wonderful!
i enjoyed learning it with you in 770 so many years ago. 
and I got a lot out of reading it again now.

Thanks for sending me a copy of your paper. I found it to be a neat homily on the importance of being 'our brothers keeper.' Very relevant to the period of the forthcoming Haggim. I liked your analogy of 'the field' .to an unbounded , dangerous environment.. Indeed, we tend to forget or want to forget that the shaggy haired dirty foul mouthed kids are our brothers and sisters too.
But I also found the argument a bit persecuting. Am I really responsible for the hatred and violence aroused in and by every suicide?
if this is the case, can Jacob be considered an accessory to the crime perpetrated on Joseph by his brothers?
Interestingly, Freud emphasized the oedipus complex, the wish of the boy to kill his father and marry his mother. But he neglected to consider the Laius complex, the wish for the father to kill his offspring because they might succeed him. And Oedipus wanted to protect the man whom he thought was his father, not kill him, while Laius left baby oedipus out on a hillside with his feet pierced by nails ( hence Oedipus = swollen foot). Can this be relevant to the story of Jacob and Joseph?
Was Jacob unaware that his overt favoring Joseph was arousing murderous wishes in his other sons? (The possible equivalent to exposing Joseph to the elements.)
Could it be that Jacob identified with Joseph because he saw in him, or wanted to see in him, a loved, protected child, while at the same time, and unconsciously, he also was acting out an identification with Esau ( because he suspected that Joseph might succeed him? ( whether viceroy of Egypt or great Zaddik)
So the events are far from simple. The me, every suicide is a murder,. And the murderer rarely gets caught because he is also the victim.
Whom does the suicide want to murder? Well, directed outwardly, he might wish to murder his parents ( aka society) for neglecting, or imprisoning or otherwise harming him by being stronger or better than him ( primary envy or jealousy) So when he identifies with his parents he is killing them by killing himself.. ( Destroying them by guilt!)
Or when directed internally, he may be attacking a very persecuting part of himself such as an ego ideal or suffocating conscience or inadequate mind as I discussed in my book in the chapter on Lowness of spirit.
Each and every suicide is a complicated tragedy onto itself. Why compound it by killing 80 poor little calves in order to expiate the tension aroused in ourselves
by these tragedies. ( Another reason I am tending to become a vegetarian).
Hope these reflections are helpful.

Wow, what a human look at our teens and or "non conforming, non compliant, non successful" accquaintences.. Instead of grand expectations, seeing the person as they are and loving them throughout their struggles. So true that a bit of attention and friendship goes a long way. Good reminder that we are all responsible, not some non existent organization that "should" be in charge of such things...

b"H Rabbi, as you know much better than I do, this is Elul, and HASHEM, THE MELEKH, is "in the field" - also in that field that you describe here. One could ask, why doesn't the MELEKH take the lost soul who is crying for help under HIS arm ? HE is after all there for him, if he wants to approach. However, that is just the point: he has to want to approach the MELEKH (not the other way around). It seems to me, there are a few different Inyanim here for concocting a solution, and every lost soul is different; so there will be no patent recipe. I'd suggest a few possibilities:
1) let the lost save someone more lost than himself (like the Jew in the boxcar bound for Auschwitz, who saves himself by warming an old man)
2) recent research has confirmed that a human being can change his own DNA and that people who know how to concentrate well and concentrate on a healthy state of an organ, can cure a human being of tumors even. Even a layman can change his eye colour. All the "power of positive thinking" preached by our ribbonim and also by the leaders of the goyim is not empty rhetoric, but a perfectly legitimate and powerful tool to change people, thus events and turn the course of history of an individual, a group or a huge portion of humanity, b"H. In other words, a lot is up to us. A little love can go a long way, and a real down and outer with whom most are afraid to associate can be helped without anybody's dirtying even one little finger,let alone his soul, and if we don't try, we are culpable.
3) the Gemara lists self-worship as one of the forms of Avoda Zares, and some people who have sought to find themselves have fallen victim to their own ego and landed in the muck - sometimes to the point of becoming suicidal. Any rav,therefore, who talks about Avoda Zares without mentioning the pitfalls and the horrible implications of self-worship, should forfeit his Smicha, for he has failed his fellow Jews and all manking.
Shana tova, Rabbi.I hope what I have written here will have helped reinforce your so well formulated plea.
Esther Sarah Evans and Halakha's spirit and Ahuvi's spirit and Tikvah shenis (very much alive, barukh HASHEM).

a nice perspective on this biblical story which adds to the eternity of our torah which has as avos says 'everything in it'. personally i live with one of rebbe nachman's last teachings, which should be publicized, where he said 'there is no such thing as giving up in this world at all'. further i believe in tikun and shmiras habris as very important, that this is a foundation to maintaining ones soul, as creation starts here, souls start here. another point: our yeshivas need to reform to not expect everyone to be the gadol hador, or the next shliach, but rather to fulfill "I was only created to serve my creator," which the Lubavitcher Rebbe repeated often. We need the education system to remove stigmas and expectations and focus on simple faith, being simple jews that get up, say brachos, learn and go to daven. Faith is the cure for depression and suicide, as the Alter Rebbe said, "we are not alone". These are my thoughts. Personally after not getting accepted to a graduate school in college, and not able to meet shlichus, or become a rav, I am struggling, which is why I looked to the Torah's anti depressant methods via chassidic teachings. Another teaching I like: Rav Zusha said, when you get to heaven after living your life, they won't ask you why you weren't like Moshe Rabbeinu, rather, why weren't you like Rav Zusha."

Shalom, Very good article. I think the most important thing to say to young people who are in the public school system is to let them know that their situations are temporary and not permanent. Children start feeling hopeless because it feels permanent for them. The schools have moved toward dangerous ideology. Parents are no longer allowed in them. Doors are locked and cameras are rolling at all times. It is not a comfortable or safe environment on the inside. They KNOW they we can't get to them when they need us and they know they can't get to us for protection. These are NOT the public schools of the past they feel more like jails. Children accept their situation and the schools have all the power.That is why they are not telling us what is happening while they are at school they know they can't change it so they feel helpless, stress, and hopeless day in and day out. Then the schools put it back on the parents when the children act out. The SCHOOL is CREATING the problem and then throwing blame. The schools have become a huge medical experiment with the drugging of children. New mental disorders are breeding like rabbits. The brain of a child SHOULD NOT BE MEDICATED by the medicines they are doling out. It is a disgrace that so many go along with it. People are not paying attention. They have relationship problems not behavioral issues. The bullying is top down. They have the compulsory education card and the are not afraid to use it. Parents will be arrested for not getting their child to school and if the child doges then they will end up in the juvenile jail system. I wish more parents would wake up to how bad it really is. Lives are being destroyed, potential snuffed out, no child can learn in these environments. The trauma is destroying the lives of millions.
We have left children and young adults with nowhere to turn. A survey asking teenagers and young adults: If you witnessed something horrible or if you did something terrible whom would you most likely turn to? If you were in trouble, real trouble who could you confide in and talk to? Almost everyone would turn them right over to cops even their own parents. The schools are not calling the parents when they have trouble with children. They are calling police and the social service system. Nine year old children are being handcuffed, a six year old was charged with assault it is crazy! So who can a young person turn to? Parents, a Spouse if newly married, Siblings, close friend, Teacher, Neighbor, Clergy or Rabbi, Doctor, Therapist? Who would they tell? THE NUMBER ONE ANSWER will break your heart. It was NOBODY. If they were in real trouble they would NOT tell a single soul.
As soon as possible anyone who is able needs to set up networks. Men are at a significantly higher risk than women. If all could form a group of Men over 40 willing to agree to be a safe and trusted as well as committed to the confidentiality could very well be what may possibly begin saving lives instead of losing them. This list could be handed to our teen and young males as a source of someone to go to if they are ever in any situation that they feel they can't talk to anyone else about. We need to have a place for them to go and also to let all teenagers know that their situation is NOT PERMANENT. All American Medical,doctors, nurses, school teachers, day care workers, including psychiatry and psychology are under the mandatory reporting law. People need to know that. It is a horrific experience for those moving from a therapy couch to the court and prison system because they sought help. There have been men that felt played because his therapist was encouraging him to speak, ran the session overtime so the cops could pick the guy up before he left the therapy office. It should be called what it is and what they are using it for in the united states, social engineering at best. I wish people would be more honest about their intent. They have to be able to have an alternative and make human contact with a caring person. They DO NOT have best friends like we did, they can't trust anyone, so many have confided with a best friend and found their whole story told on social media, twitter, face booked or texted to all the phones of people they know in common. They need that one person that you could admit and speak anything that is on your mind and get the proper guidance and advice. A safe haven for them. If they had an option to call someone because they had been drinking rather than drive it would save lives. Get your list into the hands of these at risk men and see if it does some good. We have a lot of work to do. Gabor Mate and Gordon Neufeld co-authored a book called "hold on to your kids". It covers a lot of ground, family systems work, the biopsychosocial and spirtiual aspect that Gabor has been tirelessly pushing is changing at least some of the secular world view. It covers attachment theory as well. I will be in a three day trauma conference so I am short on time at the moment. I really liked the article. Thank you for sharing. L'Chaim!

Watch the video and see what three of our expert interviewees - Gabor Mate, Joseph Tarantula and John Read have to say.
https://youtu.be/RVJ3dDqzrh4
For more on the research check out the ACE Study: http://ow.ly/XBiod.
Gabor on myth of normal=https://youtu.be/8_j5mmBa4mw

Wonderful article Rabbi. There is no question of the value of every precious soul and life. As a person who has considered suicide the challenge is to see the value in My Life. If I am unable to function or meet expectations of those around me as well as myself, how do I find the courage to face each day as a disappointment?

I echo Yaakov L., brilliant thought.

​These 3 pasukim in Vayeshev shed
remarkable light on the power of compassionate observation and inquiry
when observing someone looks downcast.

Gen. 40: 6-8Yosef saw chamberlains were troubled and asks them:

6 And Joseph came to them in the morning, and he saw them and behold, they were troubled. וַיָּבֹא אֲלֵיהֶם יוֹסֵף בַּבֹּקֶר וַיַּרְא אֹתָם וְהִנָּם זֹעֲפִים

7 And
he asked Pharaoh's chamberlains who were with him in the prison of his
master's house, saying, "Why are your faces sad today?" וַיִּשְׁאַל אֶת סְרִיסֵי פַרְעֹה אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בְמִשְׁמַר בֵּית אֲדֹנָיו לֵאמֹר מַדּוּעַ פְּנֵיכֶם רָעִים הַיּוֹם

8 And they said to him, "We have dreamed a
dream, and there is no interpreter for it." Joseph said to them, "Don't
interpretations belong to God? Tell [them] to me now." וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו חֲלוֹם חָלַמְנוּ וּפֹתֵר אֵין אֹתוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם יוֹסֵף הֲלוֹא לֵאלֹהִים פִּתְרֹנִים סַפְּרוּ נָא לִי

So
we see that Yosef's compassionate observation that they were downcast combined with his sincere inquiry as to why they were sad led directly to his interpreting their dreams and his subsequent rise to viceroy in Egypt-- saving the world from famine, having all Egyptians circumcised, and creating a place for Israel to settle during the famine.

A major point here for daily life is the power of compassionate
observation and inquiry as to how another person is doing. Such basic awareness can make a big difference in the quality of people's lives.

Yaakov Levy

Thank you for this inspiring article, these are just the words I needed to hear.. As always, your words touch the essence.. Thank you.

An excellent insightful article. It's an invaluable Torah source for the value of human life. I am wondering what other source can be used to address the hopelessness and despair that tragically inform the depression of these young people-- or anyone in our community? We note that while Yosef was in prison he noticed some other inmates feeling down and he inquired about them. It was this very act that spurred the chain of events leading to his liberation and service as viceroy.
It is a simple..yet not so simple thing that Yosef did: he saw some fellows who looked and and he asked them about it. Often, adults either don't ask, or don't pursue the question being satisfied with a brief and perhaps unsubstantial answer. The key element here is people who are not only available for communication but who initiate it. In the cases of the suicides of these young people is it possible that there were not enough attempts to communicate and stay in touch with them?
Many times people are put off, scared or confused as to how to deal with apparent depression or low mood. I think schools and synagogues need to have literature, flyers etc showing how to spot these things and how to act-- particularly gently with them.
Just because a person appears down doesn't mean they are suffering from depression or worse. However, it seems that the regular communication with people helps greatly to lift many out of those states.
Where both our young people and others are concerned, i think what Yosef did in the prison: inquiring with the fellows who looked down-- this could be a key. I am wondering what commentaries say about it--there may well be more insight.
Lastly, there is probably a sicha by the Rebbe on this particular instance in the Torah. I am curious as to what it says there.

Very good article. But what can be done for a young yeshiva student who doesn't want to go to yeshiva where he was bullied by students and physically abused by a Rebbe, especially when there are no other Jewish schools in his town?

Absolutly outstanding, brilliant, sensitive, and powerful. I can hear the Lubavitcher Rabbe's voice! Article must be compiled in a book.