CONTENTS

4
FEATURED ARTICLES

WEEKLY COLUMNS

3 Dvar Malchus
20 Obituary
32 Parsha Thought
35 Tzivos Hashem

UNDERCOVER MISSION
IN SOVIET RUSSIA
R Yaron Tzvi

THE BEIS
12 BRINGING
HAMIKDASH TO THE
PEOPLE

Shneur Zalman Levin

12

THIRTY YEARS OF
20 OVER
DEVOTED SHLICHUS
Moshiach Freedman

TANYA
26 TEACHING
BASED THERAPY
Nosson Avrohom

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
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ENGLISH EDITOR:
Boruch Merkur
editor@beismoshiach.org

2016-08-23 7:52:50 AM

DVAR MALCHUS

770 LIFTS UP
THE LAND
OF THE 70
NATIONS
Uplifting the world in this way is in
virtue of Beis Rabbeinu, located in the
Lower Hemisphere. Beis Rabbeinu is
the place from which light shines forth
to the rest of the world. * From Chapter
Nine of Rabbi Shloma Majeskis Likkutei
Mekoros (Underlined text is the compilers
emphasis.)
Translated by Boruch Merkur

6. [] In this generation, the

final generation of exile and the
first generation or redemption, we
are finishing and completing our
deeds and our service throughout
the entire duration of exile to
transform Eretz HaAmim, the
land of the Gentile nations of
the world even the lowest
possible place of the Diaspora,
the Lower Hemisphere (where
Mattan Torah did not take place)
into Eretz Yisroel. By elevating
the very lowest region, all other
places of the Diaspora ascend.
Uplifting the world in this way
is in virtue of Beis Rabbeinu,
located in the Lower Hemisphere.
Beis Rabbeinu is the place from
which light shines forth to the
rest of the world. Thus, the

entire world (even the most

remote corner) is transformed
into Eretz Yisroel, in fulfillment
of In the future, Eretz Yisroel
will extend to all the lands and
In the future, Yerushalayim will
extend to all of Eretz Yisroel.
All the synagogues and study
halls of the entire world will
adjoin to the Beis HaMikdash,
the Holy Temple, with the
true and complete redemption
through Moshiach Tzidkeinu.
The Moshiach (redeemer of the
Jewish people) of our generation
is the leader of the generation
(as above, Section 5). The main
thing, however, is that he is
the leader of the teachings of
Chassidus,* for the dissemination
of the wellsprings of Chassidus

outward (when your wellsprings

are spread outward, reaching
even the furthest possible
distance, spanning the entire face
of the earth) brings about the
advent of Malka Meshicha.
The latter discussion brings
to light the great virtue of Beis
Rabbeinu, the Mikdash Mat
haikari the main Miniature
Sanctuary, of the final exile,
for it journeyed from Kadeish
and settled there. Thus, It is
the place of the future Mikdash
itself; the Mikdash of the
future will be revealed there,
and from there it shall return to
Yerushalayim (as discussed above
in Section 4).
7. This concept is also
alluded to in the name of Beis
Rabbeinu in our generation:
Rabbeinu: Both the first
and second names of the Rebbe
allude to the redemption. His
first name, Yosef, is in the spirit
of the verse, It shall be on that
day that the L-rd will add (yosif)
[the effect of] His hand, a second
time to acquire the rest of His
people, who will remain from
Assyria and from Egyptand
from the islands of the seaand
He shall gather (vasaf) the lost
Continued on page 11
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FEATURE

UNDERCOVER
MISSION IN
SOVIET RUSSIA
On Rosh HaShana, the Rebbe called for the
Chassidim who left Russia that year to come up
to the bima and be near him during the blowing
of the shofar. Chassidim sensed that at this
time, the Rebbe was thinking about the Jews of
Russia who were in distress, and was working,
spiritually, on their behalf. * 51 years have passed
since the Rebbe sent Rabbi Binyamin Katz on a
secret mission to the Soviet Union. * He was only
25, but with ingenuity, cleverness and stealth, he
was able to outwit the KGB agents who dogged
his steps. * In a fascinating conversation with
Beis Moshiach, R Binyamin reveals never before
disclosed details of his breathtaking mission.
R Yaron Tzvi

he conversation with R
Binyamin was fascinating.
He refers to details as
though they happened
yesterday. He has an excellent
memory and maybe this is one of

the reasons he was chosen by the

Rebbe for this secret mission. He
told us from the outset that since
nearly all details of his mission have
been publicized and documented,
he wants to reveal never before

disclosed aspects related to the

events that transpired on his
mission, along with key people who
helped him, some of them known,
and some of them we are hearing
about for the first time.

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WHY ISNT LCHAIM BEING

SAID FOR THE JEWS OF
RUSSIA?
The story of R Binyamins
shlichus begins in 5724/1964. R
Binyamin, who was learning in
Tomchei Tmimim in Montreal,
had no idea what lay in store for
him. Back then, R Chaim Meir
Chaikin was the rosh yeshiva
and he had a good relationship
with Binyamin. He even chose
him to be in charge of the Otzar
HaSfarim.
Now and then, the bachurim
would travel to Beis Chayeinu to
attend the Rebbes farbrengen.
That year, R Binyamin was
present at the farbrengen on
Shavuos when the shlichus began.
During the farbrengen, the Rebbe
spoke very sadly, People are
sitting here and nobody picks up
his cup and says lchaim for the
Jews behind the Iron Curtain...
The Rebbe spoke about the
Jews of Russia who were living
under the rule of Khrushchev and
asked the Chassidim to say lchaim
for those remaining in Russia.
R Binyamin: I sat behind
the Chassid, R Itze Chorgin, and
heard how he said lchaim to the
Rebbe for the Jews of Russia.
After what the Rebbe said, I saw
him go over to the Rebbe and
say, Rebbe! I said lchaim for
the Jews in Russia The Rebbe
responded, Indeed, you said
lchaim, but it was done quietly.
You need to shout in a loud voice
so that it reaches straight to the
heavenly throne. I wanted a loud
lchaim that would rent all the
heavens and split the skies. After
a farbrengen like that, it was clear
to us that something needed to be
done. The Rebbe spoke about the
need to help the Jews of Russia
and we could not ignore the fact
that we had to do something, but
what?

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Feature

The Rebbe at a farbrengen around that time

The Rebbe responded, Indeed, you said lchaim,

but it was done quietly. You need to shout in a
loud voice so that it reaches straight to the heavenly
throne. I wanted a loud lchaim that would rent all the
heavens and split the skies.
YOU ARE THE MAN THE
REBBE IS LOOKING FOR
Following
the
Rebbes
horaa, every year, on Isru
Chag Shavuos, there is a Kinus
Torah, when participants listen
to pilpulim and chiddushim in
Nigleh and Chassidus.
Rabbi
David
Hollander,
member
of
the
Agudas
HaRabbanim of the United
States, had just returned from
Scandinavia. He used the kinus
that took place in 770 to urge
the audience to help Jews behind
the Iron Curtain. He told about
the appointment of Rabbi Ezriel
Chaikin (who was previously a
shliach in Morocco) to a new
shlichus, as rav of the community
in Denmark, in an area where
Jews had suffered German

oppression. Some of them

had been saved and had been
transferred to neutral Sweden.
R Chaikin had dealt with many
difficulties in his place of shlichus
until he was finally accepted
by the Jewish community in
Denmark.
In
conclusion,
Rabbi
Hollander said that a shliach was
needed to go to Denmark to help
R Chaikin.
There were three candidates,
among whom R Binyamin Katz
stood out. The Rebbe encouraged
him in a yechidus which he had
before his 25th birthday.
R Binyamin: A few minutes
before I entered the Rebbes
room, R Bentzion Shafran came
over to me and said, I think
you are the person the Rebbe is
looking for! You are not married,

you have an outstanding memory,

you can get by on minimal food,
and you can learn alone, without
a chavrusa. Now that you are
first going in for yechidus with
the Rebbe about the possibility
of going to Scandinaviathat is
near Russia, and he spread out
a map of Europe and pointed
at some places, Copenhagen is
close to Leningrad, five hours by
train from Finland and you are
in Leningrad. Binyamin, this is
a golden opportunity to help the
Jews of Russia.
Fine, I said, I will bring it
up with the Rebbe, and I entered
the Rebbes room with awe.
I dont intend on describing
everything that occurred from the
moment I crossed the threshold,
because I cannot In any case,
after the Rebbe said that he
approved the suggestion about
my going to Denmark, I dared to
say, My friend Bentzion Shafran
told me that Finland [Denmark]
is close to Russia and that it
would be possible for me to go to
Russia and tell Jews that someone
is thinking of them, that there
is someone who says, and it is
not simply talk, that soon they
will leave Russia. I will also try
to retrieve some of the Rebbes
fathers sfarim.
You will do this all yourself?
asked the Rebbe with a smile.
No, Hashem will help, I
said. And I am ready to accept
the Rebbes instructions and
advice.
There was silence and then
the Rebbe said, You are going
to Scandinavia and you need to
think solely about Scandinavia.
Write me a report about your
activities in Scandinavia and as
far as Russia, nobody knows that
everything is changing there now.
When you finish in Scandinavia,
we will speak about Russia. In
any case, you are in America

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now, so I will ask you to go to

R Chadakov after this yechidus
to tell him about your shlichus
and he will provide you with
everything you need.
From this I understood that
my focus now was Scandinavia
and that the time wasnt right
for Russia, but that could change
during my stay in Scandinavia.

there in disguise!
After discussing it with R
Chaikin, it was decided that I
would go to Russia in the guise
of an American tourist, as he put
it, there has to be some truth in
every lie.
Before leaving for Russia,
Mrs. Chaikin taught me ninety
important words in Russian so I
would be able to make do when
necessary.

LEADING A COMMUNITY OF
800 PEOPLE
I had various concerns
about the shlichus in Denmark.
The one who strengthened my
resolve was Rabbi Nissan Mangel
who told me not to allow anyone
to deter me from this shlichus.
He gave me the courage to
go. Before I left, my friend,
R Avrohom Osdoba (now a
member of the Badatz of Crown
Heights) advised me to take
along sfarim so I could learn. He
advised me to learn the Gemara
by heart. He told me that the king
of Scandinavia has a big library
and he advised me to go there
and meet his friend, someone
named Edelman, who would give
me sfarim. This turned out to be
a big help in my shlichus.
R
Binyamin
left
for
Copenhagen where he stayed for
four months. With the guidance
of R Chaikin, he endeared
himself to the local Jews which
made it easier for him to carry
out his shlichus.
R Chaikin provided me with
local currency and appropriate
clothing. He taught me the
names of the local food and what
to eat. He explained to me about
key people in the community and
how to interact with them, and
mainly what to watch out for. I
eventually learned the language.
As Tishrei approached, R
Chaikin asked R Binyamin to
stay until after yom tov, because

PREPARATIONS FOR A
DANGEROUS MISSION

there were two communities

that did not yet have a chazan,
someone to read from the Torah
and blow the shofar on Rosh
HaShana.
I was frightened by this
challenge, of leading 800 people
on yom tov. Like every Chassid,
I wanted to be with the Rebbe for
yom tov, so I refused. We argued
about it and I finally remembered
what the Rebbe said, that I need
to listen to whatever R Chaikin
tells me since he has experience.
So I decided to stay and rise to
the challenge of leading such
a large congregation on yom
tov. R Chaikin also showed me
that he had my passport, which
meant I didnt really have a
choice, because I couldnt leave
Denmark without my passport.
Rebbetzin
Chana,
the
Rebbes mother, passed away on
6 Tishrei and I heard the news
in Copenhagen. I sent the Rebbe
a telegram of consolation and
also asked, When I finish my
shlichus, should I return to New
York? Go to Eretz Yisroel to
visit my father who lives in Bnei
Brak? Or has the time come to
go to Russia? I soon received an
answer that I should prepare to
go to Russia and that I should go

The one who helped R Katz

prepare for his trip to Russia
was someone he met after yom
tov who guided him in how to
conduct himself there. If not
for what he told me, it is possible
that I would not have gotten out
of there alive!
This was Dr. Wilhelm
Brickman,
an
academician
who was fluent in the Russian
language and culture and who
knew how to exercise the proper
care in Russia of those days. I
met him in Copenhagen and
he asked me what I was doing
there. I explained that I was on
shlichus for the Rebbe. When
I told him that I might go to
Russia too, he gave me a lot of
information about how to behave
without showing signs of fear. He
explained about the flight and the
hotel and places I needed to visit.
He told me that on the flight,
Russian security people would
intimidate the passengers. They
would take passports and read
the names of people in order to
scare them, but I should display
no signs of fear.
He also told me that at the
hotel there were women whose
job it was to clean the rooms of
tourists and be receptionists,
but their real job was to spy on
guests. They looked in the trash

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Feature

MEETING THE BROTHER OF

R Binyamin Katz relates:
I knew that throughout my visit,
KGB spies, as well as informers at
the shul, were constantly following
me. I made it my business to
broadcast that I was a tourist who
meant no harm, who took more of an
interest in food than in gasoline and
weapons.
I spent many hours a day in the
big shul in Moscow where I knew I
could be in touch with numerous
Jews. The authorities guessed that
it wasnt happenstance that I chose
to sit every day in shul for hours
rather than go touring. They tried
dogging my footsteps and figuring
out what my real purpose was. At the
same time, no doubt they reassured
themselves by saying, what can he do
there already, under a tallis?
Id like to mention the help of the
baal koreh who was a great source of
encouragement and help to me. He
explained how to deal with certain
people, including KGB spies in the
shul, and who it was worth forging
bonds of trust with for the purposes
of my shlichus.
I did not have only the KGB
agents to contend with. The people
who davened in the shul were afraid
to stand next to me, thinking I could
be a KGB spy. It was only after a long
time that everyone began to feel they
could trust me. When I entered the
shul every morning, the government
appointed gabbaim would swoop
down on me, take my tallis and
tfillin, and lead me to my place which
was far away from anyone else. They
noticed every move I made and in
general, all the Jews who davened in
the shul, most of whom were in their
sixties and seventies, followed every
move I made.
Throughout the day, people
wrote their names on small pieces of
paper and surreptitiously put them in
my siddur. After I studied the names
and memorized them, I discarded

the papers to prevent informers from

getting any information. Over a
period of three weeks, I memorized
over a hundred family names.
One image, that of the secretary of
the big shul, R Mordechai Chanzin,
was particularly memorable. His first
name may not convey anything to
you but his last name told me a lot.
I got to know his brother R Dovid
ah in New York and wanted to talk
to Mordechai, but was afraid to go
against the rule instilled in me back
in New York, not to interact with any
government people. Since he was the
official secretary of the shul, I knew I
could not talk to him.
Then, Erev Shavuos, I was
sitting on my bench alone when he
suddenly came and sat down beside
me. He opened a Gemara and began
learning what it says there about
Dovid HaMelech, The spirit of the
Angel of Death hovered over Dovids
bed and Dovid, who knew this,
learned nonstop in order to get rid
of that terrible spirit that wanted to
annihilate him. Mordechai Chanzin
stopped learning and looked at me.
Then he continued learning, Then,
that Erev Shavuos, when Dovid
HaMelech stopped learning, he
returned his soul to his Creator.
Having learned this story in the
Gemara a few times, I nodded while
trying to figure out what this man
was about. He suddenly turned to me
and said emotionally, You know, my
brother who lives in Eretz Yisroel is
also named Dovid. He did not wait
for me to respond but immediately
said, Tell my brother that I urgently
need a visa.
Thats when I realized that he
was one of us. I went on to have a
conversation with him through hints.
I briefly told him about his brother
and he listened open-mouthed. After
this conversation the psychological
barrier between us was broken.

cans, examined the contents

of suitcases, and even checked
the bed sheets in the morning.
If they were wrinkled, that
indicated that the person was
nervous and did not sleep well,
which would be a red flag for
them. Because of this, I would
sleep at night without a sheet,
and in the morning I would
put it back on so it would be
smooth.
He also advised me to
drink only tea, and eat only
bread, fruits and vegetables in
the hotel, nothing else. He told
me not to talk to anyone, even
with Chabad Chassidim; only
with hints.
R Binyamin took sfarim
from the king of Scandinavias
library (I took Shut Yerushas
HaPleita, Talmud Bavli, and
Tanya) and throughout his
shlichus in Denmark he learned
material by heart, which
gave me a lot of strength
and bitachon when I visited
dangerous places in Russia.
When I questioned R
Binyamin Katz about this, he
said In one instance, there
were policemen who did not like
my having these sfarim. They
wanted to take the sfarim from
me, so I told them I wanted
their badge number since I
was going to complain about
them for taking something
that belonged to the king of
Scandinavia. That scared them
off.
In general, whenever I
went through the hotel lobby, a
group of armed soldiers stood
there, examining every move
of the tourists for anything
suspicious. One would naturally
be nervous when walking past
them. When I passed them, I
would review pages of Gemara
that I learned by heart, literally
picturing the pages, and so I

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did not display any signs of fear. I

dont know whether this was the
behavior they expected to see, but
they never stopped me.

THE AMERICAN TOURIST

R Binyamins pretending to
be an American tourist included
putting on weight so as not to
appear like a skinny yeshiva
bachur. It also involved taking a
camera everywhere.
While in Moscow, he spent
most of the day at the central
shul. He hoped to meet as many
Jews as possible, bolster their
spirits, and collect information
for the Rebbe. It was not a small
matter, since the shul had state
appointed gabbaim who spied
on everyone entering the shul,
including R Binyamin.
Despite
the
communist
oppression, the Rebbes long
reach was apparent. Over the
years, emissaries of the Rebbe
brought tfillin, siddurim, esrogim
and menorahs.
The Jews in the shul
suspected I might be a KGB
plant. Of course, I could not
openly tell them that I was on
the Rebbes shlichus, because it
wasnt clear who was ours and
who was a KGB plant reporting to
the authorities. Sadly, there were
Jews like that, so the suspicions
were mutual. Nevertheless, there
were Jews who checked me out
and when they felt secure, they
contacted me with hints, wanting
to know about me. For example,
R Yaakov Elishevitz, the head
shochet at the shul in Moscow,
would meet me every day. Then
one day, he took out his shchita
knife in front of everyone and
said he wanted me to teach him
how they slaughter animals and
chickens in America. Then he
took me to a private, side room
that was designated for shchita
where he revealed the real reason

The shul in Moscow

he had done that, knowing that
I did not know shchita. I want
to leave Russia, he whispered.
I want you to tell me how to
get a visa to America. Tell me
everything you know.
I traveled around Russia
despite the dangers lurking
everywhere, for the purpose
of collecting information and
reporting to the Rebbe what
was happening with Anash
in particular, and the general
state of the Jews and Judaism
throughout Russia. I could not
write down anything, because if
my notes would be confiscated,
the future of those Jews would
be bitter, and maybe for me too,
because then it would be obvious
that I was not an innocent
tourist. I had to memorize all the
information.
At the shul in Moscow they
would surreptitiously put notes
with names into my siddur. I
would study the names and then
flush the papers down the toilet. I
memorized the names of about a
hundred heads of families. Many
people came to me so I would
mention their name to the Rebbe
for a bracha. Many asked me

for help with a visa to get out. I

would memorize all the requests,
the names and dates of birth.
When I had a chance, I did not
only take messages from them
but also conveyed the message
that someone was thinking about
them and was working for them
to get out and move to Eretz
Yisroel. Their faces lit up at
hearing that.
In Russia of those days,
espionage, or even the suspicion
of espionage, was a crime
punishable by death, but the
Rebbe wanted information about
the Jews of Russia and I had
to obtain it. I saw how divine
providence directed me and how
things that I needed to know to
be able to convey to the Rebbe,
came to me, but I was really
frightened the entire time.
There was a tremendous
interest in the Rebbe and a desire
to know what was happening and
what was said in 770.
One day, the Chassid,
R Nosson Kanelsky, a local
Lubavitcher, came over to me.
While making believe he was
davening, he managed to whisper
to me that that night there would
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Feature

TERRIFYING ENCOUNTER
R Binyamin Katz relates:
My visit to Moscow, despite the many challenges, went by
reasonably well until one day when something happened. It was
when I was sitting on a bench in the big shul to rest a bit. Suddenly,
a tough looking guy appeared and with an evil look in his eyes he
motioned for me to go over to him.
With a rapidly beating heart I got up and began following him.
We passed darkened corridors until we reached a locked door. The
man opened the door and motioned for me to enter the room.
The room was dark and empty and only a weak light came
through a narrow window. I stood facing him. He came closer and
looked at me and I could smell the vodka on him. I did not know
what to think.
After a few moments which seemed like an eternity, he shouted,
Do you know who I am?
I saw you a few times, I stated, without fear, but I dont
know who you are.
I am Efraim Kaploun, president of the shul! Shalom aleichem,
he said with a vicious smile as he raised his clenched fist near me.
When he saw that I wasnt frightened, he banged forcefully on
the table and said, I will yet show you what this is! Let it be clear,
you are leaving this shul right now!
Why? I asked.
There is no reason for you to be here, he said.
But Im just a tourist, I said.
A tourist? A tourist? Dont try telling me that. I know precisely
who you are.
He tried intimidating me and throwing me off balance. I knew
that I had to prove myself.
Who am I? I asked in as calm a tone I could muster, knowing
that Kaploun did not know the truth.
It makes no difference. A person like you does not have the
right to be in my shul. You come early every day and leave late at
night.
Mr. Kaploun, I said, trying my luck by being polite, that is
because of the magnificence of the shul. I love beautiful shuls and I
have never seen such a nice shul as yours.
I finished my little speech as Kaploun pushed me forcefully
against the wall, like I was a doll.
If I catch you here tomorrow I will break your head, he
threatened.
I unhesitatingly replied, If someone tries to break my head, I
will break his head first.
I knew that nothing bad would happen to me in Moscow, like
any American who was protected by the government. I knew how
things were done and that I had to be tough.
That encounter ended well. I continued to frequent the shul for
hours every day and he continued his efforts to intimidate me and
even threatened to report me to the communist government.

be an official, government celebration

at the shul. And since every Lubavitcher
wanted to connect to the Rebbe, and they
knew that the Rebbe taught new niggunim
in recent years, and since they would not
have an opportunity to sit with me and
learn the niggunim, I should come that
night and say that I was a chazan from the
US and sing all kinds of songs, familiar
and unfamiliar, and I should include
niggunim from the Rebbe. All Anash, he
told me, would come that night to the
official celebration. In order to indicate
which niggunim were from the Rebbe, I
should preface the Rebbes niggunim with:
This is a song from malchus beis Dovid,
and Anash would get the hint.
That is what I did. I sang all sorts of
songs and included three niggunim from
the Rebbe, Eimasai Kasi Mar, Hoshia es
Amecha the way the Rebbe changed it, to
vracheim al nachalosecha, and Tzama
Lecha Nafshi.
After the celebration was over, R
Nosson Kanelsky stopped near me and
whispered, Many of Anash are outside
and want to see you. Before R Mendel
left here, he farbrenged and made many
baalei tshuva, including many that you
see here. We want more farbrengens, at
least a farbrengen with our eyes, i.e., that
you, the Rebbes shliach, will look at each
one of us and we will suffice with that.
And another thing, Moshe Sarahs, that is
Moshe Katzenelenbogen, left prison today.
Tell the Rebbe.
I went outside and saw many of Anash
standing there and waiting for me. It was
some official government holiday so they
could allow themselves to be out and about.
A policeman came over and my heart
began to pound wildly. R Yaakov Elishevitz
noticed and whispered to me, You should
know that if you run away, we are all lost
and you will be first. Whatever you do,
dont run. We have to start talking nonsense
and laughing like chickens and you laugh
like the biggest chicken of all. And thats
what we did. They started talking Russian
among themselves (and since they spoke
quickly, I did not understand a word) and
they laughed a lot and I joined in. Then
the policeman turned aside and suddenly,

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everyone scattered.
When I was in Rostov, I held
a farbrengen in an inner room
of the shul with a few Chassidim
who took in every word I said in
describing Beis Chayeinu, about
the last maamarim that the Rebbe
said, etc.
When I was in Tashkent, I
met a few Chassidim, including
R Zalman Leib Estulin. They
asked me to sing the niggunim
the Rebbe taught on Simchas
Torah. I sang, Eimasai Kasi
Mar and Hoshia es Amecha.
The chazan, R Levi Pressman,
was there and he quickly caught
on to the niggunim and he taught
them to the others.

Continued from pg. 3

of Israel, and the scattered ones
of Yehuda He shall gather from
the four corners of the earth
(Yeshayahu
11:11-12).
His
second name, Yitzchok, alludes
to laughter and joy, which will
achieve its quintessence in the
true and compete redemption
by Moshiach Tzidkeinu, as it
is written, then our mouths
will be filled with laughter
specifically then, referring to
the Future Era,** when we will
say (specifically) to Yitzchok for
you are our father.
And Beis (Rabbeinu): The
building address is 770***
[Eastern Parkway]. The name of
Beis Rabbeinu, of course, comes
from this number, for all Jews call
Beis Rabbeinu 770. 770 is the
gematria of paratza you have
burst forth, in the spirit of the
verse, And you shall burst forth
westward, eastward, northward,

SENSITIVE MATERIAL THAT

SAVED FAMILIES
I will never forget what I
experienced there. I have no
doubt that if not for the support
of friends who came to my aid
at the beginning, R Mangel and
R Osdoba, and if not for all the
help that Hashem sent me, I
would not have been successful.
I knew that the Rebbe was with
me and despite my fear, it would
be okay.
R Binyamins shlichus led to
many blessed results. Not only
did he convey much information
to the Rebbe about Chassidim,
and encourage the Chassidim in
Russia and give them hope, he
also helped convey the names of
Chassidim in Russia to the right

and southward. This verse

alludes to the fact that light shines
forth from this building to all
four directions of the world, and
in a manner of bursting forth
through boundaries, elevating all
corners of the globe to the status
of Eretz Yisroel (In the future
Eretz Yisroel will extend to all the
lands).
This particularly includes
the fact that all synagogues and
all study halls throughout the
entire world become established
in Eretz Yisroel and adjoined to
the Beis HaMikdash, with the
true and complete redemption
through Moshiach Tzidkeinu.
Regarding Moshiach it is said,
paratza alecha Perez, and our
Sages interpret that this refers
to Moshiach, as it is said, the
poretz will rise before you.
(From Kuntres Beis Rabbeinu
ShBBavel, Seifer HaSichos 5752,
pg. 472-473)

people who sent them visas to

Eretz Yisroel. Many people were
able to make aliya, thanks to him.
At
the
end
of
our
conversation, I asked him to
look back and tell us about his
shlichus from the perspective of
today. He thought and then said,
It was an interesting adventure
for a young bachur like me,
interesting and frightening. But
when the Rebbe says something,
when he gives a horaa, we need
to do it immediately. I am very
happy that I agreed to go there.
Its the kind of shlichus that if I
were given a million dollars, I
dont know whether I would do it
again, but once I did it, I would
not sell the merit of that shlichus
for the Rebbe for any amount of
money.

NOTES:
*To note that the teachings of
Chassidus corresponds to the level
of the Yechida of Torah (see On
the Essence of Chassidus), which is
connected with the yechida of the
Jewish people, the soul of Moshiach
Tzidkeinu (as above in Footnote 53)
**Which is not the case in the time of
exile, for it is prohibited for a man
to fill his mouth with laughter in this
world, as it is said, then our mouths
will be filled with laughter (Brachos
31a).
***To note the practice of great
Jewish scholars to teach allusions and
lessons in the service of G-d even
from mundane matters, and the like
(such as the number of a car in a
train, which is [seemingly] arbitrary,
how much more so is the number
of a permanent structure something
that carries significance), especially
in our case, where the number
became the name of the building, as
discussed inside the text proper.

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FEATURE

BRINGING THE
BEIS HAMIKDASH
TO THE PEOPLE
One of the most popular speakers on the topic
of the Beis HaMikdash is R Mordechai Persoff,
director of the Midrasha LYeda HaMikdash, or as
it is known in English, the Mikdash Educational
Center. * For twenty-five years he has been
making all aspects of the Mikdash accessible to
the public. He has many stories that show the
deep connection we have to the Mikdash, and
that includes those who are not yet religious. *
For the month of Av and all year round.
By Shneur Zalman Levin

he Three Weeks and the

month of Av in general are
a time when our yearning
for the Beis HaMikdash
goes up a notch for all segments
of the Jewish people; religious,
Chassidic, Zionists, and not yet
religious. Lectures on the subject
are given all over Eretz Yisroel and
the world.
True, there is great ignorance,
but all those involved agree that
a drastic improvement has taken
place in the publics interest in
the Mikdash.
There are many people who

teach about the Mikdash. One

of the most popular and wellknown is R Mordechai Persoff,
head of the Midrasha LYeda
HaMikdash. I went to speak to
him thanks to a referral from R
Menachem Makover, director
of the Temple Institute who
collaborates with the Midrasha,
and who, himself, has been
involved in Mikdash related
matters for decades.
It was hard to find a time to
talk to R Mordechai since he
is so very busy giving lectures
and workshops. A glance at

his itinerary shows that he is

giving talks all over the country:
Yerushalayim, Elad, Moshav
Tzerafya,
Ekron,
Moshav
Netta in the south, Bnei Adam,
Talmud Torah Neria, Karmiel,
Neve Shaanan in Haifa, and the
yishuv Rechalim. The day we
spoke he was in Petach Tikva
and Tel Aviv. The day before he
was in Eli and Mazkeret Batya.
Next week, he will be running a
big event in a hesder yeshiva in
Ramat Gan and will be a guest
of a Chabad House in the Kiryat
Shalom neighborhood in Tel
Aviv. The day after that he will

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be in Kfar Yaavetz, at the Meoras

HaMachpeila and Ramat Beit
Shemesh.
Between lectures, between
trips, we sat down to talk and to
hear how it all began.
The
Midrasha
LYeda
HaMikdash has been running for
twenty-five years. Our goal is as
the name suggests, to disseminate
information about the Mikdash.
We want every Jew in Eretz
Yisroel (and in the past four
years weve expanded to other
countries too) to know more
about the Beis HaMikdash. Our

goal is to give over information,

to teach about the Mikdash, its
structure, and the avoda that was
done there.
To R Mordechai there is a
goal beyond that:
When a person knows about
the Beis HaMikdash, when he
davens for the Beis HaMikdash to
be rebuilt speedily in our days, he
knows what he is asking for. The
knowledge that he has, leads to
the yearning and in that merit, it
will be rebuilt. It is not enough to
ask and daven. We need to know
what we are praying for and why

this is important to us. These are

the goals of our Midrasha.
Why would a Jew today
yearn for the Beis HaMikdash?
People are having a hard time
dealing with their daily lives!
It says that when the
Mikdash was destroyed, people
no longer ate meat or drank wine
because the meat reminded them
of the sacrifices in the Mikdash
and the wine reminded them of
the wine libations in the Mikdash.
After the churban, people asked,
How can we live without the
Beis HaMikdash? What kind of

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Feature
life is it without this holy place?
We are so distant from the
Beis HaMikdash that we dont
even relate to the question. There
is a vort on the words, because of
our sins we were exiled from our
land and were made distant
because we were exiled from
our land, we became so distant
from the vision and aspiration of
the Beis HaMikdash.
Now for an answer to your
question. Todays reality is one
of lack. We do not have the
place where we can feel G-ds
closeness. Hashem wants a Beis
HaMikdash for the purpose of
and I will dwell among them.
He wants to be with us. We, every
Jew, wants to feel Hashem within
us. This is why we aspire to the
Beis HaMikdash.
We need to teach about the
Beis HaMikdash so that people
can appreciate the significance of
this place. And when we do that,
we will understand and feel that
the Beis HaMikdash is not just a
holy building in our history that
was destroyed but something we
are missing today.

THE HUGE MODEL

OF THE MIKDASH
The people who work for the
Midrasha are busy year-round,
but they are extra busy this time
of the year. They travel from
place to place and present a
variety of fascinating activities for
all ages through a lecture, handson activity, a game or workshop.
R Mordechai notes that they
are big believers in getting people
involved in the learning and not
just providing a lecture.
We use a lot of props. We
have a huge model of the Beis
HaMikdash, four meters big, that
travels with us. Wherever we go,
we assemble it with help from
the audience. This way, they feel

that they took part in building the

Beis HaMikdash.
One of the messages we
convey is about the unity that
the Beis HaMikdash engendered.
When they build the model, each
of them sees how important
the part they contribute is for
completing it. This is true for
children and adults.
In addition to the model of
the Mikdash, the people from
the Midrasha also have actualsize vessels of the Mikdash, like
the Menorah (which includes
a model with diagonal arms),
the Aron, Shulchan, priestly
garments and more. All are true
to life sized, which makes it all
the more real. Our goal is to
make it as real as possible.
When R Mordechai speaks,
his face lights up.
Picture
someone
going
to the Beis HaMikdash. He is
astounded by the magnificence.
He smells the incense. He hears
the singing of the Levites. All
his senses work overtime and
connect him deeply to the holy
site.
To the extent possible, we
want to get a person who learns
about the Beis HaMikdash to
experience it. This is why we
dont only teach and explain but
use many visual aids.
When
we
conduct
workshops, the children try
out the instruments of the
Levites. One portion of our
lectures is brought to life by
3D models, which allow us to
conduct a virtual tour of the
Beis HaMikdash. They see
vessels which are the real size
and it makes an impact on all
audiences across the board, from
preschoolers to adults.
We just finished a big project
in the yishuvim of the Galil. We
went to about thirty yishuvim, to
people who are not yet religious,

and in each place we found some

point they could relate to in order
to attract them to the idea and
ideology of the Beis HaMikdash.
How does the irreligious
public react to a subject that is
so foreign to them?
We start by talking about
Yerushalayim. Yerushalayim is a
city that they acknowledge is the
heart of the nation. We talk about
the glorious past of the Jewish
people in Yerushalayim, starting
from the Creation of the world, to
the Akeida, Yaakovs dream, and
of course, the Battei Mikdash.
When a person understands that
the Jewish people lived for a
period of 1500 years with Battei
Mikdash (or the Mishkan) it
helps them relate, at least on a
general level. They realize that it
wasnt just some buildings that
were destroyed but a central part
of Jewish life.
That is how we address and
get them to connect to the past.
The same thing applies to the
future and our yearning for it to
be rebuilt. When people see the
rich array of topics connected
with the Beis HaMikdash, that
it is not just about bringing
sacrifices, they become aware
of the magnificence and the
tremendous impression the place
had on people. When they hear
about the idea of achdus, how the
Beis HaMikdash related to the
nation and to the individual (like
the bad smelling galbanum spice
that was included in the incense
which represents the evildoer
who is also part of the Jewish
nation), it helps them relate.

THE BEIS HAMIKDASH

AROUSES THE DEEPEST
LEVELS OF THE SOUL
I see how alive the subject
is for you. How do you inspire
people nowadays to yearn

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for a place so spiritually and

historically distant?
Its not easy, as it really is
hard to yearn for a place youve
never been to, even though I
honestly think that its a little
easier in our generation than it
was previously.
Before I respond to your
question, let me say that even
during the time when they
wanted to build the second
Beis HaMikdash, the leaders
of Yehuda and Yerushalayim
stopped the construction saying,
we are few, and we are not
deserving, and its not the time
to build now. But Hashem sent
them Chagai the prophet to
urge them to build, which had
the desired effect, and two years
later the Beis HaMikdash was
standing. From this we see that
there were always those who felt
that we were not worthy and
maybe its not the right time.
The
Lubavitcher
Rebbe
urges us to study about the Beis
HaMikdash based on the Midrash
that the prophet Yechezkel said to
Hashem, why should the Jewish
people be engaged in the study
of the building of the Mikdash

during exile, and Hashem

rejected that line of reasoning
and said, Because My house was
destroyed, should My children
not be involved in building it?
On the contrary, if you are
involved in learning about the
Beis HaMikdash, I consider it as
though you built it.
Today it is easier to raise
peoples
awareness
about
building the Beis HaMikdash.
The Jewish people know and feel
that we are the generation of the
Geula. Furthermore, the moment
you are involved in learning
about the Beis HaMikdash, you
think about it and talk about it.
All these, thought, speech and
action, create a real and tangible
feeling that brings a person to
experience the Beis HaMikdash
and yearn for it.
As someone who has been
traveling around the country for
twenty years lecturing about the
Mikdash, I can say that people are
very interested in this topic. Its
really extraordinary. People today
know much more about the Beis
HaMikdash than Torah scholars
in the previous generation.
Second graders can describe the

avodos in the Mikdash as well

as the structure of the building.
I have been in preschools where
they know about the Nikanor
Gate, the Chulda Gate, the
Lishkas HaShemanim and more,
places that previously only the
greatest scholars were familiar
with.
You see this also in the
broader public, including those
who are not yet religious. There
is a tremendous awakening. I
know about big groups who are
interested in the Beis HaMikdash,
in the engineering of it. Although
we cannot fully picture how and
when it will be, as the Rambam
says, boruch Hashem, there is a
great desire for knowledge.
Can you tell us of an incident
in which you were surprised
by the publics interest in the
Mikdash?
R Mordechai did not have to
think much to answer this.
One of my favorite talks is
about the mystery of the missing
vessels of the Mikdash. Where
are they? Often, after these talks,
children come over and want
to get involved in the search,
because its important to them.

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Feature

The Hakhel presentation in the central shul of the Chabad

community in Tzfas

Just last week I was at a

workshop with children. The
adult supervising them was the
gym teacher who also sat and
listened. At the end, the teacher
said, It frustrates me that the
fourth graders know more about
this stuff than I do.
In general, at any school or
preschool that I go to, when the
parents come at the end of the
school day to pick up their kids,
they stand around, fascinated.
I address the children and find
out that I was speaking to the
parents. Often, people contact
us with questions and things they
want to clarify and understand.
One of the most moving
reactions Ive heard was after
a lecture I did by a shliach in
Arava, R Moshe Blau. It was two
or three years ago and I spoke
to a group of older residents.
I set up the model of the Beis
HaMikdash and gave my talk.
When the time was up, I began
dismantling the Mikdash and
a woman came over to me and
said in an annoyed tone, How
can you take apart the Beis
HaMikdash? I was taken aback
and then said, If dismantling the
model bothers you that much,

The model golden altar and table

can you appreciate how great was

the sorrow over the destruction
of the actual Beis HaMikdash
which we no longer have.
In recent years we have
expanded our activities to the
US. We have a lecturer there
who goes around to Jewish
communities and makes a
presentation. Many of his lectures
are to irreligious audiences. One
time, he was invited to make a
Shabbat Mikdash somewhere in
New Jersey. Over the Shabbos he
made some nice presentations.
A few days later, the rav
of the community called him
and said that a member of the
community sent him an email in
which he said he had considered
leaving the community after being
a member for twenty-five years.
I did not feel that connected to
the community, he wrote, but
this Shabbos gave me the feeling
that I belong to the Jewish people
and to the community as well.
There is no question that
the Beis HaMikdash arouses
the neshama and brings out the
desire to be part of the Jewish
people and strengthen ones
connection with Hashem.

I BUILT THE BEIS

HAMIKDASH TODAY
The Midrasha employs all
sorts of means to make the topic
of the Mikdash accessible to the
average person. They produced
a series of films called Nitzotz
MeiHaMikdash, and a series
Bniya Lifnei HaSheina, as
well as a series of films called,
Zvulun Choker HaMikdash
and more.
R Mordechai spoke about
how influential these are on the
younger generation:
We produced the Nitzotz
series five years ago. It happened
to find its way onto the Internet.
You hear a third grader say, I
watch your movie every week,
or another child, in second grade
in Karnei HaShomron say, I
love the movies you make and it
really makes me feel connected
to the Beis HaMikdash. The
part I like best is the Menorahs
decorations.
We once went to a religious
girls high school in Maala
Levona as part of a Yom Iyun
on the Mishkan and we did a
workshop with ninth grade girls.
Their madricha at the workshop

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taught them about the priestly

garments and suddenly, all the
students began singing a song
about the priestly garments that
we always teach in preschools.
Apparently, they remembered the
song since they learned it with us
in preschool!
How do the children react
when they build the model of
the Beis HaMikdash?
At first, the model is not
something actual to them, but
within twenty minutes the model
is constructed and becomes
something real and tangible
before their astonished eyes. It
creates an excitement and the
impact is tremendous, not only
on the children but also when we
do it with adults. This is the first
time they are seeing a model of
the Beis HaMikdash that extends
upward to a meter and a half (4
and a half feet).
Not surprisingly, a child
goes home afterward and tells his
parents, Today I stood next to
the Beis HaMikdash, or Today I
built the Beis HaMikdash, Today
I looked at the Beis HaMikdash.
Many of them want their picture
taken next to the model. They
want to feel a part of it.

HAKHEL IS
ALIVE AND WELL
This year is a Hakhel year,
the year following a Shmita year.
When the Beis HaMikdash was
standing, the Jewish men with
their wives and children would
go to the Beis HaMikdash on
Sukkos. Yerushalayim was full of
people who had come to see the
king and hear him read from the
Torah.
The Rebbe turned the entire
year into a Hakhel year and
suggested that people make
gatherings in order to instill
in the Jewish people fear of

Hashem.
R Pinchas Persoff describes
huge Hakhel gatherings:
We are almost at the end
of the year. Throughout this
past year we held numerous
gatherings to commemorate
Hakhel. The staff at the Midrasha
held Hakhel activities for about
100,000 people around the
country.
Every year you are involved
in teaching about the Mikdash.
How do your Hakhel programs
differ?
Good
question.
Unlike
our usual programs in which

we prefer working with small

groups, when it comes to Hakhel
gatherings, because of the nature
and tone of the event, we do
them with large groups, as big
as possible. There have been
events that weve done with
500 children, even 1000, and
one time, we even had 2000
participants! At an event like
that, you feel the power that is
generated by the gathering of
such a large number of people. It
creates an amazing energy.

Continued on page 31
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HALACHA 2 GO

DEALING WITH AN
UNFOLDED TALLIS
Selected halachos fromthe One Minute Halacha project*
HaRav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita,
Mara Dasra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights

THE FALLOUT OF A YOUNG

BOY ESTRANGED FROM HIS
FATHER
Parents divorce and their son
lives with his mother for the first
six years of his life. At age six,
he is to go live with his father, as
outlined by the Beis Din at the
time of the divorce*. The child
refuses. The father states, If my
son doesnt come live with me, I
will no longer support him. Thats
what the Shulchan Aruch says.
A father is halachically
obligated to support his minor
children. When they reach the
age of six, this monetary benefit
is considered tzdaka (charity),
though it is still required. How
then, is the father in the above
scenario exempt from child
support? Indeed, his reasoning
is in line with the Rambam, as
codified in Shulchan Aruch!
Possible justifications for this
practice are explored by latterday poskim:
Its the fathers obligation,
primarily, to teach his son Torah
and, perhaps, absent being able
to fulfill this mitzvah, he no
longer has to support him.
Perhaps its not in the childs

best interest to receive money

(tzdaka) from his father when he
spurns his spiritual influence, and
withholding it can be considered
a disciplinary measure.
Since the son is a rebellious
child, maybe the father is no
longer obligated in the tzdaka!
Perhaps withholding support
is a consequence for the mother,
for having estranged her son
from his father and reneged on
the custody agreement.
Maybe a cash allowance
is beyond the purview of the
fathers obligation. If the son and
father lived together, the father
would provide him with food
and shelter, but long-distance,
the support would have to be
monetary.
Other questions arise from
the svaros (theories) of the
poskim:
If the sons support is
dependent on his fathers
responsibility to teach him Torah,
what are the ramifications for
a daughter whose father is not
required to educate her to the
degree of her brother (who has
a specific mitzvah to learn Torah
when he is older)?
How does this halacha

affect joint custody or visitation

agreements divorced parents
may have via a Beis Din? Can
financial arrangements change
according to the childs decision
to desist living with the father
in scenarios other than the one
stated above?
A Beis Din considers all
these possibilities before issuing
a psak (ruling) exempting a
father from his obligation to
support his estranged child(ren).
Obviously, it would be best in
any scenario for divorced parents
to resolve issues of custody
amicably, especially considering
the
childrens
emotional
wellbeing (since having children,
halachically speaking, is more
a responsibility and less a
privilege).
*This is actually the general
guideline of the Shulchan Aruch:
when a boy reaches the age of
six, his father receives custody, to
enable him to fulfill his obligation
of providing his son with his
spiritual needs. However, these
terms are not followed by Beis
Din in many circumstances,
chiefly because halacha is
concerned with the custody
arrangement that is best for the

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particular child (see Halacha

#238).
(Halachically, a daughter is to
remain with her motherbarring
existential issues, as determined
by Beis Dinfor the mother
is charged with her education;
therefore a father has no leverage
by which to refuse a daughter her
child benefits.)

WHEN HOLY WORDS MEET

THE WHITEBOARD ERASER
Written words of Torah attain
kdusha (sanctity) and must be
treated with respect. If a teacher
writes the days Torah lesson on a
blackboard or whiteboard, may it
then be erased?
The common custom is
that it may (and the practice of
using the board to teach Torah
persists), for two reasons. The
first suggests that words written
with the intention of erasing
them afterwards do not acquire
kdusha.
Alternatively,
its
possible to say that the purpose
of erasing the board is to make it
available for more Torah to take
its place.
Nevertheless, the name of
Hashem should not be written,
as it may never be erased. It is
customary not to write Hashems
name in full, in any language;
so we write, for example,
With G-ds help. However,
if Hashems name was written
without modification in another
language, it may be erased from
the board.

It is a time-honored tradition
for
headingson
papers,
posters, and on the board
in the classroomto begin
with a reference to Hashems
immanence, commonly written as
such: , which is the Hebrew
acronym for biSiyata DShmaya
(With Hashems help). This too
may be erased. Even writing the
alternative , which stands for
Baruch Hashem (this acquires a
higher status of kdusha, as the
letter hey [ ]is a stand-in for
Hashems holy name) may be
erased from the board, though
some maintain that its preferable
to write ( BSD).

DEALING WITH AN
UNFOLDED TALLIS
A tallis (prayer-shawl) should
be folded every day right after
davening (see Halacha #87).
This is the customary way:
remain standing after completing
the final tfilla (prayer), remove
the tallispreferably with the left
hand to illustrate the difficulty in
parting with itand then fold it.
There were tzaddikim who were
particular not to don a tallis that
had been left unfolded. If a tallis
was inadvertently left unfolded
overnight, they would fold it,
or shake it out to straighten it,
before putting it on the next day.
There are two issurim
(restrictions) associated with
folding a tallis on Shabbos:
nireh kmesaken kli (appearing
to improve the garment) and

In Crown Heights area: 1640/1700AM

USA phone: 347 990 1136

hachana (preparation for after

Shabbos). Folding a tallis on
Shabbos when concluding the
davening, so it can be properly
donned the following morning,
or even the next Shabbos, can
infringe on the issur of hachana.
It may only be folded shelo
kseder kipulo harishon (not in
line with its original creases),
although many are strict to
wait until Motzaei Shabbos
to fold their tallis. One of the
many reasons for stringency:
Since many people have both a
weekday and Shabbos tallis,
folding a Shabbos tallis would be
shaping it in its regular Shabbos
format (and not shelo kseder
kipulo harishon).
The tallis used on Shabbos
should be folded with alacrity
on Motzaei Shabbos. If it wasnt
folded Motzaei Shabbos, it
should be folded immediately or
shaken out the next morning,
as mentioned. The practice of
folding the tallis on Motzaei
Shabbos is considered by some
a segula (propitious) for shalom
bayis (marital harmony).
*One Minute Halacha is a succinct
daily presentation on practical Halacha
in video, audio, and text formats, by
HaRav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita,
Mara Dasra and member of the
Badatz of Crown Heights. The daily
One Minute Halacha can be accessed
by phone at 718.989.9599, by email,
halacha2go@gmail.com, or by WhatsApp
347.456.5665. More halacha discussion,
with notes and sources, can be found at
http://halacha2go.com

worldwide, online: www.RadioMoshiach.org

In Israel (Nechayeg Venishmah): 08-9493-770 (press 1 # / 9 # / 3 #)

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OBITUARY

OVER THIRTY YEARS OF

DEVOTED
SHLICHUS
When R Moshe Freedman arrived on shlichus
in the industrial port city of Bahia Blanca,
Argentina, he did not receive a warm welcome.
* With tremendous work, dedication and
hiskashrus to the Rebbe, he overcame all the
hardships. * In his thirty years on shlichus, he
was mekarev hundreds of Jews with dozens
becoming baalei tshuva. R Freedmans family
and mekuravim tell Beis Moshiach about this
dynamic shliach who passed away after a serious
illness.
By Moshiach Freedman
Photos by Mendy Toledano

abbi Moshe Freedman

ah
was
born
in
Yerushalayim on 15
Shevat 5719/1959 to
his parents, R Akiva Yosef ah
and Mrs. Tzippora (Sasonkin). He
attended Yeshivas Toras Emes and
when it came time for beis midrash
(yeshiva gdola) he wanted to learn
near the Rebbe. He learned for

several years in Morristown and

then went on a year of shlichus to
Montreal.
His brother, R Menachem
Mendel, shliach to yishuv
Har Adar and principal of the
Chabad elementary school in
Yerushalayim, said:
Over the next years he

continued learning in 770 and

also did work at Kehos as a
member of the publishing team
of the Seifer HaLikkutim of the
Tzemach Tzedek.
He married Sara Alevsky
(daughter of shluchim to Ohio)
on 14 Kislev 5744. After the
Rebbe enacted the daily learning

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BOmer 5745/1985, his father

had suddenly died. Consequently,
R Moshe wasnt sure whether
he should go on shlichus
immediately, especially to a city
where there was no minyan
where he could be chazan and
say Kaddish. The Rebbe told him
to ask the rav of Crown Heights,
R Dworkin ah, who told him he
should go on shlichus right away
and pay someone to be chazan
and say Kaddish for him.

SPIRITUAL DESERT

of Rambam, for part of his year

in kollel R Freedman served
as head of the kollel team who
edited the seifer Marei Mekomos
LRambam.
Following the Rebbes urging
of shliach oseh shliach in
5744-5, Rabbi Tzvi Grunblatt,
shliach to Argentina, was looking
for another shliach to bring to

Argentina. He had been asked

by the Jewish community in
Bahia Blanca to send a bachur
to help them. R Grunblatt found
R Moshe, about a year after he
married. R Moshe immediately
agreed to the offer, after
receiving the Rebbes approval
and blessing.
A short while earlier, on Lag

R
Moshe
Freedmans
mekurav, R Gavriel Becher,
tells of the rocky beginning. He
was born in Bahia Blanca and
supported R Moshe during his
first decade on shlichus:
The one who contacted R
Grunblatt and asked for a bachur
to come and help the Jewish
community was the president
of the community, Mr. Julio
Horowitz, who also promised
to provide an apartment and a
salary. But when the community,
who were mostly Conservative,
found out that an Orthodox rabbi
had come, they staged a rebellion.
They threw the president of the
community out and of course
they canceled the contract that
was signed with the shliach.
So R Moshe, about a month
before Rosh HaShana, arrived
on the Rebbes shlichus in Bahia
Blanca and was greeted with open
hostility by the local community.
There was no position, no salary,
and no place to live. But he did
not leave. Some Jews, my father
among them, helped him rent a
small apartment in the center of
town from where he began his
outreach activities and where
he held the first tfillos on the
Yomim Noraim.
(Just to show you how meager
was the Jewish knowledge of the
local Jews, I will tell you that for
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Feature
most of them, the fast on Yom
Kippur meant not having their
usual meals, but they would have
coffee and cake Yom Kippur
morning. The chazan in the shul
on the Yomim Noraim would
fly in from Buenos Aires on Yom
Kippur.)
I remember how astonished
I was when I first met him.
Why would he come to this
out-of-the-way
place
where
there were no religious Jews like
him, where he could not obtain
kosher food, where there was no
minyan and Jewish schools, and
he did not know the language?
He stammered some words in
English, since the only ones he
could talk to, those who knew
some Yiddish and Hebrew, were
the ones opposed to his coming
and his outreach work. I just
could not understand what he
was doing there.
I know, said his brother
Mendy, that with the enormous
difficulties at the beginning of his
shlichus, he merited to receive
some encouraging responses
from the Rebbe which gave him
the strength to go on.
Back to R Gavriel:
In the early days of my
spiritual journey, R Moshe
found out that I have knowledge
and experience in computers
(those were the old ones of the
80s) and he got me to prepare
flyers and ads about the Chabad
Houses activities that were
directed at both the young and
the old. Every day, R Moshe
went around the business section
of the city and put tfillin on with
the Jewish storeowners.
In the years that followed, I
bought a small print shop and R
Moshe got me to use that too in
the service of hafatza. Together
we translated certain parts of the
siddur into Spanish and on the
computer I set up the pages with

R Moshe at his sons hachnosa

lCheider, from an article about
Chabad in Eretz Yisroel

the original Hebrew next to the

translation. When I printed the
first 1000 copies of the translated
siddur, R Moshe went from
house to house among the Jews
of the city and gave one to each
family.
Ill never forget the first time
I attended Kabbalas Shabbos at
the Chabad House. I barely knew
how to read the tfilla and R
Moshe told me to be the chazan.
He stood behind me facing the
others and guided them to open
the siddur to the right page and
to daven with the special tunes
that we learned to sing. R Moshe
later bought a house in the center
of town and over it he built a
Chabad House which included
offices and a shul. I remember
how he did not paint his own
house until after he finished
renovating and painting the
Chabad House.

FROM PAINTING THE HOUSE

TO A JEWISH HOUSE
It seems that painting the
shliachs private home is part
of the shlichus and in this case,

it marked the beginning of the

kiruv of another Jew. This is the
story of R Mordechai Blefolsky,
also a native of Bahia Blanca:
As a young man, I would do
paint jobs for members of the
Jewish community. Around the
year 5753, R Moshe asked me to
come and paint his house.
When I arrived, before I
began working, R Moshe put
tfillin on with me, for the first
time in my life. From then on,
our relationship developed and
I became committed to mitzva
observance. R Moshe sat and
talked with me for hours and
taught me Torah and told me
Chassidic stories. He was with
me, step after step, until I was
ready to go and learn in yeshiva.
R Moshe made calls and made
sure I would be accepted into
yeshiva and that they would take
good care of me.
R Moshe was a big talmid
chacham and rav of stature and
he knew vast sections of the
Rebbes teachings by heart. I was
always amazed by how someone
like him, who grew up in the
heart of religious Yerushalayim,
was able to handle life in outof-the-way, immodest Bahia
Blanca. All that time he was only
mashpia and never mekabel, G-d
forbid. He had incredible fear
of heaven and one could see the
deep seriousness with which he
treated every sacred thing, every
paragraph in halacha, and every
word of the Rebbe.

DEVOTION TO HIS
CHILDRENS CHINUCH
I was also amazed to see his
unusual devotion to his childrens
chinuch. This was before the era
of the shluchim online school.
The first half of every day was
dedicated to learning with his
children whom I remember

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could we go inside, he dismissed

that and said, When we are in
the sukka with so many Jewish
souls that are thirsty to hear and
learn about Judaism, it warms the
heart and melts the intense cold.

THE REBBES ANSWER

THAT WAS CONVEYED
WITH TEARS

standing on line and being tested

by him on tractates of Mishna
and Gemara by heart. The second
half of each day was dedicated to
mivtzaim, kiruv, and hafatza.
His brother Mendy repeated a
special story he heard during the
Shiva:
In a town near Bahia Blanca
was a Jewish girl who rejected
anything that smacked of
Judaism. She had a friend who
worked as a midwife and through
her, she was exposed to R
Moshes work. She saw how he
looked out for and helped every
Jewish woman who gave birth.
She decided: I want to be like
that! She became a baalas tshuva
and moved to Eretz Yisroel and is
a Lubavitcher today.
I heard another story about
a big businessman who became
interested in Judaism through
R Moshe and he said that what
impressed him was that R Moshe
always said what yes to do and
not what not to do. That is what
attracted him and thanks to this,
he became a baal tshuva.

MEKAREV WITHOUT
GIVING UP
His

mekurav,

Yehuda

Landau, a native of Bahia Blanca,

related:
I knew R Moshe since he
arrived in Bahia Blanca, but our
serious relationship began in
5748 and became really strong
in 5751 following a dream
about the Rebbe that got me to
start my return. Naturally, this
strengthened my connection with
R Moshe.
I was very slow in my learning
about Judaism but R Moshe did
not give up on me and insisted
that I come to a shiur every
day. When I tried getting out of
it by saying it was hard for me
to attend a shiur every day, he
simply grabbed me and said, I
will come to your house and we
will learn. What time should I
come?
At first I said he should come
at night, but then I saw that I was
tired from the days work and
couldnt concentrate. R Moshe
just asked me again, When
should I come? And we started
learning early every morning.
I remember how he sat in
the sukka and farbrenged while
outside it was freezing cold.
When someone said to him that
the cold was unbearable and

There were some anti-Semitic

acts against him and Nazi slogans
were even sprayed in the area
against Jews and Judaism. When
I asked him whether he was
afraid something would happen
to him, he said with utter serenity
that there was nothing to fear. On
the contrary, he told me, these
anti-Semitic displays generate
controversy and media interest in
Chabads work and expose more
Jews in the city to that work.
The years passed and when
I sent my children to the local
communitys preschool they were
taunted for wearing a kippa and
tzitzis. It was so bad that I had
to transfer them to a non-Jewish
preschool. But when they got
a little older I could no longer
keep them there and I knew that
if I wanted to give them a Jewish
education, I had to move to
Buenos Aires where they could
attend a Chabad school.
When R Moshe went to the
Rebbe for Lag BOmer 5753, I
sent my question and request for
a blessing for the move along with
him. I remember the moment I
met R Moshe when he returned
from the Rebbe and told me, with
tears in his eyes, that the Rebbe
agreed to the move with a nod
of his head. I greatly admired R
Moshes bittul because although
my leaving was very hard for him,
for it left him the only Chabad
family in the city, he humbly
accepted the Rebbes answer and
even helped me make the move.

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Feature

Some time after I moved, I

had an important personal matter
that I wanted to discuss with
him, but I couldnt do it over
the phone. I called him and said
I had to meet with him to talk.
Without even hearing what it was
about, he immediately made the
seven-hour trip just to help me.

HE STAYED PUT
R Yehuda:
R Moshes hiskashrus to the
Rebbe was apparent in everything
he did. Everything was for the
Rebbe, from beginning to end.
He always taught us that we
need to constantly think what
does the Rebbe want from me
now, and act accordingly. This
is a point that he instilled in the
hearts of all his mekuravim.
Ten years ago, R Moshes life
was miraculously saved when he
underwent a lung transplant in
Ohio. R Grunblatt then asked
him whether he wanted to move
to Buenos Aires where he would
have better doctors and more
material comforts. R Moshe
told him firmly, The Rebbe sent
me to Bahia Blanca knowing
precisely what the situation and
conditions are like there. I wont

budge from Bahia Blanca.

CONNECTING EVERYONE
TO THE REBBE
R Gavriel also recalls:
As soon as we became
acquainted, R Moshe told
me about the greatness of the
Lubavitcher Rebbe who was the
reason he was in Bahia Blanca.
R Moshe told me that it was
only because of the kochos that
he got from the Rebbe that he
accomplished all that he did.
When we experienced a family
crisis and certain medical
problems, he explained to me
that you write to the Rebbe about
everything and ask for his advice
and blessing.
We sat together and wrote
to the Rebbe. Some time later
I received a reply in which the
Rebbe urged us to keep family
purity. By divine providence,
the Rebbes answer arrived a
few days after the first mikva in
Bahia Blanca opened, which R
Moshe built with much effort. My
wife was the first woman to use
it. We began observing the laws
of family purity because of the
Rebbes answer.
I recall another interesting

story which I heard from R

Moshe at the time it happened.
On one of his trips to the
Rebbe, when the Rebbe gave
him a dollar, he said, Give it to
tzdaka in Brazil. R Moshe was
surprised to hear that because
he had planned on taking a
direct flight back to Argentina.
The
secretary
immediately
interjected that R Moshe was
from Argentina, not from Brazil,
and the Rebbe gave him another
dollar and said, Give this to
tzdaka in Argentina.
Unexpectedly,
the
plane
stopped in Brazil for a while and
only then continued to Argentina,
just as the Rebbe had indicated.

MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL

AID
During the big economic
crisis in Argentina, R Moshe
was concerned about the Jews
of the city and invested a lot of
money in buying and distributing
food items to Jewish families.
He helped everyone, playing no
favorites, even those members of
the community who opposed him
and interfered with his work.
For a number of years, we
were guests of R Moshe for the

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Shabbos meals, since our house

was too far to walk and our
apartment was fifteen stories up.
We slept there too. He always
welcomed us graciously and
hosted us with amazing devotion.
I had a store that sold food
items and it was the first Jewish
owned store in the city to be
closed on Shabbos. People would
say, whos the crazy person who
closes his store on the day that
people earn the most money?
Despite that we would rush to
spend Shabbos at R Moshe, and
these Shabbasos brought us to
tshuva and showed us how to
return to our roots and behave
like Jews.
When time passed and our
daughter was getting older, and
we saw that the way to give her
a proper Jewish education meant
leaving Bahia Blanca, we decided
to move to Eretz Yisroel. Leaving
R Moshe was hard for both of us
but he understood that we could
not remain there. He sent a letter
to R Eliyahu Shadmi, the shliach
in Raanana, where I planned on
going, asking him to welcome
us and take care of us when we
arrived.

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN YECHI
ADONEINU AND SHMIRAS
SHABBOS
R Yehuda and R Gavriel
say that starting in 5753, every
Shabbos, after Lecha Dodi, they
would sing Yechi and would
dance. It lasted twenty minutes.
Even if R Moshe did not take the
approach of taking the message
to the outside public, he instilled
in us, the mekuravim, the belief
and anticipation in the hisgalus of
the Rebbe as Moshiach.
R Yehuda recalls how he told
them and even showed them a
video about publicizing Moshiach

Receiving a dollar from the Rebbe

at a sports event for Galil Elyon

in Eretz Yisroel that took place
in 5753 and which received the
Rebbes blessing that led to their
victory. R Gavriel relates that
after 3 Tammuz R Moshe would
show him sources in Chazal that
even in this situation we need
to believe and look forward to
the hisgalus of the Rebbe as
Moshiach.
R Dovid Bukovza of Kfar
Chabad who was in Bahia Blanca
for a few months in 5754 (with
a group of shochtim from Eretz
Yisroel who were hosted by R
Moshe) said:
After 3 Tammuz there was a
certain individual who tried to
impress upon the shluchim in
Argentina that they needed to
adopt a lower profile on the
topic of Moshiach and put away
the Get Ready for Moshiach
signs. Despite this, at R Moshes
Chabad House they continued
singing Yechi and R Moshe did
not stop the singing.
When the one who was
encouraging the ceasing of
Moshiach activities in Argentina
heard about this, he complained

to R Moshe who told him that

for the people at his Chabad
House there was no difference
between Yechi and shmiras
Shabbos, holidays and kashrus.
They couldnt be told baloney
about us not meriting etc., and if
Yechi suddenly had to stop, their
observance of other mitzvos was
likely to stop too, G-d forbid.
On 22 Tammuz, R Moshe
passed away after a lengthy
illness. He is survived by his
wife Sarah, their children Rabbi
Yossi Freedman Cleveland,
OH; Rabbi Mendy Freedman
Lyndhurst, OH; Rabbi Levi
Freedman Munich, Germany;
Mrs. Rochel Kalmenson
Shanghai, China; Rabbi Shlomo
Freedman Crown Heights;
Mushki
Freedman,
Shmuel
Freedman, Nochum Freedman,
Sholom Freedman and Aidy
Freedman; and grandchildren.
He is also survived by his
mother and siblings.
May we immediately merit the
hisgalus of the Rebbe with the
true and complete Geula, and
arise and sing those who dwell in
the dust and he among them.

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PROFILE

TEACHING
TANYA BASED
THERAPY
R Gil Barak had a long and winding journey from
when he was a party boy to his spiritual search
in an Indian ashram, until the night when his
neshama was shaken up and he escaped. A short
time later he met the Rebbes shluchim, learned
some Chassidus, and his neshama found peace.
* Today, R Gil is a psychological counselor who
uses Chassidus combined with modern means to
convey his messages.
By Nosson Avrohom

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or over a year now,

R Nadav Cohen and
counselor R Gil Barak
have
been
working
together on an internet project
for spreading the wellsprings and
sharing the values of the Tanya as a
therapeutic tool. The collaboration
between the two is perfect. R
Nadav Cohen is the author of a
book on the Tanya (GPS for the
Soul in English), while Gil Barak
has a degree in psychology and
provides the complementary ideas
in modern psychology terms.
In every course they emphasize
the tremendous advantage in
Chassidus-based treatment.
The possibility of taking the
treasures hidden in the Tanya and
extracting the therapeutic tools to
help people, starting with oneself,
to get over phobias, anger,
depression, addiction, and then
training the patients to treat and
help anyone in difficulty, while
also providing for anyone who
wishes to grow and realize much
more of their own potential, is no
less than amazing, explains Gil.
The next stage is to reach
the maximum number of people
in a minimum amount of time,
worded in terms that convey the
Tanya easily and conveniently and
in a way that people can relate to
and accept. The development of
technology in recent years has
enabled them to realize their
dream. The two of them have
worked hard and have finally
completed an internet course by
which students all over the world
can be reached at a minimal cost.
We have 6100 people who
receive our materials on a regular
basis. The course is divided into
six mini courses of six sessions
each. Each session has an audio
recording, a visual presentation,
a guidance pamphlet and
assignments.
The emphasis, of course, is

on the practical implementation.

We believe that in order to treat
others, a person first must treat
himself, says Gil. Throughout
the course we provide support
through phone conversations,
email correspondence, and texts.
At the end of every course there
is a test.

PARTY ORGANIZER
Gil Baraks earlier life would
not have given you any indication
where he would be today. Gil was
born in Petach Tikva and grew up
in Ramat Gan in a typical Israeli
family.
In preschool I was evaluated
as a disturbed kid who has
difficulty adapting to social
norms and in first grade I was
sent to a school for kids who have
difficulty listening, concentrating,
and behaving. When I was seven,
my mother had her doubts about
this and sent me to be evaluated
by a private expert who dismissed
the earlier diagnosis.
The new diagnosis was that
Gil was extremely gifted with a
quick mental grasp. Gil was sent
to a class for the gifted. Some
years later, Gil became interested
in sports and he became a
member of a youth team in
Ramat Gan.
My mother, like all of her
family, was an accountant,
and my father was a successful
contractor. Materially, I lacked
for nothing but spiritually, I
knew nothing about Torah and
mitzvos.
Gil was accepted to the
exclusive Bleich High School
while he continued with his
successful
sports
career.
At his mothers request, he
concentrated on biology. After
the army he worked as a party
planner in Tel Aviv and was
tremendously successful.

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Profile

Gil in India

On our first date, my wife told me that she

also visited the Chabad House in Pushkar. She
took out a picture that she took there and told me
about a bachur who was there and teaching Torah
who impressed her. I looked at the picture and was
astounded. It was me!
At age twenty-one, he ran a
successful company and made a
fortune.
An onlooker would think
we reached the top of the world.
They were jealous of us.
Paradoxically, when he would
return to his apartment in the
morning, he would cry.
The emptiness got to me.
My friends would look at me and
did not know how to calm me
down. They thought I was crazy.
You have half of Tel Aviv in your
pocket. What is stopping you
from enjoying it? they would ask
me, and I did not have an answer
for them.
There were those who said,
You will become a baal tshuva,
but I didnt understand what
they meant. What connection

was there between the emptiness

I felt and miserable closeted
religious people? As time passed,
the emptiness became more
unbearable until one day I felt I
could no longer betray my soul.

IN FOREIGN FIELDS
Gil shocked all who knew
him. He took his backpack and
announced that he was taking
time off to examine his feelings,
and was leaving the business
registered in his name to his
partners.
My first stop was the capital
of Thailand, Bangkok. All the
Israelis I met directed me to
the Chabad House where I was
invited to come for the Friday
night meal.

I showed up and loved it. It

was the first time in my life that
I was exposed to Kiddush and
a Shabbos meal with singing.
I enjoyed it tremendously but
it still did not touch me. I did
not think for a moment that I
could slake my inner thirst in the
Chabad House. I had planned a
long trip and the next day I went
into isolation on the islands and
beaches of Thailand. There too,
at first I enjoyed the experience
and was excited but then the
emptiness hit me again.
One morning, as Gil sat and
contemplated the wonders of
nature on one of the gorgeous
beaches of Thailand, he noticed
a book.
It was about a person who
had plenty of material wealth
but he threw it all away and
found happiness in mysticism.
The pleasures of the world are
transient while spirituality offers
something that remains forever.
This appealed to me and I
decided to listen to the advice in
the book and leave Thailand for
India. I kept referring to the book
during that time. I considered it
the oracle that guided my life.
My first stop was in Puna
where there is a center built by a
guru. After he died, his followers
have kept up the place. I quickly
became an integral part of the
place. I changed my clothes for
an orange robe. I shaved off my
long hair and I was there day and
night, reading books and doing
yoga and meditation.
This was the first time in my
life that I felt good. For quite a
while I felt calm and serene. I had
the feeling that I had found the
love of my soul, inner happiness.
I felt removed from the events of
the world and was no longer in
the rat race but was completely
immersed in spirituality.
This feeling was eviscerated

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suddenly one evening when there

was a special party. All members
of the ashram were asked to don
white robes. Music played and
we all danced. When excitement
reached a peak frenzy, the
organizers suddenly removed a
white curtain which revealed the
image of the guru. People began
bowing to him. But I couldnt
do that. I had this indescribable
feeling. My neshama was
sparking, my body was trembling,
and I felt dizzy and that I had to
escape from there.
Suddenly, all the feelings of
emptiness returned and struck
me harder than ever. I threw off
the white robe and ran to where
I lived. I collected my things and
fled from Puna.
Gils next stop was Pushkar.
I met a friend who was
becoming religious through the
shliach, R Shimi Goldstein, and
he took me to the Chabad House.
I was very skeptical at first. What
touched me more than anything
else was the shiurim in Likkutei
Sichos. I was there for nine
straight days. Every night we
learned another sicha and I felt
that this was filling me up. In the
Chabad House I understood what
the difference is between Judaism
and the mysticism of the nations
of the world. Here you operate
within the world while there you
seek to disconnect from reality.
One of the bachurim who
worked at the Chabad House was
Omer Yehoshua. Gil credits him
with the final blow that led to
his commitment to return to his
roots.
Even after I understood
that Judaism is the truth and
Chassidus is the right path that
leads a Jew to serve his Maker,
the evil inclination did not let me
alone and my intellect continued
questioning. A question that
persisted was: what if the path

Gil when he was first becoming interested in Judaism

of the Torah is not the truth, G-d

forbid? By divine providence,
Omer Yehoshua gave me a CD
with a lecture that explained
how everything is derived from
Torah.
Gil decided to burn ten of
these CDs and give them out to
visitors to the Chabad House.
I remember that that night I
really got the fact that the Torah
is true and there is nothing
aside from it, intellectually or
emotionally. I cried until the
morning. I couldnt sleep. This
time, they were tears of joy upon
discovering my Creator.
Every night I would attend
a shiur in Shulchan Aruch, and
I
immediately
implemented
whatever I learned. When we
learned about tzitzis, I put on
tzitzis, and the same for tfillin
and netilas yadayim.

TFILLIN THAT WERE

SENT FROM HEAVEN
After a stay in Pushkar in
which he acquired the basics, Gil
was uncertain about whether to
use the ticket he had for Australia.
He finally decided to continue
his trip as planned but this time,

his goals and destination were

clear. As soon as he landed in
Melbourne, he visited R Dudu
Lieders Chabad House where he
learned for two months.
After
two
months
in
Melbourne, a few days before I
returned home, when I already
had the first wisps of a beard, I
decided to write to the Rebbe and
ask for a bracha. I committed
not to miss putting on tfillin
anymore.
I was tested right away. The
next day I was supposed to fly to
Vietnam for a stopover and then
continue to Eretz Yisroel. I did
not own tfillin yet and I did not
know whether there would be
Jews on the flight who could lend
me tfillin. This really bothered
me and I hoped that Hashem
would send me a good shliach
to help me. The next morning I
went to Rabbi Sebbags kollel in
Melbourne and asked around for
a pair of tfillin from one of the
men there so I could put them
on.
R Sebbag came over to me
and said that one of the men was
calling me. He was a well-to-do
person who said that he had been
watching me over the past few
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Profile
weeks and he saw how I looked
for tfillin every morning, and
therefore, he decided to donate
a pair of tfillin to me. I was so
astonished by this gesture. I
had not dreamed of such divine
assistance. Till today, these are
the tfillin that I use.
That day, Gil flew to Eretz
Yisroel and after landing there,
he went to learn in the yeshiva
in Ramat Aviv. Gil described
how surprised his parents, family
and friends were at the change
in him. They soon realized he
was serious about this and they
respected his decision.
He learned in yeshiva for
seven years and turned into
a Chassid and a mekushar.
During those years he also
studied psychology at the Open
University after receiving a clear
answer from the Rebbe through
the Igros Kodesh and after
consulting with his mashpia.
My friends in yeshiva
snickered. Whoever heard of such
a thing for a Tamim who was still
in yeshiva? But the truth is that
without an explicit instruction
from the Rebbe, I would not
have done it. Since my mother
asked me to finish my degree, I
asked the Rebbe and opened to
an answer about a student who
began studying and the Rebbe
urged him to finish the course of
study.
After seven years, Gil married
and settled in Ramat Gan.
The story of my shidduch is
incredible. On our first date, my
wife told me that she also visited
the Chabad House in Pushkar.
She took out a picture that she
took there and told me about
a bachur who was there and
teaching Torah who impressed
her. I looked at the picture and
was astounded. It was me! Some
time after becoming a Tamim,
I flew to India again to help out

at the Chabad House and that is

when my picture was taken.
In recent years, Gil has
become a marriage counselor. He
lectures a lot on the subject and
has produced a series of amusing
clips about relationships. He has
also written two books on the
subject.
When I finished writing
the first book, which is based
on sichos and maamarim of
the Rebbe, I wrote to the Rebbe
through the Igros Kodesh and
opened to a letter which has a
bracha for a book published by
Kehos.
A long while later, when I
finished editing my second book,
I wrote to the Rebbe again and
asked for a bracha. How amazed
I was when I saw that I had
opened to the same bracha as for
the first book.

CHASSIDUS AND MODERN

PSYCHOLOGY
As mentioned earlier, this
past year, Gil and his friend
Nadav Cohen have collaborated
on a project. As someone who
has studied both Chassidus and,
lhavdil alfei havdalos, modern
psychology, why isnt modern
psychology enough to heal a
person?
In modern psychology, the
focus is on the I of the animal
soul, what it wants, what desires
it has. If those desires are reined
in, the person is successful in life
and if not, he needs help. Man is
seen as impulsive and egotistic
and everything he does is selfserving. There is no concept of
unconditional love, no altruistic
behavior, no loving your fellow as
yourself.
Chassidus explains just the
opposite to us. For a Jew, his real
I is his G-dly soul, as the Baal
HaTanya explains in chapter two

of Tanya. True, a Jew also has

animal desires, but that is only a
component of who he is and it
cannot be dealt with solely with
solutions for the animal soul.
Reining in his animal soul is not
enough for a Jew. A Jew needs to
examine everything in the context
of his mission in the world and
what G-d wants of him.
Can you give an example to
illustrate this?
According
to
modern
psychology, if a person is
aggressive by nature or lacks
patience, he will be sent to play
soccer or to train in judo in order
to let out all his aggressiveness.
That is the ultimate solution that
modern psychology can come
up with so that he doesnt annoy
people and he channels his nature
in positive ways. Thats enough.
According to Chassidus, this
is not enough. If he has no Torah
and mitzvos, he will feel empty.
If he does not fulfill his mission
in life, if he does not achieve his
destiny, he wont feel good about
himself. If you send a Jew to play
sports, it might be good first aid,
but for the long term, his G-dly
soul, his inner I, will yearn to
fulfill his mission in this world, to
express his neshama.
As a psychologist using the
Alter Rebbes approach, a person
like this will be sent to be involved
in inyanei Torah and mitzvos.
With the right guidance, he can
find fulfillment for his G-dly soul
by doing what he is meant to do.
What feedback do you get?
We get nonstop feedback
with a high percentage of
reactions from professionals in
the field who take a great interest
in our courses. Here is something
we heard recently: Finally,
my soul found what Ive been
looking for. In a fascinating and
clever way, you have succeeded
in constructing a course with

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therapeutic and practical tools

according to the Torah view of
the psyche of the Alter Rebbe.
My life is divided into two parts
before the course and after.
Here is the feedback of
a psychotherapist: I want to
thank you for the course, which
definitely provided me with
another valuable tool; with all

the professional knowledge that I

have as a psychotherapist, I had
the privilege of doing some work
with myself, all thanks to the
insights we received from you. It
was fun to be part of the Tanya
community.
Gil concluded the interview
by saying, We need to
understand and feel the vniflinu

(i.e. what sets Chassidus and

Chassidim apart from everyone
and everything else). Many
Chassidim who learned and were
raised with Chassidus are looking
for answers to their questions in
psychology books and all kinds
of therapies. They dont realize
that the answers are to be found
in the teachings of Chassidus and
Tanya.

17 Continued from page

Our actors come dressed in the

priestly garments and they blow
four silver trumpets as was done
in the original ceremony.
In the second part we start
the ceremony itself. An actor
dressed as a king leads the event.
We often include the head of the
community in the ceremony,
whether he is a rav of the city
or some other distinguished
personality like mayors or heads
of the community council,
or even supervisors from the
Education Ministry. Whoever
is there, without exception, gets
into the Hakhel atmosphere.
The
highlight
of
the
encounter is when the king reads
the verses from the Torah. When
the ceremony is done with a

crowd that is not that religious,

we do a kabbalas ol malchus
Shamayim ceremony in which
the king reads the Shma. It is
a moving sight to see so many
people accepting the malchus
Shamayim together.
Although we are not Chabad
Chassidim, I can tell you that the
Rebbes vision is being realized
through us. In this Hakhel
year, as opposed to earlier
years, we reached record levels
of participants. There is not a
religious educational institute,
at least that I know of, that did
not address the topic of Hakhel
in some way or another. Even
the Education Ministry had a
Hakhel committee that prepared
curricula and programming on
the topic.

R Pinchas and his people

go to the places where they are
invited and make their Hakhel
presentation, whether a shiur or
a play or a lecture, depending on
the audience. They put up huge
pictures of the Beis HaMikdash
that measure five meters by
three and a half, which gives the
impression that you are actually
there. Most of the time, they set
up their actual size vessels of the
Mikdash on the side, which helps
make the event come to life.
Our Hakhel ceremony is
divided into two parts. In the first
part, we speak about preparations
for Hakhel the importance
of the event, what its about,
and who needs to participate.

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PARSHA THOUGHT

UNCONVENTIONAL
RELATIONSHIP
ADVICE
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

BEGINNING OR END?
Judaism
is
about
our
relationship with G-d. All
relationships
involve
our
emotions.
In
the
manG-d relationship, the Torah
emphasizes the emotions of
ahava-love and yira, generally
translated as fear. Indeed, one
of the most repeated demands
G-d makes of us in His Torah is
to fear Him. For example, in last
weeks parsha the Torah states:
G-d commanded us to
perform all these statutes to fear
G-d
This verse makes the fear of
G-d to be the very goal, objective
and end-all of Judaism.
And again in this weeks
parsha the Torah states:
And now Israel what does
G-d ask of you; only to fear
Him...
The very first thing mentioned
here is fear of G-d, which
suggests how important it is
relative to all the other traits and
behaviors G-d wants of us. Note
the contrast between these two
verses; in the preceding verse
fear is the end point, in this verse
it is the beginning. Indeed, King
Solomon echoed this idea in
Ecclesiastes, The beginning of
wisdom is the fear of G-d.

Which is it, the beginning or

the end?

FEAR IN THE
MESSIANIC AGE?
If there is any doubt about
the Torahs placement of fear on
the top of its objectives we find
the prophet Yirmiyahu (32:3940) referring to fear, and fear
exclusively, as the ultimate nature
of our relationship with G-d in
the Messianic Age.
I will gather them out of all
the countries where I have driven
them and I will bring them
back to this place And they
shall be My people and I will be
their G-d. And I will give them
one heart and one way, that they
may fear Me forever and I will
put My fear in their hearts, that
they shall not depart from Me.
All of the above, at first glance,
is difficult to comprehend. Why
would fear of G-d be placed at the
beginning and the end of G-ds
demands of us? Especially, with
regard to the end, wouldnt it be
more appropriate to say that the
ultimate goal of observing G-ds
commandments is to achieve love
of G-d? Why this great emphasis
on fear?
Particularly with respect to
the Messianic Age, when we will
bask in G-ds radiance and the

entire world will serve G-d as

one, it is puzzling to be told by
the prophet in G-ds name that
we will ultimately come to fear
Him! While it may be necessary
to instill fear in the hearts of
uncivilized, immature, rebellious,
or insensitive people, who would
not behave properly without
an element of fear, why do the
spiritually liberated people of the
Messianic Era have to fear G-d
in order to keep themselves in
check?
Moreover, the prophet does
not even mention the love of
G-d. If at least he would have
mentioned fear and then love
we might have explained it as a
reference to different classes of
people that will live in the initial
period of the Final Redemption.
There might be still some exile
holdouts who are caught in
a Galus time warp. For them it
may be, temporarily, necessary
to emphasize the fear element.
But, in addressing the more
sophisticated elements of the
Messianic Age, the prophet
should ostensibly have mentioned
the goal of loving G-d.
This would have been a
satisfactory explanation had the
prophet mentioned both fear and
love. However, the prophet leaves
out love entirely and mentions
only fear. Why?

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THE UNIQUENESS OF THE

HOLY TONGUE
To answer these questions, it
is crucial that we recognize that
our understanding of the demand
to fear G-d is based on a faulty
premise. The Hebrew word yira
which is generally translated, not
incorrectly, as fear, actually has a
completely different connotation.
And this is one of the
problems with translating the
Torah from its original into any
other
language,
particularly
English.
Hebrew, or more precisely, the
Holy Tongue, the language of the
Torah, is a concise and succinct
language. One word can have
multiple meanings. Moreover, in
the Holy Tongue when a word
has multiple meanings they may
all be connected. The word then
acquires a nuanced meaning that
could not be conveyed by the
individual translations.

MULTIPLE TRANSLATIONS
Let us examine the various
denotations/connotations of the
word yira: fear, respect, shame,
awe, reverence, surrender of
ego, and self-abnegation. When
we recognize what all these
translations have in common we
will understand that yira is indeed
the most powerful and profound
expression of our relationship
with G-d worthy of the future
Messianic Age.
Lets take the first and most
frequent rendering of yira as
simple fear. In dissecting the
anatomy of fear we should define
two things: What is fear and
when does a person experience
fear?
Fear occurs when a person
confronts
an
overwhelming
person, thing or situation and
reacts by recoiling and retreating.
While love is attraction and a

desire to get closer to the object

of ones love, fear is the opposite.
We want to keep as far away from
the source of fear as possible.
In simple language, love is
running towards something while
fear is running away from it.
From this simple description
of fear and how it differs from
love another difference emerges.
When we experience love and
are attracted to the object of our
love it is actually a self-centered
feeling. The object of our love
will provide us with pleasure or
benefit. Love is engendered when

of these permutations the person

retreats from the object of yira.
When one has an awareness
of G-ds greatness one feels
diminished and humbled. In an
unsophisticated and immature
individual it manifests itself by a
sense that G-d is so powerful that
doing something against Him will
prove destructive. On this plane,
our ego is greatly contracted, but
it is still not totally self-effacing;
there is a sense of not wanting to
lose or diminish our existence.
We are looking out for ourselves
even as we are humbled.

This is one of the problems with translating the

Torah from its original into any other language,
particularly English. Hebrew, or more precisely, the
Holy Tongue, the language of the Torah, is a concise
and succinct language. One word can have multiple
meanings. Moreover, in the Holy Tongue when a word
has multiple meanings they may all be connected. The
word then acquires a nuanced meaning that could not be
conveyed by the individual translations.

we recognize there is something

that the other (person, thing or
experience) has to offer and that
it will enhance us. This is true
whether what we love is physical
or spiritual. If a person loves to
learn Torah, for example, while
it is an undeniably virtuous love,
there is an obvious sense of gain
and pleasure to be experienced in
that spiritual and noble exercise.
Fear on the other hand,
expresses ones helplessness and
diminished state.
This
is
the
common
denominator
of
all
the
aforementioned
connotations
of the word yira: fear, respect,
shame, awe, reverence, surrender
of ego, and self-abnegation. In all

DEEPER LEVELS: SHAME

AND SELF-ABNEGATION
On a deeper level, yira is
a sense of shame due to the
realization of our shortcomings
and limitations in relation to and
in the presence of G-d. In this
mode, the degree of humility and
diminution is more profound
because we are not focused on
saving our skin, as it were, but
just to hide in shame realizing
our own lowliness.
However, even in this level the
focus is still on ourselves, albeit a
diminished and humbled self. We
are not trying to secure ourselves,
but we feel embarrassed. There is
an I that feels diminished.

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Parsha Thought
On the highest rung, the
person reaches such a sense of
self-abnegation that the ego is
totally removed and he or she
becomes one with G-d.
This
explains
Judaisms
emphasis on yira, even more
so than ahava-love. Although a
human being must encompass
both, the ultimate level of
connection to G-d can only be
achieved through the highest level
of yira. Even the most exalted
level of love for G-d dictates that
our ego is still somewhere to be
found and is made more whole
and complete by our closeness to
G-d. Yira, by contrast, transcends
our ego and is the ultimate
catalyst of growth for our souls.
Indeed, this level only will be fully

realized in the Messianic Age.

LOWEST IS LINKED TO THE

HIGHEST
Chassidic
philosophy
maintains that although fear of
G-d is the lowest rung of yira it
has something in common with
the highest level. First, when
we express fear of something it
indicates that we are totally aware
of the presence of the other.
Indeed, the word yira can also be
read as see. One who sees the
presence of the formidable other
will recoil in fear.
It may also be suggested that
the English word fear as well
as the word aware both derive
from the dual sense of the word
yira, which is an
awareness that
generates fear.
In addition,
even
the
lowest
level
of
yira/fear
shares another
characteristic
with the highest
level of yira: the
loss of ego. The
mere fact that
it shares that
characteristic
is an indication
that inherent in
and underlying
the fear is a
spark of awe
and reverence




to the point of self-abnegation.

This spark is waiting to be ignited
into a full-fledged awareness of
G-d and unity with Him.
As we stand on the threshold
of the Final Redemption, when
the highest level of yira will
be manifest, we can prepare
for it even by experiencing the
lowest levels of awareness. This
awareness begins at the start of
our day when we awaken and
recognize that we are alive and in
G-ds presence.
That awareness is followed
by the recitation of the Modeh
Ani prayer, in which we thank
G-d for simply being alive. But
even this simple low level
acknowledgment begins with
the word Modeh-thanks and
only afterwards is followed by
the word ani-I. In English
translation it would read,
Thanks I give. Why is thanks
mentioned before I?
Because
inherent
and
embedded
in
this
simple
declaration of our awareness of
G-d is a spark of the highest level
of yira-awareness.
We should therefore never
underestimate
the
simplest
positive gestures, for they contain
great spiritual treasures that
await our discovery and use
and which pave the way for the
attainment of the highest levels of
yira with the imminent arrival of
Moshiach.

Express service
Fully Computerized
331 Kingston Ave.
(2nd Flr) Brooklyn NY 11213
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(718) 493-1111
Fax: (718) 493-4444

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

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34 22 Menachem-Av 5776 - Hakhel

Radio Moshiach & Redemption

1620-1640 AM around Crown Heights & Boro Park

& 1710 AM in parts of Brooklyn 24/6
2016-08-23 7:53:15 AM
worldwide live broadcast: www.RadioMoshiach.org

1035_bm_eng.indd 34
Rabbi Jacob Schwei

TZIVOS HASHEM

SEEING
GEULA!
By Zalman Ben-Nun

Do you see the red car

driving quickly? I asked.
No, said Moishy.
And the lit-up sign over
greengrocers
the
Shimon
store? I tried again.
No! replied Moishy while
shaking his head.
Wow, then you must be
blind! I said in surprise.
Right, he said. I am
blind. And I can no longer see
what you described.
After a moment of silence I
quietly asked, If you are not
blind from birth, then what
happened to you?
Moishy sat down and told
me the following:
Two years ago, I was
sitting in the small yard near
my house. The weather was
great. A cool wind blew and
made the branches in the tree
sway. Colorful butterflies flitted
around the yellow sunflowers.
It was springtime at its best.
Suddenly, with no prior
warning, I felt an irritation in
my right eye. I closed it tight
and immediately felt that
scraping feeling in my left
eye too. I rubbed both of my
eyes hard and when I opened
them I was shocked to see that

the beautiful world in front

of me was changing colors
and becoming less and less
sharp until slowly, my vision
deteriorated more and more.
I shouted and my parents
came running and found me
sitting and sobbing. I told
them what happened and
they rushed to take me to the
hospital where they did all
sorts of tests. At the end of all
the tests the doctor said it was
a very rare allergy, found in
less than one percent of people.
The results are loss of vision
and there is no cure.
devastated
were
We
to hear this and prayed to
Hashem that He restore my
eyesight. At the same time, we
looked for a medical solution.
I listened raptly to Moishy,
my new neighbor who was my
age, and my heart went out to
him. He went on:
Sadly, my parents decided
I had to make peace with my
situation and look for ways of
handling my loss of vision. I
began learning Braille, which
is reading raised letters with
your fingertips. By using a
system of dots, I learned the
alef-beis in Braille.
The beginning was very

hard. I could barely feel the

difference between the little
dots and I thought I would
never get used to it but today,
my fingers acquired a special
sense of touch and I can read
long texts quickly.
I was surprised to hear
Moishys story and tried to
console him with words I could
barely find. Moishy smiled
reassuringly and said not to
worry, he was used to the
reactions of friends who heard
his story for the first time.
In the days that followed, I
learned about more of Moishys
limitations and my ability to
help him. I would suppor t him
as he walked to school instead
of his using a long stick to help
guide him. I told him what it
said on the blackboard and
helped him fit in to the social
life of our class.
I would visit his house once
in a while and sit and learn
with him, play games, and
chat as friends do. I especially
liked to look at his books in
Braille. I tried to find other
books for him and gave them
to him to read.
One week, the kids in class
decided to start a weekly
Tanya shiur in the home of

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35

2016-08-23 7:52:51 AM

has not come. Then the Rebbe committed to learning Tanya

new
said, apparently something by heart by using the
smiled
He
him.
gave
important was missing in the seifer I
really
spreading of the wellsprings and said, Now we are
are
and
Geula
the
and he surmises it was the ready for
when
time
special
a
absence of Chassidus in Braille living in
of the
which is used by the blind. we all can get a taste
in
taught
be
will
But now, said the Rebbe, they Torah that
published the Tanya in a Braille the Geula!
I thought about what
edition, and the wellsprings
of Chassidus can spread even Moishy said and was thrilled at
the thought, for this is a special
further.
I promised him that I would
generation which Chassidim
was
Moishy
try and find a solution. The
looked forward to over the
moved
very
next week, before the shiur,
this years. It is the generation
by
I knocked at his door with
a n d in which we achieve the
a surprise. I had a book
spreading of your wellsprings
wrapped in paper. Moishy
to perfection.
was excited when he
Chassidus
with
Now,
opened it and felt the
blind,
the
for
available even
word on the binding
it
learn
can
so that Moishy
with his fingertips.
tells
that
else,
ne
like everyo
You guessed it. It
us that we are literally
was a Tanya.
on the threshold of the
At the end of
Geula!
the shiur, I told
A week later,
that
Moishy
when I went to
the
5751
in
pick up Moishy
a
said
Rebbe
from his house,
sicha in which
he had a big
mentioned
he
Did
smile.
how the Baal
ever
you
Shem Tov asked
hear of the
Moshiach,
expression,
When are you
your
open
sir?
coming
e y e s ?
And Moshiach
asked
He
r e p l i e d ,
excitedly.
your
When
Before I could
wellsprings
he
respond
s p r e a d
jumped at me
outward.
with a hug and
Rebbe
The
shouted, I see!
notes in that
The many prayers
sicha, we seem to
helped and this
be at a time when
morning, for the
the wellsprings of
first time since the
Chassidus are spread
problem began, I was
more than ever before
able to see!
and yet, Moshiach still

one of the boys. The day of

the shiur, I went to chat with
Moishy. To my surprise, he
looked upset.
You dont look happy,
what happened? I asked.
Moishy said, Its all because
of the shiur we are planning to
go to. You are going to sit and
learn out of the Tanya, but
there is no Tanya in Braille!

B"H. 22 Menachem Av 5776 Hakhel

26 August 2016 Number 1035
Price: $6.00 Part 2 of 2
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2016-08-23 7:52:44 AM