Share this page with all of your friends. You will help the Chabad House avoid an imminent foreclosure and shape its future with the same Philosophy and Vitality of the past 24 years.

 

Public letters


Here are some letters that we received and that we have the pleasure to share with you.

Message from Chana G.

Something crazy is happening here. It doesn’t sit in my head at all. It is one of those obscene curve balls that Hashem throws; the kind where you have to move your head so fast, that you become dizzy as you recover position.

My Rabbi and Rebbetzin are in trouble. My spiritual parents are in trouble. It brings tears to my eyes. It makes my chest tighten. It makes my soul shudder.

I have to curse. Excuse me. “What the hell is going on here Hashem?”  How could it be that these people who made me, and so many other lives are in such crisis. It doesn’t make any sense.

What do I mean, "made me?" I will explain, but first I will preface with the following memory.

I looked deep into her eyes at her daughter’s wedding. I cried. She cried. I wanted to say Mazel Tov. I wanted to shower her with brachas. But I couldn’t. There were no words. As she sat there at the Kabbalos Panim, the emotion flowing between us was indescribable. It runs too deep.

Trying to capture what I feel for them and who they are is also almost an impossible task, but I will try because if it arouses you to “share and give” it will affect their lives just as they effected mine.

I thought she was an angel. The way she ever-so-gracefully moved across the dining room and invited me to stay for Kiddush. I had visited their Chabad House for services a few times but always escaped before I was noticed. But that time she caught me. And thank G-d for that.

I sat there shokeling to and fro at the Shabbos table where 30 or more people sat. He said, “Something is up with you.” He saw right through my guf right into my neshama. He knows how to do that.

They nurtured me. Cared for me. Pampered me. Taught me. Loved me. Guided me. Pushed me a little. Helped me. Showed me the way. They held open their arms and pointed to the path that I was so desperately wanted to follow. They helped me walk on it. Actually, they taught me how to walk.

“This is Shabbos, dear Chana. These are Shabbos candles. No we don’t write on Shabbos Chanaleh.  And this is kosher and this is not… And Chana, you can do it and you can even show the next one how to do it too. " 

Everything I am today spiritually; the way I conduct my Jewish home, the way I raise my kinderlach, the way I interact with the world, the way I act in my world, i.e., the way I process, the way I teach others, the way I reach out…it is all because of them.

In other words… I am a Jewish woman, I am a wife, I am a mommy, I am a Shlucha.  Only because of them.

Mamish. They made me.

Hashem I need to you change the forecast. I need you to comfort their hearts, squeeze their hands, stroke their faces, take away their stress and wipe their tears in a revealed way. They have made people mamish. They have made shluchim mamish. How many have they turned onto your path? How many souls have they saved? Please have mercy on their strong yet sensitive neshamas in this world. Let them continue to make waves in shaymayim in the heart of the Gold Coast. All they want to do is the Rebbe’s mission as lamplighters. Theirs' is a light that wont go out. Please, please keep their fire burning at 1236 N. Dearborn.



Special appeal from Esther G.

Dear Friends,

This is the first time I have ever made an appeal of this kind because that's just how serious and urgent the situation is. I won't take up too much of your time but instead, please read these 2 articles and reach into your hearts and give as much as you can.

My rabbi's home, in Chicago, is being threatened with a foreclosure, Gd forbid, on June 13th, which is just about 2 weeks away. The property is both his home where he and his eight children live as well as the place of worship for hundreds of people. He and his wife have selflessly and passionately dedicated their lives to helping others for over the 20 years that I've known them.

Again, I would truly appreciate your careful consideration of this serious matter. Please forward this to anyone who you think may help and give whatever you can as soon as possible.

You can contact them directly at centerforjewishlifechicago@gmail.com or by phone at 312 427 7770 or please contact me if you have any more questions.

 http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com/article/20110520/CRED03/110529992/orthodox-jewish-congregation-facing-gold-coast-foreclosure-deadline

http://www.chabadshareandgive.com/

Thank you,

Esther



Open Letter from Yehuda S.

Dear Friends,

On behalf of the Share and Give campaign to save Chabad House of the Gold Coast, I would like to share and give the following.  

After 18 years of soaking up Chabad Chassidus Benhiyoun style and having my learning and life routinely influenced by their trademark depth and laser beam focus, I come to this passage in time ready to apply it – once again.  

I learned from Rabbi Benhiyoun one evening of many where the learning stayed with me, that everyone has to bring their spark of Moshiach to the table in order to create the collective spark large enough to actually bring him. The teaching that particular evening was from a sefer of the Rebbe I believe called: "The Compilations of the Teachings of Moshiach." It went on to explain how one identifies their particular spark. It said the spark is associated with the most formidable of challenges in your life. Overcome those, and your spark is brought to the collective spark table -- Moshiach is revealed.   

In thinking about this current challenge and how to help, I put that learning together with another discourse learned more recently in which the Rebbe spells out that the light of Moshiach comes from beyond this world and beyond the thread of light that created this world. The Rebbe says in that discourse that only acts of mesiras nefesh (giving up of yourself) emanating from the innermost aspect of the soul -- as opposed to the intellect -- bring Moshiach’s light.  

Long story short, at a time like this, it appears in order to get this task accomplished we need action commensurate with the bright light of Moshiach  and not the dimmer light of the intellect.   

If I think about this too hard, I have nothing to spare. Tapped out. But as matan Torah is approaching, I feel I must do and ask questions (of my intellect later), and encourage others to consider the same.   

I am pledging $1,000 I do not have to help the save-the-Chabad-House campaign, out of the inner parts of the soul, not the intellect, and do believe that if other friends near and far whose intellects can also be blinded at least temporarily by the light of Moshiach can find a place of non-thinking from which to give, the Chabad House can be saved -- with of course a blinded by the light buyer of the Chestnut lot, which I am sure is forthcoming with the help of Yosef M.   

Then, the Benhiyoun's can move past this phase of their history, and we can all have participated in the campaign to bring down Moshiach's light, bring our Moshiach spark, and they can with renewed energy continue to bring new neshamos into their warm home and hearts and launch them into the light beyond with the coming of Moshiach now.   

Sincerely,

Yehuda S.