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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1331
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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 25, 2014            Masei            27 Tamuz, 5774
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                         When Did That Happen?

Standing near your front door you overhear someone exclaiming in
surprise, "These trees blossomed overnight. I'm sure the flowers weren't
here yesterday."

You wonder to yourself, "Hmm, were the flowers there yesterday? They
couldn't have appeared overnight. Maybe I just didn't notice them!"

The next time, it's you wondering how that house on the corner lot
that's been empty for years suddenly appeared. It seems to have
materialized from nowhere. Why, you pass this way everyday and never
noticed it before.

As you go down the aisles of the supermarket with your shopping list in
hand, you stop in front of the coffee. "When did coffee get so
expensive," you gasp. "Maybe it's global warming," you mutter. Or maybe
you just buy coffee so infrequently that you never noticed the prices
getting higher.

Night descends slowly, though suddenly you notice that it is no longer
light outside. Light creeps through your window, day dawns. But didn't
darkness envelope the world just moments before?

This phenomenon is common to many of life's experiences; though taking
place over hours, weeks, months or even over the course of years, they
seem to suddenly be manifest in their completeness before our very eyes.

The visual and verbal image many have for the Messianic Era is the
"dawning" of a new age, a better world, a perfect world. Not
surprisingly, sunrises seem an appropriate illustration of this concept.

Many Jewish sources discuss how the Messianic Era will materialize:
Moshiach will come riding on a donkey or on clouds of glory; G-d
promises that the Redemption of the Jewish people and the entire world
will come "in its time" but that He will "hasten it"; The Talmud tells
us that if we see certain behavior and attitudes pervading society (all
of which are prevalent today) we should "listen for the footsteps of
Moshiach." The Rebbe declared that the time of the Redemption has
arrived, if we open our eyes we can see that the table is literally set
for the Messianic banquet, all we need to do is greet Moshiach. Yet, we
have yet to step over the threshold and into the actual Redemption.

There seem to be contradictions between the sources, even within a
particular source, because the movement toward the Redemption is not
necessarily perceived. But it's happening.

Since the creation of the world nearly 6,000 years ago, when the spirit
of G-d hovered over the waters (and as the commentaries explain, the
"spirit" is that of Moshiach) we have been moving toward Moshiach and
the Redemption. The time for the Redemption, as the Rebbe stated, has
arrived. And the Rebbe sees the dawning (not just the day but the actual
process of dawning) of the Redemption with a clarity of perception and
vision that most of us lack.

What we can do now is to adjust ourselves now to this new era. We can do
this by incorporating into our lives at this very moment how we will
naturally be living very soon: performing additional acts of goodness
and kindness; studying more Torah; experiencing Jewish living more
fully; trying to see G-d's hand everywhere.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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There is a unique factor that features in this week's Torah reading,
Masei, that never occurs on any other Sabbath. In the midst of the
recounting of the events that occurred to the Jewish people in their
journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Torah relates that in the
40th year of their wanderings, on the first day of the fifth month,
Aaron the High Priest died. Now when we count the months from Nissan, as
the Torah does, the fifth month of the Jewish calendar is Av. Parshat
Masei is always read in the month of Av or on the Sabbath on which that
month is blessed. Thus on Shabbat Masei, we are reading about an event
integrally related to the time.

Now the Torah does not inform us explicitly of the date of the death of
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses or Miriam. The fact that it does so with
regard to Aaron and, moreover, that this passage is always read close to
the very day that this passing took place is certainly significant.

What singles out the month of Av? It is the month of the destruction of
the Temple: the First Temple, by the Babylonians and the Second Temple,
by the Romans. Our Sages ask why the Second Temple was destroyed and
explain that the destruction came because of the sin of unwarranted
hatred. There was strife and enmity among the people. Moreover, this was
not merely a spiritual factor. As anyone aware of the history of that
era knows, it was the rivalry, in-fighting, and discord among the Jewish
people themselves that cost them their supplies of food and water and,
ultimately, led to their defeat by the Romans.

What was unique about Aaron the High Priest? His continuous efforts to
establish peace and harmony among the Jewish people. Why is Aaron's
death associated with the month of Av? Our Sages state: Gd prepares the
cure before the wound. Centuries before there arose the strife and
friction that led to the destruction of the Temple, Gd saw to it that
the month of Av would be influenced by Aaron who stood for the opposite
qualities, friendship and love.

The destruction of the Temple is not merely a story of the past. On the
contrary, our Sages state that whoever does not see the Temple built in
his days should consider it as if it was destroyed in his days.
Moreover, the same factor that led to the destruction of the Temple, the
lack of unity and oneness among our people, is also preventing it from
being rebuilt. For according to the Jewish tradition, reward and
punishment is given "measure for measure." It follows that were the
friction and strife that were the cause of the exile to be eradicated,
the result, the exile itself, would also cease.

Now is the time to take a cue from Aaron the High Priest and proactively
seek out our fellowmen and heighten the bonds of love and unity that
bind us together.

               From Keeping in Touch, adapted from the works of the
       Lubavitcher Rebbe by Rabbi E. Touger, published by Sichos in
                                                           English.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                    Torah - A Mathematical Equation
                           by Leah Merenfeld


    From a speech at the annual Lubavitch Women's Organization
    convention.

In my home growing up in Miami, Florida, we jumped at any excuse to get
together and eat. Rosh Hashana we ate our apples dipped in honey. Yom
Kippur I remember most the "break-fast." On Passover we had a seder, but
inevitably half-way through my grandfather complained that he was hungry
and we would cut straight to the meal.

My parents are both doctors. And like all Jewish doctors they just knew
all of their children would follow in their footsteps. Well they are
still waiting.

My introduction to Chabad was through my older twin brothers Noach and
Josh. I was nine and they were 18 when Noach stumbled into a Judaica
store with his buddy on the way back from the beach. The owner was
actually an emissary of the Rebbe, Rabbi Daniel Greene. He encouraged
them to put on tefillin, then he asked if they would be interested in
joining some Torah classes. Noach said, "Absolutely not, but maybe my
brother is!"  A few months later, Josh was off to a yeshiva in Seagate,
New York.

My family was left wondering, "We always knew Josh was quirky. But maybe
he cracked?" My parents had all the usual complaints: "They're
brain-washing you. What about college? You're not going to eat my food?
You're not going to answer my calls on Saturdays? Will you still hug
Grandma?"  Understandably they were very worried. Josh (now Yehoshua)
was entering a life they knew nothing about. They felt so disconnected;
they were worried that this would permanently separate them from their
son. But they couldn't have been more wrong.

Fast-forward one year. After having given Josh a hard time for long
enough Noach started going to the local Chabad House of Rabbi Shloime
and Faige Halsband and he brought me and my younger sister Sammi along.
We loved hanging out with our older brother all Saturday, we loved
chatting with Faige, and we loved the food. We thought it was so cool
doing something that none of our friends were doing.

I learned for the first time what it means to observe Shabbat. Though it
was difficult, it was fun. But most importantly it was the first time I
felt Jewish. Until then I had never met a Jew who lives with Judaism as
the top priority. At the Chabad House I realized we Jews are different.
And if we are different we must act differently.  But my parents weren't
prepared to let their young daughters turn around their lives, nor were
they prepared to turn their own lives around.

After Noah went to yeshiva, and later on both Josh and Noah got married,
my initial enthusiasm for Torah was forgotten. I entered what I call my
"typical teen" phase in high school and college. There was lots of
partying and at first it was fun and exciting. But eventually it became
very repetitive.

Also, being Torah observant just made sense to me, like a mathematical
equation. If Jews were given the gift of Shabbat and keep Shabbat, and I
am a Jew, then I should keep Shabbat. If a=b and b=c then a=c. Also
seeing my brother's homes, the warmth, the incredible self-control, the
dedication, and their cute kids, definitely had an effect on me.

Soon I decided I would only eat kosher meat. I started being really
careful about the time to light Shabbat candles. At the time I was
working at a kosher supermarket which was very conducive to my change.
But there was something that always bothered me there. All the customers
thought I was not Jewish like the rest of the employees. They would tell
me "have a great weekend" while saying "have a good Shabbos" to the
owner. It drove me crazy. That's when I started dressing Jewishly -
modestly. Nobody ever told me "have a great weekend" again!

One day at university on break between classes, I called up Noach and
Yehoshua and told them I would be moving up to New York to study at this
mysterious place called Machon Chana, a yeshiva for young women like me.
They were very excited. Now I had to tell my parents.

Keep in mind this was 10 years after Yehoshua had moved to New York. The
twins were both married, had beautiful children, a supportive community,
stable jobs, good marriages, and a thirst for Torah learning. My parents
had completely accepted their lifestyle, even admired it. My father was
putting on tefilin every weekday. My mother lights Shabbat candles every
week at the correct time, and attends a weekly class. By the time I told
them I wanted to study in Machon Chana they were saying "Well what are
you still doing in Florida?"

In September I moved into the Machon Chana dorm. I had a lot of catching
up to do, about 18 years worth! One of the things I had to get used to
was the never ending thirst for knowledge and self-improvement. I had
never seen so much extra-curricular studying in my entire life.

It took me time to adjust but I pushed on and continued to grow each
day. I truly feel like I've found my place in this community. Everybody
takes care of everybody here, something I think people take for granted.
And in Machon Chana the care that Rabbi Majeski, Mrs. Gansburg, and all
the teachers and mentors have for each girl is inconceivable.

Rabbi Majeski literally makes time for every student and every single
problem. There is an ongoing joke in the dorm that we all wish Rabbi
Majeski could be our Zaidy. Mrs. Gansburg,  our dorm mother,  has been
with Machon Chana for nearly 40 years. Her stories and her wisdom make
her so special. As for the teachers, mentors, staff and dorm counselors,
we have a great team supporting us. They help us with incorporating this
new lifestyle without losing ourselves and individual personalities, and
setting reasonable goals. One thing I appreciate most about all of them
is the level of respect with which they treat each student. I remember
coming here and feeling so overwhelmed. How could I ever catch up on my
lost years? But the curriculum is planned in such a way that we cover so
much ground, in depth, without feeling overwhelmed.

The friends I've met here are the most caring and diverse I've ever had.
We have students from all over the world coming together for one common
purpose - to study Torah. But when they come to Machon Chana they leave
their differences at the door.

I feel so honored to be a part of this institution whose students the
Rebbe called "my daughters." Machon Chana has changed me in every way
imaginable. Being one of the Rebbe's daughters gives you a boost of
refinement, maturity, intellectualism, energy, confidence, and love for
Torah. I will be very sad to leave this year, but I couldn't feel more
prepared.

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                       My Jewish Days of the Week

My Jewish Days of the Week is a fun-filled journey toward the best day
of all. It begins with a family Sunday spent in the garden, a busy
Monday spent at school, and ends with Thursday grocery shopping and
Friday cooking and cleaning.  All week long, the characters prepare for
the experience of ushering in and observing Shabbat. The catchy rhymes
and old-world illustrations portray everyday life as a joyous adventure
for toddlers. The text is set in a large clear font, the pages are
laminated and  a beautiful chart at the end of the book reviews all the
days of the week in both English and Hebrew. Written by Dvora Waysman
illustrated by Melanie Schmidt, published by HaChai Publishing.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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         Continued from the previous issue, from a letter dated
                         16 Tammuz 5743 [1983]


Needless to say, the layman cannot be familiar with all the sources and
has no way of verifying the facts. But what does a layman do in other
areas, medical science for example? A patient may well have his doubts
about the efficacy of a drug prescribed by his physician. Will he refuse
to take it until he has been able to attend medical courses and learn
all that his doctor has learned in his lifetime studies and experience?
Will he not rely on the authority of the medical specialist? If he has
doubts about the expertise of one doctor, he can obtain a second
opinion, and a third; but when all agree that he needs that medicine and
the prescribed medical regimen, would he refuse to take that expert
advice, even if he still has "strong doubts" about it?

By the same token, if you will ask any "specialist" in Yiddishkeit
[Judaism] - a person who has dedicated his life to the study of Torah
and actually lives by the Torah and mitzvoth [commandments] in his
everyday life and conduct, what is the right thing for you to do, the
answer will be the same, because Jews have only one Torah and one
Halachah [Jewish law]. Indeed, if in matters of physical health it is
logical that na'aseh [we will do] must come before nishma [we will
understand] - how much more so in matters of the eternal soul (with
which the wellbeing of the body is also intimately connected).

I have taken time out to write to you at some length, even though it is
also common sense, and it is not original with me, for you can find it,
and more, in such sources as the Kuzari and other works of our great
Jewish philosophers, because I have in mind the saying of our Sages,
"There is no point in bewailing the past." I trust that the wrong
actions you are contemplating and have already initiated as a result of
your woefully erroneous conclusion, may yet be reversed, and that this
letter may help you see your way clear to do what is good and proper,
good and proper also for you and your family, which is also why this
letter is being sent via Special Delivery.

Incidentally, this letter is being written on the day before the Fast of
the 17th of Tammuz, commemorating the fateful breach in the wall of
Jerusalem under siege, which eventually led to the destruction of the
Beis Hamikdosh [Holy Temple]. It reminds us, everyone of us, to do our
utmost to eliminate the cause that led to the Destruction and Golus
[exile], the sole cause being, as we say in our prayer Umipnei
chato'einu - "Because of our sins we have been exiled from our land."

It particularly reminds us how careful one must be not to let anything
make even a crack in the wall that protects "Jerusalem," yira-shalem
[total fear], the "inner Beis Hamikdosh" which is the most cherished
possession of every Jew - the indestructible counterpart of the physical
Beis Hamikdosh that stood in Jerusalem of old. This inner Sanctuary is
what G-d desires most, as implied in His order and request, "Let them
make Me a Mikdosh [Sanctuary] and I will dwell among [in the midst and
within] them"; within them - within every Jew and every Jewish home.

With blessing,


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                              TODAY IS ...
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                        Rosh Chodesh Menachem Av

The unique quality of Mashiach is that he will be humble. Though he will
be the ultimate in greatness, for he will teach Torah to the Patriarchs
and to Moses still he will be the ultimate in humility and
self-nullification, for he will also teach simple folk.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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The rebuilding of the Third Holy Temple is central to the Redemption.
Maimonides states that the rebuilding of the Temple will actually
confirm that the Redemption has begun.

There are two different opinions as to who will build the Temple.
According to the Zohar, G-d Himself will build the Temple. The Midrash
states that people will build the eternal Holy Temple.

Maimonides' ruling agrees with the Midrash, saying that rebuilding the
Temple is a commandment incumbent upon the Jewish people. Although these
opinions may seem at variance, they are, in fact, not contradictory.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains that the Jewish people will build part of
the Temple, as commanded, and that the Divine features of the Temple -
those aspects which will ensure its eternity - will be built by G-d
Himself.

Maimonides does not mention Divine participation because his work is a
work of halacha, Jewish law; he writes only about that which is
incumbent upon the Jewish people.

The man-made and the G-dly components will be combined in the Holy
Temple.

Chasidic thought teaches that this combination of man's effort "from
below," united with G-d's effort "from above," is the true meaning of
Redemption.

For, with the Redemption, the material and the spiritual will be
eternally and fully bound.

One explanation of how they will be com-bined is brought from the verse
in Lamentations, "Her gates sank into the ground..."

The Midrash asserts that the gates of the Holy Temple are buried on the
Temple Mount. When the Third Temple descends from heaven, the gates will
rise up - but only with man's help. As the one who fixes the gates is
considered to have built entire house, so too, in this case, the Jews
will thus fulfill the commandment to build the Holy Temple by fixing its
gates in place.

May it happen in the immediate future.


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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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While the Holy Temple stood, G-d gave the Jews a way to purify
themselves from even the grossest impurity, and that was through
sprinkling upon them the ashes of a red heifer. But finding such a cow
was no easy matter. First of all, it had to be completely red, with not
even the slightest admixture of another color.

Secondly, it had to be a cow which had never borne a yoke on its neck,
that is, a cow which had not yet been used for any work. Such a heifer
was rare, and, therefore, every valuable, and the Sages would go to
great lengths to procure one.

So, when the Sages heard that a red heifer was owned by a certain
gentile, they travelled to seen him and to examine the heifer. Upon
close examination, they saw that the cow was completely kosher and they
offered to buy it. "We would like to buy this cow from you and we will
gladly meet your price. How much do you want?"

The gentile was very agreeable and answered, "If you pay what I'm
asking, I will sell it to you." The man realized that this was his
chance to make a good profit. He said, "I'm asking three, no, four gold
coins."

Although the price was high, the Sages didn't haggle. They agreed at
once, saying only that they had to return home for the rest of the
money.

When they left, the gentile began to think: Why did the Jews want this
particular cow? What was so special about it? And if something was so
special about this cow, perhaps he should have asked a higher price. He
thought and thought, until he remembered that the Jews needed a red calf
for their Temple. He decided to renegotiate when they came back.

The rabbis returned shortly, expecting to make the purchase and return
home, but the gentile refused to sell the animal! He demanded a much
higher price--a thousand gold coins! The rabbis were shocked,but
acquiesced and returned home to get the enormous sum of money required.

The gentile, however, wasn't satisfied. Now he decided to have one up on
them. He would put a yoke on the cow's back - why, they would never know
and he would get the money anyway! What he didn't know was that there
were two signs distinguishing a cow that has never worked from a cow
which has borne a yoke: there are two hairs on a cow's neck that stand
up straight before a yoke is placed upon it and a cow's eyes look
straight ahead. Afterward, its eyes tend to cross and look to the side.

The Sages returned, money in hand, ready to bring the precious heifer
back to Jerusalem with them. They examined it for a final time, but they
couldn't believe their eyes! The telltale hairs on the heifer's back
were now flat and crooked. They checked the heifer's eyes, and they were
crossed and gazed to the side. They understood that they'd been duped.
The cow that had been priceless in value was now worthless.

Meanwhile, the gentile, never suspecting a problem, was impatiently
waiting to receive his money. His mouth dropped open when he heard the
words: "We have no use for your cow now, since by putting a yoke in it,
you have made it invalid for use in our Holy Temple. We will have to
look further for a red heifer." With those words, the rabbis turned and
sadly made their way back to Jerusalem without the coveted cow?

The gentiles was shocked by what had occurred. He had thought to play a
joke on the Jews, but he had never dreamed that he would be the one to
suffer. His opinion of the Jewish Sages changed to one of respect and
admiration. How had these holy men been able to discern any difference
in the heifer? The man suffered from his great disappointment to such an
extent that his health suffered and he was never the same again.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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Along with the obligation to believe in the redemption through Moshiach,
Maimonides rules that it is also an incontestable principle of Judaism
to constantly long for Moshiach's arrival. This genuine longing stems
from the awareness that life as a Jew, both nationally and individually,
is incomplete in its current state. For someone who lives constantly
desiring an urgent need be met, the mere mention of the topic inevitably
brings a heartfelt prayer for his hope to be fulfilled. Thus, in order
to teach the extent of our obligation to anticipate Moshiach's arrival,
Maimonides inserted a prayer for Moshiach in the midst of the entirely
unrelated laws of the Red Heifer. He thereby exemplified how anxiously
we must yearn for Moshiach's speedy revelation. Amen, so may it be G-d's
will.

                                           (Likutei Sichot vol. 28)

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                END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1331 - Masei 5774
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