The phenomenon of the Rebbe’s shlichus is well into its seventh decade. Now, thousands of shluchim later, the collective wisdom of the Rebbe’s men and women on the front lines is being made accessible to aspiring young shluchim through an exciting new initiative.
In a historic and much awaited program, Chazak (a division of Merkos 302), hosted the first ever Yesodos Li’Hatzlochas Hashlichus seminar. This six-day immersive trained shluchim in key areas that would enable new shluchim to maximize their potential and idealism in the mission.
The transition to shlichus is far from easy. For young couples beginning this next chapter in their lives, running a successful Chabad House is often accompanied by never before encountered complexities and challenges. And to build impactfully, all shluchim have had to draw upon a strong foundation.
“When I received the email about the seminar from Rabbi Kotlarsky, I was very excited because a lot of the topics that it said it would cover, I’d been struggling with and needed more clarity about,” explained R. Shmulie Naparstek, Shliach in Jackson, NJ. “Sometimes I had to leave at 5AM to be there on time…but It was well worth the investment of time and money.”
“The benefits of integrating the proper yesodos before setting out on shlichus are invaluable,” stated Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Vice Chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch. “This seminar was a pivotal step in giving the new generation of shluchim the tools they need to build a thriving shlichus.”
The workshops, led by veteran shluchim and Rabbonim from around the world, included discussions on what it means to be a shliach, the essence of shlichus, contemporary issues in halachah, healthy support system, fundamentals of leadership, organizational management, employee/employer relationships, and maintaining positive attitudes, correct hashkafos and impeccable standards.
“This seminar was a complete game changer,” shared R. Elchonon Chaikin, now a shliach in Dayton, OH. “I learnt that there isn’t a subject, an idea, that the rebbe didn’t address. It brought into focus what I’m doing on shlichus, why I’m going on shlichus, and how I’m going to run my shlichus.”
“It was extremely impressive to see this group of yungerleite taking their Shlichus so seriously before even setting out,” added R. Yisroel Brod, who led the workshop in fundraising and time management. “All were united in their eagerness and determination to be successful ambassadors of Torah and yiddishkeit. The next generation of shluchim and shluchos are preparing to move out—and with programs like this, they will be prepared.”
An upcoming seminar for shluchim and shluchos, who have been on shlichus for 2-4 years, is currently in development and will iyh take place this summer.
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