Parshas Mikeitz

 

Hi there my favourite Junior Shluchim,
How has your Chanukah been so far? Have you been busy with Chanukah mivtzoyim? Giving out lots of menorahs? Getting in lots of Chanukah gelt? Eating lots of donuts?
We’ve been very busy here in Iowa too. Last Sunday we had our Grand Menorah Lighting which was really very grand. Every year more and more people come. Or at least I think so. I definitely need to order more and more donuts each year, and they are not all for me.  (I mean, could you eat five thousand donuts all by yourself?)
There was no time to rest on our donuts though, because on Tuesday night we had the Menorah Parade. Now there aren’t too many Yidden in Iowa who put menorahs on their cars, but a few years ago we came up with a really good idea – every year I book a whole fleet of cars from the local taxi company, fit them all with menorahs, and lead them on a parade around the city. I actually wanted them to keep the menorahs on their cars the whole of Chanukah, but the cab drivers were worried that they wouldn’t be able to get into parking lots or go under bridges. Actually I had never thought about that. I had been wondering how the menorahs had kept on disappearing off the top of my car though. I knew when I had left the house in the morning the menorah had been on the roof, but often when I came home at night it was gone. Now things were a bit clearer – I must have left the menorah somewhere in a downtown Iowan parking lot.
And of course, besides for the big peulos, there  was still so much more to do – menorahs to give out, latkes to fry, donuts to eat and Chanukah gelt to distribute. Of course we did give out latkes and donuts too, but I sure ate a lot myself as well! And the Chanukah gelt! Boy oh boy! How come is it that my little three year old ainekal can’t read the brochos for lighting the menorah, but already knows about Chanukah gelt? I think between all the little Getzel’ites (those are the boys) and Getzel’shmites (the girls), I must have given away enough money to build a new Chabad House! But I’m not upset because that is what all my ainekelech said they were saving up for anyway, so now instead of having built one new Chabad House, I have a share in seventy nine!
Anyway kinderlach, there isn’t much time of Chanukah left and there are still some people out there who need menorahs, so I’m going to be going now. Good luck with your mivtzoyim and remember that a mitzvah a day keeps the yetzer hora away!

See you next week!
Dr. Getzel

ה‘ טבת

‘ טבת is a special day in the חסידישע calendar. On this date in תשמ“ו (1986), U.S. Federal Court decided that the library belonged to the חסידים . The ruling was based on the idea that a Rebbe is not a private individual but he is the head of the חסידים . The Rebbe asked that on this day everyone should set aside time to learn from ספרים .    

‘The Rebbe Speaks to Children’ about...

The Seventh Day of חנוכה

The יום טוב of חנוכה celebrates our victory over the יצר הרע . The miracle of חנוכה took place when the Yidden won against the Greek Empire. The Greeks had tried to make the Yidden forget Hashem’s torah. In our days, we must defeat the יצר הרע who also tried to make us forget ה‘ ’s תורה and prevent us from doing the מצוות of ה‘ .

On the last day of חנוכה we stage the main attack against the יצר הרע , which leads to the final victory. But every good action needs preparation. We must prepare ourselves on the day before, from the very moment we light the seventh candle, in order to win that final victory.

The Eighth Day of חנוכה

The eighth night is the brightest night of חנוכה . All eight candles are now lit in the מנורה . The sight of all eight candles shining brightly is something that the אידישע children of צבאות ה‘ will remember throughout the year. They will also remember the lesson the candles have taught them: A איד has to go ever higher in serving ה‘ - ‘מעלין בקודש ’. Just as we added one more candle each night of חנוכה , so too we must constantly add to ‘נר מצוה ותורה אור ’ - the light of תורה and מצוות .

As we know, the מנורה in the בית המקדש (where the miracle of חנוכה first happened), has only seven candles. Nevertheless, on חנוכה we light eight candles. This teaches every איד that even when he has already lit seven candles, and his עבודה is equal to the candles of the מנורה in the holy בית המקדש , he must not stop. When the eighth night of חנוכה arrives he lights one more candle, creating a light that is even greater than the light in the בית המקדש .

As we end the יום טוב of חנוכה , we take with us an ‘enlightenment’ for all the days of the year. A איד has the power to brighten himself and his surroundings, with a light that is even brighter than the light of the מנורה in the בית המקדש .

 

(Continued from last week)
The Rebbe looked at the page and gave a long string of ברכות , the last of which was 'Just as you rejoiced at my חתונה may you have the זכות to rejoice at the חתונה of your grandchildren'.

When ר‘ אברהם saw how friendly and open the Rebbe was, he decided to ask the Rebbe about something that was bothering him.

"Rebbe, may I ask a question?" The Rebbe nodded his head in agreement and he continued. "I have many neighbors that speak against the Rebbe and against חב“ד . I know they are wrong but I simply don't know what to tell them. I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing. What should I say? They say the Rebbe is wrong for bringing close every איד , even people who have done many big עבירות , when the תורה says that ה‘ Himself hates them and it is forbidden to help them. What should I answer?"

The Rebbe looked serious and immediately answered. "That same ‘very-frum’ איד would also agree that if it was his daughter that left אידישקייט it would be different...because on one's family it says 'From your body don't turn away'.

"Well, in ה‘ 's eyes every איד is dear like an only son.. and in my Father-in-law, the Rebbe's eyes, EVERY איד is 'From your own body don't turn away!!"

Then the Rebbe smiled and concluded, "Let us finish with a ברכה ... The reason that many חסידים make a special celebration on the fifth night of חנוכה is that that night represents the greatest darkness because it can never fall on שבת ...and nevertheless the lights of חנוכה light it up. That is the job of every איד whether in Toronto or London. Every איד is ה‘ 's only child. And when we light that נשמה with a flame of קדושה it can bring it from the furthest and darkest place."

Ten years later in 1979, it became time for ר‘ אברהם to marry off his second son. This time the חתונה was to be in London and, for some reason he did not have time to go to the Rebbe for a ברכה .

But before he left for England his next door neighbor, a close friend and one of the most important חסידים in Satmar, came to him in tears with a desperate and urgently secret request.

His daughter had run away from home with a non-Jew and was living somewhere in the big city of London. At first she hid it from them but when they found out, it was too late.. and now she was gone. He apologized to ר‘ אברהם over and over again for the trouble but he didn’t know what to do! Perhaps there was something he could do in London after the wedding?

ר‘ אברהם was stunned and very upset by the terrible news. He promised he would do what he could and rushed off to catch his plane. But in his heart didn’t think there was anything he could do.

The problem weighed heavily on his heart, he simply couldn't get it off his mind. Several days after the חתונה , when his in-laws asked him what was wrong, he told them.

They answered that if anyone could do it, it was ר‘ אברהם יצחק Glick. He was a חב“ד חסיד who was well-known as one who the Rebbe gave much responsibility and who had saved several אידישע girls from similar difficult situations. They called him, explained the terrible situation and Rabbi Glick promised that he would contact the girl's parents for more details and then do what he could.

Ten days later Rabbi Glick called ר‘ אברהם back and told him to take a taxi and come to his home urgently.

Not long later ר‘ אברהם arrived, and there sitting on the sofa crying bitterly, was his neighbor's lost daughter! "It's a נס of חנוכה !" said Rabbi Glick as he pointed at the חנוכה lights. "A true נס !"

ר‘ אברהם was stunned. There were five lights in the מנורה !

Tonight was the fifth night of חנוכה ! Those five lights succeeded in awakening a אידישע נשמה that had wandered into the ultimate darkness! Suddenly he understood the Rebbe's repetition of the city 'London' each time he mentioned the fifth candle.

 

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