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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1175
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                           Copyright (c) 2011
                 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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        June 17, 2011           Sh'lach           15 Sivan, 5771
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                          Clutter or Charity?

After a major event - a graduation party, a visit from the married kids
with the grandchildren, whatever the get-together - what do you do? You
go around the house picking up and straightening up, of course.

And in that process you inevitably find bits and pieces of this and that
and worn out toys and used up clothes.

It's the clutter of our lives. We collect it. We accumulate it. We sort
it. We discover it. We trip over it.

We wonder what to do with it. And in our frustration, we often just
throw it out. Or pack it up, put it back in the attic, the closet, the
drawer or back on the shelf. Until next time.

And sometimes we give it away. We call a charitable organization, a
group that works with the homeless, or veterans, or those stricken with
a particular disease. They pick up our clutter, we get a note (and a tax
deduction) and away it goes.

We know someone who considers money to be clutter! He gives away his
loose coins. Pennies in his pocket. A quarter on the counter. Nickels at
noon. Dimes at dinner. It's all clutter. And it all goes one place: into
a tzedeka pushke, a charity box.

By the end of the day, he's got no coins left.

He's not sure how much money he collects this way over the course of a
week, a month, or a year. He just knows that there's an apparently
unending supply of clutter - waiting to be turned into charity or, more
appropriately, tzedeka.

The word tzedeka means "right," "correct," or "just." In other words,
taking our junk, our clutter, and giving it away to someone who can make
use of it, that's called "doing the right thing" or "justice."

This is because ultimately, we don't own anything. This is G-d's world,
and we're just caretakers. Not even that. We're middlemen, distributors.
Things pass through our hands. Some things we use for ourselves and the
rest we transfer to others, to enable them to be transformed.

The funny thing about clutter is that it consists of things that were
once valuable to us. This parallels, in a way, the Torah's laws of the
field: while harvesting, if a sprig of grapes or a sheaf of wheat falls
to the ground, we must leave it to the poor. They get the leftovers.
Before being harvested, the grapes and wheat were of value to us. During
the harvest, they fell by the wayside.

But they fell for a reason. Somebody needs them. Somebody can use them.
To us, it's just clutter, a throwaway. But to the person who is needy,
even a bit of clutter becomes a lifeline.

Why this is so, only G-d knows. But of this we can be sure: everything
in G-d's world, even our clutter, has a purpose and can be transformed
into tzedeka, thereby righting the world and making it a fit dwelling
place for G-dliness.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week's Torah portion, Shelach, contains the account of the 12 spies
sent to scout out the land of Israel. Upon their return they announced,
"We will not be able to go against the people, for they are stronger
than we - mimenu."

Our Sages explain that the word "mimenu" may also be interpreted as
"than him" - than Him! The spies insisted that the inhabitants of
Canaan, as it was called, were even more powerful than G-d, Who had
promised the land to the Jews.

How could they have made such a statement? Each of the 12 spies were
scholar and pious. Furthermore, the entire Jewish people had just
witnessed the greatest open miracles - the exodus from Egypt, the
splitting of the Red Sea and the manna falling from the sky. Why wasn't
the spies' report simply discounted, instead of being given such
credence?

When the spies insisted that the Land was too well fortified to be
conquered, Caleb stood up and calmed the people. "Don't worry," he
insisted. "The same G-d who performed all these miracles for us will
continue to guard His people. Let us go up at once, without fear!"

"But," countered the spies, "there we saw the nefilim, the sons of
Anak!"

Who were these "nefilim," that their mention brought fear to the spies?
The great commentator, Rashi, explains that the nefilim were people of
gigantic stature, descendants of two angels who had descended to earth
many years before during the generation of Enosh. Their very name -
"nefilim" - attests to their descent, from the root word meaning "to
fall."

Yes, conceded the spies, G-d is certainly more powerful than mere
mortals. But can G-d prevail against the nefilim and their higher level
of spirituality? The nefilim had even survived the great flood which
destroyed the rest of the world. These two angels, who came down into
the world with the best and holiest of intentions, were unable to
withstand the lure of the material world. They and their descendants
ended up degraded and debased. If angels, the spies contended, have
failed, how much more so will we if we even attempt to conquer the Land.
Let us simply reject the material world and remain in the wilderness!

To this, two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, replied, "No, this is not
G-d's plan. G-d wants us to live in the physical world, performing
physical mitzvot (commandments). 'Do not fear...for G-d is with us'."
Angels may not be equipped to deal with this world, but we are even
higher than the angels, for we possess a G-dly soul in a corporeal body.
We have the power to fuse the physical with the spiritual, by performing
concrete mitzvot which bring holiness into the world and make it a
dwelling place for G-d. Thus, we can withstand any negative force, not
only emerging triumphant, but transforming those very forces into
instruments of good.

                   Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                          The Art of the Heart

Rabbi Hendel Lieberman, who passed away in 1976, was a well-known Chabad
Chasidic artist. Trained in the Moscow Academy of Art, Rabbi Hendel's
trademark was his lively, colorful portrayal of shtetl scenes. For Rabbi
Hendel, who lost his wife and two daughters in the Holocaust, his
paintings were a source of solace, enabling him to forge a connection
with a lost world. His paintings hang today in the New York Metropolitan
Museum of art, London's Tate Gallery, and museums in Paris.

Rabbi Hendel was a devoted chasid of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. After his
harrowing experiences during World War II, he arrived in New York broken
in both body and soul. The Rebbe encouraged him and breathed new life
into him. Thanks to the Rebbe's blessings and support, Rabbi Hendel
revived his art career. He also used his work to inspire others and draw
fellow Jews back to Judaism.

Rabbi Hendel was once invited to attend an art exhibition in a large
American city, where many well-regarded artists were to exhibit their
works. Before accepting the invitation, he requested the advice of the
Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe instructed him to attend the exhibition,
but not to stay in the hotel where the exhibition was being held.
Rather, he should stay in another, nearby hotel.

Rabbi Hendel did as the Rebbe asked. He rented a room in the hotel and
brought with him enough kosher provisions to last for the duration of
the exhibition.

His paintings proved to be very popular among the exhibition viewers.
His appearance, especially, attracted attention: A Jewish rabbi of the
old generation, with side locks and a saintly look.

During his spare time, Rabbi Hendel sat in his hotel room studying
Torah, so as not to waste a minute. One day, while in his hotel room, he
heard a knock at the door. A stranger stood there and asked for a few
minutes of his time.

Rabbi Hendel ushered him in, and the man asked to borrow his talit and
tefilin. Rabbi Hendel was surprised at the request, as the man did not
look Jewish, but he complied happily. The man thanked Rabbi Hendel and
returned to his hotel room.

A while later, Rabbi Hendel passed the man's room and heard sounds of
sobbing. He was sure that the man was overcome with emotion and crying
to G-d from the depths of his heart.

An hour later, the man returned the tefilin. Rabbi Hendel noticed that
the man's eyes were red and his face showed signs of deep emotion, but
he pretended not to be aware of the change.

The man came several more times over the next few days, asking to borrow
Rabbi Hendel's tefilin. His curiosity aroused, Rabbi Hendel engaged the
man in a personal conversation. The man confided to Rabbi Hendel that in
his youth, he had been a yeshiva student. Later, he became influenced by
the communist ideology and left Judaism completely.

When he arrived in the hotel for the art exhibition, he passed by Rabbi
Hendel's room and heard his prayers, so full of longing and beautiful
melodies. The experience brought back memories of his youth, when he had
learned in yeshiva and prayed with talit and tefilin. He remembered his
Chasidic parents who had observed all the commandments stringently. The
home had been filled with such light and warmth; the Shabbat and
holidays were the highlights of their lives.

He could not contain his feelings any longer, and decided to borrow the
tefilin from Rabbi Hendel. Now his longing for his childhood faith grew
within him, and he could not let a day pass without prayer.

Rabbi Hendel was deeply moved by the story. He now understood the scope
of the Rebbe's vision. This must be the reason why the Rebbe asked him
to participate in the exhibition and to stay in that hotel. The Rebbe,
with his special spiritual sensitivity, had foreseen that this Jew would
be there, and assigned Rabbi Hendel the task of reigniting his Jewish
soul. Rabbi Hendel's presence in the hotel caused the man to remember
his past and return to his Creator.

At the close of the exhibition, the two men parted and Rabbi Hendel
returned to his home in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. He wrote
a report to the Rebbe about all that had happened at the exhibition, and
how a Jewish artist had been inspired to return to Judaism.

Not long afterward, Rabbi Hendel was dumfounded to read in a newspaper
that the Jewish artist had passed away. The Rebbe had sent him on a
mission to help this man return to G-d completely in his final days.

                                     Reprinted from chabadworld.net

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                      Big, Small or Just One Wall

Come one, come all, to the Great Shul (synagogue) Fair! When the Great
Fair comes to town, children discover what makes each synagogue unique,
and what makes all of them very much the same. Whether right around the
corner, or halfway across the globe, a synagogue is always special! This
latest release from HaChai Publishing has laminated pages. Written by
Leibel Fajnland and delightfully illustrated by Tova Leff.

                             Torah Studies

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, serves as guide on a
journey through the weekly Torah portion based on a discourse of the
Lubavitcher Rebbe. Torah Studies is a classic work that was recently
re-released by Kehot Publication Society.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                   WHY DID G-D PERMIT THE HOLOCAUST?

                                 Part I

                         23 Shevat, 5744 [1984]

This is in reply to your letter of January 23 1984, in which you write
that you were born in a DP camp in Germany, a child of parents who
survived the Holocaust, and you ask why G-d permitted the Holocaust to
take place, etc.

No doubt you know that there is substantial literature dealing with this
terrible tragedy, and a letter is hardly the medium to deal adequately
with the question. However, since you have written to me, I must give
you some answer, Hence, the following thoughts.

Jews - including you and me - are "believers, the children of
believers," our Sages declare. Deep in one's heart every Jew believes
there is a G-d Who is the Creator and Master of the world, and that the
world has a purpose. Any thinking person who contemplates the solar
system, for example, or the complexities of an atom, must come to the
conclusion and conviction that our universe did not come about by some
"freak accident." Wherever you turn, you see design and purpose.

It follows that a human being "also" has a purpose, certainly where
millions of human beings are concerned.

Since the Creator created the world with a purpose, it is also logical
to assume that He wished the purpose to be realized, and therefore,
would reveal to the only "creature" on earth who has an intelligence to
understand such matters, namely, humankind, what this purpose is, and
how to go about realizing it. This, indeed, is the ultimate purpose of
every human being, namely, to do his or her share in the realization of
the Divine design and purpose of Creation. It is also common sense that
without such "Divine revelation," a human being would not, of his own
accord, have what exactly is that purpose and how to achieve it, any
more than a minuscule part or component in a highly complex system could
comprehend the whole system, much less the creator of the system.

The illustration often given in this connection is the case of an
infant, whose lack of ability to understand an intricate theory of a
mature scientist would not surprise anyone, although both the infant and
the scientist are created beings, and the difference between them is
only relative, in terms of age and knowledge, etc. Indeed, it is
possible that the infant may some day surpass the scientist in knowledge
and insight. Should it, then, be surprising that a created human being
cannot understand the ways of the Creator?

It is also understandable that since every person has a G-d given
purpose in life, he or she is provided with the capacity to carry out
that purpose fully.

A further important point to remember is that since G-d created
everything with a purpose, there is nothing lacking or superfluous in
the world. This includes also the human capacity.

It follows that a person's capacity in terms of knowledge, time, energy,
etc., must fully be applied to carrying out his, or her, purpose in
life. If any of these resources is diverted to something that is
extraneous to carrying out the Divine purpose, it would not only be
misused and wasteful, but would detract to that extent from the real
purpose.
                        continued in next issue


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                            WHAT'S IN A NAME
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BARAK means "a flash of light" or "lightening." Barak was an army
general who, together with the Prophetess Deborah,  lead the Jews to
victory against the Kenites (Judges 4:6)


BINA means "understanding."

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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Over a century ago, on the 20th of Sivan (occurring June 22nd this
year), Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim - the Lubavitcher Yeshiva - was closed by
special order of the Russian government. The yeshiva, which had been
established to counter the new and foreign ideologies that threatened
the Jewish people from within, was a favorite target of proponents of
the Enlightenment. Indeed, on this occasion their slander succeeded, but
only for a very short while, as we see in this excerpt from the Previous
Rebbe's diary dated 21 Sivan, 5662 (1902):

"Yesterday, a messenger arrived around six o'clock with a letter stating
that at twelve noon a police captain, his lieutenant, and three officers
had burst into the great study hall of the yeshiva and ordered everyone
to stop learning. They wrote down all the students' names, then ordered
that the place be evacuated. The captain then instructed that the
windows be closed from the inside, and when everyone had exited, the
front door was locked. A wax seal was affixed to the official order,
with strict instructions not to open it.

"The action had been initiated by the Regional Minister of the
Enlightenment, who had issued an order to immediately close all yeshivot
founded by Rebbe Schneersohn."

What was the reaction of the Previous Rebbe, the administrator of
Tomchei Temimim? He simply made a new entrance.

"After arriving [in Lubavitch] and evaluating the situation, I
instructed Yankel the builder to construct a small platform with a
flight of stairs leading into the front window. He also made three steps
going down on the inside. ...I put a metal can on top of the wax seal so
that it wouldn't break. By seven in the morning the yeshiva was open as
usual.

"When my grandmother Rebbetzin Rivka passed by the yeshiva on her way to
shul she became upset, afraid that I had done something illegal. But the
next day a telegram arrived granting permission for the yeshiva to
reopen."

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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Contemplate three things and you will not come into the hands of sin:
Know what is above you (mimcha)...(Ethics 2:1)

According to the Maggid of Mezritch, this teaching can be interpreted as
follows: "Know that what is above - mimcha - is from you." Know that
everything which you receive from Above is a reciprical reaction to what
you do here in this world.

                                *  *  *


Do not separate yourself from the community (Ethics 2:2)

Hillel teaches that all Jews are intrinsically one and the same. They
are not just separate entities that may later link themselves together.
This is why the menora in the Holy Temple was made out of one solid
piece of gold, which was beaten into seven branches. The different
branches of the menora symbolize the diversity and broad spectrum of the
Jewish community. Each Jew shines and expresses the light of Torah in a
different way. We may represent various aspects of Jewish life, yet deep
down we're all made of the same substance.

                                    (Blossoms, Rabbi Yisroel Rubin)

                                *  *  *


Set aside your will because of His will (Ethics 2:4)

When a person sets aside his own desires for the sake of heaven, whether
to desist from sinful deeds or to perform positive mitzvot, he succeeds
in transforming his nature. The Evil Inclination is conquered by making
one's will the same as G-d's.

                                                   (Likutei Sichot)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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As she closed the door after the departing guest, the woman found that
she could barely stand. Her whole body trembled so much that she needed
to lean on the wall. Several minutes passed until she was sure that she
would not faint. Eventually she composed herself and sat down again at
the table next to her husband, but her eyes were still wet.

"What's the matter?" her husband asked, alarmed at her distress.

"Oh, it's nothing," she replied. "I'm just feeling a bit dizzy."

But the husband could see that there was something wrong. "Tell me, is
it that meal you just gave away to that beggar?"

"No! G-d forbid that I would regret such a thing," the wife answered,
averting her eyes.

Just minutes before, the husband and wife had sat down to their noonday
meal. The husband, a wealthy merchant, closed his business every day at
noon and returned home for a sumptuous lunch. Prepared with love and
care, his wife always tried to make his lunch break as pleasant as
possible before he returned to work.

The couple had not been married long, and in truth, they did not know
much about each other's past. The husband hadn't been born into a
wealthy home, but he was a modest and kindly man. All the wife knew for
sure was that her husband had once been a beggar, but the wheel of
fortune had turned and he was now the proprietor of a successful
business.

Yet despite his newfound riches the husband had continued to lead a
simple life. Generous and giving, the memory of his own misfortune drove
him to dispense charity liberally to anyone who asked for help.

The knock on the door that day had been nothing out of the ordinary.
Poor people were always coming to ask for a handout, and those
collecting money for a good cause knew they would be well received. But
this time, the voice on the other side of the door had been especially
pitiful.

"Have pity on a poor Jew," the beggar had pleaded desperately. "It's
been days since I've had anything to eat. Please give me a crust of
bread. I ask for nothing more."

The sound of that tormented voice had immediately reminded the husband
of his own past suffering, and his appetite had fled. Without hesitation
he told his wife to invite the beggar in and give him his entire plate
of food. The beggar had quickly devoured the meal, the whole time
thanking and blessing his benefactors.

After the beggar had left, the husband was surprised to see how agitated
his wife had become. But why was she so upset? He knew she was a
generous soul, so it couldn't be the food that he had given away.

In response to his gentle questioning the wife broke down. "I'm sorry,"
she apologized, "but I was suddenly reminded of my former life in Cairo,
Egypt, before I was married to you. Like you, my first husband was a
very rich man, and I also used to cook for him the most delicious meals.
He too would close his store and come home for lunch.

"G-d blessed my husband with great wealth, and his business dealings
were very successful. Unfortunately, my husband had one bad character
trait that ruined his life: he was extremely stingy. He was so unwilling
to help the poor that he forbade me to give them food and drink if they
came to the door. It bothered me very much, but I wanted to preserve
peace in the home and obeyed his wishes.

"Eventually we earned a reputation for being miserly. Beggars would
cross the street rather than knock on our door. It pained me greatly,
but what could I do? I was trying to please my husband.

"One day at lunchtime there was a knock on the door. I can still see my
husband, having just taken his first bite of bread. 'Who's there?' he
called out. 'I am a poor Jew,' was the answer. 'Please help me. I
haven't eaten in many days, and I am about to expire from hunger.'

"But my husband had only gotten angry. 'Go away!' he shouted at the
intruder who dared to interrupt his meal. 'These impudent beggars won't
even let a person eat in peace...' He then slammed the door in the poor
man's face. I burst into tears.

"From that day on my husband's business began to falter. One loss
followed another until all the money was gone. Even the house was lost
to creditors, and we were left with nothing. At that point my husband
insisted that we divorce, and we each went our separate ways.

"I never saw him again, but it was rumored that he had become a beggar.
That is, until today..." the woman said. "Do you know who that poor man
was who just left our house? It was my first husband..."

The husband's eyes filled with tears. He too was moved to the depths of
his soul. "As a matter of fact, my dear," he replied, "I recognized him.
And I myself was the beggar he turned away from the door that fateful
day..."

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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The Midrash explains that even if hope is all that the Jewish people
have to their merit, for that alone, they are worthy of being redeemed.
The Chida explains that this is the meaning of what we say in the Amida
prayer: "May the bloom of Your servant David soon blossom... for we hope
for Your salvation all day." We are praying to G-d that He should send
us Moshiach immediately, and if it is said that we are not deserving, we
respond, "For we hope for your salvation all day," meaning, (as a
reward) for awaiting Moshiach alone, we are deserving of being redeemed.

                                          (Yalkut Shimoni Tehillim)

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               END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1175 - Sh'lach 5771
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