We Haven’t Better Than the Best Father Even Begun! AN INTERVIEW WITH THE REBBE’S SHTUREM ABOUT RABBI ZALMAN LIPSKER THE STUDY OF RAMBAM Panim - Erev Rosh Hashanah MOMENTS $5.95 ELUL 5778 The Michtovim Kloli’im ISSUE 72 (149) THE REBBE’S MESSAGE FOR THE JEWISH NATION AUGUST 2018 ב"ה ELUL 5778 DerherContents ISSUE 72 (149) A Chassidisher Derher Magazine is a publication geared toward bochurim, published and copyrighted by A Chassidisher Derher under the auspices of Vaad Hatmimim Haolami. All articles in this publication are original content. Vaad Talmidei Hatmimim Rabbi Tzvi Altein Publisher Rabbi Yossi Kamman Editor in Chief Rabbi Mendel Jacobs Administration/Development Rabbi Levi Kesselman Rabbi Mendel Treitel Editors Rabbi Eliezer Zalmanov Rabbi Moshe Zaklikovsky Traveling Lightly Tomchei Temimim Advisory Committee 4 ELUL - OUR OWN TIME 36 EIGHT FACTS Rabbi Mendel Alperowitz Rabbi Dovid Olidort “We are his Better than Design 6 Shluchim!” 38 the best father Rabbi Mendy Weg LEBEN MITTEN REBBE’N - AN INTERVIEW WITH Contributors ELUL 5710 RABBI ZALMAN LIPSKER Rabbi Yanky Bell • Rabbi Yossi Bendet • Rabbi Koppel Is ‘Why’ Important? It’s Not About You Chaiton • Rabbi Levi Dubov • Rabbi Tzemach Feller KSAV YAD KODESH MOSHIACH U’GEULAH • Rabbi Levi Greenberg • Rabbi Menachem Mendel 11 48 Greenberg • Rabbi Mendy Greenberg • Rabbi Zevi HaRav Levi Yitzchok Quality and Quanitity Kaplan • Rabbi Levi Katz • Rabbi Levi Levertov • TIMELINE DER REBBE VET GEFINEN A VEG Rabbi Shmuly Levertov • Rabbi Mendel Misholovin • 12 50 Rabbi Yaakov Raskin • Rabbi Mendy Shemtov The Michtovim Klolim Panim Photo Credits 14 THE REBBE’S MESSAGE 52 MOMENTS Jewish Educational Media FOR THE JEWISH NATION Library of Agudas Chasidei Chabad Derher Letters Lipsker Family Yechidus 61 Feller Family 28 RESHET OHOLEI YOSEF Special Thanks to YITZCHOK - TISHREI 5718 Rabbi Chaim Shaul Brook Rabbi Mendel Gourarie We Haven’t Rabbi Yossi Lew 30 Even Begun! Rabbi Shmuel Lubecki Rabbi Mordechai Telsner THE REBBE’S SHTUREM ABOUT Rabbi Michoel Seligson THE STUDY OF RAMBAM Rabbi Elkanah Shmotkin Printed by The Print House About the Cover: Reproduction of any portion of this magazine is not permissible This month we celebrate the Siyum of the 37th cycle of without express permission from the copyright holders, unless for the daily study of Rambam, 3 perokim per day. Our cover the use of brief quotations in reviews and similar venues. features the Siyum Harambam at the Rambam's house in Submit your questions and comments: Fez, Morocco, 18 Nissan 5748. (718) 305 6859, [email protected] Photo: Raskin Family Archives To subscribe, order a copy, or access back issues visit us at www.Derher.org נא לשמור על קדושת הגליון. A Chassidisher Derher is honored to feature unique and historic photos from Jewish Educational Media’s Living A Chassidisher Derher (USPS #) is published monthly by Archive photo collection. The Living Archive is a project to preserve, and provide access to the video, audio, and A Chassidisher Derher 784 Eastern Pkwy. Ste 400 Brooklyn, NY 11213. photographic recordings of the Rebbe. These photos are copyright by JEM and are available at TheLivingArchive.org Subscription price $71/year. Application to mail Periodicals postage rates is pending at Brooklyn, NY. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to A Chassidisher Derher, 784 Eastern Pkwy. Ste 400 Brooklyn, NY 11213. ELUL—OUR OWN TIME There is a famous mashal from higher than asiyah. This holiness is for this specific mitzvah (leather the Alter Rebbe, comparing Elul to incompatible with the mundane, so we for tefillin, knife for a bris, etc.). the time when a king travels through must avoid doing melacha. But during 2) Educating children how the field on the way to his palace. Elul, the 13 middos are revealed. and why to do mitzvos. Most of the year, the king is secluded These are unaffected by the state of 3) Kabbolos ol malchus shamayim; in his palace, and access is strictly the recipient—every Jew, no matter accepting Hashem’s yoke. controlled. When passing through the where he is spiritually, can connect The simple explanation would field though, anyone can approach with them. There is no need to avoid be that since we are commanded the king and be greeted warmly. contact with the world in order to to wear tefillin, for example, and This is written in Likkutei Torah benefit from the Elul revelation. in order to do that the three above in response to a question: A yom This explains why we are allowed conditions are necessary, there is tov is defined as a time when there to do melacha during the month no need to specifically command is a special revelation of holiness of Elul and it does not interfere. us about it. It is self-understood only accessible in this specific What about the other aspect of that we must do those things in time. In Elul, Hashem’s 13 middos yom tovim—the extra joy? On all order to fulfill the main mitzvah. harachamim are revealed; this begs other yom tovim we are commanded On a deeper level however, we see the question—why is Elul not a to be extra joyous, but why is there no that (the second and third conditions) yom tov. To this the Alter Rebbe record of such an instruction for Elul? have a significance independent of responds with the above mashal. • what they lead to; they sometimes He doesn’t spell out the connection There are several preconditions even exceed the mitzvah itself. For between the two and what the to doing any mitzvah, none of example, the Gemara1 talks about answer therefore means. It is implied, which are counted as mitzvos the greatness of schoolchildren however, as follows: Generally, on themselves. Namely: reciting verses of Torah. yom tov there is a revelation that is 1) Practical preparations of According to this, why is there beyond the capabilities of this world, the tools and materials needed no separate mitzvah for children ELUL 5778 4 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER לזכות הרה״ת ר׳ דובער שיחי׳ גרליק והכלה המהוללה מרת הענא תחי׳ גארדאן לרגל חתונתם בשעטומ״צ ט׳ אלול ה׳תשע״ח נדפס ע״י הוריהם הרה״ת ר׳ לוי יצחק וזוגתו מרת חנה ומשפחתם שיחיו גרליק הרה״ת ר׳ יוסף יצחק וזוגתו מרת רחל מאטל ומשפחתם שיחיו גארדאן PHOTO: JEM/THE LIVING ARCHIVE / 104489 PHOTO: to learn [or be taught by adults]? there are no rules specific to Elul in The joy a Yid has when realizing Chinuch (and kabbolas ol) Gemara and rishonim. Blowing shofar that his essence is bound with are entirely different than other every day, saying Ledovid Hashem ori, the essence of Hashem—and that mitzvos. As we’ve said above, they etc. are later minhagim. Just like for Hashem greets him warmly— technically have to happen earlier children, there are no top-down rules, does not need a command. On chronologically—because without only customs created by our initiative. a yom tov, the joy comes from them it makes no sense to do This relates back to the Alter the extra revelations happening mitzvos. But there is a much bigger Rebbe’s example: when the king is in then, and is therefore limited and difference though: most mitzvos are his palace, the environment is awe- defined. Elul—celebrating our deep our response to Hashem’s command. inspiring and intimidating, generating connection with Hashem—defies When we accept Hashem’s yoke distance. When the king is in the any description and prescription. it is from our own initiative. It field, greeting everyone with a smile • cannot be from top-down; this causes his subjects to reciprocate This has an important lesson for us: must come from within ourselves. and want to connect with the king. Yiddishkeit has many mitzvos, So where does it actually come Similarly, there is no specific halachos and minhagim. However, from? From deep within our mitzvah that all our mundane there are still many things during the essence—revealing our natural actions be leshem Shamayim. The day where we have a lot of leeway connection with Hashem. entire reason we were created is to [to determine on our own how to Chinuch is not just a drill of serve Hashem. Therefore we don’t conduct ourselves]. This shouldn’t how to perform various actions. It need a specific commandment—it be a cause for concern, or to start is educating children to follow the [should be] self-understood. This is looking around for more rules. positive and holy soul within them emphasized in Elul: Ani Ledodi means These are the places where we can and what it leads them to do and not that the purpose of “Ani—I” is to show our own initiative in how to to do. Once they’ve been raised with serve “Dodi—Hashem.” Devotion best serve Hashem in mundanity. these values and come of age, they will like this is expressed primarily when Similarly in bona-fide mitzvos— continue with kabbolas ol, doing the interacting with the world in mundane beyond the basic rules, it is up to us to mitzvos that they were commanded. activities, rather than in the ascetic choose how to perform each mitzvah Crowning Hashem as king on rhythm of Shabbos and Yom Tov. in the most beautiful way we can. Rosh Hashanah is like the kabbolas • (Based on sichas Shabbos ol for mitzvos. Elul is like the years of Now we can explain why we are not Parshas Shoftim 5748) training before then. This may be why commanded to be happy during Elul: 1. Shabbos 119b ELUL 5778 A CHASSIDISHER DERHER 5 לזכות הרה"ת ר' גד דוד ומרת שירה וילדיהם Ksav Yad נתנאל חיים, נחמה אסתר, חוה מזל, מנחם מענדל, נעמי חנה, משה אליהו שיחיו סבג 11 äôñåä ‰"Ï˘˙ ÔÂÈÒ 'ÈÁ ,‰"· .È.