B”H Erev Shabbat Eikev, 21st of Menachem Av, 5781; July 30th, 2021 108

The story is told that the second Genius and Humility , Dovber, would encourage his followers to share chassidic teachings In honor of the recent passing of Rabbi in the towns they’d pass when journey- , OBM, on the 6th of Men- ing to visit him. achem Av, 5781, we present the follow- ing short biography and story: One such chassid approached Rabbi Dovber and asked for advice. He said Rabbi Yoel Kahn, often referred to as that while he was successful in sharing "Reb Yoel," was the chief reviewer and words of chassidus and was even able to transcriber of the discourses of the Lub- see the effect it was having on the listen- avitcher Rebbe, and the most preeminent ers, it made him feel a sense of ego, of authority on Chabad-Chasidic teach- arrogance and superiority. ings. Rabbi Kahn was born in the former Soviet Union in 1930, and moved to The Rebbe responded, “an onion should as a young child, where he studied become of you, but chassidus you should under the guidance of a number of out- continue to share.” standing Chabad scholars. You see, when you cook an onion in the In his youth Rabbi Kahn was already soup, while some enjoy eating it, the recognized for his rare penetrating intel- purpose is not to cook the onion, but ligence and analytical skills, as well as Picture by Rabbi Mendy Lewis rather to give flavor to the soup. One his remarkable memory. doesn’t usually cook an onion to eat on its own. In 1950, Rabbi Kahn left Israel for New I remember it being a very unique visit, York, arriving just after the passing of I learned from Reb Yoel that when honor for Reb Yoel rarely left the Rebbe’s side. being bestowed upon me is only benefit- the sixth Rebbe of Chabad, Rabbi Yosef From what I recall, he hadn’t traveled Yitzchak . Rabbi Kahn as- ing me, then I need to run from it. Hence overseas for a speaking engagement pri- the reason he left when it was a familiar sumed the role of chief chozer and or to that visit. meni’ach (memorizer and transcriber) of crowd. the new Rebbe’s talks. For decades, at Perhaps it was the night before the event. However, if the honor I receive brings each of the Rebbe's public gatherings, A small group of Chabad and other benefit to others, then even if I become frequently held on Shabbat when record- Chassidim had gathered in the syna- an onion, even if my ego may grow a ing or writing are not permitted, Rabbi gogue hoping to hear a few words and little from it, I need to put that to the side Kahn would memorize every word of the farbreng with Reb Yoel. and focus on my mission. This is what Rebbe's discourses—which often lasted Reb Yoel did the second night and some- many hours. Elder Chassidim who had When Reb Yoel walked into the room, naturally everyone stood up, but perhaps thing he dedicated his entire life to. To been chozrim of the Rebbe Rashab (the bring the Rebbe’s teachings to the world 5th Rebbe of Chabad) marveled at his even more naturally, he gestured with his hands, as if to say, “for what reason do and prepare the world for the coming of special power, both in understanding and Moshiach. in memory. He and a team of students you grant me this honor?” and promptly would then transcribe the talks. left the room. He then went around to story and picture from chabadinfo.com enter through another door and headed His magnum opus is Sefer HaErkim for the bookshelf where he remained, Chabad, an multi-volume encyclopedia until his nephew was able to convince Shabbat Times and analysis of Chassidic concepts. In him to join the group. his role as the head of the Candle Lighting Motzei Shabbat Tomchei Temimim at 770 The next night, the grand siyum took place in a large and packed hall. As Reb Jerusalem 20:7 60:8 (Chabad World Headquarters), Reb Yoel 20:6 60:8 guided thousands of students in the Yoel walked in and the crowd of hun- teachings of Chassidus. dreds stood up to greet him, I recall Haifa 20:: 607: thinking to myself: “Oh no! He doesn’t The below story was written by Rabbi like this. He’s going to walk right out.” Beer Sheva 20:6 60:2 Mendy Lewis, Chabad emissary in Old This time, however, he walked straight New York 2077 6076 Tappan, NJ: through to his place in a very natural way. Chabad of Israel When I (Rabbi Mendy Lewis) was 13, Rabbi Joseph I. Aronov Reb Yoel visited London as the guest I didn’t know much about Reb Yoel at Published by M.L.S. (03) 3731777 speaker at the siyum Harambam, a large the time, and I certainly hadn’t sat Editor: Aharon Schmidt celebration for the conclusion of one of through any of his classes or read any of [email protected] the cycles of the study of Maimonides. his writings, but I realized I had met a Please guard the sanctity of this publication giant of a chassid. Not Such a Great Desert that the non-Jewish world will find out that kindness, sometimes causes a Jew to be we keep the . This thinking causes a thirsty for holiness and Judaism, but if one Jew to measure his behavior according to is very far from Torah (called "water" by This week's Torah portion, Eikev, talks non-Jewish standards and increases the our Sages), he may not recognize what he of the desert in which the Jews wandered power of the galut over the Jewish soul. is thirsting for. This is the lowest level of our exile. before entering the Land of Israel. It is The next level down is that of "snake." described as: "The great, terrifying desert, A snake's "hot poison" alludes to the heat The Proper Mindset where there were snakes, vipers, scorpions and enthusiasm which a Jew can have for and thirst. Where there was no water..." things which are really foreign to his The antidote to the progression of spiritual degradation is the avoidance of the first The great desert symbolizes our long essence. When a person's excitement is reserved solely for physical pleasures, his pitfall, that of considering the world to galut (exile). A desert, uninhabited by have unnecessary significance. man, is symbolic of the Jewish people in enthusiasm for the spiritual is decreased. relation to the other nations of the world. Hot, Cold and Thirsty By having the proper mindset we will merit the Final Redemption. The uninhabited areas of the globe far From here, the next jump down is to the outnumber the portions which are level of "vipers"--saraf--which in Hebrew Adapted from the teachings of the Rebbe. populated, in the same way that the nations comes from the word "to burn." This is the Shabbos Table and From our Sages re- of the world far outnumber the Jews. level on which a person's whole interest printed from www.LchaimWeekly.org - LYO / NYC Furthermore, within the Jewish nation toward the satisfaction of his physical itself, those who observe the Torah and desires is so great that it completely overshadows any attraction to G-dliness. mitzvot are also vastly outnumbered by those who do not yet observe. But even worse than this is the level of Telling the Truth Spiritual Descent "scorpion." A scorpion's sting is cold, symbolizing total coldness and The Torah warns us that the very indifference to holiness. consideration that the outside world is The 20th of Menachem Av is the yahr- "great" is the first step in causing our Heat and excitement, even if directed zeit of the Rebbe’s father, Rabbi Levi spiritual exile. Thinking that because we toward things which are unworthy, can Yitzchak Schneerson, a towering sage are outnumbered means that other nations eventually be redirected into enthusiasm and Kabbalist who was also an active have power over us creates the possibility for holiness. But when a person is cold to communal Rabbi in Russia during the that these non-Jewish influences can enter everything, it is much more difficult to darkest years of Stalinist oppression. inspire him. our lives. Once, as part of the census, the Russian The next spiritual step down is alluded The lowest level belongs to the "thirst, government sent out a questionnaire ask- to in the word "terrifying." This is the fear where there was no water." G-d, in His ing several queries of its citizens. Among the questions was: “Do you believe in G‑d?” Many Jews were inclined to answer in the negative because they feared arous- If you will say in your heart: These na- “...and fed you with the manna (Deut. ing government suspicion and/or losing tions are more than I (Deut. 7:17) 8:3) their jobs. When the Rebbe’s father learned of this, he gave an impassioned It is only when a Jew admits that that In the same way that when the Jews in the sermon, explaining that denying belief nations of the world are more physically desert ate the manna ("bread from heav- in G‑d was equivalent to heresy. No mat- powerful than he, and that only with G- en") they recognized that they were being ter what the risks, every Jew was obligat- d's help can he prevail, that he will cease sustained in a miraculous manner, so too ed to answer affirmatively. being afraid... must we be aware that it is not the physi- cal "bread from the earth" that nourishes Among his listeners was a government (Shaloh) us, but the G-dly spark it contains. employee whose wife had already filled out the census form for him, stating that (Binian Ariel) he did not believe. The words of the Rebbe’s father motivated him so power- fully that he went to the census office And he afflicted you…and fed you with And you shall keep and do them...He will the manna (Deut. 8:3) and asked the government to correct the love you… (Deut. 7:12-13) form. He wanted to be listed as a believ- Even though the manna could assume the er. taste of any delicacy in the world, the "And you shall keep and do them" is in Later, when the Rebbe’s father was Jews still complained to Moses, "Our soul the plural, as it refers to keeping the To- is dried away…we have only the manna arrested, his interrogators asked him how rah's commandments, which all Jews he had dared to make such statements. to look to." Because they could not see must do equally. "And He will love you the different foods they were eating (the He answered that his words were totally and bless you" is in the singular, as it in support of the government. “Jews manna always looked the same), it con- refers to the reward a Jew receives for his tained an element of "affliction" and inherently believe in G‑d,” he told his observance, which is entirely individual. questioners. “I was merely exhorting "suffering"; moreover, this inability to see Although all Jews keep the same mitzvot, prevented them from being fully sated. them to tell the truth and not lie to the they do so with different levels of enthu- government.” From this we learn that lighting Shabbat siasm, devotion and motivation; thus they candles, illuminating the room, enhances are given varying degrees of reward. “Telling the Truth”, Moshiach Now! and our pleasure of the Shabbat meal. “Internalizing our Love for Hashem” (The Chida) (Kli Chemda) adapted from Keeping in Touch, Vol. 3, reprinted from Sichos in English

Internalizing our Love for Hashem This week’s Torah reading, Eikev, con- Our Sages tell us to take a moment before Chassidim of Yesteryear tains the verses: “What does G‑d, your eating to contemplate the spiritual dynam- R. Tzvi Hirsh Azimov of Klimovitch L‑rd, ask of you? Only to fear G‑d . . . to ic that takes place when we eat. To quote was born to his father Reb Moshe Nis- walk in His ways and to love Him.” Our (also from this week’s Torah reading): san, a Lubavitcher chassid. Sages interpret the quote non-literally, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that emerges from the mouth R. Hirshel was of the first temimim in מה - noting that the Hebrew word translated as “what,” resembles the word - of G‑d.” The verse is explaining that the Tomchei Temimim in Lubavitch meaning one hundred. In this vein, food a person eats exists because G‑d (temimim are students who study in - מאה the verse means that G‑d desires one hun- invested His energy in it through the me- Tomchei Temimim—the Chabad yeshi- dred from the Jewish people. One hundred dium of speech. Just as at the beginning of va network); there, he devoted himself to what? One hundred blessings. This is the creation G‑d spoke and created the world, the service of Hashem. Later, he became source for the injunction for each person so too at every moment He is bringing the one of the chozrim, those who would to recite one hundred blessings every day. world into existence through His speech. memorize the Chassidic discourses said by the Rebbe Rashab. At the age of 33 On the surface, the simple meaning of the When a person eats, he is deriving his he passed away from illness. The Rebbe verse and our Sages’ rendering of it are vitality not from the physical matter of the Rashab said that he had a pure body and worlds apart. The verse is telling us to food alone, but from the G‑dly spark His pure neshama; his neshama left him with have an active emotional relationship with speech has invested in the food. By recit- the same purity as when it came. G‑d—to love Him and fear Him, and seek ing a blessing over his food, praising to emulate His ways—while our Sages are G‑d shehakol nihyah bidvaro, “that every- There were times that R. Hirshel would speaking of a ritual obligation to recite thing was created with His speech,” he is say the Bedtime Shema all night, and blessings and to make sure that we recite taking note of that process. then take his tallit and tefillin and go one hundred of these blessings each day. straight to shul to daven, without sleep- Similarly, when a person relieves himself, ing at all. When looking deeper, however, we can he recites a blessing, acknowledging the appreciate that with their interpretation, infinite wisdom that went into the creation Reb Hirshel’s family was once expecting our Sages are not nullifying the verse’s of the human body. When he sees a light- him home from a long journey at a spe- simple meaning. What they are doing is ning bolt or hears thunder, he recites a cific time. When he didn’t arrive for a providing a vehicle for us to internalize blessing, clarifying that what appears part while they went down to the train station and apply the charge communicated by of the natural order is really an expression to look for him. They found him stand- the verse in our daily lives. of G‑dliness. And in his prayers, when he ing in the train station davening maariv petitions G‑d for his livelihood, he is ac- with intense concentration, while many Maimonides writes: “Our Sages instituted knowledging that his success is not a re- secular Jews stood around and observed many blessings as expressions of praise sult on his own endeavors alone, but de- him with sincere emotion, some even and thanks to G‑d, and as a means of peti- pends on G‑d’s blessings. bursting out in tears. tion, so that we will always remember the Creator . . . and fear Him.” When a per- All the blessings we recite are intended to When R. Hirshel fell ill, the doctor in- son recites a blessing before eating, he make the awareness of G‑d part of our structed him to eat lots of bread with makes—or at least has the opportunity to operative consciousness, and in this way butter. When his sister handed him a make—a fundamental acknowledgement spur our love and fear of Him. piece of toasted bread with a generous of G‑d’s presence in his life. smear of butter, he burst out in tears, from the teachings of the Rebbe saying: “All my life I’ve worked so hard not to eat something like this, and now I have no choice…” [One of the important practices of a Chassid is not to indulge in material delights.] G-dly Consciousness The Rebbe Rashab gave R. Hirshel in- structions to remain awake all Thursday

night as a preparation for Shabbat. He The ultimate concept of living in consciousness of G‑d will be in the era of Moshiach, did this until his last Thursday night in when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of G‑d as the waters cover the ocean this world. Even when he was very ill, he bed.” Although our material environment will continue to exist, it will be suffused would ask his brother to watch that he with the knowledge of G‑d. Whatever we do, we will be aware of His presence. didn’t sleep the amount of time that The catalyst to hasten the coming of this era is to conduct ourselves in the same man- would require him to wash his hands for ner today. Although we cannot actually see or feel the revelation of G‑d in all things, netilat yadaim (a relatively short period we can appreciate His presence intellectually. And we do not mean only abstract of time). knowledge, but rather the kind of knowing that affects one’s heart as well as one’s reprinted from The Weekly mind. This is achieved through the recitation of blessings in all our different activities. by Merkaz Anash, on-line at from the teachings of the Rebbe TheWeeklyFarbrengen.com Question: Regarding last week’s answer, I Photograph Uncovered like what you wrote about protecting children from negative influences and filling them with Rabbi Levi Haskelevich, a Chabad Torah, mitzvot and positive Jewish experiences. emissary in Philadelphia, is working However, what should children do when they on a book about his maternal grandfa- are away from their parents, at school, etc., and ther, Reb Motel Lipshitz, a legendary other kids tell them about secular movies, shows shochet in Soviet Russia who was or other things. I was disappointed that you did imprisoned by the KGB in 1939. In not give the parents advice in this regards. the KGB’s 900-page dossier about him, there were references to others village of Yani-Kurgan for his reli- Answer: It is a very good point you mention arrested for the same crime of gious activity in Kiev. He was trans- and I appreciate your raising the issue. First and “counter-revolutionary activity”, ported by a freight train to Khazak- foremost, the parents must be a positive example spreading and strengthening Yiddish- stan. To his surprise, he met on the for their children. Children sense what is most keit. train Levi Yitzchok Schneerson, important to the parent. For example, a father Among those mentioned was Rabbi the Yakesrinislover Rav and father of can dress like a chassid, daven, learn, keep a Aryeh Leib Kaplan, HY”D, the last the Rebbe. He was being exiled to high level of kashrut, etc., but if his inner enthu- unofficial Rabbi of Kiev and the Chilli, a tiny dusty village, home to a siasm lies in what sports team won the champi- grandfather of an extensive Chabad few hundred Muslim peasants. onship game, his children will sense his priori- ties and it can negatively impact their growth. family. It also had a photo of him. During the journey he realized Rabbi The photo shows a haggard middle- However, if the parents focus and zeal is for Levi Yitzchok was a completely spir- Torah and mitzvot, and the home is warm, wel- aged man wearing a yarmulka and a itual Jew who would have difficulty full beard, something very seldom coming and positive, Yiddishkeit will become settling and surviving the harsh life in part and parcel of the child’s identity. seen in a KGB prison photo. Chilli. He determined to help him. In 1939, Rabbi Kaplan was impris- Yani-Kurgan was a four-hour train In addition, as we see throughout the teachings oned and exiled to the Khazakstani ride from Chilli and he made weekly of the Rebbe, the best defense is a strong of- illegal trips to help. fense. By filling our children with positive To- rah and mitzot in their formative years, they will “He helped Reb Levi Yitzchok sur- develop an inner voice, an inner sense, that will Cooking Tip of the Week vive his first months in exile until guide them in the right direction. As you said, Rebbetzin Chana (Rabbi Levi Simple but Helpful! Read the the parents will not always be at the child’s side, Yitzchok’s wife) arrived,” the Kaplan however, as we learn from Yaakov and Yosef, whole recipe before you start cook- family said. For many years, the Reb- ing. It helps to know what the final (although Yosef was a slave in Egypt, separated be would discretely tell R’ Moshe from his father for many years, he was able to dish should look and taste like; (Rabbi Kaplan’s son) to say L’chaim withstand tremendous temptation due to the which pots, pans, and tools to pre- at the held in honor of the education he received from his father) the guid- pare; as well as important instruc- 20th of Av, the yartzeit of Rabbi Levi ance we provide our children in the home will tions like “marinate overnight.” Yitzchok. Adapted from COLlive.com help them overcome the tests and challenges that lay ahead. This includes speaking with our chil- dren, helping them process thoughts and ideas Halacha Corner – Sheva Brachot that lay in their head, thereby enabling them to make the right decisions. To recite Sheva Brachot (Seven Blessings) at a special meal that is made for a chatan and kallah during the week following their chatunah (wedding), a Along these same lines, it is important to raise minyan (ten men) is required to be in attendance, plus a panim chadashot (a up the child. Imbue the child with the pride of man who did not attend the chuppah, wedding, nor any previous Sheva Bra- being a Torah observant Jew—a child of Av- chot for this couple) who will serve as guest of honor. According to many raham, Yitzchak and Yaakov— to the point that poskim, however, the panim chadashot does not have to partake of the meal, the child will truly feel that secular influences but it has to be made in his honor, as his presence enhances the meal. are not relevant or appropriate for him. There is a disagreement amongst halachic authorities whether it is necessary So too, as discussed last week, parents must for the men who will recite the Sheva Brochot to partake of the meal. The guard their children from negative influences. accepted custom is that they may recite Sheva Brochot even if they did not Because a child is impressionable, he will be eat. The consensus amongst poskim is that at least seven of the ten men affected by his surroundings. Parents should not forming the minyan have to wash for bread; poskim compare this to saying place unreasonable expectations on their chil- Hashem’s name in Birachat Hazimmun where the same requirement applies. dren in their formative years. Some poskim are of the opinion that it is sufficient if three out of the ten men To recap: 1. set a positive example; 2. develop have washed for bread. Since the possibility of saying Hashem’s Name in your child’s inner voice through filling their life vain is involved—a very serious prohibition—one should follow the stringent with positive Jewish experiences; 3. develop opinion and ensure that at least seven of the men have washed for bread and their pride in being a Torah observant Jew. the remaining three should partake of some of the food. Aharon Schmidt; marriage, family & individual Rav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, Member of the Badatz of Crown Heights, One coaching; [email protected] Minute Halachah, #376, reprinted from crownheightsconnect.com