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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 980
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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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        July 27, 2007          Vaeschanan            12 Av, 5767
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                         Paralysis by Analysis

Salespeople and those in business have an expression: paralysis by
analysis. They use it so often that it's not even a cliché; it's just
trite. But it expresses a fundamental concept, a critical axiom of
business and sales: get out and do.

The expression "paralysis by analysis" means simply this: one can become
so involved in the analytical process that nothing gets done. For
instance, a salesperson can sit and compile a list of contacts, then
analyze that list: identifying contacts, deciding on an approach,
preparing for objections, figuring when's the best time to call,
weighing which product to push, etc. Someone in business can go through
a similar process when faced with an investment or some critical
decision.

And while all that analysis is going on, the day slips by and the
prospects - the prospective customers - aren't called, and the decision
is delayed.

Even after a call, an appointment or a sale, one can become so involved
in reliving that moment, can analyze the success in an infinite number
of ways, so that one freezes. There's no growth, no building on the
success, no moving forward.

Of course, the opposite is also true. a person can be so busy making
phone calls, finding customers, making sales, meeting and greeting and
networking, that there's no time for any analysis. Such a person won't
know if he or she is an efficient time manager, if he or she is in the
right market, if the customers are staying loyal, if the sales
techniques are as effective as they could be, if the production to time
input ratio is at least average, etc.

There's no trite cliché for that, but maybe we can come up with one. How
about "losing with the shmoozing"?

The point is: this tension between analysis and action reflects a
tension our Sages have long noted, the tension between Torah and mitzvot
(commandments). On the one hand, Torah study is imperative. Judaism
extols the life of the scholar, the man who devotes his life to the
depths of Torah. A rabbi is supposed to be, first and foremost, an
expert in Jewish law and learning. In the Mishna (Avot 6), there is
described the 48 ways to acquire the crown of Torah; they are exacting,
demanding, and require dedication and self-sacrifice. The emphasis on
learning, on Torah study, has kept the Jewish people intact through the
centuries.

On the other hand, we are taught "action is the main thing." Practical
mitzvot - whether putting on tefilin, keeping kosher, conducting
business ethically, according to Jewish law, or giving charity (the all
encompassing mitzva), we must put our Judaism into practice. Our focus
has to be on the "mitzva moment," the opportunity to help another, to
fulfill the positive and negative commandments, to reveal the spiritual
within the physical by what we do.

The tension can be expressed thus: Study without action, without an "and
therefore..." goes nowhere, affects nothing. Action without
understanding can lose its momentum - why am I doing this mitzva,
anyway? - diminish its effectiveness.

Indeed, the Talmud records a debate among the Sages on this very topic.
They concluded that study is more important because it leads to action.

So we need both. If we only study, but don't translate that study into
peformance of mitzvot, that's 'paralysis by analysis.' If we do mitzvot
without learning the details of their observance, as well as their
deeper, mystical meaning (through Chassidut), we risk losing enthusiasm,
interest; we may do them incorrectly, and so ineffectively.

Ultimately, then, there's no contraction: Torah study is the most
important, and fulfilling the mitzvot is most important. For we cannot
truly have one without the other.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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In this week's Torah portion, Vaetchanan, we learn of one of the Torah's
positive commandments, which is to recite "Kriyat Shema," the central
proclamation of our faith, twice each day.

The Torah specifies when we must say it: "when you lie down," i. e., at
night, and "when you rise," i.e., during the day.

"Hear O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One. And you shall
love...and you shall speak of them...when you lie down and when you
rise...and upon your gates."

With the declaration of "Shema Yisrael," the Jew testifies that G-d is
One, and that nothing else exists except for Him.

The word echad, one, is composed of three letters: alef, chet and dalet.

The numerical equivalent of alef is one. G-d is alone and unique in the
universe.

The numerical equivalent of chet is eight. Only G-d is King over all
seven firmaments and the earth below.

The numerical equivalent of dalet is four. This expresses the concept
that G-d is the sole Sovereign over all four directions: east, west,
north and south.

By saying the "Shema," the Jew negates the independent existence of the
world. He declares that all of creation - the celestial spheres, the
earth below and the four winds - are completely nullified before Him.
G-d is the One Who sustains and rules over them; without Him, they would
not exist. G-d is One; there is nothing else but Him.

A Jew is obligated to recite the "Shema" by night and by day, two
opposites that allude to the variety of situations and circumstances a
Jew will encounter throughout his life.

Nighttime, in the allegorical sense, is a time of spiritual darkness,
when G-d's light is hidden and concealed. At such times it is hard for
the Jew to perceive G-dliness; his spiritual condition is as dark as
night.

Daytime, by contrast, is a time when the sun illuminates. Symbolically,
this alludes to the illumination of the Jew's soul, when G-dliness is
readily perceived and apparent.

Yet regardless of one's spiritual condition, no matter if it is day or
night, the Jew must always remember (and remind others) that the entire
world is only G-dliness! G-d is the only King of the universe. G-d is
One.

Indeed, man's function is to reveal G-d's oneness within creation, and
the obligation to nullify the world in His presence is independent of
our personal situation and circumstances.

"Hear O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One... when you lie
down and when you rise."

              Adapted for Maayan Chai from Likutei Sichot, Volume 4

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                         A Green Card for Yoav
                       by Rabbi Aron Leib Raskin

This coming Monday, the 15th of the Jewish month of Av (corresponding
with July 30), is the yartzeit of my grandfather, Rabbi Yaakov Yehudah
("JJ") Hecht.  In his honor, I'd like to share the following story:

It was 1989. Yoav Eitan arrived in New York City from Israel having
heard that the streets of New York were paved with gold. As a disabled
soldier - he had been maimed in battle - he felt that he would have a
brighter future in the United States.

Like the immigrants of the early 1900s, Yoav soon found out that there
was no gold lining the streets of New York city. And, try as he might,
he was finding it impossible to get a job. Each time he responded to a
"Help Wanted" sign in a store window, he was immediately asked, "Green
card?" And every time, Yoav shook his head "No."

The small sum of money that Yoav had brought with him to America soon
ran out and he was forced to sleep on benches in Central Park. Each day
when he went to yet another few stores to ask for a job, he now asked
for food or money when he got the inevitable question, "Green card?"

One night when he was falling asleep on a park bench, a priest who was
known to make the rounds throughout Central Park tapped Yoav on the
shoulder. "Do you drink?" he asked Yoav. Yoav said "no." "Do you do
drugs?" the priest continued. Again, Yoav's answer was "No."

"In that case," the priest offered, "come with me. You can eat in our
soup kitchen and sleep in our shelter."

That night was the first time Yoav went to sleep with a full stomach,
freshly showered, and on a bed in many, many weeks. In the morning, the
priest greeted Yoav warmly. Yoav began telling the priest his story, how
he had come from Israel to America to try his luck in the land of
opportunity but had not been lucky at all. "I'm not afraid to work hard,
but I don't have a green card," he told the priest.

"I am going to call some Jewish organizations to see if any of them can
help you," the priest told Yoav. "In the meantime, take this $20, go out
and see what you can find."

Each morning, upon awakening, Yoav would ask the priest if he had found
a Jewish organization that could help him, and each day the priest told
him that none could be of any help. "Tell him to go back to Israel,"
many of them even responded.

The priest would then give Yoav another $20 and encourage him to go look
for a job.

One morning the priest told Yoav, "There is only one Jewish organization
left in the phone book for me to call. I will call the National
Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education right now. But if they
tell me, like every other Jewish organization, that they cannot help
you, I would like to give you an offer. If you will convert to
Christianity, then I promise you that within 6 months you will have a
green card and a job."

The priest called up the NCFJE office in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and
was put through to Rabbi "JJ" Hecht, founder and executive director of
the NCFJE. "I have one of your boys here in our church," the priest told
Rabbi Hecht. "He's an Israeli with no money and no job. Every other
Jewish organization has told me they can't help him. What about you?"

"Tell him to wait for me outside of the church. I'll be there in 15
minutes."

As Rabbi Hecht ran out of his office, he shouted to his secretary to
cancel all of his appointments for the rest of the day. He dashed into
his car and drove to the address of the church in Manhattan in record
time. He stopped his car with a screech (on the sidewalk!) in front of
the steps of the church. He ran up the steps of the church, where Yoav
was waiting with the priest.

"I need a green card," Yoav told the rabbi, defiantly.

"You need a neshama (soul)," Rabbi Hecht told him boldly.

"They're promising me a green card in 6 months if I convert," Yoav
countered.

"I'll get you one in 3 months," said Rabbi Hecht.

Yoav thanked the priest for all of his help, gathered his little bundle
of belongings, and got into Rabbi Hecht's car (still parked on the
sidewalk!). When they arrived in the NCFJE office, Rabbi Hecht told
Yoav, "Anything you need, any time you need, you come to me." Rabbi
Hecht then introduced Yoav to some of his sons, saying, "These are my
sons and now you are like another one of my 12 children."

Over the next few days, Rabbi Hecht found Yoav an apartment and a job.
Once every week or so, Yoav would inquire about the green card. "I'm
working on it," Rabbi Hecht would tell him.

One day Yoav arrived at the office looking for Rabbi Hecht. The
secretary told Yoav gently that Rabbi Hecht had passed away the week
before. After Yoav got over the initial shock, he asked, "How am I going
to get my green card now?" The secretary just shrugged.

The story could end here, and probably no one would be the wiser about
another one of the thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of people
whose lives my grandfather personally touched, changed, saved. But I met
Yoav when he became engaged to Alba, who had been working in our Kiddie
Korner Preschool in Brooklyn Heights. Alba asked me to officiate at the
wedding and, of course, I agreed.

Yoav and I began to talk. He spoke in loving and respectful terms about
Rabbi JJ Hecht and how Rabbi Hecht had literally saved him, body and
soul. When I told Yoav that I was Rabbi Hecht's grandson, he became
extremely excited. He was doubly happy that I would officiate at their
wedding. And when I heard that he still didn't have a green card, I told
Yoav that I would take care of it. Thank

G-d, I was able to help Yoav find a job, become his sponsor, and make
good on my grandfather's promise to him.

    Rabbi Aron Leib Raskin is the spiritual leader of Congregaton Bnai
    Abraham in Brooklyn and director of Chabad of Brooklyn Heights.

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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           "Merkos Shluchim" - Summer Emissaries of the Rebbe

This summer is the 60th anniversary of "Merkos Shluchim" sent out by the
educational branch of Chabad-Lubavitch. The emissaries will be meeting
with Jews in far-flung locations throughout the world. They bring with
them a wealth of knowledge as well as religious materials such as
mezuzot, prayer books, and books of torah thoughts, etc., that are not
generally available in such remote locations. "Merkos Shluchim" are
rabbinical students who spend their summer vacation visiting small
Jewish communities that do not have permanent emissaries. This year 330
students have been dispatched to small cities throughout the American
continent, as well as towns and cities throughout Europe, Asia and the
former Soviet Union.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                           Freely translated

                        22 Tammuz, 5706  [1946]

Greetings and blessings,

In response to your invitation to the Pidyon HaBen (Redemption of the
firstborn) of your son Shalom DovBer: May it be in a good and auspicious
hour and may you together with your wife raise him and lead him to Torah
study, marriage, and good deeds amidst prosperity in both a material and
spiritual sense.

The concept of redeeming the firstborn began because of G-d's redemption
of the firstborn of the Jewish people when He slew all the firstborn
Egyptians in the land of Egypt.

Our Sages (Talmud Shabbos 133b) teach that we must walk in the paths of
our Creator: "Just as He is compassionate and merciful, so, too, you
must be compassionate and merciful." To apply that concept to the issue
at hand, this is the task demanded of each and every one, anyone who has
the potential, to save Jewish boys and girls from assimilation among the
nations. For they are all firstborn, as it says: "My son, My firstborn,
Israel." Instead, we should connect them to the G-d of life through the
Torah of life. And in that manner, they will be assured the fulfillment
of the Torah's blessing: "Today you are all alive."

You have merited that my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe Shlita, has
committed a portion of this holy work to you. Certainly, you will
endeavor to do everything dependent on you to be an appropriate medium
and bring out the potential into actual expression.

May it be His will that speedily in our days we all merit to see the
Redemption wrought by our Father in Heaven who will redeem His firstborn
- "My son, My firstborn Israel" - from this final exile. And may my
revered father-in-law, the Rebbe Shlita, lead us to greet Moshiach in
the very near future. Amen, so may it be His will.

The concept of the redemption of the firstborn does not apply with
regard to priests and Levites, and our Sages say (Sanhedrin 39a): "G-d
is a priest." See Likkutei Shoshanim by R. Shimson of Ostrapolia who
discusses when the analogy of High Priest is applied with regard to G-d
and when, instead, the analogy of an ordinary priest is applied.

This, however, does not represent a contradiction to the above. For the
rationale of why the concept of redeeming a firstborn with five sela'im
does not apply with regard to a priest or a Levite is that this sum is
not sufficient to redeem them. Instead, through G-d's redemption of the
Jewish people in Egypt, their bodies became sanctified, as stated in
Bamidbar, ch. 8.

                                *  *  *

                          2 Sivan, 5710 [1950]


Greetings and blessings,

...Directing our attention to the news at large about the flooding of
the river in the city of Winnipeg, it is of pressing importance that the
yeshivah students should concern themselves with the situation of the
local Jews there in general and the members of the chassidic brotherhood
in particular, extending all possible assistance to them. This is
particularly true with regard to young boys and girls who require extra
supervision when they find themselves taking refuge in undesirable
surroundings.

Since you visited Winnipeg a while ago on a mission from my revered
father-in-law, the Rebbe, hk"m, and you are familiar with the members of
the chassidic brotherhood there, I request that you write to them and
show an interest in them.

Please inform me about everything that takes place concerning this and
if you see that there is something for their benefit appropriate for us
to do from here, please offer suggestions.

With blessings for receiving the Torah with joy and inner feeling,

       From I Will Write It In Their Hearts, translated by Rabbi E.
                             Touger, published by Sichos In English

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                                CUSTOMS
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           Why do we give charity before praying on weekdays?

Charity should be given before praying to dispel whatever may hamper the
acceptability of one's prayers. Thus we find that before praying one of
our great Sages would give a pauper a coin, in the spirit of the verse,
"With tzedek - righteousness - (like tzedaka - charity) shall I behold
Your countenance." For accusatory voices On High adjudge whether a
worshipper is indeed worthy of entering the heavenly palace in prayer.
Also, by giving a poor man charity before prayer and thereby giving him
life, one's "prayers come alive."

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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"There were no greater festivals in Israel than the 15th of Av and Yom
Kippur," the Mishna tells us. The 15th of Av corresponds this year to
Monday, July 30. What is so special about the 15th of Av that it is
singled out together with Yom Kippur from all the other festivals?

A number of special events throughout Jewish history took place on the
15th of Av. They were: 1) The tribe of Benjamin was permitted once again
to marry the remainder of the Jewish people; 2) The Generation of the
Desert  ceased to die; they had previously been condemned to perish in
the desert because of the sin of the spies; 3) Hoshea Ben Elah removed
the blockades that the rebel Jerobeam had set up to prevent the Jews
from going to Jerusalem for the festivals; 4) The cutting of the wood
for the Holy Altar was completed; 5) Permission was granted by the
Romans to bury the slain of Betar.

These five events in themselves do not seem adequate enough reason to
make the 15th of Av a festival greater than any other. There is another,
all-encompassing reason.

The five festive events on the fifteenth of Av, are the counterpart to
the five tragic events of Tisha B'Av - the day when the two Holy Temples
were destroyed, signaling the start of the long exile we are still
enduring - tragedies which were the result of the Jews' sins. Tisha B'Av
is the nadir of Jewish physical and spiritual life. The 15th of Av
transforms the negativity of Tisha B'Av to the greatest good - "there
were no greater festivals in Israel than the fifteenth of Av." The
ultimate goal of the tragedies of the month of Av is that they should be
transformed into a greater good - the supreme festival of the 15th of
Av.

But these tragedies are not without purpose. It is specifically after
the awesome decline of Tisha B'Av that we can reach the loftiest
heights, heights that would otherwise be inaccessible.

The common theme behind all the reasons for the 15th of Av is Ahavat
Yisrael, the practice of which eradicates the cause of the exile, and
therefore automatically the exile itself.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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Ben Zoma said... "Who is rich? He who is happy wit his lot, as it is
said: (Psalm 128:2) 'When you eat of the labor of your hands, happy are
you, and it shall be well with you' "   (Ethics 4:1)

A person's wealth is not measured by the amount of money he has stashed
away in boxes and treasure chests. For no person is wealthy other than
in knowledge (See Talmud Nedarim 41a). One who is happy with his lot is
a truly wealthy person.

                                                (Maharal of Prague)

                                *  *  *


Rabbi Meir Said,... "If you neglect the Torah, many causes for
neglecting it - b'teilim - will present themselves to you." (Ethics
4:12)

The word "b'teilim" can equally mean worthless matters, of no value.
This, then, is what our text would signify: If you are invited to join a
study group on some aspect of our faith, perhaps your answer is, "I
would love to, but I don't have the time, I am too busy, and really, I
have not even a moment to myself." In short, you decide to neglect the
Torah. If you do that, says Rabbi Meir, "many other valueless, worthless
things can be held up against you." For what were you doing last night
and the night before? If you are indeed so busy, how can you account for
that theater performance, or the hours upon hours before the television
set? For that, apparently, you had the time. For that, it would seem,
you were not busy.

                              (Rabbi I. Bunim in Ethics from Sinai)

                                *  *  *


For the reward of a mitzva is a mitzva, and the reward of a
transgression is a transgression (Ethics 4:2)

Reward and punishment are not extraneous treatments given to those with
a surplus of merits or sins; they are natural consequences of what we
do. Do one mitzva (commandment), and from Heaven you will be aided to do
more; commit a transgression, and opportunities to transgress further
will be placed before you.

                                                       (Maimonides)

                                *  *  *


The reward one receives for obeying G-d's word is qualitatively
different from the payment a laborer is rewarded for his exertions. A
worker who plows and sows receives his salary from the owner of the
field, yet the actual money was not created by him; it is not the direct
result of his labors. This is not so, however, in the case of mitzvot.
According to Chasidic philosophy, the mitzva itself creates the reward.

                                                        (The Rebbe)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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When the tailor died at a ripe old age, his passing didn't attract any
special attention. Yet his funeral was most unusual for an ordinary
tailor, for the Chief Rabbi of Lemberg himself led the funeral
procession all the way to the cemetery. And of course, as the Chief
Rabbi led the procession all the Jews of the town joined in giving the
final honors to the deceased. The result was a funeral the likes of
which is normally reserved for great rabbis or tzadikim.

The Jews of Lemberg had no doubt that the tailor had been a person of
extraordinary merit, and they waited anxiously to hear what a wonderful
eulogy the Chief Rabbi would give at the funeral.They were not
disappointed when the rabbi told them the following tale:

Many years before, the rabbi had spent Shabbat at a village inn. The
innkeeper related a story about a Jewish jester who lived in the mansion
of the local poretz, the landowner of all the surrounding area. This
jester had once been a simple, but G-d-fearing Jew, who by profession
was a tailor. On a number of occasions he had done work for the poretz,
and as he was an entertaining man with a beautiful singing voice, and
very funny, the poretz and his family became very fond of his company.
They finally asked him to join their household in the capacity of a
jester, which was common in those days. He accepted, and slowly began to
neglect his Jewish observance, until he no longer conducted himself as a
Jew at all. The innkeeper felt very sorry for this Jew, and both he and
the rabbi prayed the he return to the fold.

That Friday afternoon, just before Shabbat a man came galloping up to
the inn and requested to spend the Shabbat there. To their surprise the
horseman was none other than the Jewish jester, who explained that he
had come in order to gather material for his jokes and spoofs.

The innkeeper was afraid to refuse, and so agreed to have the jester as
a guest. At the Shabbat table the rabbi spoke about the Torah portion
and described how both Terach, Abraham's idol-worshipping father, and
Ishmael, Abraham's unruly son, repented and were forgiven by G-d.

"Words that come from the heart penetrate the heart," is the saying, and
the words of the rabbi affected the Jewish jester, who became more and
more thoughtful as Shabbat progressed. By Saturday night the jester so
deeply regretted his life, that he approached the rabbi, and asked how
he could do penance. The rabbi told him to leave his position with the
poretz and withdraw for a time into a life of prayer, meditation and
fasting. He should maintain this regime until such time when he would
receive a sign from heaven that his repentance was accepted.

The jester accepted this advice wholeheartedly. He went to Lemberg where
he entered a large synagogue and made an arrangement with the caretaker.
According to their deal he would be locked in a small room where he
would spend the entire day in prayer. At night before locking up, the
caretaker would release him so that he might eat a little  and stretch
out for the night on a bench. Only on Friday night in honor of the
Shabbat would he leave the synagogue to spend the day more comfortably.

This routine continued for many weeks until one Friday night the
caretaker forgot to release him. The heartbroken tailor was now sure
that G-d had forsaken him, and he wept bitterly. Hungry and tired, he
fell into a deep sleep and dreamt. In the dream an old man appeared to
him, and told him, "I am Elijah the Prophet, and I came to tell you that
your teshuva (repentance) has been accepted. Fast no longer. Every night
I will come and teach you Torah, Torah such as only the righteous merit
to learn."

The tailor opened a small shop  and made a modest living.  Late one
night the Chief Rabbi passed his home and saw a bright light coming from
the window. But when he entered, he saw only the tailor working by the
light of a small candle. This happened two more times, and each time the
rabbi found only a small candle illuminating the tailor's room.

The third time the rabbi pressed the tailor for an explanation, and was
told all that had transpired since they had met at the village inn. The
tailor also related that the prophet had told him that no inhabitant of
the village would die as long as he lived.

The following day the rabbi instructed the local burial society to
inform him every time there was a death in the city. True to the
prophesy, each time there was a death, the deceased was not a resident,
but someone who happened to be passing through. The rabbi concluded his
strange tale, telling the townspeople that the power of teshuva is
unlimited, and no matter what, G-d is always waiting for His children to
return.

                                      Adapted from the Storyteller.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
*********************************************************************
The marriage of every couple ... is connected to the ultimate marriage
between G-d and the Jewish people that will be consummated in the Era of
Redemption.

                            (Sefer HaSichot 5751, Vol . II, p. 807)

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              END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 980 - Vaeschanan 5767
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