the impurity of idolatry 4elimination of the spirit of impurity, the source of idolatry. when the...

Beis Moshiach (USPS 012-542) ISSN 1082-0272 is published weekly, except Jewishholidays (only once in April and October) for$160.00 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and inall other places for $180.00 per year (45issues), by Beis Moshiach, 744 EasternParkway, Brooklyn, NY 11213-3409.Periodicals postage paid at Brooklyn, NY andadditional offices. Postmaster: send addresschanges to Beis Moshiach 744 EasternParkway, Brooklyn, NY 11213-3409.Copyright 2008 by Beis Moshiach, Inc.Beis Moshiach is not responsible for thecontent of the advertisements.

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contents

NO LONGER AFRAID OF MOSHIACHShlichus | Keren Kaplan20

THE TANYA FOR EVERY SINGLE JEW19 Kislev | Menachem Ziegelboim28

STARE DEATH IN THE FACE ANDPROCLAIM YECHI!Terror in Bombay | Rachel Kupchick

24

SACRIFICES FOR PEACETerror in Bombay | Rabbi Sholom Dovber Wolpo34

‘THEY GAVE EVERYTHING THEY HAD’Terror in Bombay | Shlomo Schwer36

CAMERA SHYStory | Nosson Avrohom39

CULTURAL WARChanuka | Menachem Ziegelboim12

‘EMISSARIES FOR A MITZVA ARE NOTHARMED’: HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?Terror in Bombay | Rabbi Menachem Mendel Arad

6

THE IMPURITY OF IDOLATRYD’var Malchus4

LOST SOUL, FOUNDChanuka Story | Nosson Avrohom10

674:Beis Moshiach 08/12/2008 8:17 AM Page 3

It is well known that serving idols and accepting G-d’ssovereignty are mutually exclusive. Idolatry is an obstacleto the complete revelation of G-d’s presence. Thus, one ofthe accomplishments of the era of Moshiach will beelimination of the spirit of impurity, the source of idolatry.When the nations will be motivated to serve G-d, then allforms of idolatry will be destroyed.

Idolatry itself has two negative consequences. First,the practices and rituals violate G-d’s Will. Second,idolatry creates ritual impurity, a distancing fromholiness. The term for this in Hebrew is tuma. Theconcept of tuma, which has far-reaching consequences,may be understood as follows: G-d is the source of life.Anything that reveals, or can potentially reveal, the innateG-dliness, the Divine life-force, is in a state of ritualpurity (tahara). Anything that conceals, obstructs orimpedes the flow of G-dliness is tuma – ritually impureand prohibited from being in contact with holiness.

According to Maimonides, this week’s Torah readingcontains an allusion to the impurity of idolatry. As Jacobprepares to return home with his family, he gives them thefollowing instruction: “Put away the strange gods that areamong you and purify yourselves and change yourgarments.” Here we see a clear connection betweenidolatry – the “strange gods” – and tuma, or impurity. Byremoving the “strange gods,” the idols, the household of

Jacob will purify itself. Jacob’sinstruction will be completely andliterally fulfilled in the era ofMoshiach when, as the prophetdeclares, the spirit of impurity will beremoved.

The tuma, or impurity, caused byidolatry falls into two categories.First, the tuma, or impurity, mayapply to the idolatrous object itself.That is, just as the Torah prohibitsone from deriving any benefit orpleasure from an object used inidolatry, so the rabbis decreed that anobject used in idolatry is tuma,ritually impure.

However, the impurity, or tuma,of idolatry, may apply only to theindividual, the actual idolater. That is,while the Torah prohibits idolatry, theobject worshipped does not in and ofitself become ritually impure. Rather,it is the person engaged in idolatrywho becomes tamei. The rabbisdecreed an idolater ritually impure –in a state of tuma – so that peoplewould distance themselves from‘strange gods.’

These two categories emphasize different aspects ofidolatry. When we say that the impurity applies to theidolatrous object itself, what is emphasized is therepulsiveness of the object. The idol is disgusting. On theother hand, when we say that the individual, the idolater,is tamei, the need to distance one’s self from idolatry, to“remove the strange gods among you,” is emphasized.There should be a complete distancing and totalseparation from the slightest vestige of idolatry.

Maimonides cites Jacob’s declaration from this week’sTorah reading as proof that idol-worship makes onetamei; that is, worshipping idols makes one ritually – andspiritually – impure. By doing so, he stresses the secondaspect, the need to distance one’s self from “the strangegods among you,” rather than the first aspect, therepulsiveness of idolatry. Maimonides’s explanation thatthe passage in this week’s Torah reading – “remove thestrange gods among you” – indicates that tuma appliesmainly to the individual also helps us understand ageneral principle of idolatry. Understanding this generalprinciple requires two preliminary observations.

First, there is a fundamental difference between theprohibition of idol-worship and all other prohibitions inthe Torah. All other prohibitions prohibit something ofreal substance. For example, the Torah prohibits eating

Removal of idolatry is a pre-requisitefor Redemption. The tuma, ritualimpurity, of idolatry can affect both theobject and the person. Every sin is anact of idolatry. “Removing the strangegods” breaks through the barriersconcealing G-d’s Presence.

THE IMPURITYOF IDOLATRY Translated and adapted by Dovid Yisroel Ber Kaufmann

d’var ma lchus

4 15 Kislev 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH


chametz on Passover, or eating an animal that died ofnatural causes, and so forth. In each case the thingprohibited actually exists: there is chametz, a dead animal,etc., that one is not allowed to eat. Idolatry, on the otherhand, is an illusion. True, the tree or stone beingworshipped is real. But to imagine that the tree or stoneor other object has any ability to harm or benefit isdelusional. Therefore, in regard toidolatry, any act that would lead oneto think that the ‘strange gods’ areactually real or have any effect isforbidden.

The second preliminaryobservation concerns the differencebetween prohibiting benefit orpleasure and the concept of impurity,or tuma. The purpose of aprohibition is to negate something,nullifying its significance. Ifsomething is tamei, on the otherhand, this means the object, howeverloathsome, has the ability to affect theperson who comes in contact with it.One who touches tuma himselfbecomes tamei. One who is impurethus cannot enter the Temple, theplace of holiness, because he wouldbring impurity within its gates.

The whole concept of idolatryraises the question: how cansomething which denies G-d’sOneness exist in the world made byG-d? How can G-d allow a person tothink that an idol has any reality, tothe point where there is a need todestroy the idol and its associatedrituals?

The answer lies in the wording Maimonidesemphasizes. Jacob tells his household, “Remove thestrange gods.” The key action is the removal of the“strange gods,” that is, the idols, by Jacob and hishousehold. In other words, idolatry exists only so that thevery possibility of idolatry will be completely eliminated

through the actions of the Jewish people. G-d wantsholiness to be brought into this world and revealedthrough the efforts of the Jewish people.

The reason G-d permits these false notions to exist isfor the Jewish people to reveal that idolatry is a lie,without any substance. By negating idolatry, a true belief– belief in the One G-d – is revealed.

Every sin or transgression is aminiature act of idolatry. Belief in theOneness of G-d means more thanaccepting that there is no other god.It means recognizing there is noother existence, and that all creationis an expression of the “word of G-d”which gives it life and being. Anythought or feeling of self-sufficiency– any violation of G-d’scommandments – denies, at least in asubtle way, the Oneness of G-d.

The same may be said offorbidden objects: they oppose theOneness of G-d. We may apply thesame logic to the “miniature”idolatry: prohibited objects exist forthe sake of the Divine service of theJewish people. Tuma, the sense ofbeing a separate existence and otheroppositions to holiness – all appear tohave substance and reality becausethe Divine life-force that animatesthem is covered up and concealed.Once the concealment of the Lightof the Infinite is removed, the innateG-dliness within even the mostmundane aspects of the world will berevealed. As Jacob commanded his

family, “remove the strange gods from among you,” sotoo must we “remove the strange gods,” break throughthe barriers and concealments, and reveal the G-dlinesswithin every aspect of creation. Then will be fulfilled theprophecy concerning the era of Moshiach, that the “spiritof impurity will be removed from the earth.”

(Based on Likkutei Sichos 30, pp. 155-160)Vayishlach

How cansomething whichdenies G-d’sOneness exist inthe world made byG-d? How can G-dallow a person tothink that an idolhas any reality, tothe point wherethere is a need todestroy the idoland its associatedrituals?

5BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 674


15 Kislev 5769 BBE IS MOSHIACH6

terror in bombay

WHERE IS THE SECURITYINSURANCE POLICY?Thursday night, Rosh Chodesh

Kislev in a Moslem country: I sitdown to farbreng with the few Jewswho make the effort to go to shul forMaariv. My mind is racing, crossingcontinents. For a moment mythoughts are in 770, with thesinging, dancing and simcha of RoshChodesh Kislev. Then I return to the

painful reality in which our fellowshluchim are hostages, in danger,and who knows… I can’t even thinkof another possibility.

My thoughts are intruded uponby the wailing from the mosques,which I find creepier than ever. I tryto focus on my present task and askthose present to say a l’chaim for theshluchim. I remind them that “whata Chassidishe farbrengen canaccomplish even the Angel Michoel

cannot accomplish.” I calmed myselfwith the saying of our Rebbeim,“Think good and it will be good,”and the saying of Chazal,“Emissaries to do a mitzva are notharmed.”

Then the phone rang. Daniel,one of the mekuravim, excitedlyreported that the shliach and his wifewere released. I immediately calledhome to relay the good news and inthe meantime the people in shul, ontheir own, starting singing, “PadaV’Shalom Nafshi.”

Moshe, who sat next to me, said,“I was thinking on my way here thatthe Rebbe has to make a miracle forhis shluchim. Baruch Hashem,praised be His name.” The KiddushHashem was great. Rosh ChodeshKislev, I think to myself, has becomeeven more significant. Thefarbrengen took off with everybodyin good spirits.

However, when I went home, Ifound out that no, they had not been

A shliach and shlucha who, undersimilar circumstances, would be helpingin the aftermath of the disaster, savingJews and extricating bodies, werethemselves bodies, lying within theirhome, the Chabad house, the home ofevery Jew.

�EMISSARIES FOR A MITZVA ARE NOT HARMED�

HOW COULD THISHAPPEN?By Rabbi Menachem Mendel Arad, Shliach, Marrakesh, Morocco


BE IS MOSHIACH Issue 674 7

released. As Shabbos came in, wedavened, hoped and added a candle.Shabbos morning we found out thebitter truth; the Rebbe’s shluchimwere gone! A shliach and shluchawho, under similar circumstances,would be helping in the aftermath ofthe disaster, saving Jews andextricating bodies, were themselvesbodies, lying within their home, theChabad house, the home of everyJew.

Our mind rejects theinformation. Our heart refuses tobelieve it. The Shabbos daveningand reading of the Torah don’tassuage the pain. So much of it hasan astonishing relevance: “and thehands are the hands of Eisav,” “andby your sword you will live,”“behold, Eisav your brother isplanning to kill you,” and “whyshould I be bereaved of both of youin one day?”

How is it possible that theGuardian of Israel who neitherslumbers nor sleeps allowed thisbloodbath to occur? How was itpossible that this auspiciousopportunity and its propensity forKiddush Hashem was blown? Why?“Why should the goyim say, whereis their G-d?”

I look around me. I seepolicemen and soldiers standing atthe entrance to the shul and Jewishcenter. Security men, in uniformand plainclothes, patrol the street.But they themselves are Moslems.All that’s missing is the spark toignite them, to cause them to thinkand act differently.

“The fiery angels on High cried outbitterly: This is Torah and this is itsreward?! … The enemy disgraces Yourgreat and fearsome name!”



Have the rules of the gamechanged? Have we lost the secureguarantee with which we walkdressed as Lubavitchers in thestreets? Must we, from now on, reinin our Jewish pride in front of themembers of the community and thetourists, and take the position of,“Be a Jew in your home and a manon the street?”

How will we instill the principlesof emuna and bitachon in Hashemin our k’hilla and among thetourists?

TO ASK OR TO REMAIN QUIET

Although the questions are notvoiced, the feeling is that people arewaiting for the shliach to explainthings. I recalled a Chassidic storywhich I heard in the name of RabbiChaim Levi Yitzchok Ginsberg. Itold the story and said, by way ofintroduction, that it was not meantto justify G-d’s ways, for we need tocry out “ad masai.” I said it in orderto forestall doubts.

An Israeli kibbutznik was hostedin the home of a Lubavitcher familyin Crown Heights one Yom Kippur.Although he was a self-professedatheist, he decided to fast and go toshul out of respect for his hosts.

He followed the davening in 770,and when the chazan got up to thepart of the Harugei Malchus (the tenTorah greats who were killed), hewas shocked to read the gruesomedescription of the murder of thesegreat tzaddikim. His shock was evengreater when he read the following,“The fiery angels on High criedout bitterly: This is Torah and thisis its reward?! … The enemydisgraces Your great and fearsomename! Blaspheming divrei Torah!”

A Heavenly voice called out fromHeaven: If I hear another sound, Iwill turn the world into water! Thisis a decree of Mine. Accept it, thosewho delight in the Torah!

The kibbutznik, who was not

raised to quietly accept what it saysin s’farim and believe, refused tocontinue. He demanded anexplanation for G-d’s response,which, as he put it, was nothingmore than a flexing of divine muscle.“What happened? Someone dares tospeak up and instead of getting ananswer he is berated and threatened,‘One more word and I will destroyyou all?’”

The Chassidim around him didnot have answers, so they referredhim to an older, wiser Chassid bythe name of R’ Zushe Partisan. R’

Zushe told him the following story:A wealthy king was getting ready

to marry off his only daughter. Heordered the finest food in specialdishes, the best musicians, and aspecial outfit, woven of exclusivefabric. He hired a Jewish tailor to dothe work.

The priests, who hated the Jewsand were annoyed at the king’srelationship with him, told the kingthat giving that fabric to the Jew waslike abandoning money in the street.They suggested that the king warnthe tailor that if, at the end of his

work, it was discovered that he hadtaken any of the material for himself,he would be condemned to deathand would have no opportunity todefend himself.

The tailor agreed to undertakethe job regardless and left for home,while the priests remained grinningin anticipation.

When the work was finished, thetailor went to the palace with thestunning suit. The king wasimpressed by his work and asked forthe remnants of material. To hissurprise, the tailor said there werenone!

The priests, who were eagerlywaiting this moment, swore byeverything holy that the Jew hadbetrayed the king and the kingsentenced him to death, as per theconditions he had specified from theoutset.

The Jew did not plead for his life.All he did was ask that his finalrequest be granted, as it is for allthose who are condemned. Hisrequest was for the suit he had madeand a pair of scissors to be broughtto him.

The king was incensed. “Do youwant to take revenge?” But since hedid not want to renege on thetraditional last request, he accededto the tailor’s wishes.

To the surprise of all thosepresent, the tailor delicately undid allthe stitches. Slowly, the suit revertedback to its original material, and tothe amazement of the king andpriests, they saw that the tailor hadexpertly used every last bit of fabric!

Then the Jew said, “My dearking, unfortunately I had no choicebut to take apart the garment. Nowyou believe me, but the suit is nomore!”

“So too,” said R’ Zushe to thekibbutznik, “Hashem said, I couldexplain My actions and assuage yourdoubts, but since you are limited,created beings, I would have to turnthe world back to chaos…”

“Hashem said, ‘Icould explain My

actions andassuage your

doubts, but sinceyou are limited,

created beings, Iwould have toturn the world

back to chaos todo so…’”



TO MY FELLOWSHLUCHIM

I will end with a few words formy fellow shluchim who surelylearned and farbrenged on the sichafor Parshas Noach, Likkutei Sichosvol. 5, known by the name, “Andonly Noach remained,” a sichawhich the Rebbe concludes with fiveparagraphs of directives.

We have to continue supplyingthe world with spiritualnourishment, even if the shliach is,heaven forbid, in a state of“groaning and spitting up blood,”even if the people around him are onthe level of “animals,” even if hedoesn’t have basic necessities forhimself and his family.

If that isn’t enough, the Rebbedemands that we not do this withkabbalas ol but with simcha. TheRebbe demonstrates that this avodapertains to one and all. It’s a fact.It’s in Rashi, which is for the “ben

chamesh l’Mikra.” And the Rebbenotes that we have to be happy sincewe were chosen for this holy workthat saves us from the “flood” thatcovers the world.

On first thought you askyourself: Master of the universe,Gabi and Rivka, may Hashemavenge their blood, were mosernefesh to go on shlichus and weremoser nefesh day in and day out.They didn’t think about themselves

but about the Rebbe’s shlichus. Howcould they be killed while onshlichus!?

On second thought, with theknowledge that we cannotunderstand, perhaps it is incumbenton us to adopt the line of “and theliving will take it to heart”:

Because this terrible tragedyripped our hearts to shreds, we mustrise above all the hardships oflanguage, fear, danger, finances,friends and family, and think aboutone thing only: carrying out theshlichus we were assigned, toprepare ourselves and the people ofour city and those who come to ourcity, to greet the Rebbe, MoshiachTzidkeinu, with joy!

***When tourists ask us how long

we are going to be here on shlichus,we answer, “For a very short time,until Moshiach comes.”

Rebbe, we all need you, now!

BOMBAY?Beis Moshiach has determinedthat Bombay is a more appropriateway to refer to India’s major citybecause the new name is anexplicit reference to avoda zara.As we are prohibited to mentionthe names of idolatry, we revert tothe old name, Bombay, whichsimply means “good bay,” and isin any case still commonly used,even in India itself.

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“I’ve told this story dozens oftimes,” says Rabbi BoruchGoldberg, a resident of the Old Cityof Yerushalayim and a familiarLubavitcher face in the TzemachTzedek shul there. “Nevertheless,each time I tell it, I am not onlymoved, but I understand more thanever the power of the Rebbe thatreaches every Jew. The Rebbe’s netis spread wide to save Jews, eventhose who reach the furthest places.

“I heard this story from the oneit happened to, R’ ShlomoSchwartz of Los Angeles, a mandedicated to spreading Yiddishkaitand reaching out.”

This story happened during theyears when the Rebbe stressed theimportance of going on mivtzaimon Chanuka and making the biggestpirsumei nisa possible. Each of theshluchim in Los Angeles tookresponsibility for an area where hewould do his best that not a singleJew would remain in the dark aboutthe Festival of Lights.

R’ Schwartz took on a hugeuniversity campus, attended bythousands of Jews, as well as anumber of neighborhoods wheremany Jews lived. He prepared adetailed plan and during the firstdays of Chanuka, he barely slept.He ran from place to place, tryingto reach every Jew. For a few dayshe went from house to house,neighborhood to neighborhood,along with another Lubavitcher whovolunteered to help him.

On one of the last days ofChanuka he was sitting in hisoffice, feeling exhausted. Afterfinishing his work, he left for homewith his assistant. It wasn’t a longtrip home but part of their routetook them through dangerousneighborhoods known for theirserious criminal activity. Even thepolice were afraid to enter withoutreinforcements. Suffice to say thatin those years, the federalgovernment enlisted the military inorder to fight crime in these

neighborhoods. They were the onlyones who could bring law and orderthere.

Unfortunately, as R’ Schwartzand his friend headed home, themotor died and the car stopped.When he tried to restart the car, henoticed that they had run out ofgas. They looked at one another indespair. In the midst of their flurryof Chanuka activity they had in factnoticed the gas gauge inchingtoward empty, but they kept put offthe errand a bit too long. Now, herethey were, stuck in the worstpossible place. Who would helpthem?

The darkness and silence madethem even more nervous. Assessingtheir situation, they realized thatstaying in the car was not anoption, and they decided to get outand ask for help. But from whom?They glanced at the buildingsaround them and saw that the lightswere out, which meant that peoplewere sleeping and as Chazal say,“The sleep of the wicked is goodfor them and good for the world.”

They needed at least one personawake, because it certainly wouldn’tdo them any good to wake someoneup and say, “My gas tank is empty,could you please come out and helpus.” Yet, what choice did theyhave?

They decided to walk aroundand see if they found any lights onin one of the houses. When theysaw a light, they got up theircourage to walk up the steps andknock on the thick, metal door.Later on, they said they had no ideahow they had the guts to knock atthat door.


chanuka story

They were out of gas in aneighborhoods even the police wereafraid to enter without reinforcements.Suffice to say that in those years, thefederal government enlisted themilitary in order to fight crime in theseneighborhoods. * An amazing story ofDivine Providence that took place onChanuka.

LOST SOUL, FOUNDBy Nosson Avrohom



They could hear footstepsapproaching and a loud voice askedthem to identify themselves. R’Schwartz and his friend didn’t evenhave a chance to reply when thedoor opened and they nearlyfainted. A huge black man stoodthere, muscles rippling, wearingchains, earrings and tattoos aplenty.They were absolutely terrified.

To their amazement, he smiledat them and turned around andcalled into the house, “Come, youhave guests.”

R’ Schwartz couldn’t imaginewho he would meet next. Within afew seconds a white-skinnedwoman appeared who lookedobviously Jewish.

Their fear dissipated and wasreplaced with a feeling ofastonishment. They quicklydiscovered that the black man was a

nice guy. He heard about theirproblem and went out himself to filltheir tank. In the meantime, theywent inside and talked to the Jewishwoman. She asked them to wait amoment while she went to her roomon the second floor. She returnedwith a letter she had received fromher mother after years ofestrangement over her living withthis black, non-Jewish man.

Her mother wrote her howmuch she missed her, and howdespite the many years ofseparation, her longing for her hadgrown. At the end of her letter, themother asked whether she still litthe Chanuka Menorah, a mitzva shehad loved to do as a girl and stillkept up in the early years of herestrangement from Judaism.

The woman asked the two menif they happened to have a Menorah

and candles because she wanted tolight one. They brought her aMenorah from the car and enoughcandles to last until the end ofChanuka.

She cried at the sight of theflames and was amazed by theDivine Providence that broughtthem to her apartment in themiddle of the night.

R’ Schwartz concluded the storyby saying, “That lost soul had avictory over the depths of klipa intowhich it had fallen, just as the fewMaccabees were victorious over themighty Yevanim. We stayed intouch with her. A few months latershe left her gentile boyfriend anddecided to get back to her roots.

“This incredible story taught methat nobody goes lost. We just haveto reach out.”



Chanuka is approaching and theChanuka story is familiar to us allsince kindergarten. As we get older,we learn more about that period ofhistory, the era of the Chashmonaimwhich was more or less in themiddle of the second BeisHaMikdash era, about two hundredyears before the churban.

But amidst trying to get into thedetails of the wars and the miracles,it can be hard to visualize what it

was like for the Chashmonaim.Together with Rabbi MenachemMakover, we projected ourselvesback to that period of time andexamined the events that took place,especially from the perspective ofthe Beis HaMikdash, Kohanim andthe renewed avoda.

We learn about the warbetween the Chashmonaim and theYevanim and are not quite familiarwith the political background and

about the Jewish people in EretzYisroel in those days.

When we talk about that era, wecan say that there was a warbetween nations. There were theEgyptian Greeks in the south andthe Syrian Greeks in Eretz Yisroel,who ruled after capturing the areafrom the Ptolemaic dynasty inEgypt. Yavan at that time wasdivided into several nationsfollowing the death of Alexander ofMacedonia. The Yevanim who ruledover Eretz Yisroel were Syrian-Greeks led by King AntiochusEpiphanies.

Chazal stress that unlike otherkings and kingdoms that conqueredEretz Yisroel, the goal of this nationwas one of spiritual rather thanphysical destruction, where theirculture would prevail. It wasideological dominance that theysought. This is why Chazalemphasize the spiritual battle of theYevanim and not their military-political victory. This is also thereason that the ones who rebelledwere specifically Kohanim and notregular soldiers.

During the conquering of EretzYisroel, Yerushalayim and theMikdash, the Jewish people werenot completely religious, correct?

The Greek culture spread andthe Yevanim tried, as much aspossible, to propagate their culture.Near the Temple Mount they built astadium, which attracted not onlythe general Jewish population butthe Kohanim too. Between doingthe avoda in the Mikdash, therewere some that visited the stadium.

We do not know exactly whattranspired that time. In Chazal it

rosh chodesh k i s lev

We all know the story of the jug of pureoil and the renewed conquest of theMikdash, but how many know whatreally happened during the rule of theYevanim? What did they do during theircontrol of the holy sites? Whatprompted the Chashmonaim to respondin war? What did the Chashmonaim seewhen they went to the Mikdash afterthree years of spiritual devastation? *In a conversation with RabbiMenachem Makover, director ofV’Hareinu B’vinyano, we cast our gazeback to the events of Chanuka, watchedanxiously for the success of theChashmonaim in their impossible task,and rejoiced to see their rededication ofthe Altar.

CULTURAL WARBy Menachem Ziegelboim

chanuka


appears obliquely, but there areother sources that give morebackground and shed light on thestruggle. It was a very difficultspiritual war. Greek culture was aculture of sports and physicalbeauty. They did all they could toinfluence the youth to join thismindset and behavior. The sportsstadiums and body worship werevery appealing to the youth.

How long did it take beforethey managed to overtake themasses?

It was a battle of decades thatunfolded in stages. One of the mainstages, which actually incited therebellion, was when the Yevanimbegan instituting the decrees thatChazal enumerate, decrees whose

purpose was to dim and ultimatelyeradicate the Torah. It came in dribsand drabs. At first they affected theatmosphere, and then came thedecrees which were designed tospiritually annihilate the Jewishpeople.

The conquering of the BeisHaMikdash did not happen at thebeginning, but later on. When theYevanim saw that their culturaltakeover wasn’t as widespread asthey would have liked, they realizedthat it would happen only afterphysically conquering Yerushalayimand the Mikdash.

Who was responsible for theBeis HaMikdash at that time?

When things were as they oughtto be, the Beis HaMikdash was an


It was a very deepspiritual galus.It’s not that theBeis HaMikdashwas destroyed;rather it stood inits place and wasdishonored againand again, a galuswithin theMikdash.


independent entity. There was theHigh Priest who led the Kohanim.There was the Sanhedrin as well asthe Beis Din of the Kohanim. Therewas a hierarchy which wascompletely removed from civilianrule. They made all the decisionsand supervised the Beis HaMikdashand the avoda of the Kohanim.

In the first stage, the Yevanimtried to influence the appointmentswithin this hierarchy in order to beable to control the spiritualleadership. It was only in the secondstage, much further along, that theyconquered the Mikdash.

The one who had to lead theattack was the High Priest and hispeople. Who served in this positionat that fateful time?

There are a number of opinionsabout this. What we know fromChazal is that it was Matisyahu.There is an open question whetherMatisyahu was a High Priest himselfor only the son of the High Priest,Yochanan). In the Book ofChashmonaim it mentions othernames, but the ones who led therebellion were members of thefamily of the High Priest.

What do we know about therule of the Yevanim?

There is not much in Chazal; alittle bit appears in hints. At first,the Yevanim made decrees thatundermined the system of theavoda. They mixed in to the electionof High Priests and other things ofthat sort. They tried forcing theirculture into the Mikdash. Whenthey weren’t as successful as theywould have liked, they realized thatit wasn’t enough to have conqueredthe outlying areas. They had tophysically conquer Yerushalayimand the Mikdash.

There are things that Chazaldeliberately avoiding publicizingbecause of the dishonor to theMikdash. From other sources weknow, for example, that during thethree years in which they controlledthe Mikdash, not only did the

Yevanim put an idol there but theyalso used the mizbeiach. Faithful totheir principle not to physicallybreak things but to subsume themwithin their culture, they did notbreak the mizbeiach but used it fortheir avoda zara. In this way, theytried to draw the nation intoHellenism and idol worship, withoutactually destroying the Mikdash.They simply used it for their ownpurposes.

What happened in the BeisHaMikdash under the rule of theYevanim?

According to the Book ofChashmonaim, the Yevanimcontrolled the Mikdash for exactlythree years, from 25 Kislev to 25Kislev.

It would seem that throughoutthis time, there was no avoda in theMikdash. Chazal make a fewstatements which we can puttogether to get a general picture of

the situation. In the tractate Middos(2, 3) it says that the Yevanim madethirteen breaches in the soreg. Thesoreg was a low fence thatsurrounded the courtyard within theTemple Mount. One of the mainpurposes of the fence was to keepthe goyim who passed by fromentering the Mikdash. (According toother sources the fence had signs inGreek which warned goyim not tocross the fence. About a hundredyears ago, two such stones withGreek writing were found inYerushalayim. One is in theRockefeller Museum inYerushalayim, and the other is inIstanbul.)

The Yevanim – say Chazal –made those breaches in the fence inorder to symbolize that theirimpurity was, in fact, going to enter.The Yevanim also contaminated allthe oil in the Oil Storeroom, whichwas located at the edge of the EzrasNashim. The Yevanim did not spillthe oil out, just contaminated it.Once again, this was in line withtheir philosophy of infiltration asopposed to destruction.

Did they also physically harmthe Mikdash?

We don’t know of any physicaldamage, and their goal was not todestroy a beautiful structure. Thissecond Mikdash reached its peak ofbeauty a hundred years later underHurdus (Herod), but even then itwas a large, beautiful building. Theydid however plunder the vessels ofthe Mikdash, which were worth afortune because of the gold fromwhich they were made.

It was a very deep spiritualgalus. It’s not that the BeisHaMikdash was destroyed; rather itstood in its place and wasdishonored again and again, a galuswithin the Mikdash.

The secularism and wantonnessof that time – can it be comparedto our days?

In certain ways, it was muchworse. Today we don’t have avoda

When theYevanim saw

that theircultural takeover

wasn’t aswidespread as

they would haveliked, they

realized that itwould happen

only afterphysically

conqueringYerushalayim

and the Mikdash.



zara. Back then, not only was there the culture of bodyworship, i.e., sports and entertainment, but there wasalso literal avoda zara - idolatry.

This type of war motivated the Kohanim, those whorepresented k’dusha, to fight. They were the first torealize that the path of Hellenism led to their spiritualdestruction. It was a war of light against darkness.

What was the final straw that led the Kohanim todeclare war?

The famous story about Matisyahu’s reaction to theHellenist who brought a sacrifice to avoda zara alwaysappears as the incident that set off the rebellion. Otherstories in Chazal, however, testify to the battle withHellenism that infiltrated even within the homes of theKohanim.

A famous story along these lines is the story ofMiriam of Beis Bilga, told in tractate Sukka. In thosedecadent times, she converted and married a Yevanisoldier. She then entered the Mikdash, went over to themizbeiach, and kicked it saying, “Wolf, wolf, how longwill you continue to consume the money of the Jewswhile not standing by them in their time of sorrow?”

Reading between the lines of this story, we canunderstand a bit of what the situation was like then.The Beis HaMikdash was a free-for-all. Whoeverwanted to enter, did so. Thus, this Jewish woman,married to a Yevani, was able to simply walk in anddisparage the altar.

What we see here is not only degradation but thefact that someone from a family of Kohanim reachedsuch a nadir. It would seem that she wasn’t so


Above: Rabbi Menachem Makover.Below: An illustration depicting the Kohanim assemblinga temporary Menora after purifying the Beis HaMikdash



exceptional, but that her behaviorreflected a mentality that had evencontaminated the homes ofKohanim. The Sages say that sheheard talk at home that affected herin this way.

We learn from this how powerfulthe Hellenistic culture was. This iswhy Chazal bring this story eventhough it’s about a rebellious young

woman. It illustrates the verydifficult spiritual battle that had tobe waged deep within home turf.

Chazal relate severalpunishments that the Kohanim ofBeis Bilga were given: locking theiron ring used for sh’chita duringtheir shift, sealing of the windowledge where their sh’chita kniveswere stored, and dividing theLechem HaPanim in the southinstead of the north. This was allbecause of what Miriam did. Thesepunishments were something likethe “sign of Kayin.” It identifiedand reminded people of who theywere.

(The Rebbe in the sicha of 6Tishrei and Simchas Torah 5735explains from a Chassidicperspective the deep significance ofMiriam’s actions.)

Three years after the Yevanimtook over, the Chashmonaimliberated the Mikdash. The waractually lasted close to two yearsand did not end with the liberationof the Mikdash, but continued for awhile after that.

Along with their geographicalvictories, the Chashmonaim went to

work wiping out Hellenistinfluences and purifying thecontaminated social and culturalenvironment. Difficult battles stillawaited them, both against theYevanim and amongst their ownpeople. It was a critical stage, inwhich they had to reverse thespiritual direction that the Jewishnation was taking.

The fact that they had retakenthe Mikdash served as a great boostto their morale, as did the renewedavoda and the bringing of korbanos.This was extremely helpful in theirwar against the Hellenists within thenation.

The Yevanim controlled theMikdash for three years, whichmeant that the Kohanim weresilenced for a long time.

First, you have to remember thatthe Kohanim were the nation’sspiritual leaders, not soldiers. Itwould be like the men in ourKollelim today rising up andrebelling against the government.The Kohanim’s role was one ofavodas Hashem. They wanderedamong the towns and spread theteachings of Torah.

When they saw that the nationwas going downhill spiritually andnobody else was rising to thechallenge, they took it on.

In addition, although theYevanim controlled the Mikdash forthree years until the Chashmonaimconquered it, the rebellion beganabout a year and a half before that.It took time for them to achievetheir goals.

On which day did they conquerthe Mikdash?

We know that on the night of 25Kislev they lit the Menora for thefirst time. The question is, when didthey light, at night or during theday? If they lit it at night, theevening of the 25th, that means thatthey actually re-conquered theMikdash on the 24th. Some ofChazal say that they came on the25th and immediately lit it that day.

When theKohanim saw

that the nationwas goingdownhill

spiritually andnobody else was

rising to thechallenge, they

took it on.

The Office of Seals, which contained the stones of the altarremoved by the Chashmonaim.



Halachically speaking, according tothe Rambam, you can light duringthe day.

What was the first thing theChashmonaim did when theyentered the Mikdash?

Though some details remainunknown, we do know about thefixing of the breaches in the soregand searching for pure oil, as well asefforts made simultaneously togrind olives for new oil. They had to

replace the Altar because eventhough stones do not becomeimpure, they thought it likely thatthe Yevanim had used metal on thestones which invalidates them.

Chazal emphasize the fact that

The only remnantthat we have ofthe Mikdash todayis the light of theMenora whichcontinues toillumine throughthe Menoras thatwe light. This lightilluminates thegalus.

Rebuilding the Altar

An illustration depicting the lightingof the Menora in the Beis HaMikdash



the Chashmonaim, not wanting anycontact with the impurity of theYevanim, replaced the Mizbeiachupon which impure sacrifices hadbeen brought.

They found the idol that theYevanim had placed there, whichhad to be removed along with all therest of the idolatrous items that hadbeen left behind. The Chashmonaimalso discovered that all the keilimhad been robbed. There was noMenora, no Shulchan, and no InnerAltar. Nothing.

Our observance commemoratesthe effort made to light theMenora as early as possible. Whyweren’t similar efforts made toimmediately renew the bringing ofthe Tamid sacrifices, for example,which was no less important?

It’s a big question from achronological perspective. The firstquestion is whether the two areinterdependent, the lighting theMenora and the avoda on the Altar.Second, as far as the Altar itself,when was it rededicated? It seemsthat the Chanukas HaMizbeiachtook place on Zos Chanuka (the 8thday of Chanuka). Some say that it isthe rededication of the Altar whichgives Zos Chanuka specialsignificance. The menora was lit forseven days but they did not yetbring sacrifices. So perhaps ourobservance acknowledges both.

Why was the Menora first?It was difficult building an Altar

within eight days. They neededwhole stones, hewn in some specialway or taken from the sea, withoutthe use of metal instruments. Forthose times, the work wascomplicated. Doing it within eightdays was a miraculous achievement.

The Chashmonaim did all intheir power not to come in contactwith the impurity of the Yevanim.For this reason, despite the halachawhich states that the Menora couldbe lit with impure oil, since “tumad’chuya b’tzibbur,” they wished to

avoid this. Heaven enabled them todo so with the miracle of finding theone jug of pure oil, sealed by theHigh Priest. It wasn’t just that ithad the hechsher of the High Priest.It was oil designated for the HighPriest, special oil.

In sifrei Chassidus it says thatthe oil of the High Priest representsthe innermost point within theJewish soul that can never beeradicated. It always remains pure.

The second miracle was that thissmall amount of oil lasted eightdays, demonstrating the victory ofholiness over impurity. This is theessence of the holiday of Chanuka.

Fixing the soreg was also symbolicof rectifying the breach within thewalls of purity. The stones of thealtar that became impure were putaway in the north-eastern chamberof the Beis HaMokad and served aseternal testimony to the holiness ofthe Jewish people and the impurityof the Yevanim.

If the Menora was also robbed,what did they light?

The first Menora they used wasmade of simple iron bars, not out ofgold. According to halacha, it ispermitted to make the Menora outof other metals. It’s only if it is

made out of gold that the otherhalachos apply, such as: 18t’fachim, flowers, knobs and cups,made out of one piece, a kikar ofgold, etc.

There is a deep lesson in this.The Chashmonaim used pure oil(even though they were permitted touse impure oil) but put it in a plain,unsophisticated Menora. Thisdemonstrates the supremacy ofspirit over matter, the theme of theholiday.

How did they begin to restorethe various services in the BeisHaMikdash?

I think that the entire system hadto be re-organized – no simplematter after so many years ofneglect. The hierarchy of jobs hadto be re-instituted. In the Mikdashthere were fifteen appointees witheight levels of permanent jobs: theHigh Priest, his assistant, and thenvarious positions under them. Thissystem, as well as the renovations,had to be re-established.

A small example – the KorbanTamid was brought from the moneyof the half-shekel coins that eachJew gave. The collection of thesehalf-shekel coins had to bereinstated.

Another challenge theChashmonaim had to overcome washow to reinstate the avoda and thesystem in which Kohanim tookturns doing the avoda. Many of theKohanim were unfamiliar with theavoda. Some Kohanim could not dothe avoda since they had left Jewishpractice, and others had killedpeople in war and it was a halachicquestion as to whether they coulddo the avoda in the BeisHaMikdash.

After having endured thistrauma, it was no simple matter toget back to routine, neither in theMikdash, nor in civilian daily life.

The spiritual light is theoutstanding motif in the Chanukastory. There were miracles in the

The Chashmonaimused pure oil butput it in a plain,unsophisticated

Menora. Thisdemonstrates the

supremacy ofspirit over matter,

the theme of theholiday.



war, a miracle in rebuilding the mizbeiach that quickly,and many other miracles, but it is the miracle of the oilthat is emphasized for generations. The Menora, whichis lit so that it is seen in public, demonstrates how asmall light has such immense power.

In Chassidus it explains that the only remnant thatwe have of the Mikdash today is the light of theMenora, which continues to illumine through theMenoras that we light. It is a remnant of the light whichwas hidden during the first week of Creation. The SfasEmes says that the 36 lights of the Menora correspondto the 36 hours that the original divine light shone fromFriday morning until Saturday night during the weekthat Hashem created the world. That first Motzaei

Shabbos it was hidden away but on Chanuka, themenora radiates a little of this light to illuminate thegalus.

On the words in B’Reishis, “and darkness upon theface of the deep,” Chazal say, “This is the kingdom ofYavan, which darkened the eyes of Israel with itsdecrees.” The light of the Menora symbolizes the Jewishpeople, while the jug of oil of the High Priest,symbolizes the wisdom within the Torah. This is themessage for the generations throughout galus. In theend, this light transforms the darkness.

Moshiach is coming momentarily and the BeisHaMikdash will be built. Where will we get pureolive oil from?

Baruch Hashem, we have olive oil. Jews produce it.Although we are impure from contact with the dead, wepray that the moment we reach that stage, we will allmerit becoming pure.

On a personal note I want to tell you that my oldestson opened an olive press in Tekoa. Menachos 85b says,“Tekoa was the source for oil.” It seems that in the timeof the Mikdash they brought oil from Tekoa to theMikdash. The fact that my son produces oil from apress in Tekoa thrills me. The first oil that emergedfrom the olives was preserved and sealed for the BeisHaMikdash, which will be speedily built in our day.This expresses the Jewish people’s renewed inspiration.

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On Chai Elul we had a modest“upsheren.” Yes, we are here threeyears already! I am sure that veteranshluchos and ordinary readers arewondering a bit about what the bigdeal is. It’s one thing if a Chabadhouse celebrates fifty years, or atleast ten, but three years?

In order to provide you withsome background information, let usgo back three years. A young couplewith a baby land in the someobscure neighborhood in RishonL’Tziyon. “Nachalat Yehuda?”Sounds nice. It’s even the name ofone of the tribes…

Granted, going on shlichus istruly wonderful and a great privilege,but the charming description of anygiven Chabad house as a longassembly line, which easily andquickly produces sirtuks andsheitels, was not quite accurate.Shlichus entails a lot of giving, and

sometimes, you simply do not seeanything in exchange. Shlichussometimes entails joining a familyoriented community with a mentalityand rules of their own. Shlichus is tolive without family close by andwithout ready access to food with agood hechsher. In short, with all duerespect, shlichus is not that simple.

One minute! – You are certainlythinking – what is she talkingabout? You check to see where shewent on shlichus, and see that it’snot to Russia, or the other end ofthe globe. So what is she going onabout? She’s two minutes from KfarChabad! And anyway, shlichus inEretz Yisroel is so easy!

However, sometimes there is“close” which is “far.” Without acar, it takes a lot of time and energyto get to Kfar Chabad. Up untilrecently, the nearest place to getbread with a proper hechsher was a

half hour walk away. It’s not Siberia,but it’s not easy. Not to mention thepeople who are very different thanwhat we are used to. But BaruchHashem the meshaleiach is alwaysthere to help us!

Before we went out on shlichus,we looked for an apartment, ofcourse, but in Nachalat Yehuda thereis no such thing as a real estateagent. You need an apartment? Soask around, and maybe there will bean ad hanging in the local mall. Ittook us time to figure this out, butin the meantime, we had noapartment.

The letters we wrote to the Rebbeat that time, when one rentalcontract was about to end andanother suitable contract was not inthe offing, were answered with -mivtzaim are the solution. Soon thelocals who frequent the businesscenter of Nachalat began to notice ayoung Lubavitcher energeticallyworking on Mivtza T’fillin. And yes,we found an apartment by incredibleDivine Providence in the course ofmivtzaim.

So we had an apartment! Thebusy month of Tishrei was aroundthe corner, and Mivtza Shofar gotunderway. A bachur was brought forreinforcement and the mivtza wentdoor to door, with astonished facespeering out from every side. Sincethis is a very family orientedneighborhood, the astonished lookswere many and varied, and usuallyincluded several generations. We

Shlichus is like a dish comprised of allsorts of tastes and textures. Tangy andsweet. Spicy and bland. The mainingredient is lots of giving and emunain the Rebbe, because without that,you really can’t manage. * ShluchaKeren Kaplan gives us some glimpsesof life on shlichus.

NO LONGER AFRAIDOF MOSHIACHBy Keren Kaplan

sh l i chus


began to acquire a reputation, “Thereligious guy with the shofar and theredheaded baby.”

I’ll skip Yom Kippur, surroundedby shuls with a nusach different thanwe are used to, and go straight toSukkos. As a couple with severalTishreis with the Rebbe behind us,we were determined to haveSimchas Beis HaShoeiva in thestreet. It’s just that we wereunprepared for the shock of thelocals, who wondered why HakafosShniyos were made, and why threetimes?

But we did it. We played CD’sand had a huge doll that was blownup for the children, and abouttwenty men participated. Nearlyanother fifty men stood and clapped.We did Mivtza Arba Minim too. Thisis how it went, “Who’s at the door?From Chabad again? I already heardthe shofar and got honey cake, whatis it now?”

The holidays passed and it cametime for me to make connectionswith the women of the neighborhood

(an article about the men is foranother time). At that time, I wasthe only one in the neighborhoodwith a sheitel (today, baruchHashem, that’s no longer the case)and you can imagine that there wereother things in which I was uniquetoo. No wonder, then, that my firstconnection to the women took placethrough a girl.

About a month after we arrived, Iwent down with Mendel to theplayground. A nine year old girlcame over and stared at me. I seizedthe opportunity to do a little“mivtzaim,” even knowing that itwould entail an interrogation by thiscurious child.

“Is something wrong?” I askedher in a playful tone (while hastilychecking my sheitel and clothes).

The girl wasn’t fazed. She merelywhispered, “You know what they sayabout you here in theneighborhood?”

I tried to think about whatterrible thing I could have done,when she continued, “They say that

your hair is not real!”I started laughing and tried to

explain to the child why thoserumors were true.

The process of connecting withthe women was long and arduous.They all knew one another, and I


Young shluchim at 770 Moshiach flag at the head of the Lag B’Omer parade

The topic ofMoshiach’scoming was firstmet withsuspicion. “Ithought Moshiachhad to be amekubal,” or“When Moshiachcomes, we all die,right?”



was the stranger in their midst. Itried to get to know them byorganizing Rosh Chodeshgatherings. Today, when I recallthose gatherings, I can only laugh.We put so much effort into thedecorating, lecturers, workshops,and advertising, but nothing helped.For many months, the poor showingsent me back home in utterfrustration. What was wrong withthese women? Workshops like thesewould bring dozens of women out oftheir homes in other locations, whilehere …

I experienced several frustratingmonths until I consulted with mymashpia. (Don’t wait to consult withyours!) While talking to her, Iclarified for myself that I had to try adifferent approach, with RoshChodesh gatherings in women’shomes. It has been working outquite successfully elsewhere.

It’s important to think long andhard about what will be suitable andwhere your anticipated crowd willfeel comfortable. That’s critical –matching the type of the program tothe people you want to attract. Or,as the Rebbe quotes, “When you goto city, follow their customs.”

The topic of Moshiach’s comingwas first met with suspicion. “What,we won’t all die with GogU’Magog?” or “I thought Moshiachhad to be a mekubal,” or “WhenMoshiach comes we all die, right?”But slowly, after years of shiurimand farbrengens, we made inroads.Today, every child (“Meshichoi”) inthe neighborhood knows that whenMoshiach comes it will be good foreveryone materially and spiritually.

***Every Chabad house has miracle

stories that the shluchim hold on totightly to fall back on whenchallenges arise. Our story tookplace last Lag B’Omer. A womanfrom the south of the countrydonates a nice sum of money everyyear for the parade. The Lag

B’Omer parade is very expensive, soher donation was very muchappreciated.

This year, for some reason, shesaid sorry, she can’t help us out. At7:30 the next morning, less thantwelve hours since her decision, shecalled us back. The story she told uswas moving. She had suffered fromvarious problems and had justreturned from a medical consultationwhen she dreamt of the Rebbe. Inthe dream, the Rebbe asked her,“Why are you going forconsultations? You need to donatetowards my parade.”

The first thing she did when sheawoke was to make contact toarrange the sending of the donation.

Speaking of donations, thecommunity of Nachalat also believesthe myth of the great Chabad goldmine which provides all the shluchimwith their funding. We are workinghard to dispel this myth.

***Writing to the Rebbe is done

matter-of-factly here, and everyRosh Chodesh gathering ends twohours late because everybody wantsto write.

I had some nachas at a shiur thatI gave on the D’var Malchus ofParshas Shoftim. When I got to thepart that there is someone to consultwith in our generation, the womentold stories that happened to themwith the Igros Kodesh. I barely hadto say anything further.

A few months ago, an electionmeeting for one of the candidatesfor mayor took place. The frustratedresidents of the community ventedon him for various reasons. One ofthe women was annoyed that theinvitation to this gathering had beena small and all but invisible ad.

“See,” said the woman, pointingat a picture of the Rebbe and atvarious flyers from the Chabadhouse that filled the wall. “You can’tmiss those ads. You can see thatwhoever hung them up considered it

important that they be seen!”***

Speaking of nachas, this is thethird year in a row in which we ran asuccessful day camp. We’ve hadunbelievable results, thanks to ourwonderful staff. A boy switched to areligious school and nudged hismother to build a sukka, childrenbegan wearing tzitzis and insistingon kosher food... Hearing theseterrific accomplishments gives onethe strength to continue doing andworking.

After actually going on shlichus,you really understand what it meanswhen we say: “Beit Chabad – theaddress for anything Jewish.” Theusual programs like shiurim andmivtzaim with all the differentdemographics are always spiced upwith interesting occurrences. Theongoing class for girls enables thegirls to ask any halachic questionthat they are embarrassed to ask arav. For many Shabbasos we had tosupervise any interactions with the“Shabbos goy” because the girls didnot know what was permitted to tellhim.

We lend religious readingmaterial to replace other books andnewspapers, and get Jewish musicCD’s to replace whatever they wereused to listening to. Sometimes I goshopping with mekuravos formodest clothing in B’nei Brak, and Iserve as a ready listener to all theirproblems. The help provided at aChabad house runs the gamut, sothat I think it’s more accurate to say,“Beit Chabad – the address foranything!”

On shlichus, you need to beprepared for any eventuality. OneFriday night, one of the regularparticipants at the Rosh Chodeshgatherings came with her family tothe meal. We got to talking andfound out that her daughter hadserved as a soldier during theExpulsion. We were taken aback. Itwas fascinating to hear how much



she regretted what she did. Ourshock over that revelation lasted fordays.

I remember a great story thathappened in the first months of ourshlichus. It was nine in the evening

and I was exhausted. Little Mendelwasn’t at all tired - who let him sleepin the afternoon? In short, the housewas not at its best.

There was a knock at the door. Iopened it and saw, to my surprise,

ten girls. They said they were doinga movie on the Jewish family.

The quiet evening I had dreamtof turned into a lively evening ofquestions and answers about FamilyPurity and the woman’s position inJudaism. It was actually enjoyable,though we were constantlyinterrupted by Mendel who, on aregular night, was asleep at thistime. (“Ima, Abba goes to the mikva,right? We are pure because we washour hands?”) His comments amusedthe girls, and when he began tomurmur p’sukim when he wasalmost asleep, they were surprised.“What is he singing?” One girl tookout her video camera and beganfilming.

In the end, I was told that what Ihad to say was very interesting andthey had a good time, but the sightof a Chassidic boy, barely two,singing p’sukim that they hardlyknew as an act of penitence foraccidentally spilling water on hismother (out of exhaustion) reachedthem in places that I could notmanage to reach.

To conclude, shlichus is really nosimple matter. I tried to give yousome glimpses of what life onshlichus is like. It’s like a dishcomprised of all sorts of tastes andtextures. Tangy and sweet. Spicyand bland. The main ingredient islots of giving and emuna in theRebbe, because without that, youreally can’t manage.

Chassidishe farbrengens


Mrs. Kupchick opened herfarbrengen quoting the pasuk, “Wepray in the morning, and haveemuna at night.” Even in the darkesthours of shlichus, there has to betrust.

***Her son’s wedding date in Eretz

Yisroel was rapidly approaching and,and Rachel Kupchick, shlucha inPoona, India, was very much lookingforward to greeting her other son,Schneur, and daughter-in-law Saraat the simcha in Israel. Schneur andSara were shluchim in Delhi, India,a flight of several hours from Poona.

The tickets were arranged andeverything seemed perfectlycoordinated, until Schneur and Sarawrote to the Rebbe. The answer theyreceived was unclear. Theydiscussed it with their mashpiim andwere advised not to leave India to

travel to the wedding. With days togo before the wedding of Schneur’sbrother, Mrs. Kupchick was baffled.She had wanted to see her son anddaughter-in-law so much that shecould already taste it. And now, thecouple had decided they were notgoing to come? Why?!

***The Rebbe’s guidance via the

volumes of Igros Kodesh had playedan important part in their lives in thepast. The shidduch itself was noexception. Soon after the chassanand kalla had met in Tishrei, theytold their parents they were going towrite the Rebbe for a blessing towed. But when did they do this?While it was after Yom Tov in Israelbut still Simchas Torah in India.

Understandably, not knowing theanswer was quite a stress for Mrs.Kupchick. (but, she added, stress

should only be from positive things.)The time for candle lighting cameand went, but she still hadn’t heardfrom the couple in Israel. DuringYom Tov, an Indian helper came tothe Chabad House with a letterwritten in Hebrew that said MazalTov! Mazal Tov!, but Mrs. Kupchickwanted to know for herself what wasgoing on.

She put the letter into a volumeof Igros, and opened to an answer inYiddish: “You’re writing in the nameof your son about a shidduch thatwas suggested to him. There is afeeling that the parents of the girlcannot afford to contribute to thewedding with a respectable sum ofmoney... But her middos (charactertraits) are worthy of your son —and that’s the ikar, the importantthing. The parnasa will be OK, aswell... the bride’s parents willprobably open a factory.”

Mrs. Kupchick had already beenaccustomed to seeing theactualization of the blessings fromthe Igros, so she was not surprisedto learn that the kalla’s parents hadbeen planning on opening abusiness, which was indeed openeda few weeks later!

Mrs. Kupchick called the kalla’sfamily after the chag to wish themMazal Tov, and the kalla said she felta little funny because she wrote in tothe Rebbe and got an answer the

terror in bombay

Rachel Kupchick, Shlucha to Poona,India, was celebrating her son’swedding in Israel when the terroristsattacked in Bombay. In the aftermath,she shared these stories of hashgachapratis, mesirus nefesh and emuna.Translated by Mina Ruth Drurian.


STARE DEATH INTHE FACE ANDPROCLAIM YECHI!



keep the matter secret for the timebeing, so that the news wouldn’t bespread in an undignified matterbecause of the chag and Shabbat!

***By the time Mrs. Kupchick

learned that her son and daughter-in-law wouldn’t be coming to thewedding, she was puzzled, but notdowncast because of her trust in theRebbe and experience with Igros.

The wedding was beautiful andvery emotional, especially as Mrs.Kupchick brought a laptop so thebrothers could at least be in contactthat way during the weddingfestivities. What the Kupchick familydid not know was that while theywere celebrating the wedding thatWednesday evening, her sonSchneur in Delhi was getting callsabout the events beginning to unfoldin Bombay.

On Thursday, when the coupleheard the situation was not good,they immediately flew from Delhi toBombay. They made it in time togreet and make accommodations forthe Rosenberg family, parents of theK’doshim, Rivky and GavrielHoltzberg, HY”D, and members ofZaka who had also flown toBombay. In this time of unbearableconfusion and pain, no oneremembered to bring kosher food.Needs such as this were alwaystaken care of by the Beis Chabad.But what Beis Chabad?! Thingswere chaotic.

Mrs. Kupchick called Yossi, theone person left at the Chabad Housein Poona, and gave him instructionsto completely empty her freezerthere of everything she had stocked.Now in the middle of making ShevaBrachos for her son and his kalla in

Eretz Yisroel, Mrs. Kupchick guidedYossi on how to prepare all thenecessary food items at the Chabad

In this time ofunbearableconfusion andpain, no oneremembered tobring kosher food.Needs such as thiswere always takencare of by the BeisChabad. But whatBeis Chabad?!

Scenes of Chabad in Poona



House. Yossi managed to pulleverything together, but thenanother problem arose. No taxi waswilling to take him and the food toBombay. Everyone was too fearful togo there.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Kupchick wasnot able to reach Schneur, who bynow had arrived in Bombay, and shewas becoming increasingly worried.Finally, Yossi found an Indian familywho was willing to take him on theseveral hour drive from Poona toBombay. Yehudit Rosenberg, Rivki’smother, later said that they didn’tknow what they would have donewere it not for all that food, thatlasted through Shabbos to Sunday.

***It was a most powerful Shabbos

that was shared by the Kupchicks,Rosenbergs, Zaka members andother Jews who had come there tohelp. The only way Mrs. Kupchickcould convey the power of these

moments was to draw on the wordsthe Rebbe spoke when he hadreturned from the levaya ofRebbetzin Chaya Mushka....“V’ha’chai yitein el libo — and theliving take matters to heart...”

That Shabbos, while many partsof the world were still davening andgathering in prayer for the coupleand other hostages inside theBombay Beis Chabad, theRosenberg’s had already learned themost devastating of news. They wentinto a room and asked to be alonefor an hour. Then HaRav Rosenbergcame out of the room and saidYechi, and asked to make a l’chaim!

The Rosenberg family set theexample for everyone there bysinging niggunim and observing theprohibition against mourning onShabbos.

“You can’t understand thestrength of their souls. In ourgeneration it’s unbelievable,” saidMrs. Kupchick. Then she related thestory about a Chassid whosedaughter was killed in a caraccident. The news had also come inright before Shabbos, but theChassid did not let his family mournuntil the Shabbos had passed. TheChassid was the father of Rivki’sfather, Rav Shimon Rosenberg, andthe woman in the accident was hissister, o.b.m.!

“What can we take from thestrength of this family at this hardmoment?” asked Mrs. Kupchick.“We have to learn spiritual strengthfrom them. We can ask ‘why?’That’s what Moshe asked. But it waswritten that Aaron remained silent

when his two sons were taken....” Itwas exactly these words, in theBombay Seifer Torah rolled toAcharei Mos-K’doshim, that werepierced by one of the terrorist’sbullets.

“And Aaron was silent,” saidMrs. Kupchick. “We have noexplanation. We don’t understand.

“When Rabbi Akiva’s skin wasflayed with iron rakes, his studentsscreamed out, ‘Why?’ But there is amaamer of the Rebbe from YudShvat (5711) in which the Rebbeexplained that our goal is not thek’dusha of martyrdom like RabbiAkiva, but rather the self-sacrifice ofAvrohom Avinu, who sought topromote the truth at any cost, eventhe cost of martyrdom, but did notseek martyrdom as a goal in itself.”

The shlichus is difficult in India,Mrs. Kupchick concluded, but themesirus nefesh is no more than ofshluchim in any other place of theworld. “It’s all balanced,” she said,“there are some things moredifficult, and some things easier....

“But if you need the mesirusnefesh of Avrohom Avinu, look atRivkie. She was very young, and tonot even once be able to sit at thedinner table alone with her husbandwas mesirus nefesh. They went to dotheir shlichus like Avrohom Avinu.The mesirus nefesh is there, but theydidn’t look for it.”

At this point, Mrs. Kupchickconcluded by again quoting thepasuk, “We pray in the morning,and have emuna at night.” Even inthe darkest hours of shlichus, therehas to be trust.

It was exactlythese words, in the

Bombay SeiferTorah rolled to

Acharei Mos-K’doshim, thatwere pierced by

one of theterrorist’s bullets.

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I interviewed Rabbi YoramAbergil at the Kollel Rav Pe’alim inNetivot. In my conversation withhim, he came across as a folksy type.He spoke from the heart usingsimple words. He wore a shortjacket, and his appearance was likethat of thousands of others. It washard to tell that this is a man whostarted a network of over thirtyKollelim across the country,beautiful mosdos chinuch, and thatmany people seek his advice andblessing.

The official reason for theinterview was the publishing of hisfirst book, B’Tzur Yarum, whichcontains explanations and talks onIgeres HaT’shuva in Tanya. “Theword ‘b’tzur’ has the letters of‘tzibbur,’ and the purpose of my

book is to uplift the tzibbur throughthe explanations on IgeresHaT’shuva of the Rav of Liadi.”

I find it fascinating that RabbiAbergil’s first book is on Tanya inlight of the fact that he doesn’t evenconsider himself a Lubavitcher!

Few know about R’ Abergil’s loveof Tanya. Even fewer know that he isone of the great disseminators ofChassidus in our times. The 1900members of his Kollelim begin theirday with a lengthy Tanya shiur.Rabbi Abergil personally reads,explains, and most importantly,makes the Tanya practical, reachinghearts and souls. His goal is to bringthe Tanya to the people.

Even though most of the men inhis Kollelim are graduates ofLitvishe yeshivos, they start their day

with Tanya. R’ Abergil’s shiurim arepowerful, and he says that many ofthe men continue learning Tanyaeven after they leave Kollel.

“After dozens of years of givingTanya shiurim to the public, I sawthat it was worth getting it down inwriting. As the Baal HaTanya says,things in writing are eternalized in aman’s heart. Each time a personforgets an idea, he can review it inthe book. I also made a CD ofshiurim, which is good to use whendriving; it purifies the air, along thelines of the Chassidic directive toreview Tanya while walking in thestreet for this purpose.

Why did you start with IgeresHaT’shuva?

“I chose Igeres HaT’shuva as analternative to the many complicatedand harsh Musar s’farim that tend toturn people off more than bringthem close. Chazal say, “The leftrepels while the right draws near.”Today, though, we need to bemekarev with both hands. The wordsof advice of the Baal HaTanya arestraight and gentle, and were writtenby his holy hand. This is the properway to be mekarev Jews to t’shuva.Every Jew must be drawn close, likea child born to parents in their oldage.

“The power of the Baal HaTanyais that he reaches every Jew, as hewrites in his introduction, “from bigto small,” without differentiating.This book teaches us what AhavasYisroel is and to know that there is

sh l i chus

The Mekubal Rabbi Yoram Abergil ofNetivot is one of the greatestdisseminators of Chassidus in EretzYisroel. The subject of his first book isIgeres HaT’shuva of Tanya. In honor ofYud-Tes Kislev we interviewed himabout his ties to the Rebbe, his teachingof Chassidus to thousands of people,and about the special kochos we have asChabad Chassidim.

19 k is lev


THE TANYA FOREVERY SINGLE JEWBy Menachem Ziegelboim


no giving up. Every Jew must adhereto this book, to every word andletter.”

***R’ Abergil’s daily schedule,

according to those close to him,begins at 3:45am. He immerses inthe mikva and learns beforedavening. After davening, he givesan hour long shiur in Tanya to the300 men in his Kollel. Then hereceives people in the beis midrash.

Around ten o’clock he starts hisdemanding study schedule of Shasand Poskim, as well as Halacha indepth. During the day he alsodevotes some time to learningChassidus, as is evidenced by thenumerous Chassidic works thatsurround him. After the conclusionof the yeshiva’s learning schedule atsix, R’ Abergil gives shiurim aroundthe country, in a different city eachevening.

It’s close to midnight by the timehe heads back to Netivot, but hedoes not arrive until two o’clock.Along the way, he stops in variousplaces to visit sick people in thehospital and various unfortunateswho look forward to seeing him.

“Sometimes he sleeps in his caruntil 3:45, when he is woken up,”said one of his mekuravim. “Excepton Shabbos, he doesn’t see his bedall week.”

R’ Abergil, who has more thanthirty years of hafatza behind him,also runs many mosdos. In additionto the more than 30 Kollelim aroundthe country (Beer Sheva, Yerucham,Karmiel, Ashdod, Bat-Yam, KiryatSefer, Beitar Ilit, Ramat HaSharon,Ofakim, etc.), he also runs twoelementary schools with about 600boys plus a school for girls withhundreds more. After listening to theproblems of those going throughhard times, he started a fund whichdistributes food to about 500 needyfamilies every week.

R’ Abergil is especially fond ofthe settlements in Yesha. He oftenvisited the settlers in Gush Katif and

encouraged them in their difficultsituation until the expulsion. Hesupports the widows and orphans ofYesha.

On the day of my interview, Ifound R’ Abergil sitting in his placein the Kollel, with the voices of 300men thundering behind him. To hisright is a bookcase with plenty ofsifrei Chassidus including LikkuteiTorah, D’var Malchus, and NezerHaTanya. On his desk is a Tanyawith a faded blue cover and yellowed

pages. It is obviously old.When I asked R’ Abergil when he

first encountered Tanya, he took theTanya from his desk and caressed it.“I learned Tanya for the first timefrom this volume, and it is veryprecious to me. It was back in1970.”

R’ Abergil was a young student inthe Chabad school in Brosh. It wasthe local Chabad school, under theReshet Oholei Yosef Yitzchok. Histeacher was the mashpia, Rabbi


Rabbi Yoram Abergil


Yeshavam Segal.“He is a Torah scholar whose

fear of Heaven precedes his wisdom.He is a baal Ahavas Yisroel andextremely knowledgeable; his everyword counts. “In Pirkei Avos it oftenintroduces someone’s teaching withthe expression ‘hu haya omer’ (‘hewould say’). The Chafetz Chaimexplained ‘he would say’ as ‘nobodyelse could say it like him.’ That wasRav Segal. I was a boy at the timeand I heard years of shiurim fromhim. I especially remember learning‘and you shall know today andimpress upon your heart,’ fromTanya.

“When I finished my studiesthere, my parents wanted me tocontinue in a Litvishe yeshiva. Indeference to their wishes, I went tothe Litvishe yeshiva, Beis Aharon, abranch of Chevron yeshiva. Then Ilearned in Yeshivas HaNegev withRabbi Yisachar Meir. Even in theLitvishe yeshivos I learned Tanyaevery day. In another year, it will beforty years that I’ve been learningTanya.

Every group learns their owns’farim. In Litvishe yeshivos theylearn various Musar s’farim, inChassidishe yeshivos they learn the

Chassidishe s’farim that pertain totheir Chassidus. What you haveaccomplished is that many men,almost none of whom are fromLubavitcher homes, dedicate timeevery day to learning Tanya.

“I knew that even someoneunacquainted with Tanya could learnit, and that is what we do here. Mostof the men here come from Litvisheyeshivos, and they learn Tanyaenthusiastically.

“I acquaint them with Tanya. Iknow that many people find it hard,so I have made it accessible. Whenpeople who are committed to theirown approach learn Tanya, theydiscover that their previous positionwasn’t correct. Still, they accept thiswith love and simcha.”

R’ Abergil corresponded with theRebbe, a connection which beganthrough his father, Rabbi ChananiaAbergil. His father met Chabadmashpiim in Morocco, when he livedin Marrakesh.

“My father visited the Rebbetwice. The first time was in 1959,when he stayed three weeks, and thesecond time was in 1982, when hestayed for six weeks. He flew solelyto have yechidus with the Rebbe.

“When I heard that he was

going, I wrote the Rebbe a letter andsent it with him. At that time, I wasa maggid shiur in yeshiva and Iwrote that this job took up my entireday. I asked the Rebbe whether tofocus on high school and teachingtalmidim there, or to go out and giveshiurim to the public.

“The Rebbe told my father, ‘Sothat he has length of days over hiskingdom, he and his children amongall Israel,’ hinting to him that mywork is ‘among all Israel.’ That yearI began spreading the wellsprings.”

It started with shiurim in Gemarain various places. He would alwaysbegin or end with a bit of Chassidus,“One time Tanya, another time BasiL’Gani, anything connected with theRebbe, Nasi Doreinu.”

His circle of listeners grew. Hespeaks in a straightforward mannerand employs parables and divreiTorah that appeal to one and all.Over the years, his influence hasgrown. Today he runs a network ofKollelim from Karmiel to Dimona,in which 1100 men learn at fullstipend, with another 800 receivingvarious degrees of support. In theseKollelim the men study Nigleh,Halacha b’iyun, and Chassidus.

When R’ Abergil talks about the


Rabbi Abergilpersonally reads,

explains, and mostimportantly,

makes the Tanyapractical, reaching

hearts and souls.His goal is to

bring the Tanya tothe people.



Rebbe, he seems in awe. “The Rebbeloves every Jew like the pupil of hiseye. Each day he was moser nefeshfor Jews! In his sichos, the mivtzaimhe initiated, his devotion to EretzYisroel – in his very existence. Andeverything he said came to pass, oneby one. Only a blind person wouldfail to see his greatness and notunderstand that the Rebbe stands atour head as the gaon of thegeneration.

“When Yosef was tested, it saysthat he saw the image of his fatherand fled from the house. Thequestion is: Yosef ought to haveacted out of fear of Hashem. Whydid he flee only when he saw an

image of his father, especially whenhe himself had said, “How can I dothis evil thing and I will sin to G-d?”He himself says that he fears G-d!

“From this we learn that when aperson is being tested, even if he isaware of Hashem, he needs mercy.The only one who can save him ishis Rebbe. When a person isconnected to the teachings of hisRebbe, it stands by him in everycircumstance. The Rebbe ismekushar to the Chassidim and iswith them wherever they need him.”

Have you personally seenyeshuos?

“Many times. Each time I neededa yeshua – opening yeshivos,

keeping up with budgets –everything in the name of the Rebbe.When you need the Rebbe, he comesand helps. How does he come? Inhis own way.”

When I contacted R’ Abergil foran interview, he was very busy. Yet Ireally wanted to speak to him beforeYud-Tes Kislev. When he heard thisreason, his face lit up and heimmediately cleared his day for me.

We are about to celebrate Yud-Tes Kislev. What does this mean tous?

“The Chag Ha’Geula is a YomTov for all who believe in the Giverof the Torah. We have to know thatHashem took us from servitude tofreedom, from sorrow to joy, frommourning to Yom Tov. Heilluminated the world withChassidus. The teachings of the BaalHaTanya make the heart rejoice,illuminate the eyes, and save fromthe judgment of Gehinom.

“This Yom Tov pertains to everyJew. Whoever does not know andbelieve in this day has not yetlearned to differentiate between lightand darkness, between good andbad.

“A person can learn Shas andPoskim and still not know the Giver

PSAK DIN – THEREBBE MELECHHA’MOSHIACH

On one of Rabbi YoramAbergil’s visits to New York,he visited 770. During hisvisit, he joined the hundredsof rabbanim who signed theP’sak Din that the Rebbe isthe Prophet of our generation,he is Melech HaMoshiach,and he should immediatelyredeem us.

Examining theP’sak Din.

Dancing in 770



of the Torah. The reason is since heis lowly and a yesh (arrogant). TheBaal HaTanya transforms the yeshinto ayin and the lowliness intogreatness.”

The Baal Shem Tov was toldthat Moshiach will come when histeachings spread forth. The Rebbespoke strongly about Geula. Whereare we holding today, as far asGeula is concerned?

“The prophet Yeshaya says,“Behold, the darkness will cover theland and a deep darkness over thenations, and Hashem will shineupon you and His glory appear uponyou.” Someone who did not tastesome of the light beforehand, willnot enjoy the light at the time ofrevelation.

“Therefore, spreading theteachings of Chassidus in our timesis important in order to illuminateevery home. It’s like those who tastefrom the Shabbos food beforeShabbos - so too we learnChassidus, getting a taste of theworld to come.

“What is miraculous in our timesis that everybody recognizesHashem, everyone, something wenever had before. In this generation,every Jew recognizes Hashem. Youcan check this out from Eilat toMaalot. Most Jews say, “G-dwilling,” even those who are very farfrom Judaism.”

Yet this generation is called“the heels of Moshiach” becausewe are the lowest.

“The heel has a great advantagesince it supports the entire body.

“The avoda of Chassidus is toilluminate every corner. A Chassid isa lamplighter. If there is no lamppostthen he has to go find a lamppostand then turn it on. Chassidim can’tavoid the work. The ones who willbring Moshiach are the Chassidim.They recognize the truth and are thepioneers who influence the people toget out of the darkness.

“Many go out, but there are stillthose who sit and wait for Geula

without doing anything. We must goout en masse and be mekarevpeople. If you have a good voice, useyour voice; if you have money, useyour money; if you are influential,use your power of influence. It willhasten the Geula. When it comes tomitzvos, there’s no comparisonbetween the power of a few and thepower of many.

“The number of Chassidimgrows from day to day, and everyChassid must be mekarev people.It’s the call of the hour. We cannotdelay, because those who did notaccomplish will be in the category of“he who did not work Erev Shabbos,what will he eat on Shabbos?” Hewho is not a Chassid, what can hedo… But someone who is already aChassid, who got a taste ofChassidus and knows how importantspreading the wellsprings is, must goout to the people.”

Do you have a message forChabad Chassidim?

“Every Lubavitcher must know

and remember three main things.First, he has an eternally livingfather. Second, a Chassid cannot beidle. You have to work day andnight, following the Rebbe’sinstructions. If you work hard on theRebbe’s projects, know that theRebbe watches you and yourchildren, for length of days,materially and spiritually, becausethis is the purpose of creation; Hewants a dwelling down belowthrough the spreading of thewellsprings.

“Third, increase Ahavas Yisroelas much as possible. G-d forbidthere should be any fighting amongChassidim or others. The pillar ofpeace is greater than everything. Ifthere is achdus, there is blessing.

“The Rebbe is a man of peace, aman of unity, of Ahavas Hashemand Ahavas Yisroel. You need to doeverything possible to give himnachas. This is how we will bringeverlasting salvation with theGeula.”

Rabbi Abergil being interviewed for Beis Moshiach



On that sad Erev ShabbosParshas Toldos we learned in theparsha, “Why should I be bereaved.”Rashi explains, “I will be bereft ofboth of you. We learn from this thatsomeone who buries his children iscalled shakul – bereaved, and she[Rivka Imeinu] prophesied that bothof them [Yaakov and Eisav] woulddie on the same day.”

Before that, Rashi says on thewords, “And may Elokim giveyou…” – “Elokim is the G-d ofjudgment… a Jew, who has faith andjustifies the judgment, does not havecomplaints against You.”

The families of those who weremurdered, and the larger Chabadfamily, need a lot of emuna in orderto justify this enormous loss. It saysin Chassidus that there is a kind oftzara, tremendous concealment,which elicits the cry from the heart,“Why Hashem do You stand at adistance.” But it is specifically sucha situation that leads to the opposite,“Behold, I will save you from adistance.”

We cry out to Hashem, “Why do

You stand at a distance,” and we areconfident that the holy blood of ourRebbe’s shluchim will rise up to theThrone of Glory to bring the Geula.“Whoever touches them [theshluchim, may Hashem avenge theirblood] is like touching the pupil ofHis eye.”

Many people are wondering whatwe can do, what we can correct. TheRebbe answered these questions.The Rebbe warned that talkingabout giving away parts of ourHoly Land to our enemies causesbloodshed not only in Eretz Yisroelbut outside of it too.

When the Rebbe spoke to RabbiElimelech Naiman, who came with adelegation regarding joining thePeres government, in Nissan 5750,warned that talking about territorialconcessions has led to “the Arabs inevery area continued their activitiesand hurt a number of our fellowJews to the extent of murder, andnot only in Eretz Yisroel but in othercountries too. Who knows whetherduring these talks (we don’t want toopen our mouths to Satan but) at

this moment, if something hasn’thappened to a Jew, may it nothappen, for their arms are stilloutstretched.”

If talks can lead to that, then allthe more so actions such as theexpulsion from Gush Katif, thedestruction of Amona and otheroutposts, the plans to uproot all thesettlements of Yehuda, Shomron,and the Golan Heights, and thedivision of Yerushalayim!

On the other hand, just as talkingabout giving away land to ourenemies endangers lives, talk againstgiving away land and a strongprotest against the government andthose who support these dangerousactions, certainly diminishes andeliminates any danger to life.

Unfortunately, many shluchimconsider the problem of shleimusha’Aretz to be that of certainindividuals in Eretz Yisroel, whilethey focus on outreach.Consequently, thousands ofshluchim in the United States andEurope, each of whom hasconnections with senators, membersof Congress, and influential people,did not use these connections toensure that America and Europe notpressure Israel to make concessionsto our enemies. This is derived fromthe mistaken idea that this is aproblem that pertains to Israel andthose who live there.

Even shluchim in Israel maintainthat their goal is to spread thewellsprings. They don’t mix in tothese issues of danger to life becausedoing so can ruin certainrelationships they have or becausethey don’t want to be consideredinvolved in anything political. Thissorry attitude was so pervasive thatwhen the expulsion from Gush Katiftook place three and a half yearsago, there was almost completesilence on the part of the shluchim.

It is very difficult to give Musarat this time, while this recent horrifictragedy is fresh in our minds, and I

sh le imus ha ’aretzterror in bombay

Our brothers’ blood cries out to us. Allthe mivtzaim are of vital importancebut is there anything that can takeprecedence over ensuring that no moreJewish blood is spilled?!

SACRIFICESFOR PEACEBy Rabbi Sholom Dovber Wolpo



know that some people willimmediately attack me. Perhaps, tosome extent, they are right since weneed to follow Aharon’s example,“and Aharon was silent.” But onseveral occasions we heard theRebbe repeat the Rambam’s warningin Hilchos Taanis, that someone whosays, regarding tzaros, “it happens,”will experience additional tzaros. Wetherefore have no choice but to cryout to our thousands of shluchim:

You see that this isn’t a localissue, but a terrible danger for Jewswherever they are, and especially tothe “soldiers of the house of Dovid”who are on the front lines of the warfor the revelation of Moshiach.Therefore, acknowledge that this iseveryone’s problem, no matterwhere we are!

We must start anuncompromising war in which thethousands of shluchim around theworld participate, each one exertinghis influence on those people whoset policy or have an influence onthose who set policy in Eretz Yisroel

and abroad. The message must be:do not speak to Arabs about givingup even an inch of Israel.

Our brothers’ blood cries out tous. Setting up Jewish libraries,arranging new shiurim, encouragingwomen to light Shabbos candles andlearning Mishnayos in theirmemories are all important, but evenmore important is ensuring thatmore blood is not spilled! And letus not forget the stories weconstantly read about shluchim andT’mimim being brutally attacked inGermany, Ukraine etc.

Melech HaMoshiach fights thewars of Hashem with the “soldiersof the house of Dovid.” Let us alljoin this war, which is waged onevery continent. Every shliachshould send an official letter ofprotest a week to the President,Prime Minister, Foreign Minister,governor, senators, congressmanetc. of his country or state, and tothe Prime Minister, DefenseMinister and Foreign Minister inEretz Yisroel. The letters should

state our opposition to discussingthe establishment of a Palestinianstate, the freeing of terrorists, andthe opening of the country beforeour enemies which endangers Jewseverywhere. All possible connectionsshould be used for this holy purposewhich affects every shliachpersonally.

Just as shluchim are presentlybusy with the natural protectivemeasures to secure their Chabadhouses, so too and even more soshould offices be opened tocoordinate activities for shleimusha’Aretz which are actuallyactivities for the protection andsecurity of all the shluchim,wherever they live.

May we soon be able toannounce victory in the war againstAmalek. That is the only way we willknow we have made amends for theloss of the precious shluchim andthe others who were murdered, whobecame the most recent “sacrificesfor peace.”


R. Shlomo shared someindelible memories Thursdaywith the Holtzberg andRosenberg families during aShiva call in Afula, and latershared some of his unforgettableexperiences with Beis Moshiach:

The Rabbi had a smile youcould never say No to, eventhough he would never ask youfor anything... They once askedme to bring matza, but even thatwas not for them; it was for thecommunity. Whenever I receivedan e-mail from them or phonecall it was to ask how I was andwhat was happening with me.

When they installed theinternet system, they wanted itwireless, so that anyone could usetheir own computer. Once, Iheard a conversation between thecomputer technician and the Rav.

When the tech explained that itwas important to install apassword so that the computersystem could be protected fromoutsiders, the Rav asked, “Whatif I’m not here?” The techniciantold him that he could put thepassword on a piece of paper onthe computer, and the Rav asked,“And what if it falls on the floorand they can’t find it?” He wasso concerned that every lastperson should be able to use thecomputer when needed, that hedecided not to have the protectivepassword installed.

Rav Gaby welcomed everyone,Jews as well as Gentiles,especially on Passover and thechagim, when guests would comewith a non-Jewish spouse orfriend. He would welcomeeverybody with a huge smile.

My very first time I came tothe Chabad House in Bombayfour years ago, I called to ask if Icould come and how much hecharged. He said just come. Iasked again, and he answered,just come, we’ll talk about itMotzaei Shabbos. After Shabbos Iasked again, and he explainedthat they don’t ask for pay, but ifhe wanted to make a donation itwas up to me.

The moment you crossed thegate, you felt at home, that youwere coming home because youhad a home there. They were oneof a kind.

***As the tragic news broke, my

friend from Bombay tried toupdate me and at 2 in theafternoon he called to tell me theRabbi and his wife were safe. Youdon’t know India, how things canbe such a mess and there was alot of misinformation. Thisfriend, who isn’t Jewish, met theRabbi twice and he has been somuch impressed by these people.He thanks G-d for the privilegeto have know them.

Shabbos evenings were verysweet over there, they would gofrom one guest to another. TheRebbetzin usually made herchallot Friday morning, but onetime a guest had to travel and sothat Thursday night, she madespecial challot and loaded theguest with wine, chocolates, andmany Shabbos delicacies.

I talked with Rivka manytimes. They had almost nopermanent friends there, everyonealways came and went. It musthave been so hard. We can’t evenimagine. And the building is inone of the worst slums inBombay.

On Friday nights, the Rabbiand his guests went to theBlue synagogue to daven in orderto support the minyan there. It


terror in bombay

Reflections from Shlomo Schwer, 45,born in France but living in EretzYisroel the past 30 years. During thepast four years that business trips hadbrought him to India, he became veryclose with Rabbi Gavriel andRebbetzin Rivki.

�THEY GAVEEVERYTHINGTHEY HAD�



was about a 20-minute walk. Onthe way back from shul, theRabbi would just disappear, andfive, ten minutes later he wouldappear with guests, and no oneknew where he had picked themup!

The Rabbi provided all theother areas of India with koshermeat. At first, he was shechtingon an island about three milesfrom Bombay. Every Sunday hewould go there and send thechickens over. Later he found aplace for that in Bombay.

You can go on and on but themain thing is giving, that’s all hewas about, a life of devotion toothers, from a simple smile —they gave everything they had...

***Since Friday afternoon I

haven’t stopped crying, hopingI’m going to wake up from thenightmare. I can’t imagine lifewithout Rabbi Holtzberg.

Right now, it would be verydifficult for me to think of goingback to India, Currently I don’thave a project there. But therewas one thing he talked aboutwith me for several months. Hewanted to keep a date base forpeople looking for businesses andcontacts. I am planning to workon that.

I’m closer to G-d thenever...for the first time in my lifeI’m trying to understand whatG-d wants from me...

You can go onand on but themain thing isgiving. That’s allhe was about, alife of devotion toothers, from asimple smile —they gaveeverything theyhad...



AT THE LEVAYA OF THE K’DOSHIM:“Moishele, Moishele. You have no mother. You

have no father. You will never have a mother to sayShma with you. You will never know your mother tohold you. But you are the child of all of Chabad...thechild of Am Yisroel! We will raise you as our own. Youwill grow to be the finest!”

***How many times during the levaya in Kfar Chabad

Tuesday of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivky Holtzberg, didthese words come in shries and cries from the depthsof the family members and rabbanim? They shookeveryone to the core. How can anyone even grasp thepain and the nightmare that this family went through?The torture and the deaths of those so dear toHashem, to the Rebbe, to Am Yisroel, to every soulthey ever came in contact with in their short lives?

***ABBA, ABBA!? ... IMA?! EIFO IMA?!“We (all of Chabad) are like little Moishele,” said

one speaker. “We are crying, Rebbe! Rebbe! Eifoh Ata!Hashem, Hashem, AD MASAI?! AD MASAI?! ADMASAI?!”

***“But this was Kislev?! Chag HaGeula! Chag shel

Chanuka! Yes, two-year-old Moishele — ushered, inhis blood-soaked pants, out of the house of terror byhis Indian nanny, who didn’t take her own life intoaccount by her heroic deed, is the Chanuka miracle,the little cruse of oil that will light the entire world...The Moshe that was rescued from death in the Nilethat Paro would have wished upon him.”

***Gavriel’s father asked if there was something, a

little something the couple had left behind in theChabad House, something personal, maybe a picture,a memento... They asked the nanny, “Is there anythingspecial that belonged to Rivkie and Gaby? The nanny

couldn’t give them an answer. Perplexed, she answeredthe family members; “They had no private possessions.There was nothing that was theirs. Whatever they hadwas shared with the community. They themselves hadnothing...nothing.”

***Memories from those who visited the Chabad

House of Bombay have been pouring in from allcorners of the world. It was announced by leaders ofthe Chabad shluchim’s office that a family has alreadydonated money to rebuild the Chabad House inBombay. Before the burning embers even died out, thiswas decided, and this was established. And the familywould personally see to it that this very Chanuka, thelights would be kindled in Bombay! And that Moishe’lewould grow to continue his parent’s service.

***Ten terrorists wreaked havoc and death, turning an

entire world upside down. Ten terrorists! We knowfrom the number 10 — this minyan of evil...So howmuch power will it have if hundreds, thousands,infused light into the world... We will not win withAk47s rifles and grenades... We will win by spreadingthe light of Torah and mitzvot...by complete unity andachdus starting within Chabad and emanatingoutwards — with never again the slightest scent ofmachlokes.

Pledges of tz’deka and the acceptance of Torah andmitzvos, even a small but additional undertaking,have already reverberated around the world. This ISthe final push into the Geula. Why should Moishelewait until he grows older to see his parents again?Why should we grow older before we see the Rebbe?

Moishele, Moishele — you taught us not to beconsoled...not even by a candy or a toy basketball...

ABBA! ABBA! ABBBA! ABBBBBA! EIFOH ATAH!EIFOH! ABBBBBBBBBA. IMMMMAAAAAAAAA!

These are the battle cries that will lead us intoGeula.

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A little less than two years ago,the Photo Booth store of Eilatphotographer Binyamin Gamlieliclosed its doors for the last time.There’s no one in Eilat who isn’tfamiliar with this store, especiallywith its owner, the smiling andbeloved figure of Benny Gamlieli.It’s no wonder that the local weeklynewspaper dedicated its front pagepicture and story to the storeclosing. In a wide-ranging interviewwith the paper, Gamlieli told abouthis public activities, focusing uponthe store and his extensiveprofessional work.

When the reporter asked, “Whendid you take the most meaningfulphotograph in your life?” Mr.Gamlieli replied: “Three picturesmoved me deeply: The first wasduring Menachem Begin’s historicvisit to Eilat. The entire city wasexcited by the honor, and Iphotographed him on behalf of theCity of Eilat. The second wasduring the Israel-Jordan treatysigning at the Eilat-Aqaba borderwith King Hussein, Prime MinisterYitzchak Rabin, and President BillClinton. This picture was also taken

for the City of Eilat. The thirdpicture was the most thrilling one inmy life – when I traveled with RabbiShimon Eisenbach to theLubavitcher Rebbe andphotographed him in the beismidrash among thousands ofchassidim.”

I met Benny Gamlieli last weekin Eilat. He has changed hisprofession from photographer totour guide for local tourists,working in his free time on hisdoctorate thesis on the subject ofYemenite Jewry. His friendship withRabbi Shimon Eisenbach, one of theRebbe’s shluchim in Eilat and therav of the city’s Shachmonneighborhood, has continued andstrengthened, becoming extremelyclose over the years. They learn


story

The camera had suddenly – withoutwarning – stopped working just at themoment that I needed it the most. Howcould I return to Eilat without anyphotos of the Rebbe? I shuddered at thevery thought.

CAMERA SHYBy Nosson AvrohomTranslated By Michoel Leib Dobry

Mr. BennyGamlieli afterdaveningShacharis in 770



together b’chavrusa every week.Benny returned to Eretz Yisroelfrom his visit to the Rebbe withtwenty stunning and exclusivepictures. The best of them adorn thewalls of numerous homes in Eilatand the surrounding area, and notjust of Chabad chassidim and theirsupporters.

A HEARTSTOPPINGMOMENT AND A CAMERATHAT WOULDN’T WORK

“Rabbi Eisenbach would visit myphoto shop in order to put t’fillin onwith me and to talk about differentsubjects in Judaism. At everyopportunity, he would mention theLubavitcher Rebbe and tell me that Imust join him for a trip to 770,adding a variety of special storiesand descriptions of the greatness ofthe Rebbe. Through my work I hadheard a lot about the Rebbe and hisunique spiritual strengths, even frompeople who are not consideredChabad chassidim, and one day Idecided to accept his invitation.Shortly before Chaf-Beis Shvat,5751, when Rabbi Eisenbach cameto me and tried to convince me tocome with him, I happily agreed.

“I was most curious to meet onceand for all the Rebbe I had heard somuch about. At the time, I was atthe height of my photographycareer, and I decided that if I’malready taking a break from my workand traveling to the Rebbe, I shouldat least take my camera, which Inever go anywhere without, so that Ican return home with a few picturesof the Rebbe. This way, I could alsowrite an article in the local magazineabout my visit. I thought that if Iwould write an unabashedlyenthusiastic article, it would surelyhave an influence. In fact, peoplewould view my article as being moreobjective than an article written byRabbi Eisenbach or the city’s chiefrabbi, Rabbi Hecht, as many of the

readers would suspect them ofbiased journalism.

“With every passing day bringingme closer to my trip to the Rebbe,the level of excitement in my heartgrew. I was extremely interested tofind out what I was to encounter.

“I arrived in the Rebbe’sneighborhood – Crown Heights –before Maariv on a Thursdayevening. How surprised I was tomeet Rabbi Yair Hadaya, the son ofour city’s Sephardic rabbi, there.

“This was not my first visit to theUnited States. I had previouslystayed in New York on a mission for

the Jewish Agency. But when Iarrived at 770, and I saw thethrongs of chassidim and othersfrom all walks of Jewish life, I askedmyself: How is it that I didn’t visit770 before?

“The next day, Friday, I preparedto go with Rabbi Eisenbach andRabbi Yair Hadaya to the Rebbe’shouse on President Street forShacharis. Before we went overthere, I requested that we take agroup picture in front of 770. I

thought this would be a veryappropriate photograph for thearticle that I would write upon myreturn to Eilat – a picture showingthe son of the city’s Sephardic rabbi,one of the local Chabad Houseshluchim, and myself. After we tookthe picture, we rushed into theRebbe’s house to daven.

“Not everyone could get into thehouse due to the limited space; onlyguests and other importantindividuals were allowed in. Sincewe were guests, we were privilegedto enter. When I saw the Rebbecoming down the stairs from thehouse’s upper floor towards theliving room area for Shacharis, myheart almost stopped.

“This was a moment that I willnever forget. Everything wascrowded, with the chassidimstanding very close together. Butwhen the Rebbe came in, totalsilence reigned in the house. TheRebbe’s beard, his eyes, his holycountenance left me stunned forseveral seconds. The Rebbecontinued walking toward his placewith quick steps, quiteuncharacteristic for a man of suchan advanced age. As I was marvelingthat I was so privileged to be here, Inoticed that the Rebbe was lookingat me. I could see the Rebbe’spiercing eyes and his seriousexpression.

“This entire episode lastedseveral seconds. I quickly recovered,reminding myself that I am also hereessentially to do an article, and Ineed good pictures for the magazine– and lots of them. Who knowswhen I would have anotheropportunity to snap a picture of theRebbe in all his glory? I placed myemotions on the side, took out mycamera, and began pressing thebutton. I tried again and again, butthough the button was pressed, thecamera wouldn’t work…

“The Rebbe was coming closer.It was all a matter of a few seconds

Rabbi Shimon Eisenbach



until he would pass and I’d be leftwithout a picture of him. I had nochance. I asked if I could get a littlecloser to the Rebbe’s place in orderto take his picture there, but it wastoo difficult to pass through the wallof humanity.

“I was confused. I had takenseveral pictures just five minutesearlier, including the one at theentrance to the Rebbe’s house. I hadbeen a photographer for thirty years,and nothing like this had everhappened to me before. I was inindescribable shock. The Rebbe hadalready passed by me, Shacharis hadalready begun, and I stood lookingat the camera to try and figure outwhat had happened to it. I hadn’tthe slightest idea.

SHABBOS IN 770“It’s not so nice to say this, but

the davening interested me less atthat moment. I was concentrating onthe fact that the camera hadsuddenly – without warning –stopped working just at the momentthat I needed it the most. How couldI return to Eilat without any photosof the Rebbe? I shuddered at thevery thought. All of my friends andprofessional colleagues, not tomention the entire city, had heardthat I’m traveling with RabbiEisenbach to the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

What would I do now?“My mood was a bit down. We

spent that Friday with our hosts, thefamily of Rabbi Dan Yoel Levy,relatives of Rabbi Eisenbach. I wasconstantly checking the camera, butI couldn’t seem to understand why itwouldn’t take any pictures.

“On Shabbos afternoon, after thedavening in the central beis midrashof 770 had concluded, I turned toRabbi Eisenbach and asked him whywe weren’t returning to our host’shome to eat the Shabbos meal. Mystomach was growling, and I wasexhausted from the crowding andjostling. Rabbi Eisenbach explainedto me that the Rebbe would soon beconducting a farbrengen, and itwould be a pity to miss it. Heassured me that it would be a shortfarbrengen that wouldn’t take long.

“In the meantime, the respectedelder chassidim took their placesbehind the Rebbe’s chair, while westood to the side. The hall was filledfrom wall to wall. The Rebbemajestically entered, took his seat,and began to speak. I was miserablebecause I didn’t understand a singleword of Yiddish and couldn’t followwhat was going on. The situationwas very peculiar – on the one hand,I was deeply moved by the Rebbe’sappearance. On the other hand,however, I was very hungry andtired, and still agitated by the fact

that I would be leaving the Rebbewithout any pictures.

“The Rebbe spoke for abouttwenty minutes, everyone sang aniggun, and then the Rebbe spokefor another half an hour. The Rebbesaid ‘L’chaim,’ looking in a certaindirection, and everyone responded‘L’chaim.’ He delivered anothersicha, said a ‘L’chaim,’ and turned tolook in another direction. I wasrapidly losing my patience whileRabbi Eisenbach remained totallyriveted.

“‘Rabbi Eisenbach, I want to getout of here already,’ I whispered tohim repeatedly, and for two hours,he whispered back to me, ‘Here, it’sabout to finish.’ I personally thoughtthat the only way to leave the placewhere I was standing would be byhelicopter. My emotional andphysical strengths had long beendepleted. What was breathing lifeinto me was the smell of the cholenthitting my nose as we finally madeour way outside. To my greatdisappointment, I quickly found outthat not a morsel of it was left. I wastotally despondent.

THE CAMERA GOT EMBARRASSED“We made our way back to our

host family, the Levys. I told RabbiEisenbach that the next day, Sunday,I would travel to visit some closeacquaintances and I would see himnext on Wednesday, the day of ourreturn flight.

“Rabbi Eisenbach asked that Icome for Shacharis on Sundaymorning, and afterwards, the Rebbewould distribute dollars as a blessingfor success. My eldest son, Omer,had been ill around this time and Idecided that I would pass by the

Left to right: Rabbi Yair Hadaya, Rabbi Shimon Eisenbach, and Mr.Benny Gamlieli near the stairs to theentrance of the Rebbe’s house onPresident Street



Rebbe and then go to Manhattan. Asa matter of instinct, I took mycamera with me, in spite of the factthat it wasn’t working in any case,and went into 770 to daven. I got aplace close to the Aron Kodesh, notfar from the platform where theRebbe stood. I soon heard the soundof hand clapping and everyonesinging. A minute later, the Rebbearrived, walking in brisk andmeasured steps, and took his place –the sign for the start of davening. Istood and looked for several longmoments at the Rebbe’s radiantimage. I was spellbound.

Without thinking, I took mycamera out of its case and set it.Towards the end of davening, whenthe chazzan recited the Birkas

Kohanim during the repetition of theAmida, the Rebbe stood still, facingthe congregation, his hands placedon the shtender like an angel. Istarted clicking the shutter on mycamera. Just as the Rebbe gazed atme, the camera began to takepictures, one after another. I wasbeside myself with joy. I couldn’tbelieve that the camera had suddenlystarted working. I heard myselfcrying to Rabbi Eisenbach, ‘Thecamera’s working – this is actually amiracle!’ The people around mesurely thought that I was insane…

“I was so excited by the fact thatthe camera had suddenly begun totake pictures that I was completelyengrossed only in photographing theRebbe. It seemed to me that the

davening went much faster thanexpected.

“In the meantime, everyonestarted forming a line to receive adollar from the Rebbe. The Rebbecame down from the platform at theconclusion of davening and begangiving out dollars. I also stood inline, and when I came before theRebbe, I told him that I had comefrom Eilat with Rabbi Eisenbach andI requested a bracha for the recoveryof my first-born son, Omer. TheRebbe gave me a dollar for Omer’srecovery, another dollar for themembers of my family, and anotherdollar for the city of Eilat.

“I left the Rebbe in a tremendousstate of emotion that is difficult todescribe.

“It should be quite obvious andunderstandable that I spent thefollowing days with the Rebbe, andshelved my plans to visitManhattan. Just as I didn’t knowwhat caused my camera not towork, I didn’t know what caused itto start taking pictures again. I ama camera repairman by trade, and Ihad never encountered such aproblem before.

“Rabbi Eisenbach explained tome afterwards that it’s impossible tojust come from Eilat and start takingpictures of the Rebbe. You have toundergo a process of spiritualtraining for that, and after I wentthrough what I did on Shabbos, theRebbe ‘permitted’ me to photographhim. I don’t know if that’s theexplanation, but one thing I doknow – during my visit to theRebbe, I experienced something thatwas clearly not in the realm ofnature.

“When I returned to Eilat, Iwrote my article and entitled it ‘TheCamera That Got Embarrassed.’”

Benny Gamlieli has a film clip inhis house showing the passing imageof the Rebbe. On many occasions,he finds himself watching the film inhis free time.

Just as the Rebbe gazed at me, the camera began to take pictures...


the impurity of idolatry 4elimination of the spirit of impurity, the source of idolatry. when the...

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