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Gimmel Tammuz, the third day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, is a day of reflection for all those whose lives have been touched by the Rebbe.
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At the end of a lengthy private audience, the Rebbe shared with Israeli diplomat Yehuda Avner "Imagine you are looking in a cupboard and I tell you to open it. You open the cupboard and you see inside a candle.
"But I tell you, 'That is not a candle. That is a lump of wax with a wick in it.'
"When do the wax and the wick become a candle? When you bring a flame to the wick. Then the wax and the wick turn into a candle. That is to say, they fulfill the purpose for which they were created.
"This is what I try to do. That each man and woman will fulfill the purpose for which they were created.
"When you bring the flame to the wick, the wick is the soul, then it brings to life the body which is the wax. And the body and the soul fulfill the purpose for which they were created."
Mr. Avner asked, "Rebbe, have you lit my candle?"
"No," answered the Rebbe. "I have given you the match. Only you can light your own candle."
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Dr. David Weiss recalls that at the end of a private audience with the Rebbe, "I was so profoundly impressed that I was moved to say to the Rebbe, 'I am not as exacting in my Torah observance as some others.... But I would just like to know, who can call himself one of your chasidim?
"The Rebbe responded, 'It's very simple ... Somebody who can say at the end of the day that he has advanced a small step higher than he was at the beginning of the day, I would be happy to call that person a chasid of mine.'
"His statement contained a very powerful message. And ever since then, I have tried - though I have not always succeeded - to be the kind of person who is able to look back at the end of the day and say 'I've risen today by a small step.' (From "Here's My Story")
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In his first public speech upon becoming Rebbe, the Rebbe clearly outlined that our generation is different than all previous generations. We are "the last generation of the exile and the first generation of the Redemption." And that the task of our generation is to actually bring Moshiach.
The Rebbe has encouraged us to recognize the miracles, small and large, personal and global, that are taking place around us. For each individual to "fulfill the purpose for which they were created," we need only take one small step, do a good deed, increase in Torah study, thereby tipping the scales, to bring the ongoing historical process to its ultimate conclusion, the Messianic Era!
In this week's Torah portion, Korach, we read about the rebellion of Korach against Moses.
Korach challenges Moses' leadership as well as the granting of the High Priest position to Aaron. "The entire congregation is holy, and the L-rd is in their midst. So why do you raise yourselves above the L-rd's assembly?"
Korach is accompanied by Datan and Aviram, rabble-rousers against Moses from the start of his leadership. There are also 250 other men of stature who join the rebellion against Moses. Eventually Korach died being swallowed alive by the earth.
By all accounts Korach was a religious man and a Torah scholar. What moves a man like him to rebel against Moses, who was installed by G-d as the leader of the Jewish people? And why was he swallowed by the earth?
It is not enough to be religious and learned in Torah. There is a third ingredient that is necessary and that is humility. When one is ego driven he is doomed to fail. All the Torah in the world won't help from being swallowed alive by his ego. Not being able to see anyone other than himself, he even fails to recognize the true leader of the Jewish people. This is the route of all divisiveness. He knows that everything Moses does is G-d's will but his ego doesn't want to recognize G-d's authority either. Recognizing Moses's authority is recognizing G-d's authority.
While this example is extreme, it is something we could learn from. When you feel like you are getting the raw end of a situation, before starting an argument, ask yourself, "Is this truly unfair or is this my ego rearing his ugly head?"
Being humble will be your salvation in all your relationships. At home, at work, at synagogue and everywhere else. It will also help you overcome life's challenges because instead of thinking "why me?" you will think "G-d put me in this predicament, what is His reason for putting me here? What does He want me to gain from this situation? How would He want me to use my situation to effect others positively?"
Being humble does not mean feeble, weak or insignificant. Being humble means that you can recognize the other, not only yourself. It means you are not alone. It means that you feel that G-d is always with you.
Adapted by Rabbi Yitzi Hurwitz from the Rebbe's teachings, yitzihurwitz.blogspot.com. Rabbi Hurwitz, who is battling ALS, and his wife Dina, are emissaries of the Rebbe in Temecula, Ca.
A Dollar of the Rebbe
by Sari Mockin
As a teacher in the Hebrew Academy (Montreal), I had heard that Mrs. Bitton, the grandmother of my dear students Rachel, Chaim David and Naomi Kurkus, was in critical condition.
She had had heart surgery and was in the ICU of the Jewish General Hospital. I went to visit Mrs. Bitton and met her daughters Claude and Daniel there. They described their mother's serious condition to me. In the course of three months, not only had she not recovered, but her condition kept worsening. She still hadn't woken up from her surgery and the doctors were hopeless.
I visited a few times and I spoke about faith and trust in G-d; I encouraged them to keep praying, asking and begging G-d for their mother's complete recovery - to the extent that she'd be able to go back to work (something that in her current state seemed unrealistic).
In the spring of 2004, in the month of Iyar, I met Claude and Daniel again. They were drained and tired from the many weeks of standing at their mother's side without seeing any improvements. I told them that the verse "I am G-d Your Healer" (in Hebrew) is an acronym for the month of Iyar. I explained that G-d can remove an illness in such a way that it will seem as though it never truly existed, since He is the Creator and Curer of all illnesses.
And then an idea occurred to me: to take a dollar that I had received from the Lubavitcher Rebbe* and place it under the head of Mrs. Bitton. I was undecided for two full days; it was so hard for me to part with a dollar that I had received from the Rebbe for blessings and success. But the more time passed, the more I understood that it was indeed the right thing to do.
I looked through the dollars I had received from the Rebbe and chose the one that the Rebbe gave to me on 21 Iyar. I put the dollar into a bag together with a picture of the Rebbe and on Monday, 6 Iyar, I gave it to Claude. We stood together in the hallway of the hospital and cried. Claude told me how much her father (of blessed memory) had wanted a dollar from the Rebbe. She took the dollar with awe, respect and appreciation.
I instructed her to put the dollar under her mother's head and to tell her, although she was unconscious, that this was a dollar from the Lubavitcher Rebbe for her recovery.
The next morning, Mrs. Bitton woke up and asked about the dollar; the unbelievable had happened! On Friday, I received a phone call from Claude, "My mother wants to see you, to thank you for the dollar."
I ran to the hospital, and found Claude, Daniel and her mother strolling through the hallway!
On 21 Iyar, the date that was written on the dollar, Mrs. Bitton received her discharge papers on which was written, in big letters, "Miracle!"
The miracle of the dollar continued.
With great emotion I wrote a letter to the Rebbe, thanking him for the opportunity he gave me to be a messenger in the great miracle of the recovery of Mrs. Bitton. I chose volume 18 of the Rebbe's letters (the numerical value of "chai," life) for the miracle of life I had been part of. I inserted the letter randomly and here is the translation of the answer I received:
"In response to her letter dated 6 Iyar: It is surprising that she repeats her request at every instance, while I have already written to her in the past that her heart may be confident in 'The healer of all flesh and performs wonders,' who in the words of the verse, 'Has made everything beautiful in its time.' This verse denotes both points; that it specifically be on time, and that it be beautiful. May it be the will of G-d that the medical treatment be on time and with success, as mentioned above, and that you may deliver good news in good spirits in both personal and general matters. With blessings," (Volume 18, page 377)
To our great astonishment, my husband Yossi and I had received a directive and blessing from the Rebbe. At this time we were married for 16 years and had not yet merited to have children. The doctors had already told us that we had no chance to have children.
We began a difficult and stressful treatment in the private clinic of Dr. Marinko Biljan. In the middle of the procedure, the doctor called us in to speak to us. He explained that he doesn't see any chance of success, and therefore suggests that we stop the treatment. I explained to the doctor that we have a blessing from the Rebbe so there is no reason to stop. He insisted though, and explained that in these cases, "It's chemistry, biology, technology.... It's nature that rules!"
The more we maintained that all is truly in G-d's hands the more the doctor argued. The doctor's pressure to stop and give up, my firm insistence to continue because of the directive and blessing from the Rebbe and my strong belief that G-d is the "Doctor of all flesh and does wonders," created great tension between us.
I again wrote to the Rebbe, to help me find the strength to keep going. After all, it is hard to stand firm against a successful doctor who is of strong opinion that it's a hopeless case. And again, the Rebbe showed us that he is with us, and provided an answer, direction and the clearest possible blessing:
"Greetings and blessings! His letter was ultimately received in which he shares the good news of his son's circumcision, may he live long... ...(And it seems like he does not want to make mention of what the doctors had initially said, and how the pregnancy and birth eventually did occur, in complete contrast to their words)... ...With blessing that he may ultimately devote himself to the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov and the Rebbes who followed - to serve G-d only with joy and genuine health for him and all his family, May they live long. (Volume 10, letter 53)
We continued the procedure with more faith and trust than before though emotionally, physically and financially it wasn't easy.
But my husband and I were of the same mind: We had a blessing from the Rebbe for success! Before my eyes stood the image of my father obm, the renown chasid Reuven Dunin. I heard his voice echoing in my ears: "Faith is the power of the soul that is above understanding!" The image of my mother always smiled at me; I knew how much she loved children.
Despite the strong opposition of the doctor, we completed the procedure. Dr. Biljan said that he sensed and saw the procedure's failure. But in order to "close the medical file," I took a blood test.
Late at night, the phone rang in our home. The surprised and excited voice of Dr. Beljan was on the other end. "You've received a gift from G-d! I apologize for the late hour," he explained. "When I heard that the results were positive and that the treatment was successful, I couldn't believe my ears. So I went down to the lab and checked again. I repeat: you've received a gift from G-d!"
It was a hard pregnancy that included bed rest due to early labor. But on Sunday morning, 29 Nissan, the time came to give birth.
There were moments of tension and of danger to the life of the child, and a Caesarean that turned into an emergency operation. And behold a healthy baby boy!
After the birth, the surgeon exclaimed, "You speak of the Rebbe. I saw and sensed him in the operating room! This baby is a miracle! At first, I saw no chance of a live child!"
On the eighth day, 6 Iyar, 2005, exactly one year from the day I gave the Rebbe's dollar to Mrs. Bitton, we celebrated a beautiful brit (circumcision) for our son Menachem Mendel, lavishly organized by the Bitton family!
And this year, we celebrated our Menachem Mendel's Bar Mitzva.
*) In 1986, the Rebbe began receiving people each Sunday and would give them a dollar bill, appointing them as his emissary to give it to the charity of their choice.
9 Kislev, 5741 [1980]
I was pleased to be informed of the forthcoming Conference. I trust it will mark a turning point in the attitude of community leaders to Jewish education in general, and to so-called Special Education in particular.
In any discussion relating to the wellbeing of the Jewish community, the primary, indeed pivotal, issue should surely be Jewish Identity - that which truly unites our Jewish people and gives us the strength to survive and thrive in a most unnatural, alien, and all too often hostile environment.
I prefer some such term as "special" people, not simply as a euphemism, but because it would more accurately reflect their situation.
Historically - from the birth of our nation to this day - Jewish identity, in the fullest sense of this term, has been synonymous with traditional Torah-Judaism as our way of life in everyday living. Other factors commonly associated with a national identity, such as language, territory, dress, etc., could not have played a decisive role in Jewish survival, since these changed from time to time and from place to place. The only factor that has not changed throughout our long history has been the Torah and Mitzvos which are "our life and the length of our days." The same Tefillin, Tzitzis, Shabbos and Yom-Tov have been observed by Jews everywhere in all generations. Clearly there is no substitute for the Torah-way as the source and essence of our Jewish people.
Recognizing this prima facie fact, means recognizing that Jewish survival depends on the kind of education that develops and nourishes Jewish identity in the fullest measure. And this must surely be the highest priority of all communal services.
With regard to Jewish retarded - parenthetically, I prefer some such term as "special" people, not simply as a euphemism, but because it would more accurately reflect their situation, especially in view of the fact that in many cases the retardation is limited to the capacity to absorb and assimilate knowledge, while in other areas they may be quite normal or even above average - the Jewish identity factor is even more important, not only per se but also for its therapeutic value. The actual practice of Mitzvos in the everyday life provides a tangible way by which these special people of all ages can, despite their handicap, identify with their families and with other fellow Jews in their surroundings, and generally keep in touch with reality. Even if mentally they may not fully grasp the meaning of these rituals, subconsciously they are bound to feel at home in such an environment, and in many cases could participate in such activities also on the conscious level.
Even if mentally they may not fully grasp the meaning of these rituals, subconsciously they are bound to feel at home in such an environment
To cite one striking example from actual experience during the Festival of Succos this year. As is well known, Lubavitch activists on this occasion reach out to many Jews with Lulov and Esrog... I urged my followers to extend this activity as much as possible, to include also Nursing Homes and Senior Citizens' Hotels, as well as other institutions. I was asked, what should be the attitude and approach to persons who are senile or confused, etc. I replied - all the more reason to reach out to them in this tangible way. Well, the reports were profoundly gratifying. Doctors and nurses were astonished to see such a transformation: Persons who had spent countless days in silent immobility, deeply depressed and oblivious to everything around them, the moment they saw a young man walk in with a Lulav and Esrog in his hand suddenly displayed a lively interest, eagerly, grasped the proffered Mitzvah-objects, some of them reciting the blessings from memory, without prompting. The joy in their hearts shone through their faces, which had not known a smile all too long.
One need not look for a mystical explanation of this reaction. Understandably, the sight of something so tangible and clearly associated with the joy of Succos evidently touched and unlocked vivid recollections of experiences that had permeated them in earlier years.
If there is much that can be done along these lines for adult and senior Jews in special situations, how much more so in regard to special children, when every additional benefit, however seemingly small, in their formative years will be compounded many times over as they grow older. In their case it is even more important to bear in mind that while they may be handicapped in their mental and intellectual capacity, and indeed because of it, every possible emphasis should be placed on the tangible and audio-visual aspects of Jewish education in terms of the actual practice of Mitzvos and religious observances - as I have discussed this and related aspects at greater length in my correspondence with Dr. R. Wilkes of the Coney Island Hospital....
There is surely no need to elaborate on all above to the participants in the Conference, whose Rabbinic, academic, and professional qualifications in the field of Jewish Education and social services makes them highly sensitive to the problems at hand. I hope and pray that the basic points herein made will serve as guidelines to focus attention on the cardinal issues, and that this Conference will, as mentioned earlier, mark a turning point in attitude, and even more importantly in action vis-a-vis Jewish Education, long overdue....
Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
From his earliest childhood, Moshiach and the Redemption were uppermost in the Rebbe's mind, as he once wrote: "From the day I went to 'Cheder' and even before that, there began to form in my imagination the picture of the future Redemption, the Redemption of the Jewish people from its final exile . . ."
To bring Moshiach in actuality is the mission statement that the Rebbe expressed so passionately upon his acceptance of the leadership of Chabad-Lubavitch and it has been the Rebbe's focus ever since.
In a most interesting Chasidic discourse on the topic of Moshiach, the Rebbe discusses the two functions of Moshiach. Moshiach functions as both Melech - king and Rav - teacher.
What is the basic difference between a king and a teacher? A king is a ruler whose responsibility it is to govern his people justly, according to G-d's Torah. A teacher is a conveyor of knowledge; he teaches us G-d's Torah.
As Moshiach is both a king and a teacher, we must prepare for Moshiach and accept him on both of these levels. How is this accomplished?
To prepare to accept Moshiach as he functions as a king we have to have kabalat ol - accepting his directives, rules and guidelines even to the point of self-sacrifice. This means that we must know what Moshiach demands of us and be willing to fulfill these demands, recognizing, of course, that all of King Moshiach's directives and demands are based solely on the teachings of the Torah.
To prepare for Moshiach as a teacher is accomplished by studying that which Moshiach will be teaching us.
At the end of the Mishne Torah, which concludes with the Laws of Kings, Maimonides writes that when Moshiach comes the Jewish people will know the "hidden matters." We will be taught these hidden matters, the "secrets" of the Torah, by Moshiach himself.
In preparation for this kind of study, we should educate ourselves now in the inner teachings of the Torah which are elucidated in the Talks of the Rebbe. For the Rebbe's talks, culled from his more than four decades of leadership, contain not only the revealed aspects ("nigle d'Torah") but also the secrets ("sodot") of the Torah.
Ben Zoma says: Who is wise... Who is mighty... Who is rich? He who is happy with his portion... (Ethics 4:1)
Who is rich? - The tendency of the wealthy is to seek to increase their assets, as our Sages have commented: "A person who possesses 100 desires 200; one who possesses 200 desires 400." One who is truly wealthy is one who does not become caught up by such desires, but rather maintains inner peace and calm. Nor will this approach force him to sacrifice wealth. On the contrary a person at peace with himself is far more able to take advantage of opportunities which present themselves, and thus achieve success in the world at large.
(Sichot Kodesh 5740)
Do not regard anyone with contempt, and do not reject anything, for there is no man who does not have his hour, and nothing which does not have its place. (Ethics 4:3)
There is no man who does not have his hour - That hour of positive activity will have a lasting effect on a person, although the effects may not be seen immediately.
(Sefer HaSichot 5751, Vol. II, p. 625)
[Rabbi Yaakov] used to say: One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is better than all the life of the World to Come... (Ethics 4:17)
G-d's essence cannot be grasped or comprehended. Nevertheless, through repentance and the performance of good deeds in one's daily life, a person can establish a connection with this essence. This is the peak of all experience, the ultimate purpose for the creation of the world.
(Likkutei Sichos, Vol. V, p. 244ff)
From In the Paths of Our Fathers, sie.org
This story was taken from Here's My Story and is presented with permission from JEM's My Encounter with the Rebbe oral history project, which is dedicated to recording first-person testimonies documenting the life and guidance of the Rebbe.
Mr. Meir Moss shares:
The story I would like to relate concerns my father, Sam Moss. My father was born in Munkatch, Czechoslovakia, what is now Mukachevo, Ukraine. There he attended the yeshivah of Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira, author of Minchas Elazar, who was the Munkatcher Rebbe.
In 1944, the Nazis herded the Jews of Munkatch into a ghetto, from where they were taken to Auschwitz and later transferred to Dachau. There they endured unspeakable trials, and at one point my father got very sick and was near death, but he was saved due to my grandfather's intercession with a kitchen hand, Oscar Heller, who slipped him extra food which helped him recover. After the war, he made his way to Australia, where he married and built up a very successful textile business. I was born in Sydney, as was my brother.
Because of his war experiences, my father was not religious. Indeed, between the time of liberation until 1956, he never even walked into a synagogue. He was just so angry with G-d because of everything that had happened to him. Only when I, his first son, was born, did he set foot in a synagogue for my brit.
His travails continued when my mother passed away at age thirty-eight, at a time when my brother and I were teenagers. This happened just when my father thought he had gotten his life back together, and it made him more bitter and drew him even further away from Judaism.
Then, to my father's chagrin, I became Torah observant, and after finishing high school, enrolled in the Chabad yeshivah in Melbourne. This really upset my father, because he had rejected all that. Now his son was wearing a yarmulke and tzitzit! This was just too much for him.
When he could not convince me to leave the yeshivah, he decided to go to New York to speak with the Rebbe about it. I think he thought he would make a contribution to Chabad, and the Rebbe would do what he wanted - tell me to leave the yeshivah. I really do think that's what he had in mind.
So, in 1975, he arranged an audience with the Rebbe, and I only heard years later what really happened there. First, my father refused to sit in front of the Rebbe; he said, "Back in Munkatch, we learned that you never sit in front of the Rebbe." To which the Rebbe replied, "If you're not going to sit, I'm not going to sit."
So the Rebbe stood up behind his desk, and then at some point in time, he came around and stood next to my father. He asked him many questions about the Munkatcher Rebbe and what it was like learning in his yeshivah. Then he began to ask him about the war - the ghetto, the camps, everything that happened to him.
Answering these questions, my father broke down and started to cry. And the Rebbe put his arm around him.
The subject of me leaving the yeshivah never even came up. When they were done talking, the Rebbe comforted him, "Don't worry, everything is going to be alright."
My father never talked to me about what happened that night, although he stopped trying to make me leave the yeshivah. Only recently did he tell my brother Chaim about it, and when I pushed him, he also told me. My father said that, when the audience was over, he felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Years later - in the late 1980s - my brother and I came with our father to Chabad Headquarters when the Rebbe was giving out honey cake (lekach) during Sukkot. We were standing and watching what was going on, when the Rebbe noticed my father. He stopped the line and asked him to come over. They spoke for about three or four minutes. The Rebbe asked my father how he was doing and wanted an update on how things turned out since the last time they met, but my father never told us any details of that conversation.
But he did tell us another story which has to do with Menachem Begin and the Rebbe.
My father was very good friends with Begin before he became prime minister of Israel; he was one of his financial supporters. Once - I believe this was in 1975 - they met in Paris and had dinner together. And my father asked Begin, "Who do you think is the greatest leader of the Jewish people?" To which Begin answered straight away, "The Lubavitcher Rebbe."
My father was surprised and asked, "Why are you saying that?"
Begin explained that he thought this because the Rebbe had lifted up a whole generation after the Holocaust - he helped the Jewish people believe in themselves again. And my father could certainly identify with that.
In the very early 1990s my father experienced a lot of business problems. He had invested considerable capital in the textile industry in Australia which collapsed due to Chinese competition. He and his partners had started out running small retail shops and then moved into textiles manufacturing, employing thousands of people in the industry, so the ramifications of their business collapse were quite significant.
The Chabad emissary in Sydney, Rabbi Pinchus Feldman, convinced my father and his partners to write to the Rebbe, which they did. They thought they were asking for business advice, but they got something else instead.
The Rebbe instructed them to check their tefillin, but none of them were putting on tefillin at the time. So they began to. And their business turned around quite considerably after that, even though it took years for their fortunes to be fully restored.
I just find it fascinating that they were expecting to get some sort of business advice from the Rebbe, but they got another kind of advice altogether. This was very typical of him - to advise people to make of themselves a vessel which could receive the blessing from above.
To read more visit myencounterblog.com
"They believed in G-d and His servant Moses" means simply that the leader of a generation - its Moses, its Moshiach - serves as the head that directs, influences and guides, connecting and uniting the Jewish people with their Source Above. This of course is the task of Moshiach. Our task, the result of our Torah study and mitzvot performance, is to reveal the inner unity of the spiritual and physical. In the days of Moshiach, all flesh will see G-dliness. Therefore, nothing can truly silence or arrest our Divine service.
(From Reflections of Redemption based on Likutei Sichos 8, by Dovid Yisroel Ber Kaufmann o.b.m.)
