beis moshiach #618

8/14/2019 Beis Moshiach #618

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Beis Moshiach (USPS 012-542) ISSN 1082-

0272 is published weekly, except Jewishholidays (only once in April and October) for$140.00 in the USA and in all other places for$150.00 per year (45 issues), by BeisMoshiach, 744 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn,NY 11213-3409. Periodicals postage paid atBrooklyn, NY and additional offices.Postmaster: send address changes to BeisMoshiach 744 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn,NY 11213-3409. Copyright 2007 by BeisMoshiach, Inc.

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:M.M. Hendel

ENGLISH EDITOR:Boruch Merkur

*NEW ADDRESS* [email protected]

HEBREW EDITOR:Rabbi Sholom Yaakov [email protected]

LIKUD (UNIFICATION) OF ALL JEWS

AROUND THE TORAHFeature | Avrohom Rainitz

SUCCESS IN BRINGING JEWS CLOSERTO TORAH AND MITZVOSMoshiach & Geula | Rabbi Sholom Dovber HaLevi Wolpo

LIFE WITH THE MIRACLES OF THEREBBEProfile | Nosson Avrohom

G-DS RETURN WITH THE JEWISHPEOPLE FROM EXILE (CONT.)Dvar Malchus | Likkutei Sichos Vol. 9, pg. 175-183

WHAT DID WE BRING HOME FROMTISHREI?Thought | Rabbi Chaim Ashkenazi

THE UNEXPECTED GUESTStory | Menachem Ziegelboim

SHLICHUS DIARY: SRI LANKAShlichus | Zev Crombie

POST-TISHREI MUSINGSShlichus | Rabbi Yaakov Shmuelevitz

MIRACLE CHILDREN OF PRAYERFeature | Ofra Badosa


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[Continued from last issue]

8. Still we must understand thefollowing. All matters are determined

by Divine particular providence [i.e.,every single detail of events,regardless of how minute andseemingly insignificant even, for

example, the number of times a leafturns over in the wind as it falls to theground is under the supervisionand determination of G-d]. Thus,also regarding the gentile nations(for example, the Ammonite people,mentioned above) there is Divineparticular providence, (that is, notonly will the nation (of Amon) ingeneral be returned from exile, butalso) determining which people ofthe nation (of Amon) will be

redeemed and in what manner.Therefore, it follows, at first glance,that hold[ing] the hand of everysingle person must also apply to thegentile nations.

This matter will be clarified byanalyzing two diverging streams ofthought regarding how far or to

what degree of detail Divineprovidence extends. The opinion ofRambam41 is that Divine providenceonly extends to human beings. In

seeming contrast with the Rambams view is that of the Baal Shem Tov, who opines that Divine providenceapplies even to the mineral kingdom,

as well as the plant and animal kingdom. However, thefollowing well known insight of Chassidus42 resolves thetwo approaches, explaining how the statement of theRambam actually does not contradict the approach of theBaal Shem Tov.43

There are two general manners of providence fromAbove: a) as it is plainly revealed, b) as it is clothed withinthe concealment and the garments of nature, and the like.

Rambams statement that there is no Divine providenceover the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms onlyapplies to the revealed providence from On High. [Thatis, only man is governed by revealed Divine providence,

whereas the concealed providence from G-d applies toeverything.]

Accordingly we can understand why it is saidspecifically regarding the Jewish people that G-d willhold the hand of every single person, notwithstandingthe fact that also regarding the exiles of the gentilenations it is certain that providence determines whom

G-DS

RETURNWITH THE

JEWISHPEOPLE

FROM EXILELikkutei Sichos Vol. 9, pg. 175-183Translated by Boruch Merkur


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among them will be redeemed and in what manner.Namely, because the providence that is upon theindividual people of the gentile nations is concealed

within the garments of nature in a manner thatexemplifies the providence extended to the mineral, plant,and animal kingdoms,44 being that You [the Jewishpeople] are called man, but gentile nations are not called

man.45Of consequence, when we are speaking about (He)

will return or I shall return, which indicate an actionthat is overtly recognized as being performed by G-d (asdiscussed above, at the end of Section 6), the followingdistinction applies. I shall return, referring to theAmmonite people, is only regarding the nation ingeneral. Whereas, with regard to the Jewish people, the(He) will return also applies to every Jew as anindividual (since with regard to every single Jew it is said,G-d, your L-rd (Havaya Elokecha) in the singular46

[not the plural, Havaya Elokeichem]) He personally

needs to literally hold the hand of every singlepersonYou, the Jewish people, shall be gathered one byone.

Divine particular providence extends to the Jewishpeople always, even amidst the time of exile. However,during the time of the darkness of exile, intellectualcontemplation is required to perceive this Divineprovidence, which was not the case at the time when theTemple stood nor will it be so of the [future Era of]Redemption.

Thus, with regard to the concept of redemption, it isliterally [that He] hold[s] the hand (without any

concealment), whereas regarding exile it says, He willnot fail [to grasp you with His hands], mentioning onlyHis hands [not the word literally, indicating aconcealment of Divine providence].

The latter explanation also sheds light on the use ofthe word literally, as follows. The Divine providence of[He] hold[s] the hand, which is invested within thegarments of nature, also applies to the Ammonitepeople, however, without mention of literally [a termreserved for the Jewish people, indicating that the Divineprovidence that extends to Jews is without anyconcealment].

9. Expressed in the lexicon of the wine of the Torah[i.e., the inner, mystical dimension of the Torah]:

According to the above discussion, it is still difficult tounderstand: Since regarding the ingathering of the Jewish

exiles, every individual Jew is significant in the eyes of G-d,it follows that until the last Jew is redeemed, the DivinePresence remains, as it were, amidst the suffering oftheir exile. Thus, the following question emerges: Howcan it be said that G-d redeems the Jewish people in amanner of hold[ing] the hand ofevery single person,for at the time when He literally hold[s] the hand,

saving a Jew from exile, in a manner of (He) will return(with) your captivity, He is saved together with the firstJew from exile?!

We must, therefore, say that the level regarding which it says, Hehold[s] the hand of every singleperson, is [only] a contracted and individualizedemanation of G-dliness, which, so to speak, is connected

with and becomes apportioned to46* every individual Jew.Thus, it is possible that the specific Divine emanationconnected with an individual Jew (whom G-d holds literally

by the hand) should go out of exile, notwithstanding thefact that other Jews remain in exile.47 Whereas, the

redemption of the aspect of the very root [or essence] ofthe Divine Presence (ikar Shchina), which transcendsdivision, will only occur when all Jews are redeemed.

In fact, the latter point is alluded to in Rashis saying,But He has inscribed redemption for Himself when theyare to be redeemed, as follows. The redemption forHimself (lAtzmo) (the Divine Essence (Atzmus)) willtake place when they are to be redeemed (they, in theplural), when all the Jewish people are redeemed. And asRashi emphasizes also with the expression, for He willreturn with them, as mentioned above at the end ofSection 5.

[To be continued beH]NOTES:

41A Guide to the Perplexed 3:17.

42DCh 13a.

43 See Likkutei Dibburim Vol. 1, pg. 166 ff;HaYom Yom pg.

108; among others.

44 SeeA Guide to the Perplexed ibid Ch. 18.

45Yevamos 61a, beg.

46 See Footnote 46 in the original.

46*

Similar to the second soul that exists within every singleperson [i.e., Jew] a literal portion of G-d from above (Tanya

Ch. 2, beg. See glosses of the Tzemach Tzedek there, Igeres

HaKodesh Section 7, among others).

47 See Footnote 47 in the original.

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Having celebrated the month ofTishrei to the fullest, we askourselves what have we gotten out ofthe month replete with days of awe Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur and holidays of joy Sukkos andSimchas Torah?

The month of Tishrei is likenedto an annual fair, where themerchants earn sustenance for anentire year. Now that we havereturned home from the fair, the

members of the household ask:What did you buy at the fair? Whatdid you bring home? Whatmerchandise did you pick up inorder to sustain us throughout theentire year?

Let us review what took place atthe fair and even before that from

when we prepared to go to the fairin the month of Elul.

We heard from the Alter Rebbe

(with explanations from the Rebbeimand numerous explanations from theRebbe MHM) that in the month ofElul the king is in the field. We arecity people and not people of thedesert, where nothing worthwhilegrows and there are snakes andscorpions. Nor are we people of thefield. A field has the advantage inthat it produces our food, but we arethere only for the avodas habirurimand not because a field is our place

per se.Since the king is in the field, we

need to go out and greet him. Whydo we want to do this when he is not

wearing his royal garments? Becausewe know that this is the king,because we are city people.

Why does the king go to thefield? Because he wants to lift us upso that we do not remain mere citypeople but are deserving of entering

the royal palace which occurs onRosh HaShana and Yom Kippur.

Afterwards, on Sukkos, the kingembraces us: His right handembraces me. This is expressed

with our presence in the sukka,which has at least two completewalls, as the halacha requires, andone wall that is at least a hands-

breadth wide. This is like the form ofan arm which has two largersections and the palm of the hand.

Then, on Simchas Torah,Hashem says, come and partake,you and I. Or, as the Zohar puts it,I and the King alone, as alluded toin the Musaf sacrifice of the day ofone ox and one ram, correspondingto the Jewish people (as opposed tothe seventy oxen that are sacrificedon Sukkos to correspond to theseventy nations).

We experienced this at the fair,

The month of Tishrei is likened to anannual fair, where the merchants earnsustenance for an entire year. Now that

we have returned home from the fair,the members of the household ask:What did you buy at the fair? What did

you bring home? What merchandise did you pick up in order to sustain usthroughout the entire year?

WHAT DID WE BRING

HOME FROM TISHREI?By Rabbi Chaim Ashkenazi


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and the impression of theseexperiences, which are etched deep

within us, is what we acquired at thefair and what we bring home.

WE ARE CITY PEOPLE!

What is the profit that we makeon the merchandise? How do webenefit by being city people whowere invited to the kings palace andhave memories of being close tohim?

An anecdote of a Chassid of theAlter Rebbe will help us understandthis. The Alter Rebbe said about himthat he was a Chassid as a result ofpride. Every time his animal soulcame to entice him to act

improperly, he would say: I am aChassid of the Alter Rebbe and suchconduct is unbefitting for me!

A similar story is told about RAsher Sossonkin ah who sat in jailand exile in Russia and sufferedgreatly. His terrible suffering wasapparent on his face to the point that

when he went to the Rebbe for thefirst time for yechidus, the Rebbestood up for him, and R Asher burstinto tears (because Chassidim who

felt that the Rebbe was mekarevthem saw this as an indication thatthey were spiritually distant, which is

why the Rebbe had to be mekarevthem).

When R Asher asked why theRebbe stood up, the Rebbeanswered: What should I do when

you look older than your father (RShmaryahu Sossonkin ah)?

When R Asher was asked howhe withstood his ordeals, he said thatafter repeated interrogations he felthe couldnt take it anymore and he

wanted to die. Suddenly the gentile

interrogator said: Why are youdenying it? We know you are aChassid of the Lubavitcher!

These words infused R Asherwith strength as he thought: Eventhe goy says Im a Chassid, so whyshould I be fazed by what I amexperiencing?

This is what enabled R Asher tosurvive throughout hisimprisonment.

Based on these stories, we can

answer our question. When wereturn to work, whether to theChabad house or whatever mosadone works at, whether back toyeshiva or to ones business, wemeet Eisav, the man of the field.

Regarding this encounter theTorah says, He found her in thefield, the girl cried out and nobodycame to help her. There is nobodyto rely on for help in a field. Theonly thing that can help under these

circumstances is the knowledge thatwe are city people. In fact, we areeven greater than that, for we haveentered the kings palace.

Our visiting the king was withgreat honor. (Unlike the person who

boasted that he had spoken to the

king and when he was asked whatthe king said, he answered that heonce stumbled into the palacegarden and when the king saw himhe screamed: Get out of here beforeI order you killed!) The kingembraced us and took each of us to

the inner sanctum for a private talk.So what do we have to do withEisav?

We dont relate to him! Eisav ismaking a big mistake when he seesus in the field and tries to entice us

with his wiles. We are there only inorder to grow our food, i.e., toextract from the earth sparks ofholiness. Our connection to the fieldis incidental!

I PLACE HIM BEFOREME, CONSTANTLY

I met a Chassid in 770 and askedhim when he had come. I had meantto ask when he had arrived at 770,

but he answered me: I am here forforty years!

I was taken aback since I knowhim from Eretz Yisroel, where helives. He said: My body travels backand forth, but my soul is always

here!This perspective is reminiscent of

the Rebbes explanation of the Rashiabout Yaakov sending messengers toEisav. Rashi says they were malachimmamash (actually angels). The Rebbesays that Yaakov only sent themamash (the material, superficial


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component of the angels) to Eisavand not their soul, which he retained.

Our entire outlook on life needsto be that just our bodies go out tothe field, while the nefesh remainselevated and united with the King ashe is in his palace in the city.

The Alter Rebbe writes at thebeginning of his Shulchan Aruch (abook that outlines a persons entireway of life) that the words of theverse, I place Hashem before meconstantly appear at the beginningof the Shulchan Aruchbecausemans behavior when he is alone isnot the same as it is when he is withother people, all the more so with aking. This information of knowing

before whom you stand and the level

that you are on enable you to fulfillthe Shulchan Aruch.

In Chabad shuls we dont havesigns that say, Know Before Whomyou Stand because this should beengraved in our minds and heartsthroughout our lives, not just on asign that we see in shul. If we dontconstantly remember this, we canthink that since we are in the field,our fellow men of the field are ourfriends. When we enter shul we

temporarily drop them, letting themknow well be back soon.

Our true standing as men of thecity and the kings friend ought to

be a constant thought, and thenevery action or thought or word inthe field will be done as is fitting fora man of the city. If we arepermeated with the sense of ourlofty level, we can avoid enticementsfrom the start, because we haverefined our animal souls. In other

words, certain inappropriate thingswill simply be out of the question.

Most people havent reached thislevel, so at least, when enticed, weneed to remember where we comefrom and before whom we stand.

THE NESHAMA YOUGAVE ME IS PURE

This idea must be something we

are aware of from the moment weget up in the morning. When we say,every morning, the neshama Yougave me is pure, we areemphasizing that it is pure now, notonly when it was in the treasury ofsouls up above. Even after Hashem

put it in a physical body, it remainspure, as the Alter Rebbe says thatthe word tehora (pure) is like,ketzem haShamayim ltohar (likethe essence of the sky in its purity).That is, just as when the sky is clear

with not even a wisp of a cloud, sotoo, there is nothing that can marthe neshamas connection to theCreator.

From the moment we open oureyes in the morning, the words in

the davening remind us that we arestill city people. And not just any citypeople, but people who are close tothe king I and the king alone.

This approach is important forevery one of us. If you are inyeshiva, every moment must bepermeated with the awareness thatyou are a city person, and yourthoughts, speech, and action

whether while learning or during thebreaks, whether eating and sleeping

or shopping need to beappropriate.

If you are a businessman, then allyour dealings and involvement withpeople need to be done with thispremise in mind, the soul You gaveme is pure. Your lifestyle and home,your furnishings and clothing, thetalk and actions in your home, allneed to be appropriate.

Theres a story brought in thesichos about a Chassid who needed

money to marry off his daughter. Hewent to his rich brother who had alarge house with many rooms. The

wealthy brother was proud to showoff his wealth. After the grand tour,the Chassid said to his brother:Theres an animal that lives inexcrement up to its nose that wishesit could also cover its head in it

You are immersed in material thingsand are happy with it all. If you are

willing to help me, fine, and if not,goodbye!

Presumably the rich brotherearned his money honestly, so whydid his poor brother respond this

way? The answer is that if you are acity person, you have a minimal

connection with the field. If you takepride in the field, then you are not acity person!

Thus, the Chassids battle is notto lose his true identity. There is theparable of the Baal Shem Tov aboutthe prince who was sent far awayfrom the king, who forgot hisorigins. When he heard that the king

was coming, he went out to greethim but nobody recognized himsince he looked like all the other

men of the field. It was only his cry,Father, father, save me! that theking recognized.

The cry of the prince emanatedfrom the depth of the soul that ispure even after it is sent into exile

within the physical body in thisworld.

HOW THE KINGBEHAVES

There is a story of a talmid ofTomchei Tmimim in Lubavitch whomarried and moved far away. A fewyears later he went to Lubavitch andthe Tmimim there marveled thateven though years had passed sincehe had been in yeshiva, he hadremained strong in his Chassidishe

behavior as he had as a bachur. Inother words, he had remained a cityperson.

This is why Chassidim try to

copy the Rebbes behavior. Thecustoms, in addition to laws, weregiven to Moshe at Sinai, as gifts bythe angels. They are to show how acity person behaves. Certainly, theconduct of our king, the Rebbe during davening and doing mitzvos,his mode of dress, etc. is a modelfor us.

Its sad to see Tmimim andmarried men not wearing the kind of


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yarmulkes that the Rebbe wore, orwhite shirts, Chassidishe haircuts,etc. Instead of following the Rebbe,they follow the non-Jews, or in a

better case scenario, they followbalabatim who forgot they are citypeople.

They tell of a Chassid who was amerchant and dressed like one.

When he went to the Rebbe, hechanged into Chassidishe clothing.One time he decided not to be ahypocrite and he went to the Rebbedressed in his usual clothes. TheRebbe said: I thought you were inessence a Chassid, and you woredifferent clothing for the purpose ofdoing business. Now I see that youare in essence a merchant In

other words, you are not a cityperson.

HOW WE WILL APPEARAT THE WEDDING

This is all the more pertinent inour generation of Geula, in whichthe reality that we are city people isan indelible fact whether we feel it ornot. We are about to see howHashem embraces every single Jew.

We dont have a choice as towhether to continue to act as a manof the field or not because toHashem, we are city people, as itsays, for your sins separate betweenyou and G-d, and not between G-dand you. The challenge is for us toact accordingly so that when we seehow we are embraced by G-d, we

wont feel uncomfortable aboutwhere we stand.

Theres the story of the Satan

causing a fight between two brotherswhich caused them to becomeestranged. Then one brother made a

wedding for his daughter andwanted his brother to come but thebrother was not interested inparticipating and he put on pajamasand went to bed and pulled thecover over his head so he wouldnthear the music.

The musicians noticed that the

brides father was unhappy andwhen he told them about his brotherwho hadnt attended the wedding,one of the musicians promised to

bring him. This musician went tothe brothers house and presentedhimself as a hungry passerby. As a

sign of his appreciation for the mealhe was served, he played a tune onhis fiddle. His host was drawn afterthe musician as after the Pied Piperand as the musician neared the

wedding hall, the man followed himuntil he reunited with his brotherand they hugged. It was only afterthey had calmed down somewhatthat the brother realized he was still

wearing his pajamas.The grand wedding between

Hashem and His people is about tobegin. All that remains to be done isto see how we will look the moment

we find ourselves in the kingspalace. Will we be dressed properly

with a beard and peios and properhaircut? What about our familymembers? Our preparations must beall encompassing as the wellknown comparison to Sukkos, wheneverything we have is in the Sukka,all our involvements, eating,

drinking, etc. everything must bedevoted to and embraced byHashem.

A SPECIAL GIFT FORTHOSE WHO LEARN

CHASSIDUS

The ability to prepare in themonths of Elul and Tishrei, at a timeof spiritual elevation, which raises usup above the reality of the lowly

world and enables us to view thefield from the perspective of a cityperson, is the chiddush we havethanks to the revelation ofChassidus.

How does a Jew look at the endof Tishrei when he does not have theteachings of Chassidus? What doeshe have from all of Tishrei? Hemerited pardon and forgiveness at

the beginning of the month and isable to open a new page in hisconnection with Hashem. Then he ishappy and dances on Sukkos andSimchas Torah. Then what?

When R Asherwas asked how hewithstood hisordeals, he saidthat after repeatedinterrogations he

felt he couldnttake it anymore

and he wanted todie. Suddenly the

gentileinterrogator said:Why are you

denying it? Weknow you are aChassid of the

Lubavitcher!

These wordsinfused R Asher

with strength as hethought: Even the

goy says Im aChassid, so why

should I be fazedby what I am

experiencing?


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What changed in his awarenessas opposed to before? Did anythingchange or does he remain on the

same level as before albeit minus his

sins, which is a very great thing but,bottom line he returns to what hewas?

From what we have learned inChassidus, our visit to the fair inTishrei defines our identity. As a Jew

who is beloved to Hashem, we have

merchandise with which to set outon our way.

The custom in Lubavitch is toannounce on Motzaei ShabbosBReishis, and Yaakov went on his

way. The Jew is no longerYisroel an obvious city person as he wasduring Tishrei, but reverted to being

Yaakov he returns to the field.Even if he is a ben Torah and sitsand learns, he is still in the field, inthis world which embraces him in a

bear hug with all its enticements. Ifhe stopped learning for a moment,he would feel this full-force. Its justthe knowledge that he is a cityperson that raises him up a bit abovethe passions of the world and giveshim the ability to view all themateriality from an objectiveperspective.

Those in 770 for Tishrei meritedto look down upon the world fromthe highest peak. They lived and

breathed Moshiach, and saw and

heard and felt the hinei hineiMoshiach ba.

In 770 I heard a story about aChassid who went to the Rebbe ashe stood in the doorway of his room

with the key in his hand. TheChassid told the Rebbe about a boy

that the doctors had given up on.The Rebbe raised his hands in agesture of surprise and said: Since

when are they in charge?The Chassid said: So the Rebbe

should give a bracha.The Rebbe said: If it depends on

me, I give all the brachos.The Chassid said: So there is no

reason to worry?The Rebbe said: To worry? You

need to worry about just one thing

when will Moshiach come?This is what we have returned

with from the kings palace. We havebut one worry on our minds whereis Moshiach?

From this perspective, the worldlooks exceedingly small and it reallydoesnt pay to get too excited aboutit when we know that we willimminently see our king, Moshiach,in all his glory.

Our preparationsmust be all

encompassing asthe well knowncomparison toSukkos, when

everything we haveis in the Sukka,

all ourinvolvements,

eating, drinking,etc. everythingmust be devoted toand embraced by

Hashem.

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j"xa,wv hghcav asuj v"cKeren HashonoAto Horeiso

To All Of Anash And Tmimim whjhaThe Rebbe was accustomed to request after the selling of the Pesukim of "Ato Hereiso" that the

following should be announced "Your word to Hashem is equal to physically giving to a person."

In many of his Sichos the Rebbe recalled words of the Alter Rebbe concerning the greatnessof the quality of alacrity in all matters pertaining to Torah and Mitzvohs, especially regardingthe Mitzvah of Tzedaka, he stressed, that one should act as quickly as possible.

In keeping with this dictum we wish to remind all those who had the merit of buying aPosuk of Ato Hereiso this Simchas Torah for the Merkos (which is under ihe leadership ofRabbi S.M. Simpson in accordance with the Rebbe`s instructions) to bring their pledge in asexpeditiously as possible to the offices of either Rabbi Simpson or Rabbi Groner or to send intheir pledge to the address below.

Keren Hashono: A special tzedoko fund which the Rebbe established in 5714, fromwhich tzedoko is given twice a day (except Shabbos and Yomtov), before Shacharis and beforeMincha> This assures that all participants in this fund, fulfill the mitzvo of tzedoko twice aday. One is to contribute sums in the amount of days of the coming year. This year, 5768 has383 days. The sums can be in pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, dollars etc., for each memberof the family.

May giving of this Tzedaka speed the coming of the full Geulah through the revelation ofMelech Hamoshiach.

VAAD KUPAS RABBEINURabbi S.M. Simpson Rabbi Y.L. GronerP.S. Based on the Rebbe's Sichos those individuals who were not able to buy aPosuk on Simchas Torah can still participate by sending their donations now.Pidyon money etc. can also be sent to the above.Please make all checks payable to KUPAS RABBEINU.

Eretz Yisroel address: KEREN KUPAS ADMU"R / P.O.B. 1247 / KIRYAT MALACHI / ISRAEL

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FARBRENGENOF MIRACLES

Tishrei 5764. Hundreds of girlsof all types and backgrounds filled770, born and bred Lubavitchers

alongside baalos tshuva, young andold. That year there were quite a few

baalos tshuva from the schools thatcater to them. A group of them,most over thirty, decided to gettogether and farbreng. There wasthe feeling that they needed theirown place with a focus on theirissues.

I took it upon myself to organizea farbrengen for them. For an entiremorning I tried to find the right

person to farbreng with them. Iwanted a woman, someone whowould help us get more in touchwith ourselves, Hashem, and theRebbe. We wanted fire in thisfarbrengen!

Before Mincha I noticed RusMipai [see issue #546 for aninterview with her] talking withsome girls. Thats when it hit methat she was the perfect person tofarbreng with us. After a brief

conversation we had arranged a timeand place: Monday at three oclockin Rubashkins sukka.

Rus: It was a very specialfarbrengen with lots of achdus andlove. We spoke mainly about thepower of prayer and about howwhoever prays for his fellow forsomething that he himself needs, heis answered first.

Most of the girls were relatively

older and single and there was afeeling that something in Heavenhad to be opened for them. At theend of the farbrengen we resolvedthat everybody would daven for allthe other girls at candle-lighting.The Rebbes response in theIgros

Kodesh related directly to thefarbrengen as though he was there!He gave blessings and chizuk to thegirls. The most amazing thing of all

was that the following year, about85% of the girls married!

THE FIRST GROUP

Still feeling the profoundimpressions of Tishrei with the

Rebbe as well as this specialfarbrengen, Rus went back to Eretz

Yisroel. When she sat down toponder her good resolution for thenew year, she knew that she wantedto continue the work that wasconnected with strength in prayer.

What could be better than havinga group for women who did not yethave any children?

In these situations, prayer isneeded more than in any other

situation. It was just at this time thatOhr BLev (which is a volunteerorganization that has workshops forparents and marital advice, inmemory of Rus mother) wanted toexpand its activities. And so, the firstgroup was started in Bareket with 15

women, aged 25-50. Their successwas unparalleled! 14 women had

children and the 15th continuedwith another group and then had a

baby.Rus: It was my first encounter

with Hashem on this subject and itwas quite amazing. One of thewomen in the group gave birth totwins after 20 years and another onegave birth after 28 years! Thesepregnancies took place after years offertility treatments. This gave me thepush I needed to start more andmore groups.

ENCOUNTERSOF ACHDUS

Within three years, about fifteengroups were started. The ladies who

join these groups are all types. Some

are religious, running the gamutfrom Chabad to Satmar, Mizrachi toGer. There are some women whoarent yet religious.

Rus: I lead the first threemeetings in which the women are

becoming acquainted. We awaken inthem very deep issues that may havelain dormant for many years. Its

very important to raise the problemsand discuss them so as to prepare a

vessel for blessing. In the first stage,

most of the women feel threatened.Some of them do talk but there areothers who might remain silent atmost of the meetings, though in theend, they all open up. Theatmosphere is very positive andsupportive.

Rus has one rule which sheannounces at the first meeting. A

woman who becomes pregnant hasto leave the group. This is a rule that

MIRACLE CHILDREN

OF PRAYERBy Ofra Badosa


11/40

the Rebbe told a similar group thatconsulted with him.

GIVING STRENGTH

Rus: At the second meeting wefocus on spiritual weaknesses thatcan cause a delay in the bracha.There are couples who try for yearsto have children and go to the bestdoctors but cannot be blessed untilthe spiritual blockages are dissolved.The goal of this meeting is todiscuss this and to find solutions.

Can you give an example?One of the most common

examples has to do with the ksuba.There are many cases in which

bachurim want their rosh yeshiva to

be themesader kiddushin

(the onewho officiates at the marriage). Therosh yeshiva might be wonderful as arosh yeshiva but he might not knowhow to be a proper mesaderkiddushin. There are many detailedhalachos that must be followed inthe writing of a ksuba.

One of the dayanim that I am intouch with told me that when hisdaughters were married by amesader kiddushin that he did not

rely on, he changed their ksubos thenext day.In other instances, the ring was

not bought with the grooms money.Although the rabbi asks him underthe chuppa if the ring was bought

with his money, the question is notalways understood. Sometimes, thekalla picks the ring and pays forit. There have also been

cases in which a young boy jokinglytold a young girl harei atmekudeshes li. If two friends nearbyhappened to witness this, it could beconsidered an actual marriage.

Sometimes there are hardfeelings like when a younger sister

marries before an older sister anddid not get her consent, or someonebroke an engagement and did notask and receive mechila(forgiveness) from the other party.

At the third meeting, Rus leadsthe women with the aid of specialcards designed to help disengagefrom negative things of the past. The

women are very cooperative andthanks to the closeness and honestyamong them, it is possible to resolve

serious problems.

THREE PILLARS

Rus: At all the meetings weemphasize Torah, Tfilla, andTzdaka. The Torah part consists oflearning halacha. This is one of thepoints that is most emphasized. The

Rebbe stressed being

particular with family purity incases where couples did not havechildren. About ten to fifteenmeetings are dedicated to a carefulreview of the laws of family purity

with a knowledgeable teacher.I explain that if the Rebbe said

this, then it must be so, except thatit needs to be put into practice. Thehalachic end of things isstrengthened and often the womenconsult with a rav regarding theirfertility treatments. One of the

women, after seven years oftreatments, decided to contact a rav.She arranged to meet with him but

before she actually met him, she waspregnant with twins. Her second

birth was ten months later and the

third was less than a year after thesecond birth.As for Tfilla, I

emphasize the powerof prayer. TheRambam saysthat in order

There are many cases in whichbachurim want their rosh yeshiva to bethe mesader kiddushin. The rosh

yeshiva might be wonderful as a rosh

yeshiva but he might not know how tobe a proper mesader kiddushin.


12/40

tofulfill ones biblical

obligation of prayer, one needs to(aside from the prayers established

by the sages) talk to Hashem andtell Him your needs. Theres a storyin the Gemara about a man who was

walking on the road and wasexhausted from the heat. He prayedto Hashem and asked for a donkey.

Before he could finish his prayer

one of the kings ministers came byriding on a donkey and leadinganother donkey. When the ministersaw him, he ordered him to carrythe other donkey on his shoulderstill the city. The story teaches us to

be careful when we daven and tospecify what we want. Obviously,Hashem knows what we want, butHe takes pleasure in hearing us sayit. He wants us to talk to Him.

Each of the women in the group

commits to davening for a friendand her husband. She reads that

womans chapter of Thillim and herhusband reads the chapter of theother ones husband. They arestrengthened in the knowledge thattheir prayers are accepted, thatHashem has a treasury of prayers,like a bank account, that protectsthem.

The Tzdaka part of the programconsists of the women contributing

towards Rus travel expenses andtowards the salary of the woman

whoteaches themhalacha.

A DAY OF PRAYER

Rus: Last Elul, all the groupsconvened for a day of prayer.

Women from several groups came,Satmar along with irreligious ladies,

but the feeling of achdus filled the

air. Its hard to describe the specialatmosphere on the bus, when aboutfifty ladies, all of whom did not havechildren, united to daven. We wentfor Mincha at Kever Rochel, a veryemotional prayer. We were all intears and felt that our prayers rentthe gates of heaven.

We felt kdusha and great love.Some of the women, who did notknow one another at the beginningof the day, felt like sisters by the end

of the day. From there we went todaven Maariv at the Kosel. Then we

went to the Tzemach Tzedek shul inthe Old City to hear a shiur onemuna and bitachon and the powerof prayer. By the end of the day, it

was hard for the women to part, assuch a strong bond had been createdamong them.

Rus says that the most specialthing about these groups is theconnection formed with the Rebbe.

Most of the women have noconnection to Chabad or to the

Rebbe,and in the end they all connect tothe Rebbe in some way or another.

At the meetings, Rus tells themstories about hiskashrus and miracles,and writing via theIgros Kodesh. Thething that strengthens the women themost is when they hear that womenhave had children. Their faith and

trust that Hashem hears their prayersare strengthened. Even in the groupthat Rus started in Kiryat Seifer, aLitvish stronghold, the Rebbe is in theforefront, and the women accept thisand even send their names with Rus

when she goes to 770.Tell us a story about the Rebbe

and theIgros Kodesh thathappened to one of the women.

Rus: In one of the groups therewas a woman who had gotten

married in her forties. For ten yearsshe had no children. She heardabout the group and joined itenthusiastically. She came to everymeeting and internalized theimportance of writing to the Rebbe.She wrote her story to the Rebbe,about how the doctors laughed ather for still trying to have a child ather age.

The answer she opened tosaid not to despair and that

doctors have permission to healbut not to discourage people. Thefollowing week I was told she was

pregnant.


13/40

Rabbi Mazuz continues: Andregarding this, the Rambam writes(Hilchos Melachim 11:4, censored

in many printings): And if he didnot succeed to this degree (in

building the Beis HaMikdash in itsplace and gathering in the exiles ofIsrael) or was killed, it is known thathe is not [the Redeemer] promised

by the Torah.According to what was explained

above (and will be elaborated onfurther beH), Moshe Rabbeinu didnot die, the Rebbe is chai vkayam,

and the event that happenedisonly from our material point of view,and is only a trial (one of the trials

of the birth pangs of Moshiach thatmust take place prior to the comingof the Righteous Redeemer), theentire purpose of which is to concealand cover the truth. Thus, there isno question whatsoever on theRambam.

In any event, since these thingswere written for public consumption,and since not everyone can graspand internalize the truth of this

realization, we will now explain theRambam in a manner that everyonecan understand.

First of all, we must be precise inthe two possibilities the Rambam

writes about: And if he did notsucceedor was killed. It wouldhave been enough if he had written,And if he dies, it is known, etc.Moreover, why did he use the termor was killed, and not or died?The explanation is that when weconsider the matter carefully, we seethat the signs of and he will compel

In response to requests by ourreaders, we now present the next

segment from VTorah Yevakshu MiPihu, Rabbi Sholom DovberHaLevi Wolpos seifer on the Rebbesteachings regarding Chabad

chassidus, its approach to emuna,and its various customs.

SUCCESS IN

BRINGING JEWSCLOSER TO TORAH

AND MITZVOSBy Rabbi Sholom Dovber HaLevi WolpoTranslated By Michoel Leib Dobry


14/40

all Israeland he will fight the warsof G-d, brought by the Rambam inHalacha 4, are not incidental signs(pertaining merely to identity),rather, this is the halachicdescription of Moshiach. This meansthat if there is a Jew from the

House of Dovid, etc., involved inbringing the entire Jewish Peoplecloser to G-d and who fights the

wars of G-d, he possesses thecharacteristics of Moshiach.

The Rambam then adds that ifthis person did not succeed in hisavoda to bring the Jewish Peoplecloser to Torah and mitzvos or waskilled in the wars of G-d, it is thenclear that this is not the one whomthe Torah has promised, because he

has absolutely failed in those verythings that define who Moshiach is.Similarly, we find regarding BarKoziba, that at the moment that he

was killed by his enemies as hefought the wars of G-d, this endedeverything completely. (As Rambamputs it in Hilchos Taanios 5:3:They had a great king, and allIsrael and great chachamimpresumed that he was MelechHaMoshiach, but [when] he fell into

the hands of the Romans and all ofthem were killed, it was a misfortuneas great as the destruction of theBeis HaMikdash.)

Thus, the Rambam was specificin writing, orwas killed, meaningthat he was killed while fighting the

wars of G-d, proving that he didnot succeed to this degree.

As a result, if the situation werethat the Rebbe proclaimed in 5711that the task of our generation is to

bring the Redemption, and he wouldbegin to try and send shluchim tospread Yiddishkait and chv they

wouldnt go out on shlichus, or theywould go out but fail to bring Jewscloser to Yiddishkait this is calledand he did not succeed (in thematter of the first sign of spiritualinfluence upon the Jewish People).Similarly, when the king is killed in

war by the victorious enemies, aswas Bar Koziba, this is a proof thathe did not succeed (in the secondsign of the wars of G-d), and thushe is not the one whom the Torahhad promised.

However, this is not the case,

because the Rebbe shlita succeededin a wondrous manner (as much asis possible within the limits ofnature, and even higher thannature) in bringing hundreds ofthousands of Jews throughout the

world closer to Torah (whether inaccepting an observant lifestyle,fulfilling certain mitzvos, orstrengthening their faith in G-d).

He brought the Word of G-d tomillions of Jews through thousandsof shluchim, striving to reach allcorners of the earth with literal self-sacrifice. (We have already broughtclear proofs from the seifer Yechi

HaMelech HaMoshiach (from p.

203) that when the Rambam statesthat Moshiach will compel allIsrael, this means in the ways ofpleasantness.) This very conceptcontinues today and with greaterstrength and greater fortitude!

Furthermore, all those streamsof observant Jewry that initiallyopposed this manner of reachingout to those far from Torah

observance have in recent yearshave joined the ranks in fulfillmentof the kings orders, whether theyknow it or not, establishing specialassociations for this purpose, suchas Lev LAchim, Arachim, ElHaMaayan, Todaa, etc., all of which

come from those circles thatvociferously opposed the Rebbesapproach, and now have beentransformed and have begun to

work on his shlichus. Even otherchassidic communities have foundedoutreach organizations, distributecandles to Jewish women and girlson Fridays to awaken them to theNeshek Campaign, make seminars

to bring Jews towards a path oftshuva, and conduct mivtzaimtraining that the Rebbe spoke tothem about decades ago, when he

was only a voice in the wilderness.It thus can be said that this

represents the fulfillment of another

sign that the Rambam notesregarding Moshiach, i.e., not only

will he influence the Jewish Peopleto walk in [the path of Torah andmitzvos], he will also compel allsectors within Jewry to strengthen[its observance] throughinvolvement in his shlichus to bringevery Jew closer to his roots.

The Rambam then adds that if thisperson did not succeed in his avoda tobring the Jewish People closer to Torah

and mitzvos or was killed in the warsof G-d, it is then clear that this is notthe one whom the Torah has promised,because he has absolutely failed inthose very things that define who

Moshiach is.


15/40

When I called Mr. YehoramBen-Shalom to arrange a time foran interview regarding hisconnection to the Rebbe, hesurprised me when he said he

would be spending Shabbos Slichosin Crown Heights. The terrific

bachurim from Chabad who cometo our shul in Manhattan every

Shabbos, invited me for thisShabbos and I couldnt refuse. Weagreed that we would talk onMotzaei Shabbos.

We began the interview preciselywhere Ben-Shaloms relationshipbegan with the Rebbe at theentrance to 770, near the Rebbesroom. Ben-Shalom was very moved

as he walked down the path thatleads to the entrance to 770. Hehadnt been here in many years andthis visit revived pleasant memoriesfor him.

I remember as though it wastoday, that Erev Yom Kippur of5750. Rabbi Kuti Rapp called andsaid, Yehoram, the Rebbe is givingout honey cake with a special

bracha for a good, sweet year. Itsworthwhile coming.

I was the representative of theLikud movement in the US andsince I was very friendly with theTrade Attach at the IsraeliConsulate, Mr. Manny Buber, Icalled him and suggested that wego together to the Rebbe.

Due to traffic, we arrived lateand as our car stopped at theentrance to 770 and I saw that thearea was empty, without the longline, I sadly realized that we hadmissed the Rebbe. Then I suddenlyheard people yelling at us, Comequickly! The Rebbe is still waiting!

I ran forward and opened thedoor. There stood the Rebbe,smiling. Aside from secretaries,nobody else was there. It looked asthough the Rebbe had been waitingespecially for us. We approachedthe Rebbe and after he gave uslekach and a bracha, he motioned

Mr. Yehoram Ben-Shalom recently visited Crown Heights. Under theShamir government, he served asrepresentative of the Likud movementin the US. Today he works for theUnited Nations as Special Adviser to

WAFUNIFs President, and Coordinator of WAFUNIFs Culture of Peace activities. * Ben-Shalom tells of his association with Chabad, about theLikud ministers whom he brought to theRebbe, and about his great admirationfor the Rebbes leadership.

LIKUD (UNIFICATION)

OF ALL JEWSAROUND THE TORAHBy Avrohom Rainitz


16/40

to his secretaries that thedistribution was over and he wentto his room.

I will never forget those holymoments on Erev Yom Kippur, as

we stood alone facing the Rebbe,and that special smile.

LEADERSHIP WITHA WAVE OF A HAND

Yehoram Ben-Shalom was borninto the world ofaskanus(communal involvement). Hisfather, Ovadia Ben-Shalom, waspresident of the Yemenitecommunity in Eretz Yisroel andchairman of the association ofsocial and cultural development that

preserved Yemenite tradition. Hisbrother, Yigal Ben-Shalom, hasworked in recent years as directorof the National Insurance program.

Yehoram became acquaintedwith Chabad through governmentoffices. R Shloimke Maidenchek

would come to us before holidaysand throughout the year. Hechecked the mezuzos and took careof other Jewish matters in thegovernment offices.

At that time, Yehoram wasspecial advisor to Aharon Lozen,the minister of Labor and FinancialRelief, and he was also involved incampaigns to bring Jews to Israelfrom various countries. In 5744

was offered the position of specialconsul for Israeli matters in the USand he flew to New York to check itout.

On my trip here, a delegationof young Israeli leaders came to

visit the government offices inWashington. Part of the programwas a private audience with theLubavitcher Rebbe. Since I had

joined the delegation, I was able tosee the Rebbe too. The yechidustook place in the hallway before theRebbes room. I remember alsoonce having yechidus in the Rebbesroom, as he sat at his desk, but Idont remember whether this was in

conjunction with the meeting of thedelegation or another occasion.

This was the first time I wasseeing the Rebbe and from the verystart I realized that he wasnt justanother rabbi. He was completelydifferent. He was a genuine Jewish

leader whose words and gazepenetrated deeply into the neshama.

After the yechidus, as theRebbe left his room, manyChassidim were congregated on thepath leading up to 770, and theRebbe waved his hand in a gestureof simcha. The Chassidim burst

into song and dancedenthusiastically in their places.

When I saw this, I wasflabbergasted by the power of theRebbes leadership. I had never

seen a leader move a crowd with awave of his hand.

Later on, when I became betteracquainted with the Rebbesleadership, and had attendedfarbrengens, my amazement grew. Isaw the deep connection with theChassidim who obeyed the Rebbesorders without any prior conditions,despite their not receiving any

benefit thereby. It was beyond myunderstanding.

Later, when I spoke withKnesset members and ministersfrom the Likud and told them to

visit the Rebbe, some said they hadseen many rabbis already and didnt

feel like visiting the Rebbe. I wouldtell them: You have to go and seethis for yourself. This is not anatural phenomenon. There is noother leader who with a wave of hishand can send people to the end ofthe world, to do holy work, in sub-human conditions, all to give theRebbe nachas!

Do you remember what theRebbe said at that encounter?

The truth is that when I try to

review my conversations with theRebbe, I dont manage to rememberthem well. When I would pass bythe Rebbe, I would undergo aprocess that is hard to explain. Inmy great excitement I was unable toremember what the Rebbe said tome.

In later years, when I went withKuti Rapp, I would ask him toremember what the Rebbe said tome. In those years they also wrote

down what the Rebbe said in aChabad publication (Chadashot BeitChayeinu) and thanks to that I cansit down and read through myencounters with the Rebbe. But Ihave no notes of the first meeting,

just an awesome general impressionof the Rebbe.

LIKUD IN THE U.S.

Ben-Shalom ended up refusing

the job of consul for Israeli mattersand took a job no less important representing the Israeli governmentin its efforts to help Jews in Arabcountries. In this position hedeveloped contacts with diplomatsfrom Arab countries in the attemptto eliminate restrictions on Jewishemigration from those countries. Incollaboration with the Jewish Syriancommunity and the Jewish Yemenite


17/40

community in the US, he was able

to bring about a change in theposition of the governments ofSyria and Yemen. After two years ofmassive effort, groups of Jews

began emerging from Arabcountries.

In 5748, a year after theoutbreak of the Intifada, Israel hada unity-national government whichcombined Likud and Labor. WithShamir as Prime Minister and Peresas Foreign Minister, Israel had no

organized public relations approachto counter the attacks in the media.

All of Israels spokespeople werestricken dumb because any positionthey took opposed the position ofeither the Prime Minister or theForeign Minister. Peres position

was one of compromise andconcessions and Shamirs position

was as the Rebbe called it

uncompromising like a shamir-worm (extant in Biblical times withthe power to cut through stone).

A committee formed by Likudand headed by Shamir, decided toset up a public relations arm in theUS which would circumvent the

Foreign Ministry and would worktogether with rightwing Jewishmovements. Yehoram Ben-Shalom

was asked to establish Likud USAand that is how he became theofficial representative of Likud inthe US.

It was at this time that Ben-Shalom became acquainted with theRebbes shluchim around the USand when he established a personalrelationship with Chabad Chassidim

in New York. One of theseChassidim was Rabbi ChonePerman, who went to Ben-Shalomshouse once a week to give a shiurin Gemara and Chassidus. Duringthe shiur he would give theparticipants a summary of theRebbes latest sichos and that ishow Ben-Shalom became aware ofthe Rebbes teachings and hisstrong position against returningland in Israel.

At a certain point, Kuti Rappbegan giving the weekly shiur. Atthat point I was already the officialrepresentative of Likud and I puttogether a group of diplomaticattachs who joined the shiur on aregular basis. I had a deep personalconnection with Kuti Rapp.

Whenever I had a religious issue todiscuss, I picked up the phone andcalled him and he was always happyto help me.

When I received this position, Ifelt I needed the Rebbes bracha.

After all, although I grew up in ahome of askanus, I wasnt used tothe diplomatic world and rubbingshoulders with heads of state. I feltI had been given a task of greatimportance for the sake of theJewish people, to promote Israelsinterests in the US, and I went for

dollars in order to get a brachafrom the Rebbe.

The Rebbes brachos gave merenewed strength. Always, indifficult times, I think of theRebbes smile and this gives me thestrength to go on, to deal with

whatever comes my way, and to besuccessful.

Were there difficult times whenyou felt a special need for theRebbes brachos?

There were many situations likethat. As soon as I took the job, Idecided to bring Benny Begin to theUS, both for public relations workas well as joining me so that I couldmake connections with heads ofJewish movements and communities

in the US. In the course of his tripwe arranged a lecture at ColumbiaUniversity. Two weeks before Beginarrived, the Israeli ambassadorspoke at Columbia and certainelements ran him off the stage inhumiliation.

I saw the Rebbe at that timeand this visit gave me renewedenergy with lots of Jewish pride. Idecided that Begin would speak atthis university, which is known as

being anti-Israel, come what may!My friends at the consulate calledand asked me to get out of it.Youre new, they said, why startin the Leftist stronghold?

In light of what the Rebbe saidthough, I knew we had to convey atough message and we could notdisplay weakness. All the advisors

who spoke to me at that time wereagainst the plan, but in the endBegin went there and 300 students

sat and listened to his speech infascination.

My big surprise was when Idiscovered that the person leadingthe attack against the Israeliposition was the director of theHillel organization, whose opinions

were close to that of Palestinianorganizations. That scared me.

I would tell them:You have to go

and see this foryourself. This is

not a naturalphenomenon.

There is no otherleader who with awave of his hand

can send people to

the end of theworld, to do holy

work, in sub-human conditions,

all to give theRebbe nachas!


18/40

I took the Rebbes hard lineposition on shleimus haAretz andcame to the conclusion that no Jewis born a Leftist. Even the biggestLeftist is on the Right by nature,

but the media brainwashing oftenperverts straight thinking.

The moment I identified theRebbes policy line and it was clearto me that this was precisely theline I wanted to bring to the publicrelations efforts in the US, Idecided that all the Knessetmembers and ministers who wouldcome to the US who belonged tothe Likud party had to see theRebbe. They had to hear theRebbes position before they set outon their travels to promote the

Israeli position.

ARRANGING MEETINGSWITH THE REBBE

When it came to arrangingmeeting with the Rebbe, ourcontact person was Kuti Rapp. He

would speak to the secretaries andwould arrange it so that theministers and Knesset members didnot have to wait on a long line butcould enter via a side door that wasdesignated for VIPs.

Visiting the Rebbe was not on

the official itinerary. It was onlyonce the ministers had arrived inthe US that I would personallysuggest that they visit the Rebbe

with me. I didnt put the visit onthe official agenda so that they

wouldnt compare the Rebbe toother rabbis, and ask to visit rabbisof other groups. After I spoke tothem and explained why it wasimportant for them to visit theRebbe, they all happily agreed to do

so.One of the first ministers I

brought was Roni Milo, then theminister of Police. We went to theRebbe at the end of 5750, the weekof Judges and Enforcers. This wasshortly after Saddam Husseininvaded Kuwait and threatened

Israel. Roni told the Rebbe that hisblessing was important in thesedifficult times. The Rebbe said,These are not difficult times butthe days preceding Rosh ChodeshElul when the King is in the fieldand is close to every Jew, especially

those living in Eretz Yisroel.This message of the Rebbe,

which was one of the first regardingthe Gulf War, greatly encouragedRoni Milo. Although he was notreligious, he receivedencouragement from the Rebbestremendous bitachon.

A short while later, on 19 Elul,I brought the Foreign Minister,Dovid Levy, and a whole entourage.It was after the dismantling of the

unity government and theestablishment of Shamirs narrowgovernment. The Rebbe receivedhim warmly and spoke to him forseveral minutes. At the end of theirconversation, the Rebbe said to me,You will certainly influence theLikud not to try to expand thegovernmentand in ways ofpleasantness and peace. The Rebbealso blessed me with a ksiva

vachasima tova, and much

success.Dovid Levy was greatly moved

by the visit. After the distribution ofdollars, we and the entourage wentto a special farbrengen at the homeof someone in Crown Heights.Dovid Levy spoke excitedly abouthis acquaintance with Chabad,going back to his Chabad school inMorocco.

SILVAN SHALOM ANDRON NACHMAN

Yehoram had a special storywith Mr. Silvan Shalom. He cameto the US in Teives 5752 along withhis wife Judy. At that time, heserved as director of the ElectricCompany and also sought a placeon the Likud list for the Knesset. Isuggested that they come to theRebbe and they happily acquiesced.Mr. Yehoram Ben-Shalom near the Rebbes room on Motzaei Shabbos Slichos


19/40

Judy had been to the Rebbe the year before and washappy to go back and be blessed.

The Rebbe gave him several dollars, more than theusual, and blessed him, You are appointed to bringlight to all, referring to his job at the electric company.Then the Rebbe spoke to his wife, whose parents(Mozes) owned Yediot Acharonot, and said to her that

they should reserve a spot on the front page of thenewspaper to report on the coming of Moshiach. His

wife was quite moved and she told the Rebbe that sincethe Rebbes previous bracha to her, the newspaper waseven more successful.

R Rapp told the Rebbe that Silvan was running inthe Likuds internal elections and asked for a brachathat he gain a realistic position in the upcomingnational elections for the Knesset. The Rebbes answer

was, good news, much success.When we left, some Chassidim came over and

hugged and blessed Silvan. We didnt know why. They

told us that the week before, Mr. Zev Baum had beento the Rebbe. He now serves as Minister of Absorption,and at the time he also planned on running in theinternal Likud elections. The Rebbe told him, there isno need to rush, and he gave you a blessing. Thatmeans your being elected is assured, they said.

Silvan didnt quite believe in his chances of beingelected to the Likud list for the Knesset, and even afterreceiving the Rebbes bracha, he remained unsure,especially after he heard about Ron Nachmans visit tothe Rebbe. Nachman was the mayor of Ariel and theRebbe had also blessed him with, good news, much

success for his running in the elections. It didnt makesense to him since Ron Nachmans chances of beingelected to a realistic spot were lower than Baums. Whydid the Rebbe push Baum off while blessing RonNachman with the same blessing as Silvan?

When Silvan discussed this with R Rapp, Kutisaid, You dont ask questions about the Rebbe!

As always, the Rebbe was right. Ron Nachman andSilvan Shalom were elected and also entered theKnesset, while Zev Baum did not. Nachman at firstreceived an unrealistic placing on the list, but he got areserved spot somewhere in the twenties on the list. I

helped place Silvan Shalom 32 on the list and over theyears he rose within the party and held senior positions

within the government. Baum, who was told not torush, entered the following Knesset, four years later.

When we visited the Rebbe with Silvan Shalom, Iasked the Rebbe that he make a big outcry that in allthe talks taking place with Syria at that time, theyshould demand the release of all the Jews living inSyria who were being held captive there. The termsshould be that Israel would not release captives until all

Syrian Jews were freed.The Rebbe did not respond directly to this, but

said that in order to save the Jews of Syria, there werethings that could be done that were not in the naturalorder of things, but they could obtain the release of theJews from there. The Rebbe explained, referring to myposition as representative of the Likud movement:

Lelakeid (to unify) all Jews, men, women, andchildren, in Eretz Yisroel, around the study andfulfillment of mitzvos. This likudwill unify them togreet Moshiach and to receive all the good tidings.

The Rebbe added, May this also speed up all thesematters. The Rebbe gave me another dollar and

blessed me, Blessing and success, good news. We leftwith Silvan Shalom and his entourage to farbreng inthe home of a Lubavitcher in Crown Heights, along

with R Rapp.

STRONG MESSAGES

Of all the public figures I brought to the Rebbe fordollars, then Transportation Minister Moshe Katzavs

visit, on Yud Shevat 5752, is most well known. In along conversation with him, the Rebbe made hisposition against any concessions abundantly clear, as

well as his opposition to mere discussions aboutconcessions to Arabs.I went for dollars many times and never heard the

Rebbe speak with such pain and such forcefulness to apublic figure who came for a blessing. The Rebbespain over Shamir, who until then had representedshleimus haAretz but had begun to capitulate under

American pressure and was ready to discuss givingaway land, was apparent.

The Rebbe said, I consistently fought for Shamirsgovernment, and just as I did all I could to establish a

Mr. Yehoram Ben-Shalom receiving a dollar from the Rebbe


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government led by Shamir, if they continue in thisdirection with talks like these, then I (and the Rebbereferred to himself by name) will be the first to fight

with all the power and all my strength against Shamirso that his government collapses. Until now, only Mr.Shimon Peres was against Shamirs government, but ifShamir continues in this direction with autonomy talks,

then I will also be opposed to Shamirs government.Today, when we see the devastating results of these

talks that began with the Madrid Conference, we canunderstand how far-reaching the Rebbes vision was. Ihave no doubt that the Rebbe, with his ruachhakodesh, saw the present situation and tried, with allhis might, to avert the slide down the slippery slope.

What the Rebbe said to Katzav was so sharp thatuntil they showed Katzav a transcript of theconversation and he saw it in black on white, herefused to believe that the Rebbe spoke so harshly.

WORLD PEACE ANDTHE SEVEN NOACHIDE LAWS

In recent years, Ben-Shalom is busy promotingvalues of peace around the world. He works as SpecialAdviser to WAFUNIFs President, and Coordinator of

WAFUNIFs Culture of Peace activities, and spendsmany weeks a year in African countries in the attemptto educate the new generation to peace.

When I told Ben-Shalom about the Rebbes manyactivities in promoting universal educational values tothe world, he enjoyed finding parallels between his

work and the messages the Rebbe wants us to convey.In the course of his work, Ben-Shalom encountered

R Boaz Kali who disseminates the Seven NoachideLaws among Israeli-Arabs. I met with him and sawthe brochures he produces on the Seven Noachide

Laws. I saw how the main goal of these seven mitzvosis, as the Rambam says, to enableyishuv haolam(civilized life).

I learned what the Rambam says about YemosHaMoshiach when the occupation of the entire world

will be only to know Hashem. In the meantime, weneed to prepare the world for Geula and as a first step,

people have to know how to treat one another withrespect, to live in peace with those who are differentthan themselves. This is what I try to do in my workfor the UN.

DEDICATED BACHURIM

In recent years Ive renewed my connection toChabad thanks to the terrific bachurim from CrownHeights. A few years ago, I helped found a shul nearmy home in Manhattan. My father died a few monthslater and, by Divine Providence, I had a place close to

my home where I could daven three times a day.Every Shabbos we had the third meal in shul and Iwould say a dvar Torah based on the parsha. OneShabbos, bachurim showed up who introducedthemselves as students of the Chabad yeshiva 770.They asked whether they could relay an idea from theRebbe.

I was happy to let them do so. I recalled thosewonderful times I had spent in the Rebbes presenceand was happy to, once again, hear the Rebbesuplifting and deep ideas. From then on, they cameevery Shabbos.

I travel a lot but when I am in New York forShabbos, I am always amazed by the dedication of thebachurim who come from Brooklyn to Manhattan, nomatter the weather, in rain and snow and the heat.There were Shabbasos when the weather was so bad I

was sure they wouldnt show up, but they always came.A few weeks ago I suggested that they spend

Shabbos with me so they wouldnt have to walk. Theytold me they were on Kvutza and they do not leave770 even for weddings of brothers and sisters! Perhapsit was in exchange for my invitation to them that theyinvited me to spend Shabbos Slichos in 770.

I told them that back then, Kuti Rapp had invitedme to spend Shabbos in Crown Heights several timesbut what he did not manage to achieve, despite ourgreat relationship, they would achieve, thanks to theirmesirus nefesh every Shabbos.

Now, between the wonderful Shabbos I spent hereand Slichos that are about to begin, I thank Hashemfor the privilege I have to return and be so close to theRebbe, and I hope that we will soon see him with theGeula shleima.

Mr. Silvan Shalom receiving a dollar from the Rebbe


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Two years ago, my son Mendiand my daughter-in-law Talia wentoff on shlichus to Sri Lanka (anisland nation in South Asia), inorder to add this island country tothe map of lights that the Rebbe isplanting across the world inanticipation of the Geula.

When Mendi and Talia, alongwith a contingent of three bachurim,first landed in Sri Lanka, they set upcamp in the village of Hikkaduwa,

which is in the center of the surferbeaches area, where many Israelisurfers congregate. In Hikkaduwa,they did outreach activities for a fewmonths with the Israeli surfers, andenjoyed great success. At the

beginning of that winter, when thesurfing season came to a close, theydecided to move to the capitol cityof Colombo, where there is a small

Jewish community of localbusinessmen and Israelis, as well asmany tourists and trekkers passingthrough.

TISHREI 5766

WEDNESDAY, 5 TISHREI:Weare in Ben-Gurion Airport in Eretz

Yisroel. Mendi asked us to bring thefour species. A Calabrian Esrog wasno problem, but where do you get

the other three items, ten daysbefore the holiday? Mendi alsoasked us to bring machzorim withEnglish translation, packages of pre-rolled dough, yahrtzait candles,tuna, little Leviks coat, mezuzos,Bamba snacks for Levik (veryimportant!), and a whole list of other

vital things.The flight to Sri Lanka was on

Royal Jordanian Airlines by way of

Amman, Jordan. I saw two things onthe flight that I found appealing, and

would strongly suggest that El Aladopt similar policies (with somesmall changes). Firstly, every flight

begins with the captain saying aprayer (Tfillas HaDerech?) for asafe trip, without any inhibitionsregarding the mention of G-dsname (in Israel, this would be a casefor the Supreme Court). Secondly, anumber of times during the flight amessage appears on the large screenindicating the direction to face (forMoslems) for prayer.

THURSDAY, 6 TISHREI:Welanded in Colombo at first light.

Mendi came to meet us at theairport, and he used the opportunityto invite the surfers that were on ourflight to attend Yom Kippur services.

As soon as you step out of theairport, you see the great poverty ofthe country. Everything is old andrundown. The atmosphere is hot andhumid. It feels like youre in a sauna.The drivers careen about recklessly,and there seem to be no rules andno laws. The white line in the center

of the road seems to be only asuggestion. The only way to makethe trip safely is to follow Mendisadvice, Close your eyes and pray.Before the trip, I had suggested that

we rent a car, but Mendi hadnegated that idea. In Sri Lanka,only Sri Lankans can drive, he hadreplied. Now, I knew exactly what hemeant.

In honor of our visit, Mendi and

A member of Anash living in anestablished community in Eretz Yisroeltravels to the ends of the world to be

with his son and daughter-in-law, a young couple on shlichus. He gets to experience some of the less pleasantaspects of shlichus for the first time. His experiences make for fascinatingreading. * A diary of Tishrei 5766.

SHLICHUS DIARY:

SRI LANKABy Zev Crombie


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little Levik had gone to one of thenearby villages to milk a cow, and so

we had hot coffee waiting for uswhen we arrived. In general, we reada lot about the lives of shluchim infaraway undeveloped countries, butit is only when you actually visitsuch a Chabad House in person thatyou really understand all the little

details of what daily life is like forthese shluchim. For example, onShabbos and Yom Tov, they stay inthe house all day. There is no shul togo to, there is no Seifer Torah (yet),and (most of the time) there is nominyan.

For a mikva, Mendi set up a verylarge plastic container filled with

water on the porch, where he dunkshimself each morning. Fruits and

vegetables are in abundance, andTalia uses them to prepare

wonderful dishes, but the nearestplace to buy kosher meat is inThailand. Not long ago, one of hisdonors paid for Mendi to take aflight to Bangkok and bring backenough meat to last for a while. Itsa lot more expensive and

complicated than walking to thecorner grocery in Kiryat Chabad, inmy hometown of Tzfas.

Heres another complicatedissue. Back home, a mommy who

wants some peace and quiet tells herkids, who are climbing up the walls,to go outside and play. What does amommy in Sri Lanka do? She has togo out and flag down a tok-tok(rickshaw taxi). Tali and Levik travel

for a half hour in the tok-tok untilthey get to the local mall, wherethere is a playground. All the otherchildren there are very dark-skinnedSri Lankan kids, and Levik standsout as the only white-skinned child.Everybody stares; there are no

playmates; no friends; nobody tofool around with. Its not such asimple way of life!

FRIDAY, 7 TISHREI: Mendishowed me a letter that he receivedfrom an English tourist who ismarried to a Buddhist woman fromSri Lanka. Mendi ran into him whenhe went to look for Jews at the hotelon Erev Rosh HaShana. This fellowhad joined the Rosh HaShana meals,and was very moved by the whole

experience. He wrote to Mendi, Iwill never forget the meal we hadtogether for the rest of my life.

In the morning, we went to theapartment of Mali to put up amezuza. Mali is an Israeli girl who

works in Sri Lanka. On the way toMali we stopped to buy a softdrink. All along the sides of theroads there are fruit stands selling allsorts of exotic fruits. We stopped atone of the stands and Mendi bought

a fresh coconut. The vendor cut ahole in the top of the coconut, put ina straw, and we drank the coconutmilk. Later, we went to the home ofGilad and Vered to put up mezuzos

by them as well.Before Shabbos, Mendi and I

took a tok-tok to the beach toimmerse. Since Colombo is on theocean, there is no problem finding asuitable beach, especially since the

women here are modestly attired and

would never go to the beach duringdaylight hours. The problem is thatthere is a very strong current, whichmade it very frightening. Well haveto think about where we willimmerse ourselves on Erev YomKippur.

SHABBOS, 8 TISHREI:Shabbos here is so very differentthan Shabbos in Tzfas. There is no


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shul (temporarily, we are certainthat Mendi will succeed in buildingone soon), no minyan and no SeiferTorah. All the prayers are heldprivately at home, so we have all thetime in the world to think aboutHashem.

Two Israeli couples came at nightto the meal. Where did you buythese delicious challos? they askedTalia about the challos she baked.No guests came for the lunch meal,so we spent a long Shabbos as theSri Lankans went about their livesoutside. Towards sunset, Mendi andI had a seider niggunim.

I was somewhat upset about thetfillos on Shabbos, but Mendiconsoled me and told me a story

about the holy brothers, R Elimelechand R Zushe, who spent a period oftime in jail. In the center of the cell

was a bucket for the prisoners torelieve themselves and this preventedthem from being able to put ontfillin.

The same Master of theuniverse who said we should put ontfillin is the One who said not to putthem on in a place like this, one

brother said to console the other.

So I thought, who knows whichtfilla is more accepted by G-d, theone I pray in the large shul in KiryatChabad in Tzfas, with a largecongregation, or the one I prayalone in a forsaken corner ofColombo?

SUNDAY, 9 TISHREI: The eveof Yom Kippur. There is no whitechicken with which to do Kaparos.This money will go to tzdaka, tothe Chabad house of Sri Lanka,

and I remembered how in Tzfas theyslaughter an entire semi-trailer loadfull of white chickens. I remindmyself of the story of the holy

brothers. The same Master of theuniverse that wants us to use a whitechicken for Kaparos in Tzfas, wantsus to be in Sri Lanka in order to bemekarev His children.

In the afternoon we take a tok-tok to the sea and immerse. The

locals look at us in wonder. Then Igive malkos (symbolic lashes) to myson, but who can do the same forme?

In the afternoon we packed allthe good food that Talia hadprepared for the Seuda HaMafsekes,along with all the utensils and thecake for the end of the fast, and we

went to the Hilton Hotel ofColombo. The hotel management

deviated from its normal policy inallowing Mendi to rent theconference hall in the hotel wherethe tfillos would take place as wellas the meal before the fast.

About 25 people came for themeal and that was already a greatachievement. The waiters served andI imagined what it would be like

when Moshiach comes.I explained to the people in

English about the significance of the

Kol Nidrei prayer and the otherprayers of the day. When YomKippur began, Mendi was thechazan and I guided the people, Weare now on p. 42. I am so unusedto this style of davening.

YOM KIPPUR:We did not havea minyan for Shacharis or Mincha.Instead of reading the story of Yona,I told the story in English. At Nila,

we had ten Jews and could have

chazaras hashatz. We were a motleycrew with nothing in common. Wesat there together in the conferenceroom of the Hilton Colombo.Outside, life continued as usual

while here, all of us were united inthe desire to approach our Father inheaven.

One person emotionally told methat he was living in Sri Lanka for17 years, was married to a local

non-Jew, and he fasted on YomKippur every year. He knew nomore than that. This was the firstyear that he was participating in thetfillos. I thought the trip to SriLanka was worthwhile just for thisman!

Another man, a tourist from NewZealand, reminisced about going toshul, as a child, with his father.Mendi met him on his round of thehotels and invited him to the tfillos.

Its hard to believe that he wouldhave fasted otherwise.

The davening was over and weall called out Shma Yisroel. It wasan emotional moment. Mendi blewthe shofar and the fast was over. Illnever forget that Yom Kippur!

BETWEEN YOM KIPPURAND SUKKOS:We used the daysbetween Yom Kippur and Sukkos totour the country a bit. We hired a

On a rickshaw, on the way to Mivtza Lulav


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driver who took us to the tallmountains in the center of theisland. After the terrible heat ofColombo, we felt relieved toexperience weather conditions moresimilar to that of Tzfas. The road

wound through the mountains.

Along the way we saw fruit standswith many fruits that we had neverseen before. I especially enjoyed alarge, fresh pineapple, which the

vendor expertly peeled.We went to an elephant

orphanage. Its amazing to seehow one man can control dozens ofthese enormous animals. Thisillustrated for us what we learned inChassidus about the greatness ofman over animals. We took an

elephant ride and held the firstTzivos Hashem rally in the world onan elephant as we said the TwelvePsukim with Levik.

We went to our hotel at nightand explained to the manager that

we were religious Jews and couldnot eat in the restaurant. We askedfor permission to cook on theportable gas burner we had brought

with us. To our surprise, he refused.We continued to explain that we

would use it just to prepare supperfor ourselves. He was very polite buthe maintained his refusal, whichreally surprised us since Sri Lankansare nice, easy-going people.

Having no choice, Mendi tookthe portable gas burner along with a

pot and some potatoes to the end ofthe garden that surrounded the hoteland sat in the dark to cook the food.Nobody was around. All the guests

were ensconced in their rooms.Then, in the darkness, a youngcouple approached. They couldntfind their way in the vegetation thatsurrounded the hotel.

One glance from Mendi wasenough to ascertain that these wereIsraelis. Not only that but they were

mekuravim of Rabbi Yehuda Duninin Chaifa! We invited them to join usand we spent an enjoyable eveningtogether. In the morning, Mendi

went to put tfillin on with Dror.SUKKOS: Erev Sukkos Mendi

and Danny (one of the mekuravim)built a sukka on the roof. There wasno problem with schach since thereis an abundance of coconut leavesthere. For those who dont know,coconuts grow on a palm very

similar to the date palm, but itstaller.

We had a few guests for the nightmeals. One of them, Oran, hadtraveled a lot in the Far East and hadalready visited several Chabadhouses. He told us a story that he

had heard at the Chabad house inDelhi. When the bachurim-shluchimarrived there, they wanted to putstickers on all the rickshaws, but thelocal drivers did not allow it. Thedrivers consider the rickshaw tooprecious for stickers to be stuck onthem. Only one driver allowed themto do so and then he told them anincredible story.

He had not had children formany years. When his wife finally

became pregnant, it was complicatedand the doctors said she had toterminate the pregnancy. He wasdevastated by this. When the Chabadshliach saw him walkingdespondently down the street, hestopped him and asked what was

wrong.He told his story and the shliach

suggested that he come with him tothe Chabad house and write to theRebbe. He did so and when he

opened theIgros Kodesh the letterwith the Rebbes answer was clear:not to listen to the doctors but tosustain the pregnancy.

So in opposition to the doctorsadvice, this simple Indian followedthe Rebbes answer. Where did hisfaith in a man he had never heard ofor seen, come from? Its hard toknow. His wife eventually gave birthto a daughter. And now, he said tothe shluchim, you can stick as

many stickers of the Rebbe as youwant on my rickshaw.

I saw many other interestingthings on my visit, but the mostimpressive thing of all was to seeone of many young couples onshlichus from up close. We salutethem! When Moshiach comes,Hashem will bring the Jews of SriLanka to the Holy Land. May it benow!

The Hilton hotel, where we davened on Yom Kippur


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It was Rosh Chodesh Kislevnight 5767 when students ofChabad Ohr Avner in Kfar Sitrinsat and farbrenged with Rabbi

Yehoshua Raskin of Nachalat HarChabad. First, he sat with theRussian students who study in theNaaleh program and then with thestudents of the yeshiva gdola andsmicha program.

He explained to the students,in their language, the significanceof Rosh Chodesh Kislev theRebbe is healthy. Then he wenton to relate his fascinating life

story starting in Russia andcontinuing in Eretz Yisroel. Iasked if I could interview him forthis magazine and he happily

agreed.R Raskins life story isintertwined with a wide range ofstories that he merited to see andexperience in his life, many ofthem connected to the RebbesHeavenly activities to help RussianJewry, including ChabadChassidim who remained in SovietRussia. I dont know if anyonecould do a miracle like this except

for the Rebbe, began R Raskin.We lived in Gorky (todayNizhni-Novogrod). After a largegroup of Chabad Chassidim leftRussia in the famous escape of1946-7, my father also tried toleave but was caught. He managedto send his sisters across the

border but as for himself, he wastoo late. We remained in Russia.

Gorky was a closed city inRussia and you needed a special

permit to live there because manyRussian security industries werelocated there. Tourists or guests

were not allowed entry. If a son,who lived in another city, wantedto meet his parents, for example,they had to meet in Moscow.

In my youth, my brother and Iwent to learn in an undergroundyeshiva in Samarkand. It wasnteasy being accepted to the yeshiva

because they constantly tested us

in various ways to make sure wecould keep a secret.At a certain point, the

government began to allow somepeople to make aliya for thepurpose of uniting families. Mostof the families which left Russia

were from Kishinev andChernovitz. All those who receivedpermission to emigrate wereelderly. At this time there was

At a young age and even behind the Iron Curtain, Rabbi Yehoshua Raskin experienced the Rebbes miracles, starting when he was instructed to enter the lions den of the terrifying KGB building and continuing

throughout his years of work forCHAMA in the former Soviet Union. *Personal stories and recollections in aninterview with Beis Moshiach.

LIFE WITH

THE MIRACLESOF THE REBBEBy Nosson Avrohom


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great tension between Russia andIsrael because of the aid thatRussia provided the Arabs. This

was the reason that young peoplewere not allowed to emigrate. TheRussians said they werentinterested in supplying soldiers forthe Zionist army.

One of the people allowed toleave Russia was my fathers

brother-in-law, Rabbi Moshe

Veshedsky ah. It was 9 Kislev5726. He went to the Rebbe andin yechidus he asked for a brachafor us to leave Russia. At the

beginning of the yechidus he said,My brother-in-law needs a big

yeshua, referring to my father, RSholom Dovber Raskin.

The Rebbe pointed out that hetoo had needed a miracle sinceaccording to the communist

government he was supposed toremain there, and for Hashem itmakes no difference whether its a

big miracle or a small miracle. Myfather had asked R Moshe to askthe Rebbe whether we should leaveGorky, but the Rebbe said there

was no reason to move since thecommunists ruled everywhere.

Then the Rebbe surprisinglysaid that we should submit papers


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to leave the country to theemigration office in Gorky. RMoshe was taken aback sinceGorky was a tough place underextra surveillance, making it muchharder to deal with them.

When we found out what the

Rebbe had said, we wereflabbergasted. To present thepapers in Gorky?! To a normalperson this idea was out of thequestion. (To make this clearer Illtell you that in 5750, afterperestroika, I went to Russia on

behalf of the CHAMA organizationtogether with a group of bachurimin order to do activities in variouscities. I was able to go everywhere

but Gorky, which was still closed

to strangers!)If the Rebbe said it though, we

wouldnt argue, despite our greatfear. My parents asked my brotherand me to return to Gorky. Werealized it had to do withrequesting permission to leaveRussia.

We lived in a commoncourtyard with gentile neighbors.

When the letter with the specialstamp arrived in the mailbox, one

of the gentiles opened the box.When he saw it was addressed tous, he was sure it contained aharsh decree from the governmentand he threw it in the snow. Onlyafterwards, when he realized thatthis was dangerous, did he slip theenvelope under our door.

Remember, tensions with Israelran high. If the authorities foundout that a Jewish woman receiveda letter from her son in Israel, she

was fired from her job.Rabbi Sholom Ber Laine, my

mothers brother, sent us aninvitation to emigrate to Israelunder the program of unitingfamilies. After receiving this letter,a new problem arose. There wasno emigration office in Gorky. It

was simply out of the question tothem that any resident living there

would ever leave. We didnt knowhow to submit our request. Myparents finally decided that if theRebbe said we should submit ourpapers in Gorky, we would have togo to the KGB office.

The KGB building was a

building with four stories aboveground. Nobody knew how manyadditional stories wereunderground. People walked four

blocks out of their way tocircumvent it. Yet we were goingto enter the lions den with theRebbes bracha.

My mother and I arrived thereand apprehensively entered. Weasked at the entrance where wecould submit our emigration

request. The clerks were furiousand every minute another clerkand another soldier joined thefracas and shouted traitors atus. It was terrifying.

Then in the midst of thecommotion, a door

beis moshiach #618

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