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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1360
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                           Copyright (c) 2015
                 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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        February 20, 2015       Terumah             1 Adar, 5775
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                           Tzedaka - Charity

Crowd-sourcing. Crowd-funding. Giving Tuesday. Charity apps. Donate
miles... furniture... clothes... cars. Credit card gift cards. Credit
card rewards points to charity.

Isn't it wonderful? Everywhere we turn, we are being reminded to give to
those less fortunate than ourselves. Never have there been more ways and
means to give charity!

Big businesses, as well,  have taken on the causes of those in need. And
it's even more inspiring to see that they are facilitating our
participation in these worthwhile endeavors. No longer do we need to
rely on chance meetings with indigent beggars or receiving fundraising
letters in the mail to give charity. Just by going about our day-to- day
lives, we are being reminded of others who have less than us.

It's never been easier to give charity. Just place your spare change in
an envelope, sign over that bonus check, or use the postage-paid
envelope to help do your bit.

What is so important about charity - tzedaka - that we see the concept
permeating our lives?

The significance of charity is not the money itself, but the energy that
a person has invested in earning the money. For most of us, the money we
donate has been acquired through performing a job.

Jobs come in all shapes and sizes. But even the most menial labor
involves cerebral activity, albeit on a low level. And even the
highest-calibre research involves physical action, though in a minor
way.

So, a person's entire being is embodied in that money which he is now
giving to charity; by giving charity we literally give of ourselves.

This concept it true even for one who is "born into" wealth or who wins
millions in the lottery (it should be by all of us!). For, even if the
money has not been acquired through expending our life force and energy,
still and all the money could have been used for food or clothing, which
are necessary for one's life. In this way, even a retired billionaire
who plays golf all day is still giving of his life for charity.

It's not surprising, then, that charity is called "the mitzva" in the
Talmud. And it's also not surprising that the Talmud teaches that
"charity brings the Redemption nearer" and that "the Jews will only be
redeemed because of charity."

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week's Torah reading, Teruma, opens with G-d's command to the Jews
to donate to the Sanctuary: "And you shall give an offering...gold,
silver, and brass."

At first glance it seems odd that G-d should list gold first. Would it
not have been more appropriate to begin with brass, an item that could
be given freely by all, and then work up to the silver and gold, which
only wealthy Jews could afford to donate? Although we know that when the
Jewish people left Egypt they were inundated with gifts by the Egyptians
anxious for them to leave, and that the Jews amassed great wealth during
the splitting of the Red Sea, there were always differences in personal
wealth between them. In fact, we find that in actuality, much more brass
and silver were donated to the Sanctuary than gold. Why then is gold
mentioned first?

Furthermore, since the Sanctuary was intended to establish a dwelling
for G-d in this world, would it not have made more sense for it to be
fashioned only through the service of the most elevated and
sophisticated among the Jews? In reality, however, every single Jew,
without exception, was allowed to contribute to its erection.

By way of explanation, Chasidic philosophy teaches that a Jew shares an
intrinsic connection to gold. Every Jew, as he exists within the
material world, is "G-d's only son," and as such, is by nature rich. The
Jew has the potential to give generously, and to give gold. The very
Hebrew word for "gold" - zahav - reflects a Jew's tendency to give to
others, for our Sages interpret this word as an acronym for the phrase,
"He who gives while healthy," that is, a person who gives not to ward
off any unfavorable influences, but as a natural expression of his inner
self. To emphasize this attribute, the first item asked of the Jewish
people was gold.

A Jew is connected to his spiritual source, even within the context of
the material world. He is in essence rich, and his inner spiritual
wealth should be reflected in actual material wealth. If this is not
openly apparent, it is only because G-d desires that the Jew reveal this
wealth through his own efforts, that he transform the darkness into
light. This, in turn, will draw down an abundance of Divine blessing
into the world.

This is especially true in the present time, when the Jewish people have
completed all the spiritual tasks demanded of them, and all that is
necessary is to actually accept Moshiach. At this time, each and every
member of the present generation, the last generation of exile and the
first generation of Redemption, is surely worthy of abundant material
wealth, which, as Maimonides explains, enables a Jew to devote himself
to the study of Torah and the observance of mitzvot in a more complete
manner, and to give more charity. This will lead to the construction of
the Third Holy Temple, towards which every Jewish man, woman and child
will donate, speedily in our days.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                            A Timely Letter

Rabbi Dovid Crispin opened the door one evening to find his neighbor
from two flights up, Chasia Neumark. She was holding  a document in her
hand. "I have something for your wife, Rachel," she said, holding it out
to him.

"Does she know what this is about?" asked Rabbi Crispin.

"No," answered Chasia, "but you can open it and read it."

Rabbi Crispin started to read, and suddenly he became very excited.
"Rachel," he called, "you must read this. This is unbelievable!"

The story had begun earlier that day. Chasia worked as a librarian in
the Beth Rivkah College in Kfar Chabad, Israel. As secretary, she had
access to the archives of the institution, even though she rarely had
any need to search those archives.

On that day, Chasia had a few free minutes, and decided to use the time
to peruse the archive. She knew that, among other things, the archive
contained many letters that the Lubavitcher Rebbe sent to the directors
of the institution and to its students, and she wanted to read them.

Chasia went into the archive and went straight to the files that held
the Rebbe's letters. She leafed through them, but there was no
particular letter that caught her attention.

Suddenly she noticed a familiar name. The letter was written 45 years
earlier, to the students of the 9th grade, in response to a letter they
had sent to the Rebbe for Rosh Hashana. The Rebbe addressed each student
by name and wished them all a blessing for the new year: "As we enter
the new year, which is coming upon us and all of Israel for good and
blessing, I wish to bless you that you be inscribed and sealed for a
good and sweet year, for a year of success in your studies and good
conduct, in good health."

Chasia recognized one of the names, Rachel Nizri, as the maiden name of
her neighbor. She figured that although the students had most likely had
an opportunity to read the Rebbe's letter at the time, they probably had
not each received a copy, especially in the days before Xerox machines.
She decided to surprise her friend with a photocopy of the letter.

When she returned home from work that afternoon, she went straight to
the Crispins' door, but nobody answered. That evening, she again rang
the bell, and this time they answered.

Rabbi Crispin was overcome with emotion when he read the letter. "You
have a blessing from the Rebbe," he cried out to his wife. "The Rebbe
blesses you with good health!"

"You have no idea what you just did for us," they told their neighbor
Chasia. "We are just getting back from the hospital. This morning,
Rachel fainted. She was brought by ambulance to the hospital and they
found that her blood pressure was very low. The doctors decided to send
her home but she would need very close follow-up.

"We were just sitting here and deciding how to proceed further, on the
advice of the doctors, when suddenly you come here with the letter in
which the Rebbe wishes Rachel and all her classmates his blessings for
good health and all other good things! Apparently, the moment that you
decided to look through the letters was the time she was being brought
to the hospital."

"It really is an amazing thing," said Chasia. "All these years I am
working there as a secretary and never had any inclination to search the
archives, and suddenly to pick up these two letters..."

"What do you mean, two letters?" asked Rachel. "Did you find another
letter with my name mentioned?"

"No," smiled Chasia. "There was another letter with a name I recognized,
a friend of mine from Kiryat Malachi. I called her and told her about my
find, and she asked me, almost in a panic, to fax her the letter. From
her tone of voice, it seems that for her, it was also a very opportune
moment."

And Chasia was correct. Two days later, her friend from Kiryat Malachi
called and said that the day after she had received the fax, she had
undergone a medical procedure that worried her a lot. The letter, which
also had a blessing for health, came at just the right time.

Two names out of hundreds, or perhaps thousands... and for some reason,
even though these were not the only two names Chasia recognized, she
decided to copy the letters for them. The Rebbe's blessings from over 45
years ago were intended for this very moment as well.

                              Reprinted from Beis Moshiach Magazine


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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                     Bringing Heaven Down to Earth

The book "Bringing Heaven Down to Earth" by Tzvi Freeman has been
translated into German and released this month. The book is titled "Den
Himmel Auf Die Erde Bringen - 365 Meditationen." The book contains a
meditation for each day of the year based on the Rebbe's teachings. It
contains short thoughts that carry a person through your day, giving
each day a spiritual content, making that day meaningful. Translated by
Wulfing von Rohr and Miriam Magall into a beautiful and poetic German
text.

                             New Facilities


In celebration of their 28th year, Chabad of El Paso, Texas, has just
broken ground for a new building.  The Chabad Center will have a
sanctuary that will seat 100, a social hall, two kosher kitchens and a
library.

The Chabad Jewish Center of Santa Fe, New Mexico, recently purchased a
9,500-square-foot building in downtown Santa Fe, that will be renovated
to house a synagogue, offices, classrooms, a commercial kosher kitchen
and cafe. Chabad of Santa Fe had originally intended to build a new
facility on their current property but when the opportunity to purchase
this building arose they felt it was more expedient to purchase and
remodel the downtown builidng rather than build from scratch.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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Blessing and Greeting,

I was pleased to receive your letter in which you write that you have
noticed that in the Torah and in Yiddishkeit [Judaism] in general the
figure seven occupies a special place and you ask why.

You surely know that there are other figures which are similarly
significant and prominent, such as the figure ten and three.

As a matter of fact there is hardly any justification in questioning
G-d's ways, why He has chosen certain numbers for special significance.
For, as you will readily understand G-d's wisdom is beyond human
understanding.

The question may be asked, however, after G-d has chosen a certain
number of days in which to create the world, namely the number seven,
what can we learn from this?

Approaching the question from this point of view, it is possible to say
that inasmuch as certain categories of things and creatures were created
in one day, each category stands out separately in importance and in the
scale of Creation, as also explained in the various commentaries on the
Chumash [Five Books of Moses]. Man, who was created last, on the sixth
day of Creation, is the most important creature. But the whole of
creation was crowned with the seventh day, the holy day of Shabbos,
which is a source of life and blessing for all the creatures, inasmuch
as the Shabbos is the "soul", so to speak, of the whole world.

And because G-d in His infinite wisdom, chose to create the world on the
basis of this figure of seven days, there are many matters of Torah and
mitzvos [commandments] which reflect this figure seven, such as the
seven weeks of the Counting of the Omer, the seven years of Shmittah
[Sabbatical], the seven Shmittos of the Yovel [Jubilee], etc.

In a similar manner we must approach your question why a girl becomes
bas mitzvah at twelve while a boy at thirteen, and why not sooner or
later? As you can well understand, duties and obligations must come
together with sufficient maturity and understanding of their importance,
and why they should be cherished and observed with love and devotion.
According to G-d's scheme of Creation such maturity is attained by a
Jewish girl at the age of twelve and by Jewish boys at the age of
thirteen.

Duties and ­obligations must come together with sufficient maturity and
understanding of their importance...

Of course, you might ask, G-d surely could have speeded up or slowed
down the age of maturity, so that the obligation to fulfill the mitzvos
would also fall sooner or later than the said twelve and thirteen years.
But in that case the question could still be asked whatever the Bar
Mitzvah and Bas Mitzvah age would have been. Clearly, G-d, Who is the
Creator, created the best possible order in Nature and in human
development.

Judging by your thoughtfulness and interest in Jewish matters, I am
confident that you are learning with proper devotion and dedication to
the Torah, Toras Chayim [the Torah of Life]. And the study of the Torah
with the proper devotion and dedication means the kind of study that
leads to the fulfillment of the mitzvos in the everyday life. I hope
that you are a good influence on your friends in this direction.

With blessing,

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                              TODAY IS ...
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                                3 Adar I

Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of Chabad Chasidism, said: The commandment
of ahavat Yisrael - Love of one's fellow - extends to any Jew, even if
you have never met him. How much more so does it extend to every member
- man or woman of the Jewish community where you live, who belongs to
your own community.

                                6 Adar I


It is a magnificent gift of G-d to merit an innate sense - a "feel" -
for doing kindness to another, to derive deep pleasure from it. This can
develop to the point that one cherishes the other more than oneself. He
may find many explanations as to why he deserves his own tribulations,
G-d forbid, but to do so with regard to another's suffering - is
absolutely impossible.


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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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This Friday begins the month of Adar, a month that is associated with an
increase in joy. The Talmud explains that during the month of Adar,
Jewish "mazal" (generally translated as fortune or destiny) is very
potent. The mazal (or source of influence) of a Jew refers to the higher
levels of his soul, which are connected to the essence of G-d at all
times. In Adar, we have the opportunity to draw down an abundance of
holy energy through good deeds that are imbued with joy.

Interestingly, our Sages taught that "Israel has no mazal" ("ein mazal
l'Yisrael"), which means that Jews are above being influenced by the
stars and planets. Nevertheless, even within the sphere where mazalot
have power, in Adar, their mazal is strong and healthy.

By changing the vowels under the Hebrew letters slightly, "ein mazal
l'Yisrael" can be read "Ayin - the Infinite - is the mazal of Israel."
The Jewish people receive their influence from G-d from a transcendent
level, the transmission of which is particularly powerful in the month
of Adar.

The name Adar has several meanings, one of which is cloak or mantel.
This is a reference to G-d's compassion for the His people, the Jews.
The purpose of a garment is to provide us with warmth. In Adar, when the
holiday of Purim occurs, we experience the warmth and comfort of G-d. A
garment also conceals the body of the person who wears is. Similarly,
the miracle of Purim was "dressed" in a series of natural events.

The word Adar is a combination of "alef" and "dar," meaning "G-d
dwells." (Just as alef is the initial letter in the alphabet, so too is
G-d the "first.") G-d created the earth in order to have a dwelling
place in the physical world. Through the study of Torah and the
performance of mitzvot, we create an abode for Almighty G-d.

May the positive influence of Adar be expressed in the advent of the
true and complete Redemption with Moshiach in the immediate future.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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Gold and silver and copper... (Ex. 25:3)

G-d commanded that the Tabernacle be built not only of precious metals,
such as gold and silver, but also of copper. We learn from this that
even a very learned person must not consider himself above the "average"
Jew. For, without the simple people, the "copper," the Tabernacle could
not have been built. By the same token, the average Jew - even if he is
not at all learned - should not hesitate to approach G-d and holiness,
for he must remember that the Tabernacle was built also of copper.

                                            (The Lubavitcher Rebbe)

                                *  *  *


Speak to the Children of Israel that they may bring Me a contribution...
gold (zahav) and silver (kesef) and copper (nechoshet) (Exodus 25:2,3)

Our Sages explain that each of these metals is an acronym for a phrase
which refers to a specific level of giving tzedaka: Zahav: "Ze hanotein
bari" - "A healthy person who gives." On this highest level, a person
gives tzedaka solely to fulfill G-d's commandment. Kesef: "K'sheyesh
sakanat pachad" - "When there's danger or fear." On this level, a person
gives tzedaka for his own personal gain, i.e., so that his merit will
ward off an impending threat. Nechoshet: "Netinat choleh she'omer tnu" -
"The giving of a sick person who says to give." This is the lowest
level, for the person gives tzedaka only as a last resort, when he
himself is suffering.

                                *  *  *


And you shall make a crown of gold (zahav) around its border (Ex. 25:25)

The numerical equivalent of the word "zahav" is the same as "David," as
the crown of sovereignty was promised to King David and his descendants
forever. Moshiach is a descendant of King David.

                                                     (Baal HaTurim)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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One Friday, the Baal Shem Tov said to his students, "Go out and look for
a guest for Shabbat." The students began their search, looked for a long
time, but found no one. However, the Baal Shem Tov remained determined
and asked them to find a guest.

Half an hour before Shabbat, there was still no guest. So the students
went to the outskirts of Mezhibuzh, and waited by the crossroads, until
finally they found a Jew arriving with a heavy sack on his shoulder.
They asked him if he has a place for Shabbat, and he said no. They
suggested that he spend Shabbat with the Baal Shem Tov in Mezhibuzh, and
he happily agreed.

The Baal Shem Tov was truly pleased to see the guest, and it appeared
that the holy man was in an especially good mood. During the Shabbat
meals, a most joyous and arousing atmosphere reigned. At the third
Shabbat meal, the Baal Shem Tov sang niggunim, wordless melodies. In the
middle of the meal, he stopped the niggunim and told his students that
he wanted each one to share a Torah thought.

Starting from the right, each student shared a Torah thought. When the
guest's turn came, the Baal Shem Tov said to him, "Say a Torah thought."
The guest responded that he didn't have what to say. The Baal Shem Tov
asked him if he could at least say something short. The guest replied
that he hadn't really studied much. "Did you learn as a child in cheder?
Perhaps you can share a story about our patriarch Abraham."

The Jew, who was a simple person, didn't understand exactly what the
Baal Shem Tov was asking. But when he heard the word "story," he figured
that he was being asked to tell a story - any story. "I'll tell you a
story that happened to me," he said, "if you would like to hear it." The
Baal Shem Tov smiled and agreed. "Yesterday, Friday, I was released from
imprisonment by a paritz (landowner). For an entire year, he held me in
a pit because I owed him rent. In that pit, I heard voices coming out
from under the ground. I didn't know if they were voices of people or
spirits. I was afraid even to move.

"It was only during my last week in the pit that I got up the courage,
bent down to the ground, and asked if they could hear me. They said that
they could.

"I asked them if they are people or spirits. ''We are spirits,' they
replied.

"I continued to ask them questions. 'I have realized that you have a
strange custom that you cry every day of the week, but when Friday night
comes, you laugh. What does this mean?'

"The spirits answered: 'We are a group of spirits that live from the
sins of one chasid. He fasts every day of the week, going without food
or drink. When Shabbat comes, he wants to eat. However, due to his
fasting, his stomach has shriveled and he can't eat meat or fish. So he
makes Kiddush on wine, and then immediately afterwards, his wife brings
him a cup of milk. After he drinks the milk, he waits until he is
allowed to eat meat, and only then does he eat his Shabbat meal.

" 'However, every time his wife brings him the cup, we make sure that a
little bit spills, and then he gets angry and annoyed at her. 'I fast
the whole week, and you spill my milk!' he scolds her. Sometimes, he
even threatens that if the milk is spilt one more time, he will take her
to the rabbi. Every week, we make certain to spill the milk, so when
Shabbat comes, he will chastise her again. This makes us very happy,
because then more sins are created, sins from which we live."

"I asked another question. 'Why did you cry last week twice as much, and
when Shabbat came you laughed twice as much?'

"The spirits replied: 'This week, we were in serious danger. The chassid
said to himself that from now on, he would not get angry at his wife.
"I'll pour the glass of milk in the afternoon, and I'll place it in the
cupboard, so when Shabbat comes I'll have a glass of milk ready for me,"
he resolved. '

" 'On Friday afternoon, the chasid poured his cup of milk, placed it in
the cupboard, and then went to shul (synagogue) for his Shabbat prayers.
Suddenly, his wife heard from outside that someone was selling wood for
half price. She began to look in her husband's money compartment. In the
meantime, the wood sellers were knocking at the door, saying that they
were lowering the price even more. In her haste to find some money, the
wife opened the cupboard, and the glass of milk fell out and broke.

" 'On Friday night, the chasid came back home very happy. "This time, I
won't get angry at my wife. Peace and tranquility will reign at home,"
he thought to himself.

" 'The chasid opened the cupboard, and the glass of milk was not there.
He saw that everything had spilled. When he turned to his wife for an
explanation, she started to apologize. He became furious and said, "Now
I understand! Every time, you spilled my milk on purpose! If I had a
doubt up until now, now I know the truth. On Sunday, we are going to the
rabbi to get divorced..."

" 'If we were crying the whole week many times more than usual since we
didn't know what to do,' the spirits said, 'on Friday evening, we
laughed many times more because we had succeeded in our mission.' "

When the guest concluded his story, the Baal Shem Tov began to sing a
niggun. When he finished, it was already after Shabbat, and the study
hall was shrouded in darkness. The Baal Shem Tov ordered for light to be
brought, and lo and behold, there was the student who sat to his right,
on the floor in a dead faint. It was known that this chasid fasted the
entire week...

    As told by Rabbi Zalman Notik in Beis Moshiach Magazine

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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The Power of Saying Shema: According to the foremost commentator Rashi,
at the moment that our forefather Jacob was reunited with his son Joseph
after 17 years of separation, he recited the Shema. Jacob did this
because our Sages state that the merit of our recital of Shema each
morning and evening - as commanded in the Torah - is sufficient to
facilitate our Redemption.

                                                     (Zera Beirach)

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               END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1360 - Terumah 5775
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