B’H Erev Shabbos Shemini, 27th of Nisan, 5781; April 9th 2021 ‘A Sharp Mind The Rebbe Maharash, the fourth Rebbe ‘of Chabad, was the youngest son of the Rebbe theTzemach Tzedek. In honor of the birthday of'the Rebbe Maharash on id of Lyar, we present the following The factory was full of workers. Some produced wine from fine grapes. Others filled barrels and bottles. The sharp and intoxicating scent of wine filled the fc- tory. Nobody prepared the Chassid, R” Shinuel Yitzchok Lubinsky, the owner Of the factory, for the drama that was. about to unfold, ‘There were strong knocks at the door ‘when suddenly the official superinten- dent stormed into the factory. His mouth ‘was pressed closed, his back was straight and he looked piercingly all around, “Please hand over your accounti book,” he demanded, R’ Shmuel Yitzchok confidently handed him the ‘book, He smiled at the man but his heart ‘was pounding, He knew that the govern- ‘ment was looking for an excuse and ‘would search the eracks and erevices to ‘sce what was not in order. It was unlike= ly that he would emerge clean After studying the books, the inspector ‘walked around the faetory to make sure everything was being done legally. The ‘workers continued to work as though nothing was going on, trying to conceal their concern. As he inspected, the man wrote down notes in his notebook. Every line that he wrote made the Chassid even more nervous for he knew that he would reed a big salvation, What he feared, came to pass, The in- sspector gave his superiors alist of prob- lems that he found, “Shmuel Yitzchok Lubinsky, owner of the factory, has done several things against the law,” he wrote in the incriminating document. The sen- tence he could expect was a number of years in jail He soon received a surnmons to court. R’ Shmuel Yitzchok and his family, as ‘well as his friends and members of the community, waited fearfully and mur- mured chapters of Tehillim, praying for miracle, The Chassid knew that he had ‘one person to whom he could tum, the Spring in Bretz Yisrael Yehoshua Wiseman, yehoshuawiseman.com Rebbe Maharash. He left the town of Seminovka where he lived and traveled to the Rebbe. He left behind his wife and children who worried and prayed. Arriving at the Rebbe he requested to see the Rebbe immediately. Upon being admitted, he eried out in tears, “Rebbe, the inspector visited the factory that | ‘own and wrote down that I have comm ted many crimes and [ can expect a long prison sentence ... What shall 1 do? .. Rebbe, save me!” ‘The Rebbe looked at him and asked, “What do you have to say about all the the inspector raised against ‘The Chassid thought a bit znd then be- gan to tell the Rebbe what his response was to each charge and the reason what he did wasn’t against the law. He enu- rmerated about ten so-called crimes and explained them away. The Rebbe lis- tened and looked pleased. The Chassid then continued, “I think these explana tions are reasonable and [ hope that with Hashem’s help the judges will accept them. But, there is one detail they are likely to ask me and I have no answer for,” he said sadly. “This is what worries ime so much and this is why [have come to the Rebbe to ask for counsel and a blessing. ‘The Rebbe smiled and said, “R’ Shmuel Yitzchok, you have a good mind..." RY Shmuel Yitzehok was a Torah scholar and had received Rabbinic ordination. Fora number of years he had traveled with the famous Chassid, R” Hillel of Paritch to serve as his Ray if question arose on the journey. ‘The Rebbe continued, “you learned a lot of Gemara, You are smart and sharp ‘This is why you think they will ask you about this point that has to do with the making of wine. But the judges did not learn Gemara and their minds are not as developed as yours. Therefore, they ‘won't think to ask you that.” The Rebbe then blessed R’ Shmuel Yitzchok with ‘The Chassid lefi the Rebbe’s room en couraged and happy. He returned home ‘with a lighter heart, singing chapters of praise and thanks 10 Hashem from Tehillim for the salvation that would surely happen. On the day of the court case, R’ Shmuel Yitzehok pictured the ‘meeting he had with the Rebbe and went to court with confidence. ‘The ease began. The prosecutors went through the list of charges. For each charge, R" Shmuel Yitzchok responded well. The judges listened as he confi- cently and logically presented his side and they accepted his arguments. Every- thing he said was approved of by the judges ‘The final question, to which he had no answer, was not asked by the judges, as the Rebbe had predicted At the end of the tral, the judge banged ‘with his gavel and announced, “The accused is innocent of any crime and the file is closed R’ Shmuel Yitzchok retumed home joyously. Source: Beis Mashiach Buea ete Canelo Lphting Motz! Shabbat Jerusalem 629, ra Tel Aviv ea 74 aia 6 ra Beersheva 6:5 78 NewYork 7a a2 Chabad of rae Rabbi Joseph Aronow Published by MLS. Kfar Chaba (09)375177 3: Aharon Schmidt livingjenishweekiyegmailcom Pease une the sanctity ofthis publication te an nN wy ,/a @aaaeaaeaadé éShabbos Table ‘The Eighth Day ‘The Torah portion of Shemini opens with a description of the eighth and final day of the consecration of the Sanetuary, when the Divine Presence first rested therein. ‘The name of the portion--Shemi “eighth” and alludes o the special sig cance held by the number eight. Eight symbolizes that which is above the laws of nature and the boundaries of our physical world. stands for that aspect of G-dlliness ‘which exists even beyond the realm of our human powers of description. ‘One would think that the contents of so lofty 2 section of the Torah would deal ‘with lofty subject matter—philosophy, be- lict in G-d, metaphysics-but we find that Shemini delineates the laws between ko- sher and non-kosher animals. A Fine Line Why such « mundane a subject for a Torah portion which is supposed to express so high a level of holiness? In many instances, a fine line exists be- tween that which is kosher and that which is forbidden. A kosher animal whose wind- pipe and esophagus are only partially sev- ered when slaughtered is not fit for con- sumption, A difference of only a fraction ‘ofa centimeter can determine whether or ‘not the flesh of the animal is kosher or not, as Jewish law prescribes that both wind- pipe and trachea be more than half severed ‘with one movement of the knife. ‘Conquering the Evil Inclination In our own lives, we also occasionally ‘must make decisions which are as fine as a hair's breadth, Choosing between good and evil when the choices are obvious and bla- tant is much easier than making a decision between two extremely fine points. For such decision making, extra help from Above is necessary. The Evil Inclination sometimes disguises itselfin a *robe of holiness.” It discourag a person from performing a mitzva through guile and doubt, presenting al sorts of, seemingly plausible and erudite exeuses. AA person may become confused when the two paths of aetion before him both seem to have merit, The Evil Inclination ‘even make a sin appear 10 be an actual mitzva, How are we to overcome the wiles and cunning of the Evil Inclination? How cean we be sure that the decisions we make are the right ones? By learning the lesson. which is taught in Shemini Man alone, bound as he is by the laws of nature and the limitations of the human intellect, cannot always overcome his Evil Inclination. But when a person gives him- self over to G-d, Who is not bound by any natural law and is infinite, and asks His help to" ish between the w and the clean,” one ean conquer the Evil From our Sages And Moses said: "This is the thing that G- d has commanded that you do--and the glory of Ged will appear to you." (Lev. 9:6) Every mitzva in the Torah has a myriad of inner, esoterie meanings, which each Jow understands according to his or h intelligence and level of Torah lean Even the most leamed scholar cannot fully grasp these secrets, for human com prehension and understanding of the inft- nite is Limited and finite This is why Moses commanded the Jews: "This is the thing that Ged has command ed"=-no matter how much one has studied and no matter how many inner meanings ‘a person has learned, the real reason to do a mitzva is because Gr has so command- ed. When your intent in performing a mitzva is solely because G-d wants that particu- lar act to be performed, then "the glory of G-d will appear to you.” (Tiferet Shmwel) Nevertheless, a fountain or pit where there is plenty of water (literally "a mikva of water") shall be clean (Lev. 11:36) (One of the reasons that according to Jew- ish law the conversion process includes total immersion of the person's body in a mikya is as follows: Our Sages said (Tractate Yevamot 22): ""A proselyte who conver is considered as a newborn.” The waters of the mikva are symbolic of the amniotic uid sur- rounding the infant in the womb before birth. (the Rebbe) You shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy, because Lam holy (Lev. U:4d) ‘The rich man’s son doesn't worry about livelihood because his father is always there to help him financially. So too is it ‘with the Jewish people: Because our Fa- ther is holy, it doesnt take very much effort wo be holy ourselves. All we need do is take step in the right direction, and helps us along... (Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev) Inclination and avoid falling into its net. Seeing Through the Mask A Jew's connection to Ged i so strong that it eannot be split asunder by any power on earth, When a Jew does a mitzva--mitzva comes from the Hebrew word for binding together and connecting-he ties himself to G-d with a supernatural strength. Armed with this power, we can see through the mask of the Evil Inclination when we are presented with even the finest points of contention. Adapted from the teachings of the Lubav- ltcher Rebbe, Shabbos Table, From our Sages and Moshiach Now! reprinted from mwie.LchaiWeekly.org = LYO (NYC Sniffing the Best Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch, the "Maha- rash," in the years before he became Rebbe, did his best to keep a low profile Once, when be was on a tip to Europe, he dressed as an ordinary businessman, rather than the chasidie garb more eppro- priate fo the son of a Rebbe and a pro- found Torah scholar in his own right. (One Shabbat during his joumey, he spent in Belz. At the tine ofthe Third Meal he ‘went to the famed synagogue of Rabbi Sac Shalom of Belz. Still incognito, he stood off tothe side in a remote comer of the room, which by then was crammed from wall to wall with ardent Chasidim awaiting the entrance oftheir Rebbe. ‘When Rabbi Shalom at last entered, a path directly irom the door io his chair at the icad ofthe table opened! before him, like the splitting of the Reed Sea. He took a few steps then suddenly halted He didn't look around because at that stage in his lite he was blind, but he be- gan o inhale the air. "I smell something special,” he announced. He tumed and walked slovily in the di- rection of the Maharash, the whole time continuing to sniff. When he reached him he took his hand and said, "Young ‘man! From me, one cannot hide." He then took the young Maharash with him to the head of the table, On the way, a few of the Chasidim, who suspected that the Rebbe had made a mistake due to his failed eyesight, whispered to him, "Rebbe, our Master. this guy is just a businessman.” The Belzer smiled and id, "True, he is indeed a merehant. And his merchandise isthe best ofall. Yerachmiet Tilles from Sipurei Chasi- dim, Moadim p302, Rabbi Tilles of Toft. i a co-founder of ASCENT. His email list for stories isin lis 24th year. To join the list avo his WhatsApp group for Sarurday night Audio, Video and ‘Zoom stories, 0 to AscentO|Safed.com for WhatsApp +972-526-770-137.aoe a Service with Vitality When Rebbetain Riva (wife of the Rebbe Maharash, the fourth Rebbe of Chad), was eighteen she fll ill and the physician ordered her to eat immediately awakening. She, however, did not wish to cat before davening, so she dlavened very early and then ate breakfast When her father-in-law, the Rebbe the Tzemaci Tzedek (the third Rebbe of Chabad), learned of this he said to her: "A Jew must be healthy and strong. The Torah says about mitzvot, ‘Live in them,” meaning bring vitality into the mitzvot, To beable to infuse mitzvot with vitality, ‘one must be strong and joyful." (portio ‘of HaYom Yom, 10" of Shovat) ‘The Supernatural in the Natural ‘Chassidim who were close to the Baal Shem Tov related that the titzit of the Baal Shom Tov moved on their own as if they were alive. That isto say, the ‘concept of “live in them” (bring vitality into the mitzvot) was expressed by the Baal Shem Tov in an actual revealed {fashion ~ in the physicality of the world! ‘This was not an isolated occurrence, but ‘exemplified the overall conduct of the Baal Shem Tov. Within the natural world, where G-dliness is hidden, the Baal Shem Tov was able t0 cause an, infusion and revelation of the super- natural. (adapted from Hisvadius of the Lubaviteher Rebbe, book 3, pg. 154) Wings - Fear and Love In Chapter 40 of the book, Tanya, the Alter Rebbe explains that love and fear of G-d elevate one's Torah and mitzvot on igh. Fear and love are figuratively called ‘ings, as it is written in Yeshayahu 6:2, "And with two wings he flies," referring to the 1wo attributes of love and fear). It is explained in Tikkunei Zohar, that those ‘who engage in Torah and mitzvot out of fear and love are called "children"; and if ‘ot [ie., if their Torzh and mitzvet lack the fear and love of G-d}, they are called “fedglings" who cannot fly. (Tanya, pag- es 109-110) Mitzvot - Attachment ‘The Hebrew word for commandment, mitzvah, is related to the Aramaic word ‘ayia, atachment. Through performing G-d’s commandments a Jew cleaves to Ged. As explained in Tanya, Chapter 5, through all the mitzvot performed in action and speech G-d clothes the soul, and envelops it with His light from “head” to “foot” (in other words, fiom its highest level to its lowest leve). When a person thinks deeply, meditating con the infinite grcatness of the Creator, and the epportunity to cleave to Him though the performance of the commandments, his service will be infused with happiness and vitality. Reb Yaakov was an elderly Chassid, yet lhe performed the mitzvot with the enthusiasm ofa young man. When the younger Chassidim asked him how he had Such vitality, he replied that if the Holy One, Blessed Be He, afforded him the chance to connect with Him - how could the not be enthusiastic, FCoE Cote Bread from the Earth In the "Hamotzec" blessing over bread we say: "Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.” Why do we thank G-d for "bringing forth bread from the earth" when in reality it yields wheat, wh sh must then be baked into bread? According to the Talmud, when Moshiach comes the earth will produce ready-made bread. Our Sages instituted the blessing with these particular words in anticipation of the Messianic era (Toldot Yitzchak) Each Person's Shlichut ‘One Friday afternoon a wealthy business ‘man and his baal agala (wagon driver) retuned home fiom a business trip. As it ‘was almost Shabbos the wealthy business- ‘man went straight to the mikva, He changed into his Shabbos finery, and set ‘out in the direction of the shul ‘As he was walking, he came upon a wagon that was stuck inthe mud. Being fearing Jew, he immediately went over to help in fulillment ofthe commandment, "You shall surely help him" Unused to ‘manual labor, however, he was quickly covered with mud fiom head to toe. His Shabbos clathes were ruined, and hhe oven managed to injure himsalt while the wagon, He arved filthy a! imping Meanwhile, the baal agala, who had also ‘gone tothe bathhouse, arived in shul early and started saying T full that evening with many visitors from ‘out of town, and the baal agala began invit- ing them home for the Shabbos meal, Eve- ry stranger he met received an invitation, ‘until he had invited a total often people ‘Afi davening the gabbai wanted to divide ‘tho guess amongthe householders but there was no one left unaccounted for. All of the visitors had been invited 10 dine with the baal agale ethus came about that the wealthy man rotumed home without any guests for ‘Shabbos, while the poos baal agala had ten people with whom to share his meager seuds, The wealthy businessman fulfilled the mitzya of "you shall surely help him." while the wagon driver fulfilled the mitzva ‘of hospitality. ‘After 120 years, when the two men passed away and their souls ascended on High, it ‘was decided by the Heavenly court that Jhoth souls must retura to earth to correct ‘what they had failed the first time, The erstwhile baal agala would have to fulfill the mitzva of "you shall surely help him,” and the former businessman would have to perfect the mitzva of hospitality. Afier the Rebbe Rayatz told this story he ‘concluded: "Every person in the world is given his own particular siichut (mis sion) to perform. However, he must be able to identify it, so that he doesn’t end up doing someone else's..." Source: Beis MositiachALR ERERER EERE SE BE SE Cte ee Osseo 24 Hour Farbrengen The global Lubavitch community is gearing up for an unprecedented event fon 28-29 Nissan, April 1th ~ 11th, For twenty four consecutive hours and spanning fifteen time zones, forty eight internationally acclaimed speak crs will lead a Farbrengen via Zoom focusing on one unified message, ‘Sicha’, in which the Rebbe charged his ehassidim with the ulti= ‘mate tsk of doing all they ean to bring Moshiaeh, Moshiach’diker lives and do all we ‘The online Farbrengen is being o' Sai enee nized by the Moshiach Office at Morkos 302. Rabbi Mendy Ket executive ditector of Metkos 3 shares the significance of this oppor- tunity, “It was on this day that the Rebbe gave the task of bi Moshiaeh to each Chassid. 30 years later itis only appropriate that we commit ourselves to reconnect t0 our core mission and focus, 0 live ‘The commen theme that will be ac- dressed at this Farbrengen is educat ing and inspiring ourselves and our families about the Rebbe's call of Moshiach’s imminent arival in our generation, and what active steps we can take to make this a reality The Farbrengen will be lod by 48 leading Rabbonim, Masini and ‘Shluchim from around the world 7 Chabad communities across th Cooking Tip of the Week are in the midst of preparing local gatherings to watch the online Far- brengen together. Running time: Mot ci Shabbos 28 Nissan (April 10) 9:30pm EST — Sunday 29 Nissan (Apnl 11) 9:30pm EST. Source: COLIve lobe Peeling ‘Tomatoes: Simply cut an 2X im the top of the tomato and light- y boil for about [5—30 seconds After the tomato cools, the skin should easily fall off Halacha Corner - Counting the Omer The proper time to count the Omer starts at T2eis Hakechavim (when three stars appear). When counting the Omer, itis necessary to mention both the ‘days oF the Omer as well as the weeks. Ione forgets 0 count the Omer at night and realizes his omission during the following day, he can say the proper Omer without a blessing fed. - that day and then continue counting the ‘Omer with a blessing from the following night and onwards). Ifhowever ‘one did not realize his omission until the following night, he can no longer ‘count the Omer with a blessing. [In such a ease} if tis possible for him to Tisten to the blessing wwhen someone else i saying it, he should ask the other person fo have him in mind when he says the blessing and, after carefully listening to the blessing, answer amen and then count the Omer. If one i doubt and does not recall if he counted dhe Omer the previous night, hi permitted to continue counting with a blessing, Although the proper time to count the Omer is atthe beginning of the night, ‘one can "bedieved " count with a blessing until Alos HaShachar. Although a child is trained to count the Omer with a blessing, he cannot say the blessing ifhe missed counting for a complete day. by Rabbi Eliezer Wenger, OBM, reprinted from wwra.shmais.com erie clacn rel auanOlg DAILY TORAH STUDY delivered to you Visit: CHAYENU.ORG/ISRAEL utyoso oe Question: 1 Years working for my company th i laying off half the staff, nclucing mysel?, and {or wo years | have not found another job. Tam sgolting depressed. Actually, I was never really that great at anything. [have been married 27 years and Tam sure my wife married me bo- ‘cause she was divorced and couldn't get some- ‘one betier. How can I stop being such a failure? Answer: The yeizerhara (the evil inclina- tion) is a master at its trade, an expert prosecutor. With searing accuraey it pinpoints ‘our vulnerabilities: “Tr has been two years you can't find a job. Failure!”;"S4 years old and no job. Fuilure!”. Convinced of the validity of the ‘proof®" of failure the person beconies depressed and vulnerable, while the ‘yetzer hara attacks with renewed vigor: “You ‘were lucky to get the job in the first place Failure”, "Your wife couldn't find anyone better. Failure!” One ofthe yetzer hara’s ‘greatest weapons is depression. When we are happy we see the good in oursaives and others ‘and when we are depressed we see nothing but ‘loom. ‘Two Chassidim once reported to the Rebbe Maharash the happenings in their town, They both reported with accuracy, however, one saw the good and the other saw the negative. The Rebbe was pleased with the one who savw the ‘good, One ofthe aims of Chassigus isto ‘accustom a person to see the positive, teachin that good thoughts lead to good feelings and successful results, When reading your letter from an objective perspective, I see a man who has been jal in marriage and work: being married 27 years and keeping one job 25 years are not ‘mall accomplishments. You were laid off because the company laid oft half the staff, not due to any problem with your performance Finding a new job takes time, Many highly quulified and suecessful people have a difficult ime finding anew job, When ws employ negative labels, Le failure, we are seeing things as absolute, black of white, all or nothing. This is what the yetzer hara wants. However, we are not losets, fools, failures, ete. We are a mixture ‘many things we do well and some areas can be improved. This is normal and okay, When we externalize the depression, realizing it is not us but a tool ofthe yetzer hara, it loses its punch. Choose wo focus on the positive, keep {going on job interviews and fam sure you will find ajob very soon, The Zohar teaches that depression clogs the channels of blessing. The blessings are brought down via joy. Aharon Selmidt; marriage. family é individual ‘coaching: for appointment or to share a ques- lion: couchingandcounseling!@gmail.com Subscribe NOW an Can, Ce Pe nana oer teen ee MUCH MORE eer