E-TORAH
AUGUST 22nd – 21 AV
CANDLE LIGHTING 7:22 PM
SHABBOS ENDS 8:23 PM
What Is New @ FREE
Smile on Seniors (SOS). FREE is proud to introduce this innovative program aimed to meet the needs of seniors within our community. We will match volunteers with a local senior, to can be visited with every week for a 15-30 minutes. To volunteer for this exciting project please email Mrs.Pessy Notik.
Hebrew School! Once again we would like to invite you to sign up for this year’s Sunday Hebrew School. We have incorporated new teachers, curriculums and program. Our exciting and unique program that is guaranteed to inspire your child(ren). Please visit our website for more information or to register online.
Grand Raffle! FREE’s Hebrew School presents a grand Raffle for a Brand New 2008 Nissan Quest or $12,000 cash! Get a ticket to help support Jewish Children’s Education and enter for your chance to win. Click here to purchase your tickets online.
Mazel Tov! to R' Micha & Brina Rosenbloom on the birth of a baby boy. The Sholom Zochor will take place this Friday at their home 2750 W. Coyle Ave.
Save the Date! Rabbi Laibl Wolf, noted lecturer and spiritual mentor will be visiting on Sunday, September 7, 8:00 p.m. at Chabad of Skokie, 4059 Dempster Street in Skokie. He will be speaking on "Practical Kabbalah," discussing the secret of sanity and balance in a world going mad. Admission is $12 in advance online, $15 at the door. For more info or to rsvp, visit http://www.skokiechabad.org/706585.
A Torah Thought!
"...And He fed you the Manna which you did not know, neither did your fathers know, etc..." These words are found in this week's Torah portion, Eikev.
What a difference there was between the "bread from heaven" - the manna that fell from above for the Jews during their forty years in the desert - and ordinary bread "from the earth." To produce bread great effort and hard labor is required - ploughing, sowing, reaping, grinding, kneading, baking, etc. And the finished product, in common with all other physical foods, cannot be totally absorbed and utilized by the human body; part of it is rejected by the body as waste. But manna, the "bread from heaven," did not require any labor for preparation and contained no waste whatsoever.
Who was able to eat this noble, almost spiritual food? All Israel - the righteous, the average and even the wicked. Moreover, the manna did not become debased and lose its special qualities when digested by an evil person; even within their bodies it had no waste. On the contrary, it had a refining, elevating effect on them.
Torah is called "bread," and within Torah wisdom we may also discern two kinds of "bread." The revealed parts of Torah - the Oral Law, the Bible, Mishna, Talmud, etc - is called "bread from the earth" because of the toil and labor associated with the question-answer, challenge-refutation method of study. The inner aspect of Torah - Kabbala, chasidic philosophy, the mystical teaching, etc.- is called "bread from heaven."
Who may partake of this noble food? Who may study this refined and esoteric wisdom of Torah? There are some who claim that these teachings, as embodied in Chasidism, are only for the select few, that special preparation is required in order to participate in such studies. But such a claim is similar to the claim of years ago when the validity of Chasidism itself was questioned. Today, however, as we approach the dawn of the coming of Moshiach, the claims against Chasidic teachings have disappeared. Instead, there are claims that the esoteric wisdom of Chasidism is too refined for the masses, etc. But the inner aspect of Torah, the "bread from heaven," is for all and may be ingested, like the manna, by every Jew no matter what level he or she finds himself. Like the manna, it has a refining effect and brings us all closer to returning to our Source.
Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Mordechai Gur Arye grew up in the Russian city of Yekatrinaslav. He was a frequent visitor in the home of the city's chief rabbi, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson.
Mordechai was one of the top students in the city's government high school. His peers and teachers soon realized that he was an observant Jew and began to harass him. In every conversation, his teachers made sure to mention the baselessness of religion. But Mordechai remained firm, unafraid to display his observance openly.
Mordechai was not alone in his difficulties, for with him was his mentor, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak who supported and encouraged him.
Although Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was the official rabbi of the community, he was not permitted to hold any discussion of Torah with his congregants. And he was also absolutely forbidden to influence the younger generation to follow in their ancestors' ways.
But this did not deter Rabbi Levi Yitzchak. He used every opportunity he had to speak to the public about strengthening and preserving Judaism, even though he knew there were informers present who would repeat everything h said to government officials.
When Mordechai completed high school he decided to attend university, but was met with surprise; he was not accepted. He could not understand why the administration would not accept him even though he had excellent grades. He tried to speak with the head of the university, and was told: "Go ask Schneerson to help you, we can't help you in this matter."
Finally, Mordechai was accepted, but he was sent to a farm where the students worked and studied. Mordechai kept in touch with Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, in order to find out how to properly conduct himself in accordance with Jewish law in the various situations that arose.
The students at the farm were occasionally sent to the city to purchase supplies for the farm. All the students used the opportunity in the city to sell the produce of the farm and make money for themselves. But Mordechai had better use for his visits. He would inquire about the Jews of the city, and check to see what religious articles they were lacking. Every time he went into the city he took along his briefcase filled with mezuzot, tzitzit and prayer books. He distributed these to the Jewish residents in accordance with the instructions of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak. Of course, Mordechai did all of this secretly.
Each day Mordechai would don his tefilin and pray. While everyone else was asleep, Mordechai snuck out to the fields. There, between the tall corn stalks, he'd pray quickly, covering his tefilin with his hat.
Mordechai kept the secret of his observance so well that the authorities decided to transfer him to another agricultural settlement where they felt the intelligent youth would enlighten the ignorant villagers.
Everything went smoothly until one Chanuka evening, a Jewish inspector arrived at the settlement, and was shocked to find Chanuka candles burning. The very next day Mordechai was dismissed from his position and sent home.
Mordechai continued studying Torah and observing mitzvot. According to the law he was supposed to re-enter the university to continue his studies under surveillance, which he did.
During those days, Mordechai would sneak to the home of Reb Levi Yitzchak to pray or hear some words of Torah. One summer day, Mordechai went to a swim in the sea, and never returned...
The heads of the university wanted to make the funeral on the government's account. They sent a messenger to Mordechai's sister, a sworn communist who held an important position in a government factory. She excused herself by saying that her parents were traditional and she could not intervene. She then hurried to Reb Levi Yitzchak and told him: "Mordechai's will is your will, whatever you say we will do."
The funeral was arranged in accordance with Jewish law. News of the tragedy spread, and people flocked from all corners of the city to accompany Mordechai to his resting place. The university also sent students and several teachers to the funeral, but they stood by the side.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak began his speech at the funeral: "Mordechai, in his short life, showed us the path we should take. He did not care what his friends said or what the government thought. He paid no attention to those who sought to harm him. Throughout everything, Mordechai stood firm in his faith and observance."
The crowd was greatly agitated by Rabbi Levi Yitzchak's words. They were surprised to hear of Mordechai's self sacrifice in distributing religious articles, and how he prayed secretly between the corn stalks. The rabbi roused the people, urging them to follow in Mordechai's path and not to forget their Father in Heaven.
When Rabbi Levi Yitzchak stopped speaking, no one budged. The people were shocked that the Rabbi dared to speak the way he did, heedless of the authorities and their threats. "After such a speech, he'll no doubt be exiled for many years," they said to one another.
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak was not imprisoned at that time. Only three years later, in 1939, was he arrested, tortured, and then exiled. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak passed away on the 20th day of the Hebrew month of Av. But they never managed to break the spirit of the great man who was the father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
From Journeys with the Rebbes, published by Ufaratzta Publishing.
Have A Wonderful Shabbos!!