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BH. 24 Shvat 5775

13 February 2015 Number 961
Price: $6.00 Part 2 of 3

961_bm_eng.indd 02-03

FROM TOOLS OF
WAR TO TOOLS
OF HEALING
MOSHIACH & SCIENCE

MECHANECH
AND MASHPIA
R AVROHOM
MEIZLICH AH

LONG LIVE THE REBBE MELECH HAMOSHIACH FOREVER AND EVER!

10/02/2015 12:52:42

CONTENTS

6
FEATURED ARTICLES

WEEKLY COLUMNS

3 Dvar Malchus
5 Shlichus
15 Parsha Thought
31 Moshiach And Geula
34 Tzivos Hashem

THE CHASSIDIC
REVOLUTION THAT IS
THE REBBE
Yisroel Lapidot

TOOLS OF WAR
12 FROM
TO TOOLS OF HEALING
Prof. Shimon Silman

18

SHLICHUS STORY
18 THE
OF THE SHLICHUS

TORYTELLER CONTINUES
Sholom Ber Shmuelevitz

THROUGH
22 SALVATION
THE BACK
Nosson Avraham

24 MECHANECH
AND MASHPIA

Shneur Zalman Berger

HOLY ROTECTRESS
32 THE
OF CHEVRON
Menachem Ziegelboim

24
744 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11213-3409

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Tel: (718) 778-8000

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
M.M. Hendel
HEBREW EDITOR:
Rabbi S.Y. Chazan
editorH@beismoshiach.org

ENGLISH EDITOR:
Boruch Merkur
editor@beismoshiach.org

2015-02-10 7:52:13 AM

DVAR MALCHUS

22 SHVAT:
THE DAY THAT
BLESSES ALL
JEWS
I am one hundred and twenty years today, today my days and years
have become complete, enriched and complete days and years, both
physically and spiritually. The continuation of Moshes 120 years is the
eternal life of the true and complete redemption. * From Chapter Seven of
Rabbi Shloma Majeskis Likkutei Mekoros (Underlined text is the compilers
emphasis.)
Translated by Boruch Merkur

1. The twenty-second of the

month of Shvat is connected
with blessing, as alluded to by
the number twenty-two, ChafBeis, letters that spell Becha
in you. The word becha
is associated with the context
within which it appears in the
verse, Becha yevareich Yisroel
With you, the Jewish people
will bless. The twenty-second
of Shvat is a day from which
through which and by means of
which Jews are blessed in all
their concerns.
In fact, the (day of) becha
itself blesses, as understood
from the simple reading of
the (Scriptural) text, becha
yevareich Yisroel that in
their blessing (the blessing of
Efraim and Menasheh), all Jews
are blessed. So too, in our case,
the day (of becha) blesses in

a similar manner. As a result,

yevareich Yisroel all Jews
are blessed. Becha is a kind of
blessing that gives rise to further
blessings one blessing upon
another blessing, ad ein ketz,
ad infinitum. This furtherance
of blessings extends ad sof
kol haolam until the end of
the world (also interpreted to
mean: the end of (olam the
world meaning the end of the)
helem vhester, hiddenness and
concealment.
2. The same concept applies
to the day of the yahrtzait of the
twenty-second of Shvat it is a
day of blessing from which all
Jews are blessed With you,
the Jewish people will bless.
Jews recognize that a
yahrtzait is connected with a
spiritual elevation, an ascent,

underscored by the custom of

saying Kaddish on a yahrtzait,
which is done on account of
the new elevation. Indeed, the
ascent of a soul on a yahrtzait is
monumental; it is an exponential
ascent compared to the height
the soul had attained prior to
then.
A yahrtzait commemorates
the day the soul departed
from the body. The passing is,
therefore, a concealment of the
revelation of the soul, which is
a veritable part of G-d above,
within the body. This is the
greatest possible concealment,
rachmana litzlan. However, the
Divine intent of this concealment
is that it brings about a greater
ascent (as is the case with other
descents). Throughout the
entire year (of the yahrtzait) an
even higher ascent is achieved
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Dvar Malchus
(incomparably higher than the
preceding ascents). Here we
are talking about an ascent of
the soul of the deceased, as well
benefit to living people (those
how have a connection with the
soul of the deceased), gaining
further longevity and health,
years filled with Torah and
Mitzvos and good deeds.
The main thing, however,
is the ascent that comes about
in the true and complete
redemption, which applies to
both those who have passed on
as well as the living, affecting
both those who reside in the
dust shall get up and sing
as is known that the ultimate
perfection (even of the soul) is
specifically as souls in bodies

in the Era of the Resurrection

of the Dead as well as those
Jews who had a connection
with the soul of the deceased,
as it is written, Death will be
swallowed up forever and G-d,
the L-rd, will wipe away the
tears from every face. It is
understood that since wiping
tears comes about through G-d
Himself (and Havaya Elokim
will wipe away the tears), not
only are the tears of former
times erased (as the simple read
of wipe away implies), but it
brings about a greater ascent.
This inference can also be drawn
from the interpretation that
dima tears is numerically
equivalent to 119, signifying
that it is lacking one of the 120
permutations of G-ds name

Elokim. Through and Havaya

Elokim, will wipe away the
tears the completeness of 120 is
achieved (120 being the gematria
of dima plus one, representing
the whole word) and his
lifespan was 120 years, as stated
about Moshe Rabbeinu: I am
one hundred and twenty years
today, today my days and years
have become complete, enriched
and complete days and years,
both physically and spiritually.
The continuation of Moshes 120
years is the eternal life of the true
and complete redemption.

eternal bond with the Rebbe, the

foundation on which we educate
our children.
Although in the second part
of the article it does mention how
important it is to live with the
Rebbe in the home, it seems to
me that this should have been
expanded on far more. For when
we speak about the foundation
and secret (as R Twersky
referred to it) of Chabad chinuch,
it all boils down to R-e-b-b-e.
A true Chassidic home
needs to be entirely founded
on hiskashrus to the Rebbe. In
everything that is done, the child
has to be reminded that we are
doing this in order to give the
Rebbe nachas. Before going to
sleep at night we need to read
Shma with the child and envision
the Rebbes picture. Friday
night we need to stress learning

the Rebbes sichos so that even

young children will read from
Maayan Chai (or Please Tell Me
What the Rebbe Said).
I was once hosted by a
family where, before the sicha
of the Rebbe is said by one of
the children, the father asks for
silence and says, Now the Rebbe
is speaking. The solemnity in
the room is palpable. The Rebbe
needs to permeate every moment,
simply living with the Rebbe.
The Rebbes instructions,
his conduct, his ways, this is the
secret to a Chabad chinuch, this is
the magic with which were raised
and are being raised generations
of Tmimim, chassidim, and yerei
Shamayim and Chassidishe girls
who are mekusharos.
Shneur Zalman Cohen
Crown Heights

(From the address of Shabbos

Parshas Yisro, 20 Shvat, and Monday
of Parshas Mishpatim, 22 Shvat
5752; Seifer HaSichos 5752,
pg. 344-345)

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,
I read with great interest
the two-part article by veteran
educator, R Nachman Yosef
Twersky, in which he emphasizes
the power of the unique and
successful approach of Chabad
Chassidus to chinuch.
When the first part was
published, I felt that something
was missing in that R Twersky
did not mention the core element
of the Chabad family which is our

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SHLICHUS

ANASH-SHLICHUS

very Friday night after the

Shabbos meal, at a time that
religious Jews are nodding off
on the couch while looking into
a Likut Midrashim on the parsha in the
best case or a religious newspaper in a
less optimal case, dozens of young men
from the Chabad community in Tzfas
go out, prepared with kiddush kits,
and walk about parks, public gardens
and street corners. They seek those
people whom everyone else prefers to
carefully avoid, groups of youths who are
drinking, smoking and worse.
The young Lubavitchers greet
them warmly and the youth, whether
out of boredom or because they
appreciate their caring, are happy to
cooperate. They make Kiddush, eat
something, listen to a dvar Torah
or Chassidic tale, and once in a long
while they even visit the home of one
of the Lubavitchers where a Chassidic
farbrengen ensues.
Many of Anash volunteer for this
Mivtza Kiddush in Tzfas. Some of
them have a regular route while others
have specific locations around the
city. They all get Kiddush kits which
include grape juice, refreshments,
pictures of the Rebbe, and brochures.
Dor Bitton is the person behind this
mivtza.
Where did you get the idea?
It began in the winter. On my
way from farbrengens or shiurim that
took place Friday night after the meal,
I frequently noticed groups of kids
hanging out. Since my father-in-law,
R Shmaryahu Harel, does outreach
like this regularly, I thought I should
copy it here in Tzfas.
I went to the supermarket on
Friday and bought a bottle of grape
juice, some cake and chips and spoke
with Ron Masinter, a member of the
community, and we went out together.
The response was incredible. Everyone
responded, they made Kiddush and

Name: Dor Bitton

Age: 27
Occupation: Kollel student
Location: Tzfas

By Zalman Tzorfati
they sat and listened to what we had to
say. We continued on to the fire station
where the firemen also welcomed us
warmly. We realized that there was a
serious niche here.
***
Bitton grew up in Arad. After the
army, he began taking an interest in
Judaism with the help of R Refael
Bousi and R Shmuel Lavie. He went
to yeshiva in Ramat Aviv and from
there he went to yeshiva in Tzfas. He
went on to Kvutza, marriage and now
lives in Tzfas.
When we discovered the potential,
we checked things out, mapped out
the areas, located the places that the
youth prefer, and got to work. During
the initial weeks we learned about
sad situations that surprised even us.
We met boys and girls from religious
families or children from broken
homes. We found kids who were
literally starving including those who
came from homes where there was a
Shabbos meal going on but they opted
to stay away. We sat with these kids
for hours and spoke with them into the
night.
You sit with these kids and you
see that often what theyre missing
is warmth and love. Theyre looking
in the streets for what theyre not
getting at home. There is also

the phenomenon of rebellion in

adolescence. Oftentimes, children are
unwilling to accept things from their
parents and teachers, but when it
comes from the outside they are more
receptive.
Since the beginning of the mivtza,
many positive relationships have been
formed between us and the kids. Some
of Anash have invited boys to their
homes and these kids have advanced
significantly. Its all thanks to the
spark ignited there on the street on
Friday night.
What motivates you?
What motivates me is the Rebbe
saying that each of us is a shliach.
That everyone is a shliach means that
it makes no difference where you live
and what you do for a living. You
constantly have a shlichus from the
Rebbe to carry out. Only you know
and sense how to carry out your
shlichus in the best possible way.
I personally go on mivtzaim every
week. Ive had a route for years, but
I felt its not enough, that I can give
more at this time of my life. Thats what
pushed me to start this project Mivtza
Kiddush. I said to myself, people are
traveling to the ends of the world to
find lost souls. Meanwhile, there are
lost souls right here downstairs and
youre going to farbreng with friends?
Issue 961

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INTERVIEW

THE
CHASSIDIC
REVOLUTION
THAT IS

THE REBBE
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He spent time in various Chassidic courts and

developed close relationships with Admurim
and tzaddikim, but it was his encounters
with baalei avoda and haskala who learned
in Tomchei Tmimim in Lubavitch that led
him to become an ardent follower of the
Rebbe. * About what is the main goal of
comprehension and understanding in the
study of Chassidus, about the special chein
that there is in Chabad as opposed to other
branches of Chassidus, and also, who, out of
the thousands of Chassidim, had a private
yechidus in the Rebbes room in Tishrei
5744? * An interview with Rabbi Menachem
Bentzion Grossman, mashpia and admired
figure throughout the Chassidic world.
By Yisroel Lapidot
Photos by Arele Crombie

Grossman possesses a treasure

trove of very rare sfarim and
manuscripts. Over the years he
submitted many manuscripts of
the Rebbeim to the Rebbe which gave the
Rebbe much nachas.
He had yechidus a number of times.
Even when private audiences in the
Rebbes room stopped, R Grossman
was one of the few who had yechidus.
During one of these audiences the
Rebbe said to him: If they ask you
outside what we spoke about, dont tell
them.

HAVANA AND HASAGA VERSUS

EMUNA
Why do you think Jews of all
backgrounds and Chassidim of all
groups are drawn to learn Chabad
Chassidus?
For over fifty years, I got to know
many Chassidic groups like Karlin,
Breslov, Lelov, Belz, etc. What did I
find in Chabad?
What made a tremendous impression
on me was when I saw Chassidim of
stature who in the larger world out there
could have been Admurim themselves,
such as R Nissan Nemanov and R
Saadia Liberow (I got to know fiftytwo Chassidim who learned in Tomchei
Tmimim in Lubavitch, although it is
now over a decade that we no longer
have such Chassidim), and I discovered
that although they were tremendous
baalei haskala and baalei avoda, they
were utterly subservient to the Rebbe.
That captivated me!
This is also the secret to the power
of Chabad all over the world, even now.
Its the fervor of utter subservience to
the Rebbe. This is what attracts people
to Chabad; without it we would not
have succeeded in generating such
explosive progress.
What about the uniqueness which
is Chabad havana and hasaga?
The bottom line of Chabad
Chassidus is not havana and hasaga,
but emuna. When the Rebbe took over
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Interview
the nesius, he did not start with
matters of the intellect which
represents primarily the inner
work of Chabad Chassidim
throughout the generations.
Rather, the Rebbe addressed his
letters to all sons and daughters
of the Jewish people. The
Rebbe of the 7th generation is
everyones Rebbe and includes all
kinds of people from leaders on
downward.
This is the Rebbes message
for our generation: even the
simplest person can connect to
and become a Chassid of the
Rebbe.
R Mulle Azimov recently
passed away. We were friendly
for about forty-five years and
I could see that the revolution
that he wrought in France and
his main power to transform
the most intellectual people,
doctors, professors, and the like
came down to one thing, Rebbe!
At every farbrengen and every
occasion he spoke only about
the Rebbe. This is how he was
able to break the biggest atheists.
He did not approach them with
deep explanations. He addressed
the neshama directly. He spoke
only about emuna and about
hiskashrus to the Rebbe.
We see the results.
Doesnt simply learning
Chassidus have the power to
change a person?
One of the main qualities
of learning Chassidus is that it
is another facet and path in our
hiskashrus to the Rebbe.
I once had a very special
conversation with R Nissan
Nemanov who told me as follows:
Today, we must invest primarily
in hiskashrus to the Rebbe. To
be mekushar is what can save
us more than anything else.
Theres proof in the chapters of
Jewish history. Throughout all
the parshiyos in the Torah we see

how everything comes through

Moshe Rabbeinu: These are
the laws you are to set before
them, And you shall command
the Jewish people, Command
the Jewish people, etc. Hashem
wants the Torah to go through
and be given by Moshe Rabbeinu.

EVERYONE CAN
LOVE THE REBBE
I will tell you a story that
happened thirty years ago which
taught me an important lesson in
life. A couple, each of whom had
lost an entire family with children
in the Holocaust, immigrated to
Eretz Yisroel after the war. They
married and lived in Kiryat Tivon.
They had a son and gave him a
traditional education and when
he was old enough, he attended
the Technion in Haifa.
One day he came home and
happily told his parents that
he had found his beloved. His
parents discovered she was a
German gentile volunteer on a
kibbutz and family members of
hers had a part in the Holocaust.
They were devastated. Their son
did not understand what was so
terrible. They were so distraught
that they decided to take their
lives. The story got around Tivon
and they were advised to speak to
my brother, R Yitzchok Dovid,
the rav of Migdal HaEmek.
Despondent, they went to him
with their son. He met with the
young man and realized there
was no way he could change his
mind.
My brother was very close
with R Moshe Mordechai of
Lelov and he spoke to him. The
Lelover Rebbe asked him to
convince the boy to meet with
him.
After a short conversation
with the boy, he agreed to meet
with the Lelover Rebbe. Although
the Lelover Rebbe was usually

removed from matters of this

world, when the boy came he
went downstairs and sat with him
in the yard of a restaurant. He
offered him cigarettes and spoke
with him in a friendly way about
this and that, matters of interest
to the young man, what he was
studying in university and so on.
He did not mention a word about
Judaism.
After an hour, the Lelover
Rebbe said to him, You are
a wonderful guest. Whenever
youre in the area Id be happy to
see you. He held out his hand
and blessed him and they parted
ways.
Upon
returning
home,
the young man surprised his
parents when he said, If I had
any doubts about marrying her,
now I am sure I will marry her.
You took me to an Admur so he
would convince me not to do it.
He is such a nice man and did
not say one word against it. Even
he realizes I am right, so what do
you want from me?
His shocked and angry
parents ordered a cab and went
straight to my brothers home to
yell at him. Not only hadnt he
fixed the problem, he had made
it worse! After meeting with the
Lelover Rebbe, their son was
even more likely to marry her!
My brother had no choice
so he called the Lelover to ask
him what happened. The Admur
said, I would never tell him not
to marry her. I just accomplished
one thing that he likes me. And
if he likes me, then he cannot like
her.
Needless to say this is exactly
what happened. The young man
is frum today and has a beautiful
Jewish family.
What did you learn from
this?
That the only thing which
can stop us from all bad things

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going on in our generation in the

outside world is connecting to
the Rebbe. When we think about
the tremendous love the Rebbe
has for us, then as waters reflect
a face, great love is aroused
toward the Rebbe and this opens
the way for love for Hashem.
One who is tied with thick ropes
of love to the Rebbe does not fall.

YECHI THE STRONGEST

THING THE REBBE
ENCOURAGED
What can one get from
learning Chassidus without
hiskashrus to the Rebbe?
Learning Chassidus without
hiskashrus to the Rebbe can
cause a person to think of himself
as a separate entity, G-d forbid,

R Mulle Azimov recently passed away. His main

power to transform the French and Parisian
intelligentsia came down to one thing, Rebbe! At every
farbrengen and every occasion he spoke only about the
Rebbe. He did not approach them with deep explanations.
He addressed the neshama directly. He spoke only about
emuna and about hiskashrus to the Rebbe.

to the extent that in certain cases

he is not afraid of expressing a
view that is different or even the
opposite of what the Rebbe says
and teaches us.
Ill give you an example.
The strongest thing the Rebbe
encouraged with supernatural
strength for a year and a half,
thousands of times, was the

singing of Yechi. The truth is that

for Chassidim, if the Rebbe gives
his approval even one time, it is
enough.
Being that this is so, as long
as the Rebbe does not change
anything, we have no right
to make any changes in this,
because the Rebbe is the only one
make this decision.

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Interview

What does the avoda of

hafatza consist of in our
generation?
The main point in spreading
the wellsprings is to connect
people to the Rebbe. Thats
all. After all the generations, a
special light shone forth in our
generation and we merited the
ultimate expression of Moshe
Rabbeinu, the Rebbe, Melech
HaMoshiach.
Since Creation, there has been
no one from whom one could
learn so much as from the Rebbe.
There are hundreds of sfarim
and an ocean of miracles and
wonders that we see happening
constantly.
In earlier generations there
were great tzaddikim and the
extension of Moshe. But
since Creation, Hashem saw
what would take place in our

generation, and the spirit of G-d

hovered over the waters this
is the spirit of Moshiach.

OBEYING THE REBBE

Ill end with a frightening
story. I have a minhag that I
speak about the Rebbe with
every Jew I meet. I once traveled
from Williamsburg to the airport
with a Chassidishe driver from
Williamsburg. Before I began
talking about the Rebbe, he asked
me a question. Do I know R
Asher Yona Weinberger. I said
I did. We were neighbors. He
was a Vizhnitzer Chassid and
if you wanted to see a Jew from
the previous generation, full of
simcha and Ahavas Yisroel, he
was the man to see. He had a
small beis midrash in his house
and I often davened there.

I asked the driver what his

connection was with him. He
said, My name is Bentzion
Weinberger and he is my father.
We got into an interesting
conversation in the course of
which I asked him whether he
had been to see the Rebbe. There
was a sudden silence and after
a while he sat up straighter and
told me his story.
In 1948, our family left
Romania after having survived
the Holocaust and arrived in
America. My father looked for
a Chassidishe yeshiva and sent
me to learn in Yeshivas Tomchei
Tmimim in Crown Heights. I
was 17 and I learned there for
a little while during the nesius
of the Rebbe Rayatz. I became
attached to his son-in-law,
Ramash. At every opportunity I
would sit near him or opposite

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him. When Ramash sat to

farbreng, I was the first one near
him. At davening I would always
find a corner from where I could
watch him daven.
In 5710 it was clear to
me who the Rebbe Rayatzs
successor would be. After
I married I had all kinds of
questions and dilemmas and I
had yechidus with the Rebbe to
consult with him about family
matters.
At the end of the yechidus
the Rebbe said to me: Learn the
laws of shchita, including the
practical application, so you can
get a certificate for shchita.
The driver looked at me and
said, The last thing I thought
of doing in life was becoming
a shochet, and since I wasnt
drawn to it, I pushed it off and
delayed until I forgot about it.
Some years later, I had
yechidus again and the Rebbe

asked me: We spoke about

shchita the previous time. Was
there any progress in this? Since
there wasnt any, I remained
quiet.
More time passed and I
had yechidus a third time. I had
some questions and the Rebbe
answered them.
At this point, the driver
became choked up and he could
barely continue talking. Then
he said, The Rebbe looked at
me and said, We spoke about
shchita a number of times. If
people dont listen to what I say,
then why come to me?
He was embarrassed and felt
that the Rebbe was saying to him,
enough is enough. You cannot
come to me as long as you dont
do what I asked. The driver
finished by saying that although
he felt embarrassed to go to the
Rebbe, he tried to find ways to
attend farbrengens and to be in a
spot so that he could see and (as

In Crown Heights area: 1640/1700AM

USA phone: 347 990 1136

it were) the Rebbe could not see

him.
In conclusion:
We need to be completely
mekusharim to the Rebbe. If we
want to make progress in learning
Chassidus, to learn sichos and
maamarim of the Rebbe and
do the Rebbes mivtzaim, we
must believe and carry out with
emuna shleima even today what
the Rebbe said explicitly: to
publicize to the world that we
merited that we have a prophet
whose words come true, until the
main prophecy, of LAlter lGeula
and immediately, hinei zeh
(Moshiach) ba.
If you really want to be
mekushar to the Rebbe, you need
to be mevatel yourself completely,
to believe in the Rebbe and do
what he tells you to do.
Because if people dont listen
to what I say, then why come to
me?

worldwide, online: www.RadioMoshiach.org

In Israel (Nechayeg Venishmah): 08-9493-770 (press 1 # / 9 # / 3 #)

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MOSHIACH & SCIENCE

FROM TOOLS OF
WAR TO TOOLS
OF HEALING
By Prof. Shimon Silman, RYAL Institute and Touro College

or the past 20 years we

have been researching
and
reporting
on
developments in the world
that have come about as a result
of the Swords into Plowshares
declaration of 5752 (1992).
This declaration occurred
on January 31, 1992 when the
heads of state of the major world
powers met at the United Nations
in New York. This was the first
Security Council Summit in
historythe first meeting held by
the Security Council at the level
of heads of state. At this meeting
they issued a joint statement
announcing their intention to
reduce arms production and to
redirect the resources to improve
economic conditions throughout
the world. The next day, at the
Shabbos farbrengen of Parshas
Mishpatim in 770, the Rebbe
Melech HaMoshiach announced
that this statement issued by
the heads of state at the United
Nations was the beginning of
the fulfillment of the prophecy of
Isaiah, thousands of years ago,
that in the Era of Moshiach the
nations of the world will beat

their swords into plowshares.

He explained that this
declaration of intent by the
world leaders was the direct
result of the influence of
Melech HaMoshiach himself
on the nations of the world.
He continued by describing
the details of this influence
over several decades, especially
the promotion of the ideals of
goodness, fairness and justice
through the observance of the
Seven Noachide Commandments,
throughout the world. This
brought about a refinement of the
nations of the world, the climax
of which was the collapse of the
atheistic Communist regime in
Russia and its replacement with a
government committed to justice,
fairness and peace based on the
belief in G-d.
This new heightened sense
of morality was described by
the Secretary General of the
United Nations in his report
on the January 31 Security
Council Summit. In this report,
titled An Agenda for Peace, he
wrote: It is possible to discern
an increasingly common moral

perception that spans the worlds

nations and peoples. (See the
beginning of Chapter III of
my book Scientific Thought in
Messianic Times.)
We have reported on various
technologies that have been
transformed from military to
peaceful uses, various nations that
have transformed their military
resources to peaceful uses
and global security in general.
Some of the most dramatic
transformations have occurred in
the countries that had been the
most militaristic such as Russia
and China. Scientists at the
China Academy of Engineering
Physics have called the Swords
into Plowshares transformation
the trend of history.
One of the most interesting
developments, which we will
now present, occurred in Great
Britain where a corporation
was
established
specifically
to
research,
develop
and
market military technology for
peaceful uses. The company,
Ploughshares Innovations Ltd.,
offers a portfolio of world-class
technologies originally developed

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for
defense
and
security
purposes, by the Defense Science
and
Technology
Laboratory
(DSTL).
DSTL
develops
military technology for the
Ministry of Defense. Ploughshare
Innovations, incorporated in
2005, has a 350 million annual
Research
and
Development
budget and has more than 2500
scientists working on advanced
technology. They proudly admit
that The naming of Ploughshare
Innovations reflects long standing
ideologies related to converting
swords into ploughshares and
converting items developed for
military purposes in to civilian
applications.

the projectile has not perforated

the armor. The increase in the
energy of bullets and the efforts
of armor designers to minimize
the weight and bulk of personal
armor systems has increased
the risk of BABT in military and
security forces personnel.
BABT injuries have some of
the characteristics of the blunt
trauma observed in road traffic
accidents, injuries due to an
explosion and other forms of

Ploughshare Innovations, incorporated in

2005, has a 350 million annual Research and
Development budget and has more than 2500 scientists
working on advanced technology. They proudly admit
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY that The naming of Ploughshare Innovations Inc. reflects
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
longstanding ideologies related to converting swords
can occur when the head receives
an impact from a blunt or into ploughshares and converting items developed for
penetrating object, or is subject
military purposes in to civilian applications.
to an injury that causes back
and forth movement of the brain
inside the skull [see diagram].
The main causes are falls, road
traffic accidents and sporting
injuries. TBI may lead to death
or permanent disablement rl.
TBI is a leading cause of death
and disability worldwide with the
global incidence of TBI estimated
to be 790 cases per 100,000
people per year.
DSTL has been conducting
research in the area of TBI
as part of the 2 million per
year UK Ministry of Defense
Combat Casualty Care Program
in collaboration with three
leading UK universities. Military
operations in Afghanistan have
given the DSTL team a lot of
experience,
knowledge
and
expertise in TBI. Molecular
biology techniques are used to
identify novel biomarkers of
mild traumatic brain injury from
patient blood plasma samples.
Ploughshare Innovations is

now marketing these techniques

for use in the general population
for rapid diagnosis, prognosis
and monitoring of mild to severe
traumatic brain injury.

*
A related brain (and body)
injury is Behind Armor Blunt
Trauma (BABT) which is
defined as a non-penetrating
injury resulting from the rapid
deformation of armors covering
the body. The deformation
of the surface of the armor in
contact with the body arises
from the impact of a bullet or
other projectile on its outer
face. (The deformation is part
of the energy absorbing process
that captures the projectile.) In
extreme circumstances, BABT
may result in death, even though

blunt impact injury.

There has been a great deal of
research within UK and NATO
to figure out the mechanism
of BABT. It is considered likely
to be a combination of stress
(pressure) waves generated by
the rapid initial motion of the
inside of the armor, and shear
deformation of internal organs
produced by the deflection of the
body wall. Physical and computer
model
systems
are
under
development to characterize the
biophysical processes.
Various helmets have been
designed and tested to protect
the head from BABT but
conventional test systems only
assess the BABT injury risk at
individual points on the head so
the performance of only specific
parts of a helmet are known.
Ploughshare Innovations has

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MOSHIACH & SCIENCE

upgraded the military technology and developed a
system called the Blunt Impact Head Injury Model
(BIHIM) which provides a single platform for
assessing fracture risks at multiple regions of the
skull so that the helmet as a whole can be evaluated.
They have made technology available to the
general public enabling improved helmet design of
helmets for civilian uses such as for construction
workers, miners etc.

EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF SEPSIS

Sepsis is a serious medical condition caused by
an overwhelming immune response to a bacterial
infection. The chemicals released into the blood
to fight the infection trigger
widespread
inflammation
which may result in organ
damage. Blood clotting
during sepsis reduces blood
flow to limbs and internal
organs, depriving them of
nutrients and oxygen. In
severe cases, one or more
organs fail. In the worst
cases, infection leads to
a
life-threatening
drop
inblood pressure and the
heart weakens, resulting
in septic shock. This
can quickly lead to the
failure of several organs
lungs,kidneys, andliver
causing death.
The infection itself can
begin anywhere bacteria
can enter the body. It can
result from something as
seemingly harmless as a
scraped knee or a nicked cuticle or from a more
serious medical problem such as appendicitis,
pneumonia,meningitis, or a urinary tract infection.
In hospitalized patients, common sites of initial
infection include IV lines, surgical incisions, urinary
catheters, and bed sores.
Sepsis is difficult to predict, diagnose, and treat.
Diagnosed cases of sepsis are exceeding 18 million
a year and growing at a rate of 8-10% annually
with 1,400 patients dying from sepsis each day in
the developed world. New technologies are urgently
needed to allow for earlier detection of patients
with, or at risk of, sepsis.
Ploughshares Innovations has made available

to the medical profession the results of military

research on the early detection of Sepsis. A DSTL
team has recently reported the identification of
45 biomarkers which give a predictive accuracy
of 97.24% of the onset of this life-threatening
condition.
The benefits of the application of this
development are:
The identification of sepsis days before clinical
symptoms are seen
Differentiation of sepsis from a similar
condition, Systemic Inflammatory Response
Syndrome (SIRS)
Extension of the therapeutic window for sepsis
(and SIRS)
Significantly reduced
patient mortality
Reduction of the
associated treatment costs.

CONCLUSION
In
a
world
often
confused by the meaning of
current events and for the
rest of us who may not be
confused but are wondering
when we are going to see
the completion of the Geula,
when we look with a more
penetrating vision, behind
the newspaper headlines
and beyond the events that
make a lot of noise, we can
see developmentssuch as
the Swords into Plowshares
developmentsthat show
how the Geula is quietly
unfolding and proceeding on

course.
So how long will we have to wait? I will just
paraphrase a practical, down to earth military man,
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz. Speaking
(pessimistically) about the changing geopolitical
conditions in the Middle East he said recently,
There is no reason to believe that what was and is
will still be in another five or ten years.
But we will say, There is no reason to believe
that what was and is will still be in another five
or ten minutes. We can expect instantaneous
changes in which the Geula is brought to its
completion NOW!

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PARSHA THOUGHT

VIVE LA
DIFFERENCE!
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

PREPARING FOR SINAI

While last weeks parsha
recounted the story of the
giving of the Torah on Mount
Sinai, some additional details
are discussed at the end of this
weeks parsha, Mishpatim.
The Torah recounts the events
and communications Moses
had with the Jewish people
prior to the giving of the Ten
Commandments:
Moses came and told the
people all the words of G-d
and all the laws. All the people
answered in unison and said, All
the words that G-d has spoken
we will do.
Rashi explains that this
occurred before the Torah
was given on Mount Sinai.
The words of G-d Moses
communicated were instructions
as to how the people should
prepare themselves for the giving
of the Torah, for example, by not
going near the mountain. The
laws he imparted were the
Seven Noachide Laws plus the
additional commandments they
received earlier at the place called
Marah.
The peoples response was an
enthusiastic we will do.
Moses then wrote down all of
G-ds words (according to Rashi,
all of Biblical literature known
prior to the giving of the Torah as

well as the commandments that

had been given at Marah).
The Torah then recounts the
events of the next day:
And he arose and built an
altar at the foot of the mountain
and twelve stone monuments for
the twelve tribes of Israel He
took the Book of the Covenant
[as described by Rashi] and read
it in the ears of the people, and
they said we will do and we will
hear everything G-d has said.

WHY THE CHANGE

IN THEIR RESPONSE?
Commentators have raised
the obvious question why
they responded by saying
we will do them to Moses
initial communication of the
commandments yet on the
following day when he read the
same commandments to them
they responded we will do and
we will hear?
Kli Yakar answers that when
Moses initially communicated
the commandments to them, they
thought that these were going to
be the only commandments so
they declared we will do them!
But when Moses read them the
Book of the Covenant on the next
day, they understood that more
commandments were coming so
they responded by saying we will
do [the ones we already heard]

and we are prepared to hear [the

additional commandments], as
well.
The difficulty with this view,
however, is that, according to
Rashi, Moses read them the exact
text of what he had told them the
day before. What changed their
response from we will do to
we will do and we will hear?

A NEW PEOPLE
One approach to answering
this question is to realize that
the Jewish people underwent
a metamorphosis in the time
between these two responses.
According to Rashi, as related
in the Talmud, the entire Jewish
nation underwent a ritual
conversion that involved Moses
sprinkling of the blood of the
sacrifices that he offered on their
behalf, their circumcision and
their immersion in a Mikveh.
Prior to their conversion, the
Jewish people were not ready to
hear more of the commandments.
They were only prepared to
affirm their commitment to the
commandments they had already
been given. However, when they
went through the conversion
process they became spiritually
transformed and were ready to
hear and accept more of G-ds
commandments.

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Parsha Thought

ANSWERING IN UNISON
Another approach to this
question may be based on an
answer to a related question.
Concerning
the
Jewish
peoples initial response, the
Torah states:
All the people answered in
unison and said, All the words
that G-d has spoken we will do.
However,
when
they
responded with We will do and
we will hear, the Torah does
not mention that they said it in
unison. Why not?
The answer lies in the
difference between doing and

it as a unified body. This is so

even when there are differences
among the people of that group.
What distinguishes us from each
other is our understanding.
No two people think alike, the
Talmud states, just as no two
people look alike. However, when
dealing with simple submission
to authority, as servants to our
master, we can all stand together
as one.

UNITY AND DIVERSITY

When Moses read the Book
of the Covenant to the people,
the Torah states that he read
it in the ears of the people.

G-d wants the Jewish people to exist on two

planes simultaneously. First and foremost, the
Jews are one people based not only on their common
history and destiny but also because they possess a
common essence rooted in one G-d: their Jewish souls.
However, Judaism doesnt end there; rather, it begins
there. We are also required to see how the one G-d is able
to manifest Himself in so many diverse ways. In doing so,
each one of us reveals our individuality and demonstrates
the uniqueness and indispensability of each individual.
hearing. It is the difference
between acting with and without
understanding.
When they first heard G-ds
commandments,
the
Jewish
people responded that they
accepted everything G-d told
them, unreservedly. They did
not need to understand the
commandments before accepting
them. This, indeed, is the
foundation of Judaism: accepting
G-ds commands, categorically
and unconditionally.
When a group of people
declare their submission to a
Higher authority they can do

This expression implies that

he wanted them to understand
these commandments so that
they would be meaningful to
the people. The lesson here
is that it is not enough for us
simply to accept G-ds words
as His will; we must also study
and internalize them until they
penetrate and permeate our
consciousness.
Once the people realized
that G-d would not be content
with their simple obedience and
total submission to His will,
but also that He desired them
to internalize His commands,

the Jewish people could no

longer respond in unison. Each
individual brought a different
level
of
understanding
to
the table. And while they all
answered using the same words,
each individuals level of hearing/
understanding varied.

ONE ALTAR, 12 STONES

That there was a need to
highlight the differences among
the Jewish people at this stage is
evident from the fact that Moses
built both an altar and 12 stone
monuments signifying the 12
tribes of Israel. Why the need
for the 12 monuments? Why
not highlight the unity of the
Jewish people instead? Didnt the
Torah, in the preceding parsha,
use the singular expression for
the encampment at Mount Sinai
to dramatize their unparalleled
unity? Why does the Torah now
highlight their differences?
The answer is clear. G-d
wants the Jewish people to exist
on two planes simultaneously and
integrate those two dimensions
into their relationship with G-d
and Judaism.
First and foremost, the Jewish
people are one nation on earth.
They are inherently one people
based not only on their common
history and destiny but also
because they possess a common
essence rooted in one G-d: their
Jewish souls. Their unity came
to the fore as they approached
Mount Sinai.
This, incidentally, helps us
understand an otherwise puzzling
passage in the Hagada: If G-d
would have brought us close to
Mount Sinai and not given us the
Torah, Dayeinu, it would have
been enough. Commentators
ask what benefit it would have
been for us to stand in front of
the mountain if we did not also
receive the Torah there?

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The answer is that the

seemingly simple act of just
standing at Mount Sinai revealed
our inner unity and demonstrated
that no matter how different we
might be externally, we are and
will always be one unified nation.
When that unity is revealed,
we appreciate G-d and His Torah
in a commensurate manner.
We are able to see the essential
unity in G-d, notwithstanding
His multifarious powers that
are evident in our world. We
can also grasp the Torah and
its commandments in the same
unified way. We see the unity of
all of Judaism as the expression
of a unified Divine will and
we commit ourselves to these
precepts through our singular
submission to His will.
That is the first step.

STEP TWO
However, Judaism doesnt
end there; rather, it begins there.
Once we can comprehend that
there is one G-d, one Torah
and one Jewish people, we are
required to see how G-d is able
to manifest Himself in so many
diverse ways. We also must apply
this understanding to the Torah
and its precepts in order that we
will be able to see the different
hues and colors that distinguish
one Mitzvah from another.
And in doing so, each one of us

reveals our individuality, that

which distinguishes us from
each other and at the same time
demonstrates the uniqueness
and indispensability of each
individual.
When the Jewish nation
saw that Moses built one altar
along with 12 monuments
corresponding to each of the
tribes, they realized that a unified
submission to G-d would not
suffice. This understanding was
reinforced when Moses read the
Torah in their ears, suggesting
that they must understand the
words of the Torah to the best
of their individual ability. They
therefore responded accordingly:
Yes, we will combine both
dimensions. We will do as we are
told but we will also hear, study
and internalize the teachings of
the Torah and its precepts.

YES AND YES!

What happened then is a great
lesson that guides us in the way
we are to behave in the present as
we wait for the Messianic Age to
unfold. When preparing for the
future Redemption, some might
be confused at what they feel is a
mixed message.
On the one hand, great
emphasis is placed on believing
in Moshiach and suspending
our rationality. Faith transcends
intellect. The Talmud states

that Moshiach will come when

our minds are distracted from
it [Moshiachs coming]. The
Tanya explains that it means
that Moshiachs coming and the
future Redemption transcend
our understanding. Yet, the
Torah, particularly in the mystical
teachings of Kabbala and
Chassidus, devotes substantial
attention to understanding the
physical and spiritual dynamics
of the future Redemption. Which
is it to be? Do we believe with
simple faith or do we try to study
and understand it?
The answer is, obviously,
yes and yes. We must recognize,
first and foremost, that when
Moshiach and the Age of
Redemption
arrive,
G-ds
transcendent glory will be
revealed. Moshiachs teachings
will be so sublime that we can
only declare in unison, Yes, we
are ready for Moshiach! But, in
order for us to be prepared for
this new age of G-dly revelation,
with its new vistas of Torah
knowledge, we must transform
our exile mindset by study and
understanding. Moreover, we
must internalize the belief and
have the desire for Moshiach
resonate throughout our entire
being by applying our minds to
the understanding of Moshiach
and Redemption.

www.MoshiachForKids.com
Check it out!! Educational and Fun!!
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FEATURE

THE SHLICHUS
STORY OF THE
SHLICHUS STORYTELLER

CONTINUES
The mekuravim in Moshes store, in the new kollel,
in the Chabad preschool and the Tachkemoni
school, reminisce about the shliach who worked
in their city for thirty years. * Rabbi Yaakov
Shmuelevitzs popular column returns one more
time to mark the day of his passing.
By Sholom Ber Shmuelevitz
Successor to the shlichus in Beit Shaan

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ts been a long time since

we had new stories from my
father ah, but not because
the stories were used up. Oh
no. This past year demonstrated
that the story has only begun.
I suppose that in the heavenly
yeshiva they wanted to enjoy
the sweet shlichus stories of the
Rebbes shliach in Beit Shaan so
they invited the storyteller upstairs.
I decided to collect some
stories and try to conjure up that
magical atmosphere which was
created in my fathers column.
My first stop was the store
belonging to Moshe Amor, a
close friend of the Chabad house
and of my father.
Moshe
remembers
the
beginning, thirty years ago,
when the rav just arrived in the
city, as he put it. As a neighbor,
Moshe always knew hed find
a listening ear with the rabbi,
on happy occasions and on less
happy ones. My fathers passing
hit Moshe hard.
Not a week goes by without
my missing Rav Yaakov, he says.
He will never forget the
funeral. It was a combination of
deep sorrow as well as a powerful
demonstration of emuna and
Geula the likes of which Beit
Shaan never saw before.
Last year, Moshe decided

to strengthen his connection

with the Chabad house and to
more deeply delve into Chassidic
teachings. He learns Chassidus
with me every week, which gives
him light for the entire week.

NO BACKING DOWN
It wasnt for naught that
Moshe intensified his learning of
Chassidus this year. I remember
the day the doctor said we should
call the family together. Those
were the final hours in which my
father fought for every breath. At
that awful time, my heart cried
out an absolute commitment
that the Rebbes presence in Beit
Shaan would not only not lessen
due to my fathers passing; it
would get even bigger.
To us in the family it was
clear that a shliach of the Rebbe
does not die of illness. If such a
thing occurred, then apparently
there was a heavenly accusation
about the outreach in Beit Shaan
and when there is a heavenly
accusation, our Rebbeim taught
us the secret: double the work!
Already at the funeral and
immediately afterward, during
the Shiva, we all made good
hachlatos. On the Shloshim we
opened to a letter from the Rebbe
in the Igros Kodesh in which
he urges one of the Chassidim

to ascertain that the gravestone

of his father who is buried in
one of the old cemeteries is not
neglected and sunken in.
After making sure that my
fathers gravestone was as it
should be, we realized there
was something deeper here,
that the shlichus of my father
should not be neglected or
become submerged, G-d forbid.
And so, upon the request of the
family and the long time shliach
in the city, R Shmuel Reinitz,
we moved from Tel Aviv to Beit
Shaan.

THE WORK CONTINUES TO

GROW
Beit
Shaan.
A
warm,
embracing city, welcomed us
with love. It was moving and
appreciated. Whoever saw me
said, We see R Yaakov walking
in the street. It is my privilege.
At the funeral, people heard
announcements about massive
expansion of the activities in
response to the event, and the
living shall take it to heart, but
they (and maybe we too) did not
believe how big it would get. The
inspiration which gripped the
entire family and the community
was
immediately
translated
into founding new shiurim,
inaugurating the mikva, starting

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Feature
a Chabad preschool, a kollel
Chassidus, and doubling the
number of people in all areas of
our activities. Beit Shaan did not
believe that from this tragedy the
Chabad house would grow.
By the Shloshim already, R
Yosef Yitzchok Lassry, the rav
of the city, could not conceal his
surprise. He said, more power to
you! You turn every occurrence
into a source of growth.
R Amir Bennisti, who learns
in kollel and has a child in the
Chabad preschool, said: After
your fathers passing I figured
Beit Shaan will no longer be
what it once was. After all the,
the rav, your father, was the
engine
behind
everything
that went on here. We were so
apprehensive that my family and
I were thinking of leaving Beit
Shaan. What actually happened
though was Beit Shaan changed,
but not in the way I imagined it
would. Even before we recovered
from the tragedy, the Chabad
house announced the opening of
a Chabad preschool. Before we
got used to that idea, we were
informed about the new kollel
Chassidus.
These two mosdos personally
affected
and
changed
us
drastically. My daughter enjoys
every minute of preschool and
absorbs a quality Jewish chinuch.
She is blossoming. I have become
more exposed to the wonderful
wellsprings of pnimius haTorah
in the new kollel. Needless to
say, we dropped our thoughts of
leaving a long time ago.
***
When
forging
ahead,
the power of Chassidus and
hiskashrus works wonders. The
residents of Beit Shaan did not
imagine that after such a great
blow there would be such growth.
They all know the clichs about
growing from a tragedy, nice

sentiments which usually remain

as fond wishes, while here in Beit
Shaan it has become the reality.
Here, I must mention my friends
from Kvutza, my fathers friends
from Kvutza, and many others
of Anash in Eretz Yisroel whom
I approached in the first months
after I learned how much money
was needed to continue the
shlichus. They opened their
hearts and their pockets and
enabled the continuation of the
work of the Chabad house with
peace of mind.

YAAKOVS DREAM
At the same time that the
work goes on and is growing, the
residents refuse to be consoled.
People say, We cant believe hes
not here.
Yoram, who joined the
Chassidus kollel two months
ago, said the reason he joined is
because of a dream in which my
father pointed out to him the
entrance to the Chabad house.
I meet people in their 30s
who remember their first steps
to Judaism as children when my
father ran Mesibos Shabbos or
his weekly visit to their school.
Its unbelievable how he reached
so many hearts.
Key figures in the chareidi
world of Beit Shaan tell me quietly
that they credit the beginning of
their tshuva process to Abba.
For example, a kollel fellow that
I met as he walked one evening
from shul on his way home told
me, When I began taking an
interest, nobody was here (i.e.
from the tshuva organizations
we have today). Your father was
the only one. I would sit with
him in his office for hours and
ask him questions and he would
answer me patiently.
I listen to this and think,

When will my deeds reach those

of my father? My father sat with
him in the office without anyone
knowing about it, with enormous
patience, and learned with him.
Because he was the Rebbes
shliach.
Oren Navon, a teacher in
the local high school, said, I
was a close friend of R Yaakov.
Especially in later years, we
would spend a lot of time
together, for example, when
we rode bikes together for our
health. He was a one of a kind
fellow and still was so down to
earth. If there is something I miss
terribly, its his incredible ability
to listen. He wasnt the kind of
guy who nods his head and says,
yeah, yeah. He was someone
who really heard what you had
to say and more, what you didnt
say. He understood between the
lines and always knew how to
give good advice or say a good
word. This past year I have been
regularly attending the shiurim in
the kollel of R Sholom Ber which
provides me with oxygen for the
entire week. As a teacher, I am
happy to encounter him in the
high school too when he comes
to speak to the students about the
Rebbe and about Chassidus.

CONTINUING EDUCATION
Boruch Hashem, I have also
been able to replace my father in
the two schools where he served
as rav. I visit them every week
and deliver a portion of Jewish
Chassidic content. There too, the
staff is in shock and moved at the
sight of the living continuation of
Rav Yaakov.
We have begun our plans
for a boys preschool for next
year; registration is underway.
This is following the success of
the Chabad girls preschool that
I mentioned that we opened
shortly after the Shloshim.

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Yoram,

who

joined

the

Chassidus kollel two months

ago, said the reason he joined is

because of a dream in which my father
pointed out to him the entrance to the
Chabad house.
On one of my recent visits
to the Tachkemoni School, the
principal, Yaakov Yefet, told
me, The school misses Rav
Yaakov. He never forgot us and
he visited here regularly, even
in his final days when he felt so
unwell. I personally saw him on
one of his last visits when he felt
horrible and I asked him to go
home. Of course that was out
of the question as far as he was
concerned. He was a man of
mesirus nefesh. We had a gift
which no other school in the
country had; that a man like this
served as our rav. We are moved
that his son is taking over, as you
provide the children with Judaism

Continued from page 23

incredible and amazing wonder
to the great virtue of Alm-ghty
G-ds shliach, the Lubavitcher
Rebbe. I dont want to think
about what my situation would be
like today if I hadnt come across
the Rebbes letter recommending
that I check my tfillin.

A SELECTIVE FIRE
R Matan Yehoshua Sadovnik
concluded his amazing story
with another Heaven-inspired
episode regarding his first home,

and Chassidic warmth.

MOVING ONWARD
To mark the first yahrtzait
and the start of the second
year, we set ourselves new goals
with the main objective being
starting mosdos chinuch and
working with the youth to be
mekarev them to the light of the
Rebbe MHM. Thanks to the
positive response of Anash to
the fundraising campaign, we
hope to be able to expand the
budget of the Chabad house for
a number of months so we can
progress steadily with our plans.
Along with me and R

which he had built with his own

hands in that same location in the
forest:
I was unmarried at the time.
I had just finished building the
wooden structure, and I forgot
that I had left candles burning
there. The wind fanned the
flames throughout the house,
which quickly turned into a huge
inferno. The result was that the
house was totally destroyed by
the fire; there was nothing left
to salvage. I had a beautiful and
extensive library, and all the
sfarim had been turned into
ashes. However, one seifer was

Shmuel Reinitz and his family,

two of my brothers-in-law, R
Sholom Blau and R Menachem
Lang and their families, will
be joining the shlichus. Each
of them bring their youthful
energies to the work. Also, my
mother, Chana Shmuelevitz,
who constantly pushes for new
projects and chooses to continue
a life of shlichus with simcha and
anticipation for the Geula, is a
driving force in all our activities.
May we merit to continue and
light up the city. May we soon
see the fulfillment of the promise,
arise and sing those who dwell
in the earth with my father
among them. Lchaim!

saved Bracha Vhatzlacha, a

book of spiritual advice from the
Lubavitcher Rebbe
A picture of the Rebbe was
printed on the cover. My mother
had received this seifer as a
token of appreciation from the
Rebbes shliach in Hertzliya for
the assistance she had provided
to the Chabad House, and she
eventually gave the seifer to me.
This was the only seifer that
survived the fire. I dont have
the slightest idea how it wasnt
burnt together with the rest of the
sfarim in the library.

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MIRACLE STORY

SALVATION
THROUGH THE BACK
R Matan Yehoshua Sadovnik experienced
an incredible story of Divine Providence
after his wooden house burned to the
ground. He had been left with intense
pains in his back as he struggled to move.
Then, a chance glance at a letter from
the Rebbe opened his eyes, leading him
straight to miraculous and breathtaking
results.
By Nosson Avraham
Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

f you live in the Holy City of

Tzfas and the surrounding
region, and if youre in
need of alternative medical
treatment and use Maccabi Health
Services, youll undoubtedly meet
up with R Matan Yehoshua
Sadovnik. R Matan is an expert in
Shiatsu and Chinese medicine and
he has helped many people afflicted
with various ailments who had
given up on conventional methods.
R Matan is a very fascinating
individual. He grew up in a
middle-class
household
in
Hertzliya; his mother serves as
a high-ranking official with the
city government. Searching for
another direction in his life, he
got closer to Yiddishkait and
moved into the Baal Shem Tov
Forest near Miron. Three years

ago, as he was building his

woodland home, he began to feel
excruciating pain in his back, to
the point that he couldnt stand
on his feet. Only the Rebbes

letter, which came his way

in a case of incredible Divine
Providence, stopped the pain.

A WORM ENTERED THE

TEFILLIN
As mentioned, this story took
place about three years ago.
Despite the time that has passed
since then, R Matan admits that
whenever he recalls the events
of those days, chills go up his
spine. I built our house myself.
I bought planks of wood, nails,
and all the construction material
I needed. I did everything with
my own hands. Toward the end
of the building process, I began
to feel agonizing pain in my back.
I naively thought that these pains
would dissipate as quickly as they
came, but unfortunately, I was
quite mistaken. The backaches
became more intense. I had never
encountered such acute pain
before.
I lay in bed at home for
three days, unable to move a
muscle. Every movement was
accompanied by sharp pain. After
three days, when I saw that there
was no change, I decided to do
something. I turned to a highly
regarded
and
professionally
trained healing expert who had
taught me the art of Shiatsu
medicine. After explaining the
situation to him he proceeded to

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begin treatment. While he tried

to the best of his ability to relieve
my pain, regrettably, his efforts
proved unsuccessful.
The pain remained quite
intense and I almost began to
despair. I saw no light at the
end of the proverbial tunnel.
Naturally, it affected my overall
mood, which became rather glum
and despondent. After another
couple of days with no change in
my condition, I decided to make
the supreme effort and travel to
the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar
Yochai, located not far from my
home, and pour out my heart in
prayer for personal salvation.
As soon as I entered the
courtyard I sat down on one
of the seats. Walking into the
sanctuary from the car was
extremely difficult for me. The
pain grew worse and I had to rest
for a moment before going in to
daven.
At that same time, a young
Chabad chassid passed by me and
placed an open Dvar Malchus
booklet on the table. Apparently,
he wanted to come back later
and start reading from the point
where he had left it open. I looked
at the Dvar Malchus, and then I
instinctively took it and started to
read. I couldnt believe my eyes.
The text on the page
opened before me I later
discovered that it was a letter
from the Lubavitcher Rebbe
was a lengthy discussion on
the vertebrae. The Rebbe noted
that while the vertebrae are an
important part of the human
body, enabling a person to stand
upright, they are not counted
among the limbs. Similarly, we
find regarding prayer: While it
connects a Jew to his Creator,
it is not considered one of the
613 mitzvos of the Torah. The
Rebbe then added regarding the
Shmoneh Esrei prayer, that the

spine has eighteen vertebrae,

from the rump bone to the
collarbone.
I read all this with
incredulous eyes. Here I am,
right now, suffering from terrible
back pains. I could see the
incredible Divine Providence.
Eager to find the answer to my
nagging problem, I continued to
read.
In the following letter the
Rebbe mentioned the importance
of
checking
ones
tfillin.
Suddenly, I had an idea: Now
was the time to have my tfillin
checked, something that I had

parchments into sheimos and

then lent me one of his spare pairs
of tfillin to use in the meantime.
As I was making my way home
my mind was a complete jumble.
On the one hand, it was very
disturbing to realize that I had
been putting on non-kosher
tfillin all this time. On the other
hand, it was also quite amazing
how the Creator had arranged
for me to come across a letter
from the Lubavitcher Rebbe that
led me to get my tfillin checked
and start putting on stringently
kosher tfillin from now on. Yet,
even I couldnt imagine what was
soon about to happen.

When he opened the battim and removed the

parchments, he cried out, Your tfillin are pasul!
A worm had somehow managed to wriggle its way
into one of the battim and rendered the script on the
parchment unfit.

never done before. I hadnt been

able to daven for the past five
days and I surely couldnt stand
up straight for Shmoneh Esrei.
Maybe theres some problem
with my tfillin?
I didnt waste any valuable
time. Despite the physical pain
and discomfort, I immediately
made my way from the Rashbis
tomb straight to the home of a
very devout Torah scribe living
in Tzfas. I asked him to open my
tfillin and have them checked as
soon as possible. He agreed to do
so in my presence without delay.
When he opened the battim and
removed the parchments, he cried
out, Your tfillin are completely
pasul! It turned out that a worm,
of all things, had somehow
managed to wriggle its way into
one of the battim and rendered
the script on the parchment unfit.
It was a shocking sight.
The scribe put the tfillin

When I arrived home, even

though it was already past the
morning hours, I quickly donned
the tfillin and started davening.
Up until then, when I reached the
Shmoneh Esrei, I stood up with
great difficulty as I held on to a
chair placed in front of me. When
I came to the section of Oseh
Shalom Bimromav, I turned my
body to bow to the right, center,
and left, and realized that I had
succeeded in doing so without
feeling any sharp pains. It was
a sign that my condition was
improving.
Since that moment, the pains
in my back disappeared as if
there had never been a problem.
They went as quickly as they had
come. It was a miracle.
When I tell you this now, I
can feel my entire body trembling
with excitement. I attribute this
Continued on page 21
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OBITUARY

MECHANECH
AND MASHPIA
R Avrohom Meizlich ah was a model of what
it means to be a true mechanech and mashpia.
He did not need to wait for farbrengens with
many participants in order to share his heartfelt
Chassidic wealth with someone else. * Already
as a young man, he was a leading activist,
spreading Judaism and doing mivtzaim.
By Shneur Zalman Berger

LEADING THE WAY

R
Avrohom
Bentzion
Meizlich was born in 1933 in
Yerushalayim. On his fathers
side he was a seventh generation
descendant of the renowned
Chassid of the Alter Rebbe, R
Moshe Meizlich. On his mothers
side he was a descendant of the
gaon, R Avrohom Shaag, one of
the great rabbanim in Hungary.
In an interview that R
Meizlich gave he said that in the
period after World War II he went
with a relative to the old cemetery
in Chevron in order to visit the
grave of his celebrated ancestor,
R Moshe Meizlich. There was
no gravestone, only a stone that
served as a marker. Here lies
our great forebear the Chassid, R
Moshe Meizlich, said his uncle.
Sadly, when Chevron was under

Arab control from 1948 until the

Six Day War in 1967, the Arabs
plowed the cemetery and nothing
remains of the Chassids grave.
In his youth, R Avrohom
Meizlich learned in Eitz Chayim
in Yerushalayim but being a
doer, he led the way in the battle
for Torah and Judaism. Despite
his young age, he worked to
strengthen
Judaism
among
the new immigrants under
HaMachaneh HaTorati (today,
Yad LAchim). The newspaper
HaTzofeh reported about the
parties that took place on Tu
BShvat 5711 in the transit
camps and where immigrants
lived, under the auspices of
the Education Ministry in
collaboration with HaMachaneh
HaTorati. Among the organizers
of the parties you can see R
Avrohom Meizlichs name.

For a while, he was part of

the
chareidi
underground
which instilled fear in those who
desecrated the Shabbos and
publicly sold treif. The final act
of the daring group, which was
done together with R Mordechai
Eliyahu ztl, was the attempt to
stir up public opinion during the
Knesset debate about drafting
girls into the army. The attempt
failed and the members of the
group, including R Avrohom,
were arrested, but they were soon
released.
He went on to learn in
Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in
Pardes-Lud where he became a
close disciple of the mashpia, R
Shlomo Chaim Kesselman. At
the same time, he continued his
work in strengthening Jewish
awareness among the new
immigrants who were pouring

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into the country. His activities

entailed bitter battles with the
authorities who tried to divert
the immigrants from Torah and
mitzvos.
R Saadia Maatof of Nachalat
Har Chabad, who recently passed
away, told me that R Zushe
Partisan along with R Avrohom
Meizlich, R Tzvi Greenwald and
R Sholom Ber Laine, brought
many of the immigrants from
Habban, Yemen to Chabad, and
everything is in their merit. This
is a tribe of extended families
throughout the country that
are Chabad Chassidim today
including the Mifi, Maatof,
Samayach and Hillel families.

CHASSIDISHE WEDDING
R Avrohoms marriage to
Esther, daughter of the mashpia,
R Yehoshua Lipkin, took place at

the Babad hotel in Yerushalayim.

It was a wedding full of authentic
Chassidishe spirit and later on,
the chassan wrote about his
wedding:
I brought a crate of mashke
and asked my brother-in-law
to put one bottle on each table,
and when a bottle would be
emptied he should replace it. The
chevra took a lot of mashke and
the Chassidishe simcha burst
forth, full force. Groups sat
and farbrenged and at the dais
sat distinguished rabbanim like
R Shlomo Yosef Zevin and R
Shmaryahu Sasonkin together
with my father-in-law, R Lipkin.
Then one of the Tmimim
who had just returned from
770 approached the dais. After
taking a lot of lchaim, he began
shouting at the people sitting on
the dais: You all must go to the

Rebbe. Why dont you go to the

Rebbe?
At that time, very few went
to the Rebbe. The people sitting
there tried to excuse themselves
but the inebriated bachur
proclaimed: Whoever doesnt
travel to the Rebbe wont live out
the year.
R Sasonkin yelled at him:
We were taught that someone
who comes from the Rebbe
reviews a maamer and doesnt
talk that way.
The bachur immediately
reviewed a maamer by heart that
he recently heard from the Rebbe.
The farbrengen continued
for a long time. The management
of the hotel urged the families to
leave, but the guests refused. It
was only toward morning that the
wedding-farbrengen ended.

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Obituary

Running the Chabad school in Nes Tziyona

When he held out the second cup and asked

for wine for his father-in-law, the Rebbe looked
at him with a smile and said: With your right hand. R
Avrohom exchanged cups and the Rebbe poured the
wine. When he wanted to say lchaim to the Rebbe, he
lifted his cup which was now in his left hand. Once again,
the Rebbe told him with a smile: With your right hand.
FORTY YEARS
OF LEADERSHIP
For forty years, R Avrohom
was involved in chinuch and was
considered a successful educator.
He told Beis Moshiach about
the beginning of his educational
career:
It all began one year in the
50s when one of the teachers
in the school in Kfar Chabad
became sick. The hanhala of
the school asked the hanhala
of the yeshiva that was in Lud
for a suitable replacement. R
Shlomo Chaim asked me to be
the substitute. Although I was a
chassan, I accepted the job with
kabbalas ol. After I married, the
hanhala of the school asked that

I continue working for them.

I taught in the school in Kfar
Chabad for four years.
He then went to work as the
menahel of the Chabad school
of the Reshet in Nes Tziyona. A
short while later he went to the
Rebbe for the first time. This trip
entailed miracles which he would
often relate, as his grandson, R
Shmuel Gewirtz, recounts:
When my grandfather was
recently hospitalized, I went with
a tiny bottle of vodka in my pants
pocket. In the middle of the visit,
I suggested that we farbreng and
took out the bottle and poured
it into cups which they gave out
for medication. My grandfather
sang a few niggunim and told

some stories about avoda and

haskala of Chassidus, including
the following episode.
At the beginning of that
school year, they asked him to
run the Reshet school which
had just opened in Nes Tziyona.
There were only two classes in
the new school and R Avrohom
himself taught one of them. The
Chabad school, which had just
opened, was attached for the
interim to the religious school
in Nes Tziyona but it was only
natural that the menahel of the
religious school was nervous
about Chabad and tried to
undermine the development of
the Chabad school.
R Avrohom went to the
Rebbe for Tishrei and told the
substitute teacher that if the
menahel would ask about him,
he should say he did not feel
well that day which is why he
was the substitute. The menahel
came one day and asked about
R Avrohom and the teacher
blurted out that he had gone to
the Rebbe. The menahel took
the opportunity to report him to
the supervisor at the Education
Ministry. A letter was sent to R
Avrohom saying he had to report
to the supervisors office as soon
as he returned to the country.
R
Avrohom,
in
the
meantime, was unaware that
anything had happened in his
absence. When he had yechidus,
he asked whether he should
continue with chinuch in Kfar
Chabad or in Nes Tziyona. The
Rebbe asked for details and in
the end, there was one question
for which R Avrohom did not
have an answer and so the matter
remained unresolved.
While he was still in the
US he found out about the
supervisor. R Avrohom reported
this to the Rebbes office so it
could be conveyed to the Rebbe.

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On
Motzaei
Shabbos
BReishis, R Avrohom went for
kos shel bracha as he held two
cups, one for himself and one for
his father-in-law. When he held
out the second cup and asked
for wine for his father-in-law, the
Rebbe looked at him with a smile
and said: With your right hand.
R Avrohom exchanged cups
and the Rebbe poured the wine.
When he wanted to say lchaim
to the Rebbe, he lifted his cup
which was now in his left hand.
Once again, the Rebbe told him
with a smile: With your right
hand.
R
Avrohom
exchanged
cups and said lchaim and then
continued on his way, but he
was called back by the Rebbe.
The Rebbe bent down and took
a small bottle of vodka from
under the table and gave it to R
Avrohom saying: This is for Nes
Tziyona. That was the Rebbes
decisive answer.
When R Avrohom returned
to Eretz Yisroel, he went to the
office of the supervisor who
asked him about his unauthorized
trip. R Avrohom said he was
uncertain as to where to work
and he had gone to consult with
the Rebbe. And? What did the
Rebbe say? asked the supervisor.
The Rebbe blessed me to
continue in Nes Tziyona and
even gave me a bottle of mashke
especially for Nes Tziyona to say
lchaim there.
R Avrohom took out the
bottle, put it on the table and
explained to the supervisor that
the bottle was still closed and
now the time had come to open it
and say lchaim together.
The
supervisor
closed
the door to his office and they
said lchaim. Needless to say,
the matter ended there and R
Avrohom ran the school in Nes
Tziyona for many years and

Mivtza Lulav in Mexico

R Avrohom farbrenging in Mexico in his sons Chabad house

oversaw its tremendous growth.

After ten years in Nes
Tziyona, he moved and became
a teacher in the vocational school
in Kfar Chabad. In this position
he developed warm ties with the
students and showered them
with warmth and love along
with Chassidishe hashpaa. One
proof to the strong relationship
he had with his students is the
fact that every year R Avrohom

went to the Rebbe for Tishrei

and he always took along some
talmidim.

MASHPIA WITH ALL

HIS HEART AND SOUL
R Avrohom was a dynamic
personality and led the way in
hafatzas hamaayanos. When
the Rebbe told him to work
with IDF soldiers during the

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Obituary

R Avrohom by the Rebbe

at dollars, davening for the amud in the Rebbes minyan, standing near the Rebbe during an aliya to the Torah

Yom Kippur War, he went to the

Sinai Peninsula with a group of
his students, as he told me some
years ago:
When the war broke out, I
was a 12th grade teacher. On
Chanuka I went on mivtzaim in
the Sinai with students from the
school. They all worked with
holy excitement and we traveled
together on public transportation
till the Sinai. The students went
around themselves to the various
army posts and gave out coins
for a blessing as emissaries of
the Rebbe. Despite their youth,
they entered the large army
camp there and got permission
to address the soldiers. They set
up two crates, one on top of the
other, and the speaker stood on
them and told the soldiers about
Chanuka. Then they gave out
coins for tzdaka and bracha. It
wasnt an easy trip and it took a
lot out of them.
R Avrohom was a teacher in
the vocational school for decades
until he retired, but he never
left the position of mechanech
and mashpia. In recent years
he served as a teacher of
Chassidus and as a mashpia in
Tomchei Tmimim in Rishon
LTziyon. Those were fantastic
years for him, said one of his
grandchildren. He considered

it a privilege to teach in the

yeshiva whose initial founder had
been his teacher, the mashpia R
Chaim Shaul Brook.
R Avrohom put all his
strength into preparing shiurim
and farbrengens. In yeshiva
they say that R Avrohom would
surprise the bachurim with
valuable gifts or pamphlets
that he treasured because he
gave everything he had to the
Tmimim, the main thing being
that they be immersed in Torah
study and the avoda of tfilla.
Three times a week he would
attend the Chassidus class in the
morning and at 7:00 on the dot
he would stand in the doorway
of the zal and make sure seder
began on time. If there were
latecomers, he might devote an
entire shiur to the importance
of kabbalas ol in keeping the
sdarim.
Over the years, R Avrohom
received guidance from the Rebbe
about chinuch and he shared this
with the staff.
Upon his passing, a list was
found in his coat pocket with the
names of the talmidim from the
yeshiva along with personal notes
about each one, who needed
encouragement, etc.
During his final illness, the

bachurim went to visit him now

and then. Each time he would
say: When R Shaul was sick, he
did not allow the bachurim to visit
him because he said, Talmud
Torah is greater than Bikkur
Cholim. What are you looking
for mitzvos? Still, each time
the bachurim went to visit, the
members of the household said
his condition improved. The last
time the bachurim visited him was
on Chanuka, and he asked for
detailed information from each of
them about their learning. When
he heard that Shabbos Chanuka
was an off Shabbos (as it is
in all yeshivos) he exclaimed, If
you listen to me, you will remain
in yeshiva for Shabbos. How can
you not be in yeshiva for Shabbos
Mevarchim?!
Before the bachurim left, he
parted with them emotionally.
You have no idea how much
kochos the Rebbeim are giving
you. Every day in yeshiva is
incredible spiritual strength for
life. Use every minute in yeshiva!
Those were his parting words to
the bachurim he loved so much.
His daughter Shaindel:
My father belonged not just
to us but to the many talmidim
who were raised in our home and
were like his children. Wherever

28 24 Shvat 5775
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we go, we get comments like, Ah,

your father saved me. He saved
my family! My father, with his
pure faith, made a huge impact
on peoples lives.
It was amazing to see the
tremendous admiration he felt
toward his talmidim. In Tishrei
one of the years, he pointed
out a bachur from the yeshiva
in Rishon LTziyon where he
worked as a mashpia and said
to me, Hes a real hero. What
efforts he made in order to come
to the Rebbe. I couldnt stand off
to the side and not help him. So I
lent him half the ticket.
R Avrohom was a mashpia
through and through. As its
explained in Chassidus, the way
of a mashpia is to influence and
he looked for every opportunity
to share his spiritual wealth. He
never waited for a farbrengen
with
many
participants
but regularly impacted his
environment in pleasant ways.
Every conversation with young
or old, talmid or colleague,
member of the household or any
encounter with a Chassid was
interwoven with interesting and
useful words of hashpaa.

CHASSID AND MEKUSHAR

As a Chassid and mekushar to
the Rebbe with every fiber of his
being, R Avrohom went to the
Rebbe every year for Tishrei. The
first time he went was for Tishrei
5721/1960 on the first charter
flight.
He told about his first
yechidus and the miracle that
occurred, at his last farbrengen in
the yeshiva in Rishon LTziyon:
Many Chassidim came from
Eretz Yisroel and the Rebbe
agreed to see them between
Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur
(although this was not the usual
time for yechidus). But there

With his friend, the mashpia R Velvel Kesselman. Photo by Kobi Kalmanowitz

If you listen to me, you will remain in yeshiva

for Shabbos. How can you not be in yeshiva for
Shabbos Mevarchim?!
were only three days in which this
could be done. The secretariat
therefore ran the yechidus very
exactingly so that everyone
would have a chance. Each of the
guests was given a blue paper on
which he had to fill out his name,
about his family, and the number
of children and his occupation so
it could be given to the Rebbe as
soon as he walked in.
When I received the paper I
was very surprised that the Rebbe
needed these notes. The story
went through my head about R
Shmuel Munkes who told the
Alter Rebbe before his arrest If
the Rebbe is a Rebbe, then what
does he need this for? When
I brought this up to R Leibel
Groner he yelled at me and asked
where my kabbalas ol was.

Then, when I walked into

the yechidus with the blue paper,
I just stood on the threshold.
Before I got any further, the
Rebbe asked me how my wife is
and continued to discuss other
personal matters. I saw that the
Rebbeim hide things in a mantle
of nature but they are really
completely above nature. The
Rebbe has intimate knowledge
of each of his Chassidim and
mekusharim, in the most precise
and supernatural way.
For R Avrohom, every
word of the Rebbe, every act or
instruction, was holy of holies,
and this is what he taught
his children, as his daughter
Shaindel relates:
When my father merely
heard the word Rebbe, he would
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Obituary
for Tishrei, you could see R
Avrohom at Seder Chassidus.
You might see him running on
Kingston from the mikva toward
770 so he wouldnt, G-d forbid,
miss the minyan with the Rebbe.
He demanded more of himself
than of others, even of those fifty
years younger than himself. He
never made peace with physical
limitations, as though he forgot
how old he was.

CHASSIDISHE SIMCHA TILL

THE LAST MOMENT

Hosting the Transportation Minister in his home. From right to left: R Zushe
Partisan, R Avrohom Meizlich, the minister, R Shlomo MaidanchekBH

stand like a soldier and listen

up. I remember one morning
about 42 years ago when my
father woke me up early in great
excitement and asked me to say
the morning brachos with great
concentration, to say some lines
of Tanya, and to make spiritual
preparations. Then he handed
me, with trembling hands and
sparkling eyes, a letter which had
arrived for me from the Rebbe.
My father also woke up the rest
of the family and they all stood
in great excitement to hear what
the Rebbe wrote. Then there was
an entire farbrengen on every
word that the Rebbe wrote in his
handwriting holy of holies.
Despite his multifaceted

communal work, he sat with us

children every day, at the same
time, to learn Chitas together.
Everybody knew that everyones
presence was important.
Every morning, he would
wake us up with a Chassidishe
niggun before going to teach.
And with all his responsibilities
he always found the time to listen
to things on our mind. He would
sit with us children, the girls
too, every Shabbos from six in
the morning, and teach kuntres
UMaayan MiBeis Hashem or
Likkutei Sichos [he took part in
translating the first volumes of
Likkutei Sichos].
When he went to the Rebbe




He fell ill two months ago and

was in and out of the hospital.
After Chanuka he returned home
but did not regain his strength.
On Shabbos VaYechi, while
davening Shacharis, he lost
consciousness and after being
revived he was rushed to the
hospital. Despite all efforts he
passed away on Motzaei Shabbos
at the age of 82.
R Avrohom is survived
by his wife and a beautiful
family who go in the ways of
Torah and Chassidus: R Yosef
Yitzchok, shliach in Mexico,
R Moshe, R Menachem, Mrs.
Henya Elishevitz, Mrs. Batsheva
Gewirtz, and Mrs. Shaindel
Schechter.
(With
thanks
to
the
grandchildren, Shmuel Gewirtz
and Chaim Meizlich, for their
speedy and generous help.)

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

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

30 24 Shvat 5775

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

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

Radio Moshiach & Redemption

961_bm_eng.indd 30

1620-1640 AM around Crown Heights & Boro Park

& 1710 AM in parts of Brooklyn 24/6 2015-02-10

7:52:35 AM

MOSHIACH & GEULA

MOSHIACH

AND CHINUCH
By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon

Dear Reader shyichyeh,

In our previous articles we
discussed the Torah view of
Jewish kings in general and
King Moshiach in particular. We
wrote that the life of Malchus
Beis Dovid and Moshiach
specifically and their ability
to accomplish their mission,
originates from the nation that
they lead.
This dichotomy (that they are
the king and yet need to be given
life by and through the people)
is why kings are referred to as
the heart of the Jewish people
(Hilchos Melachim 3:6). Why
do we single out the heart as an
appropriate allegory for Jewish
kings, and not another vital
organ, like the brain?
The Rebbe (Likkutei Sichos
vol. 19 pg. 165) explains that
the heart also contains these two
contrary characteristics. The
heart gives life and vitality to the
entire body while it itself is from
the weakest organs.
How do we give life to
the king? This is by showing
our constant acceptance and
dedication to the king. How do
we express that?
In
the
wellknownsichaofBeis Nissan5748
(Seifer
HaSichos5748,
vol.
1, pgs. 350, 351, 354), which

marked 68 years since the

Frierdike
Rebbe
assumed
leadership, the Rebbe discusses
the concept of a Jewish king.
The following are some of the
main points of thesicha which
shed light on this topic and
explicate how we can express our
acceptance to the king:
The relationship between
the king
and the people is
manifested in two opposite ways.
On the one hand, theking is
totally exalted above the people
which inspires awe and fear of
theking. On the other hand, the
relationship between the nation
and thekingis one of absolute
connection. As the Rambam
says, the kingis the heart of the
Jewish people. We are the limbs.
The connection that
exists between the heart
and the limbs of the
body is the ultimate of
closeness. Just like the
body receives its lifeforce from the heart, the
Jewish nation receives
its life from theking.
Not only does the
nation receive its life
from
theking,
but
the entire existence of
thekingis dependent
on the nation, as is
written,
There
is
a
nokingwithout

nation. The fact that the nation

is removed from thekingdirectly
affects hismalchus-sovereignty,
for true sovereigntyof aking
pertains only to those who are
removed from him.
Therefore,
the
Rebbe
continues, when the nation
announcesYechi
HaMelechLong live the king, as was
done in connection to Shlomo
HaMelech and Dovid HaMelech,
this affects not only the existence
of the king, but the very life of
thekingas well.
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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HISTORY

THE HOLY
PROTECTRESS
OF CHEVRON
Rebbetzin Menucha Rochel,
granddaughter of the Alter
Rebbe, lived in the holy city of
Chevron for over fifty years. She
left her stamp on the lives of the
Jews of Chevron. In her honor,
a beis midrash was founded in
the home of her oldest son, R
Yehuda Leib. She was admired
by all and was known for her
righteousness, great wisdom and
for her blessings which came to
fruition in supernatural ways.
She used this wondrous power
to bring salvation for the good of
the Jewish people. This is one of
many stories:
One of the Arabs in Chevron
had absolute control over the
springs of water in Chevron from
where the townspeople drew
water for their various needs.
This Arab used his utter control
over the invaluable commodity
of water to the detriment of
the Jewish residents. The Jews
suffered greatly, especially on
Erev Shabbos and Erev Yom Tov,
but nobody dared to oppose this
evil man.
One day, his only daughter
became sick and she lay in bed
in pain. Her father stood at her
head to support her but could
do nothing to help her. Even the
doctors despaired.

One of his friends advised him

to ask the righteous grandmother
who lived in Chevron for a
blessing for his daughters
recovery. She is a righteous
woman, said the man. Go to
her; you cant lose out.
The Arab quickly went to the
home of Rebbetzin Menucha
Rochel and met her grandson, R
Zev Dov Slonim. The grandson
heard the shouts of the Arab and
went to his grandmothers room
and told her what he wanted. She
did not need to be told who this
wicked Arab was. She asked her
grandson to go and tell the Arab
in her name that if he promised
her that he would no longer
harass the Jews of Chevron,
then his daughters recovery was
assured.
The Arab agreed to the
condition, put his hand over
his heart and swore that he
committed to doing whatever the
tzadeikes told him and he left the
house in a rush. His daughter
soon recovered and was back on
her two feet again.
The Jews of Chevron would
add that since that episode,
you could see the Arab himself
knocking on the doors of the
Jews of Chevron on Friday

mornings and offering barrels full

of water.
A similar story happened, in
that for a period of time Arab
gangs ruled Chevron and robbed
many Jews and impoverished
them. They were daring and
did not hesitate even in broad
daylight to bother and threaten
people and even rob them. The
situation deteriorated until a
common refrain became, Ten
measures of suffering descended
to the world and nine of them are
suffered by the Jews of Chevron.
The wife of the head of one
of the gangs was pregnant at the
time. When she went into labor,
both mother and baby were in
danger. The husband was beside
himself with anguish.
One of his friends advised
him to go to the righteous
Jewess to get her blessing. Time
was pressing and he rushed to
Rebbetzin Menucha Rochels
house and pleaded for his wifes
life. Once again, the Rebbetzin
sent word that if he promised
that from now on he would stop
his terrible deeds and neither he
nor his men would touch a Jews
property, then she promised that
all would be well. The man swore
and when he entered his home

32 24 Shvat 5775
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the midwife told him that his wife

had just given birth to a son.
From that day on, the Jews
of Chevron could breathe more
easily.
Even after her passing,
Rebbetzin
Menucha
Rochel
did wonders. Rebbetzin Pesha
Hadassah Halperin related a
story that happened immediately
prior to her wedding when
honored guests came from
Yerushalayim to Chevron for
Shabbos. That Shabbos, it
poured. Torrents of flood waters
came pouring down from the
high mountains surrounding the
town and flooded the low-lying
area. The Arabs screamed in fear
and fled for their lives.
Many Jews rushed for shelter
in the shul that had been built
for Rebbetzin Menucha Rochel

in her lifetime. The oil lamp

which was always kept burning
in the shul, testified that it was
many years already that she
wasnt among the living; only her
memory burned in an everlasting
fire. The waters rose and swirled
and everyone was in danger.
They looked at the fire with hope
that the merit of the tzadeikes
would arouse mercy on those
who dwelled in Chevron.
When the water reached
the height of the oil lamp, the
flooding ceased, the rain stopped.
***
On the night of her passing,
24 Shvat, people witnessed most
amazing things. In the middle
of the night the Rebbetzin woke
up and asked her aide to boil
water so she could bathe and
change her clothes. Then she

had her family called for, her

children and descendants. She
even sent someone running to
Yerushalayim to get her son,
R Levi Yitzchok Slonim. As
she waited for him, her lips
murmured chapters of Thillim
and tfilla. She said, My holy
ancestors are here with me.
As soon as her son, R
Levi Yitzchok, walked into the
room, she gave him her final
instructions and passed away.
The Jews of Chevron walked
bereaved behind the bier of the
tzadeikes. Many of them would
visit her grave and pray that she
plead on high on behalf of the
Jewish people and especially the
Jews of Chevron who were so
close to her heart.
From LSaper MBereishis, vol. 1
Menachem Ziegelboim

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TZIVOS HASHEM

TO OBEY,

NO QUESTIONS ASKED!
By Nechama Bar
his
in
relaxed
Moshe
office,
his
in
chair
executive
quite pleased with himself.
He sipped a bit from a cup of
coffee that was on the desk and
had waited a long time for him.
The coffee was stone cold but its
taste was very sweet. A broad
smile spread across his face as
he reviewed his numbers. Once
again, his stocks had gone up
greatly in value. Since he had
invested his money last year in
these stocks, he had doubled his
money!
For those who are not
familiar, we will briefly explain
stocks. Buying stock means
buying some partnership in
a company. Each stock has a
price which fluctuates (goes
up and down) based on the
financial state of the company
or on what people think the
company is worth. As the
companys earnings go up, or
if the demand for the stock
goes up, the worth of the stock
goes up, and all the people who
own the stock, profit. But if the
worth of the stock goes down,
whoever owns the stock loses.
The stock Moshe had bought
in Brazil had gone up high in
value and he had made a lot of

money. The stock will continue

to rise, said all the newspapers
and Moshe bought even more
stock in that company.
In another few days, my
brother Yaakov will return from
the US. I am looking forward to
his return so I can tell him the
good news, thought Moshe.
Moshe was on such a high. He
had no idea what an upheaval
would take place within the
next few minutes.
If he only could, he would
pick up the phone and tell his
brother of his recent success.
The problem was that at the
time of this story, 5730/1970,
phones were not what they
are today. Although he had a
phone in his office, the cost of
every minute of conversation,
especially to the US, was a
fortune.
The phone rang.
Yaakov, good news! Today
we earned ...
talk
cannot
I
Moshe,
for long now. I just have an
urgent request. Sell the stocks
immediately. All of them! Dont
hold on to a single one. Get rid
of them as soon as possible.
What happened to you?

Are you out of your mind? The

stock is going up! People are
investing all their money in it!
Sorry, I have to hang up. I
will explain when I come.
The conversation was over.
When every minute costs $10,
a respectable amount at that
time, it was really impossible to
take time to explain.
from
fell
receiver
The
and
dizzy
felt
Moshes hand. He
chair,
the
into
he leaned heavily
trying to recover. He had no
idea what had come over his
brother but having no choice,
he listened to his request and
quickly sold all the stock they
had bought.
What indeed had happened
to Yaakov? Why did he make
that call from the US to his
brother in Brazil and order him
to sell the stocks when everyone
expected a golden future for
the company?
Yaakov, who was in the US
at the time, had visited 770
and had yechidus with the
Rebbe. He was not a Lubavitcher
Chassid and when he walked
into the Rebbes office he shook
the Rebbes hand and sat down
which is not what Chassidim

34 24 Shvat 5775
961_bm_eng.indd 34

2015-02-10 7:52:38 AM

.
, , .
, . .
!!!
his
would do. But
, a
with
"
. burned
heart
fire
in
faith
and
oflove
the Rebbe. The Rebbe
?" d
referre
even
had

.good
my
as
him
to
friend.


yechidus,
During
.
spoke to the

Yaakov
many
Rebbe

770-
about
things. Among them,

about
Rebbe
.he told
the
the

in, Brazil
stock
skyrising
which was

,
high so that people
buy
g to
as
rushin

were
What
e.
possibl
as
much
.
does the Rebbe think
about
asked.

he
it?

it,
of
dont
hold
. I
said the Rebbe.

enough
was
That

soon
. :As
"
Yaakov
for
us,
as he left yechid

"? he
rushed to contact his

brothe
wasnt
: r which
at all easy to do. It took

"..."
him two hours to find
a phone! After dialing,
he reached an operator
who transferred the call
before, every
and, as mentio
'
75 ~ 774 ned
minute was very expensive.
But these difficulties did
273.indd 3 not
deter him. Nor did his
brothers dismay which he had
anticipated. If the Rebbe said
so, there was no doubt about
it, even if the reality looked the
opposite.
Yaakov did not just act to
sell his own shares of the stock.
He felt responsible toward every
Jew who bought the stock and
he decided to publicize what
the Rebbe told him to whoever
he knew was involved.
As soon as he returned to
Brazil he went from house to
house and repeated what the
Rebbe told him. Hurry and
sell your stock, he warned

,
, .
.
.

,
ally.
skeptic
Chassid

repeat
it.
ed
Yaakov
about
I told the

. Rebbe

everyone. The Rebbe says its

not worthwhile. Protect your
money and listen to the Rebbe,
he said with utter confidence.
The Chassidim who heard this
were very surprised but they
took him seriously and sold
their stock.
Chassidim
the
Among
was one person who bought
the stock with nearly all of
his money. This Chassid was
opinionated and what Yaakov
said did not make sense to him.
Are you sure that is what
the Rebbe said? Its not possible.
If that was the Rebbes opinion
he would tell me.
I am 100% sure, said
Yaakov.
Please repeat to me exactly
what the Rebbe said, asked the

the stock in Brazil and

. The
asked
opinion
,his
said, I dont
Rebbe

hold of it.

doubt
"
. no
well,
Ah,

al
thats
. a" person
you,
instruction for

"
because if it was meant
the
Rebbe

me
too,
for
would
" me.

told
have
Yaakovs enthusiasm

.off
, cooled
was

he
, but
hat
somew
then
worked
streng

to
his emuna in the Rebbe

. telling
and continued
his friends.

time
short
A

the
what
. and
passed

Rebbe
him
told
had
on
was shown to be

the mark. The stock
.
and
"
people
eted
plumm
investe
had
who

. ? d all
their money remained
ng!

: withou
, t anythi
That Chassid who
did not listen was very upset.
How could the Rebbe not
have told me about it? he
asked himself over and over. He
24/01/2011 09:09:24
immediately ordered a ticket
and took the first plane to New
York.
When he arrived at 770 he
asked for an urgent meeting
with the Rebbe. Usually, the
waiting time was a few months
but he managed to convince the
secretaries of the urgency of
the matter and they gave him
an appointment.
He shed tears as he told the
Rebbe what had happened. He
sadly asked, Why didnt the
Rebbe tell me?
The Rebbe became serious
and said, I think I told you ...

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