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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1145
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                           Copyright (c) 2010
                 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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        November 12, 2010       Vayetzei          5 Kislev, 5771
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                          Don't Hope - Expect

Any athlete will tell you that one of the hardest things to do is -
expect to win. Every athlete hopes to win, but to expect to win? That
requires a whole different mind-set.

And what's true of athletes is true of anyone who has to perform. Ask
any artist. They all hope to perform well, win the prize, get the part,
etc. Ask anyone in sales. They all hope to close the deal.

But expect to perform well, get the part, get the contract, close the
deal? Only those who always win, the lucky ones, only they can expect to
succeed.

If we ask those who do succeed, who do win, achieve, make it to "the
other side of hope" - if we ask them how they do it, they'll tell us it
requires two things: First, doing it, and doing it again. Second,
practicing, and practicing it again.

Doing it the first time means doing it in your head. That's more than
role-playing. That's more than conjuring a general sensation of what it
feels like to win. That's playing the game, performing the piece, going
through the conversation, in all its details, down to the last detail -
but doing it first in our heads.

That's not just rehearsing. That's pre-experiencing.

There's a story of the Maggid of Mezritch who was questioned by a
merchant why he took so long to complete his prayers. The Maggid replied
that it takes time to make the spiritual journey. When the merchant
looked skeptical, the Maggid changed the subject, asking the merchant
about his business. He encouraged the merchant to describe in details
the buying, bargaining, selling, calculating profit and loss. At the
end, the merchant realized that just as one can't do business
superficially, one must focus, mentally on the details, involving one's
head so that is the only reality of the moment, so too with prayer.

In other words, one has to experience the experience, in all its
details, moment to moment, in the mind, before experiencing it a second
time, in the mind with the body.

And that brings us to practicing, and practicing again. Just as the mind
has to experience the experience once before experiencing it "for real,"
so too the body. It has to build what athletes call "muscle memory" -
practicing so that the performance is just another practice.

That's the difference between hoping and expecting. One hopes for what
one hasn't experienced. One expects what one has experienced.

This is true, as in the story with the Maggid, with making our prayers
meaningful. Or any mitzva (commandment).

But it's also true when it comes to Moshiach. We don't say, "I hope
Moshiach comes." We say, "I expect Moshiach to come."

So, in order to experience the era of Redemption, we need to put in the
time and effort to pre-experience the times of Moshiach - to leave in
peace with our neighbors, to have harmonious family relationships, to
immerse ourselves in Torah teachings, to work toward and end to poverty
and illness. May the practice, experience and realization be
simultaneous!

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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In this week's Torah portion, Vayeitzei, we read how Jacob left the home
of his righteous father Isaac, left his studies in the yeshiva of Shem
and Eber, and went to the home of the evil Laban in Charan. There he
began a new chapter in his life, working as a shepherd day and night.
Until then Jacob had concentrated on spiritual service, devoting himself
solely to the study of Torah. In Charan, however, Jacob's focal point
shifted, and he now found himself involved in more mundane tasks.

Surprisingly, it was precisely in Charan that Jacob achieved his highest
level of success, as we are told, "And the man increased exceedingly."
Jacob became very wealthy, both literally and figuratively. Moreover, it
was there that Jacob married and established the Twelve Tribes, the
foundation upon which the entire Jewish people would later be built.

But how is it possible that Jacob experienced his greatest success in a
place as lowly as Charan? Why was it necessary for the Jewish people to
establish its beginnings in such a sordid environment? (Charan is
related to the Hebrew word for anger or wrath.)

A similar question can be asked about G-d's desire for a "dwelling
place" in the physical world. Of all the higher celestial planes, G-d
chose our lowly material world as the place where He wanted to dwell, to
establish a permanent "residence."

The mitzvot of the holy Torah are practical commandments that we perform
with simple, physical objects. Tefilin are made from the hide of an
animal; tzitzit are made from wool; a suka, from planks of wood; candles
for Shabbat and holidays from wax. G-d wants us to build for Him a
"dwelling place down below" by using material objects in the performance
of mitzvot. The life-long service of the Jew consists of utilizing
whatever he comes in contact with to erect a permanent "residence" for
G-d in the lower realms.

This desire for a "dwelling place down below" will be realized
completely when Moshiach comes and ushers in the Final Redemption. At
that time the purpose of creation will be fulfilled, "for the earth
shall be filled with the knowledge of the L-rd, as the waters cover the
sea."

This Divine plan for creation is reflected in Jacob's establishment of
the Jewish people in as abject a location as Charan, precisely against a
backdrop of involvement in material affairs:

In Charan, Jacob first began to fulfill G-d's intent in the creation of
the world, the establishment of a "dwelling place" in this lowest of all
possible worlds. In Laban's house he succeeded in laying the groundwork
for the generations of Jews who would follow, foreshadowing their Divine
mission to transform the physical world into an appropriate "residence"
for G-d.

                             Adapted from Likutei Sichot, Volume 30

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                             Foe or Friend?
                           by Yehudis Kaplan

Greece was a dangerous place to be in last spring. Angry, violent mobs
with grievances to the government destroyed property, set fires, battled
the police. Bedlam reigned.

Vacationers shunned the island; hotel reservations and plane tickets
were cancelled. But for Rabbi Yoel and Ruth Kaplan and their children,
the Chabad emissaries in Thessaloniki, Greece, it was just another
challenge.

Like the hundreds of Chabad Houses around the world, the Chabad Center
in Saloniki is open to the public 24/7.

In the days of the rioting and even the weeks after, signs of vandalism
were everywhere and tension filled the air. But the rabbi tried to
resume his normal activities.

Even such a seemingly simple task like going to the post office was
fraught with danger. The post office was located in a part of the city
center that was a hangout and had been hit the hardest by violence.

Recalls Rabbi Kaplan: "I saw the typical group of young people blocking
the sidewalk in the city center outside the post office in the middle of
the day as they stood and chatted.

"I noticed one of them looking at me out of the corner of his eye. I, of
course, was the subject of their conversation as a Jew whose appearance
proclaimed my Judaism. I'm already used to comments and laughter, and
sometimes I have had to either make a detour or give up on my visit to
the post office that day. But due to recent strikes at the post office,
my visit was too urgent to put off. So I carried on walking."

Soon the group's curses and anti-Semitic comments in Greek became
louder, and they even translated some of their remarks into English for
the rabbi's "benefit."

"As I continued walking, I had a strange feeling. And as I stood
opposite them, I smiled and said, 'Good morning to you, too,' in a
pleasant voice.

"Who spoke to you?!" was the angry reply.

"No one, but you were talking about the Jewish people."

"We were talking about the nation of thieves, robbers, and gluttons,"
they answered.

"If you knew the truth, you wouldn't talk to me or to any Jew like
that," I responded, still smiling.

The leader of the group, a young man with spiky hair, started to lose
his temper. "You'll see!" he said. "I am trained in boxing ... I think
you should go away before I have to show you the power of my
outstretched arm ..."

The best thing I could do was move on, which I did but not without
smiling to each member of the group first. I then went into the post
office, which was still undergoing repairs after the riots. When I
walked out, I could have gone another way to avoid the group, but
decided to go the direct way.

The group was still there. As I drew closer, the voices in deep debate
subsided, and I said, "Have a good day!"

"You too," was the surprisingly polite response. I was even more
surprised when the leader of the group turned to me and apologized. "We
thought about things, and you're right! We've probably been influenced
by what we have heard."

" 'I'm happy to hear this,' I said. 'You need to treat every single
person with respect, no matter what his opinions and thoughts.' And
before I went on my way, I handed 'the boxer' my card and told him to be
in touch if he ever wanted to talk again."

Rabbi Kaplan thought that this was the end of the story, but it wasn't.

A few days later, Rabbi Kaplan was rushing to prepare for the holiday of
Shavuot, which was starting that evening. In the midst of preparations,
he got a phone call.

"It's Alexandros, the young man you met near the post office. Do you
remember me? I'm outside your house right now. Can I come in for a
coffee?"

The 'boxer' and his almost victim sat down for a chat. It seemed that
Rabbi Kaplan's few words outside the post office, his cheerful
expression, and the gentle way in which he had spoken to the group, had
really had an effect on Alexandros. "I wanted to speak to you urgently
afterwards," he told the rabbi.

Alexandros related to the rabbi that his maternal grandmother was Jewish
and is the only member of her family to have survived the Holocaust.
Like several hundred other Jews from Saloniki, she hid in the mountains
during the German invasion. Sadly her husband and only son were murdered
by the Germans.

After the war, she married a devout Christian and gave birth to
Alexandros' mother. But surely, Alexandros told the rabbi, since his
grandmother had left Judaism and his mother considered herself
Christian, he was not Jewish!

Rabbi Kaplan immediately set Alexandros straight. "I told Alexandros
that he is, in fact, 100% Jewish. Alexandros was delighted to discover
his Jewishness. He took me to visit his elderly grandmother. During this
very moving visit I presented her with a mezuza for her door and
Alexandros cheerfully put on tefilin for the first time in his life,"
relates Rabbi Kaplan.

Although Rabbi Kaplan finishes telling the story of Alexandros here, it
is surely just the beginning for this young Jewish man.

                         Adapted from shmais.com and ohrtmimim.org.

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                             New Emissaries

Rabbi Mendy and Devora Leah Mathless recently moved to Albany, New York,
where they are establishing University Heights Chabad to assist families
of patients hospitalized in nearby hospitals and students at the nearby
Medical, Law, and Pharmacy Schools. Rabbi Yochanan and Mushky Gordon
have moved to Germany where they will  serve as the local youth
directors for Chabad of Munich. Rabbi Immanuel and Rochie Storfer, and
Rabbi Yisroel and Rivkie Geisinsky, are moving to North Miami Beach,
Florida, where they are founding a new yeshiva Torah Orh, for
college-age men who are becoming interested in Torah study and Jewish
observance.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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         Continuation of a letter of the Rebbe written to Mrs.
           Devorah Groner, wife of Rabbi Yitzchok Groner (of
         blessed memory), emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in
        Melbourne, Australia, who headed the institutions there,
         and was a pioneer and builder of the Melbourne Jewish
                               community.

Finally, and this is the most basic consideration, it is necessary to
bear in mind that "G-d directs the steps of man and finds delight in his
(His) way," as explained at length by the Baal Shem Tov [founder of
Chasidism] and the Alter Rebbe [Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of Chabad
Chasidism]. When individual Divine Providence leads a Jew, man or woman,
in a certain direction, and in a way that G-d finds delight in because
it is His way, it is to be expected that the Yetzer Horah [evil
inclination] will seek ways and means to lessen the enthusiasm and
dampen the spirit. For the greater the accomplishments in the realm of
holiness, the greater is the opposition on the part of the "other side."

As for what can actually be accomplished, I mentioned to your husband
the experience in a somewhat similar situation, when the father of my
father-in-law sent two Jews to Gruzia (Caucasia), a remote and neglected
region, the two emissaries so transformed Jewish life there that even
now, 45 years later, we find grandchildren of those native Jews in New
York who are strictly religious and devoted Chassidim.

There is this difference, however, that those two Jews who revitalized
Jewish life in that remote region, were the only pioneers and had no
helpers. They had to start from scratch, whereas you and your husband
came to Australia, finding there a group of Anash [Chabad-Lubavitch
chasidim] who have, to a considerable extent, already prepared the
ground, except that many phases of the work have still to be
accomplished and could best be done by people who have all
American-English background, since, basically, the Australian society is
similar to that of the English-American society.

I hope that the above lines will suffice to form a basis for further
reflection along the lines suggested, for, needless to say, the subject
is by no means exhausted.

After all these reflections, I explicitly told your husband that as far
as he and you are concerned, and as far as the continuation of your work
in Australia is concerned, you have complete freedom of action now, as
before you set out for Australia, when you were in Brooklyn or Buffalo.
You have the freedom to decide whether you wish to continue your work in
Australia at the end of the three year period, with all that it entails,
or return to an easier job in this country. As a matter of fact, the job
at the Yeshivah which your husband held before, would undoubtedly be
available to him in the same capacity as before (which is that of the
category of a "clerk", with all the "advantages" indicated earlier).

Furthermore, I assured your husband that there is no implication of
Kepaida [harboring resentment] or reproof, from my part, whatever
decision he and you make. The important thing is that if the task is to
be done successfully, the work must be carried on willingly, without
compulsion and without considering it as penal servitude or deportation.
On the other hand, I wound be amiss of my duty if I were not to point
out the essential differences between one job as against the other, in
the light of the quotation mentioned above, "More knowledge, more pain."

May G-d grant that you make your decision in a way that will be truly
good for you both, materially and spiritually, and that you have good
news to report.

With blessing,


P.S. What has been said in regard to your husband's work applies also to
your work in disseminating Yiddishkeit among the women and daughters of
Chabad, although perhaps not to the same extent, since among the women
of Chabad there are a number of persons who have an American-English
background. Needless to say, however, you have the advantage of having
been in the proximity of my father-in-law and having imbibed directly
from his fountains, whereas the other women in Australia could do so
only from a "second or third" vessel.

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                            WHAT'S IN A NAME
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ALEXANDRA is the feminine form of the adopted Greek name Alexander,
meaning "protector of man." Queen Shloma-Alexandra, Queen of Judea from
76-67 b.c.e. brought peace, prosperity, and spiritual healing to the
Land of Israel.

AKIVA is a variant form of the Hebrew name Yaacov meaning "to hold by
the heel." The famous Rabbi Akiva, Talmudic scholar of the 1st century,
did not even know the Hebrew alphabet until he began studying Torah at
the age of 40. He became one of the most beloved, respected scholars of
all time.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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Next Tuesday, 9 Kislev (Nov. 16 this year) is the birthday and yartzeit
of Rabbi Dov Ber, the second Chabad Rebbe, known as the Mitteler Rebbe.
The following day, 10 Kislev, is the anniversary of the Mitteler Rebbe's
release from imprisonment on false charges.

There is a famous story about the Mitteler Rebbe told by the Previous
Rebbe and often related by the Rebbe:

The Mitteler Rebbe was known for his unusual power of concentration.
When he was engaged in study or prayer, he did not hear or see a thing
around him.

Once, when Rabbi Dov Ber was studying, his baby sleeping in a nearby cot
fell out and began to cry. Rabbi Dov Ber did not hear the baby's cries
and continued learning. But the infant's grandfather, Rabbi Shneur
Zalman (the founder of Chabad Chasidism), who was in his room on an
upper floor and was also studying at that time, did hear the baby's
cries. He interrupted his studies, went downstairs, picked up the
infant, soothed him and put him back in his cot. Still, the infant's
father did not hear what went on around him. Later on, Rabbi Shneur
Zalman told his son: "No matter how important the thing is that a Jew is
engaged in, one must always hear the cry of a child."

This story is applicable to parents, teachers and even children. We must
always here the cry of a child, whether that child is a child in years
or knowledge or commitment to Judaism. Even when we are involved in
important things, we must not neglect or ignore the cry of the child.

This applies, as well, to the child within each one of us. This spark of
good and G-dliness, the wide-eyed and innocent trust and belief that the
world can become a perfect place, that evil can be eradicated, that
goodness can prevail, and that "I" can be a part of it or perhaps even
be the catalyst for realizing the world's potential, must be listened to
and heeded.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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And Jacob lifted up his feet ("raglav") (Gen. 29:1)

The Hebrew word for foot, "regel" is related to the word meaning habit,
"hergel." Jacob "lifted up" and elevated his daily, mundane and habitual
actions and transformed them into holiness. "If you turn away your foot
because of the Sabbath," said the Prophet Isaiah, "I will feed you with
the heritage of Jacob your father." If you make an effort to rise above
and transform your baser instincts in order to bring holiness into the
world, you will be rewarded by G-d for your actions.

                                                    (Baal Shem Tov)

                                *  *  *


And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth (Gen. 28:14)

The Jewish people is likened here to the dust of the earth, although
sometimes the Torah compares the Jews to sand, and sometimes to the
stars. We learn a lesson from each of these different expressions. Stars
are far apart from one another in the heavens and never come into
contact with each other. Grains of sand, on the other hand, are in close
proximity to the other grains, but do not stick and adhere to each
other. Dust, however, attaches to other particles and forms a cohesive
mass. The Jewish people receives G-d's blessings when they are unified
and undivided like dust.

                                            (The Lubavitcher Rebbe)

                                *  *  *


Surely G-d is present in this place and I did not know it (28:16)

When does man feel the presence of G-d? When "I did not know it" - when
the "I" is ignored and the person works on negating his ego.

                                                      (Panim Yafot)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Reb Pinchas Reizes was a Chasid of the Mitteler Rebbe (Rabbi Dovber,
whose birthday and passing are on 9 Kislev). When Reb Pinchas passed
away his only heir was a nephew, who unfortunately was a complete
scoundrel. Among the items that came into the nephew's possession was a
letter written by the Mitteler Rebbe to his uncle, asking him to serve
on a special committee to disburse funds for charity. The sum cited in
the letter was 4,000 rubles.

The nephew saw this as a golden opportunity to blackmail the Rebbe. If
the Rebbe did not give him money, he threatened, he would go to the
authorities and tell them that the Rebbe was collecting funds for
clandestine and illegal purposes. But the Rebbe was immune to his
intimidations. "Not one penny will you get from me," he told him. "Do
whatever you want, for I have done nothing wrong and am not afraid of
your slander."

Incensed by the Rebbe's response, the nephew carried out his threat.
With the help of some unsavory associates he forged the original letter
to make it appear as if the Rebbe had 104,000 rubles instead of 4,000 -
a veritable fortune in those days. The Rebbe was accused of various
criminal activities, such as trying to bribe the Turkish Sultan, and it
was also alleged that the Rebbe's study hall had been built to the exact
specifications of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

On Saturday night of the Torah portion of Noach 5587 [1826]
investigators showed up at the Rebbe's house. They conducted a thorough
search of the premises. Careful note was taken of all written materials,
and anything else they considered suspicious. At the same time, a
separate group of investigators measured the Rebbe's study hall; no one
could figure out what they were trying to find.

By that time a large crowd had gathered in front of the Rebbe's house,
and everyone could hear the tearful pleading of the Rebbe's family with
the police. The only one who seemed to be taking everything in stride
was the Rebbe. As if nothing unusual were going on, he withdrew to his
room to write a Chasidic discourse. A while later he announced that he
would receive people for private audiences, which he did.

The following morning the Rebbe was ordered to accompany the police to
their headquarters in Vitebsk. Word of the Rebbe's arrest quickly
spread, and in every town and village along the way hundreds of Jews
came out to greet him. Thanks to the efforts of several influential
Jews, it was agreed that the long journey would be made in stages, with
numerous stops to allow the Rebbe to rest.

When the carriage arrived in Dobromisl, the Rebbe asked to be allowed to
pray the afternoon service in the local synagogue. Afterwards, to
everyone's surprise, he delivered a Chasidic discourse on the verse from
Song of Songs, "Many waters cannot quench love." The allusion to his
present situation was clear.

The Rebbe was subsequently imprisoned in the city of Liozhna and placed
under tight security. Sometime later it was learned that the formal
charge against him was rebellion against the government.

The Rebbe was jailed for one month and ten days, but even from the
beginning he was granted certain privileges. Three people were permitted
to stay with him, and three times a day, 20 Jews were allowed inside to
pray. The Rebbe was also permitted to deliver a Chasidic discourse twice
a week in front of 50 people after the Rebbe's doctor testified that it
was crucial to the Rebbe's health.

In the meantime, efforts to secure the Rebbe's release were being made
behind the scenes. Several high-ranking government officials who had
heard about the Rebbe and held him in great esteem tried to exert their
influence. The Rebbe was interrogated numerous times, during which he
proved that not only were his connections to the Turkish Sultan
completely fabricated, but his designs on the Kaiser's throne were
equally fictitious.

At the end of several weeks the results of the investigation were turned
over to the Minister of the Interior. The Minister was very impressed by
the Rebbe's responses to all the questions, and decided that a direct
confrontation between the Rebbe and his accuser was in order.

On the designated day the Rebbe dressed in his white Shabbat finery.
When he walked into the Minister's office, the official was so
disconcerted by his angelic appearance that he ordered a chair be
brought to the Rebbe.

The informer began to heap his invectives upon the Rebbe, but one by
one, the Rebbe dismissed the accusations entirely. At one point in the
proceedings the accuser addressed the Rebbe as "Rebbe," prompting the
Rebbe to turn to the Minister and remark, "Did you hear that? First he
calls me a charlatan and a revolutionary, and in the next breath he
calls me Rebbe!"

From that point on the accuser's allegations became increasingly
illogical. The Minister was so irritated by his behavior that he ordered
him to "stop barking," and he was led away in humiliation. The Rebbe was
escorted back to his room with great deference, and informed that he
would soon be released.

The Mitteler Rebbe was liberated on the 10th of Kislev, having been
informed of the government's decision while reciting the verse from
Psalms: "He has saved my soul in peace."

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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Exile is the gestation of the collective entity of Jewish souls, and the
coming of Moshiach is the level of birth. The sages say "[Moshiach ben
Dovid will not come] until the treasury of souls known as 'guf' (body)
has been exhausted." Only when all the individual Jewish souls will have
been born will the time of gestation of the people of Israel be complete
in the "belly" of the female aspect of G-dliness, and it will be time
for Moshiach to be born.

           (From a discourse of Rabbi Dovber, the "Mitteler Rebbe,"
                                         translated by Yaakov Bock)

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               END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1145 - Vayetzei 5771
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