Image Credit: ba1969
Goldie and I moved here with our two young children six and a half years ago, and by now you may even take it for granted that there is a full service Jewish center in Folsom/El Dorado Hills. But if you stop to think about it, you may realize how unlikely it really is. In fact, the most common reaction that I get when I first meet local Jewish families is, “Here!? You live here in Folsom?” And although it is an unlikely place for a Chassidic rabbi to settle, it is not an uncommon story. All over the world, in some of the least likely places, there are representatives of Chabad waiting to serve the local Jewish community.
Visiting Alaska, Hawaii, Wyoming or Montana? Going on vacation to Cancun or Playa Del Carmen? Find yourself in New Zealand, Cambodia or Singapore for some odd reason? You guessed it! Chabad is there. Today it is almost taken for granted, but it all began 64 years ago when the son-in-law of the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe took on the leadership of the Chabad movement.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known simply as “The Rebbe,” revolutionized the Jewish world by setting in motion a global network whose sole mission is to reach out to every individual Jew and encourage them to reengage with their treasured heritage.
The Rebbe trained his followers to view people not by their superficial selves but by their core, their soul, that pure, untainted energy full of potential. That’s why this Shabbat is such a special date; it marks the day that this global revolution was put in motion. It’s the day that the tide of Jewish history changed forever, for the positive.
The Rebbe was known for many miraculous stories, but I think even more important is the Rebbe’s miraculous message: that every single person can perform miracles. When we do more than we did yesterday, when we do an extra mitzvah that we didn’t think possible to accomplish, that’s miraculous.
Let’s learn from the Rebbe’s example and live miraculously!
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Here are some great links to learn more about the Rebbe and his teachings. Read what the Rebbe did before prayers and how his three word answer saved a village. Why the Rebbe sent a scientist to Soviet Russia and what the Rebbe was doing at 3:00am. Or click here to learn about the Rebbe’s profound teachings.