By COLlive reporter
Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo, both houses of the State legislature, the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate Proclaimed “111 Days of Education” in Honor of Rebbe.
In a special reception in Albany, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said it was a personal honor to chair the celebrations. He said he saw first-hand the scope of the Rebbe’s activities in his travels overseas. “Whereever I traveled, I saw the Rebbe’s emissaries in action.”
Rabbi Shmuel Butman, Director of Lubavitch Youth Organization, thanked Speaker Silver and the members of the New York State Legislature for their kind efforts.
Rabbi Butman noted that when the Rebbe speaks about education he talks about the education of all children regardless of race, religion, color or creed.
He said the Rebbe emphasized that the children should be taught that “The world is not a jungle” and that there is “An eye that sees and an ear that hears.”
Rabbi Butman also stressed what the Rebbe said that we live in the last generation of exile and the first generation of redemption and we can bring the Redemption even closer through more deeds of goodness and kindness.
Rabbi Yisroel Rubin, Director of Chabad of Albany and vicinity, spoke about the custom that at the Seder the father repeats the “Four Questions” and offered many meaningful insights.
As is the custom every year Shmurah Matzoh was distributed and available to the Jewish members of the Assembly, Senate and their staff.
In the opening prayers in the State Assembly and Senate, Rabbi Butman stressed that in Tehilim Perek 112, the Psalm that we start saying on the Rebbe’s 111th birthday, Dovid Hamelech speaks about the greatness of “G-d fearing” individuals and states their reward, including that “Their children will be mighty in the land” and that they will merit “An upright and blessed generation.”
Rabbi Butman recalled with reverence that before he opened the United States Senate in Washington in 1991, the Rebbe told him “Take a Pushka (charity box) with you and let everyone see what you are doing and let them know on what money should be spent for.”
In accordance with this directive, Rabbi Butman brought a Pushka with him to Albany. During his prayers he offered a dollar bill in the Pushka. He also asked the legislators if they wanted to join in putting a Dollar into the Pushka.
“This is not a fund-raising campaign, for it were we would ask you for much more than one Dollar, this is part of the Rebbe’s campaign to do mere goodness and kindness,” Rabbi Butman said.
It was most interesting to see how members of both houses of the New York State Legislature lined up after the prayer to offer their own dollar in the Charity box as an act of goodness and kindness.
