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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1016
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                           Copyright (c) 2008
                 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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        April 11, 2008          Metzora            6 Nisan, 5768
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                           New Jersey Transit
                        by Rabbi David Kaufmann

The Baal Shem Tov taught that everything we encounter is a lesson in our
Divine Service. Sometimes that lesson is obvious. And sometimes we can
draw more than one lesson from the same event. For instance:

This past winter, I was on my way from New Orleans, Louisiana, to visit
my parents in New Jersey, who had relocated there after Hurricane
Katrina. My father is a WWII vet, and is in a VA hospital with
Alzheimer's. Getting off the plane at Newark airport, with three pieces
of luggage (one of which contained precious family pictures), I followed
directions to the airport train shuttle which took me to the train
station. Getting to the little town in northern Jersey was a simple
matter of taking an eastbound train, then transferring to a northbound
one.

Except the eastbound was an express, not a local, and didn't stop at the
transfer point. One of the New Jersey train conductors saw my dilemma
and distress. He tried to explain the rather complicated train schedule.
The express went into Manhattan - Penn Station; just transfer back to
the local. Realizing that I  might get lost in Penn Station, the
conductor guided me to the transfer terminal, found out which track and
train number was the correct westbound local, and took me there. We
never exchanged names, or more than a "thank you" from my side and "your
parents should be well" from the conductor.

I took two lessons from this story. First, and most literally, we see in
action the Rebbe's observation that Moshiach is ready to come, all it
takes is a little more goodness and kindness, small yet transformative
acts, on our part. The conductor went out of his way to help a stranger.
And in so doing, the conductor gained too - in a sense, did he not help
my elderly parents, who suffered from the aftermath of Katrina? No doubt
the conductor encounters thousands in his daily job, some polite, some
rude - but surely his simple, kind act, and my genuine gratitude, will
remain with him. And just as surely, I will also associate the joy of my
visit to my parents with the small kindness of a conductor, the goodness
of a fellow human being.

But there is another, more metaphoric lesson, as well. The story
explains, in a way, what a Rebbe does. He's a conductor - in every sense
of the word. So our religious Jew is a traveler - a metaphor for our
Divine soul, journeying through this world to reunite with our Father
Above. The soul knows the way - what route to take, the route of Torah
and mitzvos. But sometimes it "misses the train;" sometimes it gets on
the "fast train" - the express to the delights and confusions of the
physical world - and doesn't know when to get off or how to get back.
But the conductor - the Rebbe in our analogy - knows the schedule and
connections and transfer points and can direct each soul onto its proper
pathway, so that it can bring the "precious family pictures" home, as it
reunites with our Father Above.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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One of the laws pertaining to the Biblical affliction of leprosy
discussed in this week's Torah portion, Metzora, seems somewhat
surprising.

If a person discovered an eruption, a bright spot, or a white hair
indicative of the disease on part of his body, he was pronounced
"impure" by the priest. If, however, the leprosy covered his entire
body, he was pronounced pure. "[If] it is all turned white, he is pure,"
the Torah repeats.

How can it be that when the leprosy is confined to one area, the person
is impure, yet once it has spread all over his body, he is pure? There
are two possible explanations:

 a. The sole reason he is considered pure is because it is G-d's
    will. According to logic, the person whose leprosy covers all of his
    flesh should be impure; G-d, however, has decreed that he is pure.

 b. The law itself is logical. When the leprosy appears on only a
    part of a person's skin, it is obvious that he is suffering from
    some sort of malady. If it covers all of his skin, it is indicative
    of the individual's constitution and nature, not symptomatic of a
    disease.

The Talmud cites this law in connection to the concept of redemption,
using the affliction of leprosy as a metaphor for sin. "The son of David
[Moshiach] will not come until all authority has become heretical,"
i.e., when G-dlessness is officially sanctioned and widespread
throughout the world.

Here we may ask the same question raised regarding leprosy: If the world
will be entirely dark, how will it be possible for the light of
Redemption to shine through? Why will the Redemption occur precisely
when evil is so powerful that it has overcome the entire world?

Again, the above two explanations may be applied to solve our dilemma:

 a. There is no logic involved. Moshiach will come when he does only
    because G-d will have decreed it thus; the Redemption will occur
    independent of the world's condition. An all-powerful and eternal
    G-d can certainly bring Moshiach no matter how degraded and evil the
    world becomes.

 b. The fact that evil is ascendent throughout the entire world is
    proof that something unusual is taking place; were this not so, some
    pockets of good would certainly have remained. Rather, the absolute
    supremacy of evil indicates that all the negative forces have become
    externalized, as they have already been fully vanquished from
    within.

Thus, the phenomenon of "all authority has become heretical" is actually
part of the world's purification, a process of separating good from evil
that will ultimately culminate with Moshiach's revelation. At that time,
the world will be sufficiently prepared for the light of Redemption.

                   Adapted from Likutei Sichot of the Rebbe Vol. 32

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                            Answered Prayers
                            by Yehudis Cohen

"I am not a Lubavitcher chasid," says Mr. David Sostchin. "I am what
people would call 'close to Lubavitch.'"

A lawyer in Miami Beach, Florida, Mr. Sostchin was born in Cuba into a
traditional Jewish home. Mr. Sostchin says that "later in life," he and
his wife started keeping more mitzvot (commandments).

Mr. Sostchin feels a special closeness to the Lubavitcher Rebbe. "I try
to go to visit the Rebbe's ohel (resting place) four or five times each
year." He is looking forward to his next visit to New York, when he will
be able to properly thank the Rebbe for his "help" this past year.

"Late last July," begins Mr. Sostchin, "I was in Tampa and while there,
I fell down. I got a nasty cut on my head at the eyebrow. I went to the
hospital where they stitched up the cut and did a CAT scan. The scan did
not detect any problems.

"A few weeks later, I went with Rabbi Yossi Smierc to New York to visit
the Rebbe's ohel. I asked the Rebbe for blessings in the three areas I
always ask for: shalom bayit (peaceful family life), health for me and
for my family, and enough parnasa (livelihood) so that I can give even
more tzedaka (charity). I always ask for these three general blessings.

"The day that I got back from New York, I was helping my wife in the
kitchen when I started feeling tired. 'I'm going to lie down,' I told my
wife, Rose. On the way to the bedroom, I fell down and hurt my shoulder.
I went to the hospital where I was told that my shoulder was broken.

"The following week, as I was walking through the lobby of our apartment
building, I fell down again. 'This is enough,' Rose told me. 'You keep
on falling down. You must go to the doctor and have things checked out.'

"I went to a neurologist who sent me to the hospital to have a CAT scan.
The CAT scan showed that I had slight bleeding on the brain. It was
already late on Friday afternoon and the hospital wanted to keep me for
observation after the CAT scan but I wanted to get home to celebrate
Shabbat together with my wife. The doctor agreed that I could go home
but insisted that I return to the hospital for more tests early Monday
morning.

"Shabbat passed uneventfully as did Sunday. On Monday I went to my
office early to take care of a few things before going to the hospital
that morning. Before I knew it, it was late Monday afternoon. I went to
the hospital where they did another CAT scan. The doctor told me that
the new CAT scan showed that the bleeding had increased. She told me she
was scheduling me for brain surgery the following day! I informed her
that I have a pace-maker and so they immediately scheduled tests to
check out my heart.

"The new set of tests revealed that I had a blood clot at the point
where the pace-maker is connected to the heart. Now I was told that I
would need to have heart surgery on Tuesday to remove the clot and the
brain surgery would have to be rescheduled for Wednesday. On Tuesday,
when they went in to remove the blood clot, they found a second clot
that they also removed. The heart surgery was successful and they put in
a temporary pace-maker that would be replaced the following Monday with
a permanent pace-maker. The brain surgery on Wednesday also went well,
thank G-d.

"Wednesday night, my wife went home after a long day at the hospital.
While she was lying in bed, going over the events of the past few weeks,
she began to have a 'conversation' with the Rebbe. 'My husband went to
the ohel to pray for health, among other things. He came home and the
first thing that happens is he breaks his shoulder. A week later he
falls again. And then, before you know it, he is in the hospital for
heart surgery and brain surgery! All of this, after he goes all the way
to New York to pray to G-d at your resting place for health!' My wife
continued along these lines for a while in her conversation and then
fell asleep.

"Later that night she had a dream. In her dream the Rebbe came to her
and told her, 'Don't you understand that I had to make him fall down,
otherwise they would never have caught the clot in his heart and he
could have been gone in a month?'

"Thursday morning, my cardiologist Dr. Vivas, came into my hospital room
to check on me. 'I don't know what you believe in and what you don't
believe in,' said Dr. Vivas to me, 'but I want to tell you that if you
hadn't come into the hospital to have a CAT scan because you were
falling, we would never have known about your blood clots. And had we
not caught your blood clots, you very possibly would have been gone in a
month.'

"When my wife came to the hospital later that morning, she told me about
her conversation with the Rebbe and about her subsequent dream. I then
told her about Dr. Vivas' statement to me. We both realized that my
prayers had been answered and the Rebbe's blessing for health had come
true.

"By the way," concludes Mr. Sostchin, "the neurologist told me that the
bleeding in my brain was not what had been causing me to fall. They
weren't sure what the cause was, but I haven't fallen since then."

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                             New Emissaries

Rabbi Shimy and Devorah Leah Heidingsfeld  have established a new Chabad
House in Moorpark, California where they will be focusing on serving the
needs of the Jewish students and faculty at Moorpark College. Rabbi
Yitzchok and Rivka Gurary have opened a new Chabad House in Montgomery
County, Maryland, to serve the Jewish community of the East
Rockville/Aspen Hill area. Rabbi Chaim Hillel and Devorah Leah Asimov
have moved to Cyprus, where they are working primarily with Israelis in
the Turkish half of the island.

                             Need a Seder?

Looking for a community Seder to attending this coming Passover holiday?
Visit passover.org and click on "find a center" to locate the nearest
Chabad-Lubavitch Seder near you.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                     Freely translated and adapted

                        11th day of Nissan, 5744
                      To the Sons and Daughters of
                     Our People Israel, Everywhere,
                           G-d bless you all!

Greeting and Blessing:

...One of the details which differentiate the Festival of Passover from
our other festivals is the fact that, in addition to having its exact
date specified in the Torah as to the day and month of the year when
"Holiday of Matzos" is to be observed (as with other festivals), the
Torah emphasizes the exact point of the day, the very moment, when the
deliverance from Egyptian bondage came, namely, "bachatzi halaila - in
the very middle of the night"; and similarly pinpoints the exact moment
of the Exodus from Egypt, namely, "b'etzem HaYom hazeh, bachatzi hayom
- in the very middle of the day."

It was exactly at midnight that the moment of the liberation struck:
Pharoah freed the Jews immediately, bringing the exile to an end;
moreover, he ordered them and urged them to leave Egypt, while the
Egyptians did all they could to speed and aid this departure.

A turning point in this direction occurred (five days earlier, on
Shabbos) at the beginning of the preparations for the Passover
sacrifice, when every Jew told his Egyptian neighbors, with absolute
certainty, that the day of the Deliverance was approaching. It evoked a
response akin to a spirit of liberation, whereupon the Egyptian
firstborn (their eldest and strongest, symbolizing midnight, the darkest
part of the night) took up arms against their king, demanding that he
let the Jewish people go. This resulted in a "slaughter of Egyptians by
their own firstborn," and served as a prelude to the Exodus from Egypt,
as emphasized also by the designation and observance of the Shabbos
before Passover as "Shabbos HaGadol - the Great Sabbath."

And it was exactly at midday that the Jewish people went out of Egypt
"with uplifted arm," free men and women and proud to be Jews.

"Night" and "Day" are opposite phenomena, symbolizing opposing concepts
of "darkness" and "light" in the spiritual sense;

Especially "midnight" and "midday," connoting, respectively, the
bleakest darkness of the night and the brightest light of the day.

All this is also connected with the symbolic concepts of the "moon" and
of the "sun."

The sun symbolizes constancy and sameness, while the moon represents
change and renewal. Both these contrary elements combined together are
indispensable to achieve completeness in serving G-d. Yet, there is a
further fundamental distinction between the sun and the moon, as stated
in the Torah: the sun being the "Great Luminary" to rule by day, while
the moon is the "Small Luminary" to rule by night. This indicates two
different and contrary ways in their "illuminating the earth": The lunar
light, however brightly the moon shines, even at its maximum fullness,
does not transform night into day; the night remains night, which is
synonymous with "darkness", and "darkness He called 'night'." On the
other hand, however weak is the light of the sun on the earth, such as
at the beginning of the day or at day's end, when the sun's rays are at
their weakest, it still makes "day," which is synonymous with light, and
"HaShem called light - 'day'."

This difference - metaphorically speaking - is reflected also in our
Divine service. As explained in our Torah, Toras-Chaim ("instruction for
living"), our service of G-d encompasses the totality of a Jew's
everyday life in all, literally all, detailed aspects, as defined by the
principle "Know G-d in all your ways," meaning, to acknowledge and serve
G-d in every way and in all activities. These comprise two categories:
Mitzvah - the domain of religious duties, and R'Shus (literally
"permissible") - the so-called "secular" domain.

The "Mitzvah" domain embraces all those ways and actions which a Jew is
obligated to carry out, because G-d has commanded to do them. These are
all matters of Torah and Mitzvos. When a Jew learns Torah and does
Mitzvos, he irradiates himself as well as his surroundings, and the
world at large, with the Divine light of Ner Mitzvah vTorah Or ("a
Mitzvah is a lamp and the Torah is light"). Whether he does it with a
full measure of inspiration or, sometimes, with less enthusiasm, it is
always "a Mitzvah is a lamp and the Torah is light" - the "Great
Luminary" in Divine service.

The second category, that of R'shus, is the domain of ordinary matters,
such as eating, drinking and the like, which in themselves and for
themselves are no Mitzvah (except on Shabbos and holidays, or in case of
danger to life, etc.).

And, although the so-called secular aspects of the everyday life should,
and must, be ruled by the Torah, Torah Or, they bear no comparison with
Torah and Mitzvos.

They receive their minor light of a "Small Luminary" from the Torah, the
"Great Luminary," in the way the moon is illuminated, and illuminates,
by reflecting the light of the sun.
                   (continued in next week's L'Chaim)


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                                CUSTOMS
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        What are some Jewish customs to celebrate on a birthday?

It is appropriate to celebrate with family and friends, to recite the
blessing of "Shehecheyanu" over a new fruit (thereby showing one's "joy"
in performing a mitzva - commandment). Also, to undertake a good
resolution in the area of Jewish observance, give charity and increase
one's Jewish knowledge. For more customs visit
www.SichosInEnglish.org/books/birthday-celebrations/12.htm

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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It is a custom to say daily the chapter of Psalms associated with the
number of one's years. Many also have the custom to recite daily the
Rebbe's chapter. The 11th of Nissan, Wednesday, April 16, marks the
Rebbe's 106th birthday, and so we begin reciting chapter 107 of Psalms.

Chapter 107 describes four perilous situation from which G-d redeems us
and for which we must specifically thank Him. These situations are:
crossing the desert or ocean; being released from imprisonment;
recovering from a life-threatening illness; surviving a serious
accident.

In verses 23 we read, "Those who go down to the sea in ships, who
perform tasks in mighty waters -"

Chasidic teachings explain that this verse refers to the soul's descent
into this physical world, a place of many waters, i.e, the difficulties
of earning a livelihood and involvement in worldly matters. There are
three types of people who descend into this world: 1) Those who descend
with ships, i.e., they were raised in a protected spiritual environment
and they can easily navigate the mighty waters. 2) Those who descend
with difficulties (the Hebrew word for ships, "aniyot," can also be
translated as "difficulties.") These people experience difficulties in
their Divine service. 3) Those who descend to "perform tasks" in the
"mighty waters." These people recognize that our purpose in life is to
help others.

The Rebbe explains that this verse alludes to three different kinds of
people to teach us that  one who finds Jewish observance "easy sailing,"
should make himself available to help one who has difficulties. In
addition, if one is the "type" who is always busy helping others, he
shouldn't forget that he has to find time out for his own personal
Divine service.

Every time in the Psalm that the redemption from one of the four
perilous situations is described, the Psalmist declares: "Let them give
thanks to the L-rd for His kindness, and proclaim His wonders to the
children of man." May we immediately experience the ultimate Redemption
at which time there will never again be any kind of perilous situations,
with the revelation of Moshiach NOW!

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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Then shall the priest command to take for the one who is to be cleansed
two healthy, clean birds (Lev. 14:4)

Why were two birds used in the purification of a leper? One of the
causes of the affliction of leprosy was gossip, a sin that causes a good
relationship between two people to turn sour. The Hebrew word for bird,
"tzipor," has the numerical equivalent of 376, the same as the word for
peace, "shalom." The Torah alludes to the fact that in order for the
leper to be forgiven, he must first make peace between the two
individuals he has caused to quarrel. Accordingly, two birds are used in
the purification procedure, symbolic of the two people involved.

                                                        (Our Sages)

                                *  *  *


And the priest shall take one of the sheep and offer it as a guilt
offering (Lev. 14:12)

A guilt offering was generally brought for transgressions of sacrilege.
The leper, who had committed the sin of slander and haughtiness, was
guilty of such sacrilege against G-d. "He who commits a sin in private
drives away the Divine Presence." A person who whispers his gossip,
glancing right and left to see if anyone else can hear, has forgotten
that there is an ear above that hears every word that is uttered.
Likewise, a haughty person also causes the Divine Presence to depart, as
it states, "Both he and I cannot dwell in the same place."

                                                           (Sforno)

                                *  *  *


When they defile My sanctuary within their midst (Lev. 15:31)

When a person defiles himself, he defiles the Divine sanctuary - the
Jewish soul - with which he is endowed.  For every Jew is created in the
image of G-d, and the Divine Presence dwells within him.  Going against
the will of G-d by sinning causes the sanctuary to become dirtied.

                                                        (Abarbanel)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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                         by Rabbi Leibl Groner


    Rabbi Leibl Groner is a member of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's
    secretariat

A year ago, a relative of mine was at an expo and a businessman walked
over to him. "You look like a Lubavitcher chasid," the businessman said.

"I am," the relative responded.

My relative took a picture of the Rebbe out of his wallet and showed it
to the businessman. The man took out his wallet and produced a picture
of the Rebbe, as well. "Let me tell you a story," the man began. "Two
years ago, my wife became ill. The doctors thought that she had MS. We
didn't know what to do. We decided to turn to the Lubavitcher Rebbe's
emissary in our city and ask his advice. The emissary said, 'Fly to New
York. Go to the Rebbe's ohel (resting place) and ask the Rebbe for a
blessing that your wife should be well.'

"I agreed immediately to the emissary's suggestion. He continued, and
told me, 'The Rebbe's blessing needs a vessel to contain it. Take upon
yourself a mitzva (commandment) that will draw down the blessing.' I
agreed to this suggestion as well. Before I left, I asked the rabbi,
'Tell me, why is your Chabad House in such small quarters? Surely you
could use a much bigger space.'

"The rabbi told me, 'It is true that we are cramped here. There is a
property that we have our eyes on not too far from here, but it will
cost us over two million dollars and we don't have that kind of money
now.'

"I looked at the rabbi and told him, 'I don't have that kind of money,
but I will give you $10,000 for you to make a down-payment on the
property and I will help you form a building committee. I am sure that
over the course of the next two years, we will be able to raise the $2
million that you need.

"The emissary told me, 'When you go to the ohel to ask the Rebbe to
intercede on behalf of your wife, tell the Rebbe what you have just
agreed to here and that this is the vessel that you are making for the
blessing.'

"I went to the ohel," the businessman concluded telling my relative,
"and prayed there on behalf of my wife. I did as the emissary told me.
When I returned home and my wife went back to the doctor, there was not
a trace of any of her previous symptoms. And she has remained
symptom-free for these past two years."

                                *  *  *


Recently, a man from Milan, Italy came into my office. He wanted me to
ask the Rebbe for a blessing for him as he was scheduled to have a
serious operation the following week. I spoke to him about making sure
that he has kosher mezuzot on his doorposts and that he puts on tefilin
regularly. He listened to my suggestion and then told me he wanted to
tell me about something that happened to him when he was a young boy.

"When I was five years old, a hearing problem was detected. The doctors
were concerned that my hearing impairment would get worse and worse over
the years. My mother turned to one of the Rebbe's emissaries in Milan
and asked him what to do.

" 'Go to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and during Sunday dollars (when the
Rebbe would distribute dollars for people to give to charity) ask the
Rebbe for a blessing for your son's hearing.'

"My mother took me to New York and we stood in line and waited our turn
to pass before the Rebbe and receive his blessing. When my mother told
the Rebbe about the doctors' prognosis for my hearing, the Rebbe
responded, 'He hears now and he will continue to hear without any
problem.' And, in fact, I never did have any kind of hearing problem
after that.

                                *  *  *


Each year on Passover, the Rebbe would always leave over some of the
afikoman from the seder. One day in the middle of the summer the Rebbe
told me, "There on the bottom of the bookcase is the afikoman. Take a
piece and wrap it up."

The Rebbe then gave me an address in Bombay, India, and said that I
should send the matza by express mail to the address he had given to me.

The Rebbe said, "After you send it, call the family and tell them that
since I received a letter from them that their mother is very sick and
the doctors don't know how to help her, I sent her the afikoman. When it
comes, they should give her a bit of it and since matza is 'food of
faith' and 'food of healing,' G-d will surely send her a complete
recovery."

I called the family in India and told the daughter what the Rebbe had
told me to say. Two weeks later she called and said that when they
received the package, they gave some of the matza to their mother and
she immediately improved. I encouraged her to continue doing so and a
day or two later she regained consciousness and within a short time she
had recovered.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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Since "He (G-d) fulfills the desire of those who fear Him," and "You
open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living being," G-d will
surely fulfill the desire of every Jew. That desire is expressed at the
conclusion of the Book of Psalms, "Let every being that has a soul
praise G-d." Each Jew has a soul which is "a part of G-d from above" and
thus, wherever a Jew is, he can "praise G-d." This activity of praising
G-d, especially when it comes on the initiative of the person himself
(and not as "bread of shame") will hasten Moshiach's coming.

                      (The Lubavitcher Rebbe, 11 Nissan, 5751-1991)

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               END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1016 - Metzora 5768
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