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MOSAIC EXPRESS
Torah Portion Ki Tetze
EARLY SHABBOS for Friday August 28
Mincha 5:55 pm, Candle Lighting 6:20 pm
Schedule: www.themtc.com/earlyshabbos
‫■ כי תצא‬
Friday August 28, 2015 — Elul 13, 5775
Candle Lighting 7:21 pm
Shabbat Ends 8:25 pm
Next Weeks Candle Lighting
Friday September 4— 7:08 pm
Avot Chapter 1 & 2
MTC G racious ly Ack nowledges Th is W eek ’s S pons ors of th e Day
David & Laurie Puterman in honour of David’s birthday, Elul 15
Mrs. Tuky Treitel in honour of the yartzeit of Golda Gestetner obm, Elul 19
To become a sponsor of the day, please contact Itchy @ 739.0770 ext 223
SHABBAT SCHEDULE
The High Holidays
are approaching...
Mincha & Maariv………....……………...5:55 pm
Second Mincha & Maariv….....…........7:20 pm
Shacharit………………………….….......….9:30 am
Children’s Program…..…………....…...10:45 am
Kiddush……...……………............…........12:30 pm
Mincha/Shalosh Seudos..….….............7:20 pm
CONFIRM
YOUR SEATS!
TORAH READING
Parshat Ki Tetze…...........…………….....Page 967
Haftorah………………………............….Page 1239
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This Week
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Tuesday Night, September 1
following Maariv at 8:30 pm, MTC upstairs
The 18th of Elul marks the birthday of two great luminaries in the history
of Chassidism: the founder of the general Chassidic movement, Rabbi
Israel Baal Shem Tov (1698(1698 - 1760), and the founder of Chabad
Chassidism, the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745(1745 -1812).
MTC wishes a hearty Mazal Tov to
MTC extends a heartfelt
Yasher Koach to
Tzemach New on successfully passing his
rabbinic exams and earning the title Rabbi
Elaine Steinberg to whom MTC
owes our beautiful garden, which
is dedicated to the cherished
memory of her parents, Cecil &
Sara Steinberg obm.
Yossi & Nathalie Davis on the birth of a
grandson
Steve & Davida Letovsky, Allan & Caryn Nash
in honour of the Ufruf and upcoming
wedding of Eric Letovsky and Bethia Gates,
daughter of Sharon & Bruce Gates
Rosh Hashana and Holiday Insights
Holiday dessert tasting & recipes
7:00 pm
$25
CHAI ELUL FARBRENGEN
safe and successful year in seminary in Israel
Jerry Sidel & Marissa Sidel in memory of
their brother-in-law and uncle, Paul Gevis,
Wednesday September 2
Deadline for reservations/cancellations:
Monday August 31
CLASSES
Chassidus...….………...…….......……..…...8:45 am
Women’s Class…………………..………....6:35 pm
En Francais avec le Rav M. Pinto:
Talmud et Hala’ha ………..….…...……....18h 20
Seu'da Chelichit………….…….…...….......19h 35
WOMENS’
SUPPER ‘N LEARN
Shabbat Kallah for Bethia Gates
at the home of Eric & Stacey Howard
5843 David Lewis, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
MTC extends its deepest sympathies to
Sidel and Gevis families on the passing of
Mr. Paul Gevis obm
Morton and Wilk families on the passing of
Matthew Morton obm
Mrs. Terry Lisak on the passing of her brother
May the family be spared any further sorrow
and know only of simchas
Montreal Torah Center Bais Menachem Chabad Lubavitch Joanne and Jonathan Gurman Community Center Lou
Adler ShulExpress
Mosaic
28 Cleve Road, Hampstead Quebec H3X 1A6 514. 739.0770 Fax 514.739.5925 email: [email protected] WWW.THEMTC.COM
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WEEKDAY PRAYER SCHEDULE
Sunday …………….……….….. 9:00 am
Monday –Thursday………….7:00 am
KI TETZE ALIYAH SUMMARY
Breakfast following weekday services
Mincha - Maariv
In cherished memory of
R’ Yeshaya Aryeh ben Menashe Treitel obm
SUNDAY - THURSDAY:
Mincha - 7:25 pm
Maariv - 8:00 pm
and finally…
Opening his front door, the Rabbi found himself face
to face with the local priest.
"Rabbi," began the priest, "It must be evident to you
that in this town we are plagued by thieves. Scarcely
a day passes without one of my flock coming to me
bemoaning the fact that his house has been broken
into. On the other hand, I have noticed that thieves do
not bother you Jews much."
"Father, you are correct."
"Yes, but why is that?" inquired the priest.
"Look at this little box here on the side of my door
post," said the Rabbi. "It's called a mezuzah. We Jews
believe that when we put a mezuzah on the entrances
to our houses, the Holy One, may His Name be
blessed, protects both us and our property."
"In that case", replied the priest, "I must have one!"
Not wishing to be the cause of an incipient pogrom,
the Rabbi reluctantly handed over a mezuzah to the
priest.
Some two weeks later the Rabbi was awakened by the
sound of someone pounding violently on his door.
Dressing himself hastily, he made his way down the
stairs.
"Who's there?" the Rabbi asked tremulously.
"Open the door! Open the door!" screamed a voice on
the other side.
The Rabbi opened the door wide enough to see the
priest standing in front of him, his eyes wild with
great distraught.
"What happened?" asked the terrified Rabbi. "Were
you not protected from robbers?"
"I was! But these people were worse than robbers!"
screamed the priest.
"Who?" asked the rabbi.
"Fundraisers!!"
General Overview: This week's reading, Ki
Teitzei, contains 74 commandments, more
mitzvot than any other Torah portion.
Some of the commandments discussed:
the law of the rebellious son, the
obligation to bury the dead without undue
delay, the requirement to return a found
object, the prohibition against causing
pain to any living creature, the prohibition
against prostitution, the laws of marriage
and divorce, the procedure of the Levirate
marriage, and the obligation to eradicate
the memory of Amalek.
First Aliyah: This section begins with a
discussion regarding female captives of
war, and lays down the conditions under
which a soldier may marry a captive. The
right of a firstborn son to a double portion
of his father's inheritance is then detailed.
The section concludes with the procedure
for dealing with an aberrantly rebellious
child.
Second Aliyah: Commandments discussed
in this section: Speedy burial of the
deceased, returning a lost object to its
owner, aiding a neighbor when his animal
has fallen because of its burden, the
prohibition against cross-dressing, and the
obligation to send away a mother bird
before taking its chicks or eggs.
Third Aliyah: Some commandments
discussed in this section: Building a safety
fence around a flat roof; the prohibitions
against sowing mixtures of seeds, plowing
with a mixed pair of animals, or wearing a
garment which contains a mixture of wool
and linen (shatnez); wearing tzitzit; the
penalty for a husband who defames his
wife; the punishment for adultery; the
penalty for rape; and certain prohibited
marriages.
Fourth Aliyah: Some commandments
discussed in this section: maintaining pure
and hygienic army encampments, impurity
resulting from seminal emissions,
prohibition against prostitution,
prohibition against lending with interest,
and the obligation to honor vows.
Fifth Aliyah: This section details the right
of field workers to eat from the produce
they are harvesting. The Torah then briefly
discusses marriage and the bill of divorce.
A divorced couple cannot remarry if the
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woman has been remarried to another
man (and divorced again or widowed) in
the interim.
Sixth Aliyah: More mitzvot: A newlywed
man is exempt from military service for a
full year. It is forbidden to accept utensils
used to prepare food as loan security or to
forcibly take a debtor's possessions as
collateral, and a poor man's security must
be temporarily returned to him on a daily
basis. Kidnapping is a capital offense. We
are commanded to always remember that
Miriam was afflicted with tzara'at for
speaking badly about Moses.
Seventh Aliyah: We are forbidden to
withhold or delay a worker's wages.
Relatives' testimony is inadmissible in a
court of law. Various mandatory gifts for
the poor are discussed. The procedure for
corporal punishment is outlined. The
mitzvah of Levirate marriage (yibum) is
introduced: if a married childless man dies,
his brother is obligated to marry the
widow. If the brother refuses to marry the
widow, he and she go through a chalitzah
ceremony, which frees her to marry
whomever she wishes. We are instructed
to maintain accurate weights and
measures. The reading ends with the
mitzvah to remember Amalek's evil deed,
ambushing the Israelites on their way
from Egypt.■
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Available for Tutoring
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TUESDAY
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An analysis of a collage of texts drawn from all
parts of Torah related to the Torah portion of
the week or approaching holiday. For women.
at Rabbi Levi & Ita’s home, 29 Aldred Cr.
Chumash
Lunch & Learn C&C PACKING
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8:15 - 9:00 am
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prayers as illuminated by the teachings of
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45 minutes before Mincha
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Cours de Gemara
1.5 hours before Mincha
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Chumash
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or approaching holiday. In a private home.
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l’iluy nishmas R’ Yeshaya Aryeh ben Menashe a”h
For men. with Rabbi Levi
/MontrealTorahCenter
Mosaic Express
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G-d’s Nourishment
Story of the Baal Shem Tov, told by the Lubavitcher Rebbe
I
n his early years, before he went public
with his teachings and disciples came
from far and wide to learn from him, the
founder of the Chassidic movement, Rabbi
Israel Baal Shem Tov, was an incessant
traveler.
Dressed in the clothes of a simple villager,
he would travel from town to town and
from hamlet to hamlet, asking questions.
"How are things?" he would inquire of the
water-carrier yoked to his pails, of the
market-woman minding her stall, of the
child playing in the doorway of his home.
"Is there enough to eat? Is everyone
healthy?" "Baruch Hashem, blessed be the
Almighty, all is fine" or "Thanks to the
Almighty, things are improving," these
simple, G-d-fearing and G-d-trusting Jews
would reply, and the traveler would depart
with the gratified step of one who has
found what he was seeking.
One day, Rabbi Israel arrived in a village
and made his way to the study hall. There,
in a corner, sat an ancient Torah scholar
over his books, wrapped in tallit and tefillin.
This was the village porush ("ascetic"), who
led a life of holy seclusion. From sunrise to
sunset, not a morsel of bread or a sip of
water would pass his lips; he spoke to no
one and never lifted his eyes from the
sacred tomes. For more than fifty years he
had kept to this regimen, utterly removed
from the mundane cares of material life.
So why was this stranger pestering him?
"How are things?," he was inquiring, "Is
there enough to eat? Is everyone healthy?"
The ascetic made no reply, hoping the
stranger would go away. But the stranger
only leaned closer, and his questioning
grew more insistent. Impatiently, the
ascetic waved him away, pointing him to
the door.
"Rabbi," the stranger now asked, "why are
you denying G-d His livelihood?"
The words had their desired effect: the old
man was roused to indignant attention. Gd's livelihood?! The audacity of this
uncouth peasant! "What are you saying?"
he demanded in a thunderous voice. "How
“What If There Is A GG -d?”
Story of the Alter Rebbe
W
hen Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi,
known as the "Alter Rebbe" (17451812), began teaching the new path of
Chabad Chasidism, he attracted many
different types of individuals. Some sincere
and some not so sincere. The latter were
attracted to the novel intellectual discipline
introduced by Rebbe, but not so interested
in taking the difficult steps necessary to
internalize the lessons for the sake of selfimprovement.
One such young man was a businessman by
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the name of Shlomo Feigin. Though he was
brilliant and enjoyed the intellectual
challenge of the Alter Rebbe's teachings,
sadly, his heart was not in it.
It happened once that Shlomo needed to
take a business trip to Leipzig. Prior to his
departure, the Alter Rebbe summoned him.
To Shlomo's surprise, the Alter Rebbe
wanted to hear his travel itinerary. When
the Rebbe heard that he was passing
through the city of Karlin, he asked him to
please pay a visit to his colleague, the
dare you disturb
blasphemous babble!"
me
with
such
"Only what King David, the sweet singer of
Israel, proclaims in his Psalms," replied the
Baal Shem Tov. "Tell me, Rabbi, what is the
meaning of the verse , 'And You, the Holy
One, who dwells by the praises of Israel'? "
"We mortal beings," continued the Baal
Shem Tov when the porush made no reply,
"subsist on the sustenance that G-d
provides us in His great kindness. But what
does G-d 'subsist' on? On the praises of
Israel! When one Jew asks another, 'How
are things' and his fellow responds by
praising and thanking the Almighty, they
are nourishing G-d, deepening His
involvement with His creation."■
saintly Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin, and convey
his regards. Shlomo promised to fulfill the
Rebbe's request.
Rabbi Shlomo then returned to his room.
Feigin, mesmerized by this strange scene,
continued to wait...Upon arrival at the
home of Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin, Shlomo
Feigin was shown to the waiting room,
directly adjacent to Rabbi Shlomo's study.
As he waited, he heard Rabbi Shlomo
pacing in his study. Suddenly, the door to
the study swung open and Rabbi Shlomo
walked out and began to pace in the
waiting room. Suddenly, Rabbi Shlomo
loudly exclaimed: "Young man, young man,
what will be if indeed there is a G‑d in this
world?"
(Continued on page 5)
(Continued from page 4)
Rabbi Shlomo then returned to his room.
Shlomo Feigin, mesmerized by this strange
scene, continued to wait.
A few minutes went by. Rabbi Shlomo's
pacing inside his office could again be
heard in the waiting room. Again, the door
swung open in a rush. Out came Rabbi
Shlomo. Again came the pacing and
exclamation: "Young man, young man, what
will be if indeed there is a G‑d in this
world?!" When this scene repeated itself a
third time, Shlomo Feigin realized that this
must be the reason for the Alter Rebbe's
request that he visit Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin.
He was supposed to witness this scene. He
left and resumed his journey to Leipzig.
Some time later, Shlomo Feigin's spiritual
wellbeing took a major turn for the worse.
He eventually succumbed to the promise of
grandeur and power and forsook his faith.
Highly gifted, he rapidly climbed the ladder
of success till he was appointed to a high
position in the Czar's government.
More years passed. The Alter Rebbe passed
on to his eternal rest. The government
decided to build a highway that would
traverse the entire breadth of the land. To
the chagrin of the Chassidic community, the
proposed road's route ran directly through
the place where the Alter Rebbe's holy
remains had been laid to rest. The
Chassidim decided to use whatever
influence they had to change the route.
Inquiries were made, and it turned out that
the one in charge of the route was the
apostate Jew Shlomo Feigin. The Chassidim
were greatly concerned. Would a former
colleague turned stranger, a man like
Shlomo Feigin, be sympathetic to this
cause?
Roving Rabbis
The 11th Hour
Mendy Schapiro & Yudi Begun
August 17, 2015, BURCHAREST, ROMANIA
W
e arrived in Sibiu late at night. We
had included it in our itinerary
because it has a tiny Jewish population,
who could undoubtedly use some
encouragement. Also, it is one of the
tourism capitals of Romania, and we were
pretty confident that we would find some
Jewish tourists. We checked into a hotel,
and headed for bed with a sense of
excitement and anticipation.
Our day began with a visit to the local
synagogue, built circa 1900. We met some
of the Jewish community members there,
and spoke with them for a while. We told
them that although their community is so
small, all Jews are family and they should
consider themselves parts of a whole, 15
million strong!
It was noon when we left the synagogue
for our next stop, the town square, a
popular local attraction. We walked around
for three hours and met lots of people, but
none of them were Jewish. At that point,
we moved on to another part of town, but
it seemed like we were having an off day. It
was now 4 pm. “Let’s go back to the town
square,” I told Yudi. “We need to meet at
least one more Jew today!”
We spent another four hours pounding the
pavement of the town square, to no avail.
Dusk was falling, and it was time to call it a
day.
“Mendy, let’s go to the supermarket now,
and see if they have any kosher food we
can pick up. You never know,” Yudi added,
“we might bump into someone on the way
to the car.”
The walk to the car was uneventful. We
scavenged the supermarket for some kosher
items, and then headed for the checkout
line with quite a respectable loot. “Hi there,
The old chassid Reb Moshe Vilenker, who
years earlier had spent time together with
Shlomo in the Alter Rebbe's court, was
asked to intervene. An appointment was
secured. The aged Reb Moshe sat down
with Shlomo and explained the situation.
Without hesitation, Shlomo promised to
reroute the road. But he had one request of
Reb Moshe. Could they sit together that
evening and schmooze like in times of old?
Reb Moshe agreed.
During the course of their discussion,
Shlomo confessed to something most
personal: "You see all of my success, all of
my wealth, all of my power? I cannot enjoy
it. I constantly hear the words of Rabbi
Shlomo of Karlin ringing in my head. 'Young
man, young man, what will be if indeed
there is a G‑d in this world?!'"■
are you Chabad?” A middle-aged Israeli
man greeted us in Hebrew! Abandoning our
cart, we gave him our full attention, while
keeping an eye on the clock—there were
only a few minutes left to put on tefillin
before nightfall. “I saw you guys walk into
the store, and I told my wife--look,
Chabadniks! We just had to chase you
down. We followed you into the store, but
you kept walking further in, and we kept
running after you! Finally, we caught up
with you here! Oh, I’m Itai,” he concluded
with a warm smile, “and this is my wife
Orly.”
“We can’t tell you how thrilled we are to
meet you, Itai and Orly. In fact, this is the
reason why we came to Sibiu. Itai, would
you like to do the mitzvah of tefillin now?
We’ve got two minutes to sundown.”
Before you could say “Tel Aviv,” Itai was
proudly wearing tefillin. We then headed
outside together, chatting like family. We
no longer felt alone amongst the throngs of
people, and we felt privileged to have
witnessed G‑d’s Hand once again, this time
in the form of the eleventh hour tefillin.■
Mosaic Express
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Parsha Insights
From the book Daily Wisdom
Moshe Wisnefsky
The War Against Evil
deliver your enemy into your hands.”
Moses told the Jewish people that after they
conquer the Land of Israel from its occupiers,
they would be allowed, if necessary, to attack
neighboring countries that posed a threat to
their security.
The Torah thus teaches us that in order
to win the war against evil, we must
identify with our Divine soul. We are
then backed by the full power of G‑d’s
holiness.■
‫ּכִי ֵתצֵא ַל ִּמ ְל ָחמָה עַל אֹיְבֶי ָך ּונְתָנֹו ה' אֱלֹקֶי ָך‬
(‫י‬:‫ )דברים כא‬:‫ְׁשבִי ָת ִׁשבְיֹו‬
ָ ‫ְּביֶָד ָך ו‬
[Moses told the Jewish people,] “If you
go out to war upon your enemies, G-d
will deliver [your enemy] into your hands,
and you will take [back your enemy’s]
captives.” Deuteronomy 21:10
When we contend with evil, we are
“going out to war.” We are “going out” of
our true selves, for waging war is
unnatural. Our soul’s native environment
is the peaceful, infinite Divine
consciousness it experienced before it
entered the body.
Since our souls originate in G‑d’s
essence, and evil has no power against
G‑d’s essence, we have the upper hand
over evil even before the battle has
begun. We are “upon” – i.e., above – our
enemies. In addition, G‑d only created
evil in the first place in order for us to
vanquish it. For both these reasons, the
Torah goes on to assure us that “G‑d will
Introducing our TNGA leaders
for this year!
Seated L-R : Franny Barr, Rachel Sacksner
and Olivia Feldman
True Gender Equality
Moses then reviewed with the Jewish people
the laws regarding inheritance, parental
responsibility for their children’s behavior,
returning lost items, helping others, and crossdressing.
‫ִּׁשה וְלֹא יְִלּבַׁש ּגֶבֶר‬
ָ ‫לֹא יִ ְהיֶה ְכלִי גֶבֶר עַל א‬
(‫ה‬:‫ )דברים כב‬:'‫ִּׁשה וגו‬
ָ ‫ִׂש ְמלַת א‬
[Moses told the Jewish people,] “A man’s
attire must not be worn by a woman; a
man must not wear a women's garment.”
Deuteronomy 22:5
This directive implies that men should
strive to actualize all their G‑d-given
potential as men, and women should
strive to actualize all their G‑d-given
potential as women, in accordance with
the Torah’s guidelines for selfrefinement. Although we all comprise
male and female qualities, our biological
gender clearly indicates which qualities
we are meant to chiefly manifest.
Manifesting our G‑d-given potential –
free of any societal pressure to be
something we are not – is true “equal
rights.” When a woman mistakenly thinks
that she must behave like a man and
pursue a man’s path, she implicitly
affirms that women are intrinsically
inferior to men. In order to cultivate a
sense of self-worth, she must therefore
compete with men. The Torah forbids
such an affront to the status of women.
Instead, it celebrates and values women’s
femininity, encouraging them to develop
their innate female qualities. In this way,
women can make their unique and
crucial contributions to society, bringing
the world to its ultimate, Divine
fulfillment.■
LULAV & ETROG
$65 per set
To purchase a set,
please contact Velvel
by Thursday September 24
[email protected]
514.739.0770 x221
Only orders with payment will be accepted.
Original Success
By Tzvi Freeman
Before your soul descended to this world, it was determined she would
succeed. If not in this lifetime, then in another, or yet another—eventually
she will fulfill her entire mission.
And in each lifetime, she will move further ahead.
It was this knowledge that conceived her.
It was this inspiration that brought the world to be.
It is this vision of her success
that lies at the essence of all things.
Maamar Mayim Rabim 5738.
6
l Mosaic Express
An inspiring story for your Shabbos table
HERE’S
my
STORY
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sponsored
by the
‫ב“ה‬
‫ תשע״ה‬,‫ י׳׳ד אלול‬,‫שבת פרשת כי תצא‬
Shabbos Parshas Ki Seitzei, August 29, 2015
THE MACCABEES
MRS. ROSE SCHRAGE
M
y husband, Rabbi Samuel (Shmuel) Schrage, was
a community activist in Brooklyn in the 1960s and
1970s.
He became involved because yeshiva boys in Crown
Heights were being beaten up by gangs coming in from
Bedford Stuyvesant, and a Jewish woman was attacked by
a knife-wielding man in her own home. My husband went
to ask for police protection from the Mayor, who said there
were not enough patrolmen to go around. And that is when
my husband started the Maccabees, a neighborhood patrol
group, which became quite famous and which was written
up in The New York Times.
The Maccabees, most of them chasidic Jews, rode around
Crown Heights six to a car, equipped with nothing more
than radios and large flashlights. If they saw an incident,
they alerted the police and aided the victim until the
authorities came.
Still, my husband received a lot of criticism at the time.
Mainly this was because the idea of neighborhood
watchmen was so original, and some people didn’t
understand it — they thought the volunteers were
vigilantes who took the law into their own hands. A lot of
this criticism came from local Jews.
So my husband went to the Rebbe. He said, “I can take
the criticism from the outside but I can’t take the criticism
from my own people. That really hurts. I would like to
disband the Maccabees.”
The Rebbe said to him, “Don’t disband — make it stronger!”
My husband followed the Rebbe’s advice, and eventually
he became the head of New York City’s Neighborhood
Action Program. He also got involved in politics. Mayor
John Lindsay appointed him to the New York City Youth
Board, and Mayor Abraham Beame retained him in that
position.
Whether in politics or his personal life, Shmuel did nothing
without a blessing from the Rebbe. When I had my first
baby — which was a complicated pregnancy and I feared
for my life — Shmuel went to the Rebbe and asked for a
blessing that everything should go well. Thank G-d, it did.
But in the excitement, Shmuel forgot to call the Rebbe to
tell him that our son was born and everything was fine. So
the Rebbe had his secretary call and ask if I was okay.
I was very impressed because the Rebbe has so many
people on his head, and yet he was thinking about me,
which just goes to show that he kept every individual in
mind. Here my husband had only one call to make, but
he forgot because he was so excited about the new baby.
But the Rebbe, who had so much more to think about, did
remember!
This was what always impressed me about the Rebbe —
besides his greatness — his human quality.
With time, my husband became quite famous for his
activism — he was called Mr. Crime Fighter — and he
became a kind of folk hero. Because of this, many politicians
who were running for office wanted his support. Of course,
they also wanted the Rebbe’s endorsement and blessing.
I remember when Robert (Bobby) Kennedy was running
continued on reverse
An oral history project dedicated to documenting the life of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson,
of righteous memory. The story is one of thousands recorded in the over 1,100 videotaped interviews
conducted to date. Please share your comments and suggestions. [email protected]
continued from reverse
for President. He contacted Shmuel for his endorsement
and then Shmuel took him to see the Rebbe. For the
occasion, Shmuel wore the gold cufflinks I had given him
as a wedding present, but don’t you know, in the midst of
all the excitement, he lost one. I was very upset, and Bobby
Kennedy got down on all-fours and crawled around the
floor until he found it.
At the time, Kennedy asked Shmuel, “Is there something I
can do for you?” And, of course, Shmuel asked the Rebbe,
who said, “Yes, there is something he can do. There are
two Jews sitting in jail in the Soviet Union for spreading
Judaism. If he can get them out that would be a great
thing.”
Kennedy promised to do it. But after a couple of weeks, he
called Shmuel to say, “I have good news and bad news. The
good news is I can get them out of Russia. The bad news is
I can’t get them into the United States.”
This was unbelievable — the former US Attorney General
could get two Jews released from Soviet Russia, but he
couldn’t get them admitted into the US because of the antiSemitism of some people in the US State Department. My
husband refused to accept that answer. He called the State
Department, threatened them with a media campaign, and
they buckled under — the two Jews were allowed in.
Bobby Kennedy was not the only non-Jew who met the
Rebbe through my husband. Another was Ed Joyce, who
used to have a famous talk show — “The Talk of New
York” — before he became president of CBS News.
My husband later told me that the interview lasted two
hours, and that Ed Joyce asked the Rebbe, “If the Jews are
the Chosen People, what role is there for someone like me
who is not Jewish?
The Rebbe answered, “Everyone has an individual role, and
we can’t do our part unless others do their part. Just like a
body and all its limbs. If you want to go forward and take
something, your feet have to take you over to the object,
your hands have to pick it up, and so on. It doesn’t work
any other way. You can’t leave your feet here and your
hands there. This is the way the world functions too, and
every person has a reason for which he was created. Each
one has to do his part so the other one can do his part.”
Ed Joyce was very impressed with that answer; so
impressed that he wanted his wife and children to meet
the Rebbe. I believe this happened at a farbrengen; I do
Dedicated by Levi and Chaya Segal
in honor of Rabbi Yechiel Cagen and the
My Encounter team.
We are all indebted to you!
You can help us record more testimonies
by dedicating future editions of Here’s My Story
believe they met him.
In 1977, my husband had a heart attack, and he passed
away at age 44. This happened right before my son’s Bar
Mitzvah, which had to be postponed.
Thirty days after his passing — after the shloshim — I
went with my boys to see the Rebbe. My sons knew how
distraught I was, so my older one piped up, “Rebbe, please
give my mother a blessing first. She needs it more.” And it
was true — I needed it. I was in shock over the whole thing.
The Rebbe said, “If you listen to your mother, that will be
the biggest blessing she could get.” This meant so much
to me because I was so worried how I would raise them
all by myself.
I looked at the Rebbe, and his eyes were filled with such
kindness that I opened up and started talking to him as if
he were my father. The Rebbe kept me there a long time,
listening to me and offering advice. I went into his office in
a terrible state, but I went out a different person — totally
different, and much calmer.
And after that, at every farbrengen that my son
attended, the Rebbe would give him a piece of cake
or a little bit of wine for me. He would say to my son,
“This is for your mother.” It was so reassuring to
know that I was not alone in the world, that the Rebbe
always had me in mind and never forgot the widow.
______________
Mrs. Rose Schrage was the businesses manager of the Crown
Heights Board of Education for 30 years. She was interviewed in
her home in Brooklyn in October of 2010.
‫לע“נ ר‘ ישראל יעקב וזוגתו מרת קריינא ע“ה לאקשין‬
‫ע“י בניהם ר‘ נחמן ור‘ אברהם ומשפחתם שיחיו‬
This week in….
>5
721 - 1961, the Rebbe’s secretariat announced the
Rebbe’s request that anyone sending him a petition for
blessing for the New Year should include a list of their
daily studies. Anyone who had already sent in a letter
was instructed to send a report, because blessings
are primarily brought down through Torah study.1
18 Elul
1. Igros Kodesh vol. 20, Pg. 332
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LA
SIDRA
DE LA SEMAINE
KI TETZÊ
SAMEDI, 29 AOÛT 2015
14 ELLOUL AV 5775
AVOT 1 & 2
VIVREAVEC LA
PARACHA
Chaque jour, nous concluons la prière
de la Amida (18 Bénédicons) en louant
D.ieu «Qui bénit Son peuple dans la
paix». Et lorsqu’ils décrivent les
bénédicons dont D.ieu nous grafie
lorsque nous suivons Sa volonté, nos
Sages affirment : «la paix équivaut à
toutes les autres bénédicons». En fait,
nos Sages expliquent que Chalom, le
terme hébreu pour «paix», est l’un des
noms de D.ieu Lui-même.
Pourquoi la paix joue-t-elle un rôle si
fondamental dans notre héritage juif ?
Chaque âme humaine est «une véritable
pare de D.ieu En-Haut». Il s’ensuit
donc que l’être humain possède le désir
naturel de donner à ce"e éncelle
divine l’opportunité de s’exprimer. Elle
cherche
à
grandir
dans
la
compréhension, dans un environnement
harmonieux, sans être obligée de se
confronter aux conflits extérieurs.
Malheureusement, cela n’est pas
toujours possible. Nous vivons dans un
monde matériel qui, de par sa nature
même, encourage l’égocentrisme et la
quête de sasfacons personnelles.
Dans de telles circonstances, la quête du
développement spirituel peut souvent
conduire à des conflits d’intérêt et
parfois même à de véritables et
Ki Tétsé
La guerre et la paix
tangibles conflits.
Faire la guerre
Ces concepts sont évoqués en allusion
dans le nom de la Paracha de ce"e
semaine, Ki Tétsé, qui commence ainsi :
«quand tu sorras en guerre contre tes
ennemis».
Dans
l’environnement
naturel de l’âme, les mondes spirituels,
il n’y a pas de conflits.
Cependant, lorsque l’âme «sort» de cet
état et descend dans notre monde
matériel, elle est confrontée à des
challenges qui peuvent nécessiter de
s’engager dans des combats.
Car l’existence matérielle présente deux
aspects. Notre monde a été créé parce
que D.ieu «désirait une résidence dans
les mondes inférieurs», c’est-à-dire que
l’univers physique peut servir de
résidence pour D.ieu, être un lieu où se
révèle Son Essence.
Cependant,
comme
l’implique
l’expression
«mondes
inférieurs»,
l’existence de D.ieu n’est pas réellement
apparente, dans notre environnement.
Bien au contraire même, la nature
matérielle du monde semble écarter la
Divinité.
La tentave pour réconcilier ces deux
élans contradictoires se caractérise
souvent par une situaon de conflit.
Telle est la concepon de la Torah pour
la guerre : il s’agit d’un combat pour
transformer jusqu’au plus pet élément
d’existence en demeure pour D.ieu.
C’est pour ce"e raison que la Torah
commande aux Juifs de comba"re pour
conquérir la terre de Canaan et ainsi
transformer un pays, célèbre pour son
état de dépravaon, en Erets Israël, une
terre dont il est dit que «les yeux de
l’Eternel ton D.ieu sont sur elle depuis le
début de l’année jusqu’à la fin de
l’année».
Cela va encore plus loin. Même
lorsqu’aucun commandement explicite
n’indique qu’il faut faire la guerre, le
potenel en est toujours présent, pour
faire reculer les fronères de la sainteté
et lui perme"re de prendre possession
de domaines précédemment régis par la
matérialité.
Découvrir nos ressources
Il ne faut pas craindre d’entreprendre de
tels efforts. Bien au contraire, on est
assuré de la bénédicon divine. Il y est
(Connuer à la page 11)
Mosaic Express
l9
LE RECIT DE LA SEMAINE
Est-ce bientôt Chabbat ?
E
n 2013, j’ai trouvé quelque chose
sur Internet qui a changé ma vie en
profondeur. Je ne me souviens plus
comment ou pourquoi mais je me suis
mise à chercher sur You Tube quelque
chose de juif – moi qui ne suis allée à la
synagogue à Yom Kippour qu’une seule
fois dans ma vie !
Je ne sais par quel subl algorithme je
suis tombée sur une minuscule photo
du visage rond et poupin de Mirel
Levin admirant sa bougie de Chabbat.
J’ai cliqué. J’ai regardé la vidéo d’une
famille ‘hassidique se préparant
soigneusement et affectueusement
pour Chabbat. La star était Mirel avec sa
grande sœur Rivka. Toutes deux
répétaient, simplement mais avec
convicon, les dialogues du livret
d’Ellen Emerman : «Est-ce bientôt
Chabbat ?» (édions Hachai –
Maayanot). Elles faisaient les courses.
Elles pétrissaient la ‘Halla. Elles
préparaient le repas de Chabbat. Elles
me"aient la table. Elles me"aient une
pièce dans la boîte de Tsedaka (charité).
Et, finalement, elles allumaient les
bougies de Chabbat.
Jusqu’à ce moment, Mirel demandait à
chaque étape si c’était déjà Chabbat et
sa Maman, paemment, répondait :
«Non, pas encore !». Mais une fois que
les bougies étaient allumées, que Mirel
et Rivka avaient récité la bénédicon, le
visage de Mirel passait de l’ancipaon
à une joie débordante quand sa mère
lui répondait enfin : «Oui Mirel,
maintenant c’est Chabbat !».
Alors que la mère et les deux filles
Levin se tenaient toutes les trois
devant les bougies et priaient du plus
10
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profond de leur cœur, elles se
souhaitèrent mutuellement «Chabbat
Chalom !» avec un tel bonheur que je
pouvais disnguer, de l’autre bout du
pays, à travers les ondes d’Internet
comment tout brillait et resplendissait,
d’une manière si différente, si spéciale,
si belle et surtout les visages de Mirel,
Rivka et Hendel. La première fois que je
regardais ce clip, j’en fus émue aux
larmes.
Bien vite je devins obsédée par ce"e
vidéo et je l’ai regardée, depuis, des
dizaines, des centaines de fois ces
derniers mois. La dernière fois que j’ai
jeté un coup d’œil, elle avait été
visionnée plus de 285.300 fois. Je pense
très sérieusement qu’une bonne pare
de ces 285.300 étaient de mon fait.
Un jour, je mâchonnais un sandwich
tout en regardant encore une fois ce
clip et je réalisai alors que j’en
connaissais toutes les répares… Y
compris les mots de la bénédicon sur
les bougies ! Je décidai que je pouvais
essayer de les répéter avec Mirel, Rivka
et Hendel. Et, tant qu’à faire, je me suis
dit que ce serait mieux avec de vraies
bougies. Je cherchai des bougies
parfumées que j’avais une fois achetées
dans un magasin de cosméques et je
réalisai soudain qu’on était vendredi
après-midi ! J’allais moi aussi allumer
mes bougies de Chabbat ! J’espère que
je les ai allumées avant le coucher du
soleil pour ce tout premier Chabbat
mais cela, seul D.ieu le sait !
Dès que les bougies furent allumées,
quelque chose d’extraordinaire arriva,
quelque chose qui est arrivé de
nombreuses fois depuis, durant les
nombreux vendredis après-midi de ma
première année d’observance de ce"e
Mitsva quand je me disais : «Ah non ! Pas
aujourd’hui ! J’ai besoin de ce jour en
plus ! Juste ce jour ! Je vais sauter ce
Chabbat, juste celui-ci !». Quand j’allumais
les bougies, tournais mes mains comme
pour ramasser toute leur lumière des
flammes près de mes yeux en prononçant
la bénédicon, quelque chose remua dans
mon âme. Maintenant que les bougies
étaient allumées, maintenant que j’avais
pris sur moi ce"e grande responsabilité de
prononcer la bénédicon, de me souvenir
du Chabbat et de le sancfier, j’avais
apporté dans le monde quelque chose de
nouveau, que je ne souhaitais pas
abandonner.
Ce vendredi, alors que j’allumai mes
bougies, je décidai d’observer ce vendredi
soir selon les lois tradionnelles du
Chabbat. Je savais que cela signifiait ne
pas allumer l’électricité, ne pas uliser
l’ordinateur, ne pas écrire, ne pas conduire
et ne pas toucher l’argent. Je me souviens
avoir dormi avec un coussin sur mes yeux
pour ne pas être gênée par la lumière qui
était restée allumée. J’ai passé mon temps
d’une manière fort agréable comme je ne
l’avais pas fait depuis au moins quinze
ans : me demander que faire de moi.
C’était différent mais finalement assez
agréable. Suffisamment pour que le
lendemain man, je décidai de connuer.
Je me souviens avoir apporté quelques
livres dans mon jardin, m’être étendue sur
une servie"e sur le gazon pour lire et
regarder le ciel en pensant : «C’est si
étrange ! Si différent de tout ce que j’ai
fait jusqu’à présent ! J’ignore si je
recommencerai mais peu importe pour
aujourd’hui, parce qu’aujourd’hui, c’est
Chabbat !».
(Connuer à la page 12)
(Connuer de la page 9)
fait allusion dans l’expression du verset
précité : al oyvé’ha, que l’on traduit par
«contre tes ennemis» mais qui signifie
li"éralement «sur tes ennemis». Cela
nous apporte la promesse que même
lorsque l’âme descend dans notre
monde matériel et relève des défis, elle
possède toujours la force de les
surmonter. Puisque l’âme est une
«véritable parcelle de D.ieu», elle reste
constamment au-dessus de l’influence
du monde, elle possède la force de
surmonter tous les obstacles et de
transformer son environnement.
Plus encore, c’est le défi de la «bataille»
lui-même qui fait surgir la force
essenelle que possède l’âme. Car une
telle confrontaon oblige la personne à
puiser en elle-même ses forces les plus
profondes. Ce"e quête de force fait à
son tour jaillir une prise de conscience
de notre nature divine profonde. Et
c’est ainsi que nous pouvons surmonter
tous les challenges et disséminer la
Divinité dans toutes les situaons. Nous
devenons par là-même les partenaires
de D.ieu et exprimons ouvertement le
but divin de la Créaon.
Les conflits intérieurs
Ce concept de «guerre» est également
approprié à notre vie. Commentant le
verset : «et vous verrez… la différence
entre celui qui sert D.ieu et celui qui ne
Le sert pas», nos Sages définissent
«celui qui sert D.ieu» comme : «celui
qui revoit son sujet 101 fois», et «celui
qui ne Le sert pas» comme : «celui qui
revoit son sujet 100 fois».
Dans le Tanya, Rabbi Chnéor Zalman
explique que dans ce domaine, la
coutume voulait que l’étudiant revoie
son sujet d’étude 100 fois. C’est
pourquoi c’était lors de la cent et
unième fois que la personne allait audelà de sa praque usuelle, ce qui la
disnguait comme étant : «celui qui
sert D.ieu». Car seul celui qui se bat
pour élever sa nature mérite un tel
tre.
Un homme doit se donner des défis. Et
cela signifie plus que s’engager à un
progrès graduel. «Servir» D.ieu implique
de casser notre nature individuelle et
montrer qu’il n’y a pas de limites dans
notre engagement envers Lui.
Ce"e entreprise implique une guerre
constante. Un homme peut en effet
a"eindre
un
certain
niveau
d’accomplissement spirituel et puis «se
reposer sur ses lauriers». Mais il lui faut
constamment lu"er pour avancer
encore.
Ces «batailles» intérieures, nécessaires
pour enclencher cet engagement
perme"ent au potenel Divin, inné et
illimité en chacun de nous, dans notre
âme, de jaillir. Et l’effet de ces efforts se
répercute sur le monde en général. Car
l’aspect de la Divinité qui transcende
toutes limites est acvé par chacune de
nos tentaves pour dépasser nos
propres limites.
Les ulmes batailles
Parce que la tâche de raffiner le monde
est souvent comparée à une bataille,
l’un des critères donnés pour idenfier
le Machia’h, le chef qui movera
l’humanité à accomplir son but, est qu’il
«mènera les guerres de D.ieu». Car il est
possible que la tâche de raffiner le
monde requiert un réel conflit pour que
Machia’h «remplisse le monde de
jusce», en détruisant la force des
méchants.
Cependant, cela n’est qu’une étape. En
dernier ressort, Machia’h «vaincra
toutes les naons qui l’entourent… et
rendra parfait le monde ener,
(movant toutes les naons) à,
ensemble, servir D.ieu, introduisant
ainsi l’ère où «il n’y aura ni famine ni
guerre, ni envie ni compéon… (et)
l’occupaon du monde ener sera
exclusivement de connaître D.ieu».■
ETINCELLES DE
MACHIAH
« Car vous sor
rez dans la
joie »
Dans la semaine suivant le mariage de
Rabbi Chalom Dov Ber, le cinquième
Rabbi de Loubavitch, les ‘hassidim se
mirent à danser dans le jardin qui se
trouvait devant la maison du père du
jeune marié, le Rabbi Maharach. Des
dizaines de rondes se formèrent alors.
A ce moment, le Rabbi Maharach était
assis à la fenêtre de sa maison. Il vit les
danses et dit : «C’est ainsi que les Juifs
danseront dans les rues lorsque le
Machia’h viendra.»■
(D’après Likoutei Dibourim vol. 1 p. 34)
Mosaic Express
l 11
HORAIRE
DES COURS
DE LA SEMAINE
Mercredi
Cours de Paracha………..20h00
Chabbat
Talmoud et Hala’ha .…….18h 20
Seu'da Chelichit………….…19h 35
(Connuer de la page 10)
De fait, depuis, grâce aux Levin – et
surtout Mirel et Rivka – j’ai respecté
tous les Chabbatot. Ce qui, au début,
était un combat hebdomadaire entre
les forces du bien et les autres (et qui se
résolvait comme par enchantement à la
dernière minute devant la lumière de
mes bougies) est devenu un plaisir
enchanteur que j’a"ends chaque jour
de la semaine avec le sourire.
Je lis plus que je n’ai jamais lu. Mes
meilleures idées pour régler mes grands
problèmes me viennent toujours dans
le calme de Chabbat. Rien n’a été
perdu. Mais j’ai tant gagné ! Je ressens
maintenant que ma vie est bien plus
remplie et intéressante parce que,
chaque semaine, je lui donne du sens.
Je redécouvre D.ieu et tous ces plaisirs
tranquilles qui montent à la surface
seulement parce que nous créons de la
place pour eux. Apprécier les amis, se
promener, lire, prier et se concentrer,
contempler la beauté de l’univers,
compter mes bénédicons. Etre
intensément reconnaissante pour le fait
que je suis ici sur terre pour une vie
précieuse.
Merci Mirel et Rivka ! Merci à vous
toutes ! Et… Chabbat Chalom !■
12
l Mosaic Express
EDITORIAL
L’heure du retour
N
ous avons vécu l’aller, le temps
des départs et de cee étrange
liberté retrouvée que l’on appelle les
vacances. Il nous faut donc vivre à
présent cee période non moins
bouleversante qui est celle du retour.
On dénomme cela « la rentrée » et ce
seul nom a déjà valeur de programme.
Dans l’esprit commun, il s’agit de
recommencer, reprendre le fil là où il
avait été interrompu. Pourtant, cee
année, la rentrée revêt un caractère
qui, s’il se retrouve souvent au moment
où elle intervient, conserve cependant
un caractère parculier. Et il faut s’en
souvenir car peut-être est-ce toute
notre année qui en dépend.
De fait, alors que le quodien réclame
sa place, le dernier mois du calendrier
juif a bel et bien commencé. Il s’appelle
Elloul. Il est le prélude aux grandes
fêtes de Tichri – à Roch Hachana et à
Yom Kippour, plus encore il en est
l’indispensable préparaon. Il est aussi
– et justement – le mois du retour. Bien
sûr, le sens du mot est ici bien différent
de celui que la société lui assigne, bien
éloigné aussi de la noon même de
vacances. C’est du retour à soi, à ce que
l’on est vraiment, sa source et sa racine
et finalement de retour à D.ieu qu’il
s’agit.
RESERVER VOS PLACES.
À l’occasion des fêtes, le minyan
francophone, dirigé par le Rabbin
Pinto, se endra à MTC. Nous vous
demandons s'il vous plaît de réserver
vos places aussi tôt que possible, en
nous contactant au:
514.739.0770
[email protected]
www.themtc.com/HHS
C’est alors que nous pouvons
éprouver une sensaon très réelle de
décalage. Le monde alentour ne parle
que de retour au rythme habituel
alors que nous aendons et
préparons le moment du passage sur
un autre plan avec les rendez-vous
spirituels qui arrivent. Le monde
n’envisage que la poursuite des
mêmes objecfs alors que nous
regardons en nous-mêmes pour
affiner ce que nous sommes, poser
des jalons pour un progrès profond et
faire du monde un lieu d’harmonie.
Quel Elloul allons-nous donc vivre ?
Faudrait-il faire abstracon du monde
qui gronde ? Ce ne serait pas une
a"tude juive. Faudrait-il oublier
notre calendrier de l’âme ? Ce le
serait encore moins.
Chacun a l’obligaon ardente d’aller à
la rencontre d’Elloul, précisément au
moment où la vie quodienne invite
à l’oublier et sans négliger les
impérafs
de
cee
dernière.
Impossible dira-t-on ? Mais c’est
d’Elloul qu’il est queson, le mois où
le Ciel et la terre sont si proches. ■