Good Deeds Mark Girls’ Yud Shvat

In the first maamar of the Rebbe, Bosi Lgani 5711, the Rebbe cites examples of how each of the Rebbeim occupied themselves in Ahavas Yisroel.

In Beth Rivkah Montreal, the students practiced Ahavas Yisroel on Yud Shvat by visiting senior-citizens residences, and directing special programs for young children. This also fulfills the Rebbe’s directive to utilize Yud Shvat to reach out to other Yidden.

Four busloads of Elementary students were transported to 9 senior-citizens residences in Montreal. Before excitedly getting on the buses, the children watched a Rebbe-video. The interactive program between the students and seniors was greatly appreciated.

They told a moving story, showing how the Rebbe cares for every person, including non-jews. The children also gave everyone coins to fulfill the mitzvah of Tzedoko, and recited Shma Yisroel with the residents. Some children played the piano to bring simcha. The school principal, Rabbi Yosef Minkowitz put on Tefillin with some of the men, and the students helped them with saying Shma. The students were asked to come back again soon. They returned to school happy that they fulfilled the Rebbe’s shlichus and brought simcha to many people.

Grade 7 prepared special projects, arts & crafts and games, and made a mini-farbrengen, to teach the preschool thru grade 2 children about Yud Shvat. Grade 8 conducted a similiar program for preschool boys.

Thanks to Mrs Pessy Minkowitz, Chava Dina Benshimon and all the Morahs for these beautiful programs.

Each student in the entire school wrote a personal pan to the Rebbe.
Morah Sharon’s preschool class made an amazing presentation on the Rebbe’s Mivtzoyim.

The High School prepared for Yud Shvat by learning a Hachono booklet about the mivtzoyim in the weeks preceding Yud Shvat. They had an inspirational Yud Shvat farbrengen with Chava Yaffee, who came in special from Crown Heights. Mrs Devora Leah Shanowitz, shlucha in Chabad of Westmount, spoke at the Yud Shvat assembly, followed by chassidishe nigunim and distribution of many prizes. Thanks to Mrs Chana Gansbourg, Shaina Gurary and Rochel Katz for coordinating and directing these meaningful activities.

As a preparation for Yud Shvat, Rabbi Hirsh Raskin, dean of the Mesivta, explained to the High School students the various stages of how the Rebbe’s sichos were publicized over the years. He related how his father, the legendary shliach to Morocco, Rabbi Leibel Raskin, was instrumental, as a bochur, in arranging the breakthrough for the Rebbe to be Magiya (edit) sichos every week for an entire year 5718-19 (1958-59), which later formed the first full-size seforim of the Rebbe – Likutei Sichos volumes 1 & 2. Rabbi Minkowitz added additional points, and showed the students the Rebbe’s original ksav-yad-kodesh (holy handwriting) on a 12 page sicha, various formats of sichos over the years, a vintage Hebrew typewriter used for typing sichos in the Chof’s (60’s), and a reel-to-reel tape which recorded the Rebbe’s weekday farbrengens.

In honor of Yud Shvat, one of the dedicated High School morahs, Mrs Rochel Cohen, encouraged her grade 9 Tanya class to study Tanya Baal Peh. Eight students enthusiastically memorized between one and ten perokim, and were awarded prizes and certificates by Mrs Cohen.