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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1155
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                           Copyright (c) 2011
                 Lubavitch Youth Organization - L.Y.O.
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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 21, 2011         Yisro           16 Shevat, 5771
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                              Be the Judge

One of the people who had come to comfort the Lubavitcher Rebbe as he
sat shiva for his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka, of blessed memory, said,

"The Rebbetzin was truly a tzadekes [righteous woman]."

"Only G-d knows her true righteousness," the Rebbe responded.

Only G-d knows a person's true motives, inner thoughts, hidden deeds. We
therefore have no scale by which to judge others - nor should we. If
this is true when we are judging someone meritoriously, all the more so
if we find ourselves judging another person harshly or negatively.

Jewish teachings are replete with helpful hints on how to judge others
favorably, if at all.

Rabbi Moses Maimonides (the "Rambam") instructs us that, "The reckoning
of sins and merits is not calculated on the basis of the mere number of
merits and sins, but on the basis of their magnitude as well. Some
solitary merits can outweigh many sins. The weighing of sins and merits
can be carried out only according to the wisdom of the All-Knowing G-d:
He alone knows how to measure merits against sins." Remembering this
instruction helps us cultivate a less judgmental attitude.

Another thought to keep in mind: The way we judge another person is the
way we will be judged in the Heavenly Court. If we always look for
something positive in another person, or try to find a merit in even a
seemingly negative act, or simply refuse to judge the situation or
person because we do not or cannot know all of the factors, G-d will
repay us in kind.

According to the Baal Shem Tov, when we see a fault in another person it
is merely a reflection of - to a greater or lesser degree - a similar
fault within ourselves. Every time we find fault in others we should
look inside ourselves to see how that same failing is manifest within
us. If you do this for a little while, you'll soon stop noticing other's
faults, or else you will constantly be confronted with your own faults
as well!

Our Sages enjoin us to judge every person favorably. For, we can't
possibly know their hidden actions or secret good deeds. Stories from
the past abound: there is the village "miser" whose passing reveals that
he was a generous philanthropist; or the boorish shoemaker who seemingly
could not even read, but was, in truth, a scholar and a hidden tzadik.

In addition, the Mishna teaches, "Do not judge your friend until you
come to his place." The only way to really approach another person's
place is first to leave your own place - your thoughts, conditioning,
life-experience. Is it worth going through all that just to judge
somebody else?

It is an art to always be able to find the good in another person. It
often takes time to acquire such skills, but ultimately the hard work is
well worth it.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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As we read in this week's Torah portion, Yitro, just prior to the
revelation of the Torah on Mount Sinai G-d commanded Moses: "Thus shall
you say to the House of Jacob, and tell to the Children of Israel." The
Midrash explains that the "House of Jacob" refers to the Jewish women.
Moreover, the command to "tell" the men implies harsh speech, whereas
the command to "say" to the women connotes a gentler manner of imparting
information.

This is not the only difference in the way Moses was commanded to
transmit the Torah to the women and to the men. In fact, Moses was
instructed to communicate the "general principles" to the women, whereas
the men were to receive the "laws in detail."

At first glance, this seems to imply a diminution of the value of Jewish
women, as if the assumption is that they will not understand the
minutiae of Jewish law. However, an in-depth analysis of the Midrash
reveals something quite different:

"General principles" does not mean simple or nominal matters. On the
contrary, it implies essential fundamentals and rules. In other words,
G-d commanded Moses to transmit to the Jewish women the basic
foundations of the Torah, from which all the smaller details he was to
convey to the men are derived.

"General principles" is thus synonymous with the Torah's very essence.
Similarly, at the giving of the Ten Commandments, the first two
contained the "general principles" of the other eight. ("I am the L-rd
your G-d" is the source of the Torah's 248 positive commandments; "You
shall not have any other gods" is the source of its 365 prohibitions.)

Seen from this perspective, the Jewish women received the quintessence
of the Torah, whereas the men "only" received its laws and ordinances,
which obviously represent a lower level. The Torah is thus emphasizing a
certain advantage women have over men.

In truth, the qualities of simple faith and awe of G-d are more openly
revealed and manifested in women. G-d created women in such a way that
their intellect does not override or control their personalities - who
they really are - nor can it weaken their basic faith in G-d. Women are
therefore more closely connected to the Torah's essence, which is why
being Jewish is determined by the mother and not the father. (A person
whose mother is Jewish is Jewish; a person whose mother is not Jewish is
not Jewish, even if his father is.)

This also relates to the Final Redemption: In the same way the Jewish
people were redeemed from Egypt in the merit of the righteous Jewish
women, so too will Moshiach come in the merit of the righteous women of
our generation, may it happen immediately.

                           Adapted from Volume 31 of Likutei Sichot

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                         The Rebbetzin's Legacy
                            by Yehudis Cohen

What do a kindergarten in Costa Rica, a library in Washington, a mikva
in France, a women's university in Moscow, a Brooklyn girls' school with
1,000 students, a hospitality center at the Mayo Clinic, and this
L'Chaim publication all have in common? These and hundreds of other
institutions were established and named in memory of Rebbetzin Chaya
Mushka (Moussia) Schneerson, whose passing we commemorate with this
issue.

There are also thousands, yes literally thousands of girls who
throughout the past 23 years, have been named for Rebbetzin Chaya
Mushka. Dozens of them are now young married women, who together with
their husbands, are running Chabad Houses around the world. I spoke to
three of these young shluchos(emissaries of the Lubavitcher Rebbe) about
why they want to be "on shlichus" and what they find particularly
special about the community with which they are working.

What is shlichus? Dedicating one's life to promoting Judaism and to
inspiring Jews to reconnect to their source according to the vision of
the Lubavitcher Rebbe. This is done by becoming part of the fabric of
the local Jewish community and learning about their unique needs,
whether in some remote location or as part of a more established Jewish
community.

Moussia Goldstein and her husband Chaim, have just moved to Philadelphia
to establish a new Chabad House at Drexel University.

"I always wanted to go on shlichus. I grew up on shlichus. I loved ever
single second of it. I loved interacting with all different kinds of
people as guests in our home and our Chabad House." Moussia's parents
Rabbi Yisrael and Chana Greenberg, founded and direct Chabad of El Paso,
Texas.

"All the years that I was in school in El Paso, I was always aware that
I was 'the rabbi's daughter.' My friends and peers would tell me that
they learned things from me without me even realizing that I was
teaching them, just by me living the way I was supposed to live as a
chasid of the Lubavitcher Rebbe."

Moussia says that she believes shlichus is a great atmosphere to raise
children in as one lives in a very giving and open environment. "I want
to give this to my children."

Although Moussia grew up in a community-oriented Chabad House, she and
her husband have chosen to become shluchim on a college campus. "I have
relatives who are on campus and my husband's family is on campus.
Chaim's parents, Rabbi Aharon and Esther Goldstein, and brother Alter
and Chanchi Goldstein, run Chabad at University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor. I have seen the effect that campus shluchim have on the college
students. Young people who were peripherally involved with Chabad in El
Paso and went off to college, looked for Chabad. As independent adults
they had their own space to become what they wanted and Chabad on campus
had a big effect and impacted their lives."

Chaya Mushka Freedman and her husband Yossi moved this past fall to
Cleveland, Ohio, to establish a presence in the downtown Cleveland area.
"I was born on shlichus (Chaya Mushka's parents Rabbi Moshe and Chana
Wilansky founded and direct Chabad-Lubavitch of Maine), so naturally as
I child I envisioned that one day I would do the same! And of course,"
she adds, "this is a very special way to connect with the Rebbe, by
fulfilling his directives."

Chaya Mushka notes that living in Cleveland, with a Jewish population of
over 80,000, is very different from where she grew up in Portland with
900 Jewish families.

"There are many Jews who work downtown. We are here to make everything
accessible to them, from mezuzas to adult education to help with a
minyan for kaddish as well as kosher food." We want to empower the
Jewish commuters to bring a burst of Judaism back with them into their
homes once they leave the office," she says. "Also, people have recently
started moving back downtown and our goal is to be here for them as the
downtown Jewish community continues to grow.

Yossi also grew up on shlichus in a small city in South America. His
great-grandparents and grandparents are shluchim in Cleveland, so, as
Chaya Mushka explains, "Yossi knows a lot of people here and we have a
tremendous network of support."

Although Chaya Mushka says, "I never imagined myself going to a downtown
area, more a small community type place like where I grew up," with
youthful enthusiasm and a pioneering spirit she's ready to bring the
warmth and light of Chasidic teachings to the downtown area.

Unlike the two other young women I spoke to, Chaya Matusof grew up in
Crown Heights, Brooklyn, just a few blocks from 770, World Lubavitch
Headquarters. Her husband, Arele, was also born and raised in Crown
Heights.

"Although I grew up in the Lubavitch community of Crown Heights, I had
many opportunities to see what an impact shluchim have. Through working
in Gan Israel summer camps, volunteering at Chabad Houses in the New
York metro area, and a special program that Beth Rivkah High School has
for seniors to go to shluchim for Shabbat to see them 'in action' and
help out, I knew I wanted to be a part of this. I also grew up knowing
that this is something that the Rebbe really wants his Chasidim to do."

Chaya and her husband are the youth directors for Chabad of Calgary, in
Alberta, Canada. Their activities include Friendship Circle, Shabbat and
holiday programs, a teen club, winter camp, Shabbat youth congregation
and Hebrew school.

Is this the shlichus Chaya imagined for herself? "I always saw myself
working more with students of college-age, but I find that I am really
enjoying working with teens and younger children, as well as interacting
with the children's parents." Chaya says that it's particularly her
involvement in the "small little details, like being a listening ear,
letting people know that she's there to support them and that she
cares," that excite her the most.

For Chaya it was a big adjustment to move from a burgeoning Jewish
community like Crown Heights that has all of the necessities and
luxuries to live as a Chasid, to a small Jewish community that has "half
an aisle of kosher food in the local supermarket" and thousands of miles
away from her family. "But being on shlichus, I know that I am part of a
bigger picture, part of the Rebbe's army; we're never alone."

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                      18th of Teveth, 5716 [1956]

Blessing and Greeting:

I received your letter of Rosh Chodesh Teveth. I have been waiting for
this kind of letter for a long time, and I am glad to note that you are
now using your ability and qualifications with which you have been
endowed, to exercise a good influence in your environment, especially
among the women. I truth that you are also making an effort to spread
the teaching of Chassidus [Chasidic teachings] in particular. And since
you started in this direction, I truth you will continue in accordance
with a saying of our Sages, that "sacred things should be on the
ascent," and so also Chanukah teaches us to increase the lights every
day.

With regard to the doubt that you express as to whether the women are
prepared at this time to be organized into a Chabad women's group, if
there is a possibility that such a step at this time is premature and
might hinder the development of your work, it should be postponed. The
main thing is to imbue them with these teachings, and to prepare them
for greater things, and this is certainly something that can be done
immediately in a suitable way. It is especially important to clear up to
them many prevalent misunderstandings about the teachings and way of
life of Chabad, which are unfortunately often misunderstood and
misrepresented through ignorance.

May G-d help you to carry on your good work in contentment and peace of
mind, which will help clear up many other personal problems, especially
as this kind of work is bound to bring you G-d's Blessings in a generous
measure.

With the Blessing to hear good news from you concerning all above,

P.S. I am gratified to read in your letter that you can at last
understand the problems besetting you, though not always able to solve
them. But it is well-known that the understanding of a problem is in
itself already half a solution, especially where the problems are such
that their solutions lie in your own hands.

                                *  *  *

                      19th of Tammuz, 5727 [1967]


Greeting and Blessing:

In reply to your letter of the 15th of Tammuz, in which you write about
the difficulties you are encountering in realizing your desire to
advance in Judaism by learning Torah, Toras Chaim [the guide to life],
in a Yeshiva.

Inasmuch as to learn the Torah and to live a life of Torah, as is
expected of every Jew, is a matter of vital importance, as the term
Toras Chaim, mentioned above, implies, since it is indeed "our life, and
the length of our days," including also our life in this world - it is
clear that you ought to do everything possible to order your life
accordingly. To accomplish this it is, I am certain, essential to learn
in a Yeshiva. In the course of time, I am quite confident, your parents
will also be satisfied and happy about this, although for the moment
they do not seem to be in favor of it, as you write.

Needless to say, it is a Mitzvo [commandment] to honor one's father and
mother, but it is in no conflict with the above. On the contrary, when
your parents will see that you are sincere and meticulous in observing
not only the other Mitzvoth, but also the Mitzvo of honoring your
parents, they will realize that if at times you are unable to fulfill
their wish, it is not because of lack of respect, but because G-d's
authority takes precedence. This will eventually also have a good effect
on them to encourage them in the same direction.

If you will let me know your full Hebrew name, together with your
mother's Hebrew name, as is customary in such a case, I will remember
you in prayer for the fulfillment of your heart's desires for good.

With blessing,

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                            WHAT'S IN A NAME
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BENTZION means "son of Zion" or "excellence." Zion refers to the holy
land of Israel.


BERURYA is from the Hebrew meaning "pure, clean." In Aramaic it means
"pious, kind, honest." Berurya was the wife of Talmudic scholar Rabbi
Meir and a scholar in her own right. Her legal opinions are quoted in
the Talmud.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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This week we commemorate the yahrzeit of our beloved Rebbetzin Chaya
Mushka, wife of the Rebbe.

It is with tremendous gratitude that I look back on the times my family
had the privilege of meeting with the Rebbetzin. I would like to share
with you the thoughts of one of our daughters, written soon after the
Rebbetzin's passing:

"My family and I were privileged to meet the Rebbetzin on four separate
occasions. We cherish each moment spent with her as a priceless
treasure. I remember walking into her home and thinking it resembled a
palace. And there, at the head of the table, stood the queen.

"We stood at attention, not daring to breathe. She must have sensed our
discomfort, for she smiled a warm, beautiful smile, and with her gentle
sense of humor invited us to sit down. It was as though she was being
honored to have us!

"In her own special way, the Rebbetzin gave me more than anyone else in
the world. The moments spent with her are irreplaceable. She showed a
sincere interest in each of us, asking us what grade we were in and what
we were learning in school.

"She spoke softly and personally, making each of us feel as though no
one else in the room existed except the Rebbetzin and the person to whom
she was speaking.

"I remember when my father called the Rebbetzin to tell her of the
passing of his father, my grandfather (of blessed memory). After
expressing her deepest sympathy, she suddenly asked, 'And how is your
lovely daughter?' To the Rebbetzin, we were all lovely, all special, all
unique. I was just one of her many lovely daughters."

Certainly the Rebbetzin continues, in an even stronger way now, to help
actualize the goal of the Rebbe's life work - to bring G-dliness into
this world in a real, tangible way, through the revelation of Moshiach.
We pray that very soon we will be reunited with the Rebbe and the
Rebbetzin in  the long-awaited Redemption.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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And Yitro heard (Ex. 18:1)

Yitro (Jethro) was not the only one to hear of the miracles G-d had
wrought for Israel, as it says, "The nations heard it and trembled."
However, Yitro was the only one who acted upon what he heard and became
a Jew.

                                                (The Kotzker Rebbe)

                                *  *  *


For by the very thing in which they sinned was punishment brought upon
them (Ex. 18:11)

A person's punishment is determined by his own judgment of others: When
a Jew sees someone transgressing and immediately "sentences" that person
in his heart, he is thereby fixing his own sentence, as the sin most
certainly exists in him as well.

                                                    (Baal Shem Tov)

                                *  *  *


Israel encamped opposite the Mountain (Ex. 19:2)

The Torah was specifically given on a mountain so that the Children of
Israel would elevate and spiritually purify the physicality of the
world. This is hinted to by the mountain, which is dust of the earth but
is high, symbolizing the elevation of matter and its purification.

                                                  (Sefer Hamamarim)

                                *  *  *


Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy (Ex. 20:8)

Explains Rashi, the great Torah commentator: Take heed to remember the
Sabbath at all times, so that if you happen to find something special,
set it aside for Shabbat. Likewise, our Sages state that we are not to
give special names to the weekdays, but to refer to them in the context
of Shabbat ("first day to Shabbat, second day to Shabbat," etc.). Thus
we are constantly conscious of the upcoming Shabbat and prepare for it
every day. The same applies to the Messianic Era, the "day that is
entirely Shabbat and rest for life everlasting." Throughout the present
"weekday" of exile we must constantly remember and remain conscious of
the "Shabbat day" that is coming, preparing ourselves and everything
around us for the arrival of Moshiach.

                            (The Lubavitcher Rebbe, 11 Sivan, 5744)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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The life of Queen Shlomit Alexandra was fraught with violent, political
conflict and internecine strife. The saintly queen, however, survived to
right the enormous crimes of her predecessors, and eventually became
known as Shlomtzion - she who brought peace to Zion.

Her first husband, the ruthless king Aristobulus, seized power from his
own mother, imprisoned his brothers and persecuted the Sages with great
vengeance. After he died, having reigned only one year, the rule passed
to his widow, Queen Shlomit Alexandra. She was the sister of the
renowned Torah giant Shimon ben Shetach, the leading sage of the
generation, and it was under his guidance that she did so much to repair
the damage done to the Jewish people during this violent period.

The Queen's first act after the death of Aristobulus was to free his
imprisoned brothers, the oldest of whom, Alexander Yannai, she married.
Unfortunately, and to the terrible detriment of the Jewish nation,
Yannai was no better than his short-lived brother. He devoted his
energies to war, which took up most of his 27-year reign. His military
exploits, however, were performed for his own lust for power and glory.

Far more serious for the Jewish people was the battle raging between the
Sadducees and the Pharisees, tearing apart the fabric of the Jewish
nation. The Sadducees, whose objective it was to eliminate the Oral
Torah, strove in every possible fashion to seize power from the
Pharisees, the ancestors of all Jews today. To that end, they exerted
pressure on the rulers through political intrigue and even outright
slander against their enemies. Eventually King Yannai used the mercenary
troops which supplemented his own native army to mount a deadly
persecution of these leaders of the Jewish people.

We can only imagine the terrible pain of Queen Shlomtzion, married to
two Jewish kings of noble lineage, who perpetrated terrible crimes
against the Torah Sages, the greatest of whom was her own brother. It
was under her benevolent influence that Yannai was persuaded to relent
in his war against the Pharisees for a time, and allow those remaining
to return to Israel from their forced exiles. Once back in the Holy
Land, Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach and his sister the queen were able to do
much to restore Torah to the people. They acted to restore the authority
of the Sanhedrin and to insure the education of the young.

The pair were responsible for establishing the first system of public
education known. In earlier times education was the domain of the
parents. If the parents were poor, uneducated, or deceased, the child
was not educated.

This respite in the persecution of the Sages did not last, however. In a
desperate attempt to wrest power from the Pharisees, the king and his
Sadducee allies staged a ploy which succeeded in enraging the populace
and provided a pretext on which to enlarge their terrible, bloody
designs. When this despised king finally died he transferred power to
his queen, instructing her to make peace with the Pharisees, calling his
erstwhile allies, the Sadducees, "hypocrites."

Now the Queen could finally do as she wished, and her accomplishments
are her praise even to our generation. It is said that during the reign
of Queen Shlomtzion rain descended every Friday night (as a sign of
blessing). The produce of the Land was remarkable. Wheat grew as big as
kidneys, barley like olives and lentils were the size of gold dinars
(the largest coin of that time).

When the Queen assumed the throne all persecution of the Sages ceased
and the Pharisees were restored to their rightful positions of power.
Shimon ben Shetach sat at the head of the Sanhedrin, and in every area
of life the queen and her brother worked diligently to restore peace and
harmony to the Land. It was during her rule that the institution of the
ketuba, the legal marriage contract, was established. This ensured that
no Jewish woman would be left economically unprotected in the event of a
divorce or widowhood. The courts were reorganized so that justice was
again available to the people.

Her reign was a true "Golden Age" for the Jewish people in their land.
The Sages even preserved samples of the amazing grains which flourished
in her time to show succeeding generations the rewards of observing the
Torah. Just as during the reign of the pious King Shlomo, now also, the
Jews lived securely in their land, undisturbed by the nations which
surrounded them.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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The Midrash states: "The generations are redeemed only in the merit of
the righteous women of each generation." This was also true of the
redemption from Egypt. Since that redemption was for the Giving of the
Torah soon after, the women were given precedence at that time. The same
will be true of the future Redemption: since it will be in the merit of
the righteous Jewish women, they will likewise be shown precedence with
the Torah teachings of Moshiach. This is reinforced by the Kabalistic
teaching that our generation is a reincarnation of the generation that
was redeemed from Egypt.

                              (Sefer HaSichot 5749, Vol. I, p. 239)

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                END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1155 - Yisro 5771
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