A personal story with the Rebbe

This Shabbos (the 3rd of Tammuz) marks the day when 24 years ago, the Rebbe physically passed on. It is a day of reflection about what the Rebbe stood for. 

Growing up just blocks from the Rebbe's Shul, I merited to have quite a few interactions with the Rebbe, despite my being just a child. Whether it was sitting at a Farbrengen (a gathering at which the Rebbe would share words of Torah, interspersed with lively and soulful melodies), or it was receiving a piece of honeycake before Yom Kippur.

However, there is one that stands out, clearly etched in my mind. I was seven years old, andaccompanied my mother, may she live and be well, and sister to 770 (the address of the synagogue, by which it came to be known). The beepers had gone off notifying people around the neighborhood that something special was happening.

Sometimes the Rebbe might be handing out dollar bills to be given to charity. Other times, it might be a newly printed text of Torah explained in the light of Chassidic thought. It was always an opportunity to interact personally with the Rebbe for a short moment, and receive his blessing. Long lines would form, as everyone awaited their turn to pass by where he stood, sometimes for hours on end. 

This time, as we got to 770, I remember being surprised that there was no line stretching down the block. We were late. We were ushered through the rear doors, and still no line. As we rounded the corner and the Rebbe came into view at the far end near the Holy Ark, one last person had just received a booklet and was now leaving. As we made our way across, with the Yeshiva boys singing on the sides, it dawned on me, that the Rebbe was waiting for... us. It was no longer me among thousands of others. There were no more esteemed Torah scholars, community leaders, or otherwise important figures on the line. The Rebbe was waiting for a boy, his sister, and their mom.

This to me exemplifies who the Rebbe truly was, and what I can try and emulate. Yes, he was a proficient Torah scholar and a leader of world Jewry. But ultimately, the Rebbe cared about every individual, seeing every single Jew as absolutely precious. This was his life's mission in establishing Chabad centers across the globe, to make it possible that no Jew will be left behind, and every single individual should have a place to call home.

Devorah and I are privileged to be his representatives here in Petaluma and hope to carry his bright torch forward, caring for every single Jew. 

To learn more about the Rebbe, visit www.JewishPetaluma.com/TheRebbe