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THE IMPACT OF
THE PEOPLE
ON THE KING
BASI LGANI 5716
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LOVE YOUR
FELLOW AS YOU
DO A STRANGER!
RABBI HESCHEL
GREENBERG

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THE SECRET TO GREAT

SUCCESS ON SHLICHUS
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BH. 29 Kislev 5776 - Hakhel

11 December 2015 Number 999
Price: $6.00 Part 2 of 2

999_bm_eng2.indd 02-03

INTERVIEW WITH RABBI

CHAIM SHLOMO COHEN

LONG LIVE THE REBBE MELECH HAMOSHIACH FOREVER AND EVER!

08/12/2015 14:20:32

CONTENTS

26
FEATURED ARTICLES

WEEKLY COLUMNS

3
5
33
34

THE SECRET TO GREAT

SUCCESS ON SHLICHUS
Avrohom Rainitz

TO THE
16 AMBASSADORS
WORLD SALUTE THE

Dvar Malchus
Parsha Thought
Hakhel & Moshiach
Tzivos Hashem

REBBES SHLUCHIM,
THE REAL AMBASSADORS

Oholiov Abutbul & Shneur Chaviv

OF AN OLD22 IMAGE
WORLD CHASSID
MITZVA THAT
26 THE
SMASHED THROUGH
THE IRON CURTAIN

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leather hat that covered his

knapsacks and took every stooped.
face. He wrapped himself in a
There was silence in the room
penny they could find. They
scarf and went out a back door
then brought them deeper into as the Rebbe walked toward
into the blizzard.
the forest to a place only the the menorah. The Shamash was
The Rebbe had a hard time
lit and the Rebbe said the first
Cossacks knew about.
Rebbe walking through the deep snow,
The Chassidim walked quietly. bracha loudly. Then the
s and but this did not deter him from
Each of them was immersed in said the next two bracho
the first his mission. A few hours of
his thoughts, making a spiritual held the Shamash to
did not exhausting walking passed until
accounting, and praying for a light, but oy, the wick
tion. He
ignite. The Rebbe tried again and he reached his destina
Chanuka miracle.
just
knew
and
again with no success. He sighed entered the forest
The Chassidim were soon led
the
at
d
stoppe
He
g
where to go.
s.
to dark underground cells.
camp
k
Cossac
the
entrance to th
We will wait here until the
and stood there fearlessly.
commander comes and decides
The Rebbe gazed at
aid
what to do with you, said
Cossacks and they
the Co
one of the Cossacks ass
They quickly
l
trembled.
he whipped one of the
dropped their weapons
Chassidim.
fled.
and fled
Some time went by
Rebbe
The
and the commander
the
ched
approa
app
appeared. He declared
or,
trapdo
hidden
h
their sentence, which was
and
it,
lifted
hey be
the worst of all, that they
went down until
hung. The Chassidim began
he was facing
pouring out their heartss in the
the Chassidim.
ey rent
recital of Thillim and they
Rebbe!
ears.
the heavens with their tears.
exclaimed
tthey
At that very same time, in
in disbelief. What
e Rebbe,
the beis midrash of the
doing here? How
is the Rebbe d
many Chassidim were standing
know we were in
bb k
h Rebbe
did the
there and waiting. The menorah
trouble?
was ready and the first cup was heavily and the Chassidim knew
The Rebbe did not reply. He
filled with oil. The Chassidim something had happened.
just motioned to them to get
waited for the Rebbe to come
extinguished
Rebbe
The
out and go with him to his beis
out of his room and light the the Shamash, looked at the
midrash so they could light the
menorah.
Chassidim, and quickly left the menorah before daylight.
One hour went by and then beis midrash. The Chassidim
You did not wander far,
Menachem looked at one another in shock. A
R
and
another
road to Kotzk is not long,
the
Mendel of Kotzk was still in his commotion erupted until one of
said reassuringly. This
Rebbe
the
room. The Chassidim there were the Chassidim gave a bang and
walk was easier and
the
time,
surprised. Every year, the Rebbe said, It is not time for talking.
time they were at
short
a
within
lights the menorah as early as Let us recite Thillim to avert the
inviting beis
warm,
s
Rebbe
the
possible because the mitzva is so evil decree.
h.
midras
dear to him. Why was he waiting
Books of Thillim were quickly
The Rebbe went over to the
this year?
opened and the Chassidim read
menorah and with a shining face
The clock showed that it chapter after chapter with tears.
he lit the Shamash and this time,
was close to midnight and the
In the meantime, the Rebbe the first light lit immediately.
Chassidim were still waiting. went to his room and changed
The Chassidim burst into a
Suddenly, the door opened and into clothes that were worn in
of Chanuka songs.
the Rebbe came out in a rush. the gentile marketplace. He put joyous singing
Something looked amiss; he on a coarse leather jacket, big
looked sad and he walked a bit boots, a big, hairy coat and a

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35

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DVAR MALCHUS

BASI LGANI
5716
Beis Moshiach presents the maamer the
Rebbe MHM delivered on Yud Shvat 5716,
in accordance with the custom established
by the Rebbe to review each year a section
of the Rebbe Rayatzs maamer Basi LGani of 5710. This year we
focus on the sixth section of the profound and foundational Chassidic
discourse. * Fourth instalment

THE DUALITY OF MALCHUS

5. Although the letter Daled signifies dalus
poverty [something negative in the simple, literal
sense], dalus is tantamount to bittul and humility [in the
spiritual sense]. In fact, the entire concept of holiness
hinges on attaining a state of total bittul.
To elaborate on this idea, the Rebbe writes about the
positive, spiritual sense of dalus, as expressed by Sfiras
HaMalchus, the Divine Attribute of Majesty. Malchus is
described as having nothing of its own, being in the
ultimate state of bittul and self-annulment, to the extent
that it is said of Malchus that it diminished itself.
Malchus diminished itself in order to be in a state of total
bittul. In mortal terms, Malchus is associated with the
power of speech, for it too has nothing of its own; it is
simply a receptacle and vehicle for the higher faculties to
find expression, such as the intellect and emotions.
Notwithstanding the association of Sfiras
HaMalchus with total self-annulment and bittul, it also
possesses the [seeming opposite] quality of hisnasus
(grandeur and authority, rule), from which all of Seider
Hishtalshlus, the natural order of Creation, emerges.
This duality allows Malchus to maintain two vastly
different functions: 1) Receiving from all that is above it,
which is the concept of all all rivers flow into the sea;
2) Creating everything beneath it.
The Mitteler Rebbe describes at great length,
providing two interpretations or perspectives, how Sfiras
HaMalchus has nothing of its own: 1) Malchus has no

G-dly illumination of its own; it has only what it

receives from above. The metaphor for this dynamic is
the moon, which has no light of its own; it has only the
light it receives from the sun. The second interpretation
is that 2) Malchus has nothing of its own except
what it receives from the lower aspects of Creation,
on the part of the devotion of the angels and souls that
reside in the lower worlds. From this perspective, Sfiras
HaMalchus entails revealing to the other, meaning in
this context, that Creation emerges from it.
To elaborate on the second interpretation: The entire
general concept of Creation is, of course, infinitely
remote from the Infinite G-d, may He be blessed, for
which reason it is said, The throne is established with
benevolence. That is, the concept of a throne, the
throne of the King [the origin of Creation], is established
by means of Supernal Benevolence, on account of the
fact that the nature of the good is to be good to others.
That is, G-d contracted and diminished Himself by
means of Sfiras HaMalchus, allowing His infinite and
transcendent Divine light, etc., to be drawn down, as
it were, in order for there to be the general concept of
Creation.

THE IMPACT OF THE PEOPLE ON THE KING

Another relevant point with regard to this second
interpretation of [Malchus] has nothing of its own
that Malchus is established by the devotion of the
lower worlds is the idea that there is no king without

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Dvar Malchus
a nation. The effect of the nation, the people,
on the King is that His essential hisnasus His
quality of grandeur and authority, being aloof and
transcendent is drawn down in order for G-d to
rule over humanity, which, in turn, establishes the
existence of Creation, serving as its source of life
and existential reality.
Similarly with regard to Malchus (kingship,
royalty) in the physical world: The king is from
his shoulders and above higher than all the people.
That is, of himself, the kings grandeur and majesty
is independent of the nation on account of his
inherent qualities of nobility and grandeur, being at
his very essence incomparably distinguished above
his people. It is, therefore, necessary to arouse and
inspire in the king the will to rule, the will to be king
over the people. This desire is evoked in the king
by their crowning him and through their eagerness
to submit to his authority. Accepting the authority
of the king establishes his sovereignty and kingship
(binyan haMalchus); it causes him to agree to rule
over the nation.
The same dynamic is reflected in the supernal
realm, as expressed in the saying of our Sages:
State before Me verses acknowledging [My]
kingship, in order that you should cause Me to be
King over you. It is this expression of willingness
on behalf of the people that elicits in G-d the will

to rule over Creation, for G-d has no intrinsic

connection to the entire concept of Creation.
The difference between the two functions of
Malchus is as follows. The central point of the first
concept, whereby Malchus has no more than what
it receives from all that is above it, is expressed by
the initial drawing down of Malchus, similar to the
binyan haMalchus on Rosh HaShana [when the
fate of all the worlds is determined for the year].
The dynamic here is described as Malchus having
nothing of its own except what it receives from
above, from the Divine Attribute of Benevolence,
which is the concept of The throne is established
with benevolence. The main aspect of the second
concept, on the other hand, is when it is necessary
to strengthen and renew the concept of Malchus
(subsequent to the initial act of genesis, etc.). Also
in this respect it has nothing unto itself, since this
renewal is brought about by the devotion of the
lower worlds of Biya to Malchus of Atzilus, the
highest world.
All the above sheds light on the concept of dalus
in the positive, holy sense. Dalus is symbolic of the
total abnegation of self of Sfiras HaMalchus, which
is the embodiment of hisnasus, grandeur and
distinction. But it is from this remote transcendence
that the existence of the entire Creation emerges.

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4 29 Kislev 5776 - Hakhel

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PARSHA THOUGHT

LOVE YOUR
FELLOW AS
YOU DO A
STRANGER!
YOSEFS DILEMMA

By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

ACTED LIKE A STRANGER

Yoseph was sold by his
brothers into slavery in Egypt.
When accused of trying to
seduce the wife of his master,
Potiphar, Yoseph was sentenced
to languish in an Egyptian
dungeon. Two years after he
successfully
interpreted
the
dreams of the kings butler
and baker he is summoned
to interpret Pharaohs dream.
Yoseph interpreted Pharaohs
dream as a prediction of seven
years of plenty followed by seven
years of famine. Yoseph advised
Pharaoh to store grain that would
save Egypt and the surrounding
area. Pharaoh made Yoseph his
viceroy. Yosefs brothers arrived
in Egypt to purchase grain during
the famine. It was the first time in
13 years that Yoseph saw them.
This is how the Torah
describes their first fateful
meeting:
Yoseph saw his brothers and
he recognized them, but he acted
like a stranger toward them and
spoke with them harshly.
Rashi explains that he acted

to them as a stranger in order to

speak with them harshly.
One could ask why he had to
treat them as strangers to speak
to them harshly. They were his
brothers, who sold him into
slavery after attempting to kill
him! That was a perfectly valid
reason to speak to them harshly.
The classic Talmudic era
translator,
Unkelus,
usually
translates the text of the Torah
quite simply and literally. When
we consult Unkelus on this text
however, we discover an even
greater difficulty. The word
vayisnaker in the text, is
clearly connected to the word
stranger. However, rather than
offering the literal meaning of
vayisnaker as he acted like
a stranger, Unkelus renders
it as: he reflected on how to
respond to them. It is clear that
something in this verse compelled
him to deviate from his standard
approach to translation and
provide commentary rather than
simply translate the word.
What prompted Unkelus to
depart from his usual style of
providing a literal translation?

To answer these questions

we must try to put ourselves in
Yosefs position. After so many
years of travail, Yoseph has
now come face to face with his
brothers. They tried to kill him
and sold him into slavery, which
then degenerated into a harsh
prison sentence, as recounted in
last weeks parsha. Now he was
viceroy of Egypt, with the powers
of a king and had them in his
hands to treat them as he pleased.
They were now at his mercy.
What
would
our
own
reactions be at a time like this?
On the one hand, we might
feel righteous anger and seek
revenge. On the other hand, we
may bend over backwards and
treat them with love to restore
family unity.
Yoseph found himself in
precisely
this
predicament.
Yoseph was in the unenviable
moral position of having total
power over his brothers.
This was his dilemma: Should
he use that power to avenge the
years of pain and suffering by
punishing them severely? Or,
perhaps, should he reveal his
identity and embrace them with
love as he ultimately did. Yoseph
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PARSHA THOUGHT

Our challenge today is to combine the best

of both worlds of passionate closeness and
dispassionate distance. We must follow Yosefs example.
He helped his brothers by viewing them with clarity as if
they were strangers. We too should love those closest
to us with the same non-judgmental love we have for
Jews whom we may have never met but for whom we
are prepared to travel to the ends of the earth to help
materially and spiritually.
was surely tempted to end the
separation between himself and
his brothers and their father. Any
other person would have had his
head spinning, not knowing how
to react.
Yoseph did not allow his
emotions to sway him. He was
convinced that Divine Providence
placed him in this position to get
his brothers to express sincere
regret for selling him as well as
causing their father unimaginable
grief.
Yoseph carefully weighed the
situation. He could not allow
himself to react impulsively.
Revenge, he surely reasoned,
was morally wrong. Likewise,
embracing them at that moment
was equally wrong. It would deny
them the opportunity to rectify
their behavior by coming to grips
with their terrible crime.
In the end, Yoseph, after
careful thought, decides to
control his emotions and act
the way he was convinced G-d
wanted him to. He was going
to keep up the pretense that he
was an Egyptian ruler who was a
total stranger to them. He would
use tough love and be harsh
to them but not with any feeling
of anger or hatred. Yoseph was
walking an emotional tightrope,
but was able to balance himself
by using the intellectual power of

his G-dly soul and his prophetic

prowess to make the decision.
This approach proved to be
the right one. His brothers did
express deep remorse for their
past sin and even went as far
as risking their very lives for
their half-brother Benyamin as
recounted in next weeks parsha.

THE PARADOX OF
RELATIVITY
However, while the foregoing
approach explains why Yoseph
had to reflect on the situation,
as Unkelus avers, it does not
explain how we are to reconcile
this interpretation with the simple
meaning of the word vayisnaker,
which means to act as a stranger.
What connection is there between
the interpretation of Unkelus
that he reflected on his course of
action and the literal meaning
of the word vayisnaker, that he
acted like a stranger towards
them?
The answer to this problem
might lie in the paradoxical
dynamic that exists in our close
relationships that is absent in our
interactions with strangers.
When one enjoys a close
connection to others especially
if there is a blood relationship
it is virtually impossible to sort
out all the relationship issues

and deal with them in a rational

and dispassionate fashion. The
connections and emotions they
engender create an atmosphere
of murkiness and fog, thus
leading to moral confusion and
the inability to navigate a proper
course of action.
The challenge of relativity is
reflected in the law disqualifying
a relative as a witness. We can
easily understand why one is not
trusted to testify on behalf of his
relative because of his natural
bias and his testimony is suspect.
But, why cant he testify against
his relative? What bias can there
be in that regard?
The answer to this question
is that, on the contrary, the
emotional cloud which envelops
one when dealing with a relative
can cause the witness to testify
against him as easily as on his
behalf.
We can now understand
why Yoseph had to act as if his
brothers were strangers. If he had
allowed himself to feel his kinship
to them, his judgment would
have been clouded. It could have
swayed him in either of the two
directions that his emotions might
take him. He might have decided
to be harsher than necessary or
to drop his disguise and embrace
them with love. Both decisions
would have proven disastrous
because he would have harmed
them either way. Yoseph had to
create an emotional gulf between
himself and his brothers so he
could rationally make the correct
decision.
Thus, Unkelus interpretation
of vayisnaker that he reflected
on his course of action is
directly related to the literal
translation, he acted like
a stranger. His acting as a
stranger facilitated his ability
to reflect dispassionately on his
course of action.

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THE DISTANT CLOSENESS

OF THE THRESHOLD ERA
With the above analysis
we can make some sense of
the paradoxical situation of
our Jewish world in these
last moments of exile, when
we are on the threshold of
Redemption.
The Baal Shem Tov spoke
of the need to love a Jew whom
we never met. Nine generations
of teachings by our Rebbeim
since then have firmly instilled
this message into the hearts and
minds of all those who follow
the Chassidic path. We have
come a long way from the time
that senseless hatred prevailed
and, as the Talmud declares,
brought about the destruction
of the Second Temple and the
ensuing exile. The thousands
of the Rebbes Shluchim that
have spread to the most remote
places,
both
geographically
and spiritually, to shower their
love and attention on all Jews
regardless of their level of
observance, attest to the barriers
that have been removed between
Jews of all stripes and colors.
This display of unity and
love can be attributed to the

interconnected phenomena of
nine generations of obsessive
focus on Ahavas Yisroel, from
the Baal Shem Tov onward to our
Rebbe, as well as the fact that we
are on the very threshold of the
Final Redemption.
But, paradoxically, it seems
that while we have essentially
cured the dissonance that comes
from distance, our challenge is
to remove the cloud that exists
within our own family of Jews
who are committed to Judaism
and its Chassidic illumination.
Our challenge is, ironically, to
love those close to us as much as
we love the stranger.
As noted above, closeness
creates its own set of challenges.
The closer you are to someone
the harder it is to see them for
who they really are. The greatest
challenge today is thus, arguably,
the removal of the barriers
between ones closest friends,
relatives and those with whom we
share values.
This
phenomenon
of
blindness caused by closeness
can be traced back to the
penultimate plague, darkness,
about which the Torah states:
no man can see his brother.

This plague which occurred

right before the redemption from
Egypt foreshadowed the darkness
that exists right before the onset
of the Final Redemption and its
generation of the greatest light.

THE SECOND HALF OF THE

MONTH
The Rebbe explained that the
period we are in now is like the
second half of the month when
the moon wanes until it can no
longer be visible. The lack of light
is actually due to the closeness
of the moon to its source, the
sun. The closer we are, the more
tension and fog there may be.
Our challenge today is to
combine the best of both worlds
of passionate closeness and
dispassionate distance. We must
follow Yosefs example. He
helped his brothers by viewing
them with clarity as if they were
strangers. We too should love
those closest to us with the same
non-judgmental love we have
for Jews whom we may have
never met but for whom we are
prepared to travel to the ends of
the earth to help materially and
spiritually.

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SHLICHUS

THE SECRET TO
GREAT SUCCESS
ON SHLICHUS
With 1700 volunteers a month, an annual cycle of activities with a budget
of close to $20,000,000, and now with the dedication of a building that
is 20,000 square feet, the Chabad House known as the Mada Community
Center just doesnt stop. * Beis Moshiach spoke with R Chaim Shlomo
Cohen, the shliach of the Rebbe who runs Mada, about the connection
between his meteoric success and the publicizing of the Besuras
HaGeula and connecting people to the Rebbe, about the importance in
encouraging mekuravim to write to the Rebbe and the need for avoda
pnimis to prepare to greet Moshiach. * R Cohen tells about how he
lost a donation of a building because of publicizing that the Rebbe is
Moshiach and emphasizes that aside from that one incident, the message
is accepted by everyone after the proper explanation.
Interview by Avrohom Rainitz

8 29 Kislev 5776 - Hakhel

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Issue 999

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Shlichus

he rumors began at the

beginning of Elul and
within a short time, the
news was verified. One
of the big chesed organizations
in Montreal, that in recent years
distributed food packages to about
two thousand needy families before
Rosh HaShana, was closing. For
those thousands of families this
was terrible news because much
of their holiday meals depended
on those food packages. For R
Chaim Shlomo Cohen, shliach and
director of Mada (Merkaz Dovrei
Ivrit) in Montreal, it was a sign
from heaven that he had to expand
his operation.
The Rebbe spoke often about
helping families before Yom Tov,

and prepare communal holiday

meals in ten locations around the
city.
The
previous
chesed
organization gave up their
location in one of the malls,
enabling Mada to move into a
new, beautiful building. Until
then, Mada had been in an area
that was 12,000 square feet,
while the new building has nearly
20,000 square feet.
We are presently using only
17,000 square feet since another
organization rented part of the
building, but in a few months
they are leaving and we will be
able to add another 2500 square
feet to our operation. R Cohen
said he plans on opening a dental

Previously, a Chassid would do iskafia in order to

break his evil inclination. Today, I know people
who do iskafia in order to live a Geula reality!

so its actually a mivtza of the

Rebbe, said R Cohen. Until
this year though, we did not do
much in the way of distributing
food for Yom Tov since there was
a chesed organization already
doing that, and we did not want
to be viewed as competition. We
focused on other things. But after
I heard that they were closing
down, I decided to get involved.
Although there were only
three weeks until Rosh HaShana,
we
saw
siyata
dShmaya
(heavenly assistance) all the
way, from getting donations
and buying the food products
to getting volunteers to pack
it. During Elul we had 1700
volunteers so we were able to
prepare and distribute 2000 food
packages. We did this enormous
job along with our usual activities
in which we give out hundreds of
meals for Shabbos and Yom Tov

clinic for needy families.

The move to a new building
was accompanied by a media
storm after the local media
publicized a video about the new
operation called Chesed Drive.
Just like in fast-food restaurants,
where you can order a meal
and drive by an outside window
counter to pick it up, now
needy families can enjoy weekly
packages and not have to stand
on line. They just show up in
their car and pick it up.
Some critics said that those
who own a car are not needy and
asked why they were receiving
food packages. R Cohen took the
opportunity to explain Judaisms
position on charity to the media.
We dont regard the needy as
second class but as family. We
happily help a brother or sister
even if they have a car! he said.

CHESED PERMEATED
BY MOSHIACH
The Rebbe said that all
aspects of shlichus need to
be permeated by one point:
kabbalas
pnei
Moshiach.
How is your big chesed project
permeated by Moshiach?
Everyone
involved
with
the project ends up coming to
the Chabad House and being
exposed to the idea that the
Rebbe is Moshiach. The project
itself expresses the fact that the
Rebbe is Moshiach and cares
about everyone. Aside from that,
in every one of the boxes we
give out, there is material about
Moshiach and Geula. This is the
best way to reach people. So yes,
the official goal which everybody
can relate to is not about getting
someone to do teshuva but
making sure they have food for
Shabbos, but this is an excellent
medium for bringing out the
good and the G-dly within many
people.
We always write that the goal
in distributing food is to attain
a world without hunger and
without suffering, which is the
world of Geula. The Montreal
Jewish Federation recently began
using the same message.
The Rebbe talks a lot about
the material and spiritual going
hand in hand. We see that
happening. Thousands of people
throughout the year come and
volunteer in the various chesed
projects and they are also
exposed to the spiritual side of
things at the Chabad House
like the minyanim, Chassidishe
farbrengens, and shiurim in
Nigleh and Chassidus. And many
of them are actually drawn to one
spiritual activity or another.
A volunteer once said to me
that he had not entered a shul
in twenty years but after coming
to the Chabad House in order to

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Huge quantities of food products

are distributed to the needy for free

volunteer for the chesed project,

his wall of opposition had been
breached. He saw the beauty in
Judaism and began taking an
interest.
Aside from the chesed work
itself, we arrange special activities
and events for the volunteers and
they get to see the spiritual side
of our work. They understand
that in Judaism we dont talk
about chesed; we do it.

CONNECTING JEWS TO THE

REBBE, FOR THEIR BENEFIT
Mada is so big and so
successful, both materially and
spiritually, that I had to ask:
What is the secret of your
success?
Instead of a direct answer, R
Cohen preferred to tell me how
he started the big chesed project
which has boosted all Mada
activities to an unprecedented
scale and led to his dizzying
success:
It all began when one day,
a young businessman walked
into my office. His investment
firm which handled millions of
dollars was suddenly in trouble.
I explained that the Rebbe is the
Nasi hador and the Rosh Bnei
Yisroel, and everything goes
through him, and suggested that
he write to the Rebbe and ask
for his bracha. He wrote and

opened to an answer in the Igros

Kodesh which said he should
strengthen his bitachon. Since
then, he has written a daily report
to the Rebbe about his situation
and feels that the Rebbe runs his
business.
With success in his business,
he offered to arrange Yom Tov
meals in a few locations around
town which he would pay for.
At first I was nervous about
getting involved, for aside from
the cost, we would also need
many volunteers to organize
these meals. But he urged me to
do it and when we advertised,
we started getting dozens of
volunteers, many of them not yet
religious.
After a number of successful
years, that businessman came to
me and said, We are doing a
good thing and bringing the joy
of the holiday to people. What
about the joy of Shabbos?
I thought he was joking. To
arrange meals every Shabbos is
a never-ending project. We tried
brainstorming together about
how this could be done and
finally came up with an idea. We
decided on Shabbos in a Box,
giving out boxes of Shabbos food
for the needy. When the project
began we saw there was a big
demand for it.
The project expanded and
today, it is huge. In every box

The shul in the new center

there are candles, coins for

tzdaka before lighting, a page
with divrei Torah for the seuda
as well as stories from the parsha
and inyanei Moshiach and
Geula, and of course grape juice,
challos, salads, fish, chicken, etc.
so the box contains a number of
the Rebbes mivtzaim.
And it all began by connecting
this businessman to the Rebbe.
In general, when you connect
someone to the Rebbe and tell
him he can write to the Rebbe
and receive his blessings, you
are also helping him materially.
It makes his material life better
and as a result we see a spiritual
improvement too.

NOBODY CAN OPPOSE

YOU WHEN YOU EXPLAIN
THINGS WELL
At Mada, they publicize not
only the Geula but who the Goel
is, the Rebbe. This is done in
their ads and in the shiurim and
the rest of their activities.
How do you explain this to
mekuravim?
Just as we explain the other
mivtzaim,
tfillin,
mezuzos,
kashrus and family purity. You sit
down and learn about it. When
you learn the kuntres Inyana
shel Toras Hachassidus, where
it explains what the Geula is and
what Moshiachs role is, everyone
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Shlichus
understands that the Rebbe
is Moshiach. Its the natural
outcome.
The gist of it is that the Rebbe
is the Rosh Bnei Yisroel, the
yechida klalis, who unites us
with G-d, and he also reveals the
G-dly light of the Geula. He is
Moshiach.
After years of experience,
I can tell you that with a
good explanation there is no

Of course a bus, he said. What

would you think about someone
who thinks its a truck, I asked
him. He said, he is obviously
not waiting for a bus, for if he
is waiting for a bus, he wouldnt
think its a truck!
The same is true for
anticipating Moshiach. Someone
who is waiting for Moshiach is
constantly looking out for who it
might be. If youre not looking,

To a Lubavitcher Chassid, Zionism is heresy.

In the previous generation, there were great
Chabad Chassidim who were known as Zionists. Did
anyone regard them as heretics? G-d forbid!
opposition. Even those who are
vehemently opposed to the entire
topic of Geula cannot stand up to
clear logic and at most, they can
say: I dont want to argue with
you because I am sure you are
more knowledgeable than me.
Im not going to tell you that
whoever listens is convinced.
There are those who find it hard
to give up assumptions that
theyve had since childhood, but
if they listen to explanations they
can no longer say that we are not
right; they admit there is a kernel
of truth here although it is hard
for them to accept.
I once sat with a Misnaged
who began accusing Chabad of
heresy. I opened the Rambam
and we started learning Hilchos
Melachim where it says that
someone who does not believe in
Moshiach or does not anticipate
his coming, denies the Torah and
Moshe Rabbeinu!
I asked him: If you were
standing at the bus stop in the
middle of the winter when the
temperature here goes down to
minus forty, and you saw lights
in the distance, what would you
think, that its a bus or a truck?

thats an indication that you are

not waiting for Moshiach and
you need to think about whether
you are, G-d forbid, someone the
Rambam describes as denying
the Torah and Moshe Rabbeinu.
When speaking to simpler
people, they dont need to read
the fine print to understand this.
Its enough for them to know
that the Rebbe cares about every
Jew and they can then readily
accept that the Rebbe is the most
suitable person to be Moshiach. I
remember that when R Shlomo
Yosef Zevin heard Chassidim
once talking about the Rebbe
being Moshiach, he said: I
dont know anyone else that is a
suitable candidate!

SOMETIMES YOU NEED TO

EXPLAIN ON THEIR TERMS
How do you continue
to explain that the Rebbe
is Moshiach after Gimmel
Tammuz?
We continue in the same way,
by explaining. Of course, the
work is harder now since there is
more that conceals the truth and
you need even more explanations,

but it is definitely possible.

Since there are a number of
sensitive topics, its a good idea
to tailor the explanation to the
person youre talking to. There
are people whose emuna is
apparent and you can explain to
them that based on the Rebbes
sichos about the eternal life of the
nasi of the seventh generation,
and based on what is explained in
Chassidus that every generation
must have a living nasi, and based
on the Rebbe saying dozens if
not hundreds of times that our
generation is the last of galus
the Rebbe, who is the nasi of
the last generation, continues to
live despite what happened on
Gimmel Tammuz, and therefore,
there is no change in the belief
that the Rebbe is Moshiach.
Other people will find it
hard to accept this belief that
goes against what the eyes can
see. They need to be spoken to
in terms of their own point of
view. In the Gemara we find
many instances in which the
Sages explain things this way
(i.e. that Moshiach is from the
deceased). Although we ourselves
believe that the Rebbe is chai
vkayam, there is no problem
explaining to a person who finds
it hard to believe that the Rebbe
is chai vkayam that the Rebbe
is Moshiach even according to
his belief that Gimmel Tammuz
marks a histalkus.
And what happens when
even after all the explanations
people dont accept it?
You try to explain it better.
And if that doesnt work either,
you need to say Thillim and
daven to Hashem that words
that come from the heart will
enter their heart. That is what the
Rebbe Rayatz said: If you asked
someone to put on tfillin and he
refused, you need to say Thillim
with tears!

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The huge hall at the new center

BEING INVOLVED IN
MOSHIACH AROUSES
PNIMIUS
There are those who claim
that being involved in the
topic of Moshiach encourages
superficiality and does away
with the inner spiritual work
that Chabad Chassidus was
founded on.
Those who are involved in
inyanei Moshiach and Geula
according to the Rebbes sichos,
know that there is nothing more
foolish than this. First of all,
the entire Moshiach campaign
needs to permeate all details of
shlichus, including, of course, the
inner Chabad work. Someone
who wants to follow the Rebbes
instructions must continue the
avoda pnimis and make sure it is
infused with Moshiach.
But it goes beyond that. When
someone is involved in inyanei
Moshiach, the avoda becomes
more pnimiusdik than before.
There used to be two types of
avoda, pnimis and chitzonius.
Today, since the Rebbe told us
to instill Geula within all details
of the avoda of shlichus and in
all details of avodas Hashem,
even that which was considered
avoda chitzonius until then,
became avoda pnimis, for
Moshiach is something pnimi.
And everything permeated by

Moshiach is pnimi!
In the famous sicha of 28
Nissan, the Rebbe cried out
mainly about the inner galus we
are in, an inner galus of avodas
Hashem. So when we want to
fulfill the Rebbes instructions
and do all we can to get out of
galus, that includes going out
of our inner galus. For this, we
must have avoda pnimis!
It is clear that a chayus in
inyanei Moshiach and Geula
only augments avoda pnimis.
Pnimiusdike concepts that were
previously hard to talk about
are accomplished more easily
when presented as part of the
preparing for Geula process.
I see young men today with a
chayus in inyanei Moshiach and
Geula who are to be envied for
their avoda pnimis.
Take for example, the concept
of iskafia. Previously, a Chassid
would do iskafia in order to
break his evil inclination. Today,
I know people who do iskafia in
order to live a Geula reality!
This is based on what the
Rebbe said in the sicha of
Parshas VaYeira 5752: Every
single Jew must yearn greatly for
the revelation of and Hashem
appeared to him, in the true
and complete Geula and do
everything that depends on him
to be worthy of it, by having
every one of his actions done in

R Chaim Shlomo Cohen

at a Chanukas Habayis ceremony

accordance with the state of the

true and complete Geula.
Therefore, not only does
the involvement in Geula not
encourage superficiality, the
opposite is true. The Rebbe took
the innermost point of Chabad
and brought it out. There was
once a huge difference between
a farbrengen for Anash and a
lecture for the public. Today, the
Rebbe tells us to reach every Jew
and show him how this world
is G-dliness, so that he sees the
Geula in everything.

I WILL NOT DENY MY

BELIEF FOR MONEY
You once told Beis Moshiach
in an interview that you lost a
big building because of your
involvement in the Besuras
HaGeula.
Yes, there was a big donor
who came to Mada and began
helping out. At a certain point,
he wanted to donate a large
building for our work but before
doing so, someone spoke to him
against Chabads promulgating
the Besuras HaGeula. He asked
me about it and expected me to
deny it or try to avoid answering,
but I told him straight out that
this is the belief of every Chabad
Chassid and if he is interested
I could sit down with him and
explain it all.

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Shlichus
Well, apparently they had
so poisoned him that he said he
had no doubt that I am more
knowledgeable in this than he,
but he did not want to help
someone who believes the Rebbe
is Moshiach.
What did you do?
What could I do? I believe
that the Rebbe is Moshiach.
Would I deny my belief for
money or a donation, as large as
it might be?!
Do you still experience
obstacles as a result of
publicizing
the
Besuras
HaGeula and the Goel?
Aside from that incident, it
never happened that someone
stopped
supporting
the
Chabad House because of this.
Throughout the years, this was a
one-time occurrence.
People take our Besuras
HaGeula in stride, and even
those who find it annoying dont
express their opposition. Two
years ago we had a story with
someone who made generous
donations and after seeing that
we publicized that the Rebbe is
Moshiach, he told me candidly:
I dont agree with this message,
but I wont stop supporting your
work. Not only didnt he stop his
support, he increased it!
Getting back to what I said
before, most of the complaints
come from ignorance. People
come with complaints but
after learning with them and
giving them the appropriate
explanations, they understand
that we are carrying out the
Torahs approach on the matter.
This is why we need to put
a lot more into explaining. The
Rebbe himself said that he sees
it is hard to instill inyanei Geula,
and the solution is to learn
inyanei Moshiach and Geula.
Naturally, you have to adjust
the shiur to the level of the

audience and as the Rebbe said

at the Kinus HaShluchim 5752,
preparing a city to welcome
Moshiach is by explaining
what Moshiach is about as it
is explained in the Written and
Oral Torah, in such a way that
it will be accepted by everyone
according to his intellect and
understanding. How do you
explain it? The Rebbe goes on
to say, Including and especially
by learning inyanei Moshiach
and Geula, especially in a way of
chochma, bina, and daas.
We
have
an
explicit
instruction to explain and to
teach and how to do it. When
you learn with a new mekurav,
you cant start by explaining
the deep explanations brought
in Chassidus about Moshiach.
You have to tailor the approach
to the person according to his
intellect and understanding.
The level of the material as well
as the explanation has to fit your
intended audience.
Inyanei Geula suit everyone.
The Rebbe said so in a sicha on
Shabbos, Parshas Shoftim 5751.
Our avoda is to tailor inyanei
Geula to everyone; not check to
see whether it suits him, but how
to tailor it to him.

THE SECRET TO UNITY

If you visit the Chabad
community in Montreal and the
dozens of Chabad Houses there,
you cant help but be impressed
by the unity among the shluchim.
Although there are differences of
opinion between the shluchim,
they do joint activities and help
one another. We asked R Cohen:
What is the secret to your
unity?
The question is not what is
the secret of the shluchim in
Montreal. The question needs to
be asked in places where there
isnt achdus! Actually, the lack

of achdus comes from one thing

only, bad middos. When there
are good middos, especially when
were talking about shluchim of
the Rebbe whose job it is to help
every Jew, of course they need
to help another shliach and be
happy for each others success.
There should not be machlokes
because of differences of opinion!
Especially when the reality is
that there is more that unites us
than divides us. Just yesterday
morning I spoke with one of
the shluchim about a plan to
organize a big Hakhel event
together. Since one of the goals
of Hakhel is to unite Jews, we
got to talking about unity among
shluchim. That shliach does not
think as I do about the Besuras
HaGeula but even he said: We
agree on most things and even on
those small details where we have
differences of opinion, they are
not in the category of be killed
and dont transgress. So there is
no logical reason for machlokes.
Ill give you a somewhat
extreme
example.
To
a
Lubavitcher Chassid, Zionism
is heresy. In the previous
generation, there were great
Chabad Chassidim who were
known as Zionists. Did anyone
regard them as heretics? G-d
forbid! We considered them to be
mistaken in this matter but at the
same time, they were Chassidim
who were loyal to the Rebbe and
there were instances in which
they subjugated their views to the
Rebbe with total Chassidic bittul.
Today too, we all believe that
the Rebbe is Moshiach and we
all want the Rebbe to be revealed
immediately and redeem us. Even
if there are differences of opinion
about what to publicize and in
what dosages, ultimately, at the
source, we are united.

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HAKHEL AND KABBALAS

HAMALCHUS
The theme of the Kinus
HaShluchim this year was
Gather the People. What
message do you think the
shluchim need to take to the
people?
Shluchim need to take every
opportunity to fulfill the charge
of Hakhel. And not just special
Hakhel gatherings, but even
the regular Shabbos farbrengen
can be a Hakhel, and when you
emphasize that it is a Hakhel
farbrengen you see that it
generates greater interest on the
part of the participants.
Of course, aside from the
regular farbrengens, we need
special gatherings this year.
At Mada we have a communal
Shabbos every month for the
community. All the families eat
the Shabbos meal together and
weve already seen the great
inspiration this generates. The
first Hakhel seudos we made
were the big seudos we hosted on
Rosh HaShana. In the speeches

A Chof Cheshvan farbrengen at the new center

we emphasized that this is a

Hakhel meal and thousands
of people were exposed to the
concept of Hakhel on the first
day of the year.
Once every two weeks we
have a meeting of all the shluchim
and activists to brainstorm about
interesting and original initiatives
for this Hakhel year, while
emphasizing that Hakhel is about

uniting everyone around the king

and inspiring them to love and
fear of G-d.
This is the same point as
kabbalas hamalchus of Melech
HaMoshiach and theres no
question that upping the Hakhel
events will naturally increase the
work in kabbalas hamalchus
until we accomplish the complete
hisgalus of the Rebbe MHM.

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999_bm_eng2.indd 15
Rabbi Jacob Schwei

FEATURE
They are witnesses to the work of the
Rebbes shluchim; they are aware of the
hardships shluchim endure in far-flung
countries; they are far from home but
feel at home in the Chabad House. In a
special project for the Kinus HaShluchim,
Israeli ambassadors wrote to Beis
Moshiach about their relationship with
the shluchim, about shlichus from their
perspective, about points of overlap and
about collaboration. * Also, what moment
on Yom Kippur moved the ambassador
in Beijing? And what was the surprising
answer the ambassador received from the
Rebbe which astounded the shluchim?
And who discovered he is a descendant of
the Alter Rebbe?
By Oholiov Abutbul and Shneur Chaviv

DANNY AYALON

FORMER AMBASSADOR TO
THE UN AND WASHINGTON

DANNY DANON

AMBASSADOR TO THE UN

MATAN VILNAI

AMBASSADOR TO CHINA

ROBERTO NELKENBAUM

HONORARY CONSUL, BOLIVIA

ELIAV BELOTSERKOVSKY
AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE

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AMBASSADORS TO THE

SALUTE
THE REBBES
SHLUCHIM,

WORLD

THE REAL AMBASSADORS

From the UN in New York to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, from Bolivia in South
America to Kiev in Ukraine, and from Eretz Yisroel to the embassy in Washington,
Israeli ambassadors share their personal impressions of the shlichus revolution.
Issue 999

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Feature

DANNY DANON
AMBASSADOR TO THE UN
My first encounter with
Chabad was in my childhood. I
remember myself as a little boy
going with my parents to hakafot
shniyot in Kfar Chabad. Until
today, I remember the Chassidim
dancing and jumping with joy. I
remember the guests who came
from Holon and Bat Yam and
Rishon LTziyon and from all
over the center of the country,
religious, secular, traditional,
with children on their shoulders
holding flags. Am Yisroel at
its best and it was amazing,
seeing the acceptance, the love
they showered on us without
asking for anything in return
and without judgment. It was an
unforgettable event.
Of course, afterward I met
people from Chabad at many
junctures in my life. When I
was in the Knesset, every year I
was happy to see the delegation
from Chabad who came before
the Jewish holidays. Despite the

caring for all Jews all over the

world, they did not forget us even
in the Knesset in Yerushalayim.
Encounters with Chabad are
always heartwarming. When a
shliach of the Rebbe comes into
the office, it immediately brings
in a different atmosphere that
is felt by the entire staff. I see
the Rebbes shluchim as special
people who act on behalf of the
Jewish people far more than
many institutions of the State.
You give your souls day and night
for every Jew.
As an Israeli citizen, as an
ambassador to the UN, and as
someone who represents Eretz
Yisroel abroad, I consider it very
important to collaborate with
the shluchim around the world.
I can unequivocally state that in
many countries, Chabad Houses
operate just like an agency of
Eretz Yisroel and even beyond
that. They will open their hearts
and their homes and help every
Israeli and Jew in need.
I have had the privilege,
while serving as chairman of the
Aliya, Absorption and Diaspora
Committee in the Knesset, to
plan and arrange the first Kinus
of Chabad shluchim held in the
Knesset. I was amazed by the
uncompromising devotion of the
shluchim. The power with which
the shluchim are able to enlist
all Jews, with no regard for their
opinions and political positions,
around one idea which is: Am
Yisroel Chai, moves me every
time.

Today, after leaving the government, I started

an organization which helps explain the Israeli
perspective to the world. Boruch Hashem, we are very
successful, both in our influence and from a financial
perspective. For me, this is a personal miracle and is
precisely the guidance that I got from the Rebbe.

I wish that we unite as

a nation and continue to
strengthen the bond which is
so vital between all Jews in the
world and the Rebbes legacy.

DANNY AYALON
FORMER AMBASSADOR TO THE
UN AND WASHINGTON
I first met Chabad Chassidim
when I was a member of an
Israeli delegation in the years
1993-1997. Unfortunately, I
did not get to meet the Rebbe,
but throughout my years of
public service I got to meet his
Chassidim and shluchim. I was
captivated from the first moment
I met them, mainly for the
following reasons:
1-To
me,
the
Chabad
movement, aside from chochmabina-daas, is love your fellow
as yourself. Openness and
unity among the Jewish people.
One of the important things
that I learned in Chabad is that
achdus-unity is important, not
achdus-uniformity. Ashkenazim
and Sephardim, secular and
religious, Chassidim and regular
Jews they dont all have to
believe, look alike, or do the
same things. Before Hashem, all
are equal. From their point of
view, all of the Jewish people are
branches of the same tree. That
speaks to me personally. I come

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from a family where my father

is Sephardi and my mother is
Ashkenazi. Unfortunately, there
are people who dont relate to
things this way and are involved
in disputes and divisiveness and it
is quite sad.
2-Chabad is global and helps
Jews all over the world. Wherever
Ive traveled, whether in my
official jobs as Deputy Foreign
Minister and as ambassador
in Washington, and personal
trips, Ive always met Chabad
shluchim. In Tallinn, Estonia, in
Oslo, Norway and even in Puerto
Rico in the Caribbean. This is
unprecedented in the Jewish
world.
One year, I even had the
privilege of attending the Kinus
HaShluchim.
The
feeling
was extraordinary. A feeling
of
tremendous
upliftedness.
The amazing thing is the
transformation of the spiritual
power of the Jewish people into
a physical reality. Thousands of
people who accomplish spiritual
things expressed in a physical and
tangible form. Abstract concepts
like love for the land, love for the
people and the Torah become
a tangible reality when you are
among the shluchim.
Thank G-d, I have also had
a personal miracle with the
Rebbe and perhaps I will use
this opportunity to share it with
your readers. Before the last
elections, I went to my friend,
R Konikov, in Washington. I
davened and had the Shabbos
meals with him and his family (I
am always amazed by his young
children who sing the Shabbos
zmiros so sweetly). On Sunday
we arranged that I would write
to the Rebbe about my future
course in life. It was a few days
before the meeting of the steering
committee of Yisroel Beiteinu.
The stress was enormous since
nobody knew who would get in.

Chassidim sitting next to me

joked, before I wrote, saying,
Dont worry, now that youre
asking the Rebbe, your place on
the list is assured. I smiled and
sat down to write. I did not show
them what I wrote.
A few days later the
committees
decisions
were
publicized and I was not in. This
created a media storm around
me, and my association with the
party came to an end. At this
time, I met with my friends the
Chabadnikim who were around
me when I wrote to the Rebbe. I
saw that they felt uncomfortable
because they had said Id be on
the partys list. I decided to tell
them what I wrote to the Rebbe
that day.
All I asked for, beyond health
and long life for my family and
all Am Yisroel, was one specific
thing: that the Rebbe place me
where he thinks I can be most
helpful to the Jewish people.
When I was informed that
I hadnt made it on the list, I
accepted it calmly because I
understood that that is not where
I needed to be.
Today, after leaving the
government,
I
started
an
organization The Truth about
Israel, which helps explain the
Israeli perspective to the world.
Boruch Hashem, we are very
successful, both in our influence
and from a financial perspective.
For me, this is a personal miracle
and is precisely the guidance that
I got from the Rebbe.
My friends, go on and succeed
and continue to strengthen the
Jewish people wherever they are
and encourage the Jewish people.

MATAN VILNAI
AMBASSADOR TO CHINA
I remember my first encounter
with the Rebbes shluchim in

China, when I arrived in Beijing.

An intense encounter in which
you see the many activities,
the buildings, the developing
community, youngsters who
feel at home, all that made a
tremendous impression on me.
Since then, there are three
events that I havent missed the
past three years. Every year I
am invited to light Chabads
menorah in Beijing. Every year,
on Chanuka, we gather along
with the shliach, R Shimon
Freundlich, and in the cold I light
the menorah. I always tell my
friends that only a Chabadnik can
get a group of secular Jews like
us to stand out in the freezing
cold and light a Menorah, in
China no less.
One of the amazing things
that thrills me every time is the
fact that most of the shluchim I
meet are young. For example,
here in Beijing, the shliach is
exceptional. Despite his young
age, and to me [ed. Vilnai is
71] he is a kid, he is gifted with
unusual leadership skills. He
runs a Chabad House handily
and makes everyone feel that this
is their home.
Whenever I go to the Chabad
House its an unusual experience.
Young men and women, far from
religious observance, come here
and have a house in the true
sense of the word. All this along

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Feature
with outreach to businessmen
and Jews passing through Beijing.
Few settle here, but those who do
find a magnificent community
here.
Throughout the year at the
Israeli embassy we work closely
with the Chabad House. The
rabbi attends every event we
have, on happy occasions and
also on days of commemoration
and mourning. All these activities
have created a wonderful
relationship between us. It can
be with big things and sometimes
even with the smallest things.
For example, when I need to
make a list of all the Israelis in
Beijing, the first place to turn to,
of course, is the Chabad House.
They always have the most
accurate lists, better than what
the embassy has.
Last Yom Kippur, I prayed
at the Chabad House. While
everyone stood and prayed, the
rabbis son went over to him and
began to nudge him, pulling on
his tallis. The rabbi did not ignore
him. He picked him up and gave
him attention while he continued
praying. Why do I tell this to
you? The natural way he did that,
the feeling of family, the calm, the
joy of life which envelops them
along with the involvement in the
Chabad House, is astonishing.
It moved me very much.
To conclude, I will tell you a
secret. I recently discovered that
I am a direct descendant of the
Baal HaTanya, the first Chabad
Rebbe. We have a siddur that
we got from him that has been
passed down in our family. The
last woman in the family who
gave it to us died already and
we did not get to hear from her
the chain of transmission, but
we were given this heirloom to
preserve. So I am a Chabadnik, a
closet Chabadnik.
I wish that you continue to

do your holy work, joyfully and

fearlessly.

MRS. BELAYNESH ZEVADIA

AMBASSADOR TO ETHIOPIA
I became acquainted with
the Chabad movement and their
leader, the Rebbe, years ago
when I was a representative of
the Foreign Ministry in Houston,
Texas. We were in very close
contact with the shluchim there.
We were part of the community
and felt like family. We did the
bris mila of my two sons at the
Chabad House. So when I heard
that Chabad was planning on
including Ethiopia in the Rebbes
shlichus empire by sending a
couple to Addis Ababa, I was the
first to support the idea. I pushed
and helped to make it happen
sooner.
Addis Ababa is not a large
place but many Israelis visit as
well as Jews from all over the
world. The absence of shluchim
was really felt; people would ask
about a shul or about Shabbos
meals and there was nowhere to
send them. There was no central
place in the country to handle
Jewish matters.
Consequently, the work of the
shluchim, Eliyahu and Devora
Leah Chaviv, had an immediate
impact. What they are doing here
is incredible. They work with
businessmen and tourists. Many
Israelis come here to work and
they know to go to the Chabad
House. Every Erev Shabbos
the shluchim come to us, to the
embassy, and to all the places
where Israelis are, and give out
challa for Shabbos. R Eliyahu is
also a shochet and since we keep
kosher, it is only thanks to him
that we can enjoy a meat meal
as we do back home, in Eretz
Yisroel. Aside from that, every
Shabbos meal at the Chabad
House is an extraordinary

experience. We have a terrific

relationship and we are happy
to be part of the Chabad House
family.
The
shlichus
enterprise
that the Rebbe established is
no less than a revolution, a
Jewish, positive revolution that
disseminates light and helps
Israelis and Jews everywhere.
We can see this in developed
countries like the US and
in Europe where Chabad
communities
flourish.
But
the
locations
where
their
contribution is felt more deeply
are those smaller places like
Addis Ababa. Although there is
no big Jewish community here,
and maybe because of that, the
help that Eliyahu and his wife
provide is even more significant.
I often think of the young
couple who left behind a large
family, friends, and a comfortable
life in Eretz Yisroel, and went on
their own to Africa. I cannot help
but be amazed by the Rebbes
vision and spirit that motivates so
many young families to live under
conditions like these just in order
to be there when someone they
never met needs them.

ROBERTO NELKENBAUM
HONORARY CONSUL, BOLIVIA
I am very familiar with the
Chabad House in Bolivia. R

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Itzik and Chaya Kupchik are the

central engine that pulls together
all of Jewish-Israeli life here in
Bolivia. The truth is that to R
Kupchik, shlichus is in his genes
since his family are also shluchim
of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in all
sorts of places in the world. His
parents are shluchim in India and
his brothers are in India too and
in other places.
We are fortunate in that we
have two Chabad Houses here in
Bolivia. One is in Rora Nabaka,
which is in the mountains in
the jungle area. The Chabad
House is not open there all year,
just during the tourist season.
Throughout this time, many
tourists come, including many
Israelis. The Chabad House
provides them with a warm home
and helps them in every which
way, whether by getting them out
of trouble or by providing a nice
meal after a long hike.
And of course we have the
Chabad House in La Paz, where
R Kupchik and his family are.
Their help is tremendous. Among
other things, since Bolivia does
not have an official embassy, just
a small office of a consulate which
I run, we are not always equipped
to help with everything. And so,
we are helped tremendously by
the shluchim when there is a
crisis. And even when there isnt,
they are always there with a big
heart and an open door.
In addition, they are a
tremendous help to us, the local
Jewish community. We are a very
small Jewish community of only
120 families and R Kupchik is
our support. He prays with us,
helps us with minyanim, and
every Erev Shabbos he comes
with delicious challos and gives
them out to all the Jews here.
There are no words to
describe the spiritual revolution
that the Lubavitcher Rebbe

is accomplishing through his

shluchim. I have visited Chabad
Houses in Buenos Aires, Costa
Rica and other places around
the world, and I am always
astounded and speechless when
I see the dedication of the
shluchim.
I wish all the shluchim and
especially my friend, R Kupchik
and his wife, for whom I am sure
it is not easy because its really
not simple living in a place like
this, much success and may you
continue to do only good for the
Jewish people and may you merit
to bring Moshiach soon.

ELIAV BELOTSERKOVSKY
AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE
There is no need to introduce
the
Lubavitcher
Rebbes
revolution in the world. There
is hardly an official Israeli
representative in the world who
doesnt have a connection of
some kind with the shluchim.
There are also shluchim in places
where there is no embassy yet,
and even in countries that do not
have diplomatic ties with Israel.
In my opinion, here in the
former Soviet Union, the impact
of the shluchim on Jewish life
is the greatest, both because of
the number of shluchim and
the resources invested here by
the Chabad movement, and

because of the vital need of the

communities for the services they
receive from the shluchim.
In the Ukraine, the entire
subject of shluchim is very
important from our perspective
at the embassy. The shluchim are
the ones who are in nearly every
corner of the Ukraine, working
with
Jewish
communities,
rebuilding them, developing ties
between the government and the
communities. In addition, the
shluchim are very connected to
Eretz Yisroel and to our work
as ambassadors of Israel. This is
why they are indispensable and we
consider them important partners.
For example, we know that the
minute something happens, like
someone was hurt in Eretz Yisroel
and the parents are in the Ukraine,
or the opposite, when someone
comes for a visit and needs help
in dealing with the government,
local organizations or anything
else, with all this we are helped by
the people in Chabad and we get
an immediate response. Of course
we also try to help the shluchim
in any way we can, whether with
consulate matters and if our
intervention is needed with a
local office or a central office. We
always work with the shluchim in
full cooperation.
On a personal level, we have
a great chemistry and friendship
and even excellent social ties. I
am on good terms with all the
shluchim in the area. I recently
attended the wedding of the
daughter of R Stambler. It was
such a special simcha and we all
felt like one big family.
What amazes me every time in
my encounters and conversations
with shluchim is the sense of
mission, their readiness to travel
and help whoever needs it; its just
fantastic. We at the embassy know
that we always have whom to rely
on and this is so important.

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PROFILE

IMAGE OF AN
OLD-WORLD
CHASSID
The Chassid who did not have sons in the underground network of
Tomchei Tmimim but was one of its biggest fundraisers, as a result of
which he suffered torture in a Russian prison. * About a Chassid bound
heart and soul to three of our Rebbeim. * To mark the day of his passing,
Rosh Chodesh Teves.

R Eliyahu Perr, who was

known as R Eli, was born
around 5640/1880. His father,
R Moshe, counted himself
as a member of the Litvishe
community. He raised his
children in his way, but R Eli
in his youth was attracted to
Chabad and became mekushar to
the Rebbe Rashab.
After
the
Communist
Revolution, when the Tomchei
Tmimim yeshivos wandered
throughout Russia, the yeshivos
began suffering from unbearable
financial woes. Aside from
the government persecution,
fundraising
became
almost
impossible since a Chassid who
donated toward a yeshiva put his
life in danger.
R Eli was a Chassid with
mesirus nefesh and although he
did not have sons who learned
in Tomchei Tmimim, he got

involved in the complicated

and dangerous work of raising
funds for the yeshivos. He
gave out pushkas into which
Chassidim put penny after
penny. The Chassidim helped
the yeshivos with nice sums
despite the prevailing difficult
economic times in the country
and especially among those who
were shomrei Shabbos and so
had a hard time finding work. R
Boruch Shifrin, his son-in-law,
was his right-hand man.
The two of them wrote
coded letters to their fellow
Chassidim throughout Russia
who responded in kind, wanting
to know how and where to
send money. Thanks to these
donations, the yeshiva in his
city of Vitebsk was sustained,
a yeshiva that over the years
became a central yeshiva in
which many talmidim, sons of

Lubavitcher families from all over

the Soviet Union, learned.
There were also students
who were not from Chabad
backgrounds and this was
because the majority of yeshivos
had been shut down and someone
who wanted to learn went to
Tomchei Tmimim. R Elis
home was open to the Tmimim
even though his son-in-law and
family lived with him as well
and he did not have space. He
was so goodhearted that yeshiva
bachurim would sleep in his bed
and on chairs in his house and he
slept on the floor. He made sure
they had not only a place to sleep
but also clothes and food.

TORTURE
In the winter of 5691,
the Yevsektzia discovered the
yeshiva. Fifteen people including

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rabbanim and askanim were

arrested and the talmidim were
expelled from the city.
It was one night in Adar
II when NKVD men banged
at the door of the Perr home.
They entered the house without
permission and conducted a
search. They turned the house
over, moving closets, beds,
and kitchen utensils. They
were looking for incriminating
evidence, something to connect
R Eli to the yeshivos Tomchei
Tmimim. They found what they
were looking for: receipt books,
pushkas and more.
When they finished their
search, they told R Eli he was
under arrest. He emotionally
parted from his wife, daughter
and son-in-law and was roughly
taken out of the house in

handcuffs and brought to the city

jail.
The fear and worry that
prevailed in his home upon
his arrest is indescribable, but
his daughter Sonia (Sarah)
immediately thought ahead.
What if they realize that you
also raise money and they arrest
you? she asked her husband. As
soon as it turned light, the two
of them left the house with their
year old daughter and found
another place to live.
R Elis wife, Henia, was left
home alone and could only wait
and worry. As for the Shifrins,
who sat in their new residence
where they worried lest Boruch
be arrested, their fears were
realized. R Boruch was arrested
at the beginning of Nissan. His
wife and daughter remained

alone.
Five days after his arrest,
R Boruch was taken for
interrogation at the end of
which he was led through the
dark hallways of the prison
until he was brought into a little
room. There, in a corner were
two doors, one door led to the
bathroom and the other door led
to a small cell where there was a
basin of water, some wood and
cleaning supplies. They opened
that door and pushed me in and
closed it behind me. I was in a
cell that was less than eight feet
square, all alone in a new world.
Suddenly, as I sat there for
a few minutes, I heard groans
and a voice saying Thillim. I
immediately
recognized
the
voice as that of my father-inlaws! Until that moment, I knew
nothing about what had become
of him and where he was and
then, there I was, in his presence,
with just a wall separating us,
without either of us being able to
see the other.
Pesach
was
approaching
and the two prisoners were
determined not to eat chametz.
They were well aware of the
significance of this decision. They
knew they were endangering
their lives. In prison they were
given a little bit of bread and
some murky soup and if they did
not eat bread for eight days, their
health would be compromised.
And who knew whether they
would make it through Pesach in
a small filthy room, from which
they were periodically taken and
interrogated and tortured? When
bread appeared on the first day of
Pesach, R Boruch Shifrin heard
his father-in-law through the
wall saying, I dont need bread
because it is Pesach for us now.
The
interrogations
and
torture continued. The cruel
interrogators demanded that

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Profile

With his son-in-law and granddaughters

R Eli tell them which homes

had pushkas and from which
Chassidim he had received
donations to the yeshiva, who
did he answer to, to whom did he
give the money for the yeshiva,
and who ran the yeshiva. R Eli
was not willing to incriminate
others and he suffered for this.
The fifth day of Pesach
was a particularly terrible day.
Soldiers who came to his cell
began beating him. One held his
hands up and the other hit him
mercilessly. That wasnt enough
for them. They took R Boruch
from his cell and brought him to
R Elis cell for him to observe the
horrifying scene.
R Eli was astonished to
suddenly see his son-in-law and
he shouted, Dont go away.
They are literally murdering me!

The soldiers continued to beat

him and when they were done,
they put R Boruch back in his
cell.
In those days, there was no
such thing as a fair trial. A troika
of senior interrogators would
decide on the spot and without
batting an eye who to send to
Siberia for three years, who for
twenty-five, and who would be
killed. R Elis serious crime
got him sent to labor camps in
Siberia.
The night of Shvii shel Pesach
he was taken from his cell and
put on a train that took him to
Siberia. R Eli arrived in Siberia
very weak. He had been tortured,
he hadnt eaten throughout
Pesach, and in Siberia he had to
labor under difficult conditions in
the freezing cold.
Fortunately for him, he came
down with pneumonia a short
while later and was transferred
to a hospital in Vitebsk. He lay
there for six months until he
was released a sick, broken man.
After a while, he moved to the
outskirts of Leningrad.

A DELAYED MEETING WITH

THE PRIME MINISTER
R Eli lived a frugal life since
regular work entailed Shabbos
desecration.
He
supported
himself, barely, by making and
selling socks. It was very hard for
him to live under communist rule
and he wanted to leave the Soviet
Union for Eretz Yisroel.
For three years he worked on
obtaining a visa for a country that
was under British domination
and which made it very hard
for Jews to enter. Aside from a
visa, he also needed permission
from Russia to emigrate. At this
time, the gates were locked and
Jews who wanted to make aliya
were turned down, fired from

their jobs, and were put under

surveillance and persecuted.
R Eli did not despair and
despite the hardships he made a
big effort so that he could leave
Russia and live as a Jew without
fear. He eventually obtained a
visa.
He
wrote
about
his
complicated situation to the
Rebbe Rayatz. He told him he
suffered for three years until he
obtained a passport for a lot of
money and how he needed a visa.
At that time, writing a
letter to the Rebbe who was
living in Otvotzk in Poland was
dangerous. If the government saw
that he had a connection abroad,
especially with the Lubavitcher
Rebbe with his history in Russia,
they would surely disqualify his
passport. This was especially
true when what he wrote shamed
Mother Russia. Nevertheless, he
wrote everything to the Rebbe in
an act of hiskashrus and mesirus
nefesh.
The
letter
reached
its
destination and the Rebbe wrote
a letter to the Chassid, R Zalman
Moshe HaYitzchaki who lived in
Eretz Yisroel and asked him to
help arrange a visa for R Eli. His
efforts were successful and R Eli
made aliya and settled in Tel Aviv.
Making a livelihood was
the first problem he and his
wife had upon arriving in Eretz
Yisroel. They could not find a
way to support themselves. R
Eli wrote to the Rebbe and on
27 Tishrei the Rebbe wrote that
upon arriving in Eretz Yisroel he
should have immediately sought
work and not despair.
His personal hardships did
not stop him from working with
others. He worked to ensure
that the Rebbes instructions
were carried out. The Rebbe
Rayatz instituted the shiurei
Chitas which includes reciting

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Thillim after Shacharis in a daily

schedule. R Eli asked the people
in his shul, Kahal Chassidim,
where he davened, to say Thillim
according to the daily schedule,
together after Shacharis. They
declined, saying they said the
daily Thillim on their own during
the course of the day.
To this, the Rebbe responded
in the same letter, There is a
big difference between saying
Thillim individually and saying
it with the congregation; its
another matter altogether. Try, in
ways of pleasantness, to get them
to say Thillim every day as it is
divided according to the days of
the month after Shacharis and
with the congregation.
After a while, he wrote to the
Rebbe again and reported about
the shiurei Torah and the recital
of Thillim in shul. The Rebbe
responded to this good news on
20 Teves 5704 in two letters, one
to the people who davened at the
shul and the other to R Eli.
R Eli lived in Tel Aviv for a
number of years and was the
Shamash in Kahal Chassidim. In
later years he was the Shamash in
the Chabad shul.

CHANNEL BETWEEN THE

CHASSIDIM AND THE
REBBE
In Eretz Yisroel, R Eli started
spreading the wellsprings.
Since he had no way of obtaining
sichos and maamarim, he wrote
to the Rebbe asking for copies
of sichos and maamarim for the
purpose of distributing them.
On Rosh Chodesh Iyar 1940,
the Rebbe sent him a letter from
Lakewood, New Jersey in which
he informed him that he would be
sent sichos and maamarim. That
same day, the Rebbe wrote to R
Avrohom Pariz who was involved
in printing sichos and maamarim

and told him to send copies to R

Eli Perr.
How does one become
connected to the Rebbe, R Eli
asked. The Rebbe responded
in the famous letter, True
hiskashrus is in learning the
maamarim and kuntreisim, in
farbrengens with Anash, and in
arousing love.
He was not only mekushar
himself but was a conduit
between the Chassidim and the
Rebbe. The relationship between
Russia and the US was bad and
Russian citizens were afraid to
send letters to the US. Letters for
the Rebbe were sent to Chassidim
in Eretz Yisroel, including R Eli,
who passed them along to the
Rebbe. When the answer arrived,
they would find a way of sending
it to the Chassidim in Russia.
When the Rebbe Rayatz
passed away, R Eli became
mekushar to the Rebbe MHM
with whom he corresponded
a lot. In 5712 he wanted to
move and he asked the Rebbe
whether to move to Kfar Chabad,
Yerushalayim or within Tel Aviv.
The Rebbe told him to move to
a place where he would have
parnasa and if there was no
difference, I think Safraya [Kfar
Chabad] would be best. R Eli
moved to Kfar Chabad where he
lived his final years.
The residents of Kfar Chabad
remember R Eli Perr as a special
individual, tall and broad with
a white beard, very impressive
looking. He was the image of a
typical Russian Chassid, say the
elders of the Kfar, who remember
the gemach he ran in which he
made many loans and helped
many families.
R Eli was particular about
every minhag and hiddur and
always immersed in a mikva
before Shacharis. R Avrohom
Meizlich
of
Kfar
Chabad

The Rebbe Rayatz's letter

remembers that one year, after

the Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen
lasted until dawn, he went
together with the mashpia, R
Shlomo Chaim Kesselman, to
the mikva. We were going and
R Eli was coming back already.
This was early in the morning
and R Sholom Chaim said to
him, We are young and so we
are particular to go to the mikva
every day, and R Eli replied,
And we are old and dont know
when we will have to go ... so we
must go to the mikva.
R Eli passed away at the
beginning of Teves 5723.
Tragically, his daughter Sonia
Shifrin passed away of an illness
on 17 Shevat, six weeks after her
father. The house he lived in, in
his final years, was bequeathed
to schools in Kfar Chabad. After
his passing it was sold and the
money was given to the local
schools.
Based on the book Geza Chassidim
by Shneur Zalman Berger

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PROFILE

THE MITZVA
THAT SMASHED
THROUGH THE
IRON CURTAIN
The fascinating story of a refusenik, Boris Levitas, who managed to break
through the Iron Curtain by carrying out an instruction from the Rebbe. *
Part 2 of 2.
THE NOOSE TIGHTENS
One day, Peter came to
my hideout and said that the
refuseniks were having an
important meeting and I had to
attend. We arranged to meet at
the train station. When I arrived
there, I did not see Peter and
instead found his parents. They
told me that in the morning,
policemen came and looked for
me in their apartment so they
could arrest me. In the meantime,
they put Peter under house arrest
and forbade him from leaving the
house.
I decided to leave Kiev
immediately. I entered the train
station and boarded the first
train that left in the direction of
Moscow.
This was not the first time that
I went to Moscow. A few months

earlier, while running from one

hiding place to another, I went
back to the OVIR office in Kiev to
try and get a visa but the officials
there said I would absolutely not
be allowed to leave Russia since
during my time in university
I had taken a military course.
(Thats the way it was done then,
in university you went through a
preliminary military course and
when you were drafted, you were
immediately assigned to the task
you trained for in university.)
To them, the brief course was
enough for them to be able to say
that I knew military secrets and
my leaving for western countries
could endanger the security of
the Soviet Union. When I heard
this direct answer I knew that I
had no chance of obtaining a visa
through OVIR in Kiev.
The Soviet Union was

comprised of fifteen republics and

each republic had its own local
authority, while the government
offices in Moscow had overall
authority. So I decided to go to
Moscow and try my luck at the
federal OVIR offices that could
circumvent the decision made by
the local OVIR in Kiev.

THE FIRST MEETING WITH

ZEV WAGNER
On my first visit to Moscow,
I slept by the refusenik Vladimir
Persin and while I was there, I met
a young man a little older than
me by the name of Zev Wagner.
He came from a religious family
and over the years he became
close to Chabad in Moscow. At
the time, I was progressing in my
observance of mitzvos and even
wore a yarmulke. R Zev asked

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me about the cap on my head

and asked whether I was in the
year of mourning for a family
member.
When I told him that I was
religious, he was surprised. In the
reality of that time, it was very
hard to be religiously observant
and a young religious person was
an anomaly. When he told me
that he was also religious, we hit
it off and over the years became
friends.
Now, with the police after
me and my decision to escape
to Moscow, I went to the home
of Zev Wagner. Although our
acquaintance was all of one
encounter at that time, he invited
me in and let me live in his home
for a few months.
At that time, R Zev got
together some of the refuseniks
whose parents had already left
Russia and called them, aliya
orphans, for the purpose of
making a media splash. In
Moscow there were six young
men in this group and I was
the seventh. We would meet
occasionally and R Zev used
these meetings to learn Chumash
and Shulchan Aruch together.
There, for the first time, I
progressed in my knowledge
of halachos. When we had a
question and did not know the
answer, R Zev would ask R
Shneur Pinsky, an older man
who had learned in Lubavitch.
That is how I met him and his
son Yisroel Pinsky.

ACTOR IN THE FILM A

CALCULATED RISK
One day, I heard that they
were giving out siddurim in the
central shul on Archipova Street,
which a tourist had brought from
Canada. Since I had already
started praying but did not have
my own siddur, I went to the
shul. When I arrived there, I

Boris Levitas

met the gabbai of the shul (who

was appointed by the KGB)
who claimed he had given them
all out. He suggested that I buy
one from him at full price. I had
no choice and paid him what he
wanted.
I left the shul all excited,
holding
my
siddur,
and
encountered the aliya activist,
Natan Sharansky. He knew me,
and since he knew my situation,
he suggested that I take part in
the production of a film about
the lives of refuseniks. You have
nothing to lose, he said. In any
case, you are in jail [in the Soviet
Union] and wont get a visa. At
least help others through this
film.
I agreed and he brought me
over to a car that was parked on
a side street. In the car were the
production men who interviewed
me. Then they managed to
smuggle the recordings out of
the country and make a film that
they called A Calculated Risk.
It generated a media storm in the
western world.

IF YOU DONT MAKE

PROBLEMS FOR US, WE WONT
MAKE PROBLEMS FOR YOU
After a while, my friend Peter
Kriksonov finally got his visa. On

his way to Eretz Yisroel he passed

through Moscow and we met.
He maintained that the constant
running from the KGB would not
help me, for I would certainly not
get a visa that way. He thought I
should return to Kiev and face off
with the KGB there. They might
throw you into jail, or maybe
theyll draft you, but maybe they
will finally give you a visa.
I listened to his advice and
returned to the Gilman family in
Kiev. A short while later I was
told to appear at the OVIR office.
I thought perhaps I would finally
receive a visa and went there
joyfully. Upon arriving there, I
was taken aback to see the KGB
guy who had tried to draft me.
Near the window sat another
man whose face I could not see
well since the sun was behind
him.
The KGB man tried to
intimidate me and said: How
long do you think you can keep
running from me?
I decided not to be overly
impressed by him and replied:
I am surprised at you. You, as
a KGB officer, ought to know
that Soviet law does not forbid
a citizen from requesting to
leave Russia. In fact, whoever
prevents me from leaving Russia
is the one who is violating Soviet
law. Thats illegal and how can a
communist officer like yourself
go against Soviet law? You are
the one who should be answering
me; why are you on the side of
those who break the law?
At this point, the man sitting
near the window turned to the
officer and said he was speaking
nonsense and told him to leave
the room. From the tone of his
voice I realized that he had a
very high position in the KGB
that allowed him to speak so
disdainfully to a KGB official.
Later on I found out that he

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Profile
was the head of the Jewish
department of the KGB in Kiev.
The man introduced himself
as Ernst Nikolayevich Boruchov
and said, Boris, come, sit
down. After I sat down he said
with a smile, I heard youve
become a film actor.
I realized that the storm
created by the film in the west
had angered the KGB and they
wanted to warn me against
participating in similar schemes
again. I said, I wasnt born an
actor; you made me into one.
If you continue, I will become a
writer too
The fellow was very focused
on his goal. He did not react
directly to what I said and merely
said, Listen Boris, we know
precisely where you are 24 hours

my chances of getting a visa in

the near future were dissipating.

THE ASTONISHING
MESSAGE FROM THE REBBE
Throughout that time I was
in touch with my parents. Once
a week, they arranged for a
phone call at the call center and
would send a message to my
grandmother about the upcoming
conversation. My grandmother
would send me a message and at
the appointed time I would show
up at the call center and receive
the call.
In one of those weekly
conversations, my parents told
me that my friend, Zev Wagner,
who left Russia a few months
earlier, had come to their house

I realized that the storm created by the film in the

west had angered the KGB and they wanted to
warn me against participating in similar schemes again.
I said, I wasnt born an actor; you made me into one. If
you continue, I will become a writer too
a day, 365 days a year. You
cannot run away from us. I wont
arrest you now but ask one thing,
dont make us problems. Lets
agree on that if you dont make
us problems, we wont make you
problems either.
He gave me his direct phone
number and said, If someone
tries to make you problems, call
me directly and it will be dealt
with immediately.
I left with mixed feelings.
On the one hand, I knew that
for now, they werent interested
in hurting me. Thats all they
needed, to have one of the actors
in the film being hurt by them and
having western countries making
a big deal about it. They clearly
preferred to keep things quiet.
On the other hand, I knew that

and he wanted to talk to me. I

was happy to hear my friends
voice on the phone but I was very
surprised when he told me he had
met the Lubavitcher Rebbe and in
their meeting, he had asked the
Rebbe for a bracha for me.
After the Rebbe heard my
story, he said to Zev, Tell him to
commit to another mitzva and he
will soon leave Russia.
I had heard about the
Lubavitcher Rebbe while I was
in Moscow and believed that if
the Rebbe gave a blessing that I
would get out, I would get out,
but to merit this blessing, I had to
commit to another mitzva.
I thought, Shabbos is one of
the most important mitzvos in a
Jews life. Until then, I had kept
Shabbos in a general way, but not

with all the details. For example,

I allowed myself to travel on the
trolley on Shabbos thinking that
since the driver was not Jewish,
I did not carry money, and I
sewed my ticket to my coat so I
wouldnt be carrying, I was not
violating Shabbos. In light of the
Rebbes instruction, I decided to
keep Shabbos in all its details and
to stop all my leniencies.

SAVED BECAUSE OF
SHABBOS
After that conversation with
Zev, and my decision to start
keeping Shabbos conscientiously,
things began moving quickly.
Some aliya activists decided
to arrange a symposium in
Moscow about Jewish culture in
the Soviet Union and they asked
whoever could speak or write
to contribute. Although I am
not a writer, for some reason I
decided to write an article about
the centrality of Shabbos and the
shul in Jewish culture.
In a long and reasoned article
I wrote that really you could not
talk about Jewish culture in the
Soviet Union, because Jewish
culture was not to be found in
song, drama or sports. There
might be a Jewish poet but there
was no connection between his
poetry and Jewish culture. The
foundation of Jewish culture is
mitzvos and they find spiritual
expression through the Torah
and tangible physical expression
through the Jewish synagogues
where a significant portion of
the mitzvos are performed. The
synagogue is where a Jew is
born, where he gets married,
and from where he is led to his
final rest when the time comes.
So in the present situation, when
there were hardly any active
synagogues in the Soviet Union,
it was not possible to talk about
Jewish culture.

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If you want to revive Jewish

culture in the Soviet Union,
I wrote, you need to reopen
the synagogues, and around
the shuls they open, Jewish
communities and Jewish culture
can be created anew. However,
under the current circumstances
in which the authorities do not
allow the opening of synagogues,
my suggestion is to start
Shabbos clubs. First, this will
express the fact that the Jewish
day of rest is Saturday and not
on Friday or Sunday. In addition,
when people get together we will
talk about Jewish topics that are
important to all participants. We
will also sing Jewish songs, eat
Jewish foods, and over time, a
Jewish community will form. In
summary, I wrote, come and let
us start a Shabbos club within
every community of Refuseniks
and meet in a different house
every Shabbos.
I showed the article to my
friend Alexander Mizruchin,
a psychiatrist. He liked it very
much and I suggested that the
first gathering meet at his house.
He loved the idea and invited
many young people, including
those who were not refuseniks.
He bought a lot of refreshments
and had me talk about religious
matters. So that Shabbos, not
only did I keep Shabbos properly,
but there was a tremendous
awakening
about
observing
Shabbos.
On Motzaei Shabbos I said to
Mizruchin: Let us sign the article
together and go to Moscow to
give it to those organizing the
symposium. He agreed and we
went together to Moscow where
we gave the material to Vladimir
Persin, the organizer of the
symposium.

A VISA, FINALLY
Only a few hours passed after

R Zev Wagner

Peter Kriksonov

R Boris Levitas with Natan Sharansky, from the film, A Calculated Risk

we brought the article to Moscow

and the KGB broke into Persins
apartment and confiscated all
the material for the symposium.
After not being able to break
the front door, they broke into
the apartment above it and used
ropes to go through the window
of his apartment. They broke
the window and that is how they
got in. The result was that all

the material ended up in KGB

hands including the article we
had submitted just a few hours
earlier.
Apparently, the KGB decided
to fight the symposium in an
original, hush hush way. After
they had the details about
those who were going to speak
or publicize articles at the
symposium, they gave them visas

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Profile

R Moshe Vishedsky at the bris of R Boris Levitas oldest son

After I was fired from my first job, I went to the

Rebbe for dollars and received a bracha from the
Rebbe to find a new job. That day, as soon as I returned
home, I received a phone call with a new job offer.
to get them out of Russia, so
that the symposium, with all the
accompanying media publicity
about religious oppression in
Russia, would be canceled.
So the very day we arrived in
Kiev, Alexander Mizruchin was
called to an immediate meeting
at the OVIR offices where he
received his visa. The next day,
I was called down to OVIR and
I also finally got my visa. Since
the date the visa expired was
after the symposium and the
KGB was afraid lest I remain
for the symposium, they let
me know that if I remained in
Moscow during the symposium,
permission for me to leave would
be immediately canceled.

Later on I found out about

another two refuseniks who
submitted documentary material
for the symposium such as
an article or photographs of
synagogues
throughout
the
Soviet Union, and they also
received visas.
As for me, I saw how the
mitzva of Shabbos, which I
committed to observing properly
because of what the Rebbe said,
was the natural way Hashem
brought about my personal
miracle of salvation.

THE YECHIDUS THAT DID

NOT HAPPEN
While I was in Moscow, when
I learned with Zev Wagners

group, I met R Gershon Ber

Jacobson who came to Moscow
on a journalistic mission. He
told me that when I managed
to get out of Russia and arrived
in New York, he would arrange
a meeting for me with the
Lubavitcher Rebbe.
After I left Russia, the
Jewish organizations in the
US who did a lot to get me
out, arranged a tour for me to
Jewish communities. During the
tour, I met with the member of
Congress, Elliott Levitas, who
did so much on my behalf.
When I arrived in New York,
it was the winter of 5738 and I
called R Jacobson and asked
him to arrange the yechidus
he had promised me. I was
very disappointed when R
Jacobson told me that due to the
heart attack the Rebbe had on
Simchas Torah, I would not be
able to meet with the Rebbe.
I went to Eretz Yisroel
without meeting the Rebbe but
divine providence arranged that
I encounter Chabad through its
sfarim. This is what happened.
Shortly after I arrived in Eretz
Yisroel, I went to Yerushalayim
where I visited a large bookstore.
I took great pleasure in the fact
that I could stand in a store full of
Jewish books. The owner asked
me whether I wanted to buy
anything. Since I had only a little
bit of money on me, I looked for
the smallest book in the store and
bought it. It turns out, I bought a
Tanya. I began to learn the little
book and discovered a big G-d

THAT IS HOW I
DISCOVERED CHABAD
Along with learning Tanya,
I maintained my friendship
with R Wagner who got me
learning the Rebbes sichos and
maamarim. I related very much

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to the teachings of Chassidus

and slowly began to take on
the practices of Chabad until
I became a Chabad Chassid.
When I went to the Rebbe in
Tishrei 5743/1982, I did not
go as a Prisoner of Zion but as
a Lubavitcher Chassid. During
Tishrei I received lekach, kos shel
bracha, and also received a dollar
at the yechidus for guests. This
visit was the final blow to my
becoming a Chabad Chassid.
Before I married I asked
the Rebbe for a bracha for the
shidduch and received a bracha
within the hour. In general,
whenever I submitted a question
to the Rebbe, I received an answer
within hours. After we married,
we moved to the immigrant
hostel in Kfar Chabad where I
joined other new immigrants who
had a shiur in Chassidus with R
Mendel Futerfas and R Moshe
Vishedsky. That is how I merited
to absorb the rich Chassidic way
of life from those two veteran
Chassidim.

THE REBBES SURPRISING

HORAA
I began working in the aircraft
industry in my area of expertise,
engineering strength calculations
for airplane bodies. In 5749 I
got a job offer in Canada. When
I consulted with R Mendel he
was not in favor but he suggested
that I write to the Rebbe. I did so
and received the Rebbes bracha
for the move. But to my surprise,
the Rebbe included an instruction
for me, that I be careful about
observing Shabbos and holidays.
I asked R Mendel what the
Rebbe was referring to when
I was very particular about
observing Shabbos and Yom Tov.
R Mendel said that perhaps in
my new place of work I would be
tested in this area, so the Rebbes
answer was meant to empower

R Boris Levitas receiving a dollar from the Rebbe

SURPRISE IN THE KNESSET

A few days before Boris Levitas received his visa, his leaving Russia
seemed like a far off dream, something for which he would have to fight a
lot more. From the Knesset records we see that on 7 Teves 5737, Knesset
member Geula Cohen submitted her request on this matter to the Foreign
Minister which said as follows:
In light of the case of Boris Levitas, whose cruel treatment at the
hands of the authorities stands out even against the backdrop of the
constant persecutions of the KGB against aliya activists in Russia,
attached is a document sent to me by his parents here in Israel, which
recounts and testifies to the severity of his situation.
I would be grateful if you answer the following for me: A. Is the case
of Boris Levitas being dealt with by your office with necessary urgency
and intensiveness, and is his welfare being carefully observed by the
Israeli authorities? B. Do you have any news for his parents as a result
of steps that were already taken in his case, if such steps were in fact
taken?
Apparently, even the Foreign Minister did not imagine at the time that
the formal request for information was delivered, that Levitas would be
receiving his visa within the next few days. After he was informed about the
latest events, he was happy to respond in writing for the record:
Response of Foreign Minister Y. Alon to the two questions: Boris
Levitas arrived in the country a few weeks ago.
me ahead of time so I would
withstand any test.
Indeed, when I arrived at the
company, I learned that it was
open on Shabbos and holidays
and I had to stand firm about my

right to take off on those days.

After an entire Pesach passed
in which I did not appear at
work, the manager, who was an
Egyptian, called me and said in
amazement that he never saw a

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Profile

CLOSE CONNECTION
WITH THE REBBE

R Boris Levitas receiving a dollar from the Rebbe

religious person who forwent so

many days of work just in order
to observe the commandments of
his religion.

MORE VISA PROBLEMS

Even before I left Eretz Yisroel
for Canada, I saw the power of
the Rebbe. After I arranged a date
when I would leave the country,
I called the army to inform them
of my trip. The clerk I spoke to
wrote on my file that they needed
me in Eretz Yisroel and she asked
that I not be granted permission
to leave.
A few days later, I was told I
had to do reserve duty for a few
days that were scheduled after
my flight. I called to explain that
I could not appear at that time
and would be happy to show up
earlier. But then I found out that
the army was not willing to forgo
my knowledge and they did not
want me to leave the country.
I went to R Shlomo
Maidanchek, the well-known

Chabad askan and told him I

received the Rebbes bracha to
go and asked for his help. At
first he laughed and said, write
a letter with your request and
I will give it to the right person
and it will be taken care of. I
gave him the letter and thought
all was arranged but two days
before I was supposed to leave
for Canada, R Shlomo called
someone in the army and was
taken aback to hear that the army
decided not to allow me to leave.
The person he spoke to said that
on my file it said in big letters:
Prevent this officer from leaving
the country.
Obviously, a Chassid like
R Shlomo would not give up,
and since I received the Rebbes
bracha for the trip, he decided to
go all out to enable me to travel.
He went with me to the General
Staff headquarters and spoke
with whoever he spoke to and
in the end, I got permission to
leave.

When I lived in Canada,

I often traveled to the Rebbe.
Nearly every Motzaei Shabbos
we would drive to Crown
Heights. We davened Shacharis
with the Rebbe and after dollars
were given out for tzdaka, we
drove back to Montreal.
On these visits we received
many brachos from the Rebbe
and saw miracles and wonders
in daily life. For example, after
I was fired from my first job, I
went to the Rebbe for dollars
and received a bracha from the
Rebbe to find a new job. That
day, as soon as I returned home,
I received a phone call with a new
job offer.
After working for several
years in Canada, I had to
establish Canadian citizenship
and the best way to do it was
to have the interview at the
Canadian embassy in Eretz
Yisroel. At first I was nervous
about this because I didnt want
problems with my visa again.
In the end, we decided to make
a stop at the Rebbe and ask for
his bracha. If the Rebbe gave a
bracha, we would be relaxed; and
if he didnt, we wouldnt take the
flight.
After I showed the secretaries
the ticket I had for a flight leaving
in a few hours, I was allowed
to stand first in line. The Rebbe
gave us his bracha for the trip
after which I was confident all
would work out well.
Upon arriving in Eretz
Yisroel, I contacted the army
unit and was told that in order to
receive a visa I had to go to the
General Staff office. I went to the
office and one of the clerks there
immediately approved my request
without noticing the instructions
written on my file.

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HAKHEL & MOSHIACH

CHANUKA,
HAKHEL, &
MOSHIACH
By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon

Dear Readers shyichyu,

A Freilichin Chanuka!
Chanuka has turned into a real
Yom Tov of gatherings. Whether it
is the activities that we do to spread
the light and miracle of Chanuka
with others or with our own family,
it seems that every night we are
attending a different gathering. In
5748 a year of Hakhel the Rebbe
encouraged that we use these times
that we are gathered anyway as
Hakhel gatherings. The Rebbe said
that he would lead this campaign by
example, and therefore the Rebbe
said a sicha every day (after the
lighting of the candles) speaking
about the Torah portion of the day
and the uniqueness of each and
every night of Chanuka.
There was one very general
Hakhel theme that the Rebbe
addressed that year: It has often
been quoted the Pasuk (Dvarim
31:12): Assemble the people, the
men, the women, and the children,
and your stranger in your cities, in
order that they hear, and in order
that they learn and fear the Lord,
your God, and they will observe to
do all the words of this Torah. In
general, we take this to mean that
we have to encourage people to add
in Torah and Mitzvos. The Rebbe
(Toras Menachem 5748 Vol. 2 pg.
99 footnote 22) teaches us, that we
learn from Chanuka an additional
and important aspect: That even if

one is already fulfilling the Mitzvos

it is not sufficient; the Mitzvos
themselves must be infused with
Yiras Shamayim.
In the HaYom Yom (2 Teves)
the Rebbe explains: The campaign
of the Greeks was aimed to make
them forget Your Torah and violate
the decrees of Your will; and as the
Midrash (BReishis Rabba 16) puts
it, (the Greeks demanded) Write...
that you have no share in the G-d
of Israel. It was a war against
G-d. Let them study Torah,
the Greeks implied. Let them
practice the justice-mitzvos and the
testimonial observances. But they
must not mention that the Torah
is G-ds Torah and the mitzvos
are the decrees of His will. Torah
and mitzvos must be severed from
G-dliness. On Chanuka, we need
to use the gatherings that we have to
instill in our families and friends
not just to do Mitzvos, rather to do
Mitzvos for Hashem.
Shabbos Chanuka Parshas
Mikeitz is also very much
connected to Moshiach. The Rebbe
writes (Mikeitz 5751):
As we stand in the days of
Chanukah though a multifaceted
holiday we ought to emphasize
primarily its connection with
Redemption.
This festival was instituted
because of the miracle with the cruse
of oil involved with the kindling of

the menorah in the Beis HaMikdash.

Afterwards,
the
Chashmonaim
dedicated the Temple (They cleared
Your Sanctuary and purified Your
Holy Temple). Mention of the
Temple is an immediate reminder
of the Redemption, and serves to
enhance our anticipation for his
coming every day, the building
and dedication of the third Beis
HaMikdash and the lighting of the
Menorah by Aaron the High Priest,
which will occur with the true
and complete Redemption by our
righteous Moshiach.
...Similarly with respect to
the Torah reading of the Shabbos
of Chanukah. During the Torah
reading, as soon as a Jew hears and
comprehends the word Mikeitz
the End, he exclaims, Aha! This
is an allusion to the end of exile,
referred to as the end of days
Keitz HaYamim [spelled with a
final Mem which connotes the end
of exile], as well as the end of days
Keitz HaYamin [spelled as it is in
the end of the book of Daniel, with
a final nun which connotes] the
deadline for the Redemption!
And afterwards, when one reads
or hears the Haftora which states,
I beheld the Menorah, entirely of
gold, one senses immediately a
reference to the future Redemption!
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 uMoshiach can be
accessed at http://www.ylcrecording.com.

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TZIVOS HASHEM

A KOTZKER

CHANUKA
MIRACLE
By Nechama Bar

It was dark outside. Nobody

was out on the street. All were
asleep. Only the shrieking of the
wind pierced the silence. But
in one building you would not
have known it was nighttime. It
was the shtiebel (beis midrash)
Chassidim
Kotzker
the
of
which was located in the heart
of the forest. The Chassidim
were sitting and farbrenging
deep into the night. They
drank lchaim, sang Chassidic
niggunim, and their faces were
aglow with simcha.
It wasnt an ordinary day
for the Chassidim. Chanuka was
approaching and the next day
they would light the first light
of Chanuka. As they did every
year, the Chassidim traveled
to their Rebbe to celebrate the
holiday in a special atmosphere
of holiness.
with
laden
Tables
refreshments were available to
the dozens of Chassidim and
the great Chassidim among
them shared Chassidic ideas
and words of inspiration and
longing to see the Rebbe.
the
and
broke
Dawn

Chassidim were still going

strong, as though they had
slept through the night.
Chassidim, called out one
of the elders of the group. The
sun is rising; let us go to the
Rebbe. They quickly got ready
for Shacharis which was recited
in an especially elevated and
joyous atmosphere. After that,
they set out on the way with
song and dance.
G-d willing, we will arrive
by this evening to be present
when the Rebbe lights the
menorah, rejoiced one of the
Chassidim.
The wind howled. A storm
threatened, but the Chassidim
paid no attention. They strongly
desired reaching the Rebbe.
They wrapped their coats more
firmly around them, as well as
their scarves, and continued
battling the strong wind as they
walked one step after another.
Just a few hours remained
between them and the Rebbes
beis midrash. But the sky
darkened, the wind picked up
strength, and snowflakes began
to fall, concealing the path and

making walking difficult.

Chassidim, be strong, surely
this is the Satan who wants
to delay us from being with
the Rebbe on Chanuka. Let us
muster our strength and with
Hashems help we will get there
safely, called out Hershel
encouragingly.
They continued walking with
great difficulty but for some
reason, the road did not come
to an end. According to their
calculations, they should have
arrived at the Rebbe already.
A thick forest surrounded them
and the Chassidim realized they
were lost.
us
let
despair,
Dont
in
trust
our
strengthen
Hashem, continued Hershel.

heard
they
Suddenly,
someone shout, Halt!
The Chassidim froze in their
places. A few moments later, a
band of Cossacks on horseback
surrounded them.
Ha, ha, ha, the evil ones
chortled. We have caught a
fat fish this time. Jews! The
Cossacks felt around in the
and
pockets
Chassidims

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leather hat that covered his

knapsacks and took every stooped.
face. He wrapped himself in a
There was silence in the room
penny they could find. They
scarf and went out a back door
then brought them deeper into as the Rebbe walked toward
into the blizzard.
the forest to a place only the the menorah. The Shamash was
The Rebbe had a hard time
lit and the Rebbe said the first
Cossacks knew about.
Rebbe walking through the deep snow,
The Chassidim walked quietly. bracha loudly. Then the
s and but this did not deter him from
Each of them was immersed in said the next two bracho
the first his mission. A few hours of
his thoughts, making a spiritual held the Shamash to
did not exhausting walking passed until
accounting, and praying for a light, but oy, the wick
tion. He
ignite. The Rebbe tried again and he reached his destina
Chanuka miracle.
just
knew
and
again with no success. He sighed entered the forest
The Chassidim were soon led
the
at
d
stoppe
where to go. He
to dark underground cells.
camp
k
Cossac
the
entrance to
We will wait here until the
and stood there fearlessly.
commander comes and decides
The Rebbe gazed at
what to do with you, said
the Cossacks and they
one of the Cossacks as
trembled. They quickly
he whipped one of the
dropped their weapons
Chassidim.
and fled.
Some time went by
Rebbe
The
and the commander
the
ched
approa
appeared. He declared
or,
trapdo
hidden
their sentence, which was
and
it,
lifted
the worst of all, that they be
went down until
hung. The Chassidim began
he was facing
pouring out their hearts in the
the Chassidim.
recital of Thillim and they rent
Rebbe!
the heavens with their tears.
exclaimed
they
At that very same time, in
in disbelief. What
the beis midrash of the Rebbe,
is the Rebbe doing here? How
many Chassidim were standing
did the Rebbe know we were in
there and waiting. The menorah
trouble?
was ready and the first cup was heavily and the Chassidim knew
The Rebbe did not reply. He
filled with oil. The Chassidim something had happened.
just motioned to them to get
waited for the Rebbe to come
extinguished
Rebbe
The
out and go with him to his beis
out of his room and light the the Shamash, looked at the
midrash so they could light the
menorah.
Chassidim, and quickly left the menorah before daylight.
One hour went by and then beis midrash. The Chassidim
You did not wander far,
Menachem looked at one another in shock. A
R
and
another
road to Kotzk is not long,
the
Mendel of Kotzk was still in his commotion erupted until one of
said reassuringly. This
Rebbe
the
room. The Chassidim there were the Chassidim gave a bang and
walk was easier and
the
time,
surprised. Every year, the Rebbe said, It is not time for talking.
time they were at
short
a
within
lights the menorah as early as Let us recite Thillim to avert the
inviting beis
warm,
s
Rebbe
the
possible because the mitzva is so evil decree.
h.
midras
dear to him. Why was he waiting
Books of Thillim were quickly
The Rebbe went over to the
this year?
opened and the Chassidim read
menorah and with a shining face
The clock showed that it chapter after chapter with tears.
he lit the Shamash and this time,
was close to midnight and the
In the meantime, the Rebbe the first light lit immediately.
Chassidim were still waiting. went to his room and changed
The Chassidim burst into a
Suddenly, the door opened and into clothes that were worn in
of Chanuka songs.
the Rebbe came out in a rush. the gentile marketplace. He put joyous singing
Something looked amiss; he on a coarse leather jacket, big
looked sad and he walked a bit boots, a big, hairy coat and a

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