1038

CONTENTS
22
FEATURED ARTICLES
WEEKLY COLUMNS
3 Dvar Malchus
4 Moshiach & Hakhel
12 Halacha 2 Go
16 Parsha Thought
34 Tzivos Hashem
A CONDITIONAL
DIVORCE
Shneur Zalman Berger
SWORDS
19 THE
OF SOUTH AFRICA
Prof. Shimon Silman
GENERATION
22 AOFNEW
TMIMIM
Nosson Avrohom
30 AYIN-BEIS:
ON TSHUVA
Boruch Merkur
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2016-09-13 2:08:46 PM
DVAR MALCHUS
THE TZADDIK
DESTINED TO
BRING THE GEULA
Moshe Rabbeinu was eighty years old when
he redeemed the Jewish people from Egypt.
The Messianic, final redemption is related to
Moshiach at age ninety. * Chapter Twelve
of Rabbi Shloma Majeskis Likkutei Mekoros.
(Underlined text is the compilers emphasis.)
Translated by Boruch Merkur
14. The conclusion based on

the above analysis as it relates to
practical action:
The redemption comes about
specifically through the avoda in
the time of galus (exile), the avoda
of revealing the Alufo Shel Olam
within the gola, resulting in this
generation, the final generation of
exile, being the first generation of
redemption.
And G-d Alm-ghty helps that
we see in global current events how
the world itself assists and advances
towards the redemption.
Simply speaking this means, as
above, that in general, every Jew
must add in our deeds and our
service. This extra effort, especially
by adding in Torah study about the
redemption, serves to brings about
the actual redemption, as discussed
in the previous farbrengen. Torah
study about the redemption here
refers to both the Written Torah
(regarding which Rambam writes,
all the sfarim are full with the
topic) as well as the Oral Torah
Mishna, Gemara, Midrashim, etc.
And regarding our approach
to this directive itself, we must

embrace the lesson of Pesach Sheni
that it is never too late to make
a reckoning, properly correcting and
making up for the avoda of the past,
or by further dedicating ourselves
to this avoda. To that end, we are
ordered and we are granted the
power that if in the past there was
something lacking, it is never too
late; we can always fix it.
The main thing is that all that
appears to be fading away in exile or
that is actually being lost, should be
brought to light and corrected. The
message here includes the notion of
being lost in the positive sense (being
beyond revelation), gilui hakeitz
disclosing the time of the advent
of Moshiach, regarding which it
is said, The heart is not revealed
in the spoken word. In the same
vein, Moshiach Tzidkeinu comes
bhesech hadaas by surprise
(the discovery of a lost object), as
it is said, I have found Dovid, My
servant (in the 89th Psalm, verse
21) and this discovery appears in the
90th Psalm:* May the pleasantness
of G-d our L-rd be upon us and may
the deeds of our hands be established

for us, and the deeds of our hands
be established, in the Third Beis
HaMikdash in the true and complete
redemption, the redemption of all
the Jewish people, with our youths
and our elderlywith our sons and
our daughters.
NOTES:
Footnote 126: To note that our
forefathers
were
redeemed
from
Mitzrayim with the letter Pei/Final
Pei (which is numerically equivalent
to 80), as it is said (Shmos 3:16),
Pakad pekadeti eschem I have surely
remembered you (and what is being
done to you in Egypt). (Also, Moshe
was 80 years old when he redeemed the
Jewish people from Egypt.) Whereas, the
Alm-ghty will redeem the Jewish people
in the future [complete redemption]
with the letter Tzaddik/Final Tzaddik,
90, and tell them, Tzemach tzimachti
lachem I have indeed caused
redemption to sprout forth for you, as
it said, Behold a man whose name is
Tzemach (sprout or shoot) will spring
up out of his place and build the Temple
of G-d (Pirkei DRabbi Eliezer Ch. 48).
And BaMidbar Rabba, end of Parshas
Korach, cites the verse (Yirmiyahu
23:5), I will set up of Dovid a righteous
shoot, etc. (and see the commentary of
HaRadal to Pirkei DRabbi Eliezer, ibid).
See maamer beginning with the words
Lech in Ohr HaTorah (674a), 627,
630.
(From the address of Shabbos Parshas
Acharei-Kdoshim 13 Iyar 5751; Seifer
HaSichos 5751, pg. 518-519)
Issue 1038
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MOSHIACH & HAKHEL
THE YEAR OF
THE (LUCKY)
TRIPLE SEVEN
By Rabbi Gershon Avtzon
Dear Reader shyichyeh,

This year of 5776 has been
a very special year. The Rebbes
campaign about the inyan of
Hakhel was felt and continues to
be felt everywhere. It seems that
every community and family is
having Hakhel gatherings and
there is a general feeling of unity. As mentioned last week, this
must continue. Even more so, we
should be creative with new ideas
as we are still in Shnas Hakhel.
The real goal is that the
koach and unity that we receive
from the year of Hakhel should
continue and permeate all the
coming years as well. The Pasuk
that describes the purpose of the
Mitzva of Hakhel tells us: Assemble the people: the men, the
women, and the children, and
your stranger in your cities, in
order that they hear, and in order
that they learn and fear the L-rd,
your G-d, and they will observe
to do all the words of this Torah.
And their children, who did not
know, will hear and learn to fear
the L-rd, your G-d, all the days
that you live on the land, to which
you are crossing the Jordan, to
possess.
It is also a very special Jubilee
year: This year we commemorated the 150th Yahrtzait, Shnas
HaKaN, of the Tzemach Tzedek. We know how strong of a
shturem the Rebbe made in 5724

in honor of the 150th Yahrtzait
of the Alter Rebbe. We can learn
from this about the necessary
shturem that we ought to make
about the Tzemach Tzedek. This
is especially timely as we are
about to celebrate the birthday
of the Tzemach Tzedek on Erev
Rosh HaShana, the last day of
Shnas Hakhel!
I was reflecting on the connection of all these ideas when
I recalled an amazing letter that
the Rebbes Father, the holy
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, wrote to his
son, our Rebbe. The letter is referenced as a footnote in a Michtav Klali, a general letter that the
Rebbe wrote to Klal Yisroel on
Chai Elul 5748.
The letter, which is printed
on page 239 of Likkutei Levi
Yitzchak-Igros, was written to
the Rebbe and Rebbetzin in honor of their third anniversary, YudDaled Kislev 5692. The theme
of the letter is that Shvii Talui
BShlishi, the seventh is dependent on the third. The main topic
of discussion in this unique letter
is the connection between Vidui
Maaser, which took place in the
fourth year but is dependent on
the thirdyear, and Hakhel, which
although it takes place in the
eighth year is dependent on the
7th year, the year of Shmita.
On the one hand, we find that

these two mitzvos are connected
to each other. During the Hakhel
ceremony in the Beis HaMikdash, the king would read parts
of the Torah that speak about
Vidui Maaser. And the fact that
Vidui Maaser takes place on a
Yom Tov (Pesach) is something
that our Chachomimlearn from
the mitzva of Hakhel. On the
other hand, Vidui Maaser is said
by everyone, in any language and
during the day, while the reading
of the Torah, which is performed
with the mitzva of Hakhel, is
done only by the king, only in
Lashon HaKodesh and on Motzaei Yom Tov Rishon Shel Chag.
As I was learning this letter, it
occurred to me that Reb Levik is
not just teaching the Rebbe about
the Mitzva of Hakhel according
to Kabbala, rather, and perhaps,
he is giving over a message for
the future. We all know that the
Rebbe, the seventh Rebbe, is a
direct descendantand is named
after the Tzemach Tzedek, the
third Rebbe.
The Rebbes father was telling
the Rebbe that as a direct descendant of the third Rebbe, he would
be the seventh Rebbe! This must
be so, as the maamer quotes:
Shvii Talui BShlishi the seventh is dependent on the third.
And the Mitzva that is especially connected to the seventh
Rebbe is the Mitzva of Hakhel!
4 13 Elul 5776 - Hakhel

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The Rebbes father was initiating and planting seeds for the
mivtza of Hakhel already in the
year 5692! What Hashgacha
Pratis that the Shnas HaKaN of
the Tzemach Tzedek, who is the
third, has fallen out during Shnas
Hakhel, connected to the seventh
as Shvii Talui BShlishi the
seventh is dependent on the third.
This coming year, 5777, is
obviously very connected to the
number seven. There is another
letter of the Rebbes father which
points out that the name Zalman
is 777 as Zayin is Gematria 7,
Lamed-Mem is 70, and FinalNun has the numerical value of
700. All together that is 777.
We all know that the Rebbe told us that Kol HaShviin
Chavivin all seventh are beloved. I will share with you a very
interesting experience that I had,
where I saw this concept actualized in such a way that the world
absorbed this concept as well.
When I was a bachur, I was a
learning teacher for two consecutive summersin a Yeshivas Kayitz that took place in Portland,
Oregon. The Yeshivas Kayitz,
named Beis MiDRaSH, after the
legendary chassid and Shliach
Rabbi Menachem Shmuel Dovid
Raichik, included some travelling
around the west coast. We would
see some of the touring sights
and do much Mivtzaim. We had
many amazing stories of finding
Yidden in the most remote places.
One of our trips was to Seattle, Washington. The main attraction besides the famous
fish-throwing market was a
tour of the Boeing plane plant. At
the time, it was the largest indoor
manufacturing plant in America.
During the tour, the guide told
us, the bachurim, while showing models of planes being built
right in front of our eyes, all
about the different planes, the

747, 767, 777 etc. The bachurim
asked the guide when the 770
plane would be made. Then a bachur asked the obvious question:
Why do all the names of planes
start and finish with the number
7? The guide did not know the
answer and so a manager was
called.
The
manager
explained:
When Boeing was founded and
the planes needed to be manufactured,they realized that people
have a natural fear of flight. It
naturally makes people feel insecure to be in the air without the
reassurance of having two feet on
solid ground. They decided that
they wanted to endear the planes
to people. So they took a survey
of many people and found that by
an overwhelming majority, people like the number seven. Since
then, all planes are surrounded by
the number seven! This obviously
shows us that we are to expect a
very special and cherished year
for Klal Yisroel. It is the year of
the triple lucky seven.
This should be a constant
reminder of our jobwhich the
seventh Rebbe, our Rebbe,gave
us, his Chassidim, on the very
first day of accepting the Nesius
(in the very first maamer Basi
LGani):
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 ones 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 ev-
ery 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, Yitzchak
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. In other words,
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 Shchina; in
fact, the essence of the Shchina.
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 Shchina
moreover, the essence of the
Shchina specifically within our
lowly world.
Rabbi Avtzon is the Rosh Yeshiva of
Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati and a well
sought after speaker and lecturer. Recordings of his in-depth shiurim on Inyanei
Geula uMoshiach can be accessed at
http://www.ylcrecording.com.
Issue 1038
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2016-09-13 2:08:51 PM
FEATURE
Jewish soldiers from Eretz Yisroel taken captive by the Germans
he large zal of Tomchei Tmimim was packed

from wall to wall with the students of the
yeshiva and the staff. All eyes were focused on
the central table that was raised, where sat the
Nasi of the yeshiva and its founder, the Rebbe Rashab,
and at his side his only son, the Rebbe Rayatz, dean
of the yeshiva. Around them, much like diamonds in a
beautiful setting, sat the mashpiim and mashgichim and
the distinguished Chassidim.
It was Simchas Torah 5661/1900, the third anniversary of the founding of the yeshiva. During the
course of that farbrengen the Rebbe Rashab gave a
talk directed at the Tmimim who sat before him.
The Rebbe instructed his son to have the
Tmimim rise, saying, I want to drink a lchaim with
them in honor of the establishment of a covenant on
avoda. After the Rebbe Rayatz had the Tmimim
rise, along with the mashpiim and mashgichim, the
Rebbe Rashab stood up and announced with great
emotion: Talmidim of Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim

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A CONDITIONAL
DIVORCE
In a dramatic pronouncement, the Rebbe Rashab established that all Tmimim
are soldiers fighting the wars of Dovid. When soldiers go to fight, they give a
conditional writ of divorce to their wives. * A fascinating study about the gittin
that soldiers gave their wives in the event that they did not return, about the
rabbinic approach to the matter, and when the soldiers refused orders and did
not give a divorce like this. * When you go out to war Parshas Ki Seitzei.
By Shneur Zalman Berger
who are learning today in all of

the programs, and those who will
learn in it over time and all times,
those who are here and those who
are not here, I hereby set forth with
you a covenant regarding participation in avoda with mesirus nefesh
for Torah and fear of Heaven and
service of the heart without any
concessions and without any compromises. The din (law) shall
bore through the mountain, the
din of the first Tzimtzum shall
bore through the mountain of the
Chevra Mefitzei Haskala (Society
for the Promotion of Jewish Enlightenment).
Those present sensed the momentousness of the occasion, and
after a sign given by the Rebbe, they
all sang the Alter Rebbes niggun of

Dalet Bavos. Following that, the
Rebbe went on to say, Tmimim!
Whoever goes out to fight the wars
of the House of Dovid would write
a writ of divorce for his wife. The
House of Dovid refers to the revelation of Moshiach ben Dovid. . .
The war of the House of Dovid is
needed to strengthen the emuna in
the Geula Shleima and to ease the
birth-pangs of Moshiach. In order
to be a soldier in the war of the
House of Dovid, it is imperative to
write a writ of divorce to all bodily
matters, to all baalebateshe human
practices, and to devote oneself
completely to the administration of
Tomchei Tmimim, which educates
and guides the soldiers towards the
war of the House of Dovid.
Ever since that historic event,

our Rebbeim, as well as mashpiim
in the yeshivos, have mentioned
time and again the fact that in the
times of Dovid HaMelech, soldiers
would issue their wives a conditional divorce before heading out
to battle, so that in the unfortunate
event they would not return from
the field of battle, their wives would
be able to remarry. This was the desire of the Rebbe Rashab, that the
Tmimim divorce themselves entirely from the matters of this world
and do battle without constraint
against the forces of enlightenment that deny the truth of Torah,
and at a later stage against those
who present themselves as believers but mock the footsteps of your
Moshiach.
Issue 1038
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2016-09-13 2:08:55 PM
Feature
APPREHENSIONS DURING
THE RUSSO-TURKISH AND
RUSSO-JAPANESE WARS
R Herzog, Chief Rabbi (center) with R Zislin (left)
This wondrous talk, cited here

only in brief, inspired and continues to inspire generations of
Tmimim to go out to the front
lines, having issued a writ of divorce to matters of this world,
and to dedicate themselves to the
main battle of bringing the Geula.
***
The subject of conditional divorce given by those going to war
to their wives is a topic that has
come to the fore time and again
in Jewish history from the days of
Dovid HaMelech and until very
recently.
In my mothers family, theres
the story about her uncle, who
during World War II was drafted
into the British army to fight the
Nazis who threatened to get close
to Egypt. Before he left home, he
wrote a divorce according to halacha and left it with his brotherin-law, my grandfather Rabbi Avrohom Yehuda Licht ah. He told
him explicitly, if I do not return,
G-d forbid, then give this divorce
to my wife.
In this case, the draft which
began with high drama, ended
with a sigh of relief when my un-
cle waited along with many other

soldiers in the area of Eretz Yisroel. The decisive battle at El Alamein in Egypt, in which the British army defeated the Germans,
meant that my uncle could return
home.
Conditional divorces were
often given during wartime
throughout the generations. It
has not been publicized enough,
perhaps because of the complicated halachic and personal
issues involved. Maybe some
feared that people would do it not
only during wartime, or would
not do it correctly in accordance
with halacha.
Some time ago, I got to see
the archives of the gaon and
Chassid, R Shaul Ber Zislin,
who taught Torah and Chassidus
to the Soldiers of the House of
Dovid in Russia and Eretz Yisroel. He drafted conditional divorces for soldiers drafted into
the British army to fight the Nazis. From other sources it turns
out that conditional divorces
were also given in Eretz Yisroel
by instruction of the Chief Rabbinate.
When the Rebbe Rashab

spoke about a divorce to the
Tmimim, surely none of them
remembered that during the
Russo-Turkish war that had occurred thirty years earlier, in
5637-5638, conditional divorces
were made for soldiers going to
war. Due to the many years that
passed since then, there arent
many details about gittin during
that war.
Just three years after the
Rebbe Rashabs talk, when the
Russo-Japanese war (Feb. 1904
Sept. 1905) broke out, the
Russian government drafted
many reservists, including married Jews. Thousands died in
battle somewhere on the border
between China and Korea. During the war, many were missing
in action. People feared that married soldiers would disappear and
it would be problematic to enable
their wives to remarry. Therefore,
many rabbanim made these conditional divorces for the soldiers.
However, some soldiers feared
that if the conditional divorce
was given and used, the woman
would be considered a divorcee
and would not receive government stipends that were allocated
to war widows.
The following episode which
occurred in Nikolayev was published in the newspaper HaTzefira (with some parts missing):
Many of the reservists going
to war are refraining from giving
their wives conditional divorces,
because they are afraid that this
will disqualify their wives from
receiving the support given to the
wives of soldiers going to war.
The government appointed Rabbi
H. Wilensky, who came to see off
the Jewish soldiers of the brigade

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[ ] because it is a moral imperative

for every soldier who is a family man
to give his wife a conditional divorce
and he should ignore the rumors that
divorcees cannot receive support.
There is no basis for these rumors because the duration of a conditional divorce (2-3 years) will only
come into force when the conditional
period has ended, said the rabbi,
pointing to those soldiers who had already given their wives these divorces.
Then twenty men stepped out of the
line and said they too wanted to give
their wives a conditional divorce.
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF
JEWISH SOLDIERS DURING
WORLD WAR II
A decade later World War I began. It was so bad that people forgot
the wars that preceded it. Millions
of civilians and soldiers were killed
on various fronts. Numerous Jews
were drafted and sent to the front
lines which were on many continents.
During this time, conditional divorces
were written already when the war
broke out, in Av 5674 (1914).
Let us look at the newspapers of
the time to get a glimpse at the complicated halachic solution for potential, future agunos. This is what was
reported in the newspaper HaMitzpeh
(published in Poland) shortly after
the war began:
The rabbis in Russia and Turkey [whose countries were at war]
instituted that Jews who were conscripted give their wives a conditional divorce lest they die in battle and
there would be no kosher witnesses
and compelling evidence to their
deaths and the woman would remain
unable to remarry. The wording of a
conditional divorce is the same as any
other writ of divorce but another document is written which is signed by
three dayanim that explains the condition. Every rav knows the wording
according to the poskim. With a divorce like this, if the husband returns
in the designated time, the divorce

is not a divorce retroactively and he
does not need to remarry her. If he
does not return in the designated
time however, then the woman is free
and can remarry.
The war lasted a few years and
created chaos in many countries, but
was then eclipsed by World War II,
when the Germans conquered country after country and tens of millions
of soldiers and civilians were killed,
including millions of Jews who were
systematically murdered, as well as
tens of thousands of Jewish soldiers
who participated in various military
battles, may Hashem avenge their
blood.
More than 4,000 Jews in Eretz
Yisroel volunteered to serve in the
British army which ruled Palestine at
the time. Some of them were sent to
various fronts in Europe while others were sent to defend the front in
nearby Egypt.
This war also had people afraid
for the wives of soldiers who would
not return home. Rabbi Yitzchok
Isaac Herzog, the Chief Rabbi of
Eretz Yisroel, declared that every
married Jew who was drafted into
the British army had to give his wife
a conditional divorce that would be
used in the event that he did not return after a certain amount of time
elapsed after the war.
These divorces were made by battei din and Rabbanut offices in every
city in the country. Among those who
were involved in making these conditional divorces, as mentioned, was
R Shaul Ber Zislin, member of the
chief rabbinate in Tel Aviv. During
the war he was appointed as member
of the beis din of the rabbinate in Tel
Aviv and over the years he was very
involved in matters of divorce and
agunos. He was also very involved in
having soldiers sign conditional divorces. (His son, R Dovid, who lived
in the Soviet Union at the time, was
sent to the front and never returned.)
In R Zislins archives are many
Authorization for a conditional

divorce from R Zislins archives
Issue 1038
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2016-09-13 2:08:57 PM
Feature
A similar practice was employed in the United

States. At the end of 1941, the United States
joined the world war and rabbanim in the US followed the
rabbanim in Eretz Yisroel and instructed rabbis all over
the country to prepare conditional divorces for married
soldiers.
piskei din having to do with gittin and kiddushin, ishus, and the
like. Within all this, I found a
number of documents that shed
light on his involvement in conditional divorces during the war.
From a short letter that was
sent to the rabbanim of Tel
Aviv, it appears that in Adar II
5703/1943 a convention of rabbis was held in Tel Aviv in preparation for a Shabbos devoted to
explaining the implications of the
draft. In the archives there is also
a text for the authorization for
a conditional divorce, i.e., the
husbands affirmation that if he
is declared missing or he doesnt
return, then a divorce should be
written for him and given to his
wife. According to this document, the husband appoints any
resident of Tel Aviv and Yaffo to
write a divorce for his wife.
Under what conditions would
the divorce be written?
One possibility: The chief rabbis of Tel Aviv-Yaffo receive notification from the military authorities that the husband is missing.
A second possibility: If they receive notification that he died or
was killed but there is insufficient
halachically acceptable proof to
release his wife so she can remarry all this is only after a full year
will have passed following the release of all POWs by the enemy.
Interestingly, among the conditions is a condition that says
that even if the husband returned
from war and then was drafted
again, and it was after the second
draft that he vanished, then too,

the conditional divorce is still in
force. At the bottom of the authorization form are lines for the
dayanim to sign in the presence
of the husband and two witnesses.
A similar practice was employed in the United States. At
the end of 1941, the United
States joined the world war and
rabbanim in the US followed the
rabbanim in Eretz Yisroel and instructed rabbis all over the country to prepare conditional divorces for married soldiers. This
is a sampling of excerpts from an
article published in Iyar 1942 in
HaPardes that was published by
Agudas HaRabbanim in the US,
under the heading, For the Agunos:
The chaos of war which is
being waged on land, sea and in
the air, and under the sea, is liable to increase agunos and living widows, and because of the
need to provide for the benefit of
Jewish women, and as Chazal enacted (Ksubos 9): Whoever goes
out to fight the wars of the House
of Dovid writes a writ of divorce
for his wife, and this is what our
sages did during all wars till this
day, so that with the death of the
husband (G-d forbid) which nobody knows about, his wife will
not be bound with chains all her
life.
Every Rav among the Jewish
people knows from experience
how hard it is to get those called
to war to arrange the proper writ-
ing and signing of a divorce when

they leave home. They think that
even with a conditional divorce,
there is some undermining of
their marital status, and they do
not want to consider the possible
consequences of the obliteration
of the name and memory of the
husband. And so, in order to uproot the evil of cases of igun in
advance, the Agudas HaRabbanim has established a committee of
rabbanim, geonim, and gdolim
who will arrange easy and acceptable solutions. They then
add rules and enactments so that
the divorce is done according to
halacha as well as the text of the
document to be appended to the
conditional divorce.
During the five years of World
War II, many Jewish soldiers
were taken captive and some disappeared never to be heard from
again. For those who signed a
conditional divorce before leaving for war, their wives could remarry without any doubt. However, there were many others who
did not sign a conditional divorce
and the rabbanim had to come
up with various complex halachic
solutions to free them from their
aguna state.
REBELLION
IN THE YOUNG ARMY
A few years passed and the
War of Independence was raging. A small number of Jews
faced tens of thousands of Arabs
from many countries in battle. It
was terribly dangerous and once
again, there was fear for the married soldiers who would not return and whose whereabouts
might remain unknown. The
chief military chaplain, Rabbi
Shlomo Goren, consulted with
Chief Rabbi Herzog and it was
decided that in this war too, every
married soldier had to execute a
conditional divorce before going

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to fight. But then something unexpected occurred. When they

tried signing up the soldiers on
the authorization documents the
soldiers adamantly opposed it,
as R Goren related many years
later in an interview for the
newspaper Davar:
I sat with R Herzog ztl,
who was the Chief Rabbi, and
we worded a power of attorney text, i.e., authorization to
deliver a divorce, that the married soldiers had to sign before
going to war so that their widows would not remain agunos.
It was a legal military document
and there was a directive from
the General Staff which made
signing it obligatory. But when I
tried to get soldiers to sign, they
refused. They thought it was a
trick that would exempt the government from its obligations toward their families. The officers
also strongly opposed signing it,
saying that signing this document before going to war lowered the morale of the fighters.
There were some soldiers from
Germany who came to sign on
their own, but this permit to remarry is halachically acceptable
only if the soldier signs it of his
own free will, and not when he is
ordered to do so.
The unexpected opposition
caused a cessation in the signing
and unfortunately, many thousands fell in battle and some were
taken captive. In the vast majority
of cases, the wives were allowed
to remarry based on testimony of
those who were there, but there
were cases that were not resolved
and the wives remained agunos
and could not remarry.
A serious problem was discovered at the end of the Yom
Kippur War, when the Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, received
a petition from the chief military
chaplain, Brigadier General Mor-
footsteps of the Rishonim and

Acharonim who sought aspects
and aspects of aspects with all
their strength to be lenient in
the matter.
The most famous example
of a soldier whose wife is an
aguna is Ron Arad whose wife
Tammy is an aguna even though
decades have passed since her
husband was taken captive and
perhaps killed.
RETURNING
HOME IN PEACE
Instructions from the Agudas

HaRabbanim of the United States
to prepare conditional divorces
dechai Piron. There were nearly

one thousand missing soldiers,
all married men. R Yosef, who
was starting out as chief rabbi but
stood out as a courageous posek,
took on this thorny halachic assignment and was appointed
head of a beis din to deal with
IDF agunos.
In his Yabia Omer, he dedicated two large chapters to the
topic of agunos and to halachic
principles by which he permitted about a thousand women to
remarry based on various partial
testimonies that their husbands
died. It wasnt easy for him and
he spent hours collecting reliable
testimonies in order to release the
women. As he wrote in the introduction to his tshuva (Shevat
5734), In the matter of a woman trapped in a state of igun this
is not my way, I only follow in the
We began with a description and announcement by the

Rebbe Rashab about how the
Tmimim, the Soldiers of the
House of Dovid, have to give
a writ of divorce to their wives,
i.e., matters of this world.
The Rebbe MHM said in
a sicha of Hoshana Raba night
5743/1982:
[The Tmimim, Soldiers of
the House of Dovid] need to
work on every single Jew, that
he too be included among those
who go out to the War of the
House of Dovid, i.e., to work on
him that all his bodily and physical matters do not mean anything
to him at all (which is what writing a writ of divorce to his wife is
about) and he is entirely devoted
to the War of the House of Dovid, Dovid Malka Meshicha.
And since he is going to the
War of the House of Dovid,
surely he will be successful and
victorious etc. and return in
peace to his house whole in
body etc., whole financially etc.,
whole in his Torah, in a way of
lchatchilla aribber, and then he
lives with his wife and they have
sons and daughters involved in
Torah and its mitzvos with increased strength and might, since
we speak of the Soldiers of the
House of Dovid.
Issue 1038
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HALACHA 2 GO
STAND UP, STAND UP,

STAND UP AND . . .
Selected Halachos from the one minute
halacha project
By HaRav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, Shlita,
Mara Dasra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights
HOW MANY TIMES A DAY

SHOULD I STAND UP FOR
MY PARENTS?
Rising for a parent when they
enter a room is one aspect of
the mitzvah of kibbud av vaeim
(honoring a parent)or according to some opinions, the mitzvah
of mora (fear). We are commanded to rise to our full height even if
they are not actually within our
daled amos (four arm-lengths
a measurement of about six feet),
and even when they are kmiloi
einov (within sight), measured
by Chazal as about 266.66 amos
(a minute fraction less than 400
feet).
Furthermore, we are encouraged to rise when we become
aware of their approachsuch as
when their voice or footsteps are
heard. We should not sit down
until the parent is seated or has
moved out of sight.
If a child, even as an adult,
lives with their parents or sees
them multiple times a day, how
often must they rise in their honor?
Some authorities maintain
that we should rise for our parents (and rabbanim) twice daily,
just as it is an imperative to say
the Shma to declare our subjugation to Hashem both in the evening and in the morning. Are we
compelled to honor anyone more
than the Creator? they ask. However, Sephardi poskim rule that
there is no daily limit to rising out
of respect (even for a rav). Some
Ashkenazi poskim concur with
regard to parents only, and maintain that rising to honor father
and mother is limitless.
If a parent was clearly moichel
(forgiving of) this kavod with
words or gestures, the child is
not obligated to rise. If others are
present who are unaware of this
mechila, the child must rise. Even
if a parent was moichel this kavod,
the child nevertheless performs a
mitzvah if they continue to show
respect in this manner (unless it
upsets the parent, in which case
it is not an act of honor). In addition, they are still bound to show
hiddur (reverence) to their parents, aside from the specific obligation of rising out of respect;
therefore, all children should rise
slightly when a parent enters.

Rising for parents seems to have
become a practice about which
otherwise Torah-observant Jews
are not punctiliouswhy not?
It has been suggested it is no
longer common etiquette to rise
for parents, so its as if all parents
are effectively moichelunless
they have taught their children
otherwise. However, this explanation is far from a conclusive
psak. Therefore, even these days
we should venerate parents by
rising for them, unless they were
moichel outright.
DO MY CHEERIOS HAVE
TO BE PAS YISROEL?
Mezonos cereals produced
of risen batter from the chameishas minei dagan (the five types
of grain, i.e., wheat, barley, rye,
oats and spelt) are considered
pas (bread product) by many
poskim, since the process resembles the production of bread.
These cereals are therefore subject to the issur dRabbanan
(Rabbinic prohibition) of pas
goyim (bread of non-Jews),

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colloquially called pas akum.

What are these restrictions?
Is it homemade or pre-packaged bread?
The issur of pas akum forbids
a Jew to partake of bread baked
by a non-Jew in a private setting. However, pas palter (commercially-produced bread) is not
prohibited, as long as it is certified kosherand especially if pas
Yisroel (bread of Jews, i.e. a Jew
was involved in the production
process) is not accessible. However, there are many communities
that have a long-standing minhag
to eat only pas Yisroel if possible.
On Shabbos and Yom Tovand
certainly during Aseres Yemei
Tshuva (the ten days that begin
with Rosh Hashanah thru Yom
Kippur), even those who normally partake of pas palter are stringent to use only pas Yisroel.
(There are those who argue
that cereals do not have the appearance of bread and therefore
do not share the same restrictions
as pas, but this is not the halachic
consensus. If mezonos cereals
are not considered pas, they are
similar to all other cereals that
may be subject to the issur of bishul akum.)

Would you serve it to the
President?
Cereals that are not pas are
limited by the issur of bishul
akum (food cooked by nonJews). Bishul does not have the
same dispensation as pas for
commercial food, so factoryproduced and home-cooked food
are equally restricted according
to mainstream psak (ruling).
However, there are a number of
conditions that classify the issur
of bishul: primarily the food has
to be oleh al shulchan melachim
(fit to be served at the kings table), and many poskim agree that
breakfast cereals are not gourmet
repast to be served as an entre
for an honored guest. Others argue that since breakfast cereals
are almost never served at a meal
consisting of bread, they do not
require bishul Yisroel (a Jew to
have a hand in the cooking).
Whats in a cereal?
Some exclude corn-based
cereals from needing bishul Yisroel, since they consider corn as
a food that is never categorized
as oleh al shulchan melachim. In

addition, the corn used in cereal
production is not choice grain,
but cultivated specifically for that
purpose, and grown larger than
what is ever brought to any table.
Cereals produced from other
grains (rice, sorghum) may also
be disqualified since they undergo
a high-pressure puffing process
through extrusion that may not
be considered cooking. Those
cereals that are cooked prior to
extrusion may be excluded from
bishul akum because they are not
appetizing (fit for shulchan melachim) after the cooking process,
but only when production has
been completed. In addition, the
cooking may be counted as part
of one long puffing process and
not definitive enough to be classically labeled as cooking. Even
if cooking is considered a process
separate from puffing, it is only a
preliminary step to extrusion, and
not an end in itself.
Some argue that cereals are
not normally eaten on their own;
milk needs to be added to make
it a dish. Therefore, they consider plain, dry cereal as some-
Issue 1038
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HALACHA 2 GO
thing that is not oleh al shulchan
melachim because of its reliance
on being completed by the consumer.
Who really made that?
Additional heterim (dispensations) are utilized as a snif (reinforcement) to other circumstances in cereal production that
support leniency; although these
heterim are not halachically solid
enough to stand on their own, in
concurrence with others they allow for dispensation. One possible exemption on bishul is that
cereal cooking is done with
steam and not water. In addition, some maintain that factory
production may not be included
in the issur of bishul akum since
there is no concern of social interaction between producer and
consumer, similar to pas palter.
(This is the position of Maharit
Tzahalon with regard to all professional food preparation, not
just factories). Another potential
leniency is that home-cooking,
wherein the issur of bishul originated, is so dissimilar from the
methods of factory production as
to not be included in the original
prohibition. Cereal is also manufactured by machinenon-Jews
are involved in cooking only in
a manner of grama (indirect handling, a dispensation that is used
in various areas of halacha).
Is it on the menu?
There are those, however,
who apply more specific interpretations of oleh al shulchan melachim. They consider only whether the main grain-ingredient and
not the end product is fit for royal
consumption. The kings table
may be the regent or presidents
private breakfast meals, not only
state dinners. They may also interpret the kings table as any
meal with guests in attendance,
which may sometimes include cereal on the menuperhaps at a
morning business meeting or in a
hotel hospitality suite. Moreover,

cereals may be served in creative
ways that are, indeed, fitting repast. Those who define bishul
more strictly will only eat cereals
that are bishul Yisroel.
Tavo aleihem bracha (may it
merit them extra blessing).
MAY I ATTEND A SOCIAL

EVENT AT A REFORM
TEMPLE?
Chased by a would-be assassin and a snake ready to strike,
the victim passes a house of heresy, conjectures the Gemara,
may he enter?
Halacha clearly forbids a Jew
to enter a beis avoda zara (house
of idol-worship) or minim (heretics). We keep a general distance of four amos (arm-lengths,
about six feet) from the place
of worship and should not even
pass through the courtyard of
the building. Harchek mealeha
darkecha (distance your path
from it), the pasuk in Mishlei
warns.
Yet in circumstances of sakana (mortal danger) many isurim
(prohibitions) are suspended.
When in danger, the Gemara
states, better enter a beis avoda
zara than one occupied by minimfor idol-worshippers reject
He whom they dont know, but
heretics
knowingly
deny Him.
Contemporary poskim discuss whether
establishments
that
do not ascribe to the
tenet of Torah min
HaShamayim
(the
Divine origin of the
Torahe.g. religious
institutions of the Reform and Conservative
movements) are similar to idolatrous templesor perhaps even
worsehouses of her-
esy. In addition to the obvious issur of davening there (or even answering Amen to their prayers),
it is forbidden to enter during
the prayer service for any reason.
This is on account of the restriction of maris ayin (appearance of
wrongdoing) since observers may
assume that the person is entering to worship. As well, a religious Jew associating with such a
place may be considered abetting
wrongdoers or lending a form of
legitimacy to their movement
but all these apply primarily to
being in the sanctuary, especially
during services.
If a kosher event is being held
in a social hall that is separate
from the place of prayer during a time that is not set aside
for prayer, there is some room
for heter (leniency) bshaas
hadechak (in pressing circumstances) when without recourseand with Rabbinic guidance. But there are those who
still strictly avoid entering even
another part of the building, ever,
on account of the severity associated with a temple as a house of
avoda zara or of minim, as outlined in the Gemara.
One Minute Halacha is a succinct
daily presentation on practical Halacha
in video, audio, and text formats, and can
be accessed by phone at 718.989.9599,
by email, [email protected], or by
WhatsApp 347.456.5665

1038_bm_eng.indd 14
2016-09-13 2:09:01 PM
ubhcr ,pue
Kupas Rabbeinu
jhanv lkn r"unst e"f ,uthab ,j,
Lubavitch
(718) 467-2500
P.O.B. 288 Brooklyn, New York 11225
(718) 756-3337
URG
REQ ENT
UES
T!
HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES ANXIOUSLY LOOKING
FORWARD FOR YOUR GENEROUS ASSISTANCE!
Boruch Hashem, Elul 5776
5776
To every member of the Lubavitcher community:
During this month of preparation for Rosh Hashonoh, the head of the New Year, we fondly recall our
Rebbes words that this is an especially auspicious time for strengthening our deep bond of
Hiskashrus with the Rosh Bnei Yisroel, the head of the Jewish people and leader of the generation.
Our Rebbeim explain that an important way to strengthen Hiskashrus is by participating in
the Rebbes activities and concerns, consequently, by supporting an organization that

brings together a number of these activities, the Hiskashrus is greater and stronger. Such
an organization is Kupas Rabbeinu, which seeks to continue many of the Rebbes activities and concerns without change from the way he would conduct them himself.
Every year at this time, the Rebbe would call upon us to contribute generously to help needy families
with their extra expenses for the coming months many Yomim Tovim. This also coincides with the special emphasis during this month of giving extra Tzedokah, (indicated in the Hebrew letters of the word
Elul, as explained in many Sichos etc.), as a vital way of preparing ourselves for the new year and
arousing Divine mercy upon us. See sicho in the Hebrew text of this letter.
We therefore appeal to every individual man and woman to contribute generously to Kupas
Rabbeinu, enabling us to fulfill the Rebbes desire to help all those who anxiously await our
help. The greater your contribution, the more we can accomplish.
Please do not forsake them!
Your generous contribution to Kupas Rabbeinu will be the appropriate vessel for receiving the abundant blessings of the Rebbe, who is its Nasi, that you may be blessed with a Ksiva Vachasima Tova
for a good and sweet year, materially and spiritually. May it help to bring the full revelation of Moshiach
- our Rebbe - immediately now!
Wishing you a Ksiva Vachasima Tova for a good and sweet year,
In the name of Vaad Kupas Rabbeinu

Rabbi Sholom Mendel Simpson
Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner
P.S. Of course, you may send to Kupas Rabbeinu all contributions that you would send to the Rebbe; all
will be devoted to the activities to which the Rebbe would devote them.
You may also send Maimad, Keren-Hashono (this coming year 5771
5777 - 385
353 days), Vov Tishrei, Yud Gimmel
Tishrei Magbis etc. to Kupas Rabbeinu.
P.S. Please send all correspondence only to the following address.
KUPAS RABBEINU / P.O.B. 288 / BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11225
Eretz Yisroel address: KEREN KUPAS ADMU"R / P.O.B. 1247 / KIRYAT MALACHI / ISRAEL
1038_bm_eng.indd 15
2016-09-13 2:09:01 PM
PARSHA THOUGHT
SEND US
MOSHIACH AND
THE MOTHER
BIRD!
By Rabbi Heschel Greenberg
SEND AWAY
THE MOTHER BIRD!
One of the most enigmatic
commandments in the Torah
concerns the requirement to
send away the mother bird when
chancing on a nest.
If a birds nest happens to
be before you on the road, on
any tree or on the ground, young
birds or eggs, and the mother is
roosting on the young birds or
the eggs, you shall not take the
mother with the young. You shall
surely send away the mother and
take the young for yourself, so
that it will be good for you and
prolong your days.
When the Torah commands
us to send away the mother bird
it repeats the word for sending.
Instead of stating send away the
mother bird, it says (if we translate this literally) Send you shall
send away the mother
The Midrash asks why the Torah repeats this term.
BRINGS MOSHIACH
AND ELIJAH
One of the answers given in
the Midrash is that the Torah
here alludes to the reward we will

receive for fulfilling this Mitzvah;
a reward that is also described as
sending:
If you have fulfilled this
commandment you will hasten
the coming of Moshiach of whom
the term sending is written.
From where [do we
know this]?

For it is stated, Who
sent forth the feet of the ox and
the donkey (Isaiah 32:20).
Commentators explain that
the words ox and donkey are
allusions to the two Messianic
leaders who will usher in the Final Redemption in two phases, as
mentioned in the Talmud (Sukka
52a).
In the first phase, a descendant of Joseph, who is likened to
an ox, will fight the wars against
the enemies of Israel. According to one source, Moshiach ben
Yosef will be killed in one of his
battles. However other classic
sources state that his death is not
inevitable; prayer can cancel that
outcome.
Moshiach ben Yosef is then
followed by Moshiach, a descendant of David, who is said to ar-
rive riding on a donkey.

According to the Zohar, the
two Moshiachs actually refer
to the same person, whose revelation comes in two phases. The
first phase is where he fights evil
and paves the way for the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash
and the ingathering of the exiles.
The Midrash then provides
another interpretation of the repetitive expression of sending:
If you have fulfilled this
commandment you will hasten
the coming of Elijah the prophet,
may he be remembered for good,
of whom the term sending is
written, as it is stated, Behold I
send you Elijah the prophet
(Malachi 3:23). He will come
and comfort you. From where
[do we know this]? For it is
stated, And he will reconcile the
hearts of the fathers to the sons
[and the hearts of the sons to the
fathers].
We have to understand how
the Mitzvah of sending away the
mother bird has anything to do
with Moshiach and Elijah the
prophet. Other than the word
for sending, there seems to be no
other connection between sending away the mother bird and
G-d sending us the two phases of
Moshiach and Elijah.
Here is another question to

1038_bm_eng.indd 16
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consider. It is generally accepted

that Elijah will precede Moshiach
to announce his coming. Why
then does the Midrash refer to
the coming of Moshiach before
the coming of Elijah?
THIS IS FOR THE BIRDS!

To understand the connection
between sending the mother bird
and Moshiach/Elijah let us reflect
on a possible allegorical understanding of this Mitzvah.
One obvious feature of this
Mitzvah is that it only applies to
sending away a mother bird. It
does not apply to other species.
What is so special about birds?
A bird is a symbol of spiritual growth by soaring to a higher
plane. Birds also symbolize peace
because they bring distant places
together. Thus our Sages inform
us that if one dreams of a bird he
should anticipate peace. Even if
there are wide swaths of land or
water, metaphorically speaking,
that separate continents, the bird
can bring them together. Unity is
one of the hallmarks of spirituality.
The bird is therefore an apt
simile for the quest for spiritual
heights and for Moshiach. Indeed, the word for bird in Hebrew, Tzippora, shares the numerical equivalent of the world
Shalom-peace and this is
Moshiach [when spelled without
the optional letter vov].
How does one achieve spiritual growth, particularly growth
that will usher in the Messianic
Age of true peace and soaring to
spiritual heights?
GETTING OUR WINGS

Our wings, the Zohar
teaches, are the emotions of love
for and awe of G-d.
How do we develop these
emotions?
Maimonides explains, and

Chassidic literature expounds
greatly on this theme, we develop
these emotions through deep reflection and contemplation of Gds greatness and His love for us.
The intellectual process is referred to as the mother which
crouches on her offspring. The
mother (and to a lesser degree,
the father) is the one who gives
birth to the offspring. The mother in Chassidic and Kabbalistic
parlance is a metaphor for the
attribute of Bina, which takes a
concept and develops it so that
it gives birth to the emotions of
love and awe. It is compared to
the process of the fetus gestating
in the mothers womb in order to
produce offspring.
One can fly high and get involved in all sorts of spiritual
activities and experiences that
abound these days, but if they
are not connected to bina, the
mother, a solid and mature understanding of the spiritual concepts, it will not lead to a mature
and stable emotion.
However, the intellectual process is by nature the very opposite
of an emotional experience. And
although we need the intellectual
side to give birth to the emotions,
the person must be capable of
making the transition from the
cerebral aspect to the emotional.
SEND AWAY
YOUR INTELLECT
Thus, it may be suggested,
this is the allegorical dimension
of the commandment to send

away the mother bird. When
we want to create our figurative
children, our emotions, we
must send away the mother.
While immersed in intellectual
pursuits we cannot actualize our
emotions. We must send away
the mother bird, and make the
transition from the cerebral in
order to be able to focus on the
emotional.
But before we send away the
mother bird, we must first ensure
that there is a mother, otherwise
we cannot perform the Mitzvah.
THREE STEPS
However, being in Galusexile impedes our ability to soar
to greater heights by developing
the requisite emotions because of
three factors. As we will see, these
three factors are ameliorated by
the three stages of Moshiach ben
Yosef, Moshiach ben Dovid and
then Elijah the prophet.
The first impediment is the
existence of powerful external
negative and destructive forces.
Like a goring ox or the proverbial bull in the china shop, these
negative forces inhibit our intellectual power of Bina. Our minds
become clouded. No matter how
hard we try to develop a solid understanding of spiritual matters,
we are distracted and our concentration is wrecked.
Moshiach ben Yosef, representing the initial Messianic
phase that struggles against evil
as a precursor to the building of
the Beis HaMikdash, removes
that impediment to our Bina. It
is the first step in fulfilling the
Mitzvah of sending away the
mother bird because it enables us
to have that cerebral mother in
the first place.
There is, however, a second
problem in Galus-exile: the need
Issue 1038
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PARSHA THOUGHT
One can fly high and get involved in all sorts of

spiritual activities and experiences that abound
these days, but if they are not connected to bina, the
mother, a solid and mature understanding of the
spiritual concepts, it will not lead to a mature and stable
emotion.
to overcome our own internal
weaknesses and moral lapses that
stem from preoccupation with
material matters.
For this we need the second
phase, that of Moshiach ben
Dovid who rides on a chamordonkey. In this context the donkey stands as a symbol for materialism. Moshiachs riding on a
donkey, the Maharal states, is a
metaphor for his ability to control all obsession with materialism. Moshiach is personally head
and shoulders above materialistic
desires but his critical role is to
empower us with his energy by
activating the spark of Moshiach
within each and every one of us.
But now that our power of
Bina (our metaphoric mother) is
intact, what does Elijah contribute?
There is a third impediment
to the Mother producing the
offspring. It is the blockage that
separates mind and heart. This
blockage exists even if ones intellect is intact. If bina is the mother
and the emotions are the children, then we have to remove the
generation gap between them. To
remove the blockage between intellect and emotion, G-d will send
us Elijah the prophet because it
is his talent to bring the parents
back to the children and the children to their parents. This refers
to bridging the gulf between the
worlds of parents (intellect) and
children (emotions). Sometimes
the mind refuses to leave room
for the heart. This is a common
problem with brilliant intellectuals who live in ivory towers and
cannot relate to others, a cardinal
element of positive emotion.
Conversely, there are others
who have uncontrollable emotions that can be compared to a
blazing flame that will just burn
itself out. Without the tempering
influence of bina, the emotions
alone will not propel the person
to more action. It will lead instead to burnout.
Elijah will then follow the two
Moshiachs contribution of bina
by connecting the parents to the

children, in other words by seeing
to it that there is a wholesome relationship between the mother
and the children. Even as the
mother (bina) will nurture and
tame the children (the emotions) she will not smother them.
Elijah will create the bridge between these two worlds.
In this context, Elijah comes
after the arrival of Moshiach,
which is distinct from his other
role as the one who announces
the coming of Moshiach.
As our preparation for
Moshiach shifts into full gear, we
must focus on these three areas:
First, we must develop a deep
understanding of G-d, particularly by studying the teachings of
Chassidus that focus on this very
subject and objective. This will
enable us to develop the wings of
love and awe and simultaneously
remove both the external and internal impediments to our bina
(instilling the energy of the two
Moshiachs). We must then develop the skill of fusing these two
often colliding worlds of intellect
and emotion under the influence
of Elijah.
By our observing the law of
sending away the mother bird,
with all of its deep connotations,
it will lead us to the revelation of
both phases of Moshiach and Elijah the prophet.

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MOSHIACH & SCIENCE
SWORDS INTO
PLOWSHARES
The Swords of South Africa
By Prof. Shimon Silman, RYAL Institute and Touro College
hen we talk of Swords

into Plowshares, we
usually think of the
superpowers
like
the U.S., Russia and China, and
the European nationscountries
that were directly involved in
the Cold War. We dont usually
think of the African nations. Yet
South Africa was deeply involved
in military activity during this
time both internally, fighting
against revolutionary factions, and
externally, fighting against the
armies of communist-supported
African nations. In fact, during
those years South Africa itself was
dominated by its military.
So in analyzing the global
phenomenon of Swords into
Plowshares,
South
Africa
provides us with the unique
opportunity to see how this
nation dealt with its own unique
situation in the conversion from
a military environment to a
peaceful one.
COLD WAR AND

APARTHEID
During the Cold War, there
was a contest for influence in
Africa, between the US and
Western powers on the one hand
and the Soviet Union and Eastern
bloc countries on the other. Most
of newly independent ex-colonies
in Africa received military and
economic support from one of
the superpowers.
The
South
African
government was strongly anticommunist, so while the British
and American governments used
political rhetoric and economic
sanctions against the South
African apartheid policy, they
continued to supply the regime
with military expertise and
hardware.
During this time the greatest
threats to South Africa were
from forces of communism
outside the country (as in the
South African Border War), the

South African Communist Party
(SACP) within the country which
had a revolutionary military wing,
and its closely allied African
National Congress (ANC) which
had its own military wing. AntiCommunism affected almost
every aspect of the South African
governments foreign policy and
much of its domestic policy.
With the fall of the Soviet
Union all this began to change.
As explained by South African
president F.W de Klerk, the last
apartheid Head of State:
The collapse of the Soviet
Union helped to remove our
long-standing concern regarding
the influence of the South
African
Communist
Party
within the ANC Alliance.
By
1990 classic socialism had
been
thoroughly
discredited
throughout the worldand was
no longer a serious option,even
for revolutionary parties like the
Issue 1038
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2016-09-13 2:11:28 PM
Moshiach & science
ANC.
At about the same time,
the ANC was reaching a
similar conclusion that it could
not achieve a revolutionary
victory within the foreseeable
future.
Thecollapse of the
Soviet Union which had
traditionally been one the ANCs
main allies and suppliers led
the organization [the ANC] to
adopt a more realistic view of the
balance of forces.It concluded
that its interests could be best
secured by accepting negotiations
rather than by committing itself
to a long and ruinous civil war.
In
1989,
the
presidentunbanned theAfrican
National Congress and theSouth
African Communist Party,and in
the peaceful turnover of power
to the ANC that dismantled
the apartheid system, the ANC
military arm, previously perceived
as the primary threat to national
security, was absorbed into the
new military establishment.
South Africa was now ready
for Swords into Plowshares
the restructuring of its military
establishment.
The
country
now entered a period of
demilitarization,
in
which
civilian oversight of the armed
forces was greatly strengthened
through the Cabinet, Parliament
and the newly created Defense
Secretariat.
Furthermore, social welfare,
housing and education were
given priority over defense;
correspondingly, the military
budget was reduced, initiating a
period of military disarmament
which lasted through the 1990s.
The
shift
away
from
militarization
was
both
ideological
and
financial.
Between 1989 and 1993, the
defense budget fell by 44%. In
1994, the ANC, now the ruling
party, made a strong commitment
to social welfare and education

programs, resulting in a further
shift away from militarization.
Indeed, after 1994, the new
Reconstruction and Development
Program (RDP), designed to
address the great inequalities
created
under
apartheid,
furthered
the
reorientation
of
financial
commitment
away from militarization and
towards economic and social
redistribution.
Housing
and
infrastructure
were
major
priorities and these departments
witnessed a monetary increase in
their budgets.
CIVILIAN CONTROL OF THE

MILITARY
In May 1961, following a
whites-only referendum, the
government
declared
South
Africa a republic. It banned the
ANC and similar organizations,

and left them with no legal means
to pursue their interests. They
found they had no option but
to resort to armed struggle. The
ANC had been transformed from
a non-violent African nationalist
organization into a revolutionary
liberation
movement.
The
country was to slide into an
armed conflict lasting 30 years.
Following the uprising in
1976 in which several hundred
students were killed, thousands
of people left the country to
join the liberation movements,
and the armed struggle gained
momentum.
During those years the
military essentially ran the
country. When P.W. Botha, a
former defense minister, became
Prime minister in 1978, he
began to reorganize the state.

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Through the SSC and JMC the

security establishment assumed
alternative non-legislative control
over the country.
But in any peaceful country
the military must be under
civilian control specifically to
prevent military control over
civilian society. In 1994 a new
order was established in which
the military was subordinated
to civilian control. In this new
structure, the President became
the Commander-in-Chief of the
armed forces. He appoints a
minister of defense and a military
commander of the armed forces.
The Defense Secretariat, under
the Minister of Defense, sets
policy for the military and the
President himself is accountable
to the Parliament in case he
declares a state of national
defense. Military spending as well
as arms exports are now under
civilian control.
MAKING THE TRANSITION

He established the National
Security Management System
(NSMS), a structure dominated
by the military whose role was
to address economic and social
problems in local hotspots in
an effort to win the support
of the local population. It was
headed by the State Security
Council (SSC) which was
directed by the Prime Minister
himself. Through its Joint
Management Committees (JMC)
it coordinated military action and
infrastructure provision in the
twelve regions of South Africa.
However, during the mid1990s, the critical time for

the Swords into Plowshares
transformation to take effect,
government policy on shifting
defense technologies, manpower
and resources into the civilian
sector was not always clear.
Financial
policymaking
dominated, with the national
financial
reprioritization
program and a moratorium on
military spending for the South
African National Defense Forces
(SANDF)
Social welfare programs,
including housing, health and

education, were the priority of the

first antiapartheid government.
To move massive resources into
this developmental agenda, the
government had to undertake
military disarmament. To some
extent this stimulated conversion
of the defense industry to civilian
production. Firms that were
involved in high technology
software
production
found
survival easy as they could easily
switch to civilian contracts.
All the large defense firms
developed new products through
the application of dual use
technology, and looked for new
markets both inside and outside
the country.
But while the government
raised the prospect of conversion
it was left at a rhetorical level. In
its 1997 Defense White Paper
the government signaled its
commitment to the maintenance
of a domestic defense industry
by promoting arms exports by
the Departments of Foreign
Affairs. They began to view the
defense industry as an economic
rather than a military asset. The
situation was summarized by
Jackie Cilliers of the Institute of
Security Studies who said that,
Since coming to power, the
ANC has changed dramatically
from its pre-election stance. They
have dropped their idealism and
suddenly woken up to the fact
that there is money to be made in
the arms industry.
In its Defense Review (1998)
the government produced a
policy that was a delicate balance
between military, political and
economic requirements.
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2016-09-13 2:09:06 PM
INTERVIEW
fundamental
element
of Jewish life is the
transmission
of
our
tradition to the next
generation. This is highlighted on
Pesach in the mitzva of and you
should recount to your son. How
do we know that our educational
endeavors are successful? The only
answer is when we see those things
that we say and repeat implanted in
our children and expressed in their
actions in daily life.
If we look for a mesora being
transmitted from generation to

generation in the yeshiva-chinuch
world, we will readily find it in
the Wilschansky family. R Yosef
Yitzchok Wilschansky founded
the biggest Lubavitcher yeshiva in
the world forty years ago and all
his sons follow in his footsteps.
His oldest son, R Menachem
Mendel, founded and runs Tomchei Tmimim in Haifa. His other
sons also have important jobs in
chinuch. One is a maggid shiur
and mashpia in the yeshiva in
Tzfas, one runs Chanoch LNaar

in Tzfas, one runs a smicha program in Milan, and another heads
the yeshiva ktana in Tzfas.
THE YESHIVAS
EARLY DAYS
The Chabad yeshiva in Tzfas took shape during the period
of the founding of Chabad mosdos in Tzfas, said R Wilschansky, going back forty years. The
Rebbe assigned the founding of

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A NEW
GENERATION
OF TMIMIM
He has been at the helm of the Chabad yeshiva
in Tzfas since it was founded forty years
ago. Five sons also lead yeshivos or learning
programs. * We met with Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok
Wilschansky, the rosh yeshiva in Tzfas, and his
oldest son, R Menachem Mendel, rosh yeshiva
in Haifa, for a talk about the chinuch and
guidance of Tmimim in the world of yeshivos.
* Presented for 15 Elul, marking the founding of
Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in 1897.
By Nosson Avrohom
Kiryat Chabad to R Aryeh Leib

Kaplan. The Rebbe said to found
all mosdos chinuch in Tzfas from
daycare and preschools to a mesivta, yeshiva gdola and kollel.
On Rosh Chodesh Iyar
5737/1977, a year after we arrived in Tzfas on shlichus, a
group of bachurim from the yeshiva in Kfar Chabad came and
they formed the nucleus of the
yeshiva.
R Kaplan asked me and R
Shlomo Zalman Levkivker to run
the new yeshiva and oversee its

spiritual and learning aspects.
By divine providence, R Yisroel Kenig was in charge of the
northern district of the Interior Ministry at that time and he
helped found the yeshiva and obtained money for it. His dream
was for the main street in Tzfas
to have bachurim walking with
tzitzis blowing in the breeze.
Today, that sounds strange,
because most of the population
of Tzfas is religious, but back
then, for those who know the history, there were very few religious
Jews.
After R Kaplan received the
Rebbes bracha, and I received a
positive response, the yeshiva got
started. R Eliyahu Friedman took
responsibility for the yeshivas finances and was very dedicated.
Now, lets skip over to Haifa
where, in the center of the city
there is a Chabad yeshiva led by
the oldest Wilschansky son, R
Menachem Mendel. This yeshiva
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2016-09-13 2:09:08 PM
Interview
opened twenty-five years later.

Since the Rebbes horaa
in the sicha of 15 Elul 5751
to found branches of Tomchei
Tmimim in every city and place,
my father wanted to expand from
Tzfas to other cities.
After I married, we had three
shlichus offers. One of them was
R Leibel Schildkrauts request
of my father to open a yeshiva in
Haifa. My father suggested I run
the yeshiva in Haifa along with
shlichus work in the Hadar Elyon
neighborhood.
The Rebbes answer, in the
Igros Kodesh, was clear.
The Rebbe wrote that even if
I did not see success and thought
I wasnt suited, not to be disturbed by that because the Rebbe thinks I am suited to the job.
Whenever a difficulty arises with
the yeshiva or other activities that
we do, I remember this answer
and it inspires me.
To what extent did you take

the model and inspiration from
how your father runs the yeshiva in Tzfas?
A lot, even though Haifa is
very different than Tzfas. We are
working in a city where it is hard
to spread Judaism. In one of his
letters, the Rebbe notes that Haifas nickname is the Red City (
Haifa has traditionally been a Labor party stronghold. The strong
presence of dock workers and
trade unions earned it the nickname Red Haifa. In addition,
many prominent Arabs in the Israeli Communist Party were from
Haifa.). Its a tough shlichus.
The yeshiva underwent a
number of changes over the
years. At first, we worked with
boys who had difficulties learning. Then groups of bachurim
from Tzfas came for half a year
of shlichus to strengthen the yeshiva. Today we work more with
baalei tshuva. R Yehoshua Lifsh

helps us a lot in running the yeshiva and working with talmidim.
You refer to difficulties.
What keeps you going?
I got this trait from my father.
I learned from him that when
there is work to do and its what
the Rebbe wants, you are not impressed by the difficulties and you
just do what needs to be done. I
know that my father learned this
from his father, my grandfather,
R Refael Wilschansky ah, who
worked in the Rebbes European office and worked in a determined manner. The Rebbes
wishes are what guided him.
In everything having to do
with the yeshiva in Haifa, my father was not only a source of inspiration but he provided practical assistance. In the early years,
he would come every week and
give a shiur klali in the yeshiva.
He was also fully involved in the
decision making. We consulted
with him on a daily basis and he
even took on a significant portion
of the financial burden.
THE TMIMIM
THEN AND NOW
R YY Wilschansky, in recent years, has also taken on the
responsibility for the financial
running of the yeshiva in Tzfas,
along with some of his friends.
In his busy day he allots time
for both the financial and the
spiritual running of the yeshiva.
He admits that he would rather
spend more time in the yeshiva,
but despite this new burden, he is
the one who tests bachurim when
they want to join the yeshiva and
every Thursday he gives a shiur
klali.
With the perspective of forty
years, more than a generation,
do you see a big difference between bachurim then and now?

1038_bm_eng.indd 24
2016-09-13 2:09:09 PM
Theres no question that the

atmosphere is very different. Bachurim today have more things
to distract them, but there is a lot
of positive too. The hiskashrus to
the Rebbe today is much stronger
than it used to be. The connection to 770 is also much stronger
than in the past. In the past, bachurim were very involved with
the broadcasts that connected
them to Beis Chayeinu, but that
wasnt enough of a direct connection to 770 and they were not
very involved in daily life there.
Over the years, because of the
development of technology, bachurim live with Beis Chayeinu
much more, they live with the
Rebbe and his holy ways and by
learning his teachings.
Looking back, in terms of
the general approach, there is no
change. In the past too, you could
have heard one bachur say to another that hes going to learn in
the yeshiva in Tzfas and the other
one would say, Yes, they put an
emphasis there on hiskashrus to
the Rebbe. Thats the way it was
then and now too. In addition to
that, there is an enormous chayus
today in inyanei Moshiach which
is a direct extension of our hiskashrus to the Rebbe.
KLALEI CHINUCH
VHADRACHA
As a shliach of the Rebbe to
Eretz Yisroel, with the horaos the
shluchim were given by the Rebbe, R Wilschansky is involved
in communal matters both within Tzfas and in general, within
Chabad in Eretz Yisroel. Despite
his many involvements, he is the
mashpia of bachurim from the
yeshiva as well as graduates. He
also directs the yeshivas staff in
matters of chinuch and helps his
sons who run yeshivos.
One of the important things
that guide me is caring for every

talmid. I got the foundation for
this when I was a young bachur
in the yeshiva in Brunoy where
new mekuravim would show up
every week and we would learn
with them. Afterward, when we
went on shlichus to the yeshiva
in Australia, we were maggidei
shiur and mashpiim in yeshiva to
the children of Anash. There were
also bachurim in the yeshiva that
were becoming religious and a lot
had to be put into them, not just
in learning but also in guiding
them.
R Wilschansky has years of
chinuch experience. In addition
to running the yeshiva gdola, he
is a member of the educational
staff of Ohr Menachem in Tzfas,
an elementary school. His experience spans all ages.
You could have turned your
yeshiva into a yeshiva exclusively for outstanding students.
Why do you also accept weak

students?
Of course Id love to teach
bachurim on a high level and
give them deep shiurim. Today
too, despite my busy schedule, I
continue giving the shiur klali because I get a lot of chayus from
it. In our yeshiva we have many
bachurim who are lamdanim, a
serious chevra who are into their
learning, Shas and Rambam.
They publish sifrei pilpulim and
scholarly anthologies every year.
However, we never opted to
accept only outstanding talmidim. The Rebbe wants us to accept even those who are less
qualified. The Rebbe says that in
the past, boys were educated at
home and then went to yeshiva to
learn, while today, even basic chinuch takes place in yeshiva and
therefore, the Rebbe wants the
hanhalos to be receptive to any
bachur who wants to learn, even
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Interview
if hes not from the elite.
Why do we do this? Because
we care about every bachur.
We are not afraid of the challenge. We always give a bachur a
chance.
I remember a certain gathering that I attended when the
question arose, why is it that in
our yeshiva, more than any other
yeshiva, we are receptive to all
kinds of talmidim, even those
who are weak and those who are
considered difficult? There was a
rumor that we, the hanhala, and
I personally, got an explicit horaa
from the Rebbe about this. Those
present asked me whether this
was true. I said we never received
a direct horaa about this. Over
the years, there was guidance
from the Rebbe to all yeshivos via
the sichos and letters to take care
of every talmid.
In our first year, there werent
that many talmidim because of
the distance from the center of
the country. The idea was proposed that the yeshiva focus on
baalei tshuva and not be a regular yeshiva. When they asked the
Rebbe, the answer was, also
baalei tshuva. We understood
from this that the Rebbe wants a
regular yeshiva as well as a program for baalei tshuva. We decided to include the program for
baalei tshuva as an integral part
of the regular yeshiva and that is
how it works till today.
This ended up helping the
weak bachurim who were unable
to sit at regular shiurei iyun or
those who did not have the level
of knowledge needed for learning. They would join the beginners shiur.
R Menachem Mendel listened
to his father and added:
I remember that whenever a
new volume of Likkutei Sichos
would arrive in Eretz Yisroel,
my father would spend days and
nights on it, reading and learning

it from cover to cover. He especially enjoyed looking at the hosafos at the end of each volume
which have many letters from the
Rebbe, including instructions and
guidance for life (this was before
the Igros Kodesh was published.
Of course, when the Igros were
published, he was thrilled). When
I remember this, it brings me to
tears.
I remember a volume arrived
before Pesach one year, and my
father had it with him at home, in
shul in Kiryat Chabad, and in the
old shul in Tel Aviv when we went
to our grandfather, R Moshe
Ashkenazi. He learned in it constantly until he finished it. People
do not realize what a treasure and
enormous depth there is in the
hosafos of Likkutei Sichos.
Few people understand communal work like my father, as
few people are knowledgeable
in Likkutei Sichos, maamarim,
and Igros Kodesh, and use that
knowledge to gain perspective
on the Rebbes approach to every
topic and operate accordingly.
Years ago, my father understood
that a proper perspective on communal work must come from the
Rebbes teachings. I remember
a time when I was thirteen and

I learned a lot of Gemara. My
mother said to me, Abba learns
Gemara, Mishna, and Halacha,
but he uses all that in order to
better understand the Rebbes
sichos and maamarim. Abba finishes Masechtos, Mishnayos,
sifrei mefarshim, etc. and with
them he increases his hiskashrus
to the Rebbe through learning his
teachings.
How do you implement the
Rebbes views in yeshiva?
R YY Wilschansky: There are
many examples. As I said before,
we dont just accept outstanding
bachurim. Even when a bachur
does not behave as he should, the
Rebbes view as seen in his letters and answers is not to readily expel bachurim from yeshiva,
certainly not forever. Its easy to
send a bachur home but it should
not happen. We hardly ever send
anyone away and even if we have
to, we find him another place in
one of our branches.
Over the years, unfortunately,
we are seeing a growing number
of bachurim who find the yeshiva system difficult for them. It is
hard for them to make it through
the regular course of learning.
My son Eliezer saw that they

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2016-09-13 2:09:13 PM
stood it. My fathers way is not to

get excited, to remain calm, to investigate everything in depth, and
to demonstrate to the bachur the
error of his ways without being in
a state of gvura. That is the advantage of Tzfas, the personal relationship my father spoke about,
knowing how to convey the Rebbes horaos to every single talmid
in a way that is total Ahavas Yisroel. I think this is the secret to
the success of the yeshiva gdola
in Tzfas.
THE MAIN SWITCH

IN CHINUCH
Graduates of the yeshiva in Tzfas in a picture taken during Tishrei in front
of 770 (photo by Arele Crombie)
needed their own program and

he created one in yishuv Sdei
Eliezer. He now heads Chanoch
LNaar, a mesivta, and runs a yeshiva gdola called HaMachon
HaTechnologia. They are both
programs for bachurim who cannot sit all day and analyze sugiyos in Gemara or deep maamarei
Chassidus.
The central yeshiva in Tzfas
supported these endeavors, especially in the early years, and today
too, we advise and help at various times when critical decisions
need to be made.
R MM Wilschansky admits
that his fathers approach is not
easy for him:
I found it very hard to relate to this approach when I was
starting out. By nature, I want
to do things differently, whether
its about accepting talmidim or
when someone is not behaving
properly and needs to be sent
home. It took me a long time to
deeply appreciate my fathers
view and to accept it. There
were times that talmidim came
to us who had a hard time in the
regular program in Tzfas. Some
of them did things that, at first
thought, should have gotten them

expelled so their parents could
deal with them. For example,
there was a bachur who decided
to have some fun by committing
a serious infraction, or a bachur
whose hobby it was to break
locks on rooms. That bachur was
thrown out of all yeshivos.
My fathers approach is different. My father searches for a
way to bring the student to the
proper level with the proper educational approach, rather than
throw him out and lose a world.
If necessary, hell call him in for
a talk and speak to him. Even if
at the end, someone needs to be
sent away, do it in a kind way, so
that he understands why. There
are clear guidelines and rules but
handling them requires wisdom
and finesse.
I will admit that this longer
way is hard for me. By nature I
am used to doing thing in a hurry, to make spot decisions, but
my father operates differently. He
feels a responsibility. Deep inside
he is a zealot but he also represents the Rebbe and he cares
about every bachur. Over time, I
learned his approach and under-
In R Wilschanskys office in
his house in Kiryat Chabad is a
small room packed with sfarim.
The walls are covered with
shelves full of sifrei Halacha, Gemara, Mishna, and poskim, sifrei
Chassidus and biurim. The sifrei
pilpulim that the talmidim of the
yeshiva write are in a place of
honor.
Someone who walks into the
yeshiva study hall on an ordinary
day has a surprise waiting for
them. The stairs leading to the
main hall of the yeshiva are narrow and winding and they look
as though they lead to a small
apartment. But after ascending
them and reaching the large hall
you cannot help but exclaim in
wonder as you see hundreds of
bachurim sitting in a big zal and
learning Torah.
A few days ago, a member of
the city council came to visit us,
R Nachman Gelbach. He had
never visited the yeshiva before
and when he walked in, he was
stunned. He said he could not
believe that in Tzfas there is a yeshiva with that many talmidim.
The yeshiva in Tzfas has
attained
some
magnificent
achievements both scholastically (which can be seen in their
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Interview
We must obey the Rebbes horaos matter-offactly, without pshetlach. If the Rebbe says
something, we do it with mesirus nefesh. That is the
message that my father conveys in the yeshiva in Tzfas.
It applies to every topic in Judaism and Chassidic life
and certainly everything having to do with spreading the
Besuras HaGeula. In Tzfas, bachurim become soldiers of
the Rebbe who stand at their posts on the front lines.
publications) and in hiskashrus

to the Rebbe. How have you
been able to accomplish this for
so many years?
R YY Wilschansky:
It all starts with hiskashrus
to the Rebbe. Before I deal with
anything, I ask myself, what is the
Rebbes view on this? Am I sure
this is what the Rebbe wants? Is
the Rebbe part of us or, G-d forbid, something separate? Real
hiskashrus to the Rebbe is, first
and foremost, knowing that our
lives revolve around the Rebbes
wishes. So too with the subject of
Moshiach, some think that Yechi
is chitzonius. There could be no
greater mistake, for everything
we do is to bring about Yemos
HaMoshiach.
We greatly encourage bachurim to learn inyanei Moshiach
and Geula. In addition to encouragement, we have a daily
shiur for half an hour on inyanei
Moshiach and Geula based on
the Rebbes sichos and sources
in Chazal. There are special maggidei shiur for this. Recently, one
of our former talmidim, R Sholom Ber Wolf, now on the staff
here and a maggid shiur for inyanei Moshiach and Geula, published a thick seifer about various
aspects of Geula in our lives.
According to R Wilschansky,
if we want to educate a bachur
to real faith in the Rebbe and the
Besuras HaGeula, we first need

to connect him to the Rebbe.
Only then will he learn and have
shiurim on it, on his own.
We are a copy of Tzfas,
says R MM Wilschansky. I will
tell you a story that I heard from
the mashpia, R Mendel Wechter.
Before Gimmel Tammuz, Chassidim were into Yechi. R Moshe
Weber of Yerushalayim did not
quite understand it and he expressed his annoyance about it to
R Wechter. Instead of answering
directly, R Wechter asked him
whether he ever davened with
avoda with the Dvar Malchus
of 5751-5752. He said no, and
they parted ways. A while later,
the two of them met, and R Weber told R Wechter that he was
grateful to him for his advice.
Moshiach is the inner point
of all the mitzvos and good behavior. Without learning a lot of
Chassidus and without davening
at length, it is not possible to live
Moshiach in an internal way.
Here is something important I learned from my father. We must obey the Rebbes
horaos matter-of-factly, without pshetlach. If the Rebbe says
something, we do it with mesirus
nefesh. That is the message that
my father conveys in the yeshiva
in Tzfas. It applies to every topic
in Judaism and Chassidic life and
certainly everything having to do
with spreading the Besuras HaGeula. In Tzfas, bachurim become soldiers of the Rebbe who
stand at their posts on the front
lines.
A few years ago, I met an
acquaintance from the United
States who is not considered a
Meshichist. He is a learned person and is knowledgeable in the
Rebbes sichos. He told me why
he had come to Eretz Yisroel and
he spoke candidly.
He said he had come to find
a yeshiva for four bachurim. He
visited a number of yeshivos and
also went to Tzfas. In the end,
he decided to register them in
another yeshiva. I asked him
why. He said: In Tzfas I met soldiers and its not suitable for my
spoiled chevra.
NOT EVERYTHING
LIKE HIS FATHER
What is your guiding light in
chinuch? What is the tradition
that you pass down to the generations?
R YY Wilschansky thought
a bit, chose his words, and then
said:
Looking at each talmid as
an individual. When we added
more and more classes, until we
had over 400 students, we added
staff. We have far more than a
maggid shiur and a mashpia for
every class, which is the normal
system. Some people thought it
was an unnecessary expense but
we dont want to create a situation in which a talmid will be here
for three years and we dont really know him and dont have an
educational plan for him.
R Wilschansky then shared
his educational perspective with
us:
When a staff member tells
me about a certain student, Hes
bothering me, He gets me mad,

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I cant give a shiur because of

him, I cannot accept that, because the teacher is emphasizing himself and his needs. In our
yeshiva, the talmid is the focus.
When a teacher speaks that way
of a student disturbing him, he
will find it hard to come up with
a way of helping the talmid progress.
I am willing to accept things
like, The bachur is disturbing
the shiur, or He is impeding the
progress of his classmates. The
wording reflects how the teacher
thinks of the student.
R MM Wilschansky listened
and smiled. Ill tell you the
truth. By nature, I am very different than my father. My fathers
temperament is a rare blend of
mind and heart, an amazing ability to think about several topics
at once, in detail, with attention
paid to the behavior of every bachur. With me, my tough side
is more revealed. If I think I am
right or that someone is going
against the Shulchan Aruch, I react strongly.
What guidance did you get
from your father that helps you
function as a successful rosh yeshiva?
Ill tell you something personal. In 5750, I was in 770 for
four months, until the beginning of 5751. At that time, there
was a possibility that Id learn
in Oholei Torah or the yeshiva
in Morristown. The Rebbes answer was to stay in Tzfas. I now
know how much I benefited from
that instruction. For several years
I was able to attend my fathers
farbrengens in yeshiva. In particular, I remember the farbrengens that took place on Shabbos
in the summer when we read
the parshiyos that speak about
Moshe Rabbeinus conduct, the
need to be devoted to what he
says, and to beware not to repeat
The early years of the yeshiva in Tzfas
Alumni of the yeshiva in Tzfas
the mistakes of the spies and the

sin of machlokes. These farbrengens shaped my weltanschauung.
We kids would join my
father and walk from Kiryat
Chabad to the yeshiva twice on
Shabbos. We could get drenched
with rain, or sweat in the sun, but
my father never complained. I remember him sitting entire nights
preparing shiurim. I learned from
him how a shliach must be a yerei
Shamayim and a lamdan, but not
for himself. A Chassid is a shliach
to convey what he has to others.
After my grandfather R
Moshe Ashkenazi passed away,
an older Litvishe Jew who knew
my father when my father was
a young chassan visiting his father-in-law in Yerushalayim approached me. He told me that the
year the Rebbe urged us to make
a Seudas Moshiach, he saw my
father, who was already a young
rosh yeshiva, going around to
the shuls in Tel Aviv and putting
up flyers about the great importance of conducting a Seudas
Moshiach.
Thats my father a lamdan,
a yerei Shamayim, but above all
else, the Rebbes soldier. This is
what we learned from him, and
I think it is one of the main reasons for the success of the yeshiva in Tzfas.
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ELUL
AYIN-BEIS:
ON TSHUVA
A selection from the Rebbe Rashabs
Hemshech Ayin-Beis (pg. 146-148), dealing
with tshuva at the levels of Nefesh, Ruach,
and Neshama. * Presented in the Month of
Elul, when we make a soul-assessment of
our service of G-d throughout the year.
Translated by Boruch Merkur
he failure to serve
G-d with love and
fear, although it is a
subtler deficiency than
deficiencies of behavior, such
as outright transgressions or
hedonistic behavior the resulting
blemish is more pronounced,
insofar as the person is of a greater
spiritual stature.Just as there is a
unique service of G-d associated
with each level of the soul, the
Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshama the
three aspects of the soul that are
invested within the body so too
with regard to tshuva, returning
to G-d through repentance: there
is a unique manner of tshuva
corresponding to each of these
dimensions of the soul.
Tshuva at the level of Nefesh
entails that the Nefesh that has
sinned should return to G-d in
repentance [thereby correcting
the persons sins]. Tshuva at the
level of Ruach is as it is written,
And the Ruach shall return to
the L-rd, etc. And tshuva at the
level of Neshama is described in
the verse, My Ruach and my

Neshama shall be gathered unto
Him, etc.
To elaborate on the different
qualities of repentance associated
with each of these three levels:
NEFESH: CHANGING
ONES WAYS
Nefesh is associated with the
realm of action, as discussed
earlier. Repentance at this level is
on account of improper behavior,
etc., being extremely embittered
in ones soul for having
committed a sin or transgression.
The person is stricken with
regret for it, and resolves firmly
in his heart to leave his wicked
ways and depart from the paths
of evil, as it is written, Let one
who is wicked leave his path,
etc. This manner of repentance
is called abandoning sin. That
is, correcting ones behavior,
changing ones former ways
from one extreme to another. For
when the embitterment of ones
soul is sincere, when regretting

his past is in earnest, then his
commitment and resolve for the
future is likewise sincere and he
changes his ways completely.
Tshuva
at
the
level
of Nefesh in general also
includes
repentance
for
embracing hedonism (hisgavrus
hachumrius), even with regard
to permissible activities. That is,
repentance not for actual sins
and transgressions per se, may
G-d have mercy upon us, but for
ones mere attraction towards
materialism i.e., the fact that
he is powerfully drawn after the
nature of his Animal Soul as
well as his inability to separate
himself from it. Since he is
powerfully bound to materialistic
things he is actually compelled
towards hedonism and unable
to detach himself from it. But
being embittered by his condition
brings salvation to his soul,
freeing him from materialism
and enabling him to resist his
natural compulsions, changing
his manner in this respect.
Repentance at the level of
Nefesh also entails repentance
for the [general] lack of the
acceptance of the yoke of
Heaven, especially in the case
where one has actually cast aside
the yoke, no longer maintaining
within himself fear of the
Alm-ghty. One must do tshuva
for this and draw upon himself

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this quality of submission before

G-d.
RUACH: TSHUVA FOR NOT

FEARING AND LOVING G-D
Tshuva at the level of Ruach is
repenting for ones shortcomings
in arousing in himself love and
fear of G-d. Indeed, there is an
obligation upon each and every
person to love and fear G-d; it is
a Mitzva among the Mitzvos of
the Torah that is incumbent upon
every single Jew. In addition to it
being an obligation, by arousing
in oneself love and fear of G-d,
the Jew refines and corrects
his Animal Soul. Purifying the
Animal Soul constitutes the
ultimate purpose for the descent
of the soul into the physical
world; it is the reason for which
it was created. Moreover, it is
impossible for the Animal Soul
to assume the quality of Adam
[a term that refers to the virtue
attainable by Man] unless one
experiences actually love and
fear of G-d in his heart, which
comes about specifically through
hisbonenus, meditation.
One may, however, compel
and subdue the Animal Soul
simply by means of summoning
the strength of the Nefesh in
overpowering the Animal Soul,
a process that does not require
love and fear of G-d per se
(and certainly not the love and
fear of G-d that is brought
about
through
hisbonenus).
In fact, by harnessing the
strength of his Nefesh he
weakens the Animal Soul, both
in terms of 1) deterring its
hedonistic behavior, and thereby
weakening
its
materialistic
nature, and especially by means
of 2) compelling it [to act in
accordance with G-ds will].
However, overpowering the
Animal Soul in this manner
does not serve to carve out,
as it were, the inner form of

the Animal Soul, establishing its
character. This transformation
is only possible by means of
experiencing a love of G-d
that is brought about through
hisbonenus. Hisbonenus affects
the character of the Animal Soul,
insofar as it engenders even the
natural intellect haseichel
hativi with the understanding
of G-dly concepts. In fact, the
goal is that the arousal of love in
the G-dly Soul also inspires the
Animal Soul to love G-dliness.
The deficiency in arousing
love and fear, however, causes
pain to the soul, insofar as
it has not fulfilled its intent
for having descended into
the physical world. The soul

suffers especially on account
of the fact that the Animal Soul
is prevailing, causing timtum
halev, apathy towards G-dliness.
Timtum halev causes the middos
(emotional attributes) of ones
G-dly Soul to lie dormant,
unaffected by [the contemplation
of] a G-dly concept. The soul is
extremely pained by this, for so
long as the person fails to serve
G-d, his Animal Soul strengthens
significantly and the G-dly soul
weakens, etc. And who can
fathom what may result from
this, G-d forbid?!
Tshuva at the level of Ruach
is in response to this deficiency
And the Ruach shall return
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ELUL
to the L-rd, stimulating the
emotional attributes [to love and
fear G-d].
INWARD TSHUVA VS.

EMOTIONAL TSHUVA
As we have said, the first
level of tshuva, tshuva at the
level of Nefesh, is repentance
for wrongful deeds. (The
latter
includes
succumbing
to
hedonism,
inappropriate
behavior [even though the
persons actions may not be
outright forbidden]. Indeed, the
actions of the hedonist are those
of an animal, especially when it
amounts to casting off the yoke
of Heaven, which is the source
of all the various kinds of evil,
may G-d have mercy upon us,
as discussed in other places.)
Certainly when a ruach tahara,
a pure spirit, descends upon
this person and arouses him to
repent for his wrongful behavior,
his inadequacies affect him
literally in the innermost aspect
of his soul, even more so than
for having neglected serving G-d
by arousing love and fear [i.e.,
tshuva at the level of Ruach].
In general, tshuva at the level
of Nefesh is repentance solely
for improper behavior, sincerely
regretting ones misdeeds in
the inner aspect of his soul, to
the point of motivating him to
change his behavior, refraining
from his previous ways and
changing them completely with a
firm resolve, etc.
Tshuva at the level of
Ruach, on the other hand, is
repentance for shortcomings
that are more subtle, not having
actually transgressed the Torah,
G-d forbid. (Such a person
is, of course, not considered
like an animal; he is merely
not considered Adam, etc.)
Nevertheless, the second level
of tshuva, tshuva at the level
of Ruach, is more desperate,

more driven by emotions than
at the level of Nefesh. (This more
impassioned tshuva is when the
tshuva itself [not just the person]
is at the level of Ruach.)
The reason why repentance
for
these
more
subtle
inadequacies is with a greater
emotional response than tshuva
at the level of Nefesh is simply
because one who is only at the
level of Nefesh does not have
so much emotional excitement
[in serving G-d]. (That is not
to say that he has no emotional
response at all, for every person
contains within him all levels,
including the level of Ruach, and
so on. However, the enthusiasm
of someone at the level of
Nefesh is tempered.) Thus, the
corresponding tshuva at the level
of Nefesh does not have such an
emotional quality, although [as
we have said] it is accompanied
by the arousal of a more internal
awakening in the essence of his
soul. Whereas, the soul of one
who is at the level of Ruach is
more inclined to an impassioned
service of G-d. Thus, his tshuva
is with great fervor, repenting
with great emotion for his failure
to reveal within him the kochos of
the G-dly soul [i.e., love and fear
of G-d].
TSHUVA WITH BITTUL VS.

TSHUVA FROM THE HEART
Indeed, enthusiastic tshuva
is superior in the same sense
that serving G-d with devotion
of heart is greater than serving
Him out of duty, even though the
latter manner of service serving
G-d with bittul, transcendence of
ego, and acceptance of the yoke
of Heaven pertains to the very
core of ones being, as discussed
above.
(The truth is that the failure
to serve G-d with love and fear,
although it is a subtler deficiency

[than deficiencies of behavior,
such as outright transgressions
or hedonistic behavior] the
resulting blemish is more
pronounced, insofar as the
person is of a greater spiritual
stature. It is thus written, for
man is a tree in the field, etc.:
Just as with regard to a tree that
bears fruit, the fruit at the top
of the tree, when they fall to the
ground, land further away from
the tree, so too with regard to
the Tree of Life, which bears
souls. Whoever is at a greater
spiritual height is subject to fall
to greater depths, may G-d have
mercy. Therefore, one whose
soul is great enough to approach
serving G-d through love and
fear, his failure to do so makes
him further away from G-d and
more predisposed towards evil,
G-d forbid. That is, in virtue
of the fact that a stain on fine
garments is worse [than a stain
on inexpensive clothing], etc., the
person of high stature [should
he fail to achieve his potential] is
liable to become more steeped in
evil, G-d forbid. Thus, there must
truly be a correspondingly greater
repentance for this persons
shortcomings.)
Tshuva at the level of Ruach,
insofar as it shares the virtue
and quality of the aspect of the
soul called Ruach, is with more
elicitation of emotion (especially
if the person at the level of Ruach
[also] must repent for some
transgression, G-d forbid; then
the repentance is indeed with
greater fervor.)
THE NESHAMA KNOWS

WHAT ITS MISSING
Now, tshuva at the level
Neshama, the third level of
the soul, is on account of the
failure to attain comprehension
of the Divine or for the neglect

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of contemplating G-dliness.
Acquiring Divine knowledge and
meditating on G-dly concepts
are obligatory pursuits for each
and every Jew, just as Torah
study in general is obligatory,
and especially the study of the
inner dimension of the Torah, as
mentioned in Igeres HaKodesh
Kuntres Acharon in the maamer
beginning with the words, To
understand what is written in
Pri Eitz Chayim. There, the
Alter Rebbe writes: Attaining
knowledge of hishtalshlus, the
incremental descent of G-dliness
through the worlds, is a great and
lofty Mitzva. In fact, it is superior
to all of the other Mitzvos, as it
is written, You shall know today,
etc. Know the G-d of your
father, etc. Indeed, it brings one
to attain wholeheartedness, etc.
Insufficient
devotion
to
this Divine service requires
repentance,
primarily
with
regard to ones failure to
assimilate G-dly concepts in his
mind. That is, even when the
person meditates upon a G-dly
concept, he is not engaged by it
intellectually (the concept is not
absorbed and integrated into his
mind, and the message has not
been communicated), nor is his
mind aroused.
These shortcomings are on
account of timtum hamoach,
ones mind becoming uninspired
by Divine knowledge. (Of
course, there are varying degrees
of severity of this condition
with regard to ones inability
to assimilate and integrate
knowledge, as well as the lack of
its emotional elicitation, and so
forth.) Tshuva for this condition
entails being embittered over the
fact that a G-dly concept escapes
the persons grasp, his soul is not
illuminated by it. His emotional
response is, therefore, strictly
superficial.
This form of repentance is

even more internal than tshuva
at the level of Ruach. (Tshuva
at the level of Neshama is indeed
more inward and deep, for just as
the Divine service at the level of
Neshama is deeper being at the
level of the essence of the mind,
as discussed above so is the
repentance at this level internal
and deeper in the soul.) Being at
the level of Neshama, certainly
the person has knowledge and
comprehension of G-dliness. And
when he is aroused to do tshuva
for his disinterest, etc., this
person knows what he has been
distanced from [i.e., he knows
the greatness, the profundity
of the G-dly knowledge he has
forsaken].
This distance genuinely and
powerfully affects the person
in the inner aspects of his soul.
Indeed, in his own esteem, he is
literally a sinner, a transgressor,
and he is very embittered in his
soul, as if he had committed sins,
may G-d have mercy. On account
of his having attained knowledge
of the Divine, he is keenly aware
of how negative and bitter is his
departure from G-d. (Indeed,
in a state of repentance at this
level, the awareness is acute,
like having an inner perception
of G-dliness.) Thus, he returns
to G-d with all his heart and all
his soul, from the depths and
the most innermost aspect of his
soul. And in so doing, he removes
the concealments and coverings,
truly becoming a vessel to G-dly
light, a light that shines in his
soul, mind, and heart.
THE POWER TO REPENT

AND TO PERSERVERE
All these levels of repentance
draw energy and assistance from
Above, both with regard to the
repentance itself, as well as for
continuing to maintain what
the penitent has achieved. For

example, regarding the level of
Nefesh, the capacity is drawn
from Above to be sincerely
embittered by ones former
regrettable ways and unworthy
interests, granting him a firm
resolve to change his path, etc.
And G-d examines ones heart
and reins: Knowing very well
the strength of the individuals
positive resolution, G-d helps
the person from Above, both in
order that he should be aroused
to repent as well as that he should
follow up with perseverance.
This then is the meaning
of the words, (Master of our
strength) Rock of our stronghold,
Shield of our salvation, etc.:
Master of our strength is the
general power in the soul for
repentance that comes from [the
recognition of ones] distance
[from G-dliness]. That is, from
the perspective of ones essential
Jewish spark (which is the
essential point of his heart, called
Knesses Yisroel, the essential
point of Malchus within each
and every Jew), his distance from
G-dliness affects him to the core
of his soul, and he is aroused to a
complete tshuva in order to gain
closeness to G-dliness.
Rock of our stronghold,
etc., on the other hand, refers
to the particular levels of Nefesh,
Ruach, and Neshama, as they
are manifest within the worlds
Bria, Yetzira, Asiya, each at
its respective level. All of the
above refers to the transcendent
manifestation of Malchus, which
is drawn upon the aspects of his
soul, be it from Bria or Yetzira
or Asiya. These are, in fact, the
particular Ksarim within the four
worlds, Atzilus, Bria, Yetzira,
and Asiya, both in general and in
particular.
Lilui nishmas
Rivka bas Shmuel Ber
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TZIVOS HASHEM
JUST ASK
By Nechama Bar
R Berel Chasniker was

the devoted follower of the
Rebbe of Chernobyl. Just three
quarters of a day separated
Chasnik from Chernobyl but
in his heart he constantly
yearned to be with his Rebbe.
Sometimes, Berel would
pack his bundle and take a few
coins with him which he earned
with great effort, penny by
penny, and walk to the Rebbe.
He would tremblingly present
the coins to the Rebbe as a sort
of korban Mincha (sacrifice)
and the Rebbe would graciously
take his gift, making Berel the
happiest man around.
One day, good news made
its way around Chasnik. The
Rebbe was coming to visit!
Berel was thrilled. He eagerly
awaited the moment when he
would see the Rebbe. He was
convinced that he would get to
host the Rebbe in his humble
home. He set up a special room
for the Rebbe, cleaned up the
house and bought delicacies
with the little money he had.
When the Rebbes carriage
arrived at the entrance to
the town, Berel waited with
everyone else. But before he
got to see the Rebbe, the
1038_bm_eng.indd 34
Rebbes shamash came running

over to him.
The Rebbe said to tell you
that if you want to see him,
you need to pay 2000 rubles.
Otherwise, you will not be
allowed to see him, not in the
crowd and not individually.
Berel was dumbfounded.
2000 rubles?! That was an
astronomical sum of money!
Berel knew he had no chance
in the world of raising that
kind of money.
He turned around and went
home in tears. He so greatly
desired to see the Rebbe and
now, the Rebbe was so close
but so far
His wife Breindel was
kitchen,
the
in
cooking
preparing meat and fish in
honor of the Rebbe. As she
hovered over the pots, she
noticed her husband trudging
toward the house and looking
downcast.
She was surprised. She had
expected to see him rejoicing
as he led the Rebbe and his
entourage toward the house.
Berel could barely get the
words out. I cannot see the
Rebbe The Rebbe said only
only if I bring 2000 rubles
can I see him.

The big wooden spoon that
Breindel held dropped into the
pot of soup. What?! 2000
rubles? Are you sure you heard
correctly?
Berel nodded. Yes, no
doubt about it. I heard it
with my own ears from the
shamash.
Berel sat at the wooden
table, leaned his head on
his hands and sobbed. He
calculated that even if he sold
everything he had, the house
and its contents, he would not
have half that sum.
He exclaimed, Master of
the universe! I want to see the
Rebbe! Please, send me 2000
rubles. I dont know how, but
You have many ways. Please
Hashem, send me the money!
Berel, in heaven it was

decreed a long time ago that
you be rich, but Hashem
wanted you to ask. If you
would only ask to be rich, you
would immediately become
so.
Some time later Russia was
at war. When army regiments
stopped where people lived,
the residents were ordered to
host the soldiers.
2016-09-13 2:09:18 PM
He decided not to tell If you would only ask to be

In Chasnik too, a large
rich, you would immediately
contingent of soldiers arrived anyone, not even his wife.
become so. I knew that you
and Berel had to host some Only the Rebbe would know.
, would never think of asking
soldiers. Three of them were Now that he had the money
the for wealth. Why would you
sent to sleep in his house he could finally go to
make such a request? So I
to rest up so they could Rebbe.
up so you would be
took
he
day
the
That
contin
ue
of
same

his. set
'things
" toplead
Hashem
fightin
g. One
!!!
to
to
,'
'
forced
it with
soldiers was holding a large, old satchel and filled
.
send
you
'of

,a lot

'
.
money
metal box. He put the heavy the enormous amount of
happily
.
smiled
Berel
, money
Nobody
the
bed
went
under
he
had
found.
and
box
Rebbes surprising
later,
to sleep.
the
,
, ,
.a would
have
he Now
, A few
hours
guessed
.what
demand was understood.

whistle sounded that called had in the old bag.
...
becam
,
,e the
wealth
all the soldiers to head out.
When he arrived at the Berel
te, Berel Rapoport,
.
The soldier
their
sroom,
put the magnasubseq
,Rebbe
, s quickly
, he
got
tions
genera
uent
and
and
er
togeth
belongings
,
,
. money
on the
rushed out, forgetting the R e b b e s
under
, bed.
tab l e.
box
,
the
metal
the
on
shone
e
. H

A weak moon
soldiers as they departed the
.
.
town.
dawn,
s
,
the
soldier
At

rushed
back
to
Chasni
,
.'
.
k.The

commander shouted, Find
.
!
that box of money! Hurry!

that
box

, back!
I want
.
The
s were
: soldier

his

frighte
... ned
by
but
"
voice
thundering
.
...find
... the

box.
could not
,
, ander
gave
up
The comm

and told
." the
s to

soldier
leave.
.
was
two
weeks
later
It
.' '

the
Berel
noticed
that
that
, ,
was"
metal
box
????
in .his
house.

He was afraid lest he be
???
"?
.
punished for stealing it so he
not
did
and
secret
a
it
kept
.
. ."

w a s
,
touch it.
:
so

."

happy
.
A month later, when
to be able to
people
. ,
. had
en about
,see
the
Rebbe.

forgott

very rich and were
also
the incident, he dared to
were
,
what
Rebbe
the
"
told
Berel
box.
their
,us
the
famou
s for
genero
break the lock on

could
he
but
ed
happen
had
, . . .
re,
piles
of

,
tzdaka
of
There lay a.treasu
giving
tell that the Rebbe knew

bills with many coins.
***
." ,
!He
pinche
d himsel
! f to
see
" it : all
y. The
alread
Rebbe
us to
want
just
they
Yes,
and
while
a
thought for
, dream
ing.
!
, er he was
wheth
ask.
??? .
then said, Berel, in heaven
No, it wasnt his imagination
If we sincerely asked for
it was decreed a long time
or a trick. This was real.
but
rich,
be
you
Moshiach to come, surely he
ago that
Berel was rich!
ask.
to
you
d
would already be here.
Hashem wante
y"xa,wv kukt wj | ~ | 74
208.indd 2
1038_bm_eng.indd 5
Issue 1038
35
2016-09-13 2:08:49 PM
8/24/2009 11:52:46

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CONTENTS

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Beis Moshiach (USPS 012-542) ISSN 1082-0272

14. The conclusion based on

to this directive itself, we must

the deeds of our hands be established

MOSHIACH & HAKHEL

Dear Reader shyichyeh,

shturem the Rebbe made in 5724

On the one hand, we find that

4 13 Elul 5776 - Hakhel

about the different planes, the

Jewish soldiers from Eretz Yisroel taken captive by the Germans

he large zal of Tomchei Tmimim was packed

6 13 Elul 5776 - Hakhel

who are learning today in all of

all sang the Alter Rebbes niggun of

Ever since that historic event,

R Herzog, Chief Rabbi (center) with R Zislin (left)

This wondrous talk, cited here

cle waited along with many other

When the Rebbe Rashab

8 13 Elul 5776 - Hakhel

[ ] because it is a moral imperative

in the designated time, the divorce

Authorization for a conditional

A similar practice was employed in the United

draft that he vanished, then too,

ing and signing of a divorce when

10 13 Elul 5776 - Hakhel

to fight. But then something unexpected occurred. When they

footsteps of the Rishonim and

Instructions from the Agudas

dechai Piron. There were nearly

We began with a description and announcement by the

STAND UP, STAND UP,

HOW MANY TIMES A DAY

slightly when a parent enters.

12 13 Elul 5776 - Hakhel

colloquially called pas akum.

may be subject to the issur of bishul akum.)

as oleh al shulchan melachim. In

hotel hospitality suite. Moreover,

MAY I ATTEND A SOCIAL

14 13 Elul 5776 - Hakhel

jhanv lkn r"unst e"f ,uthab ,j,

P.O.B. 288 Brooklyn, New York 11225

To every member of the Lubavitcher community:

the Rebbes activities and concerns, consequently, by supporting an organization that

In the name of Vaad Kupas Rabbeinu

Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner

here alludes to the reward we will

rive riding on a donkey.

16 13 Elul 5776 - Hakhel

consider. It is generally accepted

THIS IS FOR THE BIRDS!

GETTING OUR WINGS

Maimonides explains, and

of the commandment to send