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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 936
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                           Copyright (c) 2006
                 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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        September 8, 2006       Ki Savo            15 Elul, 5766
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                        Report Card Time - Not!

The theme of the current Jewish month of Elul is to heighten and
intensify our love relationship with G-d. It is a time to review our
Divine service and through teshuva, sincere repentance, to correct any
faults that might exist.

But that is only the surface dimension of the spiritual dynamic of Elul.
Inside - within our hearts and within G-d's heart, as it were, a
different motif is operating: an attempt to seek G-d and have G-d seek
us in a very deep manner.

There are those who might focus on the mechanics of the month - what
sins they must repent for and what degree of regret they must have.
Others penetrate to the spiritual core of the month and focus on
developing intimacy with G-d.

A person should never remain content with merely performing deeds.
Judaism is not a grown-up version of grade-school where you get checks
and x's and you have to make up for bad conduct. There is a deeper
dimension to our relationship with G-d.

Conversely, it is not sufficient to focus on our inner dimension of G-d
to the exclusion of performing the deeds He commanded us and refraining
from the activities which He forbade. Could you imagine a husband or a
wife protesting "I love you," and the spouse responding, "Then why do
you always ignore the simple requests I make of you," and "Why do you
always do things that you know upset me."

Which of the two would you believe? If you love someone, you do things
for them. And you don't do what upsets them.

These two movements need not present a conflict. It's like the body and
the soul; the two should function in harmony. Similarly, the inner
dimension of our love relationship with G-d should breath energy and
vitality into the day to day norms of our Torah observance and
conversely, those daily norms should be mediums for the expression of
our inner love.

By doing this, we prepare ourselves for a good and sweet year, a year
when G-d will grant us both material and spiritual blessings, including
the ultimate blessing - the coming of Moshiach.

Indeed, there is an intrinsic connection between the above concepts and
the era of Moshiach. Firstly, it is in that era that the love
relationship between G-d and the Jewish people will reach its peak.

But more particularly, it is in the era of Moshiach that the integration
of the physical and spiritual will be complete. At present, our every
day existence appears to run contrary to the spiritual truth that lies
at the core of all existence. A commitment to the spiritual is looked on
as strange by some. And it requires effort and energy to develop; it is
not our natural framework of reference. In the Era of the Redemption,
this will change. Just as today, we are naturally aware of material
reality, then we will be conscious of the spiritual. It will be the
ordinary way of looking at the world.

Our world and all the positive dimensions of material reality will
continue to exist. They will, however, be imbued and permeated with
spiritual light.

                                From Highlights by Rabbi Eli Touger

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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The Torah portion of Ki Tavo begins by saying: "When you come to the
land that G-d your L-rd is giving you as a heritage, occupying and
settling it, you shall take of the first fruits...and go to the site
that G-d will choose as the place for the indwelling of His name." Rashi
comments: "This teaches us that [the Jewish people] were not obligated
to bring the first fruits until they conquered and divided the land."

Offering the first fruits served for the Jewish people as a gesture of
thanks to G-d for leading them into the Land of Israel and allowing them
to enjoy its bounty. It thus indicated that they were not ingrates.

The above is also related to Chai Elul, (the eighteenth day of Elul),
which occurs this coming week on Monday. For it is the birthday of two
great luminaries - the Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chasidic Movement,
and Rabbi Shneur Zalman, the founder of the Chabad-Lubavitch segment
within that movement. Among the fundamental principles they taught are
the obligation to love one's fellow Jew and the concept of the intrinsic
unity of the Jewish people which are alluded to at the beginning of this
week's Torah portion, the week in which Chai Elul occurs.

How are love and unity among Jews best achieved? When two or more people
unite, then no matter how strong their bond may be it is not absolute
unity, since they are intrinsically disparate entities; their union is
but an extension to their essential being. We thus understand that the
unity of the Jewish people, which is an absolutely true and essential
unity stems from the fact that all Jews, by virtue of the common Source
of their souls, are truly one.

Nevertheless, the true unity of the Jewish people finds expression
specifically when Jews, existing as distinct and separate individuals,
are even then, truly united as one. Indeed, if the unity of the Jewish
people were not to find expression among Jews who exist as distinct
individuals, this would prove that their`unity does not stem fro- the
essence of their being, for an individual's essence must be found in all
his particular and detailed aspects.

This, then, was the deeper reason as to why the Jewish people were not
obligated to bring their offerings of the first fruits until they had
conquered and divided the land - for it served as an indication of the
true and absolute love and unity that existed among them, to the extent
that no individual could be truly joyful so long as tHere existed one
fellow Jew who did not yet have a portion in Israel.

And as to ourselves, by truly loving our fellow Jews, we can once again
merit to "come to the land" of Israel--through our Righteous Moshiach,
speedily in our days.

       From The Chasidic Dimension, adapted by Rabbi S. B. Wineberg
                           from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                   What's So Good About Being Jewish?
           by Zalman Velvel (Stu Silver) www.ZalmanVelvel.com

I joined Chabad six years ago, and since then, I have been trying to get
my children to join me on my educational journey with Chabad. When we
get serious, they say, "Dad, we have a close family that we love. We
have good friends that we enjoy. And when we close our eyes at night, we
sleep peacefully knowing we've done okay with our lives."

Then they ask, "Why, suddenly now, Dad, because you joined Chabad, when
we turn on a bathroom light on Friday night, we're doing something
wrong? And are you implying if we stop eating cheeseburgers, it's going
to save the world as we know it? Well, Dad?"

They think they have me. They're surprised when I answer, "No I don't
believe any of those acts, by themselves, affect much outward change.
It's the thoughts and feelings that you put into those special rituals,
and others, that will enhance your life."

Then I ask "What are you doing to enhance your life? At a Reggae Club on
Friday night, does a Tequila Sunrise awaken you to G-d? Or on Saturday,
when you go shopping at the Edison Mall, do you have a religious
experience in Burdines?..."

They counter with, "Yeah, well what's so good about being Jewish?"
Finally, the core issue.

"Good about Jewish? Kids, look around you! It's everywhere. For the last
3,000 years, the world has copied the best, and the easiest, of what we
hold precious - one God, ten commandments, a holy Sabbath."

They counter with, "That was then, Dad, this is now. What is Judaism
going to do for us now?"

And this is where the going gets tough. How do I define being Jewish, in
America, in the 21st century ... while standing on one leg? I remember
when I was in my early 20's - I was ultra- materialistic.

I want better than that for my children. I want my children to have
values that will strengthen them when I am no longer around - the same
values that strengthened the Jewish people for thousands of years. I
hear Rabbi Itchie's voice in my head, saying, "The goal of Judaism is to
elevate your life."

It sounds good, so I expand upon it, "Kids. the goal of Judaism is to
elevate every part of your life, to make each day meaningful and
fulfilling."

At this point, I expect a standing ovation. Instead, my children listen
politely, look at their watches, and then excuse themselves. I'm not
getting through to them. It is so difficult to get through when you
start as late as I did.

But I want to get through. I want them to know the most important reason
to learn about our heritage, a reason I didn't comprehend until a short
time ago. And like so many important things in life, it happened by
accident.

Itamar Simchon, my Hebrew teacher and friend, had seen a picture of me
on my office wall, one taken before I had this beard and yarmulke. He
turned to me and asked, "What happened? What did Rabbi Itchie do to you
?"

I gave a quick answer: "I had never seen a Jew with so much faith in
God, and it affected me."

But Itamar's question haunted me an entire week. My answer to Itamar was
true, but it wasn't the primary truth. I thought back to my first
meeting with Itchie, when he came into my office and asked for my help
in finding a good deal on a shul. And I thought about the many
discussions, and arguments, we have had over the last six years, and how
Rabbi Itchie always seem to sense when my spirit, and faith, were
lacking. His prescription was always the same: "Let's study."

And I remembered how studying our Torah shocked me, when I discovered
how our religion had been copied by the world around us, sometimes by
the very people who have tormented us.

And then after studying our history, I came to believe it was no
accident that our people have made some of the most important
contributions in science, medicine, law, art, literature, philosophy,
economics, agriculture, family values, etc., way out of proportion to
our numbers. Because of our religion's emphasis on elevating our lives,
we have helped elevate life for others - even if we rarely get thanked
for it.

And while I was once embarrassed to be different, something new and
profound happened: I found myself proud to think like a Jew, act like a
Jew, and look like a Jew.

And this new Jewish pride compelled me to share our heritage with
children, even if I couldn't do it with my own ... yet. (I say "yet",
because I'm still plugging away every Shabbos.)

There were others at Chabad who shared this pride, and it led to the
creation of the Chabad afterschool program, Beit Eliyahu. After last
year's Chabad Founders' Dinner, Beit Eliyahu was funded with books and
computers, a pool, a basketball court, and a playground.

Then the Rabbi and Nechamie went out into the community and invited
families to send their children to Beit Eliyahu. How did our community
look at this addition?

Some the parents said, "Great! It's about time."

And some of them said, "Sorry Rabbi, my son has soccer practice after
school." "Sorry, Nechamie, my daughter has gymnastics after school."
"Sorry, our kids want to watch television."

The Rabbi and Nechamie persisted. And because of that persistence, there
are almost 40 children who come to Chabad, after their regular school
day is over, to learn about our proud heritage.

I'm excited about this program because it will ignite the sparks inside
a lot of little Jewish souls, and awaken them to the blessing I missed,
and my children missed, when we were their age.

It wasn't easy for me to stand here tonight and discuss publicly my
trials as a Jewish father. We must pay careful attention to our
children's Jewish education, so it will become a source of pride, and
strength for the years to come. Otherwise, we may find ourselves sitting
alone on our end of the family tree, the last Jew on the branch.

       From a talk at the Chabad of Southwest Florida annual Dinner

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                        Chabad News from the CIS

A "family summer camp" was held under the auspices of the Jewish
community in Lugansk, Ukraine. The unique program offered a variety of
sports activities, entertainment and Jewish educational programs, each
specially suited to the age group that attended. The camp was so
successful that it has already been decided to operate it for 2 sessions
next summer. The Synagogue on Karu Street in Tallinn, Estonia, will be
dedicated this coming fall. The new synagogue, which will be 1,000 sq.
meter, is urgently needed as Estonia is the only European country
without a synagogue. The first Bar Mitzva to take place in Uzhgorod,
Ukraine, in many decades was held this past month. Over 100 community
members were in attendance. Many of the older members of the community
cried openly when the young man was called up to the Torah.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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  Freely translated and adapted from a letter of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

The month of Elul, as is well known, is the month of honest
self-assessment of the outgoing year, and, at the same time, the month
of preparation for the new year - which is, clearly, also the purpose of
the honest stock-taking; i.e. not only to try to make good one's
deficiencies, but also to know, and to resolve with proper
determination, the right path of future daily conduct henceforth. And
this will make the coming year a good and sweet one spiritually, hence
also a good and sweet year materially.

In the month of Elul itself, the 18th (Chai) Elul comes as a special
reminder, with encouragement and exhortation, in the said two aspects of
self-assessment and preparation. Its message is: With this day begins
the last 12 days of the year; hence the self-searching must now be more
intensive and embrace all the months of the year - each day
corresponding to a month, the start being Chai Elul. Moreover, according
to our Rebbes, the day of Chai Elul must infuse vitality (chai - life)
into all details of the Divine service of the entire month of Elul and
in its two general aspects of assessment and preparation.

One may wonder what has "vitality" to do with such a thing as an honest
self-assessment which deals with "hard" facts. The connection is as
follows: There is the well-known instruction that just as one must not
forget one's shortcomings in order to rectify them fully, so must one
not forget one's good qualities, in order to utilize them to the fullest
degree.

In order that this should be accomplished in the proper way - and to the
greatest possible degree - the assessment must be done with real
vitality.

Whereas an honest assessment of one's shortcomings might sometimes
induce discouragement, or worse, despair, an honest evaluation of ones
achievements might lead to complacency and to the conclusion that one
has already attained a state of perfection.

However, the sign and effectiveness of vitality is in growth, and not
the growth of a vegetable, which remains in the same place (and
situation), but of a living creature - moving from one place to a better
place. Growth is indicated not only by changing location, but also by
growing through personal change, a change in one's nature, habits and
entire being from good to better and better still.

This is the true vitality of Jew who has been commanded to refine and
change his character attributes.

The capacity to attain all the above has been given to every Jew, or,
using the quotation above, to "all of you," from "the heads of your
tribes" to "the hewer of your wood and the drawer of your water."

For the vitality of every Jew derives from, and is bound up with, the
Source of Life, as is  written,  "And you who  are attached to G-d, your
G-d, are all of you living this day - by virtue of your attachment to
G-dliness, the Source of life and vitality, through the Torah, the Torah
of Life, and the mitzvoth (commandments)  whereby Jews live.

Moreover, it is a matter of common experience that everything done with
vivacity can be achieved with greater success and more completeness. And
- what is no less important - such activity makes the proper impact on
others inspiring them with the same spirit, for the best influence is a
living example.

May G-d grant, that everyone, man and woman, take full advantage of the
great opportunity of the last days of the year and those following, all
the days of the coming year - to act with true vitality in fullest
measure, as above.

And in the merit of it everyone, in the midst of all our Jewish people,
should be inscribed for a good and sweet year, for good life and for
peace,

Unto the coming of our Righteous Moshiach, and the fulfillment of the
divine prophecy: "The strength and glory of the Righteous shall be
uplifted," very soon indeed.

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                                CUSTOMS
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            Why are there different types of shofar blasts?

The word used in the Torah to describe the sound of the shofar also
denotes the sound of someone crying. There are two categories of crying
sounds. The first is like the moaning and crying of a person in pain,
which is slightly drawn out. Another type of crying is tightly spaced
short sobs. And sometimes, the first turns into the second; longer
sounds followed by the shorter sounds. The first category of sounds are
called shevarim; the second, teru'ot; and the combination,
shevarim-teru'ot. Each type of crying must have a single long sound,
called a tekiah, preceding and following.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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During the month of Elul we blow the shofar in preparation for the High
Holidays. The Baal Shem Tov, whose birthday we celebrate this week on
Monday, the 18th of Elul, told the following parable about the Jewish
people and the shofar:

A mighty king had an only child, a beloved son. Though the prince grew
to be a well-educated young man, he and the king decided that by
traveling to other countries he would further enhance his knowledge.

The prince set out, laden with wealth and accompanied by nobles and
servants. The prince travelled for years and years, studying the people
and countries he encountered and acquiring a great taste for luxuries.
At first slowly, and then more quickly, the prince spent his money until
he was finally left penniless, without servants or friends, far from his
father's palace and comfortable life.

Slowly, the prince made his way back to his homeland. He arrived at his
father's palace, bedraggled and exhausted. He had been away so long,
though, that he had even forgotten his mother-tongue. Through signs and
gestures, he tried to convince the palace guards that he was the prince,
but the guards just laughed and beat him.

Finally, the prince cried out in anguish and grief, a wordless cry full
of desperation and agony. And his father, the king, heard and recognized
the prince's cry and ran out to greet his son.

The king is, of course, G-d, the King of Kings. The Jewish people are
the prince. G-d caused the soul to descend into and wander in the body
to perform mitzvot and do good deeds. However, the person often gets
distracted and wanders far away. Eventually, however, when he notices
the poverty of his life, he returns to his "Father's palace" though he
no longer even knows the language or how to communicate with G-d, the
King. So, he utters an incoherent cry, but a cry from his very
depths--the cry of the shofar. And the cry of the shofar is recognized
by the King, who lovingly accepts him and all His returning children.

May we all merit to truly hear and experience the cry of the shofar.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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                            Parshat Ki Tavo

Rabbi Shneur Zalman was the regular Torah reader.  Once he was away on
the Shabbat of the Torah portion, Ki Tavo. His son, Dov Ber (not yet bar
mitzva), heard another person read the Torah that week. His anguish at
the curses in the section of admonition caused him so much distress,
that on Yom Kippur (three weeks later) Rabbi Shneur Zalman doubted
whether his son would be able to fast. When they asked Reb Dov Ber,
"Don't you hear this portion every year?" he replied, "When father
reads, one hears no curses."

                                *  *  *


G-d has forsworn you this day...to keep all His commandments (Deut.
26:18)

Is it not already stated in the previous verse, "and to keep His laws
and commandments"?  Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev explained that the
verse "and to keep all His commandments" here refers to G-d Himself, Who
is also obligated to keep His commandments to us, especially the mitzva
of "you shall not delay in paying your hired laborer," and He must give
us all life and sustenance.

                                *  *  *


And you shall take from the first of all fruit of the earth. (Deut.
26:2)

One should offer to G-d the "first" and the best of all his worldly
possessions, and dedicate them to holiness, as it states, "all of the
best part (literally, fat) is for G-d." In this instance, the
commandment to bring the fruit as an offering was not to place it upon
the altar, consumed by fire from Above, and nullified by G-dliness.
Rather, it was carried out by giving the fruits to the Priests, to be
eaten, and in this way were they sanctified. This teaches us that the
aim is not to nullify the material world, but rather to introduce
holiness into it. And this is why it states "from the first" and not
"all of the first." The purpose is not that a person shouldn't have
anything remaining of his possessions; on the contrary, he should have
fruit, and also "first fruits" - the very best. We should only make sure
that we are mindful of their inherent holiness, for from them were
brought offerings to the Holy Temple.

                                                   (Likutei Sichot)

                                *  *  *


All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you (Deut. 28:2)

G-d promises that when a Jew follows the Torah, he will be rewarded with
many blessings that will "overtake" him. Why is it necessary that they
"overtake" him? Why would anyone run away from something good? Sometimes
we don't have the capacity to understand what true blessing is, and we
attempt to run in the opposite direction. But G-d, in His infinite
wisdom, directs us to the true good and blessing, even if we do not
comprehend, with our limited intelligence, where we are heading. The
Torah tells us not to worry; G-d will bless us even against our will.

                                             (Degel Machane Efraim)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of Chabad Chasidism (author of the Tanya
and the Shulchan Aruch), had many thousands of followers. When any one
of them had a serious problem, they would come to Liozna, the small town
in White Russia where the Rebbe lived, to ask his advice and blessing.

So it was that one of his followers, who lived in a nearby village, came
to the Alter Rebbe one day with tears in his eyes, and poured out his
troubled heart to him. He told the Rebbe that he had a teenage boy, whom
he tried to bring up in the way of the Torah and mitzvos. He was a fine
boy, devoted to his studies, and observant of the mitzvos. But suddenly,
something got into him, and he began to turn away from Torah and
mitzvos. The heartbroken father feared that his son might go completely
astray, and he begged the Rebbe to tell him what to do to bring him back
to the right path.

"Do you think you could persuade your son to come and see me?" the Alter
Rebbe asked.

"I'm afraid that in his present state of mind he may not be willing to
come to the Rebbe," the villager answered sadly.

"Then try to find some excuse to get him to come here. Perhaps you can
send him into town on some errand?" the Rebbe suggested. "Once he is in
town, a way will be found to get him to see me."

Somewhat encouraged by the Alter Rebbe's optimism, the Chassid returned
home with a lighter heart.

Thinking about a way of carrying out the Rebbe's suggestion, he suddenly
had an idea. His son was very fond of horseback riding. Now, it was not
considered nice for observant young Jews to ride into town on horseback,
but his son did not worry about what people might say, and whenever the
opportunity presented itself he would ride right into town on horseback
like any non-Jewish country yokel.

So the Chasid thought up an errand and asked his son to go into town.

"If I can ride into town. . . ." the son said. His father nodded.

The young man went galloping into town. Little did he know that the
errand was really a pretext for his father's friends to get him to the
Rebbe's house.

Shortly he found himself facing the Rebbe, who greeted him warmly.

"But why did you choose to ride into town on horseback, instead of in a
buggy?" the Rebbe asked.

"Well, I just love horseback riding. My horse is a fine animal; why not
take advantage of such a fine horse?" the boy replied.

"And what are the advantages of such an animal?" asked the Alter Rebbe.

"A good horse runs fast. You gallop away and you reach your destination
so much quicker," said the young man enthusiastically.

"That is all very well-if you are on the right road," countered the
Rebbe, "but if you are on the wrong road, you can only travel quickly in
the wrong direction!"

"Even so," insisted the young man, "the horse could help you quickly get
back to the right road, if you catch yourself and see that you are on
the wrong road. . . ."

"If you catch yourself and see that you are on the wrong road," the
Alter Rebbe repeated slowly and emphatically. "Yes, my son, if you catch
yourself before it is too late, and realize that you have strayed from
the right path; then you can quickly return. . . ."

The words of the Alter Rebbe, uttered deliberately and pointedly, struck
the young man like a bombshell, and the Rebbe's penetrating eyes seemed
to pierce right through him. The boy fell down in a faint.

He was quickly revived, and in a subdued voice he asked the Rebbe's
permission to remain in Liozna, so that he could renew his Torah studies
and come back to his family as a Torah-observant Jew.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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In the days of Moshiach the Divine light will be utterly revealed in the
heart of every individual, and in every heart there will be a constant
and visible fear of G-d; as it is written, (Isaiah) "They shall go into
the caves of the rocks and into the tunnels of the earth, for fear of
G-d...." The body too will change. It will be like the body of Adam
before the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, clean of any evil. As the
Midrash states, "His heel threw a shadow on the orb of the sun." That is
to say, his body was nullified to the Divine Will even more than was the
inanimate sun.

                                             (Derech Chayim, p. 25)

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                END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 936 - Ki Savo 5766
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