This Bulletin has been Sponsored By: The Akkad Family in honor of David Braha & family בס”ד 21 Cedar Street Lakewood פרשת תצוה/Volume 1 Issue 7 Parashat Tesaveh Friday / Shabbat Morning / Shabbat Afternoon / 3:25 - שיעור הלכה 8:00 - קרבנות 5:19 - מנחה / Minha 4:40 - מנחה 8:15 - ה‘ מלך Candle Lighting - 5:19 5:38 - שקיעה 8:48 - שמע מ”א 5:37 - שקיעה / Shekiah 6:10 - שיחה שיעור חובות הלבבות Fulfilling Your Mission In This World Hashem told Moshe, "Bring your brother, Aharon & his sons to you, from amongst Bene Yisrael, to become Kohanim to serve Me." At this point, Hashem appointed Aharon and his sons to perform His service in the Mishkan, and later in the Bet Hamikdash. The Midrash Rabah explains that Moshe Rabenu was disappointed that he was not chosen to be the Kohen Gadol. Hashem replied, "The Torah was in the heavens with Me & I gave it to you. Were it not for the Torah I would have destroyed the world!" How is Hashem's statement an answer to Moshe's disappointment? The Etz Yosef comments on this; Hakadosh Baruch Hu was telling Moshe, "Wasn't it enough that I gave you the Keter Torah, which is more valuable than anything else, since the existence of the world depends on it?" Hashem was in essence telling Moshe, "I could have made Aharon the Kohen Gadol without your knowledge, however, I wanted you to appoint him in order that you should know that his greatness can only come about through your greatness." Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein Zt"l comments on this Midrash, that we learn from here an amazing lesson. Each and every person has a unique mission in his life, and everyone has an obligation to fulfill their specific mission in this world. Hashem has a particular job for each person from the beginning of creation until the coming of Mashiach which only he can fulfill. Shlomo Hamelech alludes to this in the Pasuk in Kohelet (12,5). The Pasuk is describing what occurs when one leaves this world. "When man is going to his house in his world."(Olam Haba) The Pasuk does not say he is going to a house in a world, rather, his house in his world. This refers to the beautiful home which he created by performing Torah & Mitzvot according to his efforts and sincerity in fulfilling them in this world. Of course, if one does not put in effort & sincerity in his fulfilling the Mitzvot, it will be very upsetting & sorrowful to live in a dilapidated & decrepit home for eternity. How sad for those who do not realize what they are doing to themselves. (Continued on page 2) To Sponsor an Issue Please Contact 732-703-4310 * All Times Listed are for Lakewood NJ Page-1 This Bulletin has been Sponsored By: The Akkad Family in honor of David Braha & family (Continued from page 1) The Mishna in Pirke Abot (4,21) warns us: "Rabi Yaakob says Olam Hazeh (this world) is compared to a vestibule before Olam Haba (the world to come). Prepare yourselves well in the vestibule (Olam Hazeh) in order to enter the palace (Olam Haba)." This idea is so profound. It teaches us that each person must serve Hashem with what Hashem gives him. All of his tests & problems are for him to show Hashem how much he loves Him. In succeeding in doing so, he builds for himself a beautiful castle in Olam Haba. Now we can understand what was troubling Moshe that he was not appointed as Kohen Gadol. Moshe wanted to utilize every opportunity to express his love for Hashem. However, to this Hashem replied, "Each person has his unique mission", which, for Moshe, was to bring the Torah down to this world. Aharon's mission was to serve as the Kohen Gadol. Every person has a unique service to perform in the master plan. This is comparable to an army, where each soldier has his function and rank, and together they carry out their mission. This is the only way they can succeed. Similarly, we are serving in Hashem's army, and must fulfill our personal mission. In this way, we will perfect Klal Yisrael as a whole. Shabbat Shalom HaRav Ezra Zafrani Stories of Gedolim Der Alter of Slabodka, Rov Nosson Tzvi Finkel zt”l summoned 2 future roshei yeshiva to him. He had received a request that he send one of his top talmidim to Slutzk to establish a Yeshiva there. The two talmidei chachomim summoned were two brothers-in law, Rov Moshe Mordechai Epstein zt”l and Rov Isser Zalman Meltzer zt”l. Neither were fond of the idea of leaving Alter of Slabodka z”tl the established Slabodka yeshiva to embark on starting a new one, a very challenging task. Rov Meltzer after some thought offered to go. “My brother in law is older and has already established a home for himself near the Slabodka yeshiva. I, however, am still being supported and have yet to establish myself. It will be easier for me to move”. The Alter accepted this decision and Rov Meltzer became the Slutzker Rosh Yeshiva, the title by which he is known. Years passed, Rov Meltzer found out about a certain bochur who was a big talmid chochom, and wished to get him for a son-in-law. He quickly travelled to Slabodka to inquire about the boy and set up the shidduch. He spoke with his brother-in-law, the Rosh Yeshiva, Rov Epstein, who gave his blessing to the shidduch. Rebbitzen Epstein however was confused and when Rov Meltzer left she asked her husband why he gave the bochur to his niece instead of for their own daughter, as was their intention. Rov Epstein explained that in such a situation, after Rov Isser Zalman travelled specifically for this bochur, they must be mevater and give the shidduch to the Meltzer family. (Continued on page 3) To Sponsor an Issue Please Contact 732-703-4310 Page-2 This Bulletin has been Sponsored By: The Akkad Family in honor of David Braha & family נפלאות הבורא Hashems Amazing World THE PISTOL SHRIMP Among the fascinating creatures of the deep, is a finger-size shrimp which is less than an inch long! It is equipped with 2 claws, of which one is oversized, resembling a boxing glove. At first, it seems like any ordinary shrimp; however, Hakadosh Baruch Hu armed it with a secret weapon in its larger claw. When prey is in range, it cocks its claw like a pistol. When it goes off, it shoots a powerful "bubble bullet" of water, which travels at 62 mph, that either stuns or kills its prey. As the pressure stabilizes, the bubble collapses with a loud bang- a sound of over 218 decibels. This is as loud as a gunshot! When colonies of the shrimp snap their claws, the sound is so intense that submarines can take advantage of it to hide from sonar. It is one of loudest creatures in the sea! The bubble emits not only sound, but a flash of light—indicating the extreme temperature and pressure inside the bubbles before they burst. Scientists say the light emitted from the snapping shrimp's bubbles suggests that the temperature inside the bubbles must be at least 5,000 degrees Kelvin (8,540 degrees Fahrenheit) at the time of collapse. Otherwise, we wouldn't see it. That is almost as hot as the surface of the sun! The whole process, which was recorded with the use of high-speed cameras and sound equipment, occurs within 300 microseconds, but is more than enough to stun or kill his prey, so that Hashem has provided him with his next meal! The pistol shrimp has elaborate, permanently closed eyelid-like coverings, called orbital hoods, which is a thick protective lid that allows it to use its pistol without harming itself. However, there is a downside to this protective layer: It impedes the shrimp’s vision and, as a result, the shrimp has a difficult time detecting prey or potential threats from predators from far distances. Not to worry, Hashem supplied him with a partnership to solve this issue. Pistol shrimps have a symbiotic relationship with certain species of gobies. Here's the deal: The shrimp creates a habitat of tunnels underneath the seafloor where it can hide and sleep safely. A goby occupies this habitat in exchange for warning of danger. As the goby leaves the burrow to hunt for food, the shrimp uses its antennae to follow the fish. If the goby is mildly alarmed, the fish undulates its tail as it propels away from the threat, and if the fish spots a definite predator, it quickly turns around and retreats to the burrow. As a result, the fish’s body movements relay specific information about the environment to the shrimp’s antennae as they travel together. Without the aid of its symbiont, a predator would be able to approach the optically-impaired shrimp more closely. To summarize, this shrimp was supplied with a special pistol in order to catch its food. For protection, it was provided with special eyelids to protect its eyes. However, this impairs it's vision. So he was also provided with a special watch guard to alert him of impending danger! What "luck"! Rabbi Eliyahu Tobal Stories of Gedolim cont… Rov Isser Zalman had been mevater years before and left to establish the Slutzk yeshiva. This was rewarded with an amazing son-in-law who lit up the world with his Torah Rov Aharon Kotler zt”l.