Embrace Those on the Sidelines

Dear fathers,

If you go out to the dancing tonight at the Simchas Beis Hashoeiva in Crown Heights with your children, please enjoy, dance, make freilich and you should have a lifetime of everlasting chassidishe nachas from them.

If you are participating on your own, please make it a point to dance with visitors and youngsters who would feel most welcome by someone taking the time to engage with them.

There are many searching souls hanging around, predominantly at the Crown Street corner. You might be one of those who think, “How annoying that they come, what do they want here?”

But we have not been taught better — by the Rebbe.

We must reachout to them with love. Think about the wondrous fact that they came here rather going to any ‘hip’ hangout or destination. Think about the fact that they are attracted to the light and the truth. So don’t ignore them.

Yungeleit need to come to Crown corner Kingston, drape an arm over some fellow’s shoulder, and just proactively and joyously sweep one of these fellows into a two-man chassidishe rikkud before he knows what is happening — l’chatchila ariber!

Maybe he’ll only dance a little, maybe a little more — hopefully the dance will expand into more. Hopefully, too, it will be like the ‘kasha’ food of Tomchei Tmimim that goes a long way.

This is the true Hakhel unity that the Rebbe was encouraging us to do this year.

If the celebration would be held during the day time, we would be having stands to help people put on Tefillin. Because this is held at night, we can’t do that but the obligation to care for another Yid is still there.

You don’t need to walk or drive to far places — opportunity is right here in our own laps. It’s almost too unbelievably simple to do hafotza, simcha and hakhel with all types of yidden, just like the real Hakhel.

As a past faculty member of our schools, I know that we have been trying to address the issue for years. I admit, it was not weighing heavily on me today, but this afternoon a respected member of our community stopped me in the street and said urgently, “Maybe you could help. There is a matter that needs to be addressed.”

I promised the person I would contact people I know. At one point, I had a light bulb moment — through the medium of COLlive we can reach many more people.

Please note: It may not be advisable for bochurim to come over and get involved initially. At any rate they should use discretion, but once the guys are shlepped into a dance, the yungeleit can surely use energetic reinforcement.

Much wishes for a successful Hakhel.

A member of the community