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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1172
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                           Copyright (c) 2011
                 Lubavitch Youth Organization - L.Y.O.
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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 27, 2011            Bamidbar          23 Iyyar, 5771
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                            The G-d Particle

The term "the G-d Particle" was coined several years ago by Leon
Lederman, a Nobel Prize winning physicist. It's a catchy name, one
easier for journalists to write about than other exotic names for
sub-atomic particles.

So, what is "the G-d Particle" and does a whimsical name in quantum
cosmology really have anything to do with G-d?

The "G-d Particle" has a proper physicist name: the Higgs Boson. Peter
Higgs was a Scottish physicist who proposed the particle's existence
more than 40 years ago.

But to understand what a Higgs boson is, and why it was called the "G-d
Particle," we first have to understand about sub-atomic particles - at
least a little.

Atoms, as most people learn in high school, are made up of sub-atomic
particles: proton, neutron and electron.

But these sub-atomic particles are themselves made up of other
sub-sub-atomic particles of which there are two main types: fermions and
bosons.

All the particles have been observed, in nature or the lab - except the
Higgs boson. And the Higgs boson is important because it, theoretically,
gives everything else mass. It "creates" sub-sub-atomic substance. Makes
the quarks and neutrinos real, so to speak.

And the universe is suffused with a field of them. Higgs bosons
everywhere.

Hence the name.

All this theorizing leads scientists to some interesting conclusions:
Despite the complexity of the universe, there's a fundamental simplicity
to creation. Also, the cosmos emerged from "almost nothing." Big things
- like stars and people - came from the sub-sub atomic stuff, densely
packed. According to the big-bang theory, the universe once had no
dimensions, no time, no laws of physics.

This sounds a lot like Genesis, doesn't it? "In the beginning, G-d
created...the world (universe) was null and void."

Judaism also posits the absolute oneness, simplicity, and unity of G-d:
"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our G-d, the Lord is One." G-d is infinite and
indivisible.

G-d "operates" through invisible forces - "angels," emanations, etc.

OK. So the language of modern physics and cosmology sounds like the
language of Torah and Chasidism. And therefore?

Obviously an honest scientist won't claim to have discovered G-d in a
Higgs boson. And a perceptive Torah scholar - actually, every Jew -
knows that G-d, being infinite, transcends our perceptions, descriptions
and, well, everything about us. That's why we have mitzvot
(commandments) - as a way to connect with the holy, the otherwise
totally separate.

But we can learn three things from this confluence of science and Torah:
they are not essentially in conflict; questions about the world we live
in do not contradict, impede or negate the obligation, value or
spiritual force of a mitzva - just the opposite, science reinforces the
importance of mitzvot; and finally, we are truly on the verge of
Redemption.

The Zohar tells us that in the time before Moshiach, the "fountains of
the deep will break open" - scientific knowledge will increase - and
"the windows of heaven will open" - mystical knowledge, Chasidut, will
be revealed. And the former - the fountains - depend on the latter - the
windows of heaven.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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Throughout the thousands of years of Jewish history, countless men,
women and children have willingly given up their lives rather than deny
their Jewishness. Not only scholars and learned Jews went to the
auto-da-fe‚ with the "Shema" on their lips; simple and untutored Jews
also chose to die sanctifying G-d's name without hesitation.

This irrational willingness to give up one's life for the sake of G-d
seems odd in light of the dictum which states that "nothing can stand in
the way of repentance." With the sword at their throats, who could have
faulted our ancestors had they agreed to bow down to whatever idol
worship was being forced upon them? Why didn't they save their lives by
uttering some meaningless phrase or performing some other seemingly
insignificant gesture demanded by their tormentors? Could they not have
later fully repented and returned to G-d?

This question may be answered by understanding the special nature of the
Jewish soul and the relationship it enjoys with G-d. That inner spark of
Jewishness, described in Chasidut as "an actual part of G-d above,"
exists on a plane above time and space. It cannot bear to be severed
from its Source for even a moment; the threat of separation from G-d is
always utter and absolute. The willingness to give up one's life rather
than lose that connection is a consequence of the soul's very nature.

This concept is well illustrated in this week's Torah portion, Bamidbar,
in which G-d commands that a census be taken of the Jews. Rashi, the
great Torah commentator, notes that because of the great love G-d has
for His people, "He counts them at every moment."

This comment must be interpreted beyond its literal meaning, for since
the exodus from Egypt, there have only been nine censuses of our people.
The tenth census will be taken after the Final Redemption. What then,
does it mean that G-d counts the Jews "at every moment"?

The act of counting reduces the objects being counted to their common
denominator; both great and small are counted as one. The common
denominator among all Jews, without regard for educational status,
societal standing or wealth, is the Jewish soul, which exists in every
Jew to the same extent and renders all Jews equal.

G-d unceasingly "counts" His children and holds each of them dear, all
the time. This love is so overwhelming that the Jew cannot endure being
cut off from it for even a moment, even with the knowledge that his
later repentance has the power to restore the relationship to what it
had been. It is G-d's perpetual "counting" of His children which reveals
the innate power of the Jewish soul.

                   Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                               Cold Calls
                              by Mark Siet

Rabbi Mendel Slavin, the director of the Chabad Jewish Center of San
Clemente, started building the Chabad synagogue in San Clemente by
leafing through the phonebook and calling up Greenbergs and Cohens.

Now the Chabad Center is the heart of a thriving community of practicing
Jewish people in San Clemente.

Rabbi Slavin has lived in San Clemente with his wife co-director Tzippy,
and their three children, Shua, Yossi and Zelda since 2004.

San Clemente Patch: How do you build a community?

Rabbi Slavin: The way we started was similar to the way Rabbi Boruch
Shlomo Cunin, who is the head Shliach (Emissary) of the west coast
started.

He (Rabbi Cunin) tells the story about when he first came out here, and
you can hear this from most Chabad Rabbis. In those days you had pay
phones and you had the yellow pages and the white pages.

You went into a phone booth 'cause you were staying who knows where; you
went into a phone booth and looked for the Cohens and the Greenbergs and
all the Jewish-sounding names.

You call them up and tell them you are here and are starting a Chabad
house and we would like you to come join us. Nine out of 10 people would
hang up the phone and the 10th person would most likely kick you out of
his house after five minutes.

So you went and you trucked along and, slowly but surely, you got people
to come.

You have to realize what our message is. It is one of love, kindness, of
making Judaism fun, making sure the children are able to learn. That is
the message we are trying to give over.

Eventually we had our core of people who started coming.  The first day
of Rosh Hashanah when we started we had eight people, the second day 10.
So we keep moving along. We meet new people. Sometimes they stop me on
the street or in the store.

San Clemente Patch: What made you choose San Clemente to begin your
mission?

Rabbi Slavin: For starters, not everybody who has the education that I
had chooses to open up a Chabad house. It is choice you make. The
Rebbe's (Chabad leader's) vision was to try to get as many people as
possible to go out and do it, to encourage it and to say that this is a
generation following the holocaust, and assimilation has been so high
that desperately needs people to go out. People are not coming to us. We
need to go to them, to reach out to them in all the different places of
the world.

Before we got married we spoke about opening up a Chabad house and
becoming Shluchim. Shluchim are emissaries of the Rebbe to further the
Rebbe's vision and to bring people closer to Judaism. All my friends do
the same in places like Seattle, Russian, France, Germany, all over the
world. At the time we were thinking of coming out here, Chabad was
opening up more places in California and my wife Tzippy has family in
Long Beach.

We spoke to people about what Jewish life was like here and what it
would mean to have a Jewish center; without doing an extensive amount of
research, we came to the conclusion that this is the place where a
Jewish center could be built and we decided to come. There has been a
lot of growth.

San Clemente Patch: Did you have to sell people on their Judaism? What
were some of the challenges you faced?

Rabbi Slavin: People who have come to live in San Clemente are here
because-and someone told me this - they have come here to get the
furthest they can from a synagogue, from practicing their Judaism. The
challenges we have here primarily is that people have not been connected
to their Judaism for the longest of times.

It is not that they do not like it, they are just not used to it. They
have carved a different kind of life out for themselves. My task is to
make them comfortable so they should want to come seek Judaism; telling
them that materialism is not necessarily what it is; you have to connect
to your Jewish roots.

The way we are going about it is to build a network for social events:
Friday night dinners, the holidays that are social like Purim and
Chanukah.

When they come to these events and meet other Jews that they didn't know
lived here, then they get connected to their Jewish roots and start to
come to services already. It is an easy sell after that.

San Clemente Patch: What would you say is the most important part about
what you do in your work?

Rabbi Slavin: I have a two-fold answer for this. One, in the economy
that we are in right now, people are struggling. The help that we can
offer to people is one that I consider to be of extreme
importance-whether it's helping people with their job through the
network that we connected, or helping people financially or just being
there for people to speak to giving them guidance based upon what
Judaism teaches us; how to get through these tough times.

Equally important is getting somebody to do a mitzva (an act performed
as a religious duty). We find ourselves in a time now where we are
awaiting the Moshiach (Messiah) every day.

As we say in our prayers three times a day,  we want Moshiach to come
right now. The way to do this is to look at the world as equal,
fifty-fifty, good and bad, and if you do a good deed you tip the scale
to the good and Moshiach will come.

This means every time I get somebody to light a Shabbos (Sabbath)
candle, put on Tefillin (black boxes containing scrolls with passages of
scripture), give charity, come to Shul (worship at the synagogue) do
another mitzva that could be the one mitzva that will make Moshiach
come.

                            Reprinted with permission of the author

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                       Hashem is Truly Everywhere

Hashem is here, Hashem is there, Hashem is truly everywhere! Join a
curious boy and his good friend, Tzvi, Who go for a walk to look and
see, Up and down and all around, Exactly where Hashem is found! This
delightful book, written by Chani Altein and illustrated by Marc Lumer,
has laminated pages to keep it clean even from sticky fingers. Published
by HaChai Publishing

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                  In the Days of Sefirah, 5734 (1974)

The official opening of the New Wing of ... in these days of Sefira is
truly in keeping with the Mitzvah [commandment] of Counting the Days of
the Omer, as reflected in the traditional text - which calls for
cardinal numbers ("two days," "three days," etc.) rather than ordinal
numbers ("second day," "third day"), as might have been expected.

The idea behind this form of counting is that in all matters of
holiness, the results and benefits are cumulative, thus establishing a
stronger base for further and greater advancement.

Similarly, the New Wing - a most welcome extension of pre-existing
facilities - goes beyond its added value, for it enhances the entire
complex of the Centre,

By way of illustration, the weight that two persons can lift together is
greater than the sum total of the individual capacities.

In the area of Torah education, the addition of such a facility as the
New Wing is a significant contribution not only materially but also
spiritually.

For, when the student sees that his school is expanded and flourishing,
it strengthens his pride in it and stimulates him to greater achievement
in his studies, whether his classroom is in the New Wing or in the older
building.

And speaking of Torah education and the building in which it is based,
there is a symbolic connection between the essential aspects of both.

For, to be sure, the external aspects of a building are important, and
due consideration should be given to make the premises comfortable and
attractive even at a glance. Yet it is self-evident that ultimately the
most vital part of the building is its foundation, though people hardly
even speak about it.

And, insofar as the foundation is concerned, the essential thing is that
it should be made of the most durable material, which has been tested
and is known to be resistant to the elements of change and erosion. It
is of no concern what a bypasser or neighbor might think about the
foundation's appearance.

This is especially true of Torah education:

To be sure, the external aspects of the premises are important and
praiseworthy.

Indeed, in regard to all Mitzvoth our Sages enunciated the principle of
beauty, as witness the commentary on the words of the Torah, "This is my
G-d, and I will beautify Him" - "can a man beautify G-d? But I will make
myself beautiful to Him through the Mitzvoth... a beautiful Sukkah,
beautiful Tzitzith, beautiful Tefillin..."

But one must not lose sight of the fact that the most important thing
about Torah education is the quality of the Torah education itself - to
permeate the child with the kind of Torah education that will be his
unshakable foundation upon which to build a truly beautiful edifice of
adulthood, family life, and future generations.

It is surely in this Torah education that the Lubavitch Community Centre
takes greatest pride, and deserves the utmost cooperation, both
materially and spiritually.

                                *  *  *

                        Lag B'Omer, 5721 (1961)


I received your letter of the 8th of Iyar, and I was pleased to read in
it your efforts to strengthen Judaism among the youth.

You write that you have been invited to lecture to a youth group, and
ask for some suggestions in this connection.

You surely know my general principle, that the accent should be placed
on action, in accordance with the teaching of our Sages, "The essential
thing is the deed."

This applies to every activity, including lectures, which must bring
some practical benefit to the participants in their daily lives in the
actual fulfillment of the Mitzvoth.

Thus, while the actual background of the audience is not known, the
emphasis should be placed on the need for religious practice and
experience in everyday life, and not to limit it to special occasions or
special days, such as the High Holy days, Shabbos and Yom Tov. For the
greater part of life has to do with the everyday, and it is the purpose
of Jewish life to bring sanctity even to the weekdays; in the everyday
contact with the secular environment.

As we are now in the days of Sefirah, connecting the Festival of
Passover - the season of our liberation, with the Festival of Shavuot -
the season of our receiving the Torah, we are especially reminded that
true freedom can be accomplished only through the Torah and Mitzvoth,
and on the principle of Naaseh [doing] before Nishmah [understanding],
again emphasizing that practice must come before theory.

May G-d grant you success in your activities to strengthen and
disseminate true Judaism to the utmost of your ability and this will
surely be the channel and vessel to receive G-d's blessings also in your
personal needs.

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                            WHAT'S IN A NAME
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YIRMIYAHU means "G-d will raise up." Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) was one of the
greatest prophets in Israel. He is especially known as the prophet who
foretold the destruction of the First Holy Temple.


YERUSHA means "inheritance." Yerusha was the wife of King Uziah of Judah
(II Chronicles 17:1) and the mother of King Yotam.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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We are in the midst of the Sefira time period approaching and readying
ourselves for the Giving of the Torah celebrated on Shavuot. The public
revelation of the Torah, which occurred before millions of people, is
the central and most definitive event in the history of the world.

Our Sages explained that one of the prerequisites for receiving the
Torah was Jewish unity. As it is now right before Shavuot, it is an
especially appropriate time to increase our Ahavat Yisrael (love for our
fellow Jews) and strengthen a sense of true Jewish solidarity and
brotherhood among our ranks.

The Baal Shem Tov taught that we must love every Jew without exception,
regardless of merit. To illustrate, he used the following analogy:

G-d performs the same mitzvot He commands the Jewish people to observe.
We keep Shabbat, He keeps Shabbat. We put of tefilin, He puts on
tefilin. G-d's tefilin, however, do not consist of parchment and leather
straps but are the Jewish people themselves, as it were.

G-d's tefilin "shel rosh" (the tefilin that are worn on the head) are
the learned Jews, who have utilized their intellect to acquire the
Torah's wisdom. His tefilin "shel yad" (tefilin that are worn on the
arm) are the simple Jews who perform His mitzvot. Both the tefilin of
the head and the tefilin of the arm are necessary components in the
mitzva. And yet, in actual performance, the tefilin of the arm take
precedence; the tefilin of the head are donned only after the tefilin
shel yad have been wrapped on the arm.

From this we learn just how important it is to love every Jew,
regardless of social standing or intellectual achievements. For even in
G-d's scheme of things the simple Jews come first!

May our firm resolve to increase in Ahavat Yisrael tip the balance in
our favor and bring about the immediate revelation of Moshiach now.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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There were 10 generations from Noah to Abraham to indicate how great is
His patience...until Abraham our father came and received the reward of
all of them (Ethics, 5:2)

The generations before Noah had no redeeming virtues whatsoever. They
"repeatedly angered G-d" and lived in constant friction, conflict and
discord. In contrast, although the generations before Abraham also
"repeatedly angered G-d," they at least shared a kindred spirit and
treated each other with love. But although their conduct generated
reward, they themselves were unfit to receive it. Because Abraham,
unlike Noah, sought to influence the people around him for good, he
"received the reward" of all the camraderly deeds of the generations
that preceded him.

                                         (Likutei Sichot, Vol. III)

                                *  *  *


A 20-year-old should pursue a living (Ethics, 5:22)

The first 20 years of a man's life should be largely devoted to toiling
in Torah (beginning at age five): five years dedicated to Scripture,
five years entirely Mishna, and five years devoted to Talmud. This
method of learning is not designed to have an effect on the world, as
such, but rather on the person himself, so that he will develop
properly. From the age of 20, a man's duty is to be a "soldier." He must
go to war to conquer the world and make it a fitting dwelling place for
G-d by fulfilling the mitzvot.

                                             (Biurim L'Pirkei Avot)

                                *  *  *


The world was created by means of ten [Divine] utterances (Ethics, 5:1)

According to the principles of Torah numerology, five represents a level
of G-dliness above all limitation, while ten reflects the structure of
our finite, material world. The intent of this chapter of Ethics of the
Fathers is to reveal the G-dliness which transcends all limitations
within the context of our material existence.

                                     (Sefer HaSichot 5751, Vol. II)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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The rabbi was sitting at his desk, immersed in study, when there was a
knock on the door. Opening it, he saw a Jew clutching a bundle of money.
The man explained that he was on his way to a nearby village on
business. Now that it was almost nightfall he was afraid to travel with
so much. He asked if he could leave the money with the rabbi until his
return trip.

At first the rabbi hesitated, as it was very large sum of money. But the
man begged and implored him, and in the end he agreed. The rabbi put the
bundle in a safe place and resumed his study.

A short time later there was another knock at the door. This time it was
a Jew from his own village, who begged the rabbi to lend him five rubles
to buy a cow that was being offered for sale very inexpensively. The man
said he would return the money the following morning after he had sold
the cow.

"I would gladly help," the rabbi said, "but I don't have five rubles."

The rebbetzin, who had overheard the conversation, whispered into her
husband's ear: "What about the rubles in that bundle? Surely you can
lend this man five rubles overnight."

The rabbi hesitated. The Torah prohibits tampering with a pledge. But
the rebbetzin pleaded the man's case so fervently that the rabbi gave
in. The man promised to leave the cow in the rabbi's courtyard
overnight.

That evening, the rabbi went to sleep uncomfortable about having
tampered with the pledge.

Early the next morning a loud banging awakened the rabbi. It was the
police. Pointing to the cow in the courtyard, they informed the rabbi
that it had recently been stolen from its rightful owner. The rabbi
realized that he had fallen into a trap, but it was too late. He was led
off to the police station.

Foremost on the rabbi's mind was the disgrace this could bring upon the
Jewish community. G-d forbid that the affair should become public
knowledge! He convinced himself that in an emergency situation like
this, surely he was allowed to use some of the money in his keep. He
bribed the prison guards handsomely and was quietly released before word
spread.

Much to the rabbi's surprise, however, the man who had deposited the
money with him for safekeeping came back earlier than anticipated. He
arrived that very day to reclaim it.

When the rabbi muttered ashamedly that he no longer had the money, the
man turned white. Despite the rabbi's assurances that he would find the
money, the man became increasingly agitated until he suddenly fell to
the floor. A doctor who was summoned confirmed that he was dead.

For the second time in a day the police led the rabbi off. But this time
the charges against him were worse. The investigation that ensued
revealed his tampering with the original pledge, his bribery of the
guards, and his role in the depositor's death. The rabbi was sentenced
to 10 years in jail.

Overnight, the rabbi was reduced from a respected leader of the
community to a common criminal. Even his cell mate, a young Jewish man
who was also serving a ten-year sentence, felt pity for him.

Time passed, and the village priest paid a visit to the hapless inmates.
Addressing his words to the younger Jew, the priest promised his freedom
if he renounced his faith. The young man rejected the offer adamantly.

After the priest left, the young man brooded for awhile before revealing
what was troubling him. "Maybe I made a mistake. I could always run away
to another country and resume my Judaism there..."

"How could you even consider it?" the rabbi replied, aghast. "How many
Jews have willingly given up their lives rather than renounce G-d's Name
for even a single moment?"

The following year the priest returned and repeated his offer. This time
the young man took him up on it, and he was freed.

Another year passed, and the priest returned. Again the rabbi pushed him
away with both hands, but this time the priest would not be deterred.
All the rabbi had to do was accept Christianity in his presence, and
freedom was his.

The rabbi knew that it was forbidden by Jewish law, but he was so
despondent that he agreed. Surely it was preferable to transgress for a
single moment than to remain in prison for years...

At that moment the rabbi awoke from his dream, shaken to the depths of
his soul. He could not believe that he, an esteemed rabbi, had
entertained such a notion even in a nightmare!

A few days earlier the rabbi had been at the deathbed of an elderly
Torah scholar. He had helped him recite "vidui," the final confession.
They recited the part stating that if the dying person utters anything
against G-d in his final moments, it should be considered null and void.
The rabbi wondered: How is it be possible for an 80-year-old Torah
scholar to deny G-d, even in his final moments?

"Now I have my answer," the rabbi whispered to himself. "Our Sages were
certainly justified when they said, 'Do not be sure of yourself until
the day you die.'"

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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The Hebrew word for "redemption" (geula) is composed of the word "exile"
(gola) with the addition of the letter "alef." This implies that the
redemption is "composed," so to speak, of our service of G-d during the
time of golus. Just as the word geula is not made from a separate set of
letters, but from the very letters of the word golus, so too the
redemption comes through our service in exile - not through some
different sort of service.

                        (The Lubavticher Rebbe, 30 Iyar, 5751-1991)

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               END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1172 - Bamidbar 5771
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