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                         L'CHAIM - ISSUE # 1022
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                           Copyright (c) 2008
                 Lubavitch Youth Organization - L.Y.O.
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             THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR EVERY JEWISH PERSON
   Dedicated to the memory of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson N.E.
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        May 30, 2008            Bamidbar          25 Iyyar, 5768
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                             Fantasy League

Perhaps you've heard about fantasy leagues? They're all the rage among
sports fans. Baseball, football, basketball - almost any sport. If you
can't get enough of the real thing - if the newspaper sports section,
24-hour sports stations, internet sites, blogs, etc. - if that's not
enough, there's always a fantasy league.

What is a "fantasy league" and how does it work? A fantasy league works
in parallel with a real sports league. There's a player's draft, you can
trade players, and you win or lose. At the start of the "season," you
draft players from actual teams, regardless of the team they're on.
There are restrictions, usually having to do with the positions the
players have on their teams. So, for example, you could draft a third
baseman from the White Sox, a shortstop from the Yankees, a pitcher from
the Dodgers, and so on. Each player gets points based on performance. So
if your third baseman gets three hits and your shortstop a home run, and
your pitcher so many strike-outs, that's x number of points for your
"team," even though the players on it may in reality have been playing
against each other.

The fantasy league player whose team has the most points at the end of
the "season" wins - sometimes money, sometimes just bragging rights.

It's a way to play armchair coach and armchair general manager, another
way to identify with the sport and yes, it's a competition. It's a role
playing game, where the participants step into a world somewhat of their
making and somewhat in their control.

Judaism has its own "fantasy league." Only instead of baseball players
and football players, the "players" are rabbis. And instead of getting
"points" for hits or runs or touchdowns, they get "points" for a good
point - an argument well made or a question well-asked.

Let's see how the "fantasy league" of Judaism works. The Torah makes an
apparently simple statement, say, that a law applies "in all your
habitations." But then questions arise. Rabbi Akiva explains it one way;
but another authority, quoted elsewhere in the Talmud, raises an
objection. Then Rashi, who lived hundreds of years after Rabbi Akiva,
joins the conversation, explaining how the objection isn't a real
objection. Rashi just scored some "points."

And so it goes. The dialogues, debates and conversations of our Sages
cross time and space, as if they were all "playing" at the same time.
True, Maimonides says this, which seems to refute..., but if we remember
that the Baal Shem Tov said...

In other words, we approach Jewish learning as if the Sages from
different generations and different conditions are constantly
interacting. And the scholars of today are welcome to join.

Who are these scholars? You - any Jew who studies Torah and asks
questions and wonders what Rav Ashi would say to the Alter Rebbe. We
don't have to be "superstars" to play in this fantasy league. But it has
an advantage over the sports and other fantasy leagues: you don't have
to sit on the sidelines and fantasize as you watch others play. You can
- and should - participate!

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           LIVING WITH THE REBBE  -  THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
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Throughout the thousands of years of Jewish history, countless men,
women and children have willingly given up their lives rather than deny
their Jewishness. Not only scholars and learned Jews went to the
auto-da-fe‚ with the "Shema" on their lips; simple and untutored Jews
also chose to die sanctifying G-d's name without hesitation.

This irrational willingness to give up one's life for the sake of G-d
seems odd in light of the dictum which states that "nothing can stand in
the way of repentance." With the sword at their throats, who could have
faulted our ancestors had they agreed to bow down to whatever idol
worship was being forced upon them? Why didn't they save their lives by
uttering some meaningless phrase or performing some other seemingly
insignificant gesture demanded by their tormentors? Could they not have
later fully repented and returned to G-d?

This question may be answered by understanding the special nature of the
Jewish soul and the relationship it enjoys with G-d. That inner spark of
Jewishness, described in Chasidut as "an actual part of G-d above,"
exists on a plane above time and space. It cannot bear to be severed
from its Source for even a moment; the threat of separation from G-d is
always utter and absolute. The willingness to give up one's life rather
than lose that connection is a consequence of the soul's very nature.

This concept is well illustrated in this week's Torah portion, Bamidbar,
in which G-d commands that a census be taken of the Jews. Rashi, the
great Torah commentator, notes that because of the great love G-d has
for His people, "He counts them at every moment."

This comment must be interpreted beyond its literal meaning, for since
the exodus from Egypt, there have only been nine censuses of our people.
The tenth census will be taken after the Final Redemption. What then,
does it mean that G-d counts the Jews "at every moment"?

The act of counting reduces the objects being counted to their common
denominator; both great and small are counted as one. The common
denominator among all Jews, without regard for educational status,
societal standing or wealth, is the Jewish soul, which exists in every
Jew to the same extent and renders all Jews equal.

G-d unceasingly "counts" His children and holds each of them dear, all
the time. This love is so overwhelming that the Jew cannot endure being
cut off from it for even a moment, even with the knowledge that his
later repentance has the power to restore the relationship to what it
had been. It is G-d's perpetual "counting" of His children which reveals
the innate power of the Jewish soul.

                   Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

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                             SLICE OF LIFE
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                          Overcoming Obstacles
                         by Rabbi Tuvia Bolton

For the past 20 years or so, I have travelled extensively around the
world, sharing Chasidic teachings and music with my fellow Jews. on
every flight to or from Israel,  I always take my tefilin and walk down
the aisles asking the other passengers if they want to do the
commandment of putting them on.

There are always some passengers who agree to do so, and sometimes the
numbers reach into the thirties!

But last week when I flew to Johannesburg, South Africa, from Israel, I
was seriously considering not asking anyone.

The reason is that some ten months ago I had also flown to South Africa
and it was the first time that everyone I asked to put on tefilin both
to and from Israel said that they were not Jewish!

This was such an unnerving experience that I figured that this time I
would be "normal" like everyone else and simply mind my own business.

Suddenly it became so clear and obvious to me that this business of
butting into people's lives with tefilin was ridiculous. It disturbed
their privacy, made me look like a fool and took me away from my
opportunity to study Torah. In fact, the more I thought about it I
realized that no one in their right mind would comply anyway: if they
were religious they didn't need me. And if they weren't... why would
they agree to do a complicated ritual .... in public no less!

Not only that ... I was tired, there was turbulence every half hour,
people were tired, or they were eating, or wanted to be with their
families, or were watching the movie etc. etc.

Suddenly I said to myself, "Stop it!" I thought to myself, "All those
negative things are certainly obstacles. But you can't use them for
excuses!" I thought a bit more and concluded, "And what should a chasid
do when confronted with obstacles? Overcome them with ... joy !"

I don't know how, but it worked! I opened the overhead compartment, took
out my tefilin, walked to the beginning of the aisle, bent over, held
out my tefilin and asked the first man if he wanted to put them on.

His answer was, "Certainly not!"

"Ah!" I thought to myself "Another obstacle! More joy needed."

So, undaunted, I asked the person behind him who was watching us, but as
soon as I said the first word and held out the tefilin he held up both
hands like stop signs and said "Not Jewish! I'm not Jewish!"

Encouraged by my dismal failures I preceded to a heavy, muscular fellow
with a shaved head, perhaps in his forties who looked a bit like a
professional wrestler.

I held out the tefilin and asked him if he was interested. But he just
stared at me. I thought that maybe he's not Jewish so I asked him. But
he just kept staring. He didn't even blink. I repeated both questions in
Hebrew. "Tefilin? Yehudi?" He nodded his head slightly but just kept
staring.

Usually I would have just moved on but my decision to overcome obstacles
through joy wouldn't let me. I forced a smile, imagined that this is my
best friend, took his hand, raised it and cautiously began to slip the
straps on.

Finally, he took over, made the blessing, said the "Shema" prayer from
the page I gave him and did the rest on his own.

I left him alone for a few moments and when I helped him remove the
tefilin he said quietly to me, "We'll talk later."

Across the aisle sat a young fellow with a big smile on his face who
said "Now me! Right? Wow! The last time I put on tefilin was years ago
at my Bar Mitzva."

Then, after he finished there was an older man who noted that he hadn't
put on Tefilin for fifty years (his wife kept saying ... 'Fifty? Fifty?
Try sixty!). When he finished I noticed that the "wrestler" was
motioning that he wanted to talk.

As I approached, I noticed that he was crying.

"You have to excuse me for crying" he said shaking my hand. "But when I
see how you care for others and don't seem to care about yourself ...
and you do it with such joy... well, it makes me think what am I doing?"
He blew his nose a few times and continued.

"You know what? I just decided, I'm going to buy a pair of tefilin for
myself and start putting them on! I used to do it 10, 20 years ago, but
I stopped. I'm going to do it again! You know what? I'm going to do it!"

He shook my hand warmly and and I went on to put tefilin on four more
people.

If it wouldn't have been for my decision to not be "normal" (get
discouraged by the past or nervous about the future) it would have been
a normal flight... with nothing to get happy about!

    Rabbi Tuvia Bolton is a popular teacher, musician and storyteller.
    He is co-director and a senior lecturer at Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim in
    Kfar Chabad, Israel. Reprinted from ohrtmimim.org

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                               WHAT'S NEW
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                             New Emissaries

Rabbi Avi and Mina Richler recently moved to Sewell, New Jersey, where
they have established Chabad of Gloucester County serving the needs of
students at Rowan University as well as Jews throughout Gloucester
County. Rabbi Shmuly and Adina Altein will be arriving soon in Winnipeg,
Canada, where they will direct the Jewish Learning Center and develop
programming for young families. Rabbi Eli and Chaya Schlanger moved
recently to Bondi Beach, Australia, where they will be providing Jewish
adult education and community programming for local families. Rabbi
Yehoshua and Miri Kaminetzky have taken up residence in Serbia where
they will serve the 3,200 Jewish residence of that country. The Jewish
community in Serbia dates back to the times of the Roman Empire.

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                            THE REBBE WRITES
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                       25th of Iyar, 5712 [1952]

Rabbi S. Carlebach,

Recently you brought to my attention a letter addressed to you by
------, a student at Colgate University, Hamilton, New York. In this
letter the writer professes to be a true scientific thinker and an
unbeliever in the supernatural; he also asserts that all facts seem to
be in contradiction to the existence of G-d, professes to be a "liberal
Jew," etc., etc.

Not knowing the background of this student, nor the field of science in
which he specializes, I cannot deal with the subject in detail,
especially in the course of a letter.

There are, however, several general observations that I can make, which
the said student has apparently overlooked, and which he would do well
to consider carefully:

 1. Science does not come with foregone conclusions and beliefs with
    the idea of reconciling and adjusting facts to these beliefs. Rather
    the opposite, it deals with facts, then formulates opinions and
    conclusions. To approach a subject with one's mind made up
    beforehand is not true scientific thinking but a contradiction to
    it.

 2. Science requires that no conclusion can be valid before a
    thorough study and research was made on the subject. The question
    therefore presents itself: How much time and effort had the
    above-mentioned writer devoted to the study of religion to justify
    his conclusions on the subject?

 3. A fact is considered any event or phenomenon testified to by
    witnesses, especially where the evidence is identical and comes from
    witnesses of varied interests, education, social background, age,
    etc. Where there is such evidence, it is accepted as a fact which is
    undeniable even if it does not agree with a scientific theory. This
    is the accepted practice in science even where there are several
    reliable witnesses and certainly scores of them, hundreds and
    thousands.

The Divine Revelation at Mount Sinai was a fact witnessed by millions of
people, all of whom reported it to its minutest detail, accurately, for
the whole people of Israel stood at Mount Sinai and witnessed it.

We know that this is a fact because millions of Jews in our day accept
it as such, because they received it as such from their own parents, and
these millions in turn received the evidence from the previous
generation, and so on, in an uninterrupted chain of transmitted evidence
from millions to millions of witnesses, generation after generation,
back to the original millions of witnesses who saw the event with their
own eyes.

Among these original witnesses there were many who were initiated in the
sciences of those days (viz. Egypt), many achievements of which are
still baffling nowadays; among them were philosophers and thinkers, as
well as ignorant and uneducated persons, women and children of all ages.
Yet all of them reported the event and phenomena connected with it
without contradiction to one another.

Such a fact is certainly indisputable. I do not believe that there is
another fact which can match it for evidence and accuracy.

To deny such a fact is anything but scientific; it is the very opposite
of science.

Parenthetically, it is unfortunate that this basic difference between
the Jewish religion and those of others is so little known, for the
Jewish religion is the only one that is not based on a single founder or
a few, but is based on the Divine Revelation witnessed by all the
people, numbering several millions.

This answers also ------'s statement that "the acceptance of the Torah
as being the only truth is dangerous" since "its authors were only
men... and as men they could not have been infallible."

Jews accept the Torah precisely because it was given by G-d, not by man,
and it was given in the presence of millions of people who had seen it
and heard it with their own eyes and ears. That is why the Torah is the
absolute truth, for G-d is absolute.

I am enclosing an extra copy, should you wish to forward it to your
correspondent.

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                                CUSTOMS
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    Why do we use a simple, round ring during the wedding ceremony?

The shape of the ring signifies that just as a circle has no beginning
and no end, so may the devotion and love of the new couple for each
other be never ending. Some even have the custom to have any engraving
(such as 14k) polished off so that the ring is completely smooth.

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                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
                         Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman
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This Shabbat we bless the new month of Sivan. The theme of the month of
Sivan is intertwined with the main festival of the month, Shavuot.

On the first day of Sivan the Children of Israel encamped in the
wilderness of Sinai ready to receive the Torah. Concerning this the
Torah states, "And Israel encamped there..." using the singular form of
the verb "encamped" regarding which our Sages teach us that this means
that the people were like one person with one heart.

Though many other times when the Jews made camp there was strife and
contention, when they encamped to receive the Torah they were totally
united.

Thus, it is clear that one of the pre-requisites for receiving the Torah
- and every year at this time we prepare to receive the Torah once again
- is to enhance and foster unity amongst the Jewish people.

The "easy way" to become more united with other Jews is to follow two
essential teachings of our Sages: "Love your fellow as yourself; Judge
every person favorably."

Where is the place to start? The place to start is with ourselves and
our own families. This, of course, doesn't mean that we have to perfect
these relationships before we can extend the teachings to others, but it
is certainly the correct place to start as "charity begins at home."

If we keep these fundamental teachings in mind we will certainly foster
Jewish unity in our own little world which will ultimately impact on the
entire world.

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                          THOUGHTS THAT COUNT
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In the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting (Num. 1:1)

All of the Divine utterances that were said during the Jews' first year
in the desert, before the Sanctuary was erected, are described as having
been said "at Mount Sinai." However, once the Sanctuary was built, the
Torah uses the words "in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of
meeting," since the sanctuary was now the place where the Divine
Presence rested.

                                                          (Rashbam)

                                *  *  *


The Levites shall keep charge of the Sanctuary of Testimony (Num. 1:53)

The Levites, whose job it was to "guard" the Sanctuary and the Holy
Temple, were counted in the census from the age of one month. But how
can a one-month-old infant possibly "keep the charge of the Sanctuary of
Testimony"? "Guarding" the holiness of the Sanctuary refers to spiritual
guardianship, not physical protection. The Levites served not by virtue
of their physical prowess or outstanding bravery, but because of their
high spiritual stature, something that even a small baby had already
inherited.

                                *  *  *


Every man by his own flag, by the ensigns of their family division (Num.
2:2)

Each flag bore the symbol of a different tribe: Reuben, the form of a
man; Yehuda, a lion; Ephraim, an ox; Dan, an eagle.

                                                         (Ibn Ezra)

                                *  *  *


And the charge of the Children of Israel (Num. 3:8)

The function of the Levites, to "guard the honor of G-d," also serves to
protect the Jewish people as a whole, as it states, "G-d is your
guardian, G-d is your shadow." Why a shadow? Because G-d conducts
Himself with man in the very same manner as He is served...

                                                 (Kiflaim L'Toshia)

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                            IT ONCE HAPPENED
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Rabbi Meir of Premishlan was a great tzadik (righteous person) whose
holiness was acknowledged by Jews from far and wide who sought advice
and blessings from him.

One day a woman was admitted into his study. As soon as she set eyes on
the tzadik she burst into tears. "What is troubling you?" Reb Meir
asked. The sobbing woman could barely speak, but she managed to get out
the words, "Rebbe, I have no children; please give me your blessing."

The Rebbe was full of compassion for the woman's pain and he replied to
her, "May it be G-d's will that your request be fulfilled."

Armed with the holy man's blessing, the woman confidently went home and
waited for his words to be realized. Not a year had passed by when Rabbi
Meir received a letter from a distant city from a person he did not
know.

When he read the letter and removed the papers contained in the
envelope, he was shocked to find a bank note for the tremendous sum of
three hundred rubles.

The letter read: "My wife has just given birth to a child thanks to the
Rebbe's blessing. I beg the Rebbe to accept this gift in gratitude."

Far from being pleased, Rabbi Meir's distress was apparent, as he
extended his hand to put the bank note on the far side of the table as
if he wanted to remain as distant from it as possible. Then he called
his sons to come to him at once to discuss an important matter.

When they arrived, he brought them into his room and pointed to the
letter: "Today I received a letter which is brimming full of errors and
falsehoods. For one thing, it refers to me as a holy man, a tzadik, and
that is patently false. Secondly, the entire premise of the letter is
false, for this man credits me with the birth of his son. How
ridiculous! What do I have to do with such lofty matters as birth and
death? Am I a tzadik that I have control over these things? I have
therefore decided to return the money to him at once."

His sons were shocked. The eldest spoke first. "Father, we are very
poor. Perhaps G-d has taken pity on us and decided to end our poverty
through this man. Maybe it would be wrong and ungrateful of us not to
make good use of it." Everyone agreed.

Only the Rebbe staunchly maintained that the money must be returned to
the misguided sender.

They turned the matter over this way and that, but it became clear that
no consensus could be reached. The family decided to bring their dilemma
to a rabbinical court. The judges listened to both sides of the case and
then reached their decision: The Rebbe should keep the money. It was
true that Reb Meir was such a modest man that he denied being a tzadik
whose blessings could have helped the childless woman, but the woman and
her husband obviously thought differently. In their estimation it was
the Rebbe's prayers that brought about the birth of their child, and
they gave the money purely as a gift from their hearts. Therefore, it
was perfectly fine to keep the gift.

The Rebbe and his sons left the rooms of the rabbinical court in very
different moods. The sons were satisfied that their opinion had been
upheld by the judges. The terrible poverty in which they lived would be
alleviated at least for a time. Their father, however, was brought no
peace by the decision. For although the rabbinical court had ruled that
he was completely justified in keeping the money, his own heart was
uneasy. He decided to take the problem to his wife, the rebbetzin.

As his life's companion and a woman whose vision was always clear, she
would be the final arbiter of this case, for he trusted her judgment
completely.

The Rebbe and his sons entered the house and asked the rebbetzin to come
and sit with them; they had something of great importance to discuss
with her. When the family was seated around the table, the Rebbe filled
her in on all the details of the problem, leaving out nothing, but
stressing his own unease with the reason for receiving the gift.

Her sons, on the other hand, stressed how much easier their lives would
be now, since G-d had clearly wanted to help them out of their troubles
by sending them this money.

She listened wordlessly to both sides and then turned to her husband.
"My dear husband, all your life you have guarded yourself from even
tasting food that had a question about its kosher status. Even when you
discovered that it was a hundred percent kosher you refrained from
eating it, because its permissibility had been in question. Now we are
faced with the same situation, the only difference being that the
question is on the kosher status of money and not on food. Why should
you act any differently now?"

Rabbi Meir smiled at her. He stood up, walked into his room, took the
bank note and put it into an envelope which he addressed to the sender.
That very day it was deposited in the post and the hearts of the tzadik
and tzadeket were content.

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                            MOSHIACH MATTERS
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In the time of the Redemption the number of the children of Israel will
be like the sand of the sea shore, which can neither be measured nor
counted.

                          (Hosea 2:1 - Haftara of Parshat Bamidbar)

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               END OF TEXT - L'CHAIM 1022 - Bamidbar 5768
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