Love a Jew and G-d Will Love You
On Kingston Avenue, I bumped into Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm, the indefatigable Shliach from Zhitomir Ukraine, who came for the Kinnus Hashluchim. I asked him, “where are you now?”
As a teenager my son would travel for many summers to run the Yeka camp in Ukraine, which was under the leadership of Rabbi Wilhelm. After the summer he would come back home full of energy and inspiration that he got from Rabbi Wilhelm.
“He is a real Shliach and Chosid, he is the ultimate Chassidisher Yid” he would say of Rabbi Wilhelm. And I believe that he probably had the strongest influence on my son, to follow in his footsteps to become a Shliach himself.
In Zhitomir, Rabbi Wilhelm runs schools and shuls, orphanages and senior centers, soup kitchens and summer camps. Hundreds and thousands are served by him with their spiritual needs and their physical sustenance.
Judaism came back to life in the formerly communist ravaged Ukraine. Synagogues came back to life, and Jews came out of the woodwork to start living like Jews once again in a free Ukraine. Many moved on to Israel, and many chose to stay. As long as one Jew remains in Zhitomir, Rabbi Wilhelm is there to take care of all their needs, from the cradle to the grave.
When the Russian Ukrainian war erupted in 2022, Rabbi Wilhelm managed to rescue his entire orphanage, as well as most of his community, and by way of known and unknown paths, he led them under fire, to safety. Ultimately the community ended up in Israel in the city of Ashkelon.
Wilhelm shuttled back and forth between Ashkelon and Zhitomir, to serve his people in whatever way possible. He arranged for food and medical shipments, for Matzah for Passover and Shofar blowing on Rosh Hashana, for all the Jews wherever they were, whether in Israel or back home in Ukraine.
So when I saw Rabbi Wilhelm in Crown Heights, I asked him where are you now? I thought I was asking if he was in Zhitomir or in Ashkelon.
Half smilingly he responded; “my community ran from Zhitomir to safety in Ashkelon. Unfortunately they now had to flee Ashkelon to Kfar Chabad, just to be in a safer zone during these trying times in Israel during the Hamas war.
And Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm is there with them for the long haul, during peacetime, and under fire in warzones. He is there to serve the Jews for whom he was chosen to be their Shliach.
How apropos that this week, the week of the Kinnus, we learn of the first Shliach in history. Eliezer was sent by Avraham Avinu, to find a wife for his son Yitzchock, to bring the Jewish nation to the next level. And being the Shliach, he saw miracles and G-d’s kindness at every step of the way in order to be able to fulfil his mission.
But even more fascinating is the Hayom Yom of this Shabbos, the 27th of Cheshvan:
“R. Aizik HaLevi of Homil related: “When I came to Liozna, I met elder chassidim who had been disciples of the Maggid of Mezritch and R. Menachem Mendel of Horodok. They would frequently repeat the adage: “Love a fellow Jew, and G d will love you. Do a favor for a fellow Jew, and G d will do a favor for you. Befriend a fellow Jew, and G d will befriend you.””
If anybody thinks that this teaching is a nice ideal, but not realistic in real life, Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm proves you wrong, wrong and wrong. He and thousands of Shluchim all over the world, prove you wrong. They Shluchim really believe it, they live it in real life, in India, Ukraine, Israel, Nepal and Russia.
I will be remiss if I didn’t salute our brothers in arms, the over 1000 Shluchim in Israel, who chose to stay behind with their communities this year, so that they can be with them during these trying times. They chose to do this instead of coming to New York to enjoy the annual Shluchim conference, the 5-day holiday of energy boosters and personal inspiration for every Shliach.
Rebbe, you charged us with a mission to prepare the world for the revelation of Moshiach, by spreading goodness and kindness, and by increasing in keeping Torah and Mitzvos. I dare say that Shluchim like Rabbi Shlomo Wilhelm are doing the job superbly.
In Rabbi Wilhelms’ own words: “I learned this in the Parsha, like by Sarah Imeinu, our matriarch, at 100 she was like a 20-year-old, and at 20 she was like a 7-year-old. All her years were of equal for the good. Shlichus in Zhitomir is like in Ashkelon, and Kfar Chabad is like Ashkelon, they are all equal when it comes to doing the Rebbe’s Shlichus.”
Mission accomplished, the world is ready for Moshiach, NOW!
Have a mission filled, Shlichus imbued Shabbos,
Gut Shabbos
Rabbi Yosef Katzman
