Kfar Chabad and Jerusalem in 5726

00:04 Speaker 1 Master of the Universe, Master of the Universe, You are all-powerful, and we are Your children. …

01:22 Speaker 2 Oh, Father in Heaven, how beautiful is this world You have made for us. Driving through the mountains of Jerusalem, wherever one looks, as far as the eye can see, Your eternal presence, Your fulfillment, are everywhere. Every last particle of creation is a manifestation of Your will. There’s nothing left for us but to delight in Your accomplishment. And when I’m alone with You, G-d, as I am now, I want to thank You and praise You. I’m at a loss for words to express my feelings to You. I can only humbly work in this minute section of the world You have allotted me. How beautiful this world is. Even the achievements of modern technology teach us Your will. The train has taught me that a minute’s delay can mean irreparable loss. The telegraph teaches us that every word carries weight, and that every word must be paid for. Telephones teach us that words spoken here are heard elsewhere. It’s not just by chance that we believe in the same. Those whom G-d hates, He permits to abandon their faith, which He replaces with doubt. As a rabbi says, the difference between a chossid and others is that most people do not sin because they fear G-d’s punishment and vengeance. A chossid refrains from sinning because he is afraid of making G-d unhappy. Joyfulness is a law for chassidim. Wherever they live, in an Israeli village, a Ukrainian community, or the concrete jungles of New York, joyfulness is their path to G-d. A rabbi asked, “What is

03:12 Speaker 2 G-d? Tell me, son. You don’t know? You think I know? But I must answer. He is clearly there, and aside from Him, nothing is clearly there. He is that.” G-d is the father, and His children have made a pact with Him. A three-year-old boy has his hair ceremoniously cut for the first time. The curls on the sides remain as a symbol of his pact with G-d.

04:49 Speaker 3 All of us are like small children when we pray. We all beg our father for help. The rabbi said we should all learn three attributes little children have: unbounded happiness, continuous activity, and the capacity to scream for help. For whenever something happens, a child screams for help without a second’s delay. The rabbi said: There is no hell, only paradise, where the wise sit at G-d’s feet and learn. For some, that’s hell. The bar mitzvah boy gives his first speech on his thirteenth birthday. The subject is a problem found in the Talmud, the religious code of laws. From this day forward, the youngster is considered a grown man and is answerable to G-d for everything he does. The subject, the young man’s intelligence, his ability, his knowledge: the congregation forms a first opinion about the new member. Celebrate with us, O G-d, You have a new servant. Our ranks have grown.

00:10 Speaker 1 The Rabbi said: "Students should read aloud and move their bodies freely while studying. They should discuss things and think out loud. A tremendous uproar will result, which is good. The pupils must learn to concentrate under the most difficult conditions. If they succeed in learning under these circumstances, you will be amazed at what they accomplish later, in the peace and quiet of their own homes at night." Becoming a learned person requires more than being a quick thinker. In addition to a thorough knowledge of the Talmud, one must possess other qualities: faith, patience, goodness, and humility. The Rabbi said: "One especially noteworthy student was told to behave with special humility during his oral test. The great Rabbi asked him what he knew, whereupon the boy modestly replied, 'I know half the Talmud by heart.' 'Which half?' asked the Rabbi. The boy answered, 'Whichever half you prefer.'" A father consulted the Rabbi: "What can I do with my son? He doesn't learn anything and is growing farther away from me day by day." The Rabbi replied: "Love him more than ever before." Master of the Universe, I beg You to redeem the chassidim, and if that is not Your will, then at least redeem the others. There are many others. In one notably atheistic kibbutz community in the Negev Desert, the chassidim are making every effort to overcome indifference and skepticism. One saying in the Talmud is always in the mind of every chossid: "Whoever saves one soul has saved the whole world." They don't try

02:50 Speaker 1 to win over the young people with arguments, speeches, and explanations. Chassidim firmly believe that this is possible only through their infectious, driving enthusiasm. Once, an army general came to a rabbi for advice. His war wasn't going very well, and he sought a solution. The rabbi said: "There are two ways to win this war: skill or a miracle." The general asked what the most skillful thing he could do was. The rabbi answered: "Wait for a miracle." "Isn't there an easier solution?" the general wondered. The rabbi replied: "If you win this war through your own skill, that would be the greatest miracle."

04:16 Speaker 2 Ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, yit, yit, open up, silence, please, come, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, yit, yit, open up, silence, please, come, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya, ay, ya, ya

00:10 The Rabbi said: When G-d created the world, only quiet was missing. So He gave us Shabbos, and there was peace and quiet. Since lighting a fire is forbidden on Shabbos, Shabbos candles are lit shortly before nightfall the previous day, and a blessing is recited. Shabbos is G-d’s day, celebrated with prayers and joyful family activities. A Rabbi would often disappear for several hours on Shabbos. The chassidim believed that at those times he ascended to heaven. One skeptical chossid, driven by curiosity, searched everywhere for the Rabbi and finally found him one Shabbos. He was dressed in simple work clothes and was caring for a poor, lonely old woman. She was helpless and thought he was simply a friendly neighbor. From then on, whenever one of the faithful spoke of the Rabbi’s visits to heaven, the curious chossid would shake his head: “Not heaven. Perhaps even higher.” The bread for this festive day is baked in a special way, setting it apart from ordinary bread. A blessing is recited over all food and drink before it is consumed. The Rabbi said: Everyone should feel like a king on Shabbos.