The Nechoma Greisman Anthology

Section 1: SHLICHUS We are ready to go…

A Very Special Shlichus

The hundreds of dedicated, enthusiastic and unbelievably idealistic shluchim (emissaries) who comprise this unique army, now live in places as exotic as Capetown, South Africa; Pala Verdes Peninsula, California; Moshav Taanach, Israel -- and in cities as prosaic and ordinary as Boston and Pittsburgh. It doesn't matter where, though -- the challenge and the job are the same.

The Commander-in-Chief of this army, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, may he live and be well, guides and inspires his "soldiers" every step of the way. The fruits of the shluchim's hard work and self-sacrifice are well-known worldwide, and it is certainly a great tribute to the Rebbe Shlita that so many are willing to literally give up many comforts of life so that another Jew might be brought closer to Yiddishkeit.

The difficulties facing the shluchim are varied, depending on the nature of the new place and each one's personality. Shlichus could mean living in a country where only Portuguese or Italian is spoken. It might mean living in a place where neither cholov yisroel milk nor glatt kosher meat is readily available. It might mean being the only Torah observant family in town. It could mean living without a phone, central heating or hot water (which is our situation). It might mean seeing parents and friends only once every few years. So why do they do it? And even do it willingly and happily?

The answer, I believe, lies in the education of Lubavitcher youth, in its basic principle that shlichus is an important and necessary ideal, and a logical result of their upbringing. The Rebbe often speaks at farbrengens about the great necessity for shlichus and its accomplishments, some of which are sometimes unknown even to the particular shaliach himself.

Thank G-d, by now "going on shlichus" as we call it, has become so commonplace that it no longer causes the sensation it once did, although for each individual it is still a great and difficult task.

How does a certain couple end up in a certain city? Often, it is a combination of the couple making themselves available, and the city's need for a new Rabbi, teacher, youth director, etc. Sometimes the shaliach moves to a place and "creates" the job -- Chabad House director on the local college campus, for example. Many couples are offered several positions, and the Rebbe is consulted about the ones they deem most suited to their abilities and desires. He is asked to help select the right one, as well as for a blessing for success. Once they are on the job, our shluchim begin to feel a new kind of closeness to the Rebbe as they communicate in a dimension never experienced before.

I could really go on and on, but I hope this will suffice to explain the "mechanics" of shlichus.

Yud Tes Kislev -- the 19th of Kislev, celebrates the "Rosh Hashanah" of Chabad Chassidus, the official birthday of the Lubavitcher movement. It is the day on which the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman, was released from imprisonment in Czarist Russia over 150 years ago.

As the traditional farbrengen of Yud Tes Kislev was drawing to a close last year (5736-1975), and all present were feeling exalted and inspired after hearing beautiful words of Torah and listening to the many soul-stirring chassidic melodies -- the Rebbe began speaking about his desire to send ten families of shluchim -- a minyan, an aida kedosha -- to the holy cities of Tsfas and Yerushalayim. The shluchim are needed to raise the morale and encourage the people of Israel in these difficult times. They can help the land materially, by buying or renting apartments, etc., and spiritually by strengthening the observance of mitzvos in the Holy Land, concentrating on the mivtzoim: Torah Study, Tefillin, Mezuzah, Tzedaka, Jewish holy books in every home, Shabbos and Yom-Tov candle-lighting, Kashrus, Family Purity, Jewish Education, and Ahavas Yisroel -- love for one's fellow Jew. The mitzvah campaigns initiated by the Lubavitcher Rebbe provide spiritual and physical protection so sorely needed by our nation now.

Everyone was impressed. Who would go? For how long? To do exactly what? In the days and weeks that followed, hundreds of people -- couples, yeshiva students, engaged couples, even established families with several children, wrote to the Rebbe saying "We are ready to go, to be among the shluchim."

A short while later, it was announced that engaged couples were not eligible, nor those who had been married less than one year. Only couples married more than one year, and yeshiva students who did not expect to get married for at least a year, would be chosen. Also, the Rebbe added, eleven men -- one more than a minyan, would be sent to each of the cities. After those conditions were announced, at the farbrengen I remember the Rebbe speaking beautifully about this shlichus, saying that he was taking it "alai v'al tzavari" -- shouldering full responsibility for the shluchim and all their personal matters. He indicated that those who merited going would receive exceptional attention and closeness from the Rebbe, something we have already been fortunate to see.

When referring to the shlichus to Tsfas and Yerushalayim, several times the Rebbe quoted the phrase "the emissary of a person is considered like the person himself." The Rebbe was sending 36 people, men, women, and children, to Eretz Yisroel to be, as it were, extensions of himself. This was a great privilege indeed for those chosen, yet it implied a grave responsibility to act as the Rebbe would want, every single moment (a duty that really devolves on all shluchim). Surely the Rebbe sends his blessings and strength with his personal emissaries, these and all shluchim wherever they are found.

Finally the suspense came to an end -- the Rebbe himself selected eight couples and fourteen students. Eleven of the students were going to Yerushalayim; the three remaining students and the eight couples were to go to Tsfas. Six of the couples had young infants. Only then did we find out that we were among those chosen.

The Rebbe wanted the shluchim to leave only one month later. The 10th of Shevat is the anniversary of the passing of the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok and the anniversary of the present Rebbe Shlita's assumption of the leadership role. We were to leave on the day after this significant date in the Chassidic calendar.

A hectic month rushed by. Everyone was busy packing, shopping, leaving jobs and saying good-bye. And then came the beautiful, memorable farbrengen of the 10th of Shevat. It was the occasion which the Rebbe used to bid a public farewell to his shluchim, and wish them hatzlocho -- much success. The next day, the day of their departure, the Rebbe bade his shluchim a private and touching farewell. Each one passed the open door of the Rebbe's room. The Rebbe gave each man a brand new volume of Likkutei Sichos (Chassidic discourses of the Rebbe) which had not been generally distributed yet, and each woman received a siddur and a Tanya. Each of the six infants received a siddur. Each man, woman and child also received from the Rebbe's hand a 50 lira Israeli bill, to give for charity upon arrival in Eretz Yisroel, a 100 lira bill to help with expenses incurred in the Holy Land, and a $10 bill for expenses in the U.S.A. before leaving. The Rebbe wished us a good trip and we were off to Kennedy Airport.

At the airport, there were hundreds of friends and family who came to see us off, as well as television crews and newspaper reporters. On the 747 El Al plane, Chassidic melodies competed with the piped-in stereo music. Many of the Jewish men on board with us were coaxed into putting on tefillin, and the women and girls received Shabbos candlesticks. Our shlichus had already begun.

We were accompanied on the plane by Rabbi M. Mentlick, Rosh Yeshiva of the Lubavitcher Yeshiva, who had been appointed by the Rebbe to go with us and stay for two weeks on a special mission of his own.

Upon arrival in Lod airport, we were surprised to see a great throng of thousands of men, women and children, with a band and banners, and so on. We soon learned that the Rebbe had requested that since a person's representative is regarded as being like himself, everyone should come out for the reception -- another special sign that the Rebbe was directly taking care of the whole affair. Although we had made other plans, we also found out that the Rebbe had sent a message that we were all to go straight to Tsfas. We arrived very late that cold night, and were greeted by the local chassidim, who welcomed us warmly to our new home town, provided us with a snack, cribs, playpens, and warm bottles of milk for the babies. In the course of the following weeks, we were granted an official audience with President Efraim Katzir and Premier Yitzchak Rabin, at which Rabbi Mentlick and several of the shluchim addressed the President. The mayors of Tsfas and Yerushalayim also honored us with official welcomes. Everywhere we heard the same sentiments: "We need you badly now. We are glad you came. We wish you every success in your important shlichus."

As we have met all kinds of people, we find one fact that has made a deep impression: that the Rebbe sent shluchim from AMERICA (read land of luxury, Garden of Eden, Utopia...) to Eretz Yisroel which is suffering hard times with crazy inflation, instability, threat of war, frequent terrorist attacks, etc. etc. They look at us, the "rich" American girls, living in the old, rather primitive houses of Tsfas. Even in Israel there are more modern cities and apartments than those generally found in Tsfas. And we came just because the Rebbe sent us. They were truly awed.

Having lived in Tsfas for more than half a year already, we are nearly acclimatized to the city and the new country. What is our shlichus like? Our "territory" includes the entire Galil, the famous cities of Tsfas, Meron, and T'varya (Tiberias), as well as Chatzor, Kiryat Shmona, Ma'alot, Karmiel, and all the moshavim and kibbutzim in the area. There's a very special feeling knowing that all the people you see in the street or on the bus and in the stores are Jewish. (Well, almost all. We had an awkward incident trying to convince a woman to light Shabbos candles, and then we found out that she was a Druze). You are highly aware that every new mitzvah performed by a Jew is adding holiness to Eretz Yisroel, the Holy Land. I often get the feeling that we are actively preparing Eretz Yisroel for the coming of Mashiach by increasing Torah learning and mitzvah observance among its citizens. The Rebbe has in fact stated at a farbrengen that our shlichus should be a preparation for the fulfillment of the promise that when Mashiach comes, G-d will personally gather the Jews individually from exile to return them to Eretz Yisroel.

The specific ways we go about our shlichus are essentially the same ones that almost all Lubavitcher shluchim use in one version or another everywhere.

Our "Mitzvah Tank" is a beautiful mobile home which was given to the Rebbe in N.Y., and sent with us. It has been artistically decorated by the Lubavitcher artist Baruch Nachshon of Kiryat Arba, fitted out like all such mitzvah Tanks, as a supply and study center for the mivtzoim, and is used alternately in Tsfas and Yerushalayim.

Tsfas, as anyone who has been there knows, is a great tourist attraction, with many groups from the U.S. and Europe visiting every single day. Several of us live right near the old AriZal shul, the old Jewish cemetery and the famous artist colony, so hundreds of Americans pass by our home daily. One of the shluchim put up a very large, colorful banner depicting the mivtzoim -- Tefillin, Mezuzah, Kashrus, Shabbos candles, etc., with Hebrew and English explanations, in front of his house. It attracts much attention (which was the idea) and reminds tourists that they must not be satisfied with looking at old synagogues and famous graves of deceased Rabbis, but they must also live Judaism in their daily lives. In our discussions with the tourists, we are amazed to realize over and over how widespread and well-known Lubavitch actually is, as they tell us of Mitzvah Tanks or Lubavitch representatives they have met in so many foreign countries and cities. Other tourists are surprised and delighted to find Lubavitch even here, not only on the streets of Manhattan or Long Island, to which they thought our efforts were confined. Of course, our work is made easier in a way because our Chabad brethren in Eretz Yisroel have hardly been idle, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, or "HaRabbi MiChabad" is a household word in many thousands of homes here, thanks to their efforts. We see the results as we visit homes and schools and see how many men have learned to put on tefillin, how many women and girls light Shabbos candles, how many come to our tank to ask for literature, mezuzos, and religious questions of all kinds.

Our N'shei Chabad of Tsfas meets once a week to study, conducts large gatherings before a Yomtov to teach the appropriate laws, visits the local hospital weekly to speak to the women about the laws pertaining to them, distributes Shabbos candlesticks, and tries to help as much as possible in the general Lubavitch program of activities.

The level of ignorance in matters of Torah and mitzvos is appalling. Sad to say, the majority of the children attending secular schools here are almost as ignorant and misinformed about Yiddishkeit as the American child whose Jewish education is received in a Sunday school. Our work is all there waiting for us. So we do what we can. We have been meeting with a very warm reception and with a great measure of success. This is surely thanks to the strength and blessing we received from the Rebbe, added to the shluchim's own enthusiasm and dedication. We miss our families and friends, but we live with the hope and sure faith that soon, very soon, Mashiach will come and all the Jews throughout the world will be united in mind, heart, and body in Eretz Yisroel, Amen.