Oh Yisrael, as you celebrate this Festival of Lights, have you heard of the promised True Light Who has come to illuminate your night?

All you nations who place a star upon your Christmas tree, have you heard about “His Star” Whose brilliance wants to shine within your hearts?

Shepherds and their fold came to witness of what they were told. “For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, Who is the Messiah, the Lord.”

Wisemen from afar traveled to see of the prophets promised Star. “I shall see Him, but not now: I shall behold Him, but not near: There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”

Rabbis, today, still seek for the Righteous One, Who has been foretold from old.

People of all nations are looking for the One Who brings true peace.

Who is this Righteous One? Who is this that brings true peace? He is Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace – His name is Yeshua. He is the promised Messiah; Who is God with us.

On this Chanukah, this Feast of Dedication, let us dedicate our lives to the true Light. Darkness tried to snuff out the Light, but the Light could not be snuffed out. This Light was the Servant candle, the Word, which came to redeem us from our sins and to turn our darkness into light.

During this Christmas season, let us keep in mind the greatest gift given to mankind. The Hope of the world given from the Father above, the Promise of His love, “His only begotten Son;” bringing “peace on earth and goodwill to men;” for unto us in Bethlehem has come a King Who will come again.

“Kavod, Kavod, Bamromim, Laylohim!”

“Glory to God in the Highest!”

Iyov asks, “If a man die, shall he live again?” That is a good question. Let’s take a look for the answer.
“For thou wilt not leave my soul in sh’ol; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”- Tehillim 16:10
“But G-d will redeem my soul from the power of sh’ol: for he shall receive me.”- Tehillim 49:16(15)
It is said, *”For since by man came death, by man came also the t’chiyat hameitim. For as in Adam all die, even so in Messiah shall all be made alive.”

By Messiah? How is that possible?

“The scepter shall not depart from Y’hudah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”- B’reishit 49:10
“He was taken from prison and from judgement: and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.”- Yeshayahu 53:8
“Yet it pleased Adonai to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Adonai shall prosper in his hand.”- Yeshayahu 53:10

Who am I talking about? Who has such power over death?

“His name shall endure forever: his name, Yinnon, as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.”- Tehillim 72:17
According to Yeshayahu 11:1, he is the branch out of Yishai(Jesse’s) root.
He is the true Chabad(chochmah, binah, and da’at) and much more; as stated in Yeshayahu 11:2.
“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their kinsmen, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”- D’varim 18:18
According to Yochanan 11:25, the Messiah says, “I am the t’chiyat vachayim: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
“Baruch haba b’shem Adonai: we have blessed you out of the house of Adonai.”- Tehillim 118:26

Have you figured it out? He has been with us since the beginning.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with G-d, and the Word was G-d. The same was in the beginning with G-d. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”- Yochanan 1:1-5

There’s a blindness that keeps you from seeing the true Mashiach.

“…Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.”- Yeshayahu 6:9

You seek the redemption of Messiah. Because of your iniquities, Messiah has to make atonement(pay the price) for you.

“But your iniquities have separated between you and your G-d, and your sins hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”- Yeshayahu 59:2
“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.”- Kohelet 7:20
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”- Vayikra 17:11
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement: So Messiah was once offered to bear the sins of many…”- Hebrews 9:27-28
*See Yeshayahu 53, Tehillim 22, Mattityahu 27-28, and Yochanan 19-20.

It is time to receive Mashiach.

“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to G-d for Isra’el is, that they might be saved.”- Romans 10:1
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Yeshua is Lord, and shalt believe in thine heart that G-d hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be delivered. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”- Romans 10:9-10

Yeshua the Messiah paid the ultimate price to redeem you from your iniquities. What is your choice?
Yeshua said:
“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”- Yochanan 10:11
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the father, but by me.”- Yochanan 14:6
“I am the t’chiyat vachayim: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”- Yochanan 11:25-26

BELIEVEST THOU THIS? Do you?
Finally:
“Blessed be the G-d and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah from the dead.”- 1 Kefa 1:3

Receive Mashiach, now!

Among the rabbis of Glowno, Rabbi Eliahu Laskowski was a distinguished figure. A disciple of the Admor (Chasidic Rabbi) of Sochaczew; who was previously the rabbi of Tuliszkow. From 1908-1920 he served as the rabbi of Glowno and then he moved to Warta. Rabbi E. Laskowski excelled as a gifted Magid (story teller) and erected some Yeshivot (Talmudical colleges).

On Lag Ba’omer 1942, the Germans conducted a public hanging of 10 or 12 Jews. Among the condemned were the chairman of the Judenrat, London; Rabbi Eliahu Laskowski and his son; Szmuel Jerozolimski (leader of the General Zionists); Motel Rotsztein (chairman of Agudat Israel). Also condemned were Feiwusz Meirowicz (former farm owner near Warta), Ezra Rozenwald, Moshe Shimon Klinowski, Landsberg and presumably 2 or 3 more Jews. Some of the deceased Jews were members of the Judenrat. According to one version, Rabbi Laskowski and his son were hanged because he appealed to the head of the county and asked forgiveness upon hearing that ten Jews were condemned to be hanged.

The Jews were forced to build the scaffold on the plot where the synagogue stood. On the day of the execution, the Germans ordered the Jewish policemen to bring the entire Jewish population to the premises and to forbid them by threat of death, any cries of desperation or despair. The Poles also came in large numbers to witness the horrible site. The Jewish policemen were ordered to bring the condemned and perform the sentence. The brother of one of the policemen was among the condemned and it was only by chance that he didn’t have to hang his own brother. Before the execution, the Germans announced to the public (those present) that a death sentence was given in retribution for the illegal sending of bread to the labor camps and among the condemned was Ezra Rozenwald who organized the sending of the bread.

Witnesses mentioned the heroic behavior of Rabbi Laskowski who, before the hanging, encouraged all of the condemned, and urged them to accept the sentence with pride as befitting the sons of the eternal people. He spoke about the salvation of Israel. He said confession at the top of his voice and told the Jews to revenge the vengeance of the killings in the kingdom. Then he asked to be buried in his clothing as the law requires. The rest of the condemned withstood bravely this last ordeal. After the hanging the Jews were dispersed. They were allowed to take the bodies down, only the day after, and were forbidden to bury them according to Jewish law.

After Rabbi Eliahu Laskowski’s death, Rabbi Icchak Pacanowski and Rabbi Elimelech Szapira served as the rabbis of Glowno, and they perished in the Holocaust.

Zachor (Remember) Rabbi Eliahu Laskowski, the head of the rabbinical court of Dobrut, and all those that perished during the Holocaust.  May this never happen again!

Chasid:  Hebrew for “pious”

The founder:  Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov

He was born the 18th of Elul 5458 (1698) in a shtetl called Okup.

Around 1734, Baal Shem Tov (Master of the Good Name) began to teach about Chasidus publicly.

Chasidism flourished in Europe, until World War II.
Tragically, a majority of the Chasidim of Eastern and Central Europe were among the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust.
After World War II, Chasidism started to immigrate to Australia, Canada, Israel, United States, and Western Europe.

Some beliefs of Chasidism:
Love of God, Love of the Jewish brethren, and Love of Torah.
They believe in a way of life that focuses on the importance of community.
Joy is very important in having a good relationship with God.  Joy is encouraged through activities of singing, dancing, studying, drinking, etc.
Praying with constant devotion and enthusiasm.
Having a close connection to the Rebbe.
They believe in mysticism, transmigration, and reincarnation, along with extra-Biblical studies; Kabbalah, Talmud, Tanya, etc.
Baal Shem Tov said, “A man’s every act must reflect the worship of the Creator.”

Chasidim live in close-knit communities that are spiritually centered around the leader known as the Rebbe.
There are many different Chasidic communities that are known by the name of the town they originated.
Here are a few examples:
Amshinov, Belz, Bobov, Bostoner, Breslov, Chabad-Lubavitch, Ger, Modzitzer, Muncatz, Satmar, Skvirer, Slonimer, Vizhnitzer, etc.

Many of the Chasidim in the USA live in NYC.
There is close to 200,000 Chasidic Jews in three neighborhoods of Brooklyn:  Boro Park, Crown Heights, and Williamsburg.