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Dec. 7, 2007
Lights unto the world
Gathering recognizes efforts of Lubavitch shlichim.
BAILA LAZARUS
It was cause for a triple celebration last week as visitors crowded into the Lubavitch Centre for a dinner honoring the 19th day of Kislev and welcoming new members to Lubavitch and new shlichim (emissaries) to the Yeshivah Gedola of Western Canada.
The 19th day of Kislev is celebrated as a watershed event in Chassidism. In 1798, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Chassidism, was freed from imprisonment in czarist Russia.
"This day is a celebration for all of us," yeshivah head Rabbi Binyomin Bitton said to the gathering of more than 150 people. "It's a general redemption for all Jewish people around the world."
Focusing on the role that Lubavitch shlichim play in the world, Bitton related the story of an emissary named Gurevitch who was sent to Lyons by the Lubavitcher Rebbe and told to carry out his duties with happiness. "The French don't like a sad/sour face," Bitton quoted the Rebbe as saying. With the help of the mayor of Lyons, Gurevitch was able to build a Jewish school that started with five children (of which Bitton was one) and now has more than 700 students, because he did it with joy.
"The world seems to be a contradiction to Yiddishkeit, but on the contrary, the world will help if you put in the effort," Bitton said.
Following Bitton, Baruch Hecht addressed the challenge the nine shlichim have of bringing Torah learning to the Lower Mainland. He stressed that though it seems like a monumental task, they can never tell what kind of influence they might have. A woman looking out her window on a Friday, simply seeing two yeshivah students walking down the street, might reflect on her Jewishness and decide to light Shabbat candles, he said. So the students can have an effect, without even having met her.
"The emissary is just a conduit to bring his care to every single Jew," he said. "Because we are connected to something much higher, we are sure to succeed.
"Our goal is to create the atmosphere of Torah through learning for the whole community. There is a chance for everyone to learn whatever they like. Redemption comes when the inner meaning of Torah spreads to the whole world."
One way to start that learning could be by doing a simple good deed, he suggested, such as saying good morning to a co-worker.
After further speeches, guests were treated to a new video that showed the effect of the shlichim in different parts of the world through three different stories - in Ukraine, Hackensack, N.J., and Austin, Tex. In each, a non-practising Jew or Jewish family came into contact with Lubavitch shlichim who transformed the lives of those they met.
In Odessa, Ukraine, a father and son met shlichim on the street and were touched by the dedication they had in their desire to spread the word of the Torah.
"Every individual is a world to them," said the son. Although he was making a very good living in real estate and was even elected to the Ukranian Parliament, he was most fulfilled by his rediscovery of Judaism and looked forward to having his children teach him about Yiddishkeit as they learned it in school.
In Hackensack, a family was spending all their time in the hospital, consumed with the health of their baby, who was born extremely prematurely, weighing little more than a pound. The shlichim brought them Shabbat dinner every week.
"The Rebbe had to be a visionary to impart the importance of what the shlichim are doing," said the harried mother. "They never asked anything from us."
And in Austin, a university student stopped by a Lubavitch table on campus and was invited to a shaliach's house for dinner. They talked about Judaism until five o'clock in the morning.
"I could sleep in the next day, but he had to get up for morning prayers," said the student, admiring the shaliach's devotion to spend so much time with just one person. Eight years later, the student came back to his old campus as a shaliach himself.
"The shlichim are continuing the Jewish people," said the student who became a shaliach. "There's no other way to put it."
The Yeshivah Gedola offers courses in talmudic discussion, Jewish law, ethics, holiday customs and other Jewish subjects, all held at the Lubavitch Centre. Personal sessions are also available. For more information, call 604-266-1302.
Baila Lazarus is a freelance writer, photographer and illustrator living in Vancouver. Her work can be seen at www.orchiddesigns.net.
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