ChabadNewOrleans Blog

The year was 1923. The place was Leningrad. Ten men gathered for a secret meeting. Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, presided over the gathering. Together they forged a pact – promising to do everything in their power - until the last drop of blood - to ensure the survival of Judaism in the face of the communist onslaught.

Most of those men, along with hundreds of others inspired by them, indeed gave their last drop of blood for the cause. A few survived to tell the tales of courage and fortitude – of the establishment of a secret network of underground Jewish institutions. Schools, mikvahs, ritual slaughter and circumcision, all illegal and punishable by death or years in Siberian gulags.  When one man was arrested, sent to Siberia or killed, G-d forbid, another man was immediately dispatched to take his place.

At the center of this network was the individual responsible for providing the material and spiritual support – the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe. He was intimately involved in every decision that was made, every institution that was founded, and every person that was sent. He would later share how painful it was when each person was arrested, exiled to Siberia or worse.

Eventually the Soviets caught up with this Lubavitch network and in the summer of 1927 they arrested the Previous Rebbe and sentenced him to death. Through great miracles he was released from prison just under a month later – on the 12th of Tammuz (today’s Hebrew date) and was subsequently banished from the USSR. From outside Russia he continued to direct and support his Chassidim and their activities. Who knows what would have been, G-d forbid, had the Soviets carried out their intentions against him.

70 years later, with the fall of the USSR, it became apparent just how effective this network remained throughout the years to keep the embers of Judaism glowing in the face of immense adversity. For more on this see Embers – a video documentary at www.chabadneworleans.com/1057926.

The Previous Rebbe managed to somehow inspire a generation of followers to exercise Mesirus Nefesh – actual self-sacrifice for Judaism. When a person is in the state of mesirus nefesh the level of their intensity is so high that it elevates every element of their being. They become entirely consumed with dedication to Hashem and Judaism.

The Rebbe once commented, that the real challenge is to maintain this level of intensity once the threat of danger has passed. He pointed out that many of these individuals who were ready to go through fire and water for Judaism in Russia were more passive once they moved to the relative serenity of the US or Israel. Thus, he declared, the call of our times is to find that level of intensity without the physical threat. Can the threat of assimilation be motivating enough to be ready to invest the same intensity and dedication shown by the last generation in the USSR?

This is the modern message of the 12th of Tammuz. To have the same heightened level of intensity for Judaism during times of tranquility that our grandfathers had during the times of persecution.

Mazel Tov to our dear Parisian friend David Gies upon his upcoming marriage to Karine Lenczner. May they be blessed with happiness and a wonderful life together.

Mazel Tov to my parents, Rabbi Zelig and Bluma Rivkin upon the engagement of my brother Yosef to Binie Harlig. May there continue to be only happy occasions in the family and the entire community.

Wishing you a good Shabbos!
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

This week communities all around the world spent time reflecting on the Rebbe and his inspiration and leadership. One of my colleagues shared this moving story that demonstrates the Rebbe’s caring for all of G-d’s children.

A Chabad couple in Miami Beach visited a therapist with one of their children. The therapist, an African-American woman, had a picture of the Rebbe prominently displayed on her wall. When they finish the session they inquired about the picture.

She related to them that she was from Crown Heights in Brooklyn. After her marriage to a prominent attorney, they lived across the street from the Rebbe’s home. The Rebbe would often wave his hand in greeting but they did not interact much more than that. Upon her husband’s sudden passing, the funeral procession began just as the Rebbe was leaving his house. The Rebbe respectfully waited as the procession passed. A few weeks later the Rebbe saw her and crossed the street to express his condolences. He inquired how she was doing, to which she replied that it was still very fresh and painful. He then asked her permission to give some advice?

The Rebbe advised her to sell her house and move to a new place like Miami Beach where she could reconnect with her faith, and start anew. A few months later she decided to take the Rebbe's advice. On the first Sunday at her new congregation in Miami, the pastor introduced her to a recently widowed doctor, whom she eventually married.

“So,” she says to this couple, “the picture on the wall is of the Rebbe - but also my matchmaker."

Mazel tov to my parents Rabbi Zelig and Bluma Rivkin upon the engagement of their daughter Mushka to Peretz Kazen. Thank G-d it is shaping up to be a busy season for Simchas. Many more for the entire community!

Condolences to the Burk family upon the passing of their husband, father and grandfather, Maurice Burk. May Hashem comfort them among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

The Jewish Art Calendar advertising campaign is underway. Please refer to the previous email or contact me directly for details or more info.

Shabbat Shalom and a safe summer to all.
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin