beis moshiach #621

8/14/2019 Beis Moshiach #621

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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

[email protected]

HEBREW EDITOR:Rabbi Sholom Yaakov [email protected]

YERUSHALAYIM UP FOR SALEShleimus HaAretz | Shai Gefen

THE ETERNAL HOUSE OF YAAKOVDvar Malchus | Likkutei Sichos Vol. 15, pg. 231-242

5712 (1951/52) SHMITA DURING THETZENAInsight | Shneur Zalman Berger

PLEASE TEST ME IN THIS!Shlichus | Nosson Avrohom

THE ETERNAL LIFE OF MOSHIACH BENDOVIDMoshiach & Geula | Rabbi Sholom Dovber HaLevi Wolpo

TALES OF THE SUPERNATURALShlichus | Rabbi Yaakov ShmuelevitzSAVING A FAMILY FROM SPIRITUALDESTRUCTIONFeature | Avrohom Reinitz

OUR CHILDREN, THE SHLUCHIMShlichus | Rabbi Yehoshua Dubrawski

A DAILY DOSE OF MOSHIACHMoshiach & Geula


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1. In connection with the verse (in our Torahportion1), And he named that place (the [destined]location of the Holy Temple) The House of G-d, theGemara2 says: Unlike Avrohom, regarding whom it is

written [that he called the place a] mountain, as it issaid,3 as it is said to this day, On the mountain, G-d will

be seen; unlike Yitzchok, regarding whom it is written[that he called the place a] field, as it is said,4 And

Yitzchok went forth to pray in the field; but like Yaakov,who called it a house, as it said, And he named that5

place The House of G-d.6 Thus, it states in

Yeshayahu,

7

the house of the L-rd of Yaakov, and notthe house of the L-rd of Avrohom, nor the house of theL-rd of Yitzchok8 (as will be discussed).

There are commentaries9 that explain that the threenames mountain, field, and house signify thethree Holy Temples. To that extent, it is specifically theThird Temple that is called House, indicating anestablished, settled place (unlike a mountain orfield), expressing the unique innovation and especialquality of the Third Temple that only it will be anestablished and eternal structure, whereas the First andSecond Temples were destroyed.

This is also the reason why it was specifically Yaakov who called it a house, because the inheritance of Yaakov is an inheritance without boundaries,10 asmentioned earlier in the Torah portion,10* you shall gainstrength (ufartzta, burst forth) westward and eastwardand northward and southward.

We must, however, understand: Since it is specificallyYaakov who called it a house, at first glance, theconcept of house (a place that is settled andestablished) must be expressed in the conduct and theorder of events in the life11 of Yaakov Avinu (especially in

comparison with Avrohom andYitzchok , who called it a mountainand a field respectively). However,the fact is to the contrary. It isspecifically Yaakov whose lifeexperience was the opposite of beingsettled and established (especially

compared to Avrohom and Yitzchok, who enjoyed peace throughout alarge portion of their lives, dwelling in

well established residences, in a singlelocation). All of Yaakovs days werespent as a stranger in the land, [as

Yaakov himself testified] The days ofthe years of my life have been few andmiserable.12 To begin with, he wasforced to flee from Eisav, as told inthe beginning of this weeks Torahportion, And Yaakov left Beer

Sheva. Next, he was in Charan, Ihave sojourned (with Lavan).12* And finally, When

Yaakov sought to dwell in tranquility, the troubles of Yosefsprang upon him.13 Indeed, And Yaakovlived is saidonly of his seventeen years (and even they were) in Egypt[i.e., a very lowly place].13*

2. This inconsistency will be resolved in light of adiscussion of the verse in Yeshayahu14 cited above (upon

which the Gemara [in Psachim] is based): And manynations shall go, and they shall say, Come, let us ascendto the mountain of G-d, to the house of the L-rd of

Yaakov, and let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go

in His paths, etc. At first glance it is not understood:This verse speaks about the Third Holy Temple,15which

will be called a house, as mentioned above. What is thesignificance, however, (that it is the house of the L-rd of

Yaakov) in the context of this verse that many nationsshall go, and they shall say, Come, let us ascend to themountain of G-d, etc., and let Him teach us of His ways,and we will go in His paths, etc.?

We must also shed light on [the following twoquestions that arise from] the fact that this verse (Andmany nations, etc., Come, let us ascend, etc.)concludes with a description of the apparent cause

[compelling the many nations to wish to ascend, etc.]:for out of Tziyon shall the Torah come forth, and the

word of G-d from Yerushalayim.16 a) On a literal level,the verse does not come to relate that the nations willcome to the house of the L-rd of Yaakov in order toconvert and to study Torah and the word of G-d (as it isalso understood from the continuation of the Scripture inthe following verse17). So how is for out of Tziyon shallthe Torah come forth, and the word of G-d from

Yerushalayim a cause and reason for Come, let us

THE ETERNAL

HOUSE OF

YAAKOVLikkutei Sichos Vol. 15, pg. 231-242Translated by Boruch Merkur


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ascend, etc.?b) What is the significance of the redundancy, out of

Tziyon shall the Torah come forth, and the word of G-dfrom Yerushalayim? At first glance, both expressions[Torah and word of G-d] have the same intent andmeaning. Likewise, with regard to the prior redundancy,let Him teach us of His ways, and we will go in His

paths.Simply speaking, of course, the verse repeats itself for

the purpose of strengthening the message and providingemphasis, varying the terms for the sake of style, as thecommentaries of Tanach explain in several places. Thus,the verse says Yerushalayim as a synonym for Tziyon,and the word of G-d as a synonym for Torah. Thesame applies for, let Him teach us of His ways, and we

will go in His paths.

But on the other hand, everything in Torah, especiallythe Written Torah, is absolutely exact, to the extent that

we derive many laws from extra [phrases, words, letters,and etc., found] in Scripture, or from variations in thetext. This profound degree of textual precision evenapplies to the literal dimension of Scripture. In fact,Rashi18 interprets the repetitions, etc., found even in the

songs of the Torah [where you would otherwise expectpoetic license].

Similarly here, the redundant expressions do not havethe exact same connotation. Rather, they speak about two[different] concepts: a) teach us of His ways, b) we

will go in His paths; a) out of Tziyon shall the Torahcome forth, b) and the word of G-d from

Yerushalayim, as will be discussed.

[To be continued, beH]

NOTES:

1VaYeitzei 28:19.

2 Psachim 88a.

3VaYeira 22:14.

4 Chayei Sara 24:63.

5 So it is rendered in our version of Gemara. However, EinYaakov quotes the verse in VaYishlach (35:7), and he namedthe place Keil Beis Keil [meaning, The Holy One, blessed beHe, is in Beis Keil (The House of G-d); His Presence(Shchinaso) is revealed in Beis Keil (Rashi on the verse)].

6 See Footnote 6 in the original.

7 2:3, etc. see Footnote 7 in the original.

8 See Footnote 8 in the original.

9 See Chiddushei Agados Maharsha, IyunYaakov on Psachim ibid, Tzror HaMor onour Torah portion, and at length in

Alshich on our Torah portion and onThillim Mizmor 24.

10 Shabbos 118b.

10* 28:14.

11 As is written (regarding the FirstTemple) that Dovid said (DivreiHaYamim 22:7-10), as for me, it was inmy heart to build a House, etc. But the

word of the Lord was upon me, saying,etc. Behold a son will be born to you. He

will be a man of peace, etc. He shall builda House in My Name.

12VaYigash 47:9 and the commentary ofRashi; to note the commentary of Rashion Lech Lecha 15:13 (entry beginning

with the words, in the land).

12*VaYishlach 32:5.

13 Commentary of Rashi on VaYeishev 37:2.

13* Seider Eliyahu Rabba Ch. 5. SeeBaal HaTurim on the verse[VaYechi 47:28].

14 For an explanation of the verse according to Kabbala andChassidus, see Ohr HaTorah on Yeshayahu ibid, where it isdiscussed.

15 See commentaries on the verse, ibid.

16 In Radak ibid, These are the words of the prophet, not thewords of the nations, but in Mahari Kra it says, These are thewords of the nations.

17 And he shall judge between the nations, etc., and they shallbeat their swords into plowshares, etc. see Footnote 17 in theoriginal.

18 The Song of the Sea, in the portion BShalach, amongothers.

Since it is specifically Yaakov who

called it a house, at first glance, theconcept of house (a place that issettled and established) must beexpressed in his life. However, all ofYaakovs days were spent as astranger in the land, as Yaakov

himself testified, The days of the yearsof my life have been few andmiserable.


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21 MARCHESHVAN: SIGNS OF THEREDEMPTION IN TRACTATE SOTA (A) THE YOUNG WILL PUT OLD MEN TOSHAME

With the advent of thefootsteps of Moshiachyouths

will put old men to shame. Elders

will rise in deference to the young,a son will revile his father, adaughter will rise up against hermother, a daughter-in-law againsther mother-in-law, and a mansenemies will be the members ofhis household (Sota 9:15)

In Avodas Hashem, this means not taking into account onesposition and status, and evenregarding the simple concepts ofthought, speech, and action thatthe person has the breadth (dibreitkait) to serve as an arousinginfluence and guide in hissurroundings.

Furthermore, this applies evento those who have acquired this

wisdom of Torah but have yet tomerit the luminary within Torah,the teachings of chassidus he isstill a youth, etc. thus, youths

will put old men to shame.

(Igros Kodesh, Vol. 7, pg. 90)

22 MARCHESHVAN: SIGNS OF THE REDEMPTION INTRACTATE SOTA (B) A DAUGHTER WILL BRING HERMOTHER CLOSER

With the advent of the footsteps ofMoshiachadaughter will rise up against her mother (Sota9:15)

We find this even within ones own household, if heacted with leniency for some reason in certain mattersdue to the living conditions inside.

Thus, a daughter will rise up against her mother, a

daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and theyconduct themselves as is appropriate even in thesematters, without consideration for the conduct of theirmother and mother-in-law until now. And eventually,the mothers and mothers-in-law will also actaccordingly.


23 MARCHESHVAN: RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD IN THEFUTURE TO COME MEASURE FOR MEASURE

It is explained in Tanya (Chapter 36) that all

A DAILY

DOSE OF

MOSHIACH

& GEULA:21-27 MAR-CHESHVAN

Selected daily pearls of wisdom from theRebbe MHM on Moshiach and Geula.

Collected and arranged by Rabbi Pinchas MamanTranslated by Michoel Leib Dobry


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revelations in the Future to Come depend upon ouractions and our avoda during the time of the exile.

Thus, in addition to the fact that the overall avodaof the Jewish People brings the Redemption, there isalso the concept of measure for measure.

Accordingly, the avoda that the Jewish People do tobring the Redemption is:

The overall concept of mitzva fulfillment makingthe physicality of the world (which constantlydeteriorates, signifying death) into a vessel and abodefor holiness (the concept of life and eternity). Thisavoda brings the Resurrection of the Dead.

The overall concept of the avoda of birurim raising the sparks of holiness that descended and fellfrom their heights from where they came. Furthermore,since one who falls from his level is called dead(Zohar III 135b), it is understood that raising such aspark is considered as the Resurrection of the Dead.

(Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 3, pg. 1011)

24 MARCHESHVAN: RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD IN THEFUTURE TO COME IN WHAT CLOTHES WILL THEY RISE?

Just as a person goes, so he comes; he goesblind and he comes blindhe goes clothed and hecomes clothed (BReishis Rabba, Parshas Tzav).

This matter is also stated in relation to a personsdress: He goes clothed he comes clothed.

There are two opinions on the meaning of thewords goes clothed: a) the garment that a person isclothed in at his burial, shrouds; b) the clothes that he

was accustomed to wear during his lifetime.


25 MARCHESHVAN: AT THE MOMENT OF THEREDEMPTION WE MOVE TO ETERNAL LIFE WITHOUTINTERRUPTION

In simple terms, there will be no need for aninterruption chv between all the days of your life

and the days of Moshiach(as it has been with theJewish People in all generations prior to thisgeneration)since the Redemption comesimmediately at this time and in this place, in orderthat the final moment of the exile becomes the firstmoment of the Redemption.

Furthermore, from all the days of your life at

this time and in this place, without any interruptionwhatsoever chv. Even if he is already more thanseventy years old, and the like, he immediatelyproceeds with ultimate perfection they came [toEgypt] as Reuven and Shimon and they departed asReuven and Shimon to the continuation of all thedays of your life in the days of Moshiach, and theeternal life that will be then.

(sicha, Shabbos Parshas Shmos 5752)

26 MARCHESHVAN: AT THE MOMENT OF THEREDEMPTION MOSHIACH WILL ALSO RENEW THE PAST

Furthermore, and mostimportantly, this leads to theultimate state of perfection, theTrue and Complete Redemption inits simplest and most materialsenseand in a manner that willhave a retroactive effect.

For even though Moshiach hasnot yet come at this very moment,

when he will come a moment later,he will also renew (alter) themoments before this (the exile)that will be part of the Redemption(by inserting the Alef of AlufoShel Olam (Master of the World)[into gola, making Geula).

(Erev Rosh HaShana 5752)

27 MARCHESHVAN: THE SIGNS AND TIMES OF THEREDEMPTION YOUR WELLSPRINGS WILL SPREADOUTWARD WILL ALREADY BE IN ITS FULLEST SENSE

In our generation, there is the culmination ofyour wellsprings spread outward to all corners of

the earth, and in a manner that is readily discernable.The wellsprings have even reached those who are atthe furthest possible point. And the inner teachingsof Torah have been translated into the language ofevery nation (Russian, etc.) in a manner ofincreasing light.

It has reached the point that even the Tanya, the Written Torah of Chassidus, has been printed inBraille, the writing for the blind rl.

(sicha, Shabbos Parshas Shoftim 5751)

In our generation, there is theculmination of your wellsprings spread outward to all corners of the earth, and in a manner that is readilydiscernable. The wellsprings have evenreached those who are at the furthest

possible point.


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A YEAR WITHOUTVEGETABLES?

At the beginning of 5711/1950,people began preparing for theShmita year coming up in 5712.That was the first Shmita yearsince the Israeli government cameinto being and took charge ofrunning the country includingagriculture and providing for itscitizens, something which it took

direct control of.Many people were apprehensive,

beginning with rabbanim, thefarmers who had to make a fatefuldecision, and ending with thehousewives who were afraid of ayear without vegetables, which

were basic food items in thosedays.

Between the last Shmita in 5705until the upcoming Shmita, theJews of Eretz Yisroel had

undergone major upheavals. First,the number of Jews doubled,thanks to the 500,000 newimmigrants, including Holocaustsurvivors, about 49,000 YemeniteJews, and 114,000 Iraqi Jews.Many of these immigrants werestrictly religious and they wanted toobserve Shmita with all thehiddurim of kashrus. Second, with

5712 (1951/52)

SHMITA DURING

THE TZENABy Shneur Zalman Berger

Just two years had passed since the founding of Kfar Chabad. Many of theresidents supported themselves by

farming, thanks to the generosity of theIsraeli government, and then came the first Shmita year. The test was

enormous and the fears were great,including the fear that the land allottedto them would be taken away. * The

situation in the schools was difficult tooand the plight of the principals reached faraway Australia. * An overview ofShmita 5712, which was one of the

hardest Shmita years in Eretz Yisroel,as we begin the Shmita year of 5768. * Letters from the Rebbe and stories concerning the laws of Shmita as they were observed by LubavitcherChassidim 56 years ago.


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the establishment of the State ofIsrael, the responsibility foragriculture and the economy fell onits shoulders and it was necessaryto coordinate with the variousgovernment bodies.

The previous Shmita it was

possible to buy vegetables from themany Arabs who lived in Eretz

Yisroel and around it. After theWar of Independence though, thenumber of Arabs in Eretz Yisroeldiminished significantly. It wasimpossible to buy from nearby Arabfarms due to the hatred engendered

by the war. Third, it was almostimpossible to import food becausetransportation, by air and by ship,

was not as developed and

widespread as it is today.Although vegetables are basic

food items, when there arent anyvegetables you can make do with

other things, but in those years, theIsraeli economy was terrible. Thegovernment instituted a severerationing system called tzena (lit.austerity) in which food wasdistributed via ration cards. There

were shortages of everything, and

substitute food items were hard tocome by.

So from whatever angle youlooked at it, the situation looked

bleak.

THE REBBE OPPOSEDTHE HETER MCHIRA

The abovementioned facts arewhy some religious Jews wanted torely on the heter machmir (lit.

leniency of sale), which entailedselling farmland to non-Jews forthe duration of the Shmita year,and then working the land as usual.

This leniency was acceptedbdiaved (as second-best) by thechief rabbinate of Israel, but thechareidi rabbis encouraged theirfollowers not to rely on it, whileknowing how hard it would be tostrictly observe the laws of Shmita.

The Rebbe strongly opposed theheter machmir and expressed his

view on it. Yet, the Rebbe madesure to help the residents of KfarChabad, many of whom werefarmers, so they could withstandthe test. The Rebbe encouraged theleaders of the vaad of Kfar Chabadto enlist aid from organizations inIsrael and abroad, and even sentthem many letters.

And so, in the Shmita year of

5712, the Chabad Chassidimstopped buying vegetables that

were grown in Eretz Yisroel byJews. The direct result was a long

Residents of Kfar Chabad in the early yearslearning agriculture on a combine from anagricultural instructor (far right); behind himis R Yitzchok Rivkin, R Zalman Sudakevitz,R Avrohom Drizin, R Tzvi Lieberman andR Meir Rivkin


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year without vegetables on themenu, which was limited as it was.The deprivations endured due tothe tzena were greatly compoundeddue to Shmita, and in the newlyestablished settlement of Kfar

Chabad, and in Yeshivas TomcheiTmimim in Lud, ChabadChassidim among the rest of thechareidim in the Holy Land, allsuffered from the scarcities.

NOT TO VISIT ERETZYISROEL DURING THE

SHMITA YEAR

Due to the tremendous distressbecause of Shmita, in an usual

move the Rebbe told people outsideEretz Yisroel not to visit andcertainly not to move to Eretz

Yisroel that year. To one personwho wrote to the Rebbe that heplanned on visiting Eretz Yisroelafter Sukkos 5712, the Rebbe

wrote in surprise:Regarding your question about

whether to visit Eretz Yisroelafter Sukkos, what place does this

have in the Shmita year? (IgrosKodesh, vol. 4, #1221).

Rabbi Yisroel Noach Blinitzky,who wanted to move to EretzYisroel at the end of 5712, was toldby the Rebbe:

In general, the idea is a good

one in my opinion, but do notrush to make aliya and its out ofthe question for it to take place inthe Shmita year of 5712. (Yisroel

Noach HaGadol p. 313).

NOT TO RELYON LENIENCIES

Lets go back to the beginningof 5711 in Kfar Chabad, which wasa fledgling village at the time, only

two years old. Since the Kfar was

founded in the summer of 5709,the Rebbe Rayatz and the RebbeMHM encouraged the residents todo farming work to supportthemselves.

With the aid of Chabad activistsin Eretz Yisroel, the residents made

great efforts to obtain tracts of landand farming implements, in orderto achieve the goal of the Rebbeim.Jewish Agency officials and peoplein the Agricultural Department,

who were moved by the sufferingendured by the Chassidim at thehands of the Nazis and thecommunists, as well as others whoknew Chabad from the old country,helped the Chassidim. They usedevery amendment and clause in the

law in order to be able to award

In the Shmitayear of 5712, the

ChabadChassidim stopped

buying vegetablesthat were grown

in Eretz Yisroel byJews. The directresult was a long

year without

vegetables on themenu, which waslimited as it was. Farmers at work in Kfar Chabad


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them yet more land, anothermachine, more of a budget forseeds and for agriculturalinstructors.

Things were just beginning totake off when along came theShmita year and they had to call a

halt to everything, forego the helpthat came after much effort, and torest the land. They were certainthat all those government figures

who had willingly aided them untilnow would not look kindly on thissabbatical year.

Rabbi Shneur Zalman Garelik,rav of Kfar Chabad, discussed theissue extensively with otherrabbanim in Eretz Yisroel. He

wrote to the Rebbe about it and

received a response (dated 21Shvat 5711) in which the Rebbe

wrote that not only in Kfar Chabadwould they observe the stringenciesof the laws of Shmita: RegardingShmita, according to informationreceived here, the chareidikibbutzim in Eretz Yisroel willnot rely on the leniencies and willobserve Shmita khalacha. (Igros

Kodesh, vol. 4, p. 154)In light of the Rebbes position,

Kfar Chabad would not rely on theheter machmir and the farmers

would not work the land. Rumorhad it that the government wouldcompel the residents to continue

working the land, for it was thegovernment that had given themthe land as well as the farmingtools.

This was the reason that whenMr. Mordechai Surkis, head of thecouncil in Kfar Saba and member

of the Working Committee of theHistadrut (National Labor Union),

visited the Rebbe in 5711, theRebbe spoke to him about this.Surkis promised to see to it thatthe government would not forcethe residents of Kfar Chabad to

work the land which would gocontrary to their conscience.

The Rebbe quickly informed

Rabbi Garelik about this in a letterdated 29 Sivan 5711:

You write that there is awidespread rumor that thegovernment will force planting inthe Shmita year. I was visited byMr. Surkis, one of the membersof the Working Committee of the

Histadrut, who is also quitefamiliar with government circles,and when the conversation turnedto this topic, he assured me thathe would do what he could sothat Kfar Chabad can do as itpleases, without outside coercion.He said that he was almost 100%certain that he would be able toachieve this.

The Shmita year was fastapproaching and the Rebbe, like a

father who looks out for hischildren, repeatedly urged thepeople on the vaad of Kfar Chabadto obtain sufficient financial aid forthe farmers of the Kfar. The Rebbemade various suggestions as to

who to speak to, to obtain aid. Inthe summer of 5711, the Rebbesuggested they try to get help fromthe Shmita fund in the US.

At the end of Av and thebeginning of Elul 5711, leaders ofthe Joint Distribution Committee ofthe US visited Israel. When theRebbe heard about this, he wrote tothe vaad of Kfar Chabad to try andsee to it that these leaders visitKfar Chabad, and after a proper

reception, representatives of theresidents, along withrepresentatives of Aguch, andrepresentatives of Chabad shuls inthe country, should meet with themand politely ask for aid for theShmita year. (Igros Kodeshvol. 4#1135).

The visit took place, in thecourse of which a memorandumabout Shmita in Kfar Chabad wassubmitted to Dr. Schwartz,

director of the JDC. Chabadactivists feared that this request

wasnt enough and so they askedRabbi Pinye Altheus, a member ofthe administration of Aguch, to askthe Rebbe to prevail upon Dr.Schwartz to accede to theirrequest. The Rebbe gave the job ofconvincing Dr. Schwartz to RBinyamin Gorodetzky who was

Mordechai Surkis at a farbrengen in Kfar Chabad


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successful.The residents of Kfar Chabad

nearly breathed a sigh of reliefwhen at the last moment somethingwent wrong and Dr. Schwartz saidhe had no funds for this purpose as

well as other excuses like, It isdifficult to explain to the donorshere in America why they shoulddonate towards this cause insofaras it well know that the chiefrabbinate accepted the hetermachmir.

The Rebbe expressed hissurprise about this negative answerin a letter to the vaad of KfarChabad dated 22 Cheshvan. TheRebbe did not give up, but

suggested another idea for funding:I have also found out, and this

is practical information, that theJewish Agency set aside a sum of125,000 as a Shmita fund. Forthis you need to present a demanddirectly to the Jewish Agency inEretz Yisroel. Naturally, theearlier you do this, the better.(Igros Kodeshvol. 5, p. 28).

The vaad of Kfar Chabadlooked into the matter but wereunsuccessful in this too. Thesecretary of the vaad, Rabbi

Yitzchok Mendel Liss, reported tothe Rebbe, who responded viatelegram dated 20 Kislev:

The matter of the JewishAgency Shmita fund is based onwhat (Dr.) Schwartz toldGorodetzky, who is now visitingin Eretz Yisroel.

On 12 Teives the Rebbeexplained in a letter to the vaadthat he was surprised to hear thatthey received a negative responseafter Dr. Schwartz told himexplicitly about the AgencysShmita fund. The Rebbe expressed

his fear that they were hiding theexistence of the Shmita fund fromthem so that they would not be

besieged by petitioners and so theRebbe suggested:

If you can meet with Dr.Schwartz and remind him,politely though anddiplomatically, about this matter,he can help you with this.

The many efforts failed andmoney was not received from the

fund. A few months later, theRebbe asked again about thefinancial aid. In a letter to Aguch inSivan, the Rebbe wrote: What wasthe final result regarding Shmita?(Igros Kodeshvol. 21, p. 165).

Life in Kfar Chabad that yearwas not simple. I was not able toobtain much information about thatyear since most of the farmers ofthat year are no longer among theliving.

THE TMIMIM ALWAYSLACKED FOOD

The general austerity of thetime was felt not only in peopleshomes but also by the Tmimim in

Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim, whichwas in Pardes in Lud at the time.While writing this article I spokewith some talmidim of the yeshiva

in Lud that year, 5712, but theylaughed. The situation was so direthat regardless of Shmita, the lackof food was typical of that time.

The fact that despite thehardships of the time there wasfood for the bachurim is to the

credit of Rabbi Efraim Wolf andRabbi Avrohom (Maiyor) Drizin,menahalim of the yeshiva. Theyspared no effort to care for thetalmidim so they would have foodto eat.

The yeshivas administrationpleaded before government officialsand donors to donate basic fooditems. They also enlisted the helpof donors from abroad who sentthem shipments of meat.

Sometimes these shipments did notarrive at their destination for

various reasons. The little bit offood that they obtained from hereand there, took great effort andmuch money.

One of the important donors tothe yeshiva at that time was RabbiShmuel Betzalel Altheus ofMelbourne, Australia. The mashpiain the yeshiva, R Avrohom Maiyor,had asked him for urgent

assistance back at the beginning ofthe year:

Our financial situation, which isunbearable, forces us to turn to youonce again and to remind you ofthe terrible circumstances we are in In addition to this, this year is aShmita year, and we do not use

vegetables that are grown here, andso we are bereft from here and fromthere. We have no foodstuff sinceour supplies are completely gone

and we cannot use the vegetables.We face a serious problem thatthreatens the existence of ourinstitution, because what can we

give our talmidim to eat?We have no other recourse but to

turn to our friends abroad for help.We ask you to try with all your

great effort to send us food to theyeshiva as soon as possible for each

Our supplies arecompletely goneand we cannot

use thevegetables. Weface a seriousproblem thatthreatens the

existence of ourinstitution,

because what canwe give our

talmidim to eat?


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passing day the burden is heavyupon us.

A SHIPMENT AS PERTHE REBBES ORDERS

The Rebbe told Aguch in EretzYisroel, before the Shmita yearbegan, to arrange the acquisitionof food that had no Shmitaproblems, and to disseminateInformation Regarding Shmita( Igros Kodeshvol. 4, #1183).

The Chabad posek, RabbiChaim Naeh, followed theseinstructions, even though its not

clear he knew about them. During5712 he publicized inHamodia,many practical responses regardingthe laws of Shmita. Theseresponses were about an array oftopics that pertained to Shmitasuch as produce grown duringShmita, the laws of consumingShmita fruits before the appointedtime,pruzbul, the Shmita ofmoney, etc.

These responses, which werethe only ones of their sort at thattime, were welcomed by thechareidi public who observed

Shmita. It enabled them to knowwhat to do regarding tending theirland, how to treat the fruit thatgrew in the Shmita year, etc.

Being one of the heads of therabbinical court of Agudas Israel,Rav Naeh supervised the kashrusof Shmita products throughout thecountry. He personally sufferedfrom the lack of food. He haddiabetes which forced him to eat astrictly balanced diet and forbade

him from eating bread. For thisreason, the Rebbe told hissecretaries to ask R BinyaminGorodetzky to send him foodpackages from Europe.

There were other generousLubavitchers who sent foodpackages to the distinguishedposek who worked hard on writingpractical halachic works despitethe shortages and the difficulties.

We learn a little bit about theshipments he received from a pieceof information that we glean froma letter replete with Torah terms

that he wrote to Rabbi YitzchokDubov, a distinguished Chassid inLondon:

19 Iyar, 5712my dear friend,HaRav HaGaonYitzchok Dubovshlita Yes, I received threepackages of meat. Each time therewere 12 boxes. From R YechezkelGoldman of London. I wrote tohim that he should tell me who

sent them because he mentionedonly that he was sending meat

Many thanks, for this is verynecessary for me since I cannot eatbread because of my diabetes. We

dont eat vegetables during Shmitathat were planted by Jews duringthis forbidden time, and meat isnot available here. There is little

fish. That is the extent to whichphysical consumption of food holdsany significance.

In a letter that the Rebbe sent

A group of Tmimim in 5711 at the yeshiva in Lud; in the center is the mashpia,Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Kesselman on the right, and the mashgiach, Rabbi Leizer Horowitz


12/37

him at that time, the Rebbe wishedhim good health:

May Hashem bless you withgood health so you can beinvolved in Torah and avoda withpeace of mind and peace of bodyto enlarge Torah and aggrandize

it, especially in clarifying theteachings of our holy Rebbeim.

Later in this letter, the Rebbeinquired whether Rabbi Naeh hadreceived the packages of meatthrough R Gorodetzky in Parisand when he received them andhow much it contained (Igros

Kodesh, vol. 6, p. 64).I will conclude this article with

the Rebbes instruction to theadministration of Kfar Chabad for

the next Shmita year, 5719, after

some farmers in Kfar Chabadcomplained back in the middle of5717 that the vaad was notpreparing early enough. TheRebbe responded (in a letterdated the first day of RoshChodesh Iyar) that they should

learn from those places in whichShmita was properly observed,that when one Shmita year ends,they already begin to prepare forthe next one, and that they couldfind out how to do so from thoseinvolved in this at moshavKomemiyus and kibbutz ChafetzChaim.

Sources: Igros Kodesh, Yisroel NoachHaGadol, Hearos LMaaseh BInyanei Shmita,

Anashim Chassidim Hayu, Dvar HaShmita,Pardes Chabad, Beis Moshiach, Hiskashrus, and

personal interviews

The letter written by R Avrohom

Maiyor, asking for help in feedingthe Tmimim

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I can say with near certainty thatthe fact that all my children are onthe Rebbes shlichus is not to mycredit. No doubt, the merit of theirancestors stood by them and I feelfortunate that my merit did notundermine this merit.

I have the zchus banim to seethe fascinating world of the shliachand shlucha from up close, whichcauses joy to be implanted in myheart on this side, and tears to beimplanted in my heart on that side.

Ill start from the end, from thetears. The Torah tells us about thefirst Jew, the first of the Avos (andHashems first shliach in the

world), Avrohom Avinu, who wastold by Hashem, Go forth from

your land, from your birthplace,and from your fathers house.Leave. Remove yourself from theland you were born in, from yourchildhood environment, from yourhome. These words are engraved in

words of fire on the flag of everyshliach and shlucha.

Heaven forbid to diminish, evenby a hairsbreadth, from theincomparable lech lecha of

Avrohom Avinu (which isappreciated even more by one whoknows the inner meaning of this

verse). However, the fact is thatAvrohoms leaving home meantleaving Terach, while the shluchimsleaving entails leaving the loving,

warm, Chassidishe family they grewup in. This requires altogetherdifferent soul powers.

Not only that but we are talkingabout a young couple who just gotmarried. The husband and wife

were raised within the four cubits ofthe Rebbe. From their youth theygrew accustomed to longfarbrengens in 770, and in themiddle of the night, as the Rebbes

voice reverberated over the

loudspeaker, they slept among pilesof coats in a corner and dreamtsweet Chassidishe dreams until Itook them out of there (as did theother fathers who brought theirchildren to farbrengens) towardsmorning.

For them, the command of lechlecha was also a directive to leavethe sanctified and illuminatedhouse of your father, with all the

spiritual delights they experiencedin the large, holy house of theirfather, the Nasi, the meshaleiach!

One of my daughters and herhusband, were given an explicitinstruction from the Rebbe to go onshlichus to a distant land. In theirfinal yechidus before leavingBrooklyn, the Rebbe encouragedthem in a fatherly way and blessedthem, and then he added somethingthat only the meshaleiach candemand. He demanded, mainlyfrom the shlucha, that the lechlecha be with utter simcha, withsimcha that began then and there!

She faced the Rebbe with tearson her face from the emotions she

was experiencing and from theawesomeness of the occasion. TheRebbe wanted them to be tears ofsimcha, and surely he accomplishedthis. Beyond the veil of her tearsshe could see the Rebbespenetrating, serious gaze as heasked that she answer immediatelythat she was traveling happily, as

well as the satisfaction radiatingfrom his face when she nodded herconsent.

Not for naught did the Rebbespeak about the mesirus nefesh andheroism of the young shluchim, as

well as the restraint and heroism oftheir parents who hold back theirtears as they say goodbye to theirchildren who leave for distant parts.

Even the eyes of bystanders weremoist when they saw the dancing ofthe shluchim and those who

The lech lecha from your fathershouse that the shluchim do, from theperspective of their father. * Snapshots

and anecdotes depicting the heroism ofour generation.

OUR CHILDREN,

THE SHLUCHIMBy Rabbi Yehoshua Dubrawski


14/37

accompanied them, as they sang,Dear brothers, dear brothers, we

will see each other once again, wewill see each other once again.When Hashem gives us health andlife

The planting with tears of

many shluchim in spiritualwastelands in indescribable: theirmighty efforts to obtain bread, pas

Yisroel, efforts to obtain milk,chalav Yisroel, not to mention thesplitting of the sea that they gothrough until they manage to get adrop of the spiritual medicine intothe souls of unconscious Jews.

I saw this on my first visit to thecity of my children whom Imentioned earlier. It was planting

with tears in the literal andextreme sense of the term. Yearslater, I had the privilege of alsoseeing the harvesting, animpressive spiritual yield in quantityand quality. There still wasntsong (as in

harvesting with song) becausethey were still busy with planting(and it is no simple matter to plant

with song).When I visited another one of

my children on shlichus, my heartwas pained when I saw the lech

lecha on an even greater scale. Theyoung couple left the warm nestnear 770 a few years after theymarried and had to say lech lechato their young children.

The fact that there was nokosher meat in the vicinity didnt

bother anyone. The discovery thatthere was no kosher milk for theirchildren wasnt overly disturbing.Nu, the kitchen would be pareve fora while. However, the fact that

there was no proper school for aneight-year-old boy and seven-year-old girl that was intolerable.

The young couple got to workand did what only shluchim of theRebbe

can do. They took the two littlechildren, packed their bags, andsent them off hundreds of milesaway to a city where there wereChassidishe schools. The childrencould not stop their tears as theysaid goodbye to their parents at the

station, while they, the parents,restrained themselves and evenspoke to them encouragingly and

with forced smiles.For months which turned into

years, the children boarded at thehomes of strangers. Their hosts

were nice but the children sufferedand kept quiet (one example: whenthe hosts were out of the house, thecleaning lady did not let them eat!).These children-shluchim were

heroes, as are their parents.Now think of this when these

children are grown and start afamily and want to go on

Fromleft to right: Rabbi Yehoshua

Dubrawski with his three sons, the shluchimMenachem Mendel, Lipa, and Yosef Yitzchok


15/37

shlichus, how difficult it will be forthem to put their children through

what they themselves went through.This is because the shluchim createa circle of mekuravim, they start apreschool in the wilderness, but noschools develop as the baalei

tshuva leave for more religiouscities.

This is only scratching thesurface of the story of one shliachout of thousands, a drop in theocean of outreach activities andupheavals in all areas of Jewish lifethroughout the world. Theimpossibility of describing even afraction of what is involved is anoutgrowth of the tremendous powerthat the Rebbe invested into the

concept of a shliach.We were used to hearing of the

shliach as a borrowed term used fora specific mission a mitzva, anactivity, or even a series ofactivities. The shlichus was alwayslimited in time and place and thisreflected the very concept ofshliach. The shlichus was done inthe best possible way and themeshaleiach was happy. Thus theshlichus ended.

However the Rebbe innovatedthat a shliach is involved in ongoing

work his whole life. His shlichusabsorbs his life, his days and nights,his wife and children, his house.His actions, his dreams, all of it issurrounded and permeated byshlichus.

The meshaleiach does not allowresting on the laurels of ones

earlier successes after the passageof a certain period of time, and hecertainly does not allow a vacationor a break to refresh oneself, eventhough by rights they earned this

bonus. The meshaleiach is insatiableand demands more and more. This

ambition becomes engraved deepwithin the shliachs heart.

With this perspective of anongoing activity, Ive seen aphenomenon no less important withmore than one of my children. Afteryears of devotion, establishing aChabad house or school which is amajor accomplishment unto itself,

just then, when all seems rosy,comes the test. The mosad falters

because of some despicable tattling

to the government, sometimes withthe help of jealous Misnagdim. Insuch a dire situation, even talentedand energetic people would raisetheir hands in defeat and look forother sources of parnasa, but notshluchim!

Here is where you see thesuperhuman abilities endowed bythe meshaleiach. The shliach pickshimself up and continues with lechlecha as he starts a new chapter of

planting with tears that ispreceded with deep plowing.

Ive seen it with my children onshlichus. They are moser nefesh sothat another Jew will learn Torah.Thats what they see as the breadand butter of shlichus, and theyhave to deal with the jealousy andhatred from inside and without.Only the strength of the

meshaleiach propels them forwardto continue, despite it all.

Did you ever ask yourself, whyis it that this huge revolution whichis shlichus is ignored by thereligious writers of ourgeneration? How come

encyclopedias, textbooks, museums,data banks and statistical think-tanks that examine every aspect ofJewish life still do not place at theforefront the story of a movementof thousands of shluchim aroundthe world?

The small minds and pettypartisan outlooks of non-Chabadgroups stop them from even talkingabout those whom they should besaluting for providing them with

customers for their hechsherim andbooks and hosts for theirfundraisers: the shluchim.

We all remember how theLitvishe yeshiva world (whichimproved dramatically in its yirasShamayim thanks to the bachurimfrom Polish and Hungarian groups)laughed at the Rebbes mivtzaim.

Years went by, the laughter dieddown, and slowly, and under othernames, they began to copy all the

mivtzaim.Its not that we have complaints

about that. On the contrary, theRebbe emphasized that Chabad hasno monopoly on kiruv. Let them domore and more. Its that theirkiruv rechokim includesdistancing people from theinfluence of the shluchim andChabad houses. To achieve this goal

they dont hesitate to employdegenerate means to oppose

Chabad which are reminiscentof its a halacha that isknown that Eisav hates

Yaakov.To end on a good note,

may we merit that shluchimfrom Ger and Ponovezh, etc.,

join us at the KinusHaShluchim and this willcertainly hasten the true andcomplete Redemption.

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16/37

DIRECT CONNECTION

President Bush announced that ifthey dont stop Iran from building anuclear reactor, it will lead to World

War III. At the same time, thenations of the world are creating atumult about Yerushalayim and

Yehuda-Shomron, wanting to forcethe Jewish people to continue itscollective suicide.

The Rebbe said in 5744 thatthere is a connection between the

world trembling and talk about

giving away land. The Rebbe said,when you give away parts of EretzYisroel, this has an immediate effecton world peace. We see how the

world is nervous about Iran at thevery same time that they arepressuring Israel to give up land.Thats the way it was with CampDavid, which took place around thetime of the revolution in Iran, andthats how it has been since the

Expulsion from Gush Katif as thethreats from Iran increase.

The Rebbe gave us the job ofexplaining to the world that Eretz

Yisroel belongs solely to the Jewishpeople, and a non-Jew who takes itfrom a Jew is deserving of the deathpenalty according to the SevenNoachide Laws. Therefore, thenations need to understand that theturmoil in Israel is not a localproblem in the Mid-East that needsto be solved by giving away land and

forming a Palestinian state. Thatwont solve anything; it will makethings worse!

Chabad Chassidim, and theshluchim especially, as well asanybody who has connections withinfluential leaders, must express our

view. We need to explain howdangerous it is to concede parts ofIsrael and how this endangers the

Western world.

As the Kinus HaShluchim isabout to begin, please shluchim,make shleimus haAretz a priority atthe Kinus, as part of the wars ofHashem that the Rebbe is waging. AJew who lives in Brooklyn, Londonor Moscow who thinks hes safe isgravely mistaken.

RABINS LEGACY

For twelve years we have beensubject to Rabin festivals. Everyyear, religious Jews are afraid tostick their noses outside during thehilula celebrations for Rabin, infear of the anti-religious hatreddirected against them.

What remains of Rabins legacytwelve years later? Rabins legacy isthousands of widows and orphans,people who are maimed, a legacy ofhatred, a broken country that is onthe verge of collapse. Israel has paidthe price. Any festival or ceremonythat commemorates Rabins death isnothing but a cover-up for anongoing crime against humanity.

WHY THE FUSS OVERYERUSHALAYIM?

In recent weeks we are hearinghow certain people and groups whocould care less about our givingaway Yehuda and Shomron, arehorrified over Olmerts intention ofgiving away Yerushalayim. Pleaseexplain to me, why is Yerushalayimdifferent than Chevron, than

Yehuda-Shomron, than Gush Katif?

Whether the rebuke is actually effectiveis up to Hashem, but the rebuking mustbe done. Chazal say that even if it seems

to him that he has accomplishednothing, and perhaps not only does it

seem that way but it is actually the case,nevertheless, even 100 times, and the

halacha is to be taken literally.

YERUSHALAYIM

UP FOR SALEBy Shai Gefen


17/37

Those who helped give awayparts of Yehuda-Shomron byclaiming that danger to life is moreimportant than land (as thoughgiving away land doesnt endangerlife) should be supporting givingaway Yerushalayim to Arabs. The

Arabs want Jerusalem and shouldntwe give it to them, to appeasethem?

So why the double standard?Because they assumed that there is aconsensus over Yerushalayim andnow they see they were wrong. Ifsomeone thought he could go to theKosel for the price of giving awayparts of Eretz Yisroel to ourmurderers, well, he hasnt learnedhow far capitulation can go. We still

remember those chareidim on theLeft who preached about giving

away land with the ridiculous claimof pikuach nefesh. Now, all of asudden theyre nervous about

Yerushalayim. Theyre not willing togive up their beis midrash for thesake of peace, but when they gaveGush Katif to the enemy, theyrejoiced.

As for the group that insistedthat it wasnt the place for us, the

chareidim, to mix in to these issuesbecause we dont mix in to securitymatters, have suddenly woken up

when parts of Yerushalayim near theSchneller fortress are underconsideration. What hypocrisy it is

when they cry about dividingYerushalayim.

Thirty years ago, when they gaveaway just the Sinai, the Rebbe, as

the prophet who sees the future,said that the law of Yerushalayim islike the law of Yehuda-Shomron:

It would seem that we dont seeany purpose in protests, and if so,

what good will another protest andanother speech do? Furthermore,

since it doesnt help, then itsdvarim bteilim, Heaven forbid,since this talk wont accomplishanything anyway, especially whenthey could be talking divrei Torahand inspiring people to yirasShamayim at this time. So why

waste time, as it were?The answer is that we have a

mitzva in the Torah of givingrebuke. Whether the rebuke isactually effective is up to Hashem,

but the rebuking must be done.Chazal say that even if it seems to

him that he has accomplishednothing, and perhaps not onlydoes it seem that way but it isactually the case, nevertheless,even 100 times, and the halachais to be taken literally. Eventhough he spoke 99 times and thesituation remained the same asbefore, he is told to try, even 100times.

Especially when, if you thinkabout it, you understand that ifnot for the 99 times of rebukingand yelling until now, the situation

would be far worse! It has turnedout that we have seen retroactivelythat although, in some cases,

while talking, it did not seem asthough anything wasaccomplished, after some time it

turned out that their words hadsome effect.

The main purpose in talking is,since there is a mitzva in theTorah, the Torah of life, thatall Jews are considered kosher and here we are not presenting a

personal opinion but repeatingsomething written in the Torah therefore, it is possible that whenthey mention it, it will have aneffect up Above and that will havean effect down below, to effect achange action is the mainthing.

The same is true for the PeaceAgreements, those agreementsthat, may Heaven have mercy,some people are celebrating and

are seeing to it that everybody takepart in the joy of the Peace

Agreement that was signed. Thosewho dont want to rejoice theycompel to act joyously, and if this

wasnt a time of joy (MotzaeiShabbos at a Melaveh Malka) afast day ought to be decreed forthe entire world for this thingcalled a peace agreement, whichis actually just the opposite and wesee no peace resulting.

After they heard peoplecomplaining about this agreement,they consoled themselves that afterall, they stood strong about

Yerushalayim. According tohalacha there is no differencebetween Yerushalayim and someplace in Yehuda and Shomron.The Shulchan Aruch says,regarding giving away land, thatsince this endangers life, it opensthe land before them, it is

forbidden to give an inch of EretzYisroel and it makes no differencewhether its Yerushalayim or inYehuda and Shomron!

If it is permissible to give awayland in Yehuda and Shomron, asthey maintain, since there is nodanger because the other sidepromised and signed thatthere would be peace, why do they

A fast day ought to be decreed for theentire world for this thing called a

peace agreement, which is actuallyjust the opposite and we see no peace

resulting.


18/37

oppose giving away the Old City ofYerushalayim, when the Arabsmake promises? If you opposegiving away Yerushalayim, youshould also oppose giving away

Yehuda and Shomron.Those who fool themselves by

saying that Yerushalayim isdifferent than Yehuda andShomron, are deliberately ignoringthe psak din that makes Yehudaand Shomron the equivalent of

Yerushalayim and establishes thatgiving any land, no matter where itmay be, endangers us to the pointof opening the land before them.

From this we see what sort ofstrength it is when they stronglyinsist on Yerushalayim and not on

Yehuda and Shomron!As said before, if the reason to

give away Yehuda and Shomron isbecause of danger to life, then thatis the Torah law, and if so, theyshould also give away the Old Cityof Yerushalayim, including theKosel and the Har HaBayis!

(Motzaei Shabbos BaMidbar 5739)

WHY THE SURPRISE?

Severe Crisis of Faith in theIDF was the headline inMaariv.The article said, Secret data thatthe army presented to the primeminister reveal the sad reality, 40%of the public do not have faith in

the army leadership; only 25% ofthe reservists trust the highcommand; many of the careersoldiers want to leave.

They are all surprised. Nobodyunderstands why this happened.

After years of preventing the armyfrom carrying out its mission ofpursing and destroying ourenemies, and turning the army intoa political entity that pursues Jews,

while failing in their wars, is it anywonder that there is a serious crisisin the nations trust in the armyshigh command?

Over the course of years ourprime ministers have destroyed thearmys effectiveness while using itfor purposes that go contrary tothe armys values. The armyreached its nadir during theDisengagement period, when it was

led by a chief of staff who waspicked especially for the purpose ofexpelling Jews. For an entire year,thousands of soldiers trained toexpel Jews and destroy flourishingsettlements.

For over a year they stopped the

regular ongoing training ofreservists, in order to finance theswollen budget for theDisengagement. Our Intelligence inthe northern sector failed since it

was being used against settlers andpeople on the Right. Is it any

wonder that when they had to fightthe second Lebanon war they werecaught unprepared?

After all this, they continue tothink up wicked plans of giving

away more land and using the armyto expel tens of thousands of Jewsfrom their homes. There is onlyone way to restore the peoplestrust in the army and that is if thearmy gets back to its real job whichis to defend Jews, rather than usethe soldiers mesirus nefesh forimmoral purposes.

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10. WHAT DOES THE RAMBAM MEANWHEN HE WRITES, THIS IS NOT THE

ONE PROMISED BY THE TORAH?The truth is that we can bring

another explanation of the statementof the Rambam (and this is itssimple interpretation). First, we haveto understand: What exactly doesthe Rambam mean when he adds the

words and if he didnt succeed?The simple intent is to keep a Jewfrom reaching a state of heresy. For

when the Torah testifies regardingsomeone that he is presumed to beMoshiach, and afterwards he iskilled, there are those who may notsay I believe in the coming of theMoshiach the next day, seeing thatthe Moshiach promised by Torah hasalready been killed, and rl he willthink as did Hillel (Sanhedrin 98b),There shall be no Moshiach forIsrael, because they have alreadyenjoyed him in the days ofChizkiyahu.

Therefore, the Rambam says thatwe have to know that the situation

until now on the level of presumedto be Moshiach is still not the onepromised by the Torah, and thus,the fact that the Moshiach ispresently not before us does notchv represent the end of theconcept of Moshiachs coming. TheTorah has promised that theRedemption will be throughMoshiach in actual deed, i.e.,Moshiach will build the BeisHaMikdash and redeem the Jewish

People at the Redemption in themost literal sense.

Thus, it is understood that theRambam simply doesnt touch uponthe question of whether theMoshiach that has been up until now

will come himself afterwards at theResurrection of the Dead and bringthe Redemption. This is becauseaccording to the essence of thehalacha, it depends. If this is not yet

the time for the Redemption, anotherMoshiach will have to come later in

the generation of the Redemption,prepare the Jewish People, and fightthe wars of G-d, and then theprevious Moshiach will remain onlypresumed to be Moshiach, just asBar Koziba was the Moshiach of hisgeneration as all the suitable kingsof the House of Dovid who died,and he has neither returned nor willreturn to bring the Redemption.However, if we are talking about thelast generation of the exile and the

first generation of the Redemption,the one who was presumed to beMoshiach will himself rise to be onthe level of Moshiach vadai(definitely the Moshiach).

PRESUMED TO BE MOSHIACH MOSHIACH BEN YOSEF, AND AFTERRECEIVING ETERNAL LIFE MOSHIACH BEN DOVID

Looking more deeply into the

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.

THE ETERNAL LIFE OF

MOSHIACH BEN DOVIDBy Rabbi Sholom Dovber HaLevi WolpoTranslated By Michoel Leib Dobry


20/37

matter, we find that all theMidrashim are filled with thediscussion of Moshiach ben Yosef,and similarly with the Gemara(Sukka 52a), yet many ask why theRambam did not mention thismatter at all. The answer is that this

is precisely what the Rambam writeshere, i.e., it is possible that there willcome a Moshiach who will beMoshiach in accordance with theTorah, representing the concept ofpresumed to be Moshiach, thelevel of Moshiach ben Yosef, andafterwards he will be killed. He saysregarding this that it is known thathe is not the one that the Torah haspromised. In other words, the stagethat has been attained up until now

is not the main objective, and thusthe fact that this stage has endeddoes not mean chv that the conceptof Moshiach is a lost cause. Rather,

we still must await what the Torahhas promised the revelation ofMoshiach ben Dovid.

This is what is stated in theGemara (Sukka 52a): Moshiachben Dovid, who will berevealedG-d says to him, Requestsomething from Me and I will give it

to you He says before Him,Master of the Universe, I ask of

You nothing except life, and G-dreplies to him, Your father Dovidhas already prophesized regardingyou, as is said, He asked of You life,

You gave it to him long life,forever and ever, and in YalkutThillim (Remez 621): When theappropriate time comes, G-d willsay, I must create him anew, andsimilarly, He says, I have given birth

to you today, at that moment Hecreated him.

Furthermore, it is understoodthat when the Redemption comesduring the period after theconcealment of Moshiach ben Yosef,he can come himself and be revealedas Moshiach ben Dovid with eternallife, and as is explained in theGemara mentioned above, after whathappens to Moshiach ben Yosef.

Moshiach ben Dovid says to G-d, Iask of You nothing except life, asMoshiach ben Dovid representsthe revelation of eternal life withinMoshiach, after the concealment ofthe level of Moshiach ben Yosef. Seein the seiferEmek HaMelech (Shaar

Reisha DZa) that Moshiach benYosef himself is called by the nameMenachem, restorer of my soul,and he is the one who brings theComplete Redemption.

On the other hand, however,even when Moshiach ben Dovidreveals himself with eternal life, wefind that his previous state is not theconcept of Moshiach that the Torahhas promised. This is because whenthe Torah promises the coming of

Moshiach, it refers to And Hashemyour G-d will bring back your

exiles, meaning Moshiach whoactually brings Redemption to theJewish People, i.e., the level ofMoshiach at the building of the BeisHaMikdash and the ingathering ofthe exiles.

It is therefore understood thatthere is no contradiction between thestatement of the Rambam brought

by Rabbi Mazuz and the fact thatthe Rebbe will come very soon andredeem the Jewish People. This is

because the aforementionedRambam only comes to say that

what was up until now still does notrepresent the conclusion andculmination of the matter, for eventhough there was an aspect ofMoshiach here, the promise of theTorah regarding the Redemption hasyet to be fulfilled and this promise

will indeed be fulfilled. Furthermore,this Rambam does not deal

whatsoever with the question of whowill be revealed afterwards as theMoshiach, because this matterdepends upon whether or not we areactually in the time of theRedemption.

The Rebbe shlita said in

prophecy that the time of theRedemption is literally now, agreeing

with and encouraging people whoproclaimed that he is the Moshiach,and he said in a sicha from ShabbosParshas VaYeira 5752 (SeiferHaSichos 5752, pg. 95) that inaddition, there is also the existenceof Moshiach in its simplestsenseand if they wouldnt mix inundesirable matters that delay andhinder, etc., he would be revealed

and actually come. Furthermore,in our times, all delays and

hindrances, etc., have been nullified,and since there is not only theexistence of Moshiach, but also therevelation of Moshiach, now wemerely must greet MoshiachTzidkeinu in actual deed. Thus, itis clear that even though the timeperiod until now has not yet attainedthe ultimate objective, and themanner of the hisgalus of Moshiachuntil now is not yet the finalrevelation promised in the Torah,

nevertheless, the Rebbe is theMoshiach of the generation who hasprepared the Jewish People for theRedemption, and he will eventually

be revealed as Moshiach ben Dovidwith eternal life, for the one whoprepared the Jewish People for theRedemption will be the one tocontinue the process to its ultimateconclusion.

The Rebbe is the Moshiach of thegeneration...and he will eventually berevealed as Moshiach ben Dovid with

eternal life.


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Simchas Torah 5747/1986:Thousands of people crowded thelarge zal as the Rebbe farbrengedfor hours. The Rebbe began thefarbrengen with the topic of and

Yaakov went on his way, and saidthat we need to take the kochos we

received on Simchas Torah and goforth with them the rest of the year:This is most emphasized in theactivity of spreading Torah andJudaism and spreading the

wellsprings outward, byestablishing houses of prayer,houses of Torah, and houses oftzdaka and chesed. Better yet one house that incorporates all

three, like the houses known asBeis Yosef Yitzchok Lubavitch Beis Chabad. This is because theaction (of hafatza) of establishinga house has the effect of breakingthrough barriers.

The Rebbe asked the Chassidim

to open Chabad houses, similar tothose which had been opened overthe years in many places around the

world. The Rebbe was taking thenext step by asking for expansion,growth, bursting forth!

Then the Rebbe dropped thebombshell:

Please test me. Whoever willgive himself over to the work of

shlichus of spreading Torah andJudaism and the wellsprings by(participating in) establishingChabad houses, shall see forhimself[referring to the success hehad spoken about just prior] that

wherever they establish a Chabadhouse they are guaranteed greatand prodigious success inspreading Torah and Judaism andspreading the wellsprings outward.

This was unprecedented. TheRebbe asked and suggested: Goahead, test me. See whether mypromises are reliable. Three big,loaded words, ubechanuni nabzos (please test me in this).

This sicha injected enormousenergy into the movement twenty-one years ago. Other sichosfollowed this one, nearly every

week, in which the Rebbe spokeabout the necessity of openingChabad houses.

Beis Moshiachwent back to thattime when Lubavitch was shakenup, in the positive sense, ashundreds of young shluchim wentout to various points around theglobe. It started in 5746, when in ahandful of sichos the Rebbe spokeabout the importance of a Chabadhouse which contains the threepillars of Torah, tfilla, and tzdaka,

but nobody anticipated the hugemomentum the Rebbe wouldgenerate starting on Simchas Torah.The Rebbe even edited the SimchasTorah sicha, which was not standardpractice at the time.

It was a most unusual event when theRebbe asked everybody to go on shlichus and to open Chabad houses, saying

people could test him regarding his promise of inordinate success. * Sincethen, hundreds of shluchim have

opened Chabad houses to spread Judaism and the wellsprings ofChassidus. * Beis Moshiach spoke withthree shluchim who went out on

shlichus at that time. * Presented forthe upcoming Kinus HaShluchim.

PLEASE TEST ME

IN THIS!By Nosson Avrohom


22/37

In that sicha, the Rebbe summedup the totality of the work ofshlichus of the Rebbe, my father-in-law, Nasi Doreinu, in spreadingTorah and Judaism and spreadingthe wellsprings outward. Hementioned the places where

Chassidus had reached thus far(not only that, but the light ofholiness is drawn down and spreadout even among the nations of the

world).The Rebbe went into detail,

clarifying his intent about how toarrive at positive resolutionsregarding spreading Torah andJudaism and spreading the

wellsprings outward throughout theentire world in a way of breaking

through a fence, above measure andlimitation, to the point of bringing amajor innovation to the entire

world. The Rebbe said he meantthe establishment of houses of tfilla,Torah, and tzdaka Beis Yosef

Yitzchok Lubavitch Beis Chabad.

That was the practical horaa:Simply put, regarding practical

action, action is the main thing:wherever there are Jews, a Chabadhouse should be founded as soonas possible, and in places wherethere is already a Chabad house,to expand it by adding a room orfloor. By doing so, the work ofspreading Torah and Judaism andthe wellsprings will be increased,in quantity and quality.

Then the Rebbe promised,saying that he knows thatsometimes shluchim operate undertremendous difficulties, and so he

was guaranteeing that shlichuswould be much easier:

In previous years, whenshlichus began, when Chabadhouses were founded, it is possiblethat there was room for doubt

regarding ones success Today,however, after over thirty years of

work in spreading Torah andJudaism and the wellspringsoutward, when we see what theyaccomplished with this work,surely, certainly wherever aChabad house will be founded,great and prodigious success isassured in spreading Torah andJudaism and the wellspringsoutward. This is in light of the

experience from all the otherplaces, various places which canserve as models for every possibledifficulty, regarding the sort ofaction to take and how toovercome difficulties.

Therefore, it depends only onthe desire of every individual, to

join the shluchim who areoccupied in fulfilling the shlichusof the Rebbe, my father-in-law,

THE REBBE SAID...

In the sicha of 11 Shevat 5724 the Rebbe said (Sichos Kodesh 5724p. 153):

The goal our Rebbeim wished for was not that you wait for anorder go to this place and do a favor for so-and-so the Jew, andthen you run happily to do so but that you understand on your ownthat wherever there is a Jew and you can help him, whether materiallyor spiritually, or both ways, you do so. This is still not the ultimate goalof chinuch. What is required is that his students should produce theirown students.

* * *

The Rebbe said on Shabbos Ki Savo 5733 (Sichos Kodesh 5733,vol. 2, p. 379):

All should know that when they go on the Rebbes shlichus, he goeswith them, as he is here precisely as in the past and he himself wroteregarding his father that a Jewish shepherd does not abandon his flock,citing the phrase, just as he stands and serves there, here too he standsand serves, and he directs everything as he wants to direct it. Indeed,this is also true of him.

* * *

The Rebbe demanded a lot of the shluchim. One of the demands

was using every free moment to learn Torah. At the farbrengen ofShmini 5738 (Sichos Kodesh 5738, vol. 2, p. 85):

Even those who are successful in public work, and clearly theyought to continue in this, for Nasi Doreinu, the Rebbe, my father-in-law put them in their place and situation, and heaven forbid that thereshould be a situation of weakening their hands in fulfilling theirshlichus. At the same time there ought to be a tremendous longing forTorah study so that every free moment from their task is used tostudy Torah and he learns more diligently than someone for whom hisTorah is his occupation.

Acknowledgingthat sometimes

shluchim operate

under tremen-dous difficulties,

the Rebbeguaranteed that

now shlichuswould be much

easier.


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Nasi Doreinu (in a manner of oneshliach making another shliach,until one hundred shluchim), forthe avoda of shlichus in our dayentails walking a paved road. Thispertains to literally every person

without exception.

Up to that year, there were a fewdozen Chabad houses in Eretz

Yisroel that were located mainly inthe big cities. However, aside fromLag BOmer parades that broughtthousands of children to the street,other activities were small scale andlow-key.

Following the Rebbes call toopen Chabad houses all over,dozens of young people who were

just beginning adult life, jumped

into action like Nachshon. They lefttheir city and home and went todistant cities where they openedChabad houses and began givingshiurim, working with children,holding farbrengens, having

womens groups, kosheringkitchens, putting up mezuzos, etc.

Twenty-one years later, we spokewith three directors of Chabadhouses who went out on shlichusthat year. They are in Beit Shaan,

Chadera, and Teveria.Tell us about the days leading

up to your going on shlichus andabout what impact the Rebbessichos had on your going out.

Rabbi Yaakov Shmuelevitz:Throughout my year on Kvutza, theRebbe spoke about shlichus nearlyevery Shabbos. Whatever the sidraor holiday, the lesson was to devoteoneself to being mekarev Jews.Consequently, this was the subject

that the Tmimim spoke aboutenthusiastically. Some said that forthis alone it was worth gettingmarried at that time, to be able toopen a Chabad house.

I remember the debates amongthe bachurim about which shlichus

was considered more admirable going to a distant place, or wasgoing to the center of the country

fine too. It was obvious to whoeverfelt he was a Chassidishe bachurthat he had to go on shlichus. Theenthusiasm for shlichus was so greatthat the first Kinus HaShluchimtook place that year for shluchim inthe US. A friend and I were waitersat the event and we considered it agreat zchus. That was the feeling

back then.

I supported the position thatchampioned going on shlichus todistant places. In those days, BeitShaan was considered a hole in the

wall. In my room in the dormitory,one of my friends posted a notesaying, Shmuelevitz=Beit Shaan.It was virtually prophetic, as thats

where I ended up.Right after I became engaged,

we wrote to the Rebbe that we wantto go on shlichus. We presented a

few options, including learning inkollel. At that time I organized theday camp for the children of Anashin Tzfas, and one day, on my way tothe mikva, I was told that I had aletter from the Rebbe.

I was ecstatic. I wont forget thesimcha and dancing that morning atthe mikva. It didnt matter what theanswer was; just having received ananswer thrilled me. Then I went to

get the answer. The Rebbe circledBeit Shaan and added: I willmention it at the gravesite. May itbe in a good and successful time

with expansiveness materially andspiritually.

Rabbi Moshe Akselrod: Theatmosphere in those days was thatthere was no choice but shlichus.Every Tamim knew that after he

married he would open a Chabadhouse and this was his goal in life. Ispent three years with the Rebbe,starting from 5744 until 5747. That

was an amazing year. In every sichathe Rebbe spoke about the need toopen Chabad houses.

I wont forget how the Rebbeexplained the verse, and he plantedan eshel in Beer Sheva. What didhe plant, asked the Rebbe, and heimmediately answered, A Chabad

house! Similarly, a few parshiyoslater, Yaakov left Charan and builtan altar and called there in the nameof G-d. What was that, asked theRebbe. He opened a Chabad house!

I went back to Eretz Yisroel thatyear and got engaged. We plannedon opening a Chabad house. I wentto R Nachum Cohen, who was incharge of the subdivisions in Tzach,and asked him if there was a place

Rabbi Yosef Kramer


24/37

for shlichus. He said: Atlit.A few days later I was on the bus

to Atlit. I liked the idea, as it wasclose to my parents in Chaifa. Mykalla immediately began working

with the children there onChamisha-Asar BShvat. Then I

wrote to the Rebbe and askedwhether to accept the offer of Atlit.

The Rebbes answer was, as perthe advice of the Vaad RabbaneiChabad. I contacted the VaadRabbanei Chabad and I was presentat their first meeting in

Yerushalayim. One of the rabbanimasked me various questions andthen they approved my going onshlichus. When I wrote to theRebbe, his answer was, I will

mention it at the gravesite.I got married on 10 Adar, but

for some reason I did not get aletter with the Rebbes bracha beforethe wedding. I knew the Rebbe senta letter to everyone and it was justme who did not get one. We wereliving in Yerushalayim and we

looked for an apartment to rent inAtlit.

When we found an apartment, Iwent to get a taxi to take us there. Istuck my hand in the mail box, asusual, and how shocked I was to seea letter from the Rebbe, saying,

binyan adei ad (an everlastingedifice). It was incredible divineprovidence that just as I was goingon shlichus, the bracha had arrived.

Rabbi Yosef Kramer: Going outon shlichus was because of theRebbes sichos. When the Rebbesaid so many sichos about the needto open a house of tfilla and Torahin every place, it was obvious thatthat is what we were going to do.

That year I learned in kollel in

Tzfas and I gave shiurim in variousschools, and so I was involved inspreading the wellsprings. When theRebbe spoke about opening Chabadhouses, we knew that we weredropping everything and opening anofficial Chabad house.

We began looking for a place of

shlichus and we found out that theywere looking for a shliach to open aChabad house in Teveria. Beforethat, there had been a shliach who

worked there for a while and leftand so Teveria was left without anyprogramming. I offered to fill the

position and upon writing to theRebbe, I received a bracha.

The first year I ran the Chabadhouse from my home in Tzfas.Every day I went to Teveria andreturned home late at night. A yearlater, when I had started a shul andhad a regular minyan, we moved toTeveria. Baruch Hashem, over theyears we received many answers andmuch encouragement from theRebbe.

You cant sum up all the workyouve done in twenty-one years,but perhaps you can tell us what

youre up to these days?R Shmuelevitz: The Chabad

outreach in Beit Shaan hasdeveloped into a sizable operation.

We have two other shluchim, Rabbi

The Kinus HaShluchim that took place in 5748 in Eilat, a year after the big upsurge


25/37

Shmuel Reinitz and Rabbi Roi Tor.

From the minute they came, theactivity and the awareness ofChabad increased dramatically. RReinitz organizes the work in thecity, does mivtzaim in stores and

business centers, and is developingconnections with many people. Hestarted running a shul which hasChabad minyanim all week.

R Tor works at the kibbutzim inthe Beit Shaan Valley that surround

the city. This includes Shabbatons

and shiurim for all ages. He doestremendous work. Thanks to himthere are already a number of full-fledged Chassidishe young men inthe area.

The city council allocated a pieceof land to us so we can build aChabad House. Until now, weve

been in a bomb shelter. Thatdecision is connected with aninteresting event that happened on

Simchas Beis HaShoeiva, when wesaw the Alter Rebbes promise thatChassidim will come out on top.

We decided to have a bigSimchas Beis HaShoeiva event, thelikes of which the city never saw

before. At first we wanted to

collaborate with the municipality,but at the last minute they wantedto break the agreement with us andhave the event without separatingmen and women. Of course wedidnt agree to this and that is whytwo events took place on the sameday.

Baruch Hashem, our event wasvery successful. Hundreds of peoplecame, far more than we anticipated,

while thirty people showed up to the

municipalitys event. The deputymayor who was there, called themayor who was at the other eventand the latter was amazed. He saidthat since he saw how the publicadmired us, he would give us landto build on. And he did.

R Yosef Kramer: Since threeshluchim have come to town, therehas been a major upsurge in ouractivities. The new shluchim arehighly motivated and have

Chassidishe chayus. One of them isR Shneur Turkov. We opened aplace in the center of town calledSpirit over the Water, which is atourist center. We do a lot of work

with young people who come to thecity in droves. R Turkov also runsthe soup kitchen, giving outhundreds of food baskets to the oldand needy.

The second shliach, R ReuvenGol, is responsible for the shul and

he is personally in touch with manypeople. He has raised the shul tonew levels and brought in newpeople. We are making renovationsin the shul to make it bigger andnicer. He has also developedconnections with businessmen in thecity.

The third shliach is R Omri BenAkiva, whose life story is

Rabbi Yaakov Shmuelevitz blowing shofar for children in Beit Shaan

Rabbi Moshe Akselrod at the construction site for the mikva in Atlit


26/37

fascinating. He grew up in ShikunDalet in this city, a poorneighborhood. He and his wife gotinvolved in Chassidus thanks to theChabad house in Thailand and thenthey came to the yeshiva in Ramat

Aviv, where they married. Then they

returned to Teveria, where they builttheir home in the neighborhood

where Omri grew up.I helped them with a building

where our nursery school used to beand they turned it into an activeshul where shiurim andprogramming for children takeplace.

This is aside from the ongoingwork that Ive done here for years.

R Akselrod:As soon as wearrived, we set up an array ofmivtzaim like any Chabad house

does. In recent years, with theaddition of another shliach, R

Avrohom Sebag, the work hasintensified. We have a Chabad shul,a Chabad mikva, two Chabadpreschools and many shiurim inNigleh and Chassidus. Then ofcourse, there are the usual mivtzaimof tfillin, mezuzos, and kosheringkitchens.

Ill tell you a story that happenedto me. I met a chareidi bachur whosaid to me, Thanks to you I amfrum today. When I asked him

what he was talking about, he toldme the following story.

In the early years of my shlichus

in Atlit, I would travel every day bybus to learn in kollel in Chaifa. Onmy way I would ask my fellowpassengers whether they wanted toput on tfillin. That bachur was asoldier on leave who was on his wayto take an important test. I askedhim to put on tfillin and he asked

whether it would help him. I said itwould and he put them on and hedid well on the test. He beganputting on tfillin every day and that

led to his davening and he slowlybecame a baal tshuva.

The Rebbe spoke a lot aboutgoing out on shlichus and openingChabad houses and then hedropped the bombshell abouttesting him. How do you see thefulfillment of the Rebbes promisein your shlichus?

R Shmuelevitz:We have felt theRebbes brachos from the first dayon shlichus until today, every

moment. By the way, since 5750,there were two years when nearlyevery month we got a check fromthe Rebbe for $1000 and more. Ifthere were several mosdos in town,each mosad got a similar check.This encouraged the shluchim toopen more and more of them. Theamount of the check was alwaysconnected to a special date.

Aside from that, at thefarbrengen which took place at the

first Kinus HaShluchim in 5748, theRebbe announced that every Chabadhouse should submit a report ofdebts. The Rebbe paid 10% of thedebts outright and half of theremaining 90% the Rebbe gave as aloan on easy terms. So the Rebbeshelp wasnt just moral and spiritual

but financial too.Ill tell you a story that happened

to me a few years after I came onshlichus. It was 6 Cheshvan 5751and our financial state was terrible.I wrote a letter to the Rebbe about itand signed it, From where will myhelp come. The Rebbes answer

was, the response is right there in

Thillim. The Rebbe was referringto the next part of the verse, myhelp is from Hashem. A few dayspassed and our situation greatlyimproved and our financialpossibilities expanded considerably.

R Akselrod: Ill tell you a storyin which I saw the Rebbes help. Wehave a preschool that we havemaintained with great devotion. Wehave Chabad teachers but the one

who currently pays the salaries and

other expenses is the localmunicipality. However, for nearlyten years, we had to support theschool ourselves.

At a certain point, we were in afinancial hole. Each month I had noidea how I would make the payrolland I was very worried. When thedeficit got too heavy to bear we

wrote to the Rebbe that we weredoing a big registration drive and if

we did not get more children, we

would not be able to keep the schoolopen.

The registration drive was aweek long and by Thursday eveningwe had not gotten a singleadditional child. We were left withonly nine children. I decided wecould not carry on. The nextmorning, R Chaim Shlomo Segal of

Afula called me and said that he hadgotten a bracha from the Rebberegarding my question.

I realized that I could not closethe school. We decided to continueregistration and to visit all themoshavim and yishuvim around

Atlit. We wrote to the Rebbe that wewere continuing the registration andanother week went by without ourregistering even one additionalchild. Two weeks went by and thesituation remained the same.

The Rebbe

explained theverse, and he

planted an eshelin Beer Sheva.

What did heplant, asked the

Rebbe. Heimmediately

answered, AChabad house!


27/37

While I was debating closing theschool, R Segal called me again

with a bracha from the Rebbe. I justdidnt know what to do. I wrote tothe Rebbe about the enormousdeficits and once again the answer

was bracha. We decided to

continue as usual, with the samenumber of students, and the Rebbe

would help us.Over the ten years that the

burden of the school was on ourshoulders, that year ended up beingthe easiest year for fundraising.

R Kramer:We have seen howthe Rebbe helps. The shluchim who

work here will tell you the samething how every time we took ona project that seemed too much for

us, in the end things worked outwonderfully.

Teveria is not an easy place but,baruch Hashem, in the end, weovercame it all. We came here whenthere were already many activistsand mosdos that were afraid that we

would compete with them, which iswhy they refused to cooperate withus. Some hoped we would leave butafter they saw we were here to stay,they worked with us.

Over the years I was greatlyencouraged by the Rebbe, but oneof the times that stands out in mymind is when I was first startingout. One of the local Lubavitcher

women here went by the Rebbe fordollars and asked what her job

was in Teveria. The Rebbe said,There is a shliach there. Go to him

and ask him how you can help.That was greatly encouraging to me.

In general, with all the Chabadactivities here, I try to direct them insuch a way that everyone here

works together. This is the sourceof our success, with everybody

focused on the hisgalus of MelechHaMoshiach.

What are your thoughts ongoing to the Kinus HaShluchim?

R Kramer: I was at earlierKinusim at which I saw the Rebbeand was greatly encouraged. Today,I go with mixed feelings. On the onehand, its difficult to describe thefeeling in 5751, when theatmosphere was electric, aht ahtkumt Moshiach and I long to see

the Rebbe. On the other hand, everymosad shlichus that opens today isan incredible miracle. I am jealousof the younger generation. If weretalking about what the Rebbe isdoing, there is nothing greater thana large group of young, dynamicshluchim who never saw the Rebbe

but are devoted to shlichus. Therehas been nothing like it in ourhistory.

R Shmuelevitz: I go to the

Kinus with genuine excitement. Ibought my ticket two weeks ago andevery minute I feel, aht aht Imgoing to the Rebbe. For usshluchim, this date is once a year

just like Tishrei is to the Tmimim,the month in which they fill up theirstorehouses with chayus andhiskashrus. I look forward to the

Rosh Chodesh Kislev farbrengen in770 and to the contributions of thephilanthropists in C

beis moshiach #621

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