B”H Erev Shabbos Ki Tisa - Parah, 21st of Adar, 5781; March 5th, 2021
he reached a little village near his
Heavenly Soup
Toward the end of his life, one of the
dominant Rebbes in the history of
Chasidism, Rabbi Elimelech of
Lizhensk, ate very little. His friends
and relatives implored him, but to no
effect.
One time, when his son, Rabbi Elazar,
pleaded with him to eat enough to sus-
tain life, R' Elimelech said, "I wish I
could eat, but my body is rejecting all
things physical. However," he mused,
"one time, during my years of wander-
ing in exile, I lodged at an inn near a
certain village, and there I ate a deli-
cious soup. If that were available, I
could eat it. But the inn is so far
away!"
Many years after his father passed on,
Rabbi Elazar happened to be in that
village, and sought out the inn to
which his father had referred. He asked
the hostess whether he might have
some of her special soup.
She said, "how I wish I could serve
you the food that is appropriate for a
great person like yourself. But we are
very poor. Very few travelers pass this
way, and we just have enough flour
and beans to eat for our meals. I will
be glad to make a bean soup for you."
When Rabbi Elazar tasted the soup, he
experienced a spiritual delight, as
though he were eating of the offerings
of the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem.
He asked the hostess, "please tell me,
what ingredients do you use for this
soup?"
The woman began crying. "I am so
sorry that it is so meager. I do not have
any spices to put in. All I did was cook
the beans with water, and then I prayed
to G-d: 'Master of the Universe! You
have provided me with the mitzvah of
preparing a meal for a special guest. If
only I had meat, vegetables, and spic-
es, I would prepare a meal for him that
would befit him, but I have nothing.
But You, Master of the Universe, have
everything. You have Gan Eden
('Paradise'), where there are all the
finest scents and flavors. Please put
Yehoshua Wiseman, yehoshuawiseman.com
some of these in the soup, so that my
holy guest can enjoy his food.'"
Rabbi Elazar thought, "now I know
why my holy father longed for this
soup. This pious woman's sincere
prayers were answered, and the soup
did indeed have the taste of Gan
Eden ('Paradise')."
By Yrachmiel Tilles. Rabbi Tilles of
Tsfat, is a 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 Audio, Video and
Zoom stories, go to AscentOfSafed.com
or WhatsApp +972-526-770-137.
Heavenly Sustenance
A simple Jew once traveled to spend
Shabbos in the court of Reb Mordechai
of Chernobyl. When he asked for a
blessing before departing, the tzaddik
asked him about his daily routine, and
the Jew told him how he rose early to
buy merchandise from the local farm-
ers and returned home to daven when
he finished. The Rebbe condemned
this conduct, but the Jew excused him-
self by saying that if he davened first,
he would be unable to buy the mer-
chandise. Reb Mordechai then told
him the following story:
"A young man was supported by his
father-in-law, but when his family
grew and he was forced to find addi-
tional means of support, he left home
and worked as a teacher for three
years, saving every coin he earned.
Finally, having collected enough to
start a business, he decided to make
the long trek home. On erev Shabbos
087
hometown, where he realized that he
would not be able to reach home in
time. He decided to stay at a wayside
inn, but was afraid to leave the money
in his bag lest someone steal it. On the
other hand, he didn't know if he could
trust the innkeeper with it. Having no
other choice, he gave it to him to hold
for him. Throughout the entire Shab-
bos he worried about his money, and
immediately after Havdala requested it
back. Upon receiving his wallet, he
counted all the gold coins and was
happy to find that nothing was missing
– but then continued to shake the coins
and look through them.
"'What are you looking for?' the inn-
keeper asked. 'Is something missing?'
"The guest explained that he wanted to
make sure that his one copper coin was
there as well…"
Reb Mordechai concluded, "Look at
this silly fellow! After seeing that all
his golden coins were returned to him,
he still suspected his host of perhaps
stealing one copper coin…. And you
are doing the same. Every night you
entrust Hashem with your soul, and
when you wake up in the morning, He
returns the gold you have given Him.
So how is it that you don't trust that He
will give you your livelihood if you
wait until after davening…?"
reprinted from The Weekly Farbrengen
by Merkaz Anash, on-line at
TheWeeklyFarbrengen.com
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 Never Give Up
This week's Torah portion, Ki Tisa, relates
that G-d gave Moshe the Tablets of the
Law as soon as He finished teaching him
the Torah -- on the fortieth day after
Moshe ascended Mount Sinai.
The purpose of teaching the Torah to
Moshe was that he, in turn, would impart it
to the Jewish people. The Tablets were
likewise to be given to the Jewish people.
What were the Jews doing while Moshe
was on Mount Sinai?
A Very Important Lesson
As we learn in this week’s Torah portion,
on the thirty-ninth day of Moshe's absence
the Jewish people made the Golden Calf, a
very serious sin.
Thus we see that despite their sin, G-d
continued to learn Torah with Moshe so he
could teach it to the Jews. G-d gave Moshe
the Tablets after they had made the Golden
Calf.
From this we derive a very important les-
son about how to relate to other people.
G-d did not stop teaching Moshe when the
Jews transgressed. On the contrary, He
continued learning with him until the en-
When you take a census....every man shall
give G-d an atonement for his soul....This
they shall give....a half-shekel. (Exod.
30:12-13)
Moshe could not understand how money
can accomplish forgiveness for the soul.
G-d showed Moshe a fiery coin which
weighed a half-shekel, and He explained
that a coin by itself cannot atone for a
grave sin.
However, if one gives with warmth and
enthusiasm that comes from the fiery core
of the Jewish soul, then a coin can truly
become the cause of forgiveness.
(the Rebbe)
The Israelites shall keep Shabbat, to
make the Shabbat an eternal covenant for
their generations (Exod. 31:16)
The word for "their generations," "ledoro-
tam," can also be read "ledirotam," which
means "their dwelling places."
The Torah is teaching us that the Jewish
tire Torah had been taught, and even gave
him the Tablets of the Law.
Emulating G-d’s Actions
We too must emulate G-d's actions. If we
want to have a positive influence over an-
other person, that they strengthen their
observance of Torah and its command-
ments, the other person's spiritual standing
is irrelevant.
It is forbidden to stop teaching someone
Torah or cease trying to bring him closer
to Judaism even if he continues to sin, G-d
forbid.
On the contrary, we must try even harder
to exert a positive influence. And when we
do, both the "giver" and the "taker" will
surely benefit.
The Holy Temple
Indeed, G-d acted in the same manner even
when it came to the destruction of the Holy
Temple.
The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed
because of the sins of the Jewish people.
And yet, the Jewish people were sinning
for a long time before it was actually de-
stroyed.
people should strive to make the Shabbat
beautiful and majestic in their homes.
(Iturei Torah)
Aaron announced, "Tomorrow there will
be a festival to G-d." (Exodus 32:5)
The golden calf was made on the 16th of
Tamuz. On the 17th of Tamuz Moses
came down from heaven and, upon seeing
the golden calf and the celebration, he
broke the tablets.
Many years later, also on the 17th of
Tamuz, our enemies penetrated the wall
that surrounded Jerusalem and proceeded
to destroy the Holy Temple. Since then,
the 17th of Tamuz has been a fast day.
However, the prophet Zechariah tells us
that when Moshiach comes, the 17th of
Tamuz will be a day of rejoicing. This is
the festival that Aaron is referring to, the
future holiday of the 17th of Tamuz,
which, after Moshiach comes, will be "a
festival to G-d."
(Mayana Shel Torah)
Despite their transgressions, G-d refrained
from taking this drastic step for many
years.
Why? G-d wanted the Holy Temple to
continue to exist for as long as possible.
Although the Jews were sinning, He gave
them ample opportunity to repent and pre-
vent the destruction from occurring.
Helping Our Fellow Jew
We too must always help our fellow Jew to
preserve the spiritual Temple in his heart.
We must never withhold spiritual aid and
assistance.
Even if the other person does not conduct
themselves properly and sins, we must
always continue to fortify their spiritual
Sanctuary.
In this manner we will merit the building
of both the spiritual Sanctuary that exists
within every Jew, as well as the Third Ho-
ly Temple by Moshiach, speedily in our
day.
Based on the teachings of the Rebbe;
adapted for Maayan Chai from Likutei
Sichot, Vol. 11; Shabbos Table, From our
Sages (adapted from Vedibarta Bam) and
Moshiach Now! reprinted from
www.LchaimWeekly.org - LYO / NYC
Ideas in the Minds of Men
R' Zusha of Anipoli again found himself
in debt with the repayment date the next
morning, and the resources with which to
repay nowhere in sight.
R' Zusha however, was a Tzaddik of
perfect faith. Long ago he had placed
himself totally in the hands of the Crea-
tor of the World, and he had no need to
be concerned.
So R' Zusha, wanting to further demon-
strate to his Creator how perfect his faith
and trust were, sat down with a piece of
paper. On it he recorded 25 different
scenarios in which the money needed to
pay back the debt comes his way. The
rest of the evening passed, and R' Zusha
gave the situation no further thought.
The morning came, and no sooner did R'
Zusha finish his morning prayers, than
did the required sum manifest itself. But
the money came to R' Zusha, in a 26th
way, according to a scenario that he did-
n't think to record.
"Oy yoy, oy yoy", he moaned, thorough-
ly disappointed with himself. "Is the Cre-
ator of the World limited to the feeble
ideas of R' Zusha!?"
Reprinted from nishmas.org
 Giving Tzedaka
One of the bedrock values in Hashem’s
world is that one human being should help
another. The only positive-active mitzvah
given to all of humanity (according to
many halachic opinions) is tzedakah.
Throughout the generations, Jews have
excelled in the practice of tzedaka and
chesed, to the marvel and wonderment of
the nations around them. With the advent
of Chassidus, the focus on ahavas Yisrael
intensified. The Baal Shem Tov taught the
intrinsic value of every single person, and
the infinite importance of doing even a
single favor for one another. “A neshama
may descend to this world and live 70 or
80 years, in order to do a Jew a material
favor, and certainly a spiritual one,” the
Baal Shem Tov taught.
Although tzedaka is seemingly only one
of 613 mitzvos, our Sages teach that it is
“equal to all the other mitzvos,” “the core
of all mitzvos,” and is referred to as, “the
mitzvah.” The Alter Rebbe explains in
Tanya that the goal of all the mitzvos is to
elevate our animal and primal soul —and
the world—to holiness, by using our
physical energy to fulfill mitzvos. When
we use our energy to do a mitzvah, that
energy is elevated. When one fulfills a
typical mitzvah, he is only putting a
certain amount of himself into it: you use
your arm and head to put on tefillin—but
that’s pretty much it; you use your mouth
to eat matzah, but your feet don’t have
much participation. You’re only elevating
the energy that you are investing at that
moment in time.
But when you give tzedaka, you’re doing
Children and Redemption
Our Sages highlight the connection between children and redemption by interpreting
the verse, "Do not touch My anointed ones (meshichai)," as referring to Jewish
children.
Why are children given this title?
Because a child truly wants to live in a world of peace, harmony, knowledge and joy,
and these are the very qualities that will characterize the Era of the Redemption.
much more than that: you’re taking
money—and with it the sum total of
energy and life-force that you poured into
the money—and elevating it to holiness.
We are therefore told that tzedaka brings
the geula (redemption) closer —in a
manner beyond all other mitzvos—
because it is the single most effective way
to elevate the world.
In addition, the Alter Rebbe says you
have to be very careful before you limit
the amount of tzedaka that you are ready
to give to someone else. As the Alter
Rebbe puts it, “We all need Hashem’s
mercies,” and when a person shows
compassion on someone else, Hashem has
compassion on him. If a person hardens
his heart and suppresses his compassion,
“he causes the same above—to
suppress… Heaven forfend.”
In previous generations, the primary focus
in serving Hashem was to study Torah.
Today, in the final generations before the
geula, when it is our mission to complete
the elevation of the world, the primary
focus is to give tzedaka—the single most
effective way to elevate the world.
In countless talks, letters, and yechidus
(personal audiences), the Rebbe
encourages people to increase their
donations to tzedaka. In one farbrengen,
the Rebbe explained that this is because
tzedaka is the greatest investment that a
person can make. The Rebbe quoted the
Gemara which says that when a person
gives tzedaka to the poor, he is lending to
Hashem—and that which he has given,
He will pay him back.
the Rebbe
Planning to Retire?
Before the Rebbe’s 70th birthday, people
suggested that perhaps the Rebbe should
slow down his activities. At a farbren-
gen the Rebbe addressed these concerns:
“I have been asked: ‘Now that you have
attained the age of 70, what are your
plans? It would seem that this is an
appropriate time to rest a bit…’ My
response to that is that we must begin to
accomplish even more.”
But what about a businessman or a rabbi.
After decades of hard work, don’t they
deserve to take it easy?
Rabbi Moshe Rosen was the chief rabbi
of Romania beginning in 5708 (1947).
The subsequent years under Stalin were
very difficult, and even after Stalin died
in 5713 (1953), being the chief rabbi of a
Communist country was fraught with
danger. By 5742 (1982), he had enough.
He was already 70 years old and felt that
the time had come to retire and move to
Eretz Yisroel. He brought this up to the
Rebbe in a yechidus (personal audience).
The Rebbe said that he is surprised to
hear of his plan to leave Romania. He
brought examples from rabbis in the
United States who also wanted to
emigrate to Eretz Yisroel but decided to
stay and lead their communities. To
stress this point, the Rebbe told him that
when the newspapers reported that he
was going to leave Romania, a Rabbi in
South Carolina wrote to him that he is
now also planning to retire.
Rabbi Rosen asked the Rebbe, “When
can I finally relax with my family?” The
Rebbe responded, “When you’ll be my
age we can discuss it.” The Rebbe was
then 80 years old.
Ten years later, when Rabbi Rosen was
at the age that the Rebbe had been 10
years earlier, he returned to the Rebbe to
discuss the issue again. This yechidus
took place on 10 Kislev 5752 (1991),
and it was the last yechidus the Rebbe
granted to this day. As a result of this
yechidus, an 80-year-old Rabbi Rosen
returned to Romania and served his
community until his passing.
“Giving Tzedaka” and “Planning to
Retire?” adapted from Derher
Rabbi Groner: Comic Book Question: I started a two month course
that will give me knowledge and skills to
advance in my career. However, the course is
A comic book, "The Rebbe and the difficult and demanding and requires strengths
Mazkir" shares the stories that Rab- that I don’t know that I have. It is torturous and
bi Leibel Groner, OBM, was wit- I would like to quit. Do you think I should?
ness to and experienced over the 45
years he served as the Rebbe's secre- Answer: Let’s look at possible outcomes.
tary. You decide to quit: 1. You will not have gained
Rabbi Groner began his special con- the knowledge to advance your career. 2. On
nection with the Rebbe in 5704 the other hand, you will be released from the
(1944) and by 5709 (1949), Rabbi torture and lack of enjoyment.
Groner was working as the Rebbe’s
assistant. After the Previous Rebbe You continue with the course: 1. Worst case
passed away on Yud Shvat 5710 scenario: You struggle, feel tortured, do not
succeed and receive no benefit. 2. Best case
(1950), Rabbi Groner began serving scenario: You work hard, reveal capabilities
as the Rebbe’s personal secretary, a and strengths you did not know you have, gain
position he held for a full forty-five the valuable knowledge to advance your career
Cooking Tip of the Week years. and gain confidence that you can succeed in the
face of difficulty.
Over the years, Rabbi Groner shared
Left Over Fruit: Purim is behind many wondrous, and incredible sto- Our lives are multidimensional: social interac-
us, yet, from your shloch manot, ries, miracles that he had seen with tions, community, work, family, avodas Hashem
you might have a lot of fruit, some his own eyes. These memories of- and more. However, for most people, the com-
of which might be on the verge of fered the chassidim and Jews of all mon denominator in each area is the desire to
going off. Cut them up into equal backgrounds a unique glimpse into remain in one’s “comfort-zone”. The comfort-
size pieces, sprinkle cinnamon or what occurred in the Rebbe’s room. zone is a safe place where there is little risk. We
whatever spices you like (clove know, more or less, what to expect and we have
gives it a nice flavor) and finish When Rabbi Groner passed away, the emotional and physical capability to deal
off that wine, orange, or apple his family decided to preserve these with the outcome. To step beyond the comfort
juice in it. Cook and cool. You memories, and present them along zone may lead to anxiety and fear; require a
have a nice compote. Another with pictures in comic book form so greater investment of effort and the outcome is
option is to pour into a pie crust they can be easily read and enjoyed. less predictable. On the one hand, there is the
and bake. risk of failure. On the other hand, the rewards
“The Rebbe and the Mazkir” – vol- can be greater, both in regards personal growth
Alizah Hochstead, ume one is now available for pur- and the benefit to the community at large.
alizahh@hotmail.com chase in English at bookstores and
on-line. Source: COLlive.com Olives are employed as a metaphor for the Jew-
ish people. As our Sages say, just as oil is re-
vealed when an olive is squeezed so too does a
Jew reveal his oil, his inner strengths and capa-
Halacha Corner – Knocking Before Entering bilities, when he is challenged.
The Gemara says that one of the behaviors Hashem “hates” is walking We do need our comfort zone; it enables us to
into our own home without informing the people inside that we are about maintain balance and calm. Yet, to grow, we
to enter. It is appropriate to knock on the door or give any other type of need to choose areas where we decide to take
advance notice (e.g. calling or texting) before entering. If we should not that brave step forward. The Gemara teaches -
walk into our own home without notice, how much more so before according to the camel is the load. In other
entering another’s home! The Shalah says that Noach did not go into the words, Hashem doesn’t give us more than we
teivah, ark, until Hashem told him, “Boi el hateiva”, “Come into the can handle. He challenges us for our good - so
teivah,” because he did not want to walk in until he received explicit we can reveal our latent potentials.
permission.
Two months is not a long time. It would seem
In another place, the Gemarah speaks of a difference of opinion regarding that the benefits of remaining in the course out-
a person who knocks on another’s door and is told, “Yes,” whether it weigh the risk. Although it might be hard, ulti-
means “Yes, come in,” or “Yes, wait there and I’ll come out to speak mately, you may gain something more valuable
with you.” According to the Rambam, it means the latter. Therefore, we than you imagined at the outset.
should not enter another’s home until express permission is granted.
Rav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita, Mara D’asra and member of the Beis Aharon Schmidt - marriage, family and individ-
Din of Crown Heights; 1 Min. Halacha, Vol. 1, Issue 32, #247; ual counseling. For appointments or to send a
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