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    Beis Moshiach (USPS 012-542) ISSN 1082-0272

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    FEATURED ARTICLES

    8 ProfileSOUL TREK IN THE HIMALAYASBy Shneur Zalman Berger

    18 ChinuchGIFTED CHILDRENBy Nosson Avrohom

    34 FeatureTHE ULTIMATE GIFT

    38 ObituaryNINETY YEARS YOUNGBy Shneur Zalman Berger

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    BASI LGANI 5731

    In honor of Yud Shvat, Beis Moshiach

    presents a selection of the maamer the

    Rebbe MHM delivered on Yud-AlefShvat 5731, which is being studied this

    year by chassidim all over the world, in

    accordance with the custom established

    by the Rebbe to review each year a

    section of the Rebbe Rayatzs maamer

    Basi LGani of 5710. This year we begin

    the 20-year cycle anew, focussing on the rst

    section of the profound and foundational

    chassidic discourse. Part 1

    Translated by Boruch Merkur

    1. [] In the first section ofthe maamerBasi LGani (theportion that is relevant for thisyear), there are two concepts thatconstitute the main theme:

    a) The dwelling place that isestablished for G-d in this world[through the Divine service ofiskaia (resisting temptation),etc.] serves as a home for His

    very essence, referred to as ikarShchina, the primary and innerdimension of the Divine Presence,the aspect of light that transcendsthe worlds.

    b) This dwelling place islocated, as it were, specifically inthe lower realms.

    And these two concepts areinterrelated: A dwelling placefor G-ds essence is establishedspecifically through the Divineservice of the lower realms, byresisting the influence that stemsfrom the Other Side [the sideof evil] and transforming thatdarkness into light.

    2. The discussion of thereason for Creation brought in the

    beginning of the Rebbe Rashabs

    Hemshech 5666 sheds light on thiscentral theme of Basi LGani.

    In the Hemshech, the RebbeRashab cites a) the Zohar thatsays that the reason for Creationis in order for G-d to be known byHis creations. The Rebbe Rashabalso quotes b) Rabbi Chayim

    Vitals Eitz Chayim that Creationprovides a forum for the revelationof G-ds powers and deeds, etc.

    The Rebbe Rashab commentsthat the reason for Creation

    brought in the Zohar is not theultimate true reason, for the intentof in order to be known isfulfilled specifically in the higher

    worlds, especially in the world ofAtzilus, where the knowledge ofG-dliness infinitely surpasses theknowledge that can be acquired inthe worlds of Bria and Yetzira, andit certainly exceeds the knowledgeof G-d that is attain in this lower,physical world. Thus, on the basisof this reason alone it would nothave been necessary for thereto have been the creation of thephysical world at all [to which

    we have ascribed paramountimportance].

    Similarly, it is impossible tosay that the reason for Creation is

    for the sake of attaining perfection that He should [be revealed to]be perfect in His deeds, etc. asasserted in Eitz Chayim, for toachieve this end it also would havesufficed to create just the higher

    worlds [and the lower worldsthereby become superfluous].

    The ultimate reason forCreation is as it is said in theMidrash on the verse in ShirHaShirim, His calves are pillars

    of marble His thighs (shokav)refers to the world, which G-dyearned (nishtokek) to create.No intellectual reason is providedas to why G-d had this yearning;G-d simply desired to drawdown a revelation of the essenceof His Infinite Light specificallyinto the lower dimension [thephysical world]. Indeed, ourSages have said, G-d desired tohave a dwelling place in the lower

    worlds, referring to the impetusfor Creation as G-ds desirebecause it is not compelled by anintellectual rationale. It is, rather,a desire, a state that transcendsreason and intellect. To furtherelucidate this point, our Rebbeimof blessed memory have said onthe matter, Questions cannot beasked regarding a desire, meaningthat this desire [for Creation]

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    stems from a dimension that is notsubject to questioning, etc., insofaras it is beyond reason and intellect,even transcending the very originof primordial intellect, the aspectof Divine Wisdom.

    The approach of the Zohar

    that G-d created the worldin order to be known by Hiscreations provides a reason andintellectual explanation. Namely, inorder that G-ds creations shouldcome to know [His qualities ofperfection and excellence] thatHe is [for example] merciful andgracious, etc. Likewise, the intentof Creation offered by Eitz Chayim so that the perfection of G-dspowers and deeds, etc., should

    be revealed is an intellectualreason and consequence that

    will be revealed from latency toactuality. However, according tothe words of the Alter Rebbe, thetrue motivation for Creation is ata level that transcends reason, etc.In fact, there is no explanation orintellectual reason; G-d simplydesired to have a dwelling place inthe lower worlds.

    We may, therefore, assert the

    following elucidation of the RebbeRayatzs statement in his maamerthat the ikar Shchina was presentin the lower realms [originally,at the beginning of Creation].Since G-d desired to have adwelling place in the lower worlds,[the nature of] the dwelling placereflects its source, the place of itsorigin, which is the very essenceand being of G-d, transcendingany possible reason, etc. And

    since there was a Divine desire,so it was in actuality [for G-d isomnipotent and infinite, thereforeany latent Divine capacity is alsomanifest]. Thus, the ikar Shchina,G-ds being and essence, wasindeed originally present in thelower worlds.

    It was explained above(quoting the Midrash) that the sinsof the early generations caused the

    Divine Presence to depart. TheRebbe Rayatzs maamerelaborateson this point, saying that [thisprocess was not irreversible,rather] repentance for the sin,etc., evokes, I have returned

    to My garden (gani) to Myprivate chamber, etc. Repentanceelicits the return of the DivinePresence, the ikar Shchina, to thelower worlds. The inference hereis that the ikar Shchina would bepresent once again as it was priorto the sin. However, in truth weare forced to say that repentanceevokes an even higher revelationthan prior to the sin.

    Support for this assertion

    is derived from the analogy ofthe descent of the soul into the

    body, insofar as it is known thatits descent is for the sake of asubsequent ascent. For were itno so, what would be the pointof its original descent? This lineof reasoning is said regardingsomething particular (the descentof an individual soul), but thesame is true in fact, it is evenmore certainly true regarding

    the general process of Creation(hishtalshlus), etc. Thus, therevelation brought about throughrepentance (which follows thedescent of sin) surpasses therevelation that existed prior to thesin.

    However, at first glance we cansay that there is actually no proofderived from the concept of thedescent of the soul into a body;

    no proof, that is, of any benefitresulting from the original descentof sin. Rather, it appears that theanalogue departs from the analogy,as follows.

    The descent of the soul to the

    lower world is the order originallyestablished in the process ofCreation. Of force we must saythen that the intent of the soulsdescent is that it should ascendhigher than the place from whereit descended. But the sin ofthe Tree of Knowledge and thesubsequent sins, were not part ofthe plan, as it were. For did notG-d create Man upright? (Koheles7:29) These sins, rather, were a

    result of the freewill granted toMan. Man freely chose to sin,thereby blemishing himself andtransgressing the proper path.Thus, there is apparently nothingcompelling the notion that theelevation of repentance thatfollows sin should surpass theheight that existed prior to the sin;it is sufficient to say that it simplyrepairs the damage [and takes thesoul back to where it was prior to

    the sin].But in truth we must say

    that there is indeed a greaterheight attained, that throughrepentance one reaches an evenhigher revelation, etc. And thisis because the descent of sin isin fact analogous to the descentof the soul in the body, as will beexplained.

    [To be continued beH]

    The ultimate reason for Creation is as it is said

    in the Midrash on the verse in Shir HaShirim, His

    calves are pillars of marble His thighs (shokav) refers

    to the world, which G-d yearned (nishtokek) to create.

    No intellectual reason is provided as to why G-d had this

    yearning; G-d simply desired to draw down a revelation

    of the essence of His Innite Light specically into the

    lower dimension, into the physical world.

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    SOUL TREK IN

    THE HIMALAYASAfter 25 days of meditation and isolation from

    the world and surviving on little food, I lost my

    way in a forest amidst the Himalayan mountains.

    In the moment between despair and hope I

    called out to the Creator of the world for the rst

    time.

    By Shneur Zalman Berger

    Dror, a young man inhis forties, is a shliachin northern India. Tolook at him you would

    find it hard to believe that he

    himself spent time inthe ashrams ofIndia in

    search of Truth or, as he put it, tofindshleimus (wholeness). Todayhe sports a black hat and full beard

    with the refined face of a Tamim.

    Dror grew up in the Beit

    HaKerem neighborhood ofYerushalayim. He would attenddemonstrations with his friendsagainst the religious Jews whoopposed open roads and movie

    houses on Shabbos and YomTov. On Yom Kippur he

    rode his motorcycle.His knowledge of

    Judaism waslimited to

    his

    public school studies wherehe learned Torah with thecommentary of renowned biblecritic Umberto Cassuto.

    As a nature lover he made

    many trips to deserts and forestsall over the country and by theage of 15 he was a tour guide

    with a conservation society. Inhis free time he would take groupsof kids on tours. He learned todifferentiate between hundredsof different plants, animals, birdsand bugs. His intense desire todiscover the wonders of naturepushed him to take a months tripto Kenya even before he graduated

    high school.When he finished twelfth

    grade he traveled to Indiawhere he saw, for

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    the first time, local people bowingto idols and offering incense. He

    was horrified.

    He started his military serviceas a medic in the paratroopers butthen switched to the unit that hereally wanted to be in. He wasplaced in charge of a navigationalunit, and later he conducted asurvival course for soldiers inspecial units.

    In the survival course soldierslearn how to manage on little foodand how to sustain themselvesemotionally if taken captive, G-dforbid, and what to do when lostin unfamiliar territory. Whenhe finished his army duty, Dror

    worked in various tour-relatedjobs.

    The survival course thatI offered for civilians was achallenging one, with the centralidea being, there is nothing thatstands in the way of the will. Itaught them how to survive ina desert and under the harshestconditions. The highpoint ofthe course was a solo exercise incaves. Each participant was placed

    in a cave in the Judean desertequipped with only a liter of water;no flashlight, no sleeping bag oranything else, and that is wherethey spent the night.

    Throughout this period oftime Dror had no connection toJudaism. At home he absorbedacerbic anti-religious attitudes.Despite his strong connection tohis land, he felt that it was toosmall for his ambitions. He packed

    his clothes, took some money, andwent on a long trip in India. Forthree months he traveled throughIndia and Nepal with only his

    backpack. More than anythingelse he loved the Himalayanmountains.

    Nature made him feelwonderful and this is what hesought. The majestic mountainsand the magnificent scenery

    captivated him. Neitherspirituality nor politics interestedhim.

    I hiked and toured until thethrill of the great outdoors woreoff and I lost interest. I soughtsomething to identify with,something that would appeal tome. I began visiting ashrams. Imet monks and talked to themabout spirituality and even had

    a conversation with a guru. Ibecame acquainted with variouscultures and religions but did findany that sat well with me.

    One day I arrived inDharamsala in northern India

    where Tibetan refugees live. Mostof them fled from China after theChinese murdered over a millionof them. The Tibetan leader,

    who serves as both the spiritual

    and political leader of the Tibetanpeople, lives there. There are anumber of ashrams where thelocals study Tibetan philosophy.Though it is presented as ascientific philosophy, its actuallya religion, i.e. avoda zara (idol

    worship). Because of their dismalpolitical situation, the Tibetans are

    very interested in having peoplefrom Western countries studytheir religion, for thus they gain

    worldwide popularity. AlthoughI was anti-religious I joined theclasses in the Tibetan ashram.

    The approach was attractiveto me and I found it veryinteresting. I studied it for tenmonths and used my free timeto read many books that theyhad in their library. I felt great,thinking I was achieving that state

    I visited libraries in religious areas of Yerushalayim

    and found the Heichal Menachem library on

    Yeshaya Street. I walked in without a kippa and with a

    long ponytail and sat down to read.

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    of perfection I had been searchingfor. At a certain point I seriouslyconsidered becoming a monk, G-dforbid.

    Then certain things happenedthat began to wake up the Jewishsoul within me. These signs mademe realize there is a Creator of the

    world who wanted to get me backto my people.

    The classes were given by amonk who spoke Tibetan and weretranslated by one of his followersinto English. I discovered thatthe translator was a Jew fromEngland who had suffered fromanti-Semitism in her youth anddecided to convert. She moved to

    India and studied Tibetan religion,language and culture.

    Then one day she began tomiss home. It was at the endof a long day of classes, Fridaynight. She came over to me andasked me to say Gut Shabbosto her. That seemed odd sinceI considered Yiddish to be aprimitive language that was extinctand I my connotations of the

    word Shabbos were from the

    demonstrations in Yerushalayim.But I said it to her and she beganto cry and told me that it made herso homesick for her parents homeand Judaism. Suddenly, Judaism

    was on the map. It made me think.A short while later another thinghappened.

    I was sitting as usual ina restaurant in the center ofDharamsala one morning, whenone of the people there, a German

    who attended some of the same

    classes as I did, came over to me.I was writing in my diary and heasked me what language I was

    writing in. When I told him thatI am Israeli and I was writingin Hebrew, he laughed. WhenI asked him why he laughed he

    said, For five years I tried learningHebrew because I wanted to studythe Kabbala which is the truestteachings in the world. When Igave up on learning Hebrew, Isufficed with coming here to studymeditation according to Tibetanteachings, but you know Hebrew!

    Why dont you study Kabbala?

    Until that point I was soimmersed in worlds distant fromJudaism, but what he said woke meup and led to me to think, Hey,I am Jewish, a member of theJewish people. But another partof me whispered that Judaism wasarchaic and irrelevant. Besides,if it had anything to do with howCharedim behaved back home itsurely was not the Truth.

    I continued visiting ashramsand in one of them I found bookson Kabbala! Since that German

    had spoken highly of it, I lookedat the books and felt that I wasconnecting to what they said, butobviously it was hard for me tounderstand what was written inthese books.

    After a few weeks I foundbooklets written in Hebrew lyingon top of bookcases in the libraryof the ashram where I studied.

    An Israeli had left them behind. Iread the booklets and found them

    written in a light and easy style.

    I enjoyed the content it wasabout worlds, sfiros, and souls

    battling for a persons neshama.Although I had learned a lot aboutthe Tibetan religions secrets,it did not enable me to feel thatI belonged because I studied it

    only out of curiosity and as anoutsider. In contrast, what I readin those booklets moved me. I feltit pertained to me and spoke to myheart.

    As it says in Tanya, there aretwo inclinations battling withina person, and the evil inclination

    within me woke up in full force. Iwas suddenly overcome with angeragainst those who spread Judaismeven in this small Tibetan village.There was another Israeli guy who

    was with me in the ashram, equallyimmersed in Tibetan teachingsand he shared my feelings aboutreligion. Theyre chasing useven here? I exclaimed to him indisbelief. He responded cynically,Who knows, maybe one day it willhave an effect on you

    I continued studying as usual.But something subtle had changed

    within me. I had softer feelingstowards Judaism and not the samelevel of hate that I felt back home.

    ***

    At that period of time I wasconvinced that I would stay withthe Tibetan people forever. Ata certain point I decided that I

    wanted to check out whethermeditation gave me what I wanted:satisfaction, joy, and the feelingthat I belonged. The experiment

    was complicated.I packed my clothes, food,

    some equipment and a tent andhoisted it all on my back. I then

    began climbing in the mountains.I looked for a deserted placethat was inaccessible. After aprotracted search I found a placethat met my needs and pitched mytent. This would be my base forthe next thirty days, in the course

    I eventually learned that the purpose of learning

    Chassidus is to prepare the world for Moshiach.

    I also learned about the Nasi HaDor through whom all

    energies ow to the entire world and it was an especial

    pleasure for me when I realized that the Lubavitcher

    Rebbe is Melech HaMoshiach.

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    of which I would do a certainform of meditation while beingdisconnected from friends andfamily. This location enabled meto be completely cut off. My plan

    was to try it for thirty days andthen decide whether this was the

    path for me.For twenty-five days I sat

    there on the mountain, removedfrom the world and focusingmy energies for the purpose ofunderstanding the inner workingsof the soul until I could connectto my innermost core. I barelyate, but after a time, I had hardlyany food and drink left. I became

    very weak. As the days passed Iconcluded that meditation hadnothing to it and accomplishednothing.

    In order to see my planthrough (thirty days) I beganpacking up on the twenty-fifthday since I knew that I had afive day journey until I reachedDharamsala.

    The weather was fine and thesnow had started to melt. Themelting snow caused erasure of the

    paths and road markers embeddedin rocks and I lost my way. I wasastonished, since from a youngage I had been traveling to distantand unfamiliar places across Eretz

    Yisrael, Africa, India and Nepaland I had never gotten lost.

    I was weak from lack ofnourishment. I was in an endlessforest, which seemed to have no

    beginning or end. I was plaguedby anxious thoughts. What will I

    do if I break a leg or injure myselfwhile climbing? Who will rescueme if Im not on a path or anyplace where people go? The sunset and I sat leaning against a treeand slept.

    In the morning I beganclimbing to the top of themountain I was on and whileclimbing, in the moment betweendespair and hope, I called out to

    the Creator of the world for thefirst time in my life and askedHim to save me. In my heart I

    vowed that if I got out safely I

    would immediately return to EretzYisrael and there, near the Kosel, Iwould say the HaGomel blessing.I remembered once hearing frommy older sister, who had learneda bit about Judaism, that when aperson experienced a miracle theyhad to say this blessing. I was surethe blessing took at least an hourto say.

    When I arrived at the summit

    I saw smoke in the distance. Withhope in my heart I set off and aftertwo exhausting days I arrived atthe hut of an Indian family who

    lived in the middle of this forest inthe Himalayan mountains. Thesmoke was emerging from thechimney of the oven in their home.They graciously hosted me and Iate something and regained mystrength. Then my host showedme the way back to Dharamsala.

    A short time later I boarded aplane and I arrived in Eretz Yisraelearly on the morning of Shavuos.

    Close to the heavens in the Himalayan Mountains

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    My family was surprised by myunexpected arrival but were evenmore surprised when I asked my

    brother to accompany me to theKosel. He exclaimed, You, wereso anti, and now you want to prayat the Kosel?!

    It was still the morning ofShavuos when I arrived at theKosel. Thousands of people in

    holiday clothes and wrapped intallitot were calmly walking thestreets of the Old City. Beforemy minds eye I could see theTibetan monks dressed in theirorange robes and contrasted that

    with the completely different scenebefore me. I felt so connected tothese Jews and how much I lovedthem because they were part ofthe nation that I had so wanted toabandon.

    I discovered that theHaGomel blessing is just onesentence, but that blessing near theKosel was a milestone on my waytowards Judaism and Chassidus.

    ***

    I developed a warm feelingfor Judaism. I naively thoughtthat I would find books about itin the public library but I soon

    discovered that this was not theplace to find what I was lookingfor. I visited libraries in religiousareas of Yerushalayim and foundthe Heichal Menachem libraryon Yeshaya Street. I walked in

    without a kippa and with a long

    ponytail and sat down to read.The book Sod Hashem LYireiav

    by Rabbi Yitzchok Ginsburghreally appealed to me. He explainsthe soul and the world accordingto Kabbala.

    I wanted to learn more aboutJudaism, especially about Jewishmysticism. I attended lecturesgiven by rabbis and visited yeshivosof the kabbalists. I began wearinga kippa and started observingmitzvos like Shabbos and kashrus,

    which brought on pressure frommy family: What you becamereligious all of a sudden?

    One evening I went to theYeshurun shul for a shiur given byRabbi Yitzchok Ginsburgh. Whathe said made a deep impressionon me and gave me a strong desireto study mysticism. This led meto the Chabad yeshiva in the Yad

    Eliyahu neighborhood in Tel Aviv,which is run by R Ginsburgh. Iloved learning Chassidus and morethan anything else the maamarimof the Rebbe Rashab from the year5670, which we studied in depththere. It was an indescribablepleasure for me to learn this.

    I eventually learned that thepurpose of learning Chassidus is toprepare the world for Moshiach. Ialso learned about the Nasi HaDor

    through whom all energies flowto the entire world and it was anespecial pleasure for me when Irealized that the Lubavitcher Rebbeis Melech HaMoshiach.

    At a certain point, Dror movedto Yerushalayim and married.Shortly before the wedding he

    visited his grandmother who toldhim that in addition to the nameDror he was also named Moshe,

    so his ksuba was written with hiscorrect name: Dror Moshe.

    His wedding took place inSivan, 5758, at Moshav Orahnear Yerushalayim. The guests

    were from all segments of Israelisociety: friends from the tourgroups, Chassidim from Breslovand Chabad, students of RabbiGinsburgh, etc.

    After the wedding the newcouple lived in Tzfas and Drorcontinued growing in Judaismand Chassidus through a friend,

    Yisrael Cohen. He continuedlearning Chassidus and broadenedhis knowledge of Judaism. Heattended farbrengens and before

    long he was wearing a sirtuk,hat, and gartel. He continuedlearning in the Chabad Kollel inTzfas, where he began studying forsmicha.

    After a while, I was askedby Ascent to lead tours for theseminars they ran. After my initialreluctance I agreed, but this time Isat down to prepare what messagesI would convey. Together with RGinsburgh I prepared concepts

    from Chassidus and Kabbala thatI taught along with explanationsabout the plants and animals wesaw.

    I could see that the peoplewere thirsty for spirituality andmysticism and I knew I had tofind the right way to reach them

    based on methods I had learned inIndia. In the many conversationsI had with R Ginsburgh we cameup with a system of Chassidic

    concepts based on Kabbalawhich I taught. It was based oncontemplation of the higher worldsand Sfiros as they manifest in thehuman soul, along with soulfulChassidic niggunim.

    The classic example is chapter11 of Igeres HaKodesh in Tanya.It says there, When a personmeditates with the depth of hisunderstanding and pictures his

    FEAR UPON THE NATIONS

    The day Boruch slaughtered thechickens for Pesach, the yard was filthy

    with blood and feathers. What a day forthe landlord to show up! When he saw

    the mess he was furious. Pack up yourbelongings and get out of here!

    We couldnt possibly leave ErevPesach and find another place to live anddo our programs! Boruch brought thelandlord over to the large picture of theRebbe and told him, This rabbi is theone who sent us here. If you throw usout you will have to deal with him.

    The man kissed the picture withrespect and said quietly, Okay, clean up

    and everything will be fine, and he left.

    FEAR UPON THE NATIONS

    The day Boruch slaughtered thechickens for Pesach, the yard was filthy

    with blood and feathers. What a day forthe landlord to show up! When he saw

    the mess he was furious. Pack up yourbelongings and get out of here!

    We couldnt possibly leave ErevPesach and find another place to live anddo our programs! Boruch brought thelandlord over to the lar e picture of theRebbe and told him, This rabbi is theone who sent us here. If you throw usout you will have to deal with him.

    The man kissed the picture withrespect and said quietly, Okay, clean up

    nd everything will be fine, and he left.

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    coming into being from nothing atliterally every moment, how couldhe imagine that it is bad for him orthat he has any suffering related tochildren, health, and sustenanceor other sufferings in the world.For the ayin (naught) which is

    His blessed wisdom is the sourceof life, welfare and delight Infact, however, no evil descendsfrom above and everything isgood. During the course, Idirected the students to meditatein great depth on something fromnothing as the basis of knowingthat everything is good and no evildescends from above.

    We also incorporated otherconcepts based on G-ds greatnessas well as on the G-dly and animalsouls.

    Throughout his journeytowards Judaism and Chassidus,Dror did not forget the picturesqueTibetan village of Dharamsala andthe young guys there who soughtJudaism but didnt know it. Hekept thinking about them and oneday he came up with the idea ofgoing to India and contacting the

    hundreds of Israelis immersed inthe cults there, for the purposeof exposing them to the light ofChassidus.

    I had misgivings about theidea, said Dror candidly. Wehad a baby, our oldest son, Levi

    Yitzchok, and we didnt knowwhat to do. I consulted with RGinsburgh and R Shaul Leiterof Ascent and both of themencouraged us to go on this unique

    shlichus.We also asked the Rebbe

    through the Igros Kodesh andthe answer we opened to gaveus the strength we needed togo on shlichus. The letter wasfrom 27 Sivan, 5716. Its a longletter and Ill quote just a fewlines, May you have good newsto report soon from the ongoingactivities youve written about

    may it be in a permanent way. By

    the organizers having a sense ofpermanent commitment in timeand in the soul, this will make itmore established and will attracteven those who, for now, saythat they are still not of Anash and in a way that even after yourreturn from there, in a good andsuccessful hour, the connection

    will be ongoing and be a channelfor instilling Torah and mitzvos,illuminated by the light of Toras

    HaChassidus. May it be withoutstanding success and yourinfluence will affect the ones youare trying to influence.

    We knew that the physicaland spiritual conditions therefor a religious couple would beextremely difficult. In order togain the strength we needed forthis challenging trip we flew toBeis Chayeinu for Yud Shevat,

    5760, and then Michal, the baby

    and I felt we were ready forshlichus. We didnt have muchmoney. People in Tzfas, especiallyR Leiter, paid our expenses. Afterthe Purim meal in R Ginsburghshouse which was also a goodbyeparty, we flew from Tel Aviv toDelhi.

    R Nachman Nachmanson,shliach in India, welcomed us andhelped us tremendously. Shortlyafter we arrived in Delhi we took

    a jeep with a local driver anddrove 18 hours to Dharamsala.On this exhausting trip we werestopped by policemen whoconducted a thorough search ofour luggage. We had 90 kilogramsof matzos, personal stuff, and the

    beginnings of a Chabad house,which included: sifrei Chassidus,brochures on Moshiach andGeula and more. The policemen

    The Rebbes picture greets all guests

    About 170,000 Israeli tourists go to India every

    year! 3000 of them visit the Chabad house in

    Dharamsala.

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    expressed their surprise about howmuch we had with us. I told themthat I was bringing holy bread forthe holy nation I explained tothem that a group of Jews lived inDharamsala and they were a holypeople and I was bringing them the

    holy bread, which they eat. Thepolicemen allowed us to continue.

    The trip itself was full ofexperiences and mishaps. An 18-hour trip with ones wife and babyis no small thing

    As soon as we arrived wetook a room in a local hotel and

    began our work. In the meantimeI started looking for a house,

    which was no easy task. I knew

    I needed to find a big house fromwhere I could start large-scaleoutreach. The main problem wasthat many houses in Dharamsalaare rented to tourists by the room,so one room may be available butthe other rooms are occupied. Itshard to rent an entire house.

    We started seeing miraclesjust about as soon as we arrived.We managed to rent the largesthouse in the village. In the days

    before we arrived the rooms werequickly vacated, one after theother, and the landlord did notfind replacement guests so wecould immediately sign a contractand move in.

    There are hundreds of Israelisin the village on a continuous

    basis. Some of them are touristswho come and go and others livethere permanently. The latterknow the place well and helped

    us buy kitchen equipment andsome minimal furniture. Theyeven helped us arrange the first

    farbrengen, which was attended bythirty Israelis.

    The Chabad house began tohum with life. We had over 100guests for every Shabbos meal.The chevra davened togetherand joined the meals and alongthe way they learned concepts ofJudaism and Chassidus and hadan authentic Jewish experience.Every Rosh Chodesh we had a bigfarbrengen with dozens of Israelis.Our main activity was MeditationSeminars, which was actuallyChassidic thought.

    How did the Israelis find outabout your programs?

    We gave out flyers in the

    restaurants and guests housesand word got around. There arehundreds of Israelis in Dharamsalaand the turnover is great, withpeople constantly coming andgoing. Many of them come fora ten-day course in an ashram,

    which is attended by about 80people. The Israelis call thecourse the silence becausethe participants have to practicemeditation exercises with their

    eyes closed while focusing onimpure names for 16 hours a day!Throughout this ten-day coursethey have to be absolutely silent.

    How many of the 80participants are Jewish?

    Most of them are Israelis. TheChabad house on the way to theashram so all visitors first seeour huge sign that reads, AndMordechai the Jew did not bendnor bow.

    Pesach night, the Israelis in theashram heard the singing comingfrom the Chabad house One

    is our G-d in the heavens and theearth which made a tremendousimpression on them and directedtheir attention towards Judaism.

    What motivates Israelis to gothere?

    When they are in EretzYisrael they feel that spirituality isbankrupt and they seek somethingfundamental and maybe evenunusual that will interest them.The atmosphere in Eretz Yisrael ingeneral is tense while in India thereare endless cults with a completelydifferent way of life which is moreprimitive but also more serene.

    About 170,000 Israeli touristsgo to India every year! 3000 of

    them visit the Chabad house inDharamsala. When they comehere and see the big Chabadhouse sign in Hebrew, it affectsthem deeply. They come in,listen, learn, join a course that

    we give and this encounter withthe depth of Chassidus at thefoot of the Himalayan mountainsdoes something in their neshama.Many of them entered for whatthey thought would be a quick

    visit to see what was going onand ended up staying for a shiuror tfilla and then stayed on for

    weeks. They slept, ate and learnedin the Chabad house and madesignificant strides in their movetowards Judaism.

    What did the locals think ofyou?

    Our initial welcome was fromour landlord. When he saw thepicture of the Rebbe at the frontof the Chabad house, he boweddown to the picture and asked forhis blessing. I told him, Behaveas you should and then he will

    bless you. And then we got intoa discussion about the SevenNoachide Laws.

    In general, Indians admirethose who stick to a spiritual pathand disdain those Israelis who

    When the landlord saw the picture of the Rebbe

    at the front of the Chabad house, he bowed

    down to the picture and asked for his blessing. I told him,

    Behave as you should and then he will bless you.

    14 2 Shvat 5771

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    vacillate between exploring thereligions and cultures of India andpartying with reckless abandon.

    When they saw me dressed inreligious garb, many of themsimply came over to see and evento help us.

    Tell us about the meditationseminar that you do.

    We have eight seminars,each one lasting five full days,from nine in the morning untilsix at night. It includes shiurim

    with particular attention givento Chassidic concepts such as

    belief in G-d and fear and loveof G-d. We mainly learn Tanyaand maamarim combined with

    Chassidic niggunim, intensifyingthe spiritual experience. Thelearning is done in lectures and

    with chavrusas (study partners)and we quickly see results. Manyask for more than one seminar andstay on for several. Others becomeregulars at the Chabad houseand start putting on tefillin andkeeping Shabbos. These regularshelp the new ones acclimate to theChassidic environment.

    My wife gives a special seminarfor women, paving the way forthem get involved in Jewish life..

    ***

    In India its much easier towin Israelis over. There are manyreasons for this, one they arefar away from the ideas prevalentin Eretz Yisrael. Two theatmosphere in India is such thatpeople are open, and Dror takesadvantage of this feeling to instillChassidic concepts.

    I once tried to arrange asimilar seminar back in Eretz

    Yisrael but didnt find many peoplewho were interested in attending.

    The participants at the seminarin India express their satisfaction

    with the Chassidic ideas they learnand begin taking serious stepstowards religious observance.

    Some start doing mitzvos andsome go back home and attend theyeshiva in Ramat Aviv. Dror keepsin touch with all of them.

    There was an interestingincident with a girl who, towardsthe end of the seminar, told us she

    was leaving to take the silence

    course at the ashram. I could seethat I could not dissuade her. Weparted ways and I hoped for the

    best.

    One of the rules in the silencecourse is that it is for ten days.Nobody walks in or out of theashram; even a dropout has to staythere until the course is over.

    Two days later the girl came

    back to the Chabad house. We allwondered how she got out in themiddle of the course. She startedcrying and when she calmed downshe told us what happened. Everytime I tried closing my eyes andconcentrating on the meditationexercises, I just couldnt do it. In

    my head I could hear the ShirHaMaalos that they always sing inthe Chabad house before BirkasHaMazon. Along with the tune Ialso thought about the concepts Ihad learned in the Chabad house.

    When I saw that I just could notcontinue, I explained this to themonks and left.

    That is just one story outof many about the impact the

    Twelve guys plus my wife and baby went on a grueling hike in the mountains

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    Chabad house has on its visitors.Dror tries every possible way toreach all the young people whoare searching for something. Oneday he came up with the idea ofgoing on a Chassidic hike into themountains.

    We went on a three day tripin the mountains together with agroup. As a professional tourist,

    I led the outing with the roadmarkers being Chassidic ideasconnected with what we saw. Wetraversed glaciers till we got to ahigh ridge where, in the serenity

    which cleans the mind, we sat anddelved into Chassidic ideas andfarbrenged now and then.

    We were twelve guys,my wife and our baby. A triplike this requires tremendous

    physical exertion as you climb themountains with a large backpack.The first night, eight of themdropped out. There are no wordsto describe my feelings at the time;I was on the verge of despair. Iconsidered turning back whena fellow named Nir (who hadtaken three courses with us) saidemotionally, Dror, you always

    tell us what it says in Tanya, noevil descends from above becauseall was created from the ayin

    which is all good, so how can youdespair? Turn it around think ofit as you going with your wife andchild on a hike in the Himalayas,on your own, when you suddenlyencounter four Israeli guys who

    join your Chabadi outing!

    He said this sincerely and he

    changed my outlook. He showedme how what I taught was actuallyabsorbed. Tangible proof thatno evil descends from above wassomething we saw a few hourslater. As darkness descended,a hailstorm began pounding the

    mountains. Within a short timethe ground was covered with alayer of hail twenty centimetersthick. Hail continued to fall and

    we were soaked to the bone. Welooked for a cave or any sort ofshelter when one of the guyssuddenly noticed a small hut notfar away. We ran into the hut

    where some locals were alreadysheltering.

    As we sat there, we notedthat if the eight people hadnt leftus and we would have continuedmoving, we would not have hadany shelter on this stormy night.No evil descends from above.

    We got up in the morning,davened, and started hiking again.

    We began climbing the ridge,which is 4000 meters high. Withgreat effort we reached the summitand felt closer to the heavens

    than ever. At this point, when wewere all on a high, we turned toRonen, who until now had refusedto put on tefillin, and I said tohim, Ronen, we are close to theheavens now; its your chance toput on tefillin.

    Ronen thought it over andthen, with a little tear in the cornerof his eye, he quietly said, Sincemy bar mitzva I have not put ontefillin. Now I am ready to put on

    tallis and tefillin and I also want toblow the shofar. That is how I willfeel close to G-d.

    Ronen davened with greatpassion for the first time in hislife on a mountain peak in theHimalayas. As our trip continued

    we felt like one family and I wasable to have heart-to-heart talks

    with the guys. At the end of ourtrip they committed to putting

    Spiritual hike in the mountains with his baby on his back

    I considered turning back when a fellow named

    Nir (who had taken three courses with us) said

    emotionally, Dror, you always tell us what it says in

    Tanya, no evil descends from above because all was

    created from the ayin which is all good, so how can you

    despair?

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    on tefillin daily and to continueattending classes on Chassidus inthe Chabad house.

    Where did you get kosher foodfrom in Dharamasala?

    We bought fruits and

    vegetables in the local market butwe had big problems with all otherproducts. We had brought manystaples with us from Eretz Yisrael,as well as food for the baby. Wehad pas Yisrael since my wife

    baked bread. We had no meat atall except for Pesach.

    Pesach was very special.Boruch Shinhav and his wife

    joined us, as well as the bachur NirGoshen, and they helped us out,particularly with the seder, which

    was attended by over 200 people!Nir slaughtered dozens of chickens

    for us.***

    That is how the Shaul couplesshlichus in Dharamsala began,

    with this four-month stint. Theyreached hundreds of Israeliyouth and taught them a bit ofChassidus, which woke up their

    souls and brought many closer toTorah and mitzvos.

    The physical and spiritualconditions were extremely difficultand when the tourist season

    was over, they returned to EretzYisrael, where their daughterwas born. They had set up aninfrastructure in Dharamsalaand the following Elul anothercouple Zohar Dovid and his

    wife went there for Tishrei anddid tremendous work. They havesince made Rishikesh their place ofshlichus.

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    GIFTED CHILDRENA class was recently opened for gifted children

    who learn in Chabad yeshivos in Eretz Yisrael.

    We spoke with Mrs. Nechama Rosenberg about

    this educational endeavor that she initiated.

    Perhaps it provides a model for Chabad

    communities in other parts of the world.

    By Nosson Avrohom

    After a few yearsof indecision andconsultations, thefirst class for gifted

    Lubavitcher children opened. Theperson behind this complex projectis Mrs. Nechama Rosenberg,

    whose son was tested as gifted.This class is an experiment and the

    way it looks now, interest in thisprogram is growing.

    These children are not havingtheir needs met within the systemand theyre bored, she explains.The teacher explains somethingfor the third and fourth time, andthey understood it the first timeor maybe even before the teacher

    began the lesson.

    The first school participatingin this experiment is the TalmudTorah Chabad in Petach Tikva.

    The principal, Rabbi MeirBostomsky, realized the potentialin a class like this. The teacherchosen is the shliach, RabbiPinchas Altheus. So far, thetalmidim meet only once a weekfor a day packed with educationaladventures and challenges. Theclass is for young students in thelower grades and they hope toexpand it to other grades.

    18 2 Shvat 5771

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    We started the bureaucraticprocess of being recognized bythe Education Ministry, which will

    be a big help in the cost. Manyof the parents who spoke withme in response to our advertisingsaid the only obstacle for them is

    the cost. We are already halfwaythrough the process of beingofficially recognized, says Mrs.Rosenberg.

    The opening of a class forthe gifted generated plenty ofdiscussion and debate. Thequestion was whether it was rightto open such a class. There wereeducators who supported andeducators who opposed it, but theyall agreed in the end that it is aresponse to an existing reality.

    We always knew that weakchildren need help. Theirdifficulties with the material createproblems and frustration, andeducators deal with it. There areteachers in Special Education whohave studied various approachesto diagnosis and treatment for

    weak students, but the giftedstudent, who also requires special

    education, has been neglected.Its just as hard for them to sitin the classroom as it is for weakstudents. The child who graspedthe material within the firstminutes of the lesson sometimessits for a day or even two, doingnothing. He is bored and the

    boredom often leads to troublemaking. He has to be a tzaddik tosit in class for days doing nothing

    when he knows it all.

    These children becomeimpatient. They get sent outof class and problems multiply.However, in the class for thegifted that takes place oncea week, we are providing anexcellent solution, say R Altheus.They learn new concepts to

    broaden their knowledge, theylearn chapters in Jewish historyin a program that was compiled

    especially for them. They learnTanya or sichos of the Rebbeon the parsha. They study theMikdash and the keilim (vessels),material that is not usually in thecurriculum and which piques theirinterest and is challenging forthem.

    This kind of learning givesthem so much and it changes their

    behavior. We see tremendousimprovement. When they returnto their regular classroom theyneed to make up the material thatthey missed, which gives themsomething to do, and the very factthat they know that once a weekthey will leave the classroom forintellectual stimulation stills thatdesire to stir up trouble.

    The parents of the children

    who learn with us say that itpositively affects the entire week.

    We have a child whose teachersaid he cannot sit for five minutes,though with us he listens closelyfor an hour and a half. Theyoften say that these children have

    behavior problems, but this is nottrue; they are simply bored andneed to be taught on their level,

    and this is what we are doing.It wasnt easy starting a

    program like this. Like most newendeavors, the costs are high, butaccording to Mrs. Rosenberg, its

    worth it.

    I have a son who has beentested as gifted and it was hardfor him to manage in a regularclassroom. At the end of last yearI decided to do something about

    Children from the gifted class on an educational trip to Kfar Chabad

    These children are not having their needs

    met within the system and theyre bored, she

    explains. The teacher explains something for the third

    and fourth time, and they understood it the rst time or

    maybe even before the teacher began the lesson.

    Issue 771 19

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    it. After the school in Petach Tikva

    agreed to host us, I put an ad inthe Kfar Chabad newsletter andgot phone calls from many parents

    who were dealing with the sameproblem. Together we decidedon a format and got the programoff the ground at the start of thisschool year with a small groupof children. The class keeps ongrowing as new students join.

    In the planning stages, of

    course, I was apprehensive about

    whether I could get something likethis going. I wrote to the Rebbethrough the Igros Kodesh and theanswer I opened to left no roomfor doubts. The Rebbe wrotethat he was happy to hear that aTalmud Torah was about to openand we were on our way.

    Who is considered a giftedchild?

    The question is, how do we

    know who has greater intellectualabilities than the average child?First, we have a professionalevaluation done. In additionto that, parents can sometimesidentify this on their own. Thisis child who loves to learn and

    who, when he comes home, is abookworm, a child who wantsto know and acquires a broadknowledge. This same child isoften bored and disruptive inschool and yet, his marks remainhigh. These are signs that indicatethat he is gifted.

    Not every child who isdisruptive or somewhat moremature than his classmates isgifted, of course. There are alsochildren who are gifted whomanage to go with the programand remain good children and

    behave, but its a pity that theirabilities are going to waste.

    We set up a curriculum whichis challenging. A child who cannotkeep up with it is not gifted. Whena child joins the program anddoesnt keep up, he goes back tothe regular program immediately.

    Weve had a number of those.Did the Rebbe refer to

    anything on this subject?

    In the yeshiva in Lubavitch inthe time of the Rebbe Rashab there

    were tests with high thresholdsand if you did not pass them, you

    were not accepted. The Rebbedesignated outstanding students

    who were calledshivas hakanim(the seven branches of theMenorah).

    We didnt invent this need,explains Mrs. Rosenberg. Weshouldnt be asking whether itis right or not right to start thisprogram; rather, where were weuntil now? How many giftedchildren suffer from problems

    because their educational needswere ignored and nobody botheredfinding out why they behaved the

    way they did?

    Creative lessons in the gifted class

    I was apprehensive about whether I could get

    something like this going. I wrote to the Rebbe

    through the Igros Kodesh and the answer I opened to

    left no room for doubts. The Rebbe wrote that he was

    happy to hear that a Talmud Torah was about to open

    and we were on our way.

    20 2 Shvat 5771

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    39

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    I spoke with RabbiGluckowsky and Rabbi Yeshaya

    Weber and they were both veryencouraging. Some people

    warned that we were creatinga dangerous precedent, but theopposite is true. Just as people did

    not recognize the need for SpecialEducation for weak students, thesame is true in this case. Thereare gifted students who, if theirneeds arent met, will fall out ofthe system. This is not aboutelitism and parents who are snobs

    who dont want their childrenlearning with others who are ona lower level. Not at all! This is aserious problem that has not beenaddressed in the past.

    The program, for themeantime, is only once a week but

    we are wondering whether one dayis sufficient to address the larger

    problem of their learning needs.One day a week is not our idea.The Education Ministry designatedone day a week for the gifted, andthis decision was made by people

    with experience in education. Onthis one day they dont merely

    learn but they meet other childrenlike themselves whom they canrelate to intellectually.

    That they have to make up thework they missed in the regularclassroom is good for them. It

    would be a mistake to removethem entirely from the regularclassroom and provide them witha separate track because they needto know how to get along withaverage children. If we take themout of a regular class entirely, they

    will lose contact with normativesociety.

    Mrs. Rosenberg knows that thisclass wont solve all the problemsof the gifted. A soup kitchen

    will not solve the problems of thepoor and a hospital wont solvethe problems of the ill, but theycan provide a great deal of help.

    This program wont solve all theproblems, but it definitely providesa solution for many of them.

    Its a small class with a fewchildren and each one can speakup. Its very important for a giftedchild to be able to express his view,and the inability to do so is very

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    K I N G S T O N H O T E LIssue 771 21

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    THE ANGELS

    WERE BAFFLED

    By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

    T wo weeks before theExodus G-d introducesthe first Mitzvah to Mosesand Aaron, This month

    shall be for you the head of themonths. It shall be the first of themonths of the year for you.

    There is a puzzling Midrash onthis verse:

    When G-d said This monthshall be for you the ministeringangels said to G-d, Why did youtell Adam On the day you shall eatfrom it you shall surely die?

    G-d answered, In the futurethe son of Yishai [King David]

    will emerge and will say, Trembleand sin not; reflect in your heartson your beds, and be utterly silentforever.

    This Midrash is culled from abody of Midrashic selections thatwere designed as riddles so thatwe should search to discover theirinner meaning. Presumably it wasnot just to sharpen our minds but,rather, to uncover a deeper layerof meaning that is relevant to ourown lives.

    Let us try to decipher thisMidrash:

    The Midrash quotes

    the opening words of thecommandment to establish asystem of determining the months,G-d said, This month shall befor you. What does this verse sayand what does it imply?

    The simple meaning of thisphrase is that on the first dayof the month of Nissan, G-dinformed Moses and Aaron that

    when they see the new moon it

    would represent the beginning ofthe month, the first month of theyear.

    However, the Talmud uncoversa deeper meaning, one that hashad far-reaching legal and evenphysical ramifications:

    The Talmud focuses on thewords for you, and states that

    the decision and ability to declarethe new month resides with you,Moses and Aaron, or with yourduly selected successors, themembers of the Sanhedrin, whosefunction it would be to determineeach month on the basis of thesighting of the moon. It is you whoare empowered to declare whenthe new month will commence.

    Furthermore, the Talmud

    teaches us, even if the courtswere in error about the daythey declared to be the first ofthe month, and even if it wasdeliberate on their part to delay theonset of the new month, it is stillsanctified. The courts were giventhe power to change the timingof the new month. And, on that

    basis, the Holidays will follow suit.Passover, for example, which ison the fifteenth of the month of

    Nissan, will be on the fifteenth ofthe month, counting from the daythe courts declared it to be RoshChodesh, even though in truth itshould have been the day before.

    According to the JerusalemTalmud, this declaration whichadvances or delays the onset ofthe new month (and the same istrue about the declaration of anextra leap-month to bring parity

    to the lunar and solar years) can actually alter the biologicalchanges that hinge on time

    because the Torah has endowed uswith the power to control nature!

    This is a revolutionary concept,revolutionary even with regard tothe celestial forces. As the Midrashstates that G-d and his entourageof angels in the heavenly court

    will descend here to consult withthe human courts as to when thenew month will be declared.

    This indeed is the powerentrusted to the Jewish people thatthey are not subservient to nature;on the contrary, nature can besubservient to them.

    When the angels realized thisrevolutionary power that was

    given to humans, they realizedthat those human beings do notessentially need external supportfor them to toe a straight line. Ifthe human being, they argued,has the capacity to control nature,how much more so that he has thepower to control his or her owninternal impulses.

    Why then, the angels asked, didG-d tell Adam that on the day heeats from this specific tree he shall

    surely die? The meaning of thisthreat was to discourage him fromsuccumbing to his base instinctsand animal nature. But why did

    Adam need to be threatenedwith death in order urge him tocomply? Shouldnt it have sufficedfor Adam to know that even ifhis nature tells him to eat of theforbidden fruit his mind should

    22 2 Shvat 5771

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    and would exercise control over hisdesires?

    Adding to their confusion wasthe fact that the day that Adam

    was commanded not to eat theforbidden fruit was (accordingto the Talmudic sage Rabbi

    Yehoshua) the first day of Nissan,the same day that G-d told Mosesthat he did indeed have controlover nature! But if this day didindeed give us the dynamic powerto dominate nature, then why thendid Adam need the threat of deathon that very day?

    The angels were baffled.They could not comprehendthe complexity of the human

    condition. Yes, there are certainpeople and certain times whenthe mere suggestion by a Higherauthority that one should suppressones own nature because it is theproper thing to do is sufficient.But, there are also certainindividuals and certain times

    when mortals are more vulnerableand must be reminded of theirmortality. This lack of consistency,the mono-dimensional angels

    could not comprehend.There is a story in the Talmud

    about one of the greatest Sages,Rabbi Elazar ben Arach, whomoved away from his colleaguesand the center of Torah at Yavnehto a town known for its choice

    wine and other worldly delights(in fact, the Talmud relates thatthe exiling of the Ten Tribes wasa consequence of their closeproximity to that place known for

    its sybaritic nature). As a result ofhis attraction to these delightshe forgot his Torah knowledgeand even mispronounced the versecited above. Instead of readingthe Hebrewhachodesh hazehlachem This month shall be foryou, he read: hacheresh haya libam Was their heart silent. In Hebrewspelling the two phrases are almostidentical.

    From this we derive that while

    a human being is endowed withthe capacity to control nature,we also have the ability to travelto places, or to put ourselves insituations, where we are temptedor where we become desensitized,and where our minds no longer

    wield the same influence overour desensitized hearts. In thesesituations we must temporarily relyon the more morbid considerationof our mortality in order to win the

    battle with our evil impulse.G-ds response to the angels

    thus was to quote the sonof Yishai, who alludes to theapproach outlined in the Talmud:

    When one is plagued by the evilimpulse he should ideally studyTorah or read the Shma whichproclaims G-ds unity in orderto disarm this evil impulse. And ifneither of these tactics work, then,the Talmud tells us, remember the

    day of ones death.When we lose controlor

    never had it in the first placeweshould have a fall back position,to help keep us going on the trueTorah path. Thus G-d subtlysuggests to Adam, You may nothave the ability to control natureall the time, but nevertheless youcan overcome your temptations byrealizing that you are mortal.

    G-d was not threatening Adam

    with death; he was telling him thata human being has two options:You can exercise your G-d givenability to transcend your ownnature, but to maintain that level oftranscendence you must keep yourmind attuned to the Torah. It is theTorah mentality that transcendsnature and temporality. And to theextent that your mind is saturated

    with Torah knowledge it is to that

    degree to which you will always be

    in control.However if you lose that abilitybecause you allowed yourself thelicense to distance yourself fromTorah study and dabble in foreignpastures, as did Rabbi Elazar ben

    Arach, then you must descend tothe second alternative: to realizingyour own mortality and thattherefore physical and materialpleasures are merely transitory.

    Commentators point out that

    the gematria (numerical value)of the words This month shall

    be for you is the same as thatof Moshiach the son of David.This suggests that the power tocontrol nature, which is implicitin this verse, will become obviousand the exclusive influence in theMessianic Age.

    Moshiach will usher in a newconsciousness wherein we willalways be masters of nature. The

    world will follow the dictates of theTorah, and we will no longer needto invoke our own mortality. Thuslife will return to the way it had

    been before Adam sinnedeternallife. There will be no need formortality to keep us straight.

    As long as we are in exile wemust utilize the two-prongedapproach in dealing with ourchallenges. But as we prepare for

    the imminent Redemption, theangels objections to the need toremind man of his mortality will besustained. By saturating our minds

    with Torah, specifically the parts ofTorah that deal with Redemption,

    we gradually wean ourselves fromthe need to be reminded of ourmortality and, instead, we prepareourselves for the eternal life which

    will follow the coming of Moshiachand the complete Redemption.

    This indeed is the power entrusted to the Jewish

    people that they are not subservient to nature;

    on the contrary, nature can be subservient to them.

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    A MESSAGE OF HOPE

    AMID THE ASHES

    An amazing story that happened twelveyears ago in one of the Carmel yishuvim

    following a huge re in the area.

    By Sholom Kramer

    PART I

    Three girls were having a livelydiscussion. It was two against one.

    No way! How will it help us?exclaimed Ora.

    What do you have to lose?

    insisted Mali. It will take fiveminutes and even if it doesnt help,it wont hurt.

    It just doesnt sit wellwith me, said Yafit squirminguncomfortably. All this mysticalstuff gives me the willies.

    First of all, its not mysticism.Second, how do you know itsnot for you? Did you ever try it?challenged Mali.

    Fine, lets go then, said Yafit.But first I want to watch andlisten and only then will I make mydecision.

    Mali, a resident of Rechovot,had come close to Chabad a fewyears earlier. She frequently wroteto the Rebbe through the IgrosKodesh and she wanted her friendsto do the same. The three friends

    who had just finished seminarywent to the Borochov home in

    order to write to the Rebbe and askfor a bracha for a shidduch.

    Mrs. Borochov welcomedthem graciously, invited themto sit down and explained to thenewcomers what the Igros Kodeshare and how to ask the Rebbe fora bracha.

    Before leaving Yafit Cohenconfided in Mrs. Borochov. I havea problem, she said hesitatingly.

    My parents were in a terrible caraccident. My fathers spine wasinjured and he is confined to a

    wheelchair. He took it very hardand cannot understand how G-dcan do this to someone. His faithhas faltered, and he stopped doingeven basic mitzvos.

    Tell him what you heardhere, suggested Mrs. Borochov.Tell him about the Rebbe and the

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    Igros Kodesh, and convince him towrite a letter to the Rebbe.

    It wont help, said Yafit sadly,shaking her head. Many peoplehave tried talking to him but herefuses to listen.

    Mrs. Borochov thought for amoment and then said, I havean article that was printed insecular newspapers about the IgrosKodesh phenomenon. Give it tohim, and perhaps it will convincehim.

    I know my parents, sighed Yafit. They wont listen. Manyhave tried but to no avail.

    If you see that theyre notwilling to read the article, then just

    leave it on the table. Who knows?Maybe one day they will read itand be convinced.

    Yafit agreed and took thearticle.

    PART II

    The many lights shining inthe hall glared in her eyes and thenoise level of voices and laughterinterfered with her ability to think.

    The bass reverberating from theloudspeakers banged away ather like pounding fists. Mrs.Borochov scanned the room forthe happy kalla (bride) Mali. Shehad that wonderful feeling of joyand satisfaction; this was the thirdkalla in half a year. The three girls

    who had come to her to ask for abracha for a shidduch had foundtheir match and two of them hadalready married. Now it was the

    turn of the third one, the one whohad persuaded the others to askfor a bracha.

    She noticed the kalla sittingon her special chair. One ofher friends was bent over her,

    whispering into her ear. The kallalaughed, and the friend raised herhead. Two pairs of eyes met andMrs. Borochov tried to remember

    why that face looked familiar.

    Hello Mrs. Borochov, how areyou? The girl didnt notice Mrs.Borochovs uncertainty and wentover to her with a big smile.

    Thank G-d, Im fine butperhaps you can remind me ...

    Sure, Im Yafit Cohen.

    Mrs. Borochov immediatelyremembered who she was andsaid, Ah yes. Is there any good

    news about your parents?

    For a moment Yafits faceturned serious and she said with asigh, No, nothing changed.

    It seemed to Mrs. Borochovthat she was hiding something andthat this something wasnt good,

    but she didnt push her. If Yafitdidnt want to share it, that washer prerogative.

    PART III

    At first it seemed like anordinary fire. A field of thornsand weeds had begun to burn andfrom there it spread to some trees.Then, suddenly the entire Carmel

    was burning. Firemen announcedthat there was nothing to worryabout, within a day, it will befine, but they underestimatedthe power of the blaze. The windfanned the flames and the firerapidly spread to forests, fieldsand even the yishuvim in the area.Tons of water had been dumpedand hundreds of volunteers werecalled upon to control the fire.The firemen used helicopters,trucks, hoses, anything which

    would help to fight the blaze, butthe fire, as if mocking their efforts,continued to advance, acre by acre,field after field.

    The residents of the yishuvwhere Yafits parents live werenot concerned. The firemen hadsaid that the fire was not headingin their direction and they hadnothing to worry about. So whenthey saw the curtain of flames fromtheir windows it was a terribleshock. People ran back and forthfrom their homes to their cars in

    the attempt to save whatever theycould but the fire was advancingrapidly and they were forced toevacuate immediately.

    The fire spread through theyishuv all that day and it wasonly the following day that theycould return to their incineratedhomes and try and see if anythingremained. When Yafits parentssaw their home, they wereshocked. All the other homes that

    were affected by the fire had beenpartially burned and somethingremained even of those homesthat had been badly affected. Asfor their home, it was completelygone. All that remained was a pileof ashes.

    With tears of sorrow anddespair, Yafits mother siftedthrough the ashes. Perhaps she

    would find something of value.She suddenly noticed something

    that had not turned to ashes.Her eyes widened in amazement.It was a piece of paper sherecognized; it was the newspaperarticle her daughter had given herto read about the Igros Kodesh

    which she had refused to look at.This article was the only item tosurvive the conflagration. Eventhe table that the article had beenon had turned to ash.

    If you see that theyre not willing to read the

    article, then just leave it on the table. Who knows?

    Maybe one day they will read it and be convinced. Yat

    agreed and took the article.

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    She bent over and withtrembling hands picked up thepaper, shook it off, and standingthere in the ruins she read it. Atfirst she was still crying and hertears dripped on to the paper.

    When she finished reading it she

    felt a glimmer of hope.

    PART IV

    Mrs. Cohen spoke on thephone with Mrs. Borochov andtold her everything she and herhusband had been through. Shetold her about the car accident.

    Although she felt a certain measureof relief in unburdening to theperson listening to her, there was

    a hesitancy in her voice as shefinished her story and said, Thetruth is that I wasnt so sure about

    whether to call you I didntknow what I was supposed to doand then I remembered that mydaughter had mentioned you and Idecided to call.

    You did the right thing!exclaimed Mrs. Borochovreassuringly. Now take yourhusband, wheelchair and all, andcome over. We have a lot to talkabout.

    Wh...what did you say?

    Get into the car and comeover! repeated Mrs. Borochov.

    When she realized that Mrs.Cohen was still uncertain she

    began telling her miracle stories,one after the other, that happenedthrough the Igros Kodesh. Mrs.Cohen was impressed and made an

    appointment to meet on Chanuka.When they arrived at the

    Borochov home, a woman theresaid to them, Hi, who are you?

    We came to hear moreinformation about the IgrosKodesh, said Mr. Cohensomewhat dubiously.

    And maybe to ask for abracha, added his wife.

    Then I have a story for you.And the woman launched into herstory about a malignant tumor inher brain and how, after asking theRebbe for a bracha, the tumor haddisappeared.

    Encouraged by her story, theCohens sat with Rabbi and Mrs.Borochov and talked. Then RBorochov said to Mr. Cohen, So

    what do you think about asking theRebbe?

    Mr. Cohen went over to thebookcase and took volume 10 ofthe Igros Kodesh. He openedit randomly to page 306-7 thatcontains two letters. The secondletter was a letter of consolation

    to the residents of Kfar Chabadafter the massacre in which fiveTmimim were murdered by Arabs.The Rebbe quotes the Alter Rebbeabout the trait of compassion:

    I heard from the mouthsof lofty saints explaining theaphorism people say that aftera fire you become wealthy. Thereason for this is because thechanneling of the supernalholy attributes is thus: chesed

    (kindness), din (justice),rachamim (mercy, compassion).

    Accordingly, after the severityof the fire, the attribute ofcompassion is aroused whichis greater than the attribute ofchesed at the outset, as we knowthat this [compassion] is the traitof Yaakov, an inheritance whichis boundless, that links from oneend...

    Then the Rebbe quotes the

    Mitteler Rebbe:Ive come to console your

    hearts for the hand of G-d hastouched upon them yourhearts should not despair forsurely Hashem will arouse Hisgreat kindness and mercy on

    you and it is known thatevery din consists of hiddenkindness. Therefore, everythingthe Merciful One does is for the

    good and no evil descends fromabove

    Then the Rebbe quotes theTzemach Tzedek:

    I received your letter and Ihad already heard about this

    previously, and I hereby cometo console them based on whatwas copied from a handwrittennote of my grandfather [the AlterRebbe] that he wrote to someoneof Anash who suffered a fire I heard from the mouths oflofty saints about the aphorismpeople say that after a fire

    you become wealthy that itsbecause the channeling of thesupernal holy attributes is thus:

    chesed (kindness), din (justice),rachamim (mercy, compassion),so after the severity of the fire,the attribute of compassion isaroused which is greater than theattribute of chesed...

    The Tzemach Tzedek goes onto say:

    Therefore he instructed tothe recipient of the letter to bestrong and to rebuild his homein its place. And from his holy

    words it would seem correct tosay in your case that you shouldhelp each other and you shouldrebuild your homes in theirlocation.

    R Borochov then went on toread the two lines on the top of p.306 that completed the letter fromthe page before:

    [Do not] uproot your dwellingbecause of the incident, as it is

    there, specifically, where Hashemwill command his blessing andmercy, a boundless inheritance.

    Mr. Cohens eyes nearlypopped from his head.

    How can that be? hemuttered in amazement. I didnttell anyone. How does he know?

    What are you talking about?asked R Borochov.

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    After the fire, wepresented a claim to the yishuvadministration, asking them topay for all the damages due tothe fire, but they refused. They

    werent even willing to listen toour demands. After living and

    working together for so manyyears, their flat-out refusal was aninsult. We were planning to leavethe yishuv. We didnt tell anyoneof our intentions, not even ourdaughter. And here, its as thoughthe Rebbe read our thoughts andis telling us not to move. This isastounding! A miracle!

    There was nothing to say.The letter was about a fire andconsisted of many blessings withan explanation that the attribute of

    justice is followed by the attributeof mercy and kindness in a moreexpansive way than previouslyexperienced.

    The Rebbe said many timesthat mezuzos and tfillin are asegula for protection, said RBorochov, trying to strike while theiron was hot. What do you thinkabout checking your tfillin and

    mezuzos?Yes, of course we should do

    that, said Mr. Cohen, but wewant you to check them.

    R Borochov willingly went totheir temporary dwelling that thegovernment provided for them and

    just as he expected, the mezuzosand tfillin were invalid. He madeanother trip in order to bring thefamily kosher tfillin and mezuzos,and at that point he assumed the

    story was over.

    PART V

    Some time later R Borochovwas asked to farbreng in a non-Lubavitch yeshiva. He was happyto do so. He sat with the studentsFriday night and farbrenged tillthe wee hours of the morning.

    Among the topics discussed was

    an explanation about the waypeople use the Igros Kodesh tocommunicate with the Rebbe.One of the stories he told was thestory in this article. The rabbisand students listened with greatinterest. There was however one

    rabbi who had a strange expressionon his face.

    After the farbrengen theman came over to R Borochov.R Borochov braced himself foran argument, but the man hadsomething altogether different inmind.

    I knew about the story youtold about the fire although I did

    not know about the Igros Kodeshpart of it. As a neighbor of thecouple I can add a few details.

    The fire stopped about fourhouses away from their houseand inexplicably, the fire skippedthose four houses and landedright on their house. It looked asthough Hashem wanted to givethem a push of some kind. As for

    what you said that he opened toin the Igros Kodesh, you shouldknow that everything the Rebbesaid, happened! The leaders ofthe yishuv acceded to all theirdemands down to the smallestdetail and they got whatever they

    wanted!

    After the

    re, we

    presented a claim to the

    yishuv administration, asking them to pay for all the

    damages due to the re, but they refused. They werent

    even willing to listen to our demands. After living and

    working together for so many years, their at-out refusal

    was an insult. We were planning to leave the yishuv.

    We didnt tell anyone of our intentions, not even our

    daughter. And here, its as though the Rebbe read ourthoughts and is telling us not to move. This is astounding!

    A miracle!

    After the

    re, we

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    JEWISH TIME

    What a coincidence! Here has was on the

    24th of Teves reading about the founder

    of Chabads passing on the 24th of Teves,

    while preparing to say Kaddish for the

    rst time for his father who passed away

    on the 24th of Teves.

    By Aryeh Gotfryd, PhD

    It is now 30 years since my

    first encounter with Chabad

    and my introduction toauthentic Judaism. To mark

    the occasion, here is a new andimproved version of a personal

    story I previously published, forthe benefit of those who may have

    forgotten it or missed it the firsttime around.

    The yahrtzait candle wasstill burning as Avraham readiedhimself for New Years Eve. Heput on his best jeans naturallyfaded and slightly shredded and

    brushed out his shaggy mane offlowing hair down to the middle ofhis back. He was in classic form,closely conforming to the non-conformist style of the day, the tailend of the hippy era.

    Closing the door to his trendybachelor pad on the fringes ofdowntown Toronto, little did herealize that he was also closing the

    door on life as he had ever knownit.

    For years that lone candle washis lone connection to personalJewish observance. It was alsohis only connection to the soul ofhis father, a man he never knew

    because he died over 20 yearsearlier when Avraham was justthree years old.

    Moshe Fishel had been a strong

    man, a staunch Zionist from atraditional family of Chassidic

    stock in pre-war Poland. Hesurvived the Nazi concentrationcamps by the skin of his teeth,risking his life daily by smugglingextra food rations to the needy sothey would not die. In April 1945he was liberated from the camps,

    but not from the rheumatic heartdisease he contracted while there.

    Only one event managed toetch itself in Avrahams memoryfrom his early childhood days, andthat involved his father. Avrahamsmother had brought him to thehospital to visit his dad during hisfinal days in this world.

    They stopped at the gift shopand while mom was choosingflowers at the counter, a colorfullittle item caught little Avrahamsfancy and would not let go. It

    was a small wooden carving of anevergreen tree with snow-tipped

    branches and little red ornaments.No sweetheart, lets try

    something else. Here. What do youthink of this?

    Avraham wouldnt even look.NO! This one! he cried.

    Im sorry, we cant get thatone. Here, have a candy.

    Avraham let out an ear-piercing

    wail that turned heads in theotherwise solemnly silent store.

    Okay, okay, mom sighed asshe rang out the seasonal mementoat the cash. Eyes moist butcelebratory, Avraham clutched hislittle trophy totally oblivious to itsreligious and cultural symbolism.Soon he was standing at hisfathers bedside, his little heart

    brimming with love.

    His mother gave Moshe Fishelthe flowers and he smiled broadly,

    setting them down on the bedsidetable. It seems Avraham caught thespirit of giving and spontaneouslyreached out, handing his dad hismost prized possession.

    Moshe Fishel looked it overslowly then set it softly down

    beside the flowers. What thoughtscould traverse a mans mind at amoment like this? A man whoseJewish identity was emblazonedon his mind and heart by his faith,

    his traditions, his politics, hispersecutors, his friends and family.

    And now powerless in theclosing moments of his life onthis earth, his little boy, who henever had a chance to raise and

    who he never would have a chanceto raise, passes him a token of afuture he never dared imagine total assimilation.

    Avraham stretched his arms out

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    towards his dad who summonedup his remaining strength to liftthe boy up, giving him a hug andholding him high above himself ashe lay prone on the hospital bed.

    Moshe Fishel ben Kalmanpassed from this world days lateron the 24th of Teves, 5719.

    Over the years, the totalassimilation Moshe Fishel fearedstarted to materialize. Avrahamgrew up knowing very littleabout the faith he inherited, andpracticed next to nothing of that.His matza on Passover had ham

    between, and his annual hour insynagogue for Yom Kippur wasfollowed by a much less noble

    ritual, a cheeseburger for lunch.As for his beliefs, they were just assecular as his lifestyle.

    But now, as the yahrtzaitcandle burned overtime and

    Avrahams little red VW Beetlesped into overdrive en route tothe party, the wheels of DivineProvidence were making extramachinations of their own.

    Avraham, on a dare from agentile friend, Gordon, broke with

    tradition and was attending forthe first time in his adult life, agreat big party by and for Jews.Gordon had called him a bigot fornot going out with Jewish girls.

    Avraham defended his antitheticalstance, claiming they were allneurotic, materialistic JAPs(Jewish American Princesses).Gordon said theres good and badin all people.

    Try it and youll see. There isa Jewish girl out there for you forsure. But Avraham was not sosure at all. Still he decided to trythe Jewish singles scene after all.Boy, was he in for a surprise.

    The guest speaker was aChabad rabbi who was discussinglove, dating and relationships. Thatsegued into face-to-face six-hourargument about religion generally

    and more particularly abouttraditional faith, modern science,and how they may or may not bereconciled.

    That discussion plowed thefield for the growth and fruition ofJewish life for Avraham as mitzvahafter mitzvah grew on him like ahand into a glove.

    One year later, Avraham litthe yahrtzait candle once more.

    Actually by now he was AryehAvraham with the new first nametaken in honor of his teshuvah(return) to Jewish faith andpractice. The other news in his life

    was his status engaged, and to aJewish girl no less.

    At 1:00 pm on the afternoonof the 24th of Teves, Aryeh

    Avraham was racing to finish abook, the Philosophy of Chabad,because momentarily he wouldhave to get up and go pray theafternoon service. Not that he wasso committed to congregationalprayer. What he was really after

    was an opportunity to recite themourners prayer Kaddish forhis father, and this would be his

    first time saying it ever, and hedidnt want to be late.

    As he turned the last pageof the book, his eyes settled onremarkable fact given the context.The founder of Chabad, R Shneur

    Zalman of Liadi, aka the AlterRebbe and author of the Tanya andShulchan Aruch HaRav, passedaway on the 24th of Teves.

    What a coincidence! Here haswas on the 24th of Teves readingabout the founder of Chabadspassing on the 24th of Teves,

    while preparing to say Kaddish forthe first time for his father whopassed away on the 24th of Teves.

    And here it was, exactly one yearsince his teshuvah started, whilethe candle was still burning forhis father, of whom he had butone memory, in which his fatherno doubt did teshuvah himself,

    wishing with all his heart andsoul that someone would turn the

    wheels of Divine Providence forhis little boy, away from destinyof total assimilation and toward a

    better life, a Jewish life.

    And Someone did.

    Dumb luck? Some might thinkso. But with about 354 dates inyour average Jewish year, thechances of this happening are onein 354 for the father, times 354for the Rebbe, times 354 for theteshuvah and times 354 for theKaddish. This comes out to onechance in 15,704,099,856.*

    Now on top of all this, whatwere the chances that he would

    go to a Jewish event at all (1 outof 4,000 days of my adult life),and an event with a Chabad rabbispeaking (one of at least 10 Jewishparties I could have gone to), anda rabbi who was erudite in a hostof natural sciences (maybe 1 in100)? And what were the chancesof becoming baal teshuvah at all (1in 10?), and happening across that

    book (1 in 1,000?), and havingjust that one memory of his father

    (impossible to imagine)? By nowits down to one chance in 100

    billion billion.

    At that moment, the heavensparted and Aryeh got to peek

    behind the curtain of nature andits laws to see Divine Providenceat work. He had no doubt he was apawn in the Divine game of chesscalled his life. But then the curtainsclosed and his destiny was back inhis hands or so it seemed.

    (contact [email protected] 416-858-9868)

    * * *

    Some of you have written mewondering how this probabilitything works. Baruch Hashem forOholei Torahniks, really! Mythree sons never took English orMath and I am not sorry. I thinkthey have all come out ahead. Now

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    thinking about three aheads givesme an idea of how to explain thestatistics, as follows:

    Imagine you have three penniesand you want to toss them allhoping that all three will come upheads. What is the chance of that?In other words, if you were to tossthese three pennies at once, say amillion times