Editor's Note:
Dear Friend,
Just last week, I was talking to a man who was utterly distraught. He told me that he had completely wasted his life. He had no job, no family, no education. He had dropped out of school at a young age, failed to pursue employment opportunities and never considered marriage.
When I told him to think about going back to school, and suggested that it was not too late to start a career and a family, he looked at me dejectedly, and said: “Are you kidding? I’m way too old.”
He is all of 28.
Those of us who are a bit older than that can relate to my young friend’s despair, while at the same time being aware of its absurdity.
This coming Sunday we mark Pesach Sheni (“Second Passover”), a relatively obscure day on the Jewish calendar whose symbolic importance cannot be overemphasized. A group of people had missed Passover. Due to their insistence, G‑d commanded that a mini-Passover be declared one month after the first.
There are many fascinating articles and videos about Pesach Sheni on Chabad.org, but the key lesson behind them all is a simple one whose truth can change your life: Today, and every day, G‑d is giving us all a second chance. Let’s grab it.
Yaakov Ort
on behalf of the Chabad Editorial Team
Conviction
All the elaborate proofs, all the philosophical machinations, none of that will ever stand you firmly on your feet. There’s only one thing that can provide you that strength, and that is your own inherent conviction.
Because even as your own mind flounders, you yourself know the truth, and you believe in that truth. It is a conviction all the winds of the earth cannot uproot, that has carried us to this point in time, that has rendered us indestructible and timeless.
For it comes from within and from the heritage of your ancestors who believed as well, back to the invincible conviction of our father, Abraham, a man who took on the entire world.
The doubts, the hesitations, the vacillations, all these come to you from the outside. Your challenge is but to allow your inner knowledge to shine through and be your guide.
Inside is boundless power.
This Week's Features:
Printable Magazine
G-d’s Great Charity Campaign
As she began her descent down the ladders, the ice-cold air hit her. It was dark and freezing before she even reached the water. by Esther Vilenkin
When Frieda Sossonko came to America and immersed in a luxurious mikvahin Brooklyn, she recalled another mikvah that she had used long ago in Tashkent. During World War II, she and her family had fled to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan and home to many Jewish refugees. In 1962 the Communists suddenly sealed up the only mikvah in the community. A few weeks later, Frieda learned of a secret mikvah that was located in theThe Communists suddenly sealed up the only mikvah in the communitysynagogue’s backyard, not far from themikvahthat had been sealed up. When she needed to immerse, she and a friend met up with a woman who lived nearby, who showed them where there was a well hidden under an old covering.
In Tashkent it doesn’t rain often, so the original builders of the communitymikvah decided to dig a well to ensure there would be enough water, as required by Jewish law. Now that the mikvah was sealed off, the women had no choice but to use this well itself as a mikvah. The well was very deep, so they placed a table at the bottom, bound two long ladders end to end, and lowered this longer ladder down to the table.
Frieda later described how the woman they met attempted to pour a pail of boiling water into the well to warm it, but it was useless. As she began her descent down the ladders, the ice-cold air hit her. It was dark and freezing before she even reached the water. When her toes finally touched the water, Frieda immediately withdrew them; the water felt like sharp, piercing needles. She then tried washing her face and arms with the water. Closing her eyes, she then tried alternating her feet, attempting to dip them, trying a number of ways to get her body adjusted to the water, but it was just impossible. The water was frigid! Frieda was about to give up and wait for another opportunity, when she heard familiar voices.
She recognized the voice of her friend and another woman entering the courtyard, both coming to immerse in the mikvah well. Suddenly, she realized that if she were to come out of the well without immersing, these other women would certainly not even try to immerse. She couldn’t bear the thought of being a deterrent to such an important and consequential mitzvah.
Frieda thought about the way she and her fellow Jews lived under Communist rule: the rabbis, the ritual slaughterers, the teachers who were sent to Siberia (many who didn’t return), the sacrifices made by so many. Despite all of these hardships, many Jews continued to observe Torah and mitzvahs. Frieda concluded that if G‑d put them in such a country, He surely gave them the strength to persevere. Here they were: three women coming to perform the mitzvah of immersing in a mikvah. Could she allow the cold to deter them? Frieda decided that no matter what, she absolutely had to immerse.
And so she tried again, and then again, but she just couldn’t. Then she realized that she would need to concentrate on something so intensely that she would be distracted from feeling anything. She had beenCould she allow the cold to deter them? through trauma, and so she knew that allowing herself to think about those experiences would take her to a different place entirely. She began to think about the early years of her marriage, when the KGB arrested her husband, and for eight months she didn’t know where he was or whether he was still alive.
During his absence, her two small children died on the same day. As she allowed her thoughts to dwell on those memories, she took the plunge and, indeed, didn’t even feel the cold. Frieda knew how to swim, but under the water she felt completely sapped of strength and without air in her lungs. Suddenly she panicked, and couldn’t get herself up to the surface!
She prayed fervently to G‑d—who had saved her husband and returned him to her, and had blessed them with another child—to spare her life for the sake of her family.
Frieda described the rest of her immersion as a miraculous experience. When she finished and got out of the well, she felt her blood moving through her body again, warming her up.
Standing close to the well, Frieda heard her friend scream out as she too descended into the bitter cold water. But her friend immersed, followed by the other woman, who had heard her friend’s screams yet quickly and quietly immersed as well.
Frieda’s heart was filled with joy, and she thanked G‑d for giving them the strength to do this important mitzvah. After that night, her friend undertook to build a secret mikvah in her backyard, while Frieda built one in her own kitchen! Even after leaving Russia, she made sure that the mikvah would stay open and available. The Communists shut down the only mikvah in Tashkent; Frieda and her friend replaced it with two!1
When I read Frieda’s story in Total Immersion, I was moved by her tenacity and resolution to do what seemed impossible, to go beyond herself to ensure that other women performed the mitzvah of mikvah. It struck me as such an inspirational story depicting the importance of our responsibility for each other, and how that realization in turn affects us so deeply. However, while the message resonated strongly with me, I considered it a story of the past.
That is, until I came across a chassidic discourse of the Rebbe’s,2 in which the Rebbe profoundly underscores just how interconnected we are as a people, and how truly influential our actions are, individually and collectively.
G‑d’s Merciful Dispersion
In the book of Judges,3 Deborah the prophetess sings a victory song after the deliverance of the children of Israel from the neighboring Canaanites. The verse “They will tell the righteous acts of the L‑rd, the righteous acts of restoring open cities in Israel” expresses the Jews’ gratitude for now being able to live safely in open cities, no longer needing to cluster together within fortified cities.
The Talmudic sage R. Oshaia explained “the righteous acts of the L‑rd” to mean that G‑d showed mercy by scattering the Jewish people throughout the nations.4 G‑d protects the Jewish people during times of exile and persecution by causing them to be spread throughout many countries. While enemies may arise to destroy the Jews in one place, Jews elsewhere remain safe, and are able to provide assistance or a place of refuge for other Jews.Even when living in a country that celebrates religious freedom, we may be held hostage to our internal struggles
The Previous Lubavitcher Rebberemarked that when some Jews are living under oppressive regimes, where it is extremely difficult to observe the Torah and mitzvahs, other Jewish communities that have religious freedoms empower and strengthen their oppressed brethren through their observance, enabling their fellow Jews to overcome their challenges until the time when they can practice freely.
The Rebbe pointed out that this interdependence applies to Jews in “spiritual captivity” as well. Even when Jews live in a country that celebrates religious freedom, they may be held hostage to their own internal struggles, conflicts and confusions. And a hostage is dependent on someone else to be freed.
To Rescue, Empower and Complete
Herein lies the power of a Jew: When a Jew observes Torah and mitzvahs fully and completely in one area, he enables the person who is struggling in that particular area to be set free of his negative inclination. This applies even in a scenario where the “liberating Jew” is spiritually confined and challenged in another area of observance. What presents as an impossible sticking point for one person is not necessarily someone else’s challenge. And so, every Jew can help “redeem” and empower another in certain areas.
Additionally, each generation has unique challenges and a particular mission to accomplish. In previous eras the Jewish people were lured by idol worship and pagan practices—an allure that is completely foreign to other generations. And just as one Jew’s observance of a mitzvah helps another Jew who is challenged by that mitzvah, the dedication of previous generations empowers the current generation to overcome our areas of weaknesses.
In fact, our unity as a people enables us to not only help and empower each other, but to complete each other’s mitzvah performance in a way that would otherwise be truly impossible. Through our connection to the generations of Jews that lived during the times of the Tabernacle and Holy Temple, we become a part of those observances that apply only when those holy structures stood. Similarly, even in current times there are laws and observances that are relevant only in the Land of Israel (like the Sabbatical laws). When Jews in Israel fulfill these laws, Jews around the globe are connected to their observances and thereby fulfill them. A Jew properly observing any mitzvah enables another Jew, in any part of the world, during any time period, who cannot observe that same mitzvah, to be included in that observance.
Thus, Our unity is beyond time and spaceour unity is beyond time and space, like an ageless body that is reliant on the healthy function of every cell, organ, limb and system. At different times the body requires specific immunity boosts and added support to strengthen areas of weakness so that the whole body can return to its full strength. It is the healthier components that are tapped to reinvigorate the fragile or feeble parts.
Return to Jerusalem, the City Without Walls
This is the true righteousness and mercy of G‑d in spreading the Jewish people across countries and throughout the generations: enabling us to assist and rescue each other, physically and spiritually. And the goal is to achieve something much greater than what existed before G‑d scattered us throughout this long exile—the return of the Jews from exile to Jerusalem with the coming of Moshiach. As the prophet Zechariah predicted, “Jerusalem will be inhabited as a city without walls.”5 Unable to accommodate such a vast population, the city will break forth beyond its walls.
Within this verse we find the method for achieving this ultimate goal of redemption. Every person is a microcosm of the world, so every person contains a Jerusalem as well. Whereas the physical place of Jerusalem is still part of our exile experience, our inner Jerusalem remains intact.
The Talmud6 quotes the Midrash, which states that Jerusalem was named by two famous righteous people: King Malki-Tzedek, who named it Shaleim (“Complete”); and our patriarch Abraham, who called it Yirah (“Awe”). The combination of these two names is Yirah Shaleim (Yerushalayim, or Jerusalem), meaning “Complete Awe.” This complete awe of G‑d is our inner Jerusalem. Even when that awe is not revealed, it is spiritually intact and everlasting. It is tied to our very essence.
Throughout history, when we have been subjected to all typesEvery Jew has an essential connection with G‑d of persecution, we have dug deep inside and revealed our essential bond with G‑d. Every Jew, whether learned or uninformed, observant or rebellious, has an essential connection to G‑d that can never be severed. At any point when that spiritual nerve center is touched, we expose our complete awe, which expresses itself in unlimited devotion and acts of self-sacrifice—acts that were previously unfathomable. It is precisely the circumstances of challenge, oppression and struggle on different levels, internally and externally, that force Jews to uncover this essential relationship with G‑d. It is then expressed in our consciousness and affects the totality of our being, down to our thought, speech and action.
This is the meaning of the verse from Zechariah about Moshiach: “Jerusalem will be inhabited as a city without walls.” When we uncover and expose our internal Jerusalem, our complete awe of G‑d, it is expressed “without walls,” without constraints or limitations. When we get in touch with our essence, when our relationship with G‑d becomes front and center in our consciousness, nothing can stand in the way of our determination to serve G‑d. Through our acts of self-sacrifice, the deeds that we do with total devotion and commitment, and every form of truly dedicated service, we are realizing the fulfillment of this verse.
And doing this will bring the final redemption, when G‑d will gather the Jews back to the physical city of Jerusalem with the arrival of Moshiach. Then Jerusalem will expand beyond its walls, and spread throughout Israel and the entire world.7 The whole world will become a place where the complete awe of G‑d is truly experienced.
Gift Matching of Empowerment
G‑d’s righteousness and mercy in dispersing the Jewish people throughout the world over the course of many generations enabled us to discover, reveal and establish our deepest and most cherished relationship with Him. And our interconnectedness as a people empowers us and motivates us to express our individual Jerusalems. When we put that power into motion by fulfilling the Torah and its commandments, continuously completing and adding to the achievements of all Jews throughout time, we will reach that final mitzvah and merit the ultimate redemption.
Frieda was motivated and inspired by the self-sacrifice and perseverance of those who had risked their lives—and those who gave up their lives—defying the Communists for the sake of G‑d. And her own deeds of self-sacrifice were motivated by the effects her actions would have on other Jews observing Judaism.
We are so much more empowered and energized when we realize that what we do will have broader ramifications beyond our single personal deed. These days, the most successful fundraising campaigns involve generating wide networks of people who are challenged to contribute for a charitable cause, with the understanding that their contribution will be significantly matched by other generous donors and will produce two, three or four times its value.
What G‑d has set up for us is the greatest charitable campaign, with the widest network of all: What we do has broader ramifications beyond our single deeda united people dispersed across time and space, with a full spectrum of capabilities and achievements. He linked us all together with our mini-Jerusalems, and gave us the task of making the whole world one revealed Jerusalem—a place where G‑d’s presence is sensed. Though we may not perceive it, each of our deeds is being matched to an infinite level, reaching into the past, affecting the present and future. Individually and collectively, we are all involved in empowering and completing each other so that we meet the final goal.
Frieda’s story is not about an inspiring incident of the past. She is an integral part of the present. Each and every one of us is in this together, and we make an incalculable difference with every mitzvah that we do.
This essay is dedicated to my dear mother, Rebbetzin Tzivia Miriam Gurary, of blessed memory, on the occasion of her 10th yahrtzeit, on the 12th of Iyar. Her grandmother Yenta Leah, of blessed memory, was known to be proficient in Jewish law, and exhibited great self-sacrifice in her meticulous observance of Judaism, notably with the mitzvah of mikvah, as well as with her exceptional adherence to the mitzvah of covering her hair. There’s no doubt in my mind that the deeds of my great-grandmother had a profound impact on her progeny, who followed in her footsteps in an exemplary manner decades later. Though they never met—and my great-grandmother could never have fathomed the imprint of her deeds—she empowers us all.
FOOTNOTES
1.Adapted from Total Immersion: A Mikvah Anthology by Rivka Slonim (Northvale, N.J.: Jason Aronson, 1996).
2.19 Kislev 5739 (1978).
3.Judges 5:11.
4.Pesachim 87b.
5.Zechariah 2:8.
6.Taanit 16a.
7.Yalkut Shimoni, Yeshayahu 503.
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YOUR QUESTIONS
Why the Big Deal About the Kotel (Western Wall)?
The Western Wall is one of the four walls that supported the Temple Mount. Why is it considered more special than the other three, all of which are clearly visible? by Yehuda Shurpin
Question:
The Western Wall is one of the four walls that supported the Temple Mount. Why is it considered more special than the other three, all of which are clearly visible?
Reply:
Believe it or not, the Western Wall (sometimes called the Wailing Wall1 orKotel), is actually the only surviving wall of the Temple Mount. Much of the structure we see today was rebuilt during the 2,000 years since the Temple was destroyed.
There are almost no ancient remains of the northern wall. There is a bit of the eastern wall, as well as almost the entire southern wall. However, none of those walls actually bordered the holy ground of the Temple. The actual southern wall was further north than the existing southern wall, which was built by Herod and enclosed an annexed area next to the sacred ground of the Temple. So the Western Wall is the only hallowed wall that remains.2
How did the Western Wall survive? The Midrash tells a fascinating tale:
When Vespasian conquered Jerusalem, he assigned the destruction of the four ramparts3 of the Temple to four generals. The western wall was allotted to Pangar of Arabia. Now, it had been decreed by Heaven that this should never be destroyed, because the Shechinah (Divine Presence) resides in the west.
The others demolished their sections, but Pangar did not demolish his. Vespasian sent for him and asked, “Why did you not destroy your section?” He replied, “By your life, I acted so for the honor of the kingdom. For if I had demolished it, nobody would [in time to come] know what it was you destroyed. But when people look [at the surviving wall], they will exclaim, ‘From the great building he destroyed, you can tell the might of Vespasian!’”
Vespasian said to him, “Enough! You have spoken well. But since you disobeyed my command, you shall ascend to the roof and throw yourself down. If you live, you will live, and if you die, you will die.”’ Pangar ascended, threw himself down and died.4
What It Means
We read in Song of Songs, “Behold, He is standing behind our wall, looking from the windows, peering from the lattices.”5 The Midrash explains that this refers to the Western Wall. “Why is this so? Because the Holy One, Blessed be He, has taken an oath that it will never be destroyed.”6
Based on this verse, the Zohar states: “The Divine Presence never departed from the Western Wall of the Temple.”7 This is seen as a manifestation ofG‑d’s promise to Solomon when the Temple was first built, that “My eyes and heart will be there at all times.”8
The Zohar explains that this idea is hinted to in the word kotel (כותל), which can be broken into two words, כו תל. The word כו is the numeric value of 26, the value of the Tetragrammaton. And the word תל means “hill” or “mountain.” Thus, the Kotel’s very name hints to the fact that G‑d’s Divine Presence is still to be found on the Temple Mount.9
Western Wall of What?
Some people have suggested that the current Western Wall is a part of the Temple itself.10 However, most maintain that the Western Wall is actually a part of the retaining wall that surrounded the Temple Mount.11 Indeed, if one examines the dimensions of the Wall, this seems to be borne out.12
Interestingly, if the Western Wall is actually a supporting wall for the Temple Mount, it would explain a teaching found in Midrash Tehillim that states that “although [the Temple Mount] is [now] a bare mountain, it remains in its sanctity” and then goes on to say that “the Divine Presence never left the Western Wall.” Why is the Temple Mount referred to as a “bare mountain” if the Western Wall was never destroyed? Because the Wall is not on the mountain, but a retaining wall of the mountain.13
Wall to Holiness
Although the intention of the enemies of Israel in leaving the wall intact was to show the glory of Rome and the subjection of the Jewish nation, the opposite transpired. Rome is long buried in the dustbin of history, but the Western Wall has remained as a beacon of hope, signifying G‑d’s eternal promise that His children will ultimately return to the land and that the Temple will be rebuilt.
FOOTNOTES
1.During the Christian rule of Jerusalem in the Byzantine period (324–638 CE), Jews were barred from entering Jerusalem, except for one time a year, on the 9th day of the Jewish month of Av, which is the day that the Holy Temple was destroyed. On that day the Christian rulers would let the Jews come to the Temple Mount, where they would cry and mourn over the destruction of the Holy Temple. Due to this, the Christians started referring to the Western Wall as the Wailing Wall. [Hillel Halkin, “The Western Wall: ‘Western Wall’ or ‘Wailing Wall’?” The Forward (January 21, 2001), as cited in the Jewish Virtual Library.]
2.Rabbi Zalmen Menachem Koren, The Beit Hamikdash, p. 39.
3.This is used as a proof that the Midrash is referring to a supporting wall of the Temple Mount, not to a wall of the Temple itself, as will be explained later.
4.Eichah Rabbah 1:31 (translation adapted from Soncino ed.).
5.Song of Songs 2:9.
6.Shir Hashirim Rabbah 2:26; Bamidbar Rabbah 11:2.
7.Zohar II:5b.
8.I Kings 9:3 and II Chronicles 7:16.
9.Zohar II:116a.
10.See responsa of Radbaz 2:648 and 691; Chayei Adam, Shaarei Tzedek, Mishpetei Eretz 11:8.
11.Rabbi Eshtori ha-Parchi, Kaftor va-Ferach 6; Ir Hakodesh veha-Mikdash 4:2; Avnei Nezer, Yoreh De’ah 450; Tzitz Eliezer 10:1; Yabia Omer, vol. 5, Yoreh De’ah 27.
12.Altogether, the height of the Wall is 40 meters, with only 19 meters of the Wall visible above ground. The Wall is 488 meters long, with most of it obscured by Arab houses. These dimensions greatly exceed the length of the Temple wall, which was only 58 meters. Additionally, we know that there were many tunnels built under the Temple, but the Western Wall is built directly on bedrock.
13.There is considerable debate whether the wall itself shares the same level of sanctity as the mountain. The halachic implication of this debate is whether one may insert his hands into the crevices of the wall while he is in a state of impurity. See Mishkenot Avir Yaakov, vol. 2, 1:1; Avnei Nezer, Yoreh De’ah 450; Minchat Shlomo 3:160.
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What Is Kiddush?
The word “kiddush” has at least three meanings, each one built on the one before it. Let’s start at the beginning.The word kiddush has at least three meanings, each one built on the one before it. Let’s start at the beginning.
1. Sanctifying Shabbat
The Hebrew word kiddush translates as “sanctification” or “separation.” It’s amitzvah to verbally declare Shabbat, the seventh day of the week, separate and holy. We do this on Friday nights—once during prayers, and then again holding a cup of wine before we begin our evening meal. This declaration of sanctification is known as kiddush.
The declaration is comprised of three parts: recitation of verses from theTorah regarding the holiness of Shabbat (taken from the verses in Genesisthat describe the first Shabbat in history, right after G‑d created the world), the blessing over the wine, and a blessing in which we thank G‑d for having chosen our nation and given us the gift of Shabbat.
You can find the text for the Friday night kiddush here.
2. Shabbat Morning Reception
As an extension, we also hold a cup of wine and recite Shabbat rest–related verses and a blessing over wine before we begin our Shabbat daytime meal.
You can find that text here.
In many synagogues, morning services are followed by a reception. Since it is preceded by the blessing over wine, the reception is often called a kiddush as well. (It is sometimes called an oneg.) Kiddush fare can range from basic herring and crackers to elaborate meals with carving stations and sushi. People often sponsor these kiddush receptions in honor of milestones, in memory of loved ones, or just because.
3. It’s a Girl!
It is customary to sponsor a Shabbat morning kiddush in honor of the birth of a new baby girl. These receptions can take place anywhere, in synagogues or even in private homes. There are a number of reasons for this custom:
We thank G‑d for the gift of a new baby girl.
People often hold the kiddush following the service when they named their new baby at the Torah. The Jewish soul enters the body at the time of the baby-naming, and the celebration is in honor of the new soul. (Note that the Chabad custom is to name the baby at the earliest opportunity, even if it is not Shabbat, but the kiddush is held on Shabbat.)
At the kiddush, it is customary to wish the parents that they raise their child to “Torah, chuppah, and maasim tovim [good deeds].” Blessings are very potent, and the kiddush celebration is a great way to snag as many blessings as possible.
Note: When a person says he is “making kiddush,” you know he is referring to the blessing over wine. However, if he says he is “making a kiddush,” you can assume it means he will be sponsoring a reception on Shabbat morning.
More Miscellaneous Meanings
Kiddush Wine: Since kiddush is the way that Jews honor the beloved Shabbat, at times people went through great effort to secure wine. For a long time most Jews could only afford cheap, sweet wine (sometimes made from raisins). To this day, thick, sweet kosher wine is often referred to as “kiddushwine.”
Kiddush Cup: You can use pretty much any cup for kiddush, provided that is holds a significant amount of wine (and it isn’t disposable, according to some). People tend to have special cups just for this mitzvah, often made of silver or other decorative materials. This cup is also called a becher, a Yiddish word probably related to the English word “beaker.”
Holiday Kiddush: Like Shabbat, we say declarations over wine before the meals on major Jewish holidays. These are also known as kiddush.
Kiddush Levanah: Once a month, there is a special prayer thanking G‑d for the moon. It is called kiddush levanah, “sanctification of the moon,” and is unrelated to the blessing said over wine. Learn more
Kiddush Hachodesh: In ancient times, the Jewish month would begin after two witnesses would testify before the court that they had seen the “new” moon. The court would then declare the start of a new month. This is calledkiddush hachodesh, “sanctification of the month.” Learn more
Kiddush Hashem: This phrase means “sanctification of the [Divine] name.” We Jews are G‑d’s ambassadors to the world. When we act in accordance with His will, we sanctify His name (reputation) here on earth. The prime example of a kiddush Hashem is when a person sacrifices his or her life rather than transgress the Torah. A less extreme, and thankfully more common, example is when a person acts in an ethical, moral and gracious way, causing people to have positive feelings toward G‑d and His people. Doing this is making a kiddush Hashem. Learn more
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G-d’s Great Charity Campaign
As she began her descent down the ladders, the ice-cold air hit her. It was dark and freezing before she even reached the water. by Esther Vilenkin
When Frieda Sossonko came to America and immersed in a luxurious mikvahin Brooklyn, she recalled another mikvah that she had used long ago in Tashkent. During World War II, she and her family had fled to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan and home to many Jewish refugees. In 1962 the Communists suddenly sealed up the only mikvah in the community. A few weeks later, Frieda learned of a secret mikvah that was located in theThe Communists suddenly sealed up the only mikvah in the communitysynagogue’s backyard, not far from themikvahthat had been sealed up. When she needed to immerse, she and a friend met up with a woman who lived nearby, who showed them where there was a well hidden under an old covering.In Tashkent it doesn’t rain often, so the original builders of the communitymikvah decided to dig a well to ensure there would be enough water, as required by Jewish law. Now that the mikvah was sealed off, the women had no choice but to use this well itself as a mikvah. The well was very deep, so they placed a table at the bottom, bound two long ladders end to end, and lowered this longer ladder down to the table.
Frieda later described how the woman they met attempted to pour a pail of boiling water into the well to warm it, but it was useless. As she began her descent down the ladders, the ice-cold air hit her. It was dark and freezing before she even reached the water. When her toes finally touched the water, Frieda immediately withdrew them; the water felt like sharp, piercing needles. She then tried washing her face and arms with the water. Closing her eyes, she then tried alternating her feet, attempting to dip them, trying a number of ways to get her body adjusted to the water, but it was just impossible. The water was frigid! Frieda was about to give up and wait for another opportunity, when she heard familiar voices.
She recognized the voice of her friend and another woman entering the courtyard, both coming to immerse in the mikvah well. Suddenly, she realized that if she were to come out of the well without immersing, these other women would certainly not even try to immerse. She couldn’t bear the thought of being a deterrent to such an important and consequential mitzvah.
Frieda thought about the way she and her fellow Jews lived under Communist rule: the rabbis, the ritual slaughterers, the teachers who were sent to Siberia (many who didn’t return), the sacrifices made by so many. Despite all of these hardships, many Jews continued to observe Torah and mitzvahs. Frieda concluded that if G‑d put them in such a country, He surely gave them the strength to persevere. Here they were: three women coming to perform the mitzvah of immersing in a mikvah. Could she allow the cold to deter them? Frieda decided that no matter what, she absolutely had to immerse.
And so she tried again, and then again, but she just couldn’t. Then she realized that she would need to concentrate on something so intensely that she would be distracted from feeling anything. She had beenCould she allow the cold to deter them? through trauma, and so she knew that allowing herself to think about those experiences would take her to a different place entirely. She began to think about the early years of her marriage, when the KGB arrested her husband, and for eight months she didn’t know where he was or whether he was still alive.
During his absence, her two small children died on the same day. As she allowed her thoughts to dwell on those memories, she took the plunge and, indeed, didn’t even feel the cold. Frieda knew how to swim, but under the water she felt completely sapped of strength and without air in her lungs. Suddenly she panicked, and couldn’t get herself up to the surface!
She prayed fervently to G‑d—who had saved her husband and returned him to her, and had blessed them with another child—to spare her life for the sake of her family.
Frieda described the rest of her immersion as a miraculous experience. When she finished and got out of the well, she felt her blood moving through her body again, warming her up.
Standing close to the well, Frieda heard her friend scream out as she too descended into the bitter cold water. But her friend immersed, followed by the other woman, who had heard her friend’s screams yet quickly and quietly immersed as well.
Frieda’s heart was filled with joy, and she thanked G‑d for giving them the strength to do this important mitzvah. After that night, her friend undertook to build a secret mikvah in her backyard, while Frieda built one in her own kitchen! Even after leaving Russia, she made sure that the mikvah would stay open and available. The Communists shut down the only mikvah in Tashkent; Frieda and her friend replaced it with two!1
When I read Frieda’s story in Total Immersion, I was moved by her tenacity and resolution to do what seemed impossible, to go beyond herself to ensure that other women performed the mitzvah of mikvah. It struck me as such an inspirational story depicting the importance of our responsibility for each other, and how that realization in turn affects us so deeply. However, while the message resonated strongly with me, I considered it a story of the past.
That is, until I came across a chassidic discourse of the Rebbe’s,2 in which the Rebbe profoundly underscores just how interconnected we are as a people, and how truly influential our actions are, individually and collectively.
G‑d’s Merciful Dispersion
In the book of Judges,3 Deborah the prophetess sings a victory song after the deliverance of the children of Israel from the neighboring Canaanites. The verse “They will tell the righteous acts of the L‑rd, the righteous acts of restoring open cities in Israel” expresses the Jews’ gratitude for now being able to live safely in open cities, no longer needing to cluster together within fortified cities.
The Talmudic sage R. Oshaia explained “the righteous acts of the L‑rd” to mean that G‑d showed mercy by scattering the Jewish people throughout the nations.4 G‑d protects the Jewish people during times of exile and persecution by causing them to be spread throughout many countries. While enemies may arise to destroy the Jews in one place, Jews elsewhere remain safe, and are able to provide assistance or a place of refuge for other Jews.Even when living in a country that celebrates religious freedom, we may be held hostage to our internal struggles
The Previous Lubavitcher Rebberemarked that when some Jews are living under oppressive regimes, where it is extremely difficult to observe the Torah and mitzvahs, other Jewish communities that have religious freedoms empower and strengthen their oppressed brethren through their observance, enabling their fellow Jews to overcome their challenges until the time when they can practice freely.
The Rebbe pointed out that this interdependence applies to Jews in “spiritual captivity” as well. Even when Jews live in a country that celebrates religious freedom, they may be held hostage to their own internal struggles, conflicts and confusions. And a hostage is dependent on someone else to be freed.
To Rescue, Empower and Complete
Herein lies the power of a Jew: When a Jew observes Torah and mitzvahs fully and completely in one area, he enables the person who is struggling in that particular area to be set free of his negative inclination. This applies even in a scenario where the “liberating Jew” is spiritually confined and challenged in another area of observance. What presents as an impossible sticking point for one person is not necessarily someone else’s challenge. And so, every Jew can help “redeem” and empower another in certain areas.
Additionally, each generation has unique challenges and a particular mission to accomplish. In previous eras the Jewish people were lured by idol worship and pagan practices—an allure that is completely foreign to other generations. And just as one Jew’s observance of a mitzvah helps another Jew who is challenged by that mitzvah, the dedication of previous generations empowers the current generation to overcome our areas of weaknesses.
In fact, our unity as a people enables us to not only help and empower each other, but to complete each other’s mitzvah performance in a way that would otherwise be truly impossible. Through our connection to the generations of Jews that lived during the times of the Tabernacle and Holy Temple, we become a part of those observances that apply only when those holy structures stood. Similarly, even in current times there are laws and observances that are relevant only in the Land of Israel (like the Sabbatical laws). When Jews in Israel fulfill these laws, Jews around the globe are connected to their observances and thereby fulfill them. A Jew properly observing any mitzvah enables another Jew, in any part of the world, during any time period, who cannot observe that same mitzvah, to be included in that observance.
Thus, Our unity is beyond time and spaceour unity is beyond time and space, like an ageless body that is reliant on the healthy function of every cell, organ, limb and system. At different times the body requires specific immunity boosts and added support to strengthen areas of weakness so that the whole body can return to its full strength. It is the healthier components that are tapped to reinvigorate the fragile or feeble parts.
Return to Jerusalem, the City Without Walls
This is the true righteousness and mercy of G‑d in spreading the Jewish people across countries and throughout the generations: enabling us to assist and rescue each other, physically and spiritually. And the goal is to achieve something much greater than what existed before G‑d scattered us throughout this long exile—the return of the Jews from exile to Jerusalem with the coming of Moshiach. As the prophet Zechariah predicted, “Jerusalem will be inhabited as a city without walls.”5 Unable to accommodate such a vast population, the city will break forth beyond its walls.
Within this verse we find the method for achieving this ultimate goal of redemption. Every person is a microcosm of the world, so every person contains a Jerusalem as well. Whereas the physical place of Jerusalem is still part of our exile experience, our inner Jerusalem remains intact.
The Talmud6 quotes the Midrash, which states that Jerusalem was named by two famous righteous people: King Malki-Tzedek, who named it Shaleim (“Complete”); and our patriarch Abraham, who called it Yirah (“Awe”). The combination of these two names is Yirah Shaleim (Yerushalayim, or Jerusalem), meaning “Complete Awe.” This complete awe of G‑d is our inner Jerusalem. Even when that awe is not revealed, it is spiritually intact and everlasting. It is tied to our very essence.
Throughout history, when we have been subjected to all typesEvery Jew has an essential connection with G‑d of persecution, we have dug deep inside and revealed our essential bond with G‑d. Every Jew, whether learned or uninformed, observant or rebellious, has an essential connection to G‑d that can never be severed. At any point when that spiritual nerve center is touched, we expose our complete awe, which expresses itself in unlimited devotion and acts of self-sacrifice—acts that were previously unfathomable. It is precisely the circumstances of challenge, oppression and struggle on different levels, internally and externally, that force Jews to uncover this essential relationship with G‑d. It is then expressed in our consciousness and affects the totality of our being, down to our thought, speech and action.
This is the meaning of the verse from Zechariah about Moshiach: “Jerusalem will be inhabited as a city without walls.” When we uncover and expose our internal Jerusalem, our complete awe of G‑d, it is expressed “without walls,” without constraints or limitations. When we get in touch with our essence, when our relationship with G‑d becomes front and center in our consciousness, nothing can stand in the way of our determination to serve G‑d. Through our acts of self-sacrifice, the deeds that we do with total devotion and commitment, and every form of truly dedicated service, we are realizing the fulfillment of this verse.
And doing this will bring the final redemption, when G‑d will gather the Jews back to the physical city of Jerusalem with the arrival of Moshiach. Then Jerusalem will expand beyond its walls, and spread throughout Israel and the entire world.7 The whole world will become a place where the complete awe of G‑d is truly experienced.
Gift Matching of Empowerment
G‑d’s righteousness and mercy in dispersing the Jewish people throughout the world over the course of many generations enabled us to discover, reveal and establish our deepest and most cherished relationship with Him. And our interconnectedness as a people empowers us and motivates us to express our individual Jerusalems. When we put that power into motion by fulfilling the Torah and its commandments, continuously completing and adding to the achievements of all Jews throughout time, we will reach that final mitzvah and merit the ultimate redemption.
Frieda was motivated and inspired by the self-sacrifice and perseverance of those who had risked their lives—and those who gave up their lives—defying the Communists for the sake of G‑d. And her own deeds of self-sacrifice were motivated by the effects her actions would have on other Jews observing Judaism.
We are so much more empowered and energized when we realize that what we do will have broader ramifications beyond our single personal deed. These days, the most successful fundraising campaigns involve generating wide networks of people who are challenged to contribute for a charitable cause, with the understanding that their contribution will be significantly matched by other generous donors and will produce two, three or four times its value.
What G‑d has set up for us is the greatest charitable campaign, with the widest network of all: What we do has broader ramifications beyond our single deeda united people dispersed across time and space, with a full spectrum of capabilities and achievements. He linked us all together with our mini-Jerusalems, and gave us the task of making the whole world one revealed Jerusalem—a place where G‑d’s presence is sensed. Though we may not perceive it, each of our deeds is being matched to an infinite level, reaching into the past, affecting the present and future. Individually and collectively, we are all involved in empowering and completing each other so that we meet the final goal.
Frieda’s story is not about an inspiring incident of the past. She is an integral part of the present. Each and every one of us is in this together, and we make an incalculable difference with every mitzvah that we do.
This essay is dedicated to my dear mother, Rebbetzin Tzivia Miriam Gurary, of blessed memory, on the occasion of her 10th yahrtzeit, on the 12th of Iyar. Her grandmother Yenta Leah, of blessed memory, was known to be proficient in Jewish law, and exhibited great self-sacrifice in her meticulous observance of Judaism, notably with the mitzvah of mikvah, as well as with her exceptional adherence to the mitzvah of covering her hair. There’s no doubt in my mind that the deeds of my great-grandmother had a profound impact on her progeny, who followed in her footsteps in an exemplary manner decades later. Though they never met—and my great-grandmother could never have fathomed the imprint of her deeds—she empowers us all.
FOOTNOTES
1.Adapted from Total Immersion: A Mikvah Anthology by Rivka Slonim (Northvale, N.J.: Jason Aronson, 1996).
2.19 Kislev 5739 (1978).
3.Judges 5:11.
4.Pesachim 87b.
5.Zechariah 2:8.
6.Taanit 16a.
7.Yalkut Shimoni, Yeshayahu 503.
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YOUR QUESTIONS
Why the Big Deal About the Kotel (Western Wall)?
The Western Wall is one of the four walls that supported the Temple Mount. Why is it considered more special than the other three, all of which are clearly visible? by Yehuda Shurpin
Question:The Western Wall is one of the four walls that supported the Temple Mount. Why is it considered more special than the other three, all of which are clearly visible?
Reply:
Believe it or not, the Western Wall (sometimes called the Wailing Wall1 orKotel), is actually the only surviving wall of the Temple Mount. Much of the structure we see today was rebuilt during the 2,000 years since the Temple was destroyed.
There are almost no ancient remains of the northern wall. There is a bit of the eastern wall, as well as almost the entire southern wall. However, none of those walls actually bordered the holy ground of the Temple. The actual southern wall was further north than the existing southern wall, which was built by Herod and enclosed an annexed area next to the sacred ground of the Temple. So the Western Wall is the only hallowed wall that remains.2
How did the Western Wall survive? The Midrash tells a fascinating tale:
When Vespasian conquered Jerusalem, he assigned the destruction of the four ramparts3 of the Temple to four generals. The western wall was allotted to Pangar of Arabia. Now, it had been decreed by Heaven that this should never be destroyed, because the Shechinah (Divine Presence) resides in the west.
The others demolished their sections, but Pangar did not demolish his. Vespasian sent for him and asked, “Why did you not destroy your section?” He replied, “By your life, I acted so for the honor of the kingdom. For if I had demolished it, nobody would [in time to come] know what it was you destroyed. But when people look [at the surviving wall], they will exclaim, ‘From the great building he destroyed, you can tell the might of Vespasian!’”
Vespasian said to him, “Enough! You have spoken well. But since you disobeyed my command, you shall ascend to the roof and throw yourself down. If you live, you will live, and if you die, you will die.”’ Pangar ascended, threw himself down and died.4
What It Means
We read in Song of Songs, “Behold, He is standing behind our wall, looking from the windows, peering from the lattices.”5 The Midrash explains that this refers to the Western Wall. “Why is this so? Because the Holy One, Blessed be He, has taken an oath that it will never be destroyed.”6
Based on this verse, the Zohar states: “The Divine Presence never departed from the Western Wall of the Temple.”7 This is seen as a manifestation ofG‑d’s promise to Solomon when the Temple was first built, that “My eyes and heart will be there at all times.”8
The Zohar explains that this idea is hinted to in the word kotel (כותל), which can be broken into two words, כו תל. The word כו is the numeric value of 26, the value of the Tetragrammaton. And the word תל means “hill” or “mountain.” Thus, the Kotel’s very name hints to the fact that G‑d’s Divine Presence is still to be found on the Temple Mount.9
Western Wall of What?
Some people have suggested that the current Western Wall is a part of the Temple itself.10 However, most maintain that the Western Wall is actually a part of the retaining wall that surrounded the Temple Mount.11 Indeed, if one examines the dimensions of the Wall, this seems to be borne out.12
Interestingly, if the Western Wall is actually a supporting wall for the Temple Mount, it would explain a teaching found in Midrash Tehillim that states that “although [the Temple Mount] is [now] a bare mountain, it remains in its sanctity” and then goes on to say that “the Divine Presence never left the Western Wall.” Why is the Temple Mount referred to as a “bare mountain” if the Western Wall was never destroyed? Because the Wall is not on the mountain, but a retaining wall of the mountain.13
Wall to Holiness
Although the intention of the enemies of Israel in leaving the wall intact was to show the glory of Rome and the subjection of the Jewish nation, the opposite transpired. Rome is long buried in the dustbin of history, but the Western Wall has remained as a beacon of hope, signifying G‑d’s eternal promise that His children will ultimately return to the land and that the Temple will be rebuilt.
FOOTNOTES
1.During the Christian rule of Jerusalem in the Byzantine period (324–638 CE), Jews were barred from entering Jerusalem, except for one time a year, on the 9th day of the Jewish month of Av, which is the day that the Holy Temple was destroyed. On that day the Christian rulers would let the Jews come to the Temple Mount, where they would cry and mourn over the destruction of the Holy Temple. Due to this, the Christians started referring to the Western Wall as the Wailing Wall. [Hillel Halkin, “The Western Wall: ‘Western Wall’ or ‘Wailing Wall’?” The Forward (January 21, 2001), as cited in the Jewish Virtual Library.]
2.Rabbi Zalmen Menachem Koren, The Beit Hamikdash, p. 39.
3.This is used as a proof that the Midrash is referring to a supporting wall of the Temple Mount, not to a wall of the Temple itself, as will be explained later.
4.Eichah Rabbah 1:31 (translation adapted from Soncino ed.).
5.Song of Songs 2:9.
6.Shir Hashirim Rabbah 2:26; Bamidbar Rabbah 11:2.
7.Zohar II:5b.
8.I Kings 9:3 and II Chronicles 7:16.
9.Zohar II:116a.
10.See responsa of Radbaz 2:648 and 691; Chayei Adam, Shaarei Tzedek, Mishpetei Eretz 11:8.
11.Rabbi Eshtori ha-Parchi, Kaftor va-Ferach 6; Ir Hakodesh veha-Mikdash 4:2; Avnei Nezer, Yoreh De’ah 450; Tzitz Eliezer 10:1; Yabia Omer, vol. 5, Yoreh De’ah 27.
12.Altogether, the height of the Wall is 40 meters, with only 19 meters of the Wall visible above ground. The Wall is 488 meters long, with most of it obscured by Arab houses. These dimensions greatly exceed the length of the Temple wall, which was only 58 meters. Additionally, we know that there were many tunnels built under the Temple, but the Western Wall is built directly on bedrock.
13.There is considerable debate whether the wall itself shares the same level of sanctity as the mountain. The halachic implication of this debate is whether one may insert his hands into the crevices of the wall while he is in a state of impurity. See Mishkenot Avir Yaakov, vol. 2, 1:1; Avnei Nezer, Yoreh De’ah 450; Minchat Shlomo 3:160.
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What Is Kiddush?
The word “kiddush” has at least three meanings, each one built on the one before it. Let’s start at the beginning.The word kiddush has at least three meanings, each one built on the one before it. Let’s start at the beginning.
1. Sanctifying Shabbat
The Hebrew word kiddush translates as “sanctification” or “separation.” It’s amitzvah to verbally declare Shabbat, the seventh day of the week, separate and holy. We do this on Friday nights—once during prayers, and then again holding a cup of wine before we begin our evening meal. This declaration of sanctification is known as kiddush.
The declaration is comprised of three parts: recitation of verses from theTorah regarding the holiness of Shabbat (taken from the verses in Genesisthat describe the first Shabbat in history, right after G‑d created the world), the blessing over the wine, and a blessing in which we thank G‑d for having chosen our nation and given us the gift of Shabbat.
You can find the text for the Friday night kiddush here.
2. Shabbat Morning Reception
As an extension, we also hold a cup of wine and recite Shabbat rest–related verses and a blessing over wine before we begin our Shabbat daytime meal.
You can find that text here.
In many synagogues, morning services are followed by a reception. Since it is preceded by the blessing over wine, the reception is often called a kiddush as well. (It is sometimes called an oneg.) Kiddush fare can range from basic herring and crackers to elaborate meals with carving stations and sushi. People often sponsor these kiddush receptions in honor of milestones, in memory of loved ones, or just because.
3. It’s a Girl!
It is customary to sponsor a Shabbat morning kiddush in honor of the birth of a new baby girl. These receptions can take place anywhere, in synagogues or even in private homes. There are a number of reasons for this custom:
We thank G‑d for the gift of a new baby girl.
People often hold the kiddush following the service when they named their new baby at the Torah. The Jewish soul enters the body at the time of the baby-naming, and the celebration is in honor of the new soul. (Note that the Chabad custom is to name the baby at the earliest opportunity, even if it is not Shabbat, but the kiddush is held on Shabbat.)
At the kiddush, it is customary to wish the parents that they raise their child to “Torah, chuppah, and maasim tovim [good deeds].” Blessings are very potent, and the kiddush celebration is a great way to snag as many blessings as possible.
Note: When a person says he is “making kiddush,” you know he is referring to the blessing over wine. However, if he says he is “making a kiddush,” you can assume it means he will be sponsoring a reception on Shabbat morning.
More Miscellaneous Meanings
Kiddush Wine: Since kiddush is the way that Jews honor the beloved Shabbat, at times people went through great effort to secure wine. For a long time most Jews could only afford cheap, sweet wine (sometimes made from raisins). To this day, thick, sweet kosher wine is often referred to as “kiddushwine.”
Kiddush Cup: You can use pretty much any cup for kiddush, provided that is holds a significant amount of wine (and it isn’t disposable, according to some). People tend to have special cups just for this mitzvah, often made of silver or other decorative materials. This cup is also called a becher, a Yiddish word probably related to the English word “beaker.”
Holiday Kiddush: Like Shabbat, we say declarations over wine before the meals on major Jewish holidays. These are also known as kiddush.
Kiddush Levanah: Once a month, there is a special prayer thanking G‑d for the moon. It is called kiddush levanah, “sanctification of the moon,” and is unrelated to the blessing said over wine. Learn more
Kiddush Hachodesh: In ancient times, the Jewish month would begin after two witnesses would testify before the court that they had seen the “new” moon. The court would then declare the start of a new month. This is calledkiddush hachodesh, “sanctification of the month.” Learn more
Kiddush Hashem: This phrase means “sanctification of the [Divine] name.” We Jews are G‑d’s ambassadors to the world. When we act in accordance with His will, we sanctify His name (reputation) here on earth. The prime example of a kiddush Hashem is when a person sacrifices his or her life rather than transgress the Torah. A less extreme, and thankfully more common, example is when a person acts in an ethical, moral and gracious way, causing people to have positive feelings toward G‑d and His people. Doing this is making a kiddush Hashem. Learn more
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I’m Scared of ChangeI have been offered an opportunity for a good new job which would require making many changes in my life. The problem is that I really hate change. by Rosally Saltsman
Dear Rachel,I have been offered an opportunity for a new job, a good one, which would require making many changes in my life. The problem is that I really hate change. Please help!
Rooted to the Spot
Dear Rooted,
Roots are good; they provide stability, security and groundedness—as long as you’re still growing upwards. But if you’re stuck in a rut, then it’s time to take stock. Will this job, with its changes, also provide good opportunities for growth? And when you say that you ”hate change,” what exactly are you afraid of?
Change is inevitable because life is dynamic; we—andIf you’re stuck in a rut, it’s time to take stock the world around us—are always changing. Hating change can leave you feeling very stressed and vulnerable when it occurs. And it will.
The balance between remaining rooted and embracing change can be seen in Judaism itself. While our tradition requires us to be loyal to our ancient teachings and practices, we also need to apply Torah law to our new set of circumstances in every generation. Like the moon, which goes through periods of waxing and waning, the Jewish people constantly experience growth and change.
In fact, many of Abraham’s tests involved making a change, such as whenG‑d told him to change his life and relocate to another land. And he passed all his tests and became the patriarch of the Jewish people!
Four hundred years later, only one-fifth of the Jews in Egypt left in theExodus. The other four-fifths died in the plague of darkness. Why? Because even though they led an appalling life of servitude, they preferred to remain in Egypt rather than face the unknown.
A few months later, the Jews were sentenced to 40 years of wandering in the wilderness because they listened to the negative report of the spies who were sent to spy out Israel. They were afraid of change.
So change is good. The Talmud tells us that to change our place (position) is to change our fortune.1 According to Abraham’s mazal (fortune), he wasn’t supposed to have children. But G‑d told him to change his name and his place of residence, and through his faith, his fortune and that of the entire Jewish people changed as well.
It might help you in dealing with this potentialWhat are all the good things that might occur? change if you make a list of all the pros and cons. What are all the good things that might result from this change? What are the not-so-good things that might occur? What strategies and tools can you use to cope with the issues that may come up? What do you need to do to make this move more manageable? Writing things down always helps clarify things and calm scary feelings that arise from the unknown. But it doesn’t have to be scary. The unknown can be very exciting.
May any change you make take firm root and bring you good mazal.
Rachel
FOOTNOTES
1.Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 16b.
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VIDEO
What’s in a Name?
In Jewish law, if someone has both a Jewish and secular name, the Jewish name comes first in legal documents. Similarly, if parents wish to give their child a Hebrew name together with its Yiddish equivalent, the Hebrew name customarily comes first.
Watch (5:39)<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.chabad.org/multimedia/mediaplayer/embedded/embed.js.asp?aid=2189975&width=auto&height=auto"></script><span style="clear:both;" class="lb" id="lbdiv">Visit <a href="http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/default_cdo/aid/591213/jewish/Video.htm">Jewish.TV</a> for more <a href="http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/default_cdo/aid/591213/jewish/Video.htm">Jewish videos</a>.</span>
How to Really Teach a Child
Letters and Numbers of Torah
Aaron L. Raskin
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My Father’s Talmud from Bergen-BelsenHow to truly impress your kids
Discover what’s most important in conveying life’s values to our children. by Yacov Barber
Watch (6:45)<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.chabad.org/multimedia/mediaplayer/embedded/embed.js.asp?aid=3324913&width=auto&height=auto"></script><span style="clear:both;" class="lb" id="lbdiv">Visit <a href="http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/default_cdo/aid/591213/jewish/Video.htm">Jewish.TV</a> for more <a href="http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/default_cdo/aid/591213/jewish/Video.htm">Jewish videos</a>.</span>
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WOMEN
Completing the Cosmic Puzzle, One Good Deed at a Time
I know I probably shouldn’t use these cozy nighttime bonding sessions to drive home lessons to my kids, but this was just too good to pass up. by Rochel Leah Fuchs
“You know, Mommy,” Lazer began, “if Adam hadn’t eaten from the tree, we would all live forever!”
Like most children, my son often bounces ideas he has just learned in school off me, and they sometimes seem to come out of left field.Now I had his attention
I know I probably shouldn’t use these cozy nighttime bonding sessions to drive home lessons to my kids, but this was just too good to pass up.
“That’s right! And you know what?” I rejoined. “We are all a little piece of Adam.”
“Really?”
Now I had his attention.
“Yes. If Adam hadn’t eaten from the tree, he would have lived forever, and we’d also be living forever. But after he made that mistake, he had to die at some point, and so that’s why we also need to die.”
Lazer was still quiet. It was one of those magical moments in which his mind lay open and bare before me, ready to absorb all I could pour into it. I was cautious, aware of the impact each word would have as it fell into his fresh, impressionable young psyche.
“But you know what? We can do teshuvah[repent] for Adam’s mistake. Because we are all a little piece of him, our job in this world is to fix the mistake that he made. Do you know how we need to do it?”
He was silent, still listening. I continued, explaining how before Adam ate from the tree, his yetzer hara (evil inclination) was outside of him; it was a physical thing, separate and removed from Adam himself. The yetzer hara was the snake. “And he’s the one who told Adam to eat from the tree, right?”
My son nodded. There’s something about talking snakes that captures the imagination of little boys.
“After he listened to the snake and ate from the tree, the yetzer hara went into him. Now it’s inside all of us. It’s that voice that tries to get us to do the wrong thing. It’s that voice that tells us to fight with people or to say mean things that will hurt someone’s feelings. Every time we say no to that voice, we’re doingteshuvah for Adam’s mistake.”
Waving my hands in an arc in front of us, I painted an imaginary picture in the space above our heads. The theme was becoming more real for me, too, as I stepped into the mind of my son and tried to hold his attention.
“Imagine a huge puzzle. Every time a person in the world does the right thing, it’s like he did one part of the teshuvah that we all need to do for Adam’s mistake. One piece gets put into the puzzle.” I paused, lifting my hand and placing an imaginary piece into the invisible puzzle above our heads. “See? Like this. When all the puzzle pieces are in, the picture will be finished, and then Moshiach will come!”
Lazer was very excited. “Really?!” he asked.
“Yes. And the harder it is for us to listen to the good voice, the more it is worth. That’s our job. That’s what we’re here for!”
I listened to my own words as I spoke. Jewish thought, distilled for an 8-year-old mind, is simple and clear, yet for me this basic message often gets lost in the myriad distractions of everyday living.
Sometimes, it takes a child to remind us of what life is all about.Which of us got more out of the exchange?
And so I wondered: Which one of us had gotten more out of this exchange?
Together, we stared at the imaginary puzzle above our heads. We pictured what it would look like completed: full, glorious and beautiful.
As Lazer drifted off to sleep, I thanked G‑d silently: for my son, and for giving me the words that would help him understand how to become a better person. It was a satisfying feeling, kind of like finding the missing piece of a puzzle and putting it in its place. For that moment, in my little corner of the world, the picture was complete.
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How to Become Religious Without Losing Yourself
About 10 years ago I fell head over heels in love with Judaism… by Mindy RubensteinAbout 10 years ago my husband and I, along with our two toddlers, attended a beautiful Chabad Shabbat dinner, where I fell head over heels in love with Judaism. I admit, initially it was not a mutual infatuation. I saw a holy, meaningful—and exciting—lifestyle, and wanted to jump in with both feet. My husband, however, was respectful yet hesitant. Together, over the next decade, we navigated what would become an all-encompassing lifestyle. We started somewhat slowly, from lighting ShabbatIt was not a mutual infatuation candles and having challahand chicken soup, to eventually fully observing Shabbat, keeping kosher in and out of the home, and adhering tofamily purity laws. We also had more children, in essence doubling the family size to which we were both accustomed.
In time, we acted and dressed the part of observant Jews.
Looking back, however, it was not the most seamless and thought-through transition. I was at times judgmental of our extended families, for example, for not having given us “more Judaism,” and then for not embracing our newly found nirvana.
Those of us who “find” religion often go through changes, as we examine parts of our inner selves we didn’t know existed, says Rabbi Aron Moss, co-director of Nefesh Shul in Sydney, Australia, in his article Is Judaism a Cult? As a result, we may re-evaluate ourselves and our lives. All growth is accompanied by some upheaval and instability. But when we make sudden changes, we may leave part of ourselves behind.
This is not the Jewish way, Rabbi Moss says. Any life changes should be done gradually and with thought, as they integrate with your personality rather than overcome it. In other words, religion should enhance and deepen your identity to make you a better you. That’s what G‑d wants, I think. To serve Him, but not to lose yourself in the process. And since I was already married with children at the time, it meant also preserving and respecting my relationship with my husband. To work together in slowly and methodically embracing the mitzvahs in an effort to retain peace within the home.
When we started keeping kosher, I was very vocal at our families’ homes about it, essentially using food to separate myself from them. I have learned over the years, through my mistakes, that there are ways to keep kosher yet still participate respectfully and lovingly in family get-togethers. Observing mitzvahs shouldn’t be a source of stress or contention—if it is, it’s not being done the right way.
Partway into our evolution, when I announced proudly that I wanted to stop driving on Shabbat, my rebbetzin warned me, “Don’t take the decision to keep Shabbat lightly. Once you cross that line, you don’t want to give it up because it becomes too difficult.” So we waited until the right time.
I understood her wisdom when, early on in my observant lifestyle, I went and bought a wig, the traditional way many Jewish women choose to cover their hair. It was gorgeous. But I didn’t consult my husband first, or a rabbi or rebbetzin, or make a plan for observing the mitzvah. Over the years that followed, I struggled with this mitzvah. Because it wasn’t done gradually, with thought.
As I look at myself in the mirror, sometimes I don’t recognize the free-spirited, creative, earthy young woman my family once knew. And now I understand better why they may have balked at our new lifestyle. It wasn’t so much that we adopted unfamiliar Jewish rituals, but rather that I had in essence closed a door on my former self, rather than integrate her into my new life.
As someone once told me, “It’s better to be on the outside looking in than on the inside looking out.” After working so hard to be in the fold of observant Judaism, I suddenly found myself staving off a feeling of resistance. As if these mitzvahs, this lifestyle, were being forced upon me, even though I had so passionately embraced them. Perhaps I had left behind, or ignored, parts of myself that needed tending.
This may be the reason that some baalai teshuvah (returnees to observant Judaism) veer off the path completely. It’s so important to find a rabbi or rebbetzin to guide you, and to consult with them throughout thePerhaps I had ignored parts of myself that needed tending ongoing process. And I don’t think we are all meant to jump so fully into a life-transforming version of Judaism. Learn about the mitzvahs, about Judaism andTorah, and surround yourself with growth-minded people. But go slowly, and do what makes sense for you. And, most importantly, whichever mitzvahs you choose should be done with love and respect for those around you.
For me, I think the key to embracing my identity as an observant Jewish woman was to create a balance, where my old self could come back again, but with an enhanced depth and direction. I realized that my creativity and talents should not be shunted away, but should be utilized within a framework of Torah to reveal the unique aspects of myself and the role G‑d has placed before me.
Sometimes, it seems, you do have to lose a bit of yourself to really find yourself again.
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PARSHAH
Can You Wait?
The very first failing of the very first human beings was the desire for instant gratification. What is not so well known is that the fruit of the forbidden tree was not intended to be eternally prohibited... by Michoel Gourarie
There is an interesting agricultural mitzvah called orlah. The commandment states that when we plant a tree, we are prohibited to eat its fruit for the first three years. Once this time has passed, we are free to enjoy the fruit and thank G‑d for the blessings He has given us.How to Become Religious Without Losing Yourself
About 10 years ago I fell head over heels in love with Judaism… by Mindy RubensteinAbout 10 years ago my husband and I, along with our two toddlers, attended a beautiful Chabad Shabbat dinner, where I fell head over heels in love with Judaism. I admit, initially it was not a mutual infatuation. I saw a holy, meaningful—and exciting—lifestyle, and wanted to jump in with both feet. My husband, however, was respectful yet hesitant. Together, over the next decade, we navigated what would become an all-encompassing lifestyle. We started somewhat slowly, from lighting ShabbatIt was not a mutual infatuation candles and having challahand chicken soup, to eventually fully observing Shabbat, keeping kosher in and out of the home, and adhering tofamily purity laws. We also had more children, in essence doubling the family size to which we were both accustomed.
In time, we acted and dressed the part of observant Jews.
Looking back, however, it was not the most seamless and thought-through transition. I was at times judgmental of our extended families, for example, for not having given us “more Judaism,” and then for not embracing our newly found nirvana.
Those of us who “find” religion often go through changes, as we examine parts of our inner selves we didn’t know existed, says Rabbi Aron Moss, co-director of Nefesh Shul in Sydney, Australia, in his article Is Judaism a Cult? As a result, we may re-evaluate ourselves and our lives. All growth is accompanied by some upheaval and instability. But when we make sudden changes, we may leave part of ourselves behind.
This is not the Jewish way, Rabbi Moss says. Any life changes should be done gradually and with thought, as they integrate with your personality rather than overcome it. In other words, religion should enhance and deepen your identity to make you a better you. That’s what G‑d wants, I think. To serve Him, but not to lose yourself in the process. And since I was already married with children at the time, it meant also preserving and respecting my relationship with my husband. To work together in slowly and methodically embracing the mitzvahs in an effort to retain peace within the home.
When we started keeping kosher, I was very vocal at our families’ homes about it, essentially using food to separate myself from them. I have learned over the years, through my mistakes, that there are ways to keep kosher yet still participate respectfully and lovingly in family get-togethers. Observing mitzvahs shouldn’t be a source of stress or contention—if it is, it’s not being done the right way.
Partway into our evolution, when I announced proudly that I wanted to stop driving on Shabbat, my rebbetzin warned me, “Don’t take the decision to keep Shabbat lightly. Once you cross that line, you don’t want to give it up because it becomes too difficult.” So we waited until the right time.
I understood her wisdom when, early on in my observant lifestyle, I went and bought a wig, the traditional way many Jewish women choose to cover their hair. It was gorgeous. But I didn’t consult my husband first, or a rabbi or rebbetzin, or make a plan for observing the mitzvah. Over the years that followed, I struggled with this mitzvah. Because it wasn’t done gradually, with thought.
As I look at myself in the mirror, sometimes I don’t recognize the free-spirited, creative, earthy young woman my family once knew. And now I understand better why they may have balked at our new lifestyle. It wasn’t so much that we adopted unfamiliar Jewish rituals, but rather that I had in essence closed a door on my former self, rather than integrate her into my new life.
As someone once told me, “It’s better to be on the outside looking in than on the inside looking out.” After working so hard to be in the fold of observant Judaism, I suddenly found myself staving off a feeling of resistance. As if these mitzvahs, this lifestyle, were being forced upon me, even though I had so passionately embraced them. Perhaps I had left behind, or ignored, parts of myself that needed tending.
This may be the reason that some baalai teshuvah (returnees to observant Judaism) veer off the path completely. It’s so important to find a rabbi or rebbetzin to guide you, and to consult with them throughout thePerhaps I had ignored parts of myself that needed tending ongoing process. And I don’t think we are all meant to jump so fully into a life-transforming version of Judaism. Learn about the mitzvahs, about Judaism andTorah, and surround yourself with growth-minded people. But go slowly, and do what makes sense for you. And, most importantly, whichever mitzvahs you choose should be done with love and respect for those around you.
For me, I think the key to embracing my identity as an observant Jewish woman was to create a balance, where my old self could come back again, but with an enhanced depth and direction. I realized that my creativity and talents should not be shunted away, but should be utilized within a framework of Torah to reveal the unique aspects of myself and the role G‑d has placed before me.
Sometimes, it seems, you do have to lose a bit of yourself to really find yourself again.
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PARSHAH
Can You Wait?
The very first failing of the very first human beings was the desire for instant gratification. What is not so well known is that the fruit of the forbidden tree was not intended to be eternally prohibited... by Michoel Gourarie
There is a mystical explanation of the mitzvah that provides an insight into one of the foundations of personal and spiritual growth.
The very first failing of the very first human beings was the desire for instant gratification. Self-control and discipline remind us that there is more to life than just eating delicious fruitThe first transgression recorded in the Torah is when Adamand Eve ate from the forbidden fruit. Although this story is famous, what is not so well known is that the fruit of the forbidden tree was not intended to be eternally prohibited. Adam and Eve were created on Friday afternoon. They were instructed not to eat the fruit for only three hours, until Shabbat. Once Friday night had arrived, the fruit would have been theirs to enjoy. They lacked the self-control to delay that pleasure.
The three years that we wait before eating fruit of any tree is a reminder of the three hours that Adam and Eve did not wait to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.
The delicacies of the world were given to us to enjoy. But self-control and discipline remind us that there is more to life than just eating delicious fruit. Creating boundaries around our indulgences helps create a focus and consciousness that there is a bigger picture. Enjoying life’s blessings is just a small part of an existence also filled with meaning, values and a higher purpose. Greed, lack of control, the need for instant gratification and hedonism are destructive, and create empty lives and purposeless existence.
The delicious fruit trees are G‑d’s gift to us. But the commandment to wait three years before enjoying them is an even greater gift, the gift of discipline and self-control.
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The Holiday of Weeks
Why is the Torah silent about the date of the most important event in the history? by Menachem Feldman
Why does the Torah neglect to mention this most crucial detail—the reason for the celebration?
With its silence, the Torah is telling us something important about the giving of the Torah. Divine revelation is not specific to a particular time and place in our history. There is no one day a year designated to celebrate the Divine revelation, because Divine revelation occurs every time we open and study the Torah. Indeed, in the blessing before reading the Torah, we refer to G‑d as “the one who gives the Torah.” Note that “gives” is in the present tense, conveying that G‑d is continuously giving us the Torah.
The Torah is silent about the date of the most important event in the history of mankind in order to teach us that anytime we open the Torah, G‑d is speaking to us directly, personally.
What then do we commemorate on Shavuot, the Holiday of Weeks?
Unlike the Holiday of Matzot and the Holiday of Sukkot, its name does not describe the way we celebrate the holiday. Rather, it describes the lead-up to the holiday, the obligation to count seven weeks in anticipation of and preparation for the giving of the Torah. Although G‑d speaks to us every time we open the book, sometimes we fail to perceive the power of the experience. We are tuned out spiritually, distracted by day-to-day life. We are like an unplowed field being showered with rain: The rain has the power to bring forth growth, but the earth is too rough to accept the water.
So G‑d commands us to designate some time for spiritual refinement, to count 49 days, to understand that G‑d wants to talk to us and that we must tune in if we are to benefit from the experience. Finally, on the 50th day, on the anniversary of the giving of the Torah, after all the preparation, every Jew can finally feel it: Yes, G‑d is talking to me, personally.
In the final analysis, the 50th day is unique because of the preparation, the weeks of counting. Hence the name “Holiday of Weeks.” The actual revelation, however, happens every time we read the Torah.
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Emor 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.
Parshat Emor In-Depth
Leviticus 21:1-24:23
Parshah Summary
“Speak to the kohanim, the sons of Aaron,” says G‑d to Moses in the Parshah of Emor, “and say to them . . .”
The kohanim (priests), who perform the service in the Holy Temple on behalf of the people, must adhere to a higher standard of sanctity. They must avoid all contact with a dead body except in the case of a spouse, mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or unmarriedsister. A kohen is also forbidden to marry “a harlot or profaned woman; nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband.”
A kohen with a physical deformity may not serve in the Holy Temple, nor may a deformed animal be brought as an offering.
Also commanded in Emor:
On the second day of Passover, an omer (a biblical measure, the equivalent of approximately 3 pounds) of barley from the very first grain harvest of the year is to be brought as an offering in the Holy Temple. It is forbidden to eat from the year’s harvest until the Omer offering is brought. From that day begins the countdown to the festival of Shavuot, when an offering of “two breads” prepared from wheat are offered:
The kohanim (priests), who perform the service in the Holy Temple on behalf of the people, must adhere to a higher standard of sanctity. They must avoid all contact with a dead body except in the case of a spouse, mother, father, son, daughter, brother, or unmarriedsister. A kohen is also forbidden to marry “a harlot or profaned woman; nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband.”
The high priest (kohen gadol) among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not allow the hair of his head to grow long, nor tear his clothes.
Nor shall he go into [a place where there is] a dead body, nor contaminate himself [even] for his father or for his mother.
Nor shall he go out of the Sanctuary . . . for the crown of the anointing oil of his G‑d is upon him.
The kohen gadol may not marry a widow either, for “he shall marry a woman in her virginity.”Nor shall he go into [a place where there is] a dead body, nor contaminate himself [even] for his father or for his mother.
Nor shall he go out of the Sanctuary . . . for the crown of the anointing oil of his G‑d is upon him.
A kohen with a physical deformity may not serve in the Holy Temple, nor may a deformed animal be brought as an offering.
Also commanded in Emor:
A bullock or sheep or goat that is born shall be seven days with its mother; from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire to G‑d.
Whether it be cow or ewe, you shall not kill both it and its young in one day.
Our Parshah also contains the precept “I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel,” which implies the duty to “sanctify the Name” by giving up one’s life, if necessary, rather than betray our covenant with G‑d.Whether it be cow or ewe, you shall not kill both it and its young in one day.
Appointments in Time
Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: The appointed times of G‑d, which you shall proclaim as callings of holiness—these are My appointed times:
Six days shall work be done. But the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a calling of holiness; you shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to G‑d in all your dwellings . . .
On the fourteenth day of the first month towards evening is G‑d’s Passover. On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Matzot to G‑d: seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
The first and seventh days of the “Festival of Matzot” are days of rest, on which no work is done.Six days shall work be done. But the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a calling of holiness; you shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to G‑d in all your dwellings . . .
On the fourteenth day of the first month towards evening is G‑d’s Passover. On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Matzot to G‑d: seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.
On the second day of Passover, an omer (a biblical measure, the equivalent of approximately 3 pounds) of barley from the very first grain harvest of the year is to be brought as an offering in the Holy Temple. It is forbidden to eat from the year’s harvest until the Omer offering is brought. From that day begins the countdown to the festival of Shavuot, when an offering of “two breads” prepared from wheat are offered:
You shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the Shabbat, from the day on which you bring the Omer offering, seven complete weeks they shall be; until the morrow of the seventh week, you shall count fifty days. . . . And you shall proclaim that very day a holy festival.
The first of the seventh month (Tishrei) is a day ofremembrance and blowing of the shofar (ram’s horn). The tenth day of that monthMore Appointments
shall be a day of atonement; it shall be a calling of holiness to you. You shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to G‑d. You shall do no work on that very same day, for it is a day of atonement (yom kippurim), to make atonement for you before G‑d.
On the fifteenth of Tishrei begins the seven-day Sukkot festival, followed by an eighth day of festivities (Shemini Atzeret):
The first day shall be a day of rest, and on the eighth day shall be a day of rest.
You shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of the hadar tree, branches of palm trees, the boughs of thick-leaved trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the L‑rd your G‑d seven days . . .
You shall dwell in huts seven days . . . so that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in huts when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am the L‑rd your G‑d.
Moses declared to the children of Israel the appointed seasons of G‑d.
You shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of the hadar tree, branches of palm trees, the boughs of thick-leaved trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the L‑rd your G‑d seven days . . .
You shall dwell in huts seven days . . . so that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in huts when I brought them out of the land of Egypt; I am the L‑rd your G‑d.
Moses declared to the children of Israel the appointed seasons of G‑d.
The Blasphemer
The son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel. This son of an Israelite woman fought in the camp with a man of Israel.
The Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the name of G‑d and cursed; they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomit, the daughter of Divri, of the tribe of Dan. They put him in custody, for [his penalty] to be specified by the mouth of G‑d.
G‑d spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring forth outside the camp the one who has cursed . . . and all the congregation shall stone him.”
On that occasion, G‑d also commands that one who murders a fellow man shall meet with the death penalty. One who injures a fellow, or kills an animal, must make monetary restitution.The Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the name of G‑d and cursed; they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomit, the daughter of Divri, of the tribe of Dan. They put him in custody, for [his penalty] to be specified by the mouth of G‑d.
G‑d spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring forth outside the camp the one who has cursed . . . and all the congregation shall stone him.”
From Our Sages
Speak to the kohanim, the sons of Aaron, and say to them . . . (Leviticus 21:1)“Speak” and “say”—enjoin the elders regarding the youngsters.
(Talmud; Rashi)
The above dictum, which constitutes a primary biblical source for the concept of education, also offers insight into the nature of education.The word used by the Talmud and Rashi—lehazhir, “to enjoin”—also means “to shine.” Hence the phrase “to enjoin the elders regarding the youngsters” also translates as “to illuminate the elders regarding the youngsters.” Education is not only an elder teaching a youngster; it is also an illumination for the educator.
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)
MoreThus the verse states: “Who is this, coming from Edom; with rancid and bloodied clothes, from Bozrah? . . . I, [replies G‑d,] who speaks in righteousness, mighty to save . . . all My garments I have soiled” (Isaiah 63:1–3). Israel is G‑d’s “virgin sister, who has not married a man”—who has resisted all the alien masters she has been subject to throughout her exile. For her sake G‑d “contaminates” Himself, to battle her enemies and to raise her from the dust.
(Zohar)
moreBut he does contaminate himself for the sake of ameit mitzvah (a dead person who has no one to attend to him).
(Talmud; Rashi)
It was resolved in the upper chambers of the house of Nithza in Lod: Regarding every law of the Torah, if a man is threatened, “Transgress, lest you be killed,” he may transgress to avoid being killed . . . as it is written (Leviticus 18:5), “[Keep My statutes and My laws, which man should do and] live by them”—not die by them . . . except for idolatry,arayot (incest and adultery), and murder [for which a person must give up his life rather than transgress] . . .
When Rav Dimi came, he said: This applies only if there is no tyrant’s decree [whose purpose is to uproot the Jewish faith]; but if there is a tyrant’s decree, one must incur martyrdom rather than transgress even a minor precept. When Ravin came, he said in Rabbi Yochanan’s name: Even without a tyrant’s decree, it was permitted only in private; but in public one must be martyred even for a minor precept rather than violate it. What is meant by a “minor precept”? Rabbah the son of Rav Yitzchak said in Rav’s name: Even to change one’s shoe strap (from Jewish to gentile custom).
(Talmud, Sanhedrin 74a)
These are the appointed times of G‑d, callings of holiness, which you shall call in their appointed time (23:2)
The festivals are “callings of holiness” (mikra’ei kodesh), in the sense that each is a landmark in time at which we are empowered to call forth the particular holiness or spiritual quality embedded within it.On the first Passover, for example, G‑d granted us the gift of freedom. On the first Shavuot, He gave us the Torah; on Rosh Hashanah, G‑d became king of the universe; on Yom Kippur, we received the gift of teshuvah; and so on. But freedom, wisdom, awe, joy, peace, and the other Divine gifts granted in the course of our history are constant needs of the soul; they are the spiritual nutrients that sustain her in her journey through life. G‑d embedded these qualities within the very substance of time, and set “appointed times” at which they can be accessed. Each year, when we arrive at the juncture of time where a particular spiritual quality has been embedded, we are granted the ability to access it once again.
The special mitzvot of each festival are the tools with which we “call forth the holiness” of the day: eating matzah on Passover unearths the gift of freedom, sounding the shofar on Rosh Hashanah calls forth its quality of awe, and so on with all “the appointed times of G‑d.”
(The Chassidic Masters)
A king was traveling through the desert, and his son, the crown prince, thirsted for water. But instead of dispatching a horseman to fetch water from the nearest town, the king ordered a well to be dug at that very spot and to mark it with a signpost.“At the present time,” explained the king to his son, “we have the means to obtain water far more quickly and easily. But perhaps one day, many years in the future, you will again be traveling this way. Perhaps you will be alone, without the power and privilege you now enjoy. Then the well we dug today will be here to quench your thirst. Even if the sands of time have filled it, you will be able to reopen it if you remember the spot and follow the signpost we have set.”
This is what G‑d did for us by establishing the festivals at those points in time when He initially granted us the gift of freedom on Passover, joy on Sukkot, and so on.
(Mar’eh Yechezkel)
You shall count for yourselves from the morrow of the Shabbat, from the day on which you bring the Omer offering; seven complete weeks they shall be . . . (23:15)
The word sefirah, “counting,” also means “illumination.” On each of the forty-nine days of Sefirat HaOmer (the “Counting of the Omer”), we refine, develop and illuminate another of the forty-nine traits of our soul.
(Rabbi DovBer, the Maggid of Mezeritch)
More
In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a day of rest, a memorial of blowing of horns, a calling of holiness (23:24)
On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed: How many shall pass on, and how many shall be born. Who shall live, and who shall die; who in his time, and who before his time. Who by water, and who by fire; who by sword, and who by beast; who by hunger, and who by thirst; who by earthquake, and who by plague. Who shall rest, and who shall wander. . . . Who shall be impoverished, and who shall be enriched. Who shall fall and who shall rise . . .
(From the Rosh Hashanah prayers)
On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, all things revert to their primordial state. The Inner Will ascends and is retracted into the Divine essence; the worlds are in a state of sleep, and are sustained only by the Outer Will. The service of man on Rosh Hashanah is to rebuild the Divine attribute of sovereignty and reawaken the Divine desire “I shall reign,” with the sounding of the shofar.
(Pri Etz Chaim)
more[The sages say:] Yom Kippur atones only for those who repent. Rabbi [Judah HaNassi] says: Yom Kippur atones whether one repents or one does not repent.
(Talmud, Shevuot 13a)
On Yom Kippur, the day itself atones . . . as it is written, “For on this day, it shall atone for you.”
(Mishneh Torah)
moreHow [does one fulfill] the mitzvah of dwelling in thesukkah? One should eat, drink and live in thesukkah, both day and night, as one lives in one’s house on the other days of the year. For seven days a person should make his home his temporary dwelling, and his sukkah his permanent dwelling.
(Shulchan Aruch)
Sukkah is the only mitzvah into which a person enters with his muddy boots.
(Chassidic saying)
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STORY
The Mystery of the Second Suit
"Go back to your shop," advised Rabbi Yerachmiel. "Remove all the stitches in this garment, sew them anew exactly how you sewed them before, and bring it to the prince."
"But then I'll have the same garment I have now!" protested the tailor. by Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin
“Rebbe, I am a tailor. Over the years I have earned quite a reputation for my expertise and the high quality of my work. All the nobles in the area order their livery and their ladies’ dresses from me.
“Several months ago I received the most important commission of my life. The prince himself heard of me, and asked that I sew him a suit of clothes from the finest silk to be gotten in the land. But when I brought him the finished product, he began yelling and cursing: ‘This is the best you can do? Why, it’s atrocious! Who taught you to sew?’ He ordered me out of his house and threw the garment out after me.
“Rebbe, I am ruined. All my capital is invested in the cloth. Worse still, my reputation has been totally destroyed. No one will dare order anything from me after this. I don’t understand what happened! This is the best work I’ve ever done!”
“Go back to your shop,” advised Rabbi Yerachmiel. “Remove all the stitches in this garment, sew them anew exactly as you sewed them before, and bring it to the prince.”
“But then I’ll have the same garment I have now!” protested the tailor.
“Do as I say, and G‑d will help.”
Two weeks later, the tailor was back. “Rebbe, you saved my life! To be honest, I had little faith in your strange idea. But having nothing to lose, I did as you said. When I presented the result to the prince, his eyes lit up. ‘Beautiful!’ he cried. ‘You have more than lived up to your reputation. This is the finest suit of clothes I have ever seen.’ He rewarded me handsomely, and promised to send more work my way.
“But I don’t understand—what was the difference between the first suit and the second, if the cloth was cut and sewn in exactly the same way?”
“The first suit,” explained Rabbi Yerachmiel, “was sewn with arrogance and pride. The result was a spiritually repulsive garment, which though technically perfect was devoid of all grace and beauty. The second suit was sewn with a humble spirit and a broken heart, investing in the garment an inner beauty that evokes awe and admiration in everyone who beholds it.”
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Withheld Blessings
The Rebbe's son was moved by her tears, but he had promised his brother to temporarily not give any blessings. by Yerachmiel Tilles
In Petersburg behind closed doors, the highest officials in the land were drawing up evil decrees against the Jews of Russia. There was no time to waste, and so Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (known as theTzemach Tzedek) dispatched his son Shmuel to Petersburg with orders to make sure the decree would not pass. Rabbi Shmuel was the rebbe’s youngest son, yet it was Shmuel who was chosen for this important mission. But he did not travel alone. His older brother, Rabbi Yehuda Leib, who was twenty years his senior, accompanied him to the capital.
Before they embarked on their journey, Rabbi Shmuel made one request of his brother: “I must insist upon one condition if we are to travel together. I must ask that you refrain from giving any blessings along the journey. Our father is the rebbe, and only he should be the one to give blessings.”
Rabbi Yehuda Leib “Our father is the rebbe, and only he should be the one to give blessings.”was accustomed to granting requests for blessings; people always gathered around him wherever he went, asking for his help in serious matters of health, livelihood, or any of the myriad of problems that plagued them in those harsh times. He was uncomfortable acceding to his brother’s wishes, but under the circumstances he had no choice but to agree. Keeping his word, however, wasn’t so simple. For people were used to receiving Rabbi Yehuda Leib’s blessings, and whenever people heard of his arrival, they flocked to meet him. Each person came with a different, equally pressing need for Divine mercy, and each tragic story pierced Rabbi Yehuda Leib’s kind, compassionate heart like an arrow.
In one village he encountered an especially persistent woman. Stationing herself in front of Rabbi Yehuda Leib, she begged him to bless her, crying, screaming and weeping unrelentingly. The heartbroken woman had no children, and she was determined not to budge until Rabbi Yehuda Leib blessed her with a child. Yehuda Leib was moved by her tears, but he had promised his brother, and so he steadfastly refused to give a blessing. He replied only, “Go to my father. He will surely bless you.” The woman refused to be put off, and her wailing could be heard throughout the entire village. Finally, in utter desperation, he cried, “Go to my brother; perhaps he will bless you!”
The woman’s countenance changed at once, and soon she appeared before Rabbi Shmuel. The entire scene was repeated, complete with cries, screams and bitter tears. Even a rock would have dissolved in the face of such grievous pain, and Reb Shmuel was certainly not impervious to her agony, but he followed his own counsel, insisting, “Go to my father; he will surely bless you.”
The woman continued her plaintive cries until, unable to respond any further, Rabbi Shmuel turned to his brother and said, “Call the coachman so that we may leave this place!”
The driver leaped to his seat and urged the horses forward, but the wheels didn’t budge. He descended from the coach and snapped at the woman, “Go eat a bagel!”The resourceful woman had placed a stick between the spokes of the wheel and the coach was immobilized. Now Rabbi Shmuel reached the limit of his patience. He descended from the coach and snapped at the woman, “Go eat a bagel!”—the equivalent of “Go fly a kite!” in today’s vernacular. In a flash the annoying woman was gone, and the two brothers continued in peace on their way to do battle in Petersburg.
A year passed, and the incident with the distraught woman was long forgotten. In the interim the Tzemach Tzedek had passed away, and R. Shmuel, the youngest of his seven sons, became his successor in Lubavitch. (His brother, Rabbi Yehuda Leib, became the rebbe in Kopust.) One day a man appeared in Lubavitch before the new rebbe, bearing two beautiful cakes.
“Last year you gave my wife a blessing that she would have a child, and she has just given birth. She has asked me to bring these cakes to the Rebbe to thank him for his blessing.”
“Would you remind me of my meeting with your wife? I cannot remember that such an incident occurred last year.”
“Well, my wife was in the village of B., and she begged you to bless her with a child. You told her, ‘Go eat a bagel!’ And Rebbe, my wife ran to do exactly what you told her.”
“I am very happy to hear your good news. Tell me, though, why are you bringing me two cakes? Surely one would be thanks enough.”
“Forgive me. And so, instead of one, she ate two bagels, just to be sure.I didn’t tell you the whole story. You see, you told my wife to eat a bagel, but she was very anxious for your holy blessing to take hold. And so, instead of one, she ate two bagels, just to be sure. And it worked, for she has just given birth to twins! And that is why she sent you two cakes,” the beaming father concluded.
Rabbi Shmuel was deeply moved by the man’s words. “Know that there was a Divine decree that you and your wife would never have children. Therefore I was unable to promise her a child. It was just out of exasperation that I told her to ‘eat a bagel.’ But because of her pure and simple faith in the blessing of a tzaddik, the decree was annulled, and you and your wife have been blessed with children.”
Connection to the Weekly Reading: bringing two loaves of bread to theTemple
From www.lchaimweekly.org (#529), with permission.
Biographical note:
Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn (2 Iyar 1834–13 Tishrei 1882), the fourth Lubavitch Rebbe, known as the Rebbe Maharash, was the seventh and youngest son of his predecessor, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn, the Tzemach Tzedek.
Copyright 2003 by KabbalaOnline.org. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any form, unless with permission, in writing, from Kabbalah Online.
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LIFESTYLE
Bake Elegant Linzer Tarts by Miriam Szokovski
I love these pretty little things, but because they are more work than your typical cookie, I was waiting for an official occasion to make them.
During the spring we celebrate Lag BaOmer, a festive day on the Jewish calendar. The Talmud relates that in the weeks between the Jewish holidays of Passover and Shavuot, a plague raged amongst the disciples of the great sage Rabbi Akiva, because they did not act respectfully towards each other. This period, called Sefirat HaOmer, is observed as aperiod of mourning. On Lag BaOmer the deaths ceased, so Lag BaOmer also carries the theme of the imperative to love and respect one’s fellow(ahavat yisrael).
The heart-shaped red centers on these tarts are a good reminder of the importance of showing love, kindness and respect to those around us—even those we disagree with.
These are not your easy 10-minute cookie, but they are definitely doable. For the full recipe, scroll down, but here are some tips that should make it easier:
For easiest and cleanest rolling, roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper, and dip your cookie cutter into flour between every few cookies.
Cut your shapes and transfer the cookies to a parchment paper–lined pan,then cut out the centers once they’re already on the baking pan. If you cut out the centers first, the dough will be much harder to pick up and transfer to the pan.
Save the cut-out centers for tiny bite-size cookies. Bake them in a separate pan, because they require less oven time than the full-size cookies.
Refrigerate your trays of cookies for 10–15 minutes before putting them in the oven. These round cookies were refrigerated, and they kept their shape perfectly.
These cookies were not refrigerated. As you can see, they spread, almost completely closing up the cut-out centers.
But, if you forget to refrigerate them, don’t despair. They are salvageable. While the cookies are still warm, take the same cookie cutter you originally used for the center and cut it out again. It won’t look exactly the same, but it's pretty close, as you can see:
Dust the tops of the cookies with confectioner’s sugar before you assemble them. If you wait until they’re filled and closed, the sugar will land on the jam center, and you won’t see the color peeking through.
When you’re assembling the cookies, don’t put the jam on all the cookies and then put the tops on all the cookies. Work in small groups. Spread jam on 3–4 cookies, then cover those before moving on to the next. You don’t want the jam to set before you get a chance to put the tops on.
You can eat the cookies immediately, but if you let them sit for a day or two, they will taste better.
I think that pretty much covers it.
Oh, one more—a cookie cutter with scalloped edges will give you an elegant look without any extra effort on your part.
Cookie Ingredients
1 cup butter or margarine
½ cup sugar
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 egg
½ tsp. salt
2½ cups flour
1 cup almond flour (or very finely ground almonds)
Optional: ½ tsp. cinnamon and ½ tsp. nutmeg
Filling and Topping Ingredients:
Approximately 1½ cups fruit preserves (jam) in the flavor of your choice (I used strawberry)
¼ cup water
2–4 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Cookie Directions
Cream the butter, sugar and confectioner’s sugar.
Add the flour, almond flour, egg, salt, baking powder, cinnamon (optional) and nutmeg (optional). Mix until the dough comes together. You might need slightly more or less flour, so add the last ¼ cup slowly and see how the dough feels.
Wrap the dough in saran wrap or parchment paper, or put it in a Ziploc bag, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Take the dough out of the fridge, cut off about one-quarter and return the rest to the fridge for later. If the dough feels sticky, add a little bit of flour and/or flour your hands. Roll out the chunk of dough (check out this easy rolling method) about ⅛ inch thick.
Choose which shape cookie cutters you want to use, and begin cutting our your cookies. Make sure you cut an even number of each shape, so that you can sandwich them later. Carefully pick up the cookies and transfer them to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a small cookie cutter, cut out the centers on half the cookies.
(For cute mini-cookie bites, save the cutouts and bake on a separate pan for about 8 minutes.)
Place the cookie sheet in the fridge for 10–15 minutes. Then put it straight into the oven and bake for approximately 10 minutes until the edges are very lightly browned.
Remove pan from the oven, but don’t try to pick up the cookies immediately. Let them cool for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Repeat with the rest of the dough, until the dough has all been used.
Filling Directions
Place the fruit preserves (jam) and water in a small saucepan over a medium-low flame. Let it come to a slow boil, and then reduce to a low flame. Let the mixture simmer and reduce by about half. Stir occasionally.
If the mixture reduces too much, just add a little water and cook until the water is incorporated. Then remove from the fire.
Let the mixture cool and thicken a little, but don’t let it set completely.
To Assemble
Separate the tops and bottoms of the cookies. The cookies with the centers cut out will be the tops. Place them on a sheet of parchment paper and dust with confectioner’s sugar. Set aside.
Turn the cookie bottoms upside down. Spread with the jam and cover with the matching cookie tops. Set aside for about 30 minutes, until the filling sets.
For best flavor, let the cookies sit for a day or two before serving. This allows the cookies to soften a little as they absorb some of the moisture from the jam. Store in an airtight container.
Yields: 20 large Linzer tarts
Happy Lag BaOmer!
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Art: Dawn Over Golden Jerusalem by Eduard Gurevich
“Jerusalem of goldArt: Dawn Over Golden Jerusalem by Eduard Gurevich
and of bronze
and of light
Behold, I am a violin for all your songs . . .” (“Jerusalem of Gold”)
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JEWISH NEWS
Bread to Bots: Challah Helps Facebook Create a New Communication Medium
Facebook faithful learned a surprising inspiration for its Messenger platform: weekly batches of challah baked by Chabad-Lubavitch emissary Ella Potash by Mordechai Lightstone
App developers gathered in San Francisco recently for Facebook’s annual F8 conference. Culled from the technology and digital media elite, they came to explore the latest announcements from the tech giant.
When Seth Rosenberg, product manager for Facebook’s Messenger platform, took the stage to explore the company’s new Messenger Bot platform, the Facebook faithful learned a surprising inspiration for this latest technological gambit: weekly batches of challah baked by Chabad-Lubavitch emissary Ella Potash, co-director of Chabad of Redwood City, Calif., with her husband, Rabbi Levi Potash.
Bots, which let users get information and even purchase products through interactive conversations on the popular messaging service, are currently trending in the tech world. Everyone from Microsoft and Amazon—and now Facebook—has begun using it to change the way humans interact with technology. Facebook’s foray has the potential to reach Messenger’s 900 million monthly active users worldwide.
For Rosenberg, who has worked at Facebook since 2012, the inspiration derived from the twisted loaves of bread came naturally. “Growing up, my mother made challah every week,” he said. “Shabbat was something special to our family.”
When he moved to the Bay Area, however, he found himself isolated from Jewish life. “I’m not plugged into the Jewish community here,” he said. “Finding out about [Potash’s] challah has opened new ways for me to connect and explore my Judaism.”
“When we started developing the Messenger Bots platform, the experience that showed me bots could work was getting this challah,” explained Rosenberg. “It wasn’t this dry transaction on an e-commerce site. Instead, I could talk; I could ask questions and have this personal interaction.”
The bot platform represents an attempt to mirror the personal, conversational ways that business could be done online, he summarized.
Rosenberg, relatively new to the San Francisco Bay Area, found more than one connection through challah.
‘Love of Shabbat’
Growing up in Santa Barbara, Calif., Potash would watch her father, Chabad-Lubavitch emissary RabbiYosef Loschak, make and distribute challah to members of his Southern California community.
“Every week, we would bake challah with Tatty,” Potash said (using theYiddish term for “father”). “It was this amazing experience of seeing my father share his love of Shabbat with those he knew.”
Upon moving to Redwood City in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2009, making challah became a natural part of her family’s weekly routine. However, after Potash’s father passed away in 2014, she found a new sense of connection and mission by baking loaves for her community using his recipe—and even using the very mixer he had once given to her.
Last July, a Shabbat guest suggested that Potash sell challah to members of the community. “I was hesitant at first,” she acknowledged, “but after some thought, I told the guest that if six people interested in getting challah could be found, I would do it.”
The very next week, six fresh challahs were delivered to Facebook’s campus.
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.chabad.org/multimedia/mediaplayer/embedded/embed.js.asp?aid=3325182&width=auto&height=auto"></script><span style="clear:both;" class="lb" id="lbdiv">Visit <a href="http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/default_cdo/aid/591213/jewish/Video.htm">Jewish.TV</a> for more <a href="http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/default_cdo/aid/591213/jewish/Video.htm">Jewish videos</a>.</span>
One Deed Inspires Another
Since then, interest has boomed, with some 75 people eagerly awaiting their weekly delivery of “Ella’s Challah.” Profits from the sales help fund Chabad’s numerous programs and events for adults and children alike, from classes to holiday festivities to Shabbat dinners and more.
Each Friday, the loaves of challah—still warm from the oven—are dropped off with a contact at Facebook’s campus in Menlo Park and Google’s campus in Mountain View, in addition to local Jewish preschools.
Through this, Potash said she “started to feel a deeper connection to my father. I felt like I was able to share the Shabbos experience he used to treasure and teach to others.”
Ella Potash on her wedding day with her father, Chabad emissary Rabbi Yosef Loschak, who passed away in 2014.
That connection spread to others. Since the challah was ordered and paid for on Facebook’s Messenger platform, it wasn’t uncommon for her to chat with those ordering, engaging them in online conversation and hearing their thoughts.
When Rosenberg mentioned that the challah reminded him of his mother, she initially didn’t ascribe much to the comment. It was only afterwards that she learned that, like her father, Rosenberg’s mother had recently passed away. Potash helped him honor his mother’s memory on the annual yahrzeit, the anniversary of her passing.
As for the challah, “it has now become this tradition at Facebook,” declared Rosenberg. “People pick up their challah, say ‘Shabbat Shalom!’ and bond on Friday. Suddenly, people you didn’t know were even Jewish are asking where they can get it.”
What’s more, the whole experience has helped Rosenberg explore Jewish practice on his own. He recently hosted a Shabbat meal with friends, using family recipes his mother had compiled, along with, of course, Potash’s now famous challah.
“You get this challah, it’s delicious, and you want to use it” for something more than just a meal, he says. “What better way to enjoy it than to share it with others at a Shabbat of your own?”
The challah has become a new tradition at Facebook, where it is delivered every week.
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Ethics and Privacy on Tap at Jewish Lawyers and Jurists Conference
A number of big names coming to Chicago, with Chabad as co-sponsor. by Menachem Posner
When dozens of Jewish judges, attorneys and legal scholars from around the nation converge on Chicago’s prestigious Standard Club this week, they’ll get right down to business: sharpening their skills, improving their knowledge and discussing contemporary ethical issues.
Among the many offerings of the third annual National Conference of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists are presentations from deputy president of the Supreme Court of Israel Elyakim Rubinstein; a discussion on the case Apple v. FBI with Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe, dean of the Institute of American and Talmudic Law in New York City; a talk by Washington, D.C.-based attorney Nathan Lewin; and many sessions on the intersection of Jewish and secular law in Israel and the United States from an array of Talmudic and legal scholars.
There’s even a session on “Talmud and Taxes.”
“This conference stands out in the fact that it is not just intellectually stimulating, but also inspiring,” says organizer Rabbi Meir Hecht of Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois. “I find it particularly gratifying when participants see how their professional lives are connected to their Jewish heritage in a chain of tradition that began with Moses and continues today.”
Those in attendance will also have time to socialize and network over gourmet koshermeals for the duration of the two-day conference, which begins on Tuesday, May 17.
As a bonus, attorneys will earn 6.5 hours of MCLE general or ethics credits with reciprocity in almost all states.
For more information, visit the conference web site here.
Jewish judges, lawyers and legal scholars from around the nation will focus on legal education, ethics and privacy.
Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe
Attorney Nathan Lewin
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Flint Residents to Receive Free Health-Related Items
Chabad is part of efforts to relieve those still grappling with water-related issues. by Ronelle GrierLatherz, an all-in-one bathing sponge, and bottles of Vitamin C will be distributed to residents in Flint, Mich.
Families and children affected by the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Mich., will receive an innovative new bathing product designed for use with a minimal amount of water, thanks to the combined efforts of the Chabad of Eastern Michigan, the Jewish Federation of Flint and other local agencies.
The product by the Mars Wellness company, called Latherz, is an all-in-one bathing sponge with a water-activated soapy solution. A small amount of water (about 3 oz.) produces enough thick lather to thoroughly cleanse a child or adult. The solution is removed using a dry sponge or towel, resulting in a clean, freshly showered feeling with minimal water use.
After the city switched its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River as the result of cost-cutting measures in April 2014, it was discovered that the new water supply contained dangerously high levels of lead. Despite a switch back to the previous water supply more than a year later, in October 2015, many of the pipes throughout the city had sustained serious damage that caused the lead to be leached to residents through the water supply.
It is estimated that nearly 10,000 children have been exposed to lead levels high enough to cause significant health problems, including skin lesions, anxiety and cognitive deficits.
Latherz, which can also be used as a shampoo, was originally developed for use with geriatric patients or others where traditional bathing can be difficult. It has also become popular with campers and hikers, as well as in developing areas where running water is scarce.
After hundreds of Latherz sponges distributed through the WIC Office of Genesee County received overwhelming positive reviews, a representative from Mars Wellness contacted Rabbi Yisroel Weingarten, director of Chabad HouseLubavitch of Eastern Michigan. He agreed that Latherz would be an ideal solution for the many people coping with the effects of the lead-contamination discovered in the Flint water system and contacted Steven Low, executive director of the Flint Jewish Federation, to coordinate the effort.
A free public distribution of the product will take place on Wednesday, May 11, at 11:45 a.m., at the Jewish Federation offices on 619 Wallenberg St. in downtown Flint. The program is run by Chabad of Eastern Michigan and the Jewish Federation of Flint, in conjunction with the United Way and the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan.
Motti (Mark) Bakst, left, demonstrates use of the Latherz bathing sponge to communal leaders in Flint, including Rabbi Yisroel Weingarten, director of Chabad House Lubavitch of Eastern Michigan, third from right.
Money Raised for Vitamins
In another effort to help residents of the beleaguered city, a New York Jewish day school raised funds to purchase more than 200 bottles of Vitamin C, which is known to help block lead absorption in those who were exposed to the contaminated water.
After reading about the beneficial effects of this particular vitamin, the PTAChesed Committee of the North Shore Hebrew Academy in Great Neck, N.Y., organized a gaga/dodgeball tournament. The students wore orange in support of the initiative, which raised more than $2,000 for the cause. To help support the Flint economy, the vitamins were purchased through a Flint-based business, and will be distributed to residents by the Chabad of Eastern Michigan and the Flint Jewish Federation.
“The Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory] teaches us that our mission is to make the world a better place,” said Rabbi Weingarten, “and here’s an opportunity at our fingertips to do just that. We’re grateful to the Mars Wellness company and the North Shore Hebrew Academy for their help in accomplishing this mission.”
Weingarten back in March, helping to organize the distribution of bottled water to residents in need. With him, from left, are Jewish boxer Dmitry Salita, and Detroit boxing trainers Javan “Sugar” Hill and Travone Chambers.
The rabbi, Salita and Hill in a Flint-area warehouse storing bottled water for delivery.
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Flint Residents to Receive Free Health-Related Items
Chabad is part of efforts to relieve those still grappling with water-related issues. by Ronelle GrierLatherz, an all-in-one bathing sponge, and bottles of Vitamin C will be distributed to residents in Flint, Mich.
Families and children affected by the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Mich., will receive an innovative new bathing product designed for use with a minimal amount of water, thanks to the combined efforts of the Chabad of Eastern Michigan, the Jewish Federation of Flint and other local agencies.
The product by the Mars Wellness company, called Latherz, is an all-in-one bathing sponge with a water-activated soapy solution. A small amount of water (about 3 oz.) produces enough thick lather to thoroughly cleanse a child or adult. The solution is removed using a dry sponge or towel, resulting in a clean, freshly showered feeling with minimal water use.
After the city switched its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River as the result of cost-cutting measures in April 2014, it was discovered that the new water supply contained dangerously high levels of lead. Despite a switch back to the previous water supply more than a year later, in October 2015, many of the pipes throughout the city had sustained serious damage that caused the lead to be leached to residents through the water supply.
It is estimated that nearly 10,000 children have been exposed to lead levels high enough to cause significant health problems, including skin lesions, anxiety and cognitive deficits.
Latherz, which can also be used as a shampoo, was originally developed for use with geriatric patients or others where traditional bathing can be difficult. It has also become popular with campers and hikers, as well as in developing areas where running water is scarce.
After hundreds of Latherz sponges distributed through the WIC Office of Genesee County received overwhelming positive reviews, a representative from Mars Wellness contacted Rabbi Yisroel Weingarten, director of Chabad HouseLubavitch of Eastern Michigan. He agreed that Latherz would be an ideal solution for the many people coping with the effects of the lead-contamination discovered in the Flint water system and contacted Steven Low, executive director of the Flint Jewish Federation, to coordinate the effort.
A free public distribution of the product will take place on Wednesday, May 11, at 11:45 a.m., at the Jewish Federation offices on 619 Wallenberg St. in downtown Flint. The program is run by Chabad of Eastern Michigan and the Jewish Federation of Flint, in conjunction with the United Way and the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan.
Motti (Mark) Bakst, left, demonstrates use of the Latherz bathing sponge to communal leaders in Flint, including Rabbi Yisroel Weingarten, director of Chabad House Lubavitch of Eastern Michigan, third from right.
Money Raised for Vitamins
In another effort to help residents of the beleaguered city, a New York Jewish day school raised funds to purchase more than 200 bottles of Vitamin C, which is known to help block lead absorption in those who were exposed to the contaminated water.
After reading about the beneficial effects of this particular vitamin, the PTAChesed Committee of the North Shore Hebrew Academy in Great Neck, N.Y., organized a gaga/dodgeball tournament. The students wore orange in support of the initiative, which raised more than $2,000 for the cause. To help support the Flint economy, the vitamins were purchased through a Flint-based business, and will be distributed to residents by the Chabad of Eastern Michigan and the Flint Jewish Federation.
“The Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory] teaches us that our mission is to make the world a better place,” said Rabbi Weingarten, “and here’s an opportunity at our fingertips to do just that. We’re grateful to the Mars Wellness company and the North Shore Hebrew Academy for their help in accomplishing this mission.”
Weingarten back in March, helping to organize the distribution of bottled water to residents in need. With him, from left, are Jewish boxer Dmitry Salita, and Detroit boxing trainers Javan “Sugar” Hill and Travone Chambers.
The rabbi, Salita and Hill in a Flint-area warehouse storing bottled water for delivery.
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