B"H LIVING WITH MOSHIACH Weekly Digest About Moshiach PARSHAT PEKUDEI, 5765 30 Adar I, 5765 March 11, 2005 ************************************************* * This week's issue is sponsored in part by: * * Holy Sparks - "http://www.holysparks.com" * * * * * Your premiere site for Jewish spirituality. * * * * * 5,765 Years of the Most Amazing Jewish Wisdom * * recorded in calligraphy, especially for you! * * * * * Explore your potential: * * Jewish Books, Art & Wisdom For Our Time. * * FREE art! * ************************************************* >> A Jewish Response To Terrorism << http://www.torah4blind.org/lwm-5762/269.htm *************************************************** * Visit TruePeace.org * * "http://www.truepeace.org" * * Dedicated to educating the public regarding the * * current situation in Israel, based on Torah * * sources, with special emphasis on the opinion * * and teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe * *************************************************** Published Weekly By Lubavitch Shluchim Conferences On The Moshiach Campaign, Committee For The Blind * * * 5765 **************************************************** * VISIT US ON THE WEB, AT: * * http://www.torah4blind.org * **************************************************** * TO RECEIVE THIS PUBLICATION VIA INTERNET: * * E-Mail: enlt4blind@aol.com * **************************************************** * OPERATION REFUAH: * * http://www.operationrefuah.org * **************************************************** * JEWISH CHILDREN: * * Get your own letter in a Sefer Torah! * * http://www.kidstorah.org * **************************************************** * Kids! We Want YOU To Join * * Tzivos Hashem (The Army of G-d) * * http://www.torah4blind.org/tzivos-h.htm * **************************************************** * MOSHIACH - CHILDREN'S PAGE * * http://www.torah4blind.org/children/index.htm * **************************************************** * The Seven Universal Laws of Noah: * * http://www.7for70.com * **************************************************** THIS PUBLICATION IS DEDICATED TO THE REBBE, RABBI MENACHEM M. SCHNEERSON OF LUBAVITCH "I BELIEVE WITH COMPLETE FAITH IN THE ARRIVAL OF THE MOSHIACH. "AND THOUGH HE MAY TARRY, I SHALL WAIT EACH DAY, ANTICIPATING HIS ARRIVAL." Maimonides, Principles of the Faith, No. 12 ********************* * TABLE OF CONTENTS * ********************* * Introduction. * The Weekly Torah Portion. * The Rebbe's Prophecy. * Parshat Shekolim. * It Happened Once. * Time for Unity; Time for Strength! * A Call To Action. * The Weekly Shabbat Calendar. * "Let There Be Light" - The Jewish Women's Guide to Lighting Shabbat Candles. * Laws of Shabbat Candle Lighting for the Blind. * Shabbat Candle Lighting Blessing. * Moshiach Information Hotlines. * Moshiach In The Air -- Electronic Media. * Subscription Information for this Weekly Magazine: Living With Moshiach. **************** * INTRODUCTION * **************** We are pleased to present, to the visually impaired and the blind, the 413th issue of our weekly publication, Living With Moshiach. * This Shabbat we celebrate the second day of Rosh Chodesh Adar II. Also, this Shabbat is Shabbat Parshat Shekolim. Parshat Shekolim is the first of four special Torah readings read in the synagogue on the Sabbaths before the month of Nissan -- Shekolim, Zachor, Parah and HaChodesh. * Our sincere appreciation to L'Chaim weekly publication, published by the Lubavitch Youth Organization, for allowing us to use their material. Also, many thanks to our copy editor, Reb Mordechai Staiman of blessed memory ("http://www.torah4blind.org/staiman"), for his tireless efforts. * It is our fervent hope that our learning about Moshiach and the Redemption will hasten the coming of Moshiach, NOW! Rabbi Yosef Y. Shagalov Administrator Committee for the Blind E-Mail: enlt4blind@aol.com 27 Adar I, 5765 Los Angeles, California In honor of Rabbi & Mrs. Yosef Yitzchok and Gitel Rochel Shagalov On the occasion of our wedding, Sunday, 13 Nissan, 5764 *************************************** * THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION * * Adapted from the Works of the Rebbe * *************************************** PARSHAT PEKUDEI Following last week's Torah reading, Vayakhel, in which Moses gathered the Jews together and relayed G-d's command to build the Sanctuary, this week's Torah portion, Pekudei, lists Moses' accounts of the precious metals used to make the Sanctuary's vessels, and details how the offerings were made. Finally, it relates how these actions brought G-d's Divine Presence to rest in the Sanctuary. Usually, when a person builds a new house, he waits until it has been completed to fill it with furniture and implements. The dedication of the Sanctuary, however, was done in the exact opposite manner. "And he placed the golden altar in the Sanctuary before the veil, and he burnt upon it the incense of spices... and he set up the court around the Sanctuary and the altar." The Sanctuary was not yet fully erected when Moses offered the incense on the golden altar. The Sanctuary, G-d's dwelling place on earth, contained a holiness so great that it existed above and beyond the laws of nature. Its sanctity (and that of the Holy Temples that followed) is eternal, not subject to the concept of time, and continues today, though we no longer have a physical edifice in which to bring offerings. The unusual manner in which the Sanctuary was erected, therefore, reflected this. The Torah's command, "And you shall make Me a dwelling place," applied not only to the Sanctuary, but includes the obligation to erect the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Moses' offering of incense on the golden altar dedicated not only the Sanctuary that traveled with the Jews in the desert, but the Temples that were yet to be built, including the Third Holy Temple when Moshiach comes. According to Jewish law, offerings may be brought even in the absence of the Temple's physical structure if one knows the exact location of the altar. When Moses burnt the incense, before the Sanctuary was completely built, he caused a measure of holiness to be brought down into the world that is not dependent on physical limitations. This holiness is eternal and exists forever. This holds particular relevance for our generation, as the Rebbe stated many times that ours is the last generation of exile before the Messianic Era. No longer may we be satisfied with the measured norms of behavior that sufficed for previous generations; our times demand an extra measure of self-sacrifice on our part. Our service of G-d must therefore also breach all limitations, so that we may merit the ultimate and Final Redemption with the coming of Moshiach, speedily in our day. ******************************************************* * IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR DEAR FRIEND AND COPY EDITOR * * Reb Mordechai ben Reb Shaul * * Staiman * * Passed away on 22 Tamuz, 5763 * ******************************************************* ************************ * THE REBBE'S PROPHECY * ************************ The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson of Lubavitch, issued a call that "THE TIME OF OUR REDEMPTION HAS ARRIVED!" and "MOSHIACH IS ON HIS WAY!" The Rebbe stressed that he is saying this AS A PROPHECY, and asks us all to prepare ourselves for the Redemption, through increasing acts of goodness and kindness. LET US ALL HEED THE REBBE'S CALL. _______________ See "Living With Moshiach" Vol 389: http://www.torah4blind.org/lwm-5764/389.htm ********************************************* * IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY DEAR GRANDPARENTS, * * * * Reb Shmuel Pesach Ben Reb Yaakov Dovid * * Passed away on 3 Tishrei, 5755 * * * * Mrs. Fraidel Chedvah Bas Reb Zev Wolf * * On the occasion of her tenth yahrtzeit, * * 4 Adar II, 5765 * ********************************************* ********************* * PARSHAT SHEKOLIM * ********************* This Shabbat in addition to the regular Torah portion read in shul (synagogue), Parshat Pekudei, and the extra Torah reading in honor of Rosh Chodesh [Adar II], we will also read Parshat Shekolim, the Torah portion in which G-d commands Moshe to take a census of the Jewish people by collecting a half-shekel from each one. The Rebbe explains that a census emphasizes the unique importance of each individual while at the same time reminding us that every Jew's existence is bound to that of his fellow man. The concept of "loving your fellow man" is further emphasized by the fact that every Jew, no matter how rich or how poor, was required to give the exact same amount of money, a half-shekel. Moreover, the half-shekolim that were collected were used to bring communal offerings on behalf of the entire Jewish people. And although we are in exile we can still fulfill the mitzvah of half-shekel by carrying out the custom of giving three half-dollars to charity before Purim. These gifts will hasten the Redemption, for then "Moshe will gather," i.e., Moshe, "the first redeemer and ultimate redeemer," will gather every single Jew and proceed to Israel, to Jerusalem, to the Third Holy Temple. Though we do not yet have the Third Holy Temple to which we could bring communal sacrifices, these mitzvot apply equally today. For, the Torah is infinite, not limited to time and place. While the physical Sanctuary was destroyed, the spiritual aspects of the service in the Temple are still carried out today through learning Torah and doing mitzvot. When a Jew makes a contribution toward a sacred cause, it is immediately matched by a corresponding kindness from G-d to him. Sincere human effort is met halfway by Divine Grace, thus a goal that may at first seem unattainable to a person can actually be reached, because his goodness evokes a corresponding heavenly benevolence. May our good deeds combined with G-d's benevolence finally bring us to attain our ultimate goal, the coming of Moshiach. ******************** * IT HAPPENED ONCE * ******************** The following is taken from the personal diary of a chasid, written during the first years of the Rebbe's leadership. * There was a Jew who had a daughter who was terribly ill and was hospitalized. The doctors had given up hope and said she had only a few days left to live. The father did not know what a "rebbe" is, but his wife told him to go to rabbis and rebbes to ask them to save their daughter. The father went to some rebbes and promised them large sums of money if they would promise him his daughter would recover. But they all refused to make such a promise. In the meantime, the daughter's condition worsened and the father was at his wit's end. He then met a Lubavitcher chasid who told him to go the Rebbe. That evening the father went to 770. He entered the secretaries' office and asked Rabbi Chadakov to allow him to see the Rebbe. Rabbi Chadakov said he would have to ask the Rebbe. The Rebbe answered that he should come the next morning at ten o'clock. Throughout the night the father was convinced that his daughter was dying or already dead. So certain was he that he was afraid to call the hospital to see how she was doing. At ten the next day, the man went to the Rebbe. The Rebbe told him, "Your daughter is still alive. In heaven they delayed her judgment until now. Now it all depends upon you." The father said he would give the Rebbe any sum of money so that his daughter would be saved. The Rebbe told him: "That is not what I meant. I meant that you should put on tefillin every day, and then your daughter will recover." The father agreed of course, and also decided to observe Shabbat, and his daughter suddenly and miraculously recovered. * * * At a gathering during Sukkot, the Rebbe said incredible things about the Previous Rebbe. Among other things, he said that those chasidim who maintain that the Previous Rebbe continues to live -- continue to receive from the Previous Rebbe in material and spiritual matters. * * * In the winter, Reb Avrohom Sykens was found in the street badly wounded. He was taken unconscious to the hospital, and he lay in a coma for three days. The doctors despaired, saying there was no hope. One of the yeshivah students called the Rebbe's office and asked that they tell the Rebbe about the situation and ask for a blessing. The Rebbe said they should whisper in Reb Avrohom's ear that they had told the Rebbe what had happened, and they should whisper the Rebbe's name and his father's name. The student did so immediately, and Reb Avrohom suddenly opened his eyes and recognized the people standing around him. The doctors were astounded and said it was entirely unnatural. * * * At a gathering, someone asked the Rebbe for a blessing that his brother would be able to leave Russia, "a blessing like so-and-so had received." The Rebbe said: "The truth is that giving a blessing is something connected with the individual's soul. (Therefore it makes no sense to ask to receive a blessing like someone else's.)" * * * A certain chasid had a very unhappy second marriage and he always said that the reason was that he had badgered the Previous Rebbe until he received his consent for the match. At a gathering, the Rebbe said to him: "G-d should help you understand that when it concerns a Rebbe, there is no such thing as his being forced. If the Rebbe agreed, it is because he wanted to." * * * Someone wrote a letter to the Rebbe in the month of Adar [when we are enjoined to be especially joyous], asking for a blessing for someone who was seriously ill, and for whom they had already despaired. The Rebbe answered: "It's surprising that we talk and talk and when it comes to action, everybody thinks that it doesn't apply to them. "The saying and directive of the Rebbes has been quoted many times: 'Tracht gut vet zein gut' ('Think positively and it will be good'), which conversely illustrates the problem with negative thoughts. "Despite the fact that we are in the month of Adar, when we are commanded to increase in joy, he is steeped in despair. "And we will conclude with...: 'Tracht gut vet zein gut' in a visible and revealed way.'" The end of the story was that the sick person suddenly became better, to the surprise of all the doctors. ************************************** * TIME FOR UNITY; TIME FOR STRENGTH! * ************************************** The most important principle in the Torah is the protection of Jewish life. It's more important than Shabbat, more important than holidays, even fasting on Yom Kippur. Right now, in Israel, and everywhere, Jews must stand together in unity and do whatever possible to protect Jewish life. The Rebbe teaches that there are TEN important MITZVOT we can do to protect life. See what you can do: 1) AHAVAT YISROEL: Behave with love towards another Jew. 2) LEARN TORAH: Join a Torah class. 3) Make sure that Jewish children get a TORAH TRUE EDUCATION. 4) Affix kosher MEZUZOT on all doorways of the house. 5) For men and boys over 13: Put on TEFILLIN every weekday. 6) Give CHARITY. 7) Buy JEWISH HOLY BOOKS and learn them. 8) LIGHT SHABBAT & YOM TOV candles. A Mitzvah for women and girls. 9) Eat and drink only KOSHER FOOD. 10) Observe the laws of JEWISH FAMILY PURITY. In addition, the Rebbe also urged every man, woman and child to PURCHASE A LETTER IN A SEFER TORAH. There are several Torah scrolls being written to unite Jewish people and protect Jewish life. Letters for children can be purchased for only $1. Send your Hebrew name and your mother's Hebrew name plus $1 to: "CHILDREN'S SEFER TORAH," P. O. BOX 8, KFAR CHABAD, 72915, ISRAEL or via the Internet, at: http://www.kidstorah.org ******************** * A CALL TO ACTION * ******************** The Rebbe's slogan is: "The main thing is the deed." We therefore present from the Rebbe's talks, suggestions what we can do to complete his work of bringing the Redemption. Make Others Happy: As we are now in the 60 days of happiness comprised of the two months of Adar, we should endeavor to make others happy. The Rebbe explained, "We should proceed to spread joy and happiness in the most literal sense, making efforts to assure that the members of one's household and similarly, all of those with whom one comes in contact, experience great joy. And this will lead to the ultimate joy, the coming of the Redemption. May it take place in the immediate future." *************************************** * In loving memory of * * HORAV CHAIM YEHUDA KALMAN * * Ben Horav Avrohom Yehoshua Marlow, * * head of the Bet-Din (Rabbinical * * Court) of Crown Heights, * * Passed away, on Friday Morning, * * 20 Sivan, 5760 (June 23, 2000) * *************************************** ******************************* * THE WEEKLY SHABBAT CALENDAR * ******************************* ** JEWISH WOMEN AND GIRLS LIGHT SHABBAT CANDLES ** ******************************************************* * FOR LOCAL CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES: * * consult your local Rabbi, Chabad-Lubavitch * * Center, or call: (718) 774-3000. * * or: * * http://www.candlelightingtimes.org/shabbos * * * * FOR A FREE CANDLE LIGHTING KIT: * * contact your local Chabad-Lubavitch Center. * * * * FOR A LISTING OF THE CENTERS IN YOUR AREA: * http://www.candlelightingtimes.org/general/shluchim.html * In the USA, call: 1-800-Lubavitch (1-800-582-2848). * ******************************************************* >>>> Times Shown Are for Metro NY - NJ <<<< FRIDAY, MARCH 11, EREV SHABBAT PARSHAT PEKUDEI: * First day of Rosh Chodesh Adar II. * Light Shabbat Candles, [1] by 5:41 p.m. SATURDAY, MARCH 12, SHABBAT PARSHAT PEKUDEI: * Second day of Rosh Chodesh Adar II. * Parshat Shekolim -- see above. * Shabbat ends at NIGHTFALL, at 6:42 p.m. _______________ 1. The Shabbat candles must be lit 18 minutes *BEFORE* sunset. IT IS PROHIBITED AND IS A DESECRATION OF THE SHABBAT TO LIGHT THE CANDLES *AFTER* SUNSET. *************************************** * "LET THERE BE LIGHT" * * - The Jewish Women's Guide * * to Lighting Shabbat Candles * * http://www.torah4blind.org/ltbl.htm * *************************************** *********************************** * LAWS OF SHABBAT CANDLE LIGHTING * * FOR THE BLIND * *********************************** Edited by Rabbi Y. K. Marlow O.B.M.* * A blind woman who lives alone should light her Shabbat candle(s) with a blessing. * If she is married to a non-visually impaired person, HER HUSBAND SHOULD LIGHT THE SHABBAT CANDLES WITH THE BLESSING. * If she is eating and lighting in the company of others who are non-visually impaired, and they lit the Shabbat candles, she should light her own Shabbat candle(s), BUT WITHOUT SAYING THE BLESSING. * (If at all possible, she should not be the last one to light the Shabbat candle(s), so that she can be absolved by the latter's blessing.) _______________ *. Head of Bet-Din (Rabbinical Court) of Crown Heights. ************************************ * SHABBAT CANDLE LIGHTING BLESSING * ************************************ * First light the candles. Then spread your hands out around the candles, drawing your hands inward in a circular motion three times to indicate the acceptance of the sanctity of Shabbat. You then cover your eyes and recite the following blessing: BO-RUCH A-TOH ADO-NOI E-LO-HEI-NU ME-LECH HO-OLOM A-SHER KI-DE-SHO-NU BE-MITZ-VO-SOV VE-TZI-VO-NU LE-HAD-LIK NER SHEL SHA-BOS KO-DESH. Translation: Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the light of the holy Shabbat. * Uncover your eyes and behold the Shabbat lights. * The time of lighting is considered especially propitious for praying to G-d for health and happiness. The prayer is readily acceptable because it is offered during the performance of this great mitzvah of lighting Shabbat candles. CAUTION: The candles must be lit 18 minutes *BEFORE* sunset. IT IS PROHIBITED AND IS A DESECRATION OF THE SHABBAT TO LIGHT THE CANDLES *AFTER* SUNSET. ******************************************* * MOSHIACH INFORMATION HOTLINES * * http://www.torah4blind.org/hotlines.htm * ******************************************* ****************************************** * MOSHIACH IN THE AIR - ELECTRONIC MEDIA * * http://www.torah4blind.org/e-media.htm * ****************************************** ******************************** * LIVING WITH MOSHIACH * * Weekly Digest About Moshiach * ******************************** Annual subscription (for the 18-point, large type edition) $18.00. For a one-year subscription, make your check payable to: "Enlightenment For The Blind" and mail it to: 602 N. Orange Drive. Los Angeles, CA 90036 USA Name:__________________________________ Address:_______________________________ City:__________________________________ State:___________ Zip:_________________ Telephone: ( )____________________ Due to the generosity of certain people, free subscriptions are hereby being offered to all the blind and handicapped, public service libraries and non-profit organizations. ============================================================ = End of Text: Living With Moshiach, Parshat Pekudei, 5765 = ============================================================