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The Tiferes Turning Point

Volume 1, Issue 2

Sh'vat, 5762 (February, 2002)

Fixed Bearings, a word from the Director

Catching the Wind, a student profile

Navigating the Currents, lessons for change

High Tide at Tiferes, observations

Fixed Bearings

-a word from the Director, Rabbi Avrohom Lipskier

This month, the month of Shevat, is unique and special as it contains many important days for Chassidim. The foremost of these is Yud Shevat (the 10^th of Shevat), or the Rosh Hashanah of the Rebbe’s leadership. This day in the year 1951 the Rebbe officially assumed the mantle of leadership. One might therefore ask, “ Why not call it an anniversary? What is the connection to Rosh Hashanah?”  The idea of Rosh Hashanah has to do with acceptance of kingship or sovereignty and recommitting ourselves each year to be loyal subjects. As it says, “There is no king without a people,” so too, there is no Rebbe without Chassidim. It follows then, that each year on Yud Shevat we should strengthen our bond to the Rebbe by making good resolutions to follow his directives and taking pains to actualize his mission.

From the very beginning of his leadership the Rebbe has emphasized and made known to us that our generation will merit to be the last one scattered in the Diaspora and the first to be redeemed, thereby ushering in the era of global goodness and perfection, i.e. Geulah (Redemption.) And moreover that G-d has chosen and appointed someone, in this generation, beyond all others to be the judge and advisor, who is the leader of this generation or The Moshiach (Redeemer) ¹. Our main task and focus now is to welcome and accept this leader as our king².

But what does this mean to us in this modern age?  Practically speaking, how does one accept and greet a king?  Admittedly, it takes some humility to say, “You are my king, I am your servant. I will follow your directives gladly and lovingly.”  It takes love and trust  to follow these directives, and “know” that there can only be a positive result. And it means that if all the mitzvos and acts of goodness and kindness we do, are permeated with this love, trust and humility and the feeling that with this act, we are bringing this era closer, then we will actually reveal and be able to greet the King. No longer a spiritual feeling or intention, we will see Moshiach in “real time.”

When the Previous Rebbe commissioned the writing of a Sefer Torah for Moshiach, he was noted as saying that he could do this project on his own. The decision not to, was made because he wanted as many people as possible to have the z’chus (merit) to be partners in this worthy and important project. The same holds true for the Rebbe, whose mission and goal to bring Moshiach could have been accomplished alone, but that he wanted others to have the z’chus of this partnership. We have the ability to be the “hands, feet and mouth of the Rebbe” so to speak, in bringing about this monumental time in history by being “lamplighters” spreading the light of Torah and Mitzvos wherever we can, in whatever way we are able, as the Rebbe has asked.

One of the functions of Moshiach is, as the Rambam says, to compel all of Israel to follow in the ways of Torah and to take every Jew out of golus (exile) as it is written,  “and you, Children of Israel, shall be gathered one by one.” ³  So too, we can be partners in this ingathering by strengthening Torah and bolstering Torah institutions as it says in HaYomYom (23 Teves), “One person might do this through his writing, another with his oratory, another with his wealth.” By helping to expand our yeshiva thereby affording the opportunity for more and more students to attend, we participate in this “gathering one by one” and hasten the day when we will greet our King personally and He will redeem us.

¹Sefer HaSichos 5751, p.792

² Sefer HaSichos 5752, p.111

³Yeshayahu 27:12

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Catching the Wind

A student profile, by Tamir Gotkin

I graduated from the University of Georgia in June of 1998 and jumped into my first “real world” job, which put me right in the middle of corporate America, as a business services professional in downtown Chicago. I soon realized that I was getting no real fulfillment from my newfound career, and that a life dedicated to the pursuit of money and possessions would only provide for my material necessities, and could in no way fill the spiritual void I had begun to feel. I was raised in a nonobservant but “traditional” Jewish home, so it was within my own religion that I chose to seek true happiness. When I soon became acquainted with Chabad, a lot of wind was put in my sails. Eventually, through the help and inspiration of the Chabad House Rabbi,  I made the choice to go to Yeshiva Tiferes Menachem, which I can now say, was the best decision I have ever made. I have learned in the Yeshiva for one and a half years now, and have altered not only the way I live my life, but also the direction of my life, my goals and my future.

In addition to my own learning, I have learned much from the changes I have seen in my fellow students.  Often, the effects of just being in Yeshiva are powerful.  Of course, those who stay and learn more benefit more, but nevertheless, its great to know that the effects of a person’s stay, however long, could last a lifetime, or longer. Progress, therefore, is best measured not with how much one learns from the written text, but how the Chassidishe environment helps one become a better person or in some cases to totally break out of one’s personal limitations.

Let me relate an incident that happened late one night in the summer of last year. It was shortly after a farbrengen (a lively gathering) with the students and the head of the Yeshiva, Rabbi Lipskier. On this occasion, the farbrengen ended after 4am. One of the students, Mordechai, and I stood outside on the front porch discussing the evening, while a third student , Ben, stood apart lost in his own thoughts. Ben was a smart young man who had been at the Yeshiva for only a few weeks. Most of the time Ben was noticeably shy and withdrawn, and liked to keep to himself. However, on this occasion I saw a side to Ben I never saw before.

As the three of us were standing outside at that early hour, a man approached walking toward the nearby beach. He was an older Russian man with a fishing rod in hand ready to do some early morning fishing. As he passed by the Yeshiva I greeted him. When he responded in Yiddish I felt I wanted to do something Jewish for him. So I asked him if he would like to take a moment to put on Tefillin, a mitzvah that is uniquely Jewish. He was familiar with Tefillin and walked over to us ready to put them on. However, I just then realized that sunrise was still 15 minutes away and it was too early to put on Tefillin.  We didn’t know how to tell him this, since we couldn’t speak Yiddish or Russian. Unexpectedly, however, Ben stepped forward. He spoke Russian and explained the situation to the old man. In order not to inconvenience him, he told him that he should continue on to the beach and that we would bring the Tefillin to him at the right time. Although, it was strange for me to see Ben step forward like this, I was glad he did. I saw that this was an opportunity for him to get out of himself. I asked him if he would like to join us on the beach and act as an interpreter. He agreed.

When the time came, the three of us headed down to the beach. Ben had taken the initiative and brought along his own Tefillin. As we got closer, the setting was surreal; we were able to see the ocean as it sparkled out in front of us with the Verrazano Bridge majestically lit up off to the right, as daylight was just beginning to break over the water. It was now sunrise. We reached the beach and saw two men fishing in the low tide. The old man was baiting his fishing rod on the beach, while the other man was standing thigh high in water about 50 feet from the shore casting his rod out into the distance.

As we walked over to the old man he noticed us and smiled. Ben stepped forward and spoke to him in Russian. He took the Tefillin from their bag while the old man took off his jacket. After seeing Ben usually so withdrawn, I was surprised to see him extend his hand to help the old man. With a gentle manner he wrapped the Tefillin around the old man’s arm.  Together they recited the blessing and the prayer Shma Yisroel, which unites every Jew. In that moment, I could see that Ben had stepped out of himself in order to help his fellow Jew. I was deeply affected by this. As I stood there, not being able to contain myself, the tears streamed down my face.

Now the old man concluded his prayer and removed the Tefillin. Ben spoke a few more words with him and excused himself as he returned to the Yeshiva.  It was then that Mordechai and I took interest in the other man that was standing out in the water. We called out to him and found out that he too was Jewish. Perhaps he would, also, put on Tefillin. Unfortunately, he wasn’t ready to come out of the water yet, and we had no way of knowing if we would meet up with him later. What should we do? It was at that moment that I looked over at Mordechai and said to him,   “Do you know what a true soldier would do right now?” He turned to me, smiled and said “Yeah - this,” and started walking right out into the water. He was fully clothed with a suit and hat on but didn’t hesitate. The man started laughing when he saw Mordechai coming up behind him, and probably thought he was crazy. But Mordechai knew what he was doing. And I knew what he was doing. He was helping his fellow Jew.

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Navigating the Currents

- lessons for change, by Rabbi Y.Y. Greenberg

The month of Shvat may best be described as the month of “growth.” On the 15^th day of the month (Tu B’shvat) we celebrate the New Year for Trees, “Rosh Hashanah L’elonos.” This day is the time of the full moon, the pinnacle of the month, and it imparts a great influence on the entire month. Moreover, it is at this time that the soil, the medium for growth, is naturally conducive for newly planted trees to take firm root and bring forth fruit because it has been well saturated with the rains of the previous winter.

Tu B’shvat is a day of joy and celebration. On this day we omit supplications in our prayers and abstain from making eulogies.  We also practice the custom of eating new fruits, particularly from the seven fruits with which the Land of Israel was blessed. Furthermore, our sages have recognized Tu B’shvat as an important day legally on the Jewish calendar. It is considered the beginning, or the New Year for tithing produce. In other words, the tithing for the prior year’s produce is finished. There is no carry over into the next year, which begins at Tu B’shvat.

Now despite the importance of the day in regards to tithing produce, one might wonder why Tu B’shvat is a day for celebration, especially in the Diaspora where these laws are not even observed.

The Torah tells us that “Man is a Tree in the Field.” Now man is obviously far superior to trees.  Not only do we grow, but we also are 1) free to move about unbound by any roots and 2) possess intelligence. Besides, we are the ones who cultivate the land, plow and then plant the trees. So why does the Torah compare us to them? What are the distinctive qualities of trees to which man resembles?

Trees have two unique qualities. First, trees constantly grow and endure through drastic climate changes. Second, trees continuously bear fruit from year to year. These qualities stand in obvious contrast to the nature of animals and humans that physically stop growing and reproducing after a certain age.

Nevertheless, man does possess these qualities. As stated in Avos D’Rabi Noson, man is an “Olam Katan” – a microcosm of the world at large. Which means that whatever qualities exist in the world also exist in man. Hence, those unique qualities inherent in trees are also inherent in man, albeit spiritually. So that man too has it within him to grow constantly and bear fruit continuously. As our Rebbeim teach us, constant growth depends, not just on weeding out our flawed or inadequate traits, but on transforming them into constant forces of positive behavior. Likewise, bearing fruit means that in our spiritual service we don’t keep to ourselves, but do as our Rebbeim tell us – “Be fruitful & multiply” – make another fruit-bearing Jew.

There is a letter from the Rebbe’s father written to the Rebbe dated Tu B’shvat, 5698 – 1938. In it he connects the word “elan” (tree) to the word “shvat”. When each letter of the word elan – aleph, yud, lamed, nun – is spelled out one gets the numerical equivalent of 311. Shvat – shin, beis, and tes – also has the numerical equivalence of 311. This underscores the latent connection between the month of Shvat and trees. It is particularly in this month that we can tap into our latent “tree” powers as mentioned above. No wonder we celebrate the New Year for Trees in this month.

In the sefer Mogaleh Amukos in his commentary on parshas Shmos, it is written that the 12 months of the year correspond to the 12 shvatim – tribes. This correlation is most obvious with the month of Shvat as its very name denotes shevet – tribe. Furthermore, Yosef who is the 11^th tribe corresponds to Shvat, which is the 11^th month counting from the month of Nissan. Yosef signifies constant addition & increase. This was apparent through Yosef’s perseverance in Egypt, where he overcame many difficulties & struggles, while remaining steadfast & loyal to his father and his heritage. As a result, Yosef rose to great heights, even beyond recognition, as it says, “his brothers did not recognize him”. Ultimately, he transformed Egypt to a place where Torah could be learned and paved the way for his father, Yaakov, to have the best years of his life. This is what Yosef meant when he said, “Hashem has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction” (Bereishis 41). Yosef possessed par excellence the “tree quality” of constant growth & bearing fruits.

The Rebbe points out that this is true concerning the leader of our generation, the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, whose name is Yosef and day of passing was in the month of Shvat. He was the first Lubavitcher Rebbe to come to America, which is called the “other hemisphere” from where the Torah was given to the Jewish People. He pioneered not only bringing Torah & Chassidus to America, but ultimately transformed it into a place where Judaism would flourish. He was also the first to translate chassidus into other languages, thus adding new levels to the dissemination of the wellsprings of Torah. It is interesting that on the first day of the month of Shvat, Moshe Rabbeinu began translating the Torah into the seventy languages of the world.

On a final note, our generation is the seventh generation of the Chabad Lubavitch Dynasty. It began with the ascent of the Rebbe to leadership on the 11^th day of Shvat, 5711 on the Jewish calendar. The Rebbe teaches us not to look back and feel satisfied about what has been accomplished, nor to just continue to accomplish. But to steadily increase in our efforts, especially to bring Moshiach. The month of Shvat is specifically connected to Moshiach as alluded to in various places. “The scepter (shevet) shall not depart from Yehudah” (Bereishis 49). “A scepter bearer shall rise from Yisroel” (Bamidbar 24). May it be in this month of Shvat – 5762 – that we merit the full revelation of Moshiach with the Rebbe leading us out of Golus, now!

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High Tide at Tiferes

by Mr. Mark Ellis

My good friend Nochum Pershin and I recently visited Tiferes Menachem for a Shabbos and from the moment we arrived Friday afternoon until Rabbi Lipskier’s Sunday morning class, I felt as if I was in Yeshiva fantasy camp. Imagine striking out Babe Ruth to win the World Series or catching a Super Bowl winning touchdown pass from Bart Starr. These emotions could not hold even the slightest comparison to the intellectual excitement and spiritual fervor that I experienced in the midst of such a place. All of my senses were full of the light and fire of Torah, as my Jewish soul fed on the nourishment of sacred Jewish texts.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe’s luminescence and strength permeated every facet of the Yeshiva. The welcome I received from the family of Tiferes Menachem was more than I could have hoped for. Meeting and speaking to the students, davening & eating together, all permitted me to see the wonderful things the Yeshiva is doing to bring G-d’s holiness into the world everyday. All of this in the merit and by virtue of the Rebbe. To put it very simply, the Yeshiva is a door. Through this door, this very blessed and invaluable door, will pass many Jewish souls searching for the path to a meaningful life based on Torah & mitzvos. Some souls will pass through easily, while others more reluctantly. Regardless of how this happens, all those who are touched by Yeshiva Tiferes Menachem will be integral in doing what is necessary to bring Moshiach. Nochum and I wish to express our deepest gratitude to everyone we met and made us feel so very welcome and extremely humbled in his company. We hope to visit again soon.

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