***************************************************************** L'CHAIM ISSUE No. 3 ***************************************************************** 7 Nissan, 5748 Parshat Tzav March 25, 1988 ***************************************************************** THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR EVERY JEWISH PERSON Dedicated to the memory of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson N.E. ***************************************************************** A BIRTHDAY WISH How will you celebrate your next birthday? Hardly a question you would consider of deep, religious significance, right! Yet, on a birthday Judaism says there is a lot to celebrate, even if you have turned thirty-something. Our Sages tell us that on a birthday our *mazal* (good fortune) is strong. Generally, when our fortune is strong, it's a great opportunity to make bold moves. So why not contemplate some new adventures? We can use this transitional time to take stock of our achievements to date, make new beginnings, and accept new commitments for the year ahead. On the anniversary of our birth, we embark on a new year, a new stage in our development. Take advantage of this occasion and arrange a birthday gathering. But not just your average birthday party with food, drinks and music--though that, of course, can be a part of the celebration. Spend some of the time in the company of a few of your closest friends. Be introspective, explore the state of your spiritual life, set your Jewish house even more in order. Just be sure the party isn't all talk and no action. Start fulfilling some of the good resolutions you'll probably come up with right there. And do something practical, like making a contribution to a charitable cause. These innovative suggestions on how to celebrate your birth-day were made by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, *shlita*, on March 14. That was the 86th anniversary of the birth of his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson (o.b.m.), who passed away in February of this year. ***************************************************************** LIVING WITH THE TIMES ***************************************************************** THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION ***************************************************************** This week's Torah portion, Tzav, is a continuation from last week of the various types of offerings. It also describes the setup and dismantling of the Sanctuary by Moses and the consecration ceremony that he performed on the High Priest and priests (Aaron and his sons). A continual fire that was to be kept burning at all times is likewise mentioned. It was to be on the altar in the Sanctuary. According to Chasidic interpretation, every part of the sanctuary has an equivalent in a person's body. The altar's counterpart is a person heart; the fire in one's heart must continuously burn. But what does a burning heart mean, and how does it relate to our Jewish experience? There are people who might be at a level where their mind rules over their emotions. They are not even tempted by the mundane world. Therefore, they tell themselves, they have no need for the fire of love in their observance of Judaism. To this type of person, the Torah says, "the fire shall not go out." The passion must remain. There is an opposite extreme, the person who feels so separated from G-d and Judaism that he no longer feels himself linked. Everything just seems so overwhelming. To this person, too, the Torah says, "the fire shall not go out"--because the fire does not go out. A spark of love for Judaism always burns in the recesses of the Jewish heart. It can be fanned into a flame. And if it is fed with the fuel of love, it will burn continually. Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. ***************************************************************** SLICE OF LIFE ***************************************************************** Ilana Harkavy: Make-up Artist to the Stars The eyes of Ilana Harkavy sparkle. And it is not because of her makeup. Although, in fact, Ilana is an internationally famous makeup designer and the personal beauty consultant of many film and television stars, as well as fashion models. They whiz by in dazzling array as she turns the pages of her portfolio: Diana Ross, Cicely Tyson, Marlo Thomas, Barbra Steisand, Bette Midler, Cheryl Tiegs. And that is only to name a few. Yet all of this has nothing to do with the sparkle in her eyes. If you ask her she will tell you it is because there is Shabbat in her life, because she feels in touch with G-d at all times, because she knows who she is. But it was not always that way. In vivid colors worthy of her own line of eye shadow shades, she paints the picture of her return to Judaism: "It was my husband who started it," she says almost proudly. "Ten years ago he came to me and told me he wanted to observe Shabbat. I thought he was absolutely crazy." So for an entire year her husband observed Shabbat by himself. Ilana was busy travelling and doing films and T.V. She felt observing Shabbat for her, was out of the question. But as her husband became more involved in Shabbat, Ilana realized she had to come to terms with either observing Shabbat herself, or losing her husband. Through a friend Ilana received an invitation to spend a Shabbat in the Lubavitch community of Crown Heights. It was Succot time when they went. "I get the chills when I think about it," Ilana says. "I had forgotten the succah of my childhood in Israel. I had forgotten even the smell of Jewish food." Here was something that spoke to her, that touched her soul. After that, the family spent every Shabbat and every holiday in Crown Heights for an entire year. By the third Shabbat, she says, "it really got into me." Today she describes Shabbat as "the best thing that could have ever happened to me." She says she doesn't mind working sixteen hour days because she knows Shabbat is there at the end of the week. "To me Shabbat is a gift from Heaven...from Sunday I already wait for the next Shabbat and the minute I light the candles, I feel it in my bones." Ilana worried about how her new involvement with Judaism would mesh with her previous life and her business. While learning in a women's yeshiva in Minnesota for the first time, she began to think, "What am I doing?! I'll lose my business, I'll lose my fame!" Just at that moment, a fellow student burst into the room holding up the latest issue of Vogue magazine, and said to Ilana, "Here, read about you!" To her amazement, there was an article in Vogue complete with photos of her in her Manhattan salon, "Il Makiage." "Here I can sit and learn Torah," she thought, "and G-d is pushing my business for me." She took it as a sign and after that she didn't worry. "From then on," she says, "everything began to go by itself." She still remembers the first time she told Diana Ross that she could no longer work with her on Shabbat. "We were doing a week's concert at Radio City," she explains, "and I was afraid to tell her." She was sure that would be the end of her working relationship with Ms. Ross, as well as many other stars. She put off telling her until the end of the week, when she had no choice. "I can't work with you on Friday night," she said. "I am starting to observe Shabbat." To her amazement, the star replied, "Really? I wish I could do that--take one day off!" Ilana, eyes still sparkling, says she feels grateful that her eyes were finally opened "to something that was growing next to me for twenty years and I didn't even know it!" She remembers how, as a child in Israel, she and her friends would walk across the street to avoid a religious person. "Get to know your own heritage," Ilana advises. "We are often more interested in finding out about someone else's heritage than we are about our own grandparents'. Maybe then you will find something that your soul was always looking for." Excerpted from "Wellsprings" magazine. ***************************************************************** WHAT'S NEW ***************************************************************** EDUCATION DAY USA President Ronald Reagan, at the behest of both houses of the United States Congress, has once again proclaimed the birthday of the Lubavitcher Rebbe as "Education Day USA." As in previous years, the proclamation by the president and resolution by congress recognized the Rebbe's contribution to the moral and spiritual education of this nation. The Rebbe's 86th birthday this year (may he live to 120 years) corresponds to March 29, 1988. PARADE OF "TANKS" In honor of the Rebbe's birthday, thirty mobile homes, dubbed "Mitzvah Tanks," will parade from World Lubavitch Headquarters, 770 Eastern Parkway, in Brooklyn, into Manhattan, then disperse to visit various locations throughout the five boroughs. The Tanks, armed with young men and literature promoting Jewish awareness, is one of Lubavitch's efforts to help people find out more about their Jewish heritage. ***************************************************************** INSIGHTS ***************************************************************** On their last Shabbos in Egypt, the Jewish people witnessed a unique miracle. Having heard that they were on the verge of destruction in the last of the Ten Plagues, the Egyptian firstborn demanded that Pharaoh free the Jews. When they were refused, a civil war erupted in which the firstborn killed many of their fellow Egyptians. Because of this occurrence, the Shabbos immediately preceding Passover is called Shabbos HaGadol (the Great Shabbos). This is somewhat puzzling since the revolt of the firstborn seems to be a logical result of their fear of death. Why then is it singled out from amongst other more spectacular miracles, such as the Plagues, to be called "Great"? TRANSFORM THY SELF Chasidic philosophy describes two ways of dealing with an undesirable impulse. The first is to suppress it; to use the mind's natural superiority to overpower and break the heart's desire. A person with a stubborn streak, for example, might habitually resist any outside influences, even positive ones. But, by exercising mental control, he can dominate the urge and open himself up to change. The second and more preferable way to deal with the impulse is to transform the desire into something positive. He can use his single-mindedness, for example, to resist all obstacles he finds blocking the observance of a certain commandment. By transforming his inflexibility he has done something much greater than dominating his desire; the urge is not only subdued, it is totally eliminated. Everything remaining is positive. THEY'RE HELPING TOO? Just as a person can have undesirable impulses, an entire group of people, such as the Egyptian nation, can embody negativity. they were evil down to their very essence. The Egyptians could have been fought in either of the two ways mentioned above. The Plagues, in particular the final one in which the firstborn were slain, broke and subdued the Egyptians. This was domination, however, and as such, was incomplete. We know this because they later regretted releasing the Jews and pursued them to the Red Sea. The miracles of the ten plagues and the splitting of the sea were tremendous, but they only achieved a suspension of nature, not its transformation. When the firstborn themselves revolted, the evil within them was not only dominated--it was transformed. This miracle was in a way superior to the others. Their evil nature was converted to further the causes of holiness. It is somewhat understandable that evil can be destroyed. But it defies the imagination that it itself can become good. It is a profound miracle which is why this particular miracle is singled out and described as "great." CONVERTING EGYPT Mystical writings stress the eternal significance of the Egyptian bondage and exile. We experience the present-day Egypt as various obstacles to holy endeavors. At times they stem from within ourselves, and at times from other individuals, groups or circumstances. All forces opposing the growth of holy things, however, can be classified as a spiritual "Egypt." Overcoming this spiritual Egypt can be accomplished in one of the two above-mentioned ways; nullification or transformation. And since the "Egypt" around us is connected with the "Egypt" within, we have a unique ability to accomplish this transformation. With persistent pursuit of self-improvement, we can eventually change our negative traits and use them for the good. This personal transformation helps effect a more universal one, enabling our exodus to be complete. ***************************************************************** WHAT'S IN A NAME? ***************************************************************** GAVRIEL Gavriel (Gabriel) is from the Hebrew, meaning "G-d is my strength." The angel, Gavriel, is mentioned only once, in the book of Daniel (8:16). The Midrash relates that he rescued Abraham from the fiery furnace and saved Moses from certain death, as a child, by not allowing him to take the glittering jewels in Pharaoh's test. GILA The name Gila is from the Hebrew meaning "gladness." It is found, among other places, in the last of the seven blessings for the bride and groom. ***************************************************************** A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR ***************************************************************** This Tuesday, 11 Nissan (March 29), the Jewish world celebrates the 86th birthday of its great leader, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, *shlita*. More than anyone else in this world, it is the Rebbe who is responsible for the revitalization and upswing in Jewish awareness and commitment during the past 38 years of his leadership. It was the Rebbe who first demonstrated how Jews could be encourage to return; it was the Rebbe who set the example of sending young families and students to create a nucleus of Torah *Yiddishkeit* in places where it was previously weak or nonexistent; and the Rebbe has led the way in utilizing all advances in the communications media for disseminating Torah thoughts and ideas. It is difficult to conceive a Jewish world today without the enormous contribution the Rebbe and his followers have made. Whether by direct action or by example, virtually all positive developments in the Jewish world during the past few decades can be traced back to the beneficial work of the Rebbe. As we celebrate this day, we express our deepest gratitude to G-d for His boundless kindness in bestowing such a great leader on our generation. We pray that the Rebbe enjoy many more happy and healthy years of leadership. May he soon see the fruition of his work of preparing the world for the coming of Moshiach in fulfill-ment of his most avid wish. Rabbi Shmuel Butman ***************************************************************** IT HAPPENED ONCE ***************************************************************** In a small town in Poland lived a storekeeper named Abraham. Though not at all a wealthy man, when it came to giving charity and offering hospitality to wandering Jews, he was without equal. One day Abraham had an unexpected and distinguished visitor, his Rebbe. The Rebbe was impressed with the warm hospitality and attention Abraham showed him. But his keen eyes did not fail to note that Abraham went far beyond the call of duty in the mitzvah of hospitality to visitors and giving charity. And so, before leaving, the Rebbe blessed Abraham--that he be able to practice these *mitzvos* in comfort and riches. Soon after the Rebbe left, Abraham noticed a change in his business affairs; a change for the better. Every day brought him better business and more prosperity. But, riches can be as much a test as poverty and, without even realizing, it he began to find less and less time for the mitzvos he had always treasured so. Abraham now lived in a beautifully furnished house, with several servants. Beggars were no longer admitted, though at the door they could still get a fairly handsome donation. People began to notice the change in their old friend. One day Abraham was informed that a very persistent Rabbi wanted to see him. Abraham greeted the man curtly, but when told that he was sent by their Rebbe, Abraham's face lit up. "Ever since the Rebbe's visit to my house my fortune has taken a good turn, and, thank G-d, I have done well, as you can see." The Rabbi asked for help in freeing a man who had been imprisoned on false charges. Abraham quickly took out a substantial sum of money and gave it to the visitor to take to the Rebbe. While seeing him to the door, Abraham apologized to the visitor that he was too busy to spend more time. "Remember me to the Rebbe, please," Abraham said as he shook hands with him. The Rebbe questioned his emissary closely about Abraham and his way of life, and it saddened him to think that Abraham had changed so. "Is it possible that my blessing could have been the indirect cause of this change?" the Rebbe wondered. He decided to pay a visit to Abraham. Abraham welcomed his Rebbe on his arrival with joy and respect. "Quite a change from before, Rebbe," Abraham commented as he saw the Rebbe looking all around. "Quite a change" the Rebbe agreed, his face quite serious. He came up to the window and looked out. "Abraham, come here a minute," the Rebbe called. "Who is that man walking there?" "That is Yankel the Tailor," Abraham replied, adding "a pious Jew. Unfortunately he is very poor..." "And who is that woman carrying an empty basket?" "That's a widow going to market...poor woman, and a houseful of orphans, too." Abraham began to wonder why the Rebbe had become so interested in the passers-by; he was not a man of idle curiosity. The Rebbe turned away from the window and walked up to a large mirror. "Look into the mirror, Abraham. Whom do you see there?" "Why, myself, of course," Abraham replied, puzzled. "Tell me, Abraham. What is the difference between a window and a mirror?" "That is quite simple," Abraham explained. "They are both glass but a mirror has a coating of silver on it." "I see, I see..." the Rebbe said. "When you put silver on a piece of glass, you see only yourself. Extraordinary, isn't it?" "Yes, indeed, but..." Abraham did not finish the sentence. Suddenly it dawned on him what the wise and saintly Rebbe was hinting at. Before he was "coated with silver" he could see everybody, but now that he had become rich, he could only see himself. Abraham felt a deep sense of shame. "I've failed my test, haven't I Rebbe? Is there any way I can make it up?" he asked tearfully. "You must return to your good old way of giving charity generously and graciously, and inviting guests humbly into your home--all in accordance with your ability." Later Abraham went over to his mirror with a sharp knife. He scraped off the silver in one of the corners. In this way he would always be reminded not to see only himself. ***************************************************************** THOUGHTS THAT COUNT ***************************************************************** "This is the law of the meal offering: [One of] Aaron's descen-dants shall offer it before G-d..." (Leviticus 6:7). The High Priest was required to offer a personal sacrifice every day. His offering was only flour and oil--the same type of offering brought by the poorest person. The pauper, therefore, was be ashamed to bring his simple offering since it was identical to that of the High Priest. (Abarbanel) *** "...the thanksgiving offering must be eaten on the day it is offered. None of it may be left over until morning" (Leviticus 7:15). Most other offerings had to be eaten within two days. But this offering, at which time one thanked G-d for being saved from a life threatening danger, had to be eaten in one day. When asked to explain this difference, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai of Gur replied, "This is offered out of thanks for a miracle which GÄd performed for us. But every day we have new miracles to be thankful for." *** "Thus, there shall be a constant fire kept burning on the altar, without being extinguished" (6:6). As long as coals still contain small sparks, they can easily be fanned into a huge fire. But once even that small spark has ceased to glow, a whole new fire is needed to rekindle it. So it is with our GÄdly service. If at least a small spark of devotion to GÄd remains with us through our day's worldly activities, can easily be reawakened in a more spiritual moment. But if we allow the embers to cool down, then we need to find a new flame, new inspiration. (Baal Shem Tov) *****************************************************************