LIVING WITH MOSHIACH, Parshat Chukat, 5755 B"H LIVING WITH MOSHIACH Weekly Digest About Moshiach PARSHAT CHUKAT Tamuz 9, 5755 July 7, 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 Yud Beis Tamuz History-Making Events **************** * 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 Yud Beis Tamuz, the 12th day of Tamuz, Monday, July 10. * 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 28 Sivan, 5755, Year of Hakhel Brooklyn, New York *************************************** * THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION * * Adapted from the Works of the Rebbe * *************************************** Parshat Chukat This week's Torah portion, Chukat, begins with the laws of the red heifer, by which a person was cleansed of ritual defilement. Maimonides, in his summary of these laws, includes an interesting historical note on this practice: "There have been a total of 9 red heifers since the time this mitzvah was given until the destruction of the Second Holy Temple. The first was rendered by Moses, the second by Ezra the Scribe, and seven more between the time of Ezra and the destruction. The tenth red heifer will be rendered by King Moshiach, may he be speedily revealed, amen, may it be Your will." These last few words seem out of place. Why did Maimonides, the greatest codifier of Jewish law, include a prayer for Moshiach to be revealed in the middle of a legal work? Every word Maimonides used is measured and exact. Indeed, many practical implications are learned from his choice of language. Why then, did Maimonides include this supplication in his discussion of these laws? Maimonides' intent could not have been solely to teach us the importance of praying for Moshiach, for he would certainly have deemed it more appropriate to include this prayer in the section of his work dealing with the laws of Moshiach, and not in a section in which Moshiach is mentioned only in passing. Rather, the inclusion of these words, inserted after only a passing reference to Moshiach, serve to underscore that the subject of Redemption must evoke a profound longing in every Jew, culminating in the heartfelt plea--"May he be speedily revealed, amen, may it be Your will!" On the belief in Moshiach, Maimonides writes: "He who does not believe in him, or does not await his coming . . . denies . . . the Torah and Moses our teacher." It is not enough to have faith in Moshiach's eventual arrival--a Jew is obligated to actively anticipate his coming. The faith of a person who believes Moshiach will come but does not actually expect him to arrive is lacking. Just as the belief in Moshiach is perpetual, so too, is the obligation to joyfully anticipate his arrival a perpetual commandment. A Jew must always feel as if Moshiach will arrive at any moment, for indeed, such is the case. Three times a day we pray: "For we hope for Your salvation every day"--all day, every day. This unquenchable longing for Moshiach stems from our realization that a Jew cannot be complete until the Final Redemption, when the entire world will reach its perfection. Every minute till then, we find ourselves in a state of spiritual deficiency. The lesson, therefore, to be learned from Maimonides' choice of words is that when a Jew anticipates Moshiach in the proper way, the very mention of the subject must elicit such strong emotion and longing that he will spontaneously cry out: "May he be speedily revealed, amen, may it be Your will." ************************ * 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 * ********************************************* ****************** * YUD BEIS TAMUZ * ****************** On next Monday, Tamuz 12, July 10, we commemorate two events in the annals of Chabad history. It is the birthday of the Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Y. Schneersohn (in 1880). Also, on this date (in 1927), he was released from imprisonment by the Bolshevik government. When the Rebbe was taken into custody and imprisoned in the infamous Spalerno prison, on the night of the 15th of Sivan, he knew that he was being arrested on "trumped-up" charges of anti-governmental activities. His real crime: his activities in spreading Yiddishkeit, within communist Russia. The Rebbe was sentenced to death, but thank G-d, the death sentence was commuted to 10 years of hard labor in the Arctic, and then to three years of exile. On the 3rd day of Tamuz, the Rebbe was exiled to the city of Kostrama. On the way to Kostrama, the Rebbe was permitted to stop in his home for a few hours. The Rebbe then proceeded to the train station where a large group of chasidim awaited him. Before boarding the train, the Rebbe made strong statements to the assemblage, among them: "Now it is apparent to all of the nations of the world: Our bodies alone have been handed over into exile to be ruled by the nations of the world, but not our souls. We must openly proclaim to all that with regard to everything involving our religion--the Torah of the people of Israel, with its commandments and customs--no one is going to impose his views on us, and no force has the right to subjugate us." After just a few days in exile, on the 12th of Tamuz, he was told that this punishment, too, had been commuted, but being a local holiday, he received his official release papers the next day, on the 13th of Tamuz. About three months later, the Rebbe left Russia a broken man physically, having been tortured in Spalerno. But they were not able to touch him spiritually in the least. When he settled in New York, 23 years later, he set about establishing the first Jewish day schools in the United States. Many other groups followed the lead of the Rebbe, thus ensuring that the flame of Judaism remained alive. * * * In a letter sent out by the Previous Rebbe on the first anniversary of his release from prison, the Rebbe explained that the 12th of Tamuz is a day of rejoicing for every single Jew: "It was not myself alone that the Holy One, blessed be He, redeemed on the 12th of Tamuz, but also those who love the Torah and observe its commandments, and so, too, all those who bear the name Jew--for the heart of every person of Israel, irrespective of his particular level in the observance of the mitzvot, is perfectly bound with G-d and His Torah. . . . "This is the day on which the light of the merit of public Torah study banished the misty gloom of calumnies and libels. "It is fitting that such a day be set aside as a day of gatherings--a day on which people arouse each other to fortify Torah study and the practice of Judaism in every place according to its needs . . . ." * * * The Previous Rebbe's redemption from prison is related to the ultimate Redemption through Moshiach and the personal redemption of every single Jew. How can this be so? The Previous Rebbe was the leader of the Jewish people of his generation. The great commentator Rashi explains: "The leader includes the entire people." Therefore, the redemption of the leader of the generation affects the entire generation. The Previous Rebbe himself emphasized this point in a letter that he wrote to his chasidim on the 1st anniversary of his release: "It was not myself alone that the Holy One, blessed be He, redeemed on the 12th of Tamuz, but also those who love the Torah and observe its commandments, and so, too, all those who bear the name Jew." Our Sages have taught that on a person's birthday his mazal--luck, or strength--is stronger than at other times. This is true even after the person's passing. In addition, Judaism also teaches that the spiritual influences and energy that were present on a specific date in Jewish history repeat themselves and return on that same date throughout the ages. Thus, on the 12th of Tamuz, the birthday and anniversary of deliverance of the Previous Rebbe, all of these additional spiritual powers are in place. Let us hook into them and use this auspicious day for Torah study, additional good deeds and charity, and a special, heartfelt request from each of us to the Al-mighty to bring the Final Redemption immediately. ************************************* * HISTORY-MAKING EVENTS * * Adapted from Letters of the Rebbe * ************************************* . . . At this time, in proximity to the anniversary of the geulah--deliverance--of my father-in-law, the Rebbe, of saintly memory, from the tyranny of the Soviet regime on the 12th-13th of Tamuz, it behooves us to reflect again on those history-making events and how they relate to every one of us here and now. For, as he indicated in his first letter on the occasion of the first anniversary of his geulah, and as we see it clearly now, his deliverance was more than a personal one; it was a turning point in the survival of Russian Jewry, and is of lasting significance for every Jew everywhere. This timely reflection should make every one of us all the more deeply appreciative of the blessing of freedom [which enables us] to live a full life of Torah and mitzvot. In addition, it should heighten our awareness of the sacred obligation to do one's utmost to spread and strengthen Yiddishkeit, with enthusiasm and love-- love of G-d, love of the Torah, and love of our Jewish brethren, which are inseparable. By his total mesiras nefesh [self-sacrifice], even in the face of overwhelming odds, and by his ultimate triumph, with G-d's help, the Previous Rebbe has shown the way, and, in fact, trodden the path, so that every Jew can follow in his footsteps, with complete assurance that when he is firmly resolved to work for Torah and Yiddishkeit, he will overcome whatever difficulties there may be, and be successful, with G-d's help. I hope and pray that the inspiration of the Previous Rebbe and the holiday of his Redemption, will stimulate you and yours to redouble your efforts in the said direction in the days ahead, which will also widen the channels to receive G-d's blessings for you and yours, in all your needs, both material and spiritual. =========================================================== = End of Text: Living With Moshiach, Parshat Chukat, 5755 = ===========================================================