Weekly Dvar Torah: Matza and Anthony
Like every Chosid, I was busy over the last few weeks distributing Matza Shmurah (handmade guarded Matza) to as many Jews that I can reach.
This year had special intensity as we considered such actions as part of the gift of joy that we can give to the Rebbe the on the occasion of his 120th birthday only four days before Pesach.
The Rebbe’s request to bring Matza Shmurah to every Jew had two stated goals, 1) simply to have the best Matza to eat at least for the Seder, 2) the Rebbe quoted the Zohar which says that Matza is the food of faith and the food of healing, and by eating Matza Shmurah a Jew internalizes faith in Hashem (and benefits from G-d’s healing) by eating physical Matza on Pesach.
During one such visit in a lawyer’s office, I met Anthony for the first time, I asked him if he is Jewish and if he would like to have some Matza?
Anthony responded; no, I’m not Jewish, but my mother is Jewish!
Wow, I said, then you are Jewish, because your mother is Jewish!
Anthony seemed to get excited, and he happily accepted the Matza.
I then figured, that if he thought that he was not Jewish, he probably never put on Tefillin, so I asked him if he would like to put on Tefillin?
Anthony asked, what is Tefillin?
So, I altered my question; did you ever have a Bar-Mitzvah?
Anthony said no.
Well, let’s have a Bar-Mitzvah!
Anthony got excited, and he said sure, let’s go for it.
I took out my tefillin and I put on Tefillin with Anthony, he said the Brochos and read the Shema, and like at every Bar-Mitzvah, I photographed every moment.
Afterwards, I took out a beautiful leather Yarmulka, and I handed it to Anthony, and I said Mazal Tov, here is your Bar-Mitzvah gift.
Anthony was moved and he got emotional, and we embraced.
I asked Anthony, did you ever attend a Seder?
Anthony responded that he thinks that he once attended a Seder (probably from his mother’s side of the family), so I asked him, since you just had Bar-Mitzvah, would you like to be at a Seder this year?
Anthony seemed excided to take it to the next level.
So, I asked; where do you live? I live in Staten Island, he responded.
Oh, so I have a brother and a son who run Chabad Houses in different parts of Staten Island, which one is close to you?
It came out that he is a close neighbor of my son’s Chabad House.
Anthony took the address, and I took his information, and Anthony will attend the Seder this year at Chabad of the South Shore.
Finally, as I’m ready to take leave from Anthony, he puts his hand in his pocket and he takes out a large bill.
I said, Anthony I’m not here to collect.
Anthony responded with a huge smile; right, but I want to do another Mitzvah!!!!!!
I was floored, in front of my eyes I just witnessed a Neshama wake up and explode, just by discovering that he is a Jew, in no time did he get Matza Shmurah, and he had his Bar-Mitzvah, put on Tefillin for the first time, committed to be at a Seder, and finally he ended off by doing the Mitzvah of giving Tzedaka!
All of this in only ten minutes since Anthony discovered that he is a Jew!
This to me epitomizes why the Rebbe encouraged us, and educated us, to reach out and give Jews an opportunity to do a Mitzvah, the Neshama will wake up, and one mitzvah will lead to another, and another child of G-d will come back home.
Multiply this by the 120 Mitzvah Tanks, on which over two thousand boys went to hand out thousands of Matza’s and thousands of Shabbos candles, and thousands of tefillin, just to honor the Rebbe on his 120th birthday, imagine how many souls were reignited and burst out flaming souls on this very day.
This is what the Rebbe is all about, Jewish souls, waking them up and firing them up to big burning furnaces of Jewish pride and millions of Mitzvos.
All these blazing Neshamos, will together start a big fire, to burn the walls of this Galus (exile), and Hashem will send us Moshiach speedily to lead us to the third Temple in Jerusalem, Now, Now, NOW!
Have a inspiring and blazing Pesach,
Gut Shabbos, Gut Yomtov
Rabbi Yosef Katzman
