It was midnight when my husband, Rabbi Yossi Brackman, turned to first-year student Dylan Zvi with a wild request.
“Dylan,” he exclaimed, pointing to the empty chair beside him. “It’s Simchat Torah. You are here at Chabad rejoicing, but many Jewish students throughout campus don’t know that it’s Simchat Torah. Go to the dorm and find a student you can bring to celebrate with us!”
It was our annual late-night Simchat Torah farbrengen, following the joyous and exhilarating hakafot dancing on Simchat Torah—a tradition that we have incorporated at our Chabad House.
Sitting around a table with college students who have taken time off from their studies, work, and social events to celebrate their Jewish heritage inspires me. Seeing their young faces, joyous hearts, and desire to be with one another at a Jewish gathering fosters identity and belonging.
The warm sentiment in the room was one of connection, Jewish pride, and continuity. The tables were covered with snacks, drinks, and song sheets. This type of Chassidic farbrengen can evoke excitement and curiosity—an opportunity to share inspiring stories, sing melodies that uplift the spirit, and commit to observing new mitzvot.
Amidst all this, Dylan surprisingly agreed to go and see if he could find another Jewish student to join us. We kept the seat empty and continued our discussions.
An hour later he returned with Max Lewis, a new friend he had just met during his first few weeks at UChicago.
I can still picture Max’s confused face as he stood in the doorway, hesitating to enter the room full of laughter and conversation. We exchanged smiles and welcomed him warmly. Although Max had not grown up in an observant home, and celebrating all of the holidays was not his regular practice, he seemed to relax. Without hesitation, he came in and sat in the vacant seat that had been waiting for him.
He stayed for a while, enjoying the lively exchange and the niggunim, the wordless melodies with deep and emotional significance.
Max went on to join our Shabbat dinners at Chabad on many occasions. He opted to take our Sinai Scholars Course, a class where students can explore the central elements of Judaism. He loved learning, asked challenging questions, and absorbed the lessons. The farbrengen had ignited his “Pintele Yid,” the intrinsic and eternal Jewish essence inside every Jew.
His flame was brightly burning.
Sadly, on July 5th, 2021, Max was hit by a stray bullet at one of Chicago’s train stations on his way home from his summer job. He passed away soon after.
Amidst the intense and piercing pain of losing such a young, energetic man with a kind and genuine soul, we committed to keeping Max’s memory alive. Max was a rising third-year at UChicago and a double major in economics and computer science. Max’s parents, Mark and Rebecca, younger brother Eli, and his friends, all remember his constant enthusiasm for life, care for others, ambitious personality, kindness, and support for his family and friends. Max made a lasting impact on everyone he met. He was a talented and bright student, a leader on campus, and president of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Jewish fraternity.
Every year, we dedicate our Simchat Torah farbrengen to Max by beginning the evening with the anecdote of how Max found his way to Chabad on a late Simchat Torah night.
We have also renamed our Sinai Scholars Course the Max Lewis Sinai Scholars. But it’s the Max Lewis Farbrengen that holds a dear place in my heart.
Each year, as I sit at our late-night farbrengen, surrounded by UChicago college students, my mind drifts to the image of Max Lewis, the social yet serious student with a warm and engaging personality, cautiously entering our Chabad House. That night became a life-changing experience, a “Jewish spark” moment, opening the door to discovering his Jewish roots.
When Max concluded his Sinai Scholars course, he submitted his final project in which students share the lessons they have learned over the eight weeks of classes. Max created digital artwork of the Star of David, a recognized symbol of Jewish identity. Below the coded star, he wrote a paragraph explaining how the star related to him as a Jew: “This piece of artwork is meant to symbolize the fact that within every Jew, there is a connection to G‑d, whether they know it or not. This connection is symbolized by the fact that the Star of David repeats continuously at every fractal level.”
Simchat Torah is a holiday in which we physically manifest joy. We express our gratitude for the wisdom and guidance that the Torah provides in our lives. Like Max, we can all use inspirational moments that can become powerful and transformative experiences.
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