Being 'Out There'
Have you yet seen the viral video of Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe from Friends) describing how her son was Bar Mitzvah’d by a young Chabad Rabbi who randomly encountered him at a mall one day?
I’m definitely not advocating a new trend or standard for this important Jewish milestone, but nevertheless this video made me think about how important it is to be ‘out there’ and available to connect ‘Jewishly’ even in the most random of environments.
The organized Jewish community is always discussing the best methods of engaging the next generation of Jews who are not flocking to sign-up for Synagogue memberships like their parents did.
One of Chabad’s trademarks has always been - bringing Judaism to the Public sphere with outdoor public Menorahs and Mitzvah Mobiles. (Definitely high up on the ‘out there’ scale!)
The vision and purpose of this phenomenon is pretty clear:
There are thousands of Jews – Lisa Kudrows’s son among them – who unfortunately would not be making their way to Synagogue on their own. Nevertheless, these Jews are part of our family, and if they won’t find us, then we need to go find them!
In this particular case, a Chabad student found this Jewish boy at a mall and offered him the opportunity to do a Mitzvah on his own turf. Although seemingly insignificant, that one Mitzvah forged an eternal bond between him and G-d, at the Mall.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Yossi Zaklikofsky