Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
4
16
FEATURED ARTICLES
WEEKLY COLUMNS
3 Dvar Malchus
19 Hakhel & Moshiach
29 Bitachon Bytes
31 Crossroads
34 Tzivos Hashem
MY
15 BOOSTING
INNER ALEF
Chaim Veknin
INTO
16 SWORDS
SNOWPLOWS
Prof. Shimon Silman
CHAZAN
20 FAMOUS
FOR THE BENEFIT OF
TOMCHEI TMIMIM
Dov Levanon
YEARS IN
24 LONG
THE MERIT OF THE
REBBES BLESSING
Shneur Zalman Berger
20
744 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11213-3409
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
M.M. Hendel
HEBREW EDITOR:
Rabbi S.Y. Chazan
editorH@beismoshiach.org
ENGLISH EDITOR:
Boruch Merkur
editor@beismoshiach.org
2/2/2016 7:01:18 AM
DVAR MALCHUS
LEARN IT TILL
YOU LIVE I T
From Chapter Five of Rabbi Shloma Majeskis
Likkutei Mekoros Vol. 2. (Underlined text is the
compilers emphasis.)
Translated by Boruch Merkur
Issue 1007
1007_bm_eng.indd 3
2/2/2016 7:01:20 AM
SHLICHUS
BRINGING
THE REBBE
TO NAIROBI
2/2/2016 7:01:21 AM
R Shmuel and Chaya Notik arrived in Kenya a few years ago and
immediately began their outreach work. They have already set up a
preschool, a shul, a kosher kitchen, and developed ties with the local
community as well as hundreds of Jews who live in Kenya for business
reasons. * Shlichus in a challenging country.
By Nosson Avrohom
Issue 1007
1007_bm_eng.indd 5
2/2/2016 7:01:22 AM
Shlichus
savannas, the endless plains, and
in the central highlands of Kenya
a challenging trek up the second
highest mountain in Africa.
Kenya also has a huge number
of safari animals that roam the
savannas.
In Kenya there are large areas
that are designated as nature
preserves where hunting is illegal.
This area attracts numerous
tourists from all over the world
who want to see Africas wildlife
in their natural habitat.
What mainly characterizes
Kenya, says R Notik, are
the polar opposites that coexist
here, a combination of the very
modern
alongside
Africans
living in tin huts and starving
children begging for donations.
There are streets that start off
with magnificent homes and
then when you continue you see
wooden shanties that are about to
collapse. This contributes toward
numerous homeless people who
walk the streets and a high crime
rate. Nevertheless, Nairobi is
going through a tremendous
period of growth. Businessmen,
including many Jews, come
here, looking for business
opportunities.
Nairobi was founded about
120 years ago and a few years
after that the Jewish community
was founded. Over the years
it has gone through many
upheavals. The community was
at first comprised of Jews from
Britain when Kenya was a British
colony, but later other Jews came
from other European countries
and North Africa.
Today, the local Jewish
community
is
tiny,
and
unfortunately the beautiful shul
has a hard time getting a minyan
on Shabbos and Yom Tov.
R Notik is closely in touch
with the members of the
community. Along with his work
KENYA ON THE
SHLICHUS MAP
After the Notiks married at
the end of 5773, they knew they
were going on shlichus.
We spent a long time looking
for a suitable place. We werent
fussy; we looked within Eretz
Yisroel and abroad. At that time,
by divine providence, the shliach
to Ethiopia, R Eliyahu Chaviv
2/2/2016 7:01:22 AM
SETTLING IN
A few months later, when
their circle of mekuravim
widened, the shluchim realized
that they needed a bigger house
in a better location. For a long
time they searched for a suitable
house until one day they found it.
It was big enough to handle
all the activities we wanted to
do. On the first floor we set up
a preschool and the shul. On the
second floor is the kitchen for the
kosher catering that we started
so Jews here have the option of
eating kosher, and there are guest
rooms where the bachurim who
come to help us, sleep. We live on
the third floor.
For many years in Kenya
there had been no Orthodox
Jewish life so the shluchim work
hard to raise awareness. One of
the first things they did was start
kosher catering.
People told me that they do
not eat kosher because they have
no way of obtaining it, explains
R Notik.
Issue 1007
1007_bm_eng.indd 7
2/2/2016 7:01:22 AM
Shlichus
PROVIDENTIAL
ENCOUNTER
From the very start, R Notik
has seen many examples of
divine providence along with
the fulfillment of the Rebbes
brachos. Here is one example out
of many:
2/2/2016 7:01:25 AM
JOSHS STORY
One of the most moving
aspects of their work is finding
Jews who never had a connection
with a community, those who
already considered themselves
lost.
One of the times we returned
to Eretz Yisroel to work on
organizational matters, we left
behind two bachurim to man
the Chabad House. When we
returned to Kenya, they told us
that there were problems with the
lock to the house, and one day
they were stuck outside and it
was only thanks to a local person
who entered the building via a
window and opened the door for
them that they were able to enter.
I called one of the Israelis I know
who has knowledge of locks and
he referred me to a Jew named
Josh who owns a door company.
That is how I met another Jew
Issue 1007
1007_bm_eng.indd 9
2/2/2016 7:01:26 AM
Shlichus
DIFFICULTIES AND
CHALLENGES IN KENYA
What is the biggest challenge
you face with Jews in a country
like Kenya?
First and foremost, the
ignorance of basic mitzvos. I
2/2/2016 7:01:28 AM
1007_bm_eng.indd 11
11
2/2/2016 7:01:29 AM
PARSHA THOUGHT
FROM WHOM
SHOULD WE DEMAND
THE ULTIMATE
REDEMPTION?
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg
LOANS
Many Jewish communities
have dedicated this week to the
Mitzvah of Gemilus Chassadim,
acts of loving kindness, referring,
specifically, to making interest
free loans to those in need, which
appears in this weeks parsha.
The Torah presents this law in
the following words:
When you lend money to My
people, to the poor person who is
with you, do not act toward him
as a creditor
The simple meaning of this
law is that when we make a loan
to a poor person we should not
pressure him to repay it.
Every law that applies to us
in the physical sense can also
be understood in a spiritual
and allegorical manner. To
discover the underlying spiritual
dimension of this command we
must retranslate several of the
words in this verse.
AN EXERCISE IN
[RE]TRANSLATION
The Hebrew word for money
in this verse is kesef, which can
also be translated as desire or
passion.
The word for lending talveh
DONT DEMAND OF
MOSHIACH?!
In light of all these revised
allegorical translations, let us
now retranslate the entire verse:
When you have a desire to
attach yourself to Moshiach that
he should be with you, do not act
toward him as a creditor.
This can be understood to
mean that when we wait and
yearn for Moshiach, we ought
not demand of him that he reveal
himself, because he is not the
impediment. Moshiach wants to
be revealed and liberate us from
exile more than we could ever
desire. If he has not done so
yet, it is not for a lack of desire
on his part. It is either G-d or us
who have placed an impediment
before his coming.
The
Talmud
(Sanhedrin
98a) relates the story of Rabbi
Yehoshua ben Levi who asked
Elijah the prophet how he could
identify Moshiach. He told him
2/2/2016 7:01:29 AM
ARE WE RIDING
ON OUR DONKEYS?
1007_bm_eng.indd 13
13
2/2/2016 7:01:29 AM
Parsha Thought
RIDING ON A CLOUD
2/2/2016 7:01:29 AM
THOUGHT
BOOSTING MY
INNER ALEF
By Chaim Veknin
1007_bm_eng.indd 15
15
2/2/2016 7:01:30 AM
FEATURE
SWORDS INTO
SNOWPLOWS
By Prof. Shimon Silman, RYAL Institute and Touro College
2/2/2016 7:01:31 AM
OPENING THE
MOUNTAIN PASS
Lets go to Valdez, Alaska
(wheres that?!). Alaskas harsh
winter
weatheran
annual
average of 40 feet of snow and
winds exceeding 140 mph
makes it difficult to keep roads
clear. But Valdez is home to a
vital port and a terminal for the
Trans-Alaska Pipeline, so they
have to keep its highway open
and available to truck traffic.
So Alaska implemented the
GPS and radar-based system
developed at the University
of Minnesota, and outfitted
the snowplows with displays
similar to those found in fighter
planesan all-electronic view
of the highway and approaching
vehicles. (This use of military
technology is another aspect of
Swords into Plowshares.)
The
Alaska
Department
of
Transportation
(ADOT)
originally outfitted one snowblower and one snowplow with
the high-tech equipment, which
works to keep the driver in the
highway lane while avoiding
Issue 1007
1007_bm_eng.indd 17
17
2/2/2016 7:01:33 AM
Feature
2/2/2016 7:01:33 AM
POWER IS A
TWO-WAY STREET
By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon
Issue 1007
1007_bm_eng.indd 19
19
2/2/2016 7:01:34 AM
PROFILE
FAMOUS CHAZAN
FOR THE BENEFIT OF
TOMCHEI TMIMIM
Anecdotes that illustrate the special relationship
that the chazan of 770, and shadar for Tomchei
Tmimim, R Mordechai Dov Teleshevsky had
with the Rebbeim. * Presented for the day of his
yahrtzait, 25 Shvat.
By Dov Levanon
CODED LETTER
FROM THE REBBE
In the difficult years after
2/2/2016 7:01:34 AM
PERMISSION TO IMMIGRATE
The clerk was taken aback
by the request and threw R
Teleshevsky out of the office.
When he reported this to the
Rebbe, the Rebbe told him to try
again. R Teleshevsky got up his
courage and went again and once
again was summarily thrown out
of the office. This repeated itself
time and again. The seventh
time he tried, a miracle occurred
and inexplicably, the visa was
approved.
It was years after his passing
that it was discovered that the
Rebbe was involved in all stages
of his immigration and even told
R Chaim Yosef Rosenblum to
make sure that the shul in Riga
SHLICHUS TO FINLAND
After three years in Riga, the
Teleshevsky family was told by
the Rebbe to go to Finland. The
Issue 1007
1007_bm_eng.indd 21
21
2/2/2016 7:01:35 AM
Profile
served as shadar (fundraiser) for
Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim, for
which he traveled from one end
of the world to the other.
On his travels he used his
chazanus talent. The Rebbe
Rayatz wrote to him about this
in a letter dated 22 Teves 5709,
In response to your letter, it
would be correct to diligently
pursue your travels as a famous
chazan for the benefit of Tomchei
Tmimim
Lubavitch,
may
Hashem grant you success.
Several times, the Rebbe
wrote to Jews living in the
countries that he would visit
with the request that they help
him and generously support the
yeshiva.
2/2/2016 7:01:36 AM
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
FOR A CHAZAN
Over the years, R Teleshevsky
was the chazan in 770 and he was
the one who made any needed
announcements at farbrengens.
As such, he often merited special
attention from the Rebbe.
Before
12
Tammuz
5712/1952 which fell out on
Shabbos, R Teleshevsky had a
yechidus in the course of which
the Rebbe told him that when he
would lead the services Friday
night he should insert the words
bsimcha uvtzahala (said only
on Yom Tov) at the end of Lecha
Dodi.
During the farbrengen, the
Rebbe told R Teleshevsky, In
Petersburg (then Leningrad),
the bachurim would sometimes
race through the davening on
Rosh HaShana in twenty or
fifty minutes in order to hear
the tkios by the Rebbe. You are
sitting here (the Rebbe knew he
had not davened yet), you and
BZ should go daven up, how long
will it take already?
The night of Simchas Torah
5715, the Rebbe said to bring
children aged five and older
the next day to the farbrengen.
The next day dozens of children
1007_bm_eng.indd 23
23
2/2/2016 7:01:37 AM
STORY
LONG YEARS IN
THE MERIT OF THE
REBBES BLESSING
Mrs. Yaffa Wolpo, who passed away a few weeks ago, had an amazing
miracle with the Rebbe. Her family opened to a series of answers in the
Igros Kodesh which gave her the strength to handle her challenges.
By Shneur Zalman Berger
rs.
Yaffa
Wolpo
recently passed away,
and is survived by
her sons, R Sholom
Dovber and R Menachem,
and daughter, Rebbetzin Sima
Ashkenazi.
Mrs.
Yaffa
(Sheindel
Mushka) Wolpo was born on 2
Elul 5684/1924. Her father was
R Ezriel Zelig Slonim, an official
representative of our Rebbeim
and a distinguished Chabad
Chassid, and her mother was
Chaya Feigel.
When she was born, her
father was in the United States on
a mission for the Rebbe Rayatz.
He returned home when she was
a year and a half. They say that
when he arrived home at the Old
City in Yerushalayim, a group of
children were playing outside and
his wife said, Lets see if you
can figure out which one is your
daughter. Without a pause, he
went right over to his daughter
DANGEROUS GROWTH
The
following
miracle
occurred thirteen years ago, in
the winter of 5763. It started
with a peculiar weakness in
Mrs. Wolpos left leg. Then
she lacked sensation in the leg
and found it hard to walk. She
began using a cane. Later on,
2/2/2016 7:01:37 AM
Issue 1007
1007_bm_eng.indd 25
25
2/2/2016 7:01:39 AM
Story
relate good news in this. Then
the Rebbe offers guidance as
to how to help matters along,
Obviously, the more your
mother strengthens her trust in
Hashem who is the Healer of
all flesh and does wonders, in
greater measure and that much
sooner comes the success.
The Rebbe then also refers to
a trip:
You
write
about
a
suggestion to travel to etc.
the solution is in your hand. By
that I mean that if you decide
with the requisite firmness,
to spread traditional Judaism
2/2/2016 7:01:39 AM
Issue 1007
1007_bm_eng.indd 27
27
2/2/2016 7:01:39 AM
Story
looked carefully at everyone who
walked in. Many Jews who passed
by and saw a religious looking
person said hello to him and he
spoke to them about mitzvos and
gave out brochures on an array of
topics. He also urged R Pinsons
community to start a yeshiva.
My brother, Sholom Dovber,
gave a shiur to the families of
employees of the Israeli embassy,
twice for men and twice for
women. He also reviewed
maamarei Chassidus in R
Pinsons shul the two Shabbasos
that we were in Brussels, and also
gave a shiur in Nigleh for bnei
Torah with the participation of
the rav of the city, the gaon and
Chassid, R Ezriel Chaikin.
MORE COMPLICATED
THAN WE THOUGHT
On Sunday, at ten in the
morning, Mrs. Wolpo entered
the operating room. She was
amazingly calm thanks to the
Rebbes blessings.
The doctors said it would
take time for the operation
to begin because of tests and
preparations that are done at
the last minute. They estimated
that the operation would start in
an hour and I used the time for
mivtzaim. Any previous day that
I had gone on mivtzaim it had
been hard to smile when my heart
was heavy because of my mother
who was suffering. Now it was
doubly as hard.
While the surgery took place
the family waited in the room
where their mother had been
previously. They were all there,
her husband, daughter, and
sons. They all said Thillim with
tears for over five hours until the
doctor came and announced,
The operation is over. It was
a lot more complicated than
we anticipated. We will first
see tomorrow whether it was
successful.
In the morning, after a
lengthy exam, the doctor said
that the operation had been a
success.
We spent another ten days in
the hospital, ten days of tension
and aggravation. My mother
suffered greatly and every move
she made was terribly painful. In
the meantime, physiotherapists
began showing up to teach her
how to move her legs.
Before we left the hospital,
my father gave the doctor a gift of
a silver cup. The doctor was very
moved and promised to make
kiddush with it on Shabbos. He
was a good man with a warm
heart and I hope he continues to
2/2/2016 7:01:40 AM
BITACHON BYTES
BEFORE
BITACHON
By Rabbi Zalman Goldberg
Issue 1007
1007_bm_eng.indd 29
29
2/2/2016 7:01:40 AM
BITACHON BYTES
level, through placing oneself in a
better and holier atmosphere, the
road ahead will be very in tune
with the Will of Hashem.
This is similar to the
Rambams advice4 that one of the
ways to do tshuva is to change
ones name, as if to say, I am a
different person, not the one who
committed those sins. (This is
not just to escape punishment,
but to improve.) The context
here is that even though the
sins have not been repented for,
since the person has completely
changed his course of life by
changing his name, the message
is conveyed that this is a new
person and the sinner doesnt
exist any longer to be punished.
This is similar to how the
avoda of ishafcha is discussed in
several contexts. Ishafcha means
Ultimately,
this
external
approach has the potential to
eventually refine the nefesh
habahamis as well, so that not
only will the animal within not
operate as usual, it will lose its
animalistic attributes until it will
become good, just like the good
inclination5.
Rabbi Zalman Goldberg is
a well sought after speaker and
lecturer on Chassidic thought.
His writings and recordings on the
topic of Bitachon can be accessed
at http://www.gotbitachon.com.
.
. 106
.
.
.
)1
)2
)3
)4
)5
Introducing JNET-The world wide web without the world wide worryTM
2/2/2016 7:01:40 AM
CROSSROADS
1.
We have to shake up
Chabad, a friend sent me in an
urgent SMS message.
Why? What happened? I
asked him in response.
What? Didnt you hear
about
the
terrorist
attack
today? he said in reply, noting
what we already knew: another
terrorist attack, this time in Beit
Choron. While the attack had
occurred only two hours earlier,
nevertheless, we had already
moved on. There was a fierce
rainstorm outside, and we had to
get ready for possible snowfall.
Who had time to get accurate
information on the condition of
Issue 1007
1007_bm_eng.indd 31
31
2/2/2016 7:01:40 AM
CROSSROADS
situation really is. It seems as if
weve already given up. Does
anyone still think that theres
a government functioning in
Yerushalayim? Whos foolish
enough to believe that someone
can change the situation? Its
as if this flood of Fedayeenstyle attacks upon us is a decree
from Heaven. And what was the
terribly important and dramatic
declaration by the Prime Minister
during his historic visit to Otniel?
That he would act with all his
strength to erect a security fence
around the settlement... Once
more, instead of launching
an attack, they think in terms
of defensive tactics another
Maginot Line. They again
spread their slogans of peace and
security while operating with a
ghetto mentality.
This wave of terror has
now gone through a number of
critical stages each one more
determined and more surprising.
First, hundreds of soldiers were
placed in Yerushalayim in a vast
campaign costing billions and
achieving nothing. Afterwards,
hundreds of bus stops throughout
the capital were reinforced with
concrete and pillars, surrounding
each of them with barricades, as
if they were army checkpoints.
Later, thousands of soldiers were
spread throughout the Tel Aviv
metropolitan area with special
forces stationed to guard local
schools. In the meantime, a new
and updated weapon in the war
on terror was developed: a kniferesistant flak jacket for the neck.
The IDF wasnt embarrassed to
take pride in its new invention
and issued a celebratory PR
announcement to the media on
this new development.
The poor IDF soldier. He
moves around the capital of
his country, in the center of the
city, and he has to carry one flak
jacket on his body and another
2.
However, there is also a point
of light in the recent battle. In the
past, we ceaselessly demanded
capital punishment for terrorists.
As of late, the sentence is almost
always carried out. There is
some groaning here and there,
as when for some reason, people
boasted that the young Arab who
carried out the terrorist attack in
Pisgat Zeev was given hot meals
and fair treatment. However,
in most cases, the terrorists
are eliminated on the spot.
Excuse me, they arent actually
eliminated this time around,
weve learned a new word: the
terrorists are neutralized. The
source of the word neutral
is meant to show humanity
we dont kill terrorists; we just
neutralize them. In practical
terms, the neutralization seems
to be working well.
Every Arab mother has to
know that if she sends her son
into battle as a shahid, hell
come home in a box. Not that
they care, mind you. Even the
terrorist in Tel Aviv who managed
to escape and made a joke out
of the whole country for several
days was eventually neutralized
in his home.
There is no doubt that while
this method isnt really effective
against suicide bombers, its
definitely more effective than the
laughable destruction of their
homes with dynamite, which
hardly demolishes the inner
walls. Here, we at least convey a
clear and unambiguous message.
By eliminating the terrorist at the
scene of the attack, we proclaim
that were not bleeding hearts.
We dont try to adopt a war
ethic based on goyishkait and
3.
Recently, the media headlines
once again blared with the
declaration of the United
States ambassador to Eretz
Yisroel, who spoke against
2/2/2016 7:01:41 AM
4.
However, when all is said and
done, this really isnt important.
Its very nice to complain about
the government and propose
operational solutions. But this
is not what we must do. Its not
our job to complain about the
government, rather to protest
against it. For sitting and
complaining essentially means
sitting with hands folded. We
are experts in telling the Prime
Issue 1007
1007_bm_eng.indd 33
33
2/2/2016 7:01:41 AM
TZIVOS HASHEM
M YSTERIOUS
VISIT
TO AUS CHWITZ
By Zalman Ben-Nun
Is everything ready? I
excitedly asked my friend. Im
starting to video.
I gently pressed on the
red button on the new video
camera, improved my position
facing the camera and began
to say, Its nice to meet you. I
am Shneur and next to me are
my friends, Avrumi and Sruli.
We are conducting a special
experiment with this time
machine we invented and hope
we will be successful!
I connected the red wire
that hung from the camera to
a tiny hole at the edge of the
time machine. Now I hoped
that everything we would see
would be preser ved forever by
the video camera.
Lets go, ready? Sruli
asked excitedly as he took a
step toward the round opening
of the machine. I left the video
camera and together with
Avrumi hurried to enter.
I pressed the date for a long
time and then gently pressed
the yellow button. Splaaaaaash!
Terrible
darkness.
Utter
bone-penetrating cold. We lay
*A pseudonym
2/2/2016 7:01:42 AM
- :
. ,
" .
" "
." ...
. ,
. ,
,
.
, ,
.
.
,
.
,
, .
.
,
. .
,
.
.
... ,
"... ..."
, ,
"?" ?
.
"
," "
." ,
" ?
:
1007_bm_eng.indd 5
"
," ?"
"!
: ,
, ,"
.
,
"! '
, .
,
.
?" ,"
,
.
.
,
...
...
.
, .
.
,
.
Issue
35
1007
,
, , .
2/2/2016 7:01:19 AM
74