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                                  B"H
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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 645
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                           Copyright (c) 2000
                 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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        November 24, 2000     Chayei Sara      26 Cheshvan, 5761
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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. "And if you are worthy," the Maggid
added, "you will even merit to hear words of Torah from his lips."

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 told him that 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 not according to what
appearances tell us. From the beginning our entire interaction has to be
in accordance with his or her true, goodly and holy nature.

Then, surely, we will 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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The name of this week's Torah reading is Chayei Sara, literally the
"life of Sara." As explained by Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of Chabad
Chasidism, the Hebrew name of a particular object or creation is what
gives it its vitality and sustains it. Thus we must conclude that the
entire Torah portion is somehow connected with the "life of Sara."

This, however, appears difficult to understand at first glance. Only the
first verse of the Torah portion relates to Sara's life, whereas the
rest of it speaks of seemingly unrelated matters: the marriage of Isaac
and Rebecca, and the passing of Abraham. Why then is the entire portion
known as Chayei Sara?

The answer is that in truth, all of the events related in Chayei Sara -
the marriage of Isaac and Rebecca, as well as the passing of Abraham -
express the sum and substance of our Matriarch Sara's life.

Concerning the marriage of Isaac and Rebecca, the Torah tells us, "And
Isaac brought her into the tent of Sara his mother, and took Rebecca,
and she became his wife." When did Isaac agree to marry Rebecca? Only
after he brought her into his mother's tent, and the miracles that used
to occur during Sara's lifetime resumed.

Rashi, the foremost Torah commentator, explains that there were three
specific miracles: 1) the Shabbat candles Sara kindled burned from one
Friday afternoon till the next; 2) the dough she kneaded was specially
blessed, and; 3) a cloud of holiness hovered over her tent. After Sara's
death these miracles ceased; in the merit of Rebecca, they returned.

This occurred three years after Sara passed away, yet we see in these
miracles a continuation of her life.

A similar connection exists to the passing of our forefather Abraham.
The Torah states, "His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him." Isaac is
mentioned before Ishmael, for by the time Abraham died, Ishmael had
already repented. By giving his younger brother precedence, Ishmael
demonstrated that the birthright rightly belonged to him.

This development was in the sole merit of Sara, who when she saw that
Ishmael was "mocking," i.e., not behaving properly, demanded that
Abraham "cast him out...for he will not be heir." Sara's intent was for
Ishmael to return to G-d in repentance, which indeed subsequently
occurred. Many years later, after Sara was no longer alive, Ishmael
allowed his younger brother to lead the way, again an expression of the
continuation of Sara's life.

The entire Torah portion is therefore known as Chayei Sara, as all of
the events it relates are connected to Sara's life.

         Adapted from the Rebbe's talk on Shabbat Chayei Sara, 5736

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                        BY THE LIGHT OF A CANDLE

                           Rabbi Moshe Weber


                          By Yrachmeil Tilles

Two Americans were visiting Israel. It was January 1988. They were
trying to sort out their lives, and just beginning to learn about Torah
Judaism.

The gentleman was 49 years old. He had arrived in Jerusalem in November
and had begun taking classes at a beginners' yeshiva for
English-speakers. The woman, in her late twenties, had just arrived. Her
intent was to meet up with the man, see some of Israel with him and
discuss her decision about Judaism.

One afternoon, a tour guide took them to see Meah Shearim, a centuries
old ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem. The weather was cold and
wet. The guide showed them the basics and then announced that he had "a
brilliant idea, something off the beaten track." As he led them through
slippery alleys, he explained that he was taking them to visit a tzadik.

Rabbi Moshe Weber and Ido Erhlich, close disciple and constant companion
to Rabbi Weber, were about to leave for the shul where Rabbi Weber
taught a daily Talmud class. Unexpectedly, there was a knock at the
door. Ido motioned in the tour guide and the American couple and Rabbi
Weber greeted them in what the American man recognized as Yiddish.

Although she could not understand a word, the look of kindness on the
elderly man's face and the intensity of his eyes made the young woman's
heart open.

Rabbi Weber held the man's right hand affectionately and then motioned
for the two of them to sit down. He started to speak to them excitedly
about Israel, Torah and mitzvot. Though they didn't know Yiddish, they
understood well the obvious warmth and caring that was expressed in the
tone of his voice and his kind eyes. Ido acted as translator.

There, in the tiny, dim, eight by eight foot room, the couple's lives
were transformed before the light of a single candle on the small gray
formica table.

After a few minutes, the man revealed that the woman accompanying him
was not Jewish and that it was his intention to marry her. Rabbi Weber
was non-plussed.

Although she had grown up Protestant, she had found Judaism at the end
of her college career. Her apartment was lined with books, including
translations of biblical texts and a tome on Jewish Law. In truth, she
knew more about Judaism than her companion.

Rabbi Weber conversed with the man in a heartfelt manner, stressing the
beauty and fulfillment of a life based on mitzva observance. He said
that he was ready to commit himself to putting on tefilin every weekday
and to keep Shabbat.

The man explained that it was his companion's  intention to convert, and
had been so even before she had met him, and for a long time. Rabbi
Weber answered that if it was indeed her desire to join the Jewish
people and accept the yoke of Torah and mitzvot, she would have to do so
under the auspices of an Orthodox rabbi in the city where she lived in
the United States.

They promised that that was exactly what would happen. The man parted
from Rabbi Weber with a warm hug, and a promise that he would do
precisely as Rabbi Weber had instructed him.

The next day the couple was amazed that Rabbi Weber had taken the time
to speak with two such unknowns. A whole shul packed with his students
was kept waiting on their account. They felt humbled, confused, and
elated all at once.

She had made the commitment to an Orthodox conversion long before, but
he had not been sure of his own parallel commitment to a Torah life:
Shabbat, mikva, kashrut, the whole 613. Now it was clear: they were to
lead an observant life together, even with 22 years between their
chronological ages.

Just before they left Israel, the couple visited Rabbi Weber once again.
Rabbi Weber had asked the man to please make sure the woman did her
learning with Chabad, and to be sure to invite him to the wedding.

A half-year went by. The phone rang in the Weber home. It was the
American gentleman. He said that the woman had undergone a strictly
kosher conversion, and that he had increased his personal level of
observance as he had promised Rabbi Weber. They were planning to marry
soon, and they both deeply wished that Rabbi Weber would accept their
invitation to attend their wedding in Pittsburgh.

Rabbi Weber explained that such a lengthy trip would be impossible for
him, as his wife was seriously ill and bedridden, and he had to be
available to care for her. "But Reb Moshe," the man exclaimed, "you must
come. We both desperately want you to be there."

That summer, Mrs. Weber was admitted to a special rehabilitation home
for which she had been on a waiting list for many months. Rabbi Weber
would be able to go and Ido would accompany him.

The wedding was scheduled two weeks before Rosh Hashana. Not only were
Ido and Rabbi Weber able to come to the wedding, but they spent all of
the holidays from Rosh Hashana through Simchat Torah with the
Lubavitcher Rebbe - the first time in 30 years Rabbi Weber had left the
Holy Land!

The joy of that unique wedding was extraordinary. Rabbi Weber danced
with the groom for a long time. Everyone present was enthralled and
delighted by the special guest from Jerusalem. More than a decade later,
people still speak about it.

Today, twelve years after they first went to visit Rabbi Weber, the
couple lives in San Diego, California with their three sons, all of whom
study in yeshiva.

Reuven and Sara Chana Morrow visited Rabbi Weber again with their infant
son during Sukkot of the year following the wedding. He served as a
guiding vision in their lives until his passing. They keep his memory
alive as they teach their children the lessons they learned at that
little table, lessons of kindness to others, effervescent joy, and
considerate behavior.

Rabbi Moshe Weber was a central and beloved figure in Jerusalem. Nearly
every day he went to the Western Wall to pray and to help visitors put
on tefilin. Less publicly, he distributed enormous sums of charity to
the city's poor. The Rebbe said of him that he is one of the holiest and
kindest people in the world. Reprinted from Ascent Weekly:
www.ascent.org.il

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                         THE RIGHT RELATIONSHIP

"Relationships: Guidelines from Jewish Tradition and Psychology" will be
the topic explored at a Shabbaton  the weekend of Dec. 8 featuring
psychotherapist Dr. Yisroel Susskind. The Shabbaton will be held at
Chabad of Port Washington on Long Island (NY). For more info call Chabad
at (516) 767-TORAH.



                               CHABAD U.


The Chabad Center of Northwest New Jersey recently established Chabad U,
which offers "learning for the highly unorthodox." This means that their
classes  "encourage people to be open to new ideas and explore creative
ways of developing the spiritual self." For more info call (973)
625-1525 or e-mail chabadnwnj@nac.net. Call your local Chabad-Lubavitch
to find out about similar courses in your area.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                       15th of Iyar, 5728 [1968]

To All Participants in the Dedication of the New Edifice of B'nei Ruven
Nusach Hoari

Chicago, Illinois

Greeting and Blessing:

I am pleased to be informed of the forthcoming Dedication of your new
synagogue building.

True to its traditions for the better part of a century, your synagogue
will surely continue to serve not only as a House of Prayer, but also as
a House of Learning, inspiring both devotional prayer and Torah study,
the kind of prayer and study that strengthen adherence to the Torah-true
Jewish way of life in the daily life.

Our Sages of blessed memory said kol hakove'a mokom l'tfiloso, Elokei
Avrohom b'ezro, "Whoever establishes a place for his prayers, the G-d of
Avraham comes to his aid" ([Talmud]Berochos 6b). Although the deeper
meaning of this "establishment" refers also to the spiritual dimension
of prayer, the plain and Halachic [Jewish legal] meaning of the words is
the actual establishment of a proper synagogue, conducive to sincere
devotion in the regular daily prayers.

Moreover, where the Beth Haknesseth is also a Beth Hamidrash, that is to
to say when the House of Prayer is also a House of regular Torah and
Halacha study, it has the added dimension of what our Sages describe as
Sheorim Hametzuyomin B'Halacha, "Gates distinguished in prayer"
(Berochos 8a), and further comes under another saying of our Sages to
wit: kol hakove'a mokom l'toroso oivov noflim tachtov - "Whoever
establishes a place for his Torah study his enemies fall before him"
(Berochos 7b. RIF version) - something so urgently needed at this time
when our people are surrounded by so many enemies.

May G-d grant that your congregation continue to flourish and serve as a
citadel of Torah and Yiras Shomayim [fear of Heaven] in the fullest
sense of the words of our Sages quoted above. And may G-d fulfill the
prayers and petitions of His people, Israel, as well as those of each
and every one individually, culminating in the fulfill ment of our most
fervent prayer for the coming of Moshiach, bringing the end of our Golus
[exile], when "our people shall be troubled no more."

To your distinguished Rabbi, esteemed Honorary Officers, congregants and
friends, I extend sincere felicitations and prayerful wishes to go from
strength to strength in advancing the dissemination and practice of
Torah and Mitzvos in the daily life, within your midst as well as in the
community at large.

With esteem and blessing for Hatzlocho [success],

                                *  *  *


                      22nd of Adar I, 5725 [1965]

Greeting and Blessing:

After not hearing from you a long time, I was pleased to receive your
letter of Feb-ruary 16th, in which you write about your various
activities, as well as future prospects.

May G-d grant that each and every one of us, in the midst of all our
people, should utilize all capacities and opportunities for the
spreading of Torah-true Yiddishkeit [Judaism] to the fullest extent of
one's influence. The emphasis must always be on Torah-true Yiddishkeit,
in accordance with Toras Emes [Torah of Truth], for truth denies any
compromise. Even if a compromise is "partly true," it is not the whole
truth, and therefore it is not true at all, for truth must be whole and
perfect. Where this kind of effort is made with the appropriate
determination and perseverance, success is assured.

With regard to the question whether it is proper to maintain a certain
position in a certain organization, this, like other questions in
Halachah [Jewish law], should be addressed to a Rav Moreh Horo'ah
[Rabbinic authority], and then act according to his instructions.

Generally speaking, it is well known that it is necessary to make a
distinction between individuals and movements. For, as an individual
Jew, even if he sins, he is a Jew, and it is necessary to do everything
be'ahavah [in a loving manner] to help him back on the right path (see
Tanya, Chapter 32, "Lev"). On the other hand, movements and ideologies
which are against the Torah must be opposed and exposed. As to which
movements and ideologies are opposed to the Torah, this is easy to
determine in the light of the psak [legal ruling] of the Rambam [Moses
Maimonides] to the effect that to deny even one letter of the Torah is
tantamount to denying the whole Torah min hashamayim [is from Heaven]
(Hil[chos] Teshuvah 3:9).

With blessing,

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                            RAMBAM THIS WEEK
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26 Marcheshvan 5761

Prohibition 268: a hired laborer consuming food excessively

By this prohibition a hired laborer is forbidden to take more of the
growing crops among which he is working than he needs for his meal. It
is contained in the Torah's words (Deut. 23:25): "When you come into
your neighbor's vineyard, then you may eat your fill of grapes at your
own pleasure; but you shall not put any in your vessel."

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
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In many of the Torah portions read during the month of Kislev (which
begins on Tuesday), dreams play a significant role. From Jacob's dreams
about the ladder ascending to heaven and the speckled sheep, we move on
to Laban's dream in which G-d warned him not to harm Jacob. Next, Joseph
dreams that the sun, moon and stars bow down to him, and that all the
sheaves in the field bow down to his sheaf. As a result of these dreams,
Joseph is sold into slavery and brought to Egypt. Years later, he is
released from jail when he successfully interprets the dreams of
Pharaoh's servants. When Pharaoh dreams about the seven lean cows,
Joseph predicts the seven years of famine that will plague Egypt.

All of the dreams mentioned in the Torah are connected with prophecy,
but a person needn't be a prophet in order to dream. What, then, does
Judaism say on the subject of dreams?

Sleep is one of the most wonderful phenomena of nature. A person climbs
into bed completely exhausted, and wakes up a few hours later
invigorated and refreshed. When a person sleeps, his natural body
functions slow down. As explained by Chasidut, his soul ascends to its
G-dly source, where it derives new strengths for the coming day. The
mind, too, is at rest during sleep, but its faculty of imagination
continues to function. A person "sees" and "hears" visions and events
that are often quite fantastic upon awakening.

According to our Sages, most dreams are a reflection of whatever we were
thinking about during the daytime. In the Talmud, Rabbi Shmuel Bar
Nachmani states, in the name of Rabbi Yonatan, "A person is only shown
the thoughts in his heart." Similarly, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, author
of the Zohar, used to say that there is no dream without extraneous and
irrelevant elements.

In light of the above, the best advice to ensure pleasant dreams is to
recite the "Shema" prayer before going to bed. A kosher mezuza on the
doorpost also "protects" us from unsettling nightmares. Secure in the
knowledge that "the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps," we
can then put our heads down on the pillow with true serenity.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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And Sara was a hundred and twenty seven years old; these were the years
of the life of Sara (Gen. 23:1)

As Rashi comments, "All of her years were equal in goodness." Our
Matriarch Sara endured much suffering during her lifetime: Childless for
many years, she was abducted by Avimelech, wandered about from place to
place without a permanent home, and at the end of her life, her only
child was about to be offered up as a sacrifice. Nonetheless, she
accepted all these trials and tribulations with love, declaring "This is
also for the good."

                                                    (Korban He'Ani)


And Efron lived among the Hittites (Gen. 23:10)

According to Rashi, "That very day [the Hittites] appointed theirfellow
countryman Efron ruler over them, because of the importance of Abraham."
Unfortunately, this is a common and recurring theme in Jewish history:
Each time an "Efron" is elected to a powerful political post in the
Jews' merit, he forgets his debt to "Abraham" as soon as he assumes his
position...

                                                (Ma'ora Shel Torah)


And the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two
bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold (Gen. 24:22)

The gifts that Eliezer gave to Rebecca were fraught with meaning: the
"half shekel" alluded to the half shekel the Jews would be required to
contribute to the Sanctuary, while the "two bracelets" alluded to the
Tablets of the Law. The half shekel is symbolic of tzedaka (charity),
which is considered so great that it contains within it all the other
commandments; the Tablets are symbolic of the entire Torah. The gifts
were thus an allusion to the foundation of the Jewish home: the
performance of mitzvot, and the study of Torah.

                                                   (Likutei Sichot)


And he fell in the presence of all his brothers...and these are the
generations of Isaac (Gen. 25:18-19)

This is an allusion to the End of Days, when Ishmael will "fall" and
will no longer exert dominance over the Jewish people. Moshiach, a
descendant of Isaac, will then arise to establish G-d's sovereignty in
the world.

                                                     (Baal HaTurim)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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It was a typical autumn day in 1906 when Rabbi Yedidya Horodner walked
into the "Tiferet Yisrael" synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem with a
big smile on his face. With a grand flourish he placed a bottle of
whiskey and some cake on the table, and invited everyone to make a
"lechaim."

The congregants wondered what the cause for celebration might be. A
rumor had been circulating that the day before, Rabbi Horodner had gone
to all the local yeshivot and distributed candy to the children.
Something good had obviously occurred, and they waited expectantly to
hear what it was.

Indeed, after everyone had made a blessing on the cake and lifted a few
glasses, the Rabbi filled them in:

The whole story revolved around the Rabbi's nephew, a 15-year-old boy
named Shmuel Rosen who was originally from Riga. His father, Rabbi Ozer
Rosen, had sent the lad to his uncle when he was only eight years old,
in the belief that there was no better place in the world to develop the
boy's intellectual talents than the holy city.

Rabbi Horodner raised little Shmuel as if he was his own son, and the
boy flourished. He was a delightful child, and exceptionally devoted to
his studies.

A few weeks ago, however, disaster had struck. After experiencing
deteriorating vision for several months, Shmuel was now completely
blind. The total darkness had set in as he was sitting and poring over a
volume of the Talmud.

The boy's spirit was completely broken. For days and nights he wept over
his fate, most bitterly over his inability to study Torah by himself.
Suffering from a profound sadness, he withdrew and rarely ventured from
his room.

His uncle felt helpless, until it occurred to him that a change of place
might do the boy good. He contacted his friend, Reb Shimon Hoizman of
Hebron, who agreed to let the boy stay in his house. Shmuel felt a
little better in Hebron, but remained very depressed.

At that time the Jewish community of Hebron was headed by two Torah
giants: the Sefardic Rabbi Chizkiyahu Medini (author of Sdei Chemed),
and the Chasidic Rabbi Shimon Menashe Chaikin, the chief Ashkenazic
authority in the city. Every evening at midnight, the two Rabbis would
go to the Cave of Machpeila, the resting place of the Jewish Patriarchs
and Matriarchs, to recite Tikun Chatzot (a special prayer lamenting the
destruction of the Holy Temple).

Reb Shimon Hoizman was very affected by the boy's suffering. But what
could he do to help? Then one evening, he came up with a plan...

About a half hour before midnight Reb Shimon went into Shmuel's room.
"Wake up, son," he whispered to him softly. "Get dressed and follow me."
The two went off into the night, in the direction of Rabbi Chaikin's
courtyard.

A few minutes later the two Rabbis could be seen approaching, on their
way to the Cave of Machpeila. As soon as they reached the spot where Reb
Shimon and Shmuel were standing, Reb Shimon disappeared and left Shmuel
by himself. The two Rabbis quickly realized that Shmuel was blind. With
gentleness they asked him how he had become sightless.

When the young man got up to the part about how he had become totally
blind while studying, Rabbi Medini asked if he remembered the last words
he had been able to see. "Of course I remember!" Shmuel responded. "They
were in Tractate Chulin, on the first side of page 36: 'On whom can we
count? Come, let us rely on the words of Rabbi Shimon [Bar Yochai]' "

The two Rabbis became very excited. "If that is the case," they said
almost simultaneously, "then you can certainly rely on the holy Rabbi
Shimon Bar Yochai to help you. Go to his grave in Meron, ask for his
blessing, and G-d will surely heal you."

The next morning Shmuel returned to Jerusalem, and the very same day he
and his uncle set off for Meron. It was a difficult journey, but after
several days they arrived safely. Even before they approached the holy
gravesite they were filled with a feeling of confidence. For days they
remained at the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, praying steadily to
G-d for a miraculous recovery.

The miracle occurred exactly one week later. Rabbi Horodner was reading
aloud from the Gemara when all of sudden Shmuel let out a yelp. "Uncle!
I can see your shadow!"

Over the course of the next few days Shmuel's vision improved steadily,
until 13 days later it was restored completely. Still camped out at the
holy gravesite, uncle and nephew broke out into a spontaneous dance, as
they sang the verses that are traditionally sung on the anniversary of
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's passing:

"His teachings are our protection; they are the light of our eyes. He is
our advocate for good, Rabban Shimon Bar Yochai..."

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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When Moshaich comes everyone will manifestly see how the life-force that
animates the organs of the body stems from Divinity. It will then be
seen that every individual organ lives from the Divine life-force that
is drawn into it by the fulfillment of the particular mitzva which
relates to that organ. For, as is well known, the 248 positive
commandments correspond to the 248 bodily organs. (From a discourse of
the Rebbe Rashab, Rabbi Sholom Ber of Lubavitch)

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              END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 645 - Chayei Sara 5761
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