Mashiach Times

Yud Aleph Nissan, the 11th Boruch Shlomo had to get with the Matzah in hand. day of Nissan, is the birthday of to 167th Street and Jerome (On Yom Tov, unlike the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Avenue in the Bronx, about 90 Shabbos, you are allowed to Menachem Mendel Schneerson, minutes by subway. When he carry food and other things the day his holy neshama came approached the Rebbe, the necessary for the holiday.) into the world, as a blessing to Rebbe gave him Matzah for his It was late. Boruch Shlomo every person in our generation. own family and then said in met Jews walking to Shul, and Yiddish, “You live in the Bronx; asked them how to find the The following story was told Here is Matzah for someone address he needed. by Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin, who lives in the Bronx. Go to “Oh,” they said, “You’ve got who was an eighteen year old Rabbi Chadakov (the Rebbe’s a long way to go!” student in the Chabad Yeshiva secretary) and he will give you After walking for about half in Brooklyn, when it happened. their address.” an hour, he saw people already It was mid‐afternoon, a few Boruch Shlomo called his coming home from Shul, and hours before Pesach would mother and told her that he again asked them for begin. Packages of freshly would probably be very late for directions. They pointed to a baked Shmurah Matzah had the Seder so they shouldn’t certain housing project. been delivered to the wait for him. Boruch Shlomo noticed that Lubavitcher Rebbe, who would Then he went to friends and the building looked somehow stand in the doorway of his borrowed money to pay for the different from other projects. room, giving out pieces of this taxi he would need to get home He opened the door, went special Matzah as a spiritual after dropping off the Matzah. in, and began to climb the gift for the holiday. On the way to the Bronx, stairs to the third floor. The The mystical Jewish work, however, the train broke down. hallways had a sharp the Zohar, explains that Matzah By the time he got to the unpleasant smell. He found his is the “bread of faith,” and station it was already time for way to Apartment 3D, and simply eating it nourishes the candle lighting. Yom Tov would knocked on the door. soul. begin in less than 18 minutes. A man without a shirt on, Those people who had to Realizing that he would not with several tattoos and a pot fly, or had a long trip home be able to take a taxi home on belly opened the door. were allowed to go first, so that Yom Tov, he left all his money “What is it?” the man they would arrive in time for with the manager of the train snapped. In the Bronx, that’s the holiday. station and started walking how people say hello. “Excuse me, are you Mr. So‐ family doesn’t even know it’s The man brought out the and‐So?” Boruch Shlomo asked. Pesach. Maybe that’s exactly cups and his wife covered the “Yeah,” he said. why I am here.” table with a cloth. He gave the “The Lubavitcher Rebbe He tried to think what the man his yarmulke (which he sent something very special for Rebbe would do. He told the wore under his hat), and began you and your family.” man that tonight was Passover. the Seder, reciting whatever he “The Rebbe? Oh, please And he asked if he would like could remember by heart. come in.” him to make a Seder for his When he gave out the The tiny kitchen contained a family. The man said okay, and Rebbe’s Matzah to each family small table, some chairs and a called his wife to come in. member, they became very hot plate. On the table was a The wife came into the emotional, and began to cry a loaf of rye bread. kitchen with two beautiful lot. Boruch Shlomo asked if the young girls about 7 and 8 years They ate the Matzah and man would mind covering the old. The mother was visibly used water in the paper cups to bread, since it was Pesach. He pregnant, and the girls were recall the four cups of wine. wondered why he had been both blind. Boruch Shlomo looked at asked to deliver Matzah to a “Okay,” said Boruch Shlomo, the little girls and at their family that wasn’t even “we’re going to make a Seder. mother who was about to have celebrating Pesach. Do you have some clean paper another child, and began to tell Then he thought, “This cups?” them about the importance of Pesach that he had learned from One day when he had come faith? How are we supposed to the Rebbe’s teachings. to work, his head was spinning. forget what the situation is and He told them that we have to He seemed clearly upset. have hope? We didn’t think it have faith in G‐d. On this night, The Rabbi saw him and asked, was possible. But tonight, Hashem liberated our ancestors ‘What’s wrong?’ He told him that hearing about faith and how G‐d from slavery, and He liberates us he and his wife had two blind gives us the strength to too. The husband and wife children and his wife was not overcome our personal Egypt, seemed to hang onto every supposed to get pregnant, well, now we understand.” word. because they feared that this And that is exactly what He told them that on could be the case again. But she happened. A healthy baby boy Passover, we leave our personal had become pregnant, and the was born to this family, a child Egypt and experience freedom. doctors were suggesting an who could see. G‐d doesn’t put on our shoulders abortion, since the child would It took Cunin three hours to more than we can carry. Once likely be born blind. walk home all the way across the you know that, and believe it, He was very disturbed about Bronx. He made it home safely by you’re already liberated. They this, and didn’t know what to do. 4 in the morning. His mother was sang songs with the children and The Rabbi said, “Why don’t still up waiting. time flew by. you write to the Lubavitcher Then he began his own Seder, At 1:00 a.m., the woman put the Rebbe and ask for his advice and grateful that he had been able to girls to bed. It was time to leave. blessing?” Then he helped him bring the Rebbe’s message of Seeing how emotional the compose a letter. faith and joy to a poor Jewish Sederwas for them, Boruch The Rebbe replied that they family in the Bronx, living in a Shlomo asked, “What is the shouldn’t have an abortion. The housing project. connection you have with the child would be healthy and To really describe the Rebbe’s Rebbe?” would be able to see. love for every Jew all over the The man replied that he was “The Rebbe told us to have world would be impossible. a leather tanner in a meat faith in G‐d. You know, my wife This story is about how the factory. There was a Rabbi there and I weren’t sure about this. Rebbe had faith hand‐delivered who supervised the kashrus. How are we supposed to have to this one family’s door. Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson The Lubavitcher Rebbe His angels to feed them and take care of them. Our The Question Sages say the children in Egypt actually saw Hashem. The Seder begins with the questions of the And so, when they crossed the Reed Sea the children: children recognized Hashem first even before their “What is the meaning of Pesach? – Why is this parents. They pointed with their fingers and said, night different from all other nights?” “This is my G-d. I remember Him. And I will glorify The whole Haggada comes to answer their Him.” question. That is why the Seder begins with their questions. The Haggada was put together with care and wisdom by our greatest Sages. We have to ask, why The Answer did they arrange it this way? Why does the entire And so, the special task of parents is to talk to the Seder center around the children? children, to listen carefully to their questions, and The answer is because everything depends on answer them with good answers, caring answers, not them. just repeating the same words from year to year. Then It’s been that way since the very beginning. Even they have to tell them the story, our story, till the in Egypt, children had a special connection to children understand that it is their story too. Hashem. It’s the story of how Hashem chose us to be His When they were newborn infants, Hashem sent People, His cherished holy nation, and how He took us out of Egypt with signs and wonders, and with great love gave us the most precious gift He had, His holy Torah, and made us free forever. And since then, no one else and nothing in the world can have any power over us. It’s the greatest story ever. And it happened on this night. For children the Seder is tremendous fun. That’s why we want them to stay awake and enjoy it, so it will always be a happy memory for them, to remind them at all times that just like Hashem took us out of Egypt way back then, He is taking us out of exile now, and He is hurrying to bring the real Geula, the complete Geula, the everlasting Geula, through Moshiach Tzidkainu – speedily right Now! based on talks by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M.

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