General Overview: Abram and Sarai travel to Canaan. Due to a famine in the land they temporarily relocate to Egypt, where Pharaoh unsuccessfully attempts to add Sarai to his harem. They return to Canaan with great wealth and Abram parts with his nephew Lot. Abram defeats the armies of the four kings who had taken his nephew Lot hostage. G-d seals a pact with Abram, bequeathing the lands of Canaan to his descendants. Childless Abram marries Hagar and she gives birth to Ishmael. G-d changes Abram's name to Abraham, and Sarai becomes Sarah. Abraham is circumcised at the age of 99. First Aliyah: G-d commanded Abram to leave his father's house and homeland, and travel to the land that He will show him. As reward for doing so, G-d promised to make Abram the patriarch of a great nation. Abram obeyed, taking along his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot. Once Abram arrived in Canaan, G-d informed him that He will eventually give that land to his descendants. Abram traverses the length of the land until a famine forces him to travel to Egypt. Fearing that the Egyptians would kill him in order to take Sarai, Abram asked her to allege that he was her brother. Second Aliyah: And indeed because of her beauty, Sarai was taken captive and brought to Pharaoh. G-d struck the members of Pharaoh's palace with a plague, causing Pharaoh to hastily release Sarai. Pharaoh loaded Abram and Sarai with gifts and riches, and had them escorted out of his land. Abram returned triumphantly to Canaan. Third Aliyah: Lot, who had accompanied Abram and Sarai, was independently wealthy. When Lot's shepherds quarrelled with Abram's shepherds, the two parted ways, with Lot settling in the province of Sodom, which was renowned for its evil inhabitants. After Lot departed, G-d spoke to Abram again, reiterating His promise to bequeath the land to his descendants, and promising to make his descendants numerous as the soil of the earth. Fourth Aliyah: The southern region of Canaan was embroiled in a major war involving many kings. When the dust settled, the victorious kings took captive all the inhabitants of the Sodom region Lot included. When Abram was informed of Lot's plight he rushed to the rescue along with a handful of men, engaged the victorious kings in battle, soundly defeated them, released all the captives and returned all the spoils. Fifth Aliyah: Abram rebuffed the king of Sodom's wish to award him with all the war's spoils. When G-d reassured Abram that he would be greatly rewarded for his righteousness, Abram broaches his childlessness. "What is the point of all the reward and wealth," Abram cried, "if I have no heir to inherit it?!" G-d assured Abram that he will indeed have a child, and promised that Abram's descendants will be as numerous as the stars of the heaven. Sixth Aliyah: Abram requested a sign from G-d that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan. G-d responded in the famous "Covenant Between the Parts." Abram and the Divine Presence passed between an assortment of halved animals, and G-d told Abram that his descendants would be exiled and in bondage for four hundred years. At the conclusion of this period, Abram's descendants would leave with great wealth, G-d would punish the nations which enslaved them, and Abram's children would inherit the lands of Canaan. Following this pact, Sarai seeing that she and Abram were still childless suggested that Abram father a child with her Egyptian maid, Hagar. Hagar conceived and began to mistreat her mistress Sarai, who responded with a heavy hand, prompting Hagar to flee. Hagar encountered an angel who encouraged her to return to Sarai, promising her that the child she will bear will become a great nation. She obeyed, and gave birth to Ishmael. At the very end of this section, G-d added the letter hey to Abram's name, making it "Abraham." Seventh Aliyah: G-d sealed a covenant with Abraham and his descendants; the sign of the covenant is the circumcision of all males when they are eight days old. Sarai's name is changed to Sarah, and G-d promises a delighted Abraham that he will father another son, this time from Sarah. At the age of 99, Abraham circumcised himself, his son Ishmael, and all the members of his household. © Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org's copyright policy.
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Davening Times for Shabbos Lech Lecha @ Lubavitch of Edgware 10 Cheshvan 5782 16 October 2021 COVID: Please remember to follow the government COVID guidelines
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Explanation regarding the custom of not making Kiddush between 6:00 & 7:00 on Friday night: e
careful not to make Kiddush during the seventh hour from mid-
fluctuates accordingly (i.e. this week Chatzos is 12:46 pm. making the 7th hour between 6:46 & 7:46 p.m.). Others maintain that this seventh hour is a constant, set at the average noon throughout the year. In London, this is 12:00 GMT (making the 7th hour between 6:00pm & 7:00pm on the winter clock, 7:00pm & 8:00 pm on the summer clock).
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11
Part 6 By Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson Mother of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Published and copyrighted by Kehot Publication Society
A trial over a piece of bread Soon,1 provided with bread, nor could it be bought even with money. Once, when he was at the train station, he saw bread being sold to those entitled to receive it. He noticed a Communist party member who, due to his high position, was entitled to a double food ration. My husband asked if he would sell him a piece of bread, while letting him keep the soup and meat portion of the ration. The Communist agreed, and for a sum of money sold him a piece of bread. An official observed the criminal activity of doing business with food rations. He immediately called over the buyer and seller, and wrote down their names for the purpose of issuing them a summons to face trial. The fear my husband experienced was very understandable for, so soon after arriving at a He awaited the day remember all the details of the trial, it proceeded, relatively speaking, quite leniently, for This happened before my arrival.
The danger of losing my home in Dnepropetrovsk Shevat, I spent about a month preparing suitable clothing, and setting our Dnepropetrovsk apartment in order. It greatly affected my health when, soon after my husband sought to confiscate our apartment. Firstly, I needed a place to live and, above all, I was protecting our home in the hope that my husband would soon return and everything would be as it was before. Obviously, as the wife of severely diminished. This upset me very much. Fortunately, the official responsible for our building, a Jewish Communist, was indescribably friendly towards me. Risking his position and livelihood, he fearlessly took steps both legal and illegal that enabled me to keep the apartment. Once it was confirmed that I could remain there, I took in a boarder for one of the rooms, while I stayed with Rochel in the other rooms. After accomplishing all this, I began preparing for my journey, and a week after Purim,2 I left [Dnepropetrovsk] to join my husband.
Passing through Moscow In accordance with the railroad route, I first travelled to Moscow and stayed there for Shabbat along Passover utensils, kosher for Passover chicken fat, matzoh and wine. Under the circumstances, all this was most difficult to accomplish. In Moscow I obtained bread and potatoes. By permission of an acquaintance who worked for the NKVD (secret police), I bought a considerable supply of food at a special store where
ordinary citizens were not privileged to shop. Thus I had food supplies to last us for some time. Through another acquaintance who had connections in high-level government departments, e Shabbat night even by day it was quite difficult to alight from the train and walk, for it was almost The warmth, empathy and devotion shown to me by our acquaintances and close friends in Moscow gave me the strength to bear all the difficulties. Upon my arrival in Moscow, I left my luggage at the train station and went straight to the Office of the Prosec to return two days later, on Friday. I returned at the designated time. Words cannot describe the emotions I experienced while were waiting, each with a bitter heart situation and apprehensive of the great dangers involved. I was called in and was received very courteously. But despite the polite manner of speech, the heart of anyone depending on the favours beating even for a moment. decision to my home address. Accompanied by their promises, yet with a heavy spirit like everyone submitting similar requests I went to the apartment where I was to stay for Shabbat. I was scheduled to leave on the next leg of my journey on Saturday night at midnight.
A five-day journey When it was time to leave, some fifteen acquaintances and close friends came to escort me to the train station. There they employed all kinds of ruses to let me board the train with all my packages, since taking many bags was forbidden. After paying the porter handsomely, my packages were loaded onto the train. My journey was due to take more than five days. One of the friends accompanying me to the station handed a gift to the female conductor in charge of my train carriage, asking her to keep an eye out for me for the duration of the trip and to supply me with hot tea and the like that had no kashrut problems. Among my fellow passengers were prominent businessmen and educated people, professors at the newly established universities in the capital cities of the distant Asiatic Soviet republics. I told no one of my destination or to whom I was traveling. On the fifth day, as my time to disembark approached, I told them I was going to meet my son, who worked at the local municipality. When it was time to disembark, my fellow passengers carried my luggage and then waited for my son to arrive for conditions, the heat, mud and mosquitoes, and the malaria, which takes many victims. memory, came to meet me, together with another Jewish deportee. I was immensely happy to see him, though his appearance and unfamiliar clothing, the total change in his face and the apparent change in his whole personality, bored a hole in my heart, as the saying goes. Despite all, however, we both strengthened ourselves and kept our spirits up.
A small room in a wretched village brought to our place of residence. This took several days to organize, for there was almost no one to do it for us. Eventually, a somewhat uncouth Kazakh agreed to carry the heavier items on his shoulders, while the rest was carried by the three of us my husband, myself and the other Jew. Traversing the two kilometers of sticky mud was extremely difficult; walking through the mire was very arduous. Nevertheless, we all arrived without mishap. The village was appallingly poor. When the villagers saw our many packages, they concluded that we were very wealthy. But their attitude towards the deportees was not a bad one, so they regarded us forgivingly, not treating us as harshly as they would treat the truly rich. Our room was in the home of a Tatar3 family, which consisted of a husband and wife and their young child, a boy. To get to our room, we had to pass through a hallway wet with bedroom and dining room. I started a fire with small pieces of wood I gathered, and took out a kettle to boil some tea. Before drinking hot water, we had to wait for the water to settle and the sediment to fall to the bottom of the glass. In time we got used to it, but the first time it made a most unpleasant impression. As we drank the tea, the non-Jewish wife and her child sat close by, there being no door between our room and theirs. Still, the two of us had much to discuss after such a hard year. As night fell, we had to think about getting some rest. Our only lighting came from a small oil-filled lamp. We ate supper and prepared a pitcher of water which was a great accomplishment for negel vasser in the morning. I draped the two windows with whatever I could find from what I had brought, and hoped to get some rest. But we immediately began suffering from a new problem biting insects. Despite everything, however, we managed to get a little sleep. Upon arising in the morning we started to follow what was to become our daily schedule. Late in the afternoon, we would spend time at the train station the only place that livened up our lives. There was a particular bench around which the deportees gathered. There were only two Jewish deportees living there, my husband, of blessed memory, and another, a member of the Kiev intelligentsia and former Bundist,4 who had spent almost two years in prison. The other deportees were from a variety of ethnicities. They were all aware of my arrival. Relations between them were very friendly and crossed ethnic lines; they were united by their memories. hom
We would sit together until 10:00 p.m., when everyone would return to their places of lodging. FOOTNOTES 1. his talit and tefillin. 2. 5700 (1940).
3. A Turkic ethnic group of Mongol descent. 4. A member of the Bund, the Jewish Workers Party of Russia. Poland and Lithuania.
By Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson From the memoirs of Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson (1880-1964), mother of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory.
By Rabbi Yossy Goldman The story is told of an encounter between two famous rabbis of yesteryear Rabbi Elijah, the famed "Gaon" (prodigious scholar) of Vilna, and Rabbi Yaakov Krantz, known as the "Maggid" (preacher) of Dubne. Apparently the Maggid of Dubne once visited Vilna and went to pay a courtesy call on the great Gaon. The Gaon asked the Maggid to preach to him, as was his specialty. "Give me mussar (words of rebuke). Chastise me," said the Gaon. "G-d forbid that I should have the chutzpah to chastise the great Gaon of Vilna," replied the Magid, quite horrified at the suggestion. "No matter, that is your forte and I want to hear mussar from you," insisted the Gaon. So the Dubner Maggid thought a while and then most reluctantly acceded to the wishes of his illustrious host. Said the Maggid, "Is it a great achievement to be a Gaon sitting in Vilna in your little secluded kloiz (small study hall)? Go out into the world, mix with the people, and then let us see what kind of Gaon you will be." Indeed, it is much easier to be scholarly and pious in a sequestered ghetto than it is outside in a world that is often oblivious, or even hostile, to Torah and its values. This, in fact, was more or less the test of Abraham in this week's Parshah. "Go from your land, from your birthplace, from your father's house, to the land I will show you." And it was there far from his natural environment and comfort zones that Abraham accomplished his divine mission. He spread the truth of the One G-d to a pagan world and, in the process, his own name and reputation was established for eternity. It was only after leaving home that Abraham became the founding father of the Jewish people. A hundred years ago, an entire generation of Yiddish-speaking, Torah-observant Jews migrated from Europe. They came to America, the golden land of opportunity, to escape pogroms and persecution. With blood, sweat and tears they raised themselves from rags to riches and soon came to personify the American dream an amazing and inspiring success story. But the fact is that, for the most part, as their businesses succeeded their religious lives failed. Unquestionably, Judaism took a severe body blow. Most were unable to sustain their old world values in new world America. The transition from shtetl to suburbia proved too formidable and children and grandchildren grew up ignorant of and alienated from their own sacred traditions. Today, we see this phenomenon playing out on a lesser scale when families emigrate or move from city to city. Displaced from their spiritual support systems, they flounder. The bulk of their efforts are directed at just resettling and reorganizing their lives. Putting religious infrastructures in place often comes last at great cost in the long run. And on a more subtle level, a similar test of conscience faces us when we take our annual vacations. Away from home and our habitual norms of behavior, we are challenged to maintain the code of conduct we are committed to all year long. It's like the story of the shadchan (matchmaker) who suggested a young lady to a fellow and absolutely raved about her. After their first date, the fellow calls up the shadchan and gives him a piece of his mind. "How dare you introduce me to such a girl, didn't you know she limps!" Quite unflustered, the shadchan retorts, "But, what's the problem, it's only when she walks." It is when we walk away from our comfortable spiritual cocoons of home and community into the wider society that we may find ourselves limping somewhat, losing our Jewish equilibrium. It is then that our faith, our values, our morals and beliefs are truly challenged. May G-d help that the children of Abraham will emulate their forefather, who left his land and remained strong in faith, going on to achieve remarkable success, both spiritually and materially.
Rabbi Yossy Goldman was born in Brooklyn, New York. In 1976 he was sent by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory, as a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary to serve the Jewish community of Johannesburg, South Africa. He is Senior Rabbi of the Sydenham Shul since 1986, president of the South African Rabbinical Association, and a frequent contributor to Chabad.org. His book From Where I Stand: Life Messages from the Weekly Torah Reading was recently published by Ktav, and is available at Jewish bookshops or online.
Adapted by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks; From the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Published and copyrighted by Kehot Publication Society
There appears to be a contradiction between the name of this Sidra and its Sicha Abraham describes a series of events which happened to Abraham, seeming to deflect him from his mission. The Rebbe resolves the contradiction by going in depth
Names are not accidents in Torah. We find in many places that the name of a person or a thing tells us about its nature. And the same is true of the Sidrot. The names they bear are a cue to their content, even though on the face of it they are simply taken from the first words of the Sidra and are there, as it were, by chance. For there is no such thing as pure chance in events, since everything happens by Divine Providence; certainly in matters of Torah. We might think that the names of the Sidrot are a relatively late convention, since we are not certain that they are mentioned in the Talmud,1 while the names of the books of the Torah2 and of the divisions of the Mishnah3 are all detailed there. But there is a law relating to legal documents, that a name mentioned in one becomes a name recognized by Torah law if it has stood unchallenged for 30 days.4 A fortiori, since the names of the Sidrot have stood unchallenged for more than 1,000 years, and are mentioned by the Sages (Rashi,5 for example), they are recognized as such by Torah. So we can sum up the inner content of the whole of this we of its name: Lech Lecha.
2. Lech Lecha: Go To Yourself 6
which you were created.
and your ultimate purpose, that for
This was the command given to Abraham, and the first part of the narrative bears this out. For he was told to leave his heathen background and go to Israel nd journeying to Jerusalem. He was moving progressively towards an ever increasing degree of Abram went down to is spiritual journey, especially as the whole Sidra (as testified by its
3. Ascent or Descent? That it was a reversal seems clear. To go to Egypt was itself a spiritual descent as the verse explicitly also seems like the deliberate concealment of G-d
G-d promised
strange that when he reached the land that G-d had shown him, a famine forced him to leave? A possible answer is that this was one of the trials which Abraham had to face to prove himself worthy of his mission (and the Midrash7 tells us when faced with this inexplicable hardship Ab
it was his task to spread GMidrash8 compares his many to the way a spice box must be shaken about, to spread its aroma to all corners of a room. So an explanation of his descent in terms of a personal pilgrimage will not do justice to the difficulty. Especially since its name for the arrival of a man of G-d to be followed by a bad omen of a national famine. Worse is to follow, for when Abraham entered Egypt, Sarah, his wife, was taken by Pharaoh by force. And even though he did not so much as touch her,9 it was an evident descent from the spiritual course that seemed to be outlined for them.
10
of their modest relationship.
to his own because of the spirituality
So how, in the face of so many contrary indications, can it be that the whole story of Lech Lecha is as its name would seem to imply
4. History Foreshadowed We can work towards a resolution of these difficulties by understanding the inner meaning of the famous the Fathers is mirrored in the fate of their children. But more strongly, that what they do brings about what happens to their children.11 Their merit gives their children the strength to follow their example. possible. Israelites Even that merit for which the Israelites were saved they owed to Sarah; for just as their women kept themselves from sinning with the Egyptians,12
5. The End is Implicit in the Beginning expressing the way in which he was to transform the most secular and heathen things and press them into the service of Gshould be felt in this most intransigent of places. The final ascent was implicit in the descent. There is, in Jewish learning, an image which captures this oblique directedness. The Babylonian Talmud, unlike the Jerusalem Talmud, never reaches its decisions directly but arrives at them through digressions and dialectics which shed, in their apparent meandering, more light than a direct path could. Indeed, when the two books are in disagreement, the Babylonian verdict is always followed.13 So too do the seeming digressions of Jewish history represent not a wandering from the path of destiny but a way of shedding the light of G-d on untouched corners of the world, as preparation for, and part of, their subsequent redemption. to journey towards that self-fulfillment which is the service of G-d. later destiny of the children of Israel, so it is ours. Our exile, like his, is a preparation for (and therefore part of) redemption. And the redemption which follows brings us to a r will be the glory of this latter 14 house (i.e., the Temple Exile, then, is an integral part of spiritual progress; it allows us to sanctify the whole world by our actions, and not simply a small corner of it.
Perhaps one will say: Where is this progress apparent? The world does not appear to be growing more holy: Precisely the opposite seems to be the case. But this is a superficial judgment. The world does not move of its own accord. It is fashioned by Divine Providence. What appears on the surface to be a decline is, however hidden, part of the continuous process of transformation which we work on the world whenever we dedicate our actions to Torah and Gother words, the world constantly becomes more elevated and refined. Nothing could illustrate this more perspective. -fulfillment in the injunction of Lech Lecha, he places his life and his actions in the perspective of Torah, and takes his proper place in the bringing of the future redemption. (Source: Likkutei Sichot, Vol. V pp. 57-67)
FOOTNOTES 1. Cf. Megillah, 29b; 31a, Sotah, 40b. 2. Baba Batra, 14b. 3. In many places. 4. Baba Batra, 167b; Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat, 49:3; Remo in Shulchan Aruch, Even Hoezer, 120:3. 5. Bereishit 47:2; Shemot 19:11; 25:7, etc. 6. Alshich, beginning of our Sidra. 7. Bereishit Rabbah, 40:2.
8. Ibid.,39:2. 9. Cf. Tanchuma, 5 (on our Sidra). 10. But he had seen her previously (cf. Kiddushin, 41a). 11. Cf. Ramban, 12:6. Bereishit Rabbah, 40. 12. Shir Hashirim Rabbah, 4:12. 13. Cf. Yad Malachi, beginning of Part 2. 14. Haggai 2:9, as interpreted in Zohar, Part I, 28a, etc.
Adapted by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks; From the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Dvar Torah Questions and Answers on Lech Lecha "
"
QUESTION: Rashi explains that this refers to what we say in Shemoneh Esreih, Elokei Yitzchak berachah will be concluded with your name only magen Avraham also mentioned in the conclusion of the berachah? ANSWER: In Pirkei Avot (1:2) we learn that the world stands on three pillars: 1) The study of Torah, 2) avodah the service of G-d, and 3) gemilat chassadim acts of kindness, tzedakah. The patriarchs each epitomize one of these pillars. Avraham chessed (21:33), Yitzchak avodah (24:63), Yaakov Torah (25:27). According to Rashi, the pasuk is projecting the history of Klal Yisrael. There will be a time when the major relationship between the Jews and Hashem will be through the study of Torah (Elokei Yaakov). Other times it will be through tefillah prayer (Elokei Yitzchak), and there will be a period when it will be through chessed tzedakah (Elokei Avraham). galut and the coming of Mashiach will not be dependent on all three pillars, but in the zechut of chessed alone, which is personified by Avraham. ( ) "
"
Shechem QUESTION: What is the connection between these two things? ANSWER: When Avram came to Eretz Yisrael, the Canaanites were engaged in conquering the land of Israel from the children of Shem (Rashi). Usually, during a war, armies are extremely cautious, and all strangers are questioned to make sure they are not spies for the other side. Should they seem suspicious, they are punished and even tortured. The Torah is emphasizing that although the Canaanites were presently in the land and it was a time of war, Avram was miraculously protected by Hashem and very easily went through the entire country without any hindrance. ( ) "
"
QUESTION: Why is their similarity in appearance a reason for not quarreling? ANSWER: peiyot and did not look like a tzaddik, then everyone would easily interpret and understand the cause of our quarreling: Either you are fighting with me because you despise religious Jews, or else I am at odds with you because you are my relative and I am unhappy with your irreligious behavior. However, since we both have beards and peiyot, and appear as religious Jews, the secular world will laughingly -observant Jews. Consequently, our actions will cause a desecration of Hashem (chillul Hashem). ( ) "
"
your offspri QUESTION: In what ways are the Jewish people like stars? ANSWER: From earth, the stars appear very small. However, the stars are actually immense. Hashem assured Avram that although on earth the nations of the world consider the Jewish people heaven, they are of primary importance. ( ) *** The stars twinkle in the high heavens. By their light, even one who walks in the darkness of night will not blunder. Every Jew, man or woman, possesses enough moral and spiritual light to influence friends and acquaintances and to bring them out of ( ) *** When one stands on the ground and looks up to the sky, the stars appear to be minute specks. In reality the stars are larger than the earth. As we approach them we can begin to appreciate their size and beauty. The same is true of a Jew. Superficially, one may appear to be insignificant. However, as one comes closer and gets to know Pintele Yid (spark of Judaism) that is in him. ( ) " conceived, I was made light in her eyes; may GQUESTION: If Hagar was insubordinate to Sarai, why was Avram to blame?
" 16:5)
Chasya Hadassa
Dvar Torah Questions and Answers on Lech Lecha ANSWER: to halachah, when a woman marries, her belongings are considered melog property, which means that the principal remains her property and that her husband is entitled to the benefits. He may use the products of the principal as long as his wife is alive, but he has no permission to sell the principal, nor is he allowed to give it away. When a master marries off his slave to a Jewish woman, or when the master chooses his maidservant to become his wife and marries her, she automatically becomes a free person. Thus, after Avram had married Hagar, she considered herself a free marry my maid, but I never intended that she should become my equal, nor did I authorize you to set her free through your your maid is in your hand. Do to her that which is good in your Sarai dealt with her harshly and Hagar fled. An angel found her and ask
maid, from where are you
s? The answer is that, in the course of their dialogue, Hagar argued that through her marriage to Avram she had become a free referred to Hagar as (
)
maid. He explained to her that Avram did not have the authority to set her free through his your mistress
"
" Sarah QUESTION: It should have said her name will be Sarah (future tense)? ANSWER: According to an opinion in Midrash Rabbah (47:1), in order to obtain a " " for the name Avraham, Hashem took the " " (which equals 10) from the name Sarai and gave half of it," " (which equals 5), to Avraham. Thus, Sarai became Sarah immediately. *** Alternatively, according to halachah, a woman rises to the standards of the man. Thus, when a rich man marries a poor woman, she attains the rights of a rich woman (Ketuvot 61a). Hence, when Hashem added the " " to Avraham declaring, " " I proclaim you a father of many nations simultaneously his wife was no longer merely his princess, but the princess of the world and rightfully was called Sarah. ( ) "
"
QUESTION: Why does the Torah emphasize that all the circumcisions took place that he received the command? (See Rashi.) ANSWER: In Parshat Vayeira, we learn about the angels who visited Avraham on the third day following his brit. That day happened to be Pesach brit took place three days before Pesach. According to the the brit took place on Yom Kippur. A brit of a Jewish boy, which takes place on the eighth day after he is born, can be performed on any day of the week including Shabbat. If the brit takes place after the eighth day, it cannot be done on Shabbat or Yom Tov and, according to some opinions, it also cannot be done three days before Shabbat or Yom Tov due to the difficulties that are usually experienced on the third day after the brit ( 266:14). Thus, the question may be asked, since the brit of Avraham, Yishmael and all the males in his household, were not on the eighth day after birth, why were they performed on Yom Tov (Yom Kippur) or three days before the Yom Tov of Pesach? To answer this, the Torah emphasizes that the brit of Avraham, Yishmael and all the males in his household, took place when Hashem commanded them. Since it was the day on which Avraham received the command, it was equivalent to a brit that is performed at the proper time (eighth day) and may be done on any day of the week. ( ) "
"
QUESTION: Avraham observed the entire Torah (Yoma 28b). Why did he wait to circumcise himself until he was so old? ANSWER: injury, or pain to oneself (Bava Kamma 90b). Therefore, though Avraham definitely wanted to perform a brit milah earlier, the halachah considered inflicting injury, but the performance of a mitzvah. ( )
Chasya Hadassa
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A Shabbos Stimulus
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JEM
03-373-1777
640 RABBI SHIMON HELLINGER
A DELIGHTFUL SHABBOS (I) A MITZVA TO ENJOY The Baal Shem Tov explained the mitzva of oneg Shabbos with the following mashal: A prince who was in captivity amongst coarse people received a letter one day from his father, the king. The prince was delighted and wanted to celebrate, yet he knew that his neighbors could not appreciate the greatness of the king. He therefore distributed liquor and they celebrated, so that he too could celebrate his happy occasion. Similarly, in order for the neshama to rejoice in the spiritual revelations of Shabbos, the body must rejoice with some physical delight.
The Alter Rebbe explains it as follows: On Shabbos, Divine pleasure is revealed, similar to the revelation of Gan Eden. However, since we are physical beings, we cannot experience this spiritual pleasure in its pure form, so it is vested in the pleasure of eating physical food. And in that form we can experience it.
The Rebbe explains that the mitzva of oneg Shabbos neshama feels a spiritual delight from carrying out HaShem’s will that we should eat Shabbos foods. However, even those who are attracted to the physical pleasure of eating are required to mitzva of oneg Shabbos by eating good meat and aged wine.
RESPECTABLE MEALS Rebbi Chiya bar Abba related: I was once a guest of a man in Ludkiya, and a golden table was brought before him, which had to be carried by sixteen men; sixteen silver
he opened it he discovered the precious jewel pitchers were set upon it, with all kinds of food, delicacies and spices.
with gold dinarim!
I said to him, “My son! How have you merited this?”
A wise old man met him and commented”, He who lends to Shabbos, Shabbos repays him”.
He replied, “I was a butcher, and I used to
SPECIAL FOODS
Shabbos.’” I said to him, “Fortunate are you that you have merited this, and praised be HaShem who has permitted you to enjoy all this.”
CONSIDER Is the purpose of physical enjoyment on Shabbos to distract the body, or to access spiritual delight? What does it depend on? Yosef Mokir Shabbos (“Yosef who honors Shabbos”) had in his vicinity a wealthy goy who owned much property. Stargazers told him that Yosef Mokir Shabbos would take over all of it, so he sold it all, and with the proceeds he bought one precious stone, which he set in his turban for safekeeping. As he was crossing a bridge a sudden wind blew it off and cast it into the water, and a later caught and brought to the market on erev Shabbos, as the sun was already preparing to set. “Who will buy it now?” they wondered. But someone advised”: Take it to Yosef Mokir Shabbos. He always makes a point of honoring Shabbos by buying ”. They took it to him and he bought it and when
According to Kabbala, one should make a point seudos of Shabbos.
The Alter Rebbe once made a lighthearted remark, that what tekias shofar accomplishes on Rosh HaShana, we accomplish on Shabbos by eating kugel. One of the chassidim asked, “If so, why do we need to blow shofar on Rosh HaShana? We can accomplish just as much by eating kugel!” The Alter Rebbe explained, “That is exactly what we do. When Rosh HaShana falls on Shabbos, we eat kugel and don’t blow shofar….”
During the seuda of the chassuna of the Frierdiker Rebbe’s daughter Sheindel , which took place on Shabbos afternoon, the person serving forgot to bring out the kugel. Those partaking in the seuda bensched Birkas HaMazon, assuming that no kugel had been prepared. After bensching, the Rebbe asked his Rebbetzin, “Where is the kugel? Was no kugel prepared for Shabbos Kodesh?” She assured him that indeed she had prepared a kugel and then asked the person serving to bring it to the table. The Frierdiker Rebbe then washed his hands again, told all those participating to do the same, and they returned to the table to eat the kugel.
RABBI CHAIM HILLEL RASKIN
ROV OF ANASH - PETACH TIKVA
R. LEIB OF TURKISH MOGILOV
SHEMITA SANCTITY I bought oranges in the store and they say that they come from Israel. What should I do? Produce that grew in Eretz Yisroel during the shemita year has a special kedusha (sanctity). With fruit, we follow the year during which they blossomed and became somewhat edible.1 Vegetables follow the year when they were harvested (even if they primarily grew in the sixth year and thus don’t have the prohibition of – see issue 639). Grains and legumes must have grown a third during shemita, even if they will only be harvested the next year.2 Flowers also contain sanctity if they have a scent, and even work wasn’t done with them during shemita.3
Shemita produce must be made hefker (ownerless), and is thus exempt from terumos and maasros.4 One may not ruin this produce, dispose of it, or use it in an irregular manner; it should be eaten, and even the leftovers and residue must be disposed of respectably.5 One is not allowed to trade it or do business with it.6 There are times in the year by which one must “get rid” (biur) of each variety of produce (to be explained in a future article). One may not give shevi’is produce to a gentile.7 One may feed it to a gentile guest in his home, but he may not give him additional food to go.8 Chazal decreed that one may not take this produce out of Eretz Yisroel—to prevent one from doing business with it or mixing it with other fruit. If it was taken out, its sanctity remains. One who leaves Eretz Yisroel should check that they aren’t taking along shevi’is fruits, unless it’s all one has to eat and it’s a small amount that can easily be eaten responsibly.9 If one mistakenly purchased shevi’is produce in chutz la’aretz, one may not transport it elsewhere even within chutz la’aretz.10 Yet, if one sees such fruit in a store, he is not obligated to purchase it to make sure it won’t get desecrated.11 Vegetables likely fall under the rabbinic prohibition of and may not be eaten at all (see article 639).
Little is known about the life of R. Leib, one of the earliest chassidim of the Alter Rebbe. We know that he lived in Mogilov, Ukraine, on the border with the Turkish Ottoman Empire (to differentiate it from the other Mogilov in White Russia).
a path to think about one's own spiritual state. And for three years, I worked on myself."
When R. Mendel Horodoker and other
As a result of the R. Leib's teaching of Chassidus, one talented yungerman began to dedicate himself to the study of Chassidus and davening at length in the style of Chabad. His friends, who were chassidim of other Rebbes, taunted this yungerman and said that while his new Rebbe is surely great, miracles are only found by their Rebbe. The yungerman was pained by their words and he deliberated whether to tell R. Leib about it.
Eretz Yisrael in 5537, the Alter Rebbe accompanied them until Mogilov. R. Leib met the Alter Rebbe at this time and became a chossid of his, traveling back to Liozna to study further with him. Many of the Alter Rebbe’s early maamorim were published based on R. Leib’s manuscripts, and he was the leader of the Chassidim in his area, who were distant from the Alter Rebbe’s chatzer.
In his youth, R. Leib didn't take notice of the advance of Chassidus as he was deeply engrossed in Torah. However, when the Alter Rebbe, then just a student of R. Mendel Horodoker, stayed in his town and paskened a complex shailah in a wondrous manner, he posed his own dilemmas to him and became his chossid. He returned with the Alter Rebbe to Liozna, becoming three years there. When asked what he learned in that time, he said, "For forty years, I studied Torah lishma, and I thought only about Hashem and the Torah, but I never considered where I stand. In Liozna, I was shown how
necessary to relieve his pain. This will be a sign for him and a miracle for others." When the yungerman heard what the Alter Rebbe had written about him, he began to cry. When questioned, he related the conversation he had with his friends. "Now I understand the Rebbe's words," said R. Leib, "Is there a greater miracle then to take a 'block of wood' and convert it into a mentch…"
NON-CHABAD NUSSACH The administration of a Lubavitch day school, that had accepted students from non-chassidic homes, concluded that
In merit of this publication's founder
Several weeks later, a shliach from the Alter Rebbe delivering money to Eretz Yisroel visited their city, and he brought with him a letter for R. Leib about how to guide each of the Chabad yungeleit. Regarding this particular yungerman the Alter Rebbe
responded with dismay, “Who partook in this meeting? Where are the minutes?”
children daven in Nusach Ari, as the Alter Rebbe has established.
Then the Rebbe raised the question, “Is it permitted according to the Shulchan Aruch, to force a child to daven in a nusach that is not his own?
Despite some of the parent body protesting, the principal enforced the rule, and the administration reported the good tidings to the Rebbe.
“How many children, in the view and estimate of the administration, will be attracted or distanced, as a result of the new policy?”
In his holy handwriting, the Rebbe
(Simpson Teshurah, Kislev 5774)
May the zechus of the thousands of readers bring him a total and immediate recovery
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