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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 743
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                           Copyright (c) 2002
                 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 8, 2002         Toldos           3 Kislev, 5763
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                               Seeing G-d

In the past hundred years we've gained a lot of insights about our
health and lifestyle because we've been able to see inside the body.
Physicians have been able to watch how the body works, first in a series
of static pictures or "snapshots" and then advancing to the equivalent
of movies. With some of the latest technology, doctors and researchers
can observe the body's internal movements and interactions in real time.

It began in 1895 when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered that "x-rays" could
take "pictures" of the bones. Not only did this reduce diagnostic
cutting it also increased diagnostic accuracy. Suddenly doctors could
see from the outset what and where the problem was; even the initial
incisions were more efficient, not to mention the increased
effectiveness of the whole surgical procedure.

Still, X-rays were rather crude, able only to give the outline of bones
and the more massive organs. But in the past hundred years there have
been a lot of refinements. Sonograms, for instance, reveal a lot of the
body's internal dynamics. What a wonder of modern science - a testament
to the miracle of life - to watch the heartbeat of one's unborn child or
see it suck its thumb.

Other devices let scientists and doctors stare into the deepest layers
of our existence. CT scans and magnetic resonance imaging reveal how the
blood flows, how the brain reacts to pain, to pleasure, to thoughts and
memories. They reveal small problems, G-d forbid, before they begin to
enlarge. With these devices doctors can not only see inside bones, the
heart and the lungs, they can see inside blood vessels and operate "in
miniature" on veins and nerves.

Is such seeing artificial? No more so than microscopes, telescopes - or
glasses. X-rays, CT scans, MRIs allow us to see an inner reality. They
extend our vision, giving us a deeper perception of the magnitude, the
complexity, the order and beauty of the physical world. When we look
through their lenses, what we see is truly there. We have gained a new
sense and a new insight.

Our spiritual vision can also be extended. As we mature, as we
experience the world, as we encounter goodness, kindness, holiness and
wisdom, our insight into the nature of nature and the nature of man
expands, changes and deepens. We see relationships and
inter-relationships, causes and effects, interactions and catalysts in a
whole new "light."

When looking through a CT scan or an MRI we can see how tenuous are the
barriers between a cell wall and the bloodstream, between a nerve cell
and its muscle. That which is distinct on one level, at one
magnification, becomes blurred and interwoven on the next. Discrete
entities become auras or fields, interchanging elements at the edges.

So, too, when we become more spiritually sensitive we recognize an
interdependence with others that transcends individual significance or
accomplishment. We also recognize the paradox of being created, of being
but an expression of G-dliness: on the one hand, we are not discrete or
distinct but simply a movement, a letter of a word that G-d exhales. On
the other, each of us manifests, after many transformations, reductions
and concealments, an aspect of the Divine Will.

The advent of modern technology parallels and foreshadows Isaiah's
pro-phecy that  "Is it not a little while . . . and the eyes of the
blind shall see?" (29:17-18). After all, the physical simply reflects
and expresses the spiritual, as words express thoughts and our external
appearance reflects the complex of motions, systems and biochemical
reactions that compose our true, invisible selves. Is it not a little
while until the "technology" of Torah and mitzvot (commandments), of
acts of goodness and kindness will enable us to see truly, to perceive
the inner G-dliness within ourselves, within each other, indeed, within
all of existence? For when Moshiach comes, we won't need CT scans or
MRIs because "then the eyes of the blind shall be opened" (Isaiah 35:5)
when (as we pray thrice daily) "our eyes behold Your return to Zion in
mercy."

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week's Torah portion, Toldot, describes the life of our Patriarch
Isaac. The Talmud teaches that in the Messianic Era, Isaac will be
referred to as "our father," implying that it is Isaac from among our
Patriarchs who has a special connection to the Messianic Era. As we now
stand at the threshold of the Redemption of the Jewish people, it is
important to understand what exactly Isaac's path and service mean for
us.

Isaac was the only one of our Patriarchs who lived his entire life in
the Land of Israel. Abraham was born outside of Israel and also left
Israel to go to Egypt when a famine threatened. Jacob, too, left Israel
to work for Laban.

However, when there was another famine in the Land during Isaac's
lifetime, G-d commanded him to stay where he was and not to seek food
elsewhere. "Do not go down to Egypt, but dwell in this land...and I will
bless you." This is because after having shown his willingness to be
sacrificed on the altar by his father Abraham, Isaac was considered a
"perfect offering," too holy to dwell anywhere but in the Holy Land.

Isaac, therefore, symbolizes the Jewish people as they were meant to be,
and as they will exist in the Messianic Era, their rightful place being
in their land and not in exile in the four corners of the earth. During
our present exile, we are like "children who have been banished from
their father's table." We must therefore continue to demand that G-d
send the redeemer now, so that we will be able to emulate Isaac and live
a full life of Torah and mitzvot in our own land, as we were meant to.

Isaac's approach to the service of G-d is also especially applicable to
us today. Even though Isaac continued in his father Abraham's path of
spreading the belief in G-d throughout the world, he did so in a
different manner from his father: Abraham wandered from place to place,
including Egypt, spreading G-dliness wherever he went. Isaac, on the
other hand, always remained in the same place, in Israel, yet others
flocked to him because they were attracted by his holiness. In this way
Isaac was able to influence others.

For the most part, the Jewish people have followed Abraham's example
during their long exile, wandering from country to country and causing
G-d's name to be called on wherever they went. After Moshiach comes,
however, we will follow in Isaac's footsteps, as G-d's holiness and
light will emanate from the Third Holy Temple in Jerusalem. And at that
time, as happened in the days of Isaac, all the nations of the world
will likewise flock to Jerusalem, as it states, "And all nations shall
flow unto it...for the Torah shall go forth out of Zion."

We must, in the meantime, combine aspects of both these approaches,
refining our own personal spirituality, yet at the same time, not
neglecting to spread holiness throughout the world at large.

  Adapted from a talk of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Parshat Toldot 1991

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                     Wake Up and Smell the Davening
                             by Steve Hyatt

The morning sun was just moments away from making its spectacular debut
as my wife Linda and I made our way through the cavernous walkway of the
B terminal at the Reno-Tahoe International airport. On this particular
morning we were beginning the daylong journey to Linda's hometown of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Our ambitious travel schedule called for a
6:00 a.m. flight.

The day before the trip I had opened my newspaper and turned to the
weather page to check out the next day's forecast for Reno and
Pittsburgh. As I scanned the page I was chagrined to discover that
sunrise would be at 5:45 a.m. I immediately picked up the phone and
called my local Chabad Rabbi Mendel Cunin. I asked him how early one can
begin saying the morning prayers. He informed me that Jewish law
dictates one cannot start davening (praying) until 52 minutes before
sunrise. As I hung up panic enveloped me. I did a quick calculation and
realized our early morning departure would preclude me from davening
within the comfortable confines of my home before leaving for the
airport.

The realization that I might have to put on my talit and tefilin in
front of hundreds if not thousands of strangers was almost more than I
could endure. Concerned, I called Rabbi Cunin again, pleading for some
sort of special dispensation. He told me that to do it right, I couldn't
begin davening until after I arrived at the airport. He said if I was
uncomfortable doing so, I could always wait and daven on the plane.
"Thanks Rabbi, that suggestion is a whole lot better," I thought to
myself.

As I sat in my home the night before the journey, wondering what I was
going to do, the words of my good friend and mentor Rabbi Chuni Vogel of
Chabad of Delaware sprang into my mind. On many, many occasions he has
reminded me, "Shlomo Yakov, no one ever said a mitzva (commandment) HAD
to be easy!" My mind screamed out, "Yea but no one ever said you had to
do it in front of a thousand stressed-out business travelers, tired
vacationers, screaming kids and no-nonsense flight crews either."

We arrived in good time at the airport the next morning. By the time we
finally made our way through security I had convinced myself that I'd
just have to wait to daven until I arrived that afternoon at my
father-in-law's home in Pittsburgh. As I sat down in the crowded
terminal, Linda looked at me and said, "We've got about 90 minutes
before we board the plane, aren't you going to find a place to daven?"

Frankly, I didn't know what to say. There she was looking at me with
inquiring eyes, and all I wanted to do was run screaming from the
airport because I was afraid of looking foolish in front of strangers.
Once again Rabbi Vogel's sagacious advice popped into my mind, "Shlomo
Yakov, no one ever said a mitzva had to be easy." I looked at my wife, I
contemplated the Rabbi's words once again, and I reluctantly went to
find a "quiet" spot in the airport. As I walked around the terminal I
calculated that I was surrounded by more than 100,000 square feet of
space. Yet as I gazed off into the distance I didn't see a single area
that wasn't filled to the brim with people.

Walking on, I noticed that the coffee shop hadn't yet opened. There was
a large area adjacent to the shop that was totally unoccupied. I put on
my talit, placed my tefilin on my arm and head, and with a smile on my
face and a prayer of thanks to G-d for providing this vacant spot I
started davening.

As I swayed back and forth, I literally forgot where I was. I was no
longer cognizant of what was going on around me and my
self-consciousness had quickly dissipated. I kept turning the pages,
reciting the familiar words and reveled in the opportunity to properly
fulfill the mitzva. "What was I so afraid of" I asked myself. This, as
we like to say in the Hyatt household, was a piece of kugel!

When I concluded my prayers and lowered my talit from my head I was
surprised by what I saw. The coffee shop had opened for business and I
was now completely surrounded by at least 100 early-morning
pastry-munching, coffee-drinking, newspaper-reading patrons. Not only
had I failed to find a quiet spot in the airport, I had somehow managed
to find the busiest place, other than the security gate, in which to
conduct my business.

I stood there feeling like a statue in a museum; I couldn't help but
notice that not one of the patrons was paying the slightest bit of
attention to me. While they probably had taken a quick glance when they
first strolled in, it was immediately apparent that they were more
interested in the morning's headlines and the taste of their
French-roast coffee than they were in me. Realizing that it was almost
time to board the plane to Pittsburgh, I made my way back to the gate.

As I walked through the crowded terminal, I marvelled at the fact that I
had found the vacant area when I did. I was convinced that if I had
arrived even ten minutes later, I would have seen the huge coffee crowd
and moved on. I probably would have given into my fears, never davened
that morning and felt guilty for the rest of the day. Instead, G-d
presented me with an opportunity to face my fears, overcome them, learn
an important lesson and complete the mitzva. I discovered that the only
thing standing between me and my desire to live a more observant Jewish
life was me.

Since discovering Chabad I've had countless "spiritual" experiences.
Some were easy and others were more challenging. Yet in each case, the
joy and satisfaction I felt after accomplishing something that I had
never dreamed I could do, was extraordinary. My recent experience taught
me that the joy of fulfilling the mitzva far outweighed the momentary
discomfort of the challenge.

With a smile on my face and a song in my heart I strolled up to the
gate. Linda looked up from her newspaper and asked, "So did you have any
trouble finding a quiet place to daven?" With grin I said, "No problem
at all, it was a piece of kugel."

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                    Conference on Torah and Science

The Fifth Miami International Conference on Torah and Science, entitled,
"Absolute Standards in an Age of Relatively" will take place on Dec.
16-18 at the Kovens Conference Center of the Florida International
University, in Miami, Florida. The conference will be followed by a
Shabbaton at the Shul of Bal Harbour. The conference is sponsored by the
Shul of Bal Harbour, the Department of Religious Studies: Florida
International University, the Aleph Institute of Miami as well as B'Or
Ha'Torah Journal of Science, Art and Modern Life. To submit a paper
contact info@borhatorah.org. For all other information about the
conference contact Miriam Gitman at (305) 868-1411 or miriam@theshul.org

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                      11th of Kislev, 5735 [1974]

Blessing and Greeting:

Your letter of the 12th of Cheshvan reached me with some delay.

...In reply to your question: It is written, "Increasing knowledge
increases pain." One of the explanations of this is as follows: A fool
may altogether be unaware that he lacks anything, and he may therefore
be satisfied with himself, or, as the saying goes, lives in a Fool's
Paradise. But the person who strives to increase his or her knowledge of
Yiddishkeit [Judaism] and increasingly appreciates the great good and
precious-ness of Torah and Mitzvos, finds that with the increase of this
knowledge increases also the longing and thirst for more and more of all
of it; hence the impatience and dissatisfaction with oneself, etc. These
are the natural "growing pains" of spiritual advancement ...

With blessing,

                                *  *  *


                      14th of Kislev, 5717 [1956]

       Students of the Talmud Torah of Congregation Adas Jeshurun

Greeting and Blessing:

I received your letter in which you express your desire to be blessed
with success in your study of the Holy Torah and also that your parents
should be blessed in all their needs.

Since you desire such blessings, I take it that you, on your part, are
doing all you can to help in the fulfillment of these blessings. By that
I mean that you are studying with diligence and devotion, and are
conducting yourselves in the way Jewish children should. In this way I
am sure that the promise of our Sages, "He who tries hard, succeeds,"
will be fulfilled in your case. In this way also you will do a great
deal that your dear parents enjoy good health and well-being and real
joy from you.

I was glad to see that you have remembered the poor and needy children,
and have sent a donation for them. Your donation has gone to help the
needy children in our educational institutions in the Holy Land. I hope
that, together with this financial Tzedoko [charity], you also do
spiritual Tzedoko, that is to say, using your good influence on your
friends, that they too, study with diligence, and even children who do
not as yet get the same good education as you get, may be persuaded to
join you in the Talmud Torah, for if they will admire you, they will
want to be like you.

With blessing,

                                *  *  *


                 the date of this letter was available

Blessing and Greeting:

Your letter of October 4th duly reached me, but owing to pressure of
work I was unable to acknowledge it sooner.

I wonder why you do not mention anything about your health. I presume it
is a sign that you are enjoying good health, and I trust you will
continue to do so.

I trust that you have learned to take your personal problem in stride
and you are not reacting to it as acutely as before. In time you will
realize that it should never have given you so much anxiety in the first
place, and that "This is also for good," as our Sages said.

With regard to the question of furthering the cause of Chassidism, the
first thing that everybody can and must do is to exercise a beneficial
influence on the environment. This is so urgent that at times one cannot
weigh one's own merits but simultaneously with improving one's self it
is necessary to try to benefit the other by spreading the light of the
Torah in general and of Chassidim in particular. Experience has also
shown that in endeavoring to enrich the other spirituality, one becomes
more receptive to spiritual influence himself. The important thing is
that such endeavor should not remain confined to the intellect, but
should be translated into practical experience, in thought, word and
action of everyday life.

As I told you when you were here, one should not worry too much about
personal problems, for we have a great G-d, Whose Divine Providence
guides the whole universe, and the small universe (microcosm) of each
and every individual. Thus it often happens that difficulties that at
first seem insur-mountable, or goals unattainable prove an illusion, and
achievements are made sometimes even without undue exertion.

Wishing you harmonious well-being, and looking forward to hearing from
you good news in every way,

Cordially,

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                            RAMBAM THIS WEEK
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3 Kislev, 5763 - November 8, 2002

Prohibition 285: It is forbidden to testify falsely

This prohibition is based on the verse (Ex. 20:13) "You shall not bear
false witness against your neighbor." We are forbidden to act as false
witnesses and declare that something is true when we know that what we
are saying is a lie.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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When Rabbi Sholom DovBer (the fifth Chabad Rebbe) was a very young
child, he came to his grandfather, the Tzemach Tzedek, to receive a
blessing on his birthday.

No sooner had he entered the room than the boy burst into tears. "Why
are you crying?" the Rebbe asked his grandson.

"I learned in this week's Torah portion that G-d appeared to Abraham
after he performed the mitzva of brit mila (circumcision). Why doesn't
G-d appear to me too?" the young child wept in earnest.

The Tzemach Tzedek explained that when a tzadik, a righteous person,
decides to circumcise himself at the age of 99, he is truly deserving of
G-d's revelation!

There is much to be learned from this story. First and foremost is the
power of a positive and well-planned Jewish education.  We see from this
incident how educating a child in a true Torah way cultivates a fervent
desire for holiness and a sincere yearning for G-dliness.

Rather than being pulled to the latest fad, swayed by the newest craze
or running to buy catwalk fashions, a Jewish education instills respect
for elders, a love of one's fellow, a desire to be kind and charitable,
and so much more.

As we stand now on the threshold of the Messianic Era, our longing for
the revelation of G-dliness in the world should be just as strong as
that of Rabbi Sholom DovBer. May  we also demand that G-d appear to us
in His full glory with the Final Redemption.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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That my soul may bless you (Gen. 27:4)

Why did Isaac want to bless Esau instead of Jacob? Jacob was "a pure
man, a dweller in tents (of Torah)" and even without a blessing he would
stay away from evil. Esau, however, was very likely to fall into bad
ways, and needed the assistance of his father's blessing.

                                                      (Ohr HaTorah)

                                *  *  *


And you shall stay with him a short time ... until your brother's fury
turns away ... until your brother's anger turns away (Gen. 27:44, 45)

Rebecca advised her son Jacob what to do: "Run away to my brother Laban
and wait until your brother gets over his anger. How will you know when
that time has arrived and he is no longer angry at you? When you
yourself stop holding a grudge against him." Rebecca understood the
reciprocity of human emotions: Love is reciprocated with love, and
hatred elicits a like response in others.

                                                   (Baal Hahaflaah)

                                *  *  *


And one people shall be stronger than the other (Gen. 25:23)

Rashi comments: When one rises, the other falls. Jacob and Esau
symbolize the struggle between the G-dly soul and the animal soul,
between a person's good and evil inclinations. When a Jew's G-dly soul
is dominant and exerts itself, there is no need to combat the animal
soul - it "falls" by itself. Light does not have to fight darkness to
illuminate - as soon as it appears, the darkness vanishes. So too, does
the light of holiness dispel all evil.

                                                 (Sefer Hamaamarim)

                                *  *  *


Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you (Gen. 26:3)

The Torah uses the word "sojourn" instead of "dwell" to teach us that
one must always consider oneself a temporary resident of this world.
"The Shechina (G-dly presence) does not move away from one who considers
himself a stranger in this world," we are taught. The second part of
G-d's promise, "I will be with you," will be fulfilled when Jacob thinks
of himself in this manner.

                                                (Vayechakem Shlomo)

                                *  *  *


And they departed from him in peace (Gen. 26:31)

Even after having partaken of a meal with the tzadik, Isaac, Avimelech
still departed convinced of his own self-importance. This is something
that a Jew would have been unable to do. A Jew, when in the presence of
a tzadik, realizes his own shortcomings and is humbled.

                                                        (Reb Bunim)

                                *  *  *


He summoned his older son, Esau. (Gen. 27:1)

Isaac intended to reveal to Esau the day Moshiach would come, in the
hope that it would cause him to leave his evil ways. At that very moment
G-d hid it from Isaac and said, "In the future I will conceal this
information from Jacob's sons because they aren't deserving, and I
should let it be known to this wicked man, Esau?"

                                                 (Sefer HaParshiot)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Long ago there lived a king who had, as his closest friend and advisor,
the Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community. Often, the king would call the
rabbi to his palace and discuss with him all kinds of matters pertaining
to the ruling of his country. At times, the king would question the
Rabbi about Torah and Judaism. The rabbi answered all the king's
questions patiently and wisely.

One day, the king called in his friend. The rabbi could see that the
king looked quite agitated. "I have a question that has been bothering
me for some time now. I have failed to find a satisfactory answer."

"Ask, your Highness," said the Rabbi, "and with G-d's help I will be
able to answer."

"While studying your religion," began the king, "I have learned that one
of your basic tenets is to believe in G-d who created the heavens and
the earth. Now, my dear Rabbi," the king continued, "before we can
believe that G-d created the world, we have to be sure that there is a
G-d. What proof do we have that G-d created the world? Perhaps it came
about by itself."

While the king posed these questions, he accidently brushed his elbow
against a bottle of ink that was on his desk. The bottle turned over and
the ink spilled out, blotting up the papers that were near the ink
bottle and spilling on the king's royal garments.

The king jumped up from his seat. He asked that the rabbi wait while he
left the room to change his clothing and excused himself.

As soon as the king left the room, the rabbi swiftly took the ink-filled
papers off the king's desk and threw them away. The rabbi then took a
clean sheet of paper and quickly began drawing a picture of lofty
mountains, tall trees, a river, and beautiful flower gardens. As soon as
he finished drawing the picture, he placed it on the desk right next to
the overturned ink bottle, making it appear as thought the ink had
spilled on the paper.

The rabbi repositioned himself in his chair and calmly awaited the
king's return. Soon, the king returned to the room, and immediately
noticed the beautiful drawing on his desk.

"What is this?" asked the king in surprise. "Who drew this beautiful
scene?"

The rabbi looked at the king innocently and said, "When the ink spilled
all over your majesty's desk it made this picture!"

"Come now," cried out the king, "certainly you are smarter than that.
How could you say such a thing? Why, a magnificent drawing like this
cannot happen by itself. Surely someone drew this breathtaking
landscape."

"Please come with me onto the balcony," offered the rabbi. Once outside,
the rabbi began, "Your majesty, tell me, where did all of these tall
trees come from? Who formed these high mountains? And look at the
beautiful flowers in your gardens below, who made them?"

The king nodded thoughtfully. The Rabbi continued, "Just a few moments
ago, the king himself proclaimed that it would be foolish to say that
anything came about by itself. Obviously, it was I who drew the picture
found on your desk in an attempt to prove that G-d created the whole
world. For who or what, if not G-d, made the heavens, the sun, moon and
stars? Who filled the deep oceans and formed the lofty mountains? The
answer is as 'black and white' as that drawing on your desk."

The king was impressed and satisfied with his friend's sagacious answer.
For many years he continued to enjoy the rabbi's sharp wisdom and
perception.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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Just before the Redemption, all deep secrets - including the timing of
the Redemption - will be revealed, even to children.

                                           (Zohar, Bereishit 118:1)

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                END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 743 - Toldos 5763
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