Volume 1
Issue 27

Parshas Tazria

Mazel Tov! It's a boy!
Do any of you have a baby brother or sister? Do you remember how happy everyone was when the baby was born? Were you happy?
Most people are excited when a new baby is born. After all, an amazing thing just happened. A new person, a perfect little human, just joined us in the world. With Hashem's help, he or she will grow up to learn Torah and do mitzvos, making a big difference in the world.
But wait. If it is a baby boy, the baby is not quite ready for his job in the world. He looks perfect, but something is missing. Something was not quite finished.
What could be wrong?
Hashem left the last little job for us to do. The baby needs a bris. We have to wait until he is eight days old, and then we can give him a bris, making him complete and perfect.
Why couldn't the baby have been born with that job taken care of? If Hashem could make a perfect little baby, why did He have to leave out that one detail? Why did that one little job have to be left for us to do?
Hashem wanted to show us that we cannot just get a perfect little gift without having to work a little. A baby is born almost perfect, but we have to do the last little bit of work. That is what Hashem wants. He wants us to have to work in order to get good things.
The whole world is just like this baby. Just as a baby is not born perfect, the world was not created perfect. Hashem left a lot for us, the yidden, to fix up in the world.
Why?
That is our job in this world. Hashem wants us to work in order to make the world into a dira betachtonim- a home for Hashem.
When that happens, we will get rewarded for all of our hard work. Won't that be great? Not only will we get a great reward, but we will know that we were the ones who worked for it and made it happen.
That is what Hashem wants. So let's keep up the good work. We are almost done.

I’m mentioned in Parshas Tazria Without my head I have the same meaning as my head and tail. What am I? ____ ____ ____ e-mail your answer to connections@shluchim.org Last weeks’ brain buster: My beginning is my name. My end is the amount of Makos in Mitzrayim Answer: Shmini (In Hebrew Letters) Congratulations to Gavi Schwei, age 11 from Luton, England for solving the brain buster..

(Until after Pesach, I’m changing my name to Getz because Getzel rhymes with pretzel and pretzels are chometz.)
I’ve been very busy cleaning for Pesach. Mrs. Getzel makes me work very hard before Pesach so that on the night of the Seder I really feel like I left Mitzrayim! We started cleaning for Pesach by scrubbing the green shingles on the roof (don’t ask me how chometz might have gotten up there!) and we won’t stop until all the grass on the front lawn is sparkling green. When we’re finished, not even a half of a piece of macaroni will be left.
You’re probably thinking, “Wait a minute, what terrible thing did the chometz do to deserve this kind of treatment?” Well, that’s why they call me Doctor, because I answer those kinds of “thinks.” I’m Dr. Getzel, world famous eye-doctor and Pesach-cleaner and I help kids see hidden things with my special COL (Chassidic Out Look) lens.
In order to answer your question we’re going to need to carefully examine a piece of chometz. To start, get a loaf of bread and a magnifying glass. If you look really closely, you’ll see . . .lots of poppy seeds! Oops. I knew I forgot something. Without my COL lens to see the chometz from the right, Chassidishe perspective, all we were able to see were poppy seeds.
Let’s try this once more. Put on your COL lens and look at the bread again. See how fluffy and puffy it is? That’s because of the yeast in it that makes it rise and grow. Now, activate your outside-IN vision to imagine that puffy bread wearing a yarmulka, shirt and pants. Next, put a face on it. Does the bread-boy look familiar to you? He reminds me of when I feel important and haughty. Like last week when I won that baseball game. I felt so high and mighty that I stuck my nose in the air. Yikes! All of the sudden I started to grow and grow and grow . . . until I looked just like a fluffy, puffy bread-boy, all puffed-up with pride!
As Junior Shluchim of the Rebbe, we always need to make sure that we are humble. We should be proud of the good things we accomplish but we need to be careful not to brag and boast about what we do. We don’t want to rise and grow like a puffed-up loaf of bread!

Happy cleaning and good-bye ‘till next week!
Dr. Getz

Shabbos Mevorchim Nissan

This Shabbos is Shabbos Mevorchim Chodesh Nissan
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 Bracha for the new month of Nissan. (The Bracha can be found in the Siddur after Shacharis for Shabbos)

Rosh Chodesh Nissan Sunday - Alef Nissan
I remembered to say Ya’aleh VeYavoh in Shemoneh Esrei and in bentching
I remembered to say Hallel after Shemoneh Esre
I remembered to daven Musaf.
I remembered to say Borchi Nafshi after the Shir Shel Yom
I didn’t sew or do any laundry

Dear Yaldei Hashluchim,

In honor of Yud-Alef Nissan we will once again be having a Hachana program. You will receive it via e-mail. There is 1 page for each day from Rosh Chodesh Nissan until Yud-Alef Nissan. The first page of the Hachana contains full instructions. And the last page is a checklist that you will need to fax-back to The Shluchim Office by Isru Chag.
For the last Hachana - Lichvod Yud-Alef Nissan, over 160 Yaldei Hashluchim faxed back their Hachana checklist, and received prizes in the mail. Are you going to get a prize this time? It’s easy! Just follow the Hachana program and don’t forget to fax-back your checklist in time!

Beis Nissan

Yartzeit of the Rebbe Rashab – Rabbi Sholom Dovber
On Beis Nissan, Rabbi Sholom Dovber, the fifth Rebbe, known as the Rebbe Rashab, was Nistalek. The following account of his passing was written by R’ Dovber Rivkin who was the Rebbe Rashab’s Shamesh in his later years:
"On Erev Shabbos, I went into the holy room of the Rebbe Rashab and I saw that his condition had changed drastically. His face was very red. The doctors said that they had done all they could. Toward evening, the Chassidim gathered to daven and say Tehillim, knowing that only a Nes could save the Rebbe now.
"On Shabbos, as evening approached, the main doctor, Dr. Landau, told a few of the elder Chassidim to inform the Rebbe Rashab’s son, the Frierdiker Rebbe that now was the time to speak to his father.
"After Shabbos, the Frierdiker Rebbe entered his father's room. The Rebbe Rashab looked at his son and told him clearly, “Ich Gei In Himmel Un Di Kesavim Loz Ich Eich - I am going to Shomayim. I am leaving my writings for you. Take me into the shul and we will be together.”
"The Frierdiker Rebbe became visibly shaken by his father's words. When the Rebbe Rashab saw his son's reaction he said, 'You are shocked? You are shocked? Intellect [rules the heart]! Intellect...!'
"The Chassidim then honored the Rebbe's request and moved him into the main shul, the same shul in which he had davenned and given over his Sichos and Ma’amarim.
"A few hours after midnight, the Frierdiker Rebbe saw that his father wanted to Bentch him and so he came closer. Afterward, the Rebbe Rashab gave Brachos to the Frierdiker Rebbe’s daughters.
"When the Frierdiker Rebbe saw that his father's breathing had almost stopped, he shouted out, ‘Tatte, Tatte!' The hearts of all who were standing nearby were torn to pieces. This happened a few times, and each time the Rebbe Rashab started breathing again. After more time passed the Rebbe Rashab’s breathing stopped altogether.
"The doctors examined the Rebbe Rashab and then covered his face. The holy Neshama of the Rebbe Rashab went up towards Shomayim."
May the Rebbe Rashab and all of the Rabbeim continue to be Gute Bette’s on High for us, all the Jewish people and the entire world until Moshiach comes and we will be Zoche to see them again!

(Adapted from the L’Chaim Weekly)

(taken from e-chinuch.org)

My name is Menachem Mendel Fridman and I am 9 years old. I live in Moscow, Russia. I have two younger brothers and a little sister who is very cute. Now in the winter there is lots of snow and in summer we have light rain sometimes. My parents work in the Jewish university for girls called Machon Chamesh. Almost every week my mother gives a class to girls in our house. My father also started a minyan every Shabbos in the Renaissance Hotel near my house. Many people from all over the world come there. I am the chazzan for Shacharis until Shochen Ad. After davening there is always a Kiddush and many people also come to our house afterwards and the whole building hears us singing.
I learn in Cheder Menachem and I am in the fourth grade. My Limudei Kodesh subjects are: Chumash, Gemara, Mishna, Halacha, Navi. We also have clubs in school: drums, sport, swimming, carpentry and computers. At home I study piano and take voice lessons.
I like being on shlichus and it is really great here.