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Labor of Love

By now it has become a worldwide phenomenon. Drop in to any major, and many minor cities across the globe, and you'll find Coca Cola... and Chabad. Young couples, some within a year or two of their marriage, leave everything behind--home, family and friends, to set up a new Chabad center in a Jewishly underserved corner of the universe.

The Shluchim (emissaries) serve their communities with amazing dedication and generosity, setting aside every personal consideration. Often the Shluchim themselves live in cramped quarters and are deprived of many comforts that come from living in a large Jewish community. Yet they undertake their mission eagerly and happily. What motivates these idealistic couples?

The answer, in a simple word, is love. The Rebbe's emissaries love what they do, and therefore they never run out of energy.

But where does the love, the joy, come from? How did they come to love their ideals so much that they can draw others in as well, not just an isolated few but dozens, hundreds, thousands of people? There are thousands of emissaries of the Rebbe who share the same goals, the same dream.

And again, the answer is the same: Love. They love the Rebbe, and desire nothing more than to live up to the Rebbe's ideals. For this, they are ready to give up everything, work hard their entire lives. And what does the Rebbe ask of them? To love every other Jew, and help him or her to the best of their ability.

*

In this week's Torah portion we read about the love of the Jewish people for their leader, their Rebbe. The Jews had been ordered to wage war against Midian. However, they found out that at the conclusion of this battle, Moses would die. Upon hearing this, they refused to go out to war. As Rashi explains in his commentary, they would not take part in an action that would lead to the death of their beloved teacher.

Chassidim go to all ends of the world, withstanding any conditions, any challenges, because they know that this is what the Rebbe wants from them. To fulfill the Rebbe's mission and ideal, any sacrifice is worthwhile. This is how we keep our relationship with the Rebbe alive.

Unlike the battle with Midian, though, we do not have to violate a Divine decree to demonstrate our love for the Rebbe. On the contrary, every request of the Rebbe is motivated by his desire to fulfill G-d's will in this world. When we follow the Rebbe's directives, by spreading the light of Torah and mitzvot to every Jew in the world, we carry out the Divine plan.

The Rebbe's ultimate mission, his dream and the dream of the entire Jewish people through the ages, is the materialization of the era of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the third Holy Temple. We all have a role to play in making the geulah a reality.
 

 


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Rabbi Ephraim Carlebach
14 S. Holmdel Rd, Holmdel NJ 07733
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