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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 940
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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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        October 6, 2006          Succos         14 Tishrei, 5767
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                             Family Picture

We've all been through it. Whether it happens at a wedding, a reunion, a
graduation, or just because the folks want one - getting everyone
together, behaving, smiling and sitting still - long enough for the
picture to be taken - can be quite an ordeal.

Finally everyone's lined up and - oops, two people want pictures taken
with their cameras, just a second, they have to show the photographer
which button to push and - at last!

Wait! The photographer wants one more shot just in case....

And as soon as the picture has been taken, everyone disperses immensely
relieved that the ordeal is over, and thank goodness no more family
pictures for a while.

And yet, after a week, when the picture hasn't arrived, everyone calls
Mom and Dad and asks when is it coming? Two weeks, three weeks. What's
the delay, and did I look alright, and I should have worn a different
outfit and I wonder if Sharon smiled (because of her braces) and - it's
here!

As we look at the picture, we start reminiscing. This family picture
evokes memories decades old - pleasant memories, strangely enough.
Everyone frames his or her copy, displays it on the mantel or hangs it
from the wall. This is my family, we tell anyone who comes into their
house. We say it with pride, too. Oh, sure, we're still feuding with
Martha and Stuart hasn't called in almost a year, not since the picture
was taken - but these are "in the family" squabbles. They're not as
important as this picture, which shows who we are, which displays our
unity and love - what we really feel about each other - to the world.

Our current month of Tishrei is like a family portrait. Oh, sure, we
have our squabbles during the year, disagreements and differences of
opinion, brought on by the press-ures of trying to bring G-dliness into
the world, of struggling against our natures. We have to make a living,
too, and that can be a source of conflict.

But all of this is on the surface. When it comes down to it, the Jewish
people gather together, put aside their differences, and celebrate their
unity - the spark of G-dliness within us all. That is, after all, the
message of Tishrei - from Rosh Hashana, when we coronate G-d as our
King, to Yom Kippur when we stand united, as we did at Sinai when
receiving the second set of tablets, to Sukkot when we literally dwell
under the same roof, to Simchat Torah, when all differences are lost in
the joyousness of the dance.

And as we go through the year, we can look back on the "family portrait"
- the way we spent the High Holidays and beyond, and how we absorbed its
theme of Jewish unity, of love for a fellow Jew being the highest
expression of love of G-d, and how that unity itself - our portrait
together in Tishrei - evokes in G-d not just a fond memory throughout
the year, but a desire to see us - all of us - united again, and this
time forever, with the coming of Moshiach and the final Redemption.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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The mitzva (commandment) of lulav and etrog requires us to take branches
or fruit from four different species of trees (these two and the myrtle
and the willow) and combine them in the performance of this mitzva. Our
Sages explain that each of the species used for this mitzva refers to a
different type of person, from the most spiritually developed to the
least refined.

Therein is an obvious lesson. The mitzva cannot be fulfilled with only
the etrog, the most elevated of the species. The willow - which in the
analogy to people refers to those on the lowest levels - is also
necessary. So, too, no person can attain fulfillment by remaining
isolated, out of touch with others. Even the realization of his
individual potential cannot be complete without him reaching out to
others and joining together with them.

Our Sages explain that the lulav and the etrog are a victory symbol,
indicating our vindication in the judgment of Rosh Hashana and Yom
Kippur. When we stand bound together in unity, as the lulav and etrog
teach, we can be assured of positive blessings in the year to come.

In our prayers, we describe Sukkot as "The Season of Our Rejoicing."
This theme will reach its ultimate fulfillment in the era of Moshiach,
when, as the Prophet relates, our people will return to the Land of
Israel "crowned with eternal joy." And as it says in Psalms: "Then [ -
as opposed to now - ] our mouths will be filled with laughter."

In previous generations, Jews did not need explanations why happiness
was associated specifically with Moshiach's time. It was quite obvious.
By and large, they did not live in happy times. But they knew that this
sadness was not forever. At one point, the trials and tribulations of
the exile would end and they would enjoy happiness and joy.

Today, however, when a person can enjoy all the comforts that a free and
affluent society has to offer, we are able to ask: What is so special
about the happiness that Moshiach will provide?

Although our Sages explain that we will have peace, prosperity, and
well-being in the era of the Redemption, these are not the essence of
that time. They are merely the backdrop and the setting that will allow
the message of the Redemption to be communicated more effectively.

In the present age, we're happy because things - good food, good people,
good times - make us happy. In the era of Mashiach, we won't need
external factors to make us feel happy. We will feel happy because we're
alive - because we have a soul and because we're living in G-d's world.
This awareness will be as real to us as material reality is today.

We have the potential to appreciate a foretaste of this happiness in the
present era. It is true that at present our knowledge of spirituality is
merely intellectual, and only in the future era will we have firsthand
experience of the spiritual core in our own being and in the world at
large. Nevertheless, even today, knowing that this is the truth and
focusing on it intensely can grant us a glimmer of this awareness and a
sampling of the happiness that will result from it.

Tasting this happiness and sharing it with others will precipitate the
time when this mindset will spread throughout all existence and "our
mouths will be filled with laughter."

     From Keeping in Touch, adapted from the teachings of the Rebbe
                                                 by Rabbi E. Touger

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                  How Do You Say "Sukkot" in Russian?
                       by Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz

After 70 years of Communism, building a Sukka in public in Russia is
actually like the thawing of the snow at the end of the winter.  Even in
the farthest reaches of Siberia it warms the Jewish heart.

In the last 15 years, Judaism has been rejuvenated across Russia-and
when it comes to Sukkot it is really a open miracle. Why? Because the
holiday of Sukkot was almost completely forgotten due to the dangers and
risks of attempting to build a Sukka or obtain a lulav and etrog.

To understand how Sukkot is celebrated today in Russia, and not just in
the major cities such as Moscow or Petersburg, but in the outlying and
distant communities, I want to share with you a story I heard a few
weeks ago, while I visited Kazan, a city in the largely Muslim Tatarstan
region of Russia.

After the morning services, led by the Chief Rabbi of Kazan Yitzchok
Garelik, on a regular weekday in the synagogue in Kazan, I was
introduced to Mr. Moshe Adinov, a 65-year-old local dentist and a member
of the minyan.  I asked him, "How is it that you come to shul to daven
(pray) every day?"  He told me the following remarkable story:

"My father was Reb Nachum Eliyahu Adinov. He was a scribe in Kazan
before WWII.  He kept the traditions in our home, but of course there
was no Jewish school.  I went to public school even on Shabbat. A lot of
tradition was weakened. Nevertheless, I remember growing up with as many
Jewish traditions and holidays as were possible.

"My father was afraid for my future. He always told me not to repeat to
others what we did at home.  'Be a Jew at home and a Russian in the
street,' he always said. I would have never been accepted at university
had I been a practicing Jew.

"We lived in a small wooden home, not in an apartment building like most
people.  We had a besedka, basically an open porch in the back of our
home.  Every year we'd celebrate Sukkot. My father would cover the top
of the besedka with leaves and foliage. (The requirements for fulfilling
the commandment of Sukka includes having an open-roof structure whose
top is covered with tree branches or other cut foliage.) We'd invite
over many Jewish friends. I always felt a little bad our Sukka; even
though it was the only Sukka in town, I was embarrassed as I thought we
could not afford to put a 'real roof' on the Sukka. My father would make
Kiddush on wine, tell stories and gently speak to us, and this memory of
Sukkot always stayed with me.

"My father died in 1965, and I inherited his home. I wanted to keep the
Sukkot tradition alive, so that my children, too, would have an
authentic Jewish experience. But I wanted to celebrate the holiday
properly! I had friends in the steel industry, and so I had them
construct a sturdy aluminum roof that we would put on the top of the
besedka each year when Sukkot arrived. I was proud that I continued my
father's tradition.

In 1998, Chabad-Lubavitch sent Rabbi Yitzchok Garelik and his wife Chana
here. It was so beautiful to have a young rabbi and wife celebrating in
public what I always did secretly.  It was incredible for me. That year,
Rabbi Garelik said to me, 'Reb Moshe, tomorrow is Sukkos. I want you to
come to the beautiful Sukka we built.' At night, when I walked into the
Sukka, I saw Rabbi Garelik in his holiday finest, holding an overflowing
glass of wine, candles shining on his face. and foliage, branches and
trees above his head!

"At first, I stood there in shock. Then I was overcome with emotion and
I began to cry. I suddenly realized that what my father did was the way
it's supposed to be, and for the last 30 years by placing an aluminum
roof, I wasn't doing it the right way, and I only meant to make the
Sukka more beautiful. I was utterly broken. I had not only not fulfilled
the mitzva of Sukka, but I had even desecrated it!

"When Rabbi Garelik heard my story, he told me: 'Your father is looking
down from Heaven with all the great Jews of the past and smiling. I
promise you G-d had pleasure in your desire to beautify the mitzva of
Sukka, because you did it with such love and sincerity, even though you
did not understand all of the details.'

"Since then, I have continued to learn and understand our traditions. I
and my family are involved as part of the community and today celebrate
all the holidays with their rich fullness."

In Russia today, only synagogues have Sukkot, as most Jews live in
apartment buildings. The Sukkot holiday becomes an incredible community
event. Despite the cold, everyone comes to the community Sukka. People
sing, spend family time together, laugh, talk, and enjoy the words of
Torah and stories that are constantly flowing and keeping us warm.

This is the true story of Sukkot in the former Soviet Union. Just like
the spark of Jewishness itself, Communism never was able to truly stamp
Sukkot out.

    Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz is the Executive Director of the Federation
    of Jewish Communities of the CIS, an umbrella organization of 452
    communities across the former Soviet Union. In most communities,
    Sukkot celebrations will be taking place this year. To find out more
    visit www.fjc.ru

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                             Public Sukkot

If you work in Manhattan you can visit one of the Lubavitch Youth
Organization's large public Sukkas during the intermediate days of the
holiday. They will be open October 9 - 13. The Sukkas are located at
three key points in NYC: the International Sukka in Ralph Bunch Park
near the Isaiah Wall at the United Nations; the Garment Center Sukka
across from Macy's at Greeley Square; the Wall Street Sukka in Battery
Park near the Netherlands flagpole. For more information call LYO at
(718) 778-6000. To find out about public sukkot in your area call your
local Chabad-Lubavitch Center.

                              PLEASE NOTE

This issue of L'Chaim is for 14/21 Tishrei, 5767 - Oct. 6/14, 2006. The
next issue (#941) is for 28 Tishrei /Oct. 20, the Torah portion of
Bereshit.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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              Freely translated from letters of the Rebbe
            the first day of Chol HaMoed Sukkos, 5705 (1945)

Greetings and blessings,

...To conclude with a matter relevant to these days between Yom Kippur
and Sukkos: The Maharil writes: Directly after Yom Kippur, every person
should be occupied with making his sukkah. For the days of teshuvah
(repentance) have been completed. On the first day where there is the
possibility of sin, heaven forbid, he should first begin with
involvement in a mitzvah. The germ of this concept is quoted by the Rama
(Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 624:5).

There is a deep concept alluded to here. When a person has repented for
his past conduct and he is concerned that he will not sin in the future,
the advice given him is: Occupy yourself with a sukkah.

The following mistaken approaches are the most common causes for an
upright person to sin:

 a. One thinks that the Torah and its mitzvos (commandments) are
    relegated for specific times during the day and afterwards, he may
    do whatever he wants;

 b. One thinks that the Torah and its mitzvos are applicable only to
    one of a person's limbs: his head (according to the understanding of
    Mussar, that Torah study is sufficient) or the heart ("G-d desires
    the heart." In this instance, one might err and think that the
    actual observance of the mitzvos is only secondary and not
    fundamentally important).

When one focuses one's thought on the mitzvah of sukkah, the first
mitzvah which follows the granting of atonement for our sins, one will
see that one must dwell in the sukkah as one lives in one's home (Sukkah
26a). For the mitzvah is a person's dwelling. It encompasses his entire
body from his feet until his head, including his garments and utensils
as well.

With holiday blessings and blessings for a g'mar tov (a good
completion),

                                *  *  *

                        13 Tishrei, 5704 (1944)


Greetings and blessings,

...As our Sages comment in the Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah, ch. 30), the
festival of Sukkos is the first day of the reckoning between the Holy
One, blessed be He, and the Jewish people after the atonement granted on
Yom Kippur. On that day, we are commanded (Vayikra 23:40): "And you
shall take for yourselves the fruit of a beautiful tree (the etrog),
palm branches, a bough of a thick-leaved tree (the myrtle), and willows
of the brook."

Our Sages comment in the Midrash:

These are the Jewish people. The etrog alludes to people who possess the
advantages of both Torah study and good deeds. The lulav alludes to
people who possess the advantages of Torah study, but not those of good
deeds. The myrtle alludes to people who possess the advantages of good
deeds, but not those of Torah study. The willow alludes to people who
possess neither the advantages of Torah study, nor good deeds. The Holy
One, blessed be He, says: "Bind them together as a single collective. At
that moment, I am upraised."...

                                *  *  *

          Erev Shabbos Kodesh, Parshas Lech Lecha, 5704 (1944)


I asked ... my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe shlita, and he responded
as follows:

"Banging the willow [on Hoshana Rabba - the last day of the Sukkot
festival] draws down attributes of severity that have been sweetened.
Attributes of severity that have been sweetened reflect G-d's abundant
kindness as it descends in overtly apparent goodness."

...Based on the statements in Likkutei Torah, Parshas Korach, the maamar
entitled Vihenei Porach, we can appreciate that:

 1. Through [G-d's] abundant kindness, overtly apparent goodness is
    drawn down to this material realm.

 2. This influence is drawn down by "Aharon and his descendants, the
    priests who raise their hands and bless the people with the Priestly
    Blessing."

            From I Will Write it in Your Heart, translated by Rabbi
                    Eliyahu Touger, published by Sichos in English.

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                                CUSTOMS
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                 What is the reason for making a Sukka?

One of the miracles that occurred during the Exodus from Egypt was the
presence of clouds surrounding the Jews from all sides, providing
protection from the elements. The sukka reminds us of this miracle. We
observe the mitzva of the sukka in autumn and not in the spring when the
Exodus took place, though. This is because during the spring, people
might think the sukka was just a pleasant relocation for the nice
weather. In autumn it is cold and rainy; it is obvious that the sukka is
built to remind us of the miracle, not for our pleasure.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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On the festival of Sukkot we are commanded to dwell in the sukka. In
addition to this mitzva, there are other mitzvot connected with the
holiday, such as making the blessing on the lulav and etrog (palm and
citron). The name of the holiday, though, is associated particularly
with the sukka -- a temporary booth or hut -- which we erect for the
eight-day festival. This is because the Sukka possesses certain
qualities not possessed by the other mitzvot in general and those of the
festival, in particular.

The mitzva of dwelling in the sukka begins the instant the festival
commences. We are told to live in the sukka as if it were our own house.
The biggest difference, though, between the mitzva of sukka and other
mitzvot is that all other commandments are performed with particular
parts of the body, or involve specific activities. But the mitzva of
sukka surrounds and envelopes the entire body and encompasses all the
activities of the individual. During the days of Sukkot, one is involved
in the same activities as in an ordinary week - eating, drinking, etc.
But, in the sukka, these acts are imbued with holiness.

This aspect of the sukka teaches us an important lesson. Not only during
times of prayer or Torah-study must we serve G-d, but even in our
eating, drinking, and other mundane activities.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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The sukka will be... a shelter and refuge from downpour and rain (Isaiah
4:6)

Of the Torah's 613 mitzvot, 248 are positive precepts and 365 negative
prohibitions. It is forbidden to either add to or subtract from these
commandments. From where do we derive the strength to observe them? From
the observance of the mitzva of sukka. This is alluded to by the
numerical equivalent of the words "downpour" (zerem), equalling 247 and
"rain" (matar), equalling 249. The mitzva of sukka safeguards against
altering the number of Divine commands.

                                   (Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson)

                                *  *  *

                                 Lulav


The word "lulav" is comprised of two Hebrew words - lo (to him) and lev
(heart), to teach us that a person must always strive to subjugate his
entire heart to "Him" - to the Holy One, Blessed be He.

                                                    (Likutei Torah)

                                *  *  *

         The Joy of the Water-Drawing - Simchat Beit HaShoeiva


When G-d differentiated between the upper and lower waters on the second
day of creation, the lower waters wept, complaining that they, too,
wanted to be in close proximity to the King. To placate them, G-d
promised that one day, water would be poured upon the altar in the Holy
Temple. The Joy of the Water-Drawing, therefore, symbolizes the
transformation of sadness and tears into the joy of doing a mitzva.

                                            (The Lubavitcher Rebbe)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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It was just a day before the festival of Sukkot, and not a single etrog
could be found in all of Berdichev. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, the Rebbe of
Berdichev, and the entire community, were concerned about how would
fulfill the mitzva (commandment) of reciting a blessing on the "four
species" which included the lulav and etrog. They gathered together in
the synagogue to raise their voices in prayer to the Alm-ghty to send a
miracle, or at the very least, an etrog! The hours ticked by and Reb
Levi Yitzchak instructed a few of his Chasidim to travel to the
crossroads of the main highway. Perhaps there they would find a Jew who
was traveling home for the holiday with an etrog.

Indeed, they found a Jew who was on his way home after a long business
trip. He had with him a beautiful etrog. But the traveler's destination
was not Berdichev; he was merely passing through on his way home to
another city.

Reb Levi Yitzchak's Chasidim persuaded the businessman to stop for a few
minutes in order to greet their Rebbe. Reb Levi Yitzchak tried with all
his persuasiveness to convince the man to spend Sukkot in Berdichev. In
this way, an entire town full of Jews would be able to properly perform
the mitzva of lulav and etrog.

But, alas, the Jew would not agree. He was traveling home to his family
whom he had not seen for a long time. What kind of simchat Yom Tov, joy
of the holiday, would be and his family have if they were separate for
the festival?

Reb Levi Yitzchak increased the pressure in an attempt to convince the
businessman. A few hundred Jews fulfilling the mitzva in his merit
wasn't enough? Reb Levi Yitzchak promised the Jew wealth and nachat
(pleasure) from his children. But this, too, was refused by the Jew.
For, thank G-d, he was already wealthy and he had a household of fine
children.

But every man has his price. And so, in desperation, Reb Levi Yitzchak
offered the man that if he would stay in Berdichev for Sukkot, the Rebbe
would assure him that they would be together in the World to Come.

When the businessman heard this offer from the Rebbe, he immediately
agreed to stay in Berdichev for the festival of Sukkot. Rabbi Levi
Yitzchak and the entire community were delighted. But the businessman
was sure that he had gotten the better deal.

The businessman retired to his lodgings to prepare himself for the
holiday. Unbeknownst to him, Reb Levi Yitzchak issued an order to the
entire Jewish community that no one should invite the businessman home
for the holiday meals. Not only that, under no circumstance should
anyone invite him into their sukka. It should be noted that it is a
mitzva (commandment) to "dwell in the sukka" during the festival. This
includes partaking of one's meals in the outdoor, temporary hut.

When the services in the main synagogue in Berdichev were over, the
businessman thought it a little odd that no one invited him to their
home and sukka to partake of the holiday meal. He returned to the Jewish
inn where he was staying to contemplate the situation and found there
wine, challahs, and a table covered with mouth-watering food. The
businessman was once again baffled. Surely the inn has a sukka. Why did
the innkeeper set up the meal in his room?

The businessman walked outside and easily located the sukka. He looked
inside and saw the innkeeper and his family gustily singing songs in
honor of the festival. Meekly at first, and then a bit more
aggressively, the businessman knocked on the sukka door. But what was
this? The innkeepers was utterly ignoring him, as if he did not exist at
all.

This scene - the businessman knocking at sukkot throughout the town and
not being invited to enter - repeated itself at each sukka he visited.
His request to be invited in fell on deaf ears. The rumbling in his
stomach meant nothing to him compared to the longing in his heart to sit
in a sukka on the first night of the festival. After much effort, the
businessman finally managed to extract from one of the Chasidim that
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak had decreed that he should not be allowed into a
single sukka in Berdichev.

With trepidation and growing panic, the businessman went to Rabbi Levi
Yitzchak's home. "How have I wronged you that you commanded your
Chasidim not to allow me to enter their sukkot?" he cried to the Rebbe.

Calmly but firmly Rabbi Levi Yitzchak demanded, "If you will nullify the
promise I made to you that we would be together in the World to Come, I
will tell my followers to allow you into their sukkot."

The businessman weighed his options. He tried using his keen business
sense to decide if this was a good deal, or at the very least, not a
total wash-out.

"What can I do?" he reluctantly thought to himself. "It is indeed a
great thing to be assured a place with the Rebbe in the World to Come.
However, I have never in my life not fulfilled the mitzva of eating in
the sukka!" An inner struggle took place within the businessman. Rabbi
Levi Yitzchak was very patient and finally the businessman came to his
decision. "All Jews are sitting in sukkot tonight and I will eat inside
the house like Ivan? Rebbe, I give you back your portion in the World to
Come so that I may fulfill the mitzva of eating in the Sukka. He then
joyously sat himself down in the Rebbe's sukka.

When the festival concluded, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak called the Jew to his
home."I am returning my promise. You see, I didn't want you to merit the
World to Come as if it were a business deal or bargain. I wanted you to
earn your place in the World to Come. So, I caused you to be tested in
the mitzva of sukka and you have passed. You have shown true resolve
concerning the sukka. Now you surely deserve an exalted place in the
World to Come."

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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"May the Merciful One restore for us the fallen sukka of David.... May
the Merciful One grant us the privilege of reaching the days of the
Moshiach and the life of the World to Come."

                            (From the  Grace After Meals on Sukkot)

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                END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 940 - Succos 5767
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