Chabad (the Lubavitcher Chassidim) see one of their tasks in enabling every Jew to fulfill a Mitzva in order to reach a place in Olam HaBah (the World to Come). Women, among others, receive free Shabbat candles and Jewish males may put on Tefellin. (see photo).
There is an interesting anecdote concernning the Mivtzah Tefilin (the comapign to lead every Jew to put on Tefilins) that was published on teh Jerusalem Post this week:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=224209
By the content of the text message: "put on tefillin and it will bring redemption", I can assume at almost 100% that it was sent by a Chabadnik.
The guy who sent those messages was not aware that some of the numbers (he probably stole) were to women. And smart as she was, she knew that sending him a picture of a woman puttting on Tefilin would disgust him. And it did, as he stopped harassing her. Brilliant idea. I think it was the first and the last time she will put on Tefilin. It was the very first time I saw a woman with Tefilin and that story also point out the fact that...a woman with Tefilin is definitely not nice and esthetical to see. She looks horrible with those Tefilin, and look clisely...she didn't bother to remove the bayis (boxes) of the Tefilin. Too funny! It's definitely not a Mitzvah for women.
It is not really for that they may have a place in Olom Habo, as every yid has already a share in the Olam Habo ("Kol Yisroel Yesh Lohem Chelek L'Olom Habo"), but that through the mitzvah of Tefilin they will be led to do other mitzvos, because a Mitzvah leads to another Mitzvah.
ReplyDeleteB"H
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a woman wearing Tefillin but I know about the female Reform group parying at the "Kotel HaKatan - The Small Western Wall" near the "real" Kotel.
I am not in favour of it and once explained why a woman should not put on Tefillin. I think I did it in German only but should translate it into English. Unfortunately, most of these women wearing Tefillin are not aware of kabbalistic reasons. That only men wearing Tefillin are able to do certain Tikkunim and cause a reaction within the Sefirot.
I always thought that the Lubavitcher Rebbe said that every Jew doing a Mitzva, has a place in Olam HaBah.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught that the natural essence of a Jew is to serve his Creator. But because of some reasons (lack of religious education, etc.), s/he has difficulty to express her/his being. So, by initiating his mivtzaim, the Lubavitcher Rebbe wanted that there could no longer be a Jew in the world without any Mitzvah performance. He initiated 10 Compaigns of "easy" Mitzvos. And because a Mitzvah leads to another Mitzvah, through an "easy" Mitzvah, like Mitzvah Tefilin, a non-religious Jew will start ti do another Mitzvah, then another, untill he keeps the entire Torah. (Unfortunately, there are many Shluchim, who remain at the first level, the beginner level, and don't bother to higher the level and the standards for their congregants.)
ReplyDeleteBut it's not a question of being worthy of the Olom Habo, as it has already been said that "All the Jews have a share in the world to come, as it is written (in the book of the Prophet Yeshayah 60:21): And Your people, they are ALL tzadikim, and forver they will inherit the Land, they are the branch of My planting, the work of My hands wherein I am glorified."
How is it that a Jew has an automatic share in the world to come? One of the explanations given is that a Jew is like a pomegranate. S/he is full of Mitzvos within, wheither s/he is conscious of that or not. A Jew who does not perform at least one Mitzvah a day, it's an impossibility. It is just that s/he is not conscious of that and does not know that what s/he is doing is Divine. So, our task is to awake that conscience thorugh "easy" Mitzvos, like putting on Tefilin for men or lighting Shabbes candles for women, so that they will go from strenght to strenght, and accept willfully, and not randomly, the whole Torah.