Parshas Veyelech
Daled Tishrei 5766
Volume 2
Issue 1
The Connections people
Chinuch Yaldei Hashluchim:
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Mendel & Sara Shemtov Rabbi & Mrs.
Kasriel & Chana E. Shemtov
Connections:
Mr. & Mrs.
Yochanan & Peri Brook
Mr. Mrs.
Zalman & Raizy Cousin
Chinuch Yaldei Hashluchim:
Rabbi M. Shemtov
Rivky Lokshin
Dabrushy Pink
Aydla Vechter
Connections
Proof-Readers:
Rabbi A. Lipsey
Mrs. G. Junik
Rabbi L. Zirkind
Va’ad Hashluchim:
Rabbi Y. Deren
Rabbi O. Goldman
Rabbi Y. Greenberg
Rabbi B. Levertov
Rabbi Y. Shemtov
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THE SHLUCHIM OFFICE
PARSHAS VEYELECH
"Goldie!" came the shrill call from downstairs. "Please come already. You promised to play a board game with me. I've got all the pieces set up."
"Wait just five more minutes, Tami," Goldie called. "I'm just about finished."
"That's what you said fifteen minutes ago," Tami protested. Soon she was standing impatiently at Goldie's side. "You still haven't finished your composition?" she complained to her sister who was sitting at her desk in thought.
Goldie looked up from her paper. "All I have left is the last sentence."
"So what's the problem? How long does it take to write one sentence?"
"The last sentence is different. It sums up the entire composition."
In Parshas Vayeilech, we read about the very last positive mitzvah of the Torah. This mitzvah sums up all of the other positive mitzvos of the Torah.
Do you know what this mitzvah is?
It is the mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah. Hashem commands every Jew to write a Sefer Torah for himself. But most of us are not sofrim, so Hashem allows us to hire somebody else to write a Sefer Torah for us.
The work of a sofer is very expensive. It takes a lot of time and effort to write a Sefer Torah. Not all of us can afford to hire a scribe to write a Sefer Torah for us.
So Hashem gave us another way to fulfill the mitzvah. Many people can share in the writing of a single Sefer Torah by buying a letter. In this way, fulfilling the mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah joins us together in Ahavas Yisrael.
Hashem commands us about the mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah with the verse "Write this song [the Torah] for yourselves." Hashem calls the Torah a song, showing us that we should fulfill its Mitzvos with joy and delight.
And this mitzvah will bring us to the greatest possible happiness - the coming of the Geulah. Our Chachomim told us that by joining with other Jews to fulfill the last mitzvah of the Torah we will bring an end to the Golus very soon.
(Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 24)
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All promises on the night of the שבת שבתון ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Please send your answers to connections@shluchim.org Last weeks’ brain buster: One for 11. 11 or one. Answer: שבת מברכים אלול |
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ו' תשרי
רביצין חנה was born on כ “ ח טבת תר “ מ in the city of Nikolayev. Her father, ר ‘ מאיר שלמה Yanovsky, was the רב of Nikolayev. On י “ ג סיון תר “ ס she married ר ‘ לוי יצחק Schneerson and on י “ א ניסן תרס “ ב , their oldest son, the Rebbe, ר ‘ מנחם מענדל was born.
In תרס “ ט , ר ‘ לוי יצחק became the רב of Yekatrinoslav ( Dnepropetrovsk). Throughout the 30 years that her husband was רב , she supported him in all his holy work and never left his side.
In תרצ “ ט , ר ‘ לוי יצחק was sent into גלות in a small village called Chiili in Kazakhstan. As soon as she heard where he had been sent, רביצין חנה immediately set out to join him. Her presence there made things a lot easier for him. She even managed to make ink out of herbs so that ר ‘ לוי יצחק could continue to write down his explanations on the תורה .
After ר ‘ לוי יצחק passed away, she managed to get out of Russia in תש “ ז to Paris and she was reunited with her son the Rebbe who she had not seen for 20 years.
Together they travelled to New York and when her son became Rebbe in תשי “ א , she finally had an easy and happy life. The Rebbe visited her every day, including שבת , always showing her a lot of respect.
רביצין חנה lived her last seventeen years in Brooklyn, New York and passed away on שבת שובה, ו ‘ תשרי תשכ “ ה .
Names of יום כיפור
שבת שבתון
A שבת of complete restThis term of double שבת is only used for יום כיפור . It isn’t used anywhere else in the תורה . This tells us that יום כיפור is a very special day, unlike any other in the year, and we should make the most of it.
יום הכיפורים
Day of Atonement.On this day ה ‘ forgives all the Jewish people, and we begin with a clean slate after יום כיפור .Why was י ‘ תשרי chosen to be the Day of Atonement for the Jewish people?
משה went up to שמים three times to beg for forgiveness for the Jewish people. The third time that משה went up to שמים was before יום כיפור . On יום כיפור Hashem said “ סלחתי כדבריך ,” which means that He had forgiven the Jewish people, and He gave משה the 2 nd לוחות to take down to the Jewish people. Since then, this day has remained a day of forgiveness for the Jewish people.
יום כיפור in the בית המקדש
On יום כיפור , so many people came to the בית המקדש , that no one could move, because it was so crowded. People stood there all day, with their feet barely touching the ground. As they watched the כהן גדול doing his holy עבודה , their hearts were filled with awe.
A great נס happened there. When the כהן גדול would pronounce the special Name of ה ‘ , everyone would kneel, bow down, and fall on their faces, saying, " ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד "
Miraculously, there was suddenly room for everyone to bow down and to recite their וידוי in private, without anyone hearing ... except ה ‘ .
יום כיפור is the awesome day when our judgement is sealed for the year to come. On ראש השנה we are judged. Those who are צדיקים are immediately written down for the coming year in the Book of Life. Those who are not completely צדיקים must wait until יום כיפור when their judgement is sealed. During the ten days between ראש השנה and יום כיפור , a person should work hard to do תשובה for the misdeeds and mistakes of the past, and to increase in מצוות in order to be purified, and be זוכה for a year of ברכה and goodness in the new year.
יום כיפור is a day of great holiness, because it is the day of תשובה , on which our עבירות are forgiven.
Alexander ran away from the school playground, tears pouring from his eyes. He could still hear the children teasing him, “You are a Jew, you are a Jew.” He continued running until he reached his house. With shaking hands he burst through the door and cried, “Father, Father, the children are making fun of me. Is it true that I am a Jew?”
Alexander’s father, an important and kind nobleman, sat Alexander down on his lap and said, “Yes, my dear, it is true. Your father, may his memory be blessed, was a religious Jew who worked at my estate. Shortly after you were born, he died quite suddenly, and then your mother died as well. You were only a baby. I took you into my home and I raised you like you were my son. I love you dearly and one day you will inherit all my land and estates. But ignore the children, Alexander, they are just being nasty, you are my son, and you will always be. Don’t worry about it.”
Alexander promised the nobleman that he wouldn’t worry about it, but he was very worried. Who were his real parents? What did it mean to be Jewish? He took long walks in the woods of his father’s estates and thought about what it meant to be a Jew.
“Father, did my parents leave anything for me?” Alexander asked his father one day.
“I’ll go check in the attic, “ his adopted father said, “I know we gave most of their stuff away, but I remember saving something for you.” His father returned moments later with a velvet bag that was beautifully embroidered, and a brown book filled with Hebrew letters. Alexander gently opened the velvet bag and found two black boxes with strings attached. There was also a white shawl with tassels attached. Alexander had no idea what these objects were but he could sense that they were special.
“By, the way,” his father said, watching him touch the Jewish objects, “you were named Berel at your ברית , and you can keep those things, I won’t put them back in the attic.”
A few days after that conversation, Alexander’s adopted father left on a business trip. Before his elegant carriage disappeared into the woods, he kissed Alexander on the forehead and said, “Stop worrying, my child, I care deeply for you. It’s not healthy for you to be so concerned about your past.”
Soon after his father left, Alexander decided that he wanted to go visit the Jewish community in the nearest big city. After all, he was a Jew and he belonged with the Jewish people. That night his real father appeared to him in a dream and said, “Berel, you are a Jew, you must return to your people.” Early the next morning, he took the velvet bag and the old book and he began his journey.
After traveling for a number of days, he finally reached the big city. He asked the local people where he could find the local prayer house, and they directed him to the large Shul in the center of town. He didn’t know that he had come at perfect timing, and that they were just beginning the יום כיפור davenning.
He stood at the entrance of the Shul and stared in awe. All the men were wrapped in white טליתים and they were davenning with deep כוונה . Some had tears streaming from their eyes. Many were swaying and humming quietly to themselves. Berel slipped into the back of the Shul and placed his own טלית on his shoulders. Then he opened the סידור , but he couldn’t read a single word. He watched everyone davenning with such ease, and he wanted to daven along with them.
Suddenly he lifted the סידור and cried out, “Master of the Universe, you know that I can’t read and I don’t know how to daven. I am just a lost Jewish boy. But, please ה ‘ , I want to daven to you so desperately. Please, take the whole סידור , and you take out the right words to form the תפילות from me!”
His sincere תפילה that came from the depth of his heart, reached שמים , and the gates were flung open for his תפילה . Because of his heartfelt תפילה , ה ‘ decided to annul a terrible decree that was hanging over the Jewish community. Instead, the whole community was blessed with a happy and sweet new year.
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Last Week's Winners:
Level 1:
Mendy Steinmetz, age 6 from Sarasota, Florida &
Dovi Jaffe, age 5 from Brisbane, Australia
Level 2:
Mendy Rapoport, age 11 from Vineland, NJ &
Zalman Raichik, age 11 from Gaithersburg, MD
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