I offer my hand of five fingers and you offer yours.
Together we have a complete ten.
This is a handshake:
You and I are only fragments of the whole
—until we come together.
The Rebbe in a talk to Israeli “exceptional” soldiers, 1976.
From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. Subscribe and get your dose daily. To order Rabbi Freeman’s latest book, Wisdom to Heal the Earth, click here.
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David Chester
Petach Tikva, Israel
July 19, 2020
If you press your friend's hand sufficiently tightly, it is death to the hand-shake virus, but what of COVID-19? Reply
Silvana Zehnpfennig
Bochum
July 19, 2020
It is bad, that Corona separates us to become complete, but in otherwise, it unites us in another dimension. Reply
Levi Bookin
Jerusalem
July 11, 2013
Shaking hands is a wonderful way of spreading infections. Reply
Inanna
Texas
July 11, 2013
I see that men and women mustn't touch.
But I don't see why you posted this message without a preamble.
If only you had said that it is addressed only to men. Or that it is to be heard as being spoken by one member of either gender to another member of the same gender.
By omitting any preamble, you left your female readers with a slap in the face...the promise of a handshake, withdrawn, as if the speaker considers the reader unworthy of a handshake. How could you fail to realize how your words (originally spoken by the rebbe to men) would sound when addressed to a mixed group?
Have you seen the famous sign: "Come tonight. Everyone welcome. No women."
The msg of the sign, of your post? That women are not part of "everyone"-- nonexistent, unwelcome, unwanted.
You failed to see it could be heard that way.
The failure to realize shows an insensitivity--amazing, since I never saw you that way before. .
I suggest that you give this post the indicated preamble
Reply
Jill Halpern
New Orleans
July 7, 2013
handshake Too bad the men can't shake the women's hand or visa versa. And I've heard the whole shpiel why we can't, but I still disagree. Reply
Brenda
Toronto, Canada
July 7, 2013
Connecting the Fragments to Form the Spiritual System
When at least 10 people connect together their desires to aspire to the Upper Spiritual World - they form the structure of the System of Reality - the 10 SEFIROT.
The Kabbalists expressed themselves togeher as 'one man with one heart' (the desire to connect to the Upper Force) to form the 10 Sefirot of connected qualities. Within this System they were able to reveal the soul and the Upper Force governing it.
Even though the Rebbe uses words in our world, they refer to their roots existing in the Upper World. We need to shift our minds to see behind the familiar word to reveal the true meaning.
Reply
Gavri Hanita Hazaka Abir Sellek 2nd
Canada
July 7, 2013
Extending Friendship
You are my brother and I extend my hand in friendship,
With an open arm that I might hug you,
I state "Shalom" with my lip
For our friendship and fellowship are true.
Reply
Anonymous
wisc
July 7, 2013
minyan Sounds to me that if one cannot make a minyan, shake hands, ten fingers, and don't feel so sad. Not having a minyan is a sad experience for some. 10 men make a traditional minyan. In fact one man, 10 fingers is an alternative in my humble opinion. What other reason is there for having 10 fingers. Even without 10 fingers, each man is a minyan. Alternatives are better than sadness. Reply
wonderful sentiments, beautiful picture