Toronto’s 500 People Campaign

By Levi Lavner

Many new records were set as Mivtzoim was at an all time high at Yeshivas Lubavitch Toronto this week.

Every Friday afternoon, during the time that the yeshiva gives them to prepare for Shabbos the Bochurim head out on “Mivtzoim” in sets of two, to over 65 “routes” throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

The Bochurim visit many different people, some visit the elderly, in Baycrest or at their homes, many visit businessmen at their office, just to connect with them, to share a little Yiddishkeit and let them know we care.

Obviously, one of the central Mivtzahs of the Rebbe is Tefillin and this takes up a central role in the Mivtzoim that the boys do. On an average week over 350 people lay Tefillin as a direct result of the boys’ visit.This past Friday however, a new goal was set.

Being as many of the Shluchim and Bochurim of the Yeshiva were good friends with Nosson Deitsch OBM, who died tragically in a boating accident 2 years ago, the bochurim took upon themselves (for the second year) to attempt to break all records in honor of Nosson’s Yahrtzeit (Lag B’omer) through putting Tefillin with over 500 people – the numerical value of the Hebrew name Nosson.

This is particularly appropriate seeing as Nosson was known to have a special Koch in the Mivtzah of Tefillin. In fact, the last picture taken of Nosson, just a few minutes before the accident show him wrapping Tefillin with an Israeli Jew in a public mall.

As Nissan Zibell introduced the Mivtzah in the name of the Shluchim, the Bochurim quickly realized the magnitude of the attempt: if they wrapped 350 Tefillin on an average week, and there were only 65 routes, this would mean that each route would need to wrap an average of 2.3 more people with Tefillin in order to reach their intended goal.

Not to be beat however, the Bochurim came up with numerous plans to help them in reaching this goal, the Shluchim had already arranged with Hanhalah that Mivtzoim would begin half an hour earlier (12:30, instead of the usual 1:00), but this was not enough.

A number of Bochurim volunteered to go out a day earlier. On Thursday, Lag BaOmer, 8 Bochurim headed out on their own accord to various shopping malls, supermarkets and High Schools to wrap Tefillin on the passersby and students during their breaks. In total over the course of Lag B’omer the Bochurim put Tefillin on 89 people.

The next day proved the real test.

Full of vigor the Bochurim went out asking riders on the TTC bus-line if they were Jewish and wrapping Tefillin with people on the subway. As the day wore on the Tefillin trickled in, the Bochurim filled out the weekly Duch, and the numbers grew.

“As of Monday morning we have a complete total” Zibell told COLive “On Friday afternoon alone the Bochurim wrapped Tefillin on 510 people!” bringing the total Tefillin wrapped over Lag B’omer and Friday to an astonishing 599!

“This is more than we were expecting” said Mendy Marlow, another Shliach in the Yeshiva “we are very proud of the Bochurim, and I am sure that this will give them renewed energy and confidence in themselves for coming weeks”

COLlive was also informed that this breaks all records for Tefillin in a single Friday’s Mivtzoim in the Yeshiva’s history. The most ever recorded for a single Friday was 509 which was back in 5766.

For more about the yeshiva, visit lubavitchyeshiva.com