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CONTENTS

8
FEATURED ARTICLES

WEEKLY COLUMNS

DID THE ZIONISTS


CAUSE THE ARREST?

CHAI CLUB:
THE YOUNG
REVOLUTION IN VIENNA

3 Dvar Malchus
24 Bitachon Bytes
35 Tzivos Hashem

Nosson Avraham

DYNAMIC DOER
19 THE
FOR OVER
FORTY YEARS

Nosson Avrohom

BATTLE TO OBTAIN
26 THE
THE KEY TO GEULA
Menachem Ziegelboim

BEIT SHAAN
29 FROM
TO CONEY ISLAND

Shneur Zalman Shmuelevitz

TALK ABOUT
32 FRIENDS
A FELLOW CHASSID

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2016-07-19 12:51:41 PM

DVAR MALCHUS

THE ULTIMATE
RESURRECTION
Moshiach is the one who proclaims the
time of your redemption has arrived, and
this announcement comes from 770. *
Chapter Eight of Rabbi Shloma Majeskis
Likkutei Mekoros (Underlined text is the
compilers emphasis.)

12. [...] Recent world events have


involved the offspring of Yishmoel
(mentioned at the end of this weeks
parsha). In general, our Sages
ascribe significance to kingdoms
[being] in conflict with each other.
Indeed, it is one of the signs of
redemption, as stated in Midrash:
If you see kingdoms in conflict with
each other, look expectantly for the
feet of Moshiach. This is especially
the case regarding the offspring
of Yishmoel, as stated in Yalkut
Shimoni, During the year that
Melech HaMoshiach is revealed
the king of Persia confronts the
Arabian king all the nation are
in an uproar and in a state of crisis.
(At present, the crisis of the nations
of the world is plainly apparent; they
are at a loss as to how to proceed and
brainstorm various approaches, etc.)
At that point, G-d Alm-ghty tells the
Jewish people, My children, do not
fear. All that I have done I have done
only for your sake the time of your
redemptions has arrived. And it
continues: Melech HaMoshiach
stands atop the roof of the Beis
HaMikdash,* and announces to
them, to the Jewish people, saying,
Humble ones, the time of your

redemption has arrived as has


been proclaimed and announced,
particularly of late.
So may it be for us, that all
Jews leave exile, with our youth,
our elderswith our sons and
our daughters, including babies
born (or who will be born) on this
Shabbos (or close to it). All of them
together (including the Jews of all
proceeding generations they shall
get up and sing those who dwell in
the dust**) come (with clouds of
the heavens) to our Holy Land, to
Yerushalayim the Holy City, to the
Temple Mount and the Third Beis
HaMikdash, and we will immediately
merit to hear a new Torah shall
issue forth from Me.
NOTES:
*Footnote 108: To note the diyuk (the
precise terminology employed) in the
Midrash, He stands atop the roof of
the Beis HaMikdash, for the rooftops
were not sanctified (Psachim 85b, end;
Rambam Hilchos Beis HaBechira 6:7).
This detail alludes to the notion that
the proclamation Humble ones, the
time of your redemption has arrived
is issued from the Diaspora, which was
not sanctified with the sanctity of Eretz
Yisroel, reminiscent of the difference

between the roof of the Mikdash and the


inside of the Mikdash itself.
**Footnote 111: To note the aphorism
of the Rebbe Rashab nishmaso Eden
(HaYom Yom 11 Sivan) in explaining the
concept of the resurrection of the dead
in spiritual terms: When the brain, which
is cold (like a corpse), understands and
relates to, and reacts to a G-dly idea
that is the true resurrection of the
dead.*** In light of this we can also
explain the concept of they shall get up
and sing those who dwell in the dust in
terms of spiritual service: The concept of
the resurrection of the dead is achieved
by first being bittul (nullified to G-d) in
a manner that makes a person one who
dwells in the dust (see Sota 5a).
***Note: This chiddush is especially
underscored in the Rebbe [Rashab]
nishmaso Eden (the Rambam of
the teachings of Chassidus), for his
maamarei Chassidus place tremendous
emphasis on the Chabad process of
understanding and the conceptualizing
that takes place within human intellect
(cold intellect). In this vein, he places
great emphasis on this chiddush about
the perception and response to an
intellectual concept being tantamount to
the resurrection of the dead.
(From the address of Shabbos Parshas
Chayei Sara, 22 MarCheshvan; Seifer
HaSichos 5751, pg. 138-9)

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CHABAD HISTORY

DID THE
ZIONISTS CAUSE
THE ARREST?
The Frierdiker Rebbe was released on Yud Bais
Tamuz 5687 (July 12, 1927). In the archives of
the American Joint Distribution Committee
there are interesting documents discussing the
arrest of the Frierdiker Rebbe, and what the
JDC thinks was the cause of his arrest.

he story of the arrest and


liberation of the Frierdiker
Rebbe is well known and
extensively documented.
One of the actions which preceded
his arrest was his public opposition
to the Convention of Rabbis
which was planned in 1927.
This installment will present

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some documents which were


sent by officers in the JDC which
discuss the arrest of the Frierdiker
Rebbe, and the causes behind it,
specifically this convention and the
people behind it.
These fascinating documents
are part of the JDC Archives
(which were digitized and
uploaded online, thanks to a grant
from Dr. Georgette Bennett and
Dr. Leonard Polonsky CBE).

RABBI SCHNEERSON
WAS TRAPPED INTO THE
SITUATION
On July 14, 1927 [14
Tamuz 5687] Dr. Cyrus Adler
(Philadelphia) sends a letter to
Mr. Jacob Billikopf, a member
of the directorate of the UJA
(Federation)
discussing
the
situation of the Frierdiker Rebbe
and his request for more funds for
Jewish work:
I have your letter of July

11th, enclosing the documents


which you received from Rabbi
Shneerson, for which I thank
you. They were very interesting
reading. Doctor Rosen told me
on the telephone the other day
that he had a paper from Rabbi
Shneerson, which he would send
me, but so far I have not received
it.
You must have read in the
newspapers recently that Rabbi
Shneerson was arrested. The
Joint Distribution Committee
received a cablegram from
Rabbi Kook, from Jerusalem,
urging us to aid in his release
and this was promptly done and
he is now free. However, that
fact alone indicates that it is not
possible to push too hard the
Jewish cultural work in Russia,
of course, Rabbi Shneerson was
really trapped into the situation
by some of his Jewish friends.
The Zionists, who always want
conferences, insisted upon a
conference in Leningrad. He was

rather reluctant, but acceded. Of


course, this conference attracted
the attention of the government,
which probably for purposes
of demonstration, found it
necessary to do something.
I wish, of course, that we
might send them more funds,
but how on earth this can be
done, on the present financial
situation of the Joint Distribution
Committee, I do not know. I will
take the matter up with Doctor
Rosen when I have a chance to
talk to him

DID ZIONIST CAUSE


THE ARREST OF THE
FRIERDIKER REBBE?
On September 16, 1927 [19
Elul 5687] Mr. Joseph C. Hyman
(JDC) writes a lengthy letter to
Dr. Cyrus Adler (Philadelphia)
detailing a press conference with
Dr. Joseph Rosen (JDC Russia),
where most of what was said,
was not to be published This
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Chabad history
conference also discussed the
arrest of the Frierdiker Rebbe and
the involvement of the Zionists in
causing this arrest:
I thought you would be
Interested in hearing something
of what took place at the
luncheon conference of the
Yiddish press representatives.
There were twelve representatives
of various Yiddish journals,
including Mr. David Mosessohn,
the editor of the Jewish Tribune,
who sat down with Dr. Rosen.
Dr. Rosen spoke in the
frankest fashion to these men,
and made an excellent impression
on them, I feel. Of course, he
pointed out that he was not to
be quoted, and that necessarily,
a good deal of what he said must
remain within the four walls of
the conference room itself
Dr.
Rosen
then
went
on to speak of the position
of the Lubavitcher Rebbe,
Rabbi Schneerson, and of the
unfortunate differences in the
community which had brought
about Rabbi Schneersons arrest.
He pointed out that very largely
this had been due to violent
partisan differences as to the
proposed religious conference,
between Rabbi Schneersons
adherents on the one hand and
the proponents of the conference
on the other. These differences,
he stated, had permitted certain
leaders who happened to be
Zionists to place the Rabbi in a
position where the government
had to arrest him
Dr. Rosen, In conclusion,
asked those present to regard
his comments and discussion as
confidential.
You will note that I have
marked this letter as confidential
and thought it best to mail it to
your home rather than to your
office.

Mr. Jacob Billikopf

Dr. Cyrus Adler

THE SENSATIONAL
REPORT WITH THE
REAL REASON

The imprisonment of Rabbi


Schneursohn who is held in
high esteem by Russian Jews
and who has never before been
interfered with by the Soviet
authorities during all the years
of the Soviet regime gave room
for much speculation as to
the cause of his arrest and the
sudden decision to release him.
In Chabbad Chassidic circles his
arrest and release are viewed as
an event similar to that which
befell his great grandfather who
was arrested during the regime
of Nicholas I and whose release
is still considered in Chassidic
tradition a miracle.
The
original
report
concerning the Rabbis arrest
stated that the charge against him
concerned his alleged activities to
raise funds for the maintenance
of his Yeshiva, which has been
in existence for a long time with
the Soviet authorities taking no
cognizance of it.
Well informed circles in
Moscow, according to the reports
received here, trace the arrest of
Rabbi Schneursohn to a serious
party conflict within Russian
Jewry and place the responsibility
for the course of the events
upon certain Jewish leaders. The
controversy centered around the

A few days later, on September


21, 1927 [24 Elul 5687] the
Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)
published a Sensational Report
on the arrest and liberation of
the Frierdiker Rebbe, citing well
informed circles in Moscow
connecting the arrest with the
Rabbinic conference:
Revelations concerning the
recent arrest and release of
Rabbi Schneursohn, the famous
Russian Jewish religious leader,
known as the Lubowitscher
Rebbe, and head of the Chassidic
Chabad school, which has
numerous followers throughout
Jewish communities of the
world, were contained in reports
received here from Moscow.
Rabbi
Schneursohn
was
arrested by the Soviet authorities
in the middle of June and was
brought to Moscow where he was
ordered exiled to Kostroma. The
order of exile was then revoked.
After spending a month in prison
he was released the middle of July
and granted permission to leave
Russia, the Latvian government
having permitted him to settle
permanently in Riga.

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proposed conference of Jewish


kehillahs in the Union of Socialist
Soviet Republics, which is to be
held in Leningrad on October
21, with the permission of the
Soviet government, being the
first of its kind to be held since
the establishment of the Soviet
regime.
Permission to hold this
conference was granted by
the government following the
submission of a memorandum
on this question by the leaders of
the Jewish kehillah in Leningrad.
It is stated that although there
was unanimous agreement that
some steps are necessary for
consolidating the Jewish religious
activities in Soviet Russia and
trying to widen their scope as
much as possible, and although
the agenda of the conference was
approved by the government,
Rabbi Schneursohn and the
group of rabbis associated with
him voiced their opposition to
the holding of this conference at
the present time. They contended
that in view of prevailing
conditions it would be impossible
to elect a truly representative
body of Russian Jewry and that
why committee which might
result from this conference would
not be endowed with the power
to carry on the work and have the

Dr. Joseph Rosen

religious authority required.


This
attitude
of
the
Lubowitscher Rebbe called forth
resentment among the initiators
of the Leningrad conference.
To remove his opposition they
decided, it is stated, to discredit
him in the eyes of the Soviet
authorities, an action which
resulted in his arrest.
This charge against the
initiators of the Leningrad
conference could not be verified
for obvious reasons. Rabbi
Schneursohns
release
was
brought about by the intercession
of his friends, the echoes of the
event abroad and the guarantee
of the Jewish community of

Moscow for the Rabbis complete


loyalty. It was stated that Michael
Kalinin, president of the Soviet
Republic, has interested himself
in the case.
This
development
has
made uncertain the fate of the
Leningrad kehillahs conference.
There is no definite knowledge as
to whether or not it will convene
on October 21. The reports add
that the resentment against the
action of the conference initiators
is so strong among religious Jews
that it is planned by even those
communities which originally
intended to send representatives,
to boycott the conference.
According to the original
plan 110 kehillahs throughout
the Union of Socialist Soviet
Republics were to send 179
delegates. The agenda included
questions pertaining to the
establishment of Mikvehs, ritual
baths; the founding of Yeshivas
and maintenance for rabbis
and synagogue officials. The
conference was also to consider
the question of the Chedarim,
the Jewish religious schools;
the printing of religious books
and the problem of Sabbath
observance. It was also to
consider a plan to create a Union
of Kehillahs in Soviet Russia.

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SHLICHUS PROFILE

CHAI CLUB:
THE YOUNG
REVOLUTION IN
VIENNA
After his year on kvutza, Rabbi Shneur Zalman
Raskin planned to travel to Florida to learn
in the local smicha program. However, Divine
Providence brought him on shlichus to Vienna,
Austria, where he established the Chai Club
organization for young people on the Beis
HaLevi campus. Rabbi Raskin tells about the
difficulties in adapting during the early years, the
truism he heard from his father that helped him
deal with the situation, and a series of miraculous
occurrences in raising funds for his activities.
In a fascinating interview with Beis Moshiach,
he discusses some original ideas for instilling
Chassidic teachings in the hearts of young Jews,
the tremendous spiritual influence from visits
to 770, and spreading the announcement of the
Redemption throughout the City of Music.
By Nosson Avraham
Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

his past Adar Sheni,


the
shliach
Rabbi
Shneur Zalman Raskin
organized a successful
Shabbaton for Jewish teenagers.
Its been more than a decade since
a wide range of activities began for
young people in Vienna, Austria,
sponsored by the Chai Club
organization, and the Shabbaton
is just one of a long chain of
programs conducted throughout
the year. A Shabbaton like this
costs a lot to organize, and I raised
the entire amount with a great
deal of sweat and toil. We made
certain to provide plenty of good
stuff from the material side. On
the spiritual side, Rabbi Shlomo
Raskin from Frankfurt, Germany
gave an inspiring lecture to the
participants about the tremendous
importance of observing kashrus.
After that Shabbos, Rabbi
Raskin was feeling a bit low. The
expenses had been rather high
for that event, and he thought
in his heart that they might not
have been justified. Although he

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had heard from the participants


how much they enjoyed the
learning program, he still felt that
it represented a lost opportunity.
Later, in the middle of a visit
to the local kosher supermarket,
I met a young man who had
participated in the Shabbaton.
Since he lived with his parents
on the citys outskirts, I was
very surprised to see him. When
he saw me, his face lit up.
Thank you for the Shabbaton
you organized. I enjoyed it very
much, he said. I assumed that he
was finished, but he wasnt. He
told me that just a few minutes
earlier he had bought challos
from the kosher bakery. In
addition, during the past week,
he had been stringently putting
on tfillin and eating only kosher
food. He then added that he was
also planning to keep Shabbos
and take part in the minyanim
at the shul near his house. This
whole spiritual arousal came
as a result of that Shabbaton.
The feeling of a lost opportunity
disappeared in an instant. I now

realized that this young man


creating a complete revolution in
his life had made all the expenses
from that Shabbaton worth the
investment.
Chai Club, the organization
headed by Rabbi Raskin, is a
success story by any measure.
Anyone familiar with his activities
on behalf of Jewish youth is
amazed by the thought and
planning that goes into them
and the resulting achievements.
Yet, Rabbi Raskin spoke with
us openly and wasnt afraid to
mention some of his failures
and the many difficulties he
encountered in establishing this
flourishing array of activities. In
this way, he hopes to help other
shluchim who work with young
people.

YOU ARE THE DOCTOR


IN THE REBBES
EMERGENCY ROOM
These activities began about
eleven years ago with the arrival
of Rabbi Raskin on shlichus in

Vienna after his kvutza year. At


the time, I thought that I would
be traveling to learn in the smicha
program in Florida, and all the
arrangements had already been
made. Then, I heard that two of
my former classmates were flying
to Vienna. They were looking for
a third person to join them on this
shlichus to serve as melamdim
in a cheider to be opened later
that year for children in the local
Bucharian community. After
receiving the Rebbes bracha,
I changed my plans and joined
them. After working as a teacher
for about a year, I returned home
to Eretz Yisroel and became a
chassan.
Before his return flight,
Rabbi Raskin was called in by
Beis HaLevi Chabad directors
Rabbi Pinchas Gadilov and Rabbi
Yaakov Ostonizov, and they asked
him to come back to Vienna and
establish a program of youth
activities for the Beis HaLevi
Chabad campus, under the
auspices of the Rebbes shliach in
Vienna, Rabbi Yaakov Biderman.

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SHLICHUS PROFILE

With young Jews at the Western Wall in Yerushalayim

In New York en route to Beis Chayeinu

Six months after their


wedding, the Raskins returned to
Vienna and started their activities
with local Jewish youngsters,
primarily among the Bucharian
community.
The
difficulties
during the first two years were
mainly psychological in nature.
One of the biggest problems
was the language barrier. Rabbi
Raskin speaks Hebrew, while
most of the young people spoke
German. Another complication
centered on the problem of tznius,
due in large measure to ignorance
and a lack of knowledge. Even
the manner of conduct was quite

foreign to the young couple. As


someone educated in a Chabad
community, Rabbi Raskin had
a hard time dealing with these
problems. The person who gave
me a great deal of encouragement
was my father, Rabbi Shlomo
Raskin, director of Beis Chana
in Tzfas. He told me something
that has remained emblazoned
in my memory: You are a doctor
in the Rebbes emergency room.
These young Jewish boys and
girls are coming to you, and your
job is to stabilize their condition
and send them to appropriate
learning programs.

After a year of fine-tuning


their outreach work, the activities
became
firmly
established.
Every Shabbos we had an
Oneg Shabbos with about
eighty youngsters divided into
five groups. I led the older
group and I would tell stories
about the tremendous selfsacrifice of Chassidim behind
the Iron Curtain. These stories
have a powerful influence. They
imbue the kids with a great deal
of Jewish pride and help them
develop a deep sense of Jewish
identity.
On Sundays we work with
another group of young people,
age thirteen to seventeen. Each
meeting lasts for four hours.
Besides the standard activities,
there are also some big events,
such as Shabbatons and trips to
other countries. We have already
been to Venice, Amsterdam,
Budapest,
and
even
New
York City. Each of these trips
provides an opportunity for
young people to meet peers from
other locations throughout the
world in Chabad club programs.
They require a great deal of
preparation, both in spiritual and
material terms.

EXPERIMENTAL ACTIVITIES
Rabbi
Raskin
invests
considerable effort into the
content of these meetings and
activities. Children and other
young people look upon this
club as an open environment
where they can sit, talk, and
meet together. Torah classes
and special workshops based
on important Jewish themes
are held on the premises. Rabbi
Raskin invests much energy in
their preparation. For example,
during a recent shiur, he wanted
to teach the attendees about the
prohibition against stealing. I
wanted to teach them the Rebbes

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sicha about how even if this is a


mitzvah understood by human
intellect, we observe it because
it is G-ds Will. I surprised the
students by opening with a
question: Any of you who have
stolen something once raise
your hand. Naturally, everyone
was quiet and somewhat
perplexed. I then asked: Anyone
here ever thought of stealing?
Again, no one said a word. Then,
I showed them a test film made
in a park in the United States.
A Caucasian actor stood there
and tried to steal a bicycle.
People passed by and saw that
he was trying to steal, but they
ignored him. Out of two hundred
passersby, only one called the
police. Afterward, they replaced
the actor with someone darkskinned trying to steal the bicycle,
and the local police station was
swamped with phone calls.
Finally, the potential thief was
portrayed by a young woman. In
this case, not only didnt people
call the police, they even stopped
others to help the woman try and
steal the bicycle...
Afterward,
we
held
a
discussion on the film. I
explained to them that when we
rely merely upon human intellect,
the intellect can come up with
all kinds of explanations why it
would be correct and appropriate
to steal in certain circumstances.
Therefore, it is imperative that
we fulfill the mitzvos because of
G-ds unchanging command.
We design all our activities
and Torah classes with a handson approach. Only recently, we
played a game on our mobile
phones. We divided everyone into
groups and asked them to use
their devices to take pictures of
various concepts in Judaism, and
the first one to come back with
a certain number of pictures
wins.

Young people looking for kosher items in the local supermarket

Baking matzos

Heres another example:


To instill the subject of kashrus
in more practical terms, we
went to the local (non-kosher)
supermarket.
Dividing
into
groups, each participant was
given a list of grocery items and
told to buy only kosher products.
Each group had to look carefully
at the regularly updated local
kashrus guide to know which
items are kosher. The group
that properly completed the task
first, i.e., all the grocery items
are kosher, received a basket
of kosher lmehadrin candies.
This activity teaches the young
people to recognize that there
are numerous kosher products

at their local neighborhood


store that they can buy, thereby
enabling them to fulfill the
mitzvah of kashrus with little
effort or hesitation.
Rabbi Raskin tells how
according to this approach, the
positive influence upon young
people is far more intense than
when he speaks to children in
a classroom environment. In
recent years, I have benefited
from the assistance of a dedicated
staff of counselors in addition
to program alumni from nonreligious backgrounds. Once, at
the end of one of our activities, I
offered all the children some high-

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SHLICHUS PROFILE

THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF BEIS CHAYEINU


According to Rabbi Raskin, a period of eleven
years on shlichus gives you the opportunity to see the
fruits of your labors. Seven years ago, during the
previous Hakhel year, I, along with my fellow shluchim
Rabbi Binyomin Sufiev and Rabbi Yisroel Netanelov,
organized a delegation of four young men for a trip
to Beis Chayeinu. They paid a token fee for their
participation, while I covered the remaining cost for
the tickets and all other accompanying expenses, which
were quite substantial. Two of these boys were a bit
more spiritual in nature, while the other two were your
typical youngsters.
Together with the detailed organization of all the
material needs food, lodging, etc., we also made
certain to tend to the spiritual side meetings with
mashpiim and rabbanim, visits to the Chabad library
and the broadcast center, and of course, the various
wings inside the Lubavitch World Headquarters.
When we walked through the main
entrance of 770 Eastern Parkway, all
four young men were very excited.
They had never seen such a sight
hundreds of Tmimim and avreichim
sitting and learning Torah. For them,
it was a scene out of another century.
At the minyanim and the farbrengens that
followed, they were even more inspired and we
felt that we were on the right track.
Thus, I was quite unprepared when two of them
informed me that their cousin from Queens was
waiting for them outside 770, and they planned to join
him for a visit at his home. There wasnt much that I
could say, as he was already outside ready to drive off
with them. They went to his house and only rejoined
the group just before Shabbos. As one might expect,
Shabbos in 770 was a day of tremendous spiritual
elevation and exhilaration for all of us; the davening and
the farbrengens left a powerful impression upon them.
The boys were quite thrilled and could not conceal their
emotion. So I was rather surprised when as soon as
Shabbos was over, these same two boys said that their
cousin in Queens had again invited them to his house.
I reminded them that we had come to the Rebbe,
not for a visit to extended family, and this is the reason
why I agreed to pay for the trip. We prepared a very
detailed program that you agreed to participate in; all
these family visits can wait until right before our return
to Vienna. While I was upset, these boys were about
nineteen years old and I really didnt have the authority
to stop them, and they left.

A few minutes later, the weekly video of the Rebbe


appeared on the screen, including a sicha on Parshas
Korach. The Rebbe told the story about the staff of
Aharon HaKohen sprouting almonds while the other
staffs, which had also entered Kodesh HaKodashim,
came out just as they went in. The Rebbe asked: Did
the other staffs leave Kodesh HaKodashim the same
way they entered? Absolutely not. A staff that entered
Kodesh HaKodashim cannot go out in the same
condition, even if it outwardly appears untouched and
in one piece.
I thought to myself that this applied to those two
teenagers. I was quite certain that the trip to 770 wasnt
for naught. After all, the Rebbe declared that anyone
who comes to 770, even if it outwardly appears that it
had no effect upon him, the effect is undeniably there
when he leaves. The Rebbes words altered my whole
approach. These youngsters had been with us for several
days in 770, participated in farbrengens,
learned sichos and maamarim: How could
one possibly think that their trip had
been for naught?
This is the first part of the story, a
source of blessing in its own right. By
Divine Providence, three months ago, I
bore witness to the next chapter...
Six months ago we founded an evening kollel
in Vienna. The funding comes from Keren Meromim,
operated by shluchim Rabbi Bentzion Lipsker and Rabbi
Moshe Weber from S. Petersburg, Russia. They initiated
a kollel network that has created a tremendous Torah
revolution at numerous Chabad Houses, particularly in
Russia, the Ukraine, and numerous cities throughout
Europe. Dozens of young people gather for an hour of
Torah study on a different subject each night: Shulchan
Aruch, Mishna, Gemara, Chassidus, and the Rebbes
sichos. The more outstanding participants receive a
stipend.
One night, two young Jewish men came into the
office of the director, Rabbi Pinni Gadilov, and asked if
they could register with the kollel. These were the same
two who had joined me as teenagers on that trip to 770.
I was simply overjoyed. While they had been raised in
a traditional environment, in the meantime, they had
established proper Torah observant homes, their small
children receive their education in Chabad institutions,
and now they wanted to set time for Torah study in both
Nigleh and Chassidus. Its a fact: Anyone who goes
into 770 doesnt leave without the visit having some
influence upon him...

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quality chocolate, and everyone


took some except for one girl
who really was a big chocolate
lover. As a result of your Torah
classes, she explained, I have
been very stringent in recent
months in eating only kosher
food. I also make certain to wait
between eating meat and dairy,
and I ate meat only a short while
ago...

PURIM AND CHANUKAH


MIRACLES IN VIENNA
Rabbi
Raskins
activities
are characterized by a mind-set
of lchatchilla aribber. While
there is order and organization,
nevertheless, the lack of a
sufficient budget in advance can
diminish the originally scheduled
program. A few years ago, not
long before the Purim holiday,
I sat down to prepare a festive
program for the young people
with whom we work. The
proprietors and business owners
who support our activities were
most helpful in providing the
necessary funds we needed to
finance this event.
Then, about a week before
Purim, I was facing a serious
budgetary crisis and I didnt
have money to buy some elegant
mishloach manos sets for my
leading supporters. In addition,
I had planned to rent a car to
go from business to business
twenty places in all, and it
would be extremely difficult to
make these rounds via public
transportation while carrying
these packages.
On Taanis Ester, I still didnt
know what I would do. I had no
money. On Purim morning, I ran
to the Chabad shul for Shacharis
and the Megilla reading. From
there, I planned to return home
for the rest of the days activities.
However, I didnt feel right about
it. While it was clear to me that

I would be traveling to each


location and reading the Megilla
before the businessmen, as I did
each year, I didnt have the heart
to go without any mishloach
manos for them. These are people
who had given me considerable
donations throughout the year.
While I was in shul, I spoke
about this problem to a friend
whom I knew could not help me
financially, but he was a good
listener.
As I was talking to him, his
mobile phone rang. After he
spoke with the person on the line
for several minutes, he handed
me the phone. After speaking
for a few minutes, I wasnt sure
if I was dreaming or if this was
real. I had just spoken with a
young, single, affluent Jew, who
had bought a large quantity of
expensive mishloach manos sets
that he had planned to give out
to his close friends. The problem
was that while he had already
distributed mishloach manos to
everyone on his list, he was still
left with several dozen sets and
he didnt know what to do with
them. When I told him about
my situation, he gladly agreed to
give them to me. And how will
you carry them all? he asked
me. I mumbled that I would
try and see if I could borrow a
car from one of my friends. He
then suggested that he drive me
around on my mivtzaim route. It
was simply unbelievable: G-d had
miraculously arranged for me
both the mishloach manos sets I
needed and a car with a driver to
boot. More than that, I couldnt
possibly have imagined.
A short while later, he picked
me up from my house and was a
great help that day. This young
man, who was not a Lubavitcher
Chassid, saw for the first time in
his life how a shliach of the Rebbe
operates during the actionpacked Purim holiday, and he

was very impressed.


Divine Providence reveals
itself every step of the way,
Rabbi Raskin says, and he chose
to share another amazing holiday
story with us this time from
Chanukah.
Chanukah is a holiday
with a lot of expenses eight
days long, not just one and
we work each day to spread the
holidays message. One year, I
had specifically prepared a large
sum of money for this purpose,
however, the activities were
considerable and the funds ran
out in the middle of the holiday.
While I was certain that some
donors would come through
and help cover the expenses for
these and other programs, my
expectations were quickly proven
to be unrealistic.
One night during the
Chanukah holiday, as the
expenses ballooned to several
hundred Euros and I didnt
know from where my help will
come, I asked G-d to come to
my salvation. That night, I was

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SHLICHUS PROFILE

THE CLIP THAT PRODUCED GREATER ACTIVITY


In recent years, Rabbi
Raskin
has
produced
a monthly video clip
summarizing
the
organizations
programs.
This is an excellent tool
that I would recommend
to any beginning shliach,
explained Rabbi Raskin.
Its
like
an
activity
report in video format for
distribution among our
friends and supporters.
The youngsters themselves
are very enthusiastic about this, and this gave me
an extra incentive to plan more activities with even
greater diligence. We invested much time and effort in
creating programs with inviting educational messages,
publicizing the events well in advance and encouraging
local young people to participate.
Rabbi Raskin speaks openly about the main
motivator in filming the activities and producing the
video clips. About two years after he began working on
these outreach programs, he felt that things were in a
state of decline, as many of the youngsters had stopped
coming. There were major activities requiring much
effort, yet only two children showed up. I remember
one such program when I spent considerable time
on my way back from a full day
of activities among the local
businessmen. I was sitting very
late at night in my car at a traffic
light, and I simply raised my eyes
Heavenward and pleaded for His
help in providing the money I
needed to continue my activities
and cover the expenses. Finally,
I arrived home to light my own
menorah.
After sitting for an hour near
the candles, I received a phone
call from New York. On the line
was the director of CTeen, the
Chabad Teen Network, which
assists shluchim who work
with young people. His office
produces educational workbooks
and other learning aids, and I
buy many of them throughout the
year. I was certain that he wanted

preparing, but not a single


person came. The feeling
of failure and wasted
energy ran very deep,
especially after I had been
accustomed to programs
with dozens, even hundreds
of participants.
The problem at hand
plagued him for days on
end, until he discovered a
clip produced by the shliach
at the local university, Rabbi
Shaya Boas, summarizing
his activities with the student body. Rabbi Raskin
immediately decided to copy the idea. I hired a
photographer, and then proceeded to compile a
fascinating and enjoyable video program. I worked
very hard to publicize our activities among young
people, emphasizing that they would appear in the
film. Ten people showed up for our next activity, and
even more for the one that followed. Today, that slow
period is behind us boruch Hashem, and now several
dozen youngsters participate in every program. These
video clips make the rounds among the youngsters and
they provide the best publicity we ever had. While they
come at a sizable expense, the results absolutely justify
the cost.

to interest me in one of his new


products. Imagine how surprised
I was when he told me that his
offices had arranged a Chanukah
raffle among all their customers,
including shluchim from all over
the world who work with young
people and we had won a cash
prize of one thousand dollars. His
only request was that I give him
the details of my bank account to
arrange a direct deposit...
At the Chai Club, how
do you implement the Rebbes
teachings
on
spreading
the announcement of the
Redemption?
Even before we start talking
about Moshiach, we first have to
tell the kids on whose shlichus
we are working. They and their
parents are quite aware of the

fact that we are Chassidim of the


Rebbe. Each year, we organize
group trips to Beis Chayeinu.
Before every trip I make to
Crown Heights, we suggest that
our young people write letters,
which we take with us to the
Rebbe.
We
then
follow
this
suggestion with a discussion on
the subject of Moshiach, making
the listener a potential vessel to
accept the underlying message.
On numerous occasions, I
expand on the subject by eliciting
a few vital questions: When will
it be? How will it happen? How
is all this connected to us? And
then, we tell them about our
strength, even the childrens, in
performing good deeds to hasten
the Redemption.

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PARSHA THOUGHT

THE BEST
THERAPY FOR
JEALOUSY
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

COVETING WEALTH
Balak, the Moabite king, hired
Bilam, the Heathen prophet,
to curse the Jewish people.
Balak sent messengers to Bilam,
promising him great honor and
everything he would care to ask
for. Bilam replied:
If Balak will give me his
houseful of silver and gold, I
cannot transgress the word of
G-d...
Rashi observes that speaking
of a houseful of silver and gold
exposed Bilams greed. In Rashis
words: He had a greedy soul
and coveted others money.

WHATS THE DIFFERENCE?


A question is raised when
we contrast Bilams mention
of gold and silver with that of a
great Talmudic Sage, Rabbi Yossi
ben Kisma, who made a similar
reference to gold and silver.
There is no suggestion, however,
that Rabbi Yossi coveted gold and
silver too.
In Ethics of the Fathers (6:9)
we read:
Said Rabbi Yossi the son of
Kisma: Once, I was traveling
and I encountered a man Said
he to me: Rabbi, where are you

from? Said I to him: From a


great city of sages and scholars,
am I. Said he to me: Rabbi,
would you like to dwell with us
in our place? I will give you a
million dinars of gold, precious
stones and pearls. Said I to him:
If you were to give me all the
silver, gold, precious stones and
pearls in the world, I would not
dwell anywhere but in a place of
Torah...
What
was
the
crucial
difference
between
Bilams
mention of gold and silver and
what the great sage Rabbi Yossi
said? They both mentioned
gold and silver and they both
spurned the offer of wealth and
riches to follow G-ds will. Yet
Bilams mere mention of it was
interpreted by our sages as a sign
of his incredible greed, whereas
Rabbi Yossi was understood
as repudiating riches. Why do
our sages draw such opposite
conclusions from almost identical
statements?
In an earlier essay (published
in the book Light from the
Future p. 261) we cited four
different answers. In this essay
we will focus on a fifth approach
(based on a brief treatment of
this subject in the work Minchas
Marcheshes), which has a

direct bearing on the way our


personality flaws will be corrected
in the Messianic Age and how we
can prepare for that age now.

WHOSE GOLD DID HE


COVET?
Bilam referred specifically to
the silver and gold of Balak, as
the verse states: If Balak will
give me his houseful of silver
and gold, I cannot transgress
the word of G-d, my G-d, to
do anything small or great.
Rabbi Yossi, by contrast, said:
If you were to give me all the
silver, gold, precious stones and
pearls in the world, I would not
dwell anywhere but in a place
of Torah. Note that he doesnt
respond to his interlocutor by
saying, If you were to give me all
your silver, gold, precious stones
and pearls
The
difference
between
mentioning a specific persons
wealth and wealth generically is
significant. A careful examination
of Rashi supports this distinction:
He had a greedy soul and
coveted others money. Rashi
does not say, He had a greedy
soul and coveted money, but
rather others money. Bilam
was not simply hungry to amass

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PARSHA THOUGHT
great wealth; he sought the
wealth of others. In this case he
coveted Balaks wealth precisely
because it belonged to Balak.

JEALOUSY: INNATE HUMAN


WEAKNESS
This is a reflection of a human
weakness that we have from the
time of infancy. People with very
little can still be happy because
they are content with what they
have. But as soon as they see
someone who has more, they

serpent), even before Adam and


Eve partook of the forbidden
fruit, was the serpents desire for
something that wasnt his. And
it was this destructive vice that
was introduced to and instilled in
humanity.
A story is told of a man who
lost a monetary dispute he had
with another and directed his
anger at the rabbi who rendered
the decision. The rabbi was
puzzled by this mans reaction.
Some time previously the rabbi
had ruled that a cow the same

While it is true that jealousy will only be erased


in the more advanced stages of the Messianic
Age, nevertheless, there are ways of tempering it even
now. When a person is engaged in the higher form of
conquest and seeks to spread the awareness of G-d to
the entire world, that individual will have channeled the
innate need for conquest in a positive fashion.

suddenly decide that they have


been dealt a raw deal; they were
cheated. And in many instances
this feeling of having been
wronged will lead to hatred and
even violence.
In truth, this human failure
goes even deeper and was
implanted in us from the days
of Cain and Abel. These two
primeval brothers couldnt get
along because the world was not
big enough for both of them.
Jealousy seems to have been
embedded in our psyches from
the very dawn of humanity.
Indeed, our sages (see Rashi on
BReishis 3:15) tell us that the
serpents motivation in getting
Adam to partake of the forbidden
fruit was that he should die,
allowing the serpent to have Eve
to himself!
In other words, the very first
act of evil (represented by the

man had purchased was not


kosher. Despite the far greater
financial loss caused by the
ruling, the man accepted it
without complaint.
The mans response was:
When I lost the cow as a result
of your ruling it was no one elses
gain. But in this case, my loss is
the others gain; that I cannot
tolerate.
It is no wonder that the
commandment to not covet
anothers property is mentioned
last in the Ten Commandments
(more
accurately:
Ten
Statements). The impulse to
covet is the most difficult to
eradicate. While we can see how
it is possible for a person to
desist from all the other crimes
which are based on behavior,
it is difficult for us to see how
the feelings of jealousy can be

suppressed. And as long as these


feelings are there it will inevitably
lead to the commission of other
crimes.

ROOT CAUSE OF JEALOUSY


Why do we harbor jealousy?
Why are we not content with
what we have? Why does another
persons existence and success
bother us?
There
may
be
several
explanations
for
this
phenomenon. One of them is
that the physical world is defined
by the desire to conquer. This is
what G-d told Adam to do when
he was created (BReishis 1:28).
This desire for conquest is
not exclusively evil and is actually
rooted in the souls psyche.
Conquest can be understood on
two diametrically opposite levels.
On a crass, materialistic level,
to conquer means to control
everyone and everything. Hence
the desire for others money is
not rooted solely in greed. It
is also, and perhaps primarily
so, motivated by the need to
be in total control of ones
environment.
On a more profound level,
this desire to conquer becomes
debased when it is diverted from
the Divine objective of having
us, human beings, control
the physical world in order
to transform it into a G-dly
world. When we are influenced
by the material world and its
blandishments, we forget why and
how we are to conquer the world.
Stripped of the Divine intention,
we are left with the naked desire
for world domination; or at
least to acquire someone elses
fortune, as Bilam coveted Balaks
silver and gold.

THE LAST VICE


The vice of jealousy will

16 16 Tammuz 5776 - Hakhel


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S
T

Ge

be the last vestige of human


degradation to be eliminated,
as Rambam states in the very
last paragraph of his discussion
of the Messianic Age (which is
the very last paragraph of his
monumental encyclopedic work
Mishneh Torah also known as
Yad HaChazaka). In that era
there will be neither famine nor
war, no envy or rivalry Why
is this going to be among the last
of the changes to occur in the
Messianic Age?
The answer is that only
after we conquer the world by
transforming it into a habitat for
the Divine will we cease to engage
in misplaced conquest, the root
of all jealousy and rivalry.
This is, essentially, the
rationale the Rambam gives (in
that foregoing citation) for the
absence of jealousy:

for the occupation of
the entire world will be solely to
know G-d.
Once the world is inundated
with the awareness of the Divine,
we will have succeeded in
actualizing the positive form of
conquest. This will automatically
negate the misguided distortion

of the conquest imperative which


has led to jealousy and rivalry
throughout the entire expanse of
human history.

civilized society to the non-Jewish


world. When we join this army
we weaken the desire for the base
form of conquest, the source of
disharmony.
However, as soldiers who
are ready to give their life and
limb, we must never forget our
objective, which is total victory for
our Commander-in Chief. When
a soldier forgets the objective
and thinks about his own selfaggrandizing glory, the idealistic
form of conquest degenerates
into the lower, ignoble and
divisive form of conquest. There
is nothing more destabilizing to
a military campaign than internal
division. Indeed, this is the goal
of the enemy: to divide and
conquer. Abandoning the higher
form of conquest gives way to its
destructive twin.
Moshiach, like Moshe and
other great Jewish leaders,
possesses not even a tinge of
desire for personal glory. It is
his influence and inspiration that
empowers us to reach the same
spiritual level by awakening the
spark of Moshiach within each of
us.

GETTING RID OF JEALOUSY


NOW!
While it is true that jealousy
will only be erased in the more
advanced stages of the Messianic
Age, nevertheless, there are ways
of tempering it even now, in these
last moments of exile. When a
person is engaged in the higher
form of conquest and seeks to
spread the awareness of G-d to
the entire world, that individual
will have channeled the innate
need for conquest in a positive
fashion.
The Rebbe has charged our
generation with the mission to
conquer the world by revealing
the positive Divine energy within
humanity and the world at large.
The Rebbe created the institution
of
Shluchim-emissaries;
a
veritable army of bearers of
peace and light, to bring the
light of Torah and Mitzvos to
the entire Jewish world, and
the Seven Noachide laws of a



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Issue 1030

17

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PROFILE

18 16 Tammuz 5776 - Hakhel


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2016-07-19 12:51:59 PM

THE DYNAMIC
DOER FOR OVER
FORTY YEARS
For over forty years, R Yaakov (Yankele)
Gloiberman has been at the forefront of Chabad
askanus in Eretz Yisroel. He is in contact with
Admurim and rabbanim as well as businessmen
and corporate giants, with the elite of Israels
security apparatus and the leaders of the
national sports teams. He never misses an
opportunity to convey messages of Judaism.
When asked for the key to getting through to
these exclusive people, he said one word, heart.
By Nosson Avrohom

I work very hard, from


morning till night, but what gives
me satisfaction is that I provide
the Rebbe with even a little
nachas ruach, said R Yankele
Gloiberman, who lives in Shikkun
Chabad in Lud. The Chabadnik
bulldozer is what his friends
and people in the army, business
world, sports and media call him
for his widespread communal
work and his energetic character.
His net is spread throughout
Eretz Yisroel and even beyond.
Throughout the series of
interviews that preceded the

writing of this article, when


R Gloiberman mentioned the
Rebbe, his tone of voice turned
emotional, passionate, excited
or moved. Not a day goes by
without my writing a detailed
report to the Rebbe. That is the
secret to success! Today too. I
see miracles. The Rebbe is the
one who is always before my eyes
and he gives me the strength to
go on and do and not be fazed by
anyone.
R Gloiberman can be written
about from many angles. He is
active in nearly every area you

can imagine. In forty years of


communal work he has forged
ties with an incredible range of
people of power and status in
Israeli society. He is the close
friend of sports trainers and
commissioners of sports leagues
and has good connections with
those in charge of the police, the
army, and various branches of
security. These connections are
both open and behind the scenes,
although for the most part they
are hidden from the public
eye and the media, but during
times of crisis he has proven his
effectiveness.
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Profile
He
started
a
chesed
organization in 5760 called Yad
BYad. Partners and donors
include
business
leaders,
chairmen and directors of the
largest and most powerful
corporations
along
with
mayors, city councils and
welfare departments throughout
the country who assist the
organization. R Gloiberman is
also a longtime good friend of
ministers, Knesset members and
department heads of government
offices of the past and present. R
Gloiberman also maintains strong
connections
with
Chassidic
courts who turn to him for help.
How
can
he
maintain

His father, R Asher Alter, was


a second generation dweller in
the Holy Land who belonged to
the Pinsk-Karlin Chassidus. His
mother, Pessia, was Hungarian.
She emigrated to Eretz Yisroel
after surviving the Holocaust.
His paternal grandmother was
descended from the renowned
Chaimson family whose sons
served as gabbaim of the
Tzemach Tzedek.
I was born in Yerushalayim,
a
Yerushalayim
completely
different than it is today. The
city was tiny and everyone knew
everyone. The border was the
Mandelbaum Gate where the
Breslov yeshiva, run by Rabbi

Every day, dozens of people ate in his


home, from all backgrounds. If there was
place in his home for fifty people, he brought in
a hundred, and he received them all graciously.

relationships with so many


people,
we
wondered.
R
Gloiberman assures us that this
is not about packages of shmura
matza for Pesach or jars of honey
before Rosh HaShana, but strong
friendships which are of help,
nearly daily, in Chabads work.
When you work with every
neshama, as waters reflect a face,
those people know that even
when they finish their job, I wont
forget them. The relationship
is deep and real. I tell them not
what they want to hear, but what
I, as a Chassid, think they should
hear.

GROWING UP
IN MEA SHARIM
Lets go back in time to the
Mea
Sharim
neighborhood
in the early years of the State.
Yankele was born in 5713/1953.

Sholom Arush, is located today,


and it ended where the Jerusalem
municipality is today. In the
Yerushalayim of yesteryear lived
great tzaddikim, Jews who did
miracles, people who were greatly
elevated individuals as well as
humble and out of the limelight.
When they wanted to
announce a funeral or a happy
event they did so in less than two
hours. One of R Gloibermans
strong memories from that
time was of the announcer
of Yerushalayim. R Noach der
Klepper was his name. He was a
talmid chacham and his job was
to hang posters. He would walk
around with people following
him to catch up on the latest
important announcement. He
had something personal to say
about whoever died, far more
than merely announcing his
passing. The Klepper seemed

to us children to be one of the


thirty-six hidden tzaddikim.
Pashkivilim were one of
the fascinating parts of our day.
Today, one barely glances at the
signs on the walls, but back then
those posters were the center
of our lives, mamash the nerve
center. There was no religious
radio or even public phone lines
for updates. Some families
subscribed to Hamodia, while
many others wouldnt allow a
newspaper cross their threshold.
The main source of information
was the signs on the street. They
were the bread and meat of
our conversations. The subjects
written about on them became
the central topic in our lives.
In Yerushalayim of those
days there was terrible poverty.
Nothing today compares to
the poverty then. The State
intentionally
neglected
the
religious neighborhoods and
did not develop them as they
did other neighborhoods. R
Gloiberman remembers hundreds
of broken souls who were alone
in the world who regularly slept
under trees, in shuls and in
stairwells. Thousands of Jews
came to the country at that time,
war survivors, people who lost
their families and possessions
in the war and who suffered
emotional problems as a result.
The State put hundreds
of them on buses and let them
off in religious neighborhoods,
knowing someone would look
out for them. Mea Sharim was
a neighborhood that symbolized
genuine hospitality. Every family
happily hosted some of these
Jews. I remember that when I
would enter the stairwell at night
and there was no electricity, I
might inadvertently step on those
who were sleeping there. We
knew what they had been through
and felt great compassion for

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From right to left: With Shimon Peres, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Ehud Barak

them.
Along with the tremendous
poverty, R Gloiberman told
about flourishing Jewish life filled
with life building experiences.
We had a rich life in every
respect except the financial.
Spiritual life flourished and
there was also an active social
life. Although there wasnt much
room for games in the small,
crowded homes, nor in the
alleyways, we always found space.
A great part of our childhood
experiences consisted of battles
over the religious character of the
religious neighborhoods.
When he finished elementary
school, he went to learn in
the Litvishe Yeshivas Chevron
and knew the greats of that
generation: R Meir Chodosh, R
Nachum Partzovitz, etc. Then,
he spent two years in Yeshivas
Neturei Karta.
He
attended
youth
demonstrations against the police
and the establishment of those
years, always making sure he
had a carefully constructed alibi
in place. There was no lack of
reasons to demonstrate against
back then: the digging up of
graves, Shabbos desecration,
drafting girls, drafting boys.
It is hard to believe but until
a few decades ago, just a little
distance away from the religious

Right: with Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir;


Left: with Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin

neighborhoods, Rechov Shivtei


Yisroel for example, people lived
irreligious lives. Restaurants and
cafes were open on Shabbos
and the battles waged today for
Shabbos pale in comparison to
what was going on back then.
The battle to close Shivtei
Yisroel was like suggesting
that the Yerushalayim-Tel Aviv
highway be closed today. It was a
main artery. The road connected
Yerushalayim with the outlying
neighborhoods. It connected
Israel and Jordan. It was the
last road before the border. The
battle to close it seemed hopeless.
In the end, it happened. Until it
did, we kids were very busy with
the battles to close the road.
R
Gloiberman
paused
and thought, and then shared
something he never told before.

When I was already a


Chassid of the Rebbe and
worked together with R Berke
Wolf, the Chabad spokesman,
I was sent by him many times
into the lions den of Neturei
Karta in order to find out what
material they planned on putting
out to besmirch Chabad and
the Rebbe. They knew I was a
Chassid but also knew that you
dont play around with me. Not
once and not twice, this was an
effective tool for nipping negative
propaganda campaigns against
Lubavitch in the bud.
R Gloibermans involvement
in demonstrations and battles
came to an end when he joined
Chabad and became mekushar to
the Rebbe.
The one who brought me
to Chabad was my uncle on my

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Profile
fathers side, R Fishel Henig,
who was the head madrich at
Tomchei Tmimim in Lud.
R Gloiberman was captivated
by the Chassidim and their ways.
Through R Henig he got to
know his neighbor, the mashpia,
R Moshe Weber, and he was
thoroughly amazed.
R Weber, who lived in
Battei Ungarin, was one of the
great Chabad Chassidim in
Yerushalayim, a real tzaddik
and outstanding host. Every
day, dozens of people ate in his
home, from all backgrounds.
If there was place in his home
for fifty people, he brought in a
hundred, and he received them
all graciously.
All this affected R Gloiberman
tremendously and he began
visiting the Chabad shul Baal
HaTanya. At sixteen, his uncle
asked him to help with some of
his supervisory work in Tomchei
Tmimim in Lud. At the same
time, he learned in the yeshiva
and later on switched to Tomchei
Tmimim in Kfar Chabad.

ENTERING THE
WORLD OF ASKANUS
In 5729, R Gloiberman
began working at the yeshiva in
Lud; he was all of seventeen. The
Yerushalmi young man quickly
became beloved by the menahel
of the mosdos, R Efraim Wolf,
who enlisted him in the yeshiva
office.
In 5735, R Wolf appointed
him as director of Agudas
Chassidei Chabad, Chairman
of the mosdos, and General
Secretary of the educational
system, which included the
vocational school as well as the
yeshivos in Lud and Kfar Chabad.
He became R Wolfs right-hand
man. R Wolf relied on him and
sent him to meetings with high

level people.
Working alongside R Wolf
wasnt easy. He demanded
exactitude and diligence that
were beyond the norm. I had
to know hundreds of phone
numbers by heart. When he
wanted to call someone, I had
to do so immediately. Until
today, there are phone numbers
that are still in my head. You
have to understand that in those
days, the yeshiva in Lud was the
nerve center of Chabad in Eretz
Yisroel. The headquarters was
in our office and the general
chairman was R Wolf who was
utterly devoted to the Rebbe. He
conducted everything with the
utmost secrecy. It was clear that
nothing said inside those walls
was to get out.
In addition to R Wolfs
great success in askanus, R
Gloiberman considered him a
Chassid from whom much could
be learned.
He
represented
the
Chassidic
aphorism,
There
sleeps a Chassid, there rises a
Chassid, there goes a Chassid.
Even when he had high fever,
he would not forgo the mikva
or davening with a minyan. His
devotion to the mosdos was all
encompassing. And yet, he had
no hint of pomposity. I would
see him going to the dining
room after the talmidim finished
eating, and eating the bread that
was left over on the tables. He
had a good relationship with the
askan and legendary communal
activist R Shlomo Maidanchek.
We would go around together
to government offices, our goal
being to work with mesirus
nefesh to carry out the Rebbes
wishes and develop the mosdos.
People
knew
that
we
represented the Rebbe. Until
today, I am in touch with many
of them who are still with us.

The relationship was warm and


very personal. They knew that
our relationship with them was
not self-serving. Even after a
minister or department chair was
no longer in that position, we did
not forget him. Quite a few of
them or their descendants grew
closer to tradition through our
visits.
Public figures of those days
would compete over who would
visit Kfar Chabad. The one who
led them around the main hall of
Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim and
around the vocational school,
was R Gloiberman.
It was a period of great
development
for
Chabad
mosdos. In the vocational school
alone there were about six
hundred students. New Chabad
communities were built and
mosdos began to grow all over the
country. And still, someone who
wanted to see Chabad mosdos
would come visit Kfar Chabad.
Holders of high positions from
the Education, Welfare, Treasury
and Defense Ministries were
regular guests and were always
amazed by the atmosphere and
the beauty of Chabad mosdos.
Many of them began keeping
mitzvos to one degree or another.
The love and great affection
between them and R Gloiberman
was unusual. They felt that
they were truly appreciated
and not just for appearances
sake, and tried to reciprocate
the love whether with keeping
Shabbos, putting on tfillin, or
attending Torah classes. This is
R Gloibermans pride and joy.
The fruits of those connections
stripped of all formal etiquette
can be found till today. Looking
back, R Gloiberman recalls the
ministers, Knesset members, and
department heads, who made
significant strides in Yiddishkait
after visiting the vocational

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school. The grandson of Motke


Tzipori, who was the assistant
of former Israeli president,
Ezer Weizman and later deputy
defense
minister,
eventually
became a Lubavitcher. Likewise,
the grandson of the Treasury
Minister, Yigal Horowitz, went
to learn in a Chabad yeshiva. The
grandchildren, of course, did not
join the visits the grandfathers
made, but the grandfathers
exposure to a life of Torah and
mitzvos illuminated by Chassidus
contributed greatly to their homes
and provided the grandchildren
with a supportive environment
for their new paths.
R Gloiberman relates that
many of those visitors called him
afterward and thanked him for
reviving their Jewish spark. He
recalls his friend, the minister
Gideon Ezra, who took giant
steps forward toward a life
of Torah and mitzvos and his
daughter, who became a baalas
tshuva. So too, the mayor of
Lud, Moshe Efrat, who was in
close touch with the Rebbe and
became a baal tshuva along with
one of his sons, and the mayors
Tzvi Itzkowitz and Maxim Levy.
When we asked for stories
that were somewhat more
personal about connections with
ministers and Knesset members,
R Gloiberman chose his words
carefully. Not everything need be
told, even after many years. Still,
he agreed to tell us two short
episodes:
A few years ago, I was on a
flight with R Leibel Groner of
New York to Eretz Yisroel. R
Groner told me he had a CD with
him containing ninety minutes of
scenes of the Rebbe from Tishrei.
He asked me whether I could
speak to the steward and ask him
to show it instead of the movie.
It seemed outrageous to
make this request, but I decided

Second from the right, with the mayor of New York, Abraham Beame, at
the vocational school in Kfar Chabad

to act with kabbalas ol and passed


on the request to the steward
who got the second-in-command
involved. When the latter did not
agree, as expected, I asked to
see the man in charge. When he
arrived and saw me, he exclaimed,
Hello, Rabbi Gloiberman! I had
no idea who he was. He then
told me he was the son of the
manager of Bank Leumi in Lud.
For years, you would bring us
matzos before Pesach and we ate
them Pesach night in awe. My
father considered this extremely
important. So, how could I not
accede to your request?! Sure
enough, a few minutes later the
Rebbe was on the screens.
R Gloiberman recalls his
meetings with the General
Chairman of the Education
Ministry, the legendary Eliezer
Shmueli. Today, Shmueli is 88.
When I visited him recently, he
told me that when the previous
Israeli president, Zalman Shazar,
was on his deathbed, he called
Shmueli to come urgently to
the hospital and said he had one
personal request and asked that
he promise to keep it. Watch
over Chabad for me. Indeed, for

those in the know, that General


Secretary was a big help to
Chabad.
He also told me that one
time, after the Six Day War, the
deputy prime minister, Yigal
Alon, was sent to the Rebbe
on behalf of the government.
His request was that the Rebbe
give his approval for tens
of thousands of young men
to live in Chevron while the
government guaranteed to build
them homes. He had yechidus
and presented the idea but the
Rebbe dismissed it, saying that
first all the Arabs should leave.
Yigal Alon said that was clearly
impossible since the American
government would be angry. The
Rebbe was not convinced and he
said emotionally, [quoting the
verse] Did you murder and then
inherit? If you cant deal with the
Arabs now, who will guarantee
that when something happens,
the government will stand by the
Jews? The request was denied
and we see the results till this
very day.
To be continued, G-d willing

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BITACHON BYTES

THE BITACHONHISHTADLUS
CONUNDRUM
By Rabbi Zalman Goldberg

One of the most common


questions regarding bitachon
is: what is the balance between
bitachon
in
Hashem
and
performing
the
necessary
Hishtadlus? Where does one end
and the other begin?
In the Haftarah of Parshas
Balak, which is a prophecy of
the time before the Geula, the
Navi describes that it will be a
time when the remaining Yidden
will live among many nations,
, and
[the Yidden] will not place any
hope for salvation to come from
people.
The Rebbe explains that even
though the Navi is referring to
the time period before the Geula,
nonetheless the Yiddens conduct
will reflect a bitachon in Hashem
that includes no reliance on
people at all.
Reliance here does not refer
to a reliance which is prohibited
and discouraged by Torah,
because the time period under
discussion is the beginning of the
redemption when the direction of
Yidden will be a good and Torah-

oriented one. Because the Yidden


will be in such a state, they would
never trust the nations of the
world in a way that is antithetical
to Torah. Rather, the Navi is
saying that even the reliance
which is allowed according to
the Torah, i.e., making a worldly
vessel through which Hashems
bracha will be channeled wont
be practiced at that time. When
the Geula begins, the quality of
our bitachon will be so great such
that no effort or Hishtadlus will
be necessary. We will view all our
needs as if Hashem is bestowing
them upon us like dew. Just as
dew is totally independent of
any moisture ascending from
below (as in the cycle of rainfall),
for the dew falls every morning
regardless of any weather factors,
likewise Hashems sustenance
will reach us without us taking
any initiative at all.
The point is not to make the
world and all worldly Hishtadlus
useless; on the contrary, the
goal is to uplift nature so that
it is aligned and synchronized
with Hashems plan. The goal

is to see in nature that all that


is done is really from Hashem.
So the person who practices
such bitachon will make a vessel
to obtain his parnasa, but the
entire context of the vessel will
be Hashem, with no importance
whatsoever given to the effort
made.
In summary, there are two
permissible ways to make a vessel
for ones parnasa. One approach
is to see that the material pursuit,
the creation of the vessel, is
done only because Hashem
commanded us to do so. True,
the vessel is nothing on its own,
but now that Hashem deems it
important to make an effort, it
must be important. The second
perspective to the making of a
vessel is that no importance at
all is given to it. All along, the
only reason gashmius is being
pursued is because Hashem said
that it should be this way. In the
persons mind Hashem remains
the only existence.
The
difference
between
the two approaches to the
permissibility of making a vessel,

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whether it is given its own


importance or not, can have
major effects down the line on
how complete the bitachon will
be.
In the midbar, surrounded by
the Clouds of Glory and all their
attendant miracles, the Yidden
lived a life of clear bitachon in
Hashem alone. It was obvious
that all their sustenance the
and water came from Hashem.
Coming into Eretz Yisroel where
it was just as clear that their
effort would be crucial, there was
room for error to think that the
life bitachon alone was over. The
story of the Peor forewarned this.
Chassidus explains that the sin of
Peor was about giving too much
attention to material pleasures.
The self-sacrifice of Pinchas
was the antidote to the sin. His
message was, Not only cant we
give gashmius its own existence
per se, it shouldnt either be given
importance on a holy account
(because we are commanded to
deal with gashmius).
The mesiras nefesh of
Pinchas was even higher than

the instructions of Torah, which


wouldnt instruct us to take
such a stance. His self-sacrifice
stemmed from his total devotion
to Hashem in a way that the
worldly perspective held no
importance at all.
This is a tremendous lesson
in bitachon when it comes to
deciding how to make a vessel.
The more popular understanding
is that by viewing the Hishtadlus
as a command from Hashem, the
gashmius will lose its importance.
Although this is true,
with time the worldliness
can become a threat to
bitachon in Hashem. The
more reassuring approach
is that first there should
be no and no
, only Hashem (as
in the Haftarah). Then,
when Hishtadlus is later
incorporated,
it
will
follow the stance of the
initiation of the bitachon,
where essentially there
is no worldliness and it
certainly has no power
or
importance.
This

revelation can empower us


greatly in strengthening our
bitachon in Hashem.
Rabbi Zalman Goldberg is
a well sought after speaker and
lecturer on Chassidic thought.
His writings and recordings on the
topic of Bitachon can be accessed
at
http://www.gotbitachon.
com. You can also receive his
one minute daily Bitachon
clip by sending a WhatsApp
to 347.546.4402 with the
wordBitachon.

Continued from page 28

instead of a group of plotting


Jews. Nevertheless, they arrested
and handcuffed him and brought
him in the police wagon to the
jail.
While on the road, R Meir
thought about how his sitting in
jail would impede his service of
Hashem, especially if he would
not be released by the next
morning and would not be able
to don tfillin. Without anyone
noticing, he slipped off the wagon
and went home.
Satans work was successful
in that the group of tzaddikim
who gathered to hasten the Geula
had disbanded and the auspicious
time was lost.

REBUILDING THE
SUPERNAL MIKDASH

Hearing this, the mayor sent


the police to capture them while
they were still plotting, but the
tzaddikim sensed something was
wrong and knew that in another
few minutes police would come
to arrest them. They immediately
invoked lofty divine intentions
and used permutations of
letters, according to kabbalistic
teachings, and made themselves
invisible. Only Rabbi Meir the
Great of Premishlan did not want
to use the holy names to save
himself and he did nothing.
A few minutes later, the police
arrived and were surprised to
see just one Jew sitting quietly

(Raza DUvda)

Every year, the Oheiv Yisroel


of Apt and the Chozeh of Lublin
would celebrate Simchas Torah
with their master, the holy Rabbi
Elimelech of Lizhensk, who
cherished them greatly.
One year, they did not show
up which pained R Elimelech
greatly. When his son, R Elozor,
asked in surprise, We have other
great tzaddikim with us, he
replied, Whenever I say, kuma
Hashem limnuchasecha, I build
the supernal Mikdash, while they
bring in the Aron and Luchos. I
have nobody like them now.
(Sippurei Tzaddikim)

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STORY

THE
BATTLE
TO OBTAIN
THE KEY
TO GEULA

Why did the Baal Shem Tov call down


the Samech-Mem himself and why did
the Samech-Mem become alarmed when
five tzaddikim convened in an abandoned
house on the edge of a tiny village? * What
is the segula to hasten the Geula and why
did R Boruch of Mezhibuzhs stomach
turn every morning? * What did the Yid of
Peshischa learn from the
gentile? * A compilation
of stories about tzaddikim
who did so much to hasten
the Geula and to raise the
Shchina up from the dust.
* From the book UMeivee
Goel.

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By Menachem Ziegelboim

2016-07-19 12:52:02 PM

THE DISPUTE THAT WAS


ALREADY DECIDED
One year, the Baal Shem
Tov made a commotion with
his prayers in order to hasten
the coming of Moshiach. After
exerting intense effort in his
prayers, from heaven they told
him the following story:
Before
his
pure
soul
descended to this world, a great
dispute broke out in heaven
among the souls of tzaddikim.
Some of the tzaddikim demanded
that the Geula be hurried
up since the Jewish peoples
oppression was unbearable. But
other tzaddikim said it was not
yet time for the Geula, since there
were still many souls that needed
rectification and elevation, and
Moshiach could not come until
that happened. The first group
of tzaddikim maintained that it
was not possible that the Jewish
nation should suffer in exile
because of these errant souls.
The judges in the heavenly
court decided that since there
was a great soul in the treasury of
souls, the soul of the Baal Shem
Tov, this soul should be consulted
about what to do.
The two sides presented their
cases and after the soul of the Baal
Shem Tov weighed the matter
carefully he quoted the verse
about nobody being forsaken.
However, this answer did
not placate the tzaddikim who
continued crying out about
the miserable lot of the Jewish
people. So in heaven they decided
that the time had come for the
Baal Shem Tovs soul to descend
to the world to rectify and elevate
those forsaken souls from the
depths of klipa.
If so, what are you
demanding now when you
yourself wanted to postpone the
Geula?

WHO WILL PURIFY YOU


It is clear to me, said the
Baal Shem Tov about his great
disciple, the Maggid of Mezritch,
that if he was healthy and was
able to walk and immerse in a
mikva, Moshiach would come
immediately. (The Maggid was
lame and used crutches and
apparently, because of this,
could not immerse MZ.)
Because by immersing, he with
his tremendous holiness would
bring about thoughts of tshuva
in all peoples of the world and we
would merit the Geula.

OBTAINING
THE KEY TO GEULA
The Alter Rebbe told a
frightening story that he heard
from the Baal Shem Tov himself
in one of his visions after the Baal
Shem Tovs passing.
The Baal Shem Tov said that
until the age of eighteen, Achiya
HaShiloni would descend from
heaven and learn with him.
Afterward he merited to be the
student of Moshiach Tzidkeinu
himself.
When he was thirteen he was
taught, from heaven, all the holy
names and their permutations,
except for one name which they
did not teach him. The Baal Shem
Tov asked his teacher why he did
not teach him that exalted name
and was told that he himself did
not know the secret of that name
since in heaven it was given to the
Samech-Mem. Why? Because
when Hashem wanted to send
the Samech-Mem to destroy the
Beis HaMikdash, the SamechMem refused to go down until
they gave him this name as a
deposit, so that nobody would
be able to rebuild it, because the
Geula depends on this name.
The Baal Shem Tov did not
give up. For years he worked to

wrest this exalted name away


from the Samech-Mem in order
to hasten the Geula, but heaven
warned him that many great
people had tried to extract this
name and were harmed. But the
Baal Shem Tov did not give up
and said that he was not afraid of
anything but Hashem.
After mighty effort and lofty
spiritual intentions, the Baal
Shem Tov managed to bring the
Samech-Mem before him. The
Samech-Mem was furious and
roared, Putrid drop! I was only
here in this world two times,
during the destruction of the first
and second temples. How dare
you bother me to bring me to this
lowly world a third time?
The Baal Shem Tov replied,
I fear nothing but Hashem
Himself, and he succeeded in
extracting the name from him.
(Yagdil Torah)

WHERE IS THE PLACE OF


THE SACRIFICES?
When they told the holy Rabbi
Boruch of Mezhibuzh that a
rabbi had written a seifer called
BMayim Kdoshim, on the Order
of Kodshim, he said:
I am very surprised. How
can someone manage to write
a work on the entire Order of
Kodshim? When I daven in
the morning and say, Eizehu
mekoman shel zvachim (where
is the place of the sacrifices) and
I think about where the place of
the sacrifices is now, for the Beis
HaMikdash was destroyed due to
our many sins, my innards turn
over and I cannot go on.
(Sippurei Chassidim
Zevin)

WHEN WE TRULY DESIRE IT


One day, the holy Rabbi
Yaakov Yitzchok, the Yid of

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Story
Peshischa, was walking with his
disciples. They came across a
gentile whose hay wagon had
turned over. He was trying,
unsuccessfully, to get it back up.
When the farmer saw the group
strolling along, he asked for
their help. They tried to lift the
wagon but were unsuccessful.
The farmer looked at them with
annoyance and said, You could
pick up the wagon but you dont
want to!
The Yid HaKadosh turned to
his disciples and said with great
yearning, Do you hear what this

SQUANDERING THE
TREASURES
The Rebbe said in a sicha:
Under the leadership of R
Dovber, the Mitteler Rebbe, the
Chassidic movement grew with
the addition of many Chassidim.
As a result, the teachings of
Chassidus were disseminated all
over.
One
of
the
Rebbes
enactments was that any guest
who visited Lubavitch had to
review all the maamarim he heard
from the Rebbe and later, when

For years he worked to wrest this exalted


name away from the Samech-Mem in
order to hasten the Geula, but heaven warned him
that many great people had tried to extract this
name and were harmed. But the Baal Shem Tov
did not give up and said that he was not afraid of
anything but Hashem.

gentile is saying? We can raise up


the Shchina from the dust, from
exile, but we dont want to...
(Sichos Chaim; Beer Hachassidus)

AND THOSE WHO RETURN,


WITH TZDAKA
Rabbi Shlomo Shapiro of
Munkatch would put many coins
in the pushka of Rabbi Meir Baal
HaNes every day before davening
Shacharis. With each coin he
would whisper, Behold, I give
this coin so that the Shchina
will return to its place with the
coming of the righteous redeemer
speedily in our days. Behold I
am giving this coin so that His
blessed name will be sanctified...
(Beer Hachassidus)

he returned home and passed


through towns and villages, he
had to repeat the maamarim to
the local residents. The Mitteler
Rebbe was very particular about
this.
Once, one of the great
Chassidim had a private audience
with the Rebbe. This Chassid
reviewed Chassidus in a clear
fashion and he complained that
he felt prideful about his excellent
reviews. For this reason, he asked
permission not to have to review
Chassidus for others anymore.
The Mitteler Rebbe told
him, Be an onion but review
Chassidus (alluding to the idea
that although the taste of an
onion is bitter it brings out the
sweetness in other foods).
The Rebbe concluded this
story with a lesson in avodas

Hashem:
Spreading
Chassidus
everywhere was done to an even
greater extent by my master and
father-in-law, the Rebbe Rayatz,
who said maamarim should be
translated into various languages,
and demanded that Chassidus
be learned with every Jew, no
matter his level of knowledge of
Torah and fulfillment of mitzvos.
We squander all the hidden
treasures of Chassidus, the main
thing being to win the war to
bring the Geula very soon.
(VaYeishev 5714)

AT THE LAST MINUTE


Rabbi Eliezer Zev, the
Holy Elder of Kretchnef, told
a frightening story about the
attempt made by the holy Baal
Shem Tov together with a few
other masters of the sublime to
hasten and bring Moshiach:
Five tzaddikim convened to
hasten the Geula. The Baal Shem
Tov led the others: R Meir the
Great of Premishlan, R Moshe
Pastik R Meirs brother, who
was a hidden tzaddik, R Shabsi
of Rashkov and Rabbi Tzvi
Patiker.
On the appointed day,
these five tzaddikim met at an
abandoned house on the edge of
a remote village and there, far
from other people, they hoped
to join forces in their supernal
unifications and to pray for the
hastening of the Geula.
The Samech-Mem knew that
if these five tzaddikim succeeded
in bringing the Geula, his end
would be bitter, so he disguised
himself as a simple villager from
that small village. He went to the
home of the mayor of the town
and said that five Jews were in
an abandoned house and were
plotting to burn down the town.
Continued on page 25

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STORY

FROM BEIT SHAAN


TO CONEY ISLAND
In recent years, we have seen an enormous number of miracles from the
Rebbe to the point that sometimes we dont even appreciate them. Like
the Mitteler Rebbes daughter said, By my father, miracles rolled about
and nobody wanted to pick them up. But occasionally we come across a
miracle story that is so incredible that even we, who are used to miracles,
go crazy over it.
By Shneur Zalman Shmuelevitz

t was Lag BOmer of this


year when I went with some
friends to the Chabad House
in the area of Coney Island
which is run by R Roi Shemesh.
We went to help him arrange his
big Lag BOmer event. There
were dozens of mekuravim, and
in addition to the bonfire and
dancing Bar Yochai, we set up a
stand where you could write to the
Rebbe, similar to whats done very
successfully in Miron.
Nearly every Jew who comes
and asks for a bracha received a
clear answer from the Rebbe, but
as mentioned above, were used
to this and we are not as amazed
as the mekuravim by the precise
answers they open to in the Igros
Kodesh. Then came Yaakov, a
young, dynamic businessman,
who brought along a friend, a
business partner. They wanted
to ask the Rebbe for advice and
a bracha in a number of areas
and since he did not think it was
realistic to expect one letter to

have the answer to all his queries,


he wanted to write each question
separately.
I told him that just like the
Rebbe can answer his first
question, he can also answer the
other questions, but he preferred
asking for a bracha for the first,
and most important, issue, in a
separate letter.
He said that he was in
business in the United States
for ten years but now he wanted
to open a new business in New
York, a big project that would
change their lives. He would have
to move to live nearby. Since this
was a major decision, he wanted
the Rebbes bracha.

BRACHOS FOR THE SECRET


PROJECT IN MONTREAL
After making the appropriate
preparations, he wrote to the
Rebbe and opened volume fifteen
to pages 184-5. I started reading
the letter on the first page which

was addressed to the hanhala of


Tzach, the branch in Montreal.
About establishing and running
a day camp, the letter begins,
and continues with instructions
and brachos for the opening of
the camp. I explained to them
this was a letter of blessings upon
the founding of a new mosad in
Montreal.
The two businessmen looked
at one another in amazement and
they said to me: The project we
told you about is top secret and
we were so nervous about word
getting out before we were ready
that we did not want to tell you
where we are really planning on
making it. We said New York, but
we are really planning on opening
in Montreal. We are amazed that
not only does the Rebbe bless our
new project but he also states the
city where it will be!
They said they had been
working on this project for a long
time and had just had a meeting
with potential partners. The

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STORY
contract was ready and all that
was needed was their signature
but they did not want to move
ahead until receiving the Rebbes
bracha.
Now, after receiving the
Rebbes bracha, they immediately
called their colleagues and told
them they would meet that day
and sign the contract.
After they calmed down a bit,
I read to them the continuation of
the letter where the Rebbe writes
to the directors of the new camp
in Montreal: Surely you are in
touch with those involved in
the Lag BOmer parade here in
order to verify future activities
and learn from one another
based on past experiences.
Their amazement reached
new levels for we were sitting
at a Lag BOmer celebration
and the Rebbe connected this
to the success of the mosad in
Montreal!

THE PSYCHOLOGIST
POINTS OUT THE PROBLEM
AND THE REBBE OFFERS A
SOLUTION
After I finished reading the
letter, I said that at the top of the
page was the end of another letter
that began with one line on the
previous page. I began reading
it: In response to your letter
with the enclosed, the opinion
of the doctor about your son...
Continue the recommended
treatment and perhaps it is
worthwhile pointing out to the
doctor that seemingly, based on
what is explained, the reason
for his state of mind, it would
be highly effective if they came
up with opportunities for him
to help those weaker than him,
to be their leader or counselor
like at Mesibos Shabbos etc.
which would increase his belief
in himself etc.

As I read this to them,


I suddenly saw that the
businessman was crying. When I
finished reading the letter he said
to me emotionally: That is a clear
answer about the second thing I
wanted a bracha for.
With increasing intensity he
told me that in the morning his
wife called and said that due
to social problems their son
was experiencing in school, he
was sent for a psychological
evaluation. The diagnosis was
very troubling.
He wanted a bracha from the
Rebbe and here, the Rebbe was
writing to him about the doctors
opinion about his son and giving
him practical advice about how
to improve his condition through
social activities in which he would
be a leader.

THE THIRD LETTER ANSWER


TO THE THIRD ISSUE
I thought we had reached the
limit of amazing answers for the
day but when I began reading
the third letter which appears
on that double spread of pages,
the businessman could not get
over it. This is what the Rebbe
writes: In response to your
informing me about your son
Yisroel Yitzchok becoming bar
mitzva, may it be Hashems will
that from thirteen-the age of
mitzvos, he goes to fifteen, etc.
as the Mishna (Avos 5) states,
and increase his diligence in
his learning of Nigleh and
Chassidus and be punctilious
in mitzva observance. And may
Hashem grant him success
in being a Chassid, yerei
Shamayim, and lamdan, and
that you and your wife have
much Chassidishe nachas from
him and all your children.
With blessings for good
news also about the expansion,

to
the
extent
necessary,
in quantity and quality in
Chassidus classes which divine
providence has given you the
merit to teach publicly, and
there is nothing that stands in
the way of ones will. Kabbalas
haTorah with simcha and
pnimius.
As I read the letter, a
seemingly standard letter of
blessing for a bar mitzva, the
businessmans jaw dropped. He
said, Its unbelievable! Whats
going on here is extraordinary;
with this letter, the Rebbe is
responding to the third question
I wanted to ask!
After he calmed down, he
told me that his older son,
fifteen years old, was learning in
a yeshiva high school and was
taking an interest in Chabad
Chassidus. He was spending time
learning Chassidus and had even
said he wanted to switch to a
Chabad yeshiva. He and his wife
did not know how to respond
and did not understand why they
needed to look for a new path in
life.
Since the topic was on his
mind, he wanted to ask the Rebbe
about it. Although the Rebbes
letter was addressed to a bar
mitzva boy, there was explicit
reference to a fifteen-year-old
too. The Rebbe goes on to say
that he should learn diligently,
both Nigleh and Chassidus. The
man took this to mean that the
Rebbe looked favorably at his
sons interest in Chassidus and
not only that but at the end of the
letter, the Rebbe promises that he
and his wife should have much
Chassidishe nachas from him
and all their children. What more
could one need than that?

CLOSURE
I finished reading the last
letter and asked do you have

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any more questions?


Yaakov said emotionally:
Boruch Hashem, I got answers to
all my questions.
I thought that was all for the
evening and was about to say
goodbye when he asked, Whats
your name?
Shneur, I said.
And your last name?
Shmuelevitz, I said, and
then could not understand why
he was hugging me and starting
to cry.
He finally recovered and
asked, Youre the son of R
Yaakov ah? [a longtime
columnist in Beis Moshiach until
his tragic demise at the age of 50].

Yes, I said. Whats your


connection to him?
You should know that our
meeting here is an incredible
closure, he exclaimed.
We sat down at the table and
he told me that he is from Beit
Shaan and his family history is
intertwined with the shlichus
work of my father ah.
Since your father came to
Beit Shaan, he lived opposite my
parents. Our families became
friends, and as a child I attended
all your fathers Chabad activities
Mesibos Shabbos, camp,
Tahalucha, everything. Until
today, I know the psukim by
heart.

Your father instilled this idea


that whenever we need a bracha
or advice, we need to ask the
Rebbe. Today, when I came to
sign the contract, I remembered
your father and his stories about
the Rebbes brachos. I decided
to delay signing the contract and
look for a Chabad House in the
area so I could write to the Rebbe
and ask for his bracha.
Since I arrived here, I dont
know why, but I see your father
in my minds eye. I am speaking
to you and its like Im hearing R
Yaakov. I didnt know what this is
about, but now its all clear.
What began in Beit Shaan was
concluded at Chabad at Coney
Island.
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PROFILE

FRIENDS TALK
ABOUT A FELLOW
CHASSID
Profile of a modest Chassid who devoted himself
to communal matters and chinuch, R Ur Ezra
Lifsh ah.

abbi Ezra Lifsh ah


was born in Swarosh
in Poland, a few years
before the outbreak of
World War II. His parents were
R Yosef Yehuda, a distinguished
Radziner Chassid, and Ettel
(Katz).
His mother died when he was
five. At that time, World War II
was raging and the Nazis were
wreaking havoc everywhere.
During the war years, the father
and young orphans wandered
from place to place. After the war,
they spent some time at the DP
camp in Poking, Germany. That
is where R Ezra first experienced
Chabad chinuch in the school
started by Anash who had just left
Russia.
In 1949, the family moved to
Eretz Yisroel with the blessing of
the Rebbe Rayatz. They settled in
Kfar Chabad and were among the
founders of the town.
R Ezra, a young bachur, went
to Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim

Rabbi Uri Ezra Lifsh

R Lifsh receiving kos shel bracha


from the Rebbe

in Lud where the chinuch he


received there of humility and
modesty, yiras Shamayim, and
Torah study with hiskashrus to
the Rebbe, left an imprint that
lasted all his life.
After he married in 5726 he
taught, and at the request of his
friend, R Moshe Slonim ah,
who was the director of Reshet
Oholei Yosef Yitzchok, he joined
him in running the Reshet. He
later served as treasurer for
Tzeirei Agudas Chabad in Kfar
Chabad. R Eliyahu Yochanan
Gurary, Chief Rabbi of Cholon,
relates:
I worked with him for a
few years in Tzach. I loved him
for his honesty and uprightness.
R Ezra was a man of truth. He
took care of money matters in a
punctilious and transparent way,
being careful with every cent.
I often saw him counting and
recounting the money to make
sure everything was as it should
be.
We would talk a lot about our
Rebbeim and I always saw him as
a Chassid who was mekushar to
the Rebbe with great love.
The director of Tzach at that
time, R Meir Friedman, spoke
similarly:

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R Lifsh (center) at a Chassidishe farbrengen

When I was absent from


Tzach for several weeks because
of a trip to the Rebbe or the
like, I would hand over the reins
to him and could relax. I knew
that because of his devotion and
hiskashrus to the Rebbe he would
not rest until everything was
taken care of in the best possible
way.
R Ezra was in 770 on
Simchas Torah 5738, and upon
his return he said that the doctors
asked the Rebbe to make kiddush
and Havdala on grape juice
and not on wine, but the Rebbe
refused. Since then, R Ezra did
not make kiddush or Havdala on
grape juice, only on wine. Even
when his health wasnt the best,
he was particular about using
wine and did not consider this
mesirus nefesh on his part.
RY relates: I once met him
in 770 with his three children
and was surprised since I knew
that his financial situation wasnt
good. I asked him how he had the
money for the plane tickets. He
said, in his matter-of-fact way,
that he was given a bonus and he
did not know whether he would
be able to take his children in
the future, so he used the money
right away.

When he lived in Bnei Brak


there was no Chabad school there
yet. R Ezra and other families
maintained an elementary school
founded on Chabad chinuch even
though it was very hard to do
financially.
***
He was one of the first to
settle in Kfar Chabad Beis and
his neighbors and acquaintances
remember that he would walk
every Shabbos to Kfar Chabad
to immerse in the mikva before
davening, and then he would
immediately return for Shacharis
to the shul in Kfar Chabad Beis.
He would daven at length and
yet, would not hurry home when
he finished davening, but would
join a Chassidishe farbrengen.
R Yosef Yitzchok Liberow,
his neighbor, relates:
R Ezra was a modest person
and not a talker. He avoided
honor even though he was the
eldest of the group who lived
there. I am sure that even saying
this about him is not to his liking
but it is said in the spirit of the
living shall take it to heart. We
cannot forget his farbrengens
on Shabbos after davening,
which supplied us with strength
and chayus for the rest of the

week. He would spout Chassidic


sayings which usually revolved
around hiskashrus and devotion
to the Rebbes inyanim. He also
expressed great interest in every
story and practice of the Rebbe
and had a terrific memory when
it came to these things.
R Alperowitz adds: His love
for his fellow was a true and
deep love. I recall the following
interesting anecdote. We were
once sitting at a farbrengen and
after he drank a lot of mashke,
he got up and began emotionally
talking about one of the people
sitting at the farbrengen who
needed a big yeshua in a particular
area. R Ezra exclaimed that
what a Chassidishe farbrengen
can accomplish, even the Angel
Michoel cannot accomplish, and
therefore everyone should bless
this person. He showered the
man with brachos. A short while
later, the man had his yeshua and
it was quite remarkable.
R Yaakov Kenig related: For
many years he went with us on
mivtza tfillin on Fridays. He did
this with notable determination,
diligence, and consistence. Even
on days when it was hard to go,
like on Erev yom tov or short
winter Fridays, he would go, no

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Profile

R Lifsh on mivtza tfillin

matter the weather, no matter


how his health was. It reached
the point that on the last Friday
of his life, when he wasnt feeling
well and could not go, he asked
his son-in-law, the shliach R
Nachshon Rubin, to replace him
(even though he had just arrived
a few hours earlier with his family
from Zhitomir in the Ukraine).
His friend, R Elozor Gorelik
said: For eight years we had a
shiur in Gemara every night. R
Ezra was very particular not to
miss it. It was a pleasure to learn
with him. He had a clear way of
thinking that left no doubts in the
minds of the listeners.
Not long before he passed
away, he suddenly asked that we
add fifteen minutes to our shiur
and he said he wanted to learn
the Shaar HaYichud VHaEmuna
in Tanya. He did not explain
why but we accepted it and we
finished the last chapter shortly
before he passed away.
He was knowledgeable in
the sichos and practices and
horaos of the Rebbe. When

it was necessary to look up a


sicha, horaa or hanhaga, we
went to R Ezra. He modestly,
and without making a big deal
about it, immediately found the
information we needed.
R Ezra Lifsh was also modest
when it came to tzdaka and
chesed. R MS relates:
Once, as we were learning
the daily Rambam in depth, a
distinguished rabbinic person
came to ask for financial help for
one of Anash who went bankrupt.
This rav did not bother to go over
to R Ezra because he knew him
and thought he would not be
able to help raise the money. The
next morning, R Ezra gave me
an envelope with a nice amount
of money in it and asked me to
give it to that rav but without
mentioning his name.
R Ezra was genuine, honest,
straight; Chassidish in the fullest
sense of the term, with a fervent
emuna, consistent in his belief
in the Geula and Moshiach. He
did not conceal his fervent belief
in the Rebbe as Moshiach, in
Yechi etc., from his friends who
vehemently espoused a different
ideology, and yet he remained a
good friend of theirs. Many of
his friends who came to console
the family during the Shiva said
that he was a strong influence on
them when it came to hiskashrus
to the Rebbe, especially after
3 Tammuz, including in very
important matters for which they
needed an urgent answer. R Ezra
convinced them to write to the
Rebbe through the Igros Kodesh
and they testified that they saw
miracles.
In his youth, when he served
in the army for three years,
as the Rebbe told him to do,
he was very particular about
kashrus and sometimes he only
ate scalded eggs, not boiled in a
pot, or fruits and sardines that

were sent from home. Friends


say that he and some religious
soldiers who served with him
made a commotion at the military
rabbinate about the necessity of
providing basic kosher food. The
results of their protest benefit
many soldiers today.
His son Yisroel relates: For
a long time, my father kept in
touch with soldiers who served
with him in the army. He would
call them before every yom tov
and wish them a chag sameiach.
Erev Rosh HaShana he would
send them New Years cards with
blessings for the new year.
Three
months
before
he passed away, one of the
soldiers he served with called
and spoke nostalgically about
those days. He remembered
how my father would look out
for them spiritually and bring
them siddurim and tfillin. He
convinced one to keep Shabbos,
another to keep kosher and a
third to keep family purity. In
this phone conversation my
father asked him where he was
living. The person said he lived
in Germany and was married
to a gentile woman and even
had children with her. For a
long time, my father spoke to
him brokenheartedly about the
significance of what he had done
and how he had cut himself off
from the Jewish people and his
past. The man tearfully promised
to do all he could to leave them.
***
R Ezra was brought to the
hospital on 16 Tammuz 5762
upon
suffering
respiratory
problems and passed away soon
afterward. He left behind his
wife, brothers, children and
grandchildren who go in the
way of Hashem and Chassidus
and many of whom serve as the
Rebbes shluchim.

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TZIVOS HASHEM

THE FAST DAY

OF GEULA
By Zalman Bin Nun

Welcome to the club! said


Shmuli.
What club are you talking
about? I asked in surprise.
The fasting club, Shmuli
said with a smile and then he
explained. Since you will be
celebrating your bar mitzva
soon, you will have to fast on
the upcoming fast day.
the
seeing
Shmuli,
face,
my
on
look
questioning
for what did that have to do
with a club, said quietly, You
are invited to my house. We will
spend the fast together with the
commander of Tzivos Hashem
and all the fasting kids.
The idea did not appeal to
me but I had no other plans,
and so, on 17 Tammuz, I
knocked hesitantly at Shmulis
door. Chaim opened the door.
He is our beloved commander.
Behind him I could see other
boys sitting around a long table.
I joined them and we got into a
Chassidishe discussion.
Chaim looked at our tired
and hungry faces, smiled a
mysterious smile, and began to
speak:
You know that today

is a special day? It is a day of


rejoicing and happiness...
What are you talking
about? exclaimed Shmuli. I
dont think that our sitting here
and wishing for the cookies on
the plate in the kitchen makes
us happy Aside from that, this
is the day when the wall around
breached
was
Yerushalayim
which started the process of the
churban.
Chaim smiled and explained.
We know that with the
Geula, all the fast days will
be transformed into days of
rejoicing and the Rebbe says
they will be on an even higher
level than the holidays of Purim
and Chanuka which will never
be abolished.
But the Rebbe shows that
even in galus we can see the
happiness of a fast day. Do
any of you know when this
happens? Chaim asked.
We all looked at Moishy who
is known as the scholar of our
group. We were happy that he
did not disappoint us and he
said, When the fast falls out on
Shabbos! Then we eat and drink
and reveal the good within the

fast.
Very good! said Chaim.
Although the fast is postponed
to Sunday, we see how, on the
actual date, 17 Tammuz, we
eat delicacies and rejoice.
Shmuli thought about what
was said and then asked,
Thats all very nice but what
about a year when it does not
fall out on Shabbos?
Chaim smiled again and
said, The Rebbe explains that
the closer we get to the Geula,
the more we sense the good in
the fast, the positive aspect of
it. So now, when we are already
living, to some extent, the life
of Yemos HaMoshiach, we are
sensing the good within fast
days even though we cannot
yet eat and drink on them.
Chaim opened the Dvar
Malchus and read the following
line, The closer we get to the
Geula, the more the feeling of
destruction and galus during
these days diminishes, and the
more the feeling of preparing
for the Geula increases, the tov
(numerically equal to 17) of the
17th of Tammuz and the Three
Weeks.

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e halachos we had learned.


The last line from the sicha Chaims explanation, it becam
every
At first we thought of doing
reminded Moishy of something. something personal. With
felt
d I
it as a competition in which
I remember this sicha! The halacha that we learne
one step we would divide ourselves into
Rebbe says we actually see how we were moving
ous groups, but in the end we
that the month of Tammuz closer toward the wondr
how decided that while building the
has turned into the month of world of the Geula and
correct keilim of the Beis HaMikdash it
Geula. Throughout the years, I was acquiring the
to act was most appropriate to do so
this month was associated with information to be able
came.
in unity.
mourning and destruction, but properly when the time
the
te
celebra
we
in recent years
release of the Rebbe Rayatz in
this month.
Said Chaim, Now that we
know that we are living in a
special time, in the generation
of Geula, who knows what we
need to do during these days?
What special thing expresses
our daily chayus in inyanei
Moshiach and Geula?
There was silence until
Chaim went over to
the bookshelves and
pulled out a pile of
sfarim, spread them
out on the table,
and said:
end
the
At
of the sicha, the
Rebbe explains that
because of this special time we
At the end of
Half of the fast
are living in, we need to make
ran to daven
g
we
learnin
fast
us
the
with
passed
a commotion about learning
and to the
dash
Maariv
HaMik
and
Beis
Mincha
the
about
inyanei Moshiach and Geula
s, instead
fast
parent
the
of
our
of
half
e
other
surpris
the
and
and to learn it in such a way
drink,
and
First
eat
er.
to
g
togeth
runnin
craft
a
of
we did
that it is practical. That means
house
is
the
Shmul
of
to
outline
back
the
went
ed
we
we sketch
that with the Beis HaMikdash
had
we
s
variou
details
the
some
drew
finish
and
to
h
Mikdas
coming down any minute, we
the
,
Nashim
en.
Ezras
forgott
the
rooms,
will be able to know what to do,
steps going up to the Heichal,
When we sat down for a
the laws of purity, the avoda in
many
added
we
slowly
and
festive meal, together with
the Mikdash, about the singing
just
had
we
that
details
other
Chaim, we felt a great feeling
of the Leviim, and all the things
about.
d
learne
of satisfaction. We felt how
having to do with the time of
The hours that followed right then and there we were
the Geula.
were very interesting. Shmuli getting a taste of the Geula.
We listened and then learned
brought craft supplies and
We exhibited the things we
the Hilchos Beis HaBechira
together we began building made at school. May we soon
together. This topic, about the
models and vessels of the Beis see the real thing with the
Beis HaMikdash, used to be hard
HaMikdash according to the true and complete Geula!
for me to relate to, but after

B"H. 16 Tammuz 5776 Hakhel


22 July 2016 Number 1030
Price: $6.00 Part 2 of 2
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2016-07-19 12:51:36 PM

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