Volume 2
Issue 24

The Connections people
 

With many thanks to our generous sponsors:

  Chinuch Yaldei Hashluchim:
 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

 

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 EMOR

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai told his students to make Lag B’Omer, his Yartzeit, a day of celebration. All over the world, children march in Lag B’Omer parades. We show everyone how proud and happy we are to be Jewish and to keep the Torah and its mitzvos.

But why do we celebrate Rabbi Shimon's Yartzeit? We don't celebrate the Yartzeits of many other great Talmidei Chachomim who lived in his time.
The Talmud tells us that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was different.

Think about the adults whom you know. What do they do? How do they spend their day? Our Sages tell us that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's "occupation was Torah study." That's what he did all day. He spent all of his time studying Torah.

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai should serve as an example for us. But how? We do many other things during the day besides studying the Torah.
Yes, we do. But Rabbi Shimon's example teaches us how involved we should be at the time we do study. We should concentrate totally on what we are studying as if this is our only occupation; we shouldn't be thinking about anything else.

We can learn the same lesson from another teaching of our Sages. Our sages tell us that "the Torah was given only to the people who ate manna."

Does that mean that others do not have a share in the Torah?
No! The Jews who traveled in the desert could study the Torah with no worry or bother. Their food fell from the sky, their clothes grew with them, and the clouds of glory took care of their washing and ironing. Since their needs were taken care of, they could put all their energy into learning Torah.

Our Sages tell us to try to concentrate on our studies in the same way the Jews in the desert did. This is what Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai did. In the time we study, we can follow this example and study the Torah with all our energy.

‘Please Tell Me What the Rebbe Said’
(Adapted from Sichos Lag B'Omer, 5733)

Dear Junior Shluchim all over the world,
I’m late again. It happens to me all the time. I’m always late, and sometimes too late. Like the time I won an award at the National Galaxy for Seeing Professional Professors, but I came too late, and they gave my prize (a super loud, super fast, talking, squeaking designer watch) to someone else.
Usually I’m late by mistake, because I just figured out a brilliant theory for lens making, and I just have to test it right away. But sometimes, I’m late on purpose (Shhh… don’t tell anybody). Like when I have a dentist appointment, for example, I always make sure to come late, hoping the dentist will forget to fill my cavity. Or when I have a flight, I like to come exactly nineteen seconds before the plane leaves, which I think is right on time, but the flight attendants always frown and squiggle their eyebrows and tell me I’m “very late”.
But when it comes to time for davening, I’m right on time; in fact, I’m 2/3 of a second early. And I start Shabbos on time (and finish it a little late); I put on tefilin on time, and I bentch on time. But there are other Mitzvos that I sometimes forget, and that makes me very sad.
Then I get excited because Pesach Sheini tells us that we always have another chance; it’s never too late.
And I didn’t make it up. It’s not one of my theories. In fact, it’s in the Torah. On the 14th of Nissan, some people were tamei and couldn’t bring the Korban Pesach on time. Hashem didn’t say “too bad”; in fact, Hashem gave them a second chance and said they could bring it again on the 14th of Iyar. Some of these people were tamei by mistake, but some of them were maybe even tamei on purpose, and still Hashem gave them another chance.
Things like this make me feel very good, because when I make a little mistake, and I forget to buy Mrs. Getzel flowers for Shabbos, or fall behind in my Rambam, then I know that Torah gives me another chance.
But Iowa never gives me another chance. If I forget to put out the garbage on Tuesday morning, they don’t come again on Wednesday morning; no, they make me keep my garbage a whole week long. And if I miss my flight, there is no refund. And if I miss the National Galaxy for Seeing Professional Professors, I don’t get my award, (the super loud, super fast, talking, squeaking designer watch).
But don’t worry, because for the things that really matter (Torah things), we do have another chance. If you ever make a mistake, you can fix it up. It’s never too late.

So long, talk to you later, (it’s never too late, right?)
Dr. Getzel

Here are different ways how the Homeschooled Yaldei Hashluchim are spreading the wellsprings of Chassidus.

Mushkie Lent, age 6
Dublin, Ireland

 Hi! My name is Mushkie Lent and I live in Dublin, Ireland. I am six years old. Me, my Mummy, my sister, my brothers, and Tatty are on Shlichus here. I also help. Whenever there’s a party or something I always go to help. Sometimes I go with my Tatty to the hospital to visit sick people there. This is how I am helping spread Chassidus over the world.

Chaya Mushka Bigelman,
Tucson, Arizona

These are some of the ways that I can help with "Hafatzas Hamayanos":
Sign up kids from my city in "Tzivos Hashem", help my mother set up for the women’s classes and events, and help clean the house for when my father teaches Chasidus to different people.   

י"ד אייר - פסח שני

י"ד אייר is פסח שני , the "Second Pesach." In the times of the בית המקדש , there were often some אידן who couldn’t bring the קרבן פסח on the "first" פסח , so they were given a "second chance" on פסח שני . This would happen if they were טמא or too far from the בית המקדש to be there in time for the first קרבן פסח .

The Rebbe writes in היום יום : The theme of פסח שני is that

“עס איז ניטא קיין פארפאלאן ” – it is never too late. 

It is always possible to put things right. Even if you were טמא , or you were far away, and even if you became טמא on purpose – nevertheless you always have the chance to fix things up.

On פסח שני we:

Don’t say תחנון .

Do eat some שמורה מצה .

ל“ג בעומר— ח“י אייר

ל"ג בעומר, the 33rd day of the עומר , is a special day for the אידן , which we celebrate with outings, bonfires, and other happy activities. It is the יארצייט of רבי שמעון בר יוחאי . Many people visit his קבר in מירון , in ארץ ישראל .
רבי שמעון בר יוחאי wrote the זוהר , and was one of the greatest teachers of קבלה . On the day that he passed away רבי שמעון told his תלמידים not to be sad on his יאהרצייט , but they should celebrate this day with joy. Until today, ל“ג בעומר is celebrated with much joy.

ל“ג בעומר is also the day another happy event happened. The גמרא tells us that in the weeks between פסח and שבועות there was a plague amongst the students of the great רבי עקיבא "because they did not act respectfully towards each other", 24,000 students passed away. That is why during the עומר , we don’t listen to music, have חתונות or take haircuts. On ל“ג בעומר the plague stopped and no more students died. Therefore ל“ג בעומר is a day that teaches the importance of אהבת ישראל .

On ל“ג בעומר it is a מנהג for אידישע children to go out into the field and play with bows and arrows - “קשת וחץ ” in לשון הקודש .

The reason for this מנהג can be found in ספרים : a rainbow - a קשת - was not seen during the lifetime of רבי שמעון בר יוחאי . Children play with bows and arrows to show that now that רבי שמעון has passed away we again have the need for a קשת - a reminder that only because ה‘ promised נח , He isn’t bringing a מבול .

There is also a positive reason for this מנהג .  רבי שמעון said to his son רבי אלעזר , “Until you see a rainbow in its colors, do not expect to see the coming of משיח .”

On ל“ג בעומר , רבי שמעון בר יוחאי opened the pipeline of the inner meaning of the torah - פנימיות התורה . Learning and spreading פנימיות התורה causes משיח to come.  This is why children play with a קשת on ל“ג בעומר , to show that ל“ג בעומר  is the appropriate time for the גאולה .

(The Rebbe Speaks to Children)

See the printable version of Connections for incredible fun pages!

 

Last Week's Winners:

Mendel Mangel, age 6 from Dayton, Ohio &

Chaya Mushka Goldman, age 9 from Oklahoma City, OK