👉Check out our latest in Chasidic Wisdom for Startups after our weekly thought!
THINK:
This Shabbat marks the twenty fifth yahrzeit (anniversary of passing) of the Rebbe.
It’s a day of intense emotion and power. I never met the Rebbe, not physically, yet he is without a doubt my mentor and someone who has profoundly affected the trajectory and focus of my life. I never heard his talks in person, yet they deeply inform my appreciation for action, my desire to channel the dross mundanity of the world for good.
My mentor passed away when I was 9, yet he lives with me constantly.
The Zohar, the foundational work of Kabbalah, teaches that “When the righteous departs he is to be found in all the worlds more than during his lifetime.”
If your life is physical, then when the physicality ceases, the life departs with it. But the Rebbe’s life was always transcendent, always exalted, always in the thrall of the higher realms. If so, that spiritual life remains manifest in this world, stronger even than before.
In 1991, the last time the Rebbe addressed the gathered Chabad Emissaries, he discussed the dynamic between a shliach and the mishalaiach, between the emissaries and the one who sent them. On its highest level, not only the actions or even the personhood of the emissary are associated with one who sent him, but rather the unique talents and abilities of the emissary allow the one who sent him or her to be carry out his mission in ways that could have never otherwise been done.
We are uniquely gifted now to carry out that mission, to use our talents and abilities to definitively tip the balance of the world to everlasting good. May it happen now.
👉Jewish Wisdom for Startups
Go Viral with Goodness
Yes controversy can bring in clicks. But ultimately a brand or startup that thrives on toxicity will burnout its goodwill and dissipate. Instead, it is only through positivity that we can truly have transformational virality.
The Rebbe used to distribute dollar bills for charity to all those who came to ask him for a blessing. When asked about his reason behind the custom, he replied: "When two people meet, something good should result for a third." When we connect with others, that interaction shouldn’t stay limited to us, it should galvanize us to positively impact the life of someone else. The Rebbe saw the need to empower us as lamplighters, messengers and brand ambassadors, tasked with the mission of inspiring others. Goodness, like software, is infinitely copyable. By one person inspiring another, we can fulfill that vision to fill the entire world with goodness and kindness.
DO
Space has filled up for #FirstFridaySociety: The Rebbe at 25
But stay tuned soon for an exciting summer lineup of Shabbat meals and events!
READ
An amazing mobile experience exploring precious talks and moments with the Rebbe.
Liel Leibovitz reflects on the what inspires him in his delightful Me Among the Believers
While the world scarfs hotdogs on July 4th, remember that this uniquely American sausage was sold to us an Independence Day tradition in the 1970s. But hey, the all beef frank with mustard and pickles was a Jewish addition to the world of Hot Dogs.
Criminal Justice Reform was discussed at a recent summit at Columbia University inspired by the Rebbe