Former mem-bers ofChabad fromall over theTri-state areawill return fora morning ofschmoozingand reminisc-ing. Peoplewho left theWest Side assingles willintroduce

their spousesand those that

moved away as newlyweds will introducetheir children. Many of the alumni will

share wordsof Torah andtalk of theiraccomplish-ments in theirnew commu-nities.

There will bea separatechildren’sprogram ledby the well-known chil-dren’s enter-

tainer, BobbyDoowah.

Make sure to see next week’s Shul bul-letin for all of the pictures.

It is a uniqueManhattanphenome-non, we meetnew people,new familiesjoin the com-munity,friendshipsdevelop,bonds aremade, andthen – moreoften thannot – friendsmove on to

other communities in the tri-state areaand beyond, where real estate might bemore affordable, and growing families canhave a backyard for the kids and a slice

of suburbia.

Recently, therabbis atChabad havenoted the greatnumber ofwonderful per-sonalities andfamilies thathave gracedthe ChabadShul with theirpresence over

the years, but have since moved on. Toreconnect and celebrate our extendedChabad family, an alumni reunion hasbeen slated for this Sunday, January 14.

Giora & Anat Katz-LichtiensteinRiverdale

Chabad ELC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Chabad Shul Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Torah Fax: Goal Oriented . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Happy Birthdays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Shabbat ShemotTevet 22-23, 5767

January 12-13, 2007

Candle Lighting: 4:31 PMShabbat Ends: 5:35 PM

Inside:

V O L U M E I F R I D A Y, J A N U A R Y 1 2 , 2 0 0 7 2 2 T E V E T, 5 7 6 7 I S S U E X X

Weekly BulletinChabad of the West Side & Chabad Early Learning Center

101 WEST 92ND STREETNEW YORK, NY 10025 212-864-5010

www.chabadwestside.orgchabad@chabadwests i d e . o r g

s’’xc

First Annual Chabad Shul Alumni Reunion Slated for this SundayHi-tech, Torah

and Chesed(January 4) For two Sderotteenagers who nearly losttheir lives in a Palestinianrocket attack, two laptopsdonated by Chabad havemade it possible for themto communicate from theirrespective hospitals duringwhat will be many monthsof rehabilitation.

Two rockets scored adirect hit on the house theboys were in December26. The boys, both 14-year-old ninth graders atthe Netiv Hayeshivatischool in Sderot, werestudying for an exam. Thetwo are good friends.

Adir Basad sustained criti-cal wounds and wasrushed into emergencysurgery. He was said to bein grave condition at thetime. Matan Cohen wasmoderately to severelyinjured. Several days laterthe boys regained con-sciousness and wereresponsive to friends andfamily.

Vlad & Shoshana ShendelmanRiverdale

Daniel & Yedida WolfeCrown Heights, Brooklyn

James & Georganne GarfinkelRiverdale

continued on page 2

Hi-tech, Torah and ChesedCHABAD WEEKLY BULLETIN PAGE 2

Rabbi Menachem Kutner,director of activities ofCTVP, visited the boys intwo Israeli hospitals, Barzilaiin Ashkelon and Schneiderin Petach Tikvah. Adir saidhe missed his friend, Matan,very much, but because ofthe long rehabilitation andthe significant distance

between the hospitals (60 kilometers), it would be along time before they could meet.

With a special fund to provide victims of terror withmaterial needs, Chabad's Terror Victims Project sur-prised Adir and Matan with two laptop computers.Using the internet and cameras attached to the lap-tops, the boys were able to see one another and cor-respond, proving that not even a Kassam rocket couldcome between them.

how important it was to give those 200 rubles, Iwould have carried out your instructions to the let-ter!"

"But you haven't been punished in any way," repliedthe Rebbe.

"What do you mean? All my wealth has been takenfrom me!"

"Nothing that was yourswas taken from you," saidthe Rebbe. "You see,when my soul came downto earth, a certain amountof material resources wereallotted to me for use inmy work. However, mydays and nights are takenup with prayer, the studyand teaching of Torah,and counseling those whocome to me for guidance; leaving no time for thetask of managing all that money. So theseresources were placed in the trust of a number of"bankers" -- people who would recognize their dutyto support my work. When you failed to carry outyour role, my account with you was transferred toanother banker."

In our world, so flagrantly -- and oftimes violently --dichotomized by prosperity and poverty, there existtwo general perspectives on wealth and property:

a) That these are the rightful possession of thosewho earned or inherited them. If they choose toshare even a small a part of their possessions withothers, this is a noble act, worthy of praise andacclaim.

b) That the unequal distribution of the earth'sresources among its inhabitants is a travesty.Owning more than one's share is an injustice, evena crime. Giving to the needy is not a "good deed"

but the rectification of awrong.

Jewish tradition rejects boththese views. According toTorah law, giving to theneedy is a mitzvah -- acommandment and a gooddeed. This means that, onthe one hand, it is not anarbitrary act, but a duty andan obligation. On the otherhand, it is a good deed -- a

credit to the one who recognizes his duty and car-ries out his obligation.

The Jew believes that material wealth is not acrime, but a blessing from G-d. One who has sobeen blessed should regard himself as G-d's"banker" -- one who is privileged to have beenentrusted by the Creator with the role of dispensingthe resources of His creation to others.

G-d could have allotted equal portions of His world

The Myth of Charity Continued from page 12

Continued from page 1

continued on page 4

CHABAD WEEKLY BULLETIN PAGE 3

The 1st Annual Chabad

Reunion For Westside

Expatriates

Sunday Morning,January 14

Minyan at 9 AM

Followed by Breakfast withall the trimmings

at Chabad 101 W92nd St.

Achieving Balance in our Lives:Maimonides� Viewpoint

Rabbi Meir Ossey, Chabad of the West Side

Fashion an Attractive, Trendy Handbag AAvviivvaa SSiittrruukk,, Talented Artisan

HHoosstteedd bbyy LLaarraa SSllaaggeerr43 West 64th St. #12B Between Broadway and CPW

TTuueess..,, JJaannuuaarryy 1166,, 22000077 88::1155ppmm �� 99::4455ppmm $$55..0000 ccoouuvveerrtt

R.S.V.P. cwc@chabadwestside.org 212-864-5010 x10

Esther Miriam Fried Rivka Kugel Sarah Ossey

Sunday, January 21

Baking Matza in Crown Heights

Have the experience of a lifetime! Bake yourown Shmurah Matzah for Passover in the

Crown Heights Matzah Bakery.

Participate in every step of the process, frommixing the flour and water, to rolling the dough,

to putting the matzah in the oven.

RSVP: chabad@chabadwestside.org or 212-864-5010 x 14

to all its inhabitants. But then the world would havebeen nothing more than a showpiece of G-d's cre-ative powers, predictable as a computer game andstatic as a museum display. G-d wanted a dynamicworld -- a world in which man, too, is a creatorand provider. A world in which the controlshave, to a certain extent, been handedover to beings who have the power tochoose between fulfilling or reneging ontheir role.

Thus Jewish law requires every individualto give tzedakah, even one who is himselfsustained by the tzedakah of others. If thepurpose of tzedakah were merely to rec-tify the unequal distribution of wealthbetween rich and poor, this law wouldmake no sense. Tzedakah, however, ismuch more than that: it is the opportunity granted toevery person to become a "partner with G-d in cre-ation."

Giving tzedakah is, above all, a humbling experi-

ence. Before us stands a human being less fortu-nate than ourselves. We know that G-d could havejust as easily provided him with everything herequires, instead of sending him to us for his needs.Here is a person who is suffering poverty in order toprovide us with the opportunity to do a G-dly deed!

By the same token, if divine providenceplaces us on the receiving end of acharitable act, we need not be demor-alized by the experience. For we knowthat G-d could have just as easily pro-

vided us with all that we need Himself,and that our need for human aid is merelyin order to grant another person the abili-ty to do a G-dly deed. Our "benefactor"is giving us money or some otherresource; we are giving him something

far greater the opportunity to become apartner with G-d in creation.

In the words of our sages: "More than the rich mandoes for the pauper, the pauper does for the richman."

MONDAY EVENINGS 8:15 pmIN-DEPTH TANYA

with Rabbi Meir Ossey AT THE CHABAD SHUL

WEDNESDAY MORNINGS10:45–11:30

PATHWAYS TO THE SOULa Class for Women

with Rabbi Shlomo Kugel

Coffee & DiscussionAT THE HOME OF

DEBORAH & DAVID SHIMKO500 WEST END AVE. APT. #8C

WEDNESDAY EVENINGS 8:30 pmPRACTICAL HALACHA

with Rabbi Yisroel Fried

AT THE HOME OFNAAVA & DANNY ECKSTIEN

20 WEST 87TH ST. APT. #1B

SHABBAT9:00 am

THE CHASSIDIC PARSHAwith Rabbi Yisroel Fried

1hour before MinchaRAMBAM SHIUR

with Rabbi Yisroel Friedat the Chabad Shul

Name Hebrew Date Occurs On

Dahlia Bernstein 22 Teves January 12

Annette Cutler 27 Teves January 17

Thomas Grant 26 Teves January 16

Naomi Kessler 28 Teves January 18

Tomer Mandelbaum 25 Teves January 15

Esther Pearl Shapira-Stern 25 Teves January 15

Happy Birthday! ONGOING CLASSES

The Myth of Charity Continued from page 2

CHABAD WEEKLY BULLETIN PAGE 4

NO SCHOOL REMINDER! MONDAY, JANUARY 15

Ch

abad

EL

C

Chabad ELC 101 West 92nd Street 166 West 97th Street

Phone: 212-864-5010 Fax: 212-932-8987

www.chabadwestside.org celc@chabadwestside.org

Next Week at CELC Monday, January 15 NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Tuesday, January 16 Dentist Visit 97 Music 92 Morah Torah Plus

Wednesday, January 17 PN3 Walking Trip to Petco Mezuzah Matters - Discussion & Workshop Kinderdance 97

Thursday, January 18 Kinderdance 92

Saturday, January 20 Havdalah PJ Party!

Havdalah PJ Party! Saturday Night, January 20

6:00 pm 166 West 97th Street

PJs at Chabad? You got it!

Right after Shabbat, join us for a havdala service, kumzitz (singalong) and movie.

Light dinner served just before the lights go out! BYOB – bring your own beverage (sippy cups et al)

Admission - $5 per child (no charge for adults)

wanting to eat them though! Spend a day in the lives of these three piggies as they learn that their differences make them special, and how through working together they can overcome anything."

Join other Chabad families for this musical comedy, appropriate for all ages, at the Manhattan Children's Theater in Tribeca! We have a block of tickets available at $18 each.

To purchase your family's tickets, contact Eta Kliger, mom of Daniella Schreiber (N2) (212) 706-2572 (home) or (917) 734-0250 (cell). Evenings are the best time to call.

Mabel’s Labels for Chabad Don't lose another pair of mittens!

With a wide selection of iron-ons, stick-ons, allergy alerts and even kosher labels, Mabel's

Labels are tough, cute and easy to use. You can

personalize labels with names, initials and even fun icons for non-readers.

Help support the PA while getting your family organized! Log on to www.chabadelc.mabel.ca to ensure that 15-20% of your order goes directly to the the Chabad ELC PA. To see samples of Mabel's products, stop by our table in the school hallway during drop-off: 97th Street: Wednesday, January 17 - 9:30 am 92nd Street: Thursday, January 18 - 9:30 am

If you have any questions or would like more information about this program, contact Chaviva Kaplan (Einav, PN1) at 212-724-3430.

CHABAD ELC

From the Desk of the PA Havdala PJ Party Come to school in your PJs and enjoy an entertaining evening with your Chabad friends! After the Havdalah ceremony, we will have singing, dinner and a movie.

Saturday, January 20, 6 PM 166 West 97th Street $5 per child (siblings welcome) Pajama wear not required for attendance :)

A Night with Our Morahs’ Mom, Mrs. Miriam Zukerman You’ve read the books and spoken to the pros. Now bring your questions about discipline, child development, balancing work and family, or any other parenting concerns to Mrs. Z - mother of 16 including Morahs Pearl, Esther and Leba and director of Yeshivat Mikdash Melech Preschool. You don’t want to miss it!

Thursday, January 25th, 8 PM Graciously hosted by Hilla and Adam Steinberg, mom of Sammy (T2) 800 West End Avenue #6D

Theater Outing “Three Little Pigs” Sunday, February 25th, 2 PM "Pat, Patterson and Patty are piglets in every sense of the word, except that they are skinny rather than fat! That doesn’t stop Bad, the big bad singing wolf, from still

Mazal Tov! Morah Naomi Isaac-Saul (PN1) upon her engagement to Boruch Greenberg! Best wishes to the Isaac-Saul and Greenberg families.

Ornithology in Pre-K On Tuesday morning an Urban Park Ranger visited the Pre-K class. While rangers are usually at Central Park, they visit classrooms for special programs like this one.

Birds live all around us, but how much do you know about them? The children bundled up and got outdoors to use their eyes and ears to identify birds and interpret their behavior. Then, they came back indoors and documented their findings in a journal.

This session is one of a two-part series. In the spring, the Pre-K will visit Belvedere Castle to continue their ornithological studies.

Sensory Corner We’ve set up our first classroom cozy corner! PN3 is the first lucky classroom to host this tent full of sensory delights such as textured balls of all sizes, pillows, blankets and sparkly weighted lizards.

The corner is open during free play and if a child needs to relax during a more structured activity, the space is available then, too.

Many thanks to the anonymous donor for sponsoring these materials. If you are interested in the full or partial sponsorship of a 97th Street Corner, please contact Pearl or Rivky.

Amirit and Shoshana

Mummies & Masterpieces

The Nursery and Pre-K classes enjoyed a winter art workshop with Elana on Thursday. The children looked at winter works of art from all over the world, including Claude Monet’s Haystacks (France), William Glackens’ Central Park in the Winter (America) and various Japanese screens and woodblock prints. The children then experimented with woodblock printing.

Many thanks to the PA and Judy Federbush (Jacob Greenwald, PK) for their continued sponsorship of our art enrichment program.

CHABAD ELC

Mezuzah Matters

Gain deeper insight into the inner workings of the mezuzah in a discussion with Rabbi Kugel and then get to work creating an artistic mezuzah case with Morah Esther (N2).

Wednesday, January 17 1:00 - 2:15 pm 101 West 92nd Street

Childcare provided with advance notice, only.

RSVP by Friday, January 12.

A Sofer (Jewish scribe) will be checking mezuzot and tefillin at Chabad’s Mitzvah Day - Sunday, January 28.

Save the Date! Visitor’s Day - Friday, February 2

Friends and family members (one adult or couple) who are generally unable to spend time with your child at school are invited to join your child’s class for a Tu B’Shevat / Visitor’s Day Celebration on Friday, February 2. Visitors will join your child’s class at 12:00 noon for a special activity. This time is intended to be a relaxed and comfortable experience for your child and his/her guest. If you feel that a disruption in your child’s schedule would not be beneficial for your child, there is no need to send in a visitor.

N1 & PN97 Trip The N1 and PN97 classes visited the Jewish Home for the Aged this week. The children prepared cards for the residents and sang their favorite songs on each floor.

Many of the children felt comfortable enough to approach the seniors and exchanged names, handshakes and lots of smiles. It was a wonderful experience on both ends and the children were asked to come again very soon!

Yishai, Yvee and Maya (N1)

When Moses was asked by G-d at the burning bush to serve asthe liberator of the Jewish people, he demurred. Moses in hishumility "argued" with G-d that he should not be the one toassume this responsibility. Among Moses' arguments against hisbeing the leader, he told G-d that he was not worthy to be theirleader; that he would not know what to say to them; that theywould not listen to him and that he stuttered and would not be agood communicator. G-d refuted all Moses' arguments andpromised him success in his mission. But, even after all of this,Moses came up with a new argument: "Shlach Na BeYadTishlach, Please my Master, send the one that you will send."Rashi, the principal Bible commentator, explains that Mosesmeant to say to G-d, why send me; send my much more articu-late brother Aaron to be Your official spokesman.

Alternatively, Rashi explains that Moses' argument was, whysend him; send the one that you will eventually send, i.e.,Moshiach, the final leader and redeemer of the Jewish people.Moses argued, "why send me, who is not destined to take theminto the Promised Land and be their redeemer in the future."

In other words, Moses argued that there was no point in havinghim do a half-baked job of liberating them from Egypt, when, inthe end, someone else will have to complete the task. Why notsend someone who can do everything from a to z?

Moses' argument raises an obvious question. True, Moses had aprophetic premonition that he was not destined to be their finalleader, but what is wrong with him doing the first crucial half ofthe liberating process? Why was he against sharing the redemp-tion process with Moshiach? Certainly, Moses, the most humbleperson that ever lived, could not have been offended by the factthat he would not complete the job.

There are two intertwined ways of answering this question. Thefirst is to focus on Moses' character. Among his other qualities,Moses personified the attribute of truth. Our Sages tell us thatthe refrain "Moses is true and his teachings are true," was utteredby his greatest critics in the aftermath of the Korach rebellion.

What is the definition of truth? Truth is much more than statingthe facts honestly, accurately and unembellished. According tothe Talmudic definition of truth, it involves consistency. TheHebrew word for truth, emet, contains the first, middle and lastletters of the Hebrew alphabet, suggesting that in order forsomething to be emet it must be consistent from the beginningthrough the middle to the end.

Moses, the paragon of truth, could not countenance the idea thathis actions would be a "temporary fix." It was contrary to hisnature. Therefore, Moses asked G-d to let a more consistentleader begin the process that will end in permanent success.

There is yet another approach to Moses' hesitancy. Moses, bymaking this argument that there was no point in him beginningthe process if he would not be able to complete it, actually rep-resented the qualities of a true leader.

The difference between a leader and a follower is that the lattercares about the success of the task at hand without regard to allof the other steps and ramifications of that task.

The story is told of a delegation of some of the greatest rabbis inRussia who traveled to Petersburg to help change a harsh decreeagainst the Jewish community but failed. When one the mem-bers of the delegation, the famed Rabbi Chaim Solveitchik ofBrisk, later visited Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneerson (the fifthRebbe of Chabad) in his hotel room, he found him crying. "Whyare you crying," he asked, "we did everything in our power tochange the decree?" To this the Rabbi Sholom Dovber replied:"But the goal wasn't met."

Both rabbis worked tirelessly for the needs of the Jewish com-munity; yet only one of them could not be consoled, even withthe knowledge that they had given theri all. How do we explaintheir different reactions to failure?

The answer lies in the difference between the way a dedicatedperson looks at his mission and the way the leader views it. Theformer sees the task at hand, and does everything humanly pos-sible to succeed. The hallmark of a true leader, however, is onewho cannot rest and find comfort until he brings the process tofruition. His focus is not on his power or capabilities, but on thegoal. His devotion and love to his people is so intense and emetthat he cannot imagine the goal not being fulfilled. This is theembodiment of emet, not just truth, but a devotion to enduring,eternal success. And if it happens that he does not succeed, itevokes the most profound feelings of sadness.

Living on the threshold of the Messianic Age, we are all present-ly charged with the role of leadership. Our task now is not toachieve some preliminary positive result, no matter how impor-tant and commendable, but to bring about the end of the exile.This we can accomplish even by one Mitzvah that "pushes usover the top," and we cannot rest until we succeed to bring aboutthe final Redemption.

Goal Oriented

According to one opinion in the Talmud (Yevamot 62a), the reason for the mitzva of procreation is to hasten the coming of Moshiach:"The son of David will not come until all the souls in heaven have been born." Every time another child is born to the Jewish people,

the coming of Moshiach is thereby hastened. Thus, every Jewish wedding is considered, in a sense, the beginning of the Redemption, forthe couple will soon have children, and will thus hasten the coming of Moshiach. (The Journal of Halacha Vol. 4 by Rabbi H. Schachter)

Moshiach - It’s a Jewish issue. For more info, visit www.moshiach.com

Moshiach Matters...

TORAH FAXCHABAD WEEKLY BULLETIN PAGE 9

Halachic Times

Week of January 11 - 17Earliest Tefillin (latest of the week) . . . . . . . . . . .6:26 AM

Latest Shma (earliest of the week) . . . . . . . . . . .9:41 AM

Torah Reading: . . . . . . . . . . .Shemot (Exodus 1:1 -6:1)

Haftorah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27:6 - 28:13, 29:22-23*

Molad for the New MoonThurs., 1/18, 10:33 & 10/18 PM

*note that Chabad follows the Ashkenazic custom with thisHaftorah, though we usually follow the Sephardic custom.

Shabbat Parshat Shemot - Shabbat MevarchimWe bless the New Month of Shevat

Rosh Chodesh is next Shabbat, 1/20

FRIDAY, January 12Candle Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4:31 pm Mincha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4:50 pm Dvar Torah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rabbi KugelKabbalat Shabbat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5:20 pm

SHABBAT, January 13Tehillim (Psalms) for Shabbat Mevarchim . . . . .8:15 amShacharit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9:45 amDvar Torah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rabbi Fried***Kids Shul & Junior Minyan . . . . . . . . .11:00 - 12:15***Kiddush is sponsored by Avi & Gail Friedman . . . . . . . .: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .approx. 12:30 PM

Rambam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3:35 pmMincha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4:35 pm Ma’ariv & Havdallah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5:36 pm

Each week, a Video of the Rebbe is shown afterHavdallah.

Daily Minyan: Sunday & legal holidays: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 AM

Monday & Thursday: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:15 AM

Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday: . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:30 AM

Rosh Chodesh: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 AM

Learn Rambam everyday at www.chabadwestside.org/dailystudy/rambam.asp

NEXT WEEK AT A GLANCE

Shabbat Parshat Vaera......................JANUARY 19 - 20

Friday, January 19Candle Lighting ..............................................4:39 PM

Saturday, January 20Shabbat ends....................................................5:43 PM

Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Shevat

The 24th of Tevet (January 14)The 24th of Tevet, Sunday, January 14, is the Yahrzeit of

the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman, knownas the Alter Rebbe. He passed away in the remote village of

Piena in 1813 and is buried in nearby Haditch. RabbiSchneur Zalman passed away while in flight from theadvancing armies of Napoleon. While some ChassidicRebbes welcomed Napoleon’s invasion of Russia andviewed him as an emancipator of Russian Jewry from

Czarist tyranny, the Alter Rebbe sided with the Czar, prefer-ring being subjected to Czarist rule than exposing RussianJewry to the enlightened culture of the West that Napoleonrepresented. For his loyalty to the Crown, the Alter Rebbe

was provided special protection by the Russian governmentas he, his family and a group of chassidim fled the

approaching French army - but, due to his failing health, henever made it to the safer areas of Russia’s interior. The

Alter Rebbe passed away Saturday night, Motzaei Shabbatof Parshat Shemot.

It is noteworthy, that this year, the Yahrzeit falls out on thesame day of the week as in 1813, Motzaei Shabbat and

Sunday and on the same Parshah, Shemot.

WWaanntteedd:: TToorraahh RReeaaddeerrss

Chabad is looking for volunteer Ba’al Korehs. If you orsomeone you know can layn a Parshah - we would love to

have you layn at Chabad. Whether you want to refreshyour Bar Mitzvah Parshah and want to prepare a new one,

please call our office.The following Parshahs are already reserved:

Shemot, January 13 Avi Friedman

Mishpatim, February 17Jeremy Sanders

CHABAD WEEKLY BULLETIN PAGE 10

KIDDUSH SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:

Sponsoring a Kiddush is a great way to share youSimchah or special family event with the community!

Kiddushim can be sponsored to celebrate a birthday,graduation or to commemorate the Yahrzeit of a lovedone. Kiddush sponsors are encouraged to share somewords of Torah at their Kiddush. Kiddushim cost $300,$400 or $500.

To sponsor a kiddush, please email Rabbi Fried atryf@chabadwestside.org, or call at 212-864-5010 x 14.

Kiddush Schedule:

Shabbat Vaera, January 20,..........................................Kiddush is sponsored by Jason and Mary Shela in honor

of the Yahrzeit of her father, Bernard Laipdes.

Shabbat Bo, January 27, ..............................................Kiddush is sponsored by Anonymous

Shabbat Beshalach, Tu Bishevat, February 3, ............Kiddush is sponsored by Dr. Stephen and Bella Brenner

in honor of his birthday

Shabbat Yitro, February 10, ........................................Kiddush is sponsored by Mayo Simon in honor of the

Yahrzeit of his father, Emanuel I. Simon, 26 Shevat

Shabbat Mishpatim, February 17,................................Kiddush is sponsored by Schneur Bistritzky in honor of

his birthday, 28 Shevat

Shabbat Terumah, February 24, ..................................Kiddush is available

Some thoughts on the Rambam’s works- in honor of the 20th of Tevet, (this year,

January 10)

The 20th of Tevet, Jan 10, was the Yahrzeit of theRambam who passed away in the year 1204. He is buriedin Tiberias. He is the author of a number of fundamental

books. These include the Sefer Hamitzvot, which lists andgives a summary of each of the 613 Mitzvot of the Torah.

He also wrote a commentary on the Mishnah which madethe Mishnah accessible to generations of Jews for whomthis work would have otherwise been a closed book. Hisintroduction to the Mishnah, along with his introduction

to Pirkei Avot known as Shemoneh Perakim and his intro-duction to the last chapter of tractate Sanhedrin known asChelek, are each deep philosophical treatises in their own

rite. The Rambam also wrote in order to address theneeds and concerns of his generation, The greatest exam-

ple of this is his work, Guide to the Perplexed. ManyJews at his time were discovering new wisdoms, sciences

and schools of thought and felt that belief in Judaismwere contrary to these “new ways” of thinking. He wrotethe Guide to show how Torah was in no way contrary tomany of these wisdoms and in fact was often quite com-

patible. With his Guide, he rekindled a love for Torah andG-d in the hearts of tens of thousands of Jews in his time,

as well as in subsequent generations. Interestingly, hiscommentary on the Mishnah of tractate Brachot was

printed in the back of one of the first volumes of Talmudto be printed, on his 279th yahrzeit in the year 1483, in

Soncino, Italy.His magnum opus is the Mishneh Torah, in which he

gives the halachic rulings for each of the Mitzvot of theTorah, including the laws that will apply when Moshiachwill come. These include, laws of building the Temple,

laws of purity and impurity, laws of sacrifices, agricultur-al laws and many others. This is unlike virtually all otherhalachic publications, including the Shulchan Aruch, theCode of Jewish Law, where only halachas that are rele-

vant in the time of exile are discussed. The MishnahTorah was the only one of his works that he wrote inHebrew, with all of his other works being written in

Arabic. The easy to read style of the Rambam’s Hebrewcan be understood by any Hebrew speaking person today,

some 850 years after it was written.

The Rebbe stressed the importance of learning Rambamevery day. He suggested three different tracks, dependingon a person’s time and learning ability. The basic track is

to learn a Mitzvah every day in the Rambam’s SeferHamitzvot, completing this book in about 1 year. The

next two tracks give one the opportunity of completingthe entire Mishneh Torah. If one learns 1 chapter a day,the entire Mishneh Torah can be studied over the courseof 3 years, and if one studies 3 chapters a day, one canfinish the Mishneh Torah in a single year. The schedulefor all of these options of Rambam study, along with the

text of the daily lessons, can be viewed online on ourwebsite at

www.chabadwestside.org/dailystudy/rambam.asp

CHABAD WEEKLY BULLETIN PAGE 11

The Myth of CharityBy Yanki Tauber

Jews don't believe in charity.

Don't be misled by their legendaryphilanthropy, by their saturation ofsocial and humanitarian movements,by their invention of the pushkah, themeshulach and the UJA. Jews do

not practice charity, and the concept isvirtually non-existent in Jewish tradition.

Instead of charity, the Jew gives tzedakah, whichmeans "righteousness" and "justice." When the Jew

contributes his money, time and resources to theneedy, he is not being benevolent, generous or"charitable." He is doing what is right and just.The story is told of a wealthy chassid who oncereceived a letter from his rebbe, Rabbi AbrahamYehoshua Heshel of Apt, requesting him to give 200rubles to save a fellow chassid from financial ruin.The wealthy chassid regularly contributed to hisrebbe's charitable activities, but this particular letterarrived at a financially inconvenient time and con-tained a request for an exceptionally large sum; aftersome deliberation, the chassid decided not torespond to the Rebbe's request.

Shortly thereafter, the chassid's fortunes began tofall. One business venture failed badly, and thenanother; before long he had lost everything.

"Rebbe," he cried, when he had gained admittanceto Rabbi Abraham Yehoshua's room, "I know whythis has happened to me. But was my sin so terribleto deserve so severe a punishment? And is it right topunish without warning? If you would have told me

CHABAD WEEKLY BULLETIN PAGE 12

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