Editor's Note:
Absolute darkness, icy winds, and temperatures of -75°F (-60°C)… this is what a courageous Canadian air crew had to contend with on a daring medical rescue mission to the South Pole last week.
Antarctica is a lonely place in the winter. Only a handful of scientists, researchers and maintenance staff stick around to keep things running, and they are largely on their own. At the research station where the rescue took place, the sun set in March and won’t rise again until September. Storms and hurricane-force winds are commonplace, and temperatures can fluctuate wildly without warning, dipping well below -100°F (-84°C). This was only the third winter rescue ever attempted at the South Pole.
The evacuation was completed successfully, and the two sick workers have been transferred to a medical facility where they can receive the care they need to make a full recovery.
Sometimes, G‑d orchestrates things just so. This week we read about the spies’ negative report after visiting the Promised Land. They did not believe the Israelites would be able to conquer and settle it.
What they forgot to take into account was that G‑d had instructed Israel to enter the Land. And with G‑d’s help anything is possible.
Miraculous victories over strong, well-armed nations; a winter landing on the South Pole; or even world peace—our job is to try. The rest is up to Him.
Miriam Szokovski,
on behalf of the Chabad.org Editorial Team
Blind Love
The greatest gift of love is to turn a blind eye. The most essential glue of any union is the ability of at least one of you to say, “I understand. It’s okay. Let’s just get on with things.”
After all, that is what we continuously say to our own selves, out of our self-love. And it is what we would like the One Above to say to us
This Week's Features:
Printable Magazine
Secrets of the Chupah
The Kabbalah of Marriage by Avraham Plotkin
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YOUR QUESTIONS
How to Stop Snapping at Your Kids
I have an anger problem. And I never knew it until I became a parent. Because the only people I take my anger out on are my own kids. by Aron Moss
Question:
I have a dark secret. I have an anger problem. And I never knew it until I became a parent. Because the only people I take my anger out on are my own kids. I never had a temper before, but sometimes when my children misbehave and I am at my limit, I just explode and lose control. I don’t like myself at those moments, and know it is wrong. And yet I haven’t been able to control it. Any pointers on how to not lose it with my kids?
Answer:
Your dark secret is the dark secret of every parent. We all have our weak moments, when a combination of lack of sleep, pressures of life and our imperfect hearts conspire to make us lose it. And who are the poor victims of our fury? Those we love most, our children.
If it is happening frequently or if you are really harming your kids, you need urgent professional help. But if you’re loving and good to your kids overall, and you just snap now and then, you’re human. That doesn’t excuse your behavior; it just means you need to work on yourself, like everybody does.
Here are some wise words the Rebbe offered to a father who had the same dark secret.
The Rebbe asked, “If your neighbor dropped off his kids at your house to look after while he went out, and during that time the neighbor’s kids misbehaved, would you lose your temper with them?”
The father had to admit that no, when it is someone else’s kids misbehaving, we don’t allow ourselves to lose control, because they are not our kids. How could we face our neighbor when he returns to pick up his kids, only to find them crying and hurt? We don’t feel free to lose ourselves when the kids aren’t ours.
“Well,” continued the Rebbe, “your children are not yours either. They areG‑d’s children. He has entrusted them to you for a while to take care of. And you are answerable to G‑d for how you treat them.”
This simple but profound insight redefines the parents’ role. Children are not our property; they do not belong to us. They belong to G‑d, and we have been honored with the heavy responsibility of caring for them in their young years and guiding them for their future. If we’d be embarrassed to return our neighbor’s children having hurt them, then how much more should we recoil from the thought of hurting G‑d’s children.
As parents, we need to discipline our kids—that is an essential part of our role. But that must come from a place of love, not anger. It must be deliberate and thought-out, not impulsive and reactive.
This is all easy to say when we are calm and well-rested. But what do you do when you haven’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks, and you haven’t had three minutes to yourself since your five-year-old was born, and there’s pressure at work, and your sister-in-law has been driving you crazy about her silly issues, and everyone is hungry, and dinner is late, and just then your little boy kicks his soccer ball (which he knows he isn’t allowed to do indoors), and it knocks the platter of chicken onto the floor, which was just mopped by the overpriced cleaning lady (who told you she’s not coming back, as she got a permanent job), and as it smashes into a thousand pieces, your daughter says, “Good, I don’t like chicken,” and your other son says, “Can we go out for dinner now?” What do you do then?
You say two words to yourself: G‑d’s kids.
Why Do Jews Fly Their Dead to Israel for Burial?
The custom of burying our loved ones specifically in Israel is as old as the Jewish nation itself. by Yehuda Shurpin
Question:Secrets of the Chupah
The Kabbalah of Marriage by Avraham Plotkin
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YOUR QUESTIONS
How to Stop Snapping at Your Kids
I have an anger problem. And I never knew it until I became a parent. Because the only people I take my anger out on are my own kids. by Aron Moss
Question:I have a dark secret. I have an anger problem. And I never knew it until I became a parent. Because the only people I take my anger out on are my own kids. I never had a temper before, but sometimes when my children misbehave and I am at my limit, I just explode and lose control. I don’t like myself at those moments, and know it is wrong. And yet I haven’t been able to control it. Any pointers on how to not lose it with my kids?
Answer:
Your dark secret is the dark secret of every parent. We all have our weak moments, when a combination of lack of sleep, pressures of life and our imperfect hearts conspire to make us lose it. And who are the poor victims of our fury? Those we love most, our children.
If it is happening frequently or if you are really harming your kids, you need urgent professional help. But if you’re loving and good to your kids overall, and you just snap now and then, you’re human. That doesn’t excuse your behavior; it just means you need to work on yourself, like everybody does.
Here are some wise words the Rebbe offered to a father who had the same dark secret.
The Rebbe asked, “If your neighbor dropped off his kids at your house to look after while he went out, and during that time the neighbor’s kids misbehaved, would you lose your temper with them?”
The father had to admit that no, when it is someone else’s kids misbehaving, we don’t allow ourselves to lose control, because they are not our kids. How could we face our neighbor when he returns to pick up his kids, only to find them crying and hurt? We don’t feel free to lose ourselves when the kids aren’t ours.
“Well,” continued the Rebbe, “your children are not yours either. They areG‑d’s children. He has entrusted them to you for a while to take care of. And you are answerable to G‑d for how you treat them.”
This simple but profound insight redefines the parents’ role. Children are not our property; they do not belong to us. They belong to G‑d, and we have been honored with the heavy responsibility of caring for them in their young years and guiding them for their future. If we’d be embarrassed to return our neighbor’s children having hurt them, then how much more should we recoil from the thought of hurting G‑d’s children.
As parents, we need to discipline our kids—that is an essential part of our role. But that must come from a place of love, not anger. It must be deliberate and thought-out, not impulsive and reactive.
This is all easy to say when we are calm and well-rested. But what do you do when you haven’t had a good night’s sleep in weeks, and you haven’t had three minutes to yourself since your five-year-old was born, and there’s pressure at work, and your sister-in-law has been driving you crazy about her silly issues, and everyone is hungry, and dinner is late, and just then your little boy kicks his soccer ball (which he knows he isn’t allowed to do indoors), and it knocks the platter of chicken onto the floor, which was just mopped by the overpriced cleaning lady (who told you she’s not coming back, as she got a permanent job), and as it smashes into a thousand pieces, your daughter says, “Good, I don’t like chicken,” and your other son says, “Can we go out for dinner now?” What do you do then?
You say two words to yourself: G‑d’s kids.
Why Do Jews Fly Their Dead to Israel for Burial?
The custom of burying our loved ones specifically in Israel is as old as the Jewish nation itself. by Yehuda Shurpin
I was recently at a “funeral” at the airport of someone who was to be flown toIsrael for burial. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard of this happening. Why go to such great lengths to be buried in Israel?
Reply:
The custom of burying our loved ones specifically in Israel is an ancient one—as old as the Jewish nation itself. The Torah describes how, before their deaths, both Jacob and his son Joseph requested that they be buried in the Promised Land.1 As you rightfully observe, throughout history many have gone to great lengths to be buried in Israel. Here’s why.
Atonement
According to the Talmud, being buried in the Land of Israel brings a certain measure of atonement for sins:
Rav Anan said, “Anyone buried in the Land of Israel is considered as if he was buried beneath the altar; it is written here,2 ‘An altar of earth (adamah) you shall make for me,’ and it is written there,3‘His land (admato) will atone for His people.’”4
But does this apply to everyone buried in the Holy Land, or only to those who lived there as well? The Jerusalem Talmud discusses this very issue:
Rabbi bar Kiri and Rabbi Elazar were strolling in Istrina, and they saw coffins arriving in the Land of Israel from the Diaspora.
Rabbi bar Kiri said to Rabbi Elazar, “What are they achieving? I apply to them the verse,5 ‘You make My inheritance desolate [in your lives], and you came and defiled My land [in your deaths].’”
Replied Rabbi Elazar,“When they arrive in the Land of Israel, a clod of earth is placed in the coffin, as it is written, ‘His land will atone for His people.’”6
The halachah follows Rabbi Elazar, and burial in Israel is effective even for those who never lived there.7 (Incidentally, this conversation is the source for the custom of many burial societies of Diaspora communities to place some earth from the Land of Israel inside the coffins.)
An Easy Resurrection
One of the fundamental tenets of the Jewish faith is that the dead will come to life once again in the era of Moshiach.8 The Talmud explains that all the dead will be resurrected in the Land of Israel. The bodies of those who are buried outside of Israel will burrow through the earth until they reach Israel, and there their souls will be reinstated in their bodies. For the especially righteous, special tunnels will form beneath the ground, to make the journey easier and more dignified.9
In order to avoid this whole process, many choose to be buried in the soil of the Holy Land.
Staying with Their Flock
Notwithstanding the great merit of being buried in the land of Israel, some great Jewish leaders have opted to to be buried in the Diaspora to be close to their flock, just as Moses was buried in the Diaspora by Divine decree. Here is how the Midrash recounts the incident:
The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: “With what right do you request to enter the Land?”
This may be illustrated by a parable of a shepherd who went out to pasture the king’s flock. Alas, the entire flock was captured by bandits. When the shepherd sought to enter the royal palace, the king said to him: “If you come in now, what will people say? That it was you who have caused the flock to be taken!”
Likewise, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: “Your glory is that you have taken 600,000 people out of bondage. But now you will have buried them in the wilderness, and bring a different generation into the land!? This being so, people will say that the generation of the wilderness have no share in the world to come! No, better be beside them, and you shall enter with them in the time to come [with Moshiach] . . .”10
May it be speedily in our days!
FOOTNOTES
1.See Genesis 47:29–31.
2.Exodus 20:21.
3.Deuteronomy 32:43.
4.Talmud, Ketubot 111a.
5.Jeremiah 2:7.
6.Jerusalem Talmud, Kilayim 9:3 and Ketubot 12:3.
7.Although one cannot compare one who was just buried there to one who lived and died there. See Talmud, Ketubot 111a; Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings 5:11.
8.Maimonides’ preface to his commentary on Perek Chelek.
9.Talmud, Ketubot 111a.
10.Bamidbar Rabbah 19:13. See also Devarim Rabbah 2:9:
G‑d said to Moses: “If you are buried here, near those who died in the wilderness, then they will enter the Land for your sake at the time of resurrection.” Rabbi Levi said: This may be compared to a man who dropped some coins over the floor in a dark place. He thought to himself, “If I call out, ‘Bring me a light so that I may pick up my coins,’ no one will take notice of me.” What did he do? He took a gold piece and threw it amongst his coins and began calling out, “Bring me a light, I had a gold piece and I dropped it here,” and they brought him a light. What did he do? As soon as he picked up the gold piece, he said to the people, “I adjure you, wait for me until I have picked up my coins,” and he collected them. Because of the one golden piece, all his smaller coins were collected. Similarly, G‑d said to Moses: “Should you be buried near those who died in the wilderness, then they will enter the land for your sake . . .”
VIDEO
The Great Assembly and the Pharisees
Who decided which texts belonged to the biblical canon and which texts did not belong? The Oral Torah during the early, pre-mishnaic periods. by Michael Chighel
Watch (7:32)
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When You Feel Like a GrasshopperDoes it matter how others view you? by Yacov Barber
Watch (7:12)
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PARSHAH
Upon a Timeless Tel
I’ll leave you room to err, says G‑d, because you will rebuild—grander, stronger and more beautiful edifices. by Sara Hecht
Photo: Mark A. WilsonThe Great Assembly and the Pharisees
Who decided which texts belonged to the biblical canon and which texts did not belong? The Oral Torah during the early, pre-mishnaic periods. by Michael Chighel
Watch (7:32)<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://embed.chabad.org/multimedia/mediaplayer/embedded/embed.js.asp?aid=3335574&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>
When You Feel Like a GrasshopperDoes it matter how others view you? by Yacov Barber
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PARSHAH
Upon a Timeless Tel
I’ll leave you room to err, says G‑d, because you will rebuild—grander, stronger and more beautiful edifices. by Sara Hecht
Twenty-five miles south of Jerusalem, an impressive tel rises above the plains of Judea. A city built upon hundreds of previously destroyed cities, Tel Lachish marks the terrain between Jerusalem and Hebron, whispering ancient legends of its proud inhabitants across the sweeping foothills.
Common to the Middle Eastern landscape, a tel is literally a “mound,” formed by layers of occupation over thousands of years. As each society builds its city upon the ruins of a previous period, the site rises, permanently altering the topography of the land.
Tel Lachish carries their love and their pain, their joys and their sorrowsThe town of Lachish bears great historical significance, resting on ancient metropolises where valiant men and women from the times ofJoshua through the Maccabean era once resided. Marked with a tumultuous history of battle and conquest, Tel Lachish carries their love and their pain, their joys and their sorrows, their victories and their defeats.
The tourists come to see Lachish not just because it imposingly juts out of the Judean lowland, but because they want to hear the story of this unusual tel; they want to breathe the air of a city that has experienced endless destruction and rebuilding, but never lost anything along the way.
G‑d could have made us perfect architects. If He wanted, He could have endowed us with tools to build exclusively palatial structures that last for eternity. Instead, He foresaw the beauty of a tel. It was with this vision, in the early summer of 1312 BCE, that G‑d quietly entered a unique potential for human failure into our universe.
They were a newborn nation, standing on the threshold of entering the Promised Land. Hesitant about their future, the Jewish people ask Moses for permission to survey the unknown territory soon to be their home. And so, Moses, the humble servant of G‑d, turns to his Master for consent. But astonishingly—for the first time in history—G‑d tells Moses to do as he pleases.
We all know how the story ends. The spies return with negative reports; the Jews become fearful; and tragically, the generation of the great Exodus never enters the Land of Israel.
It’s a classic question of Torah commentators: If G‑d said, “Do what you want,” didn’t Moses sense that He didn’t really approve of the Jews’ request? Why did Moses persist in sending them?
Indeed, Moses was well aware of the risks involved in dispatching spies; yes, he sensed the possibility for catastrophe in G‑d’s noncommittal answer. But he was also conscious of the fact that G‑d was giving humankind an opportunity for growth that can come about only through failure.
“Do as you wish,” G‑d said, effectively opening a new and empowering dimension in man’s choice.
I know that when you fall, you will rebuild—grander, stronger and more beautiful edifices I’ll leave you room to err, says G‑d, because I know you won’t leave your shattered city in ruins; I know that when you fall, you will rebuild—grander, stronger and more beautiful edifices than ever before. I know that when you stray, what you really want is to be nearer to Me. I know you’re going to build a tel. So I’ll let you make mistakes.
And we do.
I reckon G‑d made us better-than-perfect architects. In fact, He imbued us with such a genuine and passionate desire to create, with such a thirst for growth, that sometimes we find ourselves razing down the old only to give way to the new that is aching to emerge.
We crave rebirth. Status quo never feels right; the old is simply never sufficient. We have an instinctive urge to build anew. Is that why we keep falling?
When we let our id knock down the walls of our personal city, on the surface, it looks like everything we’ve worked towards is suddenly gone. But don’t let the vacuum of ground zero dishearten you, because that subsoil can’t be bought anywhere in the universe. Indeed, like the tel, when we reconstruct our own little broken worlds, it is on terra firma that carries all the resilience and fortitude of our previous journeys.
Sometimes, we build our tel painfully, slowly, trudging through the remains with a broken sort of hope—can we possibly restore our city this time? At other times, we labor with a fury, catapulting through the wreckage with a surety, with a swiftness, so that we don’t set our eyes on what has crumbled, lest we break from regret. We throw ourselves into the building, we lay brick upon brick, glancing away from the debris, and looking upwards only at what we’ve already constructed in our mind’s eye.
But regardless of how we build, we never leave the city in ruins—after all, it’s a tel. And with every breakdown comes an even greater restoration, the earth, begging to be tilled again.
When you stand on the pinnacle of Tel Lachish, you can see for miles. It’s a breathtaking panorama, extending from Bet Guvrin in the north, all the way to the Hebron hills in the east. They say you can’t get that view from anywhere else in the area.
What a gift G‑d gave when he granted us the ability to fall. For now, you can stand at the top of your tel and see the world like you’ve never seen it before. Life suddenly has new meaning, new depth. Indeed, from the summit you can see what always surrounded you, but this time, oh so differently.
The monumental tels in our homeland and our souls continue to rise above the landscapeOn the 15th day of Av, 1274 BCE, the Jews of Moses’ generation stopped dying in the desert—a tragedy that had been a consequence of the spies’ failed mission. This day marked the end of their temporary decline, and more importantly, the beginning of subsequent rebuilding and growth, as their children prepared to enter the Land of Israel.
And though our holy cities—both in spirit and of stone—endured relentless destruction in the centuries that followed, the monumental tels in our homeland and our souls continue to rise above the landscape, a tribute to our battered but unbeaten faith and our intrinsic longing to heighten the bond with our Creator.
As we plow the wounded earth yet again, let us look towards the ultimate rebuilding of all time, recalling the promising words of the prophet Jeremiah, “venivneta ha’ir al tilah—and the city shall be rebuilt on its former tel.”
A Leader’s Faith
Virtually all the commentators ask the same question: How is it possible that the spies had a complete loss of faith after experiencing all the miracles of the Exodus firsthand? by Menachem Feldman
His employee approaches him with a brilliant new idea. He loves the idea, but he does not believe his team can pull it off successfully. He tells them it’s too risky, too much work, and ultimately it is not a good idea.
He is acting like the biblical spies.
The children of Israel’s journey through the desert took a disastrous turn when they asked Moses to dispatch spies to the land of Canaan to scout out the land and its inhabitants. Moses handpicked 12 leaders, one per tribe, and sent them off. They returned to Moses and the people, and reported that despiteG‑d’s assurances, conquering the land was impossible:
We came to the land to which you sent us, and it is flowing with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who inhabit the land are mighty, and the cities are extremely huge and fortified, and there we saw even the offspring of the giant. . . . We are unable to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.
They spread an [evil] report about the land which they had scouted, telling the children of Israel, “The land we passed through to explore is a land that consumes its inhabitants.”1
Virtually all the commentators ask the same question: How is it possible that the spies had a complete loss of faith after experiencing all the miracles of theExodus firsthand? How is it possible that great men, handpicked by Moses, failed to maintain their trust in G‑d?
Perhaps we can suggest that the spies never lost faith in G‑d or in His ability to perform miracles. They trusted G‑d, but they did not trust the people.
Sure, they thought, G‑d is perfectly capable of performing miracles if He wishes to do so. The problem, the spies thought, was that there was no chance the people would remain loyal to G‑d and deserving of His protection. They therefore concluded that conquering Canaan was impossible, because the people were not up to the task.
Seeking to protect their beloved people from failure, the spies reacted like the father trying to discourage his daughter in order to protect her from failure. They said that the task was too difficult: “We are unable to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” They told the people that the land is not desirable in the first place: “The land we passed through to explore is a land that consumes its inhabitants.”
The spies may have acted out of love, but they failed both the mission and the people they They failed both the mission and the people were meant to serve. In moments of challenge, a leader must lift up, inspire, teach, encourage and show others how to discover the reservoirs of faith, courage and strength hidden within the soul.
We are all leaders in our circle of influence. Our family and friends look to us for guidance. We must remember never to underestimate and discourage as the spies did, for we must always be like Moses, Joshua and Caleb, who believed in the people and sought to discover within them the treasures that lay hidden deep within their souls.
FOOTNOTES
1.Numbers 13:27–28, 32.
Why Are Children Better at Technology Than Adults? by Chana Weisberg
Nowadays that son spends his time studying in a yeshivah, but he still helps me from afar. My new in-house personal assistant is my 12-year-old daughter. To her, and to the younger generation, technology is intuitive.
Why are children so much better with apps, electronic toys and computers than their adult counterparts?
Researchers at the University of California set out to find out.
They discovered that young children, even 4-year-olds who couldn’t tie their shoes yet, were better at gadgets than adults.
Psychologist Alison Gopnik, who led the study, thinks it’s because children approach solving problems differently. They try a variety of novel ideas and unusual strategies. “Exploratory learning comes naturally to young children. Adults, on the other hand, jump on the first, most obvious solution and doggedly stick to it, even if it’s not working,” she said.
When approaching a solution, adults rely on their ingrained way of doing things, whether or not it’s been successful. Children, on the other hand, have much more flexible, fluid thinking and are far more willing to explore an unlikely hypothesis. In fact, the younger the child is, the more flexible his or her thinking.
We often get stuck with the familiar, afraid to make necessary changes outside our comfort zone. We approach our relationships by dancing the same steps and reacting instinctively, even if that has intensified the conflict in the past. We solve problems using the same tried-and-true methods, even if these created the problems. We may be afraid to leave an unhappy job or circumstance because it is all we know.
In this week’s Torah portion, when the spies return from scouting the Land ofIsrael, all but two shared a false negative report. One of their statements was:
“It is a land that consumes its inhabitants” (Numbers 13:32).
The word for “its inhabitants,” yoshvehah, literally means “its settlers.”
The chassidic master Rabbi Yitzchak of Vorka extrapolates from these words: “The Holy Land does not tolerate [but rather ‘consumes’] those who settle down, content with their achievements . . .”
Holiness means constantly climbing and reaching higher. We cannot allow our lives to “be settled” with stagnation; at every stage, we need to explore new opportunities for growth.
Through their technical expertise and by their constant open-minded curiosity, children remind us that our ingrained patterns shouldn’t keep us stuck in a rut. To truly thrive, we need to open our minds to new possibilities and keep reaching higher.
Shelach 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 Shelach In-Depth
Numbers 13:1-15:41
Parshah Summary
Send out for yourself men,” says G‑d to Moses in the opening verses of this week’s Parshah, “that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel.”
Moses sends twelve men—one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel—“every one a prince among them.”
Moses’ faithful disciple, Hosea the son of Nun, is the spy for the tribe of Ephraim. Before he goes, Moses adds the letter yud to his name, renaming him Joshua (“G‑d shall save”).
He said to them: “Go up this way by the Negev (south), and go up into the high land.
“See the land, what it is; and the people who dwell in it, whether they are strong or weak, few or many. And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they dwell in, whether in the open or in strongholds. And what the land is, whether fat or lean, whether there are trees in it, or not.
“Be of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.”
Now the time was the time of the first ripening of grapes.
An Evil Report
So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rechov on the way to Hamath.
They went up into the Negev; and he came to Hebron. And there were the giants Achiman, Sheshai and Talmai . . .
They came to the wadi of Eshkol, and cut down from there a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole, by twos; and they brought of the pomegranates, and the figs . . .
They returned from searching the land after forty days.
They show the people the magnificent fruits they brought, and say:
“We came to the land where you sent us, and indeed it flows with milk and honey; and this is its fruit.
“But the people that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified, and very great; and moreover we saw the giants there.
“Amalek dwells in the land of the Negev, the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Emorites dwell in the mountain, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.”
Caleb, the spy from the tribe of Judah, interrupts his colleagues and silences the murmuring people to cry out: “We shall go up and possess it! For we are well able to achieve it.”
But the men who went up with him said: “We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.”
And they spread an evil report of the land which they had spied out to the children of Israel, saying: “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that consumes up its inhabitants . . .
“There we saw the nefilim, the giants, descendents of the fallen ones. We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
The People Weep
All the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
All the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them: “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt, or would that we had died in this desert! And why has G‑d brought us to this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? Were it not better for us to return to Egypt?”
They said to one another: “Let us appoint a chief, and let us return to Egypt.”
Only Caleb and Joshua call on the people to trust in G‑d’s ability to bring them into the land.
“How long will this people provoke Me?” says G‑d to Moses. “How long will they not believe in Me, for all the signs which I have performed among them?
“I will smite them with the pestilence and annihilate them; and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
Forty Years
Once again, Moses intercedes on behalf of his people. “If you shall kill all this people as one man,” he argues before G‑d, “then the nations which have heard the fame of You will speak, saying: Because G‑d was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore to them, therefore He has slain them in the wilderness.”
Then he evokes the divine attributes of mercy:
And now, I pray, let the power of my L‑rd be great, according as You have spoken, saying: G‑d is long-suffering, and great in love, forgiving iniquity and transgression . . .
Pardon, I pray, the sin of this people according to the greatness of Your love, and as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.
And once again, Moses prevails.
G‑d said: I have forgiven according to your word.
I shall not destroy them, says G‑d. However, this generation will not see the Promised Land.
Say to them: As I live, says G‑d, as you have spoken in My ears, so will I do to you.
Your carcasses shall fall in this desert; and all that were numbered of you . . . from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against me, shall not come into the land of which I swore to make you dwell there. Except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.
Your little ones, who you said would be a prey—them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. But as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this desert.
Your children shall wander in the desert forty years. . . . According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land—forty days, for each day a year, for each day a year—shall you bear your iniquities: forty years . . .
G‑d instructs Moses to turn back, away from the land of Canaan, and go back into the desert. The ten evil-reporting spies die in a plague.
When Moses conveys G‑d’s words to the people, they are filled with remorse. Now they are prepared to enter the Promised Land despite all, even in defiance of the divine decree.
“It shall not succeed,” says Moses to them. “Go not up—for G‑d is not among you—so that you may not be smitten before your enemies. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword. . . . G‑d will not be with you."
But they presumed to go up to the hilltop; but the ark of the covenant of G‑d, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.
Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites who dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and routed them as far as Chormah.
More Mitzvot
In the aftermath of the incident of the spies, G‑d instructs Moses on a series of mitzvot to be observed “when you come into the land into which I bring you.”
The menachot are meal, wine and oil offerings that are to accompany all animal offerings brought to G‑d in the Holy Temple. (For a lamb, 1/10 ephah of meal, 1/4 hin of oil and 1/4 hin of wine; for a ram, 2/10 ephah of meal, 1/3 hin of oil and 1/3 hin of wine; for cattle, 3/10 of an ephah of meal, 1/2 hin of oil and 1/2 hin of wine.)
A portion of the dough, called challah, is to be separated and consecrated to G‑d when making bread.
Some of the laws of the various sin offerings (recounted in the book of Leviticus) are repeated as well.
The Stick-Gatherer
The children of Israel were in the desert. And they found a man gathering sticks upon the Sabbath day.
Those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. They put him in custody, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
G‑d said to Moses: “The man shall be surely put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died; as G‑d commanded Moses.
Tzitzit
“Speak to the children of Israel,” says G‑d to Moses, “and tell them that they should make themselves fringes (tzitzit) on the corners of their garments throughout their generations,
“and they shall put upon the fringe of each corner a thread of blue.
“It shall be to you as fringes. You shall see it, and remember all the commandments of G‑d, and do them, and you shall not seek after your heart and your eyes, after which you go astray. That you may remember, and do all My commandments, and be holy to your G‑d.
I am the L‑rd your G‑d, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your G‑d: I am the L‑rd your G‑d.
From Our Sages
Send out for yourself men (Numbers 13:2)
“Send out for yourself”—as your mind dictates. I am not instructing you; if you so desire, send. For the people of Israel had come to Moses, saying “Let us send men before us,” as it is written (Deuteronomy 1:22), “You all approached me . . .”; and Moses consulted with G‑d. Said G‑d: I have said that it is a good land. . . . By your life, I shall now give you the option to err . . .
(Rashi; Talmud)
more
Moses named Hosea . . . Joshua (“G‑d shall save”) (13:16)
He prayed for him: May G‑d save you from the counsel of the spies.
(Talmud, Sotah 34b; Rashi)
Moses named Hosea . . . Joshua (13:16)
The letter yud, which had been removed from Sarai’s name (when she was renamed “Sarah”—cf. Genesis 17:15), was soaring and flying before the divine throne all those years, and saying before G‑d: “Because I am the smallest of the letters, I was taken out of the righteous Sarah?” Until she was added to Joshua.
(Midrash Rabbah)
David pleaded before G‑d: “Sovereign of the Universe! Who can understand his errors?” G‑d: “They are forgiven you.” . . . Implored David: “May my sin (i.e., the incident of Bathsheba) not be recorded in the Torah.” Said G‑d: “That is impossible. If the single letter yud I removed from Sarai continuously protested for many years, until Joshua came and I added it to his name . . . how much more so a complete section in Torah!”
(Talmud, Sanhedrin 107a)
Go up by the Negev (13:17)
That was the dross of the land. Such is the manner of merchants: first they show the lesser-quality merchandise, and then they show the prime merchandise.
(Rashi; Midrash Tanchuma)
See the land, what it is (13:18)
Of what sort is it. For there are lands that produce strong people, and lands that produce weak people; lands that produce large populations, and lands that produce small populations.
(Rashi; Midrash Tanchuma)
They went up . . . and he came unto Hebron (13:22)
Should it not have read “and they came”? But it was Caleb alone who went to Hebron, to pray at the graves of the Patriarchs that he not be enticed to join in the conspiracy of the spies. Thus it is written (Deuteronomy 1:36), “And to him (Caleb) I shall give the land upon which he trod”; and it says (Judges 1:20): “To Caleb they gave Hebron” (as his portion in the Land of Israel).
(Rashi; Talmud, Sotah 34b)
They carried it on a pole, by twos (13:23)
They hung it from two poles, each with two men at each end. Thus it required eight men to carry the cluster of grapes; one carried a fig, and one a pomegranate. Joshua and Caleb did not carry back fruit, for the whole purpose of it was to defame the land: as its fruit is abnormal, so are its inhabitants abnormally large and strong.
(Rashi)
We came to the land where you sent us, and indeed it flows with milk and honey . . . (13:26)
Such is the way of defamers: they start off by saying something good, and conclude by saying evil.
Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Meir: Any piece of slander which has not some truth in the beginning, will not endure in the end.
(Midrash Rabbah; Talmud)
We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we (13:30)
They said this even regarding G‑d Himself (the Hebrew word mimenu, “than we,” can also mean “than he”): Even He cannot remove them from there.
(Talmud; Rashi)
more
It is a land that consumes its inhabitants (13:32)
What was the reason that the spies, who were leaders of Israel and men of lofty stature, did not want to enter the Land?
The explanation of the matter is as follows:
A great majority of the physical mitzvot can be implemented only in the Land of Israel, especially the agricultural laws and the laws of the offerings brought to the Holy Temple. . . . The spies, who were on a most lofty spiritual level, did not wish to lower themselves to the level of physical action, preferring to remain in the desert, where they received all their needs from above, and related to G‑d by means of the loftier levels of thought and speech (i.e., study of Torah and prayer). They desired to draw down all the divine emanations into the “Land of Israel” that exists in the realm of malchut, the world of divine speech, where there also is a “Jerusalem” and a “Holy Temple.” Regarding the physical Land of Israel, they said: “It is a land that consumes its inhabitants”—if the divine light were to be drawn down into the physical world, our entire existence would be nullified.
But Joshua and Caleb said, “The Land is very, very good.” It is specifically in the Land of Israel down below, and specifically by means of the mitzvot implemented by physical action, that the truly infinite light of G‑d is drawn down—a light that includes both the spiritual and the material, which is why it is “very, very” good.
(Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi)
It is a land that consumes its inhabitants (13:32)
The Hebrew word for “its inhabitants” in this verse, yoshvehah, literally means “its settlers.”
Thus the chassidic master Rabbi Yitzchak of Vorka explained the deeper significance of this statement: the Holy Land does not tolerate those who settle down, content with their achievements . . .
We saw there the Nefilim, the giants descended of the fallen ones (13:33)
The descendents of Shamchazai and Azael, who fell from heaven in the generation of Enosh.
(Rashi)
When the generation of the Flood took to worshipping idols, and G‑d was saddened, there arose two angels, Shamchazai and Azael, who said to Him: “Master of the Universe! Did we not say to You, when You created Your world, ‘What is man that You make mention of him?’”
Said G‑d: “And the world—what shall become of it?”
Said they: “Master of the Universe! We would suffice for it.”
Said G‑d: “It is known and revealed to Me that if you dwelled upon earth, the Evil Inclination would dominate you, and you would be worse than the sons of man.”
Said they: “Allow us to dwell among the humans, and You shall see that we will sanctify Your name!”
Said G‑d: “Descend and dwell amongst them.”
Immediately they were corrupted.
(Yalkut Shimoni, Bereishit 44)
more
The people wept that night (14:1)
On the ninth of Av it was decreed that our fathers would not enter the Promised Land.
For we know that the children of Israel decamped from Mount Sinai on the 20th of Iyar (Numbers 10:11), and set forth on a three days’ journey (ibid. 10:33), following which they ate the quail for thirty days (ibid. 11:20). That brings us up to the 22nd of Sivan. Then Miriam was secluded outside of the camp for seven days (ibid. 12:15), following which Moses sent the spies (ibid. 13:1). Thus, the spies went out on the 29th of Sivan. And it is written, “They returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days.” The month of Tammuz was a “full” month (of 30 days) that year, meaning that they returned on the 8th of Av. And it is further written, “All the congregation lifted up their voice and cried; and the people wept that night.” Rabbah said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: That night was the night of the ninth of Av. Said G‑d to them: You have wept without cause; therefore I will set aside this day for a weeping throughout the generations to come.
(Talmud, Taanit 29b)
Five misfortunes befell our fathers on the ninth of Av: it was decreed that our fathers would not enter the Promised Land, the Temple was destroyed the first and second time, Betar was captured, and the city (Jerusalem) was ploughed up.
(Ibid., 26b)
Let the power of my L‑rd be great, as You have spoken, saying: G‑d is long-suffering . . . (14:17–18)
When Moses ascended to heaven, he found G‑d sitting and writing “long-suffering.” Said Moses to G‑d: “Master of the Universe! Long-suffering to the righteous?” Said G‑d: “Also to the wicked.” Said Moses: “Let the wicked perish!” Said G‑d: “See now that you will need this.” When Israel sinned, G‑d said to Moses: “Did you not tell Me to be long-suffering only toward the righteous?” Said Moses to Him: “Did You not say to me, ‘Also to the wicked’?”
(Talmud, Sanhedrin 111a)
G‑d spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them . . . (15:1–2)
At that time G‑d said to Moses: “Go appease them, the poor fellows, as their heart has departed them.”
Said Moses: “Master, how shall I appease them?”
Said He: "Appease them with words of Torah: 'When you come into the Land . . . and you make a fire-offering to G‑d . . .’”
(Seder Eliyahu Rabbah)
When you come into the Land . . . (15:2)
He reassured them that they will, in the end, enter the Land.
(Rashi)
They found a man gathering sticks (15:32)
The gatherer was Tzelafchad (whose daughters petitioned Moses to receive his share in the Land—cf. Numbers 27) . . . this is Rabbi Akiva’s view. Said Rabbi Judah ben Beteira to him: “Akiva! In either case you will be called to task. If you are right, the Torah shielded him, while you reveal him! And if not, you cast a stigma upon a righteous man.”
(Talmud, Shabbat 96b)
They found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day (15:32)
The Torah relates the shame of Israel, in that they all kept only the first Shabbat, and on the second Shabbat this one came and violated it.
(Rashi; Talmud)
His intention was for the sake of heaven. For the people of Israel were saying that since it had been decreed that they will not enter the Land because of the incident of the spies, they are no longer obligated to keep the mitzvot. So he went and violated the Shabbat, so that he should be killed and others should see.
(Tosafot, Bava Batra 119b)
Thus he did not truly sin, since “work that is not needed for itself” (as in the case of one who digs a pit but has use only for its earth but not for the pit) does not constitute “work” (melachah) that is in violation of the Shabbat. Nevertheless the court executed him, for a judge can only judge by what he sees, not by the intentions of the heart.
(Maharsha, ibid.)
Those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses (15:33)
This teaches us that a person is not executed for a capital offense unless he is first warned by the witnesses, and then proceeds with the deed despite the warning. (Since the Torah twice emphasizes that “they found him gathering”—i.e., he continued gathering even after they found him doing so).
(Talmud, Sanhedrin 40b; Rashi)
They shall put upon the fringe of each corner a thread of blue (15:38)
Abaye inquired of Rav Samuel ben Rav Judah: How do you dye the blue thread?
He replied: We take the blood of the chillazon together with other ingredients, and put them all in a pot and boil them together. Then we take out a small amount in an eggshell and test it on a piece of wool, and we throw away what remains in the eggshell and burn the wool. One can infer three things from this: 1) that the dye used for testing is unfit; 2) that the dyeing must be for the specific purpose of the mitzvah; and 3) that the dye used for testing renders the rest unfit . . .
Our Rabbis taught: The chillazon resembles the sea in its color, and in shape it resembles a fish; it comes up from the sea once in seventy years, and with its blood one dyes the blue thread. Therefore it is so expensive . . .
If one cannot obtain blue threads, he should insert all white threads.
(Talmud, Menachot 38b–44a)
Why is blue singled out from all the varieties of colors? Because blue resembles the sea, and the sea resembles heaven, and heaven resembles the divine throne, as it is written (Exodus 24:10): “They saw the G‑d of Israel, and at His feet was as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness."
(Talmud, Sotah 17a)
It shall be to you as fringes; and you shall see it (15:39)
Said Rabbi Meir: it does not say “and you shall see them,” but “and you shall see Him” (the Hebrew oto also translates as “him”). This teaches that everyone who fulfills the mitzvah of tzitzit, it is as if he has greeted the face of the Divine Presence. For the blue thread resembles the sea, the sea resembles grasses, grasses resemble the sky, and the sky resembles the divine throne.
(Jerusalem Talmud, Berachot 1:2)
You shall see . . . and you shall remember . . . and you shall do (15:39)
Sight brings on memory, and memory brings deed.
(Talmud, Menachot 43b)
You shall see it . . . and you shall not seek after your heart and your eyes, after which you go astray (15:39)
There was once a man who was very scrupulous about the precept of tzitzit. One day he heard of a certain harlot overseas who took four hundred gold dinars for her hire. He sent her four hundred gold dinars and appointed a day with her. When the day arrived, he came and waited at her door, and her maid came and told her, “That man who sent you four hundred gold dinars is here and waiting at the door”; to which she replied, “Let him come in.” When he came in, she prepared for him seven beds, six of silver and one of gold; and between one bed and the other there were steps of silver, but the last were of gold. She then went up to the top bed and lay down upon it naked. He too went up after her in his desire to sit naked with her, when all of a sudden the four fringes of his garment struck him across the face, whereupon he slipped off and sat upon the ground. She also slipped off and sat upon the ground and said, “By the Roman Capitol, I will not let you go until you tell me what blemish you saw in me.” “I swear,” he replied, “that never have I seen a woman as beautiful as you. But there is one precept which our G‑d has commanded us, called tzitzit, and with regard to it the expression “I am the L‑rd your G‑d” is twice written, signifying: I am He who will exact punishment in the future, and I am He who will give reward in the future. Now the tzitzit appeared to me as four witnesses.” Said she: “I will not leave you until you tell me your name, the name of your town, the name of your teacher and the name of your school in which you study the Torah.” He wrote all this down and handed it to her. Thereupon she arose and divided her wealth into three parts: one-third for the government, one-third to be distributed among the poor, and one-third she took with her in her hand; the bedclothes, however, she retained. She then came to the study hall of Rabbi Chiya, and said to him: “Master, give instructions about me that they make me a proselyte.” . . . Those very bedclothes which she had spread for him for an illicit purpose she now spread out for him lawfully.
(Talmud, Menachot 44a)
You shall not seek after your heart (15:39)
Deducing from this, Rabbi [Judah HaNassi] taught: One may not drink out of one goblet and think of another (i.e., one should not think of another woman when with his wife). Ravina said: Even when both are his wives.
(Talmud, Nedarim 20b)
That you may remember, and do all My commandments, and be holy to your G‑d (15:40)
The strings of the tzitzit are comparable to the case of one who has been thrown into the water, and the captain stretches out a rope and says to him: “Take hold of this rope with your hand and do not let go, for if you let go, you will lose your life!” In the same way, G‑d said to Israel: “As long as you adhere to the commandments, then “you who cleave unto the L‑rd your G‑d are alive, every one of you, this day" (Deuteronomy 4:4). In the same vein it says: “Take fast hold of instruction, let her not go; keep her, for she is your life” (Proverbs 4:13).
(Midrash Rabbah)
WOMEN
What I Learned from My Husband’s Final Illness
It was devastating to watch as the cruelty of the mental illness began to steal his independence and the identity that he had established for himself. What was it that G‑d expected from me as we became engulfed by the darkness that seemed to control our lives? by Sara Tzafona
It had been an awful four years—especially for him, but also for me. It was devastating to watch as the cruelty of the mental illness began to steal his independence and the identity that he had established for himself. He had been a teacher at one time, and in his later years, he’d lived within the realm of books. But the disease encroached on his reading and writing abilities, and he cried when a stroke finished them off. And I cried with him.
As his condition deteriorated, “demons” took up residence in the empty spaces of his brain, causing rapid mood changes and anger, an anger that eventually escalated into violence. I was frightened; this wasn’t a symptom I could work around or walk away from. The police collected him the first time and took him to the hospital, where he was sedated. The ambulance took him the second and last time, when he collapsed from a stroke before he could find anything that he could strike out with. He spent 11 days there before dying—11 days in which he wouldn’t meet my eyes or make any attempt to communicate, as he thought that I had betrayed him. After all, I had always promised to care for him until the end. He simply didn’t understand because he couldn’t remember the violence that had led to the hospital doors.
ChassidicWhat was it that G‑dexpected from me? philosophy talks about “holy sparks,” shards of G‑dly light that we must discover and elevate through transforming our mundane existence into something G‑dly. Throughout my husband’s illness, I tried to look for those “holy sparks.” What was it that G‑d expected from me as we became engulfed by the darkness that seemed to control our lives? What did it mean to redeem those sparks if I even found them? I really had no idea. Spiritualizing any part of the experience seemed impossible at the time. After all, I was running on autopilot and pure adrenalin. And I was so very sleep-deprived. I was in so many ways numb. But I tried to do the best that I could, hoping that somehow, even if by accident, I would do a little bit of redeeming.
It wasn’t until after my husband’s death that I began to receive a glimmer of what it all might have meant.
I learned about miracles. Oh, not the “splitting the sea” kind of miracles, but the ones that enabled a man whose last years had been fraught with anger to find periods of peace. My husband had lost his speech as a result of a full-blown stroke, but there were times when he could speak some words very clearly, words that I will carry with me forever. He told me that he loved me, and he apologized for the difficult times. Yes, they were simple words, but words that enabled a marriage to heal and love to be rekindled, a love that I thought had long since flickered out. Yes, anger still stalked him and his mood could turn on a dime, but his words of love convinced me that it was the illness that caused him to lash out verbally and physically. He never would have done that before the illness, and that realization helped me to heal after his death.
I learnedI learned about love an acceptance about love and acceptance from my son, daughter and two teenage granddaughters. They made me feel loved and valued, and more importantly, they did the same for their father. They did whatever they could for him, wheeling him around the block in a wheelchair, bringing him his favorite foods, speaking words of appreciation and love, or just sitting quietly at his side. They kept me on track, helping to erase the guilt that always seemed to plague me. It was their constant love that kept my head above water, and it sustained me after my husband’s death.
I learned about compassion, empathy and pure goodness. My circle of friends were constantly there, urging me to get help, providing a wheelchair, walker and shower stool, and perhaps most importantly, just listening. There was one 90-year-old friend who called daily just to tell me that she loved me and to be strong. I was overwhelmed by their goodness and generosity of spirit, and I will always treasure the blessings that they brought into my life.
Our doctor also demonstrated his abundant compassion and empathy. He called to check on my husband as well as me, and he even made house calls. He also seemed to know instinctively when I’d had enough, sensing that my nerves were shattered and that hopelessness and fear had begun to wrap me in a shroud. He refused to release my husband from the hospital that last time, even though I would have taken him home if it had been approved. “There is too much of a danger,” he had said. And after my husband’s death, he helped me realize that the fear and confusion and panic attacks that I was experiencing was a result of the four years of intense stress, and that I would regain my emotional health.
I learned about caregivers. Although our situations may vary, our anguish, stress and outright fear are similar. Often times, we feel isolated, we agonize over every decision that we make, and then we second-guess our decisions: Are we being selfish, or should we be doing more or doing it better?
I learned that a caregiver’s need for nonjudgmental listeners is a high priority. Our Torah agrees, saying that “If a person has worry in his heart, let him relate it to others.”1 Good advice, because, for me at least, there was a lot of worry and fleeting thoughts that attacked during my most vulnerable moments—thoughts that were never acted upon but, nevertheless, rushed through my exhausted brain, leaving guilt in their wake. And I realized that as caregivers, we need to discuss our situations with others who will listen to our innermost thoughts and help us put our accumulated guilt in perspective. A good place to start is theAs caregivers, we are grieving in increments Alzheimer’s support groups, where we can share our experiences in a safe and nonjudgmental atmosphere, listen, and know that none of us are immune from rogue thoughts or words. And we also know that our “confessions” will not leave the confines of the support group. But since it may be hard to attend meetings, we may need to turn to friends and family for support and understanding.
I also learned that as caregivers, we are grieving, mourning the loss of our loved ones in small increments. It’s a grief that could linger for 10 years or possibly more, until our spouse or parent is finally released from the fog that has become a living shroud. And then we grieve some more.
I learned about the importance of routine. Oh, it wasn’t just the rising up and lying down, or the meals, the walks and the drives, or even the photo albums that I spread out on my husband’s lap in hopes of capturing a memory. It was also about the religious practice: the candle-lighting, the praying, the blessings and the reading of Psalms. I did it all, and I felt nothing. It was as if my soul had frozen in time. But I still did it because I knew that the rituals and prayers were my lifeline to G‑d, and necessary for my survival. Although I didn’t feel His presence, I knew that He was there, walking us both through the experience. G‑d chose a very difficult road for us, but as Maimonides said, “Ease destroys bravery, trouble creates strength.”2 And yes, I grew in strength, and as I look back I’m astounded at what I was able to do then, and what I’m able to do now.
But it wasI still wonder if G‑d was fair to him at my husband’s expense, and I still wonder if G‑d was fair to him. And even though I may never know the reasons for my husband’s suffering—or anyone’s, for that matter—I realize that G‑d does, and that has to suffice. I have to believe that what happens to us is less important than how we react to it. I did the best that I could at the time, and so did my husband. And yes, I wish things could have been different, but at the same time, if my husband had to experience the hardships and suffering, then I am glad that I was able to be there for him and care for him for as long as I could.
Did I redeem any “holy sparks?” I don’t know. But I now realize that the difficult road is capable of bringing out the goodness in all of us. And maybe that’s what it’s all about.
FOOTNOTES
1.Proverbs 12:24.
2.Guide for the Perplexed 3:24.
The Scenic Route
My husband and I alternated between feelings of grief, numbness and anger. by Batsheva Glick
A quick glance at the back seat reassured me that the children were happily spaced out, enjoying their music, so I decided to take the detour.
I meandered through the beautiful backroads of Boyds, Maryland, feeling grateful that we had finally settled in the area we’d loved to call home, and that it was such a beautiful place.
There is nothing that makes me look forward to the future more than the thought of a new life, and I was full of optimism as I imagined what the next few years would be like with our new baby.
As the months went by, and the weather got hotter and stickier, we received news about our baby. Ultrasounds showed that our little baby had a blockage in her stomach and holes in her heart, and likely had Down syndrome.
My husband and I alternated between feelings of grief, numbness and anger. We packed up our lives to move away from this place that had held so much promise for our growing family, not knowing if or when we’d be back. The months that followed our daughter’s birth were full of doctor’s visits, ambulance rides, hospital stays, and a lot of stress and worry. We operated in crisis mode, and didn’t have much time to think.
This week the weather has been beautiful again. Walking home with my children, Shterna snuggled up in the Moby Wrap and breathing peacefully against my chest and the bigger children holding hands and skipping happily ahead, I noticed that I was feeling the sunshine inside my heart as well. My eyes welled up with tears of joy as I realized that I am once again looking forward to the future.We alternated between feelings of grief, numbness and anger
Little did I know, on that day last year when I took the scenic route, that it would turn into a metaphor for the rest of my life. Our sweet Shterna is taking us on the scenic route through life. Although there have been a few unexpected twists and turns on the way, the scenery leaves me breathless. Each smile, giggle and hug is noticed, and often photographed, and I hope to always be able to slow down and savor everything that G‑d brings our way.
Listening to the Shabbat Candles
As I stood there with my face covered, tiny tears gathering in the corners of my eyes. by Anonymous
I stood there a moment longer than usual, my heart pounding in my chest, while once again I thought about the unfairness of it all. Here I was, lighting the Shabbat candles in the comfort of my home, surrounded by family and all things reassuring and familiar, while my husband was lying in a sterile hospital room, alone and lonely.
Slowly, I took a breath and removed my hands from my face. The two candles in front of me flickered. I watched as one flame shot up, striving towards the heavens, before slowly collapsing into a puddle of wax. The flame, though small, held on and continued burning. The other candle stood straight and tall, its flame never wavering.
My husband hadn’t been in the hospital for an exceptionally long time, nor was the reason for his stay especially serious. But when someone you love is suffering, even if it’s for a short period of time, it takes its toll. And Shabbat is when you feel it the most.
I looked again at the candles in front of me. Which candle represented me and where I was at, and which represented my husband? Was I the flame struggling to hold on to the wick, or was I the one trying to soldier on so my husband couldn’t see my pain, and so I could help drag him out of his?
This thought lingered with me through Shabbat dinner. Later that night, I went back to check on my candles. I watched as the flame of the candle that had been standing tall and proud diminished and died out. Surprisingly, the flame that was drowning in a pile of wax was still burning away—a tiny flame refusing to let go.
As I watched the flames, I reflected on the mysticism of candle, wick and flame. How does one illuminate a dark room? It takes only one candle. And it takes only one ray of hope and positivity, one spark of light, one mitzvah, to brighten up a situation.
Like a soul, flames are always yearning, striving, reaching towards higher places. It doesn’t matter how much the candle has burned; its flame will always be struggling to hold on to the wick and yet reach for the heavens. But if, for some reason, the flame does burn out, another light can bring the flame back to life. If your flame has burned out, don’t be afraid to seek out help from someone whose flame is burning stronger. If their faith is burning brighter than yours, let them help you rekindle your own.
So which candle did I represent? Perhaps both. I was the one soldiering on, telling myself—and my husband—It will be okay; we’ll get through this. But I was also the one drowning in a puddle of despair—When will this end? How will we get through it?
The answer, I knew, lay in the candlesIt’s okay to feel conflicting emotionsthemselves. It was okay to feel conflicting emotions at the same time. It was okay to feel like the brave one sometimes and the one who was collapsing other times. It was okay to feel vulnerable and lost and confused. It was all okay, because these things pass. They always will.
Next Shabbat will come and I’ll be lighting candles again, hopefully with my husband by my side. The candles will continue to remind me that things wax and wane, and it’s all just a part of life. And as I watch the candles flicker, I’ll try to be grateful for the life I was given, for the soul that keeps me going, sometimes wavering, sometimes strong, but always burning steadily.
STORY
The Story of the Baby Who Was a Grandfather
Glancing at the guest house, he saw a mysterious light in one of the windows, an ethereal glow the likes of which he had never seen. by Zalman Ruderman
In time Israel would become known far and wide as Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, but that was far in the future. At this point the couple were content to live simple lives, far from the public eye.
“Thank G‑d,” they would frequently tell each other, “we have enough to keep body and soul together without having to rely on handouts.”
But the passage of time and poor diet conspired to make Israel’s horse weaker and weaker, until the day came when the poor creature could no longer drag the cart to the market.
“My old horse is at death’s door,” Israel confided to some of the local peasants. “How will I manage to get my clay to the market without her?”
“I know just the solution for you,” said one of the fellows. “In a town not far from Uman there lives a wealthy man named Baruch. He practices a special form of charity. Whenever a poor man’s horse is close to death, he needs only to bring the old animal to Baruch, and the rich man gives him a young, strong horse from his own stable. Why don’t you try your luck?”
Baruch was not known as a Torah scholar. But what he lacked in education he made up for in good deeds. Together with his wife, Rachel, he excelled in caring for the destitute. They were known far and wide as gracious hosts, who loved nothing more than to host wayfarers. They even built a special house next to their own home where weary travelers could get a warm meal and a clean bed.
When Israel and Chana arrived at the rich couple’s estate, they were treated to delicious meals and a private room. After giving them a fresh horse, Baruch invited them to be his guests for Shabbat, and they accepted his invitation.
After a thoroughly enjoyable Shabbat had passed and the last of the guests had been fed melaveh malkah, the traditional Saturday night meal, Baruch went to his own quarters to retire. Glancing at the guest house for a last time, he saw a Fearing fire, he ran as fast as his legs would carry himmysterious light in one of the windows. Fearing fire, he ran over as fast as his legs would carry him. Upon closer inspection, however, he saw that the light was of another quality, an ethereal glow the likes of which he had never seen.
Summoning up all the courage he could muster, he entered the building and peeked into the room he had seen the light coming from. He saw Israel sitting on the floor of his room, reciting tikkun chatzot, the midnight prayer asking G‑d to rebuild the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
With upturned palms, the young man recited the Hebrew words as hot tears streamed from his eyes. Next to him stood a tall man dressed in white, the otherworldly light emanating from his face.
Overwhelmed, Baruch fell into a deep faint and collapsed onto the door with a thud.
Hearing the noise, Israel opened the door and saw his gracious host lying on the floor. He immediately set to work reviving the man and calming his frazzled nerves.
“Please forgive me,” pleaded Baruch. “I had no idea that you were such a special person. Had I known, I would have surely given you better treatment. Oh, how can I make up for my gross oversight?”
“Don’t speak of it,” said Israel firmly. “You have done more than you should have. In fact, it was decreed in heaven that you and your wife will soon be rewarded for your good deeds. You will be blessed with a son who will be a righteous man. When that happens, take care that only your wife nurses him, and that you watch him like the apple of your eye. Make sure that he lives a life of purity, and that he receives the best Torah education, because he will be a great leader of the Jewish people.”
After hearing the good news, Baruch begged Israel to reveal the identity of the tall man who was standing near him. “If you merited to see him,” replied Israel, “you are worthy of knowing who he is. The guest was none other than your holy ancestor, Rabbi Yehudah Loew of Prague, known as the Maharal. The time has come for his soul to once again come into this world, and that will be your special son.
“At the circumcision, name your son Aryeh Leib (a variant of Yehudah Loew), and I assure you that I will bless him as well.”
The following morning, Israel and Chana set off on their way.
It was not long before Rachel shared the good news that she A boy was born amidst great joywas expecting. In due time, a boy was born amidst great joy. Hoping to once again attract his mysterious guest, Baruch announced that all poor people from the entire realm were invited to participate in the festive meal that would follow the circumcision.
As Baruch circulated among his guests, he was delighted to see that Israel—dressed in a peasant’s smock—was indeed present. “Oh, I am so honored to have you here,” he exclaimed. “Please come to the front. I would be humbled and honored if you would act as sandek, holding my son during the circumcision ceremony.”
“Hush,” replied Israel, “give me no honor, and let no one know that I am anything more than a simple man.”
After the circumcision was performed and the child was named after his illustrious ancestor, it was time for the baby to be returned to his mother. Baruch announced that the child would be circulated among the guests so that they would each have the opportunity to bless the child.
When it was Israel’s turn, he said:
I am an ignorant man, and I do not know how to say fancy blessings in Hebrew. But I remember how my father used to explain a verse in the Torah: “And Abraham was old (zaken).” The Hebrew word for father is av, and the Hebrew word for grandfather is zaken. This verse tells us that Abraham was the grandfather of us all. I bless the child that he be a grandfather to the people of Israel, just like Abraham.”
The crowd roared in good-natured laughter at the crude homily of the strange peasant, who so readily admitted his ignorance. But the nickname stuck. From then on, he was known as the zayde, Yiddish for “grandfather.”
Even when he became known far and wide as a miracle worker (and an adherent of the chassidic movement, which was founded by Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov), he was still known to all as the Shpoler Zayde (the “Grandfather of Shpoli”).
A Blessing For Aliyah
"Go!" replied the tailor, "but continue to wear this overcoat."
“Go!” replied the tailor. “But continue to wear this overcoat.”"Go!" replied the tailor, "but continue to wear this overcoat."
Many Eastern European Jews longed to live in the Holy Land. However, the difficult conditions in the Holy Land, the expense of travel and the dangers of the journey made this a serious undertaking. Chassidim would not attempt such a move without receiving a blessing from their rebbeim.
A chassid who had a great desire to move to Israel presented his request to many of the leading rebbes of his time, but none would give him a blessing to go. He then went to Liozna to consult the Alter Rebbe of Chabad, Rabbi Schneur Zalman.
“Discuss the matter with Rabbi Leib Sarah’s,” said the rebbe. “Tell him that I sent you to seek his advice. If he agrees, you may go.”
The chassid knew that arranging a meeting with Reb Leib was no simple feat. Reb Leib was a hidden tzaddik whose whereabouts were usually unknown.
“How will I even be able to find him?” the chassid asked. The rebbe told him to wait at a specific inn which Reb Leib would visit in the near future.
“But how will I recognize him?”
“A wagon full of wandering beggars will arrive at the inn,” replied the rebbe. “They will engage in loud argument and squabbling. The one whose voice is heard above all the rest will be Reb Leib.”
The chassid traveled to the inn and rented a room. He had stayed there for two weeks when he was awakened one night by a commotion in the courtyard. Looking out, he saw a wagonload of beggars arrive at the inn. Precisely as the Alter Rebbe described, they were arguing loudly. One man, taller and louder than the rest, stood out among the noisy group.
Recognizing Reb Leib Sarah’s, the chassid hurried down to meet him. “I mustn’t miss this opportunity,” he thought, “for he is likely to disappear without warning.” He approached the tzaddik and presented his wish, mentioning that Rabbi Schneur Zalman had instructed him to seek the tzaddik’s guidance.
“Go to Berditchev,” Reb Leib replied. “There is a tailor who lives on the outskirts of town. Order an overcoat from him. When the garment is ready, go for a fitting. As you put on the coat, the tailor will measure the buttonholes, humming a tune as he does so. While he is humming, ask him if you should travel to Eretz Yisrael.”
The chassid followed Reb Leib Sarah’s’ instructions, and presented his request precisely at the time he was told.
“Go!” replied the tailor. “But continue to wear this overcoat.”
The chassid realized that the tailor must be a hidden tzaddik, and rejoiced at the outcome of the events. On the following day he went back to the tailor’s house, hoping to meet the tzaddik again, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Later, he recalled having seen two apprentices assisting the tailor. He recognized one as the tzaddik and rebbe Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl (known for his support of hidden tzaddikim), but could not identify the second one.
Connection to the Weekly Reading: Love of the Land of Israel by Tzelafchad’s daughters
Excerpted from From My Father’s Shabbos Table (pp. 94–95), translated by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger from the first two volumes of Rabbi Yehuda Chitrik’s 4-volume series Reshimot Devarim.
Biographical notes:
Rabbi Schneur Zalman [18 Elul 1745–24 Tevet 1812], one of the main disciples of the Maggid of Mezeritch, is the founder of the Chabad Chassidic movement. He is the author of Shulchan Aruch HaRav and Tanya, as well as many other major works in both Jewish law and the mystical teachings.
Rabbi Leib Sarah’s (1730–4 Adar 1796) was held in high esteem by the Baal Shem Tov. One of the “hidden tzaddikim,” he spent his life wandering from place to place to raise money for the ransoming of imprisoned Jews and the support of other hidden tzaddikim. The Lubavitcher Rebbe stated the possibility that Rabbi Leib Sarah’s and the Shpoler Zeide are the same person.
Copyright 2003 by KabbalaOnline.org, a project of Ascent of Safed (//ascentofsafed.com). All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any form, unless with permission, in writing, from Kabbalaj Online.
LIFESTYLE
Refreshing Blueberry Smoothie Bowl by Miriam Szokovski
When I first started seeing “smoothie bowls” cropping up all over the Internet last year, I couldn’t understand why it was a “thing.” I’ve been eating smoothies out of bowls for years! Does it really need its own recipe? But they’re fun and easy and colorful and great for summer, so I’ve decided to share one anyway.Refreshing Blueberry Smoothie Bowl by Miriam Szokovski
For those who don’t know, a smoothie bowl is literally just a smoothie, poured into a bowl, with different add-ins sprinkled over the top. Most typically: assorted fresh fruit, nuts and seeds. Here I’ve gone with a blueberry smoothie base, but if you prefer, you can use this strawberry smoothie, or this green one, instead. (Or your own smoothie recipe, of course.)
You can be as creative as you like with the toppings. Here are some suggestions: assorted berries; summer fruit like peaches, nectarines and plums; chopped nuts such as almonds, walnuts, cashews and pistachios; and seeds like flax, chia, wheat germ or hemp. You can also use any type of granola or muesli. It’s up to you. Have fun, change it up, keep it interesting!
Smoothie Ingredients:
2 cups frozen blueberries
2 bananas
1 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
5–6 frozen strawberries
2 tbsp. almond butter
Pinch of salt (optional)
Directions:
Blend all smoothie ingredients together. Pour into bowls.
Top with fresh fruit, nuts and seeds of your choice. I used mango, strawberries, banana, blueberries, chia seeds and granola.
Yields: 2 servings
Art: The Spies Return with Discordant Views by Yoram Raanan
The L‑rd spoke to Moses saying, “Send out for yourself men who will scout the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel.” . . . They returned from scouting the land at the end of forty days. . . . They spread an [evil] report about the land which they had scouted. (Numbers 13:2, 25, 32)The conflicting reports of the spies are reflected in discordant colors and contrasting light and darkness. Ten of the twelve spies returned from scouting out the land with disparaging reports. They say the land is fertile and rich, indicated here by the deep wine-red tones, but that the inhabitants are too strong to be defeated. This lack of trust and confidence casts shadows of despair. In contrast, Caleb and Joshua call upon the people to trust in the golden expanse of land that lies before them, but the people weep and lose faith in G‑d’s promise. The painting hints at the dark repercussions of this lack of faith. It will now take another 40 years and a new generation to enter the holy land.
JEWISH NEWS
Jews, Christians and Muslims Join Forces to Help the Needy in Morocco During Ramadan
In what sounds like a page ripped out of novel, several dozen Muslim activists, a group of Jewish teens and a rabbi joined forces on Sunday in a number of Moroccan cities to supply 1,500 underprivileged Muslim families with break-fast staples. by Menachem Posner
Rabbi Levi Banon of Jeunesse Chabad Morocco, center, led a group of volunteers to some of the poorest areas in the cities of Kenitra, Rabat and Sale to distribute the food.In what sounds like a page ripped out of novel, several dozen Muslim activists, a group of Jewish teens and a rabbi joined forces on Sunday in a number of Moroccan cities to supply 1,500 underprivileged Muslim families with food staples for the meal that marks the end of their daily fast.
The food packages were a three-way partnership organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, founded and directed by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein; Chabad-Lubavitch of Morocco; and the Mimouna Association, an organization of Moroccan Muslim students who work to preserve and promote the unique heritage of Morocco’s ancient Jewish community.
“We are privileged to help support Moroccans in need celebrate their holy month,” said Eckstein. “This inspiring joint initiative serves as a shining model of bridge-building between Christians, Jews and Muslims, and shows that the world’s faith communities can unite around shared values to make a difference for good.”
Rabbi Levi Banon of Jeunesse ChabadMorocco led a group of teens from the local Chabad and volunteers from Mimouna to the poorest areas in the cities of Kenitra, Rabat and Sale to distribute the food.
“This is a beautiful display of how people from different faiths can get together to do something positive,” said Laziza Dalil, a member of Mimouna. “Some of these families may not have the most basic supplies with which to break the fast.”
Each box contains dates, tea, lentils, chickpeas and other food staples with which Muslims traditionally break their fasts each evening.
The packages are a result of a three-way partnership organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews; Chabad-Lubavitch of Morocco; and the Mimouna Association, an organization of Moroccan Muslim students.This year’s distribution follows the successful pilot program last year, in which 250 packages were delivered.
According to Dalil, some of the recipients were taken aback to discover that the gift was brought to them by people outside of the Muslim faith, but “they really did not care. They were touched by the human gesture of caring, and the fact that people thought about them and their families.”
“It was such a wonderful gesture that really brought out the best in people,” noted Banon. “It is touching to see that charity that has been done in other parts of the world though the IFCJ is now being felt in the Muslim world, especially beginning in Morocco, a country of tolerance and peace.”
Each box contains dates, tea, lentils, chickpeas and other food staples that Muslims traditionally eat to break their fast each evening.
According to Dalil, some of the recipients were taken aback to discover that the gift was brought to them by people outside of the Muslim faith. “They were touched by the human gesture of caring, and the fact that people thought about them and their families.”
“It really brought out the best in people,” said Banon.
Ukrainian City Renames Street in Honor of the Rebbe
The people initiated the name change, recognizing Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson as a local hero. by Dovid Margolin
The people initiated the name change, recognizing Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson as a local hero. by Dovid Margolin
Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki, left, chief rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk, and Rabbi Mayer Stambler, director of Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine, prepare to unveil the new street name honoring the Lubavitcher Rebbe. (Photo: Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community)Pulling down on a light-blue tarp, Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki and Rabbi Mayer Stambler unveiled a brand-new street sign this morning in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine: Menachem Mendel Schneerson Street, 1. The newly renamed street, which honors the Lubavitcher Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—is where the city’s Ohr Avner Levi Yitzchak Schneerson Jewish Day School is located, and is also adjacent to the Dnipro-Arena, home of the area’s popular soccer team, FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.“It is a remarkable event for the whole city and the whole country,” Kaminezki, chief rabbi and head Chabad-Lubavitch emissary of the Dnepropetrovsk region, said at the event. Stambler is director of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine and heads the city’s Beis Chana Women’s Seminary.
The Rebbe was born in Nikolayev, Ukraine, but raised in Dnepropetrovsk, then known as Yekatrinoslav, where his father served as chief rabbi until his 1939 arrest by Soviet authorities. That it is the Rebbe’s hometown has long been a point of pride within the Dnepropetrovsk Jewish community—something that, according to Kaminezki, is now being recognized by the general population.
“It was Ukrainians within our city who initiated the project of renaming this street for the Rebbe,” says Kaminezki by phone. “They are renaming places after their national heroes, and they felt that the Rebbe, who grew up here, is one of their heroes as well.”
Menachem Mendel Schneerson Street 1 is the new address of Dnepropetrovsk's Ohr Avner Levi Yitzchak Schneerson Jewish Day School. (Photo: Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community)
The street is a prominent one in the city, adjacent to FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk's soccer stadium. (Photo: Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community)
‘Tremendous Joy and Happiness’The widespread renaming of place names in Ukraine is the result of a controversial law passed in Kiev last year mandating the removal of all public remnants of Soviet rule, and includes everything from statues to streets to city names throughout the country. Even Dnepropetrovsk itself has been renamed, officially taking on the less Russian-sounding name of Dnipro.
Menachem Mendel Schneerson Street was formerly named after Bolshevik Sergei Minin, who at a point in the 1920s headed a section of the secret police. With so many places to rename, Ukrainians have, in a number of cases, been accused of honoring anti-Semitic Ukrainian nationalists they regard as heroes.
“The Ukrainians here are trying to honor their own heroes,” says Kaminezki. “It is coming from a good place and not meant to offend anyone, certainly not the Jews.”
The new name has been greeted happily within the Jewish community. (Photo: Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community)While it may have originated with the city’s administration, the renaming of a prominent street after the Rebbe in a major Ukrainian city has been greeted happily within the Jewish community.
“This is a tremendous joy and happiness, and a huge pride for the Jewish community,” says Zelig Brez, director of the Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community. “Everyone is very proud.”
The educational complex, which includes the city’s Jewish school, is named after the Rebbe’s father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, and attended by some 700 children. The surrounding campus also houses a yeshivah and a girls’ seminary. A class from the yeshivah was there to witness the unveiling of the plaque.
“Every time you come to school named after the Rebbe’s father and located on the Rebbe’s street, you have to keep it in mind. “You have to learn in a way that brings nachas to the Rebbe, to become his genuine emissaries and spread the light of Torah and Chassidus,” Kaminezki pointedly told them at the event.
“It is commonly known that the name matters,” added the rabbi. “ ... I am sure that all those who live on the [Rebbe’s] street will have special blessing and happiness.”
Stambler addresses the crowd. On the far left is Zelig Brez, the community's director, and on the far right is Rabbi Reuven Chupin, director of the yeshivah. Kaminezki looks on. (Photo: Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community)
Boys from the yeshivah attended the unveiling of the plaque, and are told that going to school on a street bearing the Rebbe's name carries with it a responsibility. (Photo: Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community)
Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki, left, chief rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk, and Rabbi Mayer Stambler, director of Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine, prepare to unveil the new street name honoring the Lubavitcher Rebbe. (Photo: Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community)Pulling down on a light-blue tarp, Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki and Rabbi Mayer Stambler unveiled a brand-new street sign this morning in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine: Menachem Mendel Schneerson Street, 1. The newly renamed street, which honors the Lubavitcher Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—is where the city’s Ohr Avner Levi Yitzchak Schneerson Jewish Day School is located, and is also adjacent to the Dnipro-Arena, home of the area’s popular soccer team, FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.“It is a remarkable event for the whole city and the whole country,” Kaminezki, chief rabbi and head Chabad-Lubavitch emissary of the Dnepropetrovsk region, said at the event. Stambler is director of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine and heads the city’s Beis Chana Women’s Seminary.
The Rebbe was born in Nikolayev, Ukraine, but raised in Dnepropetrovsk, then known as Yekatrinoslav, where his father served as chief rabbi until his 1939 arrest by Soviet authorities. That it is the Rebbe’s hometown has long been a point of pride within the Dnepropetrovsk Jewish community—something that, according to Kaminezki, is now being recognized by the general population.
“It was Ukrainians within our city who initiated the project of renaming this street for the Rebbe,” says Kaminezki by phone. “They are renaming places after their national heroes, and they felt that the Rebbe, who grew up here, is one of their heroes as well.”
Menachem Mendel Schneerson Street 1 is the new address of Dnepropetrovsk's Ohr Avner Levi Yitzchak Schneerson Jewish Day School. (Photo: Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community)
The street is a prominent one in the city, adjacent to FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk's soccer stadium. (Photo: Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community)
‘Tremendous Joy and Happiness’The widespread renaming of place names in Ukraine is the result of a controversial law passed in Kiev last year mandating the removal of all public remnants of Soviet rule, and includes everything from statues to streets to city names throughout the country. Even Dnepropetrovsk itself has been renamed, officially taking on the less Russian-sounding name of Dnipro.
Menachem Mendel Schneerson Street was formerly named after Bolshevik Sergei Minin, who at a point in the 1920s headed a section of the secret police. With so many places to rename, Ukrainians have, in a number of cases, been accused of honoring anti-Semitic Ukrainian nationalists they regard as heroes.
“The Ukrainians here are trying to honor their own heroes,” says Kaminezki. “It is coming from a good place and not meant to offend anyone, certainly not the Jews.”
The new name has been greeted happily within the Jewish community. (Photo: Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community)While it may have originated with the city’s administration, the renaming of a prominent street after the Rebbe in a major Ukrainian city has been greeted happily within the Jewish community.
“This is a tremendous joy and happiness, and a huge pride for the Jewish community,” says Zelig Brez, director of the Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community. “Everyone is very proud.”
The educational complex, which includes the city’s Jewish school, is named after the Rebbe’s father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, and attended by some 700 children. The surrounding campus also houses a yeshivah and a girls’ seminary. A class from the yeshivah was there to witness the unveiling of the plaque.
“Every time you come to school named after the Rebbe’s father and located on the Rebbe’s street, you have to keep it in mind. “You have to learn in a way that brings nachas to the Rebbe, to become his genuine emissaries and spread the light of Torah and Chassidus,” Kaminezki pointedly told them at the event.
“It is commonly known that the name matters,” added the rabbi. “ ... I am sure that all those who live on the [Rebbe’s] street will have special blessing and happiness.”
Stambler addresses the crowd. On the far left is Zelig Brez, the community's director, and on the far right is Rabbi Reuven Chupin, director of the yeshivah. Kaminezki looks on. (Photo: Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community)
Boys from the yeshivah attended the unveiling of the plaque, and are told that going to school on a street bearing the Rebbe's name carries with it a responsibility. (Photo: Dnepropetrovsk Jewish Community)
Blitzed and Bushwhacked Londoner, 85, Celebrates Bar Mitzvah
With the help of a rabbi revitalizing a historic Jewish area, Samuel Lyons sees a milestone. by Menachem Posner
Rabbi Mendy Korer, left, co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Islington, with Samuel Lyons, 85, who didn't have a bar mitzvah ceremony in his youth due to the bombing of London during World War II.The date of Samuel Lyons’ bar mitzvah passed by without celebration. But then, almost nothing went as planned for the hardy souls living in London’s East End during the Blitz.
The term (German for “lightning”) refers to the relentless bombing campaigns by Germany carried on Britain in 1940 and 1941 during World War II.
“We spent the nights in the shelters, listening to the booming of the bombs,” recalls the feisty 85-year-old in a cockney accent peppered with Yiddish. “They shuffled us from school to school. Every few days, the school would be bombed, and we’d begin again in another. We kept busy picking through the rubble searching for shrapnel.”
Although he had begun preparing for his barmitzvah before the war began, taking chederclasses at the Jews’ Free School, or JFS, it closed down when students were evacuated to the countryside. (The building was destroyed in the bombings and ultimately reopened in a different location.)
Young Samuel had been evacuated as well, but his parents soon brought him back to London, when they determined that he was not being looked after in the country.
For a while, he and some other boys were tutored in Judaic subjects by an Eastern European Jew known to them only as “Rabbi Scratchy,” but that ended after a few weeks as well.
By the time the war ended and Samuel joined the Royal Air Force, his bar mitzvah had been all but forgotten. Like many of the buildings in his old neighborhood, it seemed as if it would be forever written off as a wartime loss.
When he married his late wife Malka in 1957, he returned to Sandy’s Row Synagogue, the ornate religious establishment of his youth, where his sister (and his parents, he believes) had married before him.
Lyons at his home in London
In the meantime, the Jewish East End had fallen into decline. Most of the Jews moved west to roomier and more “respectable” suburbs, such as Hampstead and Golders Green. The lively Jewish center Lyons had known growing up became home to a new wave of immigrants.‘Something Big’
However, Sandy’s Row Synagogue—the oldest surviving Ashkenaziplace of worship in London, founded in 1854—remained a stoic monument to the neighborhood’s past, held tightly by the dwindling population of pensioners and suburban families that maintained their multigenerational connection to the congregation.
This spring, the congregation invited Rabbi Mendy Korer (co-director ofChabad-Lubavitch of Islington with his wife, Hadasa) to become its rabbi. He had already been assisting them for a while now, and the congregation felt that it was time to make the connection official.
A monument to the neighborhood’s pastKorer promptly invited Lyons, who had maintained his connection to the synagogue, to attend services on Shabbat morning. “The rabbi bushwhacked me,” says the octogenarian, chuckling. “He told me something big was going to happen, and he needed me there. Mendy’s a nice chap, so I figured I would go support him.”
Upon his arrival this past Shabbat, Lyons was surprised that the “something big” was his own bar mitzvah celebration. Heavy with emotion, he recited the blessings of the Torah for the first time in his life.
“A lot of chaps of my crowd never had their bar mitzvahs,” reflects Lyons, who put on tefillin for the first time in his life this week. “But I could do it; anyone can. It’s never too late.”
The windy way to the historic synagogue in London's East End
The exterior of Sandy’s Row Synagogue, where Korer now serves as rabbi
The interior of Sandy’s Row Synagogue, where Lyons read from the Torah for the first time---------------------
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