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                                  B"H
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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1320
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                           Copyright (c) 2014
                 Lubavitch Youth Organization - L.Y.O.
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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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        May 9, 2014              Behar             9 Iyyar, 5774
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                             Individuality

Inconsistencies and incongruities seem to be part and parcel of our
lives in these days.

We have previously unfathomable information literally at our fingertips
via tablets and smartphones. Yet, when we call to order a new
state-of-the-art, faster-than-ever device, we will almost certainly be
told "please wait while my computer pulls up your information," followed
by what seems like an interminable pause.  We can take our phones
everywhere and can talk to people anywhere by all kinds of messaging,
but when it's really important the person didn't see the text or his
battery just died.

Judaism has long acknowledged that there can be seeming inconsistencies
and that those inconsistencies are alright.

For example, each Jew is a very distinct individual with his own mission
and Divine service that he and only he can and must accomplish. And yet,
he is also very much a part of a whole, a collection, one people,
without whom the entire Jewish people are incomplete.

Concerning each individual's mission, Judaism explains that only a
completely righteous individual knows where his mission is at every
particular moment. Such an individual knowingly and purposefully seeks
out those missions and accomplishes those acts destined for him and only
him.

The rest of us, well, as the verse says, "G-d guides the steps of man."
We often don't know why we've wound up in a certain place until, days,
weeks, or even years later we pull some information or a name out of the
recesses of our memory and use that information that we acquired "by
coincidence" to help make the world a better place.

In the actual participation in mitzvot we see the importance of the
individual as well as the collective group. When a person does a mitzva,
he is doing that mitzva. No one else is doing it and no one else can be
doing it for him. And yet, at the moment that he does a mitzva, he joins
together with every other Jew who is also doing that mitzva individual
doing a mitzva and ultimately, with the entire heritage of the Jewish
people.

When a woman lights Shabbat candles, she - the individual - is
connecting with and connected to women and girls around the globe who
are lighting Shabbat candles and to women throughout Jewish history who
have lit Shabbat candles since the times of our Matriarch Sara.

And when a man puts on tefilin, he - the individual - is connecting with
and connected to men and boys around the globe who are putting on
tefilin and to men throughout Jewish history who have put on tefilin
since the times of our Patriarch Abraham.

This bond between individuals both here and there, both past and
present, grants each individual the potential to carry out his service -
which effects himself, his family, the Jewish people and the entire
world - with renewed energy.

As we all continue to pursue and accomplish, knowingly or unknowingly,
our individual divine missions, we ready ourselves for the time when the
true meaning of an individual as an integral part of a whole will be
realized. For, at the time of the Redemption and the ingathering of all
Jews to the Holy Land of Israel a united and unified whole - "a great
congregation will return" - of very different individuals - "our sons
and daughters, youth and elders" - will return to the Holy Land.


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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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In this week's Torah portion of Behar, we read, "Six years you shall sow
your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in
its fruit. But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of rest to
the land, a Shabbat for the L-rd." This seventh, Sabbatical year is
known in Hebrew as "shemita."

Commenting on this verse, Rashi explains that "Shabbat for the L-rd"
means "for the sake of G-d." In other words, the practice of allowing
the land to lie fallow in the seventh year must be done solely because
it is a Divinely-ordained mitzva.

At first glance, allowing the land a periodical rest appears to be a
natural means of rejuvenating the earth. It is a well-known fact that
not cultivating the land for an entire year serves to enrich its soil
and improve the quality of its future yield.

Nonetheless, the Torah demands that we not keep shemita for the purpose
of land improvement. The only reason we allow the land to rest is "for
the sake of the L-rd," for G-d has so commanded us.

When Jews refrain from working the land in the seventh year, they
thereby attest to G-d's mastery over the world. Observing shemita
demonstrates openly that our involvement in the pursuit of a livelihood
has not caused us to forget the Creator.

The mitzva of shemita trains us to remember that no matter what we do,
everything in life is "for the sake of G-d." Even those things which are
considered "natural," i.e., eating, drinking, sleeping and going to
work, must be done purely for the sake of heaven.

When a Jew eats, he must do so "for the sake of G-d." He consumes food
in order to be strong and healthy, to be able to perform more of G-d's
mitzvot.

When a Jew sleeps, he sleeps "for the sake of G-d." He knows that the
body must rest to recoup its strength, that he be fully alert and
capable of observing the commandments.

Such must be the attitude toward every detail in life: We must always
remember that all facets of existence are "for the sake of G-d."

Acting in such a manner brings down G-d's blessing, as it states, "And I
will command my blessing upon you," ensuring that G-d will grant us only
goodness from His full, open and holy hand.

                Adapted for Maayan Chai from Likutei Sichot, vol. 7

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                          Getting Off the Grid
                             by Miriam Karp

One balmy Friday evening, during that first summer of diving into
Shabbat observance, I was walking up State Street. I had started to
leave my wallet and backpack at home, letting go of sneaking in a few
quick errands, even though I walked right past the store where I needed
just one or two things.

It would have been so convenient to quickly stop in... it wouldn't
really break the Shabbat spirit, would it? Just that one box of tea and
that new notebook, so I wouldn't have to go out again next week. No. I
was going to try weaning myself from weekday life cold turkey. No
monetary transactions.

I strolled through the Friday night throngs of buzzing kids gathering in
front of the theater, going in and out of bars and cafes, hurrying and
hustling. They laughed and jostled. I could relate. It would have been
so natural to join them. Hey, I'd been waiting to see that movie. It
finally came to town. Not tonight. I was in a different space. I might
have looked like any other Ann Arbor kid, but I was in a different zone.

I had the distinct feeling I was there, and not there: floating through
the crowd in a soft golden bubble, a bubble of Shabbat. And that was
when I was in college, before cell phones and internet and
round-the-clock connectivity, rings, beeps, and demands on our inner
space. Way back in the unimaginable dark ages of pay phones and snail
mail.

For example, last Friday afternoon I stood impatiently at the copy
machine and saw my exhausted-looking principal rub his eyes and answer
yet another demanding text.

"TGI-shin! Thank G-d it's (almost) Shabbos," I encouraged him.

He smiled wearily. "What do people do without a day where they have to
turn all this off?" he asked. I told him something I'd heard in an
interview on NPR recently. I'd been in the car, racing to pick up some
skirts on sale, but I had to be back for 4:00 carpool. I hit a snag in
traffic on 71. "I knew I should have left earlier. I'm gonna be late
now."

I had impatiently fiddled with the radio dial as I waited for my lane to
open up. Some singer was being interviewed. The usual yakety-yak;
another guy struggling to make it, grabbing his chance to tell the world
why he's so great. I listened distractedly as I scanned the rear mirror
to try and switch lanes. Fresh Air does sometimes find interesting
artists, and listening to them gets me motivated to get my creative act
into higher gear.

"So I relish the Sabbath where I can shut it all off," the artist said.

What? I reached over and turned up the volume.

"You don't perform on Friday nights or Saturdays?" the interviewer asked
incredulously.

"You know," the singer replied, "my career is very intense. My agent, my
producer, my band - someone's always texting or calling or needing a
response. I crave, I need, a day to center, to restore myself, and get
off the grid." You got it, I thought and took a deep breath as the
traffic finally unsnarled.

Standing at the copy machine, I excitedly shared that phrase with the
principal: "That singer said he needed a day to just get off the grid."

My principal smiled, sighed, and glanced at the clock. One hour more
till the school day and week could close, three more hours till he could
turn off the phone completely and step onto Shabbat Island. He nodded in
agreement. "Absolutely. Well said."

Shabbat, the seventh day, had been my first taste of the sweet nectar of
this hidden universe of Torah observance, and it remained the anchor.
"He garbed the day of rest in beauty; He called the Shabbat day a
delight."

I first tasted this sweetness in Bella's dingy flat. I sometimes
wavered, wondering, was this mitzva stuff really the ultimate in
connecting with the Creator, or someone's complex, put-together
invention? I'd remember that blast of light that hit me in the kishkas
when I first stepped into her home. And I held it up as my litmus test.
Strange as it seemed, I was beginning to see how all those weird
minutiae were an integral part of creating this golden space - all the
details that sound so bizarre, like leaving the bathroom light taped on,
not turning up the fire on the stove, only using cold water, and
breaking bread on two (not one or three) challahs.

Once an old friend confronted me: "What's this craziness about? I hear
you can't use scissors on Shabbat, and you can't even carry a tissue
outside." He laughed cynically. What kind of bizarre and arbitrary
ritual is that, he scornfully implied. I just made some kind of
shrugging-it-off remark. It's hard to explain "on one foot," in a sound
bite, how these seemingly nitpicking rules come together, how they
really did open up a weekly paradise of luxurious holiness.

There was something more here - something tangible and from another
dimension altogether. That Shechina, the Divine Presence - no one could
make up that heavenly sweetness. And if this Shabbos holiness was so
real, this kiss from above, maybe the other stuff in those Five Books of
Moses and those five million books of debate, commentary, mysticism were
real too. Maybe even the parts I didn't quite understand or connect to
yet.

     Excerpted from Painting Zaidy's Dream, winner of 2013 American
     Jewish Press Association Simon Rockower Award: First Place for
                                  Excellence in Writing About Women

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                             New Facilities

Chabad of Boca Raton, Florida, has purchased a new property that will
double the size of their current Chabad Center. The 12,000-square-foot
building under construction will include an expanded main synagogue, a
smaller chapel, a social hall, lecture hall, library, youth video
lounge, kitchen and a larger religious school. Plans for a mikvah are
also included.

Friendship Circle of Los Angeles, California, recently opened "My
Backyard," a new all-accessible playground following two years of
planning and construction. The state-of-the-art playground enables
children with special needs to play in a secured, accessible environment
while encouraging play and social interaction with typical peers.

The Rohr Chabad Jewish Center in Morgantown, West Virginia, serving
students Jewish students at West Virginia University recently acquired a
new larger building that will enable Chabad to reach out to the greater
Jewish community as well.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                          15 Iyar, 5724 [1964]

I was sorry to hear from Rabbi - that you have not been feeling up to
par recently. I trust that this letter will find you in improved health,
and may G-d grant you a speedy and complete recovery, so that you should
be able to continue your good work for a better and happier environment,
in good health and with joy and gladness of the heart.

If you suspect that by saying "a better and happier" environment I have
in mind something that has to do with the Torah and Mitzvoth
[commandments], you are quite right, for the Torah is the true good, and
the source of true happiness.

I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge receipt of your letter in
which you wrote about your participation in a symposium on the future of
the American Jewish community as it will be one hundred and twenty years
hence. Generally speaking, I take no pleasure prognosticating, even in
regard to a more immediate future than one hundred and twenty years.

For one thing, there is the consideration that it is one of our basic
principles of faith to wait and expect Moshiach every day, when the
whole world will be established under the reign of the Al-mighty. But
apart from this, everyone, even a non-religious person, can see clearly
what unforeseen changes have taken place "overnight." Therefore, it
serves no useful purpose to forecast what the state of affairs will be a
century from now, however, this is a point of which you are not unaware,
as is indicated in your letter.

I wholeheartedly agree with you that when a Jewish audience can be
gathered together, the opportunity should not be wasted on empty
platitudes, but should be made use of to the utmost, to provide them
with a lasting inspiration which should be expressed in the daily life.

Of course, I do not know what kind of audience there is going to be in
this particular instance. I believe, however, that the following
observations are valid for any type of Jewish audience:

It is customary to find fault with the present generation by comparison
with the preceding one. Whatever conclusions one may arrive at from this
comparison, one thing is unquestionably true, namely that the new
generation is not afraid to face the challenge.

I have in mind not only the kind of challenge which would make them at
variance with the majority, but even the kind of challenge which calls
upon sacrifices and changes in their personal life.

Some of our contemporary young people are quite prepared to accept this
challenge with all its consequences, while others who may not as yet be
ready to accept it, for one reason or another, at least show respect for
those who have accepted it, and also respect for the one who has brought
them face to face with this challenge. This is quite different from
olden days, when it took a great deal of courage to challenge prevailing
popular opinions and ideas, and a person who had the courage to do so
was often branded as an impractical individual, a dreamer, etc.

Furthermore, and in my opinion this is also an advantage, many of our
young people do not rest content with taking up a challenge which has to
do only with a beautiful theory, or even deep thinking, but want to hear
also about the practical application of such a theory, not only as an
occasional experience, but as a daily experience; and that is the kind
of idea which appeals to them most.

A further asset is the changed attitude towards the person who brings
the challenge.

Even though it seems logical that the one who brings the challenge to
the young people should have a background of many years of
identification with and personification of the idea which he
promulgates, this is no longer required or expected nowadays, when we
are used to seeing quick and radical changes at every step in the
physical world.

If this is possible in the physical world, it is certainly possible in
the spiritual world, as our Sages of old had declared, "A person may
sometimes acquire an eternity in a single instant." Thus, no individual
can ignore his duty to share his newly-won truth, even if he has no
record of decades of identification with it. As a matter of fact, this
may even be an added advantage, in that it can impress on the audience a
precedent...
                        continued in next issue


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                              TODAY IS ...
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                                 9 Iyar

The Baal Shem Tov said: Every single thing one sees or hears is an
instruction for his conduct in the service of G-d. This is the idea of
avoda, service, to comprehend and discern in all things a way in which
to serve G-d.


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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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On Wednesday, May 14, we will be celebrating Pesach Sheini - the Second
Passover.

Every year, from the time of the Exodus from Egypt, on the fourteenth of
Nissan, the Jews brought the Passover offering. This commandment was
incumbent upon each Jew.

However, the Jews who were spiritually unclean, were forbidden to
participate. They therefore complained, and cried out to Moses, "Why
should we be different?" - How are we to achieve a similar level of
closeness with G-d?

Moses, through Divine direction, informed them that, in fact, they would
have a chance. On the fourteenth of Iyar they could bring the Passover
offering.

This incident offers two lessons to us:

The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn,
explained that Pesach Sheini proves that it is "never too late"; we
always have a chance to make amends, improve.

An additional lesson relates to the way in which Pesach Sheini came
about. According to Midrashic literature, the laws concerning Pesach
Sheini were already "written in the Heavens." A new law wasn't created;
G-d was just waiting for the people to request it.

Why is this so important? It is similar to the Third Holy Temple, which
is all "ready to go" and missing only that we cry out for it. It is
similar, also, to Moshiach, who is "just waiting for the signal" from
us.

But, we must also remember that our request cannot be made
mechanically.It must have the same quality of earnestness that our
ancestors exhibited when they requested Pesach Sheini.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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Akavya ben Mehalel said: "Reflect upon three things and you will not
come near sin: Know from where you came, and to where you are going, and
before whom you are destined to give an accounting..." (Ethics 3:1)

Reflect upon three things - all three together. However, if you reflect
on only one, or two, not only will they be ineffective, but such a
meditation could even cause harm. If you reflect only on the first, you
will come to the conclusion that you are not to blame for anything. If
you reflect only on where you are going you might mistakenly believe
that there is no ultimate judgment and accounting. Therefore, we are
told to also reflect on "before Whom you are destined to give an
accounting." All three aspects of this mediation are dependent on each
other.

                                                   (Midrash Shmuel)

                                *  *  *


In addition to the obvious reference to the three concepts, this Mishna
teaches a person that he must have three entities in mind and when he
does so, he "will not come to sin." Generally, a person thinks about two
entities, himself and G-d, for "I was created solely to serve my
Creator." We must be aware of a third entity, the world at large which
was created by G-d for a Jew to use in service of Him, i.e., that a Jew
through his service should refine his body and his soul, and refine the
world at large, transforming it into a dwelling for G-d.

                                    (The Rebbe, 13 Iyar, 5751-1991)

                                *  *  *


Rabbi Chanina, the deputy High Priest, said: "Pray for the welfare of
the government, for were it not for the fear of it, men would swallow
one another alive." (3:2)

Since men's opinions are not uniform, and therefore they cannot get on
together, they eventually come to the state of swallowing one another
alive. Preventing this terrible occurrence is possible only because of
the fear of the government.

                                             (Biurim B'Pirkei Avot)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Little Shloimeleh was the youngest of the family's nine children. He had
a quick smile and intelligent eyes. Shloimeleh's favorite time was
Friday afternoon, when his mother lit the Shabbat candles. He loved to
watch them burn in their polished candlesticks.

But one Shabbat eve, when his mother had closed her eyes to recite the
blessing, one of the candles fell on Shloimeleh's arm, badly burning
him.

Time passed, and the burn eventually healed. But little Shloimeleh was
left with an ugly scar on his forearm as a reminder of the incident.

Then WWII broke out, and Poland was invaded by the Germans. As part of
the "final solution," all the Jews in Shloimeleh's town were rounded up
and sent to concentration camps. Reb Avraham, Shloimeleh's father, was
forcibly separated from the rest of his family. It was the last time he
would see his wife and children. Reb Avraham was later interred in a
labor camp. Miraculously he survived the Holocaust, and eventually found
himself in Russia.

Reb Avraham was now alone in the world. Physically exhausted and
consumed with grief, he tried to lessen his pain by learning, praying,
and teaching Torah and mitzvot (commandments) to Jewish children, many
of whom had never been exposed to Judaism. Aside from organizing a
secret yeshiva, he also served as a mohel (ritual circumciser). But of
all his religious achievements, the tiny synagogue he established was
closest to his heart.

Needless to say, Reb Avraham's activities were completely illegal; time
and again he was cautioned by the Communist authorities. But Reb Avraham
felt he had nothing to lose. After going through everything he had, what
else could they do to him? He continued to spread Torah and mitzvot, and
spent even more time in his little shul.

The most persistent of Reb Avraham's tormentors was a young Communist
named Natishka. Reb Avraham could hardly take a step without being
followed by him. Natishka repeatedly warned him that he would end up
before a firing squad if he didn't shape up.

Around this time Reb Avraham decided to apply for an exit visa to
Israel. He was very surprised when his request was approved. In truth,
Reb Avraham had mixed feelings about leaving Russia. On the one hand, he
was grateful for the opportunity to spend the rest of his days in the
Holy Land. Yet on the other, he worried about the fate of his brethren.
Who would keep the embers of Judaism burning after he was gone?

As the date of his departure grew near, Reb Avraham spent most of his
time in his beloved synagogue. Emboldened by the prospect of imminent
freedom, he abandoned some of his usual precautions.

One evening Reb Avraham entered the shul and lit several memorial
candles in remembrance of his family. His eyes filled with tears as he
recalled their faces. In a voice choked with emotion he began to recite
Psalms, and the sound carried out into the street...

At that moment, Natishka happened to pass by and decided to investigate.
When he saw what the Jew was up to he became incensed.

"When will you ever learn?" he screamed at him. "When will you finally
give up your obsolete practices?" Once and for all, he would teach the
Jew a lesson. He began to roll up his sleeves...

Reb Avraham remained tranquil. Having already been beaten many times,
there was nothing new about the prospect of physical violence. "Shema
Yisrael!" ("Hear O Israel"), he called out in a clear if somewhat
trembling voice. "The L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One!"

It was then that he looked up and noticed Natishka's bare forearm,
poised to strike. A long scar, evidence of an old burn, wound its way
down his arm in a very familiar pattern...

"Shloimeleh!" Reb Avraham cried out. "Is that you, my son?"

The young Communist's face drained of color as his hand froze in midair.
Inexplicably, his eyes were drawn to the candles' flames, as if they
reminded him of something long hidden and repressed... A cry erupted
from his throat as his eyes filled with tears. He embraced the elderly
Jew and began to weep like a small child.

"Tatteh (father)!" he wailed inconsolably. "Tatteh, forgive me!"

Father and son marveled at how Divine Providence had brought them
together. Not long afterward they both emigrated to Israel. And each
week thereafter, as they gazed into the Shabbat candles, they pondered
their indebtedness to them for their reunion.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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Pesach Sheini (the "Second Passover") occurs one month after Passover.
It is for those who were ritually impure or too far away to offer the
Passover sacrifice on Passover. It represents the second chance
available to each Jew to reach one's spiritual goals. Why would a Jew
who brought the Passover offering at its correct time need to mark
Pesach Sheini? Jews are always awaiting Moshiach's arrival and the
rebuilding of the Holy Temple. If the Holy Temple is rebuilt during the
time between Passover and Pesach Sheini, we will have to bring the
Passover offering on Pesach Sheini. The commandment to await Moshiach
obligates all of us to prepare for Pesach Sheini immediately after
Passover.

                                     (Dina Fraenkel, Kosher Spirit)

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                END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1320 - Behar 5774
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