A groundbreaking new program being facilitated by Merkos 302’s Moshiach Office will give shluchim a format to educate and excite their communities about the significance of Acharon Shel Pesach. The program is named “Festival of the Future: The Annual Moshiach Day at the Conclusion of Pesach” and will help Shluchim share the positive themes of Geulah connected to the day.
The program contains prepared speeches, farbrengen and group discussion material, interactive activities, promotional assets and more, all geared to helping people celebrate the last day of Pesach – from morning to evening. “Shluchim spend so much time and energy preparing for the seder, this resource gives us everything we need to host a Moshiach Seudah and Acharon Shel Pesach programs with ease,” says Rabbi Ephraim Silverman, Shliach to Cobb, Georgia, who is on the project’s advisory board and will be implementing the Festival of the Future program this year.
Acharon Shel Pesach has a special connection to Moshiach, starting with the haftarah and culminating at the Moshiach Seudah held in the evening towards the end of Yom Tov. The Tzemach Tzedek writes, “The first day of Pesach is Moshe Rabbeinu’s festival; the last day of Pesach is Moshiach’s festival.” It is quite simple to explain to someone why we celebrate our emancipation from Egyptian slavery. The Festival of the Future program on the other hand is designed to help extract the lessons from our future redemption that they can apply to their daily lives.
“Educating people about the Geulah and applying its relevant lessons today, as the Rebbe urged us, we will bring about the geulah already. The world is ready for it more than ever,” says Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Vice Chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch.
For special discounted prices, shluchim can buy into the Festival of the Future which contains more than twenty different resources for the entire day of Acharon Shel Pesach and for all ages. All resources, like the prepared speech for Shul, material for an in-depth shiur, children’s program resources, and Moshiach Seudah companions, are based on a different theme from the Acharon Shel Pesach haftarah.
For this year, organizers have chosen to focus on the concept of serenity amidst anxiety.
Based on the story of the Haftorah where after being told by Hashem that he has nothing to fear from Sancheriv’s armies camped right on his doorstep, King Chizkiyahu went to sleep completely confident in the promise of redemption, the theme brings to life lessons on emunah and bitachon as an antidote to anxiety. “At a time when everyone is worried about the troubling news and economic pressures, this theme will be a very powerful way to teach and a core concept of living geulah,” says Rabbi Shlomie Naparstek, Director of the Moshiach Office.
There will be resources tailored to various demographics such as Chabad Young Professionals, CKids, families, and communities. Each Festival of the Future package includes videos, social media posts, press releases, and other materials so that every shliach can market the Festival of the Future to their community with minimal effort.
For more information about the resources and to register your Chabad House or shul, visit www.festivalfuture.org.
