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                                  B"H
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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 913
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                           Copyright (c) 2006
                 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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        March 24, 2006      Vayakhel-Pekudei       24 Adar, 5766
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                              The Car Pool

Even for those who need them, and however much we need them, car pools
are inconvenient. Whether it's adults carpooling to work or parents
carpooling kids to school, we always have to wait for someone. We have
to drive out of our way. Then this one forgot his lunch or important
paper and your kid is fighting with one of the other kids.

Whose turn is it to drive? You've got a doctor's appointment, but you
don't want to switch with the driver from family A because he'll hold it
against  you and driver B has some other issue.

Car pools don't always produce tension, of course. But even if only on a
minimum level, they're inconvenient. If we get sick (G-d forbid),
arrangements have to be made. We may have to be at work by 8:45 a.m.
sharp, but everyone else doesn't need to be at work until 9. On our own,
we can make sure we get there on time. In a car pool, there's a tension.

We have to compromise. We have to consider others. We have to limit
family conversations and be careful what's on the radio. Little
considerations threaten to become major irritants.

Car pools have many advantages. We know that. They save gas, wear and
tear on the car, money - everything that accrues from sharing resources.
They can even start out as an arrangement between acquaintances, perhaps
strangers, and end up being an understanding between friends.

Car pools have a single purpose and exist for only reason: to get
everyone to the same destination at the same time. So we put up with the
inconveniences, the idiosyncrasies and the irritations because the goal
- getting there - is more important, individually and collectively.

Car pools can be seen as a microcosm of the Jewish people, of what
Jewish life is all about. Judaism focuses on children. So much revolves
around their schedules, not that of the adults.

But even an adult carpool contains a core of comparison: Judaism insists
that we wait for every Jew. When it comes time for the Redemption, no
Jew will be left behind. And so the scholars and the unlearned, the
wealthy and the poor, the "big mitzva doers" and the mitzva strugglers,
all have to adjust their schedules for each other. Because some mitzvot
only the wealthy can do while others only the poor can do. Some only the
strugglers can do while others are for the easy-street-it's-a-breeze
mitzva doers...

In a car pool, we have to be considerate of those who are, not
strangers, but not immediate family, either. That sensitivity, that
paradigm of outreach parallels Judaism's demand that we concern
ourselves with others. It's possible to car pool in silence, of course,
be distracted by passing cars and momentary noise, or tune in to even
more transient talk radio. But car pools, ultimately, can transport
minds as well as bodies. It's the attention we pay to others and the
sharing of the journey.

Car pools exist only to get everyone to the same destination on time,
together. And we might say that's why Torah exists - to get everyone,
all the Jewish people, indeed the whole world, to the same destination -
Redemption - on time and together.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week we read two Torah portions, Vayakel and Pekudei. The portion
of Vayakel describes the speed and enthusiasm with which the Children of
Israel fulfilled the commandment of building the Mishkan (Sanctuary).
The men, women and children brought more donations than were required.

The commandment to build the Sanctuary was an atonement for the sin of
the golden calf. The participation of all the Jews was necessary to
build the Sanctuary as the sin of the golden calf affected the Jewish
nation as a whole.

The sin of the golden calf was so great that an element of punishment
for it exists in every misfortune which has befallen the Jews since.
How, then could building the Sanctuary have atoned for such a
transgression?

Moses Maimonides teaches that idolatry does not mean that one absolutely
denies the existence of G-d. If one believes in a Supreme Being, yet
maintains that there are other powers which control the world, that,
too, is idolatry. Even more subtly: It is an idolatrous notion to
believe that there is any other existence in this world besides
G-dliness.

The complete opposite of and negation of idolatry is the belief in the
Unity of G-d - the realization that "there is none except Him." This is
the knowledge that not only are there no other powers or influences on
the world, but that there is no other reality except for G-dliness. The
world  exists from moment to moment only because of the infinite power
of the eternal G-d.

We can accustom ourselves to think in this manner by acting according to
the commandment, "In all your ways shall you know Him." The expression
of this commandment is in every detail of our lives; and that by our
every thought, word and action we can attach ourselves to Him.

By fulfilling this commandment we can transform even a mundane activity
into an act of worship. If, for instance, when we take a walk, we use
the opportunity to appreciate the wonders of nature that G-d has made,
we turn the stroll itself into something holy. We reveal His greatness
and the holiness which surrounds us.

In this light we can see how the Sanctuary achieved atonement for the
golden calf. The Sanctuary was the place where the Divine Presence was
revealed in the physical world. When the Jews donated their possessions
in order to build it, they transformed them into something holy. Their
mundane possessions were elevated by becoming part of the Sanctuary, and
the Jews acknowledged the unity of all matter in G-dliness. The physical
realm has no less potential for holiness than does the spiritual realm.
All reality is only G-dliness.

Our goal in life is to strive towards this realization, and to dedicate
even our most inconsequential actions towards revealing the G-dliness
hidden within.

                   Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                           In Spite of Myself
                             by Tzvi Jacobs

The year was 1994, two weeks before Passover. Our youngest daughter,
Mariasha, who had just turned two years, lay next to her mommy on the
couch.  Mushkie and Nechama were lying on the rug, coloring in their
Passover Hagadas.

A week earlier, on the 27th day of Adar, the Lubavitcher Rebbe had
suffered a second stroke.

I looked at my children and at my wife who had recently left her job as
she was due to give birth soon. I felt that it would be self-centered to
write to the Rebbe at this time, pleading, give me, give me, give me.
But money was extremely tight and deep down in my soul, it was not for
me or my family, it was G-d's desire that we work in this world and make
a dwelling place for His presence.

So, at the beginning of Nisan, during my wife's ninth month, I wrote a
letter to the Rebbe, requesting the customary blessing for an easy
delivery and a healthy baby. I then added in embarrassment a request for
a blessing for ample livelihood. I mailed the letter to the Rebbe's
office at 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York.

A few days later, Roz Durkin of Arc Medical Personnel called me at my
job at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals. "Mr. Jacobs, a year ago you
completed an application at our agency. There's a great opportunity at
Sandoz that we think will be perfect for you."

Ms. Durkin told me about a temporary clerical position in the
biostatistics department at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, now known as
Novartis. A year earlier I had done a 6-month temp job in the consumer
products group at Sandoz, fielding complaints and writing letters to
customers.

I had left Sandoz and took a temp job at SmithKline writing stability
reports because I wanted to head towards scientific or medical writing.
"Ms. Durkin, I don't want my career to go backwards."

Ms. Durkin was not swayed by my argument. "Granted, it's clerical work,"
she said, "but you'll be working with statisticians. What's more,
because of your background, we talked them into paying you a decent
hourly rate."

When she told me the amount, my heart sunk. "I was getting that much
before my last pay raise. I need another 25% on top of that."

"Let me check with them to see if they're willing to go higher," Ms.
Durkin said, refusing to give up so fast.

The next day, Ms. Durkin called. "Tzvi, they want to interview you. How
does next Wednesday look?"

The Jewish calendar on my desk pulled my eyes straight to the day. Next
Wednesday, 11th day of Nissan - the Rebbe's birthday!  Oh, good, I'll
get onto the Sandoz campus and, after the interview, visit my old
buddies in the consumer products building, and perhaps give them
handmade shmura matza. Helping assure that every Jew have shmura matza
to eat at the Passover Seder was one of the Rebbe's campaigns. What
better present to give the Rebbe on his birthday.

The following night, on Saturday night just after midnight, I drove
Esther to the hospital. At 3:30 a.m. Chana, our precious little bundle
of joy was born.

The next morning, I went to Sandoz for my interview. Dr. John Lambert,
head of the biostatistics department, said that they were busy working
on a new drug application for an improved version of Sandoz's
blockbuster drug, Sandimmune, a life-saving drug that prevents rejection
of organ transplants.

"It's chemical name is cyclosporine, right?" I asked.

"Yes, exactly," Dr. Lambert said. "I'm impressed that you know the
name."

"Well, I just wrote a story that involved this drug."

"You just wrote about it?"

"Yes, a friend of my parents recently received a kidney transplant. The
surgeon said that before Sandimmune the majority of transplants were
rejected by the recipients."

"I'd love to read the story," Dr. Lambert said. "It's uncanny that you
just wrote this story."

"Yes, it is. My mother pushed me to write it."

After meeting the chief statistician, Dr. Dar Shong Wong, and other key
people in the department, Dr. Lambert brought up the topic of pay. "I
understand that you want to make more than your current pay." He offered
me an amount that was more than I was making.

"Sounds good," I said. "But frankly," I said, still feeling nonchalant
about doing clerical work, "two more dollars an hour would be better.
It's an agency job, so I have to pay for my own health insurance and so
on."

After the interview, I drove to Building 701 and visited at least a
dozen Jews that I knew in the building from the previous year and gave
them shmura matza and the Rebbe's birthday issue of L'Chaim. Joe, a
marketing maven, was especially happy to see me. "Tzvi, that matza you
gave me last year was the hit of our Passover seder. What did you put in
it? Everyone was drawn to it. They didn't stop eating it until every
crumb was gone."

That afternoon I returned to my desk at SmithKline and received a call.
"Tzvi, it's Roz Durkin. I have great news for you. You've got the job!
And not only that, they're offering to pay you the amount you asked -
the higher amount."

"Wow, thank G-d."

"You should know that's twice the amount that they were originally
offering to pay someone. You must have an angel praying for you."

"Not an angel, a special rabbi, a very holy rabbi."

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                             New Emissaries

The Jewish community of Khabarovsk, Russia, will soon be welcoming a new
couple. Rabbi Yisrael Noach and Yehudis Kaminetsky are moving to this
Far East city as emissaries of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. They will be
strengthening the work of the emissaries who are already there.

                           Exodus Revisited!

The widely acclaimed Exodus multi-media production is being hosted this
year by the Jewish Children's Museum in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. A time
machine takes the audience back to Egypt, to the days when the Jews were
slaves. Children visit Pharoah's palace, witness the ten plagues, the
splitting of the Red Sea as well as the giving of the Torah on Mount
Sinai. For more info call the JCM at (718) 467-0600 or visit
www.jcm.museum

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                         27 Teves, 5720 [1960]

Greetings and Blessings!

This is in reply to your letter of 22 Teves, in which you write that you
are bothered by a stammer and that you have consulted a doctor but this
did not help.

This is a little surprising, for specialists in this field have a
variety of techniques for treatment, and they will no doubt also find
one that will be suitable for you.

Let me add an essential point. This matter generally depends, at least
to a great extent, on one's self-confidence and on the state of one's
nerves. The classic counsel in any case, even when treatments are
undertaken, is therefore to fortify oneself in the attribute of
bitachon. This is the foundation of our faith - trust in G-d, Who is the
Creator of the world and directs it, and Who focuses His supervision
upon every single individual.

Moreover, He is the very essence of good. From this it follows, in the
words of the "sweet singer of Israel," that "G-d is with me; I shall not
fear." This rules out bashfulness in the presence of others, and [lends]
a strong hope that G-d will guide the person in question along a good
path before Him. And as it becomes increasingly engraved in one's
understanding that one is standing before the King of kings, the Holy
One, blessed be He, there will be a corresponding decrease in one's
anxiety about what others will say about the manner of one's speech.
Your speech will then show an automatic improvement, particularly when
accompanied by treatment.

Another point: When you come to a word and doubt whether you will be
able to articulate it properly, don't battle with yourself in an
endeavor to say that word specifically: replace it by some other
expression.

And since for everything one needs help from Above, it goes without
saying that you should increase your diligence and assiduisness in Torah
study and your conscientiousness in the fulfillment of its mitzvos - and
"nothing stands in the way of the will."

With blessings for good news in all the above,

                                *  *  *

                         25 Shvat, 5715 [1955]


Greetings and Blessings!

This reply relates to your letter of 12 Shvat. There you write of the
financial state of your family and of your difficulties in earning a
living, particularly since you have to support other family members, and
hence you ask whether the gates of Heaven have been closed (G-d forbid)
and why the way of the worthless prospers.

There is surely no need to explain at length that the question of not
only why the way of the worthless prospers, but even the way of the
wicked, was already asked by Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses) (see Berachos 7a).
Now, since that time a few thousand years have passed. During this time
the Jewish people have been following the path of the Torah and its
commandments, and specifically for that reason our nation has survived.
As it is written, "And you who cleave to the L-rd your G-d" -
specifically for this reason and only for this reason - "are all alive
today."

The same applies to every one of us, man or woman. If there are things
that are achieved with difficulty, especially with regard to making a
living, this is not (G-d forbid) because one observes the Torah and its
commandments. Quite the contrary. By fortifying one's trust in G-d, Who
"provides nourishment and sustenance for all," "with loving kindness and
with mercy," one lessens these difficulties, and ultimately the state of
one's livelihood also improves. The spiritual remedy to secure this is
likewise an increase in one's Torah study and in one's observance of the
mitzvos. As it is written, "If you walk in the ways of My statutes and
observe My commandments...," then "I will grant [your rains in their
season, and the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field
will yield their fruit]."

You no doubt know of the practice instituted by my revered
father-in-law, the [Previous] Rebbe  - a daily reading from the Book of
Tehillim [Psalms], as apportioned for the days of the month. From now
on, at least, you should observe this practice, and may it be G-d's Will
that this, too, will bring about a speedier improvement in your
situation.

With blessing,

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                            RAMBAM THIS WEEK
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The Talmud relates that covering the head helps insure fear of Heaven.
The Yiddish word "yarmulka" is reportedly derived from the two Aramaic
words yirei malka - fear of the King. The Hebrew word kippa means
"dome."


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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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Following a description of various matters concerning the Sanctuary in
the desert, our Torah portion discusses the observance of Shabbat.

As part of this discussion, we find the verse: "And the Children of
Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their
generations as an everlasting covenant." There are two different
qualities of Shabbat. One is symbolized by the first part of the verse,
that the Jewish people shall keep Shabbat. In essence, Shabbat is
intrinsically a holy day. Regardless of whether or not it is observed,
it remains sanctified and separate from the rest of the week.

This would seem to leave little for us to do concerning Shabbat. If it
is already holy, does it really matter if we observe it? In answer to
this question we have the second part of our verse, "observing the
Sabbath...." Through our observance of Shabbat - by lighting Shabbat
candles, making kiddush, partaking of a Shabbat meal and resting (from
creative work) - we actually enhance Shabbat.

Each one of us has the ability and opportunity to "do our part" to
sanctify the Sabbath. With each Shabbat mitzva we observe, we bring an
added holiness into this holy day.

It is not often that we have the opportunity to perform mitzvot whose
benefit or purpose we can actually see. However, when it comes to
lighting Shabbat candles, part of the commandment to "observe the
Sabbath," we see the light the candles bring into our home. In addition
to their physical light, the candles also bring with them a spiritual
light, warmth and peace, which permeate the home and family.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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And Moses gathered all the congregation of the Children of Israel
together and said... "These are things which the L-rd commanded..." (Ex.
35:1)

This gathering took place on the day after Yom Kippur. It is natural
that on Yom Kippur itself we are full of thoughts of peace, brotherhood
and good will towards our fellow Jews. That is why Moses gathered the
people together the very next day - to remind them that we must be
united all the time, and not just one day a year.

                                                     (Ollot Efraim)

                                *  *  *


Every Jew approaches a mitzva with his own personal thoughts and
intentions, according to his intellect and level of understanding. Yet
the physical performance of the mitzva is carried out in the same manner
by all. Moses was able to assemble all the Jews together in true unity
because the performance of mitzvot is common to all Jews, no matter what
their other differences may be.

                                               (Rebbe of Tshortkov)

                                *  *  *


And Moses blessed them (Ex. 39:43).

Moses said to them: May it be His will that the Divine Presence rest
upon the work of your hands...

                                                            (Rashi)

                                *  *  *


On the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day (Ex. 35:2)

Rabbi Bunim once said: "There is no other mitzva as all-encompassing as
that of sukka. A person actually enters the mitzva with his whole body,
his clothes, and even his shoes." Rabbi Shlomo Leib of Lentashna
responded: "The mitzva of Shabbat is even greater. One need not lift a
finger to bring it on; Shabbat arrives by itself. And, the holiness of
Shabbat totally encompasses everyone and everything for more than 24
hours."

                                *  *  *


All the wise-hearted among you shall come, and make all that G-d has
commanded. (Ex. 35:10)

When a person decides to do a mitzva, it is preferable to do it
immediately, as the opportunity presents itself, and not procrastinate.
Doing a mitzva with alacrity prevents all kinds of obstacles from
arising to prevent the performance of the mitzva at a later time. That
is why the verse says, "All the wise-hearted among you shall come" - one
who is truly wise - "shall come" - without delay.

                                                 (HaDrash Vehaiyun)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Although the Baal Shem Tov lived long after the terrors of the Spanish
Inquisition, there were still Marranos in his day, and the punishment
for their observance of mitzvot (commandments) remained death.

One Jew of Marrano descent, who succeeded in concealing his Torah
observance for many years, was nevertheless discovered and brought to
trial. Neither his high government position and connections nor the
king's favor were able to free him from the deathly clutches of the
Church. He was sentenced to public burning, the infamous auto-da-fe.

Many people, including the king himself, flocked to witness the
execution. They crowded around the platform upon which the cruel
sentence was about to be carried out.

Suddenly, a loud rumble drowned the voice reading the sentence, and the
earth began to tremble. Chaos spread as an unsuspected earthquake sent
the people fleeing for their lives. The accused man also fled, and the
commotion that followed was great enough to allow him to elude his
pursuers until, finally, he was able to cross the Spanish border.

He took up residence in another country and began to practice Torah and
mitzvot openly, unafraid. The great miracle that saved his life,
however, was a constant source of wonder and contemplation for the man.

"What is the nature of Divine Providence?" he asked many scholars. "Had
the earthquake been scheduled from the time of creation to occur
precisely at that moment to allow for my escape? Or, was the earthquake
a natural phenomenon - and the miracle, that my execution was scheduled
at precisely that time?"

Unsatisfied with the responses he received, the man sought out the Baal
Shem Tov's opinion on the matter. He traveled to Mezibush and arrived at
the tzadik's home just as he was preparing to leave for his morning
prayers.

"Come, and we'll go to shul together," the Baal Shem Tov offered. As
they walked, they came across a villager leading a wagon of hay toward
the marketplace. Shortly afterward, they noticed a man trudging down the
road, moaning and groaning about a toothache.

As the man passed them, he neared the hay wagon and eagerly thrust his
hand into the stack. Grabbing a straw, he quickly put it into his mouth
and picked at the painful tooth. Almost immediately, he expressed
relief.

The Baal Shem Tov turned to the man accompanying him, "Now here is an
act of Divine Providence! There is a particular straw-like herb called
root which is a natural remedy for toothaches. As the man thrust his
hand into the straw, he 'chanced' precisely upon that herb.

"It is not that the villager happened to be on the way to the market
this day, and today the Alm-ghty planted the root among the hay to
benefit the man in pain. Actually, from the beginning of Creation, He
foresaw the events to come and planned all the details to coincide with
each other.

"In your case as well, from the very beginning of creation, the Alm-ghty
designated the earthquake to occur in precisely that place and hour, to
save your life."

Reprinted from From My Father's Shabbos Table by Rabbi Yehuda Chitrik.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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A birthday in general is connected not just with an individual's
service, but with the redemption of all Jewry. Our Sages said "The son
of David (Moshiach) will not come until all the souls in the 'guf' are
ended," which Rashi interprets to mean "all the souls in that treasure
store called 'guf.'" In other words, Moshiach will come when all the
souls that are destined to be born are born - and therefore the birth of
a Jew hastens the coming of Moshiach. The lesson then is the great
importance of the birth of another Jewish child.

                         (The Lubavitcher Rebbe, 20 Cheshvan, 5743)

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           END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 913 - Vayakhel-Pekudei 5766
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