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                                  B"H
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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 870
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                           Copyright (c) 2005
                 Lubavitch Youth Organization - L.Y.O.
                              Brooklyn, NY
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             THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR EVERY JEWISH PERSON
   Dedicated to the memory of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson N.E.
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        May 20, 2005             Behar            11 Iyyar, 5765
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                             Identity Theft

Have you ever been the victim of identity theft? It's a new kind of
fraud. Well, actually, not so new, as thieves probably forged signatures
soon after banks first issued checks; in fact, stealing someone's
identity - pretending to be someone else - probably predates banks. We
know that before photo id's, merchants, diplomats - anyone involved in
commerce, contracts or treaties who had to deal with an agent - had to
rely on the word of the other person - on his self-identification.

Recently, identity theft has become a widespread problem. Credit cards
(and debit cards) are easy to use, convenient, and make bookkeeping
simple.

But the use of credit cards, especially over the internet, has also made
it easier for someone to steal your identity. You log on to what appears
to be a real website and purchase something. When you enter your credit
card or bank account number - even though you have a secure connection
and anti-spyware software  - it gets recorded by the bogus site. You
think you've bought airline tickets, for instance, but  you've just
given your credit card or bank account to an identity thief.

And all of a sudden, charges start appearing out of nowhere. By the time
you catch on and contact your bank and credit card company, hundreds,
maybe thousands of dollars have been spent - in your name. Often, the
bank gets its money back, you get your money back, and only the merchant
loses. But your credit may never recover.

The lesson: guard your identity - and those things that identify you -
carefully.

And there's an obvious spiritual lesson here, too. Too often we allow
our environment - our acquaintances, our jobs, our interests - to steal
our Jewish identity. We become so absorbed in the externals that we
forget what's important. Or, worse, the outside interests begin to
penetrate our consciousness and take over. We identify with a political
party, a sports team, a job so much that that's how we see ourselves.
Our Jewish identity gets relegated to an indulgence, and we become
guided by the irrelevant.

Jewish teachings tell us that we were redeemed from Egypt because they
kept their identity - their Jewish names, the Jewish way of dress, and
Hebrew, their language. Be like us, the Egyptians demanded. Stop looking
like a Jew, stop thinking and speaking like a Jew, stop identifying
yourself as a Jew. The Egyptians knew that once a Jew's external
identity different not from an Egyptians, soon the internal identity
would become identical as well. He would stop acting like a Jew and then
he would stop being a Jew.

Just as we need to take precautions to protect our credit cards and bank
account from identity theft, so we have to protect our Jewishness from
identity theft. Setting aside regular times to learn Torah is one way.
Working on our Hebrew - getting comfortable with the prayer book - is
another. And knowing and using our Jewish names may be one of the
simplest, and most powerful, ways.

And of course we should help others protect their Jewish identities in
the same way. Since all Jews are responsible one for another, the theft
of one Jewish identity steals a little from us all.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week's Torah portion, Behar, begins with the words "G-d spoke to
Moses on Mount Sinai...and the land shall keep a Sabbath-Shmitta-to
G-d." The commentator Rashi asks: What does the subject of Shmitta have
to do with Mount Sinai? Were not all of the commandments given at Sinai?
He answers his own question: Just as all the details and minutiae of the
laws of shmitta were given at Sinai, so were all the details and
specifications of the other commandments given at Sinai.

The commandment of shmitta teaches something about all the other mitzvot
of the Torah. We must recognize that just as all the details of shmitta
were given to Moses by G-d on Mount Sinai, so were all the other mitzvot
and their details given in the same manner. If the Torah has chosen the
particular commandment of shmitta to illustrate this fact, it must be
that this mitzva expresses the general Jewish approach to life.

On the one hand, a Jew is enjoined "six years shall you sow your field
and six years shall you prune your vineyard." A Jew must conduct himself
and his affairs according to the laws of nature. One must plant and toil
in order to eat. A Jew is not required to retreat from the world and
sequester himself only in learning Torah and praying; on the contrary,
he must fully participate in a normal lifestyle.

At the same time, the Torah commands that every seven years the Jew must
abandon the land and allow it to have a Sabbath, and devote himself to
learning, praying, and worshipping G-d. He then asks, "What will we eat
during the seventh year, if we don't sow and reap our grain?" The Torah
answers: "And I will command My blessing to be on you during the sixth
year, and the land will produce enough grain to last for three years."
Here the Jew is being asked to rely solely on G-d and not on natural law
for his sustenance.

At first glance the two approaches appear contradictory. How can we be
required to live according to the laws of nature, and simultaneously be
asked to rely on the supernatural? But this is exactly what the Torah
wants from us. We must synthesize both approaches to life. We must do
everything possible according to natural law, at the same time believing
in G-d's supernatural powers to sustain us.

Six years of active work followed by one of rest highlights this
approach in a Jew's daily life. The six years of work are the obligation
we have to elevate the world by imbuing it with holiness through our
actions. The shmitta year allows us to recognize that despite all of our
accomplishments, we are ultimately dependent on G-d for our well-being,
and that trust in man and nature is misplaced. Once every seven years we
sever ourselves from the natural world and rely solely on G-d. A Jew
draws spiritual strength from the shmitta year, rededicating himself to
the knowledge that our task is not to be subservient to nature, but
rather to rule over the natural world and imbue it with holiness.

Similar cycles are to be found within a Jew's daily life as well. All
day a Jew works in business or commerce, earning a living for his
family, providing food, clothes and the like. But he must also dedicate
certain times of the day for study and praying, thereby elevating
himself from the mundane and connecting to G-d. Jews live their lives
with a special combination of the natural and the supernatural.

                    Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                             Second Chances
                          by Natalia Thalheim

G-d gives us second chances. My father's 77 years were replete with many
life-threatening and traumatic events. He kept on surviving. Then he
passed away last year on Pesach Sheni, the holiday of Second Chances.

In days of old, one who had been unable to bring the Passover offering
at the appointed time was granted another chance to do so one month
later, on the date known as Pesach Sheni. A Jew who wanted to come close
to G-d learned that it is never too late. Similarly, my father's
repeated episodes of survival enabled him to continue to give to his
family and to serve his Creator.

Born in Moscow in1926, the only child of "bourgeoisie" parents, my
father was raised without a Jewish education. When he was six his family
left Stalinist Russia for Poland among a select group of 50 people. In
Warsaw, my grandfather's connections enabled him to secure exit visas
for his family. They were to set sail on September 4, 1939, but the
German invasion of Poland precipitated a hasty change of plans.

Through an elaborate escape route, my father and his parents arrived in
America. During their flight, my young father endured arduous walks
without shoes (he had given his shoes to his mother), he witnessed
executions of refugees in the fields, bombings of his railroad car,
interrogations at borders patrols, theft, bribes, and brutality.
Traumatic memories plagued him and later led him to question his
survival.

As an immigrant teen in New York City, my father was mugged and beaten.
He was sent away to Prep School, and secured admission to a prestigious
college and medical school. Despite difficult cultural and language
barriers, as well as physical maladies, my father became a physician. He
married my mother, an Auschwitz survivor who was also a doctor. Together
they raised four children with strong Jewish values.

My father's series of survivals continued: robbery at gunpoint; severe
cardiac disease ( my mother once administered CPR to save his life; many
times he was rushed critically to the ER); and several years ago, the
sudden death of his beloved only son.

My father never dwelt on past difficulties; the trauma of his life was
unspoken. Instead, he successfully communicated to his children and
grandchildren his passions in life: family, philanthropy, a love for
Israel, and medicine.

In recent years, perhaps coinciding with my journey toward Torah
observance, my father spoke of his questions about G-d, the Holocaust,
and evolution. I shared with him my enthusiasm for Judaism, and my
perspective on his life: his survival was no "accident," there are no
such things as "coincidences"; and G-d surely has His reasons for
keeping him alive. He accepted my suggestion that he explore his
questions. Occasionally he met with rabbis and discussed issues, though
never quite to his satisfaction.

Nonetheless, my father was cultivating a sense of meaning in life and a
connection with G-d. After losing his son, my father almost died of
heartache. Afterwards, one his own initiative, he began to refrain from
eating non-kosher foods. He quietly said kaddish by reciting his
handwritten transliteration of the prayer. When he came to my home for
Shabbat dinner, he blessed the wine and the challah, repeating my
husband's Kiddush and motzei one word at a time. He didn't always enjoy
the way we celebrated Shabbat, but he came anyway. During Sukkot, too
cold to eat outdoors, he huddled in his coat at our kitchen window
facing the sukka so that he, too, could be part of the celebration.

On the eve of Chanuka over a year ago, my father was struck by a car
while crossing the street. Three days later, the doctors told us he had
but a few hours to live. We said Viduy with him - the last confessions
recited before one's passing - and went to light Chanuka candles outside
the hospital. We were a tearful and shocked eclectic family group,
unable to fathom Dad's impending death. But miracle after miracle
occurred. Remarkably, he survived another four and a half months. As the
Jewish people were redeemed during Chanuka, Purim, and Pesach, my father
remained with us, albeit in a hospital ICU. But this gave us a chance to
spend endless meaningful hours with him. We were able to care for him
and honor him and pray for him and share our inner hearts with him. It
was truly a gift of time. It was our second chance as much as it was
his.

During my father's hospitalization, I spent many Shabboses in the
hospital. I prayed and said more Psalms than ever before. I put holy
Jewish books, a mezuza and a pushka (charity box) in my father's room.
Sometimes he could manage to place a coin in the slot. Most times I held
it between his fingers and let it drop in. Almost daily, I read aloud a
particular selection from Tanya, the basic book of Chabad Chasidic
philosophy. As I struggled to understand its lofty concepts of faith
("no evil descends from Above"), I sensed that my father already knew,
in his soul, these inherent truths.

My father's body progressively weakened, yet his soul grew stronger. As
I understood it, he was experiencing a spiritual process of return. The
clarity in his eyes became more radiant. The light in his face shone
brighter. Time and again, he shared a smile that was so luminous, its
light remains reflected in our memories forever.

Days before he died, we were in the process of making arrangements to
take my father home, weak as he was. He so much wanted to go home. Then
suddenly, one morning, his heart gave up. He went to his final Home. The
day was Pesach Sheni - the holiday of second chances. My dad had done
his teshuva (return), and had lovingly and graciously invited us in
during the process. He needed no more second chances.


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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                             New Emissaries

Rabbi Yossi and Sara Hecht recently established Chabad of Aurora,
serving Jews in Aurora, Newmarket and Oak Ridges in Ontario, Canada.
Pre-holiday and holiday programs have attracted upwards of 100 people
from throughout these small Jewish communities. Shabbat services,
holiday events and adult education classes are among the activities
currently being hosted by the Chabad Center.

Rabbi Schneur and Chana Cadaner will be arriving soon in the "Quad
Cities" where they are establishing a new Chabad-Lubavitch Center. The
Quad Cities consists of Rock Island and Moline in Illinois and Davenport
and Bettendorf in Iowa.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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    Freely translated letters written during the lifetime of the
    Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, father-in-law of the Rebbe

                         12 Teves, 5703 (1943)
                        Greetings and blessings,

In response to your letter from the seventh day of Chanukah:

...Despondency is certainly unnecessary. On several occasions, I heard
from my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita, that just as a person
must not err with regard to his own shortcomings, so too, he must know
his own positive qualities.

Experience shows that often minimizing one's own self-worth is one of
the tricks of the evil inclination to weaken one's resolve or cause a
disturbance and prevent one from carrying out a positive activity, as
each person certainly knows....

With the blessing "Immediately to repentance, immediately to
Redemption,"

                                *  *  *

                         26 Shvat, 5708 (1948)
                        Greetings and blessings,


...With regard to the conclusion of your letter (which came as a
response to my words that one must extend himself and filter through to
a colleague): "What can one do if he is enclosed in his room? How can he
be taken out of his locust skin?" In that context, my revered
father-in-law, the Rebbe Shlita, wrote in one of his letters (quoting
the Rebbe Rashab [the fifth Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch]): "When a lantern
is kindled, all those who seek light gravitate to it."

To focus on his wording: He employed the term chafeitzim (translated as
"seek"). Chafeitz, in contrast to rotzeh, refers to inner will and
desire .... The inner desire of every Jew is perfectly bound with G-d
and His Torah, the Torah of light. As is well known, proof of this
concept can be seen from the law governing a bill of divorce given under
compulsion, as Maimonides writes in the conclusion of ch. 2 of Hilchos
Gerushin.

With regard to your statement that perhaps the oil does not shine within
himself because it is rancid: Rancid oil also permeates and it also
sheds light. It is only that its light is not that bright. Obviously, it
takes one out of darkness and can also be considered as kindling a
light, as obvious from the Talmud and the halachic authorities and as
can be seen in actual fact.

In general, of what value is it for you to write such statements if it
does not bring about an advance in Torah, Divine service, or deeds of
kindness? And if it prevents such service, it is forbidden.

Every person is an emissary sent to his place by Divine providence. He
need only begin acting to fulfill his mission and he will certainly be
successful. Moreover, it will lead to both spiritual and material
well-being.

With wishes for success and for everlasting good in all matters,

                                *  *  *

                         7 Tammuz, 5708 (1948)
                        Greetings and blessings,


With regard to your question whether it is customary to eat matza on
Pesach Sheni: In addition to what I told you in person: that our custom
- based on the custom of the Rebbe Shlita's household - is to eat matza
during the meal on the day of the 14th of Iyar, I recently found related
concepts in printed texts. The text Likkutei Meir (authored by Rabbi
Meir Benet of Cherada, Hungary) speaks about Pesach Sheni in the second
volume and quotes the text Likkutei Maharich, Vol. III, which states
that it is customary for men distinguished for their deeds to eat matza
on the day of the 14th of Iyar.

Clarification is necessary, for the Pesach Sheni sacrifice was eaten on
the night of 15 Iyar. Indeed, the text Zichron Yehudah states that the
author of the text Imrei Eish and his father-in-law, Rabbi David
Deitsch, followed the custom of eating matza and a cooked egg on the
night of 15 Iyar.

The text Darchei Chayim VeShalom (by Rabbi M. Gold of Munkatch), secs.
631-632, states that the Munkatcher custom was to eat matza and maror
during the daytime meal of 14 Iyar. Although the Pesach Sheni sacrifice
was eaten on the night of the 15th, the sacrifice was offered during the
day and the beginning of the sacrifice is of primary importance. It was,
however, also customary for the Minchas Elazar, the Munkatcher Rebbe, to
eat matza on the night of the 15th.

With wishes for everlasting good in all matters,

          From I Will Write it in Their Hearts, translated by Rabbi
                    Eliyahu Touger, published by Sichos in English.

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                            RAMBAM THIS WEEK
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15 Iyar, 5765 - May 24, 2005

Positive Mitzva 109: Immersing in a Mikveh

This mitzva is based on the verse (Lev. 15:16) "He shall bathe all his
body in water"

Just as the Torah defines the different types of impurity - it also
outlines the process for purification. The Torah describes the
purification process, commanding the impure person to immerse himself in
a mikveh. A mikveh is a special pool of water of a specific size. Its
water must come from a natural source, rain or a spring. In the
beginning of the universe, the entire creation emerged from water. After
an impure person dips in the mikveh, he rises up as a new creation;
purified and prepared to serve G-d.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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"It's never too late," is not just a cute cliche. It's a truism that is
especially pertinent this coming week, when we will be commemorating the
special day known as "Pesach Sheni."

During the times of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, everyone was required
to offer a Passover sacrifice. But what of those people who were not
able to come for various reasons? Were they to forfeit this important
mitzva because they could not make it to Jerusalem at the specified
time?

Anyone who could not offer the sacrifice at the prescribed time was
permitted to offer it on this later date, one month after Passover. The
day was called Pesach Sheni - the second Passover. Even if it was the
person's own fault that he had been unable to offer the sacrifice, he
was still allowed to offer it at this later date.

What better example than this do we need to prove to us that we always
have the chance to make amends, start-over again with a clean slate, and
try to improve in the future?

Pesach Sheni occurs this year on Monday, May 23. In commemoration of
day, we eat matza and bread, together. On Passover, we eat only matza,
which is called the bread of poverty and the bread of affliction;  matza
is symbolic of humility. But on Pesach Sheni, we eat bread and matza
together. Hopefully, we are now at a level where we have learned to at
least combine our ego (symbolized by bread, which rises) with humility
and use it for something positive.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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When you come into the land which I am giving to you, then shall the
land keep a Shabbat to G-d (Lev. 25:2)

Shabbat is not only the prized "possession" of the Jews. The Jewish land
also has a Shabbat. The same way that a Jewish servant serves his master
for six years and goes free in the seventh, so does the land work and
produce for the Jew for six years, reverting to its true Master on the
seventh. The value of the Holy Land is not limited to how much she can
produce agriculturally; the Land of Israel has an independent value and
worth. During the Shmitta year we honor that essential value.

                                             (Rabbi Yitzchak Breur)

                                *  *  *


For the Children of Israel are my servants (Lev 25:55)

The Jews are called both "servants" and "children" of G-d. Each term
reflects the nature of the Jew's relationship with G-d. As far as the
body is concerned, a Jew is G-d's servant. One must accept the yoke of
Heaven as a servant must accept the will of his master and be totally
subservient to him. But our souls serve G-d only through love, as a son
serves his beloved father.

                                      (Sefer Hamaamarim Kuntreisim)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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The Sage, Rabbi Abba, had great love for his people and traveled around
encouraging them to study the Holy Torah. One day he arrived in a small
town where there were no Torah scholars. In fact, most of the
townspeople there were ignorant. Rabbi Abba felt sorry for them and
decided on a plan by which he could increase their Torah learning.

One morning he came into the local synagogue and made an announcement:
"Whoever would like to have great wealth and be granted life in the next
world should come and learn Torah with me!" He managed to stir up a lot
of interest amongst the local people and many came to study with him.
Through his kind demeanor and clear method of teaching he developed a
circle of eager and steady Torah learners.

One day a new face showed up at the study session. It was an
intelligent-looking young man who approached Rabbi Abba, saying: "I
heard about your promise of riches if one studies Torah and I would like
to begin my study so that I may be able to receive them."

"Very well," replied the rabbi. Of course, Rabbi Abba hadn't meant that
his students would receive actual physical gold, but spiritual riches
when they learned Torah. He was sure, though,  that the young man would
soon come to that conclusion himself when he had developed a true
appreciation of Torah. "Who are you, what is your name?" the rabbi
inquired.

"I live in this town and my name is Yosay," the young man answered.

"Well, Yosay, you are welcome to join our group. From this day on your
name will be Yosay the Rich!" Yosay's face lit up when he heard these
words, as visions of gold shone in his eyes. Yosay came to study with
Rabbi Abba every morning without fail. He grasped the material easily
and Rabbi Abba saw in this young man the potential for greatness.

One day Yosay wasn't his usual self. He sat listlessly looking out of
the window throughout the entire study period. When it ended Rabbi Abba
approached him and asked, "Yosay, my son, what is bothering you today? I
missed your questions. Today you seem to be somewhere else."

"Rabbi, I have been studying diligently for weeks and yet I haven't
received any of the riches you promised me," said Yosay in an accusatory
tone. Rabbi Abba was saddened to hear him speak in such a fashion, for
he had hoped that by now, Yosay would have begun to love Torah study for
its own sake. Nevertheless, he didn't want to dissuade him from his
learning and so he answered, "My son, you are doing very well. Just be
patient and continue. I have no doubt that one day you will be rich."

After hearing his teacher's encouraging words Yosay felt better and
continued to study as before, but Rabbi Abba was worried about him.
Would he continue to study long enough to reach his great potential, or
would he give up because of his expectation of receiving a material
reward?

One afternoon as Rabbi Abba was sitting alone and poring over his
parchments, a strange, well-dressed gentleman approached him. "Are you
Rabbi Abba?" the man inquired. "Yes, how may I help you?"

"Rabbi, I have heard that you are a great scholar and I'm hoping that
you will be able to help me. I am a very wealthy man, but I never had
the opportunity to study Torah. Now I am very busy and I don't have the
time or ability to begin studying at this late stage in my life.
Therefore, I would like to pay someone else to learn in my place. Here,
I have a solid gold goblet. It is worth a great deal of money, and I
have eleven more cups just like this. I am willing to  give a golden cup
to whomever will 'sell' me a share in his Torah learning."

Rabbi Abba jumped at the offer. Losing not a moment he called Yosay over
and introduced him to the wealthy gentleman. He explained the
arrangement, and Yosay was, of course, more than happy to agree. Both
parties were satisfied. Yosay devoted himself to his studies more and
more diligently, until he could hardly tear himself away from the holy
texts. He barely ever thought about the gold.

One evening, Rabbi Abba was alarmed to hear weeping coming from Yosay's
corner of the study hall. "What happened? Why are you weeping?" he
asked, fearing that his student had received bad news. "Rabbi, I can't
stand it any more! I hate the thought that I am learning G-d's Torah for
a monetary reward. At first, the money was my sole motivation, but now
that I understand much more, I see that my actual reward is the
knowledge itself. I have gained so much and feel a great difference in
myself. Now I feel like a thief taking gold in return for my beloved
spiritual labors. I was foolish to make a deal like this and I just wish
I could get out of it."

Rabbi Abba blinked back tears of joy, for he saw that his prize student
had truly matured in his learning. His greed for riches had disappeared
and been replaced with a genuine love of Torah. Rabbi Abba summoned the
rich man and said, "You have reaped great rewards in Torah and mitzvot
from your bargain with Yosay, but now it is time for you to share your
wealth with another poor student. I will help you find a new partner.
Meanwhile, know that you have succeeded greatly in this 'deal.' "

When Yosay heard what his rabbi and teacher had done for him, he
couldn't contain his happiness. Yosay continued to study Torah for the
rest of his long life and taught Torah to his children and
grandchildren. He became known as "Yosay the Golden" because he had
exchanged his rewards of gold for the study of Torah.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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What is the end of exile? The end of exile is like turning on a light,
when suddenly you realize where everything is. Goodness is goodness,
evil is evil, right is right, wrong is wrong. It's suddenly very clear.
Truth and G-dliness become obvious.

                                             (Rabbi Manis Friedman)

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                 END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 870 - Behar 5765
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