Chai Elul 5458

Okay Kids, are you ready? Our first stop is a little tiny village, Okop, on the border of Russia. If we go to the edge of the town, we will find a little house. In this house lives an old couple, Eliezer and Sarah. They are very special people and they love to do the Mitzva of Hachnasas Orchim. Once, they had a very mean guest. He barged in on Shabbos afternoon with a bag on his shoul-der (so he had been traveling on shabbos) and demanded food and a place to sleep. Reb Eliezer served him with love and respect – as if he was a big tzaddik, and not a sinful beggar! On Sunday, when the guest was ready to leave he told R’ Eliezer, “I am Eliyahu Hanavi. I came to test you and you passed the test with flying colors. You are going to have a son, a very great son, who will save the Jewish people!” Then he disappeared. One year later, on Chai Elul, little Yisroel was born. He was a very special child. He could walk and talk when he was only 3 months old! Yisroelik was just a little boy when both his Tatty and his Mommy passed away. Before his Tatty passed away he told him: “Don’t fear anything, except Hashem himself.”

As the Baal Shem Tov grew up he became greater and greater but he kept it a big secret. Everyone thought he was just a simple teacher’s helper, or a simple la-borer. On Chai Elul (his 26th birthday), a great man

Achiya Hashiloni revealed himself to the Baal Shem Tov and told him that he would be his teacher. He taught him Torah just like they learn it in Gan Eden! On Chai Elul (his 36th birthday), the Baal Shem Tov revealed himself and he started teaching chasidus to everyone.

His name: Yisroel It’s Sunday afternoon and your brother, Chaim is sleeping away. The CD player is blasting, the baby is crying, Chani’s making a milkshake in the kitchen, and Yossi is vaccuming the carpet. And Chaim is snoring away. It seems that nothing can wake him up. But one thing could wake him up. Do you know what it is? His name. Yup, just call his name and watch him wake up.

The Yidden were in a very deep sleep. They needed to wake up, and return to Hashem. So Hashem sent them a wake up call. He sent them R’ Yisroel Baal Shem Tov. He called their name: Yisroel, and they woke up.

Birthday of

the Baal Shem

Tov

Destination:

Okup

His fame: Founder of Chasidus

השגחה פרטית

כל דבר ודבר אשר האדם רואה או שומע הוא הוראת הנהגה

.בעבודת השם Each and every thing that you see or hear, is a lesson for you how to serve Hashem.

אהבת ישראל

עס קומט אראפ א נשמה אויפ דער וועלט “

און לעבט אפ זיבעציג אכציל יאר צוליב טאן ”א אידן א טובה בגשמיות ובפרט ברוחניות

A Neshama comes down into the world and lives for seventy, eighty years JUST to do a

favor for another Yid, in gashmius and especially in

ruchniyus.

ה’ אחד

מיט וואס איזמען מפרסם

מיט א ? אלקות ברכה און א

.פסוק תהילים How can you bring spread

Getlichkeit? By saying a bracha, and a possuk of

Tehilim.

Chai Elul 5505

Okay Kids, are you ready? Hurry, we have to make it to Liozna before Chai Elul is up! Hey look! I see a horse and buggy on the road, right outsideLiozna. Let’s get a closer look. Why, it’s Baruch and Rivka! They are on the way to the Baal Shem Tov to ask for a bracha for a child. Let’s follow them!

Baruch and Rivka made it just in time for the Seuda that the Besht would make each year on his birth-day, Chai Elul. At that celebration, the Besht told R’ Baruc “On this exact date, you will hold a son in your arms”.

Skip a year. It’s Chai Elul again. If you listen very carefully you will hear a baby crying in that little house with the blue curtain in the window. Yeah, that one. That’s Baucha nd Rivka’s house. And Reb-betzin Rivka just gave birth to a little baby boy exactly a year later!

In the meantime, something amazing is happening in mezibuzh. Usually, the BSH”T is very serious in the month o Elul, but this year he was full of joy. On the morning of Chai Elul, the BSH”T himself was chazan and he sang all the songs with the special tunes for Yom Tov! Then he made a big Seuda af-terwards, and he told his Chassidim: “Today, a new neshama has come down into the world. He will light up the world and lead us towards Moshiach!”

We know who he is talking about, but to the Chasidim back then, it was still a secret.

Baruch came to the BSH”T to thank him for his bracha. The BSH”T gave him instructions how to care for his special baby. He told him to keep him away from people, so there shouldn’t be an Ayin Hora on him.

Skip three years. On Chai Elul, his Mommy and Aunty brought little Shnerur Zalman to the BSH”T for his

upshernish. “ Who was that Mommy?” the Alter Rebbe asked. “That was Zaide,” she answered, be-cause the BSH”T did not want the little Alter Rebbe to know who he was.

When the Alter Rebbe grew up, he would still call the BSH”T Zaide.

Birthday of

the Alter

Rebbe

Destination:

Liozna

His Name: Shneur Zalman Shnei or means two lights. The Alter Rebbe lit up the world with two great lights, Do you know what they are?

His fame: Founder of Chabad Chasidus (That’s us!)

LET’S LEARN HA-LACHA: Shema, Vehaya and Vayomer have 245 words all together. We want to make it

248, just like the 248 mitzvos aseh. So we add 3 words at the end

“Hashem Elokaichem Emes”. That makes 248. Non Chassidim also want to make it 248 words. They do it by adding “Kel Melech Neman” in the beginning, before they start shema.

:נגלה שולחן

ערוך

LET’S LEARN TANYA: Your body is like a very important city. King Yetzer Hora, and King Yetzer Tov both want to conquer your body, so that all your limbs (your mouth, nose, hands and toes) will have to listen to him only! Sometimes King Yetzer Hora wins and the mouth says something not nice, and the legs don’t go when Mommy

calls. That’s no good. The Alter Rebbe teaches us that it’s our job to make King Yetzer Tov win every time! King Yetzer Tov should con-trol our Macshava (the things that we think), our Dibbur (the things we say), and our Maaseh (the thngs we do!) And EVERYONE CAN DO IT!

:חסידות תניא

Only Daven-ing and Learning and Spiritual things are important!

Only money and food and physical things are important!

”אידישע גשמיות איז רוחניות דער אויבערשטער גיט אונז גשמיות מען זאל דערפון מאכן רוחניות“ They’re both important, if used in the right way! Yiddishe Gashmius is ruchniyus. Hashem

gives us physical things, so that we could use them for doing mitzvos!