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Beis Moshiach (USPS 012-542) ISSN 1082-0272 is published weekly,
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contents
PURIM 1953: THE RISE AND FALL OF AMODERN DAY HAMAN
[CONT.]Memoirs | Avrohom Reinitz
14
LUBAVITCH LIFE IN CHEVRON Feature | Shneur Zalman Berger24
MEGILLAS CHASSIDIMPurim | Dafna Chaim32
LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO GEULA Profile | Ofra Badosa34
A CHASSIDIC PENSIONERPOWERHOUSE Shlichus | S. Malachi
38
BRILLIANT SOLUTIONS FROM BUBBECOHEN Moshiach Light
20
BIG BRACHOS FOR A GRATEFUL GERERFeature | Nosson Avrohom10
THE REBBE’S PURIM: PERSONALNOTESStories for Purim
6
NAMELESSD’var Malchus4
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Torah is the “blueprint of creation,” teaching notonly general
principles, but also illuminating the detailsand “hidden corners”
of existence. If this is true of thecommonplace and everyday, how
much more so does itclarify the attitudes that define us and
illustrate themoments that transform us.
The most transformative event in history will be thecoming of
Moshiach. The era of Redemption is thegoal and purpose of creation.
This period of universalprosperity and spiritual awareness will be
initiated bythe achievements of Moshiach.
This being the case, Torah outlines not only whatMoshiach will
do, but the kind of person he must be.Torah provides a specific
‘personality profile’ ofMoshiach. And this week’s Torah portion
gives us apicture of the most critical attribute of Moshiach.
Inanalyzing the Torah reading, we must remember thatthere’s a
‘spark of Moshiach’ within every Jew. TheDivine soul which every
Jew possesses links him or herto every other Jew, including
Moshiach. The actions ofMoshiach we must duplicate within
ourselves.
The prototype for Moshiach isMoshe. Indeed, our Sages go togreat
length to compare Moshe toMoshiach, the first redeemer withthe
last. The ‘spark of Moshiach’within every Jew echoes and
reflectsthe ‘spark of Moshe’ within everyJew. The leader of a
generation iscalled both the Moshe of thegeneration and the
Moshiach of thegeneration.
With this background, we cannow look at the unique features
ofthis week’s Torah reading. First, itsname, “V’Ata Tetzaveh”
means“You shall command.” G-d tellsMoshe to command the
Jewishpeople concerning several activitiesin the Tabernacle which
relate toAaron and the priestly service: first,G-d instructs Moshe
in theprocedure for lighting the menorah,then tells him about the
priestlygarments. The Torah reading alsoincludes the dedication of
Aaronand his sons and construction ofthe incense altar.
However, the most unusualfeature of this week’s Torah readingis
that it is the only one from thebirth of Moshe until his
‘farewellspeech’ that does not mentionMoshe by name. Of course
Moshe
is not mentioned in Genesis, since he wasn’t born
yet;Deuteronomy is essentially a first-person address fromMoshe to
the Jewish people, so there’s no need for himto name himself. But
every Torah reading in Exodus,Leviticus and Numbers explicitly
mentions Moshe byname – except this one, Tetzaveh, “You
shallcommand.”
So there are three questions: why is there a Torahreading
without the name of Moshe? Why in this Torahreading specifically is
it not mentioned? That is, whatis the connection between the
absence of Moshe’sname and the contents of the portion? And
finally,what does this teach us about the nature of Moshiach,in
general, and the ‘spark of Moshiach’ within each ofus, in
particular?
To answer the first question: When Moshe pleadswith G-d to spare
the Jewish people after the sin of theGolden Calf, he declares that
if G-d will not forgive thepeople, then “erase me from Your book
that You havewritten.” If G-d will not pardon the children of
Israel,
The absence of Moshe’s name from theTorah portion indicates his
essentialnature. The essence of Moshe is Torah.But so united is
Moshe with the Jewishpeople that he is willing to sacrifice hisvery
essence and being to save a singlesoul, even one involved in
building theGolden Calf. This level of mesirusnefesh, of
self-sacrifice, ischaracteristic of Moshiach, as well.Each
individual must strive to revealthis ‘spark of Moshiach’ within
himself.
4 10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH
NAMELESSTranslated and adapted by Dovid Yisroel Ber Kaufmann
d’var ma lchus
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Moshe demands to be removed from the Torah.Although this
ultimatum was conditional, since it wasmade by a tzaddik and sage –
by Moshe – it must befulfilled in some form. Hence, Moshe’s name
was‘blotted out’ from a Torah reading. But why thisportion?
To answer that question, we have to look moreclosely at the
Torah reading itself. Although Moshe isnot mentioned by name, his
presence is feltthroughout. Many verses speak about Moshe,beginning
with the first: “You shall command.”Actually, the word “tetzaveh”
means both “command”and “attach.” So here G-d is telling Moshe to
not onlycommand the Jewish people, but by so doing, attachthem to
G-d.
G-d doesn’t use Moshe’s name, because a name isexternal, used as
a reference for someone else. But wedon’t need a name when
addressingourselves. When the essence isrevealed, a name is
irrelevant. SoG-d instructs Moshe: with youressence, the very
nature of who youare, command the Jewish peopleand attach them to
Me.
What is the essence and natureof Moshe? Torah. His very beingwas
bound up with Torah. Still,Moshe was willing to risk his
veryessence and being to save thosewhose act – building the
GoldenCalf – was the ultimate denial andrejection of Torah. The
Torah says,“Thou shalt have no other gods” –and they built a
god!
How can Moshe be willing tosacrifice his very essence and
being,to forego Torah which defines whohe is, for the sake of Jews
who deny and willfully violateTorah? The answer is that “Moshe is
Israel and Israelis Moshe.” The unity of Moshe with the Jewish
peopleis deeper and more fundamental than his unity withTorah. So
quintessential is the union of Moshe and theJewish people that
their descent becomes his descent.Although Moshe had absolutely no
involvement in theGolden Calf, when it was built, G-d told him,
“godown.” His greatness was one and the same thing astheirs. Moshe
could not remain on the mountain withTorah when the Jewish people
sinned. Not even Torahcould sunder Moshe from Israel.
This explains the essential characteristic of theleader of every
generation, who is the Moshe of hisgeneration. Although the
greatness of our rabbis andleaders lies in their scholarship, their
mastery of Torah,
still “the leader of the generation is like the
wholegeneration.” The leader is one entity with the people. Atrue
leader, the true Moshe, the true Moshiach of thegeneration, will
not and cannot abandon any Jew. Hisvery essence and being are
totally united and boundwith even the greatest sinner, the Jew who
builds aGolden Calf and, G-d forbid, becomes an idolater.
The critical attribute of Moshe is self-sacrifice,mesirus
nefesh. This is the critical attribute of a trueleader of the
generation, of Moshiach himself.Although Moshe is willing to give
up everything forTorah, he is willing to give up even Torah itself
for anyJew, even and especially the worst transgressor.
For,although a Jew may sin, he remains a Jew. The true,inner
essence of Moshe – and of Moshiach – isrevealed by an
uncompromising self-sacrifice for asingle Jewish soul, even the
most distant one.
Further, because the essenceand being of Moshe – andMoshiach –
is one with the essenceand being of every Jewish soul,
theself-sacrifice of Moshe – andtherefore Moshiach – reveals
thequintessential unity and oneness ofthe Jewish people with G-d.
Thatoneness transcends even the sin ofthe Golden Calf,
evokingforgiveness and atonement.
This mesirus nefesh is the firststage, the beginning
ofRedemption.
This Torah reading concerns theactivities of Aaron and his sons.
Allof these activities – the lighting ofthe menorah, the design
andmanufacture of the priestlygarments, the dedication of Aaron
and his sons, the construction of the incense altar – allof them
occur through the agency and direction ofMoshe. Since Aaron and his
sons are sanctified,without Moshe their service in the Tabernacle
appliesonly to those Jews who observe the Torah’scommandments. But
because the dedication of Aaroncame through Moshe, Aaron’s
offerings bringatonement to all the Jewish people.
And since every Jew possesses a ‘spark of Moshe,’ a‘spark of
Moshiach,’ we must also proceed with self-sacrifice, “putting aside
our Torah,” our personalinterests, to help another Jew, to bring
them to Torahwith Ahavas Yisroel, love for a fellow Jew. Through
ourMoshe-like self-sacrifice, we will merit the coming
ofMoshiach.
(Likkutei Sichos 21, pp. 173-180)
5BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 686
How can Moshe bewilling to sacrificehis very essenceand being,
toforego Torahwhich defines whohe is, for the sakeof Jews who
denyand willfullyviolate Torah?
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stor ies for pur im
WHEN CLOWNS CAMETO THE FARBRENGEN
In the early years of theRebbe’s nesius, Crown Heightswas home
to Jews of manydifferent backgrounds:Hungarian, modern, and
PolishChassidish. One year, in themiddle of the farbrengen, a
groupof people dressed up as clownsappeared, singing and
makingmerry. Their intention was not todisturb; they were simply in
aPurim’dike mood.
At the conclusion of theirsong, the Rebbe said, “Now we’llshow
what we can do,” and theRebbe began a lively niggun.
THE PURIMMIRACLE IN 5740
During the farbrengen onMotzaei Purim, the Rebbe said themaamer,
“BaLaila HaHu.” Nearthe end of the maamer, the Rebbespoke strongly
against giving awayland in Eretz Yisroel, using thesame tune and
tone as he said therest of the maamer. Then, at theend of the
maamer, the Rebbespoke about Haman’s decree andthe victory of the
Jews. He saidthat just as there was a miracle
back then, so too there would beone today, in our
generation.
At the end of the farbrengen,the Rebbe instructed theChassidim
to sing “ShoshanasYaakov.” During the singing, theRebbe motioned to
a Chassid tosay l’chaim. The Chassid wasdrunk and the Rebbe
said,“Chassid, utchok (the Chassid hasrun away).”
At the farbrengen of ShabbosParshas Ki Sisa, the Rebbe spokeat
length about the miracle thattook place when President Carterissued
a statement disavowingAmerica’s vote against Israel inthe UN
Security Council which,he said, was cast in error. TheRebbe
explained at length howthis was like the miracle that tookplace on
Purim.
MASHKE FROMTHE ALTER REBBE
The farbrengen that took placeon Purim, 5711 (1951), was
thefirst that the Rebbe conductedfrom the bima, using amicrophone.
Towards the end, theRebbe surprised everyone sayingthat he doesn’t
understand whatpeople want of him, referring tohis accepting the
role of Rebbe.
The older Chassidim who werepresent told the Rebbe that it
wasone hemshech (continuation) fromthe Alter Rebbe and it was
oneetzem (essence).
One of the older Chassidimasked the Rebbe for mashke,saying that
“he wanted mashkefrom the Alter Rebbe.” The Rebbesmiled and gave it
to him.
At the end of the farbrengen,the Rebbe said, “Just as the
Rebbe[Rayatz] did not say regarding hisfather ‘nishmaso Eden’ (his
soul isin Gan Eden) but ‘nishmaso bi’(his soul is within me), I too
donot say about the Rebbe [Rayatz]‘nishmaso Eden’ but
‘nishmasobi.’
The Rebbe concluded thefarbrengen by wishing theassembled, “The
Rebbe shlita [theRebbe Rayatz] should lead ustowards Moshiach.”
A SUDDEN MAAMARPurim, 1981, was on a Friday.
Mincha that afternoon wasattended by a scant few, sincemost
people were on mivtzaim orbusy with the mitzvos of the day.
The Rebbe davened Minchaand returned to his room. Tenminutes
later, when even the fewpeople who had been there forMincha had
left, the Rebbe wentto the small zal and began sayinga maamer based
on the Gemara,“Megilla Nikreis.” Beforebeginning the maamer, the
Rebbeinstructed that the doors to the
Short stories and thoughts about Purimfrom Menachem Ziegelboim’s
“Sipuroshel Chag – Chag HaPurim”
6 10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH
THE REBBE�S PURIM:PERSONAL NOTES
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zal be closed, but every so oftenmore people came in through
thewindows. The maamer took 15minutes.
After the maamer, the Rebbesaid, “I will remain here a
littlewhile longer and in the meantime,they should chap arain and
sayl’chaim without any limits…”
Due to the unexpectedness ofthis farbrengen, they had
notprepared the Rebbe’s cup. TheRebbe said l’chaim twice from
aplastic cup. One of the peoplepresent wanted to get the Rebbe’scup
but the Rebbe dissuaded him,saying he wanted to be likeeveryone
else. Then the Rebbe
answered l’chaim to everybodypresent and encouraged
thesinging.
As he departed, the Rebbenoticed that the doors to the shulwere
open and commented to R’Groner, “I asked that the doors
beclosed.”
The people continued tofarbreng into Shabbos. KabbalasShabbos
was said with unusualsimcha.
SPECIAL REGARD FOR PURIM ACTIVITIES
Over the years, the Rebbe
placed special emphasis on Purimmivtzaim with Israeli soldiers.
R’Groner relates:
“Every year, before Purim, theRebbe asked about the plans
todistribute mishloach manosamong the soldiers, police andthose in
jails. The Rebbe thenprovided a third of the expensesfor these
mishloach manos, andpaid the remaining two-thirdsafter Purim.”
TO WHOM DID THE REBBE SEND
MISHLOACH MANOS?The Rebbe would send
mishloach manos to three peopleevery year, a Kohen, Levi
andYisroel. The Kohen was thesecretary, R’ Eliyahu Quint. Afterhe
passed away, the Rebbe sent toRabbi Mordechai Rivkin. TheLevi was
R’ Shmuel Levitin. Afterhe passed away, the Rebbe sent toRabbi
Shmuel Dovid Raitchik.The Yisroel was the secretary,Rabbi
Chodakov.
In the first years after thepassing of the Rebbe Rayatz,
theRebbe continued to sendmishloach manos to all the peoplethe
Rebbe Rayatz had sent to,including the Admurim of Boyan,Amshinov,
and Kapishnitz.
Every year, shortly afterShacharis, the Rebbe would giveR’ Berel
Junik the mishloachmanos, for him to deliver them tothe usual
people.
The mishloach manoscontained a bottle of mashke andhamantashen,
with the addition oforanges in later years.
MISHLOACH MANOSTO A LONELY JEW
In 1980, the Rebbe sentmishloach manos to Mr. Henry,an older
bachelor who lived in thesame building as the Rebbe whenthe Rebbe
first came to America,
on New York Avenue. At first,Mr. Henry had negative
feelingstowards Judaism but after gettingto know the Rebbe over a
longperiod of time, his attitudechanged and he began to
bereligiously observant. He waspersonally brought close toJudaism
by the Rebbe.
The relationship continuedeven after the Rebbe moved, andhe
merited special attention fromthe Rebbe.
THE REBBE RECEIVEDMISHLOACH MANOSThroughout Purim, the
secretaries would bring the Rebbethe mishloach manos that
hadbeen sent for him from all overthe world. Very few people
werepermitted to personally give theRebbe mishloach manos.
Amongthem were Rabbi Sholom Hechtand Rabbi Yehuda Leib
Bistritzky.Afterwards, the Rebbe would givehis mishloach manos to
thetalmidim of the yeshiva or to thegirls of Beis Rivka and
MachonChana.
TO WHOM DIDTHE REBBE GIVE
MATANOSLA’EVYONIM?
For many years, RabbiMordechai Mentlick, the roshyeshiva in 770,
would go to theRebbe on Purim and receivematanos la’evyonim
(monetarygifts for the poor) on behalf ofthe Kuppas Bachurim (fund
forbachurim) that he ran.
Every Purim, the Rebbe wouldcontribute a check for $100 fromhis
personal account, as well asbills and coins.
The gabbai in 770, RabbiMoshe Pinchas Katz, would go tothe
Rebbe’s room on Purim andbe given about forty dollars formatanos
la’evyonim, which was
8 10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH
Before beginningthe maamer, theRebbe instructedthat the doors
tothe zal be closed,but every so oftenmore people came
in through thewindows.
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intended for certain individuals.The Rebbe would emphasize
thatthe money should be distributedon the holiday of Purim.
The Chassid, R’ MosheGroner, would also receive moneyfrom the
Rebbe for needy Jewishfamilies on the East Side. Whenhe went on
Purim, 1991, henoticed that the Rebbe gave him$100 more than usual.
R’ Mosheasked the Rebbe about this andthe Rebbe responded there
wasnothing to be concerned aboutand he should forget about it.
This was, in fact, the last Purimbefore the Rebbe’s stroke on
27Adar I, 5752.
IF YOU WERE NOTSURE WHETHER YOU
SAID L’CHAIMThe Purim farbrengen of 1979
was special. The Rebbe began bysaying, “Generally, we
startfarbrengens with talking, butsince it’s Purim today, we
willstart with saying l’chaim.”
The crowd sang a niggun afterwhich the Rebbe said, “Someone
should get up and say, ‘hurry up’in the language of the land
(i.e.English) to say l’chaim again.”The Rebbe urged the crowd tosay
l’chaim again and again,stressing that the inyan of Purimis “ad
d’lo yada.”
“If someone is not surewhether he had enough,” said theRebbe,
“he should be stringent.Therefore, in order to avoiddoubts,
everyone should sayl’chaim yet again.” The Rebbeeven turned to the
elderChassidim who sat behind himand asked how many times theyhad
said l’chaim - once, twice, ormore.
STRIKING HAMANDuring the reading of the
Megilla, the Rebbe would bang atevery reading of Haman’s name,in
contrast with the prevailingChabad custom to do so onlywhen his
name appears with atitle or description. The Rebbewould generally
stamp his rightfoot and sometimes his left.
Sometimes, the Rebbe wouldsmile broadly when the children“struck
Haman.”
NEW MEGILLA In the early years of the
nesius, the Rebbe used an old,yellowed Megilla which
chassidimbelieve he received from theRebbe Rayatz. The “ten sons
ofHaman” were listed in onecolumn, unlike in the Megillawritten by
the Rebbe Maharash.The case for this Megilla wasplain and
black.
Years later, R’ GetzelRubashkin and his sons boughtthe Rebbe a
new Megilla and putit in a silver holder. The Rebbeaccepted it
after paying for it andhe used it as well.
9BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 686
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In a small manufacturer’sworkshop for designing kippot in
avariety of shapes and sizes, locatedin the basement of his home in
thecenter of B’nei Brak, sits RabbiYisroel Sternschoss. He is a
Gererchassid who longingly recalls thoseglorious moments when he
wasprivileged to spend time in theRebbe’s court. As part of
hisbusiness dealings, Rabbi Sternschosshas to make his way to the
GreaterNew York City metropolitan areatwice a year in order to
advance hisentrepreneurship. “At every suchvisit, I would
faithfully come to 770in order to appear in the Rebbe’spresence.
Every time I would have toleave Eretz Yisroel, I would ask forthe
Rebbe’s bracha prior to settingout on my journey.”
Rabbi Sternschoss is a scholarlyJew and a pleasant
conversationalist.During the interview, he recounted aseries of
interesting episodesbetween his visits with the Rebbe
MH”M and with his own Rebbeimin the court of the Gerer
chassidim.It turns out that, as with many otherJews, Rabbi
Sternschoss would notlift a finger in anything connectedwith his
business affairs withoutreceiving the Rebbe’s bracha. “Therewere
times that I received an answerfrom the Rebbe directing me to
seekadvice or to reassess a proposedbusiness offer. In
suchcircumstances, I understood thateven if the deal
appearedworthwhile, I should refrain fromconsidering it.”
THE REBBE HADRESERVATIONS
Rabbi Sternschoss’ biennial tripsto New York began in 5740.
Onevery such visit, he would also pay acall at ‘Beis Chayeinu.’ He
wouldfrequently participate in minyanimand farbrengens and, in
later years,would not miss out on Sunday
dollars distribution to receive theRebbe’s holy blessing. “Each
timethat I would come to 770, I wouldsit in the first row behind
theplatform where the Rebbe stoodduring davening. I remember
thatwhen I came for Shacharis with theRebbe for the first time, I
couldn’tdaven from all the excitement. Everymovement and motion of
the Rebbemade my heart tremble. Hispenetrating eyes and
appearancewere most exceptional.”
On several occasions, he had theprivilege of witnessing the
Rebbe’sruach ha’kodesh and the fulfillmentof his blessings. “The
first time waswhen I wanted to invest in a bigproject to purchase
machines forsewing kippot. The cost wasconsiderable, but I thought
it wouldenable me to upgrade my businesswithout the need to rely
uponothers. I asked the Rebbe whether Ishould make the deal. A few
dayslater, I received an answer via thesecretary, Rabbi Yehuda
LeibGroner, which seemed to indicatethat the Rebbe had
reservations. TheRebbe suggested that I checkwhether there was a
glut on themarket. He raised the concern that iftoo many of these
machines exist inthe kippa market, the largeinvestment necessary to
buy themmay not be a worthwhile venture.
“I understood from the Rebbe’sanswer that this was not a
viable
feature
As the Rebbe passed near me, hestopped and asked, “What’s
happeningin Yerushalayim?” Confused, I naivelythought that he was
referring to theterrorist attack that had occurred inYerushalayim
that day…
10 10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH
BIG BRACHOS FORA GRATEFUL GERERBy Nosson AvrohomTranslated By
Michoel Leib Dobry
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option. If the Rebbe would havesupported the idea, he would
nothave sent me to do ‘homework.’ TheRebbe’s advice saved my
business,for which I am grateful on a dailybasis. Had I been the
one tomanufacture the kippot, all damageswould have come out of my
ownpocket, whereas when I make anorder for someone else, I pay
onlyfor the best-quality merchandisearound.”
THE REBBESHOWS CONCERN FOR
THE LEV SIMCHAEven more than the revealed
miracles he merited to see in theframework of his business,
RabbiSternschoss was impressed by theRebbe’s great concern for the
Gerer
Rebbe. “In 5744, there was a timeperiod when the Gerer Rebbe,
theBaal ‘Lev Simcha,’ was in a state ofpoor health. He had
undergone acomplicated operation and it hadbeen some time since he
had lastappeared publicly before hischassidim. I was in New York
and,as during all my visits there, I hadthe privilege of davening
Minchatogether with the Lubavitcher Rebbein the small upstairs
study hall. Atthe conclusion of davening, I wentout and stood in
the hallway.
“The Rebbe came out, and as hepassed near me, he stopped
andasked me, ‘What’s happening inYerushalayim?’ It was
anextraordinary occurrence for theRebbe to stop and speak with me,
ashe would usually proceed directly to
his room after the minyan. I didn’tquite understand what the
Rebbehad meant, and I naively thoughtthat he was referring to the
terroristattack that had occurred inYerushalayim that day,
regardingwhich I had heard about sometremendous miracles. I replied
thatthere had been revealed miracles, butthis was not what the
Rebbe wantedto hear. Again he asked, ‘What’shappening in
Yerushalayim?’ Whenthe secretary, Rabbi Groner, sawthat I didn’t
understand, heexplained that the Rebbe wasreferring to the
condition of the ‘LevSimcha.’
“Excitedly, I told the Rebbe that Ihad heard that the Gerer
Rebbe’scondition had improved significantlyand that he had even
gone for a
11BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 686
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stroll outside, causing muchhappiness among his
chassidiccommunity. It appeared that thisgood news brought much
pleasureto the Rebbe, and he gave a brachathat with G-d’s help, he
will go fromstrength to strength and renew hisdays as of old. It
was amazing to seea demonstration of such genuineconcern of one
great Torah giant foranother.
“Not long afterwards, I waspleased to learn that the
Rebbe’sbracha was realized and the ‘LevSimcha’ once again appeared
in theGerer beis midrash.”
A MIRACLE AT DOLLARS
DISTRIBUTION The crown jewel among his
meetings with the Rebbe was thepoignant miracle that Rabbi
Sternschoss was privileged to seewith the fulfillment of the
Rebbe’sbracha to his daughter and son-in-law for children. “During
the dollarsdistribution on Sunday, the 26th ofAdar Rishon, 5752, I
asked thesecretary, Rabbi Leibel Groner, if Icould be the last to
pass in line sothat I could make my request to theRebbe without
being immediatelypushed along. My daughter and herhusband, who had
been married forfour years and still didn’t have anychildren, also
joined us on this visit.They had gone to several doctors,including
a number of experts, butnone of them had been able to find aremedy
to their problem.
“When my turn arrived to standbefore the Rebbe, I presented
himwith a very attractive challa cover,and the Rebbe
immediatelyresponded that one must pay for agift. I then said to
the Rebbe, ‘My
daughter and son-in-law are herewith me. They have been married
forseveral years and still have nochildren, and I would like to ask
theRebbe to promise that they willbecome parents very soon.’
“The repeated treatments werenot helping at all, and the
doctors’vague predictions didn’t seem toindicate any light at the
end of thetunnel. This was very distressing tothem, and the request
to the Rebbecame from the depths of my heart.The Rebbe gave each of
them adollar and blessed the couple thatthey should have good
tidings.
“A year later, in Adar, their firstdaughter was born without
anytreatments or interventions. Afteranother year, their first son
wasborn, and my daughter, fullycognizant of who was
responsible,gratefully named the childMenachem Mendel.”
12 10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH
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686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 12
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[Continued from last issue]
THE BEGINNING OFTHE DOCTORS’ PLOTOn 26 Teives, 5713, the
following report, titled “ViciousSpies and Killers under the
Mask ofAcademic Physicians,” appeared inthe communist newspaper
Pravda,courtesy of the official news agencyof the Soviet Union,
TASS:
A terrorist group of doctors,uncovered some time ago by organsof
state security, have been planningto shorten the lives of leaders
of theSoviet Union by means of medicalsabotage.
Investigations have establishedthat participants in the
terroristgroup, exploiting their position asdoctors and abusing the
trust oftheir patients, deliberately and
viciously undermined their patients’health by making
incorrectdiagnoses, and then killed themwith fraudulent and vile
treatments.Covering themselves with the nobleand merciful calling
of physicians,men of science, these fiends andkillers dishonored
the holy banner ofscience. Having taken the path ofmonstrous
crimes, they defiled thehonor of scientists.
… The majority of theparticipants of the terrorist group…were
bought by American spies.They were recruited by a branch-office of
American intelligence —the international Jewish
bourgeois-nationalist agency called the“Joint.” The filthy face of
thisZionist spy organization, coveringup their vicious actions
under themask of charity, is now completely
revealed…Unmasking the gang of poison-
doctors struck a blow against theinternational Jewish
Zionistorganization.... Now all can seewhat sort of philanthropists
and“friends of peace” hid beneath thesign-board of the “Joint.”
… The investigation willconclude shortly.
The names of nine people whohad been arrested were listed, all
ofwhom were top doctors in Russia atthe time. Six of them were
Jewish.
Initially, thirty-seven werearrested, but the number quicklygrew
into hundreds. Scores ofSoviet Jews were promptlydismissed from
their jobs, arrested,sent to labor camps or executed.This was
accompanied by showtrials and anti-Semitic propagandain the
state-run mass media. Thislibel later came to be known as“The
Doctors’ Plot.”
The newspapers and radioreported this along with acommentary of
incitement againstthe Jews of the Soviet Union andJews worldwide.
The commentatorsand the media called upon thepublic to be wary of
the “enemy ofthe people” and asked all citizens tobe on the alert
for “terrorists in theguise of doctors.”
memoirs
Another chapter of R’ Hillel Zaltzman’smemoirs * A most
frightening period inour history and the amazingdenouement with the
death of Stalin onMotzaei Purim after the Rebbe’sheavenly
intervention on Purim 1953*Part 2 of 2
14 10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH
PURIM 1953: THERISE AND FALL OF AMODERN DAY HAMANPrepared for
publication by Avrohom Reinitz
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 14
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BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 686 15
In all sorts of public venues –schools, universities, factories
andarmy camps, and foremost, in allmedical institutions – there
were“explanatory meetings.” Thespeakers, members of the party
andsecret police, defamed the “terroristdoctors” and called upon
the publicto guard against additionalfraudulent doctors.
The anti-Semitic rhetoricintensified. Day after day therewere
articles in the majornewspapers about robberies,corruption, and
swindling. Thecommon denominator in all of thiswas that all of the
suspects in thesecrimes had Jewish names. At first,the newspapers
didn’t refer to Jewsexplicitly. They used euphemismssuch as
“rootless cosmopolitans,”“bourgeois,” “Zionist agents,” etc.Within
a short time though, theyremoved their kid gloves and beganwriting
explicitly: “we mean the
Jews, reactionary Jews who workfor Zionist, capitalist
purposes,”etc.
This massive propagandacampaign soon began to affect theRussian
nation, who believed theparty line. Non-Jewish patientswere afraid
to be treated by Jewishdoctors. Numerous Jews were firedfrom their
positions, especially ininstitutes of science, universitiesand, of
course, medical centers.
Our fears heightened as theincitement grew. We anxiously
awaited the show trial. There was avery serious fear that when
thearrested doctors would beincriminated – and we had nodoubt that
they would – the Jews ofRussia would be in grave danger ofpogroms
far worse than those thatwere routine under the czar.
After Khrushchev rose to power,
Stalin’s timetable for this expulsionwas as follows: On 18 Adar
the doctorswould be tried and a week later, 25Adar, they would be
executed.Immediately after that, the expulsionplan would begin to
be implemented...
Below: According to the testimony ofChassidim who were present
at thefarbrengen, like Rabbi Yosef Goldsteinand Rabbi Pinchas Korf,
this picture isfrom the Purim farbrengen of 1953.
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 15
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minutes of all the secret meetings ofthe central communist party
inMoscow were marked down in asmall book. Copies of this bookwere
sent to all the communistcenters throughout Russia, where itwas
read at secret meetings.
Since my cousin, Yaakov Pilla”h, presented himself as a
sworncommunist, he was trusted andeven allowed to take the book
homefor a night, to read at leisure.Whenever this book would
reachthe communist party center inSamarkand, Yaakov would invite
usto his house to read it.
From these books we found outthat the Doctors’ Plot was the
finalcomponent of Stalin’s elaborateplan, which was organized down
tothe smallest details. The doctorswould be incriminated, the
publicwould be outraged, and at the lastmoment Father Stalin would
cometo the protection of the Jews. Hisprotection would entail a
mass exileof the Jews to Siberia.
Stalin’s timetable for thisexpulsion was as follows: On March5
(18 Adar) the doctors would betried and a week later, March 12
(25 Adar), they would be executed.Immediately after that,
theexpulsion plan would begin to beimplemented.
Two to three weeks before thedesignated expulsion date, dozensof
trains were readied at stations inall the big cities in the
SovietUnion, prepared to take Jews toSiberia. In clandestine areas
inSiberia, concentration camps werequickly set up and 40,000
barrackswere built to contain hundreds ofthousands of Jews. The
calculationwas simple: a third would be killedby Russian murderers
in thepogroms, a third would die on thetrip to Siberia, and the
final thirdwould arrive at the barracks inSiberia.
As the date for the trialapproached, we suffered more andmore
from insults and degradation.We were humiliated and
persecutedwherever we went, on the street, atwork, and by our
neighbors. Theantipathy reached a point that Jewsrefrained from
going out on thestreet. When Jews were beaten onthe street and
police were called tointervene, they told theperpetrators, “Don’t
strike themnow, for in a little while we’ll beable to beat them
publicly with fullgovernment support…”
My brother-in-law, Aryeh Leib,lived in Minsk. He was once
takingthe train and the goyim, noting hisobvious Jewishness, mocked
him.Nobody intervened on his behalf.When he tried to defend
himself, anarmy officer grabbed him by theneck and threw him off
the train.
Under these circumstances,every day seemed longer than ayear. It
was just a question of whowould die when…
In February, 1953, a 15kilogram bomb was planted at theSoviet
embassy at 46 RothschildStreet in Tel Aviv. The building wasgreatly
damaged. The Soviet Unionreacted in a fury and cut off
diplomatic ties with Israel. TheRussian papers publicized
thisprominently, adding fuel to thealready blazing fire of
hatred.
Another brainchild of Stalin,designed to fan the flames
ofRussian hatred, was narrowlyavoided. Lazar Kaganovitz, the
onlyJew who served on the Politburo,Stalin’s government in those
days,was sent by the government on anofficial mission to
Afghanistan. Thepilot was given a secret order to flythe plane to
Israel and to say thatKaganovitz decided to defect to theZionist
entity. Needless to say, suchan incident would have
causedunimaginable suffering for the Jewsof Russia.
By a miracle, the plan wasdiscovered by Kaganovitz’s
brother-in-law, Vyatsislav Molotov, whoserved as Russia’s Foreign
Minister.Family ties and Molotov’s sense ofjustice outweighed
politicalconsiderations, and he immediatelycalled the airport and
urgentlyasked for Kaganovitz.
Kaganovitz was already on hisway to the plane when he wascalled
to the phone. Molotov toldhim of Stalin’s plot. Kaganovitz,one of
the most loyal of Stalin’smen, initially refused to believe him,but
in the end he was afraid and hecanceled the flight.
The Doctors’ Trial was gettingunderway and the
poisonouspropaganda continued to spewforth. The feeling was that
the Jewsin Russia under Stalin were in greatdanger, with no
positive resolutionforthcoming. We all cried to ourFather in
Heaven.
UNUSUAL ACTIONS INTHE REBBE’S COURT Of course, we in Russia had
no
idea what was going on in 770, butwhen we heard about it later,
afterleaving Russia, we realized that“Mordechai knew everything
thathad happened.” The Nasi HaDor
The calculationwas simple: a
third would bekilled by Russianmurderers in thepogroms, a
thirdwould die on the
trip to Siberia,and the final third
would arrive atthe barracks in
Siberia.
16 10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 16
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and leader, the Rebbe, knew what was taking placesecretly in the
dictator’s office and, like MordechaiHaTzaddik, he worked to
pre-empt the evil decreethrough heavenly channels.
In hindsight, it is obvious that in those winter daysof 5713,
the Rebbe was aware of the terrible dangerhovering over a large
portion of our people. At thefarbrengen of Shabbos, Parshas
VaYeira, 20 Cheshvan,5713 (1952), the Rebbe began to sing a new
niggunthat had never been sung at farbrengens before. In themiddle
of the singing portion of the farbrengen,between sichos, the Rebbe
suddenly asked, “Doesanyone here know how to sing, ‘Ani
Maamin’?”
One of the people present began to sing the famousniggun that
Jews sang in the Holocaust, and the restjoined in. As soon as the
niggun was begun, theRebbe’s face changed and he became very
serious. Hemotioned with his hand that they should sing
itforcefully and he too joined in. Those who were awareof the
atmosphere among the Jews of Russiarecognized the appropriateness
of the niggun..
At farbrengens during that time, the Rebbe spoke alot about the
intensifying darkness of galus and aboutthe special quality of the
Jewish people which canovercome the darkness. Despite the fact that
the Jewishpeople were under the control of the nations of theworld,
they had the ability not to be impressed by theconcealment and to
stand strong, weakening the klipa.
The Rebbe unexpectedly published a new maamer,“Hashem does not
come with impossible tasks for Hiscreations,” on 21 Teives, 5713.
The date was not a
special one in the calendar, but it was just a few daysbefore
the Doctors’ Plot erupted. This maamer is aboutthe mesirus nefesh
of the Jewish people in a time whenit is hard to keep Torah and
mitzvos, and declares thatif this is our lot in galus, then surely
we have the abilityto prevail.
Two days later, at the farbrengen of Shabbos,Parshas Shmos, 23
Teives, the Rebbe referred explicitlyto Stalin in Russia and
expressed amazement over thespecial Jews whose faithful resolve was
ironclad. Theyhad to hide in order to put on t’fillin, kept
Shabbosdespite the danger in losing their jobs, traveled
greatdistances to immerse in a mikva, and studied Torah incellars.
Their commitment did not wane despite thepoverty and the lack of
food and shoes.
Then came the Purim farbrengen. On Tuesday,Motzaei Purim, a
large crowd gathered to farbrengwith the Rebbe. Dozens of Russian
Jews, who had leftthe country just a few years before, were
present. Someof them had sat in jail for long periods of time and
hadfelt Stalin’s iron fist. They and their friends could nothelp
thinking of their brothers in captivity and terribledanger behind
the Iron Curtain.
In the course of this very long farbrengen, theRebbe said eleven
sichos. He began with a deepmaamer, based on the verse in Esther,
“and he rearedHadassah.” Then the Rebbe said sichos on
relevantmatters, with niggunim interspersed, as usual.
The hours flew by. Towards morning, the Rebbebegan to relate a
story:
“During the Russian Revolution, after the fall of theczar, the
Rebbe Rashab told the Chassidim to take partin the elections. One
loyal Chassid, who wascompletely removed from matters of this world
andknew nothing about what was going on in the country,went to vote
as the Rebbe had directed. Naturally, hefirst prepared himself by
immersing in a mikva andputting on his gartel, as one should when
carrying outthe Rebbe’s instruction.
“After he voted, as his friends told him to, he sawpeople
standing and proclaiming, ‘Hoo-ra,’ and hestood there too,
announcing ‘Hoo-ra, hoo-ra, hoo-ra.’”
As he related this, the Rebbe put his hands togetherlike a
triangle (see picture) and, with a big smile,proclaimed “hoo-ra”
three times.
The Rebbe then turned to his right and repeated thestory, once
again putting his hands together andproclaiming “hoo-ra” three
times. Then he turned tohis left and repeated it again, doing as
the Chassid did.
The astonished crowd of Chassidim at thefarbrengen realized that
they were witnessingsomething beyond their earthly comprehension.
Thenthe Rebbe’s face grew serious once again and he began
17BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 686
A statue of Stalin toppled after the fall of communism
Imag
e fro
m C
haba
d.or
g
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 17
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18 10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH
the second maamer of thatfarbrengen, based on the verse
inEsther, “therefore they called thesedays Purim, for the lot.”
WITHOUT REJOICINGBUT WITH A SIGH OF
RELIEFThree days later, on 17 Adar,
1953, the Soviet radio announcersorrowfully announced that
Stalinwas seriously ill and had lostconsciousness. This
officialproclamation of Stalin’s illness wasunusual for the Soviet
Union,which had always refrained fromannouncing the illnesses of
the topechelons. We suspected that Stalinhad died, and the wording
of thepublic announcement was toprepare the citizens of the
countryfor the truth in order to preventchaos. Only later was his
deathconfirmed.
The next day the officialannouncement was made thatStalin, the
wicked enemy of theJews, had died. The top governmentradio
announcer, Yuri Levitin,dramatically announced, “On the9th of
March, at 10:50, the heart ofthe First Secretary of thecommunist
party of the SovietUnion, Chairman of the SupremeSoviet Council,
the GeneralissimoIosif Vissarionovich Stalin, stoppedbeating.”
What caused Stalin’s suddendeath? Like everything in thosedays,
this was also murky. Somesaid he had had a stroke and helingered
for three days and thendied. Some said he died in themidst of a
psychotic episode, whichoccurred with some frequency inhis later
years. Some said hewanted to shoot the members of hisgovernment and
they preemptedhim and eliminated him.
A confidante of Stalin, who haddefected to England
immediatelyupon Stalin’s death, reported in the
London Chronicle that Stalin hadgiven Voroshilov, the Premier of
theSoviet Union, a documentdecreeing that every Jew in theSoviet
Union be exiled to Birobijan,where they would all be killed.
Hisgoal was to complete what Hitlerhad started.
Voroshilov took the paper fromStalin, read it, and threw it back
inhis face. Stalin, shocked andangered by his chutzpah, had aheart
attack on the spot and died.
Others said that Stalin had beenpoisoned by the head of the
KGB,Beria, because senior governmentofficials feared that an
expulsion ofthe Jews would lead to a thirdworld war and a probable
USvictory, which would completelyundermine Russia.
Stalin’s death was not met withthe joy that Haman’s death
wasreceived. The people were toostunned. Citizens of the Soviet
Union, who from their youngestyears had been raised to sing
andpraise the “Sun of the Nations,”who were exposed daily to
radioprograms and newspaper articlesthat lauded Stalin and his
personalconcern for every citizenthroughout the empire, found
ithard to imagine how Russia couldgo on without him.
People believed that Stalinpreserved peace in the world.
The“Father of the Nations,” is how hewas known. I remember
achildren’s song that described theresidents of the empire asleep
intheir beds at night and from justone window did light shine for
thatis where Stalin sat, concernedabout peace for all… In every
book,no matter the topic, the author hadto praise Stalin in the
introductionfor his contribution to the book.Otherwise, it wouldn’t
be approvedfor printing and the author wouldbe accused of
treason.
Thus, despite the massiveincitement campaign against theJews
perpetrated by Stalin, therewere Jews who cried upon hearingof his
demise. A woman whoworked for my father tearfullycomplained, “We
finally hadsomeone who cared about us, andnow G-d took him away
too…”
After the initial shock, the Jewsof Russia breathed a sigh of
relief.They couldn’t imagine a betterending to the Doctors’
Plot.
On Chol HaMoed Pesach it wasreported on the radio that
thedoctors had been released. Thefalse witnesses who
hadincriminated the doctors had beensentenced to imprisonment
andexile.
Though not every home had aradio in those days, our landladydid,
so I was among the first tohear the good news. I ran to myuncle, R’
Boruch Duchman, and toour friends, the Mishulovins (wholater became
our mechutanim) and
Stalin had givenVoroshilov, thePremier of the
Soviet Union, adocument
decreeing thatevery Jew in theSoviet Union be
exiled and killed.Voroshilov tookthe paper fromStalin, read
it,
and threw it backin his face.
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 18
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BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 686 19
announced the wonderful news.My uncle Boruch said that the
day would come when Stalin wouldbe denounced and he would
bethrown out of Lenin’s mausoleum.It sounded like a wild dream,
butonly a few years later, Khrushchevrevealed Stalin’s atrocities
and hewas indeed thrown out. Forty yearslater, with the collapse
ofcommunism, all remaining statuesof Stalin were removed from
publicplaces.
Following Stalin’s death, thesituation in Russia
changedsignificantly. Many politicalprisoners were freed,
includingmany Chassidim who had beenexiled to camps in Siberia.
Thusended a terrible era in the lives ofRussian Jewry.
THE REBBEACKNOWLEDGES
HIS ROLEThe Rebbe never explained the
otherworldly events that took placeat the Purim farbrengen in
1953. Asort of “acknowledgment” wasgiven only forty years later,
whenthat special maamer was edited bythe Rebbe and reprinted. The
Rebbealso edited the introduction to thekuntres, including the
following:
“To mark the approaching daysof Purim, we are publishing
themaamer ‘Al kein kar’u l’yamimha’eila Purim,’ which the Rebbesaid
at the Purim farbrengen of5713. This is the second maamersaid at
the Purim farbrengen of thatyear, the recitation of which
wasapparently connected with theevents taking place at that
time
including the downfall of the rulerof that country who was an
enemyof the Jews. This is according towhat they understood at the
timefrom the story that the Rebberelated, by way of introduction
andin juxtaposition to saying thismaamer, about the instruction
ofthe Rebbe Rashab during the periodof the Revolution after the
fall ofthe czar.”
The wondrous timing of Stalin’sdeath, on Purim, the day
thebiblical arch-enemy of the Jews hadhis downfall, served to
underscorethe message of ‘ba’yamim haheimb’z’man ha’zeh,’ that just
as inthose days, so too in our times, agreat miracle took place for
theJews of the Soviet Union and itssatellite countries. ‘Kein
tihyehlanu’ – may we merit the same withMoshiach Now!
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 19
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10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH20
So my dear Yidden, how wasyour week? Oy, another weekwithout the
Beis HaMikdash islike a hot fudge sundae withouthot fudge or even
ice cream. Wellwe can’t let it affect our simcha,we just gotta get
more happy!There’s so much to do, so manyproblems to solve, so
manypeople who need to smile andlaugh. We lamplighters need tokeep
shining away.
So I’ve been getting my oldbrain in gear, trying to work on
solving other major problems ofour times, like the economy,
airpollution, the melting North andSouth poles, Shleimus
HaAretz,and those annoying answeringmachines that give us like
2,364.7options of what to push so youcan’t talk to a human being
oreven a gerbil (this last problem isreally annoying).
So what is Bubbe Cohen’ssolution to the Wall Street crisis?Stop
worshipping money andWALL Street and focus on
worshipping our True and OneCreator, helping to re-build
theWALLS of the true edifice – theThird Beis HaMikdash with
globsand globs of deeds of goodnessand kindness and generosity!
Ok,done. What’s next?
Oh yeah, air pollution. Don’tdrive, walk. And learn globs
andglobs of Torah and Mishnayos topurify the air. There we go,
that’sdone. Wow, this is much easierthan I thought!
Ok, what was third? Oh yes,this global warming thing and
themelting of the poles. Well, justplug in a lot of air
conditionersup North and down South andturn them on. If a lot of
thepenguins already startedmigrating more towards theequator, maybe
they can help usout by making minyans in allthose Chabad Houses
scatteredacross the globe – hey, they dressthe same and they kind
ofshuckle. Maybe they really areChabadniks doing undercoverwork
elevating the polar sparks.That’s the real reason why thepoles are
melting, their kavanaand avoda just so warmed up theplace it
couldn’t help but melt!Ok guys, you did enough workthere, come
home.
mosh iach l ight
What is the one thing that can wearanyone down, make them lose
allresolve and inspire them to a quick andfinal defeat? When our
children kvetch!If they get into one of those whinymoods and don’t
relent on theirincessant kvetching, whining, begging,and
overwhelmingly powerful wailingand tantrums, even the strongest
mostresolute parent disintegrates into awobbling heap of jello.
BRILLIANTSOLUTIONS FROMBUBBE COHEN By Ice Cream Cohen
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 20
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BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 686 21
Ah, next? Shleimus HaAretz.Well that one really is a toughie.
Ithink I’ll skip this one for nowand save it for last.
So nu, ah yes – answeringmachines. Oy, now this is a
realchallenge. Who ever made themup anyway? What’s wrong withhuman
beings answering thephone and directing us? I can bestuck half the
day just pushingbuttons that lead me to no one,accomplish zilch and
then have topay through the nose for aridiculously high phone bill.
Ah!Maybe that’s who made up thesesystems – the phone company!They
just want to make moremoney off our getting stuck inmessage
land.
Well, we can get beyond them!Solution? If you need to
reachsomeone, just face in theirgeneral direction and if
they’reclose enough, so nu, talk to them.If they’re a bit farther
away thenjust yell really loud. If they’re toofar away, then just
use your
Telepathic telepaphone andthink really hard. Forgettelephones –
use yourtelepaphone. Who really wantstelephones anyway?
Thoseannoying cords always end upgetting tangled in everything
andstart twisting and breaking andinterfering with the
connectionuntil they plotz for good. What awaste of plastic.
Telepathy ismuch cheaper. It’s also a greatway to cut down on
noisepollution. Just make sure yousend really nice thoughts.
Well, I covered a lot of groundtoday – leave it to a
ChassidicRebbetzin and Bubbe to have ananswer for everything,
right? ButI haven’t covered the last majorissue this week that’s
really beengetting to my kishkes. This is amajor one, dear Yidden,
and I’m
going to need your help – yourspirit of volunteerism and
some
extra mesiras nefesh to lend usyour precious children to
helpsolve the problem here.
Oy – a BIG MESS this one is.Not even funny. But dear BubbeCohen
has an original solution,just hear me out…
It’s this Shleimus HaAretzthing. The security problems in
our Holy Land. Have you all beenfollowing the news about
oursecurity situation here in Israel?Talk about a mess. A real
mess. Ifonly everyone would’ve listenedto our beloved Rebbe,
wewouldn’t be in this stew. TheRebbe MH”M simply instructed
us to announce to the entireworld that HaKadosh Baruch Hugave us
this land and it belongsto us. That’s that. Stand firm andstrong in
front of all the nationsof the world, do what we have toprotect our
citizens and then theworld will respect us. The Rebbealso told us
more. Being thatPurim is fast approaching, weshould take a hint and
also listento what our dear Rebbe told uswe could learn from this
soon toarrive festive day – what didMordechai the Tzaddik do
whenthey were faced with the threat ofnational extermination?
The kinderlach, dears, herelied on the kinderlach! Hegathered
all the children and hadthem recite Torah passages, andwith our
precious childrenreciting words of Torah with theirpure and holy
mouths, they wereable to override the decree andreverse it
entirely!
Of course we must give theultimate credit to the righteousQueen
Esther who fasted forthree days and also inspired us tofast, repent
and increase in unity.It was Queen Esther who had thebravery to
approach King Aha-ha-ha-shaveros on our people’sbehalf and plead
for mercy on us.The Purim Megilla is davkanamed after her for, as
usual, ittook a righteous woman to helpbring about our salvation
(menjust can’t manage things alone).
But it took a recipe of a fewimportant ingredients and one ofthe
major ingredients was theyoung ones – it was the children!It was
within the power of ourkinderlach and their holy mouthsto help turn
the whole scenariointo a day of salvation andrejoicing to this very
day!
So I say let’s do it again.Gather all those precious
littlebeings together have them recitethe 12 p’sukim – the 12
Torah
When all thoseterrorists hear thefrightening soundwell up in
theirears and echodeafeningly acrossthe entire MiddleEast, they
willquake in theirshoes, drop alltheirweapons...anddisappear over
thehorizon to thefarthest continentson the planetnever to
returnagain.
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 21
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10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH22
passages – at the top of theirlungs and you’ll see how
thingsturn around. But wait, I’m notdone, this is only the first
half ofthe solution. The other half is thebig secret, a most
powerful andeffective weapon; even just uponhearing about it our
enemies willtremble in fright and startchanging their minds…
What is the one thing that canwear anyone down, make themlose
all resolve and inspire themto a quick and final defeat? Whenour
children kvetch! If they getinto one of those whiny moodsand don’t
relent on theirincessant kvetching, whining,begging, and
overwhelminglypowerful wailing and tantrums,even the strongest most
resoluteparent disintegrates into awobbling heap of jello.
So this dear friends, is theother secret power that ourprecious
children possess withintheir holy mouths and this is thepower we
need to use to solve theShleimus HaAretz problem.
What, you laugheth at me?
How is this possible thy sayeth?Well, politics hasn’t helped,
that’sbeen one of the biggest problems!Let me finish explaining how
toutilize this tremendous weapon…
With the wonderful mesirasnefesh of all the devoted anddoting
parents here in Eretz HaKodesh (and any dedicated soulswho have
children willing to makea special trip to the Holy Landfor the
occasion), we will line upall our children around theborders of
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andKVETCH!!!
When all those terrorists hearthe frightening sound well up
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will quake in their shoes,drop all their weapons, run fasterthan a
four wheel drive cheetahrevved up with diesel fuel and asix pack of
extra sugar and extracaffeine Coke, and disappear overthe horizon
to the farthest
continents on the planet (perhapsthe North and South
Poles?)never to return again.
Shleimus HaAretz solved!!!Children aren’t just our
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Oradopt a kid; there are many thatneed loving parents of their
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686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 22
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24 10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH
For well over 100 years, ChabadChassidim have lived in Chevron,
theholy city, in an organizedcommunity. They held farbrengensand
shiurei Chassidus, and variousyeshivos, shluchim and
organizationsperformed many deeds of tz’dakaand chesed. The Rebbeim
chose topurchase lands in Chevron, andthese were registered in
their names.The high point of Chabad Chassidusin Chevron was the
visit of theRebbe Rayatz in 1929. The lowpoint was the massacre
that tookplace shortly thereafter, destroyingthe Jewish settlement
there.
SHABBOS WITHREBBETZIN MENUCHA
ROCHELThe Chabad presence in Chevron
started in the lifetime of the AlterRebbe. His Chassid, Rabbi
MosheMeizlich, was the head of thecommunity. Afterwards, the
community was led by descendentsof the Mitteler Rebbe’s
daughter,Rebbetzin Menucha Rochel.
In 5605 (1845), RebbetzinMenucha Rochel and her husband,Rabbi
Yaakov Kuli Slonim, leftLubavitch for Eretz Yisroel. Theysettled in
Chevron, and lived in thehome of their oldest son, R’ YehudaLeib.
Their home, known as BeisSchneersohn, served as a shul wherepeople
davened on weekdays,Shabbos and Yom Tov. TheRebbetzin would share
with theChassidim stories about her father,the Mitteler Rebbe, and
hergrandfather, the Alter Rebbe.
The Rebbetzin was particularabout the Shabbos food, makingsure
it was all eaten during Shabbos.She shared it generously along
withher blessings, with both family andcommunity every Shabbos.
PURIM – CHABAD STYLER’ Menachem Shmuel Slonim,
the Rebbetzin’s great-grandson,describes the exciting atmosphere
onPurim in Chevron:
“When Adar came in, the
feature
First person impressions – thecommunal Purim meal,
homemade“mashke” for Pesach, a question thatarose during a wedding
meal, anassimilated bachur who was inspired bythe t’filla of a
mashpia, and the“protection” of the “Black Rabbi”
LUBAVITCH LIFEIN CHEVRONBy Shneur Zalman Berger
Beis Romano – this is where yeshivasToras Emes used to be.
Today, yeshivasShavei Chevron is located here.Recently, Heichal
HaRashab openedhere, which documents the Chabadpresence in
Chevron
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 24
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25BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 686
preparations for Purim began. InChevron, Purim is celebrated
onboth days – the fourteenth andfifteenth of Adar. The women
werebusy baking tortes, honey cakes,biscuits, hamantashen, and
lekach,which they decorated nicely and withhiddur mitzva for
mishloach manos.
“The men were busy preparingalcoholic beverages and
variouscombinations of punches. Thechildren, for whom Purim was
themost joyous holiday of the year,were making graggers and
preparinghammers to break Haman’s head.Since they were allowed to
dress upin costume and cavort to theirheart’s content as they
fulfill themitzva of erasing Haman, as it says,
“you shall surely erase the memoryof Amalek,” their joy and
mischiefknew no bounds.
“The evening of the fourteenth ofAdar, the Megilla was read in
shulsomewhat quickly because of the fastof Taanis Esther which
wouldn’t enduntil the Megilla was read. Thechildren, who had not
fasted, andwho had been eagerly anticipatingthis Yom Tov, were not
pleased withthe adults’ haste.
“Armed with hammers andgraggers, they fell upon everymention of
Haman and made aracket, not ceasing until the adultsshushed them.
They did not allowone mention of Haman to go bywithout exacting
whatever vengeance
their noisemakers could accomplish.While they took revenge on
Hamanthey also banged upon the chairsand benches.
“The next day, the adults andchildren went to shul dressed
inShabbos clothes for the daveningand the reading of the Megilla.
Mygrandfather read the Megilla, as washis custom every year. He
wouldalso read the parsha every Shabbos.He would read it with a
specialsweetness, with strong emphasis onthe words and an
outpouring of thesoul. It was pleasant listening to himread the
Megilla, with the wordsexpressed with Chabad d’veikus. Heespecially
outdid himself during thereading of the verses, ‘if you keep
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 25
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10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH26
silent,’ ‘relief and salvation,’ ‘andwhen she came before the
king.’
“After the reading of the Megillaand the end of davening, they
woulddrink l’chaim in shul from mashkeprepared by the gabbai. They
wouldthen disperse to their homes for theseuda.”
After a description of the sendingof mishloach manos, he
describesthe Purim meal with his grandfather,Rabbi Levi Yitzchok
Slonim (theRebbetzin’s son):
“In the afternoon, everybody inChevron, young and old,
wouldgather for the Purim seuda with mygrandfather, who was known
asFeter Levitcha. No invitations werenecessary, since it was a
given thatthe Purim seuda took place at hishouse. It was quite a
meal, withwhole lambs brought the day beforeto his home. All the
women of thefamily came together to help mygrandmother with the
cooking.
“The table was laden withdelicacies galore along with finewines
and whiskies. The crowdcelebrated joyously, singing Chabadniggunim
and dancingenthusiastically – in tune with theverse “The Jews had
light and joy,happiness and honor.”
PESACH – HALLEL WITHA CHABAD NIGGUN
The matzos for Pesach werebaked in the “Beis HaTanur,” abuilding
that belonged to KollelChabad which had an oven. R’Menachem Shmuel
Slonim relateshow his grandfather would bake thematzos:
“My grandfather, R’ LeviYitzchok, who was a handsome manwith a
sweet voice, would go to theoven on the day they baked
matzos,dressed in Shabbos clothes and witha shtraimel on his head.
He wouldstand among the workers, wrappedin his tallis, and recite
Hallel with aChabad niggun. All the men sangalong with him with
much pomp and
majesty and great rejoicing. Theatmosphere was suffused with
aspirit of holiness and elevation.”
R’ Menachem Shmuel describedhow “mashke” was made for
Pesach:
“The winemakers in town wouldmanufacture the mashke out ofgrape
sediment, the remains of thegrapes after they were squeezed, orout
of raisins. This was their mainbusiness, since each local
balabusmade his own wine. The large scalemanufacturers sold their
wine tooutsiders only, those who enjoyed
wine from Chevron. The wine ofChevron had a good reputation
andwas considered the finest in thecountry. However, in the home
ofmy father (R’ Shneur Zalman) andgrandfather (R’ Levi Yitzchok)
theydid not use the mashke made byothers for Pesach.
“For the sake of hiddur mitzva,they made it themselves at
home.They had commissioned a small vat,like the one used by the
bigproducers but on a smaller scale,
and a few days before Pesach theywould begin making mashke.
Itrequired a lot of effort, expertise andattention. It did not
compare to thatof the experts, but taste was not thetop priority.
The top priority waskashrus, and on Pesach we werevery stringent
not to rely on othersfor things we could make ourselves.”
A QUESTION THATAROSE AT A WEDDINGAt a wedding that took place
in
Chevron in 5646 (1886), it wasfeared that a chicken that was
servedwas treif. A Torah scholar inattendance said that in his
opinion,the chicken was treif and a questionhad to be asked of a
rav regardingthe utensils that had been used.
The question was sent to RabbiShimon Menashe Chaiken, theChabad
rav of Chevron at that time,and he said the chicken was kosher.Joy
was restored at the weddingmeal.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Na’ah(the father of the posek R’
ChaimNa’ah), later one of the leaders ofthe Chabad settlement in
Chevron,who was a young man at the time,checked the chicken and
wrote hisconclusions. He suggested there wasreason to be lenient
because of thesimchas chassan v’kalla. He wrotethis t’shuva at the
age of 19 and sentit to his father, Rabbi Moshe Tzvi,who lived in
Russia, to get hisopinion.
The gaon, Rabbi ChizkiyahuMedini, author of S’dei Chemed,was one
of the leaders of the Jewishcommunity in Chevron and hadexcellent
ties with the Chabadleaders of the city. In his book herelates a
few of the Talmudicdiscussions that he had with hisgood friend,
Rabbi Mendel Na’ah.
For example, in S’dei Chemed(published in New York, 1959, vol.3)
he discusses the topic of womenbeing exempt from time-boundmitzvos.
He delves into the issue of
He reached out forthe watch and R’
Levi Yitzchok, notwanting to partwith it, warned
him, ‘Don’t touchit! It’s demon’s
work. Listen to thepeculiar
knocking.’ Thesheik was
frightened andfled.
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 26
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BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 686 27
adding from the weekday to theholiness of Yom Kippur as it
appliesto women. At first he brings theopinions of Rishonim
andAcharonim, analyzes them, andsuggests and then
demolishesdifferent logical arguments. He thenrelates that Rav
Mendel Na’ah cameto his beis midrash and a debateensued between
them on the subject:
“While I was immersed in theChesed L’Avrohom, my friend,
thegreat rav, R’ Mendel Ashkenazi[Na’ah] came and I showed himwhat
[the gaon, R’ Teumim says]and what my opinion is.” Hedescribes
their dispute, and theopinion of R’ Mendel, who disagreedwith his
view. In conclusion hewrites:
“A few days later, my friend [R’Na’ah] brought me what he
wroteon this issue, for I had asked him towrite down our dispute.”
Then hequotes what R’Mendel Na’ah saidand concludes that it is up
to thereader to decide.
THE “BLACK RAV”The “Black Rabbi” is a
fascinating and much describedepisode. R’ Menachem ShmuelSlonim
wrote:
“Sheik Abdul Rachman IssaAmar was referred to by the Jews ofthe
settlement in Chevron as the‘Black Rabbi,’ since he
received‘protection money’ from KollelChabad. He would stroll
through themarket place of Chevron, staff inhand, and when he saw
somethinghe fancied he would remark to thestorekeeper, ‘That’s
nice.’ The hintwas understood and the item wassent to his home even
before he gotthere. If he met a person in themarket who was wearing
a new suit,he would say, ‘You don’t deserve it,take it off and give
it to me.’
“This despot entered the shulwith his young son one RoshHaShana,
shortly before the blowingof the shofar. The people were afraidto
blow the shofar, the only one theyhad, lest the sheik desire it as
a toy
for his son. They all went down tothe cellar of the shul and
blew thet’kios there.
“One time, he came to mygrandfather’s house and found themoney
for the stipends distributedby Kollel Chabad, as well as therecord
books, on the table. Afterinquiring about the record books, hesaid
to R’ Levi Yitzchok, ‘You knowthat I could take it all, but I’m
anhonest man and won’t take thesustenance of the poor away
fromthem. Since I protect you, however,I want to be written down on
the listlike one of the distinguished rabbis.’
“From then on, he was referredto by the people and the rolls
ofKollel Chabad as, ‘The Black Rabbi.’Like all the Jews, he
received: foresrogim (code for primary support),lulavim (code for
the additionalstipend for distinguished scholars),and hadasim (code
for special fundsfor marriages, new mothers, the illetc.).
“The appellations ‘esrogim,lulavim, and hadasim’ were used
sothat the Russian censors shouldn’tsuspect that Jews were
sendingmoney to the Turkish government(the Russians and Turks
wereadversaries) and also as protectionfrom the informers.
Similarly, on thesign of yeshivas Toras Emes inChevron it said
‘Store for Olive Oiland Tzitzis.’ When anticipating theannual money
from abroad, peoplewould ask one another obliquely,‘Did the ship
arrive yet?’
“R’ Levi Yitzchok once traveledabroad on behalf of the Kollel,
andhe brought back with him two itemsthat were rare for Israel at
that time:a samovar made of shiny copper anda small pocket watch.
Among thosewho came to welcome him back wasthe Black Rabbi. The
sheik scannedthe room and noticed the sparklingsamovar on the
shelf. He asked inwonder, “Is it made of gold and
veryexpensive?”
“It was obvious that he wanted it,Rabbi Menachem Mendel Na’ah,
oneof the Lubavitcher leaders in Chevron
The S’dei Chemed
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 27
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10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH28
so R’ Levi Yitzchok replied, ‘It is foryou.’ The sheik looked
around somemore and noticed the watch. Hereached out for it and R’
LeviYitzchok, not wanting to part with it,warned him, ‘Don’t touch
it! It’sdemon’s work. Listen to the peculiarknocking.’ The sheik
was frightenedand fled. Whenever he showed upthereafter, he would
ask whether the‘monster’ had been removed fromthe house.
“The Black Rabbi and his eightbrothers were always warring.
Theresidents of Chevron often awoke tosee the mountains covered
withbattling Bedouins. The Black Rabbiwas always the victor, but he
tired ofthe many wars. When Ibrahim Pashacame to Yerushalayim, the
BlackRabbi invited him to conquerChevron.
“When Ibrahim Pasha conqueredChevron, permission was granted
tothe army to plunder the city forthree days and nights. The Jews
hidtheir possessions in pits and fled tothe courtyard of the Black
Rabbi.One Chabad Chassid, R’ YisroelYaffa, ‘the Printer from
Kopust,’could not flee since he was lookingafter his terminally ill
daughter.
“The soldiers entered the Jewishneighborhood and threatened to
killR’ Yisroel if he did not disclose tothem where their
possessions werehidden. R’ Yisroel showed him thevaluables in the
cellar and thenescaped through a narrow window.He ran to the Black
Rabbi to reportthe theft.
“The Black Rabbi had just
returned from the battlefield inexhaustion. R’ Yosef Yehuda
BechorShmerling, who was the Austrianconsul in Chevron and a friend
andneighbor of the Black Rabbi,approached him and said, ‘We
havebeen pillaged!’ The Black Rabbiangrily told him to go away.
Thisscene repeated itself until ultimatelythe Black Rabbi
threatened to stick asword in his heart.
“However, R’ Yosef then pleaded,‘Our master and protector, my
soulis in your hand, save us!’ The BlackRabbi was mollified. He
went to themilitary commander, who orderedthat the pillaging cease.
He placedguards at the gates of the Jewishneighborhood and the Jews
returnedto their homes. All their possessionswere returned. That
day, the 19th ofIyar, was declared a ‘Purim,’ andTachanun is not
said.”
The Black Rabbi’s career endedwhen the Turkish authorities
senthim to Turkey, where he was puton trial for many crimes
andexecuted.
THE HOLY CITYWILL BE HOLY
The spirit of authentic LubavitchChassidus began to be felt
inChevron when, in 5672 (1912),seven select T’mimim fromLubavitch
arrived with theirmashpia, Rabbi Shlomo ZalmanHavlin. The Rebbe
Rashab wantedto strengthen the impoverished andlong-suffering
Jewish community inChevron. The goal was to start ayeshiva and to
provide shiurim forthe adults.
The seven outstanding T’mimimwere:
Rabbi Alter Simchovitz – laterone of the roshei yeshiva of
TomcheiT’mimim in Warsaw and Toras Emesin Yerushalayim.
Rabbi Yechezkel (Chatshe) Feigin– later the Rebbe Rayatz’s
secretary,and acting director of the network ofTomchei T’mimim
yeshivos.
Rabbi Hillel Protkin, Rabbi TzviHirsh Katzav, Rabbi Yisroel
ZalmanOsnas, Rabbi Avrohom EliyahuAsherov – later one of the
rosheiyeshiva of Tomchei T’mimim inWarsaw, and Rabbi
Menachem(Nache) Karasik, one of the chozrimof the Rebbe Rashab.
They established yeshivasTomchei T’mimim in Chevron, andwere
joined in their learning by localbachurim and men. They started
outin the Chabad yeshiva buildingMagen Avos, and after a short
whilethey moved to Beis Romano.
The talmidim of the yeshivabrought with them the
Chassidishewarmth and chayus which they hadabsorbed from the
yeshiva inLubavitch. They influenced many tolearn Chassidus and
breathedJewish-Chassidic life into thecommunity. The senior
ChabadChassidim in Chevron sent letters tothe Rebbe Rashab,
praising theyeshiva and its impact.
Rabbi Mordechai DovberSlonim, Rebbetzin MenuchaRochel’s youngest
son and one ofthe distinguished older ChabadChassidim in Chevron,
wrote toRabbi Shlomo Yehuda LeibEliezerov, one of the Chabad
leadersof Chevron who was in Lubavitch atthe time. The following
are someexcerpts from the letter:
“Great is the benefit for the holycity in general and
specifically, insending the mashpia and theprecious bachurim who
haveilluminated this holy city, fromdarkness to a great light. I
haddespaired, thinking there was nomore hope, heaven forbid,
havingabout this several times. Indeed, hadI not seen it with my
own eyes, Iwould not have believed it. Howgreat is the power of
[the RebbeRashab] to transform darkness andgloom into great
light.
“The impact made by the menand bachurim here is apparent toall.
It is undeniable that even for us
Not only the eldersand I, but even
the scoffers of thegeneration who
mock everything,are impressed.
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 28
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BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 686 29
seniors, the G-dly spark that hadalready been extinguished
wasrekindled. I cannot describe for youthe pleasure I have in
hearing thechapter of Tanya every day and theoccasional maamarei
Chassidus.Not only the elders and I, but eventhe scoffers of the
generation whomock everything, are impressed.Now we have hope that
the holycity will be sacred for Torah andprayer, and the light of
Chassiduswill illuminate within it, as is thedesire of our
ancestors, the holyRebbeim, through the Rebbe[Rashab].”
Another perspective is seen in aletter of the rosh yeshiva,
Rabbi
Havlin. This letter was sent to RabbiChonye Morosov, who at that
timewas the secretary of the committeefor Toras Emes (he later
became theRebbe Rayatz’s secretary):
“My dear friend, I am writingthis letter in the yeshiva. If you
couldonly see how the bachurim learnwith the men and even the boys.
It islike a microcosm of the yeshiva inLubavitch. The bachurim
daven atlength as they did there, nothingchanged, heaven forbid. I
try not toadd or diminish so that it will beprecisely, in all
details, as inLubavitch, as it says in the letter ofthe Rebbe
[Rashab].
“You would surely receive greatpleasure from this. In truth, if
thereweren’t financial obstacles and thelike, we could have a
substantialyeshiva here like we have inLubavitch. It is not as we
thought,i.e., that here they are not suited; onthe contrary, they
are devoted withall their heart and soul.”
“One time, I cameacross the bachursitting on a largerock near
thespring, holding hishead between hisknees and cryingloudly.”
Below: Four generations of the Slonim family. In the center
sitting and learningis Rabbi Mordechai Dovber Slonim, the youngest
son of Rabbi Yaakov Kuli andRebbetzin Menucha Rochel Slonim. His
sons, grandsons and great-grandsonsare next to him. On the right is
his son, R’ Shneur Zalman Slonim – rav of theChabad Chassidim in
Yaffo; on the extreme left is Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Slonim –the last
rav of Chevron, and between him and R’ Mordechai is standing
R’Eliezer Don Slonim, who was murdered in the pogrom of 1929.
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 29
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10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH30
HE HAD A CHANGEOF HEART
Rabbi Shimon Glitzenstein, whotaught in the yeshiva, told about
anirreligious bachur who immigratedto Eretz Yisroel from Cracow
andbegan doing t’shuva, starting offlearning in a yeshiva
inYerushalayim.
“… In the end, he came toChevron. As soon as he arrived, hewent
to yeshivas Toras Emes. Heheard shiurim in Chassidus Chabadand his
soul was revived. Accordingto the schedule in the yeshiva,
theywould learn Chassidus for two hoursbefore Shacharis and then
they wentto immerse in the mikva. During thesummer, they would
immerse in thecold springs that are around the city.I would
customarily immerse in EinAshdid, near the lot called Sahadusaby
the Arabs. According to theirtradition, the witnesses who signedthe
deed that Efron gave AvrohomAvinu when he bought M’arasHaMachpella
are buried there.
“One time, I came across thebachur sitting on a large rock
nearthe spring, holding his head between
his knees and crying loudly. Inresponse to my questioning,
heexplained that when he crossed thethreshold of the yeshiva, he
feltanother spirit within him, and whenhe heard the davening of
themashpia, R’ Shlomo Zalman Havlin,he heard a deep echo from
theoutpouring of the soul of greatChabad Chassidim who, with
theirsongs of d’veikus, expressed theirawe and longing towards the
One onhigh.
“Just as their singing in generalwas weighty and deep, the songs
ofd’veikus in their davening expressedvarious emotions: outpouring
of thesoul, inspiration, passion andsublime connection. The
nigguneid’veikus that the mashpia sang in hisdavening expressed his
own personalstyle and bore a special charm. Themelodies were sweet
and captivatedthe listeners. The niggun, suffusedwith a fiery
yearning for G-d, wasable to raise the spark in the hiddenrecesses
of the soul of even he whohad become distant from the ways
ofHashem, to return him to the bosom
of pure faith and to infuse him witha yearning of holy fire for
true life.
“The bachur from Cracow, anintellectual and socialist, became
adifferent person. When he spokeabout this fateful moment in his
life,he said, ‘Only now do I have an ideaof the power hidden within
purefaith. I feel like someone reborn. Inthe brief time remaining
to me tolive (his days were numbered, for hewas sick with
tuberculosis), I knowthe true goal in life.’
WAR AND POGROMSDuring World War I, the Chabad
community received a painful blow.The Turks, who were
fightingRussia, expelled Russian citizensfrom Israel. The talmidim
fromLubavitch, as well as some of theresidents of Chevron, had to
leavethe country. Some of them wereexiled to Egypt and returned at
theend of the war, but the yeshivarecommenced in Yerushalayimrather
than Chevron.
In the years that followed, the
Beis Schneerson as it looks today
The gravestone of Rebbetzin MenuchaRochel in Chevron
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 30
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BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 686 31
Chabad community in Chevrondwindled. The highlight for Chabadin
Chevron was when the RebbeRayatz visited them. This visit
isdescribed at length in books.
Only a few days after his visit,the pogrom of 1929
brutallydecimated the Jewish settlement in
Chevron. The Jewish community, aswell as the Chabad community,
wasutterly destroyed. The few survivorsmoved to Yerushalayim and
thusended the Jewish and Chabadpresence in Chevron.
In 1967, the Lubavitch pioneersRabbi Boruch Nachshon, the
artist,
and his wife Sarah, arrived inChevron. Today, their son-in-law,
R’Victor Ettia, their son R’ YossiNachshon, and Rabbi Danny
Cohenare the shluchim in Chevron andKiryat Araba. They are bringing
theChabad spirit back to the holy city ofChevron.
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CHINUCH FOR MESIRUS NEFESH
In Megillas Esther there aremany fascinating characters.
Someplay a minor role while others playmajor roles, but Queen
Estherstands out above all others. TheGemara relates that when the
storyreached its happy conclusion, Estherrequested of the Sages
that she bewritten down for generations tocome. The Sages
responded, “Doyou want to arouse the jealousy ofthe goyim?” But
after furtherdiscussion, her request was acceptedand the Megilla
bears her name.
Megillas Esther will maintain itsspecial status even after the
comingof Moshiach. The Rambam writes inHilchos Megilla, “All the
books ofN’viim and K’suvim will be annulledin the Days of Moshiach
except forMegillas Esther. It endures like theFive Books of the
Torah and thehalachos of the Oral Torah that arenever
cancelled.
Why does Esther hold such aspecial status? This was not the
firsttime in history that women wereinvolved in miracles. Chazal
tell usthat “In the merit of the righteouswomen, our ancestors
wereredeemed from Egypt.” Later, thebrave actions of Yehudis were
soessential to the miracle of Chanuka
that until today, women areobligated in lighting the
Chanukamenorah.
What, then, makes Esther greaterthan other women? In addition,
wasMordechai’s share in the miracle anyless significant?
The Rebbe explains that thesalvation of Purim came aboutbecause
of the mesirus nefesh ofEsther. Esther was heartbroken tohear about
the decree on her people,despite the fact that she was safe inthe
palace and it would not affecther personally. She cared about
herpeople to such a degree that she waswilling to take her life in
her handsin order to get the decree annulled.She dared to approach
the kingwithout being summoned, fullycognizant that anyone who did
sowas liable to be killed.
Says the Rebbe (sicha Purim5714, Toras Menachem p.144):
“IfEsther would have asked aMisnagdic rav whether it waspermissible
for her to go toAchashverosh, he would surely havepaskened that it
was forbidden.Shulchan Aruch states that a personhas to protect
himself, as we werecommanded, ‘and you shall be veryprotective of
your souls.’Fortunately, Esther didn’t ask anyquestions or stop to
considerwhether it was permissible or
forbidden to do. Rather, when it wasa decree on the Jewish
people, sheacted in a manner of mesirusnefesh…”
Esther acquired this potential formesirus nefesh from the
chinuch shegot in the house of Mordechai.Mordechai was a Chassid,
“amesirus nefesh Yid,” and heimparted to Esther the
Chassidishechinuch that when a Jew is indistress, you go with
mesirus nefesh.
The Rebbe says, “Mordechaimust have been a Chassid, since
heenacted the inyan of ‘a person mustget inebriated on Purim until
hedoesn’t know…’ Who but a Chassidwould come up with an
enactmentfor generations to come that youneed to drink to that
extent?”
In the sicha of Purim, 5715,(Toras Menachem p. 304) the
Rebbeexplains the real significance ofEsther’s request to be
written downfor generations:
Mordechai and Esther arousedthe power of mesirus nefesh in
theJewish people. Since that time, it isengraved in our hearts,
within everysingle Jew until the end of time, sothat we have
mesirus nefesh forTorah and mitzvos. This gives everyJew the
ability to rise above the placeand time he is in and act
withmesirus nefesh in his daily life, notonly during N’ila on Yom
Kippur,but when we eat and when we sleep,when we walk in the street
and whenwe go to work.
Mesirus nefesh doesn’t requirejumping off the roof. It means
togive over one’s personal desires.Only the person himself knows
howhard a particular thing was for himto do, and other people may
notnotice he did it at all, but he does it
rosh chodesh k i s levpur im
32 10 Adar 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH
Why is it specifically Megillas Estherthat will never be
annulled? How do weknow that Mordechai and Esther wereChassidim?
What do we learn fromthem in our avodas Hashem today?
MEGILLAS CHASSIDIMBy Dafna Chaim
686:Beis Moshiach 02/03/2009 7:31 AM Page 32
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with simcha and hiddur, becausethat is what he was commanded
todo.
AYELES HA’SHACHARWe also learn about Esther’s
“Chassidishkait” from a Midrash.Chazal say that Esther is
comparedto a type of deer called ayala. Rashi,on the verse in
T’hillim, “As the hartpants after the water brooks,”teaches us two
unique characteristicsof the ayala. The verse begins withthe
masculine ayal and continues inthe feminine saarog, which
Radakexplains includes males and females.
Rashi says, “The Sages say thatthis ayala is a chassida among
theanimals.” The ayala does not liveonly for itself, but cares
about thosearound her. When the animals arethirsty, say Chazal,
they go to theayala so she will raise her eyes onHigh and pray for
them. She digs ahole and puts her antlers in it andmoans and pleads
to Hashem untilHashem has mercy on her andbrings water up from the
deep.
Rashi also says that when theayala crouches to give birth,
thefawn is unable to emerge since herwomb is narrow. She cries out
toHashem and pleads for her life.Hashem has mercy on her and sendsa
snake to bite her in the area of thewomb and expand it.
If the ayala is crouched to givebirth and the animals come to
askher to pray on their behalf for water,she forgets her personal
sufferingand prays for her fellow animals.(This is the basis for
the idea thatwhen a woman gives birth, her criescan hasten the
Geula, especially ifshe makes requests for otherpeople.)
That was Esther. She was in agolden cage in the king’s
palace,contending with enormousdifficulties as a Jew –
Shabbos,kashrus and even family purity. Butshe put aside