This coming Monday night and Tuesday is the Third of Tammuz - the 20th Yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. 

The Rebbe's wisdom was cherished by all, from the very young to very old, from Jew to Gentile, from the most simple to Generals, Prime Ministers and Presidents. If  you want to find out more about this extraordinary man, Joseph Telushkin, the renowned Jewish author, has just published a book, “Rebbe: The Life and Teachings of Menachem M. Schneerson, the Most Influential Rabbi in Modern History” that has been on the best sellers list of the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. See here For those with a Kindle, or Kindle-compatible application, you can download it in seconds from here

Here are just a few of the reviews:

Dennis Prager: “One of the greatest religious biographies ever written. Generations from now, Rebbe will be read by people of every faith.” 

Alan Dershowitz: “Whether you are a believer, an admirer or a respectful skeptic, you will learn much from this deep and accessible account of a truly great man by a great writer.”

NY Journal of Books: “Rebbe is that extremely rare thing: a perfect book about a perfect man. [It] brings the great man alive and gives the reader powerful motivation to examine his own life... The Rebbe touched the lives of millions; through Telushkin’s book, he will touch the lives of many more.”

For all the above, reverence is not really what it’s about. The Rebbe would often say that he couldn’t do our work for us - our lives and our mission are our own to accomplish. But he could and did show us the way to achieve our fullest potential. 

Below are just a few take-homes from this extraordinary man. You can find more here

On Criticism:

If you see what needs to be repaired and know how to repair it, then you have found a piece of the world that G-d has left for you to perfect. But if you only see what is wrong and what is ugly, then it is you yourself that needs repair.

On Personal Responsibility:

Nobody finds themselves in a situation; you put yourself in a situation. And if you put yourself in that situation, you can put yourself in another situation. (To Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks) 

On Jews:

There is no such thing as a Jew "with no Jewish background." Every Jew's "background" is that he or she is a child of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and of Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah…

On Torah:

One moment of Torah and Mitzvot is eternal… for through them you are bound to the eternal G-d and entirely transcend the boundaries of time.

On The World:

The world is not a jungle. This world is G-d’s garden. Bur for a garden to produce good fruit one must work particularly hard… it takes more toil and more time.

On Education:

In a mature tree, a gash here or a torn branch there is of little or no consequence. But the smallest scratch in the seed, the slightest nick in the sapling, results in an irrevocable deformity -- in a flaw which the decades to come will deepen rather than erase. Hence the great care and vigilance required in the values and education imparted to the young. 

On Old Age:

Ours is a society in which one's value is too often measured in terms of physical strength. This has engendered feelings of uselessness among many elderly, which in turn, contributes to depression. The Torah perspective, which prefers wisdom to physical strength as a measure of value, holds the elderly in high esteem. For it is with age and the experience of life that one gains wisdom. Whereas the physical strength of an ageing person may be diminished, the faculties of the mind are enhanced. It is for this reason that the elderly must occupy and utilize their mental faculties, and aspire to greater spiritual growth. I advocate the establishment of learning institutions for the elderly for this express purpose.

On the Physically Challenged:

If an individual is handicapped, he or she is challenged by Divine Providence to uncover hidden abilities and energies to overcome his or her handicap, and to attain higher levels of achievement than others who are not similarly handicapped. I strongly recommend a change in the term "handicapped" -- and prefer the term "special" or "excellent". For it is their specialty and excellence that enables them to transcend whatever physical limitations they may have. (The Rebbe used the the term "special' years before it became a popular way to describe those with disabilities). 

On Community:

Each individual has the capacity to build communities and endow them with life… so that every community member becomes a source of inspiration.

 You can read more about the Rebbe and his teachings here

May the Rebbe continue to inspire us in every aspect of our lives.

Rabbi Benzion Milecki OAM, 29 Sivan 5774 - 27 June 2014