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                                  B"H
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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1392
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                           Copyright (c) 2015
                 Lubavitch Youth Organization - L.Y.O.
                              Brooklyn, NY
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             THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR EVERY JEWISH PERSON
   Dedicated to the memory of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson N.E.
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        October 16, 2015         Noach          3 Cheshvan, 5776
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                               Umbrellas

Umbrellas have been around for over 2,000 years. The umbrella, typically
referring "to a device used for protection from rain" according to
Wikipedia, hasn't changed much over the past two millennium!

Most of us don't spend much time thinking about umbrellas, unless we're
stuck without one when it's raining. But, if you've ever had the
edifying opportunity to contemplate an umbrella, you might come to
realize the similarity between umbrellas and Jewish education.

The obvious place to start is at the level of not having any umbrella
(or Jewish education). We don't even realize the deficiency until we
need it. This usually doesn't happen until we are stuck in a storm. A
raging storm of emotions can be set off by a tragedy, or on a more
positive note, a Jewish simcha such as a wedding, brit, Bar/Bat Mitzva.
In many of these cases, without a sound Jewish background, we have no
idea of customs, laws, history, protocol, etc.

Then, of course, there is the umbrella that you pick up on the street
for $3.99 when it is already raining. Even if it doesn't last more than
a week, at least it will keep me dry today, we think. But with strong
winds it turns inside out, or the spokes start coming undone from the
cloth. It's not much use, but it gives us a false sense of security.

That's the Jewish education we get when we begrudgingly attend Sunday
school or Hebrew school just until the Bar/Bat Mitzva or Confirmation.
It gives us a sense of security to think that at least we know something
about our 3,300 year old Jewish heritage.

Then there is the sturdy, long lasting umbrella, the kind we might even
go back for if we think we may have left it behind. Once upon a time,
this umbrella came only in basic black. But today, you can find it in
every shapes and color.

Once upon a time, a Jewish education might in fact have seemed rather
dull and stodgy, like the basic umbrella. But today it comes in every
version one can imagine. Exciting teachers, innovative material,
reputable schools, and a plethora of courses for adults and children who
can't study full time all contribute to the wealth of Jewish educational
opportunities available in the 90s and into the next millennium.

Today, more than ever, there is no reason whatsoever, for any Jew to be
stuck at a bus shelter waiting for a storm to pass. Pick up a sturdy
Jewish education. You'll be amazed at how it's always there when you
need it.

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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This week's Torah portion, Noach, tells the story of the great flood
visited upon mankind because of their improper behavior toward one
another. After the floodwaters receded and Noah and his family were able
to leave the ark, Noah planted a grapevine which he had brought with
him. He made wine from the grapes and quickly became intoxicated. Noah
fell into a drunken sleep, laying naked in his tent. One of Noah's sons,
Cham, saw his father lying naked and told his two brothers about what he
had seen. Shem and Yafet immediately went in to cover their father.

Shem and Yafet were so careful not to look at their father's nakedness
when they went to cover him that "they went backwards, and their faces
were turned backwards, and they did not see their father's nakedness."

The story is slightly puzzling. It is clear from the fact that Shem and
Yafet walked backwards that they did not see their father. Why, then,
does the Torah add the apparently redundant words: "...and they did not
see the nakedness of their father"?

There is a saying of the Baal Shem Tov that if a person sees something
wrong with someone else, it is a sign that he himself has a similar
fault. He sees himself, as it were, in a mirror - if the face he sees is
not clean, it is his own face which is dirty.

Can we not see a genuine wrong in someone else without being at fault
ourselves?

Divine Providence is present in every event. If we see bad in someone,
it is to show us our own failings which need correction. Man is blind to
his own shortcomings. He needs to see them exemplified in someone else,
to force him to reflect on himself and see their counterparts in his own
life.

The task of the Jew, however, is not only self-perfection; it is also
the improvement of others: "You shall surely rebuke your friend, even a
hundred times." Surely, then, when he sees his friend's failings,
Providence intends him to help to correct them, not only to introspect
on his own weaknesses.

When one sees a fault in another Jew, he should ascertain whether - with
tact and delicacy - he can help the person correct the fault or failing.

But when one finds oneself seeing this wrong not as something that he
himself must correct, but just as a failing in his fellow this is
evidence that the fault is a "mirror."

Therefore, after saying that Shem and Yafet turned their faces away from
Noach, the Torah adds, "and they did not see their father's nakedness."
It is here emphasizing that not only did they physically not see him,
they were not even aware of his fault as such-they were concerned only
with what must be done (which was to cover him with a mantle).

                              Adapted by Sichos In English, sie.org

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                           Totally Righteous
                           by Menachem Barash

The following account was written by veteran Israeli journalist Menachem
Barash a few weeks after the Yom Kippur War.

"It began," said Chanoch Glitzenstein, "a few days after the Yom Kippur
War ceasefire. Nine Lubavitchers from Israel were still in New York,
having spent the High Holidays and Sukkot with the Rebbe. They were
suddenly called into the Rebbe's room and the Rebbe said: "Due to the
events that transpired on Yom Kippur, I request that some action take
place whose purpose will be to encourage the soldiers on the front
lines, to raise their spirits and to infuse them with new hope.

"Take some bottles of mashke (vodka) with you from 'Kos shel Bracha,'
('cup of blessing,' i.e., from the wine that was used in the Grace After
Meals) and take some silver coins and go to the Israeli soldiers in
their camps and on their bases.  Give each soldier two coins, one for
charity in my name and as my emissary and the other for his personal use
or to keep."

We were also told to give each solider copies of two letters that the
Rebbe had written during the battles to the soldiers who asked him for a
blessing. Not one soldier in the IDF should be overlooked. We were
instructed that this operation needed to be done with the knowledge of
the General Staff of the IDF and with its explicit permission. Not a
word should be publicized before completing the mission.

The IIDF army command accepted the idea enthusiastically. The army
provided Chabad with vehicles, security, escorts, guidance and even
special flights to distant bases. Chabad prepared tens of thousands of
booklets with: the Rebbe's blessing to the Israeli soldiers, two letters
of the Rebbe along with different quotes and Torah thoughts, and some of
the Rebbe's views about the war and the lessons learned, the holiness of
the land, and the obligation to protect it in its entirety and to keep
it secure.

Wherever we went, the commanders already knew about our coming and were
ready to welcome us. The commanders gathered the soldiers. We told them
that throughout the war the Rebbe did not stop thinking of Israel and
the battlefronts and he prayed nonstop for them. We read portions from
what the Rebbe said at farbrengens that took place throughout the summer
months, in which he hinted to the possibility of war and the need to
prepare practically and spiritually-religiously.

We toasted "L'chaim" with the soldiers and explained to them about the
coins that the Rebbe sent them. The soldiers were excited about keeping
one coin as a segula (talisman) in time of danger.

After inspiring words and stories, hundreds of soldiers joined along
with the Lubavitchers and sang and danced. The singing and dancing went
on for hours; in certain instances, late into the night.

"In the Jordan Valley alone, we were sixty men. For three days and three
nights we combed through all the positions and all the camps. Soldiers
grabbed up the coins, drank the mashke and took in the Rebbe's words,
sang and danced, and participated in Evenings with Chabad. They enjoyed
the experience," recalled Rabbi Glitzenstein.

In the booklets that were distributed, the Rebbe noted that the soldiers
who were called up and went to war are on the level of "tzaddikim
gemurim" (completely righteous), for the war began on Yom Kippur which
atones for all sins. In one of the talks, the Rebbe emphasized that we
all must learn from the soldiers who stand strong in carrying out the
orders of those appointed over them. The Rebbe repeated what he said
earlier, about the special position the Jews have among the nations,
that we have vanquished our enemies until now and will be victorious in
all wars until the coming of Moshiach.

Israeli soldiers were called upon to trust in Hashem and not to fear.
The Rebbe suggested that the soldiers put on t'fillin every day and give
more charity and, as much as possible, to do these two mitzvot together
with Torah study, even the smallest amount, from the booklets they were
given.

Days later, the signal was given to begin the campaign in the Golan
Heights. Groups of Lubavitchers reached all the way to the Hermon
Mountains and visited all the outposts and strongholds. Chabad songs and
the words of the Rebbe echoed in Syria too, along the ceasefire line.

After the Valley and the Golan it was the turn of Sinai, the west bank
of the Canal, Sharm-el-Sheikh and the navy. The Lubavitchers boarded
missile boats and all the other ships of the navy and were received with
appreciation and joy by the commanders and soldiers alike.

A letter arrived from a wounded soldier who was hospitalized in Beer
Sheva. He wrote, "I am severely wounded. The pains in my foot are
terrible. Yesterday, Chabad came and visited and brought mashke from the
Rebbe's Kos shel Bracha, and they gave out coins. I did not drink
immediately. I left the mashke for the next day. This morning, I woke up
and put on tefillin, as the Chabadnikim suggested. I gave the coin to
tzedaka and drank "L'chaim" from the Rebbe's mashke. What can I tell
you? It's unbelievable. The pain in my foot went away and I have already
asked the nurse to try and get me out of bed. I am sure that I will be
able to walk on my two feet. Please, write thanks to the Rebbe ... he is
amazing ... he is amazing ... He not only cheered me up; he healed my
foot."

The chairman of the local council of Kfar Chabad, Mr. Davidowitz, said
that when he was at the Rebbe for the High Holidays, the Rebbe gave him
a bottle of mashke to distribute in Kfar Safiriya (the old Arab name for
Kfar Chabad). On his return to the Kfar, he heard that one of the young
people from the Kfar had been severely injured in a tank battle and was
hospitalized and unconscious. He immediately thought, perhaps this is
what the Rebbe had in mind and he went to the hospital. Friends said
that the soldier was hit by a missile and that his watch stopped in the
attack. Mr. Davidowitz realized that it was precisely that day and that
time when the Rebbe had given him the bottle of mashke for Safiriya.
When he said this to the doctor who was treating the soldier, he agreed
to put a drop of the mashke into the man's mouth. To the amazement of
the doctor, the man opened his eyes and regained consciousness.

The commanders did not have enough words to praise Chabad for their
remarkable work.

                              Reprinted from Beis Moshiach Magazine

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                              New Centers

Rabbi Eli and Shterna Sara Naiditch recently opened Chabad of the Coast
in Tel Aviv, Israel, for English speaking immigrants to the city.

Chabad of Neuilly, in Paris, France, dedicated a new Chabad House. The
new Chabad House includes a beautifully designed synagogue, classrooms,
library, state-of-the-art kitchen and offices.

                       Hakhel-Jewish Unity Event


On Sunday, September 20, the first Sunday of the New Year, 50,000 Jewish
men, women and children participated in a gathering of Jewish Unity, the
first of many world-wide during this "Hakhel" year.  Buenos Aires, São
Paulo, Johannesburg, Kfar Chabad, Moscow; Paris; London; Toronto; New
York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Detroit; Houston; St. Paul, Morristown,
Pittsburgh, and tens of thousands of online viewers joined together to
sing, pray and celebrate. For Hakhel events in your community contact
your local Chabad-Lubavitch Center.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                 Translated from a letter of the Rebbe

                 Beginning of Marcheshvan, 5734 (1973)

Note: This letter was written three weeks after the Yom Kippur War. This
year 5776 is a Hakhel year.

...The month of Tishrei ushers in the new year.

In particular, it is the festivals of this month that provide the
resources - spiritual powers and material means - to accomplish the
above [to fulfill the imperative, "All your actions should be for the
sake of heaven," and "Know Him in all your ways."

Inasmuch as all matters of the Torah are meaningful in all their
details, how much more so such a comprehensive matter relating to
Tishrei.

It is significant that all the festivals of the month of Tishrei are
"sealed" with the Season of our Rejoicing and SimchasTorah.

This pointedly re-emphasizes the explicit commandment, "Serve G-d with
joy," - with true joy derived from G-d's Torah and G-d's precepts that
"rejoice the heart."

What has been said above regarding the meaningfulness of all details in
Torah, applies, of course, also to the time element.

For although each year the month of Tishrei sets the tone and provides
benefits for the entire year, each new year also introduces additional
new elements pertaining to it, and each year brings its own distinctive
teaching.

Thus the special teaching of the current year is related to its
distinctive features which set it apart from the six years which
preceded it and the six years which follow, in that it is the year of
Hakhel [gathering]: "Gather together all the people, men women and
children."

To be sure, this mitzva - in its plain and actual form - is confined to
the Holy Land, "the land which...always [including the time of exile]
G-d's eyes are on it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the
year," and to the time of the Holy Temple. However, the spiritual
aspects and content of all mitzvot are eternal, being part of our
eternal Torah.

The general character of the mitzvah (commandment) of Hakhel calls for
the implementation of its contents and purpose, not on an individual
basis, but in the manner of Hakhel, i.e. congregationally and
collectively, with multitudes of participants, and with special emphasis
on congregating the young, including boys and girls of tender age, and
for the purpose specified in the Torah, "That they should heed to do all
the words of this Torah."

Specifically:

That they should heed," also in the sense of eager anticipation and
longing; "to do" - in actual practice, not being content with merely a
"good heart," "good intention," or "good resolution," but in actual
deed; "all the words of the Torah" - a person should not think that
since his merits outweigh his demerits, and by a substantial margin, he
has already done his duty, for one is required to fulfill all the words
of "this Torah" - as if "pointing a finger" demonstratively and
emphatically that this is the Torah exactly as it was given to Moses at
Sinai, the Written Torah together with its interpretation, the Oral
Torah, free from any, G-d forbid, distortion, misinterpretation,
compromise, etc.

The significance of the said Hakhel concept has been accentuated by the
events that began on the Holy Day (Yom Kippur) in this Hakhel-Year,
directed against our men, women and children as a Holy Congregation.

But the togetherness of our people in the spirit of Hakhel will stand
our people in good stead, as it did in the past, in fulfillment of the
prophetic promise: "The L-rd of Hosts shall shield them" - His people,
the "unique and united people on earth"; "He redeemed them, elevated
them, and exalted them all the days of the world."

And as Jews gather together to increasingly implement the Hakhel
objective, they should heed all the words of Torah, spreading the light
of Torah and mitzvot in an ever growing measure. Thus, they dispel the
darkness of the exile and thereby (through Torah and mitzvoth in daily
life) bring closer the coming of our Righteous Moshiach and our true and
complete Redemption: "And the earth will be filled with (G-d's) glory."

This is an appropriate time to call attention again, to the appeal for
Torah and tzedakah (charity) in every day practice, in light of the
prophet's words: "Zion shall be redeemed through Mishpot (Torah) and its
returnees through charity."

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                               TEACHINGS
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                               4 Cheshvan

Torah-study every day is crucial to life itself. This applies not only
to the soul of the one studying but also to the souls of his family. For
then (through Torah-study), the atmosphere of the home becomes an
atmosphere of Torah and piety.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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This coming Tuesday is the seventh day of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan.
In the times of the Holy Temple, the Jewish people traveled to Jerusalem
for the festivals of Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot, the seventh of
Cheshvan marked the end of the pilgrimage season surrounding the
festival of Sukkot, according to our Sages. During Sukkot, the entire
Jewish people were in Jerusalem. For the Jews living on the Euphrates
River, the furthest reaches of the Holy Land, their journey home took
fifteen days and thus, was concluded on the seventh of Cheshvan. It was
beginning on the seventh of Cheshvan that the prayer for rain commenced,
once all of the pilgrims were comfortably home again.

This fact, of the delay of the prayers for rain until the last pilgrims
reached their homes, is relevant to the concept of Jewish unity.

During the pilgrimage festivals, the essential unity of the Jewish
people is expressed. However, that unity applies to the essential
oneness that binds our people together, while transcending our
individuality. The unity expressed by the seventh of Cheshvan relates to
Jews as individuals. Jewish unity remains even after each Jew returns to
his own home and his individual lifestyle.

The seventh of Cheshvan is the final stage of Jewish unity that was
begun during the month of Elul (the days of preparation for Rosh
Hashana) and enhanced throughout all of the days of month of Tishrei.
May we continue to work on and enhance Jewish unity in every way
possible until the ultimate revelation of total Jewish unity and the
unity of G-d and the entire world with the coming of Moshiach, NOW!

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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These are the generations of Noach: Noach was a just, perfect man in his
generation (Gen. 6:9)

Rashi comments: This verse teaches us that the most important legacy of
a righteous person is his good deeds. A righteous person is not defined
by his lineage or by his noble ancestry, but by his own actions and
behavior.

                                                   (Divrei Yisrael)

                                *  *  *


A just, perfect man in his generation (6:9)

Noah's perfection was that he followed G-d's will completely and with
all of his being throughout the day, not just when he learned and
prayed, but with mundane matters as well.

                                            (The Lubavitcher Rebbe)

                                *  *  *


And it [the flood] blotted out every living thing...both man and animal
(7:23)

If mankind sinned, why did the animals have to be punished, too? This is
explained by a parable. A person prepared a great wedding feast for his
son's upcoming marriage, and procured the finest delicacies for the
celebration. Before the marriage could take place, however, the son
died. The father then dismantled the wedding canopy and threw away all
the elaborate preparations he had made, saying, "What do I need all
these for? Now that my son is dead all this is useless." Similarly, when
G-d saw that mankind had sinned, He said, "What use is there for the
whole animal kingdom now? I only created them to serve mankind."

                                                   (Sanhedrin Kach)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Shabbat was quickly approaching and Abba Tachna was happy. He had
managed to gather everything his family needed to make the holy day a
true delight. His wife and children were awaiting him and he quickened
his pace. The heavy bundle hoisted on his shoulder contained not only
Shabbat delicacies, but many of his possessions, for Abba Tachna worked
outside the city and returned home only for Shabbat. He hoped to arrive
early enough to prepare himself properly for the holy day as was his
weekly custom.

As Abba Tachna considered these thoughts, he saw a man lying in the
middle of the road, groaning in pain. Abba Tachna approached the man who
begged in a weak voice, "Please, Rabbi, bring me to my house. If you
don't help me, I am sure I will die from pain and hunger, for I can't
move."

Abba Tachna saw that the poor man was covered from head to foot with
sores and bruises. He quickly considered the situation, for it was
completely impossible for him to carry both his bundle and the injured
man. He thought to himself, "If I carry the man to his home and leave my
bundle here, it may be stolen, and then my family will have nothing. And
if I take the time to bring the man home and then return here to pick up
the bundle, it may be too late to carry the Shabbat food and then my
family will go hungry. However, if I bring my bundle home and then
return for the man, he may die, G-d forbid."

Abba Tachna's decision took mere seconds. Of course, he must bring the
injured man to his home first. He let down his bundle and ever so gently
raised the man to his shoulders and proceeded to the man's house. When
they arrived he put the man in bed where the man's family began to tend
to him. Then he hurried back to the roadside and, to his delight, found
his bundle where he had left it.

Praising G-d, Abba Tachna doubled his pace toward home. As he approached
the city, he saw many people, already dressed in their Shabbat clothes.
They were hurrying towards the synagogues, prayer books in hand. Abba
Tachna wondered, "Could the Shabbat already have arrived?" The people
stared at him, and he read their thoughts, "Why is Abba Tachna still in
his work clothes and carrying a bundle?"

Abba Tachna was seized with a panic; could it be that the Holy One would
actually allow him to desecrate the Shabbat because he had expended
precious time in order to save a man's life? Isn't it true that to save
a life is the highest mitzva of all? Abba Tachna quickly scanned the
horizon and with great relief saw that, in fact, the sun had not yet
set. The Sabbath had not yet begun. He hurried to his home, bathed,
dressed in his Shabbat clothes and rushed to the synagogue, arriving
just in time. Abba Tachna prayed that Shabbat with a special fervor, for
G-d had granted him the merit of saving a fellow Jew and also
celebrating the holy Shabbat together with his family.

                                *  *  *


Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel was head of the Sanhedrin and a wise leader of
the Jewish people. One day he instructed his attendant, Tovi, to go to
the market saying only, "Tovi, please buy something good to eat."

Tovi thought for a few moments and then went to the butcher. He
purchased a tongue, known to be a great delicacy. Returning to his
employer, Tovi proudly showed him his purchase.

"Excellent!" said Rabbi Shimon. "Now, go back to the market and buy
something which is not good to eat." Tovi was surprised at Rabbi
Shimon's unusual request, but he turned back to the marketplace. As he
walked, he thought, "Why would my master desire that I buy bad food?
There must be some purpose for his request. Perhaps he wants to teach
his disciples something." Tovi's thoughts continued in this vein.

Tovi entered the butcher shop and ordered another tongue. Then he
returned to his employer and showed him the purchase. Rabbi Shimon
asked, "When I asked you to buy something good to eat, you bought a
tongue. But then, when I sent you out a second time to purchase
something bad to eat, you returned with another tongue. Is a tongue good
or bad?"

Tovi replied, "A tongue is both. For when the tongue is good, there is
nothing better, but when it is bad, there is nothing worse. When people
learn Torah or speak G-d's praises with their tongues, there is nothing
more exalted in the world. When they express kindness to their fellow
man and use their words to help one another, it is a very great thing.
However, when they speak ill of one another, when they insult or hurt
another with their words, they bring about great evil and the tongue is
very bad."

Rabban Gamliel smiled at his wise and understanding attendant. The
incident circulated amongst all the students of Rabban Gamliel and was
long remembered every time they used their tongues.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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Why does the rainbow signify that G-d won't bring another Flood? Before
the Flood, the clouds were dense and obscured the sunlight. The Flood
that purified the earth also refined the clouds, making it possible for
the rainbow to be seen. The rainbow, a product of the process of
purification, is thus symbolic of the Redemption, which will come about
through the refinement of the world. Its appearance is a sign of the
imminence of Moshiach, as stated in the Zohar: "When a rainbow appears
with its shining multicolored hues - await the arrival of Moshiach." The
Messianic Era, when the world will reach unprecedented levels of
holiness, is the culmination of that process of purification.

                                   (The Rebbe, Parshat Noach, 5721)

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                END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1392 - Noach 5776
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