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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1252
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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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        December 28, 2012       Vayechi           15 Tevet, 5773
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                 The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back

We've all had one of those days or weeks (or months?). Whether it's
pressure, stress, or foul-ups, we know that one more will send us off
the deep end. When it happens, it could be the most minor infraction,
something minute in comparison to the rest of the incidents that have
already taken place. But it is that last, little, even insignificant
unpleasant occurrence that is the "straw that broke the camel's back."

Everything in the realm of the negative has its correspondence in the
realm of the positive. The great Jewish scholar and philosopher, Moses
Maimonides, stated, "One must always perceive the good and evil in
himself and this world as if in perfect balance. Should he perform one
good deed, he will tip the scales in favor of the good and bring
redemption to himself and to the entire world." (Hilchot Teshuva)

Good, according to Jewish thought, is cumulative and eternal. Evil,
however, is not permanent and eventually disappears. Although,
periodically in our own personal lives, we've experienced the buildup of
the negative, on a global, Divine scale, it is the good endures.

So, we can understand that just as a straw can break the camel's back in
a negative sense, it can break the camel's back in a positive sense, as
well.

Just how powerful the last, positive straw can be is beautifully
illustrated by an incident that took place many years ago. A salvage
company discovered a ship with an extremely valuable cargo sunk off the
Baltic coast. It tried to lift the vessel with a crane, but the portion
to which divers attached the cable broke off before the wreck could be
raised. Finally, it was decided that instead of attaching a cable to
only one place, balloons would be tied all over the ship's surface. As
those balloons were inflated, they pulled the ship as a whole from its
mire.

Each one of our good deeds, each positive thought, each kind act, is a
balloon. None of us knows whether it will be my balloon or your balloon
that will be the one that, added to all of the others, will lift this
giant vessel out of the mire in which it has been sitting for the past
thousands of years. All we can do is keep on adding balloons, with the
knowledge that they are cumulative, and with the hope and prayer that
one of ours will very soon be the one that raises the ship to its
ultimate purpose with the coming of the imminent Redemption.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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With this week's Torah portion, Vayechi, we conclude the Book of
Genesis. "Joseph died, being 110 years old...and he was put into a
coffin in Egypt" is its final verse.

This conclusion to the entire Book is somewhat surprising, in light of
the principle that "one should always end on a positive note." Why
couldn't Genesis have concluded a few verses back, when we learn that
Joseph lived a long life and merited to see grandchildren and
great-grandchildren? Why couldn't the description of Joseph's death have
waited until the Book of Exodus?

We must conclude that Joseph's passing is somehow related to the theme
of Genesis itself.

The primary difference between Genesis and the other Books of the Torah
is that Genesis relates the early history of our ancestors and the 12
tribes - the preparation for our existence as a distinct nation -
whereas the other four books contain a narrative of our history as a
people.

Genesis begins with an account of the creation of the world. The Sage,
Rabbi Yitzchak, explained that although the Torah should have begun with
a practical mitzva (commandment), G-d chose to commence with the
Creation to refute the arguments of the Gentiles, who would one day
claim that the Jews had stolen the land of Israel from the nations who
lived there prior to its conquest.

To counter their assertion, the Jews will say, "The entire world belongs
to G-d; He created it and divided it as He saw fit. It was His will to
give it to them, and it was His will to take it from them and give it to
us."

Surely G-d did not change the entire order of His Torah just to supply
an answer to the arguments of the Gentiles. The comments of Rabbi
Yitzchak must therefore contain a more fundamental teaching for the
Jewish people as a whole.

The nations of the world are cognizant of the Jew's special mission.
Their claim is that precisely because Jews are different, they should
limit themselves to spiritual service and not tie themselves down to a
physical land. They opine that because Jews are a nation like no other,
they have no right to claim ownership of a homeland. To the non-Jew, the
spiritual and physical realms are incongruous and incompatible.

"The entire world belongs to G-d," the Jew explains - the mundane as
well as the spiritual. Both require sanctification through the light of
holiness - the sacred mission of the Jew.

With this concept the Book of Genesis begins, and on this note it
concludes. Joseph's coffin remained in Egypt to strengthen and inspire
the Children of Israel during their exile there. Joseph is symbolic of
the ability of the Jewish people to overcome even the most difficult of
obstacles, imbuing even the mot mundane matter with holiness and
bringing the long-awaited Redemption.

                  Adapted from Likutei Sichot of the Rebbe, Vol. 30

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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Chabad set up 75 public menoras in Tel Aviv alone; The World's Largest
Menora at Fifth Ave. and 59th in NYC sponsored by the Lubavitch Youth
Organization; In Kharkov, Ukraine's "Platinum Plaza"; Trafalgar Square,
London, with Lord Jonathan Sacks lighting, Mayor Boris Johnson in
attendance; 10,000 people attended the 33rd annual Chanuka Festival by
Chabad of South Broward, Florida; Giant ice menora in front of the Royal
Palace on the Dam Square in Amsterdam, Holland; In Tacoma, Washington,
lighting the Tallest Chocolate Menora; New Jersey - based Bris Avrohom
put up 50 public menoras seen by millions of commuters and travellers.
Center: Rabbi Boaz Sharon, one of the first responder to the terrorist
rocket attack in which three people were murdered in Kiryat Malachi,
Israel, lighting a menora on the exposed porch, representing the triumph
of light over darkness.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                              11 Adar 5718

Greeting and Blessing:

I received your letter of February 11th,  in which you write that you
had been given to understand that in connection with a shidduch, the
true approach of the Torah and the Jewish way, is not to let the heart
play a decisive part in it, but that the important thing is to ensure
the good qualities, etc., of the party concerned. Therefore, you write,
that my reply, as it was reported to you, seemed inconsistent with the
above.

Now, I do not know how my reply was reported to you. At any rate, my
reply always relates to a particular question, asked by a particular
person, on the basis of a particular set of data, and, needless to say,
my reply is given to the person concerned, who alone can reveal the
answer to others. With regard to your particular problem that you write
in your letter, however, let me state that it is true that according to
the ideal of the Torah, "The mind should rule the heart," and when the
mind desires something in accordance with the Torah, the heart should
follow without question. This is theoretically true also of a shidduch,
where the ideal woman is described as "Grace is deceitful, and beauty is
vain; but a woman that feareth G-d, she shall be praised (Proverbs
31:30)." The same is true, of course, of a man.

Undoubtedly, however, in our present-day world, it is not always a case
where the heart follows the mind, but the heart often has an opinion of
its own, not consistent with the above quotation. Therefore, when it
comes to a particular case, and it is necessary to decide whether it is
a suitable shidduch among two particular persons, it is then necessary
to take into consideration the two concerned parties as they are, and
not as they should be, in all perfection. Hence, there is no
contradiction between the ideal of the Torah in connection with a
shidduch, and the practical necessity to advise one, in a particular
situation where the party has not attained the ideal stage, to listen
also to the voice of the heart.

I trust that you know of the three daily shiurim and observe them, and
may G-d grant that you find your suitable shidduch in all details, since
G-d's blessing is necessary in every case, and particularly in the case
of a shidduch.

Wishing you a happy Purim,

With blessing,

                                *  *  *

                (The date of this letter is unavailable)


...Regarding all events that transpire in a person's life, be they large
or small, it is impossible to take into account all the eventual
particulars and details, and each and every possible permutation. After
all, a human being is extremely limited; it is impossible for him to
conceptualize all the eventualities of each and every aspect and detail
and their possible consequences.

Thus, to a certain extent, it is necessary for a person to utilize his
faith and trust in G-d, that He will see the matter through in a goodly
manner in all its many details.

The same is so with regard to a shidduch: It is literally impossible to
find something in this world that is entirely perfect and it is also
impossible to assess with perfect accuracy how matters will turn out.

If the most important aspects are quite satisfactory, then quite often
it is proper to forego on minor matters that do not seem to be in
perfect order. This is especially so, since one may only be imagining
that these matters are not in order, when, truth be told, they are in
point of fact quite fine as well.

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                               WHO'S WHO
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Rav Huna was Sage from the second generation of Babylonian amoraim. He
was born in 216 ce and passed away on 15 Tevet at the age of
approximately 80. He was a disciple and follower of Rav. A decade after
Rav's passing, the Sages finally appointed Rav Huna as Dean and greatest
Torah authority of the Great Academy, which was to continue to be
located in Sura, Babylonia. Rav Huna was extremely tolerant and modest.
In his early years he was impoverished until Rav blessed him with
wealth.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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The 20th of Tevet, this year Wednesday, January 2, marks the yartzeit
(anniversary of the passing) of the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon),
Rabbi Moses Maimonides, more than 800 years ago. The Rambam was an
outstanding codifier, commentator, philosopher, physician to the Sultan
and leader of Egyptian Jewry.

A little over 30 years ago, the Lubavitcher Rebbe urged all Jews to
study every day a section of the Rambam's Mishne Torah, or at least the
briefer Sefer HaMitzvot. Hundreds of thousands of Jews undertook this
great endeavor and are studying one of the above-mentioned works. (You
can find them on-line at www.lchaimweekly.org/daily/)

Although the Rambam passed away so long ago, he and his great wisdom are
still with us. When a person sits down to study a chapter, or a law from
one of the Rambam's works, his spirit and teachings remain alive.

About the Rambam, our Sages have said, "From Moses to Moses, there was
none like Moses!" This means that from the time of the Moses who took us
out of Egypt, there has never lived a person who exhibited all of the
Rambam's unique qualities.

Throughout the 50 generations from Moses our Teacher until Moses
Maimonides, there was not even one person similar to Moses our Teacher
in terms of transmission of the Torah until the arrival of the Rambam.
This saying is engraved on Maimonides' gravestone, which implies that it
was accepted by all of our Sages from all circles who came to visit the
Rambam's resting place.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel (Gen. 48:14)

"There are no poor, scribes or teachers of young children except from
the tribe of Shimon," comments Rashi, the great Torah commentator. Jacob
did not intend this only as a punishment, but as an antidote to Shimon's
undesirable character trait of insolence. Jacob worried that if Shimon
and Levi were wealthy, no one would be able to oppose them. He therefore
decreed that they be poor, forcing them to come to their brethren for
assistance and thereby curbing their arrogance.

                                                       (Kli Chemda)

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And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for 17 years (Gen. 47:28)

When the third Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel, was a child, he
learned a commentary on this verse that these 17 years were the best
years of Jacob's life. This surprised the boy, and he went to his
grandfather, Rabbi Shneur Zalman, to find out how it was possible that
the years spent in such a spiritually corrupt and abominable land could
have been Jacob's best. Rabbi Shneur Zalman replied: Before Jacob
descended into Egypt, he sent an emissary to establish yeshivot and
places of learning. Whenever and wherever a Jew learns Torah, he cleaves
to G-d and achieves a true and meaningful life. Furthermore, precisely
because Egypt was such an abominable place, the holiness and
spirituality Jacob attained there shone that much brighter against the
dark and evil background of his surroundings.

                                                (Lubavitcher Rebbe)

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With you shall Israel bless...May G-d make you as Ephraim and Menashe
(48:20)

In the previous verses Jacob had said, "Ephraim and Menashe shall be to
me as Reuven and Shimon." Despite the fact that Ephraim and Menashe were
born in exile and were educated in Egypt, a land not conducive to Torah
learning and Judaism, they were still as righteous and pure as Reuven
and Shimon, who grew up in more enclosed and insular surroundings in
Jacob's household.

                                                (Lubavitcher Rebbe)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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The Rav (rabbi) of Yanov was a great scholar. As a young man he had been
the friend of Reb Shmelke of Nikolsburg, and their friendship had
endured in spite of the young man's terrible obstinacy and inability to
concede the correctness of anyone else's viewpoint.

Once, the Rav of Yanov was traveling to his son's wedding together with
a party of illustrious well-wishers. The Rav and his party stopped at a
lovely site on the outskirts of a forest to say the afternoon prayers.
The Rav chose a secluded spot under the trees some distance away from
the others, and he lingered over his devotions. The members of his
traveling party waited patiently for him in the carriage, but when
darkness descended, they began searching for him in the surrounding
groves of trees. Their search proved unsuccessful and though they were a
bit concerned, they assumed that he had accepted a ride from one of the
many other carriages in the wedding party.

Their anxiety was borne out when they arrived at the site of the wedding
and the Rav was nowhere to seen. There were all kinds of speculation,
but there was nothing to do other than to proceed with the wedding
without him. The sad group returned to Yanov without the Rav and in
fact, without a clue of what might have happened to him.

Meanwhile, the Rav was wandering around in the depths of the forest
unable to find a way out. He had unwittingly lost his way in the forest.
As hours became days the Rav became more despondent and disoriented. He
lost track of time and set about preparing for Shabbat a day early.

Finally, with G-d's help, the Rav found his way home and rejoined his
jubilant family which had begun to fear the worst. When Thursday arrived
the Rav busily set about preparing for Shabbat. When his family
explained that it was Thursday and not Friday, he argued hotly that they
were all mistaken. They tried patiently to explain that in the course of
his wanderings he had somehow lost a day in his reckoning, but he just
became more and more infuriated. His family invited many acquaintances
to try to convince the Rav, but to no avail. What could they do, other
than to allow him to celebrate the holy Shabbat on Friday. He celebrated
with all the traditional foods and prayed the Shabbat prayers, and when
Shabbat actually arrived he donned weekday garb and set about his usual
weekday activities while his horrified family helplessly looked on.

Many weeks passed while he persisted in his mistaken behavior in spite
of the steady stream of visitors all endeavoring to convince him
otherwise. One day word of his strange fixation reached his childhood
friend, Reb Shmelke of Nikolsburg. Reb Shmelke set off at once for
Yanov, making sure that he would arrive on Thursday. The Rav was
thrilled to see him, and hastened to invite him for Shabbat. Reb Shmelke
accepted enthusiastically, eager to implement the plan he had devised.

Reb Shmelke quietly gathered the Rav's family and outlined his plan to
them. Needless to say they were anxious to do anything to bring the Rav
back to reason, and so, in addition to the usual bountiful Shabbat fare,
they also prepared some bottles of strong aged wine and set them on the
table. The masquerade was carried out as the whole family and their many
guests gathered to celebrate a festive Shabbat meal. After each
delicious course Reb Shmelke poured a generous cup of old wine into the
Rav's cup. Now, this was a heavy, red wine known to induce a deep
slumber in the drinker, and Reb Shmelke didn't stint on the "L'chaims."
Toward the end of the meal, the Rav fell into a deep sleep. Reb Shmelke
sat back and relaxed with his pipe, telling his fellow diners that they
could now return to their normal activities without worry, for the
situation was under control. He took a soft cushion and placed it under
the head of the sleeping man and settled down to guard the Rav
throughout the night and into the following day.

On the next night, which was truly the Shabbat, the same guests returned
and sat down at the table to enjoy the real Shabbat repast. When it was
time to say the Blessings After the Meal, Reb Shmelke gently roused the
Rav, who sat up and remarked, "It seems as if I've been sleeping for a
long time." He then joined in saying the prayers and everything
continued in the usual manner through to the conclusion of the Shabbat.
The family and townspeople were overcome with happiness at the result of
Reb Shmelke's visit and thanked him profusely. For his part, Reb Shmelke
made them promise that they would never reveal the true happenings of
that Shabbat.

The Rav never had an inkling of what had transpired. In fact, he was
very proud that everyone else had come to the enlightened conclusion
that his calculations had been correct. He was however, careful to
credit his old friend Reb Shmelke of Nikolsburg for helping lead his
mistaken congregants and family to the right conclusion, saying, "Thanks
to my friend from Nikolsburg, they were able to comprehend the truth.
Isn't it amazing how impossibly stubborn some people can be!"

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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From Your place, our King, appear and reign over us, for we are waiting
for You. When will you reign in Zion? Let it be soon, in our days,
forever and ever.

                                 (Kedusha Shabbat morning services)

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               END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1252 - Vayechi 5773
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