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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1034
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                           Copyright (c) 2008
                 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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        August 22, 2008          Eikev               21 Av, 5768
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                         Mosquitoes in the Room

While there are many things to enjoy about summer, now that it's almost
over (at least in the northern hemisphere) most of us will admit that
the increase in bug activity isn't one of them. One of the most annoying
of all insects is, of course, the mosquito.

And during the summer, mosquitoes seem to be everywhere. If you're in
the country, they swarm; if you're in the city, they find their way
through the traffic and smog to bite just you in just that out of reach
place.

Now, we're not going to give you a lecture about how everything G-d
created He created for a purpose, and even the mosquito exists for a
reason as part of the Divine Plan. That's all true, but we're not going
to talk about that. Rather, we're going to look at what a mosquito does
and see what we can learn from it.

If you were asked what a mosquito does, you'd probably say it bites and
it annoys. Through their bites, mosquitoes can transmit many diseases.
The mosquito breaks the skin, draws blood, and injects micro-organisms
through its saliva, which keeps the blood flowing.

In other words, a small breach in the protective "fence" of the skin,
potentially leads, through a minimal loss of blood, to disease.

The analogy is clear: A small break in our commitment to and involvement
in Judaism, can drain a small amount of our energy, our enthusiasm.
While taking just a little life out of our Jewish studies, or mitzva
observance (being a bit lazy about a mitzva may not seem like much), it
can, in the course of time, have a detrimental effect - creating doubts
where none exist, engendering a growing indifference to participation in
things Jewish, etc.

Even if we manage to chase the mosquito away before it bites us, though,
it still irritates, annoys and distracts us. In fact, one way we can
tell if we're really focusing on something is how easily or quickly a
buzzing mosquito gets our attention - how soon do we feel it on our hand
or leg?

And that's another lesson, of course: in some ways it's easier to ignore
the big distractions than the little irritants. But those little
irritants, those slight diversions from focusing on the mitzva at hand,
can, of course lead to much greater consequences. (Imagine a golfer
about to hit the winning putt, suddenly distracted by a buzzing
mosquito!)

There are a lot of "mosquitoes" in our lives - nagging questions,
someone who sings the prayer off-key or not with the same tune -
distractions and itchy bites. We have to apply the right "insect
repellent" - a focus on the positive in our lives, and an emphasis on
the mitzvot we can do. And if a mosquito does get through, we shouldn't
help the poison it injects to spread by rubbing or scratching - we
should shift our attention back to the Jewish experience we are
currently involved with, ignoring the negative sensation, which will
then disappear of its own accord - much like evil will dissipate of its
own accord with the coming of Moshiach.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week's Torah portion opens with an unusual expression: "Eikev ("if"
or "because") you listen to these laws..." Instead of the more common
word "im" to denote "if," the Torah uses the word "eikev," which means
"heel."

According to the Torah commentator, Rashi, eikev alludes to the "simple
mitzvot (commandments) usually trampled underfoot" - those mitzvot whose
importance is sometimes denigrated.

Rashi's explanation is based on a Midrash which states: "These are the
simple commandments that people are not always careful to keep; they
toss them under their heels."

The Midrash is not referring to a person who considers these mitzvot to
be trivial, G-d forbid, or who scorns them intentionally. Rather, the
Midrash refers to a Jew who accepts that these mitzvot must be observed
and who endeavors to keep them, yet keeps postponing their observance
until they are "tossed under the heel."

Such a person is likely to divide G-d's commandments into categories,
according to what he perceives as importance.

To him, the "important" mitzvot are the "head" and must take priority.
"Let me first observe the 'important' mitzvot perfectly," he says "then
I'll start with the others." The simplest mitzvot are left for last.
According to this way of thinking, the Jew does not demand of himself a
level of conduct that is "within the letter of the law" until he
considers himself to have mastered the "important" mitzvot.

What is the consequence of such an outlook? When this person is asked to
love every single Jew - including those he does not know personally - he
replies, "How can you ask that of me? It's hard for me to love people I
do know! How can you expect me to extend it to Jews I've never met?"

When pressed to observe mitzvot even more scrupulously than is required
he replies, "No! There's got to be a certain sequence in observing
mitzvot. Demanding that I do more than the basics is like asking me to
walk in the street barefoot while wearing a beautiful tie around my
neck! You've got to start at the beginning and work your way up."

While these arguments may sound logical at face value, they are nothing
but the counsel of the evil inclination.

In truth, the foundation of a Jew's G-dly service is his faith; it is
predicated on the acceptance of the yoke of heaven, not on intellectual
arguments or rationalizations.

The function of the mitzvot is to connect us to G-d. Every mitzva that a
Jew observes strengthens his bond with G-d, regardless of whether it is
an "important" commandment or a "simple" one, i.e., related to the
"head" or to the "heel."

If any mitzva allows us to draw nearer to G-d and unite with Him, why
not do it immediately?

               Adapted for Maayan Chai from Likutei Sichot, Vol. 19

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                        Two Special Safed Nights
                            by Rikvah Cylich

The night drifted into Safed, Israel, as it always does, silently and
softly. But this time, there was a faint whisper of something more.
Walking the shadowed cobblestone alleyways, you could almost hear the
soundless call to journey the ancient city's mystical pathways. But then
again it was a typical Safed night.

Earlier that day, among the various visitors to Ascent of Safed, was a
young Russian couple, Anya and Moshe Gaifman, who had just moved from
the United States. Anya had been a professor at Boston University and
Moshe had been a researcher at a university in Moscow. When I met them,
I was taken by Anna's glowing smile and the couple's genuine happiness.

Later that evening, one of the rabbis discovered that Anya and Moshe
were newly-married. They were in the first week after the wedding. It is
customary to celebrate for an entire week with a festive meal each night
(or day) culminating in the recital of the special Sheva Brachot - Seven
Blessings - for a new couple.

The Gaifmans told us that they hadn't planned to have Sheva Brachot.
Their wedding had taken place on 16 Tammuz, the day preceding the fast
day that inaugurates the three week period of mourning for the destroyed
Holy Temples in Jerusalem. They erroneously thought that since the Three
Weeks are a mourning period, not even Sheva Brachot are permitted.

A hasty meeting of the Ascent staff was convened to figure out how to
organize Sheva Brachot; we needed a minyan, tables set, food, guests,
wine and lots of simcha - rejoicing.

A quick headcount of male guests at Ascent that night left us short of a
minyan. Someone ran out to grab some students studying at the local
Chabad yeshiva, while others busied themselves with setting up the
tables in the garden-courtyard. By the time the guests arrived, the
tables were piled with dips, crackers, salad, cakes, cookies, wine,
drinks and centerpieces.

There was singing and dancing on both sides of the partition and
everyone joined in the beautiful commandment of rejoicing with bride and
groom.

In just 18 minutes, a seemingly mundane Wednesday night was transformed
into a festive occasion charged with excitement, goodness and boundless
positive energy. All who participated couldn't help but marvel and be
humbled by being part of such an awesome and special happening. When
Moshe stood up and said a few heartfelt words, Anna's smile grew even
wider.

Looking back, the Sheva Brachot was exactly what the 'Three Weeks" is
about. As one of the teacher's at Ascent, Rabbi Kaye explained in his
speech that night, these three weeks may mark the tragic period of
national mourning for the Jewish people, but we are promised that when
the Holy Temple is rebuilt these days will be revealed as days of true
joy as they were always intended to be since the creation of time
itself. In the spirit of this reality, we make a point of revealing the
essence of this period by looking for ways to legitimately create and
take part in joyful occasions during this time.

                                *  *  *


A little less than three weeks later was Tisha B'Av, the day of national
mourning and sorrow over the destruction of the Holy Temples. I know
Ascent as a place of buoyancy and light, smiles and laughter, warmth and
heart. Which is why I couldn't imagine spending Tisha B'Av at Ascent.

But time doesn't stop, even in Safed. And so as the 8th of Av gradually
sunk behind the Meron Mountains in a haze of color, guests and staff
were sitting shoeless on the cold stone dining room floor eating boiled
eggs and ashes as dozens  of generations had done before us.

As we made our way down the deserted city center of Safed to the
synagogue for the reading of Lamentations, we could all sense the
absence of Safed's characteristic charm and a melancholy taking its
place. And while Lamentations was read with its haunting melodies of
mourning and grief, we slowly felt the same transition take place within
ourselves.

Returning to Ascent, everyone awkwardly took their places on the cold
floor. We were all a bit confused about what to do next. After all,
isn't Tisha B'Av a 2,000-year-old tradition? What does an absent ancient
Temple have to do with us?

After an unnerving silence somebody voiced the above sentiments that we
discovered we all shared. "How can we grieve over the loss of something
we never personally had to start?"

Granted we can go through the motions: fast,  wear non-leather shoes,
sit in low chairs or on the floor. But are we really required to feel
worse than after last week's mishap when we dented the car?

"I don't know about you," someone said, "but I find it easier to connect
to more recent tragedies of our people, like the Holocaust...."

Or the Intifada... the disengagement... the  Lebanon war.... In other
words, the bitter exile.

"What about our personal exiles, the daily struggle with uncertainty and
doubt; the search for spirituality and truth, and all worldliness which
challenges it," someone else pointed out.

That was it! The absence of the Temple translated into the lack of
revelation and the concealment of greater goodness. Whereas in
Temple-time G-d's presence was obvious, in exile we constantly struggle
to uncover His omnipresence in our daily lives.

And that's when it hit us. We felt as cold and hard inside as the stone
floor we were sitting on. Our wills to keep searching were as charred
and burnt as the ashes we had dipped our eggs into. The absence of the
Temple is what we suffer with every day in the actuality of G-dly
concealment.

We spoke late into the night while we shared the painful reality of our
personal exiles. As we said the familiar refrain from the end of
Lamentations, its message resonated deep within us: "Restore us to You,
O L-rd, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old ."

                    Reprinted with permission from www.ascent.co.il

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                             New Emissaries

Rabbi Sholom Ber and Chaya Elishevitz moved to Bellevue, Washington,
where they are focusing on adult education for the community at large as
well as the Jewish employees at Microsoft. Rabbi Shlomo and Chani
Silverman have opened  a new Chabad on Campus at Carnegie Mellon
University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Rabbi and Mrs. Shlomo Torenheim
have moved to Ust-Kamenogorst in Kazakhstan on the border of Russia.

                               New Center

Chabad-Lubavitch of Houston, Texas has dedicated a magnificent new
Chabad Campus. When completed, the center will include a synagogue,
library, study-hall, Sunday School and mikva.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                        Purim-Koton, 5719 [1959]

Sholom uBrocho [Peace and Blessing]:

I duly received your letter, and this is in reply to your questions:

 a) Whether you should insist on having the Chuppah [wedding canopy]
    'outside.'

    No doubt you mean having the Chuppah under the sky, which is the
    important thing, and this can often be done inside, since many halls
    have a retractable, or removable, roof so that the Chuppah can
    indeed be under the sky.

    I trust you will not have to 'insist' very much but that this will
    be readily acceptable, for having the Chuppah under the sky is
    something which is connected with Mazzel. In as much as the question
    concerns marriage, which makes the foundation for the everlasting
    edifice (Binyan adei-ad) for a happy home, surely everything should
    be done to fulfill all the aspects which are connected with Mazzel
    at the time of the Chuppah, and this is one of them, as is stated in
    many holy books.

 b) On the matter of disagreement regarding furniture.

    Generally speaking, in matters connected with the house furniture
    and furnishing and the like, the matters which our Sages call the
    'mundane' aspects, one should consider the wishes of the future
    housewife. At the same time, it is clearly a matter of good sense
    not to get involved in debts which may be difficult to meet
    afterwards, all the more so as you have to undertake mortgage
    obligations, etc., as you write.

 c) With regard conduct becoming a Yeshivah Bochur [student], etc.

    The thing to keep in mind is that your conduct is bound to have an
    immediate influence on the conduct of your entire home, especially
    that of your wife, the Akeres Habayis [the foundation of the home].
    The father and husband sets the tone for the others to follow. In
    practice, when one tries to emulate someone else, even with the
    utmost effort, it rarely comes up to the full 100%. Therefore, it is
    necessary so to conduct oneself, that after making allowances the
    copy not fall too short of the original, so that al least the
    minimum requirement of the Shulchan Aruch [Code of Jewish Law] (even
    without Hiddurim [enhancements]) would be fulfilled.

    This should be your guiding principle also, and even more so, in
    your meeting with other people, especially in your teaching
    position, and general standing in the congregation and community.

    Referring specifically to the question of going to certain places of
    amusement, in view of the fact (in addition to the above
    considerations) that you have told your fiancée that you will
    discontinue this, you should bear in mind that if you do not
    practice as you preach, it will not only display a weakness on your
    part in matters of Yiras Shomaim [fear of heaven], but your fiancée
    will consider it a precedent to further concessions and liberties in
    this direction.

 d) You ask my advice as to how to ensure mutual peace and harmony in
    married life.

    As you know, the Torah is the key to it, as it is written, "Its ways
    are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace." In matters of
    the Torah pleasantness should be coupled with firmness, especially
    in such fundamental aspects of marriage as Taharas Hamishpocho [the
    laws of Family Purity], and all other things of Torah and Mitzvoth
    [commandments] which the Torah requires with the utmost stringency.
    Yet, it is this very stringent observance that ensures the
    pleasantness and peace of married life, while capitulation or
    concession even 'temporarily' in these matters, 'in the interests of
    peace,' can only have lasting contrary effects.

    Nowadays, environment and the people one mixes with, have a
    considerable effect on one's personal conduct and the conduct of the
    home. Therefore, one should always seek the company and environment
    of only such real friends as have a beneficial and encouraging
    influence in all matters of Torah and Mitzvoth, and introduce your
    fiancée into a similar environment.

With blessing,

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                                CUSTOMS
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 Now that the nights are getting longer are there any special customs?

Our Sages have taught that from the 15th of Av, as the nights grow
longer, one should increase his study of Torah. One who studies Torah by
"lamp-light" at night is considered as if he helped rebuild the Holy
Temple. While the Holy Temple lies in ruins the world exists through the
merit of Torah study which replaces the services of the altar.Thus,
studying by lamp-light is as if the wood on the altar were shedding the
light.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
*********************************************************************
This past Thursday was the 20th of the Hebrew month of Av. This date is
the yartzeit (anniversary of the passing) of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak
Schneerson, the saintly father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

In a letter that Reb Levi Yitzchak wrote to his son, he emphasized the
concept of faith in every little "dot and crown" of our G-d-given Torah,
whereby each detail complements and perfects the others:

"Do not imagine that the process of argument and debate as engaged in by
the Sages of the Mishna and Talmud and those who followed... falls into
the category of regular human intellectual pursuit. No, it is not that
at all... Rather, each of the Sages perceived the Torah's wisdom as it
exists Above, according to the source of his soul and his individual
portion in Torah, whether in Jewish law or Aggadita.

"There is absolutely no doubt that everything in both the Oral and
Written Torah, and in all the holy books written by the sages and
tzadikim (righteous people), who studied Torah for its own sake...
everything was said by G-d Himself, in that particular and exact
wording."

Reb Levi Yitzchak's spoken words were not ephemeral sounds, his written
words were not mere ink on paper. The understanding that every dot and
crown of Torah are true and holy were his blood and bones. He lived with
the realization of the importance of every aspect of Torah and had utter
self-sacrifice for the compliance to Torah's every detail and nuance.

May we learn from his teachings and example and may his memory be a
blessing for us.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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And [He] will bless the fruit of your womb, and the fruit of your land,
your grain, and your wine, and your oil (Deut. 7:13)

The Torah specifically mentions grain, wine and oil, for they are the
mainstay of man's sustenance.

                                                         (Ibn Ezra)

                                *  *  *


Then your heart will be lifted up (Deut. 8:14)

Humility is not enumerated among the Torah's 613 commandments; if being
humble were considered a mitzva, many Jews would rush to observe it in
the most beautiful manner possible, with the end result being pride in
just how humble they are!

                                                (The Baal Shem Tov)

                                *  *  *


With 70 persons...as the stars of the heaven for multitude (Deut. 10:22)

This verse begins and ends with the Hebrew letter beit, alluding to
Jacob's exhortation to his children that they remain attached and
devoted to their households ("beit" means "house" in Hebrew) and not
assimilate amongst the Egyptians; it is for this reason that the Jews
are known as "Beit Yaakov- the House of Jacob."

                                                     (Baal HaTurim)

                                *  *  *


And you turn aside, and serve other gods (Deut. 11:16)

The Baal Shem Tov taught: As soon as a Jew "turns aside," i.e., moves
away from his attachment to G-d, he is automatically considered to be
"serving other gods," engaged in idol worship. For the Jew, there is no
middle ground. Either he is connected to G-d, or connected to the
pleasures of this world.

                                                (Tzeva'at HaRibash)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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The Russian czar, Nicholas the First, was a ruthless anti-Semite. He
decreed that Jewish boys should be drafted into military service at a
tender age so as to tear them away from their Jewish faith as well as
from their family and, eventually, to turn them into Christians.

They were forcibly taken away from their parents and sent to distant
villages to live among Christian peasants. Then they were drafted into
the army to serve for 25 years!

Czar Nicholas would sometimes disguise himself as a civilian and move
among the people to hear what they might be saying about him.

Once, in his disguise, the czar entered a bar where peasants and
soldiers were sitting and drinking. He sat next to a soldier who offered
him a drink. When the czar finished his drink and put the empty glass
down on the table, the soldier slapped him on the back.

"What did you hit me for?" protested the czar.

"Don't you know you should never leave your glass empty? You must
immediately refill it!" retorted the soldier.

The czar refilled his glass, drank it, and the soldier repeated this
performance until they emptied the entire bottle. As if they had not
already drunk more than enough, the soldier breezily ordered another
bottle, although he had paid for the first with the last of his money.
When the bar owner demanded full payment, the soldier offered his sword
as a "pledge" until he could bring the money to settle the bill.

The czar and the soldier left the bar, swaying drunkenly. The czar,
however, was not too drunk to notice what the soldier had done, and he
asked him in what regiment he was serving. The two then went their
separate ways.

The following day, the commander of the regiment received word that the
czar was coming on an official tour of inspection. The soldier, who had
parted with his sword the previous day, could not possibly redeem his
"pledge" in time for the czar's inspection. What could he do now?

Suddenly he had an idea. He carved out a sword from a piece of wood and
fitted it into the sheath, hoping that the czar would not notice.

The czar went riding majestically among the rows of soldiers. They all
stood at attention, their arms raised in salute. The czar stopped in
front of the soldier with whom he had been drinking the previous day,
and the poor soldier's heart trebled. But the czar addressed himself to
the soldier next to him saying, "Look at your uniform! Is that the best
you could do?"

The poor fellow was flabbergasted! There was nothing wrong with his
uniform, but who dared argue with the czar? The czar turned to his
"drinking companion" and shouted, "Draw your sword and chop off his
head!"

The soldier with the wooden sword was in quite a predicament. Disobeying
the czar meant death. On the other hand, if he drew his sword, the czar
would see that the sword was just a piece of wood. As these thoughts
flashed through his mind, they were followed by an ingenious idea.

"Your Majesty," began the soldier, "I am ready to carry out your order,
as you feel my friend is guilty. But if he deserves to be spared, I ask
G-d to save him by turning my sword into wood." He quickly drew his
sword and, to everyone's astonishment, there in his hand was a wooden
sword!

"Very well," said the czar. "I will pardon your friend. As for you, I
promote you to the rank of officer."

The czar was impressed with the soldier's brilliance, and was determined
to avail himself of his genius. He received promotion after promotion
until he finally became a member of the czar's prestigious bodyguard.

One day, the czar began to discuss religion with him and asked, "Do you
truly believe in G-d, and do you attend church regularly?"

"Your Majesty, I believe in G-d, but I do not go to church. I am a Jew."

"A Jew?" exclaimed the czar. "I thought you were a Christian. Become a
Christian and I will make you a general. You will be my friend. The
czarina and I will be your godparents and you will lack neither honor
nor riches."

The soldier was taken aback at the czar's offer. He had, in truth, been
torn away from his family and faith at a very young age. Yet he had
never entertained the thought of changing his religion.

The czar, seeing his hesitation, began to urge him to accept his offer
while, at the same time, hinting that things would go badly for him if
he refused. So, somewhat reluctantly, the soldier decided to say "yes"
to the czar, though in his heart he meant to remain a Jew.

Everything was arranged, and the czar, czarina and the soldier set out
for Kiev where the bishop would carry out the conversion. The soldier
sat in the royal carriage, lost in thought. How could he ever have even
thought of becoming a Christian? A Jew he was born, and a Jew he would
die.

As the royal carriage was crossing a bridge over the river in the center
of the city, the soldier suddenly jumped out. With the words of the
Shema on his lips, he flung himself into the water. His body quickly
disappeared.

Everyone looked on in horror. Sadly, they turned back. The czar, in
particular, had become attached to this Jewish soldier, and he began to
think deeply about the whole matter. If these Jewish soldiers could feel
so strongly about their Judaism, his plan to "Russify" them was
obviously a failure, and there was no point in continuing it. Thus, the
sacrifice of this martyr was, after all, not in vain, for soon
thereafter the czar rescinded his cruel decree.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
*********************************************************************
When the (Previous) Lubavitcher Rebbe proclaimed: "L'alter l'teshuva,
l'alter l'Geula" (immediately to repentance, immediately to Redemption),
he did so with great publicity; everyone knew that the Lubavitcher Rebbe
was speaking very strongly about Moshiach's coming. Once, two Jews were
riding the subway train, and they passed the station near the Rebbe's
house. Said one to the other: "This is where the Lubavitcher Rebbe
lives!" "And who are the Lubavitchers?" asked his companion. The first
responded: "They are the 'wild ones,' Jews who actually believe in
Moshiach!"

                                      (The Lubavitcher Rebbe, 1953)

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                END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1034 - Eikev 5768
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