B"H LIVING WITH MOSHIACH Weekly Digest About Moshiach THE CONCLUDING DAYS OF PESACH 5759/1999 * Published Weekly By Lubavitch Shluchim Conferences On The Moshiach Campaign, Committee For The Blind * * * 5759 ********************************************* * VISIT US ON THE WEB, AT: * * http://www.moshiach.net/blind * *===========================================* * 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 In honor of his 97th birthday, 11 Nissan, 5759 "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 * Moshiach Matters * The Rebbe's Prophecy * The Concluding Days of Pesach * A Taste of Things to Come - Moshiach's Seudah * The Concluding Days of Pesach Calendar * Candle Lighting Blessings **************** * 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 Concluding Days of Pesach. * This Jewish year, is the year 5759 since Creation. The Hebrew letters are Hei-Tav-Shin-Nun-Tes. Over a decade ago, in the year 5742, the Rebbe stated that the Hebrew letters for that year were an acronym for "This should be the year of the coming of Moshiach." Since that time, the Rebbe has publicized a phrase describing the year according to the acronym of its Hebrew letters. This year has been designated by the Rebbe's followers as "Hoyo T'hei Shnas Niflaos Tovoh" meaning "It surely will be a good year of wondrous miracles." * 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 13 Nissan, 5759 Brooklyn, New York ******************** * MOSHIACH MATTERS * ******************** "What more can I do to motivate the whole world to cry out and demand the Redemption?... I have done all I can; now you must do whatever you can. May it be G-d's will that there will be one, two, or three among you who will appreciate what needs to be done and how it needs to be done, and may you actually be successful and bring about the complete Redemption, immediately!" (The Rebbe, 28 Nissan, 5751/1991) ************************ * 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. _______________ See "Living With Moshiach" Vol 139: http://www.moshiach.net/blind/lwm-5758/139.htm ********************************************* * 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 * ********************************************* ********************************* * THE CONCLUDING DAYS OF PESACH * ********************************* * Pesach is eight days long. The last two days of Pesach are also Yom Tov. * The seventh day of Pesach commemorates the miracle of the "Splitting of the Reed Sea," which completed the Redemption from Egypt. * On the eighth day of Pesach, Yizkor is recited after the Torah reading. * Late afternoon, eat a Special Pesach Meal--Moshiach's Seudah. * PESACH ENDS AFTER NIGHTFALL ON THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 8. THE ACTUAL TIME IS INDICATED ON THE CALENDAR - Below. * WAIT ONE HOUR BEFORE EATING CHOMETZ TO ALLOW TIME FOR THE RABBI TO BUY IT BACK FOR YOU. * UNTIL THAT TIME NO CHOMETZ SHOULD BE BOUGHT OR EATEN. ***************************** * A TASTE OF THINGS TO COME * ***************************** MOSHIACH'S SEUDAH The Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chassidism, instituted the custom of eating a special third meal on the last day of Pesach late in the afternoon, after Minchah, complete with matzah and wine. This meal is known as the "Festive Meal of Moshiach," or Moshiach's Seudah, for on this day the radiance of Moshiach is openly revealed. Also, it is intended to deepen our awareness of the imminence of the final Redemption. On this day, he said, one can actually feel the approach of Moshiach. "Behold," says the verse in Song of Songs, "he is standing behind our wall, watching through the windows, peering through the crevices . . ." * Beginning in the year 5666/1906, it became customary in Lubavitch for the students of the Lubavitcher yeshivah to eat their Pesach meals together in the study hall. That year, the fifth Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom Dov Ber, known as the Rebbe Rashab, joined the students for the third festive meal of the last day of Pesach, and directed that each of them be given four cups of wine. The Rebbe once commented, that this was obviously intended to become an annual custom. * Moshiach's Seudah was instituted on the eighth day of Pesach, as the number eight is connected to the Redemption (being one more than seven--symbolic of the natural order) and the Haftorah read on the eighth day of Pesach contains many of the Messianic prophecies. One might ask, what is the point of eating an actual, physical meal that relates to the subject of Moshiach? This festive meal causes the image and the feeling of the future Redemption to penetrate not only all the faculties of a person's soul, including his capacity for action, but his physical body as well--by means of the physical food that becomes part of his very flesh and blood. Partaking of this festive meal is intended to draw down the radiance of Moshiach into every aspect of one's daily life throughout the year. This simply means--as an anticipatory echo of how the world will appear after the Redemption--that holiness should permeate all of a person's activities, including his physical activities, to the point that he is prepared to sacrifice the innermost core of his soul. This is the yechida within his soul, the element of Moshiach in his soul. The Rebbe once explained, "The four cups of wine on the Seder night are the cups of Moses our teacher; the four cups of wine at Seudat Moshiach on the last day of Pesach are the cups of our righteous Moshiach." * * * Hundreds of Chabad-Lubavitch Centers around the world will be hosting the traditional, mystical Moshiach's Seudah, on the last day of Pesach. To find out about a Moshiach's Seudah near you, call your local Chabad-Lubavitch Center. ****************************************** * THE CONCLUDING DAYS OF PESACH CALENDAR * * 5759/1999 * ****************************************** JEWISH WOMEN AND GIRLS LIGHT YOM TOV CANDLES ********************************************************* * FOR LOCAL CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES: * * consult your local Rabbi, Chabad-Lubavitch * * Center, or call: (718) 774-3000. * * or: * http://www.knowledgengineers.com/Havienu/html/vestibule/hebcal.html * * * FOR A FREE CANDLE LIGHTING KIT: * * contact your local Chabad-Lubavitch Center. * * * * FOR A LISTING OF THE CENTERS IN YOUR AREA: * * http://www.chabad.org/chabadir-access.html * * In the USA, call: 1-800-Lubavitch (1-800-582-2848). * ********************************************************* Times shown are for Metro NY - NJ DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME TUESDAY, APRIL 6: * Light Yom Tov Candles, [1] BY 7:05 p.m. Say blessing #1. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7: * Light Yom Tov Candles, [2] AFTER NIGHTFALL, AFTER 8:08 p.m. Say blessing #1. THURSDAY, APRIL 8: * Yizkor memorial prayers. * Late afternoon, eat a Special Pesach Meal--Moshiach's Seudah. * PESACH ENDS AFTER NIGHTFALL, AFTER 8:09 P.M. * WAIT ONE HOUR BEFORE EATING CHOMETZ TO ALLOW TIME FOR THE RABBI TO BUY IT BACK FOR YOU. * UNTIL THAT TIME NO CHOMETZ SHOULD BE BOUGHT OR EATEN. __________ 1. If lighting after sunset, light only from a preexisting flame. A preexisting flame is a flame burning continuously since the onset of the festival, such as a pilot light, gas or candle flame. 2. Do not light BEFORE the time indicated. Light only from a preexisting flame. ***************************** * CANDLE LIGHTING BLESSINGS * ***************************** After lighting the candles, recite: #1. BO-RUCH A-TOH ADO-NOI E-LO-HEI-NU ME-LECH HO-OLOM A-SHER KI-DE-SHO-NU BE-MITZ-VO-SOV VE-TZI-VO-NU LE-HAD-LIK NER SHEL YOM TOV. Translation: Blessed are you, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Yom Tov light. ******************************** * In loving memory of * * RABBI ELYE GROSS, * * our Developmental Consultant * ******************************** ============================================================= = End of Text: = = Living With Moshiach, The Concluding Days of Pesach, 5759 = =============================================================