Five Books of...Me?

BH

Shalom. Today is forty-eight days, which are six weeks and six days of the Omer. You know what that means? Tonight, we wrap up the count and tomorrow night usher in the holiday of Shavuot!

Shavuot, for whatever reasons, seems to have been lost to the larger Jewish community. However for me, this holiday holds some of the most powerful lessons for the Jewish people.

We as a Jewish people are standing at the foot of Mount Sinai once again. We are humbled, pure, holy and ready. What has gotten us to this point? The Omer count of course.

Through the process of counting the Omer, Jewish people today have the distinct honor and ability to “re-live” the amazing spiritual journey our ancestors trekked many centuries ago. Each day, refining our bodies and souls to recommit to the greatest thing - even greater than sliced bread - the Holy Torah!

The process takes us through a journey, each day inching forward toward this amazing goal.

What’s all this about counting? We know to count the Omer, but also, in this weeks Parsha, Vayikra, we read about a lot of counting. G-d commands Moshe (Moses) to take a census of the Jewish People in the desert. Down to the last man. (The census was to determine which people were eligible to be drafted to war, thus only men were counted.)

So, why this fixation on counting? So lets break it down; the Jewish tradition tells us of many great leaders - Abraham, Moses, Joshua, King David, Queen Esther, Deborah, and more. In fact as a nation, we have thousands of great women and men that we know well by name. The truth of the matter is though, as great as these leaders were, they were also - simply - individuals.

This is the unique message that Vayikra and Shavuot teach us. Hundreds of thousands of men and women throughout the Torah are mentioned in a group - Bnei Yisroel. But here, and in several other points we are assured that each of these people are an individual! They are counted, each one for her/himself. Each one has a mission and each is G-ds gem.

Each woman today can light Shabbat candles, exactly as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah did! Every woman has the ability to make their mark in the world.

For men it's the same - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Aaron, Joshua, Caleb, King David, King Solomon and Mordechai in a room won’t create a minyan. They are only nine! One little bar-mitzvah boy, unlearned and unknown can complete that minyan in the same exact fashion as Moses could. Simply, as the tenth man.

We are all in this together, we received the Torah together at Sinai. We each individually stood there and witnessed great miracles. We - you, me, him, her. Not we as in “us” or “them.”

With the Omer counting coming to an end, it's time to get ready to witness that great miracle once again. We have counted our way up. Tomorrow night every single one of us has the ability to receive the Torah b’simcha ub’pnimiut (happily and with internal meaning).

For this reason, the Lubavitcher Rebbe launched a campaign to round up people into the synagogue to hear the Torah reading on Shavuot - the reading of the Ten Commandements. Because these commandments are everyone’s. They belong to each of us to mold our personal lives by.

Its our Torah - “Five Books of Moses” is just a stage name. Don’t believe it!

I encourage you to find somewhere to go to hear the reading on Sunday morning. (Chabad.org has a listing.)

Kabbolos Hatorah B’simcha Ub’pnimius!

The Eternal Flame

BH

“A great miracle happened on this Shabbat. When the Jews took the Lamb for the Paschal Sacrifice, the Egyptians asked why. They were told, This is for our sacrifice, for G-d shall slay the Egyptian firstborns. Upon hearing so, the Egyptian firstborns waged a civil war. They were demanding the Jews be set free. Thus, for this miracle, this Shabbat shall be referred to as Shabbat HaGadol.”

In the “Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch” (The Code of Jewish Law compiled by Rabbi Shneur Zalmen) the author describes this reason for the Shabbat before pesach being referred to as“Shabbat HaGadol” - “The Big Shabbat.”

Now, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem M. Schneerson asks: There are several known miracles that happened on this Shabbat. Why, then, does the Alter Rebbe specify this one only?

The Rebbe answers his own question comparing this idea to the greater idea of Shabbat itself. The Rebbe explains that time is as much a created “being” or “entity” as all other created beings and entities. Whereas, before the creation of the world limitations and constraints of time did not exist!

With the creation of each day, time took a new form. The framework of one day existed. Then two. Then three. And so on. After six days, commentaries teach us that the world was perfect, all that was missing was repose. Tranquility. Rest.

The Rebbe further asks, if the seventh day was not created yet, how could repose be all thats missing? What about the entire time frame that is the seventh day?

So, the Rebbe explains; the structure of Shabbat is indeed a frame of time, however, it is different from the time constraints of days one through six. Time on Shabbat transcends the limitations of past, present and future. It is Shabbat!

Just like Shabbat holds the same form of time while transcending time simultaneously, the Egyptian firstborns created the same effect. They were evil. They worked the Jewish people, harder perhaps than the other Egyptians worked them. Yet, while still remaining the same evil Egyptians they were, they waged a war against their own, taking up the cause of “the enemy” in the process!

This, the Rebbe concludes, is the unique connection between Shabbat and the miracle of Shabbat HaGadol! This is why the Alter Rebbe specifies this reason, to the exclusion of others.

I would like to add to this. On Tuesday of next week Chabadniks around the world will celebrate “Yud Aleph Nissan” (the 11th of Nissan) - the 110th birthday of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. For Chassidim, this is a special day. The day the Rebbe started his journey toward changing the lives of so many.

The Rebbe made it his mission to touch as many Jewish people as possible! Wherever they may be. Evidence stands in the thousands of Chabad Centers around the world!

The Rebbe’s mission transcends time and space. The mission is eternal. The Rebbe never let up. There was no, “It’s five o’clock, let’s break” on the Rebbe’s schedule. And quite frankly, there is no 5:00 break for his emissaries either. The mission is 24/7.

In this week’s Parsha, Tzav, it states (Leviticus, 6:6): “An Eternal flame shall burn upon the Mizbei’ach (Altar). It should not go out.” THIS was the Rebbe’s mission! His goal, his teachings, his efforts, were timeless. They are the eternal flame that has reignited Judaism of late.

I join Chassidim, followers and admirers around the globe in wishing the Rebbe a happy birthday. While the Rebbe is not with us in a physical sense, his eternal flame shines bright.

Let us commit to carrying out the Rebbe’s mission, and working toward his ultimate goal - our united goal as a Jewish Nation - the coming of Moshiach.

Transition: Pain to Consolation

“I don’t know how I and my husband’s parents and sister will find the consolation and strength to carry on, but I know that the ways of G-d are good, and He will reveal the path and give us the strength to continue. I know that their holy souls will remain with us forever, and I know that very soon the time will come when we will be together again with the coming of Moshiach.” - Mrs. Eva Sandler, wife of murdered Toulouse Rabbi, Jonathan Sandler

The Jewish Nation has been struck once again. A young Rabbi, his two children, and another child, murdered at a center of Torah study. Their crime? Being Jewish.

While it is natural to question and demand to know why, we all know that no answer or explanation would be adequate. How could there be a acceptable reasoning? Children, cut down in the earliest of stages, in the purest of places, a center of Torah study.

As our hearts make the transition from anger to coping; from shock to reality; from pain to consolation, I draw a lesson from the transition from last week’s Parsha, Vayakhel-Pekudei, the final portion of the book of Exodus to this week’s Parsha, Vayikra, the introduction to the book of Leviticus.

Towards the end of last week’s portion the Torah states that the Mishkan - the Tabernacle - which had just been completed, was inaccessible due to a cloud hovering over. Moses - or anyone - could not enter. As Vayikra begins, we see a quick change. “G-d calls out to Moses...” - the cloud had risen, Moshe could enter!

The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s take on this lends a unique perspective to the “light that follows the darkness.” The Rebbe explains, “the fact that it was immediately preceded by a period of darkness” makes the revelation of goodness that much greater!

When one is struck by tragedy, there are different ways they can choose to go, but when one elects to strengthen his relationship with G-d and Torah as a result, the effect of the divine relationship can strengthen them in return. Strength coming from strengthening.

We as a people have been attacked. together. this is not the plight of the family alone. While the pain is felt by them, we are their supporting cast. We also need to act. We cannot stand by idly and allow terror to dictate how we conduct ourselves.

The famed author Elie Wiesel, in response to the attack in Toulouse wrote, “We say, as is Jewish tradition: “May G-d avenge their blood.” That will be the response from Above.

“Our own answer must be concrete and to the point. When we are persecuted, our response must be: We will remain Jewish – and do everything to become more Jewish.”

The dark clearly reared its ugly head to the world at large this past week. The Jewish response must be brighter and louder. We must add positive effect to the world and not succumb to the evil wishes of our foe.

Op-Ed: Credit Card Fees

Ever walk into a Brooklyn store or eatery (or any store for that matter) to purchase a can of soda or a quick sandwich?

You brought your item to the counter, got rung up and the total is $1.39. Or $4.39. Or even $9.39. You pull out your credit card to make your purchase. But wait, the cashier then informs you, "Oh sorry, we have a $10.00 minimum for credit card purchases." (Or sometimes, you may even find "Oh, there is a $0.50 surcharge for credit card use).

Yes, in the stores I refer to, it happens with all cards, be it an American Express, a Visa card, a Discover card or even MasterCard. You know, we have all experienced this, and most of the time, we actually do drag ourselves around the store collecting a few extra things we don't need. Or we might possibly add a french fries to that order that we don't really want, and probably shouldn't be eating.

Well, after experiencing this in 4 different stores in our very own neighborhood today, I decided to take a look into the issue. You'd be surprised at what I found. Well, actually, the findings aren't so surprising themselves; it's the stores in fact that shock me.

Dearest patrons of local stores and eateries, it’s time you knew your rights as the carrier of one of these cards.

After some quick research, it was certainly not hard to find the information I was looking for. Three of the four major credit cards generally accepted around town (American Express and Discover of course being a little less popular) do not allow a merchant to set a minimum purchase for their card to be used. The only slight exception is that of American Express.

Visa: Visa clearly prohibits the establishment of a minimum purchase for a merchant that accepts their card as a form of payment. Quoting from usa.visa.com, "Visa merchants are not permitted to establish minimum transaction amounts, even on sale items. They also are not permitted to charge a surcharge fee when you use your Visa card.” This is actually stated in the guidelines presented each vendor when they first begin to accept Visa.

MasterCard: Merchants accepting MasterCard are required to follow the acceptance rules. At Mastercard.com it states that the MasterCard acceptance rules “prohibits merchants that accept MasterCard cards from establishing any minimum amount below which the merchant won't accept payment via MasterCard card.” They also specifically prohibit the practice of charging a fee for using the card.

Discover: When pressed by MainStreet.com, as to whether a place accepting Discover can set a purchase minimum, Discover answered briefly and to the point. ““All I can share with you is that this practice is prohibited under our merchant regulations” a Discover representative stated.

American Express: An American Express representative, also in a statement to MainStreet.com, in reference to the same question stated, “We don't prohibit minimums but discourage it because it's not consumer-friendly. However, we require parity with other products.” That means a merchant can't impose a minimum on American Express Cards and not on Visa or MasterCard. That in turn means that there cannot be a minimum on AmEx either, as the other three prohibit it.

It’s time we actually knew that we were in fact being "scammed" by our very own neighbors.

One thing you can always try is to challenge the vendor by stating that you actually know these rules. Sometimes they will cave and accept the "low charge." Other times, you may need to threaten to report them to the credit card company. Of course, choosing to not make the purchase at all always sends a good message.

This isn't about cheapness or the idea of outing fellow Crown Heightsers' little secrets. This is about fairness and the idea of people knowing their rights, and the privileges they deserve. It’s actually quite amazing to think that Lubavitchers would act in such a way towards other Lubavitchers. For them it’s about wanting to make a few extra pennies. For me, it’s about wanting to buy a can of Diet Coke, even when I don’t have cash.

Sorry folks, but according to the rules, my want, wins.

Energy Magnate Aguiar Donates $770,000

(Published at www.Lubavitch.com)

Energy magnate Guma Aguiar has made a gift of $770,000 to Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in honor of Chanukah 2009.

Aguiar, the founder and CEO of Leor Energy, has seen his name become well known in Jewish philanthropy due to his support of Chabad-Lubavitch and other philanthropic projects. He made the gift to help sponsor many of the Chanukah outreach programs that are sharing the joy, the light and the messages of the holiday’s historic miracles to millions of people worldwide.

“I am moved and inspired by the light that Chabad brings to the world,” Aguiar said. “That is why I chose to make this contribution in connection with the holiday of Chanukah.”

Aguiar explained that he was motivated to contribute in the amount of 770 as the numbers correspond to that of the current Jewish calendar year of 5770. 770 is also the address of Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. It is from this well known address widely referred to simply as “770” that the Lubavitcher Rebbe of righteous memory led the movement.

“For many years he motivated his followers to touch one more Jew, and I wanted to be a part of that,” said Aguiar.

Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, Chairman of Merkos L’Inyonyei Chinuch, the educational arm of Chabad Lubavitch expressed his gratitude to Aguiar.

“At the time of Chanukah, when activities are at such a high level, a contribution like this makes an enormous difference.” Krinsky added that “the Rebbe noted on numerous occasions that 770 is the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew word “Porazta,” meaning to transcend constraints in our efforts to affect positive change in our lives, in society and the world at large.

“The Chabad Shluchim embody this concept on a daily basis. We are very fortunate to have a person like Mr. Aguiar who is willing and able to lend his support to the effort.”

A Thankful Reunion After 64 Years

(Published at www.Lubavitch.com)

Though the arrivals hall at JFK is no stranger to emotional reunions, a unique meeting on Wednesday brought more than the usual bevy of reporters and onlookers.

Bronislaw Firuta arrived from Poland on one of the busiest travel days of the year. There to greet him was Joseph Bonder. Though the two men, now in their 80s, hadn’t seen each other in 64 years, it was recognition at first sight.

Bonder was only 13 when he and his sister Joan were hidden by Firuta in Ostra Mogila, Poland. It was 1942, the height of Nazi imperialism. The siblings spent the next two years shuffling between the attic above and the shack behind the Firuta home.

“We never stayed in the house,” Bonder recalls. “The attic and the shack were open; they could make the excuse that we came in on our own. It was a big risk they were taking.”

That heroism was recognized by the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, a New York-based organization dedicated to supporting and preserving the legacy of gentiles who risked their lives to save Jewish people during the Holocaust. The Foundation sponsored this reunion trip.

Though they have maintained a relationship via written correspondence and telephone conversations, the pair hasn’t seen each other in over six decades. It is “more exciting than anything else,” said Bonder late Wednesday. “He was really righteous and generous. He was always on my mind.”

Together with Bonder were his wife, children, and grandchildren. His rabbi from Monroe Township, New Jersey, was also at the emotional reunion.

“How can I not be a part of such a big celebration in his life?” Rabbi Eliezer Zaklikovsky, director of the Chabad Jewish Center of Monroe, told lubavitch.com. The meeting, he said, proves that even in the darkest of times, there were reasons to be thankful.

“This is someone who is not Jewish, who risked his life to save Jewish people. He is one of the truly righteous gentiles. It was very emotional to see.”

Bonder is an active member of his local Jewish community and vice-president of the Monroe Holocaust Survivors Group. Because of Firuta, Bonder “was able to produce a family of children and grandchildren,” said the group’s president, Jack Chevlin in an interview with lubavitch.com. “I wish we had many more people like that who could have done so for other Jewish people.” Chevlin himself was rescued by gentiles during the Holocaust.

Firuta’s U.S. visit comes in the wake of his wife’s recent death and the destruction of his home shortly after. For his part, Bonder plans to assist Firuta in any way he can. “Helping Jews then, what he did for me, was very risky. Financial help has no risk, so I have to. I’m sure I will do something for him.”

The two have a lot of catching up to do. During his whirlwind six-day trip, Firuta will stay at the Bonder home. A two-day New York City tour is planned.

On the agenda is visits with Bonder’s children, who have heard stories of their father’s rescue. He hopes that in the future, they too will keep in touch with his Polish savior. “They know he saved my life. They know well.”

Yeshiva-in-Prison Brings Meaning, Spiritual Growth to Inmates

(Published at www.Lubavitch.com)

Gordon M., 36, is an inmate at a Virginia prison where he recently participated in a yeshiva program. Thethree-day intensive Torah study experience, he says, were “the happiest and most joyful days in my last ten years of incarceration.”

For the last four years, the Aleph Institute, a Florida-based prison and military outreach organization, has been offering a comprehensive three-day learning program to Jewish inmates in prisons across the country. Known as the Adel Bas Avraham Yeshiva-in-Prison program, the learning initiative was founded by Aleph’s Executive Director Rabbi Aaron Lipskarand Mr. David Colburn, and was named for Colburn’s mother.

According to Rabbi Mendy Katz, Director of Outreach Programs at Aleph, “Yeshiva-in-Prison transplants these inmates from prison to a sort of Jewish sleep away camp.” Prisoners pray together, take meals together and study together. The impetus for the program comes from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, says Katz. “The Rebbe always stressed the importance of helping Jewish people who are in limited situations,” encouraging them to make good use of every opportunity where their freedoms are not denied.

The program’s eight-hour daily schedule includes selections from Chasidic philosophy, the Talmud, the Mishnah and other areas of Jewish thought. Developed specifically for Yeshiva-in-Prison by program director, Rabbi Yossi Stern, Yeshiva-in-Prison pairs volunteer rabbis with inmates as study partners and mentors. For some inmates, this is the first exposure to serious Jewish study.

“This can be a life changing experience for Jewish inmates,” said Rabbi Stern. “We try to do this 10-12 times a year and each time I’m reminded of its importance.” Stern said he’ll sometimes get as many as 18 inmates at the program which, according to Rabbi Katz, represents more than 90% of the prison’s Jewish population.

The most recent Yeshiva-in-Prison program took place November 23-25 at Federal Correctional Institution Petersburg, Virginia, and was staffed by eight rabbinic volunteers, ages 22-24, from the Lubavitch Yeshiva system. Volunteer Rabbi Shmuel Margolin said that he was “reminded of the importance to see each individual as a person. We try to make them feel like people again.”

Rabbi Margolin, who has been involved in prison outreach as a volunteer for the past three years, led the closing session at FCI Petersburg. "Every single person has a certain mission in life, that no one before him in history, and no one after him in the future can ever accomplish,” Rabbi Margolin said then, reinforcing the idea that each of them yet has his purpose to fulfill, despite the restricted circumstances of their lives.

“They love this,” Rabbi Katz said of the volunteers, “it’s a new and interesting experience. They value developing relationships with individuals in such a situation.” Rabbi Margolin, who has volunteered with prison outreach for the last three years, said the program gave him “a chance to really connect with individual inmates.”

Rabbi Joseph Kolakowski, the Richmond, VA based contract Jewish Chaplain at FCI Petersburg, said he appreciated the program’s work on behalf of the inmates whom he serves. The program “was very well received. Everyone enjoyed it immensely.”

Chaplain Bertrum McPhee of South Bay Correctional Facility said that “the program had a great effect on the participation of residents of the faith,” pointing to the fact that “attendance has gone up from six men to 23 men.” He echoed Rabbi Katz’s appreciation of the volunteers, who, through their work, “stirred a desire for the men to have a greater understanding of their practices.”

The program’s next session will take place December 8-10 at Miami Federal Correctional Institution. Upcoming programs are scheduled as well for prisons in Pensacola, FL and Allenwood, PA.