An Auspicious Place to have our Prayers Answered
Moses sent 12 spies to scout the land of Israel. They were supposed to return with a plan how best to conquer it. Yet instead of bringing back hope and optimism to their people, they instilled fear and panic within their hearts, telling them of a land so fortified, so powerful, that conquering it would be an impossibility.
This sums up the story we will read from the Torah on this Shabbat.
And yet, Caleb, one of the spies remained optimistic. He maintained his faith and assured the people that G‑d would surely provide the necessary means to overcome any obstacles.
What differentiated him? What gave him this inner courage to stand strong, fight the tide, and say – what, at the time was – the unpopular?
The Torah gives us the answer. During their scouting mission Caleb quietly took a slight detour and stopped in Hebron. Why Hebron? Because Hebron is home to the holy burial site of our Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are buried. Caleb, stopped to pray at their tombs and thereby gleaned an extra measure of strength.
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This Thursday, June 25th, marks the 15th yahrtzeit (day of passing) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, a man known to millions around the world as simply "the Rebbe." Rarely in history has a single individual had such a profoundly positive impact on the world. Far beyond the confines of Chabad, or even the Jewish people alone, the Rebbe's influence and legacy affected, and continues to affect, society as a whole. He truly cared and loved every human being.
On this auspicious day, I will be joining tens of thousands who will visit his holy resting place in New York praying for my family and our entire community. This is a special place and date for blessing and like Caleb, G‑d will surely answer us.
I humbly offer my services to you to include your name in my prayers.
By sending an email to [email protected] with your name and mother's name and those of anyone else you would like us to mention (if you don’t know the Hebrew names, English will do), I would be glad to have them in mind as well. If there's a specific need you would like us to pray for, please mention it all well. You can respond directly to this email.
Additionally, I encourage you to perform an additional mitzvah this Thursday in honor of this auspicious day.
With continued best wishes to you and your entire family - Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick
