There are Chabad Houses that seem to churn out moving stories that sound like they were taken from stories of the holy Baal Shem Tov recounted on motzoei Shabbos. The following story comes to us from far away, from the Chabad House for Hebrew-speakers in Melbourne, led by the shliach, Rabbi Dudu Lider.
I was on shlichus in Tashkent in 5753. My friends and I used military trucks for Mivtza Succa. At the time, I wrote the following journal entries:
Our story begins a little over one year ago, on Erev Pesach 5778. Rabbi Pinchas (Pini) Zaklas and his wife, shluchim of the Rebbe to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, were in a huge bind. They were overjoyed that after much effort, financial and emotional, they managed to complete the massive project that they had undertaken with the building of a five story Jewish Center, which now stood proudly in the city of their shlichus.
Why did the “unsuccessful Tanya” class actually succeed big time? Who controlled the life of a Jewish woman who lived in the distant mountains to the extent that it was necessary to extricate her in a secret operation? And when “out there” saving Jews, sometimes we have to look for those closer to home. * Three moving stories about collecting and rescuing souls that happened with Rabbi Shlomi Peleg, a shliach to Cozumel, a Mexican island
It is a common enough sight to see R’ Shimi Goldstein sitting “one on one” with a backpacker whose hair has not met a pair of scissors in years, his clothes in tatters, and delving deeply with complete sincerity into the words of the Arizal cited in Tanya, “that even in the truly inanimate like stones, dust and water, there is an aspect of spirit and spiritual life force
For R’ Meir Zigelbom, a Lubavitcher Chassid from Miami and a businessman, traveling is what he does year round. * He often unexpectedly meets Jews and he visits shluchim, seeing how they live and what they contend with. * He gives us a glimpse into the life of a Chassid-businessman who has experienced surprising encounters in out of the way places.
Two enchanting coastal areas – Arugam Bay and Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka – draw tens of thousands of surfers each year, including Jews from all over the world. Waiting there for them is the Arad family – Rabbi Ronny, Naomi, and their children Menachem Mendel, Sholom Dovber, and Levi Yitzchak – to give them a warm helping of Yiddishkait and Chassidus and to save some Jewish souls when necessary.
The visitors spent several long hours looking for a Jew, any Jew, who might be living in the suburban community of S. Pedro in Argentina’s Tucuman province. Local residents had assured them that there were no Jews anywhere in town, but the visitors continued their intensive and seemingly irrational search. Eventually, they found what they were looking for, something more incredible than even they could have possibly imagined. An amazing and thrilling story that sent shockwaves throughout the Chabad communities of Argentina, retold here for the very first time.
The Rebbe’s shluchim, who are spread out all over the world working day and night to be mekarev Jews to Torah, t’shuva and mesirus nefesh, have much to tell about the miracles and salvation they see with their own eyes.
The district rabbi who was circumcised moments before his flight to New York, the Yugoslavian soldier who accosted a rabbi and was later killed al kiddush Hashem, a bris in a forsaken village in the Himalayas, and a medical miracle for a baby in the emergency room. The victory of a traditional grandfather over the communist mother seventy years after the war and a silver cup that was returned after nearly 100 years. The missionary witch from Beer Sheva and the surprising revelation in her parents’ home. * Rabbi Yaron Amit, director of Bris Yosef Yitzchok, which does brissin around the world, shares some extraordinary stories about brissin and mohalim with mesirus nefesh
Every year, thousands of Israelis walk the Israel National Trail, which starts at Kibbutz Dan in the north and goes south all the way to the Taba border crossing near Eilat. It includes historical sites and extraordinary natural phenomena. * As in every corner of the world, here too, the Rebbe’s shluchim wait for them and graciously offer full room and board, combined with spiritual comforts.
R’ Shlomo Cunin shared this story at the convention of California shluchim, when they gathered for their yearly convocation in S. Diego in 1983.
Aviva’s life trajectory fluctuated between a national championship and a physical breakdown, between light and darkness. Today she works to strengthen the separation between the Jewish people and the nations of the world. Her shlichus is in a place of impurity and idols, where she and her family are bringing a spirit of life and purity. * The story of Aviva Yizhar who is on shlichus in Varanasi, India.
October 15, 2019