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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 956
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                           Copyright (c) 2007
                 Lubavitch Youth Organization - L.Y.O.
                              Brooklyn, NY
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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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        February 2, 2007       Beshalach         14 Shevat, 5767
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                          Two Minutes Warning

America's Super Bowl is upon us. Everything in the physical world, even
the most mundane, at some level reflects a higher, spiritual reality. Is
there anything that can bridge the gap between a secular activity like
the Super Bowl (or for that matter, just a regular football game) and
Judaism? In every football game, there's one time where everything
changes, not only the strategy and the match-ups, but even the rules!
That's the last two minutes of the game.

After the two-minute warning, the game changes. Coaches can no longer
challenge a ruling, when the clock is stopped or started and other rules
gets modified - just because the game has reached the two-minute
warning.

Just the fact that there is a two-minute warning indicates how unique
the time period is. Action stops, just like at the end of a quarter or
at half-time. Both sides regroup.

And the pace changes - if the score is close. The team that's losing
tries to hurry up on offense - the so-called two-minute offense. Quick
passes. Get out of bounds to stop the clock. Use the time-outs wisely.

The team that's winning tries to slow things down. Make the other team
waste a time-out.

And on defense the winning team tries to prevent the "big play," the
long completion or the game-winner. Don't let them into field goal
range.

The defense on the losing team tries to get off the field as fast as
possible.

And therein lies a lesson for us all. For as we get closer to the times
of Moshiach, as the "game" approaches the "two minute warning," the
rules do indeed change, and our strategy changes as well.

Aspects of Judaism that might not have seemed as urgent 200 or 2,000
years ago, become more urgent.  Hence we see an increase in recent years
- an increase in Torah knowledge and study, an increase in mitzvot
(commandment) observance, an increased concern for the welfare of
others, an increased emphasis on love for a fellow Jew.

And in our personal lives, we have also reached the "two minute
warning," a time of urgency.

But we have to ask ourselves: Are we playing defense or offense? Are we
winning or losing?

Our opponent, of course, is our own yetzer hara (evil inclination). And
in some games, we have the lead. So we need to slow down the pace when
we're on offense - pay more attention to the details of the mitzva,
spend a little more time asking questions at a Torah class to make sure
we really understand it in depth, make sure that food product has a
reliable kosher symbol.

In some cases, we're behind. We need to play a "hurry-up" offense. We
need to grab mitzvot, whenever we can. We need increase the speed of our
learning - get cd's for the car, study  online. We need to get involved
with Jewish activities - Purim programs, soup kitchens, visiting the
sick, whatever's going on in the community.

Even on defense, we have to know "how much time" is left, whether or not
we have to prevent an encroachment - to make sure that the evil
inclination doesn't sneak in by pretense - give charity, but not like
you intended. Or we may have to attack the evil inclination up front -
confront quickly the attacks on our concentration in prayer, for
instance.

Whatever the circumstances, though, we need to recognize that now, in
the era of the footsteps of Moshiach, we have reached the spiritual
two-minute warning.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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After the miraculous Splitting of the Red Sea in this week's Torah
portion, Beshalach, Moses leads the Jewish men in singing their praises
of G-d, and Miriam, the prophetess, leads the women in their song of
thanks.

The Torah tells us that the joy experienced by the women was far greater
than that of the men. "And all the women went out...with tambourines and
dances."

In fact, the Midrash relates that when the heavenly angels wanted to add
their voices to the "Song of the Splitting of the Red Sea," G-d told
them that they must wait until the women had finished.

The exile in Egypt was much harsher for the Jewish women than for their
husbands. Of all Pharaoh's decrees against the Children of Israel, the
most pitiless was the one that broke every Jewish mother's heart: "Every
son that is born you shall throw into the river." The pain and suffering
experienced by the Jewish women was more intense than the hardships the
men were forced to endure, and when salvation came, the joy they felt
was therefore greater as well.

The stories in the Torah teach us lessons which apply in all
generations. Pharaoh's decrees against the Jewish people have appeared
again and again, throughout history, in various forms. Their aim,
however, has never changed. The Egyptian Pharaoh sought to kill Jewish
babies by drowning them in the Nile; later despots sought to destroy
Jewish souls in ways equally dangerous, although not always as obvious.

In our days, when most Jews, thank G-d, live in relative safety and
security, the decrees of Pharaoh imperil the spiritual existence of the
Jewish people. "Pharaoh" rears his head in the guise of popular culture
and the winds of arbitrary and capricious conventional wisdom, which
threaten to sever the Jewish people from the eternal and timeless values
of the Torah. "Pharaoh" seeks to immerse and drown the minds of
impressionable Jewish children in the waters of whatever is, at the
moment, trendy and fashionable.

The threat is not all that different from the one faced in Egypt,
because Jews cannot exist for long without their faith in G-d and the
study of Torah. Jewish children need a solid Jewish education to ensure
the continuation of our people.

Today, just as in Egypt, the main responsibility - to safeguard our
greatest national treasure, our children, from negative influences -
lies with the Jewish mother. Jewish women have, throughout the
generations, been granted the power to set the proper tone in the home
and make it a place where their children will flourish and grow up to be
good Jews.

In this way Jewish women will see true satisfaction from their children
and merit to sing G-d's praises at the Final Redemption, speedily in our
days.

                   Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                              Jewish Heros
                       by Mendel Abelsky (age 11)

My grandfather is my Jewish hero. In 1990 at the fall of Communism in
Russia, the Lubavitcher Rebbe gave my grandfather a blessing to go to
Kishinev, Moldova, to rebuild the Jewish community. The Rebbe added a
unique blessing that my grandfather should be able to give blessings to
other people. My grandfather at that time was not young.

My grandfather and grandmother were so happy living with their
grandchildren in Israel, yet as soon as they got the blessing from the
Rebbe, there were no questions to ask; they were going. I've heard the
story recounted about the scene in the airport when they went off. All
of the children and grandchildren had come and were crying as they
hugged good-bye.

My grandfather immediately began to build and lift up the Jewish people
living in Kishinev. My father was the only child not married when they
left; he was there to help them in the first most trying years.

Saba (grandfather) is so careful in his observance of Torah and mitzvot.
He is so respectful toward my savta (grandmother). I look up to him
tremendously. In Kishinev everyone calls him Reb Zalman. Although he is
close to 80-years-old, his strength is like an 18-year-old. Russian Jews
of all ages come to him for help, and he is able to talk to them at the
level they are at.

My grandfather is a soldier, a soldier of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and I
feel so special that he is my grandfather. My father continues to help
him until this day and we are so lucky to be part of it.

There are so many people who have become closer to their Jewish roots
through my saba and savta. Many of them have since moved to Israel and
America where it is easier to live fully Jewish lives. We have guests
that come to our home and tell us about the changes that they have made
in their lives, because of the holiness that they saw on the face of my
grandfather.

Grandfather is the true meaning of the word hero: "someone respected for
their courage or the noble values they uphold!"

                                *  *  *

                          by Maryana Kolpakchi

It wasn't such a long time ago, but for me it seems like ages. The phone
rang, and a pleasant, accented voice asked me if I would like to come
and light Shabbat candles. I was skeptical, but I answered, "Yes." What
followed was my first meeting with Rebbetzin Leah Abelsky, the wife of
Rabbi Zalman Abelsky, Chief Rabbi of Kishinev and Moldova.

It took a few weeks of coming and lighting Shabbat candles before I
worked up the courage to ask her the thousand questions that filled my
mind. With enormous patience she began to explain to me the basics of
Judaism. A little while later, I started to attend Rebbetzin Leah's
lectures, which begin with the Hebrew alef-bet. Her lectures are
attended by a variety of women ranging from college students, to
engineers, to pensioners. Rebbetzin Abelsky's tremendous pedagogical
skills and experience are immediately obvious in her teaching style,
which constantly engages the students' attention.

The most interesting part, obviously, is the discussion period which
follows the lecture, since every conversation with Rebbetzin Leah
teaches you not only the laws of the Torah, but is also spiced with
words of wisdom about every topic from everyday challenges of life to
the best recipes for gefilte fish. You keep on attending the class and
before you know it, things are beginning to change: you meet new Jewish
friends and little by little, a real Jewish community begins to develop.

The Rebbetzin takes a keen interest in the lives of every Jew in
Kishinev, and she has her special way of communicating with each
individual. With an old lady she speaks Yiddish; with the youth she
speaks Russian; with Esther, a young student from a medical college in
Roumania, she converses in fluent Roumanian. To watch Rebbetzin Leah
feeding an old woman in the hospital, is to get a wordless lesson in the
essence of kindness.

During her years in Kishinev, the Rebbetzin has amassed countless
friends. They all know the address to find a sympathetic ear, some words
of advice or help for their problems. All of their names are listed in
the small book she always carries with her. This list is constantly
changing as some people emigrate to Israel, to the United States or to
some other corner of the world. Each time Rebbetzin Leah has to erase a
name from her book, it registers a deep pang of concern in her heart,
and her most sincere wishes for success follow each of them.

Rebbetzin Leah may justifiably be best known for her most remarkable
project: her weekly Shabbat table. At the end of the week the cooking
begins for the huge crowd of guests, which will participate in the
Shabbat table. The guests crowd around the table until there's not even
a tiny space, and even then they somehow find a crack of space.
(Incidentally, Rebbetzin Leah's "cooking school" is another feature of
the Moldovian Jewish community. Actually, to tell the truth, it's an
"eating school"!) Probably at least half of the Kishinev Jewish
community has joined the famous Shabbat table, not including the many
guests from different places all over the world. The mix of people at
her table is truly wondrous - all ages, all levels of education and
experience, but all with one most basic thing in common: a Jewish soul.
More than once I saw people thanking the Rebbetzin with tears rolling
down their faces, because they had experienced something that had
infused their lives with new meaning. The Rebbetzin detests compliments,
and so she immediately turns the conversation to her dear grandchildren,
whom she doesn't see often enough.

Although she may not have the opportunity to spoil her grandchildren as
much as she would like to, she certainly spoils the entire Kishinev
community, and for that we are all very grateful.

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                             New Emissaries

Rabbi Yonah and Rochel Goldberg are establishing a new Chabad Center in
downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. Rabbi Mordechai and Esty Groner are
moving to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where they will head the Calgary
division of the Jewish Learning Institute. Rabbi Chaim Shaul and Chavi
Bruk will be arriving shortly in Bozeman, Montana, where they will
establish Chabad-Lubavitch of Montana. Rabbi Mendel and Chai Cohen are
directing the Chabad Mobile Kitchen in Los Angeles, California and the
Ma'alot Chabad Center. Rabbi Shaya and Shayna Gopin moved to West
Hartford, Connecticut to serve as directors of adult education for the
greater Hartford area. Rabbi Mendel and Faige Slavaticki are directing
the Chabad Israeli Programs in Chicago, Illinois.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                     Freely translated and adapted
                     Tuesday, 21 Shvat, 5704 [1944]

Greetings and blessings,

...Many concepts can also be learned from the festival of this month,
[Shevat 15,] the New Year of the Trees. A person who pays attention to
everything that occurs around him can add to his wisdom from every
matter that happens, improving his relations with G-d and with his
colleagues. This does not apply only to exceptional matters. Instead,
even commonplace matters like a tree which grows can provide directives
for a person's daily life.

To point out several:

Most members of the plant kingdom, and trees in particular, are
composites of many elements. In general, [their components] can be
placed in three categories:

 1. the roots;

 2. the body of the tree (its trunk, branches, and leaves), and

 3. its fruit ([which contains] the peel, the fruit itself, and its
    seeds).

The difference between them [can be explained as follows]:

The roots are hidden from an observer's sight, but they are the medium
which provide the fundamental vitality for the tree. (The leaves do,
however, enable the tree to absorb certain components from the air which
are necessary for their existence and they acquire the heat from the
sun's rays.) Moreover, it is the roots which enable the trees to stand
firmly. If a tree's roots are strong, there is no fear that the
stormiest winds will uproot it.

The body of the tree - This represents the major portion of the tree's
structure. From time to time, the thickness of the branches and the
number of leaves increases; through this, and in particular, from the
trunk of the tree, we can discern the tree's age.

The ultimate purpose of the tree, however, is the production of fruit,
for from the seeds [in the fruit] can be planted new trees for
generation after generation.

A man is "a tree of the field." Thus there are certain particulars in
which a person resembles a tree. This applies even with regard to his
spiritual service. Here, too, there are three categories:

The roots - This corresponds to faith which connects a person the source
of his vitality, the Creator, blessed be He. Although [the person] grows
in the wisdom of the Torah and its mitzvos, his vitality is drawn down
to him through his faith in G-d, His religion, and His Torah.

The trunk and body of the tree - This refers to the study of the Torah
and the performance of the mitzvos and good deeds. These must constitute
the majority of the structure and the largest quantity of a person's
deeds and activities. Through the abundance of [his] mitzvos and his
greatness in Torah, the years of a person's life can be recognized,
i.e., a life full of content of wisdom and deed.

The fruit - A person's ultimate fulfillment comes when - in addition to
fulfilling all of his individual responsibilities, he influences his
colleagues and his surrounding environment, leading them toward
fulfillment. His activities are "seeds" which sprout other trees
(people) who have roots (the fundamentals of faith), a trunk and
branches (Torah and good deeds), and which bear fruit (bring merit to
others).

The lesson from the above: The source of a person and his root are pure
faith. A weakness of faith endangers the maintenance of even a great
person's spiritual life.

The majority of a person's structure must be the good deeds which
continually increase from day to day.

The consummate perfection of a person, however, is bearing fruit, i.e.,
that he should influence others and enable them to merit to fulfill
their mission and the purpose for their creation. In this manner, his
efforts bear fruit and the fruit bears fruit, generation after
generation. And all this merit is dependent on him.

With the blessing, "Immediately to teshuvah, immediately to Redemption,"

      From I Will Write it in Their Hearts, translated by Rabbi Eli
                             Touger, published by Sichos In English
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                                CUSTOMS
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              What are some of the customs of Tu B'Shevat?

It is customary on Tu B'Shevat to eat fruits that grow in Israel,
particularly the ones for which Israel has been praised: grapes,
pomegranates, olives, dates, and figs. Some also have the custom to stay
awake throughout the night and study all the Biblical, Talmudic and
Kabbalistic sources related to the fruits of the Land.

*********************************************************************
                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
*********************************************************************
The New Year for trees takes place this Shabbat on the 15th of Shevat
(February 3).

Our Sages tell us that man is likened to a tree of the field. Rabbi
Elazar ben Azarya said: Anyone whose wisdom exceeds his good deeds...[is
like] a tree whose branches are numerous but whose roots are few, and
the wind comes and uproots it and turns it upside down...But anyone
whose good deeds exceed his wisdom...[is like] a tree whose branches are
few but whose roots are numerous, so that even if all the winds in the
world were to come and blow against it, they could not move it from its
place...in the year of drought it shall not worry, nor shall it cease
from yielding fruit (Avot 3:17).

Our mitzvot are like roots that go deeper and deeper in to the earth,
truly giving us not only stability but nourishment, as well. But, what,
we might ask, is the "fruit" that a person bears? When he is involved
with good deeds, his family, friends, co-workers, see the beauty of what
he is doing and want to follow in his footsteps. They begin to act
similarly and they, too, perform good deeds and establish strong roots
with which to nourish their souls and bodies.

Let us hope that, by our own example, we can, indeed, influence our
family and friends to perform deeds of great worth.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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And you shall hold your peace (Ex. 14:14)

This command was directed against those Jews who wished to engage in
prayer instead of actually proceeding into the sea. We learn from this
that there are times when a Jew must close his prayer book, remove his
tefilin, fold his talit and leave the synagogue - in order to save the
thousands of Jews who are in danger of drowning in the sea of
assimilation, "splitting the sea" and uncovering the light of the Jewish
soul that exists within.

                                            (The Lubavitcher Rebbe)

                                *  *  *


See, the L-rd has given you the Shabbat (Ex. 16:29)

Some things are beyond man's ability to control, but the extent to which
a person feels the sanctity of Shabbat is dependent on his own service.
The more a Jew prepares and invests his efforts, the more the holiness
of Shabbat is felt.

                                                    (Likutei Torah)

                                *  *  *


How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? (Ex. 10:3)

The nature of a Jew is such that even when he isn't submissive before
G-d, his own lack of submission distresses him. In his heart of hearts,
the Jew desires to be nullified before Him. Pharaoh, by contrast, was
proud of his arrogance and not at all ashamed of it.

                                                       (Sefat Emet)

                                *  *  *

This month shall be to you the first of months (Ex. 12:2)

During the Sanctification of the New Moon we say, "David, King of
Israel, is living and enduring." The rule of the House of David is
likened to the moon: In the same way that the moon seems to disappear
from the sky, yet everyone has faith in its eventual reappearance, so
too will the Davidic dynasty ultimately be restored with the coming of
Moshiach.

                                                             (Rama)

                                *  *  *

The Talmud states (Sukka 29a): "Israel reckons [the months] according to
the moon; the nations of the world, according to the sun."
Metaphorically, this means that the gentile nations flourish only when
the "sun is shining," when things go well for them. As soon as the "sun"
goes down, they cease to exist. But the Jewish people is able to
flourish even in times of darkness, spreading the light of Torah and
illuminating the gloom.

                                                       (Sefat Emet)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
*********************************************************************
The Rebbe of Apta was accustomed to hearing many of the woes of his
fellow Jews, and so, he was not surprised when Mottel burst into his
shul with tears streaming down his face. "Rebbe, please help me," the
distraught man cried out. "My daughter is getting older by the day, and
I still can't raise enough money to provide her with a dowry."

The Rebbe asked how much he needed. "I need one thousand rubles. And you
see, Rebbe," said the man as he turned his pockets inside out, "I have
exactly one ruble to my name!"

"Well, my friend, one ruble is also something. My advice to you is to go
out and with your one ruble, purchase the first piece of goods that
comes your way. Surely, G-d will bless you and you will obtain all that
you need."

Reb Mottel was confused by the Rebbe's answer, but he had faith in the
word of the tzadik. He would see how the blessing would materialize.

Mottel began his long trek home, but when exhaustion overcame him, he
decided to rest at an inn. Soon his attention was seized by a group of
rowdy fellows seated near him. From their conversation he deduced that
they were diamond merchants. Suddenly, one of them noticed him.

"Are you interested in buying something?" the merchant inquired.

"Yes, I am interested," he replied.

"Well, how much money do you want to spend?"

Reb Mottel squirmed in his seat. "One ruble," he replied.

The merchants burst into loud laughter. "One ruble!" It really was
ridiculous. Then someone spoke up, "I have something to sell for one
ruble!"

Reb Mottel was astounded. "That's wonderful, what is it?" he asked.

"My portion in the World to Come!" he blurted out. The assembled crew
exploded with laughter. One of them ran to get paper and pen - this
would be a "legal" sale. Soon the contract was drawn up. Both the buyer
and the seller signed their names, and the witnesses affixed their names
as well.

"All right, now give me your ruble," sputtered the merchant. Reb Mottel
handed over the coin. The merchants' laughter filled the inn.

Just then, a woman entered the room. Approaching the merchants, she said
to her husband, "Why are you laughing so hard?"

He could barely contain himself: "You see that beggar over there? I just
got him for his last ruble! I sold him something totally worthless!"

"What did you sell him?" his wife asked.

"Ha! I sold him my portion in the World to Come!" he chortled happily.
He would have continued, except for the look on his wife's face.

"What!" she cried. "You sold him the only thing of value that you own!
Is nothing sacred to you? I will not live with a man who values nothing
except money. You are vile and despicable! Give me a divorce!"

The merchant was shocked. Didn't she know that this sale was just a
sham? He protested, but to no avail. His wife was perfectly serious.

Realizing that his little joke had gone too far, the merchant called
over Reb Mottel. "My good man, I'm afraid our little 'bargain' is off.
I'll give you back your ruble, and you'll give me back my paper."

But Reb Mottel just looked up at him and said, "I am very happy with my
purchase. I have no intention of returning it."

The merchant was in a panic, "You know, I'll sweeten the pot for you.

I'll add a few rubles 'compensation' for the 'broken contract,' " he
chuckled.

"No thanks," replied Mottel.

"Well, how much do you want for that silly piece of paper?" the merchant
asked, his agitation growing.

"I won't settle for less than a thousand rubles!"

"What! Are you mad? For that sum, you can keep the stupid paper!"

But then the merchant's wife entered the fray. "I promise that if you
don't buy that paper back, I will have a divorce this very day! I won't
spend my life with a man who could sell his portion in the World to
Come! I don't care if it costs you five thousand, or five million
rubles! You get that paper back!"

Finally, the merchant realized he had no other choice. He gave 1,000
rubles to Reb Mottel who handed him the document. Reb Mottel then told
the merchant's wife what had transpired and about the words of the Apter
Rebbe. She was so impressed that she wanted to meet the Rebbe herself.

When ushered into the Rebbe's study she said, "I have one question.

Was my husband's portion in the World to Come worth only one ruble?"

The Rebbe responded, "Before he sold it, it wasn't even worth that much.
But when he redeemed it by 'buying' the mitzva of dowering a bride, the
value of his Future Life soared, for such a mitzva cannot be measured in
money.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
*********************************************************************
When the Children of Israel went through the Red Sea, they were able to
clearly see G-d's presence. However, even this awesome experience cannot
compare with the revelations of the Messianic Age. The Midrash (Shmot
Raba) explains: At the parting of the Sea you said, "this" (zeh) once,
but in the Messianic Age you will say "this" twice, as Isaiah
prophecized (25:9), "You will say on that day, 'Behold this is my G-d.
We have trusted Him and He has redeemed us; this is G-d Whom we have
trusted, let us rejoice and be happy in His redemption.' "

*********************************************************************
               END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 956 - Beshalach 5767
*********************************************************************