Dear Alumni Sheyichyu!
SholomU’Brocho!
Birkas Tanchumin to Dovi Barber and the entire family over the untimely passing of his mother a”h. Hamakom yenachem eschem besoch shar avelei tzion veyerusholayim, may the carrying on of her holy work provide comfort and strength.
Mazel Tov to Chanina Freeman on the occasion of his engagement. Mazel Tov to Meir Dubrawsky on the occasion of his engagement. Mazel Tov to Yudel Huberman on the occasion of his engagement. May they use out the special period of Yokor Mikol yokor to its’ utmost! Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Aryeh Rosenberg on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Aizik Katzman on the birth of their daughter. Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Yehuda Leib Kantor on the birth of their daughter. Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Eli Janowski on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Yehuda Leib Aronson on the birth of their son. Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Moshe Avtzon on the birth of their daughter. Mazel Tov to Rabbi & Mrs. Hirsch Meilach Rosenfeld on the birth of their son. May they bring them up lTOveCHuMAA”T mitoch harchovo, and to be true chayolim/os! (If anyone is aware of any mazeltov’s that I omitted please let me know).
Thank you as always for the feedback, it is much appreciated.
For those of you unable to follow the news (because you are too busy with samech vov or ayin beis), and are therefore having difficulty with “lebben mit di tzeit”, here is what has been taking place in the world news yesterday:
Chief Rabbi David Lau and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat led a ceremony to open Israel’s first Waldorf Astoria Hotel, in Jerusalem on Thursday, during which Lau affixed a mezuza at the entrance. Approximately 100 people, including members of the Reichman family who own the hotel, attended. Many haredi (ultra-Orthodox) friends of the Reichman family, Hilton executives from Israel and London, members of the tourist industry and journalists and photographers attended the ceremony. Paul Reichman (the legendary entrepreneur and philanthropist R’ Moshe Yosef Reichman a”h), who died last year, had always wanted to build in Jerusalem, said Dov Meyer, speaking on behalf of the Reichmans.
While we wish them mazal tov and much hatzlocho (from afar, since – for some strange reason – I wasn’t invited to the ceremony), it is a fitting time to recount of the background to this story:
One day, R’ Moshe Reichman a”h came to 770, and was brought in to the gan eden hatachton, after mincha, to meet with the Rebbe. During their conversation, the Rebbe inquired about his business activities at the time. R’ Moshe a”h informed the Rebbe that he was involved in building up the canary wharf in London. This was a very ambitious project, for which he had received personal assurances of support from British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (who committed to extend the London underground to the site).
The Rebbe asked “Why don’t you build in Eretz Yisroel?” The response was a chuckle. Not just by Mr. Reichman himself, but by a number of the Lubavitcher chassidim who were present for the meeting.
After all, notwithstanding the fact that R’ Moshe did come to the Rebbe as a sign of respect, nevertheless he was the expert in business matters. Moshe Reichman was, in fact, a brilliant man in general, and an exceedingly shrewd businessman in particular. While he may have expected to discuss with the Rebbe matters of askonus, issues pertaining to klal Yisroel perhaps, but did the Lubavitcher Rebbe think that he needed to give Moshe Reichman business advice?!
It’s not as if R’ Moshe was a stranger to Eretz Yisroel. On the contrary, he travelled there frequently, his son had learned in Yeshiva there, and it had an important place in his heart and in his life. But Eretz Yisroel was where he went for spiritual inspiration, for ruchniyus. But for business, he had to look to the economically stable parts of the world. And, at the time, what was promising from a business perspective was England.
In addition, this particular canary wharf project was a singularly promising endeavor that had support from the highest places in the English government. There was nothing that could possibly go wrong. And, lastly, R’ Moshe was in no way a Lubavitcher chosid. While he came to greet the Rebbe, he had other “gedolim” with whom is was in much closer contact, and could not be expected to obey the Rebbe unquestioningly, could he?
The rest, as they say, is history. The canary wharf turned out to be a disaster, the project went bankrupt and caused huge losses to the family (which had ramifications that were felt by all the mosdos in Toronto, and continue to have their effects to this very day).
[I recall that R’ Sholom Ber Vishedsky a”h was farbrenging in Toronto at the time, and was saying “You see, I’m a much shrewder businessman than Moshe Reichman; - he lost hundreds of millions of dollars, while never lost even a fraction of that amount in my entire life!” May they both have a lichtiger gan eden, and farbreng there together about figuring out how to hasten the geulah].
And now we have the final chapter of the story. The building in Eretz Yisroel finally did take place, and apparently (so far) met with great success (although, personally, I did not yet have the opportunity to stay over in their hotel).
(Reminiscent of what the Frierdige Rebbe said to a bochur: “Men dreit zich un men dreit zich un tzum sof tret men zich, iz vos darf men zich dreien . . .)
The lesson is quite obvious.
Each of us, as well, are told things by the Rebbe. In fact, if we only pay attention, we are given instructions constantly. But the Rebbe doesn’t only tell us how to invest in an enriching olam habo, he tells us what will be beneficial to us in this world. The Rebbe says how to act to have a happy and successful (and of course more meaningful) life in this world.
And someone inside of us chuckles. Of course, we turn the Rebbe to improve our spirituality, to enhance our davening and learning and to cement our connection with the Eibishter. To be sure, as chassidim we seek the Rebbe’s advice in our physical life, from health to livelihood and everything in between. And without a doubt we’re prepared to follow what the Rebbe says with unquestioning kabolas ol, because we know that there’s no other way. But to say what will give me pleasure, why, in that I know best.
When it comes to enjoying olam hazeh, that’s something that I’m the expert on, that’s what I got my PHD on. That’s not something that I need to get advice about.
Eretz Yisroel, as Chazal teach us, gets its name על שם שרצתה לעשות רצון קונה, from the desire to fulfill the Will of Hashem. Eretz Yisroel represents kabolas ol (sefiras hamalchus) and the complete subservience to the Eibishter. Eretz Yisroel, where תמיד עיני א"ה בה מראשית השנה ועד אחרית שנה, where there is constant and visible hashgocho protis, is where we go to feel and experience His presence.
We go to the Kosel, to mekomos hakdoshim, to the Arizal, to Yerushalayim etc. We go to places where we can get a spiritual high. But for my vacation, to relax, to enjoy myself? I’m not going for “fun” to the cobblestones of meah she’orim or the orchards of Kfar Chabad. For “fun”, I know myself where to go to see the “world”. I’ll go to London, to Paris, to Europe. I’ll visit Cancun, Aruba, Miami and of course Hawaii (both Havaya d’leila and Havaya delesato ). And then I’ll come back to Eretz Yisroel and say a fervent kapiṭel Tehillim in the holyland.
But this mindset is all wrong. Because the Rebbe tells us (as he advised R’ Moshe Reichman back then) that our best business opportunity is in Eretz Yisroel. You want to have a good olam hazeh? Your success – physical and material success – lies in Eretz Yisroel; - in immersing yourself in davening and learning and bringing yourself closer to your Creator. While it may not earn us billions of dollars, it is the only path to bring us to whatever material wealth is earmarked for us.
[A Rosh Yeshiva once met with one of his generous supporters and said to him: “It may be that you’ll have a better olam habo then me, since Chazal tell us that in some ways Zevulun comes before Yissachar, and you are fulfilling your duties as Zevulun to perfection. But olam hazeh, that I have much better, being able to spend all my time learning Torah (I guess that RY wasn’t busy fundraising . . )].
This Shabbos is Parshas haCHodesh, when we bless the month of Nissan. The Eibishter tells us that for us this month is rosh chodoshim. Although the world begins from Tishrei, the laws of nature – the natural order of the world - originates with Tishrei, when the world was created, nevertheless for a Jew everything originates with Nissan, which represents Nisei nissim or the supernatural.
Not only are matters of Torah and mitzvos not bound the limitations of nature, but – as the Possuk says – ראשון הוא לכם לחדשי השנה, for us Nissan is the foundation even of the “natural” aspects of our life. Because for a Jew his gashmyus and his ruchnyus are indivisible. Not only for our Torah and Mitzvos do we turn to Eretz Yisroel, but even for our business, for our “natural” preoccupations, our only destination is Eretz Yisroel.
We are all focused now on our preparations for the upcoming day of Yud Aleph Nissan. One of the things to keep in mind is that we are not just looking to do something extra, additional, for the Rebbe. Rather, we want to bring the Rebbe into every aspect of our life. Yo want some enjoyment, relaxation, thrills? The place you should be seeking it is in a maamar, a sicha, a farbrengen and a chassidishe maaseh.
By going to Eretz Yisroel not just for our inspiration but also for our business (and of course for our pleasure) we will hasten the time when we will go there literally, to the physical Eretz Yisroel, through Moshiach Tzidkeinu!
L’chaim! May we all bring all aspects of our life to Eretz Yisroel, by imbuing all of them with Yiddishkeit and G-dliness, and may the Eibishter in turn connect every aspect of the world with Eretz Yisroel, when Eretz Yisroel will spread out to encompass the entire world with the immediate hisgalus of Melech haMoshiach TUMYM!!!
Rabbi Akiva Wagner
לזכות 'ר שלום מרדכי הלוי בן ,רבקה לגאולה וישועה קרובה ,ושלימה י"תומ ממש ג"בטוהנוהנ נ"ולעי 'הת רפאל ה"ע בן – א"יבלחט - 'ארי לייב א"שליט
