Experiencing Shabbat in the Heights

Would you like to "experience the nerve center of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement?" read the promotional materials for "Shabbat in the Heights," an annual weekend sponsored by Chabad, one of the world's largest Hasidic groups. Considering Chabad's question, I thought to myself: First, will it be a spiritual, religious or fun weekend in Crown Heights (Brooklyn), N.Y.? And second, will some of my favorite people from my North Orlando Chabad community - including the dynamic Rabbi Yanky Majesky - be going?

Silly me. I didn't need to ask those questions because the resounding answer to both of them was YES. The weekend in Crown Heights, held in mid-May, attracted 12 people from North Orlando, and about 450 people from dozens of Chabad shuls around the country.

In a weekend packed with lots of laughter, walking and prayer, here are three of my personal highlights:

Big leader/small office: Reb Menachem Mendel Schneerson, better known as The Rebbe, led the Chabad movement from 1951 until his death in 1994. He was also one of the most influential rabbis of the 20th century. He is credited with remarkable worldwide expansion of the Chabad movement since becoming leader of the Hasidic group. During his tenure, thousands of people filed by him to receive advice on almost any aspect of Judaism and life overall. Political, religious, and diverse famous people from around the world visited him over the years.

Most filed by him to hear a few words of wisdom and receive some coins (or a single dollar bill) to be given to charity. But for those who visited him in his office, what did they find? A small, humble, even austere, setting with wall-lined tomes, a large wooden desk and chair, and nary a sign of luxury or great accomplishment. The Rebbe was crystal clear about the life message that he wanted to impart to others: "Focus your time on performing acts of kindness -especially in times of difficulty. Your problems will be diminished by helping others. "

How and who makes tefillin? I'm sorry to admit that, not too many years ago, I didn't know what tefillin was. (For those of you who don't know, tefillin are small black boxes with leather straps that contain tiny scrolls of hand-inscribed parchment. They are worn by many religious Jewish men for a short period daily, as a sign of the bond between God and the Jewish people.)

So, there I was, standing in a teensy room, learning about the components of tefillin. I learned that it could take up to 24 hours to craft a single tefillin, with most of the time (15+hours) dedicated to the writing of the Hebrew script to be placed in the two compartments. The man who was crafting the tefillin absolutely looked the part. He was elderly, long-bearded, and hunched over the tefillin that he was smoothing with a commercial tool. I wondered to myself if he knew there were more than a dozen people crowded around him watching.

Shabbat dinner with two rabbis and one seven-year-old visionary: Shabbat dinner at the home of Rabbi Zalmen Lazaroff, his wife, Miriam, and five of their children was absolutely a memorable experience. As we went around the table, each person shared a few minutes of who they were, how they had come to be there, and whether they had experienced any previous Chabad trips. But who gave the most moving remarks of the evening? Sure enough, it was seven-year-old Eli Lazaroff, standing on a chair and explaining how performing more mitzvahs on a daily basis will hasten the arrival of The Moshiach (Messiah). His remarks were delivered with passion and a maturity way beyond his years. As I listened, my eyes teared up and I was happy to be believing his vision of the future.

"Shabbat in the Heights 2025" promises new growth and new reflections. For further information on next year's trip, contact Rabbi Yanky Majesky at 407-488-9304.