ChabadNewOrleans Blog - Chabad-Lubavitch of Louisiana

You Are A Temple

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 - 9:38 PM

Imagine the drama at the moment when the long awaited Mishkan (sanctuary) was completed. Here is how it described in this week’s Parsha (Exodus, 40:33-34), “…Moses completed the work. The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of G-d filled the Tabernacle.”

After months of contributions and construction, the project was completed. Now the people awaited the fulfilment of Hashem’s assurance, “Make for Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell within them.” Moses oversaw the final steps of getting everything in place for the inauguration. Suddenly the Cloud of Glory covered the Mishkan and the Glory of G-d filled the Tabernacle.

The surge of emotion must have been overwhelming. Coming from the tragic sin of the golden calf, and now, finally, their efforts were rewarded, and their atonement was accepted.

But how is it possible for a structure made by finite hands to contain the glory of G-d? As Solomon phrased it when he completed the First Holy Temple in Jerusalem (Kings I, 8:27), “But will G-d indeed dwell on the earth? Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You; much less this temple that I have erected.” The mystics explain this verse that the heavens and the heaven of heavens refer to the loftiest spiritual realms, that are inadequate to contain the true Glory of G-d, but somehow a physical building can?

Yet, that is exactly what happened. It happened with the Mishkan. It happened with the Temples. It happens with each of us in the Temple that we construct for Hashem in our hearts and homes. How indeed is this so?

By His own admission, the one thing that Hashem desires more than anything else, is a relationship with us. We cannot say that He needs it, but He does declare that He wants it. For this purpose, Hashem created the universe with all its spiritual and physical dimensions and complexities. For this purpose, Hashem created us people. And for this purpose, Hashem gave us the Torah. So, the heaven and the heaven of heavens, are mere connection points. Just lonely stops on the train ride for Hashem on His way down to earth. The real destination is for Hashem to dwell in our midst. Down here on physical earth, finite humans can utilize the Torah to actualize the relationship with Hashem that He so desires.

We each have a sanctuary in microcosm. We each are a sanctuary in microcosm. Let us maintain our sanctuary so that it can be suffused with the Glory of G-d at every moment.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Survive. Thrive. Strive.

Friday, March 21, 2025 - 1:28 PM

A major dilemma facing Jews over the generations was the question of do we focus on community building in our current space, be it geographic or conceptual, or do we focus solely on getting where we want/need to be.

The two holidays that we celebrate during this time of the year, Purim and Pesach, give us great insight as we attempt to navigate this issue.

At the time of the Babylonian conquest of Israel, resulting in the destruction of the First Holy Temple, Jeremiah prophesied that there would be a 70-year exile. The ambiguity of how to calculate the 70 years confounded the gentile rulers as well of their Jewish subjects, leading some to erroneously conclude that the 70 years had passed, and G-d had forsaken them.

The Purim story occurred in the latter part of those 70 years. Facing annihilation under Haman’s threat, Mordechai and Esther focus on Jewish survival. Then the threat is averted through the miracle of Purim. Now what? There were still several years remaining until the prophecy was fulfilled. Hand in hand with reassuring the Jews that “redemption” was ahead, Mordechai threw himself into ensuring that the Jewish community of Persia thrived.

Purim was a great victory. The turnabout was amazing. However, the Talmud utters four terrifying words in Aramaic when analyzing the Purim story, “acati avdi d’Achashverosh anan” – we are still subjects of Achashverosh. Even as we rebuilt the temple, it was only with permission from Daruis II, Achashverosh’s successor. Under David and Solomon, the Jewish people were sovereign in their land. We built the second temple as subjects of the Persian crown. We would ultimately be transferred from Persia to Greece, from Greece to Rome, back to Persia, then Arabia, and then the Ottomans. Ultimately it would be granted to the British as a mandate and, even when we are granted “independence” we are beholden to the Achashverosh types of the world. So, in reality, as the Talmud declares, “acati avdi d’Achashverosh anan” – we are still subjects of Achashverosh.

We are stuck in the same dilemma. Do we make sure that our Jewish communities thrive wherever they may be, in Israel or around the world? Or do we say, “building communities in exile is a waste of time?” We take a page from Mordechai’s playbook. We must make ensure that Jews are not just surviving but thriving. We must build strong, proud, and vibrant Jewish communities around the world.

Yet, that is not enough. Pesach teaches us that we must strive for complete freedom and redemption. When we left Egypt and stood at Sinai to receive the Torah, we were imbued with true and ultimate freedom. We were free of human rule. We were now and forever subjects of Hashem.

So, here is the Purim/Pesach inspired plan.

We survive. We overcome our physical and conceptual enemies.

We thrive. We build the best Jewish life we can for ourselves in our current circumstances.

We strive. We aspire and work towards a time of compete freedom and redemption.

By the time this Pesach comes, may Hashem have blessed us with the ultimate freedom and liberation with the coming of Moshiach and complete redemption, amen!

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

Jewish Influence / A Tribute to Lee Rittvo

Friday, March 7, 2025 - 9:50 AM

Towards the end of the Purim story we read (Esther 8:17), “And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's order and his edict reached, [there was] joy and gladness for the Jews, a feast and a festive day, and many of the peoples of the land became Jews because the fear of the Jews was upon them.”

A simple reading of this passage indicates that many gentiles in the Persian Empire adopted Judaism because they were afraid of the Jews. This doesn’t seem like a compelling case for sincere conversion. Doing something out of fear of someone else is not a recipe for long-term sustainability. So why is this celebrated in the Megillah as a positive effect of the Jewish salvation from Haman’s decree?

The Rebbe offers an alternative interpretation that changes the entire dynamic. “Fear of the Jews” is not to be understood as being afraid of the Jews. Rather, “Fear of the Jews” is the mindset of the Jewish people, meaning the Jews being in “awe of Hashem.” So now when we read “many of the peoples of the land became Jews because the fear of the Jews was upon them,” we understand this in terms of a spiritual and moral influence resulting from “the peoples of the land” observing the “G-d fearing” life of the Jewish people.

When a Jew models a life of honesty and integrity, with proper priorities in place, a harmonious family life, a caring for others, and a demonstrably meaningful relationship with Hashem, this is the loudest and most powerful influence that he or she can have on their environment. The late Chief Rabbi of the UK, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, put it succinctly, “Non-Jews respect Jews who respect Judaism.” When we live a proudly G-d fearing life, the impact on the “peoples of the land” is immense.

Now more than ever, we need to be mindful of this powerful ability to influence the perspectives and behaviors of those around us. Be a Jewish influencer!

We lost a dear friend of our family and Chabad of Louisiana. Lee Rittvo, formerly of New Orleans, passed away suddenly yesterday. We are heartbroken for her husband Steve, their children Ariel and David, and their families. Lee was a vibrant person, a feisty woman with strong views. She was a passionate Jew, and a highly artistic individual. Though they moved to Colorado after Hurricane Katrina, they remined involved and committed to New Orleans and our Jewish community.

Lee, along with Steve, may he live and be well, were the force behind the beautiful Mikvah at Chabad in New Orleans. The RINGGER Center for Jewish Women’s Enrichment was named for the family matriarchs who influenced their lives. Lee’s vision and execution of the beautiful mikvah is an everlasting treasure for women, locals and tourists alike, and a real foundation of the New Orleans Jewish community.

When Lee’s daughter-in-law used the Mikvah before her wedding, Lee was ecstatic. A young woman, who used to drive to New Orleans from the Florida panhandle shared, that she loved coming to this beautiful Mikvah and it was the highlight of her month. There is no question that Lee’s soul will be greeted in heaven by the multitude of angels, created by each woman’s use of the Mikvah over the past 15 years.

May G-d grant strength to Steve, Ariel, David, and their families as they confront this shattering loss. May the Al-mighty comfort them among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem; and bless them “that only goodness and kindness pursue them all the days of their lives.”

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin

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