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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 851
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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 31, 2004        Shemos           19 Tevet, 5765
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                           Seeking the Heart

Before the advent of the Chasidic movement, prayer and Torah study were
primarily cold and cerebral. The Baal Shem Tov set the souls of the
Jewish people on fire, stirring them to a higher level of love for G-d
and enabling them to develop deeper bonds with their fellowmen.

He sent great scholars to learn from simple laborers who were untrained
in book knowledge but masters in expressing their love for G-d and for
their fellow Jews. He gave every person tools to tap the reservoir of
spiritual feelings in the depths of his heart and bring them to the
forefront of his experience. He and his followers made the Talmud's
teaching: "G-d seeks the heart," an operational message, not a
theoretical ideal.

Why this emphasis? Because our emotions reflect who we really are and
what truly motivates us. If there is no spiritual expression for these
qualities, our personalities will be disjointed. We will intellectually
understand and identify with Jewish values, but our feelings will focus
on material things. Such a dichotomy would undermine any attempts to
advance spiritually. Instead, our hearts should actually beat faster
because of our love for G-d, and we should taste genuine awe and dread
with the realization that we are constantly in His presence.

Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of Chabad Chasidism, and his successors,
perpetuated the Baal Shem Tov's legacy and expanded its scope,
accentuating how, in order to channel the emotions in G-d's service, the
mind must harness even the most powerful of our emotional resources.

Based on that premise, Chabad Chasidic philosophy has always viewed
emotions as a tool to bring about a more encompassing purpose. Emotional
expression in and of itself was never considered the ultimate goal.
Instead, the emphasis has always been on avoda, using the power of
intellect to direct the flow of emotions. Then, like a dammed river
whose force is employed to produce energy, the strength of our emotions
can be used to drive the turbines of our souls and refine and develop
our characters.

The term avoda literally means "service" or "work." Avoda molds and
refines the coarseness of our characters, and in the process, transforms
the way we relate to ourselves, our fellow man, and G-d. It makes the
concepts that we study real, not only intellectually, but emotionally,
unlocking the restraints we have within our hearts.

Rabbi Shneur Zalman also contributed another dimension to the concept of
serving G-d through the heart, focusing on those times when our hearts
do not respond as we would like them to. He explains how even when
insensitivity dulls our emotions and we do not experience genuine
spiritual feeling, we can remain aligned with our mission and conduct
ourselves according to the inner truth that we grasp. Though our
understanding is not powerful enough to transform the way we actually
feel, it can still guide our conduct.

        From the forward to A Knowing Heart, a collection of essays
          based on the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, published by
                                                  Sichos In English

    Ed.'s Note: There's no better time to begin learning how to apply
    these teachings than today. Call your local Chabad-Lubavitch Center
    for their schedule of classes and unlock your heart.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week's portion is Shemot, the first portion of the Book of Exodus.
Near the beginning of Shemot we read, "Pharaoh charged all his people,
saying: 'Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every
daughter you shall keep alive.'"

Pharaoh's main concern was that the boys be cast into the Nile River for
he had been informed by his astrologers that a Jewish child would redeem
the Children of Israel from Egypt. In decreeing death to male babies,
the fate of the girls should not even have been mentioned by Pharaoh. In
truth, however, the decree concerning the girls was just as harsh as
that of the boys.

Pharaoh ordered the Egyptians to cast the boys into the river in order
to cause their physical death. The same Egyptians were also told that
they must keep the girls alive, that is, raise them in the Egyptian way
of life. This would cause not physical death like the boys, but a
spiritual death.

Since the Torah mentions both decrees together in the same verse, this
indicates that "every daughter you shall keep alive" is a decree no less
harsh than "every son that is born you shall cast into the river." To
destroy the soul is as bad as to kill the body, in fact worse - for
spiritual death has an absolute finality that physical death does not.

The Nile was one of the Egyptian's gods. The Egyptians worshiped the
Nile for the simple reason that it was the very source of their
livelihood. "Cast the children into the river" indicates the two aspects
of the Egyptian Exile. There was the physical exile in which the body
was destroyed, and the spiritual exile in which the Jews were cast into
the idolatry and hedonism of Egypt. The Egyptian Exile is the root of
all subsequent exiles. Thus, the harsh decrees of this first exile are
found in every subsequent exile, including our present one.

Today, too, there is a "Pharaoh". He can be found in the prevailing
spirit  of the times with its pressure to throw Jewish children into the
"river" of the customs and practices of our society. Children become
immersed in today's "Nile" because of the assumption that the "Nile"
will assure them of a secure livelihood. Of the first redemption it is
said that "by virtue of the righteous women of that generation our
ancestors were freed from Egypt." What was the special virtue of those
women? They raised a generation of Jews. They reacted to Pharaoh's
decree to throw every new-born son into the river by arguing that no
attention should be paid to it. If there is a Divine command, it alone
must be heeded without calculating possible eventualities. By virtue of
these righteous women our ancestors were freed from Egypt.

It is precisely by ignoring the present day  "Pharaoh's" decree that we
save our own children and will speedily bring about the general
redemption for the Jewish people as a whole through our righteous
Moshiach.

           Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Rabbi
                                                 Immanuel Schochet.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                             On Inspiration
                            by Sara Karmely


    Ed.'s Note: Sara Karmely speaks internationally on the topic of
    Taharat HaMishpacha, the Torah's laws governing married life. This
    article is excerpted from the N'Shei Chabad Newsletter where Sara
    has a column in which she relates inspiring stories she has heard
    during her travels.

It was late on Shabbat afternoon. I was a guest in the home of the
Rebbe's emissaries in the city where I had gone to teach women about
Taharat HaMishpacha and Shalom Bayit - having peace within one's
marriage and home. The rabbi and other male guests had gone to the
synagogue to pray the afternoon mincha service and the women were
relaxing with the children, drinking tea and talking.

I could not help noticing one of the guests, an intelligent and elegant
lady not so young in years, a medical specialist, who had on her lap a
little boy of about three-years-old. He could have been her grandchild,
but I was told he was her son. Both mother and son were specially
tranquil and happy, smiling and close. When I showed interest in them,
she confided in me... and allowed me to print her story, albeit without
her name.

"Years ago, I did not look like I do now," she started, pointing to her
wig modestly covering her hair, with a smile. "I was far from observant,
and had no idea what Torah and mitzvot (commandments) were. My husband
and I were living in Greenwich Village in Manhattan when I decided, on
my fortieth birthday, that I wanted to have a child before it was too
late. After many months of trying to conceive without success, went to
the top fertility specialists. As I was working in a hospital, and I am
in the medical profession, I could get the best care possible, But it
was all in vain. I was well past 40 by now. All the specialists
discouraged me - my age, constitution and genetic problems all went
against me. My pain at hot having started earlier was intolerable. I
agonized that might never have a baby, G-d forbid.

"One evening, I was out on the balcony, and I was crying tears from the
bottom of my heart. Impulsively, I raised my face up to the sky and
said, "G-d, if You are really there, please answer me - what should I do
to have a baby?

"Suddenly, an apparition came just about here, above my left shoulder,"
and here she paused, to point to her shoulder, forming a large oval with
her hands. "It was a blinding white light, with a voice speaking so
kindly to me from the midst of the light. The voice said simply, but
insistently, 'Go to the mikva.' I answered, helplessly and in awe,
"What... where... is the mikva?" Because it was the first time I had
ever heard this word. But all I heard was: 'Go to the mikva.'

"The very next morning at work, I got online and found out what the word
mikva meant, and phoned a number I found. It was a Chabad-Lubavitch
number. The woman who answered sounded extremely busy. 'Look, if you are
truly interested in learning the laws of mikva, I will teach them to
you, but if not, please don't both me because I have to go on a trip and
I don't have time to waste.' Only after I had assured her of my
sincerity and begged her to take the time to teach me before her trip,
did she relent and take me seriously. But after my first class was over,
I sat with a heavy heart. How would I ever be able to convince my
completely non-observant husband to keep these laws that seemed so
foreign? I highly doubted he would consent to such outlandish practices!
Again, I asked G-d to help. And again, He did. My husband just looked
into my worried face, and said, 'We have to do what we have to do!'

"So we began keeping the laws of Family Purity, and soon I went to the
mikva for the first time. And nine months later..." and here she
couldn't continue speaking, just gave her a son a tight squeeze.

My newfound friend smiled through her tears. "How can you give a child
like this non-kosher food? So we began learning about how to keep
kosher, and soon koshered our kitchen. Going to mikvah, keeping kosher,
and yet no Shabbat? So we began observing Shabbat, for him. We found
Chabad, and we feel comfortable here. For our son's sake, we learn as
much as we can, and we keep adding to the mitzvot we do."

As she sat there telling me this story, light seemed to emanate from her
face, so softly framed by her modest attire setting off the whole
picture. The loving looks she bestowed on her precious child reminded me
of the saying of the Baal ShemTov that every Jew is as dear to G-d as
and only child born to parents in their old age.

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                     The Path of Your Commandments

Derech Mitzvosecha, roughly translated as "The Path of Your
Commandments," is the newest release by Sichos In English. The book
contains selected mystical discourses of the third Chabad Rebbe, known
as the Tzemach Tzedek. The discourses are translated into English and
are printed side-by-side the original Hebrew text. It includes mystical
perspectives on the commandments of tefilin, the beard, hair-covering
for women, and more.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                          5 Teves 5732 [1972]

I was saddened to learn of the passing of your venerable father __, of
blessed memory. Having been blessed with such a ripe old age and a full
life, serving Jewish communities in the Old and New Worlds, your late
father, peace to him, will certainly be missed by many. I extend to you,
and to all the bereaved family, my sincere condolences, and the
traditional blessing:

May G-d comfort you in the midst of all the other mourners for Zion and
Jerusalem.

The text of this blessing to the mourner, hallowed by tradition of many
generations, is significant and meaningful.

At first glance, the relevance of personal mourning to that of national
mourning is somewhat incongruous, since the former is fresh and vivid,
while the latter, though unforgettable, is nearly 2000 years old.

However, precisely in the coupling of the two together lies the inner
aspect of the comfort. For just as the loss of the ancient glory of
Jerusalem and the Beth Hamikdash [Holy Temple] is shared by all Jews, so
a personal loss is shared by all Jews, inasmuch as the Jewish people is
like one family, indeed like one organism, as our sages expressed it.

Furthermore, just as the consolation for the national bereavement is
sure to come with the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the Holy City, and of the
Beth Hamikdash, as has been faithfully promised by G-d through His
sacred prophets, so assuredly will G-d fulfill His promise for the
resurrection and the awakening of the Sleepers in Dust, to rise and sing
G-d's praises.

Finally, there is another point which is shared by both the personal
bereavement and the national bereavement: Just as in the case of Zion
and Jerusalem, it was only their material aspects, the wood, stone, gold
and silver, that were consumed, while the real sanctuary, "The Beth
Hamikdash" that abides in the heart of each and every Jew remains
intact, for it is indestructible - so in the case of the personal loss
of a near and dear one, only the physical body is mortal, while the soul
is eternal, merely departing for a higher world, the World of Truth.

Consequently, every Mitzvo [commandment] and good deed performed here on
earth by those left behind, which accords with the Will of the Giver of
Life, is also a source of gratification for the departed soul; indeed a
credit and Zechus [merit] for the Neshama [soul].

May G-d grant that henceforth you should know of no more sorrow, but
only goodness and kindness be with you and yours always.

With esteem and blessing,

                                *  *  *

                       25th of Teves, 5723 [1963]


Sholom u'Brocho:

I received your letter of the 20th of Teves, and am pleased to note that
you are making progress in your learning. I trust that you will not be
content with accomplishments in the past, and will make every effort to
do better, in according with the principle Maalin b'Kodesh [ascending in
holiness], and since the Torah and Mitzvos [commandments] are from G-d,
the Creator of Man, it is certain that he gave the ability to fulfill
what is expected. At the same time that is the channel to receive G-d's
blessings in a growing measure, including the matter about which you
wrote.

No doubt you noted the 150th Yahrzeit of the Old Rebbe [Rabbi Shneur
Zalman, founder of Chabad Chasidism], Baal HaTanya and Shulchan Aruch,
which we observed yesterday. Your father must have also surely told you
about the importance of the Old Rebbe, following in the footsteps of the
Baal Shem Tov, attached to Chinuch [Jewish education]. I hope you will
be a living example and source of good influence to your friends.

With blessing,

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                            RAMBAM THIS WEEK
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24 Tevet, 5765 - January 5, 2005

Prohibition 186: It is forbidden to cook meat and milk together

This mitzva is based on the verse (Ex. 23:19) "You shall not boil a kid
in the milk of its mother" This prohibition forbids us to cook milk or
dairy products together with meat or meat products. The Torah mentions
this prohibition thee times, from which the Sages derive that there are
three elements of the prohibition. It is forbidden to cook the mixture,
to eat it, and even to benefit from it.

Prohibition 187: It is forbidden to eat meat and milk together

This mitzva is based on the verse (Ex. 34:26) "You shall not boil a kid
in the milk of its mother" This verse teaches us that we are not allowed
to eat meat and dairy foods together. We must wait a certain amount of
time after eating meat, before we may eat milk products.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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The 24th of Tevet (coinciding with January 5 this year). It is the
yartzeit of Rabbi Shneur Zalman, the founder of Chabad Chasidic
philosophy.

Rabbi Shneur Zalman's works incorporated the whole spectrum of Jewish
thought. The philosophical system he created is a synthesis of the
mystical and revealed aspects of Judaism. But Rabbi Shneur Zalman was
not "merely" a cold, analytic scholar, as the following story reveals.

Once, Rabbi Dov Ber, Rabbi Shneur Zalman's son, was studying late at
night, his infant son in a cradle nearby. Rabbi Dov Ber was so immersed
in his studies that when the baby fell out of the cradle he did not hear
the child cry. Rabbi Shneur Zalman was also studying in another part of
the house. But he heard his grandson's cry and quickly went to pick him
up.

"You must always hear the cry of a child," Rabbi Shneur Zalman rebuked
his son.

This simple admonition is like the rallying cry of all of Rabbi Shneur
Zalman's descendants and followers since then. Rabbi Shneur Zalman
devoted his life to hearing the cry of every child-regardless of his
chronological age. Indeed, within each one of us there is a child crying
out to his Father in Heaven, waiting to be picked up, brought close.
Rabbi Shneur Zalman's teachings, especially his main work, the Tanya,
were written to help enable one to achieve that very closeness.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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These are the names of the children of Israel coming into Egypt (Ex.
1:1)

The verse says "coming," in the present tense, rather than "who came,"
in the past tense. For the duration of the 210-year exile in Egypt, the
Jews felt as if they had just arrived in that land. They never adopted
Egyptian ways and always considered their sojourn temporary.

                                                    (Ohel Yehoshua)

                                *  *  *


Rashi explains that even though they were already counted while they
were alive, the Jews were again counted after their passing, to show how
dear they were to G-d. They were likened to the stars, each of which G-d
counts and names, as it states, "Who takes out His hosts by number, to
each He calls by name." From this comparison to the stars we learn that
every Jew should realize the full extent of G-d's love for him.
Furthermore, the same way that the stars were created to light up the
surrounding darkness of the night, so is each Jew created in order to
spread the light of Torah and holiness throughout the darkness of the
physical world.

                                                       (Sefat Emet)

                                *  *  *


An angel of G-d appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a
thorn bush, and he looked, and behold the bush was burning with fire,
but the bush was not consumed (Ex. 3:2)

Man is likened to a tree in a field; Torah scholars are likened to fruit
bearing trees, while unlettered Jews are likened to trees that do not
bear fruit. The "flame of fire" was burning in the humble bush - the
simple Jew. The simple Jew, who prays and recites Psalms with a simple
faith in G-d, even without understanding the meaning of the words, has
within him the "flame of fire," a holiness because of his purity of
heart. The bush was also "not consumed." This fire can never be
extinguished, for it is the simple Jew who is forever thirsty for Torah,
always burning with a desire and longing for Torah, while the scholars
quench their inner fire with the waters of Torah.

                                                    (Baal Shem Tov)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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In 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia, and the route of the invasion led
through White Russia. Rabbi Shneur Zalman, leader of the Chasidic
movement in White Russia, who had twice been accused of high treason,
turned out to be a most loyal patriot. Although the French conqueror was
hailed in some religious Jewish quarters as the harbinger of a new era
of political and economic freedom, Rabbi Shneur Zalman saw in Napoleon a
threat to basic religious principles and spiritual values.

The Rebbe had nothing but contempt for the man whose arrogance and lust
for power knew no bounds, and who represented to the Chabad leader the
antithesis of humility and holiness. The Rebbe urged his numerous
followers to help the Russian war effort against the invaders in every
possible way. With the aid of his followers behind the enemy lines, some
of whom were employed by the French Military Command, Rabbi Shneur
Zalman was also able to render valuable intelligence service to the
Russian generals at the front.

When the French armies approached Liadi, the Russian generals advised
Rabbi Shneur Zalman to flee. In August (1812) the Rebbe hastily left
Liadi, leaving everything behind, and fled with his family towards
Smolensk. For some five months Rabbi Shneur Zalman and his family
suffered the hardships and perils of the road and of an unusually
inclement winter, until they reached a village in the district of Kursk.
Here the Rabbi succumbed to a severe illness in the final stages of the
harrowing journey, and passed away at the age of sixty-eight.

Traditions and records preserved in the family of Rabbi Shneur Zalman
provide interesting details in connection with the Rebbe's last and
fateful journey. From an account by Rabbi Nachum, grandson of the Rebbe,
relating his personal experiences, we learn the following details:

It was on Friday, the 29th of Menachem Av that the Rebbe fled from Liadi
on the advice of the generals commanding the Russian armies in that
area. Sixty wagons were put at his disposal, but they were not enough,
and many had to walk on foot. A number of armed troops were assigned to
accompany and protect the caravan. In view of the rapid advance of the
French army, the generals suggested that the best route for the flight
of the Rebbe would be through the town of Bayev. But the Rebbe decided
to head for Krasna, urging the caravan to make the utmost haste, in
order to cross the river Dnieper at the earliest possible time.

After covering a distance of about two miles, the Rebbe suddenly
requested the accompanying troops to let him go back to Liozna. Arriving
at his deserted house, he ordered his men to search the house carefully
to make sure that nothing whatever, however trivial, had been
overlooked. The only things found were a pair of worn-out slippers, a
rolling pin and a sieve, which had been left in the attic. He ordered
these to be taken along, and to set the house on fire before the enemy
arrived, first removing the sacred Torah scrolls from the adjacent
synagogue. Then he blessed those of the townspeople who remained in the
town, and speedily departed again.

No sooner had he left the town on the road leading to the Dnieper, then
the avant-coureur of Napoleon's army reached the town from the opposite
end. Presently, Napoleon himself with his entourage entered the town on
their galloping steeds. Napoleon inquired after the house of the Rebbe,
but when he reached it, he found it ablaze, the fire burning beyond
control. Napoleon wished to have something which belonged to the Rebbe
and offered a rich reward to anyone who could bring him anything. But
nothing was there. [It seems that Napoleon practiced some sort of
sorcery for which such an object was required.]

During all his long and arduous journey Rabbi Shneur Zalman kept in
touch with the situation of Russian Jewry caught in the gigantic
Franco-Russian war. The retreating Russian armies, using the scorched
earth policy in order to deprive the enemy of vitally needed supplies,
exacted a tremendous sacrifice from its own people. At the same time the
invading armies plundered everything they could lay their hands on.
Starvation and ruination were the order of the day, and the Rebbe's
heart went out to his suffering brethren, who were the most hard-hit
victims of the invasion.

The Rebbe had foreseen Napoleon's invasion of Moscow as well as his
defeat there. He also predicted that Napoleon's final defeat would be at
the hands of his own compatriots. At the same time he knew that the
retreating French armies, starving and desperate, would plunder the
Jewish communities which lay in their path. Arriving in Piena, the Rebbe
embarked upon a relief campaign to aid the Jewish victims of the war,
including resettlement plans, fund raising, and relief distribution. For
ten days after his arrival in Piena the Rebbe worked feverishly on his
plans and projects to alleviate the plight of his brethren. Then, he
fell ill, his condition worsening day to day. At the conclusion of
Shabbat he composed a letter full of mystical allusions, and a few
minutes later he returned his soul to his Maker.

Reprinted from Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Kehot Publication Society

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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In the book of Exodus (this week's Torah portion of Shemot) we read of
G-d afflicting Moses' hand with leprosy and then making it healthy again
"Behold his hand was as leprous and white as snow...and behold it was
turned again as his other flesh" (Ex. 4:6,7) Leprosy is symbolic of
Exile and healthy flesh symbolizes the Redemption. Through this sign,
G-d hinted to Moses that the leprosy-exile would be transformed into
healthy flesh-the redemption, and could occur in the blink of an eye.

                                                      (Ohr HaTorah)

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                END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 851 - Shemos 5765
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