Living With Moshiach, Parshat Vayeilech, 5756 B"H LIVING WITH MOSHIACH Weekly Digest About Moshiach PARSHAT VAYEILECH Tishrei 5, 5756 Sept. 29, 1995 SPECIAL FEATURE: Your Yom Kippur Guide * Published Weekly By Lubavitch Shluchim Conferences On The Moshiach Campaign, Committee For The Blind * * * 5756 *********************************************** * 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 Searching in the New Year Plan Ahead The Rebbe's Mother Your Yom Kippur Guide Shabbat Shuvah The Eve of Yom Kippur The Custom of "Lekach" Five Prohibitions What is Yom Kippur The Yom Kippur Service ****************** * 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 laws of the upcoming high holiday of Yom Kippur, "Your Yom Kippur Guide,"[*] and other related material. * 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. * We take this opportunity to wish you and yours a very sweet, happy, healthy and successful new year. * 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 25 Elul, 5755, Year of Hakhel _______________ * Published by Prestige Litho. DEDICATED TO THE REBBE, In Honor Of Our Daughter CHAYA SARAH on the occasion of her seventh birthday, 25 Elul *************************************** * THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION * * Adapted from the Works of the Rebbe * *************************************** Parshat Vayeilech This week's Torah portion, Vayeilech, speaks about the holy ark of the Tabernacle, carried about by the Jews for their 40 years in the desert, and which afterward occupied a central position in the Holy Temple. "Take this book of the law, and put it at the side of the ark of the covenant of the L-rd your G-d, that it shall be there as a witness," the Torah states. One opinion of our Sages holds that the book Moses is referring to, the Torah scroll, was put in the ark together with the tablets of the Ten Commandments, and the other opinion holds that the Torah scroll was placed next to the ark. In any event, either inside or next to it, what is significant is that the Torah scroll was placed inside the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies, therefore, contained two versions of G-d's Word--the written letters of the Torah scroll, consisting of ink painstakingly transcribed by Moses' hand onto parchment, and the Hebrew letters of the tablets of the law--letters engraved on stone by a Divine hand. The letters of the Ten Commandments were not ordinary letters which any human being could chisel into a stone surface. The tablets themselves were miraculous, as the letters could be read the same way from either side simultaneously. In addition, the "hollow" letters engraved on the tablets, such as the samech and final mem, seemed to hover in their places, impossible for a human being to duplicate. It is quite logical, considering all the miracles connected to the Ten Commandments, that the tablets were placed in the Holy of Holies. Many other miracles occurred in the Holy of Holies, among them the fact that the ark itself took up no physical space; although it measured exactly the number of cubits specified in the Torah, if one measured the distance between the ark and the wall of the Holy of Holies, the ark seemed to occupy no space at all. Above and not limited to the boundaries of time and space, the purpose of the Holy of Holies was to spread G-d's light in the physical world, past the outer limits of the Temple, past the borders of Jerusalem, over the entire world and all its inhabitants. But why was an ordinary Torah scroll, ink on parchment, also given a place in the Holy of Holies? The purpose of the Torah is to transform and elevate the world and make it holy with our actions, by performing the Torah's 613 commandments. No aspect of the physical world is beneath the Torah's jurisdiction and concern; the lowliest and most insignificant detail of our lives is significant and a force for good when we live according to G-d's blueprint, the Torah. The letters of the Torah scroll, ordinary ink on the skin of a kosher animal, point to our ability to turn even the most common elements of our lives into something higher. The inclusion of the Torah scroll in the Holy of Holies teaches us that the ordinary physical world that surrounds us is the vehicle and medium through which we are to carry out G-d's Divine plan for creation. ************************ * 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 * * On the occasion of his first yahrtzeit, * * 3 Tishrei, 5756 * * * * Mrs. Fraidel Chedvah Bas Reb Zev Wolf * * Passed away on 4 Adar II, 5755 * * Pais * ********************************************* ************************************************ * SEARCHING IN THE NEW YEAR * * Freely translated from a letter of the Rebbe * ************************************************ The days immediately preceding and following Rosh HaShanah are the time dedicated to sincere introspection and a careful and honest examination of the record of the outgoing year, with a view to the proper deductions and resolutions that are to regulate one's personal daily life, as well as that of his home, and all his affairs in the year to come. Moreover, these are exceptionally propitious days, days permeated with the core of the Psalm: "Search my inwardness; Thy inner essence, G-d, do I seek." They call and demand: Search for the innermost and the profound within you; seek out also the inwardness of everything around you, the soul of the universe; search for and bring to light the G-dliness that animates and pervades the world! Both aspects--the honest self-appraisal and the search for the inner essence of things--are interrelated and interdependent. In evaluating the results of the outgoing year, one is very prone to err by taking into account only the external, both in himself and in the environment. In doing so, one is on equally treacherous grounds in regard to setting the pattern of daily living in the year to come. To forestall this misleading approach, these auspicious days sound their message and challenge: Do not sell yourself short! Do not underestimate your capacities and abilities! For no matter what your spiritual "stock-in-trade" is, your "visible assets"--the existing possibilities that you have to conduct your life in accordance with the teachings of our Torah; no matter how formidable is your strength of character and your ability to cope with a frustrating environment, and with undaunted perseverance to follow your path of Torah and mitzvot-- Much greater and richer are your "hidden reserves" of powers to create new possibilities, and of inner qualities giving you the ability to overcome obstacles and to shape your life and the life around you to be in harmony with Truth and Goodness. In order to reveal and apply these powers, however, it is necessary that you search for and release your potential forces. But you are promised: "You will discover--because you will search with all your heart and soul." What has been said above is more especially and more fully applicable to those who occupy positions of spiritual leadership and influence, from the rabbi of the community down to the individual parents who set the pace of the spiritual life of their household and family. All too often do we see them stymied by doubt and fear, afraid to use, what seem to them, a strong word or excessive demand lest they might alienate, instead of attract. To them these days address themselves with this message and challenge: Search inwardly: seek deeply and you will unravel the innermost treasures of those whom you would lead and inspire; evaluate them not externally, but according to their inner resources, according to the capacity of their soul, the veritable spark of G-d-liness from Above. For with the right approach and by indefatigable effort you will be able to uncover and activate in everyone his inner spiritual resources, so that they begin to animate his daily life. *********************************** * PLAN AHEAD * * From an Audience of the Rebbe * * with a Group of Jewish Students * *********************************** The Ten Days of teshuvah (repentance), which begin with the two days of Rosh HaShanah and continue through their culmination, the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, are the ten days of the inauguration of the new year. Between these three solemn days of the year we are given a period of seven days, containing every day of the week; one Sunday, one Monday, and so forth. This complete week, neither more nor less, is given to us to enable us to atone and repent for any wrong deeds accounted for during the previous year, and to better our way of life in the new year. That we have been given a complete week in which to accomplish this is significant: Spending Sunday of this week as we should, and making the most of the time, serves as a repentance and atonement especially for all the wrong done on all the Sundays of the previous year; the same may be done on the Monday of this week for all the Mondays of the past year, and so on. However, repentance implies two essential conditions: regret for the past and resolution for the future. Therefore, this seven-day period is also a means of planned preparation for the forthcoming year. On the Sunday of this week we should think in particular of bettering the Sundays of the upcoming new year. This will give us the strength and ability to carry out and fulfill our obligations on the Sundays to come. Likewise, with regard to all the other days of this as regards the forthcoming year. By considering only ourselves, however, we would deal with just a part of our obligations. As I have emphasized many times in the past, one should not and must not be content with leading a proper Jewish life personally, in one's own home and family. One must recognize and fulfill one's obligation to the environment by influencing others in it to adhere to the Torah and to its precepts. This duty is particularly required of youth, on whom G-d has bestowed an extra measure of natural energy, enabling them to become leaders, particularly among their own youth groups, and to inspire others in the ways of our Torah and Torah-true way of life. I hope and pray that everyone of you will become a leader and source of positive influence in your environment, leading Jews, and Jewish youth in particular, to a true Jewish life, a life of happiness, a life in which its spiritual and material aspects are properly balanced. Such perfect harmony of the spiritual and material can only be found in the Torah and mitzvot, and in the light of the Torah you will lead your colleagues and friends to true happiness. ********************** * THE REBBE'S MOTHER * ********************** This Shabbat, the sixth of Tishrei, marks the 31st anniversary of the passing of Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, mother of the Rebbe. What follows is a very brief biography of her amazing life. Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson was born on the 28th of Tevet, 5640/1880, in Nikolaiev, a city near Odessa. In 1900, Rebbetzin Chana married the renowned scholar and kabbalist, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Schneerson. They had three sons, the eldest of whom was the Rebbe. The second son, Dov Ber, was killed by the Nazis and her youngest son, Yisroel Aryeh Leib passed away in Israel in 1952. In 1907, the couple moved to Yekatrinoslav (presently Dnepropetrovsk), where Rabbi Levi Yitzchok had been appointed to the prestigious post of Rav of this major Jewish community. For all practical purposes he was the spiritual leader of the entire Jewish population of the Ukraine. Throughout the 32 years that her husband served as Rabbi of Yekatrinoslav, Rebbetzin Chana stood at his side, assisting in his holy work. The Rebbetzin had a good rapport with the members of their sophisticated congregation, and she communicated especially well with Jewish university students, in whom she took special interest, befriending them and trying her best to imbue them with the spirit of Torah. In 1939, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok was arrested because of his energetic work to preserve religious observance; a year later, he was exiled to a small village in the Republic of Kazakhstan. When Rebbetzin Chana learned of her husband's location, she joined him, paying no heed to the difficulties and danger involved. Rebbetzin Chana made a valuable spiritual contribution to her husband, one from which the entire Jewish people benefited. Her son, the Rebbe, described this special contribution: "In the remote Russian village where my father was exiled, there was no ink available. After my mother was permitted to join him, she gathered various herbs in the fields, and by soaking them made a sort of ink, which enabled my father to record his original Torah commentaries. My mother devoted her energies to this task despite their lack of even minimally sufficient amounts of bread and water." Rabbi Levi Yitzchok passed away in exile in 1944. In 1947, Rebbetzin Chana succeeded, with tremendous difficulties, in emigrating from the Soviet Union. At the same time, she also managed to smuggle out her husband's writings at great danger to herself. Later that year she arrived safely in Paris where she was reunited with her eldest son, whom she had not seen for twenty years. The two traveled by ship to New York, where the Rebbetzin lived for the last seventeen years of her life. Rebbetzin Chana passed away in the late afternoon on the Shabbos between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the sixth of Tishrei, 5725/1964, at the age of 85. * * * In a talk following his mother's yahrzeit, the Rebbe noted that all women named Chana share a connection to the first Chana. The Biblical Chana was a prophetess and the mother of one of our greatest prophets, Shmuel. Chana was the wife of Elkanah, a Levite. Chana suffered greatly from the fact that she had no children. She vowed that if G-d granted her a child, she would consecrate him to service in the Sanctuary. Her ardent prayers were heard and she gave birth to Shmuel, who, at the age of two, was brought to live and study under the tutelage of the High Priest, Eli. Shmuel grew to become one of the greatest prophets of the Jewish people. The portion from the Book of Shmuel about Chana, her prayer and the birth of Shmuel are read as the Haftorah on Rosh HaShanah. Two stories recounted by the Rebbe at gatherings in honor of his mother's yahrzeit illustrate a fundamental concept. The first anecdote took place when the Rebbe's father, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok, was in exile. Rebbetzin Chana ingeniously managed to produce different color inks from wild plants for Rabbi Levi Yitzchok to use in writing his Torah innovations, as he was not even afforded ink with which to write. The second incident related by the Rebbe took place after Rabbi Levi Yitzchok's passing. Rebbetzin Chana miraculously succeeded in smuggling Rabbi Levi Yitzchok's writings out of Communist Russia. The Rebbe explained that these two incidents teach us that when, by Divine Providence, a mission is given to an individual --even if that mission seems utterly futile or impossible--one's efforts will ultimately be crowned with success. Though one must work within the confines of nature, one must not be constricted by nature, for it is the infinite and supernatural G-d who has presented one with this mission. As our Divinely appointed mission in these last moments of exile is to hasten the Redemption's arrival and prepare ourselves for the long-awaited Messianic Era, we can look to the prophetess Chana and her namesake, the Rebbetzin Chana, for inspiration. And, as the Rebbe concluded a letter written on Rebbetzin Chana's yahrzeit: "May G-d grant that everyone actively strive for the above, in accordance with the prayer of the prophetess Chana: 'My heart rejoices in G-d, my strength is uplifted through G-d... I rejoice in His help... and He will raise the horn of His Anointed one (Moshiach).'" ************************* * YOUR YOM KIPPUR GUIDE * *-----------------------* * Tishrei 10, 5756 * * Oct. 4, 1995 * ************************* SHABBAT SHUVAH The seven days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are an opportunity to do teshuvah with respect to each of the seven days of the week--i.e., on the Monday, we can make amends for whatever wrongs we may have done on all the Mondays of the previous year... and so forth. Shabbat--from the evening of Friday, Sept. 29 until nightfall on Saturday, Sept. 30--is called Shabbat Shuvah, after the Haftorah [prophetic reading] for that day: "Return, O Israel, for you have stumbled..." THE EVE OF YOM KIPPUR On the day preceding Yom Kippur, on Tuesday, Oct. 3, in the early morning we do the Kapporos Service. [1] Also, in the early afternoon, we eat festive meals, to demonstrate our faith and confidence in G-d's mercy. Another beautiful custom for this day is that of parents blessing their children with the priestly benediction: "May G-d bless you and guard you. May G-d shine His countenance upon you and be gracious to you. May G-d turn His face toward you, and grant you peace." Yom Kippur atones for sins against G-d, but not for wrongdoings between man and man. It is, therefore, important, on the day before Yom Kippur, to apologize and seek forgiveness from friends, relatives, and acquaintances, to heal any ill feelings that may have arisen. _______________ 1. Literally, kapparot means "atonement." Customarily on the eve of Yom Kippur, a man or boy takes in hand a rooster, a woman or girl takes a hen, and passes the fowl over the head three times while reciting a special prayer. The chicken is then ritually slaughtered and often given to the poor to use for their pre-Yom Kippur meal. The purpose of kapparot is to invoke sincere repentance through the thought that a similar fate as that awaiting the fowl might be due us for our sins, but through G-d's mercy and our true repentance it is averted. THE CUSTOM OF "LEKACH" There is a custom on the eve of Yom Kippur to eat "lekach" --honey cake. The reason for this custom is that honey cake is a sweet dessert. By eating it, we express our desire and hope that G-d will bless us with a sweet, pleasant, good year. There is also a custom to give (and receive) honey cake. The reason for this is much less well known. When we receive honey cake from someone we do it with this thought in mind: Let the honey cake be the only thing this year that we have to take from someone else. Let us be self-sufficient, self-supporting, even being able to help support and provide for others, with G-d's help. Thus, if there was any possible heavenly decree that the person would have had to ask another for his food during this year, when one asks for lekach the decree has been fulfilled and there will be no further need to ask; all one's needs will be provided for by G-d. On a deeper level, even the lekach is not really being received from a person! In reality, all food comes from G-d, and therefore a poor person who receives food from a person thanks G-d, Who "provides nourishment and sustenance for all." This is because the person is only an intermediary for delivering G-d's blessings. However, both parties still feel that a transaction has taken place between two human beings. The giving of lekach on the eve of Yom Kippur is not like this, however. Since these are the days when G-d is "close," all parties involved feel that G-d Himself is doing the giving, and the giver is no more than a messenger. Even more so, the giver is not even seen as a messenger, but just a link enabling G-d's gift to come to the person. May we, this very Yom Kippur and even before, see with our own eyes that G-d is truly the Giver and that He gives only good, with the complete revelation of King Moshiach NOW! FIVE PROHIBITIONS Yom Kippur is from Tuesday evening, Oct. 3, through Wednesday night, Oct. 4. In addition to the prohibition of work, as on the Sabbath, there are five activities specifically prohibited on Yom Kippur: eating and drinking, anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions, marital relations, washing (for pleasure), and wearing leather shoes. *********************** * WHAT IS YOM KIPPUR? * *********************** AN ETERNAL BOND Though these Days of Awe, as they are often called, are solemn, they are not sad. In fact, Yom Kippur is, in a subtle way, one of the happiest days of the year. For on Yom Kippur we receive what is perhaps G-d's most sublime gift: His forgiveness. When one person forgives another, it is because of a deep sense of friendship and love that overrides the effect of whatever wrong was done. Similarly, G-d's forgiveness is an expression of His eternal, unconditional love. Though we may have transgressed His will, our essence, our soul, remains G-dly and pure. Yom Kippur is the one day each year when G-d reveals most clearly that our essence and His essence are one. Moreover, on the level of the soul, the Jewish people are all truly equal and indivisible. The more fully we demonstrate our essential unity by acting with love and friendship amongst ourselves, the more fully G-d's love will be revealed to us. JONAH SWALLOWED BY THE FISH The Haftorah that is read on the afternoon of Yom Kippur tells the story of how G-d commanded the prophet Jonah to go to the city of Ninveh and warn the people there to repent, lest G-d destroy their city. Jonah did not want to fulfill this mission and ran away on a ship. G-d caused a terrible storm to occur and eventually the sailors threw Jonah off the ship, as the only way to make the storm abate. G-d caused a great fish to swallow up Jonah. Eventually Jonah was saved from the fish and went to do G-d's bidding in Ninveh. Why was this story chosen to be read on the holiest day of the year? And why did Jonah "run away" from G-d rather than carry out his mission? To teach us how much our love of our fellow Jew needs to be. Jonah knew that if he went to Ninveh the people there would repent. He also knew that the Jewish people had not repented in spite of all the chastising the prophets had given them. Rather than make the Jewish people appear bad in G-d's eyes, Jonah chose to "run away." This lesson is so important that we read it every year on Yom Kippur. ************************** * THE YOM KIPPUR SERVICE * ************************** A DAY OF PRAYER On Yom Kippur we are freed from all material concerns, and can devote the day to prayer. We begin the evening service with the chanting of "Kol Nidrei," which absolves us of any vows we may make in the coming year. During each main prayer throughout Yom Kippur, we recite the "Viduy" (confession), enumerating all the sins we may have committed, and ask for G-d's forgiveness. The final prayer of the day, as our judgment for the coming year is being sealed, is called "Ne'ilah." Ne'ilah is the only service of the entire year during which the doors of the Ark remain open from beginning to end. This signifies that the gates of prayer in heaven are wide open to us at this time. Ne'ilah culminates with the "Shema Yisrael" and other verses said in unison, and the final blowing of the shofar. A THREEFOLD HOLINESS One of the most moving parts of the Yom Kippur service is the recounting of the Service of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest. On this, the holiest day of the year, the holiest man in the world would enter the holiest place on earth -- the Kodesh HaKadoshim [Holy of Holies] of the Temple in Jerusalem -- to pray on behalf of his people. When he emerged from the Holy of Holies, the liturgy tells us, he was radiant, "like the iridescence of the rainbow... like a rose in a garden of delight... like the morning star sparkling on the horizon..." * Call your local Chabad-Lubavitch Center for the time of the Yom Kippur services. =============================================================== = End of Text: "Living With Moshiach" Parshat Vayeilech, 5756 = ===============================================================