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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 860
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                           Copyright (c) 2005
                 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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        March 4, 2005           Vayakhel         23 Adar I, 5765
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                              Play By Ear

Maybe you're fortunate enough to know someone who plays by ear. No, we
don't mean play it by ear, which is a cliché or aphorism meaning to ad
lib, do something without preparation, act spontaneously.

Indeed, there's something gratifying about listening to someone who can
play by ear - who can hear a song, go to the piano and, without practice
or sheet music, sound it out. Within minutes she's playing it perfectly.

Many people take music lessons, but true musical talent is rare. Rarer
still is the ability to play by ear - to be so "tuned in" that one must
think in rhythm and melody, to be so sensitive to the patterns,
progressions and inter-relationships that the music flows from the ear
to the brain to the fingers, seemingly without interruption.

We know that harmony derives from intervals of sound on a scale. Sound A
harmonizes with Sound B because B is a multiple of A. That is, if Sound
A vibrates with a frequency of 1, then Sound B harmonizes when it
vibrates at a certain ratio (say 1:2) of Sound A.

It may all be mathematical, but those who play by ear do so
instinctively. They don't think about the relationships between the
notes; they feel them in their mind and heart.

And yet, even those who play by ear don't always get the notes right the
first time. They have to experiment, translate the melody in their head
into the movement of their fingers, until they've learned to express the
harmony playing inside.

There's a lesson here in our Divine service: Every soul hears the "music
of the spheres." When it comes to recognizing the harmonic spiritual
patterns, we can all play by ear. That's because every Jew is innately
"tuned in" to the "spiritual melodies" - the mitzvot. The mitzvot, G-d's
commandments,  express G-d's Will with a mathematical precision
reminiscent of music. And they harmonize with each other, "vibrating" in
various proportions and relations - this mitzvah calls forth that
mitzva, this one prepares for or takes precedence over that one.

For example, Shabbat is a dominant chord, which calls for lighting
candles and Kiddush - two mitzvot that "vibrate" at a spiritual ratio to
Shabbat itself.

And all the mitzvot together harmonize in our souls.

But when playing them by ear, we don't always get them right the first
time. Our practical observance of the mitzvot - how we play them out -
doesn't always match what we know we should do - how we hear them in our
heads. And so we falter at the keyboard, so to speak, fooling around
with the notes and chords until we get the melody right.

And that's where Chasidut comes in. Studying Chasidut creates a clear
channel, as it were, from the spiritual songs in our souls to their
expression in our actions. When those of us who can play by ear hear a
song, its path to our fingers should be easy and immediate. Any
hesitancy or "mis-notes" results from a blockage, something interfering
with the transition from ear to hand.

Similarly, what prevents the harmony of mitzvot from flowing from our
souls to our actions - our words, our prayers, our deeds - is some
interference in the process of transition. Chasidut clarifies our
conceptions trains our mind to respond to our soul, and our hands to be
an extension of our soul.

We may not all be able to sit at the piano, recall a song and play it by
ear perfectly. But by studying Chasidut, we can play perfectly the song
of our soul.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week, in the Torah portion of Vayakhel,  we read about the setting
up of the Tabernacle in the desert.

Before the Tabernacle was built, Moses called together all of the
Children of Israel and commanded them to keep the Sabbath. "Six days
shall work be done, and on the seventh you shall have a holy day. A
Sabbath of rest to G-d."

The Talmud explains that the juxtaposition of Shabbat and the building
of the Tabernacle teaches us which types of work we must avoid in order
to keep the Sabbath. These are the 39 categories of labor which are
prohibited on Shabbat, and from which are derived all other activities
which may not be pursued on the holy day.

Nothing in the Torah occurs coincidentally. The fact that the Torah
chooses the building of the Tabernacle to teach us which labors are
prohibited on Shabbat shows that there is a connection between these two
subjects. Furthermore, the relationship between Shabbat and the building
of the Tabernacle has another, deeper dimension. Every one of the 39
types of labor involved in building the Sanctuary is the prototype of
the labors we perform during the six days of the week. And, because
everything in the physical world reflects its spiritual source, all our
physical labor is the building of the Tabernacle. All the work which we
perform has the potential to be elevated and turned into holiness.

But not only is the Tabernacle the source for the work in our lives, it
also serves as our lives' goals as well. Every task we perform during
our daily routine should be utilized to bring holiness into the world,
the same function which the original Tabernacle served.

The Torah states: "Six days shall you work." Our Sages explain that this
is a positive commandment, not merely the granting of permission. Man is
compelled to toil to earn his daily bread. We see that the prayers and
Torah readings prescribed for weekdays are shorter than those read on
Shabbat and holidays, to enable a person to go out into the world to
perform his daily tasks. It is through one's physical labor that he
molds and shapes the world into a "sanctuary" for G-d.

How do we elevate our daily, mundane tasks? "In all your ways shall you
know Him," explains the Torah. All of our activities, no matter how
seemingly trivial, must be performed with the proper thoughts in mind.
When we eat, drink, sleep and go about our business according to Torah
law, we are cognizant of our Creator and transform our lives into
sanctuaries to G-d.

The basic difference between the Tabernacle and our own physical world
is that the Tabernacle was an actual manifestation of G-dliness, whereas
the physical world is still in a state of potential. Man's task is to
transform that potential into actual realization, by living according to
the dictum, "In all your ways shall you know Him."

                   Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.


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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                         Bar Mitzva in Wexford
                       By Rabbi Yosef Y. Jacobson

It was the summer of 1996. As Lubavitcher yeshiva students, Rabbi Mendy
Harlig and I were using our summer break to join the Rebbe's "Peace
Corps," to go to those areas of the world that don't have an emissary of
the Rebbe nearby. We spent five weeks in Ireland, in the course of which
we visited Jews from north to south, and east to west.

Our base was Dublin and we stayed at the Orwell Lodge Hotel. One day the
managress of the hotel, an elderly Catholic woman, said to us, "Are you
the young rabbis referred to in an article in The Irish Times?"

The article had said that two Chabad rabbis from Brooklyn were visiting
Ireland in order to connect Jews with their Jewish roots. It stated that
we were not proselytizing non-Jews, only giving our fellow Jews an
opportunity to learn of their tradition and to experience their
Jewishness. I told her the article was indeed about us.

"Marvelous," she said,  "I hope you'll visit my cousin Tony who lives in
Wexford. He is married to Roselyn, a Jewish woman, and they have three
lovely children." She wrote down their address.

"Can we have their phone number?" I asked.

"They don't have one," she answered. "They live in a rural area and the
people there don't have phones. But it's not a problem. Take the address
and go. When you get there, ring the doorbell and walk in. I know
they'll be thrilled to meet you."

We got into our car and drove to the south-east tip of Ireland. We got
lost a few times on the winding roads, but finally arrived at our
destination.

The woman who opened the door stared in astonishment. I can't blame her!
Picture the scene: two rabbis with black yarmulkes and beards had landed
on her doorstep in this little village in Ireland, with no prior
warning.

A few minutes later we were seated around her kitchen table talking. We
met her three children: Rebecca - 22, Aaron - 19, and Sara - 15. They
all felt very Jewish but had no way of expressing their Jewishness in
any area of their lives.

Roselyn had arrived in Wexford 25 years earlier, and since then, had
almost never met a Jew. It was amazing to discover how strongly they
felt about being Jewish despite their utter disconnect from Jews and
Judaism.

Roselyn and her children took the opportunity of our visit to ask us
many questions they had had for years. But their big question was: Why
do rabbis like you visit people like us, people disconnected from
Judaism, people you don't even know?

I explained to them that every Jew, no matter his or her connection to a
Jewish community, level of knowledge, and fulfillment of Jewish law, has
a Jewish soul which is connected, with an inviolable connection, to G-d.
The Jew is intrinsically and innately part of a covenantal relationship
with G-d that began 3,300 year ago and has not ceased since. Our
challenge in life is to express this holiness and G-dliness in our daily
schedule and interactions.

I went on to explain that the Rebbe said that every Jew is a Divine
diamond, and this is why we came to see her and the children.

We talked with the family for a long time. At the end of the visit, when
we exchanged addresses and were saying goodbye, a thought popped into my
head. I asked, "Did Aaron have a bar mitzva?"

"No," said Roselyn. "There are no bar mitzva classes in Wexford," she
added with a smile.

"Maybe we can celebrate his bar mitzva now?" I suggested. "The main part
of the bar mitzva - putting on tefilin and praying to G-d in acceptance
of the yoke of Heaven - can be done now."

Mendy brought tefilin from the car, and Rebecca and Sara brought a
camera to record the historic moment. A bar mitzva in Wexford! Who would
have believed it?

Aaron disappeared for a few minutes and then returned, wearing a green
yarmulke which he found upstairs. Everybody felt the momentousness of
the occasion - the first bar mitzva - and maybe the last - being
celebrated in Wexford, Ireland.

The family watched in awe as Mendy put tefilin on Aaron's arm and head
for the first time in his life.

I explained that the seven times the tefilin straps are wrapped on the
arm symbolize the seven emotions contained by every soul, since the main
point of tefilin is to make the heart and mind subordinate to G-d. I
told them that the point of the commandment of tefilin is to connect and
unite man's two components - the intellect and the emotions - with G-d.

Aaron began to say the "Shema," word by word, after Mendy. And that's
when the dam broke. Roselyn began weeping profusely. Her daughters
followed, sobbing like children. Emotions that had been pent-up for ages
broke through. Roselyn went over to her only son to hug him. Mendy and I
stood there silently and humbly as we witnessed the spiritual storm
overtaking this Jewish family.

We watched four "diamonds" return to their source, to who they truly
are.

We gave Rebecca and Sara each a candlestick, and they promised to light
Shabbat candles each Friday before sunset. When we finally said
"goodbye," they all walked us out. I thought about how just three and a
half hours ago we were strangers, and now we were parting from family.

The next day I began reviewing the events in my mind. What had happened
in that moment when Aaron began saying the Shema? What made the family
burst into tears? It certainly wasn't nostalgia, for they had no
memories of anything like this.

What had happened was that for the first time in their lives, they were
given the opportunity to connect to their inner souls, to their Divine
spark, which was always there but lay dormant. When Aaron, wearing
tefilin, said the Shema, the spark in each of them ignited. There was no
need to create or invent something new. All that was needed was to
reveal that which was always present.

    Rabbi Jacobson, one of the most sought-after speakers in the Jewish
    world today, has lectured to audiences in six continents and 35
    states and is the author of the tape series "A Tale of Two Souls"
    and "Captain My Captain." To receive his weekly internet essays on
    Judaism, mysticism and psychology, please e-mail YYJacobson@aol.com.
    Adapted by S.Z. Levin from a speech.

                             Reprinted from Beis Moshiach magazine.

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                               WHAT'S NEW
*********************************************************************
                           New Chabad Center

A new Chabad-Lubavitch Center is slated to open soon in S. Thomas in the
Virgin Islands under the directorship of Rabbi Asher and Henya Federman.
The center will reach out to the local Jewish community as well as serve
the Jewish tourists who visit the Islands. Shabbat celebrations, holiday
awareness projects, adult education and other Jewish services are some
of what will be offered in the new center.

                               New Mikva

Mei Menachem Mikvas Devorah was recently dedicated in Oak Park,
California. The new mikva is the first in the city of Oak Park and is a
project of Chabad of Conejo.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                 Freely translated letters of the Rebbe

In reply to your letter in which you convey to me the good news that you
have entered the second month - approximately - of your pregnancy:

Surely, as I have mentioned to ... if at all possible you are not to
publicize the news "until the fifth month" - to use the expression of my
father-in-law, the Rebbe.

I would suggest to you the following:

 1. Surely you are following your doctors' orders - those of whom you
    already visited - regarding your diet, not overstraining yourself,
    etc.

 2. Check all the mezuzos in your home and exchange the non-kosher
    ones for kosher ones.

 3. Keep the fine custom of Jewish women, that of giving charity to
    the fund of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes prior to lighting candles every
    Shabbos eve and Yom Tov eve.

 4. Your husband, the Rav, should continue reciting the daily portion
    of Psalms (as it is divided by the days of the month) at least until
    after you give birth in a good and auspicious hour.

    So, too, in the Prayer Before Retiring at Night, your husband should
    recite - prior to Hamapil - the 20th Psalm, Lamenatzeiach ...
    Ya'ancha. After he concludes the chapter, he should once again
    recite the second verse, Ya'ancha, and have in mind that G-d should
    consider it as if he had all the intentions that are to be thought
    of at that time.

May G-d grant you an easy pregnancy; may you carry to term and give
birth in a regular and easy way to a healthy child.

                                    (Igros Kodesh, Vol. VI, p. 104)

                                *  *  *


In reply to your letter relating to your sister, who has been married
for many years and has yet to be blessed with children:

I wonder why you did not mention whether they have consulted with
fertility experts; if they have not as yet done so, they should do so
now.

This is in keeping with the directive of our Sages, of blessed memory,
who in commenting on the verse, "and he shall be healed," state: "From
here we learn that the Torah gave a healer the ability [and power] to
heal."

However, a Jew's physical and spiritual welfare are inextricably bound
together, as they are "one nation on earth," and in the language of the
Alter Rebbe: "This means that even in mundane ["earthly"] matters they
will not be separated from G-d's true unity [and oneness]."

Therefore, they are to increase their performance of Torah and mitzvos
[commandments] and strengthen their faith and trust in G-d, the Creator
and Conductor of the entire world, that He watches over them with
individual Divine Providence with regard to all the above.

In a case such as the above, it would also be appropriate for them to
ascertain whether their shidduch with each other did not wound the pride
of any Jewish young man or woman to the extent that it necessitates
asking their forgiveness. [If they do have to ask forgiveness, they can
do so] either in the presence of the aggrieved party or [if this is not
possible,] in the aggrieved party's absence.

They should also check the husband's tefillin, as well as the mezuzos in
their home, that they all be kosher according to Jewish law. Also, the
wife should observe the custom of Jewish women of giving charity prior
to lighting candles every Shabbos eve and every Yom Tov eve.

                                  (Igros Kodesh, Vol. XVIII, p. 32)

              From Eternal Joy, translated by Rabbi S. B. Wineberg,
                                     published by Sichos In English

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                            RAMBAM THIS WEEK
*********************************************************************
24 Adar I, 5765 - March 5, 2005

Positive Mitzvah 62: Offering salt with a sacrifice

This mitzva is based on the verse (Lev. 2:13) "With all your offerings
you shall offer salt"

Salt is a very effective preserver.  The Torah commands us to offer salt
with all sacrifices.

This salt hints that by presenting our offerings to G-d we are
"preserving" our closeness to Him


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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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The last public address of the Rebbe was on this Shabbat in 1992. The
Rebbe spoke then about many concepts, including the importance of
increasing in charity as a way of fostering unity amongst the Jewish
people and hastening the Redemption. Among the Rebbe's statements:

"In regard to our gifts to charity; we must give of ourselves. There are
different graduations in our obligation to give charity: The basic
obligation of charity one tenth of one's resources. A person who desires
to fulfill the mitzva in the most choice manner possible, should give a
fifth of his resources. Over and above that, however, there is a deeper
motivation to give, to borrow an expression, 'everything a person owns
he will give for the sake of his soul.' For the realization of the
fundamental unity we share with others will prompt us to give
generously. For the other person is one's other half as it were. Giving
to him fulfills one's own self, and therefore, there will be no limits
to one's gifts.

"Furthermore, one's giving must be permeated with the efforts to gather
together with all other Jews. This means that our thoughts must be
preoccupied with the love of our fellow Jews. We must make statements
that reflect this feeling as well. And primarily, our actual gifts must
reflect this commitment. Thus they will be substantial, as mentioned
above, "everything a person owns he will give for the sake of his soul."

"Moreover, our gifts to charity should constantly be increased. Every
moment, the creation as a whole is being renewed and is receiving
additional blessings through G-d's benevolence. Therefore, at every
moment, we should renew and increase our commitment to charity,
amplifying the manner in which we help others.

"And these efforts to gather together, both the different dimensions of
our spiritual being and to gather together with other Jews will hasten
the ultimate ingathering of the Jewish people when together with the
entire Jewish people, we will proceed to the Holy Land, where we merit
the rebuilding of the Holy Temple. May this take place immediately."

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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Take from yourselves an offering. (Ex. 35:5)

The words "from yourselves" show that one should not say that he will
wait until he is rich to give his donation. Rather, he should take from
what G-d has given him now.

                                                  (Tz'enah Ur'enah)

                                *  *  *


And all the women whose hearts stirred them up in wisdom spun the goats'
[hair]. (Ex. 35:26)

Rashi explains that the way in which the goats' hair was spun, actually
on the back of the goat, was a special skill granted to certain women.
The women were not commanded or instructed concerning how to spin the
hair, but learned by themselves. They understood, therefore, that this
special talent, given them by G-d, was meant to be used for the Holy
Sanctuary. From this we learn that when G-d gives a person certain
talents or skills, it is incumbent upon that person to use those talents
to make a "sanctuary" for G-d in this world.

                                                   (Likutei Sichot)

                                *  *  *


These are the things that G-d has commanded you to do. (Ex. 35:1)

Immediately following this verse we read about the commandment to
refrain from work on Shabbat. Why are we first instructed to actively do
something, and then immediately instructed not to do something else?
Shabbat is not merely a passive cessation of labor, but is something in
which we must take an active, vital role. It is up to us to make the
holiness of Shabbat felt, by investing our efforts towards this goal
during the first six days of the week.

                                                  (Sifrei Chasidut)

                                *  *  *


All the wise-hearted among you shall come, and make all that G-d has
commanded. (Ex. 35:10)

When a person decides to do a mitzva, it is preferable to do it
immediately, as the opportunity presents itself, and not procrastinate.
Doing a mitzva with diligence and alacrity prevents all kinds of
obstacles from arising to prevent the performance of the mitzva at a
later time. That is why the verse says, "All the wise-hearted among you
shall come" - one who is truly wise - "shall come" - without delay.

                                                 (HaDrash Vehaiyun)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Many, many years ago in southern Russia two families joined in the
joyous celebration of the marriage of their children, Eliezer and
Devorah. The moon shone down upon tables richly set with brimming
platters of festive foods. People conversed happily, their gazes turning
periodically to the joyous couple, and music filled the night air.

Suddenly, screams pierced the night, and dreaded words filled the  air,
"Cossacks, Cossacks are coming!" Pandemonium erupted and panic- stricken
people ran in every direction looking for shelter from the murderous
horde. But alas, men, women and children were mercilessly cut down in
the quick, bloody foray. Throughout the town, Jews were robbed and
murdered, captured and enslaved by the Cossack band.

When quiet finally descended upon the devastated village the young
bride, Devorah, was still alive. She had no memory of her miraculous
escape, but now, faced with an uncertain future, she set out for the
Holy Land to the home of an uncle, her only surviving relative.
Sympathetic Jews along the route helped her, and at long last she
arrived in Israel where she was taken into the family and began to
recover from her traumatic experiences. Since the fate of her husband
was unknown she was unable to remarry, and the poor girl went to the
Western Wall every day to pray that the Alm-ghty restore her husband to
her.

One day the streets of Jerusalem buzzed with excitement. Trumpets blared
and crowds gathered to welcome a handsome young king who, mounted on a
beautiful stead, rode through the narrow streets followed by his
retainers.

Suddenly, Devorah, who had come to witness the great event with her
cousins, fainted. When they brought her home their mother scolded them
for taking her out on such a hot day. But Devorah, who had regained
consciousness looked up at her aunt and said, "Oh no, it wasn't the heat
that caused me to faint. I saw my husband! The young king, he is my lost
husband!"

The family looked at her in astonishment. Poor Devorah was suffering
delusions, no doubt as a result of all she had been through. When her
uncle returned that night they told him about Devorah's encounter with
the visiting king. He felt great pity for his unfortunate niece and
decided to take her to a well-known tzadik to ask for a blessing for her
health.

To his surprise, the tzadik advised him to take Devorah's words
seriously. Since the uncle had been appointed member of the delegation
which was to greet the king, the tzadik advised him to take advantage of
that fortuitous situation. "Let me give you an idea," said the tzadik,
"In the course of your reception for the king, engage him in a game of
chess. You will play very well, but then you will make a mistake. When
he asks to explain this obviously foolish move, you will tell him that
you are troubled by a personal problem. And when he inquires what it is,
you will mention the name 'Devorah'. By his reaction, you will know his
identity."

Just as the tzadik said, the chess game was played, the "mistake" was
made, and when her uncle mentioned Devorah's name, the young king leapt
up, scattering the chess pieces. "Where is she?" he exclaimed; "Did she
remarry?"

The uncle recounted the entire story of Devorah's survival and passage
to the Holy Land. He told how she recognized her husband and stuck to
her convictions despite everyone's disbelief. The king was very moved by
the account, and begged her uncle to tell her of his own difficult and
trying experiences since the night of their wedding. He had been sold
into slavery, had worked on a pirate ship, and then finally, shipwrecked
on an island, been chosen king of the inhabitants. He had never,
however, forgotten her. "Please, tell Devorah that I am prepared to do
as she wishes. If she will have me back, I am prepared to renounce my
crown and resume our life together. But, if not, I am willing to give
her a divorce here and now. It is hers to choose."

The uncle returned home with the astoundingly good news that Devorah
had, indeed, found her husband. There was no question in Devorah's mind;
her prayers had been answered, her husband had been returned to her. The
young couple was reunited in great happiness. The young man formulated a
plan. After transferring stewardship of his little kingdom into capable
hands, he would return quietly to Jerusalem, where he and Devorah would
set up their home. This is exactly what they did. Most of the
inhabitants of the city never knew the real story of Devorah and her
husband.

                                      Adapted from The Storyteller.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
*********************************************************************
Unity is the key to G-d's blessings. Thus, in our daily prayers, we say
"Bless us our Father, all as one." Chasidic teachings explain that the
very fact of being together "all as one," makes us worthy of blessing.
And this unity will lead to the ultimate blessing - the coming of the
time when G-d will "sound the great shofar," and together "with our
youth and with our elders... with our sons and with our daughters," the
entire Jewish people will proceed to the Holy Land, to Jerusalem, and to
the Third Holy Temple. May this take place in the immediate future.

                    (The Lubavitcher Rebbe, 25 Adar I, 5752 - 1992)

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               END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 860 - Vayakhel 5765
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