$70K Honors Rabbi Manis’ 70th

It’s Good to Know, the education organization directed by Rabbi Zalman and featuring Rabbi Manis Friedman, is holding a $70,000 Matchathon today, celebrating Rabbi Manis Friedman’s 70th birthday and a half-century of service to the Jewish community.

Along with the influx of congratulatory letters and birthday wishes, It’s Good to Know received a remarkable letter, an excerpt follows:

“…About six years ago, before I was observant, a friend took me to a Chabad program where I listened to Rabbi Friedman talk about lighting Shabbos candles. His words entered my heart and I knew everything he was saying was true. His words keep playing over and over inside of me and I wanted to light Shabbos candles.

I went home and the next Shabbos lit and prayed over my first Shabbos candles…From there I became kosher, learned to read Hebrew, began saying blessings, prayers and with a slow and steady pace became observant.
Because I was a late beginner I wasn’t able to pass on my new learnings and ways to my children as they are adults. But I am doing it so joyfully with my grandchildren who are now in Hebrew school.

And all this started with Rabbi Friedman’s talk on lighting Shabbos candles.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Rabbi Friedman. You have touched and changed many hearts who have in turn gone and changed many other hearts. Your beautifully true words and thoughts changed my life and, I am sure, countless others.

Happy, Happy Birthday.”

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Inspired by this letter and the hundreds like it, It’s Good to Know is redoubling their efforts to reach and inspire more people than ever to a happy path of Teshuva, and has resolved to make Rabbi Friedman’s 70th birthday a catalyst for a banner year of education.

Following the Rebbe’s example at Shnas Hashivim, It’s Good to Know has plans to make this year the most active yet, with elevated programming on every level.

“We have no intention of giving my father any kind of sabbatical,” joked Rabbi Zalman Friedman, “and seriously speaking, our vision is that more people will benefit from him this year than any year prior.”

Thanks to the kind and generous matchers and donors, the Matchathon will support an unprecedented increase in all It’s Good to Know’s activities. Rabbi Friedman will be teaching more classes, in and beyond Crown Heights, publishing more educational videos, hosting more seminars and Shabbatons, doing more learning with individuals and groups, and bringing some of the light of Chassidus to more students than ever.

If you have enjoyed Rabbi Friedman’s classes and benefited from his work, please consider partnering in the Matchathon to help give others the experience you had.

And if you count yourself among the people who have learned Chassidus or benefited in any way from Rabbi Friedman, academically or personally, please consider sending a birthday present in the form of a donation to the Matchathon, enabling and empowering It’s Good to Know to fulfill their stated goal of making the 71st year a historic one.

Click here to donate.