Making Use of a Jewish Head

By COLlive reporter
Photos by Baruch Ezagui

Close to 700 people gathered on June 19 at the Hilton Philadelphia on City Avenue in Philadelphia for the annual “Evening of Study and Reflection” in honor of the Rebbe’s yahrzeit on Gimmel Tammuz.

In line with the theme of “Study of Rambam: A charge for our generation,” the evening began with small study groups with 6 Shluchim delivering in depth discussions about the Rambam’s all encompassing Mishneh Torah composition.

The main part of the evening began with watching a “My Encounters” clip from JEM’s Living Torah video magazine of how the Rebbe brought out within everyone the ability to use their opportunities and situations to make the world a holier place.

Rabbi Yudy Shemtov, Director of Chabad Bucks County, served as the emcee and opened the evening by addressing the paradox of the 18th yahrtzeit.

“18 is Chai and yahrtzeit implies the opposite,” he pointed out. “Who ever imagined that 18 years later we would still be in exile, and on the other hand, who imagined that 18 years later the Rebbe would continue to change the world and keep us on track to greeting Moshiach?”

Organized as a joint effort of the Shluchim in the Philadelphia area, the evening was a time to reflect on how to bring the Rebbe’s life mission into reality – with a focus on the Rebbe’s wish for Rambam to be learned by all.

Rabbi Zalman Lipsker, director of Va’adah L’dovrei Ivrit Chabad which serves Hebrew speakers in the city, was invited to recite the Rebbe’s Kapital in Tehillim.

The guest speaker was Rabbi Adin Even-Israel (Steinsaltz), the preeminent Talmudic scholar and commentator, who explained the chiddush of this initiative as a focus on learning Torah, in its entirety, to elevate the intellectual awareness of the yid.

“A Jew needs to be informed and a Jewish head is not just to wear a yarmulka or head covering on the outside,” he emphasized. “It is to be filled with ‘de’ah es hashem.'”

Rabbi Even-Israel then expounded very eloquently on the significance of being informed Jews and how the Rebbe’s campaign to learn Rambam, “kol hatorah l’chol h’am,” set this final step towards geulah into motion.

The second speaker of the evening was Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, Head Shliach of Philadelphia, who was also entrusted by the Rebbe with the roles of Chairman of Agudas Chassidei Chabad International and the Shliach to the White House.

In a passionate speech, he spoke about what it means to be with the Rebbe and how does one continue to live with the Rebbe – after Gimmel Tammuz. He explained that when one was privileged to be in yechiudus, “one did not see a guf, you were connecting with the etzem of the Rebbe – and this is possible today as well.”