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למען ישמעו • נשא תשע"ט • 518 Editor - SHIMON HELlINGER

Totally Involved (I)

Completely Engaged higher things. He was so overawed by what he That winter in Lubavitch was particularly bitter, saw that he informed the kehilla of the man's and Reb Yosef was on his way home in a horse- Shlomo HaMelech urges a Yid: "Be utterly greatness, and told them, "This shammes should drawn sled on a dangerously slippery and bumpy engrossed (tishgeh) with your love for , really be the rov, and I should serve under him." path. The sled shook so violently from side to side, that the poor fellow fell overboard into the )ס' חסידים כת"י, בראשית חכמה שער הקדושה פ"ג( constantly." Chazal explain that this all-consuming love of Torah should even cause a person to make snow. Unfortunately, the driver didn't notice mistakes (shogeg) and drop all his affairs in order and continued on without him, and Reb Yosef, to run and study Torah, and the Torah will look immersed in deep concentration, felt not a thing of after him and cause him to find favor in the eyes Consider the freezing snow in which he was sitting. A while of those around him. Why are these individuals later, a group of chassidim passed by and saw him To illustrate this, the Gemara describes how Rebbi being praised for their sitting there in the snow. When they asked what Elazar ben Pedas would be so utterly engrossed absentmindedness? Should on earth he was doing there, he looked surprised in his learning that he would sit and study Torah and replied, “I'm on my way to Lubavitch!” in the lower market of Tzipori, without realizing )רשימות דברים ח"א עמ' רכז( ?they be mimicked that he had left his cloak in the upper market of Tzipori. It once happened that someone tried to What is there to be gained Reb Shlomeh der Geler, a chossid of the steal his cloak from the upper market, but found by being so absorbed Rashab, worked as a builder's assistant, and he it protected by a poisonous snake. and the builder would discuss Chassidus while in learning? Can't one )עירובין נד,ב, רש"י ור"ח, ומהרש"א בחדא"ג שם( working. Once, while building a wall, they were accomplish the same results Once while seated and deeply engrossed in his so raptly engrossed in their chassidic discussion learning, Rava placed his hands under his feet, without losing oneself? that Reb Shlomeh found himself unintentionally pressing his fingers so hard that they began to enclosed behind the wall! When they realized this, bleed. Yet, being completely absorbed in his they had to break it down to take him out. )סיפורים חסידיים ח"א ע' learning, he did not feel a thing. Engrossed in Chassidus )201 A nearby heretic ridiculed him, "You people are so the Rebbe ,(1963) תשכ"ג Reb Binyomin Kletzker was able to be so deeply On Acharon shel Pesach rash! Just as you accepted the Torah hastily, without engrossed in Chassidus that he would be utterly challenged the constant rush and pressure that asking questions and without knowing its difficulty!" oblivious to whatever was going on around him. characterizes the American lifestyle. For example, Once, while walking home from shul holding his Rava replied, "We follow HaShem in simple instead of being totally absorbed in the midst of innocence, and He protects us." tallis and tefillin, he got lost in thought. It was a market day and he put down his tallis bag on one a that they are learning, Yidden can find From this exchange, the Rebbe derives that of the merchant wagons of the goyim. He rested themselves already thinking about finishing. one's approach to Torah should not be logical his foot on the axle of the wagon and carried on "Such learning is only undertaken in order to be and calculated, but unreserved, and with total thinking. In the meantime, the goy finished his yoitzei – to get it over with. It lacks the chayus and dedication. business, loaded his wagon and drove away. So the characteristic singsong with which Yidden engrossed in thought, Reb Binyomin stood with )שבת פח סע"א וברש"י שם( have always learned. They could not imagine his foot that had been on the axle now up in the learning otherwise. Today, however, when the There was once a chossid who lived in seclusion air, and after a while lowered his foot, though still and spent his time serving HaShem. When he lost in thought. Only the need to daven Mincha in phone rings, even before knowing if the call is eventually returned to civilization, he became a time woke him up from his thoughts. important, some people immediately shut the shammes in a shul, where no one recognized his Gemara or the maamar and hurry to answer it. greatness. Once the local rov observed that as he As the wagon driver was leaving town, he offered "Why is that call so important to you right filled the lamps with oil, some of it spilled over some of the produce that he was selling to a Yid who the side. The rov recognized that this was not was passing by. The tallis and tefillin caught his eye, now? Right now you're speaking on the phone out of clumsiness, but out of dveikus and kavana: and he managed to return them to Reb Binyomin. with HaShem!" )תו"מ חל"ו ע' 332( )רשימת היומן ע' רמד( the mind of the shammes was preoccupied with

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Price: $6 / $5 NY ChassidicDigest.com immediate recovery [email protected] call (570) 212-9408 732-987-7765 Rabbi Chaim Hillel Raskin Rov of Anash - Petach Tikva Reb Shlomo Zalmen – the Magen Avos Kiddush Wine Distribution Reb Shlomo Zalmen was the eldest motives and selfishness, thinking son of the Maharil, and a grandson deeply about one’s lowliness. Then What is the optimal way to distribute the kiddush wine? of the Tzemach Tzedek. He was draw down upon oneself fear of born circa 5590 (1830), and in 5607 Hashem’s kingdom — at least in The wine used for kiddush must contain the quantity of a reviyis (1847) he married the daughter of thought — by remembering the (at least 2.9 oz., and some are mehader to use 4.1 oz.), and the cup Reb Yaakov Aryeh Leib Luria from subject about which you are talking: should optimally be full. In order for the obligation of kiddush Lepli. For the first few years after his Kudsha Brich Hu, yichud Havaye and to be fulfilled, the one making kiddush must drink a cheekful chasuna he lived in Lepli, studying Elokim, sovev and memalei. Like (k’mlo lugmav). The actual amount is measured according to each the Rambam writes regarding individual, and is around the majority of a reviyis (1.5 oz., and diligently while being suported by davening, think that you are a low according to contemporary poskim it is usually around 2 oz.), but his father-in-law. In 5615 (1855) he creature standing in front of the never more than a full reviyis (even for someone with a very large returned to Lubavitch where he great Almighty. Behold, this is a cheek).1 gleaned much from his grandfather the Tzemach Tzedek and great great and special avodah that brings If it is difficult for the one reciting kiddush to drink this amount, chassidim. After the Tzemach pleasure that is a thousand times one of the listeners may drink it, provided that one person drinks Tzedek’s histalkus, Reb Shlomo greater to our Creator than would a full cheekful. The others being yotzei with the kiddush don’t need Zalmen followed his father to , your isolation. Words that emanate to drink at all, and they fulfill their obligation by listening and where he was evenutally appointed from the depths of the heart will answering amein. Yet, the optimal manner of fulfilling the mitzva by the chassidim to take his father’s penetrate the hearts of others. 2 )מגדל עז ע' שי( .(is for them to sip some wine from the kos shel bracha. place upon his passing in 5627 (1866 Wine used for a kos shel bracha should not be “blemished” (pagum). He led the Kopuster chassidim until It becomes pagum once someone drinks from the cup—even his own departure from this world without touching their mouth to the cup—but not if the wine on 27 Iyar 5660 (1900). Altough there The Tomchei Temimim was was poured from the original cup into another cup to drink. The were differences in practices and founded in Lubavitch at the end of blemished status may be rectified by adding a little more wine philosophy between the chassidim of 5657 (1897), and the seder included that wasn’t drunk from.3 Lubavitch and Kopust, his maamorim learning Chassidus four hours every followed the style and some day: two hours in the morning before It is optimal for everyone being yotzei to drink wine that is not of them were printed in the sefer davening and two hours at night after pagum.4 Therefore, before distributing the kiddush wine, one Magen Avos after his passing. nigleh. Concerning this practice Reb should add a little more wine from the bottle to rectify the Shlomo Zalmen declared: “At first remaining wine in the cup.5 While some hold that there is no issue when I heard that young bochurim of pagum if the others drink from the actual kiddush cup, the Alter were learning four hours of Chassidus Rebbe implies that this is no exception.6 In a letter to a mashpia who requested to be exempt from his daily, it didn’t sit well with me. But An even better option is to pour out wine from the kiddush cup task of chazering Chassidus publicly, now I see that he (the Rebbe Rashab) for the listeners before drinking from it, since this way it never Reb Shlomo Zalmen writes: Prior to was correct. Di velt falt oif shaois (the became pagum at all. A disadvantage to this method is the pause chazering Chassidus for a big crowd, world is deteriorating by the hour) made between the bracha and drinking, and an insult to the bracha if Hashem will help you, (and surely and he will be very successful.” )לקוטי סיפורים ע' שמט( by pouring out before drinking. Nonetheless, since the purpose He will), firstly remove all ulterior of pouring is for drinking (of the listeners) it isn’t considered a hefsek. One must make sure that a full reviyis remains in the kiddush cup when he drinks.7 A third option, and seemingly the best, is to have cups of wine prepared for the participants before kiddush. All the prepared cups are deemed cups of blessing, just like the cup of the one making kiddush.8 In practice, one may follow any of the three options, due to The Pre-Condition personal preference or family custom. In an answer to a couple planning their “Therefore, since a Yiddishe life first year in kollel the Rebbe wrote: must be a happy life, both parties involved must whole-heartedly The lifestyle of the husband“ 1. שוע"ר סי' רעא סכ"ד. )שיעור רביעית ע"פ הגר"ח שוע"ר סי' קצ ס"ה. אבל ראה שוע"ר סי' תעב סכ"ד agree to this arrangement in learning Torah at least part of the נאה, ולהדר ראה ס' שיעורי מקוה עמ' צ"ג שלהחמיר שמשם משמע שאי"ז פגום אבל זה נכתב לפני סי' advance, that they begin their life לפי רבותנו נשיאנו השיעור בין 109-118 גרם, קצ, ולכן למעשה יש להחמיר לכתחילה. day, is obviously the perfect way to ושמעתי שלרבינו הגביע היה של 120 גרם.( .with Torah 7. ראה שוע"ר סי' רעא ס"כ, אבל ראה שם סי' קצ ס"ה begin setting up a home, and that’s 2. שוע"ר שם סכ"ה. שדרך זו "יותר טוב", וראה קצוה"ש סי' מו בבדה"ש 3. שוע"ר סי' קפב ס"ד-ה. סקל"א שמדברי רבינו יוצא שעדיף כשלא צריכים ,what Yidden should ideally do. “If both have agreed to this setup 4. ראה שוע"ר סי' רעא סכ"ט. לתקן הפגימה. וראה ספר הליכות ומנהגי שב"ק עמ' מ"ה שכך נהג רבינו וראה העו"ב גליון תשפ"ד. ”.may Hashem grant it success 5. וזה דומה לאיך שנהג רבינו בחלוקת כוס של However, understandably this“ ברכה. 8. ע"פ שוע"ר סי' קצ ס"ה וסי' רעא סכ"ט. וראה בס' לקט ציונים והערות לשו"ע אדה"ז סי' רע"א הע' 69 structure entails some financial (Underlined words are as such in the 6. ראה משנ"ב סי' רע"א שעה"צ סקפ"ט, אבל ראה שתמה למה באמת לא כולם נוהגים כן. limitations and materialistic original; Teshurah Avtzon, Shevat 5765) .restraints לע"נ מרת ציפא אסתר בת ר' שלום דובער ע"ה