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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1313
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                           Copyright (c) 2014
                 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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        March 14, 2014            Tzav          12 Adar II, 5774
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                             Laugh At Hate

                           by Izzy Greenberg

What's so funny about Purim? The plot line is tragically familiar. The
Jewish nation faces the first of many crises to its existence through
the long years of exile following the destruction of the Temple and the
Israelite Kingdom. Why do we celebrate by dressing up, getting drunk,
pulling pranks and living the most laughable day possible?

The existence of the Jewish people for so long, under such extreme
circumstances, is completely absurd. What are the odds of a people
surviving a bitter exile as minorities in foreign lands? What are the
odds of retaining an identity and culture through the seismic
geographic, political and cultural shifts of two millennia of world
history? What are the odds of these people being the greatest
contributors to human progress in virtually every field? What are the
odds of their culture surviving intact, and returning to rebuild their
homeland after 2,000 years?

The only thing more absurd than our survival is the fact that,
throughout history, people have hated us for surviving. It is a hatred
without any rhyme or reason.

People throughout history - and today is no exception - perceive us as a
threat. But a threat to what exactly is difficult to articulate. A
threat to hegemony, a threat to the absolute power of reason, a threat
to moral relativism... Perhaps they see our leadership in so many fields
as a threat, or perhaps we have not done enough to capitalize on out
collective talents and truly lead humanity to a new era; they accuse us
of plotting to take over the world, which is partly true since we
possess and uncanny drive and desire to contribute toward humanity's
quest for utopia and make the world in our moral image.

But these are very abstract criticisms, and there are plenty of people
who have perpetrated very tangible evils, yet no such extreme hatred is
reserved for them.

The only answer to those who adopt the doctrine of Haman and desire to
wipe us off the face of the earth (like the rulers of his Persian
homeland today), is to laugh. You can't argue with such absurdity, since
there is no logic to it. So you have to simply acknowledge the absurdity
of it - its utter futility and self-destructiveness. Futile, because
those who propagate it betray an absurd arrogance that they can defeat
that which the tides of history have never been unable to - and will
never. Self-destructive, because without the Jewish people humanity
would never have evolved anywhere near where we are today.

So the only options are to freak out and get overwhelmed by all the
hatred, or to put it in perspective and laugh at the mongrels who spew
it. Freaking out about it never helped anyone. So we laugh, recognizing
the absurdity of hate for what it is. And then, having delegitimized our
enemies, we can fight back from a position strength, detached from their
absurd reality, and proceed with our plans to conquer the world -
because world domination is what the Jews are really after (didn't your
grandmother tell you?).


    Izzy Greenberg, a writer, scholar and teacher, is the Creative
    Director of Tekiyah Creative and the editor of Exodus Magazine. To
    learn more and to read his writings, visit www.IzzyGreenberg.com

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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According to Torah sage Nachmanides, a person bringing a sacrifice to
the Sanctuary in the desert or the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was
obligated to contemplate what was being done to the animal, for in
actuality, the animal was offered in his stead.

Every Jew is required to "sacrifice" his animal soul his evil
inclination in the service of G-d. Contemplating this aspect of the
sacrifices enabled the Jew to overcome his baser instincts and draw
closer to G-d - the very function of the korbanot (sacrifices - from the
root word meaning "close").

Thus, every detail pertaining to the order of the sacrifices and the way
in which they were offered contains a spiritual counterpart that is
relevant in every time and in every age, even when we cannot bring a
physical offering to G-d.

An example of this may be found in a verse in this week's Torah portion,
Tzav. "This is the law of the burnt-offering...which shall be burning
upon the altar all night until the morning."

Rashi, the foremost Torah commentator, explains that this means that
although the proper time for the burning of the fat and limbs of the
sacrifice is during the day, if, for some reason, this was not done, one
may also burn them at night. Moreover, the kohanim (priests) serving in
the Temple may eat their portion of the offering only after the fat and
limbs have been burned.

How does this apply to us nowadays? Fat is symbolic of a person's
instinct to experience pleasure and self-gratification. The Torah
therefore tells us that "All fat belongs to G-d" a Jew must direct this
inner drive towards G-dly things, deriving true joy and happiness solely
from the Torah and its mitzvot (commandments).

This principle applies to spiritual pleasures as well. Not only does the
Jew eat, drink and conduct his physical life for the sake of heaven, but
the pleasure he derives from holiness from learning Torah and performing
mitzvot must also be for a higher purpose and not just for his own
gratification.

From this verse we also learn that the proper time to burn this fat is
during the day.  Daytime - light - is symbolic of our involvement in
Torah and mitzvot, as it states, "A mitzva is a candle, and the Torah,
light." Nighttime, however, alludes to our involvement in our own
personal needs.

The Torah teaches us that the most fitting time in which to derive
pleasure from holy pursuits is during the day, when the greatest danger
exists that one will become distracted.

Although the Jew's entire service of G-d learning Torah and doing
mitzvot must be motivated by a sense a joy, this joy must come from the
fact that we are thus commanded by G-d, and not because one finds it to
be particularly enjoyable.

The Jew learns Torah because it is G-d's Torah; he performs a mitzva
because this is the way he connects himself to G-d. Furthermore,
"sacrificing" our pleasure to G-d will eliminate ulterior motives and
ensure that our actions are always properly motivated by the pursuit of
ultimate truth.

                                 Adapted from Likutei Sichot Vol. 3

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                          A Purim to Remember
                       by Yosef Yitzchok Hershkop

This story took place on Purim in 2004. That year, Purim began on Sunday
night. My friend Menachem Ezagui and I, were both rabbinical students in
the Lubavitcher yeshiva in Brooklyn. Our plan was to hear the Megila
(Scroll of Esther) read in "770" -  World Lubavitch Headquarters, and
then travel to lower Manhattan to read the Megila so that other Jews
could fulfill this Purim mitzva (commandment).

Our destination was a  large night-club owned by an Israeli. We expected
to get to the club before it opened for the night. We would read the
Megila for the owner and be gone before the partying started. We had
developed a relationship with the owner through visiting him each
Friday, helping him put on tefilin and sharing a Torah thought or story.

The club is not in the best neighborhood and we had never travelled
there after dark. After the Megila reading in 770 we went to the subway
station. A train soon came and we got on. The doors closed, the train
started moving, and then we heard an announcement. It wasn't the usual
announcement about the next stop and we knew something was amiss. The
problem was that our English wasn't very good and we didn't understand
the announcement.

A few minutes later the train went right past the station where we
usually got off to connect with a different train. We soon realized that
we were on an express train that was passing station after station
without stopping.

In my broken English, I asked a fellow passenger why the train wasn't
stopping as usual. The man shrugged and pointed at a sign on the train.
It took us quite some time to decipher the sign and in the meantime, the
train was flying down the tracks, passing more and more stations.

The sign said that due to renovations, the train would not stop at
certain stations, including the stop we had to get off at. We were still
wondering what to do when the train finally stopped at Penn Station at
34th Street and we got off.

We tried asking some people how to get to the Lower East Side; most of
the people in the station did not know the area and certainly did not
know how to get there. We examined a large map in the station and tried
to figure out which train would get us closer to our destination.

Picture the scene - two bearded yeshiva students in clown costumes with
colorful wigs and hats standing helplessly in the middle of Penn
Station. True, New Yorkers are used to all sorts of bizarre scenes, but
still ... it was hard to ignore us.

Should we return to Brooklyn and come back to Manhattan the next day to
read the Megila for the owners? As we stood there deliberating, I
noticed a tall, tough looking American soldier. He was also an unusual
sight.

It seemed as though he was keeping an eye on us. I realized that our
costumed appearance and our confusion had aroused his suspicion.

We checked the time. If we didn't get to the club before it opened to
customers, the owners wouldn't have time to hear the Megila and we would
have come all the way for nothing. We approached the information booth
but they could not understand our broken English. I saw that the soldier
was still watching us.  I decided to ask him for help.

Instead of answering me, he went over to some policemen, and conferred
with them for a few minutes. I thought we had made a huge mistake and
that we would soon be arrested. Remember, this was just a few years
after the World Trade Center attack.

We were about to leave when the soldier returned and in fluent Hebrew
with a heavy American accent, he began explaining how to get to where we
wanted to go. We were stunned. I can't begin to tell you how astonished
we were that the soldier was speaking to us in Hebrew.

Once we had the directions, we got into a conversation with him. He said
that he had grown up in a religious home and had studied in yeshiva in
Israel. When he had returned to the U.S. he drifted away from Judaism
and enlisted in the army.

"Seeing you in Purim costumes brought back memories of my childhood and
my days in yeshiva," the soldier told us excitedly. "I was supposed to
get on the train and go back home but I just couldn't stop looking at
you."

We told him where we were going, and he offered to join us. "It's not a
nice place to walk around in at night, especially not for yeshiva
students dressed up for the holiday. In any case, I need to go in that
direction."

We finally got to the club and the soldier said goodbye with tears in
his eyes. I invited him to come inside to hear the Megila but he shook
his head "no." He did agree to take some hamentashen we had brought
along. Menachem and I marvelled at how G-d runs the world; our missed
connection, express train and delays were not in vain.

But the surprises of that Purim night were not yet over. Since we were
so late, the club had been open for a while already and was packed with
people. We knew the owners would be very busy but decided to ask them
anyway if they wanted to hear the Megila.

On our way to the office, we heard loud voices talking in Hebrew. Then
we heard someone shout, "What? You Chabadnikim have come here too?! Kol
ha'kavod!"

An Israeli was having a birthday party in the club.  He asked us to read
the Megila for all his guests. So that Purim night, it wasn't just one
man who heard our Megila reading as we had originally planned, but
dozens of people! We were utterly overcome by how things had worked out.
If we had shown up earlier, who knows?

I'll never forget that Purim. My friend and I felt that we had
experienced our own Purim miracles in the way that G-d had orchestrated
everything.

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                          Purim Parties Please

Looking for a place to celebrate Purim and fulfill the special
commandments of the holiday - like hearing the Megila read? Contact your
local Chabad-Lubavitch Center to find out where events are happening in
your area. You can also visit ww.chabad.org/holidays/purim/events.htm

                            Purim Guess Who

Children love to guess the rhyming Purim riddles, then open the flap to
reveal the answers in Purim Guess Who. Cleverly designed so the very
young will learn as they go... about the Megila, the special holiday
foods and customs, the heroic figures in the Purim story, and more!
Bright colorful illustrations by Patti Argoff bring the holiday to life.
This sturdy, hard bound book makes a great gift for children ages 3 and
up.  Written by Ariella Stern published by HaChai Publishing.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                       8th of Adar 2, 5727 [1967]

Blessing and Greeting:

Your cable reached me with some delay. I also received your recent
correspondence.

Upon receipt of your cable, the following reply was cabled back to you,
"Replying to your cable, wishing you successful treatment, good news,
with blessing."

May G-d grant that you should have good news to report, especially as we
are now in the auspicious month of Adar. The auspiciousness of this
month is, of course, connected with the miraculous Purim festival, in
which Jewish women have a particularly important part, for Esther,
together with Mordecai, brought about the turn of events. And although
Mordecai was as much the essential figure as Esther, and as we say in
the Purim prayer, "In the days of Mordecai and Esther," yet the Megilah
[scroll] containing the story of Purim, and which is one of the sacred
books of the Tanach [Bible], is not called after Mordecai, nor after
Mordecai and Esther jointly, but solely after Esther - Megilas Esther -
the "Book of Esther."

With reference to your letter, I read with considerable interest your
outline of your curriculum vitae. I am gratified to note that you are
conducting your home in the way of our sacred Torah, called Toras Chaim
[The Torah of life] because it is both the source of true life as well
as the true guide in daily life, despite the difficulties which you had
in the past, and are still experiencing to some extent.

To be sure, that period of time in the past when the daily life should
have been different, requires rectification, especially by means of a
determined effort to improve the present and future, so as to make up
for the past. On the other hand, human nature is such that things that
come easily are taken for granted, and are not so appreciated and
cherished as things for which one had to fight and struggle. Thus, the
level of Yiddishkeit [Torah-living] which you and your husband have
attained through real efforts has permeated you more deeply and
thoroughly, and may G-d grant that you should both continue in this
direction together with your children, without allowing yourself to be
hindered or influenced in any way by the difficulties which you describe
in your letter.

On the contrary, the difficulties themselves can serve as a challenge
and stimulus to greater spiritual advancement, as is also explained in
Chassidic literature, namely that one could learn a lesson even from the
yetzer hora [evil inclination]. For it is clear how persistent and
relentless the yetzer hora is in doing its duty to distract a Jew from
the way of Torah and mitzvoth, by presenting him constantly with various
difficulties, temptations and all sorts of arguments to the contrary. So
much so that the yetzer hora often appears in a guise of piety and "the
voice of morality," such as the commandment of honoring one's father and
mother, the need to preserve peace and harmony, and the like justify a
deviation from the Shulchan Aruch [Code of Jewish Law]. The
determination and the dedication of the yetzer hora to its duty should
therefore serve as an inspiration how much more should a person be
devoted and dedicated to his real task, considering that the Jew has a
Divine soul and a natural inner drive towards the good and holy, which
should make one truly thrilled to be able to serve G-d with joy and
gladness of heart.

                        continued in next issue


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                              TODAY IS ...
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                               13 Adar II

..."Amalek fought with Israel." The word "Israel" is an acronym in
Hebrew for "there are 600,000 letters in the Torah"; (Every Jew has a
letter in the Torah, and this is the reason for the universal Jewish
custom of each person writing a letter in a Torah scroll.) Amalek cools
this sanctity of Torah. The antidote for this is (Moses' command to
Joshua) "Choose men for us" - Moses' men, and "In every generation there
is an extension of Moses,"for in every generation there are the "heads
of the thousands of Israel." "And go forth and fight Amalek." Note the
verbs in singular form (addressing each individual), for Torah is
eternal, equally relevant in every generation in every time and place.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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The holiday of Purim (which we will celebrate this Saturday night and
Sunday) is connected to three ideas: shleimut ha'am (the complete Jewish
people); shleimut haTorah (the complete Torah); and shleimut ha'aretz
(the complete Land of Israel).

The "complete Jewish people" means the recognition that we are one
nation. Haman's decree was directed against all Jews, "from young to
old, men, women and children." By coming together in true unity, Haman's
evil decree was nullified.

The "complete Torah" means the whole Torah -every single part of it. In
the Megila, Mordechai is referred to as "Mordechai Hayehudi," "Mordechai
the Jew." The term "Yehudi" implies the rejection of idol worship. When
a Jew rejects idolatry, he is declaring that the entire Torah is true.
In the days of Mordechai the Jewish people were called "Yehudim" because
they clung to the totality of Torah, every single detail, without
compromise.

The "complete Land of Israel" means that all of the Holy Land belongs to
the Jewish people. The events of Purim occurred during the 70 years
between the First and the Second Holy Temples. Although by that time
work had already begun on the new Temple, it was interrupted by order of
the Persian King. Mordechai knew that learning the laws connected to the
Temple would nullify the decree to stop building. He gathered the Jewish
children together and studied these laws, and his efforts were
successful. The Temple was completed, and the Land of Israel was in
Jewish hands.

As we celebrate the holiday of Purim, let us ponder the fact that all of
the Holy Land was given to every single Jew by G-d Himself. We must
therefore behave in a way that makes us worthy of the name "Yehudim,"
declaring the truth of our whole Torah, and remain strong in our faith
in G-d. Doing so will win the respect of the nations and bring true
peace, culminating in the Final Redemption with Moshiach, speedily in
our day.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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Command Aaron and his sons, saying, "This is the law of the burnt
offering..." (Lev. 6:2)

The great commentator Rashi noted that the word "command" also implies
"encourage." The Torah gives encouragement when there is a monetary loss
involved. People in general need strengthening and encouragement during
lean times. When it is hard to make a living people are apt to fall into
a depression, and their faith in G-d can be weakened.

                                                (Kiflayim L'toshia)

                                *  *  *


He shall lift up the ashes remaining from the burnt offering. (Lev. 6:3)

The Kohein (priest) was commanded to remove the ashes left over from the
previous day's sacrifices. This act was symbolic of the fact that after
the sinner had brought his offering and truly repented of his sin, one
was not allowed to remind him of his transgressions. They are forgotten
and erased forever.

                                                (Otzreinu Hayashan)

                                *  *  *

                             Parshat Zachor


When the Torah commands us to "Remember what Amalek did to you," you is
in the singular form. From this we learn that Amalek, symbolic of the
Evil Inclination, attacks a person who holds himself apart from the
Jewish community. By contrast, a person who is active in communal
affairs and identifies with his brethren will be impervious to Amalek's
assault.

                                                 (Shmuot VeSipurim)

                                *  *  *


The numerical equivalent of Amalek is 240, the same as the Hebrew word
"safeik," meaning doubt. Amalek dampens a Jew's enthusiasm for Torah and
mitzvot (commandments) by injecting doubt about matters of holiness.
There is no "cure" for Amalek's "coldness"; the only way to deal with
him is by crushing him completely. This is why it is a mitzva to "erase"
Amalek, rather than engaging him in arguments.

                                      (Sefer HaMaamarim Kuntreisim)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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The early 1950s was an especially terrible time for Jews in the Soviet
Union, a period filled with terror and dread. Joseph Stalin's infamous
"Doctors' Plot" was at its peak, and Russia's Jewish physicians were
disappearing rapidly. People were being purged left and right, never to
be heard from again. Around the world, Jews wept and pleaded with G-d,
but there was no salvation in sight.

It was the night after the holiday of Purim, 1953. In Brooklyn, New
York, a large crowd of Jews had gathered to celebrate with the
Lubavitcher Rebbe. Many of the participants had themselves just recently
escaped from the behind the Iron Curtain. A good number had personally
suffered the wrath of Stalin's tyranny, wasting away for years in
Russian prisons. Still, many such Chasidim could not forget their
oppressed brethren across the sea.

That year at the Purim gathering the Rebbe delivered a Chasidic
discourse on the verse, "And he brought up Hadassah, who is Esther." As
always, the Rebbe's holy countenance underwent a visible transformation
before beginning the discourse, his elevated state of attachment to G-d.
Indeed, a few minutes later the Rebbe delivered his discourse.

The gathering continued for the next few hours, during which the Rebbe
gave several informal talks, Chasidic melodies were sung, and numerous
glasses were hoisted in "l'chaim."

It was late at night - almost dawn, in fact - when an unusual thing
occurred. For the second time that evening the Rebbe's holy face began
to radiate with that special solemnity and earnestness that meant that
he was preparing to deliver a Chasidic discourse. The Chasidim could
barely believe what was happening. The Rebbe had never delivered two
discourses at the same gathering!

The room was still. No one uttered a sound. The Rebbe began to speak:
"After the Czar fell in Russia, it was announced that the government
would be holding elections. The Rebbe Rashab [the fifth Lubavitcher
Rebbe] went word to the Chasidim that they were to participate in the
voting process. There was one particular Chasid who was completely
removed from worldly affairs; to him the political arena was foreign
territory.

"Nonetheless, having received an explicit instruction from the Rebbe, he
set out to fulfill his command. With a sense of awe and reverence he
immersed himself in a mikva, donned his gartel (sash) and set out for
the polling booth.

"Of course, when he got there he had no idea what he was expected to do,
but some of the more worldly Chasidim helped him cast his vote.
Adjusting his gartel, the Chasid did what everyone else was doing. When
the votes were cast, everyone cried out 'Hurrah!' Taking his cue from
those around him he likewise cried out, 'Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!' "

As he uttered these words, the Rebbe's face burned with a holy fire. The
Chasidim were astounded; they realized that more was going on than met
the eye, but they did not understand the significance of what had just
occurred. Swept up by the powerful emotion that filled the air, the
crowd spontaneously rose to its feet and shouted, "Hurrah! Hurrah!
Hurrah!" three times.

After this strange preamble the Rebbe delivered his second maamar, based
on the verse in the Megila, "Therefore they called these days Purim,
after the name of Pur."

[In the introduction to a different Chasidic discourse published almost
50 years later, reference is made to that second maamar: "...It was
obviously connected to the events that were then taking place in 'that
country,' the fall of its dictator, an enemy of the Jews. This was
understood from the story the Rebbe told right before the discourse
about the Rebbe Rashab's directive to the Chasidim during the Russian
Revolution, after the Czar was toppled."]

In 1953, March 4 coincided with 17 Adar. On that fateful day the Russian
state radio in Moscow made the startling announcement that two days
previously, the night after Purim, Joseph Stalin had fallen gravely ill
and had lost consciousness. The next morning, 18 Adar, the whole truth
was finally revealed: Stalin was dead. The brutal dictator had collapsed
the night the Chasidim were shouting "Hurrah" in Brooklyn at the Rebbe's
gathering. [The Hebrew words "hu rah" mean "he is evil"]

Jews throughout the Soviet Union breathed a collective sigh of relief,
tempered, of course, by a realistic apprehension of the future. No one,
however, could have imagined in his wildest dreams a more miraculous end
to Stalin's reign of terror. At long last the "Doctors' Plot" was over,
and countless prisoners were set free. In the wake of Stalin's death the
oppressive atmosphere in the Soviet Union was greatly lightened, and so
ended one of the grimmest chapters in the annals of Russian Jewish
history.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
*********************************************************************
Purim celebrates man's involvement with the physical reality of G-d's
creation. The use of materiality in context of man's service of-and
relationship with-G-d, imbues these substances with spirituality. It
sublimates them to their Divinely intended purpose. Purim manifests the
intrinsic oneness of the universe which is rooted in the Oneness of its
Creator. This, indeed, is the ultimate purpose of creation: to manifest
its Divine origin by converting the world into a fitting abode for G-d.
This is the mission for which man was created. The achievement of this
goal is the ultimate bliss of the Messianic era.

                  (From Living With Moshiach by Rabbi J.I Schochet)

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                 END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1313 - Tzav 5774
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