PARSHA - Naso

Parshat Naso.
The word naso means "lift up." It is a week after the holiday of Shavuot, the day on which G-d "lifts up" the Jewish people.

The Talmud tells us that on Shavuot, Rav Yosef, one of the great sages, would hold a unique celebration because "If it were not for that day," Rav Yosef would say, speaking about the giving of the Torah, "How many Yosefs would there be in the marketplace?"

Rashi explains, "If it were not for the day on which I studied Torah and became uplifted… behold, there are many people in the street named Yosef. What difference would there be between me and them?

Rav Yosef was telling us that studying Torah uplifts us and makes us special.

Comparing the marketplace to the world around us. In a marketplace, everyone is hustling and bustling, buying and selling, eagerly trying to make a profit.

Our souls, neshamot, are sent down to this market, to "do business" and "make a profit", so to speak, in this world.

Now, what kind of "business" does our neshamah do?

Buying and selling means transferring an item from one person's possession to another's. Who is the buyer and who is the seller when the neshamah does business? Well, let's take an apple, for example, it looks like a regular part of nature. But when a Jew makes a blessing on the apple, the holiness of G-d which is in the fruit becomes revealed. It's as if the apple is now being transferred into G-d's possession.

The giving of the Torah made this type of business possible. The Torah gives each one of us the chance to do mitzvot and bring G-d's holiness into the world.

The Torah lifts us up. Instead of running around the marketplace doing our own business, we are now doing business for G-d; making the world into a dwelling for Him.

Shabbat Shalom!

Chinuch - Mikdash me'at

We should cultivate our children's inner desire for the coming of the Redemption and allow it to develop by educating them about the Redemption and Mashiach.

A child's connection with the Redemption should also be reflected in the structure of the environment in which he lives -- his home, and in particular, in his individual room. Every child should make his room a "sanctuary in microcosm" by the prominent display of a Siddur, a Chumash, a Tanya, and a charity box, reflecting "the three pillars on which the world stands, Torah study, prayer, and deeds of kindness".

These instructions pertain even to a very small child who has not yet begun to speak. And other members of his family can study some Torah or can pray from his Siddur in his behalf and they can give charity for his merit, in his charity box.

It is proper that every child, even newborns, join Tzivot HaShem, to be a member of the "Army of G-d", which is a Jewish Children's club established by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Every Jewish boy and girl is chosen by G-d to be His “soldier”. Their duty is to banish the Evil Inclination, and influence the entire world to follow the Good Inclination.

There are Torah Scrolls written especially for children, it is a good idea for every child to obtain his or her very own letter in one of these Torahs.

Education - Previous Rebbe's diary...

The following are two excerpts from the diary in which the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe describes the education he received from his father, the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Writes the Rebbe: One Rosh Hashanah when I was a child of seven, I visited my grandmother and she treated me to a melon. I went out to the yard and sat with my friends on a bench directly opposite my father's window and shared the melon with my friends.

My father called me in and said to me: "I noticed that though you shared the melon with your friends, you did not do so with a whole heart." He then explained to me at length the concept of a "generous eye" and an "ill-will eye."

I was so deeply affected by my father's words that I wept bitterly and threw up what I had eaten of the melon.

"What do you want from the boy?" asked my mother. "He's only a child!"

Father replied: "It is good this way. Now this trait will be ingrained in his character."

This. is education.

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One Passover, writes the Rebbe, when I was close to ten years old -- a new suit of clothes was made up for me, together with a brand new pair of shoes.

In my hometown of Lubavitch, the preparations for the festival were conducted in a meticulous and thorough manner.

Among the final 'odds and ends' jobs was a job entrusted to me: to remove the seals from the wine bottles and to partially pull out the corks. The latter was a most challenging task, for one had to take care that the metal of the corkscrew should not come in contact with the wine.

That year, I was busy at my appointed task in my father's room. I went about my work with great caution, careful not to dirty my new suit and, most importantly, not to dull the shine on my new shoes.

My father noticed what was uppermost in my mind and said to me: "The Alter Rebbe cites the following metaphor: A great nobleman sits at a table laden with all sorts of gourmet dishes and delicacies. Under the table lies a dog, gnawing a bone. Can you imagine the nobleman climbing down from his chair and joining the dog under the table to chew on a luscious bone?"

My father's words so affected me that I was ashamed to even look at my new clothes.

This. is education.

STORY - Selfless love for another

Rabbi Gedalia Moshe Goldman, who later became the Grand Rebbe of Zvhil, and Rabbi Chaim Shaul Bruk, a renowned Chabad mentor, were serving time together in a Soviet prison camp. Their "heinous" crime? Observing and spreading Judaism under the Communist regime.

One Shabbat, the sadistic commander of the camp called Gedalia Moshe into his office. "I have here the papers for your release," he said as he waved some papers in the air, "and if you sign them now you will be a free man."

"But it is Shabbat," replied Gedalia Moshe. "I cannot and will not sign on Shabbat."

The commander – who, of course, knew that Gedalia Moshe wouldn't transgress the Shabbat – shouted, "If you don't sign the papers now you will remain here another eight years!" And then we'll see how your G‑d will help you…"

"Nevertheless, I will not sign and desecrate the Shabbat." replied Gedalia Moshe calmly. "If my G-d wants me to be in this prison eight more years, I will be here eight more years; it has nothing to do with you."

The enraged Commander turned to an aide and yelled, "Bring in the other Jew trouble-maker, Chaim Shaul!"
The Commander then made Chaim Shaul the same offer as he had to Gedalia Moshe: "Sign these papers and you can go free."

"Of course I can't sign the papers," replied Chaim Shaul, "It's Shabbat, and I don't violate the Shabbat."

"Then you will remain here another eight years!"

"I still will not write on Shabbat."

Suddenly Gedalia Moshe said, "Give me the papers. I will sign for him."

The Commander was dumbfounded. "What? You said you wouldn't write on Shabbat! You're going to be here for another eight years! And now you'll sign for him?!!?"

"Of course I wouldn't sign on Shabbat to gain my freedom," Gedalia Moshe replied. "But this is different. I'm strong, and I can withstand the conditions in this prison another eight years. But Chaim Shaul is weaker, and he cannot stand this place any longer. It would be dangerous for him to remain here another eight years. Give me the papers and let me sign..."

Within the next few days, both men were freed from prison.

After all, it wasn't the commander who was in control.

Shavuot #7

The Giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai is not only an event of the distant past. Every Shavuot, and — to a lesser extent — every day, we relive that experience. This is reflected in our praise of G‑d as “the Giver of the Torah,” using the pre­sent tense, and in the mandate of our Sages that we always view the Torah as “something new which we received today.”

In this light, the physical setting of the Giving of the Torah becomes important. Mt. Sinai symbolizes the personal qualities that enable an individual to acquire the Torah.

The Midrash, when relating that G‑d chose Mt. Sinai for the Giving of the Torah because it was “the smallest of all moun­tains,” emphasizes the importance of humility. If so, then one could ask why G‑d did not give the Torah on a plain or in a valley, the answer is that the choice of a mountain indi­cates the need for a certain degree of self-esteem. For both these qualities — humility and self-esteem — are necessary to our acquisition of Torah.

The combination of these two qualities was epitomized in Moshe Rabbeinu. On one hand, he was the leader of the Jew­ish people. He received the Torah on Mt. Sinai and studied with G‑d for forty days and forty nights. He himself wrote the verse, “And there never arose in Israel a prophet like Moshe.” Nevertheless, he was “more humble than all the men on the face of the earth.”

Moshe realized that all of his gifts had been given to him by G‑d. Furthermore, he believed that if these gifts had been given to someone else, that person would have achieved more than he. The awareness of his great potential did not spur Moshe to egotistic pride, neither did his humility prevent him from appreciating and utilizing his capacities.

Shavuot #6

We have just celebrated the time at which the Torah was given to the Jewish nation on Mount Sinai. What happened the day the Torah was given changed the effect of human behavior for all time.

Prior to the giving of the Torah, that which was spiritual was spiritual and that which was physical remained physical; there was no conjunction between the two. Now, for the first time since creation, mankind is able to bring down into physicality that which was spiritual.

Not only can objects be infused with the spiritual but the spiritual can actually be effected by what is done in the physical.

Accordingly when a Jew puts on tefillin, the mere act of putting on that tefillin effects spiritual change. The Rebbe points out that a man can improve the blessings which flow to him, from Above, by his actions, namely mitzvot.

If a Jew eats kosher for example, the food gets elevated by using that food to nourish the body, to learn Torah and do mitzvot. Physical activity effects a spiritual result.

By our learning the Torah and keeping the mitzvot we draw down G-dliness into the physical, sustaining the world.

Our ultimate mission is to fulfill G-d's purpose in creating this world, which is, to make for Him a dwelling place. And that is through infusing the physical with the spiritual. This awesome power to be able to accomplish this, was given to us at Mt. Sinai.

When finally the job is complete, meaning, when all physicality has been soaked to saturation with G-dliness, Moshiach will be revealed. Then G-dliness will be as evident and revealed as sunshine and warmth are today and we will have completed G-d's intent for Creation. Amen, may it happen now!