B"H LIVING WITH MOSHIACH Weekly Digest About Moshiach THE CONCLUDING DAYS OF PESACH 5761/2001 *************************************************** * Visit TruePeace.org * * "http://www.truepeace.org" * * Dedicated to educating the public regarding the * * current situation in Israel, based on Torah * * sources, with special emphasis on the opinion * * and teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe * *************************************************** Published Weekly By Lubavitch Shluchim Conferences On The Moshiach Campaign, Committee For The Blind * * * 5761 **************************************************** * VISIT US ON THE WEB, AT: * * http://www.moshiach.net/blind * **************************************************** * TO RECEIVE THIS PUBLICATION VIA INTERNET: * * E-Mail: yys@dorsai.org * **************************************************** * OPERATION REFUAH: * * http://www.operationrefuah.org * **************************************************** * JEWISH CHILDREN: * * Get your own letter in a Sefer Torah! * * http://www.kidstorah.org * **************************************************** * Kids! We Want YOU To Join * * Tzivos Hashem (The Army of G-d) * * http://www.moshiach.net/blind/tzivos-h.htm * **************************************************** * MOSHIACH - CHILDREN'S PAGE * * http://www.moshiach.net/blind/children/index.htm * **************************************************** THIS PUBLICATION IS DEDICATED TO THE REBBE, RABBI MENACHEM M. SCHNEERSON OF LUBAVITCH In honor of his 99th birthday, 11 Nissan, 5761 "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. * Moshiach Matters. * From Sea To Land. * Righteous Jewish Women. * The Concluding Days of Pesach. * A Taste of Things to Come - Moshiach's Seudah. * The Concluding Days of Pesach Calendar. * Candle Lighting Blessings. * Moshiach Information Hotlines. * Moshiach In The Air - Electronic Media. * Subscription Information for this Weekly Magazine: Living With Moshiach. **************** * INTRODUCTION * **************** We are pleased to present, to the visually impaired and the blind, our weekly publication, Living With Moshiach. * In this issue, we focus on the Concluding Days of Pesach. * 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 11 Nissan, 5761 Brooklyn, New York *************************************** * THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION * * Adapted from the Works of the Rebbe * *************************************** The Torah portion that is read on this Shabbat, the seventh day of Pesach, contains the verse "And Moses brought Israel from the Reed Sea." Notes Rashi, the foremost Torah commentator, "He brought them against their will." Moses had to actually force the Children of Israel to leave the shores of the Reed Sea and continue their journey on to Mount Sinai. The Jewish people did not want to leave because they were busy collecting the gold and silver that had washed up on shore. The Egyptians had adorned their horses with silver and gold ornaments and precious gems. When they drowned, these ornaments were found by the Jews and gathered up. The Jews were totally engrossed in collecting their spoils and did not want to move on. Even when Moses told them to go they refused to listen. In the end, Moses had to force them to depart. The behavior of the Jewish people seems surprising and difficult to understand. When the Jews left Egypt, they were already in possession of great wealth. The Talmud relates that each and every Jew departed with 90 donkeys laden with gold and silver! How is it possible that after experiencing the Divine revelation and miracles at the Sea they could have been interested in anything as mundane as gold and silver? But most importantly, the Jewish people knew that the sole purpose of their exodus from Egypt was the giving of Torah. How could they have been willing to delay it for the sake of personal gain? To explain: The Jews' behavior was not motivated by a desire for wealth, but by a burning desire to fulfill G-d's command. Before leaving Egypt the Jewish people had been commanded to deplete the riches of Egypt, as it states, "And each man shall ask of his neighbor...vessels of silver and vessels of gold...and you shall plunder Egypt." G-d had commanded them to empty Egypt of its wealth. The Jews obeyed G-d and took with them vast quantities of silver and gold. After the splitting of the Reed Sea, however, they saw that there was still much to be obtained. They realized that they had not completely "emptied" Egypt. So eager were they to fulfill G-d's command to perfection that they began to collect the silver and gold that washed up on shore, without regard for anything else. It was precisely because they had witnessed the revelation of G-d at the splitting of the Reed Sea that the Jews wished to fulfill G-d's will in a perfect manner. Their desire to do so was so great that Moses had to force them to stop. The Jewish people didn't want the Egyptians' gold and silver for themselves; their sole intent was to fulfill G-d's command to the best of their ability. ************************ * 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 212: http://www.moshiach.net/blind/lwm-5760/212.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 * ********************************************* ******************** * MOSHIACH MATTERS * ******************** "This is my G-d and I shall glorify Him, my father's G-d and I shall exalt Him" (Exodus 15:2) The Midrash states that at the splitting of the Reed Sea, every Jew pointed with his finger and said, "This," for there was such a prophetic manifestation of G-dliness at that time that they were able to actually point to it. The Midrash also notes that the children born under Egyptian servitude were the first to perceive and recognize the Divine manifestation. "As in the days of your going out from Egypt, I will show wondrous things" we read in Michah. In fact, the Divine revelation of the Messianic Redemption will be even greater than the one in Egypt. Furthermore, just as at the time of the Egyptian exodus it was the children born in exile who recognized G-d first, so it will also be with Moshiach: the children born in the harshness of this bitter exile will be the first to recognize the Divine manifestation. (The Rebbe) ******************** * FROM SEA TO LAND * ******************** By Rabbi Berel Bell In the account of the splitting of the Reed Sea, the Torah relates that "the sea was transformed into dry land." We are also taught that this transformation took place not only in this world, but in the spiritual worlds as well. Obviously, there is neither sea nor land in the spiritual realms. What, then, is the meaning of this statement? See Any Fish? We can understand this by first looking into the difference between the physical land and sea. When one looks at the sea, one sees nothing but the water that covers the life within it. This is not the case with the land, which has various kinds of animals, plants, and minerals that are clearly visible to the naked eye. Another difference between sea and land is that water creatures are, in general, totally dependent on the water for their existence. A fish can only live out of the water for a short time. Land creatures, however, do not need constant contact with the land, and can therefore live in the air or elsewhere off the ground. These two factors are in a way connected. Since a fish depends totally on the water for its existence, it is virtually part of the water. This idea is reflected in Jewish law regarding immersion in a mikvah. Although the entire body being immersed must simultaneously come in contact with the water, there is nevertheless an opinion that if one immerses in the ocean and bumps into a fish the immersion is still valid, as the fish is considered to be part of the water. The fact that, to our eyes, fish within the ocean cannot be distinguished from the water further establishes this point. The converse applies to the land. Since animals are not so dependent on the land, they are considered separate from it. This is reflected in their appearance: that they are clearly visible and distinct from the land. Although we are speaking in physical terms, these concepts--of being united with one's life-source and of appearing to have an independent existence--are also applicable in the spiritual sense. There are planes of spiritual existence, which are compared to the sea. In these realms there is a greater measure of revealed G-dliness. The beings in this realm feel closer to G-d, to the extent that they have no feeling of independent existence. Just as fish must be in the water to live, beings on this level feel that their very existence is dependent on the G-dly spark that keeps them alive. The only revealed existence is that of G-d, just as only the water is visible in the sea. On lower levels, though, G-dliness is not so revealed. There is not such a feeling of total dependence on G-d; rather there is a feeling of self-reliance and individuality. This corresponds to the independent nature of creatures on land. When "the sea was transformed into dry land," these two levels came together. The closeness and nullification to G-d ("sea") was sensed even by the lower worlds ("dry land"). This does not mean that after the sea was split, the spiritual effect then followed. Since everything in the physical world derives from the spiritual, the opposite is true. First there was the spiritual transformation, when the lower levels were engulfed by the G-dly revelation of the "sea." Then, in response, the physical realm experienced the splitting of the sea. The Sea Within Within the Jewish soul there are also deeper levels that are united with G-d and rarely revealed ("sea") and lower levels in which the bond with G-d is not as visible ("land"). When the Jewish people came to the Reed Sea, it did not split right away. Only Nachshon ben Aminadav had the complete faith and self-sacrifice to jump into the water. He was in fact almost completely under the water before it split. In order to bring himself to this level of self-sacrifice, Nachshon had to "split the sea" within himself; to reveal the inner, hidden dimensions of his soul and bring them out into the realm of action. By accomplishing this within himself, he effected a transformation of all the spiritual worlds and the physical world as well. So, too, every individual has this ability latent within, and by releasing it can effect miracles here in the physical world. *************************************** * RIGHTEOUS JEWISH WOMEN * * Adapted from the Works of the Rebbe * *************************************** After the miraculous Splitting of the Reed Sea, as related in the Torah portion that is read on this Shabbat, the seventh day of Pesach, Moses leads the Jewish men in singing their praises of G-d, and Miriam, the prophetess, leads the women in their song of thanks. The Torah tells us that the joy experienced by the women was far greater than that of the men. "And all the women went out...with tambourines and dances." In fact, the Midrash relates that when the heavenly angels wanted to add their voices to the "Song of the Splitting of the Reed Sea," G-d told them that they must wait until the women had finished. The exile in Egypt was much harsher for the Jewish women than for their husbands. Of all Pharaoh's decrees against the Children of Israel, the most pitiless was the one that broke every Jewish mother's heart: "Every son that is born you shall throw into the river." The pain and suffering experienced by the Jewish women was more intense than the hardships the men were forced to endure, and when salvation came, the joy they felt was therefore greater as well. The stories in the Torah teach us lessons that apply in all generations. Pharaoh's decrees against the Jewish people have appeared again and again, throughout history, in various forms. Their aim, however, has never changed. The Egyptian Pharaoh sought to kill Jewish babies by drowning them in the Nile; later despots sought to destroy Jewish souls in ways equally dangerous, although not always as obvious. In our days, when most Jews, thank G-d, live in relative safety and security, the decrees of Pharaoh imperil the spiritual existence of the Jewish people. "Pharaoh" rears his head in the guise of popular culture and the winds of arbitrary and capricious conventional wisdom, which threaten to sever the Jewish people from the eternal and timeless values of the Torah. "Pharaoh" seeks to immerse and drown the minds of impressionable Jewish children in the waters of whatever is, at the moment, trendy and fashionable. The threat is not all that different from the one faced in Egypt, because Jews cannot exist for long without their faith in G-d and the study of Torah. Jewish children need a solid Jewish education to ensure the continuation of our people. Today, just as in Egypt, the main responsibility--to safeguard our greatest national treasure, our children, from negative influences--lies with the Jewish mother. Jewish women have, throughout the generations, been granted the power to set the proper tone in the home and make it a place where their children will flourish and grow up to be good Jews. In this way Jewish women will see true satisfaction from their children and merit to sing G-d's praises at the Final Redemption, speedily in our days. ********************************* * 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 SUNDAY EVENING, APRIL 15. 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 * * 5761/2001 * ****************************************** JEWISH WOMEN AND GIRLS LIGHT SHABBAT & YOM TOV CANDLES ******************************************************* * FOR LOCAL CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES: * * consult your local Rabbi, Chabad-Lubavitch * * Center, or call: (718) 774-3000. * * or: * * http://www.candlelightingtimes.org/shabbos * * * * FOR A FREE CANDLE LIGHTING KIT: * * contact your local Chabad-Lubavitch Center. * * * * FOR A LISTING OF THE CENTERS IN YOUR AREA: * http://www.candlelightingtimes.org/general/shluchim.html * In the USA, call: 1-800-Lubavitch (1-800-582-2848). * ******************************************************* >>>> Times Shown Are for Metro NY - NJ <<<< FRIDAY, APRIL 13: * Light Shabbat & Yom Tov Candles, [1] BY 7:13 p.m. Say blessing #1. SATURDAY, APRIL 14: * Light Yom Tov Candles, [2] AFTER NIGHTFALL, AFTER 8:16 p.m. Say blessing #2. SUNDAY, APRIL 15: * Yizkor memorial prayers. * Late afternoon, eat a Special Pesach Meal--Moshiach's Seudah - See above. * PESACH ENDS AFTER NIGHTFALL, AFTER 8:18 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. FRIDAY, APRIL 20, EREV SHABBAT PARSHAT SHEMINI: * Light Shabbat Candles, [3] BY 7:21 p.m. Say blessing #3. SATURDAY, APRIL 21, SHABBAT PARSHAT SHEMINI: * Blessing of the New Month, Iyar. [4] * On Shabbat following the afternoon prayer, we read Chapter 1 of Pirkei Avot--Ethics of the Fathers. * Shabbat ends at NIGHTFALL, at 8:25 p.m. _______________ 1. The Shabbat & Yom Tov candles must be lit 18 minutes *BEFORE* sunset. IT IS PROHIBITED AND IS A DESECRATION OF THE SHABBAT TO LIGHT THE CANDLES *AFTER* SUNSET. 2. Do not light *BEFORE* the time indicated. Light only from a preexisting flame. A preexisting flame is a flame burning continuously since the onset of the Shabbat, such as a pilot light, gas or candle flame. 3. The Shabbat candles must be lit 18 minutes *BEFORE* sunset. IT IS PROHIBITED AND IS A DESECRATION OF THE SHABBAT TO LIGHT THE CANDLES *AFTER* SUNSET. 4. Rosh Chodesh Iyar is on Mon., April 23, and Tues., April 24. ***************************** * 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 SHA-BOS V-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 Shabbat and Yom Tov light. #2. 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. #3. 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 SHA-BOS KO-DESH. 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 light of the holy Shabbat. *************************************** * In loving memory of * * HORAV CHAIM YEHUDA KALMAN * * Ben Horav Avrohom Yehoshua Marlow, * * head of the Bet-Din (Rabbinical * * Court) of Crown Heights, * * Passed away, on Friday Morning, * * 20 Sivan, 5760 (June 23, 2000) * *************************************** ********************************************** * MOSHIACH INFORMATION HOTLINES * * http://www.moshiach.net/blind/hotlines.htm * ********************************************** ********************************************* * MOSHIACH IN THE AIR - ELECTRONIC MEDIA * * http://www.moshiach.net/blind/e-media.htm * ********************************************* ******************************** * LIVING WITH MOSHIACH * * Weekly Digest About Moshiach * ******************************** Annual subscription (for the 18-point, large type edition) $18.00. For a one-year subscription, make your check payable to: "Torah publications for the Blind," and mail it to: 383 Kingston Ave., Suite 364, Brooklyn, NY 11213 USA Name:__________________________________ Address:_______________________________ City:__________________________________ State:___________ Zip:_________________ Telephone: ( )____________________ Due to the generosity of certain people, free subscriptions are hereby being offered to all the blind and handicapped, public service libraries and non-profit organizations. ============================================================= = End of Text: = = Living With Moshiach, The Concluding Days of Pesach, 5761 = =============================================================