ChabadNewOrleans Blog - Chabad-Lubavitch of Louisiana

Globalize Menschlichkeit

Friday, December 19, 2025 - 2:09 PM

Chanukah has been a whirlwind; mostly for good, despite the severely challenging circumstances at the onset of the Holiday.

Chabad throughout the region hosted Menorah lightings at the Riverwalk, Lakeside, the Pelicans, several hospitals and senior homes in the New Orleans area, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Alexandria, Gulfport, events at the Synagogues, and the Mobile Menorah Parade is still ahead this Saturday night.

Locally, Chanukah @ Riverwalk was covered by several media outlets.
WWLTV: https://tinyurl.com/RiverwalkChanukah1
FOX8: https://tinyurl.com/RiverwalkChanukah2

I was also interviewed on NPR’s Louisiana Considered program.
https://tinyurl.com/ChanukahInterview

Obviously, at the forefront of everyone’s mind is the horrific terrorist attack at the Chanukah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, resulting in tragic loss and widespread injury. Particularly, I mourn my “brothers-in-purpose,” fellow Shluchim, Rabbis Eli Schlanger and Yaakov Levitan. A campaign has been launched to help the families of those murdered. You can contribute at www.chabadneworleans.com/7165884.

Much has been made, and rightfully so, about the people who confronted the terrorists and delaying their ability to operate, thereby saving countless lives. Sadly, three of them, Reuven Morrison, and Boris & Sofia Gurman, lost their lives in the process. Ahmed Al Ahmed, sustained significant injuries, but with G-d’s help he will survive. His story is being hailed as unique, because, unlike the others, he is not Jewish, in fact he is an Arab.

Our world has become so desensitized to the notion that humans can be humans; that a Mensch can be a Mensch, that we are surprised when one human is willing to risk their safety to help another human. What happened to basic “Menschlichkeit” (being a decent human being, who is kind and considerate of others)?

There has been a lot of discussion about the role of incendiary language, such as “Globalize the Intifada,” in the prevalence of attacks on Jews over the past two years. The power of language and word choice is unquestionable. Torah has been making that argument for thousands of years.

Let’s start a movement to “Globalize Menschlichkeit.” We will export the notion that a human is supposed to be a Mensch. More and more people will start to think in those terms and a powerful force for goodness and kindness will ensue.

Let’s ensure that the blood of our fellow Jews murdered in Sydney at a Chanukah celebration is not forgotten. We can turn this event into a catalyst for real change that can have a Global Impact.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah!
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

The Influence of Big Oil

Thursday, December 11, 2025 - 12:52 PM

Nah! I am not referring to the lobbying power of the petroleum industry. I am talking about olive oil. What can olive oil teach us about influence?

There are four properties to olive oil that give us keen insight into how to be a successful influencer.

1. Oil is extracted from olives through crushing them.

2. Oil deeply permeates every substance with which it interacts.

3. Oil does not mix with other liquids.

4. Oil ultimately rises to the top in every environment.

The Rebbe draws a four-point lesson in spiritual influencing from the four properties of olive oil.

1. The crushing of the olive represents the mindset one needs to adopt when trying to impact another person. It must come from a place of humility, a sense of devotion rather than a sense of self-aggrandizement.

2. When approaching another person to influence them spiritually, one must demonstrate love, caring, and closeness to them. Your desire to influence them is not for your own accomplishment, but rather due to your sincere interest in their welfare.

3. When stepping out of your own environment to share with another person, one must careful not to allow the “outside environment” to affect them. Oil does not mix with other liquids.

4. While at first it is not necessarily evident, ultimately, your success in influencing another Jew, results in a spiritual exaltedness for you. By assisting another in their spiritual growth, that brings about an advancement in your own relationship with Hashem.

Chanukah is here. Friends don’t let friends let Chanukah slip by without observing the holiday. Reach out to your fellow Jews. Make sure they have candles and a Menorah. Invite them to a Chanukah celebration in the community. (See below for a comprehensive list of what Chabad is offering this year in our community.) Be an oily influencer. Not the greasy type. The loving and caring type.

The Rebbe told my parents when they got married, “If you will make it bright and warm for others around you, Hashem will make it bright and warm for you.”

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Chanukah
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Judaism's Secret Potion

Friday, December 5, 2025 - 11:03 AM

There was once a king whose only son fell into a deep illness. All the king’s physicians were unable to develop a plan to heal the king’s precious son. Finally, an expert doctor was brought in to consult on the case. He suggested that there was one possible cure, an elixir made using a powder ground from a rare jewel. The king’s servants searched for this jewel and discovered that there was only one in the entire kingdom, it was the center jewel on the king’s crown. A dilemma. Do we diminish the crown to save the prince? As the issue was considered by the king, the doctor informed the king that the prince’s situation had deteriorated so significantly that it was uncertain whether he would be able to ingest the elixir successfully at this point. Now the dilemma was even stronger. Do we diminish the crown for a cure that is uncertain to be successful in saving the prince?

The king declared, “To save the life of my son, I am willing to risk everything, even for just a small chance of success.” They swiftly ground the jewel and prepared the elixir. The doctor carefully administered the potion into the mouth of the prince. The prince was so weak that he could barely swallow the liquid and most of it dribbled out of his mouth. However, the few drops that made it in, were successful in bringing him back from the brink of death onto a path of recovery.

This story was told by the Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Shneur Zalman, the founder of Chabad) in response to the accusation that indiscriminate dissemination of the inner teachings of Torah (such as Kabbala and Chassidus) were a disgrace to the “Crown of Hashem” from which they are drawn. They argued that most of these “secrets” get wasted and are not appreciated by the recipients.

The Alter Rebbe explained that the Jewish people, Hashem’s precious prince, were in a state of spiritual faint. The troubles of exile and the travails of time had taken their toll on the spiritual welfare of Am Yisrael. Hashem allowed for his “Royal Crown” – the deepest secrets of the Torah to be shared in the hope that at least a little bit will effectively revive the prince, Am Yisrael. For this the Alter Rebbe sat in prison and was willing to endure the greatest threat to his life so that a few drops of the potent teachings would enter the “mouth of the prince” thereby saving his life.

History has shown that this secret potion of spiritual life has been most effective. A Jew that has been exposed to the teachings of Chassidus and has allowed these teachings to “enter his mouth,” cannot remain unaffected by that exposure. They bring Torah and Judaism to life. They infuse a spiritual zest and enthusiasm into Jewish practice and perspective on life. They have successfully revived the Jewish people. Certainly, we have a long way to go, and many more people with whom to share, but these teachings have become ubiquitous permeating all walks of Jewish life with wonderous results.

Join us on Monday night for an inspiring talk by visiting orator Rabbi Yossy Goldman, Secrets to a Happier Life in an Uncertain World, as he shares drops of the elixir formed from Hashem’s crown jewel with our community. The event takes place at 7 pm – Chabad - 7037 Freret St. in Uptown New Orleans. Register at www.chabadneworleans.com/goldman.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin