Words from the Heart Enter the Heart

by Rabbi Eli Feldman – Sydney, Australia 

Today I cried. Not tears of sadness and not even tears of joy, but tears of the spirit.

When the soul is deeply moved and the body is overwhelmed by the spiritual awakening, it can sometimes find expression through tears.

I was at 770, the Rebbe’s Synagogue and the International Headquarters of the Chabad Lubavitch movement.

It was Shabbat afternoon and between the Mincha and Maariv prayers, the congregation were singing deeply moving spiritual melodies; ancient tunes that have been passed down for hundreds of years from generation to generation.

Here were thousands of people crammed together and singing as one, like one man with one heart.

Being that it was Shabbat, not one person had a phone on them. Everyone was intensely focused and present in the moment.

The thought crossed my mind that there is so much emotion here. Passion. Fervor. Excitement. Happiness. Fulfillment. Meaning. Purpose.

What are all these people emotional about?

On Saturday 19 November 2022, when billions of people around the world are expending their energies pursuing the desires of the body; be it physical pleasure, wealth, or social status, here are thousands of people in unison at this Synagogue expending their energies pursuing the desires of the soul. To connect on a deeper level with our creator and to align our thoughts, speech, and action with the divine.

In that moment, when the uplifting tunes of the soulful melodies reached a crescendo, tears flowed down my cheeks and gratitude filled my heart.

Gratitude to the creator of Heaven and Earth for providing us with the opportunity to connect with him. For giving us the Torah. For giving us the gift of Shabbat. For giving us a roadmap of living life that allows us to fuse the desires of the soul with the needs of the body, so that we can be true to ourselves. Every part of ourselves.

And I thanked HaShem for giving us the Rebbe. I stood at the same spot that I stood 30 years ago when I first came to the Rebbe at 12 years old.

The Rebbe was revered by so many people because his soul shined through his body. When you were with the Rebbe you felt that you were in the presence of someone who was completely aligned with spirituality. Who was overflowing with love. Love of Hashem, love of the Torah and love of humanity.

Those special moments with the Rebbe have stayed with me for my entire life and have been a source of inspiration to me in my spiritual journey.

Because the Rebbe led by example. The Rebbe didn’t just inspire me, he touched the lives of tens of thousands of people who came to visit him and were uplifted by his holiness and genuine compassion.

The Rebbe ignited the souls of many young men and women who were motivated to share the truth of Hashem and the message of the Torah to whomever they could positively influence.

Thus was born the concept of Shluchim and Shluchos; Rabbis and Rebbetzins who took upon themselves to dedicate their lives as Emissaries of the Rebbe to make this world a better place.

Throughout his leadership the Rebbe sent these emissaries to every possible city and country worldwide; for example my parents were sent to Sydney in 1968.

Even after the Rebbe passed away physically, his influence continued to inspire Rabbis and Rebbetzins to become his Shluchim, and today there are more than 5,400 Chabad Shluchim families in over 110 countries.

Every year there are two conferences in New York, one for the Rabbis and one for the Rebbetzins.

That is why I am in New York now, for the Kinus Hashluchim; the Rabbis Conference.

One of the highlights of the Conference is the Gala Banquet, where Shluchim join family, friends and lay leaders from around the world for a celebratory dinner. It is the largest kosher dinner in the world.

There will be moments of joy and celebration, moving stories, and glimpses into the challenges, hardships and triumphs of Shluchim.

While here in New York I will be visiting the Ohel, where the Rebbe is buried.

It is a very holy place. I have personally seen miracles happen in my life and in the lives of my family and friends resulting from prayers said at the Ohel. Here is a link to one such story: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3555176/jewish/The-Ohel-and-My-Medical-Miracles.htm

It is customary to include in the request a commitment to add another Mitzvah (any good deed) so that you have extra spiritual merit for the blessing to be fulfilled.

May all of our prayers be answered in a manner of revealed good and may we merit the ultimate good of the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days!