From: Murray Kahl <kahl@cybernet.cse.fau.edu>
Subject: L'Chaim 250
Originator: scj@israel.nysernet.org
Reply-To: <Murray Kahl <kahl@cybernet.cse.fau.edu>>
Organization: Nysernet
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 18:35:26 GMT

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                                L'CHAIM             ISSUE # 250 PART 1 OF 8
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              THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR EVERY JEWISH PERSON
     Dedicated to the memory of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson  N.E.
****************************************************************************
 Jan. 15, 1992               Parshas - Shemos                 22 Teves 5753
****************************************************************************
 
   Mankind is blessed with a wonderful, innate gift of faith. We go through
life believing that things have to get better.
 
   Yet, for the better part of recorded history, and for nearly all of this
century, there has been little to justify this instinct. The empirical
evidence is overwhelmingly negative. Logic alone would dictate nihilism. The
desire to reproduce, to bring new life into this flawed world, could only be
viewed as an act of madness, or worse, a crime against the innocent child.
 
   And what is true for mankind as a whole is especially true for the Jewish
People. For the horrors that have visited the universal family of man pale by
comparison to the atrocities that have been the Jew's constant companion for
nearly two millennia. 
 
   Yet the Jewish People have survived, not just as individuals but as a
community united by practice and bound together by faith. But the question
is, "faith in what?"
 
   The faith that sustains the Jew as a Jew, and mankind as a whole is the
innate, unshakable faith in an ultimate redemption. That there must come a
time when the words of the prophets will come true. That the world as we know
it, is simply a work in progress, an unfinished canvas. That the survival of
mankind and of the Jews as  People, is vital to the Divine master plan.
 
   Which is what Moshiach is all about.
 
   Moshiach is the life force of the Jewish People, indeed of all humanity.
It is the implicit understanding that there is a Creator whose goal is
perfection. It is the unshakable belief that peace and universal brotherhood
are not merely desirable but inevitable. If it was logical for a single
individual like Hitler to rise and make murder socially acceptable, it is no
less logical for a single individual, Moshiach, to rise and make goodness and
G-dliness universally desirable.
 
   Anticipation of Moshiach is the very heart and soul of Jewish belief.
Maimonides, renowned as much for his philosophical rationalism as for his
rabbinic scholarship, considers Moshiach the sino que non of Judaism.
Maimonides, the rational philosopher, understood clearly what all of us
understand intuitively, that the status quo does not do justice to humanity.
He was unequivocal in his belief that Judaism devoid of Moshiach is antithet-
ical to Judaism.
 
   Moshiach is a man. A flesh and blood person embodying the Torah's ethos
and ideals. By virtue of his own character and leadership, he can set an
example for the Jewish People and all mankind. He has the unique power to
bring out the best in us.
 
   There is really nothing very mysterious about Moshiach. He is a leader
whose agenda is to unite mankind. To heal the rifts that divide parent and
child, that sunder husband from wife, that bring neighbors and nations into
open conflict.Moshiach is the best kind of leadership--leadership by example.
 
   To deny Moshiach is to deny the heart and soul of Judaism. Denial of
Moshiach is defeatism. It is resignation to the status quo. It is acceptance
of the inevitability of evil, and war, and crime, and corruption. It is the
belief that things can get different, but they cannot get better. It is the
hopeless cliche, "The more things change the more they stay the same." 
 
   The signs of Moshiach are all around us. Clearly we are in the midst of a
seismic shift in mankind's consciousness, values and experience. G-d is
telling us something. He is inviting us to take part in this accelerated
movement toward the inevitable completion of his masterpiece.
 
   The ball is now in our court. It is up to us--man and woman, boy and girl,
Jew and gentile--to turn our subconscious instincts into a conscious,
ra-tional movement toward Redemption.
 
   It doesn't take much. An act of charity, a kind word, a hand to the
elderly, respect for our parents, resisting the temptation to get angry, a
moment of prayer, the study of Torah. These are affirmations of our faith.
These are the small but important signals of our belief in the perfectibility
of this world, and our readiness for Moshiach.
 
   Because a small flame can banish a room full of darkness. And the slight-
est shift in current can redirect an entire ocean.
 
   G-d has shown His hand. The next move is ours.
 
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                                 L'CHAIM            ISSUE # 250 PART 2 OF 8
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                          LIVING WITH THE TIMES
                        THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION
****************************************************************************
 
   "These are the names of the Children of Israel who came to Egypt," begins
this week's Torah portion, Shemot. The Midrash explains that the names of the
Twelve Tribes which follow, enumerated when they made their descent into the
land of Egypt, are mentioned in connection to the Jewish people's eventual
redemption from that land.
 
   We see that the narrative which follows tells of the beginning of the
Jews' servitude, seemingly the direct opposite of their liberation and
redemption. What is the meaning of this apparent contradiction?
 
   Secondly, another opinion in the Midrash states that the names of the
Twelve Tribes are mentioned to emphasize that they descended into Egypt with
the names Reuven, Shimon... and ascended after the redemption with these very
same names. The emphasis is on the merit of the Jewish people, that through-
out the Egyptian exile, they did not change their names.
 
   The implication of both these passages is that one must understand the
descent into Egypt as a phase in the redemption of the Jewish people, and
indeed, as connected with the ultimate redemption which will take place with
the coming of Moshiach. In that context, the obligation to recall--and
relive--the exodus from Egypt every day serves as a catalyst to bring about
Moshiach's arrival.
  
  The Jews' redemption from Egypt, the first of their four exiles, "is a
great fundamental principle...of our Torah and faith," according to our
Sages. That first redemption represents the opening of the potential for all
future redemptions. The freedom which was granted at that time continues at
all times.
 
   In a spiritual sense, the exodus from Egypt represents the liberation of
the G-dly soul from the limitations of the body, and in general, of the
triumph of the spirit over the limitations inherent in the material world.
Our obligation to remember the Exodus every day therefore consists of the
following:
 
   1. Every day, each of us must strive to go beyond his own personal
boundaries and limitations;
 
   2. Our obligation to recall the Exodus at night refers to carrying out our
service of G-d during the long "night" of our exile; and 
 
   3. We will also be obligated to recall the exodus from Egypt after
Moshiach comes, even though the final redemption will far surpass the one
which took place in Egypt. The potential for evil will be totally eradicated,
and the Jewish people will never again be exiled.
 
   In fact, the entire period of time from the Egyptian Exodus until the
Future Redemption is described as "the days of your exodus from Egypt," for
the exodus which began in Egypt will not be complete until the ultimate
redemption is realized.
 
   In practical terms, one must therefore anticipate the redemption and
experience a foretaste of it in our daily lives by bringing a consciousness
of Moshiach into all our actions, for doing so will act as a catalyst and
hasten the actual coming of the redemption.
Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
 
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                                L'CHAIM             ISSUE # 250 PART 3 OF 8
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                              SLICE OF LIFE
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PASS THE GEFILTE FISH
by Jonathan Hornblass
   "What's the next song?" yelled Rabbi Avraham Zajac, the summer substitute
at Lubavitch Hong Kong. "Come on, start one up, Jonathan."
 
   I was transfixed. About two weeks before that Shabbat day, I arrived in
Hong Kong, scared and shell-shocked. Even before I left New York, I had
resigned myself to a year or two in Asia without much religion. And now,
Rabbi Zajac was asking me to start a song? At least he didn't ask me to sing
in Chinese, I thought.
 
   Had you asked me before I got here whether I need chicken soup on Friday
night, I would have responded, "No way." Ask me whether I would long for home
and I would have laughed and said, "I am 22 years old; I can hack it." But
ask me if I appreciated my new family in Hong Kong and I would grow stern and
criticize you for wasting your words.
 
   My new family, the Lubavitch community, provides the warmth and religion I
need to feel at home in a foreign land--I should say, the religion I require
to stay a Jew.
 
   About two months ago, I boarded a Korean Air flight bound for Hong Kong.
It was the first step in an adventure into the unknown of Asia. But, faithful
to the "first step" stereotype, I was jobless, with little money and severely
homesick. I reread my parents' farewell letter over and over again. Often,
when I walked the streets of Hong Kong, I saw my father or my mother looking
at a store window only to see they were just a mirage. But some people helped
me adjust to my new life.
 
   I stayed with a wonderful family for the first two weeks while I looked
for work. I had minor successs getting a job as the end of my prescribed stay
with this family approached. I had literally no place to go. I went to
Chabad; I went home.
 
   "More food?" someone groaned from the back of the room. I, for one, could
not eat anymore. I must have eaten half a chicken, gefilte fish, and side
dishes that seemed like they belonged in the main course.
 
   While at journalism school, which I graduated in May, I decided to work as
a foreign correspondent for a year or two. I chose to correspond from Hong
Kong. With its steady flow of news (especially leading up to 1997), a
plethora of English-language publications, and an ideal location, Hong Kong
almost chose itself. But Hong Kong had one more very important criterion:
When compared to other cities worldwide, there is a solid, albeit small,
Jewish life here.
 
   By "solid," I assumed an occasional Shabbat meal and maybe a market to buy
some kosher meat. According to The Collins English Dic-tionary, solid (adj.)
is described as, "substantial, as in solid ground." For me, Chabad is solid
ground. I am now more observant of Torah and mitzvot than I was in New York
City, where I was born. Why? Like others, I spent time at Chabad, first with
the Zajac family and then, with the Avtzons.
 
   The door is never locked. The refrigerator remains stocked, the air
conditioner at full blast. Mary and Daisy, the gracious Chabad helpers, call
every guest by their fist name.
 
   "You can do whatever you want here," Rabbi Zajac said after I arrived. 
 
   "This is your home," Rabbi Avtzon added when he came back after a summer
in New York and Israel.
 
   I am not the only one. A corps of Hong Kongers, some alone, others new,
come to Chabad for Judaism. A fellow who I learn with, came from Israel only
to become religious here. "Rabbi Avtzon helped me a lot," he said. "He is the
reason why I am here at this class." A young woman I know walks halfway
across town to spend Shabbat with the Avtzons. And me, I pray that Chabad
does not leave me.
 
   "During your days and nights without the physical presence of your family,
know that while in distance we are far away, we are with you," wrote my
father in a book of Psalms that he slipped into my bag before I left New
York. Little did I know that I had family waiting for me in Hong Kong.
 
   "Come on, Jonathan, take some more food," the rabbi said from across the
Shabbat table.
 
  "O.K., pass me some more gefilte fish," I answered.
Reprinted from Life In the Far East, published by Chabad-Lubavitch of Hong
Kong.
 
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                               L'CHAIM              ISSUE # 250 PART 4 OF 8
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                             WHAT'S  NEW   
****************************************************************************
 
JEWISH FAMILY EXPO
   A day of Jewish fun, excitement and educational entertainment is in store
for everyone at the Jewish Family Expo. From January 24 through February 2,
animated exhibits, a puppet show, a multi-media 3-D presentation, challah
baking, sand painting, and much, much more. The Expo is open to the public on
Saturday night, 8 p.m. - 1 a.m., Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through
Friday is by appointment only. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the
door. For more information call Tzivos Hashem at (718) 367-6630.
 
---
 
A NEW AND PERFECT WORLD ORDER
   A new course being offered at the Chabad Center of Rochester, New York is
dealing with the topic of the day--Moshiach. The course will answer questions
such as: Is Moshiach an escapist dream or reality? Why is this belief so
crucial to Judaism? What can we expect? The class is every Tuesday from 8:10
p.m. to 9:10 p.m. For more info call (716) 271-0330.
 
---
 
MORE THAN JUST A 
LIBRARY
   What has 10,000 audio-cassette tapes, 100,000 books, hundreds of periodi-
cals, video-cassettes, in English, Hebrew and Yiddish, all on Jewish sub-
jects? It's the Levi Yitzchok Library sponsored by the Lubavitch Youth
Organization. The library, located at 305 Kingston Avenue, is open every day
except Shabbat. For hours and more information call (718) 778-4598.
 
---
 
TOYS FOR TOTS
   Toys for Tots, a division of the National Committee for the Furtherance of
Jewish Education, visits children in hospitals throughout the New York
Metropolitan Area each Chanuka. This year, over 1,000 children were visited
in 18 hopsitals. 
 
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                                L'CHAIM             ISSUE # 250 PART 5 OF 8
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                               INSIGHTS
****************************************************************************
 
WHAT'S THE POINT?
>From a letter of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
 
   Since you question the need to learn Chasidic Philosophy according to the
Shulchan Aruch [The Code of Jewish Law], I will answer you, as briefly as
possible, on the basis of your own criteria.
 
   There are various kinds of mitzvot. There are, for example, compulsory
mitzvot, and there are mitzvot incumbent under certain conditions only, which
become compulsory when specific conditions prevail; and one is not obliged to
create those conditions.
 
   Six mitzvot, however, are not merely incumbent in one way or another, but
their incumbency is constant, and they are obligatory on all Jews without
exception, or, to quote: "their incumbency is constant; man is not free for a
moment, all his life." They are mentioned in Sefer haChinuch: 1) To believe
in G-d [the Rambam says to "know" G-d]; 2) Not to believe in any other thing;
3) To affirm His Unity; 4) To love Him; 5) To fear Him; and 6) Not to stray
after the temptation of the heart and the vision of the eyes. 
 
   It is clear that to obtain the essential knowledge required to fulfill
these six mitzvot it would be necessary to search through many different
sources. And even after such a tremendous effort, one could not be sure that
he had correctly understood the sources and had, therefore, formulated the
right opinions and beliefs vis-a-vis the information gleaned.
 
  Chasidic philosophy has done this. It has gleaned and collected from
various sources the necessary knowledge, and presents it in a pure and
concise form to all who wish to avail themselves of it. 
 
   Consider those six mitzvot. What does it mean to believe in G-d? If we
come to define belief in G-d, we will have to admit that a child's belief in
G-d is adequate for a child, though he imagines G-d to be a big, strong man,
with powerful arms, something like  his father, but perhaps, more so. But
what would we think of an adult who has such an idea of G-d? For this
contradicts one of the basic principles of our faith --that G-d is neither a
body, nor a form in a body, etc.
 
   Or, consider the mitzva of being constantly aware that there is no reality
outside of Him. This involves the principle that "there is no place devoid of
Him" (Zohar), for if one would admit a separate, independent existence, it
again would be in direct conflict with our faith, as explained also in the
Rambam.
 
   Similarly, in regard to the mitzva to always bear in mind that G-d is one
and unchangeable. This goes hand in hand with the belief that G-d created the
world, and yet G-d remained the same after Creation as He was before Cre-
ation, and that the plurality of things does not imply, G-d forbid, a
plurality in Him.
 
   Suppose Mr. A. comes to Mr. B. and offers to give him a deeper understand-
ing of these highly abstruse subjects which are so remote from the ordinary
mind, yet which have to be borne in mind constantly. Consider that Mr. B.
does not wish to be bothered, being quite content with his childish image of
G-d. This would not be merely foregoing a hiddur [enhancement] of a mitzva,
but it would be the renounciation of the mitzva entirely. For having the
brain and the ability to acquire the necessary knowledge about G-d, yet
refusing to make use of them, is tantamount to willful refusal to comply with
the mitzva.
 
   Likewise with regard to the commandments to love and fear Him. Surely it
is impossible really to love or fear anything without at least some knowledge
of that thing, as is also alluded to in the Rambam.
 
   Finally, the same is true of the sixth mitzva--not to go astray after the
heart and eyes. For, insofar as a spiritually mature person is concerned, the
commandment surely does not refer to only carnal temptation and crude
idolatry, but primarily that one should have a heart and eyes only to see in
the world what is truly to be seen and to think what are truly good thoughts.
However, to cultivate such vision as to see the inner content and reality of
the world, and to train the heart to dwell only on the good and true--this is
a very difficult attainment requiring tremendous effort, as explained in
Kuntres Etz HaChayim. Nevertheless, everyone is commanded to attain all that
he is capable of attaining, according to his mental capacity. And when it
says, "according to his capacity," it should be remembered that "a rich man
who brings a poor man's offering, has not fulfilled his obligation," and
there is "no riches and poverty except when it refers to the
mind,"--potential intelligence.
 
   I trust you will not take offence if I ask, do you really think you can
fully carry out the mitzva of "You shall love G-d, your G-d"--which is to be
performed not by uttering  a  verbal  formula,  but  with heartfelt feeling
--if your knowledge of G-d is only from what you have learned in the Talmud
or Shulchan Aruch, etc.?
 
   Needless to say, all of the above is not for the purpose of causing you
pain, but in the hope that it may bring you to realize that it is the Yetzer
Hara [the inclination toward evil] that is inventing peculiar reasons to
discourage you from learning Chasidut, thereby not merely preventing you from
knowing what is taking place in the "supernal worlds," as you put it, but
preventing you from fulfilling actual constant mitzvot. But of course, the
Yetzer Hara does his work "faithfully." He will not come and tell you not to
observe those six mitzvot; he is too "smart" for that. Instead, he will tell
you, "What good will it do you to know what is happening in the Higher
Worlds?"!
 
   Let me add that the Vilna Gaon (not only Rabbi Shneur Zalman [founder of
the Chabad Chasidic movement], mind you) writes that those who do not learn
Pinimiyut haTorah [the innermost parts of the Torah] prolong the Exile and
delay the Redemption, and that without knowledge of Pnimiyut HaTorah it is
impossible to know properly the revealed Torah. 
 
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                                L'CHAIM             ISSUE # 250 PART 6 OF 8
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                                CUSTOMS
****************************************************************************
 
What does the groom say when he places the ring on the bride's finger?
 
   The groom says, "Behold, you are sanctified to me with this ring according
to the laws of Moses and Israel." This means that as the laws of Moses and
Israel are of Divine origin and are true, so, will the marriage be sanctified
and true. 
 
****************************************************************************
                        A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
****************************************************************************
 
   This coming Sunday (January 17) is the 24th of Tevet, the yartzeit of
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Chasidic philosophy. 
 
   Rabbi Shneur Zalman opened a new path which allowed the teaching of the
previously hidden aspects of the Torah--Pnimiyut HaTorah--to be comprehended
through the intellect and thus reveal additional G-dliness within the world. 
   But Rabbi Shneur Zalman was not only a master in the area of the more
esoteric aspects of the Torah. Even as a child he was considered a great
scholar of the revealed parts of the Torah--nigle d'Torah, as well. 
 
   This quality of Rabbi Shneur Zalman's is alluded to in his name, Shneur,
which can be broken up in to two Hebrew words, "Shnei" and "ohr" which mean
two lights. He illuminated the world with his greatness in the two lights of
the Torah. 
 
   In Rabbi Shneur Zalman's magnum opus, Tanya, he writes: "The Messianic
Era... is the fulfillment and culmination of the creation of the world, for
which purpose it was originally created. This means that our spiritual
service will reach its full completion only with the arrival of Moshiach.
Thus, the fulfillment and culmination of the entire creation will take place
when Moshiach is revealed. 
 
   The entire purpose, in fact, of the revelation of Chasidic philosophy was
to hasten and prepare the world for the Messianic Era. 
 
   Thus, when each one of us studies Chasidut, whether the more sublime
aspects or the most esoteric concepts, we prepare ourselves and the world
around us for Moshiach. 
 
****************************************************************************
                                L'CHAIM             ISSUE # 250 PART 7 OF 8
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                            IT HAPPENED ONCE
****************************************************************************
 
 
     Reb Zalman Senders was one of the prominent chasidim of the Alter Rebbe,
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi. He was a very successful merchant who was
openhanded in his philanthropy with both family and strangers. Then, suddenly
his business dealings began to fail one after the other. Things finally came
to such a terrible point that he became completely bankrupt.
 
   His debtors swarmed around him demanding repayment, and his problems
overwhelmed him. To complicate things further, he had two daughters of
marriageable age as well as several poor relatives who also needed suitable
matches. What could he do? He decided to take his problems to his rebbe, and
so he set out for Liadi. 
 
   He arrived late in the evening, and after reciting the prayers with a
minyan, he sat down to wait his turn for a private reception with the Rebbe.
When he was finally ushered into the Rebbe's study he poured out his heart,
relating all that had befallen him, how all of his various business endeavors
had failed and left him penniless.
 
   "Rebbe," he said, "if it is will of Heaven that I be reduced to poverty, I
am ready to accept the decree with love, but if I am unable to pay off my
debts and marry off my daughter and the other young girls who are looking to
me for their salvation, then I cannot accept it. For in that case it would be
a desecration of the Divine Name (a Chillul Hashem). It is one thing if G-d
has decided to punish me in this manner, but why should He do it in a way
that brings shame to His honor? The one thing that I ask is that I be allowed
to pay all of my creditors and find suitable matches for my daughters and
young relatives. After that, I am willing to live in poverty forever, if that
is the will of G-d."
 
   Rabbi Shneur Zalman was listening intently to Reb Zalman Senders'
recitation of his terrible problems. When it had finished he looked deep into
the eyes of his brokenhearted chasid and said: "You certainly know how to
talk about all the things that you need, but you have no interest whatsoever
in what you might be needed for!"
 
   Poor Reb Zalman Senders felt as if he had been pierced through the heart
by his Rebbe's words. He gasped inaudibly and fell down in a faint. Chasidim,
hearing the thud on the floor, rushed over to him to try to revive him. One
offered water, another, vodka, but when Reb Zalman regained consciousness he
had no need for anything. When he rose to his feet he was radiant with joy
and infused with a new approach to life.
 
   His put all of his problems behind him and instead focused his energy into
learning Torah, both the revealed and the mystical aspects. He attended every
lecture that was given, prayed with great fervor. All of his actions were
infused with the deep-felt happiness and contentment of a man who is at peace
with his lot. 
 
   The following Shabbat, Rabbi Shneur Zalman delivered his lecture on
Kabbalistic concepts. He also used the occasion to pray on behalf of his
chasid, Zalman Senders who sat listening to the Rebbe's every word. It was as
if the Rebbe's prayers entered Reb Zalman's heart even as they ascended to
the higher realms, for in the course of his stay in Liadi, Reb Zalman
attained the strength to overcome all of his difficulties.
 
   It was one week later that the Rebbe blessed him and instructed Reb Zalman
to return to his home. Upon his arrival he resumed his normal routine and
sure enough, his business began to pick up. Within a relatively short length
of time, he had rebuilt his life and was thriving even more so than before. 
 
   When word reached Rabbi Shneur Zalman about the good fortune his chasid
was once again enjoying he quoted a passage from his masterwork, The Tanya,
in reference to the subject of trials and tribulations: "When one is at any
time bothered by mundane worries,...it is the appropriate time to transform
the sadness by becoming a 'master of accounts' (spiritual 'accounts'),...and
to act on the counsel of the Sages' to constantly excite the Good Inclination
against the Evil Inclination. In that way he will eliminate the melancholy
engendered by the mundane problems, and then, he will attain true joy."
 
****************************************************************************
                                  L'CHAIM           ISSUE # 250 PART 8 OF 8
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                            THOUGHTS THAT COUNT 
****************************************************************************
 
And he saw an Egyptian man smiting a Hebrew man (Ex. 2:11)
 
   Every word in the Bible has an eternal, spiritual meaning as well as a
literal significance. The word "Egypt" (Mitzrayim) is linguistically related
to the word for limitations and boundaries; the "Egyptian man" therefore,
symbolizes the physical body, which does all in its power to gain control
over the soul, the "Hebrew man."
 
   Moses' actions teach us that when one sees a Jew in danger of losing the
battle between body and soul to his lower, physical nature, one must not
remain silent. The Moses in every generation gives us the strength to
overcome all obstacles and save the Jewish soul. (Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of
Polnoye)
 
---
 
And behold, two Hebrew men were striving together, and he said to the wicked
one, "Why are you smiting your fellow?" (Ex. 2:13)
 
   When Jews fight amongst themselves, at a time when great hatred and
animosity is directed toward the Jewish people by non-Jews, and Gentiles are
allowed to freely vent their rage on Jews unimpeded, this is the greatest
wickedness. (Avnei Ezel)
 
---
 
And G-d saw the Children of Israel, and G-d knew (Ex. 2:25)
 
   When G-d saw that the Jews were persisting in their faith--retaining their
Jewish names, their distinctive manner of dress and their Jewish
language--despite the terrible adversity they encountered in Egypt, He took
cognizance of them and brought about their exodus. (Maayana Shel Torah)
 
---
 
Now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and you will bring forth My people,
the Children of Israel, out of Egypt (Ex. 3:10)
 
   The physical presence of the redeemer does not necessarily signal the
redemption itself, as Moses, the first redeemer of the Jews, was physically
present in Egypt prior to the actual exodus.
 
   Likewise, Moshiach, the final redeemer of the Jewish people, will also
arrive some time prior to the actual redemption and the ushering in of the
Messianic Era. (Sefat Emet)n
 
****************************************************************************
                      A THOUGHT ABOUT MOSHIACH
****************************************************************************
 
On the verse, "Remember the Shabbat to sanctify it," Rashi writes: "Take heed
to remember the Shabbat constantly, so that if you encounter something
special [such as a delicacy, in the course of the week], set it aside for
Shabbat." The same applies to the future Redemption. Even when we are still
in the weekdays of the Exile, we should constantly keep in mind and prepare
for the Redemption, for "the Day which is entirely Shabbat and repose for
life everlasting."
 
***************************************************************************
 
Published by Lubavitch Youth Organization 770 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn NY
11213  (718) 953-1000, 778-6000 Rabbi Dovid Raskin - Chairman Rabbi Shmuel
Butman - Director Rabbi Kasriel Kastel - Program Director Rabbi Shlomo
Friedman - Administrator Yehudis Cohen - Editor Esther Altmann, Mordechai
Staiman - Copy Editors Rabbi B. Bell, Basha Majerczyk - Contributing Editor
Rabbi Nissen Mangel - Chairman Editorial Committee Rabbi Zalman I. Posner -
Consultant All contents (c) 1991 by L.Y.O. ISSN 1050-0480 Permission is
granted for BBS distribution, provided no changes are made and that it be
complete with all credits to L.Y.O. and L'Chaim BBS. The name of this
publication is an acronym for L'zecher Chaya Mushka 
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This BBS version of the L'Chaim publication, was prepared for BBS
distribution by Reuven Blau, Sysop of L'Chaim BBS, KESHERnet N.Y.
718-756-7201. Please address all questions or comments via the Chassidus echo
on any world wide KESHERnet BBS or netmail directly to the Sysop of L'chaim
BBS (Fido net. 278/610).

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