Vayikra
From Abuja to Zhitomir and Everywhere in Between
Dear Friend,
Abuja, Nigeria; Albuquerque, N.M.; Almaty, Kazakhstan; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Athens, Greece; Auckland, New Zealand. So reads the first line of the pages-long list of destinations where Chabad’s young and energetic “Roving Rabbis” will be spending Passover.
Sure, they’d savor the Seder at home, relishing Mom’s chicken soup and Bubby’s apple compote. But there are Jews waiting for them all over the world, and they consider it an honor and a pleasure to do what they can to help their fellow Jews celebrate Passover.
You don’t have to look far to find Jews who would like a seat at the Seder table. Some friendly Facebooks posts, resourceful phone calls and old-fashioned supermarket chats are sure to expand your guest list.
And if you yourself are in need of a place, don’t be a stranger. Contact your closest Chabad center and let them know. They’re waiting for your call.
Wishing you a kosher and joyous Passover!
The Chabad.org Editorial
Team
P.S.: In case you were wondering, the final destinations on the list are Vilnius, Lithuania; Wailuku, Hawaii; and Zaporozhe and Zhitomir, Ukraine.
On a basic level, that is exactly why we do it—so you should ask the question “why?”
Mezuzah scrolls are rolled up and affixed to the doorposts of Jewish homes, reminding those who live there of their connection to G‑d and their heritage.
It’s very hard for me to let go of friendships or relationships. I am a very loyal person, and once I become connected, I want to stay connected.
Rabbi Mendel Lifshitz started visiting Cherry Gulch, an Idaho-based therapeutic boarding school for boys, more than a decade ago.
Passover 1950: The village of Kfar Chabad in central Israel had been settled just months earlier by a group of hardy survivors of Stalinist oppression and Nazi destruction.
I’m pathetically biased, but I embrace my bias. I feel sated with pride, although my children haven’t done anything uniquely successful or unusually brilliant—not yet. I wonder: is this the way G‑d feels towards us?
The commandment to place salt on every sacrifice is repeated three times. Why so much emphasis?
Valencia, Spain. In the dead of night, the rabbi is awakened to a summons by the enigmatic Señor Fernandez. What follows is a fascinating tale of courage, triumph, glory – and loss.
“I think I am going to faint,” I say nervously to no one in particular.
G‑d is not just big—He is infinite.
If He were only big, then those things that are small would be further from Him, and those things that are big would be closer.
But to the Infinite, big and small, far and near are irrelevant terms.
Nothing is too small for His concern; no place is too far that He cannot be found ...
