People Helping People — THE SECRET OF CHABAD “ HELP EVERY JEW, SPIRITUALLY AND
One day, my phone rang.
When people ask me for the secret of
“Is this Chabad?”
Chabad’s success, I don’t hesitate to
“Yes,” I replied.
answer: “It’s all the Rebbe’s vision.”
“ Hello my name is ____. I was driving on the 101
He sent Chassidim to establish Chabad
and stopped to secure my surfboard on the roof
PHYSICALLY,
Houses around the world, with the
rack by the side of the road, when a car hit me. I
message of “help every Jew, spiritually and
WITH
just woke up and I am now in the local hospital”.
physically, with whatever they need.”
WHATEVER THEY NEED.”
“Are you okay?” “ Yes, I think so, but they are keeping me for
THINK ABOUT IT:
evaluation. The problem is I don’t have my
Typically, when you establish a community or a shul,
Tefillin or a prayerbook…and I’m starving.”
it’s natural to prioritize your time and resources
“I’ll be right over.”
to ensure the growth of the community and shul.
Getting to the hospital I was informed that no
But the Rebbe made it clear that a Chabad House
one is allowed in due to COVID restrictions.
must run differently. If a Jew needs our help,
I smiled and showed the nurse my Cottage
even if he or she will never step foot inside or be
Chaplains badge and she let me right in.
involved with our Chabad House, we need to help.
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER JEW HELPED.
If we have the opportunity to do a mitzvah
He didn’t need to know who I was; he simply
with a fellow Jew, even if we might never see
called Chabad. It dawned on me that this
them again, we grab the opportunity.
is exactly what the Rebbe envisioned, and I am so thankful to be part of that vision. IT ALL STARTED SEVENTY YEARS AGO. On a cold evening in Brooklyn, about a hundred Chassidim packed into a small shul. That night, the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, formally accepted the role of leadership of the Chabad movement. I wonder how many of the Chassidim there realized just how consequential that night was going to be. For them, a Rebbe was someone who would guide them, inspire them, and lead the movement, which was still reeling from the devastating losses of the Holocaust. THE REBBE’S VISION, HOWEVER, WAS FAR GREATER. Seventy years later, looking at the thousands of shluchim and shluchot (Chabad emissaries) serving at Chabad Houses around the world, I think it’s fair to say that almost every single Jew has come into contact with a Chabad House, in one way or another.
34 | SHALOM SANTA BARBARA | 2021–2022
WHY? BECAUSE TO G‑D, EVERY JEW IS PRECIOUS AND EVERY MITZVAH IS DEAR. Just like the Rebbe, we need to care deeply for every single Jew. Even those whose dress, political alignment or worldviews look nothing like ours. Not only is it the right thing to do, it will be a source for blessings in our lives.
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