CONTENTS

12
FEATURED ARTICLES WEEKLY COLUMNS

CHASSIDUS ON WHEELS
R Yaron Tzvi

PINYE 12 R Shneur Zalman Berger THE MESSAGE 25 GETTING TO THE CHILDREN OF

M Ben Michoel

4 DVar Malchus 5 Moshiach & Geula 21 Parsha Thought 36 Tzivos Hashem

THE GEULA GENERATION

38

OF 30 STORIES OUR REBBEIM

Rabbi Levi Goldstein

BRIS MILA IN 38 SECRET A RED ARMY CAMP

Shneur Zalman Levin

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DVAR MALCHUS

WILL THE REDEMPTION INTO REALITY

When a Jew cries out Daloi galus! (Enough with exile!) and Moshiach now! were he simply to want it sincerely it would be fulfilled at once, without any delay (and there is no need to wait even the short duration described in the verse, His word runs swiftly), being that the redemption is already here in the world and a Jew must simply reveal it! * The lesson of the mahn.
Translated by Boruch Merkur

AS WITH THE FLAVOR OF THE MAHN, YOUR WILL IS DONE

The miraculous provision of mahn teaches that, in each generation, every Jew has the capacity to receive his livelihood and all his necessities an abundance in the areas of family, health, and sustenance in a manner of bread from the heavens, provided by the one leader of the generation. [In the merit of Moshe Rabbeinu, the Jews were able to survive in the desert for forty years, living off of mahn, miraculous bread [that fell] from the heavens.] The Torah describes how G-d commanded the Jewish people to preserve a jar of mahn, as a safekeeping for generations (Shlach 16:32). As with all concepts discussed in the Torah, a lesson can be derived from

the mahn that is relevant to all generations. The miraculous provision of mahn teaches that, in each generation, every Jew has the capacity to receive his livelihood and all his necessities an abundance in the areas of family, health, and sustenance in a manner of bread from the heavens, provided for him by the one leader of the generation (Sanhedrin 8a, quoted in Rashis commentary on the Torah, VaYeilech 31:7). This is true both with regard to the necessities of life as well as things intended for enjoyment. Moreover, the Jewish people have the power to fulfill their hearts desires simply by willing it, as learned from the mahn. (It had in it [the taste] of all the flavors [imaginable], and every Jew would taste in it all that he so desired, etc. He didnt have to articulate it verbally but just think of it in his heart. He would

simply express [in thought] what his soul craves, and G-d would fulfill his wish, and the person would enjoy the desired taste Shmos Rabba 25:3.) There is no need for a Jew to even wait for his wish to be granted; it is already apparent in the world. All that is required to reveal it [to realize ones hearts desire] is to genuinely want it. [G-d surely acquiesces and provides the Jew with his hearts desire, for] the true will of a Jew is indeed the will of the Creator (in accordance with the ruling of Rambam in Laws of Divorce Ch. 2, end).

TO GENUINELY WANT MOSHIACH NOW

The above concept also has a timely application. Namely, when a Jew wishes for [the end of the exile crying out] Daloi Continued on page 23

4 9 Iyar 5774

MOSHIACH & GEULA

13TH OF IYAR AND MOSHIACH

By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon

Dear Reader shyichyeh This coming week is 13 Iyar. Yud Gimmel Iyar marks the yahrtzait of Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh Leib o.b.m., the brother of the Rebbe. Rabbi Yisroel Aryeh Leib was born in Nikolayev on the 16th of Sivan, 5669. That same year, the family moved to Yekaterinoslav, as Rabbi Levi Yitzchok took up the position of Rov of the city. He was known as a child prodigy and was famous for his diligence. As a young man visiting with the Rebbe Rayatz, Chassidim enjoyed engaging him in discussions in Nigleh and Chassidus, and challenging him with difficult questions. He was in Berlin with the Rebbe in the pre-war years, and later moved to Eretz Yisroel, where he married. Later on he moved to Liverpool, England, where he passed away on the 13th of Iyar, 5712. The Rebbe arranged his burial in Tzfas, and was extremely vigilant that his mother, Rebbetzin Chana, should not learn of his passing. In 5751, the Rebbe explained the lessons to be learned from the name Yisroel Aryeh Leib: The above can be connected with the name of

the person whose yahrtzait is commemorated today, Rav Yisroel Aryeh Leib (the Rebbe shlitas brother). Although he is a private individual, nevertheless, each Jew is interconnected with the entire Jewish people for the entire Jewish people are allegorically described as a single body. Indeed, in regard to the individual mentioned above, this interconnection is further emphasized by the fact that his first name is Yisroel, the name of the Jewish people as a whole. The name Yisroel conveys two seemingly opposite concepts: On one hand, the name Yisroel is an acronym for the Hebrew phrase meaning There are 600,000 letters in the Torah. This highlights the connection between the Torah and the 600,000 general souls which make up the Jewish people; every Jewish soul has a letter of the Torah and that letter is the source for his life-force. Also, the Torah associates the name Yisroel with the service of striving with man and angels and prevailing. This implies involvement with the world at large and even war with the opposing forces. Thus, this appears to convey an opposite thrust than the previous

interpretation which emphasized a Jews connection with the Torah, a level above worldly involvement. This difficulty can be resolved as follows: First and foremost, a Jew must realize that his life-force is derived from his letter in the Torah and therefore, all aspects of his conduct must be governed by the Torahs directives. Simultaneously, he must also be aware that the ultimate goal of his service is not to separate himself from the world at large, but as mentioned previously, to reflect on three things, and carry out his service in creating a dwelling for G-d in this lowly world. This requires contending with angels, i.e., the spiritual forces which are the source for the entities in this material world, as our Sages say, every blade of grass in this world has a source in the heavens which compels it to grow and with men with Eisav and Lavan, who represent the gentile nations of this world. Despite having to deal with such an environment, a Jew is able to prevail and transform his surroundings into a dwelling for G-d. This implies that he does not Continued on page 35
Issue 925

FEATURE

6 9 Iyar 5774

S U D I S S A H C ON WHEELS
R Yosef Bentzion Reizes is familiar to those who frequent 770 as the Chassid who reviews the Dvar Malchus every Shabbos during the Rebbes farbrengen at 1:30. In a conversation with Beis Moshiach, he told about reviewing Chassidus in the early years of the Rebbes nesius and the yechidus he had in connection with this; about his mobile library and about his father who merited special signs of affection from the Rebbe.
By R Yaron Tzvi

very Shabbos at 1:30, R Yosef Bentzion Reizes stands in 770 at the Rebbes farbrengen and eagerly awaits the moment when we will see the Rebbe again and hear his sichos. After the singing of Yechi, R Yosef stands on a bench facing the Rebbes place and reads the Dvar Malchus, the last sicha we heard from the Rebbe on this particular Shabbos. He stands with tremendous bittul and reads each word with particular chayus. You can see that he is reliving the saying of the sicha 22 years ago. I was impressed to see him standing there week after week and I wanted to find out

the source of his enthusiasm, combined with sincerity and kabbalas ol, and all with a youthful spirit. In a conversation that I had with him in his home, I learned that he sees his reviewing of the Dvar Malchus as a direct continuation of his reviewing Chassidus for many years in shuls. His Chassidishe chayus he attributes to his father, R Shmuel Yitzchok, who was a Tamim in Lubavitch.

HE WAS DIRECTED TO LUBAVITCH

My father, who was known by his acronym Rashi (R Shmuel

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Yitzchok), was born around the year 5652/1892 in Bykhov (Yid. Nei Bichov) in Russia (now Belarus). The people in this town were not quite Chassidim but they davened a Chassidishe nusach. When he became bar mitzva, his father sent him to learn in the yeshiva in Rogatchov and from there he went to Bobruisk to the yeshiva of R Shmarya Noach, a grandson of the Tzemach Tzedek. One day, someone from a certain Litvishe yeshiva came and tried to convince the bachurim to switch to his yeshiva where they could get smicha and work as a government appointed rav. My father was convinced and he submitted a request to be accepted to the yeshiva. A short time later, he was told his request was accepted and he could join the yeshiva after the Tishrei yomim tovim. In those days, it was customary for yeshiva bachurim to eat their meals by balabatim. That day, he ate by R Mendel Kaplan (the grandfather of R Dovid Raskin). When R Kaplan heard about his plans to go to a Litvishe yeshiva, he persuaded him to go instead to the yeshiva in Lubavitch. The very next day, my father went to Lubavitch and asked to be accepted. In those years, 5666-7, many bachurim wanted to attend the yeshiva in Lubavitch. But since the yeshiva had a very high standard, the hanhala was picky about who it accepted. My father was told he was not accepted. He was not willing to make peace with this news, and he stood outside the Rebbe Rashabs room and cried. When the Rebbe left his room he saw a bachur and asked why he was crying. My father told him he was not accepted into the yeshiva. The Rebbe said: Find a place to eat and you can learn in the yeshiva. The Rebbe told the hanhala to accept him. My father spent three years in Lubavitch and when he returned home for a visit, he was already 17. During those years, the maskilim had done their work in his town and many of his friends who had dropped out of yeshiva were in university. In the atmosphere of those times, the parents of those who attended university were considered the intelligentsia while those whose children learned in yeshiva were considered primitive. When my father returned home, his father, R Yosef Bentzion, got up and called out joyfully, Master of the universe, I thank You that I am from the fools. In R Yosefs memories of his father, there is a special place for his fathers davening which was lengthy and after learning Chassidus each morning. I would get up in the morning and hear my father learning maamarei Chassidus. As a boy I had the words ohr ein sof engraved in my mind because I heard them over and over. I had no idea what they meant but they were etched deep in my mind.

THE REBBE ASKED ABOUT REVIEWING CHASSIDUS

When the Rebbe accepted the nesius, he demanded of the Tmimim that they go to shuls throughout New York and review Chassidus publicly. As the Rebbe emphasized in his first maamer, we need to be like Avrohom Avinu about whom it says, and he called there in the name of Hashem, Keil olam, and Chazal say, dont read it vayikra but vayakri, i.e. not only did he call out to others that there is one G-d in the world; he got them to call out and say it to others. The Rebbe said that when you learn Chassidus and there is a geshmak in the learning, you need to share it with others and teach them so that they too will take pleasure in learning Chassidus. R Yosef went every Shabbos to review Chassidus in shuls in the area. Every Sunday, the members of the committee submitted a detailed report to the Rebbe about who went to review Chassidus, to which shuls, and which maamarim they reviewed. R Yosef knew about this but did not imagine that when he would have yechidus with the Rebbe that the Rebbe would discuss this with him at length. Suddenly, in the middle of the yechidus, the Rebbe began

REVIEWING CHASSIDUS
His father married around the year 5672 and moved to Minsk. When he asked the Rebbe Rashab where to review Chassidus, the Rebbe told him: Wherever they dont grab you by the collar and throw you out. When R Yosef repeated this, he smilingly pointed out that the Rebbe said we should review Chassidus even in a place where they want to throw us out by our collar. The Reizes family left Russia in 1946 with numerous others. After two years in a refugee camp in Poking, and living for a while in Paris, they moved to New York, near 770. My father would write to the Rebbe about everything he did, big and small, and the Rebbe was greatly mekarev him and gave him special treatment on a number of occasions. A few times, in the middle of a farbrengen, the Rebbe called him by his nickname saying, Rashi Reizes say lchaim!

8 9 Iyar 5774

asking me about reviewing Chassidus in shul. The Rebbe apparently noticed that I felt pressured - why was the Rebbe suddenly asking me about reviewing Chassidus? The Rebbe said, Im asking because I receive a report every Sunday and I see that you go. I told the Rebbe that I go every Shabbos. The Rebbe asked, You review Chassidus in one place or each time in a different place? I said that at first I did not have a set place, but in recent months I did. The Rebbe asked, Do people understand what you say? I said I thought so and the Rebbe asked, And if someone has a question? The truth is that just that Shabbos someone asked me a question and I gave him an answer that I wasnt sure was right. Now the Rebbe was asking about this. I said what happened, Just this past Shabbos, someone had a question and I dont know if I answered correctly. The Rebbe asked me to tell him what happened and I said I had reviewed the maamer (Tov Lee Toras Picha) in which it explains that the reason that the neshama came down to this world is for a descent for the purpose of an ascent. One of the people, who learned Likkutei Torah, said that he had learned that the reason the neshama came down is because Hashem wanted to rule and since there is no king without people, He had to create a world with souls in bodies. He understood from this that this is the reason that a neshama came down to this world and not the reason for a descent for the purpose of an ascent. I told him that since we know that Hashem does not withhold reward from any creature, the neshama also needs to benefit from the fact

R Yosef Reizes with his students in Oholei Torah when the school was first founded

The Rebbe said we should review Chassidus even in a place where they want to throw us out by our collar.
help him be blessed with children. I felt it my holy obligation to help him with this. I remembered a sicha I had heard from the Rebbe a short while before on the verse in Esther, and who knows whether it was for a time like this that you attained royalty, that the lesson for every Jew is that when he is in a position from which he can help another Jew, he needs to make every effort to help. Since I was involved in reviewing Chassidus, and I reported to the Rebbe about this, I thought this would be a way I could help my friend, to make sure he reviewed Chassidus, and in the weekly report I would mention this and ask for a bracha for him. One week, I sat down to learn a maamer with him and after we finished, I said to him, Now you have what to review in shul. That Shabbos he went to

that Hashem wants to rule, and the profit is the idea of a descent for the purpose of an ascent. The Rebbe reassured me that my answer was fine. The Rebbe added, Ach, there are bachurim who do not go to review Chassidus they all need to go and review Chassidus!

A MIRACLE BECAUSE OF REVIEWING CHASSIDUS

As we continued talking, R Yosef recalled an incident connected with reviewing Chassidus which was a miracle of the Rebbe that he was involved in: One of my friends did not have children for a number of years after he was married. Since he did not participate in reviewing Chassidus after he married, I felt that if he would do so, it would

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shul and reviewed the maamer that we learned. As a result, he decided to continue doing so on other Shabbasos. When I wrote the weekly report to the Rebbe, I wrote his name and said he began reviewing Chassidus, and I asked that in this merit would the Rebbe bless him with children. The Rebbe gave his bracha and they had two children! concluded the Rebbe, is a book constructed in the manner of logic and reason, and therefore it pertains to everyone in our generation for thus, he can learn and understand Chassidus. mobile library out and on the way back he had the feeling that he had not put in enough energy into the work. At the next farbrengen, the Rebbe spoke about how sometimes you go on mivtzaim but you dont use all your kochos as you should. R Yosef took this message personally and decided to rectify matters. For Sukkos, I arranged a permit to park the bus in various places in New York, especially in Manhattan. On Hoshana Raba the plan was to park on Eastern Parkway and Utica where many Holocaust survivors lived. I took a group of bachurim from 770 with me with the Dalet minim and we worked intensively all day. By the end of Sukkos I could report to the Rebbe about more than 800 Jews who shook the Lulav. I definitely made up for the previous time and the answer that I got from the Rebbe was worth all the effort: thank you for the good news and thus may you always relate good news.

THE FIRST MIVTZAIM TANK

One of the main things R Yosef was involved in over the years was a mobile library, a bus that he turned into a library on wheels. It was the first version of a mitzva tank we are familiar with today. He would drive the bus to camps and would do hafatza and other mivtzaim. In this way, he was mekarev many Jews to their Father in heaven and gave the Rebbe much nachas. In this interview, R Yosef shared the chain of events that led to this project of his. When R Michoel Teitelbaum started Oholei Torah, R Yosef was one of the first teachers. Since then, he is involved in the chinuch of children. As part of his tasks at that time, he drove the school bus. One day, some fellows who were involved in hafatza told me about a plan to buy a bus and turn it into a mobile library. They said that since I was one of the few Chassidim who had a license to drive a bus, they wanted me to drive it. I agreed and afterward realized that the reason they asked me wasnt only because of my license, but because the Rebbe said that the director needs to be someone who had been on Merkos Shlichus and had also been on shlichus to college. I met both criteria since, as a bachur, I had gone on Merkos Shlichus and in the short time that I lived in Boston, I was involved with students at a college. One time, R Yosef took his

TANYA VERSUS OTHER CHASSIDISHE SFARIM

In addition to reviewing Chassidus in shuls, R Yosef also gave Tanya classes in Litvishe yeshivos. For a period of time, he learned Tanya with a group of men in the Mirrer yeshiva. In one shiur, they asked me why we learn Tanya specifically, and not other Chassidic works like the Noam Elimelech or Kdushas Levi. I had some possible answers in mind, but since this was a serious question I thought it would be better to ask the Rebbe. I spoke to R Chadakov, the Rebbes head secretary, and asked him to raise the question with the Rebbe. A while later, R Chadakov told me the answer: there are two main approaches to learning, the Litvishe approach which the Rebbe called logic and reason, i.e. that we learn everything in depth and thoroughly, and the Chassidishe approach of Kotzk and Ger. This the Rebbe called a flash of an idea, i.e. it briefly illuminates the topic. The approach of a flash of an idea, said the Rebbe, pertained mainly to tzaddikim and unique individuals who learned this way for reasons of their own. The approach of logic and reason pertains to all, especially today. The Tanya,

YOU HAVE TO BE A CHASSID!

R Yosef told about something that happened many years after he began his outreach, on a trip to the camp run by Yeshivas Chaim Berlin, a Litvishe yeshiva in New York: Some of the talmidim who came to the library did not come to buy sfarim but to ask questions; or better put, to hurl questions not for the purpose of getting answers. Among them, the director of the camp stood out as he attacked me with questions. I said to them, Listen, I just sell sfarim and I cant answer all your questions. But one thing I know from all of your questions and that is, you dont really want answers!

10 9 Iyar 5774

Years later, R Yosef met the director who had pestered him with questions and to his surprise, he had a beard and Chassidic hat. At first, I did not recognize him, but he recognized me. This time he bought a ton of sifrei Chassidus from me. I could see the fulfillment of what the Rebbe says about no effort going to waste. R Yosef tells another story that happened in his work at Chaim Berlins camp: One of the talmidim who had taken a bit of an interest in Chassidus, read what it says in Likkutei Dibburim that if Shlomo HaMelech had had a Rebbe, and had Chassidishe friends and attended Chassidishe farbrengens, he would have used a Rebbe and Chassid as his analogy for lover and beloved in Shir HaShirim. This greatly bothered this talmid and he asked me to explain it to him. I told him that it cannot be explained intellectually; in order to understand it, he first had to become a Chassid. Well, apparently my answer had an effect, since he continued making progress in his connecting to Chabad until he became a Chassidishe rav and even became one of the top teachers in Machon Chana. He is none other than the late R Wudowsky ah. He later told me that he

adopted that answer I gave him and sometimes he told girls at Machon Chana that there are certain things that you cannot explain; only after you become a Chassid will you understand. And really, as you move along, these questions disappear.

WANT TO SEE THE REBBE? REVIEW CHASSIDUS!

In conclusion to the interview with him, R Yosef told about a Satmar Chassid he knew through his mobile activities whose son had gone off the derech to the extent that when he asked what was doing with his son, the man said his son had become a goy! The shliach in Vancouver was mekarev the boy and he became a Lubavitcher. One day, I met

the father sitting in 770 and learning Gemara. I was surprised to see him and I asked him what brought him there. He said his son was religious again thanks to a shliach of the Rebbe and he very much wanted to see the Rebbe. *** The long talk with R Yosef made me want to see the Rebbe so badly! I shared my feelings with him and pointed out that I had come to Chabad after Gimmel Tammuz. R Yosef gave me a loving look and said firmly, Be a Chassid and then you will merit to see the Rebbe! When youll learn Chassidus and spread Chassidus, you are sure to see the Rebbe! Later on, a friend in yeshiva showed me a sicha of the Rebbe from 27 Elul 5710, in which the Rebbe said the following astonishing thing: Each of us wants to see the Rebbe, my father-in-law, so he will answer his questions, for each of us has questions (including one who does not know he has questions). In order to resolve them, you need to see the Rebbe. The advice is: going to shuls on Rosh HaShana to inspire the Jewish people, souls in bodies. For this fulfills the Rebbes wishes, and through this you will merit that the Rebbe will resolve your questions in a way of a neshama in a guf.

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PROFILE

R PINYE
Fifty-one years have passed since that Friday, 9 Iyar 5723/1963, when R Pinchas Todros (Pinye) Altheus passed away. * He was a Chassid and dynamic askan who was mekushar to the Rebbeim. He one of the founders of Kfar Chabad and was involved in all aspects of the development of Chabad in Eretz Yisroel. * To mark his passing, his relatives and friends held a farbrengen in which they shared memories and stories.
Prepared for publication by Shneur Zalman Berger

IN YESHIVAS TOMCHEI TMIMIM IN LUBAVITCH

R Meizlich: R Pinye was born on 4 Kislev 5658/1907 in Nikolayev, Ukraine, a city of Chassidim. At that time, the Pale of Settlement was in force, which forbade Jews from living in big cities unless they were rich or had an important position. There was one wealthy Jew who was allowed to live in Nikolayev, which was located in

Participants:
R Avrohom Meizlich, emcee R Yitzchok Yehuda Yaroslavsky R Naftali Krauss, journalist R Binyamin Altheus, son Mr. Luba Eliav, former Knesset member Mr. Levi Yitzchok HaYerushalmi, journalist Mr. Shmuel Avidor, journalist Mrs. Yehudis Bialer, daughter

12 9 Iyar 5774

From left to right: R Avrohom Meizlich (emcee), R Pinchas Altheus (grandson), R Yitzchok Yehuda Yaroslavsky, and journalist Naftali Krauss

the Pale. Because of his wealth, he needed many clerks and assistants. Thanks to him, many Jewish families lived in Nikolayev including Chassidic families, among them the grandfather of R Pinye. R Pinye went to Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in Lubavitch before his bar mitzva. He felt he was a Nikolayever, and furthermore, he was from the famous Altheus family. What children his age did not do, he allowed himself to do. But in Lubavitch, they did not only want to teach Torah and Chassidus, but middos and avoda too. The hanhala noticed that he thought highly of himself, as he now and then expressed barbed remarks to his peers and they did not look kindly upon this. One day, the mashgiach told him that he was being thrown out of the yeshiva. R Pinye tried to defend himself by saying he had done nothing

wrong in recent days, but the mashgiach stood firm and did not want to hear another word. R Pinye realized there was nothing he could do but since his father and grandfather were close to Beis HaRav, he felt comfortable enough to approach the door of the Rebbe Rayatzs room (at the time, he was the son of the Rebbe and the dean of the yeshiva) and start to cry. Rayatz heard him and came out. They expelled me from yeshiva. I didnt do anything, said young Pinye. Tell the mashgiach to accept you, said Rayatz. I need a letter of agreement to take me back into the yeshiva, he said. If you say it in my name, they will believe you. You would not lie in my name. So Pinye returned to yeshiva. Pesach passed and it was

a new zman. The young talmidim went up a grade but the mashgiach told him, You will remain where you were. Pinye refused to accept this and entered the new class where he learned with his previous classmates, but the maggid shiur told him to leave. He left in embarrassment and went to the main hall of the yeshiva where he began to learn by himself. The mashgiach who saw this asked him to return to the class he had been in the previous year, but he refused. Your father, R Binyamin, will come for Shavuos and will take you from here, said the mashgiach, but Pinye wasnt frightened. He was sure that his father would advocate on his behalf. His father came for Shavuos and when he heard what his son had to say, he told him to obey the mashgiach and to go down a class. Otherwise, you

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will come back with May Hashem help me to Nikolayev, and we will see one he warned. Pinye another again. humbly entered the Indeed, my father class. spent the Yomim After a day or two, Noraim of 5710 with the mashgiach told the Rebbe Rayatz. him to go up a class. When the Rebbe Pinye immediately left for Riga, many ran to his father and Chassidim went to complained, What the train station to do they want from part from him, but me? First they told only a few were me to stay where allowed to board I was and when the train. My father I complied, they was one of them. promoted me? My father saw the A meeting of Aguch Said his father, Rebbe write a letter in the Nachalat Binyamin shul, summer 5712/1952 You are from to the Chassidim. The Nikolayev, and you Rebbe said to him, and told my father the news. My already have feelings of grandeur I am writing the letter with my father and other Chassidim who at such an age. You need to be heart and from my heart. were in the house danced. They put in your place. If you continue My father was moved continued dancing all night. My to go in the way you are being and said, The Rebbe has mother sat at home and worried. educated, you will grow up as a Chassidim who are big maskilim She thought that surely he had Chassid ought to be. been arrested too, since in those in Chassidus; there are those days, when a person was missing who daven at length. My YOU WILL BE WITH ME for a number of hours, it was entire existence is about being around the Rebbe. The Rebbe Binyamin Altheus: My father assumed he was arrested. responded, I will truly miss Toward morning, my father was the gabbai at the minyan you. at the Rebbe Rayatzs house in sent someone to inform my R Meizlich: There is another Leningrad. When R Chonye mother that he was in the Rebbes version to this story. At R Pinyes Morosov, the Rebbes secretary, house. The person knocked at funeral, the mashpia R Shlomo was not in town, my father the window and my mother was Chaim Kesselman said: R Pinye would take over for him. The even more frightened. This fear went to the Rebbe and said, now Rebbe Rayatz would say it was a remained with her all her life. the Rebbe is leaving. There are pleasure to work with my father. After the Rebbes release, he Chassidim who are maskilim My father had many lived in Malachovka. Already they will delve into Chassidus and assignments from the Rebbe then, it was clear that after the take pleasure in that; there are Rayatz, particularly through Yomim Tovim the Rebbe would Chassidim who are ovdim they the Joint. He had a special leave for Riga. My father was will find solace in their davening, relationship with Professor there with the Rebbe; one time, but I am neither a maskil nor Maggid of Vienna. My father on the way back from the mikva, an oved. The only thing is that was also friends of the director my father asked, What will be I spend time in the Rebbes of the Joint in Russia, Dr. Rosen with us, the Chassidim, with the presence. To this the Rebbe (his underground code name was Rebbe leaving Russia? responded, imi bmechitzasi Shoshana). The Rebbe answered, I (with me in my compartment). During the arrest of the Rebbe thought about my leaving Russia Rayatz, my father would sit all in great detail. Just as Hashem day in the Rebbes home. On 12 conducts Himself with me above THE PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA AND R PINYE MEET Tammuz, when the Rebbe was the natural way, so too, He will released, the Rebbetzin called conduct Himself with my people. Mrs. Yehudis Bialer: About

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Kislev 5710. In the picture (clockwise): the Rebbe, R Pinye Altheus, ?, ?, R Y Jacobson, R S Levitin, ?, R S Zalmanov, ?, R N Telushkin, R Z Gurewitz. Standing behind the Rebbe is R Asher Kazarnovsky. Standing near the wall R Y Deren and R P Weiler

our house in Leningrad: in the 1930s, there were no private homes. Everything belonged to the government. Our apartment was in a large house that had belonged to one of the nobles, with the house divided for eight families. In the center of the house was a big hall with a carved ceiling and it was divided among four or five families. In our room was a machine to knit socks, work which did not entail desecrating Shabbos. My father was in charge of a workers cooperative and the members of the group received raw materials from the Joint so they could manufacture goods at home and keep Shabbos. One of the things that characterized my father was his activities on behalf of the Jews of Leningrad. One of the scenes

When he related this he said to me, You cant let a misnaged get too puffed up.

which I remember is when the wife of R Karasik came and sat on the floor and wept. She asked my father to see to it that her husband be freed. My father tried and was successful in helping with this. In 1936, we made aliya. I myself did not know we were leaving Russia until the day we left. R Meizlich: According to what I heard, Dr. Rosen said to R Pinye one day, They are asking about you, referring to the NKVD. He immediately submitted a request for visas. He tried to hide where he lived

so they could not make inquiries about him and this is why he told them he lives in Moscow. He actually went to Moscow where he took a trolley. Suddenly, he saw a gathering on the street which was unusual. He asked one of the people what this was about and the man told him that Kalinin was there, referring to the president of the Soviet Union. In those days, it was known that whoever found favor in Kalinins eyes would be helped by him. Pinye jumped off the trolley and ran to where the crowd was gathered. When it was his turn, he presented his case

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and Kalinin granted him a visa on the spot. He arrived in Eretz Yisroel in 5697.

HE PUT CHABAD ON THE MAP

R Meizlich: R Pinye arrived in Eretz Yisroel with nothing. I heard that he worked in construction and there was a period of time when he and R Folye Kahn collected old clothes and sold them. They once found two liras and this supported them for several weeks. Yehudis Bialer: We arrived in Eretz Yisroel on November 1, 1936 16 Cheshvan. R Meizlich: You arrived by ship in Haifa and from there you went to Rechovot and from there to Tel Aviv. Several years later, in 5701, the Rebbe Rayatz founded Agudas Chassidei Chabad in Eretz Yisroel. In 5704, the Rebbe wrote about including new people, and R Pinye was appointed as secretary. That is how his activism began. But even greater work began after 1948. Binyamin Altheus: His shul in Tel Aviv was on 25 Montefiore Street and then moved to Nachalat Binyamin. Nachalat Binyamin is where the first Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen took place. Shazar and other dignitaries came. On 12 Tammuz they made a farbrengen in the courtyard of the shul and many people came. On the Yud-Tes Kislev of the following year, they rented the Laborers Center where the farbrengen took place. An article appeared about it in the Leftist newspaper Davar and we children considered this a big deal. My fathers work in those days can be summed up as

From right to left: R Yaakov Yosef Raskin, R Pinchas Altheus, R Uriel Zimmer, Shmuel Avidor

R Pinye Altheus (without a coat) escorting guests in Kfar Chabad. Next to him are two Chabad Chassidim from Tel Aviv: on the right, the mashpia, R Shaul Dov Zislin; on the left, R Shmuel Zalmanov

follows: he put Chabad on the map nationally. R Meizlich: The Rebbe called him mara dara dYisroel (lit. master of Eretz Yisroel).

LOBBYING ABILITY
Shmuel Avidor: I was living at the time on Rechov Rashi, corner of King George in Tel Aviv. Pinye lived higher up on King George, somewhat close to Allenby. I had a soft spot for

handsome, impressive Jews. One day, I saw a Jew on the street with a dark beard mixed with a bit of white, wearing a hat bent forward; in the summer he went about with a shirt and no jacket and he walked in all his glory. I asked who is that man and was told, thats Chabad. I had some knowledge of Chabad through R Moshe Ashkenazi. We were neighbors. R Pinye asked me to come on Shavuos night to shul in Nachalat

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R Pinye at a Yud-Tes Kislev farbrengen in Kfar Chabad. Sitting from right to left: R Yitzchok Yedidya Frankel, R Pinye and Shazar. Standing behind Shazar: R Avrohom Meizlich. On the left: R Yitzchok Mendel Liss and behind him, R Avrohom Lisson. Standing to their right: the man from Nahalal who owned the property where the Haganah had a hidden weapons stash known as a sliq, Yanni Avidov

R Pinye in a meeting with Shazar

Binyamin. I went and they all looked at me and whispered, Who is that? I suddenly saw the handsome man who was always walking down the street in front of me. He held out his hand and said, Oh! Shalom aleichem! Its good youre here. His outstretched hand remained grasped in mine until the last Friday of his life. All those years, I had the privilege and the ability to stand by his side in various projects

and activities. First, thanks to him there were those Jews I helped when I worked in the aliya department of the Jewish Agency. R Pinye discovered that I have connections in the Defense Ministry with Yitzchok Navon. Some Lubavitchers wanted to leave the country to go to the Rebbe, like R Gershon Mendel Garelik and R Itche Springer. I dont remember all the names now. He came to my office and said, Youve got to do this.

I told him, I have connections in the Jewish Agency, but in the Defense Ministry? R Pinye said, If you want it, they will release them. They had to sign a guarantee that they would return. R Pinye signed that they would return and they let them leave. They did not return, of course. His connections with numerous people are known. Surely residents of Kfar Chabad remember the many visits, like the visit of all the members of the Working Committee of the Jewish Agency, and others. R Pinye had a certain mischievous way about him. Ill tell you a story to illustrate this. For a handsome price, R Moshke Gurary found himself a Litvishe son-in-law who was a big scholar and came from an illustrious family. One time, he began saying a pilpul and he quoted a Gemara that he said was on Daf 82. R Pinye interrupted and said it was daf 84. The misnaged said he thought it was on 82, but R Pinye insisted it was on 84. Then the misnaged quoted something from the Gemara in Shabbos on daf 142, and R Pinye said, What?! Its in the first chapter! When R Pinye recounted this, he said smilingly, We were in a Chabad shul where there was no Shas so it was impossible to check. The next day, the misnaged came to R Pinyes cigarette store on Lilienblum Street with a pile of Gemaras under his arm. He asked for Altheus. He wanted to show he was right. After opening the Gemaras to the right places, R Pinye apologized to him and said, Nu, nu, what can I do. You cannot rely on memory. When he related this he said to me, You cant let a misnaged get too puffed up.

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important job and I was his closest personal assistant. First, tens of thousands of illegal immigrants came who were exiled to Cyprus. Then Jews from Yemen, Iraq, North Africa, Bulgaria, etc. arrived. Eshkol divided the land into sectors, i.e. new areas of settlement. R Pinye was one of the first to ask for a parcel of land. He wanted to start a Chabad settlement. As Shmuel [Avidor] explained, he had a nice appearance; as Eshkol said after some meetings, a sheiner yid. And he did not leave us alone until he got what he wanted. He wanted 100 agricultural units with each house consisting of 84 meters. The usual houses approved for construction were only 62 meters, but he wanted bigger houses, 84 square meters. For each of his requests, Eshkol said there wasnt enough funding, and he went and got funding from other sources. He never gave up. Thanks to his work, the houses in Kfar Chabad are larger than average. Shazar is the one who influenced Eshkol along with R Pinye. Eshkol did not like this and he said he would manage on his own with R Pinye, but Shazar did not let him alone. Another person who was supportive was the Agricultural Minister at the time, Kaddish Luz. The triumvirate Shazar, Eshkol and Luz gave him their full support. R Pinye used all his strength and charm and utilized his connections to found Kfar Chabad. L. Y. HaYerushalmi: First of all, it should be noted that of all the religious people who worked on communal matters, he was one of a kind. In articles that I read, it describes his uncle (R Eliyahu Chaim Altheus) as being broad in mind and heart. R Pinye was the same way. He had a special relationship with two elements in the country: the human element and the settlements. He felt close to the human element since he himself was a part of it, having been a construction worker. He particularly related to those who worked with their hands, a group that included the residents of Kfar Chabad at that time. He also had a special regard for the settlements even though he lived in Tel Aviv. His relationship with settlers was unique. I knew him through my work. Two matchmakers were instrumental in making the connection, Zalman Shazar and Yona Kesseh. Our relationship was strengthened in connection with the founding of Yad HaChamisha. I had prominent jobs in the labor movement and when the tragedy occurred with the five who were murdered in Kfar Chabad, he came to me with the encouragement of Shazar and Yona Kesseh and said a professional school had to be started. He asked for 18,000 liras for this cause. With that amount of money you could have bought two apartments in Tel Aviv. R Pinye asked and we raised 18,000 liras half from the Working Committee of the Histadrut and half from the Mapai coffers. I must mention that in the entire history of Mapai, this was the only financial contribution that left its coffers for an outside mosad. I remember that someone tipped off R Pinye that Knesset member Avrohom Hertzfeld, who was a member of the Finance Committee, had just concluded a settlement between Egged and Dan and in the budget there

R Binyamin Altheus, the son

Everyone loved him. His face always shone. I have to thank Mrs. Yehudis Bialer for bringing me this evening. I think about him all the time, especially when I pass King George Street in Tel Aviv. Many buildings and mosdos in Kfar Chabad were built thanks to him. He was an unusual personality and he loved doing favors for everyone.

ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF KFAR CHABAD

R Meizlich: We will ask Mr. Luba Eliav, who was Levi Eshkols right hand man and the head of the Settlement Department of the Jewish Agency, to speak about R Pinyes work on behalf of Kfar Chabad. Eliav: With the first large waves of aliya after the founding of the State, Prime Minister Ben Gurion gave Levi Eshkol the important job of head of the Settlement Department of the Jewish Agency. It was a very

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remained a reserve of several thousand liras which Hertzfeld could do with as he pleased. We went to Hertzfeld together but he maintained it was hard for him to give the money. But R Pinye insisted and in the end, we got a promise that we would get the money within a week. That is when a relationship developed between the Labor movement and the Rebbe to the extent that when there were debates within Mapai, the Rebbe expressed his view in one way or another. Even during the Lavon Affair, the Rebbe often sent encouragement to the Defense Minister, Pinchas Lavon, through R Pinye. When my son was bar mitzva, R Pinye brought lekach and mashke from the Rebbe. He was a unique individual, a man of bridges and contacts. He left a void that no one has filled. He understood the person with another view; he always tried to draw people close and befriend them. Thanks to him, at the YudTes Kislev farbrengen you would see everyone. They came from all walks of life; they all came, especially all the leading lights of the Labor movement. R Meizlich: There is a letter here of the Rebbe about what HaYerushalmi said, that R Pinye left a void. Yosef Dekel wrote to the Rebbe that a void remained after the passing of R Pinye and someone should be appointed to replace him. The Rebbe wrote that he is right, but unfortunately it could not be solved by ordering someone to step into the role, because the role had to do with heart and could not be appointed from the outside, only after someone suitable appeared. The Rebbe said he hoped someone would be found soon since it was a vital matter.

From right to left: Luba Eliav, journalist Levi Yitzchok HaYerushalmi, journalist Naftali Krauss, R YY Yaroslavsky, R Pinchas Altheus, R Avrohom Meizlich

DRAWING CLOSE THOSE NEAR AND FAR

Someone else who knew R Pinye from the Chabad perspective and the journalistic perspective was Naftali Krauss: Krauss: R Pinchas Altheus was, more than anything else, a mentch. All other adjectives are superfluous. I am upset that there are no mosdos named for him. (Someone present mentioned that the central building of Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim is named for him. R Meizlich said that the central shul in Kfar Chabad is also named for him). I was the last to speak with R Pinye, except for family members perhaps. I was new in Chabad at the time and we had a legal problem regarding the apartment of my late father-in-law. When R Pinye heard about it, he volunteered to go to court and testify on our behalf that he knows the family and the inheritance belongs to us. I called him on Friday and he said that when it was our turn,

he would be in court. We waited and waited but he did not come. The judge asked, Where is your witness? The sad ending was that he had died. Another thing I want to say in his praise is that he was mekarev not only those who were far, but also those who were close. I was witness to this. After I married, I davened in Nachalat Binyamin where he davened as well. He wasnt a big maskil and not a big oved, but he was the embodiment of what it means to be the Rebbes representative. I looked at him and saw the shliach of the Rebbe. Today there are thousands of shluchim, and he was the first. He knew Knesset member Moshe Aram, one of the leading activists of the Left, from the anti-religious branch of the Labor party. R Pinye once met him in the Knesset and found out that he was born in Liadi and lived in Tel Aviv. If you were born in Liadi then you have to come to our shul in Nachalat Binyamin. This was before Yom Kippur. Nobody knew about the guest who would be arriving in shul.
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They said Lchaim for the elevation of his soul and they poured the remnants of the bottle on the freshly turned earth and said, Say Lchaim, R Pinye.
Three minutes before the start of Kol Nidrei, Moshe Aram showed up with a cap on his head. R Pinye made believe he never met him before and gave him a hearty Shalom Aleichem. Its good you came, he said. What do you mean, its good I came, wondered Aram. By way of response, R Pinye opened the machzor to Kol Nidrei and showed him where it says with the approval of G-d to allow us to pray with the transgressors. Then he said, All the years, we had no transgressors and we just said the words; but now we will all say it wholeheartedly. Aram appreciated the humor and this broke the ice. That was in 5720/1960, and Aram went to shul every year from then until the Yom Kippur War in 1973! It was all thanks to R Pinye. One year, Aram tried to buy Maftir Yona. Other congregants competed with him so he wouldnt buy it. Nobody could imagine having an unobservant person, one who perhaps did not fast, go up for Maftir Yona, but in the end he managed to buy the aliya. R Pinye went over to him quietly and after explaining to him the spiritual qualities of Maftir Yona he asked him to take off the leather shoes he was wearing. We could not believe our eyes. One of the leaders of the Left took off his shoes and went up for Maftir Yona! The following year, he came wearing rubber shoes. A year later, he brought his grandson and gave him a small machzor. In the years that followed he would come on Yom Kippur and stay from morning till night, for all the tfillos. During the Yom Kippur War, he found out during Shacharis that the war had begun. Since he was a Knesset member, he left the shul. That was the power of R Pinye. Aside from him, there was no one at the time who could schlep Moshe Aram to shul. We are lacking R Pinye. If he would be with us, many things in Chabad would look different. Avidor: There were always guests in his house. I remember the Melaveh Malka meals in particular and the Sheva Brachos for R Gafni. R Meizlich: He was an organized person. When he was told a time, it was precisely that time. There was once a meeting of the vaad of Kfar Chabad in the home of the director, R Dovid Bravman. It was called for five and R Pinye was on time. I lived in the neighborhood of the Bravman family, so I left the house at the last minute. Within half an hour everyone had arrived and the meeting began. R Pinye asked about the delay and each one gave his excuses. R Pinye replied, This is the tradition that I received: the reason is a lie and the excuse is a liar. Avidor: He was organized and very clean. His shirt was always ironed. Yehudis Bialer: Thanks to my mother.

HIS PASSING ON EREV SHABBOS

R Meizlich: R Shneur Zalman Gafni, who was a mekurav of his, visited R Pinye with his wife on Chol HaMoed Pesach 5723. R Gafni recounted that before he left, R Pinye said, You can pray for me. Said R Gafni, I asked him what happened and he did not want to say. On the 9th of Iyar he passed away. R Yeruslavsky: On Shvii Shel Pesach there was a special Seudas Moshiach in the Nachalat Binyamin shul. If they hadnt called for us, we would have sat there all night. They had already brought chometzdike mashke and we continued farbrenging until midnight. At this farbrengen, R Pinye demanded 10,000 liras of R Moshe Gurary for the mosdos. R Pinye said to him, If you give 10,000, I will give 2000. In 5722 he raised money in Australia. Until then, he did not take a penny from what he raised, and after that trip he requested pay for the first time in his communal work. The payment was 2000 liras which he then donated because of R Moshe Gurarys donation. Avidor: R Pinye died on a Friday. They took him for burial in Tzfas. They took him by bus; since I am a Kohen, I could not continue with the funeral to Tzfas. Afterward, they told me that they completed the burial as Shabbos began. They said L chaim for the elevation of his soul and they poured the remnants of the bottle on the freshly turned earth and said, Say L chaim, R Pinye. It hadnt registered that the effervescent man had died.

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PARSHA THOUGHT

THE DOUBLE RETURN OF THE LAND

By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

THE SABBATH OF SABBATHS

This parsha opens with the laws concerning the Sabbatical year known as Shmita. Every seven years, the Torah requires that the land in Israel remain fallow. One may not sow or reap the produce of the seventh year. There are several anomalies about the manner in which the Torah introduces and characterizes the Sabbatical year. First, in the introductory verse the Torah states: When you come to the Land that I am giving you, the Land shall rest a Sabbath to G-d. This seems to suggest that the Land must rest for the first year after the Jews arrive there. The question has been raised, how could the Torah state that when they come to the Land, the land must rest? The year of resting does not commence until the seventh year as the Torah explicitly states in the very next verse. The Torah should have stated instead that when you come to the Land you shall count six years and the seventh year the Land shall rest a Sabbath to G-d. Second, in a subsequent verse

the Torah states: But in the seventh year, the Land shall have a complete rest, a Sabbath to G-d The term for complete rest in Hebrew is the repetitive expression Shabbos ShabbasonSabbath of Sabbaths. The use of this dual expressionShabbos Shabbasonis, however, problematic. Why not just the single term Shabbos? Moreover, the introductory verse cited above, in fact, uses the singular expression of Shabbos. Why does the Torah then use the double expression in the very next verse?

SUPER SABBATHS
When we analyze the usage of the singular and dual expression of Shabbos in other parts of the Torah it appears that the double expression does not fit in with the laws of the Sabbatical year. To explain: The term Shabbos is used in multiple contexts. We have the weekly Shabbos, as well as all the major Jewish Holidays, which are also called Shabbos. There is one difference, however, between the weekly Shabbos and all but one of the Holidays: The weekly

Shabbos is sometimes referred to as Shabbos Shabbason-the Sabbath of Sabbaths, as is Yom Kippur. The difference between the single use of the term Shabbos and the dual expression of Shabbos Shabbason is that a Jewish Holiday is only a partial day of rest. The Torah allows certain forms of work involved in food preparation such as cooking (from an existing flame) etc. On Shabbos and Yom Kippur, however, one must desist from all forms of work, including food preparation. Hence these Holy Days are given the dual appellation: Shabbos Shabbasonthe Sabbath of Sabbaths. While Holidays are called Shabbos, these other days are Shabbos Shabbasonthe Sabbath of Sabbaths. In light of this introduction, the usage of Shabbos Shabbason with regard to the Sabbatical year is problematic. The restrictions of the Sabbatical year are far fewer than those of Shabbos. Indeed, even the Holidays (except Yom Kippur) are more restrictive and demand greater rest than the Sabbatical year. Why then is it characterized as Shabbos Shabbason? The following is an answer to these questions, based on the 20th Century work Ateres

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Tzvi (published in 1953 with a letter of blessing by the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe). Ateres Tzvi sheds light on the uniqueness of Eretz Yisroel, which explains the use of Shabbos Shabbason. The answer is provided by the Torah (Deuteronomy 11:12) which describes the Land of Israel thus: A land which G-d your G-d, cares about. The eyes of G-d A-mighty are continuously upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. The question can be raised, doesnt G-d watch over all countries of the world? According to the Zohar, there is a fundamental difference between the way G-d supervises other places and the way He looks upon Eretz Yisroel: G-d supervises all the other lands through His ministers and angels, whereas G-d Himself watches over the Land of Israel. Likewise the Jewish nation is a holy nation, a nation apart, and is not in any way influenced it. That was an anomalous and aberrant situation. The Lands rightful inhabitants and proprietors had not arrived yet; the Land itself could well be said to have been in exile too. The Canaanite occupation was a foreign subjugation. It was akin to someone appropriating and then trying to wear clothing tailor-made for someone else. No matter how hard one tries to make it fit the contours of his or her body, it stubbornly remains ill fitting. When the Jews entered the Land, it was not really a conquest; it was actually the return of the Land to its rightful owners. We did not take it away from anyone; it was never really theirs to begin with. The Land of Israel cannot be conquered and thus transformed into another nations territory. Unlike any other land on Earth, the Land of Israel has an intrinsic, immutable connection to a specific people, the people of Israel.

A HOLY LAND: AN OXYMORON?

According to the Zohar, Eretz Yisroel is fundamentally different from all other countries; it is Eretz HaKodesh-the Holy Land. How can a land be holy? When something is totally removed from the norm, the mundane, the weekday or the conventional, it is said to be holy. We can easily appreciate how a certain physical structure can be holy because it has been

When the Jews entered the Land, it was not really a conquest; it was the return of the Land to its rightful owners. We did not take it away from anyone; it was never theirs to begin with. Unlike any other land on Earth, the Land of Israel has an intrinsic, immutable connection to a specific people, the people of Israel.
consecrated for the service of G-d, exclusively. The Beis HaMikdash fits that description well because it had a sanctified singular purpose. We can even understand how a city like Jerusalem could be given the designation of holy. It is a confined area in close proximity to the Holiest spot on Earth. Moreover, because of its proximity to the Beis HaMikdash, it demanded certain modes of behavior appropriate for such a location. In Jerusalem, one could breathe the holy atmosphere that pervaded the entire city. But, how could we designate an entire country as a Holy Land? by any intermediary forces such as angels. Our link with G-d is direct. Hence, the Land of Israel cannot possibly be controlled by any other nation. Indeed, no other nation can even successfully colonize our Land, as history has demonstrated. Upon the exile of the Jewish nation, the Land of Israel was transformed from a Land of Milk and Honey to a veritable wasteland of uninhabitable desert and swamps. That is how the Land remained until the Jewish people repopulated it in recent times. Prior to the conquest of the Land by Yehoshua, the seven Canaanite tribes occupied

SHABBOS: THE RETURN OF THE LAND

We can now understand why the Torah begins the discussion of the Sabbatical year with the words When you come to the Land that I am giving you, the Land shall rest a Sabbath to G-d. We earlier asked how the Torah could state that when you come to the land it shall rest? Doesnt the cycle of resting only begin in the seventh year? However, in light of the above we see that the word Shabbos-rest can also be rendered return. And this is what the Torah is saying: When you will come to the Land, it will have returned to its rightful owners. With their arrival the Land of Israel becomes liberated Land. All of its potential is now ready to be actualized.

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The Torah then continues: If during the seventh year you will rest, then there will be a Shabbos Shabbason, i.e., a double return of the land. The first return was the mere presence of the Jewish people in their G-d given Land, which revealed the Lands integrity. The second return was the recognition of the Lands unique status by desisting from work upon it during the seventh year. By observing these restrictions, the Jewish people demonstrated that they understood their intrinsic relationship with the Land. They continue to understand and demonstrate that it is not their land by virtue of conquest, possession or international law. It is theirs because, like Am Yisroelthe Jewish people themselves, Eretz Yisroel is uniquely and exclusively governed and supervised by G-d, as opposed to all other lands which are governed through intermediary angels.

TWO STAGES OF THE MESSIANIC AGE

The concept of the duality of the return of the Landfirst through entering into it and then observing the Sabbatical Year requirementscan also be applied to our return to the Land of Israel with the imminent arrival of Moshiach and the ensuing Redemption. As long as we are in the period of exile, the connection we have to the Land of Israel remains tenuous. Every day we hear our right to the Land challenged and denied. Israels physical security is still a troubling major issue. The first step in the process of the return of the Land to us is what Maimonides describes as Moshiach fighting the wars of G-d. These wars are intended to liberate Israel from all the external threats that undermine its security and the connection of the Jewish people to the Land. This process represents the first Shabbos or return of the Land, by cementing and reinforcing the end of the forty years in the desert, when the Jewish people entered the Holy Land to settle it). It is especially vital to know this after the destruction of the First Temple, when the jar of mahn was hidden away (Yoma 52b, Rambam Laws of Beis HaBechira Ch. 4, beg.) (along with the other holy artifacts). Now a Jew must summon the faith that wherever he may be, there is the existence of the jar of mahn albeit concealed. Indeed, faith is presently required, for its existence is not visibly apparent (as it was in the time of Yirmiyahu, for example see Yirmiyahu 2:31). Faith in the existence of the mahn empowers every individual to receive all of his livelihood and all

our absolute and permanent connection to it. Even in this first stage of return, Israels connection to the Jewish people will never be challenged again. The entire world will appreciate and accept the reality that Israel the People and Israel the Land are inseparable. The next step for Moshiach will be to build the Third Temple and then gather all of Israel the People and bring them home to Israel the Land. At that time all of the laws that could not be observed during the past Exile will become operable again, especially the laws of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, discussed in this weeks parsha. That stage will represent the second phase of returnthe Shabbos Shabbasonwhen Israels integrity will be fully restored and it will become manifestly clear to all that our connection to the Land is validated by our commitment to following all of the commandments associated with it.

Continued from page 4 galus! (Enough with exile!) and Moshiach now! were he simply to want it sincerely, it would be fulfilled at once. There wouldnt even be a delay of time (and there is no need to wait even the short duration described in the verse, His word runs swiftly Thillim 147:15), being that the redemption is already here in the world and a Jew must simply reveal it! Even during the time of exile, it is important to know that since the Torah commands us to keep the mahn as a safekeeping for generations, therefore the jar of mahn still exists in the physical world (just as it was after the mahn stopped falling at

of his necessities [miraculously] in a manner of bread from the heavens. Making this a reality simply depends upon [harnessing] ones true will. In fact, since today it is impossible to openly see the jar of mahn, which is in safekeeping for generations, this itself must serve as a catalyst to further speed up the time when the Torahs commandment of preserving the mahn as a safekeeping for generations shall be fulfilled in a revealed way, with the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu. May he come and redeem us and take us upright to our land.
(From the address of Shabbos Parshas BChukosai 5746, bilti muga)

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BOOK REVIEW

f you want to describe what has happened most recently regarding the publishing of books for children and youth, there are no better words than a Geula revolution. The selection of books for children has grown significantly. Not just story and adventure books fill the shelves, but also books with quality content that draw the child deep into the world of Chabad. Older Chassidim of

the previous generation are not likely to have been exposed to the tremendous Chassidic knowledge which children are exposed to nowadays. Still, even with the abundance of books the publishers have been providing us with, a series of books of another sort altogether recently caught my attention. This series was published by the Tzivos Hashem youth movement in Eretz Yisroel and it is meant as a sort of continuation to

24 9 Iyar 5774

GETTING THE MESSAGE TO THE CHILDREN OF THE GEULA GENERATION

The prophecy in the Zohar about the children of the generation of Geula has come true. * A group of Tmimim who felt that this was a burning issue decided to take action. * The difficulties, the mother who complained about the delay in publishing - the full story behind the series Dvar Malchus LYeladim published by Tzivos Hashem in Eretz Yisroel.
By M Ben Michoel

the Dvar Malchus LNoar that preceded it, although it is significantly different. When I visited the bookstore near my home, the owner suggested that I buy the new book that the distribution agent had just left in his store. For close to an hour I held the book as I looked through it; I simply couldnt put it down. The deep content which is presented in language suitable even for children, held me riveted. I was

determined to interview those who produced this amazing series, which presents these fundamental sichos to the soldiers of Tzivos Hashem. Inquiries at the Tzivos Hashem office led me to a group of bachurim who are in 770 this year on Kvutza. They were happy to tell me how the book came to be and about the positive feedback they have gotten from Anash and schools.

A BSURA OF GEULA
Can you give us a brief overview for the benefit of those who are not familiar with the series? Its a real revolution for anyone involved in educating children of the seventh generation. In this new series, the sichos of the Dvar Malchus are reworked so they are suitable for children. Each sicha appears in three different formats. First,

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Book Review
a synopsis of a point in the sicha is written in easy to understand language. Then, there is a mashal (parable) that conveys the content of the sicha in story form, imprinting the point of the Dvar Malchus on the childs memory. Finally, there is a short poem in rhyme which enables the child to review the point of the sicha once again, without their feeling that theyre constantly reviewing the same thing. To demonstrate how children enjoy the series, we heard about a Chabad family that just spent an entire year on the Dvar Malchus at their Shabbos table. At the meal, one of the older children reviewed a point in the sicha. Then one of the younger girls reviewed the mashal. Finally, one of the youngest children read the poem to a Chassidishe tune that he composed for the poem that week. The father told us that the children look forward all week to this and sit riveted to their seats in order to see how their brothers perform as they review the Dvar Malchus in their own style. It transformed our Shabbos table, he said. If we can sum up this series with two points, it would be: 1) the series is suitable for all ages and 2) the content is arranged in an easy and experiential way which motivates the child to read and learn on his own. series of books? Not exactly. It began when a group of us bachurim were sitting in yeshiva in Tzfas and talking about the fact that with all the good activities and programs that were done to instill the importance of learning the Dvar Malchus among children, we still had not succeeded in getting children to realize the importance on their own and be enthusiastically involved in learning it. After looking into the matter we realized that what was missing was awareness among the children of this important topic, and those involved in chinuch were not able to convey the message in a way that spoke to them convincingly. So we collected dozens of meshalim that convey the importance of learning and being involved in the sichos of the Dvar Malchus. We consulted with a member of the educational board of Camp Oro shel Moshiach, R Meir Wilschansky, who is experienced in producing publications aimed at explaining inyanei Geula and Moshiach to children. Then we produced a booklet called, Pokchim Einayim Lama vEich (Opening Our Eyes How and Why). The booklet was given out among the bachurim who work with children and are in contact with children of Tzivos Hashem. They farbrenged with the kids and revived the idea of learning Dvar Malchus by children. We did not anticipate how successful this would be. A short time after the booklet was printed, hundreds of copies were given out to counselors in various camps and the idea took off.

GETTING UNDERWAY
Its still a long way from one booklet with a few dozen pages to a beautiful series of books! How did it happen? After the children got excited about it, we discovered the root of the problem. We heard about more and more children who were inspired to learn the Dvar Malchus but gave up after a few weeks. The various editions that were available at that time were not suitable for all types of children. The camp counselors, directors, the counselors in Tzivos Hashem clubs, and anyone who was involved in this area, spoke to the children in lights without vessels. They demanded of them and explained to them that this is our chayus and our order of the day in these final moments before the Geula, but the vast majority were lacking the most critical thing: sichos rewritten on their level. At that point, a dynamic Chassidishe young man got involved. His wife is in chinuch and the two of them began urging us to continue the work we started and to edit another series of sichos from the Dvar Malchus that would be more accessible for younger children. We asked a mashpia who greatly encouraged us. We wrote to the Rebbe and after opening to a positive answer, we got to work. How do you take a long abstract sicha consisting of fourteen sections and turn it into a brief easy point that children can relate to, while preserving the authenticity of the sicha? How do you decide which mashal is suitable and which topic in the sicha to focus on?

HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN?

I was amazed to discover, yet again, how like all good things, this project began at the initiative of young bachurim who are the spearheads in everything associated with the Rebbes inyanim. So how did it happen bachurim decided to publish a

26 9 Iyar 5774

Before writing the sichos and finding the meshalim, each member of the editorial team studied the sicha and wrote down the main points as he understood them. Then we met and discussed the chiddush of the sicha and tried to reach a consensus about the right approach to take to present it to children. In order to enable children to concentrate throughout the learning of the sicha and retain the sequence of ideas we decided to write things very briefly so a child would be able to read the sicha quickly, get the point, and review it. While working on the sicha, the rest of the members of the

editorial team worked to come up with possibilities for meshalim. Two days later, we met again and chose the most suitable, the most easily grasped, and most relevant mashal to the lives of children. In every story or mashal we made the child the focus of the story, so our target audience would feel an emotional connection to the content being conveyed by means of the mashal.

had edited material on an entire seifer of Chumash. We tried our luck and sent the material we had to the director of the organization, R Levi Nachshon. He reviewed it and loved it. We hadnt anticipated that he would take it seriously and rush its publication. The work, that until then had been done relatively slowly, got a big push and we went into high gear. The material was carefully gone over by R Chaim Levi Yitzchok Ginsberg, mashpia in Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in Rishon L Tziyon. It was sent back to us with his helpful notations that helped us be more precise in working over the sicha and focusing the children more on

until we saw the first books. The volume was printed with a striking, colorful binding and was given out to soldiers in Tzivos Hashem and then reached the bookstores. The enthusiastic feedback that we got motivated us to complete the job.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

There is a similar series called Dvar Malchus LNoar that was also produced by Tzivos Hashem. It deals with the same sichos and is meant for children and youth. What is the difference between the series? The name of the previous series gives you the answer. It is

Even the loftiest and deepest ideas in Torah can be explained to youngsters, whether in years or knowledge, by using an example and mashal

PUBLISHING
How did Tzivos Hashem get involved? In the winter of 5773, the offices of the national organization of Tzivos Hashem were gearing up to launch a national campaign to prepare the children of Anash for Yud-Alef Nissan. At that point, we already

the Rebbes chiddush and its connection to them, the children of the generation of Geula. Apparently, despite our efforts, we did not always manage to target the chiddush of the sicha. After getting his comments, there were sichos that we rewrote completely. After hundreds of hours of work, we submitted the first collection to R Nachshon which included all the sichos for the book of VaYikra. The material was sent on for editing that would make the language suitable for children. Then it had to have vowels inserted, be proofread and paginated, and when this lengthy process was completed, sent to the printer. It took a year and a half from when we began the project

for noar which means children from ages of 12-14 who have the ability to focus on relatively deeper material for half an hour and learn the entire sicha with the complete flow of ideas as they were said in the original sicha. Not every child is capable of this. There are many children who have a hard time dealing with sichos that are that long. In this new series we edited the sicha and present it in a much shorter format so that it would be suitable for these children or younger children. After the books reached Lubavitcher communities, we heard about a very young child who learns the sicha and the mashal on his own and then tells it to other boys in school during Chassidishe recess. And that is not unusual. The new series
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enable his children to acquire the messages of the Dvar Malchus can buy them this series and the kids themselves will want to spend hours reading it. The parent wont find it necessary to nudge them to do so. When a child reads the edited sicha and then the mashal and the poem, he is reviewing the point of the sicha three times. This lets it sink in and remain in his memory long-term.

WHAT DOES THE REBBE SAY?

One of the difficulties that those learning the sichos of the Dvar Malchus encounter is the deep terminology which is used, such as, uniting upper and lower, revealing the essence of the neshama, and other lofty and abstract concepts that often stymie young and old. Sometimes it seems that explaining these deep Chassidic ideas is not for little children, but the Rebbe has a different approach. With his Geula vision, he instructs us to see to it to adapt even the deepest ideas so they are on the level of children. Even the loftiest and deepest ideas in Torah can be explained to youngsters, whether in years or knowledge, by using an example and mashal so that the concept descends and devolves from level to level to three thousand meshalim until the lowest possible level, but at the same time, the mashal is precise and fits the nimshal in all details aside from the fact that the mashal speaks on a lower level. Consequently, when the garment of the mashal is removed, one receives the actual nimshal in the most literal sense. this is the lesson from what was said before, it is necessary to try and explain every topic in Torah including the deepest ones, even to children, whether young in age or young in knowledge. Especially when you take into account that this Jew already learned the entire Torah for being in his mothers womb a candle is lit over his head and he is taught the entire Torah! And since this is the case, what is surprising about needing to and being able to teach him all parts of Torah even the deepest parts of Torah! (Sicha Rei 5746, Hisvaaduyos vol. 4, p. 310) In the sicha of Shabbos VaYechi 5747, the Rebbe emphasized that explaining Chassidus to children hastens the Geula and the Zohar says explicitly that this applies only to our generation: especially after it is permissible and a mitzva to reveal this wisdom that the wellsprings themselves come forth in a way of spreading even to the outside, an outside of which there is no further outside, literally to every single Jew, even to the little children, for all of them need to leave galus with this composition of yours that is Seifer HaZohar they will go out with it from galus in mercy that as the Yemos HaMoshiach approach, even ordinary children will be able to be knowledgeable in the secrets of the inner parts of Torah. (This was edited by the Rebbe!) enables any child to do this. In addition, in the previous series the editors tried to include the entire flow of the sicha. There are many sichos that include a number of points that are explained at length. Many children lose sight of the forest for the trees and get confused and frustrated. In the new series, we focused on only one point in order to leave the child with as much substance that he can readily grasp and enable him to remember it better. The main thing is that in this series, each sicha has a mashal which turns the learning into an enjoyable experience (see sidebar for what the Rebbe says about the pedagogic value of chinuch and conveying messages in this way). Now, learning the Dvar Malchus is no longer the province of more intellectually inclined children. Every parent who wants to

POWERFUL IMPACT
Do you have any stories to illustrate that the series is a success? There is no question that the series has captivated the children. Just recently, we heard from a friend in Eretz Yisroel who went home on an off Shabbos. On the bus he sat next to a soldier in Tzivos Hashem who was going to visit relatives in the south. On the way, he took out a volume of Dvar Malchus LYeladim and was glued to it. A mother called the office of Tzivos Hashem at the beginning of Cheshvan and asked whether it was possible to get the volume of BReishis which hadnt appeared in the stores yet. When she was told no, she said her children were the ones who were urging her to buy the next volume in the series! I can go on and on, about a local weekly newsletter for Anash in Tzfas which prints the sicha that appears in the book in the column for children, or about a salesman in a big bookstore in Yerushalayim who said a boy came into the store with his parents and disappeared. They found him sitting in a corner of the store reading from Dvar Malchus LYeladim, and many other stories that show that children enjoy the series.

28 9 Iyar 5774

LAUNCHING PAD
With the completion of this series, are you planning on taking a break or do you have other projects that youre working on? We just started working on a booklet for children that will explain in the simplest way, the necessity according to Torah, of the eternal physical life of the Rebbe MHM. We have many plans for the future. In the meantime, we are focusing on this job and when we finish it, we can begin working on other ideas. We pray and hope that the Rebbe will ruin our galus plans and be revealed to all with the true and complete Geula!

direct and easy way to hasten the hisgalus of the Rebbe. To conclude, we will quote This is true for all sectors and the mashpia, R Chaim Levi ages, but is all the more so for the Yitzchok Ginsberg, who children of Tzivos Hashem who explains the importance of this are called Meshichoi, for their series: very existence calls out Geula, The enormous importance and they are at the forefront in in learning and living the Dvar bringing about the hisgalus. Malchus is a given and something This new series opens a new which has been spoken and written about in every possible window to the light of Geula for place. These are the last sichos, young children. Today, boruch Express service Express service all the Yetzer Haras Hashem, for now, that we heard from the Fully Computerized Fully Computerized Rebbe in which he prepares us excuses are eliminated and every parent and teacher to whom for the current situation. inyanei Moshiach 331 and Geula are Kingston Ave.Ave. 331 Kingston Learning these sichos, in nd nd dear, can urge his children and (2 Flr) Brooklyn NY 11213 (2 Flr) Brooklyn NY 11213 which the Besuras HaGeula and students to learn the sichos of the Goel are woven throughout, the Dvar Malchus in this terrific is what enables each of us Get to tickets within minutes! Getyour your tickets within minutes! series. live Moshiach in a genuine, Fax: (718) 493-4444 Fax: (718) 493-4444 pnimiusdike way. It is the most

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Book Review

STORIES OF
30 9 Iyar 5774

OUR REBBEIM
MEMORIES FROM MY FATHER, UNCLE YOSSI

Beis Moshiach presents a collection of anecdotes from Rabbi Yosef (Uncle Yossi) Goldstein, of blessed memory.
By Rabbi Levi Goldstein

NOTHING STANDS IN THE WAY OF ONES WILL

I was standing in front of 770 when the Rebbe came by, walked over to me, and thanked me with a groisen Yasher Koach. He then said, You see, R Yosef, there is nothing that stands in

the way of ones will. You can achieve anything if you truly will to do so! Here is the whole story: It was during the war years of 5703-5704. The Rebbe Rayatz announced that we should divide the Mishnayos by lottery,

and then write down which Mishnayos each person got on a postcard. The postcard was then sent to the persons house. In this manner, the whole Talmud was covered. The Rebbe came to me because the job of printing the postcards had to be done
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Book Review
to rush to Borough Park and have the print job brought right back. I left it by the Merkos office (the Rebbe was not there at the time), and later the Rebbe got it and he gave me a big Yasher Koach. I remember seeing the Rebbe Rayatz sitting up on the porch at 770 and saying Mishnayos by heart... didnt take his finger off! But R Berel Rivkin was a chacham, and he took a very deep breath before blowing. Tkia and Shvarim also took a fair amount of time. When the Rebbe picked up his finger, he stopped. Fortunate are those who witnessed this event

AN ATTENTIVE EAR
Sholom Hecht, Nissan Gordon, and I were sitting in the beis midrash. It was extremely quiet, during the break just before Mincha, and we had just finished learning. We started talking about things that you dont specifically have to be in a beis midrash to discuss. Suddenly, the Rebbe walked in and sat down on the bench under the big clock, by the double- doors. Sometimes, he would come in during the day, sit down with a Gemara, put his head on his hand, and his eyes would scan through the whole seifer. I nudged my friends and said, Watch out the Ramash is here. Yes, the Rebbe said, and I hear everything you are saying (I think he said it in English).

TKIAS SHOFAR
One year during the Rosh HaShana davening, Rabbi Avraham Weingarten, of blessed memory, and I were in the room of the Rebbetzin Nechama Dina. At the time of Tkios they opened the door. The previous Rebbe was sitting in the yechidus room where he davened. The room was packed, you couldnt put a needle in, yet we managed to get through the door. As I entered, I was facing the Rebbe Rayatzs desk. I watched the Rebbe take his tallis and put it like you see in the pictures of the Rebbe on Erev Yom Kippur. He held the tallis like a square and made it like a little tent. As he called out the psukim Min HaMeitzar Karasi Kah in a very soft voice, I looked at the top of his tallis and it was wet from sweat and tears! Everyone around was sobbing. I was just a young teenager then and a bachur doesnt usually cry in public. Nevertheless, as I looked around, the whole congregation was crying. Nu, I also began to cry Rabbi Berel Rivkin blew the shofar, while the Rebbe Rayatz indicated what to blow. However, he didnt call it out. The Rebbe pointed to the word of the tkios, and as long as the Rebbe kept his finger on the word, thats how long R Berel would hold the note. For example, when he came to Trua, his face turned red as a beet, because the Rebbe

overnight. I had been sleeping at the time in the dormitory (then located downstairs in 770). I had to go home and show my father the layout, the wording, and the whole text to appear on the postcard (the Rebbe gave me the format). It was very late at night, and my father said that he can finish it by the following day. NO, NO, NO, I said, it must be done tonight. Of course, I begged him nicely, showing the proper respect as a son should, with humility and subservience - and HE DID IT! When I brought it to the Rebbe, the ink was still wet from the press! Nu, the Rebbe said, theres nothing that can obstruct ones will. My father printed little notes with the words Immediate repentance, immediate Redemption, and bachurim would stick them up any place, on a pole, on a window, etc. The first wave of publicity was through my fathers activities, and he must have a tremendous merit for this in Heaven. I was in front of 770 one evening when the Rebbe saw me and called me over. He told me

A GLASS OF TEA
Once after Yud Shvat 5710, the Rebbetzin Nechama Dina knew that the Rebbe had been at the Ohel the whole day and hadnt had anything to eat yet. When the Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka complained about this to her mother, she sent down a glass of tea with R Moishe Teleshevsky. When he knocked, the Rebbe answered the door and R Moishe said: The shvigger asked that I give this to you. The Rebbe replied: That was the first part of the shlichus. Now, carry out the second part. Drink it!

32 9 Iyar 5774

A CLEAR LASHON
I remember going to the third floor of the Rebbe Rayatzs residence on Shmini Atzeres. The place was packed, and the Rashag was saying Chassidus. His face was red, and his manner of expression was so clear, even the rafters understood what he said. He had a very beautiful lashon, what they call sfas chalakos [smooth lips].

OPEN FOR ME THE GATES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

One year, on the morning of Shabbos Mevarchim Iyar, I came to 770 at half past seven, which was the time when the beis midrash was opened. I knocked and then suddenly the door opened. I looked inside and there was the Rebbe! He had come in earlier... All I could say was Antshuldikt [Sorry]. The Rebbe opened many doors for me

HOLY LEFTOVERS
At the Yom tov meal, they used to take the plate away from the Rebbe Rayatz when he finished eating. However, he didnt finish the whole thing, taking just a spoonful or two. They would then pass it through the crowd, and by the time the plate would get to the door, it had been picked clean. Everyone grabbed shirayim - whether it was fish or chicken.

Afterward, since he didnt want to put the napkin with which he wiped his mouth on the table, he would drop it under his chair. Thus, after the Seder, youd find a pile of the Rebbes napkins under his chair. They went from the floor into my pocket, and from my pocket, I put them into an envelope where I still have them. Yes, even before 5710, I had the scent of a Lubavitcher...

take the matza. Wait and wait and then take the maror

RAISING UP THE FALLEN

I was told (I think by Moishe Groner) that once there was an extremely large crowd around the Rebbe Rayatzs table. Because of the huge crowd and pushing, one of the legs broke. Since the Rebbe didnt want it to fall on the Rebbe Rayatz, he supported the table with his knee. The Rebbe limped for some time afterward.

AND THE FEAR OF YOUR TEACHER

The Rebbe would always sit or stand on the Rebbe Rayatzs left side, and he would keep looking at him while standing or sitting like a statue. He didnt move! Frozen! Even after 5710, the Rebbe would sit and look at the Rebbe Rayatzs chair. He still sat on the left side, while continually staring at that chair. Especially during Pesach at the Seder table, he would wait and wait and then

I HAVE NOT CHANGED

When the Rebbe was with the Rebbe Rayatz until late at night, he would come down into the beis midrash to daven Maariv. One time during Sfiras HaOmer I had the privilege of standing in the corner and watching the Rebbe make the touching motions with his thumb and fingers Chesed ShBGvura, Ana BKoach Gedulas Yemincha according to Kabbalah. He had both hands

EXTRA CARE ON SEDER NIGHT

I remember how on Pesach night the Rebbe was careful never to put his siddur or his Hagada on the table. He wouldnt eat the matza unless he wiped his lips with napkins beforehand.

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together, and the fingers moved around by Ana BKoach. He placed his open right hand over his closed left hand, while he was moving one finger, then the second finger, and then the third. He used the exact same movements when he davened Maariv alone as when everyone was there. I was in charge of putting out the lights in the beis midrash. There were times that I didnt want to put out the lights because I knew that the Rebbe hadnt come down yet. Therefore, I would leave on the lights of the Menorah before the amud. It was a beautiful sight. avenue with no red light, and he used to jaywalk as he crossed the street. Once, as I was traveling along President Street, I saw someone coming out between the cars. I gave a beep and I was very sorry. It was the Rebbe. I met the Rebbetzin on many occasions while I was in my car. She would be standing on the corner waiting for the light to change, so I would tilt my head with respect, and shed smile and tilt back. She was simply elegant. Royal.

MORE LEFTOVERS FROM THE RAYATZ

Once I was upstairs, and the maid was walking out of the Rebbe Rayatzs room. She had a tray with bread and cabbage soup, and it seemed that someone broke off or bit into the bread. She turned this way and that way, and saw that there was no man, and then said to me, Excuse me, take it - un gei gezunterheit. I came down to the beis midrash, and I gave everyone a little bit of it.

THERE IS AN APPOINTED TIME

At the end of a regular meeting with the Rebbe about Beis Rivka, Rabbi Jacobson took an envelope out of his pocket and said to the Rebbe, Its just too difficult to come in at night... It was always packed with people, similar to dollars, and he simply couldnt get in. Therefore, he asked the Rebbe if he could give him his PaN now. The Rebbe replied: Der vemen du vilst iz itzt nisht da [the person you want is not here now].

AD MASAI?
Sholom Hecht and I walked into the Rebbes room. The Rebbe was sitting next to the small telephone by the window one of the old rotary phones. I was holding the typewriter turning the wheel while I talked to him. The door was still open. The HaKria VHaKdusha said about the year 5708, that everything is going to take place, we said. It was already 5709 We asked the Rebbe about how HaKria VHaKdusha had noted that everything had occurred in a Hebrew year ending with an eight - the Exodus from Egypt, the Destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, et al. In the words of the editor, Since Ches (8) is such a lofty number, the Redemption will surely have been completed by 5708. It was written in black and white. I had it right there in front of me The Rebbe then started to relate how R Saadia Gaon had given a keitz (a set time for the Geula), as did Rashi, Rambam, and the Tzemach Tzedek. 5666, the year of the Rebbe Rashabs hemshech, had also been a keitz. Thus, if we were worthy, there were a few years until the next Ches...

THE BODY MUST FOLLOW THE HEAD

If we would come home [to 346 New York Ave.] at the same time the Rebbe did, we would go up together in the elevator. However, I never uttered a word. There was one instance when the Rebbe saw me coming, and in order to avoid a situation where we might converse, he walked up the steps instead. However, he used to leap up the stairs.

EYES LIKE DOVES

The Rebbe used to turn around and wave to the Rebbetzin as he walked down President Street. When he would cross the street, she would be near the window. She would wait to see how he crossed the street. When he crossed the street and he would pass a few houses, he would turn around, and give a sort of wave to her that everything is all right. She would then wave back. This was after he crossed New York Avenue. Its a very large

AND YOUR EYES SHALL SEE YOUR TEACHER

One Shabbos morning, I was learning Chassidus with Yossel Raices in the cheider sheini. As we came to the part in the Rebbe Rashabs Hemshech 5666 where it says, And your eyes shall see your teacher, the Rebbe walked into the room just as we said the pasuk! We were the only ones there at the time. The Rebbe liked to know that di tzvei Yosselech lernen tzuzamen [the two Yossels are learning together].

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DERECH MITZVOSECHA
Once when I was sleeping in my room downstairs in 770, there was banging at the door. Berel Baumgarten had let me borrow his copy of Derech Mitzvosecha, a very prized commodity in those days. The Rebbe knew that Berel Baumgarten had one, and Berel told the Rebbe that he had lent it to me. Someone came to my room, knocked at the door, and said: The Rebbe wants to see the Derech Mitzvosecha. He wanted to look up something on the pasuk in Iyov regarding the portion of G-d Above. The Rebbe recalled that the Tzemach Tzedek had included a reference note on that pasuk. Thus, I remember bringing the Derech Mitzvosecha to the Rebbe. He opened it quickly, looked at it, closed it, and gave it back to me.

When I saw the problem, I went to help them bring in the sfarim boxes. Rabbi Kazarnovsky and Reb Shmuel [Levitin] went upstairs into the Rebbe Rayatzs room and gave him a brand new copy of the seifer. With deep emotion, he accepted it and said: Mit dem iz genug tzu leben zibetzik yahr - with this is enough to live 70 years. When the Rebbe came down, he gave me a copy of the seifer as an expression of gratitude. I still have it. There was a number printed in each one, because there was a limited quantity printed. At first they were mimeographed, but later it came out in book form. They left a lot of material out in that version.

letter with instructions that he should be home two hours before licht bentchen. Very shortly after receiving that letter, he was in a city which was like a valley, two mountains on each side. Whenever there was a big downpour, that place becomes flooded and you needed a boat to get out. It was extremely dangerous. All the cars were just picked up and carried away by the water. He was there on Friday and when he saw the clock, he remembered that he had to be home two hours before Shabbos, so he left to go home. When he arrived home, he heard on the radio that this city was covered in water. He wrote a letter of thanks to the Rebbe.

HOME FOR LICHT BENTCHEN

Bubby Hinda wrote to the Rebbe Rayatz that she wanted her husband to come home on time on Fridays - at least an hour before Shabbos candle lighting. The Rebbe Rayatz wrote him a

A CHITAS IN THE CAR

On another occasion, Bubby Hinda asked the Rebbe about the danger of traveling by car. The Rebbe replied that if she has a Chitas in the car, the author will be there with her...

TORAS SHALOM
When the seifer Toras Shalom came back from the printers, there was no one to help the delivery men take it off the truck.

Continued from page 5 negate the worldly environment in which he lives, but rather, that he employs it for the service of G-d. Similarly, in his relations with gentile nations, he also influences them to recognize and serve G-d. And through carrying out this service, the Jews themselves are given a greater potential to expand their own activities. The service of Yisroel should be carried out in a manner of Aryeh Leib. Aryeh means lion, implying that a Jew must be as fierce as a lion to carry out the will of your Father in Heaven.

This energy must be employed in regard to holy matters, and also, as implied by the name Leib which is the Yiddish derivative of the name Aryeh, utilized in regard to matters that are of a worldly nature. Leib also contains the letters of the word Lev, meaning heart. However, in addition it contains a Yud which stands for our ten powers of the soul, or in an alternate spelling, two Yuddim which stand for the two names of the Jewish people at large, Yaakov and Yisroel. The date of the yahrtzait, the thirteenth of Iyar is also significant. Thirteen is

numerically equivalent to echad, meaning one. Thus it points to the service of revealing the Oneness of G-d in the world, a service which will culminate in the Era of the Redemption when G-d will be King over the entire earth and on that day He will be One and His Name, One. Rabbi Avtzon is the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati and a well sought after speaker and lecturer. Recordings of his in-depth shiurim on Inyanei Geula uMoshiach can be accessed at http://www. ylcrecording.com.

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TZIVOS HASHEM

WOW! WHAT AN AMAZING ERA!

Moshiach who would announce the Geula. Wow! What an By M HaNegbi amazing era! a , rely enti *** else ng somethi The time: about 1700 years but n. latio reve ly G-d wondrous About 1700 years passed and ago, the period of the Tanaim. ging ban thunderous A it was the year 5751. The place: Pumbedisa in denly quieted the crowd and sud 2 Shevat 5751, 2:00 am Babylon the announcer was of e voic the Woo, woo Sirens pierced There was a commotion heard: Our greatest rabbis, the alarm rose and fell among the talmidim. From Sages, will come up now to speak the night. The heard throughout moment to moment it increased in continuation of what Rabbi and could be Frightened people as the news spread. Rabbi Yitzchok said. The students the country. with little children Yitzchok, the Tanna Eloki, quickly sat back down in their ran in pajamas Screams, wails, would be addressing the crowd. places and the beis midrash was in their arms. of crying echoed Excitement reached fever pitch once again completely full. Those and the sound In a dramatic and the huge beis midrash filled responsible for maintaining order through the air. radio announcer up with talmidim grabbing places hushed the crowd. The Sages voice, the said: Due to a missile attack in order to hear the lecture. rose and began to speak: on Israel, sirens are heard A silence fell over the beis iach osh HaM ech Mel When throughout the land. Residents midrash. The sound of the door comes and stands on the roof are asked to enter their sealed opening broke the silence and the of the Beis HaMikdash, he will rooms and to put on their gas crowd stood up. Rabbi Yitzchok address the Jewish people and say masks. entered slowly, accompanied by to them: Humble ones, the time I remember how scared I was two faithful students. He walked for your redemption has arrived! n I heard the threats of the with measured steps to his place rts whe hea the in e plac took at Wh evil dictator, Saddam Hussein, in the center of the platform, this, rd hea who idim talm the of who threatened to wipe Israel faced the crowd of thousands, is no re The . ribe desc not can we the map. In my mind, the and began to speak. He began that off of end the at that n stio que sounds of the explosions of to describe the wondrous events n to dow sat they day al tion emo d missiles sent from Iraq which will take place in the year and Scu en reng farb ory brat cele a echo. I will never forget the that Moshiach is revealed and aim still lch a y man said and iced rejo hours I spent in the dark the confusion and fear that will ns long latio reve us dro won the r ove and claustrophobic shelter in my prevail in the world, especially . day that ited mer they building with fear wafting in the among the Jewish people. And ious env ally actu e They wer air. how, amidst all the confusion, of the Geula ion erat e gen ther the that of ce oun ann will One morning, the Iraqi Hashem and e ther be to it army conquered its neighboring is nothing to fear and that the who will mer e thes of ent illm fulf Saddam to see the Kuwait. country, time of the Geula has come. merely heard had he y The that ts. ced even oun ed ann clud sein con Hus Rabbi Yitzchok s one y luck e thos ard but about them, intended on continuing tow and left. The tumult in the crowd erience them! exp to get ld wou no was s Saudi Arabia and from there to was indescribable. Thi of era this ut abo They dreamed Eretz Yisroel. The Saudi king ordinary lecture, a chiddush of n latio reve the the Geula and asked the United States for in Halacha or a psak din,

36 9 Iyar 5774

response Saddams help. was: if Iraq was attacked by the Americans, he would send Scud missiles at Israel. The world was in an uproar. Then, in the midst of this international crisis, one calm voice could be heard, the voice of the Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach. He promised that that year would be a year of wonders, the wonders of the Geula. And this war was actually the realization of the events described by Rabbi Yitzchok who foretold about the year in which Moshiach is revealed. As the year progressed, the Rebbe said we already will see the fulfillment of his merited the time when Melech the Navi, who lived at that time, and , aled reve is phecies with their own eyes HaMoshiach phesied about the victory of pro pro the on ding stan will concede that the Shchina he was already ylon and its subjugation of and Bab in sh ikda HaM speaks from his throat. roof of the Beis Egypt. ish Jew the ng rmi 770 and info Then I suddenly got it. Wow! d, why was I dere won had I time the s, one what is taking people: Humble ? How does That is precisely this all told g . bein ved arri has ion the world panics for your redempt to me? Had the place now, as ain pert this ish all Jew the of l goa take place between The desire and into a thriller and great wars ed turn tora re Haf befo illed fulf g All this is meant people was bein s among nations mighty powers. war ut abo tale sing not we ld cou our eyes. How so that all the Jewish years ago? I found just for us, of ds san thou and dance? ple will see the fulfillment of answer to my question, as peo the *** prophecies of the prophet of ays, in the booklet of Likkutei the alw the Rebbe. While It was during the first days Sichos which the Rebbe produced our generation, experts spoke in of the war, on Shabbos Parshas for that Shabbos. In the sicha, all the security s, the Rebbes VaEira. I was sitting in my the Rebbe asks my question and frightened tone soothing voice could be heard, neighborhood shul, trying to take explains the following: saying: My children, do not fear. advantage of the peacefulness urs in the world occ er atev Wh Within all the noise and tumult of the day to rest a bit from the happens for our sake, for the ide. outs war told his people the happiest confusion of the of the Jewish people. Even he sake nds sou the s: Humbles ones, the time for But then, I heard rding that war, which does new rega dy bloo a r redemption has arrived! of war again, and seem to have any connection you not my re befo battle took place So onward, soldiers! If the Jewish people, Hashem to of ies arm e wars so that astonished eyes. Hug to Yechezkel: All this I Hashem is making says by led , ians will believe the the mighty Babylon just so that the nations will another Jew did ard tow d ope generation, surely Nevuchadnetzar, gall gnize and see the fulfillment prophet of the reco ire. ful soldiers, will do Egypt, the large emp of your prophecies, so that a few we, as faith all we can to publicize to all I pinched myself to make sure more Jews will believe in you. re world, our I wasnt dreaming, but it was no only for this, Jews and the enti and , this For Hinei dream. It was about precisely this Hashem has orchestrated a Rebbes main prophecy: we war that they read there, in shul, mighty war which involves the zeh Moshiach ba. And may ent of in the Haftora of that week, about entire world so that even those immediately see the fulfillm one of the biggest wars in history few Jews who still did not hear this right now! between the two super-powers, about the prophet of Hashem Babylon and Egypt. Yechezkel

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FEATURE

SECRET BRIS MILA IN A RED ARMY CAMP

Lawyer Avrohom (Arkady) Pogatch is a Chabad Chassid who lives in Migdal HaEmek. * He shares fascinating memories of his childhood in Russia.
By Shneur Zalman Levin

is feet tread upon the threshold and in another moment he would exit the building. Three rings of the telephone disturbed the silence. Avrohom thought for a moment. It was late, but dozens of Jews needed help.

His good heart won. He walked back and picked up the phone. A hesitant voice said, Avrohom, this is Mariasha. I need help right away. Avrohoms forehead creased and he worriedly asked, Whats happening? Mariasha told him the following. She was young when she married; young and inexperienced. She gave birth about a year later but the joy that filled her heart soon dissipated. Mariasha was visited by representatives of the local social welfare office. They

that the house and the baby were neglected. A few days later, they came on another visit and took the baby. Now, I dont have my Motty, she concluded in tears. Avrohom thought for a long while until he came up with an idea. Mariasha, are you listening? he asked. Dont worry. The child will be returned to you. I guarantee it! Avrohom was a man of his word. A few weeks after that phone conversation, he appealed in court. After a difficult court battle the baby was returned to its mother. Thats Avrohom Pogatch, a stubborn Chassid and a man of action.
Avrohom (Arkady) Pogatch

SECRET BRIS
looked around and noticed the peeling walls and concluded Early on a beautiful spring day, I found myself walking down

38 9 Iyar 5774

Working with bar mitzva boys

the street in Migdal HaEmek. Armed with Arkadys precise directions, I stopped at a large, impressive building in the center of town. The building is populated by offices, some belonging to private doctors, others to CEOs, while the third floor belongs to local lawyers. R Avrohom Pogatch, a bearded Chassid, greeted me with a warm handshake and invited me to sit down on one of the comfortable leather chairs until he was available to talk to me. From my seat I looked around the room and saw leather armchairs scattered about, a long conference table for meetings with clients, and the walls adorned with awards and certificates. At the front of the office I was surprised to see a beautiful Aron Kodesh made of oak with an amud for tfilla next to it. There

were Siddurim translated into Russian. Later on, I realized that his office serves as the center of his activities with the highlight of his activities a minyan that takes place on Shabbos and Yom Tov. I was born in Raal which is near frozen Siberia, he began: Despite the harsh existence under Stalin, I was educated in an authentic, Chassidic environment. When I was very young, my father would take me to shul. The spiritual environment at the time was dreadful. I dont need to go into detail about the punishments meted out to all Jews who kept mitzvos; all the more so, to those who taught Torah. But my father, who had learned about the importance of mesirus nefesh and because of the chinuch he had gotten from his parents, did not withhold a Jewish education from me.

We lived for a few years in Raal. Then, because a wicked woman informed on us, we had to pack our belongings and move to Dnepropetrovsk, the Rebbes city. It was because of my bris mila. My bris took place on time in our house which was in the army camp. My father, being a senior commander, had to live in the army camp that he ran. When I grew older, my mother described what happened in the closed room. They made sure to cover the windows and lock the door. The bris took place quietly and quickly and when the mohel finished his work and the brachos were said, my mother went out to the living room to receive the dozens of women who came to congratulate her on my birth. One of the neighbors, a passionate anti-Semite, noticed blood on my clothing. She went

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straight to the KGB where she told what she saw. A few hours later there was a pounding at our door. It was the KGB. My father was taken for a prolonged interrogation and when the journalists found out about it, the country was in an uproar. Every day, articles were published denigrating Jews and my father in particular. The army and the media kept saying it wasnt possible to have a religious Jew serving as a senior commander. They said he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Due to the public furor, the government decided to conduct an investigation. A committee was formed consisting of dozens of government figures and antiSemitic politicians. Stalin led them. At the conclusion of the barrage of testimony from dozens of soldiers and extended interrogations, my father was called to face the committee. With quaking knees, my father stood before the committee that would declare his fate, but here divine providence intervened. One of the members of the committee whispered to my father, telling him to get out of the place. It turned out, this person was a relative of ours and his Jewish conscience had been aroused. Thanks to him, my father was saved from a terrible punishment. Although he was saved, his being fired from the army was unavoidable. So as I said, we packed our bags and moved to Dnepropetrovsk.

Avrohom (Arkady) Pogatch (standing) with Rechavam Zevi, may Hashem avenge his blood (sitting right)

BELOVED TO ALL
The Jewish community in Dnepropetrovsk was large in the

period before World War II. Tens of thousands of Jews filled the streets and forty shuls were in use. After the war, only one shul remained. The community consisted of only a few thousand people and Jewish life was gone. The shul had barely a minyan of old men because the law forbade those under age 60 from going to shul. My father, who was well-todo and was in charge of a large factory which supported hundreds of people, also davened in the shul. In general, my father was considered a sort of unofficial community leader. He was beloved to all, gave of his money to the poor, and took an interest in wayfarers. As a result, he was greatly beloved which helped him in his work of encouraging Judaism among members of the community. Our spacious home, which was in the center of town, was the address for everything Jewish. A

few months before Pesach, our kitchen would be turned into a secret matza bakery. Large sacks of flour were brought in and my mother, together with other righteous women, spent hours kneading dough. My father, along with other men from the community, baked the matzos which then made their way to the homes of Jews. Due to the enormous fear of the KGB, my father packed the matzos in special boxes that he brought with him from the factory. That is how he managed to transfer the matzos to the homes of Jews without being caught. Although he managed to evade the KGBs watchful eye when it came to matza baking, in many other things he faced their wrath. One time, when my father decided to put up a monument in memory of those who had been killed in the holocaust, he was incarcerated for many months. Putting up a monument, especially for Jews, was illegal. Monuments were allowed only

40 9 Iyar 5774

to memorialize heroes of the Russian nation. He was arrested other times, but they couldnt break his strong spirit. His motto was, All the threats and prisons wont break me. He promoted Judaism in the community without fear and after returning from prison he felt fortunate for having been imprisoned for the crime of promoting Judaism in the Soviet Union. I experienced my fathers strong spirit as I was growing up. The chinuch that I received was suffused with a true Chassidic flavor, and although I went to public school, I carefully observed everything. When I was a young boy, I grew large, impressive peios. My blatant Jewish appearance bothered some of the boys who urged me to cut them. I adamantly refused. When I was still a boy, my father suddenly died. The imprisonments and extended interrogations had weakened him. Following his passing, we had to pack our bags yet again. This time we headed for Dushanbe in Tajikistan where I registered to study law. I was appointed the general prosecutor of that state when I was only 23. It was a complicated job and the fact that a young man of my age had been appointed to such a position created a stir. I worked as the general prosecutor for a few years until one day, I decided to leave the job for the good of the community and I opened a law office. The khilla was divided into a number of groups. The largest group was comprised of local Jews, Bucharians. The second group

THE MIKVA
R Avrohom Pogatch recounts: One day two Jewish young men knocked at my door, who appeared to be observant Jews. When I asked them what they wanted, they told me that they were sent by the Lubavitcher Rebbe from New York and they wanted to build a mikva in the city. I told them that it was impossible because of the high costs involved and the harsh penalty for anyone who transgresses the law that prohibits the building of mikvaos and shuls. However, they were firm in their resolve. The Rebbe requested and we will see it through, they responded forcefully. In an amazing confluence of divine providence, I met a wealthy Jew who promised to donate the full cost of the construction, and within eight months the mikva was completed. Shockingly, the KGB never got wind of it, due to the civil war that broke out at that time. Only after I left to Eretz Yisroel did they suddenly take notice...

MAJOR MIRACLE
When we received our papers, we went to Moscow. We had a special Torah that we had taken from the Aron Kodesh in Dushanbe. Surprisingly, the customs people did not notice it. Others, who had taken smaller items, had been caught and jailed, while I, carrying a Torah in my arms, passed through all the inspections. We arrived in Eretz Yisroel and settled in Netanya where I was a teacher in a school for Russian immigrants. I did not see the Rebbe until 5753 when I was sent by the school to fundraise in the US. Of course, I did not miss an opportunity like that to see the Rebbe. When I arrived at 770, I submitted a letter to the Rebbe in which I told him the story of my life and asked for his consent to open a school for new immigrants. The Rebbe nodded. I returned to Eretz Yisroel very eager to start a khilla for those who came from my city together

Avrohom Pogatch on a visit to 770

was comprised of Jews who had moved to live there after the war. The community Im talking about was the Ashkenazi khilla which was comprised primarily of Russian Jews. I worked a lot to instill Judaism among them. We had a shul and a mikva was built at a later point following an instruction from the Rebbe (see box), but we decided to make aliya.

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Feature

with other Russian immigrants. One day, I heard about the town of Migdal HaEmek, a developing town. Among the things that I heard was that they were starting a religious neighborhood and I decided to move there. There is where I opened the first shul for immigrants and it is still in operation until today. I asked Arkady whether it has been hard to work as a lawyer in a language and environment that are unfamiliar to him. He said: The training I received in the Soviet Union did not meet the requirements here, so I had to take additional courses. That was years ago, when I wanted to open a law office in Migdal HaEmek. When I told my family, they were very apprehensive. You can barely express yourself properly in Hebrew, and you want to be a lawyer? But my determination

to work as a lawyer and to help Russian immigrants who needed legal aid overcame any reservations. On the day to register for the courses I needed, I wrote a letter to the Rebbe. I put the letter into a volume of Igros Kodesh and the answer did not leave me with any doubts whatsoever. The Rebbe showered me with brachos for success in all matters. I decided to go ahead. My law studies were not at all easy. I was over forty and had a harder time than my classmates, but armed with the Rebbes brachos, I persevered. When I finished the work, I received my diploma. You can imagine how happy I was. I felt the Rebbes brachos at every step. *** R Avrohom opened a law office and hasnt rested for a

moment since. Throughout the day his office is bustling with new immigrants seeking aid. At the same time, he runs a wide range of spiritual activities. He took out an album of pictures and flipped through. Here, we had a shiur for immigrants. The response was amazing. In the picture are dozens of people sitting around a table, hanging on to every word of the speaker. Throughout the album I saw Russian Jews posing with R Avrohom after they had won some legal victory or another thanks to him. He opened another office in Tel Aviv. I discovered that I am needed in the center of the country no less than in the north. Many Russian Jews live in the center too, and so our activities grew.

42 9 Iyar 5774