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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1328
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                 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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        July 4, 2014             Balak             6 Tamuz, 5774
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                             Baseball Cards

Baseball cards, the original sports "trading cards," have been around
since the mid-18th century. Although now it is popular to collect other
sports cards, there's still something special about baseball cards.

No longer simply full-color printing on card stock, sports cards today
include "chrome" cards, cards with holograms, and even cards with
authenticated autographs or jersey materials.

As kids, many of us collected, flipped and traded baseball cards. As
adults, we bemoan the fact that we, or our parents, threw out the cards
when we got older. "If we had just saved them," we sob, "we'd be
millionaires by now!"

Baseball cards are truly a preoccupation for many. The Baal Shem Tov,
founder of the Chasidic movement, taught that everything we see or hear
can teach us a lesson in our lives as Jews. Certainly, then, baseball
cards could be a reason for introspection.

For starters, one can look at the fact that the cards are an accurate
record of the player's career. How many of us, famous or otherwise, keep
an accurate record of those aspects of our "Jewish" career which should,
in fact, be itemized?  For instance, do we give a fair amount of time to
Torah study in comparison to our other pursuits? Do we give charity
generously - at least the 10% which the Torah requires?

Baseball cards often have a few sentences about the highlights of the
player's career. What about our Jewish career. Would we be proud to
publicize those highlights?

How many times have you been "at bat" - involved with a mitzva
(commandment) - and how many of those times did you actually get a hit?
Did you make it to second or first base, or were you tagged out for
various reasons? Did you ever hit it out of the park for a home-run?

A statistic which is even more significant for us is RBI's. One of the
Baal Shem Tov teachings is that the whole reason why a person might be
born and live for 70 or 80 or 90 years is just to do one favor for
another person - "Runs Brought In," so to speak. Helping someone get to
home base, spiritually or materially, is the whole reason why we exist,
according to the Baal Shem Tov.

But since we don't know exactly which person it is that we're meant to
help, we need to have a pretty high statistic of RBI's. Start working on
your batting today, so you can help someone home tomorrow.

An article about baseball cards does not, of course, mean to say that
collecting them is a Jewish activity. Whether as hobbyists,
professionals or amateurs, we Jews "collect" mitzvot.

Giving charity, visiting a sick friend, spending time with an elderly
person, welcoming guests, celebrating with a bride and groom, honoring
our parents, attending a Torah class, reciting a blessing on the food we
eat, praying, affixing a mezuza to our door, lighting Shabbat candles,
putting on tefilin. After we do them, these and hundreds of other
mitzvot that we perform are then lovingly sorted, classified and
preserved by  G-d, who will surely soon agree that it is time to reveal
the  invaluable worth of our mitzvot with the coming of Moshiach, NOW!

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week we read the Torah portion of Balak. Of all the prophecies in
Scripture that refer to the Messianic era, the one contained in the
Torah portion of Balak is most unusual in that it came from Bilaam, a
gentile prophet.

Bilaam, the foremost prophet of his time, was forced against his will to
foretell the downfall of the nations of the world and the ultimate
ascendancy of the Jewish people.

The very fact that this prophecy is included in the Torah indicates its
special significance; indeed, it contains a distinct advantage precisely
because it was said by a non-Jew.

For, when Moshiach comes, the Jewish people will no longer be
subservient to the nations; on the contrary, the gentile leaders will
vie with one another for the privilege of serving the Jews!

Thus, the prophecy of Bilaam concerning the Final Redemption not only
gave the Children of Israel cause for rejoicing over their future, it
actually afforded them a "taste" of the way things will be in the
Messianic era.

As far as prophecy itself is concerned, our Sages foretold its
reoccurrence among the Jewish people before Moshiach's arrival according
to the following chronology:

On the verse in this week's Torah portion, "At the proper time shall it
be said to Jacob and to Israel, what G-d has wrought," Maimonides noted
that prophecy would return to Israel after "the proper time" had elapsed
after Bilaam, i.e., after the same number of years as had passed since
the creation of the world until his prophecy.

Bilaam's prophecy was said in the year 2488; 2488 years after that, in
the year 4976 (we are now in the year 5774), prophecy was destined to
return to the Jewish people.

In fact we find that this was indeed the case, for it was then that
prophetic luminaries began to appear on the Jewish horizon - Rabbi
Shmuel Hanavi, Rabbi Elazar Baal "Harokeach," Nachmanides, the Ravad
(Rabbi Abraham ben David), Rabbi Ezra Hanavi and Rabbi Yehuda the Chasid
and others.

More generations passed until the birth of Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov,
the founder of Chasidut, and his successor, the Maggid of Mezeritch,
about whom it was said that they "could see from one end of the world to
the other."

The following generation produced Rabbi Shneur Zalman, who formulated
Chabad Chasidut. Had he lived in the times of our prophets he would have
been on a par with them; moreover, this chain of prophecy continued from
one Chabad leader to the next, until the present day, when the Rebbe has
prophesied that Moshiach's arrival is imminent.

The return of prophecy to the Jewish people is therefore both a
prerequisite and preparation for the Messianic era, which is due to
begin at any moment.

                   Adapted from Likutei Sichot of the Rebbe, Vol. 2

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                         Celebrating in Prison
                      by Rabbi Nosson Nota Berkahn

Rabbi Nosson Nota Berkahn (of blessed memory) recalls how he marked the
liberation of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe from Bolshevik imprisonment
when he, himself was imprisoned by the Soviet government.

The police searched for Rabbi Berkahn all week.   After all, he was a
"criminal." He was known to observe mitzvot (commandments) and to
encourage others to do so as well!

His father-in-law was taken as a hostage. Secret police were posted to
watch the house. There was no choice; the situation was unbearable.
Rabbi Berkahn turned himself in to the police. He was just a young man,
in his first year of marriage.

Rabbi Berkahn explained, "Ten years in Siberia are very hard. The trial
is even harder. And the interrogation is hardest of all."

Immediately after turning himself in, the interrogations began. After
ten days of interrogations, Rabbi Berkahn was finally transferred to the
jail known by all as the "central barbershop."

"At the beginning of Tammuz the head warden came into my cell. His face
was covered with boils. He was an evil man who was always ready to kick
someone with his heavy boot or to strike someone with the large key in
his hand. Sometimes he did both.

"His appearance struck terror in the hearts of the prisoners. He read
names from a list and I was one of them. We had to pack our belongings
and go out to the hall.

"I think that at the time my mind was blank. My emotions were also
deadened. Prisoners were used to being moved from cell to cell but there
was always the fear of the unknown. I could not know, I could not even
imagine, what would happen to me within the next few minutes.

"They led us down the endless corridor. An order was given and we were
stopped next to one of the cells. The jailer put one of the inmates in
there and so on, until we reached cell 229. I did not think this would
be my new living quarters. When I looked inside I was surprised. When I
saw the prisoners standing in the doorway I almost stopped breathing. I
wanted to cry out. There stood Rabbi Simcha Gorodetzky, my friend. With
a split-second glance and a movement of his hand he motioned to me not
to reveal that we knew one another."

Ten steps in the length and six in the width; that was the size of the
cell. No furnishings. The "tenants" were four thieves. One of them was
in charge, giving out spots to new prisoners and also helping himself
and his friends to the lion's share of every package a prisoner received
from home. Aside from them there was a murderer, one kolkhoznik and the
two Chasidim.

"At first we made it seem as though we were strangers. Little by little,
we began talking to one another. Reb Simcha is a great person. Aside
from his scholarship, cleverness and Chasidic piety, he is a pleasant
person. Even hardened criminals respected him. Thanks to him, I also
enjoyed better treatment.

"Reb Simcha, as a veteran prisoner, taught me how to save water for
washing my hands in the morning and for a meal. He taught me the 'laws
of jail' with an emphasis on the fact that even here a Jew is not exempt
from having set times for Torah study. If you don't remember all of
Psalms by heart, review the chapters you remember and they will count as
though you said the entire book.

"Listening to Reb Simcha pray, I felt how good it was to be a Jew. He
prayed quietly and only occasionally raised his pleasant voice at a
certain section, which pierced the heart.

"Our entire existence is solely in order 'to give praise to Your holy
name.' If so, what do you care where you are, outside the walls or
within? His parables and stories were meaningful. From everything that
occurred around him he knew how to learn a lesson in serving G-d.

"Reb Simcha completely negated sadness. We must always be happy! He
would ask: What don't you like here? The conditions, the filth, the
stench? Have you considered that we, with our bad deeds, place the
King's head in filth? Are you concerned about His anguish?

"One day I realized that something had changed with Reb Simcha over the
past few days. He was more closed and cried a lot when he prayed. His
behavior affected me too. When I finally asked him, he said that it
would soon be 12 Tammuz, the Rebbe's holiday of Liberation, and he was
preparing for a spiritual communing with the Rebbe. On the eve of 12
Tammuz he prepared all day for this 'private audience,' and fasted all
day.

"Said Reb Simcha, 'Before the Rebbe left the country [to seek asylum in
America], he said that nothing would separate between him and his
students and those connected with him. There are no locks and bars!
There is no barrier! The Rebbe is with us now too and I am sure he will
find a way to respond to all my questions.'

"He quietly began singing a Chasidic melody with such yearning that I
too began to see the Rebbe in my mind's eye. My first private audience
was when I went in with my grandfather as a boy, and the Rebbe placed
his holy hands on my head and blessed me. Here, the Rebbe enters ... the
room full of Chasidim ... the Rebbe at the head of the table, reciting a
Chasidic discourse ... utter silence. Only the Rebbe's voice is heard,
penetrating the hearts of all, even those who do not understand ...

"Another picture comes to mind, of Simchat Torah. The Rebbe dancing with
his sons-in-law ... The house full of people, all trying to draw
spiritual nourishment ... then the Rebbe at the airport in Riga, asking
all of us to unite in brotherly love, in the observance of Torah and
mitzvot. The plane takes off. Rebbe! When will we see each other again?

"We said 'l'chaim' over water. Reb Simcha told the story of the Rebbe's
arrest and release in great detail along with various anecdotes.

"Gut Yom Tov. Next year with the Rebbe!"

                              Reprinted from Beis Moshiach Magazine


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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                           The Art of Giving

The Art of Giving, a discourse on charity, was delivered by the third
Lubavitcher Rebbe, known as the Tzemach Tzedek. The discourse opens with
the Talmudic statement, "Each and every coin [of charity] adds up to a
large sum." At the heart of the discourse is the question: What is the
ideal way to give to charity? Is it best to give whatever we can at any
given time regardless of the amount or should we postpone our giving
until such time as we can afford to make a more sizable contribution. In
the process the Rebbe touches on various Talmudic dictums and kabalistic
insights and formulas as brought together through the inspired teachings
of Chasidus. Translated by Rabbi Shmuel Simpson, part of the  Chasidic
Heritage Series published by Kehot Publications.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                       Shushan Purim 5712 [1952]

                 Sholom u'Brocho [Peace and Blessing]:

In reply to your letter, briefly:

 1) You ask how we can reconcile the attributes of G-d of mercifulness
    and kindness with cosmic catastrophes such as volcanic eruptions and
    the like, involving the loss of human life, etc.?

    There are many circumstances involved in each event, in addition to
    time and location. However, there is one general answer to such
    apparently inexplicable occurrence, which will become clearer
    through the following illustration:

    Suppose one encounters an individual for a brief period of time,
    finding him asleep, or engaged in some arduous toil. Now, if the
    observer should want to conclude from what he sees during that brief
    period of time as to the nature of the individual he had observed,
    he would then conclude that the individual has an unproductive
    existence - in the first instance; or leads a life of torture - in
    the second.

    Obviously, both conclusions are erroneous, inasmuch as what he saw
    was only a fraction of the individual's life, and the state of sleep
    was only a period of rest and preparation for activity, and - in the
    second instance - the toil was a means to remuneration or other
    satisfaction which by far outweighs the effort involved. The truth
    is that any shortsighted observation, covering only a fraction of
    time or of the subject, is bound to be erroneous, and what may
    appear as negative will assume a quite different appearance if the
    full truth of the before and after were known.

    Similarly in the case of any human observation of a world event. The
    subject of such an observation is thus taken out of its frame of
    eternity, of a chain of events that occurred before and will occur
    afterwards. Obviously we cannot expect to judge about the nature of
    such an event with any degree of accuracy. A volcanic eruption or
    earthquake and the like are but one link in a long chain of events
    that began with the creation of the world and will continue to the
    end of times, and we have no way of interpreting a single event by
    isolating it from the rest.

 2) The difference between "G-d is All" and "All is G-d" is in the
    approach and deduction. In the first instance, our starting point is
    G-d, and through study and research we can deduce that G-d's being
    is revealed even in material and "natural" things! Our study of the
    Unity of G-d and His other attributes will lead us to recognizing
    the same attributes in nature and the world around us, the practical
    results of which find expression in unity among mankind and the
    practice of G-d's precepts as the proper application of G-d's
    attributes in our own life, etc. One who sets out on this path
    dedicates himself wholly to communion with G-d. He is averse to all
    material aspects of life, including even the bare necessities
    connected with his physical wellbeing, and tries to avoid them as
    much as possible. Being engaged in spiritual communion with G-d, he
    considers all material and physical necessities, even those
    permitted by the Torah, as a hindrance in his consecrated life.
    However, his intelligence convinces him that the material and
    physical world is but an expression of the Divine Being, and that in
    them, too, G-d is to be found.

    In the second part of the statement, "All is G-d," the starting
    point is the outer shell of the universe and all material things in
    it, a study of which will lead to the conclusion that there is
    cosmic unity in the whole world and that there is a Divine "spark"
    vitalizing everything, and consequently - one Creator. Hence he
    serves G-d even while engaged in the material aspects of life, and
    does so with joy, inasmuch as it is in them and through them that he
    recognizes the greatness of the Creator and they help strengthen his
    unity with G-d.

    Thus we have two ways in the service of G-d, of which the first is
    the easier one, while the second leads to a better fulfillment of
    the objective - to make this lowest physical world an abode for G-d.

 3) An observation of my own: It seems a novel way of trying to learn
    Chassidus by correspondence. Even where there is no other choice, it
    is difficult to cover such a subject in the course of a letter. But
    in your case, you are within personal reach of receiving oral and
    fuller explanations in the normal course of study under teachers of
    Chassidus at Tomchei Tmimim [the Lubavitcher yeshiva], and with the
    aid of the senior students of Chassidus who have been learning it
    for years. Why not use this better method?

With all good wishes,


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                              TODAY IS ...
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                               10 Tammuz

In the early period of his leadership the Rabbi Shneur Zalman taught:
"The footsteps of man are directed by G-d." (Psalms 37:23) When a Jew
comes to a particular place it is for an (inner Divine) intent and
purpose - to perform a mitzva (commandment), whether a mitzva between
man and G-d or a mitzva between man and his fellow-man. A Jew is G-d's
messenger. Wherever a messenger (shaliach) may be, he represents the
power of the meshalei'ach, the one who sent him.The superior quality
that souls possess, higher than the angels (who are also "messengers"),
is that souls are messengers by virtue of Torah.


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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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Thursday and Friday of next week (corresponding to July 10-11 this year)
are 12-13 Tammuz, the birthday and days of liberation of the Previous
Lubavitcher Rebbe from Bolshevik imprisonment.

This year, Shabbat immediately follows 12-13 Tammuz. At a gathering on a
Shabbat that immediately followed 12-13 Tammuz, the Rebbe spoke about
the special nature of this three-day continuum:

Shabbat is connected with the idea of liberation, for on the Sabbath a
Jew is free of weekday work. In this year, then, there are three
consecutive days of liberation: 12 and 13 Tammuz, and Shabbat - which
lends it the force of a "chazaka," (the status of permanence) "a chazaka
comes into being after three times."

Since "the body follows the head," all aspects of the liberation of the
previous Rebbe ("the head") apply to and affect every Jew ("the body").
Moreover, since the head encompasses the vitality of each and every limb
of the body, and provides the leadership for the whole body, the
relationship between the head and body is not just in the manner of one
thing following another, but rather in the manner of forming one entity.
Thus, 12-13 Tammuz should induce every Jew to increase in all aspects of
Judaism, Torah and mitzvot, consonant to the previous Rebbe's
directives.

When these days of liberation are utilized to ensure that service to Gd
is performed in a manner of liberation, Gd, who pays "measure for
measure." will bring the actual redemption.

When Jews perform their service in the manner of redemption, they effect
the actual, literal redemption from Above, since Gd pays "measure for
measure." Since the redemption comes from Above, through Gd Himself in
all His glory, it will certainly be a true and complete redemption -
just as Gd embodies the absolute truth and the absolute perfection.
Also, since it is Gd who brings the redemption, there will be no time
constraints, and Jews will be "redeemed immediately.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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He has not beheld any wrong in Jacob, nor has he seen evil in Israel:
The L-rd his G-d is with him, and the glory of the king dwells among
him. (Num. 23:21)

Rabbi Yitzchak of Vorka used to say: It states in the holy Zohar that
"The Holy One, Blessed Be He, the Torah and Israel are one." The same
way one cannot pick apart G-d or His Torah by saying, "This particular
verse of the Torah doesn't appeal to me," so too, should we approach our
fellow Jew, treating him with respect and acknowledging his importance
to the Jewish People as a whole."

                                *  *  *


And G-d opened the mouth of the donkey (Num. 22:28)

"Don't think too highly of yourself for being a prophet," G-d was
rebuking Bilaam. "Look, even a donkey can speak if I so decree. Like the
donkey, the only reason you have been granted prophecy is that it will
ultimately bring benefit to the Jewish people."

                                                        (Kli Yakar)

                                *  *  *


Who can count the dust of Jacob (Num. 23:10)

Why are Jews likened to the dust of the earth? As the Baal Shem Tov
explained, in the same way that the earth contains vast underground
treasures and natural resources, so too does every Jew contain an
immeasurable wealth of faith, love and awe of G-d - if only one digs
deep enough...

                                          (Keter Shem Tov, Hosafot)

                                *  *  *


He has not beheld any wrong in Jacob (Num. 23:21)

Whenever a Jew does a mitzva (commandment), he creates a "good" angel;
whenever he transgresses, a "bad" angel is formed. Commented Rabbi Zushe
of Anipoli: "Never have I seen a complete, unblemished angel that was
created by the sin of a believing Jew. These 'bad' angels are always
missing a limb: this one its head, that one an arm. For as soon as the
Jew sighs in remorse, it cripples the accusing angels and maims them..."

                                                 (Otzar HaChasidut)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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In Europe it was the custom to fatten up geese in the months preceding
Passover, since many families refrained from using any oil other than
goose fat. For six to eight weeks the geese would be fed a full bucket
of corn twice a day, so that by the time the holiday arrived they would
be so huge they could barely waddle.

Two religious giants of the day, the Chasam Sofer (Rabbi Moshe Sofer)
and the Yismach Moshe (Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum) differed in their rulings
as to whether the practice of force-feeding rendered the geese treife
(not kosher). The question revolved around whether or not the sharp corn
grains which were fed to the birds in such quantities would damage the
esophagus, thus making the birds treife (i.e., unable to live another
year). The Chasam Sofer held that the esophagus would not necessarily be
damaged, and so he ruled the practice permissible. (Of course, the geese
had to be carefully checked before being consumed to prove that they
were kosher by the process described later.) His contemporary, the
Yismach Moshe felt that since the corn kernels were sharp, the
likelihood was that the birds would be rendered treife by the force
feedings. He ruled that geese fed in this manner would not be
permissible.

The two corresponded back and forth, each presenting learned arguments
to prove his point, their dispute purely "for the sake of heaven."
Finally, the Chasam Sofer suggested that instead of theorizing, they
should put their rulings to a practical test. Each was to take ten geese
and fatten them up. Then, they would slaughter them, fill the esophagi
with air and float them in a full tub of water. If the esophagus was
damaged, air bubbles would escape into the water, thus proving that the
bird was treife. If no bubbles were seen, the bird would be kosher.

When the birds were duly fattened and slaughtered, an amazing thing took
place. All the birds from the household of the Chasam Sofer proved to be
kosher, whereas all the birds of the Yismach Moshe tested treife.

So it was seen that the legal rulings of these two great giants
dominated the physical reality, proving the axiom that the rulings of
true halachic authorities determine the actual reality of a physical
situation.

Another story is told which illustrates the same point. There lived in
Europe in the last century a well-known Chasidic rabbi who was rebbe to
tens of thousands of Chasidim. He was known as the Zidochover Maggid.

One Friday as he sat and learned Torah with a group of his disciples, a
woman entered his study carrying a chicken that she wished to prepare
for the Shabbat meal. However, there was a question on the kashrut of
the bird, so she had brought it to the Rabbi to ask if it was
permissible. Now, on the face of it, the chicken had lesions on its lung
that would normally indicate that it was treife, but to the astonishment
of his students, the Rebbe spent hours studying many texts in an attempt
to find an opinion that would permit the chicken. It was
incomprehensible to them just why the Rebbe would go to such lengths
when he could just as easily give the woman a ruble to buy another
chicken. After hours of study the Rebbe stood up and pronounced the
chicken kosher! The Rebbe's disciples couldn't believe their ears, but
he had labored and succeeded in finding a way to rule the chicken
permissible. The happy woman went home to prepare her Shabbat meal, and
the scholars resumed their study.

Soon after she left another woman entered the hall in a state of
hysteria. "Rebbe, Rebbe!" she screamed, as she fainted to the floor.
When she was revived she resumed her wailing, crying, "Rebbe, you must
help my husband, the doctors have given up hope!" Again the poor woman
fainted and had to be revived. The Rebbe stood by her side and said,
"Tell me please, what is the exact nature of your husband's ailment?"

She replied that he had serious lesions on his lungs. When he heard
that, the Rebbe comforted her saying, "I just ruled that this type of
malady is kosher. Go home and don't worry; your husband will live for
many years." And this, in fact, is what happened. Only then did the
students understand that through his ruach hakodesh (Divine inspiration)
the Rebbe had known that he would need that halachic ruling to help a
fellow Jew. Through his pronouncement which allowed the chicken to be
used he also, so to speak, negated the fatal effects of the same illness
on a fellow Jew.


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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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Because exile is a dream, in which opposites can co-exist, the situation
can change in a moment: Jews can leave the dream of exile and enter
reality - the redemption. Every Jew holds the key to the redemption, as
Rabbi Shneur Zalman writes: "It states in Tikkunim that if even one
righteous person (and "Your people are all righteous") in a generation
returns in complete repentance, Moshiach would come immediately."
Maimonides rules, "When a person does a mitzva (commandment), he tilts
himself and the whole world to the meritorious side, and brings
redemption and salvation for himself and for them." This can be achieved
in a moment.

                                       (The Rebbe, 14 Tammuz, 1984)

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                END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1328 - Balak 5774
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