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| Parshas
Mishpatim
Chof Hey Shevat
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Volume
1
Issue 18 |
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PARSHAS
MISHPATIM
During lunch break, an exciting game of baseball was going on in the
field. Heshy's team was up at bat and the score was close.
But Ari didn't join the game. He had gotten up late that morning; he
rushed through breakfast so that he wouldn't miss the bus; he forgot
his lunch at home, and he didn't have any money to buy food. He was
really hungry by now.
Ari wandered around the school yard hesitantly, until he finally decided
to approach Heshy, who was cheering the team's player at bat.
"Heshy," Ari asked bashfully. "Would you lend me some
money so I could buy a bagel at the canteen? I forgot my lunch."
"Sure, Ari, but my wallet is in my briefcase. As soon as the game
is over I'll get the money from the classroom."
Ari was embarrassed to tell Heshy that recess would also be over by
the time the game finished, and the canteen would be closed. He needed
the money now.
Perhaps Heshy would have acted differently if he had thought about one
of the mitzvos in Parshas Mishpatim, "When you shall lend money
to My people, to a needy person."
It also might have helped if he had remembered a story about the Tzemach
Tzedek. He was on his way to shul when a chassid, Reb Pinchas, asked
him for a loan.
"I'll be happy to lend you the money," the Tzemach Tzedek
told him. "Please come to my house right after davening."
The Tzemach Tzedek continued walking to shul and prepared for davening,
but as he wrapped himself in his tallis, he remembered that it was market
day.
"Reb Pinchas probably needs the loan for business today. The sooner
he gets it, the more profitable his business will be. I must give him
the money right away," thought the Tzemach Tzedek. He put away
his tallis and rushed home to get the money. Then he hurried to the
market, found Reb Pinchas, gave him the loan, and rushed back to shul.
As he washed his hands before davening, his grandfather, the Alter Rebbe,
suddenly appeared to him. The Tzemach Tzedek had been waiting for such
a vision for a long time. It was because of the mitzvah that he performed
that the Alter Rebbe appeared to him.
From Please Tell Me What the Rebbe Said (Adapted from Toras Menachem
5710, p. 211ff)
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Last
Week's Brian Buster:
The only difference between my partner and me is what. What am I?
Parshas
Mishpatim
My
beginning and end are the same, I end in a sea and there’s a judge
in me.
What am I?
____ ____ ____ ____
_____ _____
connections@shluchim.org
We
are so happy with all the responses we are getting to the brain busters.
Unfortunately, we are not able to print all of your names. Please continue
sending your feedback and responses as we will make a gorel each week
and pick one winner.
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This
year, 5765, is a leap year, which means that there are two months
of Adar, known as Adar Rishon and Adar Sheini. This Shabbos, Parshas
Mishpatim, we bentch the new month of Adar Rishon.
In Sichos before and during the two months of Adar of 5752, the Rebbe
emphasized the importance of Simcha in turning the darkness of Galus
into the light of Geulah.
The Rebbe also stressed that, being as there are two months of Adar
this year, there are 60 days during which we are to increase our Simcha.
More importantly, in Jewish law, the number 60 has the ability to
nullify an undesirable presence, as we know with meat and milk, that
it can be “botul beshishim”
Similarly, explains the Rebbe, 60 days of Simcha have the ability
to nullify the darkness of the present golus, allowing us to actually
turn the darkness into light.
We must listen to the Rebbe's words and utilize Simcha, especially
during this month, to turn darkness into light, sadness into joy,
and pain and tears into rejoicing with Moshiach with the Geulah Sheleimah!
(L’chaim Weekly)
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Hey
Kids,
Hi there, boys and girls!
I just arrived back in my office here in Iowa between the cows and
cornfields. I was on vacation at the Kinus Hashluchos held in honor
of Chof Beis Shevat, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka’s yartzeit (Of course
you remember the flight that I missed and the googly-eyed pilot who
flew the Shluchos for free because they reach a GOOGOL Jews.) Sorry
about the mess in here. While I was gone, mail from kids and doctors
from all over the world piled up on my desk. (There were so many letters
that they spilled over onto the floor and even began falling out of
the windows!) As you know, I’m an eye doctor and I specialize
in seeing things. At the Kinus there were so many special things happening
all at once that I didn’t know where to look first. I saw shluchos
and shluchos-in-training (tzirei hashluchos) from all over. I spotted
Chani from Canada having extra Ahavas Yisroel and Mushky from France
davening with extra kavanah. All of those extras surely made the Rebbe
and Rebbetzin very proud.
Brrrr . . . I’m going to turn up the heat in here. Here in Iowa
the sun is shining but it was so cold in New York that I’m still
trying to warm up. That reminds me of my Uncle Berel. He’s always
talking about how cold he was in Russia. He told me how he sat in
his house once Farbrenging with his friend Yankel. They were both
shaking and shivering from the cold. Uncle Berel crawled into bed
and pulled the blanket over his head to warm up. Suddenly Yankel had
an idea and quickly got to work. Before long a cozy fire was crackling
in the fireplace and the whole house was warm and toasty. Uncle Berel
came out from under his blanket with very red cheeks to rejoin the
Farbrengen.
As kid-Shluchim, we’re not like Uncle Berel hiding under the
blanket. We’re out there warming up the world with Torah and
Mitzvos. Next time you go outside and bundle up in your scarf and
gloves, put on your COL (Chassidic Outlook Lens) glasses and look
around you. Think about ways that you can make your friends warm,
too. Teach your friends about Shabbos, Tzitzis and Kashrus. Remind
them to say brachos, give tzedakah and kiss the mezuzah. Then, write
to me describing how you helped warm up a friend. I’ll be here
in my office with the green roof and wooden door waiting for your
letter.
Dr. Getzel
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Every
Jew is a Jewel
One time, a Chasid visited his Rebbe. He saw that the Rebbe spoke with
scholars, rabbis, and community leaders, but he gave special attention
to simple Jews. When it was his turn to talk to with the Rebbe, the
Chasid couldn't restrain himself from asking, "Why did you spend
so much time with those simple Jews?"
The Rebbe didn't answer the question. Instead he said to the Chasid,
"Tell me about your work."
The Chasid explained that he bought and sold gems.
"Do you have any gems to show me?" the Rebbe asked.
The Chasid took out a small velvet bag and poured the gems into his
hand. Then he took the Rebbe to the window so he could see the beautiful
stones in the light. "This one is unique." the Chasid said
choosing one gem. "Its cut and clarity are truly exceptional!"
"I don't see what is so unique." the Rebbe commented.
"I guess you have to be an expert to appreciate them," the
Chasid answered.
"The same is true with the Jewish people!" the Rebbe replied.
"You have to be an expert to know how special each person really
is!"
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Chaya
Mushka Junik, age 7
London, England
My
Mummy went away
To a far-away place,
I miss her very much
As I cannot see her face.
But she is at the Kinus
Seeing all her friends,
And learning new things
So I’m happy in the end.
Send
us a short paragraph about your shlichus and we will publish it in our
future “connections”! Please include your name, age, and
location.
E-mail us at:
connections@shluchim.org
Rosh
Chodesh Adar Aleph
Wednesday, February 9 - Lamed Shevat
Thursday, February 10 - Aleph Adar Aleph
I remembered to say Ya’aleh V’Yavoh in Shemoneh Esrei and
in bentching
I remembered to say Hallel
after Shemoneh Esrei.
I
remembered to daven Musaf.
I
remembered to say Borchi Nafshi on page 79 after the Shir Shel Yom
I didn’t sew or do any laundry
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The
Bagel Vendor
Yossel, the Bagel Vendor" was the name by which he was known
in the shtetl where he lived, for this was how he made his living
- if you could call it a "living."
To be sure, Yossel went out every day, trying hard to find customers
for his bagels. But bagel-customers were not easy to come by in
that poor shtetl. To supplement his income, Yossel was ready to
whitewash or paint people's homes. But this was strictly a seasonal
business, a few weeks before Pesach, when people got busy with
their Yom Tov preparations. His wife, too, did her share to help
out by taking in laundry from her more fortunate neighbors.
But even with all this, poor Yosel hardly managed to feed his
family, and he was blessed with a houseful of constantly hungry
chidren. It was thus a perpetual struggle for Yossel and his wife
to keep body and soul together.
One day, when Yossel came to the market-place feeling very low
and discouraged, he noticed an unusual commotion. Inquiring what
the excitement was about, he learned that the well-known tzaddik,
Reb Zusha of Anipoli had been passing through town and stopped
in the middle of the market place to greet and be greeted by any
Jew who wished to shake hands with him.
Many Jews hurried forward to take advantage of this opportunity
to give "Shalom" to the saintly Rebbe and ask him for
a bracha.
So many of them were in need of a bracha from Heaven, and who
was closer to Heaven than this tzaddik, Reb Zusha, to obtain it
for them? So everyone crowded around the tzaddik, eager to receive
his bracha.
Poor Yossel looked on at the people jostling and pushing to get
near to the holy Rebbe. But he himself remained where he was,
and looked enviously from the distance. He, too, perhaps more
than anyone else, was in need of help, but he had no money in
his pocket to give to the tzaddik as a "pidyon" for
tzedakah, as was the custom: for he knew that in order to be received,
one has to be a giver.
As Yossel was thinking it over in his mind, he suddenly heard
Reb Zusha call out: "Reb Yosef, Reb Yosef, please come here!"
Yossel thought - its true my name is Yosef, but no one ever calls
me "Reb Yosef." Besides, there must be several other
men in the market place called Yosef. Surely, the saintly Rebbe
didn't mean me! Indeed, several men pushed their way forward and
approached the tzaddik. But in each case the tzaddik looked at
the man and said, "No, you're not the Yosef I'm looking for."
Reb Zusha then called out, "Isn't there another Yosef here?"
Now Yossel plucked up courage and timidly pushed his way through
the crowd to get to the Rebbe.
"My name is Yossel...Yosef," he stammered sheepishly.
"Ah, yes, yes; you're the one I meant," the tzaddik
said, as he took Yossel's hand and held it in his quite a while,
speaking to him with particular warmth.
"Tell me, Reb Yosef, how are things with you regarding parnassah?"
"Rebbe," replied Yossel honestly, "the sad truth
is that at this moment I have no parnassah, but I'm sure the Al-mighty
will not forsake me..."
"Of course not, of course," the Rebbe reassured him,
"when a Jew has complete trust in HaShem, He will surely
take care of him."
Thereupon the Rebbe told his shamash to bring out a bottle of
wine and pour some in a glass for "Reb Yosef."
Yossel made the bracha over wine, took a sip and said, "Lechayim,
Rebbe!"
"Lechayim velivrachah!" the tzaddik answered heartily.
When Yossel emptied the glass, the Rebbe asked him, "Do you
know what gefen (vine) stands for? The gimmel is for gesunt (health),
the pey is for parnassah (sustenance), and the nun is for nachas
(joy). May G-d bless you with these three good things in full
measure. Tell me, have you a tzedakah pushka in your house?"
"Yes, Rebbe, I have a pushka, but I'm sorry to say, it's
empty right now."
The tzaddik took out three silver coins and gave them to Yossel,
saying: "Put these three silver coins in your tzedakah pushka.
Tomorrow morning you will take out two of them: one for tzedakah
and the other for your own good use. The third one be sure to
leave in your pushke. This you will do every day, except, of course,
on Shabbos and Yom Tov. See that you do not leave the box entirely
empty; take out as much as you need, but never clear out the box
as long as you are in need."
Yossel hurried home feeling happy and encouraged. He immediately
placed the three silver coins in his tzedakah box. The following
morning he took out two coins, giving one to the town’s
tzedakah collector, and with the other he bought food for his
hungry family.
The following morning when Yossel opened the tzedakah box, he
was amazed to find quite a number of silver coins in it!
He counted out half the number of coins, which he divided equally
between the tzedakah collector and himself. He was now able to
buy, not only food, but also some clothing for his children.
Every day Yossel checked his pushke and found that, miracle of
miracles!, not only did the silver coins not decrease, but increased!
In time "poor" Yossel was poor no longer. He began to
do business and became quite rich. The tzaddik's three-fold blessing,
for gesunt, parnassah, and nachas was fully realized.
Gratefully, Yossel gave a generous portion of his parnassah to
tzedakah.
A favorite tzedakah of his was to provide free fresh bagels to
all the school children every day, as well as provide the needs
of the poor children and orphans of the village.
When Yossel's undertakings prospered, he dedided that the time
had come to forego the miraculous help of his tzedakah box. So
he emptied it and gave its contents to charity. From then on instead
of taking from the tzedakah pushka, Yossel began to fill it up
with his own contributions, putting some coins into it every day
before davvening in the morning, and again before minchah.
Yossel never forgot the words of the tzaddik, and when he recited
Kiddush and Havdalah over wine, he always remembered to thank
the Al-mighty for blessing him with gesunt, parnassah and nachas
from his children and grandchildren.
(The
Storyteller)
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This
Shabbos is Shabbos Mevorchim Adar Aleph
Shabbos morning I made sure to say Tehillim. (Remember to do your quota
for the World-Wide Tehillim club.)
I went to shul and made the special brocho for the new month of Adar
Alef. (The brocho can be found in the siddur after Shachris for Shabbos)
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Kids!
Fill out the answers to the questions below and fax it to the Shluchim
Office at (718) 221– 0985. We will IY"H be making a raffle
and mailing prizes to the winners!
Level 1: Ages 5-8
Congratulations
to Rivka Lifshitz, age 6, Blue Ash, OH & Uziel Weinstein, age 5,
Newtown, PA for winning last week!
Level
2: Ages 9-12
Congratulations
to Moshe Sasonkin, age 11, Akron, OH & Chaya Mushka Jaffe, age 10,
Brisbane, Australia for winning last week!
See
the Printable Version of Connections for an incredible FUN PAGE on Parshas
Mishpatim!!
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This
week’s parshah talks about 3 different types of Mitzvos.
Mishpatim, Chukim, and Eidus.
Mishpatim are mitzvos which we can understand, like not stealing or
not hurting others. Must people keep these Mitzvos in order that we
can live peacefully and happily with each other.
Eidus are mitzvos which we would probably not have on our own. Hashem
tells us to keep them as reminders of events that happened to the Jewish
people, like Pesach or Sukkos.
The third type of Mitzvos are Chukim. Chukim are mitzvos that we are
not taught the reason for them, and the only reason why we keep them
is because Hashem told us to do so.
Chukim are Mitzvos, not necessarily those that don’t have a reason,
but they are above reasoning. Chukim show a very deep connections between
a Jew and Hashem. This special connection is above our understanding.
Parshas Mishpatim comes right after Mattan Torah. At Mattan Torah, everything
was overwhelming and above nature. The mountain was afire, the people
heard the lighting and saw the thunder. The entire world stood still
and the voice of Hashem filled the air. Those wonders are above our
understanding; they are very different from our day-to-day lives.
Because Mattan Torah was above our understanding, we would expect everyone
to keep the Chukim. Bnei Yisroel felt at Mattan Torah that it was above
reason, far from understanding, doing what Hashem wants just because
He is so great.
Yet, the mitzvos that follow Mattan Torah are Mishpatim, mitzvos that
we can understand. This shows us that we must take the overwhelming
holiness of Mattan Torah and bring it down into our understanding. Hashem
doesn't want the Torah to stay above reason. He wants us to make the
Torah part of ourselves."
(Adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. III, Parshas Mishpatim)
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Chinuch
Yaldei Hashluchim
Rabbi M. Shemtov
Rivky Lokshin
Dabrushy Pink
Aydla Vechter |
Connections
Proof-Readers:
Rabbi A. Lipsey
Mrs. G. Junik
Rabbi L. Zirkind |
Va’ad
Hashluchim:
Rabbi Y. Deren
Rabbi O. Goldman
Rabbi Y. Greenberg
Rabbi B. Levertov
Rabbi Y. Shemtov
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