The
Eshel-Hachnosas Orchim Dinner
By S. Choveiv
"Hachnosas
Orchim is greater than greeting the Shechina,"
say Chazal. There are also many other statements along these lines, but
when the Rebbe suddenly talks about hachnasas orchim so much, it becomes
even more urgent.
"The
intention is literal: all local residents must give the guests food, drink, and
lodging, and they must do so generously, with their money, body, and
soul..." said the Rebbe MH"M in the sicha of Ki Savo 5740.
Have
you ever thought about this seriously? Try to imagine how you feel when you host
a couple, friends, or a family. You clean up, empty rooms, send the children to
sleep on the couch, and do all you can so that your guests feel
comfortable.
Now
imagine what it means to have the Rebbe’s guests. Close your eyes and picture
it. It’s one o’clock in the morning and you have already said ha’mapil
and are about to go to sleep when suddenly the phone rings and it’s Rabbi
Chadakov on the line. "The Rebbe is looking for you. The Rebbe has an
important guest and he wants you to feed him and take care of him."
"The
main thing is action," the Rebbe went on to say in that sicha.
Yes, it’s not just imagination. It’s for real. To the credit of Crown
Heights residents, they really go all out; whether it’s a hundred boys who eat
with them at each meal (yes, there are hosts like that) or mattresses covering
their living room.
And
it’s not just physically extending themselves that they do, but their money
and their hearts, as well. The greatest proof for this is the hundreds of people
who participated in the magnificent dinner for Hachnosas Orchim on Motzaei Shabbos
Bereishis.
At
9:30 in the evening, hundreds of guests began entering Oholei Torah’s
beautiful hall. With Yossi Cohen’s music playing in the background, people
took their places at a festive Melaveh Malka meal and took a look at the
special gift printed especially for the dinner.
The
talented Rabbi Yossi Jacobson, the emcee for the evening, captivated the crowd
with fascinating and humorous stories illustrating the importance of hachnasas
orchim.
A
video was shown of Tishrei scenes with the Rebbe, and the Rebbe’s encouraging
the singing of "Yechi," infusing the audience with feelings of bitachon
and emuna that the Rebbe is about to come and redeem us. Then the
director of Merkaz Chabad HaOlami L’Kabbolas Pnei Moshiach, Rabbi Menachem
Mendel Hendel, presented an award to R’ Avi Taub.
R’
Avi Taub approached the microphone and said, "It’s a difficult time. The
sea is stormy, the waves are high and dangerous and there is only one life
preserver - hiskashrus to the Nasi HaDor, the Rebbe Melech
HaMoshiach." R’ Avi went on to relate a story that happened while
repairing the k’varim in Russia as the Rebbe’s emissary. He described
being stuck on a mountaintop during a snow storm, when he suddenly saw the Rebbe
extending his gartel to him. He grabbed the gartel and was saved.
"Hachnosas
Orchim is the Rebbe’s gartel. It is an organization that enables one to
connect to the Rebbe, both b’ruchniyus and b’gashmiyus. I ask
everybody who can to contribute, for this is the place, this is the time, and
this is the goal."
Rabbi
Avrohom Osdoba, member of the Crown Heights beis din, was the next
speaker. "Before the world was created," Rabbi Osdoba related,
"the earth was void and there was darkness, but there was a ‘spirit of
G-d.’ The Midrash says this spirit was the spirit of Moshiach. This is the
purpose of creation. Just as the luchos were broken because they no
longer were holy since the letters had flown away, so too the world is emptiness
and darkness. It’s just the spirit of G-d, the spirit of Moshiach, which
brings the world into existence."
The
chairman of the Vaad HaKohol, R’ Michoel Chazan described taking his children
to see different sukkos around the neighborhood. "We saw many sukkos
and then for the finale we went to the giant Hachnosas Orchim sukka. ‘This
is the nicest sukka,’ I told them. ‘This is where the Rebbe’s
guests eat, thousands of bachurim who come from around the world to the
Rebbe and who eat in this sukka."
The
lights dimmed and another video was shown, this time of the work of Hachnosas
Orchim this year. It’s hard to convey the scope of their work in seven
minutes. Scenes of the apartments, the dining room, the kitchen, the sukka,
the sedarim, the farbrengens, mivtzaim, and davening with
the Rebbe were shown. A full month of non-stop work in a seven minute video, but
now people have more of an idea of what Hachnosas Orchim is all about.
Levi
Yitzchok Bar-Zohar, eleven years old, represented the guests. He confidently
approached the mike as the crowd hushed. It isn’t often that a child gets up
to speak. "Allow me to share a personal experience," he began. The
crowd was touched as he described his feelings as he stood at the Birkas
HaTmimim on Yom Kippur eve. "I know that this was made possible by the
wonderful residents of Crown Heights, so on behalf of myself and the fifty boys
in my group, and the hundreds of young men and thousands of bachurim, I
want to say: Thank you."
Rabbi
Hendel proclaimed "Yechi" and then went on to say, "This
tremendous work is not accomplished by our kochos. We work for the Rebbe
MH"M and it’s all his kochos. None of us can say, "kochi v’otzem
yadi," for anybody who gets involved knows the truth. The guests are
not our guests. They are the Rebbe’s guests, and the Rebbe takes care of them.
"We
thank Hashem for the great privilege of being the ones to take care of the Rebbe’s
guests b’gashmiyus and b’ruchniyus . A special thanks to the
hundred members of the Hachnosas Orchim team and the chayalei beis Dovid,
who work unceasingly with great personal sacrifice, all so that the Rebbe’s
guests should be able to draw upon the kochos and spiritual hashpaos
of Tishrei."
Rabbi
Hendel went on to thank those who support Hachnosas Orchim financially and said,
"This year an incredible phenomenon occurred. There were fifty amudei
chesed, fifty individuals who contributed $1800 each for this important
cause." He went on to list the fifty people, who were applauded vigorously
by the crowd. Then he described a new project as a preparation for the
revelation of the Rebbe MH"M and for the ilui nishmas Rabbi Yehuda
Kalman Marlow, a’h, the rav of Crown Heights. The 5
million dollar project includes a new building with 300 places for sleeping,
which will serve as a permanent hostel throughout the year for guests who come
from around the world to 770. In addition, it will have a kitchen and a huge
dining room.
The
presentation of the new project took the crowd by surprise and they responded
with applause. In conclusion, Rabbi Hendel thanked some major supporters, among
them Rabbi Yitzchok Raitport, who unfortunately couldn’t attend the dinner and
speak as he usually does, because of the sudden and shocking death of his son,
the bachur Shalom Ber, a’h.
Rabbi
Hendel went on to thank R’ Shalom Ber Drizin and R’ Shlomo Kalisch, and then
Rabbi M.M. Shagalov was called upon to accept an award for his tremendous
support.
Rabbi
Shagalov began his speech with a personal story. "A friend of mine, a
prominent attorney lives in an exclusive building in Manhattan. When I asked him
how yom tov was, he told me excitedly about the group of bachurim
who came from Brooklyn on foot and brought the joy of yom tov to him in a
way that he had never before experienced.
"We
see that Hachnosas Orchim is not just a chayus for the community, but a chayus
and a simcha for all of New York."
The
waiters began serving while Ari Cadaner, a solo with the Miami Boys choir, sang
Chabad niggunim. He was followed by the next speaker, the Rebbe’s
secretary and director of Merkaz L’Inyonei Chinuch, Rabbi Shalom Mendel
Simpson, who said, "Although I cannot host the Rebbe’s guests for
Tishrei, since I live in Brighton Beach, I had the privilege of having the bachurim
come to my shul on Simchas Torah."
The
next speaker, Rabbi Yisroel Gordon, shaliach in New Jersey, one of the ziknei
Anash and one of the first students of Tomchei Tmimim in the United States.
Rabbi Gordon described his experiences of the first Tishrei with the Rebbe
Rayatz in New York.
The
final speaker was Rabbi Zalman Landau, who concluded the evening with a farbrengen
which revolved around hachnasas orchim, Tishrei with the Rebbe, and how
to "live with the Rebbe."
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