***************************************************************** L'CHAIM ISSUE No. 17 ***************************************************************** 23 Tamuz, 5748 Parshat Pinchas July 8, 1988 ***************************************************************** THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR EVERY JEWISH PERSON Dedicated to the memory of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson N.E. ***************************************************************** MORE MEMORY Ten or forty Megabytes, 512 K RAM -- in today's lingo these terms deal with the amount of memory a computer has, or how much can be added on. Can you imagine a memory that stores, say close to two thousand years of history? The collective Jewish memory has this unusual and state-of-the-art ability. We are presently in the midst of the "Three Weeks" between the seventeenth of Tamuz and the Ninth of Av. During these three weeks many calamities befell the Jewish people, the most devastating of which was the destruction of the Holy Temple on the Ninth of Av. On the seventeenth of Tamuz, the Romans breached the walls of the city of Jerusalem. For the next three weeks the city was besieged until finally, on the ninth of Av, the Holy Temple was actually burned by the Roman General Titus. After celebrating numerous Jewish holidays, you might well point out that our festivals aren't just cerebral experiences, happenings in history that stay put in the past. Oftentimes, the mitzvot associated with a particular holiday actually help us relive the experience as our ancestors did. It's like using the right computer codes to access and later store important data in our memory. Reliving an experience is true, too, of the "Three Weeks." During the period of mourning for the destruction of the Holy Temple, we become mourners. No weddings or other joyous celebrations take place, we refrain from cutting our hair, wearing new clothes, even eating a new fruit upon which the blessing of *shehechyanu* (...Who has sustained us...) would be said. The mourning process is only interrupted for Shabbat, a day on which joy must prevail. On the first of the month of Av (July 15), our mourning intensifies. On the Ninth of Av, we truly act as mourners, sitting on low stools, not greeting others, etc. In computer terms, you might call these actions "memory enhancers." But the truth is, that adding on to, enhancing or accessing the memory is not the most important part of such a powerful tool. Remaining connected to the source is. Because if any memory, computer or human, becomes disconnected before it has a chance to be stored properly, that memory doesn't have a chance. ***************************************************************** LIVING WITH THE TIMES ***************************************************************** THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION ***************************************************************** In this week's Torah portion, *Pinchas*, an incident with the five daughters of Tzelafchad is related. Tzelafchad, an Israelite who died in the desert, had no sons. Only sons were entitled to an inheritance; therefore, the daughters of Tzelafchad were not permitted a portion in the Holy Land. The daughters of Tzelafchad, who were all known to be righteous women, objected to the thought that their family would not have a part in the land of Israel. They went before Moshe, who presented the case to G-d. G-d said to Moshe, "The daughters of Tzelafchad speak right. You shall surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren" (Numbers 27:7). The above-mentioned episode is just one example in the Torah of the relationship of the Jewish women to the Land of Israel. When the spies returned from the land of Canaan with reports of fortified cities, armies, and giants, the men decided to turn back to Egypt. But the women remained steadfast in their desire to enter the land. Consequently, only the men of military age were punished; they were to die in the desert. The women, however, entered the Land. Tzelafchad's daughters were descendants of the tribe of Menashe, who had asked Moshe for permission to settle on the eastern side of the Jordan. They could easily have obtained land on that side, since the land there was distributed through Moshe personally. But, they were not content with such a portion. They loved the Holy Land and wanted a share in it. The task they had set for themselves was not easy. The established judicial system was comprised of judges over fifty, one hundred, one thousand, etc. The daughters had to approach various judges, each one referring the matter to higher authorities until it was finally brought to Moshe, himself. Tzelafchad's daughters were willing to try to overcome such a seemingly impossible and tiring obstacle to receive their portion. This incident can serve as a lesson to us in our daily lives, too. G-d demands that we conduct our lives according to certain guidelines. Yet at the same time, He created and organized the universe in such a way that it seems to preclude proper fulfillment of our obligations of Torah study and performance of mitzvot. But, with the right approach, we too, can merit a portion in our rightful inheritance. We must be willing to try to overcome the seemingly "impossible" obstacles, just as Tzelafchad's daughters did. If we undertake it with the same attitude of love as Tzelafchad's daughters, then certainly we will achieve our goal. Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. ***************************************************************** SLICE OF LIFE ***************************************************************** KFAR CHABAD'S BAR MITZVA by Barry Farber Kfar Chabad is a village in Israel, close to Tel Aviv and almost bordering the Ben Gurion International Airport. In an admittedly unique country, Kfar Chabad is a unique village -- it has more educational institutions, more zeal to till the land and produce, more Judaism and more determination to imbue traditional Judaism into tired Jews. In other words, Kfar Chabad devotes itself to bringing Judaism to Israel! Every year, the citizens of Kfar Chabad round up every Jewish boy of Bar Mitzva age whose father was killed on the battlefield, bringing them together from all over Israel for two weeks of hard-hitting training in basic Judaism, and then comes the most emotionally explosive spectacle I've witnessed in a life time of roaming the world looking for emotional explosions. Take a big open field in Israel, between a synagogue and a Hebrew school, build a huge stage with three rows of chairs and tables and a lot of Israeli flags all around. Pack that dais with top-level representatives from every governmental bureau, from the Prime Minister's office, the Defense Ministry, the Treasury, Israeli radio -- the works. Have a band playing all the rousing songs associated with Israel, and then some new ones fresh out of the desert. Let the tension build. Let the band blare on. Let the crowd fill the field. Let spontaneous song break out like brush fires here and there throughout the crowd. Then, at the bulls-eye moment, let over a hundred young boys come marching in; some European blondes, some Yemenite dark, some with Indian faces, others from Algeria; some with side-curls, others crew-cut from not-particularly religious homes. To the naked eye, they look like happy young boys, who all happened to be enrolled at the same summer camp. You, the audience, know however, that every one of these boys lost a father in combat, a father who, under Jewish tradition, would be the dominant authority literally doing everything at his son's Bar Mitzva -- his formal entry into manhood in the eyes of his Jewish religion. Instead, the mothers are all assembled in places of honor in the first few rows of the audience. And brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles. Then, behind them, friends, villagers, well-wishers. Post men and women all around with rifles, some in uniform and others not. It is after all, still Israel, at night, and there's a big crowd and all the lights are on -- something no passing terrorist could resist. At the conclusion of the Bar Mitzva, bring in young military school students in Israeli Army uniforms and let them each take a Bar Mitzva boy on his shoulder and parade him piggyback through all kinds of festive dancing. More music, lots of flashbulbs and singing and hugging and kissing. Throw in a war up in neighboring Lebanon for even more effect. Keep it all going into the night, until every eye is cried out and dry again. They'll admit Israel has a coastline, farms, hills, plains, valleys, vineyards, orchards and mountains. They'll deny Israel has a live volcano. Unless they've been to Kfar Chabad. ***************************************************************** INSIGHTS ***************************************************************** THE CHOSEN PEOPLE Many Jews today have become timorous about the term "chosen people" as applied to themselves; they have become apologetic for what they now consider the "chauvinism" of their ancestors. When the Torah speaks of G-d's having "chosen" Israel, the implications are quite clear. The Jews were not chosen to rule over others. They are not heirs to any special privileges. If anything, being "chosen" means that they were selected to bear a special burden of duty and responsibility borne by none other. Despite our fondness for them, we must realize that democratic ideals and egalitarianism have strictly limited fields of application. Men are definitely not equal, for example, in their natural endowments. Physical vigor is not uniformly distributed. We may envy an Einstein his intellectual gifts, but they are uniquely his, not ours. We must take note even of the differences and stratifications artificially imposed by society. Equal opportunities, equal franchise, equality before the law are ideals still far from realization. Let us look back upon history, as related by the Torah. Adam, the first man--and any number of his descendants--had a conception of G-d much as we have it today; they knew of such ideas as monotheism, morality, and ethics. The familiar "Seven Commandments of the Sons of Noah" brought G-d and man together. However, these religious insights were transmitted only sporadically, indifferently, and imperfectly. A saintly individual here and there was the exception rather than the rule. Certainly no perceptible continuity or tradition is evident until Abraham. Abraham made an effort to share insights, he had an eagerness to proclaim, teach and disseminate religion. Abraham was not startlingly successful, for only one of his sons adhered to his teachings. Abraham was not content with the "Seven Commandments." He wanted to live in G-d's presence, not only from time to time, but constantly, not only in certain sanctified rituals, but in everything that he did and experienced. One generation passed, and then another. Great numbers could not be persuaded. It seems that outside the tight little family circle of Abraham and his descendants, the world remained stonily unmoved. But G-d, the object of Abraham's worship, was not content that mankind blunder on interminably. He was not content with the rare saint. He wanted mankind to know Him, and He chose an instrument to bear His Work. The descendants of Abraham, that doughty individualist, were to be the worthy sons of their progenitor. A family--no, a nation--would now teach mankind about a Being higher than anything men had known in their world. And that nation was to teach primarily by living as a testimony to G-d's interest in man, by ordering their lives in accordance with His will. For this was Israel chosen. The "choosing" was--we may suggest--mutual. G-d chose Israel, but Israel, and certainly Abraham, also chose G-d. And it may be said that Israel does perform its task. No, not every Jew is a living example of G-d's ideal man; perhaps only few such paragons exist. Nor do all the Jews willingly take up their duty. However, they cannot evade it. For wherever the Jew has wandered, whatever his condition, his identity has persisted and he is identified with those unsettling ideas which his ancestors taught back in ancient Canaan. It is not his personal dedication to Judaism (though that would be much better!) but his very existence that instantly recalls his peculiar status in this world. There is only one nation that is the symbol of G-d's concern with man, and that is the Jewish people. We may protest, we may reject our mission, but we are not even permitted the luxury of melting away. Not that Jews have never attempted to do this, or that enemies did not try their worst to erase the symbol. After over half a century of determination to wipe out Judaism, the powers in Communist Russia are still frantically seeking to erase every vestige of Jewish tradition, and no methods are beneath their dignity. Here we see a world power resolved to stop a handful of Jews from eating matzah on Passover and taking off a few minutes each day to *daven*. Is it far-fetched to suggest that the Jewish people represent the antithesis of Hitler, Stalin, and Torquemada?...that these tyrants felt such implacable hatred for the Jews because they understood that so long as even one Jew survived, their ideals could never prevail? This, we suggest, indicated to us the true nature of the mission entrusted to the Jewish people, the purpose for which they were chosen. Would anyone consider this mission too trivial to accept and hold high? Reprinted from "Think Jewish" by Rabbi Zalman I. Posner. ***************************************************************** WHAT'S IN A NAME? ***************************************************************** PINCHAS means "mouth of a snake." Pinchas was the grandson of Aaron (Exodus 6:25) and a High Priest. Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair was the son-in-law of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and a great scholar in his own right. PENINA means "coral." Penina was the wife of Elkana (I Samuel 1:2) -- father of Samuel the prophet by his second wife, Chana. ***************************************************************** A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR ***************************************************************** Summer vacation time is decision making time; where to go, when to go, who to go with, what to do, etc. There is an interesting story about a young boy who had to make an important decision on one day during his summer vacation: Danny had made plans with his friends to go on a picnic one fine afternoon. It slipped his mind that he also agreed to help his elderly next-door-neighbors get ready to move. "What should I do?" he asked himself. He would certainly have a great time at the picnic. He and his friends would ride their bikes to the park, hike a little, maybe even swim in a nearby creek. But, he had also made a commitment to his neighbors, and they could surely use his help. Danny asked his mother what to do. "I think you're old enough to make your own decision now," she said confidently. "I'm sure you'll make the right choice." Danny thought and thought. Finally, it was settled. When he told his mother his decision she agreed with him. "True," she told him, "you probably would have had more fun at the picnic, but the fun would have only lasted for the day. However, the special feelings that you'll have from knowing that you've done such a big mitzva will last for much longer. Now it's time for all of us to make decisions about how we will spend our summer vacation. We can certainly spend our time doing "fun" things, or we can spend time doing the things which will give us a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment even after the bathing suits and bicycles are put away. Let us all behave as Danny did, for certainly our "Parent" is confident that we'll be making the right choice. Rabbi Shmuel Butman ***************************************************************** IT HAPPENED ONCE ***************************************************************** Long before the destruction of Jerusalem at the hand of the Roman oppressors, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai had foreseen the city's tragic fate. He was detached from all political entanglements, yet, when he saw the futility of the struggle against Rome and realized the inevitability of the fall of Jerusalem, he determined to establish a place of refuge for Judaism. One day, Rabbi Yochanan called to his nephew, Abba Sikra. Abba Sikra was the head of the zealots--a faction of Jews adamantly against any type of dialogue with the Romans. "How long are you going to le your people die of hunger in the streets?" Rabbi Yochanan asked Abba Sikra. "These matters are no longer in my hands," was Abba Sikra's sorry reply. "Will you help me, then, to get out of the city and try to speak with the Roman general Vespacian?" Rabbi Yochanan appealed. Sikra agreed to help. He suggested that Rabbi Yochanan pretend to be ill. He would "die" and could then be taken out of the city to be buried. From there he could steathily make his way to the Roman general. And so it was. But when Rabbi Yochanan's students carried his coffin near the gates of the city, the zealots stopped the procession. "Let us stab the coffin with our swords to make sure the rabbi is truly dead," they said. Abba Sikra interrvened. "Surely it is not befitting a great and holy sage like Rabbi Yochanan be Zakkai to behave in such a manner." The Zealots hesitated and finally agreed to let them go. Rabbi Yochanan was able to enter the Roman camp. "Peace unto you, King," Rabbi Yochanan greeted Vepacian. "You are guilty of treason for calling me king," replied the general. "Ah, but I know through prophecy that Jerusalem will only fall by the hands of a king. You, certainly, will soon become the Caesar." While they were yet speaking, a messenger came, informing Vespacian that the Caesar had died and he had been chosen the new ruler of the Roman Empire. It is said that Vespacian received this news when he had one boot on, and one off. When he tried to remove his boot, he couldn't. And when he attempted to put on the other boot, he couldn't do that either. Rabbi Yochanan explained that "good tidings makes one's bones fat" (Proverbs 18:5), and that if he were to look at someone he didn't like, his feet would return to normal. Vespacian was so impressed by Rabbi Yochanan's wisdom that he offered, "Ask of me anything that your heart desires and I will fulfill your wishes." Rabbi Yochanan's first request was that the city of Yavneh become a place of refuge and an academy be established there. Second, to spare the life of the descendants of Rabbi Gamliel, so that the royal House of David shouldn't be destroyed (the Roman custom was to liquidate the entire ruling family). Finally, Rabbi Yochanan requested the services of a physician to cure Rabbi Zaddock--a great Sage who fasted for 40 years to try and save Jerusalem from destruction. Vespacian readily granted these seemingly modest requests, not realizing their far-reaching implications for the survival of the Jewish people. The establishment of the new Torah center in Yavneh set the foundations for the spiritual rebirth of the Jewish nation even after its national independence was lost to the mighty Roman Empire--an empire which has since been wiped off the map. ***************************************************************** THOUGHTS THAT COUNT ***************************************************************** "To Ozni the family of Ozni" (Numbers 26:16). Rashi explains that this is the same family which is referred to as Etzbon in an earlier portion. There is a connection between the two names by which this family is called. Ozni is similar to the word Ozen, meaning ear, and Etzbon resembles Etzbah, or finger. Our Rabbis explain that the fingers are long and slender so that they can be used to close the ears the moment we realize that something improper is being said. (Shnei Luchot Habris) *** "Our father died in the desert and he was not...in the congregation of Korach. Rather he died for his own sin. And Moshe brought their judgment before GÄd" (27:3-4). Moshe did not wish to judge the case of the daughters of Tzelafchad. The daughters, in proclaiming that their father was not in the congregation of Korach implied that he had not joined the rebellion against Moshe himself. Moshe considered this possible "verbal bribery" and disqualified himself from deciding the issue. (Minchat Chinuch) *** "May the LÄrd of the spirit of all flesh appoint someone over the congregation" (27:16). To paraphrase: When Moshe's time to leave this world came, he said to GÄd, "Just as You are the GÄd of the spirit of all flesh, righteous or wicked, find Your people a leader who is concerned with every Jew and loves them all equally. (Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev) *** "My sacrifice...you shall observe to offer to me in its time" (28:2). The Hebrew word used here for "observe" is often used to imply hopeful anticipation of a future happening. Though we do not have the opportunity to observe the laws of sacrifice while in exile, our constant anticipation and hope for the rebuilding of the Temple gives us a portion in the sacrifices which were previously offered there. (Sefat Emet) *****************************************************************