By K. N.
Over the weekend, a friend of mine who is in business, mentioned to me that every year during the Kinus he feels a little guilty because he feels he should have gone on shlichus. He’s not alone. It’s not uncommon that after seeing the shluchim’s passion and the difference they’ve made to develop a desire to join their ranks. There are many Chabad professionals and businessmen who love and appreciate the Rebbe’s work and would love to participate but are not sure how.
The theme of this year’s Kinus was how to get one’s community involved in shlichus. The Rebbe said that every yid is a shliach and everybody is responsible to improve their own circle and community with all the means at their disposal. This also applies to frum people who live in a frum community, they too can get more involved with shlichus and partner with shluchim.
Here are a few simple but practical suggestions on how you can get more involved in shlichus. You don’t need a lot of time for many of these, some require just half an hour or so per week.
Join JNet. JNet provides business people, students, and homemakers the opportunity to take time out of their busy work week to study Torah. JNet sets up those who are a bit more advanced with beginners as study partners. It requires just half an hour a week and the schedule is usually flexible: https://www.jnet.org/templates/jnet/article_cdo/aid/2080650
Volunteer for Aleph. The Aleph Institute is dedicated to assisting members of groups that are isolated from the mainstream community such as members of the U.S. military, prisoners, and those struggling with mental illness or addictions. Aleph is in a constant need for volunteers for various tasks, you can sign up here: https://aleph-institute.org/wp/volunteer/
Do Mivtzoyim. Commit to putting on tefillin on your friends and coworkers on Fridays (or other days) just like many shluchim and bochrim do every week. You can also download the Wrapp App. Wrapp is a mobile app that links those with tefillin with those desiring to put on tefillin.
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lightuptheworld.tefillinwrap
iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tefillin-wrapp/id1385724757
Host a Meal. Invite a Jewish friend or coworker to a Friday night or yom tov meal and teach them about yiddishkeit. There are also many baalei teshuva within the community that would benefit tremendously if you could host them. Consider reaching out to the baalei teshuva yeshivas such as Mayanot, Hadar Hatorah and Machon Chana and offer to host their students.
Throw a Party. Host a holiday party in your office or your house. Chanukah and Purim are great opportunities to make a meaningful event and share the beauty of yiddishkeit with your employers, employees and co-workers. Most people enjoy social gatherings, especially if there’s food, and it’s a great opportunity to get people involved who would otherwise not attend Jewish events.
Participate. Offer to partner with a shliach at their Chabad House. Act as a home base for shluchim and host them or their balabatim when they come to your community. You can also offer to stand in for a shliach if they need to get away for a shabbos for a simcha or otherwise. You can also help them with their mivtzoyim, especially during or before yomim tovim.
Publish. Research and write an article or produce a video about a Jewish topic or issue that you are familiar with and passionate about and submit it to a blog or a website for publication.
Answer. Contribute to Jewish articles, discussions, or forums such as entries on Wikipedia or answer questions to Jewish questions on sites such as Quora, Yahoo or WikiAnswers etc. You can also add content to public Jewish websites such as Mi Yodea and Sefaria.
Enroll. Recruit young Jewish students or professionals for a Mayanot Birthright trip to Israel or offer to lead a Birthright trip: https://recruiters.mayanotisrael.com/recruiter/registerrecruiter.aspx
Donate. Last but not least, you can always donate to one of the about 5000 shluchim around the world or to a related cause.
These are just a few of the many ideas of how you can participate in the Rebbe’s mission to prepare the world for Moshiach. There are obviously many more possibilities. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Beautiful!!!
…just by being a living example for those around you. Be a mentsch. Be kind, ethical, and honest. Treat Jews and non-jews alike with compassion and warmth. Your presence will make a difference.
shlichus is not something you can “do”, shlichus is something you are!
every chossid when going out and doing the Rotzon of the Rebbe becomes an emmisary bshaas they do the will of the Rebbe.
A shliach on the other hand,who makes it their lifes mission to live, to work for the Rebbe is a shliach.
a shlichus is something you do. a shliach is something you are. that’s simply based on the grammar of the words. as to shliach or shlichus, to be a shliach one has to have been made one by a mish-a-lay-ach. one can be doing the rebbe’s rotzon as one understands it to be from the rebbe’s public teachings, but that doesn’t make him a shliach. only if the rebbe tells a person “do this on my behalf” is one the rebbe’s shliach and doing the rebbe’s shlichus. Of course, this might not sit well with anyone who “went on shlichus”… Read more »
You so boldly say that the Shluchim of the last 25 years are not Shluchim because the rebbe didn’t tell them specifically. Why don’t you look up the קצות החושן on שליחות לאחר מיתה Before you make bold statements. Shlichus is an idea in Halacha so how about checking the sources? סימן קפ״ח סק״ב
The Rebbe says many times how every Yid is a Shliach and was appointed by the Rebbe to bring yiddishkeit and chassidus to the world. Obviously not taking away from those who spend their whole life doing that, namely Shluchim.
First, thank you for posting this wonderful article. I’m truly certain that this article will positively impact those of us (including myself) to do more to be mekarev yidden to yiddishkeit. Second, this idea that anyone can do “shlichus” and “everyone is a shliach” I hear all the time. And this, I truly fail to understand. Shlichus in the context of kiruv is Shlichus from the Rebbe. When people say that every jew has a shlichus – while that is true – it does not mean that every jew is a shliach of the rebbe. The way to be a… Read more »
The Rebbe clearly says every yid appointed by Rebbe Rayatz to be a Shliach. The distinction between the “Shluchim” you are referring to are on duty 24/7. Everyone else when they have a chance. I highly recommend you study the sicha Chayai Sara 5752 in depth.
If you would learn the שיחה in depth, you would clearly see how the Rebbe actually differentiates between two different types of people. The first type is a person that “does” shlichus, the second is one that IS a shliach. The first type the Rebbe discusses is the famous thing that everyone quotes “The Rebbe said the Frierdiker Rebbe a pointed every Yid in our generation to be his shliach”, and this is exactly what the Rebbe says. However, many forget what the Rebbe says a mere two paragraphs later – “Regarding those who merited, that from amongst the Yidden,… Read more »
Learning with people in your community who wouldn’t learn without your gentle push
Mesibas Shabbos
Avos u’banim program
Assisted Living Homes- visit, tefillin, sing/bring cheer in, yomim tovim mivtzoim..
Chalk Shabbos candle lighting times in your city
Why only tefillin? Mivtza Neshek, Holiday mivtzoim, Mivtza Chinuch, to enroll kids in Tzivos Hashem, Mivtzo Tzedoka, etc etc
HOST A SHIUR IN YOUR HOME
SOMETHING WE ALL CAN DO FOR OUR OWN COMMUNITY AS WELL.