BHT Brey Shabbat Bamidbar, 3rd of Sivan, 8781; May 14th, 2021 Despite his vast wealth and riches, Reb Shlomo, a chasid of the Baal Shem Tov [editor: the Baal Shem Toy passed away ‘on Shavuot), was burdened with the deep sorrow of childlessness. Often he sought Rebbe’s blessing for children, but to ‘no avail Nevertheless, Shlomo persisted. On one of his visits to Mezibush, ie implored the Rebbe to bless hit ildrer ‘This time, the Baal Shem Tov agreed to ‘grant the blessing, but attached a condli= tion. "If you agree to forego your wealth, ‘you willbe blessed with a child," prom- ised the Baal Shem Tov. Shlomo was overjoyed at the thought of his wish be- ing granted and was eager to accept. However, the Baal Shem Tov cautioned him, "Go home and discuss it with your wife.” Shlomo rushed home to consult his wife "Hurry back to the Baal Shem Tov and tell him | agree wholeheartedl quickly responded, Shlomo immediately ‘Set out to Mezibush and finally received the long-awaited blessing. ‘On his journey home, he stopped at an inn to fest. He conversed with some fel- low travelers who had passed through his city and without introducing himself, asked about the latest news. "Haven't ‘you heard about the misfortune of Reb Shlomo? His entire fleet of ships, loaded ‘with tons of wood, was lost in the stormy seas!" ‘So, it's actually happening,” thought Shlomo with delight. As he neared his hometown, he was greeted with stories Of fires that had consumed all his posses sions. Shlomo, however, was anything but sad, "The blessing will come sooner than | imagined," he thought. Neither Shlomo nor his wife complained about their misfortune. On the contrary, their thoughts were filled with eager anticipation and within a year, Reb Shlo- no's wife gave birth to a baby boy. By now, Reb Shlomo was reduced to begging for alms. He joined 2 group of beggars that made their rounds in other towns. During their wanderings, they passed through Mezibush. "Let us 20 to Receiving the Torah Yehosia Wiseman, yehoshuanviseman.com the Baal Shem Tov's house of study,” one beggar suggested. "He always generously.” ‘The group joined the line in the court- yard and passed in front of the Bsal Shem Tov who handed out charity per= sonally. Recognizing Shlomo, the Basl Shem Tov instructed lnim to return later land speak with him privately, When he di, the Baal Shem Toy told him, "Though it was deereed that you be poor man, you are entitled toa dign fied level of poverty. Travel to Krim and there your fortunes will change, May you be suveesstil.” Obediently and with great anticipation, Shlomo set out on the road, Upon arri- val, he sought out the local shul, where he was greeted very warmly by the at- tendant and introduced to a wealthy man ‘who would host him for Shabbat. It was a splendid Shabbat spent in joy and abundance; his host spared no effort to make Shlomo comfortable. However, afier Shabbat ended, Shlomo noticed a marked change in his host's demeanor from that of oy to deep concern and "You've been wonderfl to me," Reb Shlomo said to his host gently. "im sor- ry to see you so troubled. Please share: ‘your problem with me; it may help to lighten your burden.” The wealthy man ned that his daughter had a terrible health problem. "I know of someone ‘who can help you," Shlomo exclaimed, “In the town of Mevibush, there is a very ‘great tzadik, the Baal Shem Tov, who Iias assisted many people. We will seek the holy rabbi's advice." With a hopeful heart, the rich man ae~ ‘companied Shlomo to Mezibush, and presented his problem to the Baal Shem ‘Tov. The Baal Shem Tov instructed Rab- bi T7vi Sofer, his attendant, 10 aceompa- ny him, and the four set out for the rich man's town, ‘Upon arrival, the Baal Shem Tov told his attendant to go to the mikva and declare: The Baal Shem Toy has demanded that you leave this place." As soon as he lttered those words, a voice was heard from the mikva: *The Baal Shem Tov has power only over Poland! I will not obey him here! ‘When Rabbi Tzvi related what the voice had said, the Baal Shem Tov handed Rabbi Tzvi his walking stick, "Should the spirit refuse again,” he told him, "strike the water with my stick." Rabbi ‘Tavi did.as he was told. When he struck the water, it urned crimson, The Baal Shem Toy then instructed that the mik- va be cleaned. The health problems that the rich man's daughter hed experienced disappeared tovally. “How can L repay you for what you have done?" cried the rich man, Cominued on page 3 Buea ete Canelo Lphting Motz! Shabbat Jerusalem 654 809 Tel Aviv 709 22 aia rat aa BeerSheva 7.08 810 NewYork 747 3 Chabad of rae Rabbi Joseph Aronow Published by MLS. Kfar Chaba (09)375177 aitor: Aharon Schmidt livingjenishweekiyegmailcom Pease une the sanctity ofthis publication te an nN wyShabbos Table Even in a Desert ‘This year, the upcoming holiday of Shavuot ‘akes place in the week between the two Torah portions of Bamidbar and Naso. One of the subjects found in both of these portions is the Sanctuary in the desert and the distribution of the duties connected ‘with i, when the Sanctuary was eartied. fiom place to place. ‘This emphasizes the fact that even when Jews find themselves in a desert, they have the ability to ereet a Sanctuary for the Divine Presence to dwell among thom, and in every one of them, ritual Desert Just as there is @ desert in physical sense, a place of desolation, where extreme climatic conditions prevail, a place of poisonous snakes, etc. so is there a “desert” in a spiritual sense harmful ideas; and such cean be found also in a land which is materially a flourishing garden. ‘Our Torah teaches us that when Jews find themselves in such a spiritual desert itis possible, necessary and imperative to erect a Sanctuary, carry it, and go forward, step by step, until eventually the environment and situation change from a spiritual ddosert - into the blessed and holy land, with the complete redemption. In the spiritual desert in which some of us find ourselves, where a void prevails in ‘matters of Judaism, we must all help each other to make this environment into a sanctuary, a fitting place for G-dliness. ‘Transforming the Desert The portion Bamibar is the beginning of the book of Bamidbar, whic is called "Sefer HaPikudim - the Book of Numbers.” In the beginning of this book as ‘nell as towards its end, the Torah tells us of the Jewish census: First in the desert of Sinai, after receiving the Torah, at the beginning of their wanderings through the desert; and the second time atthe end of the 40 years! ‘wandering, on the eve of their entry into the Land of Israel The soul descends into this world to make an abode for G-d in this material and earthly world, When a Jew looks around and sees that the world around him is a spiritual “desert” full of materialism and sometimes even crassness, the thought may occur: How is it possible to carry out this mission? So the Torah tells us that there is no cause for apprehension, for this isthe way Jews began their mission when they From our Sages The Levites shall keep charge of the Sancnuary of Testimony (Num. 1°53) The Levites, whose job it was to "guard" the Sanctuary and the Holy Temple, were ‘counted in the eensus from the age of one ‘month, But how can a one-month-old infant possibly "keep the charge of the Sanctuary of Tes The concept of "guarding" the holi the Sanctuary refers to spiritual guardian- ship, not physical protection. The Levites served not by virtue of their physical prowess or Bravery, but because of their high spiriwual stature, something that even a small baby had already inherited. (the Rebbe) Take a consus of the entire congregation. of the Children of Israel (Numbers 1:2) (Our Sages note that the giving of the To- rah at Sinai required the presence of all £600,000 Jews; ifjust one had been miss- ing, the Torah would not have been giv- ten. Parshat Bamicbar ays read be- fore Shavuot, the day on which the Torah was given, to remin! us of this principle, Furthermore, it reminds us that was not enough forall Jews to be present; it was necessary that the Jewish peaple be uni cd in love for one another. "Israel camped there [before Mount Sinai] as one man with one mind." This peace and unity is the channel forall Divine blessings, in- cluding the greatest ofall -- Moshiach, (Peninei HaGeula) And the charge of the Children of israel (Numbers 3:8) ‘The function of the Levites, which is to " guard the honor of G-<," also serves to we Jewish people as a whole, as it -d is your guardian, G-d is your shadow." Why a shadow? Because G-d condiuets Himself with man in the very same manner as He is served. (Kiflaim LToshia) Eating dairy foods on Shavuot ‘The numerical value of the Hebrew word for milk--chalav--is equal to 40, which corresponds to the 40 days that Moshe spent on Mt, Sinai. (Rabbi Shimon of Ostropol) became Mount Sing With the strength derived fiom the Torah, they made it through the vast and temible desert - a bleak wilderness in every respect, where in the natural order of | things there is no bread and water, but only difficultics and trials Moreover, wherever they made their vway through the desert, they transformed the desert into a blooming garden - through Miriam's well that caused! the desert all around to bring forth all sorts of vegetation and fruit, jon and received the Torah at G-d’s Army This is also the message behind the counting of the people ~ everyone has his mission as a "soldier" in G-<'s army, And, although in an army there are various ranks, each one individually and all together carry out the Divine mission to make for G-d an "abode" in this world, even in a desert Adopted from the teachings of the Rebbe. Shabbos Table & From our Sages repr ed from LehaimWeekly.org - LYO/ NYC a How Many Jews Did You Save? After the Bolshevik Revolution, wealthy individuals were punished and even exe- cuted. If someone owned a million cube, they were killed; someone with half a million rubie was sent to Siberia, and someone with a quarter-million was sent to prison for up to ten years ‘The Rebbe Rashab, Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn, called a meeting of Jewish lawyers to discuss ways to save the wealthy Jews from this fate Atevery future meeting, the Rebbe ‘would ask, “How many Jews did you save today?” Once he posed this question to Oskar Gruenberg, the prominent Russian Jen= ish defense attorney who was the chief counsel of Mendel Beilis in the infamous ease of blood libel. Gruzenberg proudly answered that on that day he saved 10 Jews from death, ‘The Rebbe told him, “You do not only need to calculate your successes; You need to calculate how many you could and what efforts you made By Dovid Zaklikowski for COLlive and Hasidic Archives. Source: COLlive‘Why Did The Jews Sleep There’s @ Midrash thatthe Jews slept the night preceding the giving of the Torah, Itteaches that when Hashem arrived in the morning, He was dismayed, ceeded to wake them, This is reasons for the custom of remaining awake and learning Shavuot night, to rec- tify this very night they spent sleeping. However, considering that when the Jews Jeamed they were to receive the Torah in fifty days afer leaving Egypt they eagerly tallied the elapsing days, the fact that the countdown culminated with a night of sleep seems peculiar. Additionally, the verse says wo count fifty days, yet we only count 49, Chassidus explains that while there are “filly gates of binah,” no one, ‘including Moshe, can comprehend more than 49. So, we advance daly, from gate to gate, until all 49 are completed. Our achievements are crowned by receiving, the fiftieth from Heaven on Shavuot Therefore, given the anticipation of re- ceiving the Torah, how did they sleep? Sleep is a process by which the soul par- tially departs from the body. It's said to bea sixticth of death, and that’s intended in-a good way. Our souls are ordinarily confined within our bodies. But when we sleep, our soul rises 10 Heaven and draws. life. ‘There are many tales of sleeping ‘wadikim who absorbed Tora that ‘would've otherwise demanded effort, because the soul is only capable of max- ‘mizing its potential once separated from the body, Therefore, the Jews reckoned that the giving ofthe Torah, the fiftieth Jevel, was so sublime and beyond their reach, thatthe best preparation to receive the Torah would be t sleep and erable the soul to be unfettered by the body. However, Hashem was ultimately unhap- py about their act. The Rebbe explains that one of Matan Torah’s aecomplish- ‘ments was the phenomenon of physical mitzvot, The forefathers who “observed the entire Torah” did so in a spirit sense. Yaakov’s sticks which according to the Zohar were the equivalent of tefillin, channeled the spiritual force of the mi vvah. Yet the sticks themselves did nat become holy. Today, once the tefillin are ‘written properly, they become sacred arti- cles, which Yaakov could never produce. TThe fact that a physical article like tefillin can acquire holiness and go on to affect ‘our hand, was made possible by Hashem’s descent during Matan Torah. Materiality can now be imbued with holiness, This is ‘why the Jews shouldn’t have prepared by sleeping and escaping the world. Staying awake and learning would have been a ‘more appropriate choice for the occasion. We therefore engage every year in rectify- ing the night of Shavuot. We don’t depart from and forget this world, We remain awake, speaking words of Torah in prepa- ration to receive the Torah anew. Just as Hashem descended on Mount ‘Sinai and gave us the Torah, we must engage other Jews and empower them to ‘observe Torah and mitzvot. We must take what we know, and share it with others, Adapted from a talk by Rabbi Yoo! Kahn, based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, reprinted from Collive.com FCoE Cote Shavuot - A Time to Pray for Moshiach “It is stated in sefarim,” the Rebbe says, “regarding the allusion in the words of our Sages that, “All agree that on Shavuot we also need lachem’ [for yourselves—meaning, that the festival is to be celebrated not only with prayer and the like, “For Hashem,’ but also with good food and the like, which is considered “for yourselves"): This can be understood to mean that it is an opportune time to pray for the hastening of the Re- demption .. Our Sa in, ‘we need,” which is also a term for prayer ‘and beseeching, as in the verse, be’ayu’ (If you will request, request). The words nami lachem, ‘also for yourselves,” is the numerical value (190) of keitz, ‘the End’ [of exile. Taken together, our Sages” statement that ‘all agree that on Shavuot we also need for yourselves...’ can be read, *All agree that on Shavuot we pray for the keitz!” It is a time io pray for the keitz hageulah, the keitz hayamim, and keitz hayamin!™ ‘The Trade Continued jrom page one: * replied the Baal Shem Tov. "However, please tell me how is it that you have amassed such wealth?” "Lowned a small dock at the harbor. One day, gusty winds blew a fleet of boats and logs into my dock. I sold the boats and the merchandise and netted a large profit! 12 Baal Shem Tov nodded and pointed to Shlomo, "Those boats and logs be- longed to this man,” he said. "Though ‘you were free to profit from the luck the ‘sea brought you, he, nevertheless, is enti ted to a share." The rich man hearkened to the Baal ‘Shem Tov and paid Shlomo a very gen- ferous sum, ‘This enabled Shlomo and his wife to live normally, while they enjoyed the pleas- ‘ure of children and grandchildren, Biographical note: Rabbi Yisrael, the Baal Shem Tov ["Master of the Good Name", a unique and seminal figure in Jewish history, revealed the Chassidie ‘movement and his own identity as an ‘exceptionally holy person, on his 36th birthday, 18 Elul 1734, He passed away ‘on the festival of Shavuot in 1760. He ‘wrote no books, although many claim to ‘contain his teachings. One available in English is the excellent annotated trans- lation of Tzmalat Harivash. published by Kehos, Adapted by Yerachmiel Tiles from "From My Father’ Shabbos Ta- ble," Elva Touger's exellent selec- tion and wranslation from the first two volumes of Rabbi Yehuda Chiriks 4 volume series, Reshimat Devorim and from Chaim. Rabbi Tilles of Tsfat isa co-founder of ASCENT. His email list for stories is in its 24th year. To join the list a/o his WhatsApp group for Saturday night Au- dio, Video and Zoom stories, go to As ‘contOfSafed.com or WhatsApp +972- 526-770-137.BALZER ERERER EERE DAS EE Cte ee Osseo Meron Sefer Torah A new Torah was started recently in memory of the victims of the Meron tragedy, atthe very location where ‘men and boys tragically lost their lives uring the celebration oF Lag B'Omer. This Sefer Torah is the initiative of Rabbi Yossi Halperin, director ofthe Chabad House in Meron. Throughout the year, Rabbi Halperin is dedicated to assisting those who come to daven atthe Rashbi's Tzion with all their physical and spiritual needs. who lost their lives and whose yyartzeits were set by Hashom for the Same date ~ Lag Bomer. The Kopshinitzer Rebbe, who was visiting the site ofthe time, Was honored first letter. He insisted on participating in the cost atleast symbolically, in lrder to partner with Klal Yisrael in the Sefer Torah of unity During the shiva, representatives of Chabad Meron pianned to visit the hhome of each family, together with the Sofer, in order 0 write letters with them in the Torah, Afterwards, the ‘writing will continue near the tzion of the Rashbi Among the panticipants was Rabbi Asi Spiegel, Rosh Kollel of Kole! Torat HaRashbi, which studies near the «zion in Meron, He announced that their study ofthe Rashbi's Torah will be dedicated to the memory of those Cooking Tip of the Week Fabulous Brisket: Another hit from the Shomron Chef Place a brisket in a Dutch oven. Mine was ‘over 2 kilo, Add 3 tbls onion soup ‘mix and two cans Lieber’s or ‘Hunt's tomate sauce, Fill them both ‘up with water and add to the roa. Bring to a boil and then simmer for two hours. Cool. Slice and return to the sauce. [heated it upon my plata for Friday night Alizah Hochslead, ‘aizahhi@horail com “Our plan is to complete the writing of the Torah here in Meron,” Rabbi ‘Yossi Halperin said, “and to finish it before nest Lag B’Omer. We write with a prayer for the coming of Moshiach, when “those who dwell in the dust wil rise and sing,” and the Kediashef Meron among them ~ speedily in our days.” Source: Anash.org Halacha Corner — Making Others Happy On Shavuot We are commanded to be happy on the festival of Shavuot, and each person ‘must also bring joy to his wife and children and all his dependents. This is a biblical obligation. How is this accomplished”? A husband can buy clothing ‘or jewelry for his wife and nosh (or at least chassidishe nosh - the Rebbe ‘once commented regarding Pesach that a picture Haggadah for children can bbe considered chassidishe nosh) for his children before Yom Tov. Rambam states that “when one eats and drinks fon Yom Tov], he must also foed the conver, the orphen, and the widow, along with other poor and un- fortunate people. One who boli hs doors and eat and drinks with his own wife and children, neglecting to feed the poor and the biter of soul — he is ‘not rejoicing in a mitzvah but rather in the satisfaction of his own stomach! Such a celebration isa disgrace!” ‘Those who give taeddakah on a daily basis should give extra zeddakah on rey Shavuot, for both days of the festival (outside of Eretz Yisrael Shavuot is celebrated for two days). Included in our tzeddakah obligations isthe duty to provide the needy with their Yorn Tov requirements. Ray Yosof Yeshaya Brown, shlta, member of the Badatz of Crown Heighs; Halacha Corner and Moskiach Now! from crownheightsconect.cont erie clacn rel auanOlg DAILY TORAH STUDY delivered to you Visit: CHAYENU.ORG/ISRAEL utyoso oe Question: have to travel n Lot for work to places that donot ahvays observe my level of Kashiut Tussi either bring my own food or eat what I was certain was at my standards, ‘Often this meant eating very litle. Over time, 1 became more lenient and now wil eat things even i they dont have a Kosher symbol. T Tationalize i by saying, “itis probably kosher, and Tnced to eat” Tknow itis not right, but just cant soem to get back 10 the way Twas Answers We al experience test nd shal- ‘one from or another. Some are more Gan some ls so. However, the cote nmon denominator in ll ests that their purpose is to raise us to a higher level. A young man who had been frequenting the local Chabad House began to deeline the Rab- bi’s Shabbat invitations, The Rabbi, noticing the young man seemed to be hiding something, asked him what changed. The young man said hie had met anon-lewish wonnan and they decid- ‘ed to marry, The Rabbi made him a deal: if you will travel with me to the Lubavitcher Rebbe and tell the Rebbe your news, [will atiend your wedding, The man agreed. When he came be- fore the Rebbe and shared his devision, the Reb- bbe looked straight into his eyes. *Youhaveno dea how much Tenvy you,” the Rebbe said The man was shocked. The Rebbe continued, “A test isa ladder. The bigger the test, the big~ ‘ger the person is elevated when passing the test. ‘You were given a tremendous test and so too ‘you were gifted with a very tall ladder. I envy Yyou. Twas never given such a west and therefore ‘was not given the opportunity to ascend such @ higher ladder.” After leaving the Rebbe's pres- tence, the young man sat down on a bench and. burst into tears. After an hour he said to his Rabbi, “I'm calling off the wedding” Rabbi Michoel Taib explains: The greater and more powerful a person's yetzer hara, the great- cer his capabilities to overcome the challenge and temptations. ‘The Rebbe Rashab teaches in Kunteres U’Mayan: There are those that claim that because they have a powerful yetzer hara, they are unable to overcome it's influence. However, this isnot the case. The fact that they have a powerful yetzer hara means that they also have a lofty G-dly soul. If they so desire, they jccved. They have the potential and capa- hidden within, just waiting to be ac- ‘The fect that you are given this mighty test, shows that you have tremendous potential wait- ing to be revealed. The ladder is waiting for you to lake the first step, The inner intent ofthe test is to elevate you to a higher level, Aharon Schmid; marriage. family & individual ‘coaching; for appointment or to share a ques- tion: coachingandcounseling!@gmail.com Subscribe NOW an Core Ce Pe nana Pere eee MUCH MORE eer