Living With Moshiach, Parshat Ki Tavo, 5755 B"H LIVING WITH MOSHIACH Weekly Digest About Moshiach PARSHAT KI TAVO Elul 20, 5755 Sept. 15, 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 In Just One Moment Make Hakhel Gatherings Say the Special Selichot Prayers **************** * INTRODUCTION * **************** We are pleased to present, to the visually impaired and the blind, of our weekly publication, Living with Moshiach. * In this week's issue we focus on teshuvah (lit., return; colloquially, repentance). * 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. * We take this opportunity to wish you and yours, among every member of our people, a very sweet, happy, healthy and successful new year. * 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 11 Elul, 5755, Year of Hakhel Brooklyn, New York DEDICATED TO THE REBBE, In Honor Of Our Daughter CHAYA SARAH on the occasion of her seventh birthday, 25 Elul *************************************** * THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION * * Adapted from the Works of the Rebbe * *************************************** Parshat Ki Tavo This week's Torah portion, Ki Tavo, contains the commandment of bikurim, first fruits. "And it shall be, when you come into the land...and you shall take of all the fruit of the earth...and put it in a basket...and you shall go to the priest...and the priest shall take the basket from your hand, and set it down before the altar of the L-rd your G-d." The mitzvah of first fruits applies only to the "seven kinds by which the land of Israel is praised"--grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, dates, wheat and barley. Whoever cultivated these special fruits on his portion of land was obligated to bring the very first of his harvest to G-d's representative on earth--the priest who served in the Holy Temple--thereby thanking G-d for His bounty and joyfully acknowledging the Creator of all things. A mitzvah may be performed in one of two ways: with a minimum of involvement and effort, merely in order to fulfill the requirement, or out of a sense of love and joy, demonstrated by one's desire to observe the mitzvah in the most beautiful way possible, utilizing the very best of whatever one possesses. This principle is best expressed in the mitzvah of bikurim, for which the farmer must go against his natural inclination to retain for himself the very best of the fruits of his labor, and hand them over to the priest in Jerusalem. As we stand now on the very threshold of the messianic era, when we will once again be obligated to perform this mitzvah, it is fitting that we prepare ourselves for its renewed observance, at least in the spiritual sense. How? By thinking of ourselves as the "first fruit" of G-d: every action we take, every thought we have and every word that comes out of our mouths must be not only "for the sake of Heaven," but also must be our absolute best, the most choice and select we are capable of producing. Furthermore, this principle should be applied not only to the realm of religious observance, but to the myriad details of our everyday, mundane lives, elevating even our business transactions to the level of "first fruits," as our Sages said, "All of your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven." Until Moshiach comes, when we will be able to perform the mitzvah of first fruits in the physical sense, every Jew must picture himself at all times as if he is standing in the Holy Temple, about to hand over his basket of offerings to the priest. May our efforts to refine ourselves in this manner bring the Final Redemption speedily in our day, and with it, the opportunity to observe the mitzvah of bikurim in the literal sense as well. ************************ * 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 GRANDPARENTS, * * * * Reb Shmuel Pesach Ben Reb Yaakov Dovid * * Passed away on 3 Tishrei, 5755 * * * * Mrs. Fraidel Chedvah Bas Reb Zev Wolf * * Passed away on 4 Adar II, 5755 * * Pais * ********************************************* ************************************************ * IN JUST ONE MOMENT * * Freely Translated From A Letter Of The Rebbe * ************************************************ There is a unique quality and preeminence of teshuvah [lit., return; colloquially, repentance] in that it enables a person to rectify completely all that should have been achieved throughout the past, in matters of Torah and mitzvot--"with one 'turn' and in one moment." On reflection, it can easily be seen that, all things added up, the world contains more quantity (materiality) than quality (spirituality), and more by far. Indeed, the more corporeal and gross a thing is, the greater is the quantity in which it is found. Thus, for example, the world of inanimate, (inorganic) matter is much greater in volume than the vegetable kingdom, and the latter is quantitatively greater than the animal kingdom, which, in turn, surpasses by far, in quantity, the highest of the four kingdoms, mankind (the "speaking" creature). Similarly, in the human body: the lowest extremities, the legs, are larger in size than the rest of the body, and the latter is much greater in bulk than the head, wherein are located the organs of speech and the senses of smell, hearing and sight, as well as the intellect, etc., which animate the entire body and direct all its activities. On further reflection, a person might also become disheartened, G-d forbid, wondering how is one to fulfill adequately one's real purpose in life on this earth, which is, to quote our Sages, "I was created to serve my Creator"--seeing that most of one's time is necessarily taken up with materialistic things, such as eating and drinking, sleeping, earning a livelihood, etc. What with the fact that the earliest years of a human being, before reaching maturity and knowledgeability, are spent in an entirely materialistic mode of living. The answer is, first of all, that even the so-called materialistic preoccupations of the daily life must not become purely materialistic and animal-like, for we have to be always mindful of the imperative, "Let all your doings be for the sake of Heaven," and "Know Him (G-d) in all your ways." This means that also in carrying out the activities that are connected with the physical and material aspects of life (which, as mentioned, take up the greater part of a person's time), a human being must know that those material aspects are not an end in themselves, but they are, and must serve as, the means to attain to the higher, spiritual realm of life, namely, G-dliness. In this way, he permeates all those materialistic-physical aspects with spiritual content, and utilizes them for spiritual purposes. Thus, all these mundane, and in themselves trivial matters, are elevated to their proper role, perfection and spirituality. But in addition to the above, there is also the unique effectiveness of teshuvah, which has the power to transform-- "with one 'turn' and in one moment"--the whole past--the very materiality of it into spirituality. Time is, of course, not measured simply by duration, but by its content in terms of achievement. Thus, in evaluating time there are vast differences in terms of content, and, hence, in real worth, of a minute, an hour, etc. Suffice it to mention, by way of example, that one cannot compare an hour of prayer and outpouring of the soul before G-d with an hour of sleep. And to use the analogy of coins, there may be coins of identical size and shape, yet differing in their intrinsic value, depending upon whether they are made of copper, silver or gold. With all the opportunities that G-d provides for a person to fill his time with the highest content, there is the most wonderful gift from "G-d who does wonders" of the extraordinary quality of teshuvah, transcending all limitations, including the limitations of time, so that "in one moment" it transforms the whole past, to the degree of absolute perfection in quality and spirituality. The Al-mighty has also ordained especially favorable times for teshuvah, at the end of each year and the beginning of the new year, together with the assurance that everyone, man or woman, who resolves to do teshuvah--can accomplish it "in one moment." By transforming the quantity of the materiality in the past into meritorious quality, spirituality and holiness; and at the same time preparing for the future, in the coming year and thereafter, in a proper manner, through Torah and mitzvot in the everyday life, a person elevates himself/herself and also the environment at large to the highest possible level of spirituality and holiness. This makes the material world a fitting abode for G-d, blessed be He. ************************** * MAKE HAKHEL GATHERINGS * ************************** The next few days are our last chance to key into the special qualities of our outgoing year and use these qualities to our advantage. Our current year is a "Hakhel" year. In the times of the Holy Temple, the year following the Sabbatical year, was a time when all Jews from all over the Holy Land gathered in the Temple to hear the King read from specific parts of the Torah. Many years ago, in preparation for a Hakhel year, the Rebbe pointed out that even though we do not yet have the (Third) Holy Temple, we can appreciate the Hakhel year and benefit from some of its spiritual advantages. The Rebbe indicated that an appropriate way to observe the Hakhel year would be by making gatherings that would include words of Torah, prayer and charitable acts. These gatherings could and should be repeated throughout the entire year by Jews of all ages, from toddlers to seniors. As all Jews, from the youngest infants to the elders of our people, were all present at the Hakhel gatherings in the Holy Temple, it would be appropriate for all Jews of all ages to make and participate in these gatherings. In addition, the Rebbe explained that the Hakhel year also teaches us a very important lesson in our personal lives. We must take the opportunities and extra spiritual strength afforded us by the Hakhel year to get ourselves "together." Each individual should gather and unite all of his or her soul powers and unify them toward enhanced G-dly service. The Rebbe explained that these activities help us prepare for the ultimate Hakhel gathering that will take place in the messianic era, when all Jews, from all parts of the world, including the "ten lost tribes" will be gathered in the Third and eternal Holy Temple, may this gathering take place this very day. ************************************ * SAY THE SPECIAL SELICHOT PRAYERS * ************************************ Saturday evening, Sept. 16, after midnight, the first Selichot ("prayers for forgiveness") will be said in synagogues throughout the world. From Monday, Sept. 18, through the eve of Rosh HaShanah, the Selichot prayers are said every weekday, in the early morning. Go with the whole family Saturday night, let the kids stay up late! This is a real, hands-on Jewish experience that is bound to be remembered for months, if not years. Call your local Chabad-Lubavitch Center for exact time and the location nearest you. ============================================================= = End of Text: "Living With Moshiach" Parshat Ki Tavo, 5755 = =============================================================