**************************************************************************** L'CHAIM ISSUE # 284 PART 1 OF 8 **************************************************************************** THE WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR EVERY JEWISH PERSON Dedicated to the memory of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson N.E. **************************************************************************** Sept 9, 1993 Parshas - Nitzavim/Vayelech 24 Elul 5753 **************************************************************************** "Listen, I'm really sorry it happened and I'm going to try to make sure it doesn't happen again," you say spontaneously but with genuine regret after the minor snafu. It was, after all, a mistake--an avoidable error that you hope will not be repeated. What about when a bigger slip-up happens? One that you can't smooth over as easily with an, "I'm sorry, it won't happen again"? Whether you've got to come clean with your boss, your significant other, a colleague or a family member, you've got to put more thought into your apology and into how you can make sure the mistake won't reoccur. And if it's a really serious transgression, it'll take more than a well-thought out apology to clear the air. It might take a series of open discussions with the person, a chain of actions to undo the harm done, and lots of time to heal the wounds. Beginning on the Saturday evening before Rosh Hashana, and continuing each morning thereafter until the New Year, we say special prayers asking for G-d's forgiveness. These prayers, known as selichot, are a spiritual work-out that helps us get ready for the Day of Judgement on Rosh Hashana. For, on Rosh Hashana, when we stand before the Heavenly Court, all of our misdemeanors cheerfully come to greet us, so to speak. We have to be well-prepared for the encounter with real and practiced feelings of regret and positive plans for the future. The selichot prayers help us accomplish just that. "G-d, may our prayers come before You, and don't turn away from our entreaties, for we are not so impudent and hardened as to declare before You that we are righteous and have not sinned. Indeed, we and our ancestors have sinned. "We have transgressed, we have deceived, we have robbed, we have maligned. We have acted perversely and wickedly, we have purposefully sinned, we have been violent, we have incriminated others. We have given harmful advice, we have lied, we have scoffed, we have rebelled, we have provoked, we have been disobedient, we have done wrong, we have wantonly transgressed, we have oppressed others, we have been obstinate. We have acted corruptly, we have damaged, we have acted abominably, we have gone astray, we have led others astray." The story is told of a young boy, the son of a great rabbi, who heard his father reciting the selichot prayers before Rosh Hashana in a somber voice punctuated with sobs and bitter tears. "We have transgressed, we have deceived, we have robbed..." The boy was shocked and heartbroken. All these years he had thought, no, he had known that his father was a great and righteous person. So many people came to him for advice. So many studied Torah with him. So many came just to bask in the presence of this special person. Yet, here stood his father, reciting a litany of heinous transgressions. The young boy ran crying to his home, ashamed and bewildered. His mother approached him and listened to his woeful tale. "All Jews are connected one to another. Your father did not commit all of those sins himself. Our Sages ordained that we should say the selichot prayers in the plural--`We have sinned, we have transgressed...' because we are all one. What one Jew does affects every single Jew. And so, before Rosh Hashana, when we ask for forgiveness for ourselves, we ask for forgiveness for every single Jew." Those of us who are not yet totally righteous might find some personal truth in many of the admissions that we recite in the selichot prayer. Not necessarily on the most obvious level, of course, but in actions, thoughts or deeds that are more subtle than those listed. Get in shape for Rosh Hashana starting this Saturday night after midnight at your local synagogue. You--and every other Jew--will be happy you did. **************************************************************************** L'CHAIM ISSUE # 284 PART 2 OF 8 **************************************************************************** LIVING WITH THE TIMES THE WEEKLY TORAH PORTION **************************************************************************** The first of this week's two Torah portions--Nitzavim--contains a description of the great ingathering of exiles to take place when Moshiach ushers in the Redemption. "Then G-d will restore your captivity...and will return and gather you from all the nations." Our Sages comment on the word "and will return--va'shav": "From this we learn that the G-dly Presence is in exile together with the Jewish people." G-d will only be redeemed when the entire Jewish nation is restored, as "He has dictated the terms of His own Redemption--when He will return with them." What is so radical about the concept of G-d being in exile together with the Jews? Had not G-d already promised, back in the days of the Patriarchs, that He would accompany the Jewish people throughout their travails--"I will be with you"--"And behold, I am with you"? G-d specifically stated that He would accompany the Children of Israel during the Egyptian exile. What then, are we to learn from the above verse? The fact that G-d is always with the Jews, even in their exile, implies two different things. On the one hand, G-d stands above the exile and its limitations, guarding and protecting His flock, who are likened to "one sheep among seventy wolves." Yet at the same time, the term "and will return" reflects the fact that G-d, too, is affected by the exile, having been banished from His dwelling place in the Holy Temple. G-d suffers together with the Jewish people and will continue to do so until G-d and the Jewish people are simultaneously restored to their rightful place. Yet this explanation presents us with a paradox. According to the principle that "a prisoner cannot free himself from prison," how can G-d, Who is Himself in exile, bring about the Final Redemption? Our Sages addressed this problem by explaining that G-d "dictated His own Redemption." Even before the exile occurred, G-d determined how long it would last and fixed the date of the Final Redemption for Himself and for the Jewish people. Our Sages further explained that, contrary to what one might think, G-d will not first redeem Himself and then redeem the Jews. "He will return together with them"--both will occur concurrently. The Divine Presence is in exile as long as even one Jew remains in exile. Rashi, the great commentator, continues: "Great and difficult is the day of the ingathering of the exiles, for it is as if G-d will take every single Jew by the hand, wherever he may be." The redemption of the Jewish people is the redemption of the Divine Presence. May we speedily witness the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the ingathering of the exiles through Moshiach. Adapted from the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe **************************************************************************** L'CHAIM ISSUE # 284 PART 3 OF 8 **************************************************************************** SLICE OF LIFE **************************************************************************** by Esther Altmann Twenty years ago, when a searching Jew wandered into a Jewish bookstore, there was very little available to fill his need for Jewish texts in English. Thankfully, over the past 10-15 years highly readable English translations of classical Hebrew texts have proliferated. Now, the only obstacle standing between the English-speaking Jew and an in-depth knowledge of Jewish sources is motivation and time. Rabbi Eli Touger is a phenomenon in the translation of Chasidic texts, whose own contribution to the reading public fills several shelves in the ever-growing cache of English translations. Raised in a traditional home on Long Island, it was at the age of 20, during a trip to Israel, that Rabbi Touger first came into contact with Chabad-Lubavitch. Attracted by what he encountered, he remained in Israel studying in yeshiva there and then continued his studies in Brooklyn in the advanced theological seminary at "770" Eastern Parkway. Touger's unusual linguistic talents drew him to the field of translation, and it is in that field that he has made a great contribution to the contemporary English-speaking Jew. Rabbi Touger has been a member of the staff of Sichos in English since the inception of the organization, which is dedicated to the dissemination of Chabad Chasidut in English to the greater public. To this end they have published 40-some volumes of the Rebbe's teachings in English. In more recent years they have made the Rebbe's lectures and popular expositions of his philosophy available on computer bulletin board, by fax, and by mail subscription, thus reaching a wide and constantly growing readership. Rabbi Touger has achieved a well-earned reputation for his very readable translations of classical Jewish texts, such as the Kitzer Shulchan Aruch. His largest, ongoing project is a translation of the Mishne Torah of Rambam (Maimonides). His translation has provided a readable English text of this seminal work to the millions of people who, following a call from the Lubavitcher Rebbe some ten years ago, study it on a daily basis. Before Rabbi Touger embarked on this enormous project, there was no modern English translation available. Rabbi Touger noted that in our day, when the arrival of Moshiach is only seconds away, it was the Rebbe's desire that Jews learn the Rambam's Mishne Torah, since this one text encompasses the entire Oral Law. "Through this study, we will further refine the world and prepare it for Moshiach," he explained. Of the 83 volumes of Mishne Torah, 18 have been published in the last six years. I spoke with Rabbi Touger at length about the art of translation, and what it means to bring a text from one language into another. "My goal is to communicate, to serve as a funnel; there is certainly plenty of material--tremendous in scope. "A good translator must have the intellectual flexibility to enter another thought system--not to merely exchange the word from one language to another. The fourth Chabad Rebbe, the Rebbe Maharash, used to hold yechidut (a private audience) very quickly. After two minutes people would emerge from the meeting feeling satisfied. Once, after two hours of such meetings, the Rebbe's son saw him drenched in sweat. His son said, 'I can understand that it is strenuous, but why are you so totally exhausted?' "The Rebbe answered him, 'You must understand that each yechidut involves three changes of clothing. To understand that person, I don his clothes. In order to answer him, I put on my own clothes. For him to understand the answer, I change back into his clothes. In those two hours I saw fifty people--that's 150 changes of clothing. If you changed your clothes 150 times in two hours, you'd also be sweating.' This story sheds some light on the task of the translator. The translator's job is to penetrate the mind of the writer, to focus on the mind of the reader and then, to fuse the two." Our conversation continued to range over the intricacies of the translator's art, and I asked, "How does the translator draw the line between rendering the work accurately and adding too much of his own interpretation?" In reply Rabbi Touger quoted the Talmud Kedushin which says that a translator who translates literally misrepresents the text, and one who adds anything is a blasphemer. "In other words, there is no question that if you translate the text literally, no one will be able to read it; however, the additions cannot be your own. You must probe the text, speak in your own words, but transmit the precise idea that the author wishes to impart." I asked, "How well must the translator know the author in order to correctly render a text?" Rabbi Touger replied: "You don't have to know the author's life, but you must have probed into the author's thought system. For example, I didn't have to know where the Rambam was born, where he lived, etc, but I feel more confident having read his works which showed what he was striving for, what he saw as most important, and what he felt to be the goals of man. When I understand that, I understand the man and his writing." Rabbi Touger is described by a close associate as a tireless worker, having published 25 books in five years, including his latest book, As A New Day Breaks. Rabbi Touger lives in Jerusalem with his wife, author Malka Touger, and their children. **************************************************************************** L'CHAIM ISSUE # 284 PART 4 OF 8 **************************************************************************** WHAT'S NEW **************************************************************************** QUARTERS & DIMES & NICKELS & PENNIES Quarters & Dimes & Nickles & Pennies is a delightful book for young children teaching how important it is to give tzedaka and where the quarters, dimes, nickles and pennies actually go when the tzedaka box is full! Written by Baila Olidort with illustrations by Norman Nodel. Kehot Publications Society, 770 Eastern Pkwy., Bklyn., NY 11213 AS A NEW DAY BREAKS As A New Day Breaks: A Contemporary View of Moshiach and Israel's Redemption is a recent release by Rabbi Eli Touger. The book addresses itself to the trends affecting contemporary society as a setting for the ultimate Redemption. With chapters on topics such as, "Chosen for What?" and "Kingship in Contemporary Society," the book helps the reader grapple with many commonly discussed concepts concerning Moshiach and the Redemption. As A New Day Breaks is available in your Jewish bookstore or directly from Sichos in English. Send $15 to S.I.E., 788 Eastern Pkwy, Bklyn, NY 11213. **************************************************************************** L'CHAIM ISSUE # 284 PART 5 OF 8 **************************************************************************** INSIGHTS **************************************************************************** MAKE THE HOLY LAND HERE From a pre-Rosh Hashana letter of the Lubavitcher Rebbe adressed to "Every Jew" Motzei Shabbat Kodesh-25 Elul, 5750 (1989) Concerning a Jew's spiritual service, our Rebbes have said: "Make this place (the place where you are) the Holy Land." This means that it behooves a Jew to achieve the spiritual superiority of the Holy Land also outside of Israel. It is certain that one can accomplish itsince this is a directive from our Rabbis. Though "G-d's Glory fills the world," in the world at large, the G-dliness exists in a manner that does not permeate the physical soil. However, in Israel, holiness does pervade the physical matter of the land, making the very ground "holy land." Hence, the holiness of the land imposes obligatory laws on the land (and on its produce). Therefore there are mitzvot specifically relating to the Land of Israel which have no counterparts outside of the Land of Israel. This concept may be better understood by means of an illustration from the soul which gives life to the body. There are soul-influences whose effects remain concealed in the inner being of the individual, with no visible bodily signs (e.g. facial expression, and the like). But the soul may also exert its influences in a way that brings forth also bodily reactions, plainly visible on the surface, in the movement of limbs, or other parts of the body. So it is in regard to the "soul" of the Holy Land--it finds expression in the profound spiritual nature of the land, which thoroughly permeates also its external part, the "body," of the Land of Israel, the physical matter of the land. To explain further, one might question what is gained by holiness manifesting itself also in the realm of the material and superficial? Isn't the inner spiritual quality of a thing the core of its true essence? The real greatness of holiness is found precisely when its inner spiritual quality permeates also the physical aspects of the surrounding world. This truism is underscored in the practice of Torah and mitzvot: The essence of a mitzva is not (so much) in its mystical profundity, namely, in its purely spiritual content, but specifically in its physical performance--in the actual, concrete performance of mitzvot. This principle is clearly enunciated in Jewish Law. Intent plays an important part in the performance of mitzvot--so much so that is has been stated that "a mitzva (performed) without intent is like a body without a soul." Nevertheless, if a person should meditate on all the intentions of a mitzva, but does not actually perform it in deed, he is considered as not having fulfilled the mitzva (not even in part), whereas when one actually performs the mitzva, without any intent, is considered to have performed the mitzva. The reason for the said rule is explained by Rabbi Shneur Zalman. His explanation is based on the Midrashic saying, "The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have an abode in the lowermost world." This "abode" for the Divine Presence is made through the mitzvot which Jews perform in this physical world through the use of material objects (leather for Tefilin, paper for Jewish books, etc.) thus spiritualizing the physical world. Indeed, this is the ultimate purpose of performing G-d's mitzvot. Performing them with material objects, accomplishes the Divine purpose of the creation of the world--that physical matter becomes a fitting abode for the Creator. In a deeper sense, one can understand the superiority of matter from the fact that not only the mitzvot themselves, but also the reward for mitzvot is ultimately connected with the physical world. There is the well-known Jewish legal decision made by the Ramban as to the nature of the ultimate reward. The Ramban ruled that the ultimate reward will come after the Resurrection of the Dead, when the souls will once again descend to earth and be enclothed in physical bodies. Yet, we need to probe further. Granted that a Jew possesses an extraordinary capacity, derived from serving G-d, to spiritualize the physical world and thus provide for G-d an abode in this lowermost world. But how are we to understand intellectually the idea that the highest spiritual reward for the soul in the World to Come will be bestowed on the soul specifically when it is clothed in a physical body, and in this material world? One explanation is that precisely a physical creature (not a pure spirit) has been endowed with such a paramount G-dly force that is not found even in the loftiest spiritual realms. The reason is that only the Creator alone has the power and ability to create physical existence from nothing--and this superior quality of physical matter will be revealed in the era of the Resurrection. It may be added here that the above concept is also the key to the dictum "Make the Holy Land here," quoted earlier. In as much as the superiority of the Holy Land is in its holiness that permeates the physical land itself, it is the task of Jews living outside the Holy Land to achieve the level of holiness of the Land of Israel in their immediate surroundings, so that is will permeate that part of the physical world which Divine Providence has allotted to them to spiritualize. It may be added further that there is an allusion to the foregoing in the saying of our Sages of blessed memory, that "in the Future to Come, the Holy Land will extend itself in to all lands." For by that time the Jewish people will have completed their task for making an "abode" for G-d in this world. And having refined and sublimated the corporeality of the world and irradiated it with a full measure of holiness, the holiness of Israel will in effect be extended into and throughout all lands are the globe. **************************************************************************** L'CHAIM ISSUE # 284 PART 6 OF 8 **************************************************************************** WHO'S WHO? **************************************************************************** Gedalia (assassinated 3339) was the last Jewish ruler of Judea. He was a wise and gentle person who began to pave the foundation of a prosperous and economically secure society. Many Jews who had fled the Holy Land returned there now that it seemed a revival was taking place. Among the returnees was a man named Ishmael, a descendant of the royal house of Tzidkiyahu, the last king of Judah. Jealous of Gedalia's success, he plotted his assassination. Gedalia refused to believe warnings and innocently invited Ishmael to join him for a Rosh Hashana celebration. During the feast Ishmael murdered Gedalia and massacred many others. The assassination of Gedalia, which marked the end of Jewish independence, is marked each year the day after Rosh Hashana by the "Fast of Gedalia." **************************************************************************** A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR **************************************************************************** No more death! This is one of the greatest wonders that the Messianic Era will bring. Our Sages explain that, at the beginning of the Messianic Era, our lives continue in more or less a natural manner, except that the G-dliness and intrinsic holiness in everything will be more readily recognizable. At that stage, evil will continue to exist, though in a much more limited state. The ultimate evil, death, will also still be prevalent, as now. However, in the second stage of the Messianic Era, often referred to as the Era of Resurrection (of the Dead) not only will those who passed away come to life again, but all those who are alive will remain alive--eternally. One might wonder how it could be possible that the infinite and incorporeal G-d could have designed an eternal, physical existence as the ultimate purpose for the creation of the world. However, were one to say that the tremendous, revelations of G-dliness and spirituality foretold for the Messianic Era could only happen to purely spiritual beings, we would be limiting G-d, so to speak, and His ability to completely infuse physicality with spirituality. Thus, the accepted opinion among our sages is that we will reach the pinnacle of creation as souls within bodies in this very physical world. The one major differing opinion on this issue is Maimonides, who declares that after our bodies receive their rewards at the time of the Resurrection of the Dead they will once again return to dust and only the soul will live eternally in a purely spiritual state and in a spiritual world. However, most of the great commentators and Maimonides' contemporaries take exception to Maimonides' statements on this particular issue and declare unequivocally that our bodies will remain intact eternally, together with our eternal souls. Just as in exile we served our Creator in physical bodies, so, too, in both the earlier and later stage of the Messianic Era will we serve G-d, body and soul. May that time happen very soon. Shmuel Butman **************************************************************************** L'CHAIM ISSUE # 284 PART 7 OF 8 **************************************************************************** IT HAPPENED ONCE **************************************************************************** The simple peasant didn't know anything about rebbes, but one day when he was unburdening himself to a fellow villager, the other man suggested that a blessing from a holy rebbe might help him out. So, the peasant travelled to the court of Rabbi Chaim of Chernowitz and asked to receive the rebbe's blessing. The rebbe looked at the peasant and asked, "Are you careful about keeping the Shabbat?" The peasant was embarrassed to look the rebbe in the eyes. In a meek voice he mumbled, "No." Reb Chaim explained to the man, "All week you work with your animals planting, plowing, doing backbreaking labor. But, on the holy Shabbat you receive a second soul, a pure soul which enables you to experience a complete rest from the mundane and experience the spiritual. On the holy Shabbat every Jew becomes a king, the son of the King of Kings. Without Shabbat, what is life, other than an unrelenting, pressured struggle? Why, the Shabbat is so important that our Rabbis say that if all the Jews were to observe two Sabbaths in a row, the Redemption would come!" The peasant was very moved by the rebbe's words and he burst into a torrent of weeping. "Rebbe, I know you are right. But I have a very high rent and I need to work every minute just to live. How about if I agree to keep the Shabbat all the time, except during the harvest? Because, during the harvest I absolutely must work the whole time just to keep up." The rebbe smiled at the poor man and said, "Let me tell you a story: "Once a group of landlords gathered at one manor house for a big party. After a while they were all pretty drunk and they began to brag about their Jewish tenants. 'Why, my Jew would do anything in the world for me!' boasted one. Another rejoined, 'Ha! My Jew is so loyal he would go the ends of the earth and back on all fours if I asked him!' Then the host of the party bellowed out, 'Why, my Jew obeys my every command. If I were to call him here right this minute and tell him to convert he would do it with no questions asked!' "The others fell silent for a moment. Then one piped up, 'I don't believe it. Prove it!' The host had the poor Jew summoned to the great hall. The Jew stood surrounded by the gentry wondering what was going to asked of him. "'Moishke, would you do anything I asked you to?' bellowed the drunken landlord. "'Of course, Your Honor,' answered the frightened Jew. "'Then, I want you to convert and become a Christian right now!' "The landowner smiled at the gathered crowd in anticipation of the Jew's reaction. The Jew was so shocked he almost passed out, but he knew that if he didn't humor the landowner it would go very badly with him. Unable even to speak, the Jew nodded his head in agreement. The priest was summoned and the conversion was completed within minutes. "The following day when the landowner came out of his drunken state he remembered what he had done to his faithful Jew and he was shocked at his own behavior. After all the years of faithful service, how could he have treated the Jew like that? He called the Jew to his manor and said, 'Moishke, you know I have always liked you. You must understand that last night when I told you to convert I was completely drunk. I would never ask you to do such a thing. Please feel free to resume being a Jew again.' "Now it was the landlord's turn to be shocked, for the Jew's answer was not what he had expected. 'Thank you, You Honor, but I think I may wait a little while. You know, our festival of Passover is coming up, and it's a very expensive holiday. I have to buy wine and matza and meat. So, would you mind if I wait until after Passover to change back again?'" The rebbe watched the peasant's face carefully as he concluded this tale. "You know, that the Torah says, 'Six days shall you work and on the seventh shall you rest. In the plowing time and the harvest time shall you rest.' If it says that you must rest every Shabbat throughout the entire year, why do you imagine it has to specially mention the plowing and harvest times? "It is to show that even when the farmer has so much work that he absolutely cannot stop--even then, he has to observe the Shabbat." "Oy, Rebbe I don't know. Every year my expenses get higher. I just don't see how I can do it. My family and I will be ruined. It's impossible!" Reb Chaim smiled again at the peasant. "There is no doubt that you will succeed. For our Rabbis teach us that the laws of Shabbat were taught at Mara, the place where the waters were bitter, specifically to teach us that even when things seem most difficult and keeping Shabbat seems an impossibility, a Jew must overcome the obstacles and keep it anyway. And when he does, the Master of the Universe will see to it that 'the bitter waters become sweet' for him." **************************************************************************** L'CHAIM ISSUE # 284 PART 8 OF 8 **************************************************************************** THOUGHTS THAT COUNT **************************************************************************** If any of you that are dispersed be at the outermost parts of heaven, from there will the L-rd your G-d gather you (Deut. 30:4) When a Jew commits a sin, he becomes, at that moment, a "vessel" for the forces of impurity from which the urge to transgress G-d's will originates, causing the G-dly soul to be "exiled." G-d, however, can reach out and rescue even the most intransigent sinner--"from there will the L-rd your G-d gather you." (Ohr Hatorah) --- And the L-rd your G-d will circumcise your heart...to love the L-rd your G-d with all your heart (Deut. 30:6) What is meant by this? That a person's delight in Judaism will be just as perceptible as physical pleasure and the drive for self-preservation. You will love the Torah as you love your very life. (Ohel Yaakov) --- For the word is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it (Deut. 30:14) It is up to us--"in our mouths and in our hearts"--to ensure that Judaism is an integral part of our daily lives. (Sefat Emet) --- Tishrei--the seventh month In the Torah, months are counted from Nisan, the month in which the Jewish people left Egypt. Tishrei, therefore, is the seventh month of the year. The Hebrew word for "seventh" (shvi'i) comes from the same root meaning "satiated with abundance," for the month of Tishrei is chock-full of festivals, holidays and special mitzvot, a reflection of the special measure of G-dliness which is revealed during that time. (Kitvei Ha'Ari)n **************************************************************************** MOSHIACH MATTERS **************************************************************************** Rabbi Nachum of Chernobyl said, "It is the duty of every individual Jew to perfect and prepare that part of his soul which is related to Moshiach (the highest level of one's soul--the `yechida')." The Rebbe explains, "When a Jew arouses the yechida within himself, so that it governs his thought, speech and action, this is an act of individual redemption. Through this he uncovers the spark of the soul of Moshiach within him--and this hastens the advent of the all-embracing Redemption, with the coming of Moshiach." *************************************************************************** Published by the Lubavitch Youth Organization 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn NY 11 213, (718) 953-1000, 778-6000. Rabbi Dovid Raskin - Chairman. Rabbi Shmuel Butman - Director. Rabbi Kasriel Kastel - Program Director. Rabbi Shlomo Friedman - Administrator. Yehudis Cohen - Editor. Mordechai Staiman - Copy Editor. Esther Altmann, Basha Majerczyk - Contributing Editors. Rabbi Nissen Mangel - Chairman Editorial Committee. Rabbi Zalman I. Posner - Consultant. All contents (c) 1993 by L.Y.O. ISSN 1050-0480. **************************************************************************** Permission is granted for BBS distribution, provided no changes are made and that it be complete with all credits to L.Y.O. and L'Chaim BBS. The name of this publication is an acronym for L'zecher Chaya Mushka. *************************************************************************** This BBS version of the L'Chaim publication, was prepared for BBS distribution by Reuven Blau, Sysop of L'Chaim BBS, KESHERnet N.Y. 718-756-7201. Please address all questions or comments via the Chassidus echo via the KESHERnet G L O B A L Jewish BBS network or netmail directly to the Sysop of L'Chaim BBS (FidoNet. 278/610) (Internet: reuven@corner.wpb.fl.us)