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By Rabbi Tuvia Bolton, Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim, Kfar Chabad, Israel

This week’s reading finishes the book of Genesis; the first of the Five Books of Moses given directly and publicly by the Creator of the Universe to the entire Jewish nation at Mount Sinai.

But strangely this book, unlike the other four, contains no religion, miracles or even mentions of heaven or hell; the stuff Bibles are made of.

Only stories.

There is a story from some 150 years ago about two Jews who approached the Holy Rabbe Yisroel of Ruzin ago for approbations on books they had written.
The first was a Talmudic scholar who wrote a masterpiece of complicated Talmudic concepts and the other, a much simpler Jew, with a book of Chassidic stories he had compiled.

The Rebbe glanced into the larger book for a moment then took the smaller book, read through a few pages, smiled at the author, praised him warmly, wrote an approbation, blessed him with success and only after he left the room turned to the other Chassid and wrote for him a recommendation.

The second Chassid was perplexed to the point that he respectfully asked why it was that the Rebbe passed over his book and approved the other book first when his work obviously involved more effort, time and ingenuity.

“Very simply”, the Rebbe answered. “I followed G-d’s example. Just as the Torah begins with stories; namely the book of Genesis, and only then commences with the other four books where the complicated ideas and commandments are found. So too his book of Chassidic stories comes before your complicated legal masterpiece.”

This is because stories are the soul of Judaism while the laws are the body. Both are certainly necessary to make the Torah alive…..but the soul takes precedence.

So this week’s reading that summarizes the stories of Genesis must have a very important message for our souls.

It seems to me that it is found in the sentence immediately after Jacob finished blessing all his sons the Torah, instead of saying that he died, tells us: “Yaakov ….. was gathered to his people.” (45:33). And the Talmud explains that the reason the Torah doesn’t say he died is because “The Patriarch Yaakov did not die, he only appeared to but really he is still alive physically! And just as his offspring (namely us) are still alive physically, so he lives.” (Taanit 5:a see Rashi there)

To explain this, here are two stories I heard from the popular lecturer Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Jacobson.

The third Rebbe of the Chabad Movement; Rabbi Menachem Mendel (nicknamed the ‘Tzemach Tzedek’) was orphaned at the tender age of three and was raised by a nursemaid.

This nursemaid lived to a ripe old age and, because she had no children of her own, requested from the Tzemach Tzedek, who was already serving as Rebbe at that time, to say the ‘Kadish’ prayer for her for a full year after she passed away. (This short and in many ways, the ‘highest’ prayer in Judaism, which is said for the departed for a full year in each of the three daily public prayers).

And so it was. The evening after she passed away the Tzemach Tzedek said ‘Kadish’ for her memory at the evening prayer and everyone answered ‘amen’.
But, the very next morning instead of saying Kadish, as he promised, he hired someone else to say it!

One of the older Chassidim approached the Rebbe and asked him for an explanation. After all, the woman had been like a mother to him! How could he just disregard his promise to her like that?

“No,” the Rebbe explained, “I wanted to keep my promise. But last night she appeared to me in a dream and complained that when I said Kadish, it raised her soul to such a high spiritual level that she felt frightened and out of place and she requested that I find someone else. So I did. ”

The second story is about the mother of the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe (Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak) Rabbanit Sterna Sara.

She was a very humble and holy person in her own right and she loved to see great Tzadikim (miraculous Jews).

And one such Tzadik was Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Shapiro known as the Munkacher Rav and she asked her son that if the opportunity presented itself she would like to see this great man.

Sure enough the day came. The Rebbe was to meet with the Munkacher Rav in a local park and stroll for several hours while discussing vitally important communal issues.

The Rebbe told his mother the exact path they would be taking and advised her to stand behind one of the trees on the route where she could clearly see him.

The next day, the Rebbe and Munkacher began their ‘moving’ discussion in the park as planned but in the middle of the stroll the Munkacher Rav suddenly stopped, raised his face upward and began smelling the air.

“Is something wrong?” the Rebbe asked. “Do you feel alright?”

“Yes, certainly I feel alright” The Rav replied. “But do you smell that? I mean, do you smell anything unusual?”

“What do you mean?” the Rebbe asked, “What smell are you talking about?”

“Why,” the Rav replied in disbelief “I smell the smell of Gan Eden (Heaven)”!

“Ah!” replied the Rebbe. “My mother is probably standing nearby. What you smell is my mother!!”

These two stories show us that there are Jews that experience heaven in this world and even control it.

When Adam ate from the tree, this eternal, true reality became covered and could only be revealed after death.

But Yaakov began correcting this. The Torah explains that he carried heaven with him (Rashi on Gen. 27:27).

And the Talmud tells us that just as Adam was created to live forever physically (but brought death when he sinned) so Yaakov lives even today… just as we live. “The ‘Beauty of Yaakov was like that of Adam” (Baba Metzia 84a).

And this blessing of everlasting physical life G-d gave to us with the Torah at Sinai. ‘The Tree of Life for those who hold it” (Proverbs 3:18).

So it is through these STORIES of Torah that the goal of Judaism; the coming of Moshiach and Raising of the Dead and the blessing of Yaakov will be accessible to all. (Also see Tanya chapt. 37)

And as the Rebbe said repeatedly; this should happen at any moment. We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish service, hopes, prayers and suffering. Now just one more good deed, word of even thought, if done with JOY can bring ….

MOSHIACH NOW!!!

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