"Since the Rebbe considers it something personal, he will not ask for it himself" In a small room off the main shul in Coral Springs, Florida, thirty-five men gather on a Monday night to listen to a shiur. They are learning the Weekly Sicha. In a darkened living room in Sherman Oaks, California, seven young siblings are gathered around a coffee table, watching and listening to an animated kids' video. They are learning the Weekly Sicha. In a crowded Chabad House in Rio de Janeiro, two-hundred people are taking in a Dvar Torah presented by the rabbi. They are learning the Weekly Sicha. And in thousands of other locations across the globe, people are logging in, printing out, writing down, and signing up. They are learning the Weekly Sicha. These and other such scenes are repeating themselves over and over again weekly, as the growing number of participants in the grassroots Project Likkutei Sichos take advantage of the tremendous number of resources made available to facilitate the learning of the Weekly Sicha. Project Likkutei Sichos, the worldwide project to complete the study of the Rebbe's Sichos, has just entered its fourth year. Learning the Rebbe's Sichos will provide eye-opening teachings and perspectives on a broad and varied range of topics, including Torah and halacha, medicine and mental health, racism and antisemitism, human rights and current events – all from the viewpoint of Torah, Chassidus, and Yiddishkeit. In its first three years, Project Likkutei Sichos has gone from providing a handful of helpful resources to its participants to now offering the weekly Sicha in six languages, multiple audio and video options, podcasts and essays, kid-friendly animations and poems, and more. And they are constantly adding to this already impressive resume. A recently published story tells of how the famed Chassid Reb Mendel Futerfas used to send any funds he earned or raised to assist the Jews that were then stuck behind the Iron Curtain, the former USSR. That was until one day when his brother-in-law, Reb Bentzion Shemtov, remarked to him, "Our brothers and sisters in Russia are being looked after by the Rebbe, cared for by the Rebbe, and are taken care of by the Rebbe. But who is taking care of the Rebbe? We need to put our money towards printing and spreading the Rebbe's teachings – Sichos and Maamarim – since the Rebbe considers it something personal, he will not ask for it himself." The zechus, the privilege, is ours. Project Likkutei Sichos has embarked on a campaign to raise funds to cover some of the expenses involved in this monumental effort. While many outstanding individuals volunteer their services and talents, there is clearly a great cost for a project of this magnitude. We now have the opportunity to partner with Project Likkutei Sichos, providing them with the financial wherewithal to continue and grow!. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment