Hi Everybody,
It has been a long time since I have written anything. Though last summer feels like just yesterday, it's already been a full year! I am proud to tell you that, with G‑d's help, the Roving Rabbis program has become a year better, a year smarter and a year more dedicated.
I write to you from my desk in the Chabad.org offices after having just attended a conference of Roving Rabbis. A room full of young men, bursting with positive energy and inspiration. Some of these guys will live off matzah, sardines and canned soup for close to a month. Others will spend their days searching for long-lost Jews in jungle towns of South America. Yet others will inspire Jews in suburban Miami.
But wherever they will be, their message is the same: Every Jew is special, and every Jew deserves to be the best Jew that he can be.
So with tefillin in hand and mezuzahs in their suitcases, they are ready to hit the road.
But before that, let me tell you about the conference.
As the young men filed into the Jewish Children's Museum in Brooklyn, they were directed to two separate conference rooms. While the young men who are about to travel to posts within the United States heard words of inspiration from Rabbi Chaim Bruk, the funny and learned Chabad representative to Montana, those who are planning to go to other countries got to hear from yours truly, Rooted Rabbi.
After telling them the things I thought they needed to know, we had a special game show where the rabbis were called up to the front to answer questions that I had prepared as well as questions from their friends. For example, one group was asked to focus on how to build relationships in a town where no Rovers had been before, and there were no contacts in the database. Another group debated whether it would be more effective to invite people to a barbeque where some Torah thoughts would be shared or a formal Torah class.
What a fun way to pool together collective experiences!
Later, the Rovers joined in the main conference room to hear from Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, and director of the Roving Rabbis program. Rabbi Kotlarsky's unique blend of paternal caring, genuine concern, and wisdom culled from years of experience made his talk both entertaining and educational.
After hearing from Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, Chief Rabbi of Thailand and director of its legendary Chabad center, the Rovers were urged to greet everyone with a smile by Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetzki, Chief Rabbi of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.
Another special highlight of this year's conference was a special session with Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe, scholar-in-residence at Chabad at Harvard University, whose encyclopedic knowledge of all things—especially Torah—made for a thoroughly enjoyable and informative time.
Much more to write, but dinner awaits…
Look forward to sharing with you in the future!
