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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 938
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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 22, 2006    Rosh Hashana         29 Elul, 5766
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                               One Chance

We Jews love to ask questions. For instance, as we read or listen to the
news, a continuous murmuring of "Is it good for the Jews?" can be heard
on our lips.

Have you heard the news? This year, the first day of Rosh Hashana occurs
on Shabbat. Is it good for the Jews?

Of course it is!

To explain: One year, when the first day of Rosh Hashana occurred on
Shabbat, the famed Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev stood in the center
of his synagogue and cried out to the heavens:

"Master of the Universe! Today, all Your creatures go before You like a
flock of sheep, and You pass judgment upon them. Two great books lie
open before You, the book of life and the book of death. The righteous
are inscribed in the book of life, and the transgressors are written in
the book of death, G-d forbid.

"But today is Shabbat. Did You not command in Your holy Torah that it is
forbidden to write on Shabbat? True, it is permitted to violate Shabbat
in order to preserve a life, so You are permitted to inscribe the
righteous in the book of life. But no such clause permits inscribing
those who have transgressed Your will in the book of death. I therefore
inform You, dear Father in Heaven, that according to the law of the
Torah, You must inscribe all Your children for a year of life, health
and prosperity!"

So, it IS good for the Jews that the first day of Rosh Hashana occurs on
Shabbat this year, for surely we will all be inscribed for a year of
life, health and prosperity.

But, on the other hand, the main, ultra-special, utterly important and
crucial commandment that all Jews must fulfill on Rosh Hashana - more
important than eating apple dipped in honey (that's a custom), or
brisket dripping in luscious gravy (well that's just delicious) - is to
hear the shofar sounded on Rosh Hashana. And when Rosh Hashana occurs on
Shabbat, the shofar is NOT sounded. So we only have one opportunity to
hear the shofar sounded this year, on Sunday, the second day of Rosh
Hashana.

Does that mean that it's not "good for the Jews?" Do we somehow lose out
on the chance to be inspired by the shofar's message to "wake up from
our slumber" and to return to our intrinsic Jewishness, to stand at
attention as the shofar trumpets the announcement that G-d is the King
of Kings, to simply hear the shofar blown, thereby fulfilling a mitzva
that connects us with our Jewish roots?

Of course it's good for the the Jews. Because Shabbat coinciding with
the first day of Rosh Hashana takes our service to an even higher level
where the sounding of the Shofar is not needed. This means that the
messages of the day are fulfilled even more completely,

In addition, it IS good for the Jews because surely when G-d sees all of
us making the effort - and going out of our way - to hear the shofar on
Sunday and fulfill this mitzva that we only have one chance to fulfill
this year, He will connect the sounding of the shofar in the tens of
thousands of synagogues around the world to the sounding of the Great
Shofar that will herald the era of international peace, pristine health
and mind-altering Divine knowledge - the Era of Moshiach. And that will
be good not only for the Jews, it will be good for the entire world, let
it happen now!

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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The Torah designates the first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei as the
date on which we celebrate Rosh Hashana, the New Year. However, this is
not the anniversary of the beginning of creation, for the Talmud teaches
that the first day of creation was actually five days earlier on the
25th of Elul.

Nevertheless, we celebrate the new year on the sixth day of creation
which is actually the day on which Adam, the first person, was created.

The reason for this is that it wasn't until Adam was created that the
Creator Himself was recognized. In fact, it was man who instilled an
awareness of G-d into all of creation.

One of the primary characteristics by which man is distinguished from
all other creatures is the free will with which he has been endowed by
G-d. This "gift" must be properly utilized, for it allows him to rise
above all of creation and achieve the very highest of spiritual levels.

G-d revealed His holy Torah to help man achieve perfection and find the
right way in life. G-d's Torah is eternal, and its directives apply in
every time and in every place.

On Rosh Hashana man is not only judged by G-d but must render judgment
upon himself. As soon as Adam was created, he declared, "O come, let us
worship and bow down; let us kneel before the L-rd our Maker."

Thus, each year on Rosh Hashana, we follow his example and accept G-d's
sovereignty upon ourselves anew.

On Rosh Hashana we resolve to live our daily lives in accordance with
the Torah's laws, and to do so in the very finest manner of which we are
capable.

Of course, a lot of inner strength is necessary in order to live up to
our resolution. But is it really possible to experience the same sense
of G-d's Kingship as our ancestor Adam?

The answer is a resounding "yes!"

G-d grants each and every one of us immense powers -- a tremendous
capacity for choosing the right path. Indeed, when we uncover these
inner strengths, nothing is beyond our reach, and on Rosh Hashana we can
surely attain the same perception and recognition of G-d in our daily
lives as did Adam, and extend that recognition to those around us.

Thus, on Rosh Hashana we declare: "And every creature shall know that
You have created it...and every soul shall say, 'The L-rd G-d of Israel
is King, and His sovereignty reigns over all.' "

        Adapted from Likutei Sichot vol. 9 of the Lubavitcher Rebbe

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                            Cooking the Year
                            by Illana Attia

You are probably wondering what the Attia family is going to eat on the
two nights of Rosh Hashana. The righteous Jewish women of Tripoli
(where my husband was born) in their wisdom through the centuries have
removed the burden of menu planning. Every holiday has its specific
menu, from which we must not deviate, neither to add nor detract.

My husband Yehuda, however, has improved upon the tradition.  Before the
main course there are hors d'oeuvres of seventeen types of food over
which all Sephardic Jews say a blessing beginning "May it be Your
will...". The blessings are both puns on the names of the foods and
reflections on their meaning. Over beet leaves (selek) we implore G-d
that our enemies should vanish (yistalku). Over the lung we beseech a
year light as a lung. If you are interested in the benedictions and the
recipes, I'd be happy to send them to you, but that's not the point I
want to get to. I would like to use this forum to reply to my mother.

The improvement that my husband has made to the Rosh Hashana banquet is
that he discards the main course (couscous and mafrum, naturally) and
instead serves a full course of each "May it be Your Will" hors
d'oeuvres. This way our twenty guests can drink their fill of the
homemade kiddush wine, eat plenty of the home baked challah, and fully
enjoy: the Golan apples dipped in honey; the raisins and bananas;
pumpkin jam, apple jam, and quince jam; leek, dates; pomegranate seeds;
candied carrots; beet leaf and sunflower seed patties; piquant fish;
heart and lung cooked with black-eyed peas (rubia); and the tongue
cooked in tomato and leek.

"But honestly, Eileen," my mother always remonstrates. "Why so much
work?"  Why indeed so much work? What could be a more appropriate way to
bring in the new year than to work hard to celebrate it? On Rosh Hashana
the universe was created. G-d did not stand over boiling pots to do
this. His energy transcends our understanding of what energy is. He
willed everything into being through Divine Utterances. Yet, the
Creation is a tremendous work, a phenomenally incomprehensible
enterprise designed and executed for us to live in. He gives us freedom
of choice. How do we wish to live our lives? We were created in the
image of G-d. But how can we live up to our image?

Between being a passive consumer or an active creator, we resemble G-d
more by doing, making, giving. Our creativity is not His Creativity; and
our hardest or most sophisticated labor cannot produce His handiwork.
Yet still I believe that working, creating, and giving with the right
intentions are analogous to G-d's ways.

Cleaning the house and cooking for guests is not the sum total of the
effort needed, though. The housework and cooking only set the stage for
higher action - mitzvot commanded through the Torah. Every mitzvah
requires will power, energy, time. These are the hospitality gifts we
give our Maker forgiving us such a wondrous world.  Of course, I shall
never deliver this speech to my mother, but perhaps you, dear reader,
will forgive my excesses and judge my intentions for the good! May your
year be as sweet and full as our table laden with the banquet of life.

    Ilana Attia is the managing editor of B'or Hatorah a "Journal of
    Science, Art & Modern Life in the Light of the Torah"

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                          A Place of Their Own

This book is the story of the foundation of Shamir - an organiza-tion
dedicated to providing that "special space" where new immigrants from
Russia to Israel could grow whole again, based on the personal records
of Peter Kalms. How Shamir then came to reach out to educate Russian
speaking Jews the world over.

                           Much, Much Better

Shlomo and Miriam are a happy couple who love to welcome guests for the
Shabbat meal. One week, they can't find a single person to join
them,until they open the door to a mysterious guest! Adapted from a
classic tale of Elijah the Prophet by Chaim Kosofsky. Illustrated by
Jessica Schiffman, published by Hachai Publishing

                     Letters from the Rebbe Vol. 6

Thanks to the many individuals who graciously consented to share their
personal correspondence with the Rebbe, this sixth volume of Letters
from the Rebbe is now readily available for the benefit of the larger
public. Scores of letters, most originally written in English, many
previously unpublished, offer guidance and inspiration on a wide variety
of topics. Published by Otsar Sifrei Lubavitch.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                 From a letter of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
                 In the Days of Selichoth, 5724 (1964)

The celebration of Rosh Hashana has been ordained by the Creator to take
place not on the anniversary of creation in general, but specifically on
the anniversary of the creation of man.

There is a great significance in this:

The creation of man did not merely bring to a conclusion the whole of
creation at the end of the six days of Genesis, but it also brought the
creation to completion and fulfillment.

With the creation of man, the universe attained its wholeness - not
merely because the last and most superior creature made its appearance,
but also because man is that creature which can, must and eventually
will bring all other creatures to their ultimate fulfillment.

This is achieved when man utilizes, (in the fullest measure), all his
own capacities, as well as all the resources of nature - in the
inanimate, vegetable and animal "kingdoms" - for the good and holy.

Because in this way each created being, and creation as a whole, is
brought into harmony with the will of the Creator.

One of the main distinguishing features in the creation of man is that
one man was created, unlike other species which were created in pairs.

This indicates emphatically that one single individual has the capacity
to bring the whole of creation to fulfillment, as was the case with the
first man, Adam. No sooner was Adam created on the first day of Rosh
Hashana than he called upon, and successfully rallied, all creatures in
the world to recognize the sovereignty of the Creator, with the call:

"Come, let us prostrate ourselves, let us bow down and kneel before G-d
our Maker!" For it is only through "prostration" - self-abnegation -
that a created being can attach itself to, and be united with, the
Creator, and thus attain fulfillment of the highest order.

Our Sages teach us that the first person, Adam, was the prototype and
example for each and every individual to follow: "For this reason was
man created as an individual in order to teach you - one person equals a
whole world," our Sages declared in the Mishna.

This means that every Jew, regardless of time and place and personal
status, has the fullest capacity, hence also duty, to rise and attain
the highest degree of fulfillment, and accomplish the same for the
creation as a whole.

Rosh Hashana - the anniversary of the first, and single, human - reminds
every Jew of this duty.

Rosh Hashana disproves the conten-tions of those who do not fulfill
their duty, with the excuse that it is impossible to change the world;
or that their parents had not given them the necessary edu-cation and
preparation; or that the world is so huge, and one is so puny - how can
one hope to accomplish anything?

Rosh Hashana offers the powers needed to fulfill this duty, because on
this day the whole of creation is rejuvenated; a new year begins, with
renewed powers, as on the day of the first Rosh Hashana.

"Establish Your reign upon all the world... that every creature shall
know that You did create it." The fact that each one of us prays for
total Divine Sovereignty and the identity of each created thing with its
Creator is proof that the attainment of this goal is within reach of
every one of us.

There were times when the aforesaid idea, namely, the ability of a
single indivi-dual to "transform" the world, met with skepticism, and
demanded proof.

However, precisely in our generation, we unfortunately do not have to
seek far to be convinced that one person could have such impact. We have
seen how one individual brought the world to the brink of destruction,
but for the mercies of the King of the Universe, Who ordained that "the
earth shall stand firm; shall not fall."

If such is the case in the realm of evil, surely one's potential is much
greater in the realm of good. For, in truth, creation is essentially
good, and therefore more inclined towards the good than its opposite.

May G-d grant that everyone, man and woman, should firmly resolve on the
day of Rosh Hashana to give full expression to the spirit of Rosh
Hashana, as indicated above; and that these resolutions should be
carried out in the actual everyday life of the coming year.

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                                CUSTOMS
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       What special foods are customarily eaten on Rosh Hashana?

There are many foods eaten for symbolic reasons on Rosh Hashana. Apple
dipped in honey signifies our wishes for a sweet year. Eating fish,
which multiply quickly, or carrots, ("merin" in Yiddish which means to
multiply) signify our hope that the Jewish people multiply. Some have a
ram's head on the table to recall the ram which was offered at the
binding of Isaac; others eat a fish head, to signify our wish to be "a
head, not a tail." A pomegranate symbolizes a Jew's many merits, as our
Sages say, "every Jew is as full of mitzvot as a pomegranate is full of
seeds."

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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We would like to wish the entire Jewish People our sincerest blessings
for a k'siva vachasima tova, l'shana tova u'msuka - to be inscribed and
sealed for a good, sweet year, with blessings from every letter of the
Hebrew Alef-Beis.

May this year be:

A year of "Arise and have mercy on Zion,"... uplifted in matters of
Moshiach and the Redemption... faith in G-d and Moses His servant...
traveling with the Heavenly clouds... Revealed Wonders; Wonders in
Everything... the building of the Holy Temple... trust; Great wonders...
the true and complete Redemption; Dignified Wonders... victory... the
seventh generation is the generation of Redemption...King David lives
and is eternal; "Those who rest in the dust will arise and sing and he
will lead them"... Moshiach is coming and he has already come... the
revelation of Moshiach; "He will redeem us"... "And they believed in G-d
and in Moses His servant"; "This one will comfort us"; the wonders of
true freedom... a new song; an abundance of good (Rambam); the king
shall live; inscribed and sealed for a good year... the harp of
Moshiach; learning Moshiach's teachings; the coming of Menachem who will
comfort us... the King Moshiach; wonders... revealed miracles... a
double portion; treasures... the completion and end of exile... the
revelation of the Infinite Divine Light; "Humble ones, the time of your
Redemption has arrived"; "Jerusalem will dwell in open space"; Your
servant David will go forth; the ingathering of the exiles... acceptance
of his sovereignty by the people; Rebbe - Rosh B'nei Yisrael; peace... a
new song... Moshiach's shofar... unity of the Torah, unity of the Jewish
people, unity of the land of Israel; Resurrection of the Dead... "A new
Torah will come from Me"

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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The Eve of Rosh Hashana

As a young boy, the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak,
asked his father, the Rebbe Rashab, what he was supposed to be doing on
the day before Rosh Hashana. "We recite Psalms the whole day long and
feel remorse for our misdeeds of the past year, so that by the time
evening falls and the new year begins, we are free of all our bad
habits," his father replied.

                                *  *  *


Day of Judgment

Rosh Hashana is the day of judgment for all humankind. On this day man
is judged as to the events of his life during the forthcoming year.

                                           (Talmud, Rosh Hashana 8)

                                *  *  *


Sounding the Shofar

When the Jewish people hear the shofar, they are capable of bringing
about the final Redemption. When they sound their shofars in fulfillment
of the mitzva of Rosh Hashana, their hearts are opened, they shudder
over their sins, and in a brief moment their reflections turn to
repentance. They barely conclude their shofar blast and the sound of the
shofar of Moshiach is already heard. The shofar sounds blend - his and
theirs - and behold, Redemption comes.

                           (Book of Our Heritage by Rabbi E. Kitov)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Two hundred years ago, there lived in Germany, a Jew who was not only
learned and G-d-fearing, but wealthy, as well. He was blessed with 18
intelligent and G-d-fearing children.

One day, the man gathered together his eldest sons and told them:  "The
time has come for you follow the teaching of our Rabbis: 'You should
travel even a great distance in order to reach a place of Torah
learning.' Today, I am giving you my permission to go and study in a
distant yeshiva. Should you find a suitable match, you also have my
permission to marry and establish a proper Jewish home. I make only one
request of you, and that is that after three years have passed you
return home so that we may all enjoy each others company and share our
Torah learning. Giving each son some money, he blessed them and sent
them on their way.

One son, Yechiel Michel, went to Poland to study the new path of Divine
service taught by Baal Shem Tov. He became one of the disciples of the
Besht, excelling both in learning and character. So much did he please
his teacher, that he was given the Baal Shem Tov's only daughter, Adel
in marriage.

When the three years had expired, Yechiel Michel wished to fulfill his
promise to return to his father. He asked  and received his teacher's
blessing to go, but when he requested a blessing to return in time to
celebrate Rosh Hashana in Medzibozh, received no answer.

When he returned home, Yechiel Michel found that all of his other
brothers had already arrived. Their father had invited all of the
scholars of the town to join them at a great feast during which he
requested each of his sons expound upon some of the Torah thoughts they
had learned. Each son spoke, and their learned discourses afforded great
pleasure to their father as well as to the assembled guests. Only
Yechiel Michel seemed unimpressed. When it was his turn to speak, he
replied only that he had nothing to say, other than that the meal was
delicious.

With tears in his eyes, his embarrassed father called Yechiel Michel to
account for his bizarre behavior. Not only had he appeared to be an
ignoramus, but a glutton as well, reserving his comments only for the
food! Yechiel Michel apologized, saying that it had not been his
intention to offend, and to make amends, he offered to give a Torah
discourse at the soonest possible opportunity.

The father agreed and arranged another festive meal, inviting the same
guests. Again, the brothers spoke, and again, Yechiel Michel paid
inordinate attention to the meal; but this time, after each of the
brothers spoke, Yechiel Michel casually tossed out a few questions, the
profundity of which utterly destroyed their elaborately constructed
discourses. The whole assemblage was dumbstruck.

When it was Yechiel Michel's turn to speak, he told the audience about
the new ideas and ways of his master and father-in-law, the Baal Shem
Tov.

As he passed through a forest, he was set upon by a group of thieves.
After taking all of his possessions, save his tallit, tefillin and
shofar, they sold him as a slave. He was put aboard a ship which sailed
for many weeks, until it was hit by a fierce storm and demolished.
Grabbing onto a loose board, Yechiel Michel managed to float to the
safety of a small island.

Time passed, and Rosh Hashana approached. When the holiday arrived,
Yechiel Michel prayed with great intensity and fervor, and when he
concluded, he blew his shofar thirty times, concentrating on the
meditations he had learned from the Baal Shem Tov. He then prayed the
additional services and again blew the shofar to a total of 100 sounds.

Unbeknownst to him, he was being observed by inhabitants of the island
who gazed at this strange figure in wonder. Watching him swaying and
gesticulating wildly, crying and blowing on a horn, they concluded that
he must be a madman. The following day, the king of the island went to
investigate, and when he felt it was safe he sent his messengers to
fetch the stranger.

The king questioned him about his origins and the meaning of his strange
behavior, and Yechiel MicHel explained his predicament, and requested
help in returning to his wife and father-in-law. The king was impressed
by Yechiel Michel's manner and bearing, and told him that a ship visited
the island once a year to trade and do business, and would be arriving
within a few weeks. The two conversed further, and the king grew to like
Yechiel Michel and invited him to remain on the island. When Yechiel
Michel politely declined, the king then asked Yechiel Michel send him a
group of three hundred Jews to establish a colony on the island. Again,
Yechiel Michel had to refuse, replying that he lacked the power to send
anyone to the island, and that, in any case, if it was the will of G-d
that Jews live on the island, they would arrive there anyway, even as
captives in chains.

When at long last, Yechiel Michel returned to his home, his
father-in-law greeted him warmly, with the comment: "You answered the
king wisely. Know that you were brought to that island by Divine
Providence. Since the creation of the world no Jew had ever set foot on
that part of the globe, and the holy sparks of G-dliness which had
fallen there were still in exile. When you prayed and blew the shofar in
that spot, you redeemed those sparks, enabling them to return to their
source and be reunited with G-d. If you had failed, it would have been
necessary for Jews to be exiled  there. We Jews have been dispersed all
over the world, solely to spread G-dliness and redeem the sparks of
holiness that wait for our prayers. When every Jew fulfills his own
personal G-dly mission, Moshiach will come, and all the Jews will be
redeemed from exile."

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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Now at the end of exile, when only a few moments remain until the
sounding of the great Shofar (and in certain respects the blowing of the
great Shofar has already commenced,) we must serve G-d with
self-deprecation. We must recognize that all of our accomplishments in
exile are not to our own credit, but only due to the abilities given to
us from Above.

                  (The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rosh Hashana 5728 - 1968)

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             END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 938 - Rosh Hashana 5767
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