encouraging to him.
When I met the principal
some years later, he reminded me
of the answer he opened to from
the Rebbe and thanked me. He
said he received strength from the
Rebbe to make the right decision

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regarding his daughter.

It happens sometimes that
when I read and explain an
answer from the Rebbe that I
opened to before a meeting,
whether on the national level
or local level, I get enthusiastic
responses. Just for this it was
worth meeting, they say.
How do you know whether
people are really appreciative?
Maybe they are just being polite.
I will tell you another story
which will answer your question.
A few years ago there was a
special educational gathering
that was formed, for which
principals from all over the north
of the country were chosen to
participate. The theme of the
gathering was developing a
universal approach to dealing
with the needs of individual
students. The supervisor of our
school told me that I was chosen
to attend these meetings and I
had to travel every week to the
Education Ministry in Natzrat
Ilit.
I was unsure about whether
to attend these meetings. I was

skeptical how much I could

contribute to the conclusions that
would be arrived at there and I
thought there were better ways to
spend my time.
I wrote to the Rebbe the
night before and explained my
hesitation. When I opened the
Igros Kodesh, I saw a letter
addressed to the mayor of
Natzrat Ilit. From what I heard,
this was the only time in all the
Rebbes letters that the Rebbe
refers to the full name of this
northern city. The letter was
incredible. The Rebbe explains
in that letter the proper way to
be mekarev Jews and the content
was most applicable to the theme
of the meeting concern for the
individual and the group.
Before the emcee began, I
asked for permission to speak
and told everyone how I had had
doubts about coming and about
the letter I had opened to the
night before from the Rebbe.
I read and explained the letter
and the principals were amazed.
But thats not the end of the
story. At the meeting itself a lot of

the discussion dealt with what the

Rebbe said, and during the break
the organizer of the meeting
came over to me and asked for
the letter. I did not know what
she wanted to do with it but when
we came back, I was surprised to
see that she had made copies for
everyone.
Before we left, we were given
a calendar with the dates of
future meetings along with the
letter of the Rebbe on which was
the emblem of the Education
Ministry and underneath it said:
The letter that the participants
of the meeting received from the
Lubavitcher Rebbe.
I hope this story answers your
question and there are many
more stories like this one. Only a
few of them will make it into the
book because there are so many
and we cant possibly include
them all in one book.

RAIN AND THE

AMUSEMENT PARK
How do you promote the
idea of writing to the Rebbe?

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Feature
A year ago, one of the teachers
asked me to be interviewed
and videotaped for the dinner.
The theme at the dinner was
hiskashrus to the Rebbe through
writing via the Igros Kodesh. In
the interview I recalled a story
that happened a few years after
Gimmel Tammuz. We decided
to take the grade six girls to an
amusement park. Back then,
twenty years ago, this required a
lot of effort to coordinate, as we
had to arrange the trip with other
schools so we would have a large
enough number of people which
would enable us to have the park
to ourselves.
On the morning of the trip
the girls were very excited, of
course, but what put a damper
on things was that unexpectedly,
the sky darkened and the forecast
was for heavy rain.
We did not know what to do.
Should we go and risk it raining
and the girls would not get to
enjoy the park, or cancel the trip
which would upset the girls and
make us lose a lot of money. It
reached a point where the girls
and teachers were waiting on
the buses while we were still
deciding.
I wrote to the Rebbe and
everyone waited tensely to hear
what the Rebbes answer would
be. From the answer I opened to
it sounded like we should go and
not cancel. I boarded each bus
and told the girls the answer and
the buses left. As they left Tzfas,
the clouds dissipated and the sun

came out.
I chose to tell this story in
the video. When I finished, I
noticed that the teacher filming
me seemed very excited. She
told me an amazing detail I had
not remembered. She said that
that year she was a sixth grader
and she had been one of the girls
waiting on the bus. When she saw
me get on the bus and confidently
say, Girls, you are going
because that is what the Rebbe
writes, she saw what hiskashrus
to the Rebbe is. Outside it can be
wintry and rainy but if the Rebbe
gives a bracha, that is what you
do, no questions asked. She said
this experience has been with her
ever since.

THERE IS A PROPHET
IN OUR TIME
To conclude, there is a
debate between Chassidim and
non-Chassidim about whether a
story has real educational value
or is simply Chassidic wasteful
chatter. How do you, as a
principal, see it?
Of course it depends on what
kind of stories are being told. Not
every story makes an impact, but
G-d forbid to say about all stories
that they are in the category of
wasteful chatter.
Fantasy stories will not
necessarily impact a child since
he will think the story has nothing
to do with him. But when we tell
stories about our Rebbeim and
stories about miracles that came

In Crown Heights area: 1640/1700AM

about through brachos from the

Rebbe, they impact the listeners
and guide them how to live and
how to behave.
There are other guidelines
and limitations that the Rebbe
established for stories, for
example, that they be accurate
and detailed. In our book we
were very particular about that.
We omitted stories that seemed
not completely accurate and
chose only stories with names.
We also tried to record the dates.
Stories that happened through
brachos from the Rebbe in the
Igros Kodesh, we cited the source
and quoted from the letter.
Id like to point something
out about the Igros Kodesh
that many may not appreciate.
Previously, during the time
of the Beis HaMikdash, for
example, if someone wanted to
ask a question, he would go to
the Urim VTumim in the Beis
HaMikdash and even then, the
answer was only a hint.
In our generation too, before
Gimmel Tammuz you had to send
a letter to the Rebbe and answers
were sometimes delayed. But
nowadays, within the darkness
that we live, we have merited a
tremendous G-dly revelation that
provides us with the strength
to deal with the darkness and
concealment; a person can ask
and receive an answer on the
spot. Every person has access to
the Prophet who shows the way,
directs him, and blesses him.

worldwide, online: www.RadioMoshiach.org

USA NEW phone: 347 990 1136

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PROFILE

SOLDIER AND
LAMPLIGHTER
R Yisroel Yitzchok Zalmanov was the secretary of the Vaad of Kfar Chabad,
he served in the navy, he was a shochet and one of the first settlers in Kfar
Chabad, and one of the first activists in Tzeirei Chabad in Eretz Yisroel.
Every night he walked the streets of the Kfar and lit the streetlights,
demonstrating to all who saw him the aphorism, A Chassid is a lamplighter.
* Presented to mark his passing on 10 Adar I.
By Dov Levanon

ne of the Chassidim once asked the Rebbe

Rashab: What is a Chassid?
The Rebbe replied: A Chassid is a
lamplighter the man who walks in
the streets and lights the streetlights [in the olden
days, streetlights were lit with kerosene. In order to
light them at night, someone had the job of going
around with a long stick with fire on the end with
which he would light the street lights].
That is a Chassid. He walks with a long stick
with fire on the tip but he knows that the fire is not
his. His job is to use this fire in order to light the
lamps.
The Chassid, R Yisroel Yitzchok Zalmanov was
born in 1921 in Kursk where his father, R Shmuel,
was the shochet of the Chassidic community. He was
named for his maternal grandfather, the Chassid, R
Yisroel Yitzchok Swersky.
He was born at that terrible time following
the communist revolution whose leaders were
determined to stamp out religion from the Soviet
Union. Religious schools were made illegal and
children were sent to public school.
Despite the illegality in teaching Torah to children,
his father made sure that his children had a proper
chinuch by having a G-d fearing teacher learn with
them in the afternoon.
While he was still young, R Yisroel Yitzchok took
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Profile
an active part in a mitzva that was
done with mesirus nefesh. It was
when R Eliezer Karasik was able
to convince a relative of his to
circumcise his son and R Yisroel
Yitzchoks father went to perform
the bris. Due to the danger, there
were very few people present and
Yisroel Yitzchok, who was seven,
was given the honor of kvatter. He
received the baby from Devorah,
the daughter of R Karasik, who
was the same age as he.
In 1936, his father was given
a visa and he took his family to
Eretz Yisroel, to Tel Aviv, where
a few Tmimim lived. These
were graduates of the yeshiva
in Lubavitch who had arrived
in Eretz Yisroel. As soon as he
arrived, he sent his son to learn in
Yerushalayim since there were no
other yeshivos Tomchei Tmimim
in Eretz Yisroel at the time. The
trip from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim
in those days was not as simple
and comfortable as it is today. It
took several hours and the cost
was commensurate. R Yisroel
Yitzchok went home only for the
holidays.
When a yeshivas Tomchei
Tmimim opened in Tel Aviv
in 1938, R Yisroel Yitzchok
was one of the first students. R
Itchke Gansburg and R Zalman
Lebenharz were good friends of
his.
After completing his studies
in Tomchei Tmimim, he married
Yocheved, the daughter of R
Chaim Meir Garelik who had
just come from Russia. It was at
this time that the Rebbe Rayatz
founded Kfar Chabad and R
Yisroel Yitzchok and his new wife
became one of the first to settle
there. They were given a parcel
of land like the rest of the early
settlers.
For a number of years he
served in the navy, being a model
of a Chassid even in the navy,

which is considered the most

difficult branch of the military for
a religious man. He was a role
model for many other Chassidic
soldiers who served in those days
in various units.
In Nissan 5716/1956, his
father, the shochet of Tel Aviv,
passed away. In his will he asked
that one of his sons take over this
position. The family members
wrote to the Rebbe about this
and the Rebbe instructed that R
Yechiel Michel, who until then
had been a shochet in Ramat
Gan, should take over his fathers
position in Tel Aviv, and one of
the other brothers would take his
place with priority to be given
to the one who finished learning
shchita quickly. This fell to R
Yisroel Yitzchok.
It is proper that you continue
learning shchita since this is in
your fathers will. But at the same
time, for now, you should not leave
farming (even if this will make the
amount of time it takes to study
shchita longer) until you know
for sure that you are succeeding in
your studies. Also calmly you
should seek out the right person
to whom to transfer the plot of
farmland in Kfar Chabad, of
course in agreement with the vaad
of the Kfar, instructed the Rebbe
when informed that he had started
learning shchita.
After completing the study
of shchita, and informing the
Rebbe that he had been given
certification for the shchita of
chickens, the Rebbe told him to
continue and complete the study
of shchita so he would have a
full skill set, even if he did not see
any work in shechting animals in
the near future. Thus, R Yisroel
Yitzchok continued his fathers
work in the field of shchita. His
father was one of the bachurim
who received the okay from the
Rebbe Rashab himself to study

shchita, and the Rebbe Rayatz

once asked to personally check his
knife.

ON BEHALF OF
KFAR CHABAD
For many years, R Yisroel
Yitzchok served the residents of
Kfar Chabad in many ways. He
was the secretary of the vaad and a
member of its religious council. In
these roles he helped tremendously
in getting budgets for the work of
spreading the wellsprings which he
so loved, he oversaw the eiruv and
mikvaos, and all the other halachic
matters needed in the Kfar.
A Chassid is a lamplighter
and R Yisroel Yitzchok did this
literally. In those days, there were
people whose job it was to clean
the kerosene lamps and light them
every night. These lamps dimly lit
the roads of the Kfar. You could
see R Yisroel Yitzchok going
every night with a stick in his hand
lighting the kerosene lamps. What
today is simple and automatic
had to be done individually and
personally back then.

TZEIREI AGUDAS CHABAD

R Yisroel Yitzchok was not the
kind of person who stood out or
demanded things of people. As a
Chassid, he demanded mainly of
himself. Whatever he did, he did
with simplicity, without standing
out or honor-seeking.
When the Rebbe started
Tzeirei Agudas Chabad (Tzach),
R Yisroel Yitzchok was one of
the first activists. During certain
years, the offices of Tzach
operated out of his home. R
Yisroel Yitzchok himself traveled
on missions whenever he was
asked, traveling to moshavim to
farbreng on special days in the
calendar. He also got involved
in simpler jobs such as packing
mishloach manos.

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However, the project that was

his specialty was hosting families.
In those days, many guests came
to Kfar Chabad, people who
wanted to see what authentic
Chassidic life looked like. R
Yisroel Yitzchok was in charge
of the hosting project and he
arranged special cards which were
sent ahead of time in which each
family filled out how many guests
they could have for that Shabbos.
By organizing it, he made it
possible for many more guests to
come and this resulted in many
baalei teshuva who are Chassidim
today.
One wintry Friday, it was
pouring and there were hardly any
people in the street when a large
car stopped near the Zalmanov
home. A group of girls from a
kibbutz who came for Shabbos
were warmly welcomed. The fact
that they had not announced that
they were coming was quickly
forgotten. R Yisroel Yitzchok
brought them to his own home
since there was no other place to
send them. He had already filled
all the spaces on his list of cards
and there was no more room.
Having no choice, he brought the
wet, shivering guests to his own
home.
His wife ran to the closet to
get warm clothing and the girls
warmed up under blankets. One
of the Zalmanov girls davened out

loud and the girls repeated after

her.
At shul, the news spread and
when R Yisroel Yitzchok returned
home and discovered that the
women had managed to put
together all kinds of extras for the
Shabbos meal, he was surprised
to discover that half the Kfar had
come to add to his Shabbos meals.
One brought extra fish, another
brought a pot of soup and a third
brought chicken. In the end, they
had a royal feast and the guests
said they would never forget it.
In 5722 he won the raffle of
a trip to the Rebbe and was the
representative of the Chassidim
in Eretz Yisroel for Tishrei of that
year.
At the Tzach gathering which
was held every year on Sukkos,
he was asked to speak. He did not
speak long and just mentioned

that there was no reason to get

distracted by side things; we just
need to work and increase the
light.
At a farbrengen that followed,
the Rebbe told the speakers to say
lchaim and said it was possible to
speak in a way of a small amount
that contains a lot. It is possible
that this was referring to R Yisroel
Yitzchoks brief speech.
***
R Yisroel Yitzchok lived a
Chassidishe life. Every Shabbos he
farbrenged until almost Mincha.
With his rich Yiddish he recounted
stories and sayings he had heard
from the great Chassidim and sang
heartfelt Chassidishe niggunim
which drew the hearts of all who
heard them.
He passed away on Shabbos,
Parshas Tetzaveh, 10 Adar I,
5741/1981.

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BITACHON BYTES

A PANACEA FOR THE

BITACHON-CHALLENGED
By Rabbi Zalman Goldberg

mong the directives that

the Rebbe gave us in the
area of strengthening
Bitachon in Hashem was
the instruction to study abundant
Chassidus. There were those who
the Rebbe instructed to study Shaar
HaBitachon, some were directed
to learn Chapter 23 in Thillim,
others were advised to contemplate
the content of the beginning of
Chapter 41 in Tanya, and still
others were told to meditate on the
concept of Hashems Hashgacha
Pratis and of Hashems kindness.
The instruction to learn
a lot of Chassidus -in
copious amounts in order to
strengthen ones Bitachon seems
somewhat strange, for what is
the connection between trust in
Hashem and the general study of
Chassidus? Shaar HaBitachon is
of course the foundation of the
concept of Bitachon; Chapter 23
in Thillim also specifically relates
the reliance of David HaMelech
in Hashem, and Chapter 41
in Tanya addresses Hashems
omnipresence and interest in the
lives of every individual Yid. But
the general study of Chassidus
doesnt seem to address any
specific Bitachon related ideas.
There are three liquids1 which
describe Torah; water, wine and
oil. Water refers to the revealed
part of Torah, which, like water,
flows down from on high to
our world. Wine denotes the
concealed aspect of Torah which
becomes revealed, just like wine
is pressed and comes forth from

inside the grape. Oil signifies

the deepest level of the secrets of
the Torah, Chassidus. (For more
about the difference between
the two levels of the esoteric
parts of the Torah, oil and wine,
see Kuntres Inyana shel Toras
HaChassidus.)
There is a very basic
difference between water, wine,
and oil. The first two have an
effect only until whichever level
they reach. A river can provide
water only until the point that it
reaches; a person or thing which
comes only partially into contact
with water will remain wet only
to that extent. The same applies
to wine.
The parts of the Torah that
correspond to water and wine
are expected to be limited in
their effect on the one who
studies them. They may teach
and inspire the student, but not
in a permanent and ongoing
manner. While studying Nigleh
a person attains certain pieces
of knowledge, but theres a big
chance that the persons life will
not revolve around this newly
acquired knowledge. The same
is true with the concealed parts
of Torah which are likened
to wine; the effect will be
more inspirational, but after
the inspiration wears off, the
persons life will continue on as
normal.
Oil, on the other hand,
is noted for permeating and
completely affecting whatever
it comes in contact with. Even

if only a small part of an object

becomes oily, the oiliness will be
felt all over the article. Chassidus
is the same; anyone who truly
studies chassidus properly will
(over time) become totally
transformed. Chassidus will
reach the entire person with all
his dimensions until the person
becomes a chassidus person all
around.
With all other studies, the
particular study being focused
on will show to an extent, but
then there is a point where the
person just becomes himself and
his earlier study has been retired.
Not so with chassidus, the study
of which gives a non-stop supply
of G-dliness, applicable to every
facet of life, guiding ones every
step and ultimately engulfing the
student in a new G-dly reality.
Reb Meir Blizinsky2 was
heavily involved with delivering
shiurim in chassidus, both
privately and publicly. Once, a
Yid who was unfortunately very
antagonistic toward Torah and
Mitzvos happened to walk into
one of R Blizinkys shiurim.
Intrigued, he inquired about
the time of the next shiur and
attended it as well. After an
extended period of time that he
was present at Reb Meirs shiurei
chassidus, he approached Reb
Meir and requested a private
class, in addition to the public
shiurim he was attending. Reb
Meir agreed, on condition that
it take place Shabbos morning.
This Yid arrived every Shabbos
morning before 6 a.m. and

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studied with Reb Meir until 9,

when he accompanied Reb Meir
until the shul and then continued
on his way.
Reb Meir had already brought
myriads of Yidden closer to
Yiddishkait through his shiurim.
This student, however, was
receiving personal attention for
3-4 hours weekly and nothing
was advancing in his fulfillment
of Mitzvos. Even more so, Reb
Meir once stepped out during
the chavrusa and upon returning
saw him extinguishing a cigarette
which he had lit while Reb Meir
left. At one point, when Reb Meir
attempted to raise the subject, the
man refused to listen.
Reb Meir then wrote a letter
to the Rebbe questioning whether
he should continue learning with
this individual or not, being that
the study was not at all being
effective. The Rebbes response
was to continue, but under no
circumstances should he talk
about performing mitzvos.
After one and a half years of
learning together in this manner,
the Yid suddenly asked Reb
Meir to guide him in writing
a letter to the Rebbe. The Yid
explained: When I first joined
the class, I was enthralled by the
content and I wanted to continue
studying. After some time I was
torn; on one hand, the study
was exceedingly captivating, on
the other hand I realized that
this is the truth but I did not
want to commit myself to a life
of being observant. I was about
to stop our study, when I came
up with a plan; I would place
a total separation between my
mind and my emotions, so that
the study will just be intellectual
and theoretical with no real life
implications. These thoughts
took place just when you started
to talk to me about Yiddishkait,
and by some miracle you

stopped, because if you would

have continued talking about
Mitzvos I would have ceased our
study session entirely. Despite
my resolution to keep the subject
matter theoretical, my conscience
left me no rest. Although I dont
want to be observant, I have this
urge to observe something in
Yiddishkait. So Im writing to the
Rebbe for advice.
Eventually this man became
a frum Yid. And this holds an
important lesson for us too.
If a person who opposed the
lifestyle that Chassidus advocates
was brought closer to Hashem
through
properly
studying
Chassidus, how much more so
anyone else, who doesnt harbor
such antagonistic feelings toward
Yiddishkait, should surely be
completely transformed through
the proper study of chassidus.
In order to maximize the
influence of chassidus, we must
strive to ensure that the study of
chassidus is pure. This can be
understood by prefacing that just
as there are three separate parts
of the Torah, water, wine, and oil,
so too in the oil part of the Torah
there are three parts: water, wine,
and oil of oil. When water or wine
are mixed into oil, it can result in
their temporary slowing down
the effect that the oil has and thus
the permanent permeation of the
oil may be temporarily hindered.
If chassidus is chas vshalom
studied as an intellectual pursuit,
the very metzius of the person that
was supposed to be permeated
by the study of chassidus will
actually be strengthened. Instead
of being immersed in G-dliness,
the self will be fortified and for
the meantime be alienated from
Hashem.
This is why in this weeks
parsha, the oil for the menorah
needed to be the first drop of
oil, teaching us that the oil used

for permanently changing and

influencing our lives must be
pure oil, with no self mixed in.
This
may
explain
the
necessity of learning Chassidus
in strengthening our Bitachon
in Hashem. Generally speaking,
the goal of Torah is to connect
us with Hashem. In truth, any
part of Torah has this potential,
as long as the student appreciates
that the essence of Torah is that
it is the Wisdom of Hashem,
and that on a higher level, Torah
represents
Ratzon
Hashem.
Nevertheless, on a practical
level, this aspect of Torah may
not be readily appreciated when
studying Nigleh, the exoteric
parts of the Torah. Although the
status of Torah as the Wisdom
and Will of Hashem remains a
fact, it will not necessarily be felt
in a revealed way. Only the study
of Chassidus (oil), addresses this
concept and causes our whole
being to reflect G-dliness, and in
a pure manner.
So anyone who studies
Chassidus with purity, allowing
it to define who he is and what
he represents, will enjoy a life of
G-dly reality in all circumstances.
Never will there be a reaction of
anger or frustration. Only joy will
be expressed. The first reaction
will become one of, How does
Hashem want me to behave?
rather than the natural reflex to
whatever is happening. In other
words, Chassidus provides an
atmosphere in which Bitachon
thrives and grows unhindered.
The more oil a person has, the
stronger his reliance on Hashem
will be in real life.
Rabbi Zalman Goldberg is a well
sought after speaker and lecturer on
Chassidic thought. His writings and
recordings on the topic of Bitachon can be
accessed at http://www.gotbitachon.com.
. 170 ) 1
.231 ) 2

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OBITUARY

MY IMA
R Ezriel Zelig
Slonim

HOLY ROOTS
My mother, Mrs. Yaffa
Wolpo, was a noble woman. She
came from holy stock, being a
sixth generation descendant from
the Alter Rebbe. The house my
mother grew up in shaped her
exceptional personality. It was
a home of mesirus nefesh in the
fullest sense of the term.
My mothers father, R Ezriel
Zelig Slonim ah, was a great-

Join us on a captivating
journey, crossing continents
and generations. * We will
travel from Chevron to
Lubavitch, observe hiskashrus
and bravery during the war and
the revolution. * We will learn
about giving, about bracha
and purity. * In a touching
interview, Rebbetzin Sima
Ashkenazi talks about her
mother, Mrs. Yaffa Wolpo ah *
By Hila Crispin and Mina Ur

grandson of Rebbetzin Menucha

Rochel. He was born in Chevron.
When he was eight months old,
Arabs murdered his father. His
mother remarried an Admur who
was a good father to the children
but was not a Chabad Chassid.
My grandfather, as a boy, would
sit in a corner of the room and
would watch his stepfather daven
with much sobbing as he paced
the room. His mother, who was
a very Chassidic woman, was

afraid that he would not know

the way of Chabad and so when
he turned fifteen, she took him
by ship to Lubavitch in Russia, to
the Rebbe Rashab.
They arrived in Lubavitch on
Erev Yom Kippur. The Rebbe
was sitting and learning. My
grandfather was young and shy
and found it hard to walk into the
room to the Rebbe. His mother
pulled him in, burst into tears,
and asked the Rebbe to promise

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her that her son would be G-d

fearing. She knew that she would
not see him for a long time. She
was leaving him there, he had
no father, and she did not know
whether she would see him again.
The Rebbe promised her that her
son would be G-d fearing and
being reassured, she returned to
Eretz Yisroel.
My grandfather would sit at
the Rebbes table on Shabbos and
Yom Tov, but being awestruck,
he would not put anything in his
mouth. He was hungry most of
the time since in the dormitory
there was no food because he
was supposedly eating at the
Rebbe, and at the Rebbe he did
not eat since he was too refined.
Rebbetzin Rivka and Rebbetzin
Shterna Sarah noticed this and
they would put cake and fruit in
his pockets. They would write to
his mother that he was a Chassid
and learning well and that she
should have nachas and not
worry.
My grandfather remained in
Russia for about ten years and
then went to Charson to start
a yeshiva. In the meantime,
World War I broke out, toward
the end of which the communist
revolution began. The Rebbe
Rashab passed away in 1920
and the Rebbe Rayatz was
appointed his successor. Before
my grandfather went to Charson
he was the Rebbe Rayatzs study
partner and now he had to accept
him as his Rebbe.
When he went to Rostov and
entered the Rebbes house, he
met the Rebbe Rayatz and my
grandfather exclaimed, Rebbe!
He immediately accepted the
Rebbe Rayatz as his Rebbe with
the utmost bittul.
His
Ahavas
Yisroel
is
indescribable. Here is one
example. Life was hard with
starvation,
diseases
and

epidemics in which many

perished. Deadly typhus was
widespread. My grandfather
came down with typhus and
his fever went up so high that
he lost consciousness and was
hospitalized. A few days later he
suddenly regained consciousness
and the nurse offered him hot
soup. Since he was afraid to have
any because of kashrus concerns,
he decided to leave the hospital.
He walked out to the street while
leaning on the walls, he was so
weak. Jews were standing on a
long line in order to get a little dry
bread. He also stood on line and
waited outside for three hours.
After he received his portion, he
suddenly noticed a Jew lying on
the street because he was starving
and he unhesitatingly gave him
his bread.
After ten years abroad, my

special
assignment,
making
him shadar and sending him
to five continents. He wanted
my grandfather to look for
descendants of Anash who had
gone off the derech and be
mekarev them. The Rebbe always
wrote him where to travel and
what to do there. Each place had
its special missions. The poverty
in Eretz Yisroel was great and
the trips were made with great
mesirus nefesh. He did not have
money, not to go and not to
return, and none to leave for his
wife.
When my mother was born
he was not in Eretz Yisroel at the
time. He returned when she was
a year and a half. He put down
his luggage and went outside to
look for his Sheindele among all
the children there. As soon as he
saw her, he sensed she was his

My grandfather would ask my brothers and

me: What will you be when you grow up,
a Chassid or a Misnaged? We knew that if we said
Chassid, he would be moved to tears and would hug
and kiss us. From a very young age we knew that to be
a Chassid is the best possible thing.

grandfather, who was 25 by then,

borrowed money and returned
to Eretz Yisroel. He married
his niece who had grown up in
his parents home during those
years he had been away. His
older sister Sheindel Mushka had
died at age 21 and had left a two
year old baby. My grandfathers
mother took the little orphan and
raised her. She was 22 by the
time he returned home.

I ALSO WANT A FATHER!

After they
Rebbe Rayatz

married, the
gave him a

daughter. My mother was very

attached to her father and his
lengthy absences were very hard
for her.
One time, when he needed
to go, she refused to let him. He
stood with his suitcase and she
grasped his sirtuk and cried and
said, Youre not going! All the
children have a father and I also
want a father! She cried and
he cried but he had to go and
continue traveling from place
to place to spread Judaism and
Chassidus.

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Obituary

THE BORDER THAT MOVED

Later, when the Rebbe
MHM took over the Chabad
leadership, he was greatly
mekarev him and appointed him
as director of Kollel Chabad in
Yerushalayim. In this role, he
built mosdos chinuch and helped
people with loans. He raised
money for the kollel in America
too. My grandfather would go to
Kollel Chabad four times a day
on foot, because he did not have
the money for a taxi and it was
out of the question for him to
take public funds.
My grandfather founded the
first mosdos in Yerushalayim,
Shikun Chabad and Yeshivas
Toras Emes.
One Shabbos, as he rested, he
suddenly got up and said I just
had an idea to build a Chabad
neighborhood. My grandmother
said: How will you build a
neighborhood? You need money
for that!
He had no money but he
did have plenty of desire and
enthusiasm, and it was with
that that he went to the Rassco
construction company and asked
them to build Shikun Chabad.
The people there respected him
and said: R Slonim, sell the
apartments and then pay us. And
that is how it began. They brought
tractors and started leveling the
area and my grandfather began
looking for potential buyers,
but since the area was near the
Jordanian border, in Tel Arza, he
was afraid that people would not
want to buy apartments there. He
told the Rebbe his apprehensions
and the Rebbe said that by the
time the apartments were ready,
the border would move further
away, and that is exactly what
happened. After the Six Day War
the border was far away.
When
Rebbetzin
Chana
passed away, my grandfather and

grandmother went to buy toys,

baby carriages, and dolls and they
started Gan Chana for girls. The
following year they added a grade
until Beis Chana was opened. All
the mosdos were founded thanks
to his ideas.

CHASSIDUS THAT
TOUCHED DEEPLY
My grandfather had heart
problems and the doctor said he
needed to rest. I would guard the
door so he wouldnt be disturbed,
but it didnt help. If someone
came, he would immediately get
up. I asked him when will you
rest? You need to rest!
He said, Oy Sima, Ill have
enough time to rest
He thought only of how he
could help another Jew.
My mother grew up in such a
home, which was very central and
attracted everyone and there was
constant traffic even though they
had only two rooms, an inner and
an outer room. But whatever was
needed, was there.
I was a bas bayis (a member
of the household) there and
received all the inspiration for
Chassidus in that house, which
was suffused with love for the
Rebbe and Chassidus. When I
was five, my grandfather would
ask my brothers and me: What
will you be when you grow up,
a Chassid or a Misnaged? We
knew that if we said Chassid,
he would be moved to tears and
would hug and kiss us. From a
very young age we knew that to
be a Chassid is the best possible
thing.
We were three children:
Sholom
Dovber
Wolpo,
Menachem Wolpo (a shliach in
Netanya), and myself. I saw such
mesirus nefesh by my brothers.
We got this from my grandfather
to whom every word of the

Rebbe was something he carried

out immediately. This had an
influence on our souls.
When I was a little girl, I
would sleep at their house on
Friday nights. I would wake up
at about five in the morning
and hear the door open. My
grandfather was going to the
mikva. It made no difference
to him whether it was raining
or snowing or hailing outside.
Then he would return. I lay in
bed. First, he would wash my
hands six times and laugh. Wash
and laugh. He was such a happy
person and he wanted to make
us happy. Everything was done
with laughter and joy; even hand
washing.
Then he would sit at the table
and review the parsha, Shnayim
Mikra VEchad Targum and learn
a maamer Chassidus. Then he
would take a Thillim, get up and
stand near the pictures of the
Rebbeim hanging on the wall,
and he would walk from picture
to picture and say that Rebbes
chapter of Thillim and cry and
the tears would flow. I was a little
girl. I watched all this and it went
deep into my heart.

CONTINUING THE
TRADITION OF GIVING
That was the kind of home
my mother grew up in. A home
of chesed, a home in which you
lived for others and you saw this
in all aspects of her life including
when she grew up and married.
My mother had exceptionally
good middos. She helped
everyone in every which way.
She convinced one to observe
family purity, she helped another
with shalom bayis, she convinced
another to enlarge her family, and
strengthened another in prayer.
She was all about influencing
others and being a role model.
My mother was very wise. She

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Rebbetzin Sima Ashkenazis

father, R Yitzchok Zev
Wolpo, receiving a dollar
from the Rebbe

was a teacher and was involved in

education. Her house was always
open and she welcomed guests
very nicely. The entire family
loved to visit Doda Yaffa because
being with her was an experience.
Her heart was open to all.
I had a cousin who did not
have children. He and his wife
grieved greatly over this and my
mother grieved along with them.
Erev Pesach they came to us and
my mother blessed them that the
following year they should come
with a baby carriage. And that is
what happened! Her blessing was
fulfilled and the following year
they became the happy parents of
a baby boy.
That cousin told the following
story at her funeral: That son
who was born from her blessing
grew up and married, and he too
did not have children. He told his
son and daughter-in-law what
happened with him and they
decided they had to go to Doda
Yaffa for a blessing. She blessed

He said, I looked at your husband. I looked

at your children. I looked at the chinuch, and
wanted to be like you.

them and they too had a child.

My mother was very clean
and
organized.
Rebbetzin
Menucha Rochel said that where
there is order and cleanliness
there is purity and holiness. It
was Pesach all year by my mother
and there was incredible order.
Its impossible to describe how
clean and organized her house
was maintained at all times.

WHAT CAUSED PRESIDENT

NAVONS NEPHEWS TO
BECOME BAALEI TSHUVA
There is an interesting story
about how thanks to my parents
an entire family became baalei
tshuva. My parents lived in
Yerushalayim next to the Navon
family, nephews of President

Yitzchok Navon. The father

was a manager at the Discount
Bank and my father was also a
manager at the Discount Bank.
They lived in the neighborhood
for thirty years and were very
friendly, even though my parents
were religious and they were not.
They stemmed from holy stock,
from the holy Ohr HaChayim,
but they did not know nor keep
anything related to Judaism.
They had a son and a
daughter. When the son Yossi
was studying in a secular high
school he once left a note for
his parents: If you want me
to be happy, connect me with
Chabad. His father asked his
brother,
President
Yitzchok
Navon, to use his connections
and help them. He spoke with

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Obituary

When my husband passed away, she

immediately sensed it. My brother and sisterin-law went to her and she immediately asked, Why
did you come in the middle of the day? They said
my husband did not feel well and had a heart attack.
Where is Sima? she asked. Here, downstairs, they
said. Then she said to them, Dont tell me anymore. I
understand everything.
Shloimke Maidanchek who went
to their home and spoke with
the boy and took him to the
Chabad yeshiva in Tzfas. That is
how Yossi became a Chassidishe
bachur.
One time, when his parents
werent at home, he knocked at
my parents door. My mother
welcomed him in and took the
opportunity to ask, Yossi, tell
me the truth. What caused you to
suddenly become a Chassidishe
bachur? How did it happen?
He said, I looked at your
husband. I looked at the children.
I looked at the chinuch, and
wanted to be like you.
When my father heard this he
was very touched because when
he was by the Rebbe, the Rebbe
gave him a bottle of mashke
and said, This is for your
mekuravim. My father did not
know who the Rebbe meant.
My father was very particular
to always learn Torah, day and
night. Even during the years that
he worked at the bank he was
always particular about learning,
and at night he learned endlessly.
He had received a Litvishe
chinuch. He descends from the
Vilna Gaon and my mother was
from a Chabad family. My father
was very connected to the Rebbe.
Every word of the Rebbe was holy
of holies to him and he asked
the Rebbe about everything that
came up, but since he received

a Litvishe chinuch, he did not

personally go to influence others.
So when Yossi Navon said
this, my father began to cry.
He took out the bottle he had
received from the Rebbe and
drank a lchaim with Yossi and
there was a lot of emotion in the
house.
Yossi continued learning in
yeshiva and became of age to
marry. My mother was good at
shidduchim. She heard about
a baalas tshuva who wanted to
marry a religious boy and thought
she sounded right for Yossi.
The girl, today Chumi Navon
of Tzfas, sat with my mother
for three and a half hours. They
became friends and the shidduch
got underway.
The story isnt over yet.
Yossis sister Edna had a son
and a daughter. One day, the girl
Lital looked at her Uncle Yossi
and saw what was happening
there in the house and it appealed
to her. She went to my mother
on Shabbos and told her that
she too was drawn to Chassidus.
She then wanted to leave but
my mother said she should wait
for Havdala. She stayed for
Havdala and my mother gave her
many blessings and encouraged
her. Lital became a baalas
tshuva, went to Machon Alte
and Ohr Chaya, and became a
Lubavitcher. She also established
a Chassidic home. Litals brother

also became a baal tshuva. He

is married and the couple is very
religiously observant.
My mother was an educator.
First she worked in an elementary
school and then she taught
adults. She had a very warm
personality, heartfelt and very
Chassidic. She gave herself to
others graciously. She was very,
very good to her family, to the
children, grandchildren, and
great-grandchildren. My father
passed away six years ago and I
convinced my mother to come
and live with me. She lived in my
home for five and a half years
and passed away on 10 Teves at
the age of 91 and a half. During
the Shiva her neshama was in the
house and it was a great privilege
to tell of her good deeds. I still
cannot make my peace with her
passing. May her merits stand
by her and may she be speedily
returned to us.

THE MERIT
That she lived with us in her
final years was a tremendous
privilege for me. At my fathers
funeral, I promised him I would
take care of my mother and I
tried as best as I could to do so.
After my father passed away, my
husband immediately thought
about how to set up a place for
her in our home so she would feel
comfortable. We closed off half a
porch and prepared everything so
she would have a space to herself.
We thought she would come
every Shabbos but she did not
want to hear of the idea of
leaving her home. However, little
by little, she came for Shabbos
and sometimes I went to her.
After she fell the first time, I
begged her to come stay with us.
She realized it was necessary and
she moved in.
My husband gave her the

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royal treatment. Although he was

very busy, he would find a few
minutes every day to sit with her,
tell her things, and ask how she
felt and what was going on with
her.
When my husband passed
away, she immediately sensed
it. My brother and sister-in-law
went to her and she immediately
asked, Why did you come in the
middle of the day? They said my
husband did not feel well and had
a heart attack. Where is Sima?
she asked. Here, downstairs,
they said. Then she said to
them, Dont tell me anymore. I
understand everything. I went
up to her room only a few hours
later because I couldnt bear to
face her.

SIGNS OF FAREWELL
My mother was entirely lucid
until the end, and she passed
away gently in the night. There
were things she said to others but
not to me because she did not
want to upset me.
She felt she was going to
leave this world and she asked
to say goodbye to the children.
For example, she spoke to my
niece and said to her, I have a
wonderful, dear family; it is so
hard to part from them. She did
not talk that way to me, because
she knew how heartbroken I was
and did not want to add to my
sorrow.

GETTING BACK TO WORK

Rebbetzin Sima Ashkenazi is
on the staff of Beis Rivka and has
taught generations of girls and
kallos.
My work is a shlichus of the
Rebbe and I make every effort to
do it well. I went back to work
after my husband passed away,
even though I felt at the time
that it was the end of the world.

Rabbi Mordechai Shmuel

Ashkenazi ah, the
Rebbetzins husband

Now too, sorrow after sorrow in

such a short time. I tell Hashem
I will not break. The inner battle
is very hard. However, I also see
the chesed within the gvuros.
This past year, after the passing
of my husband, Hashem did me
a kindness in that He gave me my
mother who was in my house and
was at my side constantly. Now,
it will definitely be much harder.
I plan on returning to school
and to my other activities. I even
committed to doing more. I will
also go back to mivtzaim every
Sunday as I used to do. Boruch
Hashem, throughout the week
I have shiurim, teaching, and

guidance to do.
We have also opened a
consultation office to provide
guidance in family matters here
in the office where my husband
saw people over the years.
This counseling will be lilui
nishmaso.
Throughout our conversation,
I hear noise in the house. The
rebbetzin has three grandchildren
from abroad living with her and
learning in the yeshiva in Lud.
She is their surrogate mother
who takes care of all their
needs. On off Shabbasos from
yeshiva, they are with her.

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Obituary

FROM THE MOUNTAIN

TO THE PEOPLE
I asked the Rebbetzin where
she gets her strength and
she said, From the Rebbe!
After thinking it over she
added, I ask the Rebbe about
everything. Yesterday there was
supposed to be a meeting of the
administration of Nshei Chabad.
When they called me I said I had
just come from the cemetery and
that I did not even know what
they were talking about. I felt I
just couldnt and wouldnt go to
the meeting, but my conscience
wasnt quiet. I wrote to the
Rebbe and the answer I opened
to was about how involvement
in communal matters would
bring the good. The Rebbe wrote
that we are shaping the spiritual
aspect of Kfar Chabad and its
a great privilege and he would
mention all of us at the holy
gravesite and blessings to all the
members.
I took the Igros Kodesh with
me to the meeting and read the
answer and all were amazed.
Then
Mrs.
Shoshana
Rottenberg brought me a ticket
for the Shifra and Puah evening,
and asked me to come and open
the event. Anything like this
demands great inner courage
and fortitude. I did not consider
going, both because of the
music and also because of the
emotional difficulty in showing
up in a dignified fashion to such a

respectable venue; its hard. Here

too, I felt that without receiving
strength from the Rebbe I would
not be able to manage, and I
wrote to the Rebbe about how
hard it is for me and do I need to
go. In the answer that I opened
to the Rebbe wrote about how
great a farbrengen is and how
great it is for me to participate in
it, and how much something like
this provides an abundance of
blessings.
I wrote to the Rebbe about
how grieved I am and how hard
it is for me and what else do I
need to do for things to be good.
The Rebbe wrote about how
communal matters and personal
matters are interconnected, and
the more I would be involved in
communal matters, the more it
would affect my personal life,
and that it should all be done
with joy.

NOT ANOTHER CANDLE

It is not an easy time. I start
the day with a lot of tears. Im
not a superwoman. I put in every
effort. I could have decided that
I am taking a vacation from
everything and pulled the covers
over my head, but I think of what
the Rebbe said, that Hashem
gives a person a test so that he
will withstand it.
I remember coming back
from my mothers funeral and
arranging places for everyone. I
went to see that everything was

as it should be and then I noticed

my husbands candle. I suddenly
remembered that I need to light
another candle It wasnt even
a year yet since the passing of
my husband and now there is
another candle. The children and
grandchildren all say, Savta, be
strong. We are looking to you
and you are the only one who
gives us strength. I know that I
have to be strong and pray for the
immediate Geula.
***
The Rebbe does not give
us the option to be sad, I
concluded, and the rebbetzin
concurs, Thats why we have a
Rebbe, so we can get guidance
and encouragement.
Toward the end of the year
of mourning for my husband,
one of my daughters said it was
hard for her, as compared to
the boys because they preserve
the memory with the recitation
of Kaddish and other mourning
practices while she only had
a candle. She said it was hard
for her to part with the candle,
because that was her only
connection to her father.
I told her, You shouldnt ask
Hashem for things like that. We
need to know what to ask for; for
Moshiach, and not give Hashem
ideas about candles ...
What we are awaiting is the
great light that will shine upon
us very soon and bring true
salvation to us all.

ADD IN ACTS OF GOODNESS & KINDNESS

TO BRING MOSHIACH NOW!

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PARSHA THOUGHT

TRANSCENDING
TRANSCENDENCE
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

THE TZITZ AND TFILLIN

The Kohen Gadol was
required to wear eight priestly
garments. One of them was the
tzitz, a golden plate, placed on
the High Priests forehead, on
which was engraved the words
Holy to G-d. The Torah
commands the High Priest to
have it upon his forehead at all
times. Rashi explains that this
means he had to wear it as long
as he was involved in the Temple
service.
Why then does the Torah use
the expression at all times? The
Talmud (Yoma 7b) explains (and
Rashi cites this interpretation in
his commentary on the Torah)
that it means that the Kohen
Gadol should never divert his
attention from the tzitz while he
is wearing it.
The Talmud also discusses the
laws of Tfillin at that point and
states, one is obligated to touch
his Tfillin constantly so as not
to divert attention from them.
The Talmud bases this law on the
parallel requirement for the tzitz,
arguing:
If even concerning the
tzitz, on which there is only
one mention of G-ds name,
the Torah says it shall be on
his forehead constantly, which
teaches that he should not divert
his attention from it, Tfillin, in
which there are many mentions

[of G-ds name], how much

more so [should a person avoid
diverting his attention from
them.]
From this Talmudic statement
it follows that the Tfillin we wear
is even holier than the gold plated
tzitz worn by the holiest person,
the High Priest!
However,
Talmudic
commentators questioned the
premise that Tfillin are holier
than the tzitz. It seems to be
contradicted by the statement
of the Talmud (Tamid 8b) that
the High Priest would not be
permitted to raise his hands
above his head when giving
the priestly blessing (unlike the
average Kohen, who did not
wear the tzitz, and did raise
his hands when he blessed the
congregation). Raising ones
hands above the tzitz would not
be respectful to the tzitz that
contained G-ds name.
The question then is: why
is there no such restriction
concerning the Tfillin? The
Talmud expressly permits a
Kohen (other than the Kohen
Gadol) to raise his hands when
reciting the priestly blessing
even while wearing Tfillin. If
Tfillin are holier than the tzitz,
why would the rule of not raising
ones hands above the head not
apply as it does to the tzitz?
One simple answer would
be that although Tfillin contain

many references to G-d, they

are all inside the Tfillin and
are not visible on the outside,
whereas the name of G-d etched
into the golden plate was visible
to any observer. Hence, when
it comes to ones thoughts,
which are hidden, Tfillin are
considered holier because they
contain many hidden references
to G-d. However, when dealing
with the overt action of raising
ones hands, it would be more
disrespectful to raise them above
the tzitz in which G-ds name is
visible to all.

MOSHIACH COMES WHEN

OUR ATTENTION IS
DIVERTED!?
One can perhaps offer a
deeper answer to this apparent
contradiction, based on the
premise that diversion of ones
attention is not always a negative.
With respect to the coming
of Moshiach, the Talmud
(Sanhedrin 97a) states that
Moshiach comes when our
attention is diverted from it.
At face value, this statement
is rather puzzling. One of the
13 principles of faith is not only
to believe in Moshiach but to
anticipate his coming. In our
daily prayers we recite: for Your
salvation we hope for all day.
The Talmud (Shabbos 31a) states
that when one leaves this world
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PARSHA THOUGHT
one of the first questions posed
to the soul is did you anticipate
salvation? Maimonides codified
this requirement in the strongest
terms possible: One who does
not believe in him or one who
doesnt anticipate his coming
denies the Torah. How then
could the Talmud state that
Moshiach comes when we are
distracted from his arrival?
The Alter Rebbe (Tanya,
Igeres HaKodesh #4) answers
that it does not mean that

symbolizes the limitation of

our minds; there is a higher
perception that we cannot
fathom.

THE TWO DIMENSIONS OF

TFILLIN
We can now understand the
difference between the law that
does not allow the High Priest
to raise his hands above the tzitz
and the law that allows us to raise
our hands above our Tfillin:

Frequently we may recognize, rationally, that

there are situations which demand that we go
beyond our understanding. That is the point at which
logic surrenders to faith. One can use logic to argue the
notion that there are certain things above and beyond
our logic. Hence even that is, to some degree, bound
by rational thought. There can then be a higher level
of transcendence which totally defies rationality; not
because it is irrational but because it is connected to an
infinite, supra-rational G-d.
we forget about Moshiach,
but rather, the Moshiach and
Redemption
transcend
our
knowledge.
Moshiach
and
Redemption will exceed any
prior understanding of their
nature. We will, in effect, be
totally surprised by Moshiachs
coming, notwithstanding the fact
that we never lost sight of it and
constantly yearned for it. But
that which we will experience
will be light years ahead of what,
with our limited resources, we
imagined in the period of exile.
In this context, distraction
from
something
means
recognizing there is something
higher than our perception of it.
When
a
person
raises
his hands above his head it

Tfillin consist of two parts,

the head tfillin and the hand
tfillin. The head tfillin are
considered holier than the hand
tfillin. Nevertheless, the Torah
commands us to don the hand
tfillin first.
The Baal Shem Tov explains
that the hand tfillin represent
the simple, sincere dedication
to G-ds will exhibited by simple
Jews who focus on surrendering
their will to G-d. These simple
action-oriented
Jews
are
considered superior to the
heady Jews, whose focus is on
their understanding.
From this we can derive
the principle that although the
head tfillin are considered more
spiritually sophisticated than

the hand tfillin, the hand tfillin

actually transcend the head tfillin
in terms of reaching G-d.
If our relationship with G-d
is limited by our understanding,
we will discover an unbridgeable
chasm between us and G-d, for
G-d is infinite and our human
minds are finite. There is no
greater gap than the distance
between the finite and the infinite.
The hand tfillin represents
connecting to G-d in ways which
transcend our understanding.
It is the head tfillin that cannot
tolerate distraction, for the focus
of the head tfillin is knowledge.
There is no issue about
raising our hands above our
heads when we wear tfillin
because that actually represents
the idea that our connection to
G-d is not limited to the mind
and that tfillin also signify the
idea of transcending knowledge.
Tfillin are thus the synthesis
between approaching G-d with
intellect and transcending that
intellect. On the one hand (no
pun intended), we may not be
distracted and our minds have
to be focused. On the other
hand, we are allowed to raise our
hands above the head as a way of
acknowledging that our intellect
is not without its limits.

HOLY CHUTZPAH
The tzitz worn by the High
Priest, in contrast, does not allow
him to raise his hands above his
head. The reason is that the tzitz,
unlike the head tfillin, is not
about intellectual approaches to
G-d.
The Zohar (cited by the Alter
Rebbe in Likkutei Torah, Shir
HaShirim 23c) states that the
forehead represents the Divine
will that transcends logic.
This might explain why our
Sages teach that the tzitz, which

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was worn on the forehead, served

as an atonement for people
who suffered from hubris and
chutzpah, which is Biblically
related to the forehead. The
tzitz thus represents the positive
form of chutzpah, which is
assertiveness, stubbornness and
going beyond the measured steps
of the intellect. It is this form that
can atone for the negative version
of chutzpah which is not rational.
Now, if the tzitz itself
represents transcendent logic
there is no need for the High
Priest to raise his hands above
his forehead, for that would
suggest that the tzitz itself must
be transcended. That would be
an affront to the tzitz and its
transcendent power.

RABBI YEHUDAHS
VIEW: IRRATIONAL
IRRATIONALISM
However, the Talmud records
the dissenting view of Rabbi
Yehudah, who maintains that
the Kohen Gadol would actually
raise his hands above his head.
Rabbi Yehudah feels that even
in transcending logic there can be
many levels. Frequently we may
recognize, rationally, that there
are situations which demand that
we go beyond our understanding.
That is the point at which logic
surrenders to faith. Rational
people will rely on a physicians
recommendation for surgery even

if they cannot fathom the logic

behind the doctors advice. One
can use logic to argue the notion
that there are certain things
above and beyond our logic.
Hence even that is, to some
degree, bound by rational
thought. There can then be a
higher level of transcendence
which totally defies rationality;
not because it is irrational but
because it is connected to an
infinite, Supra-rational G-d.
Hence, Rabbi Yehudah feels
that just like tfillin allow us
to raise our hands above our
heads to highlight the need to
transcend, so too, a Kohen Gadol
can raise his hands above the tzitz
on his forehead to indicate that
there is no end to transcendence.
One can and must transcend
transcendence as well.

able to climb, there will always

be another more elusive level to
scale.
The
word
tzitz
is
etymologically related to the word
in Shir HaShirim which describes
the way Moshiach peers, meitzitz,
through the crevices.
What is the connection
between the tzitz which signifies
holy chutzpah and transrationality to Moshiach looking
through the cracks?
The Rebbe (Likkutei Sichos
volume 38 p. 199) explains
that in exile we need to have
unwavering
trust
in
and
attachment to Moshiach that
goes beyond reason. This is
consonant with the Rebbes
historic talk (28th of Nissan
5751) that ten stiff-necked,
unyielding people are needed to
bring the Redemption.

THE TZITZ AND

MOSHIACH
As
stated
above,
the
Talmud
speaks
of
the
Messianic
Age
coming to pass when
our attention is diverted.
This was understood to
mean that the Messianic
revelations
of
G-dliness
will transcend our highest
level
of
understanding.
But, according to Rabbi
Yehudah, it doesnt stop
there. In the Messianic Age,
no matter how high we are

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PROFILE

THE BREAKOUT
YEAR FOR CHABAD
IN MELBOURNE
From the life of R Yehoshua Shneur Zalman
Serebryanski ah
Prepared for publication by Avrohom Rainitz

The year 5717 was a

breakthrough year for the
Lubavitch schools in Melbourne.
In earlier chapters we read about
the efforts to open Beis Rivka
even before Rosh HaShana, and
in the coming chapters we will
hear about the development of
the new school for girls.
At the same time, the boys
school, which had entered its
third year, was growing. The new
schools connected many parents
to the Chabad community, which
increased the number of people
who davened at the Chabad shul.
It expanded from Shabbos to
Shabbos until there were times
that 300 people were davening
there! Every Shabbos there was
a farbrengen after the davening
and people were drawn to the
Chabad chayus and joy.
People were attracted to
the special joy of the Chabad
minyan on Shabbos and all the
more so on holidays, especially
on Simchas Torah. Relative to
other shuls, where hakafos were
held without any special chayus,

at the Chabad shul there was an

atmosphere of genuine, unbridled
joy.
The main rejoicing was on
the night of Simchas Torah.
After Maariv there would be
tables laden with refreshments
and many bottles of mashke.
This was before the Rebbes
decree regarding mashke, and
Anash made kiddush and then
sat around the tables to farbreng
and sing niggunim. During the
farbrengen, the mekuravim also
said lchaim numerous times. In
a separate room sat the children
around tables and the youth of
Anash farbrenged with them.
When all were in elevated
spirits, the selling of the Ata
Horeisa verses began, to benefit
the yeshiva. Then they left the
farbrengen to form huge circles
of dancing around the bima.
Hakafos went on for nearly three
hours as more and more people
kept showing up to join the great
simcha. Whoever arrived was
immediately swept up into the
circle of dancers.

DIFFERENCE OF OPINION
OVER HAKAFOS
For hundreds of people, this
was their first opportunity to get
to know the Chabad community
and many of them continued to
show up in shul on Shabbasos
the rest of the year. This was a
golden opportunity to meet new
people and draw them close to
Torah and Chassidus.
However, this growth had a
downside. Some of the visitors
on Simchas Torah came to shul
in their cars and some of them
unashamedly parked their cars
right near the shul. Certain
friends of Lubavitch made sure
to publicize this and went to R
Zalman to complain.
R Zalman told them that he
could not prevent people from
coming to shul and the only thing
he could do was to register his
protest. Indeed, before Simchas
Torah, R Zalman advertised
in the newspapers that it was
forbidden to go to shul in a car
during the holiday. And those

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Painting of Chassidim at Hakafos by Zalman Kleinman

who went to hakafos in their

cars, even if their intentions were
positive, to observe Simchas
Torah,
their
actions
were
undesirable, and caused much
anguish to the organizers.
Among Anash too, not
all were pleased by the huge
hakafos. Some said they should
do away with it, stop making
the kiddush and have brief
hakafos right after Maariv, thus
preventing desecration of the
holiday. They said that Anash
were anyway unable to reach
out to the hundreds of people
to have an influence on them,
since Anash were very few, only
twenty or so men versus five
hundred mekuravim, and none of
Anash was charismatic enough to
address the crowd.
There were also those of
Anash who thought they should
continue with the hakafos, since
most of the mekuravim came
on foot without desecrating the
holiday, and had good intentions,
wanting to partake of the joy of

the Chabad minyan.

Right after Simchas Torah,
on 28 Tishrei, R Yaakov Eliezer
Herzog sent a letter to the Rebbe
and asked how to rectify what
went on during hakafos. The
Rebbe responded with a letter
dated 18 Cheshvan:
Regarding your question: 1)
How to rectify what happened
on Simchas Torah. Among
those who came to participate in
the hakafos of Yeshivas Oholei
Yosef Yitzchok were some who
came in cars etc.
The rectification is simple
and it is surprising that this
year too it was not done, and
that is some days before the
holiday you should publish an
ad in the papers (even better
if it were done alongside the
announcement about the times
for hakafos etc.) that surely it
is obvious and known that it
is prohibited to travel in a car
on Shabbos and Yom Tov and
the inherent contradiction in
participating in a Torah matter

in a way that contravenes Torah.

ABSOLUTELY OUT OF THE

QUESTION TO CANCEL OR
SHORTEN ACTIVITIES
R Zalman also wrote to the
Rebbe about it in a long letter
dated Rosh Chodesh Kislev 5717.
In his letter, R Zalman noted
that an ad had been placed in the
papers about not coming in cars,
but despite that, some people
still arrived by car. R Zalmans
question was about the following
year, should they shorten the
hakafos, thus affecting the joy
of the holiday for hundreds of
people, in order to prevent the
desecration of Yom Tov by those
few individuals?
The Rebbe responded in a
letter dated 5 Kislev 5717:
In response to your letter of
Rosh Chodesh Kislev, the month
of miracles and redemption,
and surely in the meantime you
received my letter in response to
your previous letter which also

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Profile
has a response about some of
the questions in this letter.
Regarding what you wrote
about the hakafos, surely the
response about it was received
by R Yaakov Eliezer Herzog
and you saw it, and obviously
the consideration that in the
future, not making a kiddush,
G-d forbid, and shortening the
hakafos, are absolutely out of
the question.

of their relatives. Some of them

even wanted to daven for the
amud and receive an aliya. With
the approach of the right hand
draws near, and in order not
to shame them, R Zalman did
not refuse their requests and he
allowed them to daven for the
amud and even to receive an
aliya.
At the same time, when these
Jews publicly desecrated the

R Zalman told him that in Shulchan Aruch it does

not state explicitly what the law is (regarding
according honors to such people in shul). Therefore, he
tried to exercise judgment on a case by case basis, and
on principle he tried to skirt the issue as much as possible.
However, when someone came and made a direct
request, if he would refuse them, it would embarrass
them, and therefore he acceded to their request, aside
from, as mentioned, when it involved public desecration
of the Shabbos and the like.

WAYS OF PLEASANTNESS
COMBINED WITH THE
REQUISITE FIRMNESS
In earlier chapters we read
about the Rebbes response,
regarding the students who
come from homes where the
parents are not that religious
yet, obviously you should try
to be mekarev them as much
as possible and the question
about this is not understood.
These words of the Rebbe, to try
and be mekarev them as much as
possible, were a guiding light for
R Zalman and he conducted the
affairs of the shul in accordance
with that directive.
Every so often, not yet
religious Jews would attend shul
and daven and recite Kaddish
in order to mark the yahrtzait

Shabbos, and certainly, when

they arrived at shul by car on
Shabbos, R Zalman had to turn
down their requests, but he did
so with utmost caution. It was
this combination of ways of
pleasantness with the requisite
firmness that impacted on these
Jews and some of them changed
their ways for the better. So for
example, it was told in previous
chapters about the grocery
storeowner who desecrated the
Shabbos publicly by opening
his store on Shabbos near the
yeshiva, and when he wanted to
be given an aliya to the Torah
on Shabbos when his son was
bar mitzva, the gabbai, R Chaim
Serebryanski, explained to him,
pleasantly and firmly, that he
could not have an aliya as long as
his store was open on Shabbos.
The man, who greatly desired

having an aliya at his sons bar

mitzva celebration, immediately
went to his store and told all the
customers that they had to leave
immediately and he closed the
store!
Some of Anash did not like
this approach of R Zalman
and now and then they would
go to him with complaints.
One of the Chabad askanim,
because of these complaints,
stopped working on behalf of
the yeshiva. Not only that, but
when meshulachim (fundraisers)
came from Eretz Yisroel on
behalf of Chinuch Atzmai or the
Vaad HaYeshivos, that askan
accompanied them and helped
them. When he was asked to help
the fundraising for the yeshiva,
he declined with various excuses.
After a long period of
avoidance on the part of that
askan, R Zalman decided to
confront him about the matter.
He visited the mans house
together with R Shmuel Betzalel
Altheus. In the course of their
conversation, it turned out that
the askan was influenced by his
father who held that religious
Jews ought to separate themselves
entirely from irreligious Jews and
that everything should be done to
emphasize this difference.
R Zalman told him that in
Shulchan Aruch it does not
state explicitly what the law is
(regarding according honors to
such people in shul). Therefore,
he tried to exercise judgment
on a case by case basis, and
on principle he tried to skirt
the issue as much as possible.
However, when someone came
and made a direct request, if
he would refuse them, it would
embarrass them, and therefore
he acceded to their request, aside
from, as mentioned, when it
involved public desecration of the
Shabbos and the like.

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TZIVOS HASHEM

THE LOST
BROTHER
By Nechama Bar

tremendous
was
There
excitement in the Grabovsky
home in the Ukraine. Suitcases
were piled in the living room
and the driver outside was
beeping, waiting for Vladimir to
come out. The parents tearfully
said goodbye and wished him
luck in Eretz Yisroel.
For years, the Grabovskys
had spoken about Eretz Yisroel
and dreamed about it, but
that was different than taking
action. To leave the Ukraine and
everything familiar to them, to
leave their home and jobs, was
no simple thing. But Vladimir,
the oldest son, yearned to go to
Eretz Yisroel and he could wait
no longer.
Vladimir, wait and we will
go with you, with the entire
family, Igor, his younger
brother, tried to convince him.
But Vladimir was impatient,
and didnt want to wait for the
rest of the family.
The planes wheels touched
down in the holy land and
Vladimir was thrilled. His heart
beat fast; finally, his dream was
coming true! Eretz Yisroel!
He got off the plane,
but
luggage,
his
collected
nobody was waiting for him
at the airpor t. He soon came
to realize that life there was
going to be hard. His dream
was shattered and he was so
disappointed.

At first he lived in Ramle

in a small apartment he was
allocated by the government.
He looked for a job in the field
he had studied but did not find
one. Having no choice, he agreed
to do any sort of work as long
as he could make some money
and suppor t himself. He ended
up finding a job as a gardener,
hoeing, watering, pruning, and
weeding. He sweated mightily
with his efforts.
Me? Vladimir the smart
and talented fellow who did
well in school and earned a
certificate, am working at hard
physical labor? he thought
disappointedly.
Every week he called his
family and spoke to them.
Vladimir, come home. That
work is not for you. Its such
a shame ... His family tried
to convince him but Vladimir
insisted on staying in Eretz
Yisroel.
calling
started
Vladimir
time
last
home less often. The
s
parent
his
they spoke, he told
that he had been fired.
Now you have to come
back. There is nothing for you
to do there. Come home! said
Igor again and again.
Vladimir decided he would
not call them anymore. For
a long time he did not call
and his family worried. What
was happening with him? Did

anything bad happen to him?

They contacted a relative
who lived in Eretz Yisroel and
asked her to look for Vladimir.
But she wasnt able to locate
him.
Days, weeks, and months
went by and they were getting
very worried. One day, Igor
announced to his parents, Im
going to Eretz Yisroel to look
for Vladimir. I feel guilty for
trying to pressure him to come
home. Maybe it was because
of me that he stopped calling
home and disappeared.
A few days later, Igor was
in Eretz Yisroel. He traveled all
over the country looking for his
brother. But it was like Vladimir
had vanished, swallowed up by
the earth.
In the meantime, Igor went
to live in Tel Aviv and began
working. In the mornings he
would work and the rest of
the day he spent searching
for Vladimir. He managed to
discover that Vladimir had
lived in an apartment in
Ramle. When he went there,
the neighbors told him that
Vladimir had left a few months
before.
Poor fellow, he did not fit
in. He looked alone and sad,
they told Igor.
I will go to the people who
hired him and find out if

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Tzivos Hashem

they know where he went,

thought Igor.
Yes, we remember him,
they said. At first he was a
diligent worker but then it
bothered him that he had
to do this kind of work that
had nothing to do with the
profession he studied and he
began slacking off. In the end,
we had to fire him.
Igor got on the radio and
asked the public to help him. He
put ads in the paper and made
all sorts of inquiries but could
not find his brother.
He was about to give up. He
couldnt continue searching but
felt he couldnt stop either.
Maybe he went to the
United States to seek his
fortune there, he wondered.
He bought a ticket and flew to
the US. He spent a month in
Los Angeles looking and when
he didnt find him there, he
went to look in other places.
overtook
gradually
Despair
him and he felt he
would never find
his lost brother.
Friday,
One
was
he
when
be
to
going
Eretz
to
ing
return
Yisroel in three
days without his
brother, he felt
so sad. Then, out
of the blue, at a
hotel in New York
where he was
staying, he met
Jewish
nice
a
shared
Igor
man.
his sorrow with
the man who
asked him, Have
to
been
you
tcher
Lubavi
the
Rebbe?

confused.
What connection is there
between this dollar and my
brother Vladimir? He did not
hold out high hopes and put the
dollar in his wallet.
to
returned
Igor
to
went
He
.
Yisroel
Eretz
of
care
take
to
alayim
Yerush
and
s
matter
ant
import
some
when he left the Central Bus
Station, he saw some beggars
sitting and collecting money.
He recalled what the Rebbe told
him and thought, Now I will
give the dollar. He took the
dollar from the Rebbe out and
handed it to one of the beggars.
Their eyes met and that face
was familiar!
Vladimir! Is that you?
Rebbe.
him
gave
,
Vladimir nodded. Yes, it was
The Rebbe smiled
this
Give
said,
him.
a dollar, and
dollar to tzdaka and you will
A year of searching had
find your brother.
ended by following the Rebbes
think, simple instruction. Give the
could
he
Before
Igor was outside 770. He was dollar to tzdaka and you will
grasping the dollar and was find your brother.
elated by the encounter but also

Igor looked at the Chassid

a
made
and
skeptically
dismissive motion. No, he didnt
believe in things like that. But
the Chassid said, What do
you have to lose? Youve tried
so many things; make this
one more effort. Youre here
anyway.
Igor was convinced. On
Sunday he stood on a long line
and waited to see the Rebbe.
The moment arrived and the
Rebbe looked at him lovingly
and gave him a dollar for
tzdaka.
Its already been more than
a year that I am looking for
my brother. I am afraid he is
no longer alive, he said to the

34 10 Adar I 5776 - Hakhel

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