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Capital Chabad Center
122 S. Main Ave. Albany, NY 12208
(518) 423-4103 rabbirubin@capitalchabad.com
JEUNION! ! JEU
Chabad at Union’s busy High Holiday schedule isn’t just the prayer services and Rosh Hashana apple & honey meals. Students enjoyed “Shabbat 100!” & eating in the sukkah and shaking the Lulav & Esrog with Rabbi Shmuly & Laiky.
Lulav & Esrog on Capitol’s West Park Legislative officials, state workers & tourists (also from Israel!) met the Mitzvah Brigade throughout the Holiday at the State Capital. (follow the brigade on Page 3 for more)
Based on the teachings of the
Join the Mitzvah Brigade on their missions… Sharing the Sukkot spirit with fellow Jews! (From right to left) Led by Mordechai Rubin, local boys visited numerous locations during Sukkos; Senior Citizen Homes including B’nai Brith, and Daughters of Sarah. They also helped Jews at the Capital & office buildings. They especially enjoyed meeting Israeli shop keepers at the malls, mostly from Haifa and Rechovot. Some had never done this mitzvah before, although they had lived
in Israel all their lives.
Celebrating Sukkot at Crossgates!
All Jews, learned and unsophisticated, equally share Simchas Torah. For it reaches a soul point which defies the concept of rank. Each Jew has a Gessential G -dly spark. By virtue, we share a connection to the essence of the Torah, on Simchas Torah, this level finds expression. “On Simchas Torah, the Torah itself wants to dance; however, since a Torah scroll has no feet, we Jews function as its feet and help it dance.” – the Previous Rebbe. Feet have no independent will; they are subservient to the head, obeying without question. So deep is our surrender to the Torah on Simchas Torah, that we are lifted beyond the realm of our individual identities and become the "feet of the Torah." Therefore, scholarly & simple celebrate equally, for one is no more ‘Jewish’ than the other . If anything, the simple man's is greater, for his intellect isn’t in the way of his connection to his Jewish essence. This basic commonality links us all to join hands & dance together, oblivious to the differences that create barriers between us. This also enables us to appreciate Simchas Torah in the sequence of holidays, beginning with Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur. These holidays focus on the inner core of our relationship with GG-d. Simchas Torah, as their climax, is the point of transition between the intense spiritual experience of the month of Tishrei and our daily, downdown-toto-earth circumstances. Having touched the core of our beings on the High Holidays and celebrated this connection on Sukkos and Simchas Torah, we prepare to elevate the realm of our ordinary dayday-toto-day lives in the year to come.
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SUKKOT HOLIDAY MITZVAH REPORT 5773 - Albany, NY
Posing after shaking the Lulav. Chabad Hebrew School students created edible Sukkot!
Enjoying the Sukkah as well as the sushi, this group had a chance to eat in the Sukkah with the Kleine Klezmer band playing holiday melodies in the back round at “Sushi in the Sukkah!”
Clifton Park Chabad
Tishrei events ranged from High Holiday services, Hebrew School with holiday oriented projects, to the Grand “Sushi in the Sukkah!” All enjoyed sushi, a variety of salads & hot apple cider in the Sukkah. Children enjoyed holiday Arts & Crafts, and took turns to shake the Lulav with Rabbi Yossi. One woman held the Lulav for her very first time – although she grew up in Jerusalem.
Shabbos House ‘Sukkah’! Winding up a most successful month of Tishrei, Sukkot events for hundreds of students were hosted in the big Sukkah built by UAlbany students (top right) at Shabbos House—Rohr Chabad Center. Students helped buy five full wagons at the Kosher Price Chopper (below). Saturday night featured a live music Sukkah Party, and senior Rabbi Rubin shared a personal Hurricane Irene- Sukkot story. Over 100 students did the Lulav Mitvah, as Shabbos House introduced ‘mitzvah on the spot for students on the go’ (check out the T-shirt). Many Alumni joined Rabbi Mendel & Raizy for the Grand Simchat Torah FiDedicated In loving Memory of Esther Aidel Bas R’ Yisroel Eliezer A”h
SUKKOT HOLIDAY MITZVAH REPORT 5773 - Albany, NY
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Moshe Cohen visiting from Manchester England helps David do the Lulav Shake, David told the Mitzvah Brigade that he once visited the Rebbe in 770!
CAPITAL Celebration! We visited various areas during the holiday! Our Mitzva Brigade headed to the State Capital even on Yom Tov —thanks to young dedicated volunteers, meeting legislators and state workers during lunch hour. Rain wouldn't dampen the spirits of these devoted youth, and in the Concourse they received “official” State Trooper perState workers pose with Moshe Rubin & Moshe C. mission to promote the holiday mitzvos. On after waving the Lulav & Esrog in all directions. Chol Hamoed, the charity can came up in the They were very appreciative & greatful for the Capital’s metal detectors - OH NO!, but to Jewish Calendars, Holiday Guides & the warm our surprise the in trooper himself emptied Holiday Spirit, that the young boys gave them. his pockets into the Tzedaka box! One of many incredible encounters . The Brigade even met Jews that “didn’t know that they were Jewish!” They brought warm holiday spirit to the state employees & passersby, who each got a Kosher candy & invite to eat in a nearby Sukkah. Some mentioned they had already visited the Price Chopper– Maimonides Sukkah. Others took the invite, bringing family & friends for a Festive meal in a Sukkah. Just before the Yom Tov of Shmini Atzeres, a home-bound woman phoned Rabbi Rubin - seeing featured in the calendar a mobile Sukkah that visits you at home! Rabbi Mathless At Daughters of Sarah our Mitzva Brigade sang the famous ‘Sukkeleh indeed came over and set up a pop up Song,’ some residents asked for the Yiddish version!After shaking the Sukkah for her! Lulav & Esrog, they headed into the Sukkah for a special presentation. Besides traditional Holiday songs, all were treated to sandwich cookies in the beautifully decorated Sukka where they recited the bracha in unison. Stories & Sukkot messages were exchanged, & all listened intently as Eli Kochman, Moshe & Motti Rubin performed the “Esrog from the Garden of Eden.” During the first days of Yom Tov Efraim R. accompanied by Moshe Kudan & Eli K. brought the Holiday Spirit to the Bnai Brith Residents , while S.B. Kudan & Yossi Dubroff arranged a Sukkot program at Ohav In honor of our Shalom. What about bringing the festive spirit home? Well, Chaim Kudan joined Yossi Ka40th, we invite gan doing just that, going all over Albany visiting Jewish Homes. you to partner with us to conbefore tinue & expand Rosh Hashana joined the Cardozo Society at Albany Law our diverse serSchool. Rabbi Mathless wished the law students a sweet vices for the Jewish new year with traditional ’lekach’ (honey cake) and new Community, with conJewish Art calendars. In addition to serving the Law & Phartributing $40!
“With our elders & children…”
University Heights Chabad
macy schools , Chabad of University Heights assists patients & their relatives at Albany Medical Center.
Dedicated In loving Memory of Esther Aidel Bas R’ Yisroel Eliezer A”h
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SUKKOT HOLIDAY MITZVAH REPORT 5773 - Albany, NY
Special Children’s Torah Verses
CHARITY! PRAYER! TORAH
CHILDREN’S TZIVOS HASHEM PROGRAM! WELCOME! to the
BINGO! I won!
GRAND
SUKKOT RALLY! Is this the right ticket?
POP-UP Sukkah! Enjoying refreshments
RECORD CROWDS!
Capital Chabad Chabad Lubavitch Centers of the Capital District PLEASE JOIN! In honor of our 40th, we invite you to partner with us to continue & expand our diverse services for the Jewish Community, with contributing $40!
Netanel S. Won his own Lulav & Esrog!
Raizel Glick rode home on her Brand NEW Mitzva bike!
122 South Main Ave. Albany NY 12008
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