Cassette of the "Tzivos Hashem Gathering" 5748

00:39 Speaker 1 Welcome to the Tzivos Hashem gathering. Is everyone ready? Wonderful, let’s begin. Listen, listen, friends, and lend an ear to what the Rebbe of Lubavitch asked of us. Listen, listen, friends, and lend an ear to what the Rebbe of Lubavitch asked of us. That every woman and girl should light Shabbos candles, and all Jewish men should put on tefillin. That every woman and girl should light Shabbos candles, and all Jewish men should put on tefillin. A tzedakah box in your home. Ay ay ay ay. A mezuzah on every doorway. Ay ay ay ay. Buy yourself holy books. Ay ay ay ay. Set aside time to study them. Ay ay ay ay. Then Moshiach will come soon. Then Moshiach will come soon. Listen, listen, friends, and lend an ear to what the Rebbe of Lubavitch asked of us. Listen, listen, friends, and lend an ear to what the Rebbe of Lubavitch asked of us. Make every detail of your home into a miniature sanctuary. Make every detail of your home into a miniature sanctuary. Tables and chairs. Ay ay ay ay. Closets and beds too. Ay ay ay ay. Spoons and forks. Ay ay ay ay. Lamps and stoves too. Ay ay ay ay. Let them all be permeated with the knowledge that this is a Chabad house, and then the home will be ready for those who dwell in it.

02:53 Speaker 2 Do you have a Chumash in your room?

02:55 Speaker 3 Yes.

02:56 Speaker 2 Do you have a siddur in your room?

02:58 Speaker 3 Yes.

02:59 Speaker 2 Do you have a tzedakah box in your room?

03:02 Speaker 3 Yes, yes, yes.

03:05 Speaker 2 You really are outstanding soldiers of Tzivos Hashem, boys and girls who bring the light of holiness into the world, doing good for Heaven and good for other people. Now listen, and we’ll hear a story about true Ahavas Yisroel. In the city of Krakow, Poland, there once lived a very wealthy man whose Jewish name was Yisroel. But whenever people mentioned him, they called him by the strange name “Yisroel Goy.” How could they call a Jew a goy? How does a Jew come to have a nickname like that? The reason was that the man was known as a terrible miser. He guarded his money and would not part with even a single coin for tzedakah. When someone stopped him in the street and said, “Please help me, dear fellow Jew. I’m sick and need help,” he would dismiss the person with “Go in peace,” and give him nothing. People said he had a heart of stone. Many wondered: How could a Jew behave this way? Jews are, after all, modest, compassionate, and generous. As a rule, every Jew is happy to do someone a favor, welcome guests, give tzedakah, and help another person—each according to his ability and beyond it. All Jews are like brothers. If one brother doesn’t have mercy on another, who will? And to whom do poor Jews look for help? Only to their compassionate, generous brothers. Yet here was this Jew, no longer young and with no children, always occupied with his business and his own affairs. No one had ever heard of anyone receiving so much as a glass of water from him. That was why everyone called him Yisroel Goy. Rumor had it that he was as rich as Korach. Given his circumstances and his age, it was high time he thought about his future and took stock of what he had done in this world. In his old age, Yisroel Goy became gravely ill. He summoned the members of the chevra kadisha and asked them to come see him. Before the meeting, the members discussed it among themselves. “Gentlemen, Yisroel Goy has taken ill and wants to meet with us. He surely wants to arrange a burial plot. In

06:03 Speaker 2 my opinion, we should charge him many times the usual price for the plot, because until now he has contributed nothing to the community’s needs. After he dies, he won’t need his vast fortune. We’ll know whom to distribute it to. There are many poor people in this city.” The members of the chevra kadisha came to see him. He sat up in bed with difficulty and told them, “I feel that my last day in this world is approaching. I have no children, and I’ve hired someone to say Kaddish for me. All I ask is that you give me a burial plot. I’m prepared to pay you for the land.” The members of the chevra kadisha replied, “There’s no fixed price for a plot. Each person pays according to his means. You, Reb Yisroel, are, boruch Hashem, a wealthy man, and you have plenty of money. Everyone also knows, if you’ll forgive us for saying so, that tzedakah in this city has not cost you much until now. Under the circumstances, it would be quite reasonable for you to pay a thousand gold shekels for your burial after 120 years.” The wealthy man listened to what the administrators said and replied, “For my good deeds, I’ll be judged in due time by the Heavenly Court. Man sees what meets the eye, but Hashem sees into the heart. As for the price you’re asking, I had intended from the start to pay two hundred gold coins, and not a penny more. I don’t care what plot you give me. Bury me wherever you see fit.” The members of the chevra kadisha said nothing. They sat for a few more moments, hoping he might change his mind, and then got up to leave. When they were already at the door, the sick man called after them. “Gentlemen, wait. I have something to ask you.” When they returned to his bedside, he said, “As for the money, I can’t give you the amount you asked for. But I do have one request. Write on my gravestone: ‘Here lies Yisroel Goy.’” As they left his house, the

08:53 Speaker 2 members of the chevra kadisha could not make sense of the miser’s behavior. “What do you say, gentlemen? Here’s an old Jew, as rich as Korach, with no children and no one to provide for except his widow. He has one foot in the grave, and to the very last moment he remains stingy.” A few days later, the wealthy man passed away. The members of the chevra kadisha gathered to decide what to do. Since he had said he didn’t care where they buried him, they decided to bury him at the edge of the cemetery, near the graves of the other ordinary people. A small minyan accompanied him to his resting place. No one in the city shed a tear for him, and life in Krakow went on as usual. On Thursday of that week, something strange happened. A poor man came to the city rabbi’s house and said, “Rabbi, I—I need help. I have no money for Shabbos.” The rabbi gave him money from the tzedakah box in his home, and the man went on his way. Right after him, another poor man came in and said, “I have nothing with which to prepare for Shabbos. I haven’t earned a thing all week.” The rabbi gave him the amount he needed, too. Not two minutes had passed when an elderly woman appeared, leaning on crutches. “I have nothing to cook for Shabbos. I’m sorry to come here, but there’s nothing at home.” The rabbi gave her money as well. And then, wonder of wonders, the old woman had barely left when another poor person appeared, and another, and another—seemingly without end. They all poured out their troubles to the rabbi and asked for money for their Shabbos expenses. Soon the coins in the tzedakah box ran out, and the rabbi continued giving them his own money. Dozens of poor people stood in line at the rabbi’s door, all with the same request: money for Shabbos. At last, the rabbi realized this was no ordinary matter. Where had so many poor people in the city suddenly come from? Where had they been until now? And who had been supporting them? In all the time I’ve served as rabbi of this city,

12:12 Speaker 2 I can’t remember anything like this. I must summon the city’s tzedakah administrators to an urgent meeting to find out what’s going on. The administrators arrived, but before the rabbi could tell them about the strange events, they spoke up: “Rabbi, we’re glad you called us, because something extraordinary has happened in the city. Many poor people have come to us with no money to pay for Shabbos expenses—hundreds of them.” The rabbi now had no choice but to investigate. They called in several poor people and asked where they had been getting what they needed for Shabbos until then. The investigation produced an astonishing result. It turned out that every Thursday, shopkeepers had been distributing challahs, meat, fish, flour, wine, oil, and other Shabbos provisions to people in need, according to lists they had been given. Everyone agreed to summon the shopkeepers and ask who had paid all those expenses for the poor. Every shopkeeper answered that a certain man named Reb Yosef had paid them in full. They immediately called Reb Yosef and asked why he had suddenly stopped paying for the poor. Reb Yosef replied, “Gentlemen, I didn’t pay for the city’s poor out of my own pocket. My job was to make lists of people who needed help and to pay the shopkeepers according to the bills they submitted. But you should know, gentlemen, I didn’t use my own money. I received every sum needed from Yisroel Goy.” It now became clear that the most maligned man in Krakow, the one suspected of being a terrible miser and called a goy, had been an extraordinarily generous giver of tzedakah, giving discreetly all his life. Behind a mask of stinginess, he had hidden his generous heart so that no one would praise or glorify him for what he did. The news spread through the city like lightning, and all the Jews felt guilty for having judged him unfavorably throughout his life. Now it was clear that he had been a righteous and upright man, and how

15:29 Speaker 2 They had treated him disrespectfully, both during his life and after his death. On the thirtieth day after Reb Yisroel’s passing, the rabbi decreed a fast and announced that after prayers everyone would go to the cemetery to ask Reb Yisroel’s forgiveness. That day, every shop in Krakow was locked shut. All the Jews gathered in the great synagogue, and the women’s section, too, was filled to capacity. Everyone prayed with deep concentration and heartfelt repentance. Judge every person favorably. The rabbi spoke movingly to them all about Reb Yisroel’s extraordinary work and spoke at length about the importance of the mitzvah of tzedakah, which brings peace and Geulah to the world. We must be more careful with the mitzvah of tzedakah than with any other positive mitzvah, for tzedakah is a mark of the children of Avraham Avinu, and the Jewish people will be redeemed only through tzedakah, as it says: “Tziyon will be redeemed through justice, and those who return to her through tzedakah.” There are eight levels of tzedakah, each higher than the last. Some give tzedakah grudgingly and with reluctance. Above that is one who gives less than is fitting, but with a pleasant expression. Above that is one who gives to a poor person after being asked. Above that is one who gives before being asked. Above that is one who gives, and the poor person knows who gave to him, but the giver does not know to whom he gave. Above that is one who knows to whom he gave, while the poor person does not know from whom he received it. And above that is one who gives tzedakah to the poor without knowing to whom he gave, while the poor person does not know from whom he received it. This is a mitzvah done for its own sake—not for honor or praise, but solely to fulfill the mitzvah of Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Reb Yisroel was on that level. I admit that I, too, was mistaken, because it turns out that the man we thought was indifferent to the poor and their suffering was on a higher level than anyone who gives tzedakah in our time. He always gave without knowing who received it, and a poor person received it without knowing

18:47 Speaker 2 who had given it. We must all learn from him how to love every Jew without seeking reward or praise. With tears streaming from his eyes, the rabbi declared: We did not appreciate him as he deserved. There is a lesson here: we can never truly gauge the greatness of a Jewish soul, and we must treat every Jew with a feeling of brotherhood and love. The Jewish people are modest, compassionate, and doers of kindness—the children of the King of kings, Hakadosh Boruch Hu. Dear Jews, ask the late Reb Yisroel for forgiveness, and resolve from now on to love every Jew and always judge him favorably. When he finished speaking, the rabbi said: It is a mitzvah to fulfill the wishes of the deceased. We, too, are prepared to fulfill his wish and engrave the words “Yisroel the goy” on his headstone, but with one small addition: the word “holy.” His headstone will read: “Here lies Yisroel, a holy goy.” Through Ahavas Yisroel—

20:30 Speaker 4 we will bring the Redeemer.

20:32 Speaker 2 We will bring the Redeemer.

20:33 Speaker 4 Through Ahavas Yisroel.

20:35 Speaker 2 Through Ahavas Yisroel.

20:36 Speaker 4 We will bring the Redeemer.

20:38 Speaker 2 We will bring the Redeemer.

20:39 Speaker 4 Ahavas Yisroel.

21:00 Speaker 2 I hereby take upon myself the positive mitzvah of “Love, love your fellow as yourself.” I hereby take upon myself the positive mitzvah of “Love, love your fellow as yourself.” Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence. Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence. I hereby take upon myself the positive mitzvah of “Love, love your fellow as yourself.” I hereby take upon myself the positive mitzvah of “Love, love your fellow as yourself.” Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence. Surely the righteous will give thanks to Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.

00:18 Speaker 1 And we continue with the Tzivos Hashem gathering. Someone once asked a clever child, “If you tell me where Hashem is, I’ll give you a coin.” The child answered, “And I’ll give you two coins if you tell me where He isn’t.”

00:43 Speaker 2 Hashem is here, Hashem is there, Hashem is everywhere. Hashem is here, Hashem is there, Hashem is everywhere. Above, in front, on the left, on the right. He is in every place, from earth to the heights above. Above, in front, on the left, on the right. He is in every place, from earth to the heights above.

01:41 Speaker 1 Yes, children, Hashem is everywhere. He is always with us and hears our prayers. Let’s hear a story about the power of children saying Tehillim. Avremel and Chaimke are sitting at home alone. Father has gone to the neighboring village, Mother has gone out, and they are by themselves. The children are sad and don’t know what to do that might be interesting. They sit by the window and look outside. Suddenly, a horse-drawn carriage stops by their house, and out of the carriage steps the tzaddik Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch, known among chassidim as the Rebbe Maharash. He heads toward the house. Avremel and Chaimke are excited. Many times the Rebbe has passed their house in his carriage without coming in. And now, of all times, when Father and Mother aren’t home, he has come to visit. The Rebbe enters the room and says, “Hello, children. You’re home alone. Where are Father and Mother?”

03:22 Speaker 3 “Yes, we’re home alone. Father and Mother went out. They’ll surely be back soon.”

03:27 Speaker 1 “And what are you learning in cheder?”

03:30 Speaker 3 “I’m learning Chumash.”

03:31 Speaker 4 “And I know how to read Tehillim.”

03:33 Speaker 1 “Would you like to say Tehillim with me?”

03:36 Speaker 3 Yes.

03:37 Speaker 1 In an instant, they bring the Rebbe a Tehillim. He opens it and tells them to read.

03:43 Speaker 3 For the choirmaster, a psalm of David. May Hashem answer you on the day of distress; may the Name of the G-d of Yaakov protect you. May He send you help from the Sanctuary and support you from Zion. May He remember all your offerings and your burnt offering—

04:09 Speaker 1 Avremel reads, and Chaimke reads, and the Rebbe Maharash reads with them, word by word, with feeling and warmth, with all their hearts. The Rebbe’s voice is sorrowful and pleading, and it touches the heart. His face is serious. They stand and say chapters of Tehillim together. They forget everything; only the Tehillim is before them. Ah, the power of Tehillim—holy words spoken by pure Jewish children, breath untouched by sin. The Tzemach Tzedek said: “If you knew the power of the verses of Tehillim and what they accomplish in the heavens above, you would say them at every opportunity. Know that the psalms of Tehillim break through all barriers and rise higher and higher without any hindrance. They prostrate themselves before the Master of all worlds and accomplish their work with kindness and mercy.” They do not notice when Mother quietly comes home. She goes into the kitchen and stands there, moved and startled by the Rebbe Maharash’s visit, by his pleading voice, and by her little sons’ heartfelt Tehillim. Suddenly, the Rebbe stops and closes the Tehillim. “I think that’s enough for now,” he says. He goes to the door but does not leave. He stands there for a while, as though listening to something far away. He returns to the children and says, “Come, children, let’s say a little more Tehillim. Hakadosh Boruch Hu loves children’s Tehillim very much.”

06:23 Speaker 3 Of David, do not—

06:25 Speaker 1 Again, the three of them stand and say every word together, with feeling, with all their hearts, until the Rebbe closes the Tehillim, says goodbye to Avremel and Chaimke, and leaves. Mother has stood in the kitchen the whole time, crying silently. Warm tears run down her cheeks from the emotion of it all. The Rebbe’s and the children’s Tehillim sounded like a prayer in a time of distress. “When my husband comes home,” she thinks, “I’ll tell him about the Rebbe’s visit and the wonderful saying of Tehillim.” But the hours pass, and her husband does not come. It is nearly evening. The children need to eat and go to sleep, and he still has not returned. As her worry grows, she calls out, “Avremel, Chaimke, come, let’s say a little more Tehillim. I’m so worried. May Hashem have mercy on us.”

07:33 Speaker 3 Hear, my G-d—

07:34 Speaker 1 The children sit beside Mother and read from the Tehillim. Mother has tears in her eyes.

07:43 Speaker 3 My help comes from Hashem, Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip; your Guardian will not slumber.

08:43 Speaker 5 Late that night, they hear knocking at the door. Mother opens it at once, and there stands Father. He looks at her with a terrible expression, breathing heavily, and collapses unconscious to the floor. Mother cries out, but then she collects herself and cares for him until he comes to. The children help seat Father in a chair, and he tells them what happened. “I went out this morning to ask a non-Jew to pay a debt he has owed me for a long time. When I came to him, he said, ‘I have no money to give you now, but come with me to the granary. I have new grain there that you can take in payment of the debt.’ I went with him, never suspecting the terrible danger waiting for me there. After we entered the granary, he suddenly shut the door and said, ‘I won’t pay you a penny. That’s that. Now I’m going to murder you, Jew, because you’re a Jew and because I don’t want to pay you.’ ‘Please, have mercy on me,’ I begged. ‘I have a wife and little children at home. Please, don’t do it.’ But he answered angrily, ‘Be quiet, Jew. I’ve made up my mind. But where’s the axe that was here? Who took it? Blast it!’ I sat there and wept bitterly. He searched and searched until he remembered that he had left the axe at home. Then he tied my hands and feet with ropes, laid me on the granary floor, and went home to get it. Suddenly, that wicked man’s wife came in. She had returned from work in the field and entered the granary to put away her tools. She saw me and was frightened. I pleaded with her, ‘Please, your husband wants to kill me though I’ve done nothing wrong. Untie me quickly. He’s only gone to get an axe. Please, I have little children.’ But she said, ‘My husband is a wicked man, a terrible murderer. If I free you, he’ll kill me instead.’ I told her, ‘If you go back to the field and return later, he won’t suspect you. Please, don’t let him

11:46 Speaker 5 shed innocent blood.’ She took pity on me and untied the ropes. She thought for a moment and whispered, ‘Don’t go straight home. Hide among the haystacks in the field so he won’t catch you on the road and kill you. Wait until dark, and then run home.’ And that is what I did. I hid in a haystack, and suddenly the man let out a roar like a lion when he saw I had disappeared from the granary. That terrifying man ran around looking for me, cursing all the Jews and me in particular. Then he came toward the haystack where I was hiding. Mortal terror seized me. This was the end. Death had come. I began to whisper Shema Yisroel. The wicked man rummaged through the haystack and stood so close that I could hear his heavy breathing right beside me. He was sniffing like a dog, only centimeters away. I held my breath and stood still without moving a limb. In my heart, I pleaded with Hashem to save me. And then, little by little, he turned away and went to look for me in the next haystack. Oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy. Believe me, it was a miracle he didn’t notice me. Twice already I had been saved from him by a miracle. I stayed in the haystack, waiting desperately for darkness to fall. Then the third miracle happened. It was already toward evening. I was planning how to get out of the haystack and escape when I heard a dog barking in the distance. It came closer and closer, very close, and there beside me I saw a large dog belonging to that murderous man. It sniffed and began circling my haystack. A wicked, blind dog, just like its master. The dog circled my haystack again and again. How did it not sense me? How did it not leap at me and tear me to pieces? I simply cannot understand it.”

14:54 Speaker 6 “Father, Father! We said Tehillim exactly three times today. The first time, we said it with the Rebbe in the morning, when the man couldn’t find the axe and his wife freed you. The second time we said it with the Rebbe must have been when he was searching for you in the field and couldn’t find you. And the third time, we said Tehillim with Mother, when the dog was running around near you and didn’t sense you.”

15:18 Speaker 5 Then they all understood why the Rebbe Maharash had said Tehillim with the children. Father and Mother, Avremel and Chaimke, thanked Hashem for the wonders He had done, with tears in their eyes. “If you knew the power of the verses of Tehillim and what they accomplish in the heavens above, you would say them at every opportunity. Know that the psalms of Tehillim break through all barriers and rise higher and higher without any hindrance. They bow before the Master of all worlds and accomplish their work with kindness and mercy.” So far, we have seen the power of prayer and saying Tehillim. Now let’s see the power of verses from the Torah. Torah!

16:58 Speaker 7 Torah!

16:59 Speaker 5 Commanded.

17:00 Speaker 7 Commanded.

17:01 Speaker 5 Us.

17:02 Speaker 7 Us.

17:03 Speaker 5 Moshe.

17:04 Speaker 7 Moshe.

17:05 Speaker 5 An inheritance.

17:06 Speaker 7 An inheritance.

17:07 Speaker 5 For the congregation of.

17:08 Speaker 7 For the congregation of.

17:09 Speaker 5 Yaakov.

17:09 Speaker 7 Yaakov.

17:11 Speaker 5 Hear, O Israel.

17:12 Speaker 7 Hear, O Israel.

17:13 Speaker 5 Hashem is our G-d.

17:15 Speaker 7 Hashem is our G-d.

17:16 Speaker 5 Hashem is One.

17:18 Speaker 7 Hashem is One.

17:20 Speaker 5 You’re saying it beautifully, children. Let’s say all the verses together. In every generation, a person must see himself as though he personally left Egypt. All Israel have a share in the World to Come, as it says: “And your people are all righteous; they shall inherit the land forever. They are the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, in which I take pride.” For the matter is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it. And behold, Hashem stands over him, and His glory fills the whole earth. He looks at him and examines his innermost thoughts and heart to see whether he serves Him as he should. In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit in your home, when you walk on the way, when you lie down, and when you rise. “I worked hard but did not succeed”—do not believe it. “I did not work hard but succeeded”—do not believe it. “I worked hard and succeeded”—believe it. And you shall love your fellow as yourself. Rabbi Akiva says: This is a great principle of the Torah. And this is the whole purpose of man and the purpose of his creation and of the creation of all the higher and lower worlds: that He, blessed be He, should have a dwelling in the lower realms. “Let Israel rejoice in its Maker.” This means that everyone who is of the people of Israel should rejoice in Hashem’s joy, for He rejoices and delights in His dwelling in the lower realms.

19:05 Speaker 8 Long live our master, our teacher, and our Rebbe—long live! Long live our master, our teacher, and our Rebbe.

19:10 Speaker 5 Long live!

19:11 Speaker 8 Long live our master, our teacher, and our Rebbe.

19:13 Speaker 5 Long live, long live, long live! And what’s missing to complete the three pillars on which the world stands? That’s right, tzedakah. So let’s all give tzedakah, including the children listening. And who are we?

19:44 Speaker 8 Tzivos Hashem.

19:46 Speaker 5 And what is our mission?

19:47 Speaker 8 To fight.

19:49 Speaker 5 Whom? What?

19:51 Speaker 8 The yetzer hara.

19:52 Speaker 5 By means of...

19:53 Speaker 8 Studying Torah.

19:55 Speaker 5 And who are we?

19:57 Speaker 8 Tzivos Hashem.

19:58 Speaker 5 And what is our mission?

20:00 Speaker 8 To fight.

20:01 Speaker 5 Whom? What?

20:02 Speaker 8 The yetzer hara.

20:04 Speaker 5 By means of...

20:05 Speaker 8 Studying Torah.

20:18 Speaker 5 With pride we’ll raise up Tzivos Hashem and go out to battle. Our goal is to defeat the enemy, the yetzer hara. At the command of the Rebbe shlita, we’ll overcome every obstacle. We’ll always march forward; victory will be ours. With plenty of strength and patience, we’ll overcome it all, and the whole world will hear that Yaakov has strength. At the command of the Rebbe shlita, we’ll overcome every obstacle. We’ll always march forward; victory will be ours. Our forces have a new cannon, unlike any other. With Tehillim, Tanya, and Chumash, we bombard the enemy. At the command of the Rebbe shlita, we’ll overcome every obstacle. We’ll always march forward; victory will be ours. We’ll burn away the darkness of galus with Shabbos candles. We’ll welcome Moshiach ben David with songs and dancing. At the command of the Rebbe shlita, we’ll overcome every obstacle. We’ll always march forward; victory will be ours. And our gathering is coming to an end for now. In a moment, we’ll hand out treats to the children. Just don’t forget to make a bracha before eating, and whoever sings the nicest will get theirs first.

23:02 Speaker 9 Illnesses and wounds, ay, ay, ay, ay. Sicknesses and [unclear], ay, ay, ay, ay. Burns and flus, ay, ay, ay, ay. Infections and coughing, ay, ay, ay, ay. It’s all, all, all over. It’s all, all, all over.