B"H LIVING WITH MOSHIACH Weekly Digest About Moshiach PARSHAT BESHALACH, 5762 Shevat 12, 5762 * Jan. 25, 2002 SPECIAL FEATURE: A Tribute to the Rebbe on 52 Years of Leadership = Part 2 = >> A Jewish Response To Terrorism << http://www.moshiach.net/blind/lwm-5762/269.htm *************************************************** * 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 * * * 5762 "Year of Hakhel" http://www.moshiach.net/blind/lwm-5761/262.htm#Year of Hakhel **************************************************** * 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 "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. * Shabbat Shirah Customs. * Yud Shevat. * In Tribute to the Rebbe. * It Happened Once. * A Call to Action. * The Weekly Shabbat Calendar. * Laws of Shabbat Candle Lighting for the Blind. * Shabbat Candle Lighting Blessing. **************** * 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: 1) Yud Shevat, the 10th day of Shevat (Wednesday, Jan. 23), commemorating the 52nd yahrtzeit of the Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn; it is also the 52nd anniversary of the Rebbe's acceptance of leadership. 2) Shabbat Parshat Beshalach (Sat., Jan. 26), known as Shabbat Shirah. * 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 7 Shevat, 5762 Year of Hakhel Brooklyn, New York IN HONOR OF MY DEAR FRIENDS Mr. & Mrs. Chaim Yaakov and Miriam Hendrick On the occasion of their wedding, Thursday, 4 Shevat, 5762 Mazal Tov! *************************************** * THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION * * Adapted from the Works of the Rebbe * *************************************** PARSHAT BESHALACH This week's Torah portion of Parshat Beshalach describes the miracle of the splitting of the Red (Reed) Sea. With the Egyptians in hot pursuit, the Jewish people found their way blocked by a body of water. The Sea then parted, "and the waters were a wall to them on their right and on their left." In what merit did G-d perform such a miracle? Our Sages teach that it was in the merit of the Jewish children, who "recognized [G-d] first" -- even before Moses, Joshua and all the elders. These children, who had been born into slavery yet had nonetheless been given a proper Jewish education -- were the first to declare, "This is my G-d, and I will glorify Him." Born in exile, the generation of children who went out of Egypt keenly perceived their status as "the smallest of all the nations." They knew that the Egyptian lifestyle was in stark contradiction to the Jewish way of life. And yet, they clung to their Judaism and were proud of it. Empowered by the Jewish education they received from their mothers, they did not hesitate to leave the "fleshpots of Egypt" for the "great and terrible desert," even though they did not have enough provisions. Rather, they had absolute trust and faith in G-d, and in their merit the Red Sea split. With such children, there is no need to be alarmed. The Jewish people were surrounded on all sides, yet in the children's merit they marched into the Sea and the waters parted. The miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea was extraordinary for another reason: Not only was the obstacle that stood in their way removed, but the waters themselves became a protective wall that shielded them from harm. This is the highest level of overcoming difficulties and hurdles, and it too came about in the children's merit. When Jewish children are given the kind of education that enables them to "recognize G-d first," the impediments themselves are transformed into a protective wall. When a Jewish child knows that the only reality in the world is holiness, and that nothing can stop him from fulfilling G-d's will, he merits that all ostensible obstacles will not only vanish but actually help him in his Divine service. Today, thousands of years later, the Jewish people are still in need of miracles. As "one sheep among seventy wolves," our entire existence is an ongoing supernatural miracle, like the splitting of the Red Sea. In order to deserve this merit, we need to make sure that all Jewish children can benefit from a Torah-true Jewish education. We will then have the pleasure and nachas of seeing them "recognize G-d first" -- even before their parents and grandparents. ************************ * 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 259: http://www.moshiach.net/blind/lwm-5761/259.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 * ******************** "Some people are apprehensive about having the Redemption arrive so suddenly. What will come of all the businesses that they have set up, the property and possessions they have accumulated, the friendships and the contacts that have been established, and so on? "They need not worry. The Redemption does not imply the annulment of the natural order nor the loss of the good things that came into being (in the spirit of the Torah) during the exile. Indeed, these very things will be comprised in the Redemption, and will be elevated to a state of Redemption, to the level of their true consummation." (The Rebbe, 5751/1991) ************************** * SHABBAT SHIRAH CUSTOMS * ************************** Shabbat Parshat Beshalach (Sat., Jan. 26), is known as Shabbat Shirah, commemorating the shirah, or song that the Jewish people sang at the Splitting of the Red Sea. The song is recorded in the weekly Torah portion, and includes details of how Moshe led the men in song and Miriam led the women in song and dance. * On Shabbat Shirah it is customary to eat kasha -- buckwheat groats. Some also have the custom of putting kasha or bread crumbs out for the birds before Shabbat so that they, too, can partake. * * * The reason for this custom is quite interesting and originates in the weekly Torah portion. We read this week about the manna, the bread from Heaven, with which the Jews were sustained during their 40-year sojourn in the desert. The Jews were commanded to gather each morning just enough manna to feed their families for the day. Miraculously, each person had precisely the amount he needed for his family, not more and not less. Before Shabbat, the Jews were told to gather a double portion; no manna would fall on Shabbat since it is forbidden to gather on the holy day. Some scoffers saved some of their manna from that morning and scattered it on Friday evening. Their plan was to gather the manna Shabbat morning and bring it into the camp, thus discrediting Moses and proving their claim that Moses created his own mitzvot. During the night, after the manna had been strewn, birds came and gathered it all up, thus vindicating Moses and sanctifying the Sabbath among the Jewish people. In appreciation and gratitude of the birds' deed, we make sure to give them food on Shabbat Shirah. * * * Might we not take a lesson from this Jewish tradition passed on through the ages? If it is customary to show gratitude to birds for such a small act, might we not also learn to show gratitude to our brothers and sisters for each act of kindness or caring that they do for us? ************** * YUD SHEVAT * ************** Wednesday, Jan. 23, is Yud Shevat. It is the 52nd anniversary of the passing of the Previous Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, and the anniversary of 52 years of the Rebbe's leadership. On the first anniversary of the Previous Rebbe's passing, the Rebbe delivered the very first Chasidic discourse of his reign, beginning with the words from the Song of Songs, "I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride." Quoting the Midrash, the Rebbe explained that when the world was first created, "The Divine Presence was primarily in the lower worlds." For the next seven generations, mankind's evil deeds caused a gradual withdrawal of the Divine Presence from the physical world, until it reached the "seventh [and furthermost] firmament." "And then, seven righteous men arose, who would draw the Divine Presence back down toward earth." The process continued, "Until Moses brought the Divine Presence back down into this world." Moses led the Jewish people to Mount Sinai, where G-d's Presence was openly revealed and the ability to unite the upper and lower worlds was granted. At Sinai, G-d turned to the Jewish people, His "sister and bride," and declared, "I have come into my garden." The Rebbe then paralleled the seven generations of the righteous with the seven generations of Chabad Rebbes. The Rebbe, with his prophetic vision, unambiguously delineated the unique responsibility of our generation, the "seventh generation," to complete G-d's "dwelling place down below" by establishing Moshiach's reign. On that day, 52 years ago, the Rebbe declared himself at the service of the entire Jewish nation, dedicating himself to the portentous task of completing the Divinely ordained historical mission of the Jewish people. The Rebbe reaches out to every single Jew, to awaken the Jewish spark that can never be extinguished. His every movement and action has consistently expressed the promise of the new age that will soon commence. The Rebbe elevated the world to a higher spiritual level and readied it for the dawn of the Messianic Age. May we immediately see the fulfillment of our generation's mission: the full and complete Redemption with the revelation of Moshiach, NOW! *************************** * IN TRIBUTE TO THE REBBE * *************************** The Rebbe's life and work have touched millions. The Rebbe's loving concern for every single Jew, and belief in the ability of the world to become better, have inspired people on every continent. The tenth of the Hebrew month of Shevat ("Yud Shevat"), this year, Wedneday, January 23rd, is a fitting time to reflect on the Rebbe's impact on our lives. The Rebbe's emphasis has always been on action. By studying the Rebbe's teachings, by responding positively to his calls to action, and by trusting his clear statements that the world is about to reach its perfection with the coming of Moshiach, we maintain the Rebbe's vision and we strengthen our own ties to the giant of our generation. Now, more than ever before, the Rebbe's words call out to us: That the time is now. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning of heightened awareness of G-d: the time of Moshiach. The world is now ready for this revolutionary change. History is a process. The universe -- and the human condition -- have been constantly evolving to greater perfection. We have now reached a point where an unprecedented unity abounds on all levels: technological, economic and political. The time of Redemption is now. We can herald it. The onus is upon us. Let us all respond to the Rebbe's call, and we will all have the ultimate different tomorrow. The following are practical suggestions: * Study the Rebbe's writings, especially those about Moshiach and the Redemption. Nowhere can we find the Rebbe more clearly than in his written works, published in over 200 volumes in many languages. Attend a class in your nearby Chabad House, or invite the Rabbi or Rebbetzin to teach a group in your home. The Rebbe emphasized that studying about Moshiach and Redemption not only helps prepare us for the Messianic Era but actually hastens it. If you can't get a group together, call your local Chabad-Lubavitch Center for suitable materials or log onto the numerous excellent Chabad-Lubavitch-sponsored websites that contain the Rebbe's teachings. * Begin observing a new mitzvah or do a mitzvah that you've always done, but in an enhanced manner. * Reach out to others with acts of goodness and kindness. When the Rebbe was asked by a reporter from C.N.N. for his message to the world about Moshiach, the Rebbe responded, "Moshiach is ready to come, now. It is our part to do additional acts of goodness and kindness." Know that the Rebbe's prophecy of the imminent Redemption will be fulfilled. The focus of the Rebbe's life work has been to see fulfilled the promise of the Biblical prophets of a perfect world without war, hunger or jealousy. The Rebbe told us to prepare for the coming of Moshiach. Now, more than ever, we should live by these words. ******************** * IT HAPPENED ONCE * ******************** Like every young couple, Ronni and Esther Navon looked forward to having children. As the years went by they began to worry. They went from doctor to doctor, each one telling the couple that medical science had nothing to offer them. In the summer of 1991, Ronny and Esther moved from Israel to Queens, New York, where Esther's parents live. On the first Sunday after they moved, Ronny went to the Rebbe to ask for a blessing for children. "When I stood in his presence." relates Ronni, "I was seized by an uncontrollable inner trembling. 'We have been married seven years and we still don't have children. We ask that the Rebbe bless us with children.' The Rebbe gave me two dollars with his assurance: 'b'karov mamash -- really soon.'" Ronni returned twice in the next month. This second time the Rebbe handed him two dollars, again saying, "b'karov mamash." The next time the Rebbe gave him two dollars with the assurance of "besurot tovot -- good news." "I went back to the Rebbe a fourth time. This time the Rebbe gazed at me with especially penetrating eyes. When I finished my request, he took out three dollars and gave me the first one and said, 'This is for you.' Then he gave me a second dollar and said, 'This is for your wife.' When the Rebbe gave me the third dollar, he said, 'And this is for the children who will be born.' "After this explicit promise I didn't have a shadow of a doubt that we would have children. My joy knew no bounds. My wife and I fully believed in what the Rebbe had said, and we decided to buy a stroller as a concrete expression of our faith and to make a 'vessel' for the Rebbe's blessing. I thought that if the Rebbe had promised children, in the plural, it seemed we were going to have twins. So we bought a double stroller." Ronni opened a business in the Rebbe's neighborhood, Crown Heights, Brooklyn, called Union Limousine Service. Months went by. Years went by. "They were very difficult years, years that tested our faith, but thank G-d, we can say we withstood the test. We were 100% convinced that the blessing of the tzaddik of our generation would be fulfilled. "Two years ago," continued Ronni, "when we moved, Esther momentarily hesitated about whether to take the stroller with us. I told her that the stroller was a sign of our strong faith in the Rebbe's blessing and that we would take it to our new home." In order to make additional "vessels" for the Rebbe's blessing, Ronni made good resolutions in a number of areas, "especially in the Rebbe's suggestion to study each day Chitas (a portion of the Torah, Psalms and Tanya) and Maimonides' Mishne Torah. I learned the Rebbe's and Rebbetzin's chapters of Psalms by heart, and often while traveling I would say them and feel a special closeness to the Rebbe," he says. "In my work at the car service I make sure that every car is equipped with a charity box and a Chitas as per the Rebbe's instructions years ago. In general, I tried to use my work at the car service as a means of disseminating the Rebbe's messages. When I drive I often hear people's stories. People tell me their problems and I tell them about the Rebbe's various campaigns, for whoever fulfills them merits much blessings and success. I am sure that over the years I have gotten hundreds of people to check their tefillin and mezuzot and to take on new mitzvot. "More than anything else, I tried to talk to my passengers about the importance of loving a fellow Jew, the mitzvah that is considered a great principle of the Torah. In recent years I've written to the Rebbe regarding a blessing for children and have put these requests in the Igrot Kodesh [1] (volumes of the Rebbe's letters). Often I received explicit answers in which the Rebbe acknowledged receipt of my letter and wished me good news regarding children. "A little over a year ago, I received an answer in the Igrot Kodesh that I should donate money to yeshivas world-wide, and that this merit would help us to have children. The Rebbe continued in that letter to say that certainly after the birth of the children we would make sure to give them a Chasidic education. "Eleven months ago, in the middle of a routine trip in Crown Heights, my cell phone rang. My wife told me with tears of joy that the results of her blood test were positive. I was stunned. I stopped the car and began crying like a child. I informed the Rebbe that very day that his bracha (blessing) was being fulfilled. Then I told Rabbi Leibel Groner, one of the Rebbe's secretaries, with whom I had been in close contact over the years. Rabbi Groner told us about various directives concerning pregnancy that he had received from the Rebbe. "Two months later, the doctor told us it was twins. We saw how the Rebbe's blessing was being fulfilled precisely. On Wednesday, 7 Cheshvan 5762 (Oct., 24, 2001) at 10:20, our twin sons were born." On Wednesday, 14 Cheshvan (Oct., 31) the twins' brissim took place at the Georgian shul in Queens. In light of the Rebbe's directive to publicize the wonders and miracles that G-d does for us to hasten the Redemption, the entire congregation, family and friends, heard about the twins who had been born after 17 years of waiting, in the merit of the Rebbe's blessing. "We named our oldest son Adam Daniel, and his brother, Ariel Avner," concludes Ronni. "The meal following the brissim became a powerful demonstration of faith and trust in the Rebbe's words. There is no doubt in the minds of all who shared in our simchah that the Rebbe's prophecy that our generation will experience the revelation of Moshiach and the Final Redemption will immediately be fulfilled." _______________ 1. See "Living With Moshiach," Vol. 135: Miracles and Mathematics. "http://www.moshiach.net/blind/lwm-5758/135.htm#Miracles and Mathematics" ******************** * A CALL TO ACTION * ******************** The Rebbe's slogan is: "The main thing is the deed." We therefore present from the Rebbe's talks suggestions what we can do to complete his work of bringing the Redemption. Regarding Yud Shevat: Among the 16 directives suggested by the Rebbe [2] in connection with Yud Shevat. In the morning and afternoon give charity to an institution related to the Previous Rebbe; participate in a chasidic 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. _______________ 2. The full text of the Rebbe's letter is printed in last week's issue of "Living With Moshiach," Vol. 279. "http://www.moshiach.net/blind/lwm-5762/279.txt" *************************************** * 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) * *************************************** ******************************* * THE WEEKLY SHABBAT CALENDAR * ******************************* ** JEWISH WOMEN AND GIRLS LIGHT SHABBAT 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, JAN. 25, EREV SHABBAT PARSHAT BESHALACH: * Light Shabbat candles, [3] by 4:46 p.m. SATURDAY, JAN. 26, SHABBAT PARSHAT BESHALACH: * Shabbat Shirah - See above. * Shabbat ends at nightfall, at 5:50 p.m. _______________ 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. *********************************** * LAWS OF SHABBAT CANDLE LIGHTING * * FOR THE BLIND * *********************************** Edited by Rabbi Y. K. Marlow O.B.M.* * A blind woman who lives alone should light her Shabbat candle(s) with a blessing. * If she is married to a non-visually impaired person, HER HUSBAND SHOULD LIGHT THE SHABBAT CANDLES WITH THE BLESSING. * If she is eating and lighting in the company of others who are non-visually impaired, and they lit the Shabbat candles, she should light her own Shabbat candle(s), BUT WITHOUT SAYING THE BLESSING. * (If at all possible, she should not be the last one to light the Shabbat candle(s), so that she can be absolved by the latter's blessing.) _______________ *. Head of Bet-Din (Rabbinical Court) of Crown Heights. ************************************ * SHABBAT CANDLE LIGHTING BLESSING * ************************************ * First light the candles. Then spread your hands out around the candles, drawing your hands inward in a circular motion three times to indicate the acceptance of the sanctity of Shabbat. You then cover your eyes and recite the following blessing: 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. * Uncover your eyes and behold the Shabbat lights. * The time of lighting is considered especially propitious for praying to G-d for health and happiness. The prayer is readily acceptable because it is offered during the performance of this great mitzvah of lighting Shabbat candles. CAUTION: The candles must be lit 18 minutes *BEFORE* sunset. IT IS PROHIBITED AND IS A DESECRATION OF THE SHABBAT TO LIGHT THE CANDLES *AFTER* SUNSET. ============================================================== = End of Text: Living With Moshiach, Parshat Beshalach, 5762 = ==============================================================