The Parsha Alive     Brain Buster     Dr. Getzel      Kids Speak       Pocket Calendar     Pirkei Avos Pointers    Lag Baomer     Stories of our Rabbeim      Test your Knowledge

The Connections people
 

With many thanks to our generous sponsors:
 

Chinuch Yaldei Hashluchim:
Mr. & Mrs.
Yochanan & Peri Brook
 Mr.  Mrs.
Zalman & Raizy Cousin
 

Connections:
Rabbi & Mrs.
Mendel & Sara Shemtov

 Rabbi & Mrs.
Kasriel & Chana E. Shemtov

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 BAHALOSECHA
 

The fifth grade was doing an end-of-the-year project entitled, "Getting the World Ready for the Geulah." The class was divided into a number of groups and each one would be recommending a plan of action. This morning, each group had to choose a representative to present its plan to the class. The boys were excited and a bit nervous because Rabbi Levine, the principal, was going to be there. "Your project is very important," Rabbi Levine had said. "I would like to join you in your discussion."

Mordechai presented his group's plan first. "We think that if we teach people that the world was created by HaShem and that the geulah - the goal of the entire creation - is coming soon, people will begin to think seriously about it."

Shimon was second. "Our group feels that, for many people, it's hard to think seriously about deep ideas which they have never studied. But if we describe all the good things that are going to happen at the time of the geulah, they'll want Moshiach to come, even if they don't understand much."

Chaim was next. "We think that talking to people is not enough, because everyone is busy with his own life and business. The way to get people ready is to make sure that the geulah is always on people's minds. We could do that with posters, newsletters, signs, radio shows, and other kinds of advertisements."

Gedaliah's group was last to present their plan. "We thought about all those ideas, too, but we decided that the best way to get others ready is to make sure that we ourselves are ready. If we would work on ourselves, by studying about the geulah and strengthening our own belief, we would be like 'live' signs spreading the word to others."

Rabbi Levine listened intently to the boys as their teacher looked on, clearly proud of their presentations.

"I am pleased that you have been thinking so seriously about the most important mission we have to fulfill now," Rabbi Levine said. "Some of you may be wondering what I think is the best plan. We can look into this week's parshah and learn that all the plans are good. In Parshas Beha’alosecha, the Torah tells us about lighting the menorah. The menorah spread HaShem's holy light out into the world. The menorah had seven branches. Each one was separate, but they were all part of one effort to light up the world. In the same way, we can follow different plans to reach the same goal.

"We can also learn other important points from the laws of lighting the menorah. The Torah allows anyone to kindle the lights, even a person who is not a kohain. This teaches us that everyone should do whatever he can to brighten up the world.

"Yet, the command to light the menorah was given to Aharon, the kohain gadol. This teaches us that, although we must all join in the effort to spread the light of the geulah, we must be sure that the plans that we follow are inspired by the holiness of the kohain gadol of our times. Then the flame will shine brightly and light up the world."

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

Wow! This has been a very busy week. Getting prepared for Gimmel Tammuz is a lot of work. Every day I leave my red brick house at the crack of dawn and drive to my green-roofed office. And every day I sit at my desk and shake, measure and mix. I’m the one-and-only Dr. Getzel, world famous eye-doctor, scientist and inventor. I’m working on adding a feature to my COL lens that will help us see how to connect to the Rebbe. It’s a complexly complicated and powerfully powerful feature that has four different parts to it. That’s why I call it the four-sight feature. So far, I have discovered the ingredients for the first two parts of the four-sight feature.

I’m a surprising kind of a guy so all sorts of surprises happen when I’m around. I surprise Mrs. Getzel when I put chocolate syrup and sprinkles on my scrabbled eggs in the morning and I surprise my neighbors when I accidentally leave the house in my pink and yellow stripped pajamas.  Sometimes I even surprise myself when I look in the mirror and yell, “Boo!”  The latest surprise was when I discovered the first two ingredients in the four-sight feature.

I was sitting at my desk, minding my own business when the inky blue pen I was writing with spun off my desk.

“Bounce, bounce, roll.” It bounced twice on the floor and rolled into my closet.

All good inventors need special inky blue pens to write down their inventions and this was the best inky blue pen that I ever had. So I did what any good inventor would do, I hopped off my chair and crawled into the closet to look for it.  But like I said before, surprises are always lurking in the corners waiting for me and boy was I in for a big surprise.

The closet was very spooky and very dark. I couldn’t see a thing so I started feeling around on the floor. I felt some leftover cheese blintzes from Shavuos, an afikomen (so that’s where I hid it!), a pile of mismatched socks (Hey! How did they get here? I lost those socks in the dryer), and three empty gefilte fish jars (???), but no inky blue pen. I held on tightly to my yarmulke and moved farther into the closet. Suddenly, I felt myself falling.

“Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh,” I yelled.

THUD! I landed with a thud in a black hole.

Luckily I only got a little bruise on my tzitzis from the fall.  I felt around me and right there was my pen! So now I had my inky blue pen, but I also had a problem: How was I going to get back to my office to work on the four-sight feature to connect to the Rebbe? Suddenly, my knee spoke up (I must have banged it in the fall, or, maybe I banged my head). Actually, it sang up. It started to sing Tzama Lecha Nafshi. “Why are you singing at a time like this?!” I asked it. “I’m singing one of the Rebbe’s Knee-ggunim!” it answered. “When I sing a knee-ggun that the Rebbe sung, I feel connected to the Rebbe.  The song is like a string that ties my Neshama to the Rebbe’s and I know he will help me.”

Before I could blink, my eyeballs started speaking, too! “The Rebbe used to stand for hours giving out dollars,” squeaked my

eyeballs. “Once a lady asked him how he could stand for so long without getting tired and he answered that all the Yidden are like precious diamonds to him and one doesn’t get tired from counting diamonds.”

“That’s a beautiful story,” I said. “BUT HOW IS IT GOING TO GET US OUT OF THIS MESS?!” My eyeballs rolled themselves at me and said, “By connecting to the Rebbe through See-pur of course.  Telling stories of the Rebbe connects us to him, it’s as if he’s here, holding our hand and showing us the way.”

Then they both chanted together, “If we are connect to the Rebbe, above then we won’t fall below. The Rebbe will drag us out of here!”

Before I could say the twelve posukim backwards, I was sitting back at my cluttered desk, holding my inky blue pen in my hand. And that’s the surprising story of how I discovered the first two ingredients that help connect us to the Rebbe.

Tune in next week to find out the rest of the ingredients in the four-sight feature.

Dr. Getzel
 

פרקי אבות

שבת after מנחה

פרק  ראשון

Ephraim Kahn, 10
Paris, France

My name is Ephraim Kahn and I am 10 Years old , I live in Paris, France.

I have one younger sister - Chava and one younger brother - Menachem Mendel.  My father is  a Dayan and a Rov.

I am in Kita Vov (Grade 6) and my brother who is also in Cheder is in Kita Aleph.  I am very happy here Boruch Hashem.

Every year on the Sunday before Pesach, my father makes a day of Kashering in our Shul;: Lots of people come all day long to Kasher their dishes for Pesach. I help him.

After Shavous we have a Shabbaton for the Kehilla which my parents organize every year. It is in the Countryside and we have a great time.

I am so excited !

י‘ סיון תרצ“ב (5592)

This is the day that the פריערדיקער רבי’s youngest daughter רביצין שיינא got married.  She married ר‘ מנחם מענדל הכהן Horenstein.  He was the grandson of the רבי מהר“ש because his mother - רביצין חיה מושקא was the רבי מהר“ש’s daughter.  The חתונה took place in the town of Landvorov in Poland. The פריערדיקער רבי  explained that the reason the town of Landvorov was chosen was because in those times it was difficult for people to travel and Landvorov was a major crossroads and could be reached easily.

י“ג סיון תר“ס (5560)

When ר‘ לוי יצחק was ready to get married, the רבי רש“ב arranged his שידוך with רביצין חנה, the daughter of ר‘ מאיר שלמה Yanovsky, the רב of the city of Nikolayev.  After the date of the חתונה had been set for the ערב שבת after שבועות, the כלה became unwell and her father wanted to postpone the חתונה.  He sent a message to the רבי רש“ב asking for permission but the רבי  wouldn’t agree and gave a ברכה that everything should go well.  After the חתונה, ר‘ לוי יצחק lived by his father-in-law for almost 10 years and spent his time learning תורה day and night.  In the year תרס“ט he moved to the city of Yekatrinoslav to become the רב there.

ט“ו סיון תרפ“ז (5587)

It was Tuesday night at 12 midnight.  The פריערדיקער רבי had just finished giving יחידות.  He davened מעריב and sat down to eat supper with his family.  Suddenly there was a bang at the door.  Agents of the GPU came to arrest the פריערדיקער רבי.  They allowed him to take his תפילין, ספרים, pen and paper and they took him to ‘Shpalerka’ the worst prison.  Even mentioning the name of this prison would make people scared.

ט“ז סיון תרס“ט (5569)

On this day ר‘ ישראל ארי‘ לייב, the youngest son of ר‘ לוי יצחק and רביצין חנה was born.  Even from when he was young it was obvious that he was very talented and clever.

(Adapted from ‘Days in Chabad’)
 

פרק ראשון

   ‘משה קבל תורה מסיני’

Why does it say that משה received the תורה from סיני?  It should have said that he got it from ה‘.

When ה‘ was deciding which mountain to give the תורה on, He chose הר סיני over all the tall, majestic ones to teach us to be humble.  But, if being humble is so important, why didn’t ה‘ just give the תורה on level ground?

The difference between regular earth and a mountain is that earth gets trampled on easily and it gets squashed under people’s feet. A mountain doesn’t because it is made of hard rock.  This teaches us that a איד who keeps תורה and מצוות should be proud of what he does and not let himself be stood or trampled upon.

תורה comes from the same שורש as the word הוראה which means a teaching and a lesson.

משה got the תורה - a lesson - from סיני.  He learned that we have to be humble but at the same time, proud of the fact that we are frum אידן who keep תורה and מצוות.

Then, he taught this lesson to יהושע to pass on to all the אידן forever!

(Adapted from Vedibarta Bam)
 

”על פי ה‘ יסעו בני ישראל ועל פי ה‘ יחנו“(ט‘:י“ח)

 The words על פי ה‘ - ‘according to the word of ה‘’ are written 6 times in the 5 פסוקים that talk about the journeys and stops of the בני ישראל.

This teaches us that it’s very important that when a איד talks about his plans, he should always say ‘אם ירצה ה‘’ - ‘with the will of ה‘’ or ‘בעזרת ה‘’ - ‘with ה‘’s help’.

For example, if someone is traveling, he should say “I am traveling בעזרת ה‘ on such and such a day and I hope to arrive אם ירצה ה‘ on such and such a day”.

When he arrives, he should say “I arrived בעזרת ה‘ and I hope to leave on such and such a day אם ירצה ה‘”.

Before the בעל שם טוב was revealed for the great צדיק that he was, he used to go around to all the small Russian villages and teach the simple אידן.  He was the first to tell them that ה‘ loves it when they serve Him בשמחה and he also taught them to say אם ירצה ה‘.

(Adapted from Vedibarta Bam)
 

A Boy & a Calf

When the פריערדיקער רבי was still a young boy, his father, the רבי רש“ב, used to give him money as a reward for learning משניות בעל פה.  With this money, young יוסף יצחק started a גמ“ח.  He would lend money to poor townspeople so they could buy goods on Market Day, sell them and use the profit to buy some food for their families.

One of the people who used the גמ“ח very often was ר‘ דוד the butcher.  ר‘ דוד was a simple man and very poor but he would do any kind of work, whether in the scorching sunshine or pouring rain to earn a bit of money to feed his eight hungry children.  However, he would never say even one word of complaint about his hard life.

One day, in the month of אב, יוסף יצחק was walking home for lunch together with his friend Shimon.  They were walking through the jammed market place when they met ר‘ דוד, a calf over his shoulders, a lamb in his arms and a basket of chickens hanging in front.  When ר‘ דוד saw יוסף יצחק, his face broke out with a big smile and he said “With ה‘’s help, I hope to earn some money today.”

As he was saying this a policeman suddenly came up to him and slapped him across his face.  Seeing this, יוסף יצחק yelled at the policeman “Drunk!  Despicable one!” and shoved him hard.

The policeman called another policeman to take יוסף יצחק to the police station and to tell the Chief that the boy had ripped off the policeman’s brass badge and interfered with him doing his job.  The half-drunk second policeman grabbed יוסף יצחק by his clothes at the back of his neck and dragged him to the police station.  Because of all the noise and commotion in the market, no one noticed.

At the police station, the policeman told the officer on duty about the ’crimes’ that יוסף יצחק had done and the officer slapped the boy across his face, pulled him by his ear and pushed him into a dark cell, locking the door behind.

At first יוסף יצחק was very scared and also very hungry.  But then he realized that now he was sitting in prison just like his holy grandfathers.  He decided that just like them, he should also occupy himself with words of תורה.  Since he knew many משניות, he began reviewing them בעל פה.  Suddenly he heard a grunting sound.  He trembled with fear but forced himself to concentrate on the words of תורה and ignore everything else.

After he davenned מנחה and was studying some more משניות בעל פה, יוסף יצחק heard the grunting sounds again.  Again he was very frightened but then he remembered that he had his friend Shimon’s box of matches in his pocket. He lit one of the matches and to his surprise, lying in the corner of the cell was a calf, tied up and muzzled. Surprised, but calm again, he continued chazzering משניות.

As he was reaching the end of סדר מועד, יוסף יצחק heard footsteps coming towards his cell. The door opened and he saw the police officer standing in front of him.

‘Please forgive me,’ the officer said. ‘I didn't know that you are the nephew of the רז“א (everyone who lived in Lubavitch knew the רבי מהר“ש’s son, ר‘ זלמן אהרן, known as the רז“א). Now the Chief of Police has arrived and he told me that I have to release you.’ The officer then started begging יוסף יצחק. ‘Please be kind to me and don't tell them that I hit you or pulled your ear. I didn't mean to hurt you—I just did it out of habit. And I didn't make you bleed or knock any teeth out…’

As they entered the Chief’s office, ר‘ דוד was already sitting there, bruised and beaten, together with the policeman who hit him and two witnesses.  The policeman was shouting that ר‘ דוד had stolen the calf he was holding from ר‘ מאיר the butcher who had bought it from his (the policeman’s) brother.  The witnesses testified that ר‘ דוד had paid for the calf.

While they were talking, the gabbai of יוסף יצחק’s uncle, the רז“א came with a letter for the Chief.  After reading it, the Chief allowed יוסף יצחק to go home.

When יוסף יצחק told the gabbai about the calf in the prison cell, he rushed to find ר‘ מאיר.  ר‘ מאיר rushed to the police station and the truth finally came out.  ר‘ מאיר had bought the calf from the policeman’s brother.  Together, the policeman and his brother had stolen it back and hidden it in the prison cell. Then—to cover up their crime—they accused  ר‘ דוד of stealing the calf, when in fact he had bought a different one.  The policeman sat in jail for a week and was then fired from his job.

When יוסף יצחק’s father, the רבי רש“ב, heard what happened, he praised יוסף יצחק for protecting an innocent איד.  He said “Now do you see why it’s good that you know משניות בעל פה.  Otherwise, why would you be better than ר‘ מאיר’s calf who was also sitting in jail.  But since you spent those hours reviewing your learning, you showed that man is higher than animals.”

(Adapted from the פריערדיקער רבי’s Diary)
 

Last Week's Winners:

Level 1:
 Menucha Kalmanson, 8; Mason, Ohio
Efraim Levinberg, 5; Amherst, Massachusetts

Level 2:
 Mendy Dubov, 10; Maitland, Florida
Tzemach Weg, 9; Tulsa, Oklahoma

We'd love to hear your feedback! Send us your comments, ideas and suggestions to: connections@shluchim.org
 

Click here for a printable version of Connections in PDF format