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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1067
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                           Copyright (c) 2009
                 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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        April 24, 2009       Sazria-Metzora       30 Nisan, 5769
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                                Twitter

Until recently if you asked someone if they "twitter," they'd probably
give you a funny look. They might say, "What, do I look like, a bird?"
Or they'd be insulted, because "twitter" meant "babble" - basically to
yak nonsense. Come to think of it, maybe the definition still applies.

But twitter now has a new meaning. "Twitter" is the name of an online
service that allows people to send out short messages called "Tweets."
They have some value - a kind of electronic news bulletin. Flash!
Accident on the interstate. But "Tweets" have also upped the interaction
level - one can follow a celebrity's Tweets. Or you can build up your
own following. Tweet about your walk from the car to the office.

But really, do you need to know that someone down the tweet line hasn't
chosen the color socks to wear?

What do tweets have going for them? Well, they have to be short - no
more than 140 characters. Tweets also are very present tense, the
embodi-ment of "the fierce urgency of now" - a 20 minute old tweet might
as well be 20 years. Tweeting celebrates the instantaneous in
communication and awareness of - focus on - the moment. In one sense,
Twitter comes as close as we can get to doing and observing at the same
time. For we're not just telling ourselves "I am doing this." We're
telling as much of the world as we can reach.

And that's the other thing about Twittering. It really is a kind of
nervous gesture - a self-absorbed self-awareness. Because most of this
twittering is about chirping  - rapid-fire nonsense that calls attention
to ourselves. It's the internet age's equivalent of the attention-getter
- go stand in the middle of the street and spit pickles - people will
watch you.

Even if we don't get tweets, and don't twitter, we can still learn from
the phenomenon - learn an important lesson in our Divine service.

Be brief: Time is of the essence, don't waste it. Just as importantly,
don't say more than you have to. As Shammai instructed: "Say little and
do much." If you're going to "twitter" - make it worthwhile. How much
more inspirational if instead of telling your audience about the kind of
doughnut you're eating, you shared with them a brief Torah insight, or
sent them to an article about the meaning of prayer?

Focus on the here and now: As Hillel said: If not now, when? Seize the
moment, by seizing the mitzva (commandment). Here's a Tweet:  "Gave a
coin to a homeless guy. Helping a little old lady cross the street."
That's 74 characters. "Went to minyan. Put on tefilin. And you?" Hey!
That's only 41 characters.What Torah Tweet can you send in 62
characters?

Communicate - stay in touch: That applies to acts as simple as calling
parents and wishing them "Shabbat Shalom." It also applies to prayer.
G-d doesn't need lengthy dissertations. A lot of our prayers and
blessings are "tweetable" - short and to the point. "Blessed are you
L-rd our G-d King of the Universe, who creates various kinds of food."
85 characters. If you've got time to tweet about a shopping spree,
you've got time to say a blessing before eating that ice cream.

Self-aware: If we twitter, we want others to pay attention to us. But
that means we need to pay attention to ourselves. Don't do things you
wouldn't want twittered about. Rather than focusing on the mundane -
twittering about a shoelace, twitter about the self-discoveries, the
struggles to grow Jewishly. Let us tweet about how careful we are in the
performance of even a minor mitzva - look at me! I was careful with -
well,  you'll just have to read our Tweet. And you can be sure G-d will
be reading yours.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week we read two Torah portions, Tazria and Metzora. The first
portion, Tazria, contains the mitzva (commandment) of brit mila,
circumcision. "And on the eighth day shall the flesh of his foreskin be
circumcised."

The Midrash relates that our Sages asked a question: If G-d wants Jewish
men to be circumcised, why doesn't He create them that way in the first
place? Surely it is not beyond the power of an omnipotent Creator to do
so.

The reason, they explain, is the principle of tikun, or correction. G-d
deliberately creates many things in the world in an incomplete or
partial state, for the purpose of the Jew perfecting them. Indeed, this
is the Jew's Divine mission: to bring G-d's creation to perfection
through Torah and mitzvot.

Of course, G-d doesn't really need our help; He could just as easily
have created everything at the very peak of perfection. However,
appointing us His "partners" allows us to earn merit and actually "work"
for the blessings we receive in life.

When a Jew fulfills his Divinely-ordained mission and imbues the world
with holiness, all the goodness G-d bestows upon him - life, children
and livelihood - is transformed from a "charitable donation" into his
rightful due. G-d isn't giving him a gift; he deserves all these
blessings because he has worked for them. At the same time, awareness of
this relationship prompts the Jew to want to do even more to fulfill his
end of the bargain, for human nature is such that a person hates to be
sustained by the "bread of shame." Circumcision is only one example of
how we earn this merit.

A similar question may be asked about the seemingly inequitable
distribution of wealth in the world.  Why does G-d give so much money to
some and so little to others? Why can't the poor person receive his
sustenance directly from G-d instead of relying on the generosity of
others? The answer is that G-d wants the rich man to earn additional
merit by giving tzedaka (charity) to the poor. In truth, not all the
money in his possession belongs to him; G-d only puts it in his hands so
it can be redistributed in a more equitable fashion.

Yes, the more affluent person faces a difficult test, for his evil
inclination rises up in protest. But when he overcomes his inclination
and gives to the needy, not only does he not forfeit his wealth, but G-d
grants him even more in payment for his good deed.

    Adapted from Likutei Sichot of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Volume 27

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                       Happiness Against All Odds

Recently, I have had some grief and turmoil in my personal life. The
untimely passing of my beautiful 31-year-old cousin, and the
circumstances of her death, shook me to the core and "broke" my positive
outlook towards life. I had fallen apart and could not put the pieces
back together again. A month after this tragic event, I met a person who
happened to be a rabbi.

I was born in the Ukraine but raised on Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, sent
to yeshiva but we (Russians) as a group, did not really take our
religious lessons seriously. I knew a little of my religion but not much
about Chasidim. "They are not our brothers," I once heard an Israeli say
to my father. "They are our cousins." Ignorance has always shocked me in
others, but I have been just as guilty when it came to the Orthodox
community.

The secret, or key rather, to breaking through ignorance, is when you
get "outside your box." In my case, the shocking death of my cousin
broke my "box" completely and for the first time I could comprehend what
Chasidut is all about.

Let me start off by saying that I am still not so observant, and no
"brainwashing" has occurred. I speak impartially on this subject (as
impartial as a human who likes something could possibly be).

A friend of my cousin's invited me to a Chabad House after her death to
listen to a Kabala class. I was in no mood to go anywhere, but she was
sponsoring it in the name of my cousin. I listened, and was closed to
all of it as usual. I did hear something that jerked one of my
heartstrings. I left and put it away in the back of my mind. Several
weeks later, a rabbi walked into my office, and started to talk to me. I
didn't say, and wanted to, that I needed some kind of spiritual help
because I was hurting and broken and very lost. He told me that nothing
happens by accident and he took my phone number to stay in touch.

He called me on several occasions in the next few months that followed
and invited me to different functions and Shabbat dinners. Each time I
politely refused. I am so not into this whole religion thing. Friday
nights in a rabbi's house with religious people is not my idea of a good
time. Give me a good Russian restaurant with a cheerful group of friends
and I am there. He never pushed or pressured me, he just said he would
call me again some other time.

Last year, before Rosh Hashana, the rabbi called again. Though I had
plans with friends to go to a Russian restaurant on Brighton Beach and
have dinner there, I decided I would go to the rabbi first for an hour
and then leave to meet my friends. When I got there, I was surprised to
see how many of my acquaintances and even some friends, whom I go to
Russian restaurants with, were there. I was pleasantly surprised and a
bit shocked really. I expected to see many men in kipot and women in
wigs. I saw few. These were my friends and colleagues and neighbors.
People who led "secular" lives just like me. Was this some secret thing
they did on the side? I called my friends and told them I may not make
it to the restaurant.

My new rabbi, Rabbi Danny Finkelman, called the following week to invite
me to Shabbat dinner. This time, Friday couldn't come soon enough. I
told my friends I had other plans. My expectations were met with flying
colors. I loved the warmth of the hosts and the hospitality. Their
openness and non-judgmental attitude of anyone who came was shocking to
me.

The discussion of the weekly Torah portion interested me at first only
out of respect to the rabbi, and I felt like I was in yeshiva all over
again. Then I remembered something Rabbi Finkelman told me when he
walked into my office. He said that he left religion for a while and
lived secularly. He said he thought the Torah had nothing to do with him
or his life today. Then he ran into a Chasid and he learned how each
line in the Torah pertained to every detail of his life today. I
actually started comprehending what Rabbi Danny was talking about and
for the first time, it didn't feel like I was talking to a cousin, I was
talking to a brother, because Rabbi Danny was talking to me - a sister.

I started coming almost every Friday and I attended synagogue regularly
on Saturday morning to hear Rabbi Danny speak. These were not Bible
stories taught to children in yeshiva, these were examples and lessons
of how to deal with issues in my daily life: positive examples.

I learned what Chabad is about. I finally learned about Rabbi Menachem
M. Schneerson, the Rebbe, whose picture I know have proudly hanging in
my kitchen and on my office wall.

I learned that through 3,000 Chabad institutions in 78 countries and 48
states, the Rebbe has launched a global campaign to prepare the world
for the arrival of the long-awaited Redemption. With his prophetic view
of world events, the Rebbe has told us that the day that our
grandparents and great-grandparents could only dream of, when nations
will not lift up a sword one against another, is close at hand and that
all we need to do is do one more good deed to help it happen a moment
sooner. In fact the Rebbe is seen by many to be, like Moses in his
generation, the leader who will bring about the Redemption.

I learned that the biggest weapon Chabad has to fight anti-Semitism and
hatred is happiness. Happiness is the power that makes you do mitzvot
(commandments). When you are unhappy, you do not have the urge to do
good for yourself, let alone anyone else.

I learned a lot in these past six months. I mainly learned to keep
smiling: Even when my heart still breaks about my cousin's untimely
death, and I wake up and don't feel like smiling, I force myself to
smile and I feel the smile inside later. First I do, and then I learn to
feel it. I have learned to try to be happy, against all odds: like a
Chassid. The only way to survive! Oh, what a powerful weapon!

    Nonna was formerly the managing director of the Russian Forwards as
    well as Russian Metro Magazine. You can email your questions or
    comments to Nonna at "prdivany @ optonline.net"

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                           New Torah Scrolls

A Torah scroll dedicated in honor of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad
Shalit was brought into the Kollel Menucha Rochel, which is run by the
Chabad House in Hebron. The final letters in the Torah scroll were
written in the Cave of Machpelah. Rabbi Moshe Meir and Pnina Lipszyc,
the Rebbe's emissaries in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, marked the Bat Mitzva
of their daughter, Goldie, who has extreme autism, with the dedication
of a new Torah scroll in their Chabad House. Chabad of Tallahassee,
Florida, held the completion of their new Torah scroll at the Governor's
Mansion. Chabad of West Orange County, in Huntington Beach, California,
celebrated with a Torah scroll that was written in Israel and completed
in the newly finished sanctuary at the Chabad House.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                          15 Iyar, 5738 [1978]

Sholom Ubrocho [Peace and Blessing]:

I am in receipt of your letter of May 13, in which you write about your
present state and feelings toward Jews, Yiddishkeit [Judaism], the
Torah, etc., which you blame on the attitude towards you on the part of
the Yeshiva and its students.

Needless to say the connection is most surprising, for it is plain and
obvious that a Jew, whoever he may be, who believes in the Torah and
does his best to observe its mitzvoth [commandments], does it because of
his personal commitment to G-d's Torah and mitzvoth, which were given to
each and every Jew at Sinai, and as our Sages tell us that the souls of
all Jews of all generations were present there and accepted the Torah
and mitzvoth. Hence, if a Jew should declare, G-d forbid, that he does
not accept the Ten Commandments because his friends or teacher do not
conduct themselves as they should - I do not think that anyone will say
that this is a proper or sensible approach.

To put it a different way: If a teacher whom you respect will say that
two times two is five, it is incorrect; and if a teacher whom you do not
respect will say that two times two is four, it is nevertheless correct,
for Torah is independent. Judging by your writing, there is surely no
need to elaborate to you on what is self-evident. As for you, your
complaint about your friends' attitude toward you - it is also clear
that neither I nor anyone else can make a judgment on this without first
hearing what both sides have to say.

Now, let us assume - from your point of view - that you have reasons to
complain - surely you know, and must have seen it yourself from other
situations where people have a disagreement, that in every dispute
between two people it is impossible that one should be 100% right and
the other 100% wrong. It would be rare indeed, if it ever happened,
although one does not have to be 100% right to win his case, and 99%
against 1% is also sufficient. But when one of the parties, who is
personally involved and subsequently subjective, claims to be 100% right
and all the other 100% wrong,

this is most extraordinary. Don't you think that someone who examines
the whole situation objectively may find you also wrong, at least to the
extent to 1%? If this be very likely, how is it that you don't mention
anything about it in your letter, not even by as much as a hint? All
that has been said above is by way of response to your writing, dealing
with the "letter" as distinct from the "spirit."

The crucial point, however, is that suffice it to consider the fact that
Yiddishkeit, Torah and mitzvoth, and the Jewish people have survived
3500 years of persecution, pogroms, the Holocaust, etc., and yet our
people are alive and thriving to this day, while many powerful nations
and "civilizations" have disappeared without a remnant - to be convinced
(despite your assertions in the beginning of your letter) that the Torah
is Toras Emes [the torah of truth], and its mitzvoth are Emes, and that
"they are our life and the length of our days," both for our Jewish
people as a whole and for every Jew individually.

It is also self-understood that G-d desires Jews to observe his mitzvoth
not for His benefit, but for the benefit of the one who lives in
accordance with G-d's Will. In light of the above, I hope and trust that
you will do all that is in your power to learn the Torah with devotion
and diligence and to fulfill the mitzvoth with hiddur [in an enhanced
manner] - not because I, or anyone else, tells you to do this, but
because it is the Truth itself, as has been amply verified by the
uninterrupted history of our people from generation to generation. And
although this is an obvious "must" for its own sake, this is also the
channel to receive G-d's blessing for hatzlocho [success] in all your
needs, as well as for your parents and all your dear ones.

With blessing,

                           With thanks to www.PortraitofaLeader.org

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                            A CALL TO ACTION
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                           Make study groups

"Study should be communal in nature, preferably in groups of ten, for
'over every group of ten, the Divine Presence rests.' Furthermore,
communal study contributes an element of happiness. Even a person who
prefers the peace and quiet of individual study, should compliment his
own studies by participating in these communal sessions. Everyone should
consider the need to participate in these efforts as directed to him
individually." (The Rebbe, 6 Iyar, 5751-1991)

    In memory of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg and the other
    kedoshim of Mumbai

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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It is customary to study Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, on Shabbat
afternoons between Passover and Shavuot. This week's section, Chapter
Two, contains the following advice in the name of one of the greatest
Jewish Sages, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi: "Be as careful in [the performance of
a seemingly] minor mitzva as of a major one, for you do not know the
reward given for the mitzvot."

As the Rebbe has explained, there are two aspects to our Torah
observance and two types of reward:

"The commandments were given solely to allow the creations to become
refined." Each one of the Torah's 613 mitzvot causes a different aspect
of spiritual purification in the person who performs the mitzva, the
physical objects he uses to perform it, and in the world at large. In
this sense, the reward G-d gives us for keeping His commandments is
greater for certain mitzvot and less for others, according to the
specific mitzva's characteristics.

At the same time, all mitzvot share something in common in the way we
approach them. The Torah's mitzvot are the will of G-d. Whenever we do a
mitzva, our motivation is not to bring about its particular spiritual
effect but simply to do what G-d wants of us. In that sense, all of the
different mitzvot are merely details.

What difference does it make which one we do first? The important thing
is to fulfill the will of the Creator. Accordingly, the reward we
receive for this aspect of our observance is the same for all the
commandments.

Interestingly, the reward we receive for our role in refining the world
is limited, just as each mitzva is categorized as "major" or "minor."
But the reward for fulfilling G-d's will is beyond limitation - "you do
not know" - completely above and beyond our comprehension.

How fortunate we Jews are, as we say at the conclusion of each Chapter,
that "the Holy One, Blessed Be He, wished to make the people of Israel
meritorious. He therefore gave them Torah and mitzvot in abundant
measure."

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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If a man shall have in the skin of his flesh an eruption, a scab or a
bright spot (Lev. 13:2)

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan:
Afflictions are the consequence of seven sins: gossip, bloodshed, an
oath taken in vain, sexual transgressions, overbearing pride, theft and
envy.

                                                  (Talmud, Arachin)

                                *  *  *


The priest will see him, he will pronounce him unclean (Lev. 13:3)

The Shpoler Zaide was known as one of the most enthusiastic and spirited
disciples of the Maggid of Mezeritch. In the year 1799, during a visit
to Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of Chabad Chasidism, he related that he
had merited to see the Baal Shem Tov when he was three years old. "The
Baal Shem Tov placed his holy hand over my heart, and ever since I've
been warm," he explained. From this we learn that the gaze of a
righteous person ("the priest shall see him"), the sound of his voice,
or in fact any gesture he makes, has far-reaching influence and effect
on an individual.

                                                 (Otzar HaChasidut)

                                *  *  *


And the priest who is cleansing shall cause the man that is to be made
clean to stand...at the door of the Tent of Meeting (Lev. 14:11)

The leper who is undergoing purification is allowed a privilege not
extended to others who have become spiritually unclean: He was brought
to the Holy Temple's Gate of Nikanor and allowed to stick his hand and
foot into the inner Temple court, to participate in the offering of the
sacrifice he had brought. What was so special about the leper, who had
committed so grave a sin as slander against his fellow Jew? After the
seven days of seclusion and repentance, the leper was now a baal
teshuva, a penitent, and was considered free of all sin. A new "door" in
life had opened for him, and thus he was permitted to stand in the very
door of the Temple court.

                                                  (Der Torah Kvall)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Reb Shlomo was a very wealthy man and a very respectable scholar as
well. In fact, he limited his business involvement to enable himself to
devote a large portion of his day to the study of Torah. Reb Shlomo's
love and fear of G-d was passed down to his son, Reb Hirschel, who
devoted himself exclusively to the performance of mitzvot (commandments)
and the study of Torah, avoiding all worldly occupation completely. He
spent all his days in the study hall and returned home only for Shabbat.

Reb Hirschel had two sons, Chanoch Hendel and Yosef, and each week they
would go together to study Torah with their grandfather. To their
grandfather's surprise, one week they failed to show up. Reb Shlomo soon
found out that his grandsons had decided to pursue the study of
Chasidut.

In those early years of Chasidism, there were strong partisans in favor
and also opposed to this new manner of divine service which the Baal
Shem Tov had introduced into the world. In the entire town where this
family lived, there was not even one adherent of Chasidism, and Reb
Hirschel's family was violently opposed to the new teachings.

One day the townspeople noticed that the stranger who had arrived there
seemed to be one of the Chasidim. Actually, it was his unusually lengthy
preparation for the morning prayers which first betrayed him. Then, his
actual prayers - why, he was a sight to behold! The cries, the sighs and
tears, and ecstatic jumping and swaying... no one had ever seen anything
like it.

Chanoch Hendel and his brother were intensely curious to find out the
meaning of these strange practices, and they approached the stranger
with their questions. They were particularly anxious to know why the man
spent so much time on the section of prayer which begins with the Psalm,
"Min Hameitzar" (From out of distress...) and describes a Jew crying out
to G-d. "How much is there to think about, after all, in this prayer?"
they asked him.

The Chasid proceeded to give them an explanation according to the
teachings of Chasidut, telling the young men how every Jew is
constrained by his own limitation and his own mundane cravings which
hinder his attempts to serve the Creator properly. His "animal soul" is
forever trying to lure him into the trap of pride and haughtiness, and
even when a Jew tries to pray and study, these "adversaries" may cause
him to move ever further away from his true goals.

"And so," concluded the Chasid, "when I said the words of 'Min
Hameitzer,' I was begging G-d to deliver me from my own limitations, so
that I might come closer to Him and a knowledge of G-dliness." The
brothers, who were serious and intense seekers, were deeply impressed
with this explanation and inquired where they, too, could learn such
lofty concepts. "In the city of Lubavitch," he replied, and that answer
was enough for the brothers.

When they failed to appear for their next study session with their
grandfather, he assumed that something had come up and paid little
attention to it. It was only the following week, when they again didn't
come that he decided to discover the reason for their absence. When he
was told that they had been seen speaking with the Chasidic stranger,
their grandfather understood immediately what had occurred.

Reb Shlomo dispatched a messenger to bring the young men home, but it
was too late. They had already arrived in Lubavitch, and were so
immersed in the wonders they had discovered there, that no inducement
could convince them to return home. They had chosen their true path.

Once, during that first year, the Tzemach Tzedek (Rabbi Menachem Mendel,
the third Lubavitcher Rebbe) delivered a Chasidic discourse which
affected the young Chanoch Hendel so deeply that he fell faint to the
floor. Thereafter the Rebbe instructed that he be brought outside during
these talks so that he not endanger himself by his soul ascending to
such lofty heights.

Many years later, the Rebbe Rashab (Rabbi Sholom Ber, the fifth
Lubavitcher Rebbe) sent Reb Chanoch Hendel, now an elder Chasid, to a
newly opened branch of the Lubavitcher yeshiva in Zembin to observe its
progress and report back to him. Upon his return, he was called to the
Rebbe's study and asked what he thought of the new yeshiva. He expressed
his concern. "They go on and on so much about Chasidut, they might
forget about the 'Giver of the Torah.' " For Reb Chanoch Hendel, there
was nothing other than G-d, and undue intellectualizing could cause a
student to fall.

The many stories told about Reb Chanoch Hendel illustrate his utter
truth and constant striving. When the young students would stand before
the Rebbe Rashab's office waiting for their individual moments with the
Rebbe, Reb Chanoch Hendel would say to each of them, with tears
streaming down his face, "Children, don't tell the Rebbe what you want
to say. Tell the Rebbe what you don't want to mention! The Rebbe will
give you a proper tikkun [spiritual correction] and pull you up out of
the mud."

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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Every Jew's soul is an actual part of G-d. Therefore, in the Era of the
Resurrection when the essential G-dliness that pervades every dimension
of our existence will be revealed, this holiness - the fundamental
vitality present in every Jew - will emerge. Our material world will
then be G-d's dwelling. Just as a person reveals the innermost
dimensions of his personality only in his own home, so too the essence
of G-dliness - those dimensions of His Being that transcend even
spiritual existence - will be revealed in our material world.

       (Maamar, Kol Yisrael Yesh La'hem Cheilek L'olam Habah, 5733;
                             Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XVII, p. 343ff.)

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            END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1067 - Sazria-Metzora 5769
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