Lmpk Shavuos 2015

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A Shavuot Message Excerpts from a letter By the Grace of G‑d Rosh Chodesh Sivan, 5715 [May 22, 1955] Brooklyn, N.Y. . . . It is surely unnecessary to elaborate on the close relationship between the physical and the spiritual, which even modern science has become convinced of.

Physically, at this time of the year, we find Nature again in full bloom.

After a period of hibernation, it springs back to life with renewed vigor and vitality, faithfully reproducing the same elements which characterized the same period a year ago, and two years ago, and all the way back to the first seasons of the Nature cycle.

In our religious and spiritual life, also, we have the seasons and festivals which recur year after year, and reproduce the same spiritual elements which first gave rise to them. Thus, at this time of the year, with the days of Sefirah connecting the festival of Passover (physical freedom) with its culmination in Shavuoth (spiritual freedom), we can—if we are sufficiently prepared and attuned to it—relive the

experiences of our ancestors who actually witnessed the Revelation and accepted the Torah at Sinai.

What a long way our ancestors covered in the course of but 50 days; from the abominations of Egyptian “culture,” in which moral depravity and polytheism reigned supreme (as recent archeological discoveries have amply brought to light)—to pure monotheism at Mount Sinai, where the Jew receives the Torah with the call of Na’aseh v’nishma. Na’aseh first, i.e., complete surrender of man to G‑d.

Through the medium of the Torah, G‑d “descends” on Mount Sinai, and the Jew ascends to G‑d— the soul is released from all its fetters tying it down to earthly things, and, on the wings of fear of G‑d and love of G‑d, unites with the Creator in complete communion. It is then that it can fully appreciate the inner meaning of “I am G‑d thy G‑d, Who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage,” and the rest of the Ten Commandments, till “Thou shalt not covet,” i.e., not only refrain from taking what is not yours, but not even desire it.

This great rise from the abyss of Egypt to the sublime heights of Sinai was attained by pure and simple faith in G‑d, from the day when

Happy Shavuos Dr. Paul & Stephanie Ross

parents and children, women and infants, several million souls in all, set out on the trek through the desert, not dismayed by the irrationality of it, but simply obeying the Divine call with absolute trust. This won special Divine favor, in the words of the Prophet: “I remember unto thee the kindness of thy youth, the love of thy betrothal, thy going after Me into the wilderness.” It is this faith that carried the Jews through the ages, an insignificant physical minority in the midst of a hostile world, a spot of light threatened by an overwhelming darkness. It is this absolute faith in G‑d that we need nowadays more than ever before.

It is said, the whole sun is reflected in a drop of water. And so the whole of our nation is reflected in each individual, and what is true of the nation as a whole is true of the individual.

The core of Jewish vitality and indestructibility is in its pure faith in G‑d: not in some kind of an abstract Deity, hidden somewhere in the heavenly spheres, who regards this world from a distance; but absolute faith in a very personal G‑d, who is the very life and existence of everybody; who permeates where one is, or what one does. Where there is such faith, there is no room for fear or anxiety, as the Psalmist says, “I fear no evil, for Thou art with me,” with me, indeed, at all times, not only on Shabbos or Yom Tov, or

during prayer or meditation on G‑d.

And when one puts his trust in G‑d, unconditionally and unreservedly, one realizes what it means to be really free and full of vigor, for all one’s energy is released in the most constructive way, not only in one’s own behalf, but also in behalf of the environment at large.

The road is not free from obstacles and obstructions, for in the Divine order of things we are expected to attain our goal by effort; but if we make a determined effort, success is Divinely assured, and the obstacles and obstructions which at first loom large, dissolve and disappear.

I wish you to tread this road of pure faith in G‑d, without over[unclear in original] introspection and selfsearching, as in the simple illustration of a man walking: he will walk most steadily and assuredly if he will not be conscious of his walk and not seek to consciously coordinate the hundreds of muscles operative in locomotion, or he would be unable to make his first step.

Wishing you success in all above, and hoping to hear good news from you and yours, With the blessing of a happy Yom Tov of Receiving the Torah with inner joy, Sincerely, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, The Lubavitcher Rebbe

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‘A Message From the Rabbi’

B’H Dear Friends.

We would like to wish all of our readers a very Happy & Healthy Shavuos! This holiday celebrates the culmination of the Exodus from Egypt 3327 years ago, when the Jewish people assembled at the foot of Mt. Sinai to receive the Holy Torah. We encourage everyone to be at your local Synagogue to hear the reading of the 10 Commandments on the First day of Shavuos, Sunday May 24, 2015, and reaffirm the covenant with HaShem & his Torah.

Best Wishes for a Happy & Healthy Shavuos!

With thanks to HaShem, this issue is the 90th printing of Let My People Know. We would like to thank all of our readers & advertisers. The # 90, is special in many ways.

1) 90 has the Gematria (numerical value) of the letter Tzadik. Tzadik means a righteous person, in the Ethics of our Fathers, which we study from after Passover to Rosh HaShana, it says 'And your people are all righteous'. This means we all have the potential to be on a level of a Tzadik.

2) 90 is also equal to 5 times Chai (Life).In the Holy Sefer of Tanya, we learn all about the 5 Levels of our Neshoma (soul).

Please enjoy the articles, stories & delicious recipes in this issue. We also provided for you a Shavuos Guide on page 6 and Candlelighting on page 13.

Rabbi Yankel & Rochel Kreiman

Best wishes for a Chag Samayach & a Cool Summer!!

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Happy Shavuos Dr. Amy Austin Sara Lee Austin Judge Jacqueline Drucker

Joan & Harold Kramer Lenore Leon Ruth & Herb Levitsky

Yocheved Meltzer Arlene Morse Celia & Sandy Norian Dina Piekarsky

Isaac & Selma Friedman

Harriet Lindsay

Howard Schreiman

Judy Gornbein

Art & Joan Markovits

Joyce & Irwin Yarmo LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775 n 3

The Rebbe’s Reach Two Stories

Mr. Max Cohen from Manchester received a call from a business associate in Bangladesh. “Mr. Cohen, we’ve prepared a large shipment of merchandise for you.

We are eagerly awaiting your arrival, so we can close the deal.”

Mr. Cohen was equally keen on the deal. For years, he had benefited from his association with the textile industry in that country. And yet he had mixed feelings.

He was familiar with the country, rife with civil uprisings and natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.

Only a year earlier, he had fled the country without concluding his business, after violent fighting had broken out in the streets. Some months later, en route from Hong Kong, he canceled a stopover in Bangladesh because a full-force cyclone had ripped through the country.

His associates tried repeatedly to calm his fears. “Things are quiet now, Max,” they reassured him.

“The streets are calm and the worst is over. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Mr. Cohen still was not convinced.

After considerable deliberation, he proceeded with the arrangements for the trip, but faxed the details of his plans to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, asking his advice and blessing.

His flight was scheduled for the following Sunday. Throughout the entire week Mr. Cohen remained in contact with the Rebbe’s office in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, inquiring whether or not he had received a reply, but to no avail. Sunday morning, Mr. Cohen called the Rebbe’s secretary at his home. “Is there anything you can do for me? I need an answer urgently.”

“It’s difficult to ask the Rebbe such matters on Sunday, because he devotes many hours to distributing dollars,” the secretary said. (Beginning in 1986, the

Rebbe would conduct a weekly “receiving line”; every v i s i t o r received a dollar to give to charity.)

In the evening Mr. The Lubavitcher Rebbe Cohen drove to the airport.

There was still time before the 10:30 PM departure. “If an answer from the Rebbe comes, I’ll be ready to go,” he thought as he checked in.

While other passengers relaxed in the departure lobby, Mr. Cohen nervously called Lubavitch headquarters several times. Friends in Crown Heights also tried to verify if there was an answer for him. In his dilemma, he called his brotherin-law, David Jaffe, for advice. After he hung up the phone, David had an idea. He hurried over to the dollar line and asked the Rebbe for a reply for his brother-in-law.

The 9:00 PM news reported that another cyclone had hit Bangladesh.

That, and the fact that by 10:00 PM he had not received an answer from the Rebbe, were enough to cause Mr. Cohen to cancel his flight.

As his baggage was being removed from the plane, he placed a final call to his father-in-law, Abraham Jaffe, in Manchester. “I’ll have to stay overnight in London,” he said. “I’ll return to Manchester tomorrow.” As they conversed, Mr. Cohen began to unwind and relax from the tense hours he had gone through. The men continued talking casually for a while, when Mr. Jaffe heard a beep on his line. “Excuse me, Max, I have another call. I’ll put you on hold for just a moment.”

On the other line was his son David from Crown Heights. “I have news for Max,” he said excitedly, “but I don’t know how to reach him.” With a press on the button, the elder Mr. Jaffe connected Max with a conference call. The two men listened in anticipation as David related his story.

“When I reached the Rebbe, it was

4 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775

5:00 PM, and already 10:00 PM in London. I described Max’s situation to the Rebbe, explaining that he was at the airport waiting for the Rebbe’s blessing. ‘It’s tumultuous there,’ the Rebbe said. I ventured to tell the Rebbe that things had become calmer. The Rebbe then handed me a dollar for Max, and gave him his blessing for a successful journey.

“I turned to go, but the Rebbe’s attendant called me back. The Rebbe gave me another dollar and said: ‘This is for the shaliach (emissary) in Bangladesh.’ I stood transfixed in amazement. ‘Jews in Bangladesh?’ I wondered. ‘And a Lubavitch shaliach at that?’ The Rebbe surely noticed my astonishment, for he added: ‘There is a Jew in that country who is involved with Lubavitch.’

“Listen, I’m going to forward the dollars by special delivery to Max’s hotel in Bangladesh. I won’t keep you another moment.”

There was no time to lose. Laden with his suitcases that had already been deplaned, and the Rebbe’s blessing, Mr. Cohen boarded in the nick of time. The long flight gave him ample time to recollect his thoughts and muse at the unbelievable chain of events. If David hadn’t had that idea; if I hadn’t called my fatherin-law; if we hadn’t prolonged our conversation; if David’s call would have come a minute later . . . what divine providence!

But what was mostly on his mind was the mysterious mission from the Rebbe to deliver a dollar to “a Jew who is involved in Lubavitch activity.”

He had traveled to Bangladesh many times. His business associates were all Muslims, and so was almost everyone else he had ever met there. A Jew in Bangladesh? A Lubavitch activist? Even if so how was he supposed to locate him in a population of 114 million . . . ?

Upon arriving in the city of Chittagong in eastern Bangladesh, Mr. Cohen checked into his hotel and set out to find the person for whom the Rebbe had sent the dollar.

After two days of searching, Mr. Cohen returned to his hotel weary and frustrated. Just then he noticed

a man hurrying towards the elevator before its doors closed. There was something striking in the man’s face. A thought flashed through his mind. He retraced his steps towards the elevator.

“Excuse me, sir, are you Jewish?”

The man turned around and stared at Mr. Cohen. The elevator doors closed, but the man remained standing there.

“Yes.” Minutes later, the two men were deep in conversation in Mr. Cohen’s hotel room. Two Jews, two worlds of business, personal concerns, and interesting experiences came together in a meeting of chance in distant Bangladesh.

Or was it chance? As they conversed, Mr. Cohen sensed that this indeed was the man he was looking for.

“The Lubavitcher Rebbe asked me to deliver a dollar to a Jew who is involved in Lubavitch activity in Bangladesh.”

The man, who had introduced himself as Walter from North Carolina, was visibly moved. “Yes, I know the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and from time to time I am involved in Lubavitch activities,” he said slowly.

“I suppose this is the Rebbe’s way of expressing his concern and encouragement to a simple Jew halfway around the globe.”

And Walter began to tell his story: “My import-export business takes me to many places throughout the world, but I have spent most of my recent years in Bangladesh. Come what may, however, I always go back to North Carolina at least twice a year, for Passover and for the High Holidays.

“Before my business brought me to Bangladesh, I was an active member of the Jewish community in Charlotte, North Carolina. We have a large community with many members, but like other communities in the States, many do not observe mitzvot. Intermarriage is on the rise, and our youth lack direction.

So I wholeheartedly welcomed the young Lubavitch couple who arrived in North Carolina in 1980, Rabbi

Yosef Yitzchak and Mrs. Mariasha Groner.

“I did my best to help them acclimate themselves into our community and get started with their work. I maintain a steady relationship with them, even though seven years have passed since I moved here.

“While phoning Rabbi Groner some years ago, I discussed an issue which had been on my mind. Over the years, I had met a number of Jewish families who spend extended periods of time here in Bangladesh on business. They and their children had very little, if any, connection with Jewish values and observance.

“Rabbi Groner helped me organize a Jewish education program for the children. Since then, he has been sending me educational material from North Carolina.

“Once, about three years ago, Rabbi Groner mentioned that he had included a report of my Bangladesh activities in his periodic reports of

his own activities to the Rebbe.”

Walter continued slowly, and his next words were emotionally charged: “Don’t ask me too many questions about our providential meeting here. I honestly have no rational answer, except that the Rebbe saw fit to encourage me, a distant Jew whom he heard about three years ago.

“I, and all the families with whom I am involved, live in Dhaka, the capital. My business affairs have always been located in the same area. I never traveled to other parts of this country until this Monday morning, when I felt a sudden urge to see some of the tourist attractions in this area.

“This is how I happened to be here in Chittagong. I plan to return to Dhaka tomorrow morning.”

“I first met the Rebbe during the lifetime of his father-in-law and predecessor, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchack of Lubavitch,” related Rabbi

Avraham Mordechai Hershberg, the former chief rabbi of Mexico.

“I asked the previous rebbe about a rabbinic position I was offered in Chicago. He told me to consult his son-in-law.

“I spent nearly an entire night with the Rebbe. Our discussion covered tractate after tractate of the Talmud, and the scope of the Rebbe’s knowledge and his genius totally amazed me. From that night onward, I maintained a relationship with the Rebbe, and I consulted with him regarding numerous personal and public matters.”

In 1980, during the Iranian occupation of the American embassy there, Rabbi Hershberg was scheduled to travel to Iran for a public service project. Because of the tense atmosphere at the time, many tried to persuade him to postpone his trip. The Rebbe, by contrast, encouraged him. “Go with blessing,” he answered. “You are certain to light the Chanukah

menorah in Iran.”

Rabbi Hershberg was puzzled by the Rebbe’s closing words. He was not necessarily planning to stay in Iran for Chanukah. But if he would, there was no question that he would light a menorah. He did not understand the Rebbe’s reference, nor the emphatic tone in his words.

Afterwards, it became clear. His mission in Iran took longer than expected, during which time he developed a relationship with some Iranian officials. He knew that there were six Jews among the hostages in the American embassy, and he asked permission to light the menorah with them. “Just as we have granted permission for a priest to meet with the Christian hostages on their holiday,” the Iranians replied, “we will allow you entry as well.”

And so, it was in the barricaded American embassy in Iran that Rabbi Hershberg lit the Chanukah menorah that year.

Rabah & WithTodah heart felt appreciation to you, Rabbi Yankel Kreiman.

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Customs of Shavuos Adorning the Home with Greenery & Flowers

Since Shavuos is also called the “Harvest Festival,” it is customary to adorn the home and synagogue with fruits, flowers and greens.

Furthermore, our Sages relate that although Mount Sinai was situated in a desert, when the Torah was given the mountain bloomed and

B) The scenes of harvesting described in the book of Ruth are appropriate to the Festival of Harvest.

C) Ruth was a sincere convert who embraced Judaism with all her heart. On Shavuos all Jews were converts -- having accepted the Torah and all of its precepts.

Learning on Shavuos night

On the first night of Shavuos (this year Saturday night, May 23, sprouted flowers.

2015), Jews throughout the world observe the centuries-old custom NOTE: All floral arrangements should be done early of conducting an all-night vigil on Friday, before the onset of the holiday, to respect dedicated to Torah learning, and the sanctity of Shavuos. preparation for receiving the Torah anew the next morning. One The Ten Commandments explanation for this tradition is that the Jewish people The holiday of Shavuos is the did not rise early on the day G‑d gave the Torah, and day on which we celebrate the great revelation of the giving of the it was necessary for G‑d Himself to awaken them. To Torah at Mount Sinai, 3327 years compensate for their behavior, Jews have accepted ago, and this year on Sunday, May upon themselves the custom of remaining awake all 24, 2015. You stood at the foot of night. the mountain. Your grandparents Eating Dairy Foods and great-grandparents before It is customary to eat dairy foods them. The souls of all Jews, from all on the first day of Shavuos. There times, came together to hear the Ten Commandments are a number of reasons for this from G‑d Himself. custom; here are a few: This year, on Sunday, May 24, 2015, go to your * On the holiday of Shavuos, local synagogue to hear the Ten Commandments and a two-loaf bread offering was reaffirm the covenant with G‑d and His Torah. brought in the Temple. To Since we all stood at Mount Sinai, we must all commemorate this, we eat two reaffirm our commitment. Babies, young children, the meals on Shavuos -- first a dairy elderly, all that are able should attend. meal, and then, after a short interruption, we eat the traditional holiday meat-meal.

The Book of Ruth * With the giving of the Torah the Jews now became In many synagogues the Book of Ruth is read on the second obligated to observe the laws of Kosher. As the Torah day of Shavuos. There are several was given on Shabbat no cattle could be slaughtered nor could utensils be koshered, and thus on that day reasons for this custom: A) Shavuos is the birthday and they ate dairy. * The Torah is likened to nourishing milk. Also, the yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) Hebrew word for milk is “chalav.” When the numerical of King David, and the Book of value of each of the letters in the word chalav are Ruth records his ancestry. Ruth and her husband Boaz were King added together - 8, 30, 2 - the total is forty. Forty is the number of days Moses spent on Mount Sinai when David’s great-grandparents. receiving the Torah.

6 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775

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LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775 n 7

Keep Your Balance

By Yossy Goldman

What is the definition of a wellbalanced individual? One who has a chip on both shoulders!

In Exodus we read the Ten Commandments.

The great revelation at Sinai saw Moses come down the mountain bearing the tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments engraved on them. As we know, the two tablets were divided into two columns— the mitzvahs between humankind and G‑d, and the commandments governing our human relations.

The one side was devoted to our responsibilities to G‑d, such as faith and Shabbat, while the other side dealt with our interpersonal duties, e.g., no murder, adultery and thievery.

The message that so many seem to forget is that both these areas are sacred, both come directly from G‑d, and both form the core of Torah law and what being Jewish is all about. We must be well-balanced Jews. We may not take the liberty of emphasizing one tablet over the other. A healthy, all-around Jew lives a balanced, wholesome life, and is, as the Yiddish expression 74-020 Alessandro Dr. Palm Desert, CA 92260 1 Block North of Portola & Hwy. 111

goes, gut tzu G‑tt un gut tzu leit— good to G‑d and good to people. If you focus on one side of the tablets to the detriment of the other, you walk around like a hinke’dike, a handicapped Jew with a bad limp.

A good Jew is a well-balanced Jew. This means that it’s not good enough to be frum (“religious”) on the ritual side of Judaism and free and easy on the mentschlichkeit side. You've got to be honest and decent and live with integrity so people will respect you, too. If you are “religious” towards to G‑d but not fair with people, you can become a fanatical fundamentalist blowing up people in the name of G‑d! The same G‑d who motivates and inspires us to be G‑dly and adhere to a religious code also expects us to be a mentsch. There is no doubt whatsoever that it is, in fact, a mitzvah to be a mentsch.

But neither can we neglect the right side of the tablets. A good Jew cannot simply be a democrat, a humanitarian. Otherwise, why did G‑d need Jews altogether? It is not enough for a Jew to be a nice guy. Everyone must be nice. All of humankind is expected to behave honestly and honorably. To be good,

moral, ethical a n d decent is the duty of every human b e i n g on the planet. A good Jew must be all of that and then some. He or she must be a good person—and also fulfill our specific Jewish responsibilities, the mitzvahs that are directed to Jews which are uniquely Jewish.

I recently came across an interesting statistic on the Ten Commandments. The right-hand tablet, bearing the duties to G‑d, consists of 146 words. The lefthand tablet, listing our human responsibilities, has only 26 words.

Yet tradition has it that both tablets were filled with writing. There were no big, blank spaces. So how did 26 words equal the space of 146 words?

Well, anybody who uses a computer or word processor knows

the answer. You simply adjust the font size. You can type in 10-point size or 24-point size. Take your pick. So if we apply that same principle to the tablets, we have a simple solution. The 26 words on the left, reflecting our moral and ethical human responsibilities, were simply a bigger size than the 146 words on the right, reflecting our G‑dly, religious responsibilities.

So we must never underestimate the importance of the human-relations side of the Ten Commandments.

Then again, just so we don’t start limping, the very same G‑d who said we should be nice also said we should have faith, keep Shabbat (yes, it is one of the Big Ten), kosher, mikvah, and the rest of it. In fact, when people say to me, “Rabbi, I’m not that religious, but I do keep the Ten Commandments,” I often wonder whether they are actually aware that keeping Shabbat is Commandment No. 4.

As we read the Ten Commandments this week, let us resolve to keep our Jewish balance, not to limp or become “one-armed bandits.” Please G‑d, we will live full, wholesome, rich and wellbalanced Jewish lives. Amen.

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mountains. If so, why was it not given in a low lying valley? Surely that would have been a stronger lesson in humility?

Hence, we learn that a Jew must be able to distinguish between being proud and being arrogant.

Arrogance is distasteful. Being proud of one's roots is a virtue.

The Torah therefore, was given on a humble mountain.

Humble Pride The Torah was given freely, in an ownerless public place.

If it had been given in the land of Israel, the nations of the world would say that they have no portion in it. Anyone who wishes to properly accept it is welcome to do so.

Why was Mount Sinai chosen to be the site for the giving of the Torah? The conventional answer is that the choice of Mount Sinai was to teach us humility, since Mount Sinai was the most humble of all

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Reasoning The Stone

Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Courtesy of MeaningfulLife.com And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand: tablets inscribed from end to end, on the one side and on the other were they written.

And the tablets were the work of G-d, and the writing was the writing of G-d, engraved upon the tablets.

Exodus 32:15-16 The Torah refers to its 613 divine commandments by an array of synonyms: mitzvah (commandment), dibbur (word), mishpat (law), ed (testimonial), and chok (decree), among others.

Chok implies a supra-rational decree -- a law observed in submission to an authority which we have neither the right and capacity to question. Thus, chok is also the name of a certain class of mitzvot -- the chukim -- which the human mind cannot rationalize: mitzvot such as the prohibition to mix meat with milk and the laws of ritual purity, which exemplify our innate inability to fathom the divine will.

The literal meaning of chok is engraving. Indeed, explains Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the difference between the supra-rational chok and rational law or testimonial, is the difference between engraved letters and written letters.

The Torah was given to us in writing: by divine command and dictation, Moses wrote it in physical ink on physical parchment, giving us the Chumash (the five books of Moses), also referred to as Torah SheBichtav, The Written Torah. Even in its spiritual incarnation, before G-d willed that it be translated into a guide to physical life, the Torah is described by the Midrash as written in black fire on white fire-the supernal equivalent of ink on parchment.

But there is also a more basic

state of Torah--Torah not as written law but as engraved law. The Zohar speaks of a level on which the Torah exists as the genesis of the divine will, engraved in the supernal purity. In its transmission to man, the written Torah was also preceded by an engraved Torah: the entirety of the divine law was first given to us encapsulated in the Ten Commandments, which were etched by the hand of G-d in two tablets of stone.

When something is written, the substance of the letters that express it (the ink) remains a separate entity from the substance upon which they have been set (the parchment).

True, the two have bonded to form a single entity--the document--but this remains an entity that consists of two things: the ink and the parchment, the message and the medium, the definitive forms and the abstract background. On the other hand, letters engraved in stone are not added to their medium but are forged in it: the words are stone and the stone is words.

A persons understanding and feelings are inked upon his soul.

These are things he has acquired and has come to identify with, to the point that they comprise his personality; nevertheless, they remain an addition to his quintessential self. He distinguishes between his I and his intellect and emotions: the former is set and unalterable, while the latter are in a state of flux, developing and changing as he progresses through life.

Thus, the rational mitzvot, which we observe with an understanding and appreciation of their positive function--as they indeed should be observed, for it is to this end that they were garbed in garments of reason--are as ink written upon the parchment of our souls. Something has been added to our self, appended

12 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775

to our psyche with the adhesive of reason and emotion. I am doing the mitzvah only to the extent that our intellect and feelings are "me"--to the extent that ink and parchment become one in the document.

The chok, however, is an engraved decree. We do it for no reason other than our innate obedience to G-d.

And our obedience to G-d is not something we acquire or develop (though there might, at times, exist the need to waken it, when it is silenced and suppressed by the dross of material life). It is something that is of our very essence, something impressed in the spark of G-dliness at the core of every soul.

The Veneer of Reason Chok, however, is not only a certain type of mitzvah; it is also a general name for all of G-d's commandments.

This is expressed in the opening words of the Torah section that bears the name of the engraved mitzvah--the section of Chukat (Numbers 19-21). Chukat begins with the law of parah adumah (the red heifer), which is prefaced with the statement Zot chukat haTorah-"This is the chok of Torah". The simple meaning of these words is that this mitzvah is the chok of Torah, the ultimate supra-rational law.

Indeed, the law of the red heifer is often cited as the prototypic chok-the law of which King Solomon, the wisest of men, said: I sought to be wise to it, but it is distant from me.

There are other mitzvot that defy rationalization; but the law of the red heifer is also counter-rational, replete with paradoxes and logical inconsistencies.

But the words This is the chok of Torah have another meaning as well. As Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi reads it, the verse is telling us: This is the mitzvah that expresses the chok of Torah, the most poignant example of the supra-rationality of the entirety of divine law. All of Torah is chok, the unfathomable will of G-d. Thus, the very quality

that distinguishes parah adumah from all other mitzvot is the quality that makes it the essence of all of the mitzvot.

For each and every mitzvah is an expression of the divine will.

Obviously, no reason or function-and certainly no reason or function that the human mind can conceive or understand--can possibly explain or describe a divine desire.

So it is wrong to think of Torah as consisting of two parts--rationally inked laws on the one hand, and supra-rational chukim on the other.

Rather, these are two dimensions of Torah as a whole, with each mitzvah possessing a written element in addition to its engraved essence.

If the human mind agrees with the mitzvah "Do not murder," if it appreciates the profound impact the weekly observance of Shabbat has on our lives, it is only grasping at an auxiliary garment in which G-d chose to clothe His expressed will.

On the other hand, even the most mystifying chok can be studied and analyzed, and profound lessons derived from them to guide and inspire our lives.

Indeed, the engraved Ten Commandments (which, incidentally, are all rational mitzvot) embody the entire Torah, while also the most supra-rational chukim were inked by Moses upon parchment.

Every mitzvah can, and ought to, be related to as the unfathomable will of G-d, driven by the obedience to G-d etched in the core of our souls.

And every mitzvah can, and ought to, be appreciated intellectually and emotionally, and thereby appended to our thinking and feeling selves.

The only reason we classify mitzvot into logical laws, rational testimonials, and supra-rational decrees is because certain mitzvot have been heavily garbed in reason, so that our natural and initial reaction to them is a rationalemotional one, while others come to us as less veiled expressions of the divine will, with the immediate effect of stimulating our innate

obedience to their commander.

This is not to say, however, that we are to confine our observance and experience of a mitzvah to the most obvious face it presents to us. In the case of the ostensibly rational mitzvot, we must strive to nevertheless observe them with a simple, self-negating obedience to the divine will. Regarding the chukim, the challenge is to study and ponder their significance (including the significance and function of their non-rationality as stimulators of our unequivocal obedience to G-d) to the point that we observe them with the passion and intellectual involvement that characterize the most profoundly appreciated law or testimonial.

End To End But why bother with such externalities? If the mitzvot, in essence, are the unfathomable will of G-d; if every soul, in essence, possesses an innate obedience to the divine will; why not keep our mitzvot pure? Why not strive only to awaken our intrinsic loyalty to G-d and observe His commandments, without the extraneous ink of intellectual inquiry and emotional empathy?

Because G-d commanded otherwise. G-d clothed His unqualifiable will in the patent logic of the mitzvah of charity, in the genius of the Torah's judicial code, in the emotional experience of Shabbat, in the subtle insights we glean from the most esoteric chok. G-d instructed us to not only implement His will but also to study it, analyze it, debate it and expound upon it. Why think and feel when it comes to G-d's decrees? Because this, too, is a divine decree.

This is the ultimate meaning of the statement, "This is the chok of Torah". All of Torah is chok: not only is every law and testimonial essentially a supra-rational decree, but also their written surface, also

our intellectual-emotional quest to comprehend and appreciate them, is to be undertaken in suprarational obedience to the divine will.

For this, too, we have a metaphor in the two engraved tablets Moses brought down from Mount Sinai. If the difference between rational appreciation and supra-rational obedience is the difference between writing and engraving, the difference between obedience sans reason and obedient reasoning is the difference between two types of engraving.

Usually, engraved letters penetrate below the surface of the stone but do not cut through it from end to end. In other words, while the letters form an integral part of the stone, not every part of the stone is of the defining substance of the letters. If the letters are carved one inch deep in a two-inch-thick tablet, then only the front inch of stone is engraved.

This is comparable to a mindless obedience to the divine will. The person's performance of the mitzvah is engraved in his soul's essence, but it does not cut through it from end to end. Certain aspects of his being--his intellect and emotions--remain untouched.

True, these are the more external, appended aspects of his being--the reverse of his stone, if you will--but they are part of it nonetheless.

However, regarding the two tablets that embodied the Ten Commandments, we are told that they were inscribed from end to end. Each letter was a complete hollow, bored front to back; every inch of stone was both the medium and the substance of the letters.

This represents a state of being in which also the externalities of the soul--the elements of self usually associated with writing--are part and parcel of the engraving of the divine desire in the human essence.

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1. BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZVO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU LE-HAD-LIK NER SHEL SHABBAT KO-DESH. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the light of the holy Shabbat.

2. BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LOHE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU LE-HAD-LIK NER SHEL YOM TOV. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Yom Tov light.

3. BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LOHE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM SHEHECHE-YA-NU VE-KI-YE-MA-NU VE-HIGI-A-NU LIZ-MAN HA-ZEH. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, For Candle Lighting times King of the universe, who has anywhere in the World, granted us life, sustained Please visit our website us, and enabled us to reach www.BikurCholimPS.com & click on 'Calendar' for this occasion. your own times.

LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775 n 13

Bikur Cholim At Work

A HAPPY and HEALTHY Shavuos to everyone from BIKUR CHOLIM of PALM SPRINGS!

We would like to thank the Jewish Federation of the Desert for their generous help and support toward our ongoing activities.

14 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775

We invite you to be a partner in Bikur Cholim's programs.

Please use the enclosed envelope to send in your SHAVUOS donation.

You can also visit our Website: BikurCholimPS.com Once again, may G-d bless you and your family.

LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775 n 15

The Dancing Maidens of Jerusalem

Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Courtesy of MeaningfulLife.com

There were no greater festivals for Israel than the 15th of Av (Friday, July 31st, 2015) and Yom Kippur. On these days the daughters of Jerusalem would go out... and dance in the vineyards. And what would they say? "Young man, raise your eyes and see which you select for yourself...."

And so it is written, "Go out, daughters of Zion, and see King Solomon,1 in the crown with which his mother crowned him on his wedding day and on the day of his heart's rejoicing" (Song of Songs 3:11). "His wedding day" -- this is the Giving of the Torah; "the day of his heart's rejoicing" -- this is the building of the Holy Temple, which shall be rebuilt speedily in our days.

Talmud, Taanit 26b It is no coincidence that Yom Kippur and the 15th of Av served as occasions for matchmaking for the young men and women of Jerusalem: these two days are the respective betrothal and marriage2 dates of G-d and Israel. Yom Kippur -- the day on which the Second Tablets were given to Moses, marking the fulfillment of the covenant at Mount Sinai -- is the day of Israel's betrothal to G-d. Av 15 -- the day that represents the rebirth which follows the great fall of the Holy Temple's destruction on the 9th of Av -celebrates the ultimate consummation of our marriage with the final redemption of Moshiach.

After relating how "the daughters of Jerusalem would go out... and dance in the vineyards" and "whoever did not have a wife would go there" to find himself a bride, the Talmud goes on to describe three different categories of "daughters" and how each would call out to her perspective bridegroom: What would the beautiful ones among them say? "Look for beauty, for a woman is for beauty."

What would those of prestigious lineage say? "Look for family, for a woman is for children."

What would the ugly ones say?

"Make your acquisition for the sake of Heaven, as long as you decorate us with jewels" (Talmud, Taanit 31a).

The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that the marriage of G-d and His people also includes these three categories of "brides": the souls of Israel include "beautiful" souls, souls "of prestigious lineage," and "ugly" souls,3 each of whom contribute their own unique dimension to our relationship with G-d.

Love There are two types of love, say the

Chassidic masters. There is a love that is generated by the person's own mind and heart, when s/he meditates on the greatness and desirability of a person (or thing, or state) and thereby develops feelings of love and attraction to him/her/ it. Then there is an inborn love: a love that a person has not created himself -- indeed, he may be unaware that he possesses it -- but which resides in his heart from birth, a natural bond and attraction to something that is implanted in his soul by virtue of who and what he is.

"You shall love G-d" (Deuteronomy 6:5) is a crucial component of our relationship with the Almighty. Aside from the fact that loving G-d is itself a mitzvah (Divine commandment), it is also a prerequisite for the proper observance of all the mitzvot. As Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi elaborates in his Tanya, mitzvot which are not motivated by a love of G-d are performed mechanically and erratically; only one who loves G-d serves Him in a manner that is both integral and enduring.

Our love for G-d also comes in the two forms described above. By studying what G-d has revealed about Himself to us in His Torah, and contemplating and meditating upon these truths, one develops a feeling of love toward Him -- a desire to approach His great and magnificent being, to unite and become one with it. Indeed, this is one of the primary functions of prayer, "the service of the heart": to generate a feeling of love for the Creator by meditating on His greatness and majesty.

But also the person who does not succeed in creating a "self-generated" love by these means can attain a love of G-d, by resorting to the inborn love for Him we each possess as "an inheritance from our forefathers." Abraham, the first Jew, was the very embodiment of divine love ("Abraham, who loves Me," in G-d's words to Isaiah), and G-d rewarded him with the gift of "fatherhood" -- the ability to bequeath this love to his descendants.

So each and every Jew has Abraham's love of G-d encoded in his spiritual genes.

As with all inborn characteristics, this love may be buried in the subconscious, stifled by the dross of material life; but it can always be wakened and called upon to stimulate and vitalize our observance of the mitzvot.

The advantages of the second type of love are obvious. Every Jew possesses it -- and the ability to realize it -- regardless of the extent of his cognitive and meditative skills or his spiritual sensitivity.

16 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775

Furthermore, a self-generated love will always be limited by the finite capacities of the mind and heart which have created it, and will fluctuate in accordance with the person's mental and emotional state at any given moment; our inborn love, being divinely granted, is infinite and unequivocal.

But there are advantages to selfgenerated love as well. Though lesser in essence and scope, it is more keenly felt, more exuberantly experienced. For such is our nature: what we create is more precious to us than the most valuable endowment, what we conceive of ourselves is somehow more relevant and real than what is learned from the greatest master. So although the stimulation of our inherited love for G-d would suffice to drive our observance of the mitzvot, we should nevertheless strive to enhance our relationship with Him with the ecstasy and passion that only a love created by our own faculties and initiative can bring.

In the words of our sages, "Although a fire came down [on the Altar] from the heavens, it is imperative to also kindle a man-made fire."

The Sallow-Skinned Bride Therein lies the deeper significance of the Talmud's description of how "the beautiful ones," "those of prestigious lineage" and "the ugly ones" among the daughters of Jerusalem conducted their courtship dance in the vineyards on Av 15.

The dancing maidens of Jerusalem calling out their virtues to their prospective bridegrooms echo the call of the souls of Israel to their Divine Groom. Among these are the beautiful souls, those who have achieved a best-of-both-worlds perfection in their love of the Almighty: a passionate, self-generated love set upon the immutable foundation of inherited love. "A woman is for beauty," call these souls to G-d; take us as your bride, and

You will be rewarded by the pleasure You derive when Your creations realize the potential for perfection You have invested in them.

Then there are the souls of "prestigious lineage." We cannot offer you the flawless beauty of our perfect sisters -they call to G-d -- but we have unearthed the hereditary love You have implanted in us. "A woman is for children": our relationship might not, as of yet, yield beauty, but it will bear fruit -- the mitzvot generated by our natural love for You. (In the words of the Midrash Pesikta Zutrati on Genesis 6:9: "The offspring of the righteous are good deeds.") For is not Your ultimate purpose in creation that Your creations fulfill your will? Our love for you might not excite our senses and illuminate our lives, but we offer You the rewards of family -- the good deeds that are the tangible, enduring offspring of Israel's commitment to her Creator.

And the ugly ones? Those who have neither roused their minds and hearts to desire their Creator, nor wakened their hereditary loyalty to Him? Those who never generated a self-created love and whose inborn love lies dormant under a squalid veneer of apathy and iniquity?

They cry: "Make Your acquisition for the sake of Heaven!"

"Do for Your sake, if not for ours,"4 call the "ugly" souls of Israel. Take us as Your own, despite our appearance, because only You know what lies behind our appearance, and only You know the truth of what You can inspire in us. For You know that, in truth, "The daughters of Israel are beautiful, it is only that poverty obscures their beauty."5 You know that our "ugliness" is not our true essence, but imposed upon us by the spiritual poverty of galut.

If we have failed to realize our potential for beauty and fruitfulness, then it is left to You to "decorate us with jewels" -- to shower us with the gifts that will waken our quintessential bond to You and bring to light our innate perfection.

FOOTNOTES 1. In metaphoric language of Song of Songs, "King Solomon" is a reference to G-d, "the King whom peace (shalom) is His. 2. According to Torah law, the marital union between husband and wife consists of two stages: kiddushin ("consecration" or "betrothal") and nissu'in ("marriage"). As elaborated in a previous essay (Yes and No), the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai constituted the kiddushin in the marriage of G-d and Israel, while the ultimate consummation of our union awaits the rebuilding of our eternal home in the age of Moshiach.

3. Corresponding to the tzaddik, beinoni and rasha as classified by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi in the first eighteen chapters of his Tanya.

4. From the Slichot prayers.

5. Talmud, Nedarim 66a.

The Baal Shem Tov—A Brief Biography

By Peretz Golding

Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov (literally: "master of the good name," also known by the acronym "Besht") was the Eastern-European 18th century founder of the chassidic movement. The Baal Shem Tov was a leader who revolutionized Jewish thought and breathed new life into a fainting nation. The effects of his teachings continue to be felt today— both by his direct followers, known as chassidim, and by followers of all other streams of Jewish thought, who've been deeply impacted by his teachings and philosophy. The following is a brief biography of this legendary figure.1 During the late 17th century, European Jewry was still reeling from the devastation wrought by the Khmelnitsky pogroms of 5408 and 5409 (1648-1649 CE). The massacres had left tens of thousands of Jews dead, and the grief-stricken survivors struggled to rebuild their broken lives and communities.

In the wake of the pogroms, the infamous Shabtai Zvi led thousands of despairing Jews to believe that he was the long-awaited Messiah destined to redeem them from exile. Many Jews were inspired with the hope that their suffering would soon end, but after Shabtai Zvi turned out to be a fraud – he converted to Islam under pressure from the Ottoman Turks – they were plunged back into the bitter reality of shtetl life.

After the pogroms, many families were left without a livelihood and the vast majority of children were forced to abandon their Torah study at a very young age, sometimes as young as five or six years old, to help provide for their families.

Only the wealthy – far and few in between – could afford a proper Torah education for their children.

This resulted in a generation of largely ignorant, yet pious and devoted Jews who were, for the most part, neglected and scorned by the learned elite—the Talmudists. A rift developed between the learned and unlearned Jews, to the point that in many towns the two groups prayed at separate synagogues.

Against this troubling backdrop,

in the small Polish town of Tloste,2 Eliezer and his wife Sarah lived a life of simple p i e t y , serving G‑d with a pure heart.

Although seemingly unlearned, Eliezer was actually a member of the fellowship of "hidden tzaddikim," a group of unusually gifted and devoted Jews who, disguised as simple people, dedicated their lives to improving the plight of their Jewish brethren both spiritually and materially.

In their old age, on the 18th of Elul, 5458 (16983), Eliezer and Sarah gave birth to their only child—Yisrael.

This child was destined to infuse vitality into a suffering, depressed people. His name, Yisrael – "Israel" – is also the name of the Jewish People. His birth would serve as a wake-up call for a nation deep in a spiritual slumber.

Childhood When Yisrael was five years old, both his mother and his father died.

Before his death, Eliezer called his son Yisrael to his bedside and told him, "Fear no one but G‑d. Love every Jew with all your heart and soul, no matter who he is." These two directives would serve as the basis for Yisrael's service of G‑d and future teachings.

The Jewish community of Tloste adopted the young orphan, providing him with his basic needs.

Often, after the conclusion of his studies at the local cheder (Jewish school), Yisrael would wander into the fields and forests that surrounded the village. It was in this picturesque setting, secluded and removed from the bustle of everyday life, that Yisrael was able to meditate and recognize the wonders of G‑d's creation.

On one such excursion, some two years after his parents' passing, little Yisrael chanced upon a saintly man praying in the forest. After introducing himself, Yisrael and the elderly man sat quietly in the forest and studied the holy words of the Talmud. The man's scholarship, quality of character, and humility made it apparent that he was a hidden tzaddik. Yisrael joined him on his wanderings,4 and they meandered from village to village, town to town, Yisrael's mentor all the time posing as a simple peddler.

Much of their time was spent in intense study and fervent prayer.

Alas, Yisrael would never learn the identity of this mysterious man.

Yisrael was periodically hired as a teacher's assistant in the cheders of the small villages through which they passed. He would later relate that he took great pleasure in accompanying the children to and from school, using this opportunity to recite prayers with them and tell them Torah stories.

The children's innocence and the purity with which they prayed, the Baal Shem Tov explained, caused the Almighty great satisfaction. The Mezritcher Maggid, the Baal Shem Tov's successor, would later say, "If only we kissed a Torah scroll with the same love that my master [the Baal Shem Tov] kissed the children when he took them to cheder as a teacher's assistant!"5 After three years of this nomadic lifestyle, Yisrael was brought by his mentor to the house of a man by the name of Rabbi Meir, who assumed guardianship of the still-young lad.

Like Yisrael's first guardian, Rabbi Meir, too, was a hidden tzaddik, and while the people of his town thought him to be a manual laborer, he was in fact a great Torah sage.

It was in Rabbi Meir's home that Yisrael was introduced, like his father before him, to the secret fellowship of hidden tzaddikim. The great men would regularly convene in Rabbi Meir's house to study the mystical works of the Kabbalah and to pray together. Yisrael easily absorbed this knowledge, and he soon became the student of the leader of this fellowship, the revered Rabbi Adam Baal Shem. Rabbi Adam would serve as his longtime

mentor, and his teachings laid the foundation for Yisrael's own work.

On Yisrael's sixteenth birthday, Elijah the Prophet appeared to him and described to him the great effects the prayers of simple folk had in heaven. Their pure intent and the unwavering faith with which they uttered the words of prayer, Elijah explained, resonated in the "higher worlds" more than the scholarly achievements of great sages. Inspired by his conversation with the prophet, Yisrael made it his personal mission to engage simple Jews in conversation about mundane matters. By inquiring as to their wellbeing and their families' health or livelihood, Yisrael was able to elicit responses rich in words of praise to G‑d. To read a story of one such conversation, visit G‑d's Nourishment.

See The Baal Shem Tov's Sixteenth Birthday for the Baal Shem Tov's own account of his life up to this point, as related by the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson.

Yisrael as a Hidden Tzaddik When Yisrael was eighteen years old, the Tloste community suggested a wife for him. Little is known of Yisrael's first wife, and she died soon after their marriage.

After his wife's death, Yisrael was hired as a teacher in the Tloste cheder.6 It was at this time that Yisrael's deep insight into human nature began to shine, and he was often asked to preside over civil disputes between members of the community.

A short time later, in 5478 (1718), Yisrael moved to the town of Brody, where he was, once again, hired as a teacher. In this capacity,7 Yisrael was asked to tutor a young orphan who had been adopted by the illustrious Rabbi Gershon of Kitov, renowned for the breadth of his knowledge in both Talmud and Kabbalah. This position eventually led to Yisrael marrying Rabbi Gershon's sister, Chana.8 Rabbi Yisroel’s prayer book, found today at the Central Lubavitch Library, Agudas Chasidei Chabad.

Rabbi Yisroel’s prayer book, found today at the Central Lubavitch Library, Agudas Chasidei Chabad.

LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775 n 17

The young couple soon gave birth to their daughter, Odl. Their son, Tzvi Hersh, would be born fifteen years later.

Yisrael's stay in Brody was shortlived; one of Yisrael's teachers from the fellowship of hidden tzadikim9 instructed him to move to a small town. And so, Yisrael and his wife left Brody and settled in a small village deep in the Carpathian Mountains to the east.10 Yisrael spent most of his time there in secluded study and meditation. The young couple supported themselves by mining clay and lime, which Chana transported to neighboring villages using a horse and wagon that Rabbi Gershon had previously bought them. The breathtaking scenery and relative freedom from the demands of everyday life allowed Yisrael to concentrate on his studies and service of G‑d. The Baal Shem Tov would later remember the seven years in the Carpathian Mountains as being the most enjoyable period of his life.

In 5484 (1724), on Yisrael's 26th birthday, the ancient prophet Achiya Hashiloni – who had taught Torah to Elijah the Prophet some 2,500 years earlier – appeared to him. Achiya taught Yisrael the secrets of the entire Torah, starting that day with the first words of the Torah, "Bereishit," and ending exactly ten years later with the last words of the Torah.

In 5490 (1730), Yisrael found employment as a shochet (ritual slaughterer) in Kshilowice,11 but soon moved on to manage a tavern in Tloste that his brother-in-law had bought for him. During his time in the mountains, Yisrael had come into contact with local villagers who taught him the healing properties of various herbs and other plants. Now, Yisrael started applying his newlyacquired knowledge by prescribing remedies and writing amulets for locals who were in need of cures for a variety of bodily ailments. Yisrael's practice was successful and his fame as a baal shem12– a healer – grew quickly. Increasingly, people from surrounding villages sought out his expertise.

But Yisrael Baal Shem was far from an ordinary healer. As much as he aimed to cure his patients' physical illnesses, he sought to heal

their ailing spirits. Yisrael taught them the importance that the Torah places on optimism and joy and encouraged them in their service of G‑d. It was this unique, twofold pursuit that earned Yisrael Baal Shem the additional, affectionate title "tov" ("good"), thus giving rise to his popular name—Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov. Revelation and Leadership While the Baal Shem Tov expanded his circle of influence, helping his patients one at a time, he kept the full extent of his knowledge and saintliness hidden from the public eye. But in 5494 (1734) all this changed. On his thirty-sixth birthday, after six years of intense, unyielding pressure from his long-time mentors Rabbi Adam and Achiya Hashiloni to publicly reveal his greatness, the Besht began preaching openly.

The town of Mezhibush, where Rabbi Yisroel resided, today.

The town of Mezhibush, where Rabbi Yisroel resided, today.

This ushered in a new era in Jewish thought. In the Besht's view, the simple blessing of the unlettered Jew was as holy as advanced Torah study, purity of intent was valued over dry achievement, joy and humility were to be admired, and even the simplest peasant could serve G‑d through passionate prayer. Jews from far and wide flocked to hear the Baal Shem Tov's holy words and to observe him consumed in prayer.

In 5500 (1740), when he felt that his following was sufficiently strong, the Besht moved the center of chassidism to the small town of Mezhibush, where he would live for the rest of his life.13 Many of the greatest Jewish minds of the generation came to study in the court of the Baal Shem Tov and made Mezhibush their home.

Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Pulnaa, Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz, and Rabbi Dovber (who would later succeed the Besht as leader of the Hasidim) were just a few of the brilliant scholars who came to hear the Baal Shem Tov's wisdom. These faithful students, leaders in their own right, would eventually, after the Baal Shem Tov's passing, become the conduits through which chassidic thought

18 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775

was transmitted to European Jewry.

But even then, surrounded by academic geniuses who clung to his every word, the Baal Shem Tov continued to shower the simple folk with remarkable affection. For more on this, see The Singing Heart.

Many of the greatest Jewish minds of the generation came to study in the court of the Baal Shem Tov and made Mezhibush their homeOn Rosh Hashanah of 5507 (1746), the Baal Shem Tov had a vision wherein he ascended to heaven and entered the chamber of Moshiach. The Besht asked Moshiach, "When will the Master [Moshiach] come?"

Moshiach responded, "... when your wellsprings [the teachings of chassidism] will burst forth to the farthest extremes." For a detailed account of the Baal Shem Tov's vision, see The Chamber of Moshiach.

Despite, or perhaps because of, his popularity, the Baal Shem Tov's teachings were met with strong opposition from much of the traditional Talmudist movement.

The opponents of chassidism were driven by a desire to retain their elite positions as well as by their suspicion that the Kabbalistic undertones of the Baal Shem Tov's teachings belied his true intentions—to promote himself as a Messiah, just as Shabtai Tzvi, who had also taught Kabbalah, had done not a century earlier. Their growing distaste for the Besht's glorification of the ignorant, and his unconventional claim that G‑dliness permeates even the most mundane of matters, led them to reject his entire doctrine.

The debate would rage on bitterly for several generations. In time, the opponents of chassidic thought would come to appreciate its truth and holiness. Although not all the Talmudists would embrace chassidism, and despite the ideological differences that would continue to stand in the way,

a general atmosphere of mutual respect would replace the initial vicious mudslinging.

The 1750s saw the rise of a fringe sect of Judaism led by the infamous Jacob Frank. The Frankist, as they were commonly called, were the spiritual descendents of Shabtai Tzvi, and like his predecessor, Frank claimed to be the Messiah and sought to create a religion that would incorporate both Judaism and Christianity. Both chassidic and Talmudist rabbis fought hard to put an end to the spreading influence of the heretical Frankists. In 5519 (1759), the Besht was chosen to be one of three delegates representing the rabbis in a highly publicized debate with the Frankists in Lemberg.

Soon after the debate, thousands of Frankists underwent baptism to demonstrate their loyalty to Christianity. While many prominent Jewish figures felt relieved by the baptisms, because this clearly demonstrated the Frankists' cut with traditional Judaism, the Baal Shem Tov was deeply saddened by the move. "As long as a diseased limb is connected to the body, there is hope that it may be saved; but once amputated, it is gone, and there is no hope," the Besht lamented. It is said that the distress caused to the Baal Shem Tov by his ordeal with the Frankists ultimately led to his death.

Miracle Worker The resting place of Rabbi Yisroel in the town of Mezhibush, during the Communist Era. The resting place of Rabbi Yisroel in the town of Mezhibush, during the Communist Era. The Baal Shem Tov gained a reputation for performing miracles in order to help Jews in dire straits or to teach his students a profound lesson.

Many tales have been told of the Baal Shem Tov's supernatural ability to elicit cures for the desperately ill, or to enable hopelessly barren couples to have children. In many of these stories, the Besht is said to have miraculously traversed vast distances in unusually short times, a phenomenon known as "kfitzat haderech"—shortening of the way.

In one story, a quarrel erupted between two local men in the Baal Shem Tov's synagogue. In a

fit of anger, one of them shouted, "I will tear you to pieces like a fish."

The Baal Shem Tov instructed his students, who had all witnessed the altercation, to stand near him and close their eyes. Suddenly, the students shouted in terror, as they were shown a vision of the man at whom the non-serious threat was directed being dismembered.

Thus, the Besht taught his student the powerful effect of words that, at times, can only be perceived in higher realms.14 To read more episodes from the Besht's life, visit Stories of the Baal Shem Tov. Passing and Succession On the first day of Shavuot of 5520 (1760), surrounded by his most devoted students, Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov passed away.

The Baal Shem Tov's death left a vacuum in leadership that was initially filled by his son, Tzvi Hersh.

But on the first anniversary of his father's death, Zvi Hersh announced that his father had appeared to him in a dream and instructed him to transfer leadership to the Besht's student, Rabbi Dov Ber. Rabbi Dov Ber soon moved to Mezritch, establishing it as the new center of chassidism, and became known as the Maggid of Mezritch.15 Works cited in this biography: Alfasi, Yitzhak. "Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov - Hayav Vetorato."

Shana B'shana (1999-2000). Atar Daat. 4 May 2010.

Glitzenstein, Rabbi Avraham

Hanoch, comp.

Sefer Hatoldot: Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov. Kfar Habad: Kehot, 1975.

K o h l e r , Kaufmann, and Louis Ginzberg.

"Ba'al Shem-Tob, Israel B. Eliezer."

The Jewish Encyclopedia. 1906.

Schneersohn, Joseph Isaac. HaYom Yom: luah or zaru'a la-Haside Habad ... Comp. Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Kehot, 1994.

Schneersohn, Menachem Mendel.

Torat Menahem: Hitva'aduyot. Vol. 28. Year 5720 Part 2. Brooklyn: Kehot, 2000.

Schneerson, RabbiYosefYitzchak.

Likutei Diburim. Vol. 1.

FOOTNOTES 1. Much of the Baal Shem Tov's life – especially those years before he became a renowned leader – is shrouded in mystery and, as such, there exist various accounts of the details of his life and the precise chronology of events. Whenever possible, this biography will follow the tradition as it was passed down by the Lubavitch Rebbes and recorded in their works. Where significant deviations from this narrative exist, they will be noted.

2. Many sources assert that the Baal Shem Tov was born in a town called Okup. However, Rabbi Shalom DovBer of Lubavitch points to the fact that in many of his letters the Besht signed his name as "Yisrael son of Eliezer of Tloste."

Though, in fact, the Besht also signed some letters as "the Baal Shem Tov from Okup," Rabbi Shalom DovBer explained

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that Tloste was a city that had once been surrounded by a protective wall. As the wall collapsed, it left behind it a trench—"okup" in Russian. The Baal Shem Tov's parents, who lived in abject poverty, could not afford housing within the city limits and were forced to live in these trenches. Thus, the Baal Shem Tov referred to himself as being "from okup." (See Torat Menachem, vol. 28, Talk of the Second Night of Pesach, Chap. 2.)

3. According to some sources 1690 or 1700.

4. By some accounts, Yisrael did not leave his hometown until his move to the town of Brody many years later. In these versions, Rabbi Adam Baal Shem sent his son to Okup (or Tloste), where he transmitted his father's manuscripts to the young Yisrael.

See biography of the Baal Shem Tov by Rabbi Yitzchak Alfasi in annual periodical Shana B'shana 5760.

5. Hayom Yom, Tammuz 16.

6. The sources that maintain that Yisrael was born in Okup claim that he moved to Tloste soon after the death of his wife.

7. Other sources claim that Rabbi Abraham of Kitov, Rabbi Gershon's father, attended a civil suit in Tloste over which Yisrael was presiding. Impressed by his intuitiveness, Rabbi Abraham offered his daughter Chana's hand in marriage to Yisrael, who duly accepted. Rabbi Abraham committed his promise to writing but died before he could return to Brody and inform his family of his wishes. Upon his arrival in Brody, Yisrael approached Rabbi Abraham's son, Rabbi Gershon, to tell him what had transpired. Mistaking the poorly dressed Yisrael for a pauper, Rabbi Gershon offered him alms. Instead of accepting, Yisrael produced the document stipulating his marriage to Chana. While Rabbi Gershon strongly opposed her marriage to a "simpleton," Chana did not question her father's judgment and agreed to marry Yisrael.

8. Possibly Malka Chana (see http://

www.daat.ac.il/encyclopedia/value. asp?id1=2001). Alternatively, Leah Rochel (see Nissan Mindel's brief biography of the Baal Shem Tov).

9. His name is not recorded in the Baal Shem Tov's account of the story, however, he refers to him as "my teacher and my master."

10. This account is taken from correspondence written by the Baal Shem Tov in 5493 (1733). Some sources record an alternate reason for Yisrael's departure from Brody: Rabbi Gershon was forever disturbed by what he perceived to be Yisrael's simplicity and ignorance and the shame that his marriage to Chana had brought on their illustrious family.

Ultimately, the friction between the two men forced Yisrael and Chana to abandon Brody.

11. According to some reports, he moved back to Brody where he worked as a wagon driver for his brother-in-law, only to be banished again to an unnamed town.

12. The term "ba'al shem" (lit. master of the name)was, in that era, a commonly used title conferred as a suffix on the names of natural healers. See Jewish Encyclopedia, Entry "Ba'al Shem-Tob." 13. Professor Moshe Rosman of Bar Ilan University recently discovered archived tax registers for Mezhibush dating back to the Polish Magnates. The Baal Shem Tov's house is assigned tax-free status, ostensibly because of the Besht's value to the community as a doctor.

14. Hayom Yom, Tishrei 29.

15. Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Pulnaa and Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz, prominent students of the Baal Shem Tov, later testified that they were present at the Besht's death, and he instructed them to pass the reins of leadership to his grandson, Odl's son, Rabbi Baruch. After Rabbi Dov Ber moved to Mezritch, Rabbi Baruch continued to teach chassidut in Mezhibush until his death in 1811.

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G-d's Nourishment Told by the Lubavitcher Rebbe

In his early years, before he went public with his teachings and disciples came from far and wide to learn from him, the founder of the Chassidic movement, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, was an incessant traveler.

Dressed in the clothes of a simple villager, he would travel from town to town and from hamlet to hamlet, asking questions. "How are things?" he would inquire of the water-carrier yoked to his pails, of the marketwoman minding her stall, of the child playing in the doorway of his home. "Is there enough to eat? Is everyone healthy?" "Baruch Hashem, blessed be the Almighty, all is fine" or "Thanks to the Almighty, things are improving," these simple, G-dfearing and G-d-trusting Jews would reply, and the traveler would depart with the gratified step of one who has found what he was seeking.

One day, Rabbi Israel arrived in a village and made his way to the study hall. There, in a corner, sat an ancient Torah scholar over his books, wrapped in tallit and tefillin. This was the village porush ("ascetic"), who led a life of holy seclusion. From sunrise to sunset, not a morsel of bread or a sip of water would pass his lips; he spoke to no one and never lifted his eyes from the sacred tomes. For more than fifty years he had kept to this regimen, utterly removed from the mundane cares of material life.

So why was this stranger pestering him? "How are things?," he was inquiring, "Is there enough to eat? Is everyone healthy?" The ascetic made no reply, hoping the stranger would

go away. But the stranger only leaned closer, and his questioning grew more insistent.

Impatiently, the ascetic waved him away, pointing him to the door.

"Rabbi," the stranger now asked, "why are you denying G-d His livelihood?"

The words had their desired effect: the old man was roused to indignant attention. G-d's livelihood?! The audacity of this uncouth peasant!

"What are you saying?" he demanded in a thunderous voice. "How dare you disturb me with such blasphemous babble!"

"Only what King David, the sweet singer of Israel, proclaims in his Psalms," replied the Baal Shem Tov. "Tell me, Rabbi, what is the meaning of the verse , 'And You, the Holy One, who dwells by the praises of Israel'1? " "We mortal beings," continued the Baal Shem Tov when the porush made no reply, "subsist on the sustenance that G-d provides us in His great kindness. But what does G-d 'subsist' on? On the praises of Israel! When one Jew asks another, 'How are things' and his fellow responds by praising and thanking the Almighty, they are nourishing G-d, deepening His involvement with His creation."

FOOTNOTES 1. Psalms 22:4

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The Day of the Breaking of the Ax Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Courtesy of MeaningfulLife.com

Said Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel: There were no greater festivals for Israel than the 15th of Av (Friday, July 31st, 2015) and Yom Kippur (Talmud, Taanit 26b).

The Talmud goes on to list several joyous events which occurred on the fifteenth day of the month of Av: The dying of the generation of the Exodus ceased. Several months after the people of Israel were freed from Egyptian slavery, the incident of the Spies demonstrated their unpreparedness for the task of conquering the land of Canaan and developing it into the “Holy Land.”

G‑d decreed that that entire generation would die out in the desert, and that their children would enter the land in their stead (as recounted in Numbers 13–14). After forty years of wandering through the wilderness, the dying finally ended, and a new generation of Jews stood ready to enter the Holy Land. It was the 15th of Av of the year 2487 from creation (1274 BCE).

The tribes of Israel were permitted to intermarry. In order to ensure the orderly division of the Holy Land among the twelve tribes of Israel, restrictions had been placed on marriages between members of two different tribes. A woman who had inherited tribal lands from her father was forbidden to marry out of her tribe, lest her children—members of their father’s tribe—cause the transfer of land from one tribe to another by inheriting her estate (as recounted in Numbers 36). This ordinance was binding on the generation that conquered and settled the Holy Land; when the restriction was lifted, on the 15th of Av, the event was considered a cause for celebration and festivity.

The tribe of Benjamin was permitted to re-enter the community.

The tribe of Benjamin, which had been excommunicated for its behavior in the incident of the “Concubine at Givah,” was readmitted into the community of Israel (as related in Judges 19–21; this occurred during the judgeship of Othniel ben Kenaz, who led the people of Israel in the years 2533–2573 from creation (1228–1188 BCE)).

Hoshea ben Elah opened the roads to Jerusalem. Upon the division of the Holy Land into two kingdoms following the death of King Solomon in the year 2964 from creation (797 BCE), Jeroboam ben Nebat, ruler of the breakaway Northern Kingdom of Israel, set up roadblocks to prevent his citizens from making the thrice-yearly pilgrimage to

the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judea. These were finally removed more than two hundred years later by Hoshea ben Elah, the last king of the Northern Kingdom, on 15 Av, 3187 (574 BCE).

The dead of Betar were allowed to be buried. The fortress of Betar was the last holdout of the Bar Kochba rebellion. When Betar fell on the 9th of Av 3893 (133 CE), Bar Kochba and many thousands of Jews were killed; the Romans massacred the survivors of the battle with great cruelty, and would not even allow the Jews to bury their dead.

When the dead of Betar were finally brought to burial on 15 Av 3908 (148 CE), an additional blessing (“Ha-tov veha-meitiv”) was added to the Grace After Meals in commemoration.

“The day of the breaking of the ax.” When the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, the annual cutting of firewood for the altar was concluded on the 15th of Av. The event was celebrated with feasting and rejoicing (as is the custom upon the conclusion of a holy endeavor), and included a ceremonial breaking of the axes, which gave the day its name.

These events may all be worthy of commemoration and celebration. But how do they explain Rabbi Shimon’s amazing statement that “there were no greater festivals for Israel”? In what way is the 15th of Av greater than Passover, the day of our Exodus from Egypt, or Shavuot, the day we received the Torah?

Rabbi Shimon even places it before his other “great festival,” Yom Kippur!

Lunar Time To understand the significance of 15 Av, we must first examine the workings of the Jewish calendar.

The most basic feature of our calendar is that it is primarily a lunar calendar—a calendar whose months are set in accordance with the phases of the moon.

The Zohar explains that the people of Israel mark time with the moon because we are the moon of the world: like the moon, we rise and fall through the nights of history, knowing times of growth and diminution, our moments of luminous fullness alternating with moments of obscurity and darkness. And, like the moon, our every regression and defeat is but a prelude to yet another rebirth, yet another renewal.

At a certain point in its 29.5-day circuit of the earth (the point at which it is closest to the sun), the moon “disappears” from the nighttime sky.

22 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775

our “coronation” of the Almighty, is sounded on the first of Tishrei, the day of the moon’s renewal; but like the moon itself, the experience remains “concealed” and largely unexpressed until “the day of our festival”—Sukkot, on the 15th of Tishrei.]

The same is true of each of the twelve months of the Jewish year. Each month possesses a character and quality uniquely its own, which undergoes a cycle of diminution and growth, concealment and expression, reaching its climax on the 15th of the month.

The night on which the moon is first visible to the earthly observer after its concealment marks the beginning of a new month on the Jewish calendar. For the next two weeks, the Jewish month grows with the moon, reaching its apex on its fifteenth night—the night of the full moon. There then follow two weeks of decreasing moonlight, until the night when the moon falls completely dark and the month dwindles to a close. The rebirth of the moon, 29 or 30 nights after its previous birth, ushers in the next month: a new climb to fullness, followed by another descent to oblivion, followed by yet another rebirth.

Accordingly, the 15th of the Jewish month marks the high point of that month’s particular contribution to Jewish life. For example: Nissan is the month of redemption, and it was on the first day of Nissan that the process of our liberation from Egypt began; but the results of this process were fully manifest only on the 15th of Nissan, with our actual exodus from Egypt. So it is on the 15th of Nissan that we celebrate the festival of Passover and experience the divine gift of freedom through the observances of the Seder.

Another example is the month of Tishrei. On the first of Tishrei (Rosh Hashanah) we crown G‑d as king of the universe, rededicating the entirety of creation to the purpose for which it was created and evoking in G‑d the desire to continue to create and sustain it. But the celebration of the divine coronation is eclipsed by the days of solemnity and awe which occupy the first part of Tishrei, and comes out in the open in the joyous festival of Sukkot, which commences on the 15th of the month. [This the Talmud interprets as the meaning of the verse (Psalms 81:4), “Sound the shofar on the moon’s renewal, which is concealed until the day of our festival.” The shofar, whose trumpet-like blast signifies

The Rebound Therein lies the specialty of the 15th of Av. The greater an object’s plunge down a mountainside, the greater the momentum that carries it up the next mountain; the further an arrow is pulled back on the bow, the greater the force that will carry it forward when it is let fly. This basic law of physical nature also governs the flow of lunar time and the spiritual qualities it enfolds: the lower the descent, the loftier the ascent to follow.

Hence, the month of Av must indeed possess the greatest 15th of them all.

For what darker eclipse is there than the one preceding the full moon of Av? The latter half of Tammuz and the first days of Av mark a breakdown in the very heart of the universe, and the onset of a spiritual winter from which we have yet to emerge. On the 17th of Tammuz in the year 3829 from creation (69 CE), the lunar orbit of Jewish life swung into the steepest decline of its four-thousandyear history. On that day the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Roman armies; for the next three weeks, from 17 Tammuz to 9 Av (observed to this day as “Three Weeks” of mourning), the enemy steadily advanced through Jerusalem, invaded the Holy Temple, and, on the 9th of Av, set it aflame. The 9th of Av is also the date of the destruction of the First Temple in the year 3338 (423 BCE), and numerous other calamities in Jewish history (see below).

The destruction of the Temple was but the physical counterpart of a deeper, spiritual loss. The Holy Temple in Jerusalem was the seat of G‑d’s manifest presence in our world—the source of everything spiritual and G‑dly in our lives, and the focus of our efforts to implement the divine purpose in creation of “making a dwelling place for G‑d in the physical world.” Its destruction marked the withdrawal of the direct and open relationship between G‑d and His creation, and the onset of a state of galut—a hiding of

the divine face, a shrouding of the true, underlying reality of creation behind the mask of the corporeal and fragmented world we experience today.

And yet, the greater the descent, the greater the ascent which springs from it. The great darkness of the latter days of Tammuz and the first days of Av carries the seeds for an equally great “full moon” on the 15th of Av—a full moon that represents the perfect and harmonious world of Moshiach, which is the product and outgrowth of our long and bitter galut.

The Events Therein lies the significance of the various joyful events recounted by the Talmud as having occurred on the 15th of Av: they each mark a step in the climb out of the descent of 9 Av. The destruction of the Temple on 9 Av was preceded by another tragic event on the very same day, many centuries earlier. It was on the eve of 9 Av that the twelve spies sent by Moses returned from their reconnaissance of the Holy Land and dissuaded the people of Israel from settling and sanctifying the land, causing G‑d to decree that the generation of the Exodus would die out in the desert.

Indeed, the two events are deeply interrelated: our sages tell us that if Moses’ generation had merited to enter the Land of Israel and to build the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, it would have been an eternal edifice, inviolable and indestructible. The goal of a “dwelling place for G‑d in the physical world” would have been fully and perfectly realized, avoiding the need for any subsequent regressions or descents.

Thus, the events of that 9 Av in the desert were the source and harbinger of the destruction and galut which the day eventually wrought.

So when the dying of the generation of the Exodus ceased on 15 Av,1 this also marked the beginnings of the “ascent” of Av. A new generation stood poised to enter the Land and lay the foundations for renewal and reconstruction.

And when the barriers between the tribes were removed, allowing their members to unite in marriage with one another, another element of the “descent” was being rectified. Our sages tell us that the primary cause for the destruction of the Temple was divisiveness within the community of Israel. Accordingly, the key to the ascent of the redemption is the fostering of unity and harmony amongst us. Such is also the significance of another two of the special events associated with the 15th of Av: the reacceptance of the errant tribe of Benjamin into the community,

and the removal of the roadblocks which had rent the people of Israel into two nations and had prevented the Holy Temple from serving as the unifying force between brothers torn apart by political strife.

The fall of Betar on 9 Av, which spelled the end of the last significant effort to free the land of Israel from Roman rule, was the culmination of the tragedy of the destruction of the Holy Temple and the exile of Israel on that same date a generation earlier. The first respite from this crushing blow to the Jewish people—the bringing to burial of the dead of Betar on the 15th of Av fifteen years later—is another example of how the 15th of Av achieves the redemption and rectification of the 9th of Av. Shattered Irons The manner in which the conclusion of the wood-cutting for the Temple service was celebrated on 15 Av is yet another manifestation of the significance of the day. For the breaking of axes expresses the ultimate purpose of the Holy Temple, whose destruction we mourn on the 9th of Av and whose rebuilding will herald the harmonious world of Moshiach.

Why break the axes? Why not store them for next year’s cutting? Because the ax represents the very antithesis

of what the altar, and the Temple as a whole, stood for.

Regarding the making of the altar, G‑d had instructed: “When you build a stone altar for Me, do not build it of cut stone; for if your sword has been lifted upon it, you have profaned it” (Exodus 20:22). “Do not lift iron upon it . . .

The altar of G‑d shall be built of whole stones” (Deuteronomy 27:5–6). If any metal implement so much as touched a stone, that stone was rendered unfit for use in the making of the altar.

Our sages explain: “Iron was created to shorten the life of man, and the altar was created to lengthen the life of man; so it is not fitting that that which shortens should be lifted upon that which lengthens” (Talmud, Middot 3:4). Iron, the instrument of war and destruction, has no place in the making of the instrument whose function is to bring eternal peace and harmony to the world.

Awaiting the Light Of course, these events were only first glimmers of the full moon of Moshiach—a full moon which has yet to emerge from the darkness that envelops it. So today, 15 Av is a relatively minor event in our experience of the yearly cycle. We mark the day, but without the grandeur of Passover, the joy of Sukkot or

Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy Shavuos From: Desert Business Machines & Bob & Wendy Solomon

the exultation of Purim. For unlike these festivals, whose “full moon” we have already experienced, the luminance of 15 Av has yet to shine forth. We are still in galut, still in the dark stretch of this cycle, still climbing out of the descent in which we have been plunged by the events of 17 Tammuz–9 Av. But the date is already fixed in our calendar as the greatest “15th” of them all. And with the imminent coming of Moshiach, the true import of the “Day of the Breaking of the Ax” shall come to glorious light, and the 15th of Av will be truly revealed as our greatest festival.

FOOTNOTES

1.

According to the Jerusalem Talmud (Taanit 4:7), the deaths actually ceased on the 9th of the month, but the people of Israel were not aware of this until the 15th, which is why that was made a day of celebration.

This is consistent with the significance of the 15th as the apex of the month. The moon, of course, is always full; the “full moon” is the point in its cycle at which its fullness is visible to us, and we maximally enjoy its light. By the same token, the descents and ascents of Jewish history are descents and ascents only in our perception and our experience of our closeness to G‑d. In essence, however, there are no descents, for even on the 9th of Av, at the very moment of the destruction, our relationship with G‑d was not diminished in the slightest (see The Intimate Estrangement and The 29th Day).

DESERT HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL

In memory of: Miriam & Bernard Miliband

Alan J. Goldstein

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Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC 71-703 Hwy 111, Suite 2C Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 Toll Free: 866-811-5343 Direct: 760-836-3398 Office: 760-568-2694 Fax: 760-346-2741 alan.goldstein@wfadvisors.com

The Desert Holocaust Memorial is located in the Palm Desert Civic Center Park at San Pablo Avenue & Fred Waring Drive.

Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit this moving memorial, a place of remembrance and monument of hope.

LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775 n 23

Hi. My name is Tom Grossman, and I live here in the Desert. I am in Stage Five Kidney Disease. At this stage, I must either find a new kidney, or go on Dialysis in order to stay alive.

The best scenario for me is to find a new kidney. I am on a transplant list, but it takes 2-4 years to get a kidney that way. If you know anyone who would like to donate a kidney, please let meI know. You can also find out about kidney donation at www.unos. org. We only need onekidney, so that extra one could save a life. Thanks.

I can be reached at 760-327-7447.

My email address is pepper99@gte.net.

Have a Happy Shavuos!

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24 n LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775

"Lost" in the Mail for Sixteen Years

By Shaul Wertheimer

Some 300 years ago, there lived an affluent man named Avigdor. He once brought a large sum of money to Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the chassidic movement, to be distributed to the poor on his behalf.

Accepting the contribution graciously, the Baal Shem Tov (literally, “Master of a Good Name”) inquired if perhaps Avigdor would like a blessing in return. After all, the Baal Shem Tov was renowned not only as a great Torah scholar, but also as a righteous individual who had the power to give blessings.

"No thanks!" replied Avigdor arrogantly. "I am very wealthy; I own many properties, and I have servants, plenty of delicacies and everything else I want. I have more than I need!"

"You are very fortunate," replied the Baal Shem Tov. "Perhaps you would like a blessing for your family?"

"I have a large and healthy family of which I am very proud; they are a credit to me. I don’t need—or want—anything."

"Well, then perhaps you can help me. May I request one thing of you?" inquired Rabbi Israel. "Can you please deliver a letter to the head of the charity committee in Brody?"

"Certainly," responded Avigdor. "I live in Brody and would be happy to assist you in this matter."

The Baal Shem Tov took out a pen and paper, wrote a letter, sealed it in an envelope and gave it to Avigdor.

Avigdor took the letter, placed it in his jacket pocket and returned home. But he had so many projects on his mind that by the time he arrived in Brody he had completely forgotten about the entire encounter with Rabbi Israel.

Sixteen years passed, and the wheel of fortune suddenly turned.

All of Avigdor's assets and properties were lost or destroyed. Floods ruined his fields of crops; fires destroyed his forests. Calamity after calamity. He was left penniless.

Creditors took his house and everything he owned. He was forced to sell even his clothing to feed his children. One day, while cleaning out the pockets of an old jacket he planned to sell, he found a letter— the letter that he had received from the Baal Shem Tov 16 years earlier!

In a flash, he recalled his visit and his haughtiness when he thought he had everything. With tears in his eyes, he rushed to finally fulfill his

mission and deliver the letter. The envelope was addressed to a Mr. Tzaddok, chairman of the charity committee of Brody.

He ran into the street and encountered one of his friends.

Grabbing his arm, he said, "Where can I find Mr. Tzaddok?"

"Mr. Tzaddok? You mean Mr. Tzaddok, the chairman of the charity committee?"

"Yes, I must see him immediately!" replied Avigdor.

"He is in the synagogue," said Avigdor's friend. "I was there only a few minutes ago. Mr. Tzaddok is indeed a lucky man. Just this morning he was elected chairman of the charity committee."

"Tell me more about Mr.Tzaddok," insisted Avigdor.

Willing to oblige, Avigdor's friend continued, "Mr. Tzaddok was born and raised here in Brody. A tailor by profession, he was always down on his luck, never able to make a decent living. He was hardly able to support his family, and they always lived in abject poverty. He sat in the back of the synagogue, and no one ever took notice of him. Despite working many hours, he never earned much; it was hard for him to scrape together enough money for even a loaf of bread for his family.

"Recently, however, the tide changed. Mr. Tzaddok was introduced to a local nobleman, and he made uniforms for all his servants.

The nobleman was very satisfied with Mr. Tzaddok's craftsmanship, and his business started to pick up.

He even received an order for 5,000

uniforms for the army. He became a rich man and gained respect in the eyes of the community. He did not forget his former poverty, and gave generously to many, taking an active role in communal affairs. Just this morning, he was unanimously elected chairman of the charity committee."

Hearing this story, Avigdor hurried to the synagogue and found Mr. Tzaddok busy perusing the many requests for financial assistance.

He handed Mr. Tzaddok the letter.

Together they read the words of the Baal Shem Tov, penned 16 years earlier: Dear Mr. Tzaddok, The man who brought this letter is named Avigdor. He was once very wealthy, but is now very poor. He has paid for his haughtiness. Since just this morning you were elected chairman of the charity committee, I request that you do all you can to assist him, as he has a large family to support. He will once again become successful, and this time he will be more suited to success.

In case you doubt my words, I give you the following sign: Your wife is expecting a baby, and today she will give birth to a boy.

They had hardly concluded reading the letter when someone burst into the synagogue and exclaimed, "Mazel tov, Mr.Tzaddok!

Your wife just had a baby boy!"

Thanks to the Baal Shem Tov's foresight, Avigdor once again became very affluent. This time, he remained humble and was admired by all.

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recipes

Mount Sinai Cake

By Miriam Szokovski

I'm excited about this cake because it came out exactly the way I visualized it. (No, it doesn't always!) It's also an easy cake to decorate, so even if you're a complete novice with no prior experience, you should be able to pull this one off.

We're about to celebrate the holiday of Shavuot, which marks the giving of the Torah over 3,000 years ago. After G-d chose Mount Sinai to be the place He would give the Torah, the small, brown, dry mountain burst into bloom, growing flowers and lush greenery.

So today I present you... Mount Sinai cake!

I'm giving you recipes for the cake and frosting (below), but if baking's not your thing, don't let that put you off. I'm not really a fan of cake mixes and bought frosting, but because this is more of a "concept cake," I think we can make an exception this time. Or if you have a favorite cake recipe, feel free to use that instead. Really, any cake and any frosting will work for this one.

To get the mountain shape, you'll need either the Wilton Wonder Cake Mold, or you can use a stainless steel mixing bowl. If you're using a mixing bowl, I recommend a smallish one, and try to use a shallow wider bowl, rather than a narrow deeper bowl. It will bake more evenly that way. Make the cake batter and pour it into the pan. Make sure the pan is well greased so the cake will come out easily. I like to use the baking sprays that have flour in them, then the cake slips right out. Bake the cake until a toothpick comes out dry. Let it cool before turning it out of the pan.

To decorate, you'll need the cake, frosting and candies. I used chocolate lentils (aka: smarties, m&ms, candy-coated chocolate), and I specifically chose a type that comes in two sizes.

Stick the cake in the freezer for a couple of hours - this will make it easier to decorate. Sift the icing ingredients together, add the water and mix with a spoon in one direction until icing is smooth.

Take the cake out of the freezer and put it on a piece of wax paper (this will make the clean-up easier). Pour the icing over the top and let it drip down the sides.

You can help it along with a knife, or a spatula.

Don't worry if it's not too perfect, because you'll be covering it anyway. Let the excess icing drip onto the wax paper.

Stick the cake back in the freezer for about half an hour (or in the fridge for a couple of hours), and then change the wax paper so you're working on a clean surface.

Now it's time to start decorating.

First form a couple of flowers. I used the smaller candies for flowers. One candy for the center, six for the petals. Don't worry if you have a hard time placing them evenly, it's about the overall effect, not absolute perfection.

After you've made a couple of flowers, start filling in the spaces with the larger green candies.

Continue making flowers and filling the space with green candies until the cake is fully covered.

You can use some of the smaller green candies to fill in gaps, like I did.

VERY IMPORTANT: Keep your fingers clean.

If you get some frosting on your fingers, wipe it off before continuing. You don't want chocolate frosting all over your candies - it will look like a muddy mess.

Try to be as light-fingered as possible. You don't want to push against the frosting too firmly.

And if it starts to feel melty, you can stick it back in the freezer for half an hour and then keep going. It all depends on how quickly you work.

Happy Shavuos

And that's all there is to it! You just created a beautiful Mount Sinai cake with no special equipment or cake decorating skills. You could also give this job to your kids - keep them busy for a while and get them excited about the holiday. Win win.

If you'd like to add an extra touch, you can print out a picture of the two Tablets, tape them to a toothpick and stick it in the top of the cake.

These are the recipes I used, but again, you can use any cake and any frosting. Doesn't even need to be chocolate. Whatever you prefer.

Cake Ingredients: 3/4 cups oil 1 1/8 cups sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup cocoa 1 1/3 cups flour 1 tsp. coffee dissolved in ¾ cups hot water 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tbsp. baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt Cake Directions: Cream oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until there are no lumps.

Pour into greased pan and bake on 325°F until a toothpick comes out clean, approximately 45-50 minutes.

Frosting Ingredients: 2 ½ cups confectioners sugar 1 cup cocoa ¼ tsp. salt 6-7 tbsp. hot water Frosting Directions: Sift cocoa powder and confectioners into a bowl. Add salt. Whisk with a fork to combine.

Add the hot water 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing with a spoon in one direction until frosting is smooth.

Cheese Blintzes

By Tzirel Chana Blintz Leaf Ingredients 1 cup flour 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1 tsp oil (any kind except olive) 1 tsp white sugar Blintz Leaf Directions Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Put batter in the fridge for an hour to set. (If you’re in a rush, skip this step.)

Pour 1-2 Tbsp of oil into a non-stick frying pan.

When the oil is heated, pour in just enough batter so the floor of the pan is covered. Tilt the pan slightly – if necessary – to make a perfect (or imperfect) circle.

Fry until the edges of the blintz leaf begin to curl up. This will happen sooner than you think so hover over your pan. This isn’t the time to multi-task.

Flip and let the blintz cook briefly on the other side. (Some people don’t flip. They just remove the blintz from the pan at this point and add filling to the cooked side.)

Filling Ingredients 1 1/3 cup farmer cheese (ricotta works too) 1/3 cup white sugar 1 egg yolk 1 tsp fresh lemon juice Filling Directions Blend filling ingredients together until smooth.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of cheese filling into the center of a blintz leaf.

Roll the blintzes in the same way you would roll a wrap. Refry the rolled blintzes in a small amount of oil, butter or margarine.

Serve plain or sprinkled with confectioners sugar.

Note: You can make filled blintzes ahead of time, refrigerate and refry just before serving. Yields: 8 blintzes

Butternut Apple Soup

By Zakah Glaser 1 onion, diced 2 butternut squash, peeled and cut in chunks 2 apples, diced 2 C. vegetable broth (Imagine Soup) 2 C. water 1/8 tsp. ground thyme I tsp. salt Dash of black pepper I C. unsweetened soy milk Directions: Sauté onion until golden. Add squash, apples, broth, water, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes, covered, until squash is tender. Puree soup until smooth. Return to low heat and stir in soy milk

LET MY PEOPLE KNOW • MAY 2015/ SIVAN 5775 n 27

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