BHT Brey Shabbat Bamidbar, 3rd of Sivan, 8781; May 14th, 2021
Despite his vast wealth and riches, Reb
Shlomo, a chasid of the Baal Shem Tov
[editor: the Baal Shem Toy passed away
‘on Shavuot), was burdened with the deep
sorrow of childlessness. Often he sought
Rebbe’s blessing for children, but to
‘no avail
Nevertheless, Shlomo persisted. On one
of his visits to Mezibush, ie implored
the Rebbe to bless hit ildrer
‘This time, the Baal Shem Tov agreed to
‘grant the blessing, but attached a condli=
tion. "If you agree to forego your wealth,
‘you willbe blessed with a child," prom-
ised the Baal Shem Tov. Shlomo was
overjoyed at the thought of his wish be-
ing granted and was eager to accept.
However, the Baal Shem Tov cautioned
him, "Go home and discuss it with your
wife.”
Shlomo rushed home to consult his wife
"Hurry back to the Baal Shem Tov and
tell him | agree wholeheartedl
quickly responded, Shlomo immediately
‘Set out to Mezibush and finally received
the long-awaited blessing.
‘On his journey home, he stopped at an
inn to fest. He conversed with some fel-
low travelers who had passed through
his city and without introducing himself,
asked about the latest news. "Haven't
‘you heard about the misfortune of Reb
Shlomo? His entire fleet of ships, loaded
‘with tons of wood, was lost in the stormy
seas!"
‘So, it's actually happening,” thought
Shlomo with delight. As he neared his
hometown, he was greeted with stories
Of fires that had consumed all his posses
sions. Shlomo, however, was anything
but sad, "The blessing will come sooner
than | imagined," he thought.
Neither Shlomo nor his wife complained
about their misfortune. On the contrary,
their thoughts were filled with eager
anticipation and within a year, Reb Shlo-
no's wife gave birth to a baby boy.
By now, Reb Shlomo was reduced to
begging for alms. He joined 2 group of
beggars that made their rounds in other
towns. During their wanderings, they
passed through Mezibush. "Let us 20 to
Receiving the Torah
Yehosia Wiseman, yehoshuanviseman.com
the Baal Shem Tov's house of study,”
one beggar suggested. "He always
generously.”
‘The group joined the line in the court-
yard and passed in front of the Bsal
Shem Tov who handed out charity per=
sonally. Recognizing Shlomo, the Basl
Shem Tov instructed lnim to return later
land speak with him privately,
When he di, the Baal Shem Toy told
him, "Though it was deereed that you be
poor man, you are entitled toa dign
fied level of poverty. Travel to Krim and
there your fortunes will change, May
you be suveesstil.”
Obediently and with great anticipation,
Shlomo set out on the road, Upon arri-
val, he sought out the local shul, where
he was greeted very warmly by the at-
tendant and introduced to a wealthy man
‘who would host him for Shabbat. It was
a splendid Shabbat spent in joy and
abundance; his host spared no effort to
make Shlomo comfortable. However,
afier Shabbat ended, Shlomo noticed a
marked change in his host's demeanor
from that of oy to deep concern and
"You've been wonderfl to me," Reb
Shlomo said to his host gently. "im sor-
ry to see you so troubled. Please share:
‘your problem with me; it may help to
lighten your burden.” The wealthy man
ned that his daughter had a terrible
health problem. "I know of someone
‘who can help you," Shlomo exclaimed,
“In the town of Mevibush, there is a very
‘great tzadik, the Baal Shem Tov, who
Iias assisted many people. We will seek
the holy rabbi's advice."
With a hopeful heart, the rich man ae~
‘companied Shlomo to Mezibush, and
presented his problem to the Baal Shem
‘Tov. The Baal Shem Tov instructed Rab-
bi T7vi Sofer, his attendant, 10 aceompa-
ny him, and the four set out for the rich
man's town,
‘Upon arrival, the Baal Shem Tov told his
attendant to go to the mikva and declare:
The Baal Shem Toy has demanded that
you leave this place." As soon as he
lttered those words, a voice was heard
from the mikva: *The Baal Shem Tov
has power only over Poland! I will not
obey him here!
‘When Rabbi Tzvi related what the voice
had said, the Baal Shem Tov handed
Rabbi Tzvi his walking stick, "Should
the spirit refuse again,” he told him,
"strike the water with my stick." Rabbi
‘Tavi did.as he was told. When he struck
the water, it urned crimson, The Baal
Shem Toy then instructed that the mik-
va be cleaned. The health problems that
the rich man's daughter hed experienced
disappeared tovally.
“How can L repay you for what you have
done?" cried the rich man,
Cominued on page 3
Buea ete
Canelo Lphting Motz! Shabbat
Jerusalem 654 809
Tel Aviv 709 22
aia rat aa
BeerSheva 7.08 810
NewYork 747 3
Chabad of rae
Rabbi Joseph Aronow
Published by MLS. Kfar Chaba (09)375177
aitor: Aharon Schmidt
livingjenishweekiyegmailcom
Pease une the sanctity ofthis publication
te
an nN wyShabbos Table
Even in a Desert
‘This year, the upcoming holiday of
Shavuot ‘akes place in the week between
the two Torah portions of Bamidbar and
Naso. One of the subjects found in both of
these portions is the Sanctuary in the desert
and the distribution of the duties connected
‘with i, when the Sanctuary was eartied.
fiom place to place.
‘This emphasizes the fact that even when
Jews find themselves in a desert, they have
the ability to ereet a Sanctuary for the
Divine Presence to dwell among thom, and
in every one of them,
ritual Desert
Just as there is @ desert in physical
sense, a place of desolation, where extreme
climatic conditions prevail, a place of
poisonous snakes, etc. so is there a
“desert” in a spiritual sense
harmful ideas; and such
cean be found also in a land which is
materially a flourishing garden.
‘Our Torah teaches us that when Jews find
themselves in such a spiritual desert itis
possible, necessary and imperative to erect
a Sanctuary, carry it, and go forward, step
by step, until eventually the environment
and situation change from a spiritual
ddosert - into the blessed and holy land,
with the complete redemption.
In the spiritual desert in which some of
us find ourselves, where a void prevails in
‘matters of Judaism, we must all help each
other to make this environment into a
sanctuary, a fitting place for G-dliness.
‘Transforming the Desert
The portion Bamibar is the beginning
of the book of Bamidbar, whic is called
"Sefer HaPikudim - the Book of
Numbers.” In the beginning of this book as
‘nell as towards its end, the Torah tells us
of the Jewish census:
First in the desert of Sinai, after
receiving the Torah, at the beginning of
their wanderings through the desert; and
the second time atthe end of the 40 years!
‘wandering, on the eve of their entry into
the Land of Israel
The soul descends into this world to
make an abode for G-d in this material and
earthly world, When a Jew looks around
and sees that the world around him is a
spiritual “desert” full of materialism and
sometimes even crassness, the thought
may occur: How is it possible to carry out
this mission?
So the Torah tells us that there is no
cause for apprehension, for this isthe way
Jews began their mission when they
From our Sages
The Levites shall keep charge of the
Sancnuary of Testimony (Num. 1°53)
The Levites, whose job it was to "guard"
the Sanctuary and the Holy Temple, were
‘counted in the eensus from the age of one
‘month, But how can a one-month-old
infant possibly "keep the charge of the
Sanctuary of Tes
The concept of "guarding" the holi
the Sanctuary refers to spiritual guardian-
ship, not physical protection. The Levites
served not by virtue of their physical
prowess or Bravery, but because of their
high spiriwual stature, something that even
a small baby had already inherited.
(the Rebbe)
Take a consus of the entire congregation.
of the Children of Israel (Numbers 1:2)
(Our Sages note that the giving of the To-
rah at Sinai required the presence of all
£600,000 Jews; ifjust one had been miss-
ing, the Torah would not have been giv-
ten. Parshat Bamicbar ays read be-
fore Shavuot, the day on which the Torah
was given, to remin! us of this principle,
Furthermore, it reminds us that
was not
enough forall Jews to be present; it was
necessary that the Jewish peaple be uni
cd in love for one another. "Israel camped
there [before Mount Sinai] as one man
with one mind." This peace and unity is
the channel forall Divine blessings, in-
cluding the greatest ofall -- Moshiach,
(Peninei HaGeula)
And the charge of the Children of israel
(Numbers 3:8)
‘The function of the Levites, which is to
" guard the honor of G-<," also serves to
we Jewish people as a whole, as it
-d is your guardian, G-d is your
shadow." Why a shadow? Because G-d
condiuets Himself with man in the very
same manner as He is served.
(Kiflaim LToshia)
Eating dairy foods on Shavuot
‘The numerical value of the Hebrew word
for milk--chalav--is equal to 40, which
corresponds to the 40 days that Moshe
spent on Mt, Sinai.
(Rabbi Shimon of Ostropol)
became
Mount Sing
With the strength derived fiom the
Torah, they made it through the vast and
temible desert - a bleak wilderness in every
respect, where in the natural order of |
things there is no bread and water, but only
difficultics and trials
Moreover, wherever they made their
vway through the desert, they transformed
the desert into a blooming garden - through
Miriam's well that caused! the desert all
around to bring forth all sorts of vegetation
and fruit,
jon and received the Torah at
G-d’s Army
This is also the message behind the
counting of the people ~ everyone has his
mission as a "soldier" in G-<'s army,
And, although in an army there are various
ranks, each one individually and all
together carry out the Divine mission to
make for G-d an "abode" in this world,
even in a desert
Adopted from the teachings of the Rebbe.
Shabbos Table & From our Sages repr
ed from LehaimWeekly.org - LYO/ NYC
a
How Many Jews Did You Save?
After the Bolshevik Revolution, wealthy
individuals were punished and even exe-
cuted. If someone owned a million cube,
they were killed; someone with half a
million rubie was sent to Siberia, and
someone with a quarter-million was sent
to prison for up to ten years
‘The Rebbe Rashab, Rabbi Sholom
Dovber Schneersohn, called a meeting of
Jewish lawyers to discuss ways to save
the wealthy Jews from this fate
Atevery future meeting, the Rebbe
‘would ask, “How many Jews did you
save today?”
Once he posed this question to Oskar
Gruenberg, the prominent Russian Jen=
ish defense attorney who was the chief
counsel of Mendel Beilis in the infamous
ease of blood libel.
Gruzenberg proudly answered that on
that day he saved 10 Jews from death,
‘The Rebbe told him, “You do not only
need to calculate your successes; You
need to calculate how many you could
and what efforts you made
By Dovid Zaklikowski for COLlive and
Hasidic Archives. Source: COLlive‘Why Did The Jews Sleep
There’s @ Midrash thatthe Jews slept the
night preceding the giving of the Torah,
Itteaches that when Hashem arrived in
the morning, He was dismayed,
ceeded to wake them, This is
reasons for the custom of remaining
awake and learning Shavuot night, to rec-
tify this very night they spent sleeping.
However, considering that when the Jews
Jeamed they were to receive the Torah in
fifty days afer leaving Egypt they eagerly
tallied the elapsing days, the fact that the
countdown culminated with a night of
sleep seems peculiar. Additionally, the
verse says wo count fifty days, yet we only
count 49, Chassidus explains that while
there are “filly gates of binah,” no one,
‘including Moshe, can comprehend more
than 49. So, we advance daly, from gate
to gate, until all 49 are completed. Our
achievements are crowned by receiving,
the fiftieth from Heaven on Shavuot
Therefore, given the anticipation of re-
ceiving the Torah, how did they sleep?
Sleep is a process by which the soul par-
tially departs from the body. It's said to
bea sixticth of death, and that’s intended
in-a good way. Our souls are ordinarily
confined within our bodies. But when we
sleep, our soul rises 10 Heaven and draws.
life. ‘There are many tales of sleeping
‘wadikim who absorbed Tora that
‘would've otherwise demanded effort,
because the soul is only capable of max-
‘mizing its potential once separated from
the body, Therefore, the Jews reckoned
that the giving ofthe Torah, the fiftieth
Jevel, was so sublime and beyond their
reach, thatthe best preparation to receive
the Torah would be t sleep and erable
the soul to be unfettered by the body.
However, Hashem was ultimately unhap-
py about their act. The Rebbe explains
that one of Matan Torah’s aecomplish-
‘ments was the phenomenon of physical
mitzvot, The forefathers who “observed
the entire Torah” did so in a spirit
sense. Yaakov’s sticks which according to
the Zohar were the equivalent of tefillin,
channeled the spiritual force of the mi
vvah. Yet the sticks themselves did nat
become holy. Today, once the tefillin are
‘written properly, they become sacred arti-
cles, which Yaakov could never produce.
TThe fact that a physical article like tefillin
can acquire holiness and go on to affect
‘our hand, was made possible by Hashem’s
descent during Matan Torah. Materiality
can now be imbued with holiness, This is
‘why the Jews shouldn’t have prepared by
sleeping and escaping the world. Staying
awake and learning would have been a
‘more appropriate choice for the occasion.
We therefore engage every year in rectify-
ing the night of Shavuot. We don’t depart
from and forget this world, We remain
awake, speaking words of Torah in prepa-
ration to receive the Torah anew.
Just as Hashem descended on Mount
‘Sinai and gave us the Torah, we must
engage other Jews and empower them to
‘observe Torah and mitzvot. We must take
what we know, and share it with others,
Adapted from a talk by Rabbi Yoo! Kahn,
based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher
Rebbe, reprinted from Collive.com
FCoE Cote
Shavuot - A Time to Pray for Moshiach
“It is stated in sefarim,” the Rebbe says, “regarding the allusion in the words of our
Sages that, “All agree that on Shavuot we also need lachem’ [for yourselves—meaning,
that the festival is to be celebrated not only with prayer and the like, “For Hashem,’ but
also with good food and the like, which is considered “for yourselves"): This can be
understood to mean that it is an opportune time to pray for the hastening of the Re-
demption .. Our Sa in, ‘we need,” which is also a term for prayer
‘and beseeching, as in the verse, be’ayu’ (If you will request, request). The
words nami lachem, ‘also for yourselves,” is the numerical value (190) of keitz, ‘the
End’ [of exile.
Taken together, our Sages” statement that ‘all agree that on Shavuot we also need for
yourselves...’ can be read, *All agree that on Shavuot we pray for the keitz!” It is a time
io pray for the keitz hageulah, the keitz hayamim, and keitz hayamin!™
‘The Trade
Continued jrom page one:
* replied the Baal Shem
Tov. "However, please tell me how is it
that you have amassed such wealth?”
"Lowned a small dock at the harbor. One
day, gusty winds blew a fleet of boats
and logs into my dock. I sold the boats
and the merchandise and netted a large
profit!
12 Baal Shem Tov nodded and pointed
to Shlomo, "Those boats and logs be-
longed to this man,” he said. "Though
‘you were free to profit from the luck the
‘sea brought you, he, nevertheless, is enti
ted to a share."
The rich man hearkened to the Baal
‘Shem Tov and paid Shlomo a very gen-
ferous sum,
‘This enabled Shlomo and his wife to live
normally, while they enjoyed the pleas-
‘ure of children and grandchildren,
Biographical note: Rabbi Yisrael, the
Baal Shem Tov ["Master of the Good
Name", a unique and seminal figure in
Jewish history, revealed the Chassidie
‘movement and his own identity as an
‘exceptionally holy person, on his 36th
birthday, 18 Elul 1734, He passed away
‘on the festival of Shavuot in 1760. He
‘wrote no books, although many claim to
‘contain his teachings. One available in
English is the excellent annotated trans-
lation of Tzmalat Harivash. published
by Kehos,
Adapted by Yerachmiel Tiles
from "From My Father’ Shabbos Ta-
ble," Elva Touger's exellent selec-
tion and wranslation from the first two
volumes of Rabbi Yehuda Chiriks 4
volume series, Reshimat Devorim and
from Chaim.
Rabbi Tilles of Tsfat isa co-founder of
ASCENT. His email list for stories is in
its 24th year. To join the list a/o his
WhatsApp group for Saturday night Au-
dio, Video and Zoom stories, go to As
‘contOfSafed.com or WhatsApp +972-
526-770-137.BALZER ERERER EERE DAS EE
Cte ee Osseo
Meron Sefer Torah
A new Torah was started recently in
memory of the victims of the Meron
tragedy, atthe very location where
‘men and boys tragically lost their lives
uring the celebration oF Lag B'Omer.
This Sefer Torah is the initiative of
Rabbi Yossi Halperin, director ofthe
Chabad House in Meron. Throughout
the year, Rabbi Halperin is dedicated
to assisting those who come to daven
atthe Rashbi's Tzion with all their
physical and spiritual needs.
who lost their lives and whose
yyartzeits were set by Hashom for the
Same date ~ Lag Bomer.
The Kopshinitzer Rebbe, who was
visiting the site ofthe
time, Was honored
first letter. He insisted on participating
in the cost atleast symbolically, in
lrder to partner with Klal Yisrael in
the Sefer Torah of unity
During the shiva, representatives of
Chabad Meron pianned to visit the
hhome of each family, together with
the Sofer, in order 0 write letters with
them in the Torah, Afterwards, the
‘writing will continue near the tzion of
the Rashbi
Among the panticipants was Rabbi Asi
Spiegel, Rosh Kollel of Kole! Torat
HaRashbi, which studies near the
«zion in Meron, He announced that
their study ofthe Rashbi's Torah will
be dedicated to the memory of those
Cooking Tip of the Week
Fabulous Brisket: Another hit
from the Shomron Chef Place a
brisket in a Dutch oven. Mine was
‘over 2 kilo, Add 3 tbls onion soup
‘mix and two cans Lieber’s or
‘Hunt's tomate sauce, Fill them both
‘up with water and add to the roa.
Bring to a boil and then simmer for
two hours. Cool. Slice and return to
the sauce. [heated it upon my plata
for Friday night
Alizah Hochslead,
‘aizahhi@horail com
“Our plan is to complete the writing
of the Torah here in Meron,” Rabbi
‘Yossi Halperin said, “and to finish it
before nest Lag B’Omer. We write
with a prayer for the coming of
Moshiach, when “those who dwell in
the dust wil rise and sing,” and
the Kediashef Meron among them ~
speedily in our days.”
Source: Anash.org
Halacha Corner — Making Others Happy On Shavuot
We are commanded to be happy on the festival of Shavuot, and each person
‘must also bring joy to his wife and children and all his dependents. This is a
biblical obligation. How is this accomplished”? A husband can buy clothing
‘or jewelry for his wife and nosh (or at least chassidishe nosh - the Rebbe
‘once commented regarding Pesach that a picture Haggadah for children can
bbe considered chassidishe nosh) for his children before Yom Tov.
Rambam states that “when one eats and drinks fon Yom Tov], he must also
foed the conver, the orphen, and the widow, along with other poor and un-
fortunate people. One who boli hs doors and eat and drinks with his own
wife and children, neglecting to feed the poor and the biter of soul — he is
‘not rejoicing in a mitzvah but rather in the satisfaction of his own stomach!
Such a celebration isa disgrace!”
‘Those who give taeddakah on a daily basis should give extra zeddakah on
rey Shavuot, for both days of the festival (outside of Eretz Yisrael Shavuot
is celebrated for two days). Included in our tzeddakah obligations isthe duty
to provide the needy with their Yorn Tov requirements.
Ray Yosof Yeshaya Brown, shlta, member of the Badatz of Crown Heighs;
Halacha Corner and Moskiach Now! from crownheightsconect.cont
erie clacn rel auanOlg
DAILY TORAH STUDY
delivered to you
Visit: CHAYENU.ORG/ISRAEL
utyoso oe
Question: have to travel n Lot for work to
places that donot ahvays observe my level of
Kashiut Tussi either bring my own food or
eat what I was certain was at my standards,
‘Often this meant eating very litle. Over time, 1
became more lenient and now wil eat things
even i they dont have a Kosher symbol. T
Tationalize i by saying, “itis probably kosher,
and Tnced to eat” Tknow itis not right, but
just cant soem to get back 10 the way Twas
Answers We al experience test nd shal-
‘one from or another. Some are more
Gan some ls so. However, the cote
nmon denominator in ll ests that their purpose
is to raise us to a higher level.
A young man who had been frequenting the
local Chabad House began to deeline the Rab-
bi’s Shabbat invitations, The Rabbi, noticing
the young man seemed to be hiding something,
asked him what changed. The young man said
hie had met anon-lewish wonnan and they decid-
‘ed to marry, The Rabbi made him a deal: if you
will travel with me to the Lubavitcher Rebbe
and tell the Rebbe your news, [will atiend your
wedding, The man agreed. When he came be-
fore the Rebbe and shared his devision, the Reb-
bbe looked straight into his eyes. *Youhaveno
dea how much Tenvy you,” the Rebbe said
The man was shocked. The Rebbe continued,
“A test isa ladder. The bigger the test, the big~
‘ger the person is elevated when passing the test.
‘You were given a tremendous test and so too
‘you were gifted with a very tall ladder. I envy
Yyou. Twas never given such a west and therefore
‘was not given the opportunity to ascend such @
higher ladder.” After leaving the Rebbe's pres-
tence, the young man sat down on a bench and.
burst into tears. After an hour he said to his
Rabbi, “I'm calling off the wedding”
Rabbi Michoel Taib explains: The greater and
more powerful a person's yetzer hara, the great-
cer his capabilities to overcome the challenge
and temptations. ‘The Rebbe Rashab teaches in
Kunteres U’Mayan: There are those that claim
that because they have a powerful yetzer hara,
they are unable to overcome it's influence.
However, this isnot the case. The fact that they
have a powerful yetzer hara means that they also
have a lofty G-dly soul. If they so desire, they
jccved. They have the potential and capa-
hidden within, just waiting to be ac-
‘The fect that you are given this mighty test,
shows that you have tremendous potential wait-
ing to be revealed. The ladder is waiting for you
to lake the first step, The inner intent ofthe test
is to elevate you to a higher level,
Aharon Schmid; marriage. family & individual
‘coaching; for appointment or to share a ques-
tion: coachingandcounseling!@gmail.com
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