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1 CROWN HEIGHTS NEWSpapER ~February 13 2009 

הכרבה תא ’ה הוצ ןאכ 

February 13, 2009 | Shevat 19, 5769 weekly vOl. II | NO 16 ד”סב | ט”סשת , טבש 'טי | ורתי תשרפ 

A WARM WELCOME 

To Our Guests 

at the 

International 

kinus haShluchos 

COMMEMORATING THE 21ST YARTZEIT OF OUR ESTEEMED REBBETZIN 

HACHOSSID REB 

AHARON HACOHEN 

KLEIN PAgES 4 - 5 

TWO DECADES LATER, 

DETAILS EMERGE 

ABOUT THE REBBETZIN 

Page 11 

THE BUTTONS SAGA: 

THE UNVEILING 

Page 10 

Beis Din of Crown Heights 

390A Kingston Avenue, Brooklyn, NY Tel- 718~604~8000 Fax: 718~771~6000 

Rabbi A. Osdoba: ❖ Monday to Thursday 10:30AM - 11:30AM at 390A Kingston Ave. ☎Tel. 718-604-8000 ext.37 or 718-604-0770 

Sunday-Thursday 9:30 PM-11:00PM ~Friday 2:30PM-4:30 PM ☎Tel. (718) - 771-8737 

Rabbi Y. Heller is available daily 10:30 to 11:30am ~ 2:00pm to 3:00pm at 788 Eastern Parkway # 210 718~604~8827 ❖ & after 8:00pm 718~756~4632 

Rabbi Y. Schwei, 4:00pm to 9:00pm ❖ 718~604~8000 ext 36 

Rabbi Y. Raitport is available by appointment. ☎ 718~604~8000 ext 39 

Rabbi Y. Zirkind: ☎ 718~604~8000 ext 39 

Erev Shabbos Motzoei Shabbos 

Rabbi S. Segal: ☎ 718~604~8000 ext 39 ❖ Sun ~Thu 5:30pm -9:00pm or ☎718 -360-7110 

Rabbi Bluming is available Sunday - Thursday, 3 -4:00pm at 472 Malebone St. ☎ 718 - 778-1679 

5:11 

6:11 

Rabbi Y. Osdoba ☎718~604~8000 ext 38 ❖ Sun~Thu: 10:0am -11:30am ~ Fri 10:am - 1:00 pm or 

☎ 718 -604-0770 

Gut Shabbos 

Rabbi S. Chirik: ☎ 718~604~8000 ext 38 ❖ Sun~Thu: 5:00pm to 9:00pm


The Vaad Hakohol 

REBBE'S STORY 

Iranian Rescue in 1979 

Published and copyright © by Sichos 

in English 

we had to define what is a story 

about the rebbe and what is a story 

about one of his chassidim. Often 

the rebbe gives a single directive 

or a blessing, and everything else 

in the narrative was accomplished 

by a chossid. 

why then do we consider this a 

story about the rebbe? - because the 

chossid will tell you that he would 

not have been able to achieve what 

he accomplished on his own power; 

he relied the rebbe’s influence. 

The nature of this dynamic of 

empowerment requires explanation. 

Often we see one or two lubavitch 

shluchim begin activities in a city 

and, despite limited human and 

financial resources, within a short 

time, they bring about a heightening 

of Jewish consciousness. If you ask 

the young emissary how he was able 

to accomplish what he did, he will 

tell you in homely yiddish, “Mit dem 

rebbe’s kochos” (“with the rebbe’s 

power”). 

what does he mean? when we look 

up to someone with well-earned 

respect and feel that he genuinely 

knows us and believes in us, it is 

natural to want to live up to his 

expectations. with a pride that goes 

much deeper than self, we apply 

ourselves to the tasks before us with 

the intent of giving shape and form 

to the ideal we share. and we achieve 

far more than we ever might have 

dreamed of. 

There is a yiddish adage which says, 

“when G-d wants, even a broom 

can shoot.” when a person thinks 

of himself as no more than a broom, 

and while not shirking responsibility, 

does not rely on his own unaided 

power, he opens himself up to a 

greater force. he becomes aware that 

392 kingston avenue 

brooklyn, Ny 11225 

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Published & edited weekly by the vaad hakohol 

of Crown heights. 

Moshe rubashkin, rosh hakohol 

Dr. tzvi (harvey) lang, Chairman 

rabbi Plotkin, Secretary 

layout: Simplyunique (basmelech@gmail.com) 

all material in this paper has been copyrighted. It 

is the exclusive property of this newspaper, unless 

otherwise attributed., and cannot be reproduced 

without the consent of the publisher. 

Composition responsibility: This newspaper will not 

be liable for errors appearing in advertising, beyond 

the cost of the space occupied by the error. advertiser 

assumes responsibility for errors in telephone orders. 

all advertisement designed and prepared by the Ch 

Community Newspaper are the property of the 

newspaper and cannot be reproduced without the 

consent of the publisher 

“When one tells a story about his Rebbe he connects to the deeds of the Rebbe” 

(Sichos 1941 pg. 68) 

something much larger than himself 

is working through him. and this 

is what the shluchim mean when 

they attribute their success to the 

rebbe. 

This dynamic of empowerment is 

not restricted to any exclusive group. 

On several occasions the rebbe has 

explained that everyone is a shliach 

- in his home, in his workplace, and 

in his environment - to use whatever 

potentials he has to spread the 

awareness and the observance of 

Jewish values. 

“I could never have undertaken such 

a responsibility myself,” related 

rabbi J. J. hecht. “as soon as I 

received the information I notified 

the rebbe.” 

what did rabbi hecht mean? a few 

days before Pesach 1987, his son, 

rabbi Sholom ber hecht of Forest 

hills, New york, consulted him 

about a message that a congregant 

had received from his nephew. 

The nephew and three hundred 

other Jews had fled from Iran and 

were temporarily staying in karachi, 

Pakistan, where there was no Jewish 

community. Caught between Iran 

and afghanistan, and involved with 

their own religious disputes with 

India, the Pakistanis showed no 

tolerance of other faiths. The man 

had asked his uncle to send Passover 

provisions to the refugees, or at least 

matzos for the Seder night. 

rabbi hecht had deep ties with the 

Iranian community. Thousands 

of Iranian teenagers had left the 

country on student visas under his 

guidance shortly after the khomeini 

revolution. he had made many 

previous commitments in time, 

money, and soul. but in this instance, 

something more was involved; any 

person spreading Jewish observance 

in Pakistan was risking his life. 

The rebbe instructed rabbi hecht 

to find somebody who was familiar 

with Iranian customs and who 

would agree to travel to Pakistan. 

The rebbe added 

that he would 

sponsor the trip, 

p u rc h a s e t he 

entire amount of 

matzos needed, 

and offer a 

blessing to the 

shaliach. 

The last particular 

was more 

important to 

rabbi hecht than 

the financial help. 

It meant that the 

shaliach would 

be safe. 

S o o n r a b b i 

hecht found a 

yeshivah student, 

Zalman Gerber, 

who was willing 

to undertake the 

journey. Senator 

al D’amato of 

New york helped 

him bring the matter to the immediate 

attention of high-ranking 

officials in the Pakistani Consulate. 

however, those officials refused 

to issue a student visa, clarifying 

that only those with clear business 

reasons for journeying to Pakistan 

could obtain a visa. 

This requirement did not dissuade 

rabbi hecht. his associates in the 

Persian community helped him 

find a rug dealer, who supplied a 

letter explaining that Mr. Gerber 

was journeying to karachi for two 

weeks in order to purchase Oriental 

carpets. The letter worked, and the 

Pakistanis issued the visa, emphasizing, 

however, that they could take 

no responsibility for the traveler’s 

safety. 

arriving in karachi, Zalman 

encountered a series of hazards and 

providential means of overcoming 

them. The packages of matzah which 

he brought were checked carefully 

by a customs official, who could not 

understand what a rug dealer was 

doing with so many of these strange 

crackers. 

Checking in at the hotel where he 

had made reservations, he discovered 

to his dismay that his room was 

on the eighth floor. Fearful that the 

hotel staff might grow suspicious 

after possibly seeing him walk up 

and down eight flights of stairs on 

the holiday, he asked to be given a 

room on a lower floor. Fortunately, 

this request was allowed, and he 

moved to an unoccupied secondfloor 

room. 

In order to avoid the watchful eyes of 

Moslem extremists while contacting 

refugees, the Jews had taken shelter 

in a deteriorating neighborhood 

on the outskirts of the city. after 

they had been located, it was no 

small feat to transport the boxes of 

matzah without attracting additional 

attention. Nevertheless, just before 

commemorating our people’s exodus 

from egypt, Zalman was able to 

bring Pesach supplies to this community 

in the midst of their own 

journey to freedom. 

I read in your previous issue that it would 

be your final paper. 

I am sorry to see this paper cease publication, 

it is my favorite read on Shabbos. 

I hope you find a way to continue to put 

out the paper . 

Thank you for the interesting articles : 

the Hero column, the History notes, the 

shidduchim column, the interesting Tznius 

articles and lately the ,"ask the Rabbi" 

excerpts. 

I hope I do not have to say Good Bye. 

A Crown Heights resident

The Rebbe's Sicha Parshas Yitro 

A thought for the Week 

Adapted from Shmais.com 

Engagements 

Uri Feldman (Crown Heights) to 

Chani Adler (Baltimore, MD) 

Shmulik Friedman (Mill Basin, NY) 

to Tzippy Levy (Long Beach, CA) 

E li Grosberg (Melbourne, AU) 

Yossi K apri (Belo Horozonte, Brazil) 

to Devorah L eah Battat (S. Paulo, 

Brazil) 

Avraham K roll (Baltimore, MD) to 

Bayla Altman (Lakewood, NJ) 

E lisha Nir (K iryat Malachi) to 

Zehava Jacobs K( far Chabad) 

Mazal Tov! 

Yitzy Schreiber (Crown Heights) - Crown Heights 

to Chomy Grossbaum (Melbourne, 

Yitzy & Etty Bogomilsky 

Australia) 

- Crown Heights 

Pinchos Vorst (A msterda m, 

H olland) to Dinie Braude (L os 

Angeles, CA) 

Weddings 

Aryeh Osher Bassman (Miami, 

FL) to Shira Malkah Duboff 

(Miami, FL) 

Nissan Nemenow (Brunoy, 

France) to Chaya Mushka 

Moishe Orimland (Tzfas, Israel) 

Nemenow (Brunoy, France) 

to Saraleh Naparstek (Crown 

Heights) 

Dovid New (Melbourne, AU) 

to Binie Abramowitz (C H) 

Dovid Russ (Montreal, Canada) to 

Chavie Greenberg (Morristown, Births – Boys 

NJ) 

Mendy & Chaya Sara Blachman 

Levy & Batsheva Browd 


Yossi & Mina Eisenbach 

to Masha Sinfield (Montreal, Menachem Mendel Yarmush 

- Litchfield, CT 

Canada) 

(Montreal, Canada) to Esther Chana 

R appoport (Zurich, Switzerland) Berel & Chanie Goldman 

Schneur H ayes (Ottawa, Ontario) to 

– Gainesville, FL 

Chana R imler (Melbourne / NY) Shmulie Zaklikofsky (Oak Park, 

MI) to Chanie Gammal (Montreal, Chanoch & Shainy Peysin 

Canada) 


Yitzchok Dovid & Elisheva Smith 

- Passaic, NJ 

Aryeh & Rosie Weinstein 

- Newtown, PA 

Levi & Rochel Leah Weitman 

– S. Paulo, Brazil 

Daniel & Yedida Wolfe 


Births – Girls 

Avi & Sarah R ivkah Bendetsky 

- Melbourne, Australia 

February 13, 2009 ~ CR OWN HEIGHTS NEWS PAP ER 3 

through the one Torah. 

Jewish people. How is family unity 

achieved? In the same way as at 

Reprinted from A thought For the nation on earth” (the Jewish people) 

Mattan Torah: When all members 

Week 

fulfilling the 613 Mitzvos of the one 

of the family accept the one Torah 

Torah. 

By R abbi YM K agan 

. . . A N D A NO T H E R from the One G-d in such a way that 

How can such unity be achieved? 

the Torah and Mitzvos are the only 

TORAH UNITY 

UNITY — THE FAMILY: 

After all, G-d himself created man - 

essential thing, and all other things 

The Jewish people began with one 

A Thought for the Week 

kind as diverse individuals, differing 

are merely secondary, and have a 

family, that of our father Avraham, 

in their opinions and living in a world 

significance only insofar as they are 

By R abbi YM K agan 

and ever since then the Jewish 

which He also created variegated in 

related to the essence — then there 

family has been the foundation of 

Torah from Sinai begins with the its climate and physical features? 

is true unity in the family. 

our people. In the family, too, each 

Ten Commandments. The first How can a whole nation attain true 

member is a separate individual, with RE FERE NC ES: Adapted from a 

two, I am G-d, your G-dm (the unity within itself and bring unity 

a particular function and purpose letter dated Lag B’Omer 5731 

root and foundation of all positive into such a diversified world? 

in life assigned to him and her by 

Mitzvos) and You shall have no 

Exodus 20:2 

The explanation is to be found in the G-d. Unless there is unity in the 

other gods (2) (foundation of all 

verse, “And they stood themselves family, there can be no unity of the Ibid, 3 ~ Ibid. 19:2 ~ 

prohibitions) proclaim the Unity 

under the Mountain” — all of the 

of G-d. A precondi tion to the giv - 

600,000 adult Jews, with their wives, 

ing of the Torah (Mattan Torah) 

sons and daughters. Receiving the 

was the internal unity of the Jewish 

Torah was such an overwhelming 

people, as the Torah states “ . . . and 

experience, they accepted it so 

Israel encamped there facing the 

completely, that all other concerns 

mountain.”(3) The verb “encamped” 

ceased to matter to them; their 

is written in the Torah in singular 

enthusiasm and joy of receiving the 

form as if referring to one person — 

Torah left room for nothing else. The 

“Israel.” This indicates, R ashi notes 

“Mountain” was the same for all; 

that they encamped “as one man 

all sensed the Torah and its Giver; 

with one heart.” 

all were permeated with the same 

At Sinai three “ones” interlocked. feeling of joy, and this brought true 

The essence of Mattan Torah is to unity into all the 600,000 individual 

realize in the material world the Jews with their families, as well as 

Unity of G-d, through the “one bringing unity of G-d into the world 

Avremel & R ivky Chazanow 


Sholom Ber & Chanie Cohen 

- Stony Brook, NY 

Eli & Zeldi Fradkin - S. Diego, CA 

Nochum & Chanie 

K atsenelenbogen 

- Owings Mills, MD 

Moshe & Esther Laber 

- Chicago, IL 

Levi & Chaiky Nagel - 

LosAngeles, CA 

Bar Mitzvah 

Yossi Gopin – Melbourne, AU 

Pinchos Eliyohu (Pinny) Spiero 

– H aarlem, Netherlands 

Upshernish 

Menachem Mendel Golomb 

- Sheffield, UK


Our Heroes 

Hachossid Reb Aharon Hakohen Klein 

1916- 9th of Shvat 1958 

by rabbi Michoel Seligson 

hachossid reb aharon klein was 

born in 1916 to rabbi yitzchok 

hakohen and Mrs. Perel klein, 

may hashem avenge their blood, on 

the 18th of Sivan in vienna. both 

rabbi and Mrs. klein were from 

distinguished families who traced 

their origins to the illustrious torah 

giants, the Chacham tzvi and the 

Megale amukos among others. reb 

yitzchok was a communal figure 

and known in vienna for his acts of 

kindness and generosity. 

aharon and his seven brothers spent 

their childhood in a home permeated 

with torah and tzedoko. when 

the winds of wwII began to blow, 

aharon moved to england with the 

intention of eventually settling in the 

united States. This is how he came 

to be spared the bitter end that befell 

his family in vienna. 

arrested by the British army 

when england joined the war 

against the Nazis, the british army 

rounded up all German and German 

speaking residents of england, 

in order to make it more difficult 

for the Germans to place spies in 

england. The english did not differentiate 

between the righteous 

and the wicked so many German 

speaking Jews were arrested as well. 

The detainees were sent to a camp 

under british auspices in Canada. 

reb aharon, a German speaking 

Jew, was also arrested. 

There were no religious articles for 

the Jews in the camp. reb aharon, 

not a lubavitch chossid at the time, 

immediately wrote to the Previous 

rebbe in New york about the conditions 

in the camp. In his letter reb 

aharon expressed pain about the 

situation of the Jews and asked for 

help. The Previous rebbe responded 

by dispatching religious articles. 

he also wrote a letter to the famous 

chossid reb Shmuel levitin, then on 

a mission in Montreal, to interest and 

involve himself in the plight of the 

Jews in the camp and to assist them 

in any way possible. 

after a few months, in Nissan 1942, 

the Jews were freed and reb aharon 

began learning in yeshiva tomchei 

tmimim in Montreal. Many of his 

fellow Jews did the same and with 

their entry into the yeshiva, the Previous 

rebbe wrote to them, blessing 

them with a double Mazal tov, for 

their release and for their enrollment 

in tomchei tmimim. reb aharon 

was mentioned in one of the Previous 

rebbe’s letters in regards to his 

activities at this time. 

after a few years of studying in the 

yeshiva, reb aharon married Miss 

Zisel, the daughter of hachossid 

reb tzvi hirsh Spielman, a chossid 

who was close to the Munkatcher 

rebbe, the Minchas elozor, and 

one of the distinguished chassidim 

in Munkatch in the generation prior 

to wwII. after the wedding, the 

couple remained in Montreal for a 

few years and then settled in Crown 

heights. 

The Golden Menorah 

This is when a period began in the 

life of this young family, rich in 

a growing relationship with bais 

horav. The kleins were one of the 

few chassidishe families in Crown 

heights. a unique bond between 

reb aharon and the rebbe was 

established. 

reb aharon was blessed with sincerity 

and simplicity, and being close to 

the rebbe, decided to give the rebbe 

a special gift. During one of his trips 

he saw a menorah made of pure gold. 

It was glistening and was magnificent 

and a beautiful religious article. reb 

aharon took a photograph of the 

menorah and went to a goldsmith 

and commissioned a custom made 

menorah based on the original. The 

goldsmith told reb aharon that he 

had four weeks to complete payment 

otherwise the menorah would be 

disassembled and he would lose his 

deposit of $10,000. 

reb aharon requested a grace 

period of six months to pay in full. 

The goldsmith refused and reb 

aharon told him with his typical 

firmness, “you are playing with fire! 

This menorah is for the lubavitcher 

rebbe!” The goldsmith held firm and 

did not want to agree to the deal. a 

day later, an event took place which 

forced the goldsmith to leave his 

position and reb aharon was able 

to come to an agreement with the 

company. 

The menorah was 

composed of 115 

gold pieces and 

was 24 inches 

high. reb aharon 

instructed 

that the following 

verse should be 

engraved on the 

menorah, “Orachti 

Ner l’mshichi-yud 

alef Nissan 5736, 

Nesie yisroel”, I 

prepared a candle 

for my anointed, 

the 11th of Nissan 

1976, the leader of 

Jews. 

On Friday afternoon, 

prior to 

Shabbos Nachamu 

1976, reb 

aharon delivered 

the menorah to 

the rebbe’s house. 

he was greeted 

by the rebbetzin, they exchanged 

greetings, and then reb aharon 

showed her the menorah. 

after he removed the wrapping and 

the menorah was fully displayed, 

the rebbetzin couldn’t hide her 

excitement at its unique beauty. 

She asked him “In how much debt 

are you as a result of this gift?”reb 

aharon responded, “when one 

purchases a gift for the rebbe, they 

are particular that the silver should 

be clean and pure, and not blemished 

with debt.” 

when the rebbetzin asked how 

much the menorah cost, reb aharon 

refused to answer. It was later 

revealed that the gold used for 

the menorah was worth twentythousand 

dollars. The rebbetzin 

asked if reb aharon also had such 

a menorah. he responded that many 

years earlier, he bought a menorah 

on the lower east Side in Manhattan 

for six dollar and that was sufficient 

for him but a king needs a golden 

menorah. The rebbetzin ordered a 

special table on which to place the 

menorah. In addition, reb aharon 

also gave the rebbe a pure gold cup 

for kiddush 

“Yes, I know” 

The connection and relationship 

between reb aharon and bais 

horav, the rebbe and his family, 

resulted in a relationship between 

the klein family and the rebbe’s 

mother, the rebbetzin Chana. On 

one occasion, reb aharon asked 

rebbetzin Chana, if she was aware 

that she had a unique son, and that 

there was no such a person as he in 

all the generations. The rebbetzin 

responded with her customary 

simplicity, “yes, I know.” 

Mrs. klein was one of the directors 

of the bikur Cholim of Crown 

heights and was involved in all the 

tzedoko activities in the neighborhood 

and in communal affairs. She 

was a beautician as well, and had a 

shaitel business, and the rebbetzin 

Chana would use her services. 

Colel Chabad and Charity 

Deeds 

In 1944, reb aharon became 

involved in the charitable institution 

Colel Chabad supporting 

families in Israel. In a letter to the 

Mashpia horav hachossid reb Zev 

Greenglass, the Previous rebbe 

wrote regarding reb aharon’s 

efforts for Colel Chabad, “hashem 

should assist him in his physical and 

spiritual needs.” 

Over the course of many years, 

without receiving any salary or 

compensation reb aharon served as 

the gabai, treasurer of Colel Chabad. 

even in his eighties, he would make 

his rounds by train and bus all over 

New york to raise funds on behalf 

of Colel Chabad. 

In an unusual moment, reb aharon 

told one of his grandsons that he 

had managed to raise millions of 

dollars. During the shiva after reb 

aharon’s passing, a Crown heights 

resident who once owned a shoe 

store spoke to the family about reb 

aharon’s devotion. reb aharon 

once approached the store owner 

before Pesach and he and wanted to 

buy shoes for families who urgently 

needed them. when the owner asked 

for sizes, reb aharon gave him a long 

list that was committed to memory. 

This was an example of how reb 

aharon was concerns about people, 

down to the smallest detail. 

advent 

Celebrating the 150th Jubilee 

The summer of 1962, preparing for 

the advent of the 150th jubilee of the 

histalkus of the alter rebbe in early 

1813 on the 24th of teves; during a 

yechidus reb aharon contributed 

$150 to the rebbe and suggested 

that a magbis, an appeal, in honor of 

the jubilee be made. at the Farbrengen 

on the 18th elul marking the 

alter rebbe’s birthday, the rebbe 

initiated a campaign to study torah 

and contribute tzedoko in amounts 

corresponding to 150. 

This Farbrengen actually marked the 

beginning of an entire year of events, 

and the rebbe mentioned that this 

project came as an awakening on the 

part of chassidim. 

The Mitzva Bus 

a number of years before Mivtza

tanks were sent out, an idea occurred 

to reb aharon. he rented a bus, filled 

it with sforim and set up an area for 

putting on tefillin. he maintained 

the bus on a daily basis, which would 

park at the end of the day in front of 

770. One day the rebbe passed by 

the bus. reb aharon was there, and 

to his and everyone else’s surprise, 

the rebbe stated that he wanted to 

go onto the bus. The rebbe walked 

on with rabbi hodokov. reb aharon 

remained standing there, delighted, 

overwhelmed and surprised. During 

the visit, the rebbe advised reb 

aharon that a curtain should be 

hung around the area where people 

put on tefillin, in order that no one 

should feel discomfort or embarrassment. 

This would encourage more 

people to put on tefillin. 

During an 18th of elul Farbrengen, 

the rebbe said, “From time to time, 

new ideas are developed. we now 

have a new contribution to spreading 

chassidus in quality as well as 

quantity. an additional feature to 

spread chassidus is a vehicle on four 

wheels and its’ light is superior to all 

other methods since it enhances an 

increase in all aspects. The people 

involved in this project should say 

l’Chaim and from him others should 

learn and do likewise.” 

a diary of those days reveals that 

a speaker to play nigunim was 

installed on the bus, which also 

contained kehot books available for 

purchase or loan. 

In 1967, reb aharon bought the 

building on union Street, which 

served as the study hall for the kollel. 

This was intended to contribute 

toward the broadening of the shul. 

Enlarging 770 

The purchase of 784 and 788 eastern 

Parkway in order to enlarge 770, 

and their development into the 

large space that is currently the shul, 

is a story for itself. If not for reb 

aharon’s intervention, it is doubtful 

if any action regarding these buildings 

would have been taken. as the 

rebbe once said, “If it was not for 

reb aharon I would not have a shul 

today.” It is noteworthy to mention 

that although there were additional 

donors who offered to be partners 

in this project, the rebbe did not 

accept their offers. 

Many years earlier in 1962 reb aharon 

suggested to the rebbe that it 

would be worthwhile to purchase the 

buildings adjoining 770 so that when 

more space was needed, it would be 

possible to build a more spacious 

shul. The rebbe asked, “are you 

sure that we will need such a large 

shul?” reb aharon answered, “we 

will need much larger than this.” 

after a few years the rebbe approved 

the project and reb aharon began 

purchasing the buildings and developing 

them. reb aharon was the 

appropriate person for this task, 

since he was active in real estate. 

This was useful in disguising the 

fact that lubavitch was behind the 

project and to keep the price of the 

buildings from becoming inflated 

as a result. 

reb aharon worked tirelessly on this 

project, together with rabbi yehuda 

krinsky and rabbi binyomin klein, 

the rebbe’s secretaries and the 

gabai reb Zalman blesofsky. reb 

aharon was by nature, an organized 

and meticulous person who had no 

patience for delays or inaccuracies 

even in minor details. From the 

very first minute of the project reb 

aharon involved himself completely. 

his wife told the rebbe that during 

this period of time her husband was 

rarely home. On one occasion, the 

rebbe came to 770 and saw reb 

aharon. he said to him, “when I 

come from my house I see you here. 

when I go home I see you here. 

when do you sleep and eat?” On 

another occasion, the rebbe spoke 

to reb aharon for more than an hour 

discussing the details related to the 

construction. 

The Mitzvah Bus 

Many people, Jews and non-Jews, 

lived in these two buildings. It was 

necessary to convince the tenants to 

move out at the earliest possible time 

in order to allow the renovations to 

begin. Some people left immediately 

and some after a period of time. 

eventually all the residents left with 

the exception of one individual who 

stubbornly resisted and remained 

despite any financial incentive to 

move. 

The bochurim saw that the project 

was at a standstill, tishrei was coming, 

and the rebbe did not have a 

suitable place for rosh hashana and 

yom kippur. One of the bochurim, 

together with his friends decided 

to begin breaking the walls of the 

apartment. The last tenant had no 

choice but to leave. 

The Court Hearing 

Starting to demolish an apartment 

with the tenant still in residence 

resulted in a summons 

for reb 

aharon to appear 

in court. The case 

was postponed 

until the end of 

elul. reb aharon 

understood that 

the situation was 

not good, but 

decided not to 

share his concern 

with the rebbe in 

order not to cause 

him any aggravation. 

a short while 

later, the rebbe 

met reb aharon 

in the street and 

said to him, “It 

seems that there 

is something 

disturbing you.” 

reb aharon tried 

to avoid telling 

rebbe what was 

on his mind but 

from the rebbe 

one cannot conceal 

anything. 

reb aharon told 

the rebbe about 

the legal action. 

The rebbe advised 

him. “Go to court 

without any attempt to get of it. Do 

not try to argue, rather admit to 

all the offenses. at the conclusion 

of the hearing you should tell the 

judge that since the month of Jewish 

holidays is coming up, and there is 

much activity and expense, you are 

requesting a postponement until 

after the holiday month. 

reb aharon did as the rebbe 

instructed. The judge granted his 

February 13, 2009 ~ CROWN HEIGHTS NEWSpapER 5 

Reb Aharon (center) in Yeshiva Montreal 

request and postponed the verdict 

until yud tes kislev. until this 

very day the verdict has never been 

issued. 

planting Trees and Building 

Mikvos 

reb aharon was also responsible 

for landscaping the lawn in front 

of the rebbe’s room with grass 

and a tree, and additional projects 

enhancing the honor of the rebbe 

and lubavitch. 

another interest of reb aharon’s 

was sponsoring mikvaos in Israel 

and abroad. reb aharon contributed 

much money to build many mikvaos 

for the maintenance of family purity. 

when reb aharon heard that the 

rebbe was upset about the condition 

of the men’s mikva in Crown 

heights, he also became involved 

in this mikva and arranged for it 

to be maintained to the rebbe’s 

satisfaction. 

reb aharon once became very ill 

and the rebbe constantly inquired 

about his health. 

In 1998 on the 9th of Shvat, a day 

prior to that great and sacred day, 

yud Shvat, reb aharon returned his 

soul to its creator. he merited much 

yiddishe and chassidishe nachas 

from his children. 

he left, may she live and be well 

his wife, Mrs. Zissel klein; his 

daughter, Mrs. Perel Garfinkel, the 

wife of horav hagaon reb avrohom 

hakohen, of brooklyn, New york; 

his daughter, Mrs. rochel Gottlieb, 

wife of horav hachossid reb Noson, 

of brooklyn, New york; his daughter, 

Mrs. Devora Goodman, wife of 

horav hachossid reb Schneur Zalman, 

the rebbe’s Shliach in ashdod, 

Israel; grandchildren and greatgrandchildren 

among whom are 

Shluchim and communal activists 

who continue in his ways, bringing 

about nachas for the rebbe. 

yehi Zichro boruch! 

we should speedily witness “The 

ones who dwell in the dust will 

awaken and rejoice” with horav 

hachossid reb aharon hakohen 

klein among them.


A Rabbi’s Northern Adventure 

From the Heights of Alaska to the Golan Heights 

reprinted with special permission 

by the author and Merkos l'Inyonei 

Chinuch 

by rabbi yisrael haber 

“Have a Happy Mikvee,” he said. 

I realized that he thought it was a 

holiday. I said thank you, and before 

I could make some small conversation, 

Colonel Gabrielsen grabbed 

my arm and escorted me out of the 

office. 

The military, I gathered, was willing 

to put up with chaplains, as long as 

their demands weren’t too off the 

wall. at least until our mikvah was 

built, my wife had permission 

to fly off to Seattle. That, of course, 

meant flying back to anchorage the 

next day. Considering that the cost 

of flying a large air Force transport 

plane from anchorage to Seattle 

runs into the tens-of-thousands of 

dollars, my wife’s tevillah had to be 

the most expensive in the world! 

every month, I would drive her to 

the airfield and stand out on the 

runway waving good-bye. each time, 

I was confronted with the irony of 

the scene. true, I had joined the air 

Force for ideological reasons, but I 

also liked the idea of rabbi yisrael 

haber, dressed in his sharp air 

Force uniform, looking just like the 

young, good-looking officer in the 

posters. even though I was enlisting 

as a chaplain, there was a macho 

element that appealed to the soldier 

boy in me. and here I was standing 

monthly at the flight line, not gazing 

up at a poster of me in the cockpit 

of the C130-hercules transport, 

but looking up at my wife in the 

cockpit instead. ready for take-off 

and gallantly dressed in her helmet 

and goggles, she looked just like the 

dream poster co-pilot. and to top off 

the picture, she would raise her hand 

to the window and give me a “don’t 

worry” thumbs-up salute, just like 

the pilots in the movies. 

Of course, when Miriam was in 

Seattle, she stocked up on a supply 

of kosher food. Since she flew every 

month, she got to know most of the 

fight crews. like the good soldiers 

they were, they did their job without 

asking questions, though they 

could never quite figure out why 

this woman had to go all the way 

to Seattle “just to buy some kosher 

food.” 

right away, the issue of the mikvah 

became a top priority on the base. 

back on my very first day, when I 

was introduced to Sergeant reggie 

holcomb at Chapel Number two, 

he said, “hi, rabbi, glad to meet you. 

Now maybe I can find out what a 

mixer is.” 

“That’s easy,” I said. “a mixer is a 

machine that you use to prepare 

foods.” 

“That I know,” he said. “I’m talking 

about the kind of mixer that washington 

keeps inquiring about. we 

have been receiving reports that you 

need a mixer.” 

“I need a mikvah, not a mixer,” I 

told him. 

briefly, I explained what a mikvah 

was all about, but I could see he 

was lost. he told me to write up a 

detailed report about the uses of a 

mikvah, including a blueprint for 

its construction, so that all of the 

chaplains could help it get built as 

quickly as possible. 

Getting the mikvah built was to be 

my first major task on the base, but 

I still had another community to 

worry about—the civilian Jews of 

alaska. right off the bat, a meeting 

was set up at the reform synagogue 

in anchorage so that the members 

of the board could get to meet me. 

“uh oh,” I thought. “Members of the 

board.” If they were anything like 

the board members in Dallas, my job 

wasn’t going to be easy. It was obvious 

at the meeting that the board 

members of the reform temple were 

wary about the new Orthodox rabbi, 

especially since the last acting rabbi 

in alaska had been devoutly reform. 

During a break, several people who 

were not members of the temple 

spoke to me in private, informing 

me that there were many Jews in 

anchorage who were not affiliated 

with the temple and who were eager 

to have an observant rabbi in their 

midst. I explained that I had come to 

alaska to be a military chaplain and 

would try, as best as I could, to serve 

the needs of the Jewish community 

in general. 

One of the people trying to “fill me 

in” was a very prominent anchorage 

businessman considered to be one of 

the most observant Jews in the area. 

before I returned to the meeting, he 

wanted to warn me that many of the 

people on the board were “goyim.” 

“If a Jew isn’t Orthodox, it 

doesn’t make him non- Jewish,” I 

answered. 

“rabbi,” he continued, “I mean that 

some of the board members are 

literally gentiles.” 

For a moment, I had a difficult time 

digesting his bizarre information. 

No matter how reform the temple 

was, it was still Jewish, wasn’t it? 

why should there be gentiles on 

the board? 

One week before rosh hashanah, 

the heavy cloud cover lifted, the 

sun shone brightly and the Chugach 

Mountains appeared in the distance. 

From almost every window of our 

house, we could see the snow-capped 

peaks. On that pleasant autumn 

day, when many of the trees on the 

base were turning a dazzling gold, I 

received a phone call from a Jewish 

fellow, new to the area, informing 

me that his wife was due to have 

a baby any minute. “Do you do 

circumcisions?” the future father 

asked. “Circumcisions? No, why?” 

“If the baby is a boy, he’s going to 

need a brit.” 

“Of course,” I said. “No question 

about it.” 

The truth was, I had thought about 

the problem. Not only did alaska not 

have a mikvah, there was no one in 

the state who knew how to perform 

a brit milah! a mohel hadn’t been 

brought in from outside of the state 

for years, and so all of the circumcisions 

were done at the hospital, not 

on the eighth day and not according 

to Jewish law. 

Flying a mohel in from Seattle would 

cost a family up to three-hundred 

dollars for plane fare alone, and not 

many families in alaska were committed 

to tradition as that. 

how was I going to deal with the 

problem? I decided that all of the 

babies born during my time in 

alaska would simply have to be 

girls! 

Seventy-five congregants turned out 

for my inaugural Shabbat service. 

Since the total Jewish population of 

anchorage was four hundred, with 

half of them children, the turnout 

was considered tremendous. I was 

cautious not to be too optimistic, 

because the weekly average attendance 

was reported to be about 

twenty. It could have been that 

everyone just wanted to see who the 

new rabbi was! 

a man lingering after the services 

and kiddush introduced himself as 

bernard Schecter. 

“I spoke to you on the phone last 

night,” he said with a wide smile 

on his face. “you arrived just at the 

right time. 

This time you can wish me an official 

mazel tov. My wife had a baby! a 

boy!” 

“a boy?” 

“That’s right.” 

“wonderful,” I said. “Mazel tov!” 

Miriam wished him a mazel tov too. 

Immediately, she inquired about 

the mother. how was she? where 

was she? 

how could we help? 

his wife was fine, he said, in the 

hospital. right now he was worried 

about the brit. he agreed that a 

professional mohel should be sent 

for, but he didn’t have enough money 

to pay for his trip. 

“Don’t worry,” I assured him. “Things 

will work out for the best. you just 

take care of your wife.we will take 

care of the rest.” 

we still hadn’t unpacked all of our 

luggage; our car and furniture were 

still in transit; and on top of everything, 

I had to conduct high holiday 

services and prepare for a brit! 

Miriam and I decided that we would 

pay for the mohel to fly to anchorage, 

and that the Schecters could pay us 

back at their leisure. The main thing 

was to teach the Jewish community 

that the word of G-d didn’t stop at 

Seattle—the commandments of the 

torah included the Jews of alaska 

as well! 

On Saturday night, I received several 

phone calls from “concerned individuals” 

advising me that the best 

thing for the Schecters would be to 

have a local Jewish doctor perform 

the circumcision. I told them that I 

had already arranged with a genuine 

mohel, rabbi Solomon Maimon of 

Seattle, to fly in to perform the brit. 

The callers expressed surprise that 

we were going to do things “the old 

way” when geographical considerations 

made such a small thing into 

a costly production. 

another fine gathering came to the 

chapel at midnight to partake in the 

special “Selichot Prayers” when Jews 

ask for forgiveness before the upcoming 

New year. On Sunday morning, 

I visited the Sunday school program 

at Congregation beth Shalom, 

where I assisted two men and five 

teenage boys to put on tefillin. The 

men said that they hadn’t worn the 

phylacteries since their bar mitzvah. 

They thanked me profusely, and I 

assured them that we would do the 

same every Sunday—and hopefully 

on a daily basis with the passing of 

time. 

On Sunday afternoon, as I sat down 

at my desk to prepare wednesday 

night’s rosh hashanah sermon, 

Colonel Gabrieson called on the 

phone. 

“Izrel,” he said, “I forgot to tell you 

that you have to attend the alcom 

Conference which begins tonight 

at Fort richardson.” 

“tonight?” I asked, beginning to feel 

pressured with all of my rabbinical 

duties and commitments. 

“tonight,” he repeated. 

“what’s alcom?” I asked. 

“The alaskan Command. It’s the 

conference for senior chaplains in 

the entire alaskan Command, air 

Force and army together.we will be 

meeting for several days to outline 

the program for next year.you are 

likely to be the only captain, since 

you’re the only senior Jewish chaplain 

we’ve got, but I won’t let the 

other chaplains pull rank. I’ll pickyou 

up at six-thirty.”

Parshas Hashavua 

Vedibarta Bam ~ Yitro 

by rabbi Moshe bogomilky 

"ורתי עמשיו" 

”And Yitro heard.” 

(18:1) 

QueStION: 

rashi writes, 

“yitro had seven 

names; one was 

‘yeter’ because he ‘added’ a parshah 

in the torah: “ve’atah techezeh” — 

“and you shall seek out” (18:21). 

when yitro saw how hard Moshe 

was working, the first thing he said 

was, “lo tov hadavar asher atah 

oseh” — “what you are doing is not 

good” (18:17). The pasuk “ve’atah 

techezeh” occurs four pesukim later. 

why isn’t the parshah yitro added 

called, “lo tov hadavar”? 

aNSwer: Some people are quite 

critical and ready to say “what you 

are doing is not good.” It is easy to 

criticize, so yitro is not entitled to 

credit for finding fault with Moshe’s 

judicial procedure. he receives 

credit, rather, for his constructive 

suggestion. )עשוהי יטוקיל( 

םיקלא השע רשא לכ תא ורתי עמשיו" 

השמ תשא הרפצ תא ורתי חקיו...השמל 

"היחולש רחא 

“yitro heard what G d had done to 

Moshe...and yitro took with him 

tzipporah, Moshe’s wife, after he 

had sent her away.” (18:1-2) 

QueStION: what had yitro heard 

that hashem had done to Moshe 

that prompted him to come with 

tzipporah? 

aNSwer: when hashem appeared 

to Moshe for the first time and 

asked him to be his messenger 

to Pharaoh and redeem the Jews 

from egypt, Moshe was reluctant. 

hashem became angry and told 

Moshe, “Originally I had planned 

for you to be a kohen; now that you 

are refusing your mission, aharon 

will be the kohen in your stead” 

(Zevachim 102a). 

when Moshe finally agreed, he 

divorced his wife tzipporah before 

going to egypt, dedicating himself 

completely to the mission of redeeming 

the Jewish people. The word 

“shiluchehah” can mean, “after he 

divorced her,” as in the term “veshilchah” 

in connection with divorce 

(Devarim 24:1). 

after yitro heard what hashem 

had done to Moshe, he decided to 

bring back tzipporah. Now that 

Moshe was no longer a kohen, it 

was permissible for him to marry a 

divorcee and he could, thus, remarry 

tzipporah. )םימודק לחנ( 

םעל השע התא רשא הזה רבדה המ" 

בצנ םעה לכו ךדבל בשוי התא עודמ 

"ברע דע רקב ןמ ךילע 

“what is this thing you are doing to 

the people? why do you sit alone and 

all the people stand about you from 

morning until evening?” (18:14) 

QueStION: It was well known 

that Moshe was the judge before 

whom all matters were brought for 

decision. why did yitro ask Moshe, 

“what are you doing?” 

aNSwer: There are two approaches 

that a beit Din can use in deciding a 

Din-torah. One is pesharah — compromise 

— and the other is “din” — 

a decision according to the letter of 

the law. a compromise can be made 

even by a beit Din consisting of one 

judge. In addition, the defendant and 

plaintiff do not have to stand while 

they are discussing the issues. when 

the beit Din is using the approach of 

absolute din, there should be three 

judges and the defendant and plaintiff 

must stand while the Din-torah 

is taking place. 

yitro knew that Moshe was conducting 

a beit Din and handling Dintorahs. 

however, he was somewhat 

puzzled by the procedure. Therefore, 

he asked Moshe, “I notice that 

while you conduct Din-torahs the 

defendant and plaintiff are standing, 

which seems to indicate that your 

approach is absolute din and not 

compromise. If so, why do you conduct 

the Din-torah alone without 

two additional judges?” 

Moshe explained to yitro that even 

when the approach is din and not 

compromise, if the judge is a mumcheh 

— an outstanding expert — he 

is permitted to handle the Din-torah 

alone: “Since I was in heaven and 

personally taught by hashem, I am 

considered an expert. Consequently, 

the people must stand.” 

(בקעי תיראש - ףסוי סדרפ) 

רבד םהל היהי יכ...ונתחל השמ רמאיו" 

"והער ןיבו שיא ןיב יתטפשו ילא אב 

“Moshe said to his father-in-law, 

‘when they have a matter, it comes 

to me, and I judge between a man 

and his friend.’ ” (18:15-16) 

QueStION: The pasuk begins 

in the plural: “when they have a 

matter”; why does it not continue, 

“ba’im eilai” — “ ‘they’ come to 

me”? 

aNSwer: Often questions or Dintorahs 

come before a rabbi which 

seem very similar to those he has 

previously handled. It is improper 

for a judge to compare one case to 

another and not go again through all 

the details. although, superficially 

the two cases appear identical, in 

each issue there may be slight differences 

which can lead to an entirely 

different outcome (see Choshen 

Mishpat 10:2). 

yitro asked Moshe why he was so 

involved from morning to evening 

deciding questions and not quick 

to issue answers based on previous 

decisions. Moshe replied, “when 

they have a matter of dispute, even 

if ‘ba eilai’ — a matter similar to this 

has already come before me and I 

rendered a decision — I do not rely 

on that. I judge anew and go through 

all the details. Therefore, it takes 

much time to come up with fair and 

just decisions.” 

רבדה תא תע לכב םעה תא וטפשו" 

ןטקה רבדה לכו השמ לא ןואיבי השקה 

"םה וטופשי 

“They administered justice on a 

regular basis, bringing the difficult 

cases to Moshe and judging the easy 

cases by themselves.” (18:26) 

QueStION: yitro advised Moshe 

to judge “kal hadavar hagadol” — 

“every big case” — and to let the 

judges consider “kal hadaver hakatan” 

— “the small cases” (18:12). 

why did Moshe speak of “hadavar 

hakashah” — “difficult cases” — 

and “hadavar hakatan” — “easy 

cases” — (in contrast to ‘difficult’) 

while yitro spoke of big and small 

ones? 

aNSwer: In many countries 

the importance of a litigation is 

decided by how much money it 

involves. There is a small claims 

court for disputes regarding small 

amounts of money and a civil court 

which handles cases involving larger 

amounts. yitro advised Moshe to 

personally handle the “big cases” 

— the ones involving large sums 

of money — and to let the newly 

appointed judges deal with the 

“small cases” — the ones involving 

small amounts of money. 

according to Jewish law, a case 

involving a penny and a case concerning 

hundreds of dollars are 

both to be approached with the 

same seriousness (Sanhedrin 8a). 

Therefore, Moshe instructed that 

he would handle the difficult cases, 

regardless of the amount of money 

involved, and the easier cases would 

be under the jurisdiction of the judg 

es. (ףסוי סדרפ) 


"םיקלאה לא הלע השמו" 

“and Moshe went up to G d.” 

(19:3) 

QueStION: according to the 

Gemara (Shabbat 86b), when Moshe 

came up to heaven to take the torah, 

the angels objected: “tenah hodecha 

al hashamayim” — “Set your glory 

(torah) above the heavens.” hashem 

told Moshe to inform them why 

torah was not for them. Moshe said, 

“The torah says, ‘I am G d, your G 

d, who brought you out of egypt’ — 

were you ever in egypt? It says, ‘you 

shall not murder’ — Do you have a 

yeitzer hara?” The angels conceded, 

but why did they think the torah was 

for them to begin with? 

aNSwer: Once a great torah 

scholar assumed the position of 

rabbi in a large city. after a short 

while, he realized that the position 

would not leave him sufficient time 

for his own torah study. he therefore 

decided to resign his position and 

look for a small city. he approached a 

nearby small city and, as soon as the 

residents were convinced that he was 

serious, he was hired. Concerned 

that his townspeople might object 

to his leaving, he returned home to 

seek their permission. realizing that 

he was adamant about dedicating 

more of his time to torah study, they 

reluctantly agreed to let him go. 

when the small community received 

word that their new rabbi was ready 

to come, they sent an entourage of 

the most prominent people to bring 

him to the city. upon arrival in the 

large city, the townspeople met them 

with sticks and stones and assaulted 

them for having the audacity to take 

away their rabbi. In amazement, 

the rabbi asked, “why are you 

hitting them? Did I not discuss my 

leaving with you and receive your 

consent?!” 

The townspeople told their rabbi, 

“If we did not show our opposition 

to your leaving, they might think us 

dissatisfied with you and happy to see 

you leave. Consequently, they would 

not hold you in the high regard you 

deserve. when however, they notice 

that we are fighting over you and 

not wanting to let you go, they will 

regard you in high esteem. 

The angels really knew that torah 

was appropriate for human beings 

and not for them. however, to ensure 

that man keep torah in the highest 

regard and dignity, they fought over 

it so that when a man acquires torah, 

he will cherish it dearly. 

ל"ז חספ לאומש ברה יבא יבתכב יתאצמ( 

)יקסלימאגאב 

ינבל דיגתו בקעי תיבל רמאת הכ" 

"לארשי 

“Thus say to the house of Jacob 

and tell to the Children of Israel.” 

(19:3) 

QueStION: It would be sufficient 

to say only “beit yaakov” or only 

“b’nei yisrael.” why is the redundancy 

necessary? 

aNSwer: women are usually in 

the home. They see to it that their 

children go to yeshivah and encourage 

their husbands to study torah, so 

they receive merit from the study of 

their husbands and children (Sotah 

21a). 

“beit yaakov” refers to women who 

are akeret habayit — the foundation 

of the home. hashem told Moshe to 

speak to the women and tell them 

that, “vetageid livnei yisrael” — 

every woman should tell her sons 

to study torah. In addition, every 

woman should tell her husband that 

the spiritual aspects of life are more 

important to her than the material 

and thus encourage him to set aside 

time for torah study. 

)א"שרהמ(


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Shevat Yahrzeiten 

This week we continue with the yahrzeiten of people who lived in our 

shechuna. we are also including the yahrzeiten of Shluchim. In mentioning 

them we come to “v’hachai yiten el libo”. we learn from their lives, 

lessons that we can incorporate into our own. This column includes the 

yahrzeiten from the 20th through 26th of Shvat. The respective resting 

places of the individuals noted in this column are near the holy Ohel, 

unless otherwise specified. 

Men 

20th of Shvat 

Horav Hachosid 

H atom i m R eb 

Schneur Zalman 

Gansburg 

The son of hachossid 

reb Menachem 

Mendel, he 

was born in haditz 

and members of his family merited 

to be appointed as shomrim at 

the Ohel of the alter rebbe. reb 

Schneur Zalman learned in yeshiva 

tomchei tmimim beginning in 

1914 and was m’kushar to the rebbe 

rashab, the Previous rebbe and the 

rebbe. a particularly pnimiusdike 

chossid, he was nifter in 1991. he left 

children and grandchildren serving 

as rabbonim and Shluchim. 

24 of Shvat 

Horav Hachossid 

Reb Tzvi Hirsh 

Rimler 

The son of horav 

hachossid reb 

yehuda leib rimler, 

he sacrificed 

himself to educate his sons and 

daughters in the ways of torah and 

Chassidus. he was nifter in 1975 and 

left children and grandchildren serving 

as rabonim and Shluchim. 

25th of Shvat 


Reb avrohom 

abba Seligson, 

“Dr. Seligson” 

The son of hachossid 

reb Michoel 

aharon hy”D and 

a fifth generation descendent of 

the alter rebbe, in his service as a 

physician, he merited to save many 

Jews in Shanghai during wwII. 

after coming to the united States, he 

served for forty years as the personal 

physician of the Previous rebbe, 

the rebbe and their families and for 

the Crown heights community as 

well. he was nifter in 1989 and the 

rebbe came from his home to 770 

to participate in the l’vaya. 

Jewish History Personality 

born: Goray, near lublin, Poland, 

1787 Nistalek: kotzk, Poland, 

1859 

Popularly known as the kotzker 

rebbe. 

reb Menachem Mendel received a 

thorough torah education from his 

father, leibush Morgenstern, a zealous 

opponent of Chasidism. when 

he was 13 years old he had mastered 

the entire talmud. after his marriage 

at 14, his father introduced him 

to the world of Chasidut, and before 

long he became an ardent follower 

of the Chozeh (Seer) of lublin and 

rabbi Simcha bunam of Pshis’cha, 

whom he eventually succeeded. 

when he became the rebbe of kotzk, 

thousands of chasidim flocked to 

that city and a great number of outstanding 

young torah scholars were 

attracted by his saintly personality 

and wide range knowledge. Most 

prominent among his students were 

the Chidushei harym of Ger and 

rabbi Chanoch of alexander. 

r’ Menachem Mendel was a new 

type of chassid. If the baal Shem 


Reb Mordechai 

Dov Teleshevsky 

The son of horav 

hachossid reb 

Menachem Mendel 

teleshevsky, 

Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk 

tov embodied chesed (kindness), 

reb Mendel represented din (justice). 

while the baal Shem sought 

to reach all the people, reb Mendel 

knew that what he sought could 

only be attained by the elite. The 

baal Shem lifted the people up, 

reb Mendel rebuked them for their 

inadequacies and always demanded 

more. 

reb Mendel attracted a young, brilliant, 

aspiring youth. he demanded 

withering self-analysis and disdained 

mitzvot performed with a whiff of 

self-interest. he recognized the 

centrality of the ego, but refused 

to accept it. an uncompromising 

champion of the truth, he denounced 

falsehood and hypocrisy. with 

piercing aphorisms that have became 

classics he forces the Jew to face the 

truth, strip himself of all pretense 

and self-deception, and thus come 

closer to God. he cried out, “Give 

me ten chasidim who will follow me 

to the desert, eat manna and forsake 

the decadent world”. 

Continuing on the path of rabbi 

Simcha bunam he sought to infuse 

he served for many years as rav and 

shochet in helsinki, Finland. he 

later was a chazan in the lubavitch 

shul in 770 and worked for more than 

forty years as an emissary of yeshiva 

tomchei tmimim. reb Mordechai 

was amongst the mkushorim of 

the rebbe’im and especially of the 

rebbe. he was born in 1905 in klimovitz 

and was nifter in 1991. he left 

children and grandchildren serving 

as rabonim and Shluchim. 

Women 

21st of Shvat 

Mrs. Dina Esther Epstein 

The daughter of horav hachosid 

reb yitzchok, Mrs. epstein 

influenced many people who 

visited the rebbe’s Shecuna. 

She was involved to a great 

measure in Mivtza taharas 

hamishpocha and was 

nifter in 2003. 

25th of Shvat 

Mrs. Toibe Lipsker 

The daughter of horav 

hachossid reb rafael Sholom 

Chaim boruch lepkevker, she 

was a good hearted person who was 

generous and helped to the needy 

and elderly in a nursing home. She 

shared her life with others, her home 

was always open for the many guests 

she hosted and in a discrete manner 

she assisted many with money that 

she borrowed for that purpose. She 

the movement with renewed spiritual 

vigor, making kotzk a stronghold of 

Chassidut whose influence is felt to 

this day. a man of deep mystery, the 

kotzker rebbe secluded himself 

for 20 years, refusing contact with 

anyone. his thoughts and commentaries 

were collected and published 

in Ohel torah and emet ve’emunah. 

he was an awe-inspiring figure who 

left an indelible mark on chassidic 

thought. 

Following are short stories about rabbi 

Menachem Mendel of kotzk which 

were reprinted from Chabad.org 

Where Is G-d? 

by Pesach and Chana burston 

“young man,” the rebbe of Pscizcha 

demanded, “where can one find 

G-d?” 

“everywhere,” answered his disciple, 

who was to become the 

rebbe of kotzk. “his glory fills the 

universe.” 

“young man,” the Pscizcher repeated. 

“I asked you, where could one find 

G-d?” 

The kotzker was quiet. “well, if I 

don’t know, then please tell me,” he 

requested. 

The Pscizcher then said, “listen, 


would dance for kallas and contribute 

to the joy at their weddings, and 

would be mekarev people that she 

met in 770, to torah and Chassidus. 

She had a special fondness for the 

study of torah and would participate 

in shiurim. at the conclusion of an 

ongoing tanya shiur, she would 

review the entire shiur and explain 

it to the participants. She was nifter 

in 2008. 

26th Shvat 

Mrs. Chava Hurwitz 

The daughter of horav 

hachosid reb Shmuel 

and the wife of reb 

Chaim tashkenter, 

in a modest way she 

was responsible 

for many acts of 

goodness and 

generosity. Mrs. 

hurwitz saved 

many Jews from 

difficult illnesses 

in the years of 

hunger and war 

in russia. She was 

nifter in 2004. 

Dear Readers: 

Anyone who would like to have their 

relatives mentioned in the yahrzeit 

column should email the name, father’s 

name, date of the ptira and some 

details to chp5768@gmail.com. A 

picture may be included. 

young man. G-d can only be found 

where you let him in.” —heard 

from a great-grandson of the rebbe 

of kotzk 

an Inward Focus 

by Michoel Gourarie 

The 33rd day of the Omer Count 

is a special day in 

the Jewish calendar. 

It is known 

as lag baOmer, 

the day that marks 

the passing of the 

great talmudic 

sage and mystic, 

r abbi Sh i mon 

bar yochai. This 

second century 

rabbi and kabbalist 

requested 

that the day of his 

passing should 

be marked with 

happiness and 

celebration. 

One of the many 

lag baOmer 

traditions is for 

children to go on 

outings and play 

with bows and 

arrows. a mong 

Continued on Page 9


Tznius: "America Is Nisht Andersh” 

The Unveiling 

by Mrs. M. resnick 

The excitement is already palpable. 

Shluchos from all over the globe are 

showing up in our local stores and 

eateries. The streets are lighting up 

with the rebbe’s army of female 

lamplighters. It is Chof beis Shvat, 

our rebbetzen’s yartzeit and time 

for the International Conference of 

Shluchos. 

That in itself is great news but the 

wonderful news for us is that we have 

been allotted a slot at the this great 

kinus to present and launch the 

International hakhel rebbe’s buttons 

Mural designed by famed artist 

Michoel Muchnik, and dedicated 

to the memory of Shlucha rivka 

holzberg hy”D. 

Originally we had hoped to unveil 

the completed mural by this Chof 

beis Shvat but hashem had other 

plans for the world and so we are 

only launching it this week. we 

introduced the workshop at the 

N’shei Chabad winter Convention 

in Colorado where over 30 Shluchos 

and members of their communities 

attended. This was almost 40 years 

after these buttons had been originally 

worn at a N’shei convention in 

Crown heights. 

we had sent also out kits to some 

Shluchos around the world right 

after the Mens’ kinus and 

hoped to complete expediting 

the kits to the rest 

of the world by the beginning 

of December. Then the 

artist Muchnik would have 

assembled all the four by four 

inch ‘masterpieces’ created 

by the various Shluchos and 

their communities into a 

surprise image. The grand 

finale would have been the 

unveiling of the completed 

mural at this kinus. 

but then the tragedy in Mumbai 

took away our two holy 

Shluchim together with the 

hearts and minds of the entire 

lubavitch community and 

the world at large. all other 

projects came to a halt until 

after Chanukah. It was then 

that we decided to prolong 

the project and dedicate the 

mural to the memory of the 

Shlucha rivka holzberg. 

we also found out during 

the funeral on har hazeisim, 

that ‘tznius’ was her 

essence. ”Ze haya tzipor 

Nafsha’ – the bird of her 

soul – very precious to her,” 

Mrs. rosenberg, her mother, 

told us. 

So this Sunday of the kinus, 

we will officially introduce 

the project to the Shluchos 

and for the first time unveil the 

sketch of the symbol that 

Mr. Muchnick has designed 

to represent the motif 

emblazoned on the buttons: 

“tznius-The essence of the 

Jewish woman”. Next week 

b’h we will be able to share 

the design of the sketch with 

the rest of the world via this 

publication. 

another great piece of news 

is that JlI – Jewish learning 

Institute will be creating a 

curriculum that will accompany 

this exciting interactive 

workshop. anyone who 

has had the opportunity to 

encounter any of the JlI 

projects will recognize the 

thorough depth of learning, 

research and professionalism 

that are the hallmark of 

all their courses. 

we are also launching a 

special website: www.rightonthebutton.info, 

where 

Shluchos and Mechanchos 

will be able to both register 

and get detailed information on the 

project. 

They will also be able to follow the 

travels of this collapsible mural as 

it spans the globe visiting select 

Chabad houses, after it has been 

unveiled at the JlI retreat this 

summer. 

we have also secured a table at the 

resource Fair where we will be displaying 

the rebbe-design-approved 

buttons, completed squares, and 

samples of the trimmings of lace, buttons 

and fabric which were contributed 

by a Satmar Chossid especially 

for this project. 

all in all we are so excited to be able 

to share this information with the 

entire community of anash who 

will be reading the Crown heights 

Community Newsletter and we ask 

that hashem grant rabbi Moshe 

rubashkin the strength, Menuchas 

hanefesh and funds to be able to 

continue publishing this invaluable 

source of dissemination of learning 

and kosher information. 

Comments & Questions:tznius1@ 

verizon.net

The Rebbetzin: 

Details Emerge About the Rebbetzin 

by Dovid Zaklikowski 

Reprinted from Chabad.org 

rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, 

of righteous memory, led 

an intensely private life. even as 

thousands of lubavitch women 

emissaries gather in brooklyn, N.y., 

for a conference held every year 

around the anniversary of her passing, 

many of them know little of the 

wife of the rebbe, rabbi Menachem 

Mendel Schneerson, of righteous 

memory. 

“very few people knew about the 

relationship that I had with the 

rebbetzin,” said londoner louise 

hager, who knew the rebbetzin 

since the 1960s and spoke to her by 

phone at least once a week. “I think 

that was one of the strengths of the 

relationship. It was totally private.” 

although bits and pieces of details of 

the rebbetzin’s personal friendships 

have leaked out through the years, 

the consensus is that it was her will 

to remain out of the limelight. For 

many, it was not until her funeral in 

1988 that they realized the tremendous 

bond that she and the rebbe 

shared and the extraordinary sacrifices 

she willingly made to facilitate 

the rebbe’s devotion to the Jewish 

People. 

back then, thousands of people who 

came to witness her cortege down 

eastern Parkway shed tears as they 

watched the rebbe’s raw emotions 

in somberly escorting the body of his 

wife. In the days that followed, the 

rebbe at times choked up in tears as 

he said the kaddish, the traditional 

mourner’s prayer, in her memory, 

and during a public talk he gave on 

her legacy. 

The rebbe urged that everyone take 

the rebbetzin’s life and actions to 

heart. 

a small sampling of the rebbetzin’s 

acquaintances recently shared with 

Jewish educational Media (JeM) 

some of the lessons they gleaned 

from her. In time for the rebbetzin’s 

20th yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing) 

on the 22nd day of the hebrew 

month of Shevat (tuesday, January 

29 this year), JeM released selections 

from the nine interviews in 

a 75-minute DvD entitled “The 

rebbetzin” and subtitled in five 

languages. 

Judging by their testimonies, it 

appears that none of the interviewees 

claim to have truly known the 

rebbetzin, going only so far as to 

share those aspects of her that they 

merited to experience. Still, they 

come across as having felt known 

and cared for by her. 

wife of the rebbe, daughter of the 

Sixth lubavitcher rebbe and granddaughter 

of the Fifth lubavitcher 

rebbe, the rebbetzin could not have 

been more immersed in torah and 

Jewish scholarship. 

while a teenager she risked discovery 

by the russian authorities and 

smuggled food and candles to the 

Navardok yeshiva. Throughout her 

life she repeatedly risked her life 

The Rebbetzin looks out at an early 1980s Jewish unity parade from the window of a house 

adjoining Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, N.Y. 

to help others, under both Soviet 

and Nazi rule – and experienced 

first-hand the sacrifices of global 

Jewish leadership. yet when her 

husband refused the entreaties of 

Chasidim that he become rebbe, 

the rebbetzin urged him to agree, 

knowing full well the toll it would 

take on her. 

her pivotal testimony in a mid-1980’s 

federal case regarding the ownership 

of her father’s priceless library sheds 

some light on this sacrifice. 

Summing up her life’s experience 

that a rebbe is completely devoted 

to the community at large and has 

no private life, she declared that the 

library, “belongs to the Chasidim, 

because my father belonged to the 

Chasidim.” 

The rebbetzin was a diligent student 

of Chasidic thought and, accounts 

concur, she was the rebbe’s only 

confidante in the world. 

yet, despite her extraordinary role 

– as unknown as it was to the public 

– and her regal upbringing and 

bearing, it seems that she always 

found common ground with those 

who came to her and helped each one 

feel comfortable and heard. 

Life Lessons 

Daniele Gorlin-lassner, whose 

parents shared a close friendship 

with the rebbe and rebbetzin going 

all the way back to when they lived 

in europe, said that the rebbetzin 

consciously shunned attention. 

“’you know, as much as I would 

like to,’” Gorlin-lassner quoted the 

rebbetzin saying in the mid-1980s, 

“’I don’t very often frequent the store 

or go shopping [in the neighborhood]. 

They all feel that they have 

to give me special kavod [honor], 

and that is really something that I 

don’t want.’” 

Just as she preferred to focus the 

spotlight away from herself, the 

rebbetzin was ever sensitive to those 

around her, as evidenced by the recollection 

of rabbi Shmuel lew. Now 

the director of the lubavitch house 

School in london, the flustered lew 

visited the rebbetzin with his fiancé 

and family before he got married. 

“There was a beautiful white tablecloth, 

and she served punch in long 

crystal glasses with glass straws,” 

he related. “at one stage, when my 

hand was going over the glass, I 

didn’t notice the straw, and my hand 

pushed against the straw. The straw 

pushed against the glass, and the 

whole punch spilled on the table. 

without missing a beat, “the rebbetzin 

got all excited,” he continued, 

as if this was the best thing that could 

have happened in her home. “She 

said it’s a sign of blessing.” 

lew’s father-in-law Zalman Jaffe 

joked afterward that the rebbetzin 

seemed “so delighted, that he was 

tempted to spill over another glass,” 

said lew. 

Chicago Cardiologist Ira weiss, 

who cared closely for the rebbe 

and the rebbetzin following the 

rebbe’s 1977 heart attack, spoke to 

the rebbetzin daily. 

“The rebbetzin always worried 

about me, because I am a bicycle 

enthusiast,” revealed weiss. knowing 

how sleep deprived he was, she 

would often inquire of him worriedly 

about his solitary rides home late 

at night. 

In other exchanges, the rebbetzin’s 

care for those she never met was evident. 

In one conversation with leah 

kahn – a scholar who periodically 

visited the rebbetzin and frequently 

spoke with her by phone – the 

rebebtzin discussed the travails of a 

group of Satmar Chasidim who had 

immersed themselves in lubavitch 

Chasidic teachings. Some of them 

faced the prospect of violence in 

their old community. 

“It was a very difficult time, because 

Satmar was very much against [the 

students’ spiritual pursuits]. The 

rebbetzin was very, very concerned,” 

said kahn. 

according to kahn, the rebbetzin 


was concerned for all involved, from 

the Chasidim’s parents to their old 

yeshivas. She worried about the marriage 

prospects of the newcomers, 

and was concerned that they should 

continue to respect their families 

and that the family unit remain 

complete. 

when it came to the shluchim, the 

Chabad-lubavitch emissaries who 

serve far-flung communities around 

the world to strengthen Judaism, 

the rebbetzin was far more than a 

steadfast supporter. She admired 

the hardships they endured and the 

sacrifices they made to carry out 

their missions. 

kahn remembered that one time 

when she came to see the rebbetzin, 

there were a bunch of handmade 

items on the table. a group 

of Shluchim had sent them to the 

rebbetzin. 

“’They are so busy,’” kahn said the 

rebbetzin told her. “’They have 

such heavy schedules, and they have 

nothing else to do than to think 

about me and send [these] to me? 

and who am I?’” 

when kahn tried responding about 

how much the rebbetzin means 

to the Shluchim, the rebbetzin, 

in a rebuke of sorts, told her that 

she evidently does not appreciate 

enough the Shluchim’s impossible 

schedules. 

when traveling to the hospital on 

the very night of her passing, and 

in tremendous pain, the rebbetzin’s 

sole concern appeared to be about 

the details of the doctor’s daughter’s 

engagement and her soon-to-be 

married life. 

“It’s just amazing to me,” said Sarah 

Shemtov, whose father tended at 

times to the medical needs of the 

rebbe and rebbetzin, “that the rebbetzin 

was within an hour or hours 

before her [soul] left this world, 

and in the car, she didn’t ask [any] 

questions about herself. 

“The rebbetzin kept on turning 

to my father,” continued Shemtov, 

“and asking, ‘So tell me doctor, how 

is the young couple? how are they 

doing? are they happy? when is the 

wedding? tell me about it.’” 

“I think [that] she never thought 

about herself,” stated kahn. “It was 

always about somebody else.” 

a Ready Listener 

years after visiting her, guests 

remembered that the rebbetzin 

had a way of making the person she 

was speaking with feel as if he or 

she was the only one who mattered 

in the entire world, reminiscent of 

the way people describe the rebbe’s 

undivided attention as he listened 

Continued on page 13


Shaalos Utshuvos in Modern Times 

Why is my self-esteem tied up with 

my career? 

by tzvi Freeman 

Question: 

I have a problem in that my entire 

source of pride is from my work. 

I'm not talking about a negative, 

destructive pride, but rather a sense 

of purpose. 

you see, the last two years of my life 

have been a roller-coaster. I'm set on 

a career in a law firm, but rarely do I 

manage to get full-time hours. Staff 

comes and go, even the partners keep 

changing. and now, with the market 

the way it is... 

you might tell me, 

so great, you get 

lots of time for 

studying torah 

and doing comm 

u n i t y w o r k . 

but that's just the 

problem: It's only 

when I have full 

hours regularly 

that I can get 

myself to do those 

things. The rest 

of the time, I feel 

like such a dork, 

I can hardly get 

out of the house. 

It seems like my 

entire being, all 

my self-esteem 

and self-concept 

is tied up with my 

success in the business 

place. I would 

like to transfer 

that dependency 

to my worth as a 

Jew doing mitzvahs 

and studying 

torah, but how? 

why is my 'sense of security' dependent 

on work? Is it because I am a 

man and therefore I feel the need 

to provide, and thus my life does, 

rightly, revolve around work? rabbi, 

if you have any advice for me, or if 

you can even understand my rambling, 

then please let me know. 

response: 

hi M______, great to hear from 

you again! 

yes, you are fighting a deeply 

ingrained instinct. a man is a 

provider--does he have any instinct 

stronger than this? For pleasure, 

power and honor a man will make 

sacrifices and take risks, but to 

provide for his family and to protect 

them he will put his very life on the 

line without a second thought. It's no 

surprise, therefore, if our self-esteem 

is so wrapped up with our success as 

providers. 

If G-d designed us this way, it is 

good and it is healthy. your wife and 

children will certainly agree that it is 

a good thing. For yourself as well--it 

is this instinct that provides you with 

dignity. as the talmud puts it, "They 

depend upon you and you depend on 

he who spoke and brought the world 

into being." That "he who spoke" 

could provide directly for them, yet 

he gives you the privilege to partner 

with him and be the active channel 

for his blessings. 

No, it's not the only measure of a 

man. we are placed on this earth to 

do more than make money. we are 

here to give money to others who 

need it more, to do the mitzvahs, to 

find a G-dly purpose in every human 

activity and to learn torah wisdom 

and apply it to this world. and yet, 

rabbi Moshe Cordevero wrote, 

a man must always see himself as 

the delivery mechanism "between 

the Divine Presence above and the 

Divine Presence below"--meaning, 

between G-d and his wife. 

"G-d made mankind upright," Solomon 

observes, "but they found ways 

to complicate everything." It's not 

the G-d-given instinct to provide 

that messes men up, it's how we 

evaluate our prowess as providers. 

Now take a little l'chaim so I can 

break the hard news: like the rest 

of us, you are letting the world write 

your report card. you know and G-d 

knows that you are doing your best 

job. you know and he knows that 

you have fixed times to learn torah, 

you do lots of mitzvahs, give lots 

of tzedaka and keep the Shabbos 

holy. and you are, after all, bringing 

home a paycheck--sufficient for your 

family's needs and some extras. So 

what is there to fret about? That there 

are people more successful than 

yourself? That you don't yet have 

everything you imagined when you 

were in law School? every day the 

Master of the world gives you the 

privilege to go to work and be his 

partner in feeding your family. every 

month, you receive a paycheck from 

his open and generous hand. and 

he lets you receive it with dignity, 

since you know you studied hard to 

be where you are and worked equally 

as hard to service your clients and 

provide them the best counsel you 

know to provide. are you to blame 

for the financial climate and the 

whims of your associates? are you 

G-d, that everything that happens 

in your little world should be a 

measure of your success as a lawyer 

and a man? 

Will we still have free choice when 

Moshiach comes? 

by yisroel Cotlar 

Question: 

will we still have freedom of choice 

when Moshiach comes? From what 

I've read, it seems like we will automatically 

do the right thing. and 

without any decisions to make, won't 

life be pretty boring? 

Response: 

I like this question. when Moshiach 

comes, there won't be the many 

layers of confusion that make life 

so difficult. Priorities will change. 

we will sense the importance and 

beauty of the torah and Mitzvot. 

being generous with others will be 

natural. Divine wisdom will shine 

through every aspect of the world. In 

the words of the prophet, "The entire 

world will be filled with knowledge 

of G-d as waters cover the ocean."1 

and with the truth so obvious, who 

will be able to do anything wrong? 

however, good versus evil is not 

the only decision we make in life. 

There's another sort of free choice 

too--one that will even apply even 

when Moshiach comes: Good versus 

better. 

today, the question is often whether 

or not we do a certain good deed. 

when Moshiach comes, it will be 

to what extent we do that Mitzvah. 

will we push ourselves to the max 

or just be satisfied with a regular job. 

today, we choose between using 

our talents for good things or bad 

things. when Moshiach comes, we 

will choose between nurturing those 

talents even further or just letting 

them be. 

From Chabad.org 

take a reasonable look, just somewhat 

objective, at who you are and 

what is expected of you. Don't let 

anyone else measure you and don't 

measure yourself against them. 

undoubtedly, you'll find room for 

improvement. but, if you are really 

honest, you will also find much to 

be proud of and grateful for. "Some 

people think," the rebbe wrote in a 

letter, "that the only way to get more 

from G-d is by kvetching about all 

that is missing. The truth is that 

when we are thankful for what we 

have, and express that gratitude 

openly, that is when he provides 

even more." 

take pride in your work and thank 

G-d for giving you your bread with 

dignity. Say thank you, and he will 

provide from his full and open 

hand. 

I think this answers your second 

question. you are right. Obstacles 

give us excitement. They provide us 

with a drive for life. when Moshiach 

comes, that drive will be there--only 

in a different form. 

Think of both an airplane and a 

rocket. They both require a form 

of resistance in order to fly. In the 

airplane, this resistance is provided 

through interplay with an external 

factor: the varied degrees of air pressure 

on both sides of the wings. Now, 

above a certain elevation this is no 

longer possible. you have to create 

your own resistance that pushes 

downwards. This is the rocket. 

today, our battle is between good 

and bad. with evil working against 

us, we make the right decisions 

and propel ourselves forward. but 

when Moshiach comes, we'll leave 

this atmosphere. evil will become a 

no-brainier. we will need our own 

rockets - the challenge of good versus 

better. and we will use freedom of 

choice to decide just how high we 

want to soar. 

as the talmud tells us, "tzadikim 

have no rest, neither in this world, 

nor in the next." In the words of the 

prophet, "They go from strength to 

strength."2 

FOOtNOteS 

1. Isaiah 11:9 

2. talmud, brachot 64a

The Rebbetzin 

Continued from Page 11 

to people. 

“The rebbetzin was a person that 

you felt comfortable telling her 

everything,” said hadassah Carlebach. 

“She listened and showed 

concern, and asked me how things 

[were] going. [She] made me feel 

very good, and comforted me many 

times.” 

Following her arrival to the united 

States after the holocaust, Carlebach 

went to the rebbetzin for advice. 

“I needed to help feed the family, so 

I started teaching,” said Carlebach. 

“I told her how hard it was for me, 

and she encouraged me. 

“when I mentioned, ‘I don’t think 

I’m cut out for it,’ “ the rebbetzin 

expressed her understanding, but 

then added, “ ‘while you’re doing it, 

do [your] best,’ “ continued Carlebach. 

“ ‘She said do the best you can. 

whatever you are doing at that point, 

do the best that you can do.” 

Indeed, Carlebach persisted, and 

excelled at teaching for 20 years. 

louise hager, who is now a businesswoman 

living in london, related 

the first conversation she had with 

the rebbetzin at age 14: The rebbetzin 

wanted to know, “what did 

I enjoy? what were the subjects? 

who were my friends? She showed 

great interest. 

“I have to admit, never having been 

a particularly keen student, I came 

away wanting to give her something, 

wanting to impress her, wanting to 

give her some good news,” added 

hager. “So I started to write to 

her.” 

Doing so turned out to be a big 

incentive to do better: “I made an 

effort to try and do well in school.” 

“The rebbetzin would relate to 

anyone, even to the [little] children,” 

said lew. “She would say [to the little 

ones], ‘Come to Doda [aunt].’” 

One time, the rebbetzin asked lew’s 

son to sing a Chasidic melody known 

as a nigun. 

“he sang a [slow introspective 

Chabad tune] and she had tears 

glistening in her eyes,” said lew. 

“he said, ‘Do you know it?’ 

“She answered, ‘It’s my father’s song 

[known as “the beinoni”].’ “ 

life’s Partner 

In honor of 20 years since the rebbetzin’s 

passing, Jewish educational 

Media released a new DvD featuring 

interviews with people who knew 

her. 

“’you know, my husband comes 

home very late,’” Gorlin-lassner said 

the rebbetzin told her at the end of 

their meeting in (the mid-1980’s). 

“’he sometimes comes home [at] 

two, three in the morning. and when 

he comes home, I am going to have 

so much to say to him’” about the 

meeting. 

“They would have dinner together,” 

said weiss, referring to that time 

as the rebbe and the rebbetzin’s 

“private tea party.” 

Carlebach was amazed that the 

rebbetzin steadfastly waited up for 

the rebbe. 

“I don’t know how many wives would 

The Rebbe of Kotzk 

Continue from Page 9 

the many reasons for this custom 

is one that has an important life 

lesson. 

to use a bow and arrow effectively, 

the shooter must first pull the bow 

towards himself. Once the bow is 

pulled as far back as possible, the 

arrow can be released with significant 

force and hopefully meets its 

target quickly and accurately. 

The only effective way to change 

other people is to begin with ourselves 

The lesson here is simple but 

powerful. In order to conquer and 

affect the world around us we must 

first move inwards. when we look 

deeply into our own soul, realizing 

the amazing potential that we possess, 

only then can we influence 

others. 


stay up [regularly] till 4:00 in the 

morning and wait for their husband 

to come home from [meetings] in 

order to ensure that he wouldn’t be 

eating by himself,” she said. 

Those few involved in the rebbe 

and the rebbetzin’s medical care 

emphasized how each one tried to 

shield the other from painful news. 

They would also call doctors on the 

other’s behalf. 

“The rebbetzin would always call 

my father on behalf of the rebbe, 

and the rebbe would always call my 

father on behalf of the rebbetzin,” 

said Shemtov. “each one always 

called for the other.” 

hager said that she learned about the 

importance of human relationships 

from the rebbetzin. 

“valuing people for what they are, 

not knocking them, building them 

up, trying to bring out the best in 

people, the positive thinking: Those 

are all things that she lived by,” said 

hager. “and that’s an example for us: 

looking at the glass being half full, 

not half empty.” 

The rebbe of kotzk once said: 

“when I was younger I thought 

I would change the world. I then 

decided that I would work on my 

city, and later concentrated just on 

my family. but now I have decided 

just to try and change myself.” I do 

not believe the kotzker rebbe meant 

that he would work only on himself 

and ignore others. after all, he led a 

big community and was responsible 

for thousands of followers. what he 

was saying is that the only effective 

way to change other people is to 

begin with ourselves. 

Improving our own character and 

personality is within our control. 

we choose to progress or stagnate, 

to become angry or stay calm, to give 

or to hold back. we cannot control 

other people, but we can influence 

them by moving inwards. Changing 

ourselves will change others. 

HEAP 

The HEAP Program Outreach Workers 

The scheduled appointments are on 

TUESDAY, February 17 -- 9:15 AM--3:30 PM. 

at the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, 

387 Kingston Avenue (corner Crown St.). 

Please come early -- First come, first served 

GREAT NEWS. The outreach workers will accept BOTH regular 

and emergency applications. (To apply for emergency heap you 

must have a shut-off notice.)


Shleimus Haaretz 

An analysis of the camp david peace process 

Based on the rebbe’s talks 

This is the clear halachah in Shulchan 

aruch. even a cur sory look at 

the situation today in eretz yisroel 

will re veal the startling similarity 

to this halachah. The essence of the 

above halachah is the prohibition 

against allowing non-Jews to take 

control of a city next to the border 

for fear it will imperil the security 

of the country itself. This is exactly 

the situation today. every inch of 

territory in eretz yisroel today contributes 

to its security; and to give it 

to non-Jews endangers that security. 

The unanimous opinion of military 

experts is that the lands are essential 

to eretz yis roel’s secu rity, and to 

relinquish them poses a military 

dan ger to its very existence. The 

reason is simple. Strategic depth is 

vital to its security, as was so clearly 

demonstrated in the 1973 yom kippur 

war. we can only imagine what 

would have happened, G-d forbid, 

had egypt been in possession of the 

Sinai; the egyptian army could have 

easily penetrated to the very core of 

eretz yisroel. yehudah and Shomron 

and the Golan heights are even 

more vital for defensible bor ders; 

and to relinquish them outright, or 

in the form of auton omy which is 

the equivalent of giving them up, is 

en dan gering our security. all these 

lands are, in the words of Shul chan 

aruch, “close to the border,” meaning 

that giving pos session of them to 

the enemy is leaving the rest of the 

Shidduchim 

Astrology ? 

Someone asked me recently 

if Graphology and astrology 

had any place in the research 

for shidduchim. 

If we are going to stretch let 

us add Palmistry as well, why 

not? 

Graphology is the science of 

reading one's handwriting to 

discover character traits of 

the writer. There was recently 

and article in the Mishpacha 

Magazine describing how 

graphology was used in shidduch 

research. 

Palmistry is the science of 

reading the palm of the hand. People 

who know how to read plams will tell 

you that one hand is more changeable 

than the other, because one 

hand tells you what could be and 

the other one what is. (Don't ask me 

which is which). 

lastly we have astrology, maybe 

the most well known of these 

"sciences". 

So what is the answer? 

The very short answer is : It 

land vulnerable to easy conquest. 

Indeed, the situation today is, in 

several respects, more severe than 

that described in Shulchan aruch. 

The Shulchan aruch gives this 

directive 1) even when the non-Jews 

just want to come — and we cannot 

be sure they actually will come; 2) 

even if they come they only demand 

straw and stubble, and probably will 

be satisfied with that and depart; 

3) even if they desire to actually 

conquer the city close to the border 

they may not be successful in their 

objective. Nevertheless, despite all 

these doubts, torah tells us that since 

they may actually come; and since 

they may not be satisfied with just 

the straw and stubble; and since they 

may then conquer the city — and 

thus the rest of the land will be open 

for conquest — we must therefore 

take military steps to prevent this at 

the very beginning, when they are 

merely contemplating coming. 

depends. 

The longer answer is that we should 

never ever rely on any of these or 

other "gimmicks" to tell us if it 

is the "right one" or not. Diligent 

research and proper advice from 

parents, Mashpiim and rabeim will 

definitely serve you better. 

On the other hand if you know an 

expert graphologist and wish to 

present him with samples of your 

handwritings, as long as you do 

not give the results more than a 5% 

weight in your decision, why not? 

In today’s situation, the circumstances 

are not so doubt ful. while 

torah tells us we must keep the situation 

from even developing to the 

point that the enemy might be in a 

position to occupy a city close to the 

border, it is proposed that we actually 

give them these lands outright! 

Our strate gic buffer zone will have 

been eliminated. The valuable extra 

time for our air defense to operate 

is gone. The egyp tian army will be 

positioned that much closer to the 

rest of eretz yisroel, and the densely 

populated inner core of the land is 

made infinitely more vulnerable to 

attack. Can there 

be greater danger 

to Jewish life than 

this? 

besides the actual 

lands, there are 

several other factors 

which also 

are a matter of 

pikuach nefesh, 

matters of life and 

death. In today’s 

times a nation’s 

military machine 

(and its economy) runs on oil. 

without an adequate assured source 

of oil, no war can be fought for any 

reasonable length of time. In the 

Sinai, we had developed several 

im portant oil fields which were a 

major part of our oil supply. without 

those oilfields eretz yisroel is 

dependent on for eign sources for 

98% of its oil. yet those oilfields are 

when one talks about palmistry 

and even more astrology, finding 

someone who knows what they are 

talking about is as rare as pearls on 

the sea shore. 

when we talk of astrology we do 

not even mean the seeing in the 

future part, but more the influence 

that different Mazalos have on our 

development and character. 

Chazal tell us that Mazalos are 

divided into signs of water, air, 

earth and Fire. knowing that one 

is a water sign and our prospective 

spouse is an earth sign is a sign of 

harmony as water and earth are 

compatible signs. If we are fire 

and water... well it will make for a 

tumultuous marriage. 

On the other hand, one person 

is never completely a water or air 

or fire or earth sign alone. One is 

prevalently one or the other with 

influences from the other three in 

different degrees so for someone to 

make a judgement based on Mazalos, 

they would have to be experts 

indeed. So the longer answer has 

to be stick to the tried and true and 

leave the signs and stars to others. 

being given up as part of the Camp 

David process. 

It must be emphasized that there is 

no substitute for eretz yisroel having 

its own sources of oil. The facilities 

are simply not there to store oil for 

any adequate length of time (as has 

been ascertained by numerous studies). 

likewise, notwithstanding any 

assurances to the contrary, neither 

the u.S.a. nor any other country 

can be relied upon to supply us with 

oil. The u.S.a. has its own energy 

problems. It would be foolish and 

naive to think it will supply eretz 

yis roel with oil at a time when its 

own citizens may be angrily standing 

in long lines at the gas pumps. 

The Sinai also contains the extremely 

valuable assets of Jewish settlements 

and airfields, developed by Jewish 

inge nuity at Jewish expense. border 

settlements are our first line of 

defense against enemy armies and 

terrorists. to abandon these settlements 

means removing one of our 

strongest de fenses and creating great 

danger to Jewish lives. 

The airfields which we must relinquish 

under the terms of the treaty 

are among the most sophisticated in 

the world; and they will be handed 

over into egyptian hands! This is 

a double jeopardy: we lose the airfields; 

and the enemy gains forward 

bases from which to menace the 

whole land. 

aside from the security aspect of 

the above, which, as explained, 

constitutes a clear case of pikuach 

nefesh, there are other, secondary 

matters involved. From the purely 

economic viewpoint, the results of 

the peace treaty are dis astrous. at 

a time when every other country in 

the world is scrambling desperately 

to find ways to cut its energy costs, 

eretz yisroel is giving away its 

oilfields. Since giving up its oilfields, 

its energy bill has jumped by billions 

of dollars. and when the last oilfield 

is gone, it will have to import 98% 

of its oil — at tremendous cost. 

to rub salt into the wound, we are 

expected to be grateful to egypt 

for gra ciously consenting to ‘allow’ 

us to buy oil from those self-same 

oilfields — which were developed 

by us in the first place! 

to sum up: Shulchan aruch instructs 

us that it is pro hib ited to allow lands 

which are necessary for secure 

bor ders to fall into enemy hands. 

It constitutes a danger to the entire 

land, and must be prevented even 

to the extent of desecrating the 

Shabbos because of it. all military 

experts agree that most of the Sinai, 

the Golan heights, yehudah and 

Shomron, are vital to the security 

of eretz yisroel. The halachah then 

must be that it is prohibited to give 

up these lands on the basis of such 

surrender being pikuach nefesh, a 

matter of preserving Jewish life.

Financial Interest 

Job Scams: The Recession Turns Ugly 

by M.P. McQueen 

tuesday, February 10, 2009 

provided by The Wall Street Journal 

as unemployment reaches levels not 

seen in decades, job and businessopportunity 

scams are flourishing. 

Consumer-protection and lawenforcement 

groups and better-business 

bureaus are reporting a growing 

number of phony job-recruitment 

and work-at-home schemes targeting 

desperate americans looking for a 

way to pay the bills. 

"In these times of despair, people 

who have been laid off, including 

executives, make desperate decisions, 

and the predators are out 

there," says Michael Galvin, vice 

president of communications at the 

better business bureau of Southeast 

Florida and the Caribbean, in west 

Palm beach, Fla. 

More 

Complaints 

The Federal trade 

Commission, the 

consumer-protection 

agency, 

received nearly 

6,000 complaints 

against employment 

agencies and 

job-counseling 

services in 2007. 

The numbers of 

complaints are 

almost certain to 

rise along with the 

unemployment 

figures. 

Some business-opportunity rip-offs 

require an upfront fee of $40 to 

$200 or more to receive information. 

Often, instead of receiving 

specific instructions, customers 

receive vague advice on how to place 

Internet ads to sell products. 

Some scams are variants of mailbased 

frauds originating overseas 

that have circulated for years, and 

part victims not only from their 

cash, but also from sensitive personal 

information that could be used for 

identity theft. 

Others are "phishing" scams that use 

email or fake web sites from phony 

employers to gather confidential 

data from victims for identity theft 

or money laundering. 

among complaints of identity 

theft, employment-related ID fraud 

increased to 14% in 2007 from 12% 

of complaints in 2005, according to 

the FtC. 

Limit personal Data 

Job seekers should protect themselves 

by withholding some personal 

information on résumés posted on 

Internet job boards. They should 

never supply Social Security numbers 

or bank-account numbers 

upfront or over the phone. also, be 

wary of job and business opportunities 

that promise hefty rewards with 

little effort, consumer-protection 

officials say. 

to be sure, employment and business 

scams are nothing new. but officials 

say the number of scams often rises 

and falls with the economic tides, 

and right now the tide is bringing 

in the sharks. 

In November, police in tennessee 

arrested and charged a female suspect 

in connection with an employment 

scam that they believe spanned 

several states, including texas, 

Missouri and New york. 

The woman, who had posed as a 

man, allegedly advertised jobs for 

security officers and house cleaners. 

Job hopefuls filled out applications 

that included their 

Social Security 

numbers and dates 

of birth and paid 

$69, supposedly 

for background 

checks and drug 

screenings. 

but no job referrals 

came, and 

the so-called 

recruiter allegedly 

absconded with 

the job seekers' 

applications and 

money. arresting 

officers in Memphis 

said they 

confiscated 60 work applications and 

tax documents containing personal 

information from the suspect. 

Meanwhile, phony executive-search 

firms are demanding thousands of 

dollars in upfront fees from corporate 

job candidates, who wind up 

with nothing but headaches. 

author and executive coach linda 

Dominguez says fraudsters apparently 

are targeting increasingly 

desperate executives whose résumés 

have languished on job boards for 

months. 

Sometimes the victims don't report 

the crimes to the police or other 

authorities because they're worried 

about appearing foolish to prospective 

employers. 

In general, "executive recruiters are 

paid by the companies, so if they 

are asking for your money, a red 

flag should go up," Ms. Dominguez 

says. 

'Work at Home' Scams 

Don't pay fees for referrals to government 

jobs, including jobs with the 

u.S. Postal Service, either; there are 

no "secret" channels to government 


employment. 

Jobs That Can Earn 

Federal jobs are listed at www.usa. 

gov; state and local positions also 

More Than $100,000 

Without College 

are posted on government web 

sites, and information on them is 

Forbes 

sometimes posted in state unem- 1. Real Estate Broker 

ployment offices. 

90th Percentile Income: $187,000 

Pitches for bogus work-at-home 


opportunities involving medical Only two jobs on this list have a six- 

billing, rebate processing, "mystery figure median wage. This is one of them. 

shopper" positions that promise although you have to get a license, you 

to pay you for buying products need only be a high school graduate and 

anonymously for companies, and at least 18 years old to apply for one, and 

money-order processing jobs also you have to pass a written test. expect to 

are on the rise, say better business work evenings and weekends. Compet- 

bureau and consumer-protection ing for clients with more experienced 

officials. 

and established brokers won't be easy 

One classic rip-off involves a "job" 

cashing checks or reshipping electronics 

supplied by parcel post. 

The recipient is supposed to keep a 

portion of the funds and return the 

rest to the sender. 

either. The economy isn't the best for 

brokers now, but as it bounces back, 

there may be great opportunities. 

Source: Payscale.com. Incomes are calculated 

for individuals with eight-plus years in each 

field. 

but the checks are often counterfeit, 

and the goods are stolen. a 

participant runs the risk of being 

2. air Traffic Controller 



prosecuted as well as cheated. This and real estate broker are the 

roberto delos Santos of tucson, 

ariz., posted his résumé on an Internet 

job board in late December. The 

59-year-old nearly became a victim 

after answering an emailed job offer 

for an "administrative assistant." 

only two jobs on this list with a sixfigure 

median wage. Stress abounds. 

Just getting in the door requires drug 

screening, background checks, medical 

exams, attending a Federal aviation 

administration-approved education 

program and a pre-employment test. 

without so much as an interview, Once you've got the job, the benefits and 

Mr. delos Santos then received pay are both healthy. Most openings 

an email informing him he was here will come from replacement needs, 

"hired" and asking him to return a as a generation of air traffic controllers 

signed job agreement. That's when retires over the next decade. 

he learned the "job" consisted of 

receiving money orders, checks and 

other instruments and transferring 

funds through western union and 

3. Small Business Owner/Operator 



MoneyGram. 

Casual dress, flexible hours and unlim- 

"I became suspicious," he says, after 

he noted the irregular spelling of the 

company's name and other details. 

ited use of the company car make this 

a potentially very sweet deal. Find a 

need, throw some money at it and start 

getting money back. If only it were that 

Mr. delos Santos, a former home- easy. Still, the top 25% of this ragtag 

care aide, decided not to return the bunch easily swings six figures. expect 

agreement, and instead notified his to use every skill you have and develop 

local better business bureau, which a few along the way. Customer service, 

warned him that the pitch was a graphic design, sales, finance and lead- 

money-laundering scam. 

ership are just the entry-level survival 

Meanwhile, own-your-own-business 

skills of the commercial jungle. 

schemes also are spreading, includ- 4. plumber, pipe Fitter or 

ing pyramid schemes disguised Steamfitter 

as network-marketing (otherwise 90th Percentile Income: $130,000 

known as multilevel-marketing) pro- 75th Percentile Income: $94,500 

grams. The pitches usually promise 

outsize riches for little effort. 

One of the largest and most wellpaid 

pursuits in construction. The 

but if you earn commissions primar- training you need can come from 

ily by recruiting others and not by an apprenticeship, tech school or 

selling goods or services, the enter- community college, and not all states 

prise likely is illegal, say officials at require licensing. If you want to 

the FtC. The agency reported nearly make that six-figure wage, expect to 

3,100 complaints about pyramid work late, as the job often falls short 

schemes, chain letters and multilevel of $100,000 before overtime. Get a 

marketing groups in 2007. 

good reputation, and maybe a little 

"If how you get money is getting 

other people to sign up, that is a 

sign there is something wrong," 

says laShawn M. Johnson, a staff 

attorney at the FtC. 

skill in welding, and the jobs should 

start pouring in. Future job growth 

and opportunities in the field are 

good. Some employers have been 

reporting a shortage of qualified 

plumbers.


At My Friend's Wedding 

by Mordechai lightstone 

The other night one of my dearest 

friends was married... 

I drove there, missing the Chupah 

-the wedding canopy, but making 

it in time for his grand entrance in 

the hall. 

I've been by many a friend's wedding 

in the past few years...but never one 

like this. 

It was everything that I wanted, and 

everything that I feared. 

I could not have, at that moment, 

been happier. yet a selfish voice 

inside of me chimed in, and try 

as I might to suppress it, it sung a 

melancholy tune. The friend that had 

traveled the world with me, had put 

up with my shtick, had laughed and 

cried with me...would no longer be 

able to do so. 

My friend was leaving to a certain 

degree...he was stepping down the 

path of life, while I seemingly stood 

rooted so firmly in my spot. 

My friend was stepping down the 

path of life, while I stood firmly 

rooted in my spot. he had looked 

past his personal inhibitions...I had 

remained imprisoned by mine. 

Swimming is great low impact exercise! 

Come to the Rec-Center! 

SuNDay 

EVERYONE 

MUST HAVE 

A BATHING CAP 

TO ENTER 

THE POOL! 

WOMEN: 

6:00PM - 7:45PM 

Girls 

7:45PM - 8:45PM 

women/laps 

MONDay 

MEN: 

6:00PM - 7:45PM 

boys 

7:45PM - 8:45PM 

Men/laps 

Ingrained within my soul was a 

deeply rooted fear: how others see 

us, what they think, remains an 

issue of paramount importance. am 

I seen as who I am, or how I look? 

as how I feel I am, or how others 

think I am? 

all these fears passed through my 

mind at that moment. 

Me, me...I, I. 

Is that all there is? Is this is what I 

have come to...obsession with the 

singularity of my existence? 

but in truth the problem is not in 

how others see me, but rather how 

CAPS AVAILABLE 

FOR PURCHASE 

FOR $3.00 

February 2009- 

tueSDay 

WOMEN: 

6:00PM - 7:45PM 

Girls 

7:45PM - 8:45PM 

aqua aerobic adult 

8:45PM - 10:00PM 

women/laps 

I see myself. 

If I were to see myself for who I truly 

am, not as who I wish to be, if I could 

live up to what I am supposed to be, 

and not as what I wish, then all would 

be as it ought. 

Of my desires? Plans made, then 

dashed cruelly asunder by the tumultuous 

seas upon the jagged teeth of 

upturned stone that line the shore 

of life? 

"I want you," I say to G-d. you, 

however, tell me that you know far 

better. after all, as Creator, you have 

the right. 

weDNeSDay 

MEN: 

6:00PM - 7:45PM 

boys 

7:45PM - 8:45PM 

Men 

aDMISSION 

$2.00 

aerobics 

additional, 

not included 

in admission 

thurSDay 

WOMEN: 

6:00PM - 7:45PM 

Girls 

7:45PM - 8:45PM 

women 

aerobics 

must be 

reserved in 

advance 

aerobics classes 

ahuva– 917 297 2917 

aqua aerobics 

Devorah leah - 

973 216 1188 

I have my plans, and you have 

yours…but while mine may unfold 

as I wish, they may also not; yours, 

however, always will be, and for more 

I can not wish. 

My eyes focus on the groom. his 

lithe figure, cloaked in the silken 

gleam of a new kopote -frock coat 

and girded with a dangling gartel 

-belt worn by Chassidim during 

prayer, bobbed on the shoulders of 

a friend. his arms flying over his 

head like a rider on a wild bronco, 

he scanned the crowd - the last rays 

of the setting sun refracted from the 

window and glinted in his eyes, his 

face aglow with fires within and the 

fires with out. 

This is everything I have 

wanted, and nothing more. 

The singularity of my existence 

is not some separate 

entity from that of my friend, 

we are one. I need not fear a 

dissonance in our relationship, 

a duality of desires… 

for when he is happy, then I 

can not be happier. 

The music swells. The crowd 

roars. 

I dance, as I have never 

danced before. 

MOtZeI ShabbOS 

MEN: 

6:30PM - 8:00PM 

boys 

8:00PM - 10:00PM 

Men 

Swimming Lessons: Boys: Call Shmuly 917 608 4545 - - Girls: Call Miriam 917 657 4353 

For more information call 718-778-8610 after 6pM

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