PARSHA - Bha'alotcha #2

The Torah portion of Be'haalotcha, describes the journeys of the Jews through the desert after having camped at Sinai for more than a year.

At Mount Sinai, the Jews received the Torah and soon after constructed the Sanctuary there. Rather than staying in the desert where G-d provided for all their needs, they set out on a mission - to journey to Israel.

The desert is barren and desolate. Yet as the Jews traveled through the desert, they transformed it, albeit temporarily, into a settled land, a place where crops, trees, and even flowers grew. With them, they took the Torah that they had been given and the Sanctuary that they had constructed. G-d's presence, which rested within the Sanctuary brought about these positive changes in the surroundings in which they lived.

The Baal Shem Tov explains that the journeys of the Jewish people through the desert are reflected in the journeys of every individual through life. Some of the phases that we pass through may appear barren and desolate. Nevertheless, we must appreciate that this is only the external setting in which we are placed. It should not reflect our inner state - for G-d's presence accompanies us at all times and the Torah is with us in all surroundings.

Similarly, the journeys of the Jewish people through the desert also allude to the journeys of our people through the ages. Throughout history the Jews have wandered from country to country pursuing the Divine mission of revealing the sparks of holiness, which are hidden within the world's material substance, by utilizing physicality in fulfilling the Torah's commandments.

When a Jew uses an object for a mitzvah, he or she releases these hidden sparks of G-dliness and enables them to be overtly revealed. So from land to land have our people wandered, completing phase after phase of this mission.

In the process of doing so, they have made "the desert blossom." They have endowed the world with spiritual meaning and purpose, pushing it toward the culmination of this process; Moshiach's coming, when the G-dliness that pervades our existence will be apparent.
Shabbat shalom!

PARSHA - Bha'alotcha #1

The Torah portion of Beha'alotcha, opens with the words "When you light the lamps."

Aharon the kohen, the high priest, was commanded to kindle the Menorah in the Sanctuary every day. The Menorah was required to burn at all times, as the Torah states, "To cause a light to burn perpetually."

Just as Aharon lit the Menorah in the Sanctuary, so is every Jew required to illuminate his home and surroundings with the Torah's holy light.

Aharon was a kohen, but so too is every member of the Jewish people, as it is written, "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests." The giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai transformed every Jew into a "kohen."

The Menorah stood in the Sanctuary (and later in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem). Similarly, every Jewish home is a "Sanctuary" to G-d. The verse "I shall dwell in their midst" means that G-d dwells within each and every Jew; hence, every Jewish home is an abode for the Divine Presence.

The light that Aharon kindled was "perpetual"; so too must the light in every Jewish home be always shining. The Torah's light of holiness must burn night and day, and pervade all corners of a Jewish residence.

All Jews, and especially Jewish children, have the power to imbue their homes with holiness. This can be accomplished by expressing an awareness of G-d every moment of the day.

As soon as we open our eyes in the morning we say "Modeh Ani ("I give thanks to You"); whenever we eat we recite the proper blessings both before and after. Throughout the day we conduct ourselves according to the Torah's laws, and at night we say the "Shema" ("Hear O Israel") before going to sleep.

The Torah and its mitzvot are likened to light: "A mitzva is a candle, and the Torah is light." Indeed, the Torah and its commandments are the medium through which we are able to illuminate our home, our "Sanctuary".

Tefillin - Story

In 1939, Hershel was sent to slave in the labor camp of the Germans. Right from the beginning, Hershel made up his mind that come what may, he would never part with his Tefillin, which he managed to smuggle into the camp. He was determined to put them on whenever he had a chance to and while someone kept watch, the Tefillin hurriedly passed from hand to hand to his fellow Jewish inmates. The Tefillin gave him the strongest encouragement to hold on to his faith. He felt that as long as he had his Tefillin, he would outlive his tormentors.

He would never forget -- he related later -- an incident, which convinced him again of the special protection G-d had shown him in the merit of his Tefillin.

This happened when he was taking a group of children by train to Bucharest. Hershel was standing on the open platform of the train, clutching his small valise in which he kept his Tefillin. Suddenly the train made a sharp turn, he lost his balance, and his valise flew out!

Hershel was horrified! All through the war years he had guarded his Tefillin at the risk of his life, and now, suddenly he had lost them!

As the train halted at a red signal light, Hershel jumped off and ran back. He spotted his little valise in the distance, picked it up and hugged it with delight.

Hershel was about to board the next train to Bucharest, when a friend of his who had just come from Bucharest informed him that secret Russian agents were waiting for him in Bucharest and don't he dare go there.

"Oh Thank G-d my valise fell out of the train" exclaimed Hershel. " Otherwise I would have now been in their torturous hands. Once again the Tefillin saved my life!"

His friend remained thoughtful for a few moments, then said, "Hershel, I haven't yet put on Tefillin today. Would you allow me to use yours? And after hearing your story you can be sure, I will never again miss putting on Tefillin," he concluded, his voice choking with emotion.

Hershel relates the many instances when his Tefillin clearly saved his life. "Let Jews know," he says, "how to cherish the Mitzvah of putting on Tefillin daily. After all, it can be done so easily, without any sacrifice whatsoever."

Tefillin #3

Hi-Tech Connectivity

This was back in the early sixties, when the first mainframe computers were being introduced into business. Professor Abraham Polichenco, a pioneer of computer technology, visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe and posed to him a question:

"I know that everything that exists in the world, even something that we discover later in history, has its source somewhere in the Torah. So, where are computers in the Torah?"

Without hesitation, the Rebbe answered, "Tefillin." The professor was perplexed.

"What's new about a computer?" the Rebbe continued.

"You walk into a room and you see many familiar machines: a typewriter, a large tape recorder, a television set, a hole puncher, a calculator. What is new?"

"But under the floor, cables connect all these machines so they work as one."

The professor nodded enthusiastically. He hadn't realized it before, but yes, this is all that a computer is: a synthesis of media and processing devices.

"Now look at your own self. You have a brain. It is in one world. Your heart is in another. And your hands often end up involved in something completely foreign to both of them. Three diverse machines.

"So you put on tefillin. First thing in the day, you connect your head, your heart and your hand with these leather cables -- all to work as one with one intent. And then when you go out to meet the world, all your actions find harmony in a single coordinated purpose."

Tefillin #2

An explanation for what Tefillin are:

Our personality has three layers to it - intellect, emotion and action; what we think, what we feel and what we do.

Intellect: Are my opinions on issues, philosophies on life and attitudes to myself and others.

Emotion: Are my moods, desires and passions; what I love and what I hate.

Action: Are not my beliefs or feelings, but what I actually do, how I live my life, and how I spend my time and energy.

Ideally, these three faculties should be in sync. My beliefs and ideals should direct my passions and ambitions, which should in turn be translated into my lifestyle. But so often we find this is not the case. What I know is right doesn't always feel right, and what I feel like doing is not necessarily what I do.

One of the greatest challenges in life is to try to overcome this mind-heart-body disconnect - to develop the right attitude in the mind, positive desires in the heart and then to do the right thing. Now, this isn't easy.

That's where Tefillin come in. The Tefillin help to achieve a spiritual alignment of mind, heart and body; uniting our thoughts, feelings and actions towards a power higher than all three.

These black boxes are holy objects, charged with immense divine power. We place one box on the head - the home of intellect, with its straps dangling over the heart - the place of emotion. Then the other box rests on the forearm next to the heart, with its straps wrapped around the arm and hand which are the tools of action.

The head Tefillin binds our minds to the divine will, that we should know what's right and wrong. The straps dangle down so that this knowledge should flow into our hearts and become a passion for goodness. And the passion resting in our hearts should in turn be translated into action, that we live a life of meaning and purpose, based on clear and pure morals.

Tefillin #1

Tefillin - "You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they should be for a reminder between your eyes" (Deuteronomy 6:8).

Every weekday, the Jew places on his head above the brain, and on his arm opposite his heart, a pair of tefillin--black leather boxes containing small parchment scrolls on which are inscribed the basic tenets of our faith, chief amongst them the proclamation: "Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is one."

There are many laws and requirements regarding the making of tefillin. A set includes two tefillin -- one for the head and one for the arm. Each consists of three main components: the scrolls, the box, and the strap.

The scrolls are strips of parchment upon which are inscribed four passages from the Torah. These scrolls need an occasional check up by a professional scribe to make sure they are still in excellent shape.

The scrolls are inserted into boxes made of leather that has been painstakingly pressed into the tefillin's perfectly smooth planes and precise geometrical shape, and painted black.

The head tefillin has a raised Hebrew letter shin on each side and has a large, fixed loop to fit the head. The hand tefillin has a smaller, adjustable loop to tie on the upper arm.

The head strap's knot is in the shape of the Hebrew letter daled; the hand tefillin is knotted in the shape of the Hebrew letter yud. Together, shin, daled, yud spell (Sha-da-i) -- one of the names of G-d.

One box is strapped on your head and the other onto your arm next to your heart and you recite the passage Shema Yisrael...

Our sages tell us that G-d, too, dons tefillin. And what is inscribed in G-d's tefillin? "Who are like Your people Israel, one nation on earth." As we attest to the oneness of G-d, G-d attests to the oneness and integrity of His chosen people.

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!