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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 702
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                           Copyright (c) 2002
                 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 11, 2002         Vaera            27 Tevet, 5762
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                       I'll Be Home - G-d Willing

We continue to try to make sense of 9/11, its impact on our lives and
what each one of us, in our own small way, can do to counteract such
evil with goodness and light. The following article, by Rabbi Moshe
Feller, offers a simple suggestion.

"If a few heinous acts of callous destruction perpetrated in a small
space of time by a small band of 'spiritual' villains could so
horrendously affect the entire world, how much greater could be the
blessed effect upon the entire world of a campaign to heighten the G-d-
consciousness of our country, energetically undertaken by a small group
of spiritual heroes."

This was the message (based on a Talmudic dictum) I delivered to about a
dozen clergypersons of various denominations who were assembled at
Chelsea Piers in lower Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon, September 12,
to provide spiritual counsel to the relatives of the victims of the
dastardly terror attack of the previous day.

A student of mine, a nurse who was working near Ground Zero, had heard
that I was "stuck in New York." She had called and urged me to come to
Chelsea Piers, a large entertainment and sports facility in lower
Manhattan that had been converted to a crisis center to handle victims
of the September 11 tragedy. Our Lubavitch delegation of three rabbis
and a psychologist made it to Chelsea Piers, where our mission would be
to counsel distraught relatives frantically searching for their loved
ones. Volunteers ushered us to an area where the clergypersons were
waiting to be assigned to their counseling duties.

I took advantage of the waiting time to deliver the aforementioned
message, which I followed up with a practical suggestion to this small
group of spiritual heroes: "We must respond to the current situation by
bringing a heightened G-d consciousness to our constituents in a very
practical way. We can do this by getting them to say 'G-d willing' every
time they announce what they are going to do at a given time in the
future-in an hour, in a day, in a month."

How many millions of appointments made on Monday, September 10, were
abruptly cancelled by the tragedies of September 11? How many "meet you
for lunch tomorrow," or "see you at my office tomorrow," or "I'm flying
home tomorrow," concluded with "G-d willing," the verbalization of our
dependence on Divine personal providence?

Let us start a chain reaction to get this simple truism into the daily
pronouncements of the citizens of our great country and the world. Doing
so could bring healing, and the simple verbal acknowledgement of our
dependence on G-d will evoke a heightened level of G-d's blessings and
protection for our country.

Incidentally, I called my wife from Chelsea Piers and told her that, G-d
willing, I would get home in time for Shabbat. G-d was willing and I got
home for Shabbat via a pleasant 27-hour trip on a bus!

                Rabbi Moshe Feller is the director of Upper Midwest
                              Chabad-Lubavitch, S. Paul, Minnesota.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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One of the reasons the Exodus from Egypt is central in Judaism (to the
point that we mention it every day in our prayers) is that aside from
its historical significance, it represents an ongoing spiritual process
on the individual level. "Mitzrayim," the Hebrew for Egypt, is derived
from the word meaning straits or limitations. "Going out of Egypt"
connotes freeing oneself from anything that prevents spiritual progress,
for the purpose of allowing the G-dly soul to fully express itself.

This week's Torah portion, Va'eira, describes the very beginning of the
Exodus from Egypt. It thus teaches us the "first step" on the road to
true spiritual liberation.

The first of the Ten Plagues was the plague of blood, in which all the
water in Egypt was transformed into blood. Similarly, on the individual
level, in order to free ourselves of spiritual constraints, we must also
seek to turn "water" into "blood."

Water is symbolic of coldness, stillness and lack of enthusiasm. By
contrast, blood is symbolic of warmth, fervor and fiery passion. If you
really want to "go out of Egypt," the Torah tells us, to overcome the
fetters that restrict the soul, the first thing to do is abandon your
apathy ("water") and replace it with warmth and enthusiasm ("blood").

A person might claim that it is possible to be a "good Jew" even if he
is not particularly enthusiastic about Jewish observance. "I already do
mitzvot," he might say. "Why should I get all excited over it?"

However, the Torah teaches that coldness is the source of all evil. The
true meaning of coldness is lack of interest, as demonstrated by the
fact that when something truly interests us and "speaks to the heart,"
it is impossible to remain apathetic. If a person is "cold" toward
Judaism, his actions will be dry and done by rote, even if they are
technically flawless.

The key to liberating the Jewish soul, therefore, lies changing one's
approach, banishing the cold and "turning up the thermostat" - learning
Torah, doing mitzvot, praying, and serving G-d with eagerness and joy.

One practical way to implement this is by performing the mitzvot in the
most beautiful manner possible. If a Jew's attitude is "chilly," he will
be satisfied with the bare minimum. If, however, he is enthusiastic
about his Divine service, he will try to observe mitzvot to the best of
his ability, as he will be motivated by willingness and love rather than
aiming for minimal compliance.

This, then, is the first step toward "going out of Egypt" on the
individual level, which will ultimately culminate in macrocosm in the
Final Redemption with Moshiach.

                            Adapted from Volume 1 of Likutei Sichot

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                  What's a Nice Jewish Boy Like You...
                            By Yehudis Cohen

Every weekday morning, Dmitriy Salita makes his way to Chabad of
Flatbush in Brooklyn, New York. He puts on tefilin, says the morning
prayers,  banters a little with the other congregants, and then goes to
a local gym to train.

What makes Dmitriy different from the other worshippers at this shul, is
that this 19-year-old is a boxer by profession. In his last match before
turning pro last year, he won the Golden Gloves Tournament for his
weight class and was presented with the Sugar Ray Robinson Award for
outstanding amateur boxers.

"My match had generated a lot of media attention and hype," begins
Dmitriy. "Aside from the fact that I am Jewish, I was up against the
Golden Glove winner from the year before. Usually they put the big
fights on Friday nights but they honored my request to schedule it on
Thursday night."

It wasn't always so easy for Dmitriy to ask for matches not to be
scheduled on Shabbat and to have those requests honored, though.

In fact, he didn't represent the U.S. at the Amateur World Championship
last year in Budapest because he knew his match would be on Shabbat. "It
was tough. This was my big opportunity. I'd been working toward this
point my entire career, but I couldn't disrespect myself and my
religion.

Dmitriy was born in Odessa, Ukraine. "We  didn't know much about
religion; it was very suppressed in the U.S.S.R. Whatever we knew we
kept, like not eating pork. Every year on Yom Kippur, I went with my
grandmother to shul."

When he was about seven years old, kids in school would pick on him,
sometimes because he was Jewish, "sometimes just because I wasn't
strong. My dad suggested karate school and I really enjoyed it."

When Dmitriy was nine years old, his family moved to Brooklyn, New York.
His big brother saw his potential and encouraged him to switch to
boxing. "At first, my parents didn't take it too seriously. Every
mother, especially a Jewish Russian mother, doesn't want her son
boxing." But they saw his commitment when he started getting up at 6
a.m. every morning to run, would come home from school, do his homework,
go to the gym, more homework and bed.

At age 13, his first fight was a Silver Glove com-petition. "I beat a
kid with 20 fights under his belt. After that I began to be recognized
in boxing circles."

When Dmitriy was 16 years old, his mother was hospitalized. The other
woman in the hospital room was a Lubavitcher Chasid. While visiting, her
husband had questioned his boxing career. "Boxing isn't for a nice
Jewish boy," he had said. They argued for a while. The next day he
apologized, "You're going to make it. I can see you're determined.' "

The man connected Dmitriy with the Chabad House near home. "My mother
was very happy when I started becoming involved in the Chabad House. At
Chabad, no one forces anything on anybody. They just give you the
opportunity and let you know what's available." With a chuckle Dmitriy
adds, "They put the gloves on your hands... and if you want to hit the
evil inclination, they help you..."

Dmitriy slowly started observing Shabbat, but the summer of 2000 was his
giant leap. "Before every tournament I would ask Rabbi Zalman Liberow,
director of the Chabad House, for a 'blessing.' Before the 2000 U.S.
Amateur Championship, he suggested that I write to the Rebbe for a
blessing. I put my letter randomly into a volume of the Rebbe's
letters."

Dmitriy pauses and then laughs as he recalls what happened next.
"Zalman's beard is red, but his face turned even redder when he read the
letter that I had turned to. 'This is a very direct answer,' Zalman
began seriously. 'The Rebbe writes to an educator, "You have a lot of
success in what you are doing and you can influence a lot of people, but
you have to not practice on Shabbat.' "

Rabbi Liberow paused to let the message sink in and said, "Tell them you
won't compete on Shabbat."

Dmitriy remembers his confusion. "All the tournaments are scheduled for
Saturday. I wasn't a name yet. Who was I to say when I wouldn't fight?"

"Listen, I know it's going to be hard," Rabbi Liberow consoled him, "but
tell them you're not going to fight if the match is on Shabbat. Trust
me."

The preliminary matches weren't on Shabbat, but Dmitriy was confident
that he would make it further. He told the team trainer that if, G-d
willing, he got to the finals, he wouldn't be able to compete because it
would be on Shabbat. The trainer told Dmitriy that if he didn't fight
he'd be disqualified.

Dmitriy went ahead anyway. "I had faith that things would work out. I
surprised the boxing community and won my first two fights, one against
a world champion who the newspapers said was the future star of boxing.
My next fight, the finals, would put me against a seven-time national
champion but I told a reporter that I wouldn't compete if the match
takes place before sundown on Saturday. The reporter got the organizers
to change the schedule so that my weight class would be after sundown!"

That Shabbat, Dmitriy prayed in his hotel room. "My opponent was known
as an intimidator, a 'damager,' but when I got into the ring, I stared
straight at him and he looked away. I won 16-11. The newspapers wrote
about my Shabbat observance."

Dmitriy finds parallels in boxing and Judaism. "Both recognize the
importance of strength of will and determination. Keeping kosher demands
discipline. A boxer has to be strict and eat right in order to make
weight. When you are praying, you are supposed to block everything out
and concentrate. In boxing too, you have to block everything out,
otherwise you'll lose the match."

After winning the Golden Gloves award, Dmitriy signed a professional
contract which contains a clause that he will not compete on Shabbat or
any Jewish holiday.

Dmitriy's professional goals are to be a Hall of Fame boxer and a world
champion. And, Dmitriy adds, "I'm hoping to make a lot of money so I can
continue supporting Zalman's Chabad House. I am determined to continue
growing in my Jewish observance as well. I am so sure that it's Divine
Providence that I'm still boxing. Everybody has his own path, something
that he's good at. If we were all the same, what would the challenge be?
G-d gave me this talent and I love it, and I hope that people respect it
even if they don't support it."

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                              New Website

Thousands of hours of audio lectures on varying levels are now available
thanks to Heichel Menachem's new website at www.chassidus.com. Talks of
the Rebbe, Chasidic discourses, even stories can be accessed by letting
your fingers do the clicking. Enjoy!



                          And A Not So New One

If you have a question on any topic of Jewish interest but don't have
whom to ask, try www.askmoses.com. You'll have a chance to "chat" with a
rabbi or rebbetzin live 24/6 (never on Shabbat, of course!) Sponsored by
Chabad of California.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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          29th of Teves, Erev Rosh Chodesh Shevat, 5734 [1974]

Greeting and Blessing:

I am writing to you in English this time, in order to give you an
opportunity to convey the contents of this letter to a wider circle of
friends, without the necessity to pour it from one vessel into another.
Moreover, this is a case where the important thing is the content, and
consideration must be given to the avoidance of language limitations, so
as to make it accessible to all.

We are now about to pass from the month of Teves, which begins with the
latter days of Chanukah, and enter into the month of Shevat, which for
us has a special highlight in the Yahrzeit [anniversary of the passing]
of my father-in-law of saintly memory on the 10th of this month. And, as
has often been emphasized, every commemoration in Jewish life and every
observance dictated by Torah or Jewish custom, has for its main purpose
to give the Jew an opportunity to relive and experience in a personal
way the events or matters remembered or commemorated.

In light of the above, first of all, I want to express to you my sincere
appreciation of your activities in connection with our Operation
Chanukah, to illuminate as many Jews as possible with the light of Torah
and Mitzvoth, as symbolized by the Chanukah lights, which have the
special requirement to be seen also outside.

Moreover, as in the case of light which is of immediate benefit not only
to the one who lights it, but also to many others at the same time, so a
Jew has to illuminate his personal life as well as his surroundings with
the light of Torah and Mitzvoth. I hope and pray that the benefits which
you brought to many, and the effects of which you have already seen,
should continue in a growing measure, also in keeping with the message
of the Chanukah lights, which are kindled in growing numbers from day to
day, as has often been emphasized before.

And from Chanukah to Yud ["10th of] Shevat, which brings to mind my
father-in-law's dedicated efforts in the course of the last decade of
his life in this country, to spread the principles and teachings of
Chasidus to many who were "outside."

Thus, many "outsiders" became "insiders," whose lives were brightly
illuminated with the light, vitality and warmth of Chasidus, and who in
turn became "shining lights" illuminating others.

In accordance with the saying of our Sages, "He who has 100 desires 200,
and having gained 200, desires 400," may the Hatzlocho [success] of the
past serve as an ever-growing stimulus for even greater accomplishments
in the future in all the above matters and activities.

With blessing,

P.S. Inasmuch as we do not have the names and addresses of all those who
joined with you in the said Chanukah Campaign, please convey to each and
all of them the contents of this letter, or perhaps even a copy of this
letter, if possible.

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                            RAMBAM THIS WEEK
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28 Tevet 5762

Positive mitzva 15: the mezuza

By this injunction we are commanded to make a mezuza (a scroll of
parchment on which two Torah portions are written and which is fastened
to the right-hand doorpost). It is contained in the Torah's words (Deut.
6:9): "And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house."

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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This Shabbat we bless the month of Shevat, which begins on Monday. As
related in Deuteronomy, on the first day of Shevat, in the 40th year
after the Exodus from Egypt, Moses began to explain the fifth Book of
the Torah to the Jewish people. (He concluded on the 7th day of Adar,
the same day he passed away).

The beginning of Deuteronomy relates how Moses rebuked the Jews for
their sins, including the Golden Calf and the sin of the Twelve Spies.
However, Moses did not specify any particular transgressions, but only
alluded to their sins. Moses inspired the Jews to return to the right
path through his constructive criticism. From this we learn a great
lesson: Whenever discipline is necessary, love and kindness are much
more effective than humiliation and embarrassment.

The name "Shevat" itself relates to the Hebrew word "shevet," meaning
staff, which is associated with the concept of authority and kingship,
as the Torah states, "The staff will not depart from Judah." The most
perfect expression of this idea will be manifested in the era of the
Redemption, when Moshiach will become the sovereign king. Indeed, on the
verse "And a shevet will arise in Israel," Maimonides explains, "This
refers to King Moshiach."

The word "shevet" also means "branch" or "shoot." In this context, there
is also a connection to Moshiach. On the verse "A shoot will emerge from
the stem of Jesse" (a famous prophecy about the coming of Moshiach), the
Torah commentator Metzudat David explains that this also refers to King
Moshiach.

As we begin this month so closely associated with Moshiach, let us hope
and pray that all our efforts to learn Torah, observe mitzvot and spread
awareness of the Rebbe's message of Moshiach's imminent arrival, bring
about the ultimate Redemption without delay.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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And you shall know that I am the L-rd your G-d, Who brings you out (Ex.
6:7)

The Holy One, Blessed Be He, promised the Jewish people that not only
would He take them out of Egypt, but also that they would know it was He
Who had redeemed them; the redemption itself would serve to deepen their
understanding and faith in G-d. Indeed, this is the purpose of all
redemptions and salvations: that through them we come to recognize the
true Redeemer and Savior.

                                                       (Sefat Emet)

                                *  *  *


And she bore him Aaron and Moses (Ex. 6:20)

The Torah specifically tells us that Moses and Aaron were born like any
other mortals, to "regular" human parents; the fact that they became
prophets and leaders of the Jewish nation was due to their own actions
and choices, not because they descended from on high like celestial
angels. From this we learn that every individual, through his own
efforts and free will, can reach even the highest spiritual levels -
even as lofty as Moses and Aaron.

                                              (Ma'ayana Shel Torah)

                                *  *  *


And the magicians did likewise with their enchantments, and brought up
frogs upon the land of Egypt (Ex. 8:3)

Unlike the frogs brought forth by Moses and Aaron that jumped into the
Egyptians' homes, beds, kneading troughs and even ovens, the frogs
produced by the magicians merely dispersed throughout the country. For
without a specific G-dly command, there was no need for them to
sacrifice their lives.

                                                (Be'er Mayim Chaim)

                                *  *  *


And the L-rd sent thunder and hail, and fire came down upon the earth
(Ex. 9:23)

According to natural law, lightening is perceived before thunder, even
though they occur simultaneously. (Our sense of sight is faster than our
sense of hearing; by the time the sound reaches our ears, our eyes have
already absorbed and processed the lightening.) However, these laws of
nature were altered during the plague of hail, and the Egyptians saw and
heard the lightening and thunder at the same time. The reason is that
Moses had told the Egyptians beforehand exactly when the plague would
begin; had there been a lapse between the visual and auditory
components, the Egyptians could have claimed that he hadn't been
precise.

                                                           (Malbim)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz (Rabbi Pinchas Shapiro, a student of the Baal
Shem Tov and early Chasidic leader who lived from 1726-1791) had two
grandsons who were informed upon to the government for publishing Jewish
books. Everything that could be done to prove that the charges against
them were baseless was attempted. After much effort by the Jewish
community, the government agreed that if three prominent Jewish leaders
would attest to their innocence, the publishers would be allowed to go
free.

Of course, the choice of rabbis to be selected was entirely in the hands
of the authorities. One of those chosen was Reb Refael of Bursar, whom
everyone called "Reb Refael der emeser" ("the truthful") because of his
strict adherence to the truth. Reb Refael was the type of person who, if
he had just come in from out of doors and was asked if it was raining,
would say, "It was raining when I was outside," just in case it had
already stopped.

Reb Refael was a very, very old man by this time. In his youth, the Baal
Shem Tov had given him a blessing for long life. When Reb Refael was
approached by the officials and told that he was expected to testify on
behalf of the publishers he was faced with a dilemma: Even knowing that
the brothers' very lives were at stake, how could be bring himself to
testify on behalf of people whom he had not personally met? Reb Refael
realized that the entire case was false and that the publishers had been
accused of trumped-up charges, but on the other hand, it would be
difficult for him to attest to something he did not know without
absolute certainty.

Though Reb Refael agreed to testify, his inner battle continued. The day
before he was due in court he broke down and cried out to G-d, "Master
of the Universe! In my entire life I have never uttered a statement
about which I was not absolutely sure. I beg You, with my entire being,
to withdraw Your blessing of longevity, that I may be prevented from
bearing witness about something I did not see with my own eyes!"

Reb Refael's request was granted, and he passed away that very day. The
following day, upon learning that one of the three character witnesses
had died, the authorities summarily sentenced the brothers to flogging
and incarceration. (Much later, after they were eventually exonerated,
the government adopted a more conciliatory tone and sent the brothers
home with much fanfare.)

In those days, punishment was administered by forcing the unfortunate
individual to "run the gantlet," passing between two rows of heavily
armed soldiers. Totally naked, a shower of lashes would rain down as he
walked through. On the day the two brothers were to be punished an order
was suddenly issued to change the guard. Those who had been on duty were
replaced (the government feared that they might have been bribed to
deliver lighter blows; indeed, they had been). Subsequently, the
flogging was severe. The two brothers were allowed to keep only their
yarmulkes on.

Naturally, the faster one ran, the fewer blows were received and the
lighter the punishment. Yet when one brother's yarmulke fell to the
ground he bent down to retrieve it, so as not to take even one step
bareheaded, oblivious to the pain.

During their imprisonment, the brothers spent much of their time praying
and reciting Psalms. One of their fellow inmates was an apostate Jew,
who hated his former co-religionists with a passion. Familiar with
Jewish law, he deliberately urinated in their cell so they would be
forbidden to pronounce the holy words in the presence of such filth.

Reb Pinchas' grandsons were disheartened. Now even praying to G-d would
be denied them. Suddenly, one of them turned to the other and said,
"There is no reason for us to be depressed. Not at all! Let us rejoice
in the fact that we are Jews. Without uttering a word we may still
fulfill the will of our Creator. We must therefore be happy!" The two
brothers then began to dance, grateful to G-d for being Jewish despite
their squalid conditions.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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The Holy One, Blessed is He, said: "In the present world [only] certain
individuals prophesied; in the world to come, however, all Israel will
be made prophets, as it is said, 'It shall come to pass afterwards that
I shall pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy...' "

                                           (Tanchuma, Beha'alotcha)

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                 END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 702 - Vaera 5762
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