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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 849
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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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        December 17, 2004       Vayigash           5 Tevet, 5765
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                       Six Degrees of Connection

Perhaps you've heard of the Six Degrees game? It's based on what appears
to be an improbable statistic. Take any two people and you can find a
connection between them by six or fewer stages of circumstance or
acquaintance.

For example, you are only six degrees of separation from a world famous
chess player like Boris Gulko or a member of baseball's Boston Red Sox:
in the first instance, you know someone who plays chess (or you play
chess yourself) (1); you have an acquaintance, or you have a friend who
has an acquaintance, that has played in a nationally rated tournament (2
or 3); that person has played in a tournament, or knows someone who has
played in a tournament, in which a grand master also played (3 or 4);
that grand master has played in, or knows another grand master who has
played in, a tournament where Boris Gulko also played (4 or 5). For six
degrees of separation from a famous baseball player, start with someone
with a child in Little League or someone who's attended a professional
game.

But this game is more than an idle pastime. Social scientists,
psychologists and mathematicians have studied the phenomenon. They call
it the "small world paradox." In fact, probability theory predicts that
two people picked at random have a 99% chance of being connected by only
two intermediates. (Person A knows someone who knows someone who knows
Person B.)

Not only that, but we can actually directly influence, by an average of
five intermediates, someone we've never met. A psychologist selected a
"starting person" at random and asked him to send a document to a
"target person" (pre-selected) he didn't know elsewhere in the country.
The "starting person" mailed the document to someone he thought would
know the "target person." The friend was asked to forward the document
to someone else likely to know the "target person," etc. It took the
document from two to 10 "hits" to reach its destination, with an average
of five.

The popular parlor game  and the scientific studies both show us that we
are more interconnected, more dependent on each other, than we imagine.
Our every action creates an immediate ripple effect.

A story concerning the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe (known as the Rebbe
Rashab), emphasizes the consequences of our actions. One time he was in
the midst of studying with two of his Chasidim when a messenger arrived
from another city with urgent news about a decree affecting all Jews of
his city. The Rebbe told the messenger he would attend to the matter
after concluding the scheduled study.

Since the Rebbe and his companions were scholars of the first rank they
could have shortened or delayed their studying without ill effect. Why
delay urgent community business? Because, the Rebbe explained, his
studies are directly connected with the the Jewish identity of another
Jew. If he alters his study schedule, a lesser scholar will have to wait
for an answer to a perplexing question. That scholar's delay will in
turn lessen the care with which someone else observes a mitzva. And so
on, down the chain, until the neglect accumulates and culminates in a
Jew going away from Judaism altogether, G-d forbid.

Long before "six degrees" was created or the "small world paradox" was
discovered, Jewish teachings stated that every action we perform can and
will impact the entire world. This means that putting a mezuza on our
door, giving charity, learning the alef-bet, saying "hello" with a
smile, influences and affects someone even more than six degrees of
connection away. And each time we do a mitzva we move not only
ourselves, but we move the entire world, closer to the Redemption.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week's Torah portion, Vayigash, relates how Joseph revealed his
identity to his brothers and asked them to bring his father Jacob down
to Egypt.

An obvious question is raised by the entire story of Joseph and his
brothers: Joseph was 17 years old when sold into slavery. It is true
that he was in Egypt for 13 years, but still 17 years are a long time.
Why didn't the brothers recognize Joseph after having lived with him for
so long? As Rashi comments, in Egypt he matured into manhood, and had
grown a beard. Nevertheless, that should not be so great a factor to
prevent his brothers from recognizing him.

To resolve this question, we have to understand the difference between
the spiritual makeup of Joseph and that of his brothers. Joseph's
brothers were shepherds - as were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob before them.
Why did they choose this profession? Because caring for sheep does not
involve constant activity or tension-producing interpersonal
relationship. One spends much time in the fields and there is the
opportunity for contemplation. In such a setting, a person can stay in
touch with the spiritual.

Now the brothers knew that Joseph was spiritually oriented, indeed, more
so than they were. It was not for nothing that Jacob had singled him out
for personal attention. When they saw a man busily involved with running
Egypt's entire economy, they concluded that this could not be Joseph.
Joseph, so involved in material things, buying and selling? Impossible!

How indeed could it be so? Did Joseph sacrifice his spiritual
consciousness when he became viceroy of Egypt?

Chasidic thought says no. On the contrary, it was precisely because of
his heightened spiritual consciousness that he acted as he did.

To explain: There are those who chose the spiritual over the physical.
They look at the spiritual and the physical as opposites, and opt for
the spiritual. There are, however, certain select individuals whose
spiritual awareness is so great that it enables them to understand how
G-dliness encompasses the physical as well, how there is no entity that
is apart from Him.

This is the meaning of the words "G-d is one" in the Shema. Not only
that there is only one G-d, but that everything is at one with Him.

This was the nature of Joseph's awareness. He did not see the need to
retreat from material involvement to be involved with the spiritual.
Because of his single-minded devotion to G-d, he was not separate from
Him although he was involved in material tasks. Although he embraced
worldly activity, it did not take him away from his spiritual
consciousness.

        From Keeping In Touch, adapted by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger from
         the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Published by Sichos In
                                                           English.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                  The Art of Illuminating Jewish Souls
                        by Rabbi Zushe Greenberg

Not so many years ago, in the absence of electricity, night time meant
darkness in the villages of our ancestors.

And then, along would come a worker with a torch in his hand. He would
light the lamp posts, bringing a small flicker into the night. The light
would create a soft, warm glow throughout the town.

As we recently celebrated Chanuka, the "Festival of Lights," this might
be an appropriate time to look at the correlation between lighting a
lamp and lighting a soul.

In Wirtzber, Germany, 1907, a Chasid asked Rabbi Sholom DovBer of
Lubavitch (the fifth Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, known as the
Rebbe Rashab), "Rebbe, what is a Chasid"

Generally, the word "Chasid" means disciple or follower. But the Rebbe
replied, "A Chasid is a lamplighter. The lamplighter walks the streets
carrying a flame at the end of a stick. He goes from lamp to lamp to set
them alight."

"What if the lamp is in the desert?" asked the Chasid.

"Then he must pack his bags, and go and light it," said the Rebbe.

"What if the lamp is at sea?" the Chasid queried.

"Then one must take off one's clothing, dive into the sea and go light
the lamp," was the response.

"The soul of man is the candle of G-d," says King Solomon in the Book of
Proverbs." A lamplighter is one who puts aside his personal affairs and
sets out to light up the souls of Jews with the light of Judaism.

But how exactly does one go about lighting up a Jewish soul? We know we
must be careful because fire, while so important to our survival, is so
harmful if mishandled.

A good way to light candles is to gently hold the flame near the wick
and allow it to catch on fire. A good way to light up a Jewish soul is
to hold the flame nearby and teach, not preach the beauty of Judaism and
allow it to catch on.

Then, these illuminated Jewish souls naturally kindle other souls around
them.

Recently, I was approached by a stranger who greeted me warmly.

"You don't know me," she said. " But I must tell you that my family,
especially my little children, love our new Friday night customs and
it's really to your credit. I started lighting Shabbat candles and
buying challah. It's amazing what a little ritual can do to transform a
meal."

That sounds wonderful," I replied. "But you haven't explained my
connection."

It turned out that a friend of hers, Susan, had come to our house for
Shabbat dinner. Susan enjoyed it so much that she began having Friday
night dinners herself, and invited her friend as a guest.

I had not known that Susan began to celebrate Shabbat this way. When she
was at our home, each ritual sparked new questions and challenges.

Like Susan, we can all be lamp lighters, especially now that we have
celebrated Chanuka, the Festival of Light. We lit our menoras in our
homes, quietly illuminating the darkness around us. When we kindle a
light for our own benefit, it benefits all who are also in the vicinity.

    Rabbi Greenberg is the founder and director of the Chabad Jewish
    Center, Solon, Ohio.

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                        Mini-Chanuka Photo Recap


A public menora lighting in Nyugati Ter,

Budapest, attended by over 500 people each night.

The world's largest ice menora graces the landscape in Krasnoyarsk,
Russia, for the fifth year.

Lego Menora in the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas

Estonian President Arnold Ruutel visited the Jewish Community Center in
Tallinn and local Jewish educational institutions on Chanuka.

On the hills of Hebron, Israel, overlooking the city where our patriachs
and matriarchs are buried, one of the five holy cities in the Land of
Israel.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                       Freely translated letters
                         25 Sivan, 5712 [1952]

Greetings and Blessings!

I received your letter...in which you de-scribe the state of your
business affairs, your considerable debts, etc. etc. You write further
that you have a possibility of selling some of your properties, but that
you find yourself unable to decide alone what you should do. Above all,
it appears from your letter that you are dispirited, so that as a matter
of course your trust in G-d has weakened.

The phrase I just used was "above all." As is stated in our holy sources
in general and in the literature of Chassidus in particular, every-thing
depends on bitachon, trust. A man's trust is the measuring stick of the
extent to which his material affairs are bound and fused with the
Creator. If this fusion is complete, it is certainly impossible for
anything to be lacking, because in the worlds Above, the concept of
lacking is utterly non-existent.

In accordance with your request, I mentioned your name in connection
with the fulfillment of your needs when I visited the holy resting place
of my revered father-in-law, the [previous] Rebbe. That said, since you
asked for my advice, I hold that you should focus on toiling on yourself
- to fortify your trust in G-d to the greatest extent possible.

In truth, having the attribute of trust means that even if according to
the laws of nature one sees no way out, in one's mind it is beyond all
doubt that everything will be good, in a way that is actually visible
and manifest to fleshly eyes, with regard to having an ample livelihood,
sound health, and so on. From the perspective of the world Above,
considerations of nature are quite immaterial.

Accordingly, once a person raises himself up and adopts a stance that is
even slightly above the ground - that is, he brings himself to the
realization that since he is a believing Jew, he is utterly certain that
there is no master over him but G-d alone - he can draw down and
actualize this certainty here, too, so that in this physical world, too,
considerations of nature will not affect him adversely (G-d forbid).

I firmly hope to G-d that if you will only fortify your trust to the
utmost, you will immediately see a change in the Providence which
governs your material business affairs and that your situation will
begin to improve, and to proceed from good to even better.

In addition, it would be appropriate to immediately begin giving tzedaka
(charity) as you are used to do, and to increase your accustomed
donations at least slightly. I look forward to hearing good news from
you on all the above.

With blessings for material success, and may the teachings of Rabbi
Shneur Zalman [founder of Chabad Chasidism] be fulfilled in your life -
that G-d grants Jews materiality, and they transform materiality into
spirituality.

                                *  *  *

                      13 Menachem Av, 5712 [1952]

Greetings and Blessings!

It pained me to be told that you are still downhearted, and I understand
that this is also the spirit in your home.

I have no desire to become involved in a lengthy discussion as to
whether the claims that have been made are justified or not. Obviously
it takes no great effort to understand why your spirits are as they are,
after the calamity that took place (May no one know of such things!).

Nevertheless, Jews in general, being believers, and Chasidim in
particular, should cleave to G-d, our L-rd, steadfastly and overtly - as
it is written, "And you who cleave to G-d, your L-rd are all alive
today."

Now, being truly alive means not merely pushing through one day after
another. Being truly alive means that one's life should lack nothing of
whatever you and your wife need materially and spiritually. However, it
can happen (G-d forbid) that perhaps one does not deserve to receive
such blessings from G-d. Concerning such a situation it is written in
the holy Zohar:

"If, from down here below a person shows a luminous countenance, in the
same way does a luminous countenance shine upon him from Above... In
this spirit it is written, "Serve G-d with Joy": the joy of a mortal
elicits upon himself another, Supernal joy. Similarly the world below,
being thus crowned, draws down blessings upon itself from Above.

In brief: When one fortifies his trust that G-d will provide reasons to
make him happy, in good spirits, and cheerful, and when one is so strong
in this trust that it influences his daily life, he thereby draws down
these reasons for being happy from Above.

Moreover, even one's fleshly eyes can then see that the trust was
vindicated.

May G-d grant that you and your wife and all your family should witness
this palpably, as soon as possible.

Looking forward to good news,

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                            RAMBAM THIS WEEK
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7 Tevet, 5765 - December 19, 2004

Positive Mitzva 216: "Yibum"

This mitzva is based on the verse (Deut. 25:5) "Her husband's brother
shall marry her" If a man dies childless, one of his brothers is
obligated to marry his wife.

8 Tevet, 5765 - December 20, 2004

Positive Mitzva 217: Allowing a Childless Widow to Remarry

This mitzva is based on the verse (Deut. 25:9) "And she shall remove his
shoe off his foot"

If a person does not wish to marry his late brother's childless widow,
he must follow a special procedure in court to allow her to remarry.
This procedure is called Chalitzah and includes removing the man's shoe.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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This coming Wednesday (Dec. 22), the tenth of Tevet, is the anniversary
of the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezar, King of
Babylon. The siege eventually resulted in the destruction of the First
Holy Temple in 422 b.c.e.

There is a beautiful response from the Rebbe to a question from an
individual living in Israel concerning the Fast of the Tenth of Tevet.
The Rebbe encouraged this person not to overlook the "so-called 'small
and unsophisticated' things which each modest congregation, or even each
individual, can and must do..."

One needn't think and act big, in terms of global dimension, in order to
help the situation of Jews spiritually and materially the world-over.
Each individual can make a special added effort on the Tenth of Tevet to
increase in the areas of Torah study, prayer and charity. One can even
repeat these three "pillars on which the world stands" numerous times
throughout the day. In this way, every single Jew will have a great
impact on himself and his surroundings.

In the merit of each and every individual who makes this added effort,
may G-d fulfill His promise that "These days will be transformed into
days of rejoicing and gladness," with the true and complete redemption
through Moshiach.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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For every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians (Gen. 46:34)

Joseph behaved in a manner that is the exact opposite of how some people
behave. He knew that, because the Egyptians worshiped sheep, shepherding
was considered an abominable occupation. Yet, he immediately told
Pharaoh that his brothers were shepherds. In this way, it would be
obvious that they would not be trying to find favor in the eyes of the
non-Jews and they could live in peace as Jews in their own land.

                                       (Rabbi Yitzchak Meir of Gur)

                                *  *  *


And Joseph gathered all of the silver found in Egypt and Canaan (Gen.
37:14)

The gathering of silver by Joseph hints at the reason why the Jews went
down to Egypt. They went in order to gather and elevate the "holy
sparks" which were found there.

                                           (The Maggid of Mezritch)

                                *  *  *


Here is seed for you; and you shall sow the land (Gen. 47:23)

The righteous Joseph, the spiritual leader of every generation, gives
each of us the encouragement and strength we need to worship G-d. But we
must not rely solely on that which we receive from the leader; we must
also sow the seeds we are given.

                                                (Lubavitcher Rebbe)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Hillel ran a tavern, which he rented from the wealthy non-Jewish
landowner. His customers, the local peasants, appreciated Hillel's
service and honesty. Only one peasant showed open animosity toward the
Jewish tavern keeper. Stefan, a coarse, foul-mouthed lout who was almost
always drunk, resented the fact that Hilke, as he was known
affectionately, refused to serve him more whiskey when he had had too
much.

Stefan swore revenge on the Jew. And so, he decided to implicate Hilke
in a crime. Stefan went to the government authorities and told them that
Hilke was not collecting the proper tax on the whiskey he sold. To back
up his accusation, he provided the names of several of his fellow
Jew-hating peasants willing to swear that Hilke sold them "illegal"
whiskey.

An investigation was launched. The false witnesses appeared and swore
their false statements. The judge, an anti-Semite himself, took this
opportunity to condemn all Jews for their thievery and trickiness, and
imposed the harshest sentence possible on the hapless Hilke.

Hilke, of course, denied any wrong-doing. With tears in his eyes he
claimed that he was the victim of a vicious plot. Many of his customers
came and gave testimony as to Hilke's good character, and even the
landowner himself spoke warmly of "his" Jew. The investigators saw that
Hilke was indeed, not guilty, but what could they do? They couldn't
simply ignore the sworn testimony of Stefan's friends. The case dragged
on for almost a year, during which time Hilke became depressed and
broken, staying in his house much of the time reciting Psalms.

Hilke's wife, Devorah Leah, watched as her husband grew more and more
discouraged. Her father had been a chasid of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of
Lubavitch. She requested her husband travel to Lubavitch to seek the
advice and blessing of the Rebbe.

Hilke, however, did not come from a Chasidic family, and had never
visited a Rebbe, and wasn't anxious to do so now. But, as the date of
the trial drew nearer, he decided to listen to his wife and set off for
Lubavitch.

In Lubavitch, Hilke saw many people waiting for days to see the Rebbe
privately, so many that Hilke was discouraged and almost returned home.
It was only after explaining the urgency of his situation to the Rebbe's
secretary that he managed to get an appointment for the following day.

When he entered the Rebbe's room, Hilke suddenly felt at a loss for
words. He began to weep as he poured out his heart to the Rebbe,
explaining the terrible plot which had been instigated against him.

The Rebbe listened patiently, and then said, "Don't cry, Hilke. G-d will
surely help you. Everything in the world, every single creature, was
created for a particular purpose. Even mice sometimes benefit man. Go
home, Hilke, and put your trust in G-d."

Hilke left the Rebbe encouraged, though he did not exactly understand
the Rebbe's words. Hilke's wife was equally mystified, but she trusted
that G-d would fulfill the blessing of the tzadik.

The day of the trial arrived, and Hilke and Devorah Leah traveled to the
courthouse which was filled to overflowing with people eager to hear the
verdict. Hilke sat on the defendant's bench, pale, reciting Psalms with
such an intensity that he became oblivious to his surroundings.

The trial opened, and Stefan was brought in. He repeated all his false
accusations but when he was questioned by the defense lawyer, he became
confused and was caught in his own contradictory statements. He wasn't
worried, though, since he was sure that the testimonies of the other
witnesses would wrap up the case.

But when the names of the next witnesses were announced, there was a
long silence. Not one of Stefan's gang members had shown up; it seemed
that something had happened to each one to prevent him from appearing.

Things were going well for Hilke, but the prosecutor wouldn't give up.
He requested the original documentation, and so, the judge sent his
clerk to bring the papers from storage. All present waited impatiently
for the clerk to return, but when he did, he was empty-handed. He
whispered something to the judge, who roared back, "Bring whatever there
is!"

"But Judge," said the clerk, "There is nothing left. Mice have eaten up
the whole file!"

"That's impossible," roared the judge. "Go and bring me the whole
drawer." The clerk soon returned with a large, heavy drawer filled with
shredded bits of paper.

And so it was that although every other document in the drawer was in
perfect condition, only the file of Hilke had been completely destroyed
by the mice.

Hilke, absorbed as he was in reciting Psalms, had no idea what had
happened, and was surprised by the crowd of well-wishers and relatives
who ran to him wishing a mazel tov. When he learned that the charges had
been dropped, he thanked G-d for having saved him from this terrible
plot. As they returned home, his wife filled in all the details of what
had transpired in the courtroom, and only then did Hilke begin to
understand the words of the Rebbe.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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When Jacob was about to go down to Egypt, G-d promised to eventually
redeem him. The literal translation of the verse reads: "I will go down
to Egypt with you and I will bring you up, also bring up." (Ex. 46:4)
The repetitiveness intimates that G-d promised Jacob that the Children
of Israel would be redeemed twice. The first time was when G-d brought
us out of the exile from Egypt. The second time will be with the final
redemption through Moshiach, as it says (Isaiah 11:11), "On that day G-d
will add on a second time to recover the rest of His nation."

                                                      (The Midrash)

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               END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 849 - Vayigash 5765
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