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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1072
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                           Copyright (c) 2009
                 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 28, 2009            Shavuos            5 Sivan, 5769
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                            Life's A Journey
                         by Rabbi Shlomie Chein

Twenty roaring Harley Davidsons, Suzukis and Hondas of the YOW - Yids On
Wheels motorcycle club - are raring to go, just waiting for the light to
turn green.

This oddity has an added oddity; on the back of one bike sits a
rabbinical student. What is he doing there?

It's usually none of my business who's sitting where, but that night it
was my concern. That rabbinical student was me.

A friend had offered to take me along, so I switched my black fedora for
a hard helmet, and my dark blazer for a bomber jacket. After 20 city
minutes, we left the traffic lights behind and began the mountainous
climb through the countryside. Awesome.

This is no comfy car. I hold on for dear life, out there in the wild
where you swerve with every curve, and thump on every bump. Hard uphill,
you wonder if we'll ever make it to the top. Seems like the Final
Redemption after a long and perilous road.

We made it to the top, under a crescent moon with stars sprinkled about
like glitter. What's a Chasidic Jew doing out here? I realized there how
nowhere the "middle of nowhere" really is.

Holy Moses! The Jewish people got the Torah on a mountain in the
wilderness, in the middle of nowhere. Why? Were the grand ballrooms or
big parks booked that day? Maybe a Divine Revelation would give me, too,
a Torah insight on the mountain!

There are three types of transportation. Public transportation: you hop
on board, someone else does the driving. Private transportation: you
take your car, but as soon as you hit flatland, you hit cruise. Then
there's the motorcycle, the real ride where you fully travel each part
of the way. I couldn't let go for a second; there's no forgetting where
you are.

Life's a journey. We're constantly moving. Our thoughts change, our
feelings grow. We get older, explore and encounter, and learn new
things. But how long can we keep it up?

Some just get on the bus, riding the waves of others; family or friends,
fame, riches or luck. They make nothing of, and on, their own.

Others pull out of the driveway in their little car and roll down the
small streets. They change lanes on busy thoroughfares, getting on and
off fast highways. But when they find their route, they lean back,
relax, and hit cruise.

The Jews got their directions on a mountain in middle of nowhere. Yup,
if you're living, keep riding. Don't just take the bus. It's nice that
Grandpa made Kiddush and Grandma lit Shabbat candles Friday night. But
that was them. If you're still riding on their ride, you missed your
stop!

Your car won't do it. Bar/Bat Mitzva classes are fine; Hebrew school is
super. But the ride doesn't end there. That was way back when station
wagons were in; you wouldn't be caught near one of those today. As for
your current situation, "been there, done that." Its time to move on!

If you're not doing anything real right here and right now; is it really
you who's moving ahead, or are you just watching everyone else outside
go past!

Now cut cruisin', rev your engine and scoot up to your Shavout
mountaintop!

    Rabbi Chein and his wife Devorah Leah direct Chabad at UCSC

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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The Midrash relates that the Jewish people slept through the entire
night before the Torah was given on Shavuot. Their sleep was so deep and
so pleasant, in fact, that we are told that the insects didn't dare to
disturb them.

The next morning, the day on which the Torah was to be given, they
overslept! G-d Himself had to awaken them. Unbelievably, the Jewish
people arrived late for the revelation at Mount Sinai.

In commemoration of this event it is customary to remain awake the
entire night of Shavuot learning Torah in the synagogue. But how could
the Children of Israel have allowed themselves to fall asleep in the
first place? If the greatest human king had promised to give us a
valuable treasure, wouldn't we be too excited to sleep the night before?
How much more so a gift that is expected from the King of kings!

In truth, having been told that G-d would be giving them the Torah in 50
days, the Jews yearned with such anticipation that they immediately
began to count the days. Each day, as they counted, they ascended one
spiritual rung after the other by ridding themselves of the negative
characteristics they had acquired in Egypt and transforming them into
positive ones. The nearer the day came, the greater was their
excitement. And yet, when the day finally arrived, they almost slept
right through it!

To explain: The Jewish people did not fall asleep by accident; they did
so deliberately, with good intentions. For they were convinced that
going to sleep would constitute the final stage in their preparation for
receiving the Torah.

When a person sleeps, his soul ascends on high. Thus the Jews
deliberately went to sleep to allow their souls to comprehend even
higher levels of the Torah. Nonetheless, G-d did not approve of their
behavior, as it missed the point of the entire revelation.

In His Torah, G-d commanded us to utilize physical objects in the
performance of His mitzvot (commandments). Thinking about giving charity
is not enough; we have to actually give a poor person the money. By
utilizing physical objects (a lulav on Sukkot, for example) we imbue the
world with holiness, thereby connecting the spiritual and material
realms.

When a person sleeps, however, his soul is not connected to the physical
world, and the spiritual and material realms remain disunited - the
antithesis of G-d's intent in giving us His Torah.

Accordingly, the proper preparation for receiving the Torah should have
involved serving G-d on the highest spiritual levels while still awake,
the better to fulfill G-d's ultimate intention in creating the world.

                 Adapted from Likutei Sichot of the Rebbe, Volume 4

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                               Just Do It

    Excerpts from a speech said by Aliza Horowitz at the passing of her
    father, Dr. Alvin Cohen and from a letter that she wrote to him.

When I was about five-years-old I asked my father what he did at work.
He said, "People lie down on the couch and I say 'What's on your mind?'
and they tell me.

I asked, "Can I try it?" He said, "Sure" and he lay down on the couch.
"Now say, 'What's on your mind?' he coached me.

I said, "What's on your mind?" and paused a second. "Daddy, what's a
mind?"

The fact that my father was a psychiatrist had a major impact on all of
our lives. All of his children are in the mental health or related
field. I became a therapist myself at the age of 50. I feel like I am
carrying on my father's legacy when I practice therapy. We are all
inspired in our work through his example. We always knew how much his
patients meant to him and how he was available to them.

When I was a child his compassionate eyes looked sad to me. I thought
that he held the pain of all the patients inside his heart because it
wasn't just a job for him. He respected all people from all walks of
life. His patients used to ask, "How do you remember everything about
each one of us?" His answer: "Don't you have more than one sibling? Do
you get mixed up between them?"

One time my siblings were arguing. What about? That each of us thought
that we were Dad's favorite child. In the end we just agreed, he loves
us all the most. But secretly each one of us knew we were really his
favorite child. And that is his remarkable ability to give unconditional
love. His inclusive heart loved all of us lucky enough to be in his
path. This is the well of strength that I draw from during the
vicissitudes of life. And now in this most trying time I will dig inside
and draw from this well again.

Everyone young and old and in between was drawn to his warmth, his witty
ways and quiet wisdom. All his children and grandchildren vied for a
place on the couch next to him to lean on his shoulder figuratively and
actually.

In spite of a 12 hour workday, beginning at 7 a.m., he was available to
his family. He was a real family man, helping us with homework, flying
kites, and jogging in the park before it was in vogue. My father would
have special time with each of us - we called it "Daddy Talking Time," a
wonderful invention of my sister Diane. He would bring us out for lunch
in a restaurant, teaching us one of the many poems, sonnets and
soliloquies he knew by heart, on the ride there and back. Our family,
especially our father has been known to burst into a poem for every
occasion.

As children we would play the game of trust. We would stand perfectly
stiff and straight and fall back into my fathers arms without looking
back. And trust we did! We always trusted him to be there for us. My
father had a witty personality. He laughed at himself never at others,
and saw humor in every situation, even dire ones.

During my turbulent teenage years, I often felt down and my father would
come home from work and ask me, "On a scale of one to ten, how do you
feel? 'One' is abysmal despair and 'ten' is euphoria. I would usually
say 'two' or 'three,' and he would say, "If I could take away the pain I
would." And that was his life's mission - to ease the pain of those he
knew. He certainly listened more than he spoke. And those he listened to
felt heard on a cellular level. Each one's story was important. He
encouraged everyone he knew to be empowered and not be a victim.

At the age of 21, I became a religious Jew. My father came to visit me
in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, to make sure I had not joined a cult,
because up until then I had tried many things while searching for my
true self.

The more I got involved in studying Jewish texts and especially Chasidic
philosophy, the more I exclaimed: "Hey this is what my father taught me
all along: Live each day fully; Act happy even when you're not; The mind
controls the heart; The word 'can't' doesn't exist."

After my father verified that Lubavitch was not a cult, he was fully
supportive of my choice and celebrated the birth of each child and each
Bar Mitzva, Bat Mitzva and wedding. He was a favorite amongst our
friends. People were always asking him for advice or pouring out their
heart to him as he listened attentively.

When our entire family would get together - my sisters Diane and Jeanie,
and my brother Larry, and their families - we would often have Shabbat
meals with my father presiding as patriarch, saying the kiddish, the
prayer over the challa, and blessing the children.

Later on my father began to study Talmud on occasion. He never tired of
learning new things and learning them well. Computer skills, music
appreciation, acting, the list goes on.

When interviewed by my daughter Nechamie, my father said his message to
his children and the world is the Nike slogan, "Just do it." Don't spend
useless hours thinking about doing something. Just do it.

My father tried to empower me to be independent, and to be responsible
and accountable for my actions. "You can feel what you feel, but do what
you have to do anyway," he would say. It took many years to adopt this
philosophy that has shaped my life.

Today, I have the answer to my childhood question, what is a mind? A
mind is something that can make a person with a serious illness at the
age of 87 go to work every day. A mind can make a person not complain
about his lot in life. A mind can make a person "just do it."

According to Chasidic tradition, we choose our parents, for they are our
teachers in this lifetime. I think I made a good choice.

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                             New Emissaries

Rabbi Enan and Gitty Francis will be moving to Connecticut where Rabbi
Francis will become the principal at the Southern Connecticut Hebrew
Academy in Orange, Connecticut. Rabbi Chaim and Aidel Zaklos are
arriving soon in Solano County, California, to establish a new Chabad
House serving the local Jewish residents in Vacaville, Fairfield and
Vallejo, California. Rabbi Chaim Leib and Miki Hilel will be going to
San Luis Obispo County in California to establish a new Chabad House on
campus at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). Rabbi
Moishe and Michal Carlebach are moving to Toluca Lake, California, to
establish a new Chabad House, serving the needs of the local Jewish
community.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                     2nd day of Sivan, 5729 [1969]

Greeting and blessing:

I was pleased to receive your letter of the 26th of Iyar, and to note
that the honorary officers and membership of the congregation Bnei Ruven
are honoring Rabbi and Mrs. Shusterman on the occasion of their
three-fold simcha [happy occasion].

I am particularly gratified to see that the services of your
distinguished rabbi are so well appreciated. I am confident that his
dedication to Torah and Yiddishkeit [Judaism] without compromise is the
living pattern for lay leadership of the congregation as well as the
membership at large, each and everyone doing their utmost to ensure that
the house of prayer and the house of study of your congregation should
be likewise conducted with faithful adherence to our sacred traditions
without compromise. May your congregation serve as a living example to
be emulated by others.

Since everything is by hashgocha protis (Divine providence), it is
significant that this letter was written on the 2nd day of Sivan. For,
regarding this date, the Alter Rebbe [Rabbi Shneur Zalman, founder of
Chabad Chasidism] reminds us in his Shulchan Aruch (end of sec. 494)
that it was on this day that G-d told the Jewish people through Moshe
Rabbenu [Moses]: "and you shall be unto me a kingdom of Kohanim
[priests] and a holy nation." This means that, although the Kohanim have
been separated from the midst of the Jewish people and raised to a
special status, the purpose was that they should raise the whole Jewish
people to a higher plain of holiness. In a similar sense it is the duty
and privilege of the spiritual leader of the congregation, as well as
the lay leaders, to see to it that the high principles and standards of
your rabbi should be emulated by each and every one of the members. This
can effectively be accomplished through the synagogue, when the light,
warmth and holiness of the synagogue are brought into each member's
house and household, and In all affairs and aspects of the daily life.

In as much as there is no limit to the good and holy, since they are
infinite, being derived from the infinite, may G-d grant that the entire
congregation, under the leadership of, and together with your esteemed
Rabbi Shusterman, advance from strength to strength in all matters of
goodness and holiness. This will also widen the channels and vessels to
receive and enjoy G-d's blessing in abundance, materially and
spiritually.

                                      Freely translated and adapted

                                *  *  *

                          21 Iyar, 5710 [1950]


A year ago today the [Previous] Rebbe wrote a letter to the chassidim
and students of the Tomchei Temimim Yeshivah who had settled in the Holy
Land.... In it the Rebbe informs them, "I have directed the
administration of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch to send you a Sefer Torah
[Torah scroll]," and expresses his hope that it will serve -

as a constant reminder in your minds and your hearts to structure your
private and public lives entirely according to the Torah, as we have
been taught to do by our holy forebears, the Rebbes whose souls are in
the Garden of Eden. May this Sefer Torah remind you to uncompromisingly
educate your sons and daughters in its ways, and to diffuse its spirit,
the spirit of our Patriarch Jacob, over your fellow Jews - both over
those who are near at hand and over those who are momentarily distant -
by inspiring them and guiding them along the path that leads up to the
House of G-d. This is the path of Torah study in a G-d-fearing spirit,
the path of loving and meticulous observance of the mitzvos
(commandments). May you guide your brethren along this path out of a
feeling of real kinship that springs from the love of one's fellow Jew,
and from the characteristically chassidic attributes that accord with
the teachings of Chassidus.

May every man and woman among you serve as a lamp to light up the
darkness of exile - in which you and we find ourselves - with the light
of G-d, until He fulfills the promise conveyed through His holy
prophets, and lets us hear the voice of the herald who will bring
tidings of salvation. "For G-d has comforted His people," and He will
proceed before us to gather in our exiles and to liberate us with an
everlasting Redemption.

We receive the Torah every single day, and every single day we bless Him
Who gives us the Torah - for He gives it to us every day, but
particularly on the festival of Shavuos, the "time of the Giving of the
Torah" for the entire year.

On this festival, as well as on the days before and after it, we should
meditate deeply upon the words of the [Previous] Rebbe quoted above, in
a way that gives rise to positive results throughout the year, in all
the areas enumerated in his letter.

The appeal of the [Previous] Rebbe  which he cried out to us from his
innermost soul should constantly resound in our ears and minds and
hearts: "What are people waiting for? The Redemption is being held up!
It's already past noon on erev Shabbos!"

         From Proceeding Together, translated by Rabbi Uri Kaploun,
                                     published by Sichos In English

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                            A CALL TO ACTION
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                    Bring the Children to Synagogue

In 5740 (1981) the Rebbe called on people everywhere to make sure that
children of all ages, from infants on up, be in the synagogue on Shavuot
to hear the Ten Commandments. Thus began an annual campaign to encourage
as many people as possible to bring their children to shul on Shavuot.
Many Chabad-Lubavitch Centers have parties for the kids to make the
experience even more enjoyable. Bring your children (or grandchildren)
to shul on Shavuot, and encourage others to do the same.

    In memory of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg and the other
    kedoshim of Mumbai

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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One time when Rebbe Shalom Dovber of Lubavitch was asked to address a
rabbinical assembly, he began with a quote from our Sages: "The Talmud
states in Baba Batra." Someone in the audience immediately cited the
page in the Talmud where the statement appears. "The Torah was not
given," the Rebbe chided him, "so that people can demonstrate that they
know exactly where something is written."

As we celebrate the revelation of the Torah on Shavuot, the central
historical event that took place some 3321 years ago, it is fitting that
we examine the concept of Torah study. The Torah was not given to man as
a means of acquiring honor and respect; it was given to us as a means of
attaching ourselves to G-d.

Chasidic philosophy explains that Torah, the sustenance of the Jewish
soul, is likened to bread. If a person eats bread that isn't
sufficiently baked, the body cannot digest it properly. When a Jew
learns Torah that has been "baked" in the "fire" of love - that is, when
he approaches the Torah out of a desire to draw closer to G-d and unite
with Him - the knowledge he gains will be completely absorbed and
internalized. But if his Torah study is insufficiently "baked," it does
not become one with the soul and remains extraneous to his being.

In particular, the study of Chasidut, which delves into the essential
nature of Torah and how it enables us to bond with the Infinite, imbues
all of our Torah study with an added level of vitality. As the third
Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek said, "Inner Torah [Chasidut] gives vitality
to the revealed Torah. When one learns Jewish law and knows that after
his 120 years on earth he will learn the same law in the Garden of Eden,
it puts a little fire into him."

As we rejoice in this "time of the giving of our Torah," let us pray
that we immediately merit "the new [dimensions of] Torah" that our
righteous Moshiach will teach us, speedily in our day.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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                           No Sin on Shavuot

According to the Torah, a chatat (sin) offering is required on every
festival with the exception of Shavuot. The reason is that on Shavuot,
the day the Torah was given, every Jew is considered a "convert," a
newborn entity. In the same way that a newborn baby is free of
transgression, so too are all Jews without sin on Shavuot.

                                (Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev)

                                *  *  *

                          The Ten Commandments


Our Sages offered several explanations of how the Ten Commandments were
perceived at Mount Sinai: G-d uttered all Ten Commandments
simultaneously, then explained each one in turn. But the Jews only
understood the first two, until Moses explained the rest.

                                                         (Mechilta)

                                *  *  *


The Jewish people heard all Ten Commandments from G-d, but could only
make out the words of the first two. During the last eight commandments
they could hear a Voice, but were unable to distinguish individual
words. Only Moses was able to discern them.

                                                      (Nachmanides)

                                *  *  *


Only the first two commandments were heard directly from G-d, but even
those not as individual words. Only Moses heard individual words.

                                                       (Maimonides)

                                *  *  *


G-d uttered all Ten Commandments at the same time, but after
comprehending only the first two, the Jews fainted. The other eight
commandments remained "suspended" until their souls returned to their
bodies, whereupon G-d's Voice spoke to each Jew individually.

                                                     (Ohr HaChayim)

                                *  *  *

                 The Revelation of G-d's Infinite Light


When the Torah was given at Mount Sinai, the Essence of G-d's Infinite
Light was revealed in the letters of the Ten Commandments. At the same
time, G-d imbued every Jewish soul throughout the generations, in every
age and in every location, with the power to draw down the same
revelation through the study of Torah.

                                      (Sefer HaMaamarim Kuntreisim)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Hard times had hit the land of Israel; famine stalked the land and the
people looked to the heavens for respite from their troubles. The
leaders of the people, the descendants of the house of Judah, lived in
Beit Lechem and at their head was Elimelech, a leader of the generation.

As members of the elite of their people, he and his wife and two sons
lived in comfort, possessing vast fields, animals and a store of gold
and silver. But Elimelech committed a fatal sin. For, just when the eyes
of his troubled brethren focused on him for help and guidance, he left
and abandoned them to their fate. Taking his wife Naomi and his two
sons, he settled in the land of Moab where he was received in a manner
fitting a man of his exalted station. And there he lived, a prosperous
and respected member of the aristocracy of that alien land, the plight
of his suffering people conveniently forgotten.

For ten years life went on until tragedy struck - Elimelech died. His
sons - who had married into the royal family of Moab - soon met the same
fate, leaving Naomi, a grieving mother, and Ruth and Orpah, childless
widows. Naomi was now finally free to act as her heart desired, as it
had desired these ten long years in this foreign land. Though alone and
broken, she decided to return home, to live out her life among her own
people. She gave her loving blessings to her two young daughters-in-law
and prepared to set out on her return journey. But their love for her
was strong and deep, and they refused to part from her.

Only after many entreaties and tears did Orpah kiss Naomi a final
goodbye and return to her family. But Ruth, from whom Moshiach was
destined to descend, staunchly refused to budge from her mother-in-law's
side: "Don't tell me to leave you," Ruth implored. "Where you go, I will
go; where you stay I will stay; your people will be my people; and your
G-d will be my G-d. Where you die I will die and there will I be buried;
only death will part us." Of all the Moabites, only Ruth had inherited
from her forefather, Lot - Abraham's nephew - the trait of
loving-kindness. When Naomi realized at last that Ruth wouldn't be
dissuaded, she stopped speaking about it, and the two women began their
long journey back to Beit Lechem.

"Is this Naomi?" exclaimed the townspeople in their amazement. How
should they greet her? Should they disdain the former aristocrat who
turned her back on them in their time of trouble, or pity the suffering
widow who now stood before them? No one made a move.

Poor and homeless, Ruth went out to gather the fallen sheaves in the
field, those designated for the destitute. Unknowingly she went to
gather wheat in a field which belonged to Boaz, a wealthy relative of
Naomi. While other women who gathered wheat talked and flirted with the
workers, Ruth conducted herself modestly, her eyes fixed on her work. As
he passed through the fields Boaz noticed her, and discovering that she
was the daughter-in-law of his relative, encouraged her to gather the
wheat with his own maidservants. Boaz had heard of Ruth's incredible
devotion to Naomi, and he resolved to take her under his wing.

When Ruth returned home that night Naomi marvelled at her successful
gleaning. "Whose field did you work in?" she asked, excitedly. Ruth told
her mother-in-law the whole story, how Boaz showered her with kindness
and allowed her to gather as much as she could and even eat together
with his workers. "Of course, he is one of our close kinsmen," said
Naomi, smiling. Boaz was one of her closest relatives, and he was
finally taking notice of their plight. In Naomi's heart was the strong
and secret wish that Boaz would take Ruth for his wife, thereby
providing a successor to the family of Elimelech. Could it be that G-d's
mercy was beginning to shine on them once again?

Boaz, the closest near relative married Ruth in fulfillment of the
commandment of Levirite marriage, and they were blessed with a son, who
was called Oved - "the servant of G-d." Naomi was exalted! Oved was the
grandfather of David of whom we say, "David, the King of Israel, who
lives forever." He was the forerunner of the Eternal Monarchy of Israel
- and Moshiach will be descended from him.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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"May we merit the Redemption immediately. Significantly, 'miyad,' the
Hebrew for 'immediately,' is an acronym for the names of the three
Jewish leaders connected to the holiday of Shavuot: Moses, who received
the Torah at Mount Sinai, Reb Yisrael Baal Shem Tov whose yahrzeit is on
Shavuot, and King David, who wrote the book of Psalms and whose yahrzeit
is also on Shavuot.

      (The Lubavitcher Rebbe, the night after Shavuot, 5751 - 1991)

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               END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1072 - Shavuos 5769
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