LIVING WITH MOSHIACH, Parshat Mishpatim, 5755 B"H LIVING WITH MOSHIACH Weekly Digest About Moshiach PARSHAT MISHPATIM Shevat 26, 5755 Jan. 27, 1995 * Published Weekly By Lubavitch Shluchim Conferences On The Moshiach Campaign, Committee For The Blind * * * 5755 "Year of Hakhel" ********************************************* * TO RECEIVE THIS PUBLICATION VIA INTERNET: * * E-Mail: yys@dorsai.org * * FOR CHABAD-LUBAVITCH IN CYBERSPACE: * * E-Mail: info@chabad.org * ********************************************* THIS PUBLICATION IS DEDICATED TO THE REBBE, RABBI MENACHEM M. SCHNEERSON OF LUBAVITCH "I BELIEVE WITH COMPLETE FAITH IN THE ARRIVAL OF THE MOSHIACH. AND THOUGH HE MAY TARRY, I SHALL WAIT EACH DAY, ANTICIPATING HIS ARRIVAL." Maimonides, Principles of the Faith, No. 12 ********************* * TABLE OF CONTENTS * ********************* Introduction The Weekly Torah Portion The Rebbe's Prophecy A Lesson From the Leap Year 60 days of Joy and Happiness **************** * INTRODUCTION * **************** We are pleased to present, to the visually impaired and the blind, the 15th issue of our weekly publication, Living with Moshiach. * As this year is a leap year on the Jewish calendar, there are two months of Adar. This Shabbat we bless the new month of Adar I. Therefore, in this week's issue, our feature presentation focuses on a lesson we can learn from the Leap Year. * Our sincere appreciation to L'Chaim weekly publication, published by the Lubavitch Youth Organization, for allowing us to use their material. Also, many thanks to our copy editor, Reb Mordechai Staiman, for his tireless efforts. * It is our fervent hope that our learning about Moshiach and the Redemption will hasten the coming of Moshiach, NOW! Rabbi Yosef Y. Shagalov Administrator Committee for the Blind E-Mail: yys@dorsai.org 15 Shevat, 5755, Year of Hakhel Brooklyn, New York *************************************** * THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION * * Adapted from the Works of the Rebbe * *************************************** Parshat Mishpatim This week's Torah portion, Mishpatim, delineates the laws of guardianship. Chasidic philosophy explains the issue of guardianship in terms of the spiritual reality and the nature of the Jew's G-dly worship. Every Jew is a guardian. He holds as a pledge something that was given to him by G-d. The soul of every Jew is a piece, as it were, of G-d Himself, that is given to the Jew to guard and keep in his physical body. A person must properly take care of this precious pledge, and must furthermore take an active role in its safekeeping. Properly guarding the soul within requires ongoing care and effort, and not just making sure that the soul is not harmed by the physical, corporeal world. The guardian of the soul must keep in mind the purpose for which the soul descended into our world--a descent whose purpose is ascent. The guardian must keep the Torah and its commandments, in order to elevate the soul to an even higher level than it was before its descent into the body. The obligation to guard the soul is emphasized by the oath that is administered to every soul before its descent--"You should be a righteous person and not an evil person." What happens if the keeper did not properly guard that which was in his charge? Our portion explains: "For all manner of trespass--for ox, for donkey, for lamb, for clothing, for any manner of lost object ... he shall pay double to his neighbor." Chasidic philosophy explains that "for all manner of trespass" means if a person trespasses against the great pledge that was given to him to guard--the soul. And how does a person arrive at such a state? "For ox, for donkey, for lamb, for clothing"--this refers to different negative characteristics of the person's animalistic soul. An "ox" refers to the characteristic of "a goring ox" --aggression, violence and lack of consideration for others. It is said of a "donkey" that even in the summer months he is cold. This symbolizes the negative character trait of indifference, that even when exposed to the greatest G-dly illumination, the person remains cold and indifferent. The "lamb" stands for the Jewish People--"a scattered lamb is Israel." This symbolizes lack of self-esteem and assertiveness, and the tendency to blindly follow the surrounding non-Jewish nations and to imitate their ways. "Clothing" in Hebrew is beged which has the same root as the word "begida," or betrayal and disloyalty to G-d. These are four ways in which the Jew can come to misuse the holy pledge given to him. How is this situation rectified? The Torah tells us--"he shall pay double to his neighbor." Our Rabbis teach: "He who is accustomed to learning one page should learn two pages." One should double his efforts in learning Torah and performing mitzvot, the same way that if a rope is torn, the repair is made by tying the place of the rip with a big double knot. G-d will then repay us in kind. Our transgressions will be considered as merits, our negative character traits will be transformed into positive ones, and our animalistic soul will help us on the road to serving G-d. ************************ * THE REBBE'S PROPHECY * ************************ The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson of Lubavitch, issued a call that "THE TIME OF OUR REDEMPTION HAS ARRIVED!" and "MOSHIACH IS ON HIS WAY!" The Rebbe stressed that he is saying this AS A PROPHECY, and asks us all to prepare ourselves for the Redemption, through increasing acts of goodness and kindness. LET US ALL HEED THE REBBE'S CALL. ******************************************* * IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY DEAR GRANDFATHER * * * * Reb Shmuel Pesach Ben Reb Yaakov Dovid * * Passed away on 3 Tishrei, 5755 * * Pais * ******************************************* ******************************* * A LESSON FROM THE LEAP YEAR * * From the Rebbe's Letters * ******************************* This year's conference, taking place in the month of Adar I, brings to mind the significance of our leap year and its relevance to our daily life. For, although our Jewish calendar year has a basic logic of its own, it, too, like everything else in Jewish life, must be related in a practical and tangible way to our personal lives and responsibilities. The fundamental reason for adding an extra month in our leap year is, of course, the fact that the Torah requires our calendar to be based on the lunar year, which is shorter than the solar year by approximately eleven days. At the same time it requires that our festivals take place in their due season (Passover in the spring, Sukkot in the autumn, etc.). This necessitates an adjustment once in two or three years, in order to make up the deficiency of the lunar year in relation to the solar year. [1] The lesson contained in this calendar arrangement is that a person can in one year make up for deficiencies in past years. Furthermore, just as the leap year not only makes up the deficiency, but also provides an "advance" on the future, so must the individual from time to time not only make up what he has failed to accomplish, in the past, but also make a special and extra effort to go a step forward as a reserve for the future. [2] In addition, the Jewish leap year has a special relevance to Jewish women, mothers and daughters. The sun and the moon were created as "the two great luminaries," but each has been given its own place and function. The moon acts as a reflector and transmitter of the sun's light. In this way it has a special quality in that it transmits the solar light and energy to those areas in nature where direct sunlight would be too intense to be beneficial. Similarly, the Jewish wife, in many respects, must reflect and transmit the Torah way of life to the entire household, and it is in this way that she fulfills her great responsibility and privilege of being the akeret habayit--foundation of the home. In taking stock of your accomplishments in the past, you will find much to be gratified with, but these very accomplishments will also reveal that with a little more effort, a great deal more could have been accomplished. It is, therefore, to be hoped that you will resolve not only to make up the "deficiency," but in keeping with the spirit of the leap year, also make an advance on the future. After all, true progress cannot be limited to making up deficiencies. It is necessary to forge ahead steadily, and from time to time, to also advance by leaps and bounds. * * * In accordance with the teaching of the Baal Shem Tov, to the effect that every experience should serve as a lesson toward better service of G-d, the leap year serves to remind us that everyone has an opportunity to make up for any deficiency in the past, and sometimes even to accumulate a little reserve for the future, as in the case of our leap year. Chabad Chasidut emphasizes this point in a very basic manner, since by very definition Chasidut is a way of life that demands a little more effort than called for in the line of duty--a little more dedication, a little more depth, a little more enthusiasm; and enthusiasm itself provides a breakthrough in overcoming limitations. _______________ 1. The lunar month is 29 or 30 days. One lunar cycle is 354 days, while one solar cycle is 365 days. An extra month is inserted 7 times in 19 years in order to make the holidays in their correct seasons. 2. At times the additional month actually makes the year longer than 354 days, thereby giving an "advance" toward the upcoming year. ******************************** * 60 DAYS OF JOY AND HAPPINESS * ******************************** As this year is a leap year on the Jewish calendar, there are two months of Adar. This Shabbat we bless the new month of Adar I. Our Sages have taught that, just as when the month of Av begins we lessen our joy, so, too, when the month of Adar begins, we increase our simcha--joy and happiness. In talks delivered immediately preceding and during the two months of Adar, 5752 (1992), the Rebbe emphasized the importance of simcha in turning the darkness of exile into the light of Redemption. The Rebbe also stressed that, being as there are two months of Adar this year, there are 60 days during which we are to increase our simcha. More importantly, in Jewish law, the quantity of 60 has the ability to nullify an undesirable presence. Specifically, this concerns food, as we see that if a quantity of milk, for instance, has accidentally become mixed with meat, if the meat outnumbers the milk by a ratio of 1:60, the milk is nullified and we may eat the meat. Similarly, explains the Rebbe, 60 days of simcha have the ability to nullify the darkness of the present exile, allowing us to actually turn the darkness into light. Concerning the kind of things that should be done to arouse simcha, the Rebbe suggested that each person should proceed according to his level: a child, for instance, should be made happy by his parents; a wife by her husband, and visa versa. The bottom line is that the Rebbe did not let up on encouraging an increase of simcha in all permissible manners during the entire month. We must hearken to the Rebbe's words and utilize simcha, especially during this month, to turn darkness into light, sadness into joy, and pain and tears into rejoicing with Moshiach in the Final Redemption, may it take place, as the Rebbe so fervently prayed, teichef umiyad mamash--immediately, literally. ============================================================== = End of Text: Living With Moshiach, Parshat Mishpatim, 5755 = ==============================================================