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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1280
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                           Copyright (c) 2013
                 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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        July 19, 2013          Vaeschanan            12 Av, 5773
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                               Bless You!

Starting from the fifteenth of the Hebrew month of Av (this coming
Monday), it's a Jewish custom to wish each other in correspondence and
in conversations: "K'tiva vachatima tova - may you be written and sealed
for good."

You may well be wondering, "Isn't Monday a little early to start
thinking about Rosh Hashana, let alone sending out holiday greetings?
After all, it's over 6 weeks until the High Holidays!"

What's more, gift shops and supermarkets haven't even yet set aside a
place in their card racks for "Jewish New Year" cards!

Perhaps if we understand the value of each one of us blessing our
friends and family we'll come to realize that it's not early at all!

Wishing friends and relatives a sweet, New Year, along with any other
blessings you wish to include, is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition.

"I will bless those who bless you," G-d informed our illustrious
ancestor Abraham. By blessing someone else, we precipitate receiving our
own Divine blessing. The weeks before Rosh Hashana are an especially
good time to "reach out and touch someone," whether in person, via
telephone or mail. When you offer the hope that they be inscribed and
sealed for a good and sweet year, your are actualizing a blessing for
yourself.

"But wait a minute. Who am I anyway to be blessing someone else?" you
wonder. In the Talmud, Rabbi Elazar teaches, "Never let the blessing of
even a common person be considered insignificant in your eyes." For, as
the Talmud continues, two great men, King David and the prophet Daniel,
were blessed by simple people and those blessings were fulfilled.

Just how far does this concept of the value of a simple person's
blessing go?

The quote above is preceded in the Talmud by these words: Rabbi Ishmael
ben Elisha, a High Priest said, "Once, when I entered the Holy of
Holies, I beheld the Holy One and He said to me, 'Ishmael, My son, bless
Me!' I said, 'Sovereign of the Universe, may it be Your will that Your
mercy overcome Your anger, and that Your compassion overrule Your
attributes; let Your conduct toward Your children be with loving
kindness... and may You overlook strict Judgment.' The Holy One bowed
His head to me [in confirmation]." According to the Talmud these words
of Ishmael ben Elisha are the same prayers G-d, Himself, offers.

In this coming year, may we bless our friends and relatives - and
thereby ourselves - with a year of mercy and compassion, loving kindness
and the forgiving of transgressions, by one another and by G-d.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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In this week's Torah portion, Va'etchanan, Moses describes the
Revelation at Mount Sinai to the younger generation of Jews who were
about to enter the Land of Israel. He describes the voice of G-d,
saying: "A great voice, which did not continue." One of the explanations
that the Midrash offers for this is that G-d's voice did not have an
echo.

The Midrash's answer seems to beg a few questions. How does the absence
of an echo indicate greatness? If the voice was indeed strong, would it
not have produced an echo? Furthermore, why did G-d perform such a
miracle? Since miracles are not performed unnecessarily, why would G-d
seemingly change the laws of nature just so that His voice would not
produce an echo?

An echo is produced when sound waves hit an object. When the sound waves
reach a wall, a mountain, or any such obstacle, they are bounced right
back. The only condition necessary to produce an echo is that the object
deflecting the sound waves must be strong and rigid. If the object is
soft and yielding, the sound will be absorbed and no echo will result.

This physical phenomenon will explain why G-d's voice on Mount Sinai had
no echo. When G-d said, "I am the L-rd your G-d," His voice was so
overwhelmingly powerful that there was nothing in the world that was
strong enough to deflect the sound. G-d's voice actually penetrated the
physical world. Every object in the world, from the inanimate to the
higher forms of life, absorbed the G-dly voice and was affected by it.

The phenomenon of the Revelation at Sinai is akin to what will take
place in the Messianic Era, described in these words: "And the Glory of
G-d will be revealed, and all flesh will see." Even our very bodies will
be able to perceive G-dliness. So it was at the Revelation. All of
physical reality absorbed the Revelation of the G-dly voice.

This is why G-d's voice had no echo. This was not a miracle; the laws of
nature were not at all abrogated. It is in keeping with natural law that
when a sound is absorbed, no echo is produced. And since the Voice was
totally integrated into physical reality, there was nothing that could
bounce the sound back. Therefore, the absence of an echo shows the
infinite strength of the voice, rather than the opposite.

This phenomenon did not occur only once in the history of the world.
Whenever a Jew studies Torah, the holy voice of Torah penetrates the
physical surroundings and elevates the world. Our Sages say that in the
World To Come, "the very beams of the house will bear witness," for they
have been absorbing all the holiness produced when a person learns Torah
in his home. (This explains why many tzadikim commanded that their
coffins be made from the wood of their desks and tables where they
learned Torah and gave food to the poor, for the Torah and mitzvot were
"absorbed" by the very planks themselves!)

The power of Torah is such that nothing can stand in its way. The world
was created in such a manner as to enable the continuing voice of
Revelation to penetrate the corporeal world even today.

                   Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                          A Family Like Yours
                         by Rabbi Uriel Vigler

My wife's grandfather, Rabbi Zalman Jaffee, who was very close to the
Lubavitcher Rebbe, celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary to his wife
Rosyln in 1989. The Rebbe told him that the "Golden Anniversary" would
be a "golden opportunity" to get together with his entire family.

Fast forward 24 years to the weekend of June 22, 2013 when my parents in
law, Rabbi Shmuel and Hindy Lew, celebrated their 50th anniversary. They
also wanted to utilize the opportunity to unite with the entire family,
no easy feat as they have 15 children and close to 150 grandchildren and
great-grandchildren spread across the USA and the UK!

In order to plan the weekend, we formed a Google group so everyone could
contribute, communicate and help work out every last detail. (We also
have a family WhatsApp group where we exchange thousands of texts each
week -literally!) The planning began months in advance and emails flew
back and forth as 15 (opinionated!) siblings tried to coordinate. All 15
are rabbis and rebbetzins of their own communities and synagogues, and
leaving for a weekend is not so simple.

But in the end, everything came together and we all met at a hotel in
New Jersey. Sitting around the Shabbat table with 150 family members was
deeply moving. We all made kiddush and sang Shabbat melodies together.
We told Chassidic stories, laughed a lot and reminisced about our shared
history. The feeling of unity that bound us was powerful.

At the Shabbat meal, my father-in-law told us about the photographer's
challenge when they married off their  14th child. How to include the
many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren into one photo? It
would take too long! The photographer suggested that the family gather
before the ceremony, take as much time as needed to get a good
photograph, and later he would Photoshop in the bride and groom. But my
father-in-law insisted the photo be taken properly, with everyone
present, after the chupa. Incredibly, within 15 minutes the photo had
been taken!

Later that evening, the photographer told my father-in-law how impressed
he was with the family and asked for a blessing: "I want a family like
yours!" My father-in-law began blessing him to have a family double the
size but the photographer stopped him. "I didn't mean the quantity," he
said, "I meant the quality. The kinship and love they share - that's
what I want my children to experience."

We recently completed the period of mourning the destruction of the
First and Second Holy Temples and the ongoing exile. Our Sages explain
that the Temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred. The Talmud
tells us that the antidote to this is for us to increase our love for
each other.

Love begins at home. Sometimes it's easy; sometimes it's more difficult.
But in the spirit of rebuilding the Holy Temple, let's all make an
effort to reach out to our siblings, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles
etc. in a kind and meaningful way.

Let's call a neighbor, a friend, or a family member for no particular
reason. Offer to do a favor, give someone a ride, or help in any way
needed. When we increase in love and kindness, that is more powerful
than anything else in the world, and can only lead to goodness and the
ultimate redemption.

                                *  *  *


I hardly ever get a chance to tour Manhattan, but two weeks ago I found
myself at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum with 10 wounded IDF soldiers. (See
L'Chaim 1273 for Rabbi Vigler's article about these special soldiers.)
It was fascinating to see how life-like the wax statues appeared.

I stepped to the side for a few minutes to make a phone call. I was
trying to reach the Israeli embassy in Washington, and like any embassy
you have to listen to at least half a dozen long messages before
speaking to a real person. So I leaned against the wall for a few
minutes, lost in my own thoughts, while I waited for the recorded
messages to end.

When I finished daydreaming I noticed a group of tourists taking
pictures of me! I guess they'd seen me, dressed in my Chassidic garb,
unmoving, and had mistaken me for a wax statue. I didn't want to disturb
their fun so I stayed in position for another minute. Imagine their
surprise when the Chassidic statue moved - they got the shock of their
lives!

According to the Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chassidic movement, there
is a lesson for us in everything that happens. So I thought to myself,
what is the lesson in being mistaken for a wax statue?!

I started noticing that as real as the statues look, they're all missing
something. I have eyes, ears, a nose and mouth, and so do the wax
replicas. Arms, legs, hands, feet - they're all there. In fact, they're
so life-like that they almost look real. Almost, but not quite. They're
missing life; vitality.

Some of us live our lives like wax statues. We wake up in the morning,
drink our coffee, read the paper, check for Facebook, catch up on
emails, go to work, then to a function. We're moving, we're doing, but
in a zombie-esque, wax-statue-like manner.

But when we live our lives with a purpose, and a mission, when we do a
mitzva (commandment) to help another, that's what differentiates us from
the wax statues in the museum. Giving to charity, helping a wounded
soldier or enriching the life of a stranger, that is proof that we are
really living!

Rabbi Vigler and his wife Shevy direct Chabad Israel Center of the Upper
East Side in New York . From Rabbi Vigler's blog at www.chabadic.com

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                           New Torah Scrolls

Chabad of Sussex County recently celebrated the dedication of a new
Torah scroll in Sparta, New Jersey. A new Torah scroll was welcomed into
the historical Synagogue of Bryansk, Russia, that is currently
undergoing massive renovations. The Manhattan Sephardic Congregation
celebrated a Torah dedication in which a new Torah scroll and a Sefer
Haftarot were welcomed to the Manhattan, New York, community. A new
Sefer Torah was dedicated in the town of Lubavitch, Russia, in the exact
courtyard where the Lubavitcher Rebbes lived.

                    International Campus Conference

An international conference of Chabad on Campus emissaries was recently
held in Parsippany, New Jersey with 800 emissaries in attendance. These
men, women and children man the 191 Chabad on Campus centers worldwide.
According to chabad.edu, the centers are visited by more than 80,000
students each year.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                           Freely translated

                 1st Day Rosh Chodesh Iyar 5714 [1954]

Greeting and Blessing:

... In connection with the various rumors that have reached me, and
which greatly surprise me, notwithstanding my many preoccupations I am
writing the following.

According to my information (which I hope will be subsequently
incorrect) your family is against arranging the wedding of your daughter
accordance with the requirements of the Shulchan Aruch - Code of Jewish
Law: that there must be a separation between men and women.

I hereby wish to explain to you the position as I see it:

When one arranges a wedding with a partition according to the
stipulation of our Holy Torah, the law is that we should say in the
Grace after meals "Shehasimcha Bimono," which means that when mentioning
G-d's name we do so in connection with Simcha - happiness. This means
that we should bring Simcha into the world and especially to the Chosson
(groom) and Kallah (bride).

Surely it is superfluous to write what has happened in recent years in
the world generally and particularly among Jews. If in all ages we had
to rely on G-d for a blessing, success and even more for a healthy and
happy life, how much more so is it essential in our generation, and the
only one who can provide this is the One who is Master of the whole
world - the Holy One Blessed be He.

Since the time when Rabbi__ asked my opinion about the Shidduch (match),
and when your question came to me about it, I found it my duty and
privilege to point out that when your daughter and the Chosson, Rabbi__
start their life together, it should be in a manner in which they can
expect the maximum blessings from G-d, that they should have a healthy
and happy home.

As mentioned earlier, our Holy Torah confirms that is so in the
situation when one can say "Shehasimcha Bimono," and if this is the law
then it is self-understood that no one can alter it. Therefore it
surprised me that parents who do everything within their power to ensure
that their children should be blessed with good fortune, should be
willing to apply energy towards preventing there being Simcha at their
daughter's wedding, which will result in it being lacking, G-d forbid,
to a certain measure in their later life.

One gets married in order to build a "house" for tens of years. Is it
right that parents should risk that which affects their daughter for
decades in order that the few hours of the duration of the wedding
should please those people who are unacquainted with the laws of the
Shulchan Aruch; or those who ignore the Shulchan Aruch; or the
irresponsible ones who think it worthwhile to risk tens of years for the
sake of a momentary, imagined pleasure. How does one have the boldness
to take such a responsibility upon himself?

It is not my duty to force people to act in accordance with my opinion;
it is not my habit to persuade people in general to conform with my
views; and it is not my custom to use harsh words. Therefore, I wish to
conclude my letter with talking only about that which is good.

When I gave my consent to the Shidduch, I was sure that the parents on
their hand would do everything dependent on them that their daughter and
future son-in-law would be ensured of goodness and happiness, as much as
feasibly possible, for the tens of years that they will be together. It
is self-understood that it is of no consequence whether or not her
friends will be pleased as long as the Holy Torah is satisfied with the
arrangements at the wedding.

As mentioned previously, if we truly want the Holy Torah to rule that we
can say "Shehasimcha Bimono" at the wedding, and thereby be happy
thereafter for the rest of life, the Shulchan Aruch says that the
wedding should be with a partition.

With blessing,

P.S. I am aware that there have been many weddings, including ones of
religious people, unfortunately without partitions. But I also know of
the troubles which unfortunately ensued. The Alm-ghty should bless you
that you should report only good news materially and spiritually.

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                               WHO'S WHO
*********************************************************************
Serach was the daughter of Asher - one of the twelve sons of Jacob. She
gently disclosed to Jacob the news that Joseph was still alive by
playing a song with the words "Joseph is alive" on her harp, so that he
would not suffer a shock. Jacob blessed her with immortality. She was
still alive when Moshe redeemed the Jews from Egypt. It was Serach who
showed Moshe where the casket with Joseph's bones lay sunken in the Nile
and told him how to raise it. She was one of the few to ascend to the
Garden of Eden alive.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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This Shabbat, the Shabbat after Tisha B'Av, is called Shabbat Nachamu.
It is thus called after this week's Haftora, which begins with the
words, "Nachamu, nachamu ami, - Take comfort, take comfort, My people."

Shabbat is the continuation and completion of the past week. Thus, even
though during this week we commemorated the saddest event in Jewish
history by fasting and mourning the loss of the Beit Hamikdash - our
Holy Temple - the whole purpose of this week is to renew our hope and to
be comforted that G-d's promise will be fulfilled and our Holy Temple
will be rebuilt. Our sadness of Tisha B'Av should be replaced by the
comfort of Shabbat Nachamu.

Our sadness is further alleviated by the upcoming date of Tu B'Av, the
fifteenth of Av. This is considered a joyous day for numerous reasons.

One reason concerns the generation of Jews that was forced to wander in
the desert for 40 years before entering the Land of Israel, due to their
acceptance of the spies' false report about the Holy Land. Every year,
on Tisha B'Av, members of this generation would die. On the fifteenth of
Av, in the fortieth year of their wandering, this decree was lifted.

Also, during the era of the Roman Empire, the Romans attacked the Jews
who resided in the city of Beitar and killed multitudes of men, women,
and children. On Tu B'Av, the Romans finally allowed those Jews
remaining in Beitar to give the murdered Jews a proper burial.

In the time of the Holy Temple, Tu B'Av was celebrated as a full
festival. In our times, it is celebrated by making gatherings and
increasing in Torah study, especially at night, as from this point on,
the nights become longer.

Let us ask G-d to send Moshiach, so that the next Tisha B'Av will be a
day of rejoicing in our Holy Temple, in an era when the lessons that can
be derived from everything in the world will be openly revealed and
acted upon.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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Lest you corrupt yourselves and make a graven image (Deut. 4:16)

Why did Moses have to remind the Jewish people not to make graven
images. They had just spent 40 years in the desert and had seen open
miracles and wonders! Weren't they on such a high spiritual level that
making a graven image would be unthinkable? From this we learn that a
person must never think that he is beyond temptation. One must be ever
on guard, even against those sins that appear to have no attraction.

                                                     (Sifrei Musar)

                                *  *  *


From there you will seek the L-rd your G-d, and you will find Him, if
you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Deut. 4:29)

It is precisely when you seek the L-rd "from there" - from the depths of
your heart and with a sense of complete nullification before G-d, that
"you will find" - the sudden revelation of the greatest G-dly light.

                                                (The Baal Shem Tov)

                                *  *  *


You have been shown to know that the L-rd is G-d (Deut. 4:35)

When G-d revealed Himself on Mount Sinai to the soul of every Jew of
every generation, He thereby made it possible for any Jew who sincerely
desires to serve Him to perceive the true essence of the world, despite
the darkness and concealment of what presents itself as reality.

                                                       (Sefat Emet)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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In the town of Anipoli, there were two rabbis. One, was the great
Chasidic master Reb Zusha. The other was the town rabbi, who was no
supporter of the nascent Chasidic movement.

Reb Zusha was beloved by all for his humility and cheerful attitude. The
rabbi, however, was not so popular with the townspeople. Although a man
of great learning, he was always concerned that he was not being
accorded enough respect. His quest for honor led him down a slippery
slope to anger and resentment.

One winter night, the rabbi's thoughts turned to the wedding he had
attended the week before. The father of the bride, Reb Moshe, was a
wealthy philanthropist. The entire town had been invited to join in the
family's simcha (happy occasion). As the rabbi of Anipoli, this rabbi
expected to receive great respect. But in the end, he had received
nothing but insults. No place at the head table had been reserved for
him and he was served leftover food! To top it all off, he was not
invited to lead the Grace After Meals!

Who had been given all of these honors? Reb Zusha! The rabbi recalled
Reb Zusha, in his tattered clothes, sitting at the head table. Reb Zusha
sat in front of a plate piled high with delicious foods. When the meal
was over, Reb Zusha was honored with leading the Grace After Meals.

"What is his secret?" wondered the rabbi. "He has nothing, and is always
happy. I seemingly have everything, and I am always angry!

Though the hour was late and the night bitterly cold, the rabbi decided
he had to have his answer. He bundled himself up and started trudging
through the snow-covered streets.

Eventually, the rabbi arrived at Reb Zushe's broken-down hovel. Reb
Zusha warmly welcomed the rabbi inside.

The rabbi got straight to the point. "How is it that you are always so
happy and content," the rabbi asked, "while I am always resentful and
angry?"

"It's nothing very mystical," Reb Zusha replied. "Let me explain with an
example. Do you remember the wedding of Reb Moshe's daughter?" Reb Zusha
asked.

"Of course I do," the rabbi replied in a huff.

"Do you remember what happened when the special messenger arrived at
your door with your personally delivered invitation?" Reb Zusha
continued.

How could Reb Zushe possibly know what had happened, the rabbi wondered.

"You demanded to see the guest list," Reb Zusha said. "When you saw that
you were fourteenth on the list, you became so angry you almost crumpled
up the paper in your hands. Is this correct?"

"But I am the rabbi of Anipoli," the rabbi protested. "I deserve to be
shown honor."

"True," replied Reb Zusha, "but did you happen to notice that the people
ahead of you were Reb Moshe's relatives? Your name actually headed the
list of those people outside of the family circle. But because you were
looking out for your honor, you didn't see this. You became so angry at
Reb Moshe that you hatched a plan."

The rabbi remembered. He had decided that the family did not deserve the
honor of having him attend the wedding ceremony. He would teach them by
arriving in the middle of the meal.

"By the time you arrived, the hall was packed," said Reb Zusha. "The
whole town had been invited and there weren't any empty seats. Reb Moshe
finally spotted you. What happened next?"

"Reb Moshe escorted me to the head table," the rabbi replied. "But..."

"What's the 'but' for?" prodded Reb Zushe gently.

"There wasn't any room for me at the head table," the rabbi complained.
"They had to squeeze me in. It was insulting. Don't they know who I am?
And what about the waiters? Explain their rude behavior," challenged the
rabbi.

"It was a wedding," said Reb Zusha. "There were so many people. True,
the waiters didn't see you, but  someone else did. Isn't that right?"

The rabbi nodded his head in agreement. As soon as his host, Reb Moshe,
had noticed that he was sitting with an empty plate, the wealthy
philanthropist himself immediately went to the kitchen to get the rabbi
some food.

Reb Moshe returned and apologized profusely. All that was left was a
small piece of chicken and a few vegetables. The rabbi refused the plate
that his host offered and told Reb Moshe exactly what he thought. Reb
Moshe apologized once more, and then went back to his seat.

"For the rest of the evening," Reb Zusha said, "you radiated such
negativity that no one dared to approach you. Is it any wonder that you
were not asked to lead the Grace After Meals?"

"Now what happened to Reb Zusha," continued Reb Zusha, who always
referred to himself in the third person. "When Reb Zusha opened his door
he couldn't believe his eyes. To think that Reb Moshe, one of the
pillars of the town, should invite Reb Zusha to share in his simcha -
and send a messenger to personally deliver the invitation! Such honor!
Such kindness!

"Reb Zusha was so overcome with joy for the family," Reb Zusha said,
"that when the happy day finally arrived he rushed to the hall two hours
before the wedding to see if he could help with the preparations. Reb
Zusha thought he might be asked to set up, but what happened? Reb Moshe
asked him to officiate. at the chupa!

"After the ceremony, Reb Zusha entered the hall and saw that it was
packed. He would be happy to stand in a corner and eat his meal there if
there was no room for him at any table. Suddenly, Reb Moshe took him by
the arm and personally escorted him to a fine seat at the head table.

"Waiters came and began heaping food on Reb Zusha's plate. Reb Zusha was
so overcome by all this kindness that he just had to get up and thank
his host. He blessed the bride and groom with all his heart, and was
about to go back to his seat when Reb Moshe stopped him.

"Reb Moshe then said such kind words to Reb Zusha. 'Reb Zusha, you're so
filled with simcha for us, will you please honor me by leading us in the
Grace After Meals?'

"Reb Zusha went home happy that night. But you, my honored rabbi, went
home angry. The reason is simple. You expected everything, and got
nothing. I expected nothing, was happy with nothing, and got it all."

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
*********************************************************************
Moses beseached G-d, "Let me go over and see the good land" (Deut
3:23-25) Why did Moses so desire to enter the land? "The Jewish people
have been given many commandments that can only be done in the Land of
Israel. Let me therefore enter the land so that they can all be
performed through me," he reasoned, explains the Talmud. Moses'
motivation was not personal. Had he merited to accompany the Jewish
people into Israel, the Final Redemption would have commenced, without
having to endure subsequent exiles and wait thousands of years for
Moshiach.

                                            (The Lubavitcher Rebbe)

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              END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1280 - Vaeschanan 5773
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