Shul Bulletin

לכבוד כל אנשי שלומנו בדרום קליפורני' שיחיו
To all Chabad Chassidim in Southern California:

This year on Yud Shevat, we are celebrating 70 years of the Rebbe's leadership, 70 years!

The inspiration amidst all the bachurim and chassidim worldwide is palpable. This feeling has had concrete impact in the exponential increase in activities to spread Torah and Yiddishkeit, and the wellsprings of chassidus to the outside etc.

Accordingly, as our Sages teach, "you only encourage the energetic", we see it to be appropriate to further strengthen this with a gathering, a 'Kinus', of all Anash, all those who feel connected to our Rebbe in Southern California.

Every single member of Anash, men and women, should participate in this  Kinus of Anash on Sunday, אור לראש חדש שבט/January 26, 7:30pm at Shaarei Tefilah,7269 Beverly Blvd, to inspire and be inspired by each other. 

The Freidiker Rebbe said עמדו הכן כולכם,  we need to all stand ready together to receive all the blessings and salvations that come down on a day of a Hilula.

May it be Hashem's will that we all should merit together to be blessed with our unity, from our Father in heaven, for all good, materially and spiritually.  The most important request that we are waiting for is that "באתי לגני" , the coming of Moshiach, may he come imminently.

Rabbi Yossi Shusterman
Chabad of North Beverly Hills

Rabbi Shimon Raichik
Congregation Levi Yitzchak

Rabbi Ezra Schochet
Rosh Yeshivas Ohr Elchonon Chabad

Farbrengen for men in honor of 24 Teves
TUESDAY night, 8 pm in shul

• Click here for this week's KYY newsletter. 
• Click here for this week's Lmaan Yishmeu publication.
• Click here for this week’s JEM "Here’s My Story". 
• Click here for a list of our ongoing shiurim. 
• Click here to pay up all your building fund, kibud or yiskor pledges and outstanding membership. Thank you to all of our supporters!!
• MONDAY: Farbrengen for men in shul at 8 pm in honor of 24 Teves. See 'Chabad Chodesh' for the directives of the Rebbe for this day. 

• Shabbos Candle Lighting: 4:50 pm
• Last Time To Read Shema: 9:30 am
• Chassidus for Early Minyan: 8:45 am 
• Shiur Chassidus by Rabbi Raichik: 9:00 am
• Early Minyan Shacharis: 9:30 am
• Shacharis: 10:00 am
• Kol Yaakov Yehuda: 10:00 am
• Mincha: 4:50 pm
• Shabbos Ends: 5:53 pm

• Rabbi & Mrs. Simcha Bart in honor of Rabbi Simcha Bart’s birthday. May he have a shnas hatzlocho begashmiyus ubruchniyus.
  Also, for the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Simcha Bart’s father Reb Mordechai ben Reb Yechezkel ob"m. May the neshomo have an aliya.
• Mrs. Miriam Fishman for the yahrtzeit of her mother Basya Rochel bas Reb Shmuel Hirsh ob"m. May the neshomo have an aliya.
• Mr. David Milner for the 1st yahrtzeit of his father Reb Aryeh Leib ben Reb Chaim Halevi ob"m. May the neshomo have an aliya.
• Mr. & Mrs. Elozor Plotke in honor of Mr. Elozor Plotke’s birthday. May he have a shnas hatzlocho begashmiyus ubruchniyus.
• Rabbi & Mrs. Gershon Schusterman for the yahrtzeit of Mrs. Chana Rachel Schusterman’s mother Chava bas Reb Yakov Yisroel ob"m. May the neshomo have an aliya.
• In memory of Avrohom Mordechai ben Emanuel (Al Wolf) ob"m. May the neshomo have an aliya.

• Rabbi & Mrs. Zali Munitz in honor of Rabbi Zali Munitz’s birthday. May he have a shnas hatzlocho begashmiyus ubruchniyus.

4:45 at the home of Mrs. Milka Elharrar
157 N Fuller
Speaker: Rabbi Haller

• Rabbi & Mrs. Ari Markowitz on the birth of their daughter.
• Rabbi & Mrs. Yisroel Meir Munitz on the birth of their daughter. Mazal tov to the grandparents Rabbi & Mrs. Sender Munitz.

Upcoming Birthdays

• Rabbi Zali Munitz - 21 Teves
• Sholom Dovber Friedman - 22 Teves
• Yitzchok Wolowik - 23 Teves
• Mr. Elozor Plotke - 24 Teves
• Rabbi Zalmy Shem Tov - 24 Teves
• Rabbi Yehudah Lerman - 25 Teves
• Dovid Leib Bastomski - 26 Teves
• Rabbi Dov Fine - 26 Teves
• Rabbi Simcha Bart - 26 Teves
• Ryan Leaderman - 27 Teves
• Yitzchak Yosef Munitz - 27 Teves

Upcoming Yahrtzeits

• Lieba bas Reb Boruch (Rabbi Yisroel Hecht’s mother) - 21 Teves
• Basya Rochel bas Reb Shmuel Hirsh (Mrs. Miriam Fishman’s mother) - 22 Teves
• Tova bas Reb Avner (Mr. David Sharabi’s mother) - 24 Teves
• Reb Avraham Dov ben Reb Yehoshua (Rabbi Yisroel Hecht’s father) - 24 Teves
• Reb Mordechai ben Reb Yaakov (Mrs. Elisa Haratz’s father) - 25 Teves
• Reb Mordechai ben Reb Yechezkel (Rabbi Simcha Bart’s father) - 25 Teves
• Masha bas Reb Shlomo (Mrs. Nana Rushka Stark’s mother) - 25 Teves
• Chava bas Reb Yakov Yisroel (Mrs. Chana Rachel Schusterman’s mother) - 26 Teves
• Bracha Chaya bas Reb Refoel (Mrs. Dina Tova Goldman’s mother) - 26 Teves
• Reb Yaakov Chayim ben Reb Mordechay (Mrs. Milka Elharrar’s father) - 26 Teves
• Sima bas Reb Fivel (Mr. Steven Leaderman’s mother) - 26 Teves
• Harav Chaim Meir ben Reb Avrohom Shmuel (Rabbi Yosef Bukiet’s father) - 27 Teves
• Reb Aryeh Leib ben Reb Chaim Halevi (Mr. David Milner's father) - 27 Teves 

Standards of a Chosid

In the year 1874, on Tu B’av, the Rebbe Maharash was visiting Vitebsk. A large bimah was brought from one of the shuls in town into a large courtyard in front of where the Rebbe Maharash was staying. He was asked by the local community to come to the courtyard to say a maamer in front of a large crowd. The Rebbe Maharash replied that he wasn’t feeling well but would come out and address the crowd with a few words. The Rebbe Maharash explained that the Medrash uses examples from the world and that we need to use various examples from the world in avodas Hashem.

There is a saying; “es past (befitting) adar es past nisht.” In general, this refers to one’s standard of etiquette. Some things are befitting or proper behavior, while others are not.  This saying varies relative to the group to which one belongs. In one level of society it is fitting while in a higher level of society it is not. Jews in general, have their unique standard of acceptable behaviors. This is even more so for Chassidim. “Es past adar es past nisht,” is not just relevant to activities but also to speaking and character and perspectives on life. Being that this is true in the physical, all much more so it is true with regard to the spiritual. The Rebbe Maharash went on to enumerate the following list of; “es past adar es past nisht.”

For a chosid it is befitting…

• …To learn a Chassidishe saying everyday
• …To be preoccupied in doing good for others
• …To be b’simcha, and even more to relate good heartedly to others
• …To recognize well one’s personal shortcomings and the virtues of others
• …To consider the youngest and most simple person to be better than oneself
• …To learn from every person their unique good character traits and habits
• … to have love and friendship, peace and camaraderie

For a chosid it is not befitting… 

• …not to learn Chassidus
• …not to be preoccupied with doing good for others
• …not to be preoccupied with atzvus
• …not to see your own shortcomings
• …to consider oneself the greatest of the great
• ...not to learn something good from others

…to cause divisiveness amongst brethren that leads to estrangement from each other. This is true even if one’s intention is to preserve the ways of Chassidus.

The Rebbe Maharash said that Yidden in general and Chassidim in particular need to make use of the etiquette of “es past adar es past nisht” in the service of Hashem. When he completed these holy words he stood up, gave the crowd a bracha and returned his place of lodging.

The Friediker Rebbe heard from Chassidim who were present at that time that when the Rebbe Maharash’s holy voice spoke these words, all of those present quietly wept. Reb Shmuel Brenn who was there expressed it in the following way: “The occasion was infused with the true spirit of Yom Kippur.  It was a fulfillment of the words of the Mishnah, “There were no yomim tovim for the Jewish people like the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur.” Reb Dov Ber haRashman expressed it in the following way; “For the twenty minutes that the Rebbe spoke, he washed and he cleansed us. May it only be that I would be in such a state after the prayer of “al cheit” during mincha on Yom Kippur. At that time we truly felt what a Rebbe is.” (Sefer HaSichos from the Previous Rebbe, Summer 1940 pages 139-1410

In 1974 an elderly 95 year old chosid who learned in Lubavitch, Reb Mordecai Perlow, the Rav of the Chabad Kehilla of Melbourne Australia, wanted to visit the Rebbe in New York. Due to his advanced age and poor health he knew that it would be difficult to get the Rebbe’s approval and bracha to travel. Before he asked the Rebbe he sought, and after much effort he finally got his doctor’s approval to fly to New York. When he wrote to the Rebbe to get his approval and bracha, the Rebbe did not give his approval. Instead the Rebbe asked him “what’s with Mivtzoyim?” The Rebbe set the standard of what is proper behavior for a chosid. Even a 95 year old Chosid who davens and learns and wants to see the Rebbe, needs also to be involved with Mivtzoyim.

Each Chosid big or small, young or old, needs to be aware of our unique chassidishe etiquette that we Lubavitcher Chassidim hold in the highest regard. We need to realize that what is fitting someone else is not necessarily fitting for us. Each person needs to consider and apply “es past, adar es past nisht,” into our perspectives on how to live a chassidishe life today in 2012. We need to have standards in all of our conversations, whether with our children, spouses, friends or business associates. And most importantly we need to be aware of how to act in the best and most fitting way according to the standard which the Rebbe has taught. We need to ask ourselves about what we think, speak and do:  Es past?, adar, es past nisht? Is this befitting, or not?