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Parshas Vayikra Chabad of Beverly Hills Vol. 24 Issue 23 6 Nissan, 5781 / March 19, 2021 9145 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Candlelighting Chabadofbeverlyhills.com (Los Angeles) his own personal set of clothing to Identity Crisis distinguish him from others, he might Yosef Shusterman 6:46 PM By Rabbi Yossi Goldman suffer an identity crisis. So he devised Rabbi Mendel Shusterman Amnesia is a frightening illness. Imag- a plan. He tied a red string around his 310-271-9063 Friday Mincha: ine forgetting who you are — sudden- big toe so that even in the bathhouse ly you have no family, no history, and he would stand out from everyone else. Sadly, when he was in the shower, 7:00 PM no identity. It can happen to an indi- In Place of a Temple Offering vidual and it can happen to a people. the water and soapsuds loosened the There have been times in our history red string, and it slipped off his big toe. LATEST SHEMA: 10:00 when we seemed to forget who we To make matters worse, the red string Rabbi Moshe-Leib of Sassov once were and where we came from. And floated along to the next cubicle and came to the marketplace in Yaro- all too often, we seem uncertain twirled around the big toe of the fellow SHABBAT SCHEDULE under the next shower. slav. He was passing among the about where we are going. vendors, checking the quality of the  Shacharis 7:30 AM In the opening chapters of Leviticus, Suddenly, our Chelmer genius discov- ered that his string was gone. He start- straw and hay for sale, when he 9:30 AM we read the expression Nefesh ki met his friend, Rabbi Shimon of techeta — "when a person will ed panicking. This was a serious identity sin." The goes on to describe the crisis. Then he saw that the fellow next Yaroslav.  Mincha 6:40 PM various atonement offerings necessary door was sporting his red string. Where- ", what are you doing here?" followed to absolve one from their trespasses. upon, he ran over to him and shouted, Shimon asked in surprise. "I know who you are, but who am I?" by class The Kabbalistic classic, , renders "Leave out my 'Rebbe' and your this phrase both literally and spiritual- Who are you? You are a ! You are a 'Rebbe' and come with me to carry ly. Nefesh is interpreted as not merely son of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, a a bale of hay to a poor widow who  Maariv 7:40 PM a person but a soul, and the verse is d a u g h t e r punctuated by a question mark. In of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. had no hay or straw upon which to other words, the Torah is ask- You are a member of the "kingdom of lay her broken body," the Sassover  Shabbat 7:46 PM ing Nefesh ki techeta? Shall a soul priests and holy nation." You were freed replied pungently. s i n ? Can a Jewish soul, ends from Egypt and stood at Sinai. You a yiddishe neshamah, a spark of di- have survived countless attempts on The two holy leaders went togeth- vinity, really and truly stoop to com- your life and your faith. You emerged er, hauling a bale of hay on their Please see attached mit a lowly sin? How is that possible? from the ashes of Auschwitz only to live shoulders. Astonished bystanders again. And you ask "Who am I?" This is email for complete Indeed, the only way it can happen is stared in wonder and moved aside when we forget who we are, when we a serious case of national amnesia. to make room for them to pass. Shabbos schedule and are no longer in touch with our true So the holy Zohar reminds us that we As they went, Rabbi Moshe-Leib spiritual identity, when we start to are not only "a person who may sin." remarked, "Were the Holy Temple conditions. suffer from spiritual amnesia. We are a soul, and shall a soul sin? A soul is by definition part and parcel of standing today, we would be bring- Sadly, it does happen. In fact, it's not ing sacrifices and libations. Now we really that difficult. After all, we live in the Divine. And for the G‑dly soul with- Announcements: a secular society. The old ghetto walls in us, distancing ourselves from our very bring straw, and it is as though we source is absolutely unthinkable. Yartzheit: Mordechai are no longer there to insulate us. We have all the kavanot (spiritual in- are exposed to the big wide world How else can we explain the phenome- tentions) that come with offering Salzberg - Nisan 8, with all its seemingly tantalizing diver- non that after 70 years of Communist the korban mincha sacrifice." sions. Even if we do marry within the Meir Taus - Nisan 10, atheism, in the Former Soviet Rabbi 's fa- faith, we become culturally assimilat- Union are today fervently embracing Alfred Sussman - Nisan ed. Slowly but surely, then, even the faith of their forefathers? Or that ther, R. Yaakov, would take a job 11. a nefesh, a Jewish soul, starts forget- after decades of apathy, American Jews before Passover grinding wheat at ting who she is and can fall into the of all ages are desperately seeking the mill, not for himself, though he web of sin. Happy Birthday to spirituality? Or that the renaissance of was also a poor man, but for a wid- Jasmine Eghbali and Remember the "wise man" from Jewish life has become a reality around the globe? Yes, there are good people ow and orphan who lived in his Tehilla Hezghian. Chelm and his problem? He worried neighborhood. And he did this de- that when he went to the public bath- out there igniting sparks and fanning Mazel Tov to the house where everyone is unclothed he them into a fiery faith. But the sparks spite his great and abiding love for wouldn't know who he was. Without would not take if there was not a burn- the Torah, which he learned con- ing ember inside every Jewish soul, an Davidpour Family on stantly. the wedding of Simcha ember that remains Wednesday, Nissan 11 (March 24) inextinguishable no Moshe Leib, his son, followed in his to Moshe Coleman. matter what. father's footsteps. Despite his marks the 119th birthday of the greatness in Torah, he did not wor- Rebbe obm. So if you ever have doubts about who ry about his honor when it came to you are, remember performing acts of kindness for his There will be a Zoom Farbrengen this the Zohar. You are a fellow Jew with his own hands, soul. And a soul never Good Shabbos! Monday night at 8:00 P.M. dies. even if they were beneath his status in the eyes of others. - chabad.org Rabbi Moshe Kessleman will Fabreng. (ascentofsafed.org) ZOOM CLASSES: was invited and was puzzled. Parsha Insights Story of the Week: Then, the person who the Getting Close There will be no Zoom A Meal for Eighteen miracle happened to, who ap- אָדָ םכִּ י יַקְרִּ יב מִּ כֶּם קָרְ בָ ן וגו': )ויקרא Strangers א:ב( classes till after Pesach peared to be about 60 years One day, Yaakov Rechimi old, stood up and started [G-d said to Moses,] “When someone (the grandson of Rabbi Mi- speaking. brings a sacrifice . . . ” Leviticus 1:2 Daily Mon.– Fri: 6:45 AM chael Peretz of Mexico), re- “I know you all want to know The notion of sacrifices seems to run Torah Ohr (In Shul) ceived a phone call from a the reason why I invited you. counter to the Jewish conception of G- man who wanted to invite him d: G-d has no need to “consume” or be I’ll tell you what happened. to a seudat hodaya, a thanks- “When I was lying in the hospi- “bribed” by our sacrifices. Yet we see Please visit giving celebration that one tal, basically dead from the in this section of the Torah that G-d www.rabbishusterman.com hosts when one experiences Corona, I felt myself rising up not only accepts sacrifices but explicit- ly sets down the procedures for them, a miracle. The caller told him to Heaven. The first one I saw where you can access over giving every indication that He actually his name, which community there was my mother, who had 2300 of Rabbi Shuster- he belonged to, and which wants them! passed away a few years be- In fact, the Hebrew word translated as man’s classes in Halacha, . Yaakov thought fore. She exclaimed, ‘What are he recognized the name, but “sacrifice” or “offering”– korban – Tanya, Gemara, Torah Ohr, you doing here?! Go back means “getting close.” Although we he didn’t really know the per- down!’ Likutei Torah and more son and wasn’t sure why he generally associate sacrifices with atonement for sin, the first sacrifices was invited. Still, he said: “Of ““I answered her, “Ma, I want to go back down but I can’t.” mentioned in this section are voluntary course, you invite me to a offerings, which an individual brings to seudat hodaya, I will come. “My mother waved off my answer. ’No, you can go down. G-d not to atone for sin but out of the What is it that you want to You want to know why? Look desire to draw closer to Him. Of thank HaShem for and cele- course, some of the sacrifices are in- Daily Minyonim down there -- just take a look!’ brate with a meal?” deed sin-offerings. This simply indicates Weekday Shacharis: The caller tells him, “I al- “So I look down and what did that G-d calls out to all of us to draw most passed away. One I see? I saw all of you that I close to Him – not only to the guiltless 6:00 AM & 7:30 AM month I was in the hospital invited to this meal. You were among us – at all times. Sunday Shacharis: with Corona; I almost died. in 18 different places but I saw Nowadays, in the absence of the Tab- But I survived, thank G-d, so you all in one glance while I ernacle (or its permanent successor, 7:00 AM & 9:00 AM was in Heaven. I saw you sit- the holy Temple in Jerusalem), there now I want to make a seudat hodaya.” ting saying tehilim (Psalms) for are three ways that we draw close to G -d: through studying the Torah – partic- Mincha/Maariv: So Rechimi said: “Of course me. In fact, at that moment every ularly its teachings about sacrifices; I’ll come,” even though he still through prayer, the liturgy of which is 7:05 PM single one of you was men- wasn’t sure why he was invit- modeled after the sacrifices; and ed. tioning my name and my moth- through acts of charity and kindness. And if you bring a When he arrived at the er’s name. Even though you had no clue who I was, you Elevating the Four Kingdoms עַ ל כָל קָרְ בָנְָךתַקְרִּ יב מֶּלַ ח: )ויקרא ב:יג( meal-offering baked in host’s home, he saw 17 other men were also present for mentioned my name and recit- the oven (Lev. 2:4) ed tehilim for my complete [G-d told Moses,] “You must offer up the celebration meal. The 18 salt on all your sacrifices.” Leviticus people including himself were recovery. In order to become “My mother then said to me 2:13 a random group; each man All four kingdoms of creation are in- ‘You see, they are giving you closer to G-d, a per- was from a different shul, a corporated in the sacrifices: Salt is the the power to come back alive.’ son should arouse his different community, a differ- mineral element; the oil, wine, and innate, fiery love of ent area. It just didn’t click for “And that’s what happened flour that accompany sacrifices are Him by contemplating him why this specific group of and that’s why invited every the vegetative element; the animal 18 people were there. single one of you 18 people to itself is the animal element; the per- the greatness of the He remarked to the person the seuda. Because while I son offering the sacrifice and the Creator. For in the next to him: “It’s so nice that was in Heaven, I saw you say- priest officiating at the sacrifice are same way that an he invited us to his celebra- ing tehilim for me and saving the human element. Through these oven's heat causes tion.” They started talking and my life!” - ascentofsafed.com representatives, the sacrifice elevates the other man tells him that all four kingdoms of creation into the liquid to separate he has no idea why he was holiness. from the dough, so invited; he doesn’t know the Hayom Yom – Nissan 7 Similarly, the animal and vegetable too does a burning person who is making the Text of Vay'hi binsoa (p. 185, food that we eat is our own personal seuda. par. Al): v'chirtzon kol amcha “sacrifice,” since by eating it, we love of G-d separate a beit yisrael. transform it into the fuel that enables person from his at- “I got a phone call,” he us to fulfill G-d’s commandments, shrugged, “so I came.” Re- The Alter Rebbe's family traction to material name was Baruchovitch. thereby elevating it into holiness. In chimi told him this context, our tables are our own things and strengthen “Yes, the same thing with The Mitteler Rebbe's personal “altars.” Traditionally, the his connection with me. I don’t know why I was family name was Schneuri. bread that we eat is first dipped in the infinite. invited, but I’m here.” The Tzemach Tzedek's salt. In this way, we elevate all four (Likutei Sichot) It turned out that all 18 at family name was kingdoms of creation at our table, just as they were in the sacrifices. the table didn’t know why he . From: The Daily Wisdom - chabad.org