“Achdus Shabbos” Being Held

By COLlive reporter

Chabad communities and Lubavitch yeshivos will be holding chassidic farbrengens this coming Shabbos in preparation for the holiday of Shavuos.

The Rebbe encouraged that in connection with Rosh Chodesh Sivan, when the Jewish people stood united on Mount Sinai (“Vayichan Shom Yisroel Neged Hahar”), every community should make an event to strengthen unity.

Saying it was an emotional request (“בקשה נפשית”), the Rebbe called to hold farbrengens where participants should speak about achdus.

Faithful to that theme, Yeshivas Tomchei Tmimim in Morristown, NJ, will be hosting this Shabbos the bochurim from the Chabad Yeshivos in Baltimore, MD and New Haven, CT. Various Yeshivas in Europe will be gathering at the Yeshiva in Brunoy, France, as well.

To honor the occasion, the Chayenu weekly learning publication has printed a unique Maamar from the Alter Rebbe, translated into English for the first time, giving unique insight on how to achieve unity within diversity. It was done in cooperation with ECHAD – The Center for Oneness Consciousness.

The key to tolerance, and inter-inclusion, writes the Alter Rebbe in the maamar, is expanded-consciousness. Download it here.

Over 30 Chabad centers are dedicating the Shabbos to Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, the former meat executive whose biased trial and harsh sentence has united Jews worldwide.

In an email this week, Rubashkin wrote: “According to all minhagim, the inyan of sadness and aveilus ends by Rosh Chodesh Sivan, which falls out this Friday, erev Shabbos.

“This Shabbos, parshas Bamidbar, in preparation for Shavuos, let us gather in our shuls with ahavas Yisroel and achdus Yisroel. With a kumzitz, a kiddush, a farbrengen, and perhaps even a seudah that has the power to unite people.”

Responding to his call, dozens of Shluchim have emailed the Rubashkin family that they will be doing so in his merit.

“I can’t tell you how excited Sholom Mordechai was when I told him about the response you all gave to this project,” wrote his wife, Leah Rubashkin.

“Thank you and may we celebrate shabbos achdus together with the Rebbe and Sholom Mordechai,” she wrote. To donate to his legal defense fund, visit justiceforsholom.org