As Shabbat begins in the land, a unique event will take place on the other side of the globe. This is the hour when thousands of the Rebbe's emissaries, gathered from all corners of the world, ascend to the throne of the Rebbe, and offer prayers for the success of their mission and for the members of their communities and the entire nation of Israel.
It is difficult to describe in words the atmosphere at this hour. The faces are serious, each one with his reflections. Each one holds in his hand bundles of letters, given to him by members of his community, to be placed on the altar. And among all of these is his "P"N (redemption of soul), which he wrote with a trembling heart, in which he poured out what was on his heart.
When they come to Zion, the Shluchim usually bring 'good news', just as the Rebbe used to bless and wish. To tell about successful activities, about new institutions that have been established, about Torah classes that have been founded, about charitable works that have expanded, about buildings that have been constructed.
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And alongside all of this, the emissaries reveal the challenges and difficulties, the problems and struggles.
Ant work
The general public hears about the great activities of the emissaries, but has no real idea of the difficulties that accompany their lives. The loneliness, the difficulty in obtaining a minyan, the kosher food supplies that are hard to come by in some places, the children who long for friends.
And the financial difficulties. Many of those who stay at Chabad houses and enjoy Shabbat and holiday meals understand that they have to contribute to the expenses, but some do not. "Chabad pays," they say, and they do not realize that the one who has to pay for the large-scale meal is not 'Chabad' but Mendy or Yossi or Shneur or Pini - the young and smiling emissary, who, in addition to all the tasks assigned to him, also has to obtain funding for his activities.
Everyone is talking about the soaring housing prices - and what will the Shluhim who live in rented apartments, in expensive areas in Israel and around the world, who are required to pay a huge fortune for the house that serves as their residence and hosts guests at their table, do? Does anyone ask themselves how they are coping with this challenge?
And the emissaries who succeeded in establishing institutions, constructing buildings - did you know what burden they had on them? Salaries, payments to suppliers, repayments of loans to banks. And all without organized budgets, but rather through the painstaking work of recruiting yet another donor and yet another partner, and sometimes in a daily struggle for survival.
Back to the spring
The Shluchim unpack all of this when they come to prostrate themselves on the altar of the messenger, and when they leave, you can see on their faces that a stone has been lifted from their hearts. They feel and are confident that their prayers have been heard, and that "the Rebbe will find a way to answer," as the Rebbe used to say after his father-in-law passed away.
This gathering is truly a kind of battery recharge. Along with the sessions, workshops, and gatherings, the emissaries draw tremendous strength from the very fact of returning to their starting point. To the spring from which they draw and drink all year round. Two days later, they disperse and return, each one to their place of mission, with renewed strength and renewed vigor, to fulfill the great mission – to prepare the world to welcome our righteous Messiah very soon.
