The Parsha Alive     Brain Buster     Dr. Getzel     Rosh Chodesh Checklist     Kids Speak
Pocket Calendar     Did You Know     Are you a Parsha Expert?     Stories of our Rabbeim

The Connections people

Chinuch Yaldei Hashluchim:

Rabbi M. Shemtov
Rivky Lokshin
Dabrushy Pink
Aydla Vechter
 

Connections
Proof-Readers:

Rabbi A. Lipsey
Mrs. G. Junik
Rabbi L. Zirkind
 

Va’ad Hashluchim:

Rabbi Y. Deren
Rabbi O. Goldman
Rabbi Y. Greenberg
Rabbi B. Levertov
Rabbi Y. Shemtov


 

A project of
CHINUCH YALDEI HASHLUCHIM
cyh@shluchim.org

a division of
THE SHLUCHIM OFFICE

PARSHAS KEDOSHIM
 

It was during Chumash class. Out of the corner of his eye, the teacher noticed a quiet conversation in the back of the classroom.

"May I borrow your sharpener?" Shmuel whispered to Danny, as he pointed to the broken point of his pencil.

Danny shook his head and stared hard at the Chumash on his desk. Danny was one of the best students in class. "This is not the first time I've noticed Danny's lack of Ahavas Yisrael," the teacher thought to himself. "I must help him work on his middos."

"Who would like to explain the next possuk?" the teacher asked the class.

Danny's hand shot up immediately.

"Go ahead, Danny."

Danny translated the possuk word for word.

"What is the Torah teaching us in this possuk?" asked the teacher.

Danny repeated his explanation.

"Danny," said the teacher. "You've translated and explained the words, but what is the Torah teaching us in the possuk?"

Danny was stumped. "Isn't that what I just said?" he insisted.

"No" said the teacher softly. "You translated the words, but you didn't explain what the Torah is teaching us. The possuk means, 'Lend your friend a pencil. Show him Ahavas Yisrael.' "

"But what does that have to do with this possuk?" he blurted out.

"Everything!" explained the teacher. "Hillel taught us: 'Do not do unto others what you wouldn't like done to you. This is the entire Torah. The rest is just explanation.' Each possuk in Torah teaches us to show Ahavas Yisrael."

In this week's parshah, we read "Veahavta Lere'acha Kamocha." The Zohar tells us that Am Yisrael, the Torah, and HaShem are three links which are joined. When one of these links is strengthened, then the entire connection also becomes stronger.

When a Jew shows that he loves another Jew, his connection with the Torah becomes stronger, as Hillel taught, "Love the created beings and bring them close to the Torah." In the same way, studying Torah leads us to more Ahavas Yisrael. And both Ahavas Yisrael and Torah study bring us closer to HaShem.
 

Please tell me What the Rebbe Said (Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXVII)

      Wow!  It’s great to have my real name back at last!

One week and five days, one week and six days, two weeks . . . Every time I’m waiting for something really exciting, like my birthday or summer vacation, I count the days until it comes.  Right now we’re in middle of counting down to a very important date on the calendar. That’s right! It’s the Yom Tov of Shavuos when we receive the Torah. Our Yomim Tovim aren’t like other people’s, that are celebrations of things that happened long ago; we actually re-experience the events of the Yomim Tovim each year. On Pesach we really feel like free men who left Mitzrayim (I even got a sunburn from the desert) and on Shavuos we really accept the Torah all over again. Now, during the days of Sefirah when we count down to Shavuos, we need to prepare to receive the Torah.

One of the best ways to get ready for receiving the Torah is by increasing in Ahavas Yisroel and if anyone’s an expert on Ahavas Yisroel, it’s me. I’m Dr. Getzel, eye doctor and seeing specialist and I love helping people see things clearer and brighter.

When you meet people for the first time, what do you notice first? Do you notice if their hair is a funny color or if their voice is too squeaky? Do you check if their teeth are too big or if there’s a ketchup stain on the front of their shirt? Well whenever I meet people I don’t see anything! That’s because I practice not seeing vision.

I learned how to use the not seeing vision a long time ago. One day my Zaidy Zelig took me to the park. When we were there, we met a boy who had the biggest nose I’d ever seen. I’ve seen people with big noses before but this one was something special. I could have probably stood under it in a rainstorm and not gotten wet!  As I stared at the boy’s gigantic nose, I started to giggle and then to chuckle and before I knew it, I was rolling on the floor from laughter, leaving the poor fellow blushing and wondering what he did wrong.

After that my Zaidy Zelig gave me some good seeing advice. He told me that sometimes, the best seeing is NO seeing. He explained how every single Yid has a Neshama and we need to ignore their outside appearance and look at the special Neshama that they have inside.  The Rebbe was very good at not seeing. All sorts of interesting people used to come to the Rebbe by dollars. The Rebbe treated each one with love and attention no matter how they looked. On Shlichus, you Kid-Shluchim have a special chance to learn from the Rebbe and practice not seeing all the time.  Whenever people come to your Chabad House or shul, even though they may look different or strange to you, you can use your not seeing vision and welcome them with a smile.

Bye ‘till next time,

Dr. Getzel

This Shabbos is שבת מברכים חודש אייר

r שבת morning I made sure to say תהילים.  (Remember to do your quota for the World-Wide Tehillim club)

 r I went to shul and made the special ברכה for the new month of אייר. (The ברכה can be found in the סידור after שחרית for שבת)

ראש חודש אייר

Monday - ל‘ ניסן

Tuesday א‘ אייר -

r I remembered to say יעלה ויבוא in שמונה עשרה and in bentching

r I remembered to say הלל  after שמונה עשרה

r I remembered to daven  מוסף.

r I remembered to say ברכי נפשי after the שיר של יום

r I didn’t sew or do any laundry

Chaya Mushka Goldman, 8

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

 

My name is Chaya Mushka Goldman, I am 8 years old and I live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

In our Chabad House this year on Friday night we already celebrated 7 people’s birthdays With a special, Shabbos dinner, in their honor.

I want to tell you some of them that are funny or interesting.

At one birthday I prepared a special D’var Torah. At another birthday, someone bought a cake from the Kosher bakery in Dallas, Texas and we forgot to take it out of the freezer ,boy was it hard to cut!

The first year after the Rebbetzin passed away, the Rebbe talked about Celebrating birthdays. He gave over a מאמר on the Rebetzin’s birthday, כ“ה אדר.

And It’s funny in our family we have 4 birthdays in Adar and one of them is my birthday on י“ג אדר.

 כ"ח ניסן
 

14 years ago, on כ“ח ניסן תשנ“א the Rebbe gave over a שיחה.  The Rebbe said that now is a very special time and a very good time for the גאולה.  But still Moshiach has not come.  In a very strong way, the Rebbe said that it is not understandable why Moshiach hasn’t come yet and that the only thing he can do is to give it over to us, his Chassidim, to do all we can to bring Moshiach.  We have to do this with great lightness and strength but in a practical way.  Straight after this, the Rebbe said that he is giving out צדקה because ‘גדולה צדקה שמקרבת את הגאולה’ ‘צדקה is great because it brings the גאולה closer’, and אי“ה this צדקה should really bring theגאולה האמיתית והשלימה , the true and final גאולה closer!

Children, this שבת, פרשת קדושים is כ“ח ניסן.  On this day we have to strengthen our עבודה to complete the mission that the Rebbe gave us to truly bring Moshiach now!!

טוט אלץ וואס איר קענט צו ברענגן משיח"“

ספירת העומר
 

Counting the days of the עומר teaches us how precious time is.  In addition to helping us appreciate the great value of every hour and minute, ספירה also trains us to do a מצוה with זריזות - to be swift and prompt in doing a מצוה.

When we count the days of ספירה, each day must be counted in its proper time.  We cannot put off counting the fourth day, for example, until the fifth day.  In the same way, when it is possible to do something good in תורה and מצוות, we must not postpone it for another day; we should do it right away.  Even young children can learn this good habit.  When they have a chance to do a מצוה, they should do it right away, and not put it off for later.

If we, the Jewish people, do what we must do with זריזות, then we cause ה‘ to do what He must do with זריזות—to take us out of גלות very, very quickly.  ה‘ promised that if we are deserving, He will bring the Geulah quickly - אחישנה.  If we act with זריזות even the “אחישנה” will be hastened, and משיח will come very, very soon, בקרב ממש.

‘The Rebbe Speaks to Children’ (Lag B’Omer 5740)

“ובקצרכם את קציר ארצכם לא תכלה פאת שדך”

 When the פרשה tells us that people who own a field should leave over the corners for the poor, it first talks in the plural and then switches to singular.  Why?

 In a European city there was once a meeting about how they should collect mashke for שמחת תורה. It was decided that someone would go around town with a barrel, and that every household would pour in a cupful. The first person visited thought to himself, "Since every family will give a cupful of mashke, I will pour in water and no one will notice it." Guess what!  Every family thought the same thing and on שמחת תורה, instead of a barrel of mashke, they had a barrel of water!

In the harvest season some people may think, "Since all the fields are now being harvested, the poor have enough and I will keep my entire crop for myself." The תורה, therefore, says part of this מצוה in the singular to show us that every person must give his share and not calculate that the poor will have enough even if he doesn’t give.
 

“ואהבת לרעך כמוך”

The Yiddish word for "Jew" is "איד" (taken from the word "יהודי"). When one puts two "yuds" side by side, we get the abbreviation for Hashem's name. However, a "yud" placed above another "yud," is a "sheva," a soundless vowel which is equivalent to "nothing."

The תורה instructs a איד to love his fellow, "כמוך," as his very self. He should see the other as being exactly on his own level. The two "yud"s alongside each other form Hashem’s name, and if we do this, Hashem will indeed dwell among us.                                                                                                                     

(Adapted from Vedibarta Bam)

ב‘ אייר - יום הולדת של הרבי מהר“ש
 

The Jews of Vitebsk, were not known to give a lot of צדקה . When money needed to be raised for a worthy cause, it wasn’t easy to get money out of them.  One thing we can say about the Vitebskers though, was that they could always be counted on to give food for the hungry; the תלמוד says that giving ready-to-eat food is greater than giving money to צדקה because it can help the poor and hungry person straightaway, while with money, they have to go and first buy the food, then cook it and only then they can eat it.

One day a חסיד from Vitebsk came to see the צמח צדק. He told the Rebbe that his only son was about to be drafted into the Russian army. Previously, if someone had only one son, they were exempted automatically, but this year there was a new rule and their precious child was in danger. "Please, Rebbe," he begged, "help us, save us."

ר‘ מנחם מענדל shook his head sadly: "I'm sorry, I cannot help you in this matter."

The חסיד pleaded and begged every way he could think of, but the Rebbe's answer remained the same, "I cannot help you."

This חסיד happened to be close with the Rebbe's youngest son (who would become Rebbe afterwards) ר‘ שמואל (the Rebbe מהר“ש) -- the only one of the Rebbe's seven sons who still lived in Lubavitch. When he left the Rebbe's room, he hurried to ר‘ שמואל and told him his problem. ר‘ שמואל promised that he would do his best to influence his father, but when he went to the Rebbe and spoke on the חסיד's behalf, he was also told, "I cannot help him at all."

Two days before the draft was to take place, the חסיד sent someone to beg the Rebbe once more, but again the Rebbe insisted there was absolutely nothing he could do.

A short time later, ר‘ מנחם מענדל called his son to his study and asked him to bring a Midrash Tanchuma. The Rebbe opened it to the פרשה of משפטים, and showed his son what the explanation on the פסוק of, “אם כסף תלוה” - "If money you will lend":

Says the Holy One, blessed be He: "A poor person was struggling for his life, to escape starvation, and you gave him a coin and saved his life. I promise that I will pay you back 'a life for a life': If tomorrow your son or daughter will be seriously ill or in any life-threatening situation, I will remember the good deed that you did... and I will repay you 'a life for a life.' "

ר‘ שמואל was confused. What did his father have in mind in showing him this paragraph?

A few days later, the news reached Lubavitch that the חסיד's son had been released, and for no apparent reason. Everyone could see that this made the Rebbe very happy.

The Rebbe's son was very curious to find out what happened, especially since his father had said again and again that he couldn't do anything about it. The next time he had to be in Vitebsk, ר‘ שמואל told his driver to take him to the house of that חסיד.

The חסיד was happy and honored to invite him in. ר‘ שמואל asked him to describe what had happened on that day his son was supposed to have been drafted.

"Nothing special," answered the חסיד.

ר‘ שמואל asked him to ask his wife the same question, and she too said she didn't remember that anything unusual had taken place.

"Wait a moment!" she then exclaimed. "I do remember something. I'll tell you.

"That very day, a poor person came to the house and asked us to give him something to eat. At first we told him that we were so worried about our son who was going to be drafted that day that we really couldn't deal with him. But then he pleaded with us: it had been a long time since he had eaten anything at all and he was starving, and how could it be that a Jew did not have time or food for another Jew who was so hungry! We realized our mistake and served him a huge meal, from what we had prepared to be a special goodbye meal for our son. None of us had the appetite to eat anyway, because we were so upset. Then..."

At this point ר‘ שמואל interrupted, "Thank you, I heard enough. Everything is clear now."

Now ר‘ שמואל understood why the חסיד’s son had been saved from the draft, and why his father had shown him that particular paragraph in the Midrash Tanchuma.

(Adapted from Chabad.org)

Last Week's Winners:

Level 1: Miriam Tzivia Brocha Raskin, 5; Melbourne, Australia & Mendel Stiefel, 6; Laval, Quebec

Level 2: Zevi & Levi Steinmetz, Sarasota, Florida & Chaya Posner, 11; Boston, MA
 

We'd love to hear your feedback! Send us your comments, ideas and suggestions to: connections@shluchim.org
 

Click here for a printable version of Connections Kedoshim in PDF format