15 years . . . 15 long years.
Last night I covered the special address given by George Rohr for Lubavitch.com . . .
and I must say that his words, to certain degree, inspired me more then anything else I've heard over the 24 hours of Gimmel Tamuz . . .
He mentioned a trip he'd made to the Ohel last Sunday - how standing in the muggy drizzle of the New York summer- he asked himself what we could tangibly expect the Rebbe to say about our work.
And the answer was simple: It wasn't enough. He wouldn't be satisfied. He would give us a blessing, encourage us to go on . . . but we couldn't remain complacent with what we'd done in the past.
Now I make no claims to know the inner workings of Mr. Rohr's exact philanthropic actions . . . I wish only to dwell on one point.
At times we get caught up in the profundity of our own existence . . . We shep nachas from what we've accomplished. We get excited about the news coverage we garnered for Gimmel Tammuz (50,000 people were reported as coming today)
Yet here stands a man, who by all means has something to truly be proud of . . . He's philanthropy has proved invaluable in the Former Soviet Union, on Campus Chabads, and various other initiatives. True, he has the easy part of the job (in his own words, "You [the Shluchim] are the ones who have the hard part - I just write the checks) but surely knowing that your actions have reached out tens of thousands of Jews - G-d alone knowing the numbers and the extent of its long term effect - is something to be proud of.
But standing in front of the Rebbe, wet and in the rain, we all realize.
We've only just begun . . .
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On a side note, I'd like to link to a new blog from my old friend:
Check it out and give it some love!
Technorati Tags: George Rohr, Gimmel Tamuz, The Rebbe, Chabad, Photography, Philanthropy, Picture of the Week
