DVAR MALCHUS
SLAM YOUR
FIST ON THE
TABLE AND
DEMAND
MOSHIACH!
How can it be that no one opens his mouth in
protest?! If the Jewish people would ask and
plead, bang on the table and demand that
Moshiach Tzidkeinu should come immediately,
now! Moshiach would be here already,
arriving even on Shabbos!
Translated by Boruch Merkur
A
s we are now in the month
of Nissan, may it be G-ds
will that we see the imminent
fulfillment of the promise,
in Nissan they shall be redeemed in
the future [redemption].
This is especially urgent in the
wake of the slew of tribulations
the Jewish people have suffered
throughout the years they have spent
in exile. That is, not only have the
Jewish people suffered throughout
the four general periods of exile,
beginning with the Babylonian exile,
which is called reisha di dahava
the head of gold (Daniel 2:38), but
in each of the four exiles the Jewish
people suffered numerous forms of
tribulations, especially in this final
exile.
1063_bm_eng.indd 3
The tragedy is even greater
considering what the Mitteler Rebbe
writes at length in Shaarei Tshuva
that after all the harsh decrees
and pogroms, etc., that have been
up until that point, there shall be no
more horrors suffered by the Jewish
people. And this was said in the time
of the Mitteler Rebbe (1773-1827)!
Notwithstanding all of the above,
all the suffering of exile experienced
up until now, Rosh Chodesh Nissan
(the rosh head of the entire
month) has already passed, and
still we are not saved (Yirmiyahu Shabbos, when everything relating
8:20)!
In fact, now the second day of
Nissan has also gone by, the day
marking the passing of the Rebbe
Rashab, nishmaso Eden. On Beis
Nissan the entire lifes service of
the Rebbe Rashab ascended to
G-d, and every year on that day
this phenomenon is repeated.
The concept of the service of the
righteous ascending On High on the
day of their passing is explained in
the teachings of Chassidus regarding
Lag BOmer, celebrating the return
of Rashbis soul to G-d, a concept
that is elaborated upon each year
the Rebbeim delivered a maamer
on Lag BOmer. (There is also the
well known story regarding the
Mitteler Rebbes manner of conduct
on Lag BOmer that others would
experience overt miracles unfold
around the Mitteler Rebbe on that
day, and couples who suffered from
childlessness would be blessed with
viable offspring.) But irrespective of
all the greatness of Beis Nissan, that
day has passed and still we are not
saved!
Now it is Gimmel Nissan,
to [events that transpired during the
week, such as] Rosh Chodesh Nissan
and Beis Nissan ascends spiritually,
but still we are not saved! How
Issue 1063 3
2017-03-28 1:24:33 PM
 Dvar Malchus

can it be that no one opens his
mouth in protest?! If the Jewish
people would ask and plead, bang
on the table and demand that
Moshiach Tzidkeinu should come
immediately, now! Moshiach
would be here already, arriving
even on Shabbos!
Of course, when Moshiach
Tzidkeinu finally comes, he will
resolve the problem regarding
travelling beyond the tchum (city
limits) on Shabbos, as well as the
problem related to preparing the
Third Shabbos Meal and Melaveh
Malka!
It is not enough to simply join
in when one sees children singing
We Want Moshiach Now!; the
point is that the person should
truly want Moshiach and plead
that he should come now!
(The Rebbes holy face
became very serious at this
point and after a short pause,
the Rebbe smiled and said) we
shall conclude in the manner
of professional orators, Uva
lTziyon Goel, vnomar amen,
May it be G-ds will that He
build the Beis HaMikdash
speedily in our days and grant us
our portion in Your Torah.
(From the address of Shabbos
Parshas VaYikra, 3 Nissan 5742,
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4 4 Nissan 5777

1063_bm_eng.indd 4 2017-03-28 1:24:33 PM

 PARSHA THOUGHT
SEEING THE
LIGHT IN A
WORLD OF
DARKNESS
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg
A PUZZLING MIDRASH
A significant portion of
the third book of the Torah
Leviticusdeals with sacrifices
brought as atonement for sin. At
the end of this weeks parsha, the
Torah states:
If a person sins, betraying
G-d by falsely denying to his
fellow concerning a deposit,
or money given in hand, or an
object taken by robbery, or he
withheld funds from his fellow
or he found a lost article
and he denied it and swore
falsely regarding any one of
all these cases whereby a man
may sin he shall return the
article which he had robbed
regarding which he had sworn
falsely, he shall pay it with its
principal, adding its fifths to
it He shall then bring his
guilt offering to G-d
There is a puzzling and
enigmatic comment in the
Midrash on this verse:
This is what the Torah
means when it says, A new
1063_bm_eng.indd 5
king arose over Egypt, who
did not know Yoseph.
What possible connection is
there between a person swearing
falsely about money and a new
king in Egypt?
DENIAL IN THE
COUNTRY OF DE-NILE
To answer this question, we
have to discuss the issue of denial
in Egypt. (No, not de Nile).
Rashi cites two opinions in the
Talmud concerning the meaning
of a new king in our verse. One
opinion takes it literally: a new
king who did not know Yoseph.
The other opinion maintains
that it was the same Pharaoh
but now he acted as if he did not
know Yoseph. He was in denial
of Yosephs role in saving Egypt
from total devastation due to the
seven years of famine that he
predicted.
The first opinion may be more
faithful to the literal meaning of
the word new, but the second
view is more plausible. The
Midrash argues that if this was
truly a new king, why is there
no mention in the Torah that the
old king died and a new king
ascended to the throne?
According to the second
view, the Torah seeks here to
underscore the wickedness of
Pharaoh. Had this been a truly
new king, he would have been
guilty of enslaving the Jewish
people. But according to the
second view, Pharaoh was far
more evil because he enslaved his
benefactors. It was the height of
denial and ingratitude.
We can now understand
the connection to our verse in
Leviticus. The crimes mentioned
here all involve denial that one
owes money to another. And in
several of the cases the denial
also involves denial of the other
persons kindness, as in the case
of a loan or work that was done
for the benefit of the denier.
Like the case of Pharaoh, here
the denial is not only an act of
dishonesty; it is also a radical
example of ingratitude.
When a person engages in
denial on some level, he must
know that he is emulating
Issue 1063 5
2017-03-28 1:24:34 PM
 PARSHA THOUGHT
Pharaoh, the personification
of exile and the exile mentality.
Every time we deny G-ds role in
our lives or the role of others, we
should realize that it is a sign we
are still trapped in a spiritual and
internal exile, akin to being slaves
to Pharaoh.
And in this season, as we
near Passover, the Festival of
Liberation, it behooves us to
focus on liberating ourselves
from denial and ingratitude.
THE SOURCE OF DENIAL
Why, we must ask, do people
engage in denial?
Children will reflexively deny
guilt when confronted with an
embarrassing situation.
This denial syndrome actually
began with the first human being
who denied guilt. When Adam
partook of the forbidden Tree
of Knowledge, he blamed it on
Eve. In turn, Eve blamed it on
the serpent. Their son, Cain,
responded in like manner to
G-ds inquiry about Abel with the
words, I dont know, am I my
brothers keeper?
Why is denial so deeply
ingrained in us?
The Torah answers the
question in a later episode. When
G-d asks why Sarah laughed
when she heard from the angels,
disguised as human travelers,
that she would bear a child at the
age of 90, the Torah states that
Sarah denied it, saying, I didnt
laugh because she was afraid.
From this we see that
fear impels people to deny
wrongdoing.
But why would one deny the
favors received from another?
Why deny and be guilty of not
only lying but also of ingratitude?
For example, Adam, when
denying his guilt, also engaged
in an act of ingratitude. He tells
6 4 Nissan 5777
1063_bm_eng.indd 6
G-d, The woman whom You
gave me, gave me from the tree,
and I ate. Rashi comments,
Here he denied G-ds
generosity. Not only did he
deny that he was responsible for
partaking of the forbidden fruit
because Eve gave it to him; he
also blamed G-d for giving him
Eve, thus showing ingratitude to
G-d for having been given a wife
in the first place.
From this we gather that
fear can lead to denial even
when it will also display a lack
of appreciation and gratitude to
others. How and why does fear
cause both denial and a lack of
gratitude?
INSECURITY
Peoples fear derives from
their need for validation.
Anything that diminishes us
threatens our sense of self. We
cannot tolerate compromising
our image in the eyes of others.
If we had healthy self-esteem,
which comes from the realization
that we possess a G-dly soul, we
would not feel our self-worth
being diminished by admitting
guilt. On the contrary, once we
admit guilt, we can bounce back
from our diminished position
through tshuva.
Sadly, most people do not
have a healthy sense of self.
Instead, they focus on the
physical and emotional layers
of their personalities and
achievements and not on the
G-dly. Anything that will further
erode their fragile sense of self
could be devastating to them. So
they pick the route that seems to
offer the least amount of pain,
deny their guilt and even deny
the good they have received from
others.
Moreover, people who have
fragile egos and lack authentic
self-esteem, feel even smaller
when they realize that they got
what they have from someone
else. This triggers denial of the
others contributions to them
and focuses instead on the way
the other might have hurt them.
If one cannot outright deny the
others role, the next best thing
is to accuse him of causing the
sin in the first place. His bad will
cancel the good.
Pharaoh was a prime example
of this syndrome. Pharaoh
compensated for his huge
inferiority complex by acting
big and saying, I own the Nile
and I have made it myself. He
proclaimed himself a g-d because
he was so insecure.
WHAT ABOUT SARAH?
This analysis raises a pressing
question concerning Sarahs
denial of laughter. How can we
place her in the same category as
Pharaoh and others in denial?
The answer is that, obviously,
the fear that prompted her
to deny that she laughed is
categorically different from the
fear that prompted Pharaohs
denial. In Pharaohs case, he
feared losing his power and
greatness. Sarahs fear, in stark
contrast, was due to her sensitive
and heightened spiritual state.
She was concerned that she
could have acted disrespectfully
about G-ds ability to give her a
child. Her denial was actually her
way of saying, It was not the
true me who laughed. I could not
have possibly done such a thing. I
am better than that. It was a total
aberration.
However, the common
denominator in all these
examples of denial is that they
were prompted by fear of
losing something. In the case of
Pharaoh it was the fear of losing
his grip on power, and in the case
of Sarah it was the fear of losing
2017-03-28 1:24:34 PM
her connection with G-d.
In the period of Galus-
exile, denial is rooted in fear
and insecurity. This fear and
insecurity is also the cause of the
breakdown in relationships. We
feel insecure and therefore we
lose trust in others; especially if
the actions of others make us feel
diminished.
LIVING THROUGH THE
NINTH PLAGUE AND
ENJOYING THE LIGHT
The ninth plague in Egypt
was the plague of darkness,
which most likely occurred in
the first two weeks of Nissan
which we are in now. The plague
of darkness brought fear and
insecurity to the Egyptians. The
Torah relates that No person
could see his brother.
Perhaps this can be interpreted
allegorically as well. Because of
their fear and insecurity due to
the darkness, they were unable to
see the needs of the Other. They
could not appreciate what they
received from others because
they were so insecure.
However, as the Jewish
nation was about to experience
their liberation, the Torah states
People who have fragile egos and lack authentic
self-esteem, feel even smaller when they realize
that they got what they have from someone else. This
triggers denial of the others contributions to them and
focuses instead on the way the other might have hurt
them. If one cannot outright deny the others role, the
next best thing is to accuse him of causing the sin in the
first place. His bad will cancel the good.
that they had light. Even in the they perished in the plague of
last moments of their exile, G-d darkness. They chose to look
gave them a taste of the light and back, while the rest of the Jewish
clarity they would enjoy after people looked forward and saw
their Exodus. the light.
Metaphorically, this means In choosing the latter
that as we come to the end of approach, we accomplish several
exile, even though insecurity goals:
reigns throughout the world, First, it enables us to live a
we have the power to enjoy the full and vibrant life now, in these
clarity which dispels fear and last moments of Galus, free of
denial. insecurity and fear.
As we stand now on the Second, it helps us see the
threshold between Galus and other (both upper case Other
Geula, we can choose to look as well as lower case other)
back into the darkness of Galus and thereby develop wholesome
and feel insecure with all of its relationships.
attendant ills, or look ahead into Third, it prepares us for the
Geula and see things with clarity. Redemption.
Indeed, our Sages tell us that
Fourth, it hastens the process
there were many fearful Jews
of the complete Redemption.
who did not want to leave Egypt;

Continued from page 14

starts singing, Dovid Melech Yisroel Chai Vkayam,
and continues with Yechi, and from the perspective of
the religious students its not extreme, because you are
saying that Dovid HaMelech and the Rebbe are chai
vkayam. But on the street, when you tell people that
Moshiach is coming now, they ask, why should he
come now? Who is he? Who is speaking about him
at all?
Its not that we dont say Yechi; on the contrary.
At the entrance to the Chabad House is a room which
corresponds to the Rebbes room, on which it says,
The Rebbes room Beis Moshiach, and there is
Yechi, and everything, but it comes after explanations.
Berele: Fine. This time, we agree.

Issue 1063 7

1063_bm_eng.indd 7 2017-03-28 1:24:35 PM

 INTERVIEW

TWO
BROTHERS,
TWO
VIEWS
They are young and dynamic, pioneers, with
original and unique programming, brothers in
shlichus, passionate redheads and quick thinkers.
Their main work is with students and young
people, along with intensive involvement in media
aimed at the Chabad community. * Meet the
Crombie brothers, R Shraga, shliach in New Jersey
and director of Chabadinfo.com, and R Sholom
Ber (Berele), director of the Shmaya center, a
Chabad House for students and young people in
Yerushalayim. They do the same type of work but
their views are different. * In this interview there
is plenty of mutual generosity of spirit along with
many intense divergences of opinion. It almost
seems as if they cant agree on anything for they
argue passionately, but they also respect each
others views.

By Shmuel Tzur

8 4 Nissan 5777

1063_bm_eng.indd 8 2017-03-28 1:24:35 PM

 Issue 1063 9

1063_bm_eng.indd 9 2017-03-28 1:24:35 PM

 Interview
I
t is hardly necessary to
introduce Shraga and Berele
Crombie to our readers.
Some of you may not have
met them face to face, but most of
you surely have benefited from their
activities at one point or another.
The first is a shliach in New Jersey,
in the biggest Chabad House in
the world, which is run by Rabbi
Yosef Tzvi Carlebach. He also
finds time to spread the wellsprings
within the Chabad world, through
the Lubavitch website Chabadinfo.
com. There is hardly a shliach who
doesnt know his phone number
and who wont hesitate to call him
and consult with him about hafatza
in the media.
I am a full time shliach,
he declared at the beginning of
the interview. My involvement
with the media began when I
was a bachur on Kvutza, when
Chabadinfo was started, but till
today, I try to see to it that it does
not take away in the slightest
from my work with the students.
R Shraga has played
a key role in a number of
trailblazing initiatives in the
media: ChabadPedia a Chabad
encyclopedia on the internet,
ChabadWorld a site for
Judaism, Moshiach and Geula
in English, and many more
productions from the Merkaz
Chabad HaOlami LKabbalas
Pnei Moshiach.
His brother, Berele, broke
new ground with youthful and
enticing outreach to students
in Yerushalayim. Very quickly,
he found himself surrounded
by hundreds of students who
enjoy his original programming.
Many of those who collaborate
with him are big organizations
in Yerushalayim that arent
necessarily Chabad, yet they
find common ground with him.
Along with his lectures at Ohr
Chaya and around the country,
10 4 Nissan 5777
1063_bm_eng.indd 10
he is involved in writing opinion
columns on leading websites that
reach general audiences, along
with interviews and participating
in panel discussions on major
television stations.
How did it all begin, when
did you go on shlichus?
R Shraga: I went on shlichus
over ten years ago. About a year
after I married, I joined R Yosef
Carlebachs Chabad House in
New Jersey. My main work is
with students studying here, not
necessarily with Israelis. But
when there are Israelis, its only
natural that we have more of
a connection. There are many
shluchim here because there
is so much to do. There is R
Carlebach who is here for nearly
forty years, and who established
an empire of shlichus, and R
Boruch Goodman who is here
for thirty years and who works
devotedly with students. A few
years ago, R Yeshaya Shagalov
joined, who works mainly with
religious students. I also work
in the Chabad House office,
handling publications, their
internet site and more, along with
holiday programs for students
and activities around the year.
Berele: I have been at the
Chabad House in Nachlaot in
Yerushalayim for eight years. I
came on shlichus together with
my wife Liba, right after our
wedding. Before that, I spent two
years at a Chabad House in India.
When I returned to Eretz Yisroel
I wanted to open a Chabad
House with the spirit of India,
something unique that wasnt
widespread at the time shlichus
with students. That is how I got
to the artsy neighborhood of
Nachlaot.
What are the differences in
the openness to Judaism among
Israeli students versus students
elsewhere?
Shraga: In general, everyone
thinks the other guy has it easy,
and everyone picks the place
where he thinks it will be easier
for him to have an impact. I give
credit to my brother for his work
with students in Eretz Yisroel.
Today, boruch Hashem, its a
widespread phenomenon, but
when he went on shlichus, it was
not common in Eretz Yisroel.
The concept of opening a Chabad
House especially for students
practically did not exist. Outside
of Eretz Yisroel it started many
years ago and the first shluchim
that the Rebbe sent out decades
ago, like Rabbi Shlomo Cunin
and Rabbi Yosef Carlebach and
others, began their shlichus on
campus.
Of course, you can look at
the advantages of living in Eretz
Yisroel or abroad. Personally,
I wanted to live abroad for a
number of reasons. First, because
of the spiritual animal soul (if
it is possible to define it as such).
I live near 770, so last Motzaei
Rosh HaShana we were able to
make Havdala at the Chabad
House and arrive for Maariv of
Motzaei Rosh HaShana in 770.
We do this every Motzaei Yom
Tov, as we are on shlichus in a
place that is within reach of 770.
This is definitely a benefit in
being here.
I think that there are many
advantages to living outside
of Eretz Yisroel along with
the dangers of assimilation,
etc. There is a great openness
to Judaism. When people live
outside of Eretz Yisroel, Chabad
is something far more important
to them than it is in Eretz Yisroel.
The question that every shliach in
Eretz Yisroel is familiar with is,
Chabad is here too?
Berele: I have thought a lot
about this and the truth is that
outside of Eretz Yisroel, Israelis,
2017-03-28 1:24:35 PM
 and Jews in general, are more
open, but then again, often the
shliach tends to be more open
and less rigid. I must say that the
inspiration for my Chabad House
is Shragas Chabad House. I
was there on Sukkos before my
wedding and I saw how they
made a barbecue and there were
Lubavitchers who played music
and it was a big evening with
lots of students. What really
grabbed me was the openness on
the part of the Chabad House.
I saw that whoever came really
felt connected on some level and
could relate.
When I returned to Eretz
Yisroel I opened my place. I
purposely did not call it a Chabad
House, because that represents
a certain stance with certain
Israelis in Eretz Yisroel. I
preferred doing something with a
name that is more inviting. Many
of the activities done by Chabad
Houses outside Eretz Yisroel are
more open and I wanted to do
something like that.
If the outreach approach is
in fact more open, should it
be called a Chabad House or
should it be called something
else?
Shraga: I may have some
contentions over the fact that
Berele does not want to call it
a Beit Chabad. Today, this is a
fairly common phenomenon.
Here they call it Friendship
Circle, and things like that, and
sometimes it seems the idea is to
hide the fact that we are Chabad.
Soup kitchens and other things
like that are opened Im not
saying whats right and what
isnt right but to us, the fact
that we call it a Chabad House
has great significance. It says
explicitly on the big building: Beis
Chabad Lubavitch. Sometimes
you need to employ an indirect
approach in order to reach other
1063_bm_eng.indd 11
spreading Chassidus and bringing
people close to the Rebbe. I
think that first and foremost its
a matter of branding, but there
is an advantage to the fact that
the place is not called a Chabad
House that enables a broader
range of activities.
You named your center
Shmaya in order to align with
the type of programming?
Berele: Definitely. At a
Chabad House I wouldnt hold
informal and open events for
students. Our spiritual leadership
told us, regarding a number of
R Shraga Crombie
But if you say that you call it so because that
enables you to do things that are not proper for
a Chabad House to do, that is a problem! You are doing
things that shouldnt be done?! What is not suitable to be
done under the name of Chabad, is not suitable altogether,
and it is not proper for a shliach to be doing it.
demographics. I understand
that, but I personally feel good things, that they are borderline
about working in a place that is and should not be done under the
openly Chabad. When I get up name Chabad House. Whoever
in the morning and ask myself walks in to our place sees a big
where I am working, I know its picture of the Rebbe. We dont
a Chabad House. My son knows hide the Rebbe, G-d forbid. On
that we go to the Chabad House every schedule of events that I
for Shabbos or that his father print, there is a picture of the
works at a Chabad House; and Rebbe prominently displayed. We
this is important to me. dont hide the fact that we are
Berele: I dont think its shluchim of the Rebbe. Its the
essential. The mekuravim, essence of our lives and we are
among themselves, refer to it moser nefesh for it.
as a Beit Chabad. Just a few Do you see a difference
minutes ago, a mekureves asked between the outreach done with
me when the Chabad House is students in Eretz Yisroel and
open today. That means they abroad?
know and understand that this Berele: Yes. I have a national-
is a Chabad House with Chabad religious friend here, an
activities. But it has many other American, who traveled abroad
implications regarding the and wanted to spend Shabbos
character of certain activities that at a Chabad House. He looked
you dont want to do under the for places to be on Friday
name of Chabad even though night and went to a meal at a
they are Lubavitcher activities of
Issue 1063 11
2017-03-28 1:24:36 PM
 Interview
Chabad House. In Eretz Yisroel
he was used to a much more
conservative style and over there
he was taken aback by the more
open style. When he asked the
shliach whether this was indeed
a Chabad House, the shliach said
this is the style here and it is, in
fact, different than other places.
Shraga: There are answers
and guidance from rabbanim
about what is permitted and
what is prohibited, and we act
accordingly. I say the opposite,
call it a Chabad House and stand
behind it. Thats not an excuse,
to not call it a Chabad House
and then do what you want. On
the contrary, I think it should
be called a Chabad House and it
should maintain the appropriate
standards worthy of the name.
Berele: I still think that there
is a place for Chabad activities
that are not under the official
name of Chabad.
Shraga: Then maybe you
shouldnt do it altogether
What is not suitable to be done
under the name of Chabad, is
not suitable altogether, and it is
not proper that Chabad is doing
something like that and for a
shliach to be doing it.
If you say Shmaya is a Chabad
House, but we called it that
because more people will come to
a Chabad House called Shmaya,
I accept that. But if you say that
you call it Shmaya because that
enables you to do things that are
not proper for a Chabad House
to do, that is a problem! You are
doing things that shouldnt be
done?!
Berele: I think our standards
are still very high, definitely
as compared to the openness
abroad. Everything we do
is done in consultation with
mashpiim and with the spiritual
administration, and we dont
make a move without them.
12 4 Nissan 5777
1063_bm_eng.indd 12
Concurrently, I think that that
was the very idea of calling it
by another name to allow for
doing the type of programming
necessary for this crowd.
Shraga: I dont agree. If there
are things that cannot be done
under the name of Chabad, they
shouldnt be done. I agree with
you that the standards in Eretz
Yisroel are higher. There is a joke
that says, whats the problem with
eating food with the rabbanut
hechsher on planes going to Eretz
Yisroel? Because its warmed
up with food with the mehadrin
hechsher from abroad
I think there is a lack of
awareness on the part of
shluchim. In Eretz Yisroel there
are many things that are done
with greater consideration
for being particular about
instructions of the Rebbe. Many
people in America have no idea
that there is a problem with the
Israeli flag, for example. You
can see these flags at events and
dinners. Here, at our Chabad
House, R Carlebach is well
aware and he does not allow
these kinds of compromises to
enter the Chabad House.
Berele: Apropos to what
you said, I met someone in
Yerushalayim the other week who
did a lecture tour in communities
and at campus Chabad Houses in
the US. They let him speak about
Zionism, aliya etc., except for
one place where they didnt allow
it, R Carlebachs Chabad House.
He was shocked to learn that the
Rebbe says one does not need to
make aliya in order to be a good
Jew.
Shraga: Abroad there is
more openness on the part of
the students and, unfortunately,
also more openness on the part
of the shliach, which isnt always
proper. There is no such thing.
Care must be taken regarding
every detail, large and small.
Both of you are involved
with media in addition to your
student outreach work. How
does that work?
Shraga: Some shluchim dont
understand that an inseparable
part of their outreach includes
sending articles to newspapers
and websites; it makes no
difference whether within Chabad
or out of Chabad. A shliach often
feels, I dont need to be one of
those who runs after glory and
sends in his pictures all the time.
This is not correct for several
reasons. First, in the shliachs
city, the publicity begins not
before the event, but after. If
a shliach thinks hes going to
start advertising before the Lag
BOmer event, he is mistaken,
because the truth is that he
starts advertising on Motzaei
Lag BOmer about the next
Lag BOmer. When he sends
an article and pictures to a
newspaper after every event, he
is starting the advertising for the
next years event.
We see even within Chabad
how much the Rebbe invested
himself in encouraging the
publications of albums and
reports about the Lag BOmer
parades and Chanuka lightings.
We see that the Rebbe considered
it very important to display these
things and the Rebbe was very
involved in the details.
Shluchim often say that
people within or outside of
Chabad saw an article and
decided to make a donation to
them, as a result. Especially in
the age of the internet, when I
write an article about Purim, for
example, at the Chabad House,
you never know whether a few
years down the line someone
might do a search of the words
Purim Chabad, and find our
article. There are plenty of stories
2017-03-28 1:24:36 PM
 like this.
Today you cannot say that
a certain website is meant for
Chabad and another one is
not, because the information is
accessible to everyone. You never
know who will be exposed to
it and when. It is meant for the
world at large and it is important
that we publicize these things.
Berele: Heres a story. I
wanted to publicize an event
I did for Chai Elul and I did so
in a paper belonging to the dati
sector. The next day I got a
phone call from a senior person
in the Yerushalayim municipality
who wanted to meet with me
because of that item.
My involvement has changed
over time. I started writing for
Beis Moshiach and Chabadinfo,
and now my writing is mainly for
non-Chabad sources and even
the general media that would not
be classified as religious.
You also write on non-
Chabad forums about all sorts
of topics that dont necessarily
have anything to do with
Chabad.
Berele: The Rebbe wrote to a
number of people who thought
that their writing was not
influential, that they need to be
published wherever possible. Uri
Tzvi Greenberg and others got
answers from the Rebbe about
this.
How does writing on
subjects that have no direct
connection to Judaism or
Chabad, pertain to a shliach?
Berele: When there are any
controversies about religious
matters in Eretz Yisroel, you
need to write about it and
offer a response and position.
However, you also cannot just
be a commentator who writes
only opposing views and only
what believing Jews have to say
about every issue. If you want
1063_bm_eng.indd 13
R Sholom Ber (Berele) Crombie
We are very good at making sure that our
message is always front and center. Now we
need to prove that behind this message are people who
are serious and who know what theyre talking about and
have a basis for what they say. Then people will want to
listen.
to establish a place for yourself
on the editorial pages or in the
media in general, you must
work at it, in the context of an
actual job, and write about other
things too, so that you will be a
columnist whose content is read
and not only as someone who is
reacting.
Shraga: Im thinking of
someone like Berke Wolf ah
who never wrote about secular
matters and wrote exclusively
about the Rebbe. Wherever he
went and worked, he expressed
only the Rebbes viewpoint. In
my work with the media I also
work with journalists and I dont
get involved with the dramas
that take place in the world in
general, nor in the frum world.
My only consideration is: what is
our role.
Berele: Berke is one example,
but there is also the counter
example of Gershon Ber
Jacobson. He was a journalist
and that was his shlichus. He
would get up in the morning to
be a journalist and get scoops
and he did many things for the
Rebbe.
Shraga: That could be, but
this approach still does not seem
right to me. For example, once
upon a time when a Lubavitcher
journalist expressed a view on
politics or the economy, people
didnt say, That is the column of
the Lubavitcher, but in todays
day and age when every opinion
column or article has a picture
of the author, and everyone sees
whos who, you ask yourself,
what connection is there here
to a Lubavitcher? True, it is not
always easy, but I dont think my
job is to be involved in the media
to express views on other issues.
Can there be a Lubavitcher
journalist?
Shraga: If I would see Berele
setting out to become a journalist
like others, getting involved in
everything and using this position
to put things in the press that
are usually frowned upon; or if
I would see an article about the
Rebbe, Moshiach, 770, etc. once
every ten or even a hundred
articles, I would say it is worth it.
But if I go to their world and Im
just like everyone else, what was
accomplished?
Berele: First, there is a
difference between a journalist
Issue 1063 13
2017-03-28 1:24:36 PM
 Interview
and someone who writes an
opinion column. I am not
involved at all today in writing
news articles; I just write an
opinion column. Second,
the question is, what does it
mean to properly utilize your
position? I can tell you that I
have connections with all kinds
of people on whom I have an
influence through my writing
and I have a lot of things going
on with them behind the scenes.
People tell me outright, its
because of you that we look at
the frum world, at Chabad, at
Meshichistim, differently. My
answer is, there are many things
going on behind the scenes and
not only what you see up front.
Shraga: To love Meshichistim
is one thing, but if you were to
decide to take this on as a full-
fledged mission, and I think you
have the abilities to do that, and
you would say to me, listen, I
have the talent to be a journalist
and instead of their taking
someone else, I will be a reporter,
thats something else. If this is
a shlichus, I dont disagree with
that.
Today, we all know there is
a lot of work that can be done
in getting articles pulled, in
withholding negative publicity.
So maybe it is not necessary
to work in journalism but
in creating connections with
journalists?
Shraga: I look at it this way
either hes wearing the hat
of a Lubavitcher, like Berke,
or he is someone who hides
his Lubavitcher hat and says,
I am hiding on the inside and
fomenting a revolution from
within.
Both are fine, but I relate
more to the authentic Lubavitcher
approach. The fact is that the first
generation of Chabad spokesmen
spoke as Lubavitchers and not as
14 4 Nissan 5777
1063_bm_eng.indd 14
undercover Lubavitchers. I hear
what hes saying, and Im not
saying its incorrect, but I dont
relate to it.
Berele: I think that the
reality and communication
have changed so much since
Berke Wolfs time. Rabbi
Moshe Levinger used to be the
spokesman for Gush Emunim.
He would send press releases
saying here an encampment
was started and there a tree
was planted. Then a group of
young fellows came along that
operate like a well-oiled scoop
machine, who strengthened ties
with journalists and that is how
they are getting their message out
to the masses. Theres nothing
you can do; today it is impossible
to further ones agenda any other
way.
What are your thoughts
about publicizing kabbalas
pnei Moshiach?
Berele: In our Chabad center,
we have the Rebbes picture and
the bold writing underneath: The
only remaining avoda is kabbalas
pnei Moshiach Tzidkeinu bpoel American who gets this invitation
mamash. People know what the
message is. People come to our
place, which looks really nice and
which has shiurim and exciting
things going on, so they relate to
all of it. A journalist once came
to me and when we were first
getting acquainted he asked:
Are you a Meshichist? He tried
starting up with me about this.
I told him: You wont convince important it is, but you have to
me and I wont convince you, so
lets speak about it another time.
He said: You are the first
Meshichist who isnt trying to
debate me on this.
I said: You know what I think,
because it says so on my kippa.
Now, what I need to do is prove
to you that Im normal.
He said: Wow, I get it... that
is indirect messaging.
I asked him to attend an
event of a Meshichist shliach.
Afterward, he told me: The truth
is that I was at that event and I
saw how respectable it was and
today I view the message of the
Meshichistim differently.
We are very good at making
sure that our message is always
front and center. Now we need
to prove that behind this message
are people who are serious and
who know what theyre talking
about and have a basis for what
they say. Then people will want
to listen. When a person wants to
hear the message, he is no longer
doing you a favor for listening
but actually comes with a desire
to understand. The first thing he
encounters is you, and he listens
to you, and if you succeed in
touching him, he will also listen
to the message.
Shraga: Im going to surprise
you a little on this. I relate to
what Berele said. I made an
upsheren for my son and on the
invitation it said Yechi. My wife
said, Whats this? What will an
make of it?
I changed the wording to,
We want Moshiach now, and
of course, at the event, there was
Yechi, but it wasnt Yechi just as a
pronouncement, because Yechi as
a pronouncement is important to
those who know its significance.
We proclaimed Yechi in front
of the Rebbe and we know how
think what a mekurav will get
from it. We need to convey a
message to him and sometimes,
We want Moshiach now is
more extreme than writing Yechi
because he doesnt know what
Yechi is.
Here, at the davening, at the
end of every tfilla, R Goodman
Continued on page 7
2017-03-28 1:24:36 PM
 MOSHIACH & HAYOM YOM
ROYAL
PEDIGREE
By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon
Dear Reader shyichyeh,
This Shabbos (VaYikra) is the
first Shabbos of the month of Nissan
the month of princes. required everyone to have family
The simple reason for this title is
because the first 12 days of Nissan
we read about the Korbanos that the
of each shevet brought in honor
of the dedication of the Mishkan.
By Chassidei Chabad, this title
takes on a whole new meaning: It is
a month that is connected to many
of our . The 13th of Nissan is the Rebbeim. He also points out, that
the Yahrtzait of the Tzemach Tzedek
and beginning of the Nesius of the
Rebbe Maharash. Beis Nissan is the
Yahrtzait of the Rebbe Rashab and
the beginning of the Nesius of the
Frierdike Rebbe. The 18th of Nissan
is the birth of Reb Levik, the Rebbes
father and of course the 11th of
Nissan is the birthday of our Rebbe.
In the HaYom Yom of 7 Nissan
the Rebbe brings down the history
of the family name of , the Alter Rebbe who took over after
the royal family: The Alter Rebbes
family name was Baruchovitch. The
Mitteler Rebbes family name was
Shneuri. The Tzemach Tzedeks
family name was Schneersohn.
In Italy, during the Middle
Ages, family names came into use,
especially by the nobles, who wanted
to separate themselves from the
common people. The nobles then
passed these family names down
to their children. This custom
then spread to other European
countries. The Jews were the last
people to adopt family names, since
1063_bm_eng.indd 15
they often lived apart from other
people and didnt feel they needed
them. However, in the 1800s, laws
names, and Jewish people chose
family names.
There is a long letter of the
Frierdike Rebbe (Igros Vol. 4 page Rebbe felt that it was deeper than
503), which is the source of the
above-quoted HaYom Yom, in which
he describes the events that led up to
the selecting of the family name of
(the son of his daughter, which is
although the Mitteler Rebbe picked
the name Shneuri, his children all
went with the surname Schneersohn.
It should be pointed out, that
not until the passing of the Alter
Rebbe, which was when the surname
was chosen, was it clear that there
would be chassidic dynasties. On
the contrary: It was the Mezritcher
Maggid who took over after the
passing of the Baal Shem tov and
by his son, and then his grandson
the passing of the Maggid. It was
assumed that the spiritual son (i.e.,
the greatest disciple) would take over
the spiritual movement of Chassidus.
In the HaYom Yom of 27 Iyar,
the Rebbe quotes from the Frierdike
Rebbe: My father related that he
heard from his father quoting his
father (the Tzemach Tzedek),
who heard the Alter Rebbe refer to
himself as the son of the Maggid (his
Rebbe), and as the grandson of the
Baal Shem Tov.
While the Gemara [Sanhedrin
19a] says, For anyone who teaches
his friends children Torah, is
considered as if he gave birth to
them, it is only as if. The Alter
as if; it was like his father and
grandfather. Moreover, he told R.
Baruch of Mezhibuzh, who was the
Baal Shem Tovs biological grandson
even a closer connection than a sons
son), that R. Baruch may have been
a grandson in the material sense, but
that he the Alter Rebbe was
the Baal Shem Tovs grandson in a
spiritual sense. He thus implied that
he had received an inner dimension
of the Baal Shem Tov, a link deeper
than that conveyed through birth.
It was only after the passing of
the Alter Rebbe, then succeeded
the Rebbe the Tzemach Tzedek,
that the dynasty and Malchus of
Chabad Chassidus was born. The
Tzemach Tzedek was connected to
the Alter Rebbe in his essence, as is
evident from the story quoted in of
HaYom Yom of 28 Iyar: In one of
the night-time visions in which the
Tzemach Tzedek saw [his maternal
grandfather,] the Alter Rebbe,
within thirty days of the latters
passing, [the Alter Rebbe] delivered
a maamer [based on the teaching of
the Mishna], The world stands on
three things. After delivering the
maamer, the Alter Rebbe [quoted
Issue 1041 15
2017-03-28 1:24:37 PM
 MOSHIACH & HAYOM YOM
and interpreted a Talmudic teaching]: When a man
gives seed first, a female is conceived. This alludes to
your mother. When a woman gives seed first, a male is
conceived. This refers to you.
The Mitteler Rebbe, the eldest son and successor of
the Alter Rebbe, passed away on 9 Kislev 5588 (1827).
Before the following Shavuos, the elder Chassidim
gathered in Lubavitch. Their goal was to persuade the
Mitteler Rebbes nephew and son-in-law, the Tzemach
Tzedek, who was then 38 years old, to accept the mantle
of leadership. Among them was R. Peretz Chein, who
declared that he could prove from a teaching of the
Sages that the Tzemach Tzedek should become the
next Rebbe. He thereupon repeated the above teaching.
Hearing it, the Tzemach Tzedek became very serious
and replied, I accept.
The esteemed R. Hillel of Paritch then spoke up:
The chassidim want to hear Chassidus!
The Tzemach Tzedek withdrew to his room. He soon
reappeared, wearing the white robe that he had inherited
from his grandfather, the Alter Rebbe, and delivered the
above maamer, beginning with the words, Al Shelosha
Dvarim Haolam Omed The world stands on three
things.
These words suddenly reminded some of the
prominent elder Chassidim of what had seemed to be a
mere passing comment of the Alter Rebbe a few decades
earlier. They recalled that in 5553 (1793), they had been
invited to his study to hear him deliver a maamer. At that
time, they noticed that his three-year-old grandson was
running around the room and playing with toy tfillin
that he had made out of potatoes. Whenever the cords
that served for toy straps got caught in the legs of the
table and chairs of the Alter Rebbe, he would unscramble
them for him. One of the elder Chassidim, seeing that
the toddler was edging towards the Alter Rebbe while he
was in the midst of delivering his discourse, intended to
help the little fellow untie his straps.
Catching sight of the elder Chassid, the Alter Rebbe
said, Let him be: hes listening. You will yet know that
hes listening. That comment was completely forgotten.
But the maamer that the Tzemach Tzedek was now
repeating some 35 years later was the very maamer that
they had heard long ago from the lips of the Alter Rebbe
together with a little boy of three
As we are talking about the royal family, I want to
address a question that I have heard many people ask:
We know that the Alter Rebbe is a direct descendant
(son-after-son) of Dovid HaMelech (see introduction to
HaYom yom) and that the Rebbe is a direct descendant
of the Tzemach Tzedek. Yet, the Tzemach Tzedek
is a son of the daughter of the Alter Rebbe thus
16 4 Nissan 5777
1063_bm_eng.indd 16
seemingly breaking the chain of direct descendant from
Dovid HaMelech. So the question is asked, how can a
descendant of the Tzemach Tzedek be Moshiach if he is
not a direct descendant of Dovid HaMelech?
This question is addressed at length in the seifer Yechi
HaMelech HaMoshiach (by Rabbi Shalom D. Volpo). In
brief, he suggests three points:
1. The Rebbe Rashab, also a direct
descendant of the Tzemach Tzedek, says clearly
(Toras Shalom pg. 176): At a farbrengen on Motzaei
Shabbos, 21 Kislev 5673, His candle will never
be extinguished; the light of the Baal Shem Tov
will constantly illuminate. Chassidus will, without
a doubt, exist until the coming of Moshiach, for
Dovid Melech Yisroel chai vkayam this was the
Baal Shem Tov and the Maggid and the Rebbe, and
so on, for we are of the seed of Dovid and we will
continue until Moshiach. The Rebbe will take us all
out.
2. There are many reasons to believe
that the father of the Tzemach Tzedek, Reb
Shalom Shachna, was a direct descendant of Dovid
HaMelech.
3. There are many proofs that to be
Moshiach, one does not actually have to be a
direct descendant son after son from Dovid
HaMelech, and one who is a matrilineal descendant
of Dovid HaMelech can also qualify to be Moshiach.
One proof is from . We all know that
the Gemara (Sanhedrin 98b) says, Says Rav: If
Moshiach is among the living, he is, for example,
Rabbeinu HaKadosh. This is despite the fact that
Tosafos (Sanhedrin 5a) brings down that Rabbeinu
HaKadosh says that he is a descendant of the
daughter of Dovid.
The main thing is that as we prepare for 11 Nissan,
which, being the birthday of the Rebbe, makes it our
birthday too, we must reflect as On ones birthday
one should spend some time in seclusion, bringing to
mind recollections from the past and pondering over
them. As to those [of his bygone actions] that call for
rectification or repentance, one should repent and rectify
them (HaYom yom 11 Nissan) on our Hiskashrus
to the Rebbe and our dedication to The most recent
innovation in the work of shlichus: To receive our
righteous Moshiach in the true and complete
Redemption.
Rabbi Avtzon is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati
and a well sought after speaker and lecturer. Recordings of his in-depth
shiurim on Inyanei Geula uMoshiach can be accessed at http://www.
ylcrecording.com
2017-03-28 1:24:37 PM
 HALACHA 2 GO
PRE-EMPTIVE
BDIKAS CHAMETZ
Selected Halachos from the
One Minute Halacha project
Mara Dasra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights
AU COURANT:
COMMERCIAL COOKING
AND KASHRUS CONCERNS
Certain foods require bishul
Yisroel (cooking by a Jew)*
to retain their kosher status.
The manner in which many
kashrus agencies adhere to this
standard is by having a Torah-
observant Jew turn on the oven
at the beginning of the workday,
thereby aiding in the cooking
process, thus rendering all food
cooked during that cooking cycle
bishul Yisroel.
The most modern ovens,
however, have created an issue
with this protocol; they are rigged
with an energy-saving apparatus
that extinguishes the heating
element in the oven whenever it
is opened and reignites it when
the door is closed. In commercial
settings, this may happen
many times in one workday.
This causes an obvious bishul
problem, since the fire initially
ignited by the Jewish worker
is not continually maintained
throughout the day.
Some authorities quote the
Shach (17th century halachic
1063_bm_eng.indd 17
By HaRav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, Shlita
commentator) that once a Jew
begins the cooking process by
turning on the fire, the food
retains its status as bishul
Yisroel, regardless of whether
the pot remains continuously
on the fireit may be removed
and returned to the heat source
without Jewish intervention.
Aside from the fact that many
poskim disagree with the Shach,
this solution seems insufficient to
allay the issues with an automatic
oven as there is no continuous
firethe heating element is
extinguished and reactivated
when non-Jewish workers swap
uncooked dishes with those
originally cooked by the Jew.
Some authorities maintain
that since the Jew originally
ignited the fire, the subsequent
on/off action can all relate back
to the original fire, but this heter
(leniency) does not take into
account the fact that it is only
the electricity of the oven that is
maintained throughout and not
the actual heating element.
A popular heter to resolve
the issue is that we may rely on
the fact that even when the fire
is extinguished by opening the
door, a significant amount of heat
remains in the ovensufficient
to cook foodand as long as
this degree of heat is maintained,
the fire going on and off does
not affect the status of the
food. Some kashrus authorities
suggest another workaround
to the issue by advocating for a
supplementary heating element
to be inserted in the oven by the
Jew that is not subject to the
automatic door action, but this
element would have to provide
enough heat to cook in order to
provide any kashrus advantage (a
tea light, for example, would be
woefully insufficient).
The optimal solution,
which would circumvent all
the possible problems that may
incur when relying on heterim
to maintain bishul Yisroel status
with automatic ovens, is to have
an observant Jewish worker
available to close the oven doors
throughout the daily cooking
shifts.
* Note that this halacha
applies to Ashkenazim; Sefardim
have stricter general guidelines
for bishul Yisroel.
Continued on page 05
Issue 1063 17
2017-03-28 1:24:37 PM
 MIRACLE STORY

W
hile more than
twenty-five years
have passed since
the following story
took place, each time Mrs. Ester
Rochberger of Rishon LTziyon
recalls the events, her emotions
are rekindled. So it was when we
asked to hear from her first-hand
about the miracle experienced by
her son, Shneur Zalman. Her voice
filled with emotion as she told her
story, recalling those days with the
utmost clarity.
Ill never forget the look of
total shock on the face of the
head of the hospitals childrens
ward, Professor Yitzchak
Winograd. For several long
minutes he explained to the
accompanying medical interns
about my sons serious condition
and the lengthy period of
rehabilitation still awaiting him.
Yet, quite incredibly, when the
moment came to examine him,
the doctor was positively stunned.
Everything had vanished as if it
had never been there.

IT WOULD BE PROPER TO
CHECK THE MEZUZOS IN
THEIR APARTMENT
For several months since
his birth, Shneur Zalman had
suffered from a troublesome
case of bronchitis that never
seemed to leave him. Twenty-
five years ago, they didnt know
how to treat this ailment as
they do today, recalled Mrs.
Rochberger. Every time that I
came to see the pediatrician, she
would write out a prescription for
antibiotics. While the medications
helped to improve his condition,
they regrettably lasted only for
a brief period and the illness
chv returned. Thus, the child
endured this disorder until the
age of twenty-two months. He
would cough incessantly and
there didnt appear to be any
real solution on the horizon.
As he reached the age of two, I
considered registering him for
nursery school. However, I knew
that if his condition remained
as it was, while he would be
registered in nursery school, he
would end up spending most of
his time at home.
As with all important
matters in our lives, I wrote a
letter to the Rebbe. This was
in mid-5751, and I asked the
Rebbe for a bracha that our son
should become healthy and his
coughing should stop. Several
months later, in late Tammuz, my
husband flew to Beis Chayeinu.
I asked him that when he
passed by the Rebbe for dollars
distribution, he should request a
blessing for our son as well, and
so he did. My husband submitted
the names of numerous people in
need of personal salvation and a
bracha, giving special mention to
our son.
The fact is that since my
husbands return to Eretz Yisroel,
there had been a significant
improvement in our childs
condition. In addition, three days
before Rosh Hashanah we were
privileged to find in our mailbox a
reply from the Rebbe to a request
for a bracha that I had sent:
Their PaN from June 19 has
been received, and it will be read
at an auspicious hour at the

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 THE ILLNESS
DISAPPEARED!
While we had been released from the hospital at eight oclock
that morning, we didnt actually leave the childrens ward until
eleven, three hours later. Throughout this time, people came
to our room and stood in line to write a letter to the Rebbe in
request of a bracha. An amazing story as told by the baalas
hamaaseh, Mrs. Ester Rochberger from Rishon LTziyon.

By Nosson Avraham
Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

Tziyon of my holy and revered
father-in-law, the Rebbe, of holy
and righteous memory, his soul
rests in the hidden treasures of
Heaven, may his merit protect
us.
At the conclusion of the
letter, the Rebbes secretary
added in the Rebbes name: It
would be proper to check the
mezuzos in their apartment, to
be certain that all of them are
halachically fit if they havent
been checked in the last twelve
months.
A SUDDEN AND
SURPRISING INFECTION
Due to the hectic holiday
preparations, we read the
letter once and placed it in the
bundle of correspondences our
family had been privileged to
receive from the Rebbe over
the years. Implementing the
Rebbes instructions to check
the mezuzos was postponed until
after Yom tov.
On the first night of Rosh
Hashanah, our Shneur was
happy and cheerful. We were
overjoyed by the prospect that he
would finally be able to enjoy his
life as any normal child.
However, this feeling
didnt last very long. On the
morning of the second day of
Rosh Hashanah, I heard him
crying and I climbed the stairs
leading to his room. My maternal
instincts told me that this wasnt
just the standard cry of a small
child. It sounded low and weak,
and I realized that something was
bothering him.
It turned out that I wasnt
wrong. When I came over to his
bed and touched his forehead,
I felt that he was burning
with fever. I quickly took his
temperature and was stunned
to see that it was over 104F. I
realized that this was a matter
of pikuach nefesh. Wasting no
time, I closed my Thillim and
rushed him to the special health
clinic kept open on Yom tov for
emergency situations. The clinic
opened at ten oclock in the

Issue 1063 19

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 MIRACLE STORY
Professor Yitzchak Winograd
morning, and I stood there with
other people until the doctors
and clinic staff arrived.
When people noticed my
sons listless appearance and his
rolling eyes, they allowed me
to go in first to see the doctor,
and she immediately did a blood
test on him. The diagnosis was
quick there was an infectious
inflammation that was causing
the body temperature to rise. A
brief examination revealed that
the source of the infection was an
open wound on one of his legs.
I remembered that I had
dressed my son in short pants
the day before. When he took a
nap that afternoon, I noticed a fly
land on an open and unscabbed
wound on his leg. I mentioned
20 4 Nissan 5777
1063_bm_eng.indd 20
this to the doctor, and she agreed
that this could be the source of
the infection and inflammation.
After another series of tests
that confirmed the doctors initial
diagnosis, I was sent that same
day to the childrens emergency
room at the Assaf HaRofe
Hospital. On our way there, I
recalled the letter that had come
from the Rebbe three days earlier.
I felt that by Divine Providence,
the Rebbe had provided the
cure prior to the calamity. This
knowledge filled me with a sense
of faith and confidence.
The next morning, however,
my feeling of concern and
apprehension began to gnaw
away at me again. It was when
the head of the childrens ward,
Professor Yitzchak Winograd,
came into my sons hospital
room. He took a pen out of his
pocket, marked the place of
the inflammation, and then he
showed me how in the span of
one day, the inflammation had
spread from the thigh to the
ankle and was climbing higher.
He explained to us the purpose
of the medications our son was
now receiving. He then laid out
before us the worst and most
frightful options available to the
medical staff in the event that
the inflammation continued to
spread. You can expect to be
here for quite a while longer,
the senior doctor informed us.
His words both saddened and
worried me.
It was Wednesday, Tzom
Gedalya, and one of our friends
offered to watch our child at
the hospital, while my husband
and I traveled to Beit Shazar
in Kfar Chabad to send a fax to
the Rebbes mazkirus. Ill never
forget how I wrote a lengthy
correspondence spelling out
everything that had happened to
us and our child, and I concluded
the letter with our request for a
bracha. In the meantime, my
husband began the process of
getting the mezuzos checked. He
didnt just handle the checking of
the mezuzos in our home, he also
took care of the mezuzos in the
childrens ward at Assaf HaRofe.
All of the mezuzos, without
exception, were pasul. The
hospitals mezuzos were written
on parchment sprayed with
plaster, as had been customary
in the past, and this caused the
letters to split and crack. Even
the mezuzos in our house had
several problems, which required
immediate correction.
As soon as the new mezuzos
were affixed, there was a certain
improvement in our sons
condition. As a result, the medical
2017-03-28 1:24:40 PM
 staff agreed to release him for a
period of twenty-four hours. This
would allow us to make Shabbos
at home, and we would return
to the hospital ward as soon as
Shabbos ended.
Equipped with a list of
medications and instructions,
we made our way home.
I immediately got to work
on laundering and folding
clothes, and we soon restored a
semblance of normalcy in our
house after a week of absence.
We were ordered to bring our son
back to his hospital bed no later
than one hour after Shabbos.
Just fifteen minutes before
leaving for the hospital on
Motzaei Shabbos, our home
telephone rang. On the line was
Rabbi Chaim Shalom Segal from
Afula, and he had a message for
us: You have received the Rebbes
bracha. This news was a source
of tremendous strength and
allayed our fears.
On Sunday morning,
Professor Winograd came into
Shneurs room together with a
staff of young interns, explaining
to them about the inflammation
infecting the boys leg. He told
them what kind of inflammation
had afflicted our son, as he
described the expected several
long weeks of hospitalization
and treatment in the ward,
optimistically speaking, before
the medications would manage
to make their healing effect. He
also didnt hesitate to present
all available medical options in
the event that the infection chv
Professor Yitzchak Winograd rolled
up our sons pants and looked at
his leg. Thinking that he had made
a mistake, he asked to see the
other leg
spread out of control. After the
department head finished his
presentation, he asked everyone
to take a moment and view the
afflicted leg for themselves.
He rolled up Shneurs pants
and looked at his leg for a long
while. Then, thinking that he
had perhaps made a mistake,
he asked to see the other leg.
The discovery was amazing:
the deep reddish inflammation
had completely disappeared and
the leg now appeared normal
with no discoloration. Professor
Winograd was speechless.
When I realized the intensity
of the miracle, I told the doctor,
You see, Professor, this is a
miracle of the Lubavitcher
Rebbe. He looked at me for a
long while and then said: Theres
something to what youre saying.
He called the head nurse, and
in a voice filled with excitement,
he told her to prepare our sons
release papers. The leg was
completely healthy and there was
no need for us to stay any longer.
When she heard this, she too
was totally astounded. Within
a few minutes, this miraculous
story had spread rapidly to every
room of the childrens ward,
among both the patients and the
hospital staff.
EVERYONE WANTED TO
WRITE TO THE LEADER
OF THE GENERATION
What happened during those
moments was quite amazing,
literally a case of Who is like
Your people Yisroel? While
we had been released from the
hospital at eight oclock that
morning, we didnt actually leave
the childrens ward until eleven,
three hours later. Throughout
this time, people came to the
room and stood in line to write a
letter to the Rebbe in request of
a bracha, Mrs. Ester Rochberger
said as she concluded her
fascinating story. The
bronchitis and the inflammation
disappeared as if they had never
existed.
Today, my dear son is
married with children, and we in
our family always remember the
amazing miracle we experienced
with him.

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1063 t"ab,wv
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 MOSHIACH & GEULA

THE REBIRTH
OF THE DAVIDIC
DYNASTY
Just as the moon becomes full after 15
days and begins to wane thereafter, so
too the Davidic dynasty, after fifteen kings
had descended from Dovid, sovereignty
diminished in the days of Tzidkiyahu; only
a glimmer of it remained Rabban Gamliel
in Bavel and the Nasi in Eretz Yisroel.
But then their reign will be renewed and
continue. * From Chapter Fourteen of
Rabbi Shloma Majeskis Likkutei Mekoros,
Volume 2. (Underlined text is the compilers
emphasis.)

Translated by Boruch Merkur

Gemara Sanhedrin 38a: Yehuda and Chizkiya,
the sons of Rebbi Chiya, once sat at table with
Rebbi [Yehuda HaNasi], and uttered not a word.
Rebbi said to his servants: Give the young men
plenty of strong wine, so they may be more inclined
to speak. When the wine took effect, they began
to speak, saying: Ben Dovid [i.e., Moshiach] will
not come until the two ruling houses of the Jewish
people come to an end namely, the Exilarchate
in Babylon (Rosh Gola ShBBavel) and the
Patriarchate (Nasi) in Eretz Yisroel as it is written,
And it shall be for a portent and a bludgeoning
stone and for a rock upon which to stumble for the
two houses of Yisroel (Yeshayahu 8:14).
Upon hearing the prediction of the demise of
the office he held, Rebbi exclaimed, My children,
you throw thorns in my eyes!
At this, R. Chiya remarked, Master, be not
enraged, for the numerical value of the letters that
spell yayin-wine is seventy and that of sod-secret
is also seventy, teaching that when wine is imbibed,
secrets emerge.
Maharsha: Ben Dovid will not come until
when wine is imbibed, secrets emerge: This
concept is explained in terms of the Mitzva of
ibbur hachodesh (sanctifying the new month) and
what is said in the second chapter of Meseches
Rosh HaShana [25a]: Rebbi Chiya once saw the
moon in the heavens on the morning of the twenty-
ninth day [which was a sign that the new moon

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 would not appear for at least twenty-four hours]. it entailed regarding the date of Yom Kippur]; he
He took a clod of earth and hurled it towards the preferred that it should come from Rebbi Chiya.
moon, saying, Tonight we want to sanctify you [so Rebbi Chiya, however, in sympathy with Rebbi, also
Yom Kippur would not be on Sunday, immediately did not want to sanctify the month on the thirtieth
following Shabbos, which would be a difficult and day, which would require that he consider it as if the
severe transition from the pleasure of Shabbos to moon were still hidden then. Indeed, it is a positive
the deprivations of Yom Kippur] yet you are still sign when the moon is not hidden, as it signifies the
here! Go and hide yourself [before nightfall, so that continuity of the Nesius. Rebbi then ordered Rebbi
there should be no appearance of the old moon after Chiya to sanctify the moon, being hidden as a result
the twenty-ninth day is over, which would prevent of his command, Go and hide yourself!
the thirtieth day from being proclaimed New Moon Moreover, Rebbi told Rebbi Chiya, send me the
Rashi]! watchword, Dovid king of Israel is alive and well,
Rebbi thereupon said to R. Chiya: Go to Ein meaning that although the concealment of the
Tav [a place in Judah where the Jewish court used to moon is a negative sign for the Nesius, foretelling
meet to sanctify the month Tosafos], sanctify the its demise, in another sense it is actually a positive
month [disregarding sign, indicating that

what you have seen], Dovid King of
and send me the Rebbi agonized over the Yisroel is alive and
watchword, Dovid well that after
demise of his rule, and
king of Israel is the cessation of the
alive and well [see Rebbi Chiya told him, Master, be Nesius, the Davidic
Thillim 89:38]. not enraged, for in virtue of wine is dynasty will be
The intent here renewed and the glory
imbibed, the secret of the ibbur (the of Dovid will sprout
with the choice of
watchword is to liken sanctification of the new month) will forth. Rebbi therefore
the new moon to the emerge ... the idea that the Davidic told Rebbi Chiya,
Davidic dynasty, as Go to Ein Tav and
dynasty will be renewed, along with sanctify the month.
stated in Midrashos
that just as the the preeminence of the family of the The reference to Ein
moon becomes full Tav (literally, good
Nsiim, speedily in our days.
after 15 days and eye) emphasizes that
begins to wane it is actually a siman
thereafter, so too the tov, a positive sign.
Davidic dynasty, after fifteen kings had descended Thus, the Gemara here in Sandhedrin states,
from Dovid, sovereignty diminished in the days of Ben Dovid will not come until the two ruling
Tzidkiyahu; only a glimmer of it remained Rabban houses in Yisroel come to an end the houses of
Gamliel in Bavel and the Nasi in Eretz Yisroel. Rabban Gamliel and the Nasi. For after the Davidic
The moon gradually wanes from the fifteenth day, rule will be totally eliminated like the moon after
shrinking until it disappears completely, but then fifteen days, when it is completely diminished it
it is [reborn and] renewed with light. So too, after will then be renewed like the rebirth of the moon.
the Davidic dynasty totally disappears after even Rebbi agonized over the demise of his rule, and
the rule of Rabban Gamliel in Bavel and the Nasi in Rebbi Chiya told him, Master, be not enraged,
Eretz Yisroel have died out then their reign will be for in virtue of wine is imbibed, the secret of the
renewed [and continue]. ibbur (the sanctification of the new month) will
To that end, since the concealment of the emerge from them [from Yehuda and Chizkiya], the
moon was to Rebbi, who was Nasi, a sign that his idea that the Davidic dynasty will be renewed, along
leadership would end, he did not want to [be the one with the preeminence of the family of the Nsiim,
to] say, Go and hide yourself! [despite the benefit speedily in our days.

Issue 1063 23

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 OBITUARY

THE REBBES
BAAL
MENAGEN
24 4 Nissan 5777

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 The Chabad community and those who cherish authentic
Chassidic music recently parted with a Chassidic music
pioneer, Rabbi Eliyahu Lipsker ah. * His fascinating life
story spans his childhood in Kutais, the familys aliya
to Eretz Yisroel, and the early years spent in the United
States under the personal care of the Rebbe. * About his
tfillos at the Rebbes side and the special kiruvim, the
rare recordings and the Rebbes guidance for success
in his concerts, and about the Rebbes interest in every
detail of his career.

By Shneur Chaviv and Avrohom Rainitz

Issue 1063 25

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 Obituary
D
uring the Shiva for
their father, R Yosef
Yitzchok and R Maybe it was because of these
Menachem Mendel
Lipsker went to daven at the
Reines shul (in the Oholei Torah
mesivta building on Troy Avenue)
where their father, R Eli Lipsker,
davened in recent decades.
One of the people there,
today a learned Chassid with a
Chassidishe family, told them
emotionally: There are many
others like me here in shul who
are part of the Chabad family, but
thirty years ago, when we made
our first steps toward Chabad
and did not know the difference
between a Chumash and a
Likkutei Torah, it was your father
who was mekarev us. On Shabbos
he learned Likkutei Torah with us
and during the week he guided us
in how to integrate into Chassidic
life.
R Eli gave a shiur in Torah
Ohr and Likkutei Torah until the
final weeks of his life. When I
went to the house to be menachem
avel, his sons showed me a pile of
big papers on which R Eli had
printed the maamarei Chassidus
in magnified print so he could
continue giving the shiur even
when his eyesight was weakening.
During the Shiva, a broad
range of people, who were drawn
to Chabad thanks to him, came to
be menachem avel. Some of them
were familiar to the family since
they were also regular guests in
R Elis open home. A woman
came who emotionally said that
if not for our fathers listening to
her, she would not be in the frum
world today. He saved her and
her three children. She said that
our home was the only place that
welcomed her as she was, even
during the difficult situations she
was in, said the son, R Mendy.
He remembered that period well
and was very happy to see her and
26 4 Nissan 5777
1063_bm_eng.indd 26
her children on the path of Torah
and mitzvos.
activities that R Eli received a
bottle of mashke or wine, now
and then, from the Rebbe, when
he went by for kos shel bracha. He
did not ask for it, but the Rebbe
would occasionally give it to him.
R Leibel Groner, who went to
console the family, told them that
he heard the Rebbe refer to R Eli
as, My baal menagen.
FROM KUTAIS TO LUD
R Eli Lipsker was born on
21 Sivan in 1940 in Kutais. He
was the sixth child of Aryeh Zev
(Leibel) and Malka. In Kutais,
the Lipsker children did not go
to public school. They learned
Torah in the attic which served as
the secret schoolhouse. R Leibel
hired a private teacher for his
children who came every day to
teach them.
Eli was nine years old when
he arrived in Eretz Yisroel. The
Lipsker family was taken to an
immigrant hostel in Beer Yaakov
and a few days later, R Leibel
took his sons to the yeshiva on
Rechov HaRav Kook 16 in Tel
Aviv. It was the night of 19 Kislev
and a farbrengen was taking place
with the elder mashpiim and
leaders of the Chabad community
in Tel Aviv.
On Motzaei 20 Kislev,
yeshiva began and the older boys
remained in Tel Aviv to learn while
Eli, the younger one, returned to
Beer Yaakov with his father. After
a while, R Leibel worked to open
a school in Lud, and the Lipsker
children were brought back from
Tel Aviv in order to be the first
students. The heads of the yeshiva
were Rabbi Meilich Kaplan, later
the rav of the Chabad community
in Lud, and Rabbi Lazer
Gurewitz, the son of the famous
Chassid, R Itche der Masmid.
Following a special request
from the Rebbe, a group of
bachurim was sent from Lud
to Haifa which included Eli.
On Shabbos 5716, a group of
shluchim visited Eretz Yisroel.
They were sent by the Rebbe
following the terrorist attack in
Kfar Chabad, and they promoted
the importance of visiting the
Rebbe to Anash and the Tmimim.
The shluchims visit made a
deep impression on Alter Shneur
Zalman, his older brother, and he
decided to go to the Rebbe. When
he told his father, he had him take
Eli along.
THE TRIP TO THE REBBE
Since they had no visas for the
United States, after receiving the
Rebbes bracha it was decided that
they would go via France where
they would spend time under
the influence of the mashpia,
R Nissan Nemanov, until they
obtained the necessary papers.
In the middle of the winter
5717, the brothers, Shneur
Zalman and Eli, sailed to
Marseilles and from there took a
train to Brunoy, a suburb of Paris,
arriving there on 15 Shvat. They
went to the yeshiva and studied
Nigleh and Chassidus. Their
documents arrived in the summer
but they did not have money for
the ship.
Eli had a beautiful voice and
he davened for the amud. He
considered staying in France for
Tishrei 5718 and being a chazan
on the Yomim Noraim and
using the money he earned to
buy two tickets, for himself and
his brother. When the Chassid,
R Yisroel Noach Blinitzky heard
about this, he adamantly opposed
the plan. You need to be with the
Rebbe for Tishrei, he said. In
order to demonstrate his sincerity
he paid for their tickets, just so
that they could be by the Rebbe
2017-03-28 1:24:45 PM
 for Tishrei.
When the brothers went to say
goodbye to R Yisroel Noach, he
asked them to come back to say
goodbye when they were about
to leave. The next day, with their
luggage in the taxi, they went
upstairs to say goodbye. To their
surprise, R Yisroel Noach donned
his outer coat, went into the taxi
with them, and traveled with them
to the train station where they
would be taking a train to the R Eli Lipsker with his drummers at a Lag BOmer parade in the 70s
port.
On 27 Elul 5717, three days
before Rosh HaShana, the Queen
Mary set anchor in New York.
On the ship were the Lipsker
brothers, R Meir Friedman of
Kfar Chabad, and R Chaim
Horowitz (Tashkenter). Two
bachurim were there to welcome
them, Itche Springer and Gershon
Mendel Garelik.

THE FIRST YECHIDUS

The long voyage affected Elis
health and he arrived at 770 with
a fever. He could barely make it to
the tfillos on Rosh HaShana with
the Rebbe. After Rosh HaShana R Eli Lipsker with the Tzivos Hashem choir in the 80s
he felt a little better and he had
his childhood dream and began bachur to study music in those
his first audience with the Rebbe
studying music professionally. days was completely out of the
during the Aseres Yemei Tshuva.
From the day I was born, I question. Its the equivalent of
The Rebbe welcomed him today, telling a bachur to have a
had a passion for music. I dreamed
graciously and asked how he was. television or unfiltered Internet
about music all the years, and to
It was like a father-son talk, R chv.
my great disappointment was not
Eli later said. The Rebbe asked
able to develop my talent. In Eretz Said R Eli, The truth is that
how I feel, and whether I went
Yisroel there was no opportunity at first, the hanhala of the yeshiva
to a doctor and what treatment
and my parents could not provide did not like it. It went against all
I was getting. I was a 16-and-a-
me with a musical education. the unwritten rules. But the one
half-year-old bachur alone in New
As soon as I was independent, I who supported me was the Rebbe.
York and I suddenly felt that there
began studying music. At first I The members of the hanhala
was someone who cared for me
studied with music teachers and went to the Rebbe every two weeks
like a father.
then I went to school to formally to report what was happening
Right after the holidays, Eli study music. in the yeshiva. They told the
began learning in 770. At the same
Rebbe that there is a bachur who
time, he worked at any possible
THE REBBE ENCOURAGED goes to study music and they
job within the yeshiva framework
HIS STUDY OF MUSIC asked whether they should expel
so he could support himself. As
me. The Rebbe asked them in
soon as it became financially You have to understand, surprise, To expel him? Maybe he
possible, he decided to realize said his son Mendy, that for a needs help and support? I think

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 Obituary
the Rebbe saw the potential in
me and wanted me to contribute
to the dissemination of Chassidic
music in the world.
A short while later, young Eli
was called to the yeshiva office
where he was asked whether he
needed financial assistance to
continue his studies. Eli, who was
always particular about not taking
handouts, declined and willingly
forwent the money they offered.
From his perspective, the main
thing was to remain a Tamim in
yeshiva and to be able to combine
this with studying music with the
hanhalas approval.
At that time, his father arrived
to visit his sons learning in 770.
He heard that his son had started
studying music and he was
apprehensive about his spiritual
future. At first, everyone was
afraid I would go off the derech.
The hanhala of the yeshiva was
afraid and my parents were afraid
too. But after hearing that the
Rebbe approved, they were no
longer nervous and they even
warmed to the idea.
At a certain stage, I began
writing to the Rebbe and reporting
to him about my progress in my
music studies, and the Rebbe
was very supportive. The Rebbe
acknowledged what I was doing
and it was obvious that he was
happy with my choice. At the
same time, I continued learning
in yeshiva. I studied for smicha
and shchita. I never shechted an
animal but I have the certificate
that I studied the laws of shchita.
After that, I had nothing to do
with shchita. When I finished
learning, I received the Rebbes
blessing to get married and
establish a Jewish home.
HOSPITALITY
R Eli married Leah
Buchtman in 5723. She was
from a religious, American family
28 4 Nissan 5777
1063_bm_eng.indd 28
that was originally from Poland.
Remaining frum was not a given
in those days in America. Her
father, R Moshe Buchtman,
was a rabbi in the Bronx where
many Jews lived in those days. R
Altein, who was Rabbi Jacobsons
son-in-law, opened a school for
girls and Leah was one of the
first students. Later on, she went
to Bais Yaakov in Brooklyn.
When my grandparents
had yechidus with the Rebbe
at the time of my parents
wedding, said R Mendy, they has drummers. Most people dont
told the Rebbe about the family
background. It turned out there
had been some close connection
at some point between my
mothers family and the Rebbes
family.
The Lipsker couple
maintained a home of hospitality
and chesed, like he saw in his
parents home in Lud. Until
today, the Lipsker home is known
in Crown Heights by numerous
guests as an open house. In
Tishrei, they had hundreds of
guests whom R Eli welcomed
graciously and with open delight.
My mother loves to cook and
she prepares huge meals for the
guests. People are always coming
in and out, says Mendy. Last
Sukkos, my father did not feel
well. He was physically limited
and could not walk, so we built a
small sukka for him on the porch.
But as Sukkos approached, this
bothered him and he asked us
to build a big sukka in the yard
like we did every year, for the
guests.
THE FIRST DRUMMERS
IN THE PARADE
R Eli began his musical
career as a yeshiva bachur. He
said:
In 5720/1960, when I was
still in yeshiva, they asked me to
come up with a musical idea for
the Lag BOmer parade. I said
I would try to make a childrens
band with drums and it worked.
The Rebbe greatly encouraged
the drummers. When we passed
by the Rebbe, you could see how
pleased he was. Several times the
Rebbe asked that the children
and I be called to do another
round with the drums to add to
the simcha.
Today, just about every Lag
BOmer parade around the world
know that the one who came up
with the idea was R Eli Lipsker.
Having drummers at the
parade was just one of his many
musical initiatives. R Eli was a
pioneer of Chabad music in the
previous generation, whether
with his work on the Seifer
HaNiggunim, recording the
Chabad nusach for the Yomim
Noraim, Shabbos and Yom
Tov, with his many concerts
and the forgotten niggunim that
he recorded for the younger
generation.
All along, R Eli merited warm
and close attention from the
Rebbe, both in his personal life
and with his music. Before going
to big concerts, I would have
yechidus. One time, the Rebbe
told me, At concerts you need
to interact and have a rapport
with the audience. That was a
special guidance that I received
regarding my profession.
On countless occasions,
R Eli served as chazan in the
Rebbes presence. Usually, on
Chanuka there would be a rally
for children. I would perform
with a band and the Rebbe would
stand facing us and encourage
the singing.
Sometimes, at a farbrengen,
the Rebbe would ask someone
to sing a niggun. One time, the
Rebbe said, Lipsker is here; he
2017-03-28 1:24:47 PM
 should sing.
R Lipsker was chazan in the
Rebbes minyan on the Yomim
Noraim. I was often the chazan
by the Rebbe, davening on Rosh
HaShana and Yom Kippur.
There were some years that I was
hired to be the chazan in various
communities around the world,
and from that point on I did not
go back to daven as the chazan in
770.
SIMCHAS BEIS HASHOEIVA
IN CROWN HEIGHTS
After the Yom Kippur War,
R Eli Lipsker did a few concerts
in Eretz Yisroel. I did concerts
at the Heichal HaTarbut in Tel
Aviv and in Binyanei HaUmah
in Yerushalayim. I performed
with my childrens choir and with
Yigal Calek of London, and with
someone who later became the
king of Jewish music, Mordechai
Ben David. It was a varied
repertoire and people enjoyed it
very much.
Every Chol HaMoed Sukkos,
R Eli was invited to play at the
Simchas Beis HaShoeiva of
Skver in New York. In 5741,
a Hakhel year, after the Rebbe
spoke about the importance of
Simchas Beis HaShoeiva, R Eli
began the tradition of Simchas
Beis HaShoeiva in Crown
Heights. It has since become one
of the outstanding features of
Tishrei in Lubavitch.
The Rebbe also encouraged
R Eli to record his work. Every
recording or other material that
I produced, I would submit to
the Rebbe. The Rebbe always
listened and commented. He
once asked why it did not say
boruch Hashem on the cover.
The Rebbe also told me to write
on the jacket not to listen to the
recording on Shabbos and Yom
Tov. When I recorded Megillas
1063_bm_eng.indd 29
Baal Tfilla in the Rebbes minyan
Esther, the Rebbe told me to
write on the jacket that one does
not fulfill his obligation to hear
the Megilla by listening to this
recording.
In his youth, R Eli did not
dream of making a living from
his involvement with music.
The concept of a frum musician
making money from music did
not exist, certainly not in Chabad.
My fathers self-respect did
not allow him to benefit from
peoples gifts. He never took
food stamps or other government
benefits, even when he was
eligible. He believed in work and
believed that a person has to do
his maximum to support himself
in dignity. As a bachur and even
after he married, he worked
at any job that supported him
honorably, starting with jobs in
yeshiva, leining and chazanus,
and as a driver of a delivery route
of kosher meat. When he began
earning money from music,
that was really a blessing from
heaven, says his son Mendy.
He did not do any advertising
and the jobs kept coming to
him. There were ups and downs
in parnasa but he never stopped
working.
MUSIC FOR THE NEXT
GENERATION
As he developed his expertise
in the field of music, R Eli also
began teaching music. Still as a
bachur, he started working as a
teacher in a non-Chabad yeshiva
in New York. A short while later,
they asked him to teach music in
a Jewish school and that led to
his teaching music to children
for decades in a number of New
York schools. Although officially
he was only a music teacher, he
considered his work a shlichus
and spoke with his students about
the meaning of life. He conveyed
spiritual ideas from the teachings
of Chassidus. Many of them
became closer to a life of Torah
and mitzvos, thanks to him.
Along with teaching music, R
Eli was always busy with concerts
in which he performed Chabad
niggunim. In the 70s, during the
conflict with Satmar, R Eli was
the only Lubavitcher who entered
Williamsburg. They had no
musicians and my father would
play at all their weddings, said
his son.
R Eli was most proud of his
work in writing the notes for
Chabad niggunim to be passed
along to the young generation.
Thanks to him, Chabad niggunim
were preserved. He was the
link that the Rebbe cultivated at
just the right time, in the right
place, and with the knowledge
to take the treasure of Chabad
niggunim and convey it to the
next generation.
***
In recent years he was ill. He
passed away on 20 Shvat. He is
survived by his wife, Leah, and
his children: R Yosef, shliach in
Reading, PA; R Mendy, Crown
Heights; and Shani Katzman,
shlucha in Omaha, NE.
Issue 1063 29
2017-03-28 1:24:48 PM
 CHABAD HISTORY

SIXTY YEARS OF
COOPERATION IN
ONE MEMO
of the refugees are met and they are
Right from the beginning of its creation, the
resettled in Chabad communities
Lubavitch Hassidic movement distinguished itself across the world. This work was
done with the financial aid of
by the fact that its followers were guided to apply
the American Joint Distribution
and practice religious prescriptions in every detail Committee.
of life * If the Gruzian Jews have maintained their However, Lubavitch wasnt
satisfied just with providing
Jewish identity and strong religious feelings and material support for the refugees,
practices in spite of over 50 years of Communist and immediately set out to create
an infrastructure of Chabad
propaganda and persecution, I am convinced organizations to spread the light
that this is the result of the great efforts invested of Judaism wherever it may be
needed. Rabbi Gorodetsky was
by Rabbi Levitin * The majority of Shochtim in in charge of developing Chabad
England, France, Italy, the Scandinavian countries activities in Europe, the Middle
East and North Africa.
and Belgium are former students of our Yeshivot In this weeks installment we
* When the Aliyah from Morocco was very high, present a series of documents
from 5736 (1975-1976) which
there was a consensus of opinion by all concerned detail just part of the tremendous
that the youth coming from our institutions in that work that he was directing in
Europe and North Africa at the
country are the best element * This is obviously a time, specifying the various cities
very succinct description of our activities overseas, where Shluchim were operating
and their institutions which were
since otherwise it would require hundreds of sponsored by the JDC.
pages * What Does Lubavitch Do? These documents reference
over sixty years that Chabad
worked hand-in-hand with the

I
JDC, starting from World War I
n the aftermath of World appointed Rabbi Binyamin
when the JDC sent money to the
War II, the Frierdiker Rebbe Eliyahu Gorodetsky to lead the
famed Mashpia Rabbi Shmuel
established the Lubavitch organization; the organization was
Levitin who was then in Georgia
European Bureau and tasked with ensuring that all needs
(Gruzia).

30 4 Nissan 5777

1063_bm_eng.indd 30 2017-03-28 1:24:48 PM

 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 MEMORANDUM
THAT SHOULDVE BEEN
HUNDREDS OF PAGES
On December 21, 1975 [17
Teves 5736] Rabbi Gorodetsky
submitted to the JDC offices a
three-page Memorandum on
Lubavitch Overseas Activities
which included a summary of
most social and educational
activities being organized by the
Lubavitch European Bureau
and the Shluchim:
The Lubavitch Hassidic
movement was founded
some two hundred years ago by
the Holy Rabbi Zalman of Ladi,
a small town in White Russia
which became famous among
Jews all over the world since the
Rabbi was called Rabbi Zalman
MeLadi.
This movement is very well
known among Jews because
of the many books, including
historical research, published
on the subject. Therefore, I do
not think it necessary to relate
here its history. The purpose of
this memorandum is rather to
bring out the various aspects
of the Lubavitch movement
activities and its relationship
with the American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee for the
last sixty years.
Right from the beginning
of its creation, the Lubavitch
Hassidic movement distinguished
itself by the fact that its followers
were guided to apply and
practice religious prescriptions
in every detail of life, including
the social and economic ones,
1063_bm_eng.indd 31
like helping Jews to become
craftsmen, farmers or workers
in small industry cooperatives.
This way the Lubavitch followers
and Yeshivah students could earn
a decent living and at the same
time observe the Mitzvot.
This kind of activity brought
our movement in contact with
the American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee when
this latter organization began
to work in Russia after World
War I. In 1913 the first JDC
financial assistance for Jews in
Russia was sent to the Lubavitch
Yeshivot in Gruzia and namely
to Rabbi Shmuel Levitin, the
then Chief Rabbi of Gruzia and
representative of the Lubavitch
Rabbi for that region (as well
as my father-in-law who, by the
way, passed in New York at the
beginning of 1975 at the age of
94, active, alert and conscious to
the last minute). Rabbi Levitin
worked for Gruzian Jewry for
many years and created there
a chain of Jewish religious
and social institutions which
produced generations of
Rabbis, teachers, Shochtim and
other religious functionaries.
If the Gruzian Jews have
maintained their Jewish
identity and strong religious
feelings and practices in spite
of over 50 years of Communist
propaganda and persecution,
I am convinced that this is
the result of the great efforts
invested by Rabbi Levitin and
the financial assistance granted
by the JDC so many years ago.
In general it is an accepted
fact that the Lubavitch
movement is the only Jewish
religious organization in
Communist Russia which has
been active in the religious-
cultural and social fields for so
many years, at the beginning
legally and then illegally. The
former Lubavitch Rabbi, my
father-in-law, myself and other
Lubavitch people were at one
time or another either sent to
prison or to Siberia, but our
activities always continued and
still continue in Russia to this
day. I have been directly involved
in this work for the last 52 years
and am in a good position to
state that all this has been done
with the precious financial
assistance of the JDC.
POST WORLD WAR II
ACTIVITIES
The experience in illegal
work in Russia has helped us to
bring out some 4,000 Lubavitch
members from that country
in 1946, to the DP camps in
Germany and then to France.
In France we provided them
with the material means to live
and helped them to find work in
accordance with their capacities.
Some of them were helped to
learn trades and to open little
workshops for knitting, tailoring,
etc. Others, in accordance with
Issue 1063 31
2017-03-28 1:24:48 PM
 Chabad history
their background and Toranic
education, were appointed
as Rabbis, teachers, scribes,
Shochtim and Chazanim in
our various religious-cultural
institutions created in those years
and which have since become
famous all over Europe, like the
Yeshivah at Brunoy, the Bet-
Rivka Teachers Seminary for
Girls and the Bet-Rivka School
for Girls at Yerres, a chain of
Talmudei-Torah and day-schools
in Paris and its suburbs as well
as in the larger provincial cities
of France, like Lyon, Marseille,
Toulouse and Nice.
I believe the following two
facts, among others, will illustrate
both the kind of our work and
our close cooperation with the
JDC:
1. In 1948 the Irish
Government made the JDC a
gift of 3 million pounds of meat
to be distributed among Jews in
the DP camps and in Israel. In
this connection there arose the
problem of finding Shochtim and
Rabbis to handle the Kashrut of
this large quantity of meat. The
JDC then entrusted us with this
gigantic job, and I organized a
group of 50 Rabbis and Shochtim
who went to Ireland for this
purpose. Moreover, I used this
opportunity to send with them a
number of Yeshivah students to
learn the profession of Shechita.
2. In 1949 or 1950 the JDC
received some 1,200 Sifrei-Torah
from Germany, which the Nazis
had confiscated from Jews all
over Europe. Again it was our
scribes who were charged with
the task of examining these Sifrei-
Torah with regard to Kashrut
and, if necessary, make the
needed corrections since there
were no other scribes available in
Europe in those days. Their work
enabled the JDC to distribute
these Sifrei Torah among Jewish
32 4 Nissan 5777
1063_bm_eng.indd 32
communities all over Europe and
a certain number was sent to
Israel.
Our activities in France
served also as a springboard for
our similar activities in other
countries, like Israel, Morocco,
Tunisia, the City of Melilla,
Madrid, Italy, Turkey, the
Scandinavian countries and even
Australia. In all these countries
we carried on and still carry on
in most of them religious-cultural
and social activities (in Israel
also vocational training at Kfar-
Chabad) which include Yeshivot,
Talmudei-Torah, all-day schools
for boys, Bet-Rivka Schools for
Girls, Youth Centers and Student
Centers with a Kosher restaurant
in Madrid. In addition, our
former Yeshivah students who
emigrated to such countries like
Canada, England, Italy, Norway,
Sweden, etc., hold responsible
jobs as religious functionaries
in those communities and the
majority of Shochtim in England,
France, Italy, the Scandinavian
countries and Belgium are former
students of our Yeshivot.
It should also be noted that
during the early 1950s, when
the Aliyah from Morocco was
very high, there was a consensus
of opinion by all concerned
that the youth coming from our
institutions in that country are
the best element and that their
integration in Israel was much
easier than that of other Jews
from Morocco.
PUBLICATIONS
Our activities in France
include also publication of
books and booklets in French on
religious topics for the French
speaking countries in Europe, for
North Africa, Canada and up to
recently also for Lebanon.
This is obviously a very
succinct description of our
activities overseas, since
otherwise it would require
hundreds of pages. However
I believe that even so it shows
clearly the positive role played
by our movement in maintaining
and strengthening the religious
spirit and Jewish values among
Jews in Europe, North Africa and
other countries.
I wish to conclude by
emphasizing once again that
the success obtained in our
tremendous work in the various
countries was due mainly to
the assistance and sympathetic
attitude and understanding on
the part of the JDC leadership
towards our organization during
all these years, for what I am
truly and deeply grateful.
Grand Rabbi B. Gorodetzki
Director-General for Europe,
Israel and North Africa
THE LIST
Attached to the memo was a short
two-page list of all the educational
activities under the auspices of
Rabbi Gorodetsky (aside for the Aid
to Russia program, which was kept
off the books for obvious reasons),
which were sponsored by the JDC:
PRESENT RELIGIOUS-
CULTURAL AND SOCIAL
ACTIVITIES OF THE
LUBAVITCH MOVEMENT
WITH JDC FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE
FRANCE
1. Yeshivah at Brunoy with
full board and lodging, including
a school for Shochtim 88
students.
2. Bet-Rivka Teachers
Seminary for Girls at Yerres,
with full board and lodging 68
students.
3. Bet-Rivka Primary and
Secondary all-day school for
girls at Yerres with full board and
lodging 102 students.
2017-03-28 1:24:48 PM
 4. All-day school in Paris 69
students.
5. All-day school at
Aubervilliers 85 students.
6. All-day school at Orly 40
students.
7. Chain of 46 Talmudei-
Torah in Paris and the suburbs
with a total of 985 students.
8. Chain of 51 Youth and
Student Centers in Paris and
the suburbs with a total of about
1,000 persons.
9. Two Kindergartens in the
suburbs of Paris with a total of 45
children.
10. Bet-Rivka all-day school
at Lyon 160 students.
11. Youth and Student Center
at Lyon with a total of about 80
persons.
12. Youth and Student Center
in Marseille with a total of about
70 persons.
13. Youth and Student Center
in Strasbourg with a total of
about 50 persons.
14. Youth and Student Center
in Toulouse with a total of about
50 persons.
MOROCCO
1. Yeshivah at Casablanca,
including vocational school for
Tefilln and Sofrim, with full
board and lodging 46 students.
2. Bet-Rivka Teachers
Seminary for girls at Casablanca
210 students, the large majority
of whom receive full board and
lodging.
3. Bet-Rivka all-day school
for Girls at Casablanca with full
board 315 students.
TUNISIA
1. Yeshivah (Primary and
Secondary all-day school for
boys) in Tunis 205 students.
2. Teachers Seminary for
Girls in Tunis 80 students.
3. All-day school for Girls in
Tunis 90 students.
4. Evening classes in Tunis
with an attendance of 80 persons.
5. Summer Courses with an
attendance of about 200 persons.
6. Yeshivah with full board at
Djerba 115 students.
CITY OF MELILLA
1. All-day school 72
students.
2. Evening classes with an
attendance of about 40 persons.
3. Summer courses with an
attendance of about 80 persons.
THE TRUST AND FAITH IN
RABBI GORODETZKY
Rabbi Gorodetskys memo
circulated among JDC officers and
on February 16, 1976 [15 Adar I,
5736] we find the following letter
from a Hassid of Lubavitch Mr.
Theodore Feder (JDC Europe) to
the Executive Vice President of the
JDC, Mr. Ralph Goldman:
As a hassid of the Lubavitch
and especially of Rabbi
Gorodetzki I plead prejudice in
his favor.
Although it would seem that
because a report was suggested
by the JDC it would automatically
follow that he would try to sing
our praise. Yet in the many years
that I have worked with the
Rabbi, and it goes back to the
forties, one thing constant about
the Rabbi was his willingness at
any time to give us a noticeable
credit line, in large print and
usually at the beginning of his
report. This, as opposed to a
number of our subventioned
organizations who tack on the
credit line at the end in small
print.
What cannot be said by Rabbi
Gorodetzky, and I will say it, is
that the trust and faith we have
of him and his organization is no
less than we have with any of the
JDC offices and staff. It is indeed
a most unique relationship and
one that all of here treasure. You
have got to see and hear it to
believe it.
This does not mean that we
automatically agree with the
Rabbi when he comes up with his
projects. On the contrary, we are
always in a discussion state with
the Rabbi; but his understanding
of our problems and our
strictures makes it easy for us to
deal with his organization.
Ralph, if you had not asked
me for comments, you would
have not gotten this letter. So,
ask

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Issue 1063 33

1063_bm_eng.indd 33 2017-03-28 1:24:48 PM

 TZIVOS HASHEM
YOU WILL
HAVE NACHAS
The Place: S Paul, Minnesota
The Time: Yud Shvat 5739
Adina looked around the full
hall. In another few minutes,
the Yud Shvat farbrengen
would begin, and the room
was filling up with Chassidim
and Jews who came from all
over.
The truth is, she didnt
really belong here. She grew
up in a typical American
home, went to college and was
enjoying life. She knew she
was Jewish and was proud of
that, but Judaism to her was
something quaint and nice
that belonged to history.
Her main connection to
Judaism was through her
grandfather. Adinas mothers
father was a religious Jew. She
fondly remembered how, when
she was a little girl, he would
pick her up and put her on his
lap and tell her about life in
Russia. Back then, he slept on
a bench in yeshiva and went
hungry most of the day, but he
was happy that he could learn
Torah.
When her grandfather told
her about this he would cry,
and Adina knew that these
were tears of longing for days
long gone. Her grandfather
34 4 Nisan
Nissan5777
5777
1063_bm_eng.indd 34
By Devorah Leah
died a few years ago and
since then her connection to
Judaism had become weaker
and weaker.
Then, one day, her fifteen-
year-old brother announced
that he was starting to keep
Torah and mitzvos. At first,
Adina reacted with a certain
disdain for things he did that
seemed strange to her. But
slowly, she became interested
too. He told her about the
world of Kabbala and Chassidus
discovered a
and Adina
body of
deep and very wise
knowledge that she had never
known about before. She felt
that here, within Judaism,
lay the truth and she began
keeping kosher and later on,
Shabbos too.
But something within her
still did not quite connect to
Judaism. For several months
she went back and forth
between the world of Judaism
and the sparkling outside
world, and she finally decided
she was giving up. Judaism was
beautiful and real but it just
didnt feel right to her.
This week, friends invited
her to join a hike in the
mountains that they were
planning for Friday night. The
truth is she did not have a
reason to refuse, but something
in her heart made her say no.
She decided she would keep
just one more Shabbos and
then
This is why she was sitting
here on Motzaei Shabbos and
waiting for the program
to begin, the evening that
was going to be the finale to
her acquaintance with the
wonderful world of Judaism.
***
The guest speaker for the
evening was Rabbi Shlomo
Zalman Hecht of Chicago
who was an eloquent speaker.
For the past ten years the
community in Minnesota had
tried, without success, to
bring Rabbi Hecht to speak.
They had finally succeeded in
getting him.
His white beard and
pleasant voice impres sed
the crowd. He began to talk
about the greatness of the
Rebbe Rayatz, about his
mesirus nefesh for Jews and
Judaism, about his genius and
righteousness. Adina listened
closely to the rabbi but when
he began telling the following
story, she became glued to his
words. She looked at the rabbi
as though hypnotized and took
in every word he said:
2017-03-28 1:24:49 PM



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, ,


. special.

someone very happened to his children, but I
But one little story
Mr. Brody was so amazed ~ the
ixhb ws | that
xa,wvsure
z"am promise of a
astounded him. When he was
| 74

that he asked me, even though tzaddi k will come true.

in Paris, he met a little boy of
survived the war. he wasnt a Chassid, to arrange Rabbi Hecht finished his
eight who 3/19/2007 11:36:48 AM

for him to see the Rebbe speech and Adina sat there
Mr. Brody asked him if he
94.indd 2

Rayatz. I arranged it and we and cried. She knew the

could do something for him.
traveled together to New York. answer because Mr. Shmuel
He expected a child of that
age to ask for candy, clothes When Mr. Brody came out Brody was her grandfather.
or something like that. But the of the Rebbes room, he was
boy looked at him with big overcome. He said he had

Continued from page 17 the conclusion of the search until be extremely careful not to introduce
after Pesach. One room must be left chametz to the office following his
EARLY BDIKAS CHAMETZ unsearched, so that a search can be search.
It is permissible to begin conducted in that room on the night If one cleans a room from
although not complete the mitzvah of the fourteenth, with a blessing. chametz with the intention of
of bdikas chametz earlier than Here is a practical example of storing his Pesach items there, it is
the night of the 14th of Nisan. such a scenario: One intends to enter wise to wait until the night after he
Regardless of the date of the search, his office during Pesach. In that has cleaned it to conduct a search
it must be conducted during night case, the office cannot be included for chametz by either candlelight
hours and a candle must be used. in the sale of chametz. It must be or the use of an electric flashlight,
In such a case, a blessing is not cleaned and searched instead, but he and not to rely on the search that
recited, and care must be taken does not need to wait until the night he will conduct on the night of the
to avoid introducing any chametz of the fourteenth; he can search it fourteenth. He can then introduce
into the searched area following earlier, as explained above. He must his Pesach items.

1063_bm_eng.indd 5 2017-03-28 1:24:32 PM