Parshas Bamidbar

 

Dear Young Shluchim,
Well, we’ve finally made it. We’ve climbed to the top of the mountain! We’re right up there at the summit. We’ve made it to the peak. We’re ready for Matan Torah!
At least we should be. And if we’re not, we’d better get ourselves in shape very soon because Matan Torah isn’t going to wait for us. Isn’t it amazing that in just a few days we’re all going to be celebrating getting the Torah on the exact same day that Hashem gave it to us. Every time we get to a special Yom Tov it always amazes me that we know exactly when every Yom Tov should be. I mean, between me and you, I’m forgetting - or as I like to say, not remembering - new things every day. And my memory isn’t like that bottle of wine I got in my mishloach monos from the Shluchim Office - it doesn't get better with age!
So how is it kinderlach, that I can remember all the Yomim Tovim and Yomei Depagra (well almost all), but when it comes to remembering when my ainekel’s birthday is, I’m totally lost? How come I can remember the way to Shul, but when I need to find my way to the Mall, I end up driving around in circles?
Of course, part of the reason is because I am the world-famous, Seeing Expert and Professional Lens Making Professor Dr Getzel, and since I’m a frum Yid and Chossid of the Rebbe, it just wouldn't do for me to forget the Yomim Tovim, but since I’m an absent-minded Professor I need to forget other things, so I forget the things which I think are less important. Another part of the reason is my long-suffering and truly supportive Eishes Chayil, Mrs Getzel, who does her best to remind me of the really important things that I have to remember.
But that’s not all. Of course we can’t forget my super-duper, self-updating, LCD screen, electronic, Hebrew-English calendar that I have proudly hanging on my office wall.
But the most important reason that I don't forget things is actually quite a simple one. I don't want to forget the Yomim Tovim!  Of course I don't want to forget my little aineklach’s birthday either, and certainly not his birthday party with all the nosh, but it doesn't quite compare with the cholent Mrs Getzel makes for Shabbos, or the delicious cheese cake that she makes for Shavuos (not together of course).

And that kinderlach is really the main reason - I would never want to forget the day that we got the Torah, or any other really important dates, because, well simply, because they are so important. And that is how year after year I remember exactly when we got the Torah, exactly when we left Mitzrayim, when the Rebbe was born and when the Rebbe became Rebbe, because something important becomes part of you, and no one, not even me, the forgetful Dr Getzel, has ever managed to lose their head yet!

Have a Good Yom Tov!

Dr Getzel

 

ראש חודש סיון
Friday א‘ סיון -

I remembered to say יעלה ויבא in שמונה עשרה and in bentching.
I remembered to say הלל after שמונה עשרה .
I remembered to daven  מוסף .
I remembered to say ברכי נפשי after the שיר של יום .
(For Girls) I didn’t sew or do any laundry.

 

שבועות CHECKLIST

• I stayed up late the first night of שבועות (as long as my parents let me).
• I said תקון ליל שבועות the first night of שבועות .
• I heard the עשרת הדברות being read from the תורה .
• I ate מילכיג foods on the first day of שבועות .
• (Girls) I lit יום טוב candles on Tuesday night and on Wednesday night.

ו‘ סיון

Right before the בעל שם טוב passed away, he asked his חסידים to sing the ניגון ofר‘ מיכאל  of Zlotchov and when they were finished, he said that anyone who sings this  ניגון while doing תשובה , the בעל שם טוב will join in and bring רחמנות on him.

The בעל שם טוב passed away on the first day of שבועות which was a Wednesday, in the year תק“כ (1760 - 247 years ago), and is buried in מזיבוז .

As we have mentioned many times, every אידישע child should buy a letter in one of the ספרי תורה that are being written for all Jewish children. This letter will belong to him and be his very own.

Why should every child own a letter in the תורה ?

It is written in ספרים that every איד has his own ‘letter’ in the תורה which connects his נשמה to the תורה . By buying a letter in the תורה , the איד strengthens this connection to the תורה .

What happens on שבועות to children who already own a letter in the תורה ?

Every שבועות , זמן מתן תורתינו , the Jewish people receive the תורה all over again. Their connection to the תורה is renewed and made stronger. Children who already own a letter in the תורה become even more strongly connected to the תורה on שבועות .

The תורה becomes very, very close to these children on שבועות :                          ‘כי קרוב עליך הדבר מאוד בפיך ובלבבך לעשותו ’. The תורה gives them a special power to win the battle against the יצר הרע . The תורה also helps them encourage all the people around to learn תורה and do מצוות .

‘The Rebbe Speaks to Children’

When the אידן received the תורה at הר סיני they began to keep כשר , but it was שבת and they couldn’t שעכט any animals or כשר their dishes. Instead of eating meat they ate מילכיג foods. Since then it became a מנהג to eat מילכיג foods on שבועות . Another reason we eat מילכיג is because the גימטריא of the word חלב is 40 – the same number of days משה רבינו was on הר סיני .

 

Once, about one hundred and fifty years ago in Russia there lived a איד who used to be rich. Let's call him יוסל . He had become very wealthy through the fish business. But after a few bad business deals and a few strokes of bad luck, before he knew it the poor fellow lost everything including his house and furniture.

His wife and children moved temporarily to her parent's home while he spent most of his time hanging around the שול .

No one had any solution for his problem; he was too proud to accept צדקה , he couldn’t do work with his hands and no one had enough money to get him back on his feet. So he just sat there and did nothing.

It so happened that there were a few חב“ד חסידים that came to this שול every so often and when they noticed what was happening one of them suggested that he travel to the Lubavitcher Rebbe (the צמח צדק was Rebbe at that time).

So יוסל used his last pennies to make his way to Lubavitch, figuring that it certainly couldn't hurt and maybe the Rebbe would help.

And sure enough the Rebbe told him, "Go to Berlin and ה‘ will help."

But he did not go to Berlin. As soon as he thought about it he realized it was foolish. First of all he had no money for travel or lodging. Secondly, he knew no one in Berlin, what would he do there? And third, he didn't really believe that this Rebbe had any idea about business anyway. So he returned home.

But as soon as the חסידים in his home town heard what had happened, they gathered enough money for him to support himself in Berlin for a few weeks plus travel expenses and put him on the train.

He arrived and immediately found a cheap hotel room and began to aimlessly wander the streets, hoping for something. As an ex-fish merchant, he spent most of his day hanging around the fish stores but with no results. No one even spoke to him. He had no money to invest anyway. And he was beginning to get really depressed.

Another day passed, then another. People were rushing and busily working all around him while יוסל just dragged dreamily around like an old man.

Several days later he was standing before a fish store, gazing in the window, when the owner came out and said to him in a gruff German. "You understand fish? Want to buy carp? I'll give it to you cheap; one hundred barrels for ten marks a barrel. Where do you live? I can have it delivered tomorrow, pay me on delivery. Pay me in a week if you want. Maybe you can get rid of them. I have nothing to do with them. What do you say? Nu… come have a look? What is your name?"

יוסל followed the German to the back room of the store like he was dreaming, saw the barrels and started to wake up. He even opened one and had a look…. Finally he was doing something.

The German took his hand and began shaking it saying, 'Look, I'll give them to you for nine marks a barrel. Just sign here and I'll have them delivered tomorrow afternoon. And here's your copy… I'll sign it here. You sign this one."

More from boredom than anything else, יוסל signed, took the copy that the German signed and left the store.

It really was quite an amazing coincidence. Who knows, maybe this is why the Rebbe sent him? If he could find a way to get rid of these fish, even though he didn't have a penny to his name, he could make some money. He touched the bill of sale a few times just to be sure he wasn't dreaming and went to his hotel room.

At twelve o'clock the next afternoon he heard knocking loudly on his door and someone yelling, "Herr יוסל ? Halloo, Mr. יוסל , are you here?"

He opened up and saw four men that he immediately could see were fish salesmen.

"Mr. יוסל ? Ahhh, our pleasure" One of them stuck out his hand while the others smiled and nodded warmly. "We understand you bought a hundred barrels from Heinz, you know … carp from Heinz's fish store. Is that right?"

יוסל nodded yes. “Well, listen, there is no carp on the market right now and we need that carp. We wanted to buy from him but he said he already signed with you. Here… we will give ninety marks a barrel," he said as he pulled out a large wad of bills.

יוסל was stunned. "Okay, make it a hundred… take a hundred marks a barrel" he said as he nodded to the man standing next to him who produced the remaining money.

יוסל nodded, took the money and gave them the bill that Heinz signed. They, then, produced their bill of purchase which he gladly signed and beaming with joy, they took turns shaking his hand and bid him goodbye.

Later that day he returned to the fish store, paid the nine hundred marks to Heinz and returned home a rich man. The Rebbe's ברכה had worked.

 

 

 

 

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