Finding a Path to the Jewish Heart

April 10, 2014   

Everyone has heard of the huge gatherings that Chabad emissaries hold around the world for travelers. This has become a phenomenon that encompasses tens of thousands of Jews every year. In many places, as many as a thousand or even two thousand participants gather for these gatherings. Chabad emissaries are often asked how they manage to attract such large crowds, most of whom have no religious background. How is it that all of a sudden all the barriers that separate groups and communities here in Israel fall, and everyone gathers together and celebrates the holiday as one family? The answer is – the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He taught the secret of how to find a path to the heart of every Jew. Every Chabad emissary strives to contain a little of the great love that radiated from the Rebbe to every Jew, wherever he may be. When Jews are loved, they do indeed return the love. Loving meaning On Passover, we must convey the message of the holiday to all four sons. One of them is the wicked son, who defies: "What is this work to you?" He excludes himself from the group – "for you and not for him." The answer given to him in the Haggadah is simply perceived as a harsh statement – ​​"If he had been there, he would not have been redeemed." But the Rebbe, in his loving approach to every Jew, expresses bewilderment at this answer, which could push the wicked son out of the camp. The Rebbe gives this statement a different meaning: "If he had been there, he would not have been redeemed" – only in Egypt did he have the option of remaining in exile and going to perdition, but now this option does not exist. We are essentially saying to him: Dear son, you are also a Jew, you cannot separate yourself from your Jewishness, you cannot exclude yourself from the group. Come, therefore, and be a part of the Jewish experience. Truly, this is the difference between the redemption of Egypt and the redemption that is about to come. In the redemption of Egypt, whoever did not want to be redeemed was lost. But in the coming redemption, not a single Jew will remain in exile. God promised: "No one will be rejected from Him." He will take hold of the hand of every Jew and redeem us, as it is said: "And you will be gathered one by one, the children of Israel.". Bright day Friday, the 11th of Nisan, is the day when one hundred and twelve years ago the holy soul of the Rebbe descended into the world, and we were blessed with his great light. It is a righteous day, a day of joy and awakening, a day of thanksgiving to God Almighty. It is a day on which it is fitting for each and every one of us to awaken the memory of the personal contact we had with the Rebbe, and to strengthen ourselves in studying his Torah and walking in his ways. Our generation, which was blessed with the great light of the Rebbe, who enjoyed the light of his Torah, his insightful advice, his precise guidance, the abundance of his blessings, and his great leadership, deserves to thank the Creator of the world for implanting this great soul within us. It is a day for increasing love of Israel, for spreading Judaism, for acquitting many with the mitzvot, and most of all – for strengthening the Rebbe’s main passion – the expectation of true redemption and completion by our righteous Messiah. A kosher and joyful holiday, a holiday of true freedom.