Weekly Story: My Mother, Rebbetzin (Binah) Cheyena Avtzon 

by Rabbi Sholom DovBer Avtzon

This coming Tuesday night, the 27th of Sivan is my mother’s yahrzeit. In her memory I am posting some aspects of her life.

Obviously if the reader had some interaction with her, I request that you please share it with me. Thank you in advance.

My mother grew up in the chassidishe town of Nevel. Her father Reb Yehudah Leib (Leibel) Karasik, was appointed by the Frierdiker Rebbe to be the Rov and Mashpia of Nevel, at the age of around 23 . Her mother was Aidella, one of the daughters of Shmerel the melamed, of Nevel.

Yes, Nevel is a famous chassidishe town, but she was born a few years after the Communists took control, closing the chadorim and subsequently she had to enroll in their school system. 

As for many chassidim, Shabbos was a tremendous challenge for her. She was obligated to be in school and walked every shabbos a few kilometers.each way, but every week she had to come up with an excuse as to why she couldn’t write.

Yes, her hands were often bandaged but how do you get around it every Shabbos?

She realized that most of the writing the students were required to do was in regard to the difficult mathematical questions. She resolved to excel in math and this way she barely wrote the equations throughout the week, so her nit writing on Shabbos, wouldn’t be a noticeable change..

One Shabbos, the teacher knowing that she wasn’t writing because it was Shabbos wrote a difficult equation on the board and instructed my mother to write the answer on the board.

My mother said I like to figure it out in.my head and I will give you the answer.

A moment later, the principal entered and noticed that the teacher was upset and asked him, What happened? 

He replied , “I requested this student to solve this question but she doesn’t want to do it!” Turning to my mother, the principal asked, “Why don’t you want to solve it, I know that you are extremely capable, especially in math.”

My mother replied, “I asked for a moment to solve it in my mind, and the teacher said that isn’t acceptable.”

Were you able to solve it, he asked.

Yes, my mother replied, the answer is …. and when the teacher confirmed that her answer was correct, the principal said that Miss Karasik doesn’t have to write it on the board.

Her father was imprisoned a few times and her mother went to the capital to President Kalinin to request clemency, so she and her siblings, who were all younger than her went to their aunt and uncle, Reb Yonah Poltava’s house.

She was a teenager when Russia was  attacked by Germany and before she became twenty years old, her mother and father both passed away, during the year.

So she was on her own to take care of her two surviving younger sisters, until they would once again meet up with Reb Yonah.

Escaping Russia after the war, and enduring horrifying times in Poland, until they were able to settle as refugees in France was a nightmare in itself. France wasn’t much better, as my father was a refugee and was not allowed to work in France.

Many Anash were in the same situation as my parents were, and they were becoming dispirited.

However, remembering how her father encouraged others not to become dispirited, and recalling parts of some conversations she heard as a young teenager, she used that knowledge and talent in uplifting many who were much older than she. The extent of this connection and true friendship that ensued between them, became evident to me when I came to New York and those people greeted me and my siblings with friendship. 

Similarly when my parents came to America and settled in Detroit, she didn’t know anyone nor did she speak the language, they were all on their own. But her desire and efforts to strengthen Yiddishkeit notwithstanding the hardships she was enduring, together with her genuine interest in the well-being of others created an atmosphere where many felt it an honor to be associated with her and assist her in her many activities. 

Years Later when Jews from Russia settled in Detroit,  my mother readily assisted them in finding homes and furniture. She explained I don’t want someone to feel bewildered and overwhelmed of settling in a new place, and go through the difficulties I did when I first arrived here.

As the Baal Shem Tov says, do a favor in a material aspect and then in a spiritual aspect,  that is what she succeeded in.

When they expressed their appreciation for the tremendous help she was to them, they opened up to her about their children and other family issues as well. She then was able to speak to them about giving their children a Jewish education and about a bris milah. She was successful in registering numerous children in the local day schools, understanding which families she could convince to become part of the Beis Yehudah – Bais Yaakov system and which ones would be better suited in the more modern one.

Ultimately she was not just respected and honored by all, but was placed on a pedestal and revered by all with whom she became connected to.

The reason I chose to write about this aspect of her life is because, we all have challenges in life and we all react in our way, which may be different than someone else’s reaction. Many of us consider our challenges, challenges that no one else experienced and therefore no one understands how it affected me.

However,  when I think about my mother’s (as well as my father’s and indeed many of their generation) challenges, I believe that everyone that is honest would realize that our challenges are not as formidable as we initially thought and considered them to be. Compared to what they went through we had it relatively easy, and we too should remain strong in the everlasting bond between a Jew and Hashem.

A Taste of Chassidus

V’huyu B’uchlichem M’lechem Hu’Uretz 5733

 The possuk is telling us that when we enter Eretz Yisroel, we are to seperate Challah (a piece of dough) from the 5lbs. batch.

There are a few points that have to be clarified.

A. Why does the possuk say When you eat from the bread of the land?  Just before that the possuk states When you enter the land, so the continuation should be, When you eat its bread.

B. Furthermore, the possuk states , When you eat the bread, you should uplift this portion. Isn’t the portion taken before one eats it?!

C. The possuk concludes. This will leave a blessing for your house. The regular wording is It will  be a blessing for you; so why does it stress your house?

D. Finally, why are we obligated in this commandment as soon as we enter Eretz Yisroel, while the other commandments concerning food, such as bikurim and tithing begins only after we have conquered the entire land and settled in it?

The explanation is , the mitzvah of giving this piece of dough to the Kohen is one of the three mitzvos that were entrusted to the Jewish women. Challah, Family Purity and lighting Shabbos candles.

Our sages inform us that the reason why they were given to the women is because Adam was similar to Challah. Just as one first places water in the bowl and then adds flour to create the dough. So too was the creation of Man. First the possuk states that a mist rose and watered the garden, then it says Hashem formed man from the earth.

Being that Chava gave her husband to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, and caused him to sin and become somewhat distanced from Hashem, women were given the mitzvah of separating a piece of dough and rectifying that sin.

Similarly, since Adam was the life source of the world as well as its light, therefore a woman was also given the mitzvos of family purity and lighting the shabbos candles.

In general these three mitzvos represent the general mission of a Jew. Dovid Hamelech states in Tehillim, Turn away from bad, do positive and seek peace. Maintaining family purity, includes guidelines that one doesn’t marry those who are forbidden to them, that is staying away from bad actions. Separating challah is doing a positive act, while the purpose of Shabbos candles is to create peace and harmony, the third aspect of seeking peace.

Being that the sin of eating from the tree caused mankind to falter, by fulfilling these three mitzvos, a woman is rectifying that action.So the rectification permeates the entire world, not just the person, therefore the possuk says the blessing will be in your house – abode, which is a reference to the entire world.

And Chassidus explains that the reason there is the possibility of faltering is in order to elevate oneself to a higher level than before, therefore the possuk uses the term Turimoo, which in addition to meaning separating it also has the meaning of uplifting, as you are uplifting the world to a higher place than it was originally.

This process of rectifying the past and elevating oneself and the world to a higher plain, is the concept of Teshuva – repentance/returning. One can accomplish the mitzvah of Teshuva in a single moment, and therefore this mitzvah begins immediately upon their entering Eretz Yisroel and not waiting for the process of conquering and settling the land.

Additionally, just as the sin was an action that was done by those on this earth, so the correction also has to be by those on this earth, which is the lowest world. And when you elevate something, it has to be from its lowest level, or else that level won’t be elevated. Therefore the possuk states from the bread of the earth, as the earth is the lowest level.

This also explains why the possuk says when you eat you should uplift, even though we lift out the piece before we eat. Since the concept is to lift the bread that is eaten. So one has to know they are eating it in order to elevate it higher and bring it closer to Hashem. However, being that we are human we need reminders and assistance to accomplish this.

So just as a korban cannot be eaten until certain pieces are placed on the Mizbayach, and only then can the priests eat what they receive and the owner could then eat his portion. So too the separation of Challah before we eat the bread is to remind us that the purpose of the bread is to elevate it.

In essence the mitzvah has two parts: one is to take from the batch of dough a piece and give it to the Kohen (and nowadays we burn it). However, that is only to impress upon us that we should eat it to rectify the sin of eating from the tree of knowledge, and therefore the possuk states by eating it, you are elevating it.

Rabbi Avtzon is a veteran mechanech and author of numerous books on the Rebbeim and their chassidim. He can be contacted at avtzonbooks@gmail.com