A Mitzvah That Lasts Beyond Tishrei

How could a group of visiting girls make that happen? The Girls Lulav Center provided the answer. Arranged by Lubavitch Youth Organization, the center is a hub for girls to come borrow Lulav and Esrog sets for Mivtzoim all throughout Chol Hamoed Sukkos. 

This Chol Hamoed Sukkos, an unexpected reunion took place.

Chaya and her friends, a group of Israeli girls who had come to spend Tishrei and Yom Tov in Crown Heights, returned to a familiar address: the Mivtzoim Shop’s Girls Lulav Center. 

The previous year, Chaya and her friends had stopped by, looking to borrow a Daled Minim set. At that very moment, Tzach received an urgent message: A Jewish mother and her son, living on the outskirts of Crown Heights, were hoping someone would come by so they could shake Lulav that day.

The timing couldn’t have been better. Chaya and her friends were the perfect match!

The girls made their way to the family’s home, where the mother and son were able to shake Lulav just before sunset. Thanks to one simple encounter, they had the opportunity to fulfill a Mitzvah they otherwise might have missed that Sukkos.

Fast-forward one year.

Chaya returned to the Girls Lulav Center, but this time she and her friends already had a destination in mind: the very same family.

In fact, the connection had continued long after that first encounter. The girls had stayed in touch, even sending the family a weekly message with a thought on the Parshah. What began as a chance meeting through one Mitzvah, had blossomed into a meaningful, ongoing connection between Yidden, transcending time zones and distance.

Now, a year later, the girls were looking forward to reconnecting in person.

One mitzvah and one encounter became a connection that continued throughout the year. 

Throughout Tishrei, girls from near and far came through the doors of the Girls’ Lulav Center to borrow a Lulav and Esrog set to take the Mitzvah out into the streets and into the homes of Crown Heights and beyond.

Local girls, Israeli visitors, French guests, and girls from across the globe all took part in the initiative.

The numbers tell the story:

– More than 100 Daled Minim sets were made available.

– Approximately 300 groups in total went out with Lulav and Esrog sets.

– Participants included individuals and groups, local women and girls, and guests from France, Eretz Yisroel, and around the world.

Thursday of Chol Hamoed saw the busiest activity, with an incredible 79 sets out at the same time!

The Daled Minim were generously donated by:

– Rabbi Levinson of Itche’s Hadasim

– Zarchi’s Esrogim

– Shapiro’s Esrogim

– Mogilevsky’s Esrogim

Their generosity helped make hundreds of additional Mitzvos possible.

This year for the first time, the daily Mivtzoim bus gave high school students and older girls the opportunity to go out on Mivtzoim, bringing the joy of Yom Tov directly to Yidden throughout Sheepshead Bay, in coordination with Rabbi Schwartz of Sheepshead Bay Chabad. 

On Monday, Shaina and her group experienced a particularly memorable encounter.

In Shaina’s words:

“We went on the Mivtzoim bus on Monday. When we arrived at one of the apartment buildings on our list, we checked the paper to see which resident might be most likely to welcome us in.

Next to one name, it said ‘engaged Yid,’ so we rang her bell. She opened the door for us, and she was all  excited to see us, with her door open and ready. She was really happy and told us that Chabad always comes!

We did the Mitzvah with her. There was another woman there as well, so we asked her, ‘Are you also Jewish?’ She answered, ‘Yes, but…’ She wanted to understand what we were asking her to do, so we explained the meaning behind the Four Minim.

She suddenly said, ‘Oh, so I’m like the Aravos!’

My sister responded, ‘No, but you’re doing a Mitzvah right now!’

I also shared an idea from a Sicha I had heard earlier that day: how the Aravos are, in a certain sense, even higher than the other minim. They represent a greater Achdus because they are connected with everything around them, not just within themselves.

She loved the idea!

‘That’s just like me!’ she exclaimed.

She was so excited. She took the Lulav and Esrog and made the Bracha.

Then she told us something incredible:

‘By the way, that’s the first time in 46 years that I did it. And I’m 46 years old!’

For the very first time in her life, she had shaken the Lulav and Esrog.

A moment that began with a knock on a door became a lifelong first.”

With Gratitude

A heartfelt thank-you to everyone who helped make this year’s Tishrei Mivtzoim initiatives such a success.

To the generous donors who sponsored the Daled Minim, the girls who volunteered their time and energy, the participants who came through the Lulav Center, the Mivtzoim bus coordinators, and everyone who helped make these opportunities possible: thank you!

Each set that went out represented another opportunity for a Yid to fulfill a Mitzvah. Each encounter had the potential to create a lasting connection.
Each Mitzvah created an eternal impact, bringing the world closer to Geulah.