WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN?

By Nechama Bar

The marathon of Pesach preparations and cooking is over. Immediately following that are the days when we count the Omer which are quiet, no music, each person busy, and working to fix his middos.

But at Chabad Houses there is never peace and quiet. Shluchim are not busy with themselves. Their lives, talents, and abilities are focused on one thing – doing, doing, doing, the more the better, to spread the light of Torah and Chassidus and bring Moshiach as soon as possible.

As soon as Pesach is over, when the silver foil is removed from the counters and the Pesach dishes are put away, the shluchim get to work, planning for the big day of Lag B’Omer. And there is a lot of work to do: advertise, arrange a great program, order booklets, caps, signs, raise money, and more.

R’ Beckerman, shliach to Givatayim, decided one year to arrange a special parade, the likes of which Givatayim had never seen before. He ordered huge rides.

He needed thousands of shekels to carry out his plans but as a shliach he wasn’t fazed by difficulties and he was able, with Hashem’s help, to get the money he needed.

A week before Lag B’Omer, the city was flooded with flyers and stickers announcing the big day and the great program which was being offered for free. If that wasn’t enough, R’ Beckerman decided to pay for a special bus that would bring all the children to the park, so that nobody would have an excuse (it’s too far, it’s too expensive…) and everyone would participate and celebrate with Rashbi.

He anticipated a large crowd. In previous years about a hundred children attended. This time he hoped to double that amount.

***

Lag B’Omer arrived and R’ Beckerman was standing, ready in the park. Everything was in place. The group of counselors was waiting on the side. The police closed off the streets and no cars could enter because soon dozens, hopefully hundreds, of kids would come from all over the city to march in the parade.

The bus set out. At the first stop, nobody was there. At the second stop there was an old couple waiting for a city bus. At the third stop there were two children and they got on. “Are you going to the Lag B’Omer Luna Park?” they asked.

The driver nodded and the children sat down. They could sit wherever they liked since nobody else was on the bus. 

The bus continued, another stop and another stop. That was all. The only children on the bus were those two children. The driver felt embarrassed going to the parade like that and he tried making another round of the stops. At every stop where he saw a child approaching, he stopped and tried to convince him to join, but it was no use. Having no choice, he brought the two children to the park.

The shliach was shocked. Just two children?! In his worst nightmares he did not imagine that this is what his parade would look like.

R’ Beckerman could barely look at the policemen and the counselors. There were more of them than there were children…

The expression on the policemen’s faces said, “For this we closed the streets? Is this a joke?”

The counselors looked at one another silently.

R’ Beckerman knew that only the Rebbe could save the situation. He went off to the side, quickly took a piece of paper and pen, and with trembling hand he wrote to the Rebbe that he needed a miracle; otherwise … he preferred not to think about the alternative.

He put the letter into a volume of Igros Kodesh, said Yechi, and opened it. The answer was encouraging.

The Rebbe addressed someone who arranged a Melaveh Malka and wrote to the Rebbe sadly, how the event was an utter failure. The Rebbe responded that he should remember what the Baal Shem Tov says on the verse (Iyov 8:7), “And your beginning will be small, but your end shall increase exceedingly.” The simple meaning is that the beginning will be difficult but in the end, there will be great success. The Baal Shem Tov adds that it is the pain at the beginning which leads to the ultimate success.

R’ Beckerman immediately understood. The aggravation was only for the beginning and in a little while the place would fill up with children. How would that happen? He didn’t know. But he believed it would occur, as the Rebbe said it would.

The shliach went over to the counselors and policemen and gave them their final instructions.

“In about half an hour we will be setting out with lots of kids. May you be successful!”

The policemen looked at him like he had lost his mind. “You call two kids lots of kids?”

The counselors, on the other hand, nodded and prayed that there would be work for each of them.

A few minutes later, something remarkable happened. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, kids starting coming. More and more children filled the area. The police looked on in wonder.

At 4:30, a half hour later than planned, the impressive parade set out, colorful, respectable, with about 250 children!

The children proudly held signs with Jewish messages and shouted the twelve p’sukim, and all along the way they were accompanied by lively music in honor of Rashbi.

People looked out their windows at the parade and smiled and clapped.

More children joined the parade and then they all sat down for a rally and enjoyed the program. 

At the end of the event, the police commander went over to R’ Beckerman, shook his hand and said that according to their estimates, about 350 children participated.

Every year, despite great effort, about 100 children participated, but that year, they went from two children to 350! As we say about Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, we say about the Rebbe, “The Rebbe can be relied upon in an emergency.”