Yud-Beis Tamuz - the12th of Tamuz

The 12th day of the Hebrew month of Tamuz, marks both the birthday of the Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, and his liberation from Soviet prison and exile.

When the Bolshevik revolution succeeded in overthrowing the Czarist regime in 1917, it set about destroying religion. Judaism, and particularly Chabad, was a prime target. The Previous Rebbe, devoted himself to keeping the flame of Judaism alive in the early days of Communist Russia.

So powerful was the Previous Rebbe's impact that at one point he was even offered a deal by the Communist government! He would be allowed to continue to support rabbis, ritual slaughterers, etc., and even continue to encourage Jews to attend prayer services on one condition: He had to stop educating the children in the ways of the Torah.

To the Previous Rebbe this was unacceptable, and he refused, saying, "If there are no kid goats, there will be no adult goats..." Without the proper Jewish education for our children, we as a nation, cannot survive. And even when the Previous Rebbe reached the shores of America, he continued to strengthen Jewish life by establishing schools here as well.

The Previous Rebbe showed great courage and determination when it came to preserving the Jewish way of life through Jewish education. He stood up to both Communist oppression and to those here in America who told him that it couldn't be done, that yeshivot couldn't thrive in this modern new world. His legacy, Chabad schools the world over, has outlived Soviet Communism and at the same time continues to prove that those who doubted him were wrong.

The Previous Rebbe was a living example of his teachings. His strength and courage were not for his own personal needs, but for the spiritual needs of the entire Jewish people.

Let us stand strong together, and demand from G-d the thing we need most, the arrival of our righteous Moshiach and the true and complete Redemption.

PARSHAT - Balak

Parshat BALAK

Balak focuses on the blessings given the Jewish people by the gentile prophet Bilaam. Balak, the king of Moab, feared that the Jews would attack him and his people on their way to Israel, and so he hired Bilaam, a gentile prophet to curse the Jews.
Although Bilaam sought to do Balak's bidding, whenever he prepared to deliver curses G-d put blessings in his mouth and he was forced to utter them. So powerful are his blessings that they are recorded in the Torah for eternity and we say them in our prayers.

Among Bilaam's prophecies is the only explicit allusion to Mashiach in the Torah: "A star shall shoot forth from Jacob."
This allusion is chosen, because Mashiach's coming will introduce new light into our existence, brightening our horizons.

Other sources explain that the star to which the verse refers is an analogy for every individual Jew. Every person is a source of positive energy, radiating light.

Chassidut fuses the two and explains that every person is a star, because every person contains a spark of Mashiach within his soul. There is in our souls - and in all existance - an element that is one with G-d. This is our personal star. And this is our spark of Mashiach.

The coming of Mashiach will initiate an era when the G-dliness which is at the core of every being will come to the surface.
This will not nullify the existance of any entitiy; instead it will allow every entity to redefine itself, and allow its true spiritual nature to surface.
May it happen now, amen!


Shabbat Shalom!

Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe - M'sirat Nefesh/self-sacrifice

The level of devotion and deep love a Tzaddik has for a fellow Jew is quite palpable. They have made colossal sacrifices in their lives to help others. The following is an example of the tremendous self-sacrifice a Tzaddik, a Rebbe, underwent to help his fellow Jews in Communist Russia.

The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, was living in Stalinist Russia during the rise of the Communist Regime. Every effort was being made to undermine Judaism, especially from the Jewish Communists known as the Yevseksia. In spite of great threats to his life, the Previous Rebbe worked tirelessly and with complete self-sacrifice to strengthen the material and spiritual situation of the Jewish people throughout Russia.

Like many of the Chabad Rebbes before him, he was arrested several times and on one occasion, sentenced to death. Only through an open miracle was he saved.
In these terrible times in Russia, any efforts to strengthen Judaism meant certain death for whoever was caught doing so. If a Jew wanted his child to learn Torah during these years, he wouldn't dare take the risk of being caught organizing a school or arranging group Torah observance. But the Previous Rebbe DID put his life on the line to take that risk throughout his entire lifetime.

If he would have practiced Judaism quietly in his own home - learning Torah doing mitzvot and praying - his life would have been so much easier. Instead he was pursued relentlessly by the KGB for his work in helping other Jews keep their observance of Judaism alive by establishing underground schools for their children, ensuring the availability of kosher food, arranging clandestine circumcisions, and keeping ritual baths open wherever possible - all to ensure that the physical AND spiritual lives of this fellow Jews would continue for his and subsequent generations.

REBBE - There is a Jew in Brooklyn...

One day Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Schwartz, of Brazil, gets a phone call from a very distraught parent:

"Our daughter has informed us that she intends to marry a non-Jew. We have tried everything to dissuade her, but our arguments, appeals, threats and tears have all been to no avail. She refuses to discuss the matter with us and has moved out of our home. Rabbi! You are our only hope! Perhaps you can impress upon her the gravity of the betrayal against her people, her parents and her own identity!"

"That evening I rang her bell", he relates, "She listened politely to me and promised to consider everything I said, but I came away with the feeling that I had had little effect on her decision. And so I called the Rebbe's secretary, and asked for the Rebbe's advice as to what might be done. A few minutes later the secretary calls me back and says: "The Rebbe says to tell the young woman that there is a Jew in Brooklyn who cannot sleep at night because she intends to marry a non-Jew."

"Who is this Jew?" I blurted out.

"His name is Mendel Schneerson."

So early the next morning I once again was at her door. "Listen", she said before I could utter a word, "whom I marry is my business. I respect rabbis and I heard you the last time, now please go away and stop bothering me."

"But there is one more thing I need to say",I told her. "There is a Jew in Brooklyn who cannot sleep at night because you intend to marry a non-Jew."

"And who is this Jew?" she questioned.

"A great Jewish leader, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe," I replied. "The Rebbe is greatly concerned about the material and spiritual well-being of every Jew, and agonizes over every soul that is lost to its people."

I can show you a picture of him, I then rushed home, found a picture and hurried back to the young woman's apartment.

One look at the Rebbe's likeness and her face turned pale. "All week long", she explained, "this man has been appearing in my dreams and imploring me not to abandon my people. I have never met this man in my life, or even heard of him. But this is the man I have been seeing in my dreams..."

The Rebbe - a miner.

Once when the Rebbe was asked to elaborate on the nature of his position, he explained that he is a miner. Just as a miner digs into the depths of the earth, sifts through much dirt and stone, and ultimately comes up with jewels and precious metals, so, too, the Rebbe teaches and empowers us to penetrate to the depths of our being and reveal the inner G-dliness dormant within our souls.

Going beneath the surface of our personalities is not a new concept. The novelty here is not in the idea of digging, but what one comes up with when one digs.The Rebbe dug and came up with G-dliness.

The Rebbe operates from a different perspective. What is significant is not what he or other people see or want in this world, but what G-d wants. Why did G-d create the world? Why did He create this particular person and this particular situation? A person is to look beyond his own individual horizons and see a larger picture - a Divine picture.

We learn to do so as we connect with the Rebbe, study his teachings, follow his directives, and endeavor to understand his motivation.

Extending this approach further, one looks to the era of the Redemption. The world at large was brought into being with a goal. As our Sages comment, "The world was created solely for Moshiach."

For that reason it is important to learn about the era of the Redemption and appreciate the mindset that will prevail at that time. As we become more acquainted with G-d's purpose for creation, we are more capable of prodding that purpose into fulfillment and enabling the world to reach that desired state.

The Rebbe.

During the 44 years of The Lubavitcher Rebbe's leadership, he did not take a vacation, nor a personal day. The Rebbe never stopped. He was active seven days a week, 365 days a year. This is not an exaggeration. It is a matter of record, as the Rebbe's daily schedule was public knowledge. The Rebbe was watched 24 hours a day. Yet there was not one minute in which his personality did not shine.

During those 44 years, the Rebbe delivered thousands of public discourses. He responded to millions of letters and requests for advice and blessings from men and women everywhere, and to questions from organizations and institutions of all sorts. These requests included for health, marriage, children, livelihood, education, business, Torah and more.

The Rebbe initiated, guided and supervised a global network of institutions. In personal meetings he counseled countless individuals - Torahs scholars, simple folk and heads of state. Men, women, elders and children, business titans and troubled teens, men of letters and the ill.

The Rebbe spent the larger portion of his day immersed in Torah study and prayer.

Some saw the Rebbe as the consummate Lover of all Jews. Others observed his reverence for G-d. Some recognized his complete selflessness. Others were awed by his genius in Torah scholarship. Some saw him as the man of unparalleled activism. While others experienced the impact of his profound wisdom and keen insight. Some saw him as the paragon of absolute self-sacrifice.

He was recognized as the ultimate leader.

Yet it is his essence, which transcends the particulars of his person, from which all of the above emanated. From the very depth of his soul, from the core of his being, the Rebbe revered G-d, loved every Jew and was devoted to Torah and the fulfillment of G-d's will.

The Rebbe, Our Rebbe

The Rebbe's boundless love for all Jews was legendary. He would go to extraordinary lengths to help any Jew, spiritually or materially, regardless of location or spiritual status. The pain of any Jew was his pain. The joy of a Jew was his joy.

In his love for all Jews, the Rebbe did not distinguish between anyone. A Jew is a Jew, a piece of G-d, placed in a body. Scholar or layperson, college student or Chasid, happy or dejected, wealthy or destitute - all were welcome. All belonged. All were embraced. The Rebbe was always there, offering counsel and blessing, comfort and hope.

The Rebbe taught - through word and deed - that love for one's fellow is not based on the other person's social status, or even his personal piety. Such love is merely an appreciation of that specific quality and is thus limited to its cause. Instead, the Rebbe taught that love for the Jew's essence, the spark of G-d that is equally present in every one of us. Only such love is truly unconditional.

And it is this personal love for every Jew that is at the core of the Rebbe's intense desire to share with each and every Jew their inheritance - affording them the study of Torah and offering them the means to experience a Jewish way of life.

A prison chaplain once brought a group of Jewish inmates to a gathering that the Rebbe held. Before the gathering began the chaplain received the following message from the Rebbe's secretariat.: "The Rebbe does not want the prisoners to sit together. They should be interspersed throughout the crowd." The chaplain was puzzled by the request, especially because he had just gone to great lengths to arrange that the group sit together. One of the secretaries then explained, "The Rebbe feels that if your group were to be seated together, they will attract attention. People will ask who they are, and it will be known that they are prisoners, causing them embarrassment. To prevent this from happening, they should be seated throughout the crowd."

This is a Rebbe. Our Rebbe.

PARSHAT - KORACH

As we read in the Torah portion of Korach, the kohanim, the priests, were given only the finest of all the offerings that were brought by the Jewish people. These contributions consisted of all kinds of commodities and were of the hightest quality.

Likewise, every Jew must dedicate the better part of himself to his Divine service.

Maimonides writes: "The law, as it pertains to everything that is for the sake of G-d, is that it must come from the finest and the best. For example, when one is feeding a hungry person, he should be served the tastiest and sweetest food on one's table. When one clothes a poor man, he should be given the nicest garment. When one builds a house of prayer, the edifice should be more beautiful than one's private abode, as it states, 'All the best to the L-rd.' "

Another commodity to be dedicated to G-d, is time.

Time is extremely precious; it is therefore fitting that a person dedicate the very best portion of the day to G-d.

In the morning, the beginning of our day, when our mind is still at ease it is the most appropriate time of day to dedicate ourselves to holy matters.

One way to do this is to thank G-d immediately upon arising by declaring "Modeh Ani," thanking Him for having restored our souls. Another way is to reserve the first few hours of the day for prayer and Torah study.

Just as the contributions that were made to the priests were of the highest quality, so too must the very best of whatever we possess be reserved for our service of G-d. For it is in this manner that we merit the fulfillment of the Priestly Blessing, "May the L-rd bless you and guard you".
Shabbat Shalom!

The Rebbe

GIMMEL TAMMUZ - REBBE!

The third day of the Hebrew month of Tamuz marks the 15th yahrtzeit, the anniversary of the passing, of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory.

The Rebbe touched the lives of millions. He taught, advised, encouraged, and gave meaning to the lives of so many. And, most of all, he cared for every human being, and dearly loved every Jew.

It is a day to increase our energy, enthusiasm and joy in fulfilling our life's mission. It is a particularly auspicious time for all of us to reflect on the extraordinary lessons of the Rebbe's life and to try and perpetuate his enormous legacy of contagious love to all.

On this auspicious day, please join Jews worldwide in increasing in Torah study, reciting an additional prayer, and increasing in acts of charity. Let us also try and apply some of the Rebbe's care and selfless dedication to our own family and friends. There can be no more fitting tribute to the Rebbe than millions of good deeds, performed on his day.

In this merit may we see the coming of Moshiach immediately.

Rebbe, (#4) Yearning for Moshiach

"From the time I was a child attending Cheder", writes the Rebbe, "and even earlier than that, there began to take form in my mind a vision of the future Redemption. The redemption of Israel from its last exile, redemption such as would explicate the suffering, the decrees and the massacres of exile."

One of the principles of Judaism is faith in the fulfillment of G-d's promise for a peaceful and perfect world that will be ushered in with the arrival of Moshiach. Moshiach, according to Torah and the prophets, is a righteous person, a human being, whose personality and teaching will inspire the world to serve on G-d and to act in a peaceful and harmonious manner. Faith in the imminent coming of Moshiach is a constant. It has kept the Jewish spirit and hope alive in good times and bad - ever since we were exiled from our land some 2,000 years ago.

And this was the Rebbe's ultimate desire: to see the world perfected, to see the fruition of Creation's very purpose - that the world become an abode for the Divine. Hence, the Rebbe's overarching desire for the coming of Moshiach and the era of redemption.
In his own words, the Rebbe described himself "obsessed" with Moshiach.

The Rebbe yearned for Moshiach not only because it would bring an end to the world's pain and suffering, but moreover, because the era of Moshiach is the ultimate destiny of the world and the purpose for which it was created.

As one who was able to see things from a broader and higher perspective, the Rebbe saw all of Jewish history as a continuous path leading toward the ultimate goal of Creation.
So too, the Rebbe saw every positive action of each individual as a redemptive act in its own right, and a step on the road to global Redemption.

Thanks to the Rebbe, the idea of Moshiach is no longer an abstraction. The redemption is an outgrowth of our actions.

Rebbe, (#3)

Gimmel Tammuz, the third day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, [the anniversary of the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe] is a day of reflection for all those whose lives have been touched by the Rebbe. Upon contemplating the Rebbe - the depth and breadth of his knowledge, his inventiveness, his piety, etc. - what shines above all else is that he is a Rebbe, a leader. He is an individual whose entire existence is defined by his service to others: his people and ultimately the whole world.

When we contemplate the Rebbe, we experience true leadership.

The Rebbe doesn't compromise our free will, he helps us exercise it. And whenever he senses us falling back he is right there to keep us going on the linear course that is truly in our best interest.

It has been said that what makes the Rebbe unique is that rather than get us to believe in him, he believes in us and he makes us believe in ourselves.

Above all else, the Rebbe and his leadership represent deed. We live in a world of action. Thus, we must define spirituality with actions. In this world, all good intentions and deep spiritual experiences must be translated into practical action.

Every person is aware of the special corner in his soul that is his point of spirituality-kindness and righteousness. We must give this spark of innate spirituality expression through deed.

A little of charity, a prayer, a mitzva (commandment) - these are concrete physical acts that give expression to our spiritual selves.

Our spirituality does not require massive acts to prove that it is authentic. The little things, simple deeds, are also appreciated. Do one mitzva if that is all you can offer at this moment. For one good deed will eventually inspire many more good deeds.

Ultimately, all our deeds will add up that will collectively transform the world to a good, kind and principled reality-a Messianic World!

The vision and direction of the Rebbe moves forward. Let us follow the Rebbe's lead and move forward until the coming of Moshiach.