This Week's Features:
Four Women, Four Continents, Four Paths, One Chabad
Conference of Chabad Women Emissaries (2016)
How to Get Your Child to Love Being Jewish
By Ari Shishler
Watch (43:12) 
What Do You Know About Your Great-Grandparents?Mount Sinai vs. the Temple Mount offers perspective
By Yacov Barber
Watch (6:21) 
How to Become JewishParshat Mishpatim
By Moishe New
Watch (42:49) 
Words of Encouragement
Watch (4:27) 
Jerusalem Still in RuinsThe Book of Nechemiah, Part 1
By Mendel Dubov
Watch (34:11) 
WatchmenParsha Mishpatim
Aaron L. Raskin
Watch (24:47) Recent and Upcoming Jewish.tv Webcasts:
Shulchan Aruch, Hanhogas Beis Hakisei 3:1-2 (First Edition)
Laws of Modesty, Part 1
By Avraham Meyer Zajac
Airs Friday, February 5 at 6am ET
Talmud Gitin 55 (Advanced)
By Avraham Meyer Zajac
Airs Friday, February 5 at 6am ET
Lesson 4: When and Where G‑d Is Found?
By Yechezkel Kornfeld
Airs Monday, February 8 at 4pm ET
Do Jews Believe in Mazal?
The Jewish view on the zodiac
By Avraham Plotkin
Airs Tuesday, February 9 at 7pm ET
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"Now on Jewish.TV: Chassidism and Society: The Role of G-d in Our Social Interactions - Eli Rubin" Jewish.TV - Chabad Video
Chassidism and Society
The role of G-d in our social interactions
By Eli Rubin
Watch Now
About this webcast:
Rather than thinking of the religious and social as belonging to two distinct realms, chassidism posits a more complex interrelational model that encompasses the entire cosmos, and in which G-d too is a responsive participant.
Recent and Upcoming Jewish.tv Webcasts:
Price Change
The Talmud on Theft and Robbery, Lesson 5
By Binyomin Bitton
Airs Wednesday, February 3 at 7pm ET
Shulchan Aruch, Levishas Begadim 2:9 (First Edition)
Laws of Dressing, Part 7
By Avraham Meyer Zajac
Airs Thursday, February 4 at 6am ET
Talmud Gitin 54 (Advanced)
By Avraham Meyer Zajac
Airs Thursday, February 4 at 6am ET
Lesson 4: When and Where G‑d Is Found?
By Yechezkel Kornfeld
Airs Monday, February 8 at 4pm ET
Do Jews Believe in Mazal?
The Jewish view on the zodiac
By Avraham Plotkin
Airs Tuesday, February 9 at 7pm ET
Click here to browse our full programming schedule.
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"Now on Jewish.TV: Price Change: The Talmud on Theft and Robbery, Lesson 5 - Binyomin Bitton" Jewish.TV - Chabad Video
Price Change
The Talmud on Theft and Robbery, Lesson 5
By Binyomin Bitton
Watch Now
About this webcast:
In this Talmud class we probe deeper into the application of the different types of penalization for theft, and also explore an interesting scenario where a change occurred to the stolen item, thereby altering its value.
Recent and Upcoming Jewish.tv Webcasts:
Chassidism and Society
The role of G-d in our social interactions
By Eli Rubin
Airs Wednesday, February 3 at 8pm ET
Shulchan Aruch, Levishas Begadim 2:9 (First Edition)
Laws of Dressing, Part 7
By Avraham Meyer Zajac
Airs Thursday, February 4 at 6am ET
Talmud Gitin 54 (Advanced)
By Avraham Meyer Zajac
Airs Thursday, February 4 at 6am ET
Lesson 4: When and Where G‑d Is Found?
By Yechezkel Kornfeld
Airs Monday, February 8 at 4pm ET
Do Jews Believe in Mazal?
The Jewish view on the zodiac
By Avraham Plotkin
Airs Tuesday, February 9 at 7pm ET
Click here to browse our full programming schedule.
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"Don't be fooled by New York Times 'supplement' on Israel-Palestine..." The Jewish Week Connecting the World to Jewish News, Culture, Features, and Opinions
Breaking News
Attention: Don't be fooled by a phony "supplement" of The New York Times, highly critical of Israel, being distributed widely in Manhattan today. It's not the work of the New York Times, which is upset that its logo and intellectual property are being used illegally.
Read all about it here.
The Editors
Fake NYTimes 'Supplement' Trashes Israel
Fake NYTimes "Supplement"
No, Hillary Clinton has not quit her race for president to advocate for Palestinian rights. Sen. Chuck Schumer is not calling for the end of U.S. aid to Israel. And The New York Times is not searching for a new publisher to end its biased, pro-Israel reporting.
A sophisticated, fake four-page supplement to The New York Times featuring those "stories" and others promoting the Palestinian cause and denigrating Israel was distributed in Manhattan on Tuesday, and The New York Times is not laughing.
READ THE FULL STORY
New York
Fake NY Times ‘Supplement’ Trashes Israel
Gary Rosenblatt
Editor And Publisher
A Fake New York Times Supplement, Tuesday February 2, 2016.
No, Hillary Clinton has not quit her race for president to advocate for Palestinian rights. Sen. Chuck Schumer is not calling for the end of U.S. aid to Israel. And The New York Times is not searching for a new publisher to end its biased, pro-Israel reporting.
A sophisticated, fake four-page supplement to The New York Times featuring those “stories” and others promoting the Palestinian cause and denigrating Israel was distributed in Manhattan on Tuesday, and The New York Times is not laughing.
The supplement includes phony anti-Israel ads, made no mention of a sponsoring group. And while one of several young women distributing the propaganda near the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Tuesday morning told this reporter, when asked, that “this is a supplement of The New York Times,” the paper of record had nothing to do with it.
“We’re protective of our brand and other intellectual property and object to this group (or any group’s) attempt to cloak their political views under the banner of The New York Times,” according to a statement from Eileen Murphy, senior vice president of communications at the paper. “We believe strongly that those advocating for political positions are best served by speaking openly, in their own voice.”
On Wednesday, Jewish Voice for Peace took credit for the supplement.
The handout featured a box above The Times logo that read, “Rethinking Our 2015 Coverage On Israel-Palestine — A Supplement.” In the upper left-hand corner was a spoof of The Times motto, reading “All The News We Didn’t Print.”
The online version of the phony paper has been taken down but can be seen here.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt called the mock issue “deceptive” and welcomed the Times’ statement objecting to the effort to fool the public.
“The diatribe, published anonymously, conveys false facts and themes consistent with anti-Israel advocates and supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement,” he said.
Clearly, it was a costly and carefully orchestrated project, which is almost identical in appearance to the real thing. Copies were delivered to some Manhattan residential buildings where they were included, unintentionally, with the day’s copy of the “real” Times at the front door of tenants’ apartments.
Shahar Azani, executive director of StandWithUs Northeast, commenting on the “supplement,” noted that “the U.S.-Israel alliance is strong and founded on shared values and strategic interests. Any attempt to subvert it is doomed to fail.” He added that “spreading lies and demonizing Israel will not bring peace to both parties,” which will only come through “direct dialogue and education. It is a shame there are those who chose to waste paper and contaminate the environment with unwarranted garbage.”
If nothing else, a read through the “supplement,” with its “Editorial” calling for an end to the distortions in The Times’ coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict, may convince some pro-Israel readers that not everyone sees the paper’s Mideast coverage as slanted against the Jewish state.
Note: This story was updated on Feb. 3 to include that Jewish Voice for Peace has taken credit for the supplement.
The Jewish Week
1501 Broadway, Suite 505
New York, New York 10036, United States
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"Now on Jewish.TV: How to Love Another: The Kabbalah of Behavior - Shifra Sharfstein" Jewish.TV - Chabad Video
How to Love Another
The Kabbalah of Behavior
By Shifra Sharfstein
Watch
This webcast begins:
Tuesday, February 02, 2016 at 10:30am ET
About this webcast:
If you truly love someone, you love what they love. If we really love G-d, we'll love his people.
Recent and Upcoming Jewish.tv Webcasts:
Shulchan Aruch, Levishas Begadim 2:7b (First Edition)
Laws of Dressing, Part 5
By Avraham Meyer Zajac
Airs Tuesday, February 2 at 6am ET
Talmud Gitin 52 (Advanced)
By Avraham Meyer Zajac
Airs Tuesday, February 2 at 6am ET
Lesson 4: When and Where G‑d Is Found?
By Yechezkel Kornfeld
Airs Monday, February 8 at 4pm ET
Click here to browse our full programming schedule.
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"Is Kabbalah Kosher for the Under-40 Crowd?" Chabad Magazine for Tuesday, Shevat 23, 5776 · February 2, 2016
Editor's Note:
Dear Friend,
One of the many great delights in working with the Chabad.org/news team is learning about and covering, day in and day out, the extraordinary work of Chabad-Lubavitch shluchos around the world.
This past week, their work was highlighted once again at the Kinus Hashluchos, the International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Women Emissaries, and I invite you to enjoy inspiring videos andphotos and news stories from the event, as well as articles related to the anniversary of the passing ofRebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, of righteous memory.
Not just chroniclers of the work of Chabad-Lubavitch women, our Chabad.org team members are active participants in this global work. Nowhere is this more evident than at TheJewishWoman.org, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary as the world’s premier destination for Jewish women.
Stay tuned for more news about the 10th anniversary of TJW and how you can help celebrate. In the meantime, join me in thanking all the women at Chabad.org for the difference they make every day in the lives of Jewish people everywhere.
Yaakov Ort,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
P.S.: Are you a Jewish woman? Then now is a great time to sign up for the TJW weekly e‑mail and like their Facebook page.
Mishpatim
The Puzzle
Think of your world as a massive jigsaw puzzle in three dimensions plus time. Every object and event that enters your world is meant to fit together neatly with all the other.
And yet they seem just a heap of discordant fragments.
Here is the trick to reassembling those broken pieces:
Start by finding your own purpose. Then move headstrong towards it. Once you find purpose, all that’s needed for that purpose will find you. And those things already attached to you will find their place as well.
Suddenly, where once noise and chaos tore you in a thousand directions, there plays a magnificent symphony.
Your Questions
Is Kabbalah Kosher for the Under-40 Crowd?
By Yehuda Shurpin
Is there really a ban on Kabbalah for the masses?
Why Are Some People Deaf?
By Aron Moss
My four-year-old asked me some hard questions that I wasn’t sure how to answer.
Parshah
Is Religion Still Relevant?
By Yossy Goldman
Should we still need to subscribe to an ancient code of laws, when we are so further advanced than our ancestors?
What the Slavery Laws Teach Us
By Menachem Feldman
Of all the laws in the Parshah—and there are many—why begin with the “regressive” topic of slavery?
Women
My New “Normal”
By Chana Scop
On some days I wonder if indeed there is still a tiny piece of my heart in that operating room.
Altering the Menu for an Overweight Child
By Aliza Neveloff
One day my friend took her baby to the pediatrician, and was informed that her baby’s weight was spiking off her percentile curve.
Features
Healers of the Soul
By Moshe Miller
Purpose as the foundation of Chabad’s psychological approach.
No Longer Hidden Away
By Elaine Rubinoff
After more than 60 years, I still have a strong image of the phantom classroom in the basement of my Boro Park public school.
Judaism 101
What to Expect at a Hachnasat Sefer Torah
By Menachem Posner
A Hachnasat Sefer Torah is the celebration that centers around the dedication of new Torah scroll.
Story
The Rusty Penny
By Tuvia Bolton
It seems that this stingy man, despite his considerable wealth, was loath to share his blessings.
News
For 3,000 Women Emissaries and Guests, ‘It Feels So Much Like Family’
By Karen Schwartz and Carin M. Smilk
A gala banquet topped off an eventful week for thousands of women from around the world.
At Iowa Deli, Rabbi Serves Up Great Food and Greater Wisdom
By Faygie Levy Holt
Excitement builds at the kosher campaign stop for every candidate and party.
Announcing the New Rabbi Gordon App!
a new app tailor-made for the tens of thousands who turn to the rabbi for his daily classes in Chumash with Rashi, Tanya and Rambam.
Lifestyle
Pastrami Egg Rolls with Apricot Dipping Sauce
By Miriam Szokovski
Soul Mate
By Roni Pinto
Chabad.org Magazine - Editor: Yanki Tauber
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
This Week's Features:
Printable Magazine
Healers of the Soul
Purpose as the foundation of Chabad’s psychological approach
By Moshe Miller
Psychology and Chabad Chassidism
In seeking to achieve a healthy mental life, classical psychology’s central questions are “What’s the problem, and what caused it?” In Freudian psychoanalysis, the answer is found in the early life of the subject, particularly in relation to his or her parents.
Other schools of psychology change the focus and instead ask, “What’s the solution?” or “How do I fulfill my potential?”
Chassidic philosophy’s central question is “What’s my purpose?”1
The Rebbe Rayatz (Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, 1880–1950) once related that he heard from his father, the Rebbe Rashab (Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneersohn, 1860–1920), that our “what for,” our purpose, is the very soul of our existence.2 Until we discover what our unique contribution to the world is meant to be, we are merely subsisting, not really living, and certainly not living purposefully.
The following well-known story, related by the Rebbe Rayatz, illustrates the chassidic emphasis on finding one’s purpose:
In 1798, the Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, 1745–1812) was arrested by the czarist regime on trumped-up charges of subversion. One of the government officials, who was proficient in Tanach and well-versed in Jewish matters, asked the Alter Rebbe a number of questions, among them the meaning of the verse “G‑d called out to Adam saying, ‘Ayekah—where are you?’”3
“After all,” the minister asked, “didn’t G‑d know where Adam was?” When the Alter Rebbe cited Rashi’s explanation, that G‑d was merely using the question to initiate further conversation with Adam, the official replied, “What Rashi says, I already know. I want to hear what you say about this.” To which the Alter Rebbe responded, “When a person reaches such-and-such an age (citing the official’s actual age), the Almighty asks him, ‘Where are you? Do you know the reason for which you were placed in this world, what it is that you have to accomplish, and what you have already accomplished?”4
There is also a lesser-known story about one of the disciples of the Alter Rebbe who had been a very wealthy man, and who shared his wealth generously, but had suddenly lost everything and was now deep in debt. He traveled to the Alter Rebbe and poured out his bitter heart.
The Alter Rebbe heard him out and then lifted his head, saying in a singsong (as was his holy custom), “You fully articulated everything that you need. But about what you are needed for, you have said nothing!”5
Soul Powers and Purpose
So in order to truly express our soul, which is a “part of G‑d Above,”6 we must understand “what we are needed for.” The problem is, of course, that we don’t come with individualized instruction manuals describing the purpose of our lives.
It is a basic tenet of chassidic thought (and indeed of Jewish thought in general7) that G‑d desired to create this lowest world so that we can make it into a dwelling place fit for the King—a dirah be-tachtonim—as explained in Tanya and in numerous chassidic discourses. This gives us the general direction we should be heading in, but not the specific role each individual is given in achieving this goal.
However, the Torah declares explicitly that G‑d gives us the power to accomplish great things,8 and our sages add that “the Holy One, blessed be He, does not make unreasonable demands on His creatures.”9 In other words, He doesn’t demand things from us that He has not equipped us to fulfill.
It follows that by examining the strengths and talents with which we are uniquely endowed, we can gain some insight into what it is that we were put here to accomplish. Of course, the soul is endowed with all the soul powers discussed in Kabbalah and Chassidism; nevertheless, on the individual level, some qualities are more dominant than others. For example, the quality of chesed (kindness) dominated in Abraham, and the quality of gevurah (severity) in Isaac, although they both had the opposite quality as well, albeit in a less dominant manner.
It is also true that some strengths and talents may be latent, and will become revealed only as we develop, or when we—through hashgachah pratit, divine providence—face a challenge that requires us to draw that strength or talent up from the hidden recesses of our soul. Furthermore, it is also true that our talents and strengths can change and develop over time. We are not born with immutable talents and abilities. We can always acquire new ones, and further develop the ones we have.
Nevertheless, some of our strengths and talents certainly are revealed and can readily be identified by others as well. It makes sense to say that these are the ones on which we ought to focus initially in order to begin to clarify our life’s mission, since they are the ones that are (currently) dominant in us.
The mission of Betzalel, for example, was clearly to be the chief builder of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), as he and his assistants were endowed with the wisdom and talents needed for that purpose:
G‑d spoke to Moshe saying, “See, I have called out by name Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Chur, of the tribe of Yehudah. I filled him with G‑dly spirit, with wisdom, insight and knowledge, and with every skill [needed] to weave designs, to work with gold, silver and copper, stonecutting and woodcarving—to perform every craft. And I have assigned Aholiav to be his assistant . . . and I have endowed the heart of every wise-hearted person with wisdom, so that they shall make all I have commanded you . . .”10
Of course, one could also say that our purpose lies in uncovering and correcting our deficiencies. But the chassidic approach is to focus more on developing and utilizing our strengths than on battling our inadequacies, to work with the positive and the uplifting, rather than the negative and the emotionally draining. As the Tzemach Tzedek (Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, 1789–1866) said, quoting the Talmud, “We are day workers”11—we work on increasing the light (day), rather than trying to drive out the darkness.12
This does not mean that the negative qualities and desires that we all have are entirely useless. On the contrary, as the Rebbe writes in HaYom Yom:
Every soul has its particular avodah (service), in the area of intellect and emotions, in accordance with that soul’s nature and character. It is written:13 “From my foes have You given me wisdom”14—from the evil tendencies one detects in his natural traits, he can become wise and know how to handle the correction of these traits, and how to subordinate his powers in the service of G‑d.15
Nevertheless, the manner with which we deal with the negative traits ought to be as that of a “day worker,” as described above, and as the Alter Rebbe writes:
. . . So it is in the conquest of one’s evil nature: it is impossible to conquer it with laziness and heaviness, which originate in sadness and in a heart that is dulled like a stone, but rather with alacrity, which derives from joy and from a heart that is free and cleansed from any trace of worry and sadness in the world.16
So through utilizing our G‑d-given soul powers, and through subordinating our negative traits, we can become aligned with our purpose. Not doing so can lead to feelings of frustration, discouragement and discontent. And as the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, writes in a letter, “If a person does not feel his purpose, he does not use his G‑d-given potential. This is not merely a personal loss and failing. Rather, it affects the fortunes of the entire world.” 17
Through becoming more in sync with what our souls were brought into this world to accomplish, we can begin to heal ourselves and the entire world.
FOOTNOTES
1.This is also the central question asked by Viktor Frankl, a Jewish Holocaust survivor who lived in Vienna after the war, the founder of Logotherapy. In a letter to Dr. S. Stern-Meraz, the Rebbe expressed his surprise that Dr. Frankl’s Logotherapy had not been widely adopted in the world of psychiatry (Igrot Kodesh, vol. 26, letter 9707).
2.Sefer ha-Sichot 5696–5700, pp. 169ff. Translated into Hebrew as an addition to Kuntres Shivat ha-Torot she-Amar Moreinu ha-Baal Shem Tov be-Gan Eden Im Biurim (Kehot, 1992).
3.Genesis 3:9.
4.Likkutei Sichot, vol. 1, p. 73.
5.From Sefer ha-Sichot 5707, pp. 123ff. See the rest of the story there.
6.See Job 31:2, explained in Tanya, ch. 2.
7.See Midrash Tanchuma, Nasso 16 and Bechukotai 3; Bamidbar Rabbah 13:6.
8.Deuteronomy 8:18.
9.Talmud, Avodah Zarah 3a.
10.Exodus 31:1–6.
11.Talmud, Eruvin 65a.
12.Likkutei Dibburim, vol. 2, p. 210b, and notes there; HaYom Yom, 29 Tevet.
13.Psalms 119:98.
14.Literally rendered, “Your commandments made me wiser than my enemies” (Rashi, Metzudat David).
15.HaYom Yom, 8 Nissan.
16.Tanya, ch. 26.
17.Igrot Kodesh, vol. 18, letter 7014.
BY MOSHE MILLER
Rabbi Moshe Miller was born in South Africa and received his yeshivah education in Israel and America. He is a prolific author and translator, with some twenty books to his name on a wide variety of topics, including an authoritative, annotated translation of the Zohar. He has developed a coaching-type approach to dealing with life's issues based on Chassidism and Kabbalah—a tool for dealing with normal issues that everyone faces as well as issues psychologists usually address, often ineffectively. He also gives free live classes over the Internet.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
Your Questions
|
 Question:Last night I got into a discussion with a friend about some classes I was attending. He claimed that one shouldn’t learn Kabbalah until he is 40 years old. Is this true? And if yes, how come many rabbis and Jewish educational organizations, including your own site, don’t seem to be concerned about this?Answer:Let’s first understand what your friend was alluding to.After devoting four chapters to the mystical concepts of the Creator and His creation (“Maaseh Merkavah” and “Maaseh Bereishit”), Maimonides concludes: “I maintain that it is not proper for a person to stroll in the Pardes (lit. “orchard,” referring to esoteric teachings) unless he has filled his belly with bread and meat. ‘Bread and meat’ refer to the knowledge of what is permitted and what is forbidden, and similar matters concerning other mitzvahs.”1 In other words, one should not learn the mystical secrets of Torah until he has first mastered the revealed level of Torah. In the same vein, Rabbi Shabbetai ha-Kohen (known by the acronym “the Shach”), a 17th-century commentator on the Code of Jewish Law, writes: “There are those who say that one should wait until the age of 40 before learning Kabbalah, for it says in the Mishnah, ‘Forty is the age of wisdom.’”2 This is the basis for the notion of limiting the study of Kabbalah to older, accomplished scholars. However, if we carefully read the words of Maimonides within their context, we will note that: (a) he never said that one should not learn any mysticism—rather, he writes that one should do so in the proper manner; and (b) the esoteric teachings that he warned about aren’t necessarily classical Kabbalah. It should also be noted that much of the “Kabbalah” that is taught today is a distilled form that does not have the same issues as pure Kabbalah. Allow me to elaborate. Maimonides and Strolling Through the PardesThe above quote from Maimonides comes at the end of the fourth chapter of his “Laws of the Torah’s Foundations,” which is the first section of his 14-volume exposition of Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah.He opens these laws by stating, “The foundation of all foundations and the pillar of wisdom is to know that there is a Primary Being who brought into being all existence.” He then goes on to stress that it is obligatory “to love and fear this glorious and awesome G‑d”3 through contemplating the greatness of G‑d and His awesome creations. It is only four chapters in, after expounding on many mystical concepts, that Maimonides concludes by saying that one shouldn’t “stroll in the Pardes” unless he has already mastered the revealed Torah. This, of course, raises the question: How could Maimonides begin a work he says is for all people with information that’s only for those who have already attained a certain stature? The question is compounded when we consider that Maimonides declares that this knowledge is necessary to fulfill the mitzvahs to know, love and fear G‑d! It is therefore safe to say that studying these first four chapters does not constitute “strolling in the Pardes,” only “glimpsing” it. What’s the difference? One who “strolls” through the “orchard” of the Torah learns its secrets in great depth and enjoys its mysteries, but he needs to take precautions before his venture. But one who simply “glimpses” the orchard just grasps the basics of these hidden matters, which Maimonides not only permits, but requires.4 Indeed, he begins his codification of Jewish law with a mystical introduction—the sip of “wine” should precede the meal of “bread and meat”! Listen to the Experts in Their FieldThere is a general rule that just as when you have a medical question you ask the doctor who is an expert in that field, so too when it comes to halachah you follow the experts. We can see an example of this in the disputes between the Talmudic sages Rav and Shmuel. If the dispute concerns what is permitted or prohibited, the halachah follows Rav, while if the dispute concerns monetary issues, the halachah follows Shmuel5—since each was an expert in his respective field.6Likewise, when you have a question about the deeper, mystical aspects of the Torah, you need to ask the opinion of an “expert” in that field.7 So although we discussed Maimonides’ warning against “taking a stroll in the Pardes,” it should be pointed out that a true scholar of Kabbalah can recognize that Maimonides was not even referring to the Kabbalistic tradition, but to a metaphysical understanding of G‑d and creation.8 In fact, according to most, Maimonides was not familiar with and never learned Kabbalah.9 Even those who say he did learn Kabbalah say that this was only at the very end of his life.10 In light of this, the famed Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna, known as the Vilna Gaon or Gra, strongly disagrees with both Maimonides and the Shach about their restrictions, positing that they didn’t know enough about the subject.11 He therefore holds that not only is it permitted—with no age restrictions—to learn Kabbalah, one has an obligation to do so.12 Also note that some of the most important teachers of Kabbalah, such as the Arizal and Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal), did not even live to the age of 40! Learning Kabbalah TodayRabbi Chaim Vital writes in the name of his teacher the Arizal that although in previous generations the teachings of Kabbalah were kept hidden and were studied only by a select few, today not only are we permitted to learn Kabbalah, but we also have a responsibility to spread and teach it.13Why is learning the inner aspects of the Torah so important nowadays? The answer is twofold: a) The rabbis write of the tremendous descent of later generations. We are like a person in a deep slumber or coma, unaware of and unattuned to the holiness of G‑d and His Torah. Additionally, the world at large has descended into a much deeper spiritual darkness. Under such conditions, the only antidote is to unleash the power of the inner light of Torah.14 b) As expounded upon by the Zohar,15 the Arizal,16 the Baal Shem Tov,17 and the Vilna Gaon,18 among many others, learning the inner teachings of the Torah is a crucial preparation for the coming of the Moshiach and the final redemption. Are There No Precautions?Although we have discussed why it is permitted to learn the mystical aspects of the Torah, we still need to address why past generations were so wary of learning Kabbalah.One reason is that there have been instances in Jewish history, even relatively recently, when the misuse of Kabbalah had disastrous consequences for the Jewish people. For example, approximately 350 years ago a misguided Jew named Shabbetai Tzvi proclaimed himself the Messiah, based on misinterpretations of the Kabbalah. By the time he was proven a fraud, he had brought great material and spiritual suffering upon a significant portion of Jewry. The danger of Kabbalah is in its misinterpretation. The Baal Shem Tov himself cautioned against the layman learning pure Kabbalah without its Chassidic explanation.19 This is where Chassidut comes in. Chassidut, while largely based on Kabbalah, expresses Kabbalah in a distilled and accessible form, which mitigates the possibility of misinterpretation. The importance of learning Chassidut cannot be understated, as is evident from a vision of the Baal Shem Tov concerning the coming redemption: On Rosh Hashanah of the year 5507 (1746), I made a [Kabbalistic] oath and elevated my soul. . . . I saw wondrous things in a vision, the likes of which I had never witnessed since the day my mind first began to awaken. . . . I went up from level to level until I entered the Palace of the Messiah. . . . I asked the Messiah, “When will you come, Master?” And he replied, “By this you shall know: it will be a time when your teachings become publicized and revealed to the world, and your wellsprings have overflowed to the outside . . .”20May it be speedily in our days! For more on the definition of Kabbalah, click here, here and here. For more on the importance of learning the deeper aspects of the Torah nowadays, see Teachers of the Hidden Wisdom: Who gave permission to reveal the secrets of millennia?
Rabbi Yehuda Shurpin responds to questions for Chabad.org's Ask the Rabbi service.
FOOTNOTES
2.
See Shach, Yoreh De’ah 246:6.
4.
See Shulchan Menachem, vol. 4, p. 299; Likkutei Sichot, vol. 26, p. 114.
5.
Talmud, Bechorot 49b.
6.
See Rosh on Talmud, Bava Kamma 4:4.
7.
See Igrot Kodesh, vol. 23, p. 57; Gra on Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah 246:18.
8.
See Maimonides’ introduction to Part Three of his Guide for the Perplexed, where he writes that what he explains about Maaseh Merkavah, Maaseh Bereishit and the secrets of the Torah were not received from any teacher, nor did they come to him through prophecy. Rather, these are his own ideas, using his own logic. Therefore, he says, it’s possible that they are incorrect, and that they mean something completely different. See also R. Yosef Ergas, Shomer Emunim 1:8–9.
9.
See Shaar ha-Gilgulim, Introduction, sec. 36; commentary of Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz on Song of Songs; Shomer Emunim 1:13.
10.
Responsa of Maharam Alashkar 117; Shem ha-Gedolim, s.v. Rambam; Shomer Emunim 1:13; Igrot Kodesh, vol. 22, p. 129.
11.
Gra on Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah 246:18.
12.
Gra, commentary to Proverbs 2:9; commentary to Heichalot, Pekudei 17:1–2; Even Sheleimah 11:3.
13.
Rabbi Chaim Vital’s introduction to Shaar Hakdamot.
14.
See Kuntres Eitz Chaim, ch. 13, and the letter printed at the end of that work, p. 82.
15.
See Zohar 1:117a, 118a, 3:124b (in Raaya Meheimna).
16.
See introduction to Shaar Hakdamot.
17.
Letter of the Baal Shem Tov to his brother-in-law R. Gershon Kitover, printed at the beginning of Keter Shem Tov.
18.
See Even Sheleimah 11:3.
19.
For fear that some would not be able to strip the abstract Kabbalistic concepts from their corporeality. See Derech Mitzvotecha, Shoresh Mitzvat ha-Tefillah 2.
20.
Letter of the Baal Shem Tov to his brother-in-law R. Gershon Kitover, printed at the beginning of Keter Shem Tov.
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Your Questions
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 Question:My four-year-old asked me some hard questions that I wasn’t sure how to answer, like “Why did G‑d make people deaf? Did they do something bad?” I tried explaining that somehow everything G‑d does is for the best even if we don’t understand why, but I felt it wasn’t the best answer I could have given. Could you guide me how to answer her?Answer:No human being is complete on his own. Each of us are lacking in some areas and have strengths in others. A blind person may have an especially keen intellect, and a deaf person, profound emotional strength. No one has it all. This means we need each other.If you can see, you can help someone who can’t. If you are healthy, you can help someone who isn’t. If you have money, you can share it with those in need. And if you have emotional depth, you can support those in emotional turmoil. The Talmud relates that the Roman governor Turnus Rufus challenged Rabbi Akiva with the following question: “If G‑d loves the poor, why doesn’t He supply them with their needs?” Rabbi Akiva’s reply was, “To give us the opportunity to save ourselves from Gehinnom (hell).” Gehinnom is a world where no one ever helps anyone else, where everyone thinks only about themselves and cares not for another. We are in this world to do kindness. Every lack that one person has is an opportunity for another to fill it with love. So let’s say all of this in the language of a four-year-old: You are a good sharer. When you share your toys with other kids who don’t have those toys, you become friends. You can also share your eyes and your ears, by helping someone who can’t see or hear. And they can help you too. Then we can all be friends. That’s why G‑d created us all with something missing. He is not punishing us for doing something wrong; He is giving us a chance to do something right. Source: Talmud, Bava Batra 10a
Aron Moss is rabbi of the Nefesh Community in Sydney, Australia, and is a frequent contributor to Chabad.org.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Parshah
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Cyberspace, outer space, inner space. Genome maps, globalization, going to Mars. Smart cards, smart bombs, stem cells and cell phones. There is no denying it: we live in a new age. Science fiction has become scientific fact. And the question is asked: In this new world order, with science and technology changing the way we live, is religion still relevant? Do we still need to subscribe to an ancient and seemingly long-obsolete code of laws, when we are so much further advanced than our ancestors?
But let me ask you: Have the Ten Commandments passed their “sell-by” date? Are faith and doubt, murder and adultery, thievery and jealousy out of fashion? Notwithstanding all our marvelous medical and scientific developments, has human nature itself really changed? Are not the very same moral issues that faced our ancestors still challenging our own generation? Whether it’s an oxcart or a Mercedes, road rage or courteous coexistence is still a choice we must make. Looking after aged parents is not a new problem. The very same issues dealt with in the Bible—sibling rivalry, jealous spouses and warring nations—are still the stuff of newspaper headlines today. We still struggle with knowing the difference between right and wrong, moral or immoral, ethical or sneaky, and not even the most souped-up computer on earth is able to answer those questions for us. Science and technology address the how and what of life, but they do not answer the question of why. Why are we here in the first place? Why should I be nice to my neighbor? Why should my life be nobler than my pet Doberman’s? Science and technology have unraveled many mysteries that puzzled us for centuries. But they have not answered a single moral question. Only Torah addresses the moral minefield. And those issues are perhaps more pressing today than ever before in history. Torah is truth, and truth is eternal. Scenarios come and go. Lifestyles change with the geography. The storylines are different, but the gut-level issues are all too familiar. If we ever needed a Torah—we need it equally today, and maybe more so. May we continue to find moral guidance and clarity in the eternal truths of our holy and eternal Torah. Amen.
Rabbi Yossy Goldman was born in Brooklyn, New York. In 1976 he was sent by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory, as a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary to serve the Jewish community of Johannesburg, South Africa. He is Senior Rabbi of the Sydenham Shul since 1986, president of the South African Rabbinical Association, and a frequent contributor to Chabad.org. His book From Where I Stand: Life Messages from the Weekly Torah Reading was recently published by Ktav, and is available at Jewish bookshops or online.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Parshah
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The very first law in the Torah after the description of the giving of the Torah at Sinai is the law of the Jewish slave: “Should you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall work [for] six years, and in the seventh [year] he shall go out to freedom without charge.”1
Of all the laws in the Parshah—and there are many—why begin with the “regressive” topic of slavery? Is this the first and most important law the Jews have to hear? I know many rabbis who have secretly confessed to wishing this law was sandwiched somewhere in the third reading, where hopefully it would not draw attention. I mean, who wants to talk about slavery in the 21st century? Why could we not start with some other universally appealing law, one that would clearly showcase the wisdom of the values of the Torah’s civil law? Personally, I have come to love talking about, and highlighting, this law. Because once you dig deep, you discover that this law speaks directly to the core issue that American justice is struggling with in the 21st century. For the most part, we have a great justice system. But once we take a careful look, we discover that often there exists a justice gap between people who can afford superior representation and those on the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. There are numerous examples that can be discussed. Here is just one angle that recently appeared in the media: Increasingly, the Supreme Court is most likely to hear cases advocated by a select group of lawyers. Anyone who cannot afford these lawyers has a significantly harder chance of being heard. In an article titled “The Advocacy Gap,” The New Yorker reports: The phenomenon has been described before. Richard Lazarus, a professor at Harvard Law School, wrote in 2008 about the success of the Court bar in persuading the Justices to take cases, and why that is noteworthy: “In the world of Supreme Court advocacy, persuading the Court to grant a petition is the single most difficult challenge.” He detailed how the élite bar helped to persuade the Court to back corporations in antitrust, tort, and other kinds of business cases. In 2007, for instance, the Court struck down a century-old ban on manufacturers and distributors setting minimum retail prices for products. Reuters focused on more recent examples, such as the 2011 rejection of a class-action lawsuit against Walmart to stop discrimination against women, which made it a lot more difficult to bring class-action cases in general. In addition, Lazarus warned that the emergence of the modern Supreme Court bar created another, related problem: hiring advocates with strong records at the high court is expensive. He foresaw an “advocacy gap in the Court between those who can pay and those who cannot, which would be bad for the legal profession, the Court, and its rulings.”2 Now, let’s go back to the Torah. Who is the Jewish slave? He is a person on the lowest rung of the social ladder. He is a poverty-stricken individual who chose to sell himself, or he’s a thief who stole and was unable to pay back the amount stolen. In both cases, Jewish law specifies that he must be treated with utmost care—at times, even better than the master. The Torah is giving us a profound message, one that challenges us to this day. The Torah is telling us that the first priority of the legal system must be not the people who can afford the best representation, not the people who can afford to lobby for laws benefiting the powerful, but rather the lowest person in society. By placing the law of the Hebrew slave first, the Torah is telling us that if we are to achieve justice, we must ensure that the weakest amongst us receive justice: we must ensure that the slave is released on the seventh year. For justice is measured by how we treat the thief and the pauper. To create a just society, we must start with the people at the bottom.
Rabbi Menachem Feldman serves as the director of the Lifelong Learning department at the Chabad Lubavitch Center in Greenwich, CT.
FOOTNOTES
2.
Lincoln Caplan, “The Supreme Court’s Advocacy Gap,” The New Yorker, 6 January 2015.
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Learn Mishpatim in Depth
A condensation of the weekly Torah portion alongside select commentaries culled from the Midrash, Talmud, Chassidic masters, and the broad corpus of Jewish scholarship.
Parshah Summary
Following the revelation at Sinai, when the people of Israel committed themselves to upholding the Torah and received the Ten Commandments, G‑d proceeds to communicate to Moses the rest of the mitzvot ("commandments") of the Torah. The greater part of the parshah of Mishpatim consists of this communication, containing 53 of the 613 mitzvot.
And these are the laws (mishpatim) which you shall set before them...
If you purchase a Hebrew slave, our parshah goes on to instruct, he should work for you no longer than six years; on the seventh, he must be set free. (The Hebrew "slave" would thus be more accurately termed an indentured servant.) If the servant does not wish to go free but prefers to remain in the service of his master,
His master shall bring him to the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost. His master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.
(But even this "forever" is interpreted by the Sages as extending only until the Jubilee, which occurs every 50th year. At this time all Hebrew slaves go free, regardless of their desire to remain indentured.)
The indenture of a slave girl carries additional limitations. She can be kept in service only until she attains maturity, and she may be freed earlier than that, if her master wishes to marry her himself or marry her to his son. (Here the Torah also makes mention of the three basic duties of a husband towards his wife: food, clothing, and conjugal rights.) The slave girl, or her family, also retain the option of "redeeming" her by remitting to her master the value of the remaining years of her indenture (the Hebrew slave also has this right).
Non-Jewish slaves do not have limits on their periods of indenture, but a series of laws protect them against abuse. A slave that has an eye or tooth knocked out by his master must be set free, and a master who causes the death of a slave is liable for the death penalty himself.
Criminal Assault
The penalty for premeditated murder is death. Unintentionally causing a death is penalized with exile. Kidnapping a person and selling him into slavery is a capital crime.
Retribution is exacted also from one who assaults another person: "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot; a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise." According to the traditional interpretation of Torah (handed down by Moses from Sinai together with the "Written Torah") these words are not to be understood in the literal sense, but as a judgment of monetary compensation that must be made by the perpetrator to the victim in five areas: (a) actual damage inflicted on the victim; (b) pain and suffering; (c) medical expenses; (d) lost workdays and productivity; (e) redress for the insult and humiliation involved.
Laws of Damages
A person is also responsible for damage inflicted by his property:
If an ox gores a man or a woman, so that they die, the ox shall be surely stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be acquitted.
-- since he had no way of foreseeing such behavior onthe part of his ox. "But if the ox was wont to gore from yesterday and the day before, and his owner had been warned, yet he had not kept him in, and it killed a man or a woman," the owner verges on forfeiting his own life, and must pay a "ransom" to the heirs of the victim.
If an ox gores another ox fatally, the owner of the goring ox pays half the value of the killed animal; if the goring ox has a history of three past offenses, full damages must be paid.
If a man shall dig a pit... and not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it -- the owner of the pit shall pay; he shall return money to its owner....
If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, having allowed his beast to go forth and feed in another man's field -- of the best of his field, and of the best of his vineyard, shall he make restitution.
If fire breaks out, and catches in thorns, so that the sheaves, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed -- he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
Laws of Theft
If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it -- he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep...
If the theft be at all found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or donkey, or sheep -- he shall restore double.
But the Torah also legislates laws protecting the life of the thief. What if a person kills an intruder breaking into his home? Is he liable for murder, or is it an act of self-defense? As a rule, the homeowner is justified in seeing his life threatened. But if the circumstances were such that it was clear that the thief in no way posed a threat to the homeowner's life ("if the sun shone upon him," as the verse puts it), the thief's life enjoys the full protection of the law, like any other person.
The Four Guardians
The parshah discusses four types of circumstances in which a person is responsible for the care of another's property, and delineates the extent of responsibility of each type of "guardian."
(a) An unpaid guardian looking after another's property purely as a favor is duty bound to care for the object, but his responsibility in case of mishap is minimal. If the object is damaged or lost as a result of outright negligence on his part, he must pay; but as long as he has provided the reasonable care to which he had obligated himself, and takes an oath to that effect, he is absolved.
(b) A paid guardian assumes a greater degree of responsibility. He must compensate the owner in the case of avoidable damages such as loss or theft, but is absolved (by oath) from payment for unavoidable damages such as armed robbery and natural death.
(c) A borrower is responsible to return what has been given to him intact, or make good on its value, regardless of the degree of his fault or the cause of the damage. He is absolved only if "the owner was with him" at the time of the mishap.
(d) The parshah also mentions a fourth case in which a person is responsible for the property of his fellow -- the renter who pays for its use -- but does not specify the degree of his responsibility. (The Talmud cites two opinions on the status of the renter: Rabbi Judah rules that he is like an unpaid guardian, while Rabbi Meir is of the opinion that his obligations are identical to those of the paid guardian.)
More Laws
A man who seduces a young, unmarried girl must pay a dowry and marry her. If her father refuses to allow the marriage, the seducer must nevertheless pay the customary dowry as a fine.
Witchcraft is a capital offence, as are bestiality and offering sacrifices to alien gods.
You shall neither vex a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. If you at all afflict them, and they cry to Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My anger shall be inflamed...
Lending Money
When you lend money to My people, to the poor person [who is] with you, you shall not behave toward him as a creditor; you shall not impose interest upon him.
If you at all take your fellow's garment as a pledge [for a loan], you shall deliver it to him by sundown. For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin: in what shall he sleep? It shall come to pass, when he cries to me, that I will hear, for I am compassionate.
It is forbidden to revile a judge, or to curse "a ruler of your people."
All firstborn sons must be dedicated to G‑d. A newborn animal must remain with its mother for at least the first seven days of its life before it is fit to be offered to G‑d.
The meat of an animal that is tereifah -- "torn" in the field by a predator -- may not be eaten, but must be "thrown to the dogs."
Judicial Procedures
"Distance yourself from falsehood." Do not accept false testimony, collaborate with a false witness, accept a bribe (which "blinds the clear-sighted and perverts the words of the just"), or in any way unjustly influence the outcome of a trial, even to convict the most villainous criminal or to favor the most destitute pauper.
Follow the majority opinion; do not, however, "follow a majority to do evil."
It is forbidden to kill a person who has been acquitted by the court, or whom the court was unable to convict, regardless of how convinced you are of his guilt. In such cases, G‑d says, leave justice to Me, "for I shall not exonerate the guilty."
Avoiding Prejudice
Exercise your duties toward your fellow man, regardless of your feelings toward him:
If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
If you see the donkey of your enemy collapsing under its burden, and are inclined to desist from helping him, you shall surely help along with him.
And yet again, the Torah warns:
You shall not oppress a stranger; for you know the feelings of a stranger, since you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
The Sabbatical Year and the Three Pilgrimages
Six years you shall sow your land, and shall gather in its fruits; but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat, and what they leave, the beasts of the field shall eat...
Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your ass may rest, and the son of your handmaid and the stranger may be refreshed...
Three times a year you shall celebrate a festival to Me:
You shall keep the Festival of Matzot: for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread as I have commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of springtime, for then you left Egypt...
And the Festival of Harvest [=Shavuot], the first fruits of your labors, which you have sown in the field.
And the Festival of Ingathering [=Sukkot], which is at the end of the year, when you have gathered in your labors out of the field.
[These] three times in the year, all your males shall appear before the Lord G‑d.
The "legal section" of Mishpatim concludes with another four mitzvot: not to slaughter the Passover offering while leaven is in one's possession; not to leave an offering overnight; to bring the first fruits of the land to the Holy Temple, and not to "cook a kid in its mother's milk" (the prohibition against mixing meat and milk).
Mishpatim also contains a reference to the mitzvah of prayer: "You shall serve the L-rd your G‑d, and He will bless your bread and your water."
The Promise of the Land
Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way, and to bring you to the place which I have prepared... to the [land of] the Emorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will destroy them...
I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the wild beasts multiply against you. Little by little will I drive them out from before you, until you increase and inherit the land.
I will set your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the river... You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.
Moses on the Mountain
In the closing verses of Mishpatim the Torah returns to the revelation at Sinai, to complete its description of G‑d's giving of the Torah to the people of Israel.
Moses builds an altar at the foot of Mount Sinai, upon which the people offer sacrifices to G‑d. Moses then reads "the book of the covenant" to the people,
and they said: "All that G‑d has spoken, we will do, and we will hear."
Moses then takes the blood of the sacrifices and sprinkles half on the altar and half on the people, as a sign of their covenant with G‑d.
They saw the G‑d of Israel; and under His feet was a kind of paved work of sapphire stone, and like the very essence of heaven for purity.
Following which,
G‑d said to Moses: "Come up to Me to the mountain, and be there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, and the Torah, and the commandments which I have written, that you may teach them."
Moses rose up, and his servant Joshua; and Moses went up into the mount of G‑d.
To the elders he said: "Wait here for us, until we come back to you. Behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a case, let him come to them."
Moses went up into the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain... The sight of the glory of G‑d was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain before the eyes of the children of Israel.
Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and went up onto the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
From Our Sages
And these are the laws which you shall set before them (Exodus 21:1)
The phrase "and these" (ve'eileh) implies that they are a continuation of what is written before. This is to teach us that just as the laws written above (the Ten Commandments) are from Sinai, these too are from Sinai.
(Mechilta; Rashi)
Since the majority of laws set forth in the parshah of Mishpatim are logical laws, the Torah wishes to emphasize that these, too, are divinely ordained.
(the commentaries)
more
If you purchase a Hebrew slave... (21:2)
There is nothing more difficult for a person than to be subjugated to another person. This is why the parshah begins with the laws on how the Hebrew slave is to be treated.
(Ibn Ezra)
The law that the Hebrew slave must be set free in the seventh year is reminiscent of the Exodus from Egypt referred to in the first of the Ten Commandments. As the Torah says regarding the Hebrew slave: "You shall remember that you were a slave in the Land of Egypt, and G‑d redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today" (Deuteronomy 15:15). It is also reminiscent of the work of creation, because, like the Shabbat, the Hebrew slave gains respite from serving his master on the seventh year... All time cycles are ordained as cycles of seven -- to refer to the seven-day cycle of creation. Thus it is fitting that this mitzvah should come first in our parshah.
(Nachmanides)
His master shall bore his ear through with an awl (21:6)
Why the ear? The ear that heard at Mount Sinai, "For the children of Israel are My servants" (Leviticus 25:55) -- yet this person went and acquired a [human] master for himself -- that ear should be pierced.
(Rashi)
If a man did not lie in wait [to kill], but G‑d caused it to come to his hand, I will appoint for you a place to which he shall flee (21:13)
Of what case does our verse speak [when it says that "G‑d caused it to come to his hand"]? Of the case of two persons who had killed, one in error and another with intent, there being witnesses in neither case [so that neither receives his prescribed penalty from a human court]. G‑d appoints them both to meet at the same inn; he who had killed with intent sits under the ladder, and he who had killed in error comes down the ladder, falls, and kills him [in the presence of witnesses]. Thus, the one who had killed with intent is slain, while the one who had killed in error is exiled.
(Talmud, Makkot 10b)
If men strive together, and one strikes another with a stone or with his fist... (21:18)
A person is always liable [for damage he causes], whether inadvertently or willfully, whether awake or asleep: if he blinded his neighbor's eye or broke his articles, full compensation must be made.
(Talmud, Bava Kamma 26a)
He shall pay for the loss of his work, and he shall fully heal him (21:19)
From here is derived that a physician is allowed to heal [and we do not say that since G‑d afflicted the person, it is forbidden to cure him].
(Talmud, Bava Kamma 85a)
The young wife of Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch had fallen ill, and the doctors were unanimous in their opinion that there was no hope of her recovery.
When her father-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, was told of the doctors' verdict, he said: "The Talmud specifically derives from the Torah that 'a physician is allowed to heal.' But nowhere has a doctor been given the right to declare a human being incurable."
more
If an ox gores a man or a woman, so that they die, the ox shall be surely stoned (21:28)
Just like a person can be sentenced to death only by a sanhedrin (tribunal) of 23 judges, so an ox that kills can be condemned to death only by a sanhedrin of twenty-three.
(Mechilta D'Rashbi)
He shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep (21:37)
Said Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai: G‑d is considerate of a person's dignity. For an ox, which the thief leads on foot and is not thereby degraded, he pays fivefold. For a sheep, which the thief had to carry on his shoulders, he pays only four times its value, since he was degraded by it.
Said Rabbi Meir: See how valuable work is. For an ox, whose theft deprived the owner of its labor, the thief pays fivefold. For the theft of a sheep, which caused no such loss of labor, he pays but four times.
(Mechilta; Rashi)
If a man... allowed his beast to go forth and feed in another man's field (22:4)
Goring is not normal behavior for an ox, so the owner pays only half-damages, unless this ox has gored three times in the past, in which case he pays full damages. On the other hand, eating and trampling is common behavior for an ox, which the owner should have anticipated; so for damages thus inflicted, he must pay full compensation.
(Talmud, Bava Kamma 2a ff.)
Of the best of his field... shall he make restitution (22:4)
This is to teach us that if he wishes to pay with land for damages he or his animal caused, he must pay with prime land. (A debtor, on the other hand, can settle his debt with land of average quality.)
(Talmud, Bava Kamma 7a)
If a man shall deliver to his fellow money or vessels to keep (22:6)
There are four guardians: the unpaid guardian, the borrower, the paid guardian, and the renter. The unpaid guardian swears on everything [and is absolved]; the borrower pays for everything; and the paid guardian and the renter swear in the case of breakage, robbery, and death, and pay for loss and theft.
(Talmud, Bava Kamma 93a)
"Who is the author of this mishnah, who maintains that there are four guardians?"
Said Rav Nachman: "It is Rabbi Meir."
Said Rava to him: "Why? Does not everyone say that there are four guardians?"
Said Rav Nachman: "This is what I mean: who is the one who holds that a renter pays like a paid guardian? -- this is Rabbi Meir."
"If so, there are not four, but three, classes of guardians!"
Said Rav Nachman: "There are four classes of guardians, but only three sets of laws that apply to them."
(ibid.)
more
When you lend money to any of My people (22:24)
Wherever the Torah says the word im ("if" or "when"), the implication is that we are speaking of an action that is optional, except in three instances, where the spoken action is obligatory; this is one of them. (In other words, a person is obligated to loan money to a fellow in need of a loan.)
(Mechilta; Rashi)
You shall not act toward him as a creditor (22:24)
Do not show yourself constantly to him... Do not press him for payment when you know that he is unable to pay.
(Mechilta; Rashi)
Neither shall you eat any meat that is torn of beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs (22:30)
This is to teach us that G‑d does not deprive any creature of its just reward. Because the dogs did not bark at the Israelites when they came out of Egypt (see Exodus 11:7), G‑d said: Give them their reward.
(Mechilta)
You shall not hear a false report (23:1)
This is also to warn against hearing a true report in a manner that results in falsehood, such as when a judge agrees to hear one litigant without the other being present.
(Mechilta)
Put not your hand with the wicked to be a corrupt witness (23:1)
Even to retrieve monies that are justly yours.
(Mechilta)
Follow the majority (23:2)
[Rabbi Eliezer and the Sages debated a point of law regarding the ritual purity of a certain type of oven.] Rabbi Eliezer declared it clean, and the Sages declared it unclean...
On that day, Rabbi Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument, but they did not accept them. Said he to them: "If the law agrees with me, let this carob-tree prove it!" Thereupon the carob-tree was torn a hundred cubits out of its place. (Others say, four hundred cubits.) Said the Sages: "No proof can be brought from a carob-tree."
Again he said to them: "If the law agrees with me, let the stream of water prove it!" Whereupon the stream of water flowed backwards. Said the Sages: "No proof can be brought from a stream of water."
Said Rabbi Eliezer: "If the law agrees with me, let the walls of the study hall prove it!" Whereupon the walls inclined to fall. But Rabbi Joshua rebuked them, saying: "When scholars are engaged in a halachic dispute, what have you to interfere?" Hence they did not fall, in deference to Rabbi Joshua, nor did they resume the upright, in deference to Rabbi Eliezer; and they are still standing thus inclined.
Finally, Rabbi Eliezer said to them: "If the law is as I say, may it be proven from heaven!" There then issued a heavenly voice which proclaimed: "What do you want of Rabbi Eliezer? The law is as he says!"
Rabbi Joshua stood on his feet and said: "The Torah is not in heaven!"... We take no notice of heavenly voices, since You, G‑d, have already, at Sinai, written in the Torah to follow the majority.
Rabbi Nathan subsequently met Elijah the Prophet and asked him: "What did G‑d do at that moment?" [Elijah] replied: "He smiled and said: My children have triumphed over Me, My children have triumphed over Me."
(Talmud, Bava Metzia 59b)
If you see the donkey of your enemy collapsing under its burden, and are inclined to desist from helping him, you shall surely help along with him (23:5)
The Hebrew for "donkey," chamor, also means "material." Thus, this verse also instructs us as to the proper attitude toward the body and physicality:
"When you will see the chamor of your enemy" -- initially you will see your material self as your enemy, as something that obstructs and hinders your spiritual growth.
"Collapsing under its burden" -- in such a state of animosity between body and soul, that the body resists the Torah and its commandments, making them an unbearable burden for it...
One's first inclination may be "to desist from helping him" -- to shun the body, suppress its instincts, and deny it its wants.
Says the Torah: "you shall surely help along with him." Aid the material self with its "burden," by training it to recognize that the Torah is the vehicle for its own refinement and elevation.
(Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov)
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If you see the donkey of your enemy collapsing under its burden... you shall surely help along with him (23:5)
If the owner of the animal went and sat down and said to him, "Since the obligation rests upon you, if you desire to unload, unload," he is exempt, because the verse says, "You shall surely help along with him." (If, however, the owner was old or infirm, one is bound to do it himself.)
(Talmud, Bava Metzia 32a)
Do not take a bribe (23:8)
An impoverished widow once came to the bet din (courthouse) of the great sage Rabbi Yehoshua Kutner. Weeping bitter tears, she begged him to summon to the court a man she accused of having wronged her.
Rabbi Yehoshua summoned the man to appear before the court, but referred the case to another rabbi, refusing to preside over it himself. "The Torah forbids the taking of bribes," he explained. "Do you think that a bribe is only a gift of money? Tears can also be a bribe that 'blinds the clear-sighted' -- especially the tears of a poor widow."
(Maayanah Shel Torah)
Do not cook a kid in its mother's milk (23:19)
Meat stems from the divine attribute of justice, milk from the attribute of mercy.
(Shaloh)
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You shall serve the L-rd your G‑d, and He will bless your bread and your water (23:25)
In Hebrew, the pronoun "you" has both a singular and a plural form. The above verse, as written in the Torah, is a grammatical abnormality: the words "your bread and your water" (et lachmecha v'et meimecha) are in the singular form, while the "you" in "you shall serve" (va'avadtem) is plural.
Explained the Rebbe of Kotzk: A Jew praying, even a single Jew praying alone, is nevertheless praying for, and together with, the entire community of Israel. On the other hand, a thousand people eating together are each eating for the sake of their own selves.
To Moses He said, "Go up to G‑d..." (24:1)
The commentaries differ as to the timing of the events described in the closing verses (Exodus 24:1-18) of Mishpatim.
According to Rashi, the Torah now returns to fill us in on the events that occurred before the revelation at Sinai and the speaking of the Ten Commandments (recounted in chapters 19-20 above). Moses' summons to the top of the mountain mentioned here is that of the 4th of Sivan, two days before the Giving of the Torah. On that day he relayed to the people of Israel (as mentioned in verse 3) "the words of G‑d" commanded in chapter 19 above (to fence in the mountain and to sanctify themselves in preparation for the Giving of the Torah), as well as the "laws" which they had already received in Marah; he also "wrote all the words of G‑d" (v. 4) -- i.e., from the beginning of Genesis until the middle of Exodus, bringing the Torah "up to date" until the Revelation. The altar mentioned here (verses 4 and 6) was built, and the sacrifices (verses 5-8) were offered, on the 5th of Sivan, which is also the day on which the people of Israel made the famous proclamation: "We will do and we will hear" (verse 7). Then the Torah describes how they "saw the G‑d of Israel" at the Giving of the Torah on the 6th of Sivan. Finally we read how, following the (general) Giving of the Torah, Moses is summoned to the top of the mountain for 40 days to receive the detailed communication from G‑d (including the laws we just read in the earlier chapters of Mishpatim). This is consistent with the rule that "there is no earlier and later in Torah" -- i.e., that the Torah does not necessarily relate events in the order in which they occurred.
According to Nachmanides, the Torah is following chronological order. All the laws that we read in the earlier chapters of Mishpatim were communicated to Moses immediately after the Giving of the Torah on Sivan 6th -- before the events related in chapter 24, which occurred on the 7th of Sivan, the day after the Revelation. Hence, "the words of G‑d" and the "laws" which Moses related to the people (v. 3), and the divine words which Moses transcribed (v. 4), are the Ten Commandments and the laws we just read in the earlier part of Mishpatim. Following that, Moses ascended the mountain for 40 days to receive the rest of the Torah.
[Moses] took the book of the covenant, and read in the hearing of the people; and they said: "All that G‑d has spoken, we will do, and we will hear" (24:7)
When the people of Israel gave precedence to "we will do" over "we will hear," a heavenly voice issued forth and exclaimed to them: "Who revealed to My children this secret, which is employed by the angels?" As it is written (Psalms 103:20), "Bless the L-rd His angels, those mighty in strength, who fulfill His word, who hear the voice of His word" -- first they "fulfill" and then they "hear"...
There was a certain Sadducee who saw Rava engrossed in his studies while the fingers of his hand were under his feet, and he ground them down, so that his fingers spurted blood. "You rash people," he exclaimed, "who gave precedence to your mouth over your ears, still persist in your rashness! First you should have listened, and if it is within your powers, accept; if not, you should not have accepted!"
(Talmud, Shabbat 88a)
The greatness of the people of Israel was not that they were prepared to "blindly" do G‑d's bidding without understanding (in which case they would have said only "we will do"), but that they placed their doing before their understanding. G‑d desires that we should do as well as "hear" and comprehend His will, so that we serve Him not only with our hands and feet, but also with our minds and hearts. But our doing should serve as the basis of our understanding, rather than the other way around.
(the Chassidic master
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How to Become Jewish
How does a convert finish the conversion process?
By Moishe New
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What Do You Know About Your Great-Grandparents?Mount Sinai vs. the Temple Mount offers perspective
By Yacov Barber
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How to Become Jewish
How does a convert finish the conversion process?
By Moishe New
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What Do You Know About Your Great-Grandparents?Mount Sinai vs. the Temple Mount offers perspective
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Women
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I haven’t been able to write for a while. I’m not sure I could say the reason for my absence has been “writers’ block,” but I could possibly describe it as a “heart block.”
You see, I tripped in my home and broke my ankle in three places. Yes, three. Even the doctor called me an “overachiever.” I had to undergo surgery, and I still can’t walk. But, G‑d willing, with time and patience (of which I feel like I have neither), I will gain strength. At the same time, Chaim Boruch got pneumonia for the third time in two and a half months. I knew something was Chaim Boruch got pneumoniavery wrong, as his appetite had declined and he did not look well. We went from doctor to doctor until we finally saw a pulmonary specialist at a world-renowned hospital, University of California San Francisco, about 45 minutes from us. So, the good news was that we learned what had transpired with his health. The frightening news was that all his food, saliva and seizure medications were going down the wrong tube—straight into his airway and his lungs. His was the worst case they had ever seen. There was no choice but to schedule surgery for a gastrointestinal feeding tube. So while I was recovering from my surgery, in extreme pain, I was also at a new heightened level of inner trauma, fear and helplessness, as I wondered how in the world we would manage to take care of our large family when I was no help to anyone, not even myself. And there I lay, in bed, tears streaming down my cheeks, thinking of what my special little son was to go through. I am not proud to say I was angry, frustrated, hurt, and beside myself. I fought every good thought with thoughts of crushing despair and heartache. Despite the incredible blessing of a feeding tube, with which he could thrive, gain weight and receive all the nutrients and calories he so badly needed, I just couldn’t accept this new reality, this new page in our story. I couldn’t. But I did. I did because I finally surrendered. I finally turned it all over to G‑d. I beseeched Him with heart-wrenching sobs to please bless my Chaim Boruch with a successful surgery and good health. On the second day of Chanukah, in a wheelchair and, thank G‑d, seven-and-a-half months pregnant, I accompanied my Chaim Boruch into the operating room. Now, as you know, most hospital policies do not allow parents (let alone highly emotional and hormonal mothers) to accompany their children into the operating room. However, I had mustered the strength to insist that I go with him until he was put to sleep, as I felt I couldn’t send him off alone when he did not know where he was going and why. Thankfully, I was very blessed to be in an incredible hospital that agreed to my request. My I couldn’t send him off alonemind flashed back to his first surgery when he was nine hours old, cradled in my arms, while he drifted off to sleep. And now, nine years later, I was holding his hand, telling him I loved him while he breathed the anesthetic. And I felt, not like a human being, but a floating entity of a beating heart and emotions so deep, and tears so salty they burned my eyes. I was not me, myself or I. I was nothing. Nothing but mother. Mother of Chaim Boruch Scop. And I wheeled myself away from my sleeping child. I left my own heart in that operating room. I left my entire being beside my son’s. And all that remained were silent sobs and the prayers on my lips. I waited for what felt like an entire lifetime to see the surgeon, who gave us the news that all went well, and that we could go to post-op to see Chaim Boruch while he woke up from the anesthetic. Baruch Hashem. Thank G‑d. This is what we as Jews do. We surrender and we thank G‑d for the miracles of life and living, and all the goodness He bestows on us. And there, as my son lay with oxygen over his nose and mouth, I found myself shaking. I too seemed to have a hard time breathing, and I took his little hand in mine. I was a broken mother. I did not fight my feelings, nor did I hold back the tears. The tears of gratitude and pain, all mixed together in a concoction of life’s challenges. And now, a new day has begun. I call it a “new normal,” while not feeling any normalcy in my life at all, but clinging to the hope that my vision shall soon clear. For on some days I wonder if indeed I did not fight my feelingsthere is still a tiny piece of my heart in that operating room. I am unsure if I have truly moved on and turned my own page in my new story. Only time will tell, and only time will heal, as it surely does. In the meantime, I will continue to whisper the secrets of my heart into Chaim Boruch’s ears. For they are safe with him, a pure, special soul who holds my hand, saying “I love you” with eyes that speak volumes and a heart that understands deep love. And with a prayer on my lips, I ask G‑d to continue to hold my hand and give me the strength to retrieve that little piece of my heart. The little piece that is still missing.
Chana is a proud wife and mother of eight living in Mill Valley, California. She is inspired by the colors and textures of everyday life, and loves sharing her creative ideas with her community. Chana writes DIY projects, crafts and recipes celebrating her Jewish life and shlichus on her blog Chana’s Art Room, and is the co-director of Chabad of Mill Valley with her husband, Rabbi Hillel Scop. To read more about Chaim Boruch, and Chana’s journey, take a look at her personal special-needs blog, Life of Blessing.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Women
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I have a close friend whose baby loved to eat. Sarah1 was just under a year old, and would sit at the table and eat a full plate of food: Thai food, Chinese, Indian, you name it. Sarah would feed herself with her hands, delighted to be taking part in the meal with her family.
One day my friend took her baby to the pediatrician, and was informed that her baby’s weight was spiking off her percentile curve. The doctor suggested that my friend begin to moderate Sarah’s food portions, and not give her any chips, crackers, cookies or pretzels. This was no small task. Her baby’s weight was spikingEvery time my friend went to the park with her daughter, she had to guard Sarah from seeing any snack foods. Family meals turned into a battleground. Then my friend started reading about new nutrition methods that were opposed to restraining a child’s eating. She decided to take the plunge, feeling that she had nothing to lose. She stopped restraining Sarah’s portion sizes, and started serving scheduled meals and snacks that were balanced with carbohydrates, protein and fat. My friend followed the Division of Responsibility in Feeding2 method, which she had learned from her reading. My friend took responsibility for the what, when and where of feeding her daughter. Her daughter was responsible for how much and whether or not she ate. At first Sarah would hoard previously forbidden foods, but mealtimes slowly became more pleasant. After about four months, Sarah calmed down when she realized that she no longer had to fight for what she wanted to eat. The focus at mealtimes shifted away from Sarah and to other topics. My friend’s daughter is still chubby, but she is definitely slimming down as she grows taller. Some doctors and nutritionists feel that restraining a baby’s eating is not the way to go. They believe that we should provide a child with a variety of nutritious and appealing foods, and then let the child decide what and how much to eat based on internal regulators of hunger, appetite and satisfaction.3 This way of thinking says that restraining your children’s eating can have negative side effects. As my teacher, Pam Estes, M.S., R.D., C.D., commented: “Restrained children become food-preoccupied and prone to overeat every chance they get. The fear of being hungry drives their eating.” There is a beautiful metaphor that I learned from my teacher, Rabbi Nivin, which helps explain this nutritional theory. He explains that our physical and spiritual makeup can be compared to a horse and rider. The horse represents our bodily desires; as the rider, it is our responsibility to tame those bodily desires so that the horse and rider can move in unison. How does one go about training a horse? By building a trusting relationship with the horse over time, with patience and love. Then, slowly, you can begin to put on the halter, bridle and saddle. While it is clearly important to set limits for our It’s important to build our children’s trustchildren, it is also important to build our children’s trust. This principle extends to feeding as well. Especially when they are very young, our children need to know that we are going to provide them with consistent and nutritious meals and snacks. Over time, we can start to explain the nutritional qualities of different types of food, and set more limits. Instead of focusing on what we don’t want our children to eat, let’s focus on what our children can eat, and try to present the food in an appealing way. Children eat poorly when parents cross the lines and try to force their children to eat certain types of food or certain amounts of food. And studies have shown that 75 percent of overweight infants and toddlers slim down on their own.4 Children definitely need limits and boundaries around food, but it is important to know that they also do an excellent job at regulating their own food intake.
Aliza has a bachelor’s degree in Clinical Nutrition from the University of California, Davis, and a master’s degree in Public Health from Ben Gurion University. She recently finished a course in nutrition education and counseling through the Ellyn Satter Institute. She lives in the northern Negev of Israel with her family.
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Features
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 Psychology and Chabad ChassidismIn seeking to achieve a healthy mental life, classical psychology’s central questions are “What’s the problem, and what caused it?” In Freudian psychoanalysis, the answer is found in the early life of the subject, particularly in relation to his or her parents.Other schools of psychology change the focus and instead ask, “What’s the solution?” or “How do I fulfill my potential?” Chassidic philosophy’s central question is “What’s my purpose?”1 The Rebbe Rayatz (Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, 1880–1950) once related that he heard from his father, the Rebbe Rashab (Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneersohn, 1860–1920), that our “what for,” our purpose, is the very soul of our existence.2 Until we discover what our unique contribution to the world is meant to be, we are merely subsisting, not really living, and certainly not living purposefully. The following well-known story, related by the Rebbe Rayatz, illustrates the chassidic emphasis on finding one’s purpose: In 1798, the Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, 1745–1812) was arrested by the czarist regime on trumped-up charges of subversion. One of the government officials, who was proficient in Tanach and well-versed in Jewish matters, asked the Alter Rebbe a number of questions, among them the meaning of the verse “G‑d called out to Adam saying, ‘Ayekah—where are you?’”3 “After all,” the minister asked, “didn’t G‑d know where Adam was?” When the Alter Rebbe cited Rashi’s explanation, that G‑d was merely using the question to initiate further conversation with Adam, the official replied, “What Rashi says, I already know. I want to hear what you say about this.” To which the Alter Rebbe responded, “When a person reaches such-and-such an age (citing the official’s actual age), the Almighty asks him, ‘Where are you? Do you know the reason for which you were placed in this world, what it is that you have to accomplish, and what you have already accomplished?”4 There is also a lesser-known story about one of the disciples of the Alter Rebbe who had been a very wealthy man, and who shared his wealth generously, but had suddenly lost everything and was now deep in debt. He traveled to the Alter Rebbe and poured out his bitter heart. The Alter Rebbe heard him out and then lifted his head, saying in a singsong (as was his holy custom), “You fully articulated everything that you need. But about what you are needed for, you have said nothing!”5 Soul Powers and PurposeSo in order to truly express our soul, which is a “part of G‑d Above,”6 we must understand “what we are needed for.” The problem is, of course, that we don’t come with individualized instruction manuals describing the purpose of our lives.It is a basic tenet of chassidic thought (and indeed of Jewish thought in general7) that G‑d desired to create this lowest world so that we can make it into a dwelling place fit for the King—a dirah be-tachtonim—as explained in Tanya and in numerous chassidic discourses. This gives us the general direction we should be heading in, but not the specific role each individual is given in achieving this goal. However, the Torah declares explicitly that G‑d gives us the power to accomplish great things,8 and our sages add that “the Holy One, blessed be He, does not make unreasonable demands on His creatures.”9 In other words, He doesn’t demand things from us that He has not equipped us to fulfill. It follows that by examining the strengths and talents with which we are uniquely endowed, we can gain some insight into what it is that we were put here to accomplish. Of course, the soul is endowed with all the soul powers discussed in Kabbalah and Chassidism; nevertheless, on the individual level, some qualities are more dominant than others. For example, the quality of chesed (kindness) dominated in Abraham, and the quality of gevurah (severity) in Isaac, although they both had the opposite quality as well, albeit in a less dominant manner. It is also true that some strengths and talents may be latent, and will become revealed only as we develop, or when we—through hashgachah pratit, divine providence—face a challenge that requires us to draw that strength or talent up from the hidden recesses of our soul. Furthermore, it is also true that our talents and strengths can change and develop over time. We are not born with immutable talents and abilities. We can always acquire new ones, and further develop the ones we have. Nevertheless, some of our strengths and talents certainly are revealed and can readily be identified by others as well. It makes sense to say that these are the ones on which we ought to focus initially in order to begin to clarify our life’s mission, since they are the ones that are (currently) dominant in us. The mission of Betzalel, for example, was clearly to be the chief builder of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), as he and his assistants were endowed with the wisdom and talents needed for that purpose: G‑d spoke to Moshe saying, “See, I have called out by name Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Chur, of the tribe of Yehudah. I filled him with G‑dly spirit, with wisdom, insight and knowledge, and with every skill [needed] to weave designs, to work with gold, silver and copper, stonecutting and woodcarving—to perform every craft. And I have assigned Aholiav to be his assistant . . . and I have endowed the heart of every wise-hearted person with wisdom, so that they shall make all I have commanded you . . .”10Of course, one could also say that our purpose lies in uncovering and correcting our deficiencies. But the chassidic approach is to focus more on developing and utilizing our strengths than on battling our inadequacies, to work with the positive and the uplifting, rather than the negative and the emotionally draining. As the Tzemach Tzedek (Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, 1789–1866) said, quoting the Talmud, “We are day workers”11—we work on increasing the light (day), rather than trying to drive out the darkness.12 This does not mean that the negative qualities and desires that we all have are entirely useless. On the contrary, as the Rebbe writes in HaYom Yom: Every soul has its particular avodah (service), in the area of intellect and emotions, in accordance with that soul’s nature and character. It is written:13 “From my foes have You given me wisdom”14—from the evil tendencies one detects in his natural traits, he can become wise and know how to handle the correction of these traits, and how to subordinate his powers in the service of G‑d.15Nevertheless, the manner with which we deal with the negative traits ought to be as that of a “day worker,” as described above, and as the Alter Rebbe writes: . . . So it is in the conquest of one’s evil nature: it is impossible to conquer it with laziness and heaviness, which originate in sadness and in a heart that is dulled like a stone, but rather with alacrity, which derives from joy and from a heart that is free and cleansed from any trace of worry and sadness in the world.16So through utilizing our G‑d-given soul powers, and through subordinating our negative traits, we can become aligned with our purpose. Not doing so can lead to feelings of frustration, discouragement and discontent. And as the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, writes in a letter, “If a person does not feel his purpose, he does not use his G‑d-given potential. This is not merely a personal loss and failing. Rather, it affects the fortunes of the entire world.” 17 Through becoming more in sync with what our souls were brought into this world to accomplish, we can begin to heal ourselves and the entire world.
Rabbi Moshe Miller was born in South Africa and received his yeshivah education in Israel and America. He is a prolific author and translator, with some twenty books to his name on a wide variety of topics, including an authoritative, annotated translation of the Zohar. He has developed a
Artwork by Sefira Ross, a freelance designer and illustrator whose original creations grace many Chabad.org pages. Residing in Seattle, Washington, her days are spent between multitasking illustrations and being a mom.
FOOTNOTES
1.
This is also the central question asked by Viktor Frankl, a Jewish Holocaust survivor who lived in Vienna after the war, the founder of Logotherapy. In a letter to Dr. S. Stern-Meraz, the Rebbe expressed his surprise that Dr. Frankl’s Logotherapy had not been widely adopted in the world of psychiatry (Igrot Kodesh, vol. 26, letter 9707).
2.
Sefer ha-Sichot 5696–5700, pp. 169ff. Translated into Hebrew as an addition to Kuntres Shivat ha-Torot she-Amar Moreinu ha-Baal Shem Tov be-Gan Eden Im Biurim (Kehot, 1992).
4.
Likkutei Sichot, vol. 1, p. 73.
5.
From Sefer ha-Sichot 5707, pp. 123ff. See the rest of the story there.
7.
See Midrash Tanchuma, Nasso 16 and Bechukotai 3; Bamidbar Rabbah 13:6.
9.
Talmud, Avodah Zarah 3a.
10.
Exodus 31:1–6.
11.
Talmud, Eruvin 65a.
12.
Likkutei Dibburim, vol. 2, p. 210b, and notes there; HaYom Yom, 29 Tevet.
14.
Literally rendered, “Your commandments made me wiser than my enemies” (Rashi, Metzudat David).
15.
HaYom Yom, 8 Nissan.
16.
Tanya, ch. 26.
17.
Igrot Kodesh, vol. 18, letter 7014.
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Features
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After more than 60 years, I still have a strong image of the phantom classroom in the basement of my Boro Park public school. I don’t recall how I knew that this classroom existed. I never really saw the students. I just knew that they were there.
One day, when my peers and I were playing in the basement lunchroom, I asked who had left food wrappers on the table. Someone replied that it must have been those “strange kids” from the basement classroom. Someone pointed out their classroom as we walked by. I tried to see who was in the room, but the door was closed. It was always closed each time that I passed it. In the seven years that I went to P.S. 131, I never did see any of those “strange kids.” But I always wondered who they were, and why they were hidden away. Fast forward about 25 years. A dear friend asked me to drive her to visit her daughter in upstate New York. She explained that at a young age her daughter had a very high fever. After that, her daughter was never able to function beyond the level of a three-year-old. When she reached age 15, her parents were unable to deal with her violent outbursts, and placed her in an institution. Tall mountains and lush forests surrounded the institution, tucked away in the Catskill Mountains. Arriving at the institution filled me with sorrow. Four or five large buildings surrounded a small playground. There were bars on many of the windows. Very little grass, trees or flowers grew. Despite the beautiful summer day, no one was outside, except a young man who just seemed to be wandering around aimlessly. My friend pointed out a small building in the distance: it was the schoolhouse. I recalled the phantom classroom at P.S. 131. I brought my friend to see her daughter each summer for several years. I never went inside, but instead dropped her off at the door of one of the largest buildings. Each year, as I drove around the area, I wondered why I never saw anyone outside. It was very eerie. One year, my friend asked me if I wanted to meet her daughter. I was afraid of what I might see inside, but I didn’t have the nerve to tell her that. “Of course I do,” I responded as enthusiastically as I could. The sorrow and dismay that I felt when I walked inside is indescribable. The place was clean, and there were some pictures on the wall. The room we walked into was exceptionally quiet, even with approximately 50 people in it. As I looked around, I realized why it was so quiet. People were sitting in chairs and wheelchairs around the perimeter of the room. Some sat quietly, staring into space. Some mumbled quietly to themselves. Others walked around the room as if in a daze. A television was on, but no one was watching it. Walking back to my car, I again thought about the class of children in the basement of my school. They were no longer phantoms to me. They were real people. How many of the adults that I had just seen had been in similar classrooms? Would their lives have been much different if there had been the idea of inclusion all those many years ago? The answer is a resounding “yes!” Today, children and adults with disabilities are integral members of our society. Children attend neighborhood schools, camps and social activities; adults are employed in the workforce and are included in a wide variety of social events. We have learned that when people with and without disabilities live and interact together, everyone benefits.
Elaine Rubinoff, M.A., M.S. Spec. Ed., has spent 50 years working with students of all ages, in regular and special educational settings. Her passion is providing teachers with the necessary skills and techniques to enable their students to reach their full potential.
The Ruderman-Chabad Inclusion Initiative (RCII) is dedicated to building on the philosophy and mission of Chabad-Lubavitch by providing Chabad communities around the globe the education and resources they need to advance inclusion of people with disabilities. RCII engages Chabad’s network of human and educational resources to create a Culture of Inclusion so that all Jews feel welcomed, supported and valued throughout their entire lifecycle.
Artwork by Sarah Kranz.
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Judaism 101
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What Is It?The most important items in the synagogue are the Torah scrolls that reside in the ark at the front of the sanctuary. Handwritten in ink on parchment, these scrolls are read regularly during the prayer services. People donate Torahs to synagogues to celebrate milestones, memorialize loved ones, or just because they are needed.A Hachnasat Sefer Torah is the celebration that centers around the welcoming of a scroll to its new home. It’s a really big deal, akin to a wedding. In fact, the entire town skips Tachanun (penitential prayers) that day in celebration. Now, don’t get stressed over pronouncing that term (hach-nas-at means “bringing in of,” and Sefer Torah means “Torah scroll”). You can also just call it a “Torah celebration” or “Torah parade.” Before You GoThis program often will include some outdoor marching and dancing, so make sure to plan accordingly. If you will be taking a small child or another person who has difficulty walking, you may want to bring along a stroller or another mode of transport. Also, if the weather necessitates it, consider taking sunscreen, a hat or an umbrella (rain is a sign of blessing, so it’s all good).Since this is a Jewish event, dress as you generally would for synagogue services. For guys, this means some nice clothes and a kipah to cover your head. For women, a modest dress or top and skirt is ideal. What to Expect:There is precious little in the way of absolute protocol for these celebrations, so things can vary, but there are generally four parts:a. The Finishing of the Letters: In the donor’s home or another convenient location, invited guests will take turns assisting the sofer (scribe) to fill in the final words of the Torah scroll. Sometimes the assistants will be allowed to actually fill in the letters on their own, but often they symbolically hand the quill to the scribe and let him do what he does best. Once the last of the ink is dried, the scroll is lifted for all to see, and dressed in its velvet mantle, silver crown and pointer. 
Completing a Torah in Skokie, Ill.
The parade was led by a special retrofitted firetruck, complete with a crown to mark the occasion.
A new Torah being welcomed in Skokie, Ill.
Welcoming a new scroll to Chabad of Hoboken, N.J.
Some things you may have been embarrassed to ask:Who is invited? Generally, the parade and dancing are a communal event, and everyone is invited to participate and observe. The finishing up of the letters and the celebratory meal are often—but by no means always—smaller affairs.Do men and women celebrate in the same way? All Jews are invited to celebrate with the Torah. Even though the guys will be the ones to hold the Torah, men and women are encouraged to give it a kiss during the parade and participate in the march. Also, upon arrival to the synagogue, chances are that the men will enter the men’s section of the sanctuary, and the women will enter the ladies’ section.  Does it cost money? Generally not. However, it is a great merit to contribute financially to a new Torah scroll, thus fulfilling the biblical obligation for every Jew to write a Torah scroll. Often communities will offer sponsorships for letters, words, or even entire sections of new Torah scrolls. So don’t feel the need to pay to come (really!), but contributing is a good thing if you can.What do I say? Since this is a Jewish milestone celebration, the proper thing to wish the donors and other involved parties is “Mazal tov!” Can I take pictures? These events are rarely on Shabbat or a Jewish holiday. As such, there should be no problem with snapping a few pics with your phone or camera. Do I need to stay the whole time? Nope. Feel free to come late and/or leave early if you need to. 
Completing a Torah in Clearwater, Fla.
Some good resources for further research:An overview of the customs and practices associated with this eventA father’s lighthearted account, detailing his experience taking his kids to a Torah parade An emotional account of the celebration surrounding a Torah dedicated by a Holocaust survivor in memory of his family Videos, letters from the Rebbe and other miscellaneous items related to this celebration
Rabbi Menachem Posner serves as staff editor for Chabad.org.
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Story
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Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812, founder of Chabad Chassidism) was raising money to ransom Jewish prisoners.
He went first to a city that was famous for its miser. It seems that this stingy man, despite his considerable wealth, was loath to share his blessings, no matter how worthy or urgent the cause. Rabbis and beggars alike avoided his home. Anyone who did unwittingly end up on his doorstep was offered a single rusty copper coin, which even the most desperate pauper would promptly refuse. When Rabbi Schneur Zalman arrived in the town, the elders of the community graciously received him. But when he announced that he wanted to visit the house of the miser and wanted two rabbis to accompany him, he was met with serious resistance. The rebbe was adamant, however, and they finally acquiesced and gave him the escort he requested. The next afternoon the three of them were standing in front of the miser’s mansion. Before knocking on the door, the rebbe turned to his companions and requested that they not utter a word, no matter what they hear or see. Several moments later they were sitting in the luxurious front room, and the owner was returning from his safe with a small velvet money pouch. “Yes,” said the rich man. “A touching story indeed! Widows and orphans in captivity. Ah, the suffering of the Jewish people! When will it all end? Here, Rabbi, take my humble donation.” To the miser’s surprise, the rebbe seemed pleased by the gift. He was actually smiling at him warmly as he put the coin into his pocket and said, “Thank you, Mr. Solomons. May G‑d bless and protect you always.” The rebbe then proceeded to write him a receipt, adding all sorts of blessings in a most beautiful script. “Thank you again, my friend,” said the rebbe as he stood and warmly shook the man’s hand, looking him deeply in the eyes with admiration. “And now,” he added, turning to his two companions, “we must be on our way. We have a lot of collecting to do tonight.” As the three rabbis walked to the door, the rebbe turned and bade his host yet another warm farewell. “You should have thrown it back in his face,” hissed one of the rabbis after they heard the door close behind them. “Don’t turn around and don’t say a word,” whispered the rebbe as they walked down the path to the front gate. Suddenly they heard the door opening behind them and the miser calling: “Rabbis, rabbis, please come back for a minute. Hello, hello, please, I must speak to you, please . . . please come back in.” In a few minutes they were again sitting in the warm, plush drawing room, but this time the rich man was pacing back and forth restlessly. He stopped for an instant and turned to the rebbe. “Exactly how much money do you need to ransom these prisoners?” “About five thousand rubles,” the rebbe replied. “Well, here is one thousand… I have decided to give one thousand rubles; you may count it if you want,” said the miser as he took a tightly bound stack of bills from his jacket pocket and laid it on the table. The other rabbis were astounded. They stared at the money and were even afraid to look up at the miser, lest he change his mind. But the Rebbe again shook Mr. Solomons’ hand, warmly thanking him, and wrote him a beautiful receipt replete with blessings and praises, exactly like the first time. “That was a miracle!” whispered one of the rabbis to the rebbe as they left the house and were again walking toward the gate. Once more the rebbe signaled him to be still. Suddenly the door of the house again opened behind them. “Rabbis, please, I have changed my mind. Please come in once more. I want to speak with you,” Mr. Solomons called out. They entered the house for a third time as the miser turned to them and said, “I have decided to give the entire sum needed for the ransom. Here it is; please count it to see that I have not made a mistake.” “What is the meaning of this?” wondered the rebbe’s astonished companions after they had left the rich man’s home for the third time that evening. “How did you get that notorious miser to give 5,000 rubles?” “That man is no miser,” said Rabbi Schneur Zalman. “No Jewish soul truly is. But how could he desire to give, if he never in his life experienced the joy of giving? Everyone to whom he gave that rusty penny of his threw it back in his face.”
A popular teacher, musician and storyteller, Rabbi Tuvia Bolton is co-director of Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim in Kfar Chabad, Israel, and a senior lecturer there.
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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News
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Bracha Gillmeister, in her broad hat and even broader smile, spent Sunday evening at the Bedford-Union Armory in Brooklyn, N.Y., together with some 3,000 Chabad emissaries from around the world and another 1,000 or so supporters and guests.
Gillmeister, who lives in Wrentham, Mass., came for the annual Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Women Emissaries (Kinus Hashluchos), which started on Thursday and finishes up today. She joined Rochy Kievman, co-director of the Chabad House Jewish Community Center in Milford, Mass., for multiple days of talks, tours, study and workshops organized for the emissaries and guests. “I’m old enough to be her mother, but we’re really like sisters,” she said, one arm thrown round her shluchah. Gillmeister stayed at the rabbi’s sister’s home and spent Shabbat dinner with many of their relatives. “It was so wonderful; it feels so much like family. It was so warm and welcoming.” The four-day program as topped off with the gala banquet on Sunday, an annual dinner event that recognizes the work that the emissaries—in partnership with their communities in more than 85 countries across the globe—do throughout the year. It celebrates camaraderie and strength, and friendships made in the most unusual places and under all kinds of circumstances. The evening also marked and honored the 28th yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, of righteous memory. ‘The Hakhel of Hakhels’It started out with the lovely voices of the youngest emissaries, singing “Together as One” as their mothers moved around the room, embracing friends, taking selfies, greeting others at their tables and waiting for the proceedings to begin.Batsheva Cohen, who co-directs Chabad of Hebron with her husband, Rabbi Danny Cohen, served as the master of ceremonies, describing in detail their family’s unique role in serving and supporting Israeli Defense Forces soldiers stationed in the ancient city. On any given Shabbat, she said, about 80 soldiers are cared for and fed by Chabad. This year’s theme focused on the Hakhel year and Jewish unity. It was introduced by a short video of women emissaries around the world—from Austria, Argentina, India, China, Israel, Peru, England, France, Denmark, Sweden, Singapore, sunny Hawaii and more—exemplifying the extensive reach of Chabad around the globe. In Hakhel years past, the Lubavitcher Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—would urge Jews worldwide to assemble, and inspire one another to increase in Torah observance and study. Indeed, it was the “Hakhel of all Hakhels,” announced Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch—the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement—“a Hakhel which encompasses the whole world.” 
Bracha Gillmeister, left, with Rochy Kievman, co-director of the Chabad House Jewish Community Center in Milford, Mass. (Photo: Carin M. Smilk)
“And it is not a numbers’ game. We hear about the mega-challah bakes and mega-Hakhels and thousands of people getting together, but when you sit down with one or two women and you give a class, that’s a Hakhel. And if you’re living in a community of 1,000 Jews, 500 Jews, 300 Jews, and you gather together—you and one other person—that is a major Hakhel. It is not [just defined as] strength in numbers because we have to go to each and every Jewish individual, and that is how we will be taken out of golus [‘exile’].” So he stressed: “Is there one Jew left in your community that you don’t know about?” “The Rebbe spoke at great length about gathering everyone together,” said Chavi Rosenblum, program director of Friendship Circle at Chabad of Livingston in New Jersey. Her husband, Rabbi Yisroel Rosenblum, is director of the “Living Legacy” program there. “The message was one of each person inspiring another, getting women to light Shabbat candles or to go to the mikvah. It’s one by one, encouraging the individual,” she explained. As for Gillmeister, it was her second year attending the Kinus as part of a special guest program. “There’s always something new to learn and people to connect with.” When she returns home this week, she plans to tell her friends about “the vibrancy of Judaism that Chabad emits—how it makes Judaism a way of living. You don’t get it anywhere else. The joy, the optimism is incredible.” Debra Ellis, who lives in Southampton, N.Y., after a decade in Tennessee, was seated next to her at the banquet and heartily agreed with that notion. “Your whole life can change because of it. It can change in increments. You decided what you want to do, and you do it.” 
Batsheva Cohen, who co-directs Chabad of Hebron with her husband, Rabbi Danny Cohen, served as the master of ceremonies. (Photo: Chavi Konikov)
‘A Sense of Sisterhood’It’s not just the community members who came away inspired. For the emissaries themselves, listening to others’ stories—and just being with fellow shluchos day after day—was a reward in and of itself.Educator Sara Tova Yaffe traveled all the way from Australia to New York City with her husband, Rabbi Daniel Yaffe, administrator of Young Adult Chabad in Bondi, with their two young children in tow. Of the Kinus, she said: “It gives me a sense of sisterhood, a connection to something much greater and a sense of purpose.” Miriam Porush of Chabad of Turkey in Istanbul with her husband, Rabbi Mendy Porush, agrees with that sentiment, saying she came in spend time with other emissaries, “to see people like me.” Speaking to her fellow emissaries, keynote speaker Risha Slavaticki—who with her husband, Rabbi Shabtai Slavaticki, has run Chabad Lubavitch of Antwerp, Belgium, for 40 years—reminded those present and all those joining online that they have whole communities behind them, that “the whole world is here.” 
Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement (Photo: Michal Weiss)
She continued: “Tonight, we are here to connect with who we are beyond what we do, and we are shluchos. On the surface, shluchos are leaders; we are women who make great things happen. But inside, in our essence, we are followers. We follow the Rebbe’s guidance, we follow the Code of Jewish Law—the Shulchan Aruch—and that’s who we are.” Slavaticki went on to describe some of the challenges and successes in Belgium over four decades there to an audience that seemed to hang on to every word. Over that time, the Chabad House has grown seven times its original size, and the same government that the couple had to “beg for permits” initially to hold a public event now asks when their next celebration will be. 
Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch (Photo: Chavi Konikov)
The room burst into applause. Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, offered some reflection after dinner, starting off by saying that the shluchos create “wonders every day.” He noted the profound nachas that the Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson continually derived from the activities of the shluchim and shluchos was immeasurable. “You mean so much to so many people, of the multitudes that you reach. You are the paradigm and the path finders. ... You are teachers and therapists, you are bookkeepers and editors, community leaders and activists ... and the list goes on. I stand here before you, literally, honored, humbled, thankful and truly amazed.” An Empowering ExperienceChana Gurevitch flew in for the Kinus from Frankfurt, Germany, where she serves as a teacher at Chabad of Frankfurt with her husband, Rabbi S. Zalman Gurevitch, who directs the Chabad House. She was joined at the gala dinner by her sister, Kayla Goldring of Borough Park, N.Y.“It’s nice to be ‘part of,’ ” noted Gurevitch, “instead of ‘the only,’ ” referring to the presence of the emissaries who filled the room. Goldring said she has a lot of respect for the work of her sister and all the others: “What they do is indescribable. I can’t put into words the awe that I hold for them because how many people would do this—pick themselves up and start lives anew in a foreign country, raising children there, helping others there.” She tries to attend the Kinus whenever her sister does. “I wouldn’t miss it,” she insisted. “The presentations are amazing, and the banquet is beautiful.” 
Keynote speaker Risha Slavaticki of Chabad Lubavitch of Antwerp, Belgium (Photo: Chavi Konikov)
Devorah Elkan, co-director of Chabad at Oberlin College in Ohio, will return to her home tonight after some jam-packed days in New York, including a morning trip to the Ohel—the resting place of the Rebbe and his father-in-law, the Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, of righteous memory—and a special program about the Rebbetzin on this yahrtzeit day. But she doesn’t want to keep all she learned to herself. She said she’d like to bring students with her to the gala one year; it’s a good age for them to soak it all in at a time in their lives when they’re just starting out, just discovering their potential. “I think it would be an empowering experience for some of these students,” said Elkan, “to see what Jewish women are capable of doing.” 
Slavaticki got much applause for her inspiring words and call for Jewish unity in this Hakhel year. (Photo: Chavi Konikov)
Sara Tova Yaffe of Young Adult Chabad in Bondi, Australia, came with her husband, Rabbi Daniel Yaffe, and two children. (Photo: Chavi Konikov)
The Kinus program was signed for those present and watching around the world. (Photo: Chavi Konikov)
Violin music was part of the evening's entertainment. (Photo: Chavi Konikov)
Cherishing moments through selfies with old friends and new. (Photo: Chavi Konikov)
The youngest emissaries took their turn at performing for the crowd. (Photo: Michal Weiss)
A night of Jewish unity in the year of Hakhel (Photo: Chavi Konikov)
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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News
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Rabbi Yossi Jacobson will join his neighbors throughout Iowa and head out for caucus night tonight, as they do every four years, being the first in the nation to vote in the contentious presidential primaries.
But before that, the rabbi is keeping busy—very busy—serving up kosher food with a side of Torah and Chassidic wisdom at Maccabee’s Kosher Deli, a project of Lubavitch of Iowa, to the many visitors from around the world who have been in town this political season. “We’ve met a lot of the Jewish students from all over America who are here running around pushing their candidates,” says Jacobson, director of Lubavitch of Iowa. “Our kosher deli fulfills an important need for Jewish volunteers and staff. Plus, for them and for everyone who visits, it’s an hour or so break away from the campaign, where they can enjoy a pastrami or corned-beef sandwich and get a d’var Torah [Torah lesson] as well.” The restaurant is a welcome stop, where Des Moines Register food critic Karla Walsh recently raved about the “super-crunchy and tangy homemade pickles,” and gave thumbs up to the pastrami and corned-beef-on-rye sandwiches that “were freshly sliced and trumped supermarket meat-counter varieties.” She also noted that “the beautiful full-wall mural of a bustling Middle Eastern marketplace, painted gratis by local artist James Navarro, will have you hankering for more.” Neverthless, this is one delicatessen where the food is almost secondary. Nourishing the SoulNoting that his “office” is a table inside the deli, Jacobson notes that “when people come in, we start talking. Today, everything has to happen quickly. It’s an instant world, and sometimes, you have to deliver thekedushah, the holiness, in an informal, instant way. And that’s what they have here.”It also provides a safe space and a welcome break, according to the rabbi. Here, people from across the political spectrum can engage in daily political combat as they sit across a table, hear a few words of Torah teachings and focus on what brings them together—and not what sets them apart. “You have people from across the board who come into the deli for different reasons. There’s one thing everyone wants and needs, and that’s a good meal. And that’s the beauty of being the face of the community. 
Volunteers supporting Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton celebrate Havdalah with the Jacobsons at the end of a recent Sabbath.
The rabbi also keeps a pair of tefillin handy for Jewish men who want to take part in the mitzvah. Still, Jacobson makes it clear that it isn’t just in the restaurant where he and his family interact with campaign volunteers and staff. A group of college students who are stumping for presidential Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton have been in town for a few weeks and coming to Shabbat meals at the Jacobson home. The group of eight to 10 young people even helped make a minyan recently to ensure that a Des Moines resident who needed to say Kaddish—the memorial prayer for a loved one—got the chance to do so. From the Republican side, Ben Carson’s campaign held a rally at Maccabee’s deli on Sunday, the day before the caucuses. According to Dr. Mark Young of Maryland, who coordinated the event, the eatery was the perfect setting. “As an observant Jew, the task of visiting many different cities and small towns across the country and finding fresh kosher food in a nice milieu is always a daunting challenge,” he says. 
From left: Rabbi Yossi Jacobson with retired Maj. Gen. Robert F. Dees and Dr. Mark Young, supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson
Much earlier in the campaign, staffers from the Bernie Sanders campaign got to enjoy a little taste of Chanukah when the candidate arranged for a delivery of potato pancakes from the deli during the Festival of Lights. Then there was the doctor from New Jersey in town to help his candidate, Republican Gov. Chris Christie. The doctor, who keeps kosher, ordered meals not just for himself but for some 20 staffers that Jacobson’s son, Laibel, delivered to a local hotel. “I went and dropped off the food for him, and then he put on tefillin,” says the younger Jacobson. He added that they also spent a few minutes talking about the doctor’s home state since Jacobson attended rabbinic school there a few years ago. “It’s interesting to see how many people fly in from across the country,” says Laibel Jacobson. “We get to meet all these people who come to Des Moines and are looking for kosher food, and they find an establishment here where they can get food. And they also meet people with whom they can stay for Shabbat.” As for Monday night, Rabbi Yossi Jacobson is looking forward to going out and doing his civic duty. “People expect me to go; it’s a responsibility,” he says. “If you participate, it shows you care. Every vote counts, and we are in a critical period.” “This is a very serious election,” he concludes. “In all my years here, I’ve never seen the thrill and the anticipation of the youth as I am experiencing this time.” 
Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry of Texas, right, with Iowans at the deli
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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News
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Chabad.org’s app team released a new Android app tailor-made for the tens of thousands who turn to master teacher Rabbi Yehoshua B. Gordon for his daily classes in Chumash with Rashi, Tanya and Rambam. With simple tabs, where users can access each of the rabbi’s three daily classes, the app creates a seamless learning experience, with the rabbi’s daily videos in one place for easy viewing.
Rabbi Gordon's precise explanations and lucid delivery have brought the joy of Torah study to students around the world. His unique delivery style draws upon a great reservoir of personal experiences, Chassidic stories and anecdotes to make his classes come alive. The Rabbi Gordon App is part of Chabad.org’s growing suite of Jewish Apps, and is being released with a prayerful wish for a complete and speedy recovery for Rabbi Gordon (Yehoshua Binyomin ben Miriam). May the merit of the thousands of hours of Torah study he enables plead before the heavenly throne on his behalf. The Rabbi Gordon app can be accessed here: www.chabad.org/RabbiGordonApp Read about the rich history and global reach of Rabbi Gordon’s classes. Read an interview with Rabbi Gordon.
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Lifestyle
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Putting pastrami in egg rolls may not make for authentic Asian cuisine, but it sure tastes good. As does the sauce. Trust me, once you taste this, you will never go back to dipping in plain old duck sauce.
 Egg rolls are not the simplest thing to throw together. There are quite a few ingredients and steps, but none of it is difficult; just a little messy and possibly time-consuming.  You’ll need to make some decisions before you start:
 Some other changes you can make:
 Egg Roll Ingredients
Egg Roll Directions
Sauce Ingredients
Sauce Directions
Miriam Szokovski is the author of the historical novel Exiled Down Under, and a member of the Chabad.org editorial team. She enjoys tinkering with recipes, and teaches cooking classes to young children. Miriam shares her love of cooking, baking and food photography on Chabad.org’s food blog, Cook It Kosher, and in the N’shei Chabad Newsletter.
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Lifestyle
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Roni Pinto explores religious and philosophical themes through the use of Hebrew letters in her work. She received a BA in art at Ben Gurion University in Israel, attended visual art college in Israel, and has taught art and Hebrew for the past 10 years at a Jewish day school in NY. As a professional artist, Roni has shown her work across Europe and New York and has had the opportunity to learn about other cultures. Pinto lives and works in New York.
© Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.
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Chabad.org Magazine - Editor: Yanki Tauber
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