Tanya – The Google and Facebook Campus Editions

By COLlive reporter

Editions of the Tanya, the foundational book of Chabad Chassidic philosophy, was printed this week on the corporate campuses of the Google parent Alphabet and the Facebook parent Meta in California.

The Tanya was authored by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of Chabad Chassidim known as the Alter Rebbe, and was first published in 1796.

Lubavitch chassidim, at the encouragement of the Rebbe, have been printing local editions to the Tanya in locations around the globe to spiritually purify its air by bringing holiness to the location it was printed.

The bochur behind this notable printing is Shimon Chanin, who says the idea to print the Tanyas at the Silicon Valley iconic companies came up two years ago when he was a bochur Shliach at JETS Yeshiva in Los Angeles.

“We were arranging a Shabbaton after a Mivtza for Chof Daled Teves, the Alter Rebbe’s yartzeit, and we thought, what better way to honor the Alter Rebbe than by printing a Tanya during the trip,” Chanin told COLlive.

After calling Rabbi Shmuly Jacobson, who distributes the official serial numbers for each Tanya printed, they began to plan for the printing, but were unable to arrange to get a printer and do all the arrangements before the trip.

During the Shabbaton, the JETS students toured the Facebook building and visited outside the Google campus, and Chanin resolved to return to print Tanyas there someday in the future.

Then, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, along with the shutdowns.

Two years later, as restrictions eased, Chanin says he was determined to finish what he had started.

He contacted bochur Mendel Bleich, who has been part of a hachlata to print 120 Tanyas in 6 months in honor of the Rebbe’s 120th birthday on Yud Alef Nissan. The Tanyas are being printed up and down the US East and West Coasts, and he gladly assisted with these unique Tanyas as well.

Together, they contacted the Shliach in S. Francisco, Rabbi Moshe Langer, and asked if he knew a way to accomplish this.

Rabbi Langer recommended they reach out to Rabbi Yosef Levin, the Shliach in Palo Alto, CA, who was able to connect them with an individual in each of the companies.

The bochurim enlisted the assistance of an individual at Google and Mendel Novack who runs a Kosher food truck on the Facebook campus and set up shop in the parking lots on each of the campuses, in Menlo Park and Mountain View, CA, and printed 100 Tanyas in each.

The custom-designed Tanyas were inspired by the companies’ branding, on the covers designed by Avremi Hershkop.

“We have been getting so much feedback about the Tanyas, so many people have reached out to us wanting a copy,” said Chanin.

Chanin says he would love to print even larger Tanyas, perhaps inside the buildings themselves. He is hoping someone with connections can help him accomplish that.

“If there is a real demand, we would love to print one in the building someday,” Chanin said. “We hope this endeavor has inspired others to print Tanyas in other locations as well.”