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The Tiferes Turning Point

Volume 1, Issue 3

Nissan, 5762 (April, 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

We are coming from the festival of Purim where the Jews are called throughout the Megillah “Yehudim”, those who deny idols and acknowledge the truth of Torah. Where did the Jews get that strength, says the Megillah: “Ish Yehudi hoyo”. The Rebbe M”HM explains¹ that Mordechai was the “Ish”, the man in charge of “Yehudi” and as the leader he fed the Jewish people with the faith and strength of Yehudi through being ready with mesirus nefesh for Yiddishkeit and ultimately being redeemed.

So too with the month of Nissan. The Mishna says, “that you remember the day you went out from Egypt all the days of your life”. On the day Reb Elozor ben Azarya became the Nasi he said, “this comes to teach us that the mitzvah is not only by day, but also by night. The Chachomim added that this comes to include the days of Moshiach². This means that a Jew has the power to bring about yetzias Mitzrayim, which is redemption not only by day when there is G-dliness revealed and not only at night when things are dark and concealed, but also, lehavi l’yemos haMoshiach, to bring redemption into all of one’s matters in exile until he brings about the complete and true redemption through Moshiach.

It is the leader of the generation who gives the power to the whole generation to bring about the ultimate redemption, which would have taken place by the going out of Egypt if the Jews had merited.

So too the Rambam was the one that brought about redemption for his times with writing the Mishna Torah³. The Mishna Torah made the whole Torah sh’bal peh available to every Jew alike, including the definitive halachos concerning Moshiach and the Geulah in the last 2 chapters. Moreover, even the Rambam’s birth brought redemption and saved the Jews from a blood libel that was about to take place against them.

In our generation we have merited to have the final leader of the generation who is the moshiach that will bring about the complete and final Redemption now mamash. Starting with his birth he brought about redemption from the evil decrees that were hanging over the Jews at that time. As the Rebbe Rashab writes that the evil decrees of that time and before Pesach of the year 5662 were nullified with the birth of the Rebbe. On that Pesach the Rebbe Rashab noted on the words of the Hagada “and afterwards they will go out with great wealth”, that “the wealth is the revelation of Gadol Havaya,” the greatness of Hashem.

The Rebbe gives every single Jew of the generation the faith and power to bring redemption to every aspect of his life and ultimately to the whole world. He enables each one to break through the boundaries and limitations of golus and transform it into a dwelling place for Hashem, where G-dliness can be seen and felt.

Especially now when we celebrate the Rebbe’s one-hundredth birthday, which represents the complete purification of the world⁴, we have the capability to rise above the world and experience the final Redemption. As the Rebbe said, “all we have to do is open our eyes and see that the Redemption is here and that everything is one with Hashem.

Upon entering the hundred and first  year may Hashem help everyone of us to go out of our bounds by increasing in all aspects of Torah and mitzvos beyond our limits and mainly to prepare ourselves and those around us to accept and greet the Rebbe King Moshiach.

¹ Sicha of Purim 5731

² lehavi l’yemos HaMoshiach

³ Sefer HaSichos Shmos 5752

⁴ Pirkei Avos chapter 5

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Catching the Wind

A student profile, by Aharon Yosef Skoglund

It is hard to believe that it has only been a few years since I started seriously learning about Judaism and Chassidus.  As a teenager I studied and searched through a variety of Eastern, New Age, and salad bowl ‘spirituality’.  At 16 years old I visited Israel as part of a Reform Jewish Youth Tour.  While I was there, I went on a hike in the desert guided by a man named Yisroel Hevroni, a religious Jew from Yishuv Bat Ayin. Without any of the normal distractions of life, Reb Hevroni helped me to begin to know G-d, the G-d of Israel.  From that point on I began to appreciate myself for who I truly am, a Jew.  Still, it would be years before I was brought close to the Rebbe and the light of Chassidus.

I first came in touch with Chabad as a student at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.  I can still remember the warmth of the first Shabbos Night Dinner at the campus Chabad House.  Although I stuck out like a sore thumb, with street clothes, dreadlocks, and my Hip-Hop, Hippie demeanor, I felt at home with the wonderful family and the energy of Shabbos. For the first time in almost two years I broke my strictly vegan diet, thinking to myself, “I’ll eat the challah, just because its Shabbos.”  Little did I know, Shabbos had just got a hold of me.  Later during Sukkos, Rabbi Adelman literally got a hold of me in the streets of Amherst, where he taught me to shake the Lulav.  He also brought me closer with his one and only ‘5 levels of the soul’ handshake.  That was something I had to find out more about.

After a year of difficult soul searching while becoming more involved with Judaism, I had the opportunity to attend the Ivy League Torah Study Program in the Catskills.  I delved into the program with a real passion to learn about Torah and Judaism. By the end of the summer I was finally convinced that, Torah is Emes.  From that summer on, I yearned to go back to Yeshiva. However, I decided to stick it out and finish my last two years of College first, although I do not recommend this for everyone.  During that time I lived at the Chabad House and had the merit of being a part of the Rebbe’s shlichus. The daily self-sacrifice I witnessed on the part of the Rebbe’s Shluchim taught me more about myself and the truth of Torah than anything else.  Thank G-d, a little bit of it has started to rub off on me.

Now, finally, I am learning in Yeshiva!!!  How I ended up at Tiferes Menachem is actually a very special story for me.  Three summers ago, after my stay in the Catskills, I came to Crown Heights for a Shabbos in Elul.  Though I knew it would be some time before I went to Yeshiva, I was keeping my eye out for the right place.  Sunday morning, before leaving town, I was davening in 770.  Somewhere deep into my prayers I noticed the presence of an older man with a long white beard davening next to me.  Although something drew me towards him, I looked back into my siddur and tried to concentrate on the prayers.  Several minutes later as I went to put my siddur down on the bench in front of me, I noticed a brochure for a Yeshiva I had never heard of.  I looked at the man next to me and he looked at me. He smiled for a moment and then blew the shofar. Then he left.  After I finished davening, I took a moment to glance at the brochure.  Immediately I recognized the picture of the man I had just met. It was Rabbi Avrohom Lipskier, the Director of Yeshiva Tiferes Menachem.

Although I recognized the Divine Providence in meeting Rabbi Lipskier at that time, it was my visit to the Yeshiva that winter that convinced me to attend.  I was especially impressed with the honesty and passion of the teachers.  Since I arrived last summer, I have not been disappointed. I have been inspired to continue learning for as long as possible.

Perhaps even more important are our community outreach activities, which have helped me come closer to the real essence of Chassidus, which is, namely, to have true concern for a fellow Jew, even if it requires a sacrifice on my part.  Even more so is the sense of joy and goodness of heart in doing a kindness for someone else. Community outreach when done in connection with the Rebbe’s directives can have a powerful effect not only on those being reached, but also on those doing the reaching.

Last December, I traveled with three other students to a Chabad House at a Long Island college.  Armed with some lively Chabad songs and the penetrating light of Chassidus, we helped the Rabbi create a Chassidishe experience that had an extra special effect on the students. Not only for the campus students, but for us, too it was extra special. By stepping out of the yeshiva to help a fellow Jew, I realized the enormous effect that learning in Yeshiva has had on me. I have learned how much we each truly have in common. By this I don’t mean our ancestral roots or the land of Israel, although these are important. What I mean is the G-dly soul that we each have. The spark of goodness that is inside each of us and wants to unite with every other spark and to G-d. By learning who I am, on the inside, and understanding the nature of my inherent G-dliness, I could truly relate to my fellow Jews in an amazing way. Before we left, the students themselves begged us to come back again.  We recently did just that, and Boruch Hashem, it was even more successful than before.  With Hashem’s help we will see some new faces from Long Island in the Yeshiva soon.  In the meantime, new faces are arriving all the time.  But whether old or new, we would love to see you too, so please don’t be a stranger.

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Navigating the Currents

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

The month of Nissan is most noted for the festival of Pesach. On Pesach we celebrate ”z’man cheiruseinu” - the time of our freedom. The Torah places a great emphasis on freedom, as does our society, so it would be worthwhile to take a closer look at the true meaning, i.e. the Torah perspective, of freedom.

Most people would say that freedom is the ability to do whatever one wants, or “the pursuit of happiness.” However, in this light how do we understand the Exodus from Egypt?  That first Pesach in Egypt looked like anything but freedom. In fact, Moshe had loaded the people with numerous commandments in order to ready them for the Exodus, including the difficult mitzvah of taking and guarding the Pesach lamb 4 days in advance. What's more, the preparations all took place while the woman were bearing children 6 at a time!

In addition, Hashem had told Moshe and Aharon to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go and serve me,” implying an alternative servitude, an exchange of one master for another. In fact, many of the people thought they were better off in Egypt. They thought the slavery of Egypt would be more “comfortable” for them. For this reason 80% of them didn’t want to leave and died during the plague of darkness as our sages relate. Not only that, but also many of those that did leave later wanted to return.

Finally, consider the way we celebrate “the time of our freedom” today. There are numerous rules & regulations for the removal of leavened bread and other preparations for the holiday. If freedom means free to do what we want, then how ironic that we celebrate Pesach in such a fashion!

Perhaps the answer lies in the Torah’s comparing the Exodus to the birth of a child.

Before a baby is born, while in the womb, he can be said to be in an ideal state. All his needs are met. Physically he is fed and protected from all the elements.  And spiritually he is taught the entire Torah.  Then he is born. He is delivered into the world with cries, his lifeline is cut and he is made to forget all the Torah he learned not that long ago. Yet the day is celebrated with much joy. Why?

It is true that when the child is in the womb he is living, but he is not truly alive. He is for all intents and purposes an extension of his mother’s life. In other words what life he has is not fully his. Until he emerges from the womb and the cord is cut he cannot be said to be truly alive with his own “aliveness”. Rather it is at the time of birth that his life truly begins. It is now that he begins to independently assert himself, growing and maturing. He first breathes on his own, then eats, and so on. Eventually, he learns to act more and more on his own until he becomes entirely responsible for himself. He is then able to attain true freedom and independence and actualize his full potential.

Furthermore, we must say that since freedom means to grow and mature and actualize one’s potential, then implicit in this is the imperative to know who you are. To become what you are capable of being. Obviously, one would not find fulfillment in living the life of some kind of plant or animal. One has much more potential than that (hopefully!). On the contrary, any kind of life that does not allow one to express his potential is an absolute prison. This is even true for a human being where the standard of freedom can change from day to day. What was freedom for him yesterday may not be deemed freedom for him today. If yesterday he attained a certain level of character or disposition and today he can attain a higher level (actualize more of his potential), then he must strive for the higher level, or otherwise become a slave to the restraints of his character. What greater enslavement can there be then to be enslaved from within?

We see, therefore, that attaining a state of freedom can only be measured in relation to one’s true self. In the case of a Jew this means to live in accord with the demands of his neshama (G-dly soul), which is above the natural order of the world. Furthermore, one must know that his neshama wants to learn G-d’s Torah and fulfill G-d’s mitzvos. This is the sole purpose and objective of every Jewish life. On the other hand, for a Jew not to learn Torah and perform mitzvos is akin to a human being living the life of a plant or animal, G-d forbid.

Now we can see more clearly the connection between the month of Nissan and Pesach – z’man cheiruseinu. Nissan means miracles.  Miracles stand out in contrast to nature. The word for nature, teva, comes from the same root as matbea or coin. Hashem coined every created being with a nature (trees are like this, birds are like that, etc.). A nes or miracle means to break out of that “stamp”. Nes also means banner – something that rises above. A Jew is not meant to be stationary, he is meant to rise above what is natural. The month of Nissan, and specifically Pesach, give us the power to do this.

In addition, this year the 11^th of Nissan marks the 100^th birthday of the Rebbe MH”M. Pirkei Avos says that at 100 a person is not considered any longer of this world. It would seem to imply that the person has become senile or incompetent, G-d forbid. Chassidus explains that on the contrary, after one has spent a whole life working on oneself, he goes above and beyond nature. The world, which conceals G-dliness, no longer bothers him nor has any effect on him. He is free to be who he truly is – a Jew.

So since the Rebbe (Rosh B’nei Yisroel) is the head of us all, his birthday with all the powers and potential that it implies, is also ours. And moreover the added impact of it being the 100^th year is also ours. The fact that the 11^th of Nissan was among the days that the B’nei Yisroel took the Pesach lamb for the beginning of the four day period before Pesach; and the extreme self-sacrifice they demonstrated in doing this, only adds emphasis to the incredible potential we have at this time of year and particularly this year. We are truly above any restraints of nature.

As a last note, when a bochur (student) first comes to yeshiva, he often calls this day his “birthday”. This is likened to the true freedom that the Jews had when they left Egypt to serve G-d. No longer is he enslaved to the desires of his body and the concealment of G-dliness that is natural to the world. The bochur realizes that to serve a higher goal is true freedom. He is in the realm of “above nature” and miracles. By serving G-d he is able to reach the highest heights and come to know ultimate freedom. May we all experience true freedom NOW with the complete and final Redemption!

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High Tide at Tiferes

by Mr. Leighton Cohen, Esq. 

That special weekend three weeks ago that my son and I spent in Crown Heights and in Sea Gate at Yeshiva Tiferes Menachem was one weekend we will never forget. I can say without hesitation that the wonderful people who I met and the places that my son and I visited during those few days resulted in a life altering experience. 

Since that weekend I am closer to G-d and to my Jewish faith. New friends have brought their spirituality, wisdom, intellect, joy, and humor into my world, enriching it beyond measure. I have been introduced to new ideas that challenge and evoke my curiosity and ignite a desire to investigate and process more information about the meaning of many things, material and spiritual. I want to know more about this special man called the Rebbe. I want to know more about my role in the world as a Jew. Although, in a way, this makes me feel inept and lost, it is not in a bad way. I am secure in knowing that I have my friends, my family and my faith. G-d is with me and within me.

Mostly, though, my experience at Tiferes Menachem has left me exhilarated in the knowledge that there are miracles waiting to be revealed and secrets to be unraveled. I must first find the courage to let G-d know that I am prepared for meaningful discussion. With G-d’s help, the courage is within reach. There is a doorway that leads to the truth and the key is in my possession. Now the door must be opened.

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