B"H LIVING WITH MOSHIACH Weekly Digest About Moshiach PARSHAT TZAV, SHABBAT HAGADOL 5762 Nissan 9, 5762 * March 22, 2002 SPECIAL FEATURE: "Happy 100th Birthday, Rebbe" >> A Jewish Response To Terrorism << http://www.moshiach.net/blind/lwm-5762/269.htm *************************************************** * Visit TruePeace.org * * "http://www.truepeace.org" * * Dedicated to educating the public regarding the * * current situation in Israel, based on Torah * * sources, with special emphasis on the opinion * * and teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe * *************************************************** Published Weekly By Lubavitch Shluchim Conferences On The Moshiach Campaign, Committee For The Blind * * * 5762 "Year of Hakhel" http://www.moshiach.net/blind/lwm-5761/262.htm#Year of Hakhel **************************************************** * VISIT US ON THE WEB, AT: * * http://www.moshiach.net/blind * **************************************************** * TO RECEIVE THIS PUBLICATION VIA INTERNET: * * E-Mail: yys@dorsai.org * **************************************************** * OPERATION REFUAH: * * http://www.operationrefuah.org * **************************************************** * JEWISH CHILDREN: * * Get your own letter in a Sefer Torah! * * http://www.kidstorah.org * **************************************************** * Kids! We Want YOU To Join * * Tzivos Hashem (The Army of G-d) * * http://www.moshiach.net/blind/tzivos-h.htm * **************************************************** * MOSHIACH - CHILDREN'S PAGE * * http://www.moshiach.net/blind/children/index.htm * **************************************************** THIS PUBLICATION IS DEDICATED TO THE REBBE, RABBI MENACHEM M. SCHNEERSON OF LUBAVITCH In honor of his 100th birthday, 11 Nissan, 5762 "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. * Shabbat HaGadol. * The Rebbe's Prophecy. * The Extra Mile. * Psalm 101. * Moshiach Matters. * It Happened Once. * The Weekly Shabbat Calendar. * Laws of Shabbat Candle Lighting for the Blind. * Shabbat Candle Lighting Blessing. **************** * INTRODUCTION * **************** We are pleased to present, to the visually impaired and the blind, our weekly publication, Living With Moshiach. * In this week's issue, we focus on the Rebbe's 100th birthday. * 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 2 Nissan, 5762 Year of Hakhel Brooklyn, New York *************************************** * SHABBAT HAGADOL [1] * * Adapted from the Works of the Rebbe * *************************************** On the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Nissan the Jews in Egypt were commanded to take a lamb into their homes and to guard it until the fourteenth of the month, when it was to be slaughtered as the Passover offering. When their Egyptian neighbors became curious, the Jews explained that the sacrifice was preparatory to the tenth and final plague G-d would visit on the Egyptians -- the slaying of the firstborn. Hearing this, the firstborn sons panicked. They stormed Pharaoh's palace, demanding that he free the Jews. When he refused, civil war broke out in Egypt. Sons fought against fathers and many died, as it states in Psalms, "To Him Who struck Egypt through its first-born" -- the Egyptian firstborn sons themselves were the instrument of Egypt's destruction. This miracle is commemorated each year on Shabbat HaGadol, the Shabbat immediately preceding Passover, as the miracle itself took place on Shabbat that year. Yet ever since then, Shabbat HaGadol does not necessarily fall on the 10th of Nissan; the deciding factor in commemorating the miracle is that it be on Shabbat. [2] This commemoration differs from all other celebrations on the Jewish calendar, which are generally determined according to the day of the month. What is so special about Shabbat HaGadol that it follows a different pattern? An essential difference exists between the days of the week and of the month. The seven days of the week are determined by the sun, according to the natural order G-d put into motion during the seven days of Creation. The days of the (Jewish) month, however, are determined by the phases of the moon, whose movements are not subject to nature in the same way. These two ways of determining the passage of time, solar and lunar, reflect the two ways G-d oversees the world -- within and outside of nature -- the seemingly natural occurrence and the miracle. In fact, the Hebrew word for "month" -- chodesh -- expresses this concept, for it is related to the word chadash ("new"), signifying that the lunar phases are subject to change. For this reason, Jewish holidays are celebrated according to the day of the month, as they commemorate G-d's supernatural intervention with the laws of nature. The miracle of Shabbat HaGadol, however, was not supernatural, but of an entirely different sort, one in which evil itself fought to eradicate its own existence. Fearing for their own lives, Egyptian fought against Egyptian, waging war in order to free the Jewish slaves. A miracle such as this, occurring within nature, is therefore connected to the day of the week and not the day of the month. This concept will be better understood when Moshiach comes, speedily in our days, for the G-dliness that exists within nature will then be openly revealed and not seen as a separate entity. _______________ 1. See below footnote #4. Ed. 2. This year, Shabbat HaGadol is on the 10th of Nissan. Ed. ************************ * 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. _______________ See "Living With Moshiach" Vol 259: http://www.moshiach.net/blind/lwm-5761/259.htm ********************************************* * 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 * ********************************************* ****************** * THE EXTRA MILE * ****************** "Willing to go that extra mile" is a phrase we've often heard. Use it to describe a friend and he's for sure a great guy. Describe an employee thus and she is most assuredly devoted and loyal. Talmudic teachings use the idea of going the extra mile when referring to a person who "serves G-d." To backtrack: In the "olden days" it was standard practice for a person to review his Torah studies 100 times. (Try telling that to the kids when they complain about studying for tests!) If a person reviewed his studies 101 times, he was deemed "one who serves G-d." The first through one hundredth time he reviewed, he was just a regular guy. And even if day in and day out he would review his studies up to 100 times, he was just "average." It was only once he pushed himself to go beyond what was customary, habitual, expected, that he was awarded the appellation "one who serves G-d." The Talmud explains this with an analogy of donkey drivers. In Talmudic times the drivers used to charge one coin (a "zuz") for traveling ten miles. If they were asked to travel 11 miles, they charged an additional zuz for that one extra mile. One zuz for ten miles and two zuz for 11 miles would seem to be a disproportionate increase. However, that "extra mile" exceeded the donkey drivers' customary practice and was, in essence, equivalent to all of the preceding miles. That which requires effort, the "one extra" that calls for an inner struggle, is what it's all about. This coming Sunday (March 24), is the 11th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan. It is the 100th year since the birth of the Rebbe. It marks the transition from 100 to 101, from routine to extraordinary, from habitual to remarkable. It is an appeal to go that extra mile. And it emphasizes the necessity for each one of us to heed the Rebbe's prophecy that the time of the Redemption has arrived. We are standing on the threshold of the Messianic Era. We are poised to cross over into a world that is utterly good and totally G-dly. A world in which evil acts will not be tolerated, and in fact, they simply will not exist. Because evil itself will no longer exist. One hundred and one means struggling now to live the way we will live in the Messianic Era naturally: at peace with ourselves, in harmony with our families, as one with all members of our communities. *** As we prepare to celebrate Passover, the festival of liberation, may we succeed in our struggle to be liberated from our own personal Egypts. Egypt in Hebrew is "Mitzrayim," which is related to the word "meitzarim," meaning constraints. These are the limitations that we place upon ourselves, the self-imposed enslavement that we suffer. This season, may we reach a place of exodus from Egypt and freedom from enslavement to Pharoah. May we all become "one who serves G-d" with the revelation of Moshiach, now! ************* * PSALM 101 * ************* On Sunday, 11 Nissan (March 24), we will celebrate the Rebbe's 100th birthday. It is customary to recite daily the chapter in Psalms corresponding to one's years. Chasidic tradition encourages the daily recitation of the Rebbe's Psalm as well. Thus, Jews world-wide will begin reciting Psalm 101 in honor of the Rebbe. In this Psalm, King David recounts numerous ethical principles and ways in which he conducted himself. The first verse begins, "I will sing of kindness and judgment; to You L-rd, I will sing praises." According to the commentary Metzudat David, King David praised G-d equally for His kindness as well as for His (strict) judgment. Throughout the Psalm, King David reiterates his hatred of evil and his sincere love of strict justice. Thus, for him Divine kindness and justice are one and the same. Therefore he can sing at all times. The second verse reads: "I will contemplate the way of integrity: When will [the opportunity] come to me -- to walk in the integrity of my heart [even] within my home?" Here King David is telling us that even when not in the public eye he sincerely sought to walk in G-d's ways. From this we are taught that we should behave in private just as we do in public. (Radak) In verse 5, King David expresses his aversion to arrogance. "He who is haughty of eye and proud of heart, him I cannot bear." From this verse the Sages learned that when G-d sees an arrogant person He says, "He and I cannot exist together in the same world" (Talmud Sota 5a). "My eyes are cast on the faithful of the land..." begins verse 6. The Talmud states: "What is the fitting path in which one should conduct himself? This is to live with faith and justice, to deal honestly with one's fellow man." This is the meaning of "My eyes are cast on the faithful." In addition to haughtiness, dishonesty is also a trait to be abhorred. In verse 7, King David states: "He shall not dwell within my house -- one that works deceit; he who tells lies shall have no place before my eyes." The Talmud teaches that all people are destined to stand in G-d's presence in the World to Come, except for four groups of people who will not enjoy this privilege. One of these groups consists of those who tell lies. Surely we will merit very soon the revelation of Moshiach, at which time the essential righteousness of all Jews will be revealed and we will bask in the glory of G-d's light eternally. ******************** * MOSHIACH MATTERS * ******************** In addition to commemorating the redemption from Egypt, Passover also grants the potential for all future redemptions, including the ultimate Redemption, when "as in the days of your exodus from Egypt, I will show you wonders." In particular, the eighth day of Passover shares a connection with Moshiach. This is expressed in the following: a) The number eight is associated with the Era of Redemption; b) the haftorah read on the eighth day of Passover contains many prophecies related to Moshiach; c) The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of eating the "feast of Moshiach," on the eighth day of Passover. (The Rebbe, Passover 5751/1991) ******************** * IT HAPPENED ONCE * ******************** The following stories took place in the last few months and were told recently by Rabbi Leibel Groner, the personal secretary of the Rebbe. * A woman who is often a guest at our house was moving from one apartment to another. She wanted to ask the Rebbe for a bracha (blessing) that it would be a change for the good, in keeping with our Sages' teaching that when one moves his "mazel" changes for the good. She would ask the Rebbe by writing a letter and placing it randomly in one of the many volumes of the Rebbe's correspondence (known as Igrot Kodesh). As she does not know Hebrew or Yiddish (the languages in which most of the Rebbe's letters were written) she came to us to help her translate the letter. The woman took a volume off of the shelf and placed her note inside. My wife commented that the book she held contained letters from the Rebbe's father-in-law, the Previous Rebbe. "He's also a Rebbe," the woman said, and she asked my wife to translate. "I was very pleased to hear that you found a nicer apartment to move into..." the Previous Rebbe's letter read. The woman was delighted, but said, "I would like a bracha from our Rebbe also." She opened a volume of the Rebbe's letters and asked my wife to translate. "I am surprised that you are writing to me about a subject that my father-in-law wrote to you about already..." the letter began. When I was in Israel recently, a young man told me a similar story. He had written a letter to the Rebbe and had unintentionally placed it in a volume of the Previous Rebbe's letters. The letter he had opened to spoke exactly to the point of his question. But still, he wanted an answer from the Rebbe. He inserted his letter into a volume of the Rebbe's letters and opened it. "I am surprised that you are writing to me about something that you and my father-in-law have already discussed..." *** A family in the United States was residing in a city where the cost of living was much less expensive but where the Jewish schools were mediocre at best and the general environment was not a Torah environment. To move to a better neighborhood where their children would receive higher-quality schooling, the least expensive apartment would run them more than double what they were currently paying. The additional expense would certainly put them into debt. In a quandry as to what to do, the husband wrote a letter to the Rebbe and placed it in the Igrot Kodesh. The letter to which he opened read: "Concerning what you write that the atmosphere in your present area is not the way it should be and that in order to move to the better place you would have to go into debt: being that it says in Ethics of the Fathers [Rabbi Yosi ben Kisma was offered a position and a high salary to move to a place that was not renown for its Torah lifestyle and he quoted King David who said,] 'the Torah of your mouth is better than thousands of gold and silver' and as Maimonides stated 'It is better for one to live in a desert than to live in a place devoid of Torah,' therefore you should move to the better section even though you'll incur debt." *** A gentleman from the United States has lived with his family in Israel for the past 15 or so years. In the last few years his salary was steadily shrinking. His wife suggested that they temporarily move to the U.S. to see if he could make a better living there. After being in the States for nearly a year with little success in finding a good position, his wife recommended that they return to Israel as they own a home there and the children know the language. The gentleman wrote a letter to the Rebbe and placed it in the Igrot Kodesh. The letter to which he opened read: "Concerning what you write that you came to the United States to look for parnasa (livelihood) and while you have been here you haven't found anything and you are contemplating going back to where you came from, "Seeing that you are already here you should remain and surely G-d will provide you with a liberal livelihood." *************************************** * In loving memory of * * HORAV CHAIM YEHUDA KALMAN * * Ben Horav Avrohom Yehoshua Marlow, * * head of the Bet-Din (Rabbinical * * Court) of Crown Heights, * * Passed away, on Friday Morning, * * 20 Sivan, 5760 (June 23, 2000) * *************************************** ******************************* * THE WEEKLY SHABBAT CALENDAR * ******************************* ** JEWISH WOMEN AND GIRLS LIGHT SHABBAT CANDLES ** ******************************************************* * FOR LOCAL CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES: * * consult your local Rabbi, Chabad-Lubavitch * * Center, or call: (718) 774-3000. * * or: * * http://www.candlelightingtimes.org/shabbos * * * * FOR A FREE CANDLE LIGHTING KIT: * * contact your local Chabad-Lubavitch Center. * * * * FOR A LISTING OF THE CENTERS IN YOUR AREA: * http://www.candlelightingtimes.org/general/shluchim.html * In the USA, call: 1-800-Lubavitch (1-800-582-2848). * ******************************************************* >>>> Times Shown Are for Metro NY - NJ <<<< FRIDAY, MARCH 22, EREV SHABBAT PARSHAT TZAV: * Light Shabbat candles, [3] by 5:50 p.m. SATURDAY, MARCH 23, SHABBAT PARSHAT TZAV: * Shabbat HaGadol. [4] * Shabbat ends at NIGHTFALL, at 6:52 p.m. _______________ 3. The Shabbat candles must be lit 18 minutes *BEFORE* sunset. IT IS PROHIBITED AND IS A DESECRATION OF THE SHABBAT TO LIGHT THE CANDLES *AFTER* SUNSET. 4. A portion of the Haggadah, beginning from Avodim Hoyinu ("We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt") until l'chaper al kol avonoseinu ("to atone for all our sins") is recited on this Shabbat after Mincha, the Shabbat afternoon service. *********************************** * LAWS OF SHABBAT CANDLE LIGHTING * * FOR THE BLIND * *********************************** Edited by Rabbi Y. K. Marlow O.B.M.* * A blind woman who lives alone should light her Shabbat candle(s) with a blessing. * If she is married to a non-visually impaired person, HER HUSBAND SHOULD LIGHT THE SHABBAT CANDLES WITH THE BLESSING. * If she is eating and lighting in the company of others who are non-visually impaired, and they lit the Shabbat candles, she should light her own Shabbat candle(s), BUT WITHOUT SAYING THE BLESSING. * (If at all possible, she should not be the last one to light the Shabbat candle(s), so that she can be absolved by the latter's blessing.) _______________ *. Head of Bet-Din (Rabbinical Court) of Crown Heights. ************************************ * SHABBAT CANDLE LIGHTING BLESSING * ************************************ * First light the candles. Then spread your hands out around the candles, drawing your hands inward in a circular motion three times to indicate the acceptance of the sanctity of Shabbat. You then cover your eyes and recite the following blessing: BO-RUCH A-TOH ADO-NOI E-LO-HEI-NU ME-LECH HO-OLOM A-SHER KI-DE-SHO-NU BE-MITZ-VO-SOV VE-TZI-VO-NU LE-HAD-LIK NER SHEL SHA-BOS KO-DESH. Translation: Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the light of the holy Shabbat. * Uncover your eyes and behold the Shabbat lights. * The time of lighting is considered especially propitious for praying to G-d for health and happiness. The prayer is readily acceptable because it is offered during the performance of this great mitzvah of lighting Shabbat candles. CAUTION: The candles must be lit 18 minutes *BEFORE* sunset. IT IS PROHIBITED AND IS A DESECRATION OF THE SHABBAT TO LIGHT THE CANDLES *AFTER* SUNSET. ===================================================== End of Text: Living With Moshiach, Parshat Tzav, 5762 =====================================================