10 months ago

Watch: Jewish Permanence and Change

The Torah is called Torat Chaim; the Teaching of Life. Every word, idea, story and commandment contains precious gems of practical wisdom teaching us how to fulfill our purpose in life.
So what is there to learn from the names of this week’s double Torah reading. Matot Massai?
At first glance, oaths and journeys seem to be two unrelated topics
Matot also means “Staffs” and it begins with the laws of oaths while Massei means ‘Journeys’ and begins with the forty-two journeys the Jews made in the desert.

To understand the connection here is a story that occurred some 20 years ago (Beis Moshiach Magazine, issue 607)

Rabbi Shimon Freundlich the Rebbe’s ‘Shliach’ (emissary), runs a successful Chabad House in Beijing China catering especially to Jewish tourists or businessmen, both religious, non-religious and ultra-religious that are passing through, and often they are impressed to the essence of their souls.
For instance, once he was invited by the Satmar Chassidim to be the personal guest at the Tish (public meal) of the Rebbe of Satmar in New York in gratitude for how they had benefited from his Chabad House.
Hundreds of Satmar Chassidim were present at the occasion and at one point the Satmar Rebbe’s assistant pounded on the table and announced.
“The Rebbe requests that ‘the Lubavitcher’ (referring to Rabbi Freundlich) should speak.”
Rabbi Freundlich stood, cleared his throat, thanked the Chassidim and their Rebbe for inviting him, gave over a short Torah insight and then said that he wanted to relate a story that had recently occurred in his Chabad House.
“A lot of travelers, come to our Chabad House for the Shabbat meals. Well, one Shabbat evening a few months ago, two business partners, one an older man, maybe about eighty years old, who didn’t look very religious, and the other a fellow in his forties came for the Shabbat evening prayers and dinner.
“They found seats in the prayer room but then just minutes after the prayers began, the older fellow covered his face and began to cry, calmed down after a few minutes and then cried again. And so it was for the duration of the prayers, about a half hour; he would calm down for a few minutes, dry his eyes and blow his nose and then begin crying again.
“I quietly approached him and asked him if everything was all right and he told me not to worry. Then after the prayers he and his friend joined us for the Shabbat evening meal.
“There were over fifty people there. I sat him near me and after we began the meal, he had something to eat and he calmed down, he told me that he wanted to say something.
“I stood, said a few words, introduced him and he cleared his throat and began,
“He said his name is Sam Katz and the reason that he wants to speak now is because the last time he was in a Synagogue was over sixty years ago in Poland. This is the first time he has been in a Synagogue since then.” He fell silent for a minute. Dried his eyes again and continued.
“He said he was a young man when the Germans came and took him and all the Jews in his town to Buchenwald and in the four years he was there, he lost everything; father mother, brothers sisters and friends. Some were killed before his eyes. But he survived. And when he got out he began searching for family or friends. But after a year or two with no results he gave up. He faced reality that they were dead and he moved to Australia.
“There he was totally alone, broken and angry at G-d. So he distanced himself from Judaism, threw himself into business, made a lot of money, even got married to a Jewish lady and raised a family. But he was so bitter that he made a decision to never go near a Synagogue or do anything Jewish again… ever….. nothing!!
“’That’s how it was for years. But then, a few months ago, he had to come here to China with his friend for business and this friend suggested they should go to the Chabad House to eat for Shabbat. At first, he didn’t want to come but since there was nothing else to do and he heard it was friendly and the food is good so he agreed.
“’Then now, as soon as he sat down for the prayers, and the prayers began, everything suddenly came back to him. He was Jew. He remembered his parents, how proud and happy they were to be Jews and, well, suddenly it was like a wall of ice around his heart melted. That’s why he cried. he felt like a small child that just wants to be home. All thanks to this Chabad House and the Rabbi here.”
“The guests in the Chabad House clapped, wiped tears from their eyes and congratulated him for the beautiful story but then one woman there stood up and said.
“Thank you, Mr. Katz for the beautiful story. Tell me, you said were in Buchenwald until the end, right? Well, so was my father. He was also in Buchenwald till the end. Maybe you knew my father? His name is Naftali Kogen (pseudonym) he also was in Buchenwald. He’s still alive. Did you know him?”
“’Mr. Katz’s jaw dropped, his eyes bolted open and he held his head and repeated slowly
“N a f t a l i K o g e n !? What?? Naftali Kogen is alive?! We were always together. We were like brothers!! Oy!! OY!!! Naftali!! We got separated! We were the only two Kohanim in the camp and risked our lives for each other not just once…. We got out together but we were put in different recovery camps and got separated. I searched for him for a long time after the war but finally I gave up. I thought he was dead. But now it’s a miracle!!”
Rabbi Freundlich finished his story saying that after that Shabbat a meeting was arranged between them… and this is only an example of the miracles that happen in Beijing thanks to the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
This was the story he told to the Satmar Chassidim. Suddenly one of them yelled out OY!! OY!!
It was one of the important elders of the Satmar community, a Chassid by the name of Rav Yaakov. He had raised himself in his seat; his face pale as chalk and his eyes staring wildly at the ceiling and yelled “OY! OY! Sam!! Naftali!!!”
The others were startled and rose to help him.

He came to himself in just seconds stood up and yelled aloud to Rabbi Freundlich, “Sam Katz and Naftali Kogan are alive!!? You know where they are?? Tell them that Yaakov is still alive!!”
“There weren’t just two Kohanim in Buchenwald.” He continued, “There were THREE; Sam Katz, Naftali and …. Me! We stuck together like more than brothers. But just a few days before the war ended, I was moved to another camp. They probably thought I was dead, and I almost was, and I was sure that they were!!”
That evening a meeting was arranged and the three ‘brothers’ were united again.

This answers our questions about the message to us from Matot Massei: staffs and journeys.
A staff (Matot) is firm and unchanging. Signifying the ‘staff’ of Jewish identity; the ‘oath’ (that Matot begins with) that every Jewish soul is given before birth.
While journeys (Massei) are the constantly changing challenges of life. And every Jew must have both.

Like the survivors in our story; their Jewish identities were the ‘staffs’ that kept them firm in life. But each also had to make his individual ‘journeys’ and challenges until they all finally were brought together’
And all this hints at Moshiach. Just as the Rebbe unified all the survivors in our story (through Rabbi Freundlich), so Moshiach will remind every Jew of this ‘staff’ of life; the soul power (oath) that provides the identity which will cause all the Jews to journey together to the third Holy Temple in the Holy Land.
And not much is lacking to make it happen!

We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish prayers, hopes, suffering, courage and self-sacrifice. Now it could be that just one more good deed, word or even thought can reveal …

Moshiach NOW!!
Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel

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