Shabbos Mevorchim/Parshas Masei at Lubavitch House

B"H

Our Sages elucidated: When the Jews were exiled to Edom (Rome, the West), G-d's presence went with them. This also occurs on the personal level within the soul of every Jew. When a person commits a sin and causes his soul to go into its individual, private exile, G-d still accompanies him. The G-dly spark present in every Jewish soul is also dragged down with the sin.

(Tanya)

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Please be advised that Lubavitch House cannot be responsible for the safety of your valuables.  Please do not bring large amounts of money or expensive jewelry to Lubavitch House.

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Thank you to everyone who has donated toward the purchase of a new refrigerator.  It is very touching to see how many people want to give back to Lubavitch House. 

UPDATE:  The new refrigerator is in the breakfast wing.  

Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Katz for finding this must-needed appliance (and for helping to sponsor the purchase of it).

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We are sorry if the temperature in the building is not always comfortable for everyone all the time.  You might want to consider bringing a sweater with you.

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MEALS WILL BE AT THE FELLERS!

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If you have not already, please send me the dates of your birthday and those of your family.

Please check out our blog:  http://lubavitchhouse--westspaul.blogspot.com/

ב"ה

Parshas Masei

Shabbos Night

Shabbos Candle lighting:            8:23 pm

Kabolas Shabbos/Maariv:           8:23 pm

Shabbos Dinner:                            9:30 pm

Shabbos Day

Shacharis:                                  10:00 am

Kiddush Lunch:                           1:00 pm

Mincha:                                         8:30 pm

Maariv:                                             9:33 pm

Havdala:                                       after Maariv

What's In A Name

MEIR means "one who brightens" or "shines" (from the Hebrew word "ohr" meaning "light"). Rabbi Meir was a leading second-century Talmudic scholar, one of the most brilliant of Rabbi Akiva's students. A variant spelling is Meyer.

MERAV means "contender" or "to increase." Merav was the eldest daughter of King Saul and his wife Achinoam, and the sister of Michal (I Samuel 14:49).

The Power of Prayer

By Yossy Goldman

A fellow was boasting about what a good citizen he was and what a refined, disciplined lifestyle he led. "I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't gamble, I don't cheat on my wife, I am early to bed and early to rise, and I work hard all day and attend religious services faithfully." Very impressive, right? Then he added, "I've been like this for the last five years, but just you wait until they let me out of this place!"
Although prisons were not really part of the Jewish judicial system, there were occasions when individuals would have their freedom of movement curtailed. One such example was the City of Refuge. If a person was guilty of manslaughter (i.e., unintentional murder) the perpetrator would flee to one of the specially designated Cities of Refuge throughout Biblical Israel where he was given safe haven from the wrath of a would-be avenging relative of the victim. The Torah tells us that his term of exile would end with the death of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest. The Talmud tells of an interesting practice that developed. The mother of the Kohen Gadol at the time would make a point of bringing gifts of food to those exiled so that they should not pray for the early demise of her son, to which their own freedom was linked.
Now this is very strange. Here is a man who, though not a murderer, is not entirely innocent of any negligence either. The rabbis teach that G-d does not allow misfortune to befall the righteous. If this person caused a loss of life, we can safely assume that he is less than righteous. Opposite him stands the High Priest of Israel, noble, aristocratic and, arguably, the holiest Jew alive. Of the entire nation, he alone had the awesome responsibility and privilege of entering the inner sanctum of the Holy Temple, the "Holy of Holies," on the holy day of Yom Kippur. Do we really have reason to fear that the prayers of this morally tainted prisoner will have such a negative effect on the revered and exalted High Priest, to the extent that the Kohen Gadol may die? And his poor mother has to go and shlep food parcels to distant cities to soften up the prisoner so he should go easy in his prayers so that her holy son may live? Does this make sense?
But such is the power of prayer--the prayer of any individual, noble or ordinary, righteous or even sinful.
Of course, there are no guarantees. Otherwise, I suppose, Shuls around the world would be overflowing daily. But we do believe fervently in the power of prayer. And though, ideally, we pray in Hebrew and with a congregation, the most important ingredient for our prayers to be successful is sincerity. "G-d wants the heart," we are taught. The language and the setting are secondary to the genuineness of our prayers. Nothing can be more genuine than a tear shed in prayer.
By all means, learn the language of our Siddur, the prayer book. Improve your Hebrew reading so you can follow the services and daven with fluency. But remember, most important of all is our sincerity. May all our prayers be answered.

Go to:  http://www.chabad.org/

If you need a place to stay for Shabbos,
please call Rabbi Mendel Feller or
Mrs. Nechama Dina Feller,
651-457-6778 for arrangements.

Bais Chana

FYI--
Bais Chana will be in attendance from July 31 until August 18.  There will still be a minyan, G-d willing, at Lubavitch House, but no room will be available for guests (except for Bais Chana participants).  Please contact the Fellers if you need a place to stay for Shabbos.

Shabbos Matos recap

Shabbos is always interesting at Lubavitch House!

The food was good, thank G-d. We had plain gefilte fish, as well as the kind cooked in tomato sauce.  (G-d willing, we will try Mrs. Katz's version soon)  We experimented with mixed vegetables with couscous.  Not a big seller. But the sauteed mushrooms with bowties was yum!  Anshel's baked chicken was a hit as was his green borsht. Rabbi Friedberg (who, by the way, is not in London for a family emergency) brought really delicious kishka for the cholent. We hope he can bring us some every week! We had our regular desserts, but the best one was the chocolate layer cake. Can't beat chocolate and chocolate!

We are working on getting the air conditioning fixed for the lobby, but the rest of the building seemed comfortable despite the continued heat. 

Two chassidim from Boro Park were in town for a class they are taking at the University. We had a Satmar couple and their adorable baby also visiting from Boro Park. We had the honor of hosting Rabbi Steiner, the shliach at the University of Minnesota. We were all so happy that Yitta and Baruch Katz joined us for Shabbos. And we were also so pleased that the Mishulovin Family joined us.  Two of our wonderful Camp Gan Izzy counselors, Shira and Shoshi, stayed at Lubavitch House for Shabbos. We had some of our regular shochtim in attendance and an Israeli businessman and Evy, a plant biologist studying at the University. And three of our regular families, the Fellers, the Katzes and the Introlegators were also present.

THE REFRIGERATOR!!!!
Thanks to Mrs. Katz for finding our new refrigerator and arranging to have it delivered to Lubavitch House next week! And thank you to everyone who contributed to its purchase.  We hope to buy smaller refrigerators for each wing.

Stay tuned for more giving opportunities!!

With or without tomato sauce?

How do you like your gefilte fish?

Shabbos Parshas Matos

B"H

The name "Midian" comes from the root "madon," meaning quarrel and strife. Midian symbolizes contention and unwarranted hatred. Therefore, the war against Midian is truly "the vengeance of G-d." For, there is nothing as opposed to G-d as dissension and needless hatred.

(Sefer HaMaamarim)

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Please be advised that Lubavitch House cannot be responsible for the safety of your valuables.  Please do not bring large amounts of money or expensive jewelry to Lubavitch House.

***********************************************

Thank you to Reb Shea Bassewitz and the Meegan Family for co-sponsoring the Kiddush last Shabbos.

*********************************************************************

Thank you to everyone who has donated toward the purchase of a new refrigerator.  It is very touching to see how many people want to give back to Lubavitch House.

************************************************************************

We are sorry if the temperature in the building is not always comfortable for everyone all the time.  You might want to consider bringing a sweater with you.

**************************************************************************

If you have not already, please send me the dates of your birthday and those of your family.

Please check out our blog:  http://lubavitchhouse--westspaul.blogspot.com/

ב"ה

Parshas Matos

Shabbos Night

Shabbos Candle lighting:            8:31 pm

Kabolas Shabbos/Maariv:           8:31 pm

Shabbos Dinner:                            9:30 pm

Shabbos Day

Shacharis:                                  10:00 am

Kiddush Lunch:                           1:00 pm

Mincha:                                         8:30 pm

Maariv:                                             9:43 pm

Havdala:                                       after Maariv

What's In A Name

REUEL means "friend of G-d." Reuel was another name for Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, who joined the Jewish people during the their journey in the desert. (Exodus 2:18)

RUTH is from the Syrian and Hebrew meaning "friendship." In the Book of Ruth, Ruth was a Moabitess who married the son of Naomi when they lived in Moab. When Naomi's sons and husband died, Ruth returned with Naomi to Israel and said the famous words, "Wherever you go, I will go. Your people will be my people." Ruth, a righteous convert to Judaism, was an ancestress of King David, and, therefore, Moshiach.

Priorities and Price Tags

By Yossy Goldman

Is it the money or the man, the cash or the kids? Of course, no one would ever admit to putting money ahead of their children; but is it not an all too common phenomenon? Aren't most parents, even good parents, guilty of making that mistake now and then?

In this week's Parshah the Jewish People are preparing for the conquest of Canaan and the allotment of the Promised Land amongst the twelve tribes of Israel, when the tribes of Reuben and Gad make a special request of Moses.

They had abundant herds of livestock and the land east of the Jordan River was especially suitable for grazing. They asked Moses if they could receive this land rather than land west of the Jordan. In making this request they expressed themselves thus: "Pens for the flock we shall build here for our livestock, and cities for our small children."

Immediately, Moses chastises them and corrects their mistake. "Build for yourselves cities for your small children and pens for your flock." Moses turns around their sequence, putting the children ahead of the animals.

Rashi observes that these tribes were more concerned about their money, i.e. livestock, than they were about their sons and daughters. Moses needed to give them a lesson in values and priorities. Put family first. Possessions come later.

The veteran American spiritual leader, Rabbi David Hollander, once told me the story of a fellow who somehow managed to get himself locked in inside a big department store after they closed up for the day. To compound the problem, it was over a holiday weekend. When all his attempts to get out proved futile, he decided to give vent to his frustrations by taking revenge on the store management. He spent the time of his incarceration swapping price tags on the merchandise. The result? A mink coat was now priced at $29.99, a necktie at $999.00. Furniture was going for the price of peanuts, the latest hi-fi for a song, and a set of underwear was absolutely unaffordable! Imagine the chaos when the store reopened.

The question is, are our own price tags correctly marked? Do we value the things in our own lives correctly? Are our priorities in order? Or do we too put the cattle and the sheep -- the car and the office -- ahead of our children?

How many workaholic husbands have told their wives, "Honey, I'm doing it all for you and the kids." But the businesses we are busy building for them actually take us away from them in the most important and formative years of their lives. Rightly has it been said, "the best thing you can spend on your kids is not money but time."

I've seen many people become "successes" over the years. They achieve professional success, career success, business success, growing their fame and fortunes. Too many in the process have become family failures. At the end of the day, our deepest satisfaction in life comes not from our professional achievements but from our family -- the growth, stability and togetherness that we have nurtured over the years -- what our Jewish parents and grandparents simply called nachas.

To paraphrase the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, "Jewish wealth is not measured in property portfolios or stocks and bonds; true Jewish wealth is being blessed with children who walk in the ways of G-d." For that, we need to be there for them and with them.

A congregant of mine once walked up to me and proclaimed, "Rabbi, I am a millionaire!" I knew the man to be of modest financial means but he immediately explained, "I'm a millionaire in nachas!"

Amen. I wish it upon all of us.

Go to:  http://www.chabad.org/

If you need a place to stay for Shabbos,
please call Rabbi Mendel Feller or
Mrs. Nechama Dina Feller,
651-457-6778 for arrangements.

How much does gefilte fish cost?

How much does a log of gefilte fish cost? What about a jar or a large can?  How much does humus cost even if you make it yourself?  How about kosher chicken for soup and for a main course? What about vegetables, kasha or pasta?  How much does it cost to buy a dozen cookies?  What about 5 dozen cookies and cakes and brownies?

Please keep all of this in mind when you make out a check to Lubavitch House.

Thank you, Mr. Bassewitz

Thank you, Mr. Bassewitz for sponsoring the kiddush in honor of his upcoming birthday.

May you go from strength to strength in all of your endeavors, both materially and spiritually!

Shabbos Parshas Pinchas

B"H

17th of Tammuz  (July 19, 2011): History, Laws and Customs

The Day Jerusalem's Walls were Breached

The fast of the 17th of Tammuz, known as Shiva Assar B'Tammuz, is the start of a three week mourning period for the destruction of Jerusalem and the two Holy Temples.

The fast actually commemorates five tragic events that occurred on this date:

1. Moses broke the tablets when he saw the Jewish people worshipping the Golden Calf.
2. During the Babylonian siege on Jerusalem, the Jews were forced to cease offering the daily sacrifices due to the lack of cattle.
3. Apustmus burned the holy Torah.
4. An idol was placed in the Holy Temple.
5. The walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans, in 69 CE, after a lengthy siege. (Three weeks later, after the Jews put up a valiant struggle, the Romans destroyed the second Holy Temple on the 9th of Av.)
   The Jerusalem Talmud maintains that this is also the date when the Babylonians breached the walls of Jerusalem on their way to destroying the first Temple.

ב"ה

Parshas Pinchas

Shabbos Night

Shabbos Candle lighting:            8:37 pm

Kabolas Shabbos/Maariv:           8:37 pm

Shabbos Dinner:                            9:30 pm

Shabbos Day

Shacharis:                                  10:00 am

Kiddush Lunch:                           1:00 pm

Mincha:                                         8:30 pm

Maariv:                                             9:50 pm

Havdala:                                       after Maariv

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to:

Mendy Ochs (12 Tammuz)

Reb  Shea Bassewitz (13 Tammuz)

Reb Yehonason Meegan  (17 Tammuz)

What's In A Name

YERUCHAM means "may he be compassionate." Yerucham was the father of Elkana, grandfather of the prophet Samuel (I Samuel 1:1)

YEMIMA was the daughter of Job (Job 42:14). The name might possibly come from the Aramaic for "dove." The spelling in English would be Jemima.

Is Everything OK?

By Yossy Goldman

Once upon a time, in the days of Moses and the Jews in the Wilderness, the Moabite women were seducing young Jewish men. The Almighty was angered and sent a plague upon His people. Jews were dying left, right and center. To compound matters, Zimri, a Prince from the Tribe of Shimon was himself consorting with a Midianite Princess named Kozbi and flaunting their illicit relationship in the face of Moses.

Enter Pinchas, a young Jewish zealot, and in true zealot tradition he kills both Zimri and Kozbi. Suddenly, the plague stops. No more Jews die. And G‑d declares Pinchas not a murderer but a hero, Defender of the Faith, and bestows upon him the world's first peace prize. "Behold I give him my covenant of peace." He is appointed to the priesthood and as befits a hero gets a whole portion of the Bible named after him, this week's parsha, Pinchas.

Now I have serious reservations as to whether Dale Carnegie would use Pinchas as a role model for How to Win Friends and Influence People. And I'm definitely not suggesting that we root out all sinners by putting a spear through them. What was appropriate in ancient times is not necessarily appropriate today. The way to stop the internal hemorrhaging of our people through assimilation and intermarriage is obviously not the way of Pinchas.

Zimri was rebellious with intent. He knew full well that what he was doing was wrong. It was a deliberate provocation on his part. Most people who turn their backs on Judaism today, on the other hand, do so out of ignorance. They simply don't know. Nobody taught them. It's not their fault. We cannot condone it, but such people don't need a whipping, they need a whetting of their spiritual appetite. They need an education, urgently. They need a lot of love and warmth and for people to reach out to them and share the beauty of a Shabbat or an inspirational Shul experience. Show them their own Jewishness and how meaningful it truly is, and they will no longer want to give it up.

What, then, is the message of Pinchas for our time?

That sometimes, even today in our super-sensitive, tolerant society, we do need to take a stand. That there will be issues which demand that we put our foot down, that we insist, that we say "No!"

It might be different issues for different people. For some it may be Jerusalem, for others Yom Kippur, and for still others it might be insisting that their daughter's boyfriend cannot sleep over. Somewhere, surely, there has got to be a bottom line.

Generally, diplomacy and positive encouragement work much better than fighting. We are not trying to train Jewish holy fundamentalists to go around killing infidels. But inevitably there will be occasions when even pacifists like us will need to adopt the zero-tolerance Pinchas approach. Occasions when we will be required to stand up and be counted. When we, too, will have to say, "I'm sorry. I cannot accept this kind of behavior. This is wrong. Stop!"

Even in our OK Generation, not everything is OK.

Go to:  http://www.chabad.org/

If you need a place to stay for Shabbos,
please call Rabbi Mendel Feller or
Mrs. Nechama Dina Feller,
651-457-6778 for arrangements.

What a Great Shabbos!

Thank you to Jesse and Eli Zmira for sponsoring the kiddush Shabbos day. Fantastic food and the buffet table looked beautiful thanks to Sora Feller.  Mwah!

We had a lot of shochtim and some business men visiting from Israel. Friends from S. Paul came to help the Zmiras celebrate their simcha.  Mr. Protter's lovely family came from Israel for a summer-long visit.  And we were honored with Rabbi and Mrs. Feller, Sr.

Were you at Lubavitch House this last Shabbos?  Did you have a good time? Did you like the food? Was your bed comfy? Tell us about it!

Parshas Balak

B"H

Please be advised that Lubavitch House cannot be responsible for the safety of your valuables.  Please do not bring large amounts of money or expensive jewelry to Lubavitch House.

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Abraham our Father was tested with ten tests, and he withstood them all to show how great was Abraham our Father's love [for G-d]. (Ethics 5:3)

Abraham is described as our father. Just as a father bequeaths his estate to his descendants, Abraham bequeaths his spiritual legacy to the entire Jewish people. His spiritual legacy empowers each of us, endowing us with the strength to withstand the challenges we face in our divine service.

(Sichot Parshat Chukat, 5737)

Mazel tov to  Naomi (Jesse) and Eli Zmira!!!

Many thanks for sponsoring the Kiddush in honor of the birth of their daughter, Avishag Libi.

We wish them much success and growth on the occasion of their upcoming ‘aliyah’ (move to the Holy Land)! May they go from strength to strength in all of their endeavors, both materially and spiritually!

ב"ה

Parshas Balak

Shabbos Night

Shabbos Candle lighting:            8:41 pm

Kabolas Shabbos/Maariv:           8:41 pm

Shabbos Dinner:                            9:45 pm

Shabbos Day

Shacharis:                                  10:00 am

Kiddush Lunch:                           1:00 pm

Mincha:                                         8:30 pm

Maariv:                                             9:56 pm

Havdala:                                       after Maariv

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to:

Rabbi Avrum Kaufmann (8 Tammuz)

What's In A Name

CHANANYA means "compassion of G-d." Chananya ben Azur was a prophet during the times of King Zedekia (Jeremiah 28:1). Another Chananya, together with Daniel, Misha’el and Azarya, was taken captive in Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzer. They all exhibited great faith in G-d and became leaders of the Jews in exile. A fourth century Palestinian scholar was also named Chananya.

CHASYA means "protected by G-d." Apparently this name was derived from the (male) name Chasa which is mentioned in the Talmud. In Aramaic, the word "chasya" means "mercy" or "merciful."

The Secret of Jewish Survival

By Naftali Silberberg

When you need an honest appraisal of your strengths and weaknesses, your mother isn't the right person with whom to speak. I recently stumbled upon a wise quote: "Your enemies have vital information which your friends are withholding from you." Withholding because they are reluctant to hurt you by dwelling on your flaws, or simply because the warm relationship you share makes them blind to your faults.

This is what makes Balaam's prophecies so unique. The words of scores of prophets and prophetesses are recorded in the books of the Scriptures. To a certain extent, their divinely inspired words are colored by their "insiders" perspective; their deep love and care for their brethren. Balaam, on the other hand, was a vicious anti-Semite whose greatest wish was to bring about the demise of our nation. Let us examine the words of the one who futilely toiled to pinpoint our weak point, who in vain sought to uncover our area of vulnerability.

The stunned Moabite princes listened in shock as the soothsayer who was retained to curse the Jews thus began his series of soliloquies: "How shall I curse whom G‑d has not cursed? How can I invoke wrath anger when G‑d isn't angry?"

Why was this nation immune from G‑d's curses and wrath? Balaam continues:

"Because from their beginning, I see them as mountain peaks, and I behold them as hills; it is a nation that will dwell alone, and does not reckon with the nations."

As is the nature of poetic prose, these words are (also) allegoric. Our sages tell us that "mountain peaks" are an allusion to our Patriarchs, and the hills refer to our Matriarchs.

The secret of our nation's survival; our ability to withstand the curses, wrath and schemes of the Balaam's of the generations, is our Patriarchs and Matriarchs, Jewish fathers and mothers who instill within their children the sense that they are a nation whose destiny is to dwell alone. Parents who teach their children that "a nation who dwells alone" is not a curse; it's not a blight which we must try to overcome. It is a blessing.

Go to:  http://www.chabad.org/

If you need a place to stay for Shabbos,
please call Rabbi Mendel Feller or
Mrs. Nechama Dina Feller,
651-457-6778 for arrangements.