DVAR MALCHUS

THE REBBE IS
THE ETERNAL
FOUNDATION STONE
From Chapter Seven of Rabbi Shloma Majeskis
Likkutei Mekoros (Underlined text is the compilers
emphasis.)
Translated by Boruch Merkur

12. [] The two imperatives,

do good and turn away from
evil, relate to the two eyes, two
ears, and two nostrils. They also
relate to the mouth, which possesses
the sense of taste (Does notthe
palate taste its food? (Iyov 12:11)),
tastes that range from sweetness
to bitterness (see Rambams Laws
of Character Ch. 4). That is, the
directives of the judge (referring
in particular to the intellect of the
G-dly soul) permeate all aspects
of ones life, instructing him on
how he must conduct himself in all
matters not only regarding matters
that are sweet but also those that
are bitter (superficially) as
alluded to in the word matamim,
delicacies, stated in the plural (see
Tanya Ch. 27, where this concept is
discussed). We can also reveal (and
this is part of the directives of the
judge) how that in their core, even
bitter things are actually sweet. In
fact, revealing the inner sweetness
of bitter things gives rise to an even
greater sweetness than things that
are sweet from the outset (which
is in line with the virtue of hidden
kindness [seemingly negative events
that are actually for the good]).
In the spirit of this
transformation, all the details
and minutiae of a Jews life are

permeated with and conducted in

accordance with his judge and
advisor his soul.
In a more general sense, every
man and woman is a judge and
advisor of their house and family.
They must direct their households
according to the directives and
advice of the Torah.
And in an even more general
sense, as above, every Jew man,
woman, and child receives upon
him or herself and fulfills the
directives of the judge and advisor of
the generation. He thus influences
his wife and the members of his
household, included all of those in
his sphere of influence.
In an even broader sense, the
impact of the judge and advisor
is felt across the entire world. In this
manner, the entire world even as
world, olam means concealment,
helem, with all its details and
minutiae becomes the private
domain of G-d, permeated with the
one, singular point of the Yechido
Shel Olam, the Divine Singularity of
the World (World here is meant
in the positive sense, alluding to the
G-dly aspect of yashes choshech
sisro). It is this aspect of G-dliness
that is revealed within us through
I shall cause a prophet to rise up
for youlike you, the leader of the

generation, who is everything

tzaddik, foundation of the world.
Just as the Even HaShsiya, the
Foundation Stone from which the
entire world was founded (hosheses
haolam), exists in a certain place in
the physical world, and in a constant
manner, without change (not even
the change of being concealed, as
for example, the aron was put away
and concealed), so does a judge and
prophet exist (eternally) in every
generation (as a constant sign of the
revelation of G-dliness in the world).
Both aspects of the Even HaShsiya
being 1) the single point that 2)
includes everything (from which
the entire world was founded) are
alluded to in the letters that spell
Shsiya (Shin, Saf, Yud, and Hei)
(likewise with regard to the word
yashes from yashes choshech
sisro, as above): The Yud signifies
the point of bittul (accepting the
yoke of heaven), reminiscent of
the concept of your judges; and
shasa (Shin, Saf, Hei) signifies
hispashtus, disseminating,
spreading outward, as indicated in
the shape of the letters Shin, Saf,
and Hei paralleling the concept of
your advisers.
(From the address of Shabbos
Parshas Shoftim, 7 Elul 5751; Seifer
HaSichos 5751, pg. 794-5)

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JUDAISM
BLOSSOMING IN

CHAVATZELET
HASHARON
For the past three years, on this yishuv and
others in the neighboring region, the shliach
Rabbi Shay Ben Odiz and his wife, Batya
Yehudit, have been making the rounds on the
shlichus of the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach,
reaching out to the local residents. Among the
heavily secured houses, he gathers Jewish souls
and brings them closer to their Father in Heaven.
He went through his own adventurous life story
until he came to the light of Chassidus.
By Nosson Avraham
Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

havatzelet HaSharon and

the neighboring yishuvim
had been established
as agricultural villages
for growing vegetable crops and
for raising chickens, sheep, and
cattle. These yishuvim are situated
south of Netanya, along the shore

of the Mediterranean Sea. Many

believe that the name Chavatzelet
HaSharon comes from the sea
daffodils blossoming throughout
the region, particularly during the
autumn, with their distinctive white
petals. This flower is mentioned
in the Torah: I am a rose of

Sharon, a rose of the valleys. (Shir

HaShirim 2:1) However, those
familiar with the modern history
of Eretz Yisroel provide a different
explanation. The yishuv is named
after Mrs. Lily (Chavatzelet)
Freeman, wife of a leading Jewish
philanthropist from Canada. The

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Jewish activist Yehoshua Chankin
managed the familys funds for the
express purpose of redeeming land
from the Arabs and making them
available for Jewish use.
The moshav of Chavatzelet
HaSharon and the surrounding
villages were established in
5693 (1933). Their founders
had emigrated to Eretz Yisroel
from Europe and had organized
the
Nachalat
Yehoshua
organization,
named
after
Yehoshua Chankin. They had

Odiz family made their home on

the largest of the yishuvim in the
region - Chavatzelet HaSharon
their activities extend to another
five nearby villages: Shoshanat
HaAmakim, Tzukei Yam, Givat
Shapira, Bat Chein, and Beitan
Aharon. This keeps the shluchim
very busy with their outreach
work on a daily basis.
The shlichus is divided
between operating the new
synagogue
in
Bat
Chein,
including Shabbos and Yom tov

I saw sitting before me someone who observed

Judaism with the utmost stringency. Yet, he
did this joyfully and with abundant Chassidic vitality. I
realized that I had found my path in Torah and mitzvos.
Theres no need for religious Jews to suffer; its possible
to fulfill mitzvos with true simcha. I am typically a very
happy person, whereas in the Litvishe yeshiva, I found
myself suppressing my natural zest for life.
returned to their homeland
instilled with ideological fervor
to breathe new life into the
desolation of the past. Many years
have passed since then and only
a few remain from the founding
generation. Most of the local
residents are sabras who were
looking for a quiet middle class
life, and they preferred to build
their homes here and raise their
families far from the hubbub of
the major metropolitan centers.
Three years ago, in a case of
incredible Divine Providence,
Rabbi Shay Ben Odiz and his
wife, Batya Yehudit, arrived on
the yishuv, equipped with the
brachos of the Rebbe, Melech
HaMoshiach to establish Chabad
activities in the region. There
were plenty of hard times at the
beginning, as the local residents
were extremely suspicious for
quite a while. While the Ben

prayer services, and organizing

farbrengens and other activities
all according to Chabad custom.
Many of these programs are also
geared for children within the
framework of the Tzivos Hashem
Club, e.g., Shabbos parties and
holiday events.
There are wide-scale activities
for adults too Torah classes,
one-on-one learning sessions
in Chassidus and other Torah
subjects, farbrengens, public
events, and house visits. Its
very difficult here to come into a
private home unannounced; this
isnt a city. The people here are
more introverted and are very
protective of their privacy. Every
house is surrounded by a wall and
many families have guard dogs.
To come to a persons home,
there must be some degree of
acquaintance with the owner.
However, it comes quite naturally
that our work in this region is

primarily done on a personal level

and on a very friendly basis.

COVERT OPERATIONS ON
NAVY FLOTILLA 13
If you assumed that Rabbi
Ben Odiz grew up on one of the
moshavim in the Sharon region
and his life there had lit the path
for him - youre quite mistaken.
He was born and raised in the city
of Lod, in a building with twelve
families ten of which were
Arab. My parents home was
considered a typical traditional
Israeli household. My father
would make Kiddush on Friday
night and then we would turn on
the television.
In her youth, my mother had
been sent by her parents to learn
in Beis Rivka in Kfar Chabad and
she enjoyed it there very much.
We always showed great respect
for the Rebbe in our home. There
was a picture of the Rebbe hanging
in our living room and my parents
had bought the mezuzos and my
tfillin from the Chabad House in
the center of Lod.
Later, when he got closer to
Chabad, Shay was amazed to
discover that he had actually been
privileged to visit the Rebbe when
he was three years old, and even
received a dollar from his holy
hand. My parents had traveled
with me to the United States to
visit our relatives living there and
the family went one day to 770.
We each received a bracha and
a dollar to give to tzdaka. Its
possible that in the merit of this
visit I came to where I am today.
However, I first had to go through
a serious spiritual beating. By the
time I was in high school I had
become extremely distant from
the path of Torah. I didnt even
keep the most basic traditions
I had observed in my parents
home.

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After completing his high

school studies, he decided to
learn the art of hairdressing and
became an assistant barber in a
high-class barbershop in Lod.
As a result of my work, I had a
relatively large amount of money
in comparison to other boys my
age. I bought a motorcycle and
later a car, as I tried to enjoy life
to the fullest.
During the year before I was
drafted into the army, my friends
and I experienced several strange
occurrences that caused the rest
of my friends to get stronger in
their observance of Torah and
mitzvos. However, for some
reason, these events didnt seem
to move me.
One Shabbos, while making
a hairpin curve riding his
motorcycle to Beersheva, he
suddenly flipped over on the
highway.
Miraculously,
he
sustained relatively light injuries,
although he was hospitalized for
about two weeks. A week after
his discharge from the hospital,
he was traveling by car to Ashdod
with his friends for a little
recreation. I was driving at about
110 MPH along the bridge at the
entrance to Ashdod. I dont know
what I was thinking, but I turned
the steering wheel sharply to the
right and the car suddenly began
to spin out of control, weaving
from side to side.
The fear was that our car
would fall off the bridge or smash
into another vehicle coming from
the opposite direction. My friends
sitting in the passenger seats were
screaming in terror. During those
tense moments I felt someone
from behind hitting me on the
shoulder and saying, Wake
up. Incredibly, the car didnt
overturn, and after a few minutes
that seemed like an eternity, I
managed to regain control of the
wheel and we got off the bridge

Rabbi Shay Ben Odiz at a Chanukah party with local residents

without injury. When I parked the

car, as we got out to absorb what
had just happened, I asked my
friends: Who had been hitting me
on the shoulder? They all said that
none of them had even touched
me. As a result of this miracle
that took place on Shabbos, my
friends decided to start keeping
Shabbos.
All of them decided, except
for Shay, who didnt seem to
think that he needed to come to
his senses after such a shocking
event
Not long afterward, he enlisted
to serve in the Daburim navy
combat unit, while his friends
accepted far simpler assignments
out of their desire to embrace
the path of Torah and mitzvos.
They began to take part in Torah
classes and some of them even
went to learn in yeshivos. Shay
was the only one who stubbornly
maintained a free lifestyle. He
rejected all of his friends efforts
to convince him to explore his
Jewish roots.
During his military service,

Lighting the yishuv menorah

he participated together with his

fellow Daburim navy seamen in
several covert operations with
soldiers of Flotilla 13 off the
shores of Eretz Yisroel, many of
which remain confidential to this
day. While Shay enjoyed his time
in the IDF very much, after two
years of intensive military service,
he was wounded in Dabur
operations, and received two
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months leave to recuperate
at home.

IF YOU EVER BECOME

A BAAL TSHUVA
ONLY WITH CHABAD
During this recovery
period, my friends again
began to pressure me, and
I eventually acceded to their
requests to join them in
their Torah classes. I took a
peek - and I saw that it was
good. Several of my friends
had already become fulltime students at a LitvisheSephardic yeshiva in Kiryat
Sefer, and I also started to
visit there. I felt that the
Torah was the true life of a
Jew. After completing my
period of recuperation, I returned
to my base my injuries prevented
me from rejoining my unit and
I was classified for non-combat
support in Flotilla 13. Now,
however, after beginning my
kiruv process, I felt that the IDF
was no longer a suitable place for
me. I found myself in army life,
guarding my eyes, my tongue,
and a few other things that I had
resolved to do when I went to the
yeshiva. Life on the base made all
this extremely difficult.
I remember that one of the
rabbanim at the yeshiva in Kiryat
Sefer explained that the yeshiva
is like Noahs Ark. Anyone who
leaves it falls, and I didnt want
to fall. I had been an absentee
soldier for quite some time, and
when I returned, my commanding
officer gave me two options:
either I meet with the flotilla
chaplain, Rabbi Yoel Shemtov,
or I sit in prison. Rabbi Shemtov
was well respected by everyone
on the base.
Rabbi Shemtov heard Shays
case and rendered his decision:
You want yeshiva and not the

Reading the Megilla for seniors

army? No problem, theres a

yeshiva in Ramat Aviv. Go there
and come back here once a week
to tell me how it is there.
I didnt know how to react. A
yeshiva in Ramat Aviv? It sounded
totally improbable to me. Until
then, I only knew about yeshivos
in Bnei Brak and Kiryat Sefer.
While I knew that Rabbi Shemtov
was a Chabadnik, I felt myself
torn. On the one hand, there was
tremendous appreciation for the
Rebbe and Chabad in my home,
and my mother had even warned
me recently, Shay, if you ever
become a baal tshuva, only with
Chabad. However, I only heard
words of hatred and denunciation
from the rabbanim in the yeshiva
against the Rebbe and the path of
Chassidus.

FROM THE LITVISHE

YESHIVA TO CHABAD IN
RAMAT AVIV
Shay eventually decided to
check the idea out for himself,
and he came to the yeshiva in
Ramat Aviv. The first week in

the Chabad yeshiva was

a painful ordeal for him.
They spoke constantly
about the Rebbe. They ate
before davening Shacharis,
they davened according
to
Ashkenazic
custom
long after sunrise, made
farbrengens, and drank
Lchaim. I remember that the
first resolution I made after
becoming more religious
was not to drink liquor; this
seemed to be a part of the
secular world. During that
first week in the yeshiva, I
did everything contrary to
the yeshiva timetable. I got
up at sunrise and made a
separate learning schedule
for myself.
Rabbi Shimon Gadasi
hooked me up with a learning
partner, Shimon Bar Mucha,
who today is my brother-inlaw. He reacted calmly to my
foolishness. After a week, another
new bachur arrived at the yeshiva
- Elad Goldman, and the two
of us soon became very close
friends. Thursday night arrived,
and he urged me to join him
for a farbrengen at the yeshiva
with Rabbi Menachem Mendel
Friedman. I refused at first, but
I eventually agreed to come. This
was a farbrengen that changed my
entire viewpoint on Chabad and
on the teachings of Chassidus in
general.
I saw sitting before me a
great scholar in Nigleh, someone
who observed traditional Judaism
with the utmost stringency. Yet,
he also did this joyfully and with
abundant Chassidic vitality. For
me, that farbrengen was literally a
case of Taste and see that G-d is
good. I realized that I had found
my path in Torah and mitzvos.
Theres no need for religious
Jews to suffer; its possible to
fulfill mitzvos with true simcha,
and this is something that I had

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always been missing. While I

understood that the Torah is the
ultimate truth, I am typically a
very happy person, whereas in the
Litvishe yeshiva, I found myself
suppressing my natural zest for
life.
I began receiving answers to
the questions I had and I realized
that there is nothing bad or
heretical about being inquisitive.
During that joyous farbrengen
with Rabbi Friedman, I recalled
the first Yom Kippur I ever kept
according to halacha - at the
Litvishe yeshiva. The rosh yeshiva
got up to speak and he explained
that we have to think that were
going to die that year or suffer
from terrible ailments. The world
is like a corridor, he said. We
came into this world to suffer
afflictions until we attain the life
of the World to Come. The whole
yeshiva burst into sobs. Yet, I
wasnt crying and I thought this
wasnt right. At this farbrengen, I
realized that I was perfectly fine.
Shay decided to become a
true mekabel, and within a short
period of time, he was a Tamim
in every sense of the world with
all the external garments. After
a few months, I went to visit my
friends in the Litvishe yeshiva.
When the rabbanim there saw
me dressed in Chabad garb, they
recoiled in horror. They isolated
me into a side room and proceeded
to clobber me with musar that I
had rl joined an idolatrous cult.
Their words merely reinforced
my decision, and after a lengthy
period in the Ramat Aviv yeshiva,
I went to learn for two years at
Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in
Migdal HaEmek.
After another two years, he
was called upon to be one of the
founders of the yeshiva for baalei
tshuva in Tel Avivs Neve Tzedek
neighborhood, headed by Rabbi
Avraham Kali. We established

Yishuv children at a Lag BOmer parade

our residence in Lods Shikun

Chabad neighborhood, and I
would travel each day to Tel
Aviv for the yeshiva program.
Nevertheless, we always wanted to
go out on our own shlichus to get
another place in the world ready
to greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu.
We were longing for this, yet we
were worried: We knew what the
price would be to establish a new
location.

FROM CHECKING MEZUZOS

TO SHLICHUS ON THE
YISHUV
Offers came and went, but
what strengthened them in their
search was the fact that whenever
they wrote to the Rebbe about
their personal affairs, they were
privileged to receive brachos on
opening a place for activities.
They realized that the Rebbe
wants them on shlichus.
One Friday, I received
a phone call from one of my
acquaintances, who told me that
he has a house in Chavatzelet
HaSharon and he wanted us to
check the mezuzos. I came to the
yishuv together with my wife and

we found that we truly loved the

place. After we quickly discovered
that there was no active shliach
on site, we decided to write to
the Rebbe and ask for his bracha
to go on shlichus there. After we
received a clear answer and a
bracha, the next step was to look
for a house to rent.
During
the
following
week, we came several times to
Chavatzelet HaSharon to check
out available houses. We spoke
with realtors, went through the
entire yishuv and those in the
surrounding area, but we couldnt
find a suitable location. There
were several vacant houses for
rent, but when the owners saw
our chareidi appearance, they
gave various excuses why their
place was no longer available. As
a result, house after house slipped
through our fingers at the last
minute. In the meantime, I had to
make the journey each day from
our home in Shikun Chabad, Lod
to Chavatzelet HaSharon. I would
come to the local synagogue and
make contact with residents
through the mutual friend who
had first invited me to the yishuv.
Several months had passed

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since we had started looking for
a home. The situation was a bit
complicated. Our house in Shikun
Chabad was already packed up in
crates, my wife and children were
staying with my mother-in-law in
Beitar Illit, and I was still traveling
each day to Chavatzelet. The only
thing still left hanging in our
house was the Rebbes picture. I
remember standing in front of the
picture and asking the Rebbe to
put an end to this saga. I even got
up the chutzpah to ask for a clear
sign that this is the place for my
shlichus.
That same day, as I entered
the synagogue in Chavatzelet
HaSharon between Mincha and
Maariv, I saw a religious young
man substituting for the regular
rabbi and speaking before the
congregants. I had a conversation
with him, during which he
expressed his doubts about our
coming to the yishuv as the
Rebbes shluchim. Nevertheless,
I listened as he spoke to
everyone about how he had
learned an amazing sicha from
the Lubavitcher Rebbe, whose
birthday was that evening. When
I heard these words, I saw this as
the sign I had been looking for.
I went up to him again and we
spoke about the Rebbe. This time,
unlike our first conversation, he
responded most warmly and
agreed to help. He connected me
with his friend, who had a house
on the yishuv and was looking
for a tenant. We came to see the
house and I was very enthusiastic
about it. However, my excitement
soon evaporated when he told us
that he already had a renter. In any
case, I left him my phone number
and prayed that everything would
work out. A few hours later, at
around midnight, I got a call
from the owner. He surprisingly
informed me that his prospective
tenant had backed out of the deal
at the last minute and he would

be happy to rent the house to us

instead.
The following day, my
wife and I came to Chavatzelet
HaSharon to sign the rental
contract. We have been living in
this house now for nearly three
years. The Regional Chabad
House of Chavatzelet HaSharon
opened its gates that same day,
thereby ending a difficult period
of uncertainty.

A NEW SYNAGOGUE
ACCORDING TO CHABAD
CUSTOMS
There was no lack of
early adversity. For the first
few Shabbasos, I had to bring
bachurim to my house to complete
the minyan. The biggest difficulty
was on a social level: My children
couldnt go out and play with
the other children, as they were
naturally part of our shlichus.
Even my wife didnt have an
easy time, as the entire burden
of maintaining the household
was squarely on her shoulders.
Nevertheless, we were quite
happy that we had the privilege of
serving in the kings army.
One of the main levels of
outreach
activities
revolved
around the synagogue.
A few months after we went
out on shlichus, the construction
of the new synagogue in Moshav
Bat Chein was completed. The
yishuv leaders had built it for local
residents who preferred to have
their Yom tov and High Holiday
services there and not be forced
to walk to Chavatzelet HaSharon,
about twenty minutes away
by foot. One council member,
who worked for the defense
community, knew Chabad from
his travels around the world and
through his friends, the Rebbes
shluchim in another city. As a
result of this connection, we were

given administrative control over

the synagogue.
According to the conditions
set by Rabbi Ben Odiz, he would
run the synagogue according
to Chabad customs. These
conditions were met and the
synagogue opened its gates to
the yishuv community. Not only
were the siddurim and prayer
services according to Chabad
custom, the whole atmosphere
was that of a typical Chabad shul.
After Shabbos davening we make
a Chassidic farbrengen. People
donate food and drink, and this
has become a weekly Shabbos
ritual.
Theres a bachur who comes
every Shabbos to Bat Chein from
Chavatzelet due to the special
atmosphere in our shul, despite
the fact that his yishuv has its own
synagogue.

DANCING UNTIL TWO IN

THE MORNING
During the past two years,
two Torah scrolls were donated
to the shul. The first Sefer Torah
was personally dedicated by the
head of the local council during
the very first days after we began
our activities in the synagogue.
Theres an amazing story
behind the second Torah scroll.
It was donated by one of the
yishuvs most prominent families,
owners of a well-known bakery
chain in Netanya. The head of
the family, a very reputable and
affluent Jew, had passed away
suddenly. His three children,
who were regular participants in
synagogue activities, established a
Wednesday evening Torah class in
their home.
When Chai Elul approached,
I suggested that they print a Tanya
in their house, and they happily
agreed. They made this into a
grand public affair, inviting dozens

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of friends and acquaintances from

the surrounding moshavim to
participate in the Tanya printing.
This became an opportunity to
widen the circle of supporters
throughout the region. One of
those present at this event was a
resident of nearby Givat Shapira,
and he also wanted to make a
Tanya printing in his home. This
was arranged for the very next
day with many guests attending
this event as well.
The day after this printing,
one of the sons called me with a
story to tell. In a voice filled with
emotion, he described how on the
night after the printing, he dreamt
that he saw his father standing
at the side of a mountain, as a
majestic looking figure lifted him
upward and caused him great joy.
The son felt that his father was
expressing his happiness over the
Tanya printing they had made the
previous evening in his memory.
Time passed, and another terrible
occurrence befell the family, when
they learned that their widowed
mother had contracted a terminal
illness. I suggested that they write
a letter to the Rebbe, and the
answer dealt with the writing of
a Sefer Torah. They decided right
then and there to donate a Torah
scroll.
Within a few weeks, the
Sefer Torah had been purchased,
and we organized a full-scale
public dedication ceremony. Just
a few days after the ceremony,
the mother, who had been
hanging between life and death,
miraculously recovered from the
illness and returned to a normal
and happy life.
Rabbi
Ben
Odiz
then
enthusiastically
described
Simchas Torah on the yishuv: On
Simchas Torah, we customarily
make Hakafos and a festive meal
fit for a king. We invite all the
residents of Bat Chein and from

Rabbi Ben Odiz presenting an attractive Chitas to local participants at a Chabad evening

other nearby yishuvim. Last year,

about eighty people participated,
and the dancing continued until
two in the morning. In terms of
our yishuv, this is nothing less
than a revolution!

AN ATMOSPHERE OF
GEULA AND BEING
PREPARED FOR MOSHIACH
There are also numerous
activities with the young people
living on the yishuvim. Until
recently, the yishuv operated a
youth club for bringing Jewish
messages to local children.

Not long ago, I met one of the

children who had been a regular
participant in these activities.
This child came from an elitist
left-wing household. He learned
the meaning of Modeh Ani and
he knew how to recite the Twelve
Psukim as if he had been raised
in a Lubavitcher home.
Each holiday season, we
do activities with the children
in cooperation with the local
commercial center. We bring
Chanukah oil workshops, Purim
costume workshops, and bake
matzos before Pesach. Many
children take part. We also do a

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SHLICHUS PROFILE
series of activities with the local
dormitory for children in crisis.
Each year, we help bar-mitzvah
boys to prepare their Torah
reading and teach them about
tfillin and other relevant mitzvos
with visual aid presentations.
We enjoy remarkable support,
even from the yishuvs army prep
school.
When conducting outreach
activities on moshavim, its
naturally much more difficult
to collect money. How do you
manage?
This is by no means an easy
matter to cope with, especially for
someone like myself who has a
hard time asking for money. Yet,
a day doesnt pass where we dont
see miracles. We make a great
effort and we feel the spiritual
light filling the vessels. Theres no
lack of examples. I was recently
traveling to one of the Anash
communities to raise funds
for our programs. While I had
managed by the end of the day
to collect a respectable amount of
money, it still wasnt enough to
cover our most pressing expenses.
At one of the last houses I visited,
the baal habayis told me that he
didnt have any cash on hand.
Nevertheless, he asked that I leave
our bank account number for him
to make a direct deposit.
I gave him the information,

although I was certain that

he was simply being polite, as
happens quite often. Imagine
how surprised I was the following
morning when I checked my bank
account and discovered a very
sizable contribution had been
deposited there.
How
have
Chavatzelet
HaSharon and the surrounding
region
prepared
to
greet
Moshiach?
The subject of Moshiach is
a main topic at farbrengens and
Torah classes. We even proclaim
Yechi Adoneinu at the end of
every minyan. People understand
that this means nothing less
than that the Rebbe, Melech
HaMoshiach lives with us in every
sense of the word. In addition, we
hung a giant Moshiach flag on
the rooftop of our house, situated
along the areas main highway.
Thus, everyone realizes that
Moshiach exists in Chavatzelet
HaSharon. While this is merely an
external symbol, it definitely gives
the impression that Redemption
is on the agenda.
Many local residents come
to us to write to the Rebbe via
Igros Kodesh. This has already
become such a widespread
custom here that they come to
us to write a letter, even without
our suggesting the idea. Theres
a young man who is closely

connected with us; he comes to

the synagogue and has a regular
learning partner in Chassidus.
However, his wife constantly
made things difficult for him, and
she didnt want to hear anything
about Yiddishkait or Torah and
mitzvos. One day, I got a phone
call from him. He told me that
he and his wife were planning to
move to a much larger and more
expensive house located near the
yishuvs synagogue.
He proceeded to explain
that his wife had sent him to me
to write a letter to the Rebbe via
Igros Kodesh in request of a
bracha. When he came over to
our house and I expressed my
amazement, he said that his wife
has relatives who are Chabad
Chassidim, and she heard
from them about the custom of
writing to the Rebbe. After they
moved to their new house, his
wife also started participating in
our activities. It didnt take long
before she felt that we werent so
frightening after all. As a result,
she and her husband have joined
our core of local supporters.
There are regular Chassidus
classes not just in Chavatzelet,
but also at the moshavim and
kibbutzim in the area. According
to Rabbi Ben Odiz, this testifies
to the true spiritual revolution
affecting the entire region.

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 FREE TRANSLATION

BH Tuesday, (when the words It was good appear twice) 19 Adar 5775
Important Notice!
In response to the tragic occurrences over the past short while in our neighborhood,
Though we have neither the vision nor the wisdom to interpret what has happened, and the appropriate response
would be that of Aharon Hakohen, who was silent in the face of tragedy,
nevertheless, there is the well-known Rambam that one should never attribute such events to just nature or
see them as random. The Rebbe spoke on many occasions about the Torah approach practiced in Jewish
communities in similar circumstances, that the Rabbanim must point out areas of focus for improvement
(Shabbos Bereishis 5731).
We therefore encourage every member of the community to examine his deeds and to immediately address any
shortcomings that are found whether they be in the area of fixed Torah study times, davening, or Tzedaka and good
deeds. Where appropriate this should be done in consultation with a mashpia, for everyone should fulfill the
instruction, Make for yourself a teacher. All this should be done the sooner the better without unnecessary delay.
Specifically, we would like to remind everyone, men, women and children of the following items to be addressed
in the context of what has been stated above:
1) To strengthen and increase the fixed times that each one has for the study of Torah, beginning with the
set portions that are equal for everyone like Chitas, Rambam and ideas related to the Redemption and the
coming of Moshiach, as well as set portions appropriate to each individual based on the rulings found in
the Laws of the Study of Torah. Whoever increases, will see increased blessing in his life.
2) To spread awareness of the importance of, G-d forbid, not speaking during davening from the beginning
of the public service until after the last Kadish, as discussed by the Alter Rebbe at the end of Tanya,
Gevald, Gevald, How long will this be an obstacle for us? Have we not sufficient reproofs and troubles
that have overtaken us? May G-d protect and console us with redoubled support, and purify our hearts
to serve Him in truth.
3) To strengthen the observance of tznius in our community, and to see that this commandment is observed
in the most stringent way at the highest level. The Rebbe writes in a letter (Igros Kodesh v26 p. 73) The
strong language that is used to describe the tragic consequences (Chas Veshalom) of not keeping tznius
as clearly stated in Yeshaye chapter 3 leaves no doubt as to the seriousness of this matter.
4) Increased action in all the mivtzoim, the mitzvah campaigns that have their own power to shield and
protect.
5) There is certainly no need to repeat the obvious, as we have written on numerous occasions but we
certainly re-emphasize here, the importance of increased love and unity between ourselves out of respect
to one-another. Even in times of dispute, Chas Veshalom, we should remain silent and not respond to
insult, etc.
From now on our attitude should be in accordance with the saying of our Rebbeim, Think positive and it will be
positive. May the blessing of goodness be upon us. As the Rebbe responded in Shvat 5752 to similar
happenings, quoting the Gemara in Pesachim, connecting events of this type only applies to cases of revealed and
open good. May only goodness and kindness come upon us all our days.
To this we affix our signature with blessings for a Kosher and Happy Pesach,
[Signed:]
Horav Aharon Yaakov Schwei
Member of Badatz

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Horav Yosef Yeshya Braun

Member of Badatz

2015-03-16 11:39:44 AM

STORY

ONE GOOD
DEED LEADS
TO ANOTHER
By Rabbi Shneur Chaviv

y father arrived in
Lubavitch in the
afternoon. To be
more precise, it was
early evening.
He was young, about sixteen
years old, and his soul yearned
for everything having to do with
holiness and Judaism. He left the
Litvishe yeshiva in Aix-les-Bains
in the early afternoon and in the
evening he stepped foot for the
first time in Yeshivas Tomchei
Tmimim (Brunoy, which the
Rebbe referred to as being
similar to the actual yeshiva in)
Lubavitch.
After briefly getting acquainted
with the yeshiva and the rabbanim,
it was time for Maariv which was
followed by supper. He realized
this by the swiftness with which
the bachurim moved from the zal
toward the dining room.
These were his first hours
in the yeshiva and he walked to
the dining room hesitantly and

feeling a bit lost. He knew no one

and none of the bachurim had
welcomed him and showed him
around. By the time he reached
the dining room, the serving
bowls were empty.
My father was really hungry.
He hadnt eaten since the morning
and he had had a long trip. On the
tables were scattered abandoned
plates that had food piled on them
by bachurim who misjudged how
much they were able to eat. My
father, a true Frenchman, would
not touch anybodys leftovers.
After walking around and seeing
the empty serving bowls, he
turned to leave the dining room
and headed for the zal.
On his way out he met R
Yisroel Noach Blinitzky who was
known as Yisroel Noach HaGadol
[der Groise]. Apparently, the look
on my fathers face or maybe
the fact that he was leaving the
dining room so soon made the
old Chassid think something was
amiss. He stopped my father and

asked him, Did you eat? My

father mumbled, Its okay.
R Blinitzky did not leave it
at that. He took my father by the
arm and tried scraping something
out of the big pots. When that
did not work, he told my father
to come with him. He had a small
house next to the yeshiva and
my father could not refuse the
elder Chassid with the luminous
face. They entered the house and
R Blinitzky set the table for the
boy and served him a satisfying
meal. My father realized that his
wife had cooked for two and he
tried to decline, but R Blinitzky
insisted and did not leave until he
finished everything he was served.
Then he began opening up
closets, one after the other, until
he found some canned pineapple
and served his young guest a
sweet dessert. Only after he was
sure that my father had eaten and
was full did he let him return to
the zal. He told him to come to
him if he had any problems.

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That is how R Yisroel Noach

welcomed a young, shy bachur
from a Litvishe yeshiva. That is
how Lubavitch welcomed my
father. My father remained in
Brunoy and became an ardent
Chassid. His brothers and sisters
followed him and established
Chassidic homes.

Many years later, the phone
rang in my fathers office in the
Chabad house for French speakers
in Yerushalayim. On the line was
Ruth (pseudonym). Ruth had
made aliya alone through some
Zionist program and was taken to
one of the religious kibbutzim in
the Beit Shaan Valley. Before she
left France, a Lubavitcher family
that she knew gave her a piece of
paper with the address and phone
number of the Rebbes shliach for
French speakers in Yerushalayim
with a warm recommendation
that she visit him.
Life in the kibbutz was busy
with learning Hebrew, Zionism,

and history, as well as the

intensive work and her new social
life. The piece of paper remained
forgotten in her wallet, until that
afternoon.
That day, they had taken
a trip to Yerushalayim for an
educational tour. They visited the
Kosel, Yad VaShem, and other
historical spots. At some point
she became somewhat separated
from the group and when she
returned to their gathering spot
she discovered the bus had left
without her.
Ruth was alone in the big city
where she knew nobody and had
no money. There were no cell
phones back then and she stood
there, not knowing what to do
next.
Then she remembered the
note she had in her wallet. She
had an address in Yerushalayim.
She somehow managed to walk
to the Chabad house and arrived
hungry and tired after a long day.

My father remembered R
Blinitzky and his welcome and
he decided to pass the welcome
forward. He arranged a meal for
Ruth, gave her some money, and
helped her return to the kibbutz.
Along the way, my father told her
about a seminary for French girls
that he ran.
Two days later she appeared
at the Chabad house once again,
this time with a big backpack. I
decided to join your seminary,
she said.
Ruth
also
eventually
established a Chassidic home.

Sometimes, we do a Jew a
favor, we smile, and we help
them materially or spiritually. It
is possible that at that moment,
we are starting an avalanche of
goodness and light. We cannot
imagine what the repercussions
will be. One mitzva leads to
another, as does one act of
goodness to another.

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FEATURE

THE
WATCHMAN
The gravesite of the
Rebbe Rashab during the
renovations done by
R Dovid Nachshon
and R Avi Taub

AT THE OHEL
IN ROSTOV

We dont know much about the secret connection between our Rebbeim
and the watchman at the Rebbe Rashabs Ohel in Rostov, R Mottel Lifshitz
ah. To mark Beis Nissan, the yom hilula of the Rebbe Rashab, Chassidic
researcher, R Shneur Zalman Berger, tells us a bit about the watchman
at the Ohel and reveals that the liaison between our Rebbeim and the
watchman was the Chassidic askan, R Yona Eidelkopf.
By Shneur Zalman Berger

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R Mottel Lifshitz, watchman of the Ohel

The Rebbe Rashab

fter World War II, Russia

remained almost without
Chabad Chassidim. The
majority of Lubavitchers
left Russia when they were able to
escape via Poland. The Chassidim
who lived in Rostov, the city
where the Rebbe Rashab is buried,
also left the country. Only one
Chassid remained living there, R
Mordechai (Mottel) Lifshitz, and
he was in charge of the Ohel (it
should be pointed out that this is
not the same Mottel Lifshitz who
was known as Mottel der shochet,
see sidebar).
In this position, he was in
touch, covertly, with our Rebbeim,
but this special connection was
well concealed. It was only after

much research that some of the

details came to light.

THE CHASSID REFERRED

TO AS TZADDIK
R Mottel Lifshitz was born in
5649 in Agastrunem, Russia. His
father was R Yisroel Shmuel. In
his youth he learned in Yeshivas
Tomchei Tmimim in Lubavitch
and was one of the chozrim.
He married and for many years
lived in Rostov. He was a shochet
but he worked as a painter. Now
and then you could see his long
beard stained in various hues due
to his occupation.
In the years before World
War II, a group of distinguished

Lubavitcher Chassidim were

arrested in Rostov. They were
interrogated at length about the
Chabad activity in the town and
R Mottel Lifschitzs name is
mentioned in their file. Lifshitz,
Mordechai a member of the
illegal cult, Tmimim, in Rostov.
During the war, he escaped
from Rostov and arrived in Almaty
in distant Kazakhstan. At the end
of the war he returned to Rostov.
After most Chabad Chassidim
left Russia he remained the only
Lubavitcher in town. He became
in charge of the Ohel in Rostov
and he had the key.
From 5721 until his passing
in 5729, he was considered a sort
of rav of the Jewish community in
Rostov and some Jews referred to
him as a tzaddik.

SECRET CONNECTION
The Rebbe Rayatz and our
Rebbe were very concerned about
the gravesites of the Rebbeim.

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Feature

R Yona Eidelkopf

My soul friend, R M Lifshitz

He asked me a one-word question, Anash? I

answered with a nod. He asked me in a whisper,
How is the Rebbe? Beyond that, we did not dare to
exchange another word.
Needless to say, the Rebbe
Rayatzs heart and soul were
always turned towards his fathers
Ohel in Rostov in concern for
its condition and upkeep, but in
those days, when the communist
iron fist quashed anything that
had to do with Judaism, it was
hard to find out directly what was
happening with the gravesites
of the Rebbeim and the Ohel in
Rostov. Despite the difficulty,
the Chabad Rebbeim were
able to establish a link through
their contact person R Yona
Eidelkopf, through whom they
found out what was happening at
the gravesites. Due to the secrecy

and the coded letters, we can only

try to extrapolate from the little
snippets of knowledge that we do
have.
R Yona Eidelkopf was a
dynamic Chassidic activist who
lived in Rostov for many years
and knew R Mottel Lifshitz. In
those days, seventy-six years ago,
in Adar of 1939, the government
was about to destroy the cemetery
where the Ohel was. A group of
Chassidim, including R Yona,
transferred the Rebbe Rashab to
another cemetery. This was all
done under the veil of night.
In the period following the
war, R Yona was in the DP camp

in Poking, Germany. At the end

of Adar 5708/1948, the Rebbe
Rayatz sent him a letter to be
conveyed to R Mottel with a
cover letter in which the Rebbe
thanks him for continuing to
correspond with R Mottel. The
Rebbe Rayatz asked him to pass
along the contents of his letter
without mentioning the country
where he lived (the USA), and
inquired about the gravesites
of the Rebbeim in the Soviet
Union: that of the Baal Shem
Tov (Mezhibuzh), the Maggid
of Mezritch (Anipol), the Alter
Rebbe (Haditch), the Mitteler
Rebbe (Niezhen), the Tzemach
Tzedek and the Rebbe Maharash
(Lubavitch), and that of the
children and grandchildren of the
Tzemach Tzedek (Liadi, Kopust,
Bobruisk).
The gravesite of the Rebbe
Rashab, his father, in Rostov
was missing from the list. This

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was because R Mottel was the

watchman of the Ohel in Rostov
and it seems that when the
Rebbe Rayatz thanked R Yona
for his efforts in keeping up the
correspondence, he meant that he
had already heard details about
the Ohel in Rostov from him
and now he was asking R Yona
to ask R Mottel about the other
gravesites.
In the months that followed,
the Rebbe Rayatz urged R Yona to
find out about the gravesites and
to give regards to the Chassidim
associated with those gravesites.
After the passing of the Rebbe
Rayatz, the Rebbe continued to
write to R Yona regarding the
gravesites but it was all written
briefly and in code and until today
we do not know details.
Conveying messages through
R Yona continued. There is a note
that was written by the secretary,
R Nissan Mindel, to R Yona
regarding a letter that was to be
given to R Mottel: When you
send the letter, dont mention the
senders name explicitly; rather,
use the usual name that Anash
use, der tatte or der Zeide and
please inform us of his address.

IN THE OHEL
When R Mottel would go to
daven at the Ohel with requests
that were sent to him, he did so
with great humility and awe. This
was even though, in the course of
his duties, he surely went to the
Ohel often. R Berel Pruss related:
When I was in Rostov in
1957, the Chassid, R Mottel
Lifshitz took me to the Ohel. I
asked R Mottel to read my pidyon
nefesh for me. The way R Mottel
stood before the gravesite was
something hard to describe. What
kabbalas ol! I never saw a Chassid
stand at the tziyun in such a way.
Continued on page 25

TWO SHOCHTIM WITH THE SAME NAME

During the years that R Mottel Lifshitz
served as the watchman of the Ohel in Rostov,
there lived in Moscow a Chassid with the same
name. The latter passed away a year ago. Both
were Chabad Chassidim, they had the same
name and both were called Mottel, and they
were both shochtim. Nevertheless, they were
not related.
Ive made mistakes and others have too and
over recent years, there has been confusion
between the two Mottels. Some have suggested
that R Mottel Lifshitz moved from Rostov to
Moscow, but this is not correct. The R Mottel
from Moscow never lived in Rostov. The letter
R Mottel of Rostov
from the Rebbe Rayatz and the note from R
Nissan Mindel are associated in a few places
with R Mottel of Moscow but this is wrong.
They were written to the R Mottel who
guarded the Ohel and who was a friend of R
Yona Eidelkopf, while R Mottel of Moscow had
no connection with R Yona.
I straightened this information out as I
prepared an article eulogizing R Mottel Lifshitz
of Moscow and deleted stories and details that
had been written about him in the past.
While speaking about the R Mordechai
Lifshitz, for the sake of historical research, the
following details can be added:
R Mottel of Moscow
In earlier years, a rav served in Rostov by
the name of R Mordechai Lifshitz. The author
of the Sdei Chemed wrote halachic responsa to him that are brought in the
Sdei Chemed. Is there any connection between him and the Lubavitcher
Lifschitzs? I dont know.
In the letters of the Rebbe Rashab, another R Mordechai Lifshitz is
mentioned who was also a shochet, but he lived in Paris. The Rebbe Rashab
wrote to his brother, R Menachem Mendel, that he could rely on the shochet
R Mordechai Lifshitz.

Letter from the Rebbe to R Mottel Lifshitz sent via R Yona Eidelkopf

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PROFILE

ONE MAN
SIMCHA
CRUSADE
My brief interview with R Menachem Mendel
Kumer, resident of Kiryat Chabad of Tzfas,
took place after midnight, following a full day
in which he went from place to place, cheering
people up. * Friday night, between the soup and
the main course, he knocks on doors and in his
costume he gets people to jump up in simcha.
* We asked him for tips on simcha, whether in
Adar or any time of the year.
By Nosson Avrohom
Photos by Moishy A.

riday night in Kiryat

Chabad in Tzfas. The
lady of the house had
just finished serving the
soup, while the father was busy
telling his family and guests a
Chassidic story which illustrated
the merit of giving. Outside the
wind howled and there were snow
flurries. Although the temperature
had dropped below zero, the

atmosphere inside was warm,

comfortable, and peaceful.
Then suddenly, there was
knocking at the door. One of
the children went to open the
door and in walked R Boruch
Menachem Mendel Kumer, in
costume, and accompanied by
some grandchildren and other
children from the community,
also in costume. R Kumer wished

everyone present a cheerful

Chodesh Adar Sameiach and
began dancing. He was joined by
members of the family.
The shy smile from the
unexpected guest was replaced
by a huge smile of simcha. A
few minutes later, R Kumer and
crew will move on to the next
house, while in the house he just
visited the singing and simcha will

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continue. The Shabbos table looks

different; there is the way it looked
before he came and the way it looks
after he leaves.
When Adar comes in we
increase in joy is not just a line in
Shulchan Aruch. With R Kumers
visit it becomes an experience.
R Kumer is a veteran teacher
and has written a series of books
about how to teach reading. His
books have become a staple for
many teachers in Eretz Yisroel and
other countries.
You will always find him smiling;
it seems that simcha is in his blood.
He is happy not only when Adar
begins but all year round. Every
day he runs childrens rallies in
the park, he makes house calls a
few times a week to parents who
registered their children in Chabad
preschools, and once a week, for
many years, he has been visiting
patients in the hospital. He is often
in costume of which he has several:
a giraffe, a parrot, a clown, and his
favorite a cow.
R Kumer, as you may have
realized, doesnt rest for a moment
and yet, when Adar begins, his
face glows even more. This is his
favorite month. There is more
simcha and he wears his favorite
costume. He organizes dancing
in shul after the davening. He also
visits preschools and Friday nights
he visits the homes of Anash and
surprises them in the middle of
their Shabbos meals. On every
visit he will dance and get
others to dance and end with
a miracle story.
In Tzfas he has become
a one man sensation whose
only desire, it seems, is to
rejoice and bring joy to
others.
The first Friday
night in Adar, children
wait for me at the door.
They have been looking
forward to this all year. Even before

I am in the business of selling simcha. Anyone

who is a Chabad Chassid and learns the Rebbes
teachings can easily turn into a happy person, even if by
nature hes not that way.

I finish the meal they are standing

and waiting so they can join me on
my visits to the homes of Anash.
I was visited by R Kumer
Friday night and after Shabbos I
went to meet with him. I met him
in his home in Kiryat Chabad and
asked him when this all began, who
is it easier to cheer up adults or
children, what is his goal, and what
feedback he gets.
The interview took place at
midnight because its hard to catch
him for a conversation during the
day he is busy, each
day somewhere else,
in the hospital,
senior
center,
shul, preschool.
The
joy
of
Purim
starts
for him on Rosh

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Profile

TWO STORIES OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE

R Kumer says that one of the
main things that he focuses on and
which gives him joy is the Rebbe
saying to open our eyes. When you
look around you and see the miracles
and wonders taking place every day,
you become a happy Chassid who
brings joy to others.
R Kumer has many miracle
stories that he experienced and
witnessed. We asked him to share
two special ones with us.
The first story:
A few days ago, I went to visit
a family that had registered their
daughter in the Chabad preschool.
When I walked in, the parents faces
looked familiar to me but I could not
figure out from where. We sat down
to discuss Judaism and chinuch in
the spirit of Chabad, and the couple
opened up about various problems
they have. I immediately suggested
that they write to the Rebbe and ask
for his advice and bracha. When the
woman heard Igros Kodesh, she
brought in her baby and told me a
story that happened to them thanks
to their writing to the Rebbe.
She related that in the summer
she went to the klezmer festival with
her husband and they encountered
a Chabad mitzva tank. Her husband
was out of a job at the time and
they went into the tank to write to
the Rebbe. The bracha they sought
was two-fold: a job for her husband
and the woman wanted a son after
having a number of daughters. The
Rebbes answer was clear regarding
the topics they wrote about.
Two months later, her husband
found a job in his field and one year
later they had their first son. At the
bris they told the miracle of his birth
and attributed it to the Rebbe.
When she finished her story, I
realized where I know them from.
In the summer of that year, I had
joined the Mobile Mitzva Tanks that

operated at the klezmer festival in the

old city of Tzfas and I was the one
who wrote to the Rebbe with them.
I reminded them of this and they
remembered. We were all excited by
the hashgacha pratis.
The second story:
In 5748, the Rebbe announced
Shnas HaBinyan (the Year of
Construction). Whoever committed
to expanding his house was promised
$100 from the Rebbes office.
One day, I decided to make a big
deal about this in Tzfas. I walked
around and when I saw that someone
was renovating or expanding, or
someone showed me building plans,
I wrote his name to the Rebbe. The
$100 checks came a few weeks later
and I gave them out. I had nearly
twenty $100 checks that I got and
gave out.
Some time later, a woman came
to me with a complaint. She said the
Rebbes check had been sent back
by the bank and she did not get the
money. I told her that if she said the
sky had fallen, I would more readily
believe that. I asked her to show me
the check. I saw that the check was
torn and was taped right over the
account number and this is why the
check had been returned. The bank
wrote that it did not know from
which account to take the money.
I asked her why the check was
torn. She said the check had been
in her pocket for many days and
got torn and the bank had taped it.
I usually go out of my way to help
out but this time, for some reason,
I said I couldnt help her. I was in
the Chabad preschool office at the
time and after she left, the secretary,
who knew her, said to me, Rabbi
Kumer, dont you know that this
woman didnt do any renovations or
expansions? She didnt tell you the
truth. She said she did renovations
because she wanted the $100.

Chodesh Adar and continues all

year.
We sat in his living room. He
looked tired but was still smiling.
He was wearing his cow costume
in our honor.
My first question has to be,
arent you ever tired? You are
already a grandfather to quite a
few grandchildren!
The Rebbe says in the sicha
of 13 Elul 5751 that then our
mouths will fill with laughter is
not permission but an obligation,
so we dont have the privilege of
being too tired to rejoice.
When did this all begin and
who came up with the idea?
For many years Ive been
working in Chabad preschools.
Fifteen years ago, R Daniel
Utinsky, the administrator of the
preschools, suggested that I come
in costume and bring simcha to
the children so they feel the joy of
Adar. I bought a clown costume
and since then, I go around to
the preschools. The reactions are
great; the children sing and love
it. When I finished going to all
the schools, R Utinsky said in jest
that maybe I should show up in
shul in costume and bring joy to
the adults too.
I took his suggestion seriously
and Friday night I went to shul
in costume. I joined the Yechi
dancing after Lecha Dodi and
became a hit. The dancing was
livelier and I saw that I had raised
the morale and joy level of lots
of people. That made me realize
how much people nowadays need
someone to cheer them up. Since
then, Ive made this my annual
practice. When a clown costume
was already old hat, I looked for
something else and found the cow
costume.
At first the cow wasnt smiling;
it was a sad cow. I brought the
costume to a dressmaker and she
embroidered a big smile on it.

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I once saw a line from the

Rebbe that on Purim, before
going to shul, you need to pass
by a few houses first. In previous
years, I would go with R Ehud
Bashari who also works in the
Chabad preschools. He lived in
Kiryat Chabad before he moved
on shlichus to Kfar Biriya, and
every Purim we would stop off at
peoples houses as we made our
way to shul, me in my costume
and he with his accordion.
We were welcomed at every
home with joy and dance. In
recent years, the community has
grown tremendously and we cant
pass by all the homes so I start on
the Friday nights before Purim
and each Friday night I visit many
homes.
What is your goal with all
this?
The goal is simple, to increase
simcha.
In the Dvar Malchus of
Parshas Truma, the Rebbe says
that in Av we decrease simcha,
why? Because that is the mode
of avoda in that month, while
in Adar, if you want to achieve
success, you must serve with
simcha.
Not that long ago, we had a
war in the south with Hamas.
What happened was, the accursed
Arabs shot 4000 missiles at us; the
miracles were incredible by any
standard. In other locations in
the world, with fewer missiles
shot, hundreds and thousands
were killed. Hashem is testing
us and wants to see us happy.
In the war America fought
against Saddam Hussein, the
Rebbe spoke about miracles
and wonders that ought to
bring us simcha, and how we
see the miracles yet find it hard
to recognize them for what they
are. When the Jewish people
left Egypt, aside from the Geula
itself, they experienced three

The word hisgalus is also from the root

tagel. Simcha brings everything down in a
revealed way. Through simcha you can feel the Geula
while still in galus. When everything is saturated with
joy you become a different person; you open your eyes
and see a different, better world.

big miracles: one was, lmakei

Mitzrayim bvchoreihem, the
second happened on the way to
Yam Suf when the pillar of cloud
absorbed the Egyptians arrows,
and the third was the
splitting of the sea.
It looks
like before
the future
Geula
we
too are

when the terrorists shot missiles

at us and they fell right and left
and hardly caused any damage.
Now we are in the third stage,
when every day Arab countries
crumble around us. In the
past they were a real

experiencing
these
three
kinds
of miracles: the first,
lmakei
Mitzrayim
bvchoreihem,
we
saw when Americans
fought
Saddam
Hussein;
the
second
weve
experienced
a
number of times

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Profile
threat but now they are
butchering one another.
If we would just think
about it we would see the
miracles and wonders
that Hashem does for us.
When the Jewish
people
crossed
the
Yam Suf, the children
exclaimed,
look
at
the miracles, but they
couldnt
see
them
because of the many
donkeys they had with
them from the booty of
Egypt. These donkeys
were laden with silver
and gold. Now too,
people are immersed in
materialism and have
a hard time seeing the
wonders taking place. So
we need to rejoice and
bring joy to others and
mainly thank Hashem and realize
that we are a brief step away from
the true and complete Geula.
That is my goal, to help people
open their eyes and dance toward
the Geula.

EVEN THE COW SMILES

Why did you pick a cow
costume?
There are many reasons,
profound ones and simple ones.
Ill start with the simple ones.
First, a cow is a kosher animal.
When I went around looking for
a costume, they were all scary,
non-kosher animals, or fantasy
creatures. I have some other
costumes, like that of a parrot,
which some think is a kosher
bird, and a giraffe which we
know is kosher. I sometimes use
other costumes but the cow is the
costume which does the best job.
As I mentioned earlier, after I
bought the cow costume, I had a
big smile added. A smart person
once said to me that a big smile

draws the children to you while a

tight-lipped smile distances them.
In my years of teaching
experience, I know that if you
want children to listen, to learn
and accept, you first have to
connect with them, and the best
way to connect with a child is
with a smile.

SIMCHA, SIMCHA AND

MORE SIMCHA
Where do you get this endless
energy from? Is it something you
were raised with? Is it genetic?
My father ah was a very
positive, optimistic person. He
went through difficult times in his
life but did not let them get him
down. My family lived in Toronto
and my father had to go to work
at the age of fifteen, taking on
the burden of supporting the
household when his father was
sick and died young. My father
soon became a terrific salesman
and was very successful in this
field.
When we went on vacation, he

would load our car with

products he planned on
selling and he would sell
them to people in the
hotel and in vacation
spots. He never returned
home
with
those
products. I once asked
him for the secret to his
success and he explained
that first he made friends
with people, gained their
trust and showed them
that he cared about them.
He had a big heart and
so the work of selling
came easy to him.
I am in the business
of selling simcha and I
suppose Ive inherited
his great optimism. But
anyone who is a Chabad
Chassid
and
learns
the Rebbes teachings
and the teachings of the earlier
Rebbeim and delves into them
can easily turn into a happy
person, even if by nature hes not
that way.
Who is it easier to cheer up,
adults or children?
The difference is simple.
Adults are very happy the
first time, their enthusiasm is
enormous, but after a time or
two they get used to it and seek
something new. A child can be
enthused and excited about the
same thing every day. He doesnt
need change; on the contrary,
he likes the old and familiar. I
see this when I teach the letters.
You review and review it and they
dont get sick of it. When a child
knows a letter, he is happy to
review over and over.

REJOICING IN ADVANCE
Why did you decide to devote
your life to simcha?
The Rebbe explains that
simcha has the power to hasten

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the Geula. The word hisgalus

is also from the root tagel.
Simcha brings everything down
in a revealed way. Through
simcha, you can feel the Geula
while still in galus. The Rebbe
explains that during Sukkos
there is the pouring of both wine
and water, thus joining water
which is above reason with wine
which represents reason. That
is the essence of simcha. When
everything is saturated with joy
you become a different person;
you open your eyes and see a

different, better world.

In your experience, how does
one become happy?
There are many ways. I
think the best advice is from the
Tzemach Tzedek who says that
to be happy you just need to
be happy. Even with worries and
problems, you divert your mind
from them and actively behave in a
happy way. Even if its superficial,
it will eventually be internalized.
I think we need to contemplate
that everything that happens to

us, whether personally or on the

national level, is just a test and we
need to withstand the test.
I once heard from my
mashpia, R Shlomo Zalman
Levkivker, that as Chassidim we
need to think about the meaning
of the concept Rebbe and his
role in the world. As a result, we
become utterly battul and one
who is always battul to the Rebbe
who always encourages simcha,
must be happy.

Continued from page 19

shul. From the directions I had

been given, I knew that I had
to find someone by the name of
Shlomo ish neeman who had
the key to the Ohel of the Rebbe
Rashab. If you did not know this
name, you did not get the key.
That was the code.
In the meantime, I met a
Chassidic Jew by the name of R
Mottel Lifshitz. He asked me a
one-word question, Anash? I
answered with a nod. He asked
me in a whisper, How is the
Rebbe? Beyond that, we did not
dare to exchange another word.
Then I went to carry out
my mission. I was not supposed
to contact anyone in Rostov,
just check the Ohel. After I met
Shlomo ish neeman, and visited
the Ohel, I left town.

tziyun for his brother who was

critically ill. He had three flights,
from Samarkand to Tashkent,
from Tashkent to Moscow and
from Moscow to Rostov. He
poured out his heart at the tziyun
and his brothers health improved.
Then he had to make the
long journey back home, but due
to lack of time, he had to spend
Shabbos in Rostov. Where should
he stay? He knew that the only
Chassid in town was R Mottel
Lifshitz and he wanted to stay in
his house but was turned down.
He wasnt surprised since this
was normal for Chassidim who
did not know one another.
The fear in those days was
great and R Mordechai, who
did not know me, was suspicious
of me. Back then, you were
suspicious of everyone, but I had
no choice for I had no place to
spend Shabbos. I begged him
until he agreed to host me. We
spent the Shabbos together and it
was a spiritual delight to be in the
presence of a genuine Chassidic
Jew who was alone in Rostov and
continued the ways of Chassidus
for many years.
R Mottel passed away on Lag
BOmer 5729/1969 and is buried
near the Ohel in Rostov.

He asked me afterward not to

relate in shul that he went with me
to the tziyun.
For many years he would
go by himself to the Ohel and
when guests came to Rostov who
wanted to visit the tziyun, he
would go with them to pray there.
In his old age, when he was
weak, he gave the key to R
Shlomo Zak, one of the Jews
in Rostov who had learned by
the Chafetz Chaim in his youth.
The persecution and surveillance
forced R Shlomo to work under
strict secrecy, as we see in the
following story:
In 5724/1964, the Jews in
general and the Chassidim in
particular suffered greatly under
communist oppression. One day,
the Rebbes shliach, R Binyamin
Katz of New Haven, Connecticut,
arrived in Rostov. He came in the
guise of a tourist and traveled
about the Soviet Union for the
purpose of meeting as many
Jews as possible and providing
them with Jewish ritual items and
supporting them in various ways.
This is what he said about his
brief meeting with R Mottel:
From Moscow I went to
Rostov and my first stop was the
small shul called the Soldatski

WHY DID R MOTTEL

SUSPECT THE CHASSIDISHE
BACHUR?
R
Michoel
Mishulovin,
mashpia in Nachalat Har Chabad,
spent one Shabbos in the home of
R Mottel. To be hosted he had to
plead.
This was in 5726 and R
Michoel, then a young man,
travelled from Samarkand to
Rostov in order to daven at the

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PROFILE

SECRET
MISSIONS
IN THAT
COUNTRY
About the American boy who traveled alone to
Poland against his parents wishes, returned to
the United States, and accomplished much as the
emissary of the Rebbe Rayatz and our Rebbe,
including secret missions to the Soviet Union. *
Presented to mark his passing on 5 Nissan.
By Refael Dinari

Berel Levy was born in

1923 in Bridgeport, CT.
His parents were typical
American parents. In
those days, being a religious boy
in America was very difficult. The
only place that had any Jewish
character at all in the land of
endless opportunity was New York.
So the ten year old boy decided
to leave home and go to his uncle
who lived in the Big Apple.
When he arrived at his uncles
house, he was registered in Torah
Vodaas, a yeshiva in Williamsburg.
Every day the young boy traveled
by subway for about an hour

from his uncles house to the

yeshiva. R Weiler, a teacher in
the yeshiva, accompanied him
on all these trips in order to keep
an eye on him and they learned
together as they traveled.
Berels mother had an uncle
who was very famous in the
Jewish world of America at that
time. R Avrohom Ber Levin,
who was known as the Malach,
was a genius in Nigleh and
Chassidus, and was a master
orator who made a great impact
on all who heard him. R Shraga
Feivel Mendlowitz, the menahel
of Torah Vodaas, asked him to

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R Berel Levy at a goodbye party arranged before R Moshe Pinchas Katz went to the United States. Sitting from right to
left: R Shlomo Moshe Eisenberger, R Yaakov Felkenfeld, R Meir Glazman, R Mordechai Mentlick, the mashpia R Boruch
Friedman, R Moshe Pinchas Katz, the secretary, R Chatshe Feigin, the secretary, R Moshe Leib Rodstein, R Shlomo Zalman
Hecht, R Yosef Rodal. Standing from right to left: R Berel Levy, R Avrohom Barnetzky, R Moshe Berland, R Avrohom (son
of R Dovid) Teiblum, the secretary, R Nissan Mindel, Avishkova, R Shlomo Zilberberg, R Shlomo Tzilech

teach Chassidus to a group of

the older talmidim. R Avrohom
Ber included his young nephew
despite his being much younger
than the other participants in the
shiur.
The Malach had an enormous
influence on the talmidim and
many of them refused to continue
studying secular subjects. The
Malach also had a great influence
on his nephew. After a number
of shiurim and farbrengens, the
boy, who had no place to sleep
in the yeshiva, spent the night
on a bench in shul. The Malach
took him under his wing and the
boy progressed in his study of
Chassidus at a rapid rate. When
the Malachs talmidim began

changing their outer appearance,

he did too and he began wearing
long clothes, large tzitzis and no
shirt.
Although he hadnt learned
Jewish subjects before arriving
in yeshiva, he made every effort
to excel. At this time, some of
the talmidim began attending
the shiurim and farbrengens of
R Yisroel Jacobson and other
visiting fundraisers like R
Mordechai Cheifetz and R Itche
der Masmid.
When Berel was sixteen, his
uncle passed away. At this time,
he told R Yisroel that he wanted
to go to the Rebbe, to Otvotzk.
R Yisroel was pleased with the
idea but Berel did not have the

money for a ticket. R Yisroel

provided him with letters of
recommendation with which he
visited shuls to collect money, and
had him sleep in his home while
providing him with full room and
board.
Berel was disappointed that he
was unable to raise enough money
for a ticket, but R Yisroel paid
the balance and on 10 Cheshvan,
5699 he set sail for Otvotzk on
the Queen Mary. He traveled with
his friend, Avrohom Barnetzky.
The trip they undertook had a
big impact on their friends and
another group followed them to
Poland a few weeks before the
war began.
R Aryeh Leib Gelman,
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Profile
president of World Mizrachi,
was also on the ship. Upon his
return, when he met R Yisroel,
he spoke in amazement about the
yiras Shamayim of the bachurim
who were extremely careful about
what they ate and refused to
daven in the ships shul because
women also went there to daven.

AMERICAN PRINCE IN
POVERTY STRICKEN
POLAND
There were many difficulties
in acclimating to life in Poland.
R Yisroel reported to the Rebbe
about their pending arrival in a
letter that arrived as they were
still on the ship. 17 years old
with great natural aptitudes,
great-nephew of Avrohom Dov
ah (the Malach) and educated
by him, and these past few
months has come close to us and

material arrangements, you must

understand that as Americans
they are not suited for such
arrangements and spiritually
too, they need special attention.
If that wasnt enough, about
two weeks after they arrived,
Berel became sick with one of
the contagious diseases that
were prevalent at the time and
his temperature rose and fell.
Throughout his illness he was
unable to go to the zal and learn
with the other talmidim.
With the arrival of the two
princes from overseas, the
yeshiva had to rent a much nicer
room than the other rooms and
this is where they lived. In Berels
letter to R Yisroel he wrote,
When I went in the first time for
yechidus, the Rebbe asked me a
lot and told me to learn according
to the schedule of the yeshiva
Nigleh and Chassidus. When I

The KGB followed every move he made. One

time R Levy had to go somewhere but there
were no available taxis. He turned to the agent who was
attached to him like a shadow and asked him, Listen,
if you have to go everywhere with me, can you at least
give me a ride?

the mashpia and 5666 with R

Berel Kurenitzer, which means I
hear classes from both of them.
During the year he spent in
Otvotzk, he was very impressed by
the personality of the rosh yeshiva,
the
Chassidishe
mashpiim,
and the high level of learning.
However, without a doubt, what
made the greatest impression
was being in the presence of the
Rebbe and the privilege of having
yechidus. Another friend who
made an enormous impression
was one of his roommates,
Mendel Tenenbaum who was one
of the star pupils in the yeshiva.
He would wait until everyone in
the room was asleep and then say
Thillim with tears pouring down
his face.
Despite the positive letter and
the help from the yeshiva both
materially and spiritually, the
tremendous difference between
the Polish boys and the American
boys was apparent and it was very
hard. In his book, Zichron Livnei
Yisroel, R Yisroel compared this
to the sicha of the Rebbe Rashab
about Tomchei Tmimim, that in
the first three years its arla and
only afterward can you eat the
fruit, and there were fruits indeed.

RETURNING TO THE USA

it is possible to make him into a
fine vessel with Hashems help,
is how he described Berel, his
student. Despite all the praise, for
the American boy who was used
to other standards, materially and
spiritually, the change was very
hard.
As soon as they arrived,
R Chatshe Feigin wrote to R
Yisroel and lightly rebuked him.
Today, two talmidim from Achei
HaTmimim arrived suddenly
You were supposed to correspond
with the hanhala of Tomchei
Tmimim Regarding their

walked into yeshiva, they chose

for me two partners from the
older bachurim in the zal. R Ber
tested me in Chassidus and the
rosh yeshiva tested me in Gemara
and they said I could learn in the
kibbutz (the group that learned
without a full-time teacher).
I learn Gemara Kiddushin
and Psachim with everyone.
They gave me one of the best
bachurim in the zal for Gemara.
For Chassidus, they gave me a
geshmaker bachur and I learn
in the two lower grades. I learn
5665 with R Boruch Friedman

It was Friday, 17 Elul

5699/1939, a seemingly ordinary
day, until the sounds of explosions
outside could be heard. The
talmidim, who at first had no idea
what was going on, went outside
and were astounded to see craters
in the ground from the bombs
that had landed from German
planes and people were running
in confusion. That cursed day
was the beginning of World War
II and Otvotzk was one of the first
places to be strafed. The young
man sadly looked at the Jewish
children crying near the body of
their dead father, and at the body

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parts of Jews scattered in the

street, something which made an
indelible impression on him.
The Rebbe told the American
talmidim to go to Riga and to wait
there for further instructions.
The American consul in Warsaw
refused to allow them to enter. In
the end, the talmidim managed
somehow to get to Riga and from
there to Sweden and Norway
on their way back to America.
The trip was difficult and
dangerous and divine providence
accompanied them with a series
of miracles until they arrived back
on safe shores.
A few months later, the
Rebbe Rayatz arrived in the
United States and announced the
founding of a yeshiva. R Berel
was one of the first talmidim.
His parents, seeing his new path
as a youthful rebellion, refused
to support him. This was one
of the factors that shaped his
personality as an independent
Jew and Chassid. He spent his
days learning in 770 and the cold
winter nights in a small rented
room with very little money for
food or warm clothing. He had
pneumonia twice, which in those
days, before penicillin, was a
dangerous illness. The treatment
back then was medication whose
side effects did not allow him to
walk. He could not stop taking
the medicine but thank G-d, he
recovered and returned to learn
in Beis Chayeinu.
In 1944, the Rebbe sent R
Mordechai Altein to New Haven
to start a yeshiva, knowing that
Berel Levy, a chassan, would be
going there right after he married,
about a month later. R Berel
worked tirelessly to establish
the yeshiva despite the huge
difficulties which caused some
of the Chassidim there to leave
the city. Two of his children were
born in New Haven, a son and a

THE REBBE SEES THE MIKVA IN COPENHAGEN

One year, R Levy went on a business trip to Copenhagen, Denmark.
Before the trip, he submitted a note asking for a bracha. To his astonishment,
besides the usual bracha, the Rebbe added the words, If you could check the
mikva. R Levy, who had gone to Copenhagen for one day, was not able to
reach the person in charge of the mikva and having no choice, he left the city
without checking the mikva.
A year later, having forgotten about the matter, he was about to travel
there again. Once again, he asked for a bracha and once again he received
the surprising note about checking the mikva. This time, R Levy decided he
would stay as long as it took until he got the keys to the mikva.
He went to the mikva and immersed and as he did so, he noticed a hole
in the wall. At first he thought this was the connecting pipe to the rainwater
pit. When he came out and looked from the outside, he discovered that the
water was spilling on the floor!
Who gave the hechsher on this mikva? he wondered out loud to the
attendant.
R Posen of London, an expert on mikvaos, he said.
R Levy met with R Posen in London. Upon being asked about the mikva,
R Posen said in surprise that he had given the Jews some instructions about
how to fix the problem but perhaps they had not done as he said.
Did you ever write about it to the Rebbe? asked R Levy.
I never sent the Rebbe a letter about anything at all, replied R Posen.
It was open ruach hakodesh.
daughter.
From New Haven they moved
to Lakewood where he worked
for over three years in the Jewish
school. After Lakewood they
moved to Elizabeth and lived
there for seven years as a shliach.
Most of the children in his
childrens classes were not frum
but he instilled very strong Jewish
foundations in his children. Years
later, when they switched to
religious schools, they fit right in
as though they had always learned
in schools like that. The strength
to support his children who were
going against the current he got
from the time that he himself
went against the current when he
learned in 770.
When he moved to Brooklyn
in 1960, he began working for
Torah UMesorah. He served as
the unofficial go-between of the

Rebbe with other Jewish leaders

including the Satmar Rebbe. It
once happened that he spent an
entire night talking to the Satmar
Rebbe. The Rebbe spoke to him
in private audiences for hours
about chinuch of children in
America. R Levy also forged a
strong connection with R Moshe
Feinstein zl.

LEADER IN THE KASHRUS

REVOLUTION
In the middle of the 60s, R
Levy began working in kashrus.
In 1968 he bought the OK kosher
certification and thats when the
revolution began.
On his travels from one factory
to another, he visited countries
that were unfriendly to the Jewish
people such as Malaysia and other
countries in the Far East. The
Rebbe often asked him to carry
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Profile

Once again he asked for a bracha and once again

he received the surprising note about checking
the mikva. This time, R Levy decided he would stay as
long as it took until he got the keys to the mikva.
out certain missions in foreign
countries, which of course he did.
For example, he built a mikva in
the Philippines on one trip and set
up a mechitza in a shul in Kobe,
Japan on another trip.

WHEN RUSSIAN CHASSIDIM

SING THE YUD-ALEF
NISSAN NIGGUN
The highlight of the missions
he carried out for the Rebbe
around the world was in that
country, i.e. the Soviet Union.
On his many trips there, he would
make contact with Chassidim and
Jews and bring them a message
from the Rebbe, instructions
and items that he sent and he
would give the Rebbe regards

from Chassidim behind the Iron

Curtain.
At the end of the 70s, he would
make movies of the Jews there and
the Rebbe would watch them on
Nittel Nacht. The Rebbe would
often wipe a tear as he watched
the movie. In 5737/1977, after
showing the Rebbe the gravesites
of the Rebbeim, he showed a
farbrengen of Chassidim in
Russia. When these Chassidim
sang VChol Karnei, the song
for Yud-Alef Nissan of that year,
the Rebbe cried. When they saw
the house of the Rebbe Rashab,
the Rebbetzin commented, I still
remember my grandfather living
in the building.
In 5739, when R Levy left the
Rebbes room after an hour and

a half of the Rebbe watching the

movie. The Rebbe stood the entire
time. When he was pressed to tell
something about this yechidus,
he said, At the beginning of the
yechidus I gave the Rebbe regards
from the Chassidim in Russia.
I told the Rebbe in their name
that they are no different than
the Chassidim in America. They
also say lchaim for the Rebbes
welfare and they also sing, Ata
HaKeil Oseh Pelleh. Hearing
this, the Rebbe burst into tears.
The trips were dangerous.
The KGB followed every move
he made. One time, R Levy had
to go somewhere but there were
no available taxis. He turned
to the agent who was attached
to him like a shadow and asked
him, Listen, if you have to go
everywhere with me, can you at
least give me a ride?
R Levy passed away on 5
Nissan 5747/1987.

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PARSHA THOUGHT

THE POWER
TO TESTIFY
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

A LOVE AFFAIR
Many of the commandments
recorded in the book of VaYikra,
and more specifically, in this
weeks parsha, revolve around the
offerings the Jews were required
to bring to the Bais HaMikdash.
The name of the book, as well
as its opening parsha, is VaYikra,
which simply means And He
called. It is somewhat puzzling
that a book should be given such
a non-descript and unexciting
name such as, And He called!
Without explicitly asking the
question, Rashi, the principal
Torah commentator, explains
that this is a term of endearment.
Indeed, the entire book of
VaYikra, particularly the section
that deals with the korbanossacrifices, is about our love affair
with G-d. The word korban
actually connotes the idea of
closeness and intimacy. When
one offered a korban and it was
accepted by G-d, it demonstrated
the mutually close and intimate
relationship between G-d and us.
With this premise in mind,
we must try to understand how
it applies to a commandment that
appears at the end of the parsha:
If a person sins and he
does not testify he will bear
(the consequences of) his sin.
This verse, as it is understood

by our Oral Tradition (later

transcribed in the Talmud),
refers to a case where there is a
monetary dispute. The Torah
commands witnesses that they
must testify on behalf of a litigant.
Indeed, according to the
Midrashic-legal work, Toras
Kohanim (Parshas Kdoshim),
cited by Rambam in his
Seifer
HaMitzvos
(Negative
commandment # 297), one
who refuses to testify on behalf
of another, even in monetary
matters, also violates another
commandant: Do not stand idly
by the blood of your fellow.
How does this commandment
to testify relate to G-ds love affair
with the Jewish people? At best,
it states an obligation to assist
our fellow, and is one of many
ways through which we fulfill the
command to Love your fellow as
yourself. But how does it relate
to our intimate relationship with
G-d, which the name VaYikra
implies?

twisting and glorious history,

the Jewish people themselves
were the greatest testimony to
G-ds presence; His greatness,
might and awesomeness. The
Jewish people were delivered
from Egyptian slavery by the
Ten Plagues and the Splitting of
the Red Sea, which testified to
G-ds absolute control over His
world. The subsequent miracles
in the desert, the conquest of the
Land of Israel and the presence
of the Bais HaMikdash in
Jerusalem implanted G-d in the
consciousness of humanity.
When the Jews exhibited
the highest moral behavior, it
impressed upon the nations of the
world that the Jewish people were
guided by a just and righteous
G-d.
And then there were the
miracles the Jewish people
experienced in the Diaspora,
such as Purim, where G-ds hand
was evident in saving the Jewish
people from certain annihilation.

YOU ARE MY WITNESSES

FINDING G-D IN HIDING

The concept of testifying for

another is rooted in a spiritual
concept of testimony. The
prophet Isaiah (43:12) describes
G-ds declaration to the Jewish
people: You are My witnesses.
From their genesis through
all of their long, arduous,

On the other side of the

coin, there were times in our
history where G-d hid His face.
However, even in such situations,
G-ds light still shined through the
cracks. When the Torah predicts
the terrible events to befall the
Jews in the future, it introduces it
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Parsha Thought

No other generation has been given that power.

It was entrusted to us exclusively because our
souls were chosen to be the ones to usher in the Messianic
Age.
with the words, I will indeed hide
My face. Even when G-d hid His
face, His presence was revealed by
the Jews, who stubbornly refused
to give up their faith in Him.
While we have no right to
judge the reactions of those
Holocaust survivors whose faith
was challenged so severely, we
must marvel and deeply admire
the many other Holocaust
survivors who did not lose their
faith. Even as they went to certain
death, many declared Shma
Yisroel, affirming their belief
in one G-d, and Ani Maamin-I
believe with perfect faith in the
coming of Moshiach!
Throughout
our
history,
we have seen the Light in the
darkness. Whether it was in the
terrible darkness of the Holocaust
or the Soviet Gulag, countless
Jews remained faithful to Judaism
and testified to the world that
there is one G-d!

REVEALING THE HIDDEN

Rabbi Shneur Zalman of
Liadi, known as the Alter Rebbe,
probes more deeply into the
Jewish peoples role as witnesses
to G-d.
A witness is not needed
for something that is public
knowledge. Even something that
is not presently known to the
public, but will in due course
become known, does not require
formal testimony to establish
its veracity. The idea and
purpose of a witness is to reveal
something that is hidden from us
and without whom it will never
become known.

Similarly, the role of the

Jewish people as G-ds witnesses
is to reveal G-ds existence even
within worldly matters where
He is hidden. The very word
world in Hebrew is olam and
is cognate to helem-concealment,
because nature, by definition, is a
smokescreen for G-d. It was the
Divine design to keep G-d hidden,
to challenge us to discover that
there is nothing outside of G-ds
dominion and, indeed, that there
is nothing period - outside of
G-d.

THREE DIMENSIONS OF
G-DLY KNOWLEDGE
The Rebbe, in one of his
discourses, gives us an even
deeper understanding of what
it means for us to be G-ds
witnesses, based on the premise
that a witness is there to reveal
something
that
is
utterly
concealed.
Even when we speak about
revealing G-ds presence, there
are several levels of meaning.
There is an aspect of G-d
embedded within Creation that
we do not see. However, simple
logic dictates that there must be
a life-force that creates and gives
life to everything.
Upon deeper reflection, we
come to the realization that the
power G-d uses to create cannot
be simply the power that is vested
within and therefore related to
the Creation. There must be a
transcendent G-dly force that is
beyond the Creation. This power
cannot be fathomed the way the
first level can, but can be arrived at

by deductive reasoning. These two

levels are analogous to a witness
who testifies about something
that is already public knowledge
or which will inevitably become
public knowledge, respectively.
For these manifestations of
G-d to be accessible we do not
need our power of testimony.
That power is reserved for the
very Essence of G-d, which is
utterly and entirely inscrutable
and totally out of the realm
of the worlds consciousness
and cannot, with conventional
intellectual resources, ever be
revealed.
Only the Jewish nation was
blessed and endowed with the
power to reveal G-ds Essence
through the observance of the
Mitzvos-commandments known
as Edos-testimonies. These are
the Mitzvos such as Shabbos,
Holidays, Tfillin, etc., that are
G-ds testimonies.

THREE STAGES OF
HISTORY
In a more general sense,
our history can perhaps be
divided into three stages, which
correspond to the three levels of
testimony:
In the first stage, when
G-d was palpable through
miracles, prophecy and the Bais
HaMikdash, we were witnesses in
a relative sense. We pointed our
fingers and declared: This is My
G-d and I will glorify Him. Our
actions were not so necessary
to see G-ds Hand; G-d made
His presence clear through His
actions. We did our part, but
that is not the true meaning of
testimony.
Then G-d hid His face in our
current period of exile, which has
lasted for almost two millennia.
That is when it was crucial for us
to testify to G-ds presence, even

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when it appeared that He was

absent. We responded admirably
to this challenge.
However, the main challenge is
to discover and testify about G-ds
very Essence. That challenge was
entrusted to our generation. As
the Rebbe often stated, we are
the bridge generation between
Galus and Geula. Moshiach, who
ushers in the Redemption, and
every Jew who possesses a spark
of Moshiach, is given the task,
specifically in this transitional
period, to reveal G-ds very
Essence from its elusive state of
concealment.
No other generation has been
given that power. It was entrusted
to us exclusively because, as it
appears from the Rebbes words,
our souls were chosen to be the
ones to usher in the Messianic
Age.
We can now understand how
the affirmative commandant to
give testimony is connected to the
endearing expression of VaYikra.

hidden G-dly matters will be

fully revealed. In the words of
Maimonides concluding words
of his Mishneh Torah:
In that era, there will be
neither famine, nor war... for
good will flow in abundance...
The occupation of the entire
world will be solely to know Gd.
Therefore, the Jews will be great
sages and know hidden matters,
attaining the knowledge of their
Creator to the [full extent of]
human potential as it is written,
For the world will be filled with
the knowledge of Gd as the
waters cover up the ocean bed.
It seems that Rambam is
alluding to and enumerating all
three levels:
The occupation of the entire
world will
be solely
to know
G d ,

presumably refers to the Divine

inherent within and accessible
to the world and will therefore
be known and understood by all
peoples.
Therefore, the Jews will
be great sages appears to be a
reference to knowing the transworldly energies of G-d that are
not easily accessible to all.
and know hidden matters,
attaining the knowledge of their
Creator to the [full extent of]
human potential seems to refer
to those matters that are presently
hidden. They too will be revealed
within the confines of the human
mind. We will then realize the full
meaning of being G-ds witnesses.

PARALLEL TESTIMONIES
When we testify for another,
we are, metaphorically speaking,
invoking our power to testify
about G-d. Moreover, the very
power our testimony possesses
to uncover the truth about a
financial matter, for example,
derives from the Divine power
we were endowed with to reveal
the most hidden aspects of the
Divine and usher in the Age
of Redemption when all of the

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TZIVOS HASHEM

WHAT ARE
THE CHANCES?
By D Chaim

from
heard
I
Psssst,
the
of
middle
the
in
me
behind
turned
I
day.
the
of
last class
around and saw Shmuli, my
good friend.
Shmuli, I whispered. This is
not the time, well talk after
class.
Shmuli
Mendy,
But
insisted.
Is it so urgent? I blurted
out as out of the corner of
my eye I could see the teacher
looking at us.
Okay, youre right, I heard
Shmuli say. But lets talk right
after class.
I tried to forget about it
and concentrate on the lesson.
As usual, our teacher ended
the last class with a few words
about the Geula. Boys, another
day has passed and the Geula
still did not come. Thats
terrible. We are still in galus.
But tomorrow, surely will be
the Geula!
I waved my hand and
when I was called upon I said,
But yesterday we said that
and thought so and the day
before that and all the days
before that, so what makes us
so sure that the Geula will be
tomorrow?
It was late and the lack of
patience on the part of my

classmates is why our teacher

said, I will answer that when
we are more focused. That will
surely be in the time of the
Geula. Good night.
Everyone rushed to leave
and only Shmuli and I remained
in our places, waiting for the
classroom to empty out.
As soon as the door closed
behind the last boy, Shmuli
whispered to me, Guess what
I heard that the principal
is about to announce a special
contest.
What was so special about
that, you want to know. The
reason is simple. Its because
we have always loved learning
contests and in nearly every
one of them, we lead the way.
Fantastic, I enthused. Did
you hear any of the details?
Shmuli enjoyed my curiosity
and dropped the bomb. The
contest is to learn Tanya by
heart and for every line of
Tanya, you get a raffle ticket.
Wow! I shouted. We
can accumulate lots of raffle
tickets!
Over the next few days, our
classmates did not understand
why we hardly joined their
games during recess. They did
not know that the learning
of Tanya by heart that we
were busy with would almost

guarantee that we would be

the winners of the first prize in
the contest, which was a set of
Likkutei Sichos Parshiyos.
All their efforts to pressure
us into telling them whether
there was something we knew
which they did not were futile.
When the principal came
and
classroom
our
into
announced the contest we
acted surprised, but we were
already in the middle of
learning chapter twelve. We
had already earned hundreds of
raffle tickets.
All the students in the
school, from the highest classes
down to the lowest, were busy
learning Tanya by heart. Every
line of Tanya was worth a raffle
ticket! Have you ever heard of
such a contest? The principal
appointed testers and there
was no such thing as free time.
Every free moment in school
and at home was devoted to
learning more lines.
You realize that Shmuli and
I did not have to spend much
time studying. We were almost
always on line to be tested.
Everyone knew that we had
put in a lot of work and were
almost guaranteed to win the
first prize.
The days passed and it was
soon the end of the contest.

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Raffle tickets were put into

a huge box which contained
thousands of tickets.
The assembly began and
after some opening remarks,
the principal began the raffle.
On a special table were the
prizes with the top one being a
set of Likkutei Sichos Parshiyos.
The principal mixed the raffle
tickets as well as he could and
then called up a first grader
to remove the winning tickets.
Please tell us your name and
how many lines of Tanya you
were tested on, said the
principal.
The little boys voice could
be heard over the microphone.
My name is Zalmy and I
was tested on ten lines. The
principal smiled and said, So
you have ten raffle tickets. Now
please take out the first ticket,
which will be the winner of the
tenth prize.
The principal took the ticket
Zalmy had taken out and read:
The winner is Zalmy!
We were all surprised and
after a moment of silence, there
was applause.
I thought, Zalmy
time,
this
won
against the odds, but
the next time he has
no chance of winning.
And the winner
of the second prize is
Zalmy!
I
Again?

me
around
voices
heard
that
is
How
exclaiming.
possible? The principal was
as surprised as anyone but he
recovered and said, If Zalmy
won a second time, then he
deserves it. Now for the third
winner.
This time, another student
took out a raffle ticket and the
principal announced, The third
winner is Zalmy again.
This repeated itself with all
the drawings until the tenth.
Zalmy won time after time to
the amazement of all.
Then it was time for the
tenth drawing and Shmuli
whispered, We have no chance.
Zalmy is going to win again.
What are you saying? I
replied confidently. He has
only one ticket left in there.
True, but he won all the
raffles until now.
So what? His winning goes
against the odds and he has
hardly any chance of winning
now. His unreasonable winnings
until now dont give him any
more than one chance out of

the thousands of tickets to

win now.
Im telling you, insisted
Shmuli, I feel he will definitely
win.
You feel, but I know that he
has hardly any chance at all.
was
who
teacher
Our
standing nearby heard our
debate and spoke up. Mendy,
remember your question about
the Geula?
Yes, I said.
You yourself answered the
question. The Rebbe says that
the Geula should have come
already. So we can think and
feel that the galus will continue,
as it has until now, in an
illogical way, but we know that
it wont because the reality of a
Jew being in galus for one more
moment makes no sense at all.

what?
know
You
If I
me.
to
whispered Shmuli
set.
the
win, we will share
The principal pulled out a
ticket and read, The winner
of the set of Likkutei Sichos
Parshiyos is Shmuli!

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