Lecturer’s Wish is Granted

By COLlive staff

Rabbi Shais Taub made a name for himself as a “Recovery Rabbi,” authoring the acclaimed book “G-d of Our Understanding” which infused spiritually in addiction recovery and lecturing to thousands around the country.

Now communities around the world are getting to learn of another aspect of Taub: A scholar of Jewish mysticism with the ability to translate highly intellectual concepts into practical day-to-day advice.

His latest lecture tour took him to Caracas, Venezuela, where he addressed topics ranging from marriage to geopolitics. The visit coincided with Taub’s 38th birthday.

“When Rabbi Yehoshua Rosenblum told me the dates for the event, I instantly recognized the date as my birthday since every 19 years the dates of one’s Hebrew and secular birthdays are the same,” Taub told his audience.

“I asked my wife if I should stay at home or travel and she told me, ‘What better way is there to spend your birthday than teaching Torah to Jews?'”

Concurrent with Rabbi Taub’s scholar-in-residence series at the Hogar Jabad Lubavitch center in Caracas was a gallery showing of Michoel Muchnik, among the foremost Jewish artists of our day, specializing in imaginative and joyful chassidic art.

In one talk, Taub referred to one of Muchnik’s paintings entitled “Nullification” which depicts a seed decaying in order to become a tree. To explain the need for putting aside your ego in marriage, Taub used the imagery of “Nullification” to describe how to become selfless.

He told the crowd, “If you want to get me a birthday present, you can buy me ‘Nullification.'”

But after a pause, he added with a smile, “On second thought, I know my wife loves Muchnik’s painting ‘Avraham’s Tent.’ I’d rather actually be nullified than own ‘Nullification,’ so forget about what I like. You can get me ‘Avraham’s Tent’ for my birthday.”

At the end of his stay in Venezuela, Mr. Muchnik along with the event’s sponsor, Mr. Richard Roth, gave Taub the birthday present he asked for, “Avraham’s Tent.”

The lectures as well as the gallery showing were also attended by the bochurim shluchim of the yeshiva in Caracas.