Edgware Lubavitch Booklet - Parasha Vaishlach 5782 by Josh_Welby

General Overview: In this week's reading, Vayishlach, Jacob returns to Canaan, but is fearful of his brother Esau. They meet and make peace. Jacob wrestles with an angel, and his name is changed to Israel. Jacob's daughter Dinah is abducted by the prince of Shechem. Shimon and Levi destroy the city of Shechem and liberate Dinah. Rachel dies while giving birth to Jacob's twelfth son, Benjamin. Isaac dies. First Aliyah: Jacob was on his way home to his father Isaac after twenty years of absence, having fled Canaan to escape his brother Esau's wrath. As a peaceful overture, Jacob now sent ahead messengers to Esau with a reconciliatory message. The messengers returned with an ominous report: Esau is coming to "greet" Jacob with a troop of 400 men. Jacob was distressed. He divided his family and belongings into two groups to allow one group to flee while the other was engaged in battle. He then prayed, calling upon G-d's promise to protect him. Second Aliyah: In an attempt to pacify Esau, Jacob sent him a lavish gift, consisting of hundreds of heads of cattle and sheep. He sent this gift in increments, one herd at a time. That night Jacob crossed the Jabok River with his family, and after all had crossed but him, he encountered an angel Esau's archangel who wrestled with him until dawn. Though the angel was unable to prevail over Jacob, he dislodged Jacob's sciatic nerve, causing him to limp. When the angel wished to leave, Jacob refused to let him go until he blessed Jacob. The angel blessed Jacob and informed him that his name would eventually be changed to Israel. Third Aliyah: The Torah informs us that we don't eat the sciatic nerve of otherwise kosher animals because of the wrestling episode mentioned in the previous section. Esau arrived. Jacob respectfully approached his brother, who then ran towards him and embraced him, as they both wept. Fourth Aliyah: Jacob's family approached and greeted Esau. Despite Esau's objections, Jacob prevailed upon him to accept the gift he had sent ahead. Esau offered to accompany Jacob on his trip home, but Jacob declined the gesture. Esau returned to his home in Se'ir, and Jacob proceeded to the city of Sukkot. Eventually Jacob arrived at the outskirts of the city of Shechem, where he purchased a plot of land and erected an altar to G-d. Fifth Aliyah: Jacob's daughter, Dinah, ventured out into the city of Shechem, when Shechem, also the name of the crown prince of the city, abducted and violated her and kept her hostage. Chamor, the governor of the city, approached Jacob and informed him that his son Shechem was infatuated with Dinah and desired her hand in marriage. Jacob's sons slyly agreed to the proposition, provided that all the men of the city would circumcise themselves. Upon the urging of Chamor and Shechem, the Shechemites agreed to the proposal. On the third day following their mass circumcision, Dinah's two brothers, Simon and Levi, entered the vulnerable city, killed all its male inhabitants, and liberated Dinah from Shechem's home. Jacob was displeased by this act, fearing reprisal from the neighbouring Canaanites. Nonetheless, Jacob travelled on, and "the fear of G-d" was upon the surrounding cities and they did not pursue Jacob and his family. Jacob arrived in Canaan, in Beth-El, and G-d appeared to him, blessed him, and changed his name to Israel. Sixth Aliyah: Jacob's family continued on towards Hebron. While en route, Rachel, Jacob's beloved wife, passed away while giving birth to her second son, Benjamin. Jacob buried her on the spot, on the roadside leading to Bethlehem. They traveled yet further, and Jacob's eldest son, Reuben, interfered with his father's marital life. At long last, Jacob arrived in Hebron. Isaac died, and was buried in the Cave of Machpelah alongside his wife and parents. The Torah now lists the wives and descendants of Esau, who left Canaan and settled in Se'ir. Seventh Aliyah: This section enumerates the princes of the original Se'irite natives, as well as the monarchs of that land that descended from Esau.

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Part 11 By Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson Mother of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Published and copyrighted by Kehot Publication Society

A small Jewish community forms1 [Following the invasion of the Soviet Union by Germany,] a steady stream of Jewish evacuees started arriving from towns in the war-zone. Among them were some of our acquaintances. People everywhere knew about us. On the one hand, we were pleased that a small Jewish community was forming. On the other hand, we felt an overall deterioration; our material situation, in particular, was most unpleasant. People wanted to help us. But the very fact that we had to rely on such help was not at all gratifying. We were treated with great respect. People would visit us just to spend time in conversation; we had already become unaccustomed to this. As entire families arrived in our region, husbands and wives came to pay us visits, sometimes in order to seek advice. Life was assuming a normal pattern. But the time that had passed had a deep effect, and our thoughts were preoccupied with what the future held for us. The great heat of summer was already upon us, and our health deteriorated. The conflagration of the war2 had cut us off totally from any news from home. Occasional letters got through, however, conveyed by refugees who had fled from their towns to regions as distant as possible. These letters

What will we eat? 3

ll on this. But when one

existence. It compels one to exert great efforts to survive, and there is a constant looming fear of what the next day will bring. We were always searching for new sources of flour, for baking lepyoshkes a kind of flat-bread leavened by yeast or baking soda. To bake these, we needed to find fuel for a fire. Usually it was I who went out searching for these fire-burning materials, for I wanted to spare my husband this work. We gathered small shrubs dried out by the burning sun, or thick grass so dried out that it burned like straw. After burning for a moment, however, it burned up, so we needed to stock up on it. had to contend with the biting mosquitoes. So we worked in a hurry, gathering the dried out twigs, then rushing back to our room, which we had sealed off so tha A remedy for getting rid of the flying insects was to create a thick smoke. After the difficult daytime hours, when we wanted to sit outside for some fresh air, we had to burn a type of fuel that made no fire or light, only a dark smoke. There were often strong winds in that region, and when such a smoky fire was burning, the wind blew the smoke of the muddy, burning straw straight into our faces not a very pleasant sensation. However, the smoke did help to rid us of the flying insects. Gradually one gets benumbed and accustomed to the situation. Then we would just laugh and seek other ways to avoid these

not suffer from hunger. At all times, in some way or another, we managed to obtain food. Sometimes it was grits for cooking porridge of ground cereal grains, or kukuruza ground chickpeas. When our financial situation was better, we prepared the porridge with milk and butter, which made it very filling and tasty. I recall visiting the home of a certain family to arrange some matter. On the table were cheese latkes and a cocoa drink. They were wealthy Jews, employed by the local government center to supply everyone with food products. They kept kosher, and invited me to partake of those foods. I had already forgotten the taste of y had fed a starving person. When I left, I was pleased to have resisted the temptation. No one should ever have to live through such an experience, which requires great fortitude. In such situations, people become like beasts, and the instinct to enjoy food is very intense. Some were unable to withstand this, and others sank so low that, without consideration for their dignity, they went begging for bread and other food, just to have something to eat.

Chopping wood Among our evacuated acquaintances was a Jew from Kharkov. He was well-to-do and had purchased a horse and wagon. Taking them deep into the forest, he would chop halyoxylon wood, which burned well, and he drew his livelihood from selling it. He brought us a wagon load of this wood, which we kept in the sukkah we had constructed ourselves. As far as heating was concerned, our situation now improved somewhat. Having the wood brought a new problem the Romanian refugee,4 the one-time landowner, recalled how his workers used to do this for him, and he quickly learned to chop the wood himself. With difficulty, we were able to take care of our needs. But we were exhausted. When one is devoid of physical strength, everything gets harder.

The month of Tishrei 5 The Yomim Tovim [High Holidays of 5704 (1943)] approached. The previous year [5703 (1942)] we had prayed on the High Holidays6 locked inside our room, hidden away so that no one should see us. This year, however, the evacuated Jews had rented a room located far from the village center, to hold a minyan there. A Torah scroll had been sent to us from Kzyl-Orda, the regional capital, and a considerable crowd assembled men and women, young and old, all kinds of Jews. My husband gave instructions on how everything should be conducted, and was regularly consulted on various details. He could not oversee all this openly, lest it jeopardize the entire project and place him in particular danger. But he paid no heed to this risk, and it all proceeded without mishap.

Yom Kippur unexpected guest I recall how, on the previous Yom Kippur [5703 (1942)], only three of us had prayed at our home, the third being the Jewish deportee who stayed with us every Yom Tov. I had brought a single machzor from home. I cannot possibly describe our feelings during those prayers. In the middle of our prayers, we noticed a young man trying to look through our window (although it was so well draped by a curtain that nothing was visible outside). We were frightened he might be a spy, and our guest was afraid to let him in. But my husband, of blessed memory, unlocked the door and invited him in. It was a young Jewish deportee from Lithuania.7 He had no idea what had happened to his parents. He had been drafted here by the authorities for forced labor. A week earlier, while riding with his

immediately decided to find out Kippur

Yom

The young man knew many of the Yom Kippur prayers by heart. He had been afraid to request the whole day off, so he worked until 11:00 a.m., riding around with his horse and wagon, and by 12:00 noon arrived at our address, after changing out of his workday clothes. Half an hour later, a frightened Jewish woman showed up. She had fled from Nikolayev with her husband, and living now just four kilometers from our village, had learned that we were living there. Her husband had declared that if G-d can so mistreat Jews, he had no desire to pray. But his wife insisted she now wanted to pray more than ever before in her life. She was fasting and had walked the four-kilometer distance, but was afraid to ask for our address, because visiting a rabbi, especially a deportee, required utmost caution. Observing this gathering of Jews praying under such circumstances, each with a bitterly broken t know what else could evoke similar anguish. FOOTNOTES 1. Concluding her chronological description of the first period of the deportation from Winter, 1940, to Summer, 1941 Rebbetzin Chana now describes the subsequent years in a general manner, before her detailed description of the final year, 1943-1944. 2. The Germans invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. 3. From Leviticus 25:20.

4. See above, p. 000. 5. Here Rebbetzin Chana starts her description of the final year of exile, with occasional flashbacks to previous years. 6. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. 7. After the Soviet occupation of the Baltic lands in Spring, 1940..

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 Aharon Denderowitz

During my early childhood, growing up in London, my father was largely absent. He was very ill and hospitalized most of the time, and so my mother had to go to work, while I was looked after by my grandparents. I remembe But around the time I turned five, something changed. In the beginning of 1958, my father was released from the hospital, and we went to live in Gateshead. That is where life returned to normal, I went to school and all was well. Years went by and, eventually, when my father was in his late sixties, he developed cancer and started fading away; he entered a hospice and died. During the week of shivah the seven-day mourning period for the dead my late younger brother Simcha while Daddy w Simcha then went on to relate that during his last days, my father had a visitor, Reb Yisrael Rudzinski, who had gone with him through the camps during World War Two. Reb Yisrael was a Bobover chasid, a tailor by profession, and he was among my turned out to be their final meeting, my brother left the two of them to speak together in private. looked depressed. So, in trying to give my brother courage for what lay ahead, he told him this story. but it happened before he was born. visited your mother and your grandparents. And they showed me hat the doctors felt the need to operate on him, but there was a chance that, as a result of their interventions, he could fall into a a matter for a top leader in the Jewish world. And he offered to send a letter on their behalf to every major rabbinic figure at the time. He ended up sending out twenty-three letters, explaining the situation and asking if they should go ahead with the operation or not. He sent out so many letters because he was not sure who might reply. After the war, there was so much sadness and so many questions of loss and heartache that the rabbis were constantly having to deal with. But he did receive one reply. The only one who responded was the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe wrote that his heart pained him to hear about such suffering, but that he felt unable to answer the question. However, he wanted to put forward a suggestion he had heard from his father-in-law, the Previous Rebbe, that a person who studies Chitas daily will see salvation. What is Chitas? It is an acronym for Chumash (the Five Books of Moses) Tehillim (the Book of Psalms) and Tanya (the seminal work by the Alter Rebbe, the founder of the Chabad movement). The Rebbe was recommending that my father begin studying portions of these holy books every day according to a set schedule. Since the Rebbe was the only one who responded, Reb Yisrael decided to call him directly. After much effort as in those days long-distance calls were not so easy his advice could not be followed because my father was simply to

Although he was not a Lubavitcher, Reb Yisrael followed the directive of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and became that friend who studied Chitas for my father. This is what he told my brother. After six weeks, my father showed marked improvement, and the doctors began to speak about releasing him from the hospital. And after another six weeks, they did release him. When that happened, my father followed the advice of Rabbi Moshe Schwab of the Gateshead Talmudical College , who told mazel A change of place can change From that point on, until he reached old age, my father was fine he held down a job, provided for our family and was actively involved in the local Jewish community. In that momentous conversation, Reb Yisrael told my brother another astonishing thing g sustained. And it also made me think about all that the Rebbe did for us all and still is doing for us today. I hope this story goes on to inspire everybody who reads it. © 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.

Kiss or Curse? By Yossy Goldman

Which is the greater test of faith, affluence or poverty? Is it harder to be a good Jew when you're rich or when you're poor, when you're successful or when you're struggling? No doubt, we would all much rather accept upon ourselves the test of affluence, wouldn't we? But let's not be subjective about it. Let us rather take an objective historical approach. Back in the early 19th century, Napoleon was conquering Europe and promising liberty and equality for all. When he squared up against Russia, many Jewish leaders sided with him, hoping he would finally bring an end to Czarist persecution and enable Russian Jewry to enjoy full civil rights. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad, thought differently. He actively opposed Napoleon and even had his Chassidim assist in intelligence gathering for the Russian army. When his colleagues challenged him and questioned his apparent lack of concern for the well-being of his own people, he argued that while Napoleon might be good for the Jews materially, his victory would result in spiritual disaster. History proved him correct. Minus the Little Emperor, Russian Jews remained staunchly Jewish, while French Jewry virtually vanished. How many Jewish Rothschilds are left in the world? G d knows we could have used them. Most of French Jewry today hails from North Africa. The originals are few and far between. There is a fascinating Midrashic interpretation in this week's parshah about the dramatic encounter kissed him." The Hebrew word for "and he kissed him" is vayishakayhu. In the Torah, this word is written with a line of dots above it. Says the Midrash Yalkut Shimoni: these dots are there to indicate that the word should be read differently; not vayishakayhu, he kissed him, but rather vayishachayhu, he bit him! How can we understand a Midrash which seems to change the entire meaning of the word? A kiss is an expression of love and a bite is the opposite! Says the Sfat Emet (Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter, 1847-1905, the second Rebbe in the Chassidic dynasty of Ger), "When Esau kisses, Jacob is bitten!" The American experience confirms beyond a shadow of a doubt that freedom, democracy and equal rights, while a wonderful blessing for Jews for which we should be eternally grateful, also present a profound challenge to our Jewish identity and way of life. In the melting pot of the United States, Jews have integrated so successfully that they are virtually disappearing! Success and affluence are wonderful gifts of opportunity, but we don't seem to be passing the test of faith with flying colours. The French philosopher, Jean Paul Sartre, argued that anti-Semitism has been good for the Jews. It has kept Jews Jewish! While no one wants to be oppressed, and we reject anti-Semitism categorically, the man does have a point. When antisemitism bites, we intuitively know how to respond. But when the world is in a kissing mood, we don't quite know how to handle it. I remember as a young rabbi working with university students in Johannesburg in the late 1970's. At that time, they were completely apathetic to Judaism. My colleagues and I were struggling to elicit any meaningful response to Jewish programs on campus. During one particular meeting, we seriously contemplated getting up in the dead of night to spray-paint some swastikas on the Student Union building. Surely, that would get some reaction! Of course, we never did it. But the fact that the thought actually crossed our minds demonstrates how external threats have a way of making Jews bristle with pride and righteous indignation. May we never again face the test of poverty or persecution. Please G d, we will be proud and knowledgeable Jews successfully meeting the spiritual challenges of the good life. Rabbi Yossy Goldman was born in Brooklyn, New York. In 1976 he was sent by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory, as a ChabadLubavitch 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.

Dvar Torah Questions and Answers on Vayishlach "

" Yaakov s QUESTION: Rashi comments: mamash What right did Yaakov have to use Hashem ANSWER: In the final pesukim of the previous parshah, we learn of Yaakov meeting a contingency of the Torah deduced that there were two sets of angels. One group consisted of heavenly angels which Hashem created, and the other group consisted of angels who were created through the mitzvot and good deeds which Yaakov performed (see Avot 4:11). benefit the angels who were created through him. When Yaakov had to prepare for an encounter with Eisav, he sent his angels. Rashi alludes to this by explaining that the angels he sent were "," an acronym for " " from his deeds. ( ) "

QUESTION: Why did Eisav take so many people with him? ANSWER: Eisav always tried to seem very scrupulous in the mitzvah that Yitzchak would be greatly disappointed with him and very angry if he would kill Yaakov. Therefore, he took a large crowd of people so that he could have an excuse for Yitzchak. He would tell him that it was not he control, and I was unable to stop the ( ) "

QUESTION: Dinah counted. How does Rashi know that the reference to eleven children does not include the daughter Dinah? Perhaps it does not include one of the sons? ANSWER: One of the reasons why the Beit Hamikdash was built in Jerusalem on the land of Binyamin is that he was not born when Yaakov met Eisav and, thus, did not bow down to Eisav ( Devarim 33:12). When Yaakov met Eisav, he had eleven sons and one daughter. If we should say that the eleven children included Dinah and one of the sons was hidden in the box, then that child would deserve that the Beit Hamikdash be built on his land more than Binyamin; because he was already born and did not bow down to Eisav, while Binyamin was not even born at the time. Therefore, Rashi knew that the missing child had to be Dinah, who did not get a share of Eretz Yisrael. ( ) "

QUESTION: Rashi says that Yaakov forgot and he returned to pick them up. Which small jars did Yaakov forget? ANSWER: In Eretz Yisrael, if a Jew should notice spots on the walls of his house,( ) he is to contact a Kohen, who comes and examines the house to see if the house is defiled. He first instructs the person to remove all items from the house and only afterwards, when the house is emptied of all its contents, does he declare the house defiled. The reason is that the Torah does not want the contents of the house to become defiled and unfit for use. From this halachah, the Zohar learns a very interesting lesson: If Hashem was concerned that even small jars should not become defiled and unfit for use, how much more so should a talmid chacham have concern for himself and not endanger himself by walking alone. He should always have two people accompanying him. When Rashi taught his students the story of Yaakov remaining alone and being attacked by the angel of Eisav, a question was raised: Why was Yaakov alone? Rashi told his students that obviously Yaakov momentarily forgot the lesson of the Zohar which a talmid chacham small jars. Consequently, he went out alone and was in great danger. ( ) " QUESTION:

Shechem

Lizchis Harav Moshe ben Chasya Hadassa

Dvar Torah Questions and Answers on Vayishlach ANSWER:

( ) is an acronym for sheim ( ) name lashon ( ) language and ( ) garment. The Torah is attesting to the fact that though Yaakov was associated with Lavan for twenty years, it did not have any affect upon him. He did not modernize and adopt a new name. He did not stop speaking his native tongue, Lashon HaKodeshthe streets of Charan. ( ) " " Shimon and Levi QUESTION: seem superfluous? ANSWER: At the time when this episode took place, Shimon and Levi were thirteen years old. The reference to them as is to teach us that at the age of thirteen one becomes a full fledged member of Klal Yisrael and obligated to observe all the mitzvot of the Torah (Avot 5:22, Bartenura). The Rosh in his Responsa (Klal 16a) writes that the age of thirteen for Bar-Mitzvah is not based on a Biblical source, but is like all measurements, a Halachah LeMoshe MiSinai an instruction given to Moshe when he was on Mt. Sinai. *** The difference between the two views on Bar Mitzvah is relevant to Noachides. At what age are they obligated to perform their mitzvot? If it is derived from the case of Shimon and Levi, the number 13 would apply to a Noachide. However, if it is considered an instruction which was given to Moshe, this would not apply to a Noachide. Because, things which are learned through Halachah LeMoshe MiSinai are only for Israelites and not for Noachides. Therefore, as soon as a Noachide shows signs of understanding and responsibility, he is obligated to perform his mitzvot (Talmudic Encyclopedia, vol. 3, pg. 361). *** The fact that a source for the age of Bar-Mitzvah is derived from Shimon and Levi imparts another very important lesson: As soon as one becomes thirteen years of age, one is expected to have mesirat nefesh (i.e., the highest degree of dedication) to defend and protect the integrity and sanctity of Klal Yisrael as well as each and every Jew. ( ) "

QUESTION: Why, when Rachel was in such a condition, did Yaakov argue with her over the name to be given to the newborn child? ANSWER: Rachel felt that her life in this world was ending, and she worried about what would happen to her child if he grew up without the care of a mother. en I am Wanting to comfort his dying wife, Yaakov told her not to worry. He promised her that he would take special care of him and assured her that he would be a ben would be source of nachas to his mother in Gan Eden. ( ) "

Yishmael QUESTION: position of greatness, or marries, his sins are forgiven. She is thus called Machalat, because when Eisav married her, his sins W ANSWER: Eisav had two wives and had children with them. Thus, he already fulfilled the mitzvah of procreation. Now he married Machalat as a third wife to have additional children. The message conveyed here is that marriage forgives sins even when one marries a wife in addition to his existing wife. The first such case is that of Eisav. Though Yaakov too took additional wives while he already had wives and children, nevertheless, the lesson derived from Eisav cannot be derived from him, since Yaakov had no sins to begin with (see 25:7, Rashi). The wedding day is the chatan and kallah personal Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur day possess a power of forgiveness for the you to cleanse, you; from all your sins before Hashem shall you Vayikra 16:30). The same holds true with the wedding day of every Jewish chatan and kallah. Though Eisav was a Yisrael mumar apostate Jew (see Kiddushin 18a), nevertheless he was a Jew and not a gentile. ( )

Lizchis Harav Moshe ben Chasya Hadassa

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A Shabbos Stimulus

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645 EDITOR - RABBI SHIMON HELLINGER

YUD-TES KISLEV (II) RENEWING THE CONNECTION In HaYom Yom it is written: Yud-Tes Kislev is a day for farbrengen and for undertaking positive hachlatos nigleh and Chassidus publicly, Shas for learning, according to the procedure set out in Iggeres HaKodesh.

In the winter of (1901), the Rebbe Rashab was in Moscow for the purpose of pidyon shvuyim. He who had been arrested, but did not want to leave until they were actually freed. On Motzoei Shabbos, which was Yud-Gimmel Kislev, the

approaching Yom-Tov, and that it would be read out on the Chag HaGeula. This piece of news raised anticipated the hour when the letter would be read. On erev Shabbos after Mincha, I directed that everyone should learn Chassidus. An hour-and-ahalf later we davened Kabbolas Shabbos, and then everyone returned to their places, ready to hear the letter. I stepped up to the bimah together with the two mashgichim and read out the letter word by word. It reads in part:

CONSIDER Is Yud-Tes Kislev a day to be earnest or a day to celebrate?

of older bochurim would return to Lubavitch for Yud-Tes Kislev, but the schedule would nonetheless go on as planned. On the following leil Shabbos all the talmidim would have their seuda zal together with their mashpi'im and roshei yeshivah, and there would be another seuda on Motzoei Shabbos. privileged bochurim would join a special farbrengen with the Frierdiker Rebbe on Sunday night. Hearing Yud-Tes Kislev brought tears to the eyes of bochurim. The Frierdiker Rebbe relates: A few days before YudTes orchim, and the talmidim of nearby Lubavitch yeshivos, began to arrive in

"Yud-Tes Kislev is the Yom-Tov on which our soul's chayus were given to us, this day is

our holy Torah. […] It is our duty, on this day, to desire and will, in the very core of our heart, that HaShem neshama with the light of HaShem," to elicit the depth and pnimiyus mitzvos inwardness of our neshama, so that our entire being will be dedicated to HaShem within us any of the natural traits that are evil and

Everyone stood and listened with shining faces, and niggun.

At 8:30 PM on Thursday night a letter arrived zal

"On this holy day, which is the Rosh HaShana for Chassidus and for kabbalas ol malchus Shamayim, every individual should do his avoda conscientiously, and beg that HaShem way of the Alter Rebbe. On this day, as the Alter Rebbe stands before HaShem, asking that we and our children be strong begashmiyus uveruchniyus, everyone should give tzedaka to the mosdos that follow the will of the Alter Rebbe. Every person, young and old, should undertake to learn Torah every day, each according to his level, and should ol malchus Shamayim for the

And the Frierdiker Rebbe concludes his letter with the words, "lechayim velivracha".

It was the evening of Yud-Tes Kislev (1925) and the Frierdiker Rebbe was sitting in the zal in Rostov,

service of HaShem carried out leshem Shamayim."

grew, especially since the Rebbe had not been with Yud-Tes Kislev.

but Boruch HaShem, on Yud-Tes Kislev, his health took a turn for the better. Instead of farbrenging, he wrote the following letter to the temimim and Anash:

A DAY FOR CHASSIDISHE GROWTH Early in

(1920), the Frierdiker Rebbe, his

bochurim, that the Frierdiker Rebbe's situation was serious,

and said: "One Yud-Tes who had gathered for a farbrengen. I entered his 'Today, after all, Yud-Tes Kislev, is Rosh HaShana. teshuva.' I farbrenged for a short while and left." After relating this episode, the Frierdiker Rebbe stood up and returned to his study.

The Alter Rebbe said regarding Yud-Tes Kislev, simcha, gashmiyus to ruchniyus, The Tzemach Tzedek simcha" "door-handle" ("kliamkeh" by doing avoda.

RABBI CHAIM HILLEL RASKIN

ROV OF ANASH - PETACH TIKVA

R. EFRAIM OF KOPUST

BEAUTIFUL MENORAH Do I need to have a menorah, or can I just light separate lights on a surface? posuk “zeh keili v'anveihu mitzvos by buying beautiful mitzva tzitzis, lulav, and the like. The Gemara says this even calls for wrapping a sefer Torah in beautiful silk fabric.1

early chossid of the Alter Rebbe and a A chossid of the Mitteler Rebbe, and

"Now," concluded the Mitteler Rebbe,

as one of the heads of Colel Chabad in Chevron.

felt better again.

One should be mehader mitzva

and I began to recite Chassidus. In maamar reappeared, but I did not want to stop, maamar and they left.

Once, the Mitteler Rebbe closeted

for it.2 Poskim wood.3

to go in. When he entered, he found the Rebbe

he won't leave the Holy Land.

poskim

a strong yearning to see the Rebbe. He

the silver and not in glass cups. They argue that if one uses cups, mitzvah and is not a hiddur.

withdrawn, "I was sitting and writing

However, others argue that according to the opinion that a

father, the Alter Rebbe, standing beside Maggid, wanted to hear Chassidus

own at all. Moreover, even according to the view that a base isn’t needed, a receptacle isn’t halachically necessary either (e.g. mitzva than the silver base.

Alter Rebbe would not be present. He disappeared, and the Maggid appeared,

Alter Rebbe and Mitteler Rebbe told

that he would be saved. Indeed, he arrived safely and eventually passed away in Russia.

mehader to light in the silver, there 6

their entire purpose is to be in the

the onlooker.8

HOW A CHOSSID DAVENS shlichus in Morocco,

the Rebbe’s face literally shone as he observed the chossid davening, totally oblivious to his surroundings…” Reb Sa’adya’s son, Reb Sender adds, “On another occasion, the scene

hours covered in his talis, davening with devotion.