Holidays   Shabbat   Chabad-houses   Chassidism   Subscribe   Calendar   Links

                                  B"H
                                 -----
                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1256
*********************************************************************
                           Copyright (c) 2013
                 Lubavitch Youth Organization - L.Y.O.
                              Brooklyn, NY
                             --------------
                  Electronic version provided free at:
                          www.LchaimWeekly.org
                          --------------------
                  Palm-Pilot version provided free at:
                www.LchaimWeekly.org/lchaim/5773/1256.prc
                          --------------------
                    To receive the L'CHAIM by e-mail
                  write to: listserv@LchaimWeekly.org
                              Subscribe W1
*********************************************************************
             THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR EVERY JEWISH PERSON
   Dedicated to the memory of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson N.E.
*********************************************************************
        January 25, 2013       Beshalach         14 Shevat, 5773
*********************************************************************

                                 Fruit!

Fruit. It's come a long way!

In years gone by we were advised, "An apple a day keeps the doctor
away." The latest dietary guidelines call for five to 13 servings of
fruits (and vegetables) a day (2½ to 6½ cups per day), depending on
one's caloric intake. According to nutrition-and-you.com "Fruits are
nature's wonderful medicines packed with vitamins, minerals,
anti-oxidants and many phyto-nutrients (Plant derived
micronutrients)....

Fruits provide plenty of soluble dietary fiber..."

So, except for when it's been tampered with by people, fruit is a
healthy choice. The numerous varieties of fruit also share two other
qualities: they are naturally sweet and delicious and they have seeds.

Jewish teachings refer to mitzvot (commandments) as "fruit."

In order for our mitzvot to be like edible fruit, they too have to be
healthy, free of additives, untainted by ego, one-upmanship or a
holier-than-thou attitude.

The fact that a fruit contains seeds means that it is able to reproduce.
The seeds from a piece of fruit grow into a tree which bears fruit.
Those fruits decompose and then the seeds germinate. They grow into
saplings and eventually into new, fruit-bearing trees. This chain, the
first link of which goes all the way back to the beginning of the world,
continues eternally.

Mitzvot must "contain seeds." Our mitzvot should produce other mitzvot -
they should inspire within ourselves and within others the desire and
the ability to increase in Jewish living.

Moreover, mitzvot are eternal. And, like fruit trees, they link us not
only to the future but to the past, as well.

It is not for naught that the first mitzva in the Torah, given to the
first people, was "Be fruitful and multiply." For, it is truly a basic
and prime mitzva to bring forth another Jew, to create - physically or
spiritually - another person who him/herself will do fruit-bearing
mitzvot, ad infinitum.

Finally, mitzvot like fruit, are sweet. They satisfy our "craving" for
the most delicious things in life - loving kindness, a relationship with
G-d, a sense of community, transcending our mundane existence, wisdom.

In the Garden of Eden, all trees bore fruit. The Midrash teaches that in
times of Moshiach, when all of creation will return to its perfect
state, all trees will once again bear fruit - healthy fruit, sweet and
delicious fruit, fruit producing fruit.

There is no "Institute" or "Association" that has set limits to or
recommended daily allowances for our mitzvot observance. Surely if we
attempt to perform as many mitzvot as possible each day, and even more,
we will soon merit to experience the perfection of the world in the
final Redemption.

*********************************************************************
           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
*********************************************************************
As we read in this week's Torah portion, Beshalach, the Jewish people
engaged in two conflicts on their way to receive the Torah at Mount
Sinai. One was a battle against Pharaoh, and the other was a war against
Amalek.

In connection to the war against Pharaoh G-d told the Jews, "G-d will
fight for you and you should hold your peace." However, when it came to
the war against Amalek, G-d said, "Go out and fight against Amalek."

In what way did the two wars differ? Why did G-d fight for the Jewish
people in one instance, yet command them to fight for themselves in the
other?

Pharaoh and his army were not preventing the Jews from reaching Mount
Sinai. In fact, the Egyptians were massed behind them, blocking their
way back to Egypt. Amalek, by contrast, presented the Jews with an
obstacle on their way to receiving the Torah. Amalek was trying to
prevent their advance. For this reason G-d commanded them to "Go out and
fight against Amalek."

Whenever someone tries to prevent a Jew from accessing the Torah, the
greatest efforts must be made to fight against him. True, waging war
goes against the nature of the Jewish people; the verse "by your sword
you shall live" was said to Esau, not to Isaac. But if fighting is
necessary, we are obligated to do so.

The victory of the Children of Israel against Amalek transcended the
laws of nature. According to nature, Amalek should have prevailed. But
the Jewish people weren't fighting out of a sense of personal power and
strength. They went to war with the knowledge that they were Moses'
emissaries, that they were fighting to receive the Torah. And when a Jew
fights with the power of Torah behind him he will succeed.

Amalek confronted the Jews at a time when they were enthusiastic and
were eager to reach Mount Sinai. Amalek attempted to cool off that
enthusiasm, to dampen their ardor for receiving the Torah. Amalek "met
you (korcha) by the way" - from the Hebrew word for coldness, "kor."

It is a mitzva to remember Amalek each and every day. In the spiritual
sense, "Amalek" is anything that discourages our enthusiasm for serving
G-d.

From the Biblical war against Amalek we learn how to defeat him in the
spiritual sense. Whenever something threatens to cool off our enthusiasm
for G-dliness and holiness, we must do all in our power to vanquish the
enemy and crush it completely.

Furthermore, in the spiritual battle against Amalek we must remember
that the power with which we act is not our own. And when we fight with
the power of Torah, we will certainly achieve our goal.

                              Adapted from Likutei Sichot, Volume 1

*********************************************************************
                             SLICE OF LIFE
*********************************************************************
                           Tapping the Source
                           By Shoshana Zohari

When I look deep inside and consider my way of life, I can't honestly
say that I started doing this for all the right reasons. I became
Torah-observant because my husband wanted to live a religious Jewish
lifestyle. We attended an amazing Chabad House before we were married,
and the rabbi and rebbetzin shared a lot about what it takes to have a
Torah marriage: keeping all of the Shabbat laws; maintaining a strictly
kosher home; covering my hair after the wedding; learning and observing
the laws of Family Purity.

It was a lot of nuts and bolts - each one necessary to ensure that the
life we planned together would run in a smooth and Torah-acceptable way.

Judaism had been of profound importance to me throughout my life, so of
course I agreed to abide by all of the rules. And I meant it, too. But
taking it to this new level was a commitment of the mind more than one
of the heart. After all, I felt that I had nothing to prove and nothing
to lose by setting off for these new and uncharted lands. If that was
the fare for this ride, then I was willing to pay it - if not for
myself, then at least out of love for my future husband.

We got married and built a life together in which we became more and
more religious, eventually adopting a Chabad-Chasidic lifestyle. I grew
into my role as a Torah-observant woman and found great meaning in it,
especially as each of our four children came along. Despite my own deep
personal growth as a wife and mother, I had not yet taken ownership of
my soul-journey. My spiritual path was merely something attached to the
other people in my life - husband, children, and community. My search
for greater self-actualization was coming up short and my sense of
Jewish connectedness was starting to slip.

So I took what seemed like a very novel approach: I literally asked G-d
to send some good people to raise me up. And that's how I joined the
Bais Chana family. The details and Divine Providence are just too
complicated to describe - which is usually the case in instances of true
Divine intervention. In short: G-d sent the Bais Chana teen program
right into my own backyard, and He tapped me to be their local expert on
all things Colorado.

Swept into a whirlwind of work and excitement that completely consumed
me, I felt a passion for this group and its goals that I had never
experienced before. An unconditional love for these young Jewish women
blossomed inside me causing my soul to flow with an internal strength
that I had not yet experienced since becoming Torah observant so many
years before.

The ultimate gift came when some very generous people made it possible
for me to attend the women's program that was held in Bais Chana's
hometown of S. Paul, Minnesota immediately after the teen program ended.
An immersion that was at once nurturing and challenging - as well as
completely non-judgmental - I was free to try out my new wings of Jewish
pride. It was four days of learning, talking, praying, and connecting.
We were all in it together and no woman was prepared to let another slip
for lack of love or support. Those four days sealed what had been a
summer of tremendous personal growth. When I returned to home and
family, our lives became infused with the confidence and delight that
Bais Chana gave me when it tapped my soul.

Several years later we were invited by Hinda Leah Sharfstein, Executive
Director of Bais Chana, to join the Jewish Uncamp in rural Wisconsin. We
were situated in a small Jewish retreat center that had once been a
working farm. What had once been the barn was now a rustic dining hall
and shul where we ate all of our meals, delved into artwork, and sang
late into the night.  Literally cut off from civilization for a month -
cell-phones silent, internet connections down due to our remoteness - it
was the quintessential Bais Chana experience. Rabbi Manis Friedman and
the counselors included each "camper" on her own level and found just
the right blend of learning, compassion, and challenges to bring out new
facets of her mind and soul.

Thank G-d, my husband - Nachshon Zohari, LCSW - was able to join us for
the last weekend of the camp. He gave a talk to the young women that
focused on finding your essential self and how each person can direct
her life's journey more thoughtfully. That was just the first of many
teaching and counseling sessions that Nachshon has led at Bais Chana. He
is now one of the main presenters at Bais Chana's cutting edge program
for Single Jewish Moms. This fabulous retreat takes place twice a year -
only for women raising kids (from infants to adult children) on their
own.

No matter how a woman became a single mom, Bais Chana is there to
support, educate and empower her. Participants are in for five
stress-free days, delicious super-healthy meals and an array of
workshops on parenting, Jewish spiritual teachings, financial planning,
dating and relationship counseling, all led by expert educators and
facilitators. Generous donors are making this retreat possible for these
special families, at the moment when they need it most.

G-d certainly knew what we needed all those years ago when Bais Chana
came knocking on our door. I hope that my husband and I will continue
participating in whatever way possible to make sure that every woman and
teenage girl can benefit from the un-paralleled Bais Chana experience.

    Nachshon and Shoshana Zohari live in Denver, Colorado with their
    four children. Their family has been homeschooling for 10 years.
    Nachshon Zohari, LCSW is an expert in substance abuse treatment,
    parenting education, and personal growth. Find out more about his
    private practice and his work with Bais Chana by visiting his
    website at zohari.typepad.com. Shoshana provides homeschooling
    support to other Jewish families through her website at
    sustainable-jewish-schooling.blogspot.com.

*********************************************************************
                               WHAT'S NEW
*********************************************************************
                               Correction

Due to a production error, the photo of George (Yosef Mordechai) Gati
that was to appear together with his article in the  Slice of Life
section in L'Chaim issue 1254 was replaced by a different photo. The
correction photo of Mr. Gati appears here. We look forward to publishing
more articles by Mr. Gati in the future accompanied by the correct
photo!

*********************************************************************
                            THE REBBE WRITES
*********************************************************************
                     Freely translated and adapted

                    Tuesday, 21 Shevat, 5704 [1944]

Greetings and blessings,

...Many concepts can also be learned from the festival of this month [15
Shevat], the New Year of the Trees. A person who pays attention to
everything that occurs around him can add to his wisdom from every
matter that happens, improving his relations with G-d and with his
colleagues. This does not apply only to exceptional matters. Instead,
even commonplace matters like a tree which grows can provide directives
for a person's daily life.

To point out several:

Most members of the plant kingdom, and trees in particular, are
composites of many elements. In general, their compo-nents can be placed
in three categories:

the roots; the body of the tree (its trunk, branches, and leaves), and
its fruit (which contains the peel, the fruit itself, and its seeds).

The difference between them can be explained as follows:

The roots are hidden from an observer's sight, but they are the medium
which provide the fundamental vitality for the tree. (The leaves do,
however, enable the tree to absorb certain components from the air which
are necessary for their existence and they acquire the heat from the
sun's rays.) Moreover, it is the roots which enable the trees to stand
firmly. If a tree's roots are strong, there is no fear that the
stormiest winds will uproot it.

The body of the tree - This represents the major portion of the tree's
structure. From time to time, the thickness of the branches and the
number of leaves increases; through this, and in particular, from the
trunk of the tree, we can discern the tree's age.

The ultimate purpose of the tree, however, is the production of fruit,
for from the seeds in the fruit can be planted new trees for generation
after generation.

A man is "a tree of the field." Thus there are certain particulars in
which a person resembles a tree. This applies even with regard to his
spiritual service. Here, too, there are three categories:

The roots - This corresponds to faith which connects a person the source
of his vitality, the Creator, blessed be He. Although the person grows
in the wisdom of the Torah and its mitzvos (commandments), his vitality
is drawn down to him through his faith in G-d, His religion, and His
Torah.

The trunk and body of the tree - This refers to the study of the Torah
and the performance of the mitzvos and good deeds. These must constitute
the majority of the structure and the largest quantity of a person's
deeds and activities. Through the abundance of his mitzvos and his
greatness in Torah, the years of a person's life can be recognized,
i.e., a life full of content of wisdom and deed.

The fruit - A person's ultimate fulfillment comes when - in addition to
fulfilling all of his individual responsi-bilities, he influences his
colleagues and his surrounding environment, leading them toward
fulfillment. His activities are "seeds" which sprout other trees
(people) who have roots (the fundamentals of faith), a trunk and
branches (Torah and good deeds), and which bear fruit (bring merit to
others).

The lesson from the above: The source of a person and his root are pure
faith. A weakness of faith endangers the maintenance of even a great
person's spiritual life.

The majority of a person's structure must be the good deeds which
continually increase from day to day.

The consummate perfection of a person, however, is bearing fruit, i.e.,
that he should influence others and enable them to merit to fulfill
their mission and the purpose for their creation. In this manner, his
efforts bear fruit and the fruit bears fruit, generation after
generation. And all this merit is dependent on him.

With the blessing, "Immediately to teshuvah, immediately to Redemption,"

      From I Will Write it in Their Hearts, translated by Rabbi Eli
                             Touger, published by Sichos In English

*********************************************************************
                               WHO'S WHO
*********************************************************************
This Shabbat is called Shabbat Shira, when we read the Torah portion
about the song - shira - of praise the Jews sang after crossing the Red
Sea. Our Sages taught that the "Song of the Sea" hints at the
Redemption. For it says, "Then Moses will sing with the Children of
Israel..." From this verse our Sages derive the principle of the
Resurrection of the Dead in the Messianic Era, when Moses and all the
Jewish people will arise and sing G-d's praise.

However, the song we will sing will differ from the Song of the Sea as
related in the following Midrash: "It will be said on that day: 'Behold,
this is our G-d in whom we put our hope... this is the L-rd for whom we
hoped...'"

We say "this" when something is in front of our eyes. When the Jews
said, "This is my G-d," after the Splitting of the Sea, it was because
they actually saw G-d, as it were. They were able to see with their eyes
and point to Him and say, "This is my G-d." But in the future, there
will be an additional revelation, therefore we will sing "this" twice.

At the Red Sea, there was a revelation of G-d's unlimited power and a
supernatural event took place. But this type of revelation has a
deficiency; the world could not contain it. It was possible only because
G-d created a situation at that instant in which His unlimited power
could be revealed. Thus, when the revelation and the miracle passed, the
world had not changed at all.

But there is a second type of revelation, when the world's essence is
revealed for what it truly is - G-d's energy. G-d reveals that the laws
of nature themselves, and even the entire material world - are pure
G-dliness.

The advantage of this kind of revelation is that it is within the
limitations of the world, it is the truth of the world itself. When this
truth is revealed, it is like solving a mystery. For, as soon as the
mystery is solved, it is no longer a mystery. Similarly, once the
G-dliness within the world is revealed, everyone sees that G-d directs
and fills the whole world.

This type of revelation, the uncovering of all that is hidden, will take
place in the future redemption. The world will reveal the truth that
everything is only G-dliness.

*********************************************************************
                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
*********************************************************************
Nachshon the son of Aminadav was the prince of the tribe of Judah. His
sister, Elisheva, was married to Aaron. Nachshon was first to enter the
waters of the Red Sea when the Egyptians pursued from behind. When it
was up to his neck, he cried out to G-d to save the Jewish people and
the sea split. Once the sea split,  his fellow Jews followed after him.
When the Sanctuary in the desert was completed, Nachshon was the first
prince to bring a sacrifice and donation.

*********************************************************************
                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
*********************************************************************
G-d will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace (Ex. 14:14)

G-d will only fight your battle on the condition that you "hold your
peace" - remain quiet and avoid controversy and disagreement amongst
yourselves.

                                                  (Shaar Bat-Rabim)

                                *  *  *


This is my G-d and I will glorify him (Ex. 15:2)

The Commentator Rashi explains this to mean, "I will declare His beauty
and His praise." This verse teaches us that we must always strive to
perform mitzvot (commandments) in the most beautiful and sincere manner
possible. A mitzva's beauty lies in the purity of our intent. We should
be motivated to carry out G-d's will for its own sake and not for
personal reasons or self-glorification.

                                                      (Ohr HaTorah)

                                *  *  *


And G-d showed him a tree (Ex. 15:25)

The Midrash explains that G-d uses bitter to sweeten bitter. The wood of
the tree that sweetened the bitter waters was also bitter, but the end
result was sweet and the water was made drinkable. So it is with human
nature. When a person in a depressed and bitter mood sees someone even
worse off than him, he realizes that his life is really not as bad as he
thought.

                                                       (Ktav Sofer)

*********************************************************************
                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
*********************************************************************
Many years ago in the Land of Israel, there lived a man named Reb Nisim.
He and his family lived in a small stone house, very much like all the
other houses in his village, with one exception. Next to his house there
grew the most beautiful tree, which produced a crop of luscious
pomegranates. People traveled from far and wide to purchase these
special "Nisim" fruit. In fact, they were so much in demand that the
family was able to live all year on the profits they made from selling
these pomegranates.

Every summer the tree was heavy with the beautiful, red fruits. But one
summer not even one pomegranate could be seen. Reb Nisim called his
eldest son and told him, "Climb up to the top of the tree; perhaps there
are some fruits there that we don't see." The boy climbed to the top,
and indeed, hidden from view were three precious fruits - the most
beautiful they had ever seen.

When Shabbat came, Reb Nisim put two of the pomegranates on the table
for a special Shabbat treat. The third, he put away to eat on the
holiday of Tu B'Shevat, the New Year of the Trees.

That was a difficult year for the family, as they had always depended on
the tree for their livelihood. Finally Reb Nisim's wife suggested that
he travel outside the Holy Land to earn or raise some money. He was very
reluctant to leave. He had lived his entire life surrounded by the
holiness of the Land of Israel, and he didn't want to "shame" the land
by admitting that he could not make a livelihood there. He tried in
various ways to earn some money, but every effort met with failure, and
it seemed that he had no choice but to do as his wife had suggested.
"All right," he said. "I will go, but I will never reveal to any soul
that I come from the Holy Land."

For many months he traveled from city to city, but each place had its
own poor to support, and he had no luck. Since it is a great mitzva
(commandment) to support the poor of the Land of Israel, he would have
received alms had he identified himself, but this he refused to do.

It was Tu B'Shevat when Reb Nisim arrived in the city of Koshta, Turkey.
When he came to the local synagogue, a shocking sight met his eyes. All
the Jews of the city were gathered there, weeping, mourning and reciting
Psalms. "What has happened?" asked Reb Nisim, in alarm.

The sexton of the synagogue explained, "The son of the Sultan is very
ill. He knows that Jews are accomplished doctors, and he has decreed
that every Jew will be expelled from his realm unless we produce a
doctor or a cure for his son. So far, we have failed." As Reb Nisim was
absorbing this terrible news, the rabbi's assistant asked Reb Nisim to
accompany him to the rabbi, saying, "Our rabbi says he is very happy to
have a guest from the Holy Land."

Reb Nisim went as requested, but he was puzzled. How did the rabbi know?
He had been so careful to tell no one where he was from. He decided to
ask the rabbi directly.

"There is a special fragrance about you. I feel it is the holiness of
the land which adheres to you," the rabbi replied.

"What you are smelling must be the fragrance of the pomegranate I have
brought with me," Reb Nisim explained. "I carried it with me especially
for Tu B'Shevat, and since that is today, I beg you to partake of it
with me."

The rabbi was overjoyed. "Please, tell me your name," he asked.

"My name is Reb Nisim." When the rabbi heard that he smiled broadly.
"This surely is a sign of Divine Providence. In honor of Tu B'Shevat, I
have been studying about the different types of fruits that are
described in the holy books." The rabbi described what he had learned.
Then he said, "The acronym of the word 'rimonim' (pomegranates) is
'refua melech u'bno nisim yaviya meheira' - the recovery for the king
and his son, Nisim will bring quickly. Let us bring some of your
pomegranate juice to the king's son at once. Perhaps, in the merit of
the fruits of the Holy Land, G-d will bring us success."

The two men were admitted to the room of sick prince, who was lying
close to death. They approached the bed and administered a few drops of
juice into the unconscious boy's mouth. Suddenly color rose into his
pallid complexion. They gave him a few more drops, and there was a weak
but unmistakable flicker of the prince's eyelids.

The Sultan grasped the hand of his beloved child, and tears of joy
welled in his eyes. He turned to the two Jews and said, "I will never
forget what you have done for my son."

The next day Reb Nisim and the rabbi were summoned to the palace. The
prince was sitting up in bed, a happy smile on his tired face. The
Sultan's servants brought in large velvet bags bulging with gold coins
and jewels. "Reb Nisim, this is just a small token of my gratitude to
you for having saved my son. As for the Jews in my realm, they may stay
and live in peace."

Reb Nisim returned home laden with riches. The next summer, the wondrous
pomegranate tree produced as many beautiful fruits as ever. Its fame
spread as the story of the prince was retold throughout the Holy Land.

*********************************************************************
                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
*********************************************************************
"Trees are destined to yield fruits every day." (Shabbat 30b) In the
Messianic Era, produce will sprout, grow and bear fruit immediately. Now
it takes time to bring something from potential to actual. This is
because there is a disconnect between the spiritual source and the
physical world. Moshiach will reveal the essence that permeates
everything equally and unites the spiritual with the physical. Once
everything is thus aligned there will be no delay or resistance between
the potential and the actual. The more Torah permeates our being, the
more our actions will impact the world.

(Likutei Sichot 37 in Moshiach Day by Day, the Int. Moshiach Campaign)

*********************************************************************
              END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1256 - Beshalach 5773
*********************************************************************