on Graduation Weekend

Our old Bima cover had a Jewish star, but this one has a bright, dazzling crown with many (plastic) gems. This is a traditional symbol, recognizing the "crown of Torah" (mentioned in Ethics of our Fathers and elsewhere). Beyond that, however, I felt there had to be even greater symbolism to it.

Indeed there is! Each of the graduating students left their mark on this campus, greatly contributing to the fabric of Jewish life, each luminous in their own right and in their own way. This is not poetry or exaggeration, we really value and appreciate all the ways (big and small) which each of you have made a difference at UAlbany. (for details see the letters inside your graduation book gifts).

The students (and alumni) here are the gems of varied color depicted on this crown. Shabbos House is proud to be a setting for them.

by Max Wein

There's just a few of us male students who make the big effort to come to Shabbos Morning Minyan and that's because we feel needed for the Minyan or to get an aliyah, or something like that. Now the women (in an Orthodox service) do not get to do those things, and yet these girls come week after week to participate and to take part. Walking around today, I thought about it and am pretty impressed and thought it would be nice to give these fine women some credit publicly.

P.S. If not for their helping Raizy we would not have all these fantastic salads either. And thanks to all the guys who help out in the kitchen as well.

by Eric Himy

There is another meaning to this as well. We should not be on the sidelines when someone is being embarrassed. The Talmud says that embarrassing someone is a sense like spilling their blood, as the blood rushes to and from your face when shamed, causing paleness and blushing.

by Yishai Cohen

When it comes to our parents, the Torah says "Honor them", instead of what we might expect to say "Love them". The message is that while it would be best to love our parents, and often we feel very close with them, we are still obligated to respect and revere them when we are at odds, in disagreement or on a different planet.

Sometimes we feel that our parents do not understand us, or our times, and can not relate to the choices, frustrations and struggles we experience. This is when the Torah's commandment is so important: Respect and revere them anyways. They love us dearly, want only the best for us, and will always be there for us, come what may.

Fern's Candles

&

The Anti-Religious Torah Enthusiast

Fern's Candles

Fern was a student here at Albany, and graduated in 1976. We met her this year, and she told us this story. During her senior year a young, bearded Rabbi, had a table in the campus center where he offered to teach women the art of lighting the Shabbos candles. All year she passed him, and never stopped at the table. Was it college peer pressure, was it his beard? She doesn't remember. Towards the end of her senior year she went over to the table for some reason, and learned how to light the candles. And she lights them to this day.

That young Rabbi was my father, Rabbi Israel Rubin, who founded the Shabbos House Student Center at SUNY Albany in 1975. And whatever he might have thought of the young woman who passed his table so many times, she is a proud and involved Jewish woman today, still lighting the candles.

The anti-religious Torah Enthusiast

We were in Israel during the Winter of 2001 for the wedding of Dan and Atara Marzouk. Their wedding took place in the Inbal Hotel (formerly the Laromme) which is near Liberty Park in Jerusalem. We stayed with the Granovetters (editors of Bridge-Today) friends of the family who lived in the Albany area and now live in Katamon.

Being that I was honored with officiating at this wedding, I was anxious to get to the hotel on time, and concerned that I had all the necessary documents and speeches etc. So we called a taxi, and were about to be seated inside, when there was some noisy commotion on the narrow street and the taxi driver ran out and pushed himself into the thick throng that was coming down the street. I sat myself down in the taxi, about to get comfortable when the taxi driver comes back and yells at me, "Rabbi from America! You don't go and kiss Torahs? Here, come with me!" Before I could think, he dragged me out of the taxi and pushed me through the throng of singing and chanting people to the Torah which was being carried through the streets. Evidently this was a new Torah being brought to a synagogue with an excited entourage.

I was impressed with the devoutness and piety of the taxi driver, and his passionate love of the Torah and tradition. But once inside the taxi he went on a long tirade against religious Jews, on and on. The Torah experience and the anti-religious talk inside the taxi - together - was a great lesson in what it means to be a "holy people".

Learning this as a teenager I kind of resented this text. I thought of myself as a compassionate type guy, and wondered what marriage and fatherhood would add to it.

Then my first-born daughter was born. It was a wet, rainy Friday in Brooklyn at the Maimonides Hospital. We were thrilled to hold our very own baby for the first time. Raizy was sent up to a room to recuperate and after the baby was taken for testing they returned her to our room for her first feeding. And then, in Raizy's arms she turned blue!

Luckily the nurse was still there and she rushed out with the baby to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) where my daughter ended up spending a week's worth of extensive testing and medications. At the time we were clueless, until a doctor sat down and gave us a rundown of all the frightening possibilities. That night we spent a prayerful Shabbos in the Hospital.

Jewish girls are named by the Torah reading. Although there was no shortage of synagogues in the vicinity of the Hospital, I very much wanted to name our daughter in the small minyan which prays in "the Rebbe's room" (an office where for over 40 years the Rebbe met and spoke with thousands of Jews from all walks of life and offered so many blessings). The rain did not stop, and after an hour and a half in the downpour, I finally arrived at the Rebbe's minyan in time to name our daughter "Chaya Mushka" (named for the Rebbe's wife, means roughly "Spice of Life").

The thoughts which ran through my mind in that pouring rain - helped me better understand the words of the Code of Jewish Law, preferring that a father lead the congregation in prayer.

P.S. Mushkie had an pneumonia which was cured with anti-biotics, and was released a week later, as healthy as ever with no negative effects or traces at all. Thank G-d!

During the Torah Reading there is a special prayer said for sick family members or friends in the community in need of a recovery. The Gabbai says a short prayer and includes the Hebrew names and mother's names. One of the students who frequents our minyan has a heightened concern for the terror victims in Israel. He found some site on the internet with a listing of the Hebrew names (and mother's Hebrew) names of all the terror victims and wrote them down on several sheets of paper.

Unfortunately this list (which does not include those killed, or those without critical or lasting injury) is very long. And this student brought this list (before the Sabbath) to be read when there is the prayer for the sick. While the very decent Gabbai obliged, there was some grumbling in the crowd, which after several times became more of a disapproval (it is not necessary, you just have them in mind, or this or that) and the student quietly dropped the list and stopped bringing those names.

It occurred to me the other day (in the shower..) that he handwrote this list on lined paper! I mean, no one I know handwrites a list off the internet, you just print it. Point and Click and out it comes! I'm not sure why this happened (he might not have a printer), but the end result is that this fellow sat and wrote these names, probably looking back and forth from his screen, double-checking to be sure he got his names right, and physically, actually wrote each one!

Doing that by hand and one at a time, makes these names more than bytes or figures, but real people with names. It brings the tragedy that much closer home. I remember going up to the Podium during the reading of the names and hearing "Rubin" being called.

It gives the memory a name, and drives it home.

Check back here soon for the PDF download.

one said in Shabbos House during his visit for his son Menachem's geography bee, and the second said in Long Island, referring to his weekend in Albany

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In Parshas Vayeitzei we read that as Yaakov was fleeing to his uncle Lavan’s house, he stopped to sleep in the place that would become the Temple Mount. In the Artscroll translation it says “and he dreamt, and behold! A ladder was set earthward and its top reached heavenward; and behold! Angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” When he awakens he says “If God will be with me, will guard me on this way hat I am going; will give me bread to eat and clothes to wear; and I return in peace to y father’s house, and Hashem will be a God to me – then this stone which I have set up as a pillar shall become a house of God, and whatever You will give me, I shall repeatedly tithe to You.”

This is the first place that we see the avos offering to give maaser, to tithe their belongings for charity. So the question is what was it about this dream that made Yaakov realize that it was proper to give maaser? Had he only had a vision of malakim coming down the ladder he would have understood the dream to mean that there was kedusha coming down to earth from Hashem from shamayim. But in his vision he actually saw malakim also ascending the ladder. He understood this to mean that there was also kedusha being created here on earth that was going up to shamayim.

Rabbi Baris gave a related example of a cow in a field that does not have any particular kedusha. When we use the cow to write a sefer Torah or to make tefillin we are making something that has kedusha from something that doesn’t, increasing kedusha in the world. Yaakov realized from his dream that holiness could be created from regular physical things.

The shema says that we should love Hashem with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our possessions. How actually are we supposed to do this. The commentators say that we learn to love Hashem with all our hearts by following the example of Avraham who did acts of loving-kindness. We learn to love Hashem with all our souls by following the example of Yitzhak who was willing to give up his life for Hashem at the Akeida. We learn to love Hashem with all our possessions by following the example of Yaakov who learned in this portion that we could create holiness in the world by using our possessions in the service of Hashem.

This is also what I saw in Albany last week. Rabbi and Rebitzin Rubin use their physical possessions, their house and their food, to create a minyan where there otherwise wouldn’t be a minyan; to create tefilla where there otherwise wouldn’t be tefilla, and to create the warmth of shabbos and torah where there would otherwise just be snow and ice. May the kedusha generated continue to ascend to heaven.

 

said by Fred and Stacey Lotwin's Sheva Brachos in Shabbos House.

Mazal Tov Fred and Stacey! We're very excited to host your Sheva-Brachos right here in Shabbos House. It's customary to share a few words of Torah and blessing to the chassan and kallah. While Bill Keane's "family Circus" is not Torah, there's a meaningful lesson in this comic strip which is also found in Tanya, the classic book of Chassidic thought, at the end of chapter 37.

The father had his kid wishing far off in a dreamy place, but in reality all his son wanted was a drink of water from that well. The father, while well-intentioned, was out of touch with what his son really wanted. The same can happen in marriage, when one spouse might mean well, but is not sensitive enough to be in touch with what his/her spouse really needs.

Another important lesson here is never to discount the value of little things and the practical here and now. There's another great comic strip of Charlie Brown dreaming on the pitcher's mound of a great game, where he turns out be the hero when all seems lost, and in midst of all that dreaming, a pop-up ball comes his way, and he misses it. After being blamed for it by his team-mates (and of course, Lucy) Charlie Brown says: "The future clouded my vision, and made me miss the ball." Our long-term vision should never get in the way of the practical needs of here and now.

On Lag B'Omer there's a massive celebration on Mount Meron, where Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (student of Rabbi Akiva and author of the Zohar) is buried. All along the windy road going up the mountain there are tents with families who are camping out, or selling some goods and wares, or otherwise adding to the colorful festivities. The crowd increases the higher up on the mountain you are - and bonfires are lit, music is playing, and thousands of people are dancing together on this joyous day of Lag B'Omer. The air is thick with the heat of the fires, though the air of the surrounding mountainside is clear and crisp - as it is on the hillsides of Northern Israel. I went up the stairs in the building near the tomb, and looked down to see hundreds (thousands!) of Jews dancing close together - with all types of kippas and all kinds of hats (representing dozens of different groups and movements..) all dancing in unison.

Aside for being another wonderful memory of being in the Holy Land - Raizy realized a relevant connection. Lag B'Omer falls between Passover and Shavuos, and many Jews do not cut their hair during this time as a sign of mourning for the tragedies which have occurred during this period in our history. But on Lag B'Omer the grief was suspended. So all the little hasidic, sefardic and other 3 years olds who's families have the custom not to cut their hair until 3 years of age, would come to Meron and have their hair cut there - if their birthdays fell between Passover and Shavuos. This is especially relevant to us, as we are celebrating this week little Moshe's first traditional hair-cut or "Upshernish".

Yaron Fuks: In the Israeli army it's common to call your fellow soldiers "Achee" (Hebrew for brother, or buddy). Once a distinguished (now famous) high-ranking Israeli general named Yossi Peled came to our brigade. He was chatting friendly with me, and I did not notice his rank - and in chatting I tapped him with a friendly gesture and said "Achee!" - Whoa, was that something to remember.

Revital Fuks: My husband Yaron is now 33. When he was 30 and still looking for a bride, he went to Meron (the same place Rabbi Mendel was talking about) and prayed there. He also added a little promise that should his prayers be answered, he would bring drinks and refreshments for the those who come up to Mt. Meron. And so it was, within a year we were engaged, and I remember trekking up that long windy road shlepping drinks and refreshments (since the buses are not allowed up there due to the great crowds of people) to fulfill his promise.

Ben Tabar: This is not an Israel experience - but this Spring Break I spent a wonderful time in Italy, and my Mom wanted me to go see the Synagogue in Florence. I thought it would be just another nice old place, but I was taken by it's beauty, it was designed by leading architects, 2 non-Jewish and one Jewish - so it has a lot of religious architecture which is not Jewish in origin, but very imposing and beautiful.

Being an American in Europe was a little uncomfortable this time. Once we met up with some Israelis, a couple who had just wed, and although we never met before - we felt so at home with each other - like family.

Mike Kashani: The Birthright Trip I was on was not Mayanot - they told us we had 15 minutes at the Kotel and that was it. What is only 15 minutes at the Kotel? I walked closer to the wall, and before going over to Pray, just stood there looking at it from a little distance, soaking it all in. I have a picture from where I stood, with a little of the blue sky just above it - it hangs in my room, and I pray right near it.

Arie Lipnick: This summer we were taken on a more in-depth tour, having gone on the more basic tours before and we ended up high on a Mountain in the Golan, where you can see Syria (comforting thought) just across. There was a Coffee Place atop that Mountain named "kofee-anan" (in Hebrew it means "Coffee in the Clouds" but is also a reference to the UN S.G.) and nearby there was a very interesting directional pole. It had arrows all over it, pointing in different directions. Washington DC was 30,000 (or so) Kilometers to the West, Baghdad was X-amount of kilometers to the East, Moscow some number to the North and so on.. It kind of struck me, that religiously - as Jews, Israel is the epicenter of our universe and the place to where we turn no matter how great the distance. True, we are Americans, and this is our home, but on a religious level - Israel will always be our home.

Ben Lieb: I went on the Mayanot Trip and had a very good time. Being centered in Jerusalem for a chunk of the trip really made it all the more special. In addition to the 10 days of Mayanot Birthright I also took advantage of a special opportunity to stay another 10 days in Israel - with the Mayanot Yeshiva Program. For beginners who are not ready/interested to do the whole yeshiva program they have a "Jewish Experience" (or something like that..) Program which was very enjoyable. We had quite a number of outings. Once we were planning to visit the museum inside David's Citadel in the Old City but it did not work out. Instead, we did something adventurous and different. We snaked our way through the windy, narrow, beautiful streets of the old city - ending up inside a Breslov yeshiva where they were dancing as is their custom after prayer. We made our way to the rooftop and were able to see the Temple Mount from that spot. This is not something they would take you to on the birthright trip. It could be that the Levite in me is what got all excited, but either way it was something special to remember.

Teri Goldstein: I also had the excellent opportunity of going to Israel via Mayanot Birthright. The Friday Night at the Kotel is really amazing. A lot of the people who were with us were not observant or so into Shabbos - but there you kind of get so warmed up. There are so many people there, so many different kinds of people there. And yet it is not impersonal. We bumped into Raizy's sister Elkie there - right at the Wall.

by Harriet Roffe

Last night by the dinner in Campus Center several new girls came for the first time, and they were put off when someone off-handedly told them: "You come here in sweatpants?"

We work so hard to make sure everyone feels comfortable, no matter what they wear or what they know or don't. A little remark like that can really set things back and send the wrong message to people. So, let's be careful to be sensitive to others and not let clothes and looks get in our way of loving our fellow Jews. hey - they should have looked at me. I'm a regular here and I wear pants all the time, and no one tells me a thing or looks at me the wrong way. Let's be nicer.

MENDEL'S NOTE: Could not agree more. Here's a quote from Marc Hanono (Class of 2000) (see it on StudentSpeak)
I knew I could always bring my friends here to Shabbos House, because no matter how they dressed, how little they knew, or how irreligious they were - I could always count on Rabbi Mendel for a warm welcome. Not many people can look deep inside people and ignore what they see on the outside...

* not about a shidduch, but a parable about why we drink on Purim.

Here's an interesting parable I found online.
and I shared it on the Friday Night Winer Dinner with 130 of us!

Being finals week I wanted to find appropriate material in the Torah reading. Sure enough I have two indirect references that might help with your tests this week.

(1) Yosef told his brothers that he would believe their story if they would bring their youngest brother Benjamin along when they returned to Egypt. The actual wording is "and your words will be tested.." Basically he was checking for consistency in their story - which is good stuff to have before a test, consistent and persistent studying - to the point that everything fits and makes sense.

(2) Here's another thought. Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. They kind of looked the same as when he was sold 22 years earlier, but he grew up since, now had a full beard, and was viceroy of a major superpower.

A tough test is when the material is presented in a slightly different way than the way you studied it. A good preparation for such a test is to review the subject matter in several styles and patterns. Maybe first in order of the chapter, then by theme, or dates etc.. There's even a study I read that memory retention increases when the same material is reviewed in several different physical places. It enables us to recognize it no matter the changes.

Abe Sedge disagreed saying that good study habits are about setting a specific place and time for study and creating a organized regimen.

Both things are true really. The Talmud itself talks about the need to establish a set and organized place and pattern. That fosters much better study habits. But at the same time that is important - by reviewing the material or even parts of it, in different settings - helps us retain the information better.

by Mike Kashani

Little did he know that his own beloved wife Rachel, daughter of Laban took them from her father so that he would be unable to worship them.

Though he certainly did not mean it - Rachel died in childbirth and was buried alone in Bethlehem (Bais-Lechem) away from the rest of our patriarchs and matriarchs in Hebron (Chevron).

This demonstrates the power of words, and how careful we must be with the things we say. You never know the affect of what you say - it might come back to haunt you later on.

by Steve Kessler

It's an important lesson about the route "up". The direct line upward isn't always the best. Sometimes a gradual, eventual approach is better, and easier to attain for more people.

Going straight up is intimidating. The ladder on the incline makes a lot of people say: "Hey, I could do that!"

by Lauren Rosenbaum

It's kind of obvious that he left from there - so why bother with that?

When a good person, a Tzadik, leaves a place it creates a void. Jacob didn't just simply move on to somewhere else, by his leaving he created an emptiness and a need in the place he left behind.

May we all create such positive impressions in the places we live in.

by Arie Lipnick

That boulder was an important function back in the day. It protected the precious resource of water from greedy shepherds, and assured that only the collective community of shepherds would have enough strength to take off the stone. This way they could be sure that no one took more water than allotted to them.

Jacob did an overrode this security measure. But the fact that it was there tells us about law in order back in those times, and how careful society was to protect its resources.

For years, Chabad/Shabbos House has been bringing large Menorah displays to the University Cafeterias (thanks to UAS!) and to the Campus Center as a holiday awareness and celebration. For years, they've never been tampered with.

Last year, on the 7th Night of Chanukah, two Menorahs disappeared. The gold (spray-painted) pipe Menorah on Campus Center, as well as a wooden Menorah on one of the Quads. They're both about 6 feet high. Of course, we were upset and disappointed.

We spoke to the necessary channels, and University Police recovered the wooden Menorah, but despite an extensive search of the campus (rooms and grounds) the gold one was not recovered.

We decided not to go public with this at the time. There was so much positive feedback and goodwill generated by these menorahs and we did wish to dampen and darken their lights with this (hopefully) isolated negative incident.

A lot of people would make a big to-do about this. They would rally the cry of anti-semitism and make a big issue out of how much hate and bias is going around, blah, blah, blah. First of all, we were not sure this was a hate-inspired incident, perhaps nothing more than a (disgusting) fraternity prank, or the work of some pranksters.

But more than that - we do not wish to focus our energy based on negativity. We're celebrating and sharing this tradition of light. That's a positive message. We do not want to define our activity and frame it by fighting hate and bias. A lot of Jews come out of the woodwork when they feel threatened. We did not want to build our joyous and warming Chanukah celebrations on a foundation of fear and negativity.

A new Menorah is built to replace the old. The University has specifically asked us to bring it back, as it is so glorious and warming a tradition. And yes, we will chain this one down. And no, we're not pacifists, and if something happens again we're going to do something about it. But we do want to emphasize, we're not basing our celebration on that. Only on Light!

Esau did come out first, and was technically the firstborn. But Jacob's struggle to be considered firstborn (aside for the sale of the birthright over the lentil soup, and being more worthy of the blessings) also has to do with the fact that originally Jacob was conceived first - but exited last. If you put two beans in a test-tube, the one that went in first is going to come out last.

This doesn't make Jacob a first-born, of course, but it lends insight into why he could be considered first-born, on a deeper level.

The word ET (or ES) in Hebrew is kind of like "the" in English - and a sage in the Talmud thought it seemed extra and worked diligently to find additional meaning based on the inclusion of "Et" before a word. But he stopped short when it came to "Et" before G-d. How could there be duality or anything extra when describing G-d.

The Gaon of Vilna read this into this verse. Rebecca felt her baby pulling in both directions (spiritual and unholy places) and thought that maybe the ET (an additional god, heaven forbid) was the cause of this.

G-d said No. It's not two gods, but two kids. And these two kids are different and unique and each of them will father great nations.

This week's portion deals with some sticky brotherhood issues between Jacob and Esau. I never had much of these problems as I am an only child.

I graduated Connecticut College before I got here, so unlike most of you I've spent the last year working in the "real world". It is not easy out there, and I've come to think of it as a "lions' den" where my biblical namesake was thrust into, and survived! As Daniel, I went into this alone, but took control and made the best of it.

Like he did with the lions, I tamed my little environment, did things my own way, just to prove it could be done. And I was very fortunate to find a wonderful brotherhood of friends here at SUNY, especially at Shabbos House.

Taking the "only child" notion a little further, the Jewish people are considered to be G-d's children, and as a singular people - an only child. While there's a lot to be said for larger families with more siblings, there are special advantages to being an only child. All the love and energy of both parents are focused onto this one and only child, totally and unconditionally. If you're the only one, you're also burdened with higher hopes and greater expectations, which as a people would refer to the Torah and Mitzvot. And without older siblings, you learn directly from your parents - as we connect directly with   G-d without need for intermediaries. And you have to fend for yourself, because no one else will stick up for you. As Jews, we've been picked on plenty over the generations.

Well, we're not all only children, and we have a great variety of backgrounds and different styles. But underlying it all - we have a oneness we share. Let us draw closer, increase our brotherhood and focus on what unites us.

(1) "Issac loved Esau, for he brought him his hunting, and Rebecca loved Jacob". Love is best when it is unconditional, without strings attached. She did not love him for anything he did or did not do. She just loved him.

(2) Esau got married at forty to two Hittite women, who turned out to be very negative influences and caused lots of anguish. But he prided himself on marrying at forty, which was the same age that his father Issac married.

Rashi (the classic commentator) uses a great analogy to describe Esau's hypocritical behavior. A pig, which does not chew its cud, sticks out its split hooves and says, "hey, look - I'm kosher!" Same with Esau, the kind of women he married were totally not in line with his father's lifestyle and beliefs. But he hides that and instead advertises his age, a superficial and trivial connection with his father instead of a meaningful one.

The moral of the story: Appearances can be deceiving. Don't judge a book by its cover. There's always more to people, and be sure to seek out the depth instead of what you see at the surface. You might be surprised by what you find inside.

Vote with
your Bagels
by Ben Lieb

Chartwells is opening up Dreidels Cafe on Saturday nights (now that Shabbos ends earlier). If we're not going to support it - it won't stay open. Now, we as a community have to decide if we want this or not. But if we do, we need to show them that we want it and are going to support it. We vote with our bagels.

The same goes for Dutch Kosher as well. We need to show interest and "showing up" at this program for it to flourish. Our strength as a community is only when we demonstrate our strength - by following up our talk with action. Thank You.

This is also true inside ourselves. We have opposing drives and interests, and while we can get excited and interested in a Jewish or noble activity, later we find ourselves desiring something diametrically opposed to it. So we tend to dismiss our spiritual interests as being half-hearted and superficial, after all - how could we want both these things at once?

Tanya 28 explains that this isn't true. Both drives in us are genuine and we need to recognize them as such. We are composite personalities and have both material, mundane interests, as well as a spiritual, nobler side. While it should be our goal to up the ante of the spiritual and meaningful side, having the other side in our lives is a reality, and does not invalidate the meaningful, sincere stuff.

About two weeks ago, the "Jewish World" (Albany's Jewish newspaper) had a screaming headline and a splash of articles about a recent survey showing the "declining Jewish population in the US". While another survey showed otherwise, this was considered more scientific, and was based on many factors such as intermarriage, no marriage, and having less children than the replacement rate.

All types of experts (from National Jewish Organizations, leading professors, geniuses at think-tanks and pollsters) were quoted - with probable consequences and possible solutions. They ranged from "spending more on the elderly" to "increasing interfaith acceptance" and "political clout" and blah, blah, blah.

These 'experts' talked about everything - BUT not a word on spending more on kids, or for focusing on doing things to encourage people to have more Jewish kids. Nothing of the sort.

Now, chassidim have lots of children. While we're not saying that everyone should have kids like the chassidim - it is hurting us as a Jewish people when we have too few or no children.

Of course, not everyone is able or fortunate enough, but for those who can - this is something to think about in terms of having when possible. And, of course, while this is not the reason why we have children, it gives us something to think about as a people.

This is becoming a big problem in Israel, where Arab-Israelis and Palestinian-Arabs are having huge families, and the average Israeli is not. It's no longer a far-off issue.

By traditional Jewish weddings, the parents bless the bride after she is covered with the veil, with the same blessing the Laban (generally thought of as a wicked, sinister character - nevertheless we quote him by our weddings) gave his sister Rebecca before she left to marry Issac: "Our sister, may you become many thousands!"

Not that the bride will have so many kids herself. But she will be a part of continuing a golden chain of history - perpetuating our people.

Besides, Kids are so special!

This is important for us to know now. Hebron is our ancient, holy city - and it's being ours is duly documented and recorded. It's sad and unfortunate that we are so restricted in visiting it now - the holy site where all our Patriarchs and Matriarchs (aside for Rachel) are buried.

During the years of Arab control, Jews were not even allowed to enter this holy site, and had to stand off at a humiliating distance of the 7th step. Rechavam Ze'evi (Knesset member killed by an Arab assassin around this time last year) made an important point of destroying that step.

We have to remember the history!

In life there are signs all around us. Often we don't see them, since we shut down our sensitivity sensors to pick up the signal. We have to open up our eyes and ears, to see and listen for the illuminating and inspiring signs in our lives.

This might sound Kashani-esque... but to me, the life of Sarah goes beyond her life on this earth. We believe in the world-to-come, so while her earthly life was over, her spiritual life continued to ascend.

A son-in-law was not particularly fond of his mother-in-law but felt obliged to get her something for her birthday. He didn't want to spend much, since he disliked her so, but the circumstances dictated that he do this. He walked into a crystal shop and saw a vase that he thought she would like. As the storekeeper took it off the shelf for better viewing, it fell and smashed into dozens of pieces. The storekeeper was flustered, but the son-in-law said: "Sir, it's for my mother-in-law, and the thought counts. I'll pay you to wrap it up nicely". On the way up the steps to her house, he tripped loudly, making a scene. She came running, and seeing the gift-box laying on the floor, she said: "Oh, Thanks so much, don't worry about the gift falling - whatever happened, happened. It's so wonderful of you to think of me!" When she opened the box she turned sour and began to angrily berate him. What happened? The storekeeper individually wrapped each piece!

Even if we're different "pieces" and not all that connected - as long as we hang around together, by some accident we become associated and closer to each other. But if we're all wrapped up in ourselves, Forget It!

This week's Haftorah tells the story of Elisha the Prophet, who helped a poor woman in a miraculous way, stretching the one small jug of oil she had, into many empty containers. Then the story continues, her young son dies, and then Elisha revives him. The strange thing is that Sefardic Jews stop the Haftorah after the oil miracle, and only Ashkenasic Jews read the rest. Why don't Sefardic Jews continue on to read of the second, even more amazing miracle?

My father told me that Sefardic Jews end where the woman said, "All will be well". Once you have that attitude, you don't have to read any further. Positive thinking breeds positive results. Stopping at this point emphasizes the importance of having this type of attitude.

by Yishai Cohen

The beauty of Shabbos House is the personal dedication and involvement - their welcoming us should inspire us to do similar for others.

R' Avraham Genin
&
R' Avraham Mayore

R' Avraham Mayore.
He was my grandfather's teacher in the Russian underground yeshivas, studying Torah in basements and attics and on the run. A fiery and brilliant chassid, he was only several years older than his students.

A little while after glasnost, a recent elder emigree from the Soviet Union named R' Mendel looked up my grandfather. He told him that they both studied with Avraham Mayore some 50 years earlier in such and such towns - and my Zeide then remembered this old classmate of his, who had been left behind in Russian, when most of the other classmates (who survived the persecutions and the war) fled to the West in 1946-7.

So this sweet, old man came to stay at my grandparents home (where I stayed while studying in yeshiva) and it became my role to find his old friends and reintroduce them. I also would take him to the Rebbe's synagogue "770" and remember his tear-filled blessing of "Shehchiyanu" when he saw the Rebbe for the first time. With each friend there would be some time of doubt, as it was so many years and the once-teenagers were now grandfathers, but as they reminisced it all came back and they would warmly embrace each other.

It was right about this time that Reb Avraham Mayore had his revival. While he was very active and respected as a young chassid in Russia, during his years in America - he was left out of things and did not fit in well. And in his later years, he fell sick with an illness that left him bedridden and almost in a comatose-like state. So I never saw this venerable chassid, until one day, the doctors switched his medication, and he slowly began to recover.

At first they brought in him a wheelchair to "770" and then a nurse-assistant would help him walk along, and don the tefillin. Not long after he was 'farbrenging' with the young boys, sharing stories and inspiration. It was during this time that I brought this newly arrived R' Mendel to see his old teacher. Along the way, he sang melodies to me that R' Avraham taught him, the very same melodies that we would sing in yeshiva at the gatherings. It meant so much to both the teacher and the student to see each other again.

When R' Avraham Mayore was well enough, he went to the Rebbe for "dollars" (the Rebbe would distribute dollars for charity along with blessings - and these long lines lasted many hours). The Rebbe turned to him and said: "Avraham - Av Hamon Chassidim!" - (Abraham, the father of many chassidim!) This is a paraphrase of G-d's blessing to our forefather Abraham - you will be a father to many Nations..

These few words from the Rebbe gave a whole new life to R' Avraham. It brought him back from feeling alone, outcast and distant. It brought him so much closer.

R' Avraham Genin.
The second Abraham was a Russian chassid named R' Avraham Genin. He was missing (or diseased) one foot from a war injury in the Red Army. He worked as a key shop operator in a busy Moscow market. On the side he was a Mohel, and would secretly circumcise Jewish newborn boys at great peril to his life, under the communist regime. He did many such secret circumcisions over many years in Russia.

After glasnost he came to the Rebbe bearing an empty bottle of vodka engraved with the names of the chassidim in Russia who had offered long-distance Lchaim's to the Rebbe. The Rebbe said to him: "Like Avraham Avinu".

This man's dedication and self-sacrifice to continue the covenant of circumcision given to our forefather Abraham, was what the Rebbe saw in this strong chassid.

At the international chanukah menorah lighting via satellite, this R' Avraham Genin was honored with lighting the Menorah in a large hall near the Kremlin.

by Ben Lieb

So Lot set his eyes on beautiful Sodom (before it was overturned and destroyed) and moved his flocks there. But here's the interesting thing: When Lot got in trouble, captured in war by warring kings, Avraham came running to his rescue.

There's an important lesson here for us. Often in college we end up with roomates we don't like, or who are negative influences on us, or who made our lives difficult.

On one hand, it's important we don't get stuck in a negative environment, and should do all we can to spend more time in the library, a friend's room, at shabbos house or wherever - but at the same time we should try not to burn our bridges with our roomates, and try to keep up whatever degree of friendship possible.

by Mike Kashani

This is a message to us as well. We have to continue growing, even when we get comfortable and don't want to go any further. Everyone has their area that needs growth. Some people have a tough time giving charity, others have trouble getting up to pray, others are good at this but weak at that.. etc.

The things we find hardest to change, that's our mission. That's where G-d tells us, as he told Abraham, leave where you're comfortable and go on to the land I will show you.

The Rabbi of a town was about to set out for a journey to his Rebbe in a distant town. His friends and colleagues asked him, "Aren't there enough Rabbis here? Why make the big trip?"

He explained using a parable. Fishermen often say a good time to fish is just after the rain, since the fish come up from the water's depths to seek out the fresh droplets of rain water. Now, why would they do that? They live in water and have water all the time! Yet, there is a difference. The rain water is fresh and invigorating.

This is an important lesson for us as well. True, some of us have had years of Yeshiva study and feel no great need to study some more. But without keeping the goods fresh, our learning risks getting stale and irrelevant, so be sure to keep up some Torah study as time passes by.

I think the answer is - we are supposed to do our share, of course, but to also keep in mind that we are in G-d's image, and human life is precious and holy. At the same time that we must do all we can to preserve life through furthering scientific research and such - we must also remember that it's G-d's image and we can't play around too much. There are limits.

In the opening chapter of Psalms, there's a similar message. Major sins do not come all at once. The verse there tells us "happy is the man who did not WALK with the wicked, nor STOOD in the path of sinners, nor SAT in the company of scoffers."

Notice the change in the wording. It begins with casual walking along, then stopping to chat, and finally sitting down and feeling comfortable. It happens gradually, until doing the wrong thing simply becomes second-nature - and a matter of habit. We get comfortable doing it.

The trick is to nip trouble in the bud, and stop it all before it gets to hard to get out.

The 2nd opinion is a good lesson for us at SUNY. If we can stay strong Jewishly here, we can do it anywhere. This is our challenge, and though it ain't easy, it is a quality we will have for life.

"The Dove in the cleft of the Rock... show me your face, let me hear your voice - for your voice is sweet and your countenance is beautiful" (Song of Songs 2:14)

A lot has been said about this verse, but I found this thought to be especially relevant. The dove is hiding in the cleft (partially covered pocket in stone) because of it's narrow escape from the predatory hawk. The little dove found refuge in this protective enclosure.

But the verse does not stop there. Though this poor dove is probably frightening to death, and barely catching its breath - the verse calls to it to show its face and sing sweetly.

Before I upgraded to XP sometimes the computer would start up in "Safe Mode" with limited graphics and resources, with only enough energy to shut down properly.

That's not good enough for us people. Even when the chips are down, and we're just happy to be making by and surviving - the verse calls out to us to reach our potential, and realize the beauty of our lives and the richness of our experiences. Don't settle for less.

This teaches us that we have our share to do as well. We become partners in G-d's Creation when we fulfill our role, doing our mission in this physical world.

The interesting thing is that the Medrash says about this very verse that Moses asked G-d, why write "us"? It will give scoffers and doubters room to question. G-d disagreed. If scoffers and doubters wish to doubt, let them. I wish to teach man a lesson not to do important things unilaterally, but always to seek counsel and involve others. Who were the "others" involved in man's creation - the angels and supernal spiritual beings.

by Lauren Kalkstein

It has to do with the shape of the Letter Bet. It is closed at the back, top and bottom. And has a little point behind it - and is fully open going forward (remember Hebrew reads from left to right...)

That's how it is with G-d's creation. Before our world, it's a closed book. We have little inkling of what's up or out there and all we have is a little pointer - but that's it. On the other hand, going forward, with the world we see and live in - the possibilities and explorations are endless and we can ask and think as much as we wish.

One night as he was ferried across, towards the beginning of the Hebrew/lunar month, and he asked the boatsman to idle so that he could say the prayer. The boatsman refused and kept ferrying across. But the Alter Rebbe was a holy man, and soon the boat stopped on its own. The boatsman realized now that something was holy afoot, so when the Alter Rebbe asked him again to stop to boat (manually..) he consented and the Alter Rebbe blessed him with long life, and even gave him a handwritten note to this effect which hung in the home of this boatsman's grandchildren, and which is how chassidim heard of this story.

So aside for this being a story about a Jew on a boat - what's the connection with this Sat Night's Hillel Boatcruise on the Hudson River?

First of all - tonight is Rosh Chodesh, celebrating the new moon of the month of Cheshvan. Secondly - there has not been a boat-cruise for several semesters for good reason. The boat company refused to take the liability of younger folks joining in the festivities on the boat. But as in the story with the Alter Rebbe, Arie Lipnick (Hillel Prez) and others prevailed on the company to change their minds (as did the decrease in revenue during this time..) and the boat-cruise is once again set to sail!

The Jewish friend looked over the recipes and found it all to the very same as his own. But then he realized: "Shabbos! - you're missing the special spice of Shabbos.."

In addition to the holiness and spiritual aura that Shabbos adds, there's also the special spice and rich gift of being able to celebrate together with many friends and fellow students in our campus community. This adds so much, each person making our atmosphere special.

Then we came upon this tent. (this was said inside the large tent on the Shabbos House lawn where we ate dinner Friday Night while it rained outside..) It belongs to the Lake George August Minyan and is stored in the Shabbos House garage. So with Raizy's guidance, my brother Shmuly's tech-know-how and Jason Kersch, Eric Himy & Mike Kashanis' hard work we have a nice tent here, that many of you thought a professional crew put up.

But while it's raining tonight, the forecast is beautiful for tomorrow. It will be clear and cool, perfect for Simchat Torah. But that's not what the forecasters kept saying all week. They predicted that the heaviest rains would fall on Simchat Torah night!

So what happened? Isadore happened. A tropical storm rolls in from the South, and caused the heavy rains to come earlier than expected.

Now we're used to watching the weather patterns on TV, and seeing how cold and warm fronts move this way and that across the continent. So we take it for granted. But really this is a profound and powerful lesson for us.

If a storm down in New Orleans (where freshman Lytal Pichon is from..) can have an effect on what happens way up north in Albany - the same is true for spiritual global and cosmic effect. What we do - does make a difference. Not only here - but all the way to Jerusalem, or wherever our good deeds' ripple effect makes a difference.

We're all connected.

Most of them are obvious references to Shabbos, but one little one always kept me wondering. B'AHAVA - with Love. Only on Shabbos do we add that G-d gave us this day - with Love.

I read something the other day that explains this based on a passage in the Zohar which compares our relationship to G-d on holidays to a couple dating, and on Shabbos to a married couple.

While dating, you're always trying to impress each other. You try to be dazzling or cool, charming or whatever. Like on the holidays - we're always doing something different or special, eating matzah or blowing a shofar, shaking this or doing that. But, then when you get married, you just sit down for supper, without getting all romantic about it. Shabbos is special, to be sure, but it's the same old each week, without new, seasonal changes.

So the insert is here to tell us, true love is the shabbos type, the married way.

The married alumni guys applauded this, but the girls were a little upset. So to balance this out, here's another thought below, based on Chapter 25 in Tanya.

Every holiday also has it's icons and mitzvahs. Matzah on Passover, Torah on Shavuos, Sukkah and Lulav on Sukkot, Menorahs on Chanukah, Hamantachen on Purim...

But not Shemini Atzeret.

It doesn't seem to celebrate anything. And while we still eat in the Sukkah tonight, it's not a mitzvah anymore as during Sukkot. So what is this celebrating?

I read a nice parable from "The Gift of Shabbos" that explains this: There's so much fanfare leading up to a wedding, and so much to do - the couple hardly has time to just be themselves. They need to do this or speak about that, or arrange something else. And then during the wedding, there's much more to do - pictures and dancing, greetings friends and family etc.. For the first week following the wedding there's sheva brachos - festive meals with family.

Then after all that - the couple sits down together for their very first dinner in their new home, alone. Here's what matters most. Now is the when they celebrate each other - not for the fanfare and festivity, or for friends and family, but just for each other.

On other holidays we have occasions to mark, and stuff to do. But on this holiday we're just focusing on our relationship with G-d - plain and simple.

LAKE GEORGE - I helped run a special travelers minyan in Lake George NY, a popular vacation destination. There's no shul or anything but Chabad sets up a huge tent outside one of the motels, and Jews come together to pray. All types of Jews come. Jews who would never see each other in the same synagogue, Jews who don't live in each other's neighborhoods in NY - but in Lake George all types felt at home together.

ISRAEL - Two things make going to Israel during these rough times special. The first thing is ticket prices. Actually, my mom called me on the day that the State Department worsened its travel advisory for Israel and said she was canceling my ticket. I started to argue with her, but she explained that she would then go and buy a new ticket at a much cheaper price.

The other thing special in Israel about these times is that the major issues bring Jews together. I remember the nasty looks and sneers between the secular and religious Israelis and they were at each other's throats all the time, in quiet and not so quiet ways. But now, when you get on a bus - it's different. Any type of Jew is fine. It's the terrorists they're worried about.

BASEBALL STADIUM TOUR - When I got back from Israel, my brother Saul and I traveled around to different ball-games in baseball stadiums across the US. This is our 2nd summer on tour, so we only have a few left that we have not been to.

Seeing so many different stadiums makes you think. There are so many differences. The homerun wall isn't the same everywhere, the dugouts are different, home/visitor teams have different layouts, and lots of the measurements are off by this or that. But you know what - every stadium has the same 90 feet between bases. They differ on extras and specials, but when it comes down to the basics - it's 90 feet all around.

This Vigil was different than the one held around the Big Fountain on the original 9/11. It was more huddle-like and intimate, and began after dark. The breeze was constant, but now and then a huge powerful gust of wind came forth from the long windtunnel leading up to the Campus Center and snuffed out large sections of candles. My whole area went dark.

But then I noticed heads getting closer together off to a distance in the crowd. And then the coming together of the heads came closer in my direction, and soon I found myself doing the same with a total stranger, as we tried to rekindle my candle with the flame my neighbor received from those further down.

There's a beautiful lesson here. When darkness hits and the strong winds seem to snuff out any chance of light - if people come together, somehow a light is reborn.

This is also an appropriate intro to our perennial Sukkot favorite - "the Sukkahle Song" which also features a frightening wind rushing through the old, cracked Sukkah boards - trying to extinguish the holiday candles.

Our job is to keep the precious flame burning - whatever it takes.

One year it was very difficult to obtain a Lulav and Etrog for Sukkot, and Reb Michel longed to have one. When a set became available at a huge sum, he sold the Tefillin and bought the very expensive Lulav and Etrog.

He came home jubilant with the set, but his wife was very upset. All the years he never sold the Tefillin when his family needed the money - and went and squandered it on a mitzvah that lasts only one week!

She was so upset that she bit off the fragile PITUM (the crown of an Etrog) which immediately invalidated it for use! and he said absolutely nothing. not a word.

His father appeared to him in a dream and told him, that his second sacrifice of self-control and controlling his anger was far greater than his first sacrifice of selling the Tefillin for the sake of a Mitzvah.

My father, Rabbi Israel Rubin, moved (with my mother and myself) to Albany in Fall of 1975. That winter was particularly brutal, capped by the Blizzard of '75. His old white convertible then was an older model than my trusty '84 mini-van is now. (Since I originally wrote this, we now have a nicer mini-van - a 1996 model).

Rabbi Hodakov, the Lubavitcher Rebbe's longtime secretary called him with a mission. In Western NY not far from a University a group (mostly Jews) of off-shoots from the hippie era had colonized in a wooded clearing. They lived in primitive fashion, and their service centered around a subtle form of idol-worship. A young woman had broken away from the group and brought it to the attention of Rabbi Hodakov.

So my father, mother and I (under age two) set out for this colony. The car wheezed it's way through the wind and cold (the roof didn't shut all the way) and when he finally arrived at the site, my father was shocked at the scene that met his eyes. Thatched wooden Urts (with holes at the tops to let the smoke from the fires out) stood all around, and people walked around in primitive dress in the freezing weather. With little experience in this field, he asked to speak to the leader, who was Jewish. He was permitted, but with the drawback that this leader was now under a vow of silence, and conversation would be impossible. If you can't talk, at least a Mitzvah. So my father entered that Urt with his Tefillin. The leader sat cross-legged in the dancing shadows of the fire, with some books on a low table. When asked if he would like to put on the Tefillin, after some thought he nodded affirmatively. My father wrapped the Teffilin around his arm, and then paused to get the head-Tefillin from the bag on the low table. Meanwhile the man broke away, and began a wild dance with the Tefillin on his arm. Seeing the strange consequences of the Tefillin, my father didn't bother with the head-Tefillin and after taking the hand-Tefillin off, he left.

And until about ten years later, didn't hear anything regarding this group. Then he found out that some of these people drifted out and many made their way back to Judaism. This leader eventually returned, married and today is an active member of his local Jewish community!

My brother met up with this man just a few months ago (Spring of 2002) who is now a leader in his community, and authored inspirational books on Judaism.

We shake it in all directions - right, left, up & down, back and forth, to create a holy space of positive spiritual energy, dispersing the negative around us (see Rashi in Talmud Sukkah 32b). Like the old joystick in the Pac-Man game, gobbling the monsters as it maneuvers its way through the maze.

Not only the motions and goals are similar, even the name Joy-Stick is appropriate for Lulav. In our prayers we call this holiday - the Festival of Our Rejoicing.

Usually when we want someone to listen-up we say "Come Here!", but King David in Psalms writes, "Go children, listen to me.." Why go - when it should have said Come?

There's an important lesson here. Of course, while still at home and under the influence and constant guidance of your parents - you follow in their ways. The hard part is - when you are away from home, to still maintain that same level of dedication, this is what King David is hinting at. Go my children - but still listen to me, even when you are far away from me.

For many of you, the college experience is the first major away-from-home experience, and this is the challenge, to maintain the connections even from the distance.