THE NUMBERS ADD UP It’s the International Conference of Chabad Shluchim (Emissaries) and all the Chabad rabbis on this planet are invited to New York. It’s a conference, and you know what’s all the rage at conferences? Numbers. How many couples are there out there as Shluchim? How many Chabad centers exist in the world today? How many new centers opened since the last conference? A quick Google search will show all those answers and it’s recommended, because the numbers are happy and encouraging, thank G-d. But if we call the weekend by it’s other name - the biggest Farbrengen ever, anywhere - we start thinking about other numbers. Numbers you cannot find with Google. Numbers you read not only with your eyes but with your heart and your soul. Since the Rebbe launched this Shluchim movement in 1950: How many arms and heads were wrapped and crowned in Tefillin? How many homes glowed with Shabbat candles? How many Sukkahs stood proudly for the first time? How many Seder tables were graced with Shmura Matzah for the first time? How many Mezuzot were fastened to how many doorposts? How many tears of joy brimmed in how many eyes as parents watched their children embracing the lost traditions of their beloved grandparents and great grandparents? How many elderly hearts, hardened and turned against faith by concentration camps, leapt for joy as their grandchildren rejoiced in Hebrew School and sang, “I’m a Jew and I’m proud and I’ll sing it out loud!” How many fists pounded on how many dining room tables - tables heretofore used once a year on Thanksgiving - drumming exuberantly to “Shalom Aleichem” on yet another newly elevated Friday night? How many “Ah!”s burst forth from how many little mouths as they deciphered that Kamatz Alef is “Ah!”? How many somersaults happened at how many Simchat Torah services, as Jews discover, to their disbelief, that it’s fun to be Jewish? How many defenses were lowered in how many minds as people discovered that Shul is actually a place for prayer and community, you don’t need a ticket and you don’t need to pay admission? How many glasses were smashed under how many heels as how many Jewish boys and girls realized their stubbornly held dream of marrying Jewish?l How many Jewish books were purchased and how many pages of Chumash, Gemara, Tanya and other Torah books were studied and turned? How many more pairs of Tefillin and Tzitzit and how many millions of Kippahs have been sold? How many miles came off of how many Jewish cars as their owners discovered the gift of resting on Shabbat? How many more Torah Scrolls have been written over the 70+ years of Chabad House culture? How many Israeli soldiers and border guards were visited on their bases and made to feel like a million bucks because the Shluchim remembered them? How many Kosher certifications, groceries, restaurants and products have cropped up around how many people who started keeping Kosher? How many more petitions for Moshiach have been received in Heaven? And how many more Shema’s, Modeh Ani’s, Aleinu’s, Ashrei’s and Amidah’s? The numbers would be staggering. Beyond belief. Believe it. This snowball of Mitzvot has been rolling for more than seven decades, getting bigger and bigger and picking up speed with every passing Kinus, and if you’re reading this, you are a part of that avalanche of Yiddishkeit. May G-d bless the Shluchim, the people who they inspire and who inspire them, and may G-d bless the Rebbe who got this ball rolling with the fulfillment of his deeper desire: the coming of Moshiach. The time is now. The numbers add up. Lchaim! THANK YOU! A huge thank you to all our PARTNERS who make it all happen. Click here to view the must-watch replay of the keynote address by George Rohr at the Kinus closing banquet, with a message to the shluchim and his fellow supporters. PARSHA In this week's Torah portion we are introduced to Jacob and Esau, twin brothers who couldn't have been more different from one another. Esau was a hunter, while Jacob was a scholar, spending all his time studying Torah and delving into the Divine secrets of Creation. As descendants of Jacob, we are entrusted with the gift of Torah and the ability to connect to G‑d by studying His wisdom. Every time a Jew studies Torah, our connection to G‑d deepens. You can study Torah alone or with a group, you can study for hours or for a few minutes. The main thing is, make Torah study central to your life! Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Chaim & Chanie Mazel tov! Mazel tov Yair Ilouz for putting on Tefillin for the first time! May you continue to make your family and entire community proud! Upcoming Events: Shabbos Parshas Toldos Friday, November 25, Rosh Chodesh Kislev Shabbos November 26, 2 Kislev Sunday November 27, 3 Kislev Mon.-Fri., Nov. 28-Dec. 2, 4-8 Kislev Good Shabbos & a good Chodesh!
Everyone's been asking me how the conference was. My good friend Rabbi Eli Friedman, of Chabad of Calabasas, CA, posted these thoughts that perhaps expresses what I'm really trying to say:
Mincha and Candle Lighting at 5:05 pm
Torah Study
Services at 6:00 pm
RSVP for Shabbat Dinner www.chabaduptown.org/shabbatdinner
Chassidus at 9 am
Services at 10 am
Followed by Shabbos Kiddush sponsored by Andrew & Elyse Goldstein in honor of their children
Mincha at 5:05 pm
Torah Study
Maariv, Havdalla and Shabbos ends at 6:01 pm
Living Torah
Shacharis at 8:00 am
Shacharis at 6:45 am
ב"ה