The annual gathering of thousands of emissaries from all over the world is a unique experience. The atmosphere is uplifting. Old friends meet. Fascinating workshops, soul-stirring gatherings. And of course, the excitement and heaviness of ascending the emissary's ladder, to appeal to the community and the individual.
But this experience is very short, just a few days in total. At the end of the conference, the emissaries return one by one to their place of mission, to the tasks ahead, and also to the difficulties and challenges, which are not at all simple. This is an opportunity to present some aspects of the world of mission that are not always apparent to the general public.
Captain on a ship
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Life mission. In the world, it is common to change roles. Even people who go on missions do so for specified periods of time, and then return to their place or move on to another role. The format of missions that the Rebbe built is completely different. Just as a captain of a ship does not abandon it in the middle of a voyage, the missionary does not leave his mission and his community, and he remains with it until the great shofar is blown and everyone comes to worship God in Jerusalem.
The economic burden. Do people give their opinion on the question of where the Shluchim get funding for all their activities? Maybe some believe that the Chabad center in Brooklyn has a bountiful oil well. So that's it, no.
Every emissary - in Israel and around the world - is required to deal with the challenges of financing on their own. They try to recruit donors and obtain partners for the activity. Sometimes this is more successful and sometimes less so. The emissaries spend many sleepless nights, worrying about covering the obligations they have taken on.
Hospitality. People call the messenger on Friday afternoon and happily announce that a group of Jews have arrived in their town and want to be guests at Shabbat feasts or receive kosher meals. The messenger will reply: "Certainly, happily, welcome, there is everything in abundance.".
Really? The honorable callers don't know that at the end of the call, the messenger runs off to do some shopping, and the woman starts baking challah and setting out pots - and this is after they've already finished preparing for Shabbat. Maybe if someone had bothered to announce the group's arrival in advance, the unnecessary hassle would have been saved?
Need something?
shortage. We are used to stores full of goodies, with all the fancy kosher certifications. Want a Jewish book for children? No problem, the nearest store has it. Many of the Shluchim do not have this luxury. For example, many children on Shluchim are unfamiliar with the taste of dairy delicacies (for kosher reasons, of course). If people traveling around the world would pick up the phone to the local Shluchim and ask if they needed anything, they could provide vital help to the Shluchim family.
In the country. The emissaries in remote places around the world naturally steal the show, but we shouldn't forget that here in Israel, too, there is an extensive system of emissaries who give their lives for other Jews.
They have given up the comforts of a religious or ultra-Orthodox neighborhood, and are busy day and night reaching out to the residents of their city and neighborhood. Here, preparing a boy for his Bar Mitzvah, there, accompanying a couple for a wedding. Here, supporting a family in mourning, and there, dealing with domestic peace issues. They are dealing with an economic burden and many challenges, and this is the place to celebrate their work.
