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Parshat Chayei Sarah


               The following is an excerpt from a talk the Lubavitcher Rebbe delivered 22 years ago on Parshat Chayei Sarah, 5739 - three places places the nations of the world cannot claim that you stole it from us.
The Meorat Hamachpelah, Joseph's burial site in Shechem, and the Temple site were purchased in full, as the Torah portion of the week elaborates on. The nations of the world oppose Jewish settlement in these 3 places. The following is a magnificent talk given by the Lubavitcher Rebbe 22 years ago in regards to the holiness of Hebron and the Meorat Hamachpela.
"...Something so wonderous appears in the Midrash, in the Torah portion of Vayishlach, but before (we get into that), there is a perplexing matter in regards to the Meorat Hamachpelah. The Midrash explains that Jacob purchased Shechem for 100 kisitah. There are "3 places", that if the nations of the world say they were stolen, and you are the thieves, "...You are robbers who took the land from the seven nations (who lived there prior)..... However, there are 3 places that they cannot say such a thing. (The first instance is regarding) the Meorat Hamachpelah, regarding which the verse in the Torah states explicitly that they bought it for 400 shekels, a universal currency . (The second instance is regarding) Joseph's burial site, in Shechem, purchased for 100 kisitah from the masters of the land. (The third instance is regarding) the Temple site, about which is written in the verses that King David gave Aravno either 50 or 600 shekels thereby purchasing the area.
Here we see that even when the nations of the world claim that "you are robbers", as Rashi (the prime commentator on the Torah) explains at the beginning of his commentary, still the Torah of truth testifies in three places that their claim is invalid.
The first of these three places on the time line begins here in the weekly Torah portion with the Meorat Hamachpelah (in Hebron). No matter how dark the exile is, the nations of the world cannot say that it belongs to them. How can we see that they don't allow the Jews in the Land of Israel to settle in the Holy Land, the Land of Israel, as he would like to and where he would like to? When they oppose our possession of these three places!!!
It's amazing! When a Jew wants to buy in Tel Aviv, no one mixes into his business. When a Jew wants to buy in another place, either they don't mix in at all, or they might be a slight opposition. When the subject under discussion is the Meorat Hamachpelah they put everything to a side in order that one single Jew should not remain in Hebron. We're not only talking about the Meorat Hamachpelah site itself; we talking about all that surrounds the Meorat Hamachpelah site, which is in fact part of Hebron, as is elaborated on in this week's Torah portion. They don't allow Jews to settle there!!! The incident with the synagogue in Hebron was an act of derision, and as was discussed at length in the past, they forced people who were willing to give up their lives for the land, the Holy Land, and used them to throw out a Jew from the Avraham Avinu Synagogue, because it is in Hebron!!! When a Jew gets to the Meorat Hamachpelah when the "mufti", (otherwise known as "imam") doesn't think that now is the time to come, they don't allow him to enter. If he tries to sneak in, they will forcefully get rid of him!!!
Such a scenario will not occur anywhere else in the Holy Land. Where else will it occur again? In Shechem. When they want to go to Shechem and have something to do there, they tell them, "No! There are Arabs in Shechem!" They don't allow them to buy a plot to build a house on.
Who's talking about the third place, where the military is stationed with the intention of not allowing Jews to set foot on our holy Temple site!!!
All of the above is mentioned in the Midrash. These are the three places that the nations of the world say were never stolen, and here come along Jews, and appoint administering authorities, (who were and should never be again) non-Jews, who were told to handle the matter as the non-Jews would like to have things handled.
When the non-Jews see that the Jews are hitting each other, then certainly the non-Jews will agree! Why not? As mentioned already, the worst, the biggest, the deepest, in the lowest way possible opposition was in regards to these three places. The nations of the world cannot say they were stolen.
Heaven forfend to ever suspect a Jew of any wrong doing, such as giving a non-Jew authoritative abilities, all the more so in the Holy Land, and all the more so in the Old City of Jerusalem, the site of our Temple, the Meorat Hamachpelah the place of our holy forefathers Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, with Sarah, Rivkah, and Leah, along with Adam and Eve. Not even in the third place, Shechem, can one suspect a Jew of doing wrong.
Then why are the Jews doing what they are doing? The reason is because when a person is afraid, and feels down, because "You are few in number amongst the nations of the world", and the Jew depends on the non-Jew either for a few dollars or a substantial amount of money, or arms, or else he has to be just a kind-hearted person, or for whatever reason he's behaving the way he's behaving - he has now made for himself such a poor self-image. All of the above is when the non-Jew doesn't even want to take it. They don't say (in reference to the 3 places mentioned above) you were the ones that stole them from us. The Torah of truth tells us all of this......"


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[ To hear the sicha from www.sichos.com]
 
               The only thing there is left to do in our service as emissaries is to accept the Moshiach in actuality.
At the international convention for Chabad emissaries in 1992, the Lubavitcher Rebbe spoke at length and clearly specified what is in fact our emissary work and who indeed are the emissaries. He elaborated by saying that the emissaries have completed their emissary work, and the only thing for them left to do is to accept Moshiach in actuality. The Lubavitcher Rebbe emphasized that all of the ins and outs of our emissary work should be imbued with this point!
“In light of the fact that they have completed their emissary work, each emissary goes to G-d and tells Him, “I did my job, and the time has come that You, so to speak, have to do yours. Send us the Moshiach, in actuality!”
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               “The international convention for Chabad emissaries”
It is well known that the Lubavitcher Rebbe focuses much attention on the emissaries, hundreds and thousands of Chabad Chassidim who left theirs and began disseminating Torah and Judaism to every corner of the world. Every year, around the beginning of the month of Kislev, the international convention for Chabad emissaries takes place, when emissaries from all over the world get together for a series of Torah lessons, discussions and talks relating to one matter: How can one improve one’s emissary work?
The climax of the convention is the Hitvaadut (Chassidic get-together) with the Lubavitcher Rebbe on Shabbat. Then, the Lubavitcher Rebbe discusses what emissary work is all about and how to continue.
The two following talks were delivered at these conventions:
“In regards to the emissary convention, all of the emissaries, and all types of emissaries, must unite and emphasize the common denominator between them, being that they are the emissaries of the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, the leader of our generation. By doing so, their emissary work to G-d, is more apparent.”
[ For further reference click: äúååòãåéåú ùðú úðù"à ëøê à' òîåã 328]