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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1449
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                           Copyright (c) 2016
                 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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        December 2, 2016         Toldos           2 Kislev, 5777
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                          A Limitless Treasure

The disciples of the Maggid of Mezeritch had begged their master many
times to show them Elijah the Prophet. Their persistence paid off; when
a gathering of poritzim, wealthy Polish landowners, was being held the
Maggid acceded to their request.

The Maggid instructed his disciples to stand in a certain location and
watch the poritzim ride by. The third poritz they would see, he informed
them, would be Elijah the Prophet. "If you are worthy," the Maggid
added, "you will even merit to hear Torah thoughts from him."

The disciples followed the Maggid's instructions. They stood and waited
in the exact spot the Maggid had indicated. When the third poritz rode
by they hesitantly approached his carriage. True, he looked like an
ordinary Polish poritz, but hadn't the Maggid declared that he was none
other than Elijah the prophet?

Addressing him in Polish, they deferentially asked if they could speak
with his lordship as they had a very important matter to discuss. To
their surprise the "poritz" responded by flinging sharp insults and
curses at them, after which he rode off to join the other landowners.

The bewildered and heartbroken disciples returned to the Maggid and
related what had happened. They had seen Elijah the Prophet, for they
didn't doubt for a moment that the poritz was, in truth, the prophet.
But when they asked to speak with him he responded with a barrage of
deprecations.

The Maggid's response was unexpected. "You rightly deserved the
treatment he gave you! You knew for certain, for I gave you all the
signs, that you were standing in the very presence of Elijah the
Prophet. You should have addressed him in the holy tongue! You should
have said to him 'Bless us!' instead of speaking to him in Polish and
timidly asking the 'poritz' for an audience. If you could still relate
to him as a poritz after I told you that he is Elijah the Prophet, you
deserve the treatment you received!"

The Torah (in Deuteronomy) states, "You are a holy people to G-d your
G-d." Every Jew is holy. Every Jew is, as the Baal Shem Tov taught, a
trove of unlimited treasures.

But it's not enough to know in our heads that a fellow Jew is holy, that
he has a wealth of goodness and G-dliness within him. It's insufficient
to believe with absolutely certainty that what the Torah and great
Jewish teachers of all generations have said about the worth of every
Jew is true.

We have to relate to our brother or sister, from the start, in
accordance with his or her true, goodly and holy nature. Then we will
surely merit to see Elijah the Prophet - the harbinger of the Messianic
Era - and ask of him, "Bless us."

                                *  *  *

                        Some Additional Thoughts


The sigh of a Jew over the suffering of another Jew breaks all the
barriers of the Accusers, and the joy with which one rejoices in
another's happiness and blesses him, is as acceptable by G-d as the
prayer of the High Priest in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur.

Reb Elimelech of Linznsk related a teaching from the Maggid of
Mezeritch: "Do you know what they say in Heaven? Love of a fellow Jew
means loving the absolutely wicked like the perfectly saintly."

"G-d foregoes love of G-d in favor of love of the Jewish people," Rabbi
Shneur Zalman declared.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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In this week's Torah portion, Toldot, we read about Isaac and Rebecca's
twin sons, Jacob and Esau. Jacob was the wholesome, studious child while
Esau was a "wild child."

Jacob our ancestor was holy, so it makes sense that the Torah tells us
all about him, but why does it tell us so much about Esau?

When it came time for Isaac to give his blessings, we find that he
wanted to give the blessings to Esau. It was only when Jacob dressed as
Esau that he was able to receive the blessings. Why did Isaac want to
give the blessings to Esau?

Isaac saw something in Esau's nature that was positive and if harnessed
could do amazing things.

Isaac knew that the purpose of Judaism is to transform the physical
world into a holy place. Isaac felt that though Jacob was studious, he
lacked the strength and the chutzpa (brazenness) necessary to take on
the physical world. Esau surely did have strength and chutzpa, what he
lacked was the holiness and will to do G-d's bidding.

And Isaac was hoping to eliminate the deficit by giving Esau the
blessings. When Jacob came, dressed in Esau's clothing, Isaac realized
that Jacob did indeed have what it takes and was happy to give him the
blessings.

Some of us have a Jacob-like disposition, some of us have a "wild child"
nature. While being the wholesome studious one is special, the strong
chutzpa type can accomplish amazing things if his/her energy is
harnessed and directed to fulfill G-d's will. This attitude is needed
especially now when we are in these last, darkest moments of exile.

We need both wholesomeness and brazenness, and Jacob proved that he had
both. He was by nature Jacob, and he was Esau when he had to be. This is
why both are spoken about, because we also need to know the qualities of
Esau if we are going to harness his nature to change this world.

Both types of "children" are a source of pride to G-d. One could venture
to say that when a "wild child" directs his nature to the right things
this is an even greater accomplishment and gives G-d great joy.

Ultimately, you should not look at your nature as an obstacle, but
rather, as a blessing and opportunity to make a difference. Whether
Jacob or Esau, you have a lot to contribute, you can change the world
into G-d's home. Now go make a difference!

           Adapted by Rabbi Yitzi Hurwitz from the teachings of the
            Rebbe, yitzihurwitz.blogspot.com. Rabbi Hurwitz, who is
       battling ALS, and his wife Dina, are emissaries of the Rebbe
                                                   in Temecula, Ca.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                             Life Sketches
                   by Avraham Wolff - Odessa, Ukraine

I n 1996, I got a call from a woman living in Israel. She told me her
story and asked me to help her. She had a son whom she had to give up to
an orphanage some 10 years earlier. Could I help her find him and get
him back?

In 1986, when the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened, Anna Gekhtman who
lived in the affected region, was pregnant. Her son was born without
legs, only stumps and feet that were deformed, facing backwards, behind
his body. He was also diagnosed as mentally abnormal.

Anna could not afford to pay for the medical intervention that her son,
whom she named Gabi, needed. She was advised to bring him to the city of
Tsyurupinsk, to an orphanage for children with disabilities. But the
orphanage would only accept the child if she gave up her parental
rights.

After communism fell, Anna moved to Israel with her other children. She
was now settled, and finally found a job. "Please Rabbi Wolff, help me
find my child and bring him home to Israel."

So we began a long, difficult process, a lot of red tape and
bureaucracy. It would take several years.

I had a good friend Pesach Livshits who located Gabi. He found him in
the orphanage, now a grown boy, sitting on a wooden board. The board,
about one square foot in dimension and close to the ground, had four
wheels attached to it. Gabi got around by pushing the board with his
hands. It was very sad. But the good news was that they had misdiagnosed
him. Gabi's mental development was normal.

To get Gabi back we first had to adopt him legally, as our son. Six
months later, after many years of separation, his mother Anna came from
Israel. When he saw his mom, Gabi, now 15, flew towards her on his
wooden trolley. You can imagine the emotions.

A few days later, we completed the paperwork and transferred Gabi back
to his mother. Before Anna left for Israel carrying her 15 year-old-son,
I wished them that Gabi and I will dance together at his wedding.

Three months after he arrived in Israel Dr. G. Ilazarov operated on Gabi
at Bnei Zion hospital, in the first of its kind operation in Israel. He
extended Gabi's legs by 25 centimeters! That was followed by another
surgery that would make it possible for Gabi to eventually walk.

A year later we celebrated the bris of our son Levi in Israel. During
the celebration I had the surprise of my life. In walked Anna Gekhtman
with her son Gabi on his own two feet!

                                *  *  *

                by Rivky Drukman - Lucerne, Switzerland


My twins are nine now. Before they were born, I spent many weeks in the
hospital on bed rest. One Sunday morning, my regular doctor was out, and
a new obstetrician was doing the rounds. He asked if I was Israeli. "I
am Jewish," I told him, "but not from Israel."

He confessed then that he was in fact Jewish, that he had been born in
Israel, but that I wasn't to tell anyone. He didn't know anything about
Judaism, he told me, and he wasn't interested. Nor did he want to be
identified as a Jew. I invited him to our upcoming public menorah
lighting but he didn't attend and we didn't hear from him again.

You have to understand, our city is nothing like what you have in the
U.S. In America, I think, you can pull into a gas station and meet a
Jew. Here, there are 150 Jewish families within a 30 km radius. And
that's it. We are a tiny community.

Years later, I was again in my ninth month, and a new obstetrician moved
to town with his Israeli girlfriend. We had them over for Shabbat
dinner. They mentioned that they had an Israeli acquaintance, another
obstetrician, in town. It was the obstetrician I'd met years earlier. We
invited our guests again and suggested that they bring him next Friday
night, for dinner. I was close to my due date, but with so many
obstetricians over I figured I was in good hands.

I made a traditional menu for what I soon learned was this man's first
Shabbat dinner. I presented the gefilte fish and told him about it. How
strange, he told me (everyone always thinks gefilte fish is strange),
and he said he had never tried it before.

But when he tasted it, he kind of cried out, "My grandmother made this!
This reminds me of my grandmother."

I can't say he has started coming to events or synagogue. But he is now
proud to say he's Jewish. On his website for his new practice he wrote
that he speaks Hebrew.

A little taste of Judaism. Sometimes that's all it takes . . .

                                *  *  *

                   by Sashi Fridman - Moscow, Russia


Interesting things happen almost every week at our Shabbat table. We
typically have an unpredictable mix of guests, all of them travelers who
passing through Moscow from different countries. Some are business
people, many work in the Israeli embassy, and others are tourists. It's
fascinating, really, to see how people connect over these long Shabbat
meals that go on for hours.

One businessman comes quite often from Israel. His wife, he told us,
never wants to join him when he travels to Russia. For whatever reasons,
she is afraid of Russia. But one week we got a call from him. He sounded
very distressed. He had just landed, this time with his wife who finally
agreed to join him and spend Shabbat with him in Moscow. He was excited
and looked forward to giving her a good time.

But things got off to a bad start because no sooner had they arrived,
and his wife's bag went missing.

"She had everything in it - her passport, her money, all of her credit
cards," he told me. "She keeps saying, 'I knew I shouldn't have come.'"

I felt terrible about this. As always, we invited him to come for
Shabbat, and hoped that the experience would ameliorate her
disappointment. As we sat around the table and everyone got to talking,
his wife, noticeably distressed, shared her unhappy story with our
guests. When she finished, one of the people at our table who works at
the Israeli embassy asked her what her name is. "Your bag is at the
Israeli embassy. Someone found it and brought it to us. We didn't know
where to find you. But here you are!"

It was a delightful moment.

                             Reprinted from Lubavitch International

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                          There's A Reason Why

A young boy's best friend seems to ignore him and disappoint him all day
long! Why does Shua leave without saying goodbye?  Why doesn't he pick
up the phone?  Why doesn't he come to play in the park? In this
full-color picture book, our hero stays positive and refuses to judge
without having all the facts.  In spite of his confusion, he decides to
give Shua the benefit of the doubt! There's a Reason Why is a new
release from HaChai Puboishing is written by Freidele Biniashvili and
illustrated by Glenn Zimmer. It is for children ages 4 and up.

                             New Emissaries


Rabbi Shalom and Chani Zajac have been appointed Program Directors of
Chabad of the Central Cascades in Issaquah, Washington. The new Program
Directors, the Zajacs will be expanding and developing year-round
programs, holiday events as well as the Gan Izzy day camp, assisting
with the community synagogue, Preschool and Hebrew School.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                      16th of Shevat, 5724 [1964]

Greeting and Blessing:

This is in reply to your letter, in which you ask: since we live in a
society based on law and order, are the laws of the Torah still relevant
today as they were thousands of years ago? I trust the following few
lines will provide an answer.

One of the basic messages of the Ten Commandments is contained in the
fact that they begin with "I am G-d," etc,,   introducing the profound
principle of monotheism, the idea that there is one and only one G-d.
This in itself was a tremendously revolutionary idea in those days of
idolatry, dominated by the polytheistic culture of Egypt (as indicated
in detail in the second commandment). Incidentally, the emphasis on
monotheism, and the denial of all forms of idolatry, is to be seen not
only in the fact that these ideas form the subject of the first two
commandments, but also in the quantity of words and detail which they
contain. At the same time, the Ten Commandments conclude with such
apparently obvious injunctions as "Thou shalt not steal," etc.

The profundity of monotheism, with which the Ten Commandments begin, and
the simplicity of the ethical and moral laws, with which the Ten
Commandments conclude, point to an important lesson, namely:

 a) The true believer in G-d is not the one who holds abstract ideas,
    but the one whose knowledge of G-d leads him to the proper daily
    conduct even in ordinary and commonplace matters, in his dealings
    with his neighbors and the respect for their property,  even if it
    be an ox or an ass, etc.

 b) The ethical and moral laws, even those that are so obvious as "Thou
    shalt not steal," and "Thou shalt not murder," will have actual
    validity and will be observed only if they are based on the first
    and second Commandments, that is to say, based on Divine authority,
    the authority of the One and Only G-d.

Since we live in a society based on law and order, are the laws of the
Torah still relevant today as they were thousands of years ago?

If in a previous generation there were people who doubted the need of
Divine authority for common morality and ethics, in the belief that
human reason is sufficient authority for morality and ethics, our
present generation has, unfortunately, in a most devastating and tragic
way refuted this mistaken notion. For, it is precisely the nation which
has excelled in the exact sciences, the humanities and even in
philosophy ethics that turned out to be them the most depraved nation of
the world, making an ideal of murder and robbery. Anyone who knows how
insignificant was the minority of Germans who opposed the Hitler regime,
realizes that the German cult was not something which was practiced by a
few individuals, but had embraced the vast majority of the nation, who
considered itself the "master race," etc. Surely it is unnecessary to
elaborate on this at great length.

With all good wishes and with blessings,

                                   www.NissanMindelPublications.com

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                              ALL TOGETHER
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What is the significance of the Ner Tamid - the Eternal Light - found in
many synagogues?


The Ner Tamid is symbolic of the western-most light of seven-branched
menora used during Temple times. This light constantly remained lit,
though the other lights were cleaned and relit, their wicks and oil
changed, every day. The western light (and today the Ner Tamid) was a
reminder of G-d's everlasting presence.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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In this week's Torah portion we are told about the wells that Isaac dug.
He dug three wells, or rather uncovered wells that his father Abraham
had dug but had been covered over.

Though the first couple of these wells fell into enemy hands, Isaac was
undeterred. He continued digging until he found water in an uncontested
area.

When one digs wells, he removes the dirt and rocks until water is found,
filling the well with fresh, living waters. The physical digging of
wells which Isaac performed paralleled his spiritual conduct; in a
spiritual sense Isaac also dug wells. He removed the "dirt and stones"
of the physical world to reveal the latent waters of spirituality that
were hidden within.

The actions of our patriarchs and matriarchs are a lesson for us in our
lives today. We have been entrusted with the job of finding the
spirituality and holiness in our day-to-day lives, our mundane actions,
our interaction with others.

By delving deeply, beyond that which meets the eye, uncovering the
superficiality of our physical world, we, too, become diggers of wells,
we become like our ancestor Isaac.

But, like Isaac, we must be undeterred by those who might stand in our
way or try to dissuade us from realizing our goal. Then, ultimately, we
will uncover for ourselves and others, true, refreshing living waters,
the life-giving waters of Judaism which are free and plentiful for every
Jew to enjoy.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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                             Esau and Jacob

The name Esau is derived from the Hebrew word meaning done or completed.
Esau felt whole, satisfied and comfortable with his spiritual status,
and was thus lacking any desire to elevate himself. Jacob, by contrast,
is derived from the word meaning heel. No matter how high a spiritual
level Jacob achieved he considered it as nothing, and was consistently
motivated to elevate himself further.

                                                    (Shem MiShmuel)

                                *  *  *


And these are the generations of Isaac...and the first came out...and
they called his name Esau (Gen. 25:19;25)

Esau is symbolic of the forces of evil and impurity, which were created
for the purpose of the Jew transforming them into goodness and light.
(In fact, it is due to this inner, positive reason that the Torah refers
to Esau as "the generations of Isaac.") The Hebrew name Isaac is related
to the word for laughter. When "Esau" is successfully changed into good,
G-d "laughs," as it were, and derives great pleasure from the
transformation.

                                            (Sefer HaMaamarim 5738)

                                *  *  *


And the children struggled together within her (Gen. 26:22)

The struggle between Jacob and Esau began before birth, and ever since,
there has been no peace. Indeed, it is a perpetual war that continues
till this very day.

                                                   (Be'er Yitzchak)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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All his life, the rabbi had longed for one thing only: to live in the
holy land of Israel. There was no doubt in his mind that the time had
now come to move to the Holy Land. Of course, just how he would manage
it wasn't so clear, but G-d would surely help. The rabbi was sure that a
trip to obtain the blessing of the great tzadik Reb Meir of Premishlan
would facilitate his plans, and so the rabbi packed a bag and started
off by foot.

When he finally arrived in Premishlan and was led into Reb Meir's study,
the tzadik asked, "How will you raise the money for the journey?"

"Well," the rabbi began, "I have many relatives, and I am sure that when
I explain the situation to them, they will be generous enough to help
me."

Reb Meir didn't respond, but he appeared to be lost in thought. Finally,
he said, "It would take many months to accumulate so much money - months
which would be better spent devoted to Torah study. There is a different
way. Remain here and you will obtain all the money you need for your
journey and to set up your household." Needless to say, the rabbi
readily agreed.

When the meeting ended, Reb Meir didn't dismiss his visitor as was
usual. Instead, he had the next petitioner admitted to his study while
the rabbi was still there. This man was a very wealthy person, and when
he entered, Reb Meir said, "I would like to tell you a story, but I want
the rabbi to listen as well for it will contain meaning for both of you.

"There was once a man named Moshe, who was very rich, but was a cruel
and selfish person. Although G-d had provided him with great riches, he
was the stingiest person you would ever have the misfortune to meet.
Whenever a poor man came to his door asking for food or money, he would
throw a veritable tantrum, screaming and cursing the hapless beggar.
'What do think this is?' he would thunder, 'a charity institution? Get
out of here before I break every bone in your body!' And that beggar
would be directed to the home of Moshe's neighbor, Reb Matisyahu. Now,
this neighbor was not wealthy, far from it. But he had a kind and
generous nature and never refused a fellow Jew in need.

"This scene occurred many times over the years, and Reb Matisyahu never
failed to rise to the occasion. You might think that Moshe's reputation
had gone as low as possible, but you would be wrong. For, since he was a
very rich man, there were always those who sang his praises in order to
ingratiate themselves with him - maybe there would be some gain in it
for them.

"Reb Matisyahu's interminable kindnesses went unnoticed; after all, he
was a nice guy and people expected him to be kind. The inequality of the
situation may not have drawn notice down here, but in Heaven, it
provoked the angelic host to fury. It was decided that Moshe's great
wealth should go instead to Reb Matisyahu. The sentence was about to be
carried out, when Elijah the Prophet spoke up. 'It's not right for a
person to be judged on hearsay. I propose to go down to earth and test
Moshe. Perhaps he isn't as cruel as we have heard.'

"This proposition was accepted, and soon an emaciated Elijah stood at
the door of Moshe, knocking and begging for help. Moshe's reaction was
the same as usual. First he berated the beggar for coming, and then he
threw him outside into the bitter cold night. Elijah didn't give up so
easily, though. He knocked again and with tears streaming down his face,
he begged for a bit of food, a drop of warmth. But all to no avail, and
the prophet realized that Moshe had forfeited his chance. The tears
which continued to stream down his face were being shed for Moshe's lost
soul."

The rabbi and the rich guest listened with rapt attention to the story,
and as Reb Meir paused for a moment, they looked at him anxiously,
wanting to hear the conclusion of the story. "When I heard about the
terrible verdict that had been pronounced against Moshe, I felt very
sorry for him. How could a man be condemned without fair warning, I
thought. And so, I took it upon myself to provide Moshe with one last
chance to redeem himself. If Moshe would provide the money necessary for
the rabbi's move to the Holy Land, then he would be worthy of
redemption. But, if, G-d forbid, he lost this one last opportunity, his
soul would be lost. He would lose his fortune and be condemned to wander
for the rest of his days, at the mercy of everyone he would meet."

Then, Reb Meir turned and his eyes met the terror-stricken eyes of the
very Moshe of his story, but just for a split second, for Moshe fell to
the floor in a dead faint. When he came to, he tearfully said to Reb
Meir, "You are so right about me, and yet you have given me another
chance to live and redeem my soul. He reached into his pocket and took
out a heavy purse which he offered to the rabbi.

"Here, please take this, and when you reach the holy city of Jerusalem,
please pray for me," said Moshe through his flowing tears.

The rabbi and his family were soon in Israel, living the fulfillment of
their dreams. And Moshe completely turned his life around. In fact,
every beggar or traveler who passed through his village was directed to
his home, which was a comfortable haven for them all until the end of
his days.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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The Redemption relates to the essence of the Jewish people. The
uniqueness of the Era of the Redemption, is that in that age, the
essence will come into revelation; the essential qualities of the Jewish
people will be openly apparent. Our bond with G-d will permeate every
aspect of our consciousness, and will affect our thought, speech, and
deed. All of the revelations of the Era of the Redemption are dependent
on our actions at present in the time. Accordingly, since the Era of the
Redemption will be marked by an essential renewal of our being, it must
also be prefaced by the revelation of that Jewish essence to the fullest
extent possible in this time of exile.

                                   (The Rebbe, Kislev, 5752 - 1991)

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                END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1449 - Toldos 5777
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