TORAH STUDY

Dear Family,

I hope everyone is well.

Mazal Tov Chanie Davidoff on your birthday on Shabbos. Wishing you a year of much success and happiness in your new home in Longbeach and much nachas from all of your Family.

Mazal Tov Shmuel Levy on your upcoming 40th birthday next week - to be continued below!

Mazal Tov to Nechama, Mariasha's sister, who had a baby girl. Such good news, and wishing you all many more simchas!

Mazal Tov to Miriam Finkel and Shlomie Tunk on the birth of a baby boy. Wonderful news! And mazal Tov to grandparents Yidel and Dina.

In Judaism, significance is attached to events when they reach a decade, and this week Shmuel is celebrating his 40th birthday BEH.

And it so works out that this very much relates to this week's Sedra Vayechi - And Yaakov lived.

Shmuel has been teaching Torah to school boys for many years, and is well respected at Yavneh School in LA for his teaching and all the extra-curricular activities he does with the boys there BH

In a sicha from the Rebbe (Vol 10) on this weeks Sedra we see the POWER OF TORAH STUDY.

Yaakov lived for 17 years in Egypt. And the Baal HaTurim says that these were the best 17 years of his life.

When the Tzemach Tzedek (3rd Lubavitch Rebbe) was a young child, he asked his grandfather the Alte Rebbe, 'How could it be, that the elect of our Forefathers, Yaakov, had the best years of his life in Egyypt, a land of terrible morals and corruption?'

And the Alte Rebbe answered, that Yaakov sent Yehudah ahead of him before they went down to Mitzrayim, to ESTABLISH A HOUSE OF TORAH STUDY, and so, even in Egypt it is possible to say that Yaakov truly lived.'

But this raises a question.

Isn't it more obvious that Yaakov's joyous years in Egypt were related to being with Yosef, who he had not seen for 22 years?

And especially to see him in such a high position, and nevertheless, he was still conducting himself like a son of Yaakov, unaffected by the corruption around him!?

And not only that, but he was also transforming the gloom of Egypt into a blaze of holiness!

And so, because Yaakov's joy was so obvious, why did the Tzemach Tzedek question these 17 years?

And why did the Alte Rebbe answer as he did (ie in a different way than would have been expected)?

The answer is, that the Tzemach Tzedek understood how great is the restriction of the atmosphere of Egypt, and how it limits spirituality.

And the Alte Rebbe understood how TORAH STUDY CAN RAISE AN INDIVIDUAL ABOVE ALL LIMITATIONS, so that he can truly be alive ,even while in Egypt.

The reason for this is that Torah is rooted in Hashem's essence. And just as Hashem defies all limitations, so too does Torah.

Even although Torah descends within the physical, it remains essentially limitless. And by cleaving to Torah, one can withstand even the spiritual trials and tribulations of Egypt.

And this is the work that Shmuel has dedicated his life to. Teaching Torah.

Kol hakavod Shmuel!

It says in Pirkei Avot, that when a person reaches 40, he reaches understanding - binah (because when Avraham reached 40, he achieved a clear recognition of Hashem -Midrash)

The Rebbe mentions in another Sicha (Eikev 5744) that one should make every effort to reach higher levels of understanding within the category of 'a 40 year old achieves understanding.'

Wishing you a great year Shmuel, with much joy and Chassidishe nachas from all the children, together with Rivky.

And we should all continue to connect with our beautiful heritage of TORAH.

Gut Shabbos to all.