Chabad Jewish Learning Institute

Learning to Give. Lubavitch e*Torah

2011-02-11T16:31:00.002-06:00

The Eternal Lamp; Weekly e*Torah

2011-02-04T16:06:00.002-06:00

The Chicken or the Egg? by Rabbi Moss

2011-02-03T10:51:00.003-06:00

Question of the Week:
How do you reconcile the age of the universe according to science with the Torah account? According to the Torah we are in the year 5769 from creation. Yet science claims the world is around 16 billion years old. A bit of a discrepancy, wouldn't you say?

Answer:
I don't see any discrepancy here. Why can't we say that the 16 billion year old world was created 5769 years ago? Sounds weird? Let's travel back in time to see if it can make sense.

Let's imagine that you visited Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden on the very day they were created. The world is six days old, and the first human beings are not even one day old yet. And yet, they are fully grown and intelligent beings. Obviously Adam and Eve did not start life as babies, for who would look after them? And so while their passport would indicate that they were born today, their bodies would indicate that they were fully matured adults.

And just say that before Adam and Eve had a chance to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, you decided to chop down the tree to count the rings and see how old it was. You would find that the tree gives the impression of being years old, even though it was just created a couple of days ago. And the same would happen if you would carbon date the rocks in the Garden of Eden. Though freshly minted by the hand of G-d only days ago, they would seem millions or billions of years old.

This is because the world was created complete. Out of nothing, G-d made a world ready to inhabit, and then created mature human beings to live in it. G-d created trees, not seeds; adults, not babies; mountains, not molehills.

The old question of which came first, the chicken or the egg, is answered by the Torah. G-d made chickens, not eggs.

When science dates the world, it doesn't take into account the starting point - the world was old already at the beginning. So indeed the world that is 16 billion years old was created 5771 years ago. There's no contradiction.

Welcome to the first class on Towards a Meaningful Life

2011-02-02T23:48:00.000-06:00

Dear Student,

Once upon a time, our worlds were very small, and roles were clearly defined. You lived in a village with one blacksmith, and if the blacksmith moved away, there was no one to shoe the horses. If you were the town baker, you knew that everyone depended upon you for bread.

Today, we live in a universe of seven billion people suspended in the vastness of space. And the underlying concern of our age is, “Do we really matter?” Do our choices make a difference? Are our lives significant in the ultimate scheme of things?

This is the question that is at the root of our search for meaning, and it is the question that underlies this course.

In this first lesson, you will learn why everything you do does matter, now and forever. You will learn about the importance of having a personal mission statement, outlining your indispensable role. And you will gain some practical tools for implementing your mission.

I’m looking forward to having you join us for the first JLI class of Toward a Meaningful Life as we embark on an amazing journey together in search of a more meaningful life.

Why donors like Chabad

2011-02-02T11:30:00.003-06:00

Which is it, Community or Individual?

2011-01-21T10:39:00.002-06:00

JLI to Offer “Toward a Meaningful Life: A Soul-Searching Journey for Every Jew”

2011-01-19T15:35:00.001-06:00

We'd like to add just a little more meaning to your life. Here's a new six-week course from the Chabad Jewish Learning Institute. The two-minute meditations you'll learn in this course will forever change the way you experience life.

Life can be a treadmill - as we go through the motions day after day without ever asking why or seeking what really matters to us. This course, prepared by the author of the best-selling book, Toward a Meaningful Life, is determined to change that. Here are strategies, tips, and suggestions for not only discovering where your true meaning lies, but in actually making it a part of your daily existence.

Whether you are dealing with family relationships or job satisfaction, this course will help you look beyond a crisis to find the lessons within. Most important of all, these sessions will help you see life as the mysterious, challenging, and satisfying wonder that it really is.

Register today at www.ChabadWinnipeg.org/JLI. It's a decision you'll never regret!

Date:
6 Tuesday evenings, starting February 8
7:30pm - 9:00pm

or

6 Wednesday mornings, starting February 9
10:00am - 11:30am

Location:
Jewish Learning Centre
1845 Mathers Avenue

Fee: $79 (textbooks included)
Couples and students recieve a 10% discount.
For more information, please call 339-8737 or email JLI@ChabadWinnipeg.org.

Four Opinions!

2011-01-14T12:44:00.000-06:00

Is it Immoral to be Overweight? by Rabbi Moss

2011-01-14T09:58:00.000-06:00

Question of the Week:
As a fitness trainer, I wonder: Do health and fitness have a place in Judaism? It seems that the secular world encourages a healthy life far more than the Jewish world does. I hear rabbis talk about spiritual matters, but find it hard to listen to them if they themselves are overweight. Is physical well-being not important?

Answer:
In our modern world, we are seeing health is the new morality. Good and bad are now measured in calories. My cereal box invites me to "Taste the goodness" - not a moral value, but rather a nutritional value. The scales of merit are not found in heaven anymore but are right there on the bathroom floor, and the daily judgment is pronounced in kilos and pounds.

This all makes sense if you see the human being as just a body without a soul. If the flesh is all there is, health becomes the highest ideal. But from the Jewish perspective, the soul is our true self, and the body its vehicle. The body and its health are important only because through it we express our higher self.

The great Jewish thinker, Maimonides, wrote in the 12th century:

"Caring for the health and well-being of the body is one of the ways of serving G-d."

And he immediately explains why:

"One is unable to think clearly and comprehend truth if he is unwell."

If your mind is cloudy, you may lack moral clarity to know what's right. While battling with illness, we may not find the stamina to battle the ills of the world. That's why we need to look after our bodies. A healthy body is not in itself our life's purpose; it helps us fulfil our purpose. It is a vehicle that transports us towards goodness, it is not the destination.

Jewish tradition provides no excuse for being unhealthy. On the contrary, it gives the best reason possible to live healthy: Life has meaning and purpose, and each day is precious. Only if life has meaning is it worth taking care of. The risks of high cholesterol, heavy smoking and drug use are only a concern to one who values life. The threat of a shorter life span means nothing to someone who sees life as pointless.

We are the healthiest generation in history, and our life expectancy is reaching biblical proportions. This means we have more time and energy to fulfil our purpose - to elevate our corner of the world, and tip the scales towards true goodness.

Why Smash a Glass? by Rabbi Moss

2010-12-31T11:13:00.000-06:00

Question of the Week:
I understand the reason I will be breaking a glass under my foot at the end of the wedding ceremony is to commemorate the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem some 2000 years ago. This indeed was a significant event in Jewish history, but it doesn't seem to have any personal relevance to me. What does a destroyed building have to do with my wedding?

Answer:The destruction of the Temple has extreme personal relevance. It happened to you. The shattering of the glass commemorates not only the fall of Jerusalem, but also a cataclysmic shattering that happened to your very own temple, your soul.

Before you were born, you and your soulmate were one - a single soul. Then, as your time to enter this world approached, G-d shattered that single soul into two parts, one male and one female. These two half souls were then born into the world to try and find each other and reunite.

At the time, the split seemed tragic. What was once a peaceful unit had become fragmented and incomplete. Why break something just so it should be fixed? If you were meant to be together, why didn't G-d leave you together?

Only when standing under the Chuppah do you find the answer to this question. At the wedding, these two halves are becoming whole, reuniting never to part again. And you can look back at the painful experience of being separated, and actually celebrate it. For now you realise that the separation brought you closer. Only by being torn apart, living lives away from each other, were you able to develop as individuals, mature and grow, and then come together in a true relationship, a deeper oneness than you had before, because it is created by your choice. Had you never been separated, you would never appreciate what it means to be together, because it wasn't earned. At the wedding you realise that your soul was only split in order to reunite and become one on a higher and deeper level than before.

And so we break a glass under the Chuppah, and we immediately say Mazel Tov. Because now, in retrospect, even the splitting of the souls is reason to be joyous, for it gave your connection depth and real meaning.

So you see, your personal story and the story of Jerusalem's destruction are inextricably linked. The shattering that happened to Jerusalem happened to your soul; and the joy you are experiencing now will one day be experienced by Jerusalem too.

The Temple was not a mere building, it was the meeting place of heaven and earth, ideal and reality, G-d and creation. When the Temple was lost, with it went the open relationship between G-d and the world. Our souls were ripped away from our Soulmate.

The only antidote to fragmentation is unity. And the deepest unity is experienced at a wedding. Every wedding is a healing, a mending of one fragmented soul, a rebuilding of Jerusalem in miniature. Our sages teach us, "Whoever celebrates with a bride and groom it is as if he rebuilt one of the ruins of Jerusalem." When soulmates reunite in holy marriage, an energy of love and oneness is generated, elevating the world and bringing it one step closer to mending its broken relationship with G-d.

And one day soon, when the Temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt, our souls will reunite with G-d, our Soulmate, in a true relationship that we built ourselves. We will no longer mourn the destruction, but looking back we will finally understand its purpose, and we will celebrate. Then, even the shattering will deserve a Mazel Tov.

The Rate of Exchange

2010-12-31T11:12:00.002-06:00

Dedication Ceremony. Pictures by Ricardo Chvaicer

2010-12-20T12:56:00.002-06:00

What if...

2010-12-14T21:26:00.001-06:00

Chabad in Cyberspace

2010-12-13T15:05:00.004-06:00

As you probably know, Chabad-Lubavitch is the known leader in Jewish information and education on the web, as highlighted by an independent study conducted by JInsider which painted Chabad as the “Brand leader”.

This Chanukah, however, was another turning point in the story of Chabad-Lubavitch on the web.

While Chanukah is traditionally a peak traffic time, with millions of people searching for information, entertainment and more, this Chanukah proved to push the number off the charts. This year’s record-breaking traffic was simply a testament to the continued growth and reach of Chabad-Lubavitch in “Cyberspace”.

Here are the stats:

2.1 million (2,109,653) unique households visited Chabad.org during Chanukah this year
6 million (6,003,839) pages were accessed in eight different languages (our Russian site alone had more than 50,000 page views)
350,000 visitors accessed over 1.1 million pages on shluchim’s local sites.
158,062 videos were watched on Jewish.TV
32,342 Chanukah songs were played
39,583 latke recipe pages were printed
112,861 played the Chanukah blessings
97,921 people received Chabad.org Chanukah greeting cards from friends
Chabad.org referred 60,000 to Shluchim's local websites and events

Hanukkah menorah lightings around the globe

2010-12-13T15:02:00.002-06:00

All About Books. Weekly Chabad e*Torah.

2010-12-10T13:05:00.002-06:00

But He Started It! by Rabbi Moss

2010-12-09T21:59:00.003-06:00

Question of the Week:

My child always blames everyone else for his own misbehaviour. It's always "he started it," "she made me do it," and nothing is ever his fault. How can I teach him to take responsibility for his actions and not shift blame to others?

Answer:

Yesterday my two year old son snatched a toy from his older sister. She was about to throttle him, so I intervened. I saw this as a chance to impart some Jewish wisdom, so I explained to my daughter the idea of our two inner voices - the Yetzer Tov and the Yetzer Hora.

There's a voice inside that tells me to be upright, moral and well-behaved. This is my drive to be good, called the Yetzer Tov. But I also have a deviant and rebellious side, an inner voice that tries to convince me to do whatever is wrong and hurtful and selfish, known as the Yetzer Hora.

These two voices constantly battle to win me over. I have to choose which side gets the upper hand. And I am responsible for my choice. If I listen to my darker side, then I only have myself to blame.

So before my daughter had the chance to attack her brother I asked her, "Are you going to listen to your Yetzer Hora and hit your brother, or are you going to listen to your Yetzer Tov and just find something else to play with?"

This turned things around. Instead of being in a fight with her brother, she was now facing an inner struggle of evil versus good. She can no longer excuse her behaviour by saying, "He started it." No matter who started it, if she hits him, she has made a bad choice. It was her own Yetzer Hora that she succumbed to.

On the other hand, if she chooses not to hurt her brother and walks away she is not a loser, but a winner. She didn't lose a fight with her brother, but rather won a battle with her own evil inclination. Either way, the choice is hers, and she is responsible for that choice.

She thought about it for a second, and then made her choice. She gave her brother a whack in the face.

Well, at least I tried.

But it was not a failure. Even though she didn't do what I wanted her to do, she heard what I had to say. This episode reinforced in her little mind the idea that there is an inner battle of good and evil. In the long run, with repetition and patience, that message will sink in.

Kids fight. They won't change so quickly. But by moving the battleground from the outside to a battle within, we can help our children channel their aggression toward fighting their own evil, and in the end, their own good side will win.

A Chanukah Message for All Ages

2010-12-07T13:38:00.002-06:00

Bochurim Dancing on the I-80

2010-12-07T13:36:00.002-06:00

Video: Chaim Fogelmans Goodness and Kindness!

2010-12-07T13:35:00.000-06:00

Dedication Ceremony Slideshow Presentation

2010-12-07T11:32:00.000-06:00

Prime Minister Harper First Ever Menorah Lighting at 24 Sussex Drive with Rabbi Avrohom Altein of Winnipeg

2010-12-03T11:43:00.005-06:00

Numbers Don't Count!

2010-12-03T10:35:00.002-06:00

Prime Minister Stephen Harper lights a Menorah with Rabbi Avrohom Altein

2010-12-02T13:41:00.000-06:00

A New Six-Week JLI Course

2010-12-02T10:08:00.004-06:00

Toward a Meaningful Life: A Soul-Searching Journey for Every Jew

2010-12-02T10:03:00.003-06:00

Labriyut - "To Your Health" - Episode Six

2010-12-02T10:00:00.001-06:00

Review of Lesson Six

2010-12-01T07:24:00.000-06:00

Dear JLI Student,

Thank you for joining us for the sixth and final lesson of Medicine and Morals: Secret Code. The following is a brief summary of the lesson:

There are various reasons given by secular ethicists for the importance of confidentiality. In all, these concerns are mostly limited to a professional relationship, e.g., doctor and patient, lawyer and client, etc. Judaism, however, views confidentiality as an obligation incumbent on all. It is forbidden to disseminate even true information about others, even if the information is innocuous. The violation is far more egregious in the case of negative information. This is true even if the subject has not asked that the information remain private. The default position of Judaism is that no one is allowed to share information about others without express permission.

However, when maintaining confidentiality will result in harm to an innocent person, whether physical or financial, it is obligatory to breach confidentiality and reveal the details to the innocent person. Thus, when a parent is diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease and does not want to share this information with his children that plan on marrying, the doctor must breach confidentiality and warn the children in order to protect their prospective spouses. The need for an individual to know that he or she has HD is not sufficient reason to breach confidentiality because there is in any case no known treatment, so there is no direct benefit to having this information. However, a prospective spouse would want to take this information into account in deciding whether to marry someone, and therefore, one would be obligateded to breach confidentiality in order to make sure that the prospective spouse could make an informed decision.

Even when a physician is permitted and obligated to reveal medical information to a third party, it is always better if the physician can convince the patient to reveal this information themselves. Only when this is not successful should the physician do so.

However, if the physician will suffer financially by breaching confidentiality, because of a lawsuit, loss of job, etc., then a more nuanced approach is needed. If the harm to the innocent party is non-life threatening, then the physician has no obligation to incur financial loss and may keep the secret. If however there is a real threat to life, then the physician must disregard his/her financial loss and reveal the information to save the life of the innocent party.

This brings the fall course to a close. Thanks so much for joining us for Medicine and Morals. It has been an amazing journey. Our upcoming winter course will be Towards A Meaningful Life. I hope you will join us then for this fascinating course. Stay tuned for details.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Shmuly Altein

Liberated Learning

2010-11-26T11:08:00.001-06:00

Grand Opening, Chanukah Concert & Community Lighting of Giant Menorah

2010-11-26T08:50:00.000-06:00

Grand Opening celebration of Winnipeg's first Jewish Learning Centre

2010-11-26T08:48:00.004-06:00

With much gratitude, joy and excitement, we invite you to attend the historic dedication of the new Jewish Learning Centre on Sunday, December 5th at 3pm.

The community-wide program will feature an exciting family concert, a special video presentation, a festive lighting of a giant menorah (the largest in Western Canada), and will conclude with our annual car menorah parade accompanied by a remarkable display of fireworks.

Come celebrate our very own modern-day Chanukah miracle!

For more information, please visit our newly designed website at www.ChabadWinnipeg.org or call us at 414-5624.

Genetics and the Ethics of Patient Confidentiality | Lesson Six

2010-11-25T19:26:00.000-06:00

Join us for Lesson Six: Secret Code

2010-11-25T19:23:00.004-06:00

Genetic testing unlocks secrets that used to be unknowable. They can be used to identify parentage; they can be used to predict illness and death. But what happens if this information gets into the wrong hands—or is withheld from the people who need it most?

Does a potential spouse have the right to know that her husband-to-be will likely be dead before the age of fifty of an illness that does not yet have any external symptoms?

And as keeper of the “code,” what is the role of the doctor in all this? When must patient confidentiality be upheld and when must it be set aside?

We’ll talk about this during our last lesson of Medicine and Morals at the new Jewish Learning Centre!

What's the difference between a neurotic, psychotic and psychiatrist?

2010-11-25T19:20:00.000-06:00

The first one builds castles in the sky, the second one lives in them, the psychiatrist? He collects the rent!

Review of Lesson Five

2010-11-25T19:18:00.001-06:00

Dear Student,

Thank you for joining us for Lesson Five of Medicine and Morals: With You In Mind. The following is a brief summary of what we learned:

As humans, we stand apart from all other creatures because of our cognitive ability. When this ability to reason and discern is weakened or impaired, it is very tragic. Judaism obligates us to treat mental illness in the same way that we are obligated to treat physical illness. Halachah regards the recommendations of a qualified psychiatrist with the same esteem as the recommendations of other physicians, and takes account of mental well-being when issuing a ruling.

Historically the mentally disabled have been mistreated. King David poignantly expressed his distress over this maltreatment. The Torah exhorts us to overcome the tendency to exploit the weak as this is an indication of poor character. On the contrary, we are commanded to actively help those who are mentally disabled. An example is the law that mandates the court to appoint a guardian to respond to his/her charge’s needs.

When people are not able to make independent decisions due to mental incompetence, others are allowed to make the decisions for them. However, care must be taken to ensure that the decisions are made with only the benefit of the charge in mind. Thus, it would be forbidden to volunteer the kidney of an incompetent person to a person in need, even if the guardian would be willing to make a sacrifice of this kind. It would only be allowed if it could be somehow demonstrated that this act of donation had a direct benefit to the incompetent donor. It is in unclear whether the mitzvah of saving a life in and of itself can be considered a benefit to the incompetent donor.

Similarly, while an autonomous adult may volunteer for a non-risk drug trial that will not bring benefit to him/her but will benefit society, a guardian may not volunteer an incompetent person for such a trial. An experiment may be conducted on an incompetent person only if it presents a direct benefit to that person.

These rulings reinforce the idea that while we may opt at times to be “martyrs,” this does not permit us to demand this of others who are under our care. We must recall the divine image that is inherent in every human being. Thinking about this can help us treat all people with the dignity they deserve.

G-d only demands of us what we are able to do. Thus, while people are obligated in various mitzvot, we recognize that some people, due to their mental state, are not able to fulfill all of the religious obligations. These people must be taught according to their ability. However, there is tremendous value in encouraging religious participation even in those who are not obligated to do so. This boosts the mental health of the individual by instilling in him/her a sense of belonging as well as a feeling of spiritual fulfillment.

Indeed, we must recall that we are created by G-d and fashioned for a certain purpose. In this regard, despite our differences, we are all equal in the eyes of G-d.

We look forward to seeing you next week for our final lesson of Medicine and Morals in which we will explore the Jewish approach to the issues of patient confidentiality.

Kissing in Public by Rabbi Moss

2010-11-25T19:13:00.000-06:00

Question of the Week:
I have an issue with religious Jews. They have this thing about not showing affection in public. You would never see a very religious couple holding hands walking down the street and certainly not kissing in public, as it is considered immodest. But I think this teaches children that affection is bad and romance is taboo. How will they ever get married if they don't see affectionate parents?

Answer:
Here is a true story that happened to a family I know. They are observant and G-d fearing people, and indeed the parents never showed physical affection, even in front of their own children.

It once happened that this family was out driving in their van, parents sitting in the front, and their large brood in the back. While stopped at a red light, one of the children pointed out a scene that caught his eye. Right beside the car, on the side of the road, was a young couple engaged in a very public display of affection.
The kids expressed their strong disapproval, with "ooooo" noises and calls of "yuck!" The oldest, a girl of twelve, loudly declared, "Disgusting!"

Now the parents had a few options as to how to react to this situation. They could have encouraged their children's innocent aversion to street corner romance by telling them not to look at such a yucky thing. Or perhaps they should correct their children's hard-line view and tell them that there is actually nothing yucky about love between two people. Or they could just smile to themselves and let it pass.

But any good parent knows that there are certain teaching moments that don't come along too often, and if they are not grabbed they will be missed. Some lessons are better taught spontaneously. Rather than the parent sitting down the child to talk about an issue, it is sometimes better to wait until the child sees or hears something, makes a comment or asks a question, and use that as an opening to address the topic. An alert parent will have a store house of lessons at the ready, and patiently wait for the right opportunity to share them.

This was one such moment. And the wise father of these children, who had labelled an act of love as disgusting, jumped at the opportunity to teach them a lesson for life.

"It is not disgusting," he told his children. "It's just in the wrong place."

I heard this story as it was told by the twelve year old daughter, now a mother of children of her own. She said that all these years later she still remembers what her father said, and what an impact his simple words had on her. At first she was shocked. Her father, a rabbi, didn't think this was disgusting? Do my parents do this too? But then it dawned on her. Of course they do. They love each other, and when people love each other, this is what they do. Just some things are supposed to be private. Not because it's disgusting, because it is precious, it doesn't belong on the street.

There are couples that no one will ever see touching each other, but anyone can see the deep love they share. It is reflected in the way they speak to each other, the way they look at each other, the way they talk about each other. And then there are couples who are all lovey-dovey-kissy-huggy, but it is no more than a show for the onlookers. How intimate can affection be if every passer-by is privy to it? Does romance have any real meaning if it is shared with strangers?

When a couple is secure in their love for each other, they don't feel the need to demonstrate their affection to others outside the relationship. And yet, everyone, including their children, will know that love is there. Physical affection is more powerful when kept private. It is not disgusting, as long as it is in the right place.

U.S. Vice President Quotes Rebbe at New American Jewish History Museum

2010-11-22T18:32:00.002-06:00

Couple Wants to Bring Jewish Warmth to Canadian Cold

2010-11-22T18:31:00.002-06:00

Ethical Treatment of the Mentally Disabled | Lesson 5

2010-11-22T18:18:00.000-06:00

Join us for Lesson Five: With You In Mind

2010-11-18T17:17:00.000-06:00

Dear JLI Student,

The history of the treatment of the mentally ill is a sad one. In the seventeenth century, the mentally ill were often chained to walls, whipped, and housed in dungeons with vagrants and criminals.

Nineteenth century reformer Dorothy Dix was at the vanguard creating humane asylums for the insane, where patients were provided sunny rooms and opportunity to exercise outdoors. Yet a century later, many of these asylums were overcrowded and filthy, the chains of an earlier age replaced with surgical lobotomy, electro-convulsive therapy, and stupor-inducing drugs.

With the development of new psychiatric drug treatments in the seventies and eighties, it was felt that the asylums had outlived their usefulness, and most of them were shut down. Yet they were not replaced with appropriate housing alternatives. Today, more than 100,000 people in American jails are mentally ill. Some are held there without charges while they await a bed in a psychiatric hospital.

If excessive interference into the lives of the people who are mentally ill has often resulted in travesty, benign neglect has not yielded more humane results.

In this lesson, we explore some Jewish ethical guidelines for the development of compassionate treatment for people suffering from mental illness.

Looking forward to seeing you next Tuesday.

Review of Lesson Four

2010-11-17T08:15:00.000-06:00

Thank you for joining us for Lesson Four of Medicine and Morals: New Beginnings. The following is a brief summary of what we learned:

The need to address the permissibility of the various reproductive technologies is of paramount importance. The Torah documents the deep pain associated with infertility. In addition, Jewish thought views procreation as a religious obligation. Each child who is born plays a fundamental role in developing the spiritual potential of our universe. Thus, for both empathic and spiritual reasons, there is strong incentive to find ways to assist people in their efforts to bear children.

The use of donor sperm raises halachic concerns. Some of the questions revolve around the issue of family: Does using sperm from another man infringe upon the relationship of husband and wife? Will such procedures weaken the desire to marry? Another concern is the possibility of incest should siblings unwittingly marry one another. Given the anonymous nature of sperm donation, this is not a spurious concern, and cases of this kind have been documented

Artificial insemination by husband and IVF using gametes of husband and wife would appear to bypass all these concerns. However, this is only the case if adequate precautions are taken to ensure that there is no inadvertent mix-up of gametes. At this time, fertility clinics are not governed by uniform standards to prevent errors. Some rabbis advocate having independent inspectors to ensure mistakes don’t occur.

In the process of preparing embryos for IVF, it is often the case that more pre-embryos are created than can be implanted. These pre-embryos can be very useful for embryonic stem cell research. Yet a national debate currently rages about the ethical acceptability of this research. Rabbis who have been consulted about this issue note that Halachah permits the destruction of a pre-embryo that will not be used by the parents. Thus, using these pre-embryos for research would be permitted and perhaps even better than outright destruction. “Adopting” pre-embryos by implanting them into other women, an idea advocated by some opponents of embryonic stem cell research, raises many halachic issues similar to those that arise when donor sperm is used to induce pregnancy.

We concluded the lesson by raising some important points: There is no obligation to engage in ART. The mitzvah is to attempt to bear children in the usual manner. Intervention is optional. Those who have not yet succeeded in bearing children should on the one hand stay hopeful and optimistic. On the other hand, they must know that when one cannot fulfill an obligation for reasons beyond their control they have fulfilled their religious obligation and are not held liable for this failure. Moreover, G-d considers it as if the mitzvah was actually done. Finally, they should find comfort in the thought that every person has the opportunity and possibility of finding meaning in life and even the childless can achieve an everlasting legacy through their actions and good deeds.

Some people will express this legacy through fostering or mentoring a child. The Torah considers aiding in the physical and spiritual development of others as analogous to giving birth to them.

We look forward to seeing you next week for Lesson Five of Medicine and Morals in which we will explore the Jewish attitude regarding the ethical treatment of the mentally disabled.

Grow Winnipeg Campaign; Weekly e*Torah

2010-11-12T12:29:00.002-06:00

When You've Lost Everything; by Rabbi Moss

2010-11-12T00:08:00.002-06:00

Question of the Week:
My life has fallen apart. My husband left me, I have been kicked out of my home and my career is over. And now I am losing my faith too. I used to believe so strongly, but now my thinking has changed. Was I deluded to think that G-d would help me?

Answer:I feel for you in what must be a huge test of your character. Your whole world has been shattered to pieces. Just to get up in the morning and face the day must take mammoth strength.

There is a name for your situation. The Kabbalists call it Ayin Baemtza - "transitional nothingness."

Between any two states of being lies an intermediary state of nonbeing. Like a seed that must become a tree, it first decomposes, nullifies itself and rots into oblivion. Just as it reaches the verge of complete nonexistence, the seed starts to sprout and reinvents itself into a new being. Only by losing its being as a seed and becoming nothing, can it reach a new being, a greater being, as a tree.

It has to be this way. To truly reinvent oneself, there must be a true and complete break from the past, a real nothingness, to make room for the new self to emerge.

You are presently going through an Ayin Baemtza stage in your life. The life that was is gone, the life that will be is yet to blossom, and you are left in a big black hole of confusion, pain and darkness. That is a very hard place to be. Because everyone knows that transitional nothingness is just a temporary state, a step between two stages in life. Everyone knows that except the one who is going through it themselves. For you the nothingness is real. It is hard - maybe impossible - for you to see any bright future ahead.

So what can you do to survive the transitional nothingness? What will keep you going until you transform into the you of tomorrow?

In your state of nothingness you need to hold on to something higher than yourself. Now, you need faith, not philosophy. Say to yourself: My life is in disarray, I don't know what's flying, I don't know what will be, but I am in G-d's hands. This is a process that for whatever reason I must go through. And with G-d's help, I will get through it.

When in an Ayin state, it is not the time to be changing belief systems, or making important life choices. The ground you are standing on is too unstable for you to be able to think clearly. It would be sad - no, it would be tragic - if in your frustration you made choices that you will later regret, but not be able to reverse.

I offer no solutions to your predicament. But I offer you one piece of advice. Just hold on to G-d, the one thing that even in your nothingness you haven't lost. You will get through this black hole and your life will be reborn. The seed is planted. Have faith, and your new tomorrow will blossom soon.

The Ethics of Reproductive Technologies | Lesson 4

2010-11-10T20:32:00.002-06:00

Join us for Lesson Four: New Beginnings

2010-11-10T20:14:00.009-06:00

Dear Student,

Most people look forward to marrying and becoming parents at some stage in their adult lives. The difficulties in finding a suitable spouse are well known. However, many people are unaware of the difficulties that can dog the attempt to have children.

Up to fifteen per cent of couples experience infertility. Modern technological advances provide new hope for these couples, who in a previous era might have been relegated to life-long childlessness. Yet these new procedures present many ethical dilemmas as well.

In our lesson, we focus on artificial insemination and the challenges it creates, as well as how modern rabbinic authorities have endeavored to find workable solutions.

We also examine traditional Jewish perspectives toward childbearing and childlessness, as well as words of support for those traversing this difficult journey.

Looking forward to seeing you next week.

Review of Lesson Three

2010-11-10T19:58:00.003-06:00

Thank you for joining us for Lesson Three of Medicine and Morals: Rolling the Dice. The following is a brief summary of what we learned:

There are two distinct states in life, and they generate very different views. When one is healthy, life feels like it stretches on indefinitely. We term this state chayei olam, literally, eternal life. But when debilitating illness strikes, life can suddenly begin to feel very tenuous. We term this state chayei sha’ah, literally, life of a moment. When one is in the state of chayei sha’ah, one is sometimes willing to take chances that would normally be considered outrageous for the opportunity to achieve a possible recovery to full health. Is one allowed to undergo such risk, jeopardizing the limited time one has left?

We learned the passage in the Talmud which rules that a terminally ill patient may risk their chayei sha’ah in the hopes of achieving a normal life. This is based on the incident related in the Bible where a group of famished lepers surrendered to an occupying force in the hope of receiving food, despite the possibility of being put to death as a result. This is the precedent which allows one to undergo a risky procedure if terminally ill. As long as death is imminent and inevitable without intervention, and a complete reprieve from death is possible, one may undertake the risk.

We looked at some important qualifications on the permissibility of pursuing risky treatments. According to many opinions, chayei sha’ah is defined as a state in which one has no more than twelve months to live, given the severity of the condition. There are different opinions as to how much risk one may undergo. The most stringent opinion is that it is only permitted to take risks if the chances of cure are even or better; the most lenient opinion allows even treatments with a remote chance of success so long as doctors believe that a cure is possible. To be considered cured, one must not be restored to full health, but simply no longer be at risk of imminent death from the dangerous condition.

We also considered the permissibility of experimental procedures when it is unknown whether they can be of any help to the patient and in which there is a lack of data that can allow us to assess the degree of risk or the effectiveness of the treatment. While some authorities only endorse treatments that have some track record of success, others permit experimental medicine even for a remote chance that it will save the patient’s life, seeing this as not significantly different from the case of risky treatments. Furthermore, so long as the procedure is halachically sanctioned, a parent or guardian may authorize the procedure for a patient incapable of doing so.

One is never obligated to undergo risky or experimental treatments. This is a decision that people must make for themselves, based on their own willingness to live with uncertainty.

Finally, we noted the importance of making sure that every moment of life is properly valued. We pointed out the important Jewish ethic of visiting the sick and offering comfort to the dying, making every moment of their life as meaningful as possible.

We look forward to seeing you next week for Lesson Four of Medicine and Morals, in which we examine the Jewish ethical perspective on infertility treatments.

See you then!

Risky & Experimental Treatments | Lesson 3

2010-11-03T20:31:00.000-05:00

Canadian physicians can get CME credit

2010-11-02T23:37:00.003-05:00

Below is a written confirmation from the Royal College to certify that Canadian physicians can get credit for attending MM. This JLI course was approved by SUNY Downstate for its enduring material (30 hours) and not for class time (9 hours). In Canada, there is currently no such thing as credit for 'enduring material', instead physicians in Canada will get a max of 30 MOC Section 1 credit for the full program (live discussion - lead by you, the discussion leader; pre-event reading - the remaining additional reading that is included in the student textbook; and the exam).

Here it is in the words of Kimberley Ross of the RCPSC:

"It is not necessary to have the event reviewed with an Accredited CPD Provider since this activity meets our guidelines for recognition: 1) it was co-developed with a physician organization and 2) has been assigned AMA PRA Category 1 credits™. I was recommending that accreditation applies to the entire process from the pre event preparation to the full day interactive event and the exam with a maximum of 30 hours assigned for the activity. Canadian physicians can then choose to record the actual number of hours they spent on this group learning activity under Section 1 of the Maintenance of Certification program. It is not the enduring materials that are eligible for accreditation but the full program."

Join us for Lesson Three: Rolling The Dice

2010-11-02T16:56:00.000-05:00

Dear Student,

The history of medicine is filled with tales of quacks who had nothing to sell but hype and hope. People who are desperate enough figure they have nothing to lose, and are often willing to try almost anything.

But in fact, they do have something to lose. Often, they lose the chance to find closure, to make amends, to tie up loose ends, to die on their own terms. And so risky and experimental treatments need to be governed by certain rules.

What does Judaism have to say about risky and experimental treatments? When are they justified? When are they simply irresponsible?

Join us for Lesson Three of Medicine and Morals as we study the ethics of rolling the dice on life.

Review of Lesson Two

2010-11-02T16:55:00.008-05:00

Dear Student,

Thank you for joining us for Lesson Two of our Medicine and Morals course. The following is a brief summary of what we learned:

With the sharp rise in demand for organ transplants, medical practitioners have in recent years sought to develop creative ways to respond to the growing need. This lesson explores how Jewish medical ethics has grappled with these new challenges.

The Torah accords great respect to the deceased body. There are several halachic principles that would seem to preclude organ donation, such as the obligation to bury a body as soon as possible after death, the prohibition against desecrating the body, and the prohibition against benefiting from any part of the body. These laws would seem to preclude the possibility of organ donation from a cadaver.

However, the Torah obligation to preserve a life that is at stake, piku’ach nefesh, might trump these principles. We presented three different views regarding cadaveric organ donation. Some forbid it, arguing that once a person is deceased, the obligation to perform the mitzvah of piku’ach nefesh is no longer relevant. Others say that to the contrary, the obligation to perform piku’ach nefesh means we may harvest organs even without the consent of the deceased. A third opinion that we cited considers cadaveric donation praiseworthy, though not obligatory.

There is halachic debate as well regarding the issue of harvesting organs from people who are brain-dead. Judaism strenuously opposes any action that would hasten the death of a dying person. Because there is some doubt regarding whether brain death is to be considered true death, most halachic decisors oppose heartbeating donation.

What about the live organ donation? Would we be obligated to donate a kidney to save a life? We examined two verses that are the source for the obligation to expend money as well as exert personal effort to save another’s life. Yet one cannot be obligated to undergo risk or to sacrifice a limb in order to save a life. Should a person wish to undergo a risky procedure to donate an organ, some authorities permit this, while others forbid it. If, however, donation is not risky, all agree that it is laudable and praiseworthy to donate an organ.

We look forward to seeing you next week, for Lesson Three of Medicine and Morals when we will discuss the ethics of risky and experimental treatments.

Join us for Lesson Two: Flesh of My Flesh

2010-11-02T16:53:00.002-05:00

Dear Student,

You’ve seen the ads in the paper, of young mothers and loving fathers, begging for a chance at life. And you’ve heard the testimonials of people who, out of the goodness of their heart, chose to donate a kidney to a perfect stranger. Perhaps you even know an organ donor or organ recipient.

And yet the demand is much greater than the supply. In 2009, over 100,000 people in the U.S. were waiting for an organ transplant. Yet less than a third of them received the much-needed organ.

What are the ethics of organ donation? Are there ways to increase the number of organs available for transplant? Is it ever right to compel people to donate organs?

Join us this week for Lesson Two of Medicine and Morals: Flesh of My Flesh, as we explore this timely issue together.

Location change for Wednesday morning class

2010-11-02T16:50:00.005-05:00

Due to a time conflict with another Chabad program, our Wednesday morning JLI class will no longer be taking place at the Chabad Torah Centre. Instead, it will be held, G-d willing, at Susan Holt's house at 419 Hosmer Boulevard, on Wednesday mornings from 10:00am until 11:30am.

Thank you for your understanding and I look forward to seeing you there tomorrow morning.

Organ Donation & Jewish Law | Lesson 2

2010-11-02T00:18:00.002-05:00

Virginia Tech - Courage Under Fire

2010-11-01T01:09:00.000-05:00

For devout Jews, a zone of privacy in the sheitel

2010-11-01T00:45:00.002-05:00

Combining Opposites: Proud & Humble

2010-10-29T16:56:00.003-05:00

The Truth About the Tooth Fairy. By Rabbi Moss.

2010-10-29T16:56:00.000-05:00

Question of the Week:
My daughter just lost her first tooth, so I need to know: do Jews believe in the Tooth Fairy? It seems wrong to lie to kids and pretend a fairy gave them money for their tooth. Should I just be up front and give her the money myself instead of creating false beliefs?

Answer:
This is certainly not a Jewish thing. But I wouldn't call it a lie. It's more like a childish game of imagination. I doubt many kids have been damaged by the discovery that there is no fairy sneaking into their bedrooms at night. And they probably think that it's their parents who are being duped as they pocket the cash.

But there is a potential danger to the Tooth Fairy myth. It rewards children for doing nothing. Losing a tooth is a natural process that requires no effort on the part of the child. They have achieved nothing more than a bit of wobbling, and then you pay them for it. To reward a child for something that will happen anyway is a waste of the incentive power of money.

Even worse, it promotes the dangerous belief that you can get money for nothing. That is far more harmful for a child's future than believing in the Tooth Fairy. I have yet to meet an adult that still thinks fairies put money under pillows, but I certainly know some who still think the world owes them a free ride.

Better reward children for good behaviour, and teach them that hard work pays. When a child does something unnatural and difficult, like sharing their favourite toys even when they don't want to or cleaning up after themselves without being told, that warrants a little deposit under the pillow.

And if you want to capture their imagination, tell them some authentic Jewish wisdom: For every good deed you do, an angel is created to protect you. And every time you hold back from doing the wrong thing, G-d's light shines on you.

It's easy to lose a tooth. It's much harder to lose a bad habit. But good deeds create good energy. And self-control makes you stronger. That's no fairy tale.

Clinically dead woman wakes up in hospital

2010-10-27T15:57:00.002-05:00

Brain-dead Wash. woman comes back to life

2010-10-27T15:52:00.002-05:00

The Power of Thought by Rabbi Moss

2010-10-27T15:43:00.003-05:00

Question of the Week:
My friend who is not Jewish asked me what makes kosher wine different to other wine. I didn't know what to say. How would you respond to him without getting into all the technicalities?

Answer:
There is no visible difference between kosher wine and other wines. The difference is purely spiritual.

Generally speaking, all fruits are kosher, and therefore any pure juice from a fruit, without any additives, should be kosher. The one exception to this is juice from a grape. For wine or grape juice to be kosher, they must be produced and supervised by Jews who are knowledgeable in the laws of keeping kosher.

The reason for this distinction is that wine, more than any other drink, is used for religious purposes. In Jewish tradition, wine is used at wedding ceremonies and Brisses, for Kiddush on Shabbos and festivals, and at the Havdalah ceremony at the conclusion of holy days. Many other religions also use wine in their ceremonies. And there are many other uses for wine that are profane and unholy. For the wine to be kosher and fit to use for Jewish ceremonies, we need to know that the intention of the winemakers was that the wine be used for such purposes, as opposed to any other less sacred purpose.

This teaches an amazing lesson. The thoughts put into creating something have an effect on that creation. Intentions have impact. If a foreign thought can make wine unkosher, imagine what good thoughts can do.

The Test of a Person's Inside

2010-10-27T15:41:00.002-05:00

JLI Opens Fall Semester this Week, Over 14k Students

2010-10-27T15:37:00.001-05:00

This week, the Chabad Jewish Learning Institute fall semester will open in over three hundred locations worldwide educating more then fourteen thousand students.

The new six-week course titled “medicine and morals”, will highlight “the Jewish respond to life’s tough decisions”. It will also explore what the Torah and Talmud have to say about difficult medical decisions. What's right? What's wrong? When should we turn to G-d? When do we edge too close to playing G-d? Case histories will shed light in what will be a “remarkable classroom experience”.

In preparation for the new course JLI has sent out a video promo designed to capture one’s imagination in deciding the right course of action in life’s tough decisions.

Thank you for joining us for Lesson One

2010-10-27T09:29:00.001-05:00

Thank you for joining us for Lesson One of Medicine and Morals: Choosing Life. The central theme of our lesson was the nature of our obligation to seek healing. To what degree are we obligated to preserve our own health, and what discretion do we have in regards to our decisions regarding medical care?

We began by considering the ethical foundation of seeking medical care. Unlike some other faith traditions that have seen the pursuit of medical care as interference with G-d’s plan, Judaism sees the pursuit of medical care as fully consonant with our faith in G-d. As humans, we are empowered by G-d to partner with Him in perfecting an imperfect world. Thus, intervening with nature to heal the sick is no different than fertilizing soil or planting a field. Medical intervention is wholly compatible with our belief that G-d is the true healer, and while prayer and spiritual pursuits are appropriate and important responses to illness, they in no way preclude the responsibility to seek appropriate medical care.

When a patient is terminally ill, there is an obligation to seek out treatment that is successful more than 50% of the time, in spite of the fact that that the treatment may not always be successful and may involve certain risks.

Patients, however, sometimes refuse to undergo treatment. A major underpinning of secular medical ethics is the right of autonomy, and so long as patients clearly understand the implications of their choices, patients may not be compelled to undergo treatment. Their life is considered their own business, and they may not be pressured into following the doctor’s recommendation, no matter how ill-advised the doctors find their choices.

Practically speaking, Jewish law rarely allows people to compel others to accept treatment. It allows forcible intervention only if the patient is critically ill, the treatment is accepted by all doctors at that location as proven to cure and is not risky, persuasion is impossible, and the use of coercion will not itself precipitate death. Yet unlike the secular position, Judaism is not neutral to the choice of patients, and even when coercion may not be applicable there may be an obligation to seek out available medical care.

Looking forward to seeing you next week, when we will discuss the ethics of organ transplant.

Welcome to Medicine and Morals

2010-10-27T09:28:00.001-05:00

Dear Student,

Welcome to Medicine and Morals, in which we will have the opportunity to explore contemporary medical dilemmas from the perspective of Jewish ethics. The paternalistic medicine of yesteryear is gone, and a foundation of modern medicine is patient autonomy, the right to choose one's treatment or no treatment at all. But what happens when a patient makes bad choices? Does a patient have the right to ignore medical advice? And are we ethically bound to allow the patient to make unwise decisions?

One of the most beloved of American poets, Robert Frost, describes the capricious nature of choice:

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

The took the other, just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leave no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence;

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

--Robert Frost

Judaism has a somewhat different view of how to make decisions while standing at the crossroads:

“I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You shall choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

If to be human is to have choice, to be moral is to make the right choice. And Judaism provides us with guidelines about how to choose wisely.

Lesson One of Medicine and Morals is entitled, “Choosing Life,” and examines a case study in which a young girl decides that she would rather die than undergo the transplant that doctors say is needed to save her life. Is the decision hers to make? Is she free to choose death? Can we—must we—intervene on her behalf?

Looking forward to discussing this and more this week when we meet at the Chabad Torah Centre.

CME Credits in Canada

2010-10-26T11:39:00.000-05:00

The credits that we have are continuing education credits for professionals who are already practicing medicine, not credits for college students.

A few weeks ago I was in touch with the RCPSC and received the following answer as to whether doctors in Canada can use AMA credits for relicensing:

Being that SUNY Downstate Medical Center is a joint-sponsor of our program, is a physicians organization (as defined by the Royal College) and is accredited by the ACCME, Canadian physicians attending Medicine and Morals may record MOC Section 1 credits. This applies to all provinces in Canada and there is no need to have this program reviewed for accreditation by one of the Royal CollegeAccredited CPD Providers.

I am in touch with the Royal College about how to report credits. I will update you as soon as I hear back from them.

Sign up today!

2010-10-24T13:14:00.003-05:00

Shabbat Weekend Retreat, Hecla 2010

2010-10-21T10:56:00.002-05:00

Medicine and Morals: Infomercial Teaser

2010-10-21T10:54:00.000-05:00

The Story

2010-10-19T22:59:00.005-05:00

Every person has a story. In fact, every person is a story.
Our stories are never-ending;
they are as large as life, and as circular as time itself.

Each of our stories overlap and interconnect,
- even with other people’s stories -
growing in strength, import and character.

When we listen to stories we are empowered.
Stories provoke us to look inward,
revisiting our lives’ twists and turns,
the decisions we’ve made and those that we haven’t.

Stories provoke us to look outward,
recognizing and appreciating how stories
are threads joining us to a communal fabric,
connecting us to others and to the broader world.
And ultimately, back to ourselves.

Should We Chop Fingers Off? by Rabbi Moss

2010-10-15T14:23:00.000-05:00

Question of the Week:

We had a baby boy and we are very excited. But we are still undecided about the Bris. I have issues with it. I am aware of the spiritual significance of the circumcision, but I have much more practical concerns:

1) Is it not barbaric to put my baby through the pain of a medically unnecessary operation?

2) He was born uncircumcised, why should I mess with his natural state?

3) My son has no say in this, and can never reverse it. Shouldn't I let him choose later on in life if he wants this done to him?

Do you have any rational answers?

Answer:

Imagine the following scenario. Your baby is born, healthy and well. But there's something unusual. He has six fingers on each hand. An extra little growth protrudes right next to each pinkie.

What would you do about it? Have the extra fingers surgically removed? Or leave them? After all, he was born that way. And he can live with twelve fingers. Maybe the child should be allowed to choose whether or not he wants his extra fingers later in life. Can you think of anything more barbaric than chopping someone's fingers off?

And yet I suspect you would do what most parents have done in such circumstances. Better remove the extra fingers now, when it is relatively painless and quick to heal, than subject the child to feeling like an anomaly in his future life. He has no use for them anyway, and would later resent the fact that his parents didn't remove them for him.

And so, kind and loving parents will unflinchingly put their babies under the surgeon's knife. The short term pain is worth it to avoid any long term discomfort. All other concerns would quickly dissolve. What is called barbaric in one context is quite humane in another.

If this logic works for removing extra fingers, a purely cosmetic operation, how much more should it work in favour of the infinitely more meaningful act of circumcision. I am not suggesting that being uncircumcised is the same as being twelve-fingered. But for a Jewish child there are several similarities.

An uncircumcised Jew often feels like an outsider among his own people. He will always be a Jew, but may come to feel ambivalent about it, knowing that to actively embrace his Jewishness entails undergoing an operation - one that is minor at eight days old, but quite a bit more daunting in adulthood. I have attended adult circumcisions, and it is inspiring when someone makes that choice. The actual operation is not such a big deal. But the decision to actually do it is. You are in fact limiting his choices by not circumcising him.

So putting all spiritual considerations aside, from a practical perspective, here's the equation. Leave your son uncircumcised, and you leave him with a psychological barrier to exploring his own identity. Give your son a Bris, and he loses nothing more than a bit of skin. But he gains immediate entry into the four thousand year old covenant of Abraham. That is a gift you will not regret giving.

Bucking The Trend; Lubavitch e*Torah

2010-10-15T14:20:00.000-05:00

The Shpy in the NY Times!

2010-10-13T17:08:00.001-05:00

For a quarter century, Jewish children have hungrily followed the kooky adventures of the Shpy, the adventurous hero of The Moshiach Times, a family-friendly magazine that is published six times a year in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. (Think Highlights, but Jewish.)

With a closet full of disguises and more gadgets than 007, the Shpy volunteers his services when innocent people or ancient traditions are imperiled. He escapes from a giant Mixmaster when investigating a case of stolen hamantaschen, and thwarts a mysterious bee infestation that nearly spoils the fall holiday of Sukkot. In one installment, he invents a repellent to keep the sinister Yetzer Hora at bay, complete with a catchy slogan: “Let us Shpray.” (The softening of the S, when the Shpy shpeaks, so to speak, is meant to evoke Humphrey Bogart.)

THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE

The latest installment in the adventures of the Shpy, a series Al Jaffee has been quietly illustrating for a quarter century, has him saving Sukkot.

Young fans of the Shpy can be forgiven for skipping over the credits on Page 2 of the magazine. It is hard to fathom, though, how the rest of New York has barely noticed that the artist responsible for making the Shpy such a mensch is Al Jaffee. Yes, that Al Jaffee. The same 89-year-old bad boy whose work has been appearing for more than half a century in the occasionally rude, irreverent, and bawdy pages of Mad magazine.

“Al Jaffee’s Mad Life,” the new biography of Mr. Jaffee just published by HarperCollins, flags the connection but even it quickly moves on without exploring how Mr. Jaffee came to work for the magazine or how the odd pairing has worked out.

Stuffed into a tiny office above a children’s museum on Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, the staff of The Moshiach Times seems unruffled by Mr. Jaffee’s other pursuits and notes that the Shpy is easily the magazine’s most popular feature. The magazine has roughly 10,000 subscribers who pay $15 a year, according to the staff. Money, however, is not the point. The magazine, whose title refers to the Hebrew word for Messiah, was started in 1980 by Chabad-Lubavitch’s Tzivos Hashem arm as a way to promote Jewish values among the young. Embedded in the cover design is the proclamation, “We want Moshiach now.”

Mr. Jaffee’s association with the magazine began in 1984 and has continued without interruption, one reason why the office’s cabinets are jammed with Jaffees, 140 drawings at last count. “He’s just a genius,” said Rabbi Dovid Sholom Pape, the top editor.

The magazine also owns a trove of art by Dave Berg, another longtime contributor to Mad who died in 2002.

The idea of bringing two behemoths of the publishing industry into the Moshiach Times fold belonged to Rabbi David Masinter, now a 50-year-old leader in the Chabad movement. “When you’re young, you have chutzpah,” he said.

He said he was asked to lead a makeover of The Moshiach Times shortly after he obtained his rabbinical degree in 1983 and worried how to make it more inviting. “The content was great,” he said. “The appearance was shocking.”

Rabbi Masinter knew he needed to “get ahold of the best artists possible.” Who better, he reasoned, than two artists whose work he had enjoyed as a child in South Africa in the 1970s: Dave Berg, who did Mad’s “Lighter Side,” and Al Jaffee, the man who created its fold-in. Though the rabbi is less familiar with the magazine now, he said it “was certainly a very well-respected humorous magazine, read by educated people,” when he was young.

Gamely, Rabbi Masinter and a colleague, Rabbi Yerachmiel Benjaminson, marched into Mad’s old offices on Madison Avenue and asked Al Feldstein, the editor, if they could hire two of his heavy hitters on a freelance basis. They were prepared to pay the artists, but warned that their pockets were not deep.

They left with the phone numbers of Dave Berg and Al Jaffee. Soon, they were pitching Mr. Jaffee in his apartment in Manhattan. To their surprise, Mr. Jaffee not only accepted their challenge of revitalizing the magazine’s Shpy character, he also limited his fee to a nominal amount. “It certainly wasn’t more than $50 a month,” Rabbi Masinter said.

Getting that “yes” helped the rabbis land Mr. Berg and Joe Kubert, a highly respected comic book artist. “Once you had one artist, it was easier to get the others,” Rabbi Masinter explained.

The rabbis set ground rules. Immodestly attired characters were out, and depictions of animals should, when possible, feature kosher species. “In other words, they do not want to have cute little pigs romping around,” Mr. Jaffee explained.

Used to drawing superheroes, Mr. Kubert delivered action-packed stories whose occasional mayhem gave the editors conniptions. Mr. Berg’s recurring feature on ethics was tamer. Called “The Right Thing,” it featured Pinny as the good child, and Punky as the self-centered one. “It works,” Rabbi Pape said. “You tell your kids ‘you’re behaving like Punky’ ” and they stop.

But Mr. Berg was also sent back to the drawing board now and then. “I used to groan and say, ‘David, I tell you this so many times. The mezuza goes on the right side of the door and points in,’ ” Rabbi Pape recalled. To which, Mr. Berg would insist that he had deliberately erred to keep the rabbi on his toes.

Rabbi Pape insists that Mr. Jaffee’s submissions needed almost no tweaking.

“He’s quite a gentle soul,” Rabbi Masinter said.

To demonstrate how well their new recruit adapted to their magazine, Rabbi Pape grabbed the May 1984 issue, where Mr. Jaffee’s work first appeared. That month’s story was loosely based on Lord Alfred Tennyson’s poem about the Lotos-Eaters. “Secret agents were disappearing,” Rabbi Pape said, “and there was an island that made everyone very sleepy. Even the Shpy’s boat was being drawn irresistibly toward this island, and if he was going to get home in time for the holiday of Shavuot, he and the others had to work together.”

By climbing on each other’s shoulders, the agents were able to grab a rope and escape. “The idea is you all work together,” Rabbi Pape explained.

Part of the running feature’s charm, according to Mr. Jaffee, is that “it’s the same story over and over again.”

“It’s always a battle between good and evil,” he said. “The Shpy fights for good, and the Yetzer Hora fights the good.”

Speaking from Johannesburg, where he is now based, Rabbi Masinter acknowledged being second-guessed for having reached out to a secular publication like Mad.

“It was questioned,” he said. “But the argument we had back then was we weren’t associating with Mad, but with two of the best artists in the world.”

He said he yet to read the new biography of Mr. Jaffee, whose author, Mary-Lou Weisman, documents in great detail the uneasy relationship that Mr. Jaffee has had with the Jewish religion for much of his life. She traces it as far back as the moment 83 years ago when his overzealous mother tried ordering a steamship captain to halt the trans-Atlantic ship they were on, out of respect for the Jewish Sabbath. “It was madness,” Mr. Jaffee said, still mortified.

Rabbi Masinter said he saw no sign that any of those early experiences had soured Mr. Jaffee’s faith. To him, Mr. Jaffee is “certainly a living example of what a pious person should be — he has really used his talents to educate.’’

The Towers: Then & Now

2010-10-11T17:12:00.001-05:00

CME Accreditation for Medicine and Morals

2010-10-05T23:31:00.000-05:00

As previously reported, our upcoming fall course, Medicine and Morals, has been approved by the American Medical Association for up to 30 AMA PRA Category 1 credits. Upon attending your JLI classes, doctors can earn credits toward their license renewal. These credits are awarded on a national basis and are therefore equally accepted in all 50 states.

In order to qualify for the credits the doctors will take an (easy) online test at the end of the course, for which they will be charged a $60.00 processing fee.

To assist doctors in passing the test, JLI's Flagship Department will be releasing a review sheet at the end of the course for them to refer to. If you do not qualify with their first attempt, you will be able to retake the test as many times as they wish.

What to expect at Chabad...

2010-10-05T21:34:00.000-05:00

We're going away this weekend...please join us!

2010-10-05T10:43:00.005-05:00

Is your life sometimes like taking a taking a coffee to go, always rushing without time to slowdown and enjoy? Indulge your body and soul with the finest of Jewish learning and recreation at the Shabbat Weekend Retreat this weekend.

The retreat features first class accommodations and exquisite Kosher cuisine; a synergy conducive to exploring tradition and interpersonal relationships with master scholars and teachers.

Please visit www.ChabadWinnipeg.org/Retreat for more information.

Where in the world is Chabad dancing?

2010-09-28T09:55:00.002-05:00

Have You Seen a Soul Dance? by Rabbi Moss

2010-09-28T09:54:00.000-05:00

Question of the Week:

My kids say that it is boring to be Jewish. They went crazy after hours in shul on Yom Kippur and say they don't want to go back next year. We told them that we only go once a year, and it is important. How can I inspire them to go to shul again?

Answer:

Of all the days on the Jewish calendar, it seems the most unlikely pick. The service is at least ten times longer than usual - it takes all day. The atmosphere is far more serious and sombre than ever - we spend the whole time confessing our sins and begging for forgiveness. And the food is the worst served at any Jewish gathering - none.

I would suggest choosing another day for your once a year shul appearance - Simchas Torah. The prayers are relatively short. We don't even wait until the service is over to bring out the food. Most of the time is spent eating, drinking and dancing. The focus of the day is celebrating, basking in the joy of just being Jewish.

Kids love it. And adults do too, because on this day the purest essence of the soul is revealed, that part of us that equalises young and old, learned and ignorant, sinful and saintly.

The truth is Yom Kippur and Simchas Torah are two steps in one spiritual process. On Yom Kippur, through fasting and inner repentance, we rid ourselves of the negative past. On Simchas Torah, through dancing and celebrating, we draw down the blessings for a promising future. The deeper your cleansing was on Yom Kippur, the more profound will be your joy on Simchas Torah.

Don't make the all too common mistake of showing your kids the heavy side of Judaism while robbing them of the experience of Jewish joy. A Jew who knows Yom Kippur but hasn't seen Simchas Torah is a Jew who has seen the soul cry but hasn't seen the soul dance. We have cried enough. It is time to celebrate.

Portugal to get Full Time Chabad Representatives

2010-09-26T13:25:00.002-05:00

The only country in Europe still without its own Chabad representatives, Portugal will soon be welcoming a new addition to its 300-member Jewish community.

Rabbi Eli and Raizel Rosenfeld of Brooklyn, will be moving to Lisbon after the holidays, where they will settle with their two small children, and work to complement the achievements of Lisbon’s proud Jewish community.

In a statement released by Lubavitch.com, Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky of Lubavitch World Headquarters, said the decision is “thanks to a grant by our cherished Mr. George Rohr,” and the result of the enormously successful Merkos Shlichus, or summer internships. In 2006, Eli visited Portugal, and he developed friendships with many in Lisbon’s Jewish community that endured and grew over the years.

“I’ve gone back many times since, and the warm reception we’ve received has had a lot to do with our decision to move there,” says Rosenfeld, 26.

The couple, who finalized their plans on a visit to Portugal prior to Rosh Hashana, point out that Lisbon has a beautifully restored synagogue—Shaarei Tikvah, a newly restored mikvah, and a very active community, made up of both Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews, many of them in the medical and other professions.

“We feel blessed to be joining this strong community. We’ll be focusing on reaching out to Jewish people who are not affiliated, or who may be reluctant to get involved, and we also hope to work with Jewish tourists,” says Raizel, 23, who comes with life experience as the daughter of Chabad representatives in Connecticut.

Portugal has a long Jewish history, but its population numbers never rebounded from the infamous expulsions of the 15th century. In 1917, one hundred Jewish families of Marranos were discovered in Belmonte, in northeastern Portugal, and according to some statistics, a quarter of the country’s population is of Jewish descent.

To the Rosenfelds, the city has special interest because Lisbon was the point of departure for the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of blessed memory, when he left Europe for the United States in 1941. “The Rebbe made a public address here before he left, and for us, this connection is a big inspiration,” says Eli.

Once they settle in their apartment, they expect to be studying one-on-one with individuals and sharing their Shabbos table with guests. The local supermarket carries a line of kosher products, “but we’ll be asking family and friends, to bring staples such as kosher meat and dairy foods whenever they visit from abroad,” chuckles Raizel.

The Rosenfelds are parents to Mushka, age one and a half, and three-month old Menachem Mendel. While most of the community converses well in English, Eli and Raizel are determined to study Portuguese “so that we’ll be able to talk to our children.”

Interview with Mr. Efraim Ilin; Israeli Billionare Inspired by the Rebbe

2010-09-26T13:24:00.000-05:00

The Tefillin Booth

2010-09-26T13:21:00.003-05:00

Can You Take a Joke? by Rabbi Moss

2010-09-21T22:57:00.000-05:00

Question of the Week:

My wife has no sense of humour. She says I make fun of her in public (and she's always happy to tell me just how bad I am - even in public). Shouldn't she be able to take a joke?

Answer:

Jokes are serious. The line between a friendly jibe and a humiliating stab is often a fine one. You have to question whether the laugh you may get is worth the pain you may inflict. But between husband and wife, humiliation is simply criminal. It goes against everything that a marriage is supposed to be: an exclusive oneness.

In the Jewish wedding ceremony, after standing under the Chuppa, the bride and groom are taken to a private room, known as the Yichud room. Yichud means oneness and exclusivity. By entering this room, a secluded place where no one is present but the couple, they create a sacred space that is theirs and theirs alone.

The newlyweds leave the Yichud room after a few minutes, but in a way they should never leave it. The privacy and oneness of the Yichud room must be taken with them in their marriage. The relationship between husband and wife is a sacred and secluded place, and should stay that way. Any word or action that jeopardises the privacy and unity of a marriage must be erased from our repertoire.

When you make fun of your wife in front of your friends, you have momentarily stepped out of the Yichud room. You have abandoned your soul-partner, leaving her alone and isolated just for a few cheap laughs. To make a joke is fine, but never at the expense of your oneness.

When your wife publicly criticises you, she has allowed strangers into the Yichud room. She is inviting others into a moment that should only be between the two of you. There is a time and a place for criticism in a relationship, but not in the presence of others.

These mistakes are so common that to many they have become acceptable. But it is these little things that can erode a good marriage. For a relationship to thrive it must always remain an exclusive oneness. Once you get comfortable in the Yichud room, you'll never want to leave.

Defiance at the Western Wall

2010-09-20T22:55:00.005-05:00

Guide to Home Repairs. Weekly e*Torah by Rabbi Avrohom Altein

2010-09-20T22:54:00.000-05:00

Video: Matisyahu 'Judaism's Hip Hop Reggae Artist'

2010-09-17T10:04:00.002-05:00

Kevin Bright speaks about Chabad

2010-09-15T13:50:00.002-05:00

Video: Jewish in the Jungle with Chabad!

2010-09-15T13:11:00.002-05:00

Israel on the Brink of War

2010-09-13T22:44:00.002-05:00

The strategic and spiritual fronts that preceded the Yom Kippur War

Moishy's Nanny Gets Citizenship

2010-09-13T20:28:00.001-05:00

"The love I give to Rabbi Gabi and Ima Rivky, I give to all of Israel," Sandra Samuel, Moishy Holtzberg's nanny said at her citizenship ceremony Monday.

Almost two years after the terror attack in Mumbai, when Rabbi Gavriel and Rivky Holtzberg hy"d were brutally murdered at their Chabad center, Israel's Minister of Interior Eli Yishai granted Israeli citizenship status to Sandra Samuel, which will enable her to remain in Israel.

During the attack, four terrorists took over the Chabad center and killed all of its occupants, except the Shluchim's 2 year old son Moishy, who was saved by his nanny, Sandra Samuel, who hid during the attack for 12 hours, until she could find the right moment to grab the little boy to safety.

After moving to Israel with Moishy, who is currently in the care of his grandparents in the northern city of Afula, the family requested citizenship for Samuel so he could remain close to his loving nanny.

The ministry granted Samuel Israeli citizenship which will be renewed once a year for four years, after which it will become permanent citizenship.

Monday morning, Samuel, accompanied by the Rosenberg family, arrived at the ministry's office and was granted citizenship in a short ceremony.

After the emotional ceremony, met with applause from all in attendance, Samuel said she "is very excited" to receive permanent status in the State of Israel, which she said she loves, and hopes to love even more.

"The love I give to Rabbi Gabi and Ima Rivky, I give to all of Israel," she said. "I have come to love and respect Israel - I would give my life for Israel."

"I am very excited," Samuel said.

Minister Yishai presented Moishy with a gift and candies and told him, "Moishy, look what a party they've thrown you, we all love you, all the people of Israel."

Explosive Thrown Into Shul

2010-09-13T20:23:00.003-05:00

An explosive device was thrown at a synagogue in Kyrgyzstan over Rosh Hashana. No casualties were reported.

Radio Free Europe
A nail-packed explosive device blew up on the grounds of a synagogue in central Bishkek about an hour before the start of Rosh Hashanah services Thursday evening, according to local press reports.

No one was hurt and physical damage was minimal as the bomb, lobbed over a fence into the synagogue’s courtyard on the first night of the Jewish New Year, landed in a small pool of water, news agency Regnum.ru reported.

Police and security services kept onlookers at bay after the incident and have opened an investigation.

Representatives of the Bishkek Police Department told RFE/RL that an unknown person threw an explosive device onto the synagogue’s grounds on September 9.

Nobody was reported hurt in the explosion, which caused minor damage to the synagogue.

Police say forensic experts are currently working on determining the substance used in the explosive device.

This wouldn’t have been the first attack against the synagogue this year. While moderately Muslim Kyrgyzstan has no history of anti-Semitism, a burst of Judeo-phobia erupted during the bloody uprising that toppled Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s regime last spring—more as a projection of internecine strife than inter-religious conflict. Among the protesters’ banners, a large one briefly displayed near the presidential White House read, “Dirty Jews and people like Maxim have no place in Kyrgyzstan.”

This, apparently, was a reference to Eugene Gourevitch, a Jewish business partner of Bakiyev’s much-despised son Maxim, whose perceived corruption at the expense of the nation’s coffers (and its people) was a trigger for the uprising. During April’s rioting, the synagogue’s security cameras were broken and Molotov cocktails were thrown onto its roof and into the courtyard, Interfax reported at the time.

Since the Soviet collapse, Kyrgyzstan’s Jewish population has dwindled to a tiny fraction of its one-time size. An estimate cited by Interfax places the number of Jews currently living in the country, with a total population of some 5.4 million, at “over 1300.”

Lubavs, Muslims Side by Side

2010-09-13T20:14:00.008-05:00

Members of a Chabad Shul and a Muslim congregation, who pray in the same building in the Bronx, are working hard to get along.

NY 1

Despite all of the fierce fighting and debate over the proposed Islamic cultural center near the World Trade Center site, religious leaders in one Bronx community say they are praying and working hard to get along, all under one roof. NY1's Dean Meminger filed the following report.

During the high holy days for the Jewish and Muslim communities, some in the Bronx are praying nearly side by side in the same property. Jews are marking Rosh Hashanah, their new year, while Muslims are celebrating the end of Ramadan, their holy month of fasting. They are worshipping in the same building on Westchester Avenue in the Parkchester area.

Sheikh Moussa Drammeh is the managing owner of the building on Westchester Avenue in Parkchester and has provided the Orthodox Beis Menachum Synagogue with a store front -- free of charge.

"They lost the place of their owner due to not being able to pay them. So my job now is to tell them, I want to do as much as I can while I can," Drammeh said.

Muslim and Jewish worshipers at the center say while there's plenty of arguing and debate about religions, they want to show most people of faith can, and do, get along.

"Allah made it very clear that Muslims, Christians and Jews that believe in God, and believe in the day of judgment, and of doing that right thing have nothing to fear. That's makes us to be very very bonded," Drammeh said.

"I don't want to interfere with anybody's religion. I believe my Muslim, yes, they believe their religion, but I respect. Everybody got to respect each other and work together," said Abdus Shaahid of the Bangladeshi American National Democratic Society.

Members of the synagogue told NY1 that they could not speak on camera, because on their holiday they can not use electricity or a microphone. However, the station's cameras were allowed inside to tape the prayer services.

Off camera, worshipers tell NY1 they agree all religions need to work hard to get along and should pray for one another. They also say they are thankful for the Muslims who are helping the older Jewish members of the community, who have declined in number and can't afford their own house of worship.

Others say it's an important message and image for the children in the community.

Jewish New Year Greeting eCards

2010-09-12T16:55:00.001-05:00

Big Trouble Meets Small Shofar

2010-09-12T16:35:00.002-05:00

High Holidays Trailer; Where Will You Be?

2010-09-08T17:26:00.001-05:00

CME Approved

2010-09-08T15:47:00.004-05:00

We are proud to announce that our upcoming fall course, Medicine and Morals, has been approved by the American Medical Association for 30 AMA PRA Category 1 credits. Upon attending a JLI class, doctors can earn credits toward their license renewal. These credits are awarded on a national basis and are therefore equally accepted in all 50 states.

The Call Of The Shofar

2010-09-08T15:40:00.005-05:00

Shana Tova Greeting from Rabbi Altein

2010-09-08T15:34:00.004-05:00

Live Rosh Hashana Webcast on TorahCafe`

2010-09-08T15:33:00.001-05:00

5 Days in Heaven on Earth - The 5th

2010-09-05T23:38:00.002-05:00

An International Revolution in Adult Jewish Education

2010-09-05T23:35:00.001-05:00

With over 300 chapters worldwide, the Chabad Jewish Learning Institute is an international revolution in adult Jewish education.

Professional and creative, informative and exciting… with a new six-week course each season, JLI brings a fresh outlook to the entire spectrum of Jewish life.

Each week, our stimulating classes will intrigue and inspire you with vibrant presentations of Jewish thought, tradition, and the mystical dimension.

JLI’s unique blend of timeless wisdom and contemporary perspectives helps students of all backgrounds grow in the precious essentials of Jewish literacy, as they gain priceless insight into the most important personal, community and global issues of our time.

Come join a JLI course, a learning experience...that lasts a lifetime! Make it your New Years Resolution.