LIVING WITH MOSHIACH, Parshat Bo, 5756 B"H LIVING WITH MOSHIACH Weekly Digest About Moshiach PARSHAT BO SHEVAT 5, 5756 JAN. 26, 1996 SPECIAL FEATURE: A Tribute to the Rebbe on 46 years of Leadership * 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 I Have Come Into My Garden The Rebbe's Prophecy Yud Shevat The Rebbe's Continued Leadership It Happened Once Please Tell Me What the Rebbe Said A Call to Action ****************** * INTRODUCTION * ****************** We are pleased to present, to the visually impaired and the blind, our weekly publication, Living With Moshiach. * This week's issue focuses on Yud Shevat. On Yud Shevat (the 10th of Shevat, Wednesday, January 31), we commemorate the yahrtzeit of the Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn; it is also the 46th anniversary of the Rebbe's acceptance of leadership. * Our sincere appreciation to L'Chaim weekly publication, published by the Lubavitch Youth Organization, and to the publishers of Sichos In English, 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 24 Tevet, 5756 Brooklyn, New York *********************************************** * I HAVE COME INTO MY GARDEN * * Adapted from the 3rd chapter of the first * * Ma'amar (Chassidic discourse) said by the * * Rebbe, on Yud [1] Shevat, 5711/1951. * *********************************************** The fact that our Sages say that "all those who are seventh are cherished," rather than "all those who are cherished are seventh," indicates that the seventh's primary quality lies in one's being seventh. In other words, one is cherished not on account of his choice, desire, or spiritual service, but because he is seventh--and this is something that he is born into. Yet the fact remains that "all those who are seventh are cherished." It was for this reason that it was Moshe who was privileged to have the Torah given through him. The Previous Rebbe, explained (soon after arriving in America) that even when we refer to the seventh of a series as being the most cherished, the special quality of the first is apparent. For the whole meaning of "seventh" is "seventh from the first." The Previous Rebbe then explained the qualities that the first--our forefather Avraham--attained through his spiritual service, which was performed with total self-sacrificing devotion. Not content with the above, the Previous Rebbe adds that Avraham did not actively pursue mesirus nefesh [self- sacrifice].... Avraham's mesirus nefesh was incidental [to his actual service]. He knew that the main object of divine service was [that defined by the Sages' interpretation of the verse], "He proclaimed there the Name of G-d, L-rd of the world." [For our Sages say,] "do not read vayikra--'he proclaimed,' but vayakrei-- 'he made others proclaim.'" I.e., let another man likewise proclaim [G-d's Name]. And if in the course of this service mesirus nefesh was called for, he could supply that, too. Indeed, so estimable was Avraham's divine service and mesirus nefesh that even Moshe was privileged to have the Torah given through him because he was the beloved seventh-- the seventh to the first. [It is to this relationship between them that the Sages apply the verse:] "G-d told Moshe, 'Do not stand in the place of the greats [referring to Avraham].'" It is true that the seventh of a series is very much loved and that this status comes not as a result of choice nor as a result of one's divine service, but as a finished product, merely as a result of birth. Nevertheless, there are no inherent limitations that should cause an individual to say that this status is beyond him and that it is accessible only to a select few. On the contrary, this is a situation similar to that which is explained in Tanna dvei Eliyahu and quoted in Chassidus, that every Jew, even a slave and handmaiden, can attain the inspiration of the Divine Spirit. [Similarly,] each and every Jew is obligated to say, "When will my actions equal those of my forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov?" At the same time we should not delude ourselves: We must know that we should "not stand in the place of the greats," and that the merit of the seventh of a series consists of his being seventh to the first. I.e., he is capable of doing the divine service and fulfilling the mission of the first: "Do not read 'he proclaimed,' but 'he made others proclaim.'" This, then, is why the seventh is so cherished: it is he who draws down the Shechinah (Divine Presence), in fact--the essence of the Shechinah; moreover, he draws it down into this lowly world. It is this that is demanded of each and every one of us of the seventh generation--and "all those that are seventh are cherished": Although the fact that we are in the seventh generation is not the result of our own choosing and our own service, and indeed in certain ways perhaps contrary to our will, nevertheless, "all those who are seventh are cherished." We are now very near the approaching footsteps of Moshiach, indeed, we are at the conclusion of this period, and our spiritual task is to complete the process of drawing down the Shechinah--moreover, the essence of the Shechinah--within specifically our lowly world. ---------- 1. On this day the Rebbe officially accepted the mantle of Chabad-Lubavitch leadership, becoming the 7th Rebbe in the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty. ************************ * 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 SHEVAT * ************** This Yud Shevat marks forty-six years of the Rebbe's nesiut (leadership). On the day of the Rebbe's official acceptance of the nesiut, the Rebbe, in a straightforward manner, set the rules as to how his nesiut would proceed. The Rebbe placed upon every person the responsibility for the task of bringing Moshiach. He made it clear that people should not expect to sit back and let the Rebbe do all the work in bringing about the realization of the dreams and aspirations of the Jewish people for all times, the revelation of Moshiach and the Redemption. "Action is the essential thing" has been the Rebbe's motto from the beginning. The Rebbe dealt with the effect of the Previous Rebbe's passing in his unique way: "A certain chassid wrote me that since the histalkus [passing] he is very brokenhearted, and sometimes, when he is alone, he breaks into tears... "The question remains, however: What did he accomplish by his weeping? Is this the Rebbe's intention--that he wants him to cry? It is almost certain that his tears accomplish nothing... In the meantime, however, the work of fulfilling the mission given by the Rebbe is not being done!... By his lack of action the above-mentioned individual is (G-d forbid) delaying the Redemption; delaying the Holy One, blessed be He; delaying the Rebbe--and because of this the Jewish people are being detained in exile one moment longer!" (talk of the 2nd day of Shavuot, 5710/1950). The Rebbe conveyed to us as well, in the above-mentioned talk, that nothing had changed regarding the instructions and orders of the Previous Rebbe: "The mission with which the Rebbe has entrusted us must be carried out without taking anything else into consideration.... One should conduct himself like a truly humble person, who is strong in his convictions and allows nothing to distract him." May we immediately see the fulfillment of our generation's mission: the complete Redemption with the Rebbe leading us. ************************************ * THE REBBE'S CONTINUED LEADERSHIP * * A Tribute to the Rebbe on * * 46 years of Leadership * ************************************ Many people express wonder at the fact that the Rebbe's leadership is spoken of in the present tense, that the Rebbe's leadership is uninterrupted despite our inability to perceive him physically. In fact, this special issue is celebrating 46 years of the Rebbe's continuous leadership. Jewish teachings state that G-d showed Adam, the first person, all future generations together with their great leaders. These leaders are the tzaddikim whose souls G-d, in His wisdom and kindness, sent into this world to guide the generations, caring for them both spiritually and materially and showing the Jewish people the correct path to follow. Chassidic philosophy explains that these great leaders are the mind and the heart of the body of the Jewish people. Each generation has its own unique mission and role in the overall fulfillment of G-d's purpose in the entire creation: to create a "home" for G-d in this physical world through the revelation of Moshiach and the Redemption. In the Tanya of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, it is explained that earlier generations are like the head, their major preoccupation being Torah study; later generations, known as the "heels of Moshiach," are more closely associated with raw action. Within generations we also see these subdivisions with the tzaddikim, and especially the leader of the generation, comprising the head and providing direction to the people as to how to fulfill their unique role. The Al-mighty sends each generation the leader appropriate to the task of the times. Jewish teachings apply to this the verse, "The sun sets; the sun rises," meaning that even before the leadership of one tzaddik has drawn to a close, the unique and novel character of a new leader and a new mission are apparent. This new leader comes to guide his generation in a unique direction in the fulfillment of G-d's purpose for creation commensurate with their own nature and purpose. Let us apply these principles to our own generation. In the first official chassidic teaching articulated by the Rebbe when he formally accepted the mantle of leadership, the Rebbe declared unequivocally that the unique purpose of our generation, the seventh from Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of Chabad Chassidus, is to fulfill the original intent of G-d's creation. This is to be achieved by drawing down G-d's presence into this mundane physical world with the complete revelation of Moshiach and the commencement of the Redemption. The Rebbe has told us numerous times in his most recent public talks that we have finished the Divine service of exile and that our purpose now is to prepare for the Redemption. "The time of our Redemption has arrived," the Rebbe declared with prophetic vision. This is a totally different message [2] that has never before been enunciated in the history of the Jewish people. Uniquely, it is not dependent on any action we must take. He explained that we should involve ourselves in more good deeds, more Torah study, the enhanced fulfillment of mitzvot, as a preparation and foretaste of the Redemption. However, until the Redemption actually begins, with the rebuilding of the Third Holy Temple in Jerusalem and the ingathering of all of the Jews from the Diaspora, the ultimate fulfillment of our purpose has not been achieved and we remain in the seventh generation with the Rebbe at our head. Why the Al-mighty willed that the leadership of the Rebbe at the conclusion of the service of this generation should be in its current form will most likely remain a mystery until the complete revelation of Moshiach. But what we know clearly is what the Rebbe himself has told us in no uncertain terms, that the role of our generation is to actually bring about the Redemption and to prepare ourselves and the entire world for it. Until this has been achieved, we remain in the same generation. The Rebbe and his leadership are very much of the present and will continue until the Al-mighty has mercy on his people and our mission will be crowned with success. ---------- 2. See Living With Moshiach, Vol. 36. ********************** * IT HAPPENED ONCE * ********************** Professor [3] Yirmeyahu (Herman) Branover has achieved worldwide renown as an authority on magneto-hydrodynamics. Research in this area of alternative energy technology is carried out by a very limited number of highly trained professionals. Raised in the then Soviet Union, Professor Branover's published research had won him an international reputation in this field in the '60s. Along with his work on hydrodynamics, Professor Branover has a dynamic Jewish heart. He applied for an emigration visa to Israel, knowing that it would mark the end of his professional career in the Soviet Union. He was dismissed from his post at the Academy of Sciences in Riga and prevented from continuing his research. During this time, he was exposed to the Torah and mitzvot by members of the Lubavitch chassidic underground. When he was finally allowed to emigrate from the Soviet Union to Israel in 1972, he was already fully observant. After making aliyah, Professor Branover was in constant demand as a lecturer, not only in his profession. He was frequently invited to lecture on science and Torah. Campus audiences around the globe were extremely interested to hear an internationally renowned scientist reconcile his belief in the Torah with the supposed conflicts emerging from modern science. "In the winter of 1973," relates Professor Branover, "I was on a lecture tour in the United States. Towards the end of the two-month tour, Rabbi S., one of the shluchim, requested that I add the University of Pennsylvania to my itinerary. My wife and I were both weary from the constant travel, but our commitment to spread Torah motivated us to agree. "Shortly before the scheduled date, I was privileged to visit the Rebbe at yechidut (a private meeting). Among other matters, I mentioned the trip to Philadelphia. The Rebbe inquired about the details of the program and commented: 'During your stay in Philadelphia, do not forget to introduce yourself to a local professor who has an interest in your field.' "The Rebbe's statement baffled me. I was well acquainted with the names of the American scientists involved in magneto- hydrodynamics and I knew the universities with which they were associated. I was certain that no Philadelphian was familiar with my field. "I made the trip to Philadelphia, following the busy schedule of lectures. On the morning of my arrival, when Rabbi S. met me at the train station, I spoke about my encounter with the Rebbe. I mentioned the Rebbe's strange remark and added that it appeared to be an error. "'The Rebbe does not make mistakes,' Rabbi S. said emphatically. 'Allow me to assist you in locating the scientist.' "Rabbi S. convinced me to visit Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania and to check the faculties of these institutions. After many hours of searching, we were introduced to Professor Hsuan Yeh. It was a refreshing change of pace to engage in a sophisticated discussion with a person who was clearly knowledgeable in magneto-hydrodynamics. "As we concluded our conversation, Professor Yeh said: 'In six weeks there will be a Magneto-Hydrodynamics Energy Convention at Stanford University in California. Although the program is already finalized, I will insist that your name be added to the list of lecturers. A colleague who has arrived so recently from Russia should be given the opportunity to present his thoughts.' "I looked at him in surprise. 'Didn't you just say that the program was finalized?' "Professor Yeh added with a smile, 'You see, I am on the program committee.' "I appreciated the professor's offer, and yet I graciously declined, explaining that both my wife and I were anxious to return to our home in Israel. The trip had already been extended more than we would have liked. "I returned to New York and we prepared to return home. Just before leaving, I wrote the Rebbe a report of our trip to Philadelphia, mentioning my encounter with Professor Yeh. Once again, the Rebbe made an unexpected statement. He advised me to reschedule my plans and to accept the invitation, for the convention presented an important opportunity. "My wife and I were taken by surprise by the Rebbe's response. Despite the need to rearrange our plans, we were acquainted enough with the Rebbe to value his advice. I called Professor Yeh, who was happy to arrange for me to deliver a lecture. "The significance of my participation at the convention became clear very rapidly. I met two representatives of the Office of Naval Research in Virginia, who had read about my work, and who were prepared to finance further research. They added, 'We understand that you want to establish your laboratory in Israel, and we are willing to provide you with funds for your work there.' "As a result, I set up a laboratory in Beer Sheva, which has gained worldwide recognition for its magneto-hydrodynamics research. My contract with the Office of Naval Research has been renewed six times since that original grant. I could not have imagined at that point how valuable and far-reaching the Rebbe's advice had been. "This year, 1993, marks twenty years since the Stanford convention. My project has just been awarded a 15-million dollar grant by the United States government to further research and development of this energy technology." Professor Branover frequently briefs the Rebbe on his various research projects. In one report, he presented a very sophisticated study built upon extensive calculations that had been prepared by computer. As he reviewed the details, the Rebbe remarked: "Two numbers here are inconsistent." Professor Branover was stunned. "But all the calculations were done by computer and the program used is based on our most advanced theory." The Rebbe smiled. "With all due respect to the experts, you will see that there is an error." In the preparation of the calculations, an incongruity indeed had appeared. It took Professor Branover's research team six months to locate it. Once, before Professor Branover was scheduled to address a conference of Jewish scientists, the Rebbe told him: "You have an important message to communicate. Tell your colleagues that as a scholar of solar energy you encourage every Jew to emulate the sun. "Why is this star of such great importance? There are larger heavenly bodies, indeed, many that dwarf the sun in size. What is unique about the sun? It provides light and generates heat. "There are other heavenly phenomena called 'black holes.' These are also powerful sources of energy, but in this instance, the energy is directed inward. The 'black holes' pull everything, even the energy they emit, to themselves. "The sun, by contrast, generously gives of itself to the entire planetary system. So, too, a Jew must radiate ahavas Yisrael--love for a fellow Jew. After all, if the sun was only capable of heating its own mass, who would have paid any attention to it?" Professor Branover also is active in developing programs of Jewish education and professional training for Jews in the former Soviet Union and for Russian immigrants to Eretz Yisrael. In the course of these activities, he has been chosen by the Rebbe for several missions. "In the spring of 1985, I received word from the Rebbe's office that the Rebbe requested to speak to me," relates Professor Branover. "Of course, I arrived at '770' [Eastern Parkway, the address of Lubavitch World Headquarters], as soon as I could. The Rebbe greeted me and informed me of his desire that I relay his forthcoming message to various persons in Russia. Not in my wildest dreams was I prepared for the content of the message. "The Rebbe unraveled before me the precise details of the unbelievable change that was going to take place in Russia. With Mikhail Gorbachev's ascent to power, a new era of openness and freedom would begin, the Rebbe prophesied. Waves of Russian Jews would emigrate to Eretz Yisrael. Two years afterwards, in expectation of this wave of immigration, the Rebbe initiated the plan to build a special housing project in Jerusalem for the new immigrants. "To say that I was stunned is quite an understatement. If I had heard these words from anyone but the Rebbe, I would have dismissed them as fantasy. As such, I was neither surprised nor offended when various people in Russia whom I contacted by phone were skeptical. 'Are you sure this is exactly what the Rebbe said?' they asked again and again. And, may I add, these people were not unfamiliar with the Rebbe. Quite the contrary, these were his own people who were directing the Lubavitch underground activities in Russia. It was simply that the Rebbe's prediction seemed so far-fetched. "In the spring of 1985, newspapers such as The New York Times and the New York Post had published front-page articles predicting that Gorbachev's government would follow a communistic hard line. This was felt even more powerfully by people who were living in the then Soviet Union. "When I related the response from Russia to the Rebbe, he requested that I contact them once again, assuring them that these changes would indeed take place. "The realization of the Rebbe's words is now history. In 1992, when Mikhail Gorbachev visited Israel, I was introduced to him, and I told him and his wife Raisa what the Rebbe had said seven years earlier. Gorbachev was stunned. 'When I assumed power in 1985, I myself had no concrete plan for the future. I would like to meet this man who knew so much about the direction that my country and I would follow.'" ---------- 3. Adapted from the book, To Know and To Care (Brooklyn, NY: Sichos In English, 1993). **************************************** * PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE REBBE SAID * * Weekly Torah Insights For Children, * * Adapted from the Works of the Rebbe * **************************************** YUD SHEVAT On the day of a person's yahrtzeit, we think about that person. But we are not just remembering--we are learning from his good deeds. This is especially true on a day like Yud Shevat, when we celebrate the yahrtzeit of the Previous Rebbe. The Previous Rebbe led a life of mesirus nefesh (self- sacrifice). Mesirus nefesh means "giving up one's life." Throughout our history, many people gave up their lives because of their Jewishness. But mesirus nefesh isn't only actually giving up one's life. Mesirus nefesh is also living our lives without thinking of ourselves, concentrating instead only on doing what G-d wants. Mesirus nefesh was the Previous Rebbe's way of doing things wherever he was. First in Russia--with tremendous mesirus nefesh, he spread Torah despite terrible hardships. He was arrested, imprisoned and beaten. And still he persisted. What's more, he took upon himself the responsibility of sending others to spread Torah with mesirus nefesh. After he was forced to leave Russia, he arrived in Poland. There, though the government did not interfere with the study of Torah, the Previous Rebbe also showed a great amount of mesirus nefesh in his work. He had to confront other Jewish leaders in Poland who did not agree with what he was doing. "Why are you putting so much effort into setting up yeshivot in small towns scattered throughout Poland?" they argued. "It's hard enough to support the big yeshivot that already exist in the main cities." But the Previous Rebbe just continued his difficult work, making sure that Jews in the distant small towns would also have a Jewish education. When he came to America, in 1940, because of World War II, the Previous Rebbe continued spreading Torah with mesirus nefesh. But why did he need mesirus nefesh in America? America is a free country. Everyone can do as they please. That's true. But many Jews who came to America from Europe thought it would be a better idea not to show their Torah lifestyle too much. "America," they said, "is different. Here we should look like everyone else." So many people shaved their beards and hid their tzitzis (fringes). The first thing the Previous Rebbe said when he arrived was: "America is not different!" With enormous mesirus nefesh, he persuaded Jews to keep the Torah and its mitzvot openly and proudly. That paved the way for America to become a land where Jews keep the Torah and its mitzvot with joy and pride. ********************** * A CALL TO ACTION * ********************** The Rebbe's slogan is: "The main thing is the deed." Hence, we present suggestions from the Rebbe's talks of what we can do to complete the Rebbe's work of bringing the Redemption. Learn the Rebbe's Teachings The Rebbe taught that a true connection to the Rebbe comes through studying the Rebbe's teachings. Dozens of the Rebbe's works are available in English. You can log onto the Rebbe's teachings on the Internet at gopher.chabad.org or web address http://www.chabad.org. And, of course, continue to read Living With Moshiach, and share it with friends. Regarding Yud Shevat: Among the 16 directives suggested by the Rebbe [4] in connection with Yud Shevat. In the morning and afternoon give charity to an institution related to the Previous Rebbe; participate in a chassidic gathering; learn about and tell others about the Previous Rebbe; visit centers for young people and tell them about the love the Previous Rebbe had for them and the hope he had that they would use their energy, warmth and vitality to strengthen Judaism. * For a Yud Shevat gathering in your area, contact your local Chabad-Lubavitch Center. ---------- 4. See Living With Moshiach, Vol. 12. =================================================== End of Text: Living With Moshiach, Parshat Bo, 5756 ===================================================