***************************************************************** L'CHAIM ISSUE No. 4 ***************************************************************** 14 Nissan, 5748 April 1, 1988 ***************************************************************** THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR EVERY JEWISH PERSON Dedicated to the memory of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson N.E. ***************************************************************** TRUE FREEDOM NOT JUST CIVIL LIBERTIES There's been a lot of talk lately about people's rights: living, doing and saying whatever one wants. Sleeping on the street and burning money don't mean you belong in an institution-- it's your right. But what is freedom? When you associate with whomever you want, sleep wherever you wish, say anything under the sun, are you truly free? Does following only society's most fundamental laws make one liberated? The Jewish people were enslaved in Egypt for hundreds of years, their bondage being both physical and spiritual. After many miraculous events, they were delivered out of slavery by the greatest prophet of our history. But why did this prophet, Moses, tell Pharaoh they needed to be free? "Let the Jewish people go so they may serve G-d in the desert." And G-d told the Jews they would be His servants. Does this sound like freedom? How can one be truly free when he/she is a servant, involved with the 613 commandments, all with minute details, interpretations, customs? The answer might lie in a commentary about the tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written, the same Ten Commandments that the Jews received when liberated from Egypt. The Torah states: "...the writing was the writing of G-d, *charut* (engraved) on the Tablets" (Exodus 32:16). Say our Sages: "Do not read *charut* but *cherut* (freedom), for there is no free person except one who occupies himself with the Torah" (Avot 6:2). Freedom from all restrictions has its dangers. Our elderly are forced to lock themselves up in their apartments, children are required to be fingerprinted, we need elaborate and expensive alarm systems on our homes and "No Radio" signs in our cars. But the Torah, which teaches love and respect for our fellow creatures, and love and awe of G-d, provides true freedom. Those who learn and keep its laws are truly liberated. Become liberated this Passover by connecting with the Jewish people and the Torah. ***************************************************************** LIVING WITH THE TIMES ***************************************************************** CHOMETZ AND MATZA Arrogance and Humility We are strictly forbidden to eat any leavened foods on Passover. Bread is replaced by kosher-for-Passover matza-flat baked wafers made only of flour and water. Jews the world over are scrupulous to avoid eating even the smallest particle of *chometz*. The characteristic of leavened food (chometz) is that it rises and swells, symbolizing pride and boastfulness. Matza, on the other hand, is thin and flat, suggesting meekness and humility. Passover teaches us that chometz--arrogance--is the antithesis of the Torah ideal. An arrogant person will dream up all kinds of mitigating circumstances to justify his conduct. When the opportunity arises to do a mitzvah, he finds reasons why not to fulfill it. If the mitzvah involves a degree of self-sacrifice, such as charity, he is doubly certain not to perform it. He believes he deserves what he has, so why give away some of his own possessions to someone obviously less deserving. The arrogant person's sensitivity toward others is deadened. The humble person, however, thinks along quite opposite lines. "Am I really so much better than this poor individual that I deserve to have what he has not?" His self-analysis is strict and it brings him to the conclusion that he must give charity to another individual. As it is with charity, so it is with all other mitzvot. The egotistical reasoning of the haughty individual leads him to more and more unwholesome acts. But, he doesn't see these faults. The unassuming individual, however, does not attempt to justify his incorrect behavior when confronted with it. Each year on Passover we are commanded to rid our domain of all traces of chometz. We must also see to ridding ourselves of every particle of spiritual chometz--arrogance--and enable ourselves to more clearly perceive our own faults and our fellowman's good qualities. From "A Thought for the Week,"--Detroit. Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. ***************************************************************** SLICE OF LIFE ***************************************************************** AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. AND DR. LEVIN When calling the Levin home in New Haven, Connecticut, you have to specify which Dr. Levin you're asking for. Gitel Chana Levin, psychiatrist, shares her life--Judaism, children, work--with her husband Nehemiah, a psychologist, in what might be considered to be the epitome of a liberated household. But the Levins' casual attitude assures you they don't see their lifestyle as anything spectacular. "I grew up in a religious home in Israel, but I didn't really understand why I was doing everything. When I went into the army, I went away from Judaism for a short period." How long is a short period in Nehemiah's eyes? "Seventeen years," a twinkle and a quick laugh. "In Jewish history seventeen years is nothing. The earth is already 5748 years old!" Nehemiah feels that lack of understanding is what alienated his peers from Judaism. "Not getting answers is the reason why the majority of my generation left. Later on, some of the people from my village returned to Orthodox Judaism. But they're letting their kids ask questions and they're answering them." While studying for his PhD at Yale, Nehemiah met Rabbi Yosef Gopin, the Lubavitcher representative on campus. Rabbi Gopin repeatedly invited Nehemiah home, and on completion of his doctorate, he went to study in the Lubavitcher Yeshiva in Morristown, New Jersey for two years. In retrospect, only those two years in the yeshiva--out of 13 years of "higher education"--were very meaningful to Nehemiah. "I never felt I learned anything in college. I had some interesting teachers. I acquired a lot of book knowledge, but these facts were interesting only for the moment. And what I read or learned was just a reassurance that my own understanding of life was correct. But when I went to yeshiva, I really learned. What I learned there related to me, and that's why it had meaning." Questions about how the Levins met elicit a joke from Gitel Chana. "I won my husband in a raffle! Actually, it started when I met Rabbi Moshe Kasowitz at the Chabad Center in Des Moines. I started talking to him about evolution. I had never spoken to anyone who knew the Biblical stance, and I love to argue." Rabbi Kasowitz couldn't convince Gitel Chana while standing on one foot, so he invited her for Friday night dinner. "At first, I only went when I couldn't think of anything better to do on a Friday night. As time went on, though, I couldn't find anything I'd rather do." After four years of involvement with Lubavitch, Gitel Chana bought a raffle ticket to the Lubavitch Women's Convention in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. "I never win anything. But this time I won. When Moshe found out I was going he told me I had to meet his cousin Nehemiah. The rest is history!" Gita Chana beamed. One of the reasons why Gitel Chana chose psychiatry over another field of medicine, aside from her interest, was because she thought there wouldn't be many questions of Jewish law. "'What questions could possibly come up in psychiatry?' I asked myself. Believe it or not, there are a lot, especially with parents. "When patients say that they, G-d forbid, hate their mothers, I can't say, 'Don't talk about it.' That kind of approach won't solve their problem. I help them talk about it so they can overcome the problem. What people really want," Gitel Chana emphasized, "is a close relationship with their parents. Sometimes very painful experiences have to be worked through. But within the therapy, I treat the parent with respect. I wouldn't just say, 'Yeah, you're right, your mother was really a rotten person.'" Would a Torah-observant psychologist want to encourage or push a patient to begin doing mitzvot? Answers Nehemiah, "We don't tell our patients what to do. But sometimes, after a patient has finished his or her treatment, I suggest that he or she go to acertain class, or visit a very specific rabbi. "I'm a regular kind of guy," emphasizes Nehemiah, despite this couple's irregular kind of arrangement. Excerpted from "Wellsprings" magazine. ***************************************************************** WHAT'S NEW ***************************************************************** PASSOVER IN PRISON As in the past, hundreds of Passover kits, complete with grape juice, matza, bitter herbs, charoset and a Haggadah, will be sent to Jewish inmates in New York State prisons by the Lubavitch Youth Organization. The response from the 780 inmates is overwhelming, as they realize that they have not been forgotten. EIGHTY-SIX DAYS OF EDUCATION In honor of the 86th birthday of the Lubavitcher Rebbe this past Tuesday, March 29, the State of New York Executive Chamber passed a resolution. The 86 days from March 29, 1988 through June 23, 1988 were proclaimed Eighty-Six Days of Education as a special tribute to the Rebbe. SPECIAL PASSOVER CALL In a letter addressed to world Jewry for the impending holiday of Pesach, the Lubavitcher Rebbe stressed the contemporary lessons of the Exodus from Egypt. He called on Jews "...to become one's own master, truly free, through conducting one's life in keeping with...a Torah of Life and Truth." A BIRTHDAY OBSERVED Jews in communities around the world will be gathering on the eve of Pesach to commemorate the 853rd birthday of Rabbi Moses Maimonides. ***************************************************************** INSIGHTS ***************************************************************** CHASIDIC CONCEPTS IN BRIEF One of the most interesting features of the Haggadah is the portrayal of the four children: the wise, the wicked, the simple, and the one who does not know how to ask. Particularly striking is the scathing response given to the wicked child. Having excluded himself from the Jewish people, he is told that if he had been born in Egypt he would not have been freed. Today, we unfortunately have a large number of Jess who are in another category, that of the "fifth child," who doesn't even know about Passover or care to come to the Seder. The wicked child at least cares enough to come. Why should he be driven away with such a sharp answer? The Torah's approach, one of compassion and closeness, is truly what this narration has in mind. For we tell the wicked child that, only "if he had been there--in Egypt--he would not have been redeemed." Now that we have come out of bondage and become an eternal nation, even the wicked child is a permanent part of our nation. In the Messianic redemption, the wicked child will be included. HOW WICKED WERE THEY? How wicked did one have to be in order to be left behind in Egypt? The idol worshippers came out, some bringing their idols along with them. G-d's love for His people was so great that He overlooked even the most severe transgressions. Only one category of people remained behind: those who refused to leave. Why was this refusal even worse than idolatry? If a person desired redemption, G-d revealed His inner connection with, and love for, the person. Like a loving father toward a child, He overlooked all transgressions. Those who refused to leave, however, rejected this connection. Having directly opposed this love, it did not affect them, and they remained behind. If so, what makes today's wicked child any different? He, too, presumably rejects this connection. Why in the coming Messianic redemption will he also be included? OF COURSE I WANT! The answer lies in a rather curious law regarding an apparently unrelated subject: the law of divorce. Jewish law requires that the husband give his wife the divorce willingly--he can not be forced to give it. There is an intriguing "exception" to the rule, however. Should a Jewish court rule that he is required to divorce her, then the court can force him until he finally says, "I want to give it." This, of course, needs explanation. It seems that his newfound willingness to give the divorce is really just an attempt to escape the court's pressure. Rabbi Moses Maimonides gave a profound explanation of this law, with far-reaching implications for every Jew. Every Jew's inner will, he said, is to obey the Torah and its commandments. Sometimes a person might think, speak, or even act in a way contrary to his essential nature. However, this is not his true will; his true desire, his essence, is temporarily covered over. So, too, the recalcitrant husband. Despite his protests, his inner will is to obey the ruling of the court, that is, the ruling of the Torah. By forcing him, the court is not imposing something external upon him. His selfish desire is an external force covering over his inner desire to do what is right. When they force him, his selfishness is suspended, and the inner goodness of his essence shines through. The divorce was truly given willingly. NOT REALLY WICKED This inner desire was instilled within every Jew at Mount Sinai. Previously, the Jewish people did not possess this innate, intrinsic characteristic. This inner holiness, the essential desire to follow the Torah, is part of what makes one a Jew; it is part of one's soul. If the wicked child had been in Egypt, he would not yet have had such a soul. He would have fought the miraculous revelations and remained in Egypt. Now, however, things are different. He has a Jewish soul and his essence is pure. Even should he protest, we know that inside he feels differently. Now he, together with the entire Jewish people, will certainly be redeemed. ***************************************************************** WHAT'S IN A NAME? ***************************************************************** MIRIAM was the greatest prophetess of the Jewish people. In her merit, a well miraculously followed the Jewish people in the desert. She was the sister of Aaron and Moses. Miriam's name hints at the condition of the Jews' lives, made bitter--mar--by the slavery. MOSHE (Moses), the greatest of all prophets, led the Jewish people from Egyptian bondage to freedom. He was named Moshe, meaning "drawn out (of the water)" by Pharaoh's daughter Batya, who saved him from the Nile. ***************************************************************** A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR ***************************************************************** The holiday of Pesach is the festival marking our exodus from Egypt and transformation into the Jewish nation. The Torah tells us that we must remember the exodus every day of our lives. In each generation, we must view ourselves as if that day we had come out of Egypt. This is actually not easy to do, living in a free society where the constitution of the United States provides each citizen with the utmost of freedom. The Hebrew word Egypt is "Mitzrayim." The Rebbe explains this is similar to "maytzarim"--limitations, restrictions. Every Pesach we are enjoined to leave our personal Egypts, break out of our limitations, our self-imposed boundaries. The young people of Lubavitch form a corps of volunteers dedicated to disseminating and teaching Torah values. Every Friday and before each holiday, these young people are reliving the Exodus. They go outside of themselves to do the difficult job of approaching strangers, showing concern for their spiritual well-being. But it doesn't stop at the spiritual, for one's physical and spiritual circumstances are intrinsically bound. And so, questions of how are you? do you have *shmurah* matza for Pesach? where will you be for the Seder? are asked and answers uncovered. Let us, too, join these vital efforts, helping ourselves and others break out of our limitations, our Egypts. And let us do it with utmost alacrity, joining in the effort to bring the righteous Moshiach now, in this season of our redemption. Rabbi Shmuel Butman ***************************************************************** IT HAPPENED ONCE ***************************************************************** In a small Polish town lived a learned man, Rabbi Hershelle Tschortkower. He was busy day and night helping the poor and advising people who sought him out. But the work was too much for one person, so Rabbi Tschortkower hired an assistant. Anschel Moses Rothschild, a poor, young man, eagerly accepted the job. The rabbi and his assistant became close friends, working well together for some time. After a few years, Anschel married and moved to the nearby town of Sniatyn. The rabbi was happy about the marriage but sorry to see his faithful, devoted assistant leave him. Several months passed. The night before Passover arrived and Rabbi Tschortkower was examining his desk for chometz. He discovered that 500 gulden, money collected for the needy, was missing. He searched again carefully, checking under and behind the desk, but to no avail. The rabbi was distressed thinking of all the poor people who were to receive the money. But what grieved him even more was the realization that someone in his own home had stolen the money, for who else could have known about it? The rabbi reluctantly concluded that Anschel had taken the money. Certainly, Anschel took the money before his wedding as a loan, expecting to pay it back before it was even missed, he reasoned. He immediately forgave this momentary lapse on Anschel's part and determined to visit the young man, retrieving the money without even letting anyone know about it. On the first day of Passover, Anschel had a surprise visitor, Rabbi Tschortkower. He was overjoyed to see his former employer, but as the rabbi explained the reason for his visit, Anschel grew pale and his eyes filled with tears. He went out of the room, returning with all the money he had--250 gulden. Anschel promised to get the rest to the rabbi. They shook hands, with the rabbi assuring Anschel that he was forgiven. Several months later, Rabbi Tschortkower was amazed to see the Chief of Police standing at his door, asking him to come to the station. On his arrival, the rabbi was asked if anything had been stolen from his house. Rabbi Tschortkower was stunned; he had never told anyone about the money. Rabbi Tschortkower recounted the incident concerning Anschel, but assured the Police Chief that the matter had been straightened out and the money returned. The Police Chief looked baffled. "Never before have I heard a story like this one," exclaimed the Police Chief. He then pulled out a purse full of money and asked the rabbi, "Do you recognize this?" It was now Rabbi Tschortkower's turn to look bewildered. He certainly did recognize his missing purse, but how had it gotten here? The Police Chief described the events leading up to the arrest of a peasant woman who had mysteriously begun making purchases with gold pieces. With questioning, it became clear that while cleaning in Rabbi Tschortkower's home, she happened upon the money, and stole it. However, neither the rabbi nor the Police Chief could fathom why Anschel had repaid the money. The very next day, Rabbi Tschortkower went to Sniatyn, asking for an explanation and begging forgiveness. Anschel Moses explained that the rabbi's distress deeply touched him. He understood that his help would have been refused, since the rabbi knew he was not a rich man. So Anschel and his wife saved every penny they earned for several months to pay the missing amount. The rabbi embraced Anschel and blessed him with great riches to help the poor and needy. Returning the 500 gulden to Anschel, he suggested they move to Frankfort, Germany, where business success was more certain. Finally, he blessed him: "May G-d be with you and your wife and children for generations to come." The blessing of Rabbi Hershelle Tschortkower came true. Anschel Moses became a successful merchant and banker in Frankfort. His son, Mayer Rothschild, was even more successful. His five sons settled in different capitals in Europe. They carried on a banking business in partnership and their wealth increased in each generation. And so, the unselfish generosity of a man, who gave charity without letting anyone know of his great sacrifice, brought blessings to his family for many generations. ***************************************************************** THOUGHTS THAT COUNT ***************************************************************** Pesach "The Hebrew word for Passover is 'Pesach,' commemorating G-d's passing over the houses of the Jews during the death of the first-born. The word 'Pesach' can be divided into two words, Pe Sach, meaning 'the mouth relates.' On Passover we relate the story of the Exodus from Egypt" (Rabbi Chiam Vital). *** Haggadah The term "Haggadah" derives from "Vehigadeta"--you shall tell your child (Exodus 13:18). *** Yachatz The middle matza is broken before reciting the Haggadah, because it is to be said over "Lechem Onni" (bread of poverty), more appropriately a broken piece. *** The Bread of Poverty The bread of poverty, "Lechem Oni, is also known as "Lechem She'oni alav"--the bread over which we answer (oni) many questions. *****************************************************************