Beis Moshiach interviews Mrs. Chaya Shuchat, author of the newly released book, “A Diamond a Day,” an adaptation of HaYom Yom for children.
What was your goal in publishing the book?
The Frierdike Rebbe writes regarding HaYom Yom, “This is a book which is small in format … but packed with pearls and diamonds of choicest quality.” My goal was to make these “diamonds” clearly understood and accessible for children. In “A Diamond a Day,” the HaYom Yoms are introduced with stories or meshalim to help bring the concepts down to the level of a child, using simple words and clear examples.
What made you start working on this project?
In the summer of 2001, Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Kagan, the translator of the original English HaYom Yom and one of the head Shluchim to Michigan, passed away tragically in a car accident. I grew up in Michigan and knew Rabbi Kagan, and was inspired to do something in his memory. This was how the idea for this project was born.
It was a project that took many years to complete.
The bulk of the work was completed more than ten years ago, but it took a long time to bring all the pieces together to produce a finished product.
What was your first exposure to learning HaYom Yom?
When I was about nine years old, it was the Rebbe’s 80th birthday, and as a school project we each learned at least 80 HaYom Yoms by heart as a birthday gift to the Rebbe. We could choose any HaYom Yoms we wanted and we did not have to know them word-for-word, we just had to know the content. In this way I acquired a general familiarity with the concepts of HaYom Yom.
What is your favorite HaYom Yom?
Each HaYom Yom contains a profound lesson for life and brings strength and encouragement in a wide range of life circumstances.
I remember as a child a favorite was the HaYom Yom of the 29th of Tishrei. In the shul of the Baal Shem Tov two villagers had an argument, and one yelled at the other, “I will tear you apart like a fish!”
The Baal Shem Tov told his talmidim to hold hands with each other and close their eyes. He put his hands on the shoulders of the two students closest to him to complete the circle. Suddenly they all started screaming in fright, because they saw the villager actually tearing apart the other person like a fish. The Baal Shem Tov then taught his students that anything we do or say in this world has an effect, whether in a physical or spiritual sense. As children we were very impressed with that story, because children are very likely to blurt out things thoughtlessly. It is a real lesson in the power of speech.
As an adult, my favorite HaYom Yom is Tes Nissan: “Nit heizer un gelt zenen di eibike Yiddishe reichtum.” Jewish wealth is not houses and gold. The everlasting Jewish wealth is: Being Jews who keep Torah and Mitzvos, and bringing into the world children and grandchildren who keep Torah and Mitzvos.
This is a lesson I need to remind myself on a regular basis.
Do you have experience in chinuch and/or writing?
Both. For ten years I taught in various Lubavitch schools across the United States, including five years in Beis Chaya Mushka in Crown Heights. I am also involved in writing, editing and translating articles on Chassidus. I work as the editor of the weekly “Geula” publication in English as well as an editor of the N’shei Chabad Newsletter.
How did you come up with ideas for meshalim?
First I try to think what the HaYom Yom means for me. How do I apply it to my own life? Once I have thought about its meaning for myself, I can bring it down to the level of a child.
Does every HaYom Yom have a story?
While I tried to include as many stories as possible, not every HaYom Yom lends itself well to a story; for example, the HaYom Yom may be a correction from the Siddur, or a Chassidic custom for that day. In that case we just left the HaYom Yom as is, with a simple explanation for children.
How can you be certain you are conveying the true meaning of the HaYom Yom?
The book was edited by Rabbi Michoel Seligson, author of the Annotated HaYom Yom and recognized expert in HaYom Yom. The book is intended to be an adaptation, not a translation, so you will not necessarily find a word-for-word rendition of the HaYom Yom. However, I wanted to make sure that the explanations stayed true to the Rebbe’s intended meaning. Rabbi Shloma Majeski, dean of Machon Chana, and Rabbi Yosef Y. Simpson, principal of United Lubavitch Yeshiva, also reviewed the book prior to publication and strongly encouraged me to bring this book to the public.
How has the book been received so far?
Boruch Hashem we have had a tremendously positive response. Many parents have told me that they read the HaYom Yom to their children every day and the children are begging for more. Even adults have told me that the book helps them understand the HaYom Yom on a more personal level. I have also heard from many teachers who use the book in their classrooms.
What are your plans for the second volume?
We are working on volume 2, which will cover the months of Sivan to 18 Kislev. Based on feedback we have received, we will include even more pictures and stories, since that is what excites the interest of the children. We hope to have the second book out no later than Yud Tes Kislev, 5776.
A Diamond a Day is available in Crown Heights bookstores or online at www.diamondpublications.org. For more information contact info@diamondpublications.org.
THE DOCTOR FROM INDIA WHO SPONSORED THE HAYOM YOM
In addition to writing and editing articles on Chassidus, I also work during the day as a nurse practitioner.
When I first completed my nursing degree, I was having difficulty finding a job in New York. In general, being shomer Shabbos makes it harder for nurses to find a job, because you are expected to cover shifts on Shabbos. I started applying for jobs in cities all around the United States. I was actually interviewed for some of these positions, but we weren’t sure if moving away from Crown Heights was the right decision for our family.
My husband and I discussed the situation with our rav, who told us unequivocally that we should not move away from Crown Heights because the chinuch of our children must be our first priority.
The very next day after this conversation, I received an email from a doctor in New York, a specialist in asthma and sleep medicine, Dr. Mayank Shukla. He had found my resume online and asked me to come in for an interview. Boruch Hashem I got the job.
Dr. Shukla is not Jewish, he is from India, but he is respectful of everything that has to do with Yiddishkait. He was the first doctor I interviewed with who did not have a problem with me taking off early on Erev Shabbos, or for Yomim tovim.
After about six months of working for him, I was contacted by a recruiter for a large textbook publisher. They were looking for a nurse practitioner who had both nursing and editing experience, and my name had come up. It sounded like the perfect match for my skills so I went to interview for the job.
I spoke to Dr. Shukla about it and explained that while I enjoyed working for him, I have a passion for writing and this would enable me to do both. I showed him the HaYom Yom that I was working on. He wanted me to continue working for him and he told me that he would help me with the project. Baruch Hashem he gave me a nice grant that helped towards some of the expenses of printing the book. There was clear hashgacha pratis involved in my finding this job, which led to finally printing the HaYom Yom.
Dr. Shukla’s approach to treating illness is that we cannot just wait for patients to come to us. If we want to address the problem of asthma, we need to go to where the patients are, explain to them the problem and let them know that their condition is treatable. When I first started working for him, he told me that he aspires to be the “Lubavitcher Rebbe of asthma.” He was inspired by the concept of Shlichus, of going out from your comfort zone to bring Yiddishkait to people, and he applies that to his medical practice.
Interestingly, asthma is a condition of the lungs caused by exposure to a polluted environment. There are several HaYom Yoms that talk about the importance of purifying the atmosphere through studying Mishnayos. So I am working on “taharas ha’avir” in both a physical and spiritual sense. Studying HaYom Yom will lead to the removal of the ruach ha’tuma from this world, with the hisgalus of the Rebbe MH”M, when we will no longer suffer from spiritual or physical problems caused by an impure environment.
If you suffer from asthma, allergies or sleep problems, you can contact Dr. Shukla at 212-661-7077.