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ChabadNewOrleans Blog

Alone, But Not Lonely

A recurring theme that we are hearing over the 7 weeks since the October 7 attacks in Israel, is that Jewish people are feeling a sense of aloneness. There are many, and I reemphasize many, people who are supportive and empathetic towards Jewish people and the Israel situation. In that sense we are not lonely. But we are alone. Even our best friends and supporters, who truly empathize with us over this situation, cannot really wrap their minds around the depth and degree to which these attacks have touched us. The deep visceral reaction that Jews have to the events since that Simchat Torah morning, is not something relatable to most people.

Why is it that events in a locale 6,000 miles away affect us so deeply? Even if that is our ancestral land and place of our heritage, why are we so inexorably linked to what is happening there? Especially since for many of us, the last time our ancestors lived there was 1,800 years ago. Many ethnic groups care about what happens in the land of their origin, but for it to turn your world over, and 1,800 years later?

In this week’s Parsha we read about our patriarch Yaakov. On his way to Israel after 20 years in Charan, faced with the prospect of confronting his brother who hated him, he returns to a previous encampment to pick up some forgotten housewares. The Torah states: “Jacob remained alone, and a man (angel) wrestled with him until daybreak.” The Midrash explains that Yaakov’s “aloneness” echoes another verse that employs the same term. (Isaiah 2:11) “the L-rd shall be exalted alone on that day.” G-d is alone. Jacob is alone. In fact, Baalam, the hated sorcerer and enemy of the Jewish people, refers to the people of Israel in his curse that turned into a blessing, as “a nation that dwells alone.”

We are not lonely. We have many friends and good people of all nations that stand with us. But we are alone. Our experience cannot be understood by others because it is not explicable. Our connection to Israel, our G-d, our Torah, and each other, cannot be explained by sociologists because it defies rationalization.

There is something so deep-seated in the core-essence of our identity that compels us to connect to our G-d, our faith, our land, and our people, or risk being haunted by our disconnect at a moment when we least expect it. At times it is dormant. But there are moments where it comes flying to the forefront of our awareness with a power that we didn’t know was possible. When we forget about our core-essence, our enemies are happy to remind us about it by demonstrating that to them, a Jew is a Jew no matter what they observe or claim to believe.

We are living in unique times. The heart of the Jewish people is awakened. The core-essence of the Jewish identity is on powerful display. Let us seize the moment and see to it that every Jew has the opportunity to connect to their identity in practical everyday ways. (See the action plan below.) 

We pray for the day about which Isaiah declared “They shall neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mount, for the land shall be full of knowledge of the L-rd as water covers the seabed.”

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Action Plan Highlights
See our page 
 https://onemitzvah.org/israel/chabad-louisiana
Add your Mitzvah today!

· Tefillin: Please visit Chabad Uptown or Chabad Metairie and lay Tefillin or reach out to have someone come by with Tefillin. If you have Tefillin, put them on daily and offer to share them with other Jewish males over Bar Mitzvah.

· Shabbat Candles: Ladies and girls, you have the power of light in your hands. Light Shabbat candles before sunset on Friday (this week at 4:42 pm). If you need or know someone that needs Shabbat candles, let us know and we will get a package to them.

· Mezuzah: Put a Mezuzah on the door of your home, or check the existing ones to make sure they are valid. Reach out to us if you need a Mezuzah or help checking the ones you have up.

· Tzedakah:  www.chabad.org/helpisrael is a great resource to get funds directly to the organizations on the ground in Israel helping with the war effort. There are many other reputable organizations raising funds as well, see www.Jewishnola.com for the Federation’s initiatives. The main thing is to offer our support.

· Pray: Chabad Rabbis in Israel have asked that recite the following Psalms for the safety and security our people in Israel - Psalms 20, 22, 69, 122, and 150. At Chabad (both locations) we recite them twice daily during the morning and evening minyan.

· Letter in the Scroll: Get your child a letter in the Children’s Torah Scroll –  www.chabadneworleans.com/332998. The Unity Torah for people of all ages –  www.chabadneworleans.com/409282.

· Study Torah: Join a Torah class or study on your own. 

· Take a tour of a Mikvah and explore the secret to Jewish family purity and harmony. For more info, www.chabadneworleans.com/mikvah

· Chanukah Celebrations of Jewish Pride: Participate in a Chanukah celebration of Jewish Pride such as Chanukah @ Riverwalk.

 

From Bytes to Bricks in Baton Rouge

In the mid 1990s, a Rabbi spoke at the Shluchim conference about the fledgling work that he was doing as Chabad’s man in Cyberspace. Confused Rabbis and colleagues asked him what it was all about and where it was going. He spoke about the need for there to be someone available to engage people virtually just as we have Shluchim in locales to engage people in person. He expressed his vision for the future for which he felt he was laying the groundwork. “I see a time when using a camera and a microphone, you can give a class in one place and it will be seen around the world. I envision children being able to be part of a classroom though they live far away, by having a camera and microphone in the classroom.” This man was the founder of Chabad.org, one of the first 500 websites to be established on the world wide web, predating google, ebay, yahoo, and so many others that are so ubiquitous today. 

Alas this visionary would not live to see his vision play out. His untimely passing just a few years later, precluded him from witnessing what he predicted. Chabad.org became the gold standard of Jewish websites, with billions of visits. He is truly the father of the Jewish internet presence. 

His name was Rabbi YY Kazen. His 25th yahrtzeit is this week. His youngest son, Rabbi Peretz Kazen and his wife Mushka (my sister) established Chabad in Baton Rouge in 2015. They are embarking on a bold mission to dedicate the first Jewish institution in his memory, the YY Kazen Campus of Chabad Baton Rouge. 

If you have benefitted from any Jewish presence on the internet, he played a role in that. If you have visited chabad.org or one of its thousands of network affiliates, he played a role in that. He inspired the concept of Jewish online classes, videos, livestreaming, and was the first to digitize thousands of pages of basic Jewish texts. 

Take a moment and help make the YY Kazen Campus in Baton Rouge a reality. Visit https://raisethon.com/yyk/rivkinfamily and honor his legacy with a generous contribution to this project. 

And remember the action plan for Israel (below), which is as important as ever before.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi 
Mendel Rivkin

Action Plan Highlights
See our page 
 https://onemitzvah.org/israel/chabad-louisiana
Add your Mitzvah today!

  • Tefillin: Please visit Chabad Uptown or Chabad Metairie and lay Tefillin or reach out to have someone come by with Tefillin. If you have Tefillin, put them on daily and offer to share them with other Jewish males over Bar Mitzvah. I am proud to report that we have experienced a significant surge in people coming forward to lay Tefillin.

  • Shabbat Candles: Ladies and girls, you have the power of light in your hands. Light Shabbat candles before sunset on Friday (this week at 4:43 pm). If you need or know someone that needs Shabbat candles, let us know and we will get a package to them. Many women have committed to light Shabbat candles in our community. This is very gratifying.

  • Mezuzah: Put a Mezuzah on the door of your home, or check the existing ones to make sure they are valid. Reach out to us if you need a Mezuzah or help checking the ones you have up. In New Orleans several dozen Mezuzahs have been put up in the past two weeks. We recently got a shipment of 120 additional Mezuzahs and requests are coming in strong.

  • Tzedakah:  www.chabad.org/helpisrael is a great resource to get funds directly to the organizations on the ground in Israel helping with the war effort. There are many other reputable organizations raising funds as well, see www.Jewishnola.com for the Federation’s initiatives. The main thing is to offer our support.

  • Pray: Chabad Rabbis in Israel have asked that recite the following Psalms for the safety and security our people in Israel - Psalms 20, 22, 69, 122, and 150. At Chabad (both locations) we recite them twice daily during the morning and evening minyan.

  • Letter in the Scroll: Get your child a letter in the Children’s Torah Scroll –  www.chabadneworleans.com/332998. The Unity Torah for people of all ages –  www.chabadneworleans.com/409282.

  • Study Torah: Join a Torah class or study on your own. 

  • Take a tour of a Mikvah and explore the secret to Jewish family purity and harmony. For more info, www.chabadneworleans.com/mikvah

GoPro Judaism

The story goes that the mission to Mars is finally successful. As the astronauts emerge from the spacecraft that brought them to the red planet, they look up and see a structure with a sign bearing a Menorah symbol on the outside that reads, “Welcome to Chabad on Mars.”

Yesterday several IDF soldiers brought printing apparatus into Gaza and printed a Gaza Tanya. The idea was to bring an infusion of spiritual light into a place that has been a hub of darkness for far too long. This echoed the Rebbe’s call to print a Tanya in Lebanon in the early 80s, during the original conflict in Lebanon.  

With the assault of negativity to which we are subjected regularly regarding the war, it is critical to share positive stories and demonstrate the avalanche of positivity that is ongoing. Of course, remember the action plan (included below).

A Chabad Shliach who was called up to reserve duty, serving near the northern border, shared a video of himself and colleagues in an Israeli Arab school teaching the kids the song, Thank You Hashem, translated into Arabic, Shukran A-llah. The children and their teacher were enthusiastically singing along and clapping.

My daughter Chana, who is in Israel, told me that she and a group of friends went to a nearby army base and did a Challah bake with the female IDF soldiers this week. She also mentioned, that wherever they go, they take Shabbat candle kits along to distribute. They never have enough. People are so awakened to Jewish connection right now.

This was on full display in DC this week, where tens of thousands put on tefillin, prayed, took Shabbat candles, and did Mitzvot during the rally. Someone posted a picture on social media of a group of Jews wearing Tefillin and doing a minyan before the event started. One of the comments on the post was from a non-Jew who wrote, “I love that they are wearing GoPros on their heads.”

So, I did some quick research into the origin of GoPro and discovered that the founder of GoPro created the camera to help him and his friends who were aspiring to become professional surfers. He merged his passion for professionalism with his expertise in technology and created a camera that could be worn and give high quality video even in the water and at high action speeds. The parallel is great. Mitzvot like Tefillin are our GoPro technology to become “professional Jews.”

I conclude with a story that drives home how the IDF soldiers view our prayers and Mitzvot on their behalf.

A commander called his Rabbi friend while on break from the fighting in Gaza to share the following anecdote. He walked into a command meeting that morning and noticed that everyone was shaken and disturbed. They were watching live drone footage of three tanks, each with a 12-man capacity, burning after taking a hit from enemy fire. The loss of 36 soldiers was too overwhelming to contemplate. Suddenly, a phone rings and a commander sees the cell number of a soldier in one of those units. He picks up and says, “how are you alive and calling me?” The soldier replies that he was in the lead tank, and they had a rotator belt malfunction. Realizing that they would be sitting ducks for enemy fire, they all jumped out and ran for safety. The two units behind them saw them running and assumed they were under attack, so they all jumped out and ran as well. As soon all three units were safely out of harms way, the three tanks took a hit and started burning. “Rabbi,” the commander concluded, “the prayers and Mitzvot are working. We feel the protection. Please encourage people to continue on our behalf.”

May Hashem protect those who are putting their lives on the line to defend the lives of their brothers and sisters. May Hashem bring peace and protection to Israel and the whole world. May Hashem send us Mashiach and the final Redemption, thereby eliminating all war, conflict, jealousy, and distress from our universe. Amen

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Action Plan Highlights
See our page 
 https://onemitzvah.org/israel/chabad-louisiana
Add your Mitzvah today!

  • Tefillin: Please visit Chabad Uptown or Chabad Metairie and lay Tefillin or reach out to have someone come by with Tefillin. If you have Tefillin, put them on daily and offer to share them with other Jewish males over Bar Mitzvah. I am proud to report that we have experienced a significant surge in people coming forward to lay Tefillin.
  • Shabbat Candles: Ladies and girls, you have the power of light in your hands. Light Shabbat candles before sunset on Friday (this week at 4:46 pm). If you need or know someone that needs Shabbat candles, let us know and we will get a package to them. Many women have committed to light Shabbat candles in our community. This is very gratifying.
  • Mezuzah: Put a Mezuzah on the door of your home, or check the existing ones to make sure they are valid. Reach out to us if you need a Mezuzah or help checking the ones you have up. In New Orleans several dozen Mezuzahs have been put up in the past two weeks. We recently got a shipment of 120 additional Mezuzahs and requests are coming in strong.
  • Tzedakah:  www.chabad.org/helpisrael is a great resource to get funds directly to the organizations on the ground in Israel helping with the war effort. There are many other reputable organizations raising funds as well, see www.Jewishnola.com for the Federation’s initiatives. The main thing is to offer our support.
  • Pray: Chabad Rabbis in Israel have asked that recite the following Psalms for the safety and security our people in Israel - Psalms 20, 22, 69, 122, and 150. At Chabad (both locations) we recite them twice daily during the morning and evening minyan.
  • Letter in the Scroll: Get your child a letter in the Children’s Torah Scroll –  www.chabadneworleans.com/332998. The Unity Torah for people of all ages –  www.chabadneworleans.com/409282.
  • Study Torah: Join a Torah class or study on your own. Register for The World of Kabbalah and introduce the calm that comes from the power of Torah knowledge into your life. For the uptown course www.chabadneworleans.com/jli. For the Metairie course www.jewishlouisiana.com/jli.
  • Take a tour of a Mikvah and explore the secret to Jewish family purity and harmony. For more info, www.chabadneworleans.com/mikvah

 

Was Pollyanna On To Something

Pollyanna was a fictional book and movie character who demonstrated unusual optimism, faith, and determination to look for the good in everything. We often use the term to describe someone who is “unreasonably” positive, or the refusal to be pulled down, even under the most challenging of circumstances.

But was Pollyanna on to something. Did she know something about life that many of us don’t recognize? 

Since the events of October 7, the Jewish people have faced a challenge, unprecedented in our generation. No need to state the obvious. In Israel and in the Diaspora, Jews are feeling threatened in a way that we have not felt in a long time.

There are two general methods of reaction. We can be fearful and highlight the threat, which wouldn’t be unreasonable. But it might leave us more vulnerable. When we project fear and a sense of downtroddenness, that can embolden our enemies.

Or we can radiate strength and optimism (without lowering our guard to the possibility of danger). 

The Baal Shem Tov once commented on the verse in Ezekiel’s vision of the Divine Chariot, “On the image of the throne, I saw an image of the appearance of a man.” Kabbalah has a deep interpretation of that verse as it refers to “Supernal Man.” The Baal Shem Tov adds that “the image of the appearance of a man” teaches the G-d reflects the image projected by man. The Hebrew term used in the verse, “Mareh” means mirror or reflection. When we project joy and optimism, that is reflected back from G-d towards us. If we project pessimism or negativity, or even worry and concern, that is reflected back towards us. 

The Chabad movement, motivated by the Rebbe’s constant call to channel this approach of the Baal Shem Tov, is full steam ahead on radiating optimism and strength. The action plan (shared below) is meant to be a real emotional and spiritual support for Israel. In addition, it is also meant to help Jews feel more positively Jewish. When we project strength and optimism, we cannot be brought down. It increases our feeling of togetherness and unity, which further strengthens us.

Instead of just bemoaning the state of antisemitism today, project Jewishness. Now is the time for more visible declaration of our Jewishness, more Mezuzahs, more Mitzvot, and more strength. We are not Jews who cower and hide. We are Jews who are proud and public about who we are. We know that truth and righteousness is with us and that good people in the world stand with us. 

Today at noon central time, the annual Chabad Shluchim Conference will be broadcast at www.chabadneworleans.com/kinus. Tune in to watch the projection of strength, optimism, and joy. 

May G-d bless us with the reflection of strength, optimism, and joy back towards us as we march to the complete Redemption through the coming of Mashiach speedily.         

Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Action Plan Highlights
See our page
 https://onemitzvah.org/israel/chabad-louisiana
Add your Mitzvah today!

  • Tefillin: Please visit Chabad Uptown or Chabad Metairie and lay Tefillin or reach out to have someone come by with Tefillin. If you have Tefillin, put them on daily and offer to share them with other Jewish males over Bar Mitzvah. I am proud to report that we have experienced a significant surge in people coming forward to lay Tefillin.

  • Shabbat Candles: Ladies and girls, you have the power of light in your hands. Light Shabbat candles before sunset on Friday (this week at 6:14 pm). If you need or know someone that needs Shabbat candles, let us know and we will get a package to them. Many women have committed to light Shabbat candles in our community. This is very gratifying.

  • Mezuzah: Put a Mezuzah on the door of your home, or check the existing ones to make sure they are valid. Reach out to us if you need a Mezuzah or help checking the ones you have up. In New Orleans several dozen Mezuzahs have been put up in the past two weeks. We just got a shipment of 120 additional Mezuzahs and requests are coming in strong.

  • Tzedakah:  www.chabad.org/helpisrael is a great resource to get funds directly to the organizations on the ground in Israel helping with the war effort. There are many other reputable organizations raising funds as well, see www.Jewishnola.com for the Federation’s initiatives. The main thing is to offer our support.

  • Pray: Chabad Rabbis in Israel have asked that recite the following Psalms for the safety and security our people in Israel - Psalms 20, 22, 69, 122, and 150. At Chabad (both locations) we recite them twice daily during the morning and evening minyan.

  • Letter in the Scroll: Get your child a letter in the Children’s Torah Scroll –  www.chabadneworleans.com/332998. The Unity Torah for people of all ages –  www.chabadneworleans.com/409282.

  • Study Torah: Join a Torah class or study on your own. Register for The World of Kabbalah and introduce the calm that comes from the power of Torah knowledge into your life. For the uptown course www.chabadneworleans.com/jli. For the Metairie course www.jewishlouisiana.com/jli.

  • Take a tour of a Mikvah and explore the secret to Jewish family purity and harmony. For more info, www.chabadneworleans.com/mikvah


The Surge of October 2023

When you hear the word surge, with what do you associate it? In recent years “surge” meant an increase in COVID cases. Some may recall the troop surge of 2007 in Iraq. For us in Southeast Louisiana, “storm surge” relates to the impact of hurricanes on our coastal areas. I would like to offer another association, one that is uniquely Jewish.

In 1967, following the miracles of the Six Day War, there was a surge of inspiration and an uptick of Jewish involvement. Jews had felt the ominous threat of annihilation by the Arab nations, and just over 20 years after the Holocaust ended. The exhilaration that Jews experienced as they beheld what the New York Times declared to be “A Miracle of Biblical Proportions,” brought out strong feelings of connection to their Jewishness. There was a surge of Jews wanting to do more Mitzvahs, learn more Torah, attend Shul more often, and just do Jewish things. There was a similar surge around the time of the Yom Kippur war, 6 years later.

This year, in response to the attacks in Israel on Simchat Torah, there is another surge. Amazing things are happening. Jews are looking for connectedness. Tefillin, Mezuzahs, Shabbat candles, Synagogue attendance, and any opportunity for Jewish involvement. Restaurants in Tel Aviv went Kosher and closed on Shabbat so that they could prepare food for IDF soldiers. An Israeli TV anchor, borrowed a kippa from a guest on his show so that he could pronounce a blessing of thanksgiving when the news of the rescued soldier, Ori Magdish, was announced. Thousands of pairs of Tzitzit were being made by hundreds of volunteers so they could be given to members of Tzahal. These are just a tiny drop in an ocean of increased Jewish observance.

The difference is that, while in 1967 the surge was mostly in response to the salvation, in 2023, the surge is in advance of the salvation. We are still in the thick of distress. Yet, Jews have come to recognize the critical value and importance of this surge in determining the positive outcome that we await with certainty and faith in Hashem. May Hashem see our efforts and grant us a speedy salvation.

This war is fought on four fronts. There is the battle being fought by the IDF, the sacred right to self-defense and to facilitating a life of safety and security for the inhabitants of Israel. There is the PR battle that is waged through dissemination of truth at every opportunity. There is the psychological/emotional front being fought both in Israel and around the world, to maintain the morale of the Jewish people in the face of these threats. There is the spiritual battle, based on our firm belief that holy acts make a real difference.

The terrorists tried to destroy Jewish life and Jewish communities. We must strengthen and increase Jewish life and Jewish communities.

I am including our action plan once again as a reminder of the things we can do to propel our people to victory.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Action Plan Highlights
See our page 
https://onemitzvah.org/israel/chabad-louisiana
Add your Mitzvah today!

·Tefillin: Please visit Chabad Uptown or Chabad Metairie and lay Tefillin or reach out to have someone come by with Tefillin. If you have Tefillin, put them on daily and offer to share them with other Jewish males over Bar Mitzvah. I am proud to report that we have experienced a significant surge in people coming forward to lay Tefillin.

·Shabbat Candles: Ladies and girls, you have the power of light in your hands. Light Shabbat candles before sunset on Friday (this week at 6:14 pm). If you need or know someone that needs Shabbat candles, let us know and we will get a package to them. Many women have committed to light Shabbat candles in our community. This is very gratifying.

·Mezuzah: Put a Mezuzah on the door of your home, or check the existing ones to make sure they are valid. Reach out to us if you need a Mezuzah or help checking the ones you have up. In New Orleans several dozen Mezuzahs have been put up in the past two weeks. We just got a shipment of 120 additional Mezuzahs and requests are coming in strong.

·Tzedakah:  www.chabad.org/helpisrael is a great resource to get funds directly to the organizations on the ground in Israel helping with the war effort. There are many other reputable organizations raising funds as well, see www.Jewishnola.com for the Federation’s initiatives. The main thing is to offer our support.

·Pray: Chabad Rabbis in Israel have asked that recite the following Psalms for the safety and security our people in Israel - Psalms 20, 22, 69, 122, and 150. At Chabad (both locations) we recite them twice daily during the morning and evening minyan.

·Letter in the Scroll: Get your child a letter in the Children’s Torah Scroll –  www.chabadneworleans.com/332998. The Unity Torah for people of all ages –  www.chabadneworleans.com/409282.

·Study Torah: Join a Torah class or study on your own. Register for The World of Kabbalah and introduce the calm that comes from the power of Torah knowledge into your life. For the uptown course www.chabadneworleans.com/jli. For the Metairie course www.jewishlouisiana.com/jli.

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