CONTENTS

28
FEATURED ARTICLES

WEEKLY COLUMNS

3 Dvar Malchus
5 Moshiach & Geula
11 Parsha Thought
34 Tzivos Hashem

MY SHLICHUS

THE RIGHT
14 SENDING
MESSAGE TO OUR
CHILDREN

AND
18 LEARNING
TEACHING TORAH

18

WITH MESIRAS NEFESH

Shneur Zalman Berger

TURKISH
28 FROM
HOOPSTER TO

TANYA IN TURKISH
Natan Avrorhom

UNITED
33 LUBAVITCH
MIVTZA MATZA

Beis Moshiach is not responsible for the content

and Kashruth of the advertisements.

14
744 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11213-3409

971_bm_eng.indd 4

Beis Moshiach (USPS 012-542) ISSN 1082-0272

is published weekly, except Jewish holidays (only
once in April and October) for $160.00 in Crown
Heights. USA $180.00. All other places for $195.00
per year (45 issues), by Beis Moshiach, 744 Eastern
Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11213-3409. Periodicals
postage paid at Brooklyn, NY and additional
offices. Postmaster: send address changes to
Beis Moshiach 744 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY
11213-3409. Copyright 2015 by Beis Moshiach, Inc.

Tel: (718) 778-8000

Fax: (718) 778-0800
admin@beismoshiach.org
www.beismoshiach.org

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
M.M. Hendel
HEBREW EDITOR:
Rabbi S.Y. Chazan
editorH@beismoshiach.org

ENGLISH EDITOR:
Boruch Merkur
editor@beismoshiach.org

2015-04-28 7:58:04 AM

DVAR MALCHUS

MOSHIACH
EVEN IN THE
TIME OF EXILE
From Chapter Eight of Rabbi Shloma Majeskis
Likkutei Mekoros (Underlined text is the compilers
emphasis.)
30. My revered father in-law,
the Rebbe, comments on the verse,
As in the days of your exodus from
Egypt I shall show them wonders,
that the exodus from Egypt was the
beginning of and the energy that
fuels the future redemption. Indeed,
the future redemption already began
from the time of the exodus from
Egypt. And it is understood that also
now, in the time of exile, there is the
concept of redemption.
The Talmud discusses this matter
directly: When a cow mooed, they
said that the Beis HaMikdash had
been destroyed; when it mooed
a second time, they said that the
savior of the Jewish people had been
born. That is, at the time of the
destruction, the savior of the Jewish
people was born.
This concept also sheds light
on the words of the Gemara on the
name of Moshiach: The School
of Rebbi Chanina said Chanina
is his name Other Talmudic
sages said that Menachem ben
Chizkiya is his name each
school would endeavor and seek to
equate the name (of their Rebbi)
with Moshiach, which is an
acronym for Menachem, Shilo,
Yinon, Chanina [spelling the word

Moshiach], for even in the time of

exile there is Moshiach.
31. My revered father in-law, the
Rebbe, had the custom on Acharon
Shel Pesach to dance a Moshiach
Dance.
This expression, Moshiach
Dance, can be interpreted in two
ways: a) a dance that pertains to
and prepares for Moshiach; b) a
dance in which Moshiach himself
participates.
Since the determining factor
here is the interpretation, we shall
interpret it in a way that suits us,
according to the second approach
that Moshiach is already present
[in the world] and participates in
and dances his dance together with
us
Therefore, we shall now sing
a joyous song, Nieh Zshuritzi
Chloptzi. But first we shall sing
the Alter Rebbes Niggun (as is
known that sometimes, before my
revered father in-law, the Rebbe,
the Chassidim would first sing the
Alter Rebbes Niggun and then Nieh
Zshuritzi Chloptzi, and sometimes
Nieh Zshuritzi Chloptzi first and the
Alter Rebbes Niggun thereafter).
And to this niggun, Nieh Zshuritzi

Chloptzi, we shall dance the

Moshiach Dance.
(The Rebbe shita told the crowd
to sing a heartfelt niggun, in
preparation for the Alter Rebbes
Niggun. The Chassidim then sang
the Alter Rebbes Niggun, repeating
the forth stanza eight times, and
the Rebbe continued with the
following.)
Now we shall sing Nieh Zshuritzi
Chloptzi with great joy and while
dancing the Moshiach Dance.
Corresponding to the two
interpretations, everyone should
imagine on his own, Moshiach
regarding whom it said, he shall be
exalted and elevated, and he shall be
extremely lofty, higher than Adam
HaRishon (even as he was prior
to the sin of eating of the Tree of
Knowledge) dancing together with
us, for this dance is a preface to and
relates to Moshiach.
(They sang Nieh Zshuritzi
Chloptzi and the Rebbe shlita
motioned with his holy hand that
ever person should dance in his own
place. The Rebbe also danced in his
place with tremendous joy.)
The Rebbe shlita then recited
Birkas HaMazon on a cup of
wine. Following Maariv, the Rebbe
said that the joy should extend
throughout the entire year.
(From the address of Acharon Shel
Pesach 5712; Toras Menachem 5712, pg.
157-158)

Issue 970

971_bm_eng.indd 3

2015-04-28 7:58:05 AM

MOSHIACH & GEULA

MODERN-DAY
MANNA
By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon

Dear Friends shyichyu,

We are now coming from
Chodesh Nissan, the month we
celebrate Yetzias Mitzrayim,
the exodus from our first exile.
The Torah tells us that when the
Jewish people left Egypt, they ran
out of food and thought that they
would starve in the desert.
The Torah (BShalach 16:1)
tells us: They journeyed from
Eilim, and the entire community
of the children of Israel came
to the Desert of Sin, which is
between Eilim and Sinai,on
the fifteenth day of the second
month(Iyar)after their departure
from the land of Egypt. The
entire community of the children
of Israel complained against
Moshe and against Aaron in the
desert.The children of Israel said
to them, If only we had died by
the hand of Hashem in the land
of Egypt, when we sat by pots of
meat, when we ate bread to our
fill! For you have brought us out
into this desert, to starve this
entire congregation to death.
So Hashem said to Moshe,
Behold!I am going to rain down
for you bread from heaven, and
the people shall go out and gather
what is needed for the day, so
that I can test them, whether or
not they will follow My teaching.
It was this Bread from
Heaven that kept the Jewish
people sustained until they finally
entered Eretz Yisroel. They went

out and collected the Manna

daily, so that they and their
families would survive the years
in the desert.
Dear Fellow Chassidim!
We are living in very tough
and special times. In 1991,
we were taken out of Egypt.
The Rebbe told us a clear
prophecy (Shoftim) that Behold
Moshiach is coming. We
were given the job of bringing
Moshiach (28 Nissan) and were
told clearly (Chayei Sara 5752)
that the Shlichus of our time is
to be Mekabel Pnei Moshiach
Tzidkeinu Bpoel Mamash! But
we know that in order to reach
Eretz Yisroel (Moshiach), we
need to travel and survive in the
desert (a very difficult trial).
Here we are, 24 years later.
We (may) feel that we are on
empty our bread has run out
and that we are starving in the
desert. We do not feel that our
natural reservoir of koach is
enough to allow us to survive.
But I have good news
to tell (remind) you! Please
remember what happened on
the fifteenth day of the second
month(Iyar)of
the
year
5751. That night, the Rebbe
came down to Shul in 770 and
personally gave each and every
Chassid a special Kuntres. It was
the Dvar Malchus Kuntres
Sichos that discuss the belief in
Melech HaMoshiach and laws of

the times of Moshiach. After the

Rebbe gave out the Kuntres, the
inspired crowd starting singing
Yechi to the encouragement of
the Rebbe.
Dearest Friends!
Learning the Dvar Malchus
and all Sichos about Moshiach
is our Bread from heaven
which is supposed to give us the
sustenance that we need in order
to survive and thrive in our
current desert! But there is
always a but there are two
conditions: 1) We have to gather
enough for our whole family.
It is not enough that we learn
about Moshiach, we must teach
our entire family. This includes
our children and our community;
2) The bread from heaven
needs to be gathered daily. It is
not enough that we learn about
Moshiach once in a while; we
must go out and gather put
an effort to learn daily.
The Rebbe states this clearly
(Tazria Metzora 5751).
The question is: Since weve
already completed our actions
and service throughout the
duration of exile what is
thestraightforward
path(the
easiest and fastest among all the
paths of Torah) that all the Jewish
people, who have concluded their
Continued on page 10

Issue 970

971_bm_eng.indd 5

2015-04-28 7:58:06 AM

SHLICHUS

MY

SHLICHUS

Rabbi Oren Raz

Location: S. Cristobal, Mexico
Population: 300,000
Jews: about 30 locals and dozens of tourists a week
Type of Shlichus:
Chabad House for tourists and outreach to locals

e arrived in S.
Cristobal about three
and a half years ago.
The town has the
old Spanish colonial look and is a
pretty place, located in the Chiapas
state of Mexico. It is surrounded
by numerous tourist attractions
like waterfalls and jungles and
it isnt far from the Sumidero
Canyon. As with every tourist spot
in the world, here too, Israelis
come in droves and there is much
work to be done with them.
Our trial by fire was the first
Tishrei, when 150 people joined
us for tfillos and Yom Tov meals.
Israeli tourists sat alongside local
Jews who were celebrating Rosh
HaShana properly for the first
time in their lives. Since our
arrival here, many people visit
the Chabad House to learn or for
Shabbos meals. We also opened
a kosher restaurant and store to
service the hundreds of Jewish
tourists.
In accordance with the
Rebbes instruction that all
outreach much be permeated
with preparing the world for
Moshiach, we talk a lot about

this in shiurim, at Shabbos

meals, and at every opportunity.
The topic of Moshiach is usually
readily accepted but even when
there is the occasional resistance,
we see how the Rebbe works
things out and opens peoples
hearts to hear it.
Among the guests at our
Shabbos table was Itai, a young
Israeli for whom even showing
up at a Chabad house was out
of the norm. For many months,
he was in the process of learning
about religion through lectures
broadcast on the Internet by
various rabbis who in the course
of their teaching throw in attacks
against Chabad and the Rebbe.
This was the first time he
agreed to join us for a Shabbos
meal. At the beginning of the
meal I saw how suspicious he was
of us; it looked as though he was
trying to catch us red-handed.
Since we are a Chabad House
and not merely a warm place for
Israelis to visit, we decided to
stick to our approach and not to
resort to pretense.
My children told about
the first shliach, Avrohom

6 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 6

2015-04-28 7:58:06 AM

Avinu, who caused Hashems

name to be called out by every
passerby, and we urged our
guests to strengthen their Torah
and mitzvos. Until that point,
everything went smoothly, but
when the conversation turned to
the Rebbe and his global activities
as Nasi HaDor and Moshiach,
Itais face turned red and he
looked like a pressure cooker
about to explode. He couldnt
take this, for it went counter to
all the lessons he had learned on
the Internet.
I told him that before
dismissing something, it was
only right to examine it. I
offered to learn with him for a
week. But my words fell on deaf
ears. I was upset about this,
especially because of the negative

atmosphere that had been created

that spoiled the Shabbos meal.
Two days later I went out on
mivtzaim to where the tourists
hang out. When I arrived at a
hostel where most of the Israelis
stay, I saw a commotion outside.
A fire that had broken out in the
hostel had caused a gas balloon
to catch fire and now there were
some Israelis trapped inside.
After some nerve-wracking
minutes,
those
who
were
trapped managed to get out,
miraculously. Seeing me with
tfillin, they ran over to me and
gave vent to their emotions by
putting on tfillin. Among those
standing on line I saw Itai who
asked me emotionally, Rabbi,
when are we going to start
learning together?

Rabbi Shmuel Serebryanski

Location: Eastern Orange County, NY
Population: 327, 813
Jews: 11,000
Type of Shlichus: A community, education, womens
activities

e went on shlichus
four and a half
years ago to Eastern
Orange County, New
York to spread Judaism to Jews
in Newburgh, New Windsor and
Cornwall. Boruch Hashem, we feel
the Rebbes brachos every step of
the way and see amazing things in

the Rebbes answers in the Igros

Kodesh.
When we started out, we
would often meet Jews who were
amazed to hear they were not the
only Jews in the area. When they
heard about our activities and the
number of Jews who participate,
they were shocked. During

Tishrei, many Jews approached

us with tears in their eyes and
told us how their lives changed
because of a visit at the Chabad
House and how much Jewish
pride they now feel.
As in many locations in the
US, the rate of assimilation is
very high and most Jews are
intermarried. Obviously, their
Jewish knowledge is minimal to
zero. But despite that, you can
find and arouse their pintele yid
rather easily.
Heres an example. I met with
a Jewish doctor married to a nonJew after getting information
about him from a religious doctor
who works in a nearby office.
The religious doctor opined that
his colleague was as far from
religion as east is from west. I
wasnt willing to give up before
I started and I arranged an
appointment. When we met, the
irreligious doctor was so moved
that he began telling me about
his Jewish name and about the
Jewish education he received as
a child. Although he is so distant,
he feels he cannot escape his
inner truth, his neshama. We
spoke at length and he tried to
extend our conversation. Before
we parted he gave me his email
address and when a day later he
received my weekly email with a
dvar Torah, he warmly thanked
me for it.
I had another interesting
experience when I met a Reform
rabbi a short time after we
arrived here. When I entered his

Issue 971

971_bm_eng.indd 7

2015-04-28 7:58:06 AM

Shlichus
office, I was surprised to see a set
of Lessons in Tanya on his desk.
At my look of astonishment he
said that when he saw that many
Reform Jews were leaving their
communities for Chabad he came
to the conclusion that the power
of Chabad is in Tanya. So he
decided to give a Tanya class to
his congregants so they wouldnt
leave!
After we became better
acquainted, he asked me whether
Id be willing to learn Tanya

with him so he would be better

prepared for his weekly class.
I agreed and he also invited
the Conservative rabbi. So
now you have the Reform and
Conservative clergy learning
Tanya together with the local
Chabad shliach! When we
learned about the tzaddik yesod
olam, they wanted to know
how the world exists now after
Gimmel Tammuz. I explained
that the Rebbe continues to lead
our generation

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Asman

Location: Kiev
Population: 3 million
Jews: Tens of thousands including thousands of Israelis
Type of Shlichus: The Israeli division and yeshiva

grew up on shlichus as the

son of the shliach to Kiev,
Rabbi Moshe Reuven Asman.
I intended to return to Kiev
when I married and to work on
shlichus here. My wife, from the
Pizem family, also grew up on
shlichus and so, a few months after
our wedding, Adar I 5771, we
returned to Kiev.
Kiev is outstanding for its
many institutions and programs.
There are the schools, the
Brodsky shul which is a Jewish
center, a yeshiva, a smicha
program, an evening kollel, etc.
I give shiurim in the yeshiva
programs.
I also fulfilled a dream in
founding a division for Israelis
within the Jewish Chabad
community.
The
thousands
of Israelis living in Kiev need
attention and someone to
relate to their mentality; there
is so much more that can be
accomplished.

I work with the Israeli

embassy employees in the
Ukraine which is located in Kiev.
I often noticed a security guard
who, on principle, refused to

put on tfillin. One time, when

I found the group of security
guards in one room, I locked
the door and they all put on
tfillin except for him. Then peer
pressure was exerted on him,
You take warm challos from the
Chabadnikim and enjoy them
but youre not willing to put on
tfillin?
The guy finally relented and
put on tfillin. He then told me
that the reason he had refused
until then was only because,
coming from a kibbutz, he had
never put on tfillin, not even at
his bar mitzva, and he did not
know how to do it. Since that
initial plunge he puts tfillin on
every time. Furthermore, when
his family came to visit him on
Sukkos, he brought them all to
me to shake the dalet minim.
This was someone who until then
had no knowledge whatsoever,
even about Yom Kippur!
We also operate a mitzva tank
which has pictures that include
the Seven Noachide Laws and
Yechi and the tank crew proudly
publicizes the Besuras HaGeula
and the Goel.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Levy

Location: Manila, Philippines
Population: 100 million
Jews: about 200 Jewish families live in the Philippines and
a thousand tourists visit the area every year
Type of Shlichus: a community, Jewish education, a kosher
restaurant, tourists

y wife and I went on

shlichus six years ago.
We had never been
to the Philippines
before we arrived and knew almost
nothing about it, but after opening
to amazing answers in the Igros
Kodesh, we just jumped in. We
packed a lift and landed in this

distant and foreign country a few

days after our first anniversary.
The Philippines is a third
world country, both in mentality
and in day to day life. We shop
in the local market, buy a whole
fish and have to clean it. To get
chalav Yisroel we need to go to a
distant farm, about an hour from

8 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 8

2015-04-28 7:58:07 AM

the capitol, and milk the cows

ourselves. Anything we want
to cook or bake, we have to do
ourselves. There are no shortcuts
and no kosher products that we
can buy from a neighborhood
grocery store. We arranged for
kosher shchita by flying in a
Lubavitcher shochet.
Being pioneers isnt easy but
we know that we are working
for the best employer in the
world with the broadest possible
shoulders. We feel the personal
connection with the Rebbe on
a daily basis and this fantastic
zchus, to be the Rebbes
shluchim in such a fateful time,
in these final moments of galus,
and to do the only remaining
shlichus, to prepare the world to
welcome the Rebbe MHM.

At the Chabad House in

the Philippines, miracles are a
daily reality. There are big and
small miracles. We see how the
Rebbe is the balabus here. The
Chabad House is for tourists,
businessmen and of course,
for those who live here on a
permanent basis. In addition to
our outreach to the local Jews,
there are also local gentiles who
want to get close to G-d and
fulfill the mission for which they
came to this world. They come
to us to learn about the Seven
Noachide Laws.
One Pesach, more than 200
Jews attended the public Seder
with us. The Chabad House
building contains a shul, kosher
restaurant,
mikva,
school,
Judaica store, and more.

Rabbi Yisroel Springer

Location:
The Sukkas Sholom shul in Ramat Gan
Type of Shlichus:
Shul, shiurim and activities around the year

n my earliest memories there

is a memory of knowing that
one day I would join the
army of shluchim. It helped
that my wife grew up on shlichus
on the moshava Atlit near Haifa.
Shortly after we married we moved
to Ramat Gan to develop the local
programming there which is all
permeated by the only shlichus
kabbalas pnei the Rebbe MHM.
Shortly after we arrived it was
Tishrei. We were still settling into
our new home while we began
reaching out to the community.
On the morning of Yom
Kippur, I was standing near the
chazan, leading the longest tfilla
of the year. The short time that

had passed since we had arrived

did not enable us to meet the
local people and most of the
congregants in shul were older
people who had always been
there. So my attention was drawn
to the two people who suddenly
peeked into the shul. The two
were a father and son who felt
the need to go to shul on this holy
day, but they politely declined
my warm invitation to come in.

The father apologized, Im a

Kohen. I said, On the contrary,
thats great, you can give us the
priestly blessing. But he said,
I am not shomer Shabbos and
I would not feel comfortable
going up to duchan and bless the
congregation.
I said, If that is what is
holding you back from praying,
you can say the priestly blessing
from your place without going up
to duchan.
Some time later he told me
that this simple answer won
him over, the idea that he could
contribute his blessing to us while
remaining in his place.
Now, many years later, quite
a bit of the activities we do is
to the credit of this man. He
became a close friend of ours.
He introduced us to new people,
connected us with key figures in
the local institutions, and helps
in every way he can. When we
had to be away during the weekly
shiur which takes place in our
house, he hosted the shiur in his
own home.
This shiur is an opportunity
for the participants to connect to
the Rebbe. Besides the learning
of the Rebbes teachings, every
week many of them stay on after
the shiur to write to the Rebbe.
We are often witnesses to open
miracles.
Other members of the
community also enjoy lending
a hand in our work. For my
birthday farbrengen, which took
place in my house, many of the
mekuravim showed up. During
the farbrengen an idea came

Its astonishing to see how ignorant people are

on the subject. The ignorance leads to various
objections which disappear as soon as they open the
sfarim and start learning the sources in depth.

Issue 971

971_bm_eng.indd 9

2015-04-28 7:58:07 AM

Shlichus
up, that we should start the
week with a video of the Rebbe.
Each one announced his pledge
toward the cost of buying a new
plasma large screen. Together,
they came up with half the
amount. The surprise came a
few days later when one of the
mekuravim announced that a
large electronics company had

said they would donate the rest of

the money.
So the weekly video was
added to the shlichus hayechida
the people in shul watch a video
of the Rebbe with the highlight
being the singing of Yechi. Not
surprisingly, they all accept it
happily.

Rabbi Yeshaya Shagalov

Location: Rutgers University, NJ
Population: 45,000 students
Jews: 4000 students
Type of Shlichus: shiurim, tfillos, and activities with
religious students

t Rutgers, we feel every

day that the shlichus
is to prepare the world
to welcome Moshiach.
Rabbi Carlebachs magnificent
Chabad house, together with
the terrific work of R Boruch
Goodman, are testimony to the
Rebbes brachos. We joined their
successful team.

At Rutgers, there are many

students from religious homes,
some of them even from yeshivos.
We provide shiurim on inyanei
Moshiach and Geula and oneon-one learning. Its astonishing
to see how ignorant people are
on the subject. The ignorance
leads to stigmas and various
complaints which disappear as

soon as they open the sfarim

and start learning the sources in
depth.
The same is true in
our outreach to the nearby
neighborhood
of
Highland
Park which has a nice religious
community. One summer, about
a hundred children attended a
two month camp program that
my wife ran and we saw nice
results from that effort.
Being near Brooklyn gives
us the opportunity to bring
students directly to the source
and we take advantage of various
opportunities, such as Simchas
Beis HaShoeiva and significant
farbrengens. On the one hand
we see that whoever comes gets
excited; on the other hand, we
see a lot of reluctance to enter
the world of Chabad. We see the
truth of the HaYom Yom that
Nigleh is water and people are
drawn to water, while Chassidus
is fire and people flee from fire.
Our job is to reassure them
that there is nothing to fear
since Hashem your G-d is a
consuming fire.

Continued from page 5

service, should chooseto realize
the revelation and coming of
Moshiach?
This increase in learning
the Torah concerned with
Moshiach
and
Redemption
(Malchus ShbTiferes) is the
straightforward path to actually
cause the revelation and coming
of Moshiach and Redemption.
My intention here is action
and certainly the following
will be publicized everywhere: In
order to realize the immediate
revelation
and
coming
of

Moshiach each and every

Jew (the men, whether they are
dwellers in the tent (Yisachar)
or men of business (Zvulun),
and the women and children,
each one according to his ability)
should increase their learning of
Torah, particularly the subjects of
Moshiach and Redemption.
It would be even better if
they would learn (in public) with
ten others because, in addition
to the advantage that ten who
sit and occupy themselves with
Torah, the Divine Presence dwells
among them,there is a particular

advantage when learning about

Moshiach and the Redemption
in public. Such public learning
affects the excitement and the
heart-felt joy through which
comes an increasing desire and
anticipation for the coming of
Moshiach.
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.

10 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 10

2015-04-28 7:58:07 AM

PARSHA THOUGHT

THE AREIVUS
TRIFECTA
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

REBUKE!
A major principle of Judaism
is the degree to which we are
responsible for one another.
This principle is expressed by the
Torah in several different ways.
One of them is found in this
weeks parsha, Kdoshim:
You should not hate your
brother in your heart. You should
continually rebuke [literally:
Rebuke, you shall rebuke] your
fellow, and do not bear a sin
because of him.
This verse establishes the
Torahs requirement that we offer
words of reproof to our fellow
Jews when they have wronged us
or otherwise sinned.
However, taking someone
to task is not so easy an
undertaking. How can one fail to
exacerbate the friction between
two people by pointing out the
others wrongdoing? Wont that
backfire, causing the one rebuked
to take umbrage and return the
fire?

THE LIMITS
To allay this concern, our
Sages added some limits to this
obligation:
First, the Talmud states that
just as there is a Mitzvah to tell
someone something that he or
she will heed, so is it a Mitzvah
not to tell someone something he

or she will not accept.

A story is told of a rabbi
who visited the towns miser.
When the honored host asked
the rabbi why he had come, the
rabbi responded, I came to do a
Mitzvah.
Which Mitzvah, the miser
asked, fearing he would be
solicited for a donation to some
charitable cause.
The Mitzvah is for me to
come to you and not divulge what
I really want because our Sages
say that it is a Mitzvah not to tell
someone something you know
that he wont do, and I know you
wont do it replied the rabbi.
Of course, this piqued the
curiosity of the miser and he
pressured the rabbi to tell him the
purpose of his visit. Only when
he promised to do what the rabbi
would ask of him did the rabbi
relent and tell him about the
charitable cause to which he was
now forced to contribute

DONT EMBARRASS!
Another
qualification
of
this requirement is not to
embarrass the person whom
you are rebuking. According to
Rashi, this is the meaning of the
concluding words of the verse:
and do not bear a sin because
of him. What sin is the Torah
referring to?
Rashi explains: Do not

embarrass him in public. While

you have the right and obligation
to rebuke your fellow, do not
embarrass or shame him, for if
you do you will be carrying a sin
because of him.
The rationale for this is
twofold:
First, your rebuke will not be
effective. Rather than getting the
person to heed your reprimand,
he or she will be deeply offended
and reject out of hand any
suggestion to change. It is even
likely to anger her or him, which
can result in the embarrassed
person taking revenge.
Second, it is inherently wrong
to embarrass another, and we do
not have the right to transgress
this principle in order to rebuke
another. [According to Rambam,
however, there are extreme cases
where embarrassment and other
strong measures are permitted.]
Another proviso, cited in
Tanya (Chapter 32), is that the
person whom you rebuke must
be someone who shares the same
values and commitment to Torah
as yourself but who then falters.

WORDS FROM THE HEART

Another Talmudic saying
indicates an additional condition
for our rebuke to be in order:
Words that come from the
heart will enter the heart. For
ones rebuke to be successful in
changing the other, one must
Issue 970

971_bm_eng.indd 11

11

2015-04-28 7:58:07 AM

Parsha Thought
rebuke with sincerity. It does not
suffice to do it only because the
Torah commands us to do so.
Indeed, the first person given
the express responsibility to
rebuke sinners was Noah. Yet,
in the 120 years it took him to
build the Ark he did not succeed
in changing anyone. If he had
caused even one person to do
Tshuva (repent and return) that
individual would have joined
Noah and his family on the Ark.
How could it be that a man
whom the Torah describes as
righteous failed so miserably in
carrying out G-ds command to
him?
The Rebbe answers that
Noah did exactly everything
he was commanded by G-d to
do, and that is precisely how he
carried out his mission to rebuke
the world. However, he did not
empathize with the people whom
he rebuked, and that is why his
words could not penetrate their
hardened and resistant hearts.

Rebuke, you shall rebuke

your fellow and do not bear a sin
because of him.
In the original Hebrew,
the word es appears before the
words your fellow. This word
is generally left untranslated
but sometimes it is translated as
with.
Let us now reread and
reinterpret this verse: When can
you rebuke, when you rebuke
the one who is with your fellow,
i.e., yourself. Only when you
take your own medicine can
you expect to change anothers
behavior.
Let us perform this exercise
once more: When can you
rebuke, when the person you
rebuke is one with you. It is
only when you empathize with
the other, feel a kinship and unity
with him or her, that you can
succeed in touching the other
persons heart, which will then
lead him or her to return.

intermingled. All of Israel are

intermingled and interconnected.
Despite appearances to the
contrary, we are not a nation of
disparate entities that have come
together for certain events and
objectives. We are essentially one
nation because we are connected
to one G-d. Our underlying state
is one of sweetness and unity
with every other Jew.
Thus, the Baal Shem Tov
stated that we must love every
Jew, even those we have never
met. While love is usually
predicated on knowing the object
of your love, one can and deep
down does love every Jew
because of our connectedness.
Words of rebuke must come
from the heart. If they come from
the brain they will fail, as no two
Jews think alike. The mother of a
recently martyred Jew exclaimed
in response to the incredible
outpouring of solidarity with her
family: Jews are not of one mind
but they are of one heart!

REBUKE YOURSELF

THE THREE
MEANINGS OF AREIVIM

LAG BOMER

Another component of the

proper rebuking of another is the
need to rebuke oneself first. The
Talmud states: One should take
care of oneself before taking care
of others. This doesnt mean
that one should not try to prevent
someone else from committing
a crime before performing selfrebuke, for if that were the case,
no one would be allowed to
rebuke anyone until he himself
is sinless. Rather, it is intended
to drive home the reality that it is
exceedingly difficult to influence
and inspire others if we do not
take our own medicine.
Perhaps one can read the
above conditions into the very
wording of the command to
rebuke by following a literal
rendition:

This sentiment is alluded to in

another Talmudic maxim on this
topic:
All of Israel are responsible
for one another. The Hebrew
word for responsible is areivim.
The Rebbe would often quote
an interpretation that translates
areivim two other ways. It can
also mean sweet. Having
responsibility for one another
does not turn us into policemen
who can just shout orders at
strangers. No, our responsibility
for one another derives from
the love we feel; we are sweet
to each other. Even when we
rebuke, it is done with love and
sweetness.
The third translation of
areivim takes this thought a step
further. Areivim can also mean

The reading of this parsha

always coincides with the
Holiday of Lag BOmer, which
we observe for two reasons. The
first is that thousands of the
students of Rabbi Akiva perished
in a terrible plague between the
Festivals of Pesach and Shavuos.
It was on Lag BOmer that they
finally stopped dying. The second
reason is that on this day, many
years later, the great Sage Rabbi
Shimon bar Yochai left the world
in a state of spiritual ecstasy and
with his last breath declared this
day as his holiday.
What is the connection
between these two reasons?
The reason Rabbi Akivas
disciples perished, the Talmud
states, is they did not treat each
other with respect. They rebuked

12 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 12

2015-04-28 7:58:08 AM

one another but not in a sweet

and loving manner. Since they
were not like minded, it poisoned
the manner in which they tried to
convince others of the correctness
of their position. Because they
lacked one-heartedness, their
rebukes triggered a catastrophe.
It may be suggested that the
harshness of their punishment
derived from the fact that they
failed to interpret the word es
as with, and rebuked their
fellows without empathy. For the
students of another teacher that
would not have been such an
egregious error. But it was Rabbi
Akiva himself who championed
the interpretation of es as with.
For Rabbi Akivas own students
to miss that point was a far more
serious transgression than it
would have been for anyone else.

RABBI SHIMON BAR

YOCHAI AND MOSHIACH
How does one rectify this
situation?
The answer lies in the
teachings of Rabbi Shimon
bar Yochai whose legacy we
celebrate on Lag BOmer. He
was a pioneer in revealing the
inner dimension of Torah.
And it is these teachings, the

Words of rebuke must come from the heart. If

they come from the brain they will fail, as no two
Jews think alike. The mother of a recently martyred Jew
exclaimed in response to the incredible outpouring of
solidarity with her family: Jews are not of one mind but
they are of one heart!

Zohar states, which will lead

us to the final Redemption.
It is in this dimension of the
Torah, especially as explained in
Chassidic literature, that we are
exposed to our common spiritual
anatomy in which all of our souls
share a single root.
By
studying
these teachings we
learn
to
unearth
our personalities by
removing the surface
perspectives which lead
to our divisions and
discover our true inner
unity.
This
lesson
is
particularly
relevant
now as we stand poised
to enter the Messianic
Age, when this unity will
be external as well as
internal. It is important
for us to focus on that
unity to pave the way

for the future. Whereas in the

past promoting Jewish love and
unity was primarily a means to
undo the cause of our exile, in
todays world it is the final step of
preparation for the blessed time
when we will experience our total
unity with the One.

Issue 971

971_bm_eng.indd 13

13

2015-04-28 7:58:08 AM

CHINUCH

SENDING THE
RIGHT MESSAGE
TO OUR CHILDREN
What was the reaction of R Hillel of Paritch that a non-Chabad audience
found hard to understand? Why is a child praised only when he comes
home with an excellent report card? Why is it important not to miss even
one hanachas tfillin? What did the Rebbe say in yechidus to a boy who
knew none of the material covered in school? * Another chapter in the
chinuch series by R Nachman Twersky.

Once at a farbrengen, R Hillel

of Paritch told the following story
about the Maharam (Moreinu
HaRav R Meir) of Rothenburg:
About 600 years earlier, the
Germans wanted to kidnap the
person considered the greatest
of the generation in Germany
of that era, the Maharam of
Rothenburg. When he heard that
they were after him, he decided
to flee, but right before he
reached the border, the Germans
caught him and incarcerated
him in a fortress. The Germans
demanded a very high ransom
for him. The Maharam declared
it was forbidden to redeem him,
because if the Jews redeemed
him,
the
Germans
would
realize that kidnapping Jews is
a lucrative business and would

kidnap someone else the next day

and there would be no end to it.
He remained in prison for the
rest of his life and passed away
on 19 Iyar 5053.
After the Maharam passed
away, the Germans refused
to release his body for burial.
Fourteen years passed until a
Jew by the name of Alexander
Wimpfen offered all his money
to the government in exchange
for the Maharams body. The
government agreed and upon the
release of the body, Alexander
purchased two plots in the
cemetery and said that when
his time came, he wanted to be
buried next to the Maharam of
Rothenburg.
A few months later, during
the Aseres Yemei Tshuva, the

Maharam came to Alexander in

a dream and said: First of all, I
want to thank you, for in your
merit I attained Jewish burial. In
heaven they want to repay you
for the great deed you did. You
have two options and you need
to choose one. The first option
is that you will become extremely
wealthy and will be blessed with
a long life. The second option is
that you can be with me in Gan
Eden. If you choose the second
choice, you will have to get up
now and write your will and in
the morning you will be with me.
Alexander did not hesitate but
said: I choose to be with you.
He quickly got up, woke
up his family, told them what
happened in his dream, and
wrote a will in which he described

14 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 14

2015-04-28 7:58:08 AM

everything that happened. The

next morning he died.
R Hillel Paritcher finished the
story and asked the Chassidim:
What do you think of the choice
Alexander Wimpfen made? Did
he make the right choice?
The Chassidim debated with
one another about whether he
should have taken wealth and
long life or a place in Gan Eden
with the Maharam. Then they
turned to R Hillel and waited to
hear what he had to say.
He was a fool! shouted R
Hillel. Why? Because putting
on tfillin one time in this world
is worth more than all of the
spiritual delights of sharing in
the paradise of the Maharam of
Rothenburg until the coming of
Moshiach!

To us, it is worth losing the next world in order

to be able to do another mitzvah. For those
not yet exposed to Chabad Chassidus its the opposite;
its worth losing a mitzva in order to get to Olam HaBa
quicker [if that will mean having a greater share in the
world to come].

I once told this story to a nonLubavitcher audience and people

were very surprised by it, because
the frum world sees this world
exclusively as a corridor in order
to get to Gan Eden.
The Alter Rebbe explains
in Tanya, chapter four, the
statement of the Mishna that one
hour of repentance and good
deeds in this world is better than

all of life in the world to come

to mean that in this world, a Jew
can take Hashem Himself.
When a Jew does a mitzva, when
he puts on tfillin and says, and
He sanctified us with His mitzvos
and commanded us, he is able
to reach Hashem Himself.
They, on the other hand,
learn the Mishna, an hour of
repentance and good deeds in

Issue 971

971_bm_eng.indd 15

15

2015-04-28 7:58:08 AM

Chinuch
this world is better than all of
life in the world to come in the
opposite way, that the main thing
is the world to come, and as long
as we live in this world, we can
still make amends, but when we
reach the next world, no changes
can be made; but the objective of
all we do is the next world.
To us, it is worth losing the
next world in order to be able
to do another mitzvah. For
those not yet exposed to Chabad
Chassidus its the opposite; its
worth losing a mitzva in order to
get to the next world quicker [if
that will mean having a greater
share in the world to come].
From
our
perspective,
that Jew (notwithstanding his
greatness for spending all his
money to redeem the Maharams
body) was a baal taava for the
next world and he forwent so
many mitzvos of tfillin and
thousands of other mitzvos just
so he could be in the presence of
the Maharam of Rothenburg.
From their perspective, where
the main thing is the next world,
he made the best deal ever, which
is why it was hard for them to
understand the story with R
Hillel.

A PRINCIPLE OF CHINUCH:
WITH A MITZVA YOU BOND
WITH HASHEM!
Why do some people wonder
at R Hillels reaction? Herein
lies a principle of Chassidic
education. In order to discern
the difference between chinuch
in general and the Rebbes
educational teachings, I will tell
you something that happened
with the Gerrer Rebbe before the
war, in Poland.
A person sent the Gerrer
Rebbe a letter in which he asked
how to attain simcha shel mitzva.
So how do you explain what

simcha shel mitzva is when the

person is very poor?
The Gerrer Rebbe wrote back:
Imagine that you are on your way
to shul with tallis and tfillin in
the morning, and someone stops
you and says, come to my house
and stay until after sunset. You
can eat, drink, and do whatever
you like, but you may not put on
tfillin.
Would you give up putting
on tfillin for $1000? Surely
not. Would you do it for larger
sums? No way! That means
that you would be willing to
forgo everything of this world in
exchange for putting on tfillin
one time.
Therefore, think what a joy
it is that you are doing a mitzva
for which you are willing to forgo
all the material pleasures of this
world!
***
But to R Hillel it was
different. A child who is taught
what a mitzva is, that it is an
essential bond with the Torah
and Hashem, even when he trips
up, and we all do, he remains
with that foundation. A Chassid
is not a fool and he understands
that putting on tfillin one time
is worth more than being in the
presence of the Maharam of
Rothenburg.
This is educate a child
according to his way in the
teachings of the Nasi HaDor.

THE RETURN ON
PERSONAL REFINEMENT
There is a phenomenon
which we need to pay attention
to. When do parents praise their
child? When he comes home
with a nice report card and a set
of sfarim that he earned after
being tested baal peh. A boy
who does not behave nicely, who
starts up with his siblings etc., is

yelled at. What happens when he

changes and behaves well? He
does not receive praise because
he is acting normally, but if he
is tested and does something
special, then he deserves praise.
In a maamer of the Rebbe
from sfira timesfira is about
refining the middos of the animal
soulthe
Rebbe
highlights
an important idea. What is a
person given in exchange for the
avoda of rectifying and refining
his middos? The answer can
be found in the tfilla we say
following the counting of the
sfira, In the merit of counting
the omer that I counted today,
it should be rectified what I
blemished in the sfira of... and
may I be purified and sanctified
with supernal holiness, and
through this may it be bestowed
shefa rav (abundant bounty)
in all the worlds. [Chassidus
explains that ohr (light) is merely
a luminescence of the divine, but
shefa means that one takes the
essence of Hashem Himself and
plentiful shefa in all the worlds!]
And to rectify our souls with
Your supernal holiness...
In this maamer, the Rebbe
focuses on the idea that when
a Jew invests in his avodas
Hashem, there is so much
abundance that is poured forth
for him. The greatest things in
the world come as a result of the
rectification he has accomplished
in his character traits.
Even a child who corrects
something and displays a
positive trait should be highly
praised for this! Its the same
idea as that of sfiras haomer.
We need to acknowledge when
a child does something good in
fixing his middos and in Ahavas
Yisroel. The praise ought to be
very strong and he needs to be
encouraged. When a child hears
something positive, it has such a

16 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 16

2015-04-28 7:58:08 AM

great effect on him. To you its

something small, but to him or
her it is really something big that
you cant measure.
This is what the greatest
mechanech of all, our Rebbe,
teaches us. The Rebbe himself
said, they ask me about
operations, difficult situations,
business, and rely on whatever
I say, and what about chinuch?
My expertise is in chinuch, so
why is it that when it comes to
chinuch you dont ask me? One
would think this is the main area
in which you need to hear my
advice.

THE REBBE SEES

There
was
a
couple,
Holocaust
survivors,
who
married after the war, moved to
the US and settled on the Lower
East Side. They had a son and
when he grew older, his father
decided to send him to learn in
Lubavitch.
The
child
had
severe
behavioral problems, but in those
days they didnt throw anyone
out; the main thing was for a
child to remain among friends.
The child was sensitive toward
his parents and did not want
to hurt them, so he hid all the
problems he made in class. To his
parents he was a delight and he
expended all his pent-up energy
in yeshiva.
In 5720, the child became
bar mitzva and his father told
him that before ones bar mitzva
you should try to get a bracha
from a tzaddik. Since he learned
in Lubavitch, they would go to
the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The boy
agreed.
The day before their yechidus
with the Rebbe, the father told
his son that the next day he
would come home early from
work, they would put on their

Tombs of the Maharam of

Rothenburg (left) and Alexander
ben Shlomo Wimpfen (right) in the
Jewish cemetery in Worms, Germany

Shabbos clothes, and then go to

the yechidus. The boy told his
friends that he would be seeing
the Rebbe. His friends, who knew
him well, asked him whether he
knew what tractate they were
learning. He said no
Dont you know the Rebbe
asks questions? they said, and
the boy became nervous. Why
didnt they tell him earlier?
He would have prepared at
least a little. He did not want
to aggravate his parents after
everything they had been
through, he wanted to give them
nachas, but it was too late and
there was nothing he could do.
The next day, he came home
from yeshiva and went with his
father to see the Rebbe. On the
way, he was very nervous because
he didnt know what the yechidus
would be like.
When it was their turn, father
and son walked in and the Rebbe
blessed them for the bar mitzva
and spoke to the father about
various things that pertained to
him. Then the Rebbe asked the
boy whether he could speak to
him in learning. The boy said yes

He did not know the material

everyone was taught, but since
he made so much trouble, there
was one big Mishna that he
could recite thanks to his being
punished so many times to learn
and write that Mishna over and
over again. The Rebbe, instead
of asking which Gemara his
class was learning, asked him
questions from that Mishna,
like what does R Shimon think
about such and such, and the
boy immediately knew all the
answers.
The
father
looked
on
emotionally. Here was the
Rebbe, the great gaon, talking
with his son in learning, and his
son knew how to respond! What
nachas! The Rebbe blessed him
to continue in this way.
This is the point. For it was
with this that he was connected
to Hashem, despite the fact
that he only learned it as a
punishment. The Rebbe saw with
which Mishna he was connected
to Hashem, which Mishna was
alight in his neshama, and it was
through this that he lit up his
path.
The Rebbe encouraged the
boy and blessed him to continue
and grow up to be a Chassid,
yerei Shamayim, and lamdan.
When the father and son went
out from the Rebbe, the father
embraced and kissed his son and
said: I didnt know you were the
ilui of Brooklyn!
When they arrived home, he
told his wife excitedly, We didnt
realize what a son we have!
From that day on, the boy
became a new person. The
Rebbe, with those words, infused
him with the light of his neshama,
infused him with new strength, by
way of the only Mishna he knew.
The Rebbe ignited his inner spark
and encouraged him to reveal the
good hidden within him.

Issue 971

971_bm_eng.indd 17

17

2015-04-28 7:58:08 AM

PROFILE

LEARNING AND
TEACHING TORAH

WITH
MESIRAS
NEFESH

R Sholom Eliyahu Vilenkin ah was born and raised in a home saturated

with Torah and Chassidus. For many years he learned assiduously in
secret yeshivos Tomchei Tmimim. Despite the fear, hunger and enormous
difficulties, he devoted himself to Torah study. He later began teaching
Torah, despite the great danger involved. * Twenty years since the passing
of this Chassid.
By Shneur Zalman Berger

IN THE SHADOW OF THE

REBBES FATHER
R Sholom Eliyahu Vilenkins
parents were Shneur Zalman
and Rivka. He was born in
Dnepropetrovsk (Yekaterinoslav)
in the Ukraine, on 8 Cheshvan
5677/1916.
In his youth, R Sholom
attended farbrengens that took

place in the home of the rav

and mekubal, R Levi Yitzchok
Schneersohn ah. For years to
come he would describe with
enthusiasm the great joy at the
hakafos on Simchas Torah that
took place in the Rebbes fathers
house.
He was once sent by his
father to ask R Levi Yitzchok

a halachic question: was it

permissible to use an iron vessel
for mayim shlanu? R Levi
Yitzchok chose to respond based
on the teachings of kabbala and
said that according to kabbala,
we do not use an iron vessel. This
is because barzel is an acronym
for: Bilha, Rochel, Zilpa, Leah,
with the maidservants listed
before the Imahos, and this is

18 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 18

2015-04-28 7:58:09 AM

R Sholom Eliyahu Vilenkin saying the HaGomel blessing in the Rebbes presence

the opposite of the idea of matza

which represents bittul.
The communist revolution
began the year he was born.
When he was a child, many
shuls were shut down and the
communists began persecuting
those who learned Torah and
kept mitzvos. In order to educate
the young generation in the spirit
of communism, the government
forced its citizens to send their
children to government schools.
The Rebbe Rayatz fought this
decree and ordered his Chassidim
not to send their children to
communist schools even if this
entailed mesirus nefesh. This was
an extremely difficult test but R
Zalman Vilenkin, who was the
Rebbes melamed, withstood it
and did not send his children
to school. His daughter Rivka

points out that her father, despite

not having attended school, knew
Russian better than many others
who finished university.

WE ARE SUFFERING
STARVATION
In his childhood, Sholom
Eliyahu studied at home and
his special gifts and talents were
already apparent. When he was
fifteen, in 1932, despite his
young age, he traveled to distant
Kursk in Russia where there
was a secret branch of Tomchei
Tmimim. His older brother
Yosef learned there too. Among
the talmidim who learned in the
yeshiva in Kursk in those days
were R Meilich Kaplan, later rav
in Shikun Chabad in Lud, and R
Michoel Teitelbaum, founder of
Oholei Torah in Crown Heights.

Spiritual life in the yeshiva

was wonderful but material life
was extremely difficult. This can
be seen in the requests for aid
that the talmidim sent the Rebbe
Rayatz. In a coded letter from
24 Teves 5694, a bachur by the
name of Shimon Steinbok wrote:
Since six workers are
working here [six talmidim
learning] in holy work [learning
Torah], in a proper structure as
before, eight hours of Nigleh and
four hours of DaCH (Chassidus),
as is known to his honor, and our
material circumstances are on the
lowest level and we are suffering
starvation, may Hashem have
mercy. Therefore, I ask of his
honor with double and redoubled
request, to make efforts on our
behalf in every possible way and
send means [money for food].

Issue 971

971_bm_eng.indd 19

19

2015-04-28 7:58:09 AM

Profile

I OWE HIM SOMETHING

When the Rebbe and his brothers
were children, they learned in R
Zalman Vilenkins school. R Zalman
was a shochet and the Rebbes father,
R Levi Yitzchok, rav of the city, made
sure that R Zalman had less work to
do in shchita so he would be available
to teach his children.
When R Zalman left the Soviet
Union, the Rebbe helped him on many
occasions and greatly respected him.
When R Zalman entered the Rebbes
room for his first private audience, the
Rebbe stood up and asked R Zalman
to sit. R Zalman of course refused,
His father, R Shneur Zalman
and they both stood until the end of the
yechidus.
When he passed away on 23 Iyar 5723, the Rebbe accompanied him to
the cemetery. He also helped carry the coffin, which was most unusual.
His son, R Sholom, merited special closeness from the Rebbe because
he was the son of the melamed. The first and most famous kiruv happened
at the end of the farbrengen on Yud-Tes Kislev 5732, when he was in 770
together with a group of Anash from Eretz Yisroel.
The Rebbe said:
Since we are talking about old wine, we have here those who are going
back to Eretz Yisroel after Shabbos, especially to Nachalat Har Chabad, and
they should take some of the old wine, i.e. the mashke. They should make a
farbrengen there and as far as who to send it with, all are beloved and all are
refined and all are holy but among them is one whom I owe something since
he is the son, the son is an extension of the father, of my melamed with
whom I learned Mikra and Mishna and also Gemara for many years. So he
should take the mashke and bring it to Nachalat Har Chabad ...
In another letter, Yosef
Vilenkin wrote:
And we request their honors
to please try and send to us,
since we need it greatly. Another
worker joined from Kiev because
the other workers took ill, may
G-d have mercy VDal [at that
time, the police closed the
yeshiva in Kiev and the talmidim
dispersed to other cities and this
is what he meant by the workers
took ill]. May G-d protect us
from all evil, heaven forfend.
Despite
the
starvation
prevalent in the yeshiva, the

talmidim
studied
diligently.
Testimony to the spiritual state
of the Vilenkin brothers can be
found in a letter that a Chassid
sent to the Rebbe Rayatz, but
first the background:
The
Vilenkin
brothers
returned home for Pesach
1934. The Chassid, R Moshe
Malchin, a Chabad Chassid from
Dnepropetrovsk, noticed these
talented and elevated Tmimim.
He went to their house a few
times in order to engage them
in discussion in Torah and
Chassidus.

A short while later, he wrote

to the Rebbe Rayatz:
I inform the Rebbe that
your children, talmidim, the
Tmimim in Kursk, the children
of R Zalman the shochet here
in Dnepropetrovsk were here for
Pesach. Although they live far
away from me, I did not refrain
from going to see them four
times. Their Torah and avoda are
wondrous. May Hashem allow
that they increase as such.
Sholom Vilenkin was gifted
and his outstanding diligence
and remarkable memory turned
him into a scholar and big baki
(one greatly knowledgeable). Not
surprisingly, when a teacher was
needed in Krivoy Rog, he was the
one called upon to give shiurim
there, as he related many years
later:
While learning in Kursk,
I was asked in a letter by the
melamed, R Yisroel Levin
(Lipovitzer), to go to Krivoy
Rog since he had to be away for
several months and wanted me
to take over. So I went to Krivoy
Rog and taught the Tmimim.
This was before he turned
eighteen.
When he finished his job as
a substitute, he went back to
learning in Kursk.
In the summer of 5695/1935,
another division of Tomchei
Tmimim
was
opened
in
Voronezh that was meant
for older bachurim. Michoel
Teitelbaum, Sholom Vilenkin,
and Shaul Steinbok learned
there. The rest of the talmidim,
who were younger, continued to
learn in Kursk. R Yisroel Levin,
who arrived at this yeshiva after
Tishrei 5796, related in his
memoirs the reason that this
division for older bachurim was
opened:
After the holidays, 5796,
I went to Voronezh because R

20 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 20

2015-04-28 7:58:09 AM

Yona [Cohen, menahel of the

underground Tomchei Tmimim
in the Soviet Union in those
days] wanted the older bachurim,
who would soon be looking
into shidduchim, to first receive
hashpaa from the Chassid, R
Betzalel Wilschansky. We learned
in Voronezh and R Wilschansky
farbrenged with us often.
R Betzalels influence on
the talmidim was powerful. R
Sholom would refer to him as
mori vrabi for years to come.
His son, Berel Vilenkin, said,
My father considered him his
primary teacher and described
him as a wise Chassid who was
expert in Nigleh and Chassidus, a
maven of chazanus as well as in
worldly matters. The two of them
met many years later in Eretz
Yisroel.

At a family simcha, from left to right: R Chaim Zalman Kozliner, R Mendel Gorelik, R
Sholom Vilenkin, R Tzvi Milevsky, R Sholom Ber Gorelik

DILIGENCE IN LEARNING
On 19 Cheshvan 5696, R
Sholom wrote to the Rebbe
Rayatz about the situation in
yeshiva. Parts of the letter were
written in code. He said he was
learning the laws of shchita,
among other things (it is
interesting to note that his family
has no recollection of his ever
working as a shochet).
At the end of the letter he
wrote that he was learning
short maamarim by heart. In
those days, there was a severe
shortage of sfarim and usually
each yeshiva had only a few. This
was true for sifrei Nigleh and all
the more so for sifrei maamarim
which were usually copied by
hand. The maamer Vlokachtem
5683 was the only one he had.
His mother became sick at
the end of 5696. He went home
for a short visit for Tishrei. When
he wanted to return to yeshiva,
his mother pleaded with him to
stay a bit longer but he wanted
to return to his learning. That

With R Sholom Ber Gorelik, his nephew who became his son-in-law

was the last time he saw his

mother for she died on Isru Chag
Simchas Torah 5696.

SOLDIERS OF THE HOUSE OF

DOVID SENT TO THE FRONT
The communist persecution
of
klei
kodesh
(religious
functionaries) intensified. Within
a short time, many of the magidei
shiurim and mashpiim were
arrested; the situation was dire.

The families of those arrested

were left bereft of their husband
and father, with no spiritual and
material support. When things
grew worse, R Yona Cohen
decided to hire older, unmarried
students as teachers rather than
married men with families.
These older bachurim were
called to special meetings
with R Yona Cohen and R
Mordechai Eliezer Laptovsky,
the menahalim. They informed

Issue 971

971_bm_eng.indd 21

21

2015-04-28 7:58:10 AM

Profile
the bachurim of their new jobs,
on the front lines against the
winds of heresy.
R Sholom attended a meeting
that took place in the home
of R Moshe Katzman (An
impoverished
person
whose
home was open to the Tmimim,
is how R Sholom described
him).
At the meeting, the bachurim
were told that now they would be
the magidei shiurim and would
also have to look out for the
students material well-being.
They would have to travel once
every six months to Malachovka
to get money from R Zalman
Schneersohn or R Avrohom
Maiyor Drizin. With the little
bit of money they would receive,
they were told, they would have
to take care of food, clothes and
places for the bachurim to sleep.
Shortly after the meeting,
the bachurim Chayolei Beis
Dovid went to the yeshivos
which they would now be
running. R Sholom was sent to
teach in the yeshiva in Odessa.

TAKING ON THE BURDEN

OF RUNNING THE YESHIVA
When R Sholom arrived
in Odessa, he saw the difficult
conditions the bachurim were
enduring. Many years later, R
Sholom was willing to talk a little
bit about the yeshiva he ran back
then:
In Cheshvan, the beginning
of winter, it became unbearable.
I had no money, the talmidims
shoes were ripped and they filled
with water when it rained. I could
not bear their suffering although
it did not break their spirit.
Instructions came from the
Rebbe Rayatz that every talmid
ought to learn the first twelve
chapters of Tanya by heart.
Despite the cold and hunger, and

despite wearing rags and having

torn shoes, they all learned the
twelve chapters by heart!
I sent a letter to R Elchonon
Morosow [the Rebbes secretary]
in Leningrad and I wrote some
sharp things. I described the
situation and said we had no
money even for bread. A week
later, we received 1000 rubles by
express mail.
Obviously, his role entailed
great mesirus nefesh, for if the
talmidim would be caught, the
main punishment would be
meted out to him, the one who
ran the yeshiva.
The persecutions did not stop;
they increased. Following the
arrests in the yeshiva in Zhitomir
in Adar 1938, the talmidim there
transferred to Voronezh. Among
the talmidim in the yeshiva in
Voronezh at that time were: R
Moshe Aharon Geisinsky, R
Berel Kievman, R Hillel Pevsner,
R Michoel Teitelbaum, R Moshe
Binyamin Kaplan, R Moshe
Morosow, R Yeshaya Gopin, and
R Tzvi Hirsh Slavin.
R Berel Vilenkin told about
the arrival of Tzvi Hirsh Slavin to
the yeshiva:
His father was a Misnaged
and he lived then in Voronezh.
Since there was no Litvishe
yeshiva in the area, he wanted to
send his son to the local Tomchei
Tmimim. Father and son arrived
at the shul where the bachurim
learned. When they walked
in, they saw my father sitting
and learning Gemara. At that
moment, my father scratched
his head with his sleeve. Tzvis
father saw this and was favorably
impressed. He said to his son,
See how he learns with holiness
and purity, being particular not
to touch his head while he learns.
R Tzvi learned in the yeshiva
and became a Chabad Chassid.
In the summer of 1938,

he went with three talmidim,

Sholom Ber Pevsner, Refael
Wilschansky,
and
Sholom
Morosow to Grafskoye near
Voronezh where he learned with
them.
For ten years, R Sholom
learned in various yeshivos
Tomchei Tmimim. He immersed
himself in learning and rarely
visited home. Mesirus nefesh was
routine for him but he spoke little
of it.
His son Berel explains:
My father did not talk about
himself. He once said that the
bachurim walked in the street
with tfillin in their pocket so that
if they were arrested, they would
be able to put on tfillin in jail.
My father had a beard as a
young bachur despite the great
danger, as having a beard was
enough of a crime to be sent to
prison.

WEDDING SURPRISE
In Iyar 5701/1941, R
Sholom became engaged to
Fraida Mariasha, the daughter
of Chaim Elozor and Chaya
Doba Gorelik of Malachovka.
The tenaim were held on Lag
BOmer.
Just one month later, at
the end of Sivan, the Germans
invaded the Soviet Union. Within
a short time, they had conquered
vast sections of the country.
Hundreds of thousands of people
who feared for their lives, escaped
in any possible way. The goal was
to flee the burning front.
On 8 Elul, the Goreliks
along with the new choson,
boarded a train which they rode
to Samarkand in Uzbekistan.
Thousands of Jewish refugee
families, including many Chabad
Chassidim, fled there during the
war from countries in Eastern
Europe.

22 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 22

2015-04-28 7:58:10 AM

The connection between R

Sholom and his family was cut off
during the war. He was unable to
find out about his father and his
family. Two sisters were already
married: Chana was married to
Lipa Shapiro and Deena was
married to Meir Dubroskin. The
sisters lived in Leningrad, but
when the war broke out they were
both vacationing outside the city
near Dnepropetrovsk with their
father. Meir had been drafted
when the war began and Lipa
managed to get to Samarkand
where he met his brother-in-law
Sholom.
Not having any connection
with his father, older brother
and sisters, his thoughts swung
between hope and despair. After
a few months of waiting, his
father-in-law decided that for
reasons of tznius, the choson and
kalla could not live in the same
city. It was decided that they
must marry despite the choson
not having any family with him.
R Sholom married on Zos
Chanuka 5702 with his brotherin-law Lipa representing the
chosons side. The joy of the
wedding was tinged with sadness,
for both the bride and the groom
had relatives and acquaintances
in the war zone. In addition, the
terrible economic situation did
not help matters. The wedding
meal consisted of ten Uzbeki
pitas, half a kilo (a little over a
pound) of meat, and a kilo (2.2
pounds) of rice.
His daughter, Rivka Gorelik,
describes the wedding meal as
she heard it described:
During the war, starvation
prevailed and bread was rationed.
Every citizen had a ration card
in exchange for which he could
receive a small daily portion of
bread. Anyone caught with more
than one card, or who had a large
quantity of bread, was severely

On the way to the chuppa of his son Elozor at 770. From right to left: Brother-in-law
Lipa Shapiro, Sholom Vilenkin, the choson, the mechutan Moshe Levertov

Issue 971

971_bm_eng.indd 23

23

2015-04-28 7:58:10 AM

Profile
punished.
Before the wedding, my
father somehow managed to
get ten Uzbeki pitas. He carried
them in the street, hiding them
well under his jacket, and hurried
home. But he was stopped by a
policeman who wanted to see
his ID. Then the policeman
decided to search him. He soon
discovered ten, warm, fresh pitas.
My father pleaded with him not
to confiscate them since he was
getting married that day and this
was all he could serve the guests.
Miraculously, the policeman
believed him, had compassion,
and let him go.
At the wedding, Grandfather
R Chaim Elozor lit a Chanuka
candle over which he said the
bracha, lhadlik ner Chanuka. It
wasnt the first night of Chanuka,
but due to the scarcity of candles
and oil he had only been able to
obtain one candle.
Guests who were refugees
from the war attended the
wedding. Although the food was
limited, they all tried to rejoice.
The dancing lasted all night
even though most of them did
not know the groom. One of
the guests, who did not know
the groom, heard that the family
name is Vilenkin.
Is your fathers name
Zalman?
Yes, said the surprised
groom.
Does he have a son and two
daughters?
The groom said yes.
I recently saw them in the
village of Chamkhaleh in the
Caucasus (now part of Iran) on
the coast of the Caspian Sea,
said the refugee to the astonished
groom.
As soon as the week of
rejoicing was over, R Lipa
Shapiro went to the Caucasian

village where he met his wife,

father-in-law,
brother-in-law,
and sister-in-law. He told them
that Sholom had just gotten
married and he helped them get
to Tashkent where the family
reunited.

SHARING THEIR BREAD

RATION
The young couple, Sholom
and Mariasha, lived near her
parents. They barely eked out a
living by textile piece work which
they did at home. Despite living
with privation, their home was
always open to guests.
Their daughter Rivka relates:
During the war, many Jewish
refugees came to Tashkent who
had no one to help them. Many
of them died of starvation. My
parents shared their bread ration
with the refugees even though
they did not know most of them.
There were times they gave away
the food they had prepared for
themselves and they had nothing
to eat that day.
Once, when I was in 770, a
Lubavitcher woman came over to
me and hugged and kissed me.
She said to me, Your parents
saved me. I was starving and
on the verge of dying and your
parents saved me. I ate with them
many times and thanks to them, I
was saved.
The Vilenkin couple had
two children, Rivka and Berel.
The war ended in Iyar 1945
and Europe began to lick its
war wounds. Russia and Poland
signed an agreement in which all
the refugees who had fled Poland
during the war for the Soviet
Union could return to Poland.
Many Jews, including many
Chassidim, sought documents
that showed they were Polish
citizens in the hopes that they
would be able to leave Soviet

Russia for Poland and from

there go to Eretz Yisroel or other
countries. The Chassidim set up
a counterfeiting industry which
produced forged documents
stating they were Polish citizens.
The border city of Lvov
(Lemberg) was the transfer point
and many Chassidim went there
in order to try and cross the
border. R Sholom also wanted
to go to Lvov with his family. He
left Samarkand with his wife and
two children and his in-laws.
They
traveled
through
Moscow and then R Chaim
Elozor suddenly became sick.
The family had to tarry in
Moscow. Sadly, he passed away
on Monday, 9 Kislev 5707.

ARRESTED WITH A BABY

After the shiva was over, the
family traveled to Lvov. When
they arrived there, they found
out that the night before a train
full of Chassidim had left for the
border. It turned out that this
was the last group of Chassidim
who snuck across the border. A
short while later, the government
uncovered the plot and made
numerous arrests.
Mariashas family members
were arrested one after another:
her brother Mendel, her sister
Tzipa, and others.
One night the police came and
arrested Sholom. Mariasha hid
with her baby Berel in a closet.
The policemen, who conducted
a thorough search of the house,
found them and they were taken
out. The parents and baby were
taken to the headquarters of the
secret police where they were
ordered to wait.
After hours of waiting, an
officer appeared who began
yelling at the policeman: Whats
going on here? Is this a birthing
facility? Why do you bring babies

24 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 24

2015-04-28 7:58:10 AM

here?
The officer ordered the
policeman to help Mariasha take
the baby home. She declined his
assistance and went home on her
own.
Sholom
remained
under
arrest. The interrogator who
faced him and threatened him
was a Jew named Schwartz.
Sholom consistently claimed that
he was a citizen of the Ukraine for
he came from Dnepropetrovsk,
and that he wanted to return
home. The interrogators tried to
orchestrate a meeting between
him and another Chassid who
had been arrested for trying
to cross the border, in the
hopes that they would glean
incriminating information from
their conversations.
The Chassid, R Berel
Rickman (who learned with the
Rebbe by R Sholoms father, and
since they lived in the same town,
they knew one another well), told
the following in his account of his
arrest:
Once, when I was thirsty, I
asked the guard for some water.
He brought me water. A few
minutes later, the guard opened
the door again and there was
someone else behind him.
See this man? said the
guard. He wants water to drink.
Give him from the water I just
gave you. I recognized the man.
It was Sholom Vilenkin. As soon
as I saw him, I said in Yiddish,
I know no one. I meant that
I would not reveal any names
under interrogation. The guard
did not understand Yiddish and
did not react to what I said.
Sholom was released a short
while later. It was an open
miracle.

THE DANGER INTENSIFIES

Chernovitz

was

the

next

Receiving kos shel bracha in 5741

station in R Sholoms life. He

heard that some Chassidishe
families had fled from Lvov to
Chernovitz in an attempt to
escape the long hand of the secret
police. He left for Chernovitz
with his wife, children and
mother-in-law.
For the Chassidim, life under
Stalin
became
unbearable.
The persecutions continued to
intensify.
For a short period the
Vilenkins stayed in the home
of the Chassid, R Zalman
Lebenhartz.
Then
they
moved in with Mrs. Mussia
Katzenelenbogen,
Mariashas
sister. Since her husband
Shimon had been sent to Siberia,
R Sholom was a father to his
own children as well as to Faiga,
Mussias daughter.
His daughter Rivka relates:
We were little girls and
my father raised us both as his
daughters. I still remember how
we would watch the man who
always stood on the small hill
near our building. We didnt
know who was his prime interest,
us or one of those living in the
apartment beneath us who had a

R Sholom Vilenkin at the wedding of his

grandson, R Zalman Gorelik, shliach in Beer
Sheva. Sitting: R Sholom and the choson.
Standing from right to left: the father of
the choson, R Sholom Ber Gorelik, R Berel
Vilenkin, R Elozor Vilenkin

Zionist son. The latter was exiled

to Siberia after he derogatorily
joked about the communists to
his fellow students.
The fear that prevailed in
those days was palpable My
younger brother Elozor was
born. At the bris, my mother was

Issue 971

971_bm_eng.indd 25

25

2015-04-28 7:58:11 AM

Profile
very worried lest we be caught.
The fear was so great that she
fainted.
Despite the danger, when
Elozor grew older his parents
sent him to learn Torah. For a
while, the mashpia, R Moshe
Vishedsky came to their house
and taught Berel and Elozor. He
was their melamed even though
he had just returned from a long
exile in Siberia.

A LIFE OF TORAH AND

WORK IN SAMARKAND
In those days, it was hard
to find work that enabled one
to refrain from showing up on
Shabbos. Not surprisingly, there
were hard times in which R
Sholom had no income. For this
and other reasons, he and his
family returned to Samarkand in
1958. He found work with some
Chabad Chassidim who ran a
small factory.
Aside from his official work
in the morning, he would teach
Torah in the afternoon to children
of Anash. R Sholom would go to
their homes and teach Nigleh and
Chassidus.
There
were
occasional
farbrengens
which
breathed
life into the Chassidim, even
though they were under constant
surveillance. The farbrengens
took place in a different house
each time in order to make it
more difficult to uncover them.
Still, there were times that the
neighbors noticed the unusual
gatherings.
Rivka relates:
One
time,
when
the
farbrengen was held in our
house, the neighbor said to my
mother that she was insulted that
a celebration was being held and
she wasnt invited. The Uzbeks
are very hospitable and it was
only natural, when you made

a party of any kind, for you to

invite the neighbors.
My mother simply said, My
daughter became of age and a
groom was suggested. Last night,
the young man and his relatives
came to see my daughter and
decide if they want her. That
is what we do. The neighbor
accepted this, understanding
that she did not belong at such a
gathering.
I was young, smiled Rivka,
and boruch Hashem, there were
many shidduch suggestions, i.e.
farbrengens.
Three years after arriving in
Samarkand, the Vilenkin family
moved to Tashkent. R Sholom
had an offer to work in a small
factory which his brother-in-law,
Mendel Gorelik, ran. This factory
made warning signs for factories.
All the people who worked there
were Chassidim. And of course,
they did not work on Shabbos.
However,
the
government
occasionally held inspections
and the Chassidim had to show
up. They found original ways
of refraining from working on
Shabbos. For example, one time,
one of the men on the inspection
team asked the workers why they
were resting and not working.
They said they were waiting for
the signs to dry.

HOURS OF ENTHUSIASM
AND LIVELINESS
A group of bachurim regularly
learned in the Vilenkin home in
Samarkand. The learning began
at seven in the morning and
ended at ten at night. They sat in
a back room and learned. When
a stranger knocked at the door in
the middle of the day, Mariasha
would greet them loudly, Its
good you came. You havent been
here in a long time. This was
the cue for the bachurim who

pulled a long string that lowered

a thick curtain which covered
the entrance to their room. They
continued learning quietly until
the danger passed. When they
werent learning, they hid their
sfarim in a storage place in the
yard.
In the afternoon, R Sholom
would come home from work,
tired but full of chayus. He
immediately sat down with the
bachurim and began teaching
them. One could see that he was
energized solely by Torah study.
They enjoyed this Chassid who
was knowledgeable in Nigleh and
Chassidus, for he was proficient
in many tractates of Gemara and
maamarei Chassidus. His way of
learning was through pshat (the
simple meaning).
His son Berel explained:
My father did not tolerate
exegetical acrobatics. He first
learned the pshat with Rashi.
He found every word of Rashi
important and precious. There
was no superfluous word in
Rashi. He gave an analogy for
this: Reuven sees Shimon take
apart his watch and put it back
together. On the table some
tiny parts remained. Did you
lose some pieces? asks Reuven.
Shimon says no. Reuven smiles
and says, If one gear is missing,
the watch wont work because
every piece has a function.
The same is true for
learning. Every word of Rashi
is significant. My father taught
the talmidim that they first
had to know the pshat and
only then could they study the
commentaries. With Chassidus
too, my father did not appreciate
the tendency to materialize
Chassidus. He held that in
Chassidus there are spiritual
concepts and that not everything
had to be materialized.

26 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 26

2015-04-28 7:58:11 AM

IN ERETZ YISROEL
For many years, R Sholom
Eliyahu tried to obtain an exit
visa from Russia for Eretz Yisroel
but was always turned down. His
son-in-law (who was also his
nephew), R Sholom Ber Gorelik,
also often asked permission
to leave with his wifes family
(sometimes he asked together
with his parents) but he was also
turned down.
Then finally, they received the
authorization for passports with
which they could travel abroad.
However, they had to pay a lot
of money to get the visas. That
night, R Sholom Ber obtained
the necessary money, but when
he went to pay, he found out
that only the Vilenkin family had
received visas.
After a few more weeks
of travails, R Sholom and his
wife, their daughter Rivka,
her husband and children,
left the Soviet Union. They
arrived in Eretz Yisroel on 10
Elul 5731/1971 and settled in
Nachalat Har Chabad.
R Sholom found a job in a
factory in Kiryat Malachi. Work
began at seven in the morning
but R Sholom wanted to learn
a lot of Chassidus followed by a
slow davening. He would arrive
at work at eight even though his
salary was decreased accordingly.
For many years, he went on
Mivtza Tfillin regularly and
enabled many Jews to put on
tfillin.
In 5737, the Rebbe urged
the appointment of mashpiim in
Chabad communities. He was
appointed, along with R Michoel
Mishulovin, as mashpia in
Nachalat Har Chabad. Although
at farbrengens he sat in the
center, he would rarely speak and
when he did, it would be brief.
He was very particular about

attending the various shiurim in

Kiryat Malachi. Even when his
vision deteriorated and he could
not read, he continued to learn.
R Moshe Lerner relates:
R Sholom Vilenkin was a
refined, noble person. I attended
a Gemara shiur with some others
and he sat with us and learned
by heart. Nevertheless, he always
knew what was what and he even
gave his own explanations for the
topics we were learning.
R Yosef Yitzchok Friedman
adds another perspective:
I got to know R Sholom
after I married his sisters
granddaughter and settled in
Nachla. For years we learned
Chassidus together. His shiurim
opened vistas for me since he
knew a tremendous amount.
He knew what every source on
a maamer or sicha was about.
When it stated the beginning of a
verse from any part of Tanach, he
would always complete it.
Aside from our regular
learning during the week, we
regularly learned the weekly
likut, and in later years, the
Dvar Malchus. When the Rebbe
started talking about Moshiach
with a big koch in 5751, he
would sit and learn the sichos
with great chayus. R Sholom,
who was generally a calm, quiet
type, was very excited by what
the Rebbe said regarding inyanei
Moshiach.
His son Elozor tells the
following:
My father was no longer
seeing well and he once came
home and said it bothered him
that he couldnt read the signs
hanging in shul. These were
signs announcing a farbrengen,
simchas, and various events.
I told him, Ask one of the
bachurim standing there anyway
and reading the ads, to read them
for you. He said, Who am I to

The last picture of R Sholom Vilenkin

bother a bachur because I want

to know what it says on the
signs?

THE PASSING OF A
CHASSID
Eight months before he
passed away, he broke his leg and
was confined to bed. It was only
after months of suffering that he
was able to sit in a wheelchair.
Even during these months, he did
not waste time and while lying in
bed he recited Thillim by heart.
His daughter Rivka describes
his sudden passing, for she was
with him:
He was going to go and
daven Mincha. I helped get him
ready when I suddenly heard
him cry out, Oy, and then
was silent. I looked at him and
was frightened. He had lost
consciousness and his color had
changed. The doctor who arrived
could only inform us of his
passing.

Issue 971

971_bm_eng.indd 27

27

2015-04-28 7:58:12 AM

PROFILE

FROM TURKISH HOOPSTER

TO TANYA
IN TURKISH
28 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 28

2015-04-28 7:58:13 AM

BASKETBALL PLAYER WHO

RETIRED IN HIS PRIME

Its hard to
believe that
the young
Chassidic
man sitting in
Yeshivat Daat
in Rechovot
used to be
a basketball
player for the
top team in
Turkey and
a well-to-do
businessman.
But that is
part of the
remarkable
life story of
R Mordechai
Mizrachi who
is currently
immersed in
translating
the Tanya into
Turkish.
By Natan Avrorhom

R Mordechai Mizrachi was born

in Istanbul over fifty years ago, during
the days when the military government
exercised totalitarian control.
My
maternal grandparents emigrated from
Georgia to Turkey before World War
II. My grandfather, R Mordechai
Fitzachdzeh served as Chief Rabbi of
Istanbul and the area, but I did not
know him. At home, I always heard
him spoken about with the greatest
esteem.
R Mordechais parents were less
religious and he and his brother were
sent to a nearby public school.
Many children from the Jewish
community attended public school,
but at the same time my parents sent
me on Shabbos and Sunday to the
Talmud Torah in the shul where I
learned and later on, even taught. The
truth is that it was more of a Jewish
youth movement. They did not teach
us about mitzvos and the importance
of Torah. Rather, they exposed us to
historical aspects of the Jewish people
and its customs.
Serving in the Turkish army was
mandatory at that time, but army
commanders did not allow Jews or
members of ethnic groups to serve
as commanders or in combat units.
Mordechai was sent to do office work
in one of the rear bases.
Even before serving in the army, I
would spend most of my time playing
basketball. I loved the game and was
one of the best in my high school.
When I finished my army service, I
joined the top team in Turkey and
regularly competed against teams from
other countries.
There was no basketball fan in
those days in Turkey who did not
know and admire the ambitious young
athlete who brought great honor to the
national team of Turkey. For ten years
he was famous and was written up in
the sports pages as an outstanding
athlete. His scoring average never fell

below twenty-five. In one game, I

scored 56 baskets and was considered
second in the country for the number
of baskets in a game.
R Mordechai recalls the Israeli
athlete, Micky Berkowitz, whom he
knew:
In Turkey under military rule,
we were not allowed to import
products and so I had to wear Turkish
sneakers
which
werent
always
comfortable. More accurately, they
were uncomfortable and made running
difficult.
My knees would hurt after every
game for several hours. One day,
when the Israeli basketball team came
to Turkey to compete, I discussed this
problem with Micky Berkowitz, a wellknown Israeli basketball player. I told
him that I am also Jewish. Before he
left the stadium he took off his shoes,
autographed them and switched with
me.
R Mordechai was highly regarded
and admired. He rarely experienced
anti-Semitism and he never had to hide
his Jewishness.

THE ROAD TO SUCCESS

After many years playing basketball,
he decided to retire while still in his
prime. He joined a company which
manufactured thread and became their
exclusive representative, marketing for
them nationally and internationally.
He became very wealthy and married a
woman from a Jewish family in Izmir.
After we moved to Izmir, I left my
job at the thread company and joined a
plastics business run by my father-inlaw.
After twenty years of marriage, R
Mordechai felt a gnawing emptiness.
His expansive lifestyle had no inner
meaning. He felt that money no longer
interested him and he began to search
for true meaning in life.
I knew that the truth was in the
Torah and I knew that what I knew of
Torah was minuscule. I decided to start
a shiur in my house and I invited other

Issue 971

971_bm_eng.indd 29

29

2015-04-28 7:58:14 AM

Profile
Jews to join. The rav of the city
would come and give shiurim.
There had never been anything
like this in the city and my wife
was nervous.

EXPLORING THE WORLD

OF JEWISH LIFE
Along with his business
success,
R
Mordechai
strengthened
his
religious
observance and tried to do the
same for the Jews of Izmir. He
headed an irreligious Jewish
movement and worked to instill
Jewish fundamentals among the
Jews of Izmir. In addition, he
kept up the shiurim every week in
his home.
I think that, already then,
I uncovered some Chabad
tendencies. I read about the
history of the city and learned
that I was living in a place where
great tzaddikim, like Rabbi
Chaim Palagi, had lived. I saw
that the state of Judaism was
abysmal and I felt I had to do
something about it.
I would log on to the
Internet every day and look for
inspiring divrei Torah. There
were times that my surfing led
me to Chabad sites and I enjoyed
the material there, but it wasnt
enough. I remember sitting one
night and talking to Hashem and
asking that He send me someone
to teach me Torah.
It was a very difficult time
of confusion and soul-searching.
On the one hand, I had money
and I had a respectable place in
the community. On the other
hand, I felt incomplete. I spoke
with my older brother Shabtai,
who was six years older than me
and was religious with a beard
and kippa. I asked his advice
because I relied on him and
thought of him as being a model
Jew.

My brother urged me to say

a lot of Thillim and to pray to
Hashem to send me salvation and
that is what I did. That night I
read all of Thillim and felt my
neshama cry out for help.
The next morning I went to
minyan for Shacharis as I did
every day. I arrived a bit late and
prayed a little after the minyan.
Suddenly I noticed a man
wearing a sirtuk, a gartel and hat,
a strange sight in Turkey. I had
never seen anyone wearing such
an outfit before.
After davening I went over
to him and he began conversing
with me in Turkish.
I was
stunned.
A Jew who looked
like that could speak Turkish? I
had no doubt that Hashem had
heard my prayer and had sent me
someone to help me get close to
Him. I introduced myself and he
said he knew my older brother
from Istanbul and they were
good friends.
I was very excited and
we spoke for four hours! We
couldnt stay in the shul because
it had to be locked right after
Shacharis for security reasons,
so we continued talking on a
nearby street. He told me that
his name is Yisachar Izak. He
was born in Istanbul and he had
become a baal tshuva a few
years earlier. He had left Turkey
and progressed in his learning
elsewhere. Then he had a feeling
that he should return to his
homeland and become a sort of
shliach to other Jews in Turkey. I
urged him to remain in Izmir and
promised to help him.
Thats
what
happened.
Mordechai, who was connected
with other wealthy Jews from
the community, helped R Izak
establish himself in Izmir and
institute a wide range of Chabad
outreach activities.
We would learn Chassidus

every day until at a certain point

I became a ben bayis by him. I
felt that the thirst I had was
beginning to be slaked and that
I had finally found the truth.
R Izak told me a lot about the
Rebbe and the Besuras HaGeula.
I took it all in and became a
Chassid.
At a certain point, R
Mordechai wrote to the Rebbe
through the Igros Kodesh and
asked what he should do next.
The answer was clear, to move
to Eretz Yisroel and to learn in
Tomchei Tmimim.

DROPPING EVERYTHING
With the help of the shliach,
R Izak, Mordechai decided to
do it. In 5767, at the age of 43,
without knowing Hebrew but
looking like a Lubavitcher, he got
on a plane for Eretz Yisroel.
He went to an ulpan to learn
Hebrew in Beer Sheva. With the
money he got from the Jewish
Agency he immediately bought
tfillin and sefarim.
When I lived in the
immigrants hostel I spent most
of my time in Heichal Menachem
in Beer Sheva and learned
Torah.
Being in Eretz Yisroel was a
dream come true for him. After
consulting with R Izak, he went
from the absorption center to
Rechovot where he attended
Yeshivas Daat headed by R
Yitzchok Arad.
In Daat, I learned according
to the curriculum they gave me
which included Tanach, Halacha,
Gemara, Tanya and Chassidus. I
spent many hours a day on this
and did this for three years, aided
by Hebrew-English and EnglishTurkish dictionaries.
Now that hes back in the
business world, he says with
a smile, he sometimes speaks

30 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 30

2015-04-28 7:58:14 AM

unintelligibly to the man on the

street because he learned most
of his Hebrew from his Jewish
studies.

TURKISH TRANSLATION
In 5770, after three years of
relative calm, he received a phone
call from his mother in Turkey.
She told him the shocking news
that his older brother Shabtai was
hospitalized in critical condition
after a sudden decline in his
health.
I asked her to give my
brother the phone so I could talk
to him, but it was too late. To
my great sorrow, he died in his
fifties.
The funeral was the next
day and Mordechai took the
first flight to Turkey.
My brother was very
involved in translating Jewish
books into Turkish, so that
the
younger
generation,
who were not proficient in
Lashon HaKodesh, would
have an easier time learning
Torah. I, who knew that this
project meant the world to
him, vowed at his grave that
it would continue. My brother
was the first to translate
Thillim and the Chumash
into Turkish and I promised to
continue his work.
When he returned to Eretz
Yisroel he immediately got to
work.
Due to his intensive
studying,
he
had
already
translated parts of Tanya into
Turkish, but this time he got to
work on a translation in a serious
and systematic way with the goal
of producing a Tanya in Turkish
for beginners and bringing the
message of Tanya to those who
speak the language.
He spent four years on
the project, two years on
learning and perfecting his

understanding, and another two

years in which he sat for hours,
translating carefully, word by
word, including an explanatory
commentary in Turkish.
Its a series of volumes,
with each volume containing
hundreds of pages of translation,
on only ten chapters of Tanya.
Ive also translated other sefarim,
including sichos of the Rebbe,
maamarei
Chassidus,
and
portions of the Gemara, Mishna,
and Halacha. I feel as though
this is only the beginning.
How do you bridge the gap
between concepts in Lashon
Hakodesh that dont exist in
Turkish?

Its the biggest problem I

have to contend with. I know
Turkish very well, including the
nuances, but it has happened in
the middle of translating that I
find it hard to translate a word
from Lashon Hakodesh.
I
stop and think about it for days
until the concept falls into place
the right way. I feel the siyata
dShmaya (heavenly assistance).
What is the hardest part
in the work of translating and
explaining?
The feeling that its endless
work. Even when I finished

translating a chapter, it was never

complete. I go over it again and
again and each time I add and
correct or choose other words
and only then do I move on to
study other chapters. Then, once
again, I consult and ask others to
make sure I understood the Alter
Rebbe properly. Its never-ending
work.
I was once the guest of the
mashpia, R Zushe Alperowitz in
Kiryat Gat and we spoke about
my translation work. He said a
line which stays with me as I do
this work. Mordechai, I know
that you love the Tanya, but its
not enough to learn it, you have
to drink it in. What it says in
Tanya has to be part of our
soul and I try to approach the
work of translating only after
Ive learned a few chapters
and Im in the rarefied
atmosphere of Chassidus.
In your work, do you
explain as well as translate?
The translation itself is
a kind of explanation. I did
as the Rebbe said to do in
Lessons in Tanya. At first I
present the chapter of Tanya
as is, and then the chapter
transliterated
into
Latin
letters, and then there is a
commentary. At the end of
the chapter there are more
explanations.
Every ten chapters get
about 500 pages! I was recently
thinking how the words of Tanya
are an ever flowing wellspring
so that if I were to go over the
translation again, I would be able
to double the material.
Why did you start with
translating Tanya?
In Turkey, there are 15,000
Jews who have almost no
exposure to Chassidus. Other
sefarim were translated already
but there was no Tanya translated
into Turkish, even though it was
Issue 971

971_bm_eng.indd 31

31

2015-04-28 7:58:15 AM

Profile

SCROLL FROM HEAVEN

On one of his visits to Turkey, it was Purim and for various reasons he
had to stay in his mothers house for Purim where he did not have a kosher
Megilla. Nor did he have any idea how to get a Megilla.
Erev Purim I was frustrated and I cried as I prayed to Hashem that I need
a Megilla. Then an open miracle occurred. My uncle came to visit my
mother and we sat down to talk. During our conversation I noticed that he
was holding a big bag and I wondered what was inside.
He smiled and opened it and took out a Megilla, perfectly kosher.
This belonged to your grandfather who received it from his grandfather.
Its a beautiful Megillas Esther that has been passed down in the family. It
is over 200 years old. Since you are religious, I decided to give this to you
to preserve. Im sure you know how to preserve it better than us. I looked
at him and after a few moments of speechlessness, I jumped up in joy. It
was Purim night and I began reading the Megilla, enabling my uncle, aunt,
and mother to hear it too.

translated into many languages,

including Arabic. I finished the
first volume on 28 Sivan, the day
the Rebbe arrived in America, a
day connected with spreading
the wellsprings outward, in the
words of the Rebbe.
Tell me about feedback
youve gotten from people in
Turkey who learn what youve
translated.
The feedback is very good.
I have some wealthy friends who
really got into the project and
who help me print and market
the sefarim. The feedback from
people reached the point where
nearly every day I give shiurim
in Tanya over Skype to groups
who are learning it in Turkey. It
started when I visited Istanbul
and people wanted to learn Tanya
together and since I live in Eretz
Yisroel, I nearly turned them
down. Then someone suggested
that I give shiurim over the
Internet, and thats what we do.
It has expanded since then, not
only the learning of Tanya but
other shiurim, in Halacha too.
Do you feel or see what the
Rebbe emphasized that the

world is ready for the Geula?

In the approbation to Tanya
it is hinted that we will greet
Moshiach with it. I am sure that
this promise was brought one
step closer, at least, because now
even Turkish Jews, who do not
know Lashon Hakodesh, can
learn and connect to the power of
Tanya.
If you would have asked me
long ago about whether I could
do a project like this, I would not
have believed it possible, but the
Rebbe taught us to believe that
each of us can and must spread
Chassidus, as the Rebbe said
do all that you can. Our abilities
are definitely greater than we
think they are.

EMPTINESS CAN SPUR

GROWTH
Life is full of ups and downs.
We dont know what Hashems
plan is but we have to trust in
Him, because He, and only He,
truly knows whats good for us.
I finished translating twenty
sefarim so far; it seems like a
dream. I came to Eretz Yisroel,

R Mordechai Mizrachi
visiting the Rebbe

I learned Hebrew, I opened a

thriving business here, and I
wasnt young. Who would have
believed it?
There was a time that I had
everything, or at least I thought
so then. Sometimes, you need
to empty out in order to fill up
with something authentic.
I
never dreamed I would be where
I am today and I have no doubt
that tomorrow Ill be in an even
better place with myself and my
spiritual and material life.
***
You can find R Mordechai
in Rechovot. He is a dynamic
businessman who spends a large
part of his day learning Torah.
He has not given up in the face of
challenges that Hashem has given
him; he handles them and grows
from them.
This Turk, as he is fondly
called by the fellows in Yeshivat
Daat, is aflame with the fire of
Judaism and Torah and spreading
the wellsprings.

32 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 32

2015-04-28 7:58:16 AM

OPEN LETTER

Lubavitch United:

AN OPEN LETTER TO OUR FAMILY:

worldwide
campaign
has been launched. Not
surprisingly, there has
been an overwhelmingly
positive response thus far, with
over 2,400 Chassidim signing a
Duch to the Rebbe, committing
to
respecting
one
another
according to the Torah, the way the
Rebbe expects us to.
Particularly
now,
when
Achdus is the call of the hour and
the focal point during the days of
Sefirah, we are maximizing our
efforts to spread this message
by reaching tens of thousands of
Chassidim across the globe.
Each of Rabbi Akivas 24,000
students was qualified as a giant
in Torah and had reached the
pinnacle of perfection in serving
Hashem in his individual manner.
Every student had a profound
relationship with Hashem which

permeated his essence, his

essence, to the very fiber of his
being.
Rabbi Akiva, who exemplified
Ahavas Yisroel, had students who
practiced profound levels of his
teachings, yet were lacking in
this very area when it came to
their performance. The Rebbe
speaks about the erroneous ways
of Rabbi Akivas students no less
than 25 times, emphasizing the
magnitude of this matter. We
too desire to have the same
and devotion as Rabbi Akivas
students, but we dont want to
repeat the same mistake. Thus,
we must acknowledge that no
two have the same way of
, nor is there a need to.
In fact, is not about
being the same or alike, but
rather, it is about celebrating
our differences, in harmony, and

seeing the benefit and advantage

of serving Hashem in many ways.
Let us be and lets allow
others to be as well, albeit,
in their own way: by putting aside
our differences no matter how
enormous or how trivial.
Boruch Hashem, to date,
there has been only encouraging
and very optimistic feedback and
reactions. Among the feedback
we received, was a comment
where an individual asked
incredulously as to why anyone
would avoid signing the Duch
saying, Even one who has hard
feelings and has good reason
to feel this way, nevertheless,
he must try to overlook his
sensitivities and in spite of all the
difficulties, once again feel like
One Mishpocha.
This plea has absolutely no
gimmicks or strings attached.
In fact, you are not required to
sign your last name or provide
personal information, as signing
the Duch is simply a moment
of introspection and honesty
between you, the Rebbe and
Hashem.
Please, STOP, take a few
moments to really contemplate
this issue, THINK deeply into
the matter and ACT by signing
the Duch which encourages
each of us to rise above our
differences and commit to living
in harmony.

Issue 970

971_bm_eng.indd 33

33

2015-04-28 7:58:16 AM

TZIVOS HASHEM

MIV TZA
MATZA
By D Chaim
Hi there, its me Berel,
writing again. This time, Id
like to tell you a story that
happened with my cousin,
Yechiel, who lives in New York.
I heard the story from him on
Chol HaMoed Pesach. This is
what my cousin told me:
A few days before Pesach,
my father said to me, Yechiel,
I want to give you an important

job.
I tensed up. My father is a
shliach of the Rebbe. Among his
jobs, he looks after Jews who
are in prison in the New York
area. By the beginning of Nissan
he had sent matzos to all the
Jewish inmates. Despite having
done this already, I guessed
that the job he had in mind for
me had to do with his outreach
in prisons and I was curious
about how I could be of help.
My father looked at me with
a serious look on his face and
asked, Can I rely on you?

I think so, I said.

My father was happy with
this answer and said, I just
found out that there is a Jewish
inmate who has no matzos. I
arranged for all the necessary
paperwork and now he needs

of this prison. I have to give

him a package for one of the
inmates.
Who do you need? the
guard said mockingly. Do you
think this is a sports field? Run
home and stop bothering me.
on
going
was
What
here? Why didnt the guard
understand that I had to deliver
a package?
Uh, Im sorry but maybe
you didnt understand. I came
here especially in order to
deliver a package of food to a
Jewish inmate who wont eat
anything else.
Kiddo, I told you to scram,
said the guard in a raised voice.
I didnt know what to do.
If the Jewish inmate did not
receive his matzos, he wouldnt
have what to eat on Pesach and
he wouldnt be able to perform
the mitzva. I had no choice,
I decided. I had to stay until
I successfully got the matzos
inside. It was clear to me that I
could do nothing else and that I
could not return home with the
matzos.
need?
and
guard
prison
I remembered the cell phone
I saw a
like
would
I
me,
e
my father had given me before
said, Excus
charge
in
man
the
I left the house. If you run
to meet with

the matzos delivered to him.

You want me to bring the
matzos to him? I exclaimed.
Of course Id like to bring
matzos to a Jew in prison!
My father gave me exact
directions to the prison and I
set out. Most of the trip was by
subway. If I was able to meet
with the man in jail, I planned
on telling him the Rebbes
prophecy of hinei zeh Moshiach
ba, and that he had to be
ready to get out of prison and
welcome Moshiach.
I finally arrived. The high
walls surrounding the prison
were in front of me and I
quickened my pace. It all
seemed so simple; I had no
idea what awaited me. I was
thinking about the fate of Jews
who had to be in jail when I
concluded that all of us live in
a sort of jail. This long galus is
like a prison which closes us in
and prevents us from serving
Hashem in the most perfect
way.
Hey, kid, what do you

34 12 Iyar 5775
971_bm_eng.indd 34

2015-04-28 7:58:16 AM

8.indd

, .
,
.

call
ms,
proble
I took
said.
any
. into

me, he had

dialed
phone
and
the
out
my fathers phone number.
. he
"
rings
"? a few
. After
answered and I started to
m.

The
a proble
I have
: say,

,"
...
guard
on
silence
was
There
a
I .heard
and
line
, then
the

ed
." indicat
that
beep
short
no more
had
phone
that the
times
this

for
all
. Of

power
!
to happen
.
What should I do now?

h again
, t it throug
I though
and again. I looked around.
There
.
"
y -was
-Nobod
there.

"
ask
to
Icould
nobody
." was
borrow their cell phone. I
but
I
up
then
gave
almost
decided I had to persist.
to

reach
s had
matzo
The
destina

tion.
, their
I remained at a safe

nasty
the
e from
, distanc
guard
mind
I
.and
my
in
help
to
Rebbe
asked the
seemed
it
when

Then,
me.
I couldnt stay there any

gate
- the
, I heard
, longer

man
a tall
. and
open
creak
over
him
looked
I
came out.

from
what
, "tell
could
and
was an
wore
. he.
that
ant
'

' he
person
import

and
, him
to
over
! I went
he said, How can I help
you?
ed why I had

75 ~ 789I 'explain
come and he said, Give me
the package and Ill give it to
the inmate. In addition, the
3
guard will be censured for his
behavior.
I thanked him warmly,
for my shlichus had ended
successfully and I headed back
home.
***
Thats the story my cousin
told me. It was on 14 Iyar,

.
: ,
,"... . , ,"

:
Pesach
Sheini, the day that teaches
us that nothing goes lost and
you can always correct and
make up for things. We were
told about the mitzva of Pesach
Sheini thanks to Jews who were
impure and who insisted that
they did not want to miss out
on bringing the korban Pesach.
A similar thing happened with
my cousin who, thanks to his
persistence, succeeded in his

mission.
What I learned from the
with our
story has to do 23/05/2011
09:37:09
shlichus, the shlichus of the
soldiers in Tzivos Hashem,
to bring Moshiach. We have
absolutely
it
consider
to
unacceptable that the galus
continue. If we persist and
insist and dont give up, surely
we will succeed in bringing
Moshiach!

Issue 970
971_bm_eng.indd 5

35

2015-04-28 7:58:05 AM