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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 970
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                           Copyright (c) 2007
                 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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        May 18, 2007            Bamidbar           1 Sivan, 5767
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                             The First Word
                         by Rabbi Tuvia Bolton

Once, the chasid Reb Mendel Futerfas saw one of his friends coming out
of the room in the synagogue where pages of holy books are stored until
the are buried (as it is forbidden to dispose of them in a disrespectful
manner). The friend had a pile of torn pages in hand.

"What are you doing with those?" asked Reb Mendel.

"I take them home and sew them together and make a book!" the friend
answered. (This was during the day of Communist rule in Russia when
there was a tremendous shortage of holy books).

"But what kind of book will that be?" Reb Mendel asked, "There will be
no beginning and no end, just unrelated pages! How can you read a book
like that?"

His friend replied simply, " There are three aspects to the Torah:
studying the Torah, understanding the Torah, and the holiness of the
Torah. The first two are accessed through wisdom and understanding, but
the holiness of the Torah is in the letters themselves, and that's what
my book will be about"

The upcoming holiday of Shavuot is one of the most important of all the
Jewish Holidays. It celebrates the Giving of the Torah. Without the
Torah not only would we not know the commandments, but by now there
would be no Jewish people (G-d forbid).

In fact, the famous commentator  Rashi (Gen. 1:31) states that if the
Jews hadn't accepted the Torah on Shavuot, the whole world would have
ceased to exist.

If so, Shavuot is actually the most important day in the history of the
world.

Yet, if we examine what happened on the day that the Torah was given, it
seems anticlimactic: The Jews did not receive the entire Torah or even
most of it; they heard only ten simple commandments.

One would think that after 210 years of Egyptian slavery, mind-boggling
miracles including the plagues, the splitting of the sea, manna from
heaven, and more, they would get something a little more impressive or
at least more mystical than ten obvious commandments, Don't kill, Don't
steal, etc.; statutes which can be found in even the most primitive of
cultures!

But the answer is that on that first Shavuot, G-d gave.... Himself.

The first word of the Ten Commandments sums it all up: "Anochi - I."

G-d has many names. According to Kabala each name corresponds to a
different facet of G-d's infinite "personality." But the name "Anochi"
("I") is not one of them. It refers to something that is above all names
or facets; it is the essence of G-d himself. And this is what the Jews
received at Mount Sinai - G-d Himself.

The experience was so unique that until this day no one can even begin
to understand it. In fact no religion has ever even claimed that such a
thing happened to them!

With the first commandment alone, with "Anochi Hash-m Elokecha - I am
the L-rd your G-d" G-d united Himself with each and every Jewish soul
for all time.

"Anochi" became "Elokecha," literally "your G-d," singular.

What this means today is that when a Jew studies Torah, any aspect of
the Torah, or does any mitzva (command-ment), s/he can feel that G-d is
very, very close. In fact, closer than we are to our own selves.

It's called "The Jewish Feeling" or, the G-dly Soul. It's what draws
people to Jewish experiences. That is what we are celebrating on
Shavuot.

    Rabbi Bolton is the assistant dean of Ohr Tmimim yeshiva in Israel.
    From www.ohrtmimim.com

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week's Torah portion of Bamidbar has a particular relevance to the
festival of Shavuot. We can find this connection in the opening words of
the portion, where G-d commands, "Count the number of all the
congregation of the Children of Israel."

Rashi comments on the command: "Because they [the Children of Israel]
are dear to Him, He counts them all the time: when they went forth from
Egypt He counted them; when they fell because of [the sin of] the Golden
Calf, He counted them; when He was about to make His Presence dwell
among them (i.e., in the Tabernacle) He counted them."

When things are counted, they stand in a relation of equality; the
greatest man and the least are each counted once; no more, no less. And
since, as Rashi tells us, the census was a token of G-d's love, it must
have been a gesture towards that which is equal in every Jew. Not his
intellect, not his moral standing, but his essence: his Jewish soul. So
the point of the census was to bring the soul of each Jew into
prominence, to the surface of awareness.

Rashi writes that G-d counts His people all the time; and yet, as Rashi
himself points out, they were counted only three times in the first year
and once the month after leaving Egypt. Then they were counted only once
more during their wanderings in the wilderness, and subsequently only at
very infrequent intervals (according to a Midrash, only a total of nine
times until today, and the tenth time will be when Moshiach comes). But,
if the point of the counting was to reveal the essence of each Jewish
soul, then this revelation has a depth which places it beyond the
erosion of time - it is operative, literally, all the time.

The differences between the three countings which Rashi mentions were
evolutionary stages in a process of revelation. In the first, the Jewish
soul was awakened by the love of G-d; in the second, it began to work
its influence on the external life of the Israelites; and in the third,
it finally suffused all their actions.

The first census was on the Israelites' departure from  Egypt, and it
aroused  their spirit of  self-sacrifice to  the extent that  they
followed G-d into a barren wilderness. But it left their emotions
untouched.

The second was prior to building the Tabernacle. It reached their
intel-lect and emotions, because they were preparing for the work that
was to bring G-d's Presence into their midst. But still the impetus came
from outside: G-d's command set them to their work, not inner
compunction.

But with the third census came the actual service of the Tabernacle,
when the Israelites - by their own actions - brought G-d into their
midst. Then all their actions were a testimony to the union of the
Jewish soul with G-d.

In this way, the connection between Bamidbar and Shavuot becomes clear.
When the Torah was given, Israel and G-d were united in such a way that
G-d sent down His revelation from above; and the Children of Israel were
themselves elevated. And we read, in preparation for our annual
re-creation of the event, the portion which tells us of the third census
when the two modes of revelation are brought together.

      From Torah Studies by Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth
          Jonathan Sacks. Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher
                                                             Rebbe.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                            My First Yizkor
                          By Yosef Y. Jacobson

For the first 33 years of my life I was lucky enough to be expelled from
the synagogue during yizkor services, when congregants pray for the
souls of loved ones who have passed on, and those with both parents
alive leave the synagogue.

I never probed the reason for this custom. As a child, even as an adult,
I was happy to be legally expelled from the synagogue, to catch a fresh
breath of air and enjoy a schmooz with a fellow yizkor-evacuee. As
children, it often meant that my friends and I could return an hour or
two later without our fathers getting angry.

All of that has changed for me now. My father, a pioneer of the Yiddish
press in America, died at 70. Two weeks later came the Jewish holiday of
Shavuot, when we commemorate the giving of the Torah at Sinai. It is
also a day when synagogues throughout the world hold yizkor services.

Synagogues, unlike churches, are often noisy. The synagogue I attended
for that holiday and yizkor service was small, but particularly diverse,
opinionated and loud. One hundred people filled this humble, 60-year-old
synagogue in Brooklyn, and at every pause in the prayers they were
engaged in vibrant conversation and debate. As the congregation was
finishing the reading of the Torah, the arguments - typical Jewish
arguments - reached a crescendo. In one corner, a fierce debate ensued
about Israel's pending withdrawal from Gaza. In another corner, an item
of religious law was being heatedly argued. Children were kvetching,
older men were getting annoyed. Others were attempting to concentrate on
their prayers with closed eyes and open hearts.

Then came time for yizkor. More than half the people in the synagogue
left. The sacred Torah scroll was brought to the center of the room. One
of the worshippers made sure all that all who had to leave left and that
the door was solidly shut so no one could enter. He then gave a knock on
the table to signify that the yizkor service would now begin.

Suddenly, an eerie silence filled the room. A vibrant space, just
moments ago pulsating with social zest and heated debate, was
transformed. A sense of mystery, awe and dormant pain surfaced. You
could cut the rawness of the emotions with a knife. Something profoundly
authentic united all those standing in the room.

My heart shifted to my late father, whom I loved and adored so deeply.
My flow of tears found solace in the knowledge that his was a life well
lived. My dad was a man who utilized his journalistic wisdom and skills
to become a voice for causes others left behind; he was a man of
conviction, and a truly original personality, one hell of a guy. I
recalled my father's last hours and the dignity with which he departed
on his final journey. And I wept for my children who would not have the
privilege to know the unique grandfather they had.

I lifted my eyes and gazed around at the people in the room. Near me
stood a young man, my age, who lost his mother at the tender age of 5.
Life without yizkor was inconceivable to him. Near him, stood others who
lost parents in their teens or in college and needed to struggle to fill
the unfillable void. Then there were the older men, in their 70s and
80s, whose parents perished more than six decades earlier in Stalin's
gulag or Hitler's crematoriums. They are in a class of their own. Then
of course there were the majority of middle-aged worshippers who at some
point in their lives were forced to confront the reality of loss.

A strange oneness pervaded all of us standing in that room during
yizkor. The connection did not need to be articulated in words; you
could see it when you peered into the eyes of the person standing near
you. It took me some time till I put my finger on what that connection
consisted of: A piece of each of us was not to be found any longer in
this world. An integral part of each of our hearts was elsewhere.

I understood why for 33 years I was asked to leave the synagogue during
yizkor. Life for those who stay behind in the synagogue has a very
different meaning, one that cannot be shared by those who have not seen
the earth close up on a loved one.

This Shavuot I will again stand in the synagogue during yizkor. I will
think of my Dad, which will make me both laugh and cry at the same time.
I will ask him to look out for me and my family. And I will pray that I
merit to internalize my beloved father's zest for life and for truth.

       Reprinted with permission from The Algemeiner Journal. Yosef
            Y. Jacobson is the editor-in-chief of the international
                      Yiddish-English weekly The Algemeiner Journal
     (www.algemeiner.com) and one of the most sought after speakers
       in the Jewish world today. To subscribe to his weekly essay,
               please send an e-mail message to: YYJacobson@aol.com

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                               Be There!

Each year on the festival of Shavuot we relive the giving of the Torah
to the Jewish people by G-d at Mount Sinai by hearing the Ten
Commandments read in the synagogue from a Torah scroll. It is a special
mitzva for every man, woman and child to be in the synagogue on Shavuot
to hear the Torah reading. This year, the Torah reading that tells of
the giving of the Torah will be read on Wednesday, May 23, in synagogues
around the world. Many Chabad-Lubavitch Centers sponsor "ice cream"
parties (in keeping with the ancient tradition of eating dairy products
on Shavuot) for the young and the young at heart. To find out about the
closest Shavuot ice cream party call your local Chabad-Lubavitch Center.

                             New Emissaries

Rabbi Levi and Brynie Stiefel recently arrived in in Voronezh, Russia.
Their first priority will be to startin  a Jewish day school for the
children of the 10,000 Jews residing in the city. Rabbi Levi and Fraidy
Vogel will be establishing one of the newest Chabad Houses in America's
oldest city, S. Augustine, Florida, to serve the needs of the local
Jewish population. Rabbi Sendy and Rochel Dubrawsky are establish a new
Chabad Center in Radlett, England.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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        Freely translated from letters written during the years
                  of leadership of the previous Rebbe

                          4 Sivan, 5705 [1945]

Greetings and blessings,

You are certainly aware that our friend Mr. S- sent a check for Merkos
L'Inyonei Chinuch. I would like to take this opportunity to again
express our heartfelt thanks for your efforts, trouble, and work in this
matter in the past, present, and also, we hope in the future. The
fundamental yasher koach ["well done"] comes to you from the work itself
which is achieved and can continue through this donation.

The first of the Ten Commandments communicated at the time of the Giving
of the Torah states: "I am G-d, your L-rd, who took you out of the land
of Egypt." The commentaries (e.g., Ibn Ezra) ask: Why doesn't the Torah
mention an even greater feat, the creation of heaven and earth?
Moreover, not only is the creation of heaven and earth a greater
achievement, it is relevant to all generations. The Exodus from Egypt,
by contrast, was witnessed only by that generation and was important
primarily to them.

Chassidus answers this question as follows: The creation is a yesh [a
material entity]. Making such an entity from absolute nothingness was
accomplished by the ray of G-dliness that relates to the worlds. The
Exodus from Egypt, by contrast, was possible only through "signs and
wonders" (Deut. 4:34), i.e., removing that yesh from the logical
principles and limitations which govern the creation. This is hinted at
by the Hebrew term Yetzias Mitzrayim ("the Exodus from Egypt"). For
Mitzrayim, Egypt, shares the root of the word meitzarim, meaning
"boundaries and limitations" as in Eichah 1:3. This requires a much
higher revelation of G-dliness. Therefore, the Exodus is mentioned in
connection with the Giving of the Torah, which transcends the
limitations of creation.

We find, to make a distinction, a similar pattern with regard to human
conduct. Teaching - either oneself or a colleague - to adopt a new
positive behavioral pattern is comparatively easy when compared to
changing and remaking one's principles. The latter involves going out of
the norms that one has established for oneself and which have shown
themselves to be valid with regard to one's personal matters, although
they create difficulties in a particular situation. This involves an
exodus from one's boundaries and limitations. And it is much more
difficult.

In this, I hope, my dear Mr. K-, you will help Mr. S- step beyond his
limitations and governing principles and accept in a complete manner the
directives from my revered father-in-law.... Certainly, as has been the
pattern until now, you will have success in this endeavor.

With good wishes and with holiday blessings,

                                *  *  *

                      Eve of Shavuos, 5709 [1949]

Greetings and blessings,

...We are approaching the day of the receiving of the Torah. "'Love your
fellow as yourself 'is a great general principal in the Torah" and "You
shall certainly help him" is one of the Torah's commands. And so, until
when? Either I should help you in your paint business or it's time -
indeed, it is overdue - that you should work together with me in Merkos
L'Inyonei Chinuch.

What is the purpose in delaying and procrastinating another week or
another month?

Gevald! Reb Avraham, when will I begin thinking about what is genuinely
good for me? And when will you do that for yourself?

May you have a happy holiday and may all the Rebbe's blessings be
fulfilled.

        From "I Will Write It In Their Hearts," translated by Rabbi
                     Eliyahu Touger, published by Sichos In English

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                                CUSTOMS
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         Why is it customary to decorate synagogues and houses
                  with flowers and foliage on Shavuot?


We decorate our synagogues and homes to commemorate the giving of the
Torah, which took place on Mount Sinai which was flowering and verdant.
In addition, according to the Mishna, Shavuot is the day on which it is
decreed whether the trees and their fruit will be plentiful that year.

*********************************************************************
                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
*********************************************************************
This coming Tuesday night through Thursday night is the holiday of
Shavuot, celebrating when G-d gave the Torah to the Jewish people on
Mount Sinai.

Three people in Jewish history are particularly associated with Shavuot:
Moses, King David and the Baal Shem Tov. And these three great leaders
were also intimately connected with Moshiach and the Redemption.

As the one through whom the Torah was given to the Jewish people, Moses
is intimately connected with Shavuot. The Torah is even referred to as
"The Torah of Moses" - Torat Moshe. Moshiach will be so like Moses in
his leadership qualities, humility and Torah scholarship, that our Sages
even stated, "Moses is the first redeemer and the last redeemer."

Shavuot is the birthday and anniversary of the passing of King David.
One of the functions of Moshiach is that he will restore the Davidic
dynasty, for Moshiach will be a descendant of King David, a human king.

Finally, we come to the Baal Shem Tov. The Baal Shem Tov, too, passed
away on Shavuot, on the second day of the holiday. In a famous letter to
his brother-in-law, the Baal Shem Tov described a spiritual "journey"
when he visited the chamber of Moshiach. He asked Moshiach, "Master,
when will you come?"

Moshiach replied, "When your wellsprings--your teachings - will spread
forth to the outside."

The Baal Shem Tov's teachings - Chasidut - were recorded and expounded
upon by his various disciples. They are a foretaste of the new and
deeper revelations of Torah that we are promised will be revealed and
taught by Moshiach, himself.

This year on Shavuot, when all Jews, young and old, gather in our
synagogues to reexperience the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, let
us also reconnect with the essence of the holiday and cry out for the
ultimate revelation of the Torah and  G-d through Moshiach.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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He who learns from a colleague a single chapter, a single Torah law, a
single verse, a single statement or even a single letter, must show him
honor (Ethics of the Fathers, 6:3)

This teaching refers to a colleague whose conduct is not above reproach.
When a person's own conduct is flawed, it is natural that despite the
rational self-justifications that stem from self-love, he would
recognize his own failings and humbly look down on himself. One may not,
however, view a colleague from whom he has learned Torah concepts in
such a manner. For even when the other's conduct is unworthy he should
be honored for the sake of the teachings he communicated.

                     (The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Parshat Bamidbar 5738)

                                *  *  *


Rabbi Meir said: Whoever occupies (osek) himself with [the study of
Torah] for its own sake merits many things (Ethics, 6:1)

The Hebrew word for "occupies-osek" relates to the word for
"businessman," "baal esek." A person's occupation with the study of
Torah must resemble a businessman's preoccupation with his commercial
enterprise. Just as his attention is never totally diverted from his
business, so too should the Torah always be the focus of our attention.

                                        (Likutei Sichot, Vol. XVII)

                                *  *  *


Whatever the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world, He created
only for His glory (Ethics, 6:11)

A heretic once came to Rabbi Akiva and demanded proof that G-d created
the world. "Come back tomorrow," Rabbi Akiva told him. The next day,
when the heretic returned, Rabbi Akiva asked him what he was wearing. "A
garment," the man replied. "Who made it?" the Rabbi asked. "The tailor,"
was his answer. When Rabbi Akiva demanded proof, the heretic demanded,
"How can you not know this?" Said Rabbi Akiva, "And what about you? How
can you not know that G-d created the world?" Our Sages commented: "Just
as a house indicates a builder, a garment indicates a tailor, and a door
a carpenter, so too does the world tell of the Holy One that He created
it."

                                                 (Midrash Tanchuma)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Shavuot is the anniversary of the passing of King David. The following
is a famous story of King David from his youth

Before King David was anointed king, he was a shepherd and he spent his
time tending his flocks in the hills, fields and forests of the land of
Israel. His brilliant mind delved into all that he saw, and he tried to
understand G-d's world. Many of G-d's creatures were beautiful, others
were useful to man.

One day David saw a madman wandering through the fields. His clothing
was torn, and the distracted look in his eyes bespoke a total loss of
reason. David began to reflect on the man's condition. "G-d, you have
created a world filled with beauty and perfection. Your creatures are
wondrous to behold, but this I do not understand. Why did You create
madness, which is good for nothing. Here I have seen a poor, destitute
man who wanders completely bereft of reason. What purpose could insanity
serve in Your world?"

G-d replied to David, saying, "David, do you really believe that I have
created insanity in vain? One day you will see what it is for. One day
you, yourself will be in need of madness and you will pray that I grant
it to you."

When David was anointed by the prophet Samuel he was force to flee from
King Saul who sought to kill him. David fled to the land of the
Philistines, where King Achish gave him refuge. Achish didn't know that
David was the new king, and he had hoped that David would help him
defeat Saul.

Others in the king's court, namely the brothers of Goliath, whom David
had slain, recognized him. They bided their time until they felt that
the king would give David over to them, and said, "This is the very same
man who killed our brother. Let us have our revenge on him."

But the king was unwilling to have his guest murdered. After all, it was
likely that the young warrior would help in the war to defeat the Jewish
king. He responded to them by denying their identification of young
David. "It couldn't be David. He would never come to us for help.
Besides, even if it was him, he killed your brother fairly, in battle."

The two brothers were angrier than ever and determined to get their
revenge. They stirred up discontent among the other members of the
king's royal guard, and taunted the king, saying, "Since one of the
conditions of David's battle with my brother was that the winner would
rule over the loser. Are you willing to become David's vassal?"

The king began to fear for his crown. He called David into his private
chamber and cross-examined him about the death of Goliath. David saw
that the king was no longer his ally, and he was frightened. He turned
to G-d and prayed, "Please, Master of the Universe, help me now."

"What are you asking of Me; what kind of help do you require?" G-d
responded.

"Let me become truly mad so that the king will not want to kill me."

"Do you remember when you asked Me why I created insanity? I told you
that one day you would ask me to make you insane. Now, that has happened
and you understand very well."

Immediately, David became obviously insane. The brothers of Goliath
tried to bind him and bring him before the king, but he whirled and spun
in circles. He spit and screamed and tore at his hair. He took a piece
of charcoal and scribbled all over the palace doors, "Achish owes me a
hundred times ten thousand pieces of silver. His wife, the queen, owes
me fifty."

David ran through the palace from end to end. Achish had a daughter who
was insane. She was kept in a locked room in the palace. When she heard
David scream, she would scream back, and when she would scream, David
would answer. The ruckus was unbearable to the king.

"Aren't I surrounded by enough insanity? Do I have to have this madman
here as well? Get him out of here! It is obvious that this can't be
David. David is a brilliant scholar and soldier; this man is completely
insane."

Everyone at court agreed with him. Even Goliath's brothers saw that this
was the wrong man. David was forcibly expelled from the palace. When he
found himself free and no longer threatened his sanity returned to him.
And he understood that everything that G-d does is good and has its
purpose in the world.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
*********************************************************************
Jerusalem will be rebuilt! The Exiles will return; the Gates of the
Garden of Eden will re-open, and all their brilliance will be revealed
to us. We will enter those gates and take pleasure in the radiance of
the Divine Presence, Whom we will point to and say,  "Here is our G-d,
in Whom we hoped, He will save us!"

           (From Akdamut, a poem written by Rabbi Meir ben Yitzchak
     during the Crusades, read in some communities before the Torah
                                                reading on Shavuot)

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               END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 970 - Bamidbar 5767
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