Kinus Hashluchim 5786: Melave Malka Uncovers the “Secret of Chabad”
The annual Kinus Hashluchim casts a global spotlight on the work of more than 6,000 shluchim and their tireless efforts to reach every Yid, no matter who they are or where they may be found.
What fuels this mission? What inspires a young couple to move to Ghana, or motivates a family to uproot themselves and begin anew in Jamaica? What drives each individual shliach, and what unites them as a global force of shlichus?
“The answer is both simple and profound: the Rebbe’s teachings,” says Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, Director of the International Conference of Chabad Emissaries. “Every shliach represents and transmits these ideals. By immersing themselves in the Rebbe’s Torah, studying it, crystallizing it, and internalizing it, they align their worldview with the Rebbe’s own.”
“The Rebbe’s vision of mankind, of the Jewish soul, of what the world can become, this is the essence of what people admire in Chabad. In truth, they are marveling at the Rebbe’s perspective, reflected through his shluchim,” he said.
These teachings took center stage at the Kinus Melave Malka on Motzei Shabbos, where the speakers, the presentations, and the very theme of the evening focused on the Rebbe’s Torah, learning it, living it, and sharing it with others. The Melave Malka, a closed-door session exclusively for shluchim, offers them a rare opportunity to exchange ideas and reflections in an intimate, candid setting.
“A gutte voch, Kinus Hashluchim 5785,” called out Rabbi Naftali Rot of Yerushalayim, Eretz Yisroel, as he opened the evening program. Rabbi Rot, who has emceed many notable Chabad events on both sides of the Atlantic, invited Rabbi Menachem Kutner, director of Chabad Terror Victims Project, to lead a perek Tehillim for the safety and security of Yidden everywhere.
“This year’s Kinus Hashluchim is truly extraordinary,” Rabbi Rot then continued. “This year, the shluchim, together with all of Klal Yisroel, rejoice in the miracles Hashem has performed in Eretz Yisroel, foremost among them the return of the hostages.”
He went on to offer a brief reflection on the past two years of war and hardship, and on the shluchim’s relentless efforts throughout that time to uplift, support, and strengthen Am Yisroel. He also paid tribute to the beloved Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, director of the Kinus from its inception until his passing two years ago.
“Dear shluchim,” began Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch, who was next to address the crowd. He reflected on the atmosphere in 770 during past Kinusim, describing the unique elevation one felt in the Rebbe’s presence. “The days of the Kinus were like a Yom Tov,” he recalled. “The Rebbe’s love for his shluchim was palpable.”
“Tonight’s melave malka features a special simcha, a siyum on two segments of the Rebbe’s Torah, which is the foundation of all our sacred work,” announced Rabbi Efraim Mintz, Executive Director of the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI), who chaired the evening.
He first introduced Rabbi Levi Jacobson of Toronto, Canada, who completed a siyum on all of the Rebbe’s maamarim, an extraordinary accomplishment encompassing over 1,500 ma’amarim delivered by the Rebbe over four decades. Rabbi Jacobson encouraged fellow shluchim to likewise deepen their study of the Rebbe’s Chassidus.
A second siyum was then made by Rabbi Levi Shemtov of West Bloomfield, Michigan, who concluded all the Rebbe’s published Igros Kodesh, spanning 34 volumes of the Rebbe’s correspondence.
“A member of our community was recently appointed to an ambassadorial post for the United States,” shared Rabbi Sholom Ber Dubov of Orlando, Florida, one of the evening’s main speakers. “I attended his installation in Washington, and it was quite an experience. Later, I asked him, ‘So how has your life changed since the appointment?’ He told me, ‘Well, for starters, I have to attend ambassador school.’ Ambassador school? He explained, ‘Yes. Wherever I go and whatever I do, I must constantly remember that I am no longer just an individual. I represent the United States of America.’ Then he added, ‘Now I understand why shluchim say they are ambassadors of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.’”
Rabbi Dubov continued, “Yet there is a key difference. An ambassador represents his country; a shliach brings Yiddishkeit, and the Rebbe’s teachings and message, to the place where he is stationed.” He went on to share several practical pointers on how a shliach can effectively embody and transmit these vital messages.
A beautiful video presentation followed, featuring stories from shluchim describing how learning and teaching the Rebbe’s Torah transformed both their shlichus and their personal lives. Among those featured were Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Wilhelm of Crown Heights, New York; Rabbi Zalman Leib Markovitz of Monsey, New York; Rabbi Dovid Lewin of Quebec City, Canada, together with Dr. Alexander Avrohom; and Rabbi Mendel Gordon of Woodland Hills, California.
“Learning the Rebbe’s teachings changed my life, it changed my shlichus, it changed my entire perspective on Torah,” Rabbi Lewin shared in the video. Dr. Avrohom added a heartfelt message directed to the shluchim: “The most important thing you can do now is share your knowledge with everyone. Find a way to help people understand, and you will see how a spark takes hold. I’m living proof of that.”
The evening concluded with an impassioned address by Rabbi Avrohom Dovid Gancz of Suffern, New York, who spoke movingly about his personal experiences sharing the light and teachings of Chassidus, and urged every shliach to strengthen and expand this vital work.
Photo Credit: Itzik Belenitzi/Kinus.com
