Bayis - A person's Home - Part 8

00:01 Behamishach in continuation to the earlier installments where we discussed the Rebbe's insights on the woman in the home and what role she plays. We now continue with installment number eight, discussing the Rebbe's insights on the kitchen in the Jewish home and its impact on the entire family. We will be focusing on some of the aspects of the Rebbe's talk to the women on the twenty-fourth day of Elul Tov Shin Mem Ches 1988. This Sicha was translated by Sichas in English. The Rebbe said the following, "At this gathering of Jewish women and girls, we should draw a special lesson pertaining to Jewish women. In your home, there is one room in which the Jewish woman finds her role more pertinent and more regular than in, in any other, the kitchen. So let us discuss an important lesson that applies to the kitchen of a Jewish home. The kitchen carries special significance and responsibilities, even though the dining room, living room, or the rooms reserved for study and prayer may have greater importance. The kitchen, however, attains its significance in that in the kitchen the kosher m-meals are prepared for the family. According to various s-scholarly explanations which suggest a logical reason for the laws of kashrus, one of the reasons for the restrictions of kashrus is to bring refinement and purification to the Jewish people. The Jewish people were endowed with the nature of being shy, merciful, and kind. If a person eats non-kosher foods, a bird of prey or a, uh, carnivorous animal, it will

02:15 influence the eater with aggressive attributes. When a Jew eats only kosher foods, his nature will be refined, and his mental ability will be enhanced to understand Torah properly and to find the truth in Torah. Kosher food also imparts a strong influence in raising children, for education is not the sole domain of the schools." Here the Rebbe mentions names of schools, Beis Rivkah, Beis Sara, or Beis Yankiv, "but it is also influenced by diet. When children eat kosher food, they can be educated properly, and they will bring pride, joy, and Jewish nachas to their parents. They will also grow up strong and healthy, and it will show on their faces. They develop to be healthy and beautiful, and the beauty will encompass many things. We may now comprehend the enormous responsibility that rests on the Jewish woman to be careful that the food in her kitchen is kosher, glatt kosher, and that she must cook and prepare her meals in accordance with the rules of the Torah, separation of utensils, et cetera. There is another fundamental point that emerges from the rules of the Jewish kitchen and the laws of kashrus. Here we see the power of the Jewish woman and how much trust is placed in her. Generally speaking, in other areas of Torah, we have the rule a matter is verified only upon the testimony of two witnesses. To establish a true fact, you must bring two adult male witnesses to testify. Here in the laws of kosher kitchen, one Jewish woman is trusted

04:13 and believed. How can the woman carry such a great responsibility? She needs the assistance of Hashem, HaKadosh Baruch Hu, blessed be He. This does not mean to belittle anyone, for even the greatest tzadik or tzitzit kodesh needs Hashem's help." And here the Rebbe suggests, "Let me make a suggestion in this area. To engender Hashem's blessings and help, give money tzedakah to buy food for poor people. When Hashem sees that the woman of the house has a feeling of ahavas Yisroel and she donates money into her pushka because she cares about poor people, then Hashem will treat her with measure for measure and will give her tzedakah from His full, open, holy, and abundant hand. Hashem will assist her to carry out her vital responsibilities, and the food will be kosher and good. Moreover, if she gives tzedakah before each meal, then she will connect that meal with the poor people. On Shabbos and Yom Tov when we do not handle money, the fact that the pushka is there will remind her to make determination to give tzedakah again after Shabbos, and Hashem sees the heart and will give His blessings on her household. We speak not of any great inconvenience, although it would be worth the bother to, for this is a virtue that will bring down infinite blessings. All that is needed is the proper attention. Let the living take to heart to the importance of this matter." We have recently spoken about building new buildings. Halakha rules that when a pushke is firmly

06:07 attached to a wall, it becomes part of the house. Therefore, it is suggested to firmly and permanently attach the pushke somewhere in the kitchen, on the wall, cabinet, et cetera. This will make the house a tznius home. If the attached pushke will not be easily seen, then put an- another pushke in a visible place. When neighbors or friends come to visit, and as is the custom that womenfolk go into the kitchen to borrow some food or to ask advice about some recipe for a good kosher dish, at that moment, the pushke will stare them in the face, and they will question its purpose and be encouraged to follow the good example. It is also important to attach the pushkes that are in the children's rooms in some fixed manner. All this will strengthen the home. The Mishnah teaches the world stands on three pillars: Torah, prayer, and acts of loving kindness. So too, the Jewish home stands on three pillars. A house of Torah, a bookcase with Torah books. A house of prayer, a bookcase with prayer books, especially the prayer book traditionally used by women called Mincha. And a house of acts of loving kindness, a permanently attached pushke. This sicha, as we mentioned earlier, was given the last days of the year, the twenty-fourth of Elul, which is a week before Rosh Hashanah. It was right before the Yom Tov of Rosh Hashanah. The Rebbe asked his maskir, the secretary, "What time is Yom Tov, and what time is it now?" When we

08:10 were hearing this, we knew that the Rebbe's gonna speak now, which is very unusual. And the Rebbe spoke a short sicha that those that did not yet place a pushke, fix it in the kitchen, could still do it. There isn't much, uh, to do to accomplish it. They can take a cardboard and just put it on the wall in order that the pushke should be there before Rosh Hashanah. We'll conclude with a story that took place in nineteen fifty-five. It was a choson who was getting married then. His name was Rav Zvi Abba Lehrman, alav hashalom. And he related that the Rebbe told him, seemingly in yechidus, in private audience, one needs to choose an apartment, a dwelling place, together with the kallah, who was a, the bride at the time, since the kitchen is important for the woman. And since the choson, Rabbi Lehrman, and his wife were in the middle of the sheva berachos, the seven days right after the wedding, so therefore, he should instead go with his mother-in-law to choose the apartment.