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FEATURED ARTICLES

6 WARMING UP RUSSIAN JEWISH SOULS IN FRIGID OTTAWA Nosson Avrohom

14 MAN ON A MISSION R’ Yitzchok Dovid Groner a”h

24 RASHBI IS A JOYOUS REBBE

28 THE CHASSIDIC STORYTELLER FROM THE BRONX Nosson Avraham

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CONTENTS

744 Eastern ParkwayBrooklyn, NY 11213-3409

Tel: (718) 778-8000Fax: (718) [email protected]

www.beismoshiach.org

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:M.M. Hendel

HEBREW EDITOR:Rabbi S.Y. [email protected]

ENGLISH EDITOR:Boruch [email protected]

WEEKLY COLUMNS 4 D’var Malchus21 Parsha Thought27 Moshiach & Geula34 Memoirs38 Tzivos Hashem40 Crossroads

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A NEW TORAH, A NEW WORLD All of the Jewish people will enter...the Third Beis

HaMikdash...to learn the “new Torah (that) shall

emerge from Me.’” * From Chapter Six of Rabbi

Shloma Majeski’s Likkutei Mekoros (Underlined

text is the compiler’s emphasis.)

Translated by Boruch Merkur

ALL JEWS COME TO THE 3RD BEIS HA’MIKDASH TO HEAR TORAH CHADASHA

12. […] The renewal of Torah and the world that takes place on Shabbos is connected with the renewal in Torah and the world of the Future Era, “the day that is entirely Shabbos and tranquility forevermore,” as it is said regarding the Future Era, “A new Torah shall emerge from Me,” and “The new heavens and the new earth which I make.”

This concept is further emphasized on the Shabbos that follows [Shavuos] the Giving of the Torah. Since there was already the renewal of Torah and the world on Shavuos of this week, it follows that the Shabbos day primarily emphasizes (the preparation for) the chiddush of the Future Era: “A new Torah shall emerge from Me,” as well as “The new heavens and the new earth.”

Also emphasized on Shabbos is the unity of the Jewish people that stems from the Yechida [the highest dimension of the soul]. The Yechida is associated with Moshiach, who will bring

about the innovation in Torah as well as the renewal of the heavens and the earth. On the Shabbos day it is imperative to “gather in congregations…to attend synagogue and go to study halls to learn Torah in them publically.” There is an especial emphasis on gathering at Mincha time, Shabbos afternoon, “Raava D’Raavin,” which corresponds to the inner dimension of pleasure, its very essence. The equivalent of this time in terms of the soul is the Yechida, which transcends the variegated quality of the soul-powers, surpassing both the inner soul-powers as well as those that are themselves transcendent (kochos makifim). Given its transcendence, the Yechida unites with, is drawn into, and permeates all of them, reaching even the aspect of the heel of the foot.* Thus, unity is established among groups of Jews** (“to gather in congregations”), ultimately achieving the perfect unity of all the Jewish people, “and you, the Jewish people, shall be gathered one by one” (Yeshayahu 27:12), “I will yet gather others to him, together with his gathered ones”

(ibid 56:8), becoming in this manner “a great congregation” (Yermiyahu 31:7). And all of the Jewish people shall enter the main synagogue and study hall together, the Third Beis HaMikdash (for “it shall be called a house of prayer to all the nations” (Yeshayahu 56:7), and “Torah shall emerge from Tziyon” (ibid 2:3)),*** to learn the “new Torah (that) shall emerge from Me.’”

THE MIRACLES OF MOSHIACH HAVE

ALREADY BEGUN13. All of the above imparts

an especially quality and emphasis on the Shabbos following [Shavuos] the Giving of the Torah, Shabbos Parshas Naso, of this year:

But first to preface with a topic that has been discussed on other occasions – that according to the signs noted in the words of our Sages regarding the final days (in addition to the general statement in the times of the Gemara that “all the predicted dates for the advent of Moshiach have passed” (Sanhedrin 87b)):

D’VAR MALCHUS

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The present generation is the final generation of exile and the first generation of redemption, as my revered father in-law, the Rebbe, leader of the generation, has attested in connection with and related to his well-known proclamation, “Immediately to t’shuva (repentance); immediately to redemption.” In his days (decades ago), all matters of service of G-d had been completed, and only “polishing the buttons” and standing ready to greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu remained to be done. How much more is this the case after having accomplished, from then until now, numerous activities of disseminating Torah and Judaism, and spreading the wellsprings outward. This includes and is especially the case after having attained the perfection of forty years (following the Rebbe’s histalkus), at which point “people fathom the knowledge of their master” (Avoda Zara 5b, beg.), attaining “a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear.” Given all the latter achievements it is absolutely certain that we have also completed “polishing the buttons,” and we stand ready to greet Moshiach Tzidkeinu.

This matter is especially and prominently underscored this year, the year 5751, Hei-Tav-Nun-Shin-Alef, alluded to in the verse, “v’sinasei malchuso – His kingdom will be exalted” (Balak 24:7) throughout the entire world (a verse that refers to Dovid and Shlomo, progenitors of Melech HaMoshiach.) Hei-Tav-Nun-Shin-Alef is an acronym for “Haya T’hei Shnas Ar’enu Niflaos – It shall be a year of ‘I shall show you wonders,’” “as in the days of your exodus from Egypt I shall show you wonders” (Micha 7:15). Indeed, the beginning

of these wonders has already been seen (in addition to those that we shall see in the future, “I shall show you”), overt miracles that have taken place this year before the eyes of all the nations. In fact, through these miracles, the words of Yalkut Shimoni have been fulfilled: “During the year of the advent of Melech HaMoshiach all kingdoms of the nations of the world are in conflict with one another – the Persian king…the Arabian king, etc., and He (G-d) tells them (the Jewish people): Children, do not fear. All I have done I have only done for your sake … The time of your redemption has arrived.” And since then (especially in the month of Nissan, the month of redemption), we are already amidst “the hour that Melech HaMoshiach arrives (“behold this one has come”) … and he proclaims to them, to the Jewish people, saying: Humble ones, the time of your redemption has arrived.”

The message of the imminence of redemption is even further relevant now, as we are presently at the time of the Giving of the Torah, the days of its Tashlumin. Talmudic scholars trace an allusion in the words of our Sages (P’sachim 68b) regarding Shavuos: “It is unanimous that on Atzeres ba’inan nami lachem (“lachem” is also required)” – that “Atzeres…is an auspicious time to pray to hasten the advent of redemption … for ‘ba’inan’ is a term of prayer and supplication, as in, ‘im taviyun ba’u.’ ‘Nami lachem’ is numerically equivalent to ‘keitz,’ meaning that Shavuos is an appropriate time to pray for the hastening of the redemption,” “keitz ha’yamim,” as well as “keitz ha’yamin.” And since it

is the Shabbos after the “keitz” of Atzeres, Shabbos Parshas Naso – “Naso” (an acronym for “Shnas Ar’enu Niflaos – the Year of I Shall Show You Wonders”) within the year “Tav-Nun-Shin-Alef” – this is, therefore, the most propitious time for the innovation of “A new Torah shall emerge from Me,” and “The new heavens and the new earth that I shall make.” This is not meant solely in the future tense, but also in the present tense, to the extent that in the very next moment it already becomes the past tense, since “behold this one [Moshiach] has come,” and he has already arrived.

(From the address of Shabbos Parshas Naso, 12 Sivan, 5751; Seifer

HaSichos 5751, pg. 594-595)

NOTES:

*Footnote 126: Reaching even the heel of the foot in the literal sense, as in the verse, “Good tidings make bones swell” (Mishlei 15:30), as stated in Gemara (Gittin 56b). This phenomenon is reminiscent of the expansion of bone in the foot on account of pleasure.

**Footnote 127: Similar to what is written (T’hillim 55:19), “Redeem my soul in peace…for the masses were with me.” (Indeed, it is known that the primary and ultimate expression of this will take place with the advent of Moshiach (see Shaar HaT’filla of the Mitteler Rebbe, 56a).) The peaceful redemption of every single Jew in his personal service of G-d (as the verse specifies, “my soul”) is in virtue of the aspect of Yechida of the soul (ibid 55c), and also connected with the Jewish body at large, “for the masses were with me.”

***Footnote 132: See Metzudos Dovid on Yeshayahu 51:4: “‘Torah shall emerge from Tziyon’ is the concept of ‘(A new) Torah shall emerge from Me.’”

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WARMING UP RUSSIAN JEWISH SOULS IN FRIGID OTTAWA The fascinating life story of a boy who grew up in Russia, ended up

in yeshiva, and became exposed to Chabad Chassidus. * R’ Michoel

Gershzon, of the Jewish Russian Educational Center of Ottawa “Acheinu.”

By Nosson Avrohom

Ottawa is the capital of Canada. Unlike other countries, where there is a large population

in the capitol city, Ottawa is not a major Canadian city population wise, certainly not from a Jewish perspective. In cities like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, there are much larger Jewish communities. Government offices and ministries are located in Ottawa, and 800,000 people live there, out of which there are only a few hundred Jewish families.

Ottawa is one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world and is the third cleanest city in the world. It is constructed in the old French style. The Parliament buildings

were designed in the old Gothic architectural style. More than just being a place of employment for many government employees, they serve as an attraction to many tourists.

The shliach, R’ Michoel Gershzon, lives in Kanata, a large suburb of Ottawa. He focuses his attention primarily on Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Being himself from Moscow, he understands the mentality and knows the language.

There are many computer and hi-tech companies located in the city and many Jews find employment in them, including many Russian Jews and, more recently, Israelis. They participate

in the wide-ranging activities that R’ Gershzon maintains.

In Kanata, the Gershzons are the only stringently observant Orthodox family. They run a Chabad house in a community center building in the center of town which attracts numerous Jews.

DIARY OF A ZHID R’ Michoel Gershzon was

born in Moscow in 5734/1974. His parents were members of the communist party. His mother was a senior employee in the Russian Ministry of Economic Development. His parents had no apparent connection to Judaism. His paternal grandmother, however, who lived with the

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family, had her son buy matza for Pesach which she ate amidst the bread and chametz that were on the table.

“The ones who made my uniqueness as a Jew apparent to me were the gentiles around me, particularly the teachers and educational staff who reminded me of it again and again. I’ll never forget the last communist summer camp I attended in Sochi. Along with the good food and the activities, the director did not stop mentioning my being Jewish. She constantly asked me for the explanation of my surname.

“The principal of the school also repeatedly reminded me of my roots and would lower my

marks for no good reason. When she handed out a weekly diary to all the students at the end of the week, she would read the names of the children and they would go over to her, but when she got to my name, she would not say it. Instead, she would say, ‘Here is the diary of the zhid.’ These barbs stopped the moment she overdid it and my mother informed her that the next time this happened, there would be an article in the government educational newspaper against her.

“That was my life. Since I was a child, I was a searcher. At a more advanced age, I had questions about my Jewish identity and what it meant to me.”

There was no one to teach him about the Jewish nation. R’ Gershzon went on to relate an episode that he experienced with his grandmother that sharpened his sense of Jewish identity and was a catalyst for him to find new friends.

“It was a year after Operation Peace in Galilee began. The Russians collaborated with the Arabs who bought billions of dollars in weapons from them. The communist children’s organization at school raised money for the unfortunate children in Lebanon suffering under Israeli occupation. Every week, I would get a ruble from my grandmother, which she would give me from her pension. With the fundraising efforts underway, I asked her for an additional ruble.

“She asked me what I had done with the first ruble and when I told her, she was furious. She told me bitterly that these were lies and that the Arabs were the ones who sought to hurt the Jews. My grandmother was a very quiet woman by nature and her reaction made me think.

“My grandmother died in 5749 and she had a Jewish funeral that left from one of the shuls in Moscow. When my father returned from the funeral, he said he had met two young rabbis at the shul who put t’fillin on with him. They gave him a T’hillas Hashem Siddur which was translated into Russian and a brochure that explained the holiday of Chanuka. He gave both of them to me. I read the brochure and understood it, but the text of the Siddur was like a riddle to me.”

HIS FEET LED HIM When Michoel finished high

school, he studied bio-technology

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in university. “I felt that I was doing

something without feeling passionate about it. Instead of studying, I would walk around the city. One Erev Shabbos, Shabbos Mevarchim Adar, my feet led me to a shul. I heard the sounds of singing and rejoicing from within and my neshama was drawn there. There were bachurim there, baalei t’shuva, talmidim of Yeshivas Oholei Yaakov which had opened and was operated by the organization Shvut Ami.

“I joined them for the davening and singing and soon felt comfortable there. The bachurim invited me to join them for the first Shabbos meal of my life. After that, I went to their yeshiva daily and each time learned a halacha or a new Jewish practice. This discovery thrilled me. I realized that there was something meaningful to my being Jewish. My joy knew no bounds.

“As to my parents, as long as this did not interfere with my academic pursuits, they were okay with it and even helped me in the t’shuva process. They koshered the kitchen and encouraged me to do whatever made me happy.

“But my days in university did not last long and a few months later I left, to the disappointment of my parents. I devoted myself to studying Torah. At the end of the year, I told them that I wanted to make aliya. I had a great desire to grow in Torah and wanted to do this in Eretz Yisroel. The roshei yeshiva arranged for me to immediately enter Yeshivas Nachalas Dovid in Petach Tikva.

“A few days before my flight, I met with one of my aunts who heard that I was emigrating. She asked me to meet with some

Jews in Eretz Yisroel who had been very close with her father, my grandfather’s brother. One of these people was R’ Aharon Chazan a”h of B’nei Brak. She gave me their addresses. Half a year after I arrived I went to meet with those people.

“I discovered that my grandfather’s brother had run a weapons factory during World War II and he sheltered many religious Jews, saving their lives. He signed for them, saying they were his employees, and that is how he saved the Admur of Machnovka, R’ Aharon Chazan, and other Chassidim.

“My meeting with R’ Chazan was very emotional. When he realized who I was, he hugged me and said, ‘What a joy it is that the Gershzon family has children that look like you.’ He told me many stories of the mesirus nefesh of my great-uncle, about how he created an entire department of G-d fearing Jews who did not work on Shabbos and how he signed for them. R’ Chazan also told me that he had prepared himself in the event he would be caught and said that some are caught for stealing and bribery but he would be happy to be caught for this mitzva of Shabbos observance.”

After this first meeting with R’ Chazan came many other meetings. Michoel heard from him about the Rebbe and how he is Moshiach according to halacha. He became acquainted, for the first time, with the depth of Chassidus and the idea of hiskashrus to the Rebbe-Tzaddik-Nasi.

“At a certain point, he connected me with R’ Dovid Chanzin a”h. At first, we would learn Chassidus every Shabbos. Then we got together more often, nearly on a daily basis. We met

at the old Chabad shul near the shuk.

“I found the teachings of Chassidus fulfilling. I soon decided to switch to a Chabad yeshiva. R’ Chanzin told me he could not help me with this so that nobody could say he was taking away talmidim from his nephew’s yeshiva (the rosh yeshiva of Nachalas Dovid, R’ Solomon z”l, was R’ Chanzin’s nephew).

“In general, R’ Chanzin was a unique Chassid, a special Jew, patient and understanding. He would listen to my ‘chiddushei Torah’ for hours, and to all the complaints that I heard from my friends against Chabad. When we met on Shabbos, although he would not eat the third Shabbos meal, he would make sure that I ate, according to my practice.”

More months passed and his transfer to a Chabad yeshiva was postponed.

“One day, at the beginning of Elul, a bachur from Switzerland came to yeshiva. This bachur saw me trying to learn Derech Mitzvosecha of the Tzemach Tzedek. He asked me what I was learning. I was frightened and tried to avoid answering, but he came over to me and confided that he was a Chabad Chassid. ‘So how did you end up here?’ I asked.

“The rav of the city he came from was a Litvak and he managed to convince the bachur’s father to send him to this yeshiva in Petach Tikva. We soon became close friends and he regularly shared with me the special qualities of Chabad yeshivos. He told me about the yeshiva in Kiryat Gat from where he came and described the farbrengens and the month of Elul in Tomchei T’mimim.

“A few weeks went by before

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I dared to take action. I told the rosh yeshiva himself, R’ Boruch Shimon Solomon, what I wanted, and he listened and asked me to give him two days to think about it. After two days he said he saw I was determined and therefore, he would not insist that I remain in his yeshiva.”

THE LIGHT IN 770 The first days in the yeshiva

in Kiryat Gat were exciting but strange for Michoel. It was all the opposite of what he was used to.

“In the Litvishe yeshiva I felt that I was a someone. In Chabad, I was another soldier among many others. I remember that on one of the first mornings in yeshiva, after the davening, I was ironing my shirts because I was taught in the Litvishe yeshiva that it was important to look good. Someone passed by and asked, ‘Isn’t that a waste of time?’ I looked at him in surprise. A few more months passed before I understood what he meant and what the yeshiva thought about ironed clothes.”

It was in the yeshiva in Kiryat

Gat, under R’ Moshe Havlin, that Michoel became a Tamim in every respect. In 5759, he went with his class for a year on K’vutza to 770.

“What I got that year in 770 is incalculable. When I first met R’ Dovid Raskin and he heard that I am from Russia, he asked me to leave his office for a few minutes. When I went back in, he gave me a dollar he had received from the Rebbe on 15 Elul, the day that Tomchei T’mimim was founded. Another Chassid who had a huge influence on me was the mashpia, R’ Itche Springer, a Chassid and mekushar who took care of me as though I was his only child.”

With the permission of the hanhala, Michoel was allowed to work in order to support himself.

“Before Pesach, I was told about an opportunity to run a Russian language holiday program somewhere out of town. The money promised for this job was high. I asked the mashgiach, R’ Kuti Rapp, for permission. He said, ‘As a mashgiach, I know that you need the money and

give you permission, but as a friend I recommend that you stay and absorb the special flavor of Pesach in Tomchei T’mimim.’

“After much deliberation, I decided to stay in 770 and indeed, that Pesach laid the foundation for every Pesach since then. I took all the minhagim and hiddurim from the yeshiva’s S’darim, something I have for life. I don’t want to think about how my Pesach would look if not for that Pesach on K’vutza.”

When he finished the year on K’vutza, he returned to Eretz Yisroel and worked as a maggid shiur in a yeshiva for new immigrants in Migdal HaEmek. From there, he went to Moscow where he became the right-hand man of R’ Berel Lazar in founding the local mesivta. He also launched the kashrus supervision system there. Among other things, he was in charge of koshering the kitchen in the Kremlin when the president of Eretz Yisroel visited with his retinue.

While in Moscow, he met his wife. They married and decided

R’ Gershzon with mekuravim on Lag b’Omer

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to live in Eretz Yisroel. After much deliberation, they selected Nachalat Har Chabad.

OTTAWA IS WAITING FOR GERSHZON

From the outset, the couple looked for a place of shlichus. Not many months later, friends told them about a group of Jews trying to organize a community in Ottawa, Canada which was looking for a rabbinic leader.

“There were some Jews in the city, immigrants from the Soviet Union who had become interested in Judaism, each in his own way, and they wanted to start a community. From the start, there was disagreement among them. Some had become religious through Lubavitch and wanted a Chabad rabbi, while others had become religious through Litvishe rabbis and wanted a rabbi from Lakewood. I began looking into the situation and spoke with everyone involved who agreed that I should come and serve as rav and shliach.

“I thought that it would be better if, before I went, I obtained a resident permit from the Canadian embassy in Eretz Yisroel, but the process takes a long time. I asked the Rebbe for a bracha and the answer I opened to in the Igros Kodesh was astonishing and later was seen to

be miraculous. “The Rebbe wrote: about

arranging the documents and the order of priorities, you are correct in your thinking. But the place you are going to requires haste since the door can close.

“After reading this, I did not delay. We packed our belongings and took a flight to Ottawa.”

The Rebbe’s answer turned out to be prescient, because a few weeks later the group that wanted to build a community broke up. The woman who had pushed the hardest for bringing R’ Gershzon to Ottawa became sick a short while later and died. Another woman left the city.

“If I had delayed a few weeks, I doubt this trip would have happened. In any case, right after we rented a home, we began working with the Jews of the city. We began preparing for Purim and then for Pesach. We hosted many people in our home and word of our coming spread among the Russian Jews of the city.”

In Ottawa there is a long-standing Chabad presence. There are a number of shluchim who are doing wonderful work, but they felt it was necessary to have someone working specifically with Russian Jews who had come to the city in droves. These Russian Jews were highly

suspicious and R’ Gershzon felt he had to undertake grand projects in order to raise the level of Jewish pride.

“A few weeks before Lag B’Omer, I asked people whether they make a bonfire as they do in Eretz Yisroel and other countries. They looked at me as though I was crazy. In order to do such a thing you needed to have a hundred and one signatures and permits. Since I was a brand-new shliach and full of enthusiasm, I decided we needed a bonfire and we had to make an impressive parade. I went to the government office and in my broken English I explained that I wanted to rent space in the large park in order to make a bonfire.

“The clerk asked some questions and I guess he was shocked into signing the papers. When I went to the park with the signed papers, the park director was stunned. He said that if he had known of my intentions beforehand, he would have made sure to thwart them. After some difficulties, we got Yehuda Piamenta and his band from Crown Heights, we hung flyers all over the city, and on Lag b’Omer there were about 300 people in the park. By the standards of Ottawa, that was a major accomplishment. Since then, the Lag B’Omer bonfire has become an annual event.”

For Chanuka, R’ Gershzon decided that the pirsumei nisa had to be done in such a way that most of the city would get to see a Menorah.

“We hired a stretch jeep limousine with a trailer, on which we put a Menora three meters high. Behind it traveled ten cars with illuminated Menorahs and flashing lights. We drove from Kanata toward the center of town.”

“Every Shabbos, these girls would come for the

Shabbos meals but were never dressed modestly.

One Shabbos, they surprised us when they came wearing

modest, beautiful dresses… Their mother told us that one

of her girls asked our daughter why she wears a dress.

Our daughter said, ‘Because I am Jewish, I am a princess,

and that is how a princess dresses.’ Since then, her girls

began pestering her saying they are also princesses ...”

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Their outreach work generated a lot of exposure and many Jews began taking an interest in Judaism. But at the same time, there were difficulties.

A DESCENT FOR THE SAKE OF AN ASCENT

“We wanted to buy a spacious building in the center of town. We made a down payment and thought we would manage to pay the rest of the money, but were unable to raise it. We lost the down payment and got into debt. It reached the point where we couldn’t make payments on our own home, and one day we found ourselves out of the house, not knowing where to turn.

“My wife and I wrote to the Rebbe and put the letter into a volume of Igros Kodesh. The answer was eye-opening. The Rebbe wrote to a bachur from Morocco who wanted to join his parents who had made aliya. The Rebbe pointed out the greatness of Eretz Yisroel, but said the shlichus he had in Morocco was no less important and his job was to make Eretz Yisroel out of Morocco.

“We did not need more than that. We decided we would remain in Canada and we saw Hashem’s salvation in the blink

of an eye. We suddenly began getting donations and things straightened out. We bought a house for ourselves and rented a spacious building in the center of town for all of our activities.

“In order to reach a broader public, we host a Shabbos meal at the Chabad house now and then. The evening begins with davening and is followed by a bountiful meal for dozens of people. There is a program for men, women and children. People love these Shabbatons.

“Out of hundreds of Russian Jewish families who live in Ottawa, nearly all their children attend public school, so we started a Sunday school which has many children.

“We have another nice project that takes place daily. Since school is over at three, we have a children’s program until six in which they get a hot meal and they can do their homework. Many children attend this program and of course, they are exposed to Jewish ideas in a Chassidic atmosphere.”

During the week, R’ Gershzon gives a number of classes. He is known as an excellent speaker who carefully prepares his shiurim.

“Every Thursday we have

a shiur on the parsha as seen through the teachings of Chassidus. I also give an in-depth shiur from time to time on concepts like the Jewish calendar, sanctifying the new month, relationships and parenting, all according to Chassidic teachings.

“I recently started a shiur in Shaar Ha’Yichud V’Ha’Emuna. This shiur was started because non-Jewish students and academics were attending the parsha classes and I gently asked them not to attend. I thought about what I could teach so that they too could attend. I saw that the Rebbe encouraged a shiur for gentiles in Shaar Ha’Yichud V’Ha’Emuna. Among the regular participants is a Jewish professor of mathematics and other top academicians.

“There is a family whose parents remained in Moscow and all the children live in Ottawa. Last summer, the parents came to visit and sadly, the father had a stroke. He was rushed to the hospital but the doctors could not help him and they declared him dead. R’ Bulka, the hospital chaplain, received a report from that hospital about the death of a Jew and immediately contacted me and asked me to go to the hospital and meet with the family.

A convoy of cars spreading the light of Chanuka in Ottawa

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“I met them at ten in the morning and saw they were planning to cremate their father. I began working to convince them to give him a Jewish burial. They replied, ‘Our father never observed Jewish tradition and did not teach us to do so. Why shouldn’t we cremate him?’ I spoke to them for hours. With the help of R’ Bulka they finally agreed to bury him on condition that they only pay the amount of money they would have paid to the cremation company. We were able to arrange a Jewish funeral for the father before sunset.”

CONNECTING JEWS TO THE REBBE

Last year, in honor of Yud Shevat, R’ Gershzon decided the time had come to arrange a trip to Beis Chayeinu.

“We arranged for a bus for mekuravim that traveled along with us to visit Crown Heights. In the group was someone who had suffered from cancer over the years and, as a result, did not like being touched and hated crowds. Our plans included davening Friday night in 770, but some friends tried to dissuade me because of the crowding. Instead, they said to take them to a shul in the neighborhood. Others thought otherwise, saying the warmth of 770 would be the most powerful impact of the trip. I wasn’t sure what to do.

“I finally gave in. Why did these Jews make the long trip from Ottawa? Only because of the Rebbe. I took them all to 770. At first, they found places to sit, but then a group from Brazil blew in like a storm. The Brazilians danced on the tables, pushed, and created a major commotion. My mekuravim were moved from place to place and I was sure they would be upset.

“When the davening was over and we went out as a group to our hosts, that man said to me, ‘You should know R’ Gershzon, this is the holiest place in the world.’ It took me some time to believe that he was saying this sincerely and not sarcastically. He went on to say, ‘770 has endless reserves of energy and emotion.’ The rest of the group concurred. I was left open-mouthed. What happened was precisely the opposite of what I had feared and what I had been warned would happen. I thanked G-d for giving me the good sense to go to 770. To me, this was a lesson as to how forbidden it is to put our animal souls into our shlichus.”

How do you finance your shlichus?

“It’s something every shliach has to deal with, certainly when he is starting out. In the early years, most of the donations came from my mekuravim in Moscow, but now it’s somewhat different. I was raised with a traditional Russian education and I was embarrassed to ask for money. One time, after I visited a certain wealthy man and left empty-handed, I wrote about my feelings to the Rebbe.

“The answer was clear. The Rebbe wrote that someone who helps the Chabad mosdos needs to know that he is not helping an individual, but is doing a personal favor for the Rebbe, his father-in-law, who founded the mosdos and oversees them daily, and who does not remain in debt; he pays all those who help with ample children, life and health.

“This response gave me much encouragement. Although in the beginning it was hard, we see how the Rebbe does not remain in debt.

“In the early days of the shlichus, I was a guest in

Montreal one Shabbos. During the farbrengen, someone got up and introduced me as a new shliach to the Russian Jews in Ottawa and he asked me to speak. I was new to shlichus and I did not yet have anything to say about it. So I described in detail how I koshered the kitchen in the Kremlin, including all the hashgacha pratis I experienced on that occasion. The farbrengen went on until Mincha.

“After Mincha, an older Chassid came over to me and asked me to contact him after Shabbos. When we met, he said he wanted to help us and donated a large sum. Since then, he’s become one of our biggest supporters.”

You’ve been through a lot of tough times. From where did you get the strength?

“We get the strength from the privilege to be shluchim of the Rebbe. Every time I experience hardship, I go to 770. I try not to miss a Kinus HaShluchim. And Beis Chayeinu provides strength. When the battery drains out, there in 770 is the generator and the plug. At the beginning of my shlichus, I was also in constant touch with my mashpia from Eretz Yisroel. For a long time, I would hook up to the shiurim he gave in Likkutei Sichos and that gave me a lot of strength.

“There is another thing, and that is when I see Jews getting involved in Judaism. It is not always someone who turns his life completely around; even a small change provides a lot of satisfaction. The grandparents of these Russian Jews left Judaism. Every mitzva that they commit to is very satisfying.

“We have a family here whose grandmother was a leading communist in Russia who was in charge of the health ministry.

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Today, her son has reached the point that when he goes shopping in the supermarket, he looks for kosher products. This alone provides enormous strength.”

How do you manage as far as your children’s chinuch is concerned?

“Our job is to implant pride in our children that they belong to the king’s legions. Our daughters feel that they are an integral part of our shlichus. There is a family that comes to us a lot; they have two daughters. Every Shabbos, these girls would come for the Shabbos meals but were not always dressed modestly. One Shabbos, they surprised us when they came wearing modest, beautiful dresses. We were very happy about this and asked them what happened. Their mother told us that the previous Shabbos, one of her girls asked our daughter why she wears a dress. Our daughter said, ‘Because I am Jewish, I am a princess, and that is how a princess dresses.’ Since then, her girls began pestering their mother saying they are also princesses and they want to wear dresses on Shabbos.

“Recently, these girls had an even more moving story. They would always come along with their parents to our Shabbos meal by car until the Shabbos when they begged their father to stop. ‘If we are Jews, we cannot travel on Shabbos.’ Their father tried to explain to them that they were a different type of Jew, but they responded mockingly that apparently they were phony Jews because the Gershzon girls did not travel on Shabbos.

“There is no question that children have an enormous influence on shlichus and the best kind of chinuch to give them, when they are far from a Chabad community, is one in

which they are proud of what they are doing. You can’t throw all the difficulties at them. It is important for them to see that despite all the difficulties, their parents are happy at the privilege of being shluchim.”

In conclusion, I want to ask about Moshiach and Geula. How do you publicize the message of Geula among your mekuravim in such a way that the message motivates them to prepare for Moshiach’s coming?

“We approach it very simply. Yechi Adoneinu is the truth. The Rebbe encouraged this proclamation many times and this is the essence of the shlichus. People accept this as a matter of fact as I do. After Shma Yisroel when putting on t’fillin, they say Yechi. At shiurim and farbrengens, we talk about the Rebbe as Moshiach and about the imminent Geula.

“Over the past seven years that we are on shlichus, I have met only two Jews who were antagonistic. They were niskarev by Litvish organizations and

Moshiach is only one of their problems with Chabad and Lubavitch.

“My approach is to speak from the heart. When mekuravim see that this matters to you, and you live it sincerely, they will accept all the logical explanations that follow.”

INCREASING PURITY IN OTTAWA

R’ Gershzon has been working on shlichus in Ottawa for seven years. If you were to ask him what is his current wish, he would tell you building a mikva.

“There is a mikva but it is far and not convenient for the mekuravim. In this past year, every time I write to the Rebbe and go to 770, I ask for a bracha to get a donor who will pay for a basement so we can begin building. I have a good friend who went to 770 in 5750 and gave me six dollars for this project that he received from the Rebbe. I plan on giving them to whoever helps with this project.”

R’ Gershzon enabling Jews to do the mitzva of the Dalet minim

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MAN ON A MISSION

Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Groner, shliach to Australia, rav of the Chabad community, and director of the mosdos, was in 770 in Menachem Av 5731. On 11 Av, before returning to Australia, the Rebbe called for him after Mincha and gave him 26 ten dollars bills for various people. Among the many locations he was sent to were: Milan, London, several places in Eretz Yisroel, Tehran, Bombay, Calcutta, and Singapore.

The Rebbe asked him where he would be around 20 Av and he said in Eretz Yisroel. The Rebbe said, “I have a brother who is buried in Teveria [that is what the Rebbe said, not Tzfas].” The Rebbe cried and then continued, “Go there and see if the gravestone needs fixing, and place a note there.”

The day after he left New York, when he was in London, he heard the news that his first grandson, R’ Mordechai Telsner, was born. R’ Groner did not return to New York for the bris, because he knew that the Rebbe would not be pleased if he stopped in the middle of his shlichus.

After finishing his long trip, completing all the assignments he had from the Rebbe, he wrote a report to the Rebbe about carrying out his mission.

It should be noted that we do not have the first part of the report, which describes his trip between 12 and 18 Av.

It is interesting that one of the ten dollar bills was given to him by the Rebbe as his participation in buying a gift for R’ Groner’s wife, who did not go on this trip.

•

Erev Shabbos Ki Seitzei, 20 Elul 5731

To the Rebbe shlita, As I wrote in the telegram on

the day I returned here, the visit to Tehran, Bombay, Calcutta, and Singapore were, boruch Hashem, very successful, and because I was boruch Hashem busy the entire time, I was unable to finish the report I started to write in Eretz Yisroel, and here too, boruch Hashem, there was so much work. I am now finishing the report from Eretz Yisroel.

MOVING VISIT AT THE REBBE’S BROTHER’S

GRAVE On Tuesday, 19 Av, the

farbrengen in Yeshivas Toras Emes in Yerushalayim was very geshmak. That day, I visited my relative, R’ Zelig Slonim, and I gave him a ten dollar bill from the Rebbe [for the farbrengen].

The night of 20 Av, there was a farbrengen in the Tzemach Tzedek shul in the Old City and, boruch Hashem, there was a nice crowd. I reviewed the sichos and a little of the maamer. A few of the young men spoke excitedly about the BaCH (Orach Chaim 238) quoted in the sicha (see Sichos Kodesh 5731 p. 395 - about being up at night to learn starting from after the 9th of Av until the following Shavuos).

On Wednesday morning, 20 Av, I went together with two talmidim from Toras Emes, Moshe Perman, and Menachem Hershkop, to Tzfas. I went by taxi directly to Tzfas and we went to the cemetery. I immediately found the Rebbe’s brother’s grave. We stood there for some time and said chapters of

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T’hillim and I also wrote a note [and placed it on the grave]. I wrote a request for the Rebbe’s health, that he lead the Chabad community and Klal Yisroel until the coming of the Righteous Redeemer, speedily. And a special request that the decree of Mihu Yehudi be annulled and that all the Rebbe’s inyanim be fulfilled as the Rebbe wishes.

The talmidim took pictures. The gravestone and grave are, boruch Hashem, fine. Just a little bit of the color on the letters had come off and when I returned, I told R’ [Efraim] Wolf and he said he would make sure that it would be fixed right away. This was because in Tzfas I did not find anyone in charge, but surely it was arranged already. However, in general, the gravestone was standing in its place without any problem. I just want to point out that on the gravestone it says that 12 Iyar is the date of death and I was told it was 13. Surely this was relayed to the Rebbe already.

Then we visited other holy sites in Tzfas, Miron, Teveria and at all the graves we recited chapter 70 and requested that the Rebbe lead the Chabad

Forty-three years ago, in Av 5731/1971, R’ Yitzchok Dovid

Groner a”h, shliach of the Rebbe to Australia, was in 770. Before

returning home, he was called to the Rebbe who gave him 26

ten dollar bills. Each bill was designated for another person in a

different location, with a different mission attached to it. * When

he finally returned home to Australia, he quickly arranged a series

of lectures and farbrengens and sent follow-up letters to the

people he met on his shlichus. Then he prepared a detailed report

for the Rebbe in which he told of his accomplishments, day by

day, hour by hour. * Beis Moshiach presents this special report

from a t’shura given at the Telsner-Goldschmidt wedding.

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community and Klal Yisroel until the coming of the Righteous Redeemer in good health, without aggravation, and that they arouse mercy that the decree of Mihu Yehudi be annulled.

We returned at night, straight to Kfar Chabad, in order to hear the Rebbe’s farbrengen from New York. A nice crowd came, boruch Hashem, to hear the farbrengen in the yeshiva. Then I returned to Yerushalayim [with Anash who had come there to hear the farbrengen].

EFFORTS TO MEET WITH PM GOLDA MEIR At eleven in the morning,

I had a meeting with Mr. …, international chairman of Keren HaYesod (United Israel Appeal). He welcomed me graciously because he received telegrams

from Melbourne and Sydney about my participation in their work. I asked him to arrange a meeting for me with the Prime Minister [Golda Meir]. He said it was very hard as he too had not met with her since she had been elected because she was busy, but he promised to try.

I explained that it would be good for people in Australia regarding the appeal, and he agreed [he told me that he visited 770 a few years ago; he himself is from Cleveland and he greatly enjoyed davening there, apparently he did not enter the holy [i.e. have yechidus] but he told me that he is an admirer of Chabad etc.]. I also spoke with one of his assistants who told me

that he would also try to arrange a meeting, although it is difficult.

Sunday morning, the assistant called me and said that I should believe him when he says he did all he could to arrange a meeting, but he was unsuccessful since she is very busy. He spoke with Herzog, secretaries etc. and apologized, and stressed that he had really tried but unfortunately, was unable to.

I should mention that on the way to Tzfas [about 7-8] soldiers hitched rides in our taxi, with our consent, and all put on t’fillin.

LOADED MEETING AT THE JEWISH AGENCY

Friday morning, I had a meeting with … in his office at the Jewish Agency. I know him from … and he was also at my daughter’s wedding. I told

him that I had come on my own account because of the issues of Mihu Yehudi and the Viennese conversions since we know he is the one that arranges all aliya and absorption, as he had already come to Melbourne, and was causing outright gentiles to receive certificates that they are Jews, and this is causing confusion and a chillul Hashem.

At first, he wanted to deny it all by saying it was lashon ha’ra, until I showed him clear proof that this is what they are doing in Vienna and they are receiving certificates without converting. Although I spoke sharply, I did not speak with chutzpa and we remained friends. I told him that my friend, R’ Wolpo, chief rabbi

of Rishon L’Tziyon, had a number of cases where girls came to him with certificates and after making inquiries he found out that they are gentiles who received ID’s [and he could call him].

Then he said, what can we do, and why is Lubavitch getting involved. Since Lubavitch does nothing, they should be quiet; and if they feel the need to get involved they ought to shout about the law of return and conversion which is not halachic. He also agreed that the ministers should leave the government but he has no influence over that.

I told him: That you say Lubavitch does nothing, first of all, you need to use your “seat” [i.e. you should threaten to resign]. He asked: And what will be? I said that I would sit and hope, with Hashem’s help, to arrange everything properly according to Halacha. He looked at me and asked what I would do. I explained that first we need to know in general what is going on inside the Jewish Agency and then we can arrange everything in Vienna, unlike what they are presently doing. From what he said, it seemed he knows everything and is doing nothing. He told me that the matter is indeed problematic for they come and say they are Jews.

He also said: Why do you call …. Canaanite slaves, when they did so much for Torah and its teachings? I told him what the Rebbe said in the Chaf Av farbrengen about the sick person etc. [see Sichos Kodesh 5731, vol. 2, p. 433 – where the Rebbe compares those that defend their inactivity about Mihu Yehudi by pointing to the good that they do, with a sick person who shows his healthy limb to the doctor for fear of being told that he is sick].

I pointed at King George

Here too, a rav arranged kiddushin for a girl who

showed him her Israeli ID which states she is a

Jew and afterward, he found out that she is a gentile.

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Street where the Jewish Agency is located; I said that in a while we won’t know who is a Jew and who is a goy out of those walking this street. He did not respond. I was there for about an hour.

While I was in Kfar Chabad and also when speaking to those involved in the matter, I recommended that they arrange a complete file of all those cases that they know about in the world where outright gentiles received certificates stating they are Jews. Here too, a rav arranged kiddushin for a girl who showed him her Israeli ID which states she is a Jew and afterward, he found out that she is a gentile. [This should be shown to the government for then they will not be able to maintain that all is well, the way it was written in the newspapers … after the 20 Av farbrengen in the name of someone from the Interior Ministry, that in Vienna all is in order].

A TERRIFIC FARBRENGEN On Shabbos, Parshas Eikev,

Shabbos Mevarchim Elul, I davened in the Tzemach Tzedek shul where there was a chassan, Sefardi, and a large crowd [many guests came]. I spoke at the Kiddush in Hebrew about Mihu Yehudi, and gave over some of the sichos.

Parenthetically, the following Monday night, I returned from Tel Aviv to Yerushalayim. Sitting next to me was … a lecturer at Bar Ilan University who was in the Tzemach Tzedek shul on Shabbos. He told me that he was impressed by what he heard.

The farbrengen at Tzemach Tzedek lasted several hours and was a very geshmake farbrengen. Parts of the sichos of 20 Av were reviewed and there was also talk about Mihu Yehudi. They say

that in Yerushalayim it has been a long time since there was such a farbrengen.

On Sunday I went to Rishon L’Tziyon to be in the yeshiva there. Before that, I went to R’ Wolpo to ask him to arrange a list of those girls who came to him with certificates stating they are Jews while he found the opposite is so. He said he would send it to R’ Wolf. After that, I went to the yeshiva. The menahel, R’ Mordechai Goldberg, explained that now was vacation, but talmidim, teachers and counselors came anyway. R’ Raskin was also there. I reviewed the sichos in Hebrew and also spoke about Mihu Yehudi. I emphasized to the talmidim who are youngsters about strengthening learning Torah, Nigleh and Chassidus. I was there for some time, we sang Chassidishe niggunim, we danced a Chassidishe dance, we davened Mincha and Maariv, and I went to Kfar Chabad to farbreng with the people there.

The farbrengen in Kfar

Chabad lasted a few hours [we began at about 8:30 and finished after 11). A large crowd came, boruch Hashem, to the new beis midrash, along with Rav Shneur Zalman Garelik [rav of Kfar Chabad] who was present the entire time. I gave over sichos [from Parshas Pinchas] and the maamer on Eicha [and spoke mainly about Mihu Yehudi], and in general, there was an awakening about Mihu Yehudi to come up with ideas about what to do to annul the decree. I suggested arranging a file with all the cases they heard about. One of the people said that a rav told him that he also had instances in this regard, so they cannot deny the situation. There was a suggestion that they say T’hillim Thursday night, Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul, to annul the decree.

Monday morning, I visited R’ Garelik in his home and then I went to Tel Aviv with R’ Efraim Wolf to visit the American ambassador. He received me nicely and recalled in positive

R’ Groner in a meeting with Jewish personalities at that time (from the family’s archives)

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terms the shluchim who had come to visit him. I spoke about their giving visas without a hassle to those who just came from Russia and wanted to go to the Rebbe. Both R’ Wolf and I spoke with the one in charge of this downstairs.

Then I went to the home of Mr. [Yehuda] Paldi [who did a lot on the issue of Mihu Yehudi and was the chairman of the Shleimus Ha’Am committee]. He was excited by the visit, especially that the Rebbe sent a shliach to him and also the ten dollar bill [and also what the Rebbe said to convey]. I saw in him extraordinary positivity and excitement. He explained to me everything he is doing to avert the decree and said he is writing it all to the Rebbe. You can see that he lives the issue, that he takes action, and his very being is

invested in this matter. From there I went to visit

the rabbinate office in Tel Aviv about a personal matter for one of my mekuravim in Melbourne. I visited R’ Dovid Tzvi Zilberstein whom I know and also went in regarding this matter to R’ Goren, the chief rabbi, whom I know from when he was here and I also visited him in Eretz Yisroel. I gave him yashar ko’ach for the speech at the gathering in the Mizrachi for Mihu Yehudi where he spoke about annulling the law (because) his brother-in-law, R’ Sheor Yashuv Cohen asked me in Yerushalayim whether the Rebbe knows what his brother-in-law, R’ Goren spoke about. R’ Goren received me graciously.

The same day, I visited the

home of R’ Yedidya Frankel of Tel Aviv, because he is to officiate the kiddushin for my friend’s daughter … of Melbourne and he asked me to visit the rav with him to find out the details. R’ Frankel told me that he visited the Rebbe and he also showed me the letters that the Rebbe sent him. I spoke to him about Mihu Yehudi.

Tuesday morning I attended a bris by the son of R’ … of Yerushalayim. He gave me the honor of having me relay sichos of the Rebbe and I spoke in Hebrew about what the Rebbe spoke about on Parshas Pinchas and also about Mihu Yehudi.

At night, I traveled to Hertzliya to the wedding of my friend’s daughter … I spoke in the middle of the meal and also emphasized the problem of Mihu Yehudi.

THE CHIEF RABBI WAS WAITING IN THE AIRPORT

IN TEHRAN Wednesday night I left Eretz

Yisroel for Tehran. Although I arrived late at night, the chief rabbi, R’ Yedidya Shofet was there and Chacham Uriel and two people from the community, because R’ Wolf sent them a telegram about me.

I was in Tehran on Thursday, Friday, and Shabbos Parshas R’ei, Rosh Chodesh Elul.

During the time I was there I spoke with the deputy to the Israeli ambassador, Mr. … in his office. The ambassador himself was in Eretz Yisroel. I spoke to him about Mihu Yehudi and told him that he and his colleagues

need to look into this serious problem. I also visited the Jewish Agency as the shluchim had done. The main person there is Mr. … and I spoke to him at length about sending boys from Tehran [especially the religious ones] to religious institutions; otherwise, they become corrupted. As Chacham Yedidya told me that a few went to Eretz Yisroel who were a little religious and they returned the opposite.

I visited Mr. …, the deputy chairman of the community. He was very friendly to me. I gave him a ten dollar bill from the Rebbe with the explanation that the Rebbe told me. He understood the sanctity of the matter. I gave it to him because he is one of the askanim of the community.

I spoke with the principal of the Alliance Israelite school, Mr. … They showed me the only mikva that Rav … z”l built [I recommended some corrections], and I also visited the Jewish hospital.

On Shabbos evening Chacham Yedidya and I davened in the home of a mourner whose father died, a distinguished man. On Shabbos morning they daven at six. A large crowd came, about 500 men and women, bli ayin ha’ra, kein yirbu. They asked me to speak and the Chacham said that I should speak in Hebrew and he would translate to their language. I spoke about learning Torah, kashrus, family purity, etc.

We davened Mincha in another shul and after the davening Chacham Yedidya gave me the honor of speaking. I met many of the youth both in shul and outside and I spoke to them about t’fillin. They all knew I am from Chabad.

They say that in Yerushalayim it has been a long

time since there was such a farbrengen.

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IN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN BOMBAY

Motzaei Shabbos I went to Bombay. I arrived Sunday morning and a few of the distinguished balabatim were already waiting because they had sent telegrams from Eretz Yisroel saying I was coming.

At night, I davened Mincha and Maariv in the Knesset Eliyahu shul and they invited me to early morning Slichos.

After the davening, I was invited to eat at the Jewish club in honor of the new Israeli consul. All the most distinguished men and women came. The meal was kosher because they have a shochet. I emphasized a proper chinuch and Chabad activities and that the Rebbe sent me just to visit their community.

In the morning I visited the … school where many of the students are Jewish, relatively speaking, although the number of Jews is diminishing because they are making aliya, but there are about eighty. I spoke to the principal and she is very interested in the Jewish students being given chinuch. In that school was Mr. … and two girls who traveled under the auspices of ... to Yerushalayim for two years, on condition that they return to Bombay and be teachers. I spoke to them at length and promised them material from Tzeirei Agudas Chabad and Merkos L’Inyanei Chinuch.

I addressed the students, visited all the classes, and asked those students who were already bar mitzva who did not put on t’fillin, to come and put on t’fillin. I put t’fillin on with all of them, about twelve students. I asked whether they have their own t’fillin, and only two said they

had. The others cannot buy any due to poverty. The teacher said that he brought fourteen pairs of t’fillin with him. I gave him $150 and bought ten pairs from him and gave it to each of the students as a gift on condition that they be used every day.

There were a few students who put t’fillin on at home or in shul. I was in that school for a long time. Afterward, I visited the … school where there are not many Jewish students since they left. There too, the gentile principal called upon all the Jewish boys and girls as well as the Jewish teachers and I put t’fillin on with all of those who are bar mitzva. I addressed them and explained the necessity of learning Torah and doing mitzvos. The Jewish teacher from the … school also came with me and I asked them to allow him to come and teach occasionally, and to arrange for lessons outside of class time.

As per the instruction of the head of the community, in the evening, the builder came for

instructions to fix the mikva which is under the Knesset Eliyahu shul.

I visited the most important shul of the Bene Israel, the “Magen Chassidim.” I spoke with the director and the secretary also told me that on 2 Elul there were about 150 people for Slichos. They showed me their mikva.

TORAH IN CALCUTTA On Monday night I went to

Calcutta. I arrived and a car was waiting for me that brought me to Mr. … There they arranged for the very distinguished askan, Mr. … to take me to the schools and the shuls. In the past, there were 2000 Jews, but now 310 remain. So the Jewish schools emptied out. I first visited the Meyers school where there are only twenty Jewish students and I spoke to them all. Those who are already bar mitzva go to shul every morning and are paid to complete the minyan and so they had already put on t’fillin. I asked a few of them to come in

R’ Groner in a meeting with Jewish personalities at that time (from the family’s archives)

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the evening to the Beit E-l shul in order to arrange some kind of organization for them.

Then I visited the … school, which is beautiful and has a nice dormitory. In the girls’ school there were about twenty-five of them. They told me some t’fillos and chapters of T’hillim and I actually cried to see that even in Calcutta words of Torah are heard. I addressed them at length about Judaism. They said that it is hard to arrange a youth group because there is fear of going outside in the city, because unfortunately, there are killings … every day, but … they try.

I spoke to the Jewish studies teacher, Mrs … and also promised to send books from here. I spoke at length with the principal about looking out for the Jewish students. I visited all the classes and they gave me gifts and I took names of students in order to set up pen pals with students in Beth Rivka.

At night, I davened in the Magen Dovid shul, a very beautiful building. I spoke with a few of the youth about arranging some youth organization. At the Beth E-l shul I saw the mikva. I gave Mr. … $10 because he is the askan here. And I also gave $10 to Mr. … in Bombay, and for all of them I wrote the Rebbe’s address so they can send their thanks.

SPECIAL VISIT TO SINGAPORE

On Wednesday I went to Singapore. At night, I called the … families. They have four sons and want to send the two older ones to Melbourne. I saw them. There are only 500 Jews there, 130 of them from Eretz Yisroel, most of who have no connection with Judaism.

I spoke with Mr. … one of the distinguished people about ancient s’farim; they said there aren’t any. They have many sifrei Torah, some of which are pasul. In the morning I visited their shul and checked the sifrei Torah and some are fine. I asked Mr. … to send a few here and he said I had to write a letter to the community and he would make an effort.

In Tehran too, I saw s’farim in the community and I asked the vice chairman, Mr. … but he said that he cannot give them to me because it is communal money. In Bombay they said they had many s’farim but someone came and took nearly all of them. I looked in Calcutta too and did not find any, and in Singapore.

For Mincha I went to shul on Waterloo Street. I addressed the minyan and was there for a long time because they asked questions. I also invited some of the youth and asked them to arrange speaking engagements for me. I spoke with the teacher of the Talmud Torah because there is no school, just a Talmud Torah. On that day, Thursday, there is no school, but I spoke and promised to send them s’farim and they will arrange talks and discussions, and also for the youth. I visited the mikva; there is also a spring of water there and each time, the mikva fills up with spring water.

COMPLETING THE SHLICHUS IN AUSTRALIA

I returned home on Friday. On Shabbos, Parshas Shoftim I davened in R’ Chaim Gutnick’s shul because it was the bar mitzva of his son. At the kiddush I spoke and gave over the content of the sichos, especially about Mihu Yehudi. I davened Mincha at the yeshiva on 92 Hotham Street. At the third Shabbos meal I gave

over more sichos and emphasized the topic of Mihu Yehudi.

Since I’ve returned, I have already written letters to Tehran, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore and have also sent packages of books in English to those I promised them to. The students of Beis Rivka also wrote letters to the students in Calcutta.

I sent a letter to Mr. … about whether the mikva in Bombay was fixed.

On 18 Elul here, Tuesday night, there was a farbrengen at the yeshiva g’dola and I gave the $10 of the Rebbe. I reviewed some sichos and also emphasized the topic of neiros l’ha’eer, that there needs to be a ner, a holder, oil, a wick, an increase in Torah study. On Wednesday there was an assembly at the yeshiva, where I told about my visit to the Rebbe, the gift of $10, and the emphasis on Torah study.

Also in Beis Rivka and Ohel Chana, and it was successful, boruch Hashem.

At night, as per the Rebbe’s instruction, even though there wasn’t much time to arrange things, a large crowd showed up. R’ Perlow spoke as did I about strengthening Torah study. Last Tuesday I spoke at BYMHA and on Thursday for Hillel students, on the topic of strengthening Torah study, Mihu Yehudi, etc. On Shabbos Parshas Ki Seitzei there was a Kiddush and there too I gave over the sichos of Parshas Pinchas and Mihu Yehudi. I also gave an interview to the Jewish News and also emphasized increasing Torah study and Mihu Yehudi.

May Hashem give me the merit to carry out the Rebbe’s shlichus fully.

HaTalmid Yitzchok Dovid ben Menucha Rochel

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TREES OF THE FUTUREBy Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

THREE INTERPRETATIONS What will change in the

Messianic Age? In addition to the obvious changes, such as G-d’s revealed presence, universal peace, the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash, etc., there are some startling predictions about changes to the world of nature that are alluded to in this week’s parsha:

“If you will go in the way of My statutes and guard My commandments and you will observe them; then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield her produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.”

There is an apparent redundancy in this verse. The words, “…the land shall yield her produce” refers to everything that comes from the land including trees and their fruits. Why the need for the additional words “and the trees of the field shall produce their fruit?”

Rashi anticipates this question and states that it refers to non-fruit-bearing trees, which will bear fruit in the Messianic Age.

The Midrash (Toras Kohanim) provides two other interpretations concerning the uniqueness of the fruits of the trees in the future Messianic Age:

In that Age the trees will

yield their fruit on the very same day they are planted. Furthermore, the Midrash states, in the Messianic Age the trees themselves will taste like their fruits.

In short, there are three incredible predictions concerning the trees and their fruits:

(a) Even non-fruit-bearing trees will produce fruit.

(b) Trees will bear their fruit on the same day they are planted.

(c) The trees themselves will taste the same as their fruits.

THREE QUESTIONSSeveral questions come to

mind:First, what significance

is there to these miraculous changes? We know that G-d does not perform miracles needlessly. A miracle is intended to save people from a calamity, demonstrate G-d’s power to non-believers, such as in the Ten Plagues in Egypt, or to introduce a new parallel spiritual energy. What purpose is served by having non-fruit-bearing trees taste like the fruits which they will bear on the same day they are planted?

Second, what is the connection between these three miracles and the Messianic Age?

Third, what relevance do these

future miracles have to our lives now? The Tanya teaches us that all those things that will happen in the future are determined and generated by our commensurate actions today. How can we apply these supernatural changes to our lives in the present?

THREE OBSTACLES: SUB-TEXT, CONTEXT AND TEXT

To understand these three miracles, we must start by analyzing some of the primary obstacles to spiritual growth in exile that will disappear in the future. Upon reflection, we may discern three factors or patterns for which the “tree/fruit miracles” will furnish profound metaphors.

First, in the present time we can only see the surface of whatever it is that our eyes—physical or intellectual—see or perceive. No matter how deeply we probe life’s mysteries, we can only scratch the outer layers. We cannot see beyond the surface to the sub-texts of the world around us, events, personalities or even our own soul’s potential.

Second, even what we are able to see on the surface is limited in scope. When we see an event, we don’t necessarily know what preceded it or what will follow. Thus, our analysis of what we see is, by definition, incomplete

PARSHA THOUGHTPARSHA THOUGHT

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and often skewed. The classic example is a blindfolded person brought into an operating room. When the blindfold is removed, he “sees” masked men standing ready to slash open an unfortunate hostage tied to a table. Without a proper context, our view is significantly distorted.

Finally, even if we are able to know both sub-text and context, we might still be hindered by our inability to see a consistency that underlies all things. On the macro level, we see many troubling contradictions. For example, when the good suffer and the evil prosper. On a personal level, our positive actions often stand in

stark contrast to our true inner negative feelings. The good that we do can be superficial and inconsistent. One day we will be inspired; the next day, we may be down in the dumps. This, in turn, breeds feelings of “why bother to do what is right; it won’t last; it’s insincere and nothing really makes sense.” Indeed, we may consider the entire text and narrative of our lives as either boring or a total mess.

THREE REMEDIES The Torah compares a human

being to a fruit-bearing tree. Our fruits are the good deeds that we perform. The tree which does not bear fruit obviously refers to the

person who lacks good deeds. The first miracle to occur

will be that everybody will “bear fruit.” No person will be able to suppress the innate desire to abide by G-d’s Will and do good for others. In truth, there is no such thing as a Jew without a Mitzvah. Our Sages declare, “even the sinners of Israel are filled with Mitzvos as a pomegranate is filled with seeds.” However, the negative energies that exist on the surface can stifle and obscure people’s innate righteousness and cause their good deeds to go unnoticed. All that one can see in these pitiful individuals during our Exile is

their negative exterior. In the Messianic Age, that facade will be stripped away and our good deeds and innate holiness will be visible for all to see. In “tree” terminology, the non-fruit-bearing trees will yield fruit.

This approach answers a question posed by commentators. If the words “the trees of the field shall yield their fruit” refer to previously non-fruit-bearing trees, why does the Torah use the phrase “their fruit?” Why didn’t the Torah omit the word “their?” It follows that while the non-fruit-bearing Jew is filled with Mitzvos, for all intents and purposes they are neither evident nor noticeable. In the Messianic Age, however, these individuals’

Mitzvos/fruits will be fully exposed.

This miracle is the antidote to the lack of sub-text. In the Messianic Age we will see the deep-rooted positive feelings embedded within each one of us.

The second miracle that will occur is that the trees will bear fruit the very same day the seeds are planted.

One of the characteristics of our exile is that we rarely see the lasting effects of our actions and, thus, fail to appreciate why we should plant our spiritual seeds. Because we do not see the true consequences of our actions— either good or its opposite—we do not take our responsibilities seriously. We do not recognize the right context for our good deeds; we don’t see what comes next and how our actions really make a difference. We don’t realize the incredible spiritual energy that is released each time we do a Mitzvah. This lack of context will be rectified in the Messianic Age when we will see—literally and figuratively—the cosmic effects of the seeds (read: Mitzvos) that we planted in the past and that we will go on to plant in the future.

The third miracle addresses the problem of inconsistency. In the present day and age, a tree and its fruit are the very symbol of inconsistency. The tree and its fruit are in a state of contrast; one has no taste while the other’s taste is wonderful. This brings to mind the individual who has no feeling or taste for Judaism but tries to teach it to others. Alternatively, it can refer to one who does good deeds (bears fruit) but lacks sincerity, enthusiasm and life (like a tasteless piece of bark). In the Messianic Age that will all be remedied; the tree and the fruit will have the same taste. There

In the present time we can only see the surface

of whatever it is that our eyes—physical or

intellectual—see or perceive. No matter how deeply we

probe life’s mysteries, we can only scratch the outer

layers. We cannot see beyond the surface to the sub-

texts of the world around us, events, personalities or

even our own soul’s potential.

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will be consistency throughout the cosmos. The very text of life will come alive.

THREE PRONGED CAMPAIGN

As we have stated, the shape of the future depends on our actions today. Our challenge now, in these last moments of exile, is to reverse the three Galus maladies by performing the “exercises” prescribed by the Torah for: (a) changing the sub-text by revealing the inner core of our souls, (b) changing the context by opening our eyes to see the whole picture, and (c) by changing the text itself by instilling more soul and vitality in our lives and actions.

How does one achieve all of the above?

While there may be many diverse approaches that deal with each problem separately, there is one supremely straightforward approach to all of them together:

the study of Torah, particularly those parts which deal with the concepts of Moshiach and Redemption.

Torah is also called Torah Or-The Torah of Light. Light has the capacity to reveal that which is hidden in darkness. This is particularly true of the inner and mystical dimension of the Torah transmitted by the teachings of Chassidus. Torah enlightens the inner recess of our soul and allows it to merge with the surface of our being. Torah is also called Toras Chesed-the Torah of Kindness. Torah focuses on the positive traits within each and every one of us and teaches us to see and speak about the positive qualities of others. That too helps them actualize their soul’s “delightful fruits.” This is the answer to the first challenge, understanding the meaning of non-fruit-bearing trees that produce fruit.

Torah also opens our eyes to see the world in context.

Through the prism of Torah, particularly the parts that deal with Redemption, all world events are illuminated. Torah helps us see how all world events—especially in recent times—are part of a Divine pattern that leads inexorably to the imminent Redemption. Torah provides us with the ability to connect the “planting of the tree” to the production of its “fruit.” Torah helps us connect the dots and see the context.

Torah is also called Toras Chaim-the Torah of Life. It empowers us to transform the dry and tasteless tree bark that is our mechanical and perfunctory observance of the Mitzvos into joyous, exhilarating and soulful experiences. The soul of Torah animates our souls and makes our actions consistent with our inner feelings. The tree (i.e., the Mitzvos we perform with our physical beings) itself becomes a source of light and delight.

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RASHBI IS A JOYOUS REBBE

THE LIGHT OF MOSHIACH In connection with the reason

for joy on Lag b’Omer, the Rebbe writes:

“A number of reasons were said about the joy of Lag b’Omer and its celebration. For us there is only what is written

in the writings of the Arizal and brought in Chassidus, that this day is the day Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai passed away, his hilula, ‘that he attained at this time the origin and source of all his levels … and this was the subject of his teachings to the fellowship at this time … and there was

illuminated in him the aspect … the illumination of the light of Moshiach. Every year, on this day, this state is aroused once again, as is known.’”

(Igros Kodesh vol. 4, p. 275)

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WE NEED TO LEARN A LESSON FROM RASHBI At the parade that took place

in 5726/1966, the Rebbe said: “Like Rashbi, upon whom

a decree was made, and on his son, a decree of the Roman government, which is why he hid in a cave for thirteen years and was thus, saved from the decree, so too with each person: Although, boruch Hashem, there is no death sentence, still there is an essential decree that is the decree of the yetzer ha’ra, who tries to disconnect a Jew from Torah and mitzvos.

“Therefore, the lesson to learn from Rashbi is that by hiding in a cave, i.e. by disengaging from the world and by involving oneself

in Torah, through this one is absolved of the yetzer ha’ra.”

FINDING FAVOR Someone told the Rebbe

Rashab that there are Jews who go to the grave of Rashbi in Miron but do not put on t’fillin. The Rebbe said: If the holy Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev was alive today, he would make an exquisite chandelier out of that …

A HAPPY OHEL The Rebbe Rayatz related: When I merited to be by

Rashbi in Miron, I heard this expression: Miron is a joyous ohel; when you go there, you are strengthened. Rashbi was a joyous Rebbe. He took upon himself everything the Jewish people lack, G-d forbid, in the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos.

(Likkutei Dibburim vol. 3)

I WAS BY RASHBI Every country has its style

from which we can learn the essence of that country. Regarding ritual slaughter it says in the Gemara: Check the tongue, check the hooves, i.e. you get to know a creature by its tongue or its hooves.

When I was in the holy land, I heard people say: “I was by Rashbi and I am going to R’ Elozor,” or “I was by R’ Chiya and I am going to R’ Akiva.” If this is said sincerely, that is the very idea of prostrating oneself on the graves of the tzaddikim.

(Seifer HaSichos 5701)

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SHAVUOS AND

LAG B’OMER In a sicha that was said on Lag

b’Omer, the Rebbe Rayatz said that we need to sing a niggun as an introduction to Shavuos. Lag b’Omer and Shavuos are linked to one another. Lag b’Omer is the revelation of the p’nimius ha’Torah and Shavuos is the Mattan Torah of the revealed part of Torah.


GOING TO THE OHEL ON LAG B’OMER In the liturgy that is said

upon going to the ohel, it says, “In the merit of the Tanaim and Amoraim … and in the merit of the tzaddikim who are buried in this place.” From this it is understood that at the gravesite of a tzaddik are also the other tzaddikim, Tanaim and Amoraim etc. including and especially (in connection with Lag b’Omer) Rashbi.

Therefore, I suggest that on Lag b’Omer, the hilula of Rashbi, the day of his rejoicing, the greatest joy like the joy of a wedding, everyone should travel to the ohel for that is where they will find Rashbi too.

(Sicha Lag b’Omer 5710)

FIRST HAIRCUT IN MIRON It is a widespread custom to

have a boy’s first haircut when he turns three in Miron. In Pri Eitz Chayim, Shaar S’firas HaOmer, R’ Chaim Vital writes about going to Miron on Lag b’Omer, that he saw his master, the Ari, who went to Miron, go up and cut his son’s hair joyously during these days.

The Rebbe responded to questioners that it is permissible to cut a boy’s hair when he turns three on Lag B’Omer in Miron and he emphasized that “obviously, of all those who are cutting hair then, not all of them were born on this very day, and

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still, one connects this inyan to a meritorious day.”

(Igros Kodesh, letter 2671)

ALEF BEIS In 5713, the Rebbe said to

utilize the custom of cutting the boy’s hair in order to instill Judaism among the masses of Jews.

“On Lag b’Omer many children are brought to Miron for a mitzva-haircut ... use this for influence in chinuch by giving out booklets or alef-beis charts. On the reverse side, put your address and messages that also pertain to parents.

(Igros Kodesh vol. 7, p. 274)

Following the Rebbe’s instruction to use the haircutting for Torah education, in 5714, Chabad activists attached alef-beis charts to bags of sweets for the children, the baalei simcha.

“The impression was enormous as the young children rode their fathers’ shoulders

during the traditional dances held there as they waved the alef-beis charts in their hands.”

(Bita’on Chabad)

LIKE THE ARI’S PRACTICE The Ari (lion) zal and his

“lion cubs” would go up to Miron for Lag b’Omer and would spend three days there. In 5740/1980, the Rebbe farbrenged three times in connection with Lag b’Omer: on Shabbos which was Erev Lag b’Omer, on Sunday – Lag b’Omer at the parade, and on Motzaei Lag b’Omer. At the last of the three, the Rebbe said that this was “something like, akin to, and a smattering thereof,” of the above-stated practice of the Arizal.

MIRACLES AT RASHBI’S GRAVE

The Rebbe Rayatz said: “Many miracles were seen at Rashbi’s grave, i.e. petitioners’

requests were fulfilled. I heard this from elderly people who experienced it. When you hear it from the person it happened to, it’s different.”


WHAT WE EAT ON LAG B’OMER

On Lag b’Omer, some had the custom of eating eggs. That is what the Rebbe Rashab did and so did the Rebbe, who would eat eggs whose peel was colored brown as it cooked.

The Rebbe generally did this in his room, but at the Lag b’Omer farbrengen in 5730 there was a hardboiled egg on the table. During the farbrengen, the Rebbe cut it into four pieces and ate some of it.

The Rebbe said that in his father’s house they ate carobs to remember the carobs that sustained Rashbi and R’ Elozor his son while they were in the cave.

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26 � • 16 Iyar 5774

LAG B’OMER

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TO GET YOU MUST FIRST ASK By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon

Dear Friends sh’yichyu, This week we celebrate the

special Yom Tov of Pesach Sheini. We are all familiar with the story of Pesach Sheini. The source for this mitzvah is in BaMidbar (9:1-14). The Yidden were about to celebrate Passover one year after leaving Egypt. The offering of the Korban Pesach was at the core of that celebration. However “certain men” were ritually impure from contact with a human body and were therefore ineligible to participate in the Korban Pesach. Faced with the conflict of the requirement to participate in the Korban Pesach and their ineligibility due to impurity, they approached Moses and Aaron and demanded, “Why should we be left out?” This resulted in the communication of the law of Pesach Sheni.

In the HaYom Yom (14 Iyar), the Rebbe teaches us one of the lessons that we learn from Pesach Sheini: “The theme of Pesach Sheini is that it is never too late. It is always possible to put things right. Even if one was tamei (ritually impure), or one was far away, and even in a case of lachem, when this (impurity etc.) was deliberate – nonetheless he can correct it.”

Yet, in his Sichos, the Rebbe teaches us another lesson that we are supposed to learn from Pesach Sheini in regards to Moshiach. When

it comes to demanding Moshiach, there are many that do not like to “bother” Hashem. They say that when Hashem is ready, He will send Moshiach.

We see from Pesach Sheini that there are certain things that Hashem only grants when He sees that we care enough to ask. The Jewish people needed to come and demand, “Why should we be left out?” and then they received it. The same is with demanding Moshiach. Hashem is waiting to see if we want it and request it.

With this understanding, the Rebbe (in Likkutei Sichos Parshas B’Haalos’cha) explains a difficult passage from Rashi. Rashi writes (B’Haalos’cha 9:1), “It is a disgrace to Israel that throughout the forty years the children of Israel were in the desert, they brought only one Korban Pesach.”

However, the Jewish people were only commanded to bring the Korban Pesach once (as they were not in Eretz Yisroel), so why was it a disgrace that they didn’t bring another one? The Rebbe explains: They should have learned from the story of Pesach Sheini that when you want something and demand it from Hashem – especially a Korban Pesach – Hashem will “give in” and allow you to bring the Korban Pesach.

Why is Hashem waiting for us to ask and not giving us the Geula without our intervention? The answer is also simple: When Moshiach comes, there will a tremendous increase in performing Torah and Mitzvos and the service of Hashem. Hashem does not want to burden us with these divine treasures. He will only give them to us if He sees that we appreciate and ask for it. Otherwise, if it is “forced” on the Jewish people, it defeats the whole purpose of Moshiach.

We must all get involved in bringing Moshiach! In the words of the Rebbe (Shmini 5751): “Simply put: All Jews, men, women and even children, have the responsibility to increase their efforts to bring our righteous Moshiach in actual reality!

“Therefore it’s obvious that there’s no place for relying on others or imposing the work on someone else instead of doing it one’s self, but this is the task of every man and woman; everyone must himself do his job, ‘to serve my Maker’ (for which sake ‘I was created’), and certainly one has the ability (since ‘I do not ask except according to their ability’).”

Rabbi Avtzon is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati and a well

sought after speaker and lecturer. Recordings of his in-depth shiurim on Inyanei Geula

u’Moshiach can be accessed at http://www.ylcrecording.com.

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MOSHIACH & GEULA

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THE CHASSIDIC STORYTELLER FROM THE BRONX Every Motzaei Shabbos at the Ascent Institute of Tzfas, dozens of

Jews of all ages and persuasions from all over the world sit with Rabbi

Yerachmiel Tilles during the Melaveh Malka, as he tells them a few of his

exciting Chassidic stories. The only thing they don’t know is that Rabbi

Tilles went through his own intriguing journey in the worlds of sports and

philosophy and even experienced a brief brush with Buddhism. Today, he

sends people to the Arizal’s Mikveh, and the results are virtual spiritual

revolutions. This is his amazing life story with accounts of his personal

audiences with the Rebbe and a vivid description of his wide-ranging

outreach activities. Part 1 of 2

By Nosson Avraham

Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles, co-founder of the Ascent Institute in the holy city of Tzfas, is a

most impressive individual. As a young man, Rabbi Tilles received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the State University of New York in Binghamton. He eventually came closer to Torah and mitzvos and studied at Yeshivas Hadar HaTorah in Crown Heights.

THE REBBE SUDDENLY DETAINS HIM FOR AN

“INQUIRY” In Kislev 5734, he married his

wife, Shulamis (nee Lauterbach). As Pesach 5736 approached, R’ Yerachmiel remembered that the Rebbe gave a piece of matza on Erev Pesach before Mincha to everyone who passed before him. This information aroused

a strong desire within him to make his own Pesach Seder. Then he could invite guests and be entitled to request more matza from the Rebbe. When he shared the idea with his wife, she too was filled with excitement. They decided that while they would go to someone else’s home for the first Seder, they would make the second Seder themselves.

With enthusiasm, they invited

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INTERVIEW

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sixteen guests to join them at their table!

The young couple was unaware of the numerous preparations and the tremendous effort that would be required to make a Seder in their own home. The task would be even greater and far more demanding because neither of them had been raised in a Chabad home, and they had never experienced all the many Seder preparations

or gone through the whole pre-Pesach routine. Suddenly, R’ Yerachmiel found himself grinding horseradish as his eyes incessantly welled with tears. They also had to prepare the charoses, soak, check, and dry a huge quantity of bitter lettuce leaves – enough for eighteen people – not to mention the cleaning, the purchases, and cooking for the Yom Tov meals. The words “We were slaves to

Pharaoh in Egypt” suddenly took a new and more tangible dimension...

Despite the challenge, the fact that they would be privileged to receive pieces of matza from the Rebbe himself imbued them with the strength they needed to overcome the difficulties and complete all the work.

Then, as R’ Yerachmiel rushed through the pressure of his Erev Pesach preparations,

Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles with his first book, “Saturday Night, Full Moon”

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the unbelievable happened: he suddenly noticed the late hour and ran with all his might to 770 in order to receive matza from the Rebbe. He came to the front entrance, only to be told that “the Rebbe has just finished giving out matza and has gone in to daven Mincha.” There were no words to describe the pain and anguish he felt at that moment. He was brokenhearted.

One of the Chassidim standing nearby, who noticed R’ Yerachmiel’s distress, told him that it wasn’t too late; there would be another opportunity. He told him that after Maariv on the first night of Pesach, the Rebbe usually gave out matzos again to those who hadn’t managed to receive matzos on Erev Yom Tov.

Thus reassured, a huge burden was lifted from R’

Yerachmiel’s heart, as he realized that he would be given another chance to receive matza from the Rebbe’s holy hand.

That night, R’ Yerachmiel was particularly cautious. Even before Maariv was over, he went out to grab a good spot at the front of the line. When the door opened, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Only a few people had gotten in line before me,” he recalled, “and now my turn had come. Before the Rebbe was a table, and behind him was another table with the matzos placed upon it. The Rebbe gave me a piece of matza as he did to everyone else, and then wished me ‘A gutten Yom Tov, a kosher’n un a freilichin

Pesach.’ Of course, I didn’t settle for that, and I told the Rebbe I was hosting numerous guests for the Seder. The Rebbe turned slightly towards the matzos behind him, and then suddenly he looked at me and asked, ‘Are you asking for tonight [the first night of Yom Tov] or for the Seder tomorrow [on the second night of Yom Tov]?’ I replied that I was asking for the Seder of the following night.

“‘If so,’ the Rebbe said in English, ‘I cannot give you the matzos now, because it’s forbidden to prepare on the first day of Yom Tov for the second day of Yom Tov... However, you can come back tomorrow night and get matzos,’ the Rebbe immediately added in a tone of reassurance. I stood there stunned by the Rebbe’s ruach ha’kodesh. How did the Rebbe know?”

This represented a clear illustration of the pasuk “No wrong shall be caused for the righteous,” i.e., G-d does not bring about an obstacle through a tzaddik.

While there were many more people after R’ Yerachmiel Tilles asking for matzos, the Rebbe didn’t ask any of them for which night they were requesting. In fact, it was determined after a brief investigation that the Rebbe had never made such an inquiry of one of his Chassidim before.

R’ Yerachmiel and his wife ate the first piece of matza received from the Rebbe on the night of the first Seder.

The following evening, the

second night of Pesach, R’ Yerachmiel went to the Rebbe’s secretariat to ask for the matzos the Rebbe had promised him the night before. The secretary, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner, just shrugged his shoulders, saying that the Rebbe was not accustomed to giving out matza on the second night of Yom Tov. Yet, R’ Yerachmiel would not relent, explaining that the Rebbe had told him to come. For his part, Rabbi Groner was just as adamant: There was no such thing, and there never had been!

Finally, Rabbi Groner agreed to ask the Rebbe about the matter. After waiting for a few minutes, he came back with a package of matzos wrapped in large brown paper and said, “The Rebbe asked that I should give you these matzos.”

“I was simply overjoyed. The package contained numerous pieces of matza. I returned home extremely happy. Now, I had a new and most unusual story to tell our many guests at the beginning of the Pesach Seder, as well as some very special matza to share with them...”

“SATURDAY NIGHT, FULL MOON”

For thirty-five years, Rabbi Tilles has been privileged to organize Jewish outreach activities, primarily geared to native English speakers within the framework of the Ascent Institute of Tzfas, which he founded together with his two colleagues, Rabbi Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky and Rabbi Shaul Leiter. Now situated in an ancient structure in the heart of Tzfas’ Old City along the road to the Ari’s mikveh, large numbers of people, including many referred by Chabad shluchim from all over the world, come to Ascent and

“The team’s coach was a gentile who believed

in the Alm-ghty, and before every game he

required us to assemble for a moment of silence.”

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enjoy its accommodations. Here, they take in the sweet spiritual aroma of the Galilean city of Kabbala and learn the tenets of Jewish faith and the esoteric teachings of Torah.

In 5743, five years after he came to settle in Tzfas with the Rebbe’s bracha, Rabbi Tilles worked to establish this institution and dedicated much time to the production of a quarterly magazine filled with Jewish and Chassidic content. This publication was distributed throughout the Jewish world, and it served as an important tool in bringing many Jews back to their roots. Rabbi Tilles currently devotes his efforts in publishing articles about Judaism and Chassidic stories on Internet sites designed for Jewish outreach, in addition to providing answers to inquiries posed on-line by web users from all over the globe.

Rabbi Tilles has a reputation as a Chassidic storyteller of the highest order. His engaging anecdotes have been translated into several languages for Chabad websites in Eretz Yisroel and throughout the world. “Every question that you’ll ask me will receive a reply with a story,” he says with a smile. Recently, he has published his first book, “Saturday Night, Full Moon”, a collection of many of the best stories he has told during the weekly Melaveh Malkas he conducts each Motzaei Shabbos at Ascent. The book also includes an entire chapter explaining the laws of Motzaei Shabbos in the light of Kabbala and Chassidus.

While Rabbi Tilles’ beard is already white, he also has the benefit of an unlimited supply of energy. This interview had been postponed for more than a year due to time constraints stemming from his many roles

and responsibilities. We finally set a time during the week before Yud-Alef Nissan.

We asked for an interview covering all aspects of his fascinating life story. We discussed his early years as a young man growing up in America with a family far from traditional Judaism, his personal path to t’shuva, and the many special answers and expressions of affection he received from the Rebbe, including his extensive activities with those on the level of “the fifth son,” who don’t know what it means to be a member of the Jewish People.

DISTANT CHILDHOOD YEARS

Rabbi Tilles was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. Both his maternal and paternal grandparents had come to the United States from Russia before the outbreak of the First World War. “While my father grew up in an Orthodox home, with the passage of time he became distant from Torah observance. As a result, there were no Jewish

symbols anywhere in our house. I invested all my strength and energy into sports. My main love was baseball, and I became a very successful player.”

Due to social pressure from several of his Jewish friends, when he reached the age of thirteen, his father took him to make a bar-mitzvah at a Conservative synagogue. “This was the first time I had ever put on t’fillin, and I even learned to read the Haftarah. However, you can’t say that this was a real Jewish experience for me. I thought that the text of the Haftarah was just a meaningless collection of words.”

When Yerachmiel completed his high school studies, he enrolled in the philosophy program at the State University of New York in Binghamton. He says that it was the logic of mathematics that connected him to the field of philosophy. Yet, the sports bug stayed with him even while in college. Alongside the progress he was making in his undergraduate studies, he began to develop an impressive sports

Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles receiving a dollar from the Rebbe

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career. At the start of his senior year, he became the captain of SUNY Binghamton’s basketball team in its intercollegiate competitions.

“The team’s coach was a gentile who believed in the Alm-ghty, and before every game, he required us to assemble for a moment of silence. During those brief seconds, we would pray to the Creator that we should do the very best we could without getting hurt or hurting anyone else. Many students who joined the team first looked upon this custom with puzzlement; however, they eventually came to appreciate it. In those early years, I believed that my future lay in the basketball profession. However, such thoughts were eventually put aside in the face of another project that attracted my attention.”

THE MONK REVEALED THAT TORAH HAS ITS OWN

SECRETS During the presidency of John

F. Kennedy, the government of the United States came up with a ground-breaking initiative on how to get various segments of the world’s population to embrace the American ideal and the American people. The idea was to establish the “Peace Corps,” a nucleus of hundreds of volunteers who would be sent to remote towns and villages across the globe to help the local people with education, agriculture, and social organization, and bring them closer to the principles of American society.

“The coordinator for

this program was President Kennedy’s brother-in-law, Mr. Sargent Shriver. When I heard about the project, I decided to submit an application. Once it had been approved, the next step was to pass a difficult exam of general knowledge. On the final page of the exam, they ask to which country you would like to be assigned. However, I left this line blank, because I had been told that if you don’t choose a country, Mr. Shriver calls the applicant personally. That’s exactly what I wanted, but it didn’t quite work out that way. In any case, I received my official acceptance to the Peace Corps shortly thereafter to serve in Thailand. In 5726, we gathered together, eighty-four students, at Northern Illinois University for two months’ training, where we learned about the Thai people, their language, and their culture,

followed by another month of teacher training in Hawaii. In the end, only about half of the candidates successfully finished the training, and I was among them.

“After a few more months of preparation, I arrived at the remote Thai village of Chumsaeng in the province of Nakom Sawan. A staff of local teachers welcomed me with great warmth, and I got straight to work as an English teacher. I saw this as a real mission.

“When I came to the village for the first time, it was also the first time that most of the people there had ever seen a Caucasian. In those first few weeks, the children followed me with complete astonishment wherever

I went. Most Thais don’t know what a Jew is; they had thought that I was Christian. During my second year there, the Six Day War was fought in the Middle East, and Israel h received tremendous international publicity. Then, when I would say that I was Jewish, the locals would say, ‘Oh, just like General One-Eye,’ in reference to the minister Moshe Dayan, whose picture had appeared all over the newspapers following the instant victory over the Arab armies.”

Tilles devoted himself to his educational work and encountered much success. He stubbornly spoke with his students in English only, visiting the family homes during the evening. “You couldn’t reach this village by automobile; the ways to get there were by train or by a ferry along the river. To get to the train station, you had to pedal a bicycle or use a motor scooter.

“One day, the school faculty decided to organize a staff trip by boat to a small island near the village where an old Buddhist priest lived. While en route to the island, one of the teachers spoke to me with great enthusiasm about the ship and the enchanting views visible on deck. She then began to talk about the true profit in life (at first, I thought she meant “prophet”). This marked the first time that I understood that classic American pursuit of money and the setting of grandiose objectives are devoid of all inner content. Excitement over every little detail of the Creation is the inner path by which a person should live.”

This insight gave the young Tilles reason to search for another purpose in life with a far greater measure of truth.

“The Buddhist monks in the local monastery would go

“It turned out that this monk knew the

Tanach well.”

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through the town’s main street each morning, holding out an open pot to collect food from village residents for their two daily meals. This was how they obtained their daily sustenance. Their only possessions were what they carried in a small cloth shoulder bag. This aura of simplicity captivated me. I began to realize something amazing about the Buddhist way of life. Despite their dire poverty, I saw that they were truly happy. Being an intelligent Jew, I immediately found out who the most prestigious Buddhist priest was in Thailand, and I went to go see him.” Tilles wanted this person to teach him the foundations of Buddhist teachings as a means of starting a whole new life for himself.

When he arrived at the Buddhist center, he met dozens of people from the United States, Germany, Japan, China, and India. “A meeting was arranged for me with the priest, and his first question to me was: ‘To what religion do you belong?’ I told him that I don’t belong to any religion. ‘There’s no such thing,’ he replied. ‘Everyone is born with an identity. Where do you come from?’ I told him that my parents were Jewish, but it means nothing to me. He didn’t like my answer. He told me, ‘If so, the Tanach is your tradition, and I’ll only teach you from your book.’

“It turned out that this monk knew the Tanach well. At every meeting we had, we raised an issue or a story from Jewish sources and he explained it to me in spiritual terms. Once, when he asked me a question that I couldn’t answer, he proceeded to explain that there’s much more to the Tanach than what is actually written. It has its own corresponding value in the spiritual worlds.

“After a few of these sessions, the monk told me, ‘Go learn about the Jewish religion, which is your religion. There’s nothing more for you to do here.’ Foolishly, I thought that the priest was rejecting me without cause, and I refused to abandon the center. If he doesn’t want to teach me, I thought, I’ll learn

from his students. Thus, over a period of several months, they taught me all about Buddhism and its meditations...”

(To be continued next week IY”H)

“Saturday Night, Full Moon” is available for purchase in Tzfas at Ascent and KabbalaOnline-Shop.com, from the

publishers, Menorah-books.com, and very soon in all major Jewish bookstores.

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MEETINGS AND RESOLUTIONSFrom the life of R’ Yehoshua Shneur Zalman Serebryanski a”h

Prepared for publication by Avrohom Rainitz

MEETING CALLED BY THE REBBE

Following the Rebbe’s letter of 6 Tammuz (that, for some reason, was delayed and arrived in Melbourne a month later, on 6 Av) which said: a meeting should be held of all of Anash who are present in their community and every one of them should participate in the appropriate way and in great measure regarding the yeshiva whether with his body, through his Torah and also his money, or all of them – no one is absolved - R’ Zalman called Anash to an urgent meeting for the next day, 7 Av. The meeting was attended by the nucleus of the Lubavitcher families. After reading the Rebbe’s letter, they discussed ways that would help the yeshiva succeed.

On Friday, 10 Av, R’ Zalman wrote to the Rebbe the resolutions of the initial meeting: 1) strengthening the minyan at the yeshiva, 2) developing the school, 3) developing the after-school classes including the quality of the learning, the t’filla, the

instruction and the attendance, 5) arranging for learning at night and on Shabbos for Anash and balabatim in Nigleh and Chassidus, 6) Mesibos Shabbos.

It was concluded that as a first step all the teachers of the yeshiva would farbreng to strengthen the learning and then there would be another meeting of Anash in order to sum up, in a detailed way, the specific role that each person had, for the good of the yeshiva. Then they would have a general meeting in which the broader Chabad community would participate, which would include the Feiglin and Gutnick families. At that meeting, they would read the Rebbe’s letter again and urge the attendees to help the yeshiva, each according to his ability.

In this letter, R’ Zalman reported to the Rebbe about the building of the women’s section in the beis midrash of the yeshiva where the preschool would be during the week. He also reported his plans to open another two classes in the coming school year and he asked for the Rebbe’s bracha that they succeed

in finding good teachers.

KEEP UP THE MEETINGSA week later, on 14 Av, the

teachers convened: R’ Abba Pliskin, Aharon Serebryanski, Shmuel Gurewitz, Isser Klugwant and Chaim Serebryanski, and after reading the Rebbe’s letter, R’ Zalman urged the teachers to strengthen the orderliness and discipline of the students and to note whether a student was late or absent. R’ Zalman also asked each teacher to farbreng with his class at least once a month with the understanding that with learning alone it would be impossible to instill the authentic Jewish-Chassidic spirit.

Since the after-school learning ended at 6:20 and the students hurried home, most of them did not stay for Maariv. It was decided that the learning would be shortened by ten minutes and Maariv would take place at 6:10. Of course, this was only good for that period of time which was the Australian winter, when Maariv can be davened at that time.

Two days later, on 16 Av, R’ Zalman convened the nucleus of Chabad in Melbourne once again and after reporting on the

MEMOIRS

The Rebbe referred to the conflict with members

of Mizrachi and said not to respond.

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meeting with the teachers, it was decided that the time had come for an expanded meeting of all those who belonged to Anash, in the course of which they would all write to the Rebbe, each one delineating what they committed to, for the advancement of the yeshiva.

The next day, R’ Zalman visited R’ Moshe Zalman Feiglin and asked him to arrange with his children a good time for a general meeting. R’ Zalman reported about all this to the Rebbe in a letter dated 17 Av.

In response to this letter, R’ Zalman received a letter from the Rebbe dated 13 Elul 5715: In response to your letters in which you write about the farbrengen of the teachers of Yeshivas Oholei Yosef Yitzchok Lubavitch in Melbourne and the arrangements that were made, surely they will continue with this from time to time in order to check to see whether they followed through on the decisions and what might be added to them, for this is the call of the hour, to ascend in holiness.

A THIRD MEETINGSince R’ Betzalel Wilschansky

was not present at the meetings of Anash, R’ Zalman decided to call Anash to a third meeting along with R’ Betzalel. R’ Betzalel was a senior Chabad Chassid in Australia at that time and as someone who had learned in Yeshivas Tomchei T’mimim in Lubavitch, and was completely immersed in avodas ha’t’filla and learning Chassidus, he was a model of a real Tamim and Chassid. His participation was, understandably, very significant.

During the third meeting, R’ Betzalel urged those gathered there to carry out the Rebbe’s

instructions and to commit to working on behalf of the yeshiva. Upon his suggestion, each of them wrote what he committed to, and gave R’ Betzalel the note for him to send it to the Rebbe as part of a general letter on behalf of all of Anash in Melbourne, detailing the good work that each had committed to.

Then R’ Zalman invited R’ Moshe Zalman Feiglin to a special meeting with his family. After reading the Rebbe’s letter to them, about the obligation of everyone to participate in helping the yeshiva, he told them that R’ Betzalel was preparing a letter in which all the commitments of Anash would be written. In

R’ Zalman’s letter to the Rebbe, he described how nice it was to see how important it was to each member of the Feiglin family to participate on behalf of the yeshiva so that their names too, would be mentioned to the Rebbe in the letter.

The letter gave the Rebbe much nachas as could be seen in the warm letter he sent R’ Zalman dated 28 Elul, replete with brachos.

THE OTHER MEETINGWhile Anash were arranging

meetings on behalf of the yeshiva, another meeting took place in Melbourne by those belonging to Mizrachi in which they spoke strongly against the yeshiva. In his meeting with R’ Moshe Zalman Feiglin, R’ Zalman heard details about what took place at that meeting.

Officially, the Mizrachi meeting was called to discuss bringing a new rabbi and choosing a new chairman after the previous one, R’ Dovid Feiglin, expressed his desire to step down. During the meeting, one of the leaders of the Mizrachi youth movement

spoke sharply against the Chabad yeshiva which educated children against Zionism. Their success, he maintained, was because there was no other yeshiva in Melbourne. Therefore, it was necessary to bring a dynamic rabbi who would be able to open a yeshiva in the Mizrachi spirit.

Another speaker got up who, in the past, had already tried to dog the steps of the yeshiva and he also spoke against the yeshiva.

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Feiglin’s son-in-law, R’ Moshe Kantor, wanted to protest but the organizers of the meeting did not allow him to do so.

Although they all knew that Chabad opposed Zionism and that Chabad Chassidim did not attend Mizrachi events, R’ Zalman always tried to stay away from politics and was careful not to speak against Zionism in the yeshiva so as not to give the opposition reason to be upset.

For this reason, R’ Zalman was very sorry to hear about this incitement against the yeshiva and about the attempt to link the issue of Torah learning with political views. Many of the Mizrachi children attended the yeshiva and talk like this could turn them off.

He reported to the Rebbe about this and noted painfully that although the Mizrachi people “know good and well to what extent the few Lubavitchers here are downtrodden and are struggling and making efforts to develop proper chinuch, they still were happy to hear these sharp words against the yeshiva.”

DO NOT RESPONDAfter information about the

meeting became known to Anash, some said they should debate this with Mizrachi, while others said it would be better not to discuss it at all and the only response should be to strengthen their work in developing the yeshiva and those who said what they did, or did not protest, would come to regret it on their own.

During the Mizrachi meeting,

R’ Mordechai Rich was chosen as the chairman. Although he was considered a close friend of the yeshiva, and was even a member of the yeshiva’s board, in the Mizrachi meeting he was heard supporting the position of those opposed to Chabad. However, later in the week, when he met with R’ Zalman, he promised that he would always be one of the best friends of Chabad and would do everything for the good of the yeshiva.

R’ Zalman reported all this to the Rebbe and noted that “on the one hand, they are Zionists and they seek to bring their philosophy into the yeshiva. A number of times, I heard hints of this from our friends that belong to their ranks. Of course, there are also among them those who look negatively upon us because we keep our distance, but on the other hand, there are good people among them like R’ Mordechai, and especially the Feiglin family who are of Anash and who are definitely happy about the development of the yeshiva. Still, the bottom line is that even those who are considered our friends are thinking divisive thoughts, and may Hashem help us.”

In the letter mentioned above, from 13 Elul, the Rebbe referred to the conflict with members of Mizrachi and paved the way for the proper way of dealing with similar circumstances when he said not to respond and consequently, what was said would be forgotten. That would make it easier to prevent undesirable actions, and in this particular case, since they already

expressed their protest, that was certain enough.

LUBAVITCHERS ARE SUCCESSFUL EVERYWHERE

Along with reporting the attacks at the Mizrachi meeting, R’ Zalman was happy to report to the Rebbe about what one of the leaders of Mizrachi had to say in favor of Chabad’s activities:

One of the members of Mizrachi, who corresponded with R’ Yehuda Leib Avida (Zlotnik), a well-known scholar and Zionist leader, wrote to him about the Chabad yeshiva in Melbourne. In his response, R’ Avida wrote, “I was happy to hear of the success of the Lubavitch yeshiva” and he added that Lubavitcher Chassidim “are successful everywhere because their deeds are for the sake of heaven and the merit of their ancestors assists them.”

The one who received this letter showed it to his friends, the Mizrachi leaders, and R’ Mordechai Rich told R’ Zalman that he planned on reading the letter at the next Mizrachi meeting.

In R’ Zalman’s letter of 10 Av, he also reported to the Rebbe about the visit of R’ Gedalia Hertz in Melbourne as he was on his way to Sydney where he was appointed rav of a shul. R’ Hertz was a Gerrer Chassid who had learned for several years in Yeshivas Tomchei T’mimim in Warsaw, and Chabad Chassidim in Melbourne were happy at the opportunity to sit with a Tamim like him and hear his memories about the mashpiim and roshei yeshiva in Tomchei T’mimim. His sermons were based on Tanya and the Chassidic maamarim that he learned, and his visit made a good impression on the city.

For this reason, R’ Zalman was very sorry to hear about

this incitement against the yeshiva and about the

attempt to link the issue of Torah learning with political views.

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MEMOIRS

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מזל טוב!

On behalf of the staff of the English and Hebrewdepartments of Beis Moshiach Magazine

and its readers all over the world, we would like to congratulateand extend our warmest blessings and wishes

to our beloved writer and translator in the English department

Rabbi Tzvi and Mrs. Yehudis Homnick sh’yichyu

on the birth of their first-born grandson

Menachem Mendel sh’yicheh

to their son Rabbi

Shraga Dovid and Zeldie sh’yichyu

special mazal tov to the grandparents

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok and Mrs. Miriam Gurary sh’yichyu

May they merit to have true chassideshe nachasin the spirit of the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach shlita

and may we merit to see the true and complete Redemption NOW!

�

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THE BLESSING

OF SHABBOS By Nechama Bar

“Yaakov, please stay home a

little bit. Devote half an hour to

the children. They did not see

you all day,” pleaded his wife.

But Yaakov, dangling a ring of

keys in his hand, turned to leave.

Moments before the door banged

closed, he said in frustration,

“How can you ask me to stay

home? Don’t you know the

situation? We are immersed in

debt. I must use every possible

minute for work.”

Up until recently, Yaakov was

a taxi driver for a cab company.

Then he decided to buy a taxi and

work independently. “From now

on,” he thought, “I won’t have to

share the profits with the owner

of the company. All earnings will

be mine.” But for some reason, he

wasn’t successful. He borrowed

large amounts of money in order

to buy the taxi and was unable to

return the money.

He spent hours driving

around. Money came in but the

expenses were never ending.

Once, it was the meter that broke,

another time it was the engine,

and once he had to pay a ticket.

Whatever he earned was quickly

spent, and he had many debts he

was unable to repay.

Yaakov was tense. His wife

and children hardly saw him.

He would come home for a few

minutes in order to eat something

or rest a little and even then, it

was hard to talk to him. He was

preoccupied with one thing and

one thing only, getting out of

debt. Weekdays, Shabbos, Yom Tov,

his hands were always on the

wheel, but his financial situation

did not improve. When his wife

tried asking him to devote at least

some of Shabbos or Yom Tov to

the children, he retorted angrily,

“You know that on Shabbos and

Yom Tov I could make more

money. There are no buses and

a trip costs more. That is just the

time that I need to go to work.

Why don’t you understand this?

Don’t you want us to start living

in peace?” His wife would remain silent

and accept what he said sadly.

Yaakov had a good friend

named Amnon. Amnon was not

religious but one fine day, he

decided to keep Shabbos. He

stuck to his decision despite the

mockery of his friends and his

taxi was parked from Friday

afternoon until after Shabbos.

His friends laughed at him.

“You’re being so foolish. You’re

losing the chance to make so

much money.” But Amnon

ignored them. He just smiled

and reassured them that, boruch

Hashem, parnasa was fine.

Surprisingly, when they

would collect money for a friend

in need, each of the drivers would

have a hard time parting with just

fifty liros while Amnon would

easily and generously give one

hundred, as though this wasn’t a

large sum for him.

One day, Yaakov told Amnon

about his difficult situation. “I

urgently need a loan of 1000

liros. Do you have any idea as to

where I can get it?”

Amnon calmly said, “I’ll lend

it to you.” Yaakov’s eyes popped. “You

will lend me 1000 liros?! That’s

a very large amount – you’re

joking, right?”

TZIVOS HASHEM

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“No, not at all. I mean it

in all sincerity. I have just one

request.”Yaakov eagerly listened.

“Before I make my request,

I will share my personal story

with you. My son was very sick.

We ran from doctor to doctor

with him. We went to all the top

doctors in the field and did every

possible segula. We spent plenty

of money but his condition was

deteriorating daily. I cannot

describe to you what an emotional

state we were in.

“Then, as I was walking

up the steps in my building to

my apartment, as I imagined

the worst of all, a religious

neighbor stopped me. I

wasn’t friendly with him and

yet he said, ‘Yaakov, you look

awful. What happened?’

“Believe me, I did not have

the energy to talk to him. But

he insisted on knowing what

was going on. Then he said,

‘I have a suggestion for you.

Please come into my home.’

“I was tired of futile

attempts but for some reason,

I agreed to go to his home.

He told me, ‘In Brooklyn,

there is a holy rabbi who does

miracles. I will give you his

address. Send him a letter

and ask for a bracha. I’m

telling you, he has helped

thousands of people. I know

many stories personally.’

“The truth is, I did not pin

my hopes on this, but I did as

he suggested and sent a letter to

the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Within

a short time, an answer arrived.

The Rebbe told me to keep

Shabbos, kashrus, and t’fillin. I

did not want to stop working on

Shabbos, because that is when

you make the most money, but my

wife, who has strong faith, urged

me to do it. I had no choice.

“What can I tell you … It

was just astonishing. From the

moment I began doing as the

Rebbe said, my son began his

recovery. His condition improved

from day to day until he recovered

completely, to the amazement of

all the doctors.” “So? What does that have to

do with me?” interrupted Yaakov.

“My request is that you too

stop working on Shabbos and

Yom Tov.”

“But …” “Without ‘buts.’ I’ll lend you

1000 liros, without guarantors

and without signatures, and I rely

on you to return it to me when

you can.” “But if I don’t work on

Shabbos, there is no way I will be

able to repay you!”

Amnon calmly pointed to the

fact, that although Yaakov worked

nonstop, he wasn’t able to cover

his debts.

“Who knows, maybe it is

because of chilul Shabbos that

you are not seeing bracha in your

labor?” Yaakov did not have many

options. He needed the money

urgently and he reluctantly

promised to keep Shabbos for half

a year. After that, he would assess

the results. Yaakov saw the blessing

of Shabbos immediately. The

unexpected expenses that had

robbed him of all his money,

stopped. His earnings were nice

and he was able to pay his bills.

His financial situation stabilized

and he began living with peace of

mind. Most importantly, Yaakov

turned from an irritable, uptight

person into a relaxed man. He

devoted Shabbos to his family and

he took his children to shul and

made kiddush and sang z’miros.

Keeping Shabbos brought

light and joy into his home and it

was all thanks to the Rebbe.

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THE “DAVID NACHLAWI” EFFECT Why is it that when a young Jewish woman is murdered in the heart of Eretz HaKodesh simply because she is Jewish, no one seems to care? Maybe we’ve just gotten used to it. Maybe we simply don’t have the strength to cry out anymore. One thing is certain: This situation cannot continue. Wake up, Yidden!

By Sholom Ber Crombie

Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

1. It all started like another

popular protest expressing solidarity with an IDF soldier standing alone as he fulfills his duty. This time, however, it turned out to be something else entirely. Who hasn’t heard over the last two weeks about “David Nachlawi”? This Nachal fighter had been filmed cocking his weapon in response to Arab youth who were threatening

them, and he has now become a symbol of the struggle against the ridiculous open-fire orders of the Israel Defense Forces.

“David Nachlawi” was essentially just “the straw that broke the camel’s back” - an unwilling hero. The film of the incident with him cocking his weapon spread like wildfire, representing the start of the battle that was destined to begin sooner or later. The state-run media

had long since ignored the quiet intifada taking place throughout Yehuda and Shomron. Arab media outlets periodically broadcast films that supposedly prove the IDF’s growing helplessness. Once, they showed how Israeli soldiers were forced to flee from Arab rioters, while another film showed IDF troops facing rock-throwing terrorists and trying to stop the rocks with... their hands! Recently such films have become readily available for the Israeli public at-large. They speak for themselves.

Yet, the media chooses to ignore such incidents. We wouldn’t have known anything about them were it not for an organization established by the Arab authorities in Chevron, assigned with the task of documenting occurrences of this type. They publicized the film, and as a result, the soldier was sentenced to prison for taking measures to protect his life. He fired no shots nor did he strike anyone with his rifle butt; he

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merely cocked his weapon. The IDF later came with

their own account. They regretfully claimed that this soldier had actually been tried and convicted on another offense: insubordination to his commanding officer shortly before this incident took place. For whatever reason, this explanation didn’t seem to convince anyone familiar with Israeli army conduct. First of all, such incidents occur every day, and soldiers pay the price merely for protecting themselves as the situation required. Secondly, simple military logic would not allow a soldier charged with defying his superior to go out on a patrol mission as if nothing had happened.

And the media? They got into the act only after tens of thousands of Israeli citizens expressed their support for “David Nachlawi.” This time, it wasn’t an actual terrorist attack, such as spraying graffiti on a wall in an Arab village… This was a case of IDF soldiers sent on a security mission against real terrorists who use real violence, e.g., throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks. But the media isn’t interested in all this. Even when it does choose to speak about such film clips, they draw the conclusion that it’s due to the destructive occupation. Therefore, they declare that we must get out of Yehuda and Shomron to keep our soldiers from encountering fiery Arab mobs threatening their lives.

2. Last week, the Israeli media’s

sanctimonious posturing crossed the red line. In the face of more than 110,000 people joining in protest on behalf of “David Nachlawi” within a period of

two days, the media remained virtually indifferent, despite the fact that the pictures prove that the soldier’s life was actually in danger. One of the Arabs threatening him from behind was holding a set of brass knuckles, a weapon of violence by any standard. But we’ve already become used to a near-total media blackout in such matters. What’s most amazing is that while the People of Israel are now calling upon the nation’s military chieftains to take determined action against Arab terror, the state-run media busies itself obsessively with only one issue: the graffiti terrorists in Arab villages.

The following post regarding the Israeli media’s one-sidedness appeared on the Internet last week: “Channel 2 broadcasts its morning program from its regular studio and also from a special studio set up in the Arab village of Fureidis as a sign of solidarity with the residents of Fureidis who suffer from incessant Jewish terrorism, which happened once and included black spray paint on a wall and blown out tires. This reminds me of the special studio set up in Ariel the day after four-year old Adele Bitton was hit in the head with a rock, remaining to this day in Levinstein Hospital. This also reminds me of the special studio they set up in Chevron the day following the murder of deputy police superintendent Baruch Mizrachi by terrorist gunfire, or the special studio set up in Yitzhar the day following the stabbing murder of local resident Avitar Borobsky. It also reminds me of the special studio set up in Itamar the day after the slaughter of the Fogel family. By the way, tell me, if black spray on a wall is terrorism, what do you call slitting the throat of a baby girl

while she’s still sleeping?” This is also what happened

when the border police besieged the yeshiva building in Yitzhar. Apparently, they no longer understand Arabic in the IDF. That’s the only way to explain the distinction the army makes between the incitement to murder blaring from the mosques every Friday and a yeshiva of sixteen-year old boys. Even if some of these students did act in a disrespectful manner, that’s still no reason to assault an entire yeshiva.

This is the situation in Eretz Yisroel today: If you’re an Arab, it’s permissible for you to incite acts of murder, whereas if you’re a kippa-wearing Jewish settler, every time you spray graffiti, it’s considered terrorism - even if you’re only sixteen years old.

3. We must emphasize in the

clearest way possible that the “price tag” activities are the most un-Jewish exploits to have occurred in Eretz Yisroel in recent years. Whoever came up this atrocious idea is apparently living in a fantasy world, believing that puncturing tires and spraying graffiti would drive the Arabs out of Eretz Yisroel and bring the Redemption. The only explanation for this phenomenon is the hooliganism of a few youngsters looking for excitement. Someone decided to take advantage of their naiveté and poisoned their minds. This trend had started as the actions of a few minors seeking to exact a price from their Arab neighbors for IDF operations against the settlers. They also hoped that this would give headaches to the army, keeping them too busy to deal with anything else. Such escapades have long since ceased

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to be a mere distraction; this is now sheer vandalism that only causes unnecessary resentment.

The Rebbe never supported such actions. On the contrary, he explained that the answer to terrorism is actively encouraging the Arabs to fulfill the Seven Noachide Laws, which they too are obligated to observe. It’s a pity that these young people invest so much energy in entering Arab villages late at night merely to spray graffiti and puncture tires, instead of distributing informational brochures on the Seven Noachide Laws to village residents.

It appears that the greatest promoter of this conduct is the media. Every spraying of graffiti in some remote Arab village earns banner headlines in the news reports, while real terrorist attacks are largely ignored. The message is clear: Jewish blood is far less important than the wall of an Arab mosque. This is the reason why the phenomenon grew so intense. As a result of the anger caused by the media’s disproportionate exaggerations, things have only gotten worse.

4. Most tragically, the worst

event to occur in Eretz Yisroel during the past fortnight received very little media attention. Shelly Dadon, may G-d avenge her blood, a twenty-year old Jewish girl, was murdered by Arab terrorists. Not in Ofra, not even in Beit E-l – but in Migdal HaEmek.

This situation reminds me of a radio interview that Rabbi Yigal Kirschenzaft gave during the intifada. When he was asked about the “dangerous” life in Gush Katif, instead of defending himself, R’ Yigal asked the interviewer to bolster the residents along the “front lines,” e.g., those living in Tel Aviv, where anything lying on the ground is a potential bomb.

The murder of Shelly Dadon Hy”d took up about a quarter of the time devoted to graffiti in Deir al-Balah. Not a single politician condemned the murder, nor did anyone rise to identify with the bereaved family. The prime minister did not open his weekly Cabinet meeting with a solemn expression of “profound shock” over the senseless slaughter of

a young girl, stabbed to death simply because she was Jewish, and Channel 2 News didn’t set up a makeshift studio with the residents of Migdal HaEmek.

When such things happen outside of Eretz Yisroel, all the usual defenders of justice know how to issue signed declarations explaining how horrible it is when Jews are murdered in a blatantly anti-Semitic attack. What happened this time? Why is it that when a young Jewish woman is murdered in the heart of Eretz HaKodesh simply because she is Jewish, no one seems to care?

Maybe we’ve just gotten used to it. Maybe we simply don’t have the strength to cry out anymore. One thing is certain: This situation cannot continue. Wake up, Yidden!

ADD IN ACTS OF GOODNESS & KINDNESS

TO BRING MOSHIACH NOW!42 � • 16 Iyar 5774

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