Fateful Setbacks – Don’t Fret The Past. . . Transform It

Not far from the twin towers, in a makeshift Synagogue, Jewish professionals meet each morning for daily prayer services. Hardly is there a problem obtaining a Minyan. However, on the morning of September 11th things were different.

Perhaps they had decided to remain at their local Shuls for the important Selichos services that precede the High Holidays. Whatever the reason, on that fateful morning, two hundred men were late for work at the World Trade Center. This explains why the nearby Minyan fell short.

Time was not on the side of the nine men present. They all had to be at their desks well before 9:00 a.m., but now they needed a tenth for the Minyan. “What do we do?” they asked, impatiently tapping their wristbands. “Where is everyone?”

The Weekly Sicha of the Rebbe – Parshas Mattos-Masei

The Rebbe says:

1. This week’s Torah portion tells us how the Tribes of Re’uvain and Gad had an extraordinarily large amount of livestock and they wished to remain in the lands that the Bnei Yisroel (the children of Israel) had just conquered, rather than crossing the Jordan River with their brothers into the Land of Canaan. They came to Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) and said, “This land which G-d defeated in front of the congregation of Israel is a land suitable for livestock and your servants have a lot of livestock. If it finds favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a heritage. Do not take us across the Jordan”.

Moshe Rabbeinu’s initial answer to this was, “Your brothers should go to war while you stay here?! Why are you discouraging the children of Israel from crossing over to the Land which G-d has given them? This is exactly what your fathers (the spies) did when I sent them from Kadesh-Barne’a to explore the Land. They went up to the Valley of Eshkol, saw the Land, and then they discouraged the children of Israel from crossing into the Land which G-d has given them”.

The Tribes of Re’uvain and Gad responded and said to Moshe Rabbeinu, “We’ll arm ourselves quickly and go ahead of the children of Israel and fight until we’ve brought them to their place. We’ll not return to our homes until each member of the children of Israel has taken possession of his inheritance”.

What You See Is Not What You Get – Short Term Pain Vs. Long Term Gain

A cow once stumbled upon a wounded bird lying on the ground in pain and discomfort. Doing what cows do best, the bird was left covered in a heap of animal refuse. Suddenly she felt warm and cozy. So happy was the bird with her newfound comfort, she began to sing.

Spurred by the sweet twittering, a farmer working in a nearby field followed the sound, only to discover the little creature lying submerged in manure.

The farmer immediately removed the animal from her wretched surroundings. Painstakingly he cleaned her and carefully placed her down. However, to his great disappointment the little bird would no longer sing. She was, in fact, noticeably withdrawn.

Realizing that he had upset her by removing her from her comfortable and cozy surroundings, the kind farmer looked at the bird and said: Little bird, little bird, let me teach you some very important lessons in life:

First of all: Not everyone that makes you feel comfortable is necessarily your friend.
Secondly: Not everyone that makes you feel uncomfortable is necessarily your enemy.
Finally dear birdie: When you are wallowing in manure, try not to sing.

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Do not look at the vessel, but rather at what it contains; there may be a new vessel filled with aged wine, or an old vessel in which there is not even new wine. (Pirkei Avot 4:20)

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The Weekly Sicha of the Rebbe – Parshas Pinchas

The Rebbe says:

1. This week’s Torah portion tells us the famous story regarding Pinchas (Phinehas) and how he killed Zimri the prince of the tribe of Shimon (Simeon), thereby pleasing Hashem greatly Who declared that Pinchas deserves a reward for, “zealously avenging My vengeance”.

2. Our Sages tell us regarding the Oral Law (Torah Shebal Peh) that “it is impossible for scholars of the Study Hall to conduct a session without expounding a novel teaching”. If this is the case regarding the Oral Law, surely regarding the Written Law (Torah Shebichsav), from which our Sages learn numerous laws from even one letter, there must be a novelty in the story of Pinchas.

(3. Here is a summary of the story about Pinchas which is told at the end of last week’s Torah portion (Parshas Balak):

The Prophet Who Was Out To Lunch – The Demeaning Affects Of Obsession And Greed

If you didn’t know that the Torah has a sense of humor, you probably missed the story of Balak and Bilaam, a tale of two highly influential leaders, who, driven by fear and greed, team up against the perceived threat of a rising nation with G-d on their side. They devise a sinister plot to tap the power of dark forces in order to eliminate the menace.

The great spin artist, Bilaam – a self proclaimed world organizer and do-gooder, professing great ideals while at the same time available for hire – and his royal friend Balak, make complete clowns of themselves as they refuse to accept the fact that they are up against the more powerful force of holiness and will not take no for an answer. Their arrogance and greed leaves them spiraling downward in humiliation and disgrace.

You got to admit that the notion of a speaking donkey, who finally sets his highfalutin yet clueless master straight, makes for some great sitcom material. But, as you can imagine, there is more to this story than humor. As with every Torah narrative, it contains a profound and relevant lesson.

Photos: Jewish Women’s Convention, 1990

CrownHeights.info and the Avner Institute is pleased to present a beautiful collection of photos from the N’shei Chabad Jewish Women’s Convention, Iyar 25, 1990. To learn more about the Rebbe Visit www.Portraitofaleader.org 

Special thanks to Rabbi Yossi Lew and The Rebbe Archive for the pictures.

Daily Chitas Class Now Available On-Line

Rabbi Yehoshua B. Gordon has been teaching a daily Chumash and Rashi class for the past twenty or so years. About 10 years ago, a daily Tanya class was added as well.

These two classes are now streamed live daily and are also available “On Demand.” The venue of this Shiur is Chabad of Encino, California, following morning Davening. The average daily attendance is 20-25 people and 40-60 people on Sundays, “Kain Yirbu.”

In conjunction with the devoted efforts of Chabad.org on the East Coast and Mr. Daniel Aharanov, a local lay leader in the digital media industry on the West Coast, this class is now available to the cyber-space community.

Kabalah of Spirituality – How To Balance Our Dual Composition

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi once received a silver snuffbox as gift. But the Rebbe did not want to put it to its intended use, remarking: “There is one part of the body which is not constantly seeking gratification – the nose. Should I train it, too, to be a pleasure-seeker?”

Instead, R’ Schneur Zalman found a more lofty use for the gift: he detached the snuffbox’s cover and used it as a mirror to help him center the teffilin on his head.

This incident was once related to R’ Schneur Zalman’s grandson, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch. In conveying the incident the person stated that R’ Schneur Zalman “broke off” the cover of the snuffbox. Rabbi Menachem Mendel remarked: “No, no, my grandfather never broke anyone or thing. He merely removed the hinge-pin which connected the upper part to the lower.”

There is deep significance in Rabbi Menachem Mendel’s clarification, observed the Lubavitcher Rebbe: While R’ Schneur Zalman’s entire life was devoted to sublimating the ordinary and elevating the mundane, still, he taught that the way to deal with the material world is not to repress or crush it, but to gently detach the upper from the lower: to extract, by harmonious and peaceful means, its lofty potential from its lowly enmeshments. Hence the statement: Rabbi Schneur Zalman would never have “broken off” the cover.

The Weekly Sicha of the Rebbe – Parshas Korach

The Rebbe says:

1. In this week’s Torah portion Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher) and Aharon Hakohen (Aaron the High Priest) plead with Hashem not to destroy Korach’s entire congregation; rather, Hashem should just destroy Korach because he was the one who incited and convinced everyone to rebel against Moshe Rabbeinu.

The Torah says, “Hashem spoke to Moshe and Aharon, saying: ‘Separate yourselves from among this congregation and I will annihilate them in an instant’. They (Moshe and Aharon) fell upon their faces and they said, ‘Almighty, the G-d of the spirits of all flesh; if one man sins shall You be angry with the entire congregation?’”

Rashi comments on this verse and explains why Moshe and Aharon prefaced the words, “Almighty, the G-d of the spirits of all flesh”, before their actual argument of, “if one man sins shall you be angry with the entire congregation?”. Rashi explains that Moshe and Aharon were saying, “(Hashem You are the) Knower of thoughts. Your attributes are not like mortal attributes. A mortal king against whom some of his kingdom acted insolently does not know who the sinner is and therefore when he is angry he punishes them all. But You- to You all thoughts are revealed and you know who the sinner is. Therefore, “if one man will sin will You be angry with the entire congregation?”

Fascinating Letter: How to Mourn the Departed

In advance of publication Chabad.org released this letter in honor of the Rebbe’s 15th Yahrtzeit. To learn more about the Rebbe Visit TheRebbe.org.

The Family […]

Greeting and Blessing:

In these days of Selichos and Rachamim, which bring the outgoing year to its end, and prepare for the new year, I am addressing these lines to you, hoping they will bring you some comfort.

A Funeral, Continuation, Teachings Live On

Barely thirteen years old, standing on the newly built balcony outside Lubavitch World Headquarters under the ominously dark skies emitting an avalanche of rain upon those of us below, I watched as tens of thousands of men, women and children gathered on the corner of Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue.

Gimmel Tammuz

Sholom Aleichem. Last week a dear friend was visiting New York from Florida with his son. He called me to ask how he could get to the resting place of the Rebbe in Queens. Since I was not in town at the time, I happily arranged with my friend Zalman to escort him to and his son to “Ohel”, which is the name used to describe the Rebbe’s resting place, and then on to the airport for his flight home.

Zalman called me afterwards to share with me some of the conversation he enjoyed with my visiting friend. “He asked me why does Rabbi Yossy always speak about the Rebbe so much? Aren’t there so many other great scholars and leaders in Israel? I explained to him that the Rebbe was much more than a scholar and leader. A Rebbe is a comprehensive soul that includes within it every other soul and can relate to each and every Jew in a most personal manner.”

I was glad Zalman explained things so beautifully. Both of my friends are absolutely right. I do indeed focus on the Rebbe and indeed the reason is because of the Rebbe’s role in my life. Let me explain with a short story and the Rebbe’s explanation:

Fascinating Letter: Trust in G-d and Not a Human

In advance of publication Chabad.org released this letter in honor of the Rebbe’s Yahrtzeit. To learn more about the Rebbe Visit TheRebbe.org

Grasshopper Mentality – If You Don’t Believe in Yourself, Who Will?

“A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory.”

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Back in the 1930’s, a large shoe conglomerate with stores all over North America, wished to explore the developing market of the emerging African Continent. Two high level representatives were dispatched to scout the villages across the continent and assess the opportunities.

Before long, the first rep. reported back: “The mission is a disaster. No one in these parts even knows what shoes are, let alone wears them! The situation is hopeless.”

Soon after, the second scout filed his own report. His cable read: “Urgent! Send 10,000 pairs of shoes ASAP. The place is ripe with opportunity. Nobody here owns a pair of shoes!”

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Where’s the Beef? – What Really Lurks Behind All The Kvetching

One of the spiritual mentors of my youthful days in the Yeshiva was in the habit of repeating the following observation: “Amongst the many items that are numerated in the confession prayer, which is recited on the holy day of Yom Kippur, is ‘The sins which we have committed before You with the evil inclination.’” “But”, he would muse, “Aren’t all sins committed with the Yetzer Hara – evil inclination? Surely no sins are committed with the ‘Good inclination.’”

He would then offer the following rejoinder: “’The sins which we have committed before You with the evil inclination’ refers not to the sins which the evil inclination manages to drag us into, but rather to the sins into which we manage to drag our evil inclination”.

Sometimes the Yetzer Hara lies dormant and does not bother us, yet we go ahead and agitate it: “Nu what’s the matter with you, wouldn’t this or that indulgence be pleasurable, come on get to work”!