The new mitzvah tank is artistically designed with images depicting the greeting of Moshiah and is dedicated in memory of Rabbi Zalmans son, Avrohom Dovid Liberow AH, who perished in a tragic car accident. They also dedicated a special Torah in Avrohoms memory from which they read the weeks parashah, every Monday and Thursday, in the mitzvah tank.
On the streets we often meet Jews that declare themselves atheists. These people dont come to synagogue, so we are reaching out to them on the streets, said Rabbi Liberow.
This is a wonderful time in history. At all other times, Jews were persecuted and forbidden to practice Judaism in public. Theres no place in the world where a Jew cant do a mitzvah, today said Rabbi Liberow with a smile.
The mitzvah tank is the idea of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. He believed that if a large part of American Jewry had ceased to go to synagogue each morning, to don tefilIin and pray, he would bring the tefillin to them. He sent his students out on the streets to talk to men and women. When they would find a Jew who was not practicing Judaism, they would offer to put tefillin on the men and recite a short prayer with them.
If the person stopped was a woman, she would be offered a free kit containing a small tin candlestick, a candle, and a brochure with all the information necessary to light Shabbat candles on Friday evening. They were also offered literature on the Rebbes other mitzvah campaigns or assistance in anything from having a mezuzah checked to finding a Jewish school for their children.
Eventually, the vans that were being used were replaced with mobile homes equipped with shelves for books and comfortable seating for a quick discussions or even an impromptu classbut the concept remained the samego out there and get a Jew to do a mitzvah.
Many people questioned the Rebbes approach. Why give an unaffiliated person tefillin, they asked. Whats the point of doing a mitzvah on the way to lunch in a non-kosher restaurant? Mitzvot were seen as the details that made up a religious Jews lifestylepointless when not part of the whole package.
The Rebbe saw things differently. He believed a mitzvah was a connection between man and G-d, a bridge between Creator and creationa mitzvah is a deed of cosmic significance and of infinite value unto itself. Citing Maimonides, the Rebbe repeated time and again, a single person, performing a single mitzvah, could be the deed that tips the scales and brings redemption to the entire world and all of creation.
Today, the mitzvah tank offers many services, including educational materials, charity boxes, Torah classes and kosher kits. The rabbis teach love for a fellow Jew and how to put on tefillin, how to hang a mezuzah, Jewish books, Shabbat candles, and information on celebrating Jewish holidays.
To learn more about their services, classes and programs visit chabadflatbush.org.
