Exodus Magazine - November 2019

#205 | November 2019 • Cheshvan 5780

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November 2019

Cheshvan 5780

6

5 | JEWISH SOUL

Balance the Heart and the Mind

7

10

10 | LIFE ON EARTH

The Beast Within

Emotions uncontrolled could carry a person to extremes, while pure intellect is by nature completely detached and “cold,” lacking vitality.

There’s a beast inside all of us. There’s a beast, and you’ve got to hold it tight, restrain it, harness it. Do nothing, and it will rip you apart and consume you alive.

— From the Rebbe's correspondence

— by Tzvi Freeman

6 | MADE YOU THINK

18 | PERSPECTIVES

Transcending Limiting Beliefs

The Future of Israeli Security

Whenever we go through a slump we’re forgetting how to live a meaningful life. A trap we fall into is thinking that someone or something outside of ourselves can give our lives meaning.

Netanyahu made a public commitment to extend Israeli law and jurisdiction to the Jordan Valley and the Northern Dead Sea. What is the security strategy and historical significance of this move?

— by Simon Jacobson

— by Dore Gold

7 | JEWISH THOUGHT

20 | KABBALAH

Peace of mind has came to be regarded in our time as one life’s highest ideals. Clergymen, leaders of cults, psychologists, advertisers all seem to agree that this is the thing most to be desired.

By rectifying Rachel in our personal and national lives, we will come closer to achieving Jewish nature, reconstructing the figure of Rachel for ourselves, for our People, and for the entire world.

— by Adin Even-Israel (Steinsaltz)

— by Yitzchak Ginsburgh

The Strife of the Spirit

Reconstructing Rachel

18

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4 5 6 7 10 12 13 17 18 20 21 25

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A recent study out of Boston University tested whether higher optimism was associated with longer life spans. It follows in the footsteps of valuers studies that connected optimism to reduced risk of illness, and explores some of the psychosocial factors that promote healthy and resilient aging. The results? Optimism is specifically related to an 11% to 15% longer life span, on average, and to greater odds of achieving ‘exceptional longevity – living over 85 and in some cases over 100 years of age.

The factual conclusions of the study are pretty hard to argue with, and it seems right on an instinctual level. But how does it work? Researchers hypothesize yet don’t quite understand the mechanics of how optimism leads to better health. “One explanation is that more optimistic individuals may experience less extreme emotional reactivity, which helps them recover more quickly from stressors.”

Interesting, the Rebbe wrote the following in 1955: “It is already well known and medical science acknowledges this to an ever-greater extent, that the entire condition of the individual, [not only psychologically, but] physiologically as well, is impacted by the manner in which he perceives events surrounding him. This is to say that to a large extent, the person’s entire state depends on how he reacts to external and internal events. Indeed, it is most significant that among the [philosophical] founders of the school of optimism, there were quite a number whose lives were filled with experiences that we would term travails. Conversely, among the pessimists, we find many whose lives were abundantly good and were lacking nothing ... except for satisfaction and joy in their lives.”

Regardless of how or why it works, there are some guidelines for increasing the optimism quotient in our lives – principles that can help us live not only longer, but also better lives:

Strengthen social relationships. The researchers noted that optimism is related to strong social networks. A strong social network can include spending time with close friends, or participating in regularly scheduled group or community activities. Joining new groups or scheduling time to see friends and family and engage in activities strengthens these relationships. Focus on spending time with positive and supportive people.

Set goals. Set achievable goals for each day and adjust those goals as needed. Be specific and realistic. For example, rather than a broad goal, such as “clean house,” identify specific areas that you plan on cleaning (wipe down counters, scrub kitchen sink). Research suggests that setting goals and having the confidence to achieve these goals is related to optimism.

Reframe situations. As much as possible, focus on the positive and find meaning in everything.

One of the fundamental concepts of Chassidic thought is the notion that within each and every event that transpires in a person’s life there is a lesson to be learned in his Divine service. Tap into it, and be uplifted.

Practice gratitude meditations. Gratitude meditations focus on giving thanks for the positive aspects of your life, which can include family members, friends or possessions, among other things. The Sages teach that one should be grateful for every single breath one takes.

Practice the half-smile. A psychotherapy technique to cope with sad feelings is to practice smiling for a few minutes each day. If a full smile is not possible, a half-smile works as well.

Notice any impact on your thoughts, mood and level of optimism. The Zohar states that by presenting a melancholy countenance, this arouses a corresponding response from Above.

However, when I am joyful and satisfied with my lot, regardless of my situation, this itself improves the situation, and things actually get better.

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jewish soul

Balance

the

Heart

and the

Mind

From the Rebbe's correspondence

M

any thanks for your letter of June 24, with enclosures. I should have acknowledged it immediately, except that I was waiting for the Tefillin, which are accompanied by this letter.

Needless to say, since the Tefillin are a gift, my first thought was not to cash the check.

I decided, however, that when a Jew desires to give charity, he should be encouraged, not deprived of the merit of it. Accordingly, I have earmarked it for a sacred cause, as per enclosed receipt. May the merit of the charity bring you and yours additional blessings from Above in all your affairs, particularly in the matters about which you wrote with such heartfelt sentiments, of which more is no doubt contained in between the lines.

Now, to answer your question in reference to my previous letter, namely, why the Passover blessings came first, and the subject of the Tefillin second, and in a P.S. The answer, in plain terms, is that the subject of Passover had precedence because of its specific timeliness. Moreover, it was entirely within my prerogative, whereas the matter of Tefillin was a request on my part and depended on your good will and resolve.

In a more significant sense (which will also explain the P.S. instead of a separate letter on such an important subject as you well recognize), the order corresponds to the Torah, where the Mitzvah of Tefillin is introduced in connection with, and following, the exhortation concerning the remembrance of the Exodus and the annual celebration of Passover. Thereupon the Torah declares: “And it (the Exodus) shall be for a sign unto you on your hand and for a reminder between your eyes, in order that G‑d’s Torah be in your mouth; for with a strong hand HaShem brought you out of Egypt" (Exod.

13:9).

In this section (Exod. 13: 1-10), which is one of the four Torah portions contained in the Tefillin “houses,” the Torah emphasizes that although the Exodus is to be celebrated annually in the spring month for seven days (eight in the Diaspora) as The Festival of Matzahs,the event should be remembered every day in a tangible way, through the Mitzvah of putting on Tefillin. What is the connection?

November 2019

As I mentioned briefly in my previous letter, it is explained in our sacred sources, especially in Chabad, that the putting on Tefillin stimulates the proper balance and harmony between the heart and the mind, emotion and reason. This is the way by which a person can overcome his natural constraints (his “inner Egypt”) – constraints which an imbalance between the emotional and intellectual faculties would further aggravate.

The terms “balance” and “harmony” imply a blend, not the exclusion of one or the other.

Emotions uncontrolled could carry a person to extremes, while pure intellect is by nature completely detached and “cold,” lacking vitality. Only when the two are blended in the proper balance, the person attains inner harmony and can function most efficiently and productively. Such a person is inwardly unfettered and spiritually free.

It may be wondered how these two opposite and contrary paramount human faculties, personified by the brain and heart, each called a “sovereign” organ ruling all the other organs of the body, can be reconciled and brought into true and lasting harmony.

The answer is that the Creator has given man the capacity to achieve such harmony,

and He has made certain that the Jewish people, who had been chosen to receive the Torah and spread the light of G‑dliness on earth, would have the wherewithal to achieve this balance and harmony through the Torah and Mitzvahs, particularly the Mivtzah of Tefillin.

The historic event of the Exodus brought freedom to our Jewish people from bondage, both physical and spiritual, through attaching themselves to HaShem and His servant Moshe, culminating in receiving the Torah.

It is the forerunner and counterpart of the personal “Exodus” of every individual Jew. This is why the Mivtzah of Tefillin is so central in Jewish life.

To conclude with a prayerful wish based on the Torah principle that “G‑d’s reward is in kind, but in a most generous measure.”

When a Jew makes the effort to break through his natural limitations, and succeeds with HaShem’s help, His blessings come in a similar manner, transcending the natural order, so that the material blessing exceeds all expectations, one’s health and vigor is inordinately better than the birth certificate would normally indicate, and so on. May this be so with you and yours in the fullest measure. EM

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5

made you think

Transcending Limiting Beliefs Simon Jacobson

W

henever we go through a slump — whether it is from boredom, failure, or depression — we’re forgetting how to live a meaningful life. A trap we fall into is thinking that someone or something outside of ourselves can give our lives meaning.

We think things like this: If I had enough money to do the things that I find meaningful, then I could lead a meaningful life. Since I don’t have enough money to do those things, my life has no meaning.

I’m single and I won’t have a meaningful life until I am in a long-term relationship. I have to find love before I can be happy.

My job is stopping me from leading a meaningful life because it is boring. I want a more glamorous job. It seems like I live to work.

I am stuck with my habits. I can’t change.

I have to continue leading an unfulfilling life

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because I can’t change my ways.

I’m fat. I won’t have a meaningful life until I lose weight.

Those are limiting beliefs, aren’t they?

Who would want to live with those kind of beliefs?

We each have our “if only” scenario. Look at your limiting beliefs now. If you’re not sure what they are, think of the goals you have that you are not reaching. Nobody can ever achieve all of their goals — if someone could, he would be aiming too low. Goals are never-ending. What matters is the present, and the talents and gifts that we bring to it.

What matters is where we can contribute and influence now. Focusing on our contributions and the use of our innate talents is how to live a meaningful life. It is how we can transcend all limits.

How can we transcend our “if only” beliefs?

Your essence and your strength come from

a power greater than yourself. At any moment a rich man can lose his material wealth; a beautiful woman can lose her physical beauty. However, the soul is connected to a transcendent and infinite power.

Your external limitations fade when you get busy fulfilling your purpose in life. Listen to the “still small voice” that speaks inside you when you remove external distractions from yourself. Tune in to your passions: What brings you wholesome joy? Where do you feel “at home” and useful? What gives you a lasting sense of satisfaction? Take the call of your soul and pursue it — it will sublimate your limiting beliefs. That is the foundation of how to live a meaningful life.

EM Rabbi Simon Jacobson is the author of Toward a Meaningful Life: The Wisdom of the Rebbe and the director of the Meaningful Life Center (meaningfullife.org).

Cheshvan 5780

jewish thought

The Strife

of the

Spirit

Adin Even-Israel (Steinsaltz)

P

eace of mind has came to be regarded in our time as one life’s highest ideals. Clergymen, leaders of cults, psychologists, advertisers all seem to agree that this is the thing most to be desired. And of course all of them are in some measure prepared to provide it. Rest and relaxation are no longer the exclusive province of resorts and sanitariums. Peace of mind is regarded not merely as something pleasant and desirable but as a spiritual ideal and significant life goal, the final achievement to which various schools of thought and meditation aspire.

The reasons for this longing for tranquility are not hard to find. Modern life, particularly in its characteristic urban form, is beset by political and economic upheaval, insecurity and fear. It is an unquiet life. Global tensions impinge not only on the body politic and its functionaries but on each individual citizen. People in general, even those most concerned with peace of mind — be it for themselves or as a "commodity" to be sold to others — have very high material expectations, which in turn necessitate ceaseless striving. The shattering of accepted values and the distrust of established frameworks create confusion and changed, sometimes contradictory, expectations. All this makes modern man tense, pressured, discontented. Hardly anyone escapes this stress or the measure of difficulty it adds to life. Home, family, friends, and good works all gradually disappear or are drastically altered in form, and to the extent that they survive at all they tend themselves to become sources of tension and competition.

Thus, beyond all the internal and external turbulence, what man seeks is tranquility, relaxation, and peace, at least with himself.

The almost physical need for quiet and surcease quickly received legitimation and even reinforcement from psychology, philosophy, and religion. Tension and stress of all kinds have come to be seen not only as discomfiting and harmful but as morally invalid. Peace and quiet have become the great motive forces of all striving, including the spiritual.

Of course, the quest for peace in all its forms is quite ancient, as old as mankind

November 2019

itself. So, too, is the elevation of peace as a supreme value. Nevertheless, there is still room to question the notion of peace of mind and its place in the hierarchy of human needs. What, first of all, does it really mean? One important definition is provided by the Jewish sages in the context of a lengthy discussion of the many virtues of peace: "The Holy One, blessed be He, found no vessel but peace which could contain all blessing." This beautiful passage, which makes peace the very basis of all good things, goes on to make a telling distinction: peace is a vessel that can contain blessing, but it can also contain nothing at all, call be an empty vessel. Here is a truth with wide applicability, be it in the international or the interpersonal realm, or in the life of the individual soul. Peace with no content, meaningless tranquility, rest without sanctity — all are empty vessels. At best, the emptiness is soon filled with positive

content. In all too many cases, however, the empty vessel becomes a repository for whatever comes along. In the absence of anything else, rubbish and abomination can fill the void. It is the same with empty peace of mind: the tension and pressure seem to be gone, but nothing positive comes to take their place. A vacuum results, an existence devoid of effort or thought, which is in no sense better than what preceded it. A life of vain struggle can be relieved of pressure and anxiety and yet remain as vacuous and meaningless as before. Furthermore, while stress is likely (particularly when unremitting) to be unpleasant, it has the potential of achieving meaningful, valuable change. An equilibrium from which stress has been eliminated can be a terminal state, a condition from which all further development is likewise excluded — in short, the peace of death.

The notion of peace of mind as a supreme

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jewish thought

value, as a standard by which to judge all other aspects of life, is worse than inadequate. It carries with it the real danger of glorifying emptiness and negation — negation of good as well as evil, release from achievement as well as from stress. The Torah’s identification of life with good and death with evil (Deuteronomy 30:15) is cast in different, less exalted and more down-toearth imagery in the Book of Ecciesiastes: “Better off the living dog than the dead lion” (9:4). And the reason given has to do with the potential for change, however bitterly expressed: “For the living know that they shall die, while the dead know nothing at all” (9:5). In other words, as long as there is activity, as long as there is struggle — however lowly, however reduced to the level of the “dog's” struggle for bare existence — it is better than the empty tranquility of death, the peace which contains nothing and points nowhere beyond itself.

The underlying issue here has to do with the positioning of a scale of values. As soon as there is some kind of ordering, leading to a final goal — be it material, spiritual in a broad sense (knowledge, truth, love), or specifically religious (divine enlightenment, etc.) — one must judge each situation and each action, not according to its comfortableness, but according to whether or not it is likely to bring one nearer to that goal. In our case, peace of mind may come as pleasant relief to one sorely pressed by the exigencies of life; but as long as he aspires to more in life than escape, such peace cannot be for him an end in itself.

Inner tranquility and turmoil, relaxation and tension, must be judged in light of the ultimate goal. And there are goals that cannot be attained except through struggle waged within the soul.

The path of inner conflict is neither easy nor pleasant. Every struggle, first of all, carries the risk of an undesirable outcome.

Every attempt to reach a higher level of existence, to break out and ascend, entails not only the possibility of failure to rise but also the possibility of falling even lower than the point where one began. Then too, no spiritual ladder can be ascended without constant effort, tension, and anguish. In

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many ways, this struggle is between different and often opposing values. But in a much broader sense, it is an ongoing struggle between the given, present reality and that which has not yet come into existence but waits to be created. The inertia of what already exists is always the great enemy and can never be fully overcome. The never-ending conflict between the existent and not-yet-existent is at the root of man's whole inner struggle.

In fact, it is in the nature of inward, as opposed to outward, political or economic struggle, that it knows no termination, no clear-cut end point at which victory or defeat can be pronounced. There may be brief pauses for rest or changes of pace along the way, alternations between stretches of acute, violent exertion and stretches of slower, more measured progress,

but there is no real conclusion. Not only are the goals of spiritual struggle loftier and more difficult to attain than other kinds of goals, they are enlarged by the very process of achieving them, by the inward growth of the struggler himself. Thus, when quiet overtakes the spiritual struggle, it is in itself a sign of backsliding and descent. There can be no greater danger to one laboring to reach a higher spiritual and moral plane than the feeling that he has achieved it.

Such feelings of self-satisfaction generally indicate a blurring of the vision of the goal itself.

In every serious discussion of spiritual matters there arises from. time to time the question of whether man is capable of reaching any goal whatsoever except through such protracted inner conflict. This is not just a theoretical question. In fact,

Cheshvan 5780

jewish thought

everyone whose life is oriented toward goals beyond his present reality, goals that are not simply the direct and natural outcome of his present way of life, is already involved in such a conflict. Is there no alternative?

For most of us, the answer is no. There does nor appear to be any magical way, without deception, to resolve, conclude, and thus dispense with the inner struggle.

True, there are in this world people with extraordinary gifts who are able to bring the opposed forces in their own souls into genuine harmony with each other, harmony that these forces energize rather than undermine. But such abilities result not from following any particular teaching or path but from rare inborn attributes. The latter are not unlike other sorts of native endowments — natural beauty, for example, which radiates from every movement and

November 2019

gesture and needs no artificial enhancement; or genius in a particular discipline, which is reflected in nearly total mastery. People with such endowments do need to make a certain effort, but it is mainly to avoid spoiling what they already possess. There are, likewise, rare cases of people especially gifted in the moral realm, and here too, the quality is not one that can be achieved by any sort of exertion. Of course, many who are not particularly gifted are responsible for significant and even decisive achievements in this realm, but never without effort or by taking an easy way. The extraordinarily talented are like rare works of nature — orchids or birds-of-paradise — whose character is something to marvel at and enjoy but not imitate. Nor do such people usually reach the same heights or depths as others in their grasp of truth. For there are certain precious insights that cannot be acquired except through tribulation, things born of struggle and effort that can never be harmonized, and it is the pursuit of these that makes for the highest levels of aspiration. It is, in any case, the unavoidable lot of most men to choose, not between turmoil and tranquil perfection, but rather between a harsh struggle to finding themselves and a degeneration that in the last analysis offers no peace of mind either. Instead of waiting for a miraculous rescue, let a man take the other path, the only meaningful one, and prepare himself to do battle within.

Part of the preparation lies in this very recognition, that without inward strife there can be no life, that what a man endures is no mere “punishment” being exacted of him as an individual but the way of all men. And in a wider perspective, man’s inner struggle is part of the larger process of life itself. On one level, the struggle within the human soul is likely to be between good and evil, while on another level it is between the natural (animal, biological) and supernatural. (divine) elements in the human makeup. Taking yet a broader view — and one that does not contradict but complements the picture already presented — it is a struggle in cosmic terms between chaos and Creation, or, in physical terms, between entropy and life. In a sense, all

physical existence represents the struggle of mute form to preserve itself, its weight, its volume, its component elements; and the same is especially true of life forms whose very being is a perpetual process not only of maintenance but of metabolic transformation, not only of selfpreservation but of growth. This ceaseless tension between being and nothingness is no mere epiphenomenon or superstructure but part of existence itself at all levels and in all manifestations. It is thus impossible for man to escape this tension or negate it entirely. It: can be ignored or not recognized, but there is no release from it.

Indeed, man’s question should not be how to escape the perpetual struggle but rather what form to give it, at what level to wage it. The tension of existence is to be found even in a molecule of inarticulate matter; in man, as in all living creatures, there are the tensions of biological growth and change. He can live his life and carry on his struggle entirely on that plane. If he does, that, too, will be the plane on which his spiritual life is lived, for even at its basest, human life cannot be lived without consciousness. At whatever level man struggles, there will his consciousness be involved. That differentiates the saint from the lowly creature of instinct, cunning, and cruelty is nor the life-tension within him but the level at which his conscious being joins the struggle he must wage for survival. The choice between good and evil is preceded by an even more, fundamental choice: whether to give spiritual or moral expression to the contradiction inherent in one’s humanness or to try to ignore that contradiction.

Difficulty and tension, bitterness and pain, are to be found as much in the ash heap as in the heavens. Each human being must decide where to take his stand and fight his battle.. EM Rabbi Adin Even-Yisrael (Steinsaltz) is internationally regarded as one of the leading rabbis of this century. The author of many books, he is best known for his monumental translation of and commentary on the Talmud. To learn more visit his website, steinsaltz.org.

exodusmagazine.org

9

life on earth

The Beast Within Tzvi Freeman

D

r. David Barlow of Boston U is known for making patients feel uneasy. If you try to take off your jacket in his office, he stops you and tells you to keep it on. The last thing he wants is for you to feel cool and relaxed when you’re sitting with him. He’s happy to see you as uncomfortable as possible. He wants to see real anxiety.

Which is what makes Dr. Barlow of the most successful therapists today for sufferers of anxiety disorders.

Doc Barlow wants his patients to face their anxiety head-on. Why? Because he believes there’s a fear structure wired into their brains, a little beastie with a messedup mind of its own. To rewire that beast, you’ve got to meet it while it’s live and kicking, throbbing and pumping red. You’ve got to discover that you can beat it on its

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own ground.

You don’t need an anxiety disorder to have a beast inside. There’s a beast inside all of us. There’s a beast, and you’ve got to hold it tight, restrain it, harness it. Do nothing, and it will rip you apart and consume you alive, with rage, with passion, with fear, with depression, with stupidities—with whatever teeth and fangs adorn this particular beast of yours. Other creatures thrive by following their nature. But you are a human. Human nature demands that you transcend nature.

There are two ways to transcend nature.

You could wage an endless war. Or you could transcend in utter peace.

The person we call a tzaddik is one who has walked away from his battle in peace.

What is the tzaddik’s secret? It is his unbounded love. The tzaddik’s soul burns with passion, the ecstasy of his heart bursts

into flames—fierce, inextinguishable flames that consume the entire animal, meat, blood and bones, as a burnt offering brought upon a heavenly altar, transforming that beast at its very core, until it is more an angel than an earthly being.

The beast of the tzaddik knows reason and bows to it. It willingly offers all its power of passion to the divine soul that has mastered it, and all its brute strength to its service. While the rest of us—at best—grab the beast by its horns so we can harness its power to plow our fields, the tzaddik has already stripped that beast of its earthiness and taught it to fly to the heavens.

But what power fans those flames? What renders his love so real, so all-consuming?

Behind the tzaddik’s love lies his vision.

A vision that pierces beyond the delusions of the human ego, and beneath the façade

Cheshvan 5780

of corporeal perception. For where you and I see a world, the tzaddik sees Infinite Light. Where you and I see a static image, the tzaddik sees reality refreshed at every moment—as though the frequency of his soul exceeds the refresh rate of creation.

For us, this cold, hard world is the ground of reality. The idea of a Creator, of transcendence, of purpose and meaning—all this is a discovery, a revelation, perhaps even an intrusion for which we must apologize. For the tzaddik, that revelation is the background, the canvas from which all forms emerge.

For us, the world is obvious, and its source a revelation. For the tzaddik, the opposite is true: the Infinite Light is obvious, and the existence of this world an astonishment, a wonder that forever escapes resolution.

If so, for the tzaddik, the animal passions never had any dominion to begin with. For us, the animal is the host, and the divine soul arrives with its baggage as an unwelcome guest. As much as that soul might demand and command and assert its superiority, in the end this body is the meaty and earthy territory of the beast, and our soul is the alien who must bow to its conventions.

But for the tzaddik, G‑d is an absolute, and there is nothing else but G‑d. So too, the tzaddik’s love is absolute, and once ignited, there is nothing left in his heart but that love.

The love burns. A blazing fire. In that fire, there is peace.

While in our fire, there is war. Our own persona is the battleground. The beast remains a beast, ever awaiting its moment to break free of its reins and run unfettered by the nuisances of reason, social propriety and moral decency. Every morning we are faced by a yet more powerful brute, already wise to the strategies the mind used yesterday to thwart it, kicking back with yet greater passion, sharper teeth and longer claws.

Some of us suppress rage that could rip apart our families and friendships. Some hold back burning passions for the forbidden.

For others, every day is spent escaping addictions they know are destroying them.

In business, not a day goes by without some ethical decision to face head-on. Each with

his or her challenge, each with his or her battle. And each time, a victory demands reaching inside and awakening a source of power hidden deep within.

We struggle to touch that source, and at times it may even flicker within us. Perhaps even brightly, if just for a moment. Without doubt, it glows there inside us, like a tiny pilot light that glows at the foot of a cold furnace. It calls out to us, like the voice of a small child calling out from the depths of an uncharted cavern.

And then, it leaves us. Once more, we are on our own.

The light leaves us, the voice quietens, but its power is still there. It is the power of the tzaddik within us. For at that essence-core, he is us and we are him. And so, the power of his love is our power; and with that power, nothing can stand in our way.

And if we will ask the tzaddik, “Please, can’t you share with us your burning love?

Can’t we, too, live in serene peace?”

Then the tzaddik will tell us, “But that is not the purpose. That is not why you came to this world. You came here to meet the animal eye to eye, to face it at its most primal level, entrenched at the brainstem, and to rewire it there. I cannot do that, for as long as this love burns bright, the beast does not dare to crawl out of its den. Indeed, it has no substance at all in my world, for it simply dissolves in the light.

“But you will meet it there, in the thick of its darkness. You will struggle to tame it, and it will challenge you. And so you will become yet stronger, stronger than you ever imagined you could be, until the very essence-powers of your soul shall emerge.

And that is when the darkness of that beast will truly shine.

“So that you, not I, will change the world.” EM Rabbi Tzvi Freeman, a senior editor at Chabad.org, is the author of Bringing Heaven Down to Earth and more recently Wisdom to Heal the Earth. To subscribe to regular updates of Rabbi Freeman's writing or purchase his books, visit Chabad.org. Follow him on FaceBook @ RabbiTzviFreeman.

future tense

MOSHIACH MUSINGS

The First Temple built by King Solomon was completed during the month of Cheshvan. However through Divine Inspiration, King Solomon knew that he was not to dedicate it until the following Tishrei. So, the month of Cheshvan was embarrassed... and G‑d promised to repay it in the future, with the dedication ceremony of the Third Temple.

– Midrash Yalkut Melachim What does it mean that the month of Cheshvan, a month that incidentally follows the High Holidays but is itself devoid of holidays, was "embarrassed?"

And how is this connected to the building of the Third Temple?

If there is one thing we know about the Jewish people, it’s that our dreams always come true. But it is the people of Israel themselves who make these dreams happen! A constant recurring theme in the Torah is that everything is up to us. This is exactly why the Sea of Reeds did not split until one man – Nachson, the son of Aminadav, prince of the tribe of Judah – walked out into the water until the sea came up to his nostrils, and he could walk no further.

G‑d made a miracle, to be sure…but only after one man showed Israel that nothing will happen until we do all that we can possibly do ourselves…and not a drop less.

This is how the Third Temple will be rebuilt. Cheshvan is not an empty month, it is a month full of promise and potential – human potential, for us to achieve through our own efforts. The Temple, which will bring unprecedented healing for all humanity, will be rebuilt in the month of Cheshvan, because it will be the result of our efforts.

ask the rabbi

What does the Torah Say About Gossip?

by Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman

Q

I sometimes find that otherwise good and conscientious people tend to gossip and speak badly about others. What is Judaism's view about gossip?

Indeed, refraining from speaking about this we shouldn't is one of the most challenging areas to develop self-control, and one of the most fundamental if we are to develop heightened spiritual awareness and refinement.

First, let's define what it means from a Torah perspective, and then try to lay out some strategies for overcoming this challenging temptation. Gossip in Hebrew is called lashon hara, which literally translates as “the evil tongue.” Lashon hara is a negative commandment, as the Torah explicitly outlaws gossip, whether it is true or false, about others or even about oneself.

The Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan, a renowned Jewish leader of preWWII Europe, spent his lifetime campaigning against lashon hara. He is therefore known by the title of the impressive book he wrote on the topic, Chofetz Chaim, which means "he who desires life." Essentially, this implies that if we want to truly be alive, we should pay attention to how we speak. In the book, the Chofetz Chaim connects the sin of loose lips to many other negative behaviors and transgressions.

If we are going to tackle this problem, it helps to define it as specifically as possible.

Negative speech can be divided into three distinct categories: gossip, lashon hara itself, and defamation.

Gossip means prattling pointlessly about people: simply uttering neutral, nondamaging facts. The Torah uses the Hebrew word rechilut — “peddling” — for gossip: buying, selling and trading worthless words wherever you go.

Lashon hara means repeating negative truths about others — the most damaging form of evil talk.

Defamation means repeating negatives untruths about others — rumors, innuendo, second-hand stories.

Now that we know what gossiping consists of, what are some approaches we can take

12

to eliminate from our lives, or at least minimize it?

1. Use your head. Based on the Chofetz Chaim's widely accepted interpretation, lashon hara begins in the mind. If you think ill of someone, you will speak ill of him, no matter what you say. Conversely, if you think positively of him, you will speak positively of him, no matter what you say. Lashon hara thus really boils down to loving your fellow: having the right attitude towards people.

2. Use your soul. If your attitude is one of genuine concern and love, then even if you speak negative words, they are not lashon hara since they originate in genuine concern and love. Conversely, if you’ve got a nasty attitude towards an individual, then even if you speak positive words, it’s going come out negatively — after all, you just don’t like the guy. So for long term results, work on being loving toward others and stopping lashon hara will come automatically.

3. Be nice. If you’re in a situation where someone says something bad about someone, find something positive about him to respond with. It is usually not a good idea to get into a debate about the negative quality, since this will only serve to validate it and cause the other person to further elaborate on the negative. So it's best to just shift it to the positive and leave it at that. Most people will usually let it go at that point. Keep in mind that listening to negative reports, true or false, negatively affects your view of the person it’s about, so you’ll also have to be aware and work to drive the negative impression you’ve just received out of your head. EM

Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman is the Senior Rabbi of the Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario. You can Ask the Rabbi at jrcc.org or fax to 416.222.7812. To meet with Rabbi Zaltzman in person, feel free to call 416.222.7105 to book an appointment.

Appointments are generally available on Tuesday evenings after 7 p.m.

Rebbitzin Chiena Zaltzman is also available for private consultations by appointment on Wednesday evenings from 9 to 10pm by calling 416.222.7105.

В редакцию журнала пришло электронное сообщение от женщины, которая обратилась к раввину с жалобой: она выражала недовольство тем, что в этом году ни один лидер страны, ни средства массовой информации Cеверной Америки – телевидение и газеты не поздравили евреев с Рош Ашана. Она спрашивала, должна ли еврейская община как-то отреагировать на такое невнимание? Для сравнения она упомянула, что везде прошла информация о каком-то индийском празднике, в связи с которым в адрес индийской общины направлялись многочисленные поздравления. Журнал «Эксодус» поздравлял евреев с Рош Ашана. Я ей тоже об этом сказала, но она ответила, что речь идет не о еврейских, а о правительственных изданиях. И у нее возник вопрос: какова точка зрения Торы по поводу ситуации, когда мир обделяет евреев своим вниманием? Должно ли это заботить евреев? Нужно ли им в этом случае предпринимать какие-либо действия, чтобы изменить положение? Должно ли нас волновать отсутствие внимания мира по отношению к еврейскому народу? Главное, что должно нас волновать, – благополучие еврейского народа: привести большее число евреев на праздник, помочь кому-то начать соблюдать наши традиции. В этом заключается залог благословения, счастья и нашего бессмертия. Теперь по поводу правительственных поздравлений. В Северной Америке не существует правительственных газет – все они, так же, как и телевизионные каналы, принадлежат частным лицам. Правительство не помещает поздравлений, это обычно делают частные лица или организации, которые платят за свои объявления. Обычно перед праздниками еврейские организации помещают в газетах или на телевидении объявления, чтобы напомнить евреям о празднике и о традициях. Это должно было быть сделано и перед Рош Ашана: евреям необходимо слышать трубление в Шофар, а в праздник Суккот - сделать благословение на Сукку и Лулав...

The article above is excerpted from the Russian edition of Exodus Magazine. To subscribe, please visit exodusmagazine.org or call 416.222.7105.

Cheshvan 5780

‫ב”ה‬

Our

NOVEMBER 2019 | CHESHVAN 5780 COMMUNITY CALENDAR

NOVEMBER2019 TUES

05 7:30pm FRI

08 TUES

12

7:00pm WED

13

6:00pm WED

13

8:00pm THURS

14

7:30pm FRI

15

7:00pm SUN

17

8:00pm THURS

28 8:00pm

WOMEN'S COURSE BEGINS Rosh Chodesh Society See ad on page 15 SHABBAT DINNERS West Thornhill / Concord See ad on page 14 MINI WORKSHOP with Rabbi M. Gitik See ad on page 14 BABKA-LLAH BAKE Kids Program See ad on page 14 FOOD DEMO JRCC S R-hill & Maple See ad on page 14 NEAR NORMAL MAN Film screening See ad on page 15 SHABBAT DINNER JRCC @ Rockford See ad on page 14 FOOD DEMO JRCC E Thornhill / Concord See ad on page 14 FARBRENGEN: 1 KISLEV A community gathering.

JRCC West Thornhill

CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES November 1, 2019

5:51pm

November 8, 2019

4:42pm

November 15, 2019

4:34pm

November 22, 2019

4:29pm

November 29, 2019

4:25pm

www.jrcc.org

Community T H E M O N T H I N R E V I E W. U P C O M I N G E V E N T S & P R O G R A M S .

HIGH HOLIDAY SERVICES AT 12 LOCATIONS Thousands of people participated in High Holiday services at a record 12 (!) locations throughout the GTA – including at the JRCC’s newest branch in Willowdale (Yonge & Finch). Participants enjoyed the traditional Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur services, with guidance and commentary in Russian and English. The English-Hebrew-Russian prayerbooks and plentiful space in the comfortable locations, most of which included children’s programs, were designed to facilitate a meaningful and enjoyable experience. Highlights included the blowing of the Shofar on Rosh Hashana, and the moving Kol Nidrei and Neilah prayers of Yom Kippur, which usher in a year of blessing.

Thank you to all those who purchased tickets, which helps with planning the services and offsetting the costs. This year, many people successfully used the new online reservations system to reserve not only seats but also aliyahs and other honors in advance, which helps the services run more smoothly with less interruptions. Special thanks to all the JRCC staff and volunteers who helped make the experience meaningful and enjoyable for so many. May we all be inscribed and sealed for a good and sweet year!

1,500 PEOPLE CELEBRATE SUKKOT WITH THE JRCC - SEE COLLAGE ON PAGE 14 Hundreds of people of all ages participated in dozens of events and celebrations during the week-long Sukkot festival, referred to in Judaism as "the time of our rejoicing.” JRCC Branches hosted several events, parties for children and special events for adults. The family Sukkot parties featured music, prizes, children’s entertainment like drum circles and science shows, and holiday-themed crafts and activities that made the holiday spirit palpable – including, of course, eating in the Sukkah and shaking the lulav and etrog. In addition to the family parties, JRCC branches also hosted evenings specifically for adults to focus on their own spiritual growth and social activities, and to experience the joy of Sukkot and “Simchat Beit HaShoeva” in their own way. Each branch found their own way to celebrate, with the JRCC West Thornhill and JRCC@Rockford living it up with “Scotch & Steak in the Sukkah, while the JRCC S Richmond Hill & Maple and East Thornhill each hosted a “Sukkah Hop” that kept people moving from sukkah to sukkah in the neighborhood. Special events were also held for teens and seniors. In all, it is estimated that over 1,500 people participated in dozens of JRCC Sukkot events, with even more coming out to dance together in the culminating festival of Simchat Torah.

JRCC LAUNCHES CTEEN

The JRCC recently launched CTeen, a new program for teens in our community that is the JRCC’s local chapter of the international CTeen network. With over 500 chapters in 37 countries and 6 continents, CTeen, the Chabad Teen Network, is the fastest growing network of Jewish teens. It’s mission is to provide a nurturing environment fusing fun, friendship, humanitarian outreach, mitzvah observance, and engaging Torah study. In additional to engaging weekly and seasonal local programs, CTeen offers a variety of trips, regional programs and a giant annual gathering in New York. For more information and registration visit jrcc.org/CTeen.

NEW COURSE FOR WOMEN BEGINS The Rosh Chodesh Society just began a new course for women this moth. Insight: Infused with Wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, explores the Rebbe’s broad view of the world at large, our personal failures, the feminine role, current trends and events, and more. The empowering seven-part series, slated to run in over 220 locations across the globe including several JRCC locations, is a remarkably transformative experience that unveils the purpose, beauty, and power buried within ourselves, our destiny, and all of existence. The course will be taught once per month for seven consecutive months and is designed for women at all levels of Jewish knowledge. For more information visit jrcc.org/rcs.

JRCC Our Community

13

CLUB

Healthy Family.

Healthy You.

A cooking demo and talk showcasing how to increase winter immunity as well as long term disease prevention.

RHN, ECE (Nutritionist)

JRCC East Thornhill & JRCC Concord 411 Confederation Pkwy, #14 Sunday, Nov 17 at 8pm RSVP: JRCC.org/HealthyCooking

PERSONAL REDEMPTION MINI WORKSHOP WITH RABBI M. GITIK

Part 1: The Era of Moshiach • The Rambam’s timeline • What’s wrong with miracles?

• The history of Israel

BAKE!

with Surie Weinberg JRCC S Richmond Hill & Maple 9699 Bathurst St. Wednesday, Nov 13 at 8pm RSVP: jrccMaple.org/Women’sPrograms

Cost: $15 before Nov 6 $20 at the door

MEGA BABKA-LLAH ...AND A

e yum!

Double th

OWN MAKE YOUR

A...

CHOCOLATE BABK

Wed., Nov 13 at 6pm JRCC East Thornhill 7683 Yonge St. JrccEastThornhill.org/babkallah

DELIC

IOUS CH fo ALLAH r Shab

bat!

$10 in advance, $15 at the door

Sunday, March 14

JRCC COMMUNITY 2:30-5:00 PM

FRIDAY NIGHT DINNERS Location here and here

JRCC West Thornhill and here Friday, Nov 8 at 7pm 1136 Centre St., #2 FOR AGES 6-12 | $10/CHILD JrccWestThornhill.org

Part 2: Self Discovery • Four parts of the personality • Why are we here?

• Learning from our weaknesses

JRCC Concord Friday, Nov 8 at 5:30pm 411 Confederation Pkwy #14 JRCC.org/Concord/TorahandScience

Followed by Question & Answer Session

Tuesday, Nov 12 at 7:00pm

JRCC community-wide event at 18 Rockford Rd. IN RUSSIAN 416.222.7105 | jrcc.org

JRCC @ Rockford Friday, Nov 15 at 7pm 18 Rockford Rd. JrccRockford.org

JRCC Concord

JRCC Daycare JRCC Willowdale

JRCC S Richmond Hill

SUKKOT IN JRCC

JRCC Rockford

JRCC East Thornhill

JRCC West Thornhill

JRCC South Thornhill

14

November 2019 / Cheshvan 5780

416.222.7105

Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario invites you

Faces of the Community ЛИКИ ОБЩИНЫ Имена: Костас

DORA CHORAKAEV Фамилия: Менегакис MATH TEACHER, SURVIVOR - Насколько нам известно, Вы – нееврей. Что Вас свя-

FILM AND FILM SCREENING SCREENING AND REAL REAL CONVERSATION CONVERSATION

WITH BEN WITH BEN

STERN STERN

, a Holocaust survivor , a Holocaust survivor for whom the past is never past and whose courage, for whom the past is never past and whose courage, kindness and faith remain intact, is tested once again, kindness and faith remain intact, is tested once again, in a fiercely public battle against the Nazis in Skokie, in a fiercely public battle against the Nazis in Skokie, Illinois.

Illinois.

Near Man isis aa half-hour half-hour documentary documentaryfilm, film, Near Normal Normal Man told accountby byBen BenStern, Stern,a aPolish PolishJew, Jew, told in in aa first-hand first-hand account who survives 2 ghettos, 9 concentration camps and who survives 2 ghettos, 9 concentration camps and 2 2 death The Nazis Nazis identify identifyhim himasasone oneofofthe the death marches. marches. The dangerous Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto. dangerous Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto.

THURSDAY THURSDAY

NOVEMBER 14 NOVEMBER 14

7:30 PM PM JRCC EAST THORNHILL

7608 YONGE ST., #3 7608 YONGE ST., #3

RSVP: RSVP: $5 online/ $10 at door

www.jrcc.org/NearNormalMan 416-222-7105 www.jrcc.org/NearNormalMan or 416-222-7105

The Jewish community where you lived was зывает с евреями? decimated during the way. Please tell us how you По saved. происхождению я – грек, но иногда кажется, что мне were всегда стать другом еврейской общины. В I was bornбыло in theсуждено city of Simferopol (Crimea) in 1936. моего детства моейLevenshtein, семье принадлежал Myгоды mother, Dora Efremovna died in восьмиэтажный жилой в Монреале, the hospital with дом my twin brother aрасполагавшийся month after my рядом с еврейской школой. Соответственно, все жильцы были евреbirth.

My father took me from the hospital and named органично в еврейскую общину, meями. afterМоя my семья deceased mother. влилась In all likelihood, he в еврейских праздниках, наслаждаясь Шаббатом. Мы полюбили еврейскую участвуя could not cope alone with a newborn baby and handed me over to my кухню и с удовольствием ели традиционные блюда, особенно гефилте grandparents in Yalta. My grandmother, Dina Dorfman, came from Uman.фиш Sheи даже для себя покупали кошерные продукты. married Efroim Levenshtein, with whom they, together with their eighteenyear-old daughter Mira, lived inвместе Yalta. In the 1941,повлияли when theна Germans Годы, проведенные в общине с евреями, формирование моего were approachingЧем Crimea, the яLevenshtein family – my grandfather and и трагедимировоззрения. больше узнавал о еврейской истории, о тех бедах grandmother, their daughter Miraнарод, and me, granddaughter – moved ях, которые перенес еврейский темtheir больше во мне крепло желание помогать from YaltaЯtoчувствовал the Russianсебя townодним of Karasubazar (known груз todayнесчастий, as Belogorsk). евреям. из них, ощущал доставшихся We in theгероического house of a Greek woman Sophia на settled долю этого народа. Мне named казалось, что яGavrilovna греческий Leonidi. еврей, просто My always spoke well about the Germans.

Heиметь said that не grandfather проходивший процесс гиюра, и что мне приходится делоhe со всем, с чем worked a dairy with German specialists, of whom he was of the highest имеют at дело мои еврейские друзья. opinion. Therefore, he did not consider the thought of evacuation. Even - Чем Вы сейчас занимаетесь? though I was only four yours old when the Germans entered Karasubazar, I remember that a man came in a white suit and white время canvas являюсь shoes andпрезидентом Я - бизнесмен и предприниматель, в настоящее demanded our documents. Heмаркетинговой then said that we would all be sent to Tilwood Inc. - национальной и логистической компании. Но начало Germany to work.

All the neighbors envied Джон us. Onиthe appointedродились day we в бедной было весьма скромным. Мои родители, Панагиота, were takenнаalong narrow streetsвоofвремя the town.

It was a large columnнацистами. В деревне юге the Греции, которая войны была уничтожена ofконце Jews,концов families militaryсбежать personnel, and communists.

The имofудалось в Канаду, в Монреаль, гдеneighbors, родились я и два моих standing брата. along the road, escorted us.

My grandmother probably felt that we were being led to death, and, seeing Поначалу очень тяжело.among Мой отец не отказывался ни от me какой, our hostessбыло Sophia Gavrilovna the mourners, she pushed outдаже of самой тяжелой работы и трудился по 18 часов в день, чтобы содержать свою семью. Но the column. Sophia Gavrilovna immediately grabbed me. All this happened временем усилия иSo, тяжкий труд help, принесли он family смог купить inсо a matter of seconds. with G‑d's I wasрезультаты: saved, and my – my многоквартирный дом, тот самый, котором упоминал раньше, благодаря grandmother, grandfather andоaunt Mira –я was shot along withи the whole которому образовалась моя тесная связьwere с еврейской общиной. convoy.

They said that the girls raped before being shot. They all lie inПрошло the same mass яgrave in и Karasubazar, a common время, вырос переехал в where Онтарио, женилсяmonument на самой was замечательной erected, if it exists. женщине поstill имени Гейл. У нас двое детей. В настоящее время у них уже свои дети, When arrived there from Israel in 2002, the monument was in a deplorable и я – Iсчастливый дедушка, которого некоторые друзья называют «Зайда Грек». state. I could not manage the repair myself and left my Israeli address to - Как Вы оказались в политической среде? the neighbors so that they would pass it on to other visitors, and with joint В 2011we году меня избрали в Палату общин, и я стал Членом Парламента. Я был efforts would repair the monument.

But no one responded. парламентским секретарем министра по делам гражданства и иммиграции, а также

What wasпостоянных your experience like Палаты during общин the war, your family членом комитетов поafter вопросам гражданства и иммиграwas ции,taken? процедурных и бытовых вопросов, официальных языков, а также правительSophia hid дел me in her cellar until the end of the war, letting me our to breathe ственных и оценок. some fresh air only late in the evening. She risked the life of her family, В политике, как и в жизни, я всегда старался использовать любую возможность найти because if the Germans had found me, they would have killed everyone. точки соприкосновения с еврейской темой. Так, я сопровождал премьер-министра When Crimea was annexed, according to the decree of Stalin, all Crimean Стивена Харпера во время его поездки в Израиль. Кстати, в этой же поездке также Tatars and Greeks were deported. So Sophia’s family was deported to участвовали 2 раввина JRCC – she рабби Зальцман и рабби Мендел Зальцман.

Uzbekistan.

But before leaving, leftЙосиф me (then I was seven years old) with Мое посещение Музея Холокоста для меня шоком.would Помню, что her Russian neighbor, Baba Tanya, inявилось the hope that oneужасным of my relatives find me. Sophia was of Righteous Among theлица Nations by горевших заплакал прямо на awarded входе. Яthe былtitle просто ошеломлен, видя детей, Yad Hashem and the Stateглубоко of Israel.

In 1946-47, grandmother’s sister, заживо. Ужас Холокоста затронул мою my душу, и я решил для себя, что преLESSON 1 L E S S O NBerta 5 Iosifovna любого Mezheritsky (Dorfman) found me in вKarasubazar and для tookменя одной дотвращение повторения антисемитизма Канаде станет me Samarkand, whereцелей. her family had fledукрепила from Odessa the war. Израилю главных жизненных Эта поездка мою during приверженность из to Inи1948, the Mezheritsky family with two sons (aобщине. third died at the front) всем моим друзьям и коллегам в еврейской returned to Odessa. There I graduated from Odessa University, and worked Мои многолетние взаимоотношения с евреями явились для меня своеобразным With the Rebbe’s outstanding, indefatigable optimism, he taught that all that transpires in the universe are as a teacher of mathematics. I married Mikhail (Musya) Shlemovich Guitarz, воспитанием чувств, и мне стали небезразличны судьбы людей, которым не хватает expressions of G-d’s beautiful “garden.” How can we dig beneath the surface and uncover that wellspring of we had two children.

CHANGING OF THE GARDEN

goodness and virtue? Gain L Einsight S S Ointo N a2different view of the world.

расширения возможностей и ощущения равенства. Я очень обеспокоен L E S S O N поддержки, 6

позицией Джастина Трюдо и его солидарностью с Агентством Организациии ОбъHow did you end up in Israel? единенных палестинским беженцам My daughter Наций, and her занимающимся husband decidedпомощью to move to Israel. Two years later, в Сирии, Ливане, на Западном берегу реки Иордан и в секторе Газа (БАПОР). Трюдо having hardly collected money for the trip, I decided to visit them. Then it ускоряет статус они моглиthe голосовать, и он was veryзаявителей-беженцев, difficult for them, but чтобы they overcame difficulties of сбрасывает being new миллионы в Онтарио с той же целью, в то время как наши ветераны едва зарабаLESSON 3 L E S S O Nimmigrants.

7 долларов Both of my grandson were circumcised.

At the request of the тывают жизнь, аcalled наши from законопослушные пенсионеры получают лишь крошечную rabbi, myна daughter Israel to Odessa, so that the rabbi could пенсию после того, как они жизнь налоги. clarify some issues related toвсю Jewry.

Forвыплачивали example, he государству asked what Jewish holidays we observed.

I told him about how we in Odessa could not openly услуги Я считаю необходимым активно поддерживать программы, предлагающие buy matzoа for Passover.

My grandmother had людям. a religious younger brother семьям, также нашей молодежи и пожилым В связи с этим я консультирую LESSON 4 who attended the synagogue.

So he brought us some pieces of matzo. в нескольких общественных организациях.

October PROBONO DAYTuesday, COMMUNITY FREE 3029, MIN2019 Two years later, my husband and I went to Israel. By that time, our son was - Мы знаем, усилияto неmove остались награждены 7:30 p.m.

LEGAL CONSULTATION SERVICE already married,что andВаши we decided there незамеченными. overnight. We livedВы in Holon. золотыми алмазными медалями Soon, Mosheиwas born – our юбилейными second grandson, to whomЕе myВеличества husband andКоролевы I Stretch, relax and meditate in a yoga Елизаветы II, time. а также признание Организации International’s devoted all our Andполучили we also moved to Canada after our Rotary daughter.

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If(Справка you had the to make a “lechaim” with: a historical character, из 1,2 для opportunity наших читателей: «Ротари» - это глобальная сеть, состоящая a миллиона modern politician, a figureлидеров of literature art, or решать just a friend, whoпроблемы, соседей, друзей, и тех,and кто может и решает Make your own Fruit and Yogurt Parfait would you choose? Why? для того, чтобы менять мир к лучшему). людей, объединившихся (PS. women need to be in good physical I would like to meet my family – my parents, and my grandfather, Lawyer Jonathan Shulman, health to participate) От имени читателей успеха grandmother, and aunt журнала who were«Эксодус» murdered. хотим I grew пожелать up withoutВам family, and Iв Вашей PROBONO DAY free 30 min legal consultations. деятельности на благо нашейfor общины. have always missed and longed the ability to communication with them.

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JRCC Our Community

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JRCC Directory

JRCC Program Spotlight

FREE COMMUNITY LEGAL CONSULTATIONS JONATHAN SHULMAN’S PROBONO DAY Sometimes we find ourselves in circumstances where some legal advice, and perhaps the hiring of a competent lawyer, is necessary to deal with a certain situation. It can be confusing and overwhelming to know how to proceed, if one needs a lawyer, and which kind of lawyer would best suit the situation.

The JRCC community is fortunate to have a friend in Jonathan Shulman, who offers a regular “Probono Day” that provides free thirty-minute consultations for those in need.

Jonathan Shulman is a fully licensed lawyer and a notary public in the Province of Ontario, Canada.

His practice concentrates on different areas of law, allowing clients to receive full legal advice without retaining multiple lawyers. He often deals with complex legal matters in areas as diverse as emergency civil, insurance, medical litigation, criminal, immigration, family, employment, estates litigation, tax litigation, bankruptcy litigation, human rights, and administrative law: federal, provincial, municipal government, and regulatory bodies applications, hearings and appeals; regulatory body professional licensing disputes, hearings and appeals; administrative tribunals/ government/regulatory proceedings and disputes.

Jonathan is a general trial and appeal lawyer, and is a member of Law Society of Ontario, Toronto Lawyers Association, York Region Law Association and Peel Law Association.

Some of the areas that are often complicated and very relevant to our community, where experienced legal advice can be invaluable, is in dealing with government agencies. For example, if someone incurred medical expenses while traveling abroad and had difficulty receiving reimbursement from OHIP, dealing with the intricacies of immigration, or transferring a professional license from another country after immigrating.

At the core of Mr. Shulman’s ethos is the value that he is in the field of law primarily in order to help people and to innovate.

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my legal career, I developed the philosophy that it is a career, not a business. Because if I wanted to go into business, I would not become an advocate. I am interested in creating legislative precedents, and not just sitting and doing business. One could open a store or restaurant and earn ten times more.”

Whenever you find yourself in a situation that may require legal advice, Mr. Shulman strongly recommends that you seek the right advice, right away, so that the timing does not adversely affect the situation; often it is critical not to wait, but to get legal advice immediately so as not to miss any deadlines. Пожертвуйте свою For this reason, Mr. Shulman makes himself available мебель to the community in order to make this нуждающимся! advice and the important information that comes with it accessible to Звоните нам everyone. @ 416-222-7105 ext. 248 To schedule a free 30-minute legal consultation with Jonathan Shulman through the JRCC, call 416222-7105 ext. 254. For more information and terms, please visit www.jspc.ca or www.probonoday.ca or Partly funded by call 416-907-6011.

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UPSHERNISH! Pinchas Sivak and Michal Silver

MARRIAGE! Nir Spivak & Lina Krasner

On the birth of their son

Michael Brill & Liora Mamirieva Michael Nisimov & Ayala Weig

Meir Shlomo

Wishing you much health, happiness and nachas, from the rabbis of the JRCC

and to the grandparents

Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman (Senior Rabbi)

Rabbi Yoseph and Chiena Zaltzman

Rabbi Levi Blau Rabbi David Davidov Rabbi Chaim Hildeshaim Rabbi Levi Jacobson Rabbi Shmuel Neft Rabbi Avraham Weinstein Rabbi Avrohom Zaltzman Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman Rabbi Yisroel Zaltzman

May it be G-d’s will that you raise him and enable him to attain Torah, marriage and good deeds amidst prosperity.

With best wishes, the JRCC Staff

SPREAD THE JOY!

November 2019

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perspectives

The Future of Israeli Security Dore Gold

N

ear the close of Israel’s recent election campaign, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a public commitment to extend Israeli law and jurisdiction to the Jordan Valley and the Northern Dead Sea immediately following the elections. This was understood as a pledge to annex what has been viewed as probably the most important part of the West Bank when it comes to protecting Israel as a whole.

How this land came to be widely perceived as being so vital for Israel’s security is not well known. More importantly, how the Jordan Valley still remains the front line of Israel’s defense despite so many developments in military technology and Middle Eastern politics is also not well understood. What remains a constant for many years is the idea that Israel must be able to defend itself by itself and not accept external guarantees, even from the United States, in lieu of its own selfdefense capabilities. This applies especially to the discussion over its retention of the Jordan Valley.

Israel captured the valley and the rest of the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War. Almost immediately, the Jordan Valley zone was integrated into Israel’s security system facing east. The idea that Israel was entitled to modify its borders became part of the diplomatic discourse right after combat operations ended. Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban wrote in his memoirs that the pre-war lines had been fashioned through armistice agreements that were based on military considerations; they were not international political borders. New borders were required.

This was enshrined in the language of UN Security Council Resolution 242, whose territorial clause did not insist upon a full Israeli withdrawal to the old armistice lines.

Reference was made to an Israeli withdrawal “from territories,” but not “all the territories,” to new lines that needed to be “secure boundaries.” Britain’s Ambassador to the UN at the time, Lord Caradon, who helped draft UNSCR 242, commented on PBS: “We all knew—the boundaries of ’67 were not drawn as permanent frontiers.” Replacing the previous military lines with new international borders opened the door for revising the pre-

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war lines.

The most important advocate of the Jordan Valley as Israel’s new front line was the Deputy Prime Minister at the time, Yigal Allon, who in 1948 had served as the commander of the Palmach, the elite pre-state strike force.

His deputy was a young commander named Yitzhak Rabin. Allon emerged as his mentor, and when Rabin served as Prime Minister, a portrait of Allon hung on a wall in Rabin’s office.

Immediately after the Six Day War, Allon became the architect of a plan to initiate a string of mostly agricultural settlements in the Jordan Valley and along the hills that dominate it. Today, nearly 30 Israeli settlements are situated in this area. Allon’s map became known as the Allon Plan.

Prior to 1967, the old armistice line with the Jordanians left Israel extremely exposed.

Only nine miles separated the West Bank city of Tulkarm from the Israeli city of Netanya on the Mediterranean Sea. It did not require a stretch of the imagination to consider that an invading army from the east could slice Israel in two at this point. Israeli planners needed to avert such a scenario.

The terrain Israel captured in the West Bank, particularly in the Jordan Valley, provided Israel with a formidable barrier for the first time that would allow the IDF to absorb an attack and buy the precious the time it needed to complete its reserve call-up.

How did this exactly work? To Israel’s east is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Alone,

Jordan did not constitute an existential threat to Israel. Moreover, the Jordanians signed a formal treaty of peace with Israel in 1994.

Israel’s eastern challenge historically has come from other states that exploited Jordan as a platform to attack Israel. Thus in 1948 and 1967, an Iraqi expeditionary force, made up of one third of Iraq’s ground order of battle, crossed Jordan to attack Israel. (In 1973 that same expeditionary force decided to cross Syria, instead, and attack the IDF in the north.) Today, there are still multiple sources of instability to Israel’s east. For example, Iran projects its military power across the region through fully equipped Shiite militias which it has used successfully to defeat conventional armies in Syria and Iraq.

What the Jordan Valley gave Israel was not strategic depth, but rather strategic height.

It is important to recall that the area where the Jordan River pours into the Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth; it lies 1,300 feet below sea level. But this area is also adjacent to the steep eastern slopes of the West Bank mountain ridge that reach a maximal height of 3,300 feet. When taken together, the lowest parts of the Jordan Valley and its mountain ridge form a virtual strategic wall with a net height of 4,500 feet.

This steep barrier provided a daunting challenge for armored and mechanized units, which started to be employed widely at that time by modern armies in the Middle East. In 1973, with the IDF fully engaged in combat along two fronts on the Golan Heights and

Cheshvan 5780

perspectives

in the Sinai Peninsula, Israel had only small formations left to defend the hilly terrain of the West Bank from a ground assault. It was instructive that the Jordanians did not open this front, but rather sent their forces instead to the Golan area, where they could supplement the Syrians and the Iraqis.

In the years that followed, Israel continued to adhere to a military doctrine that viewed the Jordan Valley as a vital building block for its defense. Even after the Oslo Agreements were signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1993, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin reiterated a vision for a final peace settlement that kept the Jordan Valley under Israel. In a speech before the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) on October 5, 1995, Rabin declared: “The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six-Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 line.”

Israelis learned another context for appreciating the principles of the Allon Plan. In October 1976, serving as Israel’s Foreign Minister, Allon wrote an article in Foreign Affairs, entitled “Israel: The Case for Defensible Borders.” It essentially laid out the strategic logic of his plan. While there were those who asserted that in an era of advanced military technology, territory had lost its importance, Allon was convinced that wars were still decided by the movement of land armies. He wrote: “. . . as far as conventional wars are concerned, the following basic truth remains: without an attack by ground forces that physically overrun the country involved, no war can be decisive.” As long as that was the case, he believed that factors like topography, terrain, and strategic depth were still very much determinants of Israeli national security.

Allon also explained that any territory from which Israel would withdraw in the West Bank would have to be demilitarized. The question he posed was how demilitarization would be ensured. There was an arid zone, which included the Judean Desert, to the east of where the bulk of the Palestinian population lived. Allon estimated that this security zone was about 700 square miles. Thus he offered a second argument for Israel retaining the line

November 2019

he proposed that ran above the Jordan River.

That line would safeguard the demilitarization regime that he had in mind.

Why such a line was absolutely essential was demonstrated in 2005, when Prime Minister Ariel Sharon implemented his unilateral Disengagement Plan from the Gaza Strip, which involved a full withdrawal from the area. Critics of the plan, like former Deputy Chief of Staff, General Uzi Dayan, stressed that Israel should at least retain the border zone between the Gaza Strip and Egyptian Sinai, known in Israeli parlance and the Philadelphi Route. What clearly happened in the aftermath of the Israeli pullout was a massive increase in weapons smuggling

by Hamas and other Palestinian terror organizations from Egypt into the Gaza Strip.

This directly influenced the rate of rocket fire on Israel.

For example, in 2005, the year of the Gaza Disengagement, a total of 179 Palestinian rockets were fired on Israeli territory. One might have anticipated that following the Israeli withdrawal the number of rocket attacks would drop sharply, along with the motivation to fire on Israel. But the exact opposite occurred: In 2006, Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel shot up to 946—more than a 500 percent increase in the rate of rocket fire. By 2008, 1,730 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Hamas had built a system of tunnels over the years that allowed the Palestinian terror organizations to smuggle enormous quantities of rockets and even shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles.

Three wars resulted from this escalation in Palestinian rocket fire.

The Jordan Valley was to the West Bank what the Philadelphi Route was to the Gaza Strip. It was the outer perimeter of the territory and adjacent to a neighboring Arab state. In the case of Gaza, Palestinian terror groups not only smuggled weaponry, they also built up for themselves a military presence in Northern Sinai which began to work closely with ISIS and ultimately undermined Egyptian sovereignty in that area. The Egyptian Army soon faced a counterinsurgency campaign on its own territory. By analogy without Israel in control of the Jordan Valley, a similar process could be expected within Jordan itself.

The main factors which worked against Israel’s position in the Jordan Valley were diplomatic. To the extent that Israeli elites believed that a negotiated settlement was around the corner, the political leadership in Israel became prepared to consider jettisoning Rabin’s legacy. This occurred during the negotiations at Camp David in 2000, under Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and several years later during the talks that were held by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

There was also U.S. input in this process. In early 2001, President Bill Clinton issued the “Clinton Parameters,” which summarized the negotiations held by Israel and the Palestinians.

The Jordan Valley was not allocated to Israel.

In 2014, General John Allen, who retired after commanding U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, worked on a security model for the Jordan Valley predicated on an Israeli pullback.

But the Israeli public was not persuaded by what their elites were prepared to consider or by the newest U.S. proposals. The idea that the latest military technology or international forces could reliably replace the Israeli Army did not move most Israelis.

Israeli public opinion clearly internalized the importance of the Jordan Valley for Israeli security. In the last decade, massive majorities of Israeli voters, reaching as high as 81 percent, stated that in any peace arrangement Israel must preserve its sovereignty over the Jordan Valley (polling commissioned by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, executed

by Dahaf and Midgam). The support for the Jordan Valley appeared at times to rival the support for retaining a united Jerusalem. In a county whose politics have been extremely polarized, the Jordan Valley stands out as an area where a strong national consensus has prevailed. EM Ambassador Dore Gold has served as President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs since 2000.

From June 2015 until October 2016 he served as Director-General of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Previously he served as Foreign Policy Advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN (1997-1999), and as an advisor to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

exodusmagazine.org

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kabbalah

Reconstructing Rachel Yitzchak Ginsburgh

K

abbalah teaches that our matriarch Rachel (our patriarch Jacob’s wife) symbolizes the Jewish People. The exile of the Jewish People is referred to in Kabbalah as the exile of Rachel. Rabbi Izik of Homil, one of the deepest philosophers of Chabad, explains that the return of the Jewish People from exile to the Land of Israel is the reconstruction of the spiritual figure of Rachel. In exile, the spiritual figure of Rachel is unable to manifest. It regresses to a point and is vulnerable to destruction. In the Land of Israel, this point expands to a line and then to an entire area, connected with Rachel.

The last words in the Torah’s account of creation (Genesis 2:3) are: "all that G‑d created to do.” Our Sages explain that “to do” means “to rectify.” G‑d left the essential rectification in creation to us, so that we may make this world His dwelling place. The numerical value of "to do" is 806, the same value as "reconstructing Rachel." Included in the last words of the account of creation are G‑d’s instructions for its perpetuation. We must reconstruct the figure of Rachel on a personal, communal and universal level.

Rabbi Izik of Homil explains that reconstructing Rachel is our return to Jewish nature. In exile, that nature is concealed, unknown even to us. It has returned to a point, with no expanse. When we return to Israel we also return to our true identity.

Jewish nature is much more than observance of the commandments. It is a return to our natural, Jewish state of consciousness — when our entire identity is motivated by our connection to G‑d.

The most basic task of the immune system is to identify its own self — the body.

Once it has identified itself, it can go on to distinguish between friend and foe, allowing positive elements to be integrated into the body and expelling the negative.

This basic model applies to the Nation of Israel as well. The most fundamental problem plaguing the Jewish People today is its lack of identity. Because we are so far from our Jewish Nature, we are far from knowing who we are, who is our friend and who is our foe. This is an immune illness, causing all the other ills that the Jewish People in Israel and the Diaspora face today.

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Kabbalah explains that the immune system in the body corresponds to the sefirah/energy of hod. By rectifying Rachel, the attribute of hod, in our personal and national lives, we will come closer to achieving Jewish nature, reconstructing the figure of Rachel for ourselves, for our People, and for the entire world.

In order to understand how to rectify Hod, we must understand what it means. Every sefirah has five levels that correspond to the four letters of G‑d’s essential Name, and the superational crown above it. These five meanings are the secret of G‑d’s essential signature in the given sefirah. What are the five meanings of hod?

1. Splendor: This is the level of keter “crown.” There are eight synonyms in Hebrew for beauty, each with its own subtle meaning. Splendorous beauty implies an aura, such as an aura surrounding the head.

2. Confession: This is the level of the yud of G‑d’s Name, which corresponds to chochmah, “wisdom.” Spiritually, this is the attribute of bitul, “self nullification.” In relation to hod, this is one’s ability to confess that he was wrong and to ask for forgiveness.

3. Acknowledgement: This is the level of the first hei of G‑d’s Name, which corresponds to binah, “understanding.” In relation to hod, this is one’s ability to acknowledge that he previously did not understand something.

He now understands, confesses that he was

wrong and acknowledges that the other person/concept etc. was right.

4. Thanksgiving: This is the level of the vav of G‑d’s Name, which corresponds to the six emotions of the heart. In relation to hod, this is one’s ability to give thanks, which is rectified Jewish Nature. The great book of Jewish ethics, “Duties of the Heart,” explains at length that the first ethical principle that one must rectify in his soul is the ability to give thanks. Otherwise, he may be ungrateful, which is the source of all evil properties of the soul. Thanksgiving is the emotion that follows the understanding of acknowledgment.

5. Echo: This is the level of the final hei of G‑d’s Name, which corresponds to malchut, “kingdom.” Spiritually, the attribute of kingdom is true lowliness. In relation to hod, that lowliness manifests as an echo. It is our ability to realize that all that we accomplish in this world is simply an echo of the energy coming from G‑d. In Chronicles 1 29:14 King David says to G‑d: "From You is all and from Your hand I give back to You." That sense of giving back to G‑d all that is His is the echo. It has a deep component of confession and acknowledgment. Giving thanks naturally and sincerely is also an echo, projecting energy back from the receiver to the giver. Thus we see that typical to malchut, this meaning of hod reflects all the preceding meanings of the concept. EM

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22

Exodus Magazine

Cheshvan / Kislev 5780

marketplace

The EUROPEAN FURNITURE Our qualified sales staff will help you select the style of furniture that suits your taste, lifestyle and decorative needs.

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November 2019

OF EDUCATION AND CH ILDREN SOCIAL SERVICE S TORONTO. GOVERNME NT SUBSIDIES ACCEPTAB LE

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marketplace

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Exodus Magazine

Cheshvan / Kislev 5780

Sponsored by:

350 Ste­e­les Ave. West, Thornhill (416) 733-2000 • (905) 881-6003 • www.steeles.org

memorials

Our Deepest Sympathies to the families of:

Treister Raisa Chaya Arov Anatoly Baber Vladimir Zeev Belozovski Anna Chana Burman Arkady Cass Larry Yosef Leib Charney Joan Lena Leora Erlich Maria Malka Ershova Irina Sarah Gitman Mira Mirka Granovski Lionid Gusan Elena Kalnitsky Sima Kershteyn Boris Khazin Grigory Koretsky Boris Korus Annie Chaya Hasya Tova Markh Ida Newman Dorothy Devortah Oks Luba Shinkar Riva Starosseletskaia Elena Tronik Zinovi Zelik Usakovsky Susana Shoshana Vaiman Riva Vaisberg Rozalia Vekselshtein Boris Baruch Itskov Mark Krehm Ernest Yizchok Shvartsman Maria Malka Evdaev Tarmo Fesker Berti Kaufman Yosyp Sapojnikova Faina Braverman Esfira Esther Ginsburg Zahar Pekar Eva Chava Bozinovski Ilya Yitzak Branin Eduard From the rabbis of the Jewish Russian Community Centre Rabbi Yoseph Y. Zaltzman (Senior Rabbi) Rabbi Levi Blau Rabbi David Davidov Rabbi Chaim Hildeshaim Rabbi Levi Jacobson For all your family bereavement needs (funeral, Rabbi Shmuel Neft unveiling,Rabbi kaddish services,Weinstein shiva, yahrzeit and Avraham memorial plaques) the JRCC rabbis are here to Rabbi Avrohom Zaltzman assist you, 24 hours a day. Services available Rabbi Mendel Zaltzman in Russian, Hebrew, English and Yiddish.

Rabbi Yisroel Zaltzman 416.222.7105 x221

November 2019

www.exodusmagazine.org

25

marketplace Now a days this company with more than 118 years of history holds a leading position among the manufacturers of alcoholic beverages in Moldova. Unique climate, fertile soil, hilly terrain and vicinity of the river Dniester created most favorable conditions for growing best grapes; modern equipment, advanced technologies, original recipes, respect to ancient traditions and passionate work of KVINT professionals – all these factors allow to produce admirable beverages, which compete with world renowned brands.

Locals consider KVINT a national treasure and a symbol of their country.

Its factory is shown on the 5 Transnistrian ruble banknote.

Kvint distillery is the oldest enterprise still in operation from 1897 in the region. KVINT is one of Transnistria's largest exporters, to Italy and China as well as Russia and Ukraine; its brandy has gone to the Vatican and into space.

Kvint XO brandy was first produced by the Tiraspol Wine & Cognac Distillery KVINT in 1967 as a dedication to the jubilee of the October Revolution. It is made from the premium quality “eaux-de-vie” spirits seasoned in oak barrels not less than 20 years according to classical “French methode”.

KVINT (acronym for Kon’iaki, vina i napitki Tiraspol’ia ("divins, wines, and beverages of Tiraspol") is a winery and distillery based in Tiraspol, the administrative center of Transnistria. Even though it underwent through many difficulties, being twice destroyed by

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for

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wars, becoming a part of prohibition law in the 80s, the company is now an important economic player in a region, producing more than 20 million bottles of alcoholic beverages per year.

Although the distillery's roster includes an assortment of wines, gins, and vodkas, by far the most famous of its products are its award-winning brandies. Like all top-notch spirits, the high quality of this liquor begins with the region's grapes. Occupying the land east of the River Dniester, Transnistria is in the heart of the ancient Bessarabian wine region, a gem of viniculture perched above the Black Sea that has also survived the many ups and downs of centuries of Russian rule.

Plucked from the Bessarabian vine, the grapes fortunate enough to make their way to Tiraspol are transformed into brandy using a process identical to that used to make Cognac in France—double distilled in copper pots, aged in oak barrels, and then carefully blended with water and sugar. The grapes are of a typical Cognac variety, an assortment that includes Colombard, Riesling, and Ugni Blanc. Despite the company's rigid adherence to the French production methods, Kvint is not located in Cognac, France and therefore cannot formally call their products "Cognacs." Instead they use the Moldovan word divin, hence Kvint's name, which is an acronym for the Russian phrase "divins, wines, and beverages of Tiraspol." But in a land where international laws don't seem to really apply, most local people still refer to Kvint's products as Cognacs, and it is called Brandy everywhere else in the world.

This wine is made under control of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of New York (USA), OU, it has the status of Kosher for PASSOVER, Mevushal (approved for Passover, pasteurized). This wine is made from the selected grapes grown in own vineyards of KVINT. It features pleasant astringency and harmonious acidity. Its bouquet is complex with aroma of nightshade berries enriched with hints of morocco leather.

KVINT MERLOT KOSHER 2015, LCBO # 455112 Bright berry aromas: hints of cassis, and delicate nuances of prunes and cherry.

It is velvety on the palate, with barely perceptible astringency and freshness.

It is made by special production process with eauxde-vie and wine-distilled spirits aged in oak barrels not less than a year. It features fine golden color, harmonious taste and bright floral aroma with light tones of maturity.

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Jewish Russian Community Centre of Ontario

THE JRCC IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO DELIVER: • CHALLOT ON FRIDAYS TO BEREAVED FAMILIES IN THE RUSSIAN COMMUNITY. JRCC WILL HELP COVER THE COST OF GAS. Please contact us at 416-222-7105 Ext 244 www.jrcc.org or volunteers@jrcc.org.

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Sponsorships: q I would like to be an Exodus Sponsor: Amount: $_________ (Sponsorships are tax deductible)

Exodus Magazine

KVINT CABERNET SAUVIGNON KOSHER 2015, LCBO #455138

It is made under control of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of New York (USA), OU, it has the status of Kosher for Passover (approved for Passover).

Subscription Type (choose one): q Canadian subscription — $18 per year q US/International subscription — $36 US per year

26

Shop for the best selection of Kvint Wine :

BRANDY KVINT KOSHER and DIVIN KVINT KOSHER FOR PASSOVER are now available at LCBO stores, Vintage # 577817 and # 540039.

Fill out the form below and mail it in or order online at www.exodusmagazine.org.

Mail to: Exodus Magazine, 5987 Bathurst St., #3, Toronto, ON M2R 1Z3 Canada.

Also Kvint is focusing their efforts on making a wide assortment of wines. Along with ordinary table dry, semi-sweet and dessert wines, the KVINT’s portfolio can boast of some excellent varietal and blended wines matured in oak barriques, according to traditional production process from 9 months to 3 years.

Wide selection of Jewish books in English, Russian & Hebrew We also sell tallit, teffilin and mezuzot.

5987 Bathurst St., North York 416-222-7105 bookstore@jrcc.org * www.jrcc.org

Cheshvan / Kislev 5780

FIERA FOODS COMPANY IS HIRING! As one of North America’s largest, privately-owned large-scale bakeries, Fiera Foods Company and affiliated companies has an incredible history of expansion, innovation and quality over the past 30 years.

We’re looking for outstanding people to join our outstanding team.

• Production (Mixers, Scalers, Oven Operators, Production Line Operators,

General Production Staff, Forklift Operators, Shipper/Receivers); • Skilled Trades (Electricians, Mechanics, Refrigeration Mechanics, PLC Technicians) • Sales (Canada and US); • Management (Lead hand, Supervisory, Management, Project Engineers)

Our commitment to quality, excellence, and responsiveness are critical to our team and our success. Superior communication, teamwork and attention to detail are expected of everyone.

Please submit your resume and your compensation expectations to jobs@fierafoods.com or call 416-707-9424.

We thank all in advance for their interest, however only those selected for interviews will be contacted.

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RABBI MENDEL ZALTZMAN

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SHABBAT:

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PM 40062996

GOOD MORNING! Morning Kolels

Group Study

Sunday - Friday, starting at 6:00am JRCC East Thornhill (7608 Yonge St., #3) JRCC @ Rockford (18 Rockford Rd.)

CUSTOMIZED LEARNING Your topic. Your time. Your location.

Contact your local branch or 416.222.7105.

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