Beekman Newsletter

A Pesach Thought
Perspective
The Soul
Adult Ed
From the Lubavitcher Rebbe
by Denise Sinclair
“The Haggadah describes four disparate
types of youth, but with a common denominator:
all of them, even the most
rebellious one, is present at the Seder.
They meet, their lives intersect, and
they share varying degrees of association
with the Torah and mitzvot. Consequently,
there is strong hope that even
the most wayward child will eventually
see the beauty of a Torah life.
Unfortunately, the present era of spiritual
confusion has produced a fifth, unmentioned
category: the absent child.
This one knows nothing of a Seder, Passover,
the Torah or Judaism. Our attention
to the absent children must begin
long before Passover. With love and sacrifice,
we must reach out to Jews who do
not know what being Jewish means. No
Jewish child is expendable. All energies
must be directed to introducing absent
Jews to the “seder” of Jewish life…”
From a public letter
11 Nissan 5717 /April 12, 1957
As a native New Yorker and Sutton/Beekman Place resident
of long-standing, I often passed by Chabad at Beekman-Sutton—admiring
its lovely, sidewalk Sukkah tent or
glancing through its inviting windows at toddlers and children
playing gaily inside the building. I had no immediate
sense of all that the organization represented.
The value of what Chabad at Beekman-Sutton adds to our
neighborhood became apparent when I first met Rabbi
Metzger by chance. We shared a spontaneous conversation
over coffee at a favorite, neighborhood café. The
next time we met, I was wheeling my luggage along the
sidewalk. The rabbi asked where I was going; I answered
Paris. He took out a dollar bill to give to someone in need,
explaining that this was tzedakah—the Hebrew word for
philanthropy in which a donor benefits from giving as
much or more than the recipient. I searched without success
for someone on my way to JFK airport.
In Paris, while boarding a train on the metro, I noticed a
homeless, old French woman standing on the platform
and quickly handed her a two Euro coin just as the train’s
doors were closing. She was taken aback by the immediate
gesture but clearly grateful. Since this incident, the rabbi
and rebbetzin and I have become fast friends. I am struck
by their unusual warmth and kindness, belief in community
purpose and unwavering optimism. These are traits in
short supply and seem somewhat old-fashioned in today’s
ever self-focused world.
Chabad at Beekman-Sutton’s community
outreach efforts clearly
have a positive impact on our
globally-sophisticated, prosperous
neighborhood with its Jewish
population that consists of a mix
of traditions.
I was honored this Chanukah to serve as the emcee for
the lighting of the menorah, welcoming state and local officials,
as well as the children and residents of our most
diverse neighborhood. What an unexpected, evolving connection
it is that I continue to celebrate and treasure.