***************************************************************** L'CHAIM ISSUE No. 24 ***************************************************************** 13 Elul, 5748 Parshat Teitzei August 26, 1988 ***************************************************************** THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR EVERY JEWISH PERSON Dedicated to the memory of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson N.E. ***************************************************************** THE ALTERNATIVE ROUTE Have you ever noticed how quickly drivers learn short-cuts when traveling regularly to a certain destination? A right turn here, then a sharp left, under the overpass, just past the fork in the road and there you are; however, there seem to be times when the obsession with finding the alternate route becomes so overpowering that we end up even further from our destination. The Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chassidic movement, encouraged people to learn from everything they see or hear. It's possible, then, to find meaning in a discussion about short cuts and the long, well-traveled path. It seems that, sometimes we Jews have a problem with which "path" to follow. We get involved in "alternate" routes to fulfillment, spirituality, relationships, etc. The infrequently traveled regular route is a path of involvement in Judaism, Torah learning, mitzva observance. When we return to our true roots (routes?) it might seem a little alien at first. But in the end, we see how it is, in fact, the correct and primary path. While on the subject of paths, let's make a U-turn and discuss the saying of Rabbi Yehuda (HaNasi--"the prince") in Pirkei Avot (2:1): Which is the straight path that a man should choose for himself? That which brings distinction to himself and brings him distinction from man. It seems strange that we should be told that the "straight path" is the one bringing us distinction. That may be good in politics, but for the rest of us? In fact it could be said that Rabbi Yehudah is providing us with his personal formula for balancing one's own need for spiritual growth with a concern with our fellow man. Either extreme--to be too involved in our own needs or to be so caught up in our neighbor's condition that we forget our own improvement--are equally far from the straight path, the perfect mix. Short-cuts on trips are fine. But for the more important journey of life, make sure to be following the correct path. ***************************************************************** LIVING WITH THE TIMES ***************************************************************** THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION ***************************************************************** This week's Torah portion, *Teitzei*, contains a commandment involving safe-guarding one's roof lest someone fall from it. "When you build a new house, you must place a guard-rail around your roof. Do not allow a dangerous situation to remain in your house, since someone can fall from [an unenclosed roof]." A guard-rail is placed around the roof not only for self-pro- tection, but even more to protect others from falling from one's roof. Without the help of Chasidic philosophy, this commandment can be understood in spiritual terms also. A roof--the highest part of the house--is indicative of egoism and conceit. Placing a guard-rail around the roof means that one must confine and limit these undesirable traits. This needs to be done "since someone can fall [from an unenclosed roof]"--i.e., the trait of egoism and conceit is at the root of every spiritual downfall; all evil traits stem from them. The "guard-rail" placed around egoism and conceit is important not only to protect the person, himself, from negative trait, but it is also important as it relates to a fellow Jew; it is necessary to assure that the person's own ego not bring about another Jew's spiritual downfall. When a Jew involves his fellow Jews with Judaism and bringing them closer to G-d, he might be filled with conceit. Then, not only is he lacking in terms of his own spiritual service, but his conceit may cause the person whom he is trying to teach to wonder, "What can I learn from a person whose personal gain and self- gratification are foremost in his mind?" This person might actually become distanced from Judaism. Therefore, an egotistical person might wonder how he can embark on encouraging another Jew in his Jewishness. "How do I know," he asks himself, "if I will be able to build a proper guard-rail around my ego, thereby forestalling my own, or my friend's spiritual downfall?" Maybe it would be better not to "build a new house"--encourage other Jews--at all! This, though, is not the case. The command begins with a blessing and injunction, "You shall build a new house." A Jew can and must build a house to G-d by creating an environment of Judaism. He cannot rely on other but must build a "new house"--a house which is uniquely his. A guard-rail can and must be made. The affirmative language assures us that we will be successful in this endeavor. Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe by "Sichos in English." ***************************************************************** SLICE OF LIFE ***************************************************************** Touted as the "Modern Camp with Traditional Values," the network of Gan Israel Day Camps affords children of all backgrounds a summer of fun, excitement and Jewish awareness. Pictured here are just a few of the hundreds of Gan Israel Day Camps sponsored by the International Chabad/Lubavitch movement. These camps have a total enrollment of hundreds of thousands of Jewish children each summer. ***************************************************************** INSIGHTS ***************************************************************** IS THERE PUNISHMENT IN THE TORAH A commonly misunderstood topic in the Torah is that of reward and punishment. Punishment, in particular, is usually viewed in secular terms, and therefore described as a typical feature of Biblical severity. "When a person does something wrong, of course he must be punished." The function of punishment is quite different, however, when we see it from the Torah's perspective. To understand the Torah perspective of punishment, we must first examine the effect of mitzvot. Performing a mitzva results in several significant changes, one of which is in the object used for that particular mitzva. The object is spiritually elevated and purified beyond its previous mundane existence. The individual who carried out the mitzva is similarly affected. A flow of G-dliness envelops the soul, enabling the soul and the person to grow further. A transgression of the Torah leads to the opposite result. The person's soul and the object used are spiritually lowered and smudged. The Torah gives us guidelines of how to undo the damage caused by a transgression, once again revealing the inherent greatness of the soul. Sometimes it is sufficient to do *teshuvah*, regretting the past and resolving to improve in the future. When greater spiritual damage has occurred, a cleansing process is necessary. YEAR-ROUND SPRING CLEANING Let's try using a simple example: a dirty rug which needs cleaning in order to restore its original beauty. The method of cleaning will depend on how, and to what extent, it became dirty. To remove a small amount of dry material, a mere sweep of the broom might suffice. Perhaps a vacuum cleaner will be needed. If the dirt hits penetrated deeply, one might have to take the rug outside and beat it with a stick. Put yourself in the place of this poor rug! What suffering it must endure! It is obvious, though, that the "pain" is not the goal but rather just an unpleasant side effect of the cleansing process. If the rug is roughed up in the process, it is only because there is no other way to obtain the same result. Similarly, the Torah defines punishment as a cleansing process. The transgression resulting in the soul being "soiled" requires cleansing. Any discomfort which might be involved is secondary and incidental. THE FINAL ATONEMENT Even in those extreme cases where the Torah dictates execution, the intent remains to cleanse the soul. The death penalty, as dictated by Jewish law, is not inflicted to protect society from the criminal or to discourage others from committing transgressions. Here too, the intent is to purify the soul. In those transgressions singled out by the Torah as capital offenses, the damage done to the soul is so extreme that the purification cannot take place while the soul is in the body. Only separating the two (i.e., execution) can bring about the cleansing process. This point is highlighted by an unusual and striking law. Once the Sanhedrin (Jewish Court) had a majority of two in a capital case, the defendant would be executed. However, if every judge immediately voted him guilty, the Torah requires that the defendant be freed! This seemingly paradoxical decision can be understood in light of the above. Should the act have been so dear and the defendant so unworthy that not even a single judge could find anything to say in his merit, this is the Torah's sign that not even execution will be able to cleanse and atone. Since even this is insufficient, the execution has no function, and it is not carried out. Even for such a Jew, however, things are not hopeless. The holy spark within him remains pure. The court's decision reflects their inability to perceive this holiness and to find a way to reveal it. Ultimately, though, it too will be cleansed and perfected. ***************************************************************** WHAT'S IN A NAME? ***************************************************************** ALEXANDER is from the Greek, meaning "protector." When "Alexander the Great" was on his way to Persia he passed through Jerusalem. He showed great respect for the High Priest, Shimon, and spared Jerusalem and the Holy Temple, unlike other capitals he had conquered. Alexander became an adopted Jewish name. ARIELA is the feminine from of the Hebrew word "ariel," meaning "lion of G-d." ***************************************************************** A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR ***************************************************************** An individual's birthday has a very special meaning for that person. The birthday of a *tzadik* has deep significance for everyone who attempts to live according to the tzadik's teachings. A tzadik's birthday is, in some ways like the spiritual birthday of his followers. The birthdays of two great *tzadikim* are this coming Wednesday, the 18h of Elul (corresponding this year to August 31). On the 18th ("Chai") of Elul, the Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chasidic movement, and Rabbi Shneur Zalman, follower of the Baal Shem Tov and founder of Chabad Chasidus, were born. These great men dedicated their lives to teach the value of every single Jew. *Ahavas Yisroel*--unconditional love of each Jew was at the forefront of their philosophy. Today, nearly two centuries later, we benefit from the guidance and revelations of the Baal Shem Tov and Rabbi Shneur Zalman. The date of their birth, then, is not only their birthday--it is also our birthday. On our birthday we take time out to reflect on our achievements of the past year and our goals for the future. It is fitting that on the birthday of these *tzadikim*, we reflect on how well we have followed and benefited from them, and we make our resolutions for the New Year. We will, in their merit, be blessed with a K'Siva Vachasima Tova, a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Rabbi Shmuel Butman ***************************************************************** IT HAPPENED ONCE ***************************************************************** One wintry day a man came to the saintly Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov. The man braved the winter weather to seek the saintly Rabbi's help. He told the Rebbe that he was an innkeeper in a village some distance away, the inn having come down to him from his late father, who had rented it from the old country squire. The old squire was a reasonable man and made no trouble if the rent was not paid on time in a bad season, in the wake of a severe winter. But the old man died, and his son, the new squire, was not so kind. Now, he threatened to throw them out if the rent was not paid on time. He came to ask the Rebbe's help, so that his family would not be left without food and shelter in the midst of a terrible winter. "Do you live in such and such village?" the Rebbe asked. "Yes, Rebbe." "Still in the same house, with the narrow windows and three steps leading up to the front door?" "Yes, Rebbe," the innkeeper replied, wondering how the Rebbe knew. "And is the well in the court-yard still plentiful, and the water still good?" "Yes, Rebbe," the innkeeper answered with even greater amazement. "I'm glad, I'm glad," the Rebbe said, stroking his silver beard. "You have nothing to worry about." The innkeeper's face lit up with relief and he turned to go. But then he stopped and hesitated. He was baffled. How did the Rebbe know about the inn and the well, and what had the well to do with it all? "Forgive me, Rebbe, for my insolence, but how does the Rebbe know my inn so well?" he finally asked. The Rebbe smiled and said, "Very simple. I was there. It was a long time ago. Let me tell you the whole story. "Many years ago, a young man was on his way to the saintly Rebbe, the "Seer" of Lublin. He had been traveling for three days without food and shelter. He came to your village and stopped at the inn for a rest. He was so tired and hungry that he could barely climb the three front steps leading to the door. Your father was busy at that moment with peasants and wayfarers who crowded the inn, and he did not notice the stranger. After the young man rested a while, and seeing that no one took any notice of him, he decided to move on. As he passed by one of the narrow windows, he saw a small boy peeking out. The boy saw the haggard face of the stranger and ran after him. He begged the stranger to return with him to the inn. "My father always welcomes poor wayfarers, and he would not forgive himself if he knew that one had passed by his inn without a good meal and a good night's rest. Please, come with me," the boy urged. The young man returned to the inn and was immediately greeted by your father, then led to the dining room where a sumptuous meal was set before him. After the meal he was quite thirsty. The innkeeper sent the maid to fetch a pail of water. In her absence the innkeeper explained that she had to go to the village to fetch water. "Have you no well in your courtyard?" the young man asked. "Yes, but the water is not very good. We only use it for horses or the garden." "If you don't mind, I'd like to taste your well-water. I'm very thirsty," the young man said. The innkeeper brought a pitcher of water from the well and poured some for the thirsty guest. He drank it and said, "Fancy giving such good water a bad name! Taste it, and see for yourself." Everyone who tasted it was astonished. "It's wonderful! It's even better than the water from the village well!" they said. "Now I remember," the innkeeper said. "I was that little boy, and the young man -- he must have been you!" "Yes," said the saintly Rebbe, "and thanks to you I had a good meal and a good rest." "That was nothing in comparison to the blessing which you brought into our home. Word got around how the water in our well suddenly turned pure and fresh. People still come just to drink our well water, saying it is good for their health!" "If the water in the well is still good, then you can be sure that G-d is with you. Go home, and don't worry. Carry on with the mitzva of welcoming guests and G-d will continue to bless you," said the Rebbe. From "Talks and Tales" ***************************************************************** THOUGHTS THAT COUNT ***************************************************************** "When you go out to war with your enemies...you shall take captives" (Deuteronomy 21:10). In the "war" against the evil inclination one cannot be satisfied with merely overcoming it. One must also "take captives," to press the inclination into Divine service. We see the haste and devotion with which the evil inclination fulfills its mission of tripping man and bringing him to error. We can use this devotion as an instruction about how to serve GÄd. (Baal Shem Tov) *** "If a man will have a sin worthy of death and he will be put to death, You shall hang him on a tree" (21:22). In the eulogy which the Holy Ari delivered on the passing of RaMaK he translated this verse slightly differently. The word for "sin" is properly translated as "lacking." So, he said, "When you see a person who is lacking any reason that he should have been put to death and nevertheless he dies, hang it (his death) on the tree, On the decree following the sin of the tree of knowledge that even the most righteous will not live forever. *** "You shall not see your brothers ox or lamb wandering and hide from them. You shall surely return them to your brother" (22:1). In this verse we are commanded to return a lost article. If we are instructed to be so careful not to ignore our neighbor's monetary loss, how much more the loss of his soul. We surely have a double duty to attend to the welfare of a Jew who has wandered from the path of Torah and return him to his creator. (Shaloh) ***************************************************************** ********