1008

DVAR MALCHUS
IN THE REBBES
HANDWRITING
From Chapter Five of Rabbi Shloma Majeskis
Likkutei Mekoros Vol. 2. (Underlined text is the
compilers emphasis.)
Translated by Boruch Merkur
According to the style and approach of my revered father, the number sixty-eight, which is
equivalent to the word chayim (two Yuds and Mem-Ches), by way of allusion, corresponds to the
different periods throughout the sixty-eight years of the nesius of the leader of our generation.
Elsewhere it has been explained that the thirty years of the leadership of my revered father in-law,
the Rebbe, throughout his life in this world (the year Pras, 5680, until 5710) are (generally) divided
into three periods, each a decade: The first ten years in Russia, the second decade in Poland, etc., and
the final ten years in America, the Lower Hemisphere.
Yechi HaMelech: The above is part of the well-known sicha of Beis Nissan 5748, which discusses the
proclamation Yechi HaMelech. In that sicha it says that the number sixty-eight, which is equivalent to
the word chayim (two Yuds and Mem-Ches), corresponds to the different periods through the sixty-eight
years of the nesius of the Rebbe Rayatz, nishmaso Eden. The Rebbe shlita, inserts in his edit that this
concept is according to the style and approach of my revered father, by way of allusion.
***
This year we are granted extra capabilities in all the above, for it is 5752 (Hei-Tav-Shin-NunBeis), which as publicized and spread among Jewish communities everywhere is an acronym for:
Haya Tehei Shnas Niflaos BChol MiKol Kol (It shall surely be a year of wonders in every respect).
And this year we shall see the fulfillment, among all the Jewish people, of the prayer and blessing
of Moshe Rabbeinu, for each and every Jew shlita. Namely, what is stated at the end and completion
of Mizmor Tzaddik (Chapter 90) of Thillim: May the pleasantness of G-d our L-rd be upon us, and
may He guide for us the works of our hands May it be G-ds will that the Shchina will dwell upon
the work of our hands and may He guide the work of our hands.
Issue 1008
1008_bm_eng FINAL.indd 3
09/02/2016 11:12:35
DVAR MALCHUS
Kapitel Tzaddik: A facsimile of the Rebbe shlitas handwritten notation on the letter the Rebbe
wrote for the month of Kislev of this year. Here the Rebbe points out that the years Chapter of Thillim
(Tzaddik) is the prayer and blessing of Moshe Rabbeinu to each and every Jew shlita
***
All that is lacking is that a Jew should properly open his eyes, and he will see how everything is
already prepared for the redemption! We already have a shulchan aruch (a set table; i.e., everything
is prepared); we already have the Leviasan, the Shor HaBar, and the Yayin HaMeshumar. Jews
are already sitting at the table their Fathers table (the King, King of Kings, Alm-ghty G-d)
together with Moshiach Tzidkeinu (as stated in holy works that In each generation there is born
one from the descendants of Yehuda who is fit to be the Moshiach of the Jewish people), and in
our times it is the leader of the generation, my revered father in-law, the Rebbe. And after forty years
since the histalkus of the Rebbe, we also have a heart to know and eyes to see and ears to hear.
Moshiach in our generation: This note appears on the page of the sicha of Shabbos Parshas VaYeitzei
of this year (5752), where it speaks about the need for a Jew to open his eyes properly in order to see
that everything already stands ready for redemption, and we also already have Moshiach Tzidkeinu, as
it says in sfarim that in In each generation there is born one from the descendants of Yehuda who is
fit to be Moshiach. Here the Rebbe shlita adds and in our times it is the leader of the generation,
my revered father in-law, the Rebbe. (The entire selection is published above in this booklet in Shaar
Inyanei Moshiach, Section 10.)
(Kuntres Tzaddik LMelech, pg. 147)
Continued from page 5

purpose4.
The second stage is that all
mundane phenomena should
become uplifted to the extent
that there is no mundane
atmosphere at all. All parts of
life revolve around the Torah
and Mitzvos they connect with.
Every deed is not just inspired by
Yiddishkait and in the ambience
of Yiddishkait, the deed is a
mitzvah, the action is a part

of the Torah, an expression of
G-dliness.
Such conduct, the behavior
of )( , the
in which kdusha permeates
a persons life, is a true and
complete
Bitachon5
where
not only is there no influence
contrary to Hashem, there is
no other influence at all, even
a neutral one. There is only
kdusha, and a world that only
expresses kdusha.
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.
(Endnotes)
.172 ( 1
. ,( 2
. 84 ( 3
,( 4
.
( 5
.
4 3 Adar I 5776 - Hakhel
09/02/2016 11:12:35
BITACHON BYTES
DIVINE EXCLUSIVITY
By Rabbi Zalman Goldberg
The story of the building of the

Mishkan contains a lot of guidance
for us in the area of Bitachon, as
we know that the point of building
the Mishkan was that the G-dliness
that came down during Mattan
Torah should remain in this world
permanently. Having an abode (for
Hashem) among us, whether in the
form of a unique edifice or in the
figure of a great tzaddik, assists us
in living in a way that Hashem is a
reality in our lives, not something
abstract.
Here we will focus on a specific
detail which was crucial for creating
the Mishkan. When Hashem initiated
the fundraiser for the Mishkan, after
listing all of the necessary precious
objects, He made a heartfelt plea,
-they
should make for me a holy sanctuary
and I will dwell among them. Rashi
comments that -they should
make for me means -for My
name, and means a house of
kdusha.
The question is raised: why does
the pasuk need to repeat that the
process should be done for my
name? The pasuk already made
that point when discussing the
Yiddens donations and says that
the donations should be taken ,
so why does it need to be repeated
by the instructions to build the
Mishkan?
The Rebbe points out a very basic
difference between
(receiving the donations), and
( building the Mishkan)1.
When the donations were given, they
were merely handed over from their
domain to the domain of hekdesh.
The donated objects themselves
didnt become holy, they were simply

owned by a holy owner.
was there to
accomplish
something
totally
different. It was there to elevate
those objects that were donated
so that they should become holy
themselves, just like their owner. To
accomplish this, there had to be a
distinct kavana-intent that it should
be for Hashem.
If it would have been enough
that the donations were owned by
hekdesh, then another intent that it
should be for the sake of Hashem
would not have been necessary.
However, for every elevation a
special was required, hence the
second obligation to have kavana by
the building of the Mishkan.
Essentially, this is alluded to in
the two meanings of the word ;
and . The first meaning
connotes separating, indicating that
the donation was separated from the
gold, silver, etc. that it was mixed in
with earlier. The second meaning
connotes elevation; not only is the
object in a new domain, the donation
actually receives a new spiritual
status.
A parallel idea is described to
have happened when Avraham Avinu
bought Maras HaMachpeila from
Ephron. Rashi2 says that the field
received an uplifted status by leaving
the domain of an ordinary man and
entering the kings territory.
The Rebbe explains3 that
ordinarily when a purchase takes
place, the purchased object goes
from the domain of the seller to
that of the buyer. There remains
an unspoken relationship to the
seller, being the one from whom

the object was bought. When a
king acquires something it is not
an issue of going from one domain
to another; it becomes entirely the
kings, regardless of who was the
previous owner. The acquired object
undergoes a transformation in status
and is elevated to a new station with
no relation to where it originated.
This is what occurred when Avraham
bought the field containing the
Maras HaMachpeila.
Likewise with the building of the
Mishkan, the goal was to elevate the
materials to a level entirely higher
than the status it had before it was
donated.
This is the Bitachon lesson for us.
When one decides to become closer
to Hashem and change domains
from where they were previously to
being more devoted to Hashem and
His ways, this can be done either in
a partial manner or completely.
Changing the kinds of people
we socialize with to more refined
associates, making our homes void
of goyishkait, and by spending more
time at shiurei Torah, are great
ways to begin connecting more to
Hashem (that He should become
the only one in whom to place trust),
but it is only stage one. In this stage
it is ok if there are still mundane
aspects in a persons life as long
as they are all used for the sake of
Heaven. It must be noticeable in all
day-to-day activities that they have
changed from the domain where
worldly objects remain worldly and
they now belong to a new owner to
whom everyday aspects have a G-dly
Continued on page 4
Issue 1008
09/02/2016 11:12:35
FEATURE
R Nissan Mangel,
a distinguished
rav and mashpia
in Crown Heights,
shares what he
heard about
the Rebbes
involvement
in the Yossele
saga. * How the
Satmar Rebbe
referred a fateful
question to the
Lubavitcher
Rebbe. * About
the late night
yechidus and the
Rebbes answer.
Prepared for publication by R Sholom
Yaakov Chazan
ome background: 18
Teves 5720. Alter and Ida
Schumacher made aliya
from Russia with their
two children. They asked Idas
parents, Breslover Chassidim who
lived in Mea Sharim, to raise their
children.
They sent the nine year
old Zeena to Kfar Chabad
and Yossele was taken in by R
Nachman and his wife Miriam
Shtroks. When the young

couples financial state improved,
they wanted their children back.
The grandfather agreed to take
the girl out of the dormitory in
Kfar Chabad and return her to
her parents. He also promised to
return Yossele with the start of
the new school year, but did not
follow through on this because he
said the parents were planning to
return to the Soviet Union and
raise the boy as a communist.

The parents insisted on
getting their son back and then
Yossele disappeared. The parents
feared he had been sent out of the
country and they asked the court
system for help. Despite court
orders, the grandfather refused
to have the boy returned to his
parents. Prime Minister David
Ben Gurion had the Mossad get
involved in the search for the boy.
09/02/2016 11:12:35
WHEN SATMAR
CONSULTED
WITH THE REBBE
THE FATEFUL QUESTION

R Nissan Mangel relates:
It was shortly after the
Schumacher episode. I was
standing at a bus stop in Flatbush
on my way home to Crown
Heights when a Chassidic
looking fellow came over to
me. He asked me how to get to
Williamsburg. I told him that I
was going to Crown Heights and
from there he could take a bus
directly to Williamsburg.
The bus came and he got on
and sat down next to me. We
got to talking. He was a rabbi
from the Eidah HaChareidis in
Yerushalayim. Unfortunately, I
do not remember his full name.
When he realized that I
am a Lubavitcher Chassid,
he said to me, I will tell you
something interesting about the
Lubavitcher Rebbes involvement
in the Yossele story. A short time

before Yossele was discovered,
word reached Williamsburg that
Mossad agents knew that Yossele
was being hidden there and it
was a matter of time before they
found the hiding place.
The father of the family
which was hosting Yossele at
that time, R Avrohom Zanvil
Gartner, was a Satmar Chassid.
Hearing the reports, he asked
Issue 1008
09/02/2016 11:12:36
FEATURE
After the yechidus, they went straight back to

Williamsburg where the Satmar Rebbe was
waiting for them. He did not go to sleep until he heard
the Rebbes answer. Of course, he told R Gartner to do
as the Lubavitcher Rebbe said and not voluntarily hand
Yossele over.
his Rebbe, R Yoel Teitelbaum

of Satmar, whether to continue
hiding Yossele and wait until the
Mossad agents found him, or to
give Yossele up.
(In newspaper accounts of
the time there was an item about
Yosseles parents considering
suing the Gartner family for
keeping Yossele without their
permission. It is possible that this
is what Gartner was afraid about,
or that he was afraid he would be
accused of kidnapping SYC.)
ASK THE LUBAVITCHER

REBBE
The Satmar Rebbes answer
was that he could not make this
decision and only the Lubavitcher
Rebbe could respond to this
question.
Satmar askanim immediately
formed a delegation of three
rabbanim which included the
rav who was telling this to me,
R Shimon Yisroel Posen of
Shopran (who a few months
earlier had received a letter from
the Rebbe in which the Rebbe
noted that they had met before),
and another distinguished rav
whose name I dont recall.
They arranged an urgent
appointment with the Rebbe
and were given a slot late at
night. When they entered the
Rebbes room, they presented the
question and the Rebbe said the
child could not be handed over to
the Mossad.
The
Rebbe
expressed
his surprise about Satmar
Chassidim: Why dont they obey
their Rebbe at least as much as
the Litvishe listen to their roshei
yeshiva?
After the yechidus, they went
straight back to Williamsburg
where the Satmar Rebbe was
waiting for them. He did not
go to sleep until he heard the
Rebbes answer. Of course, he
told R Gartner to do as the
Lubavitcher Rebbe said and not
voluntarily hand Yossele over.
A SATMAR CHASSID AT
THE REBBES YUD SHVAT
FARBRENGEN
Here is another story that
happened to me from which we
can also learn about the Satmar
Rebbes admiration for the
Rebbes holy work.
It was 5715 or 5716. I was
learning in yeshiva in Montreal at
the time and when I had yechidus
the Rebbe suddenly asked me
whether I put on Rabbeinu Tam
tfillin. I said no, for in those days
it was customary to start putting
them on only after you got
married. I asked: Does the Rebbe
think I should start putting them
on? The Rebbe said yes.
When I returned to Montreal,
I spoke to the mashpia of the
yeshiva, R Wolf Greenglass,
about what the Rebbe told me. I
told him my concern that I did
not know where I would get the
money for new tfillin since I

was a young Holocaust survivor
without a family to help me.
R Greenglass looked at
me lovingly and said: I am
responsible for the money for
the tfillin and in the meantime
use my tfillin. He gave me the
address of a Satmar Chassid
by the name of Weiss who
manufactured the tfillin boxes
(a battim macher) and said:
Go to him and tell him to make
you battim on my account. Then
he added: Since the Rashi tfillin
you use are old and not mehudar
enough, tell him to prepare
another pair, also on my account.
In those days, before Mivtza
Tfillin, bachurim would go
to swim in a pool on Friday
afternoon. For several weeks I
used that time to go to the battim
macher to see how my battim
were coming along.
The Satmar Chassid spoke
against Lubavitch and opened his
mouth against the Rebbe. One
day I said to him: Youve never
been to the Rebbe so how can
you speak against him when you
did not hear him even one time?
Come with me to visit the Rebbe.
Incredibly, he agreed and
since it was soon Yud Shvat, we
arranged to meet at the Rebbes
farbrengen. In those days, the big
farbrengens took place in halls in
Brooklyn. I gave him the address
and since he could not be there
at the beginning, at 8:00, we
arranged that I would step out
of the farbrengen at 9:00 and he
would be waiting at the entrance
to the hall so I could bring him
in and provide him with a place
near the Rebbe.
I went out at 9:00 and nobody
was there. I waited and waited
and gave up after half an hour
and went back to my place inside.
I thought he had gotten cold feet.
The next Friday, when I went
09/02/2016 11:12:36
to him, I learned that he had

also been at the farbrengen. I
was very late and arrived first
at 10:00, he told me. Since
I did not see you, I went inside
on my own and heard the Rebbe.
I thought that, indeed, he is a
veritable angel of G-d, but then I
pushed and got closer and when
I saw the Rebbes hat I was very
disappointed [since it wasnt
one that Admurim wore].
ONLY THE LUBAVITCHER

REBBE CAN
A few weeks passed and one
Friday, when I went to see him as
usual, he happily announced, I
am becoming a Chabad Chassid!
I was taken aback, of course,
and I asked him why he had
changed his mind. He told me
the following:
Last week, the Satmar Rebbe
visited Toronto. Like many
Satmar Chassidim in Montreal,
I went to Toronto to see him.
During the tish, the Admur told
us about a group of Satmar
Chassidim who went to Texas
on business and were very
successful. One thing bothered
them though. In Texas you
cannot obtain kosher meat and
they had to eat from the food
supplies their families sent along
with them. Since they did well in
business, they asked the Satmar
Rebbe to send a G-d fearing

shochet to them so they could eat
fresh meat and they committed to
paying the shochet well.
I told them, said the Satmar
Rebbe, that I cannot send a
Chassidic shochet to Texas which
is a treife place, for he would
certainly go off the derech. At
first he would be embarrassed to
go in public with his shtraimel,
and then he would not wear his
shtraimel even in shul, and then
he would remove his peios and

then his yarmulke.
When the Lubavitcher Rebbe
sends his emissaries, not only
dont they go off the derech, they
make baalei teshuva! But I cannot
take the responsibility for the
shochet going off the derech.
That tfillin maker did not
become a Chabad Chassid but
his antipathy toward Chabad
disappeared.
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Issue 1008
09/02/2016 11:12:36
FEATURE
Pinchas
Lachiani
hen
you
ask
Pinchas
Lachiani
what
his
dream
is, he immediately
responds with furnishing the
Beis HaMikdash. He has no doubt
this will happen, but until the
Beis HaMikdash in Yerushalayim
is built, speedily in our days, he
suffices with building furniture
for miniature sanctuaries in Eretz
Yisroel and abroad.
At any given moment, we are
working on between seven and
fifteen projects simultaneously,

he says.
When he says we, he
refers primarily to the Finish
company under his ownership,
which constructs furnishings for
shuls. When he says projects, he
means holy arks, bimos (Torah
reading platform), lecterns for
the chazan, libraries, chairs and
tables and dozens of other items
that are used to furnish a shul.
Thirty plus years in the
business means he has quite a
few stories. In honor of the weeks

in which we read about how the
Mishkan was constructed with
all its furnishings, we heard some
behind the scenes stories about
the making of holy arks and
about Pinchas Lachiani himself.
UNUSUAL PRIZE
The field of shul furnishings
has
undergone
a
major
transformation over the past
decades. Throughout Jewish
history,
starting
with
the
09/02/2016 11:12:37
AND YOU
SHALL MAKE
AN ARON
The boy from the vocational school in Kfar Chabad, when
asked to construct an Aron Kodesh for his fathers shul,
blazed a new trail in shul furnishings. To mark the sidra in
which we read of the design of the aron and the Mishkan,
we met with Pinchas Lachiani, owner of Finish synagogue
furnishings, who has devoted his life to beautify miniature
sanctuaries in Eretz Yisroel and abroad. * Lachiani shares
moving stories and tells of the life altering month that he
spent with the Rebbe, about his personal encounter with
the Rebbe, the mysterious blessing he received as a boy
and which was understood years later, and which aron
kodesh required rappelling to construct.
By Zalman Tzorfati
construction of the Mishkan, then

later with the Beis HaMikdash in
Yerushalayim, and finally with
the great shuls in the Diaspora,
craftsmen fashioned furnishings
out of wood and decorated them
with exquisite carvings.
Whether it was due to
financial pressure or the physical
and emotional state of life in
Eretz Yisroel fifty and sixty
years ago, very little was put
into furnishings for shuls. The
furnishings were mostly made
by ordinary carpenters who used

simple materials and without any
special design. Shul furnishings
began looking more and more
like simple home furnishings.
Over the past three decades
however, things began to change.
Many factories have sprung up
specializing in furnishings for
shuls. One of the people leading
the way in this industry is Pinchas
Lachiani, a graduate of the
carpentry track in the vocational
school in Kfar Chabad, who
became the owner of one of the

biggest manufacturing companies
in the field.
Pini was a young boy from
Kiryat Gat who was sent to the
vocational school in Kfar Chabad.
From the time he can remember,
he was drawn to woodworking.
As a boy, he spent hours building
small models and furnishings out
of wood, so choosing to enroll in
the carpentry track was a natural
outgrowth of his hobby.
In
5738,
something
Issue 1008
11
09/02/2016 11:12:38
FEATURE
davening. We waited for the
Rebbe and there was a huge
crowd. It seemed like not even a
pin could fit and I wondered how
the Rebbe would get through.
Suddenly the path opened like
a zipper in the crowd and the
Rebbe went through the center. It
was extraordinary.
BE INVOLVED IN KODESH
An aron kodesh in the Beis Chabad in Vienna
An aron kodesh at the Rabbinical Centre of

Europe in Brussels
happened which turned out

to be a watershed moment in
his life. He was chosen, along
with seven other boys, as
outstanding students of the year.
To acknowledge their excellence,
they won a most unusual prize,
especially for those days. They
flew to 770!
We spent an entire month
with the Rebbe together with
our Hebrew subjects teacher,
R Shlomo Giladi. We arrived
before Purim and returned home
Erev Pesach. I remember nearly
every moment from that visit to
the Rebbe. I remember the path
when the Rebbe came down for
Lachiani has another memory

of that visit.
I remember that one time a
young guy came in for Mincha
who looked homeless. He had
long, matted hair, wore colorful
clothing, and acted strange. I
followed him and he stood not
far from the Rebbe. Throughout
the tfilla I noticed how the
Rebbe glanced at him. I was very
surprised because the Rebbe
usually looked in his siddur, but
this time, every few moments, the
Rebbe looked at him.
Suddenly, toward the end of
the tfilla, he burst into tears. He
stood there and cried even after
the Rebbe left. A week later I saw
him again in 770. This time he
came dressed normally and had a
haircut. He looked like a genuine
baal teshuva.
Although he had many
powerful experiences, the most
powerful event of that visit was
the personal encounter he had on
the day he returned.
The Rebbe came out to us
in the hallway near his room.
We all stood there and each one
of us passed by the Rebbe. The
Rebbe expressed interest in the
personal details of each one of us
and blessed us with a good trip.
When I passed by, the Rebbe
asked me what I was studying
and I said carpentry. The Rebbe
said, Be involved in holiness, an
answer that I understood only
much later.
WORD OF MOUTH
Pini returned home and
finished his schooling and
military duty and began to work
in carpentry. A month later, he
heard about an older carpenter
who wanted to sell his carpentry
business. Pini mobilized all of his
resources and bought the small
business. He built furniture of
all kinds but divine providence
guided him toward something
more significant.
A short while after I
began working independently,
congregants in my fathers shul
in Kiryat Gat asked me to build a
new aron kodesh for the shul. The
gabbaim were very satisfied with
my work and word got around. I
suddenly found myself working
exclusively
on
furnishings
for shuls. I looked around
and discovered that no other
carpentry business specialized
in this. Until then, carpenters
made shul furniture according
to the standards of household
furnishings. The results were
shul furnishings that were simple
and basic. I saw there was a
demand and I began focusing on
this specialized field. It was the
demand that engendered the idea
and we expanded more and more
until we set up a real factory.
That is how the Finish
company was born. Finish today
is one of the largest designers
and manufacturers in the world
for synagogue furniture.
Our company is in the
Kanot industrial park. We build
everything for shuls and also do
special, custom projects. Our
motto is realizing the dream
of anyone who builds a shul.
Sometimes its the gabbai,
sometimes the donor, rabbi,
Admur, or interior designer.
There is no job weve gotten for
which we havent come through.
09/02/2016 11:12:38
HANDMADE
The company specializes in
carvings and engravings which
are all done by hand.
We have an engraving
machine called CNC. This
machine works with a special
computer on which you design a
sample and the machine makes it,
but we dont work with it. I think
that computerized engraving
takes all the soul out of the
carvings, says Lachiani.
The business employs close to
thirty craftsmen in carving and
engraving on various levels. Most
of them are from the former
Soviet Union.
Once, while putting together
an aron kodesh, a Russian
immigrant with a background
in copper engraving came over
to me and asked whether I was
looking for an engraver. I asked
him to make me something
with the twelve tribes and since
then, he has become one of the
head craftsmen here. The great
aliya from the former Soviet
Union brought many craftsmen
who worked in sculpting and
engraving. They did this in all
sorts of disparate fields. I took all
these talents and directed them to
kdusha.
Lachiani takes special pride in
his work for the shluchim around
the world. One of the things that
moves him is when he is asked
to build a replica of the Rebbes
chair.
We recently finished a big
project in Hungary where I was
asked to make a chair like that
for Moshiach.
Its not only shluchim. Many
communities, rabbanim and
Admurim around the world
prefer to order from Eretz
Yisroel.
Our company has an
international reputation, he says.
In those cases, they arrange for

transport in a shipping container,
pack the furnishings well, and
send an assembly team to put it all
together at the destination. The
assembly is no less important
than the construction, he says.
Sometimes,
unprofessional
assembly can ruin the whole
thing.
THE SHAPE OF THE

LUCHOS
I wonder whether Lachiani
runs
into
disagreements
concerning the design of the
luchos (tablets). He says, As a
graduate of a Chabad school, my
default choice is always square
luchos, unless the customer
explicitly asks for another style.
More than once, this topic has
led to fascinating discussions
with Torah greats. R Avrohom
Kook, head of the yeshiva
Orchos HaTorah in Rechovot,
once came to the factory to see
how the work he had ordered
was coming along. While he was
here, R Eliezer Brod, rav of the
yishuv Karmei Yosef, was here
too. R Brod tried to convince R
Kook to change the shape of the
luchos he had ordered to square
ones. The two of them began to
discuss the topic of the shape
of the luchos and the menorah.
In the end, R Kook stuck to his
position, but it was interesting to
see the discussion between the
two rabbis.
Lachiani has worked for
known rabbis in Eretz Yisroel
and the world over such as R
Mordechai Eliyahu, R Ovadia
Yosef, R Shlomo Amar and
Admurim and roshei yeshiva.
Often, these jobs entail long
meetings with the staff and
sometimes with the rabbanim
themselves who get involved in
the small details.
Square luchos in shuls
THE ARON BUILT HANGING

FROM A RAPPEL HARNESS
When you ask Pinchas
Lachiani what has been the
highlight of his career, he
unhesitatingly says furnishing
the Churva shul. Although
he has more than thirty years
of experience working on
complicated
and
impressive
projects, refurbishing the old
aron kodesh of the Churva shul
in Yerushalayim which soars
twelve meters high is his greatest
source of pride.
The auditorium of the old
Issue 1008
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FEATURE
Churva shul in the Old
City of Yerushalayim is
twelve meters high, and
parts of it are gilded in
pure gold. We placed a
bid at tender along with
seven other craftsmen.
We had long meetings
with professionals and
architects and showed
them our work and
detailed for them our
methods. In the end,
we were chosen thanks
to our engraving done
by hand. The work was
so complicated that no
machine, as advanced as
it might be, could have
done it.
We got a pile of
hundreds of photos
from museums and
other collections. We
began processing them
one by one with special
computer programs. We enlarged
the pixels and made corrections
so the etchings could be seen
clearly. Through painstaking
meticulous work, we managed
to reconstruct the unique
designs on the aron kodesh
photographically. Then we began
the implementation stage which
was not at all simple.
Trucks and cranes cannot
make their way through the
narrow passageways of the Old
City, so they had to contend with
endless technical challenges that
kept cropping up.
It was complicated work
the likes of which we never
experienced before. We had to
think about every detail. You
cannot drive in the Old City and
we had to think about how to
transport materials through the
narrow lanes. In the end, after
we brought all the parts, we built
scaffolding, as is done in jobs like
this, but then we saw that because
Lachiani in the Churva shul
of the conditions of the place, the

scaffolding at that height was
moving like leaves in the wind.
My son eventually came up with
an original solution; he lowered
himself from the roof with
rappelling cables and that is how
we assembled the aron kodesh.
MOVING STORIES
One time, gabbaim from a
certain shul came to me and said
they have a donor for a new aron
kodesh. I arranged a meeting
with them and the donor, who
was a respected businessman and
quite affluent. He seemed to be
quite impressed by our work, and
in the course of our meeting he
told me that he was donating an
aron kodesh to his fathers shul.
He said that his father was
one of the founders of the shul
and that he had davened there
all his life. Since the aron kodesh
was first built it had undergone
a number of renovations, and
since his father died recently, he
wanted to donate a new

aron lilui nishmaso.
We filled the order,
built the aron and brought
it to the shul. The old aron
was built into an alcove.
The walls in the alcove were
covered with tapestries,
which apparently were
added during one of the
renovations of the old aron.
When we peeled off
the tapestries we discovered
an old memorial plaque
where it said that this aron
kodesh was donated in the
merit of the newborn child
as a merit for him and his
success in life. The donor
of the first aron was the
father of the donor of the
present aron and the baby
was he himself. It was quite
a moving moment.
A similar story took
place at a furnishings
exhibit that took place at a
large convention center in the
center of the country. We built
a big, special aron kodesh for
the exhibit. During the exhibit,
gabbaim from a shul in the south
came and were very impressed by
the aron. They measured it and
saw that it perfectly matched the
size they needed and they wanted
to buy it.
The next day they returned
with a donor who came to see
the aron for himself. He looked
it over and then suddenly burst
into tears. After he calmed
down somewhat, he said he was
donating the aron kodesh lilui
nishmas his wife who recently
died. He said, When I came in,
the hall was familiar to me but I
did not remember from where.
Then I suddenly remembered.
This is where I met my wife for
the first time. And here I am
standing and choosing an aron
kodesh to memorialize her.
09/02/2016 11:12:39
PARSHA THOUGHT
WHOSE GIFT
WILL MOSHIACH
REJECT?
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg
GOLD, SILVER AND

COPPER BUT NOT IRON
The Mishkan, the portable
Sanctuary the Jewish people
constructed in the desert, was
constructed out of gold, silver
and copper.
According to the Midrash,
these metals allude to three of the
four nations that subjugated the
Jews.
Nebuchadnezzar,
the
Babylonian monarch, dreamt of
a huge statue consisting of four
parts. Its head consisted of fine
gold; its breast and arms were
made out of silver; its belly and
thighs were made out of copper,
and its legs were made out of
iron.
Daniel was summoned to
interpret this dream. The golden
head of the statue, he said, was
a reference to the Babylonians;
the silver breast and arms to the
Medians; the copper belly and
thighs to Greece and the iron legs
were a reference to the Romans.
The Midrash then observes
that G-d only asked for three
of those metals, gold, silver and
copper, for the construction
of the Sanctuary, while iron,
and its allusion to Rome, was
conspicuously
absent.
The
Midrash explains:
Because the evil Edom
(Rome), which destroyed the
Holy Temple, is likened to it. And
this is to teach you that the Holy
One, blessed is He, will accept
gifts in the Future Era from all
the kingdoms, with the exception
of Edom (Rome).
The Midrash then asks:
But, didnt Babylonia also
destroy [the First Temple]?
However, she did not raze it. But
with respect to Edom [Rome]
what is written those who
say Destroy! Destroy! to its very
foundation (Psalms 137:7).
The Midrash then describes
how all of the nations of the world
will bring gifts to Moshiach.
Moshiach will accept all of their
gifts, at which time Rome will
come and argue:
Since they accepted gifts from
these other nations, who are not
their [Israels] brothers, all the
more so us. Edom [Rome] too
will seek to bring gifts to the
King Moshiach, but the Holy
One, blessed is He, will say to
the Moshiach, Rebuke the wild
beast of the reed, (Psalm 68:31)
whose entire existence is from the
reed.
ROME BUILT
AROUND A REED!
What did the Midrash mean
by describing Rome as a wild
beast whose entire existence is
from the reed?
Commentators
cite
the
Talmud and Zohar which state
that Rome was built on the
foundation of a reed. When
King Solomon married the
daughter of Pharaoh, the angel
Gabriel came and stuck a reed in
the sea, and the city of Rome was
built on a sandbank that gathered
around it.
This discussion raises several
questions:
First, what precisely is
the reason G-d did not want
Moshiach to take a gift from
Rome? Why wouldnt Romes
willingness to bring a gift to
Moshiach mitigate their past evil?
Second,
what
is
the
connection between Romes
unredeemable evil and King
Solomons marriage to Pharaohs
daughter?
Third, what deeper message
lies beneath the surface of the
description of Rome being built
around a reed?
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PARSHA THOUGHT
G-d will not buy their argument. Rome not only

destroyed the Temple, they targeted its very
foundation and core, which forced us into exile. This is
far more analogous to one who throws another into the
ocean and then jumps in to save him.
THE ROLE OF THE

BAIS HAMIKDASH
To answer these questions we
must first understand: a) the role
of the Bais HaMikdash, b) why
it is not standing today, and c)
what will happen when Moshiach
builds the Third Temple.
When G-d created the world,
He not only intended for it to be
civilized and peaceful; He also
wanted it to be G-dly. G-ds plan
was for an independent-minded
humanity that would become
aware of G-d, His plan, accede
to His will and permeate every
aspect of existence with this
G-dly awareness.
To this end, G-d gave us the
Torah and its Mitzvos, which
touch every aspect of our lives
and instill them with G-dly light.
To further the goal of making
our entire world a dwelling
place for G-d we were given a
Holy Land, a land that radiates
fidelity to G-ds will. Indeed, the
word eretz-land, our Sages tell
us, is etymologically related to
the word desire. Israel is a land
that has a natural desire and
proclivity to conform to G-ds
will. (Of course, free choice
enables us to suppress the lands
holiness and desire.)
To further the goal of making
the entire world like Eretz Yisroel,
G-d commanded us to build a
Bais HaMikdash in which G-ds
presence would be powerfully
present and radiate its G-dly aura
to the entire world.
Without the Temple, the only
way we could affect the world

in accordance with G-ds plan
would be by physical proximity to
the places we want to transform.
If the Temples integrity had not
been compromised, there would
never have been a need for the
Jewish people to go into exile.
The spiritual power of the Bais
HaMikdash would have spread
to the entire world unimpeded.
The destruction of the Temple
necessitated our going into exile
and having a direct connection
with the world we want to affect.
Exile was therefore not just a
punishment for our sins. Rather,
our sins caused the destruction
of the Bais HaMikdash. Without
that source of Divine energy,
we were compelled to descend
into exile to fulfill our mission
of transforming the entire world.
The only way to accomplish that
goal was by direct contact with
each of the places to which we
were exiled.
KING SOLOMONS PLAN

We can now understand King
Solomons reason for marrying
Pharaohs daughter and how it
backfired.
King Solomon was well aware
of his unique role in unifying the
Jewish people and building the
Bais HaMikdash to empower
them to refine and elevate the
whole world. However, King
Solomon sought to buttress
the process of bringing G-ds
unity and light to the outside
world by marrying women from
other countries (but only after

they converted to Judaism). By
marrying Pharaohs daughter,
Solomon felt it would enable
him to channel the powerful
spiritual energy of Jerusalem to
the Egyptian empire and beyond.
Solomons intentions, albeit
proven wrong, were entirely
positive and holy.
His
mistake
was
that
rather than augmenting and
enhancing the power of the Bais
HaMikdash,
King
Solomon
undermined its power.
First, the Bais HaMikdash
did not need man-made support
and enhancement. The very
premise upon which the Temple
was built was for us not to have
to travel (either geographically
or conceptually) to foreign states
or states of mind. Marriage
to Pharaohs daughter caused
King Solomon to depart from
and
thereby
diminish
the
unadulterated G-dly atmosphere
of the Temple.
Second,
the
daughters
beliefs and behavior were not
consistent with the high ideals of
the Temple. Her lack of fidelity to
the belief in absolute Divine unity
was diametrically opposite the
existence of the Bais HaMikdash.
Rather than increasing holiness
and causing G-dly light to radiate
outward, King Solomon brought
some of the exile darkness
into Jerusalem and the Bais
HaMikdash.
UNDERMINING THE
FOUNDATION
This, perhaps, is what is
meant by the statement in the
Talmud and Zohar that King
Solomons marriage to Pharaohs
daughter created Rome. That
unholy marriage undermined the
very foundation of the Temple,
which left us having to flounder
09/02/2016 11:12:41
in exile in order to reach and

affect the outside world. Rome
was the symbol of the destruction
of the Temple, even to its very
foundation. The seeds for that
destruction, which brought on
the long, arduous and painful
exile, were sown by that marriage
to Pharaohs daughter.
THE EXTENDED KUF OF

THE REED
The significance of the reed,
kaneh in Hebrew, is that it begins
with the letter kuf, which has a
negative connotation. The kuf is
similar to the letter hei (which
is part of the Divine name),
with one significant difference.
Its left leg extends downward,
symbolizing the descent into the
lowest precincts of our world. It
represents the total immersion in
the material world which causes
one to lose sight of the Divine
and imbibe unholy and un-G-dly
influences.
When the Temple stood, there
would have been no potential
for that type of decline because
we would not have needed to
directly relate to the outsidenether world. The outside
world could have been made
G-dly without our intense and
obsessive participation in it; there
would have been no potential for
drowning in the morass of exile.

When Moshiach rebuilds the
Bais HaMikdash we will once
more be able to radiate G-dliness
to the entire world.
ROMES INTENTION
Thus, when Rome offers a
gift to Moshiach its intention
will be to demonstrate how
much our existence in their exile
contributed to the transformation
of the world and leading it to the
Messianic Age.
Rome will brag that it caused
the infrastructure which enabled
us to learn Torah and perform the
Mitzvos. Rome, therefore will feel
that, despite its evil, it deserves to
be given some credit.
To use an analogy: Doctors
discover and successfully treat
a potentially fatal illness when a
person injured in a fight goes for
treatment. If not for that injury
he would not have found the
problem before it killed him.
It would be understandable
if the victim would be grateful,
at least in some small part, to
his adversary for having, albeit
unintentionally, saved his life.
This is essentially Romes
argument: True, we persecuted
you. However, being in our
exile provided you with the
opportunity to bring holiness

to every nook and cranny of
the world. We also provided the
tools which enabled you to fulfill
your mission. We have, in effect,
contributed to the building of the
Third Temple!
HYPOCRITES!
G-d will not buy their
argument. Rome not only
destroyed the Temple, they
targeted its very foundation and
core, which forced us into exile.
This is far more analogous to
one who throws another into the
ocean and then jumps in to save
him.
Their contributions will
therefore be deemed totally
unacceptable for the building of
the Third Temple.
All the credit for the Third
Temple will go to the Jewish
people, who suffered through
exile, persevered, flourished and
brought G-dly light to the entire
world. Only they, along with
those nations and individuals
who
observed
the
Seven
Noachide commandments and
supported the Jewish people, will
have a role in the Third Temple,
as the prophet Isaiah (56:7)
declares: for My house shall
be called a house of prayer for all
the nations.
Issue 1008
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PROFILE
SCHOLAR,
CHASSID,
HUMBLE CHARITY
COLLECTOR
The Chassid R Yaakov Friedman was one of
the outstanding gabboei tzdaka in New York.
He would go from place to place, setting aside
his dignity, raising money to support those who
learn Torah and the needy. * To mark his passing
on the first of Adar, a time when according to
the Mishna announcements are made about the
shkalim we compiled stories about his tzdaka
work.
Prepared for publication by Avrohom Rainitz
Yaakov Friedman
was known to
many residents
in
Crown
Heights as well
as visitors. Many in neighboring
Jewish communities also knew this
thin stooped man with the piercing
eyes, who walked quickly from
place to place collecting money for
the needy and for Torah scholars.
R Yaakov, with his modest
simple ways, hid his outstanding
righteousness as well as his

unique character that included
service of G-d like one of the early
Chassidim, and a tremendous
breadth of knowledge in Nigleh
and Chassidus.
Hardly anyone knew that he
was a war survivor. Although
he lost his entire family in the
Holocaust, including his wife and
children, may Hashem avenge
their blood he managed to
establish a new family and to

found dozens of Chadrei Torah
Ohr in Eretz Yisroel which saved
thousands of Jewish children
from a spiritual Holocaust.
His main occupation was
tzdaka which he worked on
raising day and night, thus saving
many people from starvation.
He helped build Jewish homes
and brought joy to orphans and
widows.
09/02/2016 11:12:41
R Yaakov Friedman giving the Rebbe a pidyon nefesh Erev Rosh HaShana
His son-in-law, R Sholom

Horowitz, had a book published
about
him
called
Tiferes
Yaakov which tells a little bit
of R Friedmans extraordinary
work. The book tells the story
of R Friedmans life and how
he supported the three pillars
on which the world stands
by founding Torah schools,
distributing tzdaka to thousands
of poor people, and his wondrous
avodas hatfilla. The book
documents his correspondence
with the Rebbe Rayatz while he
was still in the DP camps after
the war, and about his hiskashrus
to the Rebbe throughout the
years.
What follows are gems from
the book that have to do with R
Friedmans chesed.
AND YAAKOV VOWED

On a rare occasion, R Yaakov
told his son-in-law, the author
of the book, about the reason
for his energetic involvement
in tzdaka. When he was in the

concentration camps, the Nazis
once had inmates all lined up near
the river. The Nazis proceeded
to shoot at them, one by one,
and they fell into the river. R
Yaakov was standing in this line
and he made a commitment at
that moment: If G-d protects me,
then I will be involved in tzdaka
and chesed and helping others all
my life.
The miracle occurred and
he remained alive. He then
proceeded to carry out his
resolution. His life was dedicated
to tzdaka. He never passed
judgment on other people, nor
looked to see what group they
belonged to. Whether Chassidic
or Litvish, Ashkenazim or
Sephardim,
simple
people
or respected individuals, he
provided graciously to them all.
How important and dear to
him raising money for tzdaka
was can be learned from the
following fact. There was a bris
for his grandson, the shliach, R
Menachem Mendel Horowitz.

Everyone was ready, but he, the
grandfather, had not yet arrived.
The people waited a long time
until one of them said, It looks
like R Yaakov is raising money as
usual in the shuls.
The Bostoner Rebbe, R
Moshe Horowitz of Boro Park,
was the sandak and he waited
along with everyone else. The
mohel, R Eliyahu Shain, tried to
move things along, saying he had
another bris to do. Many other
people left before the bris took
place, but the Bostoner Rebbe
said they should keep waiting.
The bris cannot be done without
the grandfather, especially a
grandfather like this who is
raising money for the poor of
Eretz Yisroel. His son-in-law R
Yudel decided to go and look for
him. He got into his car and went
from shul to shul until he found
him. He brought him to the
simcha and the bris took place.
The pain of every Jew touched
him deeply and he devoted
Issue 1008
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PROFILE
R Friedmans letter to his son-in-law, R Sholom Horowitz, referred to in the article
R Yaakov once walked into a shul and

someone laughed at him and publicly shamed
him. Afterward, one of the people who witnessed what
happened went over to R Yaakov and offered him a deal
he would buy the embarrassment R Yaakov endured
for $10,000. R Yaakov was not at all interested in the
deal. He expressed surprise as to why the person was
even approaching him and continued his rounds as
though nothing had happened.
himself to others with money,
body and soul. When he heard of
someones sorrow he took it to
heart.
The
Chassid
and
philanthropist R Mordechai
Rivkin, who ran Beis Rivka for
many years, said that he once
took the New York subway and R
Yaakov Friedman sat next to him.
He suddenly noticed R Yaakov
reading a letter he received
from Eretz Yisroel while crying.
He worriedly asked R Yaakov
whether everything was all right.
R Yaakov, what happened? Do
you not feel well?
R Yaakov replied, I received
a letter from someone in Eretz
Yisroel who has no source of
livelihood and has nothing to
eat.
Do you know him? asked
R Mordechai.
No, I dont, said R Yaakov.
But it hurts me to hear about a
Jew who has nothing to eat!
Where do you find Jews like
this [like R Yaakov]? concluded
R Mordechai.
***
That is what R Friedman was
like. He felt the plight of another
as though it was his own plight,
even if he did not know the
person.
He did not wait until people
came to him; he always sought
out ways of helping others. One
time, when he was in shul, he
overheard two men talking. One
said to the other, So-and-so
[stating his name] is abjectly
poor. R Yaakov heard this short
sentence and that was enough
for him. He did not know the
person and being discreet he

did not ask the men who they
were talking about. He left the
shul and went home. When he
got home he opened the phone
book and began looking for the
name he had just heard until
he found it. He then called the
number and said, If it is not
difficult for you, go to 1020
56th Street. The man, who
did not understand what this
was about, went to the address
and R Yaakov gave him a sealed
envelope. How shocked the man
was when he opened it and found
a check for $500!
LISTENING AND HELPING

The Alter Rebbe received
from R Mordechai HaTzaddik,
who heard from the Baal
Shem Tov: A neshama of a Jew
descends to this world in order
to live seventy, eighty years in
order to do a favor for another
Jew, materially and especially
spiritually.
This statement appears in
the HaYom Yom (by divine
providence, for his birthday on 5
Iyar) and certainly applies to R
Yaakov. His deeds of tzdaka and
chesed were not something done
only occasionally.
His tzdaka and chesed
work began in one of the first
years following his arrival to the
United States after the war. Early
every morning, before the vasikin
davening, he would get up, in
cold and heat, rain and snow,
summer and winter, and go from
shul to shul to raise money. Along
with his partner, R Yerachmiel
Kampinsky, they would go to a
different neighborhood each day
of the week. They were familiar
faces to all the worshipers who
saw them on a set day of the
week.
Part of the money he collected
would be sent to Eretz Yisroel.
09/02/2016 11:12:42
Twice a year, before Pesach

and before Tishrei, he sent a
large sum of money that was
divided among hundreds of
needy families in Eretz Yisroel,
especially in Yerushalayim. This
money was distributed by trusted
gabboei tzdaka. He never told
people about his activities and
what he did, for he viewed it as
completely natural. All those who
gave him tzdaka and relied on
him implicitly, felt that R Yaakov
could be trusted unquestioningly.
The little that did become public
knowledge seemed to be in the
realm of the birds of the heaven
pass along the word, but even
in those instances, the birds of
heaven cooperated with him and
did not publicize too much.
Helping others was engraved
in his heart and mind. Whenever
he was able to help someone his
face shone as though a chesed
had been done for him. His sonin-law, R Yehuda Wolf, related:
At my sheva brachos,
someone knocked on the door for
tzdaka. Due to the commotion
nobody noticed him. When R
Yaakov realized that this was for
tzdaka he urged the crowd to
give generously. It was amazing
to see how his face shone when
each person gave some money
as though it was his personal
matter.
His home was open to all who
asked him for help and he always
did what he could for them,
whether it entailed obtaining
medication for a sick person or
helping marry someone off or
giving a loan of $25,000 to save
someone from his creditors.
Sometimes, when he did not have
enough money to help, he took
loans and personally guaranteed
to repay them on time.
He never took a penny from
tzdaka funds. His modest
income came from his wife
R YAAKOV AND THE DIN TORAH

R Mendel Firheiser related:
Every so often I would take R Yaakov in my car to shuls to collect
money and that is how I became friendly with him. I also saw how great he
was because of the following incident. A man by the name of Moshe was
deeply in debt after taking loans from loan sharks and they were demanding
$25,000 from him. He asked R Yaakov for help.
R Yaakovs heart melted when he heard the story and he immediately
agreed to give him the full amount and save him from his creditors. I also
promised to give a nice amount.
Here is where R Yaakovs partner, R Yerachmiel Kampinsky, entered
the picture and he did not agree to this. He said there were so many needy
people and one person could not be given everything.
Since they could not come to an agreement, they decided to go to a din
Torah by the Klausenberger Rebbe. The Rebbe heard the story and after
some back and forth he paskened that since R Yaakov was entitled to take
40% of the money that he collected for himself and he forwent that, he was
allowed to give the full amount to the man in debt.
He gave the money to the man and interestingly, some time later the
man became rich and he returned the money to R Yaakov in full and also
gave large sums to tzdaka.
Yehudis, a dressmaker, who
devoted herself to supporting
the household so he could do
his holy work. It happened more
than once that even this money
that she earned was given away
to tzdaka when he did not have
enough to help others.
A person who rented an
apartment from him was unable
to pay the rent. R Yaakov was
willing to forgo the payments
until the person got himself on
his feet, started earning and
was able to pay, but his wife
maintained that they had to cover
their expenses and he had to pay.
R Yaakov, seeing the sensitivity
of the matter, privately told the
renter, You pay and Ill give the
money back to you. This way
everyone was happy.
His son-in-law, R Sholom
Horowitz, related:
Once, while giving out
money to the needy, many
people came and I helped him
give out the checks. Since I did
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PROFILE
R Yaakovs partners in tzdaka, those through whom he distributed the money he collected. From right to left:
His mechutan, R Pinchas Leibush Hertzl, his mechutan, R Pinchas Horowitz, R Moshe Shuster
not have time to listen to each

one, I decided to divide the
money quickly without listening
too much to each one. Afterward,
my father-in-law said: With
tzdaka there are two aspects,
as it says, heed the cry of the
pauper and save him first you
need to listen to what is on his
mind. Give him some attention as
it says, a worry in a mans heart
he should relate to others. When
the man speaks and says what
bothers him it helps him and it
is also an aspect of tzdaka. Only
then do you help by giving him
what he needs.
WHOEVER STRETCHES
OUT HIS HAND, YOU GIVE
HIM
The
rule
of
whoever
stretches our his hand, you give
to him was an ironclad rule
for him. People knocked on
his door who appeared needy
and who asked for help and he
always gave. If someone tried to
alert him that so-and-so was not
needy, he did not want to listen.
He always responded forcefully,
We are not allowed to speak
[about a Jew].
There were also unscrupulous
characters who went to his
home and asked for help. They
employed various tricks, like
a seemingly innocent request

to cash a check which had no
balance to cover it. One time,
someone brought him a $5000
check to cash with the excuse
that he needed cash immediately.
R Yaakov rushed to help him
and gave him $5000 in cash! The
person happily went on his way,
leaving a check that he knew
would bounce.
One of his acquaintances
once told him that due to his
difficult financial situation he was
unable to buy tfillin that were
mehudarim. R Yaakov realized
that if he immediately gave him
money, the person would feel
uncomfortable every time he saw
R Yaakov. So he told the man
that he knew someone by the
name of Sholom Horowitz who
could help him. He did not tell
the man that this was his sonin-law, nor did he tell him that
he had given him a checkbook
for his account for just such
instances. He just gave him a
note which said, Bsd, To my
friend, R Sholom Horowitz,
R Menachem came here
regarding tfillin. Please help
him as much as possible. Yaakov
Friedman.
When his son-in-law received
the
note,
he
immediately
understood from the wording
that his father-in-law did not
want the recipient to know that

he was related to R Yaakov. The
man received the large sum he
needed without knowing that the
money came from R Yaakovs
account.
FORCED CHARITY
Giving to others is only
one side of the coin; the main
chiddush in R Yaakovs conduct
was expressed in the other
side of the coin the forcing
of tzdaka, as Chazal put it.
Everyone understands that the
main difficulty is in collecting the
money. Not everyone appreciates
how hard it is to go around, day
and night, collecting money.
Some tried to prevent R
Yaakov from making the effort.
Some tried to explain to him
that they did not want money
collected in that place. But he
held his own and explained to
one and all that he was there
not just to collect money, but
also to provide merit to as many
as possible with the mitzva of
tzdaka.
I once asked my father-inlaw, said R Yehuda Wolf, Why
do you go to all the little shuls
where there is barely a minyan;
youre better off going to a big
shul and collecting more money
in the same amount of time? He
09/02/2016 11:12:42
said to me, What about giving

merit to those Jews with the
mitzva of tzdaka?
Another
son-in-law,
R
Yeshaya Hertzl, rav of Natzrat
Ilit, tells of another incident:
He once went to a wedding
and wanted to collect money
there. The owner of the hall
went over to him and said, How
much will you make already at
this wedding? I am willing to
give you $300 (a large sum at
that time) but do me a favor and
dont collect here. R Yaakov, to
whom enabling others to do a
mitzva was so important, could
not restrain himself and asked,
How can you take such a big
responsibility upon yourself of
denying Jews an opportunity to
fulfill this mitzva?
To whoever gave tzdaka he
said, yashar koach, and of
course this was a heartfelt thanks
and not just words. He was once
asked why yashar koach? He
said, Because he gave us the
merit of a mitzva. That was his
feeling.
When he was sick and no
longer had the strength to go
around to shuls, his family
suggested
that
instead
of
going himself that he send out
envelopes with return envelopes
in which people could put their
donation. He said, People send
envelopes only if they can put
in a dollar or more. I cannot
take away the mitzva from those
who can only give a smaller
denomination, like a quarter or
dime.
R Zalman Gelernter, who
would go to shuls to collect
EXACT ACCOUNTING
R Yaakov ran his tzdaka operation with two funds: 1) a fund for
orphans, widows and other poor and needy people, including brides and
grooms, 2) a fund for Chadrei Torah Ohr.
In order not to mix up the money, especially in accordance with the
halacha that one may not change assigned funds from tzdaka to tzdaka, he
would designate the morning hours to collecting money for the needy and
the evening hours to collecting money for the mosdos.
R Yaakov had precise accounts of all income and expenses for each
tzdaka fund that he ran. After his passing they found large bags in his house
with the accounts of what he collected and distributed over the decades.
Back in the day, there was a system whereby grooms who were in Crown
Heights (whether they were Chabad or not, from the community or from
anywhere in the world and staying in Crown Heights before their wedding)
would first get a letter from the rav of the community (after getting the
approval of the hanhala of the yeshiva who knew the bachurim).
Then they received nice sums of money from R Yaakov. In R Yaakovs
archives there are hundreds of letters from R Yehuda Kalman Marlow, the
mara dasra of Crown Heights at that time.
money in Crown Heights

together with R Yaakov, relates
that he once went with R Yaakov
and someone gave a small
donation. R Zalman spoke up,
A distinguished Jew and you
give him such a small sum? R
Yaakov said to him, Sha, sha, it
is forbidden to speak. You cannot
say anything to him. The main
thing is to enable Jews to have the
merit of giving tzdaka.
R Bluming, a melamed of
young children, related the
following moving story. One
of my students told me that R
Yaakov once walked into a shul
and someone laughed at him and
publicly shamed him. Afterward,
one of the people there went
over to R Yaakov and offered
him a deal he would buy
the embarrassment R Yaakov

endured for $10,000. R Yaakov
was not at all interested in the
deal. He expressed surprise as
to why the person was even
approaching him and continued
his rounds as though nothing had
happened.
A few hours later, a bride
about to be married pleaded
with R Yaakov that he help
her because she had nothing.
Hearing this, he went right back
to the shul and began asking who
was the person who wanted to
make that deal with him and he
did not rest until he found him.
They drew up a comprehensive
contract and the person gave
him the money he promised. R
Yaakov took the money and gave
it directly to the needy bride.
ADD IN ACTS OF GOODNESS & KINDNESS
TO BRING MOSHIACH NOW!

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MOSHIACH & HAKHEL
MISHNICHNAS
ADAR RISHON
MARBIM
BSIMCHA
By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon
Dear Readers shyichyu,

This Shabbos Parshas
Truma is also the first Shabbos
of Chodesh Adar Rishon.
Everyone knows that Chazal say
(Taanis 29) Mishnichnas Adar
Marbim Bsimcha, When the
month of Adar arrives we should
increase our joy.
Many people especially
students
in
school
and
administrators that need to pay
for another month of expenses
feel that having an extra month
is a burden. Yet, the Rebbe
teaches us to think differently. In
addition to the fact that it gives us
another month to prepare for 11
Nissan, the Rebbe teaches us that
there is something very special
when there are two Adarsin
addition to the regular 30 days of
joy, we now have 60 days of joy.
It is not just a difference
in quantity; rather its a
qualitative difference. There
is a halachic notion known as
bittul bshishim, which means
that something is considered
insignificant
and
becomes
nullified at a ratio of 1:60. The
classic example given is that if a

drop of milk accidentally falls into
a pot of chicken soup and there
is 60 times more soup than milk,
we pay no attention to the milk
and the soup remains kosher. In
the same way, any negativity or
reason for unhappiness can be
completely negated by these 60
days of sheer joy.
Serving Hashem with joy is
very connected to the Mitzva of
Hakhel and bringing Moshiach:
Regarding the Mitzva of
Hakhel, we all know that Hashem
connects this special mitzva
with the holiday of Sukkos. The
Torah (Dvarim 31:10) writes:
Then, Moshe commanded them,
saying, At the end of [every]
seven years, at an appointed
time, in the Festival of Sukkos,
[after] the year of Shmita, when
all Israel comes to appear before
the Lord, your God, in the place
He will choose, you shall read
this Torah before all Israel, in
their ears. Assemble the people:
the men, the women, and the
children, and your stranger in
your cities, in order that they
hear, and in order that they learn
and fear the Lord, your God, and

they will observe to do all the
words of this Torah
In a famous letter about
Hakhel (dated 6 Tishrei 5748,
Seifer HaSichos 5748 vol. 2
p. 684) the Rebbe addresses a
fundamental question on the
connection between Hakhel and
Sukkos: Seemingly, not only
are they not connected, they
appear to be opposites! Hakhel
is all about fear of Hashem, while
Sukkos is Zman Simchaseinu,
the time of joy?!
The Rebbe explains that not
only are they not a contradiction,
on the contrary, they complement
each other. Hashem is specifically
teaching us that he wants a
very different type of fear of
Hashem, he wants us to serve
him and fulfill all the details
of the law specifically with a
joyous heart and not as a burden.
This concept, of serving
Hashem with joy, is very much
connected to bringing Moshiach.
In addition to the teaching
of the Baal HaTurim that the
word Yismach-be joyous, has
09/02/2016 11:12:43
the same letters as the words

Moshiach, there is a deeper
connection.
On Shabbos Parshas Ki
Seitzei 5748 the Rebbe explained
the connection as follows:
In the same way, any negativity or reason for

unhappiness can be completely negated by
these 60 days of sheer joy.
The concept of simcha

shares a connection to the Future
Redemption. For it is in the Era
of the Redemption that we will
experience
the
consummate
level of simcha. At that time, all
undesirable influences will be
negated as reflected in the verse,
And G-d will wipe away tears
from every face. Indeed, all
the negative influences will be
transformed into good.
To explain the connection

between the two: Simcha breaks
through (poretzes in Hebrew) all
barriers. This is also the nature of
Moshiach, who is a descendant
of Peretz, and is referred to
as haporetz, the one who
breaks through, as it is written,
The one who breaks through
will ascend before them. For
Moshiach will break through all
barriers and limitations.
This will greatly increase

the simcha we will experience,
enabling it to reach consummate
perfection.
Therefore
the
returnees to Eretz Yisroel are
described as being crowned
with eternal joy. The relation
between the concepts of simcha
and Redemption is alluded to
by the fact that the roots of the
words simcha and Moshiach
share the same three letters shin
mem ches.
On the verse, Zion there

are none who seek her out,
our Sages comment, This
indicates that one should seek
her out, implying that we
must demand the Redemption.
Similarly, we must seek out joy,
including the ultimate joy, the
joy of the Redemption. We must
demand that G-d grant us the
consummate joy of the Era of the
Redemption.
I,
therefore,
offer
the
following suggestion and request:

that we increase our rejoicing
with the intent of actually
bringing Moshiach and the true
and ultimate Redemption.
Throughout the years of exile,
the Jewish people have longed
for the Redemption and prayed
for it earnestly every day. Surely
this applies to the tzaddikim, and
the nsiim of the Jewish people
who had an overwhelmingly
powerful desire for Moshiach.
Indeed, as related in the annals
of our national history, some
actually sacrificed their lives to
force Moshiach to come earlier
(although there is a specific
warning against doing so).
Nevertheless, these earlier
activities cannot be compared
to the storm for the coming of
the Redemption aroused by the
Previous Rebbe with his cry
(printed more than forty years
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MOSHIACH & HAKHEL

ago): LAlter ltshuva, LAlter
lGeula-Immediately to tshuva;
immediately to Redemption.
And his intent with the word
immediately was simple: at
once, straight-away.
Moreover,
this
is
not
considered as forcing the
Redemption to come before
its time. For the time of the
Redemption has arrived. As the
Previous Rebbe stated many
times: all the service necessary
has been completed; all that
is necessary is to polish the
buttons, and to await Moshiachs
coming
Many decades have passed
since the time of the Previous
Rebbes
announcement,
Immediately
to
tshuva,
immediately to Redemption, and
the storm of activities initiated to
bring Moshiach. Nevertheless,
Moshiach has not yet come
What is there left to do?
Thillim, the Psalms of David,
the [first] anointed king, we have
said in abundance. Farbrengens
have been held on numerous
occasions. In spreading the
wellsprings outward for seven
generations since the Baal Shem
Tov endeavors have been
made, and they have enjoyed
prodigious success. One might
say that even greater efforts
could be undertaken, so that
these activities will be performed
to borrow a phrase from the
liturgy in accord with the
commandments of Your will.
But that is possible only as stated
in that same prayer there, in
the Beis HaMikdash.
G-d only makes demands on
an individual according to the
potential he possesses. And if
indeed, G-d wants us to fulfill
this service in a perfect way, let
Him create the environment that
will enable us to do so by bringing
the Redemption. Afterwards, the

Divine service of the Jews will
surely be in accord with the
commandments of Your will, in
consummate perfection
And so, it is natural to
ask: what can we do to bring
Moshiach that has not already
been done?
In reply, it is possible to
suggest, as above, that the
Divine service necessary is the
expression of joy for the sake of
bringing Moshiach.
Simcha
breaks
through
barriers, including the barriers
of exile. Moreover, simcha has a
unique potential to bring about
the Redemption. As explained in
the series of discourses entitled
Samach Tisamach, although the
phrase the day of the rejoicing
of His heart is interpreted as a
reference to the building of the
Beis HaMikdash, during the First
and Second Battei HaMikdash,
G-ds
happiness
was
not
complete. It is only in the Beis
HaMikdash to be built in the Era
of the Redemption that there will
be perfect happiness. Then the
happiness will reflect the essence
of the Ein Sof.
The maamer continues to
explain that this essential joy
can be aroused by the simcha
experienced in connection with
a mitzvah. Indeed, the simcha
reaches higher than the mitzvah
itself, precipitating the expression
of the essential joy of the Era of
the Redemption.
In the previous generations,
people
surely
experienced
simcha in connection with their
observance of mitzvos. For the
experience of this simcha is a
fundamental element of Divine
service as it is written, Serve G-d
with happiness. Nevertheless,
in previous generations, the
emphasis was on the service of
G-d, and that service was infused

with happiness. The suggestion
to use simcha as a catalyst to
bring Moshiach, by contrast,
puts the emphasis on the simcha
itself, simcha in its pure and
consummate state.
(Needless to say, for a Jew,
even this pure expression of
happiness must be connected
with his Divine service in the
Torah and its mitzvos, as it is
written, The precepts of G-d are
just, bringing joy to the heart.
Nevertheless, the emphasis is
on the simcha itself, not on the
factors which bring it about. And
this service of simcha should have
as its goal bringing Moshiach.)
This is within the grasp of
every individual. By meditating
on the imminence of Moshiachs
coming and the knowledge that
at that time, perfect simcha will
spread throughout the entire
world, it is possible to experience
a microcosm of this simcha at
present.
Indeed,
the
lengthy
explanation of this concept is
not in place, deed is what is most
important. Announcements must
be made about the importance
of increasing simcha with the
intent of bringing Moshiach.
And if anyone questions the
effectiveness of this proposal,
let him put it to the test and he
will see its effectiveness. And
this simcha will surely lead to the
ultimate simcha, the rejoicing of
the Redemption, when then our
mouths will be filled with joy.
Rabbi Avtzon is the Rosh Yeshiva
of Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati and a
well sought after speaker and lecturer.
Recordings of his in-depth shiurim
on Inyanei Geula uMoshiach can be
accessed at http://www.ylcrecording.
com.
09/02/2016 11:12:44
CHINUCH
HOW TO TEACH
CHASSIDUS TO THE
BROADER PUBLIC
What do you need to be careful of when teaching abstract concepts in
Chassidus? What should be emphasized when reading a Chassidic maamer
to an audience who is not used to it? What do you do when your audience
is falling asleep? * Principles, advice, and examples in giving a shiur in
Chassidus to the outside. * Third article in a series.
By Meir Arad
ABSTRACTION AND
EXPLAINING CONCEPTS
When we teach a concept in
Chassidus which is familiar to
us, we need to remember that
the person listening to us is not
at all familiar with these ideas.
He sometimes has no idea what
we are talking about and we need
to stop and explain the concept
on its most basic level. Just last
Shabbos, I saw a Chassid who
went up to review an idea of the
Mitteler Rebbe. How many
people in the crowd knew what
Mitteler Rebbe means? At least
half of the people did not know!
We need to enter their
world and way of thinking and
try to understand what each

one absorbs when hearing the
concept for the first time, and
provide an explanation that will
allow the listener to relate to the
simple meaning of the word.
Another example if we are
teaching a maamer where it says
that the souls of Yisroel are
rooted in the world of Atzilus,
we must take note of who we
are addressing and whether
what we are saying is obscure to
them. Even if you decide to do a
favor and explain that the world
of Atzilus is a very lofty spiritual
world, the one who hears this for
the first time is left wondering
what the word Atzilus means
and how it connects with that
spiritual world.
In spoken Hebrew the word
Atzilus means behaving in a
noble, special, fashion. So what is
a world of Atzilus? Is it a world
where people behave that way?
Who populates that world? He
never heard of this before!
That is a best case scenario
when he successfully hears the
word Atzilus. Sometimes he
hears another word altogether.
The story is told of a rabbi
who once explained in a public
address why he had to dismiss
someone from his movement.
He explained that the person
had been a good man but he
never did anything; he lived in
the world of Atzilus. One of the
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CHINUCH
reporters present wrote the next
day that the rabbi explained that
he dismissed someone because
he lived in the world of atzlus
(laziness). Atzilus became atzlus.
This is all the more the case
when the one giving the shiur
pronounces it with the AshkenaziChassidic pronunciation, Atzilus
rather than Atzilut, which sounds
peculiar to someone unfamiliar
with the term. But the one
giving the shiur just says it and
continues talking so that the
listener is embarrassed to stop
him and ask, What is that word
you just said?
When mentioning the concept
of the world of Atzilus, we
need to stop and at least briefly
explain: the word Atzilus is from
the root etzel, meaning next
to, or from the root meaning to
emanate or set aside. The world
of Atzilus is a lofty spiritual world
in which the Creator emanates
forth and reveals His powers, as
it were. In this way, a person will
be able to connect the contextual
meaning with the word that he
heard.
This is aside from a more
general explanation about the
concept of a spiritual world,
which is not in outer space but
a higher dimension and divine
consciousness.
(It should be noted what
is brought at the beginning of
the maamer Shoresh Mitzvas
HaTfilla of the Tzemach
Tzedek, What is the reason
that the Baal Shem Tov ordered
not to learn Kabbala, because
someone who does not know
how to abstract the words from
their physical sense becomes
extremely coarsened by this
study, when he creates an image
in his impoverished mind for
His G-dliness as expressed in
individual traits.
Sometimes, even in our
learning of Chassidus we can

inadvertently cause the listener to
materialize matters when we use
terms and dont explain them, at
least minimally.)
The same applies to other
terms: klipos, sfiros, etc. You
have to get into the head of the
listener and imagine what he is
thinking when he hears these
words that are not ones he uses
daily, or he uses them in other
contexts, and explain them in
such a way that he can connect
the contextual meaning to the
literal meaning of the word.
We should not forgo teaching
Chassidic concepts. A Chassidus
shiur in its basic structure
deals with deep ideas, levels
of spirituality, and abstract
concepts. Its not merely a musar
shiur, a farbrengen, or vertlach
on the parsha. We need to give
the listener a taste (and satisfy
him too) with pnimius haTorah,
as these ideas are explicated in
the maamarim of the Rebbeim,
especially
in
the
Rebbes
teachings. For this very reason
we need to pay special attention
to clearly explaining unfamiliar
concepts, especially to a new
audience who is not used to this
style.
TRANSLATING INTO
CONTEMPORARY TERMS
Aside from the need to explain
the literal meaning of the word
and concept, we also need to find
a way so that the content will be
received, and internalized by
the listener. For this reason, it is
important to explain the subject
in a style and language that will
be easy to relate to.
For example, the concepts of
the yetzer tov and yetzer hara
are familiar to every child and
to any religiously observant
person. But in Tanya, the Alter
Rebbe generally uses other terms,

animal soul and G-dly soul.
In Chassidic discourses it
is explained in several places
the difference between the
various levels of the animal soul
versus the yetzer hara, but even
when understanding the simple
terms without differentiating
between levels, it is easy to see
how framing the same concept
in different words is regarded
differently. It is easier for a person
to identify with the concept of an
animal soul than the yetzer hara.
He can more readily feel an inner
connection to the concept when
it is explained this way.
When giving a shiur to an
audience unfamiliar with the
concepts, who certainly didnt
grow up and live their everyday
lives with them, it is necessary to
translate the concepts for them
in other ways so they can absorb
them better.
For example, the concept of
bittul, mentioned so many times
in Chassidus and is often (even
by those who learned Chassidus
for years) understood incorrectly.
This problem is magnified when
this word is said to someone
who is unfamiliar with it. For the
average person it is hard to hear
that he has to nullify himself.
There is something in the human
psyche that automatically rejects
this word. Why should I nullify
myself? Why did G-d create me
and give me abilities, so that I
should not attribute importance
to myself? For me to nullify
myself?
The truth is that his argument
is understandable. Hashem gave
each of us abilities, talents, etc.
not for us to nullify them. As the
Rebbe brings (see, for example,
the first sicha on Parshas Toldos
in Likkutei Sichos vol. 30) that
when speaking about bittul and
shiflus you need to be careful
09/02/2016 11:12:45
so that a person will not be a

trampled doorstep. Especially
when we know the great
importance that Chassidus places
on joy. Sometimes, the concept
of bittul can be interpreted in a
way that does not translate into
joy (which is wrong, of course,
for true bittul leads to simcha).
The meaning of the concept
bittul is that a person nullifies the
desires of his animal soul, which
is his external soul that gives him
feelings and thoughts that are not
proper and true, and distances
him from his true essential being.
And by doing so, he reveals the
desires of his G-dly soul, which
are his true essential desires.
Bittul does not mean to
nullify yourself, but to nullify
that which distances you from
your true self, i.e. your G-dly
soul. With a bittul consciousness
a person knows that his good
qualities were given to him by
G-d and are not from himself.
(Although Chassidus explains
that bittul is not just nullifying
the animal soul and revealing the
G-dly soul but also within the
G-dly soul itself there are levels
of bittul, this is not the place to
discuss this at length.)
This is a deep idea which
needs to be explained to ourselves
and to others so that we do not
incorrectly interpret this concept.
Even if the shiur is not the
time to explain this concept
in depth, the word should be
translated into more familiar
terms. If we translate this
word into the concept of anava
(humility) or tznius (modesty),
which people are more familiar
with, it is easier to explain the
idea and prevent the wrong
understanding of it.
Other examples: the concept
of a tzaddik can be translated
into a whole person without
inner conflicts. Iskafia delaying
gratification.
Ishafcha
wholeness and identification, and

so on, according to the audience
and its style.
you can also read the lines again

and then the words will be better
understood.
LEARNING WITH CHAYUS

PROPER READING
Some important points when
reading from a text, whether
from a seifer or paper:
First, make sure you read
slowly, stopping every few words
or lines to explain. The shiur
will be understood so much
better if the person giving it will
stop at a hard word, explain
every acronym, translate a word
from Aramaic or Yiddish, and
make sure that what is read is
understood and clear.
In
addition,
when
the
material being learned is deep
and the style is unfamiliar to the
audience, for example, learning
maamarim with people who
are not used to their style, it is
sometimes recommended that
you first explain the idea orally
and only then read it inside the
text.
When a person reads an
idea and he already understands
the content, it will be easier for
him to work out the words and
understand what theyre saying,
since his effort will be focused
primarily on understanding the
words; he already understood the
general idea from the explanation
given before the text was read.
But if he does not understand the
idea and the words are difficult,
the effort he must expend is
double, both to understand the
content as well as the meaning of
the words.
Dont suffice with the initial
explanation given before reading
inside. After reading, review and
explain the idea again in more
detail, making points that were
not emphasized in the initial
explanation. When necessary,
Another important point:

The more that the learning
will be with a chayus-enthusiasm
on the part of the one giving the
shiur, the more it will excite the
listeners. As it says, words from
the heart enter the heart.
True, sometimes theres a
sleepy audience which lowers
the motivation of the speaker to
explain things enthusiastically,
but the one giving the shiur is the
one in charge and if he generates
his own enthusiasm, it will affect
the listeners and wake them up.
The
Rebbe
writes
the
following about the impact
of pnimius haTorah with
enthusiasm
(Igros
Kodesh
volume 26, letter #9731):
You surely know my
perspective on this, and even
aside from that, that it is
necessary that there also be
the knowledge of pnimius
haTorah, that in our generation
is revealed as the teachings
of Chassidus; and even more
so in our generation, an
orphaned generation of double
and redoubled darkness. And
this knowledge is especially
necessary among all those
that are gifted with the ability
to influence others. True
influence is when you capture
the mind and heart of the
one needing to be influenced,
which requires an approach
to the heart with energy and
enthusiasm etc. All this comes
primarily from learning the
teachings of Chassidus and
from living accordingly. May it
be the will that in this too you
are successful and report good
news.
Issue 1008
29
09/02/2016 11:12:45
CHABAD HISTORY
THE FIGHT
FOR THE SOULS
Chabad is not worthy of JDC support * Chabad is promoting medieval
fanaticism in Morocco * Bochurim are learning Gemara loudly, like in Slobodka,
and not quietly like in Morocco * Rabbi Gorodetsky: We are always right * Part
Five
The previous installment discussed the disputes
between the directorate of the American Joint
Distribution Committee (JDC) and Chabad as to what
is the best way to service Moroccan Jewry. However, the
JDC heads agreed that Chabad is doing a beneficial job
in Morocco, albeit disorganized.
This weeks installment introduces a new player on
the field, a worker for the JDC in Morocco who looked
at Chabad as Medieval Fanaticism, complaining about
the lack of secular studies, and other issues with the
Chabad education system. This installment presents the
sharp report, and the ensuing discussions between the
JDC and Rabbi Binyomin Gorodetsky, the personal
representative of the Rebbe to Europe & North Africa,
regarding these issues.
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).
JDC: WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS NOT WORTHY

OF JDC SUPPORT
On April 9, 1952, Mr. Herbert Katzki (JDC Paris)
writes to Rabbi Binyomin Gorodetsky stating that
Chabad has not lived to their expectations, and did not
fix the educational issues in the schools that were taken
over from the Ozar Hatorah network, and therefore JDC
will have to reconsider its support.
We now have for consideration the question of
the continuation of our monthly grant to the Lubavitz
Yeshivah for its program in Morocco and we would

like to communicate to you some of the results of
our first-hand observations of the Lubavitz Yeshivah
program in Morocco as it appeared to us during the
course of a recent inspection trip to that country
You advised us originally that you proposed to
take over some of the chederim formerly aided by
the Ozar Hatorah in some of the small towns and
villages. These were chederim from which the JDC
had withdrawn its support because of their low level
program of instruction etc. We understood from you
that all this was to be changed and improved.
Upon visiting several of these chederim in
Morocco, now under your auspices, we were greatly
surprised to see that your chederim were no different
from those formerly of the Ozar Hatorah, to see the
direction your program has taken in Morocco and
to see what your organization regards as a proper
activity. We have to tell you now that we do not feel
that what we have seen is worthy of JDC support
Before giving any further consideration
to a continuation of our support beyond June,
we shall have to have a thorough discussion and
understanding regarding the work at the Lubavitz
Yeshiva in Morocco and the JDC relationship to it.
On April 28, 1952, Rabbi Gorodetsky responds to Mr.
Katzki and explains that the issues were inherited, and
regarding the support he already secured it with the
JDC heads in New York (who committed to continue and
increase the support for Chabad schools!)
The true evaluation of our program in Morocco
must take two basic factors into consideration: a)
09/02/2016 11:12:46
The state of Jewish education in Morocco prior to

our entering the field, and b) The overall picture of
our program in its present phase, in the face of the
financial handicaps and other difficulties which such
work encounters in general, and those peculiar to
Morocco in particular, with which you are familiar.
It should be borne in mind that whatever defects
may be found in some chedarim of the OHOLEY
YOSEF ISHAK LUBAVITZ network are the legacy
of the previous state of affairs before we came into
the picture, and that it is impossible, in a brief time,
to convert a situation from one extreme to the other,
especially when there are economic and financial
circumstances beyond our control.
In the light of the above, and considering all
circumstances, we wish to state quite emphatically
that we are highly encouraged and gratified with the
results of our work so far. Whatever defects there
are, which we did not create but inherit, are steadily
diminishing, and will be eliminated completely as
soon as we have the financial means to do so
It is impossible to go into greater detail in the
course of a letter, but I have discussed the situation
fully with Dr. Shapiro here in New York, and shall
likewise be glad to discuss it further with you and Mr.
Beckelman on my return to Paris.
MEDIEVAL FANATICISM, EUROPEAN-STYLE

CHADORIM, LOUD LEARNING
Whilst the previous directors of the JDC in Morocco
were mostly worried about the level of education,
the expertise of the teachers, and the uncontrolled
expansion, the next JDC worker was unhappy with the
general religious education, and the fact that Chabad
is continuing replacing the Moroccan medieval
fanaticism with Lubavitch medieval fanaticism instead
of enlightening them.
In a six-page letter dated August 7, 1952 and marked
Confidential, Mr. Isaac Kleinbaum (who previously
worked in the Paris JDC offices) writes to his superior, Mr.
Judah Shapiro (JDC Paris) about the general education
in Morocco, and Lubavitch in particular, outlining his
plan for Moroccan education:
I am going to answer in detail to your question
about the request of the Lubavitcher group for
assistance in their summer schooling program in
Morocco. However, I should also like to use this
opportunity and give you some information in respect
of education problems in this country, in general.
What I am going to say is a combination of
personal opinions with interpretation of our policy in
the field of education
regarding
the
IIn order
d to
t answer your question
ti
di
th
Lubavitcher group, one needs a short introduction.
It seems to be generally admitted that Jewish
education in this country should be basically
religious. The practice of religion is very strong and
widely spread in this community, but the religious
conceptions and the knowledge of their contents are
very poor. What is peculiar for the religious aspect
of Moroccan Jewry is that their religious conscience
is rather superficial, but the attachment to religious
practices extremely strong. This being the case, any
modern education established in this country should
be based on the religion and Jewish tradition. Any
revolutionary attempt to introduce modern, nonreligious education is bound to be a complete failure
from the very beginning. In other words, those
for whom religious education is an aim in itself the
problem is very simple they will find an immediate
response and a warm welcome. However, those who
do care for progressive education, have to keep in
mind that they will never achieve anything if their
program will not be a combination of religious and
modern education.
With all the difficulties which we have with
the Alliance In the field of control and financial
relationship, it can be said that that organization
has so far understood, at least to a great extent,
how to meet religious and secular problems in their
Issue 1008
31
09/02/2016 11:12:46
CHABAD HISTORY
educational program
However, the Alliance schools are not religious
ones and for many circles of the Jewish population
in this country, the Alliance does not constitute
an adequate substitute for the Heder. This means
that for the strictly orthodox groups of the local
community, there is definitely a need for a system of
education which would be more religious in its spirit
and aim than that of the Alliance. There is no doubt
that this need should be met. However, at the same
time the question arises whether religious education
without any modern approach and not combined with
teaching of secular subjects, should be furthered?
Here we come to the Lubavitcher group and later
to Ozar Hatorah
Lubavitcher There is no doubt that this group,
which occupies a very important place in purely
religious education, in many centers of the world,
has the right to come to this country and to develop
an educational program of their own; it should also
be said that, under certain conditions their activities
should be assisted by the AJDC. What are these
conditions?
We all know the origin and spirit of the
Lubavitcher. We also know that they come
from an entirely different environment than that
prevailing in this country. I think we all have a lot
of sentiment for this group which belongs to a
whole world so tragically destroyed. This feeling is
quite understandable, however, it should not lead
to overlooking reality. To put things plainly one
can say that the Lubavitcher group replaces in this
country one type of medieval fanaticism by another
one which, in addition, is strange to the traditional
mentality of this community. It has been our aim for
several years to liquidate the Hedarim and to give the
thousands of children of them a better education. In
fact, the Lubavitcher are creating here new Hedarim.
It is true that they are a bit different, similar more to
Hedarim and Talmud Torahs in Eastern Europe, but
they are still Hedarim and Talmud Torahs in the old
sense of the word.
We have taught our subventioned agencies that
before they start any activity, they should work out
a plan, secure a suitable physical set up, a budget,
etc. When we see that the minimal requirements are
fulfilled, we go into the business and give assistance.
The contrary is true for the Lubavitcher group. Since
this community is an outspoken school-minded one
and it is extremely easy to recruit children for any
sort of schools, the Lubavitcher just go ahead They
just recruit them squeeze them on a few benches
and teach them in the way teaching was going on
50 years ago in Poland, Russia, Ukraine, etc. They

display a lot of energy and initiative
Let us see some facts. They have in Casablanca
a yeshiva with 60 pupils and a school for girls Beth
Rivka with 125 pupils. They also have a yeshiva in
Meknes with 119 pupils. These are the establishments
of their own. However, they are active in 65 places
in Morocco and claim to give education to 2,959
children.
As far as their own schools are concerned, they
definitely do not warrant the name schools. Some
of them are better, some worse, but they all are
medieval schools. There is practically no secular
education in them, no modern or, at least, human
methods of religious education, no summer holidays,
no recreation
Let me just quote an incident which occurred to
Egon Fink and myself during our recent visit at the
Lubavitcher Yeshiva in Casablanca:
The Rosh-Hayeshiva does not speak any Arabic or
French, but he is eager to discuss Talmudic problems
with a boy who is the yilui of the Yeshiva. So he
taught him to speak Yiddish, and we both witnessed
in Casablanca a conversation between a Ukrainian
rabbi and a Moroccan boy in Yiddish.
Another example: The local Jews study Torah and
Talmud in a rather dignified way. They sit quietly and
learn, but the Bachurim of the Lubavitcher Yeshiva,
when learning Talmud, run [] all over the room
making the most ridiculous gestures and shouting
in the most unbearable way. I saw such a scene in
the Slobotker Yeshiva in 1939. The Lubavitcher have
transplanted this to Morocco. No comment
The conclusion is that, for reasons which you
will understand, we cannot entirely disregard the
Lubavitcher group. However, our assistance should
be conditioned by the fulfillment on the part of
this group of the minimal requirements[] and
introduction of some non-religious education, in
their program (if it is the case of a full school and not
of supplementary religious courses)
FOUR CONDITIONS
FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT
In continuation to the previous letter, on August 13,
1952 Mr. William Beckelman (JDC Director) sent a
long letter to Rabbi Gorodetsky outlining four conditions
for continued support to Chabad, and establishing
the need for a comprehensive review of the Chabad
educational establishments, to ensure that the problems
outlined in the previous scathing report are not repeated.
These are the conditions:
09/02/2016 11:12:46
(1) No new schools to be opened at the present

time.
(2) Chabad will fundraise the equivalent of double
what the JDC gives.
(3) During the fall of 1952, a re-examination and
evaluation of the current schools will be undertaken,
and the JDC will stop supporting any of the schools
which fail to meet the minimum standards of health,
education and sanitary conditions.
(4) Aid is not guaranteed, and the future money
will depend on the review that will take place in the
Fall.
RABBI GORODETSKY: I ALWAYS

SHOWED THAT WE ARE RIGHT
On August 20, 1952, Rabbi Gorodetsky responded to
this letter, and also acknowledged the report from the new
Casablanca representative:
Yesterday I received your letter of August 13,
1952 concerning our program in Morocco and your
subvention for it. As you mention in your letter we
have already many times discussed the problems you
are writing about. During these discussions I have
always showed that we are right from our point of
view. And we have come to the conclusion that our
organization is carrying out its educational program
accordingly to our conception of religious education
with the exception of some defects due to local
conditions and lack of money; and these defects we
have corrected and are prepared to correct whenever
there is the slightest possibility to do so.
In my opinion it is not necessary to discuss the
matter once again in writing or personally because we
have already come to a mutual agreement as to the
aid of the AJDC to our organization for its work in
Morocco, and have agreed that by the end of a certain
period a review of our work will provide a basis for
our further activities and your contribution toward it.
I think everything remains as we originally agreed
As concerning the information you received from
your office in Casablanca, I do not wish to dwell upon
this subject by letter as I have many times spoken with
you about it and you have well understood me. I also
do not wish to offend anybody in a letter especially
when it concerns workers of the AJDC.
t ti off the
th AJDC and
d off our organization.
i ti
a representative
In case there will be any difference of opinion
between them this must be brought to the knowledge
of the Education Department or the Direction of the
European Headquarters of the JDC.
The next installment will include parts of the 20page in-depth report on the Chabad schools in Morocco,
describing at length the dedication and success of the
Shluchim, the history of Shlichus, and some interesting
anecdotes.
CHABAD: INSPECTIONS? ONLY WITH US

On September 1, 1952 Rabbi Gorodetsky agrees to the
four conditions, but adds the following:
(3) The re-examination of our work is to be
comprehensive and must be carried out, together, by
Issue 1008
33
09/02/2016 11:12:46
TZIVOS HASHEM
By Nechama Bar
770 was humming as usual.

The zal was full of Chassidim.
A minyan was davening here,
over there sat two bachurim
learning, while in that corner
sat a Chassid alone.
Outside stood two bachurim
who had just left the beis
midrash. They noticed an older
woman who looked like she was
looking for something.
Can we help you? one
bachur asked.
Are you looking for someone?
the
see
to
came
I
Lubavitcher Rebbe, and who
are you? she asked with a big
smile.
We are Chassidim of the
Rebbe and if I may ask, what
brings you here now to meet
with him?
The Rebbe saved my life
and I came to thank him, and
she told them the following
story:
while
afternoon,
Every
take
I
,
shining
the sun is still
This
car.
my
in
a short ride
the
at
look
I
me.
outing relaxes
the
forget
and
y
beautiful scener
life.
difficulties of
Some years ago I used
to take a walk, but after a
*A pseudonym
frightening thing occurred on

one of those walks, I switched
to going out in my car.
was
I
day,
fine
One
when
house
strolling near my
suddenly, a black guy jumped
out, grabbed my neck, and
demanded my wallet. I tried
getting away but was unable
to. The assailant took out a big
knife and threatened to kill me.
At the last moment a police
patrol car drove by and the guy
saw it and fled. Since then, I
dont go for a stroll.
On that special day when
my life was saved thanks to the
Rebbe, I was driving as usual. I
was enjoying the fresh air and
the scenery and felt safe.
The traffic light changed to
red. I slowed down and stopped.
On my left, another car
stopped that was also waiting
for the green light. Through the
window, I could see an older
man with a white beard who
sat next to the driver. In that
brief glance I could tell he was
a special person. I suddenly
noticed that he was looking at
me and motioning to me. Aha,
he was trying to tell me to lock
my car doors.
At first, I ignored this. Why
should I lock my doors? But he
did not give up. He kept looking
at me and motioning to me to
lock the car doors. I finally did

so and pressed the button that
locked all the car doors.
The light changed to green
and the car with the man
in it who motioned to me to
lock the doors turned right
driving
continued
I
while
straight. I continued driving as
I pondered the mans strange,
insistent request. Why was it so
important to him that I lock
the doors? Why did he care if I
drove with my doors unlocked?
I did not have much time to
think about this before I learned
the answer. The traffic light
was red again and I stopped
and waited for the green light.
Suddenly, seemingly out of
nowhere, a big black guy quickly
approached my car with a knife
in his hand. Before I realized
he was heading toward me,
he dashed for the car door. He
tried opening it and when he
saw that it was locked, he went
around the car and tried the
door opposite me. When that
failed to open too, he lifted his
hand menacingly at the glass in
order to break it and open the
car but before he was able to do
that, the light turned green.
I stepped on the gas pedal
and sped away. I was saved and
I could breathe a sigh of relief.
What a miracle! I dont
Adar I 5
5776
776 - Hakhel
77
34
3
4
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DVAR MALCHUS

Continued from page 5

mitzvah, the action is a part

4 3 Adar I 5776 - Hakhel

The story of the building of the

didnt become holy, they were simply

seller, being the one from whom

Shtroks. When the young

raise the boy as a communist.

6 3 Adar I 5776 - Hakhel

THE FATEFUL QUESTION

in the Yossele story. A short time

After the yechidus, they went straight back to

his Rebbe, R Yoel Teitelbaum

ASK THE LUBAVITCHER

money for new tfillin since I

8 3 Adar I 5776 - Hakhel

to him, I learned that he had

ONLY THE LUBAVITCHER

Rebbe to send a G-d fearing

he would remove his peios and

331 Kingston Ave.

fifteen projects simultaneously,

few stories. In honor of the weeks

10 3 Adar I 5776 - Hakhel

construction of the Mishkan, then

by ordinary carpenters who used

became the owner of one of the

An aron kodesh in the Beis Chabad in Vienna

An aron kodesh at the Rabbinical Centre of

happened which turned out

Lachiani has another memory

12 3 Adar I 5776 - Hakhel

In those cases, they arrange for

THE SHAPE OF THE

Square luchos in shuls

THE ARON BUILT HANGING

Lachiani in the Churva shul

of the conditions of the place, the

wanted to donate a new

14 3 Adar I 5776 - Hakhel

GOLD, SILVER AND

G-d will not buy their argument. Rome not only

THE ROLE OF THE

way we could affect the world

KING SOLOMONS PLAN

other countries (but only after

16 3 Adar I 5776 - Hakhel

in exile in order to reach and

THE EXTENDED KUF OF

drowning in the morass of exile.

opportunity to bring holiness

righteousness as well as his

establish a new family and to

18 3 Adar I 5776 - Hakhel

His son-in-law, R Sholom

AND YAAKOV VOWED

in tzdaka. When he was in the

Menachem Mendel Horowitz.

R Friedmans letter to his son-in-law, R Sholom Horowitz, referred to in the article

R Yaakov once walked into a shul and

person and being discreet he

LISTENING AND HELPING

20 3 Adar I 5776 - Hakhel