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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 829
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                           Copyright (c) 2004
                 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 23, 2004           Devarim               5 Av, 5764
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                      The Two Sides of Tisha B'Av

Tisha B'Av is the darkest day on the Jewish calendar, observed this year
on Monday night, July 26 through Tuesday night, July 27.

Tisha B'Av is a day of intense mourning for the destruction of the two
Holy Temples and for Jerusalem.

Today, the saddest thing about Tisha B'Av is that many people do not
know about it or care to observe it. We don't know what we're missing.
Unfortunately, we are split and divided, suffering from the same
senseless hatred that caused the tragedy of Tisha B'Av.

Tisha B'Av climaxes three weeks of mourning, beginning with the fast of
the Seventeenth of Tamuz.

But there is another side to Tisha B'Av.

The Talmud tells the story of Rabbi Akiva and the Sages tearing their
garments in mourning upon seeing Jerusalem in ruins. Their anguish
increased upon seeing a fox strolling where the Holy Ark once stood. The
Sages burst into tears, but Rabbi Akiva laughed. The Sages were shocked.
"How can you laugh when animals desecrate our Holy of Holies?" Said
Rabbi Akiva: "The Torah connects the fall and rise of Jerusalem.
Zechariah the prophet predicted that 'Zion will be plowed under,' while
Uria the prophet foresaw 'elderly men and women relaxing in the streets
of Jerusalem with small children happily playing nearby'... Now that the
negative has actually come to pass, the good prophecies will truly be
fulfilled!"

The Sages conceded, saying: "Akiva, you have comforted us!"

Tisha B'Av is negative - but once we have the negative, it takes only
time and effort to develop it into a positive and see the full picture
in the words of Zechariah (8:19): "These very days of sorrow and fasting
will turn into days of joy and feasting for the House of Israel."

Tisha B'Av expresses strength rather than weakness. Other nations
celebrate only their red-letter days and triumphs, yet we have the
strength to dedicate a day to our tragedy, and that is the secret of our
long survival that enables Israel to outlive the greatest empires that
have long since vanished. Tisha B'Av directs us to positive,
constructive action of rebuilding through Torah and charity.

It is a Sephardic custom to rise on Tisha B'Av afternoon and clean the
house, showing our renewed faith and hope.

On the positive side, some sources say that Tisha B'Av is the birthday
of the righteous Moshiach, bringing about the potential for a most
important Jewish principle: "I believe with complete faith in the
arrival of the Moshiach. And though he may tarry, I shall wait each day,
anticipating his arrival" (Maimonides, Principles of  Faith).

Last but not least, we conclude the Lamentations on a high positive note
as we loudly declare: "Return to us, O G-d, and we will return to You;
renew our days as once before!"

       By Rabbi Yisrael Rubin, emissary of the Rebbe, Chabad of the
                                Capital District, Albany, New York.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week's Torah reading marks the opening of the fifth book of the
Torah, Deuteronomy, or Devarim in Hebrew. Devarim is also called Mishneh
Torah, meaning "Repetition of the Torah." Moses began reviewing the
Torah with the Jewish people in preparation for their entry into the
Holy Land.

During their years of wandering in the desert all their needs, food,
water, clothing, and shelter were miraculously provided. The delicious
white manna fell daily; the well of Miriam provided a constant supply of
water, while the Clouds of Glory sheltered them from harsh winds, made
the mountainous paths flat, killed the poisonous snakes, serpents, and
scorpions that abounded in the desert, and miraculously kept the clothes
of the Israelites fresh, clean, and pressed.

Now the Jews were on the verge of leaving this place where for years
they had had no material cares, and were about to settle in a land and a
way of life which necessitated all the mundane preoccupations of life.
It was now that they were exposed to the Repetition of the Torah, for
they needed an additional and special measure of spiritual inspiration,
so that they would not become materialistic and debased in the material
world that lay ahead. On the contrary, the whole purpose of their coming
into the Land was to instill holiness, to elevate and make more
spiritual the material aspects of daily life - thereby transforming the
material into the spiritual through Torah, worship of G-d, performance
of His Divine precepts, giving charity and doing acts of loving
kindness.

The Divine purpose of our entry into the Holy Land - to elevate the
environment and transform the material into the spiritual - is the very
same purpose that every individual Jew has in his mundane activities. As
Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of Chabad Chasidism expressed it: "The
material things of Jews are spiritual; G-d gives us material things,
that we may transform them into spiritual." G-d grants the Jew
livelihood  and he, in turn, utilizes the money for the performance of
mitzvot (commandments). In this way we truly convert the material (money
and worldly possessions) into the spiritual.

Transformation of the material to the spiritual can be achieved in other
ways also, such as through elevating and refining one's business or
professional environment by setting a personal example of Torah-guided
honesty and good conduct. Some people think that the main purpose of a
Torah education is to train Rabbis, teachers, and other religious
functionaries. This is not so; the essential and main purpose of
religious training is to prepare Jewish laypeople who, before going out
into the business world, are imbued and permeated with Jewish values.
Such laypeople elevate their entire environment by inspiring every Jew
with whom they come in contact, with love of G-d, love of Torah, and
love of one's fellow - in actual daily practice.

In all matters of sanctity one must go from strength to  strength,
constantly increasing holiness; one must strive to produce more and more
spirituality out of material things. In this way the blessing of
"Prosperity through charity" becomes realized, with G-d giving material
blessings in a growing measure, enabling us to create more, and still
more, spiritually, at a reciprocal pace from strength to strength.

                   Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                       Abba, Why Are They Crying?
                            by Yitzchak Kohn

The seven-year-old woke with a start; his senses were suddenly alerted
to the strange noise that had shaken him loose from his deep slumber. He
looked around in the dimness of the room. The cuckoo clock chimed a few
times and he knew it was three o'clock in the morning. His little sister
in the next bed stirred restlessly. Very quietly, he slipped into his
slippers and gingerly walked across the floor to the window. Pushing the
curtains aside, he pressed his face against the window pane, and stared
into the darkness. The noise was coming closer; there, straight ahead,
he thought he saw the blinking lights. He was now fully awake; Abba had
said that they were coming.

Quietly, so as not to wake his sister, he opened the door and
disappeared down the hall to his parents' room. Both parents were awake
and peering out of their own bedroom window.

"Abba, they are coming! I saw the lights."

The father bent down and, in a swoop, picked the boy up in his arms.
"Yes, my son, they are coming. I can see the shadows of many soldiers on
six or seven military trucks. Soon they will reach us and...."

He fell silent. Mother left the room to tend to the crying little girl
who just woke up. In this vast, sparsely populated land, where noise
carries far and seems louder; the shifting gears of the truck were quite
audible, as they continued their climb up the slope, towards the few
houses on the hill. They were still a few kilometers away. Steadily, the
caravan on the horizon continued towards the mission; the orders have
been signed.

"Pay close attention, my son; they'll be here soon and I want to  make
sure you'll never forget it," the father said, as they all sat down on
the bed. "Jewish history, my son, is replete with hundreds upon hundreds
of expulsions - the forced evacuation of Jews from their homes and
lands. It began with the Ten Tribes, continued in the days of
destruction of the First Holy Temple, and transpired yet again when the
Second Temple was burned. We were not given too much time to catch our
breath. The list is long, my son: Babylon, Rome, Spain, England,
Portugal, Sweden, Poland, Italy and Bohemia. There were so many, I doubt
any country can be spared."

The little boy shivered and moved closer. The sounds of the trucks and
marching feet were distinctly audible now.

"And usually, they came at night, to wake us, to frighten us into
submission; and we never fought, we couldn't. So we left everything
behind and moved on. Dogs braying at our feet, soldiers with bayonets
ready to prod us on, the multitudes of Jews moved on. The long lines of
forlorn, beaten men, desperate women and wailing children was a common
sight. We were jeered and laughed at and urged to move on. And then came
the Nazis. Their expulsions encompassed most of the civilized world.
Their solution envisioned no more evictions. Theirs was to be the last
expulsion of Jews, ever. Had they succeeded, perhaps you and I would not
have been here today to witness, once again, the expulsion and
evacuation of Jews. We are the remnants that survived that unimaginable
march. We came here... so that never again will we be expelled from our
homes; or so we thought."

The little girl, head slumped on her mother's shoulders, slept
peacefully, oblivious to the growing noise. The boy's eyes were glued to
his father's lips, and his mouth hung open, swallowing every word.

Abba continued, "And all those expulsions and forced evacuations
combined didn't hurt as much as what is about to transpire."

"We must be stronger than ever, my son, because this time the pain is
worse than all combined. Because, son, they are our own."

The boy nodded his head as if that said it all. He seemed to understand.

The noise of the many engines suddenly died, and their headlights lit up
the room. There was a loud knock on the door, and three soldiers stepped
into the house..

The child's eyes moved from soldier to father, to mother, and back
again.

"We are ready to go," the father addressed the captain, and silently,
they all moved towards the door.

The soldiers moved aside. As father, mother, and sister exited, the boy
looked back at the soldiers and stopped. He was baffled, confused.

"Why are the soldiers crying, Abba?"

                              Reprinted from Beis Moshiach Magazine

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                 Jewish Teens from FSU Travel to Israel

Over 200 students from Ohr Avner Chabad High Schools in 25 cities
throughout the Former Soviet Union have travelled to Israel. The July
tour was the inaugural "Mekorot" trip sponsored by Federation of Jewish
Communities of the C.I.S. president Lev Leviev. The all-expense paid
trip to Israel aims to enable the participants to become acquainted with
the history and culture of Israel. One student shared, "After coming on
Mekorot, Judaism has suddenly become alive for me. When I touched the
Western Wall I began to cry." Additional groups are scheduled to visit
between August 2nd and 20th.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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        Excerpt of a letter, the date of which was not available

I trust you will not take it amiss if I will quote in this connection
the words of the wisest of all men, King Solomon, "G-d made man
straight, but they sought many accounts." In other words, man often
confuses himself with delving, unnecessarily, into inquiries and
accounts of things which should be taken for granted and which do not
really present any problems. Needless to say, that the more intellectual
a person is, the more he is inclined to seek "accounts" and,
consequently, the more apt he is to get confused.

This reminds me of the episode which a professor of medicine once told
me. On one occasion when he was learning anatomy, and particularly the
anatomy of the leg, describing the various muscles, etc., amounting to
hundreds, all of which are so perfectly coordinated in the motion of the
leg during walking, he became so engrossed in the details (all the more
so being a man of great intellect) that momentarily he found his walking
difficult and quite complicated as he began to analyze the working of
each muscle and joint, etc. The moral is obvious.

Now to your question:

I will first briefly state here the logical basis of the Truth that the
Torah and Mitzvos [commandments] have been given to us Jews by Divine
Revelation. This is not very difficult to prove, since the proof is the
same as all other evidence that we have of historic events in past
generations, only much more forcefully and convincingly.

By way of illustration: If you are asked, how do you know there existed
such a person as Maimonides (whom you mention in your letter) author of
Yad HaChazakah, Sefer HaMitzvos, etc., you will surely reply that you
are certain about his existence from the books he has written, and
although Rambam (Maimonides) lived some 800 years ago, his works now in
print have been reprinted from earlier editions, and those from earlier
ones, still uninterruptedly, going back to the very manuscript which the
Rambam wrote in his own hand. This is considered sufficient proof even
in the face of discrepancies or contradictions from one book of Rambam
to another. Such contradictions do not demolish the above proof, but
efforts are made to reconcile them, in the certainty that both have been
written by the same author.

The same kind of proof substantiates any kind of historic past, which we
ourselves have not witnessed, and all normal people accept them without
question, except those who for some reason are interested in
falsification.

In many cases the authenticity of an historic event is based on the
evidence of a limited group of people. Even where there is room to
suspect that the witnesses were perhaps not quite disinterested, if
there is nothing to compel us to be suspicious (and especially if we can
check the evidence and countercheck it) it is accepted as fact.

Now suppose that 600,000 parents would today say to their children,
"This morning you and we were all gathered at a certain place, and we
all heard a Heavenly voice proclaim the Decalogue." The children would
not accept this for they would say: "If we were there with you, why did
we not hear or see anything?" Now, making the single assumption that
human reactions have not essentially changed in the course of centuries,
I assume that such would have been the reaction also in the previous
century, and two centuries ago and so on, until we reach the generation
whose parents witnessed the event of the Giving of the Torah on Mount
Sinai.

And let it be emphasized again that during this long chain of tradition,
there has been no break, nor has the number of transmitters at any time
been reduced to less than many hundreds of thousands, for at no time was
there less than one million Jews in the world, Jews from all walks of
life, who had no personal ax to grind, etc., yet in each generation of
the uninterrupted and unbroken history of our people, this event was
accepted as authentic history and the text of the Decalogue remained
exactly the same. This is certainly undeniable evidence according to all
the rules of scientific proof accepted today.

The same cannot be said of any other religions in the world, which you
mentioned, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Islam. In the case of all
these religions, there is a definite break, or the tradition narrows
down to a single person such as Buddha, Mohammed, or the founder of
Christianity, who transmitted his teachings to a group of 12 Apostles.

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                            RAMBAM THIS WEEK
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5 Av, 5764 - July 23, 2004

Prohibition 252: It is forbidden to hurt the feelings of a ger (convert)

This mitzva is based on the verse (Ex. 22:20) "You shall not wrong a
stranger" A ger is a person who converted to Judaism and took upon him -
or herself to keep the Torah and mitzvot. We are commanded not to hurt
his feelings or say anything that may cause the Ger to be embarrassed or
feel uneasy.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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Tisha B'Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, occurs this year on
Tuesday, July 27. Tisha B'Av is a day of fasting and mourning. While
this sad day is most noted for being the day of the destruction of both
of our Holy Temples, we see that throughout our history, both before the
era of the Holy Temples and after, the ninth day of Av has been a day of
sadness and loss.

During the time that the Jews traveled in the desert from Egypt to
Israel, they sent spies to survey the land of Israel before entering.
When the spies brought back an untrue, negative report, the Jews
complained to Moses about being brought to Israel. For this, the Jews
were punished by having to remain in the desert for 40 years. This
punishment was meted out on the Ninth of Av.

In 1492, during the Spanish Inquisition, the Ninth of Av was the
deadline by which all Jews who had refused to be baptized had to leave
Spain. Those Jews who did leave often suffered great difficulties until
finding a new home, and many didn't survive the journey. Of those who
did remain and allowed themselves to baptized, many continued to retain
their Jewish identity, and became known as Marranos. Many of them were
discovered and burnt at the stake in mass Autos-de-fe.

In more recent history, World War I broke out on the ninth of Av,
causing a great upheaval among the European Jewish communities. It
brought about the Communist Revolution, which systematically set out to
destroy Judaism in Russia. The economic conditions in Germany following
their defeat in World War I led to the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust.

Our Sages teach us that in the future, when Moshiach comes, Tisha B'Av
will be transformed from a day of fasting and mourning to a day of great
joy. In this darkest time, the spark of redemption is born. May this
happen soon.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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These are the words which Moshe spoke to all the Jews... (Deut. 1:1)

When Moses spoke to the Jews he allowed himself several words of rebuke
with regard to their conduct during the travels in the desert. However,
only when speaking to the Jews did he rebuke them. When Moses spoke to
G-d on behalf of the people, he was a pure advocate. This is a true
lesson for every Jewish leader.

                                (Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev)

                                *  *  *


G-d should add on to you accordingly one thousandfold (Deut. 1:11)

Why did Moses bless the Jews after rebuking them? It is told that the
"Seer" of Lublin once berated himself in very harsh terms as if he were
the most renegade sinner.  Hearing this, his disciples were seized with
fear: "If our teacher is worthy of such, what is our lot?" The Seer felt
their uneasiness and remarked, "May your grandchildren be no worse than
me." So too with Moses. Having rebuked the Jews, he continued with words
of encouragement, "Even though I rebuked you, I still ask that it be
G-d's will that there be many like you in generations to come.

                                *  *  *


You have tarried long enough on this mountain - turn and take your
journey (Deut. 1:6)

G-d told the Jews that they had spent long enough at Mount Sinai, it was
time to move on. A person is not permitted to enclose himself in the
Tent of Torah and be satisfied with only working on himself. He must go
out to places far from established Jewish centers and bring the light of
Torah there, also.

                                                   (Likutei Sichot)

                                *  *  *


Hear the causes between your brethren and judge honestly between each
person (Deut. 1:16)

"Hear" - he who hears and feels the great love of the Creator for each
Jew - will behave in a manner of "between your brethren" - getting along
with people and appreciating each Jew. Another explanation: If you truly
want to hear and feel this love of fellow Jews, you should relate to
people in a manner of "between your brethren" - you must be sociable and
civil with them.

                                                    (Baal Shem Tov)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses all stood before G-d when they were told
about the destruction of the First Holy Temple.

"Why have I been singled out from among all the people, that I have come
to this shame and humiliation? Why have You exiled my children, and why
have You delivered them into the hands of evil robbers, who killed them
with all manner of horrible deaths? You have laid waste to the place
where I brought my sons as a sacrifice."

G-d replied: "They sinned, transgressing the entire Torah and the
message of the entire alef-bet."

Abraham then said: "Master of the World, who shall bear testimony
against the Jews, that they have transgressed?"

"Let the Torah come and testify," said G-d.

The Torah came and wanted to bear witness. Abraham said to her: "My
beloved daughter, are you not ashamed before my children? Remember the
day that you were given; how G-d carried you to all of the nations, and
none wanted to accept you, until my children came to Mt. Sinai and heard
you. And today you want to offer testimony against them, during their
troubles?"

The Torah was too ashamed to bear witness.

G-d said, "Let the 22 letters of the alef-bet come forward."

The letters came forward, wishing to testify. The alef was first. But
Abraham told her, "Remember the day when G-d gave the Torah and began
with an alef  - Anochi - I. None of the others nations wished to accept
you except the Jews. And now you want to witness against them?"

The alef slinked back in shame. But the bet came forward. Abraham said
to her, "My daughter, remember the Torah which begins with bet -
b'reishit - In the beginning. No one but the Jews would accept her and
you wish to bring testimony against them?"

When the other letters saw this, they all remained silent and none would
come forward.

Then Abraham said to G-d, "In my hundredth year You gave me a son. When
he was 37 years old You commanded me to bring him as a sacrifice and I
bound him! Won't You remember this and have pity on my children?"

Then Isaac spoke to G-d, "When my father brought me, upon your command,
as an offering, I willingly let myself be bound. I stretched out my neck
to be slaughtered. Will you not have pity on my children for my sake?"

Jacob, too, spoke to G-d, saying, "For twenty years I worked for Laban
so that I could leave him with my children and my wives. And when I left
Laban I was met by my brother Esau who wished to kill my entire family.
I risked my very life for them and bore much suffering because of them.
Will You not have pity on them?"

Finally, Moses approached G-d. "Was I not a faithful shepherd over
Israel for forty years, leading them in the desert? And when the time
came for them to enter the Holy Land, You commanded that I die in the
desert and not lead them there. Yet, I did not complain. You expect me
to watch them go into exile?"

Then Moses called to Jeremiah the prophet, who stood together with him
and the Patriarchs. "Come with me. I will take them out of exile."

When, by the rivers of Babylon, the people saw Moses together with
Jeremiah, they rejoiced. "Look, Moses has risen from the grave to redeem
us from our captors!"

But just then, a heavenly voice rang out, "It is a decree from Me and
can be no other way."

Moses wept as he spoke to the people and said, "My beloved children, I
cannot take you out for it has been decreed by the Master and only He
can redeem you."

Then Rachel, our mother, came before G-d and said, "Your servant, Jacob,
loved me dearly and worked for my father for seven years on my behalf.
But my father wanted to trick him and give my older sister, Leah, to him
instead. I heard of this and told Jacob. And I gave him a sign to that
he would know which sister they were giving him.

"But I took pity on my sister and did not wish her to be humiliated. So
I taught her the signs and even spoke for her so that Jacob would not
recognize her voice. And I was not jealous.

"Master of the World! I am but flesh and blood and I was not jealous of
my sister. You are merciful, G-d. Why are you 'jealous' that Israel
served idols? And because of this, you have exiled my children and the
enemy has killed all that they wanted."

Immediately G-d took pity on her and said, "Rachel, for your sake I will
return your children to the land of Israel."

About this the Prophet Jeremiah says, "A voice is heard on high,
lamentations and bitter weeping, Rachel weeps and it is said: 'Refrain
your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears for there is reward for
your labor... and there is hope for your end, and the sons shall return
to their boundary.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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The book of Lamentations, recited on Tisha B'Av, contains two
contradictory verses: "She [the Jewish people] cries in the night," and
"Get up and sing in the night."  It is obvious how the first verse fits
into Lamentations.  But how does the second passage relate to the
melancholy, mournful tone of the book? The answer to this question lies
in  understanding the eternity of our people.  Although we are still in
exile, we have the strength and capacity to pull ourselves out from the
depths and sing longingly of the final Redemption.

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                END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 829 - Devarim 5764
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