MyRubashkin

MyRubashkin
Equal and Fair Justice for Sholom Rubashkin

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Letter from Sholom Mordechai


B"H
reb weissmandl, reb pinchas, all my brothers askonim and all my family shyichyu,
A Guten Erev Shabbos Parshas Vayechi, Shabbos CHAZAK,
Vayechi, es darf zein gelebt mit dem oibeshter
CHAZAK zai Shtark fin dem oibeshter
we were sitting in a sukkah, when i was bochur in Yeshivah. we were going to say the Brocho on Geshem. the one that was talking said a great pshat on the tefillah we were all going to say together in Shul by Birchas Geshem,
at the siyum of the speacial teffilah there are three simple Brochois that the whole klal says together after the chazan, and we all say amen.  one of them is LECHAIM VELOI LAMOVES. we are summing up all the piyutim about the Brocho of Geshem with this simple three words! Life and not death.
he was was saying that there is a Chakira, why are we saying the Request for Life in a double fashion?.
Lechaim means to or for Life.  LOI LAMOVES means not to, or for, Death. that could be said simply. LECHAIM.
if we are asking for Life to live  and we are given Life to live, then obviously there is no death.
on a side note,
bederech tzachus, here  in prison there is a different meaning to the word "life".
when someone says he got "life", we all know that we are  not asking for it.
also, the one that did not get "life" is definitely not asking for it.
actually he is trying every way he can to get rid of his receiving "life"
here " Life" means Death.
but, i do not think that is why we are all saying Lechaim Veloi Lamoves.

the one explaining said that just because a person does not die ("LOI LAMOVES") , does not mean automatically, that the person is living.  some people wake up in the morning, gis negel vasser, daven and go to work. they are not dead, But they are also not alive. it may very well be that the guy was not run over by a truck and died but that is not truly being alive.
LIFE means GELEBT, Chayois in a mitzvah, Varemkeit in doing a yid a favor, simcha in learning. azoi hut men geredt.
True Life is Forever. For example the human body is not really alive, its a dead piece of meat. to be alive the Guf needs to be always be connected to its life force, the Neshama. the Neshama is not like a motor that pushes a gear. the Neshama actually makes the Lifeless Guf Alive. But,  if there is ever a severance from life chas vesholim, there is death.
so,  being alive is not only because death has not occurred yet. being alive is a Metzius onto itself.
But,  one can only be truly alive when he is connected to the Mokoir of all life and existence, which is Hashem, HU ELOKIM CHAIM. the posuk in the Novei is, VEHASHEM ELOKIM EMES HU ELOKIM CHAIM.  Like Life that is forever so truth is Forever. there can be no change in life as there can be no change in truth. they are constantly the same  in every place and in ALL Time. therefore for a creation like a person to be alive is, only by doing what its in the Posuk." Veatem Hadvekim Bahasehm Eloikechem CHAIM KULCHEM hayoim". Life is when we are dovuk, connected,  in Hashem, the true Life.
if a person were to be disconnected from his source of life the there is death. which would show that even when he was alive, he was never truly alive. if something is true only sometimes then its not the total truth. same for life. if there will be death, then even when it is seemingly in motion, it is not real life. here is a example.
we see this in Halacha. there is a halacha about life.  when there is needed Mayim Chayim, water of life, for the Ashes of the poroh adumah. the water must be from a spring of LIVING water. ever see water that's dead?  what does the Toirah Mean that we need to use LIVING water? the explanation is, that if the spring of the water, dries up once in seven years then the water that is found in that spring is called "Mayim Kozvois" falsher vasser, water of falsehood. it is not Mayim Chaim and therefore is not kosher for the Mayim Chaim needed. in other words, even when there is water flowing in this stream. the water is not alive, it  cannot be considered Living Water because of the fact that there is a time that the water will cease to flow. it can not be considered living waters if its not constant.  so we see that TRUE LIFE is True which forever, never ceasing to be.

getting back to our deep hearted, request from Hashem, on shmini Atzeres.  "Lechaim Veloi Lamoves". the Bakosho nafshis is that we should be ALIVE. we say LECHAIM, and then we clarify to Hashem what we are asking for with Life that is True real life not because we did not die 'VELOI LAMOVES". we want to be LIVE, LIFE THAT IS TRUE LIFE, not just because we did not die. that is achieved by being connected to the source of life , thru learning Toirah and Doing Mitzvois. here is the connection with the Parsha Vayechi
This Parsha is all about the Petirah of Yaakoiv Avinu. seemingly not about yaakoiv Avinu's life which we had in the Previous Parshios.  Yet the name is VAYECHI YAAKOIV, UN YAAKOIV HUT GELEBT, "LIFE".  Yaakoiv Avinu lived for 147 years, yet the last Seventeen are singled out in the posuk. The Kli Yokor and more mefarshim, explain that the years he lived in Mitzrayim were so good that it gave life "lemafraya" to all the 130 years that were full of Tzorois. How does that work?.
we know that Yaakov was one of the Three Avois Hakdoishim and his Life was always Dovuk in Hashem. this becomes revealed, only after we see that Yaakoiv LIVED in Mitzrayim, for 17 Years. Lived, means that he was in total connection with Hashem. Yaakoiv's existance in Mitzrayim was not the same that he had experienced ever before in his life.
Beruchnius, he was out of eretz Yisroel. He was in Eretz Mitzrayim, Ervas Hooretz. the most morally corrupt place. But
Begashmius,he had in the best he ever had. he was in a great surrounding with all his family. he was  with all his sons and ainiklach, watching grow into a nation. His beloved Son Yoisef was the Moishel in Mitzrayim. Yaakoiv problems were all finished. BUT,  with all that, the Toirah Tells us and says Aidus that VAYECHI yaakoiv, he was ALIVE thru his Deveikus and connection with HAshem. this proved and made known that he was always like that . The Avoidah And Dveikus that he had in times of Tzoros was because he was truly Alive and connected. not because he had problems and Tzorois and needed help from Hashem. Yaakoiv is midas EMMES, Yaakoiv does not change with the Surrounding and circumstance. Yaakoiv is always e connected with Hashem. there can be no one that could say that his previous learning and Teffilois were prompted because of his tough situation. Because there is the proof of how he lived when his situation totally changed from Tzorois that seemed to go on and on, to a Harchava that was truly amazing. with all that change he stayed ALIVE and Connected with HASHEM HACHAYIM. actuall his best Years were in the land of Mitzrayim, therefore these 17 years gave LIFE to all the previous years and proved beyond any doubt that Yaakoiv Avinu was a Merkovo to Hashem. always and forever.
the same is to be said for the Shevatim and there whole Klal Yisroel. their seder of their avoidah was in a  different order, but with the same Avoidah besimcha and connected. the Shevatim were in total Deveikus to Hashem when the times were good. when they had their brother as king and Yoisef took care of all their needs. "Vayechalkel Yoisef es Echov". the Yidden were missing nothing. they were growing into a beutifful and strong nation. they grew so well till the Mitzriyim noticed their greatness and therefore enslaved them. BUT even when they were suddenly thrown into very dark times, the Yidden did not change with their change of circumstances. the yidden stayed loyal to Hashem in the years of slavery as they were Loyal to Hashem in the Years of Greatness and prosperity. that is why Rashi chooses two of the three reasons that  the medrash brings of why Vaychi is STUMA. one reason is,  because when Yaakoiv Passed away the Slavery began. the Second is, that Yaakoiv wanted to reveal the Keitz and the shchina left Yaakoiv and he could not reveal it. the Yidden therefore, never knew when the slavery and pain were to end. actually, they most probably figured there were at least 190 years of slavery left to go according to the Mesoirah of Avrohom Avinu by Bris bein Habsorim, when the time of Geulah came. RAshi explains that the hardship the Yidden had in slavery was double. First,Yaakoiv passes away and they loose their freedom to become slaves and need to do backbreacking work. Second is,  that they are NOT  told when the darkness and pain will end. it seems that it will continue more and more time. Yet still with all that darkness the yidden do NOT lose their Emunah and Bitachoin in Hashem.
They stay Connected and ALIVE. they are  VELOI LAMOVES, they never die. they are ALIVE because they are full of life. with simcha and freid they serve Hashem in all matzovim.
That is why the Whole Parsha is called Vayechi, GELEBT, because even though the parsha talks about the petirah of Yaakoiv. Because its only in this Parsha that Yaakoiv makes his Cheshban hanefesh. he sees that has stayed Dovuk in Hashem in all MAtzovim. now it can be said that YAAKOIV is Truly Alive. along together with Yaakoiv, the same is also said  for all the Bnei yisroel. it is in this Parsha that we see that the Yidden are truly ALIVE. first we we learnt in Vayigash, in the last Posuk, how the Yidden prospered in Eretz Goishen. then we learn in Vayechi that the Tzorois is starting. Yet, the Yidden remain steadfast and constant in their connection and deveikus with Hashem. That is TRULY LIFE. ALIVE BECAUSE OF LIFE not because men hut nisht geshtorben.
The Lesson of all this is very relevant to all of us. when changes happen to someone there is a natural tendency to change along with the change of circumstance. if the change is from bad to good Like By Yaakoiv, we need to know that the change is a Nisayoin that Hashem is giving us. to see if we will learn and daven in the Prosperity like we davened when we had Tzorois.
if the change is Rachmono Litzlan from good to Bad like by the shevatim, we have to know how the Shevotim acted.
it was lav davka as a punishment, Rather it was in a Kur Habarzel to develop the Yidden where they will become the
"AM HANIVCHAR". where they will be able to say NAASEH VENISHMA, when there was no other nation that said that.
the YID is ALIVE and full of LIFE, therefore unchangeable in any situation. the Yid is always connected with Hakodoish Baruch HU. the Yid is able to see that EIN OID MILVADOI and therfore the change is not only for a good that is incidental but rather that whatever Hashem does is GOOD in itself. like gam ZU letoivah. the dirt that Nachum Ish GAM ZU saw became GOOD in itself. it was the dirt that saved the Yidden because the roman emporer was so pleased. money and gold would not have done what the dirt did. The yid is never Changing even in a world that is constantly calling for change.
with all of this avoidah we are all ready for Yetzias Mitzrayim, going out of any Mitzarim and Gevulim we find ourselves in,
This shabbos is Shabbos Chazak, MAy Hashem Be Mechazek us and give us all the CHIZUK WE NEED, which is the geulah for every yid in his personal golus which is the Geulah of all yidden out of the whole golus with Moshiach Tzidkeinu.
A GUTEN SHABBOS
sholom mordechai halevi

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