The Shulweekly magazine

Weekly Magazine Sponsored By Mr. & Mrs. Martin (OBM) and Ethel Sirotkin

and Dr. & Mrs. Shmuel and Evelyn Katz

Over Thirty Years of Serving the Communities of Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Indian Creek and Surfside 9540 Collins Avenue, Surfside, Fl 33154 Tel: 305.868.1411 Fax: 305.861.2426 www.TheShul.org Email: info@TheShul.org

B”H

Shabbos Parshas ToldosKislev 2 - 3

December 2 - 3CANDLE LIGHTING: 5:11 PM

SHABBOS ENDS: 6:06 PM

Weekly MessageThoughts on the Parsha from Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar

Celebrating ShabbosSchedules, classes, articles and more... Everything you

need for an “Over the Top” Shabbos experience

Community HappeningsSharing with your Shul Family

A Time to PrayCheck out all the davening schedules and locations

throughout the week

Inspiration, Insights & IdeasBringing Torah lessons to LIFE

Meyer Youth CenterThe full scoop on all the Youth events around town

Get The PictureThe full scoop on all the great events around town

In a woman’s worldIssues of relevance to the Jewish woman

French Connection Reflexions sur la Paracha

Latin LinkReflexion Semanal

The ABC’s of AlephServing Jews in institutional and limited environments.

Networking Effective Advertising

Numbers To Know Contacts at The Shul

Daily Study A complete guide to all classes and courses offered at

The Shul

Get The PictureThe full scoop on all the great events around town

The Shul Weekly MagazineEverything you need for every day of the week

Contents3

4 -5

30

29

28

27

21- 26

17 - 20

8

6 - 7

Nachas At A Glance

The location of the Altar [in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem] is

very exactly defined, and is never to be changed... It is a tradition that the place where David and Solomon built the Altar on the threshing floor of Arona, is the very place where Abraham built an altar and bound Isaac upon it; this is where Noah built [an altar] when he came out from the ark; this is where Cain and Abel brought their offerings; this is where Adam the First Man offered a korban when he was created -- and it is from [the earth of] this

place that he was created

Maimonides

Quotable Quote

9 - 16

31 - 32

33

34

Mishmar Fun and food

Some of the children in The Shul Hebrew School learn about the important mitzvah of - Hachnasat

Orchim - welcoming guests.

35 -36

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Shabbos Parshas Toldos

When the surreptitious villain Eisav, is summoned by his father Yitzchak, he is asked to bring him delicacies. In return, Yitzchak will bestow a multitude of generous blessings upon him. Rebecca however, the mother of both children, arranges for Yaakov to take Eisav’s place. She dresses Yaakov in Eisav’s clothing. When the disguised Yaakov brings the foods, he deceitfully accepts the blessings from his father (Chapter 27).

How could our matriarch Rebecca and our patriarch Yaakov, scheme to commit this apparent fraud? Firstly, we must consider the fact that the blessings were actually owed to Yaakov. He had purchased the birthright from his brother and his behavior merited the blessings. Eisav on the other hand, merely fooled his father by acting properly and in a holy manner in his father’s presence, while surreptitiously leading a life of crime, murder, robbery and immorality behind the façade.

Still, this method of obtaining the blessings was surely not consistent with Yaakov’s ideals or behavior. Here the Torah teaches us an important lesson when confronting a situation where the adversary uses all forms of treachery and deceit to obtain his goals, we do not have to “turn the other cheek.” As long as Yaakov did not violate the rights of an innocent person, he did not have to give away what was rightfully his.

Yaakov did not become Eisav – he couldn’t and wouldn’t, he merely dressed in his clothing. Yitzchak says “The hands are the hands of Eisav but the voice is the voice of Yaakov” (Chapter 27, v.22). Even when Yaakov has to resort to clandestine tactics, his voice and essence remained unadulterated. This teaches us that even though we might sometimes appear to be like Eisav on the outside, we must always remain like Yaakov on the inside.

When entering the ring with adversaries who must be conquered, we must remember that our inner selves, our true beings, must not be affected.

Have a good Shabbos and a wonderful week.

Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar

Thoughts on the Parshahfrom Rabbi Sholom D. Lipskar

To Our Dear Community Members, Baruch Hashem. We want to always

maintain contact with you!

When you celebrate one of life’s passages or any joyful event, we would like to be aware so we can

wish you a mazel tov. When you confront an unsettling time of sadness, we wish to offer our help. The

Shul organizes meals (for families with newborns and for shiva homes), visits to hospital patients, and offers multi-faceted community activities.

We care about you and want to know what’s going on in the lives of our Shul family members.

Please share your news with us!Call Stacy at The Shul

305-868-1411 ext. 313

The GladiatorsBased on letters and talks of the Rebbe, Rabbi M. M. Schneerson

The rabbis of the Talmud, who lived in Roman times, told of a time yet to come, when G-d will entertain us with a gladiator

tournament.

We will watch and we will cheer on the victor. We will gasp as he falls and rejoice as he picks himself up again to continue the

battle.

And we will realize that this victor is each one of us, as we were fighting against the darkness in which we were cast as we lived

within this world.

Then we will laugh an unbridled laugh.

Then we will know the unbounded delight of our Creator as He watched our victory, here in this world now.

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Weekly Riddle

Shmuely'sTeen Boys

Grades: 9th - 12th

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Haime Library

Shaykee’sDavening With Dad

Grades: 7th - 8th

10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Montessori 3

Mendy's Hebrew School

Grades: 4th - 8th

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Sholom'sJunior Boys

Grades: 1 - 4

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Classroom 1

Basya'sTween Girls

Grades: 6 - 8

10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Tehila'sPre Tween Girls

Grades: 4 - 5

10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Classrooom 4

Elisheva Adouth's Aleph Wonder Girls

Grades: 1 - 310:00 am - 12:00 pm

Classrooom 2

Celebrating Shabbos with our YouthEverything you need for an “Over the Top” Shabbos experience

Morah Malkie’s Tot Shabbat

Ages: 1 - 411:00 am - 12:00 pm

Montessori classrooom 2

Debbie’sTeen Girls

Grades: 9th - 12th

10:30 am - 12:00 pm

Teen Girls Room

Questions:1)In what two contexts does the number 40 appear in this parsha?

2) In what other contexts does the number 40 appear in the book of Genesis? (5 answers)

3)Which verse in this parsha has five verbs in a row?

Answers from last week:1) Esther 1:1 states that Achashverosh ruled over 127 countries.

2) Kiryat Arba (Genesis 23:2) and Be'er Sheva (Genesis 22:19) both include a number in their names.

3)Sarah (Genesis 12:11), Rivka (Genesis 24:16), Rachel (Genesis 29:17), Bat Sheva (2-Shmuel 11:2), Tamar, the sister of Avshalom (2-Shmuel 14:27), Vashti (Esther 1:11), and Esther (Esther 2:7).

RIDDLE RULESAnswers to the riddles can be given to Sholom Lobenstein any time over Shabbos. The first child to give a correct answer to each of the

questions will win an INSTANT prize!

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Kiddush This Week: Kiddush this week is co-sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. Seth and Perla

Salver in honor of the birth of their daughter, Chana Riva and to the proud grandparents Isaac & Bahee Salver

and Salomon & Betty Maikhor and by Mr. & Mrs. Meir & Nava Izak in honor of their son Jesse’s ufruf.

Shalosh Seudos This Week:Shalosh Seudos this week is available for sponsorship.

kiddushim at The ShulPlease help us to provide our weekly Shabbos Kiddush and Shalosh Seudos by becoming a sponsor. Or join the Kiddush Bank by becoming a Partner ($770 annually ) or Patron ($360 anually)

Candle Lighting 5:12 p.m.Mincha 5:15 p.m.

Eruv Information

We would like to emphasize that every Erev Shabbos, individuals should call the Eruv Hotline to make sure

that the Eruv is operational. The number to call is 305- 866-ERUV (3788).

The Eruv message is recorded approximately two hours prior to candle lighting. Surfside:

The Eruv in Surfside now includes the walking paths along the beach. Pushing strollers and

carrying is permitted on the paths, but not beyond the path or onto the beach.

Bal Harbour: The Eruv in Bal Harbour included the inner (western) walking path only. The pier at Haulover Cut is not included.

To pay your annual dues visit: www.miamibeacheruv.com

the caterer for this week’s kiddush and Shalosh seudos is

Food Art

Celebrating Shabbos Everything you need for an “Over the Top” Shabbos experience

Shabbos ScheduleCandle lighting 5:11 p.m. Mincha / Kabbalas Shabbos 5:15 p.m.Shabbos Day Hashkama Minyan 7:15 a.m.Tanya / Hayom Yom 9:00 a.m.Shacharis (Morning Services) 9:00 a.m.Children’s Programs 10:00 a.m.Upstairs Minyan 10:30 a.m.30 Minutes of Tanya: Classroom #1 +/- 12:00 p.m.With Mrs. Vivian Perez (for Women) After DaveningKiddush 12:00 p.m.Daf Yomi 4:15 p.m.Men’s Shiur 4:15 p.m.Women's Shiur 4:15 p.m.Shalosh Seudos for Boys 4:15 p.m.Mincha 5:00 p.m.Shabbos Ends / Ma’ariv & Havdalah 6:06 p.m.Weekly Video of The RebbeFather & Son Learning 7:15 p.m.

Sephardic Minyan Friday Evening Mincha / Kabbalat Shabbat 5:00 p.m.

Shabbat Day Shacharit 9:00 a.m.Mincha 5:00 p.m.Shabbos Ends / Arvit & Havdalah 6:06 p.m.

The following dates are available for sponsorship:

Kiddush Shalosh Seudos December 10, 17, 24, 31 December 3, 17, 24, 31

If you wish to become a sponsor, please speak with Stacyat 305-868-1411 ext 313 or email swaxman@theshul.org

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3 Kislev Mrs. Deborah Portnoy3 Kislev Mr. Isaac Sredni4 Kislev Mrs. Tamar Attias4 Kislev Mrs. Chaya Elbogen4 Kislev Mr. Marco Lustgarten4 Kislev Mr. Daniel Steiner5 Kislev Dr. Brian Dooreck5 Kislev Mr. Dovid Mordechai Gilinski5 Kislev Mrs. Chaya Litchkowski6 Kislev Mr. Julian Ohayon6 Kislev Ms. Nicole Sredni7 Kislev Mr. Asher Matiah Bublick7 Kislev Mrs. Nily Falic7 Kislev Mr. Jeffrey Herman7 Kislev Ms. Dorita Kardonski7 Kislev Mrs. Orit Osman7 Kislev Mr. Ruben Salama7 Kislev Mr. Elijah Salver8 Kislev Ms. Daniela Yocheved Ben-Arie9 Kislev Mrs. Devorah Leah Andrusier9 Kislev Dr. Bernard Baumel9 Kislev Ms. Devora Leah Lipskar9 Kislev Ms. Vicki Rachel Moteles9 Kislev Mrs. Cynthia Stein

Community HappeningsSharing with your Shul Family

Birthdays

Kid’s Birthdays

Yahrtzeits

3 Kislev Shlomo Rubinstein3 Kislev Aliyah Schottenstein3 Kislev Alexa Szafranski4 Kislev Eitan Eliyaho Dovid Greenwald5 Kislev Lou Bsiri5 Kislev Yankel Bsiri6 Kislev Ariel Bramy6 Kislev Jacob Stein7 Kislev Rina Chaya Miriam Plutno9 Kislev Chana Necha Diamont9 Kislev Yona Amelie Groisman9 Kislev Tehila Moore9 Kislev Chaya Necha Schottenstein

AnniversariesMr. & Mrs. Barry and Leah BaroukMr. & Mrs. Baruch and Chana Liba DorfmanMr. & Mrs. Sol and Anna ZuckermanMr. & Mrs. Jeffrey and Lillian GlickMr. & Ms. Yossi and Nava RaskinMr. & Mrs. Chaim and Hinda CohenRabbi & Mrs. Avrohom and Racheli Raksin

3 Kislev David obm Grandfather of Mr. Gustavo Galagovsky4 Kislev Avraham Meir ben Yisroel Isser obm Father of Mr. Isaac Arber5 Kislev Levi Yitzchok ben Nachum obm Father of Mrs. Rose Schreiber5 Kislev Tamara Matlas bas Moshe obm Sister-in-law of Mrs. Estela Berry6 Kislev Menachem Mendal ben Yehudah obm Grandfather of Mrs. Roslyn Jaffe6 Kislev Yafa Milatin obm Grandmother of Mrs. Orly Alexander6 Kislev Rav David obm Father of Ms. Liv-Tiferet De Vitton6 Kislev Freidel bas Yoshuah obm Mother of Ms. Barbara Ann Taylor7 Kislev Sarah bas Yair obm Mother of Mrs. Peggy Sreter7 Kislev Sarah bas Leah obm Mother of Mrs. Claudia Szerer Kardonski7 Kislev Basha bas Menashe obm Mother of Mrs. Miriam Schwartz Wiener8 Kislev Shlomo ben Yosef obm Grandfather of Mrs. Routh Tzubeli Meloul8 Kislev Uziyahu Eliyahu obm Father of Rabbi Betzalel Camissar8 Kislev Malka bas Yosef obm Mother of Mr. Jerrod M. Levine8 Kislev Steven Adelman obm Nephew of Ms. Reine Fiss9 Kislev Bezalel Binyamin ben Eliezer Pesach obm Son of Mr. Lazer Milstein9 Kislev Ita bas Aron obm Mother of Mrs. Cipora Fraiman9 Kislev Chaya bas Mordecai obm Mother-in-law of Mrs. Ethel Meril Sirotkin9 Kislev Rachel bas Baruch obm Mother of Mrs. Chana Weinbaum

CondolencesOur heartfelt condolences go out to Mr. Abraham Gewirtz, on the passing of his beloved sister, Simcha bat Aron Yehudah, obm. May her dear soul be bound with the Eternal Bond of Life and may the family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

Mazal TovMazal Tov to Ms Lydia Hasson on the birth of a grandson born to her children David and Rivka. May he be raised to Torah, Chupah and Ma'asim Tovim and may they have much nachas from him.

Mazal Tov to Mr. & Mrs. Shlomo & Brooke Peretz on the birth of a son. May they raise him to Torah, Chupah and Ma'asim Tovim and have much nachas from him.

Mazal Tov to Mr. & Mrs. Mike and Nava Izak on the marriage of their son Jesse to Miriam Stern. May the wedding be in a good and auspicious time and may the young couple build an everlasting edifice in Israel.

7

Learning with The Bochurim If you are interested in having your child

learn with one of our bochurim,

or if you would like to arrange

a lunch and learn in your office,

Please contact Rabbi Shaykee Farkash

farkashs@icloud.com

Community HappeningsSharing with your Shul Family

Thanks To Our Donors

Refuah ShleimahIf you have a health update on anyone listed please contact The Shul. We would like to keep

the listing current and remove names of people who have recovered.

Mr. & Mrs. Dovber AinsworthMr. Sergio ApfelbaumMr. & Mrs. Steve AzoulayMrs. Raquel BenarrochMr. Gad BittonMr. & Mrs. Jeremy FreedmanMr. & Mrs. Ighal GoldfarbMr. Chaim KatzMr. & Mrs. Motty KlainbaumMr. & Mrs. David KriegerRabbi & Mrs. Aaron LipskarDrs. Raul & Janet Mitrani

Mr. Javier ResnikMr. & Mrs. Brian RollerMr. & Mrs. Yaakov SaidofRabbi & Mrs. Moshe SchneiderMr. & Mrs. David & Hannah ShearMr. & Mrs. Rafael & Sulamita SimkoviMr. & Mrs. Eric SteinMr. & Mrs. Frank TaiebMr. Boris VertsbergerMrs. Esther Vlosky

MENSholom Meir ben PearlMichael Joseph ben Natalie LeeGabriel ben EstherEber Avraham ben Fruma EstherShmuel ben Sarah PerlYosef ben EdwinaAvrohom ben FeigelMordechai David ben Esther RaizelYedidya Chaim Raphael ben ElanaYehuda ben Chaya SaraShimon Yitzchak ben Leah RochelRoi ben OrlyChaim Tzvi Hirsch ben Guttel

WOMENMiriam bat Risha RaizelDana Ella bas Devorah HindeChana bas ShoshanaShifra bas ChayaIlana bas Shaina RochelChava bas Elka MenuchaChaya bas RachelFayge bas ChayaMiriam Leah bas Helen

Kislev Light & PowerWe sincerely thank the following members and supporters of The Shul

for donations received between 11/21/16 and 11/28/16We apologize for any errors or omissions that we may have made.

Light & Power and Wine for Kiddush & Havdalah forthe month of Kislev is Kindly Sponsored by

Sragowicz and Freund Families in loving memory of Arie Leib ben Azriel, obm

(Leon Sragowicz) May his neshama have an aliya.

“Those who establish Synagogues for prayer and those who come there to pray, those who provide lights for illumination, wine and grape juice for kiddush and havdalah, food for the wayfarers and charity for the needy, and all those who occupy themselves faithfully with communal affairs - may The Holy One, blessed be He, give them their reward, remove them from all sicknesses, heal their entire body, pardon all their sins, and send blessing and success to all their endeavors,

together with all Israel their brethren; and let us say Amen.”

Please Note

The North side parking lot and The Shul garage are closed on Shabbos and Yom Tov.

Please do not open the barriers.

Community Notice Board:If you have a new or slightly used Shaitel that you

would like to donate to The Shul Sisterhood

Please Contact Mrs. Devorah Failer 305.323.2410

Volunteers NeededAfter every Kiddush and event, The Shul donates the

left over food to organizations or families in need.

We are looking for volunteers to help collect and

wrap the food.

If you would like to help please contact the

Mashgiach, Mordechai Olesky after the Kiddush.

Community service hours will be awarded.

Community Notice Board:Give A Meaningful Gift! Honor a special event or

person by making a donation to The Shul. We’ll send a dedication card to the Family

notifying them of your generous gift.

8

A Time to PrayDavening schedules and locations throughout the week

Evening Kolel Schedule - Monday and Thursday 8:45 -9:30 pmMon & Thurs 8:45 - 10:00 pm Evening Community Kolel Chavrusah

Daily Learning Schedule at The Shul6:20 -6:50 am Derech Mitzvosecha Foundational Chassidic Discourse R’ Zalman Lipskar

7:45 am Daf Yomi R’ Dov Schochet8:45 am (approx) Halacha Sephardic Custom R’ Shimshon Tzubeli10:15 - 11:00 am Maamorim Maamor of the Rebbe R’ Shea Rubinstein

Daily Chumash & Tanya after every Minyan

Shacharis Minyanim (mon - Fri)Main Minyan 6:50 7:30 9:00

Sephardic Minyan 8:00

Sunday Shacharis MinyanimMain Minyan 8:00 am 9:00 am

Sephardic Minyan 9:00 am

Sunday Mincha /Maariv Minyanim

Main Minyan 5:15 pmLate Maariv 10:00 pm

mincha / Maariv Minyanim (mon - Thurs)Main Minyan 2:00 pm Early Mincha 5:15 pm 10:00 pm

Sephardic Minyan 5:15 pm Following

Halachic TimesBased on times for December 7

Alot Hashachar / Dawn 5:38 amEarliest Talit & Tefillin 6:10 amNetz Hachamah / Sunrise 6:55 am(Earliest Amidah)Latest Shema 9:31 amZman Tfillah 10:25 am Chatzot / Midday 12:12 pmEarliest Mincha 12:39 pmPlag HaMincha 4:27 pmShekiah / Sunset 5:30 pm(preferable latest time for Mincha)Tzeit Hakochavim / Nightfall 5:55 pm(Earliest preferable Ma’ariv)

Times taken from www.chabad.orgPlease note that during the week times may vary by a minute or two.

To our beloved Soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces, courageously protecting and defending Eretz Yisroel.

We pray for you and all of the soldiers safety and well being daily.

Dan Shlomo ben EliyahuBenyamin Aharon Ben Jeniya Gila Rut

Jonathan ben Aliza SherMichael Shmuel ben Eliezer Eliyahu

Amir Herzel ben Dvora Dorry

If anyone would like to send us the name of a soldier in the IDF we would love to add them.

9

Friday - Kislev 2My grandfather once explained in a maamar the statement, R. Elazar first gave a coin to a pauper and then davened: "Davening must be with life. By giving, before davening, charity to a pauper - thereby giving him life - one's davening is suffused with a great increase of 'aliveness'." So saying he motioned with his hand in an upwards gesture to indicate that the increase is beyond imagination. Indeed my father would often seek out a pauper before davening to give him food.

Shabbos - Kislev 3One difference between the ways of the Baal Shem Tov and of the Maggid was that the Baal Shem Tov went on all sorts of journeys, while the Maggid stayed home.

Moreover, when the Maggid was Rebbe, Chassidus was already widely known, even in distant places, because of the extensive journeys of the Holy Society. Many average laymen had thus become devoted to Chassidus and used to make pilgrimages to Mezritch.

Sunday - Kislev 4With mayim acharonim, wash the fingertips and, while they are still moist, pass them over the lips.

Monday - Kislev 5"A ladder was standing on the ground." Prayer is the ladder that connects souls and G-dhood. And although it stands "...on the ground," the start of davening being no more than acknowledgement, yet "its top reaches the Heavens" - a state of total bitul, self-nullification. But one reaches this level through the prior attainment of comprehension and understanding inherent in p'sukei d'zimra, in the b'rachot of sh'ma and in sh'ma proper.

Tuesday - Kislev 6My father said that the reciting of sh'ma before retiring at night (p. 118-124) is, in miniature form, like the Confession before death. But then one leaves the marketplace permanently, and the commerce of "Today to perform them"1 is finished. With the Bedside Sh'ma every night, however, one is still in the middle of the "market" and can still accomplish and achieve.

Wednesday - Kislev 7There are three schools of thought:

1. The discipline of nullification of the material by indicating the repulsive and abhorrent nature of all that is bodily and material. This is the school of Mussar.

2. The school of recognition of the superiority of the "inner form and the spiritual - the dimension of character-traits and intellectuality - and instruction as to how one may come closer to attaining these. This is the school of Chakira, philosophy.

3. The discipline of predominance of form over matter. This school teaches the unique quality of the material when it is purified, and the unique quality of "form" when integrated with the material; the two are to be so thoroughly fused that one cannot detect where either of them begins or ends - for "Their beginning is wedged into their end, and their end into their beginning." The One G-d created them both, and for one purpose - to reveal the light of Holiness of His hidden power. Only both of them together will complete the perfection desired by the Creator. This is the school of (the teachings/instruction of) Chassidus.

Thursday - Kislev 8Man should ponder thoughtfully how great are the kindnesses of the Creator: Such a puny insignificant being, Man, can bring great delight to the "Greatest of all great"' of Whom it is written, "There is no delving into His greatness." Man ought therefore always be inspired, and perform his avoda with an eager heart and spirit.

Friday - Kislev 2Birth of the Mitteler Rebbe in 5534 (1773), and the day of his passing in 5588 (1827). He is interred in Niezhin.

On 9 Kislev 5554 (1793) the Alter Rebbe said a maamar, now part of Chapter 53 of the Sefer Shel Benonim (Tanya), discussing the First Sanctuary. The next day he said Chassidus again - the conclusion of that chapter. The maamarim from Rosh Hashana 5550 (1789) until 10 Kislev 5554 (1793) which included assembled words of counsel from earlier years, were the basis for the 53 chapters of the Sefer Shel Benonim.

Hayom YomIn the winter of 1942, the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Y. Schneersohn, of righteous memory, gave his son- in-law, the future Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, the task of compiling an anthology of Chasidic aphorisms and customs arranged according to the days of the year.

The calendar was entitled Hayom Yom. In describing this work Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak wrote: …”A book that is small in format…but bursting with pearls and diamonds of choicest quality.” “A splendid palace of Chasidism.” True to these words, Hayom Yom

has become a beloved classic work and a source of daily spiritual sustenance.

Inspiration, Insights & IdeasBringing Torah lessons to LIFE!

10

Why Deceive Your Husband?How Mother Rebecca Initiated the Outreach RevolutionBy: Rabbi YY Jacobson

Martin Lewis converts and becomes a priest.He gives his first Mass in front of a number of high ranking priests who came for the occasion. At the end of the new priest's sermon, a cardinal goes up to congratulate him.

"Pastor Lewis," he said, "That was very well done, you were just perfect. But next time, please don't start your sermon with, "My Fellow Goyim..."

The BlessingsIsaac grows old and his eyes become dim. He expresses his desire to bless his beloved son Esau before he dies. While Esau goes off to hunt for his father's favorite food, Rebecca – the mother -- dresses Jacob in Esau's clothes, covers his arms and neck with goatskins to simulate the feel of his hairier brother, prepares a similar dish and sends Jacob to his father with the food.

Jacob receives his father's blessings for "the dew of the heaven and the fat of the land" and mastery over his brother. Jacob, dressed in Esau's clothes, has taken Esau's blessin].

The absurdities of this story are numerous. One question cannot be ignored: Is this the proper way for a woman to behave, to contrive a scheme to outsmart her husband's planning? If Rebecca had a good reason as to why Esau was undeserving of his father's blessings, why couldn't she communicate it directly to Isaac? Why couldn't Rebecca "follow" the glorious old tradition of Jewish wives who commonly explain to their husbands how wrong they are?

Indeed, Rebecca had a good argument against granting the blessings to Esau, one that Isaac would certainly understand. The Bible attests that Jacob was "a wholesome man, a dweller of the tents of study," in contrast to his twin-brother Esau, who is described as a "skilled hunter, a man of the field." Rebecca favors Jacob for good and just reasons. Esau -- the hunter, the man who "despised his birthright" and had sold it for a dish of lentils (3)-- was clearly a bodily and material human being, not destined to be the faithful follower of an invisible, transcendent G-d. The Abrahamic covenant must surely pass through Jacob, the "wholesome man, a dweller in the tents."

Jacob's descendants became the nation of Israel, who granted the world the vision of ethical monotheism; while Esau fathered the Edomite nation and ultimately the Roman civilization with its culture of ruthless power and great material achievement.

So why would Rebecca not share this insight with her husband, instead of manipulating the situation?

The FutureMuch ink has been spilled on the subject. Today, let me share with you a moving idea by one of the great Chassidic masters of Jewish thought, Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter, the first Rebbe of Ger. (He says it in two lines, but I will try to explain his idea.)

Rebecca, he suggests, knew that Jacob’s grandchildren may one day strip themselves of their grandfather’s garments, and don the cloths of Esau. The matriarch of Israel was aware that the day will come when the Jew might be compelled to replace Jacob’s dress with Esau’s: Inside he will be Jewish, but on the outside he will seek to appear like Esau.

Rebecca understood – as only a mother could understand – the confusion and ambivalence that might consume her descendants following thousands of years of a tumultuous history, singular in the annals of any people. Rebecca appreciated the identity crisis of the Jew in the modern era, craving to integrate, sometimes even assimilate, among the other nations and cultures.

Rebecca could have persuaded her husband to grant the blessings directly and straightforwardly to Jacob. But then, these powerful spiritual energies would have been transmitted to the Jacob of old, the Jacob who looked like Jacob from within and without; the wholesome Jacob, the dweller in tents. How about – thought Mother Rebecca – the Jacob who would one day in history become entrenched in the glittering embrace of secularism, and appear like Esau, would he or she be lost to the blessing? Would he or she become disconnected from our people? Would this completely modern and secular Jew belong any less to Torah and to our faith?

Rebecca knew the answer: No way! They too are an essential part of the blessing and the covenant; even the Jacob who looks just like Esau is an integral part of the covenant, of the legacy of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The moment Rebecca dressed her son Jacob in Esau’s clothes to receive Isaac’s blessings, she insured that the spark of Judaism, the essence of the Jewish soul,

the fountain of Jewish faith, would remain embedded in the heart of every single Jew forever, even the Jew that so many others dismiss as merely an Esau.

The BearIt reminds me of the anecdote about the atheist who was walking through the woods.

“What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!” he said to himself.

As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly bear charge towards him.

He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing in on him. He continued to run, then looked over his shoulder again. The bear was even closer. The atheist tripped and fell onto the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him.

At that instant the atheist cried out, “Oh my God!”

Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent.

As a bright light shone upon the man, a Voice came out of the sky. “You deny My existence for all these years, teach others I don’t exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident. Do you expect Me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?”

The atheist looked directly into the light. “It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a believer now, but perhaps you could make the BEAR a believer?”

“Very well,” said the Voice.

The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, closed his eyes, meditated for a few minutes, and then spoke slowly:

“Baruch Atah Hashem Elokeinu melech haolam hamotzi lechem min haaretz."

You see, sometimes you never know what lurks behind the bear-garment. Externally he may be dressed a bear, but if you listen carefully, you might hear the “Baruch Atah Hashem…”

Jewish TraitorsThis above Chassidic insight is subtly expressed in a perplexing Talmudic interpretation on this story

PARSHA MESSAGES

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of Jacob dressed up like Esau to obtain his father’s blessings.

"Isaac smelled his clothing," the Torah relates[6], “and proclaimed: ‘See, the aroma of my son is like the aroma of the field blessed by G-d.’" Then Isaac began giving the blessings.

The Talmud focuses our attention to the fact that the biblical term used for “his clothing” (begaduv) could also be pronounced and translated as “his traitors” (bogdav). The Hebrew term for a garment, beged, can also ber pronounced “boged,” which means a traitor. This is because garments eclipse and “betray” a man’s inner persona. A wealthy billionaire can dress like a schnorer, and conversely the poor man can dress up as an aristocrat. Since in the Torah scroll there are no vowels, you can read the story as “Isaac smelled his traitors and proclaimed: ‘See, the aroma of my son is like the aroma of the field blessed by G-d.’"

Isaac, the Talmud is stating, smelled the traitors of the Jewish people and enjoyed their fragrance. He was now inspired to bless the progenitor of these traitors, Jacob.

This is deeply disturbing. What is so pleasant about the “aroma of traitors?” And why would they inspire Isaac to bless their grandfather Jacob? The great souls and spiritual giants that would emerge from Jacob’s seed throughout history did not suffice to entice Isaac to confer the blessings upon the wearer of the garments; it was only the traitors that moved him so deeply. Why?

The Temple ThiefThe Midrash relates a tale illustrating the nature of the Jewish “traitors” which Isaac sniffed. The episode takes place in Jerusalem, in the year 70 CE, during the Roman conquest of the Holy City and the destruction of the second Holy Temple.

When the Romans entered the incredibly large and intricately designed Temple, they did not know their way around nor did they have knowledge of the multitude of chambers and compartments containing valuables. They needed a good tour guide.

One Jew volunteered. His name was Yosef Meshisa, and he was the quintessential traitor, the man ready to sell his soul, his people, to the cruel enemy just to protect his own skin. The Roman legions did not remain unappreciative: they promised him that as payment for the “tour” he could take whatever he wished from the Holy Temple as his own.

Yosef Meshisa entered the spiritual epicenter of the universe and fetched for himself the menorah, the splendid golden candelabra situated in the inner

chamber of the Temple, one of the holiest articles used in this Holy Temple.

This, we ought to understand, tells us something about the nature of this guy Yosef Meshisa. While Jerusalem was engulfed in flames, Jews were being massacred by the hundreds of thousands, and the Temple about to be destroyed, this man had the audacity, the chutzpah, to join the enemy ranks, assist the Romans and remove the menorah from the Temple for his personal exploit!

Yet upon exiting, the Romans refused to let him walk away with the menorah. “It is inappropriate for a simple man like yourself to have such a precious item in your home,” they said. "Go back and take something else, anything else, just not the menorah,” the Romans instructed.

But, lo and behold, Yosef Meshisa refused to re-enter the Holy Temple to steal another item. “It is not enough,” he proclaimed, “that I angered my G-d and defiled His Temple one time; but you want me to do it a second time too? No way!"

The Romans tortured this Jew brutally. They placed his body on a work table used by carpenters and perforated his body with nails, until he died. The last words on his lips were: "Woe unto me! I have angered my Creator.”

The Mechanism of TransformationWhat happened to this man? At first he has fallen to lowest of the low, ready to assist the brutal enemy of the Jewish people for his own financial gain; and suddenly, he is ready to give his life in order not to re-enter the Temple and steal another holy item? Whence this sudden transformation? What happened in between the two episodes that radically changed this individual from a lowly opportunist to a grand hero?

The answer: He walked into the Beis Hamikdash (the Holy Temple)! And he held onto the menorah! He entered into a space of holiness, where the presence of G-d was felt and experienced. When he entered into the environment, the atmosphere, of the home of G-d, where the divine presence was manifest, he felt for the first time in his life his neshamah, his pintele yid, his truest essence. Suddenly, he was not Yosef Meshisa, the collaborator of Rome; now he was Yosef Meshisa, a Jew, a collaborator of Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Reb Akiva. He was part of an unbreakable chain of 4000 years!

Don’t be Fooled by the GarmentsThese are the “traitors,” the Midrash says, that Isaac smelled when Jacob entered into the room—as they generated an extraordinary spiritual aroma.

We can now see the brilliant correlation between the “clothe” and the “traitors,” which Jacob smells. Jacob, dressed in Esau’s clothes, represented at that moment the Jews who might look and behave just like Esau. The Yosef Meshisa’s of history—men and women who might betray their people and faith, in blatant or subtle forms. And yet at the moment of truth, their inner Jewish soul would emerge in its full fragrance. The blessings of Isaac were inspired particularly by these Jews, because they are the ones who demonstrate the truth that Jewishness and G-dliness is at the core of a Jew, entrenched in his or her very DNA.

In a ShtibleLest one claim that this power is unique to the Beis HaMikdash, to the Jerusalem Holy Temple, lest one claim that today there exists nothing comparable which can so instantaneously turn an alienated individual into a passionate Jewish soul, I will tell you a story. It is about a Jew named Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1929), an influential Jewish theologian and philosopher in Germany, recorded in his book, The Star of Redemption.

Franz Rosenzweig was a totally secular and assimilated Jew. He was a prolific author and a great philosopher, but living in Germany in an age when modern philosophy and science presented themselves as a rational alternative to the sham of religion. In 1913 he was preparing to convert to Christianity.

It was Yom Kippur night. October 11, 1913. Franz Rosenzweig, then 27 years old and already one of the brilliant philosophers of his time, walked into a Berlin Synagogue with the intention of making that his final act as a Jew. After those 24 hours were over, he would enter the church where his sponsor, Rudolf Ehrenberg, awaited him for baptism to Christianity. Alone and unknown to anyone that Yom Kippur Eve, the prospective convert went to Berlin, to a shtible filled with pious, observant and sincere Jews.

And something happened to him. Franz Rosenzweig walked into the synagogue just to see what it was like, out of curiosity. He walked out of there a Baal Teshuvah, a "returnee" to Judaism. He became a fully engaged Jew. Kol Nidre – and the subsequent 24 hours – where enough to completely transform this young Jew. After Neilah, he wrote a long letter to the cousin who was to sponsor his baptism. “I am sorry to disappoint you, but I am remaining a Jew.”

Now, this was not in America in 2013 where it is a common phenomenon for Jews to become Baalei Teshuvah, or to begin celebrating Mitzvos and re-

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embracing the heritage of their grandparents, but in Germany in 1913, where it was almost unheard of for a secular Jew to become Torah observant.

What did it? What was it? It was the same as with Yosef Meshisa. He was exposed to Kedusha, to holiness, to the reality of the sacred. A person who is totally secular, or even anti-religious, or even a person who is prepared to adopt another religion, who goes to a shul -- not to pray and not to participate, but merely to observe... Someone who is merely exposed to such a place of holiness, on such a night of holiness -- that can do something to a person's soul. It can change a person.

Because holiness, kedusha, is real. G-dlioness is real. Torah is real. When a Jew says “amen yehay shmay raba” with his whole heart it is real. Through his exposure to a moment of G-dliness, Rozenzweig became a different person. This does not require exposure to the Beis HaMikdash. It just takes a minyan of honest Jews praying sincerely to the Master of the World. That can change a man forever.

When Rebecca donned the clothes of Esau on her son Jacob, she ensured this truth for all of eternity. Even if you encounter an Esau-like Jew, remember that he or she is really a Jacob, only dressed like Esau.

At that moment, Rebecca planted the seeds of the work known today as “kiruv” or “shlechus”—the towering vision for our generation articulated by the Lubavitcher Rebbe: “Go out of yourself and humbly peer into the heart of another Jew, and you will encounter the flame and sanctity of Jacob. You will help him ignite his flame, so that he can in turn ignite other latent flames, until the entire world is aflame with the light of G-d.”

Today, the first day of Kislev, we commemorated the 7th yartzeit of Rabi Gabi and Rivki Holtzberg and the other Jewish men and women murdered in Mumbai, India. Gabi and Rivky turned their home and heart into a place where thousands of Jews, from every walk of life, felt at home. You see, Rivkah Holtzberg carried the torch handed down to her by her great-great-great-grand mother and namesake — Rivkah our Matriarch, who dressed up her son in Esau’s clothes. She too breathed and lived this truth that beneath the clothes of every Esau lay a holy Jacob. May their memory serve as an inspiration and invigoration to all of us.

Prayer for Rain

Starting the night preceding December 5th, this coming Sunday night, we begin to add a request for rain in the 9th blessing (the blessing where we ask for sustenance) of the Amidah. In years preceding a civil leap year we begin the night preceding December 6th. The reason this is determined by the secular calendar is that this addition is based on the solar cycle. 60 days following the autumnal equinox we begin asking for rain, Although December 5th is more than 70 days from the equinox, the calculation is based on the Julian calendar system (as opposed to the current Gregorian system).

Interestingly, the Avudraham, a 14th century scholar who lived before the Gregorian calendar was adopted, writes that the 60 days will always coincide with the 22nd of November unless February has 29 days. It was only after the Gregorian system was put

in place and 10 days were removed from the month of October 1582 that our current discrepancy took place. The year preceding a leap year, where one day must be added to compensate for the “extra” quarter day in every solar year, the date is pushed back one day to the 6th.

This request is unique from the addition in the 2nd blessing which begins during Sukkot. There, we simply mention G-d’s power to bring rain, whereas the actual request for rain begins significantly later.

In Israel where rain is necessary from the start of

the fall season, they begin asking for rain from the 7th of Cheshvan (to allow all those that made pilgrimage to Jerusalem to return without the hindrance of rain). In Babylonia which had a more constant supply of water, rain was only necessary 60 days after the equinox. We continue until the first day of Pesach. The custom of all Jews in the Diaspora is to follow the Babylonian custom.

In thirteenth century Spain this led to great debate. In 5073, a year of drought, the Rosh (Rabbeinu Asher) had the community continue asking for rain after Pesach, and start from the Sukkos festival, as is the practice in Israel. He argued that just as Babylonia asks for rain based on its needs so should every large, independent country tailor the prayer to their specific seasons. (This argument is relevant to southern hemisphere countries where the seasons are the reverse of the north). This led to a stormy debate between the scholars of his era, with one group accepting the logic of his argument and the other not willing to break with the longstanding understanding of the relevant Talmudic passages.

Despite the power of his arguments, his position was rejected by mainstream Halacha. The custom is that the entire Diaspora starts praying for rain December 5th and finish on Passover eve.

Even countries with different needs, in fact even countries in the southern hemisphere with opposite seasons, follow this pattern.

If one omits this request during the Amidah, they should add the request for rain in the 16th blessing, which is a general blessing for all of our needs. If one forgets to include it there they must return to the 9th blessing and continue from there. If one concludes the Amidah without remembering to include this prayer they must repeat the entire Amidah.

Rain, especially in agrarian societies, represents one’s sustenance and livelihood. This blessing underscores our belief that despite our responsibility to create a channel for our livelihood, ultimately it rests in Hashem’s hands, and we daily ask for blessing from His overflowing, bountiful hand.

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Halacha of The WeekBy Rabbi Dov Schochet

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It Once Happened

A fierce looking man ran out of the house, his eyes burning with murderous rage at the coach full of Jews. In his hand he carried a revolver. At his heels a massive black dog yelped and snapped at the carriage.

One of the passengers approached the angry householder, who drew his gun and began to shoot at the coach. The gun clicked - but no bullets emerged. Again and again he pulled the trigger, but nothing happened.

Just then, a calm, holy face appeared at the window of the carriage. With a fascinated stare, the angry one lowered the gun and pulled the trigger. A bullet spewed forth and struck the black dog, killing it instantly.

One of the passengers approached the householder. "Sir, we are chasidim traveling with the holy Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev," he stammered. "It is time for our evening prayers and we would like to ask your kind permission to pray in your house."

"The Holy Rabbi of Berditchev? Why yes, of course, you have my permission," said the man, as if in a dream. With that, he turned and strode into his house without a backward glance at his beloved dog.

The servants and friends were puzzled. They expected to enjoy the massacre of the Jews - these Jews who seemed not to know or care that no Jew dared step onto this property since the owner's murderous reputation had become known. The disciples of Reb Levi Yitzchak were perplexed, too. Why had their Rebbe asked them to accompany him to this unknown place, leaving Berditchev very early, traveling quickly and stopping only once along the way to say Psalms? The homeowner himself was also confused. "I know the gun was in perfect order, and yet it would not shoot when I pointed at the carriage. It must be the power of that holy Rabbi," he muttered to his friends.

News of the arrival of Reb Levi Yitzchak and the estate owner's seeming change of heart reached the Jews living nearby. They began gathering at the estate to see Reb Levi Yitzchak and pray with him. Many non-Jews also joined the gathering since Reb Levi Yitzchak's holiness was known by the entire countryside.

Reb Levi Yitzchak led the evening prayers himself.

Before saying the opening words, "And He is merciful, He forgives sin, and will not destroy. He turns back His anger many times and does not arouse his wrath," the Rebbe began to sing a moving melody. It was sad and poignant and had a haunting effect on all who listened. It turned everyone's thoughts to their own private world, contemplating past regrets and the evil and folly of a person's actions. Each heart was full of despair and bitter regret. The disciples understood the melody to depict the suffering of the pure and holy soul, forced to leave the beautiful heavens, and come to this evil, false world.

But just as the notes seemed to fade into the very abyss of doom, the Rebbe raised his voice in a triumphant call of hope and salvation. The words, "Oh G-d, save. The King will answer us on the day we call," were sung in a joyful tune, stirring everyone to confidence and hope. But, before the Rebbe had sung the last of the sad notes, the host cried out hysterically and fell to the ground in a faint.

Everyone was mystified by the events. The chasidim now understood that the purpose of the journey had to do with their host. But what were the redeeming qualities of this Jew-hater that he merited the special attention of Reb Levi Yitzchak?

A few hours later, the chasidim saw the host emerge, his eyes red and his face tear-stained. In broken Yiddish, the host stammered, "I am a Jew. I, too, am a Jew." In wonder, they listened to his story:

"I was born in Germany to Jewish parents. As a young man I joined the Kaiser's army. The higher I rose in rank, the looser my ties to Judaism became. By the time I was a personal guard of the Kaiser, I had totally disassociated myself from Judaism. Finally, I became a Jew-hater and relished every opportunity I had to persecute Jews.

"Now, with you and your Rebbe here, I remember that I am a Jew. I want to be a Jew again. Please, I beg of you, ask your holy Rebbe to teach me how to behave like a Jew again!"

The next morning, prayers were lead with a festive atmosphere. The host joined the Jewish villagers. He borrowed a talit and tefilin and asked to be shown how to use them. After prayers, he was closeted with the Rebbe for several hours, their conversation remaining a secret. The Rebbe warned his chasidim never to breathe a word about this journey.

A short time later, the former Kaiser's guard sold his estate and disappeared. Around the same time, a stranger came to live and study in Berditchev. He became a close disciple of Reb Levi Yitzchak and the father of one of the finest Jewish families.

“She Can See You”

Rabbi Mordechai Tzvi Sufrin

I was born and raised in Manchester, England. Although initially my family was not associated with Chabad Lubavitch, later in life my father became a follower of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and, when he passed away, we discovered a rich correspondence between them. All told, my father received over 80 letters from the Rebbe!

We all had the custom of writing regularly to the Rebbe. I, myself, wrote asking the Rebbe’s advice about which yeshivah to attend, what career to pursue, where to live, and so forth. And I followed whatever advice he gave me.

On the Rebbe’s advice, I pursued a career in Jewish education – first in Manchester and later (again on his advice) in London. After I married, the Rebbe advised me to take out a mortgage and buy a house. That very week, the owner of the housing development we lived in offered me a mortgage, and I saw straightaway that, if you’ve got faith in the Rebbe’s advice, you’ve got no problems. We bought a house which quickly increased in value. We were able to sell it at a profit and buy a much larger home where we are living to this day.

In 1972, my wife gave birth to our seventh child who passed away at only nine weeks of age. I wrote to the Rebbe that we wanted to come visit him for some inspiration, but the Rebbe said to wait a little while. As our three-year-old son was

My Encounter with The Rebbe

My Encounter with the Rebbe records the oral histories of individuals who interacted with the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson of righteous memory, through first-person

interviews.

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to have his first hair-cut, the Rebbe suggested that we start the upsherin at home in England, and he would personally finish it when we arrived.

And this is what we did. I was greatly honored when, in the middle of the Purim gathering, the Rebbe called out, “Is Sufrin here from London?” I immediately rushed over to the Rebbe who gave me a bottle of vodka, for l’chaim, and told me to share it with people while I was visiting in New York, and also with others in Paris and London. He then told me, “May you only have joyous occasions from now onward.”

I was happy to share the vodka in New York and London, but how was I to do this in Paris, I wondered. And then the Rebbe told me that Chabad’s Paris emissary was also visiting in New York and that I should share with him so he could distribute in Paris.

During the private audience with the Rebbe, he talked to us about our baby who had passed away. “Although you are frustrated because you can’t see her,” he said, “she can see you. Please remember that.” The Rebbe also said that it would be advisable for us to have more children.

After that he clipped off some of my three-year-old son’s hair, completing the upsherin, and we all left very happy. The scissors he used have since been passed around the world, and many boys have had their hair cut for the first time using those particular scissors.

Before we left, my wife asked the Rebbe’s advice if we should extend our stay in New York in order to attend the wedding of her cousin. But the Rebbe said, “No, go back as planned.”

It proved very good advice because no sooner had we landed in London than my wife fell gravely ill and had to be hospitalized. Had she remained in New York, she would have been unable to return home for several months.

Living in London, I was not able to see the Rebbe in person as often as I would have liked, but I continued to write to him on a regular basis. The Rebbe always answered. And sometimes he wrote even when I had not written to him. I remember one letter that came from the Rebbe’s secretary which read, “The Rebbe hasn’t heard from you for a long time and hopes that all is well.” Can you imagine how many people wrote to him, and yet he kept every single individual in mind. He paid attention to everyone and everything.

On one of the letters, he actually corrected the address! Can you imagine? He checked to make sure the letter was written properly and also that it was addressed properly. Nothing escaped his notice.

I saved all his letters and I have 140 of them. I got started writing a lot earlier than my father, so I have more, but it boggles the mind how many letters the Rebbe must have written over his lifetime. If only one thousand people received 140 letters like me, that makes for 140,000 letters, which is a gross underestimate I am sure. The actual number must be beyond belief.

But that’s how much the Rebbe cared about every Jew. I remember that in one audience I asked for a piece of lekach – the honey cake that the Rebbe handed out during the High Holidays – on behalf of a friend in London by the name of Nosson Vogel. “Which Nosson Vogel?” the Rebbe responded, “the one who sells jewelry or the one who sells stationary? Because one of them has already received lekach.”

“The one who sells jewelry,” I managed to reply.

The Rebbe smiled and handed me another piece of lekach.

I was just astounded. How did the Rebbe keep track of everyone? But he did. To him every person was an individual, a Jewish soul in need of his fullest attention.

Whenever I visited him, as I was leaving, he always blessed me for a safe journey home and gave me a dollar for charity, making me his messenger in the performance of a mitzvah. After he passed away, I came to pray at the Ohel, his resting place at the Montefiore Cemetery. When leaving, I took a taxi to the airport, and the driver gave me a dollar bill in change. I looked – written on the bill in Hebrew were the words: “Received from the Lubavitcher Rebbe.” Obviously, someone had received this bill from the Rebbe a long time ago, and probably accidentally used it to pay the taxi driver. I was thrilled! It was as if the Rebbe himself had given it to me, making me his messenger again, and guaranteeing my safe trip home.

I kept that dollar bill, framed it in glass and hung it on the wall of my home. I felt it was a sign that the Rebbe was still looking after me from above, as he had done down below during his lifetime in this world.

How can I make a difference?By Mazalit Behar - For a complete and speedy recovery for Chaya Yocheved Alexandra bat Chaviva Tova

We are living in a world where you have to prepare children for a lockdown in school. Is school not the place where you just go to learn, grow, make friends, find yourself and your talents, bring out your potential, and create wonderful memories? It is too often that we hear of mass shootings or attacks in a university or in an elementary school. As a result, everyone attending an educational institution must be prepared.

Each day we hear of yet another natural disaster. A hurricane completely washed out this island, a fire consumed this neighborhood, an earthquake shook this city, this town was flooded. Most recent, Israel was in flames. Neighborhood after neighborhood were reported to be burning, and thousands had to evacuate. Many do not have homes to return to. The scary part is that most of these fires were caused by people who want us wiped out. When walking out of a store, it has become second nature to look around yourself to make sure that you are not being followed. While driving through certain neighborhoods, you look around your car to confirm that the doors are locked. Sometimes, you jump into a state of fear because you think that the person crossing the street towards you is coming to harm you. One year ago, the stabbing intifada commenced in Israel. I was there during that time and it was scary. You could not go to certain places or take certain transportation just for extra measures of safety.

Way too often we hear of another person who is ill and our Tehillim lists grow. We hear of people who were hit by cars, or their cars fell off a cliff. Recently an airplane crashed in Colombia leaving over seventy dead and only six survivors. There are those whose lives are shattered because someone else is envious of them. We live in a society where so many people judge others. As a result, conflicts stem. Unfortunately, this is not even a fraction of the things going on, but I am not here to list tragedies.

All of these situations which I have listed above have become as if they are normal. Stop and think for a moment… What do you do when you receive

Community Corner

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a message to Daven for someone? What is your reaction when you hear of yet another attack? Do I really take a lesson from any situation and allow it to help me be a better person? None of these situations should be considered normal because they are not. They just occur way too often that we allow them to slip by or we feel as if there is nothing we can do. We all want to do something to change the world and help it be a better place, but we think, "Who am I to do something so big? How would I ever be able to make a change?" We are wrong! Each and every single person, not one excluded, is capable of making a change.

Every morning when we say Elokai Neshama we thank and praise Hashem for returning our neshamos, souls, to us. Hashem, not only did You give me a neshama, You gave me a pure neshama. You created it and You blew it into me. Wow, my neshama is pure! Each day, when we arise, Hashem gives us another chance with a pure neshama. The choice is ours whether we will use the chance to be better or not. Every morning we have a clean slate with a pure neshama. How fascinating! Think about it deeper. Each and every person says this Tefillah. We all thank Hashem for a pure neshama and for another chance to be better. Not only was I given a pure neshama, so was the person across from me and the person on the other side of the planet. Would it not be such a different world if we would look at everyone as pure neshamos?

In the Tefillah of Sim Shalom in the Amida, we ask Hashem for peace. With so many things happening in the world, we certainly want peace. Here is the catch: of course we have to Daven for it, but that is not enough. We have to do our part, but what is it that we have to do for there to be peace? Peace first starts off within yourself. If you do not have peace within yourself, it is difficult to have peace with others. Take small steps to work on yourself. Be content. Once you have peace within yourself, you have to work on your peace with others- friends, family, community, the Jewish Nation as a whole! After we have peace within our nation can there be peace with other nations. This is how we can all make a difference. You are given a pure neshama each morning as well as everyone else- we praise Hashem for it every morning. Look at everyone as a pure neshama and treat them like a pure neshama. Love your fellow like you love yourself. The choice lies in your hands.

The Untold Bar Mitzvah Story of Brooklyn Dodger Ralph BrancaPitcher remembered for ‘Shot Heard Round the World’ passes away at age 90

Former Brooklyn Dodger pitching star Ralph Branca passed away early in the morning on Nov. 23 at the age of 90. Most famous for giving up a 1951 pennant-winning home run to Bobby Thomson of the Dodgers’ cross-town rivals the New York Giants—known forever in baseball as the “Shot Heard Round the World”—Branca played 12 seasons in the majors and was known throughout his life as a first-class mensch.

What is perhaps less well known are his Jewish roots. Born to a Jewish mother but raised Catholic, Branca seldom spoke about his Judaism, although apparently was always aware of it.

“Ralph certainly knew about it,” says his nephew, Bill Branca. “The girls in the family, his sisters; they talked about it quite openly. The boys—Ralph, my dad, their brothers—they didn’t talk about it, but they all knew.”

While Ralph may not have had a bar mitzvah at age 13, he did have one years later, at age 84, when he first met and eventually wrapped tefillin with two Chabad-Lubavitch yeshivah students at his office in Rye Brook, N.Y.

Never Heard of HimIt was the winter of 2010 when Yisroel New and Mendy Marlow were making their weekly Friday afternoon trek from their Chabad yeshivah in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., out to Rye Brook in Westchester County. Like thousands of similar Chabad rabbinical students their age around the world, the 19-year-old boys spent their Friday afternoons taking part in the mitzvah campaign of the Lubavitcher Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—visiting Jewish businesspeople at the end of the work week to share a Torah thought for the week, offer Jewish men the chance to wrap tefillin and distribute Shabbat candles to Jewish women.

Arriving at a massive office complex called 800 Westchester Avenue, the yeshivah boys set up shop in the business center’s food court, hoping to meet Jewish business men and women on their lunch break. Two Chassidic yeshivah students in black hats and dark jackets isn’t the most common sight in a

suburban office food court, and they met a fair number of curious people—Jews and non-Jews alike—with whom they engaged and often formed connections.

And that’s where they met Ralph Branca.

“Every week, we saw this really tall guy sitting at a table during his lunch break reading the paper,” recalls New. They finally approached him.

“You must be the Yiddish boys from Brooklyn,” the tall man told them. They talked; the man was warm and friendly.

Then he introduced himself: “I’m Ralph Branca.”

At the time, the yeshivah boys, to Branca’s surprise, had never heard of him.

“When you get home, you can look me up,” the three-time All-Star told them. “What are you guys doing here, anyway?”

They explained what they were doing, and Branca, who worked at an insurance firm in the complex at the time, invited them to come by his office the next week, telling them he’d round up some of his Jewish colleagues.

‘L’Chaim’ and Other Yiddish WordsThe next week, Branca played some offense for the students, calling in his Jewish co-workers and introducing them to the boys from Brooklyn. The visits continued weekly, with Branca always gracious and welcoming, recall New and Marlow, regaling them with tales of his baseball career: He told them about his 3.79 career ERA, how the Giants stole the signs leading up to Thomson’s homer and his career-ending injury.

New chalked up Branca’s relatively familiar Yiddish-word dropping to the pitcher’s New York roots, having grown up, as he told them, around Jews and Italians. (Incidentally, the Dodgers’ old home at Ebbets Field in Crown Heights was only blocks away from Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway.)

“He was writing his book, and he had this machine that he would dictate into,” relates New. “He was very excited about it. He’d be saying ‘l’chaim’ into it to show you how it worked.”

Branca enjoyed trying out some saltier Yiddish words on his Dragon dictation machine as well.

When he told the boys that he was the third youngest in a family of 17 kids, New balked. Seventeen children in a family sounded more like a Chassidic Jewish family to him—and that’s what he told him.

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Inspiration, Insights & IdeasBringing Torah lessons to LIFE!

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Inspiration, Insights & IdeasBringing Torah lessons to LIFE!

“Funny that you say that,” New and Marlow remember Branca replying. “My mom was born Jewish.”

‘He Wanted to Know Everything’Branca’s mother, Katherine (Kati) Berger, had been born to a Jewish family in Hungary, immigrating to America in 1901 at the age of 16 (some of her siblings later perished in the Holocaust). His father, John, was an Italian Catholic, and Branca and his siblings were raised in the Catholic tradition. Of course, according to Jewish law, being born to a Jewish mother made Branca as Jewish as Moses, and that’s what the yeshivah boys told him.

“We hadn’t realized that he was Jewish,” says Marlow, “but everything he knew started making more sense to us.”

Branca told the boys he had never practiced Judaism and therefore did not feel himself to be a Jew. The boys responded that he was still Jewish and offered him to wrap tefillin with him for the first time.

“We told him about the idea of a mitzvah, and how each and every individual mitzvah counts,” says New. “When somebody gives tzedakah [charity], that $20 might not mean much to him, but it means a lot to that needy person who receives it. A mitzvah is the same. It might not mean much to him, but it matters very much to G-d.”

“This week, I’ll do the tzedakah one,” Branca replied with a smile. As he had done every week, he folded up a $20 bill and slipped it into the boys’ pushka charity box.

New and Marlow were back the next week, again offering to help the right-hander put on tefillin. This time, Branca agreed.

“We wrapped the tefillin with him, and then said the Shema prayer in Hebrew and English,” says New. “In the beginning, it was like he was doing us a favor, but that changed as it went along. He wanted to know everything: Why do we wrap it seven times? Why on his left arm? We pointed out that the way we wrap the tefillin spells out one of G-d’s names in Hebrew. He was fascinated.”

Branca’s right arm had made him famous, but his left arm had allowed him to pray as a Jew, connecting to the Jewish soul deep inside.

That day, Branca pulled out two photos of himself from his baseball heyday and signed them for his young rabbi friends: “To my rabbi friend, Mendy,” he wrote on Marlow’s picture. “Shalom!! Lechaim & blessings, Ralph Branca.”

What fire cannot destroyJudy Krasna

As I read about residents of Beit Meir literally trapped last night as fire surrounded their homes, the only road in and out of their little town engulfed in flames, I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks. I cannot imagine the abject terror that those poor people must have felt in the long minutes while they were waiting for firefighters to rescue them. I watched a video showing a long convoy of cars filled with people of all ages, including small children and babies, leaving Beit Meir in the middle of the night, as emergency personnel held flashlights along the road to illuminate the way, with heavy smoke clouding the air, and flames all around them. If I was crying and shaking as I was seeing it on the screen of my phone, with no skin in the game so to speak, I can’t imagine what it was like for those poor people.

As I left my own city last night headed toward Jerusalem, I saw pockets of tall flames in the tree-studded hills to my left. When I returned home, there were dozens of fire engines sitting at our highway exit, making sure that the flames wouldn’t reach the adjacent gas station.

I watched with horror, shock, and grief as fires engulfed Haifa yesterday, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, destroying valuable property, and ravaging homes filled with precious memories. My son’s friends and teachers were evacuated from Dolev and Talmon, where fires raged, were extinguished, and were subsequently re-kindled due to the unrelenting and cruel high winds.

While natural disasters produce the same devastation as what we are currently experiencing here in Israel, the fact that at least some of these fires are being set intentionally takes this situation to a whole new level. Only the most depraved of human beings, and I use that term loosely, would use arson as an act of terrorism. I can’t say that I am surprised by the magnitude of evil, but I find myself newly repulsed by the barbarism and inhumanity.

Terrorism is meant to induce fear and submission. Guess what? We Israelis don’t do scared and submissive. Yes, of course we are frightened and traumatized by the thought of being blown up, stabbed, shot, rammed into, or burned. We’re ridiculously brave, but we’re not stupid. However, what we know, and what our enemies have yet to learn, is that we have the strength to rise above the terror, because we do it collectively and unitedly as a nation.

If a family from Haifa needs a place to stay, or clothes and blankets for their children, or a crib for their baby, an absolute stranger from anywhere and everywhere in Israel will supply whatever they need. If said stranger doesn’t have the needed items in his/her home, s/he will run right out and buy them, no matter what the cost. We take care of each other, because at the end of the day, we are all one family. There are stations filled with food and drinks set up for firefighters and emergency personnel. After all, we’re Jewish mothers, doing what we do best in times of crisis, which is making sure that everyone is fed and cared for.

You see, the thing about fire is that it can do more than just scorch and destroy, it has many positive properties as well. Fire is used to cauterize wounds, to make sure that they heal properly. Fire is used to warm those who are cold, to light that which is dark, to cook food which can nourish, and to provide a valuable source of energy. It is also used to straighten bent metal. So yes, these fires can bend us, but we will use the exact same fire to straighten right back up.

The numerous fires that are currently burning in Israel have caused undeniable physical and emotional damage. In that respect, terrorism by arson has done its job. However, no fire can destroy the unflagging and indefatigable spirit of the Israeli nation. We are programmed to band together, to help and support one another, to offer our strength to those whose reserve has been depleted, and to rise above. We always rise above. Our might is in more than our powerful armed forces, in more than our capable firefighters, in more than our dedicated emergency personnel. Our might is also in our indomitable spirit, which only grows stronger when we are threatened.

One last thing about fire is that while it burns trees, flowers, crops, grass, and vegetation, it does not necessarily burn the roots. In some cases, roots and seeds can survive a fire. And in other situations, while one plant may be destroyed, another one will grow from the ashes. So while fire may leave desolation in its wake, I live in hope that there will be rebirth.

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Meyer Youth CenterThe full scoop on all the Youth events and classes

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Meyer Youth CenterThe full scoop on all the Youth events and classes

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Meyer Youth CenterThe full scoop on all the Youth events and classes

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Meyer Youth CenterThe full scoop on all the Youth events and classes

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Get the PictureThe full scoop on all the great events and classes around town

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Get the PictureThe full scoop on all the great events and classes around town

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HOW success thinksJewish Secrets for Leading a Productive Life

www.myJLI.com

A new six-weekcourse by the RohrJewish Learning Institute

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AT THE CORE OF HOW SUCCESS THINKS are six key productivity concepts, from motivation and goal setting to creativity and relationship building—that explain why some people get so much done. Drawing on 3,000 years of Jewish wisdom from the Talmud and the Kabbalah—as well as the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics—this eye-opening course explains that the most productive people on earth don’t merely act differently, they view the world, and their choices, in profoundly different ways.

Cultivate your signature strengths, adopt a growth mind-set, access your inner well of creativity, deal with weaknesses, and overcome procrastination and other obstacles that lie in the way of your success.

SIX WEDNESDAY EVENINGSBeginning November 16th, 20168:00-9:30 p.m.

The Shul9540 Collins Ave Surfside Fl 33154

Fee: $79 (Textbook Included)Couples Discound $135Scholarships available upon request

For More InformationPlease call: 306.868.1411or email: dschochet@theshul.org

With Rabbi Dov Schochet

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Get the PictureThe full scoop on all the great events and classes around town

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Get the PictureThe full scoop on all the great events and classes around town

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Get the PictureThe full scoop on all the great events and classes around town

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Get the PictureThe full scoop on all the great events and classes around town

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In A Woman’s WorldIssues of relevance to the Jewish Woman

Women’s Mikvah:Please call Mrs. Devorah Failer for an

appointment: 305-866 1492 or 305-323-2410

Please Note: Shabbos & Yom Tov visits must be Prepaid

Weekly ClassesMondayWomen’s Study Group Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar 8:30 - 10:00 pmAt the home of : Mrs. Miriam Weiner128 Camden Dr. Bal HarbourTuesdayPrayer Class Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar 9:15 - 10:15 am1111 Kane Concourse Suite 618

Tanya Class In Spanish Mrs. Vivian Perez 2:00 - 2:30 pm198 Park Drive, Bal Harbour Village

Torah Portion In Spanish Mrs Vivian Perez 2:30 - 3:45 pm198 Park Drive, Bal Harbour Village WednesdayMorning Torah Class Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar 10:00 - 11:00 amThe weekly portion - Women’s PerspectiveHaime Library

Tanya Class in English Mrs. Vivian Perez 1:00 - 3:00 pm198 Park Drive, Bal Harbour Village

The Shul Sisterhood

Who we are...The Shul Sisterhood organizes all of The Shul’s programming and classes geared toward women in the community. Our objective is to bring women of all ages and backgrounds together to learn, laugh, experience, and rejuvenate their mind,

body and soul. Meet new friends,relax and get inspired!

If you would like to be a part of The Shul Sisterhood,

please call 305. 868.1411

Women’s Calendar Of EventsA great listing of the places you want to be and the things you want to do!

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Isaac, notre pèrepar Nissan Mindel

À beaucoup d'égards, Isaac (Yits'hak) rappelait Abraham, son père. Au physique, il lui ressemblait tellement qu'aucune erreur n'était possible : on était bien en présence d'un père et de son fils. Nos Sages disent que D.ieu modela le visage d'Isaac à la ressemblance exacte de celui d'Abraham parce que de mauvaises langues insinuaient que le premier avait pour père Abimélekh, roi des Philistins, ou qu'il était un enfant trouvé adopté par Abraham et Sarah. Il était impossible, soutenaient ces calomniateurs, que ce dernier pût être père à l'âge de cent ans et Sarah mère à quatre-vingt-dix. Mais lorsque les gens voyaient Abraham et Isaac, il ne pouvait y avoir de doute dans leur esprit : incontestablement l'un était le père et l'autre, le fils.

Une épreuve pénibleIsaac naquit le premier jour de Pessa'h. Il fut le premier Juif né juif, et de parents juifs, et aussi le premier garçon juif à être circoncis huit jours après sa naissance.

Isaac était âgé de trente-sept ans, et célibataire, lorsque D.ieu commanda à Abraham de le lui offrir en holocauste.

De toute la vie d’Abraham, ce fut l’épreuve la plus pénible. Elle ne le fut certes pas moins pour Isaac. Nos Sages nous disent (ce qu'ils déduisent du texte de la Akédah dans la Torah) qu'il n'ignorait pas qu'il était lui-même l'objet du sacrifice. Néanmoins, père et fils étaient également résolus à aller jusqu'au bout et à accomplir le commandement de D.ieu de tout leur cœur et de toute leur âme.

Après l'issue heureuse de la « Akédah » qui se révéla n'être qu'un moyen d’éprouver leur foi à tous deux en D.ieu et leur soumission à Ses commandements, Abraham envoya sur-le-champ Isaac chez Chèm, le fils de Noé, afin qu'il apprît la sagesse divine de l'homme qui fut témoin du Déluge et dont la vie avait été épargnée grâce à l'Arche de son père. Abraham rentra ainsi chez lui tout seul pour trouver que Sarah était morte. Elle avait cent vingt-sept ans. Il la pleura, puis l'ensevelit dans la Grotte de Makhpélah qu'il avait acquise d'Ephron, le prince hittite.

Le mariage d'IsaacÀ l'âge de quarante ans, Isaac épousa Rébecca (Rivkah), sa petite cousine. Elle était la petite-fille de Na’hor, frère d'Abraham. Le loyal serviteur de ce dernier, Eliézer, l'avait ramenée de la ville de Na’hor (en Mésopotamie), après s’être ponctuellement acquitté de la mission dont son maître l'avait chargé. Rébecca fut d’un grand réconfort pour Isaac que la mort de sa mère avait plongé dans une grande tristesse. Sa bonté, sa piété et son comportement en général rappelaient tellement

Sarah, qu’il semblait à Isaac que sa mère eût repris sa place parmi les vivants.

Deux frères tout différentsVingt ans durant, le couple demeura privé d'enfants. Puis, D.ieu leur accorda deux jumeaux, Ésaü et Jacob. Le premier se fit aimer de son père en feignant une grande dévotion envers lui et envers ses croyances. Rébecca, elle, savait que Jacob était supérieur, et de loin, à Ésaü. Aussi était-il son fils favori.

Elle ne se trompait pas, car, à partir de leur quinzième année, les différences de caractère des deux garçons ne firent que s'accentuer. Ésaü devint un chasseur et un trappeur, un homme des bois, tandis que Jacob était de la catégorie des sédentaires studieux. Ils avaient cet âge quand Abraham mourut à cent soixante-quinze ans. Isaac et Ismaël l'enterrèrent dans la Grotte de Makhpélah, celle où reposait déjà Sarah.

Pendant le deuil d'Isaac, D.ieu lui apparut, le bénit et le réconforta.

Les expériences d'Abraham se répétèrent presque semblables dans la vie de son fils. Ainsi y eut-il une grande famine dans le pays, et dont on n'avait pas connu de pareille depuis le temps d'Abraham. Isaac alla à Guérar, chez Abimélekh, roi des Philistins, qui avait conclu un traité de paix avec Abraham.

Plus riche qu'AbimélekhÀ l'instar de son père, Isaac avait l'intention de poursuivre son voyage jusqu'en Égypte, mais D.ieu lui dit de ne pas quitter le pays qu'il avait promis à Abraham et à ses descendants et lui réitéra Ses bénédictions. Isaac demeura à Guérar et entreprit de cultiver la terre. D.ieu fut pour lui d'une très grande générosité, si bien qu'Isaac devint encore plus riche qu'Abimélekh. De plus, il porta chance à Guérar, dont les habitants connurent, grâce à lui, une prospérité sans égale. Cela ne les empêcha pas de jalouser Isaac pour sa grande fortune. Les puits d'eau fraîche que les serviteurs d'Abraham avaient creusés furent mis hors d'usage par les Philistins qui les comblèrent de terre. Isaac les creusa encore une fois. Il y eut alors des luttes entre les bergers locaux et les siens pour leur possession. Isaac fut obligé par deux fois de changer de secteur et finit par quitter Guérar pour revenir à Béer Chéva où son père avait vécu tant d'années. Là, D.ieu lui apparut de nouveau et l'assura de Sa protection et de Ses bénédictions.

Alliance avec AbimélekhBientôt Abimélekh, accompagné de son général en chef et des notables amis, allait trouver Isaac et le priait de conclure un traité de paix avec lui, affirmant sa certitude que D.ieu était avec Isaac et qu'il le bénissait à chaque pas. C'est pourquoi Abimélekh était venu faire amende honorable pour le traitement regrettable

réservé à Isaac à Guérar, et conclure un traité personnel. Ce traité fut conclu.

À mesure qu’Isaac vieillissait, sa vue baissait. Nos Sages donnent plusieurs raisons à ce fait. Voici l’une d'elles : alors qu'Isaac, dans ses liens, était étendu sur l'autel, les anges versèrent des larmes dont certaines tombèrent dans ses yeux. Ce fut pour son bien qu’Isaac devint aveugle dans sa vieillesse, car ainsi il ne put voir la mauvaise conduite d'Ésaü ; et aussi de n'être pas capable de sortir de chez lui, car les gens l'auraient montré du doigt en disant : « Voilà le père d’Ésaü ! »

L'histoire de la bénédiction de ses deux fils est connue. Jacob reçut la bénédiction que son père destinait à Ésaü, son premier-né, et ce à la faveur d'un stratagème : il revêtit les vêtements de son frère, se faisant ainsi passer pour Ésaü. Jacob estimait que cette bénédiction lui était due, puisqu'il avait acheté son droit d'aînesse à son frère.

« Aussi sera-t-il béni »Quand Ésaü vint réclamer cette bénédiction à son père, celui-ci comprit que la Divine Providence avait voulu qu'il en fût autrement. Il confirma la bénédiction donnée à Jacob et dit à Ésaü : « Aussi sera-t-il béni » (Genèse 27, 33). Plus tard, Isaac envoya Jacob à la maison de Bethuël pour se choisir une épouse parmi les filles de Laban, le frère de Rébecca.

À l'exemple de son père dans son vieil âge, Isaac se souciait du mariage de son fils, et voulait qu'il eût l'épouse adéquate, afin de fonder le foyer adéquat, et de transmettre la grande tradition et le legs d'Abraham à des enfants dignes d'un tel héritage.

Vingt-deux ans plus tard, Jacob revint chez lui. Il était à la tête d'une famille de douze fils et d'une fille, possédait de riches troupeaux et un grand nombre de serviteurs. Il ne trouva pas sa mère, elle était morte alors qu'il avait pris le chemin du retour. Son père Isaac était encore de ce monde et vivait à Hébron. C'est là qu'il mourut à l'âge de 180 ans. Ésaü et Jacob, réconciliés, l'enterrèrent dans la Grotte de Makhpélah.

French ConnectionReflexions sur la Paracha

Vivre avec la paracha

Thursdays at 12.00 in the Haime LibraryClasses alternate between the following teachers:

Dr. Hanna BaroukRabbi Amar

Rabbi FrankforterRabbi Gansburg

FOR WOMEN ONLY

Classes

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Aprendiendo a ReírIsaac--Itzjak, en hebreo--significa "risa"Por Yanki Tauber

Al sonido del gong, expectantes desde una esquina del cuadrilátero, nos lanzamos a una lucha con esto que llamamos vida. "¿A este mundo nos trajeron? preguntamos arrinconando contra la soga a nuestros mayores. "¿Esto es lo mejor que pudieron hacer? ¡Nosotros cambiaremos esto, arreglaremos todas las cosas pendientes, nosotros anularemos el mal, rejuvenecerá el bien, ya verán!"

Así que salimos al ring y por diez, veinte años somos "explosivos". Sufrimos, nos esforzamos, "agonizamos", nos regocijamos con nuestras victorias, y, gritando de alegría, volvemos a la batalla. Pero esto, claro, eventualmente nos va agotando. Empezamos a notar lo insignificante de nuestras victorias y lo profundo de nuestras agonías. "Tómatelo con calma" nos empezamos a decir a nosotros mismos, cada vez más frecuentemente. "¡Relájate!"

Aprendemos a saborear los pequeños placeres de la vida. ¡Eh!, nos decimos (y a la generación más joven, pero ellos no lo captan), ¡De esto se trata la vida realmente! "Encuentre su lugar, pague sus cuentas, escuche música, relájese".

De esta manera nos relajamos por diez, quizá veinte años. Y entonces, un día, nos damos cuenta que algo nos está faltando: ¡ya no nos divertimos como antes! Y nos preguntamos: ¿esto es todo lo que hay? ¿Si el punto de todo simplemente es algo de paz y sosiego; nunca haber nacido, entonces habría sido bastante pacífico y sosegado también, no?

¿Qué pasa luego? Nos podemos quedar paralizados allí, al borde de una crisis a la mitad de nuestra vida que se puede extender hacia el final de ella. O podemos redescubrir la exuberancia de la vida, desde en un lugar más profundo, más propio que nuestra atropellada juventud.

En la Torá, estos dos estados del ser son envestidos en dos personalidades: Noaj e Isaac.

Noaj era un sobreviviente. En un mundo imbuido en corrupción, él permaneció justo. Durante el Gran Diluvio, Noaj encontró resguardo en su arca,

dentro de cuyas paredes prevaleció un idilio casi mesiánico. El león y el cordero moraron juntos, bajo un mismo techo, la furia y la violencia fueron contenidas.

En la Torá, un nombre lo es todo: descifre el nombre de una persona o de una cosa, y descubrirá su esencia. Noaj, en hebreo significa "facilidad" y "tranquilidad". La felicidad del retiro. Noaj, un ejemplo de ello.

Isaac--Itzjak, en hebreo--significa "risa". En el caso de Isaac, la conexión con su historia de vida no está muy clara. En la superficie, él es apenas la figura exuberante que su nombre sugiere. De hecho, él es casi invisible: aunque sea el más longevo de los tres Patriarcas, la Torá apenas nos dice algo sobre él. Hay un capítulo donde explica como su padre estaba preparado para sacrificarlo, un capítulo de como el sirviente de su padre encontró una esposa para él, y un capítulo de como su esposa e hijo lo engañaron. ¿Pero qué hace Isaac?

Bien, nos dicen que trabajaba la tierra y la cosechaba--el único de los tres Patriarcas que hacía esta tarea (Abraham y Jacob eran pastores). Y hay una cuenta detallada de los pozos que excavó.

Isaac nos enseña que, finalmente, la risa de la vida viene--paradójicamente--del trabajo modesto. Si quiere biografías escritas sobre usted, conviértase en un guerrero. Si está buscando tranquilidad, hágase pastor. Pero si es alegría lo que usted busca, sea un granjero y un excavador de pozos de agua. Are y siembre, perfore la ajada tierra de su mundo para hacer florecer la vida de sus profundidades. Excave bajo la superficie de su existencia, para explotar las fuentes de su deleite.

La tranquilidad es buena, pero no es la única razón para vivir. La alegría viene de las conquistas, de

las batallas arrebatadoras de la juventud, pero finalmente de la auto-conquista que es la batalla más feroz y más silenciosa de nuestra vida. ¿Conoce gente modesta, trabajadores silenciosos, con alegría interior? Éstos son los Isaacs del mundo.

Hay muchas facetas en la palabra hebrea, toldot que significa descendencia, producto, logros e historia de vida. El Rebe de Lubavitch señala que hay dos Parshiot (lecturas de la Torá) que comienzan con las palabras; "Éstos son las toldot de..." ; una es la Parshá que empieza "Éstas son las toldot de Noaj" (Génesis 6:9), y la Parshá que empieza "Éstos son las toldot de Isaac" (Génesis 25:19). La primera Parshá que cuenta la historia de la vida de Noaj se llama "Noaj". La segunda Parshá que es la única que se centra en la personalidad de Isaac, se llama Toldot simplemente.

¿Qué nos está diciendo la Torá? La histo