Posted on 10/31/2013 7:25:05 PM PDT by Phinneous
Thirty-three miles into the Arctic Circle, in the village of Kotzebue, Alaska, where more than 70 percent of the people are Eskimo, the local elementary school had guests one day: two Chabad shluchim (emissaries) from Anchorage, some 550 miles away. The children showed them Eskimo dances from the Inupiat tribe. The shluchim danced chasidic dances. Rabbi Avraham Berkowitz asked, “Did any of you ever meet a Jew?” One girl raised her hand, yes, and she pointed to her mother, the fifth grade teacher. The mother had intermarried with a native man. The mother asked if the visitors could tell something to the daughter so she’d be proud of being Jewish, a daughter who might never see another Jew again.
(Excerpt) Read more at thejewishweek.com ...
News and history behind the annual "Gathering of the Emissaries" of Chabad-Lubavitch chassidic rabbis in Brooklyn.
Alternatively.... "So, 5000 rabbis walk into a bar...."
In light of the article written about a declining trend in American Jewish observance, I present the guarantors of world Jewry.
All Jews are "unofficial" emissaries to the world. We have customs and laws given by G-d that purposely make us stand out as a reminder of G-d's presence in the world. By living his or her life as a Jew, he tells the world that we are accountable to G-d and that Jew and non-Jew have objective responsibilities within His creation.
These rabbis live their entire lives on "mission," as it were, building observant Jewish communities out of whole formerly unaffiliated areas.
Empire? Ha.
Chabad does more, with ... not much. :)
Well, you know....the reporters words, not mine.
But you may know that the theme of a ‘war’ [against galus,] and ‘military hierarchy’ are prevalent in Chabad. So not an ‘empire’ but better a world-dominating army. That’s the ticket... :)
Wow.
I love it
While Deformed ‘jews’ are intermarrying, turning gay, having abortions, and fueling the evil Democrats, Chabadniks are having 7 kids a piece, inspiring wayward Jews back to the fold, and supporting Republicans. Chabad is the future of American Jewry.
Reminds me of a joke (doen’t everything?)
A young woman goes to a matchmaker in search of a husband. The matchmaker promised her a “handsome wealthy husband”. All she asked for was a fee of $2,500.
The young woman tearfully confessed: “But I only have $250!”
After which the matchmaker frowned. Then she said to the woman:
“Oh why didn’t you TELL me you wanted a RABBI!”
Thank you for posting this inspiring story!
You can watch the banquet live on the internet on Sunday night at http://www.kinus.com/templates/kinus/default.htm. I was there a few years ago as the guest of my rabbi and it truly is a life-changing experience. Since then I have caught the banquet on the internet every year.
Bump
I thought Jewish women were encouraged to marry Jews. You'd think.... Maybe I'm wrong.
In general, these “charismatic” (to borrow a term they might not use) Orthodox Jewish movements are a step in the right direction. God is not a God of gloom, and to mope around is to yield to destruction. God is a God of joy and victory and salvation and hope.
Through the Jewish people, the universal blessing of the Christian Savior came. For a while in the time line of this mortal coil, many of them (at least outwardly) rejected their Savior but unlike what all too many modern Christians believe, God’s unbreakable promise upon them remains. Their Savior is still saving, even those of the Jews who put personal trust upon the Almighty for personal salvation of their eternal lives (as, e.g., the psalmist David did). That’s a hard thing for a lot of modern Christians to swallow, those who are so soft that they still see their faith inextricably tied to a denomination. But Christ never came to make a worldly club with Him as a mascot. That’s a blasphemous idea. He is both very independent and literally sacrificially loving. Everything you would expect out of God.
Hey it’s sometimes true.
Being rich in God means less emphasis on worldly wealth. The object is to use it for the glory of God. It won’t go to eternity with them and even the psalmist says why bother.
...I mean, why bother for other reasons.
Well, I lied. A little.
I said God wasn’t a God of gloom.
However, God bore all our gloom. All the gloom of those who have trusted upon Him for the salvation of their eternal lives. And in eternal perspective that gloom is almost nothing, though it may bear heavily and sadly upon us for many mortal years. God’s message to mankind is: “Hang in there. It’s so worth it.”
Christianity really doesn’t differ with Judaism as to the general goals of God with respect to humanity. Where it does differ is as to the means, and about detail of the nature of the Godhead. Christianity fills in a revelation. What Jews treat as Torah today is a mixed bag of divine revelation and fallen human speculation.
I will disagree....remind me after Shabbos (AKA, Saturday...G-d’s day of rest for the last 5774 years and 8 weeks)
Well, of course you will, in the position where you are.
You’ve got a lot of pride to overcome.
Still, if you wish, after the Sabbath. Have a restful Sabbath, and remember to exalt the Lord.
P.S. (and of course it will have to wait till after you’ve enjoyed the Sabbath for you to see this... I’m a gentile though [but with a lot of background in Judaic thought] so it’s not even obligatory on me by any covenant, remember...)
If you’re hinting at the old canard that the Christians moved the sabbath to Sunday, just toss that idea out.
First, not even all Christian groups, despite being overwhelmingly gentile today, do this. Ever heard of the Seventh Day Adventists? Although gentile, they still honor a Saturday sabbath. And they are blessed for it, too, even though no law requires they do what they do. They do it out of love for God.
Second, Jewish Christian groups honor a Saturday sabbath. It remained a New Testament norm. Check the gospels.
You’re probably thinking of a Roman Catholic doctrinal move. I’ve got severe problems with a lot of Roman Catholic teachings. It doesn’t mean Roman Catholics can’t be Christians. The essence of Christianity is in the covenantal relationship with the Christ, as the essence of Judaism is in the covenant with Abraham. The Christian promise of permanent salvation (though woefully blasphemed by Catholics — here’s where Calvinist denominations, and even the Seventh Day Adventists, really shine) corresponds to the permanence of Jewish identity by the bloodline of Abraham and Sarah (or later conversion by choice).
Yes, we crazy Christians identify it as a better covenant.
The proper treatment of Sunday in the Christian context is as “the Lord’s day.” And most evangelical denominations don’t call it the sabbath, but “the Lord’s day,” in exact quotation of the Christian bible. The reason it is called “the Lord’s day” was not because of any purported move of the Jewish sabbath, which isn’t obligatory on gentiles anyhow, but it is in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus from death back to life. The Christian picture is not complete without that resurrection, even though much emphasis is put upon Jesus’ sacrifice. The sacrifice paid for sin. The resurrection imparts power. It was a one-two punch against evil.
I am curious why we need to turn a thread about Chabad trying to make irreligious Jews better Jews into a debate on Christianity vs. Judaism.
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