By Gitty Stolik
Why were we celebrating the Rebbe’s birthday three days early, I wondered.
I got my answer within the first few minutes of the program. The Rebbe himself provided the answer. When a man offered the Rebbe birthday wishes, the Rebbe told him, “Bless me [rather] that Moshiach should come before my birthday.” No, not just “Moshiach should come.” The Rebbe insisted the well-wisher should voice the wish that “Moshiach will come before my birthday.”
The rich program ran for 2 and ¾ hours. Do we get credit for ‘stopping in middle’ of our Pesach cleaning to participate in a farbrengen for the Rebbe? Our whole raison d’etre is for the Rebbe, for Moshiach, for Geula!
It was a program fit for a King. An underlying theme was making the spiritual practical. That’s why I loved Chani Katzman’s talk. Chani gives weekly classes of the Rebbe’s sichos. She experienced firsthand how learning is the key to making the Rebbe’s words real, real-er than the disturbing world that tries to pull us down. She encouraged everyone to find the right text to learn, to make the learning a real part of your schedule, whether daily, weekly or monthly… whether a minute or an hour, but do it. (You can join her podcasts at DareToDifferentiate.com).
Shlucha Shachar Benin, Venice, Italy, asked “What else can we do to strengthen ourselves in our everyday lives? To remind ourselves of the sense of urgency?” She encouraged us to make the waiting more meaningful. It’s not just the acts we do, but the feeling and intensity of spirit, because the spirit is unstoppable. Shachar, above all, I was touched by your modeling the intensity, which stirred me even more than your very eloquent messages. We need to be overtaken with intense yearning – this is what the Rebbe modeled as well, we need to make the Nachshon leap. Thank you Shachar!
Shliach Rabbi Moshe Bryski of Agoura Hills, California, breathed new life into our appreciation of the dramatic shifts in world conditions. Any historian would have to acknowledge the greatness of Yud-aleph Nissan. “The birth of our Rebbe brought about a seismic change in the world and an impact on Jewish history the likes of which has not been seen since creation. The Rebbe revolutionized our world…he made Moshiach part of our daily lexicon… no greater trust was placed on a generation than our Nasi placed on us.” Thank you Rabbi Bryski for your two applications of how the Rebbe made the dry bones of Yechezkiel’s vision come alive – through Russian Jewry, and lost Jews in the US and around the world, of re-igniting the wondrousness of our Rebbe’s sole, unerring voice of prophecy, fearless in its individualism.
Shlucha Vivi Altabe of Marseille, France, reminded us that Lubavitch is a Movement. You know what moves it? It’s moved by joy, simcha. She explained the nature of emotion. E= energy, and it provides movement and momentum. Fear constricts, separates and moves us backwards. Bad as galus is, the fear pushes us back into our familiar comfort zone. Joy provides forward momentum. Joy is indeed a moving experience, and it will move us from galus to Geula. Joy pushes us out of our capacities and then Hashem melts the limits in the world.
And there was much more…
Click here for the google form to choose or fill in your hachloto and it will be included in the duch to be presented to the Rebbe on Wednesday, Yud-aleph Nissan.
We love you Rebbe and we are privileged to call ourselves your Chassidim!
Tradition has it that Eliyahu proclaims Moshiach’s coming three days in advance. I think the women seized the zchus! We hope we have succeeded in making Moshiach come before the Rebbe’s birthday.
Yechi Adoneinu Morein V’Rabbeinu Melech HaMoshiach L’Olam Vo’ed!
VIDEO: Full Replay
That captures the soul of this wonderful program!