ב"ה THIRTEEN Moving Beyond Our Self Rethinking Education A Farbrengen with Reb Yoel Kahn An essay by the Rebbe A Year in The “Right” Side My Journey to the Correspondence Visual Halacha: Yeshivah in Lubavitch The Rebbe's Letters 40 Years Ago Mezuzah Placement Memoirs of Reb Shmaryohu Sassonkin Am I a ‘Giver’ or a ‘Taker’? Thermometer or Thermostat? Rebbetzin Yehudis Heller a”h Rabbi Sholom Ber Avtzon Price: $6 / $5 NY בס''ד “Professionally Run” Apply Today! MesivtaMonsey.org Mesivta Lev Tmimim Lubavitch is a place where your son will... 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Now you can walk an expert through your home with a live video chat using our Live Mezuzah Walkthrough!™ Schedule yours today at MachonStam.com or call 718-778-STAM ב״ה The CHASSIDUS PERSPECTIVE with Reb Yoel Kahn WATCHWATCH MERKAZANASH.COM/VIDEO READREAD DOWNLOADDOWNLOAD ב“ה | ISSUE 11 / פרשת שמיני תשע“ד / PARSHAS SHEMINI, 5774 The To view the video with subtitles, visit: CHASSIDUS MerkazAnash.com/shemini5774 To listen on the phone, call: PERSPECTIVE CONNECTION 347-498-0008, option 7 with Reb Yoel Kahn TranscendenT YeT ImpacTful “It was on the eighth day” is how Parshas Shmini begins, the number question of how it can actually be considered the eighth looms eight being in reference to the seven previous days of milu’im, larger. The seven days of milu’im seem even more unrelated during which Aharon and his children were trained into the avoda; than before, because the greater eight is, the more disconnected then, on the next, eighth day, the mizbei’ach was inaugurated. it becomes from the first seven. We must therefore conclude that eight is somehow both, demonstrating superiority on The Kli Yakar raises the following question: considering that the the one hand, yet displaying a connection on the other. events which took place on this day were unrelated to the things that happened earlier, why should this day be described as the BEYOND WORK OR REST eighth? And he explains that in view of the fact that this day was described as the day when Hashem’s glory would appear, there’s The Kli Yakar also cites a midrash which states that Moshe’s great a need to address why this day was special and featured the moments are always accompanied by the word “az”: “since I came revelation of the Shechina, and being referred to as the eighth to Pharaoh,” “Moshe then sang,” and many more; the midrash bespeaks the reality that it was of a caliber unlike the usual. then states that “az” (which equals eight) signifies that “the aleph rides the zayin.” Zayin is seven, representing this world; either TRANSCENDENT OR CONNECTED? literally worldly things, or even Shabbos, but all “Shabbos isn’t too removed within the world’s parameters. But the aleph Seven represents our universe; eight of eight is higher, and “rides” upon the zayin. indicates Hashem’s presence. The world but doesn’t greatly affect was created in seven days, shivas yemei the mundane, while the What does that mean? Riding doesn’t just breishis or ha’binyan; on a level beyond that, entail being higher; it also means impacting eighth is completely there’s Hashem, eight. Bris Milah overrides the entity below. When you ride a chariot, Shabbos because Shabbos takes place on the transcendent yet has a it doesn’t lose its status; but the previously seventh, while milah occurs on the eighth, ordinary animals now become beholden to thorough impact.” indicating that it is of a superior quality. The you, your chariot, and have been elevated. instruments in the Beis Hamikdash had Eight is completely G-dly, while seven is holy seven strings, while those when Moshiach comes will possess but still relatively so. Sometimes Shabbos is differentiated, eight. And so, by referring to the day in our parsha as the “Hashem created the world in six days, and on the seventh day eighth, Hashem’s revelation becomes understandable. He rested,” but on other occasions all seven are combined, like The Kli Yakar’s language is that seven is “chol,” mundane, shivas yemei breishis. When it says that “Hashem concluded while eight is holy, although “chol” isn’t literal, considering on the seventh day,” there’s the question of how that fits with his example of milah and Shabbos, where Shabbos is Hashem resting on Shabbos. One of Rashi’s explanations is holy as well; “chol” is being used in a relative sense, that the world was previously lacking rest, which Shabbos because as holy as Shabbos is, eight is entirely G-dly. provided, indicating that Shabbos is still a part of creation, after which rest wasn’t lacking. When a person works and then rests, However, the more the Kli Yakar explains why eight is superior, both are actions in relation to the world he inhabits; on a level which is intended to justify why Hashem appeared then, the ב"ה The PERIODICAL for the THINKING CHOSSID Educational Insight Chassidishe Farbrengen Meaningful Tale Book Contemporary Review Opinion Insightful Essay Visual Halacha Available at these stores: Empire Kosher Kahans Kehos Hamafi tz The Market Place Kol Tuv Judaica World Sosover Seforim Post Mark It Kosher Town Merkaz Stam Or online at ChassidicDigest.com Special rate for teachers. THIRTEEN Contents Am I a Giver Or a Taker? 46 14 Rebbetzin Yehudis Heller a”h Moving Beyond Our Self A FARBRENGEN WITH REB YOEL KAHN 36 The “Right” Side 60 VISUAL HALACHA: MEZUZAH PLACEMENT Rethinking Education Rabbi Shimon Hellinger An Essay by the Rebbe 10 THE MIND OF A CHILD The Rebbe's Perspective 72 WHAT ARE WE TEACHING THEM? P: 347.471.1770 Di Yiddishe Heim E: [email protected] 76 A YEAR IN CORRESPONDENCE W: www. MerkazAnash.com The Rebbe's Letters 40 Years Ago 478 Albany Ave. Ste. 11 Brooklyn NY 11203 88 GET REAL! Rabbi Avraham Katz Rabbi Shimon Hellinger 112 BEHIND THE PICTURE Batsheva Gordon Director MY PERSPECTIVE Rabbi Matisyahu Friedman 114 Readers write Mrs. Basya Yahel Rabbi Yehudah Leib Altien Editors Rabbi Schneur Zalman Rabin Reviewer Rabbi Mendy Browd 68 Mendy Drookman Design THERMOMETER OR THERMOSTAT? Rabbi Sholom Ber Avtzon Rabbi Mordechai Morozow Rabbi Mendel Schtroks Administration Rabbi Shmuel Pevzner Vaad Hamosifin Printed by 94 MY JOURNEY TO THE YESHIvaH IN LUBavITCH Memoirs of Reb Shmaryohu Sassonkin Foreword Do You Believe It? cheder boy once raised his hand and asked his teacher, A “Why does the Torah allow non-Jews to convert to be Jewish, but doesn’t allow Jews to convert to be non-Jews?” The teacher had barely processed the question when another boy called out, “Because then there would be no more Jews.” ■■■ THE STORY IS AMUSING AS IT IS TELLING. While other children were afraid to say (or even think) what this child had said, deep inside, many of them may have actually believed that they would be happier if they were freed from the restraints of Jewish life. The question that follows is: How can we make a convincing argument for the value of a prescribed life in a world with so many choices? Can we get our children to prefer a chassidishe maiseh to a secular novel, and a chassidishe farbrengen to a party? We can. If we believe in it ourselves. A person can be scrupulous in practice and fanatical in deed, yet secular in thought. If he believes that secular life is better – just forbidden, he doesn't truly believe. If we want our children to pursue Yiddishkeit, we must genuinely feel that a life of Torah and Chassidus is actually better and more enjoyable. Even if we don’t always favor spiritual bliss over materialistic pleasures, we can nevertheless appreciate that level and wish to be there. That appreciation should be visibly sensed in tangible pleasure from a heartwarming niggun, a geshmake vort or an inspiring story. Children are sometimes smarter than we would like them to be, and are hyper- sensitive to inconsistencies and discrepancies in their role models. If they 8 • PERSPECTIVES detect that we aren't sold on what we preach, they won't buy into it. And since children don't have the self-discipline to do it anyways, we are left with the struggle of trying to manipulate them in the right direction.