LIVING WITH MOSHIACH, Parshat Ki Tissa, 5755 B"H LIVING WITH MOSHIACH Weekly Digest About Moshiach PARSHAT KI TISSA 17 Adar I, 5755 Feb. 17, 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 Year of Hakhel **************** * INTRODUCTION * **************** We are pleased to present, to the visually impaired and the blind, the 18th issue of our weekly publication, Living with Moshiach. * We have recently touched on the impact of our present year, in the Jewish calendar - 5755, that it is a Hakhel year. Therefore, once again, our feature presentation focuses on the "Year of Hakhel." * 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 9 Adar I, 5755, Year of Hakhel Brooklyn, New York *************************************** * THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION * * Adapted from the Works of the Rebbe * *************************************** Parshat Ki Tissa In the Torah portion of Ki Tissa, Moses descends from Mount Sinai, holding the Tablets containing the Ten Commandments he received from G-d. "The Tablets were the work of G-d, and the writing was the writing of G-d, inscribed on both their sides." Written on two magnificent stones of sapphire were the Ten Commandments, miraculously visible from both sides. Yet they were not to last for long. "And Moses became angry ... and he broke them at the foot of the mountain... And G-d said to Moses, 'Hew yourself tablets of stone like the first.'" In connection to the Tablets, the Torah speaks of three distinct stages: 1. The original Tablets: Moses descends from Mount Sinai, where he had spent the previous forty days and forty nights, with the Tablets in hand; 2. The breaking of the Tablets: Moses witnesses the sin of the Children of Israel with the Golden Calf and breaks the Tablets in anger; 3. The second Tablets: The Jews repent of their sin. Moses goes back up the mountain for an additional forty days and nights, to return with a second set of Tablets. The first and second sets of Tablets were not identical. The first set was written by G-d; the second set was inscribed by Moses under G-d's direction. Yet curiously, the second set of Tablets was superior to the first in one important respect, as explained in chasidic philosophy. The breaking of the Tablets and their subsequent replacement is an example of "a descent for the sake of an ascent." Every descent, every failure, can lead the individual to an even higher spiritual level. According to this principle, the second set of Tablets was clearly superior to the first, for it came after the Jews' descent into idolatry and their ensuing return to G-d. Symbolically, the three stages of the Tablets parallel the annals of the Jewish people and their progression throughout history: The first stage (the original Tablets) spans the years between the Revelation on Mount Sinai until the destruction of the Second Holy Temple. The second stage (the breaking of the Tablets) refers to the forced exile of the Jews from their land and the spiritual degradation endured for almost 2,000 years. The third and final stage, the era on whose threshold we now stand, is the Messianic Era, at which time the spirituality of the entire world will be elevated to unprecedented heights, an ascent made possible only by the bitter darkness of the exile. ************************ * 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 GRANDFATHER * * * * Reb Shmuel Pesach Ben Reb Yaakov Dovid * * Passed away on 3 Tishrei, 5755 * * Pais * ******************************************* ****************** * YEAR OF HAKHEL * ****************** We have recently [1] touched on the impact of our present Hakhel year, once in seven years when, during the Sukkot holiday, all the Jews gathered in the Holy Temple to hear verses of the Torah read by the king. It is significant that the Torah was read by the King rather than the Sanhedrin, the supreme rabbinical court. For the Hakhel gathering--and, in fact, the entire Hakhel experience--was to engender awe and reverence for G-d. This response is more readily aroused by the Jewish monarch than the Sanhedrin. The awakening of awe in the nation fosters Jewish unity. In the area of knowledge and comprehension of the Torah--that which would be imparted by the Sanhedrin--there can be many levels among Jews. But, when we speak of awe, all Jews are on the same level. During the Hakhel in the Holy Temple, the goal was not to reach deeper understanding; rather, to find awe and reverence, as was the case when the Torah was given. Thus, in Temple times, Hakhel was an opportunity to re-experience the revelation of the Torah at Sinai. And just as at Sinai, their unity led them to bring together all levels and all types of Jews. Though we do not yet have the actual mitzva of Hakhel, as we have not yet merited the rebuilding of the Third Holy Temple, the opportunity beckons for every one to be involved in the spiritual mitzva of Hakhel at all times, in all places. We have the opportunity and even the obligation to spread Jewish awareness by gathering Jews in the true spirit of Jewish unity. As the Rebbe said during the last Hakhel year, "These gatherings are most appropriate this year of Hakhel when the potential for success in this matter is very great and we are given extraordinary powers from Above. For, 'when the days of old are remembered in their season, they also come into being' and we can effect the true Hakhel which will take place with the ingathering of the exiles in the Third Holy Temple." The Rebbe has always emphasized the teaching of our Sages that "Action is the essential thing." This means that we must attempt, on a regular basis, to have gatherings with friends, family, colleagues, whose intent is to enhance Jewish unity and Jewish awareness. May we merit very soon to fulfill the mitzva of Hakhel to hear the Torah taught by King Moshiach, G-d's Messenger, with joy and gladness, truly now. _______________ 1. See Living With Moshiach, Vol. 2, 3. ============================================================= = End of Text: Living With Moshiach, Parshat Ki Tissa, 5755 = =============================================================