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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 902
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                           Copyright (c) 2006
                 Lubavitch Youth Organization - L.Y.O.
                              Brooklyn, NY
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             THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR EVERY JEWISH PERSON
   Dedicated to the memory of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson N.E.
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        January 6, 2006         Vayigash           6 Tevet, 5766
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                         Moving Out, Moving On

If you've ever had to move, you know that it's a mix of emotions.
Whether you're just moving across town (you finally bought a house) or
across the country (you've got a new job), you're relocating to be near
the grandchildren, the hassles, irritants and details remain the same.

The internet has simplified things somewhat. You can change your address
online, set up phone service, etc. Even so, you better have a checklist
of utilities and services to be turned on and turned off. And you still
have to worry about checking accounts - when to close and where to open.

And that's the easy part. The worst part is the packing. If you hire
movers, you have to watch them every step of the way. And you still have
to pack some things yourself. Oy, the packing! Throw it away or take it
with you? Do you have enough boxes? How could we run out of packing
tape?

Finally, it's time to say goodbye. You're leaving behind a lot of
memories and, glad as you may be to leave, there's a tinge of regret.

Now, though, it's time to move on. It's a challenge and it's scary, ok,
exciting in a way, but still, it has to be scary because you don't know
what and were you will be. And the unknown is always a bit scary.

But you know this much and of this much you're sure: you can't move on
until you move out.

This process - packing up, letting go, moving out, moving on - describes
how we grow as Jews. As we learn more Torah, begin to observe more
mitzvot (commandments), we find ourselves "moving out" of our former
lifestyle. We have to decide what we will "pack up" and take with us -
what material objects, what attachments, what ideas, what emotions - and
what we need to leave behind, what we should let go because it will be a
burden or it's just not necessary any more.

And then we have to actually make the move - move out from where we were
and move on to where we will be.

As we move toward Redemption, we must follow the same procedure.
Bringing Moshiach requires us to "move out and move on." Of course, much
of what we've accumulated in our "pre-Moshiach" state we not only want
to take with us, we should take with us. Friendships, Torah study,
mitzvot we're observing, acts of goodness and kindness, even the
material objects that help us civilize the world, make it a dwelling
place for G-dliness - these we take with us.

But before we move - move out of a "pre-Moshiach" mode and move on to a
"Moshiach lifestyle" - we have to get rid of the junk we've accumulated
- the emotional baggage (petty jealousies, for example), the outmoded
ideas (yes, we really can live without checking our email on Shabbat).

Yes, moving on to a Moshiach mind-set can be a challenge, and a bit
scary because we haven't been there before and it's not exactly clear
where "there" will be. Still, when it's time to leave a place, we get a
restless feeling, a sense that we've gone as far as we can go.

Sometimes, of course, we ignore our intuition until events force us to
recognize that indeed, it's time to move out. Time to move out of exile
and move on to Redemption.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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The Jewish nation has endured four exiles: The first in Egypt, the
second in Babylonia, the third in Assyria. The fourth and final exile is
the one we have been in for the last two thousand years, the "exile of
Edom." (Edom stands for Rome, and symbolizes the countries of the
Western world.)

The Torah portion of Vayigash delineates the beginning of the Jewish
people's journey into exile. G-d appeared to Jacob and promised, "I will
descend with you into Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again."
Bolstered by this promise, Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt and
began the Jewish people's 210-year sojourn there.

In many respects the exile in Egypt was the harshest of all the exiles;
it occurred before the giving of the Torah, which afforded future
generations the strength to withstand the suffering.  Also, as with
other painful experiences, the first time it occurs the wound is always
the deepest and the hardest to overcome.

In addition, the Jews' exile in Egypt differed from future ones in that
all Jews were involved. Later exiles found Jews scattered all over the
world, assuring that whenever Jews were discriminated against in one
country there were other lands in which they enjoyed relative freedom,
and could come to the aid of their brethren.

Furthermore, Egypt itself was a land that posed particular difficulties.
Not only was it spiritually corrupt, but our Sages describe it as a
fortified country from which not even one slave could escape.

This first and most difficult exile served one positive purpose - to act
as preparation for the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Egypt was the
crucible in which the Jewish nation was purified and made worthy of the
Torah.

We learn this from the Hebrew name for Egypt, "Mitzrayim," which comes
from the word meaning "limitation" and "constriction."

When water's flow is artificially blocked by placing an obstruction in
its path, the water flows even more forcefully because of the temporary
impasse. When one's thumb is held over the tap to partially obstruct the
flow, the water shoots out that much more forcefully from the faucet.

Such is the Divine purpose of our exile, to uncover within every Jew the
hidden strengths and stores of faith that are in the Jewish soul. The
difficulties and pressures of the exile cause these inner qualities and
self-sacrifice to be revealed.

The experience of exile can be used for our maximum benefit - to
strengthen our commitment to Torah and mitzvot. Just as the Jews
eventually left Egypt victorious and with "great wealth," and were
worthy of receiving the Torah, may we be worthy to usher in the
Messianic era, now.

                   Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.


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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                         Rediscovering Judaism
                             by Tim Collie

Like many Jewish Russians his age, 28-year-old Alexander Kaller often
teaches his parents and elders about their heritage - a religion and
culture forbidden for much of their lives.

A rabbi at one of the few Russian-language synagogues in South Florida,
in a Sunny Isles strip mall, Kaller came of age as the Soviet Union
collapsed and government repression of Jews disintegrated.

He's old enough to remember student files and an internal passport
labeling him as Jewish but young enough to have had a religious
education that his parents and grandparents never could have enjoyed
under the Soviet system.

"We almost lost Judaism in Russia; another generation of communism and
most Jews would have lost all knowledge of Jewishness," said Kaller, a
rabbi in the ultra-Orthodox Chabad Lubavitch movement who moved to South
Florida three years ago. "But in Russia today, in Moscow, you have a
renaissance with synagogues that are busy and blossoming and booming."

Once considered hostile to Jewish culture, Russia now is experiencing a
remarkable resurgence in Judaism, and has become the driving force
behind the growth of Jewish communities across Eastern and Western
Europe.

Kaller straddles two worlds, traveling frequently these days to a Russia
in the midst of a Jewish renaissance while ministering to many émigrés
in Florida who are rediscovering their Jewish roots.

Sitting in his office in Sunny Isles, Kaller explained that he was not
circumcised until he was 14. And his experience was not uncommon. A bris
- the traditional circumcision ceremony conducted on a boy's eighth day
of life - could land a father in jail in the former Soviet Union.

"We just recently did circumcisions on one guy who was 20, another who
was 30 and a third who was 59," said Kaller. "In Russia, I directed a
Jewish boys' camp and we circumcised over 50 kids."

"Only a decade ago most people wouldn't even admit they were Jewish; it
was too dangerous, it could cost you a job or an apartment," explained
Rabbi Berl Lazar. "But today people have no problem telling people they
are Jewish, showing up and getting involved in Jewish community centers
and synagogues.

"The result is that the roles are reversed: It is the young who are
leading the way for the mothers and fathers," Lazar said. Lazar is one
of the most influential Jewish leader in Russia today.

He's also a rabbi in the 200-year-old Chabad Lubavitch movement, a
branch of Judaism that is driving the reconstruction of many Jewish
communities throughout Eastern and Western Europe. Chabad has poured
hundreds of millions of dollars into rebuilding synagogues and community
centers, recovering lost Torahs and staffing communities with rabbis.

"Chabad was always in Russia, they were the hardcore who were always
practicing underground, and that gives them the credibility," said
Kaller. "They're the reason I turned to Judaism. It was Chabad programs
that sparked my interest, gave me the guidance I needed."

Although his parents never lost their Jewish identity - it was, after
all, stamped in their passports - they were not religious and knew very
little about Jewish culture. When their son began attending a Jewish
religious program in Moscow, they began learning more.

"I started to become religious around 14 or 15 and it was very hard for
my parents to understand," Kaller recalled. "It was kind of strange and
odd to them. They were always very nervous, because it wasn't the best
career field to go into. Now it's more me influencing them to become a
little bit more observant and be more active in terms of their Judaism."

Kaller's father, Yacov, said the family had good reasons to keep their
faith private. As a young man applying to technical schools, Yacov
Kaller was rejected over and over again because he was Jewish. He
finally applied to a film school and became a successful producer in the
Soviet film industry.

"It's very hard to understand those times now," said Yacov Kaller, 58,
in an interview at his apartment in Moscow. "But I remember one time
going to a local synagogue, just because I was curious. It was during
Rosh Hashana. It was around 1967, the time of the Six-Day War."

"What happened in Israel got me thinking about being Jewish, so I
decided to go to the synagogue," Yacov Kaller said. "I went there at
night. The very next morning the dean of the university called me in and
told me he knew what I had done. I had been watched and spotted going
there. He said, 'Do you really need to be doing this?' He made it very
clear to me that if I wanted to stay in school and have a career it
wasn't a good idea to stay there."

That sounds like ancient history to Alexander Kaller's younger sister,
Anya, who, like many younger Jewish Russians, once dreamed of
immigrating to Israel or South Florida. Now she wants to stay in Russia.
She's a psychology student at the Higher School of Economics, works
part-time for the Jewish Agency in Moscow and doesn't see being Jewish
as an obstacle. In fact, she said, it may be an advantage.

"People in my university always tell me it's cool to be Jewish - they're
very curious about it," said Anya Kaller, 18. "I've had friends who
immigrated to Israel and now they want to come back. They miss this
place so much.

"Five years ago, I wanted to ... leave for Israel or the States but not
anymore," she added. "I don't want to live anywhere else. I love this
country, I love being Jewish here. I don't want to be Jewish anywhere
else."

        Excerpted and reprinted from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                         Two New Chabad Centers
                             Pudong, China

Rabbi Avrohom and Nechamie Greenberg will be arriving soon in the Far
East. They will be opening a Chabad House in Pudong, Shanghai in China.
Pudong has recently become the city of choice for Jewish businessmen to
move to when their business ventures require relocating to China. The
new emissaries will be involved with these families as well as the local
Jewish community
                        Washington Heights, NYC

Rabbi Yakov and Elisheva Kirschenbaum recently moved to the Washington
Heights neighborhood in New York City where they have establishing a new
Chabad House in the community.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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        Freely translated letter to (then) member of Knesset of
                    the Techiya Party, Geulah Cohen

                         19 Sivan, 5729 (1969)

Blessings and Greetings!

... I wonder a bit about your surprise that in certain circles, myself
among them, the title "State of Israel" was never accepted. The reason
is quite easy to understand: The land of Canaan was given as an
inheritance to the Nation of Israel beginning with the covenant between
G-d and Abraham. The name "Land of Israel" was then established, in
place of the name "Land of Canaan." So has it been fixed for thousands
of years. This is firmly grounded in the Torah, and is rooted in the
vocabulary of the entire nation, from young to old. Such matters are not
subject to the vote of the majority, the outcome of which is liable to
change from time to time (this change being, naturally, capricious).
After all the various incidents and changes which have occurred recently
- for better, or, painfully, for the opposite - it is also impossible to
be confident about the present change. Actually, such conjecture whether
or not to accept the new title is quite unnecessary since in my opinion,
as I mentioned, the matter is not given to determination by referendum.
Just as the name of the "Nation of Israel" is not subject to vote in
order to determine whether the Jewish People shall be referred to as
they are in the Torah - The "Nation of Israel," or the "Nation of
Canaan," etc. - so it is regarding the "Land of Israel."

Assume one were to raise an additional point: suppose a new title for
the land were necessary. Such an addition weakens the claim and
ownership of the Nation of Israel over the Land of Israel, including
even the confined area which was liberated in 1948, because:

 i. a new name gives the entire entity the appearance of being something
    novel, which was only born in 1948. Thus, inevitably, Jewish claim
    and ownership over the land also began only then. There is at least
    a shade of connotation of novelty - the diametric opposite of the
    Torah's stance as represented by Rashi in the opening of his
    explanation of the Torah.

    Here I stress that the custom of our nation from time immemorial has
    been that a five-year-old begins studying the Five Books of Moses.

    This means that Rashi's words are directed to the Children of Israel
    beginning at age five:

    "If the nations of the world should say to the Jews 'You are
    thieves, for you have conquered the land of the seven nations,' the
    Children of Israel should answer them: 'The whole world belongs to
    the Holy One; at will He gave it to them, and at will He took it
    from them and gave it to us.'"

    You are most certainly aware that many, many nations have made this
    claim, even in our times. I have not found a single answer to this
    claim besides the most ancient traditional one found in the words of
    our sages.

ii. Some say that this term, "State of Israel" is another manifestation
    of the general approach and plan to become "like the nations of the
    world." This theory has already claimed many lives, both physical
    and spiritual - and to our anguish continues to wreak destruction
    among the sons and daughters of Israel.

    I am especially surprised that you should be the one to raise such
    an argument. Until now, I had been positive that you were counted
    among those who say that the Land of Israel belongs to the Nation of
    Israel, and that its borders are specifically delineated in the
    Torah. In Parshas Masei it is written: "All these shall be your
    boundaries on all sides." Yet "because of our sins we were exiled
    from our land and driven far from our soil" - but even during the
    exile it is still our land and our soil. This title, "State of
    Israel," allows room to label parts of the Land of Israel as no more
    than "territories" which were "conquered" by the Israeli Defense
    Forces in the Six Day War. Furthermore, the entire concept of
    conquest implies seizing the land by force from its owners through
    one's own superior military prowess.

    I do not wish to speak at length about this painful subject, mainly
    because the general cause for it is the approach of wanting to be
    like all the nations. Certainly my comments are not necessary, for
    you surely read about it in the newspapers and books which are
    available in the Land of Canaan (- according to the writers of those
    articles and books; it is just that some of them say this openly,
    and others only hint that this is their intention).

... May it be G-d's Will that you send along positive news concerning
all the above, as we discussed during your visit here.

With Respect and Blessing,

        From "When Silence is a Sin" published by Sichos In English

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                            RAMBAM THIS WEEK
*********************************************************************
11 Tevet, 5766 - January 11, 2006

Positive Mitzvah 127: The First Tithe

This mitzva is based on the verse (Num. 18:24) "But the tithes of the
Children of Israel which they offer as a gift" We are commanded to give
a tenth of all the land's produce to the Levites. The Levites were not
given an inheritance of land as were the other tribes. Instead, this
share of our crop is considered their inheritance. Since there are other
types of "tithes," (which means: a tenth of the amount), this one is
called: "The First Tithe."

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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When was the beginning of the destruction of the first Holy Temple? The
destruction began place when the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem on
the 10th of Tevet, January 10 this year. This day is traditionally
designated as a fast day.

But this year, G-d willing, maybe we'll "break with tradition"; maybe we
won't fast! Maybe we won't shed bitter tears and mourn for the Holy
Temple's destruction! How could this possibly be?

When Moshiach comes - may he arrive before the 10th of Tevet - we will
no longer fast on the three days designated to commemorate the
destruction of the Temple. Rather, these days will become days of
rejoicing, gladness and festivity.

How can we turn this dream into a reality? The Lubavitcher Rebbe
repeatedly emphasized that each and every individual can hasten
Moshiach's arrival. How can this be accomplished? By increasing our acts
of kindness, goodness and tzedaka; by actively awaiting his arrival at
any moment; by preparing ourselves to greet him; by learning more about
Moshiach and the Ultimate Redemption.

A viable suggestion toward this end would be that each time we do an
additional act of kindness, or goodness, give tzedaka or do mitzvot, we
do so with the intent of hastening the Final Redemption. By doing this
ourselves and encouraging those around us to do so the same, we will
bring Moshiach that much closer.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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And you shall tell my father of all my honor in Egypt (Gen. 45:13)

"Tell my father not to worry," Joseph requested of his brothers. "All
the honor and respect heaped upon me by the Egyptians has not had a
negative effect. It has not made me lose the humility necessary to
worship G-d properly."

                                               (Gedolei HaChasidut)

                                *  *  *


And he saw all the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him (Gen.
45:27)

Rashi comments that with these wagons Joseph alluded to the very last
subject in Torah he had learned with his father Jacob before being sold
into slavery, that of the egla arufa (beheaded heifer). When Jacob saw
the wagons (agalot - the same root word as egla), he realized that his
son was sending the message that he had not forgotten all that he had
learned with his father so many years ago. We see from this that
seemingly insignificant actions of the righteous  are fraught with
meaning and serve as lessons and examples for those who take heed.

                                               (Maayana Shel Torah)

                                *  *  *


My lord asked his servants, "Do you have a father or a brother?" (Gen.
44:19)

Judah tried, with this statement, to disprove Joseph's contention that
the "stolen" cup magically told him everything. "If your cup is really
magic and you already know all about us, why did you ask so many
questions about our family?" claimed Judah.

                                                     (Sefer Darush)

                                *  *  *


Here is seed for you; and you shall sow the land (Gen. 47:23)

The righteous Joseph, the spiritual leader of every generation, gives
each of us the encouragement and strength we need to worship G-d. But we
must not rely solely on that which we receive from the tzadik; we must
also sow the seeds we are given.

                                            (The Lubavitcher Rebbe)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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A Jew who lived in Vitebsk, White Russia, had always enjoyed good
health, but one day he suddenly fell ill. He did not know what was wrong
with him and despite the various remedies he took, he became worse from
day to day. He saw a doctor, who prescribed a medicine, but that did not
help him either. Finally, he decided to see the greatest doctor in town,
who was known as the Professor, reputedly the greatest medical
specialist in the whole region.

The Professor gave the patient a very thorough examination, asked him
many questions, and then told him he was sorry he could not help him.
"Only G-d can help you," he said gravely.

Understandably the poor Jew was greatly alarmed.

Then he remembered hearing that in the nearby small town, Liozna, there
was a saintly Rebbe who had helped many people. So he set off for Liozna
to visit this great man, the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman.

Arriving at the Rebbe's house he found many other Jews waiting. He was
admitted to see the Rebbe among the first ones on the list.

When he came into the presence of the Rebbe, he could not hold back his
tears, and poured out his heart describing his desperate condition,
begging the Rebbe to help him for the sake of his wife and children.

The Rebbe replied, "A doctor's job is to heal, and not to make his
patient feel worse. Actually your condition is not at all serious; it is
just a kind of fever and will pass."

Astonished, the Jew asked, "But Rebbe, if it is a fever shouldn't I be
shivering?"

"So you well shiver," answered the Rebbe, reassuringly.

The Jew could hardly believe what he had heard and was, of course,
overjoyed.

No sooner had he left the Rebbe than he felt cold, and began to shiver
slightly. And, as he continued on his way home, the shivering increased.
As soon as he got home, he went straight to bed.

He stayed in bed for a few days, and then suddenly the shivering
stopped. He felt so much better that he was soon able to get out of bed,
feeling like a new man!

Some time later, as the Jew was walking down the street, he came face to
face with the professor, who recognized him at once. "Aren't you the
patient who came to see me some time ago, critically ill?" the Professor
asked him.

"Yes, sir," answered the man.

"I am certainly delighted to see you looking so well," the professor
continued. "Tell me, my friend, what happened to bring about such an
unexpected recover, and what medicine did you take?"

The Jew told him that after the professor had given him up, he went to
see the famed Rebbe in Liozna, who told him that his illness was nothing
but a kind of fever.

"That I also knew," said the doctor. "But a fever can be extremely
dangerous unless it develops into hot and cold shivering. For that is
the way the body can rid itself of the sickness. The trouble with you
was that you showed no signs of shivering. I knew of no medicine that
that could bring about such shivering. That is why I told you I could
not help you."

"As a matter of fact, when the Rebbe told me I had a fever, I asked him,
'If I have a fever, would I not be shivering?' to which he replied, 'So
you will shiver.' And sure enough no sooner did I leave the Rebbe's
presence than I began to shiver. I got into bed and shivered hot and
cold for several days. Then, with G-d's help I recovered completely from
my illness."

"'With G-d's help' you said. Wasn't that what I also told you, 'I cannot
help you, only G-d can help you!"' the professor exclaimed happily.

All smiles, the professor and his erstwhile patient shook hands, wishing
each other good health.

Added the professor, "Some day I hope to see your Rebbe, but not in a
professional capacity. No doubt he can do more for me than I for him."

                 Reprinted from Talks and Tales, Kehot Publications

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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"Even though a number of verses foretell that there will be great wars,
including the wars of Gog and Magog, at the time of the coming of
Moshiach, through his prayers, Rebbe Elimelech secured an assurance from
Heaven that at that time there will be no wars; rather, the miller will
be standing with his measuring vessel in hand, selling his flour, and
the clothier will be standing with his measuring tape, selling his
fabrics - and all of a sudden Eliyahu will arrive and announce: 'Behold,
Moshiach has come!'"

                                              (Sefer Shomer Emunim)

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               END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 902 - Vayigash 5766
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