Parshas Vaeira
Chof Zayin Teves 5766
Volume 2
Issue 14
The Connections people
Chinuch Yaldei Hashluchim:
Rabbi & Mrs.
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
A project of
CHINUCH YALDEI HASHLUCHIM
cyh@shluchim.org
a division of
THE SHLUCHIM OFFICE
PARSHAS VAEIRA
All in all, Zev is a good boy. He listens to his parents, respects his teachers, does his homework, and gets along with the boys in his class. Still, his parents and teachers are constantly encouraging: him, "C'mon, Zev, be a little more lebedik in your davening. Let's see a little bit more chayus in your learning."
Zev often shrugs his shoulders. "What do they want from me?" he thinks to himself. "I do what I am supposed to do. Isn't that enough?"
Perhaps we can help Zev by pointing out a lesson from this week's parshah, where we learn about the makos that led to the geulah from golus Mitzrayim. Golus Mitzrayim is not just a thing of the past. We all have our own personal Mitzrayim that we should overcome and leave.What does being in Mitzrayim mean to us today? It means behaving in a way that makes our neshamah feel that it is in golus.
Let's see how the makos that led to the Yidden’s geulah can teach us how to get away from our own personal Mitzrayim.
The first makah was dam - the water of the Nile River turned into blood. Why was the water struck first before the plants, animals, people, and houses in Mitzrayim? And why did it turn into blood rather than something else?
Water is cold and wet. Often, a person who does not get excited and is not enthusiastic is called a cold person. And when a person is not excited about something any more, we say he has "cooled down" - his spirits have been "dampened."
Kedushah, holiness, is bursting with life. It's warm and full of energy and lebedikeit - the opposite of coldness. Just like blood which is warm and carried our Chayus.
The first step in breaking the wall of Golus Mitzrayim was to change the water into blood. And the first step in overcoming our personal Golus Mitzrayim is to change our cool and unexcited attitude toward Torah and mitzvos into lebedik, warm enthusiasm to do Hashem's will.
In order to really change, it helps to understand how we become enthusiastic and how the yetzer hora tries to spoil everything. Sometimes, we see clearly how hashgachah protis works, or we may even experience Hashem's care for us through miracles. We feel very close to Him. We thank Him and are filled with enthusiasm for Torah and mitzvos.
For example, we may be learning the story told in the Gemara about the daughter of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa. She was very sad one Friday afternoon. By accident, she poured vinegar into her Shabbos lamps instead of oil. She knew that vinegar doesn't burn, but her father told her not worry. He said, "Hashem Who commanded the oil to burn can also command the vinegar to burn." Her wicks burned with the vinegar that Shabbos.
The yetzer hora can then come to us and say: "So you're excited about this miracle, are you? You're very enthusiastic and have decided to study more Torah and perform mitzvos more carefully? Well, just a moment. Really, you are getting all wound up just because of a miracle or two. It's not such a big deal. After all, if you believe Hashem can do anything, then He can make vinegar burn, too... Why get all excited?"
Well, we should get excited. It's not enough to just do what we're supposed to do coldly, without any spirit. We should have lebedikeit and serve Hashem with enthusiasm and energy. This is the first step toward leaving our own individual golus and the golus in the world.
‘Please Tell Me What the Rebbe Said’
(Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. I)
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Last weeks’ brain buster: Name of one, Name of many. Answer: שמות |
Congratulations to Mendel Lerman from Gwinnett County, Georgia for solving the brain buster. |
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Hey Kids,
Hi to all of you out there all over the globe. It’s me, the one who has an office in Iowa with a green roof between the cornfields and cows and makes lenses for seeing better and brighter.You know, Chassidim are very happy people, and we try not to have scowling moods. We know that everything is good and is going to get even better. People who look through the COL (Chassidic Outlook Lens) see that the world is very bright and colorful. It makes them sing a little happy Chabad niggun, and if they have really good happy lenses, they actually start to skip a little dance.
This week brings us to Rosh Chodesh Shevat that brings us to some very important dates on the Chassidishe calendar. Can you guess which dates? Yud Shevat and Chof-Beis Shevat. Do you remember what happened on these two dates? I’m not going to tell you what happened because I’m not a professional at Dates; rather, I’m a professional at Seeing. Instead, I’m going to keep you guessing.
Rosh Chodesh is a mini Yom Tov. In the times of the Beis Hamikdash they would bring a special korban on Rosh Chodesh, called the Korban Mussaf. That is why nowadays we daven Mussaf on Rosh Chodesh to remember that. Rosh Chodesh is a special Yom Tov for women, who have a Minhag not to do any unnecessary work like sewing or laundry etc. So whether you are a boy or a girl, look through your COL (Chassidic Outlook Lenses) and you’ll see everything with happy eyes and you will be excited for the special dates that are coming up. Next week I’ll be back to share with you more seeing tricks and to bring you regards from the green roof and cornfields and cows in my office in Iowa. For now, practice the trick of happy seeing.
See Ya’,
Dr. Getzel
Mushka Friedman, age 9
Santa Cruz, CaliforniaHi, my name is Mushka Friedman, and I live in Santa Cruz, California. Here, the weather is sometimes cold but in the winter it can be warm enough to go swimming. Our Chabad House is called ‘Chabad by the Sea’. Our Chabad House is not so big. It is in an office building, we are looking for a new and bigger Chabad House. We run a Hebrew school that 30 kids attend. This year we also started to run a teen program. My father gives a Tanya class and a parsha class every week. We sometimes have public Friday night meals.
My favorite program is the Chai Tea. Chai tea, is a tea party for girls and their mothers. It’s a very, very fancy evening. The girls and the mothers get to wear white gloves with white flowers. And of course, we have 4 different kinds of tea. We decorate our Chabad House with pink and white tulle. We just had our 3rd tea party which was, Boruch Hashem, a big success.
My younger siblings and I are home schooled. This year, 2 girls came from Montreal to help my parents run some of our programs. During the day, they teach us. One teaches my brother Yitzchak and I, while the other girl teaches my younger brother and sister. We basically learn everything a regular student in school would be learning. My teacher’s name is Rivka Guitta, and the other teacher’s name is Miriam Guitta, (they are sisters).
I enjoy biking. My friend’s name is Rachelle Fishbin, she’s not yet frum. I also have many other friends that are on Shlichus.
I am proud to be on Shlichus because it makes me happy to be doing what the Rebbe wants. I’m sure the Rebbe is very proud!
We want Moshiach now!!!
כ"ח טבת
Birthday of רבצין חנה
This שבת , כ“ח טבת , is the birthday of רביצין חנה Schneerson, the Rebbe's mother. She was born on כ“ח טבתin the year תר“מ (1880). Her parents were ר‘ מאיר שלמה ינובסקי , the רב of Nikolayev and רבצין רחל . She was their oldest child and had 2 younger sisters - גיטל and עטל and a younger brother - ישראל לייב .
When רביצין חנה was a teenager, she would write out and copy the מאמרים for the חסידים of Nikolayev. Whenever there was a new מאמר , either heard from a חסיד who heard the Rebbe saying the מאמר , or from notes that were sent to her father’s house, רביצין חנה would copy it out and make it available for the חסידים.
She married ר‘ לוי יצחק Schneerson (known as ר‘ לויק ), on י“ג סיוןin 1900. ר‘ לויק became the Rav of Yeketrinoslav.
רביצין חנה and ר‘ לויק had three sons: מנחם מענדל (the Rebbe), דובער and ישראל ארי‘ה לייב .
In 1939 ר‘ לוי יצחק was arrested and sent into גלות in Kazakhstan for the "crime" of spreading אידישקייט . Even though it was very dangerous, רביצין חנה chose to go with him to far-away Chili, Kazakhstan and suffered along with him. רביצין חנה had great מסירת נפש to make ink from grass for ר‘ לויק ’s כתבים . The Rebbe wrote a lot about the מסירת נפש of his mother, and this מסירת נפש made it possible us to have the great works of ר‘ לויק .רבצין חנה passed away on ו‘ תשרי תשכ“ה .
“ויהפכו כל המים אשר ביאר לדם. והדגה אשר ביאר מתה ”
"All the water in the river turned to blood, and the fish in the river died."Why does the פסוק have to tell us that all the fish died. Of course they died, we know that fish can only live in water.
There are two ways that the מכה of דם could have happened:1) All the waters turned to blood, and turned back into water only when a איד filled his cup.
2) The water stayed the same but when a מצרי filled his cup, it became blood.
What actually happened is the second thing. The מצריים got a double punishment: The fresh water turned into blood when it was used by the מצריים , and the fish in the river (of fresh water) died, making the water smell terribly.
The פסוק tells it this way because we are told that the מצריים had to buy water from the אידן , who became very rich through this. If all the water turned to blood, the אידן would not be able to make the מצריים pay for the water, because we are not allowed to get הנאה (benefit) from a נס .
(Vedibarata Bam)
This Shabbos is שבת מברכים חודש שבט
שבת morning I made sure to say תהילים . (Remember to say your quota for the World-Wide Tehillim club)I went to Shul and made the special ברכה for the new month of שבט . (The ברכה can be found in the סידור after שחרית for שבת )
ראש חודש שבט
Monday א‘ שבט
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.
יוסף and דינה were a young, newly married couple and they were very happy. But when יוסף lost his job, their joy turned to worry. יוסף was an expert mechanic but he just couldn't find another job, and they soon had no money to pay their bills or their rent.
One day, יוסף was speaking to some of his friends, who were חסידים of the רבי רש“ב . "Why don't you go to see our Rebbe. He is very wise, and he will help you."
יוסף , who was not a חסיד , replied, "What does the Rebbe know about being a mechanic? How can he possibly help me?" But, as time passed and no job appeared, he thought that maybe it might be a good idea. After all, יוסף thought, what could I lose? He went to the חסידים and told them that he was now ready to see their Rebbe. Everyone put together a little bit and soon they had enough money to send the young mechanic to Lubavitch.
Eventually, the mechanic had his chance to go into יחידות with the Rebbe. He told the Rebbe all his problems and the Rebbe listened carefully. Then the Rebbe said, "You and your wife should go to a certain city. There you should open a hat store." The Rebbe gave them a ברכה for הצלחה רבה , and the confused יוסף went home.
When he returned, he told the חסידים : "Your Rebbe gave me the strangest advice! He told me to go to a city I never heard of and sell hats - something I know nothing about!" The חסידים were not surprised by this advice. "A Rebbe is not like other people," they told him. "If he gives you advice, listen to him, even if it makes no sense to you. The Rebbe sees further than we do."
יוסף discussed it with דינה and they decided that maybe they should try the Rebbe's advice. Their friends collected some more money, and soon the young people were on their way to what they hoped would be a new beginning.
When they arrived in the town they looked for a suitable place to open their store, but all they could afford was a very small place at the edge of town. How would anyone ever find out about their shop? Would anyone come to buy hats from them? Their realised that they had been right as days and weeks went by. They sat in their tiny shop and looked at their beautiful hats, but no one came. They began to wonder if they had made a mistake by listening to the חסידים and the Rebbe.
Then one day, a magnificent coach pulled up in front of their shop. A well-dressed man entered their small shop and said, "I am returning home from a business trip, and I'm looking for a gift for my wife." He began choosing hats and placing them on the counter. Within a few minutes the man had collected a big selection of hats. In fact, almost every hat in the little store was sitting on the counter.
"How much do I owe you?" he asked.
יוסף and דינה didn’t know what to say. If they charged him the actual price, he would surely change his mind , so they mentioned a very low price. "What!" the wealthy man exclaimed. "That can't be the correct price!"
"Actually, sir," replied יוסף , "We are giving you the wholesale price."
"No, I insist on paying a fair price for your hats," said the man, noticing that there were no other customers in the tiny shop and the nervous look on the young couple’s faces. He handed them a big sum of money to cover the many hats he had chosen, and was about to leave, when he stopped.
The young man looked so sad. "What," asked the rich man kindly, "is the reason why you look so unhappy?"
"I'm a mechanic," יוסף said, "and a very good one, too. But a few months ago I lost my job and couldn't find another one. The חסידים in my town convinced me to go to their Rebbe, and the Rebbe told me to move to this town and set up a hat business. What you bought will let us build up our business. But really, sir, I am a mechanic, not a shopkeeper."
"I may have the perfect solution!" cried the wealthy man. "My brother owns a factory and two of his most valuable machines stopped working almost six months ago. He doesn’t know what to do because no one seems to be able to fix them. Maybe you'll be successful." The wealthy man then gave him a letter of introduction and lent him the money for travelling expenses.
A week later the young man arrived to the factory, and two days later, to the great relief of the factory owner, both machines were up and working. "You're the only one who was able to repair the machinery, and I'd like to offer you a job. How would you like to be the manager of my factory?" יוסף was overcome with happiness at his change of mazel. Some months later, the young couple returned to their hometown and the חסידים anxiously gathered around them wanting to be filled in on what had happened. The happy couple told the whole story and they said: ‘the Rebbe was right, and so were his loyal חסידים .’
See the printable version of Connections for incredible fun pages!
Last Week’s Winners:
Chayale Turk, age 7 from Chicago, IL
Bayla Chein, age 6 from Cheadle, England
Yitzchok Friedman, age 8 from S. Cruz, California
Shneur Zalman Bergstein, age 7 from Buffalo Grove, IL
We'd love to hear your feedback! Send us your comments, ideas and suggestions to: connections@shluchim.org
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