Why One Shliach Stayed Behind

By COLlive reporter

Rabbi Levi Chekly really wanted to be in New York this past week and it wasn’t because of the high humidity in his city of residence – Luanda, a port city of the African coastal nation of Angola.

Many of his fellow Shluchim, Lubavitcher Chassidim, and Jews from around the world made their way to Queens last Tuesday to daven at the Rebbe’s Ohel on Gimmel Tammuz, the 23rd yartzeit.

But Rabbi Chekly stayed behind.

His reasoning: Remaining in Angola would allow him to present the Rebbe with a special gift that the Rebbe encouraged Shluchim and communities to do – build a mikvah.

On Gimmel Tammuz day, after davening and learning, Rabbi Chelky hosted Rabbi Meir Posen, a posek and mikvah expert from London, England, to inspect the Mikvah being built in Angola.

This will be the 5th Mikvah built in Central Africa, under the dynamic leadership of Rabbi Shlomo Bentolila, Director of Chabad’s operations in Central Africa.

Previous Mikvaos were built in Nairobi, Kenya; Kinshasa and Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Abuja, Nigeria – each of them serving the local Jewish population and visitors.

As he toured the Mikvah on such an auspicious day, Rabbi Chekly announced that the completion of the Mikvah will be scheduled for another special day: 18th Elul, the birth dates of the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe.