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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1393
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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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        October 23, 2015       Lech-Lecha      10 Cheshvan, 5776
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                          A Limitless Treasure

The disciples of the Maggid of Mezeritch had begged their master many
times to show them Elijah the Prophet. Their persistence paid off; when
a gathering of poritzim, wealthy Polish landowners, was being held the
Maggid acceded to their request.

The Maggid instructed his disciples to stand in a certain location and
watch the poritzim ride by. The third poritz they would see, he informed
them, would be Elijah the Prophet. "And if you are worthy," the Maggid
added, "you will even merit to hear words of Torah from his lips."

The disciples followed the Maggid's instructions. They stood and waited
in the exact spot the Maggid had indicated. When the third poritz rode
by they hesitantly approached his carriage. True, he looked like an
ordinary Polish poritz, but hadn't the Maggid declared that he was none
other than Elijah the prophet?

Addressing him in Polish, they deferentially asked if they could speak
with his lordship as they had a very important matter to discuss. To
their surprise the "poritz" responded by flinging sharp insults and
curses at them, after which he rode off to join the other landowners.

The bewildered and heartbroken disciples returned to the Maggid and
related what had happened. They told him that they had seen Elijah the
Prophet, for they didn't doubt for a moment that the poritz was, in
truth, the prophet. But when they asked to speak with him he responded
with a barrage of deprecations.

The Maggid's response was unexpected. "You rightly deserved the
treatment he gave you! You knew for certain, for I gave you all the
signs, that you were standing in the very presence of Elijah the
Prophet. You should have addressed him in the holy tongue! You should
have said to him 'Bless us!' instead of speaking to him in Polish and
timidly asking the 'poritz' for an audience. If you could still relate
to him as a poritz after I told you that he is Elijah the Prophet, you
deserve the treatment you received!"

The Torah (in Deuteronomy) states, "You are a holy people to G-d your
G-d." Every Jew is holy. Every Jew is, as the Baal Shem Tov taught, a
trove of unlimited treasures.

But it's not enough to know in our heads that a fellow Jew is holy, that
he has a wealth of goodness and G-dliness within him. It's insufficient
to believe with absolutely certainty that what the Torah and great
Jewish teachers of all generations have said about the worth of every
Jew is true.

We have to relate to our brother or sister not according to what
appearances tell us. From the beginning our entire interaction has to be
in accordance with his or her true, goodly and holy nature.

Then, surely, we will merit to see Elijah the Prophet - the harbinger of
the Messianic Era - and ask of him, "Bless us."

Some Additional Thoughts

The sigh of a Jew over the suffering of another Jew breaks all the
barriers of the Accusers, and the joy with which one rejoices in
another's happiness and blesses him, is as acceptable by G-d as the
prayer of the High Priest in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur.

Reb Elimelech of Linznsk related a teaching from the Maggid of
Mezeritch: "Do you know what they say in Heaven? Love of a fellow Jew
means loving the absolutely wicked like the perfectly saintly."

"G-d foregoes love of G-d in favor of love of the Jewish people," Rabbi
Shneur Zalman declared.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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In the opening lines of this week's Torah portion, Lech Lecha, G-d
commands Abraham to "go out" from his land, from his place of birth, to
a land which He will show him. What can we to learn from this very first
commandment to Abraham, that we can apply to our own lives as well?

The first and most fundamental requirement of every Jew is to "go out" -
to be in a constant state of ascent, developing and elevating both our
inner potential and our surroundings.

But the very next thing that happened to Abraham after heeding this
command and going to Israel appears to be the exact opposite of
development and elevation: "And there arose a famine in the land, and
Avram went down into Egypt." Thus, Abraham had to leave Canaan and
journey to Egypt, during which time Sarah was forcefully taken to
Pharaoh's palace. Although G-d protected her from harm while there, she
nevertheless underwent the hardship of the whole incident.

How does this obvious descent fit into the aforementioned theme of
ascent and elevation, and our task of climbing ever higher?

On a superficial level, Abraham's and Sarah's hardship was a step down,
but on a deeper level it was merely a part of their eventual elevation
and triumphant return. The purpose of the descent was to achieve an even
higher ascent than was possible before. When they returned to Canaan
they were "very heavy with cattle, with silver, and with gold."

Just as Abraham's descent was part of the greater plan of ascent, so it
was with the generation of his descendants to follow. The Jewish people
have found themselves thrust into exile after exile, only to return to
their Land and achieve even higher spiritual heights than before. Galut
(exile), although appearing to us to be a negative phenomenon, actually
carries the potential for the highest good. And now that we are in the
last days of the final exile, we approach an era of unprecedented
spirituality and goodness, for although the First and Second Temples
were eventually destroyed, the Third Temple is to stand forever, and our
coming Redemption will have no exile to follow.

We therefore draw encouragement from our ancestor Abraham's descent into
Egypt and eventual return to Israel: We must remember that the darkness
which seems to prevail in the world is only external, and is part of
G-d's greater plan for the ultimate prevailing of good over evil and the
coming of Moshiach.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                      Teach with Love and Kindness
                        by Rabbi Billy Lewkowicz

I grew up in South Africa in a vibrant Jewish community. As a child I
was encouraged to join Jewish youth groups. I loved the activities and
discussions. However, about Judaism I had many unanswered questions.
Then it all unraveled.

There was a youth Shabbaton in Johannesburg. It was during this
Shabbaton that I met two rabbis who were emissaries of the Lubavitcher
Rebbe to South Africa, Rabbi Mendel Lipskar and Rabbi Shalom Ber Groner.
I had never met real live Chasidim and was a little nervous and
intimidated. This soon disappeared as their humor, warmth and wisdom was
so inspiring. I could not stop asking questions and stayed up the entire
Friday night talking with Rabbi Groner.

The following year I went to Israel in order to study in yeshiva in Kfar
Chabad. It was here I met a teacher and Chasid who had a tremendous
impact on my life. His name was Rebbe Mendel Futerfas.

Reb Mendel, as we all affectionately called him, had been sentenced to a
Siberian prison camp in the former Communist Russia. His only crime was
teaching the Torah. I could not help but admire his strength,
determination and wisdom. He agreed to teach a small group of us the
Tanya (the basic book of Chabad Chasidic philosophy, written by Rabbi
Shneur Zalman of Liadi). We had to be disciplined, vigilant, and ready
to learn no later than 4:45 a.m. every day.

He would end each lesson with a story. They were stories of the bravery,
devotion and inspiration of Chasidim. Reb Mendel himself was like the
characters in the stories he told. One could not help but admire his
inner strength as he suffered so much hardship from all those cold,
harsh years in Siberia. Nevertheless he always displayed such faith,
compassion, sincerity and heart.

I remember Reb Mendel telling me to take the stories and place them in
some sort of a freezer chest in my mind. When the time comes, he said,
take them out, defrost them with warm words and let them enter the
hearts of children. After spending two years at the Yeshiva Kfar Chabad
I began to realize how much there is still to learn. I went to New York
to be near the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. This
was the moment that changed my life.

Being near the Rebbe and witnessing everything that was going on around
him was overwhelming; it is hard to put it into a few words. What I saw
and heard impacted me so tremendously that I knew that this was where I
needed to be. The Rebbe talking for hours at Chasidic gatherings called
farbrengens. The people coming from all over the world to hear his
teachings.

I saw miracles, wonder, love of humanity and a spirit of goodness that
could not be replicated anywhere else. The Rebbe spoke with such clarity
and enthusiasm about teaching Torah and spreading the warmth of
Yiddishkeit (Judaism). The message of the importance of Torah education
for children is what inspired me the most.

I will never forget the day I received a phone call from my mother
asking me to come back to South Africa as my father was ill. She told me
that the doctors had given my father three months to live and I needed
to come home and help in his business.

Before leaving New York I received a private audience with the Rebbe. I
asked for a blessing for my father. The Rebbe replied that my father
should have a speedy recovery and that I should "teach Torah to children
with a true love and a true kindness and touch their lives." When I
asked the Rebbe once again he repeated the words "true love and a true
kindness." My father went on to live another nine and a half years. Nine
years more than the doctors told him. I went on to do what the Rebbe
told me, "Teach children with a true love and a true kindness." It is
the best blessing I could ever receive. I hope to live up to it.

Written by Rabbi Billy Lewkowicz, the spiritual leader of the Foothills
Shul at Beis Yael. He is also the director of Judaic studies at Tucson
Hebrew Academy.

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                              Inside Time

Jewish tradition offers an intimate experience of time, empowering us to
delve beyond its homogeneous expanse to behold a terrain of great
diversity. A terrain marked by a weekly cycle of creative workdays and
Shabbat rest; with the annual landmarks of Rosh Hashanah awe, Passover
freedom, Chanukah light, and Purim joy; with designated hours for the
daily prayers, lighting Shabbat candles, or the havdalah ritual. Through
these and a host of other time specific observances, we reach within
time to uncover its multifaceted nature and actualize its particular
potentials. Inside Time is a three-book series exploring the soul of
time as defined by the Torah and as illuminated by chassidic teaching,
particularly by the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Adapted by Rabbi
Yanki Tauber, published by The Meaningful Life Center.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                   Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, 5732 [1971]

        To the Participants in the Testimonial Banquet honoring
                     Rabbi Dr. Moshe Yitzchok Hecht


Greeting and Blessing:

I am very pleased to be informed about the forthcoming Testimonial
Banquet in honor of Rabbi Hecht's twenty-five years of dedicated service
to the greater New Haven community.

The occasion is a fitting testimony to the personal achievements of the
recipient of this honor. It also shows that he is fortunate in having
Baalei-batim [supporters] who appreciate his services to the community.
Furthermore, and this is the most essential aspect, the occasion
reflects recognition of the vital importance of Jewish education, the
field in which Rabbi Hecht has particularly distinguished himself and
made his greatest contribution.

All this gives me the confident expectation that the event will serve as
a further stimulus to the cause of Chinuch [Jewish education], where
there is of course still much more to be done. For, as long as there is
a Jewish boy or girl who does not yet receive a Torah-true education,
the obligation of the community cannot be considered fully done.

On the other hand, we live in a situation which is especially conducive
to Chinuch. Parents are more keenly aware of the compelling need of
Chinuch in the present days of confusion and misguided values. As for
Jewish children and youth, they are always receptive to the Torah and
Mitzvos [commandments]. This has again confirmed the truth of the Torah
and of the Lubavitch approach, namely, that the Torah and Mitzvos are
part of the Jewish essence, and that it is only necessary to help a Jew
bring this essence to the fore and rediscover himself. And having been
brought into the experience of Torah and Mitzvos, they are happy and
grateful, and proceed to go from strength to strength on their own
accord, and help others, in the manner of a chain reaction.

It is customary to make a reference to the Torah portion of the week, in
which any event takes place. It is, therefore, significant that the
weekly portion Lech-lecho begins with G-d's call to Abraham to leave his
land and birthplace, etc., in order to begin a new life in the Promised
Land.

Symbolically speaking, this is also the call and challenge to every Jew,
at all times and in all places. It is the eternal call to the Jew not to
allow himself to be swept by the outside environment, nor to be swayed
by inborn temptations, or acquired habits, or common daily routine. A
Jew must rise above all this and follow the Divine call to go "To the
land which I (G-d) will show you" - the Jewish way of life, which G-d
prescribed for Abraham, the first Jew and for our Jewish people as a
whole at Mt. Sinai. Moreover, G-d promises that this way of life, far
from being impossible, as some mistakenly think, is within reach of
every Jew and it is the source of blessing for himself and the society
in which he lives, as G-d further promised, "And all the families of the
earth will be blessed through you."

I send my prayerful wishes that the enthusiasm and dedication of all
participants in this Banquet will inspire also others to a concerted and
ever-growing effort on behalf of Torah-true education, both for the
young as well as for the old who are still young in Jewish knowledge and
experience. May G-d bless you with Hatzlocho [success] and true Nachas
[pleasure] from your children, and fulfill your hearts' desires for good
materially and spiritually.

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                               TEACHINGS
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                              12 Cheshvan


One of the early teachings of Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of Chabad
Chasidism (at the time these teachings were called "verter" - lit.
"words," short sayings):

Sh'ma Yisrael - Hear O Israel:  a Jew senses that

Havayeh Elokeinu - the L-rd is Our G-d: our strength and life is beyond
nature,and

Havayeh Echad - the L-rd is One.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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On the eleventh day of Cheshvan (this coming Shabbat, October 24 this
year), the Matriarch Rachel, Jacob's wife, passed away. She was not
buried in the cave of Machpelah with our other Matriarchs and
Patriarchs, but was buried en route from her father Laban's house. Jacob
chose this spot because he knew in the future that his descendants, the
Children of Israel, would pass on their way into Babylonian Exile. Her
grave in Bethlehem has always been a holy site, where Jews pray for
their individual or communal needs.

When the Jews in fact went into exile, Rachel wept before G-d on behalf
of her children who were crying by her grave. G-d replied to her,
"Refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is
reward for your labor...and the children shall return to their
boundary."

This is related to this week's Torah portion, in which G-d promises
Abraham that the land he travelled through, the Land of Israel, will
belong to his children, the Jewish people.

Throughout the generations we have had to struggle to claim the land
that has always been ours, as we see in the Torah a Divine "transfer of
ownership" of Israel to our ancestor, which is to be handed down to each
and every one of his descendants. G-d comforts Rachel by telling her
that we will be returned to the land that is rightfully ours.

We carry G-d's promise to Rachel with us today and pray that very soon,
our mother Rachel will rejoice as we, her children, are "returned to our
borders." At that time, when we will be living in the Holy Land in
security and peace, we will be governed by Moshiach and will be
experiencing the wonders and glory of the Third Holy Temple, may this be
speedily in our times.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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Fear not Abram, for I am your shield (Gen. 15:1)

Our forefather Abraham was the epitome of unlimited loving-kindness; in
his eyes everyone was good and had merit. Unfortunately, however,
looking at the world in such an undiscriminating fashion precludes the
entire purpose of creation, i.e., the eradication and nullification of
evil. For this reason G-d promised Abraham that He would put a "shield"
on his loving-kindness, to make sure it would be applied with the proper
discretion.

                                                        (Torah Ohr)

                                *  *  *


And Abram took Sarai his wife... and all the souls they had made in
Charan (Gen. 12:5)

As Rashi explains, this refers to the people whom Abraham and Sarah
"brought under the wings of the Divine Presence. Abraham converted the
men [to the belief in one G-d] and Sarah converted the women." Because
this took place before the Torah was given at Sinai, the concept of
conversion did not exist as it does today; according to halacha, Abraham
and Sarah were considered "Children of Noah." Thus Rashi uses the
unusual phrase "brought under the wings of the Divine Presence" to
establish this fact before using the word "conversion" in a non-literal
sense.

                                                        (The Rebbe)

                                *  *  *


For their wealth was great, so that they could not dwell together (Gen.
13:6)

Not poverty but wealth, and the jealousy it engenders, is the cause of
most of the dissension and conflict in the world.

                                                   (Likrat Shabbat)

                                *  *  *


Your reward will be exceedingly great (Gen. 15:1)

The reward a Jew receives for doing mitzvot is vastly out of proportion
to the deed itself: a finite and limited action is rewarded with an
eternal and everlasting dividend.

                                                        (The Rebbe)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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When he was a youngster, Rebbe Naftoli Katz, the head of the Rabbinical
Court of Posen, was once playing outdoors with his friends. They were
throwing rocks, and Naftoli accidentally hit the passenger of a fine
carriage that was nearby. Unfortunately, that passenger was none other
than the High Prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The prince's guards
arrested the boy for this act of "rebellion." He was brought to court
and found guilty. His sentence: public execution.

Naftoli was to be escorted by a guard to the empire's capital, where his
sentence was to be carried out. It was a difficult journey, and the
stormy weather they encountered made travelling almost impossible. At
one point they stopped at an inn that was owned by a Jew.

While the guard made himself comfortable in a corner by the stove, young
Naftoli sat and listened to the innkeeper's sons studying Talmud with
their tutor. Naftoli knew this tractate by heart, and when the boys and
their tutor were stumped by a question in the tractate, Naftoli supplied
them with the answer.

The innkeeper realized that this was a brilliant boy, and when he found
out why Naftoli was being kept in custody, he thought of a plan to save
the boy's life. The innkeeper offered the guard free food and drinks,
thus convincing him to stay at the inn for a few days until the weather
cleared up.

After a while the innkeeper approached the guard casually: "What would
happen if a prisoner was to die in custody as he was being escorted from
one city to another?" he inquired.

Replied the guard, "The escort would simply have to present a document
testifying to the prisoner's death, signed by the local authorities."

Using his connections, the innkeeper obtained the required document and
handed it to the guard, along with enough money to bribe him. The guard
left Naftoli with the innkeeper, who took the boy in and raised him as
if he was a member of his own family.

Years passed. Naftoli was of marriageable age, as was the innkeeper's
daughter. The innkeeper proposed a match between the two young people
and they both agreed. The wedding date was set.

One night, some time later, the innkeeper passed by Naftoli's room and
heard him talking. He peeked through the keyhole and saw Naftoli
sprawled on the floor, begging and pleading. "What can I do?" Naftoli
was saying, "these people saved my life."

The scene repeated itself the next night. The innkeeper could not
contain his curiosity, as he knew no one was in Naftoli's room, and he
asked Naftoli for an explanation. "My parents keep appearing to me and
telling me that your daughter is not my intended mate."

The innkeeper, realizing that a Heavenly hand was guiding the young man,
told him to obey his parents' wishes, and that he bore Naftoli no ill
will.

Before Naftoli left, he requested that the innkeeper give him a written
account of the money paid on his behalf to bribe the guard so many years
before.

"I have merited to fulfill the commandment of redeeming a hostage, and
seek no reimbursement," exclaimed the righteous innkeeper.

Naftoli insisted and the innkeeper finally gave him a paper stating the
sum paid to the guard. Naftoli left and became famous for his
exceptional qualities. He married and was appointed the rabbi of the
city of Posen.

The innkeeper's daughter married a storekeeper, and settled in a town
near Posen. One night, as she was walking home from the store, she was
kidnapped by a wealthy landowner and brought back to his estate with
obvious intentions. Despite the dangerous situation, the young woman
maintained her composure. "I will go along with all your wishes," she
told the landowner, "but first you must go to town to purchase some fine
liquor for me." The landowner readily agreed.

While he was in town, the clever woman looked for a means of escape from
the mansion. The only window she found unbarred was very high up.
Realizing the jump was dangerous, she looked for something to cushion
her fall. She found the landowner's heavy lambskin overcoat and,
wrapping herself in it, offered a prayer and leaped out the window.
Miraculously, she was not hurt. She fled home, still wrapped in the
coat.

The husband was thankful for his wife's narrow escape. He related the
entire incident to the rabbi of Posen.

Rabbi Naftoli told the husband, "Your wife is a righteous woman and her
level-headedness is admirable. G-d is truly with her. Open the seam of
the landowner's coat, and you will find money that rightfully belongs to
you and your wife."

A few days later, the landowner came into the husband's store to make a
purchase. He complained about "some Jewish woman" who had not only
outwitted him, but had managed to steal his overcoat that had a large
sum of money sewn inside it. The husband returned to Rabbi Naftoli and
told him what the landowner had said.

"This finally concludes a much longer story," Rabbi Naftoli replied, and
proceeded to tell the husband the whole story of his arrest and ransom.
"That landowner," he concluded, "was the guard who had escorted me. The
amount of money in the coat is the sum that your father-in-law paid for
my release. Here, I will show you a bill which confirms the figure
exactly."

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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The Torah states: "And also that nation whom they serve will I judge,
and afterward they will go out with great substance." (Gen. 15:14) Just
as those Jews living during the previous exiles in Egypt and Babylonia
who put their faith in the nations and their kings for their salvation
were proven wrong, so too will those who, in our present exile, think
that we must rely on the nations of the world for our continued
existence and redemption. When Moshiach comes and G-d judges all the
nations, the Jews will see that their faith in them was misplaced. At
that time we will also "go out with great substance," the greatest
riches of them all - the ultimate Redemption.

                                            (The Lubavitcher Rebbe)

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              END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1393 - Lech-Lecha 5776
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