BH. 6 Kislev 5775 28 November 2014 Number 950 Price: $6.

00 Part 2 of 2

zalmen

The international weekly heralding the coming of Moshiach

AT THE FEAST
OF THE
LEVIASON
DVAR MALCHUS

UNCONVENTIONAL
PRAYERS
PARSHA THOUGHT
The single thing that is lacking
is that a Jew should properly
open up his eyes and see that
everything is already prepared
for the redemption! There is
already the set table. There is
the Leviasan, the Shor HaBar,
and the Yayin HaMeshumar,
and Jews are already sitting
around the tabletogether with
Moshiach Tzidkeinu.

MOSHIACH AND
CHINUCH
BY RABBI
GERSHON AVTZON

(Shabbos Parshas VaYeitzei 5752)

BH. 6 Kislev 5775

28 November 2014 Number 950
Price: $6.00 Part 2 of 2

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LONG LIVE THE REBBE MELECH HAMOSHIACH FOREVER AND EVER!

25/11/2014 14:09:03

CONTENTS

26
FEATURED ARTICLES

WEEKLY COLUMNS

3
11
16
31
34

THE MAN AND

THE REVOLUTION
HE WROUGHT
Shneur Zalman Berger

12 Dr. Aryeh (Arnie) Gotfryds

SHLIACH TO ACADEMIA

Dvar Malchus
Moshiach & Geula
Parsha Thought
Crossroads
Tzivos Hashem

EFFORTS
20 SMALL
BRING BIG RESULTS ON

SHLICHUS

Rabbi Yaakov Shmuelevitz ah

MANY CHABAD
24 THE
GATEWAYS TO HEAVEN
Shneur Chaviv

POGROMS OF 5775
31 THE
Sholom Ber Crombie

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
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ENGLISH EDITOR:
Boruch Merkur
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imminent.
The next one was Sholomke,
the shy one of the class.
Surprisingly, he spoke with
confidence. I remember the
mystery of the invitations
which is what established the
connection with your print
The message conveyed
shop.
with that mystery was so
special and on the mark that
I realized that we cannot get
Since then, I
used to galus.
began talking and learning
more about Geula, and the galus
reality has become unacceptable
to me.
finished
everyone
After
introducing himself and we
reminisced about the Moshiachrelated adventures we had had,
Sholom announced, Now we
will give out the special gift!
ed at the box
We all stared
en opened by
which had been
ok out the first
Sholom. He took
gift and waved it so we could
om was holding
all see it. Sholom
stand
glass
spectacular
a
re etched the
on which were
following words:: From the day
r, and even
ider,
I went to cheide
ture of the final
before, the picture
tarted forming
Redemption started
in my mind - the Redemption
of the Jews from their last
ption in such
mption
exile, a Redem
a way that through it will
be understood the sufferings
of exile, the decrees
ction
uction
and the destru
... And all will be in
ith a
a way that with
complete heart and
g
ding
full understandin
it will be said on
nk
that day, Thank
for
or
G-d
you

chastising me.
special
These
were
words
decorated

with stunning colorful pictures

which an artist had drawn
to depict a Geula world that
would soon become our daily
reality.
Wow! Its stunning! and
Moishy whistled his amazement.
We all joined him. After we
had calmed down a bit, Sholom
hushed us and said, Do you
know who wrote the words
etched in the glass? These are
words that the Rebbe Melech
HaMoshiach wrote in one of
his letters. The Rebbe said
about himself that even before
he went to yeshiva, he was
preoccupied with the future
Geula. We need to learn from
the Rebbe, especially when it
is an explicit instruction in
the Dvar Malchus of parshiyos
Tazria-Metzora and Balak.
finished
Sholom
After

giving a gift to each student,

I asked permission to speak. I
then stood up and said with a
smile, I think I have still not
introduced myself My name
is Berele and I often write of my
experiences for my classmates
and for all those who read Beis
Moshiach.
I especially remember the
time I dreamed of a stroll in
Shushan at the time that the
Purim story was taking place.
When I entered the home of
a boy in Shushan I was very
surprised to see that everything
looked ordinary and the boy,
Mordechai was his name,
helped me to understand that
it is the time that I live in, in
which we are all living now,
which is the most special of all.

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35

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DVAR MALCHUS

AT THE FEAST OF
THE LEVIASON
From Chapter Seven of Rabbi Shloma Majeskis
Likkutei Mekoros (Underlined text is the
compilers emphasis.)
Translated by Boruch Merkur

13. The lesson and

instruction from the above is
readily understood, especially in
our generation, our times:
We have frequently
mentioned what my revered
father in-law, the Rebbe, leader
of our generation, said that
in addition to the fact that all
predicted dates [for the end
of exile] have passed, Jews
have already done tshuva and
everything has been completed,
including polishing the
buttons. All that remains is for
G-d Alm-ghty to open the eyes
of the Jewish people in order for
them to see how the true and
complete redemption is already
here and we are now sitting at
the table set for the feast of the
Leviason and the Shor HaBar,
etc., etc.
Thousands of years ago
the Jewish people descended
to Mitzrayim, as the verse
says, These are the names
of the Jewish people entering
Mitzrayim. Yet they openly
experienced geulas Yisroel
the redemption of the Jewish
people. Throughout all time
thereafter, Jews, amidst their
state of exile, have been charged
with the avoda of drawing down
the redemption [and we have
the full promise of the Torah

that the complete redemption is

forthcoming].
How much more [is this
promise of the Torah binding
and soon to be fulfilled] after
having amassed our deeds
and our service throughout
all the generations, including
that of Rebbi Elazar ben Azaria
in his time, and Rambam
in his time, and all the
righteous Jews throughout all
generations. Indeed, we have
also accumulated, in recent
generations, all the avoda of
our Rebbes, our Nsiim, who
descend from the dynasty of
King Dovid from the tribe of
Yehuda, including the avoda of
my revered father in-law, the
Rebbe, throughout the course of
his seventy years of life in this
world (5640-5710).
How much more so and
kal vchomer in our generation,
in our time, after everything
has already been completed (as
above), we have the full promise
of the Torah that there will
certainly be (Remember the
day of your exodus from Egypt)
all the days of your life [all
the days of your life] coming to
include the Days of Moshiach,
the Messianic Era.
Simply speaking, there must
not be an interruption, G-d
forbid, between all the days

of your life and the Days of

Moshiach (as Jews experienced
throughout all the generations
prior to this generation). Rather,
the all the days of your life, the
life of every Jew his physical
life as a soul in a body surely
includes the Days of Moshiach
(as well) without interruption,
for the redemption comes
instantaneously, in this very
instant and in this very place
(even in the state of nighttime,
entering into Mitzrayim).
The redemption will unfold
in a manner whereby the final
moment of exile and the final
point of exile become the first
moment and first point of
redemption.
And every Jew goes directly
from the days of your life, in
these times and in this place,
without any interruption at
all, G-d forbid (even if one
is, for example, already more
than seventy years old), in
the ultimate way possible,
Reuven and Shimon settled [in
Mitzrayim]; Reuven and Shimon
went out [from there], in the
continuation of all the days of
your life in the Messianic Era,
and the eternal life that will be
then.
(From the address of Shabbos
Parshas Shmos, 21 Teives, 5752;
Seifer HaSichos 5752, pg. 256-257)

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OBITUARY

E
H
T
D
N
A
THE MAN

N
O
I
T
U
REVOL
T
H
G
U
O
R
HE W

bes shliach to
b
e
R
e
th
,
v
o
im
z
e
w R Shmuel A
ds to Judaism, th
n
R Mulle was ho
sa
u
o
th
v
re
a
k
e
n. He was m
on 13 Cheshvan.
y
a
France, was know
w
a
d
e
ss
a
p
e
idus. Sadly, h
Rebbe and Chass
By Shneur Zalman Be

rger

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hose who saw the pictures

of the airport in Paris,
where hundreds of Chabad
Chassidim waited in line to
purchase tickets for flights to Eretz
Yisroel so they could attend the
continuation of R Mulles funeral,
got a glimpse of the tremendous love
his mekuravim have for him.
The tshuva revolution that
R Shmuel and his wife Basya
Azimov wrought is incomparable
in the world of shlichus worldwide.
France is home to the largest
concentration of Jews in Europe.
It developed as such over a number
of years in which hundreds of
thousands of Jews emigrated from
various North African countries.
This dynamic shliach was devoted
wholeheartedly to the Rebbe and
carried out his shlichus to the
fullest extent, without compromises
and without cutting corners.
Troops of baalei tshuva.
Entire khillos. Men, women, and
children. Literally. He transformed
the lives of hundreds and even
thousands who live today as G-d
fearing Jews. A large percentage
of them are Chabad Chassidim,
shluchim, roshei yeshivos and
mashpiim.
In this article we will focus
on the uniqueness of the huge
revolution that R Azimov wrought
among thousands of Jews through
shiurim and true hiskashrus to the
Rebbe as well as through group
trips for Tishrei.

JUMPING INTO THE

SEA OF SHLICHUS

Photos by: Baruch Ezagui

R Shmuel Azimov was born in

Russia. His father was R Chaim
Hillel Azimov. When he was a
baby, his family joined the groups
of Chassidim who escaped across
the border via Lvov. After a period
of wandering and suffering, the
family settled in Paris, France
where his father began running a

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Obituary

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Excerpts from the eulogy that was written by one of
the European shluchim who lived in Paris in his youth
where he knew R Mulle:
1) The following scene is etched in my brain: The
Rebbe standing on the raised platform in 770, looking
at the screen opposite him on which was displayed
the simultaneous broadcast from five continents
Chanuka Live. It was another revolutionary
chiddush in which modern technology was harnessed
for holy purposes. On the screen it said France and
emotion rises to the fore. Unlike the other locations
where dozens or hundreds gathered, in Paris there
were thousands.
A mass of people surrounded the tall menorah
placed at the foot of the symbol of progress and
freedom in France, the Eiffel Tower. R Mulle went
up on a huge lift, going higher and higher, and when
he reached the top of the menorah with the mayor of
Paris (City of Lights) he burst into singing HaAderes
VHaEmuna, trembling with emotion. He knew that
the Rebbe was watching him. The song spread and
thousands joined in the victory march signifying the
heritage of the Alter Rebbe who overcame Napoleon.
This Didan Natzach, the song which reverberated
on the boulevard at the foot of the Eiffel Tower which
runs toward the lyse Palace intersecting the corner
of the Louvre museum, was for us children the acme of
ishafcha in France, from the mundane to the holy.
Then the Rebbe waved his hand forcefully. On
his face was a heavenly joy. He was clearly pleased
with the flourishing that came after the plowing and
sowing, as Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka once put it on
a rare occasion when she spoke about those years in
which she and the Rebbe lived in Paris.
2) All those who lived the good years in Beis
Chayeinu remember the group, a synonym for
kvutza, that R Mulle would bring with him each
year to the Rebbe. A group which grew from year to
year.
He would collect precious Jewish souls dressed in
bodies and clothes that looked light years away from
Lubavitch school. Over a span of
thirty years, he taught hundreds
of students.
R Mulle grew up in France of
those days and he later attended
Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in
Brunoy. Even as a bachur, he

the authentic Chassidic life in Lubavitch and he would

transform them into Chassidim. The difficult work
was done thousands of miles away from Beis Chayeinu,
door by door, neighborhood by neighborhood. Kiruv
with love and Jewish pride. Another Tanya shiur
and another shiur in Chassidus. Another mikva
in this neighborhood and another yeshiva in that
neighborhood. But the final blow in the work of
kiruv was bringing them to the Rebbe.
Whoever was in 770 knew that these groups were
clamorous. The warm feeling that flowed in their
veins was felt in the atmosphere and sometimes also
by those in their immediate vicinity. They made every
effort not to miss a second of the hakafos, of the
March, or of the tkios. Their fervor, even though
most of them did not understand a word of what was
said at the farbrengens, did not weaken for a second.
A firestorm of holiness and genuine hiskashrus burned
within them.
It was an opportunity for the Chassidim and other
shluchim to get a glimpse into the power of R Mulle
who invested everything he had to create Chassidim in
the form and image of the finest sons of Lubavitch.
For the special and rare treatment that this group
publicly received from the Rebbe, on every occasion,
see the diaries from Beis Chayeinu from those years.
3) Despite his great and impressive success, despite
the fact that he built an empire of mosdos and Chabad
houses, R Mulle conducted himself most simply.
He drove an old beat-up car and would not hear of
changing it for something more respectable. He lived
simply and modestly in a small apartment, very far
from the standard of minimal prosperity.
R Mulle went to the main office of Beth Loubavitch
every day where he maintained the simplicity and
modesty even as magnificent Chabad houses were
built with donations from wealthy donors, when all it
would have taken would have been a nod of his head to
get them to go all out to build him a beautiful office in
the main headquarters of his mosdos in Paris.

started reaching out to Jewish

students in Paris.
In 5724, he arranged shiurim
for Jewish students attending
various universities in Paris. At
that time, Paris was a symbol
of modernity and the state of

Judaism was abysmal.

The
average Jew chose to keep his
distance from Judaism in order to
fit in socially, in academia, and in
business. Most of them preferred
to show up occasionally at shul
and some even put on tfillin, but

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that was all. R Mulle, as a young

bachur, began with working with
them and did all he could to get
them on the path of Torah.
With the encouragement and
blessing of the Rebbe, he began
to ramp up the work among
French Jews with the goal of
spreading Judaism and Chassidus
in Paris in particular, and France
overall.
He went to Beis Chayeinu
and had yechidus in the course
of which the Rebbe encouraged
him to continue his work with
the youth: To study with the
young men you started with,
Nigleh and Chassidus and yiras
Shamayim. The yechidus ended
and Mulle backed out in order
to respectfully leave the room.
Then the Rebbe said a heavenly
statement: You will have great
success and the meaning of
great success is success that is
inestimable.
These words injected him
with a particular strength so that
indeed, over the years, Mulle
attained incredible success.
After a few years of outreach
on a small scale, he married
Basya, the daughter of R
Bentzion Shemtov, in 5728.
After a short time he returned
with his wife to Paris with an
explicit order from the Rebbe to
work among the Jews of Paris.

students,
businessmen,
civil
servants and ordinary Jews who
began taking step after step
toward a religious life. With
time, the number of people giving
the shiurim increased, with some
of them students of his who were
now in a position to influence
others.
Over the years, the circle
of mekuravim expanded and
became hundreds and thousands,
but the students in the first
circles recount with love and
admiration how he cared for
them like a father and mother.
Up until a few years prior, they
had attended university while
knowing next to nothing about
their Judaism, and they had
become Lubavitcher Chassidim.
R Mulle, a warm and inspired
Chassid, knew how to inspire
the French Jews. He farbrenged
with them and had long soul
discussions with them.
R Mulle knew that the
final blow would be with
their hiskashrus to the Rebbe.
In 5731 he arranged the first
group of more than ten young
men who went with him to the
Rebbe for Tishrei. The Rebbes

response to the French group

was unusual.
He asked his
secretary, R Chadakov to see
to proper accommodations for
all the members of the group.
During farbrengens, the Rebbe
turned his attention again and
again to the group, told them
to say lchaim together and to
sing HaAderes VHaEmuna
to the tune of La Marseillaise,
the French national anthem, and
displayed many other kiruvim.
One of the outstanding
activists in Beth Loubavitch is
Chaim Nissenbaum.
He has

Mulle Azimov, first on the right, in a Gemara

shiur given by R Yosef Goldberg in Brunoy

ON THE WAY TO
LUBAVITCH
When he returned to Paris,
he began a new initiative through
shiurim that he gave.
He
established shiurim in numerous
places around Paris which were
meant for students or academics
who wanted to understand each
subject in a rational fashion.
He taught them Nigleh and
Chassidus and these shiurim
began a huge revolution among

R Mulle (center) on Purim

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Obituary

MY RAV MULLE
By R Yehuda Koskas, Elad

I took the first steps toward Torah and

mitzvos for my bar mitzva. We lived in a
suburb of Paris. There was no Chabad house
and my parents asked the rav of the local shul
to prepare me for my bar mitzva.
Learning with the rav of the shul had a
great effect on me. From my bar mitzvah
on I began observing Torah and mitzvos
gradually and under the guidance of the rav
whose name was R Maman.
I finished elementary school as a religious
boy, and continued at ORT, a famous Jewish high
school in Paris. At ORT I was surprised to meet a large
group of boys my age who were making their first steps
toward Torah and mitzvos too. I asked them which
rav they belonged to and they told me enthusiastically
about a young Ashkenazi rabbi from Paris by the name
of Mulle who was attracting masses of young people.
They did not have to do much convincing since
their enthusiasm simply swept up everyone around
them. The next Sunday, I joined them for a shiur at
the local [premises in French, the nickname for the
Chabad house] and after that, the concept Rav Mulle
became a significant part of my life.
The local was a huge baalei tshuva machine like a
massive vacuum which sucked in whoever passed by.
The enthusiasm, the joy, the dveikus, and mainly the
truth, the truth of R Mulle which swept up everything
that came in its path. The shiurim, the farbrengens,
those were the most special farbrengens of my life.
We would sing niggunim over and over, R Mulle kept
the focus and there was nothing at the farbrengen
that veered from the point. Not jokes, not personal
attacks. He would say lchaim but never lost
control. It was not a Melaveh Malka of storytelling.
It all revolved around the message which he wanted
to convey, and the messages were sharp, simple and
very radical. With R Mulles truth there was no
room for compromise. The Rebbe is life, Lubavitch
is truth, and spreading Judaism and Chassidus is the
derech. He instilled this in us again and again until it
penetrated our bloodstream. We left those farbrengens
with a tremendous desire to conquer the world. Every
farbrengen was a constructive farbrengen. Every
farbrengen engendered something. Another campaign,
some more baalei tshuva.
What grabbed me about R Mulle was his simplicity

and his personal touch. Over the years, he

continued to be a melamed. He taught alefbeis to little children and did the hachnoso
lcheder for all the boys. For years, he
continued working as a teacher in a Sunday
School in Montmartre which his father,
R Chaim Hillel, ran. At the same time,
everything was on his shoulders. He would
take loans in order to be able to help people
and to expand the mosdos. It wasnt easy.
He was involved in every detail and ran it
all himself. Obviously, he was always very busy. He
did not answer telephones and people would wait for
hours to be able to talk to him, when he left the room,
in the local, before shiurim, afterward, but the moment
he was with you, he was solely with you. He would
take a real interest, always tried to help, and always
gave you the feeling that he had all the time for you.
I very quickly joined the work at the local, as a
volunteer, of course; Mulle made us all into soldiers of
the Rebbe. We were from the first workers at the Beth
Loubavitch and did everything that had to be done.
We worked and he gave orders. Then he appointed
people in charge of every sphere who continued to
operate this big machine.
The R Mulle that I knew was a public figure in the
full sense of the word. He had no private life. People
would call him in the middle of the night, and on
Shabbos, dozens of guests would land by him as a
matter of course. They would go to the shul on Rue
de Rosiers 17, the shul where the Rebbe davened when
he lived in Paris. This is where R Mulle regularly
farbrenged on Shabbos. They would simply go home,
along with him. He did not have a large home and
every so often he would ask me whether I could take
some guests home with me because he did not have
room for all of them.
Even after we left Paris and made aliya, R Mulle
continued to be in touch, inquiring about every detail,
the chinuch of children was important to him. When
they got older and reached the age of shidduchim, it
was already after his first stroke and he did not feel
well and yet he still made inquiries and tried to help.
This was despite the many years that had passed since
we left Paris.
My R Mulle was first and foremost a shliach of the
Rebbe, a mashpia, a father, and a big brother, the man
who had the greatest impact on my life.

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worked as legal counsel for the

French Labor office for many
years.
Many years ago, he
described his journey through R
Mulle:
I was born in Paris and
had no connection to Judaism
whatsoever. I was known in high
school as someone who took
a great interest in the esoteric,
anything relating to philosophy
and mysticism. Two students
who had already become close
with R Mulle, decided to draw
me toward him. They told me
that once a week there was a
class on Jewish mysticism in Paris
and since I was Jewish and loved
mysticism, it was tailor-made for
me.
When I got there, I found
myself in the midst of a deep
shiur in Chassidus that lasted
two hours. Concepts like Atzilus
and sfiros that were heard again
and again during the shiur sated
my desire for the esoteric in the
most fascinating way. But what
particularly attracted me was his
personality. I thought he was a
man of truth in a way that I had
never previously encountered,
and this truth captivated me.
I continued going every
Sunday but my progress toward
religion was slow and hesitant.
The first summer vacation I was
not willing to go to yeshiva in
Brunoy as many other students
did for two months. I went for
just one week because Gemara
study did not appeal to me. I
wanted to learn Chassidus.

R Mulle teaching a three year old from the Chabad community in France

R Mulle (center) with the Rebbes army of shluchim in Paris

What grabbed me about R Mulle was his

simplicity and his personal touch. Over the
He slowly moved forward years, he continued to be a melamed. He taught alefand began accepting the yoke of
beis to little children and did the hachnoso lcheder for
Torah and Chassidic practices:
With R Mulles guidance, all the boys. At the same time, everything was on his
we
[students
who
were shoulders. He would take loans in order to be able to
niskarev] conducted ourselves
like bachurim from Tomchei help people and to expand the mosdos. It wasnt easy.
Tmimim. We had shiurim in He was involved in every detail and ran it all himself.
Nigleh and Chassidus every day.

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Obituary

The tremendous hiskashrus

to the Rebbe that he demanded
above all else and before all else
from everyone he was mekarev,
led to his great success. He
demanded of everyone to do
precisely what he himself did,
which was to be mashpia, to
give shiurim, to organize groups,
in short: to be a loyal soldier of
the Rebbe 24 hours a day. He
established here, as a matter of
course, that in Tishrei everyone
had to be by the Rebbe, that every
Shabbos Mevarchim there had
to be a raffle so that someone
from the chevra would travel
and represent them all, and the
following Shabbos tell them
everything he saw and heard at
the Rebbes farbrengen.

We used every free moment for

learning.
He went to the Rebbe
eventually and became one of the
Chabad askanim in Paris.

SECRET TO SUCCESS
What was the secret to R
Mulles success? How did he
manage to convince Jews to

take an interest in Judaism and

Chassidus? R Mulle was often
asked these questions. This is
the answer he gave the journalist,
R Yehuda Tzeitlin:
Its very simple. Its because
the Rebbe was here in Paris
and he plowed and planted and
we just have to harvest. If the
Rebbe wants it, its possible.
We cannot forget one thing
when the Rebbe sent us and we
began spreading the wellsprings,
speaking and doing, we were
practically the only organization.
Everyone immediately saw and
recognized Chabad because
we were the only ones around.
There is also the advantage here
in that the Jews can be found
everywhere, so it is much easier
to get to them and work with
them. Over the years, other
groups began copying us but
there is no doubt that all of
Judaism in Paris is only because
of the Rebbes koach.
Chaim
Nissenbaum
also
tried to ascertain the secret to R
Mulles success:

THOUSANDS
AT THE FUNERAL
In recent years, R Azimov
suffered from various serious
health problems but he continued
many of his activities. It was a
moving sight to see him giving
shiurim,
farbrenging
with
hundreds of his talmidim and
continuing his work, despite
his compromised health. The
doctors thought this wasnt good
for his health but they did not
understand that this was his true
life, i.e. carrying out the Rebbes
shlichus.
On 12 Cheshvan his condition
took a turn for the worse and he
was hospitalized. His students
and Chassidim around the world
prayed for him but to their great
sorrow, R Mulle passed away at
the relatively young age of 69.
Thousands
attended
his
funeral which began in France
and continued in Eretz Yisroel.
He was buried next to his wife
on the Mt of Olives in the section
where ziknei hachassidim are
buried including his mashpia, R
Nissan Nemanov.

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MOSHIACH & GEULA

MOSHIACH
AND CHINUCH
PART 3
By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon

Dear Reader shyichyeh,

In our previous article,
we discussed how Emuna in
Moshiach is a sine qua non for
Chinuch in our times. In this
article I would like to address a
second pre-requisite for chinuch
in this generation: Our children
and Talmidim must know that
the Rebbe is accessible today and
that we can communicate and
receive guidance and Brachos
from him even in 5775.
To explain: In the hearts of
many boys (I say boys, because
those are who I deal with daily),
there is a feeling that they were
forsaken by the Rebbe (chv)
or they are trying to connect
to The Rebbe of their father
and therefore they find it difficult
to commit themselves completely
to the Rebbe. In order to deal
with this issue, there needs to
be constant reinforcement that
the Rebbe is still accessible
and leading us. We can all turn
directly to him and receive
Brachos and guidance,
To elaborate: In order for
people to commit themselves, the
cause needs to be theirs. It is
not enough that they appreciate
the cause that their fathers
and
grandfathers
dedicated
themselves to, it needs to be their
cause.
We see this clearly on the

Yomim Tovim of Pesach and

Shavuos. On Pesach, when
the children ask, Why are we
celebrating? we dont just
answer that we are celebrating
the release of our grandparents
from Mitzrayim, rather we make
it very personal, If the Holy
One, blessed be He, had not
taken our fathers out of Egypt,
then we, our children and our

childrens children would have

remained enslaved to Pharaoh
in Egypt.
The same is true about
celebrating the giving of the
Torah on Shavuos. We do not
tell our children that the reason
we celebrate is because our
grandparents received the Torah.
We tell them that their Neshama
was by Har Sinai and they
themselves received the Torah.
Hence, it is their Yom Tov.

Dealing with the youth is not

always easy. The Yeshiva system
and daily schedule can often
be long and grueling. It can even
be restricting at times. With the
advance of social technology,
the youth today are more aware
and have such easy access
to the enticements and instant
pleasures of the outside world.
Many of them have friends or
family that seem to be enjoying
life and free of limitation and
restriction. If our youth feel
forsaken, it is a losing battle.
We must keep encouraging
them with the message that they
have not been forsaken and
the Rebbe is their Rebbe.We
must tell them stories that took
place specifically after Gimmel
Tammuz. We must encourage
them to write to the Rebbe and
experience for themselves a
direct answer or guidance from
the Rebbe. It will change their
perspective and attitude and
strengthen their commitment.
When they ask, If I do not
see the Rebbe, I cannot connect,
I tell them the famous cellphone story:A young boy gets a
newcellphonefrom his parents
for a present. The next day he
goes to visit hisgrandfatherand
phone.
shows him the new
The elder gentleman is used to
Continued on page 15
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MOSHIACH & SCIENCE

SHLIACH TO

ACADEMIA
Dr. Aryeh (Arnie) Gotfryds award-winning
course, Faith and Science, was for many
years the most popular course offered at New
College in the University of Torontos Faculty
of Arts and Sciences. Hundreds of Jews and
non-Jews learned about Sheva Mitzvos, Yesh
Meayin, even Shoftim Nun-Alef and loved it.
Part 2 of a series.

Beis M: How did a Chassid

of the Rebbe come to teach at a
secular university? What were
you doing there?
AG: Good question. I was
already in graduate school when
I first encountered Chabad
in 1981, and despite wanting
to quit and go to yeshiva, the
Rebbe wanted me to stay and
finish. I left academia as soon
as I completed my doctorate,
worked and raised a family, and
Im proud to say Ive followed the
Rebbes directives and did not
send any of my kids to college.
When Gimmel Tamuz 5754
came along, I, like all of us,
suddenly realized that Chaf-Ches
Nisan was for real that bringing
Moshiach was going to be up to
us. I knew I had to re-focus on

the area the Rebbe always guided

me to pursue the synergy of
Faith and Science and I felt that
I could make the greatest impact
on the University of Toronto
Campus. I got a green light from
my mashpia and off I went!
Beis M: This was obviously
not your typical campus shlichus
What were you trying to
accomplish?
AG: My goal was simply this
to bring down the Ivory Tower
from inside. Like a Trojan Horse,
I wanted to smuggle bona fide
faith into the secular curriculum
with complete academic integrity
and thereby oppose and even
defy the culture (more accurately
cult) of atheism that had
overtaken it.

I was terribly resentful that

secular academia had robbed
me personally, and an entire
generation,
indeed
many
generations, of permission to
believe. From my studies of Torah
and Science I knew this to be
completely unfair that in fact,
it is entirely legitimate from a
scientific perspective to believe in
G-d, the soul, the significance of
human life, and the authenticity
of the Tradition from Sinai.
I set about to prove it.
Beis M: This is a tall order!
How does one frummie take on
a whole secular establishment?
Did you have a plan?
AG: I knew I had to edge my
way in, starting small but with
room to grow. I never guessed

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how far it would get.

My first step was to reach out
to my old thesis advisor a nonJew but a fairly open-minded
fellow. He wasnt in the slightest
religious but he had no problem
helping me out with networking.
I asked him to contact all the
Jewish professors and grad
students he could and Id deliver
a sample seminar about the
Interplay of Science and Faith.
It was an instant hit! Soon we
had a half-dozen regulars and
quite a few drop-ins for each
seminar. It wasnt long until half
of the attendees were non-Jews.
It seemed everyone was ready
to open up that silent side of the
scientist the part that realizes
that there is some Higher Unity.

The next step was to add two

undergraduate students to the
mix. They took the seminar as an
independent study, a kind of
extra credit which I managed and
my professor friend supervised.
I saw this as a stepping stone
to getting the course eventually
listed in the official calendar, but
I still had absolutely no idea how
to make it happen.
After a while, one of the
non-Jewish
professors,
a
chatzi-galach,
chatzi-physicist
suggested that I should apply for
a Templeton Foundation Grant
since they support curriculum
initiatives that relate faith and
science.
I told him, Come on, I know
about these guys. Its a Christian

old boys club. Theyd never fund

a Jewish course offering.
With all due respect Dr.
Gotfryd,
you
dont
know
everything. Im familiar with how
these people work and youd be
surprised. You have nothing to
lose.
So, apply I did. I drafted
the curriculum in some detail
and sent it off to the Templeton
Foundation with a cover letter on
my regular personal stationery

my
letterhead
included
Moshiach is on his way. Lets
get ready with acts of goodness
and kindness.
The Templeton Foundations
response was something I never
expected. They said, in effect, Dr.
Gotfryd, you claim that science is
evolving toward Torah principles
but you only cite secular sources
without rabbinic sources your
claims are weak. Please include
rabbinic sources to complement
the scientific ones and you will be
eligible for funding.
Wow! I had thought I
was stretching the secular
establishment as far as possible
with what I was doing already
Here the non-Jews themselves
are pushing me for explicit Torah
content or else they wont back it.
It was one thing for the
Templeton Foundation to support
a faith-forward course offering
it was quite something else
for the University of Torontos
Faculty of Arts and Sciences to
accept it in their curriculum. But
there was a solution here too:
The grant included $5,000 for
the University to list the course.
Between the prestige of an
international award and the cash
boost, the University approved
the course quickly and easily.
Beis M: How do you put
rabbinic sources in a university
course for the general public?
What sources did you include
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Moshiach & Science

and why?
AG: I added a lot of content
from a variety of Lubavitcher and
other frum scientists, and there
were several primary sources too:
The Rambams Hilchos Yesodei
HaTorah on what is G-d and what
is prophecy; The Alter Rebbes
Shaar HaYichud VHaEmuna
on yesh meayin, and the Rebbe
Melech HaMoshiachs sicha
of Shoftim Nun-Alef about the
Rebbes prophecy.
These are things the Rebbe
says that every non-Jew must
know so I included it, in addition
to the Sheva Mitzvos Bnai Noach
which they had to memorize for
the exam.

They have questions but nobody

is providing answers. Then there
are the science people who look
deeply into nature and keep
running up against wonders and
miracles. They too have no tools
to deal with the more profound
aspects of what they do. I used to
be one of those.
The course was held in New
College which had mainly small
to medium sized classrooms for
niche courses. The largest hall
in New College had 100 seats
and thats how many students
attended this Faith and Science
course, year after year. It was
the most popular course in the
college.

I really didnt discuss Creation at all. What I did

do was present the whole gamut of bona fide
scientific challenges to Darwins Theory of Evolution.
The experience was designed to lead the listener to
the inexorable conclusion that only a bonehead could
believe in Darwin after understanding the arguments
and counterarguments.

I put together a 400-page

textbook with all this science
and holy material combined and
for the cover I had a collage of
various monochrome sciencetype images plus one color
picture of the Rebbe. No one
had a problem with it.
Beis M: What kind of person
chooses a course on Faith and
Science? Isnt it a very niche
market? And if so, why was it so
popular?
AG: Before I took the first
step into this shlichus, I had a
feeling that this topic would be a
big draw for a wide public. First
are the religious and spiritual
people that want to see how
science meshes with their views.

On average there were about

15 Jews and about 85 non-Jews.
The Jewish students included
unaffiliated, atheist, agnostic,
Reform, Conservative, Modern
Orthodox,
Yeshivish,
and
Chabad. The non-Jews, lhavdil,
were just as eclectic. Every race,
religion, spiritual trend, and
philosophical outlook you could
possibly imagine was present,
and then some.
Beis M: Chabad demands
emes and emes is only one the
views of Torah and Chassidus. If
you tell them like it is, you will
be branded a demagogue and
kicked off of the faculty. If you
accommodate diverse beliefs, you
are sacrificing the emes. How do

you deal with that?

AG: Its all a matter of
presentation.
At
the
very
first class of each semester, I
addressed this issue head on. I
told them:
You dont have to believe a
thing I teach in this course. You
can believe exactly like me and
fail or have completely opposite
beliefs and get an A its all
about how well you understand
the material on tests and how
well you research and argue your
case in your essays.
All the examples from the
faith perspective come from
Judaism. Other traditions may be
relevant to science but I can only
teach you what I know about and
thats Judaism. If you dont like
that, youre in the wrong place.
Invariably 3 to 5 students
would leave and not come back,
but the next week there were
another 3 to 5 to take their place.
The strategy worked.
Beis M: I understand you
expressed things in a diplomatic
way, but people must have
understood where you are
coming from that you are
making a case for G-d and the
Torah and the Rebbe. Were you
ever accused of proselytizing?
AG: Only once, and the
funniest part was, of course, that
the accusation came from a Jew.
And it was the non-Jews who
helped resolve the issue.
The subject that week was
Darwin: Myths and Facts. I
really didnt discuss Creation at
all. What I did do was present
the whole gamut of bona fide
scientific challenges to Darwins
Theory of Evolution. The
experience was designed to lead
the listener to the inexorable
conclusion that only a bonehead
could believe in Darwin after
understanding the arguments
and counterarguments.

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At the end of the lecture

I invited responses Any
questions?
I had barely gotten the words
out of my mouth when a very
Jewish looking young man pretty
much leaps out of his seat and
launches into a harangue:
I dont understand. Are you
going to just sit there and let him
get away with this? Listen to him
hes not teaching Evolution,
hes preaching Creationism.
Look at him! With his skullcap
and his beard. This is a University
not a synagogue. Why are you all
taking this lying down? If what
he says is true, why arent the
other professors saying so?
I waited for him to run out of
steam, or at least to take a breath,
but before I could get a word in
edgewise, our friend was dealing
with some backlash of his own,
heaped on him by four of his
peers.
Why are you so emotional?
Why so much polemic? If you
have a rational argument, table
it?
Are the science sources he
quoted nonexistent? Have you
looked any of them up?
Is the math wrong? Are the

assumptions wrong? Is the logic

fallacious? What exactly is your
argument?
Hey man, wheres your
respect? The guys a professor
he used to teach Evolution in the
Zoology Department. What do
you know?
The poor fellow was in shock.
He didnt know which way to
turn. His assailants looked like a
committee of the United Nations
an Asian, a Black, an Indian,
and a White. He sat back down,
dumbfounded.
Now I could play Good Cop.
Id like to hear more about
what youve got to say. Maybe we
can talk about this in my office.
He took me up on the
invitation and sure enough,
it turned out he was Jewish. I
offered him to put on Tfillin and
he reluctantly agreed. I placed
them on him and started the
bracha.
Thats alright, Rabbi. I can
do that myself, and straight
away he zips through the bracha,
swiftly wraps the tfillin just right,
and starts reciting the Shma by
heart. Vahavta VHaya im
shamoa Vayomer I rush
to get him a siddur, but he says,

Naw, Im not going to daven a

whole Shacharis.
I asked him where hes from.
Toronto.
Whered you go to school?
Hebrew Academy.
You live at home?
No, downtown.
On your own?
No, I share with a friend.
A guy or a girl?
A girl.
Is she Jewish?
No.
Finally, the mystery is solved.
This young man wasnt fighting
for truth. He was fighting for his
girlfriend! Because if Darwin was
right, the Torah was wrong, and
if the Torah is wrong, the gentile
girlfriend is okay. But if Darwin
is wrong, then the Torah is right
and then his lifestyle is wrong.
Too painful to bear so lets
fight on the Darwin front.
I dont know what became
of this young man, but Im sure
there would have been no way for
me to get him to put on tfillin if
not for the counter-reaction of
his non-Jewish classmates.

Continued from page 11

dials
a
smallcell-phoneand
number. He puts thephoneto
the ear of his father and tells him
to listen for a moment. When he
hears a live voice on the other
line he exclaims I dont know
how it works, but it is definitely
aphone!
Before Gimmel Tammuz our
connection to the
Rebbe
was
through visible and tangible
wires, i.e. dollars, tfillos,
farbrengens, lekach etc. Today the
connection is not visible and our
children wonder if there is still a
way to connect to theRebbe. It

is our job to tell our children that

we live in a wireless era. Thecell
phone is the biggest proof. All we
need to do is dial the Rebbes
number encourage them to
write to theRebbe and you will
hear them exclaim, I dont know
exactly how it works, but I know
that theRebbe Lives!

having aphonewith wires that is

connected to the wall and that the
connection is visible. He laughs
at his grandson and tells him
that it is impossible that the little
gadget is aphone. They get into
an argument that seems to be
going nowhere as each person
is living in their own world.
In middle of the disagreement
the father walks in and observes
the scene. He asks them both
to calm down and to be quiet
for a moment. He takes the

Rabbi Avtzon is the Rosh Yeshiva

of Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati and a
well sought after speaker and lecturer.
Recordings of his in-depth shiurim
on Inyanei Geula uMoshiach can be
accessed at http://www.ylcrecording.
com.

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PARSHA THOUGHT

UNCONVENTIONAL
PRAYERS FOR
UNCONVENTIONAL
RESULTS
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

RACHELS PLEA
The Matriarch Leah bears
four children for which she
expresses profound gratitude.
Her sister and co-wife Rachel
is chagrined because she is
childless. The Torah describes
her feelings and actions thus:
Rachel saw that she had
not borne children to Jacob, so
Rachel became envious of her
sister. She said to Jacob, Give
me children otherwise I am
dead.
Jacobs anger flared up at
Rachel, and he said, am I
instead of G-d who has withheld
from you fruit of the womb?
Several questions have been
raised about this brief exchange
between Jacob and his beloved
wife Rachel:
First,
how
could
the
supremely righteous Rachel be
envious of her sister?
Rashi explains that she was
envious of Leahs good deeds,
ascribing her co-wifes fecundity

to righteous behavior.
The
question
however
remains, why does the Torah have
to link her request for children
to her envy of her sisters good
deeds? Even if her sister had
not been blessed with children,
Rachel would still have desired
children of her own!
Second, why did the otherwise
righteous and compassionate
Jacob lash out at his wife with
undisguised anger? True, the
Midrash states that G-d took
him to task for this, but, can we
understand what motivated him,
one whom the Sages described as
G-ds chariot, meaning that he
had totally subordinated his will
to the will of G-d. What G-dly
justification could there have
been for his anger?
Third, Rashi explains that
Jacobs anger was motivated by
his belief that he could not pray
for her because he already had
children. Ramban is puzzled by
this explanation. Why couldnt
Jacob pray that his wife should

bear children? Where does it say

that one may only pray for his
own needs?

CRAVING CHILDREN
To answer these questions
we must begin by considering
a statement made by our
Sages (Talmud, Yevamos 64a)
explaining why the Matriarchs
were initially unable to bear
children: G-d desires the
prayers of the righteous.
Ordinarily, righteous people do
not ask G-d for anything material
because they are happy with
whatever blessings G-d bestows
upon them. They are happy and
grateful just to be alive and serve
G-d. They crave nothing more,
with one notable exception
even the most ascetic and selfdenying saint wants children.
One may suggest three
reasons for this phenomenon:
First, the righteous person
wants to give of self and nurture
others. They cannot imagine a
life which deprives them of the

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ability to share their blessings.

And since there is no parallel to
the love and nurturing given to
ones own child, the righteous
crave parenthood.
Just listen
to Rachel, who stated, Give me
children, otherwise I am dead.
To Rachel, life without a child
was not life in the true sense of
the word.
Second, a righteous person
devotes his or her life to bringing
G-dly energy into the physical
world. The most dramatic
manifestation of G-dly presence
happens with the introduction
of another Divine soul into the
world. This is particularly so
when the new soul will be raised
to serve G-d and carry the
parents legacy into the future.
Not being able to continue
contributing to the world through
ones heirs is especially painful
for the righteous. They feel that
it would diminish G-ds presence
in the world.
Third, the Talmud (Yevamos
62a) states that Moshiachs
coming depends on having
all G-dly souls descend into
this world. The birth of every
child brings the world closer
to Redemption, when G-ds
glory will fill the world. To the
righteous, having children is
viewed as bringing the world one
step closer to Redemption.
For these and other spiritual
reasons a tzaddik craves for
nothing more than for children.
And it is the only physical thing
for which a tzaddik will pray.
Thus, by denying the Matriarch
Rachel the ability to bear children
G-d guaranteed that His delight
in the prayers of the Righteous
would be served.

WHY WAS RACHELS

PRAYER UNANSWERED?
We

can

now

approach

The answer is that he certainly

did but he understood that it was
her prayer that G-d craved and
would ultimately bring about the
desired result.

SHATTERING BARRIERS

understanding Rachels demand

of her husband to give her
children.
Rachel obviously had already
prayed for children but to no
avail. Rachel did some soulsearching and concluded that she
was less righteous than her sister
Leah. She began to fear that her
desire for children was not based
on idealistic and spiritual reasons
but on personal gain instead.
Perceiving a shortcoming in
her prayers, she turned to her
husband to pray for her.
Jacob responded that since
she was the barren one, G-d
craved her prayer and wanted her
to be more persistent. Obviously,
Jacob would and probably did
pray for her. But G-d primarily
wanted to hear her prayer.
This explains the linkage
between her envy of Leahs
righteousness and her own desire
for children. She pled with her
husband to pray for her as she
considered that her prayers had
failed on account of her lack
of righteousness. If she had
believed that she were sufficiently
righteous, she would have
continued praying.
This analysis also answers
Rambans question about why
Jacob couldnt pray for Rachel.

A question still remains:

Why was Jacob so harsh to
Rachel?
The answer can perhaps be
found in a story told of the Rebbe
Rashab. A young man came
to him with a serious spiritual
problem but the Rebbe told
him that he could not help him.
The man was devastated, left
the room, sat down and wept
bitterly. The Rebbe Rashabs
older brother, Rabbi Zalman
Aharon, asked the man why he
was crying. The man replied that
the Rebbe had refused to help
him. Upon hearing this, Rabbi
Zalman Aharon reprimanded
his
younger
brother
and
demanded to know why he didnt
help the man. The Rebbe Rashab
agreed to change his mind and
proceeded to guide the sufferer
and relieve him of his problem.
The question was asked, why
did the Rebbe Rashab cause this
man so much pain when he did,
in fact, end up helping him?
The Rebbe answered that
the Rebbe Rashab realized that
this person had a major spiritual
barrier and was not ready to be
helped. His only recourse was
to try and break through the
young mans shell by telling
him that he was beyond help.
When the young man realized
that his situation was helpless,
he was humbled to the core and
the obstacle and resistance to
the Rebbe Rashabs counsel was
broken down. It was not until
then that he could be receptive to
the Rebbes guidance.
Many of our prayers are

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Parsha Thought

The most dramatic manifestation of G-dly

presence happens with the introduction of
another Divine soul into the world. This is particularly so
when the new soul will be raised to serve G-d and carry
the parents legacy into the future.
waiting for an answer and there
are many blessings waiting
to be bestowed upon us. The
problem is that we may not be
ready to receive those answers
or blessings. We each carry with
us impediments that encrust and
envelop us. In these extreme
cases, hearing harsh words of
reprimand by an authority figure
may be our last hope for receiving
the blessings and having our
prayers heard.
This may be the reason Jacob
got angry at Rachel, despite
his personification of the trait
of compassion. His anger was
aimed at shattering what he
thought might be the obstacle
to having her prayers answered.
Jacobs anger was a form of
emotional surgery to remove
the impediment to her prayers for
children.

UNCONVENTIONAL
PRAYERS
We must still try to understand
why G-d had not answered her
prayers. It is hard to imagine that
her desire for children was selfish
or materialistic and that she,
holiest of women, would possess

such a strong stumbling block to

her prayers.
The answer lies in the nature
of the desired result. Rachels
child was no ordinary child even
in comparison to the other sons
of Jacob. Her first son, Joseph,
would carry the legacy of the
Patriarchs to future generations.
Whatever spiritual energy and
light Jacob and his forebears
had introduced into the world
depended on Joseph to transmit
it. Moreover, Joseph, and only
Joseph, had the power to take
the lofty ideals of the Patriarchs
and apply them even to the most
materialistic and depraved society
of Egypt.
When Joseph was born,
Rachel named him Joseph saying:
May G-d add (Yoseph) another
son for me. The Tzemach
Tzedek translates this in a novel
way: May G-d add [so that] the
other should be a son for me.
Joseph was able to take even
an other, an outsider, and
transform him into an insider.
It required a powerful and
dynamic prayer for Rachel to
bring this powerful and dynamic
soul into the world. Her earlier



prayers were certainly sincere

and altruistic. But for the
unconventional soul of Joseph,
with its unparalleled spiritual
prowess, to emerge she had
to break through additional
obstacles. Jacob sensed this and
therefore displayed his anger
to break the final barrier to her
ability to conceive Joseph.

NO MORE SUFFERING!
Our
Sages
(Talmud,
Sanhedrin 98b) have foretold
that before the Messianic Age,
the Jewish people will go through
the birth pangs of Moshiach.
To bring on the unconventional
power of Moshiach, who will
transform the outsiders into
insiders, we have had to endure
unprecedented travail. We must
have certainly filled and even
exceeded our quota of suffering
by now. To hasten and prepare
for the Yoseph-unconventional
increases of G-dly light of the
final Redemption, we do not need
more suffering and pain. Instead,
let the suffering of the past impel
us to cry out to G-d, Ad Masai,
How much longer! even as we
pave the way for Moshiachs
efforts
at
transforming
outsiders
into
insiders.
Let us prepare ourselves, our
families, our communities and
the rest of society to welcome
Moshiach by recognizing our/
their insider status as G-ds
children, who joyously serve G-d
with love!

Express service
Fully Computerized
331 Kingston Ave.
(2nd Flr) Brooklyn NY 11213
Get your tickets within minutes!

(718) 493-1111
Fax: (718) 493-4444

18 6 Kislev 5775

"The quickest way to reveal Moshiach is by learning the Torah

sources about Moshiach & redemption" t"ab,wv grumnu ghrz, p"a

Radio Moshiach & Redemption

950_bm_eng.indd 18

1620-1640 AM around Crown Heights & Boro Park

& 1710 AM in parts of Brooklyn 24/6
2014-11-24 11:25:45 PM
worldwide live broadcast: www.RadioMoshiach.org

STORIES

SMALL EFFORTS
BRING BIG
RESULTS ON
SHLICHUS
By Rabbi Yaakov Shmuelevitz ah
Former shliach to Beit Shaan

he Rebbe quotes the

Midrash which says that
Moshe was unable to put
up the tall heavy beams
of the Mishkan until Hashem told
him to put his hand to it. Then the
Mishkan stood up on its own. The
Rebbe connects this with the future
Mikdash which, according to the
Midrash and Rashi, will descend
from Heaven fully made.
The lesson in mans avoda
is that, on the one hand, every
Jew needs to make efforts in
observing mitzvos. On the other
hand, ultimately only Hashem
gives strength to Moshe to raise
up the Mishkan, thus causing the
Shchina to dwell in the mitzvos
that we do.
The same is true with the
avoda of shlichus. We shluchim
do what we can to carry out our
mission, but we feel and see that
the Mishkan stands up on its

own. Hashem shows us that it

is only with the Rebbes kochos,
and not thanks to our talents,
that we succeed in doing the
work.

IN MONTEVIDEO THE
CHABAD HOUSE WENT
UP ON ITS OWN
Montevideo is the capitol
of Uruguay where R Eliezer
Shemtov is a shliach for over
thirty years. R Shemtov has been
very successful and has a large
building in the center of the city,
which contains a spacious shul, a
mikva, a preschool, offices, etc.
R Shemtov had occasion
to visit the Chabad Yeshiva in
Argentina and during the visit
he told Anash and the Tmimim
that he had been able to put up
the Chabad House building in
an incredible way, thanks to fully

obeying the Rebbes wishes. This

is what happened:
On his first year on shlichus,
during Elul R Shemtov and his
wife planned on traveling to be
with family in Crown Heights and
spending Rosh HaShana with
the Rebbe. R Shemtov asked
the Rebbe whether he should go
to the Rebbe for Rosh HaShana
and received no response. From
this he understood that the Rebbe
wanted him to remain where he
was.
Mrs. Shemtov went to Crown
Heights, as she was soon to give
birth, and her husband remained
in Montevideo. Mrs. Shemtov
passed by the Rebbe for a dollar
and the Rebbe asked her where
her husband was.
She said
he understood that the Rebbe
wanted him to remain in Uruguay
and he stayed there. The Rebbe
smiled and looked pleased and

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R Sagi Har Shefer putting up a mezuza in the school

gave her another dollar and

said, This is for your husband.
He should have success in all
matters.

MONTEVIDEO AND
PUNTA DEL ESTE
R Shemtov prepared for
two days of Rosh HaShana
on shlichus in Uruguay. The
Jewish community in Uruguay
is concentrated primarily in two
large cities, the capitol and Punta
del Este, about an hour and a half
away.
That Rosh HaShana, R
Shemtov was not in the best
of spirits. He so badly wanted
to be with the Rebbe for the
davening, tkios, Maftir, and the
farbrengen, and there he was in
South America. There wasnt
even a Chabad shul (yet). He
was overcome by feelings of

homesickness and loneliness.

R Shemtov wasnt sure
whether to spend Yom Tov in
Montevideo or Punta del Este.
The truth is he didnt want to be
in either place and so he decided
to go wherever the wheels of his
car took him. In the end, without
any compelling reason, he found
himself on the highway to Punta
del Este. He stayed in a hotel
and went to the local shul.
Before and after the davening
he met with all the members of
the community. They were all
happy to hear about the young
shliach operating in their country
on shlichus from the Lubavitcher
Rebbe.
In the morning, he
wasnt sure whether to go to the
same shul as the night before
or to walk an hour and a half
to a different shul. He finally
decided, again, without any clear
reason or much enthusiasm, to

walk to the second shul. There

too, he introduced himself and
told about his shlichus in the
country.
After the davening, an old
man went over to him and wanted
to hear more details about the
shliach and the shlichus. Where
do you live? What do you do?
What else do you want to do?
Do you have a building? Are you
interested in a building?
R Shemtov answered all his
questions and then the man told
him that he had business dealings
in a number of cities in Uruguay
and the following week he would
be in Montevideo. He wanted
to meet the shliach again and
perhaps he would be able to help
out.
The following week the two
of them met. The man showed
R Shemtov a large building in
the center of the city and said
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Stories
he could use the building for his
outreach activities because, at
the moment, he did not need the
building. R Shemtov was thrilled
to have use of the building.
Some work was done to make
it suitable and since then, the
building has been R Shemtovs
headquarters.

THE SELF-MADE
BAAL TSHUVA
A Lubavitcher had to be
hospitalized for a few days for
an operation. He took his tfillin
and at every opportunity he
offered them to others. Among
those who put on tfillin was a
man from Netanya whose wife
had had an operation.
The
man was very moved by putting
on the tfillin and afterward he
said to the Chassid, From now
on, I want you to be my rabbi.
Whatever you tell me, I will do
and every day I will come to you
to put on tfillin.
Throughout
the
hospitalization, the man came to
put on tfillin. On Shabbos, he
accompanied the Chassid to the
shul in the hospital. He joined
him for the other tfillos, for the
third Shabbos meal, Maariv,
and so on. When the Chassid
returned to his room for Havdala,
the man was standing there and
he heard Havdala, maybe for the
first time in his life.
The man then gave his own
tfillin to be checked and they
were found to have no parshiyos!
He bought new tfillin, mezuzos,
and began regularly attending
shul. Now and then, he called his
personal rabbi and reported his
progress in mitzva observance.
Unfortunately, the mans wife
died and the Chassid continued
to help the man and his family
during the Shiva.
This too is in the category

of putting up the Mishkan for

things happened of their own
accord, standing up on their
own.

A CHABAD HOUSE THAT

EXPANDED ON ITS OWN
The Chabad House in Givat
Shmuel was previously located
in a small, crowded building.
R Shabtai Fisher, the shliach,
decided it was time to expand,
but this was delayed due to the
usual problem, lack of money.
One day, R Fisher noticed
a couple who came into the
Chabad House to see whether it
was suitable for the aliya of their
son at his bar mitzva. He heard
the mother say, No way! Its
not suitable. R Fisher decided
he must expand the place and
renovate it.
He shared his plans with his
congregants and they all agreed
that they had to expand and
even promised to help to the
best of their ability. Donations
were made but the amount
was nowhere near the 200,000
shekels needed for the expansion.
R Fisher tried urging the
congregants and mekuravim to
get more donations, but things
moved very slowly, if at all.
Then one of the congregants
told him that he had decided
to commit to covering all the
expenses needed to expand the
Chabad house. The man even
encouraged R Fisher not to
skimp and to do everything first
class.
Within a few days the
renovation work had gotten into
high gear and everything was
done in the most beautiful way.
The main sanctuary had been
doubled in size and there was a
spacious area for farbrengens,
kiddushim, and shiurim and
there are often aliyos LTorah for
families in Givat Shmuel.

BROCHURES ABOUT
A NEIGHBORING
SHLIACHS EVENT
R Ilan Agiv, a Lubavitcher
Chassid from Nachalat Har
Chabad, is a product of Givat
Shmuel, says R Fisher. At
the beginning of our shlichus
in Givat Shmuel, we hadnt yet
done many events or Evenings
with Chabad, so when we heard
that in nearby Ohr Yehuda they
were preparing a fascinating
Evening with Chabad, we took a
few hundred brochures about the
evening and put them in peoples
mailboxes in Givat Shmuel.
Out of the hundreds of
brochures we distributed, just
one fellow attended the program,
Ilan Agiv. I did not yet know him
personally, but that evening in
Ohr Yehuda was the catalyst for a
major change in his life.
During the evening, R
Chaim Sasson delivered a great
talk and Ilan heard about the
imminent Geula.
R Sasson
explained that the Rebbe is
Moshiach and we already need
to accept his rule and listen to
his instructions. Ilan returned
to Givat Shmuel convinced and
excited. Before that evening, he
sufficed with a tiny kippa and
he wore shorts. Afterward, he
bought two pairs of tfillin, a hat
and a suit. He joined shiurim,
the davening and mivtzaim,
went to yeshiva and started his
own Chassidic home in Kiryat
Malachi. His five sweet children
attend the Rebbes mosdos in
Nachala.
The most amazing part of the
story we heard from Ilan himself:
In the summer of 5754 I
saw many broadcasts about the
Lubavitcher Rebbe. They spoke
about his passing, but I saw a
Rebbe and his leadership. At that
time, I had no connection with

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Chabad and these broadcasts

aroused my curiosity. I was
interested in getting to know
Chabad from up close.
Just
at that time I came across
advertising about an Evening
with Chabad in Ohr Yehuda. I
went and after that everything
changed; for the better, of
course.
When I returned to Givat
Shmuel, I told a friend about
the amazing things I heard in
Chabad of Ohr Yehuda. My
friend surprised me when he
said we have Chabad here in
Givat Shmuel, as every Friday he
saw a vehicle with a megaphone
driving around and announcing
when Shabbos begins. It was
R Shabtai Fishers car. So we
found our very own shliach and
R Fisher guided me faithfully.
Thanks to him, Ive reached
where I am today.

CHABAD MOSDOS THAT

STAND UP ON THEIR
OWN ONE
AFTER THE OTHER
R Sagi Har Shefer, shliach in
Nes Tziyona, told me about some
of his mosdos that stood up on
their own with the help of Anash
and mekuravim. All R Sagi
had to do was agree, encourage,
provide funding, and take the
reins of the mosad that dropped
into his lap like a ripe fruit.
Lets take, for example,
the daycare centers the Chabad
House runs. Nearly 100 babies

come from all over Nes Tziyona

and the rest of the Shfela (Judean
Foothills) region.
These day
care centers were started at the
initiative of one Lubavitcher
family in Nes Tziyona.
It was the Schneersohn
family. When their oldest child
was a few months old, they very
much wanted him to be in a
Chassidishe atmosphere.
The
parents found out how to start
a day care center, looked into
finding a building, how to get
babysitters, cooks, furniture,
permits, etc. They brought all the
information to me and what was
left for me to do was to approve
the founding of the daycare
center and to run it until today.
The daycare center started
with one six month old infant.
Today, there are
four classes on
two floors of the
beautiful building,
which houses the
infrastructure
of
Chabads day care
centers
in
Nes
Tziyona.
Our elementary
school was also
started on its own,
as it were, thanks
to the involvement
and devotion of a
Lubavitcher family.
It was the Shacham
family
who
maintained, rightly
so, that instead of
sending
dozens

of Lubavitcher children each

morning to school in another
city, we should have our own
school.
The family made inquiries,
made a list of potential children,
got a teacher, and the school
opened. At first there were six
boys. By its third year there were
nearly fifty boys.
That is also how new
shiurim begin on their own. R
Menachem Feldman coordinates
the array of shiurim and now and
then people call and ask for more
and more shiurim.
R Feldman receives the
requests and he usually goes to
the places himself. He checks out
what is needed, the level that is
wanted and the right topic, and
there you have it, another shiur.

Issue 950

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FEATURE

THE MANY

CHABAD
GATEWAYS
TO HEAVEN
24 6 Kislev 5775
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A Chabad shul, a Chabad minyan what

does that mean to you?
When speaking about a Chassidic shul
we can assume that you will see and hear
the same things in most of them. It makes
no difference whether the shul is in Arad,
Ashdod or Bnei Brak.
However, the shlichus phenomenon has
transformed the concept of a Chabad shul
or Chabad minyan into something with far
broader significance, ranging from the shul
of those who live in the old yishuv in the
heart of Mea Sharim market to a minyan of
tattooed backpackers in the Himalayas.
The astonishing thing is that what they
have in common is greater than what sets
them apart. Both groups daven from the
same Siddur and they probably sing the same
songs and are moved by the same piyutim.
This simple fact which perhaps people
take for granted is amazing to me and
reflects the Judaism revolution wrought by
the Rebbe in the past generation. Before
Rosh HaShana we decided to check this out
and visit a variety of Chabad houses. We
spoke with gabbaim and with those in charge,
and heard from them what makes their shul
unique, what they have to deal with, about
their successes and moving moments.

What do kibbutzniks at a kibbutz clubhouse, residents of Mea Sharim

in the Baal HaTanya shul, and Israeli tourists in a decorated hall on the
beach in Mexico have in common? All of them daven in a Chabad minyan,
from the same Siddur, and sing mostly the same tunes. * We spoke with
gabbaim, rabbanim and shluchim who run shuls of Chabad minyanim and
heard about what unites them and what sets them apart, and about the
special styles of their Chabad shuls. * How do you disperse 1500 people
on Motzaei Yom Kippur without causing injuries on the way out? * Why
was a Satmar Chassid jealous of the prayer of the Israeli backpacker?
* Where is it forbidden to have a minyan on the second day of Rosh
HaShana? * Where does the rabbi give a cooking workshop in order to
attract people to a shiur before the holidays?
By Shneur Chaviv

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Feature

HASHEM HU HAELOKIM
IN A CLUBHOUSE
A CHABAD SHUL IN A SECULAR KIBBUTZ
R Yaakov Tzvi Ben Ari and R Dovber Chaviv

Chabad
minyan
at
Kibbutz Misgav Am;
sounds odd? Well, its
not exactly a minyan
of sirtuks, but it is a shul with a
proper mechitza. The mechitza
is somewhat decorative but is
perfectly kosher.
There are
Nusach Ari Siddurim and the
davening is authentic Chabad with
some popular Jewish tunes here
and there.
This minyan joins many other
minyanim like it, which take
place on dozens of kibbutzim
and moshavim around the
country. They are under the
auspices of Ufaratzta Chabad
on kibbutzim directed by R
Yaakov Tzvi Ben Ari.
How do you organize a
minyan on a kibbutz? Its not
that easy.
Its actually very hard,
says R Ben Ari. We are in
touch throughout the year with
hundreds of families on kibbutzim
throughout the country. We find
that sometimes, some of them
are more interested in Torah and
mitzvos. It is families like these
who are usually the ones who
help us organize a minyan. In
the best case scenario, there is a
concession in principle from the
kibbutz. In most cases though
this will usually involve a far from

"

easy challenge for all involved:

for us, for the family, and for the
kibbutz.
The one who is behind the
organizational and logistical
end of Ufaratzta is my brother,
Dovber Chaviv.
How do you arrange for the
tfillos of the Yomim Noraim in
dozens of places?
In principle, the manpower
comes
from
dozens
of
Lubavitcher
families,
young
men, many young couples and
bachurim who remained in Eretz
Yisroel and want to help out. All
of the work is done on a volunteer
basis, with the local family or a
team sent to the kibbutz doing
everything that needs to be done,
starting with setting up a place
to daven, chazanus, reading

the Torah, delivering a speech,

tkios, explaining, and of course,
connecting with the locals.
It requires a lot of mesirus
nefesh on the part of the families,
especially on Rosh HaShana and
especially when its three days,
like it was this year. You cant
cook there, so families need to
prepare food for three days in
advance, which is no easy task.
We help out with money to buy
food and weve prepared lists of
equipment, instructions and tips
from our years of experience.
This enables families who are
doing this shlichus to be properly
prepared.
The result of the hard work
and mesirus nefesh of the
Ufaratzta chevra is dozens
of minyanim on kibbutzim,

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including kibbutzim that are

considered tough from a religious
perspective.
There are kibbutzim that
agree to have a minyan and those
that are opposed, says R Ben
Ari. In the first case, the kibbutz
will even designate a hall, usually
the library, or a clubhouse, for
the minyan. But the kibbutz
will often make conditions. For
example, at one kibbutz they
decided that the blowing of the
shofar and the davening on Rosh

HaShana are a positive thing

to instill Jewish heritage and
folklore. But one day is enough.
The kibbutz insisted on not
allowing a minyan on the second
day of Rosh HaShana. In this
case, it was a big mesirus nefesh
on the part of the volunteers who
had to daven all the tfillos of the
second day on their own, without
a minyan, in order to enable
the residents of the kibbutz to
participate in the mitzva of shofar
and the tfillos of the first day of
Rosh HaShana.

When its hard, it gives

them the feeling that this is
an important shlichus. Every
new minyan that opens on a
kibbutz provides us with great
satisfaction, says R Chaviv.
There is nothing in the world
like the feeling of seeing a plaza
or clubhouse of a kibbutz filled
with men, women, and children
and all of them calling out,
Shma Yisroel Hashem Elokeinu
Hashem Echad. Hashem Hu
HaElokim.

WALLS SATURATED
WITH CHASSIDIC HISTORY
A CHABAD SHUL IN MEA SHARIM
R Tzvi Chanun, gabbai of the Baal HaTanya shul in Mea Sharim

ne of my childhood
memories is of Erev
Yom Kippur in the Baal
HaTanya shul in Mea
Sharim. Every Erev Yom Kippur,
early in the morning, my father
would take us to bring chickens
to be shechted in the market of
Mea Sharim. Then we would go
to daven Shacharis in the Chabad
Shul Ohel Yitzchok, which is
known as the Baal HaTanya shul.
Another time we would visit
the old shul was when we went
to visit the mashpia, R Moshe
Weber, in his home in Battei
Ungarin. After we received a
loving and fatherly slap on the
face from R Moshe, and after
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Feature
he tested us on what we learned
in yeshiva, we would continue
to shul for Mincha or even just a
short visit.
As a child, I would stare
in wonder at the magnificent
drawings that decorated the
ceiling, letting my imagination
soar on the eagles wings,
imagining battles between the
running deer, the bold leopard,
and the strong lion.
The shul has been in
existence for over 100 years,
the old gabbai told me. In this
place lived, farbrenged, received
hashpaa and in turn passed it
along, the great mashpiim of
earlier generations.
Here is
where they held the coronation of

the Rebbe on 11 Shevat 5711,

says R Chanun.
Every corner, every arch,
every concavity and every corner
of the shul is shrouded in the
glory of yore, and contains within
it the story of Chabad settlement
in Eretz Yisroel; people like
R Zevin, R Zelig Slonim, R
Avrohom Hirsh HaKohen and R
Moshe Weber. They all left their
mark on the ancient stone walls.
R Tzvi spent a long time
sharing his memories and the
history of the shul. We asked him
about his preparations for Rosh
HaShana and Yom Kippur. The
davening on the Yomim Noraim
in Baal HaTanya is very special.
There are many young men who

walk from neighborhoods all

over northern Yerushalayim in
order to experience the unique
flavor of this shul. We obviously
make the necessary preparations
to accommodate the large
crowd that comes on the Yomim
Tovim. These include spiritual
dignitaries alongside Lubavitch
householders from Yerushalayim
and of course local residents.
Today too, the shul is
active every Shabbos and
every weekday.
Shiurim and
farbrengens are held which
attract a lot of people from the
neighborhood, many of whom
are becoming more involved in
Chassidus thanks to the shul.

FROM A CARAVAN
TO A SIMCHA HALL
CHABAD SHUL FOR YOUTH
R Sholom Rosenberg

he Chabad community in
Elad is large but young,
consisting of over two
hundred families, most
of them young people with small
children. This explains the large
and excellent Chabad schools in
the area.
Although the khilla of
Chabad is one of the oldest in the
city, its shuls are still located in
mobile structures.
We started out in a small

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caravan which was also a

classroom
in
the
Chabad
School,
says
R
Sholom
Rosenberg, one of the gabbaim
in the Chabad shul Derech
Mitzvosecha in Elad. We slowly
grew and moved somewhere else.
We bought a bigger caravan and
enlarged it more and more as the
khilla grew.
Indeed, the shul built with
patches upon patches of metal
sheeting corroborates what the
gabbai says.
The Chassidic
community, led by the rav, R
Shneur Zalman Yaroslavsky,
has acquired a good reputation
which has caused it to grow even
more. Despite expansion upon
expansion, the shul is packed
every Shabbos.
If thats the way it is on
Shabbos, what about on Yomim
Tovim?
The truth is that lately,
with the help of the mayor, R
Yisroel Porush, we received a
designated plot. We also received
city permits and permits from
the Interior Ministry to build a

beautiful building. Right now,

the place just cannot contain the
number of people who come on
holidays, so we rent a big hall
that has hundreds of seats. We
bring over the aron kodesh, the
bima and everything we need
and that is where we hold the
Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur,
and Simchas Torah davening.
At least on holidays, people have
a spacious, comfortable place to
daven.
Do you have new people on
holidays?
There are many people in
the city who feel close to Chabad.
They would want to come every
Shabbos but the main problem is
space. There is just no room in
the shul and they have to daven
elsewhere. Its because we rent a
hall for the Yomim Noraim that
those people are able to join us.
In Elad they do not import
baalei tfilla; all the tfillos of the
Yomim Noraim are led by local
people.
We have capable young men
who are wonderful baalei tfilla.

We divide the tfillos and each of

them does his part.
Simchas Torah in Elad is
something special. The simcha
is overpowering and it is all in
a Chassidishe atmosphere of
Ahavas Yisroel.
In general, R Rosenberg
adds, farbrengens here are an
integral part of community life.
Every Shabbos after the davening
we have a farbrengen with
our rav which is organized by
Sholom Mamu. Thats besides
the farbrengens every Thursday
night, on Shabbos Mevarchim
and on other special occasions.
The farbrengens contribute a lot
to solidifying the community,
to
creating
a
Chassidishe
atmosphere, and to strengthening
darkei hachassidim.
To take a recent example,
there was great excitement in the
community about going to the
Rebbe for Tishrei. Some men
arranged a raffle among all the
members of the community. The
winner flew to the Rebbe as a
representative of us all.

THE MAGICAL ATMOSPHERE

OF THE OLD CITY
THE TZEMACH TZEDEK SHUL
R Yeshaya Yuzevitz

ne of the special
Chabad shuls is the
Tzemach
Tzedek
shul. It is a shul that

was founded in the time of the

Tzemach Tzedek by the wealthy
Sassoon family of Bombay, for the
Chabad community in the Old City

of Yerushalayim. It contains within

its walls long chapters of Chabad
history, which are interwoven with
the history of the Jewish people and
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Feature

We had plans to expand and we asked the

Rebbe about choosing a nusach for the shul.
We had reasons this way and that way and we wanted
to know whether to pick Ashkenaz, Sefard, or Chabad.
The Rebbe circled the word Sefard and wrote bruach
Chabad (in the spirit of Chabad).

the history of the Jewish settlement

in Yerushalayim.
During
the
War
of
Independence, this shul was
in the center of the battle but it
was not damaged and remained
standing. After the Six Day War
and the liberation of the Jewish
Quarter, Chabad Chassidim
returned and renovated the place
as the Rebbe told them to do.
The atmosphere in Tzemach
Tzedek is unique. The arching
walls and the memorial wall
plaques, along with the Sifrei
Torah of Jewish Children nestled
inside the Aron Kodesh all
generate an atmosphere that you
cannot find in any other shul in
the world.
The one who runs the shul
today is the mythological gabbai
and askan, R Yeshaya Yuzevitz

who runs Toras Emes mosdos

in Yerushalayim. His son, R
Shneur Zalman, is his able
assistant.
Despite his age, R Yuzevitz
is gifted with unusual youthful
energy. Every Shabbos he walks
a long distance from his home
to Tzemach Tzedek where he
leads the davening as well as
farbrengens.

Who comprises Tzemach

Tzedeks congregation?
First, there are the Chabad
Chassidim who live in the Rova.
Then there are the many young
men who come from nearby
neighborhoods and even distant
ones, for they want the special
atmosphere of Tzemach Tzedek.
There are also guests who are
staying in Yerushalayim.
The rav of the shul is R
Adin Even Yisroel (Steinsaltz)
who also walks a long way every
Shabbos from his home to the
shul.
R Yuzevitz: The shul is
humming all year round. Every
Shabbos the shul is full and so
too on holidays. We graciously
welcome guests as we do all year.
The davening on Rosh HaShana
and Yom Kippur in Tzemach
Tzedek is special and many
people come especially for the
Yomim Noraim to daven here.
This shul is located above
the Cardo in the heart of the
Jewish Quarter. Its a prime
tourist spot. Does the shul
invest any of its resources in
developing the tourism aspect?
There is no Chabad tourist
who comes to Yerushalayim,
especially to the Old City, who
will forgo a visit to Tzemach
Tzedek. However, we do not
work to bring in tourists. For
that theres a Chabad house in
the Cardo which is run by R
Osdoba. He works with the
hundreds and thousands of
tourists who visit the area every
day. In the shul is a kollel which
was founded by the Rebbes
instruction, and so the shul is a
place of Torah study and tfilla.
It is not a tourist attraction, but
whoever comes is welcomed with
a smile.
(To be continued.)

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CROSSROADS

THE POGROMS
OF 5775
Last week made it crystal clear: Those who
avoided doing something about the rampaging
intifada in Yerushalayim, stubbornly classifying
the situation as minor incidents of disorderly
conduct, got a horrifying slaughter equal to the
pogroms in Europe that remain emblazoned
in Jewish memory. This time, however, the
massacre didnt take place in Warsaw or Berlin,
rather in the Holy City of Yerushalayim, the
capital city of Eretz Yisroel.
By Sholom Ber Crombie
Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

1.
Immediately after Israels
minister for internal security
learned of last weeks horrific
terrorist attack in a synagogue
in Yerushalayims Har Nof
neighborhood, it would seem
that he should have declared a
new policy of placing reinforced
concrete barricades at the
entrance to every shul or perhaps
forbidding Jews from going to
shul altogether. If the conclusion
drawn from last summers
kidnapping and murder of the
three teenage hitchhikers in
Gush Etzion was that the boys
were to blame for what occurred,
and if the response to a terrorist

running over people waiting for

the light rail transport was to
place more concrete barriers
what can we expect to happen
when Jews davening Shacharis
in a synagogue in the heart of
Yerushalayim are murdered in
cold blood?
Last week made it crystal
clear: Those who avoided doing
something about the rampaging
intifada
in
Yerushalayim,
stubbornly
classifying
the
situation as minor incidents
of disorderly conduct, got a
horrifying slaughter equal to the
pogroms in Europe that remain
emblazoned in Jewish memory.
This time, however, the massacre
didnt take place in Warsaw or

Berlin, rather in the Holy City

of Yerushalayim, the capital city
of Eretz Yisroel. Essentially,
we can say that these wanton
acts of violence are a direct and
unwavering continuation of the
pogroms of 1929 a raging
massacre long remembered in the
annals of the Jewish settlement
movement in the Holy Land.
These are Arabs with the same
hatred and lust for murder
nothing has changed. The only
reason that the pogroms of 1929
havent continued to this day was
the Arabs fear and apprehension.
When we were strong, they
were terrified and frightened to
continue their murderous riots.
As soon as the threat of Jewish
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CROSSROADS
reprisals was lifted, they went
back to their rampage. From
their viewpoint, this was merely
a resumption of the previous
bloodshed against the Jews.
This slaughter has put an
end to all the rosy stories of
those envisioning the dawn of a
new Middle East. They have
told us over the years that if
we would just give the Arabs
economic prosperity and proper
employment, if we would just give
them blue identity cards and full
equal rights under the law, they
would become loyal citizens and
cast aside the weapons of hatred.
The bloodthirsty terrorists who
burst into the synagogue in
Har Nof were the icing on
the cake for the dreamers on
the political left. Here are Arab

city, in a neighborhood where

even Secretary of State John
Kerry couldnt accuse the local
residents of harassing the Arabs.
They once explained to
us that Arabs murdered Jews
because of the occupation in
Yehuda and Shomron, because
they irritated the Arabs by
building in inappropriate places
throughout Yerushalayim, or
because of Jewish settlements in
the citys eastern sector. Anyone
who was looking to rationalize
the murder of Jews found it
at every opportunity. Not this
time all the excuses have run
out. Even the frightful terrorist
attacks that took place in the
heart of Tel Aviv always seemed
to bring out the self-justification
of the peace camp. They claimed

What has to happen before the government of

Israel finally wakes up? Do they really think that
after decades of riots and murder the Arabs will learn on
their own that its forbidden to commit murder and they
must abandon the use of terror? Hasnt it already been
made quite clear that weakness and submission paves
the way to the next act of carnage?

workers with blue identity cards

from the Israel Ministry of the
Interior making a living in a
Jewish neighborhood. They were
full-fledged Israeli citizens who
were granted everything that
a citizen is entitled to receive
in an enlightened country.
However, the stipends from the
National Insurance Institute
failed to convince them to refrain
from murdering Jews. On the
contrary, they took advantage of
the freedom of movement that
enabled them to walk freely along
the streets of Yerushalayim and
murder Jews in the heart of the

that the terrorists came from

Yehuda and Shomron, and
therefore, they acted in protest
of the oppression there. The
recent slaughter has revealed
once again that such excuses
are meaningless; this was simply
murder for the sake of murder.
This massacre has exploded in
the face of those still clinging
to their hallucinatory dream of
peace.

2.
In recent weeks, the writing
wasnt on the wall, as it had

already been saturated with

Jewish blood. Just two weeks
ago, a young Jewish woman was
stabbed to death at a hitchhiking
stop in Gush Etzion and a
Jewish soldier was murdered in
Tel Aviv. All this occurred two
weeks after a Jewish girl and
infant child were run over by
an Arab terrorist in the heart
of Yerushalayim. What has to
happen before the government of
Israel finally wakes up? Do they
really think that after decades
of riots and murder, the Arabs
will learn on their own that its
forbidden to commit murder
and they must abandon the use
of terror? Hasnt it already been
made quite clear that weakness
and submission paves the way to
the next act of carnage?
Whats most absurd is that we
have a prime minister and defense
minister from the so-called rightof-center party, and a minister
of internal security from an
even more right-wing party. Yet,
they pursue a left-wing agenda,
perhaps even extreme left-wing.
Theres no real response to the
abandonment of Jewish blood,
no response to terrorist attacks,
and no security in the streets of
Yerushalayim. The intifada is
running wild, and theyre busy
chasing after settlers spraying
price tag graffiti, as if this was
the only form of terrorism that
justified a response.
Even the economics minister
and Cabinet member who
represents the most right-wing
elements within the government
of Israel has been more occupied
with his next political campaign
than taking effective action.
It wont matter how many
government ministers declare
again and again the standard
formula of destroying terrorists
homes; this method is simply
a cruel joke. They come to the
terrorists home, after the family

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The funeral of Rabbi Moshe Twersky of Boston, one of the victims of the Har Nof massacre

receives a warning to vacate

the premises and remove their
possessions. They set off some
dynamite that might knock down
a wall of two, and then they let
the family come back to the house
and live there again. What about
expelling them into Gaza? How
about arresting their parents?
Maybe they should exact some
real revenge that would frighten
potential terrorists?
There were times when even
the Israeli left realized that the
murder of Jews cannot pass
quietly and demands vengeance.
After an Arab terrorist attack in
the Haifa refineries, resulting in
the murder of thirty-nine Jews
(may G-d avenge their blood),
the Haganah command sent out
six divisions totaling 120 fighters
for a retaliatory response in the
Arab villages of Balad al-Sheikh
and Havasa, where most of the
Arabs who participated in the
slaughter lived. The operational
command ordered its forces
to kill the maximum number
of adult men, destroy furniture,
etc. (while refraining from
killing women and children).
During this act of retribution,

nearly eighty Arabs were killed,

thereby restoring tranquility and
the power of deterrence to the
area.

3.
As always in such situations,
here too we must act with
vengeance: the vengeance of
light, an increase of good in the
world in response to the doubled
and redoubled atmosphere of
darkness. Its impossible to
ignore such acts of murder,
especially when we have this
responsibility placed upon our
doorstep. During the week
when the International Shluchim
Conference reaches its climax, we
have an obligation to avenge the
spilled blood of Your servants,
as we offer our most sincere
prayer for the fulfillment of And
Hashem, your G-d, shall wipe the
tears off every face. Now is the
time to encourage, strengthen,
and arouse the Jewish People. We
must bring the announcement
of the Redemption and the
Redeemer to every Jew, with a
genuine demand to prepare the
whole world to greet Moshiach

Tzidkeinu and then nation shall

not lift up a sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any
more.
The people of Eretz Yisroel
are now waiting for us to give
the word. The heart bleeds as
we all stand shocked by this
ghastly act of murder. The
atmosphere of gloom engulfing
the Jewish People in general and
the residents of Yerushalayim in
particular cannot continue. The
Rebbe taught us that in these
times, we must be a source of
spiritual encouragement and
awakening. On the one hand, we
must awaken the Jewish spirit and
underscore the Divine promise
that Eretz Yisroel is the safest
place in the world, as the eyes
of Hashem, your G-d, are upon
it from the beginning of the year
to the end of the year. On the
other hand, we must encourage
the Jewish People to increase
their fulfillment of mitzvos and
other good deeds as a means of
hastening the Redemption and
kindling more light, the light of
Torah, in memory of the victims
of this slaughter.

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TZIVOS HASHEM

THE M YSTERY OF
THE GIFTS

S OLVED!
By D Chaim

The message that old Sholom

conveyed on his visit was so
clear that we all felt a renewed
desire to be involved with
the only remaining shlichus,
haRebbi
pnei
kabbalas
did
How
Moshiach Tzidkeinu.
and
Wait
we decide to do this?
youll see.
And now, announced old
Sholom dramatically, I want
to bring in a special box in
which are special gifts that I
will give each of the students.

turned
eyes
Everyones
toward the door. Micha, one of
the workers at the print shop,
whom you surely remember
from the Invitations Mystery,
walked in. Micha was holding
a small, closed box that was
The
wrapped in blue velvet.
would
mystery of what Sholom
give us was still not solved and
everyone was extremely eager
for the moment that Sholom
would open the box.
was
Sholom
old
But
hurry.
a
in
not
ntly
appare
He smoothed his suspenders
and said, I want to tell you

something. I am one of the

regular readers of Beis Moshiach
magazine. I often cant wait
and my fingers flip the pages
to the end where there is the
section for the soldiers in Tzivos
Since mysteries
Hashem.
from my print shop have been
printed, I have become an avid
reader of that column.
Now I know that your
adventures were written up
and thrilled soldiers in Tzivos
Hashem for the last long
while. So I would like each of
you to stand up and introduce
yourself. This way, I will know
you not only from the stories.
For the sake of the readers, let
us start from the table on the
right, in order.
The one who sits at the table
on the right in the first row is
Shmuely. I looked at him when
he began speaking and noticed
that he was blushing a bit.
Shmuely said, My name is
Shmuely and I am Bereles good
friend. We have solved many
mysteries together although the
last one, I arranged myself; it

was a Kiddush Levana for the

soldiers in Tzivos Hashem. The
reason had to do with my plan
to surprise Berele with lchaim
and mezonos for his birthday
which took place the very
next day. He, of course, did
not understand why I had not
included him and we almost
quarreled over it, but when the
intention is good, in the end it
all works out.
sat
Shmuely
to
Next
Shloimy. He remained sitting
and after stating his name he
said, Berele reminded me of
the museum mystery. I was
looking for my friend, and
Yossis father told me that his
son said that they had gone
to live. I did not understand
that and in the end, when
I somehow got to the space
museum, I met them there and
together we concluded that
just like astronauts who get
used to using special apparatus
to prepare for outer space,
we need to start working
on learning about Moshiach
and Geula so we can live the
new Geula reality which is

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imminent.
The next one was Sholomke,
the shy one of the class.
Surprisingly, he spoke with
confidence. I remember the
mystery of the invitations
which is what established the
connection with your print
The message conveyed
shop.
with that mystery was so
special and on the mark that
I realized that we cannot get
Since then, I
used to galus.
began talking and learning
more about Geula, and the galus
reality has become unacceptable
to me.
finished
everyone
After
introducing himself and we
reminisced about the Moshiachrelated adventures we had had,
Sholom announced, Now we
will give out the special gift!
We all stared at the box
which had been opened by
Sholom. He took out the first
gift and waved it so we could
all see it. Sholom was holding
stand
glass
spectacular
a
the
etched
were
which
on
day
the
From
words:
ng
followi
I went to cheider, and even
before, the picture of the final
Redemption started forming
in my mind the Redemption
of the Jews from their last
exile, a Redemption in such
a way that through it will
be understood the sufferings
of exile, the decrees
and the destruction
... And all will be in
a way that with a
complete heart and
full understanding
it will be said on
that day, Thank
for
G-d
you
chastising me.
special
These
were
words
decorated

with stunning colorful pictures

which an artist had drawn
to depict a Geula world that
would soon become our daily
reality.
Wow! Its stunning! and
Moishy whistled his amazement.
We all joined him. After we
had calmed down a bit, Sholom
hushed us and said, Do you
know who wrote the words
etched in the glass? These are
words that the Rebbe Melech
HaMoshiach wrote in one of
his letters. The Rebbe said
about himself that even before
he went to yeshiva, he was
preoccupied with the future
Geula. We need to learn from
the Rebbe, especially when it
is an explicit instruction in
the Dvar Malchus of parshiyos
Tazria-Metzora and Balak.
finished
Sholom
After

giving a gift to each student,

I asked permission to speak. I
then stood up and said with a
smile, I think I have still not
introduced myself My name
is Berele and I often write of my
experiences for my classmates
and for all those who read Beis
Moshiach.
I especially remember the
time I dreamed of a stroll in
Shushan at the time that the
Purim story was taking place.
When I entered the home of
a boy in Shushan I was very
surprised to see that everything
looked ordinary and the boy,
Mordechai was his name,
helped me to understand that
it is the time that I live in, in
which we are all living now,
which is the most special of all.

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