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CONTENTS
4
FEATURED ARTICLES
WEEKLY COLUMNS
3 Dvar Malchus
29 Parsha Thought
35 Tzivos Hashem
A LIFE OF HARDSHIPS
AND MIRACLES
Menachem Ziegelboim
LEVI YITZCHOK
14 RABBI
AROUND THE YEAR
Mendy Goldman
WOMEN THEIR
24 GIVING
VOICE A UNIQUE
12
SHLICHUS
Dafna Chaim
32 1928:
MIVTZA TAHARAS
HAMISHPACHA
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
M.M. Hendel
HEBREW EDITOR:
Rabbi S.Y. Chazan
editorH@beismoshiach.org
ENGLISH EDITOR:
Boruch Merkur
editor@beismoshiach.org
2016-08-15 12:07:56 AM
DVAR MALCHUS
A PERMANENT
REDEMPTION
From Chapter Nine of Rabbi Shloma
Majeskis Likkutei Mekoros (Underlined
text is the compilers emphasis.)
Translated by Boruch Merkur
8. [] Presently, in this
physical world, we are in galus,
the final exile. Within exile itself,
we are situated in the lower
hemisphere (which in our time
is home to the majority of world
Jewry and Jewish infrastructure).
But it is specifically from and
within this lowly state and
location, this lowly exile, the
lowest possible depths, that the
greatest ascent is achieved. And
this elevation affects all levels
as well as all preceding and
superior generations, including
the upper hemisphere and the
most spiritually advanced former
generations (Moshe Rabbeinus
Dor Deia, for example, the
Generation of Knowledge). The
positive impact continues until it
results in the true and complete
Redemption, a redemption of
the entire world (including the
upper hemisphere) and for all
generations inclusively.
As is known, the word geula
(redemption) is comprised of
the word gola (exile) with the
addition of an Alef, signifying
that the redemption is drawn into
exile and comes about from and
through (the avoda of) drawing
the Alef of the Alufo Shel Olam,
the Master of the Universe, into
exile (gola).
It is specifically because
the geula comes about from
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the lowest state that it is gives

rise to the true and complete
redemption, a redemption that
is not followed by another exile.
This aspect of permanence of
the final redemption (unlike
the earlier redemptions, which
were impermanent) is seen in
our singing in celebration of the
final redemption a shir chadash
a new song stated in Hebrew
in the masculine [shir not
shira, which is feminine]. It is
specifically through its deriving
from the lowest depth that the
truth and perfection of the
redemption is revealed that it is
permanent and that it is manifest
specifically in a revealed way,
the qualities particular to Sfiras
HaMalchus (whose function is to
reveal G-dliness in a permanent
manner, as above Section 3),
which is manifest in the true and
complete redemption through
Moshiach Tzidkeinu (of the
royal Davidic dynasty). It is
known that the unique quality
of the redemption is G-dliness
revealed below, in the physical
world, the lowest possible depth,
establishing in the lower realms
a home for G-d(s essence), may
He be blessed, for at home ones
essence is revealed. Also, the
word gilui revelation is the
etymological root for the words
geula and gola.
9. Just as this is with regard

to the general concept of exile
and redemption, so it is with
regard to the particular place we
are in, the lower hemisphere:
Since it (the Mikdash Mat)
is the place where my revered
father in-law, the Rebbe, leader
of our generation, established
as his place, as the source for
spreading the wellsprings [of
Chassidus] outward throughout
the entire world, it is specifically
in and from this place that the
redemption and the building
of the Third Beis HaMikdash
unfolds The Mikdash of the
L-rd; He has established it with
His hands.
The proper place of the
Mikdash is, of course, in the
Holy Land, in Yerushalayim,
the Holy City, atop the Holy
Mountain. But since we merit
the redemption and the building
of the Beis HaMikdash through
our deeds and our avoda
throughout the entire duration
of the exile, especially at the
end of the time of exile, through
the avoda of spreading your
wellsprings outward, therefore,
in this place and specifically this
very place there is the complete
preparation for The Mikdash of
the L-rd; He has established it
with His hands.
(From the address of 28 Sivan
5751; Seifer HaSichos 5751, pg.
642-643)
2016-08-15 12:07:57 AM
PROFILE
A LIFE OF
HARDSHIPS
AND MIRACLES
Many residents of Kfar Chabad knew the

beloved Chassid, R Zalman Bronstein ah who
passed away twelve years ago. But few knew
his tumultuous life story, about his learning in
underground yeshivos, then fighting for four
years in the Red Army, until he made aliya and
settled in Safraya. * A series of open miracles.
By Menachem Ziegelboim
Zalman
was
a
prominent
and
beloved Chassid who
lived in Kfar Chabad.
He did much to develop the Kfar
and was known for his endearing
personality, his smile for every
person, a person who was good
towards heaven and good towards
people.
The following is from an
interview I did with him in which
he told me about his fascinating
life:
My father was Rabbi Chaim
Ezra Bronstein who was an
outstandingly G-d fearing man.
He was a sofer and then a mohel
too. His hiddurim in writing were

well known and in the Rebbe
Rayatzs court he was known
as Ezra the Sofer. My father
learned in Lubavitch where he
grew in Torah and Chassidus.
They said about him that he was
on the level of the beinoni in
Tanya.
My childhood years were
spent in Cherkassy where my
father was sent from the yeshiva
in Lubavitch in order to spread
the teachings of Chassidus there.
We were four children in my
family. There was me, Michoel,
Ettie and Bluma. We never
attended public school and this
entailed
enormous
mesirus
nefesh on my fathers part. The
government made it very difficult
for him. For a long while, my
father bribed the guard of the
building in which we lived so he
would not report that we werent
going to school. Even when the
authorities found out and made
difficulties my father remained
firm.
For a period of time we
learned in town but when I
turned eleven and my brother
Michoel was nine, my father
took us to Tomchei Tmimim in
Kremenchug. We traveled part of
the way by boat. Ill never forget
4 15 Menachem-Av 5776 - Hakhel

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R Zalman
my fathers joy when he arrived

at the yeshiva and met his friends,
Chassidim he had learned with in
Lubavitch, including R Yechezkel
Himmelstein and R Yisroel
Noach Blinitzky.
The conditions under which
we learned were very bad.
When I say very bad, I mean
intolerable. We learned in a
cellar under constant fear. At
night we slept in the womens
section of the shul on benches
covered with straw filled sacks.
There were huge white rats the
size of cats, which tormented
us, but we couldnt do anything
about it because we were there
surreptitiously and there was

nobody to complain to.
We ate teg by Chassidishe
balabatim, but the poverty at the
time was so great that there were
days that we simply didnt eat.
Our maggid shiur was R
Yechezkel Himmelstein, a small,
thin man who was sick with TB,
who couldnt eat anything. I
remember that I once ate by him
on Shabbos. He made kiddush
and ate HaMotzi but he could
not swallow the HaMotzi. He
just ate cubes of chocolate that
he first melted in his mouth. We
once asked Dr. Michelson who
was one of ours, what this
man lived on and he said, he lives

solely on the pleasure in learning.
After
the
yeshiva
in
Kremenchug was closed, we
went to Polotzk where we faced
a crossroads. Some stayed and
some went to Nevel. I continued
to the yeshiva in Nevel while my
brother remained in Polotzk.
I spent one year in Nevel,
5687. We were about fifteen
talmidim who learned in the
womens section of one of the
shuls by the Chassid, R Yehuda
Eber, may Hashem avenge his
death. One day, as we sat and
learned, a man armed with a
revolver suddenly appeared in
the doorway and shouted, Dont
move! We knew just whom he
was looking for, the maggid
shiur. We lost no time and within
a second we all jumped the man
and took his gun away.
In the meantime, R Yehuda
jumped out the window and
managed to escape. Only then
did we leave the man who left
shocked and furious.
One day we found out that
the Rebbe had been arrested
and we were greatly anguished
and frightened. Our great joy
when we heard about his release
was far greater. What joy! We
sat all night and farbrenged and
danced. Of course, this was all
done quietly and secretly.
We all traveled to Leningrad
to be with the Rebbe for Yom
Kippur and also to part with
him before he left Russia. They
asked that yeshiva students
not go to Leningrad under any
circumstances because of the
danger. (Laughing): I wasnt
a batlan and I went without
permission, for how could one be
without the Rebbe?
I can picture the Rebbe going
up to the Torah and his bracha
which was heavenly and amazing.
What a niggun, what sweetness.
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I constantly yearn to hear this
bracha again.
One day in Tishrei the Rebbe
farbrenged and the room was
full. Despite the great crowding,
I also wanted to hear and see
the Rebbe. In the end, I found
an oven that hung from the
ceiling and there was a narrow
space between the ceiling and
the oven. I jumped on the oven
and managed to squeeze inside.
People began shouting at me that
the oven could fall on people.
When the Rebbe heard this, he
looked at me and said, Leave
him alone, leave him alone.
After Nevel I learned in
Vitebsk and from there I
continued running from place
to place after the yeshivos were
rapidly exposed and closed down.
At twenty I had no choice and
I left yeshiva and began working.
I was in Nikolayev and did
piecework.
My father instilled us with a
superior Chassidishe chinuch.
His entire being was the very
image of a Chassid, his daily
schedule was that of a Chassid.
One day, there was a knock at
the door. It was the mailman
with a telegram for my father. My
father read it and fainted. He was
informed of the passing of the
Rebbe Rashab [in 1920].
There is much to write and
tell about my father but this
deserves a special chapter.
***
As mentioned, in Tishrei
5688, the last Tishrei the Rebbe
Rayatz spent in Russia, I snuck
into Leningrad in order to be
with the Rebbe. My brother
Michoel and my father arrived on
Chol HaMoed Sukkos. In those
insane times, the Rebbe hardly
received anyone for a private
audience. My father wanted to
see the Rebbe anyway and he told
us, You know what? I want to
R Zalman in the early days

in Kfar Chabad
go to Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah.

When he learned in Lubavitch
she drew him very close and he
hoped she would help him get to
see the Rebbe.
The three of us entered
her room and when she saw
my father together with us she
smiled and asked, These are
grandchildren? (She meant
that someone who learned in
Lubavitch was then called a son
and their children were called
grandchildren.) She smiled as
she blessed us.
She arranged yechidus for us.
***
I married my cousin R
Hershel Bronsteins daughter in
Moscow. After she was orphaned
of her parents, one of her aunts
took her to Moscow. The
wedding was conducted secretly
in the home of R Shlomo Chaim
Kesselman. Great Chassidim
such as R Pinye Rakshiker and
many others participated in the
wedding.
When World War II began
we were living in Moscow and

when the front approached the
city we had to flee. After much
wandering we arrived in Tashkent
in Kazakhstan, which is near the
border with Uzbekistan. Our
plan was to stay in the home of
a friend of the family who would
always stay with my parents when
he went to Moscow. We hoped to
find hospitality with him in this
difficult time.
He welcomed us but his wife
was another story. We had no
choice but to look for another
place and we went to the village
of Mankent also in Kazakhstan.
My parents joined us a few days
later.
That was 1942. We stayed in
Mankent for a few weeks and did
not know where all of Anash and
the Tmimim had gone to. In the
town we met hardly any Jews.
In Mankent there was a draft
official whose job it was to send
eligible candidates to the draft
office. It was war time so it was
especially difficult to evade the
draft. In order to avoid being
drafted I bribed him. This went
on for two to three months and
we had some respite.
One day, that official came to
our house drunk. What I feared
came to pass and the next day
I received an emergency draft
notice. I went to the draft office
and tried to bribe one of the
doctors, but during the state of
emergency a bribe did not help
and I was drafted.
The situation at home was
terrible. We had no bread and
water, there were three little
children, and on top of that I was
now drafted.
***
Not many of Anash and
the Tmimim were drafted. It
was extremely dangerous and
whoever was able to, fled for his
life. I had the privilege of being

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R Zalman with a group of Chabad Chassidim in Paris at the kabbalas panim for Rashag
drafted and served in the Russian

army for four years in difficult
battles against the Germans. I
have endless stories and wonders
in my memory. I saw death
before my eyes countless times
but
something
supernatural
always happened and my life was
saved.
Right after I was drafted I was
sent to serve in the 123 brigade.
This brigade stood at the ready to
serve as reserve units.
It was not easy being a
Jew in the army for there was
tremendous anti-Semitism. I
remember that one of the soldiers
once said to me nastily, When
we go on the attack at the front
my first bullet wont be shot
against the enemy but at your
back.
When I was first inducted I
had a pair of tfillin with me but
it wasnt easy to put them on. I
He began singing in Russian and I shuddered

at his singing off-key. I got up and politely said,
Comrade Officer, you are off-key. And its such a nice
tune... He looked at me and exclaimed, You know the
song? I cant sing. You sing it for me. I apologized and
said maybe my voice isnt that good but he insisted. I
began to sing and he looked at me and said, You? With
a voice like that youre on the front lines? That cant be!
You need to be moved away from here!
was afraid that I would be caught

putting them on, which was
dangerous, but I did it anyway.
Every morning, when everyone
else was still asleep in the bunker,
I covered myself with my blanket
and put on tfillin. I said just the
Shma and Shmoneh Esrei and
immediately removed the tfillin.
The rest I davened without
tfillin.
When we were in the forest, I
would wake up early and put on
tfillin quickly among the trees. I
did so every morning until I lost
my tfillin. This is what happened:
At some point during the war
I lost my night vision. This was
due to a vitamin deficiency. By
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Profile
R Zalman Bronstein (second row from the bottom, third from the left) with a group
of Chabad Chassidim in France
SURPRISE SANDAK
R Zalman related:
As I said, my father was also a
mohel. When I was around sixteen, I
once came home from yeshiva and my
father said, Zalman, today you will go
with me to a bris and you will be the
sandak.
We went together to the home of
the baby. It was a very large private
house with dozens of rooms. I had
never seen such a beautiful house in
my life. It was probably the home of
a high government official, a sworn
communist. We entered one of the
rooms and then an old woman came
in with a baby. I held the baby and my
father quickly performed the bris. After
he finished bandaging up the baby, he
gave him a Jewish name and we left.
I know that my father did many
other brissin with tremendous mesirus
nefesh, in great danger, but since I
was in yeshiva most of the time, far
from home, that was the only time I
witnessed my fathers mesirus nefesh.
day I could see and at night I was

blind. One night, we went on an
exhausting march. Since I could
see nothing, two soldiers led

me by the arms the entire way.
We arrived at our destination in
the morning and, the way it was
done then, the soldiers dispersed
among the houses to rest. It was
cold and there were both rain
and snow. I also entered one of
the homes. I took off my clothes
and laid them on the stove to dry.
I put the tfillin there too.
I was sound asleep when I
suddenly heard an urgent call
for all soldiers to appear outside.
As a result of the rushing and
confusion, I hurried to get
dressed and go out and we were
on our way within minutes. That
is when I remembered that I had
forgotten my tfillin but it was too
late. I was inconsolable.
Another story I experienced
also occurred as a result of the
same practice. One day we
entered a village and dispersed
among the houses to rest. As
I lay on the oven I happened
to notice a page from a Torah
scroll tossed in a corner of the
house. I trembled both because
of the terrible desecration and for
seeing something holy after so
long.
I jumped up and took the

parchment in my hands with
great emotion. I thought that
surely a Jew had found it and
left it here so it would not be
desecrated out in the open.
An old Russian lady lived
in the house and I, in my
excitement, instead of simply
taking the parchment from her,
took out fifty rubles, all the
money I had, and gave it to her.
Take the money and I will take
the parchment. She did not
understand what these pages
were.
When she heard that I was a
Jew, she told me that many Jews
used to live in this village and
when the Nazis conquered it,
they took them all to the banks of
the nearby river and shot them.
When she related this, she cried
bitterly.
(Emotionally): During my
four years in the army I never ate
cooked food, and managed on
bread and vegetables. It wasnt
easy but Hashem helped me in
this too. Often, when we walked
in fields, I pulled out potatoes.
I had a pot with me that I filled
with rainwater and I cooked the
potatoes for myself.
As a result of inadequate
nutrition, I became very weak.
At a certain point I decided to
stop eating almost completely in
the hopes that my heart would
become weaker and they would
release me.
I was stricken with hepatitis
and
was
hospitalized
in
Sverdlovsk in the Urals. When
the doctors tried to give me
food so I would regain some
strength, I refused, saying I had
no appetite.
One day, a Jewish doctor
came and she whispered,
Bronstein, start shtuppen zich
(Yid. stuffing yourself) and I
promise you that if you eat more

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in the next two weeks, your heart

will be a bit stronger and then we
will send you on furlough. Right
now we are afraid to release you
because you will not be able to
make the trip home.
I took her advice and over
the next two weeks I started
eating bread and vegetables.
Two weeks later I was examined
again and the doctor said she was
pleased with the condition of my
heart. She kept her promise and
I was given two months off. I
immediately traveled to Tashkent
where I met my wife and children
as well as my fellow Chassidim.
After two months I had to
return to the army. I went to the
hospital in Tashkent and gave
a bribe so they would allow me
to continue on furlough. I got
another month with difficulty,
but in the end I had to return to
my unit which was camped not
far from Smolensk.
When I returned to my unit a
great and most shocking miracle
occurred to me. Many soldiers
were waiting to go to their next
assignment when, suddenly,
one of the commanders loudly
announced that they needed a
thousand soldiers for work. Our
unit was a reserve unit and some
of the soldiers were supposed to
be sent to the front and some to
work.
All the soldiers immediately
ran to the registration window
for they all preferred working
to going to the front. Of course,
I was among them. The line
moved quickly. In front of me
were just two soldiers and I was
almost at the window when a
thought popped into my mind,
acharon acharon chaviv (the last
is beloved). I did not understand
why this thought came to me and
gave me no rest. I left my place
and moved to the back of the line
so I could be last.
Chassidishe nachas at an upsheren

for one of his great-grandchildren
horror, hundreds of bodies of

dead soldiers with missing limbs.
These were the soldiers who
had registered for work but had
actually been sent to an attack
on the front lines and nobody
remained alive.
I suddenly realized what
acharon acharon chaviv meant.
It was an open miracle.
***
Obviously, being in the
Russian army wasnt easy. Of
those sent to the front, more than
50% did not return alive, and
thats where I was sent.
During hostilities I was in
a bunker in the area of White
Russia very close to the German
enemy. The bunker was like
The next morning we received an order to start

going. As we passed the fields we saw, to our
horror, hundreds of bodies of dead soldiers with missing
limbs. These were the soldiers who had registered for
work but had actually been sent to an attack on the front
lines and nobody remained alive. I then realized what
acharon acharon chaviv meant. It was an open miracle.
Then I realized what I had

done. Oy, by the time it would
be my turn, they would already
have a thousand men who would
be sent to work while I would
be sent to the front! I tried to
console myself by thinking it
wasnt for nothing that the
thought had come to my mind
and there was something to it.
As soon as the registration
was over, the thousand happy
soldiers went off to work while I
remained with the other soldiers,
expecting to be sent to the
burning front.
The next morning we received
an order to start going. As we
passed the fields we saw, to our
a small room in the ground,

fortified and protected, from
which extended long trenches
that we walked in.
At the end of one shift I went
into the bunker to rest a little and
dozed on a bed, which was really
just a few boards nailed together.
Suddenly, one of the officers
came in to shave. Till today I have
no idea why he needed to shave
in the soldiers bunker when he
had his own officers bunker.
He began singing in Russian
and I shuddered at his singing
off-key. I got up and politely said,
Comrade Officer, you are offkey. And its such a nice tune...
He looked at me and then
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exclaimed, You know the song?
I cant sing it. You sing it for me.
I wasnt in the mood to sing
and I apologized and said maybe
my voice isnt that good but he
insisted. I began to sing and he
looked at me and said, You?
With a voice like that youre on
the front lines? That cant be!
You need to be moved away from
here!
Two days later, as I lay in the
trench, I heard one of the top
commanders calling on the phone
from the platoon command post,
Singer Bronstein, who here is
the singer Bronstein? We were
eighteen soldiers and it took me
time to realize he meant me.
Getting out was a problem
because whoever went outside
was exposed to the German
snipers who surrounded us on
three sides. You just had to pick
up your head in order to be shot
at. We were only a few dozen
meters away from the Germans
so that sometimes we could even
hear them talking to one another.
The commander ordered me
to hold my rifle on my stomach
and crawl out on my back while
holding onto the phone line
so I would not veer right or
left. I crawled nearly an entire
kilometer toward the command
post until I saw our artillery
nests. Only then did I stand up. I
presented myself at the command
post while covered in mud and
soaking wet.
Are
you
the
singer
Bronstein? one of the soldiers
asked me and I said yes.
He led me through the
command rooms until I was
standing before the senior officer
who looked at me and asked,
You did not lose your voice at
the bunker?
After that, I had a far
more important job, to sing
Russian songs for the officers
and soldiers. The first time I

performed for them was at a
concert that took place in a club
for generals. There were twelve
generals and I sang the Russian
folksong I sang in the bunker.
The musical director told me
later that, All the generals here
are fighting over you. Each of
them wants you in his battalion.
I definitely preferred standing
on the stage and singing to lying
in a damp bunker, exposed to
German bullets. I joined the
military choir and we traveled
to many places. We were a large
group, comprised of a choir,
soloists, musicians, directors
and producers more than
forty people. We held a concert
wherever we went and I sang
solo.
From the start of my new
position I firmly resolved that at
every concert I would sing only
three songs and no more. The
officers might beg for an encore
but I wouldnt sing more. I stood
by that decision and did not sing
more than three songs. Whatever
I did was only to remain alive
and for that, three songs were
enough.
That is how I escaped nearly
certain death. Afterward, I met a
soldier who told me that shortly
after I left the bunker, the bunker
took a direct bomb hit and many
soldiers were killed or wounded.
Till today, when I think about
what occurred, I think that the
officer who entered my bunker
for a shave wasnt merely an
officer. He was the instrument
of divine providence so I would
remain alive.
***
One day, my sister Ettie
found out that all of Anash had
fled to Tashkent and Samarkand.
My wife immediately contacted
the Chassidim and within a
short time the family moved to
Tashkent to be together with the

other Chassidim.
Since
there
was
no
breadwinner, my wife began to
work. She bought threads and
fabric, got a machine to make
socks and other piecework and
then sold the socks.
When R Nissan Nemanov
heard about this, he said it wasnt
befitting for a woman to go about
looking for threads and raw
materials. He made sure to have
a machine and raw materials
brought to her house and she
did all the work there. Now and
then, R Peretz Chein would go
and take the merchandise from
her and sell it and bring her the
money.
I found out about this from
letters that I received from
her while I was in the army.
(Laughing): Who knows, maybe
R Nissan had ruach hakodesh
and knew that one day his
granddaughter would marry our
son.
***
I served in the army for four
years, far from home. I received
a letter from my wife saying
that she found out that most of
Anash were in Tashkent and she
left Mankent together with the
children and my parents and
moved there. I was homesick and
kept thinking about my family.
We moved from concert
to concert and were met with
acclaim wherever we went.
However,
when
the
war
intensified and we found out
about tens of thousands of
soldiers who were killed, nobody
was in the frame of mind to make
concerts. Moreover, there was a
severe shortage of soldiers and
it was decided to send some
members of our group to the
front.
One day, officials came to
take some of my colleagues from

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the musical group to the front.

The
commandant
suddenly
came out and said there was an
order from the general to leave
three soldiers since the general
wanted them to accompany his
entourage. I was one of the three
and that was my immunity for
life.
I wont forget the day I saw
masses of soldiers preparing for a
major offensive while the general
himself stood and supervised
them, and I stood nearby, under a
protective covering and watched.
That was my immunity. I knew
where my place was
The battles reached their pitch
and the Russian army began
to triumph over the Germans.
Slowly, the Reds began invading
Germany.
At the end of the war I met
a Jewish officer in the Russian
army who told me to go with him.
Without saying a word, I followed
him and he entered one of the
hospitals in Berlin where there
were many German soldiers. He
grabbed his automatic rifle and
began shooting at them, This is
for my father, for my mother, for
my family, for my entire family,
he screamed and killed many
Germans.
After the war, many soldiers
were free to go home. I saw them
being released one after another
and wondered when would I be
free to go?
One day I was called to the
senior general who said, Listen
Bronstein, our unit is going
to Kiev now and I want you
to accompany us there. I will
provide you with an officers
apartment and salary. Bring your
wife and children and I want you
to reorganize the choir for me.
I began to sweat. I so badly
wanted to get out of the army
and go home and now he wanted
me to arrange a new choir, a job
R Zalman at the wedding of his son, R Yosef Yitzchok. In the center: R Nissan
Nemanov and to his right, R Sholom Ber Pevsner
When we arrived at the border, Austrian soldiers

arrested us. The leader who accompanied us
jumped from the car and shouted, Shalosh seudos bimbam, shalosh seudos bim-bam. Apparently, this was a
signal, for the soldiers nodded and allowed us to cross
the border.
that took years. I said I would

think about it and let him know.
When I left his room I met a
Jewish officer who was passing
by and I told him the situation.
He advised me to write home and
ask them to send me a telegram
from a doctor that my wifes
condition was very serious and I
had to return home.
I did that and a few days later
I received an urgent telegram
telling me to return home since
my wifes condition was very
serious. I took the telegram to
the general and showed it to him
and he gave me a penetrating
look and said, Thats a Jewish
head. I protected you from these
dangers and now youre running
away from me.
Finally, after years of danger
and war, I returned home in
peace and joy. I met my wife and
three children and my mother.
I was saddened to hear that my

father had passed away.
In Tashkent I met many of my
fellow Chassidim who lived there.
Our joy was indescribable.
***
I re-acclimated to civilian life
and opened a small watch repair
store. I did not know the secrets
of the profession and I acquired
my experience and expertise with
time. Obviously, there wasnt
much parnasa to be made in this.
I remember attending a
meeting for a Maos Chittim fund
where R Chaikel Chanin said I
should give 500 rubles. I told him
that I had been released from the
army just two months earlier and
was not on my feet yet. Still, I got
the money and gave it to him.
That was the atmosphere
among
the
Chassidim
in
Tashkent,
very
family-like.
Whoever had any difficulty
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Profile
whatsoever was immediately
helped by the others.
I was in Tashkent for a few
months when I heard that it
was possible to leave Russia as
Polish citizens. At the time, I
knew a woman in Lvov by the
name of Paula Svetlana. She
had good connections with the
train director and I wanted to
use these connections to benefit
the Chassidim. How did I know
her? That is also a story of divine
providence.
My sister, Ettie Levitin,
escaped from detention after a
big bribe was given and arrived
in Tashkent where she spent one
day and then traveled to Lvov
where she rented a place with an
old Jewish woman. I arrived in
Lvov a few days after her, and
she told me that her landladys
friend had a woman living with
her who had connections with
the train director and maybe she
could help us travel. It pays to
go and meet her.
I took her advice and met
Paula and began to work with
her in arranging the trains that
smuggled Jews out of Russia. I
helped the committee that was
set up for this purpose.
In the meantime, I began
arranging a group of about
seventy families so they could
leave at the first opportunity.
Included were R Shlomo Chaim
Kesselman and his family, R
Yisroel Noach Blinitzky and his
family and other greats.
The first train set out on 19
Kislev 5706 with two hundred
and fifty Chassidim. I was
supposed to go with that group
but my daughter Shterna was
born on that day and of course
we could not leave. I began
working on arranging a second
transport.
I remember that on the night
of 19 Kislev we found out that
the first group of Chassidim

managed to cross the border.
We were ecstatic. For me it was
a three-fold holiday. First, it
was Yud-Tes Kislev, second, my
daughter was born, and third, the
trainload had gotten through. I
was in the house of the working
committee together with R
Mendel Futerfas, R Garelik
and R Leibel Mochkin. I drank
plenty of mashke and we took off
our shoes and danced all night in
our socks.
As I said, I got to work on
the second train and in doing so,
arranged things with that woman.
The date was set for a week after
19 Kislev.
On the last day before the
trip, I went to Paulas house to
arrange the final details and she
said, Bronstein, take your wife
and children and we are going
today. I am afraid to travel with
such a large group of people. I
nearly fainted. After all the work
and effort, the tension and fear,
she was changing the entire plan!
And people were packed to go!
I said to her firmly, Either
we are all going or you are not
going either. She was very angry
and screamed, Get out. I dont
want to see you again!
The woman with whom she
lived heard the screaming and
came in to see what happened.
When she heard what was going
on, she yelled at her, Paula, how
are you talking to this man? His
blood is pouring from his heart!
She calmed down and said,
Listen, tonight, at twelve
oclock, be at the train station
where we will meet the train
director and arrange things with
him. If we arrange it, we go; if
not, I will go alone.
Having no choice, I agreed
and immediately returned to
where the Chassidim met to
quickly get everyone ready for the
possibility of traveling that night.

It all depended on the influence
of the train director.
The train was supposed to
leave at four in the morning and
I had to arrange things and be
ready at the station by twelve.
I told the Chassidim the latest
developments and asked how
could I go there at twelve when
I didnt even have ID papers? In
those days, it was very dangerous
to go out on the street without
ID. The government suspected
that many people wanted to
escape. R Leibel Mochkin tossed
me his ID and said, Take it, go
with this.
I arranged with the members
of the committee that they would
send a car to all the families to
inform them to be ready and
if necessary, to bring them all
quickly to the train station in the
middle of the night.
Close to midnight I left for the
train in order to meet Paula. I met
her standing and talking with the
train director. Berel Krolevetser
was with me; he was supposed to
be the contact person if the need
arose.
I joined them. The train
director walked in the center
with Paula to his right and me
on his left. She had a bag on
her shoulder with the money
she had brought with her. We
started walking and as we spoke
I quickly removed the bundles
of bills from the bag and pushed
them into his pocket. I added one
bundle and another one until he
suddenly stopped and said, Yes,
we are going tonight.
That was a signal that the
money he had received was
enough.
As soon as I got the okay
from him for the trip, I motioned
to Berel who was standing at a
distance that we had the okay.
He ran to alert all the families

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to come to the train. All seventy

families were to be ready within
two hours with all their bundles.
I also hurried to the meeting
house to make the final
arrangements. I pleaded with R
Mendel, Come with us because
there wont be more trains; this is
the last one. But he refused and
said resolutely, Until the last Jew
goes, Im not going.
At four in the morning all
seventy families were waiting with
their children and belongings in
a certain spot, two kilometers
from the train station, a dark
and desolate place, far from the
peering eyes of the KGB. At the
appointed time, the train arrived
and we all got on board a special
car that was designated for us.
Two hours later we arrived at
the border where we all had to
get off to be checked. In those
two hours we managed to divide
all the passengers into families
with each one receiving a new,
fake name. Each parent taught
and reviewed with his children
(real and fictitious) their new
names.
At the border, the soldiers
examined the documents one by
one. They asked the children,
Whats your name boy? Each
one answered with his new Polish
name. The soldiers winked at one
another and smilingly said, Ah,
each one remembers his name.
There
was
tremendous
tension and great fear but it was
all worthwhile just to escape from
there. It was also very cold and
in the middle of the night all was
dark. But after we crossed the
border it was so warm
We arrived in Cracow, Poland
early in the morning and entered
one of the houses where we spent
a few days. We knew that the
danger had not passed yet and
if we were caught, we would be
sent back to Russia. We had to
R Zalman writing a letter in a Torah scroll
leave quickly and move on.

From Cracow we traveled
to Prague, Czechoslovakia and
arrived on Shabbos morning.
The members of the Bricha
organization who helped us said
we had to continue further into
Austria, but we knew that the
danger was over and it wasnt a
matter of danger to life for which
we should travel on Shabbos.
The Bricha members began
pressuring us to go but we stood
firm.
One of the group leaders
suddenly jumped in and said,
I will stay with them and bring
them over the border to Austria.
That was a Shabbos of repose, of
our Geula. As soon as Shabbos
was over, with three stars in the
sky, the leader said, Chevra,
we need to leave right away.
Indeed, we immediately set out to
cross the border to Austria.
When we arrived at the
border, Austrian soldiers arrested
us. The leader who accompanied
us jumped from the car and
shouted, Shalosh seudos bimbam, shalosh seudos bim-bam.
Apparently, this was the signal,
for the soldiers nodded and
allowed us to cross the border.
We spent about a year in
Austria and lived in a refugee
camp that was established by

the Americans. At a later point I
arrived in France where I spent
another year. In Paris I worked
at doing piecework but was
not successful, and we were
supported by money for refugee
children provided by the French
government and with help from
the Americans.
While in France, I wrote to
the Rebbe Rayatz that I was
sick of wandering in galus and
wanted to make aliya. I received
a response in which the Rebbe
approved of the idea.
In 5709 I made aliya on the
ship Keidma and we arrived on
the shores of Eretz Yisroel a few
days before Pesach. We were
brought to the absorption camp
in Pardes Chana and we formed
a committee that appointed
R Zalman Feldman, R Isaac
Karasik and myself, and together
with Aguch we started to look
for a good place for Chassidim
who had just made aliya to live,
in collaboration with the Jewish
Agency.
Before very long we found
Safraya (now Kfar Chabad) and
we moved there to settle and to
make the desolation bloom, but
that is a story in itself.
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FEATURE
RABBI LEVI
YITZCHOK
Around the Year
An amazing Jew lived in Yekaterinoslav and his name was Rabbi Levi
Yitzchok Schneersohn ztl. A Gaon, Chassid and Mekubal. He had many
practices that were rooted in Chassidus and Kabbala. On top of that, his
conduct was wondrous, lofty, and filled with chayus and enthusiasm. To
mark his passing on Chaf Av, we present this compilation of the cycle of
the year. We were helped by the various times that the Rebbe referred to
his fathers customs, the memoirs of Rebbetzin Chana ah, and testimony
from Chassidim. * A sampling of customs, practices and personal conduct,
on Shabbos and holidays.
Presented by Mendy Goldman
ROSH HASHANA
When he was in Nikolayev
(until 5669), he was part of the
household of his father-in-law, R
Meir Shlomo Yanovsky. On Rosh
HaShana, R Levi Yitzchok went
to Tashlich to a well (as the Alter
Rebbe says in his siddur that a
well is also fine for Tashlich). The
Rebbe said this in response to a
question regarding his fathers
custom.
YOM KIPPUR
the
When the government closed

mikva in Yekaterinoslav,
they began immersing in the

Dnieper River. One year,
on Erev Yom Kippur it was
freezing. R Levi Yitzchok went
to the river to immerse as is the
custom. He immersed a number
of times in the river and after
each immersion he got out,
got dressed, then went back to
immerse, in order to fulfill the
custom of immersing three times
on Erev Yom Kippur.
On Motzaei Yom Kippur,
R Levi Yitzchok would sit
down to farbreng while wearing
the garments of the Tzemach
Tzedek, and he spoke, as was his
custom, on topics of Kabbala and

Chassidus.
SIMCHAS TORAH
Farbrengens, joy and chayus,
accompanied R Levik during
Zman Simchaseinu (Sukkos)
and Simchas Torah. During
the hakafos that took place
in Yekaterinoslav with great
exuberance, R Levik would
enthusiastically sing the Hakafos
Niggun. He said that he had
a tradition that they sang this
niggun by the Alter Rebbe (the
Rebbe also liked this song very
much and referred to it as his

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Feature
CUSTOMS FOR SHABBOS

Friday night, R Levi Yitzchok made
kiddush long after the seventh hour.
Shabbos day, in the shul in
Yekaterinoslav, R Levi Yitzchoks aliya
would be Maftir. The Rebbe said that
they did not read the Haftora from a
parchment.
One time, during a fast day, he was
asked to read from such a scroll and he
refused.
At the third Shabbos meal (which
took place in shul or at home), R Levi
Yitzchok would review Chassidus, that
was heavily based on Kabbala. The
listeners did not always understand
him. The local melamed, the Chassid,
R Shneur Zalman Vilenkin, relates
that R Levi Yitzchok was once asked,
Who is the rav addressing? Nobody
understands it!
R Levi Yitzchok pointed at his
oldest son, the Rebbe, and said, He
understands.
At the third Shabbos meal, R Levi
Yitzchok ate fruit like other Chassidim
and did not wash for bread. At this
time, R Levi Yitzchok would say
the entire chapter 119 of Thillim
as the Alter Rebbe writes in Kuntres
Acharon, chapter 9. In our generation,
Chassidim do not have this practice.
After Havdala, R Levi Yitzchok
would say, vyitein lecha with
someone else (as witnessed by a
number of people at his house). As for
the reason, says the Rebbe, I dont
know, but this is what the Rebbe
Rayatz did too.
At the fourth meal he drank a cup of
hot liquid as brought in the Gemara as
a healthy thing to do regarding Motzaei
Shabbos.
fathers niggun, and he began
it numerous times on joyous
occasions).
This is how Rebbetzin Chana
ah described Simchas Torah by
R Levik in her memoirs:
Whoever wanted to rejoice

on the holiday headed to our
house. In the evening, when it
grew dark, young people came
too. Each one tried to arrive in
a way that would avoid notice,
but when they came inside the
rav would farbreng with each
individually so that for the time
they spent in his house they
would forget what country
they were in and under what
conditions.
One day, after two chazanim
(who were guests of R Levik
during Tishrei) returned to
Moscow, I received a thank you
letter from them. At the end of
the letter they wrote that they
saw an amazing thing by the rav
of Yekaterinoslav, something they
had never seen before. While he
rejoiced and danced with such
great joy on Simchas Torah, he
cried bitterly, something that
cannot be described in words.
The dancing, they added, was
more powerful than the crying.
The rebbetzin also describes
the joy of the hakafos during the
dark period of exile in distant
Chili:
The time for hakafos arrived
and it is hard for someone as
small as myself to describe the
spiritual experience that was
apparent on my husbands face
when he began to proclaim the
verses, Ata Horeisa ladaas ki
Hashem Hu HaElokim, ein od
milvado! He said the words of
the verse to the same tune that
he used in our city on the first
night in shul with hundreds of
Jews in attendance and the next
night, in our home with only
mekuravim in attendance who
amounted to a few dozen people.
At home as in shul, not only
was there dancing, it seemed as
though the stones also danced
from the great joy.
My husband girded himself
with that same joy even here. He

said each verse and after every
hakafa he sang and danced, by
himself, of course, and he sang
the niggun that was called the
ravs niggun. Between the table
and the bed was a small empty
space where my husband went
round and round as he did the
hakafos. As he said the words,
you could sense the feelings of
his heart, his longing that the
simcha be pure and pristine.
For me, it was a very difficult
experience. I sat in a corner on
a wooden stool and watched the
great love for Torah of this man,
who danced this way through all
seven hakafos.
The next day, my husband
said the piyut Sisu vsimchu
bsimchas Torah with the same
enthusiasm.
Regarding another Simchas
Torah in exile the Rebbetzin
related that whoever saw my
husband sitting and farbrenging
on that Simchas Torah could
have thought that this man never
experienced any suffering in his
life his appearance had greatly
changed for the worse but his
spirit was exceedingly strong.
YUD-TES KISLEV
On 19 Kislev, R Levik
would farbreng all night. This
farbrengen left an impression
deep in the hearts of the listeners.
R Nachum Goldschmidt ah
described it (Kfar Chabad issue
298):
R Levi Yitzchok would hold
a big farbrengen on 19 Kislev
that would last all night. A large
crowd came to hear him and he
would speak for hours without
a break. They were deep topics
which included Kabbala, Nigleh
and Chassidus.
He would drink a lot of
mashke and would explain at

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length, according to Kabbala,

for example, why the Alter Rebbe
was freed in the year 5559 on
Tuesday, on the 19th of Kislev,
and not on another day, because
according to a certain calculation
in the Kabbala, he had to be
released on this day and not on
another day.
R Nachum went on to
describe the conduct of R Leviks
sons at that farbrengen:
While their father spoke, his
sons stood the entire time. When
he finished speaking they went to
a nearby room, took the sfarim
they were learning, and learned
throughout the break between
talks, while niggunim were
being sung as is customary at a
Chassidic farbrengen.
The
children
of
Yekaterinoslav also held a
farbrengen on 19 Kislev, but
that was on a different night, so
as not to interfere with the ravs
farbrengen. A few days before 19
Kislev they would collect money
for their farbrengen. The Rebbe
was the one in charge of the
money and he was the leader of
all the children, since he was the
oldest son and the oldest of the
children in the town. They would
cook kasha and have a meal.
It was a great holiday and
the only day of the year that the
Rebbe allowed himself to leave
his regular schedule and stop a
little from his diligent learning
and be involved in other things.
BEIS NISSAN
The date that the Rebbe
Rashab passed away was a
significant day for him. In the
Rebbetzins memoirs there are
three descriptions of Beis Nissan
with R Levik. The first is about
hearing the news of his passing
and the other two are of Beis
Nissan in exile.
R Levi Yitzchoks gravesite in Almaty
I remember the moment

that the message arrived. At that
time, communication via the mail
and train were erratic, but the
news of the histalkus came that
day. I have no words with which
to describe the impression this
news made on us. The feeling
was that life had stopped. That
was the feeling in our home and
in the homes of our mekuravim
and of course, in most homes of
Anash. My husband cried bitterly
and loudly, something he almost
never did.
The matter became known to
all those I mentioned for some
reason, I do not recall how. And
they all came to our home. More
than twenty people sat Shiva
in our house in an oppressive
atmosphere. They all sobbed
bitterly. During that time, I recall,
an engineer by the name of YL
Karin came to the house, a man
far from any inclination toward
religion, a freethinker. When he
saw people, young and old, and
my husband with them, whom he
knew as a strong personality (as

he put it), all so broken, he cried
along with them. He told me that
although he was a freethinker,
when he found out that this
holy rabbi of the Jewish people
to whom Jews cleaved with such
great hiskashrus, had been lost
to the world, he cried too and
felt the loss himself. Even after
he left the house, as he walked in
the street he was unable to calm
down and he continued to cry
hysterically.
We have a description of this
day, Beis Nissan 5700, about a
year after the arrest of R Levik,
as related by Rebbetzin Chana:
This day, Beis Nissan,
reminds me of the first time I
traveled to my husband in his
place of exile, for Pesach. It was
1940. My husband did not feel
at all well. It was two months
after his journey into exile and
the conditions there were harsh
to an extent that I had not
expected. But on this day, my
husband forgot all that and said
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Feature
For the sale not to look like a superficial

procedure, done merely to fulfill ones obligation,
my husband would sit with the goy in his study. Nobody
was allowed to enter, and he would translate the
document into Russian for him. My husband knew Russian
well and did not refrain from translating even one type
of chametz product enumerated in the document. My
husband, with the utmost gravity with which he treated
the sale, instilled such a fear in the goy that he would
sit in terror. The goy would finish all the formalities and
leave our house with the most somber look on his face.
the following:
Today is, after all, Beis
Nissan. It would be fitting to say
Chassidus, but there arent many
to whom to say it. I would want
to write some inyan in Chassidus
but there is no paper to write on.
I will have to fulfill my obligation
through thought. May Hashem
help me have the strength to
think...
My husband sat for a while
immersed in thought and then he
began speaking about the Rebbe
while completely forgetting where
he was and his state.
This is how the rebbetzin
describes
her
illustrious
husbands feelings on this date,
two years later, in 5702:
We sat, just the two of us,
at the table made of boards, near
the window which I cover as
much as I can without concealing
the light so that my husband
does not have to see the pigs
who constantly walk around the
house, something which greatly
disturbs his peace of mind.
Where can I find words to
describe what he went through
that night? He just said to me,
Today is Beis Nissan. Ah, the
Rebbe! and was immersed in his
thoughts for an hour or more.

At that time, we still did not
have ink and pen with which to
write. In my inner perception I
could see how he yearned with
all his might to be able to express
something, an inyan great and
deep, but he had no one to say
it to. He did not respond at all
to what was going on in his
immediate vicinity, as bitter as
the situation was. I could not
speak to him at all until he, on his
own power, with great exertion,
tore himself away from the world
he was in.
PESACH
Pesach by R Levi Yitzchok
was an uplifting time. In
his teachings we find many
explanations about the holiday.
His conduct during the holiday
also bespoke elevation and
holiness.
On Erev Pesach, said the
Rebbe, his father would go and
bake matzos.
As the rav of Yekaterinoslav,
Rabbi
Levi
Yitzchok
was
responsible for selling the
townspeoples chametz. The
rebbetzin describes the sale in her
memoirs:
Until the time for selling the

chametz, you could still speak
to my husband about anything
pertaining to Erev Pesach, but
it was all in an atmosphere of
trepidation, lest he had not
yet fulfilled his obligation in
completely
eradicating
the
chametz. Then began the process
of signing the bill of sale. The goy
would come to our house full of
pride; in one day he became the
owner of all the businesses in
town.
For the sale not to look like
a superficial procedure, done
merely to fulfill ones obligation,
my husband would sit with the
goy in his study. Nobody was
allowed to enter, and he would
translate the document into
Russian for him. My husband
knew Russian well and did not
refrain from translating even
one type of chametz product
enumerated in the document as
well as all the chametz on ships at
sea and those bringing chametz
to the city. The goy was mainly
interested in the big wine and
liquor businesses that were close
to his heart.
My husband, with the utmost
gravity with which he treated the
sale, instilled such a fear in the
goy that he would sit in terror
and say over and over again, I
will not allow anyone to enter
the factories until the last day of
your holiday. Even if they will
give me a large sum of money, I
am the owner. Yes, yes, I know it
all. The goy would finish all the
formalities and leave our house
with the most somber look on his
face.
One time, I remember,
the grandson of R Berel Wolf
came to our house. He was the
manager of a factory and he had
distanced himself somewhat from
the strictly religious. He would
visit us often. He pleaded with my

1034_bm_eng.indd 18
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husband to allow him in the study

when he made the arrangement
with the goy until his request was
granted. He watched the goingson from a distance. After several
hours he left, pale and dripping
sweat. That was the atmosphere
created there.
After the completion of the
sale, my husband would sigh in
relief like after finishing a very
strenuous job.
The rebbetzin describes the
bdikas chametz that was done
when the Rav was in exile, from
which we can learn how this was
done in ordinary times:
The night before Pesach,
while I was busy preparing
our needs for the holiday, my
husband experienced a kind of
unusual spiritual experience
during the long bdikas chametz
process. The next day, during
the burning of the chametz, my
husband cried the entire time
until it was hard to watch. I had
never before carefully examined
my husbands behavior. This
time, I could just hear the few
words, Just as I am eradicating
the chametz from my home and
my possession, so too You should
eradicate all..., beyond that I
could not hear even one word.
He cried copiously and the words
were swallowed.
The
rebbetzin
describes
Pesach night:
My husband put his soul
into every single thing having to
do with preparing for the holiday
so that this was felt throughout

the house and by whoever was
in the house. Family and guests
were present for the seder. The
seuda lasted a long time. Our
children were still in the house
and also among the guests there
were those with whom he could
discuss the Hagada in depth.
The first night, R Levik
was particular about eating
the afikoman before midnight.
The second night he was not
particular about this and he
allowed the divrei Torah to go on
at length.
A number of times, the
Rebbe said that his father would
read Shir HaShirim after the
seuda (unlike the practice of
the Rebbeim). The rebbetzin
described what happened during
the recitation:
After the meal was over, very
late at night, my husband would
go to his room and say Shir
HaShirim. Crying could be heard
from the room, in such loud tones
that very few people are capable
of crying in like manner, and it
is hard to describe it in words.
I remember that one time, two
guests listened to my husband
saying Shir HaShirim behind the
door. One of them said to me
that he had never heard anything
like it before and he would never
forget it. The other one said
that even if it lasted another two
nights, he was not too tired to
listen.

SHAVUOS
The holidays by R Levi
Yitzchok were characterized by
a special atmosphere, one that
was uplifting and suffused with
great emotion. This was true
on Shavuos too. He would say
the piyut Akdamus, a poem that
describes with awe the glory of
Hashem, the preciousness of
Torah, and the great quality of
those who serve Hashem and
learn the Torah. R Levik would
say this piyut and in the last years
of his rabbinate, when religious
life was unbearable, he said it
while standing on the bima, with
great arousal and with sobbing
(fitting the content of the words
as said by the Rebbe at the meal
on the second night of Shavuos
5726).
R Levik would speak strongly
about Torah observance on
Shavuos. His wife describes one
of the times that he spoke:
What he said was very sharp.
The audience listened with great
pleasure and all forgot for a time
where they were, which country
they lived in, and what secular
laws mitzva observant Jews
needed to live by. It was like they
were lifted up to another world.
Dr. Harkavi also described it
this way:
I remember him standing on
the bima in the Kazatchya shul
on Shavuos before Musaf and
holding forth in fiery fashion on
the persona of Moshiach.
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1034 t"ab,wv
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1034_bm_eng.indd 19
Rabbi Jacob Schwei
STORY
THE TZADDIK
WHO YEARNED
CONSTANTLY FOR
THE GEULA
By Menachem Ziegelboim
PART I
Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum,
the Yismach Moshe (17591841), from the town of Ujhely,
was the progenitor of the Satmar
and Sighet dynasties. All his
life centered on yearning for
the Geula and the coming of
Moshiach. He was not diverted
from this for a moment.
He did not grow up in
the world of Chassidus; on
the contrary, he was quite
distant from it. He was born
in 5519/1759 in Pshemishel in
Galicia. His father was R Tzvi
Hirsh of Zebarov.
While still a young boy he
was known as an ilui (genius)
and he earned the admiration
of the greats of his generation.
He was called izene kup (iron
head). When he was seventeen
he already had many students
and he corresponded on halachic
matters with the gdolei Torah of
the time. When he was appointed
the rav of Shinive he was already
famous as a gaon and tzaddik.

When he became rav in Ujhely,
in Hungary, thousands flocked to
him and even gentiles went to ask
his advice and for help.
For many years he was a firm
opponent to the teachings of
Chassidus and Chassidim. Due to
the cajoling of his son-in-law, the
tzaddik, Rabbi Aryeh Lifschitz,
author of Ari Dvei Ilaa, who
was a Chassid of the Chozeh of
Lublin, he agreed to go to Lublin
to check out the teachings of
Chassidus for himself.
When he first went to Lublin,
although they knew him to be a
Misnaged, they followed orders
from the Chozeh and respectfully
asked him to speak in the shul.
His lecture amazed them all. At
his first meeting with the Chozeh,
he presented his questions on the
teachings of Chassidus and the
practices of Chassidim. One of
his first questions was, why did
Chassidim rejoice all the time,
dancing and making merry, when
the Shchina was in exile? Why
didnt they mourn when it is a

halacha that we should mourn
the churban of the Mikdash?
The Chozeh responded with a
parable. There was a king whose
subjects rebelled and deposed
him. Those who were loyal to him
were upset that he was expelled
from the palace. For many weeks,
the former king made the rounds
visiting the homes of supporters,
who despite their great sorrow
over his plight, received him
with great joy when he was their
guest. After all, the king himself
was staying with them!
The same is true for the
Chassidim. They mourn in their
hearts over the exile and churban
while they rejoice with their
bodies, for their King, the King
of the universe, is in their home.
This
answer
from
the
Chozeh, as well as the rest of
his responses, was well received
by the Yismach Moshe and he
came to cleave to the Chozeh,
becoming his Chassid.

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PART II
Throughout
the
years, a fire burned in
the tzaddik with longing
for the Geula. He
could not be diverted
from the subject. He
would constantly pray
and talk about Yemos
HaMoshiach and would
cry and mourn about
the churban of the
Beis HaMikdash and
the exile of the Jewish
people who are scattered
among
the
nations.
There were tzaddikim of
the generation who said
that he had the soul of
Yirmiyahu the prophet,
the prophet of the
churban.
His longing reached
a crescendo during the
Three Weeks and those
who saw him would
compare him to the
mournful prophet.
He once said about himself:
Do not be surprised by my
great mourning over the churban
of our Beis HaMikdash. For I
am the man who witnessed the
suffering of my people (quoting
the verse said by Yirmiyahu
HaNavi). May Hashem have
mercy and grant me the merit to
see its rebuilding, just as I saw
its destruction. I cannot forget
the bitter exile for a moment
and I hope for the redemption of
Hashem every day.
Once, he even said that after
the many prayers he uttered, he
was able to see Eliyahu HaNavi
bringing the daily tamid sacrifice
every day.
When his Chassidim and
talmidim wanted to buy him a
home in the town of Ujhely, he
refused.
How could that be? he
exclaimed. We are already

hearing the footsteps of the
redeemer and anticipate that
he will come to redeem us and
lead us upright to Eretz Yisroel,
so how can I settle outside the
land?
The
Chassidim
were
astonished by the extent of their
masters faith but the tzaddik had
not yet calmed down and he said,
This is what we learned, Four
hundred years after the churban
there was a Braisa recorded
that says: After 4,231 years since
Creation, if someone will tell you
to buy a field worth a thousand
dinars for the price of one dinar
do not take it, because this is the
time for the Geula and we will all
come to the holy mountain and
why should one lose even one
dinar?
His
tremendous
longing
for the Geula was expressed in
actions too. All his life he was
particular about leaving

a bundle of matzos and a
bottle of wine in a basket
that was tied to his bed,
so that if Moshiach came,
he would be ready to
leave. Aside from that, he
would keep his Shabbos
and holiday clothing near
him so that if Moshiach
suddenly came, his good
clothes would be readily
available so he would not
need to tarry an extra
moment.
Every night, before
going to sleep, he would
stand at the window for a
long while and look into
the distance expectantly.
Were those the footsteps
of Moshiach?
When he finally went
to sleep he would warn
his
attendant,
The
moment you hear the
sound of Moshiachs
shofar announcing the
Geula, wake me up quickly!
When he sat in his room and
heard some noise or commotion
out on the street, he would jump
up from his learning and ask,
Whats that noise? Has the
Geula come to the world?
One day, the household
received notice that their beloved
son-in-law, later known as the
author of the Aryeh Dvei Ilaa,
was going to visit. They rejoiced
at the news and began preparing
for the important guest. The
Yismach Moshe also rejoiced
since his son-in-law was a great
Torah scholar and when he came,
they always sat together and
talked in learning which was a
great delight.
At the time that the sonin-law was supposed to arrive
in the town, the family stood
expectantly to receive him. But
time passed and there was no
Issue 1034
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2016-08-15 12:08:01 AM
Story
The belief in the imminent coming of Moshiach

was felt so strongly that in Warsaw the community
set up watch crews who walked around at night in the
street checking to see if Moshiach had come. Many sold
their property for pennies since it wasnt worth much to
them for, after all, Moshiach was on his way and they
would soon move to Eretz Yisroel. In many places even
the gentiles got swept up in this belief and refrained from
hurting Jews lest the redeemer take revenge on them.
carriage to be seen. They began

to worry and as people did, they
began speculating about what
might have happened.
One said, it seems we did
not understand the letter and we
erred in the timing. Another one
said, so he was delayed a bit, why
should he rush? A third said there
was probably a mishap on the
road. A fourth said reassuringly,
dont worry, nothing happened
to him.
The Yismach Moshe sat in
his room and although he was
immersed in his learning, one
could see that he was disturbed
by his son-in-laws delay.
The family went up to the
attic and looked out the window
down the street that led outside
the town as though competing
over who would see the carriage
first and would be able to tell the
Yismach Moshe about his arrival
so he would worry no longer.
As they stood there and
debated,
speculating
and
advising, a black dot could be
seen on the horizon which grew
bigger as it approached.
Rebbe! The attendant burst
into the tzaddiks room and
joyfully exclaimed, He arrived!
The Yismach Moshe hurriedly
got dressed in his Shabbos clothes
that were always at hand, put on

his Shabbos hat, took his walking
stick and ran outside to welcome
his guest. His face glowed with
joy, his eyes shone, and he ran
lightly, like a deer. How great
was his disappointment when out
of the carriage emerged ... his
son-in-law.
The Yismach Moshe could
not bear the sorrow and the
shattered hopes and he fell down
on the ground in a faint.
The
members
of
the
household rushed to take care
of him, to bring him back to
consciousness. As they used
various smelling salts and
medicines, they heard him
mumble and sigh, Oy, he did
not come yet it wasnt him
referring to Moshiach.
PART III
His passing is also connected
to his longing for the Geula. The
story goes like this:
In the year 5600/1840 and in
the period leading up to it, there
was a great excitement among
Polish, Lithuanian and Russian
Jewry. All of them, led by the
Chassidic greats, believed that
Moshiach would come that year.
Admurim and rabbanim found
sources that seemed to indicate
that Moshiach would arrive that
year. There was the holy Zohar

itself, Parshas VaYeira, page 117,
In the 600th year of the 6th
millennium [1840 CE] the upper
gates of wisdom will be opened
and also the wellsprings of
wisdom below. This will prepare
the world for the 7th millennium
like a person prepares himself on
Friday as it gets dark to enter the
Shabbos.
The belief in the imminent
coming of Moshiach was felt
so strongly by the people and
their leaders that in Warsaw the
community set up watch crews
who walked around at night in
the street and checked to see if
Moshiach had come. Many sold
their property for pennies since it
wasnt worth much to them for,
after all, Moshiach was on his
way and they would soon move
to Eretz Yisroel.
In many places even the
gentiles got swept up in this
belief and were sure that that year
would be the year of redemption.
Gentiles refrained from hurting
Jews lest the redeemer take
revenge on them. The cruel Czar
Nikolai of Russia reputedly freed
Jewish soldiers from the army for
it would be a waste to train and
maintain them.
When that year passed and
Moshiach had not come, the
Yismach Moshe fell ill. Moments
before his passing he said, I
am the worst person in the
world, and the only quality that
I had was that I never uttered a
falsehood. And now I am begging
of you, Master of the World, that
Moshiach should come even if I
will not merit to see it, purely for
Your honor, that Your name be
blessed and sanctified in public. I
am hereby giving over my nefesh,
ruach and neshama, for the glory
of Your name.

1034_bm_eng.indd 22
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HALACHA 2 GO
THE HOLY IPAD

Selected halachos fromthe One Minute Halacha project*
HaRav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita,
Mara Dasra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights
THE RULE OF
THE HOLY IPAD
Sfarim (books of Torah
learning) are considered holy
and must be treated with utmost
respect. We are cautioned not to
place anything on top of a seifer
(indeed sfarim themselves have
a hierarchy of holiness, wherein a
Chumash is placed on the top of
the pile).
A person is learning from
a tablet or a phone. Does the
device attain the status of a seifer,
so that if sfarim are lying around,
the machine may be placed on
top?
There is indeed leniency to
rest a computer/phone/tablet
on a seifer at the time it is being
used for learning. However, if
the learner takes a break or is
temporarily distracted from the
screen, the computer should be
moved right away, because this
leniency only applies when the
device is actually being used for
learning in the moment. There
are some, though, who are
machmir (stringent) and out of
respect for the seifer always rest
the device alongside it.
ISNT IT ENOUGH TO HAVE

A MEZUZAH ON MY FRONT
DOOR?
Its a common misconception
that it is sufficient to have a
mezuzah on the front door of
the house, or perhaps that this

mezuzah is somehow more
important than the mezuzos
inside the house. In fact, the
halacha is that all doorways
of a house that lead to rooms
occupied by people or used for
storage require a mezuzah.
A bathroom is an exception,
since its not a diras kavod
(respectable living quarters).
The leniency of a singlemezuzah home harks back to
a time of other modes of living,
and certainly does not apply to
modern buildings (with indoor
plumbing, yet).
The outside door of a home
is actually sometimes less likely
to need a mezuzah min HaTorah
(according to the Written Law),
since it often leads into a foyer
which is considered merely a
beis shaar (an entranceway) into
the home, and not an area of
residence. According to some
poskim, a beis shaar needs a
mezuzah only midrabbanan (by
Rabbinic decree).
The foyer is often smaller
than the requisite dimensions for
a mezuzah, according to most
poskim. A room needs to be at
least four by four
amos(arm
lengths, i.e. approximately six feet
in length and width) to require a
mezuzah.
Any small room that is the
same overall size as a room of
four by fouramos (an area of
about thirty-six square feet),even
with
different
dimensions,
doesnt require a mezuzah,
according to some opinions;
therefore, when affixing a
mezuzah, no bracha may be
recited. Some maintain that a
beis shaar requires a mezuzah
even if it is less than the requisite
dimensions, but likewise, no
bracha is recited. (The only passthrough that all agree does not
require a mezuzah, is an area
less than four by four tfachim
approximately one square foot.)
Accordingly, when homeowners
recite the bracha on affixing
mezuzos, they should choose
the mezuzah of a larger room
ideally one with an actual door
upon which to make the bracha.
A room with multiple
entrances requires a mezuzah
on each doorway, and each is
a mitzvah onto itself. A house
where even one room is occupied
requires a mezuzahon the
doorway(s) of the room being
resided in, as well as all doorways
of pass-through rooms on the
way in and out.
*One Minute Halacha is a succinct
daily presentation on practical Halacha
in video, audio, and text formats, by
HaRav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita,
Mara Dasra and member of the
Badatz of Crown Heights. The daily
One Minute Halacha can be accessed
by phone at 718.989.9599, by email,
halacha2go@gmail.com, or by WhatsApp
347.456.5665. More halacha discussion,
with notes and sources, can be found at
http://halacha2go.com
Issue 1034
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2016-08-15 12:08:02 AM
PROFILE
GIVING WOMEN
THEIR VOICE
A UNIQUE
SHLICHUS
The shlichus assigned to us all is kabbalas pnei Moshiach. However, when

a person discovers his personal mission within the collective mission, and
realizes it, it has an element of a personal Geula which is very satisfying.
* Zipi Kolteniuk, a Lubavitcher singer and composer who performs in
Eretz Yisroel and abroad, shares her story about how she discovered her
lifes mission, what tragedy caused her to avoid the piano, and how an
unsuccessful transition imposed by life circumstances turned into the
springboard of her lifes mission.
By Dafna Chaim

1034_bm_eng.indd 24
2016-08-15 12:08:02 AM
ometimes,
one
innocent
line,
casually tossed out,
can change your
life. That is what happened to me
on Rosh HaShana a number of
years ago, said Zipi Kolteniuk.
We hosted neighbors who
are not yet observant. The
atmosphere was pleasant and at
a certain point, the woman raised
her cup for lchaim and said, I
sometimes hear you singing with
your kids. You sing so nicely. I
wish for you that this year you
use all your blessed talents which
G-d gave you. Im not sure
whether she understood or knew
the power in what she said.
But what she said changed
something within me. I felt that
it was a message from heaven.
I suddenly realized that I had to
start using my talents. It was the
impetus that led me to the place I
am in today.
Today, Zipi is a singer and
performing artist who has
appeared on countless stages
in Eretz Yisroel and abroad and
has been written up quite a bit.
The articles have been admiring,
whether in the religious media or
that which is far from it.
I admit that as someone who
loves music and who needs to
hear it all the time (playing in
the background), I have often
wondered why Hashem gifts
women with musical talent
without them really having the
means to express it.
True, there are women who
sing for other women and thats
nice and important, but most of
them worked in the field before
they became religious. But a
religious-from-birth singer and
composer? One who writes and
composes original songs and
travels with her own show? That
is rare in our world.
One of the first to break
through in the field is Zipi who

combines her prodigious talent
with a sense of shlichus. For
three years now, she has been
traveling the country and the
world with her own musical show
called, The World was Created
for You. It is a performance that
presents her fascinating life story
accompanied by original song.
The
emphasis
is
on
originality, songs that she wrote
and composed herself. If you ask
her to sing songs that are not
hers, you will probably be politely
turned down.
Creativity comes from a very
deep place, she explains. The
words also have great meaning
and an important message for
the audience; I feel this is my
shlichus in the world.
The
purpose
of
the
performance is to inspire women
and girls to believe in their ability
to express themselves, each with
the talents and abilities Hashem
gave her.
BIRTH OF A SONG
How is a song created? I am
curious to know.
Some people sit down at
the piano and compose a song.
It doesnt work that way with
me. It usually comes on its own,
from inside. I cant just sit down
and compose. With me, a song is
born due to things I experienced,
things that I went through. You
need to be a very inward person
and experience things deeply in
order for something to be created
within you, with words and a
tune.
Most of the time I can
accurately determine a song
which was written with external
inspiration, by sitting down at
the piano and having decided
to compose a song, and a song
which was born from inside,
from the depths of the heart and

neshama. Its something else
entirely.
Interestingly, most of my
songs were composed when I
was on maternity leave, and not
coincidentally. Birth is a time of
powerful connection to the core
self, when senses are heightened
and insights gain clarity, and that
inspires creativity.
I asked Zipi how it all began.
It began in a happy, musical
Lubavitcher home with a father
who is a scientist and a mother
who was a gifted pianist and
performed at big concerts in
Russia. She encouraged us girls
to study piano from a young age.
As a girl, I remember waiting
for the Shabbasos when my
brothers came home from yeshiva
and we would sit for hours at the
Shabbos table and sing, mainly
Chabad niggunim. Sometimes,
my brothers would bring home
a new niggun that they learned
and then it was very joyous.
Theres no question that this had
an enormous influence on my
creativity today. My foundation is
classical music but with Chassidic
motifs.
However, the first seeds that
were planted at a young age only
began to sprout and grow after
a personal tragedy in which Zipi
lost her mother. Zipi was only ten
and a half when she had to deal
with the huge loss.
My mother died within two
months of being diagnosed with
the disease, leaving us in shock.
The sorrow, pain, and feeling of
emptiness caused me to drop my
piano playing and to close myself
off in my pain.
Four years passed and my
father remarried. We moved,
some of my brothers and sisters
married or went to learn in
yeshivos far from home and I was
in an unfamiliar home, sad and
Issue 1034
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2016-08-15 12:08:03 AM
Profile
alone, finding it hard to handle all
the upheavals in my life. The only
familiar thing which reminded
me of my mothers home was the
beloved piano which connected
me to my mother and became
my best friend. I spent hours
after school playing, writing and
composing. Still, this was only
a hobby and my professional
involvement with music only
happened many years later.
The roots of our family
in the background. As kids, we

loved to be at home, playing,
making music, singing together.
The house was always full of
guests, mainly new immigrants
from Russia who came en masse
in the 90s and had to contend
with the difficulties of a new
land. My mother found it hard
to see academicians being forced
to become janitors and she came
to their aid. She opened an office
and helped them tremendously
It is very important to me that women

understand that in order for their dreams to
come true, they need to get up and do something. Things
dont happen on their own. For years I sat and waited to
be discovered, which didnt happen. It was only when
I started doing things, that I merited a lot of heavenly
assistance. I saw that when a person chooses to go on
the right path, heaven helps him. There were days that I
felt that Hashem was leading me by the hand.
are planted deep in Chabad.

My
great-grandfather
was
a descendant of the famous
chassid, R Meir Simcha Chein
from the Chassidic town of
Nevel. But due to the upheavals
of life in Soviet Russia, my
parents were given a Russian
education which included culture
and academia and they were
distanced somewhat from the
Chassidic way of life. It was only
after moving to Eretz Yisroel in
the 70s that they slowly moved
back to their roots so that I was
born and raised in a Chassidic
home that was open and inviting
to anyone in need.
Boruch Hashem, the family I
grew up in, the Krichevsky family,
was blessed with many children. I
am the eighth out of eleven. My
parents home was a warm, happy
place where music always played
in finding work, a place to live

and with other aspects of their
absorption.
At first it was done
independently and then she was
paid by organizations that dealt
with immigrants. I remember
people coming as guests who
ended up staying, sometimes
for a month and more, until
they were able to settle down.
Sometimes I discovered that a
garment of mine was missing
from the closet. It was because
my mother gave it to one of the
girls staying with us.
FROM SHLICHUS, TO
SHLICHUS ON STAGE
After I married, I went on
shlichus to Moscow. My husband
taught in yeshiva and I gave
classes to women. We were very
satisfied and happy on shlichus

and thought wed continue in
this way until Moshiach comes,
but Hashem had other plans.
After two years we had to return
to Eretz Yisroel because my
husband had a medical problem
and the best treatment for it was
in Eretz Yisroel. We packed and
left.
At first it was very hard and
we felt at loose ends. I worked
in a store, mainly because of the
convenient hours, so I would be
available for my children in the
afternoon. When they returned
from school it was important to
me that I be there to give them my
attention. At the same time, I was
constantly taking courses that
gave me practical tools to be a
better mother, but I soon realized
that my working as a sales clerk
was not my destiny in life. I felt
frustrated and dissatisfied.
I always loved and knew
how to write and I went to work
for Yad LAchim where I mainly
worked writing the messages and
stories of the organization. This
area of my life slowly developed
but my professional involvement
in music, along with the big
breakthrough, came only years
later.
Today I realize it was divine
providence that led me from
Moscow to Eretz Yisroel, to
my lifes work. I realized that
Hashem had designated a far
greater shlichus for me. With the
shlichus in Moscow, I affected
a few dozen, maybe hundreds
of women, while today, through
music and my performances, I
reach thousands of women from
all sectors and in all kinds of
places in the world. I constantly
receive feedback from women,
from all walks of life, who tell me
how my songs affected them and
how they made positive changes.
This moves me every time I hear

1034_bm_eng.indd 26
2016-08-15 12:08:03 AM
it.
How did the change occur?
It was a long process in
which various things happened
that pushed me in this direction.
At first I did not even consider
singing myself, so I tried selling
my compositions to other
singers. There was one producer,
not yet religious, who said, You
are so talented; why dont you
sing yourself? He was willing
to invest in a CD of mine, but I
have red lines and I wouldnt do
anything against halacha.
At that time, I recorded
my songs on CDs (this was
before the era of WhatsApp)
and sent them to my sisters and
friends. They garnered a lot
of enthusiastic and supportive
feedback. It began to dawn on
me that I need to sing my own
songs but I wanted to go about it
in the right way.
I spoke to a friend, a shlucha
in Ganei Yochanan, and offered
to sing Chabad niggunim at an
evening for women that she was
organizing. She agreed and that
is how I got started.
That evening an artist who
works with sugar crafts spoke
about her path to success that
did not come by itself. From
her story I understood that you
need to work in order to achieve
results; I suddenly got it, that if I
want to move forward, I need to
make things happen.
It is very important to me
that women understand that in
order for their dreams to come
true, they need to get up and do
something. Things dont happen
on their own. For years I sat
and waited to be discovered,
which didnt happen. It was only
when I started doing things,
that I merited a lot of heavenly
assistance. I saw that when a
person chooses to go on the right
path, heaven helps him. There
were days that I felt that Hashem

was leading me by the hand.
By divine providence, shortly
after that first performance, I
came across an ad for a course
for small business owners. At
first I wasnt eligible to join the
course initiated by the Rechovot
municipality, but then things
worked out and I ended up
taking the course for free! I got
the professional tools and the
push and faith in my abilities
to translate my talents into a
profitable business.
The same thing happened
when I decided to study music
in a formal way. At that time, I
was unable to pay thousands of
shekels for classes, but I didnt
give up. I called the music school
in Rechovot and told them that
I really wanted to study music
but I cant pay for it. Since I was
involved in marketing at the time,
I offered them my marketing
services in exchange for classes.
It turns out, they were looking
for someone to market them and
we closed our deal. Once again
I saw that when a person wants
something and takes action,
heaven helps.
When I decided to produce
my own CD two years ago, I
again saw the hand of Hashem.
The original plan was to record
in a friends home studio, but
at the time we arranged to

start recording, they began
renovations in her building and it
was impossible to record because
of the noise. I realized that
Hashem wanted me to go to a
more professional studio. I spoke
to one of the biggest producers in
the field, who worked with top of
the line singers, and although it
cost me a fortune, it was worth it.
Boruch Hashem, the CD
was a big success. The first two
runs sold out and Ive already
produced a third edition. Its
interesting that it has also been
very successful in Russia and
many women love it even though
they dont understand the words.
It seems music is a language that
speaks directly to the soul.
ACTION IS THE MAIN THING

I asked Zipi how she
combines a demanding career
and running a Chassidishe home.
She said:
Despite
my
many
involvements, to me, motherhood
comes first. The family is the
most important thing to me in
the world.
This past year, I performed
ten times in Russia-Ukraine, in
Siberia, Omsk, Kiev, etc. but
I have an ironclad rule that is
based on what is best for the
family, which is I do not fly more
Issue 1034
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2016-08-15 12:08:03 AM
Profile
than once a month. I also try to
make the trip as short as possible.
There were times that I left in the
morning and flew back at night
so as to be away from home as
little as possible.
backgrounds singing along with

me, I have a G-dly soul within
me, is living Geula! We feel that
the Geula is on the threshold. I
dont know whether I could have
done this performance in Russia
a decade ago.
GEULA MESSAGE
I asked how the Geula comes
up in her performances. She said:
I composed a song called
Every Day is a Diamond, in
which I talk about the importance
of using every moment, to live in
the present without being stuck
in the past. After playing and
singing it I say to the audience,
which is not just Chabad The
Rebbe taught us to anticipate
the Geula and speak about it
and to plead, Ad Masai? while
simultaneously opening our eyes
to see and live the Geula.
The truth is that the concert
itself is Geula. I feel that there
is a tremendous thirst to hear,
to learn Chassidus, and to
grasp the belief that the world is
moving toward a better future.
Ive performed in Russia several
times and hearing women of all
FUTURE PLANS
I am working on a new
CD. Thanks to a broad base
of support from the public, we
decided to produce the CD
through a crowdfunding pitch
(headstart.co.il a crowdfunding
site for artistic endeavors). Im
talking about tens of thousands
of shekels, so that, boruch
Hashem, I have the financial
wherewithal and the peace of
mind to concentrate on the
second CD.
The first CD was entirely
inspired by the Alter Rebbe and
dealt more with concepts from
Tanya in understanding the
characteristics and construct of
the soul and the way to deal with
difficulties and problems in life.
The new CD is more inspired
by the Rebbe and the messages
it contains deal more with actual
LIVE SHIURIM 0NLINE
action, for action is the main

thing; what is your contribution
to the world, what are you doing
so that the world becomes a
better place.
My connection with the
Rebbe grew stronger after
I started performing. The
connection was always there.
I grew up in a home which
lived and breathed the Rebbe,
and proclaiming Yechi was
something my mother always
did (in general, my mother was
very connected and tried to go
to the Rebbe at least twice a
year). But only after I started
performing did my connection
with the Rebbe acquire a deeper
dimension.
Since it isnt easy for me to
stand on stage because by nature
I am more the type to be behind
the scenes, I felt that I need to get
inspiration and strength from the
Rebbe. So I write to the Rebbe,
more and more, I learn the sichos
more, and as a result I began
feeling a special, personal bond.
May we merit to see him
soon and sing a new song to
Hashem!
vww c
Anywhere, Anytime !
CHITAS
INYONEI GEULA
& MOSHIACH
RAMBAM
SHIURIM IN LIKUTEI
SICHOS KODESH
,ww,j
jhanu vkutd hbhbg
owwcnr
hyuekc ohrugha
asue ,ujha
WWW.770LIVE.COM
sgu okugk jhanv lkn ubcru ubrun ubhbust hjh

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PARSHA THOUGHT
TWO AND
TWO =
TFILLIN
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg
ACTION VS. INTELLECT

FOUR SECTIONS;
FOUR COMPARTMENTS
The Mitzvah of wearing
Tfillin is mentioned in the
Torah four times; twice in the
book of Exodus and twice
in Deuteronomy. These four
sections are written out and
contained in the Tfillin. In the
Hand Tfillin they are all written
on one scroll, whereas in the
Head Tfillin they are written on
four separate scrolls and inserted
into four separate compartments.
What is the Biblical source for
the requirement that the Head
Tfillin contain its scrolls in four
separate compartments?
Rashi, citing a Talmudic
tradition, explains that the word
used by the Torah for the Head
Tfillin is totafos, a composite of
the two words, tat and pas. Tat
in the language of Kaspi is two
and pas in the Afriki language
also means two. The Torah thus
hints that we should create four
compartments (2+2) for the
Head Tfillin.
FOUR COMPARTMENTS;
FOUR QUESTIONS
This comment raises some
obvious questions:
First, why the need for four

compartments in the Head
Tfillin? While we need four
sections of the Torah, since they
each contain a reference to the
Mitzvah of wearing Tfillin, why
do they have to be placed into
four separate compartments in
the Head Tfillin?
Second, why doesnt the
Torah mention the requirement
of four compartments explicitly?
Third, why would the Torah,
which was written in the Holy
Tongue, teach us something
about Tfillin using two different
foreign languages?
To be sure, the Shaloh (Rabbi
Yeshaya HaLevi Hurwitz, a
sixteenth century sage) explains,
these foreign words are
actually Hebrew words that were
forgotten and somehow turned
up in other languages. However,
the question still remains, why
couldnt the Torah have used
Hebrew words that had not been
forgotten to indicate the need for
four compartments?
Fourth, what is the symbolism
and hidden message in these
two languages, Kaspi and Afriki,
and what is their connection to
Tfillin?
One partial answer to these

questions (based on the work
Matteh Naftali) is that the two
elements of the Tfillin represent
two aspects of our devotion to
G-d. The Hand Tfillin represents
action and the Head Tfillin
intellect and thought. Of these
two, Judaism considers action
more important. We therefore
put on the Hand Tfillin before
the Head Tfillin to indicate that
even before we understand why
we perform a certain Mitzvah
we must do it. Even if we never
fathom G-ds rationale for His
commandments we still must
perform them.
However, throughout our
long exile, there have been
many instances where tyrannical
authorities forbade the practice
of Judaism. Concerning Tfillin
in particular, the Talmud relates
how the Romans expressly
banned donning Tfillin and
threatened to execute anyone
who was found doing it.
During the Holocaust and
in the Soviet Gulag there were
isolated stories of heroism by
Jews who risked their lives to put
on Tfillin, but the overwhelming
majority of Jews simply could not
procure Tfillin even if they had
been willing to risk their lives to
do so.
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PARSHA THOUGHT
What does a Jew do when
he cant physically perform a
Mitzvah due to circumstances
beyond his control?
The answer is to perform
the Mitzvah mentally. The
Talmud states that when a Jew
sincerely wants to do a Mitzvah
and is precluded from doing it
due to circumstances beyond
his control, G-d reckons it as
if he had done the Mitzvah.
However, the person must make
cannot perform because of

exile conditions, is because the
Mitzvah of Tfillin is particularly
suited to get us out of exile. The
Torah tells us that Tfillin are
reminders of the Exodus, which
portends the future Redemption.
This is particularly true with
regard to the Head Tfillin, which
the Zohar states, is a symbol of
freedom and royalty much like
the crown it resembles.
Wearing Tfillin empowers
Emotions are fickle. Intellect, on the other hand,

is stable. While the heart, the symbol of emotion,
is constantly pumping blood, the brain keeps its activities
under wraps. We cannot feel our brainwaves the way we
feel the pulsation of the heart. Intellect is cool, calm and
collected, while emotion is heated, explosive and all over
the place.
every attempt to do the Mitzvah

in whichever manner possible.
If one cannot do the Mitzvah
physically he should at least do it
in his mind and heart.
The Torah alludes to this idea
when it says that the four sections
and compartments of the Head
Tfillin correspond to the number
four in foreign languages,
symbolizing our challenge to
observe the Mitzvah in foreign
lands in times of persecution.
At least, the Torah hints to us,
do the Mitzvah cerebrally; put
on the virtual Head Tfillin, and
that way you will be able to fulfill
the Mitzvah in exile as much as
possible.
TFILLIN ARE A SYMBOL

OF REDEMPTION
The fact that the Torah
teaches this lesson with regard
to Tfillin in particular, although
it applies to every Mitzvah we
us to defy the exile conditions

symbolized by the two foreign
nations of Kaspi and Afriki that
are combined into the word
totafos.
The above still does not
explain the significance of the
number four with respect to the
Head Tfillin, nor does it explain
the significance of these two
foreign languages (Kaspi and
Afriki) in particular.
MIND OVER HEART

The Head Tfillin, as stated,
symbolizes
the
intellectual
approach to serving G-d,
while the Hand Tfillin, placed
opposite the heart, symbolize the
emotional approach. There is an
advantage to each.
Emotions are fickle. This is
best seen in children. One minute
they can throw a tantrum and
the next minute they are docile
and subdued followed by joyous
laughter. There is no telling what

will be the catalyst to cause an
explosive reaction, and no one
can say when it will abruptly pivot
into a totally opposite emotion.
Intellect, on the other hand,
is stable. While the heart, the
symbol of emotion, is constantly
pumping blood, the brain keeps
its activities under wraps. We
cannot feel our brainwaves the
way we feel the pulsation of the
heart. Intellect is cool, calm
and collected, while emotion is
heated, explosive and all over the
place.
One of the messages of
Tfillin therefore is placement of
mind over heart. We must instill
understanding into our emotions
to temper and guide them.
However, intellect is subject
to its own set of problems that
can undermine its ability to
influence our emotions properly.
Intellect
is
impersonal.
Emotion is the glue that connects
to other events, things or people.
Intellect causes us to withdraw
into its own sphere. Emotions
show up in our facial expressions.
We can tell if someone is
depressed, happy, kind or cruel,
etc., by looking into their face.
But, it is virtually impossible to
detect a persons intelligence
quotient by just looking at the
face.
However, the above applies
only to the external or backside
or shoulder aspect of the
intellect. Chassidic philosophy
reveals that the internal, or
facial
dimension
of
the
intellect, is closely aligned with
the inner sanctum of our heart.
The key to a healthy mind-heart
relationship thus is to elevate
our intellect from its externalshoulder mode to its internalfacial mode.
This is how Chassidic thought
explains why the Ark had to be
30 15 Menachem Av 5776 - Hakhel

1034_bm_eng.indd 30
2016-08-15 12:08:04 AM
carried on the shoulders of the

priests and not transported in a
wagon. When they carried it on
their shoulders, their backside,
they actually faced one another.
This symbolizes the role of the
Ark to take the backside of the
spiritual, intellectual dimension
of the Ark (which contained the
Tablets, the innermost dimension
of Divine wisdom) and have it
match the internal, facial aspect
of the Ark.
Put simply, the face of wisdom
refers to G-ds wisdom as it is
understood by Him and has been
transmitted to us in the Torah.
When we study Torah we come
face to face (pun intended) with
G-ds inner wisdom. By contrast,
when we study nature or any
aspect of G-ds creation, we are
only accessing the backside of
Divine wisdom.
When we deal with intellect
in its shoulder or backside
state it is devoid of connectivity
to others. It is cold and detached.
Perhaps that is the origin of the
expression hes giving him the
cold shoulder.
KASPI: CONNECTING THE

SHOULDERS TO THE FACE
Here then is the connection
between the Kaspi language
and the Head Tfillin. The word
Kaspi is related to another
Hebrew word which means
shoulders.
When the shoulder however is
connected to the Head Tfillin, it
imbues the shoulder with the face

of wisdom, with inner purpose
and connectivity.
Thus, the Head Tfillin
contains an allusion to the
shoulder to indicate that the
intellect, represented by the Head
Tfillin, is not cold and detached.
Rather, it relates to the inner
intellect which is in touch with
the inner emotions of the person.
It is only when our intellect is
in its external mode that it does
not relate to emotion and cannot
positively influence our emotions.
Hence, the first two sections
of the Head Tfillin relate to the
two shoulders, which also allude
to the two directions all emotions
take, to the right (chesedkindness) or left (gvuraharshness). Ones kindness and
love can be uncouth and stifled
when our intellect is just on
shoulder level. Likewise our
judgment and discipline can be
uncouth and rough. In short we
are in exile.
When
we
make
the
shoulders a component of the
Head Tfillin (which contain
the theme of the Exodus), it
elevates, edifies and liberates
them because the Head Tfillin
are a crown worn on the head
signifying wisdom in its most
exalted and liberated state.
AFRIKI: CONNECTING THE

HEAD TO THE CROWN
As stated, the second two
parts of the Head Tfillin are
In Crown Heights area: 1640/1700AM

USA phone: 347 990 1136
related to Afriki, which shares

a root with the Hebrew word
perek, chapter, or disconnected.
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 99b)
criticizes one who only studies
Torah intermittently. It uses
the word lifrakim, which has
the same root as Afriki. The
Chassidic Sage Rabbi Hillel
of Paritch offered a deeper
understanding of this lower effort
of Torah study. It refers to one
who disconnects his knowledge
of Torah from its G-dly source.
Hence the second two
sections and compartments of
Head Tfillin, which discuss
G-ds unity, demand of us that
we not be content with uniting
our
external
understanding
(shoulders-Kaspi) with our
internal mind. The Head Tfillin
also want us to connect our
observance of the two entities,
Torah and Mitzvos, to their
Divine Source, i.e., to the
Divine that resides in Torah
that transcends even the inner
precincts of wisdom. This is
symbolized by the crown which
connotes that which is above the
mind.
As mentioned, Tfillin are
associated with liberation and
Divine unity. Putting on Tfillin is
one way to prepare for the final
Redemption when we will be fully
liberated. This will bring about
the full alignment between the
external and internal wisdom, as
well as the complete connection
of our Judaism with its Crown.
worldwide, online: www.RadioMoshiach.org
In Israel (Nechayeg Venishmah): 08-9493-770 (press 1 # / 9 # / 3 #)
Issue 1034
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CHABAD HISTORY
1928:
MIVTZA
TAHARAS
HAMISHPACHA
What do Slobodka, Skver, Kherson & Kopust
have in common? * The Frierdiker Rebbe: The
situation of the ritual baths (Mikwoth) in Russia
is very bad * This issue has been a burning
issue * In this weeks installment we present the
Frierdiker Rebbes campaign to repair existing
Mikvahs and build new Mikvahs across the Soviet
Union.
ne of the first projects

the Frierdiker Rebbe
focused on once he
left Russia and settled
in Riga, Latvia, was the repairing
of Mikvahs throughout the Soviet
Union. For this purpose he met
with the heads of the American
Joint Distribution Committee
(JDC) in Europe, and sent letters
asking for help in repairing 108
Mikvahs across the Soviet Union.
This
weeks
installment
includes a letter from the

Frierdiker Rebbe (published for
the first time), the list of cities
where the Mikvahs needed repair,
and the letters from officers of
the JDC on this matter.
These fascinating documents
are part of the JDC Archives
(which were digitized and
uploaded online, thanks to
a grant from Dr. Georgette
Bennett and Dr. Leonard
Polonsky CBE).
THE SITUATION
IS VERY BAD
On July 4, 1928 [Tamuz
16 5688] the Frierdiker Rebbe
penned a long letter to Dr.
Cyrus Adler (Philadelphia) in
which he describes the sad state
of Jewish affairs in Russia, and
implores with him to use his
position to secure funding for the
activities, including the repair
of the Mikvaos. This letter was
printed in Igros Kodesh Vol. 13
page 176ff. The following is an
English summary written by the
JDC office:
From: Rabbi J. Schneersohn,
Riga
To: Dr. Cyrus Aidler
Date: Tamuz 16, 5668
Rabbi Schneersohn explains
again in this letter the necessity
and great importance of the
budget for religious affairs in
Russia
The situation of the ritual
baths (Mikwoth) in Russia is very
bad, and due to lack of funds for

1034_bm_eng.indd 32
2016-08-15 12:08:05 AM
reparations the number of ruined

baths is growing constantly. The
budget of Rbl. 70,000 wont
solve the whole problem, but will
help to save the baths in about 50
cities.
When Rabbi S. Gurarie,
the
son-in-law
of
Rabbi
Schneersohn, was In Berlin,
Dr. Kahn told him about the
letter he received from Dr.
Adler requesting him to support
the ritual baths in Russia. The
meeting of Dr. Kahn with Rabbi
Gurarie was in the presence
of Dr. Rosen, and the latter
participated in the request for
the Mikwoth. However, since
the funds Dr. Kahn could use for
this purpose were expired, Rabbi
Schneersohn asks Dr. Adler to
use his influence at JDC so that
special funds should be sent to
Dr. Kahn for the Mikwoth in
Russia.
108 MIKVAHS:
$37,500 DOLLARS
Despite
the
tentative
agreement to give additional
money for the Mikvah project, the
JDC didnt send the money, and
a short letter dated September
10, 1928 [25 Elul 5688]
addressed to Professor Cyrus
Adler (Philadelphia) includes the
summary of the Frierdiker Rebbes
request:
Rabbi Schneerson requests
a subvention of $37,500 for
the repair of Mikwahs in 108
localities in Russia, as per lists
attached.
To this short letter was
attached a document listing 48
places which needed a Mikvah,
either repair or build a new one.
The list was written in German
and includes a short description
of each location. The following is
a selection of some of the cities:
1. Golovchyn: The Mikvah
was destroyed and cannot be

rebuilt with local funds.
2. Lyady: Same
3. Kherson: Same
7. Podobraynka: The Mikvah
is fixed, but the locals have no
funds to upkeep it.
11. Slobodka I: No Mikvah is
available.
16.
Borisovka:
The
community needs money to
pay for rent; aside for that, the
building needs repairs and the
Mikvah is closed.
19. Slobodka II: The old
Mikvah needs heavy repairs and
the city council closed it down.
A new building is desperately

needed.
31. Snowsk: The building
needs big repairs.
34. Skver: The Mikvah is
closed.
35. Teplik: Same
37. Tomsk: The Mikvah was
destroyed.
47. Kopust: The government
demands a high rent.
JDC: ITS IMPORTANT,

BUT WE CANT HELP
On October 17, 1928 [3
Cheshvan 5689] Ms. Evelyn
Issue 1034
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33
2016-08-15 12:08:05 AM
Chabad history
Morrissey (JDC New
York) sent a letter
to Professor Cyrus
Adler
(Philadelphia)
attaching a letter the
Frierdiker Rebbe sent to
the JDC, and stating the
words of Rabbi Aaron
Teitelbaum, one of the
founders of the JDC:
I am sending you
herein a letter from
Rabbi
Schneerson
addressed
to
you
dated
September
10th, enclosing a list
of Mikwahs in 108
localities in Russia
which are in need of
repair.
Rabbi
Teitelbaum
who was at the office yesterday,
received a similar list. He states
that many letters have been
received by rabbis and others
in this country from Russia
appealing for assistance for the
building of bath houses and
Mikwahs. He emphasizes the
importance of these appeals and
urges that some help be given at
least for the building of Mikwahs
in the Agro-Joint colonies. He
feels that wherever bath houses
are built Mikwahs can be added
with comparatively little cost
and that it would be in keeping
with the general promise made
to the orthodox element of this
country during the Campaign
to encourage, insofar as it is
possible, the cultural life of the
Jewish colonists in Russia.
Of course, although we
recognize the importance of
these appeals, we face the usual
problem of a lack of funds for
any additional allocation at
this time. Rabbi Teitelbaum,
however, felt that we should
obtain an expression of opinion
from you on this situation and
convey the appeal from Rabbi
Schneerson together with your
recommendation to the officers

and to Dr. Rosen urging that
some help be given for this
purpose from the general
discretionary fund for nonagricultural activities at Dr.
Rosens disposal.
Will you be good enough
to let me hear from you in the
matter?
ITS A BURNING ISSUE

A few days later, on October
23, 1928 [9 Cheshvan 5689]
the Frierdiker Rebbe penned a
letter to Professor Cyrus Adler
describing the burning question of
the Mikvaos, and
asking for help
in this matter, for
the JDC already
agreed
to
the
project, but was
not sending the
money (translated
from German):
Very
Dear
Professor,
As you well
know, we already
have the budget
approved for the
Mikvaos, and we
want this additional subvention,

based on what we received
recently from the Rabbinical
Board in Russia.
Sadly, the Mikvah question
has not been solved as of yet,
and we have not yet received any
help, but since then this issue
has been a burning issue, and
the Rabbinical Committee has
sent urgent pleas for help, so we
hope, that you, dear Professor,
will do the best you can, to solve
the Mikvah issue with the best
results.
With deep respect,

1034_bm_eng.indd 34
2016-08-15 12:08:05 AM
TZIVOS HASHEM
AN
UNFORGET TABLE
S CENE
Presented for Chaf Av, the day Rabbi Levi Yitzchok, the Rebbes father,
passed away.
By Nechama Bar
Mitya (Mordechai) was a

refined, quiet boy who lived
in Russia. He attended a
public school which taught
the children ideas that oppose
belief in G-d.
Mityas family was not
religious but they observed
some traditions. Mitya had
special neighbors; they were
and
Yitzchok
Levi
Rabbi
slowly
He
.
Chana
zin
Rebbet
became acquainted with the
rabbis family and became
friends with their sons. His
parents, who admired Rabbi
not
were
Yitzchok,
Levi
they
ry,
contra
the
on
d;
oppose
were happy to see Mitya being
friends with these distinguished
people who were so different
from all the boys on the street.
Mitya learned more and
more Torah. He was interested
in learning what he needed
to do and how to behave and
the rabbis sons were happy to
teach him. Mitya was a very
serious boy and whatever he
learned, he did. He bought
a siddur and began putting
on tfillin, ate only kosher,
and more. His parents were
astonished to see the change in

their son, but did not interfere.
Mitya continued in school
because he did not want to
leave in the middle. It wasnt
easy for him in school. His
friends and teachers soon
noticed the change in him,
the hat that he always wore
and his behavior in general.
They could see he wasnt like
them. They did not remain
quiet about his chutzpa
and they taunted him at
every opportunity. Other boys
mocked him and the teachers
lowered his marks for no
reason.
Mitya remained strong. He
continued to go to school and
tried not to stand out or make
problems as he waited eagerly
for the end of the school year.
He planned on attending
university the following year.
to
went
Mitya
When
he
sity,
register at the univer
was told, We cannot accept
you. Mitya knew this was
anti-Semitism as there was no
reason for them not to accept
him. He was an excellent
student and his conduct was
exemplary. His only crime was

being a Jew and a religious
one, at that.
Mitya insisted on meeting
with the dean and he was
finally successful. In the deans
office he was told, I cannot
help you. Go to Schneersohn,
maybe he can help you.
In the end, his efforts paid
off and he was accepted in the
university. However, after a
short while, they expelled him
from the communist youth
movement and sent him to do
farm work at a kolkhoz.
At the kolkhoz he was
all alone and had no one to
consult with about Torah
and mitzvos. R Levi Yitzchok
was a great help, for every
day, Mitya would send him
letters with questions and the
rabbi would answer him and
encourage him to strengthen
his Judaism. When he would
walk with his friends to the
city, the friends would sell
milk products while Mitya
would bring along tfillin,
mezuzos, and siddurim and
clandestinely enter the homes
of Jews and give these precious
Issue 1034
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35
2016-08-15 12:07:57 AM
religious items to them.

With Hashems kindness,
nobody discovered what he
was doing. Mitya had a good
heart and everyone loved him
and wanted to be his friend.
He had mesirus nefesh and
would put tfillin on every
day. How did he hide this? In
the morning, when everyone
was sleeping, he would go out
to the field and hide in the
shrubbery. He was short and
that was a big help. It was
hard to notice him among the
bushes. He wore a hat over
his head tfillin and he would
pour out his heart before
Hashem.
Days and then weeks and
months passed. Chanuka was
approaching and Mitya knew
what he needed to do. He
cleverly constructed a menora
and obtained oil and wicks.
Every night he would go out
to the field and secretly light
his menora. But his luck ran
out. One of the members of
the kolkhoz, a Jew, had to
go out to the field to supervise
the work of the others. He
saw flames flickering past the
bushes late at night. Being
a Jew, he knew what it was
and he tattled on Mitya. The
punishment was, surprisingly,
being dismissed from all his
tasks!
Mitya was G-d fearing and
he continued to fulfill mitzvos.
On Rosh HaShana and Yom
Kippur he managed to go to
the rabbis house and daven
there. So that nobody would
notice his absence, he would go
to the university so he would
be seen and then he would go
to the ravs house.
Yitzchok delivered a eulogy

and told everyone about
Mityas mesirus nefesh, how he
did not give in when it came
to mitzva observance, and how
he stood strong against those
who mocked and opposed
him. Mitya is a model of a
proud Jew who does not mix
with gentiles and learn from
their ways, even when in
their environment. The ravs
face was red as he continued
speaking and told more stories
of mesirus nefesh. He cried
the entire time and nobodys
eyes remained dry. The scene
made a great impression on
the participants.
Many of the university
students were there too, but
they stood at a distance. They
were frightened. The rabbi
will pay dearly for this. The
communists wont let him get
away with this, they thought
as they looked at one another
worriedly.
R Levi Yitzchok wasnt
punished right away but it
was all written down and
as is the practice of
later
gentiles. To get approval for he was arrested at a
also
was
sister
s
this, they spoke to his sister point. Mitya
the
over
g
handin
who was a secretary in a punished for
l
funera
the
for
government factory. I cannot responsibility
was
it
when
and
get involved. My parents are to the rabbi
she
Jewish and traditional and I her turn for a promotion,
one.
cannot decide matters having wasnt given
Rebbetzin Chana relates,
to do with religion.
long time after the funeral,
A
ran
she
As soon as they left,
still spoke about the
people
they
,
to the ravs house. Rabbi
rav gave and were
the
speech
a
like
want to bury Mordechai
it. When I visited
by
d
inspire
wants
goy! My brother surely
Paris, after I left
and
Moscow
the
What
what the rav wants.
told me that
people
Russia,
!
rav says is what will happen
forget that
not
could
they
Rabbi Levi Yitzchok took
stories
chilling
the
and
scene
charge of the funeral. Many
told.
were
that
people attended the funeral
that passed by the shul. R Levi
One hot summer day, Mitya

went to bathe in the river to
Tragically,
himself.
refresh
he never came back. He was
swept away and drowned.
were
friends
His
and
news
heartbroken by the
whom
to
s,
of course his parent
he had been their only son,
were devastated.
the
of
directors
The
university wanted to make a
funeral for him with music,
B"H. 15 Menachem Av 5776 Hakhel

19 August 2016 Number 1034
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CONTENTS

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the lowest state that it is gives

9. Just as this is with regard

Many residents of Kfar Chabad knew the

too. His hiddurim in writing were

4 15 Menachem-Av 5776 - Hakhel

my fathers joy when he arrived

surreptitiously and there was

man lived on and he said, he lives

R Zalman in the early days

go to Rebbetzin Shterna Sarah.

we were living in Moscow and

6 15 Menachem-Av 5776 - Hakhel

drafted and served in the Russian

He began singing in Russian and I shuddered

was afraid that I would be caught

day I could see and at night I was

see nothing, two soldiers led

I jumped up and took the

8 15 Menachem-Av 5776 - Hakhel

in the next two weeks, your heart

Chassidishe nachas at an upsheren

horror, hundreds of bodies of

The next morning we received an order to start

Then I realized what I had

a small room in the ground,

and soldiers. The first time I

Tashkent to be together with the

10 15 Menachem-Av 5776 - Hakhel

the musical group to the front.

When we arrived at the border, Austrian soldiers

that took years. I said I would

I was saddened to hear that my

the first group of Chassidim

possibility of traveling that night.

12 15 Menachem-Av 5776 - Hakhel

to come to the train. All seventy

R Zalman writing a letter in a Torah scroll

leave quickly and move on.

camp that was established by

When the government closed

they began immersing in the

custom, on topics of Kabbala and

14 15 Menachem-Av 5776 - Hakhel

CUSTOMS FOR SHABBOS

Whoever wanted to rejoice

with that same joy even here. He

16 15 Menachem-Av 5776 - Hakhel

length, according to Kabbala,

R Levi Yitzchoks gravesite in Almaty

I remember the moment

knew as a strong personality (as

For the sale not to look like a superficial

thoughts for an hour or more.

Until the time for selling the

18 15 Menachem-Av 5776 - Hakhel

husband to allow him in the study

so that this was felt throughout

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

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