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Yud Shvat - 70 Years “receiving line”; every visitor received a dollar to give to chari- February 5, 2020—The 10th day of the Jewish month ty.) of Shevat (Yud Shevat in Hebrew) is a most significant date on In the evening Mr. Cohen drove to the airport. There was still the chassidic calendar. It is the anniversary of pass- time before the 10:30 PM departure. “If an answer from the ing (yahrtzeit) of the sixth Lubavitcher , Yosef Rebbe comes, I’ll be ready to go,” he thought as he checked in. Yitzchak (1880–1950), of righteous memory. While other passengers relaxed in the departure lobby, Mr. Co- It is also the day when, in 1951, the seventh Rebbe, Rabbi Men- hen nervously called Lubavitch headquarters several times. achem Mendel Schneerson formally accepted the leadership Friends in Crown Heights also tried to verify if there was an of C h a b a d - L u b a v i t c h with a histor- answer for him. In his dilemma, he called his brother-in- ic discourse (maamar) and address at a gathering marking the law, David Jaffe, for advice. After he hung up the phone, David first anniversary of his predecessor’s passing. had an idea. He hurried over to the dollar line and asked the ↔ Rebbe for a reply for his brother-in-law. Here are two stories of the Rebbe’s reach The 9:00 PM news reported that another cyclone had hit Bang- ladesh. That, and the fact that by 10:00 PM he had not received an answer from the Rebbe, were enough to cause Mr. Cohen to Mr. Max Cohen from Manchester received a call from a busi- cancel his flight. ness associate in Bangladesh. “Mr. Cohen, we’ve prepared a As his baggage was being removed from the plane, he placed a large shipment of merchandise for you. We are eagerly awaiting final call to his father-in-law, Abraham Jaffe, in Manchester. “I’ll your arrival, so we can close the deal.” Mr. Cohen was equally have to stay overnight in London,” he said. “I’ll return to Man- keen on the deal. For years, he had benefited from his associa- chester tomorrow.” As they conversed, Mr. Cohen began to tion with the textile industry in that country. And yet he had unwind and relax from the tense hours he had gone through. mixed feelings. The men continued talking casually for a while, when Mr. Jaffe He was familiar with the country, rife with civil uprisings and heard a beep on his line. “Excuse me, Max, I have another call. natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. I’ll put you on hold for just a moment.” Only a year earlier, he had fled the country without concluding On the other line was his son David from Crown Heights. “I his business, after violent fighting had broken out in the streets. have news for Max,” he said excitedly, “but I don’t know how Some months later, en route from Hong Kong, he canceled a to reach him.” With a press on the button, the elder Mr. Jaffe stopover in Bangladesh because a full-force cyclone had ripped connected Max with a conference call. The two men listened in through the country. anticipation as David related his story. His associates tried repeatedly to calm his fears. “Things are “When I reached the Rebbe, it was 5:00 PM, and already 10:00 quiet now, Max,” they reassured him. “The streets are calm and PM in London. I described Max’s situation to the Rebbe, ex- the worst is over. There’s nothing to worry about.” plaining that he was at the airport waiting for the Rebbe’s bless- Mr. Cohen still was not convinced. After considerable delibera- ing. ‘It’s tumultuous there,’ the Rebbe said. I ventured to tell the tion, he proceeded with the arrangements for the trip, but faxed Rebbe that things had become calmer. The Rebbe then handed the details of his plans to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Men- me a dollar for Max, and gave him his blessing for a successful achem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, asking his journey. advice and blessing. “I turned to go, but the Rebbe’s attendant called me back. The His flight was scheduled for the following Sunday. Throughout Rebbe gave me another dollar and said: ‘This is for the entire week Mr. Cohen remained in contact with the (emissary) in Bangladesh.’ I stood transfixed in the Rebbe’s office in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, amazement. ‘Jews in Bangladesh?’ I wondered. ‘And a Lubav- inquiring whether or not he had received a reply, but to no avail. itch shaliach at that?’ The Rebbe surely noticed my astonish- Sunday morning, Mr. Cohen called the Rebbe’s secretary at his ment, for he added: ‘There is a Jew in that country who is in- home. “Is there anything you can do for me? I need an answer volved with Lubavitch.’ urgently.” “Listen, I’m going to forward the dollars by special delivery to “It’s difficult to ask the Rebbe such matters on Sunday, because Max’s hotel in Bangladesh. I won’t keep you another moment.” he devotes many hours to distributing dollars,” the secretary There was no time to lose. Laden with his suitcases that had said. (Beginning in 1986, the Rebbe would conduct a weekly already been deplaned, and the Rebbe’s blessing, Mr. Cohen

Jewish Joke Judge to member of the jury who was about to be sworn in but who had told the Court that he was deaf in one ear. “You really can’t serve on the jury” “Why not?” “Because you can only hear one side” VOLUME 7, ISSUE 5 Page 3 boarded in the nick of time. The long flight gave him ample time “While phoning Rabbi Groner some years ago, I discussed an to recollect his thoughts and muse at the unbelievable chain of issue which had been on my mind. Over the years, I had met a events. If David hadn’t had that idea; if I hadn’t called my father- number of Jewish families who spend extended periods of time in-law; if we hadn’t prolonged our conversation; if David’s call here in Bangladesh on business. They and their children had very would have come a minute later . . . what divine providence! little, if any, connection with Jewish values and observance. But what was mostly on his mind was the mysterious mission “Rabbi Groner helped me organize a Jewish education program from the Rebbe to deliver a dollar to “a Jew who is involved in for the children. Since then, he has been sending me educational Lubavitch activity.” He had traveled to Bangladesh many times. material from North Carolina. His business associates were all Muslims, and so was almost eve- “Once, about three years ago, Rabbi Groner mentioned that he ryone else he had ever met there. A Jew in Bangladesh? A Lubav- had included a report of my Bangladesh activities in his periodic itch activist? Even if so how was he supposed to locate him in a reports of his own activities to the Rebbe.” population of 114 million . . . ? Walter continued slowly, and his next words were emotionally Upon arriving in the city of Chittagong in eastern Bangladesh, charged: “Don’t ask me too many questions about our providen- Mr. Cohen checked into his hotel and set out to find the person tial meeting here. I honestly have no rational answer, except that for whom the Rebbe had sent the dollar. the Rebbe saw fit to encourage me, a distant Jew whom he heard After two days of searching, Mr. Cohen returned to his hotel about three years ago. weary and frustrated. Just then he noticed a man hurrying to- “I, and all the families with whom I am involved, live in Dhaka, wards the elevator before its doors closed. There was something the capital. My business affairs have always been located in the striking in the man’s face. A thought flashed through his mind. same area. I never traveled to other parts of this country until this He retraced his steps towards the elevator. Monday morning, when I felt a sudden urge to see some of the “Excuse me, sir, are you Jewish?” tourist attractions in this area. The man turned around and stared at Mr. Cohen. The elevator “This is how I happened to be here in Chittagong. I plan to re- doors closed, but the man remained standing there. turn to Dhaka tomorrow morning.” “Yes.” ↔ Minutes later, the two men were deep in conversation in Mr. Co- “I first met the Rebbe during the lifetime of his father-in-law and hen’s hotel room. Two Jews, two worlds of business, personal predecessor, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchack of Lubavitch,” related Rab- concerns, and interesting experiences came together in a meeting bi Avraham Mordechai Hershberg, the former chief rabbi of of chance in distant Bangladesh. Mexico. “I asked the previous rebbe about a rabbinic position I Or was it chance? As they conversed, Mr. Cohen sensed that this was offered in Chicago. He told me to consult his son-in-law. indeed was the man he was looking for. “I spent nearly an entire night with the Rebbe. Our discussion “The Lubavitcher Rebbe asked me to deliver a dollar to a Jew covered tractate after tractate of the Talmud, and the scope of who is involved in Lubavitch activity in Bangladesh.” the Rebbe’s knowledge and his genius totally amazed me. From that night onward, I maintained a relationship with the Rebbe, The man, who had introduced himself as Walter from North and I consulted with him regarding numerous personal and pub- Carolina, was visibly moved. “Yes, I know the Lubavitcher Reb- lic matters.” be, and from time to time I am involved in Lubavitch activities,” he said slowly. “I suppose this is the Rebbe’s way of expressing In 1980, during the Iranian occupation of the American embassy his concern and encouragement to a simple Jew halfway around there, Rabbi Hershberg was scheduled to travel to Iran for a pub- the globe.” lic service project. Because of the tense atmosphere at the time, many tried to persuade him to postpone his trip. The Rebbe, by And Walter began to tell his story: contrast, encouraged him. “Go with blessing,” he answered. “My import-export business takes me to many places throughout “You are certain to light the Chanukah menorah in Iran.” the world, but I have spent most of my recent years in Bangla- Rabbi Hershberg was puzzled by the Rebbe’s closing words. He desh. Come what may, however, I always go back to North Caro- was not necessarily planning to stay in Iran for Chanukah. But if lina at least twice a year, for Passover and for the High Holidays. he would, there was no question that he would light a menorah. “Before my business brought me to Bangladesh, I was an active He did not understand the Rebbe’s reference, nor the emphatic member of the Jewish community in Charlotte, North Carolina. tone in his words. We have a large community with many members, but like other Afterwards, it became clear. His mission in Iran took longer than communities in the States, many do not observe mitzvot. Inter- expected, during which time he developed a relationship with marriage is on the rise, and our youth lack direction. So I whole- some Iranian officials. He knew that there were six Jews among heartedly welcomed the young Lubavitch couple who arrived in the hostages in the American embassy, and he asked permission North Carolina in 1980, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak and Mrs. Mariasha to light the menorah with them. “Just as we have granted permis- Groner. sion for a priest to meet with the Christian hostages on their holi- “I did my best to help them acclimate themselves into our com- day,” the Iranians replied, “we will allow you entry as well.” munity and get started with their work. I maintain a steady rela- And so, it was in the barricaded American embassy in Iran that tionship with them, even though seven years have passed since I Rabbi Hershberg lit the Chanukah menorah that year. moved here. The HINDA Institute The Lubavitcher Rebbe gives a deep insight into the seven species 9401 W Margail Ave Continued from front page Des Plaines, IL 60016 and their relation to the New Year for Trees on 15 Shevat: In general, the seven species can be split into two types: 1) grain; and 2) fruit from trees. Grain is Phone: 847-296-1770 necessary for sustenance. Fruits, on the other hand, are not necessary, but they add pleasure to life. E-mail: @chabadandfree.com Both are important, and therefore both are included in the blessing for the land of Israel. In a spiritual sense, the “Israel” of our soul also contains these two elements, necessity and pleas- ure. On the 15th of Shevat, the New Year for Trees, we customarily eat from all seven species, but we celebrate the five fruit that grow on trees (pleasure) even more than the grains (necessity). The lesson for us is that even when a person is in the early stages of spiritual growth (i.e., the level of trees and all growing things), he must already have the goal of serving G‑d “with all [his] might,” which includes the all-encompassing attributes of desire and pleasure. For a Jew’s service of G‑d cannot be purely mechanical or intellectual. Only when one’s service of G‑d is truly pleasurable can it be truly complete. Helping INDividuals Ascend The New Year for Trees teaches us that, from the start, we must set out to serve G‑d with all seven Divine attributes. Every morning as we start our day, we must resolve to serve G‑d not just out of In loving memory of rote and necessity, but with pleasure—giving it all we got.7 Mrs. Hinda Scheiman OBM Footnotes: 1.Duetronemy 8:8 2.The text of the blessing can be found here. For wheat or barley, one would recite Birchat Hamazon or Al Hamichyah. 3.Don Isaac Abarbanel, commentary on Parshat Eikev; see also Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:8. 4.Teshuvot HaLeket 2:55. 5.See Likutei Torah and Sefer Halikuteim from the Arizal on Parshat Eikev; see also Likutei Torah (Baal HaTanya), Parshat Behaa- lotechah. 6.Lev Sameach, Parshat Yitro. 7.From a Talk on 15th of Shevat, 5739 (1979) and 5th Day of Shevat, 5745 (1985).

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Upcoming Holiday—Purim The jolly festival of Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar. Purim 2020 begins on Monday night, March 9 and continues through Tuesday March 10. It commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day,” as recorded in the Megillah (book of Esther). Purim Observances 1) Reading of the Megillah (book of Esther), which recounts the story of the Purim miracle. This is done once on the eve of Purim and then again on the following day. 2) Giving money gifts to at least two poor people. 3) Sending gifts of two kinds of food to at least one person. 4) A festive Purim feast. Purim Customs - There is a spirit of liveliness and fun on Purim that is unparalleled on the Jewish calendar. If there were ever a day to “let loose” and just be Jewish, this is it! - It is also customary for children (and adults, if they desire) to dress up in costumes. - A traditional Purim food is hamantaschen (or oznay Haman), three-cornered pastries bursting with poppy seeds or another sweet filling. - On the day before Purim, Monday March 9, it is customary to fast, commemorating Esther’s fasting and praying to G‑d that He save His people.