SMALL EFFORTS BRING BIG RESULTS ON SHLICHUS

The Rebbe quotes the Midrash which says that Moshe was unable to put up the tall heavy beams of the Mishkan until Hashem told him to put his hand to it.  Then the Mishkan stood up on its own.  The Rebbe connects this with the future Mikdash which, according to the Midrash and Rashi, will descend from Heaven fully made.

The lesson in man’s avoda is that, on the one hand, every Jew needs to make efforts in observing mitzvos.  On the other hand, ultimately only Hashem gives strength to Moshe to raise up the Mishkan, thus causing the Sh’china to dwell in the mitzvos that we do.

The same is true with the avoda of shlichus.  We shluchim do what we can to carry out our mission, but we feel and see that the Mishkan stands up on its own.  Hashem shows us that it is only with the Rebbe’s kochos, and not thanks to our talents, that we succeed in doing the work.

IN MONTEVIDEO THE CHABAD HOUSE “WENT UP ON ITS OWN”

Montevideo is the capitol of Uruguay where R’ Eliezer Shemtov is a shliach for over thirty years.  R’ Shemtov has been very successful and has a large building in the center of the city, which contains a spacious shul, a mikva, a preschool, offices, etc.

R’ Shemtov had occasion to visit the Chabad Yeshiva in Argentina and during the visit he told Anash and the T’mimim that he had been able to put up the Chabad House building in an incredible way, thanks to fully obeying the Rebbe’s wishes.  This is what happened:

On his first year on shlichus, during Elul R’ Shemtov and his wife planned on traveling to be with family in Crown Heights and spending Rosh HaShana with the Rebbe.  R’ Shemtov asked the Rebbe whether he should go to the Rebbe for Rosh HaShana and received no response.  From this he understood that the Rebbe wanted him to remain where he was.

Mrs. Shemtov went to Crown Heights, as she was soon to give birth, and her husband remained in Montevideo.  Mrs. Shemtov passed by the Rebbe for a dollar and the Rebbe asked her where her husband was.  She said he understood that the Rebbe wanted him to remain in Uruguay and he stayed there.  The Rebbe smiled and looked pleased and gave her another dollar and said, “This is for your husband.  He should have success in all matters.”

MONTEVIDEO AND PUNTA DEL ESTE

R’ Shemtov prepared for two days of Rosh HaShana on shlichus in Uruguay.  The Jewish community in Uruguay is concentrated primarily in two large cities, the capitol and Punta del Este, about an hour and a half away.

That Rosh HaShana, R’ Shemtov was not in the best of spirits. He so badly wanted to be with the Rebbe for the davening, t’kios, Maftir, and the farbrengen, and there he was in South America.  There wasn’t even a Chabad shul (yet).  He was overcome by feelings of homesickness and loneliness.

R’ Shemtov wasn’t sure whether to spend Yom Tov in Montevideo or Punta del Este.  The truth is he didn’t want to be in either place and so he decided to go wherever the wheels of his car took him.  In the end, without any compelling reason, he found himself on the highway to Punta del Este.  He stayed in a hotel and went to the local shul.

Before and after the davening he met with all the members of the community.  They were all happy to hear about the young shliach operating in their country on shlichus from the Lubavitcher Rebbe.  In the morning, he wasn’t sure whether to go to the same shul as the night before or to walk an hour and a half to a different shul.  He finally decided, again, without any clear reason or much enthusiasm, to walk to the second shul.  There too, he introduced himself and told about his shlichus in the country. 

After the davening, an old man went over to him and wanted to hear more details about the shliach and the shlichus.  Where do you live? What do you do? What else do you want to do? Do you have a building? Are you interested in a building?

R’ Shemtov answered all his questions and then the man told him that he had business dealings in a number of cities in Uruguay and the following week he would be in Montevideo.  He wanted to meet the shliach again and perhaps he would be able to help out.

The following week the two of them met.  The man showed R’ Shemtov a large building in the center of the city and said he could use the building for his outreach activities because, at the moment, he did not need the building.  R’ Shemtov was thrilled to have use of the building.  Some work was done to make it suitable and since then, the building has been R’ Shemtov’s headquarters.

THE SELF-MADE BAAL T’SHUVA

A Lubavitcher had to be hospitalized for a few days for an operation.  He took his t’fillin and at every opportunity he offered them to others.  Among those who put on t’fillin was a man from Netanya whose wife had had an operation.  The man was very moved by putting on the t’fillin and afterward he said to the Chassid, “From now on, I want you to be my rabbi.  Whatever you tell me, I will do and every day I will come to you to put on t’fillin.”

Throughout the hospitalization, the man came to put on t’fillin.  On Shabbos, he accompanied the Chassid to the shul in the hospital.  He joined him for the other t’fillos, for the third Shabbos meal, Maariv, and so on.  When the Chassid returned to his room for Havdala, the man was standing there and he heard Havdala, maybe for the first time in his life.

The man then gave his own t’fillin to be checked and they were found to have no parshiyos! He bought new t’fillin, mezuzos, and began regularly attending shul.  Now and then, he called his personal rabbi and reported his progress in mitzva observance. 

Unfortunately, the man’s wife died and the Chassid continued to help the man and his family during the Shiva.

This too is in the category of “putting up the Mishkan” for things happened of their own accord, “standing up on their own.”

A CHABAD HOUSE THAT EXPANDED ON ITS OWN

The Chabad House in Givat Shmuel was previously located in a small, crowded building.  R’ Shabtai Fisher, the shliach, decided it was time to expand, but this was delayed due to the usual problem, lack of money. 

One day, R’ Fisher noticed a couple who came into the Chabad House to see whether it was suitable for the aliya of their son at his bar mitzva.  He heard the mother say, “No way! It’s not suitable.”  R’ Fisher decided he must expand the place and renovate it.

He shared his plans with his congregants and they all agreed that they had to expand and even promised to help to the best of their ability.  Donations were made but the amount was nowhere near the 200,000 shekels needed for the expansion.  R’ Fisher tried urging the congregants and mekuravim to get more donations, but things moved very slowly, if at all.

Then one of the congregants told him that he had decided to commit to covering all the expenses needed to expand the Chabad house.  The man even encouraged R’ Fisher not to skimp and to do everything first class.

Within a few days the renovation work had gotten into high gear and everything was done in the most beautiful way.  The main sanctuary had been doubled in size and there was a spacious area for farbrengens, kiddushim, and shiurim and there are often aliyos L’Torah for families in Givat Shmuel.

BROCHURES ABOUT A NEIGHBORING SHLIACH’S EVENT

“R’ Ilan Agiv, a Lubavitcher Chassid from Nachalat Har Chabad, is a product of Givat Shmuel,” says R’ Fisher.  “At the beginning of our shlichus in Givat Shmuel, we hadn’t yet done many events or ‘Evenings with Chabad,’ so when we heard that in nearby Ohr Yehuda they were preparing a fascinating ‘Evening with Chabad,’ we took a few hundred brochures about the evening and put them in people’s mailboxes in Givat Shmuel.

“Out of the hundreds of brochures we distributed, just one fellow attended the program, Ilan Agiv.  I did not yet know him personally, but that evening in Ohr Yehuda was the catalyst for a major change in his life.

“During the evening, R’ Chaim Sasson delivered a great talk and Ilan heard about the imminent Geula.  R’ Sasson explained that the Rebbe is Moshiach and we already need to accept his rule and listen to his instructions.  Ilan returned to Givat Shmuel convinced and excited.  Before that evening, he sufficed with a tiny kippa and he wore shorts.  Afterward, he bought two pairs of t’fillin, a hat and a suit.  He joined shiurim, the davening and mivtzaim, went to yeshiva and started his own Chassidic home in Kiryat Malachi.  His five sweet children attend the Rebbe’s mosdos in Nachala.”

The most amazing part of the story we heard from Ilan himself:

“In the summer of 5754 I saw many broadcasts about the Lubavitcher Rebbe.  They spoke about his passing, but I saw a Rebbe and his leadership. At that time, I had no connection with Chabad and these broadcasts aroused my curiosity.  I was interested in getting to know Chabad from up close.  Just at that time I came across advertising about an ‘Evening with Chabad’ in Ohr Yehuda.  I went and after that everything changed; for the better, of course.

“When I returned to Givat Shmuel, I told a friend about the amazing things I heard in Chabad of Ohr Yehuda.  My friend surprised me when he said we have Chabad here in Givat Shmuel, as every Friday he saw a vehicle with a megaphone driving around and announcing when Shabbos begins.  It was R’ Shabtai Fisher’s car.  So we found our very own shliach and R’ Fisher guided me faithfully.  Thanks to him, I’ve reached where I am today.”

CHABAD MOSDOS THAT “STAND UP ON THEIR OWN” ONE AFTER THE OTHER

R’ Sagi Har Shefer, shliach in Nes Tziyona, told me about some of his mosdos that “stood up on their own” with the help of Anash and mekuravim.  All R’ Sagi had to do was agree, encourage, provide funding, and take the reins of the mosad that dropped into his lap like a ripe fruit.

“Let’s take, for example, the daycare centers the Chabad House runs.  Nearly 100 babies come from all over Nes Tziyona and the rest of the Shfela (Judean Foothills) region.  These day care centers were started at the initiative of one Lubavitcher family in Nes Tziyona.

“It was the Schneersohn family.  When their oldest child was a few months old, they very much wanted him to be in a Chassidishe atmosphere.  The parents found out how to start a day care center, looked into finding a building, how to get babysitters, cooks, furniture, permits, etc. They brought all the information to me and what was left for me to do was to approve the founding of the daycare center and to run it until today.

“The daycare center started with one six month old infant.  Today, there are four classes on two floors of the beautiful building, which houses the infrastructure of Chabad’s day care centers in Nes Tziyona.

“Our elementary school was also started ‘on its own,’ as it were, thanks to the involvement and devotion of a Lubavitcher family.  It was the Shacham family who maintained, rightly so, that instead of sending dozens of Lubavitcher children each morning to school in another city, we should have our own school.

“The family made inquiries, made a list of potential children, got a teacher, and the school opened.  At first there were six boys.  By its third year there were nearly fifty boys.

“That is also how new shiurim begin ‘on their own.’ R’ Menachem Feldman coordinates the array of shiurim and now and then people call and ask for more and more shiurim.

“R’ Feldman receives the requests and he usually goes to the places himself. He checks out what is needed, the level that is wanted and the right topic, and there you have it, another shiur.”