beis moshiach 957

8/10/2019 Beis Moshiach 957

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BH. 25 Tevet 5775 16 January 2015 Number 957 Price: $6.00 Part 2 of

The international weekly heralding the coming of Moshiach

LONG LIVE THE REBBE MELECH HAMOSHIACH FOREVER AND EVER!

THE ATTAC

IN 77

INTERVIEW WI

LEVI YITZCHROSENBLA

THE PROPHE

STRIPPE

OF REASO

BASI LGANI 5

SEVENT

GENERATIO

SENSITIVIT

PARSHA THOUG

The knowledge that imminently, my ho

father in-law, the Rebbe Rayatz, leader

the generation, will enter (since, Those w

repose in the dust will arise and sing) a

observe each and every chassid and adhere

examining his [spiritual] state and standin

etc., awakens and stirs the chassid to comple

and perfect all of our deeds and service(Shabbos Parshas VaEira 57


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CONTENTS

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FEATURED ARTICLES

6 EVERY DELAY IS FORTHE BEST

Avrohom Rainitz

12 THE CROWN OFTOMCHEI TMIMIM

20AGAINST ALL ODDSYaron Tzvi

31 A UNITED TECHNICALRELIGIOUS FRONT

NOW!

Michoel Leib Dobry

WEEKLY COLUMNS

3 Dvar Malchus5 Moshiach & Geula

19 Shlichus

28 Parsha Thought

34 Tzivos Hashem

19

20

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BASI LGANI

5715Having G-d before me constantly uplifts the

person, to the point where he totally transcends

worldly affairs, viewing all that befalls him with

equal indifference. But how can there be total

indifference to everything, including all spiritual

dimensions and achievements? * Beis Moshiach presents the maamer

the Rebbe MHM delivered on Yud Shvat 5715, in accordance with the

custom established by the Rebbe to review each year a section of the

Rebbe Rayatzs maamer Basi LGani of 5710. This year we focus on

the fth section of the profound and foundational chassidic discourse.

Part 4

Translated by Boruch Merkur

ALL OF EQUAL CONSEQUENCE

4. Consider the Baal Shem Tovs teaching onthe verse, Shivisi, I have placed, G-d before me

constantly. Here shivisi relates to the wordhishtavus equalizing, meaning that a personmust view all matters [the entire spectrum of goodor bad fortune that could befall him] as being ofequal consequence. The inspiration for this elevatedstate is the recognition that G-d [is] before meconstantly.

Now, this principle can readily be understood toapply to material matters: having G-d before meconstantly uplifts the person, to the point wherehe totally transcends worldly affairs, viewing all that

befalls him with equal indifference. But how can

there be total indifference to everything, includingall spiritual dimensions and achievements? Howcan a person regard all matters that exist in Creationand within Seider Hishtalshlus as being equal?

Also, how can it be demanded of a mortal being tomaintain this profound indifference in a constant,unwavering state?

The explanation is that this state of indifferenceis only unattainable when considering a mortal ashe [and his avoda] exists within the frameworkof Seider Hishtalshlus. But since the avoda is toestablish in the lower realms a dwelling place for

G-d meaning for His very essence, Which isentirely beyond the realm of reason and beyond

variation and change the vessel [the framework]to contain G-ds essence must likewise be utterly

transcendent. It is the uniqueavodaassociated withhaving G-d before me constantly that cultivatesthis kind of radical impartiality to literally all affairs,and in a constant way, without any compromise.

In light of the above we can also understandthe story told by the Alter Rebbe, who heard fromthe Mezritcher Maggid, about the Baal ShemTov, whose approach to reaching out to Jews wasto journey from town to town and from village to

village, and ask the Jews he encountered about theirhealth and welfare, about their livelihood, their

families, and the like. (My revered father in-law,the Rebbe, would add when telling this story thatthe Baal Shem Tov would enquire of the welfare of

both men and women, the elderly and the young, aswell as scholarly and uneducated Jews.) His intentwas to arouse in them the concept of thillos Yisroel,the thanksgiving of Jews to their Creator (as in the

verse, And You, O holy One, are enthroned uponthe praises of the Jewish people). The Baal ShemTov would enquire of Jews in this way simply toelicit in them the response of baruch Hashem thank G-d, and the like, in praise of the Alm-ghty.

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The significance of the Baal Shem Tovsapproach is understood in light of the concept ofthe name of Heaven is on everyones lips. PraisingG-d in this manner [the name of Heaven] doesnot pertain to G-dly illuminations and revelations,for being relative to the level of the individual,only those of very lofty spiritual stature are privy

to G-dly revelations. Rather, the verse refers tothe very essence of G-d, which is [ironically]accessible to everyone [on everyones lips]. Itis only in virtue of Atzmus HaMaor G-ds veryessence, Hashavei umashvei katan vgadol Heis immutable and treats small and great alike thatthe name of Heaven is on everyones lips.

Indeed, the whole purpose of the Baal Shem Tovwas to introduce to the world the concept of AndYou, O holy One, are enthroned upon the praisesof the Jewish people: In response to the prayersof the Jewish people that all Jews, erudite and

uneducated alike, laud and praise G-d G-dlinessis manifest below, in the physical world. (Thus,thillos prayers is linked to the word bhilo,

as in the expressionbhilo neiro when He lit Hiscandle [over my head] (Iyov 29:3), which entailsdrawing down to the world G-dly light.) And thisG-dly manifestation is not only at the level ofkeilim, illuminations, and revelations; it reaches the

very essence, which is totally beyond the realm ofintellectual grasp.

THE PROPHET: STRIPPED OF REASON

5. Continuing on the theme of transcendingreason, the maamer discusses why a prophet is

called meshuga mad, as in the verse, Why didthis madman (meshuga) come to you? (MelachimII 9:11). During prophetic revelation, the prophettranscends physicality (as discussed in Zohar,prophecy resides upon one who has surpassed thecorporeal dimension of reality), divesting himselfof [even] the intellect and emotions. Embodyingthe attainment of this spiritual height, the prophetremoves his clothing during prophecy, as statedregarding Shaul, He too removed his clothing and

prophesied. (Radak comments: this is becausethey become devoid of their senses and faculties(bittul hahargashos, etc.) During prophecy, theprophet attains bittul, negation of self, a state thattranscends reason, which is why it is calledshtus.

The concept of prophecy itself, however,remains to be understood: Although there needs to

be the nullification of the senses and soul-powersof intellect and emotions, to the point that, in theliteral sense, the prophet removes his clothing,nevertheless, prophecy employs speech [a faculty

which is, therefore, not utterly transcended].Prophecy is the revelation of a material voice andspeech below, in the physical world, as it is said,the spirit of G-d spoke within me and His word

was upon my tongue.

A possible answer emerges from the MezritcherMaggids interpretation of the saying of our Sages,If the righteous wanted [to be free of all sin Rashi], they could be creators of a world, for wasit not with the word of G-d that the heavens weremade? And it is written, He blew into his nostrils

a living spirit, nishmas chayim.The Targum translates this aruach memalela a speakingsoul. Now, regarding G-d, thereis no concept of portions[ofHim], for He is infinite. Andregarding the Infinite, onecannot say that the aspect ofspeech alone was blown into

the nose of man. Rather, within the gift of speecheverything was included. Thus, If the righteous

wanted, they could be creators of a world, for thespeech of the righteous is pure and clean, withoutany interference (for only your sins have causedseparation, etc.). The speech of the righteouscleaves to and is bound to its Divine source, andit is literally like the speech of G-d Himself, from

which the heavens were made, etc.

The speech of a tzaddikcan be bound to its rootand source to the extent that it results in creating

a world. The power to achieve this is none otherthan the very essence of G-d, as discussed inIgeresHaKodesh: The existence of the Maatzil, blessed beHe, comes from His essence; it is not brought aboutas an effect of some antecedent cause. Indeed, itis within the power and capacity of G-ds essencealone to create ex nihilo. And it is this G-dly powerthat is drawn down and revealed through the facultyof speech [the pure and holy speech of tzaddikim].

[To be continued beH]

It is within the power and capacity of G-ds

essence alone to create ex nihilo. And it is this

G-dly power that is drawn down and revealed through the

faculty of speech, the pure and holy speech of tzaddikim.

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CHINUCH AND

MOSHIACHBy Rabbi Gershon AvtzonDear Reader shyichyeh,

Our previous article concludedwith the promise of a discussionregarding the role of a Jewish kingthrough the eyes of the Torah.

In Parshas Shoftim (17:15), the

Torah tells us: Som Tasim OlechaMelech you should appoint aking upon yourselves. It is one ofthe three mitzvos that the Jewishnation is obligated to fulfill uponentering Eretz Yisroel; the other twoare to destroy Amalek and to buildthe Beis HaMikdash.

As we approach Yud Shvat,the beginning of the Nesius of theRebbe, I will share a vort that I heardfrom Rabbi Levi Garelik: If you look

at the first Maamarim of the lastthree Rebbeim of Chabad, you willsee that they correlate with the threeabove-mentioned Mitzvos.

The Rebbe Rashabs firstMaamer was Kesser Yitnu Lecha A crown they will give you. Thisrefers to the appointment of a king.The Frierdike Rebbes first Maamer

was Reishis Goyim Amalek, aboutthe obligation to wipe out Amalek.

The Rebbes first Maamer is BasiLGani I have returned to Mygarden. This pasuk refers to the

building of the Beis HaMikdash.

We find something veryfascinating regarding this mitzva

to appoint a king. When the Jewishpeople actually ask for a king(Shmuel 8:5), we find the followingresponse: And the thing wasdispleasing in the eyes of Shmuel,

when they said, Give us a king tojudge us, and Shmuel prayed toHashem.... And Hashem said toShmuel, Listen to the voice of thepeople, according to all that they willsay to you, for they have not rejectedyou, but they have rejected Me from

reigning over them.This seems very hard to

understand. Why would such arequest seem less than acceptable?The Torah explicitly states thatthe appointment of a king is anobligation incumbent on the Jewishnation!

The Rebbe (Likkutei Sichos Vol.24 page 104) explains:

There are two types of kings:

1) A King whose main functionis to maintain peace and order in thekingdom. He is the highest authorityof power in the land. This is the roleof a non-Jewish king.

2) A King is spiritually higher

than the rest of the generation, andhe connects the people to Hashemand leads them in that direction.That is his primary role. This is therole of the Jewish king.

When the Jewish people askedfor a king, the said the following(Ibid): Behold, you have grown old,and your sons do not walk in your

ways. Now, set up for us a king tojudge us like all the nations. Inother words, they were looking for

the non-Jewish type of a king. This iswhat upset Shmuel and Hashem. Atrue king is the second kind of king,as explained above.

Rabbi Avtzon is the Rosh Yeshivaof Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnatiand a well sought after speakerand lecturer. Recordings of his in-depth shiurim on Inyanei GeulauMoshiach can be accessed athttp://www.ylcrecording.com.

Express service Fully Computerized

(718) 493-1111Fax: (718) 493-4444

Get your tickets within minutes!

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(2nd Flr) Brooklyn NY 11213

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EVERY DELAY IS

FOR THE BESTThe stab wound was 3.5 centimeters deep and it caused internal bleeding

in his skull, placing increasing pressure on his brain. * Less than a month

after the attack took place in 770, Levi Yitzchok ben Raizel Rosenblatt

is well and granted an exclusive interview to Beis Moshiach. He and his

mother recount the moments of terror, the doctors grave concerns, his

mothers tense ight to the US, and encouraging answers from the Rebbe.

Interview by Avrohom Rainitz

Levi Yitzchok benRaizel wouldprefer to remain ananonymous bachur,

one of hundreds of Tmimim. He

wanted to spend Kislev learningChassidus in 770 and participatingin farbrengens. But DivineProvidence willed otherwise, andovernight, his name and picture

were spread around the world.

News outlets everywherereported about the dramaticincident that took placelate at night in 770, when a

black man stabbed a yeshivastudent in the head (this tookplace not long after terroristsattacked worshipers in a shulin Yerushalayim). It was ofparticular interest in the US sincethe attacker was subsequentlyshot and killed by a policeman(as this took place not long afterseveral black men were shot andkilled by policemen, generatingnumerous protests).

Levi Yitzchok Rosenblatt,a young man from Beitar Ilit,as well as his mother, stay wellaway from the media. When he

was released from the hospital

and returned to Crown Heights,his friends arranged dancing in770 to thank Hashem for themiracles. Levi and his mother

wanted to be there but when theyheard that the media was waitingthere for them, they avoided thescene.

The only reason they agreed tobe interviewed byBeis Moshiach,after consulting with a mashpia,

was to fulfill the Rebbes horaain the sicha of Parshas VaYeishev5752, to publicize miracles thatHashem does in our days, andthis pertains to actually bringingthe true and complete Geula.

During the interview, whichtook place in the Beis Moshiachoffices, Levi described the terriblemoments he lived through. It

was really hard to believe that just

two weeks earlier he had beenstabbed in the head and broughtfrom one hospital to another with

bleeding in his skull. The doctorstoo could not believe how quickly

he was released and all considerhim a walking miracle.

His father, R ShaulRosenblatt, rav of the khilla thatis based in the shul attached tothe Chassidus Library in BeitarIlit, remained in Eretz Yisroel

with the rest of the family. Hesays that whoever was involvedin the medical process realizesthe magnitude of the miracle. Hesays they all see how the Rebbeprotected him.

I BEGAN TO SCREAM,

HELP! HE STABBED ME!

I was sitting in 770 andlearning Tanya with a friend. We

were sitting on a bench next tothe Rebbes farbrengen platform

when I suddenly noticed a blackguy coming toward us. I looked

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at him and when he stood next tome he opened his jacket and tookout a knife.

I was very scared and beganto scream, Help! Hes stabbingme! while I tried to get awayfrom him. But since he wasstanding next to me and I wassitting, I wasnt able to get awayand he stabbed me forcefully inthe temple. I later heard that theknife entered above my ear, 3.5centimeters. In those momentsI thought about one thing only:how do I get out of here so hedoesnt stab me again.

In the meantime, somebachurim who were in 770 heardmy screams and rushed over.The guy turned around and Itook the opportunity to escape.I got up on the table and fromthere I jumped to the farbrengenplatform and kept going to the

back of 770. I did not noticethe blood dripping from me andcreating a red path. Afterward,

they told me that the drops ofblood also dripped on the Rebbesfarbrengen tablecloth.

As I was walking quicklyon the farbrengen platform henoticed that I had escaped and

began shouting at me, Comehere! Of course, I walked evenfaster and quickly reached the

back exit from 770. Outside, Iwalked toward the main entranceof 770 so I would be seen and Ishouted, Help, he stabbed me!

At this point, I began tofeel weak, in pain and dizzy andI sat on the pavement. Some

bachurim were walking with meand one of them sat down nextto me and let me lean on him.

Another bachur stood next to meand began asking me questionslike whats my name and otherdetails so I would remainconscious.

I saw that one of thepolicemen from the policemobile command post stationed

nearby was walking slowly nearthe entrance to 770. I yelled inHebrew and other bachurim toldhim in English that someone was

walking around with a knife and

he had already stabbed someone.The policeman reported this onhis radio and many police cars

began appearing.

The bachurim calledHatzalah, and the firstresponders came quickly.

Within minutes more and morevolunteers showed up despite thelate hour. One of the bachurimthought I had been stabbed in thestomach, and after saying thisto a volunteer they cut open myclothes to quickly reach the siteof the wound. I began to shiverfrom the cold.

In the meantime, RAvrohom (Yingy) Bistritzky, oneof the heads of Hatzalah, cameand took charge. From thatpoint on, for more than 17 hours,he was completely devoted to me

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it was amazing like a parent.

When they put me into theambulance, I asked my friendMendy Notik to get on with meso I wouldnt be alone. I waslying on the stretcher and Yingy

began driving quickly. I asked

Mendy to take my cell phoneso he could answer those whocalled. Since I did not know howserious my condition was, and Icertainly did not imagine what agreat interest the media wouldtake in the story, I told him it was

better that my mother not knowwhat happened.

Within a few minutes wehad arrived at Kings CountyHospital at the edge of Crown

Heights. The medical team tookus in quickly and brought meimmediately for a series of tests.I did not know what they werechecking. One of the Hatzalahpeople spoke to me the entiretime so I would remain alert.

At some point, my mothercalled and although I felt verydizzy, I insisted on speaking toher so that I could reassure her.

I said that there was some blood,but I felt okay and just had aheadache.

I finally fell asleep inexhaustion and when I woke upI was in a different hospital, inBellevue in Manhattan.

THE OPERATION THAT

WAS POSTPONED AND

POSTPONED

Mrs. Rosenblatt:

Although Levi tried toreassure me in the phoneconversation we had, we were

very afraid that it wasnt sosimple. R Avrohom Bistritzky,

who is a close friend of thefamily from way back, was inconstant touch with us and gaveus detailed updates about Levis

condition. With him as theintermediary, we also spoke tothe doctors at the hospital.

After the doctors took CTscans and MRIs, they concludedthat the bleeding was dangerousand could increase the pressureon the brain and cause seriousdamage. They decided to operateimmediately to insert a drain that

would drain the blood and fluids

that had collected around thebrain.

R Bistritzky had left the

hospital for a break, and when heheard that the doctors wanted tooperate he went right back in toensure that Levi would be takencare of by the best doctors.

One of the doctors, Dr.Rosengarten, said that an

operation like this should be doneat Bellevue where the biggestexperts in New York did brainsurgery. She insisted in face ofthe opposition from the otherdoctors who wanted to do theoperation in Kings County, andshe contacted the doctors atBellevue. She was very devotedto Levis care. She even gave usher cell phone number and said

we could call her at any time if

any additional help was needed.R Bistritzky, who has good

connections with doctors atBellevue, made the necessaryarrangements. Within a fewminutes, Levi was taken byambulance to Bellevue.

Three top brain surgeonswere there to see Levi and afterchecking the test results two ofthem said an immediate operation

was needed, while one of themsaid they should first check thefluid and pressure in the head bya cerebral angiogram. A smallplastic catheter is inserted into a

vein in the foot and threaded allthe way up to the brain; then atiny camera is threaded throughthe tube which shows the doctorsa precise picture of the brain.Through this catheter the doctorscan also insert other optics tools

that enable them to carry outcertain procedures in the brainas well as drain small amounts of

blood and fluids.

After a quick discussion, thedoctors decided to first performthe angiogram. Boruch Hashem,

with the catheter the doctorswere able to locate two veins thatwere torn by the stabbing. Withspecial tools they cauterized theThe media reporting from the scene of the crime

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blood vessels and stopped thebleeding. They also drainedsome of the fluids and the inter-cranial pressure went downsignificantly.

The very precise teststhat were done during the

catheterization showed that thefluid level in his head was no

worse than at first, i.e. he wasstable. So they determined thatthere was no need, at that time,for an operation.

THE REBBES ANSWER:

THE OPERATION WAS

POSTPONED AND EVERY

DELAY IS FOR THE BEST

Mrs. Rosenblatt continued:As I said, we were constantlyupdated. From the start, we

wrote to the Rebbe and asked forhis bracha, but the rest of the day

we did not report to the Rebbeabout the latest developments.

At night, without our knowledge,my oldest son Meir opened a

volume of Igros Kodesh and inhis mind he asked the Rebbe for

a bracha.The Rebbes answer, in

volume 21, p. 234, stunned usand thrilled Levi. It said: It issurprising that from the day youasked about your sons health andthe doctors opinion, in a phonecall with R Chaim MordechaiIsaac Hodakov, nothing furtherwas heard from you. Surely, thisis a good sign and still, surely youwill let us know explicitly. Surely

you took advantage of the specialday of Yud Kislev and will takeadvantage of the Chag HaGeula,Yud-Tes Kislev in the right way

At the end of this letterappears the following astonishingline: My letter was delayed, andin the meantime, R Hodakovtold me that your sons operationwas postponed for now, and every

delay is for the best.

Because of the Rebbesletter which said the parentsshould explicitly tell the Rebbeabout their sons condition, andnot to suffice with informationthe Rebbe received indirectly, Iimmediately sat down to writethe Rebbe an update about thegood news. I also opened to aspecial letter with the same date,17 Kislev. It said that surely thespecial day of Yud-Tes Kislev

would be utilized properly, aswell as the days of Chanuka, toinfluence the students, boys andgirls, which is my job.

POLICE ESCORT

FROM THE PLANE

The attack occurred onTuesday morning, by Israelitime. Within a short time we haddecided that I would go to be withLevi, and my brother Shmuel

who speaks fluent English wouldjoin me to help me. The problemwas that I did not have an up-to-date passport and neither of ushad a visa to enter the US.

Boruch Hashem, I managed

to get a passport that day at abranch of the Interior Ministrywhich was opened especiallybecause of what happened. Andwe arranged to get a visa onWednesday morning. We orderedplane tickets for Wednesdaymorning. When the embassyopened, I arrived there with my

brother. At first they said that

the visas would only be ready thatevening, but after some askanimgot involved, they told us that wecould pick up the passports and

visas within ten minutes.

From the embassy werushed to Ben Gurion airportand managed to get on themorning flight leaving for New

York. Of course, throughout theflight I thought about Levi andI davened to Hashem. Since anoperation had been postponedtwice already, I hoped that thestatement of Chazal since it waspushed off, let it stay pushed off

would apply. I also wonderedwhat awaited us in New Yorkand did not know how we wouldmanage there.

We landed at Newark airportand to our great surprise, at the

Police detectives examining the scene of the crime inside 770

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entrance to the plane we weregreeted by two policemen along

with the askan, Yanky Meyer. Welater learned that Yingy Bistritzky

was involved in this too. Thepolicemen got us throughcustoms quickly and within

minutes we had left the airport inan unmarked police car. There

was a police escort, with a policecar in front of us and behind us.

During the trip, thepolicemen said that the fact thatthe incident was on video was atremendous help, because there

were recently protests by blacksagainst the police who claimed

the police used unreasonableforce against them. In thiscase, the policemen said withsatisfaction, everyone could seethat they werent quick on the

trigger and it was only whenthere was no choice and they feltthreatened by the attacker thatthey shot him.

MORE MIRACLES

When Mrs. Rosenblattarrived at the hospital, Levi wasalready awake after having beenanesthetized for the angiogram.Levi:

When I heard that mymother was coming, I said I

wanted to get out of bed andsit on a chair so she wouldnt

be frightened to see me lying inbed with all the equipment. Shewalked into the room slowly,apprehensive about the sight she

would see. How surprised shewas to see me sitting in a chair,weak though alert. I smiled

and said that Boruch HashemI was feeling a lot better. I saidalthough I wasnt happy aboutthe situation, I could not help but

be grateful that she had been ableto come to the Rebbe.

Once my brother and parents

wrote to the Rebbe, the miraclestook place one after the other.Beyond the miracle of having

been transferred to Bellevuewhere there are top doctors withthe most advanced equipmentto treat the brain, afterward we

were told that it was by DivineProvidence that I had arrivedat Bellevue on a Tuesday. This

is the day that the experts oncerebral angiography are present.

We found out about this whenthey told us that the next cerebralangiogram would take place only

the following Tuesday, sinceTuesdays are when the cerebralangiography team operates.

My recovery from thestabbing was very quick and thedoctors found it hard to believethat I was able to get back tomyself so soon after the traumathe body had undergone. Theyput me through various functiontests, both physical and cognitive.For days I had to be attached tolots of machinery that measuredall kinds of things and suppliedthe doctors with a precise pictureof my condition.

During those days, wereported to the Rebbe aboutall the progress. In one of theRebbes answers, the Rebbe saidto check tfillin and mezuzos.My friends took the tfillin and

mezuzos to Merkaz Stam andR Yitzchok Mishulovin checkedthem for free. After finding someletters that needed fixing, he tookcare of it.

KIDDUSH HASHEM AT THE

HOSPITAL

During the interview, Leviand his mother spoke about theKiddush Hashem at the hospital.The fact that Levis friends were

with him in shifts throughoutthe day until his mother anduncle arrived, and then duringall the nights afterward, wowedthe staff. In the ICU where Levi

was all those days, it is usually

quiet and there are few visitors.Levis room was lively withfamily and friends who were withhim and rabbanim and policerepresentatives coming andgoing.

When the doctors decidedthere was no need for furthertesting and they let Levi eatnormally, he said a loud brachaand to the amazement of thenurses who did not know what he

was saying, he explained that theworld and all it contains belongsto G-d. When we want to enjoysomething in G-ds world, weneed to ask permission by sayinga blessing first, and then wethank Him afterward. The staff

was impressed and respectful ofthis basic concept.

The head of the hospitals ITdepartment, a religious Jew bythe name of Eli Turlow wouldcome now and then and ask ifany help was needed, and hehelped a lot with translations.

On the day of Levis releasethere was excitement throughoutthe department. The departmentadministrators came to saygoodbye and Eli said, You haveno idea what a Kiddush Hashemyou caused here! There were

The department administrators came to saygoodbye and Eli said, You have no idea what

a Kiddush Hashem you caused here!

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nurses who could not get over thesight of Levi, who had come intothe hospital with a serious headinjury and was now leaving, haleand hearty. They kept saying,What a special family, referringalso to the extended family

the terrific bachurim who werealways at his side.

PRINTING THE

TANYA IN LEVIS ROOM

Levi was released from thehospital on the first day ofChanuka, a week and a day afterthe attack. On the day prior tohis release, his friends went tothe hospital with a printer and

arranged a printing of the Tanya.They did most of the printing inthe waiting room but brought themachine into Levis room for thefinal pages and had him press the

button. Afterward, Levi learnedChapter 32 with the bachurim, asis customary.

Speaking of Tanya, besidesthe numerous chapters ofThillim the bachurim said forhim (as did thousands of others),

they decided to divide the Tanyaamong them and completed it allseveral times.

Levi and his mother want tosingle out Yingy Bistritzky forhis enormous help, as well as the

constant help of the bachurimorganized by Kupas Bachurim,who even after he was releasedcontinued to stand by Levi andhelp him in every way, and R

Avrohom Lieder for the nutritiousmeals. For Shabbos, his motherand uncle ate at the shliach in thearea of the hospital, R Chezky

Wolf. At night, they slept with afamily friend, R Betzalel Rotter,and after Levis release they

enjoyed the wonderful hospitalityof the Popper family in CrownHeights.

How symbolic it was that theseries of miracles culminated onthe first night of Chanuka, when

the entire nation thanks Hashemfor the miracles and wonders ofthose days. It was at this timethat Levi Rosenblatt was releasedfrom the hospital. He thenthanked Hashem for the miraclesand wonders he personallyexperienced.

On the seventh night ofChanuka, Levi went to the71st Precinct police station inCrown Heights and attended a

menorah lighting with askanimof the community. How movedthey all were when Levi loudlysaid, Who did miracles for ourancestors in those days and atthis time.

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THE CROWN OF

TOMCHEI TMIMIMR Michoel of Nevel would walk to the Tzemach Tzedek. He was taught

by the Chassid, R Peretz Chein. For a while he worked making ovens

and while he worked he would talk Chassidus. In his older years he was

a mashpia in Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in Lubavitch. He excelled in

Ahavas Yisroel and was an oveid. He passed away on Motzaei Shabbos 28

Cheshvan 5672/1911. The Rebbe Rashab participated in his funeral. * This

is how the Rebbe described the mashpia whom the Rebbe Rayatz called,

the crown of Tomchei Tmimim.

HE WALKED TO THE

TZEMACH TZEDEK

The date of R MichoelBliners birth is unknown. He

himself refused to talk aboutit (some say in fear of an ayinhara), but we can conclude from

what he said at a farbrengen thathe was born in the lifetime of theMitteler Rebbe (1773-1827).On that occasion he said that

when he walked to the TzemachTzedek in Lubavitch he was still

blonde, i.e. in his youth.

On one of those occasionshe witnessed an awesome scene.

It was when R Hillel of Paritchwas sick. The Tzemach Tzedekcalled upon ten men, including RMichoel, poured lchaim, said thename of R Hillel and his mother,and added, at a feast with winethere is what is your request andit will be given to you ...

He was taught in Nevel byR Peretz Chein, the father ofthe celebrated Chein dynasty.

We have no details about thisperiod in his life or the years thatfollowed. Still, his hiskashrusto the Chabad Rebbeim was a

byword. As mentioned, he would

walk from Nevel to Lubavitchand this wasnt due to lack oftransportation but to fulfill themitzva of aliya lregel. After thepassing of the Tzemach Tzedek,he became mekushar to theRebbe Maharash and then theRebbe Rashab.

At a farbrengen on the eve of20 Kislev 5693, the Rebbe Rayatztold the famous story about the

wagon which stopped by divineimperative on Friday when the

Alter Rebbe wanted to stop. Headded, R Michoel the elderfrom Nevel knew Chassidim ofthe Alter Rebbe who pointed atthe spot where the Alter Rebbespent Shabbos. When he spokeabout this he had excitement andan arousal of fear of heaven andfeelings of lofty character, far

beyond the degree of inspiration

in our times from learninginyanei avoda.

He would say that he couldnot finish os beis in the maamerAni LDodi, the first in Likkutei

Torah, since he dissolved in tears.He would say that it was obviousto him that if he did not learnLikkutei Torah one day, he woulddie. There were times that due to

being preoccupied with earning alivelihood he did not learn (everyday) but that is how he felt aboutit.

R Shmuel Pruss related:

I heard from Chassidim who

were witnesses that at the edgeof Nevel there was a pond with alot of fish. Every Thursday night,R Michoel would go there as thefishermen did their work and he

would choose the biggest, bestfish, pay them whatever theyasked, and carry the fish on hisshoulders quite a distance untilthe train station. There he wouldfind a Jew traveling to Lubavitch

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and he would give him the fishto bring to the Rebbes house inhonor of Shabbos. He did notstop this practice even in hisolder years.

His friends once said to him:Michoel, why do you put in so

much effort? You are not youngand the fish are heavy. Why dontyou hire a wagon driver so thefish reach the station faster and

without exertion?

R Michoel replied: What?! Ahorse should drag the fish for theRebbe and not me?!

Things that he heard from theRebbeim in yechidus were etchedinto his memory and guided himall his life. In a sicha said onShavuos 1934, the Rebbe Rayatzspoke about the advantage ofsomeone who has the abilityto imagine and can picture inhis mind things of the past andhe brought R Michoel as anexample:

When he was a young man,one of his children was very sick.The doctors gave up and saidnothing more could be done.

R Michoel went to a group ofChassidim and told them thetragic situation. The Chassidimencouraged him, in order tolift his spirits, and said surelyHashem would have mercyand he should go to Lubavitchimmediately.

R Michoel burst into tearsand said he greatly desired goingto the Rebbe but the doctors saidit was a matter of hours, so why

should he go?One of the elder Chassidim

yelled at him and said: TheGemara says, a person should not

withhold himself from [arousing]mercy and certainly the heavenlydefending angels would do their

work by Hashem and wait untilhe got to the Rebbe.

One of the Chassidim, atailor and a friend of R Michoel,

joined R Michoel on his trip toLubavitch. On the way, they hadseveral opportunities for cheaprides so they would not have to

walk. Upon arriving in Lubavitch,R Michoel was able to see theRebbe immediately.

When I walked in, said RMichoel, and gave the pidyonnefesh for the boy, I wondered ifhe was even alive, as the doctorshad said it was a matter of hours,and I burst into tears.

The Rebbe read the noteand said to me: Dont cry,think positively and it will begood. Dont cry out, you willyet attend the bar mitzvas of thegrandchildren.

In every difficult time, saidR Michoel (and in his householdthey suffered from tzaar gidulbanim), I would picture theRebbes holy face and what hesaid,ess iz mir gevoren goot oifenhartzen (lit. and it became for megood on the heart).

MASHPIA IN

TOMCHEI TMIMIM

When the yeshiva was firstfounded by the Rebbe Rashab,he mentally assigned R Michoelthe job of mashpia and waitedfor the opportunity to offer it tohim. When R Michoel arrivedin Lubavitch in one of the firstyears since the yeshiva wasfounded, the Rebbe made himthe offer. (In another version, theRebbe offered it to him when the

number of talmidim grew.)At that time, R Michoel wasmashpia in Nevel and leaving thetownspeople was hard both forhim and for them. The mashpiaR Avrohom Drizin related:

When they heard in Nevelthat the Rebbe wanted to takeR Michoel and make him themashpia in the yeshiva, thetownspeople were crestfallen. It

was hard for them to part fromtheir beloved mashpia whoseguidance and impact on thetown was immense and whoselove for each of them, elderChassidim down to young boys,

was famous. Spontaneously,

they all signed a request to theRebbe that he agree to leave themtheir mashpia who has such aprofound influence on them.

The family added their ownrequest to this letter: R Michoelhas problems with his feet,

especially in the cold and rainyseason, and his family in Nevelcan treat him, which they wouldnot be able to do if he is in pain

in Lubavitch. The letter wasgiven to a family member whoimmediately left for Lubavitchand presented the letter to theRebbe.

The Rebbe read the letter,thought about it and then said:Michoel needs the yeshiva morethan any other place. As for hishealth, he will be well here.

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Obviously, after hearingthat, they had nothing else tosay and R Michoel moved toLubavitch. He had been widoweda while before and he moved toLubavitch with one of his sons,Shmuel, who opened an inn

for the bachurim and guests. Itwas one of the eighteen inns inLubavitch and it was called, theinn of Shmuel Michoels.

The Rebbe Rashab, as isknown, wanted to know aboutthe particular state of everytalmid and he asked that adetailed report be written oftento him. He gave this task to hisson, later to be the Rebbe Rayatz,since he was the acting dean

of the yeshiva. In the winterof 5661, the yeshivas debts

ballooned and the Rebbe Rayatzwas busy working on improvingthe yeshivas financial state. The

job of writing reports was givento the mashpiim, R Gronemand R Michoel. The RebbeRashab was in the health spa in

Wershofen. In one letter fromShvat 5661, the Rebbe wrote tohis son, I received a letter from

our friend, R Michoel, with greatpleasure and delight. Thanks toHashem that He has given thema heart to serve Him and to beinvolved in His holy Torah.

When he gave shiurim, he didnot look at the students faces tosee whether they were listeningand this had a good effect onthe talmidim as the RebbeRayatz testified, not in terms ofcomprehension or avoda, but like[the impact of] essence.

HE EXCELLED IN AHAVAS

YISROEL

R Michoels Ahavas Yisroelwas a byword. He took aninterest in others and their pain

was his, especially when it cameto the bachurim. The people inNevel said about him that during

the cold season he did not rest atnight until he managed to get logsfor the fireplace, carried themon his shoulder, and broughtthem to homes of the poor whoshivered in the cold, especiallythose who had small children.

Where there was nobody to lighta fire, he would do so.

R Mordechai Perlov, in hisbookLikkutei Sippurim, relates:

On Isru Chag Sukkos 5671,I had to report for the draftand I was very nervous. Thatday I davened early so I wouldhave enough time to go to theholy ohalim in Lubavitch (ofthe Tzemach Tzedek and theRebbe Maharash) and to get to

where the wagon was collectingpassengers at ten oclock fora ride to the train station inKrasnaya.

I remember that I cried alot. Then I went to R Michoelfor his bracha and I cried again.I said goodbye and left. AfterI presented myself and boruchHashem was exempted, Ireturned to my parents home.

When I returned to Lubavitch,one of my friends (who waspresent when I met with RMichoel) said that at one point RMichoel said, Motke Charsoner(Perlov) took away a piece of myhealth, going to such a place!

And when R Michoel said this,said my friend, he cried a lot andthen continued to bless me. Hislove and devotion to every one ofthe bachurim was incredible.

In his memoir, R ShmaryahuSasonkin also mentions RMichoels Ahavas Yisroel:

then we went to learn bythe mashpia, R Michoel Bliner.The talmidim loved this mashpia

with a tremendous, powerfullove. It was a soulful delight tolook at his face which was alwaysshining with his cleverness andChassidishkait

He loved all the talmidimand not just his own class. He

was a compassionate father to allthe talmidim, a compassionatemother, and he made sure theydid not lack for anything. It

was amazing that he was so

connected to the talmidim thathe felt their lack even before theydid so themselves.

His personal relationship withthe talmidim was apparent in hisshiurim too. R Sasonkin:

When he explained theLikkutei Torah to us, it waspleasant to listen to. Onnumerous occasions it happenedthat he came to an inspirationalpassage about service of the heart

and tears would stream from hiseyes.

His influence had a greateffect on his audience, thetalmidim, because what he said

was very impassioned and camefrom a pure heart. And Chazaldecreed that words that comefrom the heart enter the heart.He, the mashpia R Michoel,introduced us to many complex

subjects and explained them to uswell.

So too for farbrengens: RMichoels farbrengens weremainly words of inspiration.He would urge the talmidim tolearn and daven, for the study ofChassidus not to be superficial

but a desire to know what is beinglearned, not like one reading thenewspapers where everythingthat you read yesterday is not

relevant today, because this kindof learning does not accomplishanything and never leadto putting into action what isrequired in avodas HaChassidus avoda of the heart which istfilla.

R Michoel was a veryimpassioned person and whathe said came from a pure heart.

As we would put it, he walked

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the talk and what he saidalways entered the hearts of thetalmidim and made a powerfulimpression on them even thoughit sometimes required exposingthe talmidims flaws, but since heexposed them with great care anddeep love, they all felt that he wasrevealing their flaws out of loveand therefore they accepted it in

that spirit.When he revealed our flaws

and character defects we neverheard him speak in loud tones,in anger, and in words thatmade you cringe. His way ofspeaking was always calm and

with sweetness and his wordswere never in vain. The talmidimsat crowded at his farbrengens,

with love and in friendship, andlistened closely to what he had to

say.

ONE OF THE OVDIM

R Michoel was an oveid andwhat he demanded of othershe first did himself. He himselfdavened at length and thereforehe would extol avodas hatfilla tohis students.

R Yisroel Jacobson said that

one time he stood behind him ashe put on his tallis in his usualplace in the south-west cornerand he heard how R Michoelslowly and sweetly said, mayakar, ma yakar chasdecha (howprecious, how precious is Yourkindness the beginning of thefirst verse said upon donningthe tallis) and it made a great

impression on him.At the 19 Kislev farbrengen of

5665, the Rebbe Rashab spokestrongly about the necessity ofavodas hatfilla because thestudy of Chassidus without tfillaat length can lead to undesirableresults. R Gronem, the mashpia,asked the Rebbe, In IgeresHakodesh it is brought that the

Alter Rebbe commanded thosesupported by their fathers not

to spend less than an hour and ahalf on their davening, and this[an hour and a half of davening]is not particularly lengthy ...

The Rebbe replied, By theAlter Rebbe everything had itsestablished time. From boruchshomar until after ShmonehEsrei he would spend one hourand this is certainly true since Iheard it from my father.

R Michoel suddenly yelledto the bachurim, Listen! Thisis meant for you, and not for RGronem!

The Rebbe said, I meant thebachurim, Rashag (R ShmuelGronem) too and myself butthe point is that learning alone isnot enough and we need to davenat length.

When the Rebbe continued todemand involvement in avodashalev with a person going out ofhis innate limitations, R Michoelpointed out that perhaps theabsence of davening at lengthon the part of the talmidimcame from the limited timeat their disposal because they

began davening at about tenand at twelve they had to startlearning. The Rebbe responded:

All limitations are not imposedon anyone that we see has anyaptness, even somewhat, to beinga tziyur of apnimi, and it seemsto me that this is already knownto all.

The Rebbe once saidthat when you postpone thecontemplation from the PsukeiDZimra to Shma, that made itpossible to postpone meditation

The town of Lubavitch

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there too. R Michoel stoodand heard the sicha with tearsstreaming from his eyes.

The famous sicha of theRebbe Rashab about being apnimi was in response to RMichoel explaining to the Rebbe

that the bachurim were rushingthe niggun, because to them it

was only an introduction andthey wanted something elseentirely. When he stood to listento the sichos about chitzon andpnimi, said the Rebbe Rayatz, itlooked as though boiling water

was pouring on him.

When he would see that oneof the bachurim was suited todaven at length, and he davened

with everyone else, he wouldsay, He already became a yereiShamayim (i.e. he is particularto daven with a minyan), and

would be very annoyed aboutthis.

REDEEMING CAPTIVES

When the problem of the draftarose, the Rebbe Rashab starteda fund for pidyon shvuyim

(and even set aside money for itfrom his own pocket). The RebbeRashab put R Michoel in chargeof the fund and not for naught.R Michoel did not stop workingon this with the utmost devotion.

We know this from many storiesfrom the ziknei hachassidim.

R Refael Kahn said:

When they once took acertain bachur to the army andsent him far away, R Michoel

went to his base and spoke to thecommander and cried to him:See, I am an old man and I haveno one in the world to help meexcept for this young man, mynephew, who supported me untilhe was drafted.

In the end, the commanderwas moved and the bachurreturned home.

On another occasion, theRebbe Rashab showed RMichoel a letter from one of theTmimim who was sent by thearmy to a distant place. In thatplace, wrote the bachur, he founda few Jews from a number of

villages and they told him thaton Shabbos they gathered in one

village and prayed together, butthey had no Torah. The bachurasked the Rebbe to try and sendthem a Torah.

The Rebbe exclaimed to RMichoel, See what a Tamim is!Even when he is in the army, heis concerned about obtaining aTorah for Jews.

R Michoel said, But we need

to think about how to get himreleased, and he immediatelyasked the Rebbe for the bachursaddress, made efforts on his

behalf, and finally managed toget him released.

Another story on this topicwas told by the mashpia, RAvrohom Drizin:

R Michoel once went withtwo bachurim who were about

to be drafted to a certain doctorwho would give exemptionsin exchange for a bribe. Whenthe three arrived, he refused toreceive them and slammed thedoor in their faces. R Michoellooked into the matter and foundout that the doctor had beeninformed upon to the governmentfor issuing exemptions inexchange for bribes and now he

was afraid to continue doing so.

R Michoel did not despair.He went through the back doorand met the doctors wife. Hepleaded with her to convinceher husband to give the two

bachurim exemptions. She askedhim, What is the connection

between you and them? Are theyyour sons?

R Michoel replied, The twoare my students.

The woman was amazed byhis devotion to his students andconvinced her husband to issuethe exemptions. The doctor askedfor a very large sum and gave theexemptions. When R Michoelreturned to Lubavitch, he sighed:

I gave more than enough to klipa.This is what R Shaul Ber

Zislin had to say:

They once saw R Michoel inhis tallis and tfillin and holdinghis tzitzis in the middle of recitingShma when he suddenly removedhis tfillin and tallis, and left.

When time passed and he did notreturn, they went to look for him

but could not find him.

After a while he came backand put his tallis and tfillin backon and continued davening. Afterhe finished davening, they askedhim where he had disappearedduring Shma. R Michoel saidthat a few days earlier a wealthyman came to the Rebbe and

when I asked him to donate tothe pidyon shvuyim fund he toldme to come to him before he leftand he would give me a nice sum.

I remembered that he wasleaving this afternoon and so Irushed to his inn and he actuallygave me a generous amount.

When they asked him howhe could leave in the middleof Shma during yichuda ilaa(higher unification) he said, Doyou know what yichuda ilaa is?Obtaining money for pidyonshvuyim, that isyichuda ilaa!

IN HIS OLD AGEIn 5671, R Michoel became

weak and found it difficult tofunction normally. At first there

were still talmidim who went tohim to hear him teach Tanya andChassidus. Then he taught justone student, Avrohom AharonSosnitzer, and in the end he didnot teach Chassidus at all and

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was satisfied just to be in the zal.

At that time, his salary was fiverubles a week (some say 15 rublesa month). R Eliezer Kaplan (theyeshivas financial administrator)suggested to the Rebbe Rashabthat they stop sending him this

weekly (or monthly) salary sincethe yeshivas coffers were emptyand R Michoel was no longerteaching. The Rebbe rejectedthis suggestion and said, He is

worth the money if only becausethe Tmimim will look at him. Heis a tziyur of an elder Chassid.

In the summer of that year hebecame even weaker. He couldnot even walk to shul and had todaven at home. At this point, his

talmidim helped him and some ofthem went to his house regularlyto serve him. One of them, RMordechai Perlov, told aboutthose days in his book:

One day in the summerof 5671, I went to his house toserve him. It was about two inthe afternoon and I found himlying on the sofa. When he sawme he said, Its good you came.

I thought he wanted me to helphim. When I went over to himhe said, I want you to bring mea minyan of men. At first I didnot understand what he wanted,

but then I realized he wanted tosay Vidui.

I said to him, What for?Hashem will yet give you longlife. He stopped me and said,Surely with His help that ishow it will be, but you do what

you are told. Then he listed thenames: R Gronem, R AvrohomDovid (of Klimowitz) if healready finished davening, andhe listed all ten. And of course,he said, you are included. Thenhe added, If you dont find them,

bring others instead of them, butthere should be a minyan and notmore.

I immediately called all those

he wanted and when we had allgathered he took a Siddur andsaid the deathbed Vidui. We allcried. As for R Michoel, whenhe finished saying Vidui, hesaid, Nu, now we need to bringmashke.

When they brought a bottleof mashke he told them all to saylchaim and then said, All Jews

believe in the resurrection of thedead, but I already experienced it.Its been a long time since I feeltotal shutdown. My head is emptyand I do nothing. Suddenly,some time ago, I began thinkingabout topics (in Chassidus) withthe liveliness of my youth. My

eyes and heart opened. The samething happened the next day andthe day after that. At the time,the Rebbe was at his summerplace and I immediately wantedto travel to him and tell him, butdue to some reason I did not go.

I hoped that this situation wouldcontinue and would remainconstant but after some days itall dissipated. Please tell me, isntthat literal resurrection of thedead?

His health worsened at theend of 5671 and he could not

walk. Erev Yom Kippur he askedthat he be brought to the largehall of the yeshiva where I want

R MICHOELS WAY OF TEACHING

In Av 5664, the Rebbe Rashab published the booklet Eitz HaChayimforthe Tmimim at the end of which he explained the purpose of the foundingof the yeshiva and the methods and times for learning. He wrote, Thoselistening to the mashpiim Rashbatz and R M (Bliner) should listen from

within the text and listen well to what they teach and afterward review whatthey heard and two together should review it, not less, and they shouldreview what they heard well and what they do not remember or did notunderstand they should ask the mashpia.

R Michoels method of teaching was simple without expansiveexplanations; just each line and its translation. However, in a letter thatthe Rebbe Rashab sent his son in Petersburg in the winter of 5665 we findthe following: Regarding the complaint of Mordechai (Chafetz) of Disna,its news to me that R M (Bliner) explains things, for until now we heardfrom the listeners that he does not explain anything but just says what is

written in Likkutei Torah. That the explanation precedes knowing the simplemeaning itself is certainly a minus, because when you have the main thing

then you can add to it, but with R M you could speak and tell him aboutthe deficiency and that it needs rectification because he accepts the truth

without any inner annoyance and will try to correct the matter IyH.

One time, when the Rebbe Rayatz went to give a report to his father,they got to talking about R Michoels way of teaching. Aside from what theRebbe Rayatz wrote, he added verbally:

The mashpia R Michoel is drawn to the truth. His conception and wayof explaining are not that earth-shattering but his yearning and his draw tothe truth make a powerful impression on his students.

The Rebbe responded, The truth is drawn to him since truth is drawnonly to one who is a vessel for truth as we know from keilim dTikkun that

they dont only contain the light but also draw down the light. When RMichoel was a young man who made ovens, he already had a sense of thetruth.

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to be on the holy day.

They placed his bed on thesouthern edge of the hall, nearthe second room (a room offthe main sanctuary for those who

davened at length) and he spentthe day there. When the RebbeRashab finished davening Maarivon Yom Kippur night, he wentover to R Michoel and askedhow he was. They discussed theamounts a sick person is allowedto eat and drink on Yom Kippur.

R Michoel finished thefast without having to resort toany medication or any eating ordrinking.

THE REBBE ATTENDED THE

FUNERAL

On 27 Cheshvan, ShabbosParshas Chayei Sarah, R Michoelfelt that his end was near and hesaid to those near him, I mustsee the Rebbe.

They said, It is Shabbos.

He said, So what? I must see

the Rebbe.

They began telling him thatthe Rebbe was still davening (theRebbe Rashab would daven atlength) and he asked, How do

you know? They said that it hadbeen checked and the Rebbe wasstill davening.

R Michoel relaxed and restedfor half an hour and then wokeup and said again and again, Imust see the Rebbe. When hesaw that they were ignoring him,he raised himself up in bed anddespite his tremendous weaknessand poor health put on his outergarment and announced, I am

going to the Rebbe. It was tothat extent that he yearned to seethe Rebbe before he passed awayfrom this world.

People could not believe theireyes and before they recovered hehad begun walking to the door,

but his strength failed him andhe fell. They immediately raisedhim up and laid him back on his

bed. His disappointment over not

being able to see the Rebbe wasgreat and this was apparent onhis face. That Motzaei Shabboshe passed away.

When they informed theRebbe, he said to delay thefuneral until his two sons came

to Lubavitch, one from Neveland the other from Vitebsk.

When they reported to the Rebbethat the sons could only arriveSunday night, he said to make allthe preparations and the funeral

would take place at night.

They asked: But it is theheight of winter and it is rainyand there is so much mud and it

will be very hard to walk at night.

The Rebbe said it was out ofthe question to leave the bodyovernight.

So, they asked, perhaps thefuneral should take place by day

without the sons.

The Rebbe said: The firstKaddish that the sons say afterthey close the grave is a verylofty matter for the soul of thedeparted.

It was a harsh winter night

and the mud in the streets wasdeep and the people had adifficult time extricating theirfeet from the mud with everystep they took. Nevertheless, theRebbe Rashab went out to escortR Michoel and all the residentsleft their houses with lanterns intheir hands to light the way. Ofcourse, all the talmidim of theyeshiva with their teachers andmashpiim followed the bier. The

Rebbe walked halfway wherea vehicle awaited him to bringhim back, while his son, Rayatz,

was one of the pall bearers andhe walked all the way to thecemetery. On the way, he said alot about R Michoel and praisedhim highly. He said, The crownof Tomchei Tmimim was takenaway.

WHAT ARE YOU IMMERSED IN?!

The Rebbe, my father-in-law, related that in Petersburg lived a wealthyman by the name of Shmuel Michel Treinin. He did business with the royalfamily and was orderly by nature. In addition he was of morose disposition,and as such, was particular that his clothing be buttoned, each button in its

proper buttonhole.One time, R Michoel Bliner (Michoel der alter) went to him on behalf

of a bachur who had to be freed from the army so he could learn Torah.Treinin needed to go with him to one of the nobles who could do somethingabout the matter.

Upon going there, they had to traverse the main street of Petersburg-Leningrad. R Michoel would walk in Petersburg the same way he walked inLubavitch Apparently he hadnt davened yet and had just finished whatit says in Shulchan Aruch about preparing for davening and therefore, his

buttons were not fastened properly.

Treinin said to him carefully, since he was afraid that R Michoel wouldcome down on him: Since we are walking on the main street, which wascalled Nevsky Prospekt, perhaps you should fasten your buttons.

R Michoel gave him a look and said: Gevald R Shmuel Michel, what areyou immersed in!

(sicha of 13 Tammuz 5715)

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ANASH-SHLICHUSName: Eli Levy

Age:27Married, two children

Lives: Tzfas

Profession:

Music teacher and maintenance

manager at the Technical

Institute of Tzfas

By Zalman Tzorfati

If youve been in the Chabadcommunity of Tzfas on a Friday lately,you could not help but notice a higherlevel of inspiration and the sense of agreater support system among the mengoing on mivtza tfillin. This is thanksto the Matteh Mivtza Tfillin that wasrecently started in the community byEli Levy, a dynamic young man.

The Matteh has a list of the namesof those wanting to go on mivtzaimand gives out locations, routes andhours, coordinates with the local ATaH

bachurim organization to preventoverlap, and sends the men on their

way.

Eli grew up in a religious-nationalist family. In his teens he

became interested in Chabad andwent to the yeshiva in Tzfas. After twoyears of learning in Tzfas he went onKvutza, learned in 770, went on a yearof shlichus to Mongolia and returned

home. He married and settled in theChabad community of Tzfas.

Matteh Mivtza Tfillin, a kind ofATaH organization for married men,is a fantastic idea that is needed inall Chabad communities. Its thekind of thing you hear about and yousay, How come this wasnt donesooner? How did you get the idea?

We were sitting at a Sheva Brachosmeal and I told a terrific Hashgacha

Pratis story. The moral of the storywas that you never know what effecta small action will have. People wereinspired to do something and I hadlong felt we were losing out on theamazing strength of the young marriedmen in the community. I took theopportunity and offered to start anorganized system of mivtza tfillin forthe men of the community. We passedaround a paper and everyone signedthat they committed to going on

mivtzaim once a week.We put the page with the

signatures into a volume of IgrosKodesh and opened to a letter wherethe Rebbe writes about a groupthat got together for the purpose ofspreading the wellsprings. The Rebbe

warmly encourages this. At the endof the letter, the Rebbe writes thatsince the people were present at aSheva Brachos meal and making goodresolutions, this would stand by thecouple for a blessing for an everlastingedifice.

We were in shock. We certainlyhadnt expected such a precise answer.That week, we got started. We foundout which hours and locations did nothave bachurim and that is where wesent pairs of men to do mivtzaim.

Did it catch on?

Boruch Hashem, its been very

successful. We started with a few pairsand now we have over twenty pairs ofmen who go on mivtzaim every weekin Tzfas and the immediate area.

Every week our objective is tosurpass what we did the week before

with the number of people who put ontfillin. Last week, for example, we puttfillin on with 200 people, which is ahuge amount.

What motivates you?

The truth is I started this mainlyfor myself. After living in Tzfas fora few years I suddenly got it. I said,Wait a minute, the Rebbe chose youto be a Chabadnik and you came to aChassidic community, wonderful. Butis that all the Rebbe wants of you?

What is the significance of being aChabad Chassid if not to spread the

wellsprings?

I spent three years in the armywhere I did mivtzaim left and right,

but here I was in a community and Ithought, What do I want my childrento think of me? That Im just a fellowliving in the community? So yes,the plan is to find a place of shlichus,

but for now as long as I live in thecommunity I have to do something forthe Chabad neshama, for the chinuchof my children.

SHLICHUS

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AGAINSTALL ODDS

R Efraim dancing at the Seifer Torahdedication in his honor. Rachamim Dabush:Six months earlier, my father was barely aliveand it seemed highly unlikely that he wouldever dance again. The doctors who cut out80% of his right brain lobe said with absolutecertainty that he wouldnt be able to speak

or understand, and he would be completelyparalyzed on his left side. However, themiracle occurred. We made a Seifer Torahdedication three months ago and my fatherdanced with the Seifer Torah himself!

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R Chaim Efraim Dabush, a fty-ve year old

Jew from Mazkeret Batya, received the gift of

life through a revealed miracle from the Rebbe,

Melech HaMoshiach. He was critically injured

when he fell from a height of ve oors in a

building in Phoenix, Arizona. The doctors didnt

give much hope for his survival, declaring that at

best he would live as a vegetable rl. Yet, exactly

fty-three days after his accident, on Yud-Tes

Kislev, he was released from the hospital. The

open miracles accompanying this amazing

incident and subsequent rehabilitation caused

dozens of Jews to make good resolutions and

embrace a life of Torah and mitzvos. A real Baal

Shemske story in honor of the Alter Rebbes

yahrzeit, Chaf-Dalet Teves.

By Yaron Tzvi

Translated by Michoel Leib Dobry

Iheard the following storyduring a Shabbos eveningmeal with Raz Chen, aChabad Chassid living in

Crown Heights. Raz is one of many

Jews who did tshuva or becamesignificantly stronger in their Torahobservance over the past year dueto the amazing incident that weretell here. When I heard the firstfragmentary details to this story, Irealized that this was truly a mostunique event. Later, I spoke withR Rachamim Dabush of Phoenix,

Arizona, the eldest son of EfraimDabush, the Baal HaMaaseh.

As he gave me the whole storyin great detail, it became clearthat this was something totallyunimaginable. There are momentsand experiences in life when we

simply feel G-ds presence ina most revealed manner. Thisincident was an example of one ofthose experiences through which

we can again learn to appreciateevery moment of our shlichus inthis world.

Since R Efraim Dabush wasunconscious during most of thedevelopments of this miraculousevent, we spoke primarily with

his son, Rachamim, and otherindividuals involved in the story.

FALLING THROUGH

THE ROOF IN PHOENIX

R Rachamim Dabush,member of a traditional Jewishfamily from Mazkeret Batya,is a partner in a business that

manufactures and marketsDead Sea products. While themanufacturing process is carriedout in Eretz Yisroel, marketing isdone all over the world through a

warehouse which they maintainin a five-story building locatedin Phoenix, Arizona, whereRachamim lived. A year and ahalf ago, Rachamims father, RChaim Efraim, arrived to spendsome time with his son. During

this visit, they detected somewater leakage in the warehousebuilding, and his father, whoworked in the field of buildingand construction, decided to goup on the roof and take a look atthe problem up close.

My father went up theretogether with two Mexican

workers to find the source of theleakage. The roof had skylights,and at a certain point, as thesetwo workers checked somethingelsewhere on the roof, he rl fellthrough the skylight for somereason unknown to this day. This

was a fall of about sixty feet thatleft no chance for survival of anykind, Rachamim recalled.

The first miracle was thatunder each of these skylights,there was usually a hard cement

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floor. The one exception was theskylight through which my fatherfell. Under that skylight stooda wooden table, and it turnedout later that this significantly

lessened the intensity of theimpact. Naturally, the table wassmashed to pieces, despite thefact that it was made out of verystrong wood.

At that moment, I was onmy way to the office when theyinformed me of what happened.I quickly arrived at the site ofthe accident, and I found myfather crumpled and bleedingon the floor, critically injured.

The paramedics arrived withintwo minutes, and they said thatalthough the hospital is only threeminutes away, there was no hopeof getting him there alive.

ARRIVING AT

THE HOSPITAL

Miraculously, my father wasstill alive when he arrived at the

Maricopa Medical Center inPhoenix, a first-class hospital.He was immediately broughtin for an MRI examination ofhis entire body to determine

the extent of his injuries beforeadmitting him to the operatingroom. The surgeon came out andsaid that my father was in criticalcondition. He cautioned that thesurgical staff couldnt make anypromises: the procedure couldtake hours, and chances werethat he wouldnt make it chv.Two hours later, the surgeoncame out again and said thatthere was some cranial bleeding

in several places, and my fatherhad also sustained a fracture inhis back between the shoulders.

We arent touching theback, because we first needto stabilize his condition, thedoctor said as he summed upthe situation that first anxiousday. We have completed the firstoperation, and now were movinghim into the intensive care unit.

Well see what happens.

We started davening andsaying Thillim. A minyan wasorganized in the hospital, andour Chabad friends in EretzHaKodesh also recited Thillimon his behalf, said Rachamim

with much emotion. Withina couple of days, about twentypeople had gathered in ourhome. My mother, sisters, anduncles had arrived from EretzHaKodesh. It was an amazingatmosphere of family unity, faithand hope, despite the tremendousanxiety. We were also joined bymembers of my wifes family, theBen-Shabbats, and I owe themmy deep thanks and appreciation

for their support during thosedifficult times.

From a religious standpoint,I had already become involved

with Chabad four years earlierthrough my brother-in-law, R

Yaakov Ben-Shabbat from Tzfas.This close involvement also grew

with the influence ofIgros Kodeshafter I saw numerous miracles. Itstarted with simple advice thatthe Rebbe gave me. He eveninformed us in advance aboutmy wifes expected pregnancy,adding that we should namethe child after the leader of thegeneration, and this is exactly

what we did.

Rabbi Dovid Vaknin, familyfriend and rav of the Galileesettlement of Menachamia, alsoplayed an important role in mygrowing connection to Torah

and mitzvos. At the start of myjourney along the path of tshuva,I was only wearing tzitzis andI told him that I had stoppedsmoking and watching soccermatches on Shabbos. Take theplunge, Rabbi Vaknin said. Ifthe waters cold for you, do whatyou feel you can. However, ifits warm and pleasant, stay inthe water. Ive been keeping

The sunroof through which R Efraim fell

With a fracture of this type, he absolutely will

not walk again. If you want, keep praying; if your

prayers are answered, it will only make my job easier.

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Shabbos ever since.

During the entire processwith my father, he stood by ourside. However, four years ago, I

was still in the process of takingthose small steps towards fullobservance, and as a result of

what happened to my father, Ibecame even more committed.Not long after the accident, Iresolved to begin growing a

beard, while my wife decided tocover her hair.

OPERATIONS

AND PRAYERS

At this stage, after the firstoperation, my father remained

in intensive care for about sixor seven hours. Suddenly, thesurgeon arrived and said thatthe test results showed seriouspressure on his brain, and there

was a need to operate again todrain the blood. He explainedthat the chances were eightypercent that he wouldnt survivethe procedure, expected to lastfive hours. It would undoubtedlyharm the central nervous

systems control over the powerof speech, comprehension, andmemory, etc. Therefore, he wascertain that even if my fatherlived through the surgery, he

would remain in a vegetativestate rl. While the prognosisseemed extremely grim, it alsooccurred to me that G-d hadmade a miracle. This doctor,

who had been on duty when myfather arrived at the hospital,

specialized in back and brainsurgery [the two areas where myfather had been injured], and

was considered one of the fivebest surgeons in the world. Hewas a native of Iran, an atheistwho didnt believe in anythingspiritual. I knew that only amiracle could save my father,and this expert physician wasmerely the tool to bring it about

in accordance with the ways ofnature.

Two days had passed sincethe second operation, yet myfathers condition remainedunstable. The doctors wereeven talking about a possiblethird brain operation. Afterthey managed to stop theinternal bleeding in the first twooperations, they made someadditional MRI and CT exams.These tests revealed that there

was a large quantity of deadbrain tissue present as a resultof the blow he received. Thedoctors reached the conclusionthat they had to remove eighty

percent of his rear right brainlobe, controlling his ability tospeak and understand, move hisleft side, and more.

The doctor explained thatthis time, our father wouldhave to undergo intensive brain

surgery. Therefore, we had tomake a critical decision. If they

would operate, there was a slimchance for his survival; if he didsurvive, the operation wouldsurely hamper his ability tofunction. However, if they didntoperate, he would have littlehope and might die chv beforethey had a chance to reschedulesurgery. I prayed to G-d that Heshould help me make the right

decision. As the eldest son, andwith the consent of my motherand sisters, I decided in favor ofoperating.

Two days before the surgery,my brother-in-law, R MordechaiBen-Shabbat, wrote to theRebbe about the situation. Inan amazing and unforgettablereply, the Rebbe related directlyto the medical situation, writingthat we must be strong in ourfaith in G-d, start making goodresolutions, and also influenceothers in order that things willget better.

We did numerous spiritualactivities to hasten our fathersrecovery. Beyond thoseresolutions my wife and I made,many friends and other familymembers made their ownpersonal commitments in their

mitzvah observance, such askeeping Shabbos, putting ontfillin each weekday, separatingchallah dough, reciting Thillim,refraining from drinking non-kosher wine, and more. Themain thing was for my fatherto be well. For example, my

business partner, Elad Gottlieb,decided to observe Shabbos,and he has become stronger in

I just want to see my father openhis eyes. The frst words Ill say will

be, Give thanks to G-d becauseHe is good, for His kindness is

eternal.

Shortly before the Seifer Torahdedication

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this observance ever since. Mycousin Raz became a full-fledgedChabad Chassid, and there aremany more examples.

The operation was a success,taking only an hour and half, asopposed to the three hours theyexpected at the outset. Afterthe operation, he was returnedto the intensive care unit. This

was already beyond nature,

something far more than I couldpossibly handle. If it wasnt formy wife, Oshrat, who gave meher constant support in dealing

with our three children at home,I dont think I could have coped

with the pressure of those criticalhours and days.

After writing to the Rebbe,my fathers condition continuedto improve. Although heremained unconscious andhooked up to a respirator, he wasalive and growing more stableeach day. The cranial bleedinghad stopped, and there was noneed for any additional surgery,although we still didnt know theextent of the damage caused inthe process.

THE REBBE PROMISED:

GEULA ON YUD-TES KISLEV

Three weeks before Yud-TesKislev, after two or three weeksof anxiety, agony, and prayer,his condition was classified asstable. While my father was stillcomatose, his condition hadstabilized and his life was nolonger in danger. At this stage,

the doctors declared that the timehad come to perform surgery onhis back. This would be a mostcomplex operation that couldtake as much as eight hours.Their plan was to take a bonefrom someone elses body toreplace my fathers broken one,setting it in place with specialscrews. The Iranian doctor

brought me a picture of myfathers broken back. It showed a

literal gap between two portionsof the broken bone, and this iswhat they had to repair.

The doctors scheduled theoperation to take place in anotherthree days. We again wrote tothe Rebbe MHM, and again theresponse contained numerous

brachos, including one about afarbrengen on Yud-Tes Kislev.I no longer knew what to think:

Yud-Tes Kislev was in anotherthree weeks, and my father wasstill in a coma with a broken

back

UNCOMPROMISING TRUST

AND A REVEALED MIRACLE

In my conversation withRachamim, he relived thosefretful events; his eyes suddenly

welled with tears as he recalledthe intensity of this miracle. AfterI paused to allow him to composehimself, I asked him to continuehis story.

Three days later, the doctordecided to take some finalupdated x-rays of my fathers

back before bringing him in forsurgery. I dont know how toexplain it, but I was suddenlyimbued with a feeling of absolute

trust in G-d, and with the RebbeMHMs bracha, I knew thateverything would work out. MyRebbe gave a bracha that myfather would return to his oldself and be completely healed,I told the doctor. You may be agreat surgeon, but youre onlyan emissary! The self-assureddoctor replied: Ive been in thisprofession for twenty-five years,

The second Seifer Torahdedicated in 770 in his honor

R Efraim Dabushwith his son Rachamim

Raz Chen, the nephew who became abaal tshuva as a result of the miracle

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and there is no chance that your

father will have a full recovery.With a fracture of this type, heabsolutely will not walk again. Ifyou want, keep praying; if yourprayers are answered, it will onlymake my job easier.

With even greaterdetermination, I told him,My father will walk again, theRebbe promised! Just know thatsince you showed me the x-raypictures, I have been praying

that the next time you take anx-ray, you will be stunned to seehow the bone has healed. Thedoctors reply was short and tothe point: Your father is in acoma, motionless. Theres nochance that it will heal.

During his Shacharis prayerson the morning of the operation,Rachamim davened withtremendous fervor, pleading withG-d that He should prove to this

non-believing doctor that He,only He, is the Healer of all flesh.His faith in his fathers recoveryand the fulfillment of the Rebbes

brachos by the time which theRebbe himself had promisedgrew more intense.

The doctor arrived thatafternoon as planned to preparefor surgery, and took another

x-ray of R Chaim Efraims

back. Suddenly, he went up toRachamim, totally stunned, andsaid: I dont know what youdid, but Ive been a surgeon fortwenty-five years, and Ive neverseen such a change within threedays in someone who hasntmoved from his bed. The bonehas slipped back in place!!Rachamim elatedly looked at thenew x-ray pictures and thankedG-d as he raised his hands

heavenward.The astonished doctor

saw Rachamims reaction andadded, I dont know if yourea sorcerer...but Ive never seenanything like this. Incredibly,the operation lasted only threehours, less than half the expectedtime, as the bone had healed onits own. The operations over and I believe has been mostsuccessful, the doctor said at the

end of surgery.However, my father was still

comatose, and Yud-Tes Kislevwas rapidly approaching.

HE WOKE UP!

Rachamim and other familymembers were still very anxiousabout what was about to happen.

A few days passed and Rachamim

told his wife Oshrat: I just want

to see my father open his eyes.The first words Ill say will be,Give thanks to G-d becauseHe is good, for His kindness iseternal.

A few days later, Rachamimwas sitting in the hallway nearhis fathers room, waiting withgreat anticipation for the moment

when he might open his eyes.There were always two attendantson duty in the intensive care

room, along with three doctorson each shift. The attendant whousually sat right next to R ChaimEfraim already felt like a memberof the family.

At a certain point, thisattendant came up to Rachamimand said, Maybe try and speak

with your father in your nativelanguage. I talk to him in English,

but he doesnt understand.

Are you kidding me? I toldhim. My fathers in a coma.

What are you talkingabout? he replied. He openedhis eyes!

I went inside and saw hiseyes wide open. The wonderfulmoment that I had long beenpreparing for had finally arrived!

With great emotion, I said, Givethanks to G-d because He is

Letters of encouragement received from the Rebbe via Igros Kodesh

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SEVENTH

GENERATION

SENSITIVITYBy Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

TEN PLAGUE THERAPY

The Ten Plagues have

traditionally been understoodas G-ds way of punishingPharaoh and the Egyptians fortheir enslavement of the Jews.However, if that was the onlyobjective, then why did G-dhave to stretch it out, plagueafter plague, until there were TenPlagues in all? Why didnt He

just bring one devastating andconvincing plague to punish theEgyptians and compel them to

liberate the Jewish people?The truth is that the

experience of the Ten Plagues hadat least two other interconnectedfunctions:

First, it was designed toeducate the Egyptians (andthe Jewish people) about G-dsexistence and His involvementin and power over this world;these major principles of Judaism

were previously unknown to the

Egyptians.

Education, by definition,cannot happen instantaneously.The process of education is likethe process of growing a plant.One must first plow, sow, waterand remove the weeds, etc. Thereis no shortcut to genuine growthand development.

On the spiritual level,

education is what allows idealsand beliefs that are above and

beyond a person to enter into

that persons entire intellectualand emotional structure. Andsince our souls are comprised ofTen Faculties (three intellectualand seven emotional, asdiscussed in Kabbala andChassidic literature), the TenPlague educational program wasan effective ten step program toinfiltrate and alter the totality ofthe people affected.

SENSITIVITY TRAINING

The second function of theTen Plagues, as a corollary of thefirst, was to refine the Egyptianpeople and sensitize them to thesuffering and pain of the Jews

whom they had enslaved andpersecuted for so many years.Knowledge gained througheducation shapes and molds oursensitivity to G-d and to others.

If the Ten Plagues fell shortof completely transforming theEgyptians, they are still able toconvey eternal messages to ustoday and prepare us for the FinalRedemption. The prophet Micahillustrates their close connection

when he compares the FinalRedemption to the Exodus fromEgypt.

PRAYER AND IDOLATRY

With this introduction in

mind, we can examine Rashiscomment concerning Mosesmode of prayer after the seventhplague, hail. Pharaoh summonedMoses and Aaron and said tothem,

I have sinned this time. G-dis the righteous One. I and mypeople are the wicked ones. Plead

with G-d... I will send you away,and you shall not continue toremain.

Moses response to Pharaohwas:

When I leave the city, I willspread my hands to G-d. Thethunder will cease in order thatyou should know that the land

belongs to G-d

Rashi, citing the Midrash,notes the words When I leavethe city, I will raise my hands toG-d and addresses why Moses

had to leave the city to pray: Hedid not pray in the city because itwas filled with idols.

Commentators are puzzledwhy, in some of the earlierplagues, Moses did not leavethe city to pray to G-d. Why,specifically, was it during theplague of hail that Moses found itnecessary to avoid praying in thepresence of idols?

PARSHA THOUGHT

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Some commentators suggestthat the difference lies in themanner of prayer Moses engagedin. When he prayed for theremoval of the frogs and themixture of the wild animals hecried out to G-d or implored

G-d. However, with respect tothe removal of the plague of hail,the Torah says that he spread hishands to G-d. This more intenseform of prayer could not beperformed in the vicinity of idols.

However, this explanationitself needs to be clarified. Whydid Moses change his manner ofprayer with regard to this plaguein particular?

FLAILING BUT NOT FAILING

Bearing in mind ourintroductory comments about theTen Plague educational program,

we can shed some light on theabove.

If the purpose of the TenPlagues was to educate andsensitize Pharaoh and his peopleabout G-ds role and the painthey inflicted on the Jewish

people, the question arises, whatgrade did Pharaoh receive? Didhe fail the course?

When we survey Pharaohsresponses to the six priorplagues, we find that he remainedessentially the same stiff-neckeddisbeliever. The point at whichthe educational program began tomake a dent and affect Pharaoh

was with the plague of hail. Hisresponse to this plague was: I

have sinned this time. G-d is therighteous One. I and my peopleare the wicked ones

Not only was Pharaoh willingto relent and let the Jews go, headmitted to being the guilty partyand that G-d was righteous. Thissounds very much like a repentantsinner. True, Moses concludes

with the words I know that youand your servants still do not

fear G-d. But Pharaoh deserved

some credit. Indeed, Moses wassaying, in effect, You haventfailed, for some progress has

been made, but you still have notgotten the grades G-d desires ofyou.

In other words, the plagueswere finally beginning toshow their intended effect.The Egyptians were becomingsomewhat sensitized to G-dsexistence, His role and the pain

they had inflicted. The world wasa more G-dly receptive place.

CLEANER AIR

Now we can begin tounderstand why, after the seventhplague of hail, it was difficult forMoses to remain in a city filled

with idols to pray.

Why hadnt these idols beenan impediment to his prayers

with the preceding six plagues?Previously, the atmosphereof Egypt was inhospitable foranything G-dly. Whether or notthere was an idol nearby madelittle difference. The entire Landof Egypt was saturated withimpure energy. And it made

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