Volume 2
Issue 32

The Connections people
 

Chinuch Yaldei Hashluchim:

Rabbi M. Shemtov
Rivky Lokshin
Dabrushy Pink
Aydla Vechter

Connections
Proof-Readers:

Mrs. B. Wineberg
Mrs. G. Junik
Rabbi L. Zirkind
Rabbi Schmerling
 

Va’ad Hashluchim:

Rabbi Y. Deren
Rabbi O. Goldman
Rabbi Y. Greenberg
Rabbi B. Levertov
Rabbi Y. Shemtov

 

A project of
CHINUCH YALDEI HASHLUCHIM
cyh@shluchim.org

a division of
THE SHLUCHIM OFFICE

PARSHAS BAMIDBAR

"Count me in," called Ephraim to his classmates as they raced towards the school yard to continue the morning game. "I just have to bring a form to the office. I'll be out in a minute."
Ephraim wanted to be counted in for the game. That same morning, his sister Shiffi asked her friends to count her in on the Bikkur Cholim Club trip to the Old Age Home. Everyone likes to be "counted in" for good things.
And what could be better than each and every one of B'nei Yisrael being counted by Hashem? This week we begin reading Bamidbar. It is also called the Book of Pikudim - census or numbers - because it begins and ends with the counting of the Jewish people.
Are you wondering why Hashem counts the Jews? Doesn't He know how many there are without counting? Of course! But there's more to counting than adding up numbers. We'll understand this better by first explaining a rule stated in the Gemara and the Shulchan Aruch.
Have you heard of the phrase botel beshishim? This means that something can be considered as if it doesn't really exist, because it was mixed in with a lot of something else. To give an example: If a bit of milk splattered into some chicken soup, but there was at least 60 times more chicken soup than there was milk, the soup is still kosher. The amount of milk is so small that it is botel beshishim. It is as if it doesn't exist.
But not everything can become botel beshishim. For example, a piece of non-kosher meat which gets mixed in with kosher meat does not always become botel beshishim, even if it's only a tiny piece. When the non-kosher meat is considered a dovor chashuv - something separate and significant - it can never become botel, it cannot be ignored and considered as if it does not exist.
Another example of something which cannot become botel beshishim is dovor shebiminyan - anything sold by number and not by weight. Because it is sold by number, every piece counts, and is considered a dovor chashuv. For example, each of the potatoes sold by the sack is not a dovor shebiminyan, but when grapefruit are sold three for a dollar, each grapefruit is.
Now we can see how Hashem showed His care for the Jewish people by counting them. They became a dovor shebiminyan, a dovor chashuv. After the census was taken, we can never become botel - insignificant and ignored. No matter how many hardships Am Yisrael may experience, we will never be wiped out. Our people's importance will continue forever.

‘Please Tell Me What the Rebbe Said’
(Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. II)

Dear Junior Shluchim,
Oy vey! You wouldn’t believe what happened to me the other day. It happened because I was very engrossed in something and Mrs. Getzel didn’t notice and sent me to buy peanut butter. Being so engrossed, I bumped into a pole, tripped on a banana peel, toppled onto an abandoned skating board, and skid so fast that I flipped into the air and fell with a thud on the roof of a speeding police car.
The policeman stopped his speeding car instantly and looked at me with the reddest face I’ve ever seen. (And I’m a seeing professor, I’ve seen lots of things.) It was redder than the flashing red light on top of the car. And his hair was even redder than his face. His hands were shaking. His red moustache was curling up at the edges. His mouth was open wide and smoke was coming out of his ears. I didn’t even notice that he was yelling at me because I was so engrossed. While he was looking for his handcuffs, I continued where I left off: “Twenty-three days (three weeks and two days). Twenty-four days (three weeks and three days)...”
The policeman was so confused that he dropped his handcuffs on the sidewalk. “What are you counting?” He asked. I explained that I’ve been busy counting for the last three weeks and six days. I’m counting down to the day we receive the Torah. “Twenty-five days (three weeks and four days), Twenty-six days (three weeks and five days)...”
It’s getting very difficult, I told him. Every day that I count, I want to receive the Torah more and more. It gets harder each day. That’s why I include the number of days when I count. First one day, then two days, by now it’s almost unbearable. I have yearned for three weeks and six days for the Torah. That’s about 38,880 minutes and 2,332,800 seconds. I’m just about ready to “plotz”. I want the Torah so badly; I can’t stop thinking about it. And I can’t stop counting either. “Twenty-seven days, which is three weeks and six days...(!!!)”
When the policeman saw how eager I was to receive the Torah, he started getting interested. Getting the Torah is a really big deal. After all, it’s Hashem’s most precious treasure. And Hashem is hiding inside each word of the Torah. No wonder it’s so exciting! The policeman (who turned off the flashing lights of his car and turned his red moustache down) told me he wouldn’t arrest me; in fact, he’s also going to start counting, (“Today is twenty-seven days...”) until we receive the Torah.
The policeman scratched his red hair for a while then offered me a ride home because he said that it was illegal for me to walk while I was counting Sefiras Haomer, because I might bump into a pole, slide on a banana peel, topple onto a skating board, and not land on his speeding police car. (He refused to let me sit on the roof again, but he said I could sit in the front).
On the way home, I suddenly realized that I didn’t buy the peanut butter. Now what?

Talk to you later,
Dr. Getzel

Nechama Lazaroff, age 10
Houston, Texas

My name is Nechama Lazaroff. I am 10 years old. There are eight children in my family, bli ayin hara. I am a proud Shlucha in Houston, Texas. My Chabad House is next door to my house, it is not too big. We live across the street from a big campus called Rice University. We also live around the corner from the Texas Medical Center, which is like a small city of hospitals. We do Chabad on campus and we help Jewish patients in the hospital, who do not have kosher food or a place to stay. As Chabad of the Texas Medical Center we also have a property behind us with 18 apartments, 8 of them for patients, so when they come for treatment they have a place to stay. In the future we are planning to build a big, nice building with 20 apartments with a kitchen, bedroom, living room etc. in each apartment. In addition, a bigger Shul, of course! Sometimes on Yomim Tovim and Shabbossim it gets hard and lonely because there is no one my age where I live. Well, about 25 minutes away there is a small Lubavitch community, which is where I go to school, but it is on the other side of town. However, it makes me feel proud and lucky to do the Rebbe's work, knowing that we will bring Moshiach NOW!

ג' סיון

The צמח צדק accepts the נשיאות

This Shabbos is שבת מברכים חודש סיון

See the printable version of Connections for incredible fun pages!

Last Week’s Winners:

Level 1:
Mendel Ciment, age 6 from Little Rock, Arkansas

Level 2:
Levi Greenberg, age 10 from Anchorage, Alaska